Welcome back, intrepid adventurers, to the Forge and Fable D&D podcast.
Soon, we'll be switching to the 2024 rulebook, bringing some big changes as we get ready
to record new episodes.
But for now, sharpen your blades, steady your bows, and ready your spells.
It's time to return to the world of Forge and Fable.
Are you ready to roll for initiative?
Hello, hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Forge and Fable podcast, where
we play some D&D.
How's everybody doing today?
Good.
That's bad.
Nice, nice.
Everybody have a good day at work?
We working today?
We chilling today?
What was the day like?
Uneventful.
Nice, easy day.
I made a shelf today.
You made a shelf?
Yeah.
Wasn't expecting that.
What kind of shelf are we talking about here?
Just a simple wooden shelf.
But it was a top shelf.
Simple.
Three boards nailed together?
You good?
It was a little more intricate than that.
I had to use, let's see, what's the best way I can explain this?
Okay.
So, two by sixes.
We're all on board with that, right?
We know what a two by six is.
Two inches thick, six inches wide.
So three of those together made the uprights of the shelf.
So it was three deep of those.
So like, what is that?
They're under six inches.
I don't know why they call them two by six.
They're really like five and a half.
So it was like 16 inches.
Those are the uprights.
Three of those.
And I screwed those all together with the pieces of wood.
And then across, lengthwise, was three of those two by sixes.
So the thing was 48 inches high, so four feet, and 80 inches wide.
And it's going to go in one of our containers at work, just to be like a shelf to throw
consumables and just various oils and stuff that we have for the equipment.
Nice.
Yeah.
I didn't see that coming, so I had to be a little bob the builder today.
Get my carpenter on.
Nice.
No welding today?
No, no welding today.
Still have my little burns on my hand healing from that.
Actually, it's the cutting torch that gets me more when I'm running the cutting torch.
I should probably be using different gloves when I do that.
But I always think I'm going to get away from it without getting burned, and then it gets
me.
Hey, if you guys could time travel, would you go in the past or the future?
And then why?
Why do you think you'd do that?
I would probably go to the future.
Do we get to come back?
I mean, yeah, you're just visiting.
I think the future is uncertain.
I would just go back.
Could you imagine traveling to the future?
No, go ahead.
I was like, well, you're saying the future is uncertain.
Could you imagine traveling to the future and then just being like, oh, that's a nuclear
bomb going off?
Or just traveling to the future.
Or just traveling to the future and the Earth is gone.
You're just like, what the hell happened?
And the past kind of...
I do some historical reenactment, but I don't know if I'd want to go back and actually do
it.
So I would go back to around the beginning of my life, wherein I can make the proper
investments and just live in this current time, but richer, which is, you know.
Just go to fucking Bitcoin at six dollars.
Yeah, go to Bitcoin when it first came out.
Just like take like, tell yourself, like, look, man, at a fraction of a dollar.
Look, man, I don't care what's going on in your life right now.
Invest every fucking penny you have in this and let it sit.
And when it hits 45, pull everything, man.
I know, I know.
We should get a cool car with some Lamborghini doors and then grab a sports Almanac and go
back and give it to our younger self so that we can invest it.
And then we'll make a movie about it.
Because let's be honest, if you let's say you go back to the past and you change something
like the burning of the...
What was it?
Alexander, the Alexandria, the library or whatever it was called, the great library.
Let's go, let's imagine you go back.
I mean, that alone is contribute to like hundreds of years of civilization not advancing.
Let's say you change something like that.
Who knows what the future like what today would be like?
You might come back and, you know, we may have had those hoverboards that Back to the
Future promised us.
Well, we could go back and warn NASA that they're going to lose like 14000 files of
the moon landing or whatever it was.
Careful, careful, you're going to lose these.
I mean, there's just so much things that you could do just, I mean, little or big and the
changes it would make the butterfly effect per se just so unpredictable and so crazy
amount of ways that, you know, I mean, even like we're talking about going back and Bitcoin
thing, I'd be great and all, but probably would have never met you guys, you know.
That's why you go to the future and see how things turned out and then you invest in that
shit.
I have a question then if if we're all separate getting the ability, I'm going to take future
if you guys are going to take past that way we can just, you know, meet up in the middle.
I'll tell you, we futures like after you guys fuck it up in the past.
What if what if this is our hard way of finding out that time cops exist and like we jump
to either the future or past and they're like, OK, you're going to time jail motherfucker
and like we don't get to do anything.
Well, question is, what would time jail be like?
Would it be like over in like 10 minutes of reality, but like 1000 years in your head?
That'd be pretty crazy.
Speaking of which, I think there's I think there is a scientist.
I'm trying to say Japanese scientists, but I'm not 100% sure on that.
I just barely caught the article the other day.
Working on pretty much that's that principle right there where in in planning false thoughts
of imprisonment and stuff like 10 years of imprisonment.
Like, oh yeah, I saw that article also.
I didn't get a chance to read it in like 10 minutes.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's a Star Trek episode also.
It's like felons to it happens at Tom Paris and Voyager or no.
Maybe it's Harry Kim.
It's one of them.
I didn't stop to read the article, so it could have been based off of fucking Star Trek for
all I care.
So like in theory or in practice, I mean, it would be like, OK, I'm sentencing you to
110 years in jail and then like 10 minutes later you walk out and you're rehabilitated
and you're fucked up mentally.
So you go commit more crimes, I imagine.
Yeah, I mean, if we could rehabilitate people like that, it would be great.
But at the same sense, if you're able to do that, wouldn't it be better just to find out
what's wrong in the brain, fix those neuro paths and then see if it fixes the person?
Because I think that would be a more productive use of resources and time rather than just
imprisoning somebody for 10 years and 10 minutes and then having to do it.
We like, OK, did they change?
No.
OK, we'll put them in for another 10 minutes.
I mean, that to me sounds like torture rather than rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation should be repairing those neurons and pathways in the brain that maybe this
pathway right here is damaged.
So it makes you more violent or maybe this pathway is bad.
So maybe if you sever it, sever this pathway, maybe no longer you're no longer addicted
to drugs or whatever it may be.
You know, maybe finding stuff like that, I think, would be a better use of resources
rather than torturing people, because that's what it sounds like to me.
Well, then we're going to have all these empty prisons, right?
And we're going to imagine all those jobs and all those private.
I know those private prisons aren't going to be making the money that they make now,
dude.
So like, we can't have that, right?
Oh, no, they'll just be turned into like, you know, homeless shelters or something.
I've seen that episode of The Walking Dead.
Right.
I just want to go forward to the point where we can conjure food, just like push some buttons
and then it just appears in a box in front of me.
I can do that right now.
It just takes 20 to 30 minutes.
No, no, I want like instant gratification.
You want to see it materialize?
Yeah.
Get one of those 3D meat printers.
What movie was that?
Here we go.
This is where I'm really bad at recalling movies.
Star Trek did it.
No, no, well I know that.
Star Trek did everything.
No, there was a movie with.
Something green as people.
With a guy who woke up early on a spaceship that was like supposed to be somewhere 80
years from when he woke up.
Oh, and he woke up a chick.
Yeah.
Hunger Games girl.
Yeah.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Okay.
It's on tip of my tongue.
I just can't remember it.
Roche keeps saying it.
Roche isn't saying anything.
Abba, what are you talking about?
I can't hear him.
Guys, it's called Passengers.
I just heard the win.
I don't know, dude.
It's a 2016 film with Chris Pratt, the.
Jordan Florence.
The glorious man himself, Mario.
Well, yeah, in that movie, he doesn't have the clearance to get like the good food.
So the machine's just making him all this crap lousy food.
And then he wakes her up and she's like a gold pass passenger or whatever.
So she gets like all the good food.
I just thought it was kind of is it synthesizing food or is it just like dumping stores?
No, I think I'm pretty sure it's just like.
Fabbing the food out of thin air, but I could be wrong.
I don't know.
I don't think you really need much to just print food.
Love that tastes good.
See, see, we could end we could end world hunger with my thought.
Just start conjuring the food and hand it out to everyone.
But leave me all the fillet steaks.
