Cloudfall | 37 - Rat Racing
Last time on Cloudfall. It started with a gratuitously bountiful hero's feast hosted by the ruling royalty of Smallcastle, the entire Gentalia family and their closest allies. The food was luxurious and the portions were absurd, but navigating the nuances of dinner conversation did not come naturally to everyone at the table. They stumbled onto the subject of backseat and cloud falls and the fate of small castle, which led them to the witch. As it turns out, Maisie Muldriff, the fabled unstable Wild Witch of Tildry is at the center of it all.
Tim / GM:And the royal family has little understanding of the situation or the stakes. The party took the treacherous road out of tiny castle and made their way up several floors in Maisie's magically trapped tower. They now stand in the threshold of Maisie's study watching her weave her magic. It's time to find out for ourselves what this witch is Willy all about. You're all standing in the doorway, the threshold of Maisie's tower into her spell weaving laboratory.
Tim / GM:You can see evidenced by the broken debris all around the room, the flasks and scrolls pinned up all around the room on the shelves. Maisie Muldrifft is walking towards you. She's got half of her hair up in a little tight side pony that's kind of sprouting off the side of her head, and the other part of her hair is kind of like shaved down in one patch. The other patch is this pink and green strands that are pouring down in front of her face. She looks a little frazzled to say the least, either she cares a lot about how she looks or not at all.
Tim / GM:She approaches all of you looking down at Poppy and says, you. Me? Yeah. You. You are Poppy Kenmore, are you not?
Maggie / Poppy:I mean, yeah, last I checked.
Tim / GM:The muffin mage. She kneels down in front of you and she says, you have got to tell me how you do it.
Maggie / Poppy:Wha well, I mean I don't really know how I do it. It just happens.
Tim / GM:Deeply unsatisfactory. She crosses her arms and stands back up. As for the rest of you, who are you? Are you here to kill me, or I gotta kill you, or what's going on?
Tim / GM:No killing.
Hannah / Eryn:I mean, only if you like that sort of thing.
Tim / GM:Remains to be seen. Sure. Sure. Good attitude.
John / Doran:Say, it didn't seem like you wanted to have visitors based on we had to jump through a lot of hoops to get here.
Tim / GM:Sure. Yeah. Yeah. This place is set up to kill nanny buddy who comes up those stairs. Right.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Didn't work out, though. Congratulations. Good job.
Maggie / Poppy:Thanks.
John / Doran:Thank you. Yeah. So we're here mostly, I mean, sharing recipes, certainly, something that's on the table, but, we're trying to stop this island from falling. Oh. And Don't worry about it.
Tim / GM:Don't worry about it. Nope. Don't want you to say another word. I got a little bit
Tim / GM:of a worry. Hey.
Tim / GM:It's okay. It's fine. Excuse me. Yes.
Maggie / Poppy:We're actually here to save you.
John / Doran:That too.
Thomas / Guy:Yes, that is right.
Tim / GM:No, you don't save me.
Thomas / Guy:Well, we were sent here on a missive by my friend Steed.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:He's a donkey?
Thomas / Guy:He was right here. Is he here?
Tim / GM:You hear the creaking of a door being pushed open by a donkey's nose.
Tim / GM:God, you
Tim / GM:can hear. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:There it is. Yes. Stede here told us to come rescue you, Maisie.
Tim / GM:'Tis I. Maisie looks down and says, bidet? What are you doing here? I thought you were all trapped up in Baxi or whatever. It was good to see you.
Maggie / Poppy:Bede?
Thomas / Guy:Bede, is it?
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah. I mean, that's his name, Bede. Yeah. Weird one. Mhmm.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. We go way back. I mean, even before I was at the librarian, I met bidet. Like, I was really young.
Thomas / Guy:May I keep calling you Steed Steed? Of course. You always have. Easy. Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:Well, I mean, apart from all that, why do you need muffin magic?
Tim / GM:I guess need's a strong word. I probably should figure out the island first, I guess. Yeah. Let's stop the island from falling down.
John / Doran:Sure. Do you wanna fill us in on exactly how that's, under control? Because gotten a lot of signs that it's not under control.
Tim / GM:Well, you didn't mess with the levers downstairs, did you? Because then it is out of control, and we're gonna die. No. Oh, good. Okay.
Tim / GM:So, basically, those levers control the island right now. So there's one that makes it go up down, and I've had to make it go down pretty much as far as it can go because we're almost out of juice. Right. That shield can get bigger too or smaller if we need it to. That takes a lot of bismite too, so it's pretty small right now.
Tim / GM:So, yeah, just it's a balancing act.
Thomas / Guy:Do all islands have a lever like this?
Tim / GM:Nope. Just this one because I built it.
Hannah / Eryn:What happens when it runs out of juice?
Tim / GM:Oh, we're doomed. Yep. Straight up fucked.
Hannah / Eryn:So you haven't saved the island from falling.
Tim / GM:Oh, hold on. She's going through her papers and stuff and folds over some old books, throws them on the floor, and grabs a little parchment. She goes, yeah. I got a plan.
Maggie / Poppy:What is the plan? That would be good to know, I think.
Tim / GM:Well, okay. So let me my name is Maisie Meldrifft. Let's start there. Okay? I got expelled from the librarian for being a little shit.
Tim / GM:I levitated a tower out of the lake. It was like a broken tower half. Anyway, levitated it up above the lake and I threw a party on it. Levitation started wearing off before their party was over and the partygoers started to, you know, abandon ship and it was getting kind of ugly. Anyway, I levitated all the people, so they were fine.
Tim / GM:It's just some of them had a longer walk home than others, but once they all got home, it was fine.
Maggie / Poppy:At the library?
Tim / GM:Yeah. But, I mean, that was 1st year,
Tim / GM:so I got kicked out immediately.
Maggie / Poppy:I remember hearing about that.
Tim / GM:Did you go to the party?
Maggie / Poppy:No. No. Oh. People don't invite me to those.
Tim / GM:Yeah. It was invite
Maggie / Poppy:only. Oh.
Tim / GM:Anyway, I have weird ideas about magic that I didn't like anyway, so that didn't last long. And then I did some sailing with a bunch of friends, and I learned a lot from a lot of good people. You know, I didn't go to the librarian, sure, but I had the best teachers. Anyway, when I came back from all my adventuring stuffs, I had this, and she holds a a bismite chunk that's on a necklace around her neck. So I've had this for a long, long time.
Tim / GM:A good friend gave it to me, and I've always been curious about what this was? And it's pure magic. Did you know that? That's all that bismide is. Literally, it's a crystallized, like, when you wake up with crusty stuff all over your mouth.
Tim / GM:It's that, but magic. It just forms the raw stuff.
Tim / GM:You know
Tim / GM:what I mean? Mhmm. It's really alluring.
Maggie / Poppy:Magical mouth crust.
Tim / GM:Uh-huh. Yeah.
Maggie / Poppy:I yeah. We kind of came across that with our own travels. Right? Discovering bismite?
Thomas / Guy:Yes. And this is the juice you say is running out on this island.
Tim / GM:Right. So a lot of the stuff down there is green or grayer, if you know what I mean.
Maggie / Poppy:Why do we keep going to sky lands that are falling?
John / Doran:This one's on Stede. So your track record is, levitating towers that fall unexpectedly. And
Tim / GM:Okay.
John / Doran:And now we're in a situation where we're on a skyline
Tim / GM:that you're saying
John / Doran:it's not falling because you're using vegetation and
Tim / GM:Yeah.
Tim / GM:I see the parallel. Fam. To be to
Thomas / Guy:be fair, Dorn, we are 1 for 2 on islands. Oh.
John / Doran:Yeah. I suppose so. Maisie? Mhmm. So you must have a plan to, accrue more bismights.
Tim / GM:Sorry. Sorry. Yes. The plan. Okay.
Tim / GM:Anyway, man, I don't even know really what he was, kind of a jerk, but he was like a cat man, and he was here for a little while. Oh, no. Name was Valorant Breeze. Great.
John / Doran:Great.
Tim / GM:So he made this deal where he taught me how to wield bismite in a whole new way I didn't even know was possible and, you see her gesture up at some bismite on the wall and turns to liquid. Okay. And she pulls it to herself, and it orbits around her hand in a silvery ring. And she goes, isn't this fucking wild?
Maggie / Poppy:Can you teach me how to do that?
Tim / GM:Yeah. And she sends the bismipe back to form a crystal. There's a cost, but, yeah, I can teach you.
Maggie / Poppy:Cost?
Tim / GM:Yeah. I'm just saying, I can teach you, but I'd have to charge. Oh.
Thomas / Guy:I advise caution, Bobby.
Maggie / Poppy:Well, what if we trade it? I'll I'll teach you how to imbue baking with magic. Oh.
John / Doran:That's great. Let's table that, finite resource that keeps us all from dying. Let's how do how do we deal with that?
Tim / GM:Yes. Right. You are so focused. Wow. So basically, the idea was I was gonna stay here and take resources from this island and when he comes back, I give it to him.
Tim / GM:Right? I'm thinking fuck that, fuck that guy. So when he comes back I'm going to kill him and take everything he has and give it to the island. Good luck. I learn how to wield Bismite, he dies, Everyone here live forever happy.
Hannah / Eryn:Love I love that idea. I think that's fun.
Tim / GM:Thank you.
Hannah / Eryn:That's a good way to solve problems.
Tim / GM:What's your name?
Hannah / Eryn:I'm Eryn. Hi, Eryn. You're great. You're
Tim / GM:cool. Yeah.
Maggie / Poppy:Okay. Alright. Sorry.
Tim / GM:No. Go ahead.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, I was gonna say that we already tried to kill him, and then we failed.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. But now we got a powerful witch that can help us.
Maggie / Poppy:What am I?
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, I guess 2 powerful witches. 1.5.
Tim / GM:It takes 2.
John / Doran:So I'm guessing you know when Valoran's supposed to be coming back here.
Tim / GM:Yeah. But he should have already come back, honestly. We had plans, and I don't know what happened to his plans, but something happened because he's not here.
John / Doran:No way of getting a hold of him?
Tim / GM:No. He just gave me a date. That was a while ago.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. We had a little run-in. We know him.
John / Doran:K.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:Yes. We also have a vested interest in killing this individual. Good.
Maggie / Poppy:And by know him, we mean we're kind of mortal enemies.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Doran's tried to kill him twice at least.
Tim / GM:Everything sounds like cherries to me. I mean, this is kind of the best it could have happened. Right?
Tim / GM:This is, I mean, this is so much bigger than you think it is. I'm sorry, Maisie, but this is not just about this island.
Tim / GM:K. So there's another island.
Tim / GM:Yeah. This Balor and Breeze is not his real name. Oh. And he's not a Tabaxi. He's from the Fey Realm.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Tim / GM:Interesting.
Maggie / Poppy:He's also traveling to various skylands, draining them so that they all plummet.
Tim / GM:Yeah. That makes sense.
Maggie / Poppy:And taking the power for himself, and he's trying to kill everyone, I think.
Tim / GM:And he's not alone.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. There's also the weird blue eyed guy who may or may not be affiliated.
Tim / GM:Right. We don't know, but this isn't just about killing Lirion and taking what he has. He's got more magic than you think.
John / Doran:Do you have a hologram?
Tim / GM:Oh, no. Sorry. I'm not used to people calling them holograms. They used to call it a hysteroscope. Anyway, no.
Tim / GM:I don't have one.
John / Doran:You heard about Maxi though. Right?
Tim / GM:I don't hear a lot of anything recently. Just kinda me up here most of the time. Anyway, you guys are mondo stressful, so I'm gonna take a nap. And if you can just leave
Maggie / Poppy:No. No. No.
