The Glass Cannon Podcast - Giantslayer Episode 162 - Half-Orc Will Travel 2: When Nature Kalls

Episode Date: July 3, 2018

With the fate of the world at stake, the heroes look to volatile magics, impossible decisions and old friends. For more podcasts and livestreams, visit glasscannonnetwork.com. To become an official member of the Naish, subscribe today at http://www.jointhenaish.com. Want to be a part of Glass Cannon Nation? Follow us at twitter.com/glasscannonpod instagram.com/theglasscannon facebook.com/glasscannonnetwork tiktok.com/@glasscannonnetwork Get the best apparel and gaming accessories in the biz at https://glasscannonnetwork.com/store If you enjoyed this, we have several other series featuring Call of Cthulhu - Time For Chaos Delta Green - Get in the Trunk Pathfinder 2E - Glass Cannon Live! Strange Aeons Pathfinder 1E - Legacy of the Ancients Traveller - Voyagers of the Jump and so much more! Join us every Thursday night for Campaign Two of The Glass Cannon Podcast – a playthrough of the Pathfinder 2E Gatewalkers Adventure Path! Videos premiere on YouTube Thursday nights at 8PM ET with a companion podcast available at midnight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Glass Cannon Podcast. A few weeks ago, a new voice came to me. After a shocking revelation. Has it not occurred to you, my friend, that evil has the power to take a pleasing shape? And I don't take kindly to people that speak in riddles. So speak plainly. The heroes must make a choice. When we first began communing, she spoke of my father, allayed my fears, and told me he was a good man, meant for great things, but that one among his party could bring him back anew, and that the fate of the world depends on it.

With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, there must, we must try. I must, I must meet him. There's no telling where their choice may lead. You're standing on a cliff. Looking down, you see this vast, otherworldly metropolis behind you. You can hear the gravel start to stir as someone approaches. The adventure continues now. Welcome back to the Glass Cannon Podcast. GCP Nation. It's your good best pal, buddy, friend, Joe O'Brien here to say, man, last week was intense.

Needless to say, I'm a little sad. No, I'm a lot sad. But I also have a great deal to be very, very happy about. I don't know how many of you saw our hashtag circle of life post last week, but just follow me on this. This is pretty crazy. Episode 161 of the GCP of Scythe and Men published at midnight Eastern time on June 26th. Roughly 18 minutes later into that episode, Lork is cut down by a scythe. Three minutes later at 1221 a.m., my son was born. That's right. I had my baby boy this week, June 26th, 1221 a.m., and everything went spectacularly well. Mother and baby are healthy. We are home. It has been an amazing, magical experience. And continuing the tradition of non-magical and non-amazing naming, I named him Joseph after my father, who is an amazing man, and my grandfather.

There's a lot of Joes in my family. But I just wanted to share it with you guys because it did mean so much to me seeing all those great messages from you guys on Facebook and Instagram. Just know that it means a lot to me and my family. I also wanted to announce it to you guys to explain why I no longer appear on any podcasts on our network because I've got no more time. None! And while that is kind of half a joke, it does actually explain why I'm recording this at 3.16 a.m. right now because I no longer discern day from night and I basically just grab 20 minutes of random sleep intervals during the day and night. I do find, though, that I do my best work between about 3 and 4.45 a.m., so I hope this intro is really kind of firing on all cylinders. I'm going to stop talking because I'm babbling.

Let's get into episode 162. Guys, we had so much fun playing the session of 161. We talked about it for days. And that just continued after this next episode. So I can't wait for you to hear it. Please enjoy episode 162 of the Glass Cannon podcast. Half-orc will travel too when nature calls. They thought it couldn't be done.

They thought I would not be able to kill another one of you. Who thought that? They, Matthew. And you know what? I was not with them. They're the worst. They shouldn't tempt you like that. They tempted me. They poked the bear and i did

it i got you joe thank you for coming anyways though i wanted to be a good sport you're nothing if you're not a good sport um no i'm just kidding my mind is splashing through Joe Throwing things around rooms To all the dice that are going to be Under things in his new office Yeah, out of all the people That you could describe as a good sport If you were to make an Excel sheet of them And you restored them by likelihood

Joe, I don't know I think you could show up around line seven. When good sports come to mind, one thinks of Joseph O'Brien. Well, people from Philadelphia generally are definitely very high on that list. But Joe is a sterling example. Even among that hallowed crowd. Even among that hallowed crowd. I'm now imagining the pie chart you could make from that Excel spreadsheet.

Oh, yeah. It's just like that one sliver of, like, it's like the random color. It's like the maroon. It's like, where is the maroon on the pie chart? It says 1%, but then under it says 1% chance for error. Yeah. You've got to zoom in. Joe, let's talk about it let's uh you were very quiet towards the end of that episode which uh because he was dead because you were dead and i i i think it was appropriate it gave everyone a chance the characters to really um express their feelings for

that moment grant i loved where you went with that monologue there. I don't know where the hell you pulled that out. The horse thing? Yeah. Yeah. Crazy. He is from Texas. Yeah. All the pretty horses, Troy.

All the pretty horses. But I want to give you a chance to tell us how you've had a week now. How do you feel about how it went down? Did you see it coming? Did you think this was going to happen? No, I didn't think it was going to happen, especially in that combat.

Well, I should say, I suspected it might happen before the combat started, but once I was away from Orphos, I didn't think it was going to happen, and I didn't think it would happen the way it happened. I thought that if I got crit, of course I would die, but it wasn't even a crit. It was just a regular hit.

But the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized how much of it is rolls and rolling, and that's what it is. We had haste casted on us, which was amazing. I think it was a quick and metamagic rod, right? Yeah. It did the haste. So, I mean, what an advantage to have in combat as a ranged fighter with a giant Spain bow with no ability to get hit by attacks of opportunity for attacks around.

And I missed every single one with the exception of the one crit. Yeah. The one natural 20. I'm looking at Joe's character sheet on a serial lab right now. And I'm like, yeah, haste. Awesome. Plus 15, plus 15 plus 15 plus 15 plus 10 to attack and then i look up at his hp and it says negative 19 brutal i mean it had all the

makings of a classic of the party's gonna mop it up you know there was a turn there when the tide turned it just felt like it's become a foregone conclusion at this point. You guys work really well together. Even I'm sitting here thinking it's over. Maybe I can knock a couple more guys down. But no, it's not the way it went. Yeah, it just... And the other thing that really kept occurring to me is that he used level nine. You know, like, don't forget he was level nine.

