D&D is For Nerds - Stories of The Greyhill Free Company I #22 Horsemarks in the Woods

Episode Date: October 2, 2021

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Sants Pants Radio, Australia's dumbest podcast network. Previously, on Stories of the Greyhill Free Company. You know, old corpses. Old corpses. Yeah. But I guess the fighting continued from upstairs to here. It's no good. You feel a chill run down your spine as if something cold had rushed along it.
Starting point is 00:00:39 Then you leave. Yeah, same thing. You've got the willies. Oh, no. This feels very unlike yayola yayola does not yayola isn't like a callous person but yayola has never really cared about funeral rights yes perhaps that was the um the vibing is give these poor folk a decent burial say a few prayers all they know is that they have existed here since before they can remember. Since before, for them, time began. His last words still magically echoing through time.
Starting point is 00:01:09 A seal upon this place. And in doing so, they break a seal that has existed here for so very long. Stirring, it realizes that its cage has been unlocked and it has not fed for so very long. And Chantel gets to the top. All right. You're all out.
Starting point is 00:01:30 I feel her. Okay. What's around us? Let's quick vibe check of the area. That's forest. As you're making your way down the mountain, you, who's at the back? Probably. It might be me because I'm taller and it feels like a nice way to bookend.
Starting point is 00:01:46 Yeah. That way I can see everyone like a mama duck. You hear something big and heavy crashing through the trees behind you. Oh, no. Get up the trees. Hide? What? Hide?
Starting point is 00:02:00 Hide, hide, hide. Something's coming. I'm going to go up a tree, but I don't know what you want to do. We try and hide, Adam. We try and hide. So you're going to try and hide. Glovel tries to hide. I suggest that everyone sort of splits off left and right.
Starting point is 00:02:17 Chantel's also going to try and hide. Does so poorly. Yayola dives into a bush and is gone. Did I do good, Adam Adam or did I do bad? You're not sure Can I double my proficiency bonus in that? You do as well as you can and it feels like you do decently
Starting point is 00:02:34 but a hiding place is only you don't know how good a hiding place is until someone's looking That's fair Double of one is only two Love is blind climbs a nearby tree. That's clever. What are you doing?
Starting point is 00:02:48 Climbing a tree. You do a pretty good job of climbing a tree. Yes, you save. Just above your own head height, when a bear explodes out of some trees, quite clearly terrified, it bumps into Chantel and
Starting point is 00:03:05 swipes at her in panic. Aww. Let's go to initiative. That poor bear. No, let the bear run. The bear's just scared. The bear is panicking and is attacking. There's nothing you can do except... Spank bear on bum. Send him on his way.
Starting point is 00:03:22 Yeah. Spank him on his bear bum. Bears can climb trees, can't they his way. Yeah. Spank him on his bear bum. Bears can climb trees, can't they? Yeah. Okay. Maybe if I stay hidden. How many of us have ranged weapons that we can sort of... Because if we pop out and whatever's chasing the bear pops out... Who would you like to act with, Globble?
Starting point is 00:03:40 I'll go with Chantel. Who would you like to act with, Big T? I'm gonna go Yayola. Enjoy playing a cleric. Loser. I won't. I'll go with Chantel. Who would you like to act with, Big T? I'm going to go Aeolum. Enjoy playing a cleric. Loser. I won't. No, I will. All right.
Starting point is 00:03:52 Global, it's your turn first. Is the bear looking like it's going to throw down? Yeah, the bear's throwing down. Like if Chantel moves out of the way to go bear. She could make a handle animal check to just get the bear to pass her by. You should just tell the bear to go. Speak with animals. Okay. And then an animal handling check,
Starting point is 00:04:13 and then to chat with the animal to be like, what is going on? Hey, good friend. All right, you cast speak with animals, and then you try to have it. So you got one sentence. What would you like to say? We're not your enemy.
