Cloudfall | 13 - The Climb Before the Storm
Last time on Cloudfall. Lore is dying. That's a tough note to start out on, but that's the truth. The old man, Philip J Collins, call him whatever you will. He drained the Skyland of its magic leaving the bismite a dull crumbling silver and lore has already begun its descent.
Tim / GM:It won't be long before the Skyland is gone, prompting the portal to gather up their knowledge and make their exodus. Likewise, the party finds themselves scrambling for answers in the final days, searching the towers of lore for information that may soon be lost forever. After all, what can be done? What can anyone do in the event of a cloud fall? Poppy.
Speaker 2:I'm like, I'm only halfway up.
Thomas / Guy:Been climbing for 2 weeks.
Tara / Journey:3 weeks.
Speaker 2:I'm only a quarter of the way up.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you've been climbing for over an hour, and you are 10 feet up.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. There's these short legs.
Tim / GM:You don't have pinch at your side. In fact, you don't have anyone. You're not even that high and it's already getting kind of windy and cold out here.
Speaker 2:I'm all alone. Nobody here. Am I supposed to figure out a way to get up?
Tim / GM:We'll say that you've just kinda finished up a little resting break and have a decision to make. Are you gonna try to keep going? Are you gonna turn back?
Speaker 2:Am I carrying stuff?
Tim / GM:Not really. I mean, you've got your, like, inventory.
Speaker 2:I'm going to cast unseen servant k. And have it take my stuff. So little invisible sous chef is now carrying my pack and I'm gonna try and climb more. Okay.
Tara / Journey:Do you have those pants?
Speaker 2:You mean the belt?
Tara / Journey:I don't know. Whatever thing
Thomas / Guy:I thought there were shoes that
Tara / Journey:There's shoes and then there was something else that that you got.
Speaker 2:I have the loafers of levitation and the big britches belt, which makes me big. It has
Tara / Journey:the britches in the name. That's why I was confused.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So with the servant, servant's got a strength of 2, so not super strong, but it can carry, you know, like, a small satchel of yours. So it is kind of climbing alongside you, struggling about as much as you are.
Tim / GM:But I'll have you make an athletics check this time with advantage.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well Okay. What's the higher number?
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. You make some progress. You are kind of on a cliff face, like, looking for a handhold, but you're a good, like, 30 feet up now. There's a little bit of risk now if you were to fall.
Tim / GM:And you can see off to your side a large cloud is rolling towards you and is about to envelop this place in mist.
Speaker 2:Oh, no. Oh, no. I grab onto whatever, like, shrubbery or
Tim / GM:yeah. There's, like, a nearby, like, juniper bush that you can grab onto and just kind of hide yourself in there. And the cloud impacts, and it takes over this whole place. And it gets so much darker, and you can't see 2 feet in front of you. It's just solid gray with some kind of hazy light coming through it.
Tim / GM:You don't even know what to do from here. I mean, up for sure.
Speaker 2:And it's not dissipating?
Tim / GM:Right. It's a huge cloud.
Speaker 2:I pull out my echo bell to Journey. Okay.
Tara / Journey:Journey? Yeah. Poppy. Hi. What's up?
Speaker 2:Are you busy?
Tara / Journey:I don't know. I was just heading off into the towers. Do you need something?
Speaker 2:I was trying to do that too, but now there's clouds and I I don't like to admit it, but I'm not very good at athletics.
Tara / Journey:Alright. Yeah. Do you do you need some help?
Speaker 2:If it wouldn't be a burden. I'm stuck on the side of a mountain.
Tara / Journey:Oh, yeah. Where you're by the there was a recipe?
Speaker 2:If you yeah. If you look towards the recipe tower and you see a giant cloud where you can't see through it, that's me.
Tim / GM:Journey, you turn towards the north end of the island. More than half of the island is completely covered by clouds. You wouldn't even know how to get there.
Speaker 2:Poppy? Yeah. You coming? I got some
Tara / Journey:bad news for you. It looks like there's a whole lot of clouds between me and you.
Speaker 2:Figures. Well, I guess I'm I guess I'm stuck here for a while then.
Tara / Journey:I can try to start heading your way. Maybe one of the turtle knows how to get there easy.
Speaker 2:If you feel like it, but I think I'm just gonna sit down for for now.
Tara / Journey:Alright. Be careful.
Speaker 2:Thanks. Bye.
Tim / GM:You, end the call, and as soon as you do, it kind of dawns on you how much Journeys voice was doing for you in this moment because when she's gone, it's quiet again, and there's nothing to look at, and there's no one to talk to.
Speaker 2:And the servant is just It's it's really even there.
Tim / GM:Yeah. There's just a floating bag next to you. It's got no expression.
Tara / Journey:And
Speaker 2:okay. I'm gonna pull out the pendant with the little vial of, sourdough starter. Mhmm. And just kind of talk to it for a while.
Tim / GM:K.
Speaker 2:Because it's just a little bit of pinch. Yeah. I don't know if I can bring him back at this point. I didn't cast him today.
Tim / GM:Right. There's, to bring pinch back, there's like a little bit of setup to it. You at least need a bowl and some flour to get that going
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Tim / GM:And a flat surface kind of thing. Certainly not the side of a cliff.
Speaker 2:Just sit and, like, pet the pendant
Thomas / Guy:and
Speaker 2:and try not to cry. Okay. That,
Tim / GM:cloud continues to roll by, and some of that condensation is developing on the side of this cliff such that the juniper bush is now getting kind of wet and drippy, and the side of the cliff is getting slick. It's been 20 minutes. This cloud isn't going anywhere.
Speaker 2:I'm on the, like, cliff side.
Tim / GM:You've got, like, a little bit of a resting spot, so it's not too difficult to remain here, but it's not exactly a platform. You couldn't sleep here.
Speaker 2:And it's not warm?
Tim / GM:No. No. It's probably, like, 55 degrees out here.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna feel around the bush Mhmm. For more solid ground
Tim / GM:Okay.
Speaker 2:And some sticks. I'm trying to find a flat surface where I can start a little bonfire.
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah. Give me an investigation check.
Speaker 2:Also, I don't know that crate bonfire needs sticks.
Tim / GM:No. I don't think it does.
Speaker 2:Investigation? 15.
Tim / GM:Okay. You take a couple, like, tentative shuffles off to one side and then the other. You can see that the slope levels out a little bit to where you could kind of plop down some fire if you needed to.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's a cantrip, so I'm gonna do that. Okay. It creates a bonfire that I can see within range for, a minute.
Tim / GM:Cool. Yeah. You hear this, like, popping noise. This, like, and sticks and branches come from, like, seemingly nowhere out of the clouds and just kind of, like, assemble in a loose pile, and they just ignite and start burning. It creates a sort of halo around you, a visibility.
Tim / GM:You can see a couple hand holds moving up.
Speaker 2:Awesome. I don't know that I can bring it with me.
Tim / GM:Probably not.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I'm just gonna, like, keep scooting.
Tim / GM:Give me another athletics check?
Speaker 2:I have a negative one on athletics. I just thought I would mention that again. That's an 11.
Tim / GM:K. Yeah. You continue to make progress, but at a painstakingly slow rate.
Speaker 2:It's just you and me, Poppy. We we've been alone and we'll continue to be alone, and it'll be fine. You can you can do this. I miss Guy.
Tim / GM:Guy. You are standing with your sword pointed at the debris beneath you. You are in tower 25, the tower of war and crime and records of the worst parts of humanity. This is where you had recorded your own confessions in your prior life, and you would just heard a doozy. A big one.
Tim / GM:It seems the fate of Lotem was a secret that perhaps only you knew in your former life. Doran saw you go through this process, but he didn't hear anything that you just went through.
Thomas / Guy:Fascinating. Guy holds up his sword and looks at it. Did you get all that? Mister Sword?
Tim / GM:You're talking to me, Ace. Oh, yes. Ganymede. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:How was that for you? Our first smelling experience?
Tim / GM:Well, quite the smell. Did you really kill a 1000 peoples?
John / Doran:Do I hear the sword? No. Okay. Oh.
Thomas / Guy:Well, I said I did, so I must.
Tim / GM:Okay. Well, glad I'm on your side then. Right?
Thomas / Guy:Yes. A guy turns and sees Doran out of the corner of his eye.
John / Doran:Are you done with your monologue?
Thomas / Guy:Dora.
John / Doran:Hey.
Thomas / Guy:Yes. Yes. It was most enlightening. How was your find? What did you discover?
John / Doran:Some useful stuff, I suppose. Did you say you're from Lotem?
Thomas / Guy:I am from Lotem. Do you know it?
John / Doran:I have never been there, but, I guess I don't know, Guy. Do you have any desire to go back there?
Thomas / Guy:Since waking back up, I I felt a draw to load them. But at the same time, something kept me from returning there. It's hard to explain.
John / Doran:Sorry. How long has it been since you lost your memories? I'm I'm assuming you learned something just now.
