Oathbreaker: A DND Story
Oathbreaker: A Dark Fantasy Actual Play Podcast
Betrayal. Corruption. A kingdom in ruin. The oath has been broken, and the dead refuse to rest.
Welcome to Oathbreaker, our second long-term campaign together. Join our party of schemers, outcasts, and would-be heroes as they navigate a kingdom torn apart by political intrigue, forbidden magic, and the looming threat of an undead crown.
With years of shared adventures behind us, our table is filled with rich roleplay, high-stakes decision-making, and the chaos of a group that knows how to push each other to the limit—both in and out of character. Whether you're here for the deep lore, intense combat, or just to watch everything spiral into madness, this story is one you won’t want to miss.
Swear your loyalty—or break your oath. The choice is yours.
Oathbreaker: A DND Story
Episode 5: From King’s Games To Cursed Manor: A D&D Side Quest With Stakes
It looked like a penis.
SPEAKER_02:But I can't really tell. Weird. Something looked like a penis to you.
SPEAKER_06:I was thinking to myself, why would Brandon get a penis on the inside of his arm tattoo? Like he he knows those goes on his face.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome to Oathbreaker, a DD story. I am Brandon the Irish Wookiee, and with me today is Maddie.
SPEAKER_06:Hi everybody, I am Maddie, and I am playing Boss Dane. Uh Boss Dane is a half-elf cleric. Uh level five. He enjoys long walks on the beach, chats with small animals, and overall just adventuring with his best buds.
SPEAKER_02:You actually have best buds in this group. If you're alive, you're a golden retriever.
SPEAKER_10:He spends the most time with him.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's fair.
SPEAKER_10:And Andrew. Hey everyone, I'm Andrew. I play Xaniver, the Aladdrin uh Sorcerer. Trying to remember my subclass, I can't remember it, but it has something to do with uh having a god or something.
SPEAKER_02:Aladdrin sorcerer, divine soul.
SPEAKER_10:Divine soul, that's the one.
SPEAKER_02:You know, I know this surprises you, but everything is on your character sheet, brother.
SPEAKER_10:As I'm staring at it, it does not say divine soul anywhere. Or I mean it it will probably say it like in the features, then I go down to class features, and then I go to the level three feature and look at the subclass, but I don't remember the title, it just says a ladder sorcerer five.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, okay. I'm a trickery cleric. Trickery domain, yes.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It says it right here on the front. That's the only reason I know.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, yeah, we don't see that.
SPEAKER_02:Well now I'm just an asshole.
SPEAKER_06:Yep, pretty much.
SPEAKER_02:What else is there?
SPEAKER_06:It's harder to find on Monty, to be honest. It was like probably two years of playing Monty before I figured out what his subclass was.
SPEAKER_07:Wait, clerics have spells?
SPEAKER_06:Wait, you have to I feel like for a cleric I should have more spells than this. You got any healing spells there? I I didn't. I should actually rebalance out my spells because all of them are not designed to heal anymore.
SPEAKER_02:I wondering about cleric is you can pretty much do that anytime.
SPEAKER_06:I thought you had to do that on only at the beginning of each day, long re after long rest. You can prepare spells.
SPEAKER_02:I don't really know. I'd have to beef up on that, but I know clerics can do it pretty often.
SPEAKER_10:It It says after a long rest, it doesn't say how long after a long rest.
SPEAKER_02:So once per day.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, DM discretion.
SPEAKER_06:After finishing a long rest.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, and so Maddie and Andrew, and that is it. Uh for our listeners out there, if you recall, we had a uh at the start of the Kings games or the Kings tournament uh last session, and three of our players stepped up and and won, and now we're left with the two losers that didn't make it. So they are going off on their own and gonna have their own adventure. Don't be really helping without self-esteem. Yeah, I'm calling you losers, just it's all all love, all love. Uh but as always, thank you for liking us, following us, giving us ideas. Man, it is it has been a minute. Oof. Oof. Uh it's uh yeah, my my my computer broke, and I had to buy a whole new one. Well, my motherboard fried, and I decided to buy a whole new one instead of just replacing that. And uh it's been almost a month since we played, so I'm trying to remember everything, and apparently I forgot this intro that I've only been doing for six years now.
SPEAKER_06:Rookie.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I know. Alright.
SPEAKER_06:We might be losers, but you can't even get through the intro, so thanks for following us, liking us, giving us ideas.
SPEAKER_02:It really means a lot to us. Make sure you're following us on all of our social media accounts. Give us a like and a follow on Facebook at facebook.com slash ad and d story. Retweet us on Twitter or ex at ad story too. Follow us on Instagram at Instagram.com slash a d story, and then check us out on Blue Sky, a BSKY.app at ad story. Um we are not sponsored by Blue Sky, but I I will say you should go check them out if you're not on there yet. They uh it is a really cool social media platform. Uh from what I've seen. A lot of nerds are using it, a lot of geeks like us, and I I there's not a whole lot of politics on there. Uh not yet at least, so go check it out. I I really enjoy it. It keeps my stress level down.
SPEAKER_06:If you want politics, check out our OnlyFans. That's where we discuss the uh really hardcore stuff.
SPEAKER_02:That's true. Last week Maddie dressed up as Thomas Jefferson stripping.
SPEAKER_08:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. So, is that uh do either of you or do you want to jointly give me a quick recap of last game's session? Or the last session?
SPEAKER_06:I'll all I remember is that we lost everything.
SPEAKER_10:So we started out the session with about an hour discussing rules. That's true. And then uh yet to be edited down to probably much less than an hour. Uh after that, we started the Kings Games. Um I think we had identified a couple of the items that we picked up in the previous session, uh, including a Hellish Sacrificial Dagger and some uh book of the Shrouding Gate that boss Dane picked up. Uh all of which that pointed to we could kill people and summon some devils. Uh once we got to the Kings games, we first went and did the Tipsy Tunes, which was everybody except for Dane went and competed in that one. Uh I think uh Harleck won it, if I remember correctly. Uh shocking that a bard is able to win a competition about uh thinging and drinking. Yeah. And then after that was um some kind of strength-based competition where I think they had to maybe drag something or throw something. A little bit of both, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Followed by a arm wrestle, I think.
SPEAKER_10:No arm wrestle.
SPEAKER_06:What was the last one between uh Nelvax and Boss?
SPEAKER_10:I think y'all were just in the final for chucking stuff.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, was it?
SPEAKER_10:Okay. Yeah. So Nelvax ended up winning that one. And then the final competition was the Leap of Death, uh, where people with not many hit points had to jump off a cliff, and somehow the populace signed up for this. Because I think the you know the clerics at the bottom were reviving them as they were dying. Um and so uh Nelvex won that one as well. I think uh Zane, Harlick, and Nelvax all competed in that one, if I remember correctly. That's correct. Uh and so after that, uh Nelvex had two wins, and he was able to nominate Zane to compete in the Kings game or the final combat or whatever it is, uh, on his behalf. And he was sending his bets because basically if he won or Zayn won, then it paid out for him. And then Harlach really tried hard to not be involved in any sort of final competition, but uh nobody would take the the torch from him and forced him into whatever is befallen that group. That is true.
SPEAKER_11:That is true.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, so Andrew, you get some inspiration or heroes. What is it called now? Heroes Heroic inspiration. Heroic inspiration, yeah. Because I am a motherfucking hero. There you go. Gotta find a box. They moved the box on me.
SPEAKER_10:There it is.
SPEAKER_02:The last time, uh, so yeah, you and your party have split off. The Harlick, Nelvac, and Zane are are ushered off so that they can get cleaned up and scrubbed up so that they can join the uh King's Ball in honor of the winners of the uh uh day one of King's Tournament. Uh or the King's champ uh King's Tournament so that they can do the King's Day Championship uh the next day, where they either have to fight on in teams or individually against one another or against uh other champions to be declared a champion and finally face the king in the final battle.
SPEAKER_10:Uh so just for clarification, the person who excelled by singing as a drunk now must fight in combat.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
unknown:Okay?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. If you remember it, it was also constitution. It was not just charisma, but it was also constitution.
SPEAKER_10:Well, yeah, that's for for getting rid of the uh the alcohol in your system, though, not for you know, stabbing somebody in the throat with a dagger. I don't understand your point. I just humor. I I'm I'm forteding whatever happens next.
SPEAKER_02:Um and so you two are left by yourselves as the day one of the champion uh or the day one of the the king's tournament starts to kind of wean off. You know, people are starting to leave, um, they're everything's starting to settle down. You still hear plenty of ruckus and partying. Uh people are rushing to the closest taverns to trying to get their their drink on before day two. There's a lot of still just general celebration. Um, but the immediate area is starting to clear out. And you two are left next to one another. What would you like to do?
SPEAKER_04:Just let's go get shitty.
SPEAKER_06:Just I think uh uh Voss is just he he's he's he's kind of there hanging out with Xanafer and he's like you can tell something's bothering him, but he's uh trying to keep a stiff over lip. He's he's a bit disappointed in the in the outcome of the games. But he's not really saying much.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, for uh for Xanover, I think it was it's more just water off a duck's back. Right. Um he felt pressured by uh Lord Seinmonger to even participate in these games. Uh and it's you know, given that he is a wildling from from the standpoint of the the tower, and he's trying to kind of lay low, anything that really draws attention to him kind of puts him on edge. And so while he does have this drive to kind of be the best that he can be, uh and and and constantly improve himself and kind of aspire towards his goal, um he's kind of a bit relieved that he doesn't have to go into this competition where literally the only thing he feels comfortable doing is stabbing somebody with a with a spear. And so I I think he would uh he would look at Foss and just be like, Well that's fortunate that we don't have to continue competing in this.
SPEAKER_06:Oh yeah. I didn't quite get it.
SPEAKER_10:I was a bit surprised that for you and features right.
SPEAKER_06:I'm not sure if we're supposed to be sad right now.
SPEAKER_10:Okay, so perhaps we head back to the lucky leaf and um you know put these feelings at the bottom of a glass that we drink to no end.
SPEAKER_06:Well uh I do like the sound of that. I think I can get behind that idea. I guess we know we probably know the way back to the lucky leaf.
SPEAKER_02:I have no idea where it's is it you do know the way back, but it is called the lucky leap. The lucky leap? Lucky leap. Yep, because there is a uh some of the local patrons like to try to jump from the doorway to get as close to the bar as you can, and the uh the bartender will reward you based off how far you jump with uh different levels or grades of alcohol. So yeah, you guys meander your way back back to the lucky leap. Um it is already pre-packed, but uh at as you enter the bartender who is named Oh no, Rico Tain. Ricky Otane.
SPEAKER_10:Ricky Ricky Otane. That's what I have. Ricky Otane?
SPEAKER_02:Doesn't sound right.
SPEAKER_10:A human male bartender trying to get to retirement?
SPEAKER_02:Doesn't matter. I'll just call him the bartender for now. Yeah, the bartender seeing you guys come in, you you're all pretty regular patrons of his. Uh he sees the two of you walk in and he clears off the corner table where you and your group normally sit. Um they're just three very drunk humans who grumble a little bit, but they get up and walk away upon seeing you walk up. Um, keeping in mind that you two are well known in the city uh and and in this local area. And they're they're not trying to get any trouble from you. You've helped most of these people around this area before. So, upon sitting down, uh, or upon walking over to your corner, uh the bartender asks, Uh, what what can I get for you, gentlemen? A normal ales? Something stronger?
SPEAKER_06:I'll I'll take the biggest the biggest one you could give me.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I've got a special one for you. I can give you the uh we call it the big boy, and uh with that I can give you a little bit of a fortified shot in that. Just keep him coming. You got it. What about for you?
SPEAKER_10:Was that a fortified shot or four to five shots?
SPEAKER_02:Ah, you heard me right the second time, friend.
SPEAKER_10:Sounds not like the night I plan on having. Uh I think some mead would do me just fine.
SPEAKER_02:Uh, mead and a fortified shot. You got it. Alright, so he scuttles off. Okay, so after a couple minutes, you know, uh bartender comes back over and he hands uh he hands Xaniver a normal size mug. It's the normal size that you see, um, and it's filled to the brim with mead. And then uh he has to go back to the bar and he to carry this other mug uh back to um back to Voss, and he's carrying it with two hands because this thing is about as big as Voss's head. And he places it down in front of him and he says, Now keep in mind, this has put bigger adventurers on their ass, so take it slow, my friend.
SPEAKER_06:I'll think about it. And Voss will take it and just I mean he doesn't like down try to down the whole thing, but he takes a decent swig from it.
SPEAKER_11:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:And then afterwards just takes a has a big sigh of relief. And kind of sits back in his chair a little bit. Starting to feel better.
SPEAKER_02:Nothing like a good bear after a long day of work.
SPEAKER_06:Yep.
SPEAKER_02:Um is there anything you two want to talk about before we move on?
SPEAKER_06:Hmm.
SPEAKER_02:Do do Xanover and Voss spend a lot of time together? One-on-one?
SPEAKER_06:I don't think we have any background, do we?
SPEAKER_10:No. Um most of your personal time is with the tower. Most of mine is doing shady stuff, trying to stay away from the tower. So this is probably you know the first time that we've had a day that's just one-on-one with us. Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:Alright.