Tim / GM:No.
John / Doran:We need to stop whatever it is you have going on here and try to prolong the this island's ability to stay aloft as much as possible. What what can go? What can stop? We don't know when Valorant's is coming. We have no source of bismite right now.
Tim / GM:Well, we can we can lower a little bit, but I think the bottom of the island will be in the mist pretty much.
Hannah / Eryn:I have a I have a question. You said that you were gonna kill Valoran or Yep. And take his power, but how do you take his power? How are you gonna do that?
Tim / GM:Yeah. I actually kinda put that together on my own. So this thing that he taught me, and she does the biz might again to make it move around, I can actually do that to people too. I mean, I don't, but it kinda works the same. You just drag it straight out of them.
Thomas / Guy:You turn people to liquid.
Tim / GM:I wish. No. I just I can drag power out of them. It's all kinda related.
Maggie / Poppy:I do not recommend. I've tried. I
Tim / GM:I I appreciate that you're trying to use his own weapon against him, but Valor and Lirion, he's been doing this a lot longer than you have. I don't think this idea is solid.
Tim / GM:I don't mean to be rude, but you don't even know what I can do. So maybe
Tim / GM:I'm looking around, and I'm not seeing a hell of a lot. Uh-huh. Well, I'm sorry. I know we're new here, but we've seen some terrible, terrible things happening to islands much larger with much more experienced folk on them.
Maggie / Poppy:The sustained shrinking sphere is very impressive, though.
Tim / GM:Mhmm. Hey, Aaron. Come here for a second.
Hannah / Eryn:Erin goes over to Maisie.
Tim / GM:She's, like, barely quieting herself down. She goes, that furball lady, you, like, really stuck on keeping her around her?
Hannah / Eryn:I mean
Tim / GM:Every everyone else seems cool, but she is just really grinding my gears.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. We're not, like, that good of friends yet.
Tim / GM:Woah. So
Tim / GM:So What? Anyway, Yes. I can teach you a thing or 2. Oh, you know what would help? There's a hole in the sphere.
Tim / GM:You guys could deal with that. That would give us some time.
Maggie / Poppy:What do you mean?
Thomas / Guy:The big sphere or the other one?
Tim / GM:Oh, sorry. The the resilient sphere. The one that protects the place?
Thomas / Guy:Yes. Okay.
Tim / GM:There's a hole in it that's letting rats in, and they're getting in and chewing up some of the bismide we're trying to protect.
John / Doran:Okay. So stop stop stop. Yep. Yep. Yep.
John / Doran:Okay. The sphere, that caused bismide to run. Yes. We need to stop that.
Tim / GM:Okay. So any one person then that moves towards small castle could crush everyone in there.
John / Doran:The castle won't revert back to its normal size without the sphere? Is that shrinking part of a business train too?
Tim / GM:We built that castle at that size before we all shrank down. We just made a giant dollhouse. It was really easy. It took, like, half a day.
Maggie / Poppy:And you you're keeping them all small so there's more resources.
Tim / GM:Correct. Yep.
Maggie / Poppy:Why didn't everyone just leave?
Tim / GM:It's her home.
Maggie / Poppy:Right. But sometimes you have to leave. Right, Journey?
Tim / GM:And there's nothing left. I yeah. Look, I I'm sorry, but this thing you're doing, I I don't think it's sustainable. I mean, you've said yourself it isn't sustainable. What do you?
Tim / GM:It should have been sustainable. She moves some more books and shows you a larger parchment at the bottom of this table. It's like her initial plan for small castle. I did all the math. I I checked this from every angle.
Tim / GM:It should have been sustainable forever, but something is making it all go faster. Something's eating up more of this bismide that I didn't account for. I don't get how it's 10 times faster than it
Tim / GM:should have been.
John / Doran:Let me give you a little little abstract of, things we've learned a bit. Okay. So, Skyland. Skyland has bismite. That's what makes it float.
John / Doran:Right? With me so far?
Tim / GM:Yeah.
John / Doran:Every Skyland that we've ran across so far has a a great beast. Mhmm. So the great beast has a job. Like like, Poppy has a job making good muffins.
Hannah / Eryn:Dogs with jobs.
Tim / GM:Yep.
John / Doran:The job of the beast is to protect the bismite. K? With you so far. So why do they wanna do that? Because with no bismite, Scotland Falls.
John / Doran:And what's happening is you're getting rats. I see I see your contraptions to deal with all the rats. Mhmm. Yeah. They got the shadowy, spooky magic.
John / Doran:Do you know where those rats might be coming from?
Tim / GM:Yes. K. So the great beast that you mentioned
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Tim / GM:His name is Vermin Lord Trick. K. And he lives at the bottom of this island, and those rats used to be pretty chummy and friendly to be with, but I think something's happened to their whole brood.
Tim / GM:Could it be possibly because you've dipped them into the gnoll mist?
Tim / GM:No. I haven't. Not yet. I mean, it's coming soon, but not yet.
John / Doran:We need to figure out what's draining this faster because that's what's killing everyone. That's what's making vermin lord tricks hostile.
Hannah / Eryn:You haven't seen any blue eyed people or beans that around recently?
Tim / GM:I have seen blue eyed people.
Hannah / Eryn:Like, really blue eyes.
Tim / GM:I I don't know. Volvyn's kinda hunky.
Maggie / Poppy:Uh-huh. Sure if you're into that. So there's something draining the rats?
Tim / GM:Or something changing them. Yeah.
Maggie / Poppy:From our experience, it's it's probably some sort of life force drain. It's likely that this is also happening to the Furman lord, rat king.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I was afraid of that.
John / Doran:Balorin taught others what he taught you. Maybe.
Maggie / Poppy:No. Not maybe. He did.
Tim / GM:Oh, good for them, I guess.
Tim / GM:Bad for everyone.
John / Doran:We need to know who is doing this additional drain to try to get things under control. We've talked a bit around town. I'd love to hear from you who you think is in charge, who you think might be suspicious, might be dangerous.
Tim / GM:Honestly, they're all kind of silly. All the people in Tiny Castle, they've gotten so fat and happy over the last year and a half or so. They don't know or care much about anything that's going on outside of tiny castle itself. They've got their own little games going on. It's just me out here, and that's part of the problem.
Tim / GM:I can't leave this tower, or else I can't protect tiny castle. I gotta attract all the rats up here and deal with them on the daily. I can't go down there if I wanted to. There'd be nobody here.
Maggie / Poppy:Maisie, have you considered you might be the one causing it?
Tim / GM:Well, no. I mean, my magic is carefully metered and measured. It's all apportioned. What I'm not accounting for is this weird x in the formula, and she just taps on the parchment. I don't know what this is, but it's like a multiplier on
John / Doran:the burn. When did it start?
Tim / GM:It's been gradually getting heavier and heavier, but not long ago, maybe 2 months. When
Thomas / Guy:was Balorin supposed to come visit you again?
Tim / GM:Like, a month ago.
Hannah / Eryn:That's when we met him last
Tim / GM:That's when we kinda chased him off.
Maggie / Poppy:He did do significant damage.
Hannah / Eryn:Right. He escaped.
Tim / GM:Thanks for softening him up.
Tim / GM:Just had time to get stronger since then. Mhmm.
Hannah / Eryn:But so have we?
John / Doran:We've spoken to the royal family and those that work more closely with them. One of them had the impression that you are the one that's really in charge of everything around small castle.
Tim / GM:Yeah. That's true. Fair. Yep. I mean, as far as everybody's life and death goes, yeah, me.
Tim / GM:Is there anyone you truly trust down there? We need some allies. Sure. Volvan's an okay guy. There's an alchemist down there named Diabolo.
Tim / GM:Not bad. That's about it, though. Not not bad? Not bad. The king does nothing but eat.
Tim / GM:The queen is too obsessed with her own paranoia. The kids is, aside from them, useless.
Tim / GM:We know the way to keep the island from falling. We know how to restore the bismat, and it's not any sort of thievery or killing that takes it. It's it's the people. It takes the people giving back. That's what we did on Baxi.
Tim / GM:And we can do it here too, but it takes more than just a couple of us.
Tim / GM:She, takes out a quill and just makes a couple notes on that same parchment. She goes, works in reverse too.
Tim / GM:Amazing. This thing that you can do where you can take that power, that life force from other beings, living beings, it it's poison. Mhmm. It it turns them into those like, what those rats are, those blackened creatures that
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's what happens when you lose every last little ounce of magic, any connection to the weave. Yeah. That's all that's left.
Maggie / Poppy:Right. You're okay doing that? No.
Tim / GM:I'm not doing it to anyone ever.
Maggie / Poppy:That's what's happening. The island is turning into that.
Tim / GM:Yeah. But I'm not causing it. I told you. I did the math on this. I'm not I'm not stupid and I'm not crazy.
Maggie / Poppy:I don't I didn't
Tim / GM:get that.
Tim / GM:I did everything I needed to to get here and do this. And there's just a couple flaws and everything in the room starts to float a little bit. And you can see that she's starting to emit little ripples of heat. And I just get scrutinized for everything that I try to do.
Maggie / Poppy:Maisie, Maisie, it's okay. You're not alone in this. I don't think you're crazy. I think you're extremely talented.
Hannah / Eryn:Listen. All Journey is trying to say, even though we don't really you know, she's just a little weird, is that your magic, whatever you're doing, I don't really understand it, is probably playing into the bismite loop, feed, weave, whatever, somehow. That's all Journey's trying to say. So you're gonna have to be part of the solution to give back to the island magic you've used, essentially.
Tim / GM:That's
Hannah / Eryn:Sound good?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Fair. I can I would give it all back to get off of this island? Yes. Cool.
Tim / GM:Awesome. Filling this place back up doesn't solve the problem. Restoring the bismite, that's not the solve here. You're just giving more to whatever's taking it.
John / Doran:Oh, yeah. We know that we have something we need to deal with. We just need know who we can actually rely upon because we can't do it alone either. I'm gonna give you one of these shells. I hand over that, Poppy Why?
John / Doran:Connection 1. You seem to get along really well more than so than Doreen. Sorry.
Maggie / Poppy:Doesn't like me.
Tim / GM:She likes you more than Journeys. K. This is the first person Journeys ever met that hasn't liked her.
John / Doran:So, yeah, this show, you can reach us. We can stay in communication. We're gonna go down and figure out what's going on, what's draining the the Bismite. We need you to give us as much time as you can by being as conservative as you can with what Bismite is there. And if it comes to it, we may need you to help rally the people.
John / Doran:Whether you like it or not, there are some that look up to you and believe that you are a leader. The fastest way to get off this skyline, the fastest way to learn how to make magic muffins, probably, is to help us resolve all of this, this mess here. K?
Tim / GM:Here. She puts her hand to her chest and rips that necklace off, and she hands it over. She says, you'll need this to restore that part of the sphere that's broken.
Thomas / Guy:Okay. How do we get there?
Tim / GM:Oh, that you'll have to talk to some folks in Small Castle for. I know they've got some, like, sneaky avenues to get to the lower levels that doesn't involve, like, just walking down there. So talk to them. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:I'll take the bismide necklace. Yep. Okay.
Tim / GM:Diabolo, would that be one that might know? Yeah. Diabolo, the royal family isn't bad. They're just kind of stupid and incompetent. But, again, like, Volvin's not a bad person to know.
Maggie / Poppy:I think I could convince him.
John / Doran:Okay. Is getting out of here easier than it is getting in?
Tim / GM:Oh, I'll turn it off. She walks over to do a lever on the wall and just pushes it down, and the whole place just goes quiet. Okay. That was 30 seconds. I'm turning it back on.
Tim / GM:Okay.
John / Doran:Alright. Well, good to meet you.
