WEBVTT

00:00:05.260 --> 00:00:07.339
Episode 52 David here, and I have come from the

00:00:07.339 --> 00:00:09.380
future to warn you that you are about to start

00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:13.519
your new favorite TTRBG podcast. Oh, yeah, that's

00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:15.609
right. First, though. You're going to meet a

00:00:15.609 --> 00:00:17.390
naive young fella that I like to call Episode

00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:20.289
1 David. And I am begging, begging that you give

00:00:20.289 --> 00:00:22.210
the poor little guy a chance to grow on you.

00:00:22.350 --> 00:00:24.129
He's going to be nervous for a bit. He's going

00:00:24.129 --> 00:00:25.750
to butcher some rules and terms in these first

00:00:25.750 --> 00:00:28.789
few combats and episodes. But believe me, this

00:00:28.789 --> 00:00:31.530
guy will get better fast. And maybe even be worthy

00:00:31.530 --> 00:00:33.710
of the amazing players that he gets to torture

00:00:33.710 --> 00:00:37.250
every episode. You'll also notice a vast difference

00:00:37.250 --> 00:00:39.570
in our audio quality very, very quickly as we

00:00:39.570 --> 00:00:41.590
upgrade our equipment, our studio, our techniques,

00:00:41.789 --> 00:00:44.460
all that good stuff. Now, now, I've also come

00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:46.439
to tell you that we at Fantasy Events are not

00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:48.820
affiliated with listeners of the coast. I don't

00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:50.399
know if all that legally needs saying, but I'm

00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.979
deathly afraid of lawyers, so here we are. We

00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:54.479
are, however, using their Journeys Through the

00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:57.079
Radiant Citadel adventure module as a base for

00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:58.859
this story. We're keeping a lot, we're changing

00:00:58.859 --> 00:01:01.280
a lot, we're having fun. And if you want to experience

00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:03.560
a world -spanning adventure in a variety of unique

00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:05.980
and tragically underutilized mythological settings,

00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:09.200
check that shit out right now. Also, if you like

00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:10.579
the background music we used in this campaign,

00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:13.200
then check out Sirenscape. Most tracks you hear

00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.859
will be theirs apart from our own original music

00:01:15.859 --> 00:01:17.980
written and recorded by our own editing legend,

00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:21.099
Mr. Jeremy Wolf. If you're new to this community,

00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:23.420
I just want to say welcome aboard. We're always

00:01:23.420 --> 00:01:25.299
happy to meet new friends and make new connections.

00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:27.560
We've got a Discord, Instagram, Facebook, all

00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.879
that crazy stuff, and all headed up by the world's

00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:34.579
most likable man, Mr. Steven Rodriguez. Oh no,

00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:39.719
the time rift is closing. I gotta go. I'll see

00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:41.579
you again down the road. For now, get ready to

00:01:41.579 --> 00:01:44.379
laugh, cry, and fall in love when you slide into

00:01:44.379 --> 00:01:47.280
these fancy pants. That sounds really weird.

00:02:26.860 --> 00:02:29.000
I did not hear you come in. Where'd you come

00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.639
from, you rapscallion, you? Come on over. Come

00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:33.240
on over. We're sitting at a table right now here.

00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:35.159
And don't worry about the smell. That's just

00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:39.879
Steven. Come on. Take a seat right here next

00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:41.759
to me. Can I get you a drink? Something to eat?

00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:44.360
I can't because I'm not physically there, but

00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:48.879
I wish I could. Hey, let me thank you so much

00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.659
for coming by and giving us a visit. Sitting

00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:54.960
down with us for this story, for this first session

00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.199
of Fantasy Pants. Isn't this something, huh?

00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:01.039
I will be your DM for this adventure, David Monroe.

00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:03.719
And don't worry about these two goofballs here.

00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:05.500
You'll get to know them in a minute. But I'm

00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:08.639
going to wait for that because, well, because

00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:10.599
I want to get right into this story. I want you

00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:13.199
to know what you're here for. See if you like

00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:15.539
it. Let you not just dip your toes in, but dip

00:03:15.539 --> 00:03:17.319
your whole body in right now, right from the

00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.340
get -go. What do you say? Alright, great. I'm

00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:21.960
going to take that as a yes because I cannot

00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:26.759
fucking hear you. Okay, with that, I think it's

00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:30.639
time to start the first episode of Fantasy Pants.

00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:35.939
So we're going to open on a screen of white light.

00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.500
A projected image against a smooth canvas backdrop.

00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:45.009
We're going to see flickers of static. on this

00:03:45.009 --> 00:03:47.009
screen, though it appears in flecks and waves

00:03:47.009 --> 00:03:50.569
of every color under the sun. It's a bit of white

00:03:50.569 --> 00:03:53.789
noise accompanying it, but it's musical. There's

00:03:53.789 --> 00:04:03.569
a melody to it. It's strange. An image resolves

00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:07.650
itself on our screen. A simple image of a gaunt,

00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:11.379
dark -skinned man donning a straw hat. in the

00:04:11.379 --> 00:04:15.379
simple, rustic farming clothes of the world of

00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:19.839
God's breath. Why, hello there, and welcome to

00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:22.839
another exciting episode of Journeys Through

00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:26.339
the Radiant Citadel. We have a very special episode

00:04:26.339 --> 00:04:29.240
today for you folks, to celebrate our Concord

00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:32.980
Day, of course. As always, I am your humble host,

00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:36.579
Storyteller Ornan. Y 'all know just how deeply

00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:39.699
I treasure the many stories that weave together.

00:04:40.389 --> 00:04:42.970
to form the rich tapestry of our collective past.

00:04:43.769 --> 00:04:46.670
And while the story of our 25 worlds is no true

00:04:46.670 --> 00:04:49.610
beginning, I would like to refresh you all in

00:04:49.610 --> 00:04:54.709
one of many beginnings. To kick things off today,

00:04:54.970 --> 00:04:57.050
we here at the Crystal Network would like to

00:04:57.050 --> 00:04:59.089
take a moment, and in just a moment, because

00:04:59.089 --> 00:05:01.269
I know most of y 'all have heard this tale about

00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:04.029
a hundred times now, to give a brief history

00:05:04.029 --> 00:05:07.670
of the founding of our gemstone concord. And

00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:10.329
what... wonders it has led to in our modern times.

00:05:11.610 --> 00:05:18.389
So let's begin, eh? 257 years ago, in the world

00:05:18.389 --> 00:05:21.589
of Anchor and Syngar, Sholay, the Brass Dragon,

00:05:21.850 --> 00:05:26.170
made a singular discovery in her treasury. A

00:05:26.170 --> 00:05:30.149
strange glow emanating from a finely cut turquoise

00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:33.910
gem in her collection. And as she stared into

00:05:33.910 --> 00:05:37.399
the light of this gem, A voice called out to

00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:42.279
her very soul. A message in Draconic that begged

00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.279
her to seek out the structure known as the Aurora

00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:48.120
Diamond, hidden in the deep ethereal between

00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:53.120
worlds, and restore it to glory. For ten years,

00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.920
Shorley sought this marvel. She traveled tirelessly

00:05:56.920 --> 00:06:00.079
between our worlds and gathered some of our history's

00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:03.720
greatest heroes to join her in her quest. The

00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:06.889
dangers were plentiful, mind. In the end, many

00:06:06.889 --> 00:06:09.949
were sacrificed in pursuit of the auroral diamond

00:06:09.949 --> 00:06:14.069
of lore. But Sholei and her forces persevered

00:06:14.069 --> 00:06:17.870
through it all. In the end, well, they found

00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:22.230
what they sought, didn't they? Deep in the haunted

00:06:22.230 --> 00:06:24.769
midst of the ethereal plane floated the auroral

00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:29.389
diamond. It was, at first, a sight of some alarm

00:06:29.389 --> 00:06:33.220
to brave Sholei. A massive fossil wrapped around

00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:36.939
the structure, which emanated with only the faintest

00:06:36.939 --> 00:06:41.600
light. And beneath it, a massive cyclone stirred.

00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:45.740
A great storm soon threatening to consume the

00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:49.740
diamond. And with it, the hopes and dreams of

00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:54.079
the many who had died in Sholay's quest. But

00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:58.120
Sholay was not put off by this. Oh no, no. She

00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:01.279
flew right into the structure. and discovered

00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:04.779
the lingering wills that yet maintained it. The

00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:08.319
ancient gemstone caretakers known as the Incarnates.

00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:11.839
And with the Incarnates' assistance, Sholay and

00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.480
her allies brought life back to the diamond.

00:07:14.899 --> 00:07:17.500
And the resulting light that burst forth on the

00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:20.680
structure was said to push away the phantom winds

00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:24.980
of the cyclone, now known as the Canaan Gloom.

00:07:26.540 --> 00:07:28.800
To each of our worlds, the effects of the Aurora

00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:32.319
Diamond's awakening was immediately seen. The

00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:35.240
Concord gems that lay dormant in our land suddenly

00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:38.939
sprang to light and life and shifted to the deep

00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:43.319
ethereal. There they took to their constant orbit

00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:46.519
of the Aurora Diamond and reached their true

00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:49.720
potential as gateways between our many worlds.

00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:53.879
The following formation of the Gemstone Concord,

00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:56.720
binding all worlds together in agreements of

00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.699
trade and assistance, is what we celebrate today,

00:08:00.019 --> 00:08:05.959
exactly 246 years after its signing. Cholet,

00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:09.160
of course, spearheaded this effort as well, and

00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:11.480
still to this day works tirelessly to maintain

00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:14.959
it as anchoring Sengar's speaker for the ancestors.

00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:19.399
But there were still many mysteries yet surrounding

00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:22.480
the auroral diamond. Among them, the origins

00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.379
of the message sent to Xole through the form

00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:29.300
of a turquoise gem. Now, the incarnates were

00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:32.879
bound by ancient oath to speak not of this matter,

00:08:33.059 --> 00:08:36.279
and so it seemed the truth would be lost to the

00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:41.639
darkness of time. That is, until 56 years ago,

00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:45.940
when Senza's own prized magical architect, Kejau

00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:50.049
Kamal, made a most incredible discovery. that

00:08:50.049 --> 00:08:52.970
beyond the ability to act as a trading port between

00:08:52.970 --> 00:08:56.549
worlds, the Royal Diamond also carries the properties

00:08:56.549 --> 00:09:00.629
of a magical transmitter and can send sounds

00:09:00.629 --> 00:09:04.389
and images through the Concord Gems into their

00:09:04.389 --> 00:09:08.470
associated worlds. It is, of course, this very

00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:10.850
feature that allows me to speak to you all now,

00:09:11.230 --> 00:09:14.889
resulting in the creation of the Crystal Network.

00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:19.320
And this network has sparked an age of cultural

00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:22.519
exchange that has surpassed the expectations

00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:25.759
of our prior scholars and seers from every world.

00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:31.179
And there is no better evidence of the prominence

00:09:31.179 --> 00:09:34.779
of this age and the rise of the luminary adventurer.