And so that hit from Orfas, and then the... I think it was only two hits from the guy it might have been three but but that was it that's all it took individual hits not crits but they were just big enough to to put him down in negative 19 i mean he has he has a i'm looking at baron's character sheet and he has a maximum of 119 hit points lork has a maximum of 82 that's a significant difference. Now, he's not supposed to be a frontline fighter, but that was a tight room. Yeah.

We were packed into a small room. Well, and I remember back when we were starting to level and reach each other. Well, maybe that was Sir Will that was getting exactly the same HP as me. But you were better as a half-orc with your HP, for sure. No, that was Sir Will. Sir Will was matching because he had an 18 con. Right. But yeah, I mean, Lork also took a was matching because he had an 18 con. Right. But yeah, I

mean, Lork also took a minus to con when he became an elf. Right. He lost points in Constitution and obviously that's, you know, a little bit but I mean, that's like nine hit points. So you're at a plus zero for con right now. Right. Even though he did not land the killing blow

and was not in his right mind, obviously having Orphifice there to best lork yet again yeah and that's what it kind of felt like it was like or fast did it yet you know yet again for the final time this bane of your of your existence just yeah ever coming back and ever since he showed up he was like just killing you. He was just intent on killing me. Yeah. It's funny, though, because I think when I first, when, I think when Orphos first met Lork, it was a bit of bemusement at seeing this half-orc that was kind of not sure what his path was. I think that Orphos always looked at Lork, at least when he came back in the dream and in the whatever kind of weird Hunter S. Thompson trippy place Lork was in when that happened.

And right now he kind of looked at him as like a cat looked at a mouse. Like he didn't see him as a human being. Like he was. And I think that's what what evil is, to be able to look at another living thing with a soul and treat it as an object. And that's kind of scary if you think about it for a while. Yeah. And I really think, sorry to say, Skid, it's just going to get darker. The darkness is real. You saw elements of this when Lork went into the camp and saw this

shrine to Urgothoa, makeshift shrine in one of the tents, and you thought, oh, maybe there's just a little side cult. Then you find out that, no, maybe this whole temple has now been changed from Thramir to Urgothoa. But yet there's still a statue of Thramir that you tried to deface earlier. But yet there's still a statue of Thramir that you tried to deface earlier. Piecing this all together, either way, the darkness has seeped in to the GCP. It does actually remind me. I started watching the old BBC Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy show. It's on Amazon Prime right now.

I highly recommend checking that out. And they don't get into this in the show. It's in the books, but there's a creature in the books that it keeps getting reincarnated, like it'll die and keep getting reincarnated and every single time

it gets reincarnated it somehow gets killed by Arthur Dent, the main character, just by accident. Like every single time. And like that's when this baby,

they come, it's like every time he comes back like he keeps getting killed by this guy orfos by orfos great but i mean point of order for rosa did it once that's right so many so many yeah times to go around yeah yeah that's true that's true or set him up orfos but he did to me he represents a real true like blood warrior half-orc which is something that lork never was and he was always sort of more of a city kid you know kind of idea and then in the latter parts of his life he was more docile you know what i mean he just went to like he was

doing paperwork and when i i ended up looking back at the whole thing and you think to even get that far is unbelievably incredible you know but he wasn't he just wasn't cut out for it yeah in the end in the end i imagine you know as the lights fade out in your eyes, it's just... And all of a sudden, you are like up... You feel like you're up in the sky. And you're looking down on what should be Skiergard. But there's no giant camp there.

It's almost beautiful. Snow falls, drifts against the mountain, trees covered in snow. And then I see you back at the Ramble House. And in slow motion, Baron is just, like, sharpening his gun. I see you walking and seeing Pembroke for the first time with his floppy hat come out of the brush. And then being transported to see this eagle rain fire down upon redcaps. And you feel a cold wind blow against your skin, and then you look up and see a dark purple sky.

There's a twisted moon with the faint face of a man hanging far away and almost below the horizon. You look down at your hands and your body and you see green, youthful skin. You feel strong and without any pain. Look, you're standing on a cliff, and looking down you see this vast, otherworldly metropolis filled with sprawling courtyards, large monuments, and obelisks. And interspersed throughout you see headstones and open graves. Walking amongst the graves are countless people. Every race imaginable. Monsters, humans, half-orcs, halflings, elves, half-elves.

Now, even though you are far up up if you concentrate long enough you can almost make out the outlines of familiar bodies and faces you're far away but close at the same time you see older people

that maybe you knew back when you were a teenager in true now you see what looks like maybe your Black Arrow friends. Brent and Steve and Bobby Joe. The whole gang.

I think he just killed Grant. Bobby Joe got him. Bobby Joe got him. Bobby Joe got him. Bobby Joe. Okay. And as you look across the land, you hone in on a young boy as well. Again, his face is blurred, not only by distance, but also by the overall ethereal nature of this place. But even though you can't make out his face,

you feel a very strong connection to this boy, like he was yours. Up in the sky, you start to hear voices. Again, so recognizable, but so distant as well. Voices that seem to be beckoning for you to return to them. While also projecting feelings of uncertainty that maybe you should just stay where you are. Behind you, atop the cliff, you can hear the gravel start to stir

as someone approaches. Meanwhile, back in Skelton... Oh, what? Shiel, the young woman who, as far as you know, is Lork's natural-born

daughter, appears from the back room in Briella's shanty. She says, you have to bring him back because she told me so who gormley who's that it's been a while that was wild that got me fired yeah what is going on? Who speaks first? Well, I don't know Gormley.

The only person who knows, who knew Gormley is Baron. We've probably, I'm sure we've heard the name. Well, I brought it up last episode. Yeah. I brought it up talking about someone who fell before. It was like me. We don't listen to you, Grant. I know. I choose most of it don't listen to you, Grant. I know.

I choose most of it out. Turns to her and says, Why'd you let that woman's name come out of your mouth? She was a friend of mine. How do you know her? She has spoken to me. How? I have spoken to many spirits over the years.