Tim / GM:Real quick. Maisie, we were told that you might be trapped, not just in a you're here and doing something in busy kind of way, but in a you're intrinsically connected to the bismat kind of way? 10 seconds. As I'm walking backwards. Is that true?
Tim / GM:Are you trapped?
Tim / GM:I'm trapped to Bismite, but not here. And she kicks the door closed.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:It's gonna
John / Doran:be here. You.
Tim / GM:Alright. You all make your way down that tower. The traps kick on about halfway down. It gets kind of dicey. Getting back to tiny castle is always easier than it is coming out for whatever reason.
Tim / GM:The return journey is so much quicker and easier.
Thomas / Guy:Great.
Tim / GM:When you're back to small castle, you actually find a warm reception. This time, the promenade is set up to receive you. You've only been gone a couple hours, but you receive a hero's welcome. There's literally confetti and fanfare and trumpets blaring as you reenter the city as if you're back from some great quest.
Tim / GM:Oh, god. Wow.
Hannah / Eryn:This is a lot.
Thomas / Guy:It's about time.
Tim / GM:You can hear in the distance all of your full names and titles are being screened out.
Hannah / Eryn:Starbaker co captain, Poppy. Co captain, Doran.
Tim / GM:Lead explorer journey journey. General sous chef guy. Aaron.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron. Just Aaron.
John / Doran:Okay. Now we gotta get out of this, and we gotta figure out how to deal with that, hole.
Thomas / Guy:Who do you suggest we turn to, Doran?
John / Doran:I feel like Diabolo has been the most reliable on info. He was right that, Macy's really running things.
Thomas / Guy:Do we trust him now?
John / Doran:I don't see why not.
Hannah / Eryn:Wait. I have an idea. What if half of us go ask the prince and half of us ask Diabolo because we can see if their way down matches. And if it's different, we can come back just us and figure out who we trust more. K.
Hannah / Eryn:I don't know. Just kind of feeling out our options.
Thomas / Guy:I like it.
Maggie / Poppy:Who's going where?
John / Doran:So just Poppy is meeting him and then the rest of us are
Maggie / Poppy:Please don't send me alone.
Thomas / Guy:You'll need a wingman.
Maggie / Poppy:Are you coming with me? Or
Hannah / Eryn:I feel like a Guy and Poppy moment hasn't happened in a while.
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. Classic.
Hannah / Eryn:How do we contact each other?
John / Doran:Oh, shoot. Shoot.
Tim / GM:I mean,
Hannah / Eryn:you can Doran, why don't you give them
Hannah / Eryn:maybe if we just all have one to each other or
John / Doran:something.
Thomas / Guy:I like that.
Tim / GM:That'll make
John / Doran:it easier.
Hannah / Eryn:Doran, just hand out echo bells to everyone right now.
John / Doran:Yep. Yeah. We should have done this a long time ago. I hand out all the echo bells, and now everyone has one to each other.
Hannah / Eryn:We all have, like, a little string with 5 other echo bells on it. Makes sense.
Maggie / Poppy:Hey, hey.
Thomas / Guy:My number is 3.
Tim / GM:Just call 3. You've got Guy.
John / Doran:Sweet. Okay. So Poppy, Guy over to, Poppy's betrothed, and the rest of us will go speak with Machiavelli. Betrothed. No.
John / Doran:Congratulations, Poppy. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you find Volvyn. He is painting.
Tim / GM:Of course, he is.
Tim / GM:He's painting in the drawing room, which is illegal, but
Hannah / Eryn:he's What a rebel.
Tim / GM:Looking out the window, and he's like wiping a single tear away from his eye as he continues to paint, and you see him painting a glorious field of poppies.
Tim / GM:Oh my god.
Tim / GM:He turns around to see you when he says,
Tim / GM:Poppy, could it be you've returned already?
Tim / GM:So good.
Tim / GM:I've missed you so dearly in these short hours. Look. Look upon this field here that I've painted.
Hannah / Eryn:How good is it actually?
Tim / GM:It's like he's just learning some basic impressionist strokes.
Maggie / Poppy:Wow, that looks great. It's only been a few hours.
Tim / GM:Yes. But anything could have happened in that time. I worried, Poppy.
Maggie / Poppy:I can handle myself.
Tim / GM:I worried so much that I I came to a conclusion.
Tim / GM:He goes up to the wall, and he's got a mounted sword and shield up on the wall. He picks up this giant metal shield and hands it down to Poppy. He says,
Tim / GM:so that no harm can come to you.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, this is, like, twice my size.
Tim / GM:Indeed. Can protect all of you.
Maggie / Poppy:Thank you so much. Guy, could you hold this for?
Thomas / Guy:Yes. I used to consider myself your shield, but I suppose it is time.
Tim / GM:No. It must remain on her at all times.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, he's just holding it for right now until I can
Tim / GM:But you
Tim / GM:won't get the AC bonus if you're not wearing it, Poppy.
Maggie / Poppy:How the
Hannah / Eryn:fuck am I supposed to hold a shield?
Tim / GM:If you keep this shield on your back, you get a plus 1 to AC at all times.
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, hell yeah.
Tim / GM:One use of the shield spell per day. Hey. That shield spell affects everyone nearby at the moment.
Tim / GM:Woah. Gotta put a range on that.
Tim / GM:I just Nearby.
Tim / GM:That's okay.
Hannah / Eryn:I wouldn't forget I have that. Don't.
Thomas / Guy:I Here's the solution to that. Don't.
Hannah / Eryn:I don't. Do you have something How about
Hannah / Eryn:I just use my inventory? Use back of this and write shield.
John / Doran:Yeah. I'll
Hannah / Eryn:give you something to put. Where is it?
Tim / GM:Oh, it's right here.
John / Doran:We have a shield in this room, and you could literally wear it on Yeah. Your back.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. You'll never forget that. This is definitely Link wearing the adult shield in
Tim / GM:Yes.
Thomas / Guy:Ocarina of Time.
Tim / GM:Yep. Yeah.
Maggie / Poppy:Hey. Listen.
Tim / GM:Poppy, something else from our chefs in the kitchen. They they appreciated so deeply the, lesson that you'd provided for them, for us. Please take this.
Tim / GM:You get a wooden mixing spoon.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay.
Tim / GM:It's called the witch and aid mixer.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh my god.
Tim / GM:This magical mixing spoon allows you to, pour cantrips into pinch. You can cast cantrips on pinch to give him special abilities. If you use control flames, he gets bigger and can grapple people because you bake him up. If you use bonfire, he lights on fire until he burns out. If you use shocking grasp, he can shock people.
Tim / GM:If you use oven mitts, he can fly. If you use prestigitation, he looks like a real person. Oh. So just a little more utility for your pinch. I'll give you some documentation on this
Thomas / Guy:too. Okay. Just
Tim / GM:fireball to kill him. Awesome.
Tim / GM:Guy, of course, you haven't been forgotten. Oh. Somebody of your station certainly deserves something more than rags.
Tim / GM:And he, starts taking the cloak off your back.
Thomas / Guy:This is all moving so quickly.
Tim / GM:No. You need something regal, noble, befitting of one of your stations.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. I'm always saying this.
Tim / GM:He hands you a, fresh clean velvety cloak themed with navy blue and forest green.
Tim / GM:Wow. We should've all gone to Volvyn.
Tim / GM:It's not much for combat, but, it is useful in a magic item. It could be large enough to cover an entire army or small enough as a handkerchief at your whim.
Thomas / Guy:My nose does get runny sometimes.
Tim / GM:Use it for what you need, my good friend. When you do encounter your friends again, this is for the bow wielder among you, Journey, I believe her name was.
Thomas / Guy:Yes. That's right.
Tim / GM:Everyone hates Journey this week. Oh, no.
John / Doran:He
Tim / GM:gives you a quiver with a, smooth gray mist that's pooling at the bottom of the quiver, like, in the basin of it. When your ammunition sits in that, they get wreathed in this mist that never leaves them. Once you strike a target with one of these arrows, you get a bonus to attack that same target for the next minute. It leaves a trail of vapor from you to them that your arrows can follow. Cool.
Tim / GM:Cool. Cool.
Tim / GM:Nice.
Tim / GM:And one final gift. When you do see him again, it's truly embarrassing to be without a sword. That poor boy.
Thomas / Guy:Isn't it?
Tim / GM:We found a blade small enough for his, slight frame and his lean body and small arms.
Thomas / Guy:I appreciate it.
Tim / GM:Give this to him.
Thomas / Guy:He'll probably stick it in another slot and break it.
John / Doran:Better retire. But we'll do a trick now.
Tim / GM:He gives you a short blade. This is the blade of king Salamris Riz. It is a plus one weapon with plus 1 to charisma. As a bonus action, you can make a performance check to flourish the blade, and fey, fiends, and undead suffer disadvantage on their next attack when they see it.
Tim / GM:Hey. That's topical.
Thomas / Guy:Is this everything? We have one more traveling companion who loves magic items. Oh,
Tim / GM:indeed. I'm so sorry. Seems no. I I have nothing for, who was it?
Thomas / Guy:Aaron.
Tim / GM:Aaron. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:No. I'm sure they'll be cool about it.
Tim / GM:I can't expect that you came here knowing to get gifts. What is it I can truly help you with?
Thomas / Guy:Oh, yes. Poppy?
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, we're looking for the whole.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you've come to the right place.
Maggie / Poppy:No. No. No. The the hole in the shield where the rats are getting in.
Tim / GM:You do tease me with your words.
Maggie / Poppy:I'm I imply
Tim / GM:Yes. Yes. The hole, indeed. The bane of our current existence. There is a hole in the shield.
Tim / GM:We know it true. It's in the level just beneath here in the old kitchen, the old banquet hall.
Maggie / Poppy:How do we get there?
Tim / GM:Surreptitiously, I might recommend. Just walking down there was sure to get you killed.
Thomas / Guy:The rats?
Tim / GM:Indeed. They would see it coming. They're ravenous outside of the protection.
Tim / GM:I can recommend a, a hidden grate, a small pipe that will lead you there.
Thomas / Guy:Great.
Tim / GM:Great.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, where is it?
Tim / GM:Got them.
Hannah / Eryn:That was precious.
Tim / GM:Due west of here. Only a short ride.
Maggie / Poppy:Right.
Thomas / Guy:A ride? Cool.
Tim / GM:Well of course, we wouldn't send you there on foot. We'll provide you with a fleet.
Maggie / Poppy:A fleet? Oh.
Tim / GM:Other team. You're going to seek out Diabolos. Is that correct?
Hannah / Eryn:Yep. Correct.
Tim / GM:Aaron, Journey, and Doran, you approach his apothecary. He is in there behind the desk. You can see all of his little bits and bobs and potions and ammunition behind him. He sells both out of there, everything he's interested in, both sharpshooting and alchemy. However, also in that room talking with him is EZP Zelos Lapelas.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Tim / GM:That bitch.
Tim / GM:He says, So you've nothing that would help me trek down Dullahan, even if they got real far away, let's say, to some kind of tracking device, something like that. And Daybala is kind of looking at him and he, like, nods at all of you coming in, and he says, nothing quite like that, my friend, I'm afraid. I've got some devices that could help you in combat, but nothing so direct as a tracking device. Good to see you, all of you, again.
John / Doran:Hello. Don't don't worry about us. You deal with that first customer first. That's fine.
Tim / GM:Oh, please. I have my priorities. Come. Come.
Tim / GM:Oh, okay.
John / Doran:Good to see you again, EZP. Good to see you.
Tim / GM:Where's your wretched friend?
Hannah / Eryn:Which one?
Tim / GM:The Dullahan. Oh.