SPEAKER_02:So it you guys are having small talk, but it's uh it's like longtime acquaintances type thing, or that work friend that you go out with once every couple months, and you don't talk too very often. So it's small talk, but it's nothing deep and it's a little awkward. Right?
SPEAKER_06:Sure. That works.
SPEAKER_02:So after a few uh, you know, after 20 minutes pass, you guys are sipping on your drinks, bartender comes over to check on you every once in a while. Um, he comes over again and he's kind of wringing his hands a little bit, he looks nervous. And he said, Gent gentlemen, I'm very sorry about this, but I have another VIP that's come in, and I I can't really, for my business, you see how busy it is, I can't really kick anybody else out uh to make room for one solo individual. I think you'll like him. You know, he used to be a a hero in the realm long time ago. Uh do you mind if he just joins your table? He doesn't he doesn't we will he he likely won't say much to you if you don't want to talk to him. He just uh he just needs a place to sit and drink.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss will kind of look over to Xanifer to get a read on him. I mean, Voss is charismatic. He's he's happy to make a new friend, but he kind of wants to gauge Xanover's reaction before just jumping into it.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, Xanover doesn't know strangers, so um, you know, he is he is more than happy to welcome a new acquaintance to the table. And he probably, you know, as Voss is looking at him, would just tell uh Rickyo, well, of course, sit him down. We are we're happy to bring in uh a new friend and hear his tales and and hear the things that he has seen in his adventures.
SPEAKER_06:Voss will raise his mug and kind of slam it down and say, more drinking buddies.
SPEAKER_02:So lifting this mug single-handed, you've drank it down a little bit, but it's still pretty heavy. And you slam it down and you can hear the table groan a little bit as it comes down on top of it. And the bartender just kind of looks at you a little bit like, uh, please don't break my stuff.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, Xanover will like swipe the rag off of uh bartender's belt and just kind of start cleaning off his spot of the table that's been sprayed with all this, you know, fortified ale that just came out as he slammed the mug down.
SPEAKER_02:Uh so I I want side note here, you know how much easier it is to play DD with people that uh are are yes men instead of the emo solo player that doesn't want to get along with anybody, but for some reason is in an adventuring party anyway?
SPEAKER_10:So I've got a solution to that type of player, which is you leave them. If the entire party is gonna go off and do something, and this person refuses to join them and refuses to like engage with them, you you're not in the adventuring party, dude. That's fair. That is very fair. Um yeah. My uh my game that I started in person, I was like, your character fits this archetype. If it doesn't fit this archetype, it is not in this camp through this many arc. Because you know, you have been summoned by your king, and you are somebody that answers to your king. And if you do not answer to the king, then you didn't get summoned.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's fair. That's a good point. I I'm I'm not asshole enough sometimes as a DM. I I yeah, I need to be a little bit more. Last time I was an asshole to somebody as a DM, they left.
SPEAKER_10:In the middle of a fight with a demigod?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, a little bit. Uh alright, so you know, bartender, you know, he looks at you both and he says, Oh, thank thank you so much, guys. I really appreciate this. Uh, next four to five is on me.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I don't know if I'll I'll be having another one of these. This this one seems to be doing just fine.
SPEAKER_02:Uh so he walks away, and a couple moments later, and an an older halfling, not elderly, but definitely older, passes prime uh adventuring days. He's got a uh a red beard, but he's got some gray into it. And uh most halflings that you've met on the road don't have any kind of facial hair, so you're kind of surprised by this. Uh but he does have the top of his hair is again red with with gray uh flecks in in it, and he's wearing glasses, but you can tell that he's still pretty sturdy. Uh he's walking around, he's not limping or anything like that. He's got some scars, some visible scars on his arms and his neck. And he but he walks up to you, friendly as can be, big smile on his face, carrying a mug this the same size that Xaniver has, and he says He says, Thank you. Nope, that's not the voice I wanted to go with. That's a different voice that I'm saving. Thank you both so much for letting me sit with you. I really appreciate it. It's just I've never seen this place this full, and I've been coming here for years. The name's Tassel.
SPEAKER_06:Well Hey there, Tassel. It's uh it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Voss.
SPEAKER_10:Voss, that's a wonderful name. And I'm Xanover, who uh usually drinks with this Voss.
SPEAKER_07:Xanover and Voss.
SPEAKER_06:Pleasure to meet you both. Tassel, did you happen to uh make it over to the King's Cup games?
SPEAKER_02:I stopped participating in those about a decade ago. I can't keep up with the younger folk any longer.
SPEAKER_10:Who do you see as the the younger folk? How many King's gangs did you participate in?
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I've participated in a good few. I'd say uh at last count it was 67 of them.
SPEAKER_10:Well, you must have been doing them in your mother's womb because you do not look a day over 60.
SPEAKER_07:Oh, friend, I have a feeling you and I are gonna get along great.
SPEAKER_06:You've been a patron of this town for quite some time. It's uh I'm shocked we haven't crossed paths before.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I uh I just recently retired, got into the real estate market. Uh, you know, it's I've been traveling for so long that I think it's time that I finally settled down, and this town has always been one of my favorites, so I decided to pick here. I have a few properties around the area, trying to get a few up uh up to uh up to par so I can sell them, or uh figuring out which one I want to live in myself.
SPEAKER_07:Also, by the way, uh do you mind if I sit down? I thought he was already sitting.
SPEAKER_10:Sorry, I thought you were already sitting. Uh no, it's not table height.
SPEAKER_07:Short joke. Yeah, that's a good one. Haven't heard that one before. He sits down and gets taller.
SPEAKER_02:So he sits uh he's go ahead.
SPEAKER_10:We'll slide the evil book underneath him so that you can see on the top of it.
SPEAKER_02:So he sits down next to Voss. Um, and his head is comes up above the table, but again, he's a halfling, so he is he is shorter than both of you. Um but it's not bothering him. He's still continuing the conversation, still very happy. Uh, and yeah. Were you gonna ask something, Voss?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I was gonna ask. So what did uh what did you do before real estate kind of became your thing?
SPEAKER_07:Oh, I was uh you could say I was an adventurer.
SPEAKER_02:You know, I I traveled around, tried to solve people's problems, tried to make the world a little better. Uh it's uh but as I'm sure both of you know, based off your looks, your names, and what I've heard other people say about you, I'm sure you both know you squash one problem, three more pop up.
SPEAKER_10:Sometimes that is the case. And other times you're just waiting for the problems to show.
SPEAKER_07:That's very true. Like this, like I said, real estate. Even real estate, I'm still dealing with problems.
SPEAKER_02:I've got I've got renters that won't pay, and I'm trying to deal with them without getting the guards involved.
SPEAKER_07:I've got people that are just squatting in another place. I mean, I've got I've got this one house out by the woods haunted. I nobody will go near it.
SPEAKER_02:I can't get anybody to take care of it, and I will not deal with a poltergeist. That is, I'm long past due on dealing with that kind of problem.
SPEAKER_10:With your story to pass, how do you have such a problem with squatters? I would imagine that a man of your talents could easily clear them out.
SPEAKER_07:Oh, yeah, but the problem is I'm too damn nice. Been told it all the time. I was traveling with his wizard, grumpy old man, always used to give me crap about it, but I I just I can't kick anybody out.
SPEAKER_06:Um, boss's ears kind of perk up at the sound of a poltergeist. He's like, uh, well, what do you mean a poltergeist in the woods?
SPEAKER_02:Well, to be clear, he's not in the woods. He's in the house in the woods.
SPEAKER_10:Well, that is a uh is a fair assumption. So do we need to get the uh the poltergeist out of the house in the woods? The woods out of the house in the poltergeist.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Tassel takes a look down at his drink and then looks around real quick. Nope, still good, not that drunk. Uh I mean, if you're offering to help with the poltergeist, I would really appreciate it. And, you know, I I I would definitely reward you for it. That's but I'm not, you know, I'm not one of those quest givers. I'm not trying to obviously you two gentlemen are enjoying a night out. I'm not trying to give you a quest to go uh to go and do.
SPEAKER_06:Well, after the events of earlier today, I I quite would enjoy uh something else that could take my mind off of the events. Look to Xanover and say, Do you feel up for uh calling it a night, or shall we stick it out a little bit longer?
SPEAKER_10:My friend, I heard that coin was evolved. Of course I'm around to stick it out a little bit longer.
SPEAKER_07:So okay. Remember how I said I was too nice? Not gonna lie to you guys. I don't have a lot of coin. Uh this whole curse thing, haunted thing, from what I have heard, um, but again, haven't stepped foot in the house myself, because not fucking with that. I, uh the the house, you know, it will the the curse will clear if you're able to get rid of the poltergeist and stay from midnight until the morning. So when the sun rises at about 7 a.m.
SPEAKER_02:Um and but I part of this curse is it transfers ownership to the person who can do it. And I am not willing to do that. So if you do it, the house is yours. You can have the manor. I don't even want it.
SPEAKER_06:You become cursed?
SPEAKER_07:No, you you get the you get the house. You get the house. Oh. Yes.
SPEAKER_10:Oh, I I thought we get the curse. Do you it's not me to get the curse, too? If you want the curse, you can have the curse. I there there may be benefits to having this curse. Tell me more about the curse.
SPEAKER_02:Uh all I have heard, and this is straight up rumor, not sure about it, but I've heard that uh it was, you know, it was home to a lovely lord and lady. Um the the the they were trying for a baby. Uh they had one child, and then during the birth of their second child, unfortunately, they lost the child, and the the lord started delving into darker and darker magic, uh, trying to bind the souls of his family to the house itself so that uh they could all live there together forever. Um some things happened, it didn't work, and now his soul is bounded there. Or bind? Bounded? Binded? Bounded bound?
SPEAKER_07:Bounded? Sounds yeah. Uh and now his soul is bounded there. Um that's about what I know of it.
SPEAKER_06:Well, getting rid of a poultry guys, that sounds like easy. That's a child's play kind of work. I say that sounds like fun.
SPEAKER_10:And on top of that, um Voss there is a bit of an expert about being bounded place.
SPEAKER_06:I've tied a few up if you uh you can get what I'm stepping in. Aren't you a cleric? Not a very good one. The type of tabulate spells.
SPEAKER_07:Uh yeah, I've I I know plenty of uh uh individuals bound to gods that we're good at binding.
SPEAKER_02:And you can tell this this conversation is making Tassel just a little uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_06:Amen, brother.
SPEAKER_07:Alright, well, I I is there anything I can give for you before you go?
SPEAKER_02:I can give you the you know uh the address, and it's right on the outskirts of town, uh, right before you get to the woods, so it's on between the woods and and the town. But I I can give you the exact uh point of interest, if you will.
SPEAKER_06:Unless you're willing to pay for our drinks, I think we'll be on our way.
SPEAKER_07:That I have enough coin for. Hey, for you clearly didn't see what went into his cup. Oh no. I know that one. Had it before. I was down for four days. I would highly suggest you get him into the house before that shit kicks in.
SPEAKER_06:Boss is about halfway. He looks down, he's about halfway done with the mug, but he's he's happy to slide it to the side. He's not gonna attempt to chug the rest. Especially if there's work to be done. You uh you might as well bring it for the road, my friend. No, we've got some adventuring to do. I am I'm off. I don't need this anymore. I think he's just excited about being able to do do something else. Like he's he's already kind of forgotten about the the King's game, so the idea of going off and doing something else.
SPEAKER_02:Awesome. Uh yeah, Tassel, as soon as you push your cup aside, he reaches forward, grabs the cup, pulls it in front of him, and then he He reaches into a side pocket and pulls out um I don't you know it's my world. Yeah, pulls out a straw, uh like a silly straw and sticks it into the mug so it would reach his face from where he's sitting.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, so he's gonna keep drinking it?
SPEAKER_02:He's gonna drink your drink.
SPEAKER_06:Alright. Hopefully I didn't backwash.
SPEAKER_10:I feel like I've seen that trick before. Was it Brandon's character with the the straw that went down his sleeve so he could drink? Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_02:That's right. Yeah. Forgot about that. Okay. So uh after a few more minutes, you know, Tassel gives you the address. It's on the south side of town, outside of the gates, and it's about another 20-minute walk from there. Uh as long as you follow the road, you will see it. Uh to your right, you'll at least see the iron gates to your right about 20 minutes down the road. And then uh from the entrance to the gates, it's another five minutes to get to the manor. It's a large estate, you know, it's uh it's large building, large estate with uh a couple acres surrounding it. So it's a good bit of property. What uh what architectural style would you say this building has? Um 1920s modern. It's like Art Deco. Listen, I I know nothing about real estate myself, but I always find it funny that people say something like, Oh, this is like ancient medieval modern. Like, what the fuck does that mean? Those two words do not go together.
SPEAKER_10:This house is transitional, yeah. Which means that we we took an old house, we did some updates, but it's still an old house.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Uh yeah, this is early bronze age mediocre in. That's not a word. Right, real estate means nothing to me. All right. Uh, anything you guys do before you start heading that way?
SPEAKER_10:Hmm.
SPEAKER_04:Not that I can think of.
SPEAKER_10:I think just hearing that we're headed up against a poltergeist, would Xanover know any location where he might be able to source some holy water?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there are several temples in uh in the city. And uh Xanover, do you worship a specific god or goddess?
