List of Transcripts

Pre-Show

MATT: Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons.

ALL: (hollering) We play Dungeons & Dragons!

MATT: Our first sponsor is the brand new video game, "Baldur's Gate III." Take it away, Sam.

SAM: There are a lots of reasons-- a lots of reasons to be excited about "Baldur's Gate III." It captures the chaos and surprise of a D&D campaign, but in a next-gen video game. Character creation lets you define personality, body type, age, looks, right down to the highlights in your hair. The expansive original storyline explores a dark corruption growing inside you that carries with it a mysterious burgeoning power. There's also an in-world newspaper called "Baldur's Mouth" that publishes your exploits for all to see. But! The thing I'm most excited about is the romance.

MATT: There it is.

SAM: That's right.

ASHLEY: There we go!

SAM: "Baldur's Gate III" has romance-able NPCs, y'all. Your character can forge all kinds of relationships, including the naked, sexy time variety.

ASHLEY and LAURA: Woo, woo!

SAM: And your romantic life actually changes the game's narrative arc. I don't know if you guys saw this, but there's actually a clip out there where the main character can even get freaky with a druid in a bear form.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Which is very sexy. Now, I haven't played the game, but unusual romantic pairings are kind of my thing. So I wrote a little scene of how my ideal in-game romance would go. Liam, I don't mean to spring this on you like this, but would you care to read the scene with me?

LIAM: You already made me wear the costume, Sam.

SAM: Great. So you'll do it? (laughs)

LIAM: Yep.

SAM: Awesome. (laughter)

SAM: Remember, this scene is all about romance, so play it real, okay? And action.

LIAM: Honey, I'm home. How's my hot little tiefling? Ready to roll a natural 69 in the bedroom?

ASHLEY: Wow.

TRAVIS: God.

SAM: Oh.

LAURA: Wow.

SAM: Finally, back from adventuring. Let me guess, your important battle took longer than expected?

TRAVIS: Oh, this is how we're starting?

LIAM: I didn't know a demilich was going to ambush us. Are we really doing this again?

SAM: Yes, Grenlock, we're doing this again. I worked my "hot little tiefling" ass off making you a whole salmon casserole and now it's gone cold like this relationship.

LIAM: Baby, baby, baby, baby. I was frozen in a stone spell. It took a while for Kendra to heal me!

SAM: Oh, that's what this is. That bitch, Kendra the Wild. Always spending time with her and not me!

LIAM: She's our cleric! My arm was severed! Look, the therapist said you never support my work.

SAM: You mean your dream of living as a bear 24/7? I've been your biggest supporter for years! Look, I may just be a level one sorcerer and don't earn enough treasure to contribute to the rent, but that doesn't mean my dreams aren't valid, too!

LIAM: Wait, hold up, hold up, hold up. I'm confused. Is this what you think romance is?

SAM: I mean, different things turn on different people.

MARISHA: Oh god.

ASHLEY: Oh wow.

LIAM: That's fair.

SAM: Just read the last part.

LIAM: I'm sorry, baby. I know I'm a bear and you're a hot-ass tiefling. Maybe I can cover you in honey and make it up to you. Oh, baby, come on, let's hibernate all night long! (laughter)

SAM: And scene. That felt great, Liam. Didn't that feel good to you?

LIAM: (flatly) So good, Sam.

SAM: The next generation RPG "Baldur's Gate III" gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a thriving world filled with characters, dangers and deceit. Online multiplayer for up to four players lets you combine forces in combat, or split your party and follow your own quest--

ASHLEY: What you doing over there?

SAM: And there's romance! This is what I do when I'm nervous. (laughter)

SAM: It's time to gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms. "Baldur's Gate III" is now out on PC. Matt, thanks for bearing with us. (groaning)

LIAM: Does anybody want to bury me in the parking lot? (laughter)

MATT: Having "Overlook Hotel" flashbacks.

LIAM: Oh, yes.

LAURA: The strap is stuck on your chin.

TALIESIN: Oh god.

LIAM: (groans)

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

MATT: Suffer for your art, Liam.

LIAM: Getting "Death to Smoochy" vibes over here.

MATT: Yeah, yeah.

TALIESIN: Oh wow.

MATT: Straight up. Laura, you got some announcements to do?

LAURA: Oh my gosh! Oh gosh. Which one do I start with first? Okay.

MATT: Your choice.

LAURA: I'm going to start with this. (exclaiming)

LAURA: Hold on, I got to unhook it. We have, you guys! We have an Imogen denim shirt.

ASHLEY: Ermahgerd!

MATT: That's really cute.

LAURA: Look at this thing!

SAM: It's countrified.

LAURA: No, but it's also not countrified. It's also just super wearable.

ASHLEY: But look it!

LAURA: Imogen Temult oversized denim shirt. Artist, Adriann Helton. Oh! (oohing)

ASHLEY: See? It's the moon. It's the moon.

LAURA: It's the moons. It's the moon phases--

SAM: And lightning bolts!

LAURA: Get it, get it. Get this. We also have a Laudna dice set.

MARISHA: And it kind of matches!

SAM: And it kind of matches.

LAURA: So you could wear Imogen, and hold Laudna in your hand.

ASHLEY: Ooh.

TALIESIN: Aw.

LAURA: And check out-- Have you seen these?

SAM: That's everyone's dream.

ASHLEY: They're very cool.

LAURA: Have you seen them in person?

MARISHA: I haven't in person. Oh, ooh!

LAURA: They're so beautiful. So, so beautiful.

SAM: Is that our first denim thing ever?

LAURA: Yeah!

SAM: Wow!

LAURA: And it's so good!

SAM: Modest!

LAURA: I tried it on when it was in sample phase and I wore it home and it's mine and I'm taking this one, too.

MARISHA: They're smokey--

LIAM: Eight years.

MARISHA: -- but also spiky and ichor-y.

LAURA: Ichor-y.

ASHLEY: You can open it real quick... Should you need to.

SAM: Oh, it's a snap!

LIAM: Oh wow.

LAURA: It is a snap button.

SAM: It's not a button? That's great.

MATT: I mean, tear away denim is the best kind.

ASHLEY: Tear away denim is the way to go.

LIAM: Eight years is the denim anniversary. (laughter)

LAURA: The last thing is, oh-- Everybody loves a good Robbie Daymond action figure. (cheering)

LAURA: We have a Dorian Storm ReAction figure. Artist, Hannah Friederichs and Super7. This one, as well, is exclusive to CR shops. Check it out in our store.

LIAM: Get a load of--

LAURA: Right now.

LIAM: -- Gainsborough blue boy.

SAM: Is that denim?

LAURA: I feel like that's the best I've done on a--

SAM: You did so great.

MATT: You did!

TRAVIS: Really? That was the one?

MARISHA: So good.

LAURA: Yeah, I--

MATT: Anyway! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us at Gen Con last week. We were able to showcase "Queen by Midnight" and "Till the Last Gasp." (cheering)

MATT: As well as give previews of upcoming RPGs, "Candela Obscura" and "Daggerheart." So if you missed out on getting a copy of "Queen by Midnight"-- (cheering)

MARISHA: Look at it!

MATT: We invite you to heed the rule by midnight and check out this battle royale board game at its full release on August 22nd in Critical Role shops and Darrington Press Guild stores.

MARISHA: It's so good.

TRAVIS: Get them!

MATT: You can place an order with your local Darrington Press Guild store to get special foil versions of each Princess' ultimate card as well. So look into that. Marisha and Sam, you got something to talk about.

MARISHA: You guys, we're back with season two of "Midst."

TRAVIS: "Midst."

MARISHA: Starting on Wednesday, August 23rd.

TRAVIS: Huh?

SAM: You can join us for a round table with the "Midst" narrators, as mysterious as they are, next Wednesday, August 16th, as we dive into season one and get to know these incredible artists and storytellers.

MARISHA: Shout out to Third Person. Subscribers will get the first three episodes of this season right away, plus some amazing new benefits like monthly bonus episodes with the narrators, digital downloads of the episode art and music tracks. You can learn more at midst.co.

SAM: Check it out and subscribe.

MARISHA: Yes, it's good shit. Also, the final episode of "Candela Obscura: Chapter One" is available to watch everywhere!

TRAVIS: Yeah, baby!

MARISHA: So if you missed it and you want to watch that first set of three, you can binge it. It's super good. It's super great. Then also, you might have seen that Chapter Two of "Candela Obscura" is coming August 31st.

TRAVIS: Oh yeah!

MARISHA: Yes. Join us for the premiere on Twitch, YouTube, and--

SAM: What?

TALIESIN: What?

MARISHA: You guys--

SAM: I didn't know this.

MARISHA: In Cinemark Theaters-- (cheering)

MATT: Oh dang.

MARISHA: That's right. If you're curious, you can get on the ground floor, in on the ground floor of this chapter. (laughter)

MARISHA: As the Circle of Needle & Thread--

SAM: What?

TRAVIS: Needle & Thread.

MARISHA: Face off against a duplicitous threat that wreaks havoc on the war torn Fairelands.

TRAVIS: Oh, baby.

MARISHA: It's so good, you guys. Our players include: Travis Willingham, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Zehra Fazal, Luis Carazo, and Marisha Ray. That's me.

TRAVIS: Let's go, Marisha Ray!

MARISHA: Alongside our game master and lead designer for Candela Obscura, Spenser Starke. (cheering)

TRAVIS: Respect!

MARISHA: He fucking knocks it out of the park. It's good shit.

TRAVIS: So good. Real good.

MARISHA: For tickets and more information at-- Yeah, for tickets and more information, you can go to critrole.com.

TRAVIS: Crit role.

MATT: Fantastic. Well done. Crit role.

SAM: That's a lot of stuff. We make stuff.

MATT: We do stuff, we do things. We do things.

TRAVIS: We do things.

MATT: But I think that concludes our announcements. So let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of--

LIAM: I have bear hair in my teeth.

MATT: -- Critical Role.

MARISHA: Ew!

(wind whooshing) ♪ Critical ♪
♪ Critical ♪
♪ It's Thursday ♪
♪ It's Thursday night! ♪

ASHLEY: ♪ One-by-one, we climb until we reach the top. ♪
♪ Two-by-two, we fall. ♪

LAURA: ♪ Will we meet our end or meet our destiny? ♪
♪ Hold your breath and roll! ♪

MATT: How do you want to do this?

ALL: ♪ It's Thursday night ♪
♪ All ye Critters, come join us ♪
♪ It's time to continue our plight ♪
♪ There is magic and mystery ♪
♪ Who knows what will happen? ♪
♪ He might! ♪
♪ But one thing's for sure, ♪
♪ We never give up on the fight! ♪

LIAM: ♪ From the healer ♪
♪ To the renegade ♪

MATT: ♪ We all share the same goal ♪

MATT and TALIESIN: ♪ Adding more allies ♪
♪ Taking more chances ♪

SAM: ♪ Hold your breath and roll ♪

MARISHA: You can certainly try.

ALL: ♪ It's Thursday night ♪
♪ All ye Critters, come join us ♪
♪ It's time to continue our plight ♪
♪ It's Thursday night. ♪
♪ There is magic and mystery ♪
♪ From darkness, our friendship will rise ♪
♪ But one thing's for sure: ♪
♪ We never give up on the fight ♪
♪ Oh, get ready, ♪
♪ Get ready, ♪
♪ It's Thursday night! ♪
(flames whooshing)

Part I

TRAVIS: That is your wife.

MATT: And welcome back.

TALIESIN: Wow.

LIAM: Too many games.

MATT: Too many ga-- (laughs)

LIAM: Too many games!

LAURA: Wow.

SAM: Babool, babool.

TRAVIS: Wow.

MATT: Full meltdown.

TRAVIS: Uh-huh!

MATT: Welcome back. So-- Last time: Bells Hells, in prepping themselves for the coming growing threat in the Hellcatch Valley, in the echoes of the solstice and the Exandria-wide changes and damage that it's left in its wake, you went to ask aid of Keyleth after finding out that she had still continued to suffer the wounds that she was given in that moment by Otohan Thull. This specific toxin that she had used, this venom on her blades prevented the wounds from closing and Keyleth remained near incapacitated, unable to use her magic to weave these wounds away. You discovered that there is a particular type of flower that grows in places of severe corruption, that when gathered could, at least through previous experience, possibly reverse this toxin. You followed shortly after a group of volunteers that went to the Grey Valley and discovered they themselves had befallen some dark scenarios upon attempting to recover these flowers, some of which fell and were corrupted in this field, others that were captured. You followed them-- Followed the trail to a bastion, a stronghold of followers of the Platinum Dragon that had fallen recently to a mass demon horde. Much was lost on each side, but victory laid with the demons and they were preparing for some larger ritual. A blood feast of some kind in which these captured individuals would be prepared for. You, using a two-pronged assault on this bastion, managed to slay many of these demons, ally with a devilish figure that seemed to also have a coincided interest against these demon forces.

LAURA: A sexy devilish figure.

TALIESIN: Meow.

TRAVIS: Oh!

LIAM: Is there any other kind?

MATT: Destroyed the local demon general of this region of this assault and freed the remaining captives. Three of which were members of the first Ashari volunteer party, one of which is Baernie, your Ashari sister. After realizing this space was dangerous and Fearne made a tiny, tiny little pact with this--

ASHLEY: It's not going to be a problem.

MATT: -- devilish figure, Teven. Exhausted, hurt, and not immediately able to return back to Zephrah. Baernie carved through the stone, magically, an alcove in which you could rest for the evening. There you gathered up, sealed the stone and within this safe space, prepared yourselves for an evening's rest. Is there anything you need to do before going to bed?

TRAVIS: Yes, actually. I just realized that I wasn't fully-- I wasn't fully stacked to be as efficient as I could be. Do we have the Butcher's Bib in the hole?

TALIESIN: I mean-- Probably, hold on.

TRAVIS: Can't remember if I put it in the Bag of Holding or not, but I want to put that bitch on.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: And attune to it.

MATT: So the hole's 10 feet across. This alcove is rather small. So you have to ask everybody to get very close to the edges of the interior of this circular cavern.

TALIESIN: Everybody scooch for a second.

MATT: "Okay." "Okay."

TALIESIN: Back up.

MATT: Everyone backs away, confused.

TRAVIS: Whee! (laughter)

LAURA: No, I fall in. (laughter)

MATT: (falling yell)

TRAVIS: Oh no!

TALIESIN: I was about to say--

MARISHA: Imogen?

TALIESIN: We could just fold it closed.

TRAVIS: ♪ I think we're alone now ♪ (laughter)

TRAVIS: ♪ There doesn't seem to be ♪ Who are you waving to?

TALIESIN: Yep, yep. There you go. Right up.

TRAVIS: (yells)

LAURA: Oh, wait, shit. What did you need?

TRAVIS: I got the Butcher's Bib, it's fine. (laughter)

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: I'll attune to that.

MATT: So you acquired the Butcher's Bib.

TALIESIN: So let's see that thing you picked up, that dagger.

TRAVIS: Oh yeah!

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: I take the Bag of Holding and I pull out this sword that's got rubies or jewels or something.

MATT: It's-- Lengthwise, on the shorter scale of a greatsword.

TRAVIS: Okay.

MATT: But it is quite wide. The blade itself is a large, thick blade with a cruciform hilt on it, and there are rubies embedded in it. It is a solid, smooth platform. It's a beautiful looking blade.

TRAVIS: Dope! FCG, you still got any stank to figure out?

SAM: I do. If you need me to check it out.

TALIESIN: Let's do that.

SAM: All right, my lens pops down and little beams of laser light come out and scan it up and down.

TRAVIS: (printer noises)

SAM: (scanning noises) Forms a 3D model of it in my brain. I turn it around.

TALIESIN: Just showing it off. This is just showing off.

SAM: Just see like "Terminator," like analysis. What do I see?

MATT: You see a beautiful blade that's referred to as Graz'tchar, the Luminary Blade.

SAM: The Luminary Blade.

MARISHA: The Luminary Blade?

LIAM: Graz'tchar.

MATT: The minute you look over it and hold it in your hand, a voice comes through into your mind and says, "Child of creation--"

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: "Strange being of metal and will, there is much darkness in this world that must be dispelled and you have a great destiny before you. Perhaps together we could do great things and turn this world right."

SAM: Oh wow! Are you a god?

TRAVIS: Who are you talking to?

MATT: "No--"

TRAVIS: (gasps)

MATT: " -- I am no god, but I was once a great king."

SAM: A king? Wait, what's your name? Hi, smiley day to you. I'm Fresh Cut Grass. Can you see?

MATT: "I cannot see. I just feel the presence of a hand on my hilt. I need a stronger connection, but even so, I fear that what took me also took from me my memories."

SAM: Oh no!

MATT: "All I have now is knowledge of the darker shadows that creep across this land, and a wish, a wish to prevent others from falling to what I once fell to."

SAM: That's what we want, too! That's exactly what we want! Everyone!

LIAM: You talking to the sword?

SAM: The sword is a king! It's a king sword!

LAURA: Oh, okay.

ASHLEY: The king of what?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I thought that was just one of those in my head.

SAM: You heard him too?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MARISHA: That's quite a claim.

LAURA: A king sword?

TALIESIN: I'm not a big fan of talking--

ASHLEY: King of what? What's his--

SAM: Pardon me, your highness, sire, if you can still hear me. Were you always a sword?

PHONE: (romantic saxophone ringtone) (laughter)

MARISHA: (chants) Romance the sword! Romance the sword!

TALIESIN: (chants) Don't romance the sword! No!

SAM: I mean, you're metal and I'm metal.

MATT: "Well, I mean, if you're asking."

TRAVIS: Pierce me! (laughter)

LIAM: Stab away.

MATT: (laughs)

SAM: Were you always a sword?

MATT: "No. No, it was my last dying breath that placed what little power and will I had into this blade. I don't remember much ever since."

SAM: Do you have a name?

MATT: "I did."

TALIESIN: They're taking this long to tell you their name? Come on!

MATT: "I cannot recall."

SAM: I don't want to be rude to the... It's a forgetful sword.

TRAVIS: Yeah, he sounded like--

TALIESIN: You said it's a king sword?

ASHLEY: How does he remember he's a king, then?

MATT: Here is the information from the Identify.

SAM: So he doesn't remember his name?

MATT: "I do not recall my name, but the blade that carries me that I gave myself to, I guess that is my name now."

SAM: Graz--

MATT: "Graz'tchar."

SAM: Graz'tchar. Graz'tchar.

LAURA: Graz'tchar?

TALIESIN: King of what?

SAM: Wait, grass! Tchar?

LAURA: Do you use weapons?

SAM: I mean, I am a weapon.

TALIESIN: Swing it, FCG!

SAM: Hi-ya!

TALIESIN: That was--

MATT: It's a nice, hefty blade. It's a greatsword, so it's strength-based.

LAURA: Oh, it's a greatsword.

SAM: Wait, am I strength-based?

MATT: It's--

TRAVIS: A stout-y. A shorty.

MATT: Yeah. It would be probably, the blade itself, about maybe three feet, two and a half, three feet--

TALIESIN: Baby Cloud.

MATT: -- and it's about almost a foot wide.

TRAVIS: Woof!

MATT: Maybe a little less than that.

TRAVIS: Woof! That's a paddle!

MARISHA: Wait, a foot wide?

MATT: Sorry, six inches.

SAM: That's like a cricket bat.

MATT: Six inches, I should say.

LAURA: That's still a wide-ass blade.

TALIESIN: That's like a Roman gladius there.

LAURA: See if you can hold it.

TRAVIS: Six inches.

LAURA: Chet, see if you can do it.

MATT and MARISHA: (laugh)

TRAVIS: I can hold it.

SAM: Are you a strength guy?

TRAVIS: You bet your fucking ass I am.

TALIESIN: King of what? Hold on. I don't trust things that talk that don't have moving parts. There's some rules here.

LAURA: Can I Detect Thoughts on the sword?

MATT: If you'd like to.

LAURA: I'm going to try to Detect Thoughts on the sword.

TALIESIN: That's awesome.

MATT: It's a sword. You can't really--

LAURA and SAM: (laugh)

MATT: There's not a brain to pierce, though there is a consciousness there. It's a powerful enchantment that holds this consciousness within, but nothing that seems to break through, particularly.

TRAVIS: FCG.

SAM: What's up?

TRAVIS: Here, wound me.

SAM: You want me to use it on you?

TRAVIS: Hold on, are you calm? How's your emotional state?

LAURA: I feel like you have to attune to it.

TRAVIS: Huh?

LAURA: In order for it to really work.

SAM: It does require attunement, yes.

TRAVIS: Huh?

SAM: It requires attunement.

TRAVIS: Fuck that. Let me have it.

SAM: Hi-ya!

TRAVIS: (shrieks)

MATT: (laughs) Roll for an attack.

SAM: Natural one. (laughter)

TRAVIS: It whiffs and I'm like, oh, it hurts!

MATT: You lift the blade. It's a low ceiling. You lift the blade (impacts)

SAM: But also, it's not that I don't want to hurt you. I don't care about you. What if it hurts him? He's a new friend.

TRAVIS: That's very considerate.

TALIESIN: True, we shouldn't probably use the sword. It could hurt.

SAM: Unless, king? Your highness, sire?

MATT: "Yes?"

SAM: Do you like to hurt people with yourself?

MATT: "Only those who deserve it, have dark intent."

ASHLEY: Does he like the taste of blood?

SAM: Do you like the taste of blood?

MATT: "I don't think I can taste anything in this blade."

TALIESIN: King of fucking where?

SAM: King of fucking where?

MARISHA: And what?

SAM: And what?

MATT: "I tried to recall."

TRAVIS: Tried.