When I was but a child, it was dismissed as imaginary friends, so much so that even I thought it to be a figment of an overactive imagination. But as I grew older, the voices became so much clearer. I was actually heading to Corvosa to seek out powerful spiritualists at the Academy to see if I could harness this power. You see, as spirits drift through the ethereal plane, en route to the negative energy plane, some find their way back to the material plane through my consciousness and others like me. This Gormley, your friend, was one of them. Well, I made a promise to one of my friends, who may allegedly be your father, to make sure you got home safe to your mama. Your name's Cheyelle, right?

Yes. Well, now that you're home safe, my end of the bargain's done. And I don't take kindly to people that speak in riddles. So speak plainly. We've already spoken to Frund Fletcher, one of your mates on the line, that you left behind while you escaped high and dry before your daddy could find out where you were. What do you want to know? I do not mean to speak in riddles, but you must know that the spirits,

that's how they communicate with me. It is not always clear. When did you speak to this Gormley? We became friends a couple of months ago. I still call them friends since I tend to talk with them more than I do actual people. When we first began communing, she spoke of my father, allayed my fears, and told me he was a good man, meant for great things. She told me he was going to save the world

to which I couldn't help but laugh sounds so cliche but then she said that she had failed in her attempt to do the same thing but that there was still hope that he would come here to me a different man than the one I expected that he would be, deceased,

but that one among his party could bring him back anew, and that the fate of the world depends on it. We heard tell from Fraunfletcher, well, your daddy, who's laying right there, was talking to him. That you said everything was going to his plan. That you were following some sort of prophecy. I don't like these mystic prophecies. I like to carve my own way through this damn world. So what prophecy are you following, girl? As I said, I've spoken to

many over the years, too many to count. I sometimes can't even remember all their names. But a few weeks ago, a new voice came to me. He said his name was Lork Irontusk, and that he was my father. I broke down. Was more emotional than I thought I would be had we ever met in person.

We only spoke for a short while, and then he was gone, as if he was no longer part of the spiritual world anymore. Just in and out. But he knew things. He spoke of things that happened in the past, and things that would come to pass. Like I said, the dead tend to speak in riddles, and I confess I do not always understand, but he told me soon a day would come when I would be rescued from my chains, and when that moment

comes, not to stay around, but to return here, and he would meet me in the flesh. Has it not occurred to you, my friend, that evil has the power to take a pleasing shape in the spirit world? I understand such things. Trust me, I never thought I'd meet my father, let alone commune with him. How long has he been dead? Why would he speak to me? Twelve, thirteen days ago, and not since. He was, he had died by your hand, Ferrazza.

Puts his hand on her shoulder. It was part of a whole thing. Yes, it was a whole thing. It was a thing we were doing. I don't want to get into it. It was very complicated. He was in on it. It was cool, don't worry.

But he was sent to the spirit realm for a short time, and she brought him back as well. He spoke of no memory of contacting you, however, when he was brought back in his new form, which is here in this bag. I don't quite understand. This is not a laughing matter. They're all just cracking up in the house. He's in the bag.

He died and was brought back, so you are the one that has the power to bring him back. I have the power. But as I said before, this is rough magic. It does not always return the person to the form they once were.

It is unpredictable. I can vouch for that. I have only done it but for one time. I don't understand. When did he fall? Minutes ago. may i see him where we dump the bet turn the bag upside down an arm flops out he's wet he's wet and soiled himself come on i can't stop crying that's what happens the bodies do the sand is terrible

we just lay him down and then like pull the the bag down to revealing his face i i don't understand this is an elven man this was i i told you it was tricky this magic it does not return them to their original form necessarily. Are you saying that this man was the man that was fighting with you when you came and attacked my captors? My father was within reach and I left him? Why would he tell me to leave when he was right there? He wanted to protect you more than anything. I know this much is true.

He'd never had much of a family in true now. Grew up tough. More than anything. I know this much is true. He'd never had much of a family. And true now. Grew up tough. Found his own way through the world. And before you. He had his own boy. And I'll let you know his name.

Name was just son. A beautiful name. He was taken from him. A name that took so much time. To pick up no doubt doubt if we have time i'll tell you of bren the friend but he just son was taken from lork before his time so we probably asked you to run if you did indeed speak with him of which i still have my doubts. Because above all things, he wanted you to be safe, and he was afraid, on his own, he couldn't protect you, that he would revisit the failures of his past yet again. This is a lot to take in, but I do believe this woman, this Gormley, knows something.

And if these are not evil spirits, if my father knew, he would die and be returned here. And if this Gormley knew as well that bringing him back is important, we must, we must try. We must. We must try. I must. I must meet him. I want to do a sense motive. Yep.

Sure. 16. Nine. Nine. I don't know. Lower than nine. Oh, no. Yeah, I mean, you both gauge her as being trustworthy.

She has that element of being touched, just like Freund said. But if she is someone that communes with spirits, it would make sense if there's just constantly voices in her head. And there have been since she's a child. And she's also been shut in by her mother as well. She's going to be a little weird. And she's taking in all this information as well. It's hard

to know. And knowing what you know of what Brander can do, it complicates things even further. Did this Gormley offer any proof of her identity that Baron could verify? Proof? Information that only she would know, perhaps.

Let me think. She closes her eyes. We've spoken. Spoken a few times here and there she's clearer than most like she has come into more power

in death than she had in life there's another name I hear that doesn't make sense to me. Maybe it will to you. Howie? Howie?

And then out from Baron's duster skitters a little green stink scorpion. Howie survived? This Howie has a connection to this Gormley? Howie was Gormley's familiar. Then I suspect we will have to ask him.

There's only one choice. There's only one choice here. And I'm so glad you prepared another Speak With Animals. Oh, I had it ready. I always have it ready. And I cast Speak With Animals. Oh, boy. And Baron lifts his hand up.

You opened the door there, Troy. I didn't think this one through. That's how you disbelieve, Cheyenne. Baron lifts his hand up to Faraz's shoulder where Howie's sitting. And it kind of like crawls slowly with all its little legs off the side onto Faraz's shoulder. And holds court. What's going on, kid? It is hot in that dust.

Is that Bubbler somewhere around here? I've got to get patched. I've got patched. You are Harry, I presume? Yep. In the flesh. And you once served as a familiar to one Gormley. Yeah, yeah, me and Gorms go way back.