Thomas / Guy:I got some bits and flashes, but not very much concrete. It was a little over 2 years ago that I believe I lost my memory, and I think this recording was made sometime before then.
John / Doran:Well,
Thomas / Guy:what was it you saw here in the tower? Information about what?
John / Doran:Well, Diver's still out there, and I do wanna find him and put an end to him. I was looking for info on Diver and the others, the blight, if you recall. Yes. And I did hear something interesting. Apparently, they had infiltrated Lodom on some level.
Thomas / Guy:Really?
John / Doran:They've always been a well, blight to all the Skylands. Yep. Yeah. That's that's where that came from. Yes.
John / Doran:But, yeah, when they started going through the kingdoms, I I didn't get much, but the timing is suspicious.
Thomas / Guy:This is very curious indeed.
John / Doran:Guy, I don't know what everyone else is trying to do, but between you and me, I'd love to find Diver and get some answers.
Thomas / Guy:May I ask, Doran? In my brief encounter with the man, he seemed quite terrible, so I get it. But what is it about Diver that makes you want to find him and bring him to justice? What has he done?
John / Doran:He him and the other members of the blades, they'd
Tim / GM:I was
John / Doran:out with my best friend. We're at dawn's edge. Going to place we weren't supposed to go to. I think they were after him for reasons I can only guess at. But they killed him, and they tried to kill me too.
John / Doran:And I kind of, like, undo my canvasson and move it aside, and you can see kind of like a impeccable nipples and
Thomas / Guy:No. Guy was thinking
Speaker 2:it. No.
John / Doran:I You're thinking You see a a large, like, just a scorch mark, essentially. It's like the coloration of a birthmark, but the texture is a little wrong. And it travels, slightly up Doran's neck and down through his chest. So, he chose a brief flash of that. They thought I was dead, I I think, or didn't care, at least.
John / Doran:And after they left, I managed to get away. Yeah. They killed my best friend,
Tim / GM:and
John / Doran:they've killed others. They're a plague, and I want to end them.
Thomas / Guy:What if you knew Diver and the others had a good reason for killing these people?
John / Doran:I'd find it very hard for there to be a good reason for that. They take mortal life for fun. Do you know something of them?
Thomas / Guy:No. No. My first encounter was with you in the tower. I'm just wondering is all maybe we should go catch up with the others.
John / Doran:Okay.
Tim / GM:Poppy. Yes? You are exhausted. In fact, That's how that's how serious I am right now.
Speaker 2:About the
Tara / Journey:squeaking recipe tower.
Speaker 2:Shit. Oh, no.
Hannah / Eryn:How is exhaustion different from hip points?
Tim / GM:I'll tell you.
Tara / Journey:It's a condition.
Tim / GM:Alright. So you have level 1 exhaustion right now, Poppy. You have a disadvantage on ability checks.
Speaker 2:All of them? Yes. What the fuck?
Tara / Journey:Do her shoes even out the disadvantage on the athletics if her shoes give her lightness?
Tim / GM:If she didn't have those shoes by now
Speaker 2:I'd be dead. She'd be dead.
Hannah / Eryn:Oh my god.
Thomas / Guy:I bet the recipe for Oreos is in this tower.
Tim / GM:It's it's actually Coca Cola.
Tara / Journey:Cola. Oh.
Tim / GM:It's right in there.
Speaker 2:Hold on.
Tara / Journey:And it is cocaine in
Speaker 2:there. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you've been climbing for over 3 hours now. You have no idea how far up you are. You have no idea how far you have to fall. You can't see anything above or below. What do you do from here?
Speaker 2:I lay down and cry.
Tim / GM:There's nowhere to lay down. Not anymore. You move past your little platform.
Speaker 2:I hate this. Like, everyone else gots knowledge. Gots? Gots. Everyone else gots knowledge.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna Knowledge.
John / Doran:We need to get copy into that tower.
Hannah / Eryn:Everybody else gots knowledge. I just got this mountain.
Speaker 2:Journey, what are you doing here? Can I see anything?
Tim / GM:You've got a you can see about 2 feet ahead of you and below you.
Speaker 2:Keep climbing. Okay. With my before the clouds rolled in,
Tim / GM:do
Speaker 2:I know how high up it was?
Tim / GM:Yeah. You had an idea back then.
Speaker 2:Okay. Nope. I have to be able to see it. I can't misty step. Okay.
Speaker 2:Journey.
Tara / Journey:Hey, Poppy. Are are you doing okay? Well,
Speaker 2:I'm stuck. Like like, for good stuck now, and I think I think this might be it.
Tara / Journey:You can't keep climbing? Where are you?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I can't see. I mean, I'm on I'm on the side of a mountain now. Like, there's nowhere else to be and I'm just I'm hanging on. Well, I can't see anything and I don't know how far up or down I am and I and I don't wanna die, but I think I'm gonna die.
Tara / Journey:Poppy, you know 2 pieces of information.
Speaker 2:You can go up, you can go down. You gotta pick
Tara / Journey:a direction, stick with it, and do it. I'm so tired. I know. But, you're gonna get to the top and it's gonna be magical. Or, you're gonna get to the bottom and you can try again.
Tara / Journey:Those are your choices.
Speaker 2:Okay. If I If I do fall, will you will you tell Guy that the rolling pin is his?
Tara / Journey:Poppy, you're not gonna fall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I mean, what? It could happen.
Tara / Journey:If something happens, we'll find you and we'll heal you up. You're gonna be alright.
Speaker 2:Or you'll find maybe my corpse at the bottom of the clouds.
Tara / Journey:Poppy, is that thinking helping you at all? It's not not helping me.
Speaker 2:No. It's fine. I'm I'll just keep climbing. Okay. Bye.
Tara / Journey:Journey continues to try to talk to you, but the thing the thing is shut.
Speaker 2:Mine doesn't even have a latch. I just put it in my pocket here. Oh my god. Okay. Do I have any rock candy left over from Owly?
Speaker 2:It's only been, like, 2 hours.
Tim / GM:No. And by the way, we have to talk about Owly. Yeah. You and I.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Do I have him? Face.
Tara / Journey:You don't. Don't talk to him.
Tim / GM:You don't have him. No.
Speaker 2:Even that's the whole idea.
Tara / Journey:No. We'll get back
Tim / GM:to it anyway.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pat my pockets and try and find a a lone chocolate chip.
Tim / GM:Yes.
Speaker 2:I eat it k. For as a pick me up. And and and growing up, chocolate always made things better. And if I'm having a bad day, I would just make hot chocolate because it's kind of a cure all.
Tim / GM:So the question stands. What are you doing from here?
Speaker 2:I'm going to pull the big britches belt. K. And then try and keep climbing.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. You, pull up the big britches, and as you pull them up with one hand, one hand is still holding onto the cliff, you feel your body expanding as you pull them up. So it's like you keep expanding to reach your belly button, never quite reaching
Speaker 2:hopefully that helps me climb better.
Tim / GM:Alright. What are you doing from here? Climb. Okay. You raise your hand to grab the next hand hold.
Tim / GM:Yes. And you feel flat ground. Yes. You pull yourself up, and as you do, you crest the clouds, and the tower is right before you. Yay.
Tim / GM:Just never sashes away.
Speaker 2:I I I like how it
Hannah / Eryn:was just right there. Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's so good. I flop face first onto the ground, gasping and kissing the floor. The floor? The dirt. Kissing the dirt.
Tim / GM:Yeah. It's, it's pretty bright and clear up here, and you can see the clouds below you kind of rolling over all of lore. Certainly, you can see a storm kind of developing in the distance, hence the clouds, but you are free to explore the tower of plants and food. Journey?
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Poppy,
Tara / Journey:are you alright? I heard a weird sound. I just stayed listening on the thing in case you needed me again, but are you alright? I'm alive. You sound sound different.
Speaker 2:I'm just out of breath.
Tara / Journey:Alright.
Speaker 2:I'll see you later.
Tara / Journey:Okay. Take your time.
John / Doran:Thanks.
Speaker 2:Are the is the belt, like, done for now? It said it had one charge. Or is that, like,
Tim / GM:a per day?
Speaker 2:It's like the
Tim / GM:other thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Tim / GM:So a few minutes go by and the big britches, the effect wears off where you in Smalling once again. Okay. When you do, however, the britches remain. They're enlarged in size. You are painless.
Speaker 2:Good thing I'm wearing a dress. I have said this multiple
Speaker 7:times.
Tim / GM:It's the perfect use case.
Speaker 2:Yes. My tights have fallen down. Yeah.
Tim / GM:When you get into this tower, it is immaculate. It's probably one of the least accessed towers in the whole island. Wonder why.
Speaker 2:Wow. It's like nobody cares about food anymore.
Tim / GM:Looking around this place for, obviously, recipes, you're starting to get a sense of how their labeling system works, and you find one that is for Bright Bob's Soup.