TALIESIN: How does he know he's a... Sorry, I can't hear.

SAM: Do you know what year it was when you were king?

MATT: "It was long ago."

SAM: What does that mean?

MATT: "During, I want to say, an age of great magic."

SAM: Age of great magic. That could be a long time ago.

TALIESIN: It could be right now! There's great magic all the time! That really is...

SAM: You don't like this guy very much!

TALIESIN: I don't trust things that--

SAM: I'm going to give him to you.

TALIESIN: (shouts) Oh god!

MATT: (laughs)

LIAM: This is a weird end to the night.

TALIESIN: Hello?

MATT: "You... You walk a strange path. There is, I want to say, a fire that burns within you that tells me there is... There is great possibility on the road ahead."

TALIESIN: The fuck does that mean?

MATT: "If you perchance have the strength to carry me, use me for justice and good. Perhaps together, we could wash the shadows that corrupt the lands of Tal'Dorei."

TALIESIN: What shadows would that be?

MATT: "There are those that seek to undermine the Council itself."

TALIESIN: The what itself?

MATT: "The Council of Tal'Dorei."

TALIESIN: Oh.

MATT: "There are leaders across this land. A shadow that seeps. I see it in my dreams. There are things ancient and dark that once felled me, and now all that I wish to do in this forgotten, long-scattered state is ensure that no other falls like I did."

TALIESIN: Okay, this is weirding me out. It's talking about the Council of Tal'Dorei.

LAURA: Wait, do any of know--

TALIESIN: We'll be right back. I'm going to put it in the ground and step back.

LAURA: Isn't the Council recent? Do any of us know if the Council was something that existed long before?

MATT: Roll a history check.

LAURA: I suck at history.

TALIESIN: Yeah, thank you.

TRAVIS: Me too. I've been there.

SAM: Graz'tchar.

LIAM: I got a 28.

ASHLEY: Nice.

MATT: 28, great.

TRAVIS: Don't worry about it.

MATT: Council of Tal'Dorei has been around largely since the era of Zan Tal'Dorei. In different forms. It was--

TRAVIS: Just after the war that scarred this area.

MATT: Correct, there was a council that always worked around the king back when it was a monarchy for many hundreds of years, and then when it was ceded to the Council of Tal'Dorei, it became the prominent power and governing body of Tal'Dorei. But the Council's been around for centuries.

LAURA: Who was the king of Tal'Dorei?

TRAVIS: Before Zan Tal'Dorei?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Zan Tal'Dorei was, well--

LAURA: Zan Tal'Dorei?

MATT: Zan Tal'Dorei was the first king of that realm. Before that was Warren Drassig, which claimed himself to be king and was the one that essentially went to take the entire realm of Tal'Dorei as his own.

TRAVIS: Warren Drassig sucked. Zan Tal'Dorei, she was awesome.

MATT: Yeah, she kind of--

LIAM: Read your history.

MATT: Yes.

TALIESIN: I have one further question. Hold on. Do you remember who was wielding you before?

MATT: "Previously, I was being misused by some horrid thing, an essence of that same corruption that seeps into these lands, the forces that crawl into the back of minds and make them minions of shadow in realms far more dangerous and nightmarish than what you've seen. That is what I stand against. That is what we could stand against together."

TALIESIN: I assume you're a little cloudy on who was before, since it's probably been a while.

MATT: "I've passed through a few hands. I was once held by a just warrior within a great stronghold, but then taken."

TALIESIN: Famous, great warrior, stronghold, taken.

MATT: "Previous to that, I was once held by a keeper of beasts."

TALIESIN: Keeper of beasts.

MATT: "And brought through the wilds of the land. They saw little interest in the cities and townships."

TALIESIN: Oh my god.

LIAM: Drop any names?

MATT: "We did not see eye to eye."

TALIESIN: No.

MATT: "Until they were slain by the very beasts they sought to control, and I was left alone for some time."

TALIESIN: Beast idiot was eaten by animals, as beast idiots often are.

MATT: "Before that, I was held by a family, passed down through two, no, three generations."

TALIESIN: A family for three generations. I don't know if they all shared it or if it was one group.

MATT: "They had dark aspirations."

TALIESIN: They were evil.

MATT: "And were left broken--"

TALIESIN: All of them.

MATT: "-- and poor."

TALIESIN: And then they suffered.

MATT: "I was sold at an auction house once."

TALIESIN: Okay, it's getting weird. There was an auction involved.

SAM: There's one more thing I can try, if you want to give him back.

TALIESIN: We're going to have a couple other people talk. Very interesting. Thank you for all that. I'm going to toss him over to you.

SAM: First of all, it's a very powerful blade. If you're keen on it, feel free. Very powerful.

TRAVIS: Okay.

SAM: I will try one more thing, just to glean some information from it. I'm going to cast my 5th-level--

LAURA: Whoa!

SAM: Legend Lore.

MATT: Legend Lore! (oohing)

SAM: If it's legendary or has importance, I'll get some information, and if it's not--

LAURA: What kind of materials do you need for Legend Lore?

SAM: Oh. Incense, which I have. Four ivory strips, which I think I bought. Right there, got them.

LAURA: Yes!

TRAVIS: Nice.

TALIESIN: (claps)

MATT: All right.

TALIESIN: MVP!

SAM: Yeah. (laughs)

MATT: You cast Legend Lore as you hold this blade upon it, and the blade itself shines beautifully in the low light that is held within this chamber. What you do hear--

LAURA: Do you like him?

MATT: -- through the weave of magic--

SAM: I'm going to go into my deep, deep memory banks.

MATT: "Those who wield this blade carry behind it a powerful will. The radiance is a curtain. Behind it, that which is burned away."

SAM: What? The radiance is a curtain.

MARISHA: The radiance is a curtain?

SAM: That which has burnt?

LAURA: Behind it?

TRAVIS: That which binds is burned away.

MATT: "The light is false."

SAM and LAURA: (gasps)

MARISHA: It's evil!

LAURA: It's a bad guy.

MATT: "The blade does corrode."

LAURA: Ah!

MATT: "The metal, that of the prince's will."

MARISHA: The prince's will?

LIAM: The prince.

SAM: The prince?

LIAM: Do do do!

LAURA: Oh my god--

SAM and LAURA: The demon! The demon prince!

MARISHA: Yes.

SAM: (garbled) Vrudauliun!

LAURA: Vrudauliun.

MARISHA: Yeah, that's right.

SAM: (garbled) Vrudauliun!

TRAVIS: There are a bunch of princes.

LIAM: Fruit of the Loom?

LAURA: Fruit of the Loom!

MARISHA: There are a bunch of princes.

SAM: It's a trick! The sword's a trick! I'm not going to say that out loud.

TALIESIN: Did you also just say, "I'm not going to say that out loud," out loud?

SAM: That part I said out loud. All right, here you go, Chetney! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Speak to me, Grandfather.

SAM: It's very powerful.

MARISHA: You--

TRAVIS: Oh cool.

MARISHA: -- dick.

LAURA: You would not. FCG wouldn't.

SAM: I mean, it's just so fun, though.

MATT: "Elder child--

TRAVIS: Aah!

MATT: " -- who has walked these lands near long as I have, you carry within you a will to do great things. Your grasp around my hilt, all those who seek to bring shadow upon these lands shall fall beneath my blade, and we shall rise triumphant for a great fate before us."

TRAVIS: Beneath your blade and beneath my claws, we shall cleanse this land of shadow!

MATT: "Glory be our union."

TRAVIS: Boy, we're going to get discounts at the cafeterias, you and me. We're going to teach these people to respect their elders!

SAM: Now, Chetney, I think I should--

TRAVIS: Thank you, FCG! This is a truly wonderful... I feel like I've never been more powerful or virile! This is fantastic!

SAM: As you know, I'm attuned to personalities, and I can read people very well.

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

SAM: I got a sense from this fella that-- Listen. I want him to be a sweet, sweet guy who has a lot of trauma that I can heal, because that's my bag.

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

SAM: But I don't think he is. I think he might be, and forgive me if this is a slur, he might be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Oh. Just like me. Maybe he just needs a friend.

SAM: Well, I don't know. He might be a demon. He might be a demon prince.

TRAVIS: Sorry?

SAM: He might be a demon prince!

TRAVIS: What?

TALIESIN: You do know that that phrase doesn't mean you just wear wool, right? That actually a wolf in sheep's clothing is--

TRAVIS: Why would you wear wool?

LAURA: I know. It's itchy, right?

TALIESIN: It's super itchy--

ASHLEY: On top of your fur?

TALIESIN: -- but I want to make sure that--

TRAVIS: Sheep don't even wear clothes. It's a broken phrase.

LIAM: Letters, you just have a hunch that the sword is a demon prince?

SAM: I mean, I got a strong demon prince vibe.

ASHLEY: Why?

LAURA: He seems nice.

MATT: The voice creeps into your head. "Your friend likely senses the presence of lingering dark magics from my previous wielder."

TRAVIS: Oh!

LAURA: What?

MATT: "It is prone to obfuscating divine interaction and details. Perhaps give it time."

TRAVIS: Give it time. Apparently, you were detecting traces of dark magic from its previous wielder. Maybe it takes on the personalities of those that wield it. Maybe, given time, this will be able to carve incredible pieces of woodworking by itself. And then pass it on. I could pass on my skills, like taking on an apprentice!

TALIESIN: This fucking thing sure talks a lot.

MARISHA: Also, what you're saying is it could hear FCG even though you're holding it? It can hear all of us?

LIAM: So it's listening to all right now.

TRAVIS: Yeah, it sounds like it.

MARISHA: Listening to us all?

TRAVIS: Yep, yep.

MARISHA: I hate that.

ASHLEY: Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Hello?

TRAVIS: Could you hear Fearne?

MATT: "Her name is Fearne?"

TRAVIS: It is. Fearne Calloway. Social Security Number-- (laughter)

ASHLEY: Five-five--

LAURA: Chetney would for sure fall for a scam.

TRAVIS: Wait, I give you a $500 gift card? Just through Google? Okay.

MATT: "I am more than just a mere weapon. I am a compatriot, a member of your troop. As such, indeed, I can take in a bit of my surroundings, limited though it may be, though I speak to you and you alone."

TRAVIS: I understand. I will keep your great wisdom in confidence. Look, I think we just give it a shot.

SAM: Maybe we pray on it a little bit tonight.

TRAVIS: Yeah, of course!

SAM: Don't go and do anything like attuning to it tonight. Why don't we just think about it a little bit? Because I got some big-- It just felt like there was a facade, and behind the facade was--

LIAM: If the sword--

LAURA: Why'd you give it to Chet, then, if it felt so wrong?

SAM: Well, he's the wisest and oldest of us.

TRAVIS: That's true, I actually am the smartest in this group.

LIAM: If the sword is a demon mascot and it can hear everything that we say--

ASHLEY: Should you talk to him?

TALIESIN: How about-- Well, I'll wait. I will wait.

ASHLEY: Orym's really level-headed.

TRAVIS: Plus, I mean, look, it's just a sword. If it gets weird, we'll throw it in a lake or something like that and let somebody else find it.

TALIESIN: I was about to say, can I see that thing one more time?

TRAVIS: Sure!

TALIESIN: I suppose I can't read the card when I'm looking at it, can I?

SAM: It's very powerful. It's really powerful.

LAURA: Is it awesome?

SAM: Yeah, plus three.

MATT: "I can sense that you're all a bit reticent to bring me on your journeys."

MARISHA: What?

MATT: "But I can already see the deep strength that your grip holds. I'm certain you carry and have wielded many a powerful weapon, but I guarantee you, together, we could do great things."

LAURA: Oh my god, that's amazing.

TALIESIN: Can I see? I assume I'm getting a vibe from it.

TRAVIS: You can eat my ass. This is my card right now.

LIAM: Hot.

SAM: It's real, real powerful.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MARISHA: Well, you know, not to literally be devil's advocate, but I'll hold it, sure. (shrieks)

SAM: Her arm fell off!

MARISHA: My arm! My arm! Chetney, take it! Please, Chetney, please! Oh god!

SAM: I'll sew that tendon back on.

MARISHA: Thank you. You know, I'm pretty sure Fearne just entered into a contract with a demon, so, you know, maybe--

SAM: You could ask your boyfriend about it.

MARISHA: Yes!

ASHLEY: Oh, sure.

LAURA: But you formed a pact with a devil, which is different.

TALIESIN: Different from a--

ASHLEY: I'm not sure. I just, I really had a moment of weakness.

TRAVIS: I'll tell you what--

ASHLEY: I think it was just a lot of... It was the retribution.

LAURA: Oh, yes!

ASHLEY: It just really got me.

LIAM: Wow.

LAURA: Matilda Merceria, at it again!

ASHLEY: The Devil's In-Fearne-o!

TRAVIS: In-Fearne-o.

LAURA: In-Fearnie-o.

TALIESIN: In-Fearne-o.

ASHLEY: He's too hot to handle.

TRAVIS: That is amazing.

ASHLEY: He's too hot to handle, but she likes the burn.

MARISHA: The Devil's In-Fearne.

TALIESIN: That's great.

TRAVIS: How about if it gets weird, you and I can just trade off? We can share the burden. You give me your hammer, I'll play with it a little bit, and I'll give you the sword.

ASHLEY: I could ask. I could ask my demon daddy.

TALIESIN: Also, you've got weapons.

TRAVIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

LAURA: Although, do we want to let him know that we're in this little cave?

ASHLEY: Oh, right.

TALIESIN: We can go back and forth if it comes to it.

MATT: Also, to--

TALIESIN: I'll tell you in the meantime.

MATT: You got the sense via the conversation with him that it isn't a hey, just put me on speed dial in case you got questions, it's a--

ASHLEY: I don't know that.

MATT: Right. Fair enough.

LIAM: It's a one-time fave.

MATT: You do your thing.

ASHLEY: Yep! (laughter)

TALIESIN: Let's make an agreement for the night, though.

LIAM: Literally two hours later. (explosion)

TALIESIN: Let's have neither of us take it for now.

LAURA: One time, one time.

TRAVIS: Neither of us?

TALIESIN: Just for a night.

TRAVIS: That feels like a waste.

TALIESIN: Why? Nothing's going to happen. Are you saying that you're too weak to survive without it?

TRAVIS: No, I mean, I totally--

TALIESIN: I mean, you are an old man.

TRAVIS: I'm so curious, though.

TALIESIN: One night.

TRAVIS: All right, fine. One night.

TALIESIN: I'm going to open up the hole.

MARISHA: All right.

TALIESIN: Anyone else want to talk to-- I don't know.

MARISHA: The voices in their head?

ASHLEY: Laudna, do you want to talk to him?

TALIESIN: King butter knife? Whatever the fuck?

MARISHA: It's so heavy. It's literally bigger than I am.

TALIESIN: It's pretty fucking heavy.

SAM: I could just eat it.

LIAM: I can't work with that.

TALIESIN: Nah.

SAM: All right, we'll sleep on it.

ASHLEY: I'll sleep on it.

TALIESIN: Let's throw it in the hole.

MARISHA: Is the cave entrance open, or did she shut it?

MATT: No, it is closed off.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: It is sealed, and you guys are essentially in a chamber with enough air to get you through the night.

LAURA: Dancing Lights, little--

MARISHA: That's right. Fairies.

TALIESIN: Unless you have a good rebuttal to that, Chetney, I'm thinking just throw it in the hole.

TRAVIS: I mean, it's a talking sword. I would hate to not use it in the game. But, you know.

TALIESIN: I mean, if it does turn weird, we can always just kill him.

TRAVIS: 100%.

ASHLEY: I think you should. Why not? I don't see what the problem is.

LIAM: I turn to Baernie. So this is the crew I run with.

MATT: "This is a very curious group. They seem, as I've seen, very capable."

LIAM: Everyone has their own unique skillset, so we sort of complement each other in a weird way.

MATT: "Look, I understand. Many of our Ashari have their own unique quirks as well."

TALIESIN: I'm torn between self preservation and just enjoying a cautionary tale. I really don't know what to do right now.

LAURA: About the sword?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LAURA: Look, the sword said, you know, FCG might've just been catching some bad vibes from the previous guy. It could be a great sword.

SAM: It is a greatsword.

TRAVIS: It is a great--

TALIESIN: Fair.

TRAVIS: Damn it!

SAM: So close.

MARISHA: Time will tell.

TALIESIN: I suppose it will.

ASHLEY: If it goes bad, yeah, we can just get rid of it.

LIAM: Like we don't know what the fuck is going to happen.

MARISHA: ♪ Wheel in the sky ♪

TRAVIS: What could possibly go wrong?

MARISHA: ♪ Keeps on turning ♪ (laughter)

TALIESIN: I mean, I feel like of all of us, he's probably the easiest to kill, so.

TRAVIS: Definitely.

MARISHA: The more things change.

LAURA: Baernie, in the morning, I'll be able to teleport eight people, including myself, back to the Ashari, and then we can get them to open up a tree close by for the rest of the team.

MATT: "All right, okay. Is there a particular tree? We should probably choose one in the morning before we head out. You can go and--"

LAURA: Describe it? Is that how it works?

MATT: "That can be challenging, but--"

LAURA: Is there a better place to meet up? Did you have a--

MATT: "If you can talk to my sister and have her look in on us first, she could look at the tree. We can just stay near it, and hopefully don't leave us out there too long."

LAURA: Of course not, yeah.

MATT: "Because we'll be kind of out in the open."

LIAM: Has Maeve been out here? Does she have a familiarity with the land?

MATT: "No, we'd have no reason to come here, aside from when the Voice came here after the initial attack last year."

LIAM: How long did it take us to get to this point? Two days?

MATT: From traveling?

LIAM: Yeah, from Zephrah to this.

MATT: From Zephrah? You didn't spend more than half a day through the valley.

MARISHA: Then why don't we walk with you all?

LIAM: I'd rather walk.

MARISHA: To the tree. We can pick you up. We'll teleport, tell your sister to scry on you. Right? That's what you're suggesting? And then bamf you all through.

MATT: "I think that'll work."

MARISHA: But we'll at least go with you to the tree.

MATT: "All right, let's do that."

MARISHA: Then teleport from there.

SAM: That's tomorrow, right?

LAURA: Couldn't it be any old tree, though? If she scries on them, then can't it be any old tree? It could be a tree right outside of here.

MATT: "We'll find the nearest tree. As long as they can see it, you don't have to go too deep in there, just something large enough that they'll be able to sustain the opening."

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: Chet.

TRAVIS: Hmm?

TALIESIN: Your call.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'll take it!

TALIESIN: If you get even the least bit weird, I will crush your hand.

TRAVIS: Define weird.

TALIESIN: No!

TRAVIS: Okay.

MATT: You see the rest of the survivors, the two Blades of Zephrah that are just settling down, enjoying the first moment of peace they've had in a number of days, likely. Baernie goes and stays as a uniting point between you and the rest of that troop, says good night to both of them. The two soldiers of the Bastion who look like they're still processing what is likely to be some degrees of PTSD in the months to come from watching all of their comrades torn apart by a demon horde, but they also seem to be thankful for the momentary reprieve and rest as they begin to go into almost an immediate deep sleep out of exhaustion and days, who knows how long, in fear. But all of you prep yourselves for the evening's rest. All right.

SAM: Before I go to sleep, can I ritually cast Commune? Is that a thing?

MATT: We'll come back to that.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: (gasps)

TALIESIN: Hey!

LAURA: Oh.

TRAVIS: Did you take it off?

ASHLEY: Everything's red. Everything's red.

TRAVIS: Did you take the circlet off?

LAURA: I didn't.

SAM: Something's happening.

LIAM: I did not.

LAURA: I did not! I thought the dream... (mumbling)

MATT: You are brought back--

LAURA: Fuck.

MATT: -- to the red storm, all too familiar, as it surrounds and suffuses the space around you, an endless maelstrom of red dust and cloud flashing with distant crimson lightning. (lightning striking) The flashes subside for a moment, and before you in the storm, you see a massive, dark shape obscured by the dust before the winds briefly part it, revealing hundreds of domiciles carved and built into the red rock, the shapes round at the corners, organically inspired in architecture, and hundreds of humanoid shapes, just dark shadows through the storm, all walking through the multi-tiered streets that weave through. As you stand there, all of them stop at once, and all in unison shift to you, and all their eyes glow with a purple light at once as they all perceive you. A yearning begins to consume your body from the inside, a heavy emotional gravity that is pulling your attention downward. You hear again, echoing through the storm, "Imogen! Please, run! I won't let it have you!" Do you give in to the urge, or do you fight it?

LAURA: I'm going to fight it.

MATT: You're going to fight it.

LAURA: How can I trust-- How can I trust you?

MATT: Go ahead and make a wisdom saving throw for me.

LAURA: Natural 20.

ASHLEY: (gasps)

MATT: You focus your consciousness, and that urge, right at it begins to almost pull at something within the inside of your chest, your being, almost like strings pulling you down to the ground before you, like you're about to be thrust upon your hands and knees, you push away with all the force of what odd power has been granted to you and you rocket up out of the storm. You watch as the dust and the shapes and the city begin to disappear, obscured below, and you emerge from the clouds. You drift, your hair gently lifting around you, in a slightly darker stratosphere above the Ruidian skyline. You can see the gentle, red curve in the distance. As you glance up, you can see the shape of Exandria facing that direction, the single thin, red line connecting the two like a bridge, like a thread. You look down, back at the storms. You can see there are pockets where the storms subside. You can see valleys. You swear you can see movement, distant and minor as it is. You're too far to see details.

LAURA: (heavy exhale) I look up at Exandria. Is it possible to drift toward those pockets where I can see closer, where I can see more clearly?