00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:38.039
And what better way is there to celebrate the

00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:40.659
lives of heroes lost, I say, in the founding

00:09:40.659 --> 00:09:43.379
of this Concord than to cherish those brave souls

00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:47.840
that stand to protect our worlds today. And so

00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:51.039
we here at the Radiant City wish our luminaries

00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:55.019
a wonderful Concord Day. Now y 'all keep an eye

00:09:55.019 --> 00:09:57.240
out on your festivities wherever y 'all may be.

00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:00.379
And if you see such a hero, be sure to wish them

00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:03.419
the same. Now we have some incredible stories

00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:07.600
coming up for you today, A rather heated confrontation

00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:11.179
between the mighty big man and a fire giant with

00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:14.120
some rather particular talents. Look forward

00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:17.399
to that a bit later. And maybe even a little

00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:21.700
message from Arthash himself. Before that, though,

00:10:21.740 --> 00:10:23.600
the speakers would like me to put a spotlight

00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:26.879
on San Satyan and the spreading illness known

00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:33.080
as Serino. We... And we pull away from this man

00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:37.350
on the screen. Pull away, revealing a large,

00:10:37.450 --> 00:10:40.789
squared sheet of canvas resting against the masonry

00:10:40.789 --> 00:10:45.750
of a tower wall. Our camera moves back further

00:10:45.750 --> 00:10:48.649
and further, and we come upon a scene of a very

00:10:48.649 --> 00:10:51.690
busy city square filled with the hustle and bustle

00:10:51.690 --> 00:10:57.210
of human traffic. We see massive towers all around

00:10:57.210 --> 00:11:00.730
us. This is central New York, but Fantasyland,

00:11:00.830 --> 00:11:02.320
you know what I'm saying? And we're going to

00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:04.740
move, I think, from this scene a little farther

00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:07.519
back. As we pull back farther into this square,

00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:12.720
we come to a base of a pillar, a pole, jutting

00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:16.679
up from the middle of the cobbles. Folk moving

00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:19.960
around here and there, just passing it, ignoring

00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:23.799
it. And we kind of zoom up this pole to where

00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:28.570
a football -sized conical crystal rests. We see

00:11:28.570 --> 00:11:32.129
this small, finely cut sapphire jewel slotted

00:11:32.129 --> 00:11:36.610
into an opening at the tip of this crystal. In

00:11:36.610 --> 00:11:39.350
this, we can see a vague image of our storyteller,

00:11:39.490 --> 00:11:44.690
the sheen of the blue gem. We can see this image

00:11:44.690 --> 00:11:47.570
and this light pulsating through the crystal.

00:11:48.129 --> 00:11:50.850
If you zoom around back, the same image being

00:11:50.850 --> 00:11:54.769
played on that screen against the wall of the

00:11:54.769 --> 00:11:59.539
tower. on the other side of our square. We're

00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:02.620
going to move up from there, move up past posters

00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:05.039
you see resting against walls, like, you know,

00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:10.179
fantasy billboards. Why not? You see Atash, this

00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:15.120
larger -than -life archangel being, pointing

00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:18.059
out down towards the lower street. Sign just

00:12:18.059 --> 00:12:23.860
says, I'm watching you. You see an orc barbarian.

00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:28.059
It's a well -muscled bottle, body sheening, sweat.

00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:31.860
He's drinking this mead, and under that it just

00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:36.120
says, Kegor always eats at Bolga's House of Mead,

00:12:36.139 --> 00:12:40.240
miles north of the gemstone landing on Mor. And

00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:43.059
there's a number of these strewn about the walls

00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:46.559
here in these many towers. You see a samurai

00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:54.070
in this red plate. wearing a tengu mask. Underneath

00:12:54.070 --> 00:12:57.769
it just says, The Crimson Wind. And in tiny letters,

00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:02.710
Visit Shogyaki's Noodles. And as we kind of move

00:13:02.710 --> 00:13:06.590
up and up and up past these towers, we pan out

00:13:06.590 --> 00:13:09.990
to the sky and look down upon this cityscape.

00:13:10.049 --> 00:13:14.169
We see this incredible display of architecture.

00:13:14.289 --> 00:13:19.169
We see towers so tall, it defies the laws of

00:13:19.169 --> 00:13:25.590
physics. In particular, five. Looking ridiculous,

00:13:25.750 --> 00:13:31.029
almost. These long pencils just standing up against

00:13:31.029 --> 00:13:33.669
the sky, almost threatening to vanish into the

00:13:33.669 --> 00:13:37.970
clouds themselves. One of them has this rainbow

00:13:37.970 --> 00:13:41.190
palette to it. As you can see, many gemstones

00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:44.389
inlaid in the masonry seeming to shine in the

00:13:44.389 --> 00:13:47.950
morning sun. And we see that this array of towers

00:13:47.950 --> 00:13:52.820
is surrounded. on three sides by this massive

00:13:52.820 --> 00:13:56.860
spreading slum. And on that fourth side, we can

00:13:56.860 --> 00:14:01.980
see this massive lake. See the water shining

00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:06.860
as the sun rises at its edge. And over all of

00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:09.960
this, a title card appears down at the bottom

00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:14.899
of the screen. It just says, Sarul, City of Towers.

00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:21.179
And then beneath that, Tythos. The sapphire world.

00:14:22.259 --> 00:14:24.159
Now we're going to pan back into the city, but

00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:26.879
not to where we just were. Not to the towers.

00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:30.120
No, no. We're going to move down to these three

00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.320
main roads that seem to jut out from the city.

00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:35.759
Through these slums area. And as we move down

00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:39.139
to street level, we can see that along these

00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:42.720
roads, it is pristine. The houses are small,

00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:45.240
sure, but they're well kept. The streets are

00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:50.259
clean. Mild -mannered and well -to -do. We're

00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:52.100
going to pan away from these main roads, past

00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:56.419
these first line of buildings. And here we see

00:14:56.419 --> 00:15:01.320
a place that tells a very different story. Houses

00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:05.419
with sagging roofs and boarded -up windows. We

00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:08.279
see tents filling a lot of these minor streets

00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:12.000
between these houses. And we see people moving

00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.759
about wearing glorified rags. People with...

00:15:16.110 --> 00:15:19.190
Dirty faces and missing limbs. A number of middle

00:15:19.190 --> 00:15:25.409
-aged men. Bent backs. Staring around. Tired.

00:15:25.990 --> 00:15:30.090
Haunted eyes. We push deeper into these slums.

00:15:31.429 --> 00:15:37.730
Past run -down taverns. Residences. We come upon

00:15:37.730 --> 00:15:41.149
a warehouse sitting on a street corner. We don't

00:15:41.149 --> 00:15:45.879
see anyone nearby. We pan in. to a slop between

00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:52.039
a boarded -up window and a dark room. The sounds

00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:54.120
of soft snoring and the only light filtering

00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:56.179
in from the same window we just came through.

00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:01.159
And here we see, on a couple of crates stacked

00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:04.820
up, just kind of lying under a rag, not in a

00:16:04.820 --> 00:16:08.220
comfortable position, mind, not at all, we see

00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:13.360
a rather peculiar man. And let's throw a zipper

00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:15.440
in here in post. Like a... You know, unzip the

00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:17.620
pants. Copy that. All right, unzip the pants.

00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:19.039
We're going to unzip the pants here in post.

00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:21.240
Unzip it. Because I want to take you away from

00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:23.120
this movie for just a moment. Because before

00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:26.159
we introduce this amazing character, it's time

00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:28.919
to meet the amazing guy playing him. Jeremy Wolf,

00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.879
how you doing? Hello, I'm fan -fucking -tastic.

00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:34.379
Oh, glad to hear it. Glad to be here with you

00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:36.559
all. Oh, yes, yes. Get these adventures going.

00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:39.440
This is my best friend next to me. Came in earlier.

00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:40.840
I don't know if you noticed him. He's sitting

00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:45.659
right here. No. Oh. He's here. Who dat? Trust

00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:48.179
me. He's here. Okay. All right. All right. All

00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:54.500
right. Roll with it. I got you, buddy. So. So.

00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:59.519
How's it feel? First episode, huh? Episode one.

00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:02.480
We're going to get into some crazy shit. I'm

00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:04.539
looking forward to it. It's going to be so much

00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:06.380
fun. It's going to be crazy. We're probably going

00:17:06.380 --> 00:17:08.099
to die multiple times and have like 10 different

00:17:08.099 --> 00:17:09.920
characters, but it's going to be fun nonetheless.

00:17:11.169 --> 00:17:14.809
I cannot, for the life of me, balance an encounter.

00:17:16.069 --> 00:17:19.549
So, yeah, prepare for deaths. Prepare to not

00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:21.849
fall in love with this coming character because

00:17:21.849 --> 00:17:23.970
you will lose him. Dear listener, you will lose

00:17:23.970 --> 00:17:27.609
him soon. He's not wrong. I'm not wrong. He's

00:17:27.609 --> 00:17:31.430
not wrong. I'm not wrong. But hey, let's get

00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:34.529
right to it, huh? Ready to unpause? Let's zip

00:17:34.529 --> 00:17:37.769
it back up. All right. We're back. Play is on.

00:17:38.269 --> 00:17:42.349
describe the man that we see sleeping on a bed.

00:17:42.450 --> 00:17:45.309
Well, on a crate. Kind of a bed. Half a bed.

00:17:45.450 --> 00:17:48.470
Shitty bed. What's he look like? All right, so

00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:52.890
you're looking at Jules LaRoche over here. He's

00:17:52.890 --> 00:17:59.549
just kind of haphazardly leaning up against a

00:17:59.549 --> 00:18:02.170
little wooden crate here, a little burlap sack

00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:04.769
that kind of works as a makeshift blanket for

00:18:04.769 --> 00:18:08.970
him. He's got a super disheveled, dark brown

00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:11.250
pompadour that's just kind of all over the place.

00:18:11.289 --> 00:18:16.230
It's a mess. A pompadour? Yes. And, I mean, he's

00:18:16.230 --> 00:18:18.089
just clearly a mess, either from shenanigans

00:18:18.089 --> 00:18:21.049
the night before or really, really good night's

00:18:21.049 --> 00:18:25.509
sleep, probably both. And, yeah, not much to

00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:27.849
him. Tall, kind of lanky, a little skinny, got

00:18:27.849 --> 00:18:30.349
really long legs, kind of just shooting out from

00:18:30.349 --> 00:18:32.549
under the burlap sack there. He can sleep anywhere.

00:18:34.380 --> 00:18:37.039
He gets tired, he's energetic, and he's just,

00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:43.460
he's out. That's it. That's awesome. Yeah, awesome.

00:18:43.539 --> 00:18:46.440
So here we are, we see Jules LaRoche sleeping

00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:48.640
in this dark and dusty room, and everything's

00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:52.240
very quiet. We're just focusing on the scene,

00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:56.380
hearing some soft snoring from Jules, and you

00:18:56.380 --> 00:18:58.180
start to hear some other noise in the background,

00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:02.519
almost like a little hum at first. Almost like

00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:04.000
the buzzing of insects. And it kind of picks

00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:10.180
up. And you hear its children laughing and talking

00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:13.180
amongst themselves very excitedly. And they get

00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:15.960
very close to where we are here in this building.