Starting point is 00:04:25 We're running from it too. Say hide with us. Yes. All right. And you want Chantel to do what? Help me in terms of animal handling. Okay. Well, Chantel makes an animal handling check.
Starting point is 00:04:40 You hear the bear screaming, it's coming, it's coming coming and then it swipes at chantelle oh no it's just acting you could tell it's just acting in blind panic that's fair it's imagine a bear got imagine you come around a corner and bump into a bear and startle it and it swipes at you. Everything makes sense. Fight and flight for this fucker. The bear slashes at Chantel, hitting her. And Chantel takes too many.
Starting point is 00:05:19 Six. Six. 14. 19 points of damage. Oh no! And then it is Big T, your turn with Yayola. Um, Yayola's hidden, aren't they? Yes.
Starting point is 00:05:32 Um, I would like to cast Thermaturgy to sort of make some flames where, behind where the bear was running to, to try and scare the bear in the direction it was going. I'll make that a advantage on the next handle animal check that you make to get the bear to move along. That was Yayola's turn. Big T, would you like to do anything? No. Everybody just be calm. If we expose ourselves and the bear doesn't go away sooner, we need the drop on whatever's coming, you know?
Starting point is 00:06:04 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Love is blind. ourselves and the bear doesn't go away sooner we need the drop on whatever's coming you know yeah yeah yeah yeah uh love is blind love is blind casts thunderclap up in the tree it doesn't actually hurt anyone it explodes part of the tree but it makes a booming loud sound and i'll say plus one to the handle animal check as well i would tell the animal where we're at. So, Globble and Chantel. The bear is not getting up to love is blind. Well, first off, Chantel is going to do a bit of a second wind.
Starting point is 00:06:33 Just to get some health back. Chantel recovers seven hit points. And then he's going to dodge or whatever it might be. An action would be to use handle animal. Would you like to dodge or handle animal? Well, get her, Chantel, to get out of the way. And then I, as Globble, is going to say,
Starting point is 00:06:51 run and handle animal for the bear. Run away. Go. The bear, okay. We'll be behind you. Don't worry. What? We're also running. The bear sprints off. It's gone. Don't worry. What? We're also running.
Starting point is 00:07:06 The bear sprints off. It's gone. Let's run. Whatever the sail scared that, it's scaring me. Good job. Well, you keep going and you march or half run maybe until the end of day. I'll let you make double time but for one level of exhaustion. Probably worth it. Probably worth it.
Starting point is 00:07:26 We'll run every four hours to make me wet. Then we'll keep going. You make a good time. You're a decent distance away from the mountain. So surely there's enough food between there and here
Starting point is 00:07:41 for it to be okay for us now. That was... It didn't look like it was eating. between there and here for it to be okay for us now. Yeah, that was. It didn't look like it was eating. Yes, I don't think it was hungry per se. Then why was it? I'm guessing perhaps it was its lair, wherever it lived was there. You just want people out of your house? No, I understand that.
Starting point is 00:08:00 Yes, yes. So yes, this is, I guess, be wary. There are so many monsters there. Yes. Yes. So, yes, this is, I guess, be wary. There are so many monsters there. The giant bird, the dragons and the bird, eh? Yes, there's quite a lot of problems going on in this section of the world. Yeah, I guess that's why we're here. You know, we're trying to make it a little bit of a better place. Okay.
Starting point is 00:08:23 That's what the Greyhill Free Company stands for. Trying to make this place a little bit better for everybody else. Stronger together, yes. Yes, adventures together strong. You're going to bed down for the night? Yes, I think probably we should find somewhere to have a bit of a bed down to have a rest. That sounds good.
Starting point is 00:08:42 Get our bearings, see where we're going. Oh, too soon. Can I get both of you to roll the encounter dice? Seven. One. Uneventful night. Excellent. Thank God. Yayola has started to, before you go to sleep,
Starting point is 00:08:58 she has started to construct with rocks a little fire pit sort of thing, which she then lights a fire in and says a prayer, which she then lights a fire in and says a prayer over before she goes to sleep. Yes. Okay. Join in on that prayer, perhaps, if she'll let us.