MATT: Yeah, you will yourself in that direction, and just as easy as it is to breathe, you glide back closer towards the surface, but above where the storm fronts are, until you begin to cruise over one of those openings, those small pockets of free air. Looking down, you can see these rolling red and gray and maroon valleys and mountains that rise up, and what looks like herds of beasts, strange, unfamiliar beasts running along cracked red valleys. You can see sand flows like rivers that weave through chasms where creatures wade through like water. There's an ecology here. Like a weird shadow version of the world you know. The world holds a hidden vibrance outside history. At that moment, you feel a presence behind you. What do you do?

LAURA: I Detect Thoughts.

MATT: It's your mother.

LAURA: I turn around.

MATT: She's there, just beyond where you are, though just a luminescent spiritual projection, if you will. "I just want to protect you. More than anything."

LAURA: Then why didn't you?

MATT: "I am."

LAURA: Was it you? Was it you who shunted us away when everything happened?

MATT: "I don't think so. I don't know."

LAURA: Why don't you fight this? Why don't you tell me what's happening?

MATT: "I need him as much as he needs me. I must be careful, for he is older and more cunning than most. The seeds we bear still pull us. I will find a way to end this, one way or another."

LAURA: Are you setting him free? Predathos? Is it going to really destroy the gods?

MATT: "You deserve to be free."

LAURA: At what cost, Mama?

MATT: (whooshes) She gets pulled back. The storm swirls around and consumes you, and you are brought back to your dark, dreaming state. While this is happening, FCG.

SAM: Oh!

MATT: You said you wanted to do something?

SAM: Oh, I can wait 'til the morning.

MATT: You can do it before you sleep, or while everyone else is asleep.

SAM: Okay, I just wanted to-- I think I can ritually cast-- What was it called?

MATT: Commune.

SAM: Commune, yep.

MATT: All right.

SAM: I just wanted to say a quick prayer to the Changebringer and ask her a couple of questions for guidance.

MATT: Certainly. As you--

SAM: I kneel with no knees, so I just roll onto my stomach.

TRAVIS: (creaks)

LAURA: (creaks)

TRAVIS: Clang! (laughter)

SAM: This is how I kneel, I guess. I clasp my metal hands and grasp my coin, and you know, just whisper to it and say: Changebringer, can you hear me?

MATT: You close your eyes and like when you use your Light spell to put light out through your vision to the atmosphere, an internal light seems to click on and within that dark space, now you can see the shadowed horizons like a perpetual twilight has engulfed the entire horizon around you. Just the black outline of the mountains and hills at all sides. You know not where you are, how far these are, but all you can see is a singular silver, winding road ahead of you. As you look at your wheel and see the road out from in front and focus back up, there she stands. 50 feet, 10 feet? 20 miles? You're uncertain. Perspective is weird from where you stand, but you see her standing, her hair flowing and endless, seeming to weave and wrap around the road like it's not even touching the ground, like it's a still river of silver and the hair strands drift and touch the outside of your armor and it's warm, it's comforting. You can see details of her face, her brown skin, her soulful, welcoming eyes. She looks towards you or past you. You're uncertain, but you have her attention.

SAM: Okay. I'll ask: Changebringer, (sigh) are the gods, can the gods help my friends?

MATT: "Yes."

SAM: Are you worth saving?

MATT: Leans close and the perspective seems to shift where she feels like she's right in front of you and your height. "Of course."

SAM: Are you scared?

MATT: The perspective shifts and now as she leans back, she's a mile high in the middle of this shadowed valley and she looks over her right shoulder and one of the mountains (boom)--

SAM: Whoa.

MATT: -- detonates, fire erupting up taller than she is. Another one, (booms). She turns back to you. "Yes."

LIAM: That's what's coming.

MARISHA: So what does that mean?

SAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: Like cursed it into the realm of the gods.

SAM: I'm coming.

MATT: As the shadowed mountainscapes begin to brighten red from the fire that emits from the destroyed ranges, the sky begins to shift into a red coloration, too. As you say you're coming, she puts her head down and closes her eyes and you feel yourself sink. The silver road you stand on seems to bend, like your weight is suddenly felt on a long, stretched piece of ribbon and it bows beneath you, and as you look down, you sink further and it's like you're falling through the ground, the silver road itself becoming that ribbon that bows up like you're dragging down the string from a balloon and the Commune spell comes to an end.

SAM: I look around the cave. Is everyone else asleep? (chuckles)

LAURA: (panicked snoring)

SAM: No one to talk to about this, so (mechanical whir).

MARISHA: You roll over. (laughter)

MARISHA: You see Laudna, she is asleep, but her eyes are open.

SAM: Because she has no eyelids. (laughter)

LAURA: That's fucked. (laughter)

SAM: They rotted off years ago.

MARISHA: I'm holding Pâté, whose eyes are also open.

TALIESIN: Translucent so you can always see whenever they flicker. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Mm-hmm.

MATT: From the side, (squelch).

SAM: Ugh. (laughter)

MARISHA: No.

LAURA: I like that better than no eyelids.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: That's valid. No eyelids it is.

LAURA: Ugh.

MATT: No. You all complete a long rest. (cheering)

MATT: You wake up in what you assume is the morning or at least the passage of eight or more hours to where you've gotten a full rest. The rest of the troop has also woken up, the survivors that you've gathered. You can see Baernie has already begun tracing an outline of where the exit will be essentially in preparation for her to excavate and send you on your path this morning. As you begin to come to consciousness, Orym, she looks back towards you. "I guess today's the day we go back."

LIAM: Yeah. You think Nel and the rest will come with me to go see Derrig and Will today?

MATT: "I think that can be arranged."

LIAM: It might be a while before I'm back, so.

MATT: "Of course."

LIAM: You going to do your thing?

MATT: "Whenever everyone's ready. We don't have much time. If we're going to eat, we should do it now."

LIAM: Chet, you alive?

TRAVIS: Ah. Some days, these joints. I just don't know.

LAURA: Did you roll?

TRAVIS: Oh shit! (laughter)

SAM: Are you alive?

SAM: Man, if he dies right now, it would be so fucking cool. (laughter)

SAM: What do you have to roll to die?

TRAVIS: Trip zeros, I think, right? That's 100.

MATT: Yeah, so zero-zero on the one dice, and then zero on the other.

ASHLEY: I don't like this.

MARISHA, SAM, TALIESIN, LAURA, and LIAM: I love it.

TRAVIS: That's the closest yet.

MARISHA: Whoa.

LAURA: What was it?

MARISHA: Whoa.

TRAVIS: It's fine, it's okay, it's okay.

LAURA: What was it?

TRAVIS: We're good, we're good.

MARISHA: It was close.

TRAVIS: We're good.

LIAM: Hey, I don't think he's--

MARISHA: I'll just say it was close.

LIAM: I don't think he's breathing. Oh jeez!

LAURA: Did it freak you out for just a second when you looked at it?

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: (gasp, groan)

SAM: I know y'all are worried about him with the sword.

LAURA: Oh.

SAM: But you know, I feel like if it gets out of hand, I can just, it's a curse, so I feel like I can take care of it.

LAURA: Oh, great!

SAM: So.

LAURA: So let him use it if it's strong.

SAM: Well, yeah, maybe.

LAURA: He has a big-ass sword.

ASHLEY: What could a talking weapon even do?

SAM: I don't know. He barely listens to us.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TRAVIS: This cave is so small.

LAURA: Let's get out of here.

TRAVIS: Yeah, okay.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: We're getting out.

MARISHA: I can hear everything.

LAURA: We're losing air in here, I really can feel it.

TRAVIS: (fart sound)

MARISHA: It's also a little musty.

LAURA: And it smells so bad.

MARISHA: Yes. Because of that.

TRAVIS: Look, it was a rough night.

LAURA: Oh god, open it up.

SAM: I think I can smell, guys! (laughter)

TRAVIS: No, that's taste.

SAM: Oh.

LAURA: Oh shit, should we be prepared to fight something?

SAM: What? Oh.

TALIESIN: Anything can happen.

LAURA: More demons could be on the other side of this cave.

TALIESIN: I just assume bad shit's going to happen every day for the rest of our lives, so.

MARISHA: It's fine.

LAURA: I'm going to cast Mage Armor on myself before we open up the cave.

MATT: Very well.

LAURA: Also, I attuned--

TRAVIS: I put Graz'tchar in the Bag of Holding.

LAURA: -- to the staff again.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Calling him Char?

TRAVIS: Char? Ooh.

ASHLEY: No, but is that what you just said?

TRAVIS: Graz'tchar, but I like Char better. Let's Char these motherfuckers.

MARISHA: Char Char.

MATT: As you bring him in, he's like, "Good morning, my knight. We will--" (laughter)

TRAVIS: It's very encouraging.

SAM: Did you attune to it?

TRAVIS: It's uplifting. yes.

MATT: You attuned to it?

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: All right, cool.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: So you can see the-- Oh, you already saw the card, you can see what's on there.

TRAVIS: Although, it's not in the thing, so I just wrote the stats down.

ASHLEY: Charo?

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: Yes.

SAM: Charo. All right, are we going to teleport back? Can you do this, Laudna?

LAURA: Yeah, but we got to walk to the tree.

SAM: We walk to the tree.

LAURA: We walk to the tree. We're at the tree. We already teleported back, Matt. (laughter)

LIAM: We won the campaign.

MATT: All right.

LIAM: It's done.

TRAVIS: The moon is glorious.

MATT: Baernie opens the stone as it (swoosh) seems to carve itself away, like the mountain acts as its own clay and the rock opens up and you can see the slight misty, not certain what time of day it is. The Grey Valley seems to have this perpetual cusp of sunset feel to it amongst the blanched forest. You step out a bit and you can see the bit of dust and ash the wind is picking up and these small tendrils that seem to wisp away after a few feet. Who's looking out first? Make a perception check.

TRAVIS: Assist.

LIAM: Always looking out.

TALIESIN: Woo.

LAURA: Get it, get it.

LIAM: 18 and a 19 for a 30.

SAM: Jesus.

MATT: (sputters)

TRAVIS: (laughs) Broken.

MATT: As you glance out beyond the exit, first thing, the fresh air wafts in, which is delightful. It was starting to get a little musty.

LAURA: Just starting?

TRAVIS: You call it musty.

LAURA: We slept with Chet last night.

MATT: That's valid.

TRAVIS: I call it Old Spice. (laughter)

LIAM: Old lice.

TALIESIN and TRAVIS: Old lice.

MATT: You do--

TRAVIS: So nice.

MATT: See amongst some of the ridges and some of the ruins, there are handful of those strange flying demons that are picking through, picking up bits of leftover carrion, scavenging through materials. There are things, nothing in the immediate vicinity.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: But there are entities around the chasm.

LIAM: Enough that if we were to start hooting and hollering--

LAURA: We need to be sneaky.

LIAM: We'd bring them over?

MATT: Likely.

ASHLEY: Pass Without a Trace.

TALIESIN: Oh, never mind.

TRAVIS: Woo.

SAM: Nice.

TALIESIN: How big is our party, out of curiosity?

MARISHA: Have you ever done that to us?

ASHLEY: I have.

LIAM: A bunch.

MARISHA: I thought it was always Ashton.

TALIESIN: It usually is.

ASHLEY: I feel like I did it a couple times.

LAURA: Yeah, I think you did.

ASHLEY: Did I? I think I did.

MARISHA: You have. All right, great.

TALIESIN: How many people does that cover?

ASHLEY: I reset every day.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

ASHLEY: I don't remember.

LAURA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: "50 First Dates."

MARISHA: "50 First Dates," yes.

ASHLEY: I was like, "What's it called?"

MARISHA: Drew Barrymore.

LAURA: Hey, you guys.

ASHLEY: Yes?

SAM: What's up?

LAURA: I dreamt about Ruidus last night.

ASHLEY: (gasps)

MARISHA: Did you see it?

SAM: You can dream again?

LAURA: I guess so, I thought the circlet kept me from doing it, but--

MARISHA: Are you all right?

LAURA: Yeah, no, everything's fine, but I saw Ruidus.

LIAM: Did you learn anything new?

LAURA: Yeah, it's like a full fucking planet. Like, there were animals swimming.

MARISHA: Did they seem happy?

TALIESIN: Swimming implies water.

LAURA: They seemed like animals. There were cities, there were a lot of people in the city and they all looked at me and they all knew me.

MARISHA: Do they look like your little avatar guy that you summoned?

LIAM: Right, I was going to ask. Were they just people like us, or--?

MARISHA: Were they-- Yes.

TALIESIN: As above, so below.

MATT: You didn't see enough detail in the moment. You just saw people walking.

LAURA: They were just silhouettes and purple eyes.

TALIESIN: Oh.

LIAM: So a little dream trippy at the same time?

LAURA: Maybe. It might've been the storm, but yeah.

TALIESIN: Huh.

LAURA: I feel more solid than ever that I want... I want to end this connection.

MARISHA: To Predathos?

SAM: What does that mean?

LAURA: I know all of us have said we're stopping it, but this is the first time I've really felt I want it to go away.

SAM: You believe?

LAURA: I want to help the gods. These demons getting loose, the gods are the only thing keeping that at bay, right?

TALIESIN: Don't know.

SAM: Yeah, we know, yeah.

TRAVIS: Did you see anyone in your dream, Ryn or--?

LAURA: My mom.

TALIESIN: Wow.

MARISHA: Did she talk to you?

LAURA: She did. She said she wanted to help us, but in the wrong way. She's on his side.

MARISHA: Ludinus?

LAURA: Yeah. She doesn't want me a part of it, but she doesn't want to stop him.

ASHLEY: So she knows it's wrong.

LAURA: I think so.

TRAVIS: Did she look any different?

MATT: She looked-- It was definitely her presence, and it looked like her in some ways, but it was that spectral, lavender energy, like a projection of her, if anything.

SAM: But yoked?

LAURA: It was like a projection of her.

SAM: Yoked?

LAURA: Really muscly.

SAM: Cool.

TRAVIS: Are you sure it was her and not?

LAURA: I reached out. It felt like her mind. I don't know his power, he could--

TRAVIS: You mean Ludinus or Predathos?

LAURA: Something was pulling me in, though. Something really wanted me to stay there.

SAM: If it helps, her getting this sort of call, I spoke with the Changebringer last night. I prayed with her and she also said that she was real fearful and that she needed our help and she formed, I dropped down into a pathway and I saw this vision and the pathway was going up above me. I don't know if that means to the moon.

LAURA: I think we got to go.

SAM: But it feels like we've got multiple voices in our heads saying to go there.

LAURA: I feel like if she's telling me so strongly to stay away from it, I don't trust her anymore. We got to go to it.

SAM: Maybe ask your sword what he thinks.

TRAVIS: That's a great idea. Shink.

LAURA: Shink. (chuckles)

TRAVIS: Sir, what was it? Sir Chad.

SAM: Char.

TRAVIS: Char! Nope, it's Sir Chad now.

MARISHA: Sir Chad? He's wearing a fedora. (laughter)

SAM: He's not tipping. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Sir Chad, you are old, noble, and wise like me. Maybe a little more so. Do you know anything about an ancient deity named Predathos?

MATT: "I do not believe I've heard of this Predathos. My apologies."

TRAVIS: That's all right, it's a little disappointing, but, you know, it's your first day. He doesn't know anything about Predathos.

MATT: "Is this Predathos a thing of evil?"

TRAVIS: Well, we're not--

LAURA: Yeah, I think so.

TRAVIS: You don't know what the fucking question is. He's in my head.

SAM: I can read it on your face.

TRAVIS: He's in my head. Actually, you can read thoughts, too, can't you? So we got a little walkie-talkie thing going on. We got Sonos speakers. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Peeking around the curb.

LIAM: Make a reading micro-expression check.

ASHLEY: Maybe ask if he knows Ludinus, I don't know.

SAM: Oh yeah, sure.

TRAVIS: Oh yes. Sir Chad, do you know, Chad, an individual named Ludinus Da'leth?

MATT: "I've heard of this individual."

TRAVIS: He knows.

SAM: I can read it on your face that he does.

TRAVIS: What do you know? I'm like the guy that mouths the other person's lines in the scene, so I'm just mouthing what he says. (laughter)

TRAVIS: So. What do you know of this Ludinus Da'leth?

MATT: "I feel like he passed through in my time as king." (laughter)

MATT: "A powerful, smart individual looking to make connections. He found his fortune westward. Eastward? I don't recall."

MARISHA: Ah, this guy is useless.

MATT: "But we may have passed."

MARISHA: It's one of four.

MATT: "I did not trust this individual."

TRAVIS: See, look, I really feel like maybe whatever vibe you got, former handler, maybe his old chick, because he's got the right bead on Ludinus. Yeah, doesn't trust him.

ASHLEY: Ask him about the Matron of Ravens.

TRAVIS: Oh shit! Hey, Chad.

ASHLEY: I don't know, this is fun.

MATT: "Yes?"

TRAVIS: SC.

SAM: SC?

TRAVIS: Yeah, Sir Chad. Do you know anything--

MARISHA: I thought Sword Chad. I'm going to add to--

TRAVIS: Sword Chad's cool, yeah. It's like a street name. Do you know anything about the Matrón of Rave-ans?

SAM: Oh boy.

TALIESIN: Wow.

MATT: "I'm sorry, I'm not entirely certain how you managed to mispronounce something in your mind." (laughter)

MATT: "What is it you're asking about?" (laughter)

TALIESIN: I wish I'd heard that.

TRAVIS: The Matron of Ravens. Do you know anything about that entity?

MATT: "Of course, it is one of the Prime Deities of Exandria."

TRAVIS: Yes, um. Yes. Was-- Hmm.

LAURA: Yeah, that's it.

TRAVIS: Yeah. (laughter)

SAM: Good info.

TALIESIN: Yes, um what?

TRAVIS: I mean, he knows about her.

TALIESIN: Is there an opinion connected to this?

TRAVIS: Do you know anything about her? How long had she been around when you were not a sword?

MATT: "The specifics have been robbed of me through the ages with the transference."

TRAVIS: Poor guy.

MATT: "But they existed during my time, I believe."

TRAVIS: Oh, that's good, yeah, yeah, yeah. Man, I thought you were around from the Age of Arcanum, that's weird. Okay, listen, I know that was a lot to ask first thing in the morning. Take a nap. I'll be back to get you in a little bit.

LAURA: All right.

TRAVIS: Back in the bag of holding.

LAURA: Teleport. Oh, we got to get to the tree. Let's get to the tree.

MARISHA: We'll find the tree.

MATT: All right, are you all being stealthy?

LAURA: Yes.

MATT: I'd like a group stealth check from everybody.

ASHLEY: Plus 10.

MARISHA: Pass Without a Trace.

LAURA: Add a ten.

TALIESIN: ♪ Pass Without a Trace ♪

LAURA: Oh no!

TRAVIS: That's cocked.

LIAM: Oh.

LAURA: (silly singing) Leaving you over here. (laughter)

LAURA: Goodbye.

MATT: All righty, so over here?

TRAVIS: 34.

TALIESIN: Oh thank god.

SAM: Jesus.

MARISHA: 22.

MATT: All righty.

SAM: 13.

TALIESIN: Wow.

MARISHA: With a plus 10?

SAM: Yes.

ASHLEY: 23.

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: Oh, no way!

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: 27.

TALIESIN: 21.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: You rolled 21 higher than me. (laughter)

TRAVIS: It's the one thing I'm broken at.

MATT: As a quickly-shifting group, you begin to dart from section of ruin to a section of broken stone here in the crevasse, as you move out towards the exit from where half of your team had entered. Darting past, you occasionally hear the distant (snarling). The call and repeat of various demonic, flight-based creatures that you had previously encountered leaping from and flying to each scavenging zone. A few moments, you stop behind and feel that one of them may have picked up your presence and everyone freezes on the cusp of darting before eventually it wanders off. It takes you the better part of 30 or so minutes to eventually leave the chasm in a safe way, but you do manage to break for the dead tree line on the outskirts where it takes only a few minutes to find one of the trees wide enough to carry the spell, which is a challenge, many of these trees are thinner. But Baernie does find one that she thinks will be proper. "All right, we'll wait here. We'll stay low. Here," and she goes ahead and pulls over the other Blades and they dig into the ground between the roots of this tree, a small pit where they can duck into for the time being. Be mostly not seen, they're not perfectly hidden.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: You said you can take eight, yes?

LAURA: Mm-hmm. Wait, let me double check.

SAM: How many are we?

MARISHA: Seven.

LAURA: Me and up to eight willing creatures.

TRAVIS: There's five of them and seven of us.

TALIESIN: What if you do it at higher levels?

LAURA: No, it's a 7th-level spell, I can't.

MARISHA: So we can take two more, you and up to eight? So we can take two of your team.

TALIESIN: Or if we were really stupid, we could put them in the hole and hope, but that may be a terrible idea.

SAM: Put them in, oh god.

MARISHA: Put them in the hole.

TALIESIN: That might be really dumb because if anything goes wrong, everyone's dead.

LAURA: That's true, that's true, that's true. Yeah, maybe it's a risk.

TALIESIN: I'm not going in the hole.

SAM: But you'll put them in the hole?

TALIESIN: Yes.

TRAVIS: I'll go, I'm not worried about it. Yeah, yeah, break out the hole.

MARISHA: Do you breathe oxygen?

SAM: I don't need oxygen, I can go in there.

ASHLEY: Okay, you go in.

LIAM: How does it work, though?

LAURA: How many on that team are there?

MATT: There's five.

TALIESIN: I mean, honestly, I'm actually a little nervous about this because I don't actually know how magic works and that might be fucking with something.

TRAVIS: So four people need to go in the hole, right?

LIAM: We've seen people have survived in there for like 10 minutes.