I want that button for me.
Well, speaking of conjuring up things, I think what we left off.
Marin, you had you had some some words that were conjuring in front of you on a on a book,
if I remember right.
That's right.
A little quick cap here.
Quick recap.
A party made their way to town.
They went to the Fandelin and met with some people, got a room at the inn, I think.
Stop by, checked out the the bathhouse.
Emmer said a little recon.
Corrin met up with a priestess and Marin played with a painting on the wall, which happened
to be a teleportation rune, and he just bamfed out of existence and into this creepy library.
Wonderful library.
Maze like at first, it was a little difficult to navigate.
There was a large locked door.
He couldn't figure his way.
He then made his way through and found a book with the spine labeled Rockseekers.
When he pulled the book, he heard some reaction in the other room back where the large door
was, excuse me, and made his way back there.
The door had unlocked.
He pushed his way through that door and found himself walking into a massive circular shaped
room with these enormous piles of books that reach up easily 20-30 feet high.
There's a small pathway that he could walk, just barely walk through these books.
All the meanwhile, while he's making his way through, we have these dancing light spells
that are illuminating everything.
He looks up and there's these books and they're floating, they're levitating, but they're
flying and whizzing around the room in a counter-clockwise motion.
He makes his way along the path that's cleared out to his left, a mountain of books, to his
right, a mountain of books, just reaching up all the way almost to the ceiling.
He rounds a little left bend in this path and it opens up to a little clearing, no wider
than about 15 feet.
In this clearing, he sees a desk and a desk and a chair and there seemed to be a quill
that was glowing with this bright pink at the end of it, reddish pink.
As he approached the desk, the quill seemed to come to life and it lifted itself off the
desk and began to scribble into the book.
Where we left off was he approached the book as it was writing and the book had written,
hello Gundren.
And we'll pick it back up there.
Gundren, you stand in front of this book.
Uh, hi.
Well, first I dropped the sack I created out of my sleeping shirt full of books down and
I set down my axe and I approached this here, your desk and I'll just take a seat.
And I'll take up the quill and I'll write back, hello.
You go to grab the quill and it's as if it's like locked in place, like you can't move
it.
And I'll just, just look around a bit perturbed and then I'll just say out loud, hello.
Anna, you hear me?
The pen begins to scribble once again and it says, you've come far to find this place.
It's just etching away.
Uh, I, I suppose I have.
What is this place?
It scribbles in, the library holds many secrets and then it keeps, it pauses, but then keeps
writing some of which are tied to you in ways you cannot yet comprehend.
It's not so.
And uh, Maya's supposed to discover these secrets.
And begins to scribble again.
Your journey has led you here, not by chance, but by design.
There are truths hidden within these walls that connect you to your very essence.
I see.
And uh, being that perhaps I am not Gundren, would there be secrets here still tied to
me?
It pauses.
It writes.
Then perhaps the generations have gone on and he starts writing names, the book, the
Quill starts writing names in the book.
Writes like, the Atticus?
Question mark.
No.
Uh, Roxic or who, who does still live?
Writes Corbin?
Question mark.
No.
I am a.
Writes Marin?
Question mark.
I, that would be the one.
Though, uh, I am no of clan Rockseeker.
It scribbles in.
What is of the Rockseeker?
What has happened to the Rockseeker?
I'm sorry.
Uh, Gundren has disappeared.
Uh, kidnapped by goblins or some such.
And his brothers have no been back in town for some days.
But uh, there's hope he does still live.
And me and my companions will be seeking him out.
Seeking Rockseeker.
Rockseeker seekers as it were.
Um, it starts to scribble again.
And it says.
Among the volumes of forgotten lore, find the book that whispers more.
And these words begin to glow in like a bright gold.
And then slowly fade down.
It then starts to write again.
Know this Marin.
The path ahead is intertwined with your past.
Each step you take brings you closer to understanding who you are and the power you hold.
Experience your instincts and remember the library's secrets are yours to uncover.
Hi.
Real quick it was of the books of forgotten lore.
Seek the volume that whispers more?
Mm hmm.
Okay.
Thank you.
Um, hi.
Um, I see.
Is that perhaps?
One moment.
Is there perhaps a way out of this place?
And once I found my way out, a way back in?
It begins to scribble again.
The path in which you came is the path in which you leave.
I see.
And uh, the path with which I came will work more than once?
It begins to scribble.
Provided it is given a supply of energy, it shall work once again.
I see.
That I maybe can do.
Um, and uh, if it's not too late to be asking, who might it be that I am conversing with?
The pen begins to scribble, and in a beautiful cursive, as if it's signing his name, you
see the first name Thrain, and it begins to write the last name, but the quill just falls
onto the table.
I see.
And the glow leaves the quill.
Um, sit for a minute more, thinking over everything I have just heard.
Um.
Red.
Yeah.
True.
Stay wild and read.
I heard it in my brain.
And uh, and I stand up, and I look around, I uh, I heft up my sack of pilfered books
made out of my shirt, uh, I pop it open, and I see if I can pick up this uh, this diary
notebook.
This, this book of communication.
Um, and I sweep it in with the rest of them.
You try to, but just as the quill was like, immovable, you find that the book itself also
feels like it weighs like thousands of pounds.
You try to get your fingers under the edge of it to like pull it closed or try to slide
it off the desk, and it's just not moving.
Yeah.
I uh, I nod to myself.
I half expecting that anyway.
Um, and instead I just bend and pick one of the mini books off the ground and throw it
in there instead.
Um, cause you know, you know.
Uh, I look around this place once more.
Um.
Go.
I will be back.
Uh, very Terminator-esque.
And I'm going to start heading for the entrance exit.
Okay.
Roll perception check.
Can't do.
Uh, what dice am I using tonight?
Let's use these.
I have a feeling because you took a book, it's like going to be like uh, uh, page master
where the books start attacking Kevin.
Uh, fourteen.
Or what's it?
Fourteen.
Okay.
Um, you begin to walk back towards the way you came and you begin to hear like these
sounds um, like this almost like a somebody whispering loudly.
And you look up and one of the books that is gliding past overhead seems to be making
this noise.
And you watch as it begins to just sail past you and it's about ten feet past you.
Uh, and it's one of the books that's flying around the room.
Hmm.
Should have learned Mage Hand.
Uh.
Ten feet past me.
Um.
I don't really have any magical way of stopping it.
Uh, as of yet.
Throw a book at it.
Um, I'm gonna do a quick run after it.
See if I can lay hands upon it.
Or are they?
Okay, now it's one of the books that's soaring up in the air.
So you're gonna have to make your way onto the book pile.
Um, pacing after it you go to climb up this book pile.
Roll a, roll a dexterity check.
Because these things are books and they're kind of slippery.
That's unfortunate.
Okay.
They're not stacked properly on each other.
Thirteen.
Okay, yeah.
So you're able to, um, make your way, maybe not the fastest up this thing, but you get,
you're able to climb to the peak and you can see that the book now is about, still about
maybe fifteen feet out in front of you.
It's sort of slow, it's one of the more slower, um, floating books.
Slowly circling the room?
Yeah.
Uh, is it circling away from me at the moment or towards me?
It's currently circling away from you.
I see.
Um, hmm.
Uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna try and do a work smarter not harder.
Um, and I'm just going to keep an eye on it and wait for it to come all the way back around.
Okay, good call.
Meanwhile, back in Phandalin.
Books are slippery when opened.
Corrin, roll me a perception check.
Are you resting right now?
Like you're like meditating?
Yeah.
Are you in like a rest date?
Yeah.
My, my, uh, rest date is meditation, so.
Cause I don't, I, uh, being a, uh, elf, I don't have to sleep.
I, I, I don't sleep, I should say.
I meditate instead.
Okay.
Fun fact, I'm also immune to magical sleep.
Um, let's see, let me pull up my character sheet here.
You said perception?
Yeah.
Eighteenth?
So, um, you begin to hear the sound of footsteps approaching you, many footsteps.
Are they within eye shot?
Cause I'm looking, I'm looking back over my shoulder.