SPEAKER_10:Uh I worship a goddess of my own design. So she would not have a temple in the city.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Well, Voss does worship a god. Voss, what god do you worship?
SPEAKER_06:Trying to remember that. I don't actually have it written down. Yeah, I don't actually know.
SPEAKER_10:So we go to the temple of the unknown god.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Well, I think I think it was actually with Voss, it was more I'm trying to think to my back to my backstory on this character. Um that he finds himself at odds with the god that he was, he was following. And isn't so sure. He's in he's like he's in a bit of a a traumatic and a terminal state because he finds himself a bounty hunter out here trying to find people and play that hat, but at the same time help people escape. Um so he's a he's a bit conflicted. But I thought I wrote down who my the initial god was. Okay for that now. But even if he did have one, he wouldn't want to go visit his temple. Let's put it that way.
SPEAKER_09:It sounds like we're should have a luck in holy water. There's no holy water plug. So you don't have a specific god?
SPEAKER_06:Alright, I'm trying to look on my notes now.
SPEAKER_09:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:But if he did have a god, he'd be at odds with it. So Yeah, I'm not seeing one right now, so let's let's add one.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. So we can talk about this a little later if you'd like, but uh clerics get their power from gods or goddesses. So if you're at odds with your god or goddess, you lose your powers.
SPEAKER_05:You're not a You're not a cleric any longer.
SPEAKER_02:Now, that is a way to maybe become a paladin. Paladins can be at odds because they uh don't worship a specific god, they'll worship more of a a practice, and but they do still get their powers from some kind of holy or unholy uh being um or divinity, if you will. Or you can be a warlock and uh worship something that gives you powers. Warlocks are just another version of a cleric, in my opinion. Oh.
SPEAKER_06:I'm reading reading my backstory now. Give me a sec.
SPEAKER_02:Um I we can help you with that. Uh is there what are some of the some of the things that Voss or yeah, Voss stands for?
SPEAKER_06:Uh what does Voss stand for? He wants to seek out the truth, I think, more than more than anything. He understands that his work for the tower is often uh manipulated to do what they deem as true, and he wants to seek out truth outside of that.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. So there is a there's a lot of gods and goddesses of truth. So uh some of the more common ones are Savrus. Uh he is worshipped as the god of diviners and truth speakers. There's Takaya, uh goddess of truth, uh, in certain lands, uh, but she's one of the eight great gods of old. Um but Savrus and Haki are the two big ones that I'm seeing.
SPEAKER_10:From a world building perspective, didn't earlier you say that like the gods were generalized, so very generalized anyway.
SPEAKER_02:Uh that's true. That's true. Um so yeah, you could just uh a god of I have them all broken.
SPEAKER_10:Where's Sazid when you need 'em? Where's what? Have you all read Mistborn?
SPEAKER_02:Oh yes, long time ago.
SPEAKER_10:Very good book. Saizid, the uh terraceman that has five hundred religions. Yeah. So you're looking for a god. Have you considered this one?
SPEAKER_02:What's uh oh, the mummy, right, where he's got all the necklaces on him, and he just keeps praying to each god one after another. Alright, I'm pulling it up now. Got it in my notes.
SPEAKER_10:Well I did not mean to derail the session going for some holy water.
SPEAKER_02:No, you're fine. My point is, yes, you can get holy water. You guys stop at a local tavern, or not tavern, you get that holy water. Uh you guys stop at a uh local temple, one that Voss is familiar with, and you're able to procure uh we'll say four vials of holy water. I don't even think I have enough gold for that. Um seeing Voss the cleric uh sorry, seeing Voss the priest in there gives it to you freely. Oh, you can take two.
SPEAKER_06:Sounds good. I'm looking up God options now. It's like a buffet.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, so here's what I got the religions broken down into life, death, knowledge, nature, competence, magic, strength, and then light and darkness.
SPEAKER_05:About life and light.
SPEAKER_02:Life and light. Okay. Who's your primary?
SPEAKER_05:Uh life. Life it is. Letander?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you can put that down for yourself, absolutely. Okay.
SPEAKER_05:Let's do let's go that route then.
SPEAKER_06:And later on I'll figure out what that means.
SPEAKER_02:There you go. Alright. Yeah, one time I I played a cleric who I played a warlock who thought he was a cleric.
SPEAKER_10:Played a sorcerer that believes in a goddess that doesn't exist.
SPEAKER_06:So apparently clerics are supposed to have spells and gods.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, very good. Those are like the two things about clerics.
SPEAKER_10:I mean, to be fair for him, he hasn't played with a cleric in like three years at this point. Very true. Very true.
SPEAKER_06:Last one was just a meat shield, too.
SPEAKER_02:That's true. Alright. So as as you're walking down the path, you do see some iron gates uh to your right. And uh there is even in the the twilight, the you know the the moon's starting to come up, even in the twilight, you can see that there is a path here, but it's kind of overgrown. Um and it's got uh there's a crumbling gatehouse right outside of these iron gates. Um and but the gates are opened. And they're maybe a two or three minute walk from the main path.
SPEAKER_06:These are the gates leading up to the house that we believe.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Look like a big house.
SPEAKER_02:You cannot see the house from where you are.
SPEAKER_06:It's a house plus some land.
SPEAKER_02:Weren't you listening to my entire description of the estate?
SPEAKER_06:It's got some acres.
SPEAKER_02:You've got a few acres.
SPEAKER_06:Sorry, I was looking up gods.
SPEAKER_02:That's before the god conversation.
SPEAKER_10:Okay. The man was trying to find religion.
SPEAKER_06:Alright. Yeah, I'm trying to find things take time. Okay. Uh I think I'll lead the way um uh through the gate. Okay. Um, but as he's as he's walking through, he'll uh turn back to Xander and he'll say, Do you uh do you think this is the creepy house, or is it maybe the one next door?
SPEAKER_10:Uh Xander will will try and peer towards the one next door and and just say This one uh doesn't seem to be giving a warm welcome. We might as well knock on the front door and be certain. I like your style.
SPEAKER_06:Let's go.
SPEAKER_02:Xander, as you look over, you do notice etched on the side of the iron gate in very crude, it looks like somebody etched it in with a knife at very hastily. It says it says she never left.
SPEAKER_10:Uh Xanover will uh get Voss's attention and kind of point at it and say, I'm starting to think that this might be the right place.
SPEAKER_06:Quite a quite a dilemma. I hate it when they don't leave. And he'll kind of turn and start walking back up towards the house. What time of day is it?
SPEAKER_02:Uh the moon is is rising. It's probably about 10 PM. We've got like nine hours to make it through. So as you walk up, um as you walk down the path, the past the crumbling gatehouse, over through the the overgrown forest path, uh you start, you see this manor just kind of comes out of nowhere. It it seems like it almost rises from the mist, and you've got it's kind of leaning. Excuse me, leaning a little bit from just the the weight of time. Um you've got ivy crawling up the stone walls, and there are three large towers attached to this manor. So three large towers. Uh it's a two-story building from what you can see, and it's big. Um you can see from where you're standing, you can see a dozen windows staring back at you just from the front. So uh, but you can't see through the windows themselves. They're very they're blacked out. Uh they're it's like they're hollow and just staring back at you. You can't see anything through them at all. And in the center of the path, uh the path kind of goes around both sides, this large fountain in the middle of it. But the fountain's not gushing water anymore, it's choked with weeds, uh, and it's its statue is a blindfolded angel that's crumbling, and one of its wings is missing.
SPEAKER_10:I'd uh call this place a bit of a fixer-upper, if you ask me. I I think this might be Zane's childhood home. I had to guess.
SPEAKER_02:Uh staring a little bit longer. Uh, you know, you're taking in the entire view of it, you can see on the right side, ravens are just circling that tower. Uh there's uh probably a dozen of ravens just circling this tower. They're not calling, but they're not landing either. They just keep circling this tower for some reason. And as soon as you guys get to the as soon as you both get to the gates, uh this something falls into the fountain itself. Uh it's a small object, you can hear it clang as it hits a stone on the fountain, and then this fog rolls through. And you can't see much beyond the fountain anymore. Five or six feet visibility visibility tops.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, dark vision.
SPEAKER_02:No, that does not help you here, my friend.
SPEAKER_10:It's like he read the manual this time and knew how to negate our dark vision. Yeah. I think uh seeing as we can't see around the fountain and we're kind of just in this this bubble of visibility. Xanover would try and see what actually hit the fountain and cause that loud clanging sound.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so even though the f the fog is around you, this mist is around you, you can see what fell. It was a small key. Um that that fell into the fountain. You don't know where it came from. But uh you reaching for the key?
SPEAKER_10:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. As you pick up the key, you can see there's an inscription on the side of it, and it just says O'Doyle.
SPEAKER_10:Oh Doyle? Uh, this key rules.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for understanding my references.
SPEAKER_10:Well, uh we were invited. Um didn't give us a key, but perhaps this will unlock the front door.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. I'm almost a bit worried the fact that this presented itself to us. That sounds like a trap.
SPEAKER_10:I'm certain that Cassel probably realized he forgot to give it to us and threw it over, unwilling to come to the property himself.
SPEAKER_06:Well, alrighty then let's I think we should go.
SPEAKER_02:Voss does Voss actually believe that?
SPEAKER_06:No, I don't I I don't think he believes it.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. I was like, was that a straight up deception try or you guys just like giving each other shit?
SPEAKER_06:I think he just doesn't want to try to call out Xanfer on.
SPEAKER_10:I think at this point we're just trying to see who's gonna check it out first. Yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, there we go.
SPEAKER_10:I like that.
SPEAKER_02:Alright.
SPEAKER_05:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:So you approach the door. They are two large wooden doors that are reinforced with iron um that are reinforced with iron. Uh the doors are about eight feet tall each, uh, and they are about three feet wide each. So these are large doors that lead into the building. And on the right door, there is a place to insert a key.
SPEAKER_06:Um before Xanopher has a chance to to do that, uh boss is gonna kind of look around um to see if he can examine and just looking for traps essentially. Or anything before we try to go through this place. He's uh he has his mace out and his shield ready, so he's he's not sure what to expect, but he's kind of prepared for anything at this point.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Give me a perception or a sleight of hand.
SPEAKER_06:Um both the same. Maybe uh 16 on the dice for a total of 18.
SPEAKER_02:Nice roll. Alright, so as you're focusing around in the media area and you're and you're looking, you're listening, uh you can see some things like in the mist around you, some shapes moving around in the in the mist. They're not getting any closer. You can't hear them moving, but you do see the shapes just beyond your vision. And as you're trying to focus on that, from inside the door, you hear a very soft uh nah.
SPEAKER_06:Oh see shapes moving in the mist outside the house?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. Both of us see it, or just Voss? Just Voss at the moment.
SPEAKER_09:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Um So I think Voss will kind of turn to Xanafer and say, Oh. I know I'm not scared by this. Because I I don't know if it might make you scared, and he actually kinda sounds a little bit scared by it. Um But I think there are quite a few things surrounding us. And uh I don't know if you heard that little creepy sound coming from inside. But it doesn't make me worried at all.
SPEAKER_10:I think that makes two of us. Um I'm sure whatever is around us is probably just those those ravens looking for uh something to eat.
SPEAKER_06:Maybe the gardeners doing some, you know, last minute upkeep to the grounds.
SPEAKER_10:You know, I'd I I didn't see a a whole lot that they've worked. Um might be worthwhile for Tassel. Yeah, Tassel might need to check their timesheets to make sure that they're not uh lying about their time uh out here.
SPEAKER_02:You put your time in SAP.
SPEAKER_10:Every month. Alright, so what are you guys gonna do? Uh so Xanover has got this key in his hand and he looks at Voss because he was gonna try and give it to him, but Voss has a shield and a mace, and just looks like he's ready to do some shit. And he's like, he'll just kind of shrug and stick the key in the lock, turn it counterclockwise, and see if he uh gets it unlocked.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. Uh the moment you turn it counterclockwise, the key vanishes from your hand, and then the door slowly opens with a very ominous creak. And I would try to do the creaking sound, but my pop filter would definitely filter it out. So the door opens with an ominous creak. And inside you can see a well-lit room. Uh there is a dual staircase that leads up in a semicircle up to the second floor. On the first floor, there is a worn but uh an old, worn, but still usable red rug that is that looks pretty soft to the touches, uh soft to the touch. Uh there are a couple not so inviting chairs uh scattered around the room with a large uh hearth at the very back of the the first floor. You can also see from where you're standing, uh three doors. And the one to the left is titled West Wing, the one to the right is titled East Wing, and then the one right next to the hearth is titled the study. Uh the second story has that same mist from the outside. So you can't see what is up the stairs.
SPEAKER_06:You say the three wings are the east wing, the west wing, and the study?
SPEAKER_10:Yes. So we've traveled south from the city, turned right to go to the property, and then we've kind of hooked back right, and now we're facing north, and we got West Wing on the left, east wing on the right, study in front of us. Yes. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:And stairs are also in front of us. But then behind the stairs.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's a it's kind of one of those dual staircases, one one on the left side, one on the right side, and they do a semicircle up to the second second story. But on the second f you can't see anything on the second uh second floor because that same mess that was outside is uh on the inside on the second floor.