LAURA: Yeah, 10 minutes, I think.

LIAM: You roll it up.

TALIESIN: At worst, the spell will not work.

MARISHA: I would go, I'm a slow breather.

TRAVIS: Yeah, one, two, three.

ASHLEY: I'll go, I'll go.

LIAM: I'll go.

ASHLEY: No, no, no, no, no, I'll go, I'll go. Stay with your family, it's fine.

SAM: You can turn into some animal that doesn't need air.

ASHLEY: Yeah, we'll figure it out.

LAURA: Everything needs air.

SAM: Well, I don't know.

TALIESIN: I would say as somebody who can change into an animal might be useful if everything goes poorly.

TRAVIS: In what way are you thinking?

LAURA: We're fine, it's fine.

SAM: It's going to be fine.

TRAVIS: Pull it out.

TALIESIN: I made an idea and now I got me nervous.

LAURA: ♪ (triumphant fanfare) ♪

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

TRAVIS: (whooshing)

SAM: We're going in.

MATT: Takes a moment to find a flat enough surface.

TALIESIN: I've got it open until we're ready to go anyway.

MATT: But you find a location. As you're spreading it out. Because it is something that needs a flatter surface to lay down for the magic to create the hole, and it's hard to do here in the middle of an ash and mulch-filled forest floor.

LAURA: We really could have done this in the cave.

MARISHA: We could've, but the idea came too late.

MATT: You could try and return to it.

TRAVIS: We'll clear out some of the ground. I'll get the scythe out and (whacking).

SAM: I open my rake attachment--

LAURA: Stealthily!

SAM: -- and do some light raking.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: A leaf blower.

LIAM: Where's the sword, in the bag or the hole?

TRAVIS: Bag of the holding.

LIAM: Okay, okay.

TRAVIS: Bag of the holding.

LIAM and TRAVIS: (Irish) Bag of the holding.

MATT: I'd like either you or you to make a survival check either both individually or one of you make it with advantage since one of you's helping the other.

MARISHA: I'll help you.

ASHLEY: Guidance.

SAM: Can I guide, what is this for, what am I doing?

MATT: This is trying to clear a portion of this well enough that the hole will take root.

SAM: Then it's survival. Come on, come on.

MATT: You do hear (screeching).

SAM: 23.

MATT: 23, okay.

TRAVIS: Good roll. Fu-huh-dge.

MATT: The screeches get louder and closer and as the communication continues, you can see the shadowed shapes of two, three, six of them coming from different directions that are all converging in your direction. One of them that's up ahead that seems to be the one that's sounding the alarm. (screeching) You see it flying towards you. Just as you pull back enough of the space where you feel like it's level, you throw down the hole and it takes a second. One little corner is off and you flip it up, move the rock out of the way and it creates the hole.

TALIESIN: Go, go, go.

SAM: Get in!

MATT: The three of you dart in. Grab and pull it up.

TALIESIN: I stop wrapping it.

LAURA: Back to Keyleth's.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Back to you, Keyleth.

MATT: Back to Zephrah. Go ahead and--

SAM: And now with sports.

TRAVIS: Mighty tight in here.

MARISHA: Now with sports.

ASHLEY: We could die in here.

TRAVIS: This might be our last moments on hole.

ASHLEY: It could be.

SAM: You guys really shouldn't be using your air to talk.

MATT: You are very familiar with this, unless you had an associated object which you did not pull out for this.

LAURA: Well, I have Orym.

SAM: I'll just shut down the eyes.

MARISHA: I don't want to be subjected to this.

MATT: I guess.

LIAM: Everything on me.

LAURA: Is an associated object.

LIAM: I'm still wearing my old outfit, my shield is from my--

TALIESIN: You haven't bought a new one.

LAURA: Yeah, everything.

LIAM: Yeah, my gear's from my family.

MATT: Then to that case, there would be no mishap.

LAURA: Oh, thank god, I don't even have to roll for it?

MATT: Not with an associated object.

LAURA: Fuck yes! I was terrified.

TALIESIN: That's what I was talking about.

SAM: If you guys are going to have sex, do you need me to, what's it called? Do soaking?

LAURA: Oh god, you, I know why you're saying it because you watched the same show that me and Travis did.

SAM: I did, it was really good.

LIAM: It's been 20 seconds.

ASHLEY: I don't know what that is?

SAM: While you guys aren't actually having sex, you just lie on top of each other and I jump up and down on the bed.

MARISHA: Oh.

TALIESIN: Really.

TRAVIS: Oh, from "Jury Duty."

MARISHA: Oh, that's right.

ASHLEY: I feel like, this is.

TRAVIS: If you haven't seen it.

LIAM: Hi, people watching 20 years from now on retro playback.

LAURA: It's so good.

SAM: Don't worry, 20 years from now, soaking is huge. (laughter)

TRAVIS: It's all the rage.

MATT: As the beasts converge in your direction, the staff's runes glow, the magic whips out around, tethers around each of you like a magical net of energy, and you feel yourself pulled suddenly like someone yanked you from behind through a doorway. As you all come back to your feet, you all stand in the bright midday sun in the mountain peaks of Zephrah. The wind immediately catching your hair, the light and warmth of the sun upon your skin and the surrounding atmosphere of the cliff face where the cherry blossom tree stands and the exterior carved pathways that lead into the city await you.

LAURA: Open up the hole!

TRAVIS: (muffled noises)

TALIESIN: I'm flattening out the hole anywhere I can, looking for a place.

MATT: There's definitely a flat enough area.

TALIESIN: Okay, I'm flattening it out.

MATT: So when you open the hole.

TALIESIN: Yeah...!

MATT: They're fine, they're fine, everything's fine. (groaning)

TRAVIS: Oh god, every time.

TALIESIN: There's just one, six-armed (groans). (laughter)

TALIESIN: (creaks)

LAURA: What did we do?!

MATT: Full-on--

MARISHA: Let me out before I see--

MATT: Philadelphia Experiment.

MARISHA: -- Chetney's ballsack, please.

TRAVIS: I thought we had more time!

TALIESIN: Come on!

TRAVIS: I just need-- I th-- I'll get dressed.

TALIESIN: I'll pick you up by one hand and--

MARISHA: Ugh!

SAM: Let's get these flowers back to The Voice.

TALIESIN: Yep, getting everybody out, folding everything up nice.

MATT: As you all return and begin to rush into Zephrah, you can see familiar Zephrans and the Ashari people look out with some of them in confusion, not really knowing the context of your arrival and your haste. Others who gather that this is a good sign and wave and watch as you pass by. Eventually, you come to the--

SAM: As we pass by, can I say hi to Scuffy again?

MATT: Sure. (laughter)

SAM: Hi!

MATT: "Hi." (laughter)

MATT: You come to the outskirts of the multi-tiered structure where the Voice of the Tempest is currently bedridden. Upon your approach, you can see the advisors Leeta and Thollo, both waiting outside. Shendunei is probably inside, but Leeta immediately glances over and sees your approach. "You've returned, this is great news," and looks over and sees Baernie and immediately rushes up and grabs Baernie into a big hug. Even side by side, you can see the very, very close features of the triplets. She's holding her, "I'm so glad you're safe." Baernie goes, "Not all of us made it back, but we'll discuss that later when there's time to hold them in our hearts, but we still carry them with us." Leeta nods, "Of course, quickly." Leading you inside as you pull out the satchel. Leeta begins to call to Shendunei, who begins to gather all the local herbalists. They gather the satchel, both the one that you began to fill and the one that was recovered from the first volunteer team. They immediately begin to take them off into some sort of rich, natural-looking alchemical lair. There are all these manner of tubes and vials and mortars and pestles and all these manners of glass jars all across that are all hidden in these natural ivy-grown alcoves and shelves. It's this very beautiful, quaint, very witchcore, sort of herbalist, vast 12-foot by 20-foot herbalist station. Many of these Ashari specialists begin to scatter about and making measurements. They take and begin to crush the petals of the blue perennem. I pronounced it properly.

LIAM: Is Nel in the mix?

MATT: I'm sorry, what was it?

LIAM: Is Nel, the triplets' mother?

MATT: Nel is not in the mix currently. But a short time into them preparing this, the others begin to arrive. It was whoever was present be in the process. About five minutes into the creation here, indeed you see Nel rush in. Half-elven woman of long, dark hair. No, she would have blonde, sorry. It was the father that had the dark hair. She rushes in, blonde hair pulled into a long braid that seems to go past the lower back. She looks like she's got little bags under the eyes, probably hasn't slept that well recently. Stepping in, immediately rushes up to Baernie as well and gives her a hug from behind as Baernie looks over and realizes who it is and gives her a big warm hug.

LIAM: I'll tug at her waist.

MATT: Looks back to you.

LIAM: Hi.

MATT: "Orym!"

LIAM: I wish it was better circumstances, but it's good to see you.

MATT: "These are great circumstances. From what they tell me, you may have a way to heal The Voice. You've done so much," and she kneels down and cups your head. "My boy, you've done so much."

LIAM: I'm hanging in.

MATT: "Aren't we all? I need to get to work."

LIAM: Do your job.

MATT: "We'll talk later."

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: She tugs on your ear a little bit and begins putting on some gloves and jumps back into the fray. As they're doing their work--

LAURA: I took 20 points of damage from the teleport.

MARISHA: Oh my god.

MATT: Good to know. The freneticness continues as you wait for them to finish. The better part of an hour goes by as they slowly begin to distill this liquid that as it hits into this large stone bowl, a cloudy appearance begins to congeal into almost a paste. The paste, as it congeals, it becomes a dull, light blue coloration, like a sky-blue paste. They begin to gather it up and it's disseminated amongst various herbalists and they rush up to the floor where you know Keyleth waits. In the meantime.

MARISHA: Can we go?

SAM: Or should wait down here?

MATT: It's up to you.

SAM: We can wait.

TALIESIN: I want to talk to--

LIAM: I take Letters by the hand and start slowly--

SAM: Okay, just us two?

LIAM: Don't interrupt, just watch.

TALIESIN: I'm going to quietly keep about two meters behind them and I'm looking for Thollo to see when they're done.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Just letting it happen, I'm not going to interrupt this shit.

MATT: Okay, yeah. Thollo is definitely still at the front entryway of the structure in the building. Still sitting there, glancing out, looking back inside, seeing how things are going, makes eye contact with you and gives a little wave. As you lead FCG upstairs, you get to the chamber where Keyleth waits and you see her trying to sit up in the bed at the energy and arrival as they rush in. But they assure her, lay down, they help her back down. Her crown which rests off the side of the bed now less presentory in the sudden arrival. They immediately begin treating her wounds, placing this paste within them. You see her face begin to scrunch up from a sting or some sort of an unexpected sensation, but they carefully, rapidly with deft hands and the surgical intent of a healer. Each one of these members of the Ashari Herbalist Union tends to their leader. As they begin to treat the arms, the paste seems to be absorbed into the skin, leaving behind a faint blue coloration. You watch as her furrowed brow begins to relax and she reaches onto the side of the bed stand and looks toward the herbalists and they nod and she pulls out of this nearby pouch a small hand gathering of dried leaves and bits of some sort of a colored dust. She closes her eyes and places it across one of the wounds. You see this faint glow of light seems to spread from her hand, and the first wound begins to close.

SAM: Do you need help closing the other ones?

MATT: Somebody goes, "Shh."

SAM: Oh, sorry. You said. You said.

LIAM: I pat him lightly on the metal shoulder.

MATT: With that realization, the dearth of energy that she's carried since your arrival seems to subside by half in but a moment, as a flash of hope and energy reaches her eyes. She immediately gives a glance of impatience to the other herbalists as they're applying the balm over these wounds, but she lets them finish their work. With each absorption, each one of these wounds, she begins to place her hand upon it. With each wound closure, eventually strength returns to her. Stronger and stronger, eventually she sits up and pulls back the sheet, and you can see one of the large gashes on her leg. They apply the balm, and she's not even paying attention to it as they do. But she reaches back and takes her crown, brushes her hair back and sets it upon her brow. She puts her hand in front of herself, glances out to the long window. The curtains open out towards the beautiful cityscape of Zephrah. She mutters beneath her breath as the wind in the room begins to pick up. You watch as her whole body glows a bright green and all the remaining wounds vanish in but a moment. As the herbalists step back and the light subsides, she smiles and looks down to the edge of the bed for a second, then looks back towards you, Orym. "Well, you have my thanks."

LIAM: I'm happy we could help.

MATT: She stands up and the long robe that she wears over her dress drags behind the ground, her staff is still leaning against the bed, as she comes forward and kneels before you and takes your hand in both of hers. "Thank you."

LIAM: I really haven't felt like I've done anything right for a while now, so it's good to have a win.

MATT: She looks over towards FCG. "We have much to talk about. Give me a moment to reengage my people. They've been a bit nervous, my state being as it is, and I'd like to talk with you and all your compatriots that helped all of us."

LIAM: Yes, please. We have a ton of questions. I do.

MATT: "Done. Give me not too long. I just need to set a few things back on an aligned path."

LIAM: Should we go on a bit of a walkabout and then come back?

MATT: "Maybe." She catches her back leg a little bit. You can see she's still a little wobbly.

LIAM: I catch it immediately, her hand.

MATT: "I guess I overestimated the rapidity of my recovery, but I can already feel. I feel like I'm mostly back." It's interesting, in this one moment where she's elated and the strength's returning, you know the leader, you know the woman who has held the weight and the burdens and the adoration and strength of her people, and in a brief moment, you see a girl thankful for another chance. As that stoicism returns, "You all look like you've had a bit of a journey as well. Please, wash up. Take whatever you like of our food, for those who partake. I'll return shortly. I wish to hear of your journey." You see the realization sink in of everything beyond this moment of victory, and her face hardens. "And what's to come next."

LIAM: We'll leave you to it.

MATT: "Just a moment. Everyone needs to know who helped, who the hero is this day." She goes and grabs the staff, nods to the herbalists, who filter out. You can see beyond the doorway, Leeta and Shendunei wait. "Voice." Keyleth steps out with them. As she walks past, she pats you on the shoulder.

LAURA: I Prestidigitation her hair, so it doesn't look like she's been in bed for a week.

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: Yeah. (laughs) Give her a blowout.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

MATT: As she exits, the wind follows her. For the moment, you two who stand in the center of the room and those of you who followed behind watch her as she passes. She gives a smile and a nod to each before she rushes out. At this point, you can see from the balcony window that leads out that the people of Zephrah are gathering. All the people are starting to come out with anxiety, anticipation, hope, worry. But she steps onto the second floor balcony beneath this wide opening where it looks-- You know this to be where proclamations are made, where celebrations are brought, where musicians play when people want to dance in the square outside, but here Keyleth steps out strong. The wind picks up once more, and you can see Leeta come up behind and place a cloak over her shoulders of many colored leaves, all the seasons, giving a representation through its perpetual change. You can't hear her through the windows on the second floor, but you can definitely hear the resounding cheers and see the joy and comfort that washes over the hundreds of people that you've grown up with, that the rest of you have just, to certain degrees, come across or spent time with. And it feels good to have a win.

LAURA: I almost forgotten what it felt like to be a hero.

SAM: It's pretty nice.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: It seems like you're going to be celebrated, Orym.

LAURA: That's wonderful.

LIAM: (clears throat)

SAM: Maybe even promoted.

MARISHA: Yes, I was going to say. Do you think you'll get a promotion?

LIAM: Um. I don't know. My sister is Keyleth's right hand.

SAM: Oh.

MARISHA: Maybe you can be her left.

LIAM: (chuckles softly)

LAURA: (laughs)

LIAM: Yeah, maybe.

SAM: Do you have a rank or something? Is it like a military rank, or?

TALIESIN: Do you get a raise? Are you buying drinks now?

TRAVIS: The Hand of the Tempest has a pretty cool ring to it.

LIAM: Well, I'm flat broke, so I can't buy anybody a drink.

MATT: Thollo, at this point, approaches from behind from the front door and goes, "Uh, Orym, did you want to be brought to the balcony with the Voice?"

LAURA: You should go.

LIAM: For what?

LAURA: Yeah, go.

TRAVIS: Go, go, go.

TALIESIN: Say yes. Say yes. Come on.

MARISHA: Yeah, let's shuffle around so we can see. See who's there.

MATT: You shuffle outside as the crowd's there.

SAM: Make sure the king can see, too.

TRAVIS: Pick me up, pick me up. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Shing!

MARISHA: Oh god. (laughter)

MATT: As she shouts out amongst the crowd here and you are brought forward by Thollo, "There are many heroes among us." She glances back just a bit to see that you've approached. "But for the history of the Ashari, there are those who truly give everything for the future of our people, and for the future of our realm. I'm but one of many. And today, we welcome a few more." She puts her hand out. You see next to you, Baernie has stepped to your side. You see the two other members of the Blades. "Faced with terrifying odds and long, ancient, corrupting evils, some of our brethren gave their lives that we might live, so that I might live to ensure that we will be safe and there is a future for the Ashari people. I ask you all to celebrate this evening our surviving heroes, and remember those who did not return, but will be forever remembered."

LIAM: Orym pulls out the shield and holds it in both hands because he knows that people will recognize it.

MATT: And they do. As the Voice steps to the side and Thollo goes, "Step up, step up," and gives a little push to you and Baernie. You can see now the two members of the Bastion survivors have been clumped into this group and look wide-eyed and out of place and are like, "How the fuck did I end up here?" (laughter)

MATT: They give a wave as you all are pushed up to the edge. All six of you, you and Baernie to the center, up to the very cusp of the railing of this massive balcony. Looking down upon the entirety of what is now the gathered and still gathering township of Zephrah. They all shout in unison and cheer.

LIAM: Hearts and minds, always Ashari, home and abroad, morning and night. Kaitiakè.

MATT: "Kaitiakè." As it shouts through the crowd, children are lifted up and thrown in the air where a wind gust catches them and lowers them down. The crowd begins to cheer and erupt. You can hear music begin to shift through the crowd as the celebration seems to have kicked off.

LIAM: I turn to Baernie. What did I say? I don't remember what I said. (laughter)

MATT: "Whatever it is, they seemed to like it." She pats you on the shoulder. As the center of the space begins to shift slowly into a celebration.

SAM: Hey.

LAURA: Nice.

MATT: People begin to bring instruments out. They begin to bring treats and snacks. Carts begin to be wheeled out with whatever means are on immediate hand to do a makeshift return of the Voice and those that brought her back. As the rest of your celebrated crowd begins to pull back away, the Voice looks back to you and says, "Bring your friends as well."

LIAM: Is it time?

MATT: "If you'd like."

LIAM: Just a minute. I think we're meeting.

LAURA: Oh.

SAM: We're meeting now? In the middle of the party?

LAURA: Yeah, let's meet.

TRAVIS: With the Voice?

MATT: With the Voice.

TRAVIS: Oh.

LAURA: Okay.

TALIESIN: Okay.

SAM: Oh. I mean, this is a great honor, but are you going to tell her anything about bad news, too?

LIAM: Well, maybe we have to--

LAURA: I think she's needs to know.

LIAM: Yes, but I didn't before because she was hurting.

SAM: You didn't before, yeah, yeah. Well, yeah.

TRAVIS: We're here with you. We'll follow your lead.

TALIESIN: Maybe after a meal or two.

SAM: Oh, yeah, I'll start making some stuff.

TALIESIN: We need a breakfast before you--

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: I'll put Chad away just because, you know, decorum.

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Yeah, probably bad to walk in holding a sword out. Yeah.

LIAM: She's waiting on us. I grab Fearne's finger and start leading the group.

SAM: (cracking sound)

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: What happened?

SAM: You broke her finger off. (laughter)

LIAM: Nope.

MARISHA: What just happened?

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: What was that sound?

TRAVIS: Mutant frog.

LIAM: I said Fearne's finger, not Laudna's.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: As the sounds of merriment begin to become muffled and a blend of noise and cheerful energy beyond the interior of this structure, you return to the Voice of the Tempest's room and chamber where you can see she's still leaning on the bed, not aware that you had arrived yet, and sits up. She smiles. "Full recovery doesn't appear as quick as I had hoped, but it's already a major step, so."

LIAM: You look miles beyond the other day.

MATT: "I feel it as well. So hello, everyone. Hi again."

MARISHA: Hi.

TRAVIS: Hello.

SAM: Kaitiakè.

ASHLEY: Kaitiatate. (laughter)

LAURA: Kaitiakeake.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Bonjour.

MATT: "Now that I've set our people at ease, for the time being, let's talk." And that's where we'll take a break. (groaning)

TRAVIS: Come on. Come on!

SAM: Come on!

TALIESIN: ♪ Come on ♪

LAURA: Kaitiakè.

TRAVIS: So good.

MATT: So we'll--

MARISHA: Kaitiakeake.

MATT: Kaitiakeake. Yeah, we'll come back after our break for this conversation with the Voice of the Tempest, Keyleth of the Air Ashari. Pick up from there. We'll see you all here in a few minutes. (cheering)

Break

I saved you and I'm here to save you again. The parasites are merely a symptom of a greater sickness in Faerûn The infected hear the voice of the Absolute and believe it to be a god. The Absolute is more dangerous than you can possibly conceive It threatens all who live It threatens the gods The Weave the very fabric of the universe itself How would you feel about helping me kill some evil bastards? Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together we might survive I'll enjoy watching you try In mere moments of all that you have dreaded will come to pass When the screaming stops and your mind is gone the rest perhaps is silence.