Uh, you look back over your shoulder and you see now that there are roughly four figures
approaching and they're probably within about 30 feet.
Are they, uh, coming at me aggressively or?
They just seem to be walking.
Um, it's kind of dark out.
So you're having a hard time making out exactly what they're wearing, but you can see the
four silhouettes as they begin to get closer.
Okay.
I'm going to, uh, palm one of my darts just in case.
And I'm going to continue meditating, but keep being high alert.
Okay.
They continue to get closer.
Now you would gather that they're probably almost like right behind you.
Have you come to meditate as well?
Yeah, one of them, one of them says, and two of the figures.
Reach out towards you.
Um, roll a, see how we're going to, how are we going to resolve this?
I feel like, I feel like you're not surprised by this situation, but you allowed them to
walk right up to you.
Um, yeah, I'm in town.
I'm not trying to be hostile.
Right.
Exactly.
Um, but it's at that moment you kind of look over your shoulder when you hear him say, get
him and you see that these individuals are wearing this red, like these red scarves and
red cloaks.
Do I recognize this?
These would match the characteristics of the red brands.
So they reach out towards you.
I'm going to have you roll.
Okay.
Uh, before you say that, I would imagine if somebody's reaching out towards me and I'm
on high alert.
I imagine, uh, just through martial arts, I use their, uh, grab their hand, use their
weight and pull them down in front of me, like flip them over me.
Okay.
You pull one of them and flip them over you.
And then I put the dart right up to his neck.
I would say that the other ones are still trying to apprehend you.
Even after that?
Well, they, it was like all in one motion.
So you grab and flip and the other ones are still trying to get you.
And I'm going to immediately, I want to immediately say, are we here to talk or should I end his
life right now?
Roll dexterity saving throw as they reach out to grab you.
Dexterity.
They don't want to talk.
You know, 20, dirty 20.
Okay.
You managed to avoid being grabbed by them.
Um, roll for initiative.
All right.
And the one shouts out, look at this one new to town.
What do you got on you?
Now one that you flipped around says, guys, guys, Hey, a little help here.
Uh, 21.
Okay.
So the one that shouted out, what have you got?
He comes at you.
Um, and he is going to grapple.
Roll a strength saving throw 16.
These are contested, right?
Croaker.
Uh, it's not a strength saving throw.
So the initiator, the strength check, right?
The initiator, the grapple is going to throw an athletics check, which is contested by
the targets, athletics or acrobatics, whichever they choose.
Okay.
In a monk's case, I imagine would be acrobatics, a check or saving throw for him.
Check their skill checks.
Checks.
Okay.
So it's athletics versus acrobatics here.
Okay.
Uh, 19.
And I rolled a 19 as well.
I don't know who one's in a tie.
I assume the defender one's in a tie usually, but I don't know for sure.
So he struggles.
He's struggling to grab you.
Um, it's your turn.
How many?
You said there was four.
Yeah.
There's four total.
Yeah.
Um, okay.
Uh, I want to push the dart into this guy's, um, juggler vein and then, um, roll to poke
me with your dart.
All right.
Imagine it wouldn't be, what am I adding to this?
Be with advantage if this guy's prone.
Yeah.
Okay.
Would it just be, do I, am I running, roll, am I unarmed or what am I rolling here?
Uh, you have a, you have a dart?
Yeah.
Roll that dart.
22 to hit.
All right.
That hits.
Eight damage.
Oh, all right.
Um, you just buried this thing into his neck and he cries out.
What?
Um, he's still alive.
Although bleeding heavily from his neck.
And then I want to, the other guy that was kind of grappling me, I want to elbow him
right in the face.
Okay.
22 to hit.
Dirty.
Uh, dirty 20 hits.
Seven damage.
Uh, you throw an elbow back.
It cracks him in the nose.
You watch his nose just start bleeding.
Um, does he, does he stumble back a little bit so I can stand up?
He doesn't move like by the tur, by the, the mechanics of the game, but maybe he'll do
like a little flavor, uh, a flavor stumble, a little flavor stum.
Yeah.
It's basically, I mean, I imagine he's not moving out of his square, but like just cracking
them in the face so I can get up without issue kind of deal.
Yeah.
I'd say you're probably, you're able to stand up.
Okay.
So yeah, I'm going to stand up and, uh, it's everything I can do.
Okay.
Um, one of the other ones, there's two left.
One of the other ones who's sort of off to your left, um, approaches and they attempt
to grapple you as well.
Okay.
Ooh, there we go.
That's, it's going to be a 21.
All right.
Oh, you're hard to get.
So he's, he's, this one also tries to grab you and doesn't get it.
So the last one attempts to grab you as well.
Little known fact, Karen is made out of a book.
All right.
If I'm like, I'm pulling kind of high.
I got 18.
All right.
I got 18.
So this one manages to grab you.
Okay.
Um, you have the grappled condition and then it goes back to the top of the Anish, the
one that you just elbowed is also going to attempt to see how would this work?
Cause I know that somebody who's grappled can take the action to pin and then restrain
the target.
If he has, if somebody already has him grappled, can another person then pin?
Uh, I think they would have to enter the grapple as well.
Could be wrong though.
Grappling is not the most detailed thing in Fitbit.
As my speed becomes zero, it can't benefit from any bonus from speed.
Condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated.
The condition also ends if the effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the
grappler or the grappling effect.
I think you need the grappler feet to try and pin someone you have grappled.
I thought you could restrain somebody that you have grappled.
I'm not saying that you can move a target you have grappled.
But there's a feet here called grappler, which specifically states it gives you the ability
to pin someone you have grappled.
Okay.
But I mean, it's, it's up to you.
I don't see why you wouldn't be able to, especially if you had three lads all in a grapple together.
Yeah.
Well, top of the round, this guy, cause you would think since he's already grappled that
somebody else attempting to grapple would then have an advantage on that, right?
Cause he's already grappled.
So somebody else trying to grab him.
I mean, mechanically, it does not look like it.
I mean, imagine if people are grappled, you might be able to pin someone off.
Um, somebody has a hold of you though, where you can't move and then somebody else comes
to grab you as well.
It's going to be a lot easier for that person to grab you.
Yeah.
I mean, up to you.
Uh, I just want to play fair.
So I think what I'm going to do in this situation is, uh, just going to hit you.
All right.
Um, viable option.
He has like a club in his hand.
You don't see like a weapon with a blade or anything.
Ooh, I don't know.
16?
Uh, misses.
Okay.
So he swings, um, and he misses.
Maybe you like push off the ground a little bit to move yourself backwards.
It is now your turn.
All right.
Um, so there's one guy on the ground, one guy holding me and two others.
Uh, yep.
Uh, which, which one is the guy holding me?
The one that you elbowed.
One I elbowed.
Okay.
Very well.
Um, he says, uh, hold still.
We're just trying to welcome you to town.
Is this how you welcome people?
Give us what you got and we'll lead you go.
Ah, well as a monk, I really don't have anything other than my fist.
And then I punch, punch the guy grappling me.
All right.
Roll the hit.
Uh, 22.
22 hits.
And our eight damage.
Uh, eight damage.
And he kind of, you, you, you pretty much knock him out.
Like he just, he, you feel his grip loosen up and he hits the ground.
Then I want to do a bonus action, uh, flurry of blows.
So I'm going to kick the guy on the ground.
Uh, 22 to hit.
That hits.
On our eight damage to him.
Geez.
Is that dice roll anything less than max?
Holy cow.
All right.
Um, this was to the one on the ground, right?
Yep.
And then my last attack, uh, to one of the guys standing.
Ooh, I'm going to miss on this one.
Okay.
Yeah, that, that 10 misses.
Um, he dodges out of the way.
And then I'm going to simply say two of you down, two to go.
So far not much of a fight.
Are you sure you want to continue this line?
And I'll be much.
Just give us what you got and we'll leave you alone.
Empty those pockets now.
Then I do like the whole Bruce Lee, uh, like flick the nose and give them the, like the
come here, uh, bring it on kind of deal.
That one says the one says very well then that's how it's going to be.
Um, the one that was on the ground that just got punched in the face.