Starting point is 00:09:12 Sure. Is that polite? It's fine, yeah. Yaelo doesn't mind. Yaelo already is kind of like an interloper here, worshipping a dwarven god. Before we have that long rest again, maybe we'd have another chat with animals to see lay of the land.
Starting point is 00:09:27 Have a chat with them to see if they've been seeing anything, any cobalt, any dangers going on. Maybe you'll talk to a bird or a squirrel. No, you glean no useful information off these animals. Okay, that's fair. Well, in the morning, let's get our bearings and let's head towards this cult place. We're going to look out for those, I guess, slavers as they come our way, but who knows what's going
Starting point is 00:09:50 on right here. There's so many things happening. For the next day, can I get you to roll the encounter dice twice? Five. Twelve. Cool. No, that's fine. So at some point you get back onto the road and you're heading along the road towards that chapel
Starting point is 00:10:07 where the cultists live. Along that trip, you see that there are, up ahead of you, there are a series of wagons that have quite obviously come to a stop and it looks like trouble ahead. Yeah. You're some distance away from it. How would you like to react? So, look, that looks like to react? So, look
Starting point is 00:10:26 That looks like a wagon overturned, yes? So I would probably say It's a trap It's definitely, look It could be a lot of things It could be the kobolds in this area It could be them again It could be these cultists that we're heading towards
Starting point is 00:10:41 It could even be, heaven forbid It could even be these slavers as well. Whatever it is, these people need our help. That's fair. How about this? If we are seeing them, are they seeing us? There's no one there. What about this?
Starting point is 00:10:56 Or none that you can see. This seems suspicious. This does seem quite suspicious. What about if I turn into, say, some kind of... Look, I'll turn into a little monkey. I'll go in the treetops. I'll swing by and have a look. And then I'll come back and see what's going on.
Starting point is 00:11:10 The tree coverage here is probably not thick enough for that. A deer, perhaps. Let's all pretend like we're going off into the woods here. I'll turn into a deer. I'll come back. Look like I'm being chased by you guys. And then if we don't spring a trap, then we can all investigate. What does that say? I'm just like, look, I'm just into a deer. I'll come back, look like I've been chased by you guys, and then if we don't spring a trap, then we can all investigate. What does that say?
Starting point is 00:11:28 I'm just a little bit cautious right now. That sounds good. I mean, if someone got into trouble here and now they're gone, it means that if we go over there, we're stealing their things. Yes. But if they needed help, they'd still be here. Yes. I don't feel good about this, but go for it.
Starting point is 00:11:46 Yeah, I don't feel good either. I'm very wary of perhaps one thing is somebody to help. That's one thing. But there are many things that want to kill us. So many. So many. Okay. Well, let's go back into the forest then.
Starting point is 00:12:02 Yes. Look, I see a deer, I say, and then run off. Oh, that will be lunch. Good pantomime. All right. A lot of you run off into the nearest, thickest part of the forest, and you transform into a deer. Yes.
Starting point is 00:12:21 And then you sprint towards where the wagons are. Yes. And everyone else follows you. You get there, obviously, way ahead of everyone else. Oh, we don't follow him. We stay in the forest, yeah? We're waiting. He's reporting back. Yes. Oh, okay. So no one's following. No. Okay. So you just, as a deer, run towards, bound towards the wagons. Make it look like he's been chased out of the forest. Yes. Okay. So you bound up towards these wagons.