SPEAKER_10:You know, as as we stand here, I wonder why we didn't come during daylight hours. It seems to have a very lovely southern exposure to bring in the light.
SPEAKER_06:Well, yeah, I would have an agree. This this place well, it looks quite pleasant. Uh boss will kind of take his as as the doors open, they're standing just inside the door, he'll he'll take his mace and kind of beat it against the door three times, and then yell, anybody home?
SPEAKER_02:Uh you don't get an immediate response, but what you do hear, it sounds like something is being thrown against the wall in the study.
SPEAKER_10:It uh it sounds like that might that room might be occupied. Maybe we should try the West Wing first.
SPEAKER_06:Well, we we don't want to introduce ourselves to the uh the ghost of the house.
SPEAKER_10:Well, as as you bring it up, it probably would be polite.
SPEAKER_06:It's the best way to make new friends. So I think Voss will head towards the sound, if that's what they hear.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Let me say that's in the study.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that that sound was in the study. So you guys are going to the West Wing, you said? No, the study. We're gonna go introduce ourselves to the the local ghost. Alright. Yeah, so as you walk up to the study, uh it is there are two dark-colored wooden doors. Uh they're pretty ornate. They have got some carvings on the front of them, and they show uh what looks to be a a fox hunt. So it shows a bunch of men on horses with dogs uh chasing some small creature that looks like a fox. So very well carved, very expensive. Whoever did them was a master of the art. And it's got two handles. They look like bronze handles.
SPEAKER_10:Well, uh, since your hands are still occupied, perhaps I'll open it for you and you'll be the first one to step in.
SPEAKER_06:That sounds great.
SPEAKER_10:Uh so Xanover will grab the handle to the door on the right. And uh are the hinges towards us or away from us? They are towards you. Or sorry, they're away from you. Okay. Uh so he'll just he'll grab it and push, and then just kind of scoot behind Voss.
SPEAKER_02:As you grab the handle, you feel ice cold. Like it is a penetrating cold that just goes deep into your hands, and your your fingers immediately lock up around this handle, and you're having trouble letting it go. You're not able to turn it, you're not able to jiggle it. It is either locked or stuck, but your your fingers are clenched, and you're starting to feel the cold start penetrating your hand and then down your wrist, and it's starting to get very painful.
SPEAKER_10:Uh boss, um, I'm not sure if you've ever seen this before, but uh seemed to have lost the ability to release the store.
SPEAKER_02:The calmest person I I I've ever heard. My door, my hand is locked, I can't move it. Also, this hurts a bit.
SPEAKER_06:I've seen some shit in the Fay Wild, alright. Uh Voss will kind of look down and say, Whoa, that that's not supposed to happen. Um, and he'll reach down and just touch it too, trying to pull his hand off.
SPEAKER_02:You're also touching the doorknob?
SPEAKER_06:I'm gonna touch his wrist, like trying to help pull his hand off.
SPEAKER_02:Uh, you can feel the cold on his wrist, and it is the cold that you felt on a dead person that's been there for multiple days. Uh like it's just that that room temperature, like cold, dead feeling. And uh um are you trying to yank it, yank help him yank his wrist off?
SPEAKER_07:Uh, sure.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Or yank his hand off. Alright, so Xanover.
SPEAKER_10:Hand off his wrist.
SPEAKER_02:Hand off his wrist. Yeah, yank him off, baby. Alright, so Xanover. Uh give me a uh strength saving throw uh at advantage because boss is helping you. The the succeed for this is nine. So you're saying I've got a chance.
SPEAKER_10:Yes. Not currently, though. That's a four.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. That's a five minus one for a four. Alright, so that you're able to pull it off after a few more seconds, but that that cold has just dug into your skin, and you are going to take six points of cold damage.
SPEAKER_10:Uh Xanover is gonna shiver a little bit as uh he takes the damage and say. Uh perhaps we should be a bit more mindful as to what we touch inside this house. Um it doesn't seem like we're as welcome as we initially thought.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I don't know who wouldn't love to have us here.
SPEAKER_02:As soon as you're done saying that, you hear another bang against the study door. Sounds like something was thrown against it.
SPEAKER_06:Uh, using the butt of his mace, boss will bang back against the study door.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you you get another you know what? Yeah, you get another bang against the other side. Well, you come out in there. You don't get a response.
SPEAKER_06:Well, maybe there's a way around. Which way should we go? To the east or the west?
SPEAKER_10:Uh uh I think straight through. And uh Xanover's gonna try and kick the door in. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, give me a uh strength check. Actually, hold up. Let me look at this real quick. I want to make sure I'm not cheating.
SPEAKER_10:I've I've got a minus one on everything strength related. You're not cheating.
SPEAKER_02:I know you do. Alright, give me a strength check. The DC is 16 or higher. Oh shit.
SPEAKER_06:You got this.
SPEAKER_10:Nope, I don't got this. That's a so the gentlest of knocks hits the door as Xanover tries to kick his foot into it, rolling a two minus one for a total of one. Ah.
SPEAKER_06:Fosses and does this, that's that's not how you kick adore. This is how you kick adore. And he'll try to kick the door.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, give me a strength check. 16.
SPEAKER_06:Uh, 15 on the dice, plus two for 17.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Your foot slams into the door and it immediately opens. Um you can see that you you busted the the lock, uh, the door on the other side is splintered a little bit, and the right side, the right door kicks open. And you see nothing but mist beyond the door.
SPEAKER_06:What was the uh halfling's name in the bar? Tassel. Tassel. I sure hope Tassel doesn't mind uh a little bit of damage to his house. But hey, here we are. And uh boss will just kind of walk in.
SPEAKER_10:Well, seeing as he's never been in here, how does he know that this damage was us? You have a good point there.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Give me one second. Because I don't know why, but I expected with you two, I would actually get the whole story through and you guys wouldn't circumvent things.
SPEAKER_06:I'm going through the door.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. So speedrun.
SPEAKER_10:It's all Maddie's fault. Yeah. I tried to get him to go through the I I had a 15% chance of breaking down that door.
SPEAKER_02:As you both step through the door, you're surrounded by mist. You can't see anything around you, and you hear a deep, haunting voice. And it says, Get out! And you both hear something thrown towards you. I need you both to make me a dexterity saving throw.
SPEAKER_10:Dexterity saving. That would be a 10 plus 2 for 12 Xanover.
SPEAKER_06:I got I got a 17. Feeling very uh mimbly pimbly tonight.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, so I'm sorry, what did you get, Boss? Alright, of Xaniver? Uh 12 for Xanover. Okay. Um Zane, you are sorry. Boss, you jumped out of the way. Uh wait, did I add the wrong person of this? You are you in the maps? You're not in the maps, are you?
SPEAKER_06:Oh, no. Are we on a map?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, hold up. That's because I added Zane instead of us. You are not Zane.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, we changed names so we didn't uh confuse that. Falls, there you go. Okay, there's a map now. Oh, I can't see there's really nothing to see.
SPEAKER_02:There's really nothing to see. The mist is thick here.
SPEAKER_06:Uh so just wanted for our listeners out there, if if you look to the north, um, you see nothing. Uh behind us is nothing. Uh to my left I see Xanopher, and to my right, um, I see uh nothing.
SPEAKER_02:Actually, we'll see you can still you can still see the door you guys walked in. It's close enough.
SPEAKER_07:Oh, there's a door.
SPEAKER_02:Um So uh Voss, you jump out of the way as something screams past your head, but Xanover, you just didn't move fast enough, and uh you feel something solid collide with your skull.
SPEAKER_10:I assume I'm gonna take some damage from that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you take seven points of bludgeoning damage as a book slams into your face.
SPEAKER_06:Ouch! Hey, we're uh We're we're here to we're here to talk. It's not nice to be throwing things, that's not a good way to make friends. And uh uh Voss will kinda he'll raise his shield and take more of a defensive position in front of Xaniver instead of standing beside him.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:I'll put myself right there.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:Uh Xanover is Gonna, you know, like fix his nose because the the bridge of it broke in that last collision and just kind of like pop it back into place. And then he's gonna look down uh and amongst his blood, does he see the book that hit him?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. What's the title of the book? Uh the title of the book is Get Out of My House. No, I'm just kidding. Uh the title The title of the book is Raising Young Lords and Ladies. Um So as Voss, as you stand in front, you you uh to your left a apparition appears, and it is it's it looks like a young a young woman in kind of servants or maid's clothes, and she says, You you're not you can't see him right now. You need to leave. You're not strong enough. You need to go and find the key.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, I think we are strong. No, I'm just gonna dashes forward, gonna get this guy.
SPEAKER_02:This is the DM saying, Are you sure?
SPEAKER_08:Oh back.
SPEAKER_10:Xanabar's gonna hold up the key. Oh wait, no, never mind, it disappeared.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah. Fuck.
SPEAKER_06:Don't have a key.
SPEAKER_07:Uh which which key are you talking about? Where where can we find this key? You have to find the You have to find the the amulet. The key is in the amulet. The key is the amulet. Where is the amulet at? If I knew, I would find it. Uh well who's who's throwing the books?
SPEAKER_02:You hear another uh kind of raspy voice. Get out!
SPEAKER_06:Oh, that that's the person throwing the books.
SPEAKER_02:As as three more books collide into your shield, boss.
SPEAKER_06:He turns the apparition while he's holding up the shield in one arm and he says, So, if you were an amulet hanging out in this place, where would you be? Maybe the west wing or the east wing?
SPEAKER_03:I don't know.
SPEAKER_10:Which way Which way to the ladies' chambers? Uh the lady of the house, where did she reside? That's on the second floor.
SPEAKER_07:Well, do you want to come with us? I'm sorry, I can't leave this room. Well, why hasn't he thrown books at you?
SPEAKER_02:As several more books collide into your shield.
SPEAKER_06:Boss holding up his shield, hearing these books thud against him, looks back to his hand and says, Alright, maybe we should go find this amulet first. I uh I do think we may have taken a wrong turn.
SPEAKER_10:Somewhere around Albuquerque.
SPEAKER_06:Uh, and so we'll back out of of the room.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. I I'm curious. If I hit uh fog of war coverall, what do you guys see now?
SPEAKER_06:Nothing.
SPEAKER_02:Uh do you do you see your characters at all?
SPEAKER_06:No. Okay. Nothing.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. So yeah, you two successfully back out of the room. Great success.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Brandon's like, how am I gonna give you this one? Oh, we'll just throw the book at him.
SPEAKER_02:Literally. You know what? I think that was rather clever of me.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. We saw it coming. I didn't. I got hit by it. Uh okay. Uh so I'm gonna turn around and see if maybe I can do something about uh Xanifer's nose. What kind of D I got any healing spells? What do I got here?
SPEAKER_08:Oh my god.
SPEAKER_06:I'm actually pretty sure I I un uh prepared all my healing spells.
SPEAKER_10:So so Xanover will take care of his own nose um and cast it first level, cure wounds. Uh, and that will heal him for 12 points, which uh he's pretty close.
SPEAKER_06:That's pretty good. What's your total of hit points?
SPEAKER_10:32. So I'm 31 out of 32 now.
SPEAKER_06:You've got just slightly under me.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
unknown:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So that's being long. I was like, is Cure Wounds at Cure because Cure Wounds is the touch, it's the higher one. Yep.
SPEAKER_10:Well, also with 2024, they doubled all the dice. So instead of 1D8, it's two D8. Not that the second one did me any, you know, favors because it was one. Um but I'm almost 100%. Alright. Nice.
SPEAKER_02:This is this is like prime example. I want to submit this to the like the DM's Hall of Fame. Like, this is prime. You touch the handle, it burns you. I'm gonna kick it in. All you see is mist. I'm gonna walk in. You hit get hit in the face with a book. I have to summon a ghost to tell you, leave this fucking room.
SPEAKER_06:You're not ready for this yet.
SPEAKER_10:An invisible penetr un penetrable force field. I'm not a smart man.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Alright, apparently we gotta go do a side quest first. It is the quest. It is the quest. This is official uh side quest. The quest.
SPEAKER_10:I'm pretty sure the quest was just stay in the house until 7 a.m. That is true.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, I thought we had to like get rid of the poltergeist and then stay in the house.
SPEAKER_02:No, it they yeah, he said you have to get rid of the poltergeist as well.
SPEAKER_06:Oh.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. And then stay into the house until 7. The staying in the house until 7 a.m. earned you the house. You still have to cure the curse.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Otherwise, we get a house with the curse. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_06:I mean, maybe that'd be a cool kind of fun thing to do. Have a haunted.
SPEAKER_02:Worst Airbnb ever.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, heck no. You tell me like people go to Airbnbs that are risky like labeled as haunted.
SPEAKER_10:The uh the Myrtles plantation in Louisiana is like constantly sold out. It's a haunted mansion. People love it.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah.
SPEAKER_10:I think we have uh I think we have the the means to make some money here. You're sitting on a gold mine, Trebek.
SPEAKER_06:But does it work, man? Um, okay. So we back out of the room. Uh Voss kind of motions towards the rest West Ring and says, I think we should try that one. It uh it can't be any worse than what we just saw. He looks down at the front of his shield and is kind of unscathed. He's like, I'd have to agree with that. My shield fared a bit better than your nose did. But he sees that his nose is all fixed now. Alright.