00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:18.240
And then you just kind of hear a small moment

00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:22.039
of silence. And then, boom! A door just bursts

00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:25.880
open on this warehouse. And seven young orphan

00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:33.029
rogues just go tumbling in. We see in the front,

00:19:33.069 --> 00:19:38.130
there's Chester. He is a 15 -year -old human

00:19:38.130 --> 00:19:42.569
boy. Got this big, oversized, brown, dirty jacket.

00:19:42.690 --> 00:19:45.569
He's freckled with red hair that is crazy and

00:19:45.569 --> 00:19:49.089
wild. Goes down covering his eyes. We have Jeans,

00:19:49.089 --> 00:19:53.069
13 -year -old human woman. Brown hair pulled

00:19:53.069 --> 00:19:55.029
up in a bun that's hidden under a bowler hat.

00:19:55.329 --> 00:19:59.430
Got these suspenders. Maybe they're Jeans. I

00:19:59.430 --> 00:20:03.829
don't know. Looking over here, we see behind

00:20:03.829 --> 00:20:06.730
them, there's this very tall and gangly half

00:20:06.730 --> 00:20:09.029
-elf with short black hair and buck teeth. This

00:20:09.029 --> 00:20:15.630
is Fibrosis. Do you know what's fibro? Who came

00:20:15.630 --> 00:20:19.529
up with that name? Yeah. To our friend here at

00:20:19.529 --> 00:20:21.490
the table, you all should have been there on

00:20:21.490 --> 00:20:24.849
our session zero when we all just kind of went

00:20:24.849 --> 00:20:28.779
around the table making up names. I am not to

00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:31.660
blame for this. Okay, I am to blame for fibrosis,

00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:34.779
but I'm not to blame for all of this. We have

00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:37.259
Mulligan's Folligan. I am to blame for Mulligan's

00:20:37.259 --> 00:20:41.599
Folligan, who is a dwarf, 12 years old, loves

00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:44.400
to eat more than anything. He's pot -bellied

00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:46.759
with copper skin and blonde hair. He's got the

00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:49.720
faint beginnings of a blonde dwarven beard, but

00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:54.000
not quite growing in yet. Peach fuzz. You also

00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:57.779
see a stalky half -orc, a 10 -year -old child.

00:20:58.140 --> 00:21:01.480
He's just got this real cold look in his eyes,

00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:05.980
real furrowed brow as he walks in, glances around

00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:08.119
the place, almost looking for danger in every

00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:12.440
dark corner. This is Miskin. We have behind him

00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:19.720
another human boy, 9 years old. Very, very solemn.

00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:24.779
sort of blank eyes, stare straight forward as

00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.920
he strolls in. And then behind him, oh, that's

00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:29.980
Paul, by the way. Hi there, Paul. And behind

00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:33.440
him, we have a very young, very tiny tiefling

00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:37.460
girl. She comes skipping in in rabbit pajamas,

00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:40.039
just super dirty and gross, have not been washed

00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:43.339
in at least two weeks. For some reason, is holding

00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:45.779
a broken bottle. I don't know, like branching

00:21:45.779 --> 00:21:47.359
like a weapon. She goes and stabs at the air

00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:50.930
a few times as if she was expecting. A ghost

00:21:50.930 --> 00:21:53.069
jump out from the shadows and attack her friends.

00:21:54.130 --> 00:21:56.730
Laughs excitedly. And this group all just kind

00:21:56.730 --> 00:22:02.369
of roll into here. And all turn towards Jules.

00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:06.069
But what's her name? Oh, and her name is Round

00:22:06.069 --> 00:22:10.910
Stuff. Hey! And I am not to blame for that. I'm

00:22:10.910 --> 00:22:12.650
not to blame for that. That one's me. That was

00:22:12.650 --> 00:22:15.650
him. I'll take responsibility for that one. Absolutely.

00:22:17.130 --> 00:22:21.220
Yes. So this, this, this, this. Jeremy, what

00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:24.720
is the name of Jules' group here again? We are

00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.980
called the Cherry Delights. Cherry Delights.

00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:32.480
The Cherry Delights come barreling into this

00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:38.140
building, kicking up dust everywhere. Coughing

00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:41.839
as they kind of work their way out of this cloud

00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:47.599
of dust towards the sleeping Jules. I think Jules,

00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:50.839
maybe he's really, really into his sleep. Very

00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:54.200
much so. They take a look at him, and Chester,

00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:58.299
the wild orange -haired lad, looks back at the

00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:01.059
other ones and grins this gap -toothed grin,

00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:05.400
pulls this stick out from his back where he has

00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.460
it tucked in his shirt, and just starts banging

00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:15.660
wildly on the crate. Hey, Jules! What time is

00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:19.470
it? It's late, Jules. What are you doing? It's

00:23:19.470 --> 00:23:22.569
gotta be only like 1 .30. Man, where you been?

00:23:22.670 --> 00:23:24.950
We haven't seen you since you were at Vickens

00:23:24.950 --> 00:23:28.829
last night. What? You came somewhere out of Vickens

00:23:28.829 --> 00:23:31.150
Pub and we haven't seen you. Where you been?

00:23:31.390 --> 00:23:34.269
What the hell happened last night? You tell me.

00:23:34.769 --> 00:23:37.150
I don't know. We've been looking all over for

00:23:37.150 --> 00:23:39.230
you. Do I look like I know what the hell happened

00:23:39.230 --> 00:23:40.609
last night? You don't look like you know what

00:23:40.609 --> 00:23:43.990
happened last week. Am I right? I don't. I don't.

00:23:43.990 --> 00:23:49.700
You know this. Enlighten me. I don't know what

00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:52.640
happened to you, but after you left, you know,

00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:57.440
the high city folk came in. Oh, shit. Yeah. Your

00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:01.619
family's men tore old Vickens' place down. What?

00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:03.900
Bottle after bottle thrown out. Yeah, he was

00:24:03.900 --> 00:24:06.500
in some trouble. They heard you was there. Now,

00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:08.640
that's not fair. That ain't fair at all. That

00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:10.460
is not fair. So what are we going to do about

00:24:10.460 --> 00:24:11.839
it? They're getting too close. They're getting

00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:14.339
too close. They're getting too close. We got

00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:16.559
to fight the man, Jules. We got to fight the

00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:17.680
man. What are we going to fight the man, Jules?

00:24:18.839 --> 00:24:22.619
What's the plan today? You see Jean's young woman

00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:24.799
steps forward and just kind of rolls her eyes

00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:27.640
like, well, we've already gotten a little bit

00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:30.700
done today. Oh, yeah? What's that? Well, we had

00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:34.240
a couple of censor folk. You know, the ones that

00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:37.799
are working on the cobblestone, the new cobblestone

00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:40.579
roads in Sound Square and all around it? Yeah.

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.259
Well, they got that fancy guy. What's his name?

00:24:44.380 --> 00:24:48.660
Come on, something or other. He's around. They're

00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:51.480
folk. They're loaded. And they're out of town.

00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:54.279
They got some money, so I figured we could pick

00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:57.000
some pockets and maybe give our friend a little

00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:00.740
helping hand. Always with the good ideas. This

00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:02.880
is why I leave a lot of business and stuff to

00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:07.039
you. Hey, that ain't fair, Jules. It was my idea.

00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:10.990
Hey, hey, hey. We all got our rolls. We all got

00:25:10.990 --> 00:25:14.009
our strengths. You hear Mulligan say, the dwarf,

00:25:14.170 --> 00:25:17.569
I could really go for some rolls right now. Some

00:25:17.569 --> 00:25:20.009
sweet bread. I got some rolls in the back for

00:25:20.009 --> 00:25:22.569
you if you want. In this warehouse? I thought

00:25:22.569 --> 00:25:26.190
I saw something back there. Are they moldy? There's

00:25:26.190 --> 00:25:28.549
no way. There's no way, Jules, that this place

00:25:28.549 --> 00:25:31.450
is going to maintain the proper time temperature

00:25:31.450 --> 00:25:34.750
control to have rolls that are worthy of eating.

00:25:34.829 --> 00:25:37.269
You understand this, right? It's basic science.

00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:40.289
Alright, we'll get some rolls along the way.

00:25:40.349 --> 00:25:42.910
Let's just, let's get a move on here. You see,

00:25:42.950 --> 00:25:45.509
like, the door kind of, like, closes, and then

00:25:45.509 --> 00:25:47.130
the half -orc's kind of, like, leading up against

00:25:47.130 --> 00:25:51.789
it, like, Alright. We gotta keep our eyes open.

00:25:51.869 --> 00:25:59.930
He's ten. He's a middle -aged ten. He's two little

00:25:59.930 --> 00:26:02.210
beater sticks, like, Gotta keep our eyes open.

00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:05.250
Jules, you should be in the shadows. They almost

00:26:05.250 --> 00:26:06.930
got you last night. If you hadn't stumbled out

00:26:06.930 --> 00:26:12.349
lucky. We'd all be in the tank. In the tank,

00:26:12.529 --> 00:26:16.569
Jules. Jules will always get away. I'm sneaky

00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:19.109
like a snake. Roundstuff, just kind of the cheap

00:26:19.109 --> 00:26:20.569
one, just kind of laughs. It's just like doing

00:26:20.569 --> 00:26:25.730
hissings. That's... He's like a snake. See, she's

00:26:25.730 --> 00:26:29.710
got the idea. So, yeah, Chester kind of looks

00:26:29.710 --> 00:26:32.269
at you again, just like, all right, so where

00:26:32.269 --> 00:26:34.049
are we going? We can't just hang around in this

00:26:34.049 --> 00:26:36.390
warehouse all day, Jules. Mulligan's got to eat.

00:26:36.730 --> 00:26:38.190
And we all know there ain't rolls back there

00:26:38.190 --> 00:26:40.849
worth eating. All right, let's go get some grub.

00:26:41.230 --> 00:26:43.890
Then we'll get down to business. Hell yeah. Fight

00:26:43.890 --> 00:26:46.250
the man. Fight the man, but not before food.

00:26:46.450 --> 00:26:48.069
Not before food, yeah. Not before food. Yeah,

00:26:48.069 --> 00:26:49.450
breakfast is the most important meal of the day,

00:26:49.450 --> 00:26:53.190
eh? Fuck yeah. That's right. You remember that.

00:26:53.250 --> 00:26:56.490
He points around and stuff. Oh, okay, okay. All

00:26:56.490 --> 00:27:00.809
right, gang, let's go. All right. You all kind

00:27:00.809 --> 00:27:03.670
of turn and start moving out the door onto the

00:27:03.670 --> 00:27:09.539
streets. The city slums. You all step out. I

00:27:09.539 --> 00:27:11.579
think they hear the door close behind you. You

00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:13.740
see the half -orc, Miskin, looks around again,

00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:15.400
one way, then the other down the street. He's

00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:21.119
like, no one followed us. We're good. It's a

00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:24.880
badass. You guys move on. I'll loop around the

00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:28.940
alleys. Make sure we're really alone. All right,

00:27:28.940 --> 00:27:31.460
Miskin, you got this. Yeah. He just like disappears

00:27:31.460 --> 00:27:34.299
around the corner. Hey, wait, should we really

00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:37.440
split? Oh, he'll catch you. No, we're good. We're

00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:40.660
good. We're just casual. We're just chilling,

00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:42.480
just blending in, you know, going to get some

00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:44.759
food. Yeah, yeah. I mean, they did their damage.