Starting point is 00:12:47 There are maybe five of them. Several of them are overturned. So of the five, maybe only two were actually standing. The front one, which is maybe one of the standing ones, has been turned off and has been kind of forced into a ditch. And one of the other ones is just standing, but you could see obvious signs of fighting and struggling there are no people here no horses no no merchants of anything of any sort
Starting point is 00:13:13 like that you could tell that these people were obviously trying to make a shortcut here it looks like they were trying to get further into kandor into a different part of Kandor, and hoping to avoid probably the king's road, which means the king's taxes. So, moral of this story is pay your taxes or you'll be fucking killed. Or enslaved, you're not sure. You're not 100% sure.
Starting point is 00:13:38 You're still not 100% sure who did this. There, like I said, are obvious signs of a struggle, and you can see very obvious drag marks going off into the forest. There's no blood here whatsoever. There are maybe some broken weapons and stuff like that. There are several sets of really big drag marks. And you can tell that the horses were dragged away as well.
Starting point is 00:14:02 Not led, dragged away. Okay. As in like picked up and dragged? Or just. Not led, dragged away. Okay. As in like picked up and dragged or just being like led by their... No, dragged. Like they're on the ground, drag. Oh, that's not good. You look around and you can see there is like a... Don't make jokes.
Starting point is 00:14:19 No jokes. All right. There is a sticky white substance all over the place. Okay. You touch it and it's like gooey and sticky. Is it like webs? Yes. Are we looking at webs, Adam?
Starting point is 00:14:34 We're looking at giant spiders, Adam? Yeah, you're looking at giant spiders. I look around, a very scared deer. Your slavers appear to be giant spiders. Yeah. Well, you are looking a little too much like a horse, so maybe come
Starting point is 00:14:50 back? Yes, I prance back. Alright. I turn back. Good news, bad news. Good news is that I think I've uncovered who the slavers are. The bad news is spiders. Big spiders news is spiders.
Starting point is 00:15:05 It's big spiders, giant spiders. You know, like spiders are big, bigger than big. Think of a big spider, now big it. I do not know what a spider is. It's like an eight-legged bug with big pointy teeth that likes to eat you and encases you in a web. We do not have those in the deserts of my homeland. Right.
Starting point is 00:15:27 So think of scorpions. Scorpions we have. Yes. Okay. No tail, more legs. Yes. No tail, more legs. That's the most delicious part.
Starting point is 00:15:38 Yes. No part of a spider is gone. No, unfortunately the pasty bits have gone away on the spider. I maybe do a very crude drawing on the dirt. That's a spider. It looks like the sun. Yeah, yeah. I assume, yes.
Starting point is 00:15:53 It does look a lot like the sun. Are you sure it's not the sun? Look at the sun. Ow. Look at the suns. Suns. No, no, no. Definitely not the sun.
Starting point is 00:16:03 It usually has two bodies. It's in like two circles. Two circles and then this, and then I draw like a web. It's not great. Yeah, like the suns, two circles. So it's the suns joined in together. Yes, but like a big dog. A double eclipse.
Starting point is 00:16:18 Okay. Yes. Anyway, you think this is big spiders? Yes, yes, yes. Why is this whole forest so itty? This forest is very itty, yes. So I guess we could deal with the spiders if we wanted to. Why?
Starting point is 00:16:33 That was part of the contract. To deal with the bandits. But they're not bandits. They're just spiders. Probably easier to, maybe easier. What do you know about spiders? What do you know about spiders? Great question.