Um, he's going to stand up and he's going to take a swing at you with his club.
Oh, he's not down down.
Nope.
Oh, and then they pull out a flintlock pistol and shoot.
Oh, that's a good one.
Uh, okay.
That's going to be a 18 to hit.
I'll hit.
All right.
I think it's just, yeah, it's a D four.
So all right.
That's four points of bludgeoning damage.
Um, the one of the ones standing is going to take a swing at you.
Uh, it's going to miss.
Roll the nine.
Not cool.
Oh, the next one takes a swing and misses as well with a seven.
They say, uh, he's this one stuff to hit.
And that brings us back to your turn because the other guy is unconscious on the ground.
All right.
I'm going to, uh, you have the one who's just bleeding from his nose, uh, badly.
Like his face is super swollen.
It's starting to puff up.
Like one of his eyes starting to come swole clothes, swollen clothes.
That's the guy on the ground though.
He got up.
Yeah.
He stood up.
No, no.
The guy that I had on the ground is the one I put the dart through his neck.
Right.
He's bleeding from his neck and his, his face is all like swollen pulp.
Okay.
Uh, yeah, I'm going to punch.
I'm going to, I want to do, um, a roundhouse kick across the face.
16 to hit.
Yep.
That's going to hit.
For all of you listening, corn has rolled his D four, like four times and it's come
up for every time.
Almost every time.
Yeah.
There was a three.
Oh yeah.
Sorry.
Well, let's see.
It's one, two, three, four.
I got, I'm seeing the last.
Oh no, that's okay.
It's a D 20.
One, two, three.
Yeah.
The last three rolls have been a four.
That's four, eight, uh, four fours and one three.
Are you roundhouse this guy to his face?
He's kind of like holding his neck.
I mean, he's like stood up and he swung at you, but miss.
Yeah, we can wait.
No, no.
And you've roundhouse kick him.
Uh, and he, he falls to the ground unconscious.
Okay.
And I, before I do my bonus action, I'm just going to look at the other two, uh, try, uh,
basically just glaring at them at this point to see if I'm going to intimidate them to
leave me alone.
Roll intimidation check.
Hell yeah.
18.
They look at you.
They look at each other.
They look at you.
They look at each other.
Come on.
Let's get out of here.
Let's go.
And they start to run the other way provoking.
One of them will at least they're both in melee so they could provoke from you if you
so wish to take that action.
Oh no, I think that would be against my character.
I'm letting them leave.
Okay.
And they just, they just sprint away into the night.
Meanwhile, back in the mysterious library.
Marin you see as this book is starting to approach you, um, and it begins to fly towards
you and you see now that is within just about your arms reach.
I'm gonna give it a grab.
All right.
You grabbed the book.
Uh, I'm gonna look on the cover of the spine just for a title.
I'm sending you a message.
Zoom. this is the volume that whispers more.
You hear it.
It's whispering.
Um, you can hear like this.
It's hard to make out what it's saying, but it just sounds like whispers.
Cool.
Um, and the spine says hairless whispers.
All right.
Uh, I'm going to do that thing where I like go down on my side a little bit and slide
down this pile of books.
Um, and I'm gonna shove careless whispers into my sack with the other pile of books
I have in there now.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna try and make for the exit.
Um, okay.
You make your way back the way you came.
Um, you pass through the large, uh, it was iron door, make your way down the hall, make
a right.
And you're now standing back in the room with the teleportation, the large teleportation
room, rune on the ground.
Right.
Um, I am going to head into the center.
Um, I'm going to sit down cross legged, pop the, uh, the books into my lap.
Um, and then I am going to, uh, I'm gonna try and channel some of my own magical energies
into the rune.
Um, I'd like to try and avoid using spell slots if possible.
So I want to try and gather these energies as if I'm doing a ritual casting.
Um, so I'm going to take my time about it.
Um, and try and get this thing to activate.
Uh, if not though, I can burn some spell slots.
Not that I have many.
I hold two spell slots I have.
Uh, you sit there and you're focusing on it.
You're trying to channel your energy through this ritualistic means.
Um, but you don't see it lighting up any brighter or making any kind of reaction.
And then you think to yourself, what did I do in the inn?
Right.
Um, I'll ritual cast detect magic.
And then, uh, I'll just touch it like I did in the inn.
You touch it with ritual magic, detect magic, and nothing seems to happen.
Um, let's see.
What else?
Oh, I had, sure.
I'll cast armor of agapis on myself.
Just the other thing I had done in the inn and we'll give it another, another go.
You feel this surge of power come over you, um, as you feel bolstered by your magic.
Um, however, the magic doesn't seem to go into the room.
Um, okay.
Uh, I'm gonna roll an arcana.
Okay.
Ooh, natural 20, 25.
You remember the spell that you cast in the inn was you were trying to clean it off.
It was dusty.
Oh yeah.
It was just prestidigitation, weren't it?
Um, throw prestidigitation at it.
You see it light up and like a camera flash before your eyes, you're blinded by this intense
light and before you know it, uh, the next brief moment that occurs, you find yourself
back in your room, uh, in the closet of the inn.
Do I have my, um, stack of books and acts?
You look at the books and you check the books.
Um, all of the books are there.
The only one that has any bit of writing on it is careless whisperer.
The rest of them appear to be all blank.
Well, right.
All right.
Um, just for experimentation sake, because I am a wizard, I'm going to press the digitate
on the rune again.
You bamf back into the library.
Hmm.
I'm gonna check the books once more.
They got writing in here in the library.
They do.
I'm going to dump all the books out of my thing except for careless whisper.
I'll stack them up nicely in the corner so they're close and, uh, prestidigitate my way
back to the inn.
And you bamf back and this time there's this slow musical monologue for a moment of you
traveling through this time plane and you can almost hear the faint sound of George
Michael in the background and then bamf back to the closet of the inn.
You had a perfect opportunity to Rick Roll.
Yeah.
I'm gonna look at the wall again.
This rune, how big was it?
It's as my palm bigger?
Uh, no, it's actually bigger.
Yeah, so the rune that's on the wall is roughly, I want to say, maybe about two foot tall,
like round.
It's like circular.
All right.
Almost triangular.
It has like that shape that was in the library.
Yeah, I see.
Um, okay.
Innkeeper would probably be mad if I removed a two foot by two foot panel from his wall,
so we'll leave it there for now.
It's the Triforce Harry.
Is it still like middle of the night?
It is.
All right.
Um, I'm gonna head over and I'm going to crack open careless whisper and start reading through
it a little bit, but it's been late and I've had a day and I'm going to fall asleep so
I can get that sweet sweet long rest.
Um, Ren kicks his feet up, opens the book, leans back.
Time for some relaxation.
And I start snoring.
All right.
And we leave that scene and now we head back to Corrin.
I'm going to pat down these two that I laid out.
Do what they're carrying.
Okay.
On their persons there isn't much.
You see that one of them, they both reek like alcohol, by the way.
They have clubs.
They're wearing leather armor.
And aside from that, they just have one of them has 12 silver and the other one has,
oh, that went way off my table.
Three gold.
Okay.
I'm going to take that three gold and 12 silver and I'm going to put it as offerings to the
statue, uh, to the shrine.
And then I'm going to remove these clubs from these bodies and, uh, drag them over in front
of the bar and just drop them off and then go right back to my meditation.
Okay.
Uh, let's see.
I brought the map up, but I don't know if you guys can see it.
Yeah.
Okay.
I thought I had a party token for like all of you guys.
Oh, it's in the north.
I'm going to clean off my dirt on his clothing too.
Okay.
So let's see.
You guys would be sleeping here.
Yep.
At the stone hill inn.
You place, you're over here, Corin.
You place the offering down and go back to meditations.
What you said?
Sorry.
Yeah.
So I drag, I dragged their body, uh, take the clubs and just toss them where, you know,
off to the side to where, you know, somebody's not going to just grab them.
And then I'm going to drag their bodies back to, uh, uh, in front of the bar, drop our
the side of the bar and just drop them off the side of the bar and wipe off my, uh, dart
on their shirt and walk back and go back to my meditation.