00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:46.059
I think they're probably going back to their

00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:48.839
high towers now, eh? They can't stand to be in

00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:51.759
our low seat too long, them high folk. High guards,

00:27:51.900 --> 00:27:54.000
even. No, but my parents are going to hear about

00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:57.759
this. Oh, they'll hear about it, all right. Hey,

00:27:57.779 --> 00:27:59.740
Jules, let's make them hear about something else.

00:28:00.059 --> 00:28:02.559
I'm listening. I think it's a big day, huh? Here,

00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:04.279
let's talk. I got a little bit of a plan to tell

00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:07.119
you. And he starts moving down the street. You're

00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:09.359
kind of following with him. Oh, yeah. Your whole

00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:13.200
group just gathered around you laughing and chatting.

00:28:13.380 --> 00:28:18.460
They're on little conversations. And you kind

00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:21.779
of stop because you realize one of yours isn't

00:28:21.779 --> 00:28:25.519
moving. And you turn around and see that Paul,

00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:29.880
the young human boy, is kind of standing right

00:28:29.880 --> 00:28:32.970
outside the door. And you see he's staring into

00:28:32.970 --> 00:28:36.930
the sky and he raises a single finger with his

00:28:36.930 --> 00:28:40.150
vacant expression and points up and just says,

00:28:40.269 --> 00:28:46.150
Storm. I'm going to kind of slowly look up to

00:28:46.150 --> 00:28:49.549
where he's pointing. You look up and all of the

00:28:49.549 --> 00:28:53.230
eyes of these children follow your gaze. All

00:28:53.230 --> 00:28:56.789
of you stare up. And you can see that the blue

00:28:56.789 --> 00:29:00.480
sky above you. It's very swiftly becoming overcome

00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:06.640
with clouds, dark black clouds, like black tendrils

00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:13.000
of smoke, swirling in, moving together in like

00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:19.339
a spiral form. And very, very swiftly, everyone

00:29:19.339 --> 00:29:21.599
around you in the street stops and stares as

00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:26.279
the sky is blotted out. That doesn't look good.

00:29:26.539 --> 00:29:31.000
We pan up. Towards this dark cyclone in the sky.

00:29:31.640 --> 00:29:38.599
We pan up. As the winds begin to howl. Guys,

00:29:38.599 --> 00:29:42.920
I think our plans today might be changing. And

00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:47.799
we cut from that to a very similar image. A very

00:29:47.799 --> 00:29:53.440
similar cyclone. But this one is absolutely massive.

00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:58.640
We're panning out from the dark. An empty maw

00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:03.380
of this roaring, roaring storm. See flashes of

00:30:03.380 --> 00:30:09.900
lightning here and there. Randomly bursting against

00:30:09.900 --> 00:30:16.019
the wind walls. And we pan out from that to see

00:30:16.019 --> 00:30:18.680
that we are now in a very different world. Very

00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:21.880
different plane. I'd like to welcome you all

00:30:21.880 --> 00:30:26.740
to the deep ethereal. The world between worlds.

00:30:27.470 --> 00:30:32.710
A world of fog, this rolling miasma of nothingness

00:30:32.710 --> 00:30:36.410
that connects all planes together. And in this

00:30:36.410 --> 00:30:41.069
nothingness, we see, hovering above this storm,

00:30:41.250 --> 00:30:44.990
this cyclone, just above the Maw, this brilliantly

00:30:44.990 --> 00:30:52.490
shining, colossal diamond. We can see that there

00:30:52.490 --> 00:30:55.480
is... A whole city built upon this diamond, resting

00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:59.079
on the backs of this stony fossil that snakes

00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:03.940
around it, this massive serpent. We can see lush

00:31:03.940 --> 00:31:07.279
vegetation covering bits and parts. We can see

00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:10.299
these giant buildings jutting out. This is not

00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:15.500
nearly the size and scale of Cerule, where we

00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:18.420
just were, but it's still very impressive, especially

00:31:18.420 --> 00:31:22.279
for existing in a place that should be uninhabitable.

00:31:22.730 --> 00:31:26.170
And as we sort of zoom into this, we see that

00:31:26.170 --> 00:31:29.650
the diamond's color shifts. Before it was just

00:31:29.650 --> 00:31:31.849
this brilliant white light, and suddenly it starts

00:31:31.849 --> 00:31:35.670
to go to this deeper crimson, almost pulsating.

00:31:36.269 --> 00:31:42.890
And we can hear this small squeal, like... Some

00:31:42.890 --> 00:31:46.490
sirens coming from various smaller diamonds jutting

00:31:46.490 --> 00:31:50.769
out of posts all up. the spiral city streets

00:31:50.769 --> 00:31:56.549
of the Radiant Citadel. And as we kind of pan

00:31:56.549 --> 00:31:58.609
down towards this fossil, towards this city,

00:31:58.690 --> 00:32:03.349
we move up, up to the head of the snake, if you

00:32:03.349 --> 00:32:06.730
will, where we see that the very tip of this

00:32:06.730 --> 00:32:11.309
city ends with sort of a half -moon shape in

00:32:11.309 --> 00:32:13.730
the, or a crescent moon shape, I should say,

00:32:13.829 --> 00:32:19.430
in the stonework. And in this... In the crescent

00:32:19.430 --> 00:32:21.410
sort of opening of the stone, we can see it just

00:32:21.410 --> 00:32:25.230
barely perfectly fits this gigantic sapphire

00:32:25.230 --> 00:32:28.730
that seems to have come to dock against the edge

00:32:28.730 --> 00:32:31.029
of the fossil. And this thing is, I mean, I said

00:32:31.029 --> 00:32:35.390
it is building size. It could hold hundreds,

00:32:35.450 --> 00:32:38.609
maybe even thousands of people inside. It is

00:32:38.609 --> 00:32:41.650
hollowed out. You can see figures, dark shapes,

00:32:41.730 --> 00:32:44.569
dashing in and out of this large opening in the

00:32:44.569 --> 00:32:48.819
gemstone. We're going to sort of move down towards

00:32:48.819 --> 00:32:53.319
this, towards the blinking lights. We see like

00:32:53.319 --> 00:32:56.339
a number of figures running back and forth in

00:32:56.339 --> 00:33:02.180
this brass armor, all uniform. We are looking

00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:07.210
down upon the shield bearers. A policing and

00:33:07.210 --> 00:33:10.750
search and rescue force that exists on the Citadel,

00:33:10.849 --> 00:33:13.650
that serves the higher powers of the Citadel,

00:33:13.789 --> 00:33:18.710
the speakers for the ancestors. And we see shield

00:33:18.710 --> 00:33:21.450
bearers running this way and that. It is chaos

00:33:21.450 --> 00:33:25.849
here. A number of civilians are just moving in

00:33:25.849 --> 00:33:28.769
to sort of watch as some shield bearers are kind

00:33:28.769 --> 00:33:31.109
of pushing them back, keeping a line away from

00:33:31.109 --> 00:33:34.230
the docking bay here. The passage of respite.

00:33:34.859 --> 00:33:38.799
And as we kind of focus in on this, there's a

00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:44.799
figure we see moving towards this passage, kind

00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:47.480
of moving up the city streets, strolling down

00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:49.819
the stairs, down to this docking bay, approaching

00:33:49.819 --> 00:33:54.279
this massive gemstone. And while he is dwarfed

00:33:54.279 --> 00:33:56.660
by the scale of everything, this figure is still

00:33:56.660 --> 00:34:00.460
larger than life. As we zoom into this. Looks

00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:03.759
like a half -dragon, a humanoid dragon with a

00:34:03.759 --> 00:34:08.900
grand tail, his gigantic wings, shining brass

00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:12.960
scales that match the gleam of his shield -bearer

00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:17.940
armor. We see a confident smile. We see eyes

00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:22.920
hardened and blazing with determination. We see

00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:28.440
a hero. And then we pan behind this figure. Just

00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:30.440
barely catching the tips of a couple of horns

00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:34.659
that are strolling to keep up. And our camera

00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:39.760
scrolls slowly down to see the, well, I guess

00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:43.739
the real hero of our story. Pause. That pause

00:34:43.739 --> 00:34:46.159
like on the screen. Let's throw it unzip in there.

00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:48.920
I don't know if anyone's going to hear you unzipping

00:34:48.920 --> 00:34:52.360
your pants. Okay. So please don't. Hey, everyone.

00:34:53.309 --> 00:34:55.909
Let's take a moment to introduce our second player

00:34:55.909 --> 00:34:59.989
in this campaign. Steven Rodriguez, you old Portuguese

00:34:59.989 --> 00:35:01.849
-ian. How you doing? Hello, Steven Rodriguez.

00:35:05.710 --> 00:35:08.909
How you doing, man? Good. Yes, I am a little

00:35:08.909 --> 00:35:14.789
Portuguese. The only geese that can't fly. Oh,

00:35:14.789 --> 00:35:17.500
no. And we just lost 10 listeners. We didn't

00:35:17.500 --> 00:35:19.380
even have 10 listeners. We were negative 10 listeners

00:35:19.380 --> 00:35:22.440
now. Negative 10. That is bad. Sorry. I'll keep

00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:27.539
the corny jokes to a minimum. So what's going

00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:30.320
on? Are you excited to be here? Yeah. Are you

00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:32.460
excited to meet our friend? Yes, our friend,

00:35:32.539 --> 00:35:35.619
the listener. The listener. Yep. Happy we're

00:35:35.619 --> 00:35:38.099
finally doing this. Jeremy was kind enough to

00:35:38.099 --> 00:35:43.119
lend us his, well, not lend us, but co -opt his

00:35:43.119 --> 00:35:46.590
studio space for us. And here we are, having

00:35:46.590 --> 00:35:50.329
fun. Yeah, yeah. Cheers, Jeremy. To make believe.

00:35:53.110 --> 00:35:54.829
Before we go on, what are you guys drinking here

00:35:54.829 --> 00:35:57.170
tonight? We're celebrating over here at Fantasy

00:35:57.170 --> 00:36:01.250
Pants Studios, a .k .a. Jeremy's office and his

00:36:01.250 --> 00:36:04.630
apartment. We are drinking a delicious Goose

00:36:04.630 --> 00:36:07.789
Island Bourbon County from 2014 that I've been

00:36:07.789 --> 00:36:10.969
saving for a special occasion. And episode one

00:36:10.969 --> 00:36:16.269
of Fantasy Pants. It's the occasion. So this

00:36:16.269 --> 00:36:19.409
bottle of beer is maybe a little bit older than

00:36:19.409 --> 00:36:26.510
round stuff. Yep. That is, huh, that's something.

00:36:26.730 --> 00:36:32.449
Yeah. All right. Well, hey, we met Steven. Steven's

00:36:32.449 --> 00:36:34.469
pretty cool. We'll see a lot of that guy. And

00:36:34.469 --> 00:36:37.590
I think we should move right back into our scene

00:36:37.590 --> 00:36:42.550
here. Zip. Zip it back up. Zip. And why don't

00:36:42.550 --> 00:36:45.679
you tell us. What does this little guy look like?