Starting point is 00:16:45 Great question. Incredible. Can I say a spiders? What do you know about spiders? Great question. Great question. Incredible. Can I say a word? Can we, if they eat horses, can we just kill a deer and fill it full of poison so the spiders eat the deer and kill themselves? Do you think you have enough poison? Yes. I would usually get the poison from a spider you're right and now a word from our sponsors
Starting point is 00:17:11 hey Jackson interrupting here just to say that if you like this podcast you're currently listening to you'll probably like our video game review podcast Thumbcramps where me and the two Joel's review whatever video games we've been playing that week also sometimes we don't even review video video games we've been playing that week. Also, sometimes we don't even review video games. Instead, we review
Starting point is 00:17:27 sausages or being sick. It's good. Trust me. Just search for Thumb Cramps wherever you get your podcasts. Well, it depends on the type of spider, to be honest. There's a lot of spider types. A regular giant spider is already about the size of a horse. Significantly more
Starting point is 00:17:43 dangerous, though. You know that they can stick you in place with a web to restrain you. And then typically from there, they will inject you with a poison or acid that will dissolve you. And then they like to drink you up. Though some eat differently. Some prefer live prey. Some prefer dead. Some will just eat a corpse others only want to have live uh and struggling i explain this to love is blind but use the reference point as a horse
Starting point is 00:18:12 yes there are other types of spiders though there's uh uh spiders infused with like fiendish resistance so demonic spiders you can have kind of hell spiders, I suppose, but I don't know if they were quite right. I've very rarely come across an intelligent spider, but I don't know if they exist. Do they exist? Intelligent spiders? You would imagine they are possible, but you don't know if they exist. I've never heard of a talking spider.
Starting point is 00:18:38 But, look, I gesture the wonderful wide world. It's potentially possible that it's a swarm of spiders as well. It could just's a swarm of spiders as well. It could just be a swarm of spiders. Less the size of a horse and more the size of, say, small dogs. They just kind of descend upon. No, no, no.
Starting point is 00:18:52 Spiders, like regular, maybe tarantula size. Yeah, right. So less the size of. But a lot of. But a lot of them. So it could be little tiny spiders all working together in unison, which I don't like, to be honest. It happens. But they're spiders.
Starting point is 00:19:04 They get together kind of like a rat king. They sort of coalesce somewhat together and act as like a hive mind. You've also heard of a terrifying creature called a phase spider. There's something called a phase spider, which… Phase spiders are similar to regular spiders, but they can teleport. They are not of this plane. They are actually from another plane of existence, but they can teleport. They are not of this plane. They are actually from another plane of existence, but often
Starting point is 00:19:28 phase into here. Say, for example, you're sitting in your lounge room having a wonderful cup of tea and then a spider just happens to appear for a brief moment, rears up, and then goes away again. That's a phase spider and is terrifying.
Starting point is 00:19:44 A phase spider would possibly be the worst-case scenario. That's the worst-case scenario. No, but then they're not here as much. That's true. Probably evens out. It's worse, but less. Yes. Well.
Starting point is 00:19:58 I still think we should go, but no, we need to kill them. So let's all investigate the overturned wagons, because if they're taking just, I guess, the people, they probably left some of the goods. Potentially, yes. Ah, yes, the people we're trying to help. Yes, there. It looks like this happened a while ago.
Starting point is 00:20:17 You don't think they're still alive. Well, actually, you might, if you were really quick, depending on how far away the spider's lair is you might be able to save these people yeah right well we could look at the tracks it seems to be kind of recent so
Starting point is 00:20:36 depending on the spider and depending on how quick we are depending on how far away it is we could perhaps save these fine folk oh we probably should, shouldn't we? Of course we should. Well, let's see what's here and then we'll go on a spider hunting
Starting point is 00:20:53 expedition. Okay. Let's go. Sorry, are you searching the wagons and whatnot? Yes. Don't we need to save time? Right. How much is time of the essence? Could be very important. You're not sure.
Starting point is 00:21:10 Okay, well, let's just head off then. We know where this wagon is, and we know generally the direction we're going with, so let's go with that then. If we live, we can come back. Exactly. Yes. We'll look at the spider tracks, I guess, and see which way they go.
Starting point is 00:21:31 It would look like little dots everywhere. Are you in charge following the spider tracks? Yeah. Have I proven to be the best outdoorsman? You are among some of the outdoorsmen. Yes. Can't we tell from the tracks whether or not it's big one spider or many little?