SPEAKER_10:I just pulled up your uh your character sheet. You did get rid of all your healing spells. I did. You son of a bitch.
SPEAKER_06:I have no healing spells.
SPEAKER_07:Worst cleric ever.
SPEAKER_10:Protection from poison. One of us does.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. I mean, uh, might have been nice to have.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Maddie, every I feel like every time we play, you find out something new about a cleric.
SPEAKER_07:I have spells. I need to worship a god. I need healing spells.
SPEAKER_06:No, it was very intentional to not have healing spells because we were going into the com anyway. A thing where apparently poison damage is I can't prevent myself from being poisoned by poison damage. So that spell worked great for me. Uh anyway, so we head towards the rest west ring.
SPEAKER_02:The weath wing?
SPEAKER_06:The weath wing.
SPEAKER_02:Alright on the left. So yeah, uh in the west wing, uh, so you open the you open the door, the door swings open easily. It is a large single door. Um, and as you swing it open, you can see it's a large room. It's not even a wing, really, it's just a large room. Uh faint moonlight is filtering through some of the shuttered windows there, and this corridor smells of uh old rotten lavender. Um there are portraits that hang askew. Some of the portraits slash right around the eyes. Uh this large room, it looks like it's supposed to be a guest room of some sort. It contains a shattered full-length mirror. Uh, and as you look at it, you can see kind of a reflection of a warped version of this room. Uh uh it's got a wardrobe that has its door kind of off the hinges. Uh uh You can see from where you are, and because the door is hanging ajar, you can see it's uh you can see some sort of uniform sticking through it.
SPEAKER_06:And you say there's a jar hanging off the door?
SPEAKER_02:A jar, yes. And uh you can see next to the bed, next to the large bed, there is a uh there's a couple bottles there. Some of which look like perfume bottles.
SPEAKER_10:Uh looking at the portraits throughout the room, do any of them depict anybody wearing an amulet?
SPEAKER_02:There is nobody depicting an amulet, but you do see one of a young, beautiful woman in a maid's outfit that you just recently saw. And uh on the bottom of that is titled Clara.
SPEAKER_10:And does uh her picture have the eyes scratched out or yes, her eyes are scratched out in the picture.
SPEAKER_02:Do any of the portraits have the eyes not scratched out? Um there are several with uh two small children, and the children do not have their eyes scratched out, but everybody else in the paintings do.
SPEAKER_06:Um when you at some point when you happen to turn around and look back at Voss, uh he has one of the paintings down off the wall, and he's standing behind it looking through the slashes in the eyes. Waiting, waiting for you to turn around and notice.
SPEAKER_10:I think Xaniver will uh will turn around and see this, and his his initial instinct is like, oh god, this painting is floating in the middle of the room. And just kind of like take a step back before he realizes that it's just boss doing his thing.
SPEAKER_06:I I set the painting on the side, it's it's just me. Don't don't be worried.
SPEAKER_02:You know, sometimes I have to remember, I have to remember like who the fuck is gonna have books thrown out there by an obvious poltergeist and less than five minutes later picks up a painting and looks through their eyes, and then I'm like, oh yeah, this is Kronk from Emperor's New Groove.
SPEAKER_08:Pretty much.
SPEAKER_06:Uh and he he sets the painting aside and picks back up his mason shield. Says, I don't know what to do in here. Do we does is he uh see with passive perception of 12? Uh do I happen to notice anything?
SPEAKER_02:No, you do not.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:What's your passive perception, Xanover? Uh 13 for perception, 14 for investigation.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, alright. So for your perception, you do notice on the vanity is scratched, there's a there's a scratch message in the bottom right leg, closest to the bed, that says she begged him not to do it.
SPEAKER_10:And so so we've got two messages so far. She never left, and she begged him not to do it.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. And Xaniver and Voss, I need you to roll me two checks. The first, let's actually, just one. I need you both to roll me an investigation check. The DC is 14.
SPEAKER_06:Investigation?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. That will be a six plus four for a total of ten. You are rolling very well tonight, Andrew.
SPEAKER_06:I have rolled a 12 minus one for 11, but But wait, there's more. Uh you got a 10?
SPEAKER_10:I got a 10.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, okay. Uh, so he'll kinda he'll look at his finger, uh, Voss will look at his finger, kinda lick it and touch himself, and we'll cast guidance on himself.
SPEAKER_02:The worst cleric I've ever heard of. Ah, but you've heard of me.
SPEAKER_06:Fuck you. And to my 11, I'll add two.
SPEAKER_07:That does not help you.
SPEAKER_06:For a 13. Okay.
SPEAKER_10:Alright. Uh yeah, they are they changed favored by the gods to where it doesn't work on skill checks anymore.
SPEAKER_02:So um so with that, you do see uh in the in the in the wardrobe that's across the room, um, that the servant's uniform is hanging there and is neatly pressed, but it is blood stained and it's dirty.
SPEAKER_06:The same servant uniform we saw Clara wearing?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, the same servant uniform you saw Clara wearing. And you also see that there is uh there's uh a perfume bottle on the vanity that uh Xanafer discovered the scratching on that says for Clara with loyalty.
SPEAKER_06:For Clara with loyalty. So the two messages we've seen so far is she begged him not to do it and she never left, correct?
SPEAKER_02:Correct.
SPEAKER_06:And then we find a perfume bottle that says for Clara with what?
SPEAKER_02:Loyalty. And then the final thing you see uh with the 13 roll is uh you can see that the the mirror is not just a warped version of this room because it's shattered. There's something strange about the mirror.
SPEAKER_06:Alright, did you say that message was for Clara with Unity?
SPEAKER_02:Loyalty.
SPEAKER_06:Loyalty. Loyalty. It's really hard when I'm the only one taking notes in the common notes section. I I ri rely very heavily on Justin to do this task.
SPEAKER_02:Speak of the devil.
SPEAKER_06:Hey!
SPEAKER_11:I just pulled him in because you said his name.
SPEAKER_06:Hey Justin, you want to start taking notes? This is really hard to do. So, Maddie, I I apologize.
SPEAKER_10:All of mine are on paper.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, I know. I know. When I saw you, I kept seeing you look down. I was like, damn it, he's writing his own notes. It's like, alright, I gotta put something in here. It's okay. I'm doing okay. It's a hot mess, but we'll make it through.
SPEAKER_02:You don't have to stay in here, Justin. He just he said your name, so I pulled you in.
SPEAKER_06:Oh.
SPEAKER_02:Totally up to you. You're welcome to stay. Does not bother me.
SPEAKER_06:The statement I said was it's very hard to uh take notes and do the story uh when Justin's not the one taking notes.
SPEAKER_08:Alright. Alright, I'm going to mute again.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, you're fine. You don't have to mute. You're fine, buddy. Uh so. Yeah, like I said, uh the mirror is not just showing a warp version of the room. There's something strange about it. Like the room seems to be shifting a little bit.
SPEAKER_10:So I think Xanabar not understanding that there's uh something going on with this mirror is just gonna start like testing the perfume bottles and seeing if any of them smell like lavender, since the room smells like rotten lavender.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, the the perfume d does smell like lavender when you spray it.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss is gonna walk towards the mirror.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. As you approach the mirror, you see uh you see a it almost it looks like a memory image of Clara. The same maid that you saw in the other room. And uh she's looking off into the distance away from you, and she looks like she's talking to somebody, and she just says, I tried to stop him. I tried to stop him, but she couldn't bear to leave the manor. Not after what they did to her. And then the mirror fades and it goes back to just reflecting the room.
SPEAKER_06:She said Clara tried to stop him, but what sorry, could you just repeat the whole thing again?
SPEAKER_02:I tried to stop him, but she couldn't bear to leave the manor, not after what they did to her.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Uh I'll pass that info on to well, did Xenopher hear it as well, too? Or if not, I'll let it relay it to him.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, Xanifer hears this being played.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I I think our little friend from the other of the study, and she might have a lot more to do with this than we even know. I I honestly feel like she's the poltergeist and the uh the the the entire reason this place is haunted.
SPEAKER_10:Yes, but uh you were talking to her as books were flying at your shield.
SPEAKER_06:I'm pretty sure she was doing that. I think she's the bad guy. And here we tried to get her to come with us. Should we go back and slay her? We could try, but maybe first we should check out the East Wing. And we still have the second floor. Or we could go up there as well. But I'm pretty sure this Claire person is uh she's a bit shady, if you know what I mean. I'm picking up what you're putting down.
SPEAKER_09:Be careful around her.
SPEAKER_02:Both of you see an apparition of Claire appear on the corner, like the fuck? And then disappear. Totally kidding, you don't see that.
SPEAKER_10:Um last thing before we leave the room. You had mentioned there were two kids in the in the painting that did not have their eyes gouged out. Correct. Do they look to be the same age? Do they look to have an age gap?
SPEAKER_02:They they do have an age gap. Uh there is a the the sister is smaller, looks younger. Um there's probably about a five to six year difference between the two. The boy looks to be in his preteen era, and the the young girl looks to be around five or six years old.
SPEAKER_06:And and we heard a little bit of backstory to this place. It was that they tried to have one kid, and it was the attempts to have a second kid that caused the death of the child and the wife, or just the child?
SPEAKER_02:You heard rumors.
SPEAKER_06:Rumors.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, it was rumors. They had the first kid, they lost the second kid, and then that's what sent the dad down the death spiral of trying something.
SPEAKER_06:Trying to bring trying to do something shady.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Um yeah, to write it down.
SPEAKER_10:Alright. Uh, I think Xanover will uh get in line behind Voss and follow him to the end of the world.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss as he's like, even though we've we're going to a room that we've been in before, he holds his shield up as he walks through the door. Okay. Expecting like books.
SPEAKER_02:Are you protecting our left flank?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, pretty much.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, as soon as you walk into the room, you immediately get pelted with more books.
SPEAKER_06:And no, it's the it's the main entryway, it's not the study.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, sorry, I thought you walk into the study, my bad.
SPEAKER_06:No, no, no, no. We're walking back to the main the main entryway.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, yeah. No, you walk into the main entry.
SPEAKER_06:He's still gonna be ready for books.
SPEAKER_02:Got it. You walk into the main entry. Uh you don't see anything uh abnormal from what you saw when you first walked in. The study still looks missed it and shrouded in that fog. And then directly in front of you is the east wing.
SPEAKER_06:Uh so Voss will look up to the stairs and say, would you rather go upstairs before maybe go this way and hit motion towards the east wing?
SPEAKER_10:We uh we might as well try the east wing first. Uh the second lore does not look near as inviting as the east wing does.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, holding up his shield, uh Voss will venture that way. Again, he is he's totally prepared for books. Anything else, we'll catch him off guard. But books, he's got on point.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so as you open the east wing door, it swings open easily. It's got the same kind of door that the West Wing had. Um, and inside there's a parlor. You can see a piano. Uh there's torn drapes over tall windows, there's a fireplace that's caked in in soot that hasn't been burned in a very long time. Um there's it looks like uh a uh tray that served tea on it, lies toppled on the floor. It surfaces uh tarnished and stained with a red-brown film. And then you can also see half-melted candles um around the room that were meant to be there to give light, even though there's electricity in this room.
SPEAKER_06:So it's it's a parlor. Is it like a bar or something?
SPEAKER_02:Uh a parlor, yeah. Typically where there's there's alcohol, the men go to afterwards to smoke cigars, drink, uh, play piano. It's an entertainment room. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss will walk over to the bar. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Not done describing just yet. Oh.
SPEAKER_06:Please, please continue with your exposition. Uh the let us stand in the way.
SPEAKER_02:The piano is still. Please, Brandon. I'm working on it. This is like the one thing I asked you guys to do. Not interrupt me when I'm describing things.
SPEAKER_06:Hey, Brandon, it sounded like you were just Voss looks around the room. What does he see?
SPEAKER_07:My dick.
SPEAKER_00:Uh, okay.
SPEAKER_02:Not with that investigation, Shark. Not with a 13. You need much more higher investigation to see my small penis.
SPEAKER_06:Let me let me help you.
SPEAKER_02:I could do that myself. Alright, so the piano is playing softly, and um it's playing by itself, and it's playing softly, and it's going to the tune of na.
SPEAKER_10:Now I'm done. We heard that through the the door to the house, right? Not the door to the study. Correct. Yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_07:Um.
SPEAKER_10:So there's a bar.
SPEAKER_07:There's a bar.
SPEAKER_06:Voss will walk over to the bar, and pending any interaction, he will set his mace and shield down on the bar, and we'll start attempting to pour himself a drink. And then look to Xanophore and say, Oh, would you be interested? The way today's going, make mine a double. Is there do I do I find actual alcohol that I could potentially pour for the Wolf Us?
SPEAKER_02:There are several bottles there. There's a couple bottles of some darker lick uh darker alcohol there that you assume to be some kind of whiskey. Um, there is are a couple of clear bottles as well. And there are there are dozens of corked wine bottles.
SPEAKER_06:Corked wine bottles? Um, hang on one sec. Sorry, I had a I had a spell, I thought, for touching something and removing poison from it. But maybe.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, if anybody gets poisoned.