00:36:46.500 --> 00:36:53.000
This little guy is another half dragon of smaller

00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:57.579
stature, probably five foot something. He has

00:36:57.579 --> 00:37:04.699
the same copper colored skin scales that his

00:37:04.699 --> 00:37:07.980
older brother in front of him has, but they do

00:37:07.980 --> 00:37:11.800
not gleam and shine. It's more of a matte color.

00:37:12.710 --> 00:37:15.769
I'd say maybe somewhere halfway between brown

00:37:15.769 --> 00:37:18.630
and orange. This dragonborn also has wings, but

00:37:18.630 --> 00:37:21.349
much smaller. They don't really appear that they

00:37:21.349 --> 00:37:23.849
would be functional. They don't look like they

00:37:23.849 --> 00:37:26.769
could take him off the ground. Likewise, his

00:37:26.769 --> 00:37:33.230
tail is shorter. And he has horns like his brother

00:37:33.230 --> 00:37:37.349
that curl down around the side of his head. And

00:37:37.349 --> 00:37:39.949
he has an expression on his face that I can really

00:37:39.949 --> 00:37:46.800
only describe as... Pesky. We will come to know

00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:52.360
this as Zebulon. Currently Zebulon Brass. Am

00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:56.000
I right? That's correct. Yes. Zebulon, you are

00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:58.300
running down. You're in the midst of all these

00:37:58.300 --> 00:38:00.159
shield bearers that are running back and forth,

00:38:00.280 --> 00:38:02.639
forming a sort of defensive line. You managed

00:38:02.639 --> 00:38:05.460
to get in somehow, kind of sneaking in behind

00:38:05.460 --> 00:38:09.679
the tail of your brother. Arhalon Brass, who

00:38:09.679 --> 00:38:12.179
is a lieutenant in the Shieldbearers and who

00:38:12.179 --> 00:38:16.679
is currently moving towards a very dire -sounding

00:38:16.679 --> 00:38:21.000
mission. From what you gathered, something bad

00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:23.059
is happening in the world of Tythos. Something

00:38:23.059 --> 00:38:28.059
bad is happening in the city of Cerule. The Incarnates

00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:31.599
have warned of some devastation incoming. Some

00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:34.300
powerful magic that has just been unleashed.

00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:40.420
And here you are. To attempt to do something

00:38:40.420 --> 00:38:45.099
about it? I think as he hears you move behind

00:38:45.099 --> 00:38:48.199
him, you see your brother whips around super

00:38:48.199 --> 00:38:51.699
fast. His big, muscular tail. I mean, this is

00:38:51.699 --> 00:38:53.699
a muscular tail. You're jealous of that tail.

00:38:53.820 --> 00:38:56.320
Almost takes you out as it flies just above your

00:38:56.320 --> 00:39:01.519
head. You just, Zebulon, what are you doing here?

00:39:01.739 --> 00:39:04.440
I have work to do. You should be staying in the

00:39:04.440 --> 00:39:06.579
apartment. Come on, Arhalana. It's been long

00:39:06.579 --> 00:39:08.159
enough. You can take me with you. You know I

00:39:08.159 --> 00:39:11.460
can do this. You can count on me. Count on you?

00:39:11.619 --> 00:39:14.159
We are doing... This is serious business. It's

00:39:14.159 --> 00:39:16.099
a search and rescue mission. We are trying to

00:39:16.099 --> 00:39:20.679
pull evacuees away from this devastation. I can

00:39:20.679 --> 00:39:22.840
search. I can rescue. You can't do anything.

00:39:22.840 --> 00:39:29.579
Tell me what to do. Look. Zeb. He kind of like

00:39:29.579 --> 00:39:32.239
crouches down really low so you can look you

00:39:32.239 --> 00:39:35.230
eye to eye. He puts a hand on you. This... This

00:39:35.230 --> 00:39:39.949
is my chance. You don't... What are you trying

00:39:39.949 --> 00:39:44.429
to prove, Zeb? That I can be helpful too. You

00:39:44.429 --> 00:39:47.530
help me. Every day I get to come home from what

00:39:47.530 --> 00:39:51.570
I do and tell you about my day and we can discuss

00:39:51.570 --> 00:39:54.230
back and forth whatever things you were doing

00:39:54.230 --> 00:39:59.829
that day. It helps me in that way. I'm not looking

00:39:59.829 --> 00:40:03.909
to lose that. This could be dangerous. You know

00:40:03.909 --> 00:40:05.710
this could be dangerous. What will Grandmother

00:40:05.710 --> 00:40:08.750
think if you get hurt? I don't care what Soleil

00:40:08.750 --> 00:40:11.869
thinks. I just want to be... I don't care what

00:40:11.869 --> 00:40:16.690
Soleil thinks. Like you. Look, here's what I

00:40:16.690 --> 00:40:21.869
can do. You can come. He puts his finger up.

00:40:21.969 --> 00:40:26.150
You can come, but you are staying on the Concord

00:40:26.150 --> 00:40:28.349
Gem. You understand? You do not leave the Sapphire.

00:40:28.469 --> 00:40:31.050
As people come on board, you escort them to a

00:40:31.050 --> 00:40:33.929
place to sit. If anyone's hurt, if anyone needs

00:40:33.929 --> 00:40:36.750
help, you can assist them carrying luggage or

00:40:36.750 --> 00:40:39.309
babies or whatever it is that you need to help

00:40:39.309 --> 00:40:42.010
with. But you do not leave the Sapphire. You

00:40:42.010 --> 00:40:43.849
understand? I will rescue them from the front

00:40:43.849 --> 00:40:47.190
door and search for a seat. Don't even go near

00:40:47.190 --> 00:40:48.570
the front door. Stay away from the front door.

00:40:49.030 --> 00:40:54.349
Stay in the back. Just stay out of the danger.

00:40:55.030 --> 00:41:00.449
Yes? Yes. All right. He turns to kind of, like,

00:41:00.489 --> 00:41:04.590
stand up. And you kind of see, as he kind of,

00:41:04.630 --> 00:41:06.329
like, moves away from you, a number of figures

00:41:06.329 --> 00:41:10.329
kind of approach your position, moving past you.

00:41:10.429 --> 00:41:13.530
And as they move past, Arhalon looks at them

00:41:13.530 --> 00:41:16.429
with just this sort of, I guess I wouldn't say

00:41:16.429 --> 00:41:23.630
open dislike, but very close to it. You see there's

00:41:23.630 --> 00:41:29.059
a man, super well -built, and, like, These are

00:41:29.059 --> 00:41:32.800
almost like black tights and this black mask

00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:37.440
with a skull in the front. You see beside him,

00:41:37.460 --> 00:41:39.780
there's this, there's this, like almost looks

00:41:39.780 --> 00:41:43.039
like a Roman centurion with like the, I don't

00:41:43.039 --> 00:41:46.559
know what you call it, the broom helm, paintbrush

00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:50.460
helm, the floor scrubber helm. Mohawk sort of

00:41:50.460 --> 00:41:53.019
shape. Boom, that's the one. I know what you're

00:41:53.019 --> 00:41:54.699
trying to talk about now. You didn't know it

00:41:54.699 --> 00:41:59.750
from what I said? I was responding to you. Oh,

00:41:59.750 --> 00:42:02.150
gotcha. Yes. So what you're saying is everybody

00:42:02.150 --> 00:42:06.050
here except for Zebulon is hugely jacked. Well,

00:42:06.090 --> 00:42:09.690
the last of them. This guy isn't so jacked, but

00:42:09.690 --> 00:42:13.090
makes up for it in their cool serenity. You see

00:42:13.090 --> 00:42:18.570
what looks like a wizard holding some kind of

00:42:18.570 --> 00:42:21.889
strange flower that seems to be like... It's

00:42:21.889 --> 00:42:25.210
this large yellow flower that seems to be twitching

00:42:25.210 --> 00:42:28.070
and moving as she's whispering some incantation

00:42:28.070 --> 00:42:32.110
over it, and it's glowing faintly. And you see

00:42:32.110 --> 00:42:36.730
that she's dressed in these flowing green and

00:42:36.730 --> 00:42:40.829
orange robes, reminiscent of the world of Shankabumi.

00:42:42.230 --> 00:42:46.170
You recognize that this is a group of luminary

00:42:46.170 --> 00:42:48.130
adventurers that must have been on hand, that

00:42:48.130 --> 00:42:54.239
are moving. to assist matters on Tithos. The

00:42:54.239 --> 00:42:56.900
first of them, the luchador from San Satyan.

00:42:57.619 --> 00:42:59.820
You know this guy. He's pretty famous. This is

00:42:59.820 --> 00:43:02.860
Demilich. And as he kind of walks by, I think

00:43:02.860 --> 00:43:05.760
he sees Arhalon's glare, and he kind of looks.

00:43:06.280 --> 00:43:08.679
He stops, and everyone kind of stops behind him

00:43:08.679 --> 00:43:11.340
very abruptly. You can tell he's kind of the

00:43:11.340 --> 00:43:12.820
leader of the group, and he kind of crosses his

00:43:12.820 --> 00:43:16.460
arms and half smiles towards your brother. Very

00:43:16.460 --> 00:43:21.480
cocky. You ready to sit back and watch, shield

00:43:21.480 --> 00:43:24.719
-bearer? Don't worry. We'll handle all the saving

00:43:24.719 --> 00:43:27.739
and fighting. He looks down at you and he's like,

00:43:28.079 --> 00:43:33.820
Hey there. Demilich. You must be, uh, one of

00:43:33.820 --> 00:43:38.420
Sholey's, huh? Yeah. Hi, Demilich. I'm Zebulon.

00:43:38.579 --> 00:43:40.920
Hey, Zebulon. He puts a hand on your head and,

00:43:40.940 --> 00:43:43.280
like, roughs up your horn a little bit. Wow.

00:43:45.739 --> 00:43:49.400
Tell you what, Zebulon. Glances back at your

00:43:49.400 --> 00:43:53.599
brother. Why don't you keep an eye on us? Maybe

00:43:53.599 --> 00:43:56.940
you'll see something impressive. Yeah, sure.

00:43:57.019 --> 00:44:00.460
I got your back. The woman kind of steps forward

00:44:00.460 --> 00:44:05.280
like, Demilich, please. This is not the time

00:44:05.280 --> 00:44:09.860
for this. We must get going now. You can play

00:44:09.860 --> 00:44:11.639
with the shield bearers later. We have people

00:44:11.639 --> 00:44:17.099
to save, yes? Yeah, right. Come on, Thelmira.

00:44:17.179 --> 00:44:21.210
Let's go. And he turns back. He's like, some

00:44:21.210 --> 00:44:25.710
of us got real work to do. And the group of them

00:44:25.710 --> 00:44:28.610
go marching down the stairs, rushing into the

00:44:28.610 --> 00:44:33.590
open doorway of the blue gem. Arhalon is, like,

00:44:33.590 --> 00:44:35.690
staring after them. He's stopped. He's silent.

00:44:37.429 --> 00:44:41.010
Maybe this is a bad idea after all. You should

00:44:41.010 --> 00:44:43.429
probably just stay. He looks down and sees your,

00:44:43.469 --> 00:44:45.250
like, eager expression. He just sighs again.