Starting point is 00:21:51 Yes. Well, no, because you actually do a very poor job of following the tracks. You have trouble acquiring the trail. Could I, with a tripling of that profession bonus, you're all very poorly, but we'll see. That's not promising. No. Number three times one is
Starting point is 00:22:11 only three. Alright, yeah, you can't tell if it's... So, you're following by the dragging, not by actual footfalls, so you actually can't tell if it's one big or many little. I don't. i'm really just following the horse really at this point yeah just following the horse i wish i could say any
Starting point is 00:22:31 better but honestly i'm really just focusing on that horse all right that's the biggest track i understand i'm good at tracking you follow the trail for about an hour and then you you hear some like rustling bushes in front of you. Everyone draws weapons and prepares to fight. But then riding on the back of a gazelle, lowered down. Obviously, they were moving at great speed. Riding on the back of a gazelle is an elf, a strange-looking elf. Their hair is autumn leaves. Like, literally, their hair is, is imagine a dense bush of autumn leaves
Starting point is 00:23:08 cascading out behind his head his face or his skin looks literally like bark like actually his skin looks like bark it's knobbly in the same way then how do we know it's an elf he has the exact same body shape of an elf. He's not shaped like a tree or anything. He's shaped exactly like an elf. That tree is riding a gazelle. Pointy ears and all. In Elvish, I will say
Starting point is 00:23:35 hello. In Elvish, they respond it is bad omen that we meet like this. Like what? Over death's takes like this. Ill omen to meet in such terrible conditions. Yes, yes, I agree.
Starting point is 00:23:54 But nice to meet you. You are a druid, yes? Yes, yes. My name is Globble. I am from the Greyhill Free Company. I am Greed of Farash. Nice to meet you, Greed of Farash. What circle are you from?
Starting point is 00:24:10 I am from the Swamp Circle. Swamp Circle. I do not know this one, but I know of it. Yes. I am of Circle of Stars. Oh, right. Stars, eh? You've heard of the Circle of Stars. You've maybe known a few of them.
Starting point is 00:24:21 Oh, yes, yes, yes. I know. Do you happen to know a... You've maybe known a few of them. Oh, yes, yes. I know. Do you happen to know a... What was their name again? I think it started with a T. Like a Tina. We have no time for pleasantries.
Starting point is 00:24:39 Sorry. We're following a giant spider. You are hunting spiders. Yes, you are, yes. Many of them giant, led by an evil intelligence. Intelligent spiders do exist, I say, in common. Do you speak common? I do not, no.
Starting point is 00:25:02 I speak elven, the ancient languages and the languages of the forest. All right, I speak the language of water. I don I don't know if anyone else is speaking Elvish. Well, Chantal, as an elf, also speaks Elven. If you look towards me, I say, what? Yes, never mind. I thought Chantal was human, anyway. Oh, Chantal is human. Fuck.
Starting point is 00:25:18 But speaks Elvish. I forget why. That's nice. Yeah, Elvish is probably the most common one in your party In that two of you speak Yes, you're also hunting the spiders? I am the warden of this forest Oh, that's very nice
Starting point is 00:25:36 It's impressive The animals here consider me their protector Oh, that is very nice Speaking of, let's walk and talk. All right. I fill them in on the dwarven whatever that was. I am aware of this. The word travels from vine to tree to bush to me.
Starting point is 00:25:56 Do you know what it was? No, I do not. The dwarven fortress stronghold is here long before my tenure. Yes, fine. It is so ancient that even the land itself has forgotten it. Oh, very interesting. And also a bird killed a lot of dragons. Have you heard of
Starting point is 00:26:14 this thing? I know of it, but it lays without my realm further on. Ah, right. I think the kobolds, if they survive, were worshipping it. There are maybe fae closer to there that understand it better. I know only of the kobolds. I kill them when I can, but sometimes it is hard.
Starting point is 00:26:34 They maybe worship this bird, but they have no communications with it. Oh, that makes sense. Kobolds, yes. They always think the biggest thing. I have seen it. It is truly incredibly large. You've seen it? A bird of great size, yes.