Where did you meet? We met courtside at a Celtics Cavs game. Sounds like happy times. The True Now and equivalent of a Celts-Cavs game. Wasn't there a True Now and high school football team? Was there? Like the inner quarter something? The Hope Knives or something? The Fighting Uruk-Hai or something.

The Fighting Hope Knives. The Fighting Hope Knives. The Last Wall Defenders. Freedom Town Bandits. You must have known much of Gormley, as are familiar. Sure, we were best buds. That's very heartening to hear. Apparently, she has continued on into the spirit realm.

That's what people do when they die. I used to eat her spells. That sounds nutritious. She mentioned your name by means of proof. Oh, yeah? That it was her and not some other creature. Somebody talk to her? In the beyond?

This young person here. Oh, what's up? Can I get your number? Do you relay this information, Faraza? It's not easy being green, am I right? Let's kiss. I got a fifth of Soko in my bag. Let's go out back.

Rip some Soko lime shots. Verizon says to Shael, I'm not sure much of this will translate, but I do believe he wants your number. And he wants to know if you have any limes Listen, as far as I know Only Gormley knew my name Except the people she told Who she used to hang out with

Like that dude with the gun Alright Well Farazza relays this to the others And then Beren turns to the mother and daughter, Cheyenne, and I forget the mother's name. Briella. Briella.

Baron turns to the two women, Briella and Cheyenne, and says, Ladies, if you'll excuse us for a moment, I'd like to converse in private with my associates. Takes them outside. This is how we come to. We'll be back in five. I don't know about you, but I've seen cheap parlor tricks before.

There's a woman, a psychic in the Five Kings Mountains who used to run confidence games against some of the elites in our city and drove our tax system into terror by the readings of her tea leaves. Now, I know that we've been looked at by oracles all across Galerian, and I know that there were effigies of us built up that you reported on, Farazza. They were practicing target practice

against us. They know who we are. They know what we look like. What's to say that the forces we're fighting against aren't powerful enough to know this information and feed it to this poor young lady? I had much doubt about reincarnating Lorc one more time. But now

I am inclined to make the offer. In the end, the decision lies with Lorc, not with me. His spirit must be willing to return to this realm. Yes, Baron, everything you say is true, of course, but I think there is something more happening here. After all we've seen, I think, it seems unwise to tempt the machinations of fate.

I agree. I agree with Firas. We should try. I just... I just... I don't want something like what happened to Umlo to happen again. When he came back and he was given life again, I was so happy. I thought we could start a new chapter. I thought we could send him back home. I thought he could cook again. And then he was taken from us by that son bitch Brander, who's been a step ahead of us ever since Red Lake Fork. Was that intentional?

Yes. He was taken from you by your nefarious companion, was he not? Perhaps we should choose our friends more wisely this time. He was taken from us, but he was brought back by someone way meaner and nastier than that son-bitch Nestor could ever hope to be. He's small potatoes compared

to someone like Brander, I'll tell you that, Firaza. Then perhaps you could use all the help we could get. Perhaps. I'm not denying that Lork led us all over the map. Sometimes into trouble. Sometimes into success.

But there are strong warriors all over this place. And the one thing I've learned in adventuring with you, with Pembroke, with Gormley, with Calabras, with Lork. Is that there's strength in the small people of Galarian. And it's not just hoarded up by however many of us are traveling together. I agree. It's his choice in the end. I'm just terrified of making the decision in the end because of how things have gone wrong in the past and how much strange power this man has. He took the kindest, gentlest, wisest man I've ever known,

Galabras, turned him into vegetable. Now that's a fate worse than death. And that's a fate I don't want to have visit another friend of mine. I've said my piece. I'm concerned. I just had to say it before anything else happens. I do not know your situation, Baron, but I never knew my parents. I was raised as an acolyte, a member of a circle designed to serve the chosen one and I have not hungered to meet them before but I have seen this girl and I have seen Lorke's search for her

I think he deserves the choice yes and I see what you mean I do not think there is a gentle fortune in store for our friend, nor was there, it seems, ever meant to be. But I think the gods are not done with him yet. His time on this earth is not done. We should leave the decision up to the powers beyond.

It is clear that they have a vested interest here. In the end, we will leave it up to him. May I ask a question? The scorpion wishes to ask a question. Yes, yes. This is very important. Does anyone know if the Sox won today? This is very important.

What is he saying, Ferrazza? I do not understand. He speaks so strangely. I just, I catch a word here and there. Something about footwear. Something about socks, yes. Very strange. He also speaks in riddles Well let us

Let us be on with it One thing I will Say Is that as you know This ability to reincarnate Comes with a price He will be much diminished in power, as

he was much diminished at the time of his death. Will he be able to keep up? And, I mean, just mechanically, you lose, with reincarnate, the character gets two negative levels.

Yeah. And Lork already had taken hits from energy drain. Yeah, what happens with energy drain when you die? Wait, that does not carry over, does it? Well, it takes... The temporary negative levels? Yeah, but you were dead. You never got to recover. But they were, like, of the body, right?

Sounds like a D100 roll, if you ask me. But it would say you're at least two down from if you take uh reincarnation and then well that's definite but the temporary negative levels i don't know about that oh all physical ills and afflictions are repaired so would that be a physical ill well the spell is two permanent negative levels right two temper energy doing is too temporary or a temporary it says permanent in the reincarnate. But it wasn't the spell. Oh, you're talking about on top of what he had.

I'm talking about whatever was on that scythe. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's probably gone. Thank you, Grant. Well, it was Briella who removed the negative levels last time. That's true. So there are some options.

Even if you were down four, you would just need more time in Skel, which is probably not a good idea. So these are things to think about. But the point is, Lork will be weaker. For Raza, I'm hoping that he comes back as strong as he can. He might be diminished there, but I'm afraid he might have even less of his memories than he did in the past. I also cannot guarantee he will be in a favorable physical form. Oh, yeah. What do your scrolls tell you the worst could happen if he came back?

Goblin. I believe a natural one is a bugbear. That would be awesome. You want to know the sad thing? Lork would have leveled up in that fight. Oh, no. Damn it. Oh, no. I really want to use the unofficial table,

by the way, that's out there, that has way more options on it. Come back as a cassava. Yeah. A felter. A tengu. Two forearms. Do we like? Oh my God, he came back and he's Lativian. He's from Latvia?