Speaker 2:Yes. I will never forget this flavor as long as I live.
Tim / GM:Do you open the jar?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Okay.
Tim / GM:You twist open the jar to listen to the smoke within, and so you hear this memory start to play back as it's kind of drifting around the room. You just hear, Right, Bob Soup. It's an old family recipe I hope to pass down to the rest of us. It's my hope that the total of lore will continue to flourish here And one day when baby Huber becomes prime archivist, they will serve bright Bob's soup under his reign. His rain?
Tim / GM:Here are the recipe ingredients. You simply need Bright Bob's, a little bit of salt, and rainwater. And she just kind of fades off with the recipe. But it's a fairly simple thing. And, Poppy, from now on, whenever you guys take a long rest, you can make bright bulb soup if you choose to.
Tim / GM:For 24 hours after having this soup, you all gain 5 temporary hit points, and you can make any part of your body glow like the light spell.
Speaker 2:Sick.
Tim / GM:During your exploration, you open another one, and you quickly find, it's like one of the oldest jars in this place. When you twist that one open, the jar actually kind of, like, crumbles, and the smoke just kind of goes out into the room. You hear a, a strange voice from somewhere else, Somewhere not here for sure you hear.
Speaker 7:Though it should almost be assumed that everyone knows how to cook good meal, It's possible that someone may not. So, for the very basics and the very beginners of cooking, let me lay out the instructions. The following is the recipe for good meal, Master Cholle's recipe.
Tim / GM:Good meal is a simple, very bare bones adventuring meal made of cave moss, and that's it. It is just made of blue moss from inside caves. It's this glowing substance, but you just have to mash it up, mix it with a little bit of salt and moisture, and it turns into a strangely kind of, hearty, almost like tofu like substance. It makes evil entities sick. It's a good thing to serve if you've got, like, mixed company and you wanna know who's who.
Tim / GM:Again, consuming this will give you 5 temporary hit points, and you have advantage on constitution save constitution saving
Speaker 2:throws constitution. For that day. That's awesome. I've never heard of Good Meal before. How have I never heard of Good Meal before?
Tim / GM:And the recipe is short and simple, but the record or the recording is still playing for a little while, and he says
Speaker 7:And, of course, no cook worth their salt would be looking for a recipe of good meal.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 7:Everyone knows Master Cholle appreciates the foundations and that's why I've chosen to hide this recipe here. The following -is the recipe for the Chamor Crescent. A dessert so delicately balanced it can restore life to the body. To begin, we need sugar blended with pixie dust, halfling churned butter, no substitutions, dragon fire roasted cacao nibs, and pink meridian fruit. That's just to start.
Speaker 2:I'm patting around for a recipe card to write this down, like, immediately.
Tara / Journey:Just fucking breathe the fumes. Yeah.
Tim / GM:You can actually if you want to.
Speaker 2:Oh, definite I don't no one needs a recipe card anymore. Sure. I suck up the air.
Tim / GM:Okay. You do that, and you can see this, like, huge stone hearth kitchen in a place you've never seen before. There's so much cookware hanging off the walls here and this, like, large central cooking area, and it's like you're trying to look around in the scene to absorb as much as you can, but you just keep locking eyes with this really heavy set elf that would calls himself master Cholly.
Tara / Journey:I can't get over it.
Speaker 2:That's my favorite pasta.
Tim / GM:Journey. Yeah. Poppy's had a rough day. You keep hearing from her over the echo bell, but it sounds like she's got what she needed now. What are you doing?
Tara / Journey:I was kinda wandering around, And then when I got the call from Poppy, I was kinda headed toward that direction. And then when I figured out I couldn't really help, I kinda went the other direction, and I think I'm a little lost. I guess I ended up kind of in the middle of the Skyland.
Tim / GM:You know what's in the middle of the Skyland? Kind of half shrouded in mist as you're wandering around half looking for Poppy, half exploring, you find an ornate hollowed out tower. It's not like any of the other ones. This one's actually open on all sides. They've just left some supports there to keep the thing standing.
Tim / GM:But in the middle of this tower kind of hanging from the center is a giant bell. And you can see that also all around this tower hanging from it are hundreds of echo bells and some things start to click for you. April had an echo bell with her and all it did is whenever this bell rings, it plays that sound to all of these echo bells. No matter how far these people are from the bell, they will hear it through the echo bells. It's a way that the people of lore can unify themselves no matter where they are.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I'd go in careful not to bump any of the, bells and kinda look around.
Tim / GM:Strangely enough, you see quite a few, live Echo whelks around here. It's kind of like a grim idea, but it seems the collection of their dead shells kind of attracts their kind. You do see another pair of echo bells that is ready to be harvested that's sitting on the floor here.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I'm gonna grab that. That
Tim / GM:is introducing our 4th set of echo bells.
Tara / Journey:I'll just put those in a pocket. Okay.
Tim / GM:Save them for later. Sure.
Tara / Journey:Would I know based on what Huber and others have told us, like, what towers are around here?
Tim / GM:Huber gave a brief rundown of all the towers that exist, and so you've got some, like, things that you might wanna hunt down. You know, there's been mentions of plants and food, fire and stone, fey magic, other worlds, metals and crystals, civilized islands, mainland politics, wizarding spell work, nature craft, beasts and great beasts, celestial affairs. There's a lot to be found, but you're not sure exactly where any of it is.
Tara / Journey:Okay. Is there any direction that has a nice cluster of towers that I could guess at a good direction to go in?
Tim / GM:Sure. Yeah. We'll say heading south kind of back towards where the heaven's feather landed. There's a good collection there.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I'll start heading that way.
Tim / GM:K. Aaron, you see Journey kind of passing by. What have you been doing in the meantime?
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Erin's just doing crossbow practice. Okay. I feel like I'm struggling a little bit with, like, what Aaron would be interested in. Like, Aaron isn't one for study in that way.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. And so kinda processing what happened in the cave, processing what happened with, Diver back in Farewell, and sort of just, you know, shooting crossbow bolts at a target, a tree, and then they carved, like, divers, like, kind of a really bad, like,
Tim / GM:Version of their face.
Hannah / Eryn:Version of the face. It's just like a blob. You can't really tell. Yeah. But Aaron knows.
Tim / GM:As you're out there, Huber actually kind of sneaks up on you. You're sort of lost contemplating processing. And then you hear
Hannah / Eryn:Oh my god. Ho ho.
Speaker 8:I apologize. I'm, how are you?
Hannah / Eryn:I'm I'm fine. Sorry. It was lost in thought there.
Speaker 8:I thought you to be more aware. I apologize.
Hannah / Eryn:Me too.
Speaker 8:Have you have you made your decision? Are you leaving soon or later?
Hannah / Eryn:Do we have an option to leave sooner?
Speaker 8:The whale will be here tomorrow with any luck.
Hannah / Eryn:That's the faster route?
Speaker 8:Correct. The rest of us will remain here for another week yet.
Hannah / Eryn:How are you all leaving?
Speaker 8:The well will come back for us again, but those of us who are willing to take the risk, we're going to absorb the knowledge and take it with us.
Hannah / Eryn:You know, I have to say, for someone who doesn't like books and scrolls much, your way of storing knowledge is pretty cool.
Speaker 8:Glad we can find some appreciation. I find that gnome quite insufferable,
Tim / GM:the writing one.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Who makes writing their whole personality? I mean, seriously. But yeah. I mean, I wanna get out of here.
Hannah / Eryn:I mean, no offense to you guys. You've been great, but it's just hard to stay in one place for long.
Speaker 8:I agree. We're all eager to leave circumstances being as they are. We have a duty to this island and to each other. We are keepers of knowledge whether lore exists or not.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron just nods like you.
Speaker 8:What is your duty Aron? What is your obligation? Who do you serve?
Hannah / Eryn:Well, nobody anymore, I guess. I don't know.
Speaker 8:A new development?
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Kinda got out of a bad, relationship, I guess you could say.
Tim / GM:Yes. I understand.
Speaker 8:Yes. Men can be complicated creatures.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron just like is like, oh my god. Why are we having this conversation? No. No. No.
Hannah / Eryn:No. No. No. Not like that.
Speaker 2:I don't know. It's the
Hannah / Eryn:you know about Diver a little bit and the blight?
Speaker 8:Yes. I I have heard this.
Hannah / Eryn:Well, he's a controlling asshole, so anyone who works with him, most of them, it's not by choice.
Speaker 8:I see. Dire circumstances you come from then.
Speaker 2:Diverse circumstances.
Speaker 8:Good one, Pape.
Tim / GM:Wait. How the shit did we hear that?
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. He, he hurts a lot of people, even those that work for him. I don't know. Work is the wrong word. And I'm starting to think most of it wasn't natural.
Hannah / Eryn:He had other means of controlling people.
Speaker 8:I see. There's perhaps nothing more invasive, nothing more foul than to control the mind of another. Unforgivable. Doran tried to do that to me, you know?