Starting point is 00:26:50 Yes, and we only found its lair. It looks like a sparrow. Sparrow? Yes, but very big. Sparrow, is it? Yes. Interesting. I imagined it a bit more like...
Starting point is 00:27:08 I imagine you think of a giant bird, you think like an eagle, a vulture. But Sparrow. It's the idea that it hops. Yes. Dumps, dumps, dumps. Oh, yes, it moves with hops. Huh.
Starting point is 00:27:20 Yeah, that's something to write back to. It luckily has largely ignored my realm. But, yeah, luckily, if it were to swoop and attack, I do not think there is much I could do. I do not know what fel magic is created. If any magic whatsoever was in its creation, maybe this is a creature that I have just never heard of. Look, it ripped apart a dragon and a net merchant.
Starting point is 00:27:43 I am aware of this, yes, from the kobolds. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, so they were worshipping the... and then, of course... They worshipped the dragons, and when the dragon was killed, they were forced from their home, and have chosen to worship this bird, thinking perhaps they can appease it. I doubt they can. Ah, yes, this such a heavy, smooth brain of a kobold. But yes, this dwarven fortress I fear whatever dwells within it
Starting point is 00:28:12 yes, must now be free. I felt a disturbance upon the land itself. Yes, we came across a very terrified bear. Don't worry, we sent it on its way. Yes, Peter. He is easily spooked. Ah, yes. Yes, Peter. He is easily spooked.
Starting point is 00:28:25 Ah, yes. He seemed very afraid. I appreciate that you did not kill him. So you had all rights to say so. That is, he was just a scared little bear. He's nothing. We look. Take only photograph, leave only footprints.
Starting point is 00:28:45 But that hasn't been invented yet. Take only memories? Take only sketches. Take only sketches, leave only footprints, you know? Yes, yes, yes. I wish to inform you that you are adventurers, obviously, here to claim a bounty of some sort. Well, yes, well, the intel we had was it was some kind of bandit slaver that was taking but we saw an overturned wagon train Spiders, yes Many, several
Starting point is 00:29:09 small spiders swarms of them some larger spiders, all led by an intelligent phase spider. Oh, it is a phase spider. Yes, I'm afraid this is the worst of all scenarios Yes, yes, I was afraid. They have taken part
Starting point is 00:29:26 of the forest as their own. It is now a no-go zone for me and my animals. Alright, are we, um, are you here to try to rid the forest of the phase spider? I can take you to the boundaries, but I do not know if I can help you. I mean... There are many
Starting point is 00:29:41 problems that I must deal with within my boundaries. Look, any help is much appreciated. And of course, from one truth to the next, I understand it. Your realm takes quite a large area to look after. And this is only one small part. But if you can lend a hand of any kind, much appreciated. What that form will be, again, I don't really mind. But even just guiding us there, much appreciated.
Starting point is 00:30:05 The further we go, the worse our situation will become. Or the more dangerous things will become. Yes, yes. You and your friends should be on the alert. We could be attacked at any moment. Oh, right. I tell the rest of the party. And, yeah, we're going towards spider territory.
Starting point is 00:30:21 It's the bad one. It's the fair one. The one that... Oh. Yeah. And also its... Oh. Yeah. And also it's little ones as well. Look, it's no good. How is it the combination of all of the bad ones?
Starting point is 00:30:31 Yes. How is it big and little and the fair... Oh. Yes, yes, yes. Oh, can you tell the nice elf? I'm not sad at him. I'm sad at the news. Yes, we'll...
Starting point is 00:30:42 Big tea here. This is... Tree stump. She's not happy with the news. I don't think the news... Yes, we'll use our big tea here. This is Tree Stump. She's not happy with the news. I don't think anyone is. I give the elf a little thumbs up, but I still look upset. Yes. I'm sorry
Starting point is 00:30:55 this is bad news upon you. Look, needs must, and, well, needs must. If you are able to solve this problem for me, I will give you a gift or a wish if it is within my power. We much appreciate that. That is super helpful.