I thought you were going to say Latino. He's Latino. Latino. So we're going to have to spend some money to do this. It takes a thousand gold pieces worth of oils. Sturge Lork's body takes a thousand gold off of him. Well, we have all of Orphos' stuff. We have his ring of protection plus one. We have his ring of protection plus one. We have his cloak of resistance plus one.

We have Oathbreaker, which is a gruesome sight that I don't think should be anywhere near our possession. Perhaps we could sell it to Roy the Hatmaker and he could boil it down into a new metal hat or something. Hey, fellas. But yeah, I mean, if we're going to do it, we just have to do a little purchasing, and then we can set up the ceremony. Sure.

I mean, this skelter is not a major metropolis, but you can get this stuff. Maybe it takes you a couple hours. All right, well, you're going to have to rest anyway, right? Yeah, to prepare. Yeah, so we'll say, and you can do this between episodes, you know, sell all that stuff you want to sell, keep what you want to keep, get the herbs that you want to get. Oils. Oils.

I thought it was like rosemary. Rub rosemary on a stained little oregano. Just slap him with some thyme. I need all the cumin you have, hurry! Are we throwing lork on the barbecue? It smells delightful. A nice rub going. Really get it in there uh so you have to rest um and then you'll do it the next morning i'm assuming that briella doesn't mind allowing us

use for a living room no no uh she's all for it and it's kind of strange because when you did the first time it was just you there in the forest. Maybe Kat Benatar was stalking you guys as prey before she became spiritually linked with Lork. But now you've got Pembroke, Baron, yourself, still obviously, Briella, Shia, Kat Benatar, and Howie all watching this ceremony. Do you think this is something you did before you did it to Lork? Did you do this when you were an acolyte? You mean like, did I ever try to reincarnate? I think she's witnessed it. You might have participated

in the anointing. Lork was the first time she'd ever done it. You never had the power to do it before. Oh, no. Yeah. At that point, I was lower level. That's right. That's right. So you've just seen higher ups do this. And now you're going to do it again to the same person. So talk me through it.

So we're going to generate a new body through the process of this. But I think we need to lay out the old form. I think Faraz will reach over and touch Cap Benatar's shoulder. And then touch Lork and close her eyes and say a prayer. And then she'll direct Pembroke to anoint him with the oils. And Pembroke does so at her pleasure. How does that work? Are you, like, splashing it on him or are you rubbing it in?

I think it's, like, kind of like the Catholic thing. Just, like, put a little bit on the thumb and like kind of like trace symbols like on his forehead you know, in the oil. Right. You know, like that. And then Ferraz will anoint. The chrism, right? Is that what it's called? The chrism, yeah. And Ferraz will anoint herself. Ah.

And then she'll begin to kind of mutter under her breath. She'll put her hands on... on Mork's form. She's muttering, she's muttering. And then all of a sudden her eyes just shoot open and her pupils are gone.

It's just... And she's like communing directly with the gods. Oh god. And then... everything... like dust from all around the room starts to form matter, starts getting pulled out from different dimensions, and all, like, it's getting sucked into this kind of black hole,

centered on somewhere else in the room. Coalesces. Coalescing into something physical. Well, this is where it gets interesting. Because, Lork, you're back on that cliff. Again, feeling youthful, vibrant, looking out

on the boneyard. And you hear footsteps behind you as you're beckoned to join your old friends, but also pulled towards the sky and now you're feeling that pull towards the sky much more intense like a glow physically lifting your body back does he know where he is or like what like does he know the memories are coming fast and furious he probably knows does he know that he just are coming fast and furious. He probably knows.

Does he know that he just got cut down in a fight with a giant? You know what I mean? I don't think so. I think he has the sense that his decision is permanent. Footsteps on the gravel behind you. You turn and you look and see a beautiful young woman. Matthew, what would this woman look like when she was younger? She would have some crazy wild hair. Long fingernails. Basically, she looks exactly like she did when she was older. She just has crazy wild hair. Long fingernails.

Basically, she looks exactly like she did when she was older. She just has less gray hair. Yeah. It's true Gormley. True Gorms. Wow. It's Gormley Carl. Carl.

Oh, my God. She's right there, and she can see that you're torn. He looks back, and he sees Jacint. You said on the other side. Can you go to him? I mean, how far away is he? Is he like hundreds of feet away? Hundreds of feet away.

Is he like 30 feet away? No, he's like thousands of feet away. You're up on this cliff, but you also feel like if you decided to go to him, you could. It's like stepping off the cliff? Stepping off the cliff, and you'd be there in mere moments. And now seeing Gormley and seeing Jasan and everybody, it's starting to hit you where you are and what happened to you. Maybe not the exact moment of being cut down, but you have a feeling you know where you are. Voices in the heavens calling to you,

and Gormley just smiles sweetly at you. Of course, behind that smile is her textbook eeriness, like she knows a little more than what she's letting on. Do you say anything to her? Gormley. I imagine it like echoing. Where are we? She just looks up,

looks down over at the cliff, spreads her hands out, as if to say, you know where you are. I'm dead. I've died. I've died. He looks back, he sees... Brend. Which is son, Gormley. Brend.

Which is son, Gormley. Three of the closest people he ever knew that are dead, and it sort of seals like, yeah. How? He turns back to her. Where? I don't remember it. He's looking to Gormley for an answer. She puts her finger up towards her lip,

and as if to say, like, hush, and motions to you to not go to the boneyard or to travel up to the heavens, but rather to come with her. She just motions. Yeah, like a little finger. Come here, come with me. And starts to turn,

to walk away. Oh my God. He looks back at the boneyard. And he, I mean, he's just thinking, like, to be reunited with his son. With Brend. His friends, family, people he knew when he was younger. Umlo. Umlo?

Umlo. There's ums. Sitting on a porch swing with Ingrid Hilde. Oh. Drinking lemonade. That dwarven in delicacy. But he feels this nag from the sky like something's not done, like something is left undone, some great task. Oh, who's that?

Oh, it's Roderick Graff, and he's playing football with Razzmatazz. They're just having a catch in the boneyard. Go deep. All right. Oh, man. Of course, Roderick played football. Starting quarterback for the Trinale Hope Knives.