SPEAKER_10:Protection for poison, you touch a creature and they have an advantage on saving throws. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I thought I had one that could remove. Anyway. Oh well. Uh spells are difficult. Anyway, uh so Voss will grab one of those uh corked bottles and a couple of glasses, and we'll uh pull the cork out of it and and pour a drink for each of us. And then we'll hold it up to cheers, uh, Xanafer.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Yeah, dark red liquid pours out of the bottle into both glasses. Um Its aroma kind of fills the room. It is a fine-aged, uh estate type wine. Uh dark red, dry wine. And then you can smell it from it's just this floral, uh, it's slightly oaky smell.
SPEAKER_10:Uh Xanderul will lift his glass and say, uh, to Clara. May her uh eternal struggles lead us to where the Samulet is.
SPEAKER_06:To Clara. And if you notice, uh somehow uh Voss has procured an apron and has put it on.
unknown:Why?
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. The apron that you found actually says world's best book thrower.
SPEAKER_10:I I was thinking it was gonna be like the white apron from the maid's outfit that like is covered in blood and is like, look, I found this. I mean that works. I think Xaniver is seeing this apron's just gonna roll his eyes. Um and maybe go take a look at the piano and try and figure out what's playing it. Like, are the keys moving as it's making the sound, or is it just uh the constant sound coming from it?
SPEAKER_02:No, the keys are moving. It's like somebody's sitting there playing it. Alright. Um do you guys want to look around? Do you wanna try to figure anything out? What are you what are you looking at specifically? I know you're looking at the piano, Xanover. Uh Xanover, actually, give me an insight or investigation check.
SPEAKER_10:You know this is gonna go like shit, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, probably. You've not been rolling well.
SPEAKER_10:What you get? That's a one plus four for a total of five on investigation. Bro. You have not rolled higher than a ten. Wait, you had a plus four? I have a plus four. I don't think I've rolled higher than a six. You have inspiration. Oh no, no. I did have the ten on something. You're right. You did. Um you know what? Yes. I will use the inspiration. I hope you roll a two. I will re-roll my investigation. That's a six plus four for a ten total. Bro. Uh it's not even a high, it's a twelve.
SPEAKER_06:It's a twelve. Uh boss will kind of reach over with the the bottle and like refill uh Xanafer's cup, giving him guidance. So you can you can add a D4 to that.
SPEAKER_02:You only need two. You need two.
SPEAKER_10:So you This is not this is gonna be like a one. Right? A 75% chance of hitting the DC on this. And I'm not gonna get it. Oh, I got a two!
SPEAKER_07:That's quite Jesus. Guidance for the win.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Alright, so as you're looking at the piano, uh you under something catches your eye, and under the uh one of the the legs of the the the piano bench is a small piece of paper. And from it it seems to be a diary page, and all it says over and over and over again is Ralvin O'Doyle promise to protect me, but silence is complicity, I must act. I will Ralvin O'Doyle.
SPEAKER_06:Promise to protect me?
SPEAKER_02:Uh yes, promise to protect me, but silence is complicity, and I must act.
SPEAKER_06:Do we know who wrote the message?
SPEAKER_02:No. Does not say. And then as you're uh because of your role and you actually passed, you open up the top of this piano and you see a ledger in there. And looking through this ledger, uh you can see that there are large payments that are paid out to silence the witnesses.
SPEAKER_10:Is that a LLC or an S Corp?
SPEAKER_02:That's an LLC for sure.
SPEAKER_10:Okay. Silence the witnesses?
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_10:Well, uh, this is a mighty peculiar place to leave a ledger. I'd imagine that this would have been in the study. What uh what do you think they witnessed?
SPEAKER_06:Looking at it, can we tell who was paying the silence to witness the s witnesses?
SPEAKER_02:Uh the front of the ledger, the like the the cover page, actually it just says um uh Ralvin O'Doyle.
SPEAKER_06:Do we know who Ralvin O'Doyle is?
SPEAKER_02:No, but based off of what you've seen, uh you uh you can kind of put together that he's probably the lord of the manor. The key said O'Doyle.
SPEAKER_04:Alright.
SPEAKER_10:And he rules. Right. He does rule. Yeah, the diary page. Does the handwriting look similar to the previous like carved in scratches that we saw? Uh she never left. And I told him to stop.
SPEAKER_02:No, they do not. No, the the carved in messages were both inscribed with a knife or something. Or something similar, so it does not look like normal handwriting.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Um so both of you give me a perception check.
unknown:Alright.
SPEAKER_02:Without rolling, I'm just gonna tell you that I fail right now.
SPEAKER_10:Okay, perfect.
SPEAKER_06:What's your passive?
SPEAKER_10:Oh sh that's an 18 plus three for a 21. Holy shit. That's apparently how I can roll well, is I just tell you that I fail before rolling.
SPEAKER_02:That's awesome.
SPEAKER_10:I got 12.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Uh Xanober, you see. Uh Near one of the bookshelves, you see a small bloodied handprint on the the bottom side of one of the bookshelves. And it looks like it's smeared in that area. And then around that you can see that there is some the dust seems to have shifted, and it looks like something has moved or the bookshelf has has moved around that area and push the dust around. So the the bookshelf itself looks like it has moved? The floor. So the floor has dust on it, covering everything, but it looks like the bookshelf has slid out and has pushed the dust.
SPEAKER_06:A hidden booksh- it's a hidden room behind a bookshelf.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, that's that's my thought. Is there like a book that has blood on it or a book that has less dust on it?
SPEAKER_02:Uh there is a bloody handprint to the left of the bookshelf on a stone.
SPEAKER_10:Alright, um, having learned my lesson from earlier, I'm going to grab my spear and use my spear to press the stone to the left of the bookshelf.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Uh as soon as you go ahead.
SPEAKER_06:I have a I have a hidden room in my house behind a bookshelf, and it's not locked. Like it's not not every hidden bookshelf is locked.
SPEAKER_02:Uh so as you push the stone, the bookshelf slides out. And behind it is a very small room. Um five f maybe five by five. But in there you can you there's a few books, a small uh bed that looks like it's been slept in for a while. There's a teddy bear that's in there, and then there's uh sitting on the pillow is a small amulet. The amulet is gold, and in the center is a red gem.
SPEAKER_06:I mean, all I store in my hidden bookshelf room is magic cards.
SPEAKER_10:Uh Xaniver still with his uh spear in his hand is going to like dab into the loop of the amulet and kind of hold it up and uh walk over to Voss and say, uh, Voss, what do you make of this?
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss is still behind the bar, this time with a martini shaker. Going in. And he's like, hey! You looks like you found the amulet. I I think this might be the one that Claire wanted us to find. Oh.
SPEAKER_10:And here I was thinking it was another cursed object within this house.
SPEAKER_06:And then uh If only we could determine if it was a cursed object.
SPEAKER_10:Xander will go ahead and and put it around a snack.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Um everything in the room seems to get brighter, and you see everything in the room with more clarity.
SPEAKER_10:I think that's because I have dark vision.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, that's probably it. Yes.
SPEAKER_10:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:That was a good call. And as you're looking right now, have dark vision too.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I know you have fucking dark vision. And as you're looking around the room, uh, you can see that Voss is. He's he's definitely starting to feel all this alcohol that's been hitting him. And Voss, I need you making a constitution saving throw.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, we're good at those. Not good at Voss got it.
SPEAKER_02:No, you rolled a one.
SPEAKER_06:Plus two.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, so Voss, your next skill check or attack is a disadvantage. Fine.
SPEAKER_06:No joy. It's only one. You never want us to have any fun here. You won't let us cut to the very end. You could have tried to fight him. It wasn't going too well. Um, but so Voss, Voss will pour, he he pours the martini, and then he takes a shot, and he realizes that was just one too many for him.
SPEAKER_02:But yeah, Xanover, you like everything seems to be clearer, and even though there was like a little bit of a mist rolling in around here, you can see through the mist clearly. And Voss, uh for as long as you're as as Xanover starts walking towards you, the mist starts to clear out. So it seems to be some kind of aura around Xanover. Uh that as long as you're near him, you can see through this mist.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss will very intently look underneath the bar searching for something.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Um perception roll at disadvantage?
SPEAKER_02:No. No. You look under the bar and find an old olive jar that has been cracked open.
SPEAKER_06:He takes it. He's trying to get my one disadvantage roll.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I know you were. I know you were.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Uh, so he'll he'll walk out from he'll grab his olive jar and he's holding it. He's got a shield with olive jar and mace. And uh he he walks out from the bar, kind of pitching the apron. And uh, alright. Should we go back to the study or maybe check upstairs?
SPEAKER_10:Well, the uh the mist seems to be clearing. Uh I can now see clearly as if the rain is gone. And so why don't we do the study first? Since that's where all the commotion is, and then we can go village upstairs.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, that sounds good to me. I feel it's just Odoro family. They're they're gonna burn.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, they they seem to rule this area. That maybe they're undoing it.
SPEAKER_06:Alright, so boss will lead the way out of the east wing round?
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, we're in the east wing, so we're gonna head back out of there and then to the right should be the study.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Yeah, you can both clearly see into the study now. And in the study, uh, you can see there's some red carpets around. Uh there's plenty of books. Um remember this is a map that I had to grab because the other one wasn't working. So that that is not actually there. Uh there's there's uh there's plenty of books around, some red carpeting, the same red carpeting you've seen you saw in the the main room. And uh, but it looks like there's been a mess. Like the books are are everywhere, there's papers thrown about, there's a couple candles stuck into the stuck to the ceiling with melted wax. And you hear that same out. And you see a floating uh poltergeist there that looks similar to some of the uh portraits you've seen around of uh of an older gentleman with black raven hair. And I need you both to roll me some initiative.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, I gotta do that when I disadvantage.
SPEAKER_02:You do.
SPEAKER_06:But I got a one. So my disadvantage was a roll for a uh a one? I got two ones. Alright, I'm glad I got those out of the way. Uh I have an initiative of zero, everybody. You're welcome.
SPEAKER_10:That's impressive, dude.
SPEAKER_06:That's quite impressive.
SPEAKER_10:And I will be a six plus two for a total of eight. And yes, I'm rolling a d20 and not a d10. Oh, I I rolled the d0.
SPEAKER_06:Dang it.
SPEAKER_10:At this point, I think flipping a coin would do better for me.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, so we got a a one for Voss. No, I got a zero. Yeah, I know. And a what is that for you? A six? An eight. An eight. I've Ralvin only got a twelve, so.
SPEAKER_06:It takes a special skill to roll a zero.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I don't want you to shortcut me.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. So, uh, yeah. Ralvin is uh he's gonna he's floating around, and seeing that you can clearly see him now, he's going to uh launch a book with his left hand. He's gonna uh point his hand towards a bookshelf and then point it towards you. He's gonna catapult that book at uh Voss's face, and at the same time with his right hand, he's gonna push it forward towards you and shoot a beam of green, sickly looking energy. And for the book, Voss does a 12 hit.
SPEAKER_06:No.
SPEAKER_02:And for the beam, does a 17 hit.
SPEAKER_06:Unfortunately. No, you have like 20. I thought my AC was way higher. Hang on a second. Why is your armor so low? Yeah, my armor should be way higher than what it actually is. I don't have to be. You don't have your plate. I don't have my plate plate equipment. There we go. 23. Yeah, no, no, it doesn't hit. Why is my AC at 14? That doesn't make any sense. Okay. Alright. You say 23?
SPEAKER_08:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, and I haven't even done uh what is it? Shield of Faith. Oh.
SPEAKER_10:Well the Shield of Faith looks to be active on you right now, so Oh. You're you're only a 21 without it.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. How can you see it active?
SPEAKER_10:Click on your armor glass. Click the 23.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, yeah, you know. I lost how do I get rid of that thing? How can I make that go away? I also have no idea. And where did you get a fire help? Oh, I gave it to him. Give it to him. Yeah, you gave it to me. Forgot. Um, yeah, so I have a 21. I can't I have no idea how to actually remove. My shield of faith is not cast right now.
SPEAKER_02:Uh I can do this. There you go. Refresh.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, here we go.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, I I have it manually done. Okay. Okay. Yeah, so yeah, neither of those things hit you, and uh Ralvin continues to scream as he's floating around. Xanover, you're up, buddy.
SPEAKER_10:Alright, um. So Xaniver, seeing this flying poltergeist around, is going to uh first activate his innate sorcery ability. Uh and so Dane's seen this, or sorry, Voss has seen this many times, where uh it just kind of smells like a gentle spring breeze um as the winds kind of torrent around him and he activates this ability. And then at second level, he is going to attack with a witchbolt.
SPEAKER_08:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:Yep, so at advantage. Okay, uh 26 to hit. That does hit. And that is going to be, oh, that's a pretty good roll, 24 lightning damage.
SPEAKER_06:Nice. Damn. Xanax.
SPEAKER_10:Yep, and so this uh this lightning tether is gonna connect the two of us as I continue to concentrate on the spell. Okay. And for my movement, I'm just gonna kinda take a step back, um, assess the situation, stand by the door, get ready to leave if I need to.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:That'll be my turn.