Tim / GM:If you're trying that hard to track us, we could just give you an echo bell and tell us tell you where we are at all times, and you can try again.
Tim / GM:That would make it easier. Yeah.
John / Doran:Yeah. If you is there laws about having duels? I mean, I'm sure a guy would be more than willing to settle the score once and
Tim / GM:for all. Well, I
Hannah / Eryn:yeah. Just 1 v 1, see who would really win.
John / Doran:We'll just put word into the king, and I'm sure they'll set it up. They're really fast at doing events here. So we'll just but you're a yes. Right? You wanna do the duel?
Tim / GM:Well, course. Yes. Awesome.
John / Doran:Guy's been ask he's chomping at the bit to do this.
Tim / GM:So But I sustained injuries during our fight the other day, so I'll need some time, of course.
Tim / GM:Oh, right. Yeah. Mhmm.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. Maybe tomorrow?
Tim / GM:Wait. Tomorrow? I am busy. It's fine. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Gotcha. Anytime, anywhere.
Maggie / Poppy:Here. Here. You track
Hannah / Eryn:you just track us down when you're ready to duel, and then
Tim / GM:yes.
John / Doran:We're gonna tell the people we'll tell the king, like, whenever EZP is feeling okay and not scared that he's ready to do the fight. So When I am
Tim / GM:hill when I'm not injured anymore, yes. Then I'll come hunting the Dullahan again.
Hannah / Eryn:Yes.
Tim / GM:Yes. Great. Okay. Diabolo, you've been less than helpful. Thank you.
Tim / GM:And he turns and leaves.
John / Doran:Oh, mister p, if you don't mind sticking around, we do have a couple of questions. Maybe you'll,
Tim / GM:Easy p. Thank you.
John / Doran:Easy p. Sorry. We'll see. We're we'll get there. We'll see if you take mister p at some point.
Hannah / Eryn:Is that a new name?
Tim / GM:It was Alyssa Payless and then everybody started calling me AZP and I just kind of went with it.
Hannah / Eryn:Did you did you like it though?
Tim / GM:Of course not.
Hannah / Eryn:Why not?
Tim / GM:I was zealess, lapeless before. You actually respected my dedication to El Marta.
Hannah / Eryn:Mhmm.
John / Doran:Sound more like mopey p right now. Yeah.
Tim / GM:I know it. Well, I've just suffered defeat is all.
John / Doran:Yeah. I'm just
Tim / GM:I need my time. Oh, no. Never mind. It's never mind. It's strong.
Tim / GM:ECP is strong. Goodbye. Close the door. Okay. Die Ball is just kind of tapping his fingers on the desk.
Tim / GM:Sorry.
John / Doran:I didn't mean to take up so much of your time.
Tim / GM:We need help.
John / Doran:You were right. I'd I'd I think we all agree that, Maisie is kind of running the show.
Tim / GM:Certainly. Yes. And we're looking for some help. I am a sharpshooter. Yes.
Tim / GM:Very good at it.
John / Doran:Mhmm.
Tim / GM:However, a bit preoccupied, I'm afraid. I did not schedule an adventure for today.
John / Doran:Oh, so, I mean, the only thing I need from you to to know is you're not just a sharpshooter, but you're a a straight shooter. You are.
Tim / GM:Right? Of course, my good friend.
John / Doran:Insight check? Yeah. 26.
Tim / GM:Wow. You come to the same realization that Aaron did the night before that this guy's got a few things working against him, namely his interest in poisons and sharpshooting and his name, but he's actually kind of a solid dude. Okay. I mean, he runs a legit business, he teaches people to do the things that he can do, He loves his god and his grandma. He's
John / Doran:a good guy. Okay. So, we'll just, share what we know, I think. Right? I I would glance over at Erin and, Journey.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I I think so. We went and spoke to Maisie.
John / Doran:Wasn't easy to get to.
Tim / GM:Yes. So we have a
John / Doran:couple things we need to Power. Yeah. That's where she is. We have a couple things we need to do fast. I don't want to raise concern more than necessary, but you should know that we think there is a risk that this Skyland may fall if nothing changes.
John / Doran:We need to go lower.
Tim / GM:Is that what you're saying? Mhmm. It may.
Hannah / Eryn:Into the null void.
John / Doran:Something is draining the ability for this Skyland to stay aloft. We need to figure out who or what is doing that, and we want to also plug the hole within the shield. And that's what the rats are using to get in.
Hannah / Eryn:We're gonna need to go down deep in the dungeons? I don't know what you would call the levels underneath.
Tim / GM:Not dungeons really. More like, dance halls. So you know
Tim / GM:Dance halls?
Tim / GM:It's I mean, different civilizations used to live on the lower levels throughout time. It's just it's kitchens and apartments all the way down.
Thomas / Guy:Dance halls and dragons.
John / Doran:So you may know a path that we could maybe take.
Tim / GM:Indeed, from here it would be treacherous beyond reason to simply walk out of here and down the stairs. You would want to take some sort of discreet avenue, some like a utility, some like a drain in the floor, something like that.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Do you know of 1?
Tim / GM:Matter of fact, I do. Due west of here, there's a an iron grate in the floor, in the wall. Seems to lead down some. At this size, provided you don't come to full size midway down the pipe, you should be able to get through into the lower levels.
John / Doran:You know someone who ever has done this?
Tim / GM:No.
Maggie / Poppy:Sorry.
John / Doran:K. Okay. Anything else you would, wish to provide? Info? Anything?
Tim / GM:Provide? Yes. Don't think I haven't seen it. Don't think I haven't taken a little peek. And he looks down kind of, like, at each of your hips.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron puts back a little vial that they were about to take. Okay. They were just, like, barely touching it,
Tim / GM:and then
Hannah / Eryn:just puts their hand back.
Tim / GM:He steps out from behind the desk and starts striding towards Aaron. Don't think I didn't see you.
Hannah / Eryn:I mean, I'm right here.
Tim / GM:Don't think I didn't notice any points down to, like, around Erin's hip.
Hannah / Eryn:I touch my hip.
Tim / GM:Right there. That little fellow. That crossbow. Oh. I'm a sharpshooter myself, if you didn't know.
Tim / GM:I've, been wanting to get an honest opinion on some of my latest work. Would you mind?
Hannah / Eryn:Nope. Erin hands over the crossbow.
Tim / GM:Ugh. Juvenile. Did you make this yourself?
Hannah / Eryn:I mean, I just it was a piece of junk someone abandoned, and I tried to just fix it up.
Tim / GM:I think it's shot its last, don't you? And, Dorn, you've probably never seen this up close, but like that crossbow is like fairly grimy, like the string has been restrung several times, like this the trigger is like held in with just like tape tape and hair like,
John / Doran:I gave her oil for that.
Tim / GM:How about this? What he gives you is not much bigger, but it is a little bit. It's worked almost entirely from a dark wood and silver. The string is fresh as can be and there's some weird, like, gears and brass machinations going on near the trigger, and he says, just call it Diabolos machinations. Should you hit the target, you need only squeeze the trigger quickly again to launch another arrow at that same target.
Tim / GM:Might not be as accurate as your first shot, but should do the trick.
Hannah / Eryn:Double tap. Cool.
Tim / GM:Also, these. He hands you 6 colorful vials.
Maggie / Poppy:Uh-oh.
Tim / GM:These are special crossbow bolt ammunition. These bolts have these little vials on them with plungers. When they hit a target, it injects them with this venom. There are 3 different venoms. You get Raging Red, Molten Orange, and Silent Violet.
Tim / GM:Raging Red, when you hit somebody with this, it induces indiscriminate rage, and they'll attack whatever's closest to them. Molten Orange will burn the veins of their target and sets them ablaze. Silent Violet makes them glow with violet light and prevents spellcasting.
Maggie / Poppy:Damn. You
Tim / GM:got 2 of each.
Hannah / Eryn:Are they, like, on a belt or, like, a bandolier? How are the vials? Yeah.
Tim / GM:I think it's, like, a one little, like, leather strap that you could put on, like, your arm or something, like, on your bicep. Mhmm.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Aaron straps them around their thigh.
Tim / GM:Nice. Cool.
Hannah / Eryn:Tomb Raider style.
Maggie / Poppy:Guys, Balvin told me about his pipe.
Hannah / Eryn:Is that is that Poppy? What is she saying about a pipe?
Tim / GM:Yeah. We got some information from Da Balo as well.
Maggie / Poppy:Is there's, like, a a grate in the ground somewhere?
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah. Diabolo told us about this, place west of here where there's, some sort of utility entrance.
Hannah / Eryn:Let's meet in the graveyard right by the little church in town.
Tim / GM:You all meet at the cemetery. Volvin has come with you, that small party out to the cemetery, only to deliver your vehicles. This is a bit of a trek, and it's a dangerous one to get out to that sewer grate or that, pipe that leads down into the next kitchen below you. For Poppy, the smallest of you. They have a dwarf hamster.
Tim / GM:Oh my god. Yes.
Maggie / Poppy:He's so cute.
Tim / GM:Doran and Aaron are both on field mice.
Hannah / Eryn:What's mine's name?
Hannah / Eryn:It's up to you. I Patrick.
Tim / GM:Pet. Pet. Pet. Pet. Pet.
Tim / GM:Pet.
Tim / GM:Journey has been given a young squirrel.
Tim / GM:Alright.
Tim / GM:And Guy has been offered a noble capybara.
Hannah / Eryn:Wow. There's capybaras on the sky.
Tim / GM:Hell, yeah. Swartz of heron. Very cool. Guy, you're just, like, essentially on the elephant of the group. Just, like, mounted up on this thing.
Thomas / Guy:Thank you, principal. Before I forget, I must bestow your gifts to my friends here.
Tim / GM:Indeed. Doran, I I do hope you can lift it.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Doran, watch out. It's sharp.
John / Doran:I have thank you. Thank you.
Hannah / Eryn:What was it again? I'm sorry.
Tim / GM:The blade of king Slammers Riz, long since passed, but, 7 tiers down from small castle, you'll find his kingdom. Slammers Riz was well loved. A bard much like yourself. Very nice. I'm much appreciated,
John / Doran:and, yep. It is sharp, though.
Tim / GM:It's a real sword, though. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thomas / Guy:And Journey, this quiver appears to be on fire or something.
Tim / GM:Well, it's not. That smoke, it only, traces trails to your targets, journey. It should
Tim / GM:make it very easy to dispatch foes.
Tim / GM:Wow. This is incredible. Thank you so much.
Tim / GM:Most welcome.
Tim / GM:And Arryn. Hello. Eren.
Hannah / Eryn:Hey. Hey.
Tim / GM:Isaac. I did forget about you. I'm so sorry.
Hannah / Eryn:We took a cooking class the other one, so I feel like
Tim / GM:We did.
Hannah / Eryn:You should've remembered. I'm also Poppy's best friend, so if you wanna get in with Poppy.
Tim / GM:And, he looks over at Poppy and says, and yet utterly forgettable.
Hannah / Eryn:Wow. Wow.
Maggie / Poppy:I would never forget Eren. Oh, that's alright.
John / Doran:It's so dark in here with all much shades going around.
Maggie / Poppy:Aaron got
Tim / GM:a cool crossbow from Diabolo.
Hannah / Eryn:Don't tell my secrets.
Maggie / Poppy:What? It's just a crossbow.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, that looks sharp.
Hannah / Eryn:It's gonna surprise people later and be like, look how cool I am now.
Tim / GM:Well, I'm excited. Can still do it. There's more to it.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. And, do you notice anything different about me?
Hannah / Eryn:Your head looks a little, like, more centered and not, like, off filtered today.
Tim / GM:You got a new cloak there. That's Oh.
Tim / GM:Oh. Wow.