Okay.
And you finish your meditation there undisturbed for the rest of the night.
The sun slowly comes up and you can hear the sound of roosters somewhere off in the distance.
Um, let's go to the inn.
Emris, you're waking up.
Um, you are in, you're in the stone hill inn.
Uh, you find yourself waking up in your room and yeah, I'll let you guys just go from there.
What do you guys want to do?
Um, I'm going to maybe go downstairs and get breakfast.
All right.
So you head downstairs for breakfast.
As you do, you walk past the door to Bishop's room.
We go in the door.
Bishop, uh, have you awoken or are you still sleeping?
Still sleeping.
Okay.
Bishop's sleeping in.
And then you walk down one more door and you see Marin's door.
What would Marin be doing?
Marin is awake.
Um, he has been for a little bit, despite how tired he was last night.
Uh, careless whisper is open on his nightstand, but at the moment he is not reading it.
Um, he sat cross-legged in the middle of his room doing, uh, another ritual cast.
Um, it's ritual casting alarm on the room.
Um, more than once really.
Uh, I believe I need to ritual cast it four times.
Um, then once I finish that, I'll be heading down.
After the first ritual casting, uh, the other ones, I seem to be, um, harnessing most of
the energies of the spell rather than letting them settle and channeling them into a bit
of a ward around me.
Uh, if you concentrate too hard on Marin, um, you can see a bit of a sheen to the air,
like, uh, like oil on water every now and then.
Uh, that's cool.
But only when you, when you concentrate.
As I walk by that door, like I, I feel like I heard something that I shouldn't have.
And you know, that face that people make when they walk, walk in on something they shouldn't
have seen.
I'm going to do that and just keep walking by.
Um, once I finish my ritual cast, I'm going to, uh, grab Careless Whisper, pop it open
and start reading it even as I walk downstairs to get some breakfast.
Um, settle that puzzle.
Pop open my actual spell book.
And, uh, taking notes.
You know how it goes.
Wizard stuff.
Yeah.
You see Emras, uh, down there.
And you guys now, uh, make your, you've made your way into the tavern.
It's a, it's a busy morning here in the tavern.
Um, and you see the same crew there.
You have Tolbin behind the counter.
Um, and you have his dwarven assistant, the bartender, uh, Elsa.
She's there and she's serving out like drinks and food.
Um, Elsa comes by your table.
Well, what should it be this morning?
To eat, you know.
You have more of that cheese.
Oh, we have all the cheese, finest cheeses.
Of course.
We have the provolone, we have the gouda, peta, parmesan, colby, five minutes later,
swiss, gorgonzola.
Which would you like?
Take the gouda, some bread, and some provolone with a glass of mead.
Ah, it's a bit early for the mead, wouldn't you say?
Ah, it's, it's midday somewhere.
Would you like, would you care to try our Stonehill brew?
It's a stout mead.
Absolutely.
That sounds fantastic.
Takes the edge off the morning, they say.
Uh, all right.
And what about for you?
Will you be having anything?
Just eggs and bacon for me, Miss Morsica.
And a Stonehill mead sounds fine.
I'm buried in my book, so I do look over to her, but not for long.
Go back to the reading.
She blushes.
Oh, eggs and bacon, very well.
What do you have there?
That book?
What is, what you're working on?
Just a new book came across my path.
I'm making some notes here in my own spell book.
Seeking some lore, as it were, Miss Lorsica.
My sister, my sister Gwyn, she's very familiar with many books as well.
Perhaps she's, perhaps she's read the one or seen the one you have found.
What is it?
It, uh, to be called Careless Whisper, I do believe.
What about treat this on language?
Sounds like sultry music.
Very well.
I shall get your order.
I'll be back.
She walks off back towards the tavern.
And Corrin, what are you up to this morning?
I imagine I started my morning routine of stretching and doing some morning Tai Chi
or doing my katas.
Emris, you look out the window and you can see across the field or across the road there
but near the shrine you see Corrin going through like Tai Chi movements.
I don't know where this guy gets all that energy.
He's a damned elf.
He's been up two hours longer than the rest of us already.
Ugh, I can't imagine how they operate with so little sleep.
Don't actually sleep them once.
They just meditate.
Ugh, what a nightmare.
That doesn't sound like fun at all.
In fact, I don't know if they have nightmares even.
So, what you got there?
I heard you say something about a treat us on language.
Aye, this book here, it's got quite a bit of information about various languages and
the ability to comprehend them despite the not knowing them ritual stuff.
More than I care to explain or more than I really can manage to explain myself just yet.
But interesting.
I'm getting it.
Ah, well good luck with that then.
Seems like you're preoccupied.
I'll quit bugging you.
I know what it is.
We do need to gather up and find Sildar, he owes us some money.
And we need to get to the dickering, split all the gold we've earned up.
You guys are interrupted because you look to your right and just peering like above
the edge of the table like with his nose rested on the table, you see two sets of eyes and
a young boy is there.
He says up to you, he says, are you guys heroes?
I don't know if I'd go that far.
Yeah, but we try to aspire to that.
I heard you traveled with the legendary Yimik.
I turned back to my book.
He did engage the small child.
Was he was he really that courageous?
For a goblin, he was very courageous.
So he tackled an entire barrel of alcohol by himself.
He sounds really tough.
He did try.
You must be tough then, too, if you travel with him.
My friend Karp, he said he found a secret tunnel in the woods.
But the red brands almost caught him.
The innkeeper's son, right?
Yeah.
Have you seen have you seen the red brands?
We've seen them, we believe.
We haven't been here long enough to really have had real interactions with them yet,
though.
When did we do that?
I saw him last night when everyone was winding down.
Give them some room.
Get out of here, boy.
Bust the tables.
Tulben walks up.
Good to see you.
You sleep well?
Sure did.
Good morning, Torben.
Hiya.
In a way.
Bet you did finest beds in all of Fandalin.
Very fine, in fact, Tulben.
In fact, I'm hoping to keep that room on reserve for myself for the next couple of weeks.
Fancy room three, huh?
Aye.
I fancy it a fair bit.
Very well.
We'll discuss the board later.
You can indulge in your fine cheeses this morning.
Oh, bacon and eggs for you, I see.
And Elsa's bringing your food and setting it on the table.
Here's your cheese and bread.
This is the Stonehill Mead.
And you wanted, oh yes, bacon and eggs.
Here you are.
Thank you, Ms. Warseeker.
Mr. Stonehill.
Ah, Tulben.
Is his name Tulben or Torben?
Ah, it's Tulben.
Tulben.
T-O-B-L-E-N.
Tulben.
T-O-B-L-E-N.
Tulben.
I see.
Yes.
Have you seen Sildar this morning, or is he still a bed?
Ah, he was up early.
He stopped by.
Said he needed to go speak with the mayor, and he'd be back.
Wonderful.
Thank you.
Is there anything else I can get you?
I'm gonna get back to my usual chit-chatting with the people of the town, trying to hear
the gossip.
Thank you.
Good luck with that.
Thank you, Tulben.
Very well.
He walks off back to his counter.
Bishop, you still sleeping?
Mm-hmm.
He's just got in from a campaign.
He's gotta catch up on his missing sleep.
At that moment, you see Sildar walks into the tavern.
He makes eyes with you guys, and walks over and sits down at the table.
Morning, Sildar.
Good morning.
Did you have a good night?
Rested up and feeling better.
And you?
Aye.
It was very interesting.
It was interesting how a knight at the Stonehill Inn can recharge your batteries.
Isn't that just so?
What's a battery?
A battery?
It's an enchanted stone that you use to charge up with magic, but empowering enchantments
future.
I hear the gnomes talking about it.
I just thought it was hip.
Batteries are a really ancient invention.
They found batteries in pyramids and stuff, so I would imagine batteries wouldn't be...
Who's saying that?
Looks over towards the window.
You can come in.
You don't have to stand at the window.
It's just a muffled person conversing through the window.
You're fogging up the glass again.
Skippers away.
I'm gonna wait a bit for Sildar to be able to order a breakfast or whatever, if that's
what he has in mind.
Not much of a breakfast guy myself.