(mysterious music)

LAURA: Hey Critters! Laura Bailey here to guide you through what's new in the Critical Role shop. Style should never be a dump stat, darling. Roll an investigation if you want. It's basically perfect. They're so mini. Go ahead, darling. Treat yourself. I mean the Traveler always says impulse purchases are a good decision. Can you put donuts in this? Only one way to find out. And hey if you want, you could head over to the Critical Role shop right now. (adventurous music)

TALIESIN: Obsession is a corruption that shrouds the mind. Its tendrils grow beyond the influence of bleed, as if natural to the soul. Though, the unique skill set a circle of investigators bring forth to each assignment stand guard against this vice. Relying upon the strengths of your allies is the key to survival, for deep within the rubble of a city long forgotten, the Red Hand roots itself within the fathomless, unleashing a faceless behemoth of smoldering greed. The Circle of the Vassal and the Veil: "Assignment #447: The Collectors"

(ominous music)

Are you saving the world or are you hurting it? We were told they were dangerous, otherwordly horrors. Their faces looked perfectly human. We don't have to be defined by our past. It’s the actions in the hardest times, what we choose to do, that's what defines us. You know, the thing about people that leave us, they can always see what we do. Remember that. Time isn’t running out for you, not while I'm on watch. Don’t close your eyes this time. I want you to see everything. I won't. (Ominous Music) Narrator 1: Hello. Narrator 2: It's us, we're back. Real quick spoiler warning. Narrator 1: If you have not listened to season one of "Midst", you're gonna wanna stop here. Narrator 3: Seriously, we'll give you three seconds. (suspenseful music) (countdown timer ticks) All right, you've been warned. So you may be asking yourself, what the hell?! Narrator 1: Why the fuck did the moon explode? Narrator 3: What's gonna happen to utterly doomed Midst and everybody trapped on it by an incoming wave of reality-devouring fog? Narrator 1: Are Lark and Tzila gonna be okay? Are they gonna figure out that Sherman's not dead? Narrator 3: What's Phineas gonna do now that he's been abandoned by the Trust, the very institution that raised him and gave him purpose and his sense of self-worth? And like, what is he gonna do? Narrator 2: Will Jonas Spahr do the right thing? What even is the right thing? Narrator 1: What is Imelda's deal? Narrator 3: Why did the Trust even bother rescuing Moc Weepe even though he's this weird sleazeball piece of shit who stabbed his closest friends in the back? Narrator 1: And what is a mirror hawk? Narrator 3: What is a bocular horse? What is going on with Weepe's voice? Is Landlord gonna die? ALL: No. Narrator 1: Okay, we will tell you this one. Landlord is not going to die. We're unreliable narrators, not monsters. Narrator 3: Why did Lark kill fuse? Narrator 1: What is she trying to hide? Is the nutcracker okay? Narrator 3: Will the rapidly depreciating value of valor ever restabilize, or is the market doomed to implode? Narrator 1: Is the Trust bad? Narrator 3: Did Saskia's dogs really eat the melted corpse of enterprising businessman Atticus Concord? Do the narrators even know what happens next? (tense silence) No, we have no idea. Narrator 1: Just kidding, we know. Narrator 3: And when season two of "Midst" unfolds August 23rd you will know as well. Narrator 2: In the meantime for bonus episodes, merch, media and more, visit midst.co. Narrator 1: And don't forget to stock up on light bulbs. You might need them where we're going.

(epic music) (mischievous music) (typewriter clacking) (peaceful music)

NARRATOR: Holly Mistletoe thought she had it all.

HOLLY: As you can plainly see, sales are up 7%.

NARRATOR: But when she finds herself back in her hometown for a very special holiday.

HOLLY: I can't believe I have to come back to my hometown, it's so provincial. (gasps) Seamus? Seamus O'Shamrock? I didn't know you still lived here. You own and operate a small, charming coffee and pastry shop?

SEAMUS: Only when I'm not raising horses.

NARRATOR: She'll discover just how much her life was missing.

HOLLY: Has anyone ever told you you're a really good baker?

SEAMUS: Has anyone ever told you you're more adorable than the custom emotes you can use in Critical Role's professionally moderated chat with a Twitch subscription? Happy Valentine's Day.

NARRATOR: This holiday season, or that holiday season, or whatever holiday season it might be.

HOLLY: What is it?

SEAMUS: Void Tech is going to foreclose on the horse ranch.

HOLLY: They can't do that, not on the 4th of July! (fast string music)

HOLLY: With the proceeds from our wholesome Halloween haunted house, we can raise enough money to save the horse ranch from your greedy company, Mr. Fatstacks.

MAXAMILLIAN: Damn you, Mistletoe. If it hadn't been for your big city business savvy, I would've been able to fool those small town provincial bumpkins!

SEAMUS: We may be provincial, but we have values.

MAXAMILLIAN: (scoffs)

SEAMUS: Like watching episodes of Critical Role before they go on YouTube with a Twitch subscription!

MAXAMILLIAN: Fiddle faddle! (grunts)

NARRATOR: Stand up and celebrate.

MAXAMILLIAN: I eat my feelings! (growls)

NARRATOR: Make every day a holiday.

HOLLY: Oh, okay. Boop. (giggles)

SEAMUS: (sneezes)

HOLLY: No.

NARRATOR: And give the gift of love.

HOLLY: (gasps) Is this? (soft electronic zap)

SEAMUS: A subscription to Critical Role. I can gift those with my Twitch subscription to Critical Role.

HOLLY: Yes.

NARRATOR: Laura Bailey as Holly Mistletoe.

HOLLY: Don't be violent, that's not romantic.

NARRATOR: Travis Willingham is Seamus O'Shamrock, and featuring Sam Riegel as Maxamillian Fatstacks in "A Holiday Subscription for Love. The Ballad of Mistletoes and Shamrocks: Part 2." (lively orchestral music)

Part II

MATT: And welcome back.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: So, as you all have come into the interior to meet with Keyleth, the Voice of the Tempest, you have in the moment, amongst the exterior celebration, her undivided attention, and she yours. She sits. Pulls up a chair and meets you in between your level and the others and just looks across the rest of you. "Thank you all. I... There aren't words to express my thanks, but, I figure actions can speak louder than any words as time comes. So however I can be of help to you, let me know."

LAURA: I'm sorry that it happened the way that it did.

MATT: "As am I. There's a lot I-- A lot I wish I could change."

LAURA: How much do you know since the event?

MATT: "Since the event, I've heard that there's, and I've felt, to a degree, there's been some astrological shift to the weave of magic across Exandria. I've been unable to see it from this far, but I hear the moon Ruidus now lingers over Marquet. I hear that many of the temples have mobilized, armies have gone that direction. I also know that there's been a lot of rising insurgency in certain places of the world. Some temples have been attacked. Destroyed. Sowing confusion in spreading their defenses between their intended assault and having to defend at home, which I'm sure is part of the plot from the beginning."

SAM: Do you happen to know which temples, or are they targeting a specific god or gods?

MATT: "Specifically, I'll have to look into it. I've been a little out of it for a bit."

SAM: Sure, sure.

MATT: "What I know is there's been attacks in Issylra, there's been attacks in Marquet, there's been attacks here in Tal'Dorei. Only a handful, but they seem to be continuing. While I was gone, while you were gone, my apologies. Word did reach me through my network that Ludinus was sighted in the Dwendalian Empire. Apparently meeting with the venerable King Dwendal."

SAM: What? Oh wait, that makes sense.

MATT: "I know not if he's still there, but I've been told that he was present in secret. King Dwendal has been bedridden for many years. Reclusive more so than historically. While I'm no expert on Wildemount politics, I do know that the Cerberus Assembly that governs much below the king is helmed by this Ludinus. In the king's state in recent years, the Assembly has grown in prominence. My contact also speaks of rumored dissent within the Cerberus Assembly in the wake of the Vanguard's plot. This, combined with general empire social unrest, insurgent attacks on prisons and the crown's silence on Ludinus' involvement throughout the empire, I gather that realm is probably on the cusp of some level of growing chaos. Beyond that, there's been attacks on temples outside of Vasselheim. Currently, the city is attempting to wall itself in to prevent it from breaching its walls. From what I understand, some of the, some of the armed forces that were sent southward are returning. So they don't feel like they've split their strength. Which I think buys him and what they have planning more time."

LAURA: Does the Assembly know what he's done?

MATT: "I couldn't tell you, but if my source is right, likely not all of them."

LIAM: You say there's some dissent in the ranks there. Do we know what parties are going against the grain and are going against Ludinus?

MATT: "I do not have specifics, but I can check back in. If my contact feels safe, they might be able to find and return that information."

LAURA: The fort in the Grey Valley had been overrun by demons. Whatever protection the Platinum Dragon had offered was gone.

MATT: "There's a lot of forces kept at bay or kept in balance that are seizing their opportune moment."

LIAM: There's, Tempest, there's one more thing that I held back when we arrived. I wasn't sure what to make of it myself, and it felt wrong to overburden you. I'm sorry, but a few of us, just in an attempt to understand sort of the state the temples were in, we visited a temple of the Matron. And she visited us with a vision.

MATT: You see her face just go stone.

LIAM: It's funny, I've had more visions in the last year than I've had my entire life. Gods come when they want.

MATT: "Hmm."

LIAM: But we saw this excavation site again. We saw the Malleus Key and some sort of red beam going from the ground all the way up to Ruidus.

LAURA: I've seen that up close as well. That exists.

LIAM: But in this vision, that man, that winged man who appeared that day, Ludinus has him in some sort of prison. And, we could hear him in pain.

MATT: Her eyes dart out to the window. You just make out with your perceptive view what you thought was a small tree that's grown on the balcony, but now you can see it's a perch. It's empty.

ASHLEY: You seemed like you were upset when he talked about the Matron of Ravens. You don't like her.

MATT: "I have a tumultuous history with those who call themselves gods, yes."

ASHLEY: Oh.

MARISHA: Tumultuous enough to see them banished from this realm?

MATT: "Tumultuous enough to keep them at arms length, but understanding the importance they serve in the current balance of the world. Just because I don't see personal investment in what they have to offer doesn't mean they don't offer it to many others. As well as take sometimes in ways that don't feel fair."

MARISHA: If she were gone, this Matron, what would happen to that man? Do you know?

MATT: "I have no idea." You see her like, her mind begin to race behind her eyes, and she goes, "I don't know."

TALIESIN: You said something about balance. Something interesting happened while we were retrieving those flowers and your family. We were aided. I don't know if that's quite the word for it. We found ourselves in a mutually beneficial state with what I will call a champion of Asmodeus.

MATT: Her face gets harsh.

ASHLEY: Really just, really great, you know? Nice, nice guy.

TALIESIN: They seem to have a-- (laughter)

TALIESIN: They seem to have a vested interest in putting things back as well, which is its own kind of troubling.

MATT: "If you're troubled, then you are on the right path. I mean, enemy's enemy is your friend, so long as you don't get too close to the enemy. I speak from personal experience, sometimes that leads to regretful moments. So just be careful who you have dalliances with."

TALIESIN: It's strange out there.

MATT: "It's never just business."

LAURA: He was very powerful, though. It was good in the moment to have him on our side.

MATT: "Good. Then keep him on your side at a safe distance. That would make sense if the Lord of the Hells is of the same family circle as the rest of these gods. He's in as much danger as the rest. Times are only going to get stranger, it seems.

LAURA: There's people on Ruidus.

MATT: "(surprised throat clear)"

LAURA: Like entire cities. I saw entire cities of people.

MATT: "Oh!"

LAURA: So many people. People from Exandria using that tether to go to Ruidus. There's animals on the moon. There's an entire ecosystem on the moon.

MATT: "Okay, that's a lot. Um! Hmm. (exhales) Sorry, this is just a lot of information."

LIAM: It is true. I've seen one of the cities with my own eyes.

MATT: "I don't distrust you, and it's just... Hmm. What are your thoughts or instincts about these moon people?"

SAM: Probably not great.

LAURA: Well.

SAM: Some of them are folks that some of us know. We've met a few people who seem to be up there right now.

MARISHA: Imogen?

TALIESIN: Those are tourists.

LAURA: Yeah, I was just--

MARISHA: Can you show her?

LAURA: About to do that.

MARISHA: All right.

LAURA: I just want to make sure it's not going to attack us.

TRAVIS: What?

SAM: What?

TALIESIN: Everything gets weird.

LAURA: I'm going to Summon a Crimson Shade.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Across the room.

MATT: As you begin to weave the runic shapes for the spell, the wind around you picks up a bit. How much of your arms are exposed?

LAURA: I mean, my dress is sheer, so you can see.

MATT: Yeah. The bits of your skin that have taken on the reddish hue begin to brighten and glow as you begin to write these symbols in the air. An area in the far corner of the room where you're focusing begins to take on a similar glowing red hue of the flaring moon Ruidus as it begins to clear out, and then open up wide and seem to divide like a doorway that's unfolding before you. As it begins to crack and you hear the snap sound. As it does, the doorway folds outward like it's dropping something from within a hidden chamber and a bit of energy hits the ground. As it spreads outward, it grows up into the familiar shape of the crimson shade, though slightly more physically present than the previous one. What you see now, surrounded by reddish purple energy, is a half ethereal, half physical form. A tall, thin, humanoid body. The skin itself, a deep red hue with striations around major muscles, and its long lanky arms that have a darker maroon or purple coloration to it. There's almost like silver veins that run through the body in places. The extended forearms and long fingers are adorned with rings and chains. You can see on the body there's like vestments, like a sleeveless robe that's dressed and affixed with bits of leather strips. Where the body comes up, the long neck, the head comes into an extended crest that curls up and splits into three points. Two on each side and one large one in the back in which there are chains wrapped around that form, a bit of head attire or decor on top. Where the face sits, previously was kind of amorphous. This time, you now see a face that seems to almost come to a point like a shark nose with these dark set eyes on the sides. No real nose, but slits that come to the front point. As the back of the head comes, you can see a small mouth. There's a bit of a lip curl with a row sharp teeth at the front. As it emerges from its spot, it looks back to you with that familiar flash of purple glow from the eyes before they go to a dark, deep brown or black color.

LIAM: We good?

MATT: Keyleth, at this point, has stood up, has her staff out, and points in the direction and looking at it. "You can just summon these? You can just make them happen?"

SAM: Is it friendly?

LAURA: It didn't look like this before. It's far more defined.

MARISHA: Yeah, like... person.

ASHLEY: Can you talk to them now?

MARISHA: Do you pull them from?

LAURA: I don't know exactly.

SAM: Is it yours?

LAURA: He's friendly, I think.

LIAM: What's the being's mood?

TALIESIN: What's the vibe?

MATT: It's hard to pick up a mood from something that you have no previous experience observing. You're uncertain what micro-expressions to even look for, and right now it doesn't even stand. It's about an inch and a half off the ground. It just floats. The energy mist swirling around the bottoms of its legs as they're still semi-present, partially ethereal the further down the body you go and it looks trained on Imogen. In your mind you hear, "What is it you require?"

LAURA: Where are you from?

MATT: "You know where I'm from."

LAURA: How many of you are there?

MATT: "As many as there has been."

LAURA: What do you want?

MATT: "To serve you until your binding is done."

LIAM: We hear nothing, right? This is all...

MATT: You just see them looking at each other.

SAM: Yeah, but I can read on her face. (laughter)

LAURA: I'm one of those people that mouths. They're here to serve currently.

SAM: Well, that's good, at least it's not here to attack.

LAURA: Did I pull you from your life? How are you h--?

SAM: Maybe if it wants to serve you, maybe ask it what gave you that authority or how did you get this ability.

LAURA: So I make it, question it, or what if it doesn't respect it anymore.

TALIESIN: Or if its home is being overrun by us.

LAURA: Have you seen anyone like me in person on Ruidus? On the red moon?

MATT: "I have not. You are strange to me, yet also familiar, of kin."

LAURA: How long have you been there?

MATT: "My life."

LAURA: Voice, I look to Keyleth.

MATT: "Please tell us something."

LAURA: Well, they're from Ruidus. They've lived there forever.

MATT: "Okay."

LAURA: It's obvious they have a whole social stuff happening.

ASHLEY: Do they have a name?

LAURA: Oh, that's a great question. I look back to the being. What is your name?

MATT: Its head turns to the side. It looks at you. In your mind, you see a vision of an odd, pale gray flower that is opened on some sort of an odd, dusty, red plane. And in the center of it, it looks like it carries, it looks like a gem, like a cut sapphire that jingles and makes a bell sound as the wind hits it.

LAURA: Wow. I'm Imogen, not as pretty as that. Maybe I shouldn't have given him my name.

MATT: "You are among the dreamers?"

LAURA: Yes.

LIAM: Who else do they visit?

LAURA: Have you been pulled here before?

MATT: "No."

TRAVIS: (whispers) What's the binding?

LAURA: Huh?

SAM: What? Oh, the binding?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LAURA: That's me, that's mine, binding.

SAM: Binding to what?

LAURA: To me.

SAM: Well, he's binded to you?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: But you said to your binding.

ASHLEY: When your binding is finished.

SAM: Like you might be bound to something else.

LAURA: No, no, no, this lasts for an hour, if I want it to. He's bound to me.

SAM: Oh, I see.

TRAVIS: Okay.

TALIESIN: Do they need help or anything?

LAURA: Yeah, you may have noticed that you are much closer to our planet right now, right? Have you noticed?

MATT: It acknowledges with a slight head tilt.

LAURA: Is it something that you guys have been planning? Are you happy about this or is it happening against your will?

MATT: Its head looks out the window and in your mind you see verdant fields, you see lakes of cool water, you see clouds, you see mountains, you see joy, you see love, you see these flashes of beautiful vistas, of abundance, of laughter. "We know your dreams."

LAURA: Wow. You haven't had that. I'm sorry. Ooh, you don't like me.

ASHLEY: Should you ask him about Predathos? Anything about Predathos?

TRAVIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah!

LAURA: Who is Predathos?

MATT: "Predathos is the progenitor."

SAM: The progenitor?

MATT: "It is the heart of our world and it stirs. You feel it, too?"

LAURA: I end it.

MATT: (whoosh) It vanishes.

TRAVIS: Yeah! Fuck off, ghost!

MARISHA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Well, that was tense.

SAM: Wow, sorry, Voice, that was not something that we've done before.

LAURA: No, sorry, I probably should have done that before.

TALIESIN: I don't really know how you can warn anybody about that.

LAURA: Not since it's been...

ASHLEY: They had a lot of flare this time around.

MATT: You hear this creaking sound for a moment as you see Keyleth all tense, relaxes, and you notice every single bit of wood around the chamber has an emerging thorn vine--

TRAVIS: Dope!

MATT: -- that was at the ready. And as she relaxes, it all retracts and returns to straight wood.

TALIESIN: Fuck!

TRAVIS: That is some nice wood you've got there.

MATT: "Don't touch it."

TRAVIS: Oh.

LAURA: They--

MATT: "Okay!"

LAURA: They experience our dreams, all of ours.

SAM: Just the Ruidusborn?

LAURA: The Ruidusborn, they see into our dreams.

MARISHA: The Ruidusborn or the Reilorans?

LAURA: The Reilorans, I don't know if they just see into the Ruidusborns. Okay, so the Reilorans are trapped on this red world of storm and dust, and...

LIAM: So Imogen is connected into all this. We're not entirely certain how. We have some idea.

MATT: "I was going to ask," and she looks down at your arms--

MARISHA: She's very powerful.

MATT: -- and says, "You carry more in common than I had previously thought until I met one."

LAURA: The red is new. Yeah, so you might've noticed that intense look there at the end. I think they're not very nice and they're very resentful that we experience a life of bounty as opposed to them.

MARISHA: Do you think they want to be here on Exandria?

LAURA: Yes, I do.

SAM: With ill intentions or just because they're trapped up there, imprisoned?

LAURA: I don't know. He didn't seem very friendly.

MARISHA: It seemed kind of sad.

TALIESIN: It didn't attack anybody.

LAURA: Well, he couldn't.

LIAM: Ludinus is ushering along something.

MARISHA: Tempest, we were working for a little bit with this research group, called themselves the Grim Verity.

MATT: "You had mentioned them previously, yes."

MARISHA: One of them, Dr. Vestisho, told us all about their research and they have reason to believe that they think Ruidus was made from a piece of Exandria. And also that Predathos leaves twisted life in his wake. I'm wondering if these Reilorans were once like us.

MATT: "Huh."

LAURA: Wow, yeah.

MARISHA: Yes, which makes me nervous seeing how now that we're connecting the dots--

LAURA: That's what I'm going to look like.

SAM: No, no, I mean, you would look great if that happened.

TALIESIN: They've had a lot of time up there with it. I mean, if it is made from Exandria, oh wow. Then there might've been people.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah.

TALIESIN: And this hundreds of years, maybe this is just what happened to them.

SAM: Like they evolved into this?

LAURA: Yes.

TALIESIN: Or they were left to change.

SAM: Wow.

LIAM: Keyleth.

MATT: "Hmm?"

LIAM: With limited information, what would you do? What would you have us do?

MATT: "I've been blessed or cursed in my lifetime so far to have faced a handful of cataclysms, and met others who've done the same all across this world. The thing we all have in common is we don't know what to do, but we do something. We trust in each other. We follow our hearts, and we look for friends, and we do everything we can and whatever it takes to make sure those who try and put us down, who try to control us, try and hurt us and those we care about, ensure that they fail. We don't know how much time we have, and we don't know if we're going up against an entire... people? There's so many unknowns. If you're intending to go to Ruidus, then you can't do it alone."

TRAVIS: Look, you're very young, clearly, don't take this so hard.

MATT: "You're kind. It's a whole thing."

SAM: You're going to come with us?

MATT: "I have friends I need to reach out to."

SAM: Oh.

MATT: "Allies I've made through my years. I need to reach out and talk to those I trust and see who's willing to make those sacrifices in the face of these unknowns."