Thomas / Guy:Yes. I did get a new cloak.
Tim / GM:That's real fancy.
Thomas / Guy:Thank you.
John / Doran:Cool. Nice guy.
Tim / GM:You all hear Maisie's voice coming through that echo bell. Oh, hey. Forgot to tell you guys, kind of when you're back in the, like, small castle area, tiny castle area, don't stay there too long, because that necklace I gave you, those rats are gonna come for it. They're gonna be like hungry, hungry, hungry hippos.
Maggie / Poppy:You gave me a bait?
Tim / GM:Yes. It is. I totally I spaced. So my bad. But, yes, they're gonna be chasing you like they want it.
Maggie / Poppy:Great. Thanks, Maisie.
Tim / GM:Mhmm. Welcome.
Tim / GM:Wow. We gotta go.
Thomas / Guy:Poppy, would you feel better if I hung on to that necklace?
Maggie / Poppy:No. It's okay. Better.
Tim / GM:You all see volvin mouthing. Share the load.
John / Doran:Maisie, while we have you, so are
Tim / GM:what? Can I talk to her?
Maggie / Poppy:You can have. Sorry.
John / Doran:Alright. I thank you. Thank you. Maisie, while we have you, one thing. So the plan is is we're gonna go down the pipe.
John / Doran:At some point, we're probably gonna get big again going down the pipe.
Tim / GM:Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Good point.
John / Doran:Could you maybe, twist that, twist that lever when we give you the cue just to make sure we can get far enough down before we get big?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Good call. Can do. Yep.
John / Doran:Okay. Thanks.
Tim / GM:I all feel the island shutter just a little bit. And she goes, okay. I've extended it for now, so you should be fine.
John / Doran:Oh, you can wait a little bit.
Tim / GM:Oh. We're not quite there yet. Island shutters again.
John / Doran:Okay. We'll let we'll let you know. Thanks.
Tim / GM:You travel down a short road within the protective sphere around tiny castle mounted on your rodent fleet.
John / Doran:Hope I'm not allergic.
Tim / GM:The closer you get to that wall grate that they were talking about, the more signs of violence you see all around you. More crushed foliage, more trampled and chewed debris. And you see you're being followed, chased. Rats from out in the brush scrabble to keep up with you, and then one starts angling toward your party to attack. You've barely started your journey out of the city.
Tim / GM:You can see one is already angling towards you.
Thomas / Guy:Did Volvyn come with us?
Tim / GM:No. He stayed back in the cemetery.
John / Doran:So are we still within the shield, though?
Tim / GM:Yes. Still within the shield. You will be until you get to the repair point.
Hannah / Eryn:How many are after us?
Tim / GM:Just the one right now.
Hannah / Eryn:Faster. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Why don't you give me, all a animal handling check?
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, god.
Thomas / Guy:Don't mind if I do.
Maggie / Poppy:But Alright. 12.
Thomas / Guy:Natural 20.
Maggie / Poppy:19.
John / Doran:14.
Tim / GM:30 21.
Tim / GM:That capybara with its natural stride is easily keeping ahead of everybody else even though it's so docile and smooth.
Thomas / Guy:On captain Barry.
Tim / GM:Poppy, you keep checking back at this rat and it is just going straight for you, and every time you look back you lose a little bit of speed. This thing has almost caught up to you. What do you do? I
Hannah / Eryn:dip into my little baker belt.
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Hannah / Eryn:Pull out molasses. Mhmm. Throw it behind me
Tim / GM:Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:And cast slow.
Tim / GM:Nice. Okay. Does he need to make a save?
Hannah / Eryn:You alter time around 6 up to 6 creatures of my choice in a 40 foot cube. Wisdom save.
Tim / GM:Rat can't be wise. No.
Tim / GM:That's a 16.
Hannah / Eryn:14. Oh.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. You throw the molasses just a little too far. It lands right behind them, and you see the air kind of distort, but it doesn't clip the rat. He keeps coming for you.
Maggie / Poppy:Well, hopefully, it catches some other rats.
Tim / GM:Anybody else? You all see this happening.
Thomas / Guy:Let's spread out, see where the rat is headed.
Tim / GM:Yeah. You all fan out, and as expected, it stays on Poppy trying to get at that crystal.
Maggie / Poppy:You guys are just gonna leave me here with it?
Tim / GM:I'm gonna shoot an arrow at it. K. Can I use my new misty arrow?
Tim / GM:Yeah. For sure. I don't It's it's all your ammunition has this now.
Tim / GM:Okay. Great. Yep. Yeah. I'm gonna draw back my bow and do the Luminess Mhmm.
Tim / GM:Branch on it too. So lit up and misty.
Tim / GM:From squirrel back, no less.
Tim / GM:25 to hit. Hits. 11 damage. K. And then can I hit it again?
Tim / GM:With your second attack?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Sure. Yeah.
Tim / GM:The first attack did not stop it.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Tim / GM:And this one's got a plus 2 to your attack.
Tim / GM:Okay. So just the second one is a plus 2? Okay. 16? 16 hits.
Tim / GM:Great. 9 damage.
Tim / GM:With that, actually, you pin that rat to the ground. You see it struggle against the air that's holding it in place for a second, and then it loses all momentum and stops moving. But, Journey, as you turn back around to celebrate your victory, you see 3 more in the woods around you that are beginning to close in on your group.
Hannah / Eryn:Do any of them go through the molasses?
Tim / GM:I think actually a couple that are trying to catch up do hit that sphere of slow and just
Tim / GM:kind of like, blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Thomas / Guy:Everyone surround Poppy. Protect her.
John / Doran:I will, attempt to cast sleep at the 3 that are running towards us k. As a third level spell. K. 36 total.
Tim / GM:Okay. You cast sleep on this little cluster of rats. And you see the one in front just nosedives and just, like, scrapes up a bunch of dirt and grass as it slams into the ground. Another one behind it just goes rolling over that rat and kind of like slumps to the ground, and then slowly, it starts to get back up. Okay.
Tim / GM:You got rid of 1 and a half rats.
Hannah / Eryn:Are more converging, or is it still a small The
Tim / GM:more you look, the more you see movement out in the woods, but it's hard to slow down and take focus on it.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm gonna cast fly k. On the dwarf hamster.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:I'm just gonna get above all of it. I'll see you there.
Tim / GM:You all see the dwarf hamster immediately turn upside down, Poppy. You have to, like, grab on super tight to stay on this thing as it learns how to fly. But you just
Maggie / Poppy:My dad, it's my nightmare. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about, Poppy.
Tim / GM:It continues to run as if that's how it still locomotes. And so it's just like wiggling its tiny little feet as it flies forward.
Maggie / Poppy:So cute and fat.
Hannah / Eryn:Were we given, like, riding gear on these?
Tim / GM:They've got, like, harnesses in
Hannah / Eryn:the Okay. I'm hanging on for dear fucking life.
Tim / GM:Yeah. As you are closing in on this iron grate, it looks like they might converge on you before you're able to get in. Guy, you also realize there's no way your capybara is gonna fit through that iron grate. Daddy capybara. Everybody else will be fine.
Thomas / Guy:Okay. Everyone, go on ahead of me. I'll take up the rear and make sure we all make it
Tim / GM:to him. Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:Go ahead. What are you doing?
Tim / GM:Before I pass Guy, I want to cast Webb behind us.
Tim / GM:Mhmm. Nice.
Tim / GM:Just in a in the area in our path
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Basically. Yep.
Tim / GM:You kind of, like, string it from tree to tree so that it creates a sort of low volleyball net for some of them to run into, and the web isn't even the the issue. It's the pile of rats that it creates that they all start, like, ramming into each other and piling over. It's like a flow of water at this point. There's like 50 of them now.
Tim / GM:Yuck.
Maggie / Poppy:Welcome to New York.
Hannah / Eryn:Welcome to Small Castle.
Tim / GM:You all approach that iron grate.
John / Doran:I call to, Maisie. Okay. Okay. Pretty much now.
Tim / GM:If you
John / Doran:can just have it up for 30 seconds. Okay?
Tim / GM:Okay. Here it goes. Alright. You feel the island shutter again as you all move in through that grate except for Guy on his noble capybara.
Tim / GM:You gotta let it run free, Guy. Did
Tim / GM:they make it through already? Everybody's in except for you.
Thomas / Guy:Alright. Guy screeches the capybara to a halt.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Okay.
Thomas / Guy:And, stands in front of the grate watching the rats approach.
Tim / GM:Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:As the rats approach, guy says, come to me, Stede. Yes.
Tim / GM:You hear this distant Let's fly. Stede hurtling towards you, kind of like slowing down as it sees you and the capybara
Tim / GM:and says, both of you?
Thomas / Guy:Just me, please.
Tim / GM:Swings down and, just kind of like rams you off of the capybara and goes straight upwards with you, leaving the capybara by the sewer grate. They all start to pile in and slam against each other. Some of them are small enough to squeeze themselves through that grate. You guys can't really wait around for Guy at this point.
Maggie / Poppy:Did Guy come with us?
Hannah / Eryn:I don't know, but we gotta keep going. He'll figure it out. He knows the way.
Tim / GM:You all hear this, like, of the capybara, like, trying to, like, push away rats? You can see some of them are starting to climb him and bite him.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. We gotta go back and save this thing. Aaron turns around on Patrick, the field mouse.
Tim / GM:Yep.
Maggie / Poppy:We can't leave him.
Tim / GM:The capybara is trying to push its face through the tunnel grate, like, to get in into safety.
Hannah / Eryn:Don't you have a larger deuce, puppy?
Maggie / Poppy:I do. Goddamn it.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. I reduced the cachyphera.
Tim / GM:Yep. No rolls there. It just gets smaller, and it's already pressing against the grate. And so all
Tim / GM:of a sudden, it just
Maggie / Poppy:goes right through Aw.
Tim / GM:On your side.
Hannah / Eryn:It was just too big to fit through the hole?
Tim / GM:Through the grate. Yep. To get it Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:But it
Hannah / Eryn:can be in the pipe.
Tim / GM:Can be in the pipe. Yep. It's taking up most of the pipe, but now it's looking down at you with its little squinty eyes, and it just gives you like a big nod. Guy flying through the air spiraling upwards, you look down to see this this churning undulating mass of shadow rats at the sewer grate. Some of them are being able are able to push through.
Tim / GM:A lot of them aren't because they're all like slamming up against each other.
Thomas / Guy:Alright, Stede. Here's the plan. We're going full speed at that grate, but at the last second, you're going free. I'll make my way in.
Tim / GM:Very good.
Hannah / Eryn:Full speed.
Tim / GM:I can get you some real distance. I'm gonna launch you. Okay? Try not to hit the grate.
John / Doran:I'll try.
Tim / GM:Alright. Full speed ahead.
Tim / GM:He dives straight downwards. He takes a big loop so he can get some distance, some trajectory coming into the grate. He actually turns upside down for a second, and when he whips back up right against the wall, you go flying into that grate. Give me a dexterity save.
Thomas / Guy:I wanna head toward one of the rats that's going through the grate, grab onto it, and ride it in. Sure.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. You see one that's, like, wiggling its fat ass out the grate trying to, like, wiggle its way in? Yeah. You can be the force that helps it through.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:Can I grapple it?
Tim / GM:Sure. Need that deck save, first
Thomas / Guy:of all. Oh, a deck save? Yeah. Well, that's my deck save. It's, 18.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Okay. You're safe from harm. Let's see how the graph goes.
Thomas / Guy:16.
Tim / GM:Hey.
Thomas / Guy:I got a plus 4 bonus from being around wild animals, beasts, or horses.