00:44:48.940 --> 00:44:53.000
Fine. Come on. Let's go. And you stay in the

00:44:53.000 --> 00:44:56.960
sapphire. In the sapphire. Okay. Come on. The

00:44:56.960 --> 00:45:00.820
two of you go running down. You hear men just

00:45:00.820 --> 00:45:04.039
like, Last call. Let's call for Shearbearers.

00:45:04.039 --> 00:45:07.179
Come on. Come on. Ariat's at the helm. We're

00:45:07.179 --> 00:45:10.980
going. You filter into this large chamber. You

00:45:10.980 --> 00:45:14.699
see inside this gem, it's vaguely circular. There's

00:45:14.699 --> 00:45:18.159
this gigantic room with almost like bleacher

00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:21.000
-esque seating. As you step in, you're kind of

00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:24.059
moving in sort of a little lane between two bleachers.

00:45:24.059 --> 00:45:25.659
You go in the entrance door, but then you see

00:45:25.659 --> 00:45:27.980
like, and there's a ton of seating here kind

00:45:27.980 --> 00:45:32.679
of arcing up to work against the walls. And then

00:45:32.679 --> 00:45:34.219
sort of in the middle of the room, there's this

00:45:34.219 --> 00:45:38.159
large sort of open, I say pit, I don't mean it's

00:45:38.159 --> 00:45:40.340
like... I don't say pit isn't like you're going

00:45:40.340 --> 00:45:42.579
to fall in 10 feet. It's like five feet down

00:45:42.579 --> 00:45:44.840
with stairs leading to it, but this is more where

00:45:44.840 --> 00:45:47.619
generally folks would throw their baggage and

00:45:47.619 --> 00:45:50.760
they'd unload it afterwards if it's a tight enough

00:45:50.760 --> 00:45:53.519
load that people need to. They can't bring in

00:45:53.519 --> 00:45:55.099
the bleachers and such, but there's a lot of

00:45:55.099 --> 00:45:57.159
trade between the Citadels. A lot of crates and

00:45:57.159 --> 00:45:59.480
such are going through here. They all hang out

00:45:59.480 --> 00:46:02.760
in the middle here. Like I said, you step in

00:46:02.760 --> 00:46:06.800
here and it is massive. It's like a full stadium

00:46:06.800 --> 00:46:09.590
you're walking into. No one's really moving to

00:46:09.590 --> 00:46:12.510
sit. The shield bearers themselves aren't a huge

00:46:12.510 --> 00:46:14.929
force, but they are expecting to bring a huge

00:46:14.929 --> 00:46:18.670
force back. They all kind of move towards the

00:46:18.670 --> 00:46:20.530
sides of the bleachers. They stand in front of

00:46:20.530 --> 00:46:25.150
them, stand at attention. You see this man kind

00:46:25.150 --> 00:46:29.090
of steps through their ranks. You see he's bald,

00:46:29.610 --> 00:46:35.190
but clean shaven. Shaved face, shaved head, shaved

00:46:35.190 --> 00:46:38.840
eyebrows even. He's got, like, a few, like, maybe

00:46:38.840 --> 00:46:41.780
two painted dots resting on his forehead, and

00:46:41.780 --> 00:46:46.760
this look of just this stoic, stern expression

00:46:46.760 --> 00:46:50.579
just slapped onto his face at all times. He's

00:46:50.579 --> 00:46:53.960
thin -built, but very athletic -looking. And

00:46:53.960 --> 00:46:56.599
you see he's got these two, I guess, sort of,

00:46:56.599 --> 00:47:00.300
like, arm -sized swords, you know, a little longer

00:47:00.300 --> 00:47:04.079
than a typical short sword, but not quite long

00:47:04.079 --> 00:47:07.369
sword length. resting at each of his hips or

00:47:07.369 --> 00:47:10.650
each side of his hips. And you recognize that

00:47:10.650 --> 00:47:13.570
this is the head of the shield bearers, a man

00:47:13.570 --> 00:47:17.989
named Ariat. Ariat kind of like steps down, walks

00:47:17.989 --> 00:47:20.590
right into the middle of the diamond, turns back

00:47:20.590 --> 00:47:23.610
to everyone just like, is everyone ready? I want

00:47:23.610 --> 00:47:27.750
no chicanery here. It's a standard in and out

00:47:27.750 --> 00:47:30.389
rescue mission. We pull in, we gather people,

00:47:30.530 --> 00:47:33.530
we bring them aboard. I want squads five, six,

00:47:33.650 --> 00:47:36.710
eight, and 10. On crowd control. You understand?

00:47:37.349 --> 00:47:41.510
We need people in here orderly. Orderly! What's

00:47:41.510 --> 00:47:47.190
your ass? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. All right. Let's

00:47:47.190 --> 00:47:49.409
get to it. He spins around. He starts moving

00:47:49.409 --> 00:47:51.710
towards... This is a different spot. Another

00:47:51.710 --> 00:47:54.510
sort of doorway at the end of the stadium. On

00:47:54.510 --> 00:47:58.309
a small, almost cockpit room beyond. You see,

00:47:58.329 --> 00:48:01.469
like, he steps into there. And you can vaguely

00:48:01.469 --> 00:48:05.880
just make out this sort of... glowing white sort

00:48:05.880 --> 00:48:08.739
of almost dashboard of crystals. He takes a full

00:48:08.739 --> 00:48:14.260
hand and places it down on one. You don't hear

00:48:14.260 --> 00:48:16.880
him whisper any command words, but you understand

00:48:16.880 --> 00:48:18.800
the gist of how this works. There are command

00:48:18.800 --> 00:48:24.519
words spoken. The command word embark to have

00:48:24.519 --> 00:48:28.119
this gemstone break away from its docking bay.

00:48:28.559 --> 00:48:33.159
You don't feel it move. It's so smooth. As you

00:48:33.159 --> 00:48:38.820
push away from the Citadel, about 500 feet away

00:48:38.820 --> 00:48:43.599
from the docking bay, close to where the other

00:48:43.599 --> 00:48:47.840
gemstones orbit, and then the command word phase.

00:48:49.340 --> 00:48:51.400
Like I said, you don't hear it spoken, but you

00:48:51.400 --> 00:48:54.860
feel its effects immediately as light just pulses

00:48:54.860 --> 00:49:02.289
up and around. Everywhere around you becomes

00:49:02.289 --> 00:49:10.829
almost blinding and you're gone. We return to

00:49:10.829 --> 00:49:15.969
a scene of chaos. Jules, you stand with your

00:49:15.969 --> 00:49:19.030
gang with the cherry delights all around you

00:49:19.030 --> 00:49:22.030
staring up into a sky that has just gone mad.

00:49:22.969 --> 00:49:26.210
The wind has picked up like crazy. You see any

00:49:26.210 --> 00:49:28.230
sort of loose crates, barrels on the side of

00:49:28.230 --> 00:49:34.699
the road just rattling. Jean screams, kind of

00:49:34.699 --> 00:49:36.659
covers her head. Her hat almost flies off. She

00:49:36.659 --> 00:49:39.840
holds it down to her. I'm going to take my burlap

00:49:39.840 --> 00:49:42.059
sack blanket and just kind of hold it over her

00:49:42.059 --> 00:49:44.320
and just kind of comfort her a little bit. Chester

00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:46.579
just looks at you, and even he is scared. He's

00:49:46.579 --> 00:49:49.880
like, Jules, man, what's going on? Something's

00:49:49.880 --> 00:49:52.179
happening. I don't know what, but something big.

00:49:52.340 --> 00:49:54.500
I ain't ever seen anything like this. Quick,

00:49:54.539 --> 00:49:56.760
quick, let's go get some shelter. All right.

00:49:58.579 --> 00:50:02.489
You guys. I just begin to move. Where do you

00:50:02.489 --> 00:50:03.710
want to head? You know that the best shelter

00:50:03.710 --> 00:50:05.650
is going to be in the high city, but do you dare

00:50:05.650 --> 00:50:07.969
go there? No, I think at this point we're just

00:50:07.969 --> 00:50:09.530
going to go into the nearest open building that

00:50:09.530 --> 00:50:12.130
we can find. Okay. I'm moving down the street.

00:50:12.150 --> 00:50:13.550
You actually see there's a tavern just up ahead.

00:50:13.690 --> 00:50:15.969
Another one that you probably have visited before.

00:50:16.309 --> 00:50:18.409
You sort of move in. Everyone just kind of running

00:50:18.409 --> 00:50:20.929
behind you. I'm going to kind of open the door

00:50:20.929 --> 00:50:22.130
and just kind of hold the door for everybody.

00:50:22.190 --> 00:50:24.250
The crew, anybody else on the street that can

00:50:24.250 --> 00:50:26.530
get in. Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go.

00:50:27.179 --> 00:50:29.619
You see, like, fibrosis is still staring at the

00:50:29.619 --> 00:50:34.079
sky. This is... This isn't... This is magical.

00:50:34.699 --> 00:50:37.679
This can't be natural. Fibro, get your ass in

00:50:37.679 --> 00:50:42.460
here! Sorry, yes. A barrel almost takes him in

00:50:42.460 --> 00:50:45.320
the head as he goes and dodges it. Jesus Christ,

00:50:45.460 --> 00:50:49.199
run! Stands up, runs back in, gets right past

00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:50.960
you, slides into the building, and you can close

00:50:50.960 --> 00:50:55.400
the door. Closes hard as the wind pushes against

00:50:55.400 --> 00:51:00.880
you. You turn around to a room. A lot of silent

00:51:00.880 --> 00:51:04.440
people are staring. And their eyes are fixed

00:51:04.440 --> 00:51:09.280
on a small screen. On one of those same white

00:51:09.280 --> 00:51:12.900
screens we opened up on. It's like white mesh

00:51:12.900 --> 00:51:15.599
lining the wall here. You can see there's another

00:51:15.599 --> 00:51:17.960
one of those same conical crystals kind of set

00:51:17.960 --> 00:51:22.179
up on a high shelf. No fancy prop on this one.

00:51:22.219 --> 00:51:24.159
It's just kind of like resting somewhere. We

00:51:24.159 --> 00:51:25.719
have a couple of books stacked against it to

00:51:25.719 --> 00:51:28.539
keep it from moving. And it's projecting an image

00:51:28.539 --> 00:51:31.559
onto the screen. You can see that same man that

00:51:31.559 --> 00:51:34.639
you didn't see in Character Jewels. But Storyteller

00:51:34.639 --> 00:51:36.980
Orin's on the screen. He's staring out towards

00:51:36.980 --> 00:51:40.159
all of you with a wide eye. He's like, this is

00:51:40.159 --> 00:51:42.159
for my Tithos, brothers and sisters. You need

00:51:42.159 --> 00:51:44.880
to go. You need to get. You gotta get going to

00:51:44.880 --> 00:51:48.199
the, if you can, to the Traveler's Plaza. Get

00:51:48.199 --> 00:51:49.920
off Tythos. There's a shield bearer warning.

00:51:50.079 --> 00:51:53.360
You need to get out. Evacuate. Shield bearers

00:51:53.360 --> 00:51:55.179
are coming. They're bringing in the jam. We're

00:51:55.179 --> 00:51:58.000
taking ships out. You gotta go. You gotta go.