TRAVIS: I think we struggled to reach you when we were heading to the Malleus Key. I think you were rolling pretty deep even then. How many allies do you have?

MATT: "Well, the Ashari have taken a few hits, both at the Battle of the Malleus Key, the Red Center, and those who succumbed to their wounds thereafter. But you don't become the leader of a people in solitude. I have friends across Tal'Dorei, and some friends abroad, and maybe some old friends who, well, we did some great things in our youth. Nevertheless, I'm not fully recovered, but I should be soon. And it seems it's become more difficult to reach out to those in need. So I'll have to make a bit of a pilgrimage myself, and that's my path to walk. I suggest you do the same. I can't tell you when you're ready, but when you feel ready, let's get everything we have at our disposal, every one, bring them together."

TALIESIN: We need power, we need allies.

MARISHA: With all due respect, Tempest. You said yourself that Vasselheim is protecting its own and the Empire is in chaos and shambles. Marquet, a lot of our allies there are missing or sundered. We don't know who to go to.

LAURA: Were there any other champions?

TRAVIS: Oh, yeah.

LAURA: Asmodeus' champion was more powerful than most I've ever seen outside of you.

SAM: Champions of other gods, you mean?

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Yeah, are you a champion of--

MATT: "Oh, I'm-- No, not really my--"

TRAVIS: Of the deer goddess.

MATT: "Oh, that's a cultural misunderstanding."

TRAVIS: Oh.

MATT: "No, uh, no, not really a god person."

TALIESIN: Is it the Primordials?

MATT: "Primordials have been long gone."

TALIESIN: Okay, they've been coming up a bit.

MARISHA: That's true. Is there a way to contact them? If it was the Primordials and the gods who put Predathos away to begin with?

MATT: "It was also the gods that destroyed and disseminated the Primordials."

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "Shreds of their power still remain scattered across this land."

TRAVIS: Scattered across this land.

MARISHA: Shreds of their power.

LAURA: That's tricky.

ASHLEY: Well, I think-- What if Predathos is trying to get all of the champions?

LAURA: Oh.

TALIESIN: That's true.

ASHLEY: Since they already took one.

LAURA: Right. I don't know. What if that-- Your friend, what if one was all it needed to open up the key?

ASHLEY: Oh.

TALIESIN: What do more mean, then?

LAURA: I don't know.

TALIESIN: So where does your power come from?

MATT: "My power comes from a unity with the natural forces and spirits of Exandria. I would say not that different from the Primordials, but that that's been disseminated around and past their wake. The spirits of nature before the gods came and just have coexisted since."

MARISHA: When we were on Issylra, those druids we were telling you about, they still had a strong connection to the Eidolons.

MATT: "Eidolons, yes. That is the Issylran name for them. There are many in the world that do still worship the old powers."

TALIESIN: Like the Hishari?

MATT: "Hm. (laughs softly) At one point, maybe."

SAM: Are they gone?

LIAM: Come on, ask.

MARISHA: Do it.

TALIESIN: I was born to the Hishari.

MATT: "(exhales deeply)"

TALIESIN: There was an accident, and here I am.

MATT: "The Hishari are-- were an uncomfortable 'community' in their short time, bastardizing Ashari ideals and history, ruled through arrogance and recklessness for the short time that they were around. We thought them embarrassing, but ultimately harmless. I assume this accident you refer to is the lesson that we all took from their experience, the blunder that ended them."

TALIESIN: I don't know. Tell me more.

MATT: Her flippant memory of this information gives way to a moment of genuine focused interest. Step forth, Ashton, was it?"

TALIESIN: Yes.

SAM: Should we leave? Is this the thing?

TRAVIS: I'm not leaving.

ASHLEY: Oh, well, yes.

MATT: "You can stay."

ASHLEY: We should stay.

MATT: She looks at you, "Give me your hand."

TALIESIN: I should let you know, sometimes this goes very poorly, and it's nothing personal.

MATT: She takes your hand.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: And closes her eyes. She focuses and you watch as the light breeze around her leads to this faint firefly-like motes of power that drift out of her and swirl up through your arm. You feel the warmth traveling up your arm. The glass part of your head begins to sparkle, spark a bit. (light sparking) Just faintly. You also feel this deep warmth well up in your chest. For a moment, you feel like you weigh a ton, like nothing could move you. Then the motes fade and she opens her eyes. "(sighs) You carry a power I cannot recognize; and a power I can, but seldom feel. (sighs softly) Your blood carries elemental power, but not that of the normal earthkin and genasi in general. You carry a fragment of Primordial elemental capability within you."

SAM: Wait, what?

LAURA: What?

MATT: "The best way I can describe it is you are titan of blood."

TRAVIS: Oh! (shouting)

MARISHA: Oh, titan blood!

TRAVIS: Tattoo that shit on your neck!

LAURA: Titan blood!

SAM: Titan nobility?

MARISHA: Ashton, titan of blood.

LAURA: Titan.

TRAVIS: Oh my god!

SAM: What does it mean? He's a titan?

MARISHA: That he's got titan shit!

SAM: But how?

MATT: "I know this. A friend of mine once carried an artifact that bore the shard of one of the titans."

MARISHA: (hyperventilates) That's you!

TRAVIS: But you ain't getting them.

MATT: "Your potential is vast and frightening, and I'm glad to have you at Orym's side."

TRAVIS: What?

TALIESIN: I take off my jacket really quickly and I turn it around and I show the hourglass symbol that is very vaguely Ashari and looks a little bit like the Ashari crest and maybe with the highlight of the earth. I've dreamed this for my whole life, and I had no idea what it was.

MATT: "(exhales deeply)" She looks like she simultaneously had an epiphany and is frustrated. "Maybe it came at a great cost, but the Hishari did something."

TALIESIN: (laughs softly) Yeah.

LAURA: (whispers) Hishari.

TALIESIN: Apparently.

MATT: "That is their symbol. An extension of their bastardization."

LAURA: (whispers) What does this mean?

MATT: "Now, I had no contact with them, but I know their leader. Efterin waxed poetic about all the tales of his journey. Aside from somehow acquiring the blessing of Evontra'vir, which even that is up for debate."

SAM: What, what?

MARISHA: What?

LAURA and LIAM: Evontra'vir?

MATT: "Evontra'vir. And the fabrications of his journey have been largely disproven. (sighs)"

MARISHA: Evan?

SAM: Evontra'vir?

MATT: "Maybe it's no--"

MARISHA: That's Evan. (laughs)

MATT: "-- no coincidence the natural spirits of the Eidolons took to you on Issylra."

TALIESIN: Do you know where I could learn more? I don't know. I don't know anything. I-- (laughs)

MATT: "(sighs)" She thinks.

TALIESIN: Then when this happened, everything got even stranger.

MATT: "I'm uncertain if those two get along yet."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Of which two? What?

TRAVIS: The dunamis and his--

MARISHA: His two--

SAM: Oh.

TALIESIN: Oh boy!

LAURA: When we looked into his mind--

SAM: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: -- FCG and I, it was like his mind held every possibility of his existence all at once.

TALIESIN: It was like a fun house that every-- But no mirrors. Just different.

MATT: "The fact that you stand here and function is a testament to your willpower. I'll tell you that."

TALIESIN: Thank you.

MARISHA: Oh.

MATT: "(sighs)"

MARISHA: What happens if his willpower gets a bit slippy? Great.

LAURA: Look, all of us are ticking time bombs, if we're being real.

TALIESIN: Cheers to that.

ASHLEY: That's true.

TRAVIS: I don't know.

MATT: "Orym, you've certainly gathered a motley crew. That's not a judgment. I've walked with a few myself."

LIAM: I tried to make sense of it, and I eventually just gave up trying.

MATT: "That's the key, I think. Put a little trust and just ride the chaos that comes. (laughs)"

MARISHA: Oh, I--

MATT: "If you-- (sighs)"

TALIESIN: Yeah, I mean, if we manage to survive or otherwise, I don't know where I would even take it, figure out how to make them not fight. I don't really know how I work.

MATT: "If the destruction of the Hishari was at the hand of making you, then they must have had something with them. Something of power. Something that held the essence of the ancient Primordials, and I don't know where they would have acquired that unless the Evontra'vir story has some truth to it, in which case, that might be your best bet."

TALIESIN: Let's find out about Evontra'vir.

LIAM: Pardon me, y'all.

TALIESIN: Yeah, no.

MATT: "Evontra'vir, the Great Tree of Atrophy."

SAM: Tree of Atrophy?

TALIESIN: That's a vibe.

MARISHA: It's the Tree of Atrophy?

SAM: The tree--

TALIESIN: Holy shit.

LAURA: Is that what Evontra'vir? Wait, what?

SAM: Evontra'vir is the Tree of Atrophy.

TRAVIS: The Great Tree of Atrophy.

MATT: "It's a powerful ancient tree spirit whose roots supposedly winds between the realms of life and death to watch over the cycle of renewal. Its home, however, is on the island of Kalutha in the mists of the Shattered Teeth."

TRAVIS, MARISHA, and SAM: Oh, oh!

SAM: Island of what's that again?

MARISHA: Island of Kalutha, right? Is that what you said?

MATT: "Kalutha."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Have we ever heard of the Shattered Teeth before?

TRAVIS: I have!

MATT: The Shattered Teeth is--

SAM: Oh, I know I have, too, but--

MATT: It's more or-- Is this asking Keyleth? (laughs)

TRAVIS: We're chatting.

SAM: What's the Shattered Teeth?

TRAVIS: Yeah!

MATT: "The Shattered Teeth is one of the known continents of Exandria. It is a cluster of numerous islands to the south of Wildemount that is largely shrouded in mists and dubious to travel to outside of magical means and challenged by competing factions and peoples within. It's kind of its own thing."

TRAVIS: It's the Wild West, baby!

SAM: Its own thing.

MARISHA: Yes!

TALIESIN: I don't suppose--

MARISHA: Fuck! We didn't get time in Campaign 2! Okay, great.

TALIESIN: I don't suppose this could be an option for power. I don't know. It's something outside of the current struggle that could be useful.

MARISHA: Well, it makes sense. If we have a combination of god power and find what shards of ancient titan power--

TRAVIS: Yeah, the shit that came, that was there before--

MARISHA: Before the gods.

TRAVIS: The Great Tree of Atrophy. The cycles of life, death, and rebirth. I mean, that's very Matron-y. This shit kind of works hand in hand.

MARISHA: If it took the combination of the two before to put away Predathos, then...

TRAVIS: Yeah!

MARISHA: Maybe we need to do it again.

TRAVIS: I mean, as long as FCG is down with combining two heavyweights.

SAM: I mean, all the gods seem great to me. I know that they've had some issues in the past, the Prime Deities and the other ones, but I'm looking at this like a great reset. Maybe they can all make amends and be friends again because, you know, if they're all getting together to fight an even badder guy, maybe they can all be buddies and apologize.

MATT: "I admire your optimism."

SAM: Well, it's the only chance that they'll have.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I mean, the saying is, "The enemy of my enemy is a dick."

SAM: That being said--

TALIESIN: Beat me to it.

SAM: We're talking about traveling to the Shattered Teeth to see if we can find friends of Ashton. That seems a little far-fetched--

TALIESIN: Nope, no friends.

SAM: Just because we don't know what's there and I think magic travel's kind of hard right now, but I'm down to explore it.

TALIESIN: A little bit more something--

MARISHA: Keyleth, have you heard? This reminds me of this other emerald artifact situation.

TALIESIN: I have that note.

MARISHA: The Verdant Tomb?

TALIESIN: Fuck!

MARISHA: Where there was another Primordial in this-- Fuck, what was the? Hevestro, no.

SAM: Keyleth--

MARISHA: Shit!

SAM: She takes very hard-to-understand notes. You wouldn't understand what's that like.

MARISHA: Oma-Dua? No, which one was the name of the--

MATT: Oma-Dua was the name of that person, yeah.

MARISHA: Oma-Dua.

TALIESIN: Fuck.

MARISHA: Another-- It sounds familiar. It just sounds similar to this.

SAM: She's just saying names.

MARISHA: I swear there's another--

SAM: She's saying names at this point.

MARISHA: There was another tree that they called the Emerald Tree or something.

MATT: You're referring to the emerald crystal that you saw in Issylra.

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: They called that the Emerald Tree, yeah.

MARISHA: Yes! And it was all Primordial shit!

MATT: Well, do you remember what was inside that crystal?

MARISHA: Written, "The Verdant Tomb, we keep her spirit enduring."

MATT: It was Oma-Dua.

MARISHA: It was Oma-Dua.

MATT: Oma-Dua was--

MARISHA: A--

LIAM: One of the Gau Drashari.

MARISHA: Gau Drashari, yes. That was basically, like, converted herself into this Emerald Tree to allow her life force to continue feeding its people, right?

SAM: (laughs)

MARISHA: Says Marisha.

MATT: Says Marisha. Yes, that is true, yeah.

MARISHA: Yes, okay. Laudna says all that. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Ashari, Hishari, Gau Drashari.

MARISHA: Shari.

MARISHA: "It's all, the lineages are connected. The Gau Drashari are the ancestors to the Ashari. Indeed, Evontra'vir was once a Gau Drashari themself."

TALIESIN: And became a tree.

MATT: "When the most powerful of those who connect with the lands and the natural spirits suffuse themselves and become part of the land, they live a very long time, a path that I myself am in the process of walking. These nature magics prolong our life for an extended period of time, and some feel a calling to return to the land. Some become symbolic trees and guardian stones of power for generations to come. Others actually become trees. Evontra'vir is of the latter.

LAURA: Oh. Got it.

SAM: Evontra'vir's a tree.

LAURA: Yes.

SAM: On an island very far away.

TRAVIS: The Great Tree of Atrophy.

LAURA: And was someone like you, a long time ago.

MATT: "I assume. (chuckles)"

TRAVIS: This is huge.

TALIESIN: I'm just saying, it's a thought.

SAM: It's really great news.

TALIESIN: One more weapon.

TRAVIS: Because it engages a whole other group of interesting people that aren't dealing with the gods. Like, the gods have just been, rather all the cities, right? All the clerics and the people that fight for the deities have been trying to stop this from happening. But if the Gau Drashari, Hishari, Ashari! If all the Primordial people that are still on these islands maybe removed from most of society. If they have a stake in the game, we could recruit a whole other subset of people that can throw down.

LAURA: Will they have a stake in the game?

SAM: Do they exist? Are there people on these islands?

TRAVIS: There's only one way to find out! We got to book a ticket!

SAM: Just to clarify for me, because my brain--

TALIESIN: Or we can ask people who have been there

SAM: My brain is a little slow.

TALIESIN: -- that might be-- Oh boy.

SAM: Why do they want to protect the gods?

TRAVIS: No, not protect the gods.

MARISHA: No. They helped seal them away in the first place.

MARISHA: They helped seal away Predathos.

TRAVIS: Right?

TALIESIN: It's not about the gods. It's about Exandria.

MARISHA: That's what we learned from Dr. Vestisho, that the gods and the titans made a prison for Predathos. And that prison is Ruidus.

SAM: Why are they against Predathos, though?

MARISHA: Because--

LAURA: He wants to destroy everything.

MARISHA: He's an elder being--

SAM: I think he just wants--

MARISHA: -- who ate things.

SAM: -- to destroy the gods.

MARISHA: But it also says he leaves twisted life.

MATT: Historically, the gods and the Primordial Titans were allies when they arrived and before the Schism in which they went to war with each other. The Primordial Titans were called by the gods to help them in sealing Predathos. It's uncertain if Predathos was any threat to the Primordial Titans at all, but they aided out of the, at the time, perceived partnership with the gods.

TRAVIS: I don't have a phone book with all the champions otherwise I'd be hitting that shit up on speed dial.

LAURA: I guess I fear that those connected to the Primordials would just tell us to fuck off. The gods fucked them, why would they help now? It seems like the majority of people losing their powers are those connected to ones given by the gods. Have you suffered any loss of power?

MATT: "I've only just gotten the ability back to utilize most of it. So I guess I'll let you know in a few days."

SAM: If we want to know why the Primordials teamed up with the gods, we can just ask a god.

TALIESIN: They might have--

LIAM: Biases.

TALIESIN: A particular slant of opinion.

SAM: Sure, but I mean, if we're trying to recruit them to our side, we could find out how they were recruited before.

TRAVIS: Yeah, it's true.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: It's worth asking, but take it with some salt.

LIAM: Shelve of all that for a minute.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LIAM: What happens when we do have allies?

SAM: Go to the moon and kick some ass.

TRAVIS: Go to the base, yeah.

LAURA: We fight on the moon.

TALIESIN: Or at least we go and we look and we make our best judgment call. We see what's happening, and we just do what we should, whatever that may be.

SAM: I'm also trying to think of other allies that we have besides the one that you're going to reach out to, which, appreciate it in advance. I don't know that we have many other allies. All of our allies are dead or doing stuff. Even Deanna and FRIDA are off doing stuff, and Dorian's off doing stuff and--

LAURA: Maybe Planerider Ryn--

SAM: Is a statue.

LAURA: Is a statue, but once we--

TRAVIS: Kind of broke.

LAURA: Maybe we can get to ground zero and--

TALIESIN: I've got a few old friends, but they're all kind of shit.

TRAVIS: But it also occurs to me if, I mean, if you're talking to a deity, which is great, it seems to be kind of vague sometimes when you report back what she, they say. I was just wondering if the gods have one piece of the puzzle that sealed away Predathos and maybe these Primordial Titans--

SAM: Have the other?

TRAVIS: Have the other maybe we would benefit from talking to both of them because if we do get danger close either at the base or at the moon, and we have to, I don't know, stop something, redo something. It would sure help to know what sealed it away in the first place.

SAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: I agree.

SAM: Yeah, no, you're right. I mean, the Primordials and the gods, if we could sort of get them in the same room talking to each other.

TRAVIS: Oh.

SAM: Almost like a session.

TRAVIS: Broker like a--

SAM: Like couples therapy.

TRAVIS: Yeah!

LAURA: But aren't the Primordials dead?

TALIESIN: Clearly not.

SAM: I don't know.

MARISHA: The Primordials may be dead, but it does seem like there's still remnants of them and their history.

TRAVIS: Are they dead?

TALIESIN: I talked to something last time. I mean, you were there.

MARISHA: Yes.

TRAVIS: What, you did?

LAURA: What?

TALIESIN: Y'all weren't there.

TRAVIS: No, we weren't there, but now's a great time to fill us in!

TALIESIN: There was a fight in the temple when we were rescuing our friends from the interference of--

MARISHA: Holy people.

TALIESIN: The holy people.

ASHLEY: Who did you talk to?

TALIESIN: There was a earth elemental, I guess, some thing of stone, and I talked to it and it listened to me.

MATT: Keyleth nods and looks to you.

TALIESIN: I don't know, I was surprised as anybody, but it happened.

MATT: "I believe you. I've spoken with a number of elementals in my time. I've--" She looks to Orym with a knowing nod. "I've dallied with the elements myself, and you're not wrong to follow the thread. Elementals are the progeny of the remnants of the Primordials."

SAM: Do you think Orym has any elemental abilities or lineage or anything?

LIAM: Never shown any talent for it.

LAURA: Well, you can blow some wind. Maybe that's a air elemental something?

TRAVIS: I can blow wind.

TALIESIN: I was about to--

MARISHA: Are you suggesting?

LIAM: That's just Travis talking.

TRAVIS: Hey, baby.

MARISHA: Elemental planes--

LIAM: Dang, this cough.

MARISHA: I don't know.

MATT: "It's possible. The nature of the Primordials, as far as it's understood is with their death and their scattering it was through that, that the elemental planes were brought to full fruition and realization. It is that visceral destruction that fully formed those realms. The elementals, just the mindless grave dust of what the powers once were that once rivaled the gods."

TRAVIS: Have you, your Voice, Tempestness, have you or your Ashari ever traveled to the Shattered Teeth?

MATT: "I have once."

SAM: Oh? Is there a hotel or--

MATT: "No, no, no. There is an island. Slival." [loud pages flipping]

SAM: And how are we going to make fun of that name? It's too hard to pronounce.

TRAVIS: Slival?

LAURA: Slival?

MATT: "There was a time, many years ago in my life, that I was desperate for information about the words of gods and the limits of their power. So I went searching for answers. None of the ones that I wanted. But there is someone I spoke to there who helped me through my grief. Her name is Jirana."

SAM: What kind of person-- Is she a holy person? Or I guess not. No, there's, a Primordial type person?

MATT: "No. Just a specialist on loss and grief."

TRAVIS: How do you spell Jirana?

MATT: Looks to you with a smile. "Like a therapist."

SAM: Oh! This person sounds great!

MATT: "She is, though I haven't spoken with her in many years. She was quite old when we spoke. I could check in on her."

SAM: Sure.

TALIESIN: Amazing. I mean, not to be presumptuous, but unless anybody has a better idea, which so far seems thin, there might be a way to get there from here pretty fast if we needed.

SAM: What? How? That you know, or that--

TALIESIN: Well, once you're feeling better--

SAM: Are there trees there?

MATT: "Oh, I got there my usual way."

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: "I imagine if that's where you want to go, I could send you the same--"

TRAVIS: Oh man, the Shattered Teeth sounds-- Your people, would you happen to have anything documenting these islands?

MATT: "There's not really a map that exists. The rumors are that the islands tend to shift."

TRAVIS: They move?!

LAURA: Wow.

MATT: "That's the rumor. It's a strange place."

ASHLEY: Maybe you should make a map, Chet.

TRAVIS: I would make a map with moving wooden pieces.

SAM: That could be awesome.

MARISHA: What?

TRAVIS: It could be.