Hannah / Eryn:Did he?
Speaker 8:He did.
Hannah / Eryn:Wow.
Speaker 8:I had a special charm to protect me and failed. Well, the charm succeeded. Doran failed.
Hannah / Eryn:That checks out.
Speaker 8:Can I try shooting that thing?
Hannah / Eryn:The crossbow?
Tim / GM:Why not?
Hannah / Eryn:Sure. And Aaron loads up a bolt, not realizing it's the
Speaker 2:one that
Tim / GM:The blasting cap.
Hannah / Eryn:The blasting cap. Is loosely tied to it. Yeah. Aaron just, like, completely is not paying attention and just thinks it's
Speaker 2:a regular one and loads
Hannah / Eryn:it up and hands it to Hubert.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. Is it already, like, cocked back and everything? Yep. Okay.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Hubert just kind of, like, lines up the shot
Speaker 8:and he says, just pull the trigger.
Tim / GM:Yep. The arrow sails across this area, hits the little wooden target that you had carved out. Mhmm. It just explodes. Something hits something and caused a spark.
Tim / GM:This tree just Huber looks up at you and says,
Speaker 8:did I do that?
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, no. I'm I'm so sorry about your planet or
Thomas / Guy:your gut.
Speaker 8:Over and sets it down, and he says, I, I like that.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. That worked better than I expected. Cool.
Tim / GM:Poppy. Poppy, you are standing in the Tower of Plants and Food. There's a wooden bowl set before you surrounded by a ring of flower. Poppy has her hands raised up to either side and the room begins to dim. You can see this small bead of dough sitting in the bowl, and you can see Poppy's empty locket.
Tim / GM:The smooth round bead begins to form and starts to glow like molten glass, and the scent of fresh bread fills the room, and Poppy begins to float off the ground and the dough levitates into the air in front of her, and when it does, it starts taking the shape of Poppy. Poppy begins to close her outstretched arms in front of her in an embrace, and when she's finished, she's cradling a tiny sleeping reborn pinch.
Speaker 2:I grab a little loaf pan Mhmm. And I set him gently in it Mhmm. And cover it with a tea towel and pat his little butt.
Tim / GM:Right as you're, like, putting him away, he kind of wakes up and does some, like, slow sleepy blinks up at you. Well, good morning, sleepyhead. He flops out of the pan on
Speaker 2:have to get up yet. We're not doing anything.
Tim / GM:Just a big stretch and a yawn and kind of looks around.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm happy you're back. Oh, you got a little something there, and I pinch his cheek a little bit Mhmm. And I take off a bead of dough, and I put it in the vial. Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 2:I put it back around my neck.
Tim / GM:He kind of, like, rubs his cheek where you had just pulled from.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's just a little dust. Sorry.
Tim / GM:He, reaches down to the flower in a ring around this place, and he just grabs some in his little hand, and he, like, whips it up at you and it gets on your nose.
Speaker 2:Hey. You know that makes me sneeze, like, every time.
Tim / GM:He gets another handful ready, and he kinda, like, backs away, and he's got it, like, aimed for you.
Speaker 2:Don't you dare, mister.
Tim / GM:He holds it behind his head.
Speaker 2:The no chocolate chips for you later.
Tim / GM:He whips flower at you again.
Speaker 2:Pinch. Come on.
Tim / GM:He's, playing with the flower on the ground, trying to get you to play back now.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay. I rub my hand in the flower, and I slap it on his face. Okay. So he has the white hand
Tim / GM:The mark of Sauron? Yeah. Who do you serve? Happy. Okay.
Speaker 2:The,
Tim / GM:remainder of the day passes, with each of you kind of in your own private endeavors, and you're all drawn in by the light of a bonfire. Not far from the central warming house, this is one actually created by Huber. He's kind of waiting for people to gather around for some kind of, final meeting, I guess, with all of the Tortle of Lore and the guests of the Tortle of Lore. It's now nighttime, and, most of you, if not all of you, have reconvened at this bonfire.
Speaker 8:Some of you may know, we've contacted the whale. They'll be here tomorrow with any luck. Any of you can go with them at that time, those of you who wish to stay and retain knowledge. They'll stay for another week. There's some risk in doing so, but we need a decision.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm good leaving, if you guys are.
Thomas / Guy:I also am eager to leave this place.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. When Hubert told me earlier that the whale is either leaving tomorrow or a week from now, I, I already made my decision that I'm leaving tomorrow.
Tara / Journey:I mean, I would I would offer to help retain knowledge, but I think you all know the area better anyway, and I'm not looking for anything in particular. So I think it's more important to maybe warn other Skylands that there's something out there.
Speaker 2:You think we're gonna see it again?
Tara / Journey:We don't know where it went.
Speaker 2:I never wanted to be an adventurer.
Speaker 8:It's kind of you to want to do that journey. We appreciate it. But we certainly don't expect it. The knowledge of lore is our responsibility, not yours. We will help you board the whale, and many of us will be leaving with you, April included among them.
Speaker 8:For tonight, please, let's let's spend one evening with Laura as we knew it.
Tim / GM:You all kind of look up, and among the sparks from the bonfire, you all can see also hundreds of bright bulbs. They've gathered in in kind of unprecedented numbers here ever since the island's begun shaking.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron pulls out the bottle of wine Mhmm. And pops the cork and says, anyone wanna drink?
Tim / GM:Yayes.
Tara / Journey:What?
Tim / GM:Yayes, I'm sorry. I I okay. I promise I I wasn't going to invade, but I I just I want to say that wine has been chilling for 500 years, and it's gonna be really, really good. Can I just get one sip?
Speaker 2:I guess so. Yeah. I I can do that. How does that work? Do I have to, like, feed it to you?
Speaker 2:Or do I just take do you taste my mouth?
Tim / GM:Scoop it with the ladle.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Tim / GM:You can see there's, like, a little spiral motif that goes into the center of the scoop of the ladle.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron pours a little bit of wine into the ladle.
Tim / GM:And, kind of shockingly, very creepy, you can see the wine kind of disappear while it's sitting in the ladle at, like, little sips at a time. That is good stuff. You guys are in for a treat.
Speaker 2:Will you lend me your taste? I would like to experience this fully.
Tim / GM:I don't think you're ready for this jelly.
Speaker 2:Oh, no. I'm ready. Lay it on me.
Tim / GM:Alright. Poppy, you are infused with the most complex wine you've ever had. You're probably I don't know if you're a big drinker or not, Poppy, but this is a cut above in the way that will ruin all other wine for you for a long time forward. This is so balanced, but it's it's so floral.
Speaker 2:I'm getting, hints of pineapple? That's weird.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron finds some little cups and, gives some wine to everyone else who's around, including the turtles if they want some.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I think just about everybody who's, of circumstantial age takes you up on that. This wine is so good.
Hannah / Eryn:No underage drinking in this, d and d podcast.
Tim / GM:All above board.
Speaker 2:What is the legal drinking age,
Hannah / Eryn:you said? Only 17.
Tim / GM:For totals, it's 10.
Speaker 2:For totals.
Tim / GM:With that, actually.
Hannah / Eryn:Are we all drunk?
Tim / GM:No. You're not drunk. Okay. But you all have inspiration.
Speaker 8:Oh. A mechanic we've never used before.
Speaker 2:For how long?
Tara / Journey:You can put that on your D and D sheet.
Tim / GM:Until you use it.
Speaker 2:Yep. Oh, sick.
Tim / GM:So you all have an advantage dice at your disposal.
Speaker 2:Neato.
Tim / GM:In addition, Poppy is no longer exhausted.
Speaker 2:Hey. Hey. Yeah. That was good.
Thomas / Guy:Guy guy lets his sword take a little sniff of the wine before
Tara / Journey:Gotta check the bouquet.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Sword Melier.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I stick my hand in the wine. No. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It feels like wine. Wet. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:I put my eyeball in the wine.
Tim / GM:You hear Ganymede go, it smells better than it tastes. I know it doesn't.
Thomas / Guy:Did you hear that wine?
Speaker 2:Is that your guinea meat?
Thomas / Guy:Yes. Any impression is just Borat.
Speaker 2:My wife. My wife.
Tim / GM:Yeah. The turtle don't get all your Borat references.
Hannah / Eryn:And some knowledge they haven't had dropped on them yet. Right. Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:But wait till they get to that tower.
Tim / GM:The tower
John / Doran:of memes.
Tim / GM:Yeah. They they don't exactly get your Mainlander humor, but they're enjoying kind of the novelty of it. You're all able to sit and talk and learn about each other in earnest for the first time. There is kind of a lull in the conversation as these things tend to happen, and Huber, staring into the coals, quietly says,
Speaker 8:for 100 of years, we've lived here peacefully. But for millennia before that, we did not live here. And so again, we will find a new home. For ourselves and for our magic. We do not fall with this island, nor does our knowledge.