00:51:58.559 --> 00:52:02.039
Oh, shit. Evacuate. Evacuate. And he's just going

00:52:02.039 --> 00:52:03.559
and repeating this over and over, like, making

00:52:03.559 --> 00:52:06.420
sure everyone hears this. And the people in the

00:52:06.420 --> 00:52:07.900
pub are, like, looking at each other. There's

00:52:07.900 --> 00:52:11.400
a lot of... It's a high city. They'll never let

00:52:11.400 --> 00:52:14.980
us through. They'll keep us away. We can't stay

00:52:14.980 --> 00:52:17.199
here. We can't stay here. No, no. If we stay

00:52:17.199 --> 00:52:20.219
here, we're dead. We have to. We have to make

00:52:20.219 --> 00:52:21.739
a run for it. We can break through their lines.

00:52:22.039 --> 00:52:24.159
I don't care if there's guards stopping us. Will

00:52:24.159 --> 00:52:26.159
there be guards there now? I mean, they'll be

00:52:26.159 --> 00:52:30.559
trying to get out too. If we make it to the plaza

00:52:30.559 --> 00:52:33.360
of the Traveler, the seal bears will let us by.

00:52:33.719 --> 00:52:35.840
They will let us through. They don't give a damn

00:52:35.840 --> 00:52:38.420
about Titho's politics. They'll save anyone who

00:52:38.420 --> 00:52:41.400
gets in. You sure we can trust that? You speak

00:52:41.400 --> 00:52:43.920
out and people just look around and a lot of

00:52:43.920 --> 00:52:49.039
eyes widen and a lot of scared, stiff mouths

00:52:49.039 --> 00:52:51.840
part into these sort of fragile smiles. And it's

00:52:51.840 --> 00:52:59.159
like, oh, shit. Jules. Jules, you're here. What

00:52:59.159 --> 00:53:01.780
do you think we should do, man? We definitely

00:53:01.780 --> 00:53:03.900
don't want to trust anybody that's not like us.

00:53:05.340 --> 00:53:10.320
Look, I know that. I know you've been hurt by

00:53:10.320 --> 00:53:11.980
the highborn folk before, but the folk of the

00:53:11.980 --> 00:53:15.360
Radiant Citadel, they're good people. They'd

00:53:15.360 --> 00:53:18.280
help us if they can. But if we stay here, our

00:53:18.280 --> 00:53:20.900
buildings are made of scrap wood. Anybody with

00:53:20.900 --> 00:53:23.159
a shred of power don't give a shit about us.

00:53:23.239 --> 00:53:25.780
And you know that. They have to. It's in their

00:53:25.780 --> 00:53:28.840
codes. The Incarnates. The Incarnates themselves

00:53:28.840 --> 00:53:31.039
will hold them to it. If we can get to the plaza,

00:53:31.059 --> 00:53:34.199
it's the only way. It's the only way. Look what's

00:53:34.199 --> 00:53:36.980
happening out there. And as he speaks, you just

00:53:36.980 --> 00:53:38.860
see one of the boarded windows. The boards just

00:53:38.860 --> 00:53:42.539
rip off of it and go clattering as something

00:53:42.539 --> 00:53:45.719
smashes against it. It's like, oh, shit. People

00:53:45.719 --> 00:53:50.260
kind of dash away. Fuck. Fibro looks out. Jules,

00:53:50.400 --> 00:53:53.039
I don't want to alarm you, but I think whatever

00:53:53.039 --> 00:53:56.539
this is is getting worse. God damn it, I don't

00:53:56.539 --> 00:53:59.980
like this. Chester says, I don't like it either,

00:54:00.059 --> 00:54:03.250
man, but Jules, what are we going to do? We can't

00:54:03.250 --> 00:54:05.849
stay here, man. No, we can't. We gotta go. All

00:54:05.849 --> 00:54:08.750
right, everybody. Stay in the group. Stay huddled.

00:54:08.769 --> 00:54:12.909
We stay safe. A woman just, like, steps forward

00:54:12.909 --> 00:54:15.329
in sort of a ragged dress and just hugs you.

00:54:15.389 --> 00:54:18.110
Oh, thank you, Jules. Thank you. There'll be

00:54:18.110 --> 00:54:20.309
time for this later. Let's go. Let's go. Okay.

00:54:20.369 --> 00:54:23.110
All right. Let's go. You're leading them out?

00:54:23.309 --> 00:54:25.769
Yeah. I'm gonna lead them out. I think I wanna...

00:54:25.769 --> 00:54:27.849
We don't wanna go in the middle of the street.

00:54:27.909 --> 00:54:30.590
I think we wanna kinda hug the sides of the buildings

00:54:30.590 --> 00:54:33.679
as much as we can. You pull the door open, and

00:54:33.679 --> 00:54:35.639
it's just a side. Miskin's kind of standing there

00:54:35.639 --> 00:54:41.079
like, there's trouble. He ends up scouting me

00:54:41.079 --> 00:54:42.920
out. Miskin was standing outside the whole time.

00:54:43.320 --> 00:54:47.820
He just did it. Way too cool. You made me close

00:54:47.820 --> 00:54:51.980
the door on Miskin. It was a lot happening. I

00:54:51.980 --> 00:54:53.559
forgot that he wasn't with you, so I was kind

00:54:53.559 --> 00:54:57.239
of like, there's trouble. You know that Miskin

00:54:57.239 --> 00:54:59.679
can take care of himself. Yeah, and I kind of

00:54:59.679 --> 00:55:02.559
look back and say, You know what to do. You're

00:55:02.559 --> 00:55:06.320
right. I'll stab the storm. He pulls out a sword.

00:55:07.199 --> 00:55:12.119
Come on! Just starts leading you. Yeah, and I'll

00:55:12.119 --> 00:55:14.619
kind of let Miskin lead the way. Okay. He's just

00:55:14.619 --> 00:55:18.960
going to lead. Running down the street. You do

00:55:18.960 --> 00:55:24.119
it, man! Yeah, and you, I think right behind

00:55:24.119 --> 00:55:27.820
you, you have your cherry delights all lined

00:55:27.820 --> 00:55:30.780
up. I'm staying very, very close. Yeah, I'm being

00:55:30.780 --> 00:55:33.980
careful not to run ahead. I'm staying with the

00:55:33.980 --> 00:55:35.599
group. Yeah, and Chester's actually in the back.

00:55:35.639 --> 00:55:39.099
He's kind of got Paul in one hand. He's kind

00:55:39.099 --> 00:55:41.360
of holding his hand and holding Roundstuff's

00:55:41.360 --> 00:55:43.460
other hand. Since they're smaller, the winds

00:55:43.460 --> 00:55:45.579
are actually really buffeting them, pushing against

00:55:45.579 --> 00:55:47.920
them, and he's moving alongside them. And as

00:55:47.920 --> 00:55:50.219
you step out, you see there's other low -city

00:55:50.219 --> 00:55:53.860
folk all just running out into the streets, all

00:55:53.860 --> 00:55:57.980
just pushing towards the... The great spires,

00:55:57.980 --> 00:56:00.480
the great towers in the distance, to the promise

00:56:00.480 --> 00:56:05.780
of safety that lies there, but beyond the assurity

00:56:05.780 --> 00:56:10.039
of corruption. Yeah, as we're running, I just

00:56:10.039 --> 00:56:12.460
kind of have this look of dread in my eyes as

00:56:12.460 --> 00:56:15.159
I'm looking up at the towers that we're running

00:56:15.159 --> 00:56:18.599
to. Maybe looking at one tower in particular,

00:56:18.780 --> 00:56:25.030
that great multicolored monster. Just the tip

00:56:25.030 --> 00:56:29.030
of it completely gone in the midst of these black,

00:56:29.090 --> 00:56:32.210
swirling clouds. The Tower of Authority. The

00:56:32.210 --> 00:56:35.909
LaRoche family throne. And I know that somewhere,

00:56:36.150 --> 00:56:39.670
somewhere in that tower, my parents are looking

00:56:39.670 --> 00:56:42.670
out the window right now. Looking down at the

00:56:42.670 --> 00:56:45.989
chaos. And they aren't going to do a goddamn

00:56:45.989 --> 00:56:49.670
thing about it. We phase away from that, and

00:56:49.670 --> 00:56:54.500
we enter. The Traveler's Plaza, this great sort

00:56:54.500 --> 00:56:59.300
of open area. I mean, there's really nothing

00:56:59.300 --> 00:57:03.880
here. Maybe a few little spots of vegetation,

00:57:04.380 --> 00:57:08.219
potted plants kind of dotting the very edges,

00:57:08.260 --> 00:57:10.920
but you just have this sort of great open space,

00:57:11.260 --> 00:57:15.639
this cobblestone kind of display leading up to

00:57:15.639 --> 00:57:21.780
a great wide... This platform, kind of sitting

00:57:21.780 --> 00:57:24.400
in the middle of it, all made of stone, all sculpted.

00:57:24.619 --> 00:57:27.460
And we kind of stare at this massive empty platform,

00:57:27.579 --> 00:57:30.460
and there's people lining all around this spot.

00:57:30.840 --> 00:57:39.840
We just see like a flash of blue as the sapphire

00:57:39.840 --> 00:57:44.820
Concord gem appears in place, just barely floating

00:57:44.820 --> 00:57:49.030
off the tip of the platform. And immediately,

00:57:49.250 --> 00:57:52.429
go, go, go, go, go, shield bearers making commands.

00:57:52.469 --> 00:57:56.769
You see men in armor charging out, kind of running

00:57:56.769 --> 00:58:00.769
out. Just like, stay calm, stay calm. Line up.

00:58:01.030 --> 00:58:03.610
Right here. Line up. Starting here. Move in one

00:58:03.610 --> 00:58:06.329
at a time. Women and children first. Women and

00:58:06.329 --> 00:58:08.630
children first. And they're just kind of pointing

00:58:08.630 --> 00:58:12.570
out their way back into the door as the shield

00:58:12.570 --> 00:58:16.280
bearers are flooding out. You see Arhalon. Moving

00:58:16.280 --> 00:58:18.440
among them, you're kind of standing right behind

00:58:18.440 --> 00:58:20.420
him, and he kind of reaches the door, turns around,

00:58:20.539 --> 00:58:24.380
looks at you, gives you a pointed gaze, and just

00:58:24.380 --> 00:58:30.119
mouths, Stay here. And you see him vanish into

00:58:30.119 --> 00:58:33.239
the crowd as he goes out to feed the efforts

00:58:33.239 --> 00:58:39.360
outside. Zebulon, as you're standing there, you

00:58:39.360 --> 00:58:42.880
feel a presence come up right behind you. You

00:58:42.880 --> 00:58:45.130
turn around to see... You're standing basically

00:58:45.130 --> 00:58:48.610
probably around, like, the lower abdomen mark

00:58:48.610 --> 00:58:53.550
of this tights, black tights -wearing man with

00:58:53.550 --> 00:58:55.969
this sort of skeletal design running down the

00:58:55.969 --> 00:58:58.269
front of his body and the skull and his helmet.