SPEAKER_09:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Voss, you are up. Alright, Voss will position himself uh defensively between Xanafer and Ralvin. Uh, and then I'm going to cast a guiding bolt spell at him. Uh, do I roll this at disadvantage? No. No? Uh that is a 23. That does hit. Damn. Now the rolls are coming out. Now the rolls that's 20 damage. Uh, are you gonna have to up his HP so the fight lasts more than one round?
SPEAKER_10:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I am not.
SPEAKER_10:It's uh it's radiant damage if that helps. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, does does boss have any idea of like what um like what damage is gonna I mean he's he's been a cleric, does he have an idea like what uh poltergeist is gonna be more affected by?
SPEAKER_02:I would let you as a bonus action roll history. Or arcana. Uh DC four to 14.
SPEAKER_06:Uh History or Arcana. I think they're both minus one. For an eight.
SPEAKER_02:Um you faintly recall that anything holy would damage a poltergeist.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Or not necessarily just a poltergeist, but anything evil or uh from another uh one of the lower planes.
SPEAKER_05:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Uh Ralvin, still tethered by this lightning, is going to shift over to the right side of the room, and he is going to shoot at Xanaver with a uh a green pulse from his right hand and a yellow pulse from his left hand. They both hit. Does a 13 hit? Yes. Oh, and a nat 20. Uh that will hit, yes. Alright. So from his right hand, uh you are going to take five points of poisoning damage, and you are now poisoned. Okay. And from his left hand, you are going to take you're gonna take uh seven seven points of radiant damage. Spicy. I'm still up, still looking good. And that's Ralvin's turn.
SPEAKER_10:Zaniver, you're up, buddy. Alright, so uh on the second hit, because I rolled a Nat 1 on my constitution check, uh I lose the concentration on my Witchball. You know, it's it's a first time for everything these things happen. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_02:It does happen.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah. Sometimes you just you had a little bit too much to drink and you just can't perform. Can't get it up.
SPEAKER_08:Yep.
SPEAKER_10:Uh, and so Xaniver is going to see how far. Alright, so a little bit of math on this. I'm poisoned so I disadvantage. Sorcerer's uh or innate sorcery, so I get advantage. Guideing bolt, so I also get advantage, so will I still be at advantage?
SPEAKER_02:Hold up. I don't think there's a specific ruling for this. Actually, there is an official source for this. There's an official ruling for this. Advantage and disadvantage do not stack, they just cancel each other out. So no matter how many sources have disadvantage or how many sources you have advantage, they just cancel each other out and you roll normally.
SPEAKER_10:Okay. Uh so I will do another second level witch bolt. This will be just a straight roll. 17 plus 6 for or sorry, 17 plus 8 for 25. Dang.
SPEAKER_06:That does it. Damn. Sorry, his ATU is 26.
SPEAKER_10:And I resume concentrating on that spell.
SPEAKER_04:Damn.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. That will be my turn. I also need you to roll me a uh con save, please. I mean, you are gonna take 1d6 poison damage, so that's 5 poison damage, but I also need you to roll me con save. Uh, that's a seven.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:You're not save, you are still poisoned.
SPEAKER_10:Alright, and then I will try and continue to concentrate from that poison damage. That's uh 8 plus 5 13. So how much is that poison damage should I take? Five. Five? Okay. Yeah, that's a save, right? Yeah, that's a save. Okay. Ten or half the damage, whichever is higher.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Voss, you're up. Your buddy behind you is looking a little hurt. If you could turn around and heal him, that'd probably be great.
SPEAKER_06:Wouldn't that be great? Uh so what Voss is gonna do instead is he's he's gonna turn around and see this, but he just got hit by what he assumes is poison. And he's gonna go ahead and and touch him on the shoulder and cast protection from poison. Uh at the s what is the second level? Yeah. Second level.
SPEAKER_02:So I just wanna make sure. Does it cure them?
SPEAKER_06:No, it gives us advantage on saving throws. Or it's a good thing. Yep. And and also now he has resistant to poison damage.
unknown:Nice.
SPEAKER_02:You are cured of the poison condition.
SPEAKER_06:Um, and then, you know, Voss is with his armor is can't do a whole lot. He can only move 20 uh feet, but Ralvin just happens to be 20 feet away from him, so he's gonna get up in his face. Position himself between the two for some.
SPEAKER_02:Hold up. The moment uh you step outside of ten feet of Xaniver, you can't see anything any longer. That mist surrounds you again.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I mean I can see how well what what is my visibility? Like five feet.
SPEAKER_02:Your visibility is uh about five feet, so yeah. Like I will let you finish the movement, but you've gotta roll a d20 a tener higher. Otherwise you're gonna get lost in the mist. Ah, okay. And you'll end up in a random location.
SPEAKER_06:Uh I'm gonna walk straight towards Ralvin, because I I wanna get in his face, essentially.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. So d10 or higher. Yep. Oh sorry, ten or higher.
SPEAKER_06:Here we go! Meet the beats, baby!
SPEAKER_02:Nice. That's right, I'm in his face. You walk right up to Ralvin.
SPEAKER_06:Yep. And uh I hold my shield up, and he says, What do you got? Alright, his turn. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_09:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:So uh Ralvin, with you right next to him, is he's gonna smile at you, and he's gonna lean down and touch your shield on both ends. Uh, and your shield starts heating up. I need you to make me a dexterity saving throw.
SPEAKER_06:Uh 11.
SPEAKER_02:Right, uh, the save was 14. I'm I'm trying to tell you guys what the save is beforehand, so I'm sorry. Uh it was 14. Uh your shield, everything around you starts heating up, and and acrotic flame just as green and red flame just kind of boils up all around you. And you're going to take eleven points of fire damage and five points of necrotic damage. So sixteen total. But he's resistant to the fire damage.
SPEAKER_10:Correct.
SPEAKER_06:My helm, right? Yeah. That's uh how much fire damage? That's 11 is after the resistance?
SPEAKER_02:No. 11 is before the resistance. So half that rounded up. So that'd be six. Six. So I get five back.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Uh, and then he is going to move away from you, giving you a chance for an opportunity attack if you'd like to take it, boss.
SPEAKER_06:Uh, yeah, I'm gonna take it. Do I have to use my mace or do I get to use a spell?
SPEAKER_02:No, unless you have the feat for it, you have to use your mace. Or you have to use a physical attack.
SPEAKER_06:Oh.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, so there's there's a feat called uh what is it c war slinger? What is it called? Uh war war caster. War caster. That you can use opportunity attacks by casting a spell, but you do not have that.
SPEAKER_04:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Um I'll just go ahead and swing at him with my mace. Okay. Give me a tackle. I think that's all I can do. Sixteen? It does hit. Right. That is bludgeoning damage for eight.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Ralvin screams in pain as he moves away from you. And Voss, now you cannot see anything around you other than five feet.
SPEAKER_06:But I know which direction he went, right?
SPEAKER_02:You know it you know what direction he left you. Yes. Uh so Xanover, you're up, bud.
SPEAKER_10:Alright, so I have no indication that that Voss is blinded at this point, right? Because I see him, I don't see any fog. Correct. But I did I did see the green flames erupt around him. Yes. Alright, uh, so Xanover is going to uh pull out the dad joke and say, well, seems like things are really heating up around here. Perfect. And since he can see Voss, he is gonna spend one sorcery point for a careful spell and cast fireball in the room. Ooh. Uh and I know that you and I talked about it, we didn't quite finish the mechanics on it, but um are you good with the change of his Xanoverseas then affecting the type of damage he does? I am good with that. It is currently spring. It's currently spring, so it will be lightning damage. Um What? What is going on? It says Go ahead. Yeah, Brandon and I kind of chatted offline about it, and just to add more flavor to the character, um, whatever season Xanover is in, all elemental damage he does is that season. So like the Witch Bolt's already lightning damage, so I didn't ask about it on that. But so his fireballs are transmuted to whatever season he is.
SPEAKER_06:So during summer it'd be fire. Okay. I was wondering why you didn't hear a character image before.
SPEAKER_10:Yeah, as in Eladrin, there's four different seasons that they can exhibit. And so that's why there's the four images on the artwork. Um, and so summer is fire, spring is lightning, uh, winter is cold damage, and then I think we said thunder for um for autumn. Yep. And so since he's uh in the spring season, all his elemental damage, regardless of what a s what a spell says, and and like I don't get a pick particular to the the event. So if he gives me somebody who's immune to lightning damage, then I'd just be stuck with lightning damage for all my elemental damage.
SPEAKER_06:Uh I mean he he will do that. He's one of those DMs, so you might want not want to give him that option.
SPEAKER_02:You know me, I'm an asshole. I make it impossible for my players to get through things.
SPEAKER_06:It's it's not that you're an a-hole, it's that you just are who you are.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Uh for some reason you have disadvantage in your next attack role.
SPEAKER_06:I mean, I did, previously. I got rid of it though.
SPEAKER_10:Alright, so a lightning ball erupts in the room uh with one sorcery point for careful spell meta magic. And that's uh more ones than I like, so that's 20 lightning damage. The save on it will be DC 17.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Uh the careful spell that makes your gives them advantage on the save or makes them immune?
SPEAKER_10:So that makes um Voss automatically pass and take no damage from the spell.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. So it is a dexterity save? Dexterity 17. Okay.
SPEAKER_10:So that is a 17. Not including his pluses. Uh so that'll be 10 points of lightning damage. And then as a bonus action, uh, Xanover will kind of harness the lightning tether between the two of them and do an additional 8 points of lightning damage from the witchbolt that I'm concentrating on. And then I'm assuming I need to uh save against poison again. No, you're a cure to poison because. Oh, I'm cured of poison actions. Yep. Never mind that.
SPEAKER_06:Thank you, boss. Alright, boss. Hey, all that uh you know spell prep stuff comes in handy every now and then if you pick the right spells.
SPEAKER_02:Alright, boss, you are up. Uh you heard the direction that Xanover threw the fireball, and you heard Xanover's voice when you said the dad joke. But you cannot see either of them. So if you move in a direction you're trying to get to either of them, you're gonna have to roll a 15 or higher to get to that individual. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Uh so I'll attempt to move towards Bralvin. Okay. 15 or higher. Can I actually make it? Oh yeah, 20 feet. Perfect. I don't know why you make us roll dice for silly things like moving. I got a 19 on that one.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so you're able to pinpoint exactly where he is, and you're able to run up right next to him. That's right.
SPEAKER_06:Suck it, Brandon. Uh, but I'm gonna put myself between the two of them. Okay. You and you're trying to prevent us from having fun. Uh, so yeah, uh, boss will take up a defensive position between Ralvin and Xanafer again. Apparently, I can hear exactly where he is, and this whole fog of war thing doesn't affect him at all. Um. And yeah, I'm going to attempt to do a I guess I can't do a ranged spell attack. That'd be kind of counterintuitive.
SPEAKER_02:I mean you can, but it'd be a disadvantage.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_02:I was wondering if I have a touch spell on this cleric. You have cure wounds, obviously. That's a touch spell that all clerics carry. Shit.
SPEAKER_06:I mean, I don't have that one uh, you know, prepared, so I can't do that one. Um can I actually give him like protection, maybe you know, shield of faith this guy, like what what can I do? Um here we go. Word of Radiance. Uh so yeah, I'll I'll reach out and uh and and touch him using uh casting Word of Radiance. It's a 2d6, which I believe is Yeah, yeah, that's better than my uh mace. So let's do that.
SPEAKER_02:Give me a tack roll.
SPEAKER_06:Uh it's actually a con save of 13. Got a plus one for con. He fails. He fails. So he will take. What does he take? Um, well I rolled two dice.
SPEAKER_08:Yep.
SPEAKER_06:First dice was a one. Okay. And uh the second dice was also a one for a uh grand total of uh let me take the one carry the two damage.
SPEAKER_02:You guys are doing great with rolls tonight.
SPEAKER_06:Uh some of them are it's like it's like feast or famine on these rolls. It's either really, really good or really bad.
SPEAKER_02:Voss was crushing the RP rolls and Xanafer was fucking them up. Now in fight terms, you guys are flipped.
SPEAKER_06:Pretty much. Pretty much. Alright. Alright. Uh can I do a bonus action? I feel like I have a bonus action that's actually helpful here. A channel divinity. Wait, I yeah, there's something I can do here. Hang on a sec.
SPEAKER_05:Sorry, I gotta read my character sheet, cuz this is when he learns he can turn undead.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, channel divinity is one action. I thought that was a bonus action. Nope. Okay. Never mind. Uh I don't see a bonus action that I can actually do. Moment to think. Oh, I can do this. I'm gonna play uh Yeah, I can do channel divinity, invoke, duplicity.
SPEAKER_11:What does that do?
SPEAKER_06:Um yeah, you why don't you tell me what it does, Brandon? Because I don't know. Uh but let's find out when we read it. Uh as a bonus action, you can uh use channel divinity, create a perfect animated visual illusion of yourself that mimics your expressions and gestures. It appears in an unoccupied space. Uh you can see within 30 feet of yourself while persists, you gain the following. I can cast spells so space. Uh when you and your illusion are both a five-feet a creature, you have advantage on attack rolls. And then I can move it. Um in the last for a minute. So yeah, I'll go ahead and do that, and uh I will stick my thumb on my nose with all my fingers out and twitching, and make a uh I'll try to surround Ralvin with another copy of myself.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Yeah, a a duplicate copy of you appears behind him.