Most touchdowns in a single season for the Hope Knives. Most yards after catch. All right. All right. So it's and she's just standing there like standing there and she's just got her back is almost completely towards you and she's just walking away and you

feel that pull back to the heavens just as strong as to go move on to the next plane. But there's something in her eye as if to say, you're not done yet. Yeah, that's what he feels like.

He feels like he has some task, and that's kind of the pull to the sky. But I guess he also feels this, like, something about this task is intertwined intimately with Gormley. Of course it is. Gormley! Gormley, wait! And he looks back to Jasun. And he's, like, on the edge of this cliff. He turns back to her and he's like, could I just say, could I just talk to him for a moment?

He looks back to Jasun and back to Gormley. Anne, Gormley has her back completely to you. Starting to walk away. he feels this incredible sense of devotion to something that he can't quite put his finger on, but he knows Gormley's tied into it. He knows the pole to the sky is tied into it. He wants to be with his son again, but there's this idea,

this feeling that there's someone else. There's someone alive that's connected to him. His daughter, right? It's just like he sort of starts to, these thoughts materialize. And she's still alive. So I'm down to two, LaValle.

Would you like to phone a friend? God damn it. You are a son of a bitch, you know that? Giving you pretty good choices. He's gonna... Gormley! He calls one more time, like desperate just for another moment before having to make the decision. And he follows Gormley.

So, Feyraza, you finish casting the spell. And you wait. You continue to wait. I feel like she's a conduit, so she's still in that state. Shael is also feeling this as well. She communes with these spirits, and she's physically affected by this. You wait. And wait.

An hour passes and you continue to wait. She's struggling to maintain the spell. It takes a lot to keep this going. And Lork does not return. I feel it. Pembroke puts his hand on her shoulder. She's like shaking I fear Pembroke puts his hand on her shoulder She's like shaking

She's like trying to strain to keep the conduit open I believe A decision has been made Rest Rest my friend She releases Breaks the spell I don't understand

Shia says to Pembroke did you cast the spell correctly why did it fail she told me to bring him back I felt contact but he did not come his soul was unwilling to return,

it seems. I am sorry. And Faraz is like, is like trying, she's like leaning on Pembroke to kind of stay up. She's so exhausted. Pembroke like leads her over

to the couch or something and just like sits her down. She looks at Baron like maybe, maybe, right, maybe this was all some trick and I've been a fool a pawn in all of this why would he tell me to come here her to tell me to bring him back

if he would choose not to return sometimes we're not able to finish what we start, but what matters is how we left the things we leave behind. And what matters now is that you, blood of his blood, are home safe with your mama and Skelton. are home safe with your mama and Skelton. And I know that he would want you to lead the next chapter of your life

with pride and with happiness. Yes. Yes. Perhaps if it was him, this story is not yet over. And there are things at work that we cannot understand just yet, but will come to pass later. later. Thank you for trying. And she just kind of turns and walks off into her bedroom. Briella, for her part, has been kind of like letting Cheyenne run with this the whole time.

She offers to let you guys spend the night. It would just be staying in the common room. But she's like, I would like you to stay if you would like to. So it may help her deal with this.

You're welcome to stay as long as you want. We don't have much, but if it's healing you need or anything, my home is your home. My home is your home. Time is a factor, but I need time to recover myself. It took much out of me. Yes, we should recover our strength as best we can before we carry on, especially if it is to be without.

But you are right. Time is of the essence, and we had a mission that we interrupted to come here while this is happening like uh just exhaustion kind of goes over baron from the weeks in the mountains from the months of this sustained campaign against this unknowable force takes his hat off and you just see kind of the tension leave his face and he kind of sits down on the couch while they're talking about time being of the essence which is normally what he's all about right and you just see like all the dust in the couch that she hasn't probably dealt with because she you know doesn't have another person to help her out her daughter's been gone she's by poof and he reaches into his duster and he unscrews the cap of his flask

he uh takes a swig from it and hands it out to brielle briella and says tell me about lork when he was young what made you take a lichen to him and slides the flask over to him. She just takes a sip and is reticent at first. And then she starts telling you about how they met. It's a sweet story. You know, he was only there for, what, 48 hours a week at mid-tops. But in, you know, as you're talking to her and she drinks more whiskey, this girlish charm pops out and it makes you happy. You know, reminiscing about your old friend.

You know, Brielle eventually will go to bed stumbling from the dwarven whiskey Vomiting her way to the bedroom Walks right into the door frame Trips, breaks a table It's a hard thing to watch Trips over sleeping Feyre Breaks another table And you guys are just I'm trying to imagine this

What would that be like? What would that look like? Oh, this is a fantasy Feyroza breaks into the table. And you guys are just... I'm trying to imagine this. What would that be like? What would that look like? Oh, this is a fantasy. You're left there. Baron, Feyroza... Cap Benatar. Cap Benatar and Pembroke. You're now down a man.

A strong fighter. He was not at his best. Would we say a man, a strong fighter. He was not at his best. Wouldn't we say a man? For sure. We're having fun. And perhaps facing the most difficult part of your task in Skiergard. You've cleaned out a lot of the lesser parts, but now, like I said at the beginning of the episode,

this darkness is seeping in. And if you're going to have to deal with that, can three of you tackle that alone? What is going on? What is going in through your head? Do we think we could reach Sir Will and ask him to return to assist us? Well, we have your powers in Pembrokes.

I assume we know where Highbury is and the rest of his destination. Perhaps we could either use your sources or some of the other magics we've come across. I could attempt to scry to communicate with him, but who knows where he is? Right, right. And even still, even if we were able to contact him, it would take however many days, weeks for him to return to us. I cannot retrieve him without having been to wherever it is that he is right now. Well, it's certainly worth a shot to attempt to scry on him. You might be able to

see where he is. And if it happens to be a place Pembroke's visited before, it could be. It's more information than we have now anyway. I am weakened, but I do believe I can try to cast this spell. I did prepare it. I'm going to keep trying the scrying even though you

thwart it every time. Sure, sure, sure. Do you have a mirror? I always have a mirror. You always have a mirror. There's got to be a mirror in Brielle's. That's an expensive mirror. I have to keep it wrapped up in a nice cloth. So, yeah.

So, Faraz, we'll try to scry to reach Sir Will. All you can do is see him. But we could communicate via other means, perhaps. Mm-hmm. Joe, I'm assuming you have Sir Will's will save right at the ready. Watch your roll of D20.