Tim / GM:Hell, yes, you do. Very nice pull. You, land right on this thing and you just grab its dark inky fur. You can see these, like, shadows are, like, rubbing off on your hand and it's kind of eerie. But when you do, you actually launch him, push him through that grate, and you're still riding him.
Tim / GM:It's kind of like bucking as it goes, but you hold fast. You all see Guy do a little cowboy action here.
Tim / GM:Woah.
Hannah / Eryn:Get away from it. Guy, quick. I can try to take him out.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Guy leaps off.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. Yeah. Aaron's gonna try to shoot it with a crossbow bolt.
Tim / GM:Yep.
Hannah / Eryn:16 minutes.
Tim / GM:Yep. Hits.
Tim / GM:Yep.
Hannah / Eryn:5 plus something. 8 damage.
Tim / GM:Yeah. This arrow is not enough to stop this thing in its tracks, but it does second guess following you from the pain of that. You can all see those rats are still trying to push their way in, but there's only one direction for you all to go now, and it's further down the pipe.
John / Doran:We didn't get a lot of time. We gotta go.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Get on your capybara. We saved them. Oh. Poppy saved them.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. I knew you'd be alright, fella.
Hannah / Eryn:Alright. Let's go.
Tim / GM:The capybara gives you the same sleepy squinty eyes as it always does.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, he's so cute. They did try to sacrifice you and not and not wait for you, but it's good. Let's go.
Tim / GM:You're all running, and with the great stride of the capybara, it actually manages to stay ahead of everyone, taking up almost the entire pipe. You can go underneath them if you have to or off to one of the sides. But, guy, yeah, you're practically scraping your head on the top of this pipe tunnel. But every time he bounces
Hannah / Eryn:Sink into his fluffy fur a little bit more.
Thomas / Guy:Wait. Guy takes off his head and carries it. Gets a little more clearance.
Tim / GM:Much better. Yeah. Guy, as you are coming to the end of this, your detached head can see that this pipe bends down at a 90 degree angle at the end of this path.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, we got a drop coming up.
Tim / GM:The capybara does not slow down.
Maggie / Poppy:What? Let's go.
Tim / GM:It hits that right angle and the capybara just goes Bing. Straight downwards. And you can see it kind of pressing its, like, paws out so that it's taking up the full width of this pipe and it's slowly kind of grinding its way down going
John / Doran:Good boy.
Tim / GM:The
Tim / GM:rest of you kind of pile onto its butt and you're just riding it down like a fluffy elevator.
Hannah / Eryn:Hey, so cute.
Tim / GM:You can hear the skittering and chattering of rats above you that are starting to fill that pipe. You see these little offshoots, these smaller pipes that feed into this one pouring with these shadowy rats. They're coming from every angle behind you. You all speed down this tunnel and when you get down there, you can see an exit. You can see light.
Tim / GM:You can see the edge of the resilient sphere that's at the end of this tunnel. That's where the break is. That's where they're coming in through this very tunnel.
Thomas / Guy:Hey, what's our plan for patching this up?
Maggie / Poppy:I didn't think that far ahead. Yeah. But I I think I can figure it out.
Hannah / Eryn:Poppy, it's your call. You're the witch. We gotta go through. And Eren rides ahead on the on the mouse.
Tim / GM:Yeah. There's another grate at the end of this one with Guy typically at the head of this. The capybara is docilely sprinting towards that grate showing no signs of stopping. Erin, you pull ahead here.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. I pull ahead and try to just
Tim / GM:Erin, you slip right out through that grate into this next room. It's just a musty stone hallway, but you're in it.
Thomas / Guy:Woah, boy. Woah, guys. Stop the capybara.
Tim / GM:Give me
Tim / GM:an animal handling tray.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron's gonna look for a way to open the grate.
Tim / GM:19. Okay. Yeah. Guy, the capybara is responsive to your call. It kind of like rears back, not changing its facial expression, but kind of digs its heels and so that it slows down.
Tim / GM:Aaron, at the same time, you'd look up to see a sort of, like a pin that you can push out of position to unlock this grate so it can be opened and cleaned. Mhmm. It's much bigger than you.
Maggie / Poppy:Have the capybara push it over.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron's gonna jump off the mouse and jump onto the pin and try to pull it down.
Tim / GM:Just drag it down. Yeah. Give me a strength check.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm not strong. It's a 9.
Tim / GM:Aaron, you're hanging on this pin just like yanking it down and it will not budge. It's like rusting in place or something.
Hannah / Eryn:Patrick, little help here?
Tim / GM:The give me an animal handling check.
Hannah / Eryn:My god, I'm not good at this either. Not Aaron's skill set. Alright. 15.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Loud and clear. Patrick climbs on you, kinda like grabs your shirt and climbs over you, and then Patrick just gets on top of the pin and it's just, like, hanging there with his little mouse paws. And eventually with both of your combined weight, you hear the hand slide out of position, hit the ground, and roll across the floor. Guy, your noble capybara, touches his nose to the grate and you feel it swing open.
Thomas / Guy:Ah, we've escaped quickly.
Maggie / Poppy:Everyone through.
Tim / GM:That That chattering of rats is coming like a tidal wave behind you.
Maggie / Poppy:Can we close it behind us?
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Help me with this pin. Put it back.
Tim / GM:Give me a strength check.
Thomas / Guy:Guy's gonna Yeah.
Tim / GM:I'm helping you. Though. Yep.
Tim / GM:Can I
Tim / GM:have you guys both roll for that?
Thomas / Guy:7. 16.
Tim / GM:Yep. Guy, you pick it up with one hand and slide it back into place.
Maggie / Poppy:Nothing but net.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron has, like, one finger on it. Like, yeah. I'm helping.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. Like, holding the middle. Like, should I just open the door? Yeah.
Tim / GM:You are all out. The grate is back in place, and those rats are nearly upon you. Poppy, it's time.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. Everyone get are we through the portal now? Yep.
John / Doran:You're on
Tim / GM:the outside of this resilient sphere. You have one chance to seal this before those rats start to pile through.
Hannah / Eryn:You got this, Poppy.
Maggie / Poppy:Any inspiration would be great at this point.
Tim / GM:Doran's just, like, sweating and playing his lute at the same time watching those rats come towards him. You all hear Maisie's voice to the echo bell? Okay. You just need to cast Resilient Sphere at probably the best magic you can probably do. So really advanced stuff if you can.
Tim / GM:And then you're just gonna hold on to that crystal when you do it. And then when you feel it pull on you for the magic, you just offer up that crystal and you're good to go.
Maggie / Poppy:Hey. I've definitely cast resilient sphere before.
Tim / GM:Oh, we we definitely should have clarified that before.
Maggie / Poppy:I'm sure if you just talk me through it, I can figure it out.
Tim / GM:Definitely. Okay. Alright. Okay. Hands at your sides.
Thomas / Guy:Remember that time you made a glass dome for the cake you made?
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. Which is similar to Yeah. To that?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Just roughly 1200 times larger. Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. That's good. If I tap into the bismite to to get it to go, that that works. Right?
Tim / GM:Yeah. That or you'll just burst into flames, but it's a good place to start at.
Maggie / Poppy:Awesome. Okay.
Tim / GM:Alright, Poppy. You're going to make a single arcana check with advantage for Maisie helping you through it. You can take Bartok Inspiration from Doran on this as well. If you fail, the rats will pile through. Okay.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron's gonna have their crossbow bolt trained at the grates where the rats are coming through.
Tim / GM:This is a d c 18 arcana.
Hannah / Eryn:Great. Journey, a little help here just in case.
Hannah / Eryn:Yes. Okay. I'm I'm gonna do that too. Just
Tim / GM:well,
Hannah / Eryn:it is a 26. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:That's our baker.
Tim / GM:You see that crystal glow, a bright pink, almost blinding. You have to look away from it, and you
Tim / GM:can see
Tim / GM:it floating towards that break in the sphere and almost like glass breaking in reverse, you see these little shards all kind of melt into each other and form the solid smooth surface of the resilient sphere, and you hear this sickening that's piling up on the other side with such force that they're crushing each other's bones against the sphere. What you see is, like, a blender full of rats.
Tim / GM:Well, I did it. Title.
Hannah / Eryn:Blender of rats.
Thomas / Guy:Suck it, rats.
Hannah / Eryn:Blender full of rats.
Tim / GM:And now on the other side, you find yourself in a musty stone hallway. It's dark, Sandy.
John / Doran:Well done, Bobby.
Maggie / Poppy:-Thank you. I just, I imagined making, like, sugar sculptures
Thomas / Guy:Yes. Yes.
Maggie / Poppy:But, like, in in globe form.
Thomas / Guy:Wow. Brilliant.
John / Doran:I feel like every day we've spent together has been a fever dream.
Tim / GM:And it's
John / Doran:gonna take a long time to get the image of those rats out of my head.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:I'm just trying not to think about it.
Tim / GM:Where do we go from here? We're trying to go further down. Right?
Maggie / Poppy:I think that's that's you now. You have to figure out where
John / Doran:Journey, you are kind of our beast whisperer.
Tim / GM:I suppose. Yeah. Let me
Tim / GM:Journey, you take one step away from that opening and you turn to full size looking down at all your friends and you hear this immediate like sorry sorry that's all we had I had to turn it off I hope you guys aren't dead
John / Doran:Oh, Maisie. How could you? We lost them. Just we're fine. Sorry.
John / Doran:You did great. Thank you.
Tim / GM:So it worked out. Yep. You got the sphere closed up?
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. I fixed it. I'm afraid the pendant
Tim / GM:No. I know. It's gone.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Journey, can you see the great beast from up there?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Are they all still small and I'm big?
Tim / GM:As soon as you take that next step, you all Okay. Can enlarge as well. Yep.
Hannah / Eryn:Poppy's just like Like, it was a little bit bigger.
Tim / GM:Poppy does get larger. She doubles in size. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:But not much bigger than a hamster.
Tim / GM:Yeah. And I
Tim / GM:was gonna say looking down as well, your little menagerie of animals is just still, like, down there looking up at all you.
Hannah / Eryn:Patrick, thank you for the ride. And, Eren kneels down and gives him a little, like, think one finger. Yeah.
Maggie / Poppy:Thanks, Hamma. Hamza.
Hannah / Eryn:That was my hamster's name. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Well served, captain.
Tim / GM:Captain Capybara gives you a nod.
Maggie / Poppy:Cap.
Tim / GM:Cap. Cap.
Tim / GM:I pick up the squirrel. I'm taking it with me. They don't belong here. They don't belong down here.
Thomas / Guy:They're just gonna These animals
Tim / GM:would not survive. See
John / Doran:you later, I guess. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, yeah. I'll take with Oh, my my voice is so high. Yeah. I'll take Patrick with me as well.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I just let, the squirrel the nameless squirrel crawl into my hair. I didn't bother to name it. I'm assuming it has its own name in squirrel language.
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. Squirrel language.
Thomas / Guy:Captain, do you want to come with me?
Tim / GM:It just squints at you. I don't I don't What to do?
Hannah / Eryn:Smell its intentions, guy.
Thomas / Guy:I take a big sniff of it. I rolled a 13.
Tim / GM:I interpret
Tim / GM:that on
Maggie / Poppy:a what?
Tim / GM:It actually kind of, like, smells like home. It's like smelling your own, like, bed sheets or something. There's a little bit of comfort and familiarity to it.
Thomas / Guy:Well, very well. There's, I think, room in this pouch.
Tim / GM:Also, the cap's docile nature just calms you.
Maggie / Poppy:Aww. Just smiling.
Thomas / Guy:You'll be safe in here, captain.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Suffice to say the rest of your animals either cling to you or cling to Journey. The first thing you all see when you open that next door at the end of this hallway is a kitchen. You realize that where you were just now was a small pantry. You can see cobwebs hanging from the coffered ceilings and old stone walls that are thick with dust and old grease from cooking.