SPEAKER_06:Oh my god, there's two of them. No, I'm gonna put it right there. I'll surround him. Okay. That's it for my turn. Alright. Although that was my bonus action, which means I can't attack him.
SPEAKER_02:No, you're at your an opportunity attack is a reaction. Not a bonus action.
SPEAKER_06:Reaction on a bonus action. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, every every cycle you've got movement, attack, uh movement, action, bonus action, reaction.
SPEAKER_06:Reaction. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Uh Ralvin seeing this, um, he's panting a little bit. Uh reaches both of his hands high up in the air, and the books in the room start spinning around the room, and they're just starting to smack you guys all over the place. Uh and it's all these books, there's hundreds of books just flying around in circles, hitting you guys left and right as it's uh as they're spinning her throughout the room. I need. Oh, this is just straight up attack. And then and then you make the save. Okay. Alright, so. Twenty one. Twenty one hit you both. Boss that hit you, right? Meets and beats. Nice. It definitely hits me. Alright, so you guys are. Right to take 14 points of bludgeoning damage. Oh shit. It was only 3d6 and I rolled pretty high.
SPEAKER_10:Really good. Yeah. So Voss, you watch as the books start to pummel Xaniver and he just collapses. He can't see you. Oh, actually, yeah. You don't see shit. He cannot see you. Xaniver has collapsed. Oh no. That one point from Cure Wounds that did not put me at my max has bit me because I had exactly 14 hit points left.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. Xanover, give me a death saving throw.
SPEAKER_06:Uh good thing we chose to come to this place.
SPEAKER_10:I know. This is gonna be hysterical if I die. Trying to get a house. Alright, that's a 12 to save.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, that does save, right? Yeah, yeah. Ten or higher. Uh okay, that's one save. Uh, and Voss, you notice a distinct absence of Xaniver doing anything. And you're up.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Um I think. Let's see, hang on a second. I really have no freaking heal. I'm looking through my my bless? Like, what can I do? No? Protection for I literally have I mean Protection from Poison came in clutch, but clearly that didn't help.
SPEAKER_02:Um, as a DM, the best book that I've read is is uh Monsters Know What They're Doing. Have you guys read that one? It is fantastic. Like, it teaches you how to play the monsters, and I think it's helped me a lot in the the combat scenes in the last few months.
SPEAKER_10:This is him subtly telling us that he is going to target my depth body.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, they're going to target the glass cannons for sure.
SPEAKER_06:Uh okay. So Voss, as a bonus action, I'm gonna have my copy uh step back from Ralvin. Can I have it disengage so it doesn't take an opportunity attack? Um how does this how does this work? How does my copy It's not a real character. Yeah, I want it I want it to essentially step back.
SPEAKER_02:You cannot move it anywhere. You can't see it. You've gotta be able to see the space you're moving it to.
SPEAKER_06:I have to be able to see the space that I'm moving it to?
SPEAKER_02:Yep. You can move it to an unoccupied space you can see within 120 feet of yourself.
SPEAKER_06:You can see within 120. Okay. Um, and I have about what, five feet of you said I have five feet of correct.
SPEAKER_02:Here, I'll just I'll put this on for you. Yeah. Just so you can see. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Well, pull my token back into the thing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I got you. That's what you see.
SPEAKER_06:Uh can I move it here? Yes. Does that put it more than five feet away? That is five feet away. I just I'm trying to get enough distance to be able to cast a essentially what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to cast a range spell.
SPEAKER_02:But I need my So your copy can't cast anything. You can. You can cast spells. Is it oh okay. You must use your own senses. Interesting.
SPEAKER_06:Um well, so how does how does that work? Would I have to step back or can I use the copy to uh cast spells? No, I can cast spells within the illusion of space. Yeah. But you must but you must use your own senses so I can see it from a range distance. Hehehe does that work?
SPEAKER_11:Yeah, that works.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, alright. Um so let's do a uh I don't know. Guiding bolt at level three.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, give it to me. 20 hit is that natural?
SPEAKER_06:No. 15 plus 21 points 21 points of damage.
SPEAKER_02:Tell me how you kill Ralvin.
SPEAKER_06:Uh, so he kind of with one hand motions, and the uh illusion steps back, and then from the illusion's hand, just this beam of light just blasts him in the forehead and explodes his head. Damn. And uh he said, I told you you were going down.
SPEAKER_02:You hear one final wailing, rattling scream. And as he dies, the fog clears around you. Um you can see your your friend Xanover laying on his side, bleeding profusely.
SPEAKER_06:Voss runs over and not able to do anything.
SPEAKER_02:You can you can aid him to stabilize him. It gives him one HP.
SPEAKER_06:I feel like there's actually I have I have something that stabilizes a person.
SPEAKER_10:No, I don't have that freaking dying.
SPEAKER_06:I have spare of the dying. It's not prepared either. Oh my gosh. Yeah, so uh here's how it plays out. So both the copy and game run over, and then you're getting in stereo on both sides. Hey buddy, how you doing? Uh and then I'll aid him. I'll I'll use guidance for stabilization.
SPEAKER_02:So stabilizing brings him to zero HP. Um and Okay, so I'm trying to read through this. So any source of healing will bring them the one HP. So that's a potion of healing, cure wounds, lay on hands. Do you have any potions?
SPEAKER_10:Uh I I did go ahead and roll my second death save. That's a 16 to save, so I've got two successes. Alright.
SPEAKER_06:Dumbest cleric ever.
SPEAKER_10:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:So what is blast do? Does blast do anything? No.
SPEAKER_02:Not what you want to do. Alright. Uh, you know what, Maddie, I will let you attempt to make a wisdom saving throw. If you roll a wisdom, a medicine check, sorry. If you roll medicine check 10 or higher.
SPEAKER_10:You can do a medicine check to stabilize me. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:I would like to cast guidance on myself because I rolled a seven. Okay.
SPEAKER_07:Have you met my brother, Bannaver?
SPEAKER_10:Hang on, that easy, Brandon.
SPEAKER_06:I got a four? That's eleven. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. So yeah, you you successfully stabilize Voss.
SPEAKER_10:You want me to point out the medicine checks in action? Guidance is in action. Oh, that's right.
SPEAKER_02:I don't know how to handle this then.
SPEAKER_10:Uh well, so so he'd guide himself. I'd roll my death save. That's a nine, it's a failure. Then he does the medicine.
SPEAKER_08:Okay.
SPEAKER_10:And now I'm stabilized. Alright.
SPEAKER_08:So it all works on the HP. Alright.
SPEAKER_02:So even at zero HP, he's stabilized, so you have to have some source of healing. I will also let you guys do a short rest to get some health back.
SPEAKER_10:So I I uh I remain unconscious for an hour. I roll my D4.
SPEAKER_02:So sleep it off. So an hour later, as Xanover comes to, uh the sun's.
SPEAKER_06:He's uh uh Voss is just purely shocked that he's you know that he he's he's back.
SPEAKER_10:Xanover will just like start coughing up blood, and there's just there's dried blood around his mouth, and so it's like flakes of blood that's coming off.
SPEAKER_06:They'll just be like I really wish we had someone here that can do some healing.
SPEAKER_02:Where's Harley when you need him? At least one healing spell.
SPEAKER_06:I have none. Zero. Hey, but I've got all my spells prepared, so we're making progress.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, to be fair, trickery domain, not focused on healing, I'll give you that. But like maybe one. Alright. So, yeah, dawn breaks, light floods the house, uh, the the rooms uh the room that you're in seems lighter, uh, there's no more fog, it seems to be a calm in the building itself. And then as the morning dawns and the sun beams down, uh a sigil starts glowing in the middle of the study, and both of you feel a sense of of power come over you, and uh suddenly a figure appears in front of you, and it is a well-dressed older gentleman in a butler's outfit, and he says to you both Hmm, the master has departed. O'Doyo Manor awaits new stewards. Shall I prepare you both breakfast?
SPEAKER_10:Xanover still just kind of coughing up blood, is gonna like roll over onto his elbows and start pushing himself up. Yes, uh a spot of tea would be nice right now.
SPEAKER_06:Is there any chance you have some spinach puffs back there?
SPEAKER_02:No, Master, but if you were to get me the ingredients, I will gladly make them for you.
SPEAKER_06:Well, let's find the ingredients or grow some spinach ourselves. I would love to have some spinach puffs. What is uh what did you say your name was?
SPEAKER_11:I did not say what my name was. Nobody asked me what my name is.
SPEAKER_06:So what is your name? Is this a person like a uh an actual person or a a ghost?
SPEAKER_02:So this comes with your bastion. Uh something I'm giving you guys is going to be an unseen servant. Ghost. Basically. And yet we s and yet we see him.
SPEAKER_04:We see our unseen servant. Oh.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, Master Voss, my name is Mortane Elwick. Mortane, huh? M-O-R-T-A-I-N.
SPEAKER_10:Well, uh Mortane. I think uh anything you can do to get me in a little bit less pain would be greatly appreciated.
SPEAKER_02:Of course, Master. I have a a special spirit that I make, and it uh it cures the greatest of hangovers. I'll be right back. Right.
SPEAKER_10:I think yeah, I think uh I'll just kind of pull myself onto the couch in the room and and just sit there. Uh and go ahead at like screw third level, cast cure wounds, cut myself off.
SPEAKER_02:So you don't have to do that. Both of you get short rest I if you'd like. You can do a short rest.
SPEAKER_06:Uh Dane and also his illusion of Dane will sit down on the couch, one on each side, as reflecting on the evening they spent in the house.
SPEAKER_02:Ah, reflecting, that's good.
SPEAKER_06:He's he's still hearing uh and stereo from both sides, like, because they they say the exact same things, and he says, that was that was quite a knife, wasn't it? Uh, to think. This place is our own now. What should we do with it?
SPEAKER_10:Uh perhaps we put it on the market, make a quick profit.
SPEAKER_06:I imagine we could get a gold piece or two for this. I wonder what everybody else would say.
SPEAKER_10:I mean, freshly exercised, it should fetch more than a gold piece, I would imagine, but uh perhaps maybe we just knock off our boots and find someplace to lay down for an hour or eight. See how the place fits us.
SPEAKER_06:I can do that. I I I feel uh rebalancing of my spell book might be in order.
SPEAKER_02:No. I will say you only have time for a short rest before the King's tournament starts. Uh and probably only two hours after that, before uh like it's ending type of deal. So you won't be able to do a long rest unless you want to miss that. Completely up to you guys, though. If you want to miss that, I will let you allow you to do a long rest.
SPEAKER_10:I'm good to just push through. Uh I got 20 hit points back from the short rest, and so I can hit myself with cure wounds and do a lot of funky sorceress stuff to get spell slots back.
SPEAKER_06:Um yeah, I kind of want to go explore the upper floor too. Because if uh I mean if if we're the one acclaiming this house, I feel like we should get first pick of the best bases.
SPEAKER_02:So how how bastions work. Uh how w after the next session, I'm basically going to ask you guys to get together on your own, and I'm gonna give you a software to use, and I'm gonna ask you guys to create your own bastion. You guys have a personal space and a I forget what they would call the rooms, but basically a a special space that you get to do special things on and you get to design your your bastion how you want. But my personal space is special. Fair enough. But right now, the reason I have the second floor blocked off is because you guys haven't designed it yet.
SPEAKER_06:So we can't go up there and go look around.
SPEAKER_02:I mean you could. I don't probably won't find much.
SPEAKER_06:There's an armory up there with a bunch of just a bunch of plate.
SPEAKER_02:Hanging around.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Some gold. Through the vault is.
SPEAKER_02:Uh so do you guys want to hang out in the manor or do you guys want to start walking back towards town?
SPEAKER_06:Uh I feel like we should go check up on our friends. Uh they may want to see this place before we decide to sell it.
SPEAKER_10:Yes, uh, I have a feeling that you're right about that, and perhaps uh we might be able to place a wager on the outcome of the Kings games.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, I do like the sound of that. Uh so Voss will have the uh the copy of him, like extended arm and say after you, and then Voss will say after you, and we'll head out of the manor.
SPEAKER_02:Alright. So you guys walk towards town. Um, you're entering just as the King's tournament is starting to wind or are starting to gain speed. You see a few of your companions in the middle of the uh fighting pit, and that is where we are going to end the night. So, I want to say thank you to everybody for find us like and skip us on ideas. It means a lot to us. Again, make sure you check us out on Facebook at Facebook.com slash ddstory, retweet us on Twitter or EX at ad story at ad story2. Uh follow us on Instagram at Instagram.com slash dd story, and check us out on blue sky, bsky dot app at ad story. Uh if you like all the sound effects you've been hearing in music, make sure you check out sirenscape at sirenscape.com. And finally, uh check out WorldSmith IO. It's a great place for lazy DMs like me that just need a quick map or a quick magic guide and being created. It's uh it's an item and map creator, right? It's got a whole bunch of things NPCs, maps, items, uh stores, you name it, it's there. So go check it out. And Maddie, you want to take us out?
SPEAKER_06:Well, everybody, it's uh been nerdy.
SPEAKER_02:It has been nerdy. Thank you, everybody. Thanks, everybody. Bye. Bye, everyone.