Weighs me down first thing in the morning.
I've already been busy.
Had a brief meeting with Harbin Wester, the townmaster here of Phandalin.
He's looking to speak with you.
Hi.
We heard something about marauders on the Northern Road, or Eastern Road.
It was on one of the roads, I'm pretty sure.
Probably one of the townsfolk mentioned that.
Aye.
I'm sure he may know something more.
Well, we'll be sure to seek him out once Bishop wakes and Hyrand comes inside, eventually,
I imagine.
I was meaning to speak with you though, myself.
Sildar, I believe there was a promise of some gold on successful escort back to Phandalin.
That's right.
How much did I say?
I was hitting the head several times.
I believe it was fifty.
Fifty.
Well, you did do me a good service.
And an upstanding member of the Lord's Alliance like yourself?
Pocket change, no?
Right you are.
I walk in and go to the bar and order bread and broth.
He lays a coin pouch down with presumably the gold that you've requested in it.
Emreis, you take a drink of this Stonehill Stout.
Roll me a Constitution saving throw.
Oh nice.
Uh oh.
This is some strong mead.
Oh man.
You're a little tipsy.
This will put hair on your chest.
Oh, going after the Stonehill Mead this early.
Well, I didn't know what I was getting into.
Stonehill's known for their meads.
But there's the Stout takes the edge off the morning.
I mean it's gonna take the morning out of the edge too for me.
Listen, there's some things that I need to know.
Hi.
Perhaps after your meeting with Harbin we could work on a couple things.
Perhaps?
I'd love to see this town thrive and become prosperous.
It's a good town.
Has some setbacks but overall it has the makings of a profitable area.
Therefore, I want to find these Wave Echo Caves and I want to help the Rockseeker brothers
put it back into production.
I think, and then I do a look up the stairs back towards my room.
I think I'll be staying in this town for a while yet and I'm mighty happy to help the
Rockseekers in their search for Wave Echo Cave.
Now that's kind of back burner to my original task of being here.
You see, I'm looking for the fellow member of the Lords Alliance which I've mentioned
to you already.
Arno Alvarek.
Right.
I'd like you to maybe ask around.
See if you can find anything out.
I've been asking but everybody's so starstruck by my appearance here.
All I get is requests to sign armor and random flashing from the ladies as they walk the streets.
But I did notice that Lanine seemed to have something for you.
He smiles and you see that sparkle off of his teeth.
So bright.
Arno's a short, dark-bearded human wizard.
He's in his thirties.
I don't know what could have happened.
Well, we need to be asking around about these crag malls and their supposed castle where
they took Lundgren.
I see no horror in asking about Arno as well.
Another thing I noticed while coming into town is there's a group of individuals that
moved in.
They seem to be faking down the businesses.
Red Brans.
Yeah.
Tell you what.
I'll offer you 200 gold if you eliminate them.
Get them out of this town.
Really?
That's right.
200.
It might be a little more complicated than just running them out.
There's a rumor that there may be some affiliation between them and the glowing goblins.
Hey, that boy Corp did see them, didn't he?
That's what his father said, yeah.
The farmer's boy.
No, the innkeeper.
Toblin's boy's pimp.
Toblin's boy was carp.
If it's carp, you're talking about.
No, that's Quailene Alderleaf's son.
Pips the boy that runs around here busting the tables.
I bet with personal space that one.
Very curious.
A curious lad.
If you're talking about the Red Brand.
Who's that?
I'm just kidding.
Come, take a seat.
Sit down with my broth and bread and I'm dipping the bread in the broth and just taking small
bites with my mask off to the side.
It's the Red Brand you're talking about.
Four of them paid me a visit last night.
Two of them walked away.
Oh, I tried to get the upper hand on you.
I give them an opportunity to walk away.
They did not choose it.
They come from the other bar.
One that they've been known to hang out at.
They reeked of alcohol, I would assume.
So yes.
Could be the same group that I saw last night roughing up the locals.
Well, the townsfolk already suspect them of one murder in town.
So it is not surprising.
Yeah.
Getting rid of them would help the town for sure.
Not to mention make you 200 gold.
Aye.
That is something.
Yeah, but again, it's not going to be as simple as pushing them out if they're related to
the goblins in any form.
No, but perhaps pushing them out or eliminating them will help us learn more about this Kragmaw
Castle and our missing rockseeker.
If you push them out, we can bolster this town.
Therefore, they won't be able to easily overrun it again, making one less problem on our plate
if we're going after these goblins, yeah?
Aye.
We may even be able to trap the tunnel if we know when they're coming through.
And from what I see, last night, they're willing to extort anybody.
Even when I told them I had nothing to extort.
We do have something, though, however.
No?
We should have the 40 gold we got from Barthens, no?
I have not collected that from you yet.
No?
You collected it from her.
I'm collecting it from you so we can distribute it.
Oh.
Sure, yeah, yeah.
I do have, oh, and then I do have 13 of my starter gold still, so yes.
Well, that will be yours, so.
Yeah.
Great.
Now, if Bishop would wake up, we could maybe get to splitting it up.
So I've already done all the math for splitting this all up.
Does anyone, well, anyone have an interest in this?
Then I pull out the small jade statuette of a frog.
I'm going, can I do a religion check on this frog?
Or a knowledge nature or something?
Sure, yeah, you guys should roll on the frog.
What do you want to roll?
Nature?
Religion?
I'll take both.
Which one's higher?
14.
Off to a good start today with my 8.
Right.
It's a cool looking frog.
Hell yeah.
How about you?
Anything in the pattern is 14.
Nah, just looks like a nice frog, like a nice little.
If you find a use for it, then take it, otherwise sell it for our coffers, yes?
I have no use for it.
What if someone's willing to take it as part of their ship?
Do we sense any magic or anything coming from the frog, or is it just a statue?
No magic.
Just a fun carving.
I believe we've already detected magic on it.
Yeah, there's no presence of magic.
Some people just like their frogs.
I like frogs, I'll take it as part of my share.
Great.
I'm going to slide it over to you, and then.
I'm going to exhale warm breath onto the forehead of the frog, and wipe it down just to clean
it up.
And then, thunder.
Do you want us to roleplay money changers?
By that I mean getting this 1700 copper turned into 17 gold pieces.
150 silver?
Or can we say that in one of our visits to the Lion's Shield Costa or Barthin's Provision,
we upscaled our currency?
Yeah, we'll go ahead and do that.
Alright.
In which case, I push over, in addition to the frog, 15 gold and 5 silver.
And then in a small sack, I push over to Kynd, 55 gold and 5 silver.
I keep 50 gold for myself.
And then I put another sack aside with 55 gold and 5 silver for whenever Bishop decides
to wait in.
After I finish my bread and broth, I want to ask the barkeep if he knows where sister,
I don't know how to say this name, Garelli?
Gariel.
Where she might reside, so I may go have a talk with her.
Looking for the good sister, huh?
Yes, if you do not mind, please.
She lives in the house next to the shrine.
How convenient.
Thank you so much.
How much was my meal?
Pay my tab.
No, that won't be necessary.
I've got you.
Sildar smiles and you see that sparkle off his teeth.
Much appreciated.
At least I can do for the help.
I look over at Moran and nod towards him.
I'll be across the street if you need me.
Before you go, I reach into my bag and I root around.
I pull out a small vial of presumably red liquid.
I toss it your way.
Keep the sonya.
Then I roll one across the embers as well.
I keep one in my pocket.
We got three potions of healing in our previous adventures.
I'm putting one on everyone who isn't a healer.
Bishop, you snooze, you lose.
You already got magic fingers, so you're fine.
This is funny because we go up now, the next scene, to Bishop's room and we see him snuggled
in his blankets and he had closed the blinds and pulled the curtains.
But there's this one ornery beam of light that penetrates through the curtains and we
follow the beam of light and it's right on Bishop's eye.
And you just start to feel the warmth of the sun, Bishop.
I'm magnifying my eye with law.
Bishop still does not wake.
Alright, so imagine the party hangs out in the tavern and we go to Corrend.
You are approaching Sister Gariel's home.