Tim / GM:You can see old messy prep tables and bowls of rotten food and some out of place junk and knickknacks that are stored around the room as well, and something among that junk is starting to move.
Thomas / Guy:What's that?
Hannah / Eryn:Can I taste the air?
Tim / GM:Oh, good. Yes. Poppy, you taste the air, and you taste foul, moldy, rotten, bitter, and then after that, you start sweating a cold, panicked sweat.
John / Doran:You okay there?
Maggie / Poppy:No. No. I feel sick. I don't I don't think this is going to go well.
John / Doran:So we see something moving amid some
Tim / GM:Yeah. So it's like a normal kitchen type environment. There's, like, stove and a prep table and, like, an old sink and, like, everything you'd expect of, like, a castle kitchen, but there's also some, like, old storage stuff in here, like, things that don't belong in this room, like, little pieces of armor and books and other things. There's this kind of pile of debris and junk in the corner. You see moving among them is a metal rooster Just kind of quivering back and forth.
Thomas / Guy:Guy puts his hands on his hilt. Mhmm. Hole 2 goes there.
Tim / GM:The metal rooster stands, Guy, about a foot tall, and it turns directly towards you like a weather vane.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. State your intentions.
Tim / GM:It begins to rumble and shutter, Guy. And then it just kind of pops and falls over.
Tim / GM:And all of
Tim / GM:a sudden Guy, you're looking at the world from the floor, and your body feels hollow and jagged and metallic. You all see Guy's body stride around the room going, yes. Good. Good to be back. Real body.
Tim / GM:Oh, not a real is this even a living person? I feel strange. What is this?
John / Doran:Bug bug. Kai?
Tim / GM:Oh. Bug. Thank you all for coming. You're going to feed me a real human meal now. I'm just going to use this body for a little bit.
Tim / GM:In the meantime, enjoy a nice little meal and you can be on your way. But if you don't feed me something delicious, I will keep this body forever. So
Maggie / Poppy:Fuck. Right. Who are you?
Tim / GM:I guess you could call me not a fan of some of the previous ruling families here. I was imprisoned and, well made to feel pretty awful for a pretty long time so my spirit kind of stuck around, didn't it? Anyway, I haunt these parts, me and my friends here. You also see a small doll and a painting that begin to rumble.
Thomas / Guy:The the rooster starts pecking at guys' feet.
Tim / GM:That would be Aaron and Doran. Eren, you turn into a small doll. Doran, you turn into a painting. You're just trapped in that painting. You can't affect the physical world.
Tim / GM:You're just in the painting. The doll is a doll. You can do doll things. The metal rooster can move around on its own. It can talk, but it can't do much.
Tim / GM:It can just kind of, like, bounce around.
Hannah / Eryn:Math is hard.
Thomas / Guy:It is. No. It's yeah.
Tim / GM:Double things as math is hard?
Maggie / Poppy:Let's go
Hannah / Eryn:to the mall.
Thomas / Guy:Is there is there a burpee that says that?
Tim / GM:Do you
Hannah / Eryn:have a pull string or something?
Tim / GM:Aaron's body stands up and says,
Tim / GM:yes, this is lovely. I think a nice stew or a cheese toast. That would be great. Yes. Yes.
Thomas / Guy:Hey, guys. That's not me. I'm I'm Guy.
Tim / GM:Alright. I'm a Russian. What is happening? You these are not your bodies.
Tim / GM:No. Of course not. But we're going to enjoy a nice meal on behalf of all of you nice folks. You see, Aaron, Doran, and Guy all seat themselves at the table and take these, like, dirty plates and set them in front
Tim / GM:of them.
Tim / GM:I believe the recipe called for a stew and cheese toast. Hop 2.
Maggie / Poppy:Okay. Journey, I think we have to do this.
Tim / GM:And once you have this meal, you will leave these bodies and go back to where you came from and put back the people that were in them?
Tim / GM:Well, of course. I mean, we could do that right now, but we're hungry.
Maggie / Poppy:So your unfinished business is that you wanna eat a meal?
Tim / GM:Precisely. At least for the 3 of us.
Maggie / Poppy:Are you bound by a human or a living being palate?
Tim / GM:Stew and cheese toast. I think it's pretty simple.
Maggie / Poppy:Right.
Tim / GM:Is that difficult for you?
Maggie / Poppy:No. No. Not at all. I just don't know if there's ingredients.
Tim / GM:Oh, there's ingredients. They gesture around, and you see just, like, rotten crumbled stuff everywhere, and it better be fresh.
Thomas / Guy:Poppy, I can provide a metal egg if you need it.
Tim / GM:1st, just don't like eggs.
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, I'm gonna take stock of what's here and see if there's anything that I can use.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Let me get an investigation check from Poppy.
Maggie / Poppy:13.
Tim / GM:You find a pepper dispenser,
Tim / GM:a bowl
Tim / GM:of rotten tomatoes, and questionable bread.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. Do I have the typical ingredients like carry on me?
Tim / GM:Yeah. But small amounts that would be reasonable
Hannah / Eryn:and put one, like, stiff arm on their bag and say, you can never have too many clothes. Thanks, Erin, you can never have too many clothes. And I'm just, like, stabbing the bag.
Hannah / Eryn:I'll open my bag? I have, like, spices and and oil and butter and molasses and stuff. Okay.
Thomas / Guy:What is the problem, Poppy? What are we missing?
Hannah / Eryn:What is the problem, Poppy?
Maggie / Poppy:Well, they want cheese toast. If you can find cheese, cheese tends to last a while.
Thomas / Guy:Cheese. If only I had my good nose, I could sniff out the cheese. And what and what of this stew?
Maggie / Poppy:That's I'm working
Tim / GM:Yep. Wowie. That's a nat one. Wow. I'm overwhelmed.
Tim / GM:With a nat one.
Hannah / Eryn:You step in the p corner.
Tim / GM:Jesus. With a Nat one, you find a canister of tomato sauce.
Thomas / Guy:That seems good, though.
Tim / GM:Canister of tomato sauce. Poppy, is this useful?
Maggie / Poppy:Oh my gosh. Yes. I think I can use this as the soup base.
Tim / GM:Alright. I can keep looking around.
Thomas / Guy:Guy's gonna hunt for cheese. Okay.
Tim / GM:Make a perception check or investigation. 9. Wow. You find unwaxed cheese. Just a cube of cheese that has been left out for question mark time.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, Poppy, this is cheese over here.
Maggie / Poppy:That sure is cheese. I can work with that.
Tim / GM:Alright. I think so far, Doran has not made any perception checks.
John / Doran:I'll look around in my, like, the frame. Yeah. Is there anything in the picture?
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Thomas / Guy:Bubble fruit.
Tim / GM:Give me investigation with advantage, Doreen. K.
John / Doran:Investigation 23.
Tim / GM:Alright. Yeah. Looking around the scenery in here, you turn around not to look into the kitchen, but into the painting, which is forever preserved. You see in the vineyard behind you is a a small patch of, tomato bushes.
John / Doran:Any cheese plants?
Tim / GM:I think
Hannah / Eryn:those are called cows.
Tim / GM:No cheese plants. But you do see, the tomato bushes. And then in the foreground, there's a small picnic set up with a basket full of bread.
John / Doran:Okay. Okay. Great. I go grab the tomatoes and the bread, and then I walk over towards the edge of the frame.
Thomas / Guy:Shit. Why the why the fuck did I
John / Doran:think this was gonna work? And I drop everything. Can I roll, Arcana check to see if I can think of a way to interact Sure? Back to the outside world? Yep.
John / Doran:Right. Got a 16.
Tim / GM:Nice. Yeah. Your logic is if something came out of this picture into the real world, there must be a way to translate this picture into real life. K. Okay.
Tim / GM:Along those similar veins, I bet a wizard like Poppy could pull it off.
John / Doran:Poppy, can you hear me?
Maggie / Poppy:Yes.
John / Doran:That's weird. Okay. Hey. This might be a stretch, but I found this. Can you do the rest?
Maggie / Poppy:I don't know what you want from me, but I can try.
John / Doran:So these are tomatoes. Like, if you could
Maggie / Poppy:I can see that.
John / Doran:We could exchange the tomatoes with the things you found in the bread. Oh.
Tim / GM:I don't know.
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. Let's let's try.
Tim / GM:Okay. Give me an arcan check, Poppy.
Hannah / Eryn:Are you fucking kidding?
John / Doran:That is a singular integer.
Tim / GM:Not one. Very well. Poppy, you pull these things out of the painting with your magic. You kind of latch onto them, and you just drag them into reality. You kind of catch Doran for a second there, and he's like being pulled out and he's just sort of turning into spaghetti or something.
Tim / GM:He snaps back into the picture, and you pull out the tomato and the bread, And it looks like it's made of, like, oil painting. When you touch it, it's just, like, leaving red paint on everything. The bread is leaving white and brown on everything.
John / Doran:Can you put it back and try again?
Hannah / Eryn:I'd shove it up against
Tim / GM:the canvas. Smearing colors against the canvas. Doran, it's creating these abstract blobs of nonexistence all around you. Oh. If you touch those, you'll cease to exist.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm so sorry. Everything's a little much right now.
Tim / GM:And I think our last, perception check to be made is from Erin. Correct?
Tim / GM:Mhmm. Okay. I
Hannah / Eryn:don't think I would have Ganymed eyes anymore because I'm not wearing the bangle. Body. Okay. Is Ganymede tied to the bangle, though, that I would wear?
Tim / GM:True. Yep.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm gonna try to stealth Nick
Tim / GM:the bangle?
Hannah / Eryn:The bangle back from
Tim / GM:the Press the bangle.
Maggie / Poppy:At all?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Is it all?
Hannah / Eryn:Do I just have mine just a normal, no advantage on this?
Tim / GM:No advantage, and you would just use the flat roll. Don't use your stats for this.
Hannah / Eryn:That was a 2.
Tim / GM:Wow. With a 10, the specter, the ghost that had traded bodies with you, just reaches out and grabs your little doll hand and just whips you across the room.
Tim / GM:What was
Tim / GM:that? I think not.
Hannah / Eryn:Boys, jewel. Girls rule.
Tim / GM:You take that back.
Hannah / Eryn:I get up, and I'm gonna try to just find I'm gonna look for we're in a kitchen. Right?
Tim / GM:Yep.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm gonna look for, another little doorway that leads to, like, a pantry or a cheese seller or a wine cellar of some kind. 17, investigation, flat roll.
Tim / GM:Very nice. Yeah. You find a little, wooden hatch in the ground, that you're able to kind of pop up and you can walk into that lower room and indeed this is a cellar for things like cheese and wine. It's a cooler darker place for things to store for longer periods of time. Down here, you find wax bound cheese, stuff that is still completely sealed.
Tim / GM:You also find a bundle of preserved herbs down here. A lot of this stuff is, like, rotten and not worthy, but this is. This is still good. It's just kind of, like, hanging upside down. It looks special somehow.
Hannah / Eryn:Doll, me, goes back out and then runs over to Poppy and, grabs her again and kinda points down to the cellar door.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, did you find a trap door? That's nice.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm gonna pull her more and say, you're my best friend.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, you mean
Hannah / Eryn:that? Girls rule. Boys drool.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, that's the nicest thing you ever said to me.
Hannah / Eryn:And I'm trying to pull Poppy along.
Tim / GM:There's a stake in my boot. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:Math is hard.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, wow. That's a lot of stuff.
Tim / GM:Poppy creaking open that same hatch, you see the same thing that Aaron did. You see that wax bound cheese, all the destroyed stuff, and then that one bundle of herbs.