How does one ever prep for Matthew? That's the question. You're telling me, buddy. Roll D20, and then we'll see where we're at. What's the DC, Matthew? It should just be a fifth level spell, so it should just be, what, DC 20 and then we'll see where we're at. What's the DC Matthew? It's a fifth level spell so it should just be what? DC 17?

10 plus 5 plus 2? DC 19. Well because your intelligence is probably 18. Well my wisdom. So DC 19 but you take a minus 5 because I know the subject well. Oh! Did you keep a piece of his clothing. But you take a minus five because I know the subject well. Oh.

Oh. Did you keep a piece of his clothing? That's for a minus 10. Oh. I've been taking several. Minus five. It is his worst save. Ah.

His will save. Actually, his reflex save is the worst when he's armored. But yeah. I think a paladin would be pretty well. Yeah. That's. But he's mixed. He's a mixed bag. Yeah. He doesn't have a ton of uh yeah he's he's not

a strong odd that sir will would have a low will should have been sir reflex he is a low will his strongest is fortitude by far and he was he is misnamed yes all right Go ahead and roll Natural Natural Joe looked right At me and was like Do you see this Grant so you're holding The mirror there are there people watching Sure

As well sometimes it feels like somebody's Watching me Around somebody's eyes Are watching you Joe what do they see you're putting this on me you work with him so wait uh how does scrying work do you do you hear sounds or do you observe the creature at any distance if save fails you can see and hear the subject and its surroundings approximately 10 feet in all directions of the subject if the

subject moves the sensor follows the sub at a speed of 100 up to 150 feet what's the dark vision situation i have full visual acuity including any magical effects in addition the following nothing about dark vision i have full visual acuity. Full visual acuity. It's not based on movement like a T-Rex. Yeah, you know, I think with, like, clairaudience, clairvoyance, I think you get dark vision with it. So I'm sure that that's, like, included in a higher level spell like scrying. And I ask because when it, you see it in the mirror, right? So it's in the mirror. I mean, I i mean i have dark vision oh oh right come on i don't know if i don't know

i have dark vision does my magic have dark vision um it uh a dungeon cell oh whoa what and you see sir will is beaten to a pulp oh my god his face is bruised one eye is completely closed he's completely stripped of clothes except for just rags except for the belt and the belt just rags and he is laying down completely like passed out chained to a wall

that took a turn wow Pembroke leans back says well Sir Will is out next option you're watching Sir Will is out. Next option. You're watching Sir Will lying there on the floor in chains. And you remember the last time you tried to scry. You tried to scry on Cheyenne.

But instead you saw, pretty obviously, Sir Will. Now I said you hadn't seen this person in a long time. Obviously you'd seen Will a little over a week ago. But now something happens again that makes you think differently. Because you hadn't seen young will in a long time, but you had seen young will before because now in the mirror you see a small house and the house is on fire and you hear a baby screaming as a dragon is lighting the house on fire. see what looks like you standing there watching all of this happen.

Me? And then you're just shocked back and you fall back and drop the mirror and it breaks. No, you're like boom, you're like shocked back into reality. What? Did the others see that hold on so that was the past right that was Sir Will's

I mean presumably Sir Will was a baby right you're trying to tell me you feel like you've seen that before and that other Sir Will sitting in a room before legs obscured it you saw that younger Sir Will sitting in a room before legs obscured it. You saw that younger Sir Will as well.

But this doesn't make any sense because until you met him recently, none of this is coming back to you and you still can't quite place it. I mean, that's not what scrying should do. No, it ain't supposed to be doing that. Says that in the player's hand. It ain't supposed to be do that. It ain't supposed to be do that.

This ain't your mama's scrying. You get this odd familiarity of having seen this a long time ago before. Like I've seen this scene with the dragons a long time ago? Yes, you saw yourself standing there watching it happen. Farazza

turns to Baron and Pembroke. Did they see it? No. They just saw the cell thing. Farazza! Are you alright? Yes. I'm just shocked. What did you see? Yes. I'm just shocked.

What did you see? Speak! Speak! I had to stop for screaming. I saw Sir Will in a cell. Beaten. Badly. Grievously injured yes

a captive we saw that too we have we have done wrong by him sending him back now don't blame yourself

he received word from home that he needed to leave if we don't have our freedoms we might as well have already given up against the giants received word from home that he needed to leave. If we don't have our freedoms, we might as well have already given up against the giants. I have grave tidings of this.

He received word from home and ended up in a cell. Visions of your former companions are appearing to people and promising returns for our departed friends, and they do not appear. All is not what it seems, I fear. We are being watched. We are being watched. And perhaps deceived. And manipulated.

Manipulated. Well, I was just telling you outside earlier. I don't know if you're listening to me or not, but... No, that was different. Okay. I'm not talking about you, Baron. Well, this is... These are grim tidings indeed.

We must... Pembroke, do you have any ability to conceal us magically, protect us from the scrying of others? That's a good question. There is something that will obscure, like protect you from that, but I can't. I think it might be called protection from scrying. I feel like I did it as a cleric in our JVG.

There is a spell called detect scrying. It's a fourth level wizard spell. You immediately become aware of any attempt to observe you by means of a divination spell or effect. Oh, cool. It radiates from you and moves as you move. You know the location of every magical sensor within the spell's area. It lasts for 24 hours. It's fourth level.

If the scrying attempt originates within the area you also know its location otherwise uh it's just a 40 foot radius but it's just to know if someone's did you know that any creature with an intelligence score of 12 or higher can make a dc20 intelligence check to determine if they're being watched interesting magically watched by an invisible sensor or just like watched in the woods by a creep no by the sensor oh um yeah well that that might in our current predicament that might be a worthy investment i think what i did in jade regions i used master's illusion to kind of create oh that's what it was you made like a false scene a false scene of what

we were doing wherever we went. Right. Right, right, right. So it would follow us, but it wouldn't. If David failed his will save, it wouldn't know it. Possible scryers, yeah. Yeah. Don't scry for me, Argentinian. There's your episode title.