Yes, I'll walk up to her door.
I presume it's the house to the left and I'm going to knock on the door.
You knock on the door and wait a few moments and then you are greeted by the sister Gariel
and she says, good morning to you.
Yes, good morning to you too.
Stood out by the shrine all night, did you?
Indeed, yes, thank you.
I was visited by some of the Red Band and they were kind enough to leave an offering
for the shrine.
She smiles.
Please, come in.
Thank you.
She welcomes you inside and leads you in to where you guys sit in the living room quarters
area.
Really simple, modest kind of house, nothing extravagant in here.
Everything's kept real neat and she has some incense going.
You know of the Shadar Chai.
That's right.
Been some time since I've talked to anyone of my kind, yet alone somebody who knows of
my kind anymore.
Seems like they're all but forgotten.
Ah, a mysterious group of people you are.
What is it you want to know?
There's a legend among my people of a scroll that which I do not know the contents of.
And I was looking for any leads that I may get to the scroll as I feel that it may bring
back my people.
Unfortunately, I don't be knowing about any scroll of which you speak, just the stories
of the past of your people and what become of them.
Yes, could you tell me I was incapacitated when they left?
Terrible things happen to the people.
Rumor has it most of you are all gone, no?
When be the last time you've run across one of your own?
That had to be twenty years or so.
Sounds about right.
Used to know one.
Oh?
Who, might I ask?
Went by the name Tenjin.
Does this name sound familiar to me?
You could roll history.
Ten?
No.
How do you spell that name?
Tenjin.
Would you care for some tea?
Oh, that'd be much appreciated.
Yes, thank you.
She reaches for the tea and you notice a pin on the lapel of her robe and it is of like
a harp with like a crescent moon around it.
She looked better than last night when she was walking away.
I noticed she was bleeding and what not.
She still looks like bruised and banged up.
She's not bleeding anymore.
She is still bandaged and bruised.
It looks like you had a rough day yesterday.
I have had a rough go of it for a wee bit now.
What happened may I ask?
Well, have you heard of the Harpers?
Have I?
I would imagine probably not.
Roll me another history check if you want.
Most of my current knowledge would be limited.
Unless I rolled that 20.
Everybody's heard of the Harpers.
Who hasn't?
First hails deep in the dungeons.
So you heard of us.
You would know that the Harpers are like a scattered network of adventurers and spies
who advocate equality and covertly oppose the abuse of power.
They gather information throughout Faerun to thwart tyrants and they aid the weak, the
poor and the oppressed.
I be a member of the Harpers.
Yes, I think my lady used to write letters to you.
To your Harpers I should say.
I remember translating many a letters for her.
Well, it be one of these times that I was writing in to report to my superior on the
events that occur in and around Fandalin.
Recently I was asked to undertake a delicate mission.
They wanted me to persuade a banshee named Agatha to answer a question about the spellbook.
Unfortunately for me, I underestimated Agatha's wrath.
When I attempted to approach, she became hostile.
Before I fled for my life, I noted the banshee spoke wistfully about the beautiful baubles
she owned in life.
Do you know of such a bauble?
I do.
Unfortunately I would need someone to go.
She don't be taken kindly to me no more.
Understand.
She needs a suitable gift.
I found this when I went around searching for her belongings.
She pulls out a jeweled silver comb.
Have I seen something like this before?
Not this particular one, no.
This just looks like a really fancy comb.
Just really intricate I guess.
This belonged to her.
One of the things she was bragging about so much and going on and on and on about.
See perhaps this will help her rest, yeah?
Perhaps.
We are more interested in finding out about the location of the spellbook belonging to
a legendary mage named Baugentil.
How do you spell that?
That's B-O-W-G-E-N-T-L-E.
Baugently.
Got it.
Yes.
Baugentil.
Baugento.
Got it.
Yes.
What is the spellbook you're looking for?
I don't know.
I'm only doing what is asked of me from my superiors with the hoppers, but perhaps someone
could trade the comb for an answer.
Perhaps I could.
I will make you a deal.
If you do this for me and could help me out, I will offer you a few things.
One, I will attempt to contact Tenjin.
It has been but twenty years since last I have spoken to him, but if he is alive, perhaps
I could get a hold of him and you two would have much to speak about.
He still is on this realm, yes.
Also, I'm willing to offer up these, and she has three potions of healing.
As a lady of the temple, I don't carry much for currency.
I cannot offer you the gold that perhaps the Sildar Halvinter is offering you.
Speaking to one of my kind and the potions is more than generous.
Do be careful out there.
The red brands be out.
Yes, I have a feeling that my compatriots might want to get rid of them soon, so we may look
into ridding this vermin from your city.
And don't underestimate this banshee.
She has great power.
Who was she in a previous life?
Him was Agatha, all I know.
You don't know where she hailed from?
Well, she was a resident here at Fandalin back before we all arrived, long ago.
I see.
And where should I find this Agatha?
She be...
Azure GM flips the pages.
You hear that, guys?
We're making progression.
How many quest hooks already?
Hold on a moment while I flip ahead to chapter three.
Chapter three?
That means we have stuff to do before we can go question this banshee.
She's in the town of Carniberry.
Carniberry?
Carniberry.
Who was that?
She looks to the window.
Marin campers off.
You can't catch me, can you?
It's an old village.
It's been abandoned for years and lies in ruins.
The tribal board trail runs through this abandoned town.
It is but an easy landmark to locate.
And the lair of the banshee.
Very well.
When we have the moment, we will...
Go speak with this banshee, hopefully.
I'll take this jeweled silver comb to her if you do not mind.
Keep it with you and keep it safe.
It is but the only thing I have to offer her.
Very well.
Or, if you wish, I will hold it until you are ready to go.
Yes, that might be ideal as well.
I'll come collect it in due time.
Should something happen to me, you will find it beneath the shrine.
I will place it there for safekeeping.
Very good.
One can never be too careful with the red brands in town.
And then before I depart, I'm going to reach my hand out to her.
May, I offer you a prayer.
You wish to dance, certainly.
Yes.
I think I would like that.
And then I'm just going to recite...
I'll go into reciting some prayers of the Raven Queen to her before taking off.
Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.
And be on my way.
Very well.
It's a pleasure speaking to you again, Corin.
Pleasure was all mine.
Come see me again when you are ready.
No, I'll just nod my head and leave.
Alright, Corin exits Sister Gariel's.
Back at Stonehill Inn, an hour later, Emreous rolled me a Constitution saving throw.
I started only sipping.
Okay, alright, you're playing to chill.
Yeah, I'm not going to drink it after it almost knocked me in my ass.
It's been an hour, though.
You've been sipping for an hour.
Yeah.
I mean, I'll do it.
I'll roll a Constitution check.
But I'm not hitting it like a normal drink.
I assume it's good and warm and maybe half-sweet.
Yeah, you felt the punch right off the bat.
Oh, God.
Moonshine's still moonshine, buddy.
It doesn't matter if you sip it or not.
You're a little drunk.
Ugh, this is a bit...
I need to go to bed.
So Sildar, about a half hour ago, had excused himself and said he was going to head to the
townmaster's hall.
I imagine Amras, because he's so drunk, he goes looking for his room to crash and he
crashes with Roche or with Bishop.
I open his door.
This isn't where I parked my bed.
What in the hell?
Moonshine's going to finish up reading his book for now.
He's got plenty of notes over in the spell book by now.
I'm going to look around and notice none of my traveling companions are here.
So I'm going to go up to Bishop's room and I'm going to do a couple of heavy knocks on
his door.
Bishop does not answer.
Bishop!
I'm going to try the handle.
Are you locked in there?
No.
Good, I'm going to open your door.
Bishop!
As you walk into the room, Bishop is still in his bed.
He's tossing and turning, sweating profusely.
His bed is soaked and all he is saying is, can't see.
Can't see.
I'm going to toss what is a rather heavy pouch of coins onto you.
Bishop, wake up!
The coins just thump into your gut.
Can't see.
I begin to grow a tad bit concerned and I lean down and I give you a heavier shake and
do another...
Bishop!
I imagine you violently shake me.