Tim / GM:The turtles surrounding the fire, not in agreement.
Speaker 2:That's commendable. To not falling. Yeah. To not falling.
Tim / GM:To not falling.
John / Doran:Not falling.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron raises the glass and cheers.
Speaker 2:I raise the glass and the ladle.
Hannah / Eryn:Clink them against each other? Yeah.
Tim / GM:Pinch raises a thimble.
Speaker 2:No. Pinch, you're not 10. 10 minutes.
Tim / GM:And with that, we long rest.
Speaker 2:A long rest.
Tim / GM:During your long rest, journey, I'll still give you the benefits of a long rest, but you sleep fitfully, because you keep waking up, because you keep hearing, go seek. And it's just kind of echoing in your head. Every time you wake up, you can just hear someone finishing. Go. Seek.
Tim / GM:And you probably woke up like that 6 times throughout the night until you wake up one more time, and the dawn is already broke, and it's let's just wake up. You know?
Tara / Journey:Mhmm. Yeah. Journey looks a little frazzled in the morning, I think.
Speaker 2:Oh, are you okay?
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I'm just a little groggy. I didn't sleep too well.
Speaker 2:You want some oatmeal? I made some.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. That sounds great.
Tim / GM:This is your 3rd day on Lor. You're just kind of starting all of your routines. You all kind of regularly gather for breakfast, or people just kind of show up around the rolling pin expecting something to eat, I think, is the usual rhythm at this point. Huber hasn't made much contact while you've seen him and his turtle kind of milling about. A lot of people are getting their supplies ready.
Tim / GM:They're getting all of their, like, personal effects ready to move today when the whale arrives. What are all of you doing with your last day on lore?
John / Doran:Well, everyone, the whale sounds nice. I don't know if we ever figured out whether or not it's a real whale.
Thomas / Guy:I remember asking about that.
John / Doran:Yeah. I
Speaker 2:thought it was a sky whale.
John / Doran:Right.
Tara / Journey:I thought it was a ship.
John / Doran:It's one of the 2.
Tara / Journey:Don't you all name your ships after
Speaker 2:I don't have a
Tara / Journey:ship. Fun things.
Thomas / Guy:You have a name.
Tara / Journey:You give them names, though.
Thomas / Guy:You have a cart.
Speaker 2:That's true. That does have a name.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. And your cart doesn't look like a rolling pin. It's just a cart. I mean, it's a great cart, but
Speaker 2:It's a play on words because, you use a rolling pin to bake to roll out dough, but it's a so I use it for baking, and it's a bakery. But the cart moves, so it rolls. It's rolling. Oh. It's a pun.
Speaker 2:It's a pun.
Tara / Journey:That's fun. Yeah. That's real clever.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Tara / Journey:I didn't get it. Now I get it. Yeah. Alright. Maybe this ship is called the whale because it is kinda like a sky whale, but it isn't actually a whale.
Speaker 2:Or it cries a lot.
John / Doran:Oh, that's sad.
Tim / GM:You all hear a clattering noise as the, armor approaches Poppy with an empty plate, and hands it, or kind of holds it before her.
Speaker 2:Oh, do you eat?
Tim / GM:It puts one hand on one hip holding the plate in the other and just kinda cocks its head at you.
Speaker 2:Right. Good thing oatmeal is cheap. I I slap some on the plate.
Tim / GM:Okay. It, yeah. It walks away happy with its little bit of oatmeal. It goes and sits on a log, and it just starts, scooping the oatmeal with a wooden spoon and kind of dropping it into the armor. And every time you guys can hear this wet, like, slap.
Tim / GM:As it kind of, like, falls into the torso.
Thomas / Guy:Do we know if the armor is coming with us?
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know. Doesn't it have your armor?
Tara / Journey:Is it still wearing guys' armor?
Tim / GM:It, looks up at you with barely any regard, and it just kinda, like, yanks on its shirt to show you that it's still wearing Guy's chainmail armor.
John / Doran:Okay. Yeah. We gotta figure this out before we get on the Yeah.
Tara / Journey:The whale. God, why don't you talk to Ganymede and see if Ganymede can maybe get the armor to be on you instead of wearing your armor? Don't you need new armor?
Thomas / Guy:I am sadly lacking armor. You believe this animated suit of armor could become my suit of armor? Armor.
Tara / Journey:Well, isn't that what he was for Ganymede?
Thomas / Guy:Ganymede does not have a corporeal form.
Tara / Journey:Rat.
Thomas / Guy:I believe this could work. Mister Ganymede?
Tim / GM:Yes.
Thomas / Guy:I do not have any smell related business for you at this time.
Tim / GM:Very well. Check-in later.
Thomas / Guy:Well, I did want to inquire about, Ganymede's armor that has been following us around.
Tim / GM:Yes.
Thomas / Guy:Well, we just noticed that since it does not appear to have a body on which it is attached.
Tim / GM:Yes. I forgot I obliterated my
Thomas / Guy:I hope this isn't too forthcoming, but I wondered if perhaps I could don the armor.
Tim / GM:Yes. I see how you got there. Okay.
Thomas / Guy:Yes. I, normally wear armor. The encounter with the rust monsters was a bit of a problem.
Tim / GM:Yes. Well, the armor, sorry. His name is Gus. Oh. Gus can be temperamental.
Tim / GM:It took a long time for us to become good buddies.
Thomas / Guy:I feel we already have a bit of rapport.
Tim / GM:Well, you need more than rapport. You need his respect.
Thomas / Guy:Respect.
Tim / GM:R e s p e c t. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:Yes. What what does it mean?
Tim / GM:Well, you have to show him what it means to you, and then he'll understand.
Thomas / Guy:I think I understand. Guy Mouse, I don't understand.
Tim / GM:Well, good job my smelly friend. Go forth and succeed.
Thomas / Guy:Thank you. Gettimid. A good day. Alright. Guy walks over to the armor.
Tim / GM:The armor hands you his plate.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, yes. I can take this.
Tim / GM:The armor kind of claps his hands and, like, dusts them off and, like, looks side to side as for what he's gonna do today and strikes off to his left.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, well, you, may I say you're looking quite shiny today.
Tim / GM:He, like, quickly turns back at you, and then he hears you call him Gus.
Thomas / Guy:May I call you Gus?
Tim / GM:His expression kind of goes slack, actually. He gives you a brief nod and then he starts walking away from you again and then he looks at you over his shoulder and continues walking
Thomas / Guy:Maybe Gus just needs his space. Yeah. Guy, returns the dish to the rolling pin.
Tim / GM:Okay. A couple hours go by. Huber lets you know the whale is indeed due today, but there's a little bit of storm activity. He's not exactly sure when it's gonna show up. You all need to be ready at a moment's notice.
Tim / GM:All of your stuff, all of your wagon, whatever it is, needs to be at the south end and ready to go.
John / Doran:May I talk to Huber? K. I I reached out to him through the bell first.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Hey,
John / Doran:Huber? Lauren. Yes. I'm sure you're quite busy, but, just thought I'd check-in before we head off, you know, knowing that this could happen at any time. Very well.
John / Doran:K. Where are you at?
Speaker 8:Currently, Shred and I are getting what we can from the tower of celestial affairs. Neat. I'll head on over.
Tim / GM:Do you
Speaker 8:want me to meet you back at the warming house?
John / Doran:Yeah, that's fine. If Yeah.
Speaker 8:We're on our way. Okay.
Tim / GM:He shows up, a little, impatient and he says,
Speaker 8:Doran, what is it that you need?
John / Doran:I appreciate how understanding you've been with all of us. I know it's quite a culture shock, I'm sure. But, anyways, I I just wanted to connect and, you know, I'd like to hold on to this echo bell between us and perhaps should we find ourselves on the same Skyland or even mainland after all of this happens, I'd love to connect and learn what you've learned and perhaps share lore that we find ourselves.
Speaker 8:Oh, I think that's a brilliant idea. Keep this bell. Yes. We should stay in contact, no matter the distance.
John / Doran:Alright, Hubert. I go in for a side hug.
Tim / GM:He obliges, kind of following your lead on the custom, and, pulls away from you, and he says,
Speaker 8:Dorn, we didn't have the time I thought we did, but I quite appreciate your approach. You're reasonable, if perhaps a little tricky.
John / Doran:Yeah. It's a bit of Aaron rubbing off on me, I think.
Speaker 8:If we had more time, I do believe we could found a friendship.
John / Doran:Oh, wait. Right. Because we didn't.
Speaker 8:No. I'm afraid not yet.
Speaker 2:How devastating.
Tim / GM:Aaron, you keep a good view of most things. When everybody disperses in the party, you try to position yourself in a way where you can kind of keep tabs on most things.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Tim / GM:And in a case like this, it's crucially important. Erin, you're in a high spot. You look up over a gray stone cliffside onto the flat soft moss where the heavenly feather first landed on lower near the south end. You notice gracefully touching down in that same spot, unmistakably, Diver's ship. In a moment of icy panic, you lock on Diver, but suddenly you can see him as if he's right there in front of you.