I never left you. That would make it harder for you to see me. Ha, ha. I kept my promise. Don't let me get lost. to see me. Ha ha! Um, I kept my promise. Do not diss the students. Uh,

yeah, we should get a scroll of that. Get a scroll of that. It's late now. It's probably,

you know, you've spent the better part of the day after the, you know, going around and,

well, you did that yesterday, but actually it's not late. It's pretty early. He was already drinking whiskey,

so I assume that like, well, we haven't gone to bed yet. Yeah. I think that we're still, you know, talking about all this. Yeah, pretty early. He was already drinking whiskey, so I assume that like... Well, we haven't gone to bed yet. I think that we're still talking about all this. Yeah, I assume that the better part of the day is consumed with these talks that go on, like, what are we going to do?

What are we going to do? And then Baron has his moment with Briella. She goes off to bed, and you guys do this scrying. I imagine this happening over the better course of the day while you're also eating and trying to figure things out. But right now you are three people going against an army. I feel like Farazza's got to be very unsettled by this. Oh, yeah. She didn't want to tell the others because it was frightening.

Right. frightening right it felt like she had tapped into something more powerful than something kind of beyond the scope of her usual druidic powers yeah beyond this definitely beyond the scope of the spell itself yeah i mean it's totally not what the spell does and if she's realizing that the last time she tried the same thing that she actually saw into the past yeah i mean something weird something something is afoot but then she also the past yeah i mean something weird something something is afoot but then she also got to consider i mean she's been her powers have been steadily increasing ever since she started journeying with these people so i wonder you got to wonder if she's starting to wonder what she is plus the words of farron must be ringing in her head as

well which words they're not quite ringing in my head. That there might be another. Oh. Is it Farazza? Is it Sir Will? I mean, Farazza would be loath to assume such grand, you know,

notions about herself, such delusions of grandeur. But at the same time, she did help to, you know, we're working with the others. She helped to enable a slave exodus. And now she's stepping outside of time. Yeah. Very unsettling.

Yeah. Very, very unsettling. How it's all going to shake out I don't know the world is not going to save itself and you just lost one important fighter

for the cause who is there from the beginning who is there from the beginning from Roderick dying all the way here. Except for a bit of a chunk in the middle. There was a big chunk in the middle.

Abandoned us out of cowardice. Well, he had this curse, you know? So I'd assume tomorrow is going to be trying to figure out what to do to try and find someone to join the party and to stock up on supplies that you need we don't have a ton of time though we got to get back we have to get back tomorrow yeah the longer you wait the longer

they're going to know things are wrong there's a huge hole in that cathedral from Stone's Ship. Oh yeah, we left it there, didn't we? Does that have a duration, though? It's permanent. Unless you put it back. Before we go to bed, Farazza is going to speak with animals to talk to Kat Benatar once more and tell her,

admit that she failed to bring work back. And then she's going to offer to cast uh bear's endurance to help her with her save to see if she can get her negative levels back and then offer to escort her outside the town limits if she doesn't wish to travel with them any longer okay so for flavor's sake i won't worry so much about about the save. So you bottle cap her back to health. I didn't agree to this. And you want to show her out?

Turn in your two bottle caps now. No, just to offer, like, tell her, admit to her that she failed. Bork did not wish to return. And that if she wishes to continue on with us, we will be, of course, willing to take her. But if she wishes to journey out herself, we'll gladly escort her beyond the town limits back to the wild. I felt a calling to that man.

And when he fell, something inside me died as well. I think I would like to go. That is your prerogative. magics. If a day comes when he returns in one way or another, perhaps I will be connected to him in the same way and return to see you again.

I should like that very much. And then she just starts walking like she wants to leave you again. I should like that very much. And then she just starts walking like she wants to leave right now. Good luck, my feline friend. You show her out. Obviously it's elevators that get up and down from Skelton, so she's just like waiting

for the elevator. Check her watch. This is so awkward. That's why I offered an escort. Fine. Be that way. You know, she goes down other ways.

There's other ways that only a cat of her dexterity can go down. And she eventually makes her way down below Skelton and turns her head

and looks up and sees the city of waterfalls and elevators and starts roaming in the distance. And imagine her roaming for a little bit. And we see through her eyes a little bit. And then she sees up in the distance a shack, just kind of standing there on the outskirts of town. And there's a sound emanating from the shack. It sounds rather ominous. And as she gets closer, she hears what can only be described as a chorus of voices and light that would be impossible to exist within that shack.

And the shack starts shaking. Blackout. You hear the sound of a crackling fire. And then the fire itself fades into view. We zoom slowly out from the fire and see maybe two or three other fires off in the distance, surrounded by tents and other humble lean-tos made out of wood and rope and straw. We just stay with this quiet camp image for a moment until it is interrupted by a woman's scream.

We frantically rush up to and inside one of the tents where we see a woman crying through the pains of labor. A man, presumably her husband, stands beside her holding her hand, trying to keep her safe and calm through the pain, whispering words of encouragement. At her feet is a woman dressed in brown homespun robes, helping the mother to deliver. All around the tent are strange symbols. There's incense burning thick in the air, wind chimes, dream catchers, things clearly made from nature hanging all over the inside of the tent. The man says something in an ancient language. It's very guttural, but also very beautiful. Imagine subtitles underneath. Read.

I can see the head. We're almost there, my love. She takes a deep breath and lets out one last yell. The doctor tells her to push and the baby emerges. The man collapses into the woman's arms, tears of joy streaming down their faces. The woman, though, looks up and the doctor seems concerned. She rushes the child over to a table and begins administering to it, examining it and speaking words over the child like chants. The mother cries out again in this ancient language, what's wrong? What's wrong with my child? I don't hear it. Is it alive? Why isn't it crying? The doctor is calm throughout, but also perplexed, and then a knowing look crosses her eyes. She walks back. The child is fine. Do not worry. Here is your baby boy. She places the infant on the mother's chest.

The couple looks at the child and sees it opening its mouth to cry, but no real sound comes out. It continues to make these very small wailing motions with its mouth, but it's followed by almost no actual sound. The father says, the child is mute. The mother smiles, aye, he is, but he is special. Can you not sense it? She cradles the head of this beautiful elven infant with wisps of silvery hair.

Oh, he is. He is, I know it to be true. What should we name him? The mother smiles and says, Silvermane. The sparkling blue eyes of the infant open for the first time to look up at them both. And somewhere deep, deep behind those eyes, Lork's eyes open as well. Oh my god.

We'll see you next week. Oh my god! What? What? What? You have lost your mind! You are a crazy man! Oh, no! Oh, my God.

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