Hannah / Eryn:I will take the herbs Mhmm. And some wax cheese. Is there any wine?
Tim / GM:No wine.
Hannah / Eryn:No wine. Okay.
Maggie / Poppy:That's good. Thank you so much for finding this,
Hannah / Eryn:and I pat her on the little head.
Hannah / Eryn:Erin, the doll nods. It's just a a really scary grin, though, always smiling at you, like, like dead eyes.
Hannah / Eryn:Haunted doll.
Thomas / Guy:I'm sorry I wasn't more help, Poppy, but I can tell you it will be dawn in about 11 hours.
Tim / GM:That is helpful.
Maggie / Poppy:Thanks, Sky. Just Skye.
Tim / GM:Just this nearing urge to scream. Alright. Poppy, you've got your ingredients.
Maggie / Poppy:Yes.
Tim / GM:They may not be the best. I believe you've got a pepper dispenser, a can of tomato sauce, some painted tomatoes, some unbound cheese, some wax bound cheese, and herbs. Your mission is to make stew and cheese toast.
Hannah / Eryn:Yes. I believe I also have questionable bread.
Tim / GM:Yes.
Maggie / Poppy:Journey, you got anything on your person?
Tim / GM:Roast Kathy Barrow?
Thomas / Guy:No. I was gonna suggest if you need meat for the stew, we know of 5 animals that we just met.
Maggie / Poppy:We gave them names, guys.
Tim / GM:Served you with their life.
Tim / GM:The squirrel is nameless so far.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm not eating squirrel.
Thomas / Guy:I mean, you're not eating squirrel.
Hannah / Eryn:That's true.
Thomas / Guy:Doreen, me, and Aaron are eating squirrel.
Tim / GM:I have an herbalism kit.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. I'm gonna gather all of the ingredients Mhmm. Into a little pile.
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm going to cast purify food and drink.
John / Doran:Nice.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:That's what it's for, man.
John / Doran:Oh, note to self.
Tim / GM:Got them.
Tim / GM:Note to self. Look up the spells your players have
Maggie / Poppy:before you design a puzzle.
Hannah / Eryn:I don't think it won't take away the rottenness of it. It just won't be like sickening
Thomas / Guy:your purify. Stew and bread.
Hannah / Eryn:Yep. I just
Tim / GM:I chose it. Here's what happens, Poppy.
Hannah / Eryn:Yes.
Tim / GM:You cast purify food and drink, that questionable bread just kind of like fluffs up and becomes soft again, edible. The smell is gone. You know, that smell it had? Mhmm. Gone.
Tim / GM:Awesome. When you cast purify food and drink on that can of tomato sauce, it turns to dust.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Yeah.
Tim / GM:It had nothing left to give. In fact, the contents of that were a pure black cylinder of sludge.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. That's that's where
Tim / GM:it That was a Nat one.
Thomas / Guy:That was a Nat one.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah.
Tim / GM:It would have ruined any meal that you
Maggie / Poppy:put it in.
Hannah / Eryn:Perfect. Yeah.
Tim / GM:It's been purified.
Tim / GM:Smart.
Hannah / Eryn:What about the the rotten tomatoes?
Tim / GM:I think a couple of those remain.
Hannah / Eryn:Okay. Yeah. Can I do one last little look around for some bones?
Tim / GM:That's, like, granted. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:There are definitely bones. Bones. Yeah. K.
John / Doran:Tibio shows up. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:I want to Uberrang? Boil them to make some broth.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Tim / GM:Delicious. Probably human.
Tim / GM:Yeah. You pick up just like a femur on the floor.
John / Doran:Hey. No. I'm not eating that. Don't make me
Hannah / Eryn:You don't have a choice, Doran. Okay. So I'm gonna, like, gather some spices, the tomatoes, the bones, water and oil Yep. And, like, salt and pepper and stuff Okay. Into a pot.
Hannah / Eryn:Set that to boil. I'm making tomato soup.
Tim / GM:Are you going to put those preserved herbs in there?
Hannah / Eryn:Can I identify them? You can try.
Tim / GM:I can try. History or survival?
Hannah / Eryn:I'll do history. Good. 17.
Tim / GM:Yeah. These herbs are just called evergreen. They are preserved herb that can clear out some of the toxins
Hannah / Eryn:whole bunch in.
Tim / GM:Alright.
Hannah / Eryn:So the stew is boiling. Yep. Purified bread. Yep. It is still questionable.
Hannah / Eryn:Yep. I'm going to slice it. K. Put butter on it. Cheese.
Hannah / Eryn:Mhmm.
Tim / GM:The wax bound cheese.
Hannah / Eryn:Wax bound cheese. I'll peel the wax off.
Tim / GM:K. Good.
Maggie / Poppy:They're all. Gotcha.
Hannah / Eryn:Unless it's the kind with edible wax.
Tim / GM:Nope. It's toxic.
Hannah / Eryn:Toxic wax. I'm going to make Italian dunkers or not Italian dunkers. I'm going to make dunkers Perfect. With that.
Tim / GM:Yeah. That's oh, shit. I didn't even realize the fucking ingredients for dunkers are here. Yes. That's glorious.
Tim / GM:That's way better than stew and cheese toast.
Hannah / Eryn:Well, the stew is kind of dunker sauce.
Tim / GM:Sure. You didn't have enough to make a real soup out of it.
Hannah / Eryn:Yes. Yeah. I'll start the oven with crepe bonfire Mhmm. And get to cooking.
Tim / GM:Cool. The actual, like, cooking process goes fairly smooth. It is creepy with these 3 bodies. Doran's has never spoken the entire time it's been here. That was the painting.
Tim / GM:It's just been staring at all of you you waiting for its food. All 3 of these figures, Doran, Guy, and Aaron are all just holding knife and fork in their hands, sitting at the table waiting for food. Poppy, you finish up in silence over the course of 10 minutes or so and start to dish up. They give you these big, wicked grins and they start eating. But when they do, it's just fingers in the food, like stuffing everything into their face.
Tim / GM:They, like, mash the cheese toast into the marinara or whatever you made, and they're, like, cramming it into their own mouths, Dora. And You're watching from a distance as your face is getting covered in oily cheese and grease and and questionable tomato sauce. And, Guy, your visage has just, like, got its face down in the plates slurping up the sauce.
Thomas / Guy:Did any of you wash your hands?
Maggie / Poppy:I don't think it matters at this point.
Tim / GM:After some horrible, horrendous slurping and sloshing noises that I will not repeat on this podcast,
Tim / GM:They
Tim / GM:all finish their meal and lean back contented. One of them says, I did not expect those herbs. That was really something special. Should we? Should we?
Tim / GM:And, the one in Aaron's body goes, I think it's okay. Let's give it to them. They earned it, didn't they? The one in Doran's body goes,
Tim / GM:yes.
Maggie / Poppy:What did we earn?
Tim / GM:Doran stands up and reaches into a cabinet and pulls open what looks like a little secret wooden door in the cabinet, reaches behind that and gets a small salt shaker. Erin's body says, this is called 1,000 year rock salt. Incredibly rare. And she goes on to describe what it is and what it tastes like and what it does, but, Poppy, you think back to a very special recording that you heard once out of a jar in lore, the recipe for the chamor crescent, something extremely powerful, something that's said to restore life to the body. It's so powerful, so delicious.
Tim / GM:1000 year rock salt is one of the few ingredients of the Chamorre crescent.
Maggie / Poppy:It's an honor.
Tim / GM:Doran, you're staring at Poppy, and she just said it's an honor. Great.
John / Doran:Oh, salt. That's cool. That they're super nice for giving us salt after doing that.
Tim / GM:You all hear the clanging of a metal rooster tipping over. Guy, you're all Erin, you're back in your body sitting at the table, covered in grease and sauce and bread.
Hannah / Eryn:Gross.
Thomas / Guy:Guy, eat some of the leftovers in his beard. This is actually pretty pretty good puppy.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Well done. Are you all okay?
John / Doran:I think so.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. I no longer know what time it is.
John / Doran:I pressed the digitization in my face and, like, just, like, spraying them with my finger. The You stuff.
Tim / GM:Power washing your own
John / Doran:face. Yeah. Yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:Aaron shifts into, a Tabaxi and then shifts back into Aaron in, like, under a minute and, is clean when they come back as Aaron.
Thomas / Guy:The guy, shrinks his his new cloak and wipes
Tim / GM:wipes his mouth and then puts it back.
Tim / GM:Amazing.
Maggie / Poppy:I will
Hannah / Eryn:tuck the salt in with the honey bile that I have.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Hannah / Eryn:The super rare honey.
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Hannah / Eryn:Hey. Maybe we should take some of this extra food, just in case down here, like, the cheese is still good.
Maggie / Poppy:Oh, yeah. The cheese, definitely. I don't want the rest of it. I'll take the cheese.
Hannah / Eryn:I take some cheese from down below. K.
John / Doran:Can I say I did a short rest in the painting during that time?
Hannah / Eryn:Yeah. We can probably just
Tim / GM:Honestly, you could all short rest now
Hannah / Eryn:if you wanted to. Take a quick rest. Think that
Maggie / Poppy:would be good. What does
Thomas / Guy:that do?
Tim / GM:Nothing for me.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Spells if you're a wizard and then some HP.
Thomas / Guy:I'm gonna quick use all my warlock spells.
Tim / GM:There you go. Yeah. Get them back.
Tim / GM:For me,
John / Doran:I got my bardic inspiration back. That was the big thing.
Hannah / Eryn:Nice. I'm gonna regain my 4th level spell slot. Everything else is fine.
Tim / GM:You all have some time to catch your breath here in this little kitchen room. It's a little eerie not knowing if those spirits are still here or if they've truly departed at this point. But about half an hour goes by. You're able to catch your breath, sit down, eat for yourselves, chat a little bit with Maisie if you needed to. Everything seems to be going okay with the island.
Tim / GM:But as you're all putting your gear back on and getting ready, that fire that Poppy had lit suddenly goes out, and you all feel this cold breeze blow through this kitchen. You see the painting start to rattle, and that rooster moves again in the doll. I can also see you here. They're coming. They're coming.
Tim / GM:They're coming. They're coming. That room goes eerie quiet. Guy, something is stirring in your stomach. Guy, the flames start to billow out of your neck and eyes again.
Tim / GM:You hear a slow thumping, like marching. You're all looking at the double doors that lead out of the kitchen into the banquet hall, and you can hear it thumping closer and closer. Behind you, a door to another hallway explodes open. You see in the shadows a glimmer of light, a glimmer of eyes, and a face. A face hovering at chest height.
Tim / GM:It seems to struggle for words. It's choking for the air to speak and it says, traitor. A moment of silence passes and it gasps again and you see a burst of flame. And then in the darkness, a floating monstrosity, the fused heads of 6 Dullahan, all pulling, stretching away from each other bathed in green flame, gasping, screaming in discordant waves, traitor. At the same time, the doors to the banquet will burst open.
Tim / GM:3 more Dullahan bodies without their heads face you down. Roll initiative. Next time. No. Do you
Hannah / Eryn:want us to roll now or next time?
Tim / GM:Next time, we roll initiative for now. Thanks everybody for listening. I've been Tim, your GM.
Hannah / Eryn:I'm Hannah playing Erin.
Tim / GM:This is Tara, and I play Journey.
Thomas / Guy:Hey. I'm Thomas, and I'm Guy.
John / Doran:I'm John playing Doran.
Maggie / Poppy:I'm Maggie, and I play Poppy Kenmore. What'll we cook up next week?
Hannah / Eryn:Oh, I hate that.
Tim / GM:Share the show with people you love, and we'll see you next time.