Tim / GM:He's wearing armor now, and he's got heavy Bismarck gauntlets over his fist, and you can see in his hand he's holding a crude copy of your wooden carving. You blink a couple times, and you realize that your vision was just zoomed in over 1500 feet. Oh.
Tara / Journey:Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:Because I can see really far.
Tim / GM:If you just saw what I saw, I think it's bad. I can feel your heartbeat.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. It's bad. Aaron is gonna scramble and run to the nearest, companion, friend in our party. Okay. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:Who's closest?
Tim / GM:Nobody's real close. Let's go around the room.
Speaker 2:I am trying to convince Mikey to give me the other echo bell
Tara / Journey:so we can have so many
Speaker 2:echoes. Okay.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. Mikey's, kind of, like, stacking up his own stuff, not too far from the south end. Aaron, as you're descending the cliff side, you can see that Poppy and Mikey might be the first targets to get hit by Diver, and you're there's no way you're gonna make it there before Diver does. Hey, Poppy.
Speaker 2:Hi, Mikey. Okay. So I have a proposition for you.
John / Doran:Can you
Tim / GM:help me lift this?
Speaker 2:No.
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah. Right.
Speaker 2:I'm, like, 2 feet tall.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Sorry. Okay. Anyway.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I was thinking if if you gave me the echo bell, you know, we have the 2 between us. If you gave me yours
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Then I would give you whatever chocolate chips I have left over.
Tim / GM:Oh, hey. That's not a bad deal. And all the echo welts on this island are gonna die anyway. So yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow. That's morbid. Yes.
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's just, we're going on big adventures and need to be able to connect. And and I think we'll always have a connection to Huber, probably, if I overheard that correct. So if you ever needed me or anything, you could just ask Hubert to to contact us. But Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So here's a jar of chocolate chips for you
Tara / Journey:at Oh.
Speaker 2:If you hand over your bell. And finish packing first.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. Give me the chocolate chips.
Speaker 2:Okay. Give me the bell.
Tim / GM:Here's the bell.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Yes. I will take that.
Tim / GM:He, opens up his, like, main treasure chest of personal effects, and he settles the chocolate chips into a burlap sack in
Speaker 2:the And I I would strongly recommend savoring those. We know what happened last time.
Tim / GM:He looks back with a chocolate smear on his face. Doran is nearby Guy and Journey. And, Doran, you're the first to turn because you hear it first. You whip around, and you can hear this low rumbling, and you think it's the island shaking again, but nobody else is reacting like you are. And then you can see this massive shadow in the clouds.
Tim / GM:Something colossal, almost as big as lower, approaching the island.
John / Doran:That that might be the whale. Do you guys see that?
Tim / GM:You all look up, and you can see late afternoon sun coming in through the storm clouds casting a weak green and gold light on a rapidly darkening sky as the storm clouds approach. Loud wind rips at the trees and the tall grass on the hills and debris flies up and away, and in the distance you
Speaker 2:can see a familiar vessel,
Tim / GM:a black dot. What seemed like debris in the wind now moves against the wind with grace and power. And it's diver's airship. And he's not alone. A second ship, more ornate and well equipped, dips beyond the hills with eerie grace next to divers.
Tim / GM:Erin, what are you doing?
Hannah / Eryn:I'm running as fast as I can. Like I said, trying to find the nearest person. I don't know.
Tim / GM:Yeah. You explode onto the scene. You're on a higher cliff than the rest of these people are, but you can call down to them now. You're close enough where you could see each other. Doran, Journey, Guy, Huber, a lot of the Tortle are standing down in this valley.
Tim / GM:What do you say?
Hannah / Eryn:It's Diver's ship. Everyone, look to the south. What?
Tara / Journey:Tully was the big gardener guy?
Tim / GM:Yeah.
Tara / Journey:I run to him.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. He's, not far from this group of people. He's trying to figure out how he can time? We don't
Tara / Journey:have time. I need you to call Cree right now. We are all in grave danger.
Speaker 7:To call Cree. Why?
Speaker 2:Look up at that ship.
Speaker 7:Ryan. It's it's
Tara / Journey:That's Diver. That's Diver. And he's coming for us. And he's coming to do some damage. The Blatt.
Tara / Journey:It's it's real bad.
Speaker 7:I don't know these things you're talking about.
Tara / Journey:Please, you just gotta trust me.
Speaker 7:I'm afraid I she hasn't been listening to me.
Tim / GM:He pulls out the wooden whistle from his shirt and he blows into it. And you hear this, not what you expected it's actually kind of otherworldly it sounds like howling wind of its own. And then you see a shadow flash over the island, but it doesn't come down. It hears it, but it doesn't respond.
Tara / Journey:I, yeah, I run back to my party. We're on our own.
John / Doran:We don't know why he's here. It may not be for us. Let's just go hide, then we can try to strike.
Tara / Journey:What about Tommy?
Thomas / Guy:What? Isn't Poppy down there? I must go.
John / Doran:Where where is Poppy?
Tara / Journey:Poppy. Poppy. You gotta hide. You gotta hide right now. Diver's on his way.
Speaker 2:Well, I think the whale's here.
Tara / Journey:No. It's Diver. You gotta hide.
Speaker 2:What do you mean?
Tara / Journey:He's here. Hide now.
Speaker 2:How did he Poppy.
Tara / Journey:It doesn't matter. Just hide.
Speaker 2:Mikey. Mikey, are there any caves?
Tim / GM:Yeah. There's a mine, on the left side.
Speaker 2:Oh. Somewhere we can hide here now.
Tim / GM:Well, yeah. Actually, I know one spot. Come on.
Speaker 2:I guess I trust you.
Tim / GM:The cliff walls are kinda placed in a way that you wouldn't expect there to be this extra depth to the wall where you could kind of tuck in. But he shows
Speaker 2:Stealth. 7. You guys cannot let me be on my own anymore. K.
Thomas / Guy:I have no
Tim / GM:skills. Poppy, you here?
Speaker 7:His name is Doran. A weak looking human in a fancy coat, dark hair, looks like one of those Don's Edge dogs.
Tim / GM:And, Doran, you hear the same thing From maybe quarter mile, half mile away, as if he was standing right next to you, you hear divers saying, his name is Doran.
John / Doran:Alright. New plan. They're definitely coming for me. We can't all hide. I think we have to meet him head on.
Tim / GM:Doran, you don't hear this next part, but, Poppy, you do.
Speaker 7:I'm gonna go after Aaron. I need her back. This should get me close. Parson, look for Doran, Smogreen. Go with him.
John / Doran:Hubert, you don't happen to have any warriors on this island? Is the whale coming with the warriors? Soldiers.
Speaker 8:The whale is a mercantile vessel. A shred is, something of a fighter?
Thomas / Guy:Shit.
John / Doran:When's a when's a whale getting
Speaker 8:here? Should be any moment. I I don't know with the storm. I'm sorry.
Tara / Journey:Hubert, you need to get all your people out of here. We're about to be in big trouble.
Tim / GM:Hubert starts to kind of, like, spin around and and look for answers, Poppy. You hear?
Speaker 8:Yes. But there's something we need to deal with first.
Tim / GM:You hear this kind of, like, buzzing noise, Poppy. This and something lands near you and starts to move towards that crevasse that you and Mikey are tucked into. And Mikey grabs your hand and squeezes it tight.
Speaker 2:Do I have does it sound like anything I've heard before?
Tim / GM:I don't think so. Like a huge dragonfly maybe?
Speaker 2:Is there another way out or we didn't,
Tim / GM:like You're literally in a dead end.
Hannah / Eryn:Great.
Speaker 2:Okay. Get behind me.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Mikey moves behind you.
Speaker 2:And then I'm going to ready an action Okay. If that's alright.
Tim / GM:What is it?
Speaker 2:Burning hands k. To anybody who comes into my field
Speaker 7:of vision.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Speaker 2:And I would cast it at a higher level.
Tim / GM:What level?
Speaker 2:Second. Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:Is burning hands a touch? No.
Speaker 2:It's a cone. Oh, okay. Never mind. And I'm going to whisper very quietly to Journey. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:I think
Thomas / Guy:I think
Speaker 2:I'm gonna die again.
Tara / Journey:Hold tight, Poppy. We're on our way.
Speaker 2:He's he says he's after Aaron. He's after Aaron? And Doran. Tell Aaron to to change or something. Keep quiet.
Speaker 2:Thank you. We'll get you. We'll save you. Is
Thomas / Guy:Poppy in trouble?
Tara / Journey:Big trouble. We gotta go. What are we gonna do?
Thomas / Guy:Can we draw him here?
John / Doran:I'm worried there's too many ships that came up. I think the best thing we can do is split up, and I'll try to make it to the whale when it comes.