SAM: The first of its kind.

TRAVIS: Yep.

TALIESIN: A little crank.

SAM: I could, yeah-- I could make some a mechanism that you can crank and move it around or something.

MARISHA: That's awesome.

MATT: "The essence of the Teeth's creation was the sundering of the continent of Domunas during the beginning of the Calamity."

TRAVIS: Domunas?

MATT: "The sheer volume of residual elemental magic left behind at the annihilation of two of the remaining Primordial Titans shrouded the entire region in chaotic elemental magics."

TRAVIS: Fuck yeah.

MATT: "So... It's not necessarily the most welcoming place in Exandria."

MARISHA: But if we were looking for titan power--

MATT: "This would be the place. I suppose."

TALIESIN: It's a thing missing from the current equation. I mean, I'm not going to pretend that I don't have a vested interest in this. Clearly, I do.

LAURA: The funnel, wait. Can we pull that out?

TALIESIN: If y'all say no--

TRAVIS: Oh, oh, oh!

LAURA: With the harness.

TRAVIS: Oh, oh, oh!

LAURA: Maybe that's how we get--

SAM: Oh, oh!

MARISHA: We suck in the power.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Wait, suck in what power? Whose power?

TALIESIN: Okay.

TRAVIS: I pull out the funnelness.

MARISHA: FCG is always two seconds behind.

LAURA: So, okay, we found this harness.

SAM: The Primordial power? Whose power?

LAURA: We found this harness when we went to Ludinus' old tower. This was his. It seems like he used it to siphon power from ancient entities. He had a map where he X'd out things that he had drawn power from. I think that's one of the reasons he is how he is now. Do you think it would be safe to try something similar, to make us--

MATT: "It's possible. What'd he use this for?"

LAURA: He would draw-- You, let's show her his notes. We have his notes.

TRAVIS: Yep.

SAM: Here.

MATT: She glances through and--

TRAVIS: Siphoning on trees.

LAURA: Well, it was--

TRAVIS: He hated trees.

SAM: So he would put it up and siphon their life force into the back of his neck.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

TALIESIN: What kind of monster?

SAM: Sweet, sweet tree--

LAURA: Wait, wait, wait.

TRAVIS: Blood is made of maple syrup.

SAM: She's read it, she's already read it.

MATT: "You're not entirely wrong."

SAM: What?

TALIESIN: Oh god, it's maple syrup.

MATT: "Not quite. He used this to draw the natural magics of fey entities that are very tightly connected to the natural magics of the nature spirits that wander both realms. We Ashari, who bind with the natural world, live a long life because we give into these magics and become one with them. He's mimicking the druidic extension of life."

MARISHA: What a dick!

TRAVIS: This motherfucker.

MARISHA: What?! This motherfucker.

TALIESIN: I just like him less and less.

SAM: Like he's sucking the energy from specific feys, like sucking them dry?

LAURA: Powerful entities. He's killed them.

LIAM: Longer than his normal life span.

MATT: "That would explain why he's been around so long."

LAURA: Do you think he got some of his power from them? That's why he's--

TRAVIS: Do you think that vest still works?

MATT: "I don't know. It certainly looks damaged beyond my capability."

TRAVIS: Yeah, but I mean, like, we can fix it.

MARISHA: Fix it?

MATT: "If you have somebody you know that could repair it, sure."

LAURA: But it's not.

ASHLEY: Do we know if it's even broken?

LAURA: I mean, it's unnatural. We would mean killing something in order to suck the power in.

TRAVIS: Let's not assume. Either borrow or siphon. Those are very non-killing words.

TALIESIN: I think it's pretty killing--

MATT: She's pointing over one line. "It says here, 'Feed the root.'"

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "There's a saying within the Ashari that the center of where your connection to nature is, is in the core of your being, and we refer to that as our root. It often is considered to be right around the back of the neck where the head joins the rest of the body not far from the heart." She arranges the harness. You see where that funnel is placed, it's at the base of the neck.

LAURA: (gasps)

TALIESIN: Oh fuck.

LAURA: That makes sense.

TALIESIN: That's fucked up.

LAURA: So we cut off his head.

TRAVIS: Wait, what?

LAURA: I'm just saying how we defeat him.

MATT: "No, but there might be something to that." [mysterious thump] (screaming)

SAM: It's Ludinus!

MATT: He's with us!

LIAM: His head rolled off!

LAURA: It felt like he was, though.

ASHLEY: I know, I feel like he's here.

TRAVIS: Fucking dropkick something.

TALIESIN: He's old. He starts screaming like once a month.

MATT: Our studio is haunted.

TALIESIN: I don't--

LAURA: Ugh.

LIAM: It's definitely not ghosts, Travis.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: "I-- I have no idea what this sort of twisting of our natural progression this influence would have on the person outside of those sort of energies. But if there were a spot to try and unravel it."

LAURA: Are you guys hearing this?

TRAVIS: Yes. Hell yes.

ASHLEY: We've got notes over here.

SAM: What she's writing is insane. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I want to know.

TRAVIS: It's written in all caps and bold.

SAM: We cut off Ludinus' head! But then she used three different fonts, and some uppercase and some lowercase.

TRAVIS: She was really excited about your idea, basically, Imogen.

MARISHA: She said it's not a bad call! I need to remember that!

LAURA: She said the power comes, if we were going to aim for a spot, aim for that base.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LAURA: Okay.

ASHLEY: I'm confused, because you know how Ludinus, which is not a surprise, I'm confused all the time, how Ludinus is obsessed with the Matron of Ravens? You know, because he wanted to ascend how she did, but he also wants to kill the gods?

TALIESIN: She's the one that everybody's got to face at some point, no matter who or what you believe.

ASHLEY: So if you get rid of her, then death is--

TRAVIS: I think he just wants to level the playing field.

TALIESIN: It'll leave nothing at all.

TRAVIS: Yeah, he wants to take out their over-watch.

LAURA: Or he wants to get rid of them so that he can take their place.

LIAM: That could be part two.

TRAVIS: True.

MATT: "I can say with somewhat certainty that the means of ascending is a bit impossible to acquire these days."

LAURA: That's good.

TRAVIS: Why?

MATT: "We saw to it that the last person to try it is no longer on this realm."

ASHLEY: Who?

TRAVIS: Copy that.

MATT: "The Whispered One."

ASHLEY: The Whispered One. Doesn't ring a bell.

TRAVIS: You got to whisper it.

TALIESIN: Would it ring a bell?

ASHLEY: The Whispered One.

MATT: Roll religion.

TALIESIN: All right.

LAURA: Have you heard of that?

TALIESIN: Natural 20, for 21.

MATT: Natural 20! This was a pretty high DC, given the nature of the entity.

TALIESIN: I read books!

MATT: But people have heard some whispers of the near-sacking of Vasselheim nearly 30 years before. You pick it up specifically because the remnants of a massive primordial earth titan still looms large over the city of Vasselheim.

TALIESIN: It fucking does.

TRAVIS: (booms)

TALIESIN: You battled an earth titan.

MATT: "Well, a puppeteered corpse of one, long buried."

TALIESIN: Huh.

MARISHA: Would Laudna have heard of this Whispered One?

MATT: Oh, yeah. But not like heard it. You've never heard the term.

MARISHA: I just know it.

MATT: But the minute you hear the name, there's a cold jolt that shoots down your spine.

TRAVIS: (sniffing)

LAURA: (laughs)

MARISHA: This party's so lame.

LAURA: Smells like--

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: (sniffs)

TALIESIN: Huh.

MATT: "I dislike speaking in absolutes and certainties, but... I pray for all our sakes that the Rite of Ascension has finally been written from history, and I think she who wrote it, the Matron herself, has seen to it. If not directly, her chosen few."

TALIESIN: So there is one person who still knows how to do it.

MARISHA: And he's in a little tiny black ball?

TALIESIN: Or she does, too.

MARISHA: The Matron?

TALIESIN: She did it. She would know.

SAM: We don't know that Predathos or Ludinus are trying to become gods or anything, we just know--

TALIESIN: I think he actually very specifically said it.

SAM: Did he? I wasn't there.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

SAM: I thought he just said they were just trying to kill the gods.

TRAVIS: Yeah, bring them low.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I recall there was a byproduct of, you know, or at least an implied byproduct of, well, I guess someone's got to steer the ship, so to speak.

TRAVIS: I see the allure. I mean, FCG would make a very benevolent god. Fearne would make a totally smoking deity.

ASHLEY: Yep.

LIAM: That's true.

MATT: To clarify--

TALIESIN: Sorry. Thank you.

MATT: No worries, to clarify, Ludinus' message has been very strongly that living under the gods is a lifetime of being shackled to their designs.

TALIESIN: Sure.

MATT: There hasn't been an inkling, though, of course, logically it makes sense for anyone of magical power of a certain degree. Who wouldn't want godhood, I guess? But everything you've heard from him and all of his message, both hearing about him, seeing his now broadcast intent across Exandria, and even his speech in person, for the brief time that you were in his proximity in the Hellcatch, there is a fervent passion in his face in what he believes to be the most heroic journey, which is him freeing the mortal peoples of the world from the gods forever.

TALIESIN: Yeah, okay, if I recall, that was just some secondary, well, maybe.

MATT: Could be, could be.

TALIESIN: Yeah, all right. Yeah.

MARISHA: What a twist that would be.

SAM: If Ludinus is the good guy and we're the bad guy?

MARISHA: Could be a thing.

SAM: Could be a thing.

MARISHA: I mean, I do-- The more we learn, the more I kind of pity the Reilorans.

LAURA: Oh, I definitely pity them.

MARISHA: They were sundered and subjected, ripped from Exandria by the gods.

SAM: By the gods!

LAURA: Or they weren't.

MARISHA: To just be in this prison.

LAURA: Or Predathos pulled them with him.

SAM: Or he grew them from pimples on his ass.

TRAVIS: Yep.

LAURA: Maybe. I do feel sorry for them, that they haven't experienced Exandria. But if they would rip it from us...

MARISHA: Could be something you could ask your Changebringer.

SAM: Ask her where the Reilorans come from?

MARISHA: Were there people on the continents? Were there already people on the chunk of land that they took?

TRAVIS: Didn't we see the Nightmare King?

LAURA: On Ruidus, yeah.

TRAVIS: Wasn't he talking with someone that looked like that?

SAM: He was.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: So maybe there's another truce to be struck, another bargain to be made.

SAM: Or he's playing both sides. He sometimes plays both sides.

LIAM: We're really just guessing about the Reilorans.

LAURA: I mean--

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: We don't know anything.

TALIESIN: We're going to figure that out when we get there.

LIAM: What we do know about Predathos was knowledge erased from the face of the earth for millennia. How are we going to find out even more?

LAURA: I could... I could give in. I don't mean that in a... Every time I connect with Ruidus, I'm very drawn towards it, and I always fight it for fear that I'll lose myself, which I might, but what if I connected and I finally understood who Predathos actually was?

SAM: How could we get you back, though?

LAURA: I have no idea.

TRAVIS: We could slap you.

SAM: Is it just your mind that would go there?

LAURA: I don't know.

SAM: Or would your body go, too?

TRAVIS: She's sleeping. We'll wake her up.

LAURA: But I could. I could try.

TALIESIN: We could go in with a little bit of help.

SAM: Yeah, of course. I could be there with you.

LAURA: I think all the Reilorans have a pull to Predathos. That being that I brought here said he was the heart of everything.

TALIESIN: I might want to go in, too. I don't know. Some of us, anyway, if possible, just to--

TRAVIS: The dream?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Hmm.

LAURA: We could try.

SAM: We could, but for now, we might not have to resort to that yet, if we're going to maybe try to go to--

LAURA: Sure.

SAM: -- the Teeth place.

TALIESIN: I mean, again, I'm a bad judge if this is a good idea or not, so.

LAURA: Do you think there's time, Tempest?

MATT: "There never is."

TRAVIS: Ha! True!

MATT: "Except the time you have to take. That's the challenge of it all. To rush headstrong into something you're unprepared for only invites destruction, but to take too long is to show up too late to stop it. Only we can gauge that."

TALIESIN: I don't think we're much better than we were last time we got just trashed.

MARISHA: We got our asses kicked.

SAM: You said that it would take you a couple days to see if your other friends would be willing to help, too, so we at least have a couple days.

TRAVIS: Yeah?

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Beyond defeating Ludinus, depending on how far they've gotten with actually releasing Predathos, this might be a two-part job. Defeating Ludinus, and maybe resealing Predathos.

SAM: Oh my gosh.

LAURA: Yeah, and Ludinus is in the Dwendalian Empire right now. Nowhere near ground zero.

ASHLEY: What's he doing there?

LIAM: I do think we should hit those islands, but at a certain point, even if we are worried about getting our asses handed to us--

LAURA: We just have to go.

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: Because no one else is going to.

TALIESIN: It's a delicate balance.

MARISHA: I think we'll know when the time is right.

TALIESIN: Or be forced to.

MATT: "What do we have at our disposal? Meaning you, in the we. You have information on how Ludinus has managed to maintain his life this long. This device, I'm uncertain how it could be useful, but if you find somebody who could possibly retool it to be helpful--"

LAURA: Milo?

TALIESIN: I could hit up Milo.

LAURA: Joe. Either.

TALIESIN: Or Joe. Or that weird friend of yours. But I'm sure they're not really in the mood.

MATT: "Oh, Percy? This is--"

TALIESIN: That guy.

MATT: "He's not quite in the m-- This is enchantment heavy. Don't tell him I said that. He has a brilliant mind with specific limitations."

LAURA: Enchantment heavy? Wait, FCG.

SAM: Yes?

LAURA: Wasn't the woman that--

SAM: Dancer?

LAURA: Not Dancer, her... The other one.

SAM: Oh, her friend?

LAURA: Yeah, didn't she work in enchantments?

SAM: She did. I mean--

TRAVIS: Joe is not enchantments, right?

LAURA: No.

TALIESIN: Milo kicks around, but Milo is, you know, small time.

MARISHA: Is there anyone here, Tempest, that we can talk to?

MATT: "Not to this degree."

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: "Unfortunately, this-- I can take it and ask around, but even glancing at this, our enchantments are more based in classic rituals. This is a level of arcana that is a bit alien to my interests."

LAURA: And ancient. What about the--

MARISHA: D?

LAURA: Yeah, who brought you back.

SAM: Sure, yeah.

TALIESIN: I think that's a great idea.

MARISHA: The ultimate question is: Do we need to repair this before going to the Shattered Teeth?

LAURA: I know, that's a good question. I feel like we should.

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: If this sucks specifically fey energy... It's fey energy, right?

LAURA: It has been, but it doesn't--

SAM: But that's based in primordial elements.

TRAVIS: Not necessarily, it was also things that were tying in between the planes and connected to the elemental energies. I don't know, if you'd had it fixed and pointed it at that tree jam that you came across.

MARISHA: Exactly.

TRAVIS: You might've been able to--

MARISHA: Suck some shit out.

TRAVIS: -- take some Capri-Sun out of it.

LAURA: Yeah, but that's basically like killing someone like you, Keyleth, wouldn't it be?

MATT: "Don't point it at some- one like me, if you please."

TRAVIS: Maybe don't suck it all the way dry. Just borrow a little bit.

MARISHA: Right, maybe we could strike a deal.

TRAVIS: The tree is just, you know, not going to use it, if Predathos up there is going to destroy everything, anyway.

LAURA: Right.

TALIESIN: It would only be the 50th morally questionable thing I've done in two weeks, if it comes to it.

TRAVIS: God, you should wear it!

TALIESIN: Eh. Maybe.

TRAVIS: We should pump you full of stuff!

SAM: So far, though, all we know is that it extends life, right?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: We don't know that it necessarily grants us superpowers or anything.

TALIESIN: Maybe we give it to somebody.

MARISHA: That's how Ludinus was using it, so.

TALIESIN: We've got to get it so somebody who actually would understand this.

MARISHA: It might be something that we all tradesies and we go and hit some hot spots and we all juice ourselves up.

LAURA: (laughs) I like that.

LIAM: Spa treatment?

MARISHA: Yes.

LAURA: Okay, so.

SAM: So.

TRAVIS: D. We should try and fix it.

LAURA: D. But how do we reach out to D if we can't--

SAM: Before we're going to the thing?

TALIESIN: See where D is.

LAURA: How do we--

SAM: I can--

LAURA: Could we scry on D?

SAM: I don't even know if Scrying and Sending works right now.

LAURA: Well, Scrying does. Sending doesn't.

TALIESIN: Well, I think Sending depends on where you are.

LAURA: If it's very close.

SAM: I mean, I can totally scry right now, just to see where he is. Totally fine.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "Any allies you need to look for, if you can do so."

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Oh my gosh.

SAM: Want me to do it right now?

TRAVIS: Yeah, why not?

LAURA: I mean, D might have been alive when Predathos was sealed away. No, that would've been a long time before that.

SAM: That's pre-Calamity?

LIAM: That's too long ago.

LAURA: Yeah, right.

SAM: All right, I can peeksies in on him.

TRAVIS: Do it.

SAM: I will extend my ever far reaching eye and try to scry.

LAURA: Devexian.

SAM: Onto D.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: I'm so excited.

SAM: I'll hold up my coin, look through it, and see if I can see the world.

MATT: You write out the basics of the ritual circle around you, you take out the coin, and you focus on it and glance through it like a keyhole. As you look through it, it's like the keyhole is an extended tunnel with a bit of light at the very end. As you focus and focus, the light comes closer and closer until all of your vision, all of your consciousness is this endless dark tunnel with the point of light getting larger and larger until eventually you emerge into what is a late afternoon, a sunset. You hear the sound of crashing waves. You look by what looks to be a road traveling over hills by a cliff. There's a couple of bundles of nearby trees, tropical, and you see, walking along this road with a cart being pulled by a couple horses, a figure, hood over its head, cloak whipping in a light ocean breeze, heavy metallic footfalls with each step against the gravel and sand.

SAM: Do I recognize this place?

MATT: Make a perception check.

SAM: Oh boy. Can I Guide myself?

TALIESIN: ♪ Perception check ♪

MATT: No, I'd say probably not from within a vision.

SAM: Perception, 18.

MATT: 18.

SAM: Perception, right?

MATT: Looking around, it definitely looks coastal. Looking at the position of the sun, right now it's definitely further east from your current location. It's not anywhere you've been.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: But you can share the information.

SAM: East, beach.

LIAM: I mean that's east of Zephrah.

TALIESIN: The right direction.

MATT: Chetney.

TRAVIS: Huh?

MATT: You're describing the scenery. Oh, this is one of the many roads along Menagerie Coast.

TRAVIS: Yeah!

TALIESIN: I'm about to say, sounds--

TRAVIS: This is my freak fest!

MARISHA: Ah.

TRAVIS: Oh man.

MARISHA: So many spring breaks.

TRAVIS: I just feel my heart rate rising.

SAM: I'm just going to throw this out here. I mean, you know where this is, that's great. That's great! We could get there, I guess, but I'm just going to throw this out there. This fellow, all we know is that he sold me to Dancer.

TRAVIS: Oh.

SAM: And I wasn't working. Dancer's the one who got me back up and working again. Dancer is the one who knows.

TRAVIS: Repaired you.

SAM: Repaired, yeah.

TRAVIS: Got you working.

SAM: He sold a hunk of metal to her.

LAURA: Are you sure?

SAM: I mean, I wasn't awake and then I was.

LAURA: What if she reset you?

MARISHA: Didn't he talk about--

SAM: She did, but like--

MARISHA: -- turning on his brethrens and stuff?

SAM: He did, but--

MARISHA: Awakening others.

SAM: I mean, I'm just saying what I know. The only person who has made me work again was her, not him.

LAURA: Okay.

SAM: But we can go and try.

MARISHA: She also didn't want to talk to you.

SAM: I know, this would be a great opportunity for me to make up and make amends.

MARISHA: To Dancer?

SAM: Yes!

MARISHA: (unconvinced) All right.

TALIESIN: What are you going to apologize for, out of curiosity?

SAM: For trying to kill her.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Killing all her friends.

ASHLEY: Check in on Dancer? Scry on Dancer?

SAM: Maybe, I mean, I kind of know where she is. She's probably back in--

TALIESIN: That seems like a lot.

SAM: Jrusar. Bassuras.

MARISHA: You did already try to do that and she wasn't really having it.

SAM: That was before the world was ending and time heals a lot of wounds.

MARISHA: Yes.

TALIESIN: I tend to find that if someone doesn't want to talk to you anymore, asking them again is a great way to really get them talking to you.

SAM: I mean--

ASHLEY: Does she do enchantments and things like that?

SAM: She did me.

ASHLEY: I guess she worked on you.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I don't know.

MARISHA: Just, you know--

SAM: I'm a mix of magic and mechanical stuff and she got me working again.

MARISHA: But if D is on the Menagerie Coast, then that's a hop and a skip towards the Shattered Teeth, right, on a boat?

SAM: Sure.

MARISHA: Because--

SAM: Wait, a boat? I thought we could get there instantly from her.

MARISHA: Well, I guess it depends on how many pit stops we're making along the way.

TALIESIN: Menagerie Coast, might be able to just hop straight over.

MATT: "To be fair, my gathering of allies is going to put me on a pretty consistent pilgrimage with my powers at my disposal over the next week or more and who knows what sort of challenges will come across me on that way, so I wouldn't rely on me for a lot of travel, but I can certainly send you away and occasionally be helpful to you, depending on how spent I am at times, but I'm at your disposal for as much as I can."

LIAM: How are we zeroing in on D? The Menagerie Coast is hundreds of miles.