00:58:58.690 --> 00:59:01.530
He just, like, looks at you and smiles, his eyes

00:59:01.530 --> 00:59:07.090
gleaming in his mask. So, uh, you gonna listen

00:59:07.090 --> 00:59:09.690
to him? You always do what Big Brother tells

00:59:09.690 --> 00:59:15.260
you? Demi, let's stop. What? Or what? Just want

00:59:15.260 --> 00:59:20.079
to help the kid out. I, uh, I think I know what

00:59:20.079 --> 00:59:24.699
I'm doing. Right. Well, don't know how much of

00:59:24.699 --> 00:59:27.420
a view you're going to get from in here. But,

00:59:27.440 --> 00:59:29.599
uh, keep an eye open. Maybe you'll see a thing

00:59:29.599 --> 00:59:33.219
or two. He kind of cracks his knuckles. Come

00:59:33.219 --> 00:59:36.699
on. Let's get out there. And the group just nods.

00:59:36.699 --> 00:59:38.739
The centurion just, like, raises a spear up.

00:59:39.440 --> 00:59:43.320
Looks down at you and says, Good day. And just...

00:59:43.949 --> 00:59:46.730
They all just run down the stairs. See ya! Out

00:59:46.730 --> 00:59:49.530
into the crowd. You see the luminaries go to

00:59:49.530 --> 00:59:51.929
work. You see as they step out. I mean, the shield

00:59:51.929 --> 00:59:56.849
bearers step out and people were calmed. But

00:59:56.849 --> 01:00:01.449
as the luminaries step out of this gem, you can

01:00:01.449 --> 01:00:04.809
see something else wash over this crowd. You

01:00:04.809 --> 01:00:10.829
can see, like, first the whispering. Oh my goodness,

01:00:11.030 --> 01:00:13.699
it's Gaius. This guy is Argonius. This guy is

01:00:13.699 --> 01:00:17.280
Argonius. The crystal spear? No way. He's here?

01:00:17.800 --> 01:00:21.260
Oh, we're fine. Oh, man, they sent the best.

01:00:21.659 --> 01:00:25.500
Oh, this is Felicius. I can't believe. And they're

01:00:25.500 --> 01:00:27.739
just, like, going on. They're so, so excited.

01:00:28.280 --> 01:00:31.820
They're all just, like, moving into this crowd.

01:00:31.960 --> 01:00:33.139
And they don't even, like, really run. They kind

01:00:33.139 --> 01:00:36.300
of stop and wave. Yeah, they, like, shake a couple

01:00:36.300 --> 01:00:39.480
hands. You're like, you're all going to be fine.

01:00:39.539 --> 01:00:42.230
Don't you worry about a thing, huh? We'll take

01:00:42.230 --> 01:00:44.630
care of things from here. I know we can't exactly

01:00:44.630 --> 01:00:48.030
wrestle a storm, but we can keep you safe from

01:00:48.030 --> 01:00:50.110
any flying debris for a minute. And if anything

01:00:50.110 --> 01:00:53.190
ugly is out there, you just let us take care

01:00:53.190 --> 01:00:58.489
of it. Ah, so cool. You can just hear them sort

01:00:58.489 --> 01:01:01.570
of talking. Are you staying in the Sapphire for

01:01:01.570 --> 01:01:05.409
now? Yeah. Okay. So you're just kind of watching

01:01:05.409 --> 01:01:07.210
as people start funneling in, and I think the

01:01:07.210 --> 01:01:09.610
first groups are starting to walk in with you.

01:01:10.400 --> 01:01:12.360
And some shield bearers are taking them aside

01:01:12.360 --> 01:01:14.880
and bringing them anywhere. I guess you're kind

01:01:14.880 --> 01:01:16.840
of, like, greeting them. No one really seems

01:01:16.840 --> 01:01:20.400
to need help quite yet. Yeah, as people are walking

01:01:20.400 --> 01:01:22.519
by, like, Zebulon keeps, like, reaching out his

01:01:22.519 --> 01:01:25.000
hands to, like, I don't know, grab something

01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:27.179
or try to, like, maybe he, like, grabs somebody's

01:01:27.179 --> 01:01:28.820
arm as they're walking by and they just kind

01:01:28.820 --> 01:01:30.760
of, like, shove him off. He's just, like, he's

01:01:30.760 --> 01:01:32.460
trying to get in there and trying to help even

01:01:32.460 --> 01:01:34.980
though he has no idea what to do. He's so eager.

01:01:35.219 --> 01:01:37.019
One's got a baby in her hands and just walks

01:01:37.019 --> 01:01:39.400
by you and you, like, reach, just like, ah! Stay

01:01:39.400 --> 01:01:44.320
away from your scoundrel! Right this way, right

01:01:44.320 --> 01:01:46.880
this way. I know where I'm going. It's only one

01:01:46.880 --> 01:01:51.119
way. Right over here, please. Please stay orderly.

01:01:51.760 --> 01:01:53.239
Glad to know the shield bears are sending their

01:01:53.239 --> 01:01:57.900
best, huh? Laughing as they move past you. Please

01:01:57.900 --> 01:02:00.579
just keep moving, please. Someone shoves you,

01:02:00.579 --> 01:02:03.679
and you kind of almost fall down. Sorry I didn't

01:02:03.679 --> 01:02:07.260
see you down there. Moving past. And yeah, just

01:02:07.260 --> 01:02:12.630
a lot of that. These people are rude for being

01:02:12.630 --> 01:02:16.590
in the middle of a global crisis. They're high

01:02:16.590 --> 01:02:20.030
city folk, man. Yeah, I guess so. Fucking high

01:02:20.030 --> 01:02:24.150
city folk. You're watching all this go by, and

01:02:24.150 --> 01:02:28.849
where this door is, you're staring out deeper

01:02:28.849 --> 01:02:32.130
into the high city towards the great sort of

01:02:32.130 --> 01:02:34.210
spires. You don't see any low city. I'll just

01:02:34.210 --> 01:02:35.869
put that out there. Beyond where you're looking,

01:02:35.969 --> 01:02:38.550
you'd be looking at the... The lake, if you could

01:02:38.550 --> 01:02:40.570
make anything out, that's the direction you'd

01:02:40.570 --> 01:02:44.230
be facing. So, Jeremy, the direction you're coming

01:02:44.230 --> 01:02:49.289
from is directly south of the Concord Jam and

01:02:49.289 --> 01:02:52.250
the plaza. Okay. Now, it's close to the border

01:02:52.250 --> 01:02:54.849
of the low city, but not quite. There's a few

01:02:54.849 --> 01:02:56.610
blocks in that you'll have to go through, the

01:02:56.610 --> 01:03:00.489
towers of the high city, to move towards this

01:03:00.489 --> 01:03:03.159
location. Okay. And you'll be coming in from

01:03:03.159 --> 01:03:05.239
the exact opposite side, actually, from where

01:03:05.239 --> 01:03:09.559
the door is currently facing out. Okay. Now,

01:03:09.659 --> 01:03:12.260
Zebulon, you kind of are dealing with these sort

01:03:12.260 --> 01:03:15.440
of rude asshole high school folks, unreasonable

01:03:15.440 --> 01:03:19.380
people, and you look back out to see the luminaries

01:03:19.380 --> 01:03:21.760
shaking hands, you know, pointing the way. Not

01:03:21.760 --> 01:03:23.659
only even doing it, I think, like, the, um...

01:03:23.659 --> 01:03:26.639
You see, like, some debris was flying over, and

01:03:26.639 --> 01:03:29.659
the wizard of the group, uh, just kind of...

01:03:29.880 --> 01:03:31.679
Waves their flower around. Sort of does this

01:03:31.679 --> 01:03:34.420
weird spin. Some petals, like, almost phantom

01:03:34.420 --> 01:03:36.500
petals seem to, like, blow up. And, like, a wind

01:03:36.500 --> 01:03:39.179
wall appears and, like, blocks the debris from

01:03:39.179 --> 01:03:45.719
moving. Oh, man. Yeah. One, like, chair breaks

01:03:45.719 --> 01:03:47.860
from, like, on the side of, like, a bench or

01:03:47.860 --> 01:03:48.699
something. It gets ripped out of the ground.

01:03:48.760 --> 01:03:50.219
It comes flying towards it. And then you just

01:03:50.219 --> 01:03:54.280
kind of see, like, Demi Lich grabs it and just

01:03:54.280 --> 01:03:57.619
suplexes it really cool. It was so unnecessary,

01:03:57.780 --> 01:04:02.500
but it was fucking awesome. Yeah! That was a

01:04:02.500 --> 01:04:11.659
little extra, but... It was really cool. Not

01:04:11.659 --> 01:04:14.960
the most efficient way to block a chair, but...

01:04:14.960 --> 01:04:17.679
You're watching all this. You're watching the

01:04:17.679 --> 01:04:20.400
people slowly kind of moving in a line in here.

01:04:20.440 --> 01:04:23.820
Everything seems to be going very smooth. And

01:04:23.820 --> 01:04:27.159
that's when the lightning begins to strike. Oh,

01:04:27.179 --> 01:04:30.360
shit. You see it where you are, Zebulon. You're

01:04:30.360 --> 01:04:31.840
staring out the door, and then all of a sudden,

01:04:31.920 --> 01:04:37.739
two bolts of lightning crash down onto the cobblestones

01:04:37.739 --> 01:04:40.019
of this plaza. The stone beneath them explodes

01:04:40.019 --> 01:04:44.639
out. You see people just immediately go, in one

01:04:44.639 --> 01:04:49.440
case, one guy just vaporized, explodes. Another

01:04:49.440 --> 01:04:51.260
person manages to dodge us out of the way. This

01:04:51.260 --> 01:04:54.139
older woman manages to dive out of the way, probably

01:04:54.139 --> 01:04:57.659
breaking a hip in the process as this area right

01:04:57.659 --> 01:05:01.300
beside her explodes. Debris just rains down over

01:05:01.300 --> 01:05:03.099
her, all over the crowd. People are screaming

01:05:03.099 --> 01:05:07.480
as they take cuts from the stone that flies off

01:05:07.480 --> 01:05:12.139
and slices them. A few more of these. As these

01:05:12.139 --> 01:05:19.510
lightning bolts rain down, you see figures. standing

01:05:19.510 --> 01:05:23.489
where the bolts hit, figures made of pure electricity.

01:05:23.809 --> 01:05:26.650
You see these, like, humanoid shapes about four

01:05:26.650 --> 01:05:31.409
feet tall, very thin, very gaunt, somewhat translucent,

01:05:31.489 --> 01:05:35.570
just buzzing with this energy. What's going on

01:05:35.570 --> 01:05:39.369
here? Hey, who are those guys? And as you're

01:05:39.369 --> 01:05:40.590
kind of looking out, you see a lot of people,

01:05:40.650 --> 01:05:43.969
like, staring back. Maybe there's a moment of,

01:05:44.010 --> 01:05:46.909
like, people feeling unsure, people not knowing

01:05:46.909 --> 01:05:49.539
what's coming. A sign from the gods? Is this

01:05:49.539 --> 01:05:51.800
really happening? And then you see one of these

01:05:51.800 --> 01:05:55.780
creatures reaches out, grabbing a young man by

01:05:55.780 --> 01:06:01.039
the throat, and you see him drop to the ground,

01:06:01.179 --> 01:06:09.280
dead. And the screaming begins then. And we'll

01:06:09.280 --> 01:06:09.920
call it there.