Thomas / Guy:You 2 go. I will draw their attention.
Tara / Journey:We gotta stick together. That's our only chance.
John / Doran:They're after me, so I can They're
Tara / Journey:not just after you. They're after Aaron too, and now they've got Poppy cornered. Splitting up isn't the solution right now.
John / Doran:I put my hands on, Journey and Guy. Mhmm. Take care of yourselves. I'll go find Aaron.
Tara / Journey:Doran, this doesn't make any sense.
John / Doran:I give them both, bardic inspiration.
Tim / GM:K. Oh, good.
John / Doran:You go after Poppy.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you hear the crunch of gravel as something touches down and begins walking towards you. And then the footsteps slow and stop before they get to you and you hear, this island's dying. Look at all the bright bulbs. It's telltale signs. Diver, can we just take what we need?
Tim / GM:You hear a distant voice call back.
Speaker 7:I don't give a fuck.
Tim / GM:You can hear this. And you can see this kind of like bright pink color kind of display from everywhere in this canyon.
Speaker 2:I pick up a rock very slowly. Mhmm. I toss it out of the crevasse.
Tim / GM:Okay. The breathing stops. You hear a couple of more crunching footsteps in the gravel, and you hear, Smilgrin?
Speaker 8:Was that you, or was that
Tim / GM:and then flames.
Speaker 2:At a second level.
Tim / GM:Yeah. What's the dex save on that?
Speaker 2:13.
Tim / GM:Well, okay. So that would be a 16.
Speaker 2:Okay. So they take half damage. Cool. Which is 4 d 6. That's 11.
Speaker 2:K. And it ignites any flammable objects Okay. That aren't being worn or carried Sure. Which is not great, but you think it would light things on fire if you're if you're, like, wearing them. You know?
Tim / GM:The burning hands rolls through this small canyon that you're kind of tucked into, like, bouncing off the walls and using, the air here actually kind of, like, sucks in to serve as kind of a flame cannon to route out this thing. You see both of them kind of reel back and shield their faces as they're bathed in flame. Run. But they don't seem too deterred by us.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I know.
Tim / GM:But
Speaker 2:we're both very small, so let's go.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Okay. You're just gonna try to, like, blast past him kind of thing? Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:Okay. Can we see the burning hands from where we are?
Tim / GM:I don't think so because the nature of the Winding Canyons here, you might have heard it. Guy, eventually, you'll smell the
John / Doran:burn. Okay.
Thomas / Guy:You're still pretty far away. Yes. I I wanna as soon as Doran leaves, that sound might be Poppy. I must draw him here. And Guide pulls out the hot rod and shoots a scorching ray straight up into the sky.
Thomas / Guy:Okay.
Tara / Journey:While he does that, I'm gonna cast hidden step Mhmm. And then head towards the south area and try to maybe sneak up behind them as they come toward Guy. Yes. Oh, and I give Dorn one of my echo bells.
John / Doran:Oh, that's good. Catch
Tara / Journey:it. Okay.
Speaker 2:I don't know how this works, but I have happily nimbleness, meaning I can move through other people's faces.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I'd say that, counts here. Let's do initiative before we get any further. Let's not get too squirrelly with the order.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. Trying to sneak in a little bonus action pre initiative.
Speaker 2:Can I roll anything higher than a 10 today,
Tim / GM:please? Erin.
Hannah / Eryn:7. And for the record, I rolled a 3, so I do roll bad.
Tara / Journey:Journey. 12. Guy?
Thomas / Guy:6.
Tara / Journey:We're gonna die.
John / Doran:Doran? 18.
Tara / Journey:Maybe we won't die.
Tim / GM:Poppy?
Hannah / Eryn:10. It was a little hard to hear. Are these the names of the people that are the assassins that were with Diver, or are they just random? Yes.
Thomas / Guy:These are the people who heard about
Hannah / Eryn:it, the torrents.
Tim / GM:These were the 2 other people called out during torrents.
Speaker 2:And one of them is sucking down bismite.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. My anxiety level is I know.
Speaker 2:I'm sweating. Because this is the boss. We should turn the heat off. We can't.
Tara / Journey:I rolled my sleeves up.
Hannah / Eryn:We can't fight the bosses right now. We're level 4.
Tim / GM:Alright. We begin with Doran.
John / Doran:Can I see where Arryn is or have a sense of where your Yeah?
Tim / GM:You can see where Arryn is. She's up higher than you, and she's got, like, a better like, she's got more clear runway. She can get around easier than you guys can. You have to deal with the canyons. She doesn't.
John / Doran:After spotting Aaron, I'm just gonna turn to Huber. Where would the whale dock? What side of the island?
Speaker 8:The moss on the south end. It's the only place that's suitable for docking.
John / Doran:We need to get everyone there somehow. I'll try to signal to Aaron. Mhmm. Can I just try to gesture, I guess?
Tim / GM:I'm gonna can gesture or speak. Yeah. Oh. She called down to you guys before.
John / Doran:Yeah. Right. Yeah. Aaron, the whale will dock at the south. And with that, I'm going to run towards the south, towards where Guy and Journey are heading, but I'm gonna try to stay within foliage and actually try to stealth around the situation a bit.
John / Doran:Okay.
Tim / GM:Next up is right next to Poppy. As you're running through trying to get past, you see 2 new faces. You don't know them yet. Doran hasn't told you what he learned, but you are facing down Parsonan and Smillegrin.
Speaker 2:Love that for me.
Tim / GM:Parsonan is about 6 feet tall. They are almost always flying. You can see these massive gossamer cyan and magenta pixie wings hanging off of Parsonan. Crouching next to flying Parson is Smilebrin. He wears a mask over his face and he has long claws made of bismite hanging from the backs of his hands.
Tim / GM:Ew. As you try to sprint past them, Parsonman raises their hands and brings them back down, and you can hear this tinkling, this sharp smashing of bismite all around you, and you can make a deck save.
Speaker 2:Oh my god. Yes. A deck save. 19.
Tara / Journey:Nice.
Tim / GM:Cool. Yeah. You're like
Thomas / Guy:When it counts.
Tim / GM:You look up and see the glint of bismite about to rain down on you and you just yank Mikey forward to get him out of harm's way and the 2 of you start running forward and Parsonan redirects that bismite to chase you instead. And when they do, Mikey jumps in front of you and tucks in his arms and his neck, and it all just crashes against his shell. And you see his eyes kind of bug out wide as they all just blast against him.
Speaker 2:My hero in a half shell.
Tim / GM:That tickles. Let's go. They begin to, run along with you. You hear her smile, Wren, just barely. As you're passing, you hear him.
Speaker 2:I get to kill someone. I get to kill someone. Oh, I don't like that.
Tim / GM:And you hear this. And you shutter to think what could have happened, but you hear a series of mist attacks.
Speaker 2:Mist? Mist.
Tara / Journey:M I s s e d.
Speaker 2:Oh my god. Okay. For fuck's sake. We're in the clouds. What do you
Tim / GM:expect? Alright.
Speaker 2:It's it's that hassling nimbleness.
Tim / GM:And with that, Poppy, it is your turn.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Tim / GM:Nope. Sorry. Skip Journey. It's Journey's turn.
Tara / Journey:I was like, wait. We rolled the same and my initiative is better.
Tim / GM:No. It's Journey's turn. Poppy rolled a 10. You got a 12.
Tara / Journey:Yep. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Your initiative
Tim / GM:is better.
Tara / Journey:Just a little. Okay. I'm too far to do anything at this point.
Tim / GM:Yeah. You haven't seen them yet.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I'm gonna dash to get to a place that's tucked around a corner from where I know they're gonna pass through to get to the main area where the Toril are. K. I'm invisible right now.
Tim / GM:Oh, that's right. Okay. That makes it easy. Alright. Next up is, smile Grin.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you hear this crun you hear a crunching of Smile Grin kind of pushes off with his back feet and then rakes forward with his claws. Smile grin kind of pushes off with his back feet and then rakes forward with his claws to run after you. He is gaining on you fast. He runs almost twice as fast as you do, Poppy. He catches up to you in no time and descends upon you.
Tim / GM:Great.
Tara / Journey:This is scary villains Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're only level 4.
Tim / GM:Okay. That is a natural one on his first attack. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:More like frown, scowl
Speaker 2:How much did he fail? I just want to know because you make us fail poorly.
Tim / GM:This guy fucking sucks. Alright. So he got a his roles were natural 1, 6, and then 3, which amounts to fucking nothing.
Speaker 2:My ace is 11.
Tim / GM:Jeez. Okay. One of those will hit x.
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, no. Wow.
Thomas / Guy:You didn't have to volunteer there.
Tim / GM:His first attack. Poppy, give me an intelligence check. Wait. Knock your brains out.
John / Doran:Meggie, you don't have to do this. Just say, are
Speaker 2:am I under arrest? Yeah. Am I being detained?