SAM: We don't know if he'll do it. We don't know if he can do it. He is a automaton like me. There's nothing to say that he knows anything about magic. He's just hauling a bunch of metal around and selling it to people. We have no proof that he knows anything about repair.

TRAVIS: We don't, that's true.

LAURA: That's true.

TRAVIS: He did seem to have ancient knowledge, but we don't know what that means. We don't know anything.

TALIESIN: This sort of thing--

SAM: Don't know who he is. Don't know what he wants. She has actually fixed something before and we know her.

ASHLEY: Can you try to message her or something? I don't know.

TRAVIS: You can try and find her.

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: I'm trying to think. Didn't I look into your memories or something?

TALIESIN: I feel like--

LAURA: Whose memory did I look into where I saw, you saw D. I didn't see D.

SAM: I think so.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

TALIESIN: You saw him.

MARISHA: But we met D in Bassuras. We did meet D.

MATT: No, you did not.

SAM: We saw him.

LAURA: We saw him in a memory.

MARISHA: I thought he was like rolling by on a, and just went like er, and then kept going.

MATT: No, that was a vision, I'm pretty sure.

LAURA: Yeah, we saw a vision.

TRAVIS: Do you want to Scry on Dancer?

SAM: Sure, I mean, if she's back in Bassuras I would know exactly where she was.

LAURA: I sure would like to go to the Menagerie Coast.

SAM: Of course, but-- You mean just to go for a little vacation.

MATT: I'll double check, but pretty sure about that.

LAURA: I've heard amazing things.

MARISHA: Want me to hit up Dani?

MATT: Sure.

SAM: I'll hit up a Scry. I'll do another Scry and see if I can find Ms. Dancer.

TRAVIS: Do it.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: These are all fucking great options.

LAURA: (magic whirling)

ASHLEY: I know.

MATT: Sitting within the same circle, you glance and take the coin onto the other eye and this tunnel is a lot shorter, having a stronger connection to the individual on the opposite side. There, you immediately see a dark, somewhat shady interior of some sort of a hovel, a homestead that's in disarray. You can see like a green glass lantern that's flickering in the far corner. You see Dancer, half-dressed, snoring, like draped over the side of a torn couch, just passed out. Just sleeping.

SAM: Do I recognize this place?

MATT: You do not.

SAM: Oh fuck. (laughs) Nothing! Could be anywhere in the world.

MATT: It's an interior.

SAM: It's just a college-- (laughter)

MATT: You can try again later.

SAM: Huh?

MATT: You can try again later, if you want to.

TRAVIS: Is there a Sigma Chi flag on the wall?

MATT: It's the problem with scrying is sometimes it's not the most opportune time, but it doesn't mean one try is a failure.

SAM: She with anybody?

MATT: Roll a perception check.

SAM: That's a weird roll, huh?

ASHLEY: That was a weird roll.

SAM: 14.

LAURA: He rolls like.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: 14, on the periphery, you do see another figure walking, but far enough away where you can't make any details. You're just seeing just a shadow moving in the distance.

LIAM: It's a weird roll because you were weird.

SAM: Okay, well, I don't know where she is, so we can go to the Menagerie Coast and hope we're in the right city.

TALIESIN: Follow a lead, if it doesn't pan out, we just keep moving in the direction we're going to move anyway.

SAM: We can't keep moving, we'd have to contact Keyleth to get her to--

LAURA: No, I can teleport us.

TALIESIN: We'll be fine.

SAM: Once a day.

LAURA: Once a day, potentially.

SAM: Have to wait another day.

TALIESIN: Well, we'll teleport and then we get to our next point where we shouldn't have to teleport again because we'll be in the middle of where we need to be.

LAURA: Do you remember anything about that Scry? Like, did you see anything of note? Any, anything other than trees? Any sort of notable things on the coast?

SAM: You mean the D Scry?

LAURA: Anything on the coast line.

SAM: Did I remember anything?

MATT: You have never been to the Menagerie Coast. You have no idea where it would be.

SAM: I can just ask my god where to go.

LAURA: Oh yeah, try.

SAM: I mean--

LAURA: I think that's how gods work, you just ask them what to do and they say you do exactly this and then you're set.

SAM: I can ask her a yes or no question.

LIAM: Okay, start naming off towns in the Menagerie Coast.

SAM: I can at least ask her which one of these two would be most beneficial to us.

TALIESIN: So that's not a yes or no question.

SAM: Well, I can ask if one is.

TALIESIN: That's fair.

LAURA: One of us always lies and one of us always tells the truth.

SAM: I can also use Divination.

LIAM: Ooh, that's a lie!

MARISHA: Divination?

SAM: Yeah. Yes, I can use Divination.

TALIESIN: I'm on board with this chaos.

SAM: Sorry, this is so boring. All right, I'll do Divination. Bloop.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: All your spell slots.

SAM: Yep.

TALIESIN: Burn all the spell slot.

TRAVIS: You're safe. We're in Zephrah.

LAURA: We're fine.

TRAVIS: The bedroom morphed in prickly thorny-wide, we're good.

LAURA: ♪ La la la la la ♪

SAM: Oh, Changebringer. Changebringer, my love.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: (high-pitched) If I wanted-- (laughter)

SAM: -- to find someone to repair this specific thing, where would I go?

LAURA: I thought it had to be a yes or no.

TRAVIS: He's doing Divination.

SAM: No, it is not.

LAURA: Oh, okay.

SAM: It is a single question concerning a specific goal and he can give me a reply, a phrase, a cryptic rhyme, an omen. It's not a yes or no.

TALIESIN: -- might have been-- Well.

LAURA: All right.

MATT: There's just like a gentle wind that perpetually sits around the Voice of the Tempest, just like a soft breeze. Especially in times of contemplation, the wind gives this gentle (slightly whistling) sound. But across your, where your ears would be, I guess, for your audio sensor.

SAM: Weirdly, my audio sensor is in my perineum.

MATT: Oh. (laughter)

MATT: Oh, cool. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Omnidirectional sensor.

MATT: It's like a Yeti mic. (laughter)

LAURA: Audio's always muffled.

LAURA: Yeah. Yeah, a little bit.

TRAVIS: Got to drop that mic.

LAURA: What's that sound?

TRAVIS: Drop that Snowball.

LIAM: (muffled noises)

MATT: But the wind seems to carry the faint elements of a voice to your mind. "The path with one from your past, you are most bound to."

SAM: What does that mean?!

MARISHA: That's awful! (pounds) (laughter)

TRAVIS: The path.

SAM: The path from one from my past I am most bound to.

LAURA: That's D.

ASHLEY: That's D.

SAM: Is it? Or is it Dancer?

LAURA: No, it's D.

SAM: We shared a lot. I killed her.

LAURA: Yeah, but you're most bound to-to D-Dancer.

SAM: To this guy who, to Dancer.

LAURA: To D-D-D. They both start with a D.

LIAM: ♪ Da da da da da ♪

MATT: (laughs)

SAM: I'm most bound to D?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I think so.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Because he sold me in a scrap yard?!

LIAM: It's a shared identity.

LAURA: Aeormaton in the same way.

SAM: That means FRIDA.

TALIESIN: N-- No, I think maybe--

MATT: Oh, you can cast it more times, if you want.

MARISHA: Do it again.

SAM: What, Divination?

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: -- be more specific.

MARISHA: Do it again.

LIAM: To be more specific--

ASHLEY: Be like, are you talking about--

SAM: Oh, Changebringer! (laughter)

TRAVIS: My love.

SAM: My love and sweetness. You know how my faith for you is so strong. (laughter)

SAM: (very high-pitched) Would you say-- (laughter)

TALIESIN: I'm trying to write.

SAM: -- I'm more bound to Dancer or D, and please don't say, "You're more bound to the one that starts with a D." (laughter)

TALIESIN: That's actually pretty good. (laughter)

SAM: I love your hair, by the way, it's really beautiful. (laughter)

SAM: Trying to save your life; make it easy for us. (laughter)

MARISHA: Save your life. (laughter)

MARISHA: Don't be a douche. (laughter)

MATT: The thing is, you're uncertain if the spell is reaching out to the god or just a servant of the god.

SAM: Got it, got it.

MATT: But the information comes either way.

SAM: I'm out of spells.

LIAM: Dragon attacks.

MATT: "The path to the mind--"

SAM: Fuck you. (laughter) (laughter) (laughter) (laughter)

MATT: Goddamn it. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Okay, don't look at him.

TALIESIN: Nope, nope.

MATT: "The path to the mind of that which gave you life renewed."

TRAVIS: Oh, but that was clear.

SAM: He did it again.

TRAVIS: No, no, no, that was clear, that's clear, that's D.

ASHLEY: That feels like it was--

TRAVIS: That's D.

SAM: That's Dancer!

ASHLEY: That sounds like Dancer to me!

LIAM: That's Dancer.

MARISHA: I don't know, it might be Dancer.

TALIESIN: No, D was second life.

SAM: This fucker.

MARISHA: But we don't-- but you said you just remembered Dancer.

TRAVIS: Renewed, yeah.

LAURA: I think, but how would, here's the thing.

MARISHA: This is horrible!

TALIESIN: Let me put something out.

LAURA: How could you know about D if we hadn't seen it in your brain, right? You saw a memory of D.

SAM: When, what?

LAURA: How do we know about D? How had we seen D if we hadn't seen a memory in your brain of D?

SAM: How did we find D in the first place?

LAURA: Exactly, so you had a memory. I don't think Dancer's the one that brought you back. I think Dancer just claimed that.

TALIESIN: I'm just going to put this to you. Think of this as an amazing opportunity to forge a friendship, to make a new friend.

SAM: I like new friends.

TALIESIN: You do, and this is someone you have stuff in common with.

ASHLEY: This is hard because it could apply to both. It really, I'm really, really--

TALIESIN: This is the one you haven't tried to kill yet.

ASHLEY: The Changebringer should--

SAM: Maybe I should ask one more time. (laughter)

LAURA: You know what? Maybe the Changebringer's trying to tell you either one could help you.

SAM: Yeah, yeah.

TALIESIN: I want it.

ASHLEY: Oh, well, well, yeah.

SAM: I mean. Maybe we should kill the gods.

MATT: You could cast it again. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Cast it again, what's it going to hurt?

LAURA: No, no, we just do it.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I guess--

SAM: (aggressively) Hey, is it Dancer? (laughter)

TRAVIS: Hold your coin out the window.

SAM: Can you just fucking tell me is it Dancer? Forget about D, just is it Dancer? Yes or no?

MARISHA: You cast it again?

SAM: Yeah, cast it again.

TRAVIS: The third one.

SAM: I've used five high-level slots. (laughter)

TALIESIN: This is so-- (laughter)

TALIESIN: I hope we get into a fight later.

SAM: Ask again later.

TRAVIS: I don't appreciate your tone.

MATT: "The road you seek will guide you to the one--" (laughter)

MATT: "-- whose name begins with a D." (laughter) (clapping)

MATT: It's a cumulative 25% each time you cast past the first in one day, that you just get a random reading. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yep.

LAURA: We go to D.

SAM: We go to D.

TALIESIN: Yeah, kid. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Boy, you fought that hard. (laughter)

ASHLEY: What are you feeling?

SAM: I'm just, I'm shutting down.

MARISHA: Oh no!

SAM: I'm in my sleep cycle. Somebody carry me, you guys choose.

ASHLEY: No, wake up, wake up.

LAURA: It's up to you, FCG.

ASHLEY: Why don't you flip a coin? Why don't you flip the Changebringer coins? One side is Devexian--

SAM: I lost my coin.

ASHLEY: One side is Dancer.

TALIESIN: One side is come with us, one side isn't.

SAM: You guys seem to want to go to D and I love you guys, so let's go there.

TALIESIN: I love that.

SAM: Plus, we know where that is. The other one was like some--

LAURA: That's true.

SAM: Delta Sig basement.

TRAVIS: Yep.

LIAM: Do we? D was on the beach.

SAM: You know, The Beach.

LIAM: That beach goes for hundreds of miles.

MARISHA: Aw jeez.

TRAVIS: That's already a closer location than "interior."

SAM: So wait, if we bamf to a beach--

TALIESIN: Well.

SAM: And we're like, "D!"

TALIESIN: I got a thought.

SAM: And he's not there, what do we do?

LAURA: Well, if we're close enough, then I would be able to at least try Sending on him.

TALIESIN: I'll also say, can you see images in people's minds? Is it just read or can you see things?

LAURA: It depends on how we do it. Starting out, it's just thoughts, but if I dive deeper, it's images.

TALIESIN: So there's a picture of exactly where they are--

TRAVIS: Just to be fair--

TALIESIN: -- sitting in there.

TRAVIS: We could also rest for the night because we've been doing all this crazy shit.

LIAM: Yeah.

TRAVIS: We could try it again in the morning when Dancer is moving and when D is also further along their journey.

MARISHA: Right, you're right.

MATT: You do have that possibility as well.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Or we could just go straight to the Shattered Teeth.

LIAM: Tempest, I've seen this group do amazing things.

TRAVIS: We're really good.

MATT: "Hey, I'm not judging. I've walked around with a bunch of slap dicks for a big part of my early life."

TRAVIS: Who are you calling slap dick?

TALIESIN: Not you. (laughter)

MATT: "I'll tell you a story about a goldfish one day."

LAURA: (laughs)

MARISHA: Really? (laughter)

TRAVIS: Naughtier than I thought--

TALIESIN: Everything eventually becomes funny.

MARISHA: We got to. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Some things transcend time.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Should we rest?

TALIESIN: I'm fine either way.

LAURA: I mean, we only woke up, like--

SAM: Two hours ago.

LAURA: -- three hours ago, but--

TRAVIS: Oh shit, okay.

TALIESIN: I'm still of the idea that maybe we can hone in on where that is or at least get close.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "Well, here, you've spent the night in what I assume to be a very harsh environment. I'm sure the people of the city want to show you some gratitude and if you need to stock up on anything or finish any business you have within the city, please feel free to do so."

SAM: Great.

TALIESIN: I'm down for that.

MATT: "I think I'm going to take a little nap soon."

LAURA: Sure.

MATT: "I'm still kind of getting my bearings after this."

LAURA: Another option, just putting it out there--

LIAM: Nope, let's keep talking about it.

LAURA: No, this is just a fast little solve. If you Scry again tomorrow and you get a visual of where they are, you can attune to this staff. You take this staff and you can teleport us straight to that spot, you've already seen it.

SAM: Oh.

LAURA: You probably have a better chance than describing it to me. You can just use this.

SAM: That's really great. That's really smart.

TALIESIN: That's nuts. Well, shit.

SAM: That's really smart. I could do that right now, though.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: That's brilliant. That's brilliant.

LAURA: Well, no because I used it today, it has to--

SAM: Okay, great.

LAURA: -- recharge tomorrow.

SAM: Let's take a nap. We'll spend the rest of the day stocking up on supplies?

TALIESIN: Buy some stuff, party a little.

TRAVIS: That's huge.

MATT: You have an outfit to pick up.

MARISHA: That's brilliant!

TALIESIN: Oh, I'm doing that.

SAM: That's really good. That's really smart. That's really smart.

TALIESIN: I'm down.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: We should let, yeah.

TRAVIS: Then you navigate back. Change the world.

TALIESIN: Let's all just get--

MATT: She adjusts her crown and-- "Bells Hells--" (laughter)

SAM: What an afternoon.

MARISHA: Wow.

MATT: We had fun. (laughter)

SAM: We teleported an alien to your room.

LIAM: Look at us. Look at us.

MATT: "In the same hour that you've returned, you've saved my life."

LAURA: Freshened up your hair, you have a beautiful--

MATT: "Thank you, kindly."

LAURA: You're welcome.

MATT: "It's part of the enchantment. You've helped maintain the cheer of the people of Zephrah and the Air Ashari. You've worked with me to figure out a path forward. Let me know of some hard but necessary truths. Summoned some weird creature into my chamber and then sent it away rapidly. I'm going to be wrestling with that for a little bit."

TALIESIN: You're welcome.

MATT: "I know there's animals on the moon. That's also something I'm probably not going to share with anyone for a while. But all that said, thank you. For what it means to those I don't know as well, I'm proud of you, and to those that I've known for longer, I'm extremely proud of you." She steps up to you, kneels down to your eyeline. "Orym. I was once like you. Young yet burdened with so much knowledge about the world and how unjust it can be. I can see in your eyes a rage conflicted with fear. A need to fix this broken world and fear of not being enough. I know that feeling well. I've worn those insecurities my whole life. All of this may seem bigger than you. And it is. It's bigger than all of us individually. But we are whole as a people. We, Ashari. We, Exandrians. We, who want to shepherd a brighter future for the generations to come. Most fear taking those first difficult steps, thankless steps. However, all it takes to rally the incredible strength of a people is one brave soul to take that step forward and do what it takes to fight for it. Then, their strength is yours. And your strength is theirs. I see a bravery in you that matches the immensity of your heart. You carry much weight. I recognize it because I carry my own. Some days, it may not seem fair. It isn't. But find the strength to lift yourself up, heavy as it all may be and still take that step. When the others rally--" She gestures out beyond the window to the still sounds of celebration in the square. "-- they will help you carry it. Orym of the Air Ashari, you are a paragon in the memory of dear Derrig, and his son, your partner, Will. You are a heart buffeted by the winds of change and the cold of reality, yet you continue to move forward. You are hope. You are Orym, my friend. You are Orym, Savior Blade of the Tempest. And you are never alone."

LIAM: It all feels real heavy because I'm real small. But like vines, we grow together. I'll try to do you and Derrig proud.

MATT: "I know you will. And if it helps, I watched someone even smaller than you speak a few words and send a newly born god to a realm where they'll never return. So I think you're much bigger on the inside than you give yourself credit for."

LIAM: Some days I believe that.

MATT: "In the days that you don't, it's up to you to let him know."

LAURA: We will.

MATT: "Thank you."

LIAM: It's the honor of my life. Thank you.

MATT: "I am going to go lay down."

SAM: Sure.

TALIESIN: That took a while.

LAURA: Yeah. Rest well. We will exit.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LAURA: Stage right.

MATT: She goes and waits for you all to begin to filter out of the room before she covertly takes her crown off and the door (whooshing) blows closed. (door closing)

LAURA: Savior Blade!

TRAVIS: Ho!

TALIESIN: (whistles)

LAURA: Hello!

TRAVIS: Hachi machi!

MARISHA: You have a title!

LIAM: I have a title. I have a title.

MARISHA: That's kind of like a promotion.

ASHLEY: Savior Blade of the Tempest.

LAURA: Wow.

TRAVIS: Probably add like a little tattoo.

SAM: Oh yeah.

MARISHA: Should we all go get tattoos?

LAURA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Sure.

LIAM: We have great artists here.

LAURA: Oh, we should get tattoos while we're here. Before we leave tomorrow.

TALIESIN: I'm down, except it would be complicated. I'm not saying no, though. (laughter)

LIAM: Well, you got an order to pick up, so do I--

TALIESIN: Yes, I do. Yeah.

LAURA: Oh, right. Yeah.

LIAM: Tomorrow, we're heading out?

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: We're going to try.

SAM: Yeah. Today we shop?

LAURA: Hand the staff over to you.

SAM: Oh yeah.

TALIESIN: Shop.

SAM: I'll start attuning.

TALIESIN: Shop. And then tomorrow, we just do something fantastically stupid in the hopes of maybe averting some terrible thing that is way bigger than any of us even combined and is ridiculous that we're even trying to deal with.

TRAVIS: Going to take a little journey back through history.

MARISHA: I'm excited. I feel like that was some much needed direction.

ASHLEY: We've got a titan over here.

LAURA: Yeah! Blood of the titan.

TALIESIN: Blood of the titan.

TRAVIS: Titan of blood.

LAURA: Well--

TALIESIN: Titany blood. Blood. I don't know. I was trying to do a thing. It kind of fell apart. It's a lot to take in.

LIAM: Workshop it.

MARISHA: Cleric of a Prime Deity and a--

ASHLEY: Whatever this is.

MARISHA: Whatever that is.

SAM: Wife of a demon?

MARISHA: Wife of a Betrayer.

TRAVIS: Hold on.

ASHLEY: When did we jump to wife?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

SAM: All right. Fuck buddy of a demon.

TRAVIS: Okay, that didn't happen either.

LAURA: Demon consort. Devil consort.

ASHLEY: Demon daddy.

SAM: Demon zaddy.

MARISHA: Demon zaddy.

TALIESIN: Demon zaddy.

MARISHA: Devil zaddy.

LAURA and LIAM: (laugh)

MARISHA: Demon devil.

LAURA: All right.

MATT: As you all take a deep breath, contemplating this new, various possible directions to take and step out into the warm midday air and sunlight in the center of the town of Zephrah, greeting the energy of the cheering crowd and people that immediately begin to swarm you with accolades and questions and greetings and welcomes. We'll go ahead and finish the episode there and we'll pick it up next time.

TRAVIS: Savior Blade!

SAM: So much happened. So much happened.

TRAVIS: Shattered Teeth!

MARISHA and TRAVIS: Shattered Teeth!

ASHLEY: Shattered Teeth!

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: We got to go to the Ashari for their map making. I mean, come on!

LAURA: The staff of--

TRAVIS: Oh, I want that map. I want that map!

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: I want that map!

ASHLEY: (laughs)

TRAVIS: For my collection.

MARISHA and TRAVIS: ♪ ("Entry of the Gladiators") ♪

TALIESIN: One more-- We get to start the episode with some costume descriptions. That'll be fun.

LAURA: -- to regain its charges.

TRAVIS: (claps) Oh shit!

MATT: Hell yeah. Well, friends, let's get ourselves out of here for the night. Thank you all so much for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet?

TRAVIS: Ow!

MATT: Good night.