Starting point is 00:31:18 Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Such casual dropping of I'll give you a wish. Yes. I think maybe like a boon of some kind. Yeah, you don't think it's actually like the wish spell. Well, why would he say it?
Starting point is 00:31:33 It has many meanings. Anyway, I think it would be wise if we were to bed down now before we go deeper in so that you may be rested and prepared for the next day's arduous travels. Oh, yes, of course. You happen to know any waters? If those people are alive, this is killing them, definitely. Look, we're pretty well rested as it were
Starting point is 00:31:52 and I was hoping we could try and find the people that were following the riders of that horse. I was hoping to perhaps if we could rescue them. If you want to, I can guide you further but I will not come with you
Starting point is 00:32:08 in your kind of state. I am slightly weakened from my own battles, he says. And he shows you, sure enough, you can see that he's been wounded in a fight. Do you need any healing magic? I feel this would take more than healing magic. I am fighting off a
Starting point is 00:32:24 disease of sorts. Yeah, right. It is not trouble. It will pass, but I feel like I must need time to meditate upon this. I think time is of the essence here. Perhaps if you would like to come, lead us where we need to go,
Starting point is 00:32:39 and then if you want to join us, let us know. Well, you are taken further and further into the forest until it's almost like literally a line where suddenly the trees become heavily cobwebbed and the ground here is cracked and blackened. This is the boundary of where my warden now ends. You may continue onwards,
Starting point is 00:33:06 and good luck to you. And to you too. But I cannot help you any further. Thank you so much for your guidance. Thank you. I guess I'll send word if we succeed. Before you leave, let me give you something. At least what magic I have left for this day
Starting point is 00:33:20 before the stars return and my power is renewed. Oh, thank you. All of you have the gift of heroism. Ew. Ew. What does that do? Yes. Thank you. We'll write it down. What does it do? Love it.
Starting point is 00:33:35 Would love to know more. As a free action, so it must be on your turn, but it doesn't cost you anything to do. You can imbue yourself with the power of heroism. Until the spell ends, which is a minute, you are immune to being
Starting point is 00:33:52 frightened, and you gain temporary hit points equal to... You gain, let's say, five temporary hit points at the start of each of your turns. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help. This is all I can give you. No more, unfortunately.
Starting point is 00:34:06 This is okay. Good luck to you. Yes, you too. I wave. Head into the webs. He bows to you. Despite his odd appearance, there is like an odd charm to him. I bow back.
Starting point is 00:34:20 Okay. He and the gazelle he is riding bow. Oh my God, we bow. Oh, so deep. Will we ever see Grey Dove Fararash and his gazelle ever again? Find out next time on Stories of the Greyhill Free Company. Adam here, resident dungeon master to the stars. Did you know that myself and Jackson host a show here on Sandspan's Radio where we create and show off homebrew content that we ourselves have created? It's called House Rules.
Starting point is 00:35:13 And if you've ever struggled for making your own content, then it may just be perfect for you. Some episodes will come in with stories, classes, and abilities that we've already made and tell you about them so you can see where we've succeeded and failed and sometimes we'll even make the content on air so you can follow along at home and make your own or even improve upon ours head on down to sensepantsradio.com and sign up for a king level subscription today to start listening. Hey there, fellow adventurer.
Starting point is 00:35:50 If you're picking up what we're putting down and want more D&D content, we have just what you need to scratch that itch. D&D is for Nerds Plus, the symbol, not the word, where you can listen to select campaigns that were once only available to Sandspans Plus members, the further adventures of the Greyhill Free Company if you want shorter campaigns with beautiful guests, and D&D is for Nerds, not Ognot, where all our non-canon D&D adventures go to rest. Just search for D&D is for Nerds on
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