Tara / Journey:There's a rule
Tim / GM:I'm being detained.
Thomas / Guy:Are you a cop?
Tara / Journey:You have to tell me if you're a cop.
Speaker 2:I won't tell you anything until I speak to a lawyer.
Tara / Journey:I'm the lawyer. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:We win again.
Speaker 2:7. I rolled a 2.
Tim / GM:Kip. Alright. You don't know shit about what this guy is. Okay. He jumps at you and instead of his claws, he actually raises his feet and he attempts to drop kick you.
Tim / GM:Oh. He is wearing heavy heavy heavy iron boots. He goes He's
Tara / Journey:wearing iron boots?
Tim / GM:Iron boots.
Tara / Journey:This fucker.
Thomas / Guy:And he runs twice as fast
Tim / GM:as Poppy. And he runs fat twice as fast as Poppy. He goes sailing past you with these iron boots, and he just obliterates himself on the cliff wall. You can see this like outline of blow where he hits and then he just kind of like falls and like looks up at you all like dazed and shit and he feel like does some like empty swipes to try to get you, one of them actually connects. Not too bad.
Tim / GM:That is 5 slashing damage as just one of his claws catches you in his kind of, delirium after smashing the wall.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Tim / GM:I need to take some damage from that complete fuck up there. Alright.
Speaker 2:The wall smash.
Tim / GM:The wall smash.
Tara / Journey:The reason I was startled about the iron boots is because they're all fey.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. Oh,
Tim / GM:next There's something going on. Is.
Speaker 2:Okay. I will, look over my shoulder really quick. Mhmm. See how they're lined up.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I'm sure you could line them up. Yeah. They're in a canyon. K.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna cast Lemon Whip.
Tim / GM:A new one?
Speaker 2:Yes. And with a little bit of lemon juice. I'll, like, whip it in a line. Mhmm. A stream of acid emanates from me.
Speaker 2:It's 30 feet long, 5 feet wide, and they have to make deck saves k. Or be covered in acid.
Thomas / Guy:When life gives you lemons.
Tara / Journey:Throw it at your enemies.
Tim / GM:So Smile Grin got a 13. Parson got an 8.
Speaker 2:My save is 13.
Tim / GM:Me to beat it. Yep. So Smile Grin's fine. Parson, what happens?
Speaker 2:He takes 2 d 4 acid damage. K. Alright. It's 44. Sorry.
Speaker 2:Because I cast it at 2nd level. Mhmm. 4 d 4. That's 8 acid damage, and then we'll take 2 d 4 each turn.
Tim / GM:8 acid damage? Yeah.
Speaker 2:K. I'm not rolling well. Yeah. You
Tim / GM:see Parsonman kind of reel back, and, they just kind of lean in again, and you see their wings kind of go, like, straight back behind them. Parsonan stares at you and you just see them go,
Speaker 8:what the hell was that?
Speaker 2:I'm not responding.
Tim / GM:Yeah. They're just making a lemon face. Next up is the turtle. Hubert kind of spins in a circle. Doesn't know what the hell to do, how to lead his people in a time of absolute crisis like this.
Tim / GM:Tully is staring up at Cree waiting for it to come down. Nothing is happening here. Guy, you hear a rattling noise chasing after you. Doran, you notice a shadow of a giant bird flying overhead that dips momentarily beneath the clouds and surveys the scene. Erin, it is your turn.
Hannah / Eryn:I've had all this time to think and I still don't know what's best. How far away am I from an enemy?
Tim / GM:If you used the rest of your movement to get closer to them, you would have a vantage on diver by the end of your turn. But you already used the blasting cap, didn't you?
Tara / Journey:Well, I wasn't sure.
Hannah / Eryn:For jokes, dude. Wasn't sure if it was gonna work or not.
Tim / GM:They gave you an anti diver bomb, and you just threw it away.
Tara / Journey:I was kidding. It was for humor.
Speaker 2:For humor? For hubers humor.
Thomas / Guy:Which is the spin off podcast after this one.
Tara / Journey:Huber humor.
Speaker 2:Oh, god.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. Aaron knows there's no way off the island currently except for diver ship. I'm just so hesitant to try to fight these people. I'll just fight them. Whatever.
Hannah / Eryn:There's no other option. So
Tara / Journey:Cornered animal fights.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Basically. Okay. Yeah. Erin will, take their act or I guess their movement to, run along the top of the
Tara / Journey:Crevasses? Crevasses? Cliffs.
Hannah / Eryn:Cliffs. You know, jumping and running across as fast as they can. I'll do bonus action to kind of get flat and high. K. Not good.
Hannah / Eryn:14 to hide. K. And then I will get down kinda like sniper style Yeah. With my crossbow bolt and, I'll take an action to shoot a bolt at Diver.
Tim / GM:Cool.
Hannah / Eryn:As a stealth, I don't know if I'm hidden or not from him, but I'm trying to be stealthy Okay. Because
Speaker 2:I get extra.
Tim / GM:Yeah. So you take take advantage on this shot. Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:Not good. 14 to hit.
Tim / GM:You see your crossbow bolt fire off at Diver, and it is a direct hit.
Tara / Journey:Oh.
Tim / GM:You see the arrow harmlessly plink off of his bismide armor.
Hannah / Eryn:Am I still hidden?
Tim / GM:You see him kind of, like, whip around to see where the arrow came from, and you see him, like, searching the cliff. He's, like, looking up and around you, but his eyes never settle on you.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. That is the end of my turn.
Thomas / Guy:K. This mine armor is new. Right? Yes.
Speaker 7:Wasn't
Tim / GM:yeah. Next up is Guy.
Thomas / Guy:That's me. This rattling noise behind you, was it the bird? No. Yeah. Okay.
Thomas / Guy:That's yeah.
Tim / GM:It was Gus.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, Gus.
Tim / GM:He gives you a brief nod.
Thomas / Guy:I will face these men alone if I must, but I could really use your help to protect my friend and protect this island.
Tim / GM:Gives you another brief nod, and then he tucks up both of his gauntlets in front of him in this Lemmy Adam kind of fighting boxing pose.
Thomas / Guy:That's exactly what I had in mind. Great. Gonna keep bugging it toward the south.
Tim / GM:Okay. You see Diver. He is facing away from you. He is looking up at the cliff side searching for something.
Thomas / Guy:Decided to come back and finish the job have you?
Tim / GM:He slowly turns around to look at you and he says,
Speaker 8:I thought I knocked your head off.
Thomas / Guy:Well, I put it back.
Tim / GM:He kind of, like, winds up his right arm, cracking his knuckles to face you down again. He says, I'll make it stick this time.
Thomas / Guy:But this time, I won't give you the pleasure. And guy removes his head.
Speaker 8:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:Turns on form of dread.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:Does a little rush out. Okay. Turns around for a second and puts his head on Gus. Okay. And then goes in for an attack.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. Gus like grabs your head kind of speechless and doesn't know what to do with it. He's actually kinda panicked. He's like, Ah!
Tim / GM:His head bow! And then Gus gets it. You see Gus reach up and grab his helmet and he throws it to the ground and he like sets your head into the arm and you're seeing
John / Doran:that happens.
Speaker 2:That's awesome.
Tim / GM:Alright. And form of dread, does diver need to make a save here?
Thomas / Guy:No. I get some temporary hit points. Okay. And then when I make a text, that's when I have the chance to frighten.
Tim / GM:Got it. Attack.
Speaker 2:Here it comes.
Thomas / Guy:It's a 14 again.
Tim / GM:Yeah. That does not hit Thyra. What's the attack?
Thomas / Guy:Just a sword. Great blade of load of attack.
Tim / GM:Okay. Same story. You drive that thing straight into him and you just kind of feel it hit into the bismite and it just kind of sinks into him a tiny bit and leaves a dent on his armor, but it does nothing to him. You're gonna have to hit a little bit harder. You see Diver take a step back from you and and you see him like he's about to exchange blows, but when he drops his arms to his side, you just see him kind of flex and then he continues to flex and you see his biceps look like they're about to burst and you see him start to sweat, and you see this pink light start to drift from the ground up towards Diver, and you hear him, And then the island begins to shake, but what's different this time is it never stops shaking.
Tim / GM:You can see this glittery dust start to drive up from the ground and float anti gravity against the bright bulbs that are swarming because Laura is falling. And I think that's where we'll end it this time.
Thomas / Guy:Oh god.
Speaker 2:I got one turn.
Tim / GM:Thanks everybody for listening. I am Tim, your GM.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm Hannah playing Aaron.
Tara / Journey:I'm Tara and Journey wanted to shoot him.
Thomas / Guy:I'm Thomas. I'm Guy.
John / Doran:I'm John. I play Doran.
Speaker 2:I'm Meggie. I play Poppy and I'm falling.
Tim / GM:Thanks everybody so much for listening. I'll see you on the next one.
Tara / Journey:Just you.
Tim / GM:Just me. I you listen.