Nothing.
And my eyes flutter a little bit in my throes of being shaken and you can see my pupils
are two tiny pearls of a very vibrant glowing red.
Briefly.
I take a step back and I look about.
And I settle down, cross-legged on the floor, and I begin casting a Ritual Detect Magic.
You detect no magic other than standard stuff?
Me being a fate creature.
Bye.
How strange.
I'm gonna haul you out of bed.
Are you dressed?
Are you a clothed sleeper?
I am.
I am just on top of the...
Fully dressed, armored up, whatever, just laying on top of the blankets and everything.
I am going to drag you downstairs, I'm gonna plop you in a chair, assuming none of that
wakes you up.
Hitting his head on every stair on the way down.
I am a dork, I am not so tall.
And I plop you in a chair and I'm gonna say, Dublin, I'm gonna need a tanker of water.
I'm a stonehill in finest water coming right up.
Actually, you have a bathhouse.
Right.
What is that?
Oh, it's right around the back.
You take a left, then you take another left.
You go down, you take a left, and then one more left.
I?
No, it checks out.
You leave out this door, you turn left.
Right.
You walk, no, left.
Right, yeah, left.
But no, you're getting confused now.
I think I'll find it, and then I hoist a bishop over my shoulders, fireman's carry style,
and I march out towards the bathhouse.
Ugh, that dwarf is lost.
I'm gonna take four lefts, realize I'm standing in front of Stonehill Inn and mutter, I'm
gonna go to the bathhouse.
You realize that after you walk out and take a left, a left, a left, and you're like, oh,
wait, there's a doorway here I could turn left into.
That's what he meant.
Hmm.
Would have been faster if I just took two rights instead of three lefts.
You walk into the bathhouse, and there's a sign right as you come in, and it says, four
lefts is all it takes.
I assume bishop's still muttering and twitching in his sleep.
I'm going to gently give you a bit of a toss into the water.
Fully armored?
Not fully armored, I wouldn't have carried him fully armored.
I assume fully clothed doesn't mean fully armored.
He did say fully armored, whatever.
So you throw me into the bath.
Trying to get you up.
That's where the nightmare started.
You begin to drown, I'll get you out, but yes.
As I'm underwater, my eyes are open, so you see my pupils just lit up under the water.
My skin is turning like a...
Shifting to a bluish, a gray-blueish a little bit, on and off, back to my normal form.
And then I imagine I just fucking bust out of the water gasping for air.
I'm going to kneel down or squat down the side of the bath, look down at you and I said,
you awake now, Bishul.
And so I look at you with these pupils, like you could see these things in pure darkness,
just two tiny pearls staring directly at you.
And then they go back to normal, my skin's normal.
I go, where are we?
But in the bath, you are having a hell of a nightmare.
I held your ass all the way down here and you didn't wake a peep.
Bath?
Aye.
Stonehill Inn.
Van Dahlver.
Van Dahlon, sorry.
There's a bath?
Aye.
I take it to understand you came here last night, before bed.
I remember a bath.
Is that so?
What do you remember?
I remember a gnome.
A miner.
Do ya?
The rock breaking kind.
I would imagine so.
I don't know of no gnome, but then again, once I got to the inn, you had left for a
bath.
Are you well?
I just stare at the inn.
I imagine my back's facing a wall and I'm facing the entryway to the room and I just
stand there and stare at the entry area to the room to where the bath is at.
And it's just like a fucking lost in space stare.
Are you well, Bishop?
Bath, yeah.
I remember something.
I couldn't see.
You?
It was dark.
Those eyes.
I remember those eyes.
Eyes, Bishop.
Eyes.
I need to get out of here.
Out of the bath?
Yes.
Climb out of there and I'll dry off.
Presuming you do climb out of there.
I can press to digitate your ass dry.
Might take a couple castings.
Like a walking blow dryer.
Just under me so all my clothes flap up.
Like Marilyn Monroe.
Let's get you back to your room.
I left a hefty bag of coins in there.
I do love coin.
Hi.
Don't we all?
And as we walk back to your room, I chatter at you just a tad innately about this and
that.
The mayor wants to see us, these red brands seem to be a real issue in this town.
Kyren the crazy bastard slept outside all night.
You know, just this and that.
Trying to distract from whatever fucked up nightmare you may have had.
It helps.
So we get back to your room and you get gold in hand.
55 gold, 5 silver.
Add it to your sheet.
Same.
Well, Sealed Daughter says that the townmaster, some Harbin, wants to speak with us.
And I don't know what Kyren's gotten off to and Emerus is drunk.
So he wants to come.
Let's get to it.
Hi.
As we pass, I'm going to pound on Emerus' door a couple times.
Emerus, you've caught a second wind.
You're feeling better, much better.
Oh, my head is spinning.
What the heck do you guys drink?
We're going to the mayor's.
Okay.
I'm going to cast a spell and 10 berries are going to show up in my hand and I'm going
to pop one in my mouth.
Can I head to the mayor's?
Hold on, let me bring up my map.
I know where it is.
Do I know where it is?
Get outside.
Hold on.
Sildar told us where it is.
Well, it's right there.
It's right in front of us.
Imagine I run into them as they're walking out.
Kyren.
Hi.
We're going to the mayor's.
Sildar said he wanted to talk to us.
Our town master.
I never know the dialect of these little villages.
Very well.
And I just nod and follow.
All right, you guys make your way over to the town master hall.
You approach the hall and you knock and there is an individual who opens the door.
It seems to be an old man dressed in like a black and white uniform.
He says, may I help you?
I look around at everyone else.
All right.
Sildar says the town master, Harbin, would like to speak with us.
Ah, guests of Harbin, Westers, from Sildar.
You must be Mryn, I presume.
Hi, that's me.
We have Bishop and Embrace and Kyren.
And if he peeks around, I'm afraid this isn't a masquerade ball.
Is that something you always wear?
I don't even answer him.
I just glare at him.
Oi, that's his daily wear.
I see.
That's not a problem.
No, not at all.
Just didn't know if it was anything unusual.
Perhaps I missed out on a dress code.
Follow me.
He just blank face him when he makes his little joke.
You follow this gentleman in and you find yourself approaching a room that has a rectangular
shaped table.
You see several individuals seated there.
You recognize Elmina Barthin from the provisions.
You also see Leneen Greywind is there as well.
You see Sildar Hallwinter is seated at the table.
And there are a couple individuals that you do not know who are also seated there.
Sildar sees you and stands up and says, ah, there they are.
Fashionably late.
I'm kidding.
Come, come.
Join us.
We have much to discuss.
I see.
I didn't say this was going to be an audience, Sildar.
Just a meeting with the mayor.
The townmaster likes to have his brunches.
If he had come earlier, perhaps this would have been a solo thing.
We're sitting in on the townmaster's brunch.
I see.
Well then.
Please, take a seat.
He'll be in momentarily.
You take a seat, Marin, and there's enough chairs for the four of you to seat next to
each other.
Actually, now that I'm looking at it, there's three open seats on one side of the table
and one open seat on the other side of the table.
I'll stand over in a corner and I want to look around the room.
I am going to take a seat.
And if there's platters of food on the table, I'm just going to drag the closest one over
in front of me.
Oh yeah.
You noticed that there are some...
There's bowls with strawberries.
There's bread on the table.
There's some puddings laid out.
You see these morning biscuits.
And then you can also see towards the other side of the table, there's some gravy and
some sliced meat that you'd presume would be like ham.
Little spread.
Little chachrutery going.
There's chachrutery out too.
You get the cheeses.
You have Stonehill Inn's finest cheeses.
You see the Stonehill Inn logo on the side of the cheese platter.
What kind of berries are on the table?
The little logo under the cheese says 119 is not enough.
You see some strawberries.
I walk over and just pocket a bunch of strawberries.
You're pocketing the strawberries.
I can tell the fruit comes out.
You're pocketing the strawberries and as you're tucking them in your pocket, you hear,
MMMM.
And standing next to you is the older gentleman with the black and white uniform on again.
He says, you don't have to pocket those.
You may eat those if you wish.
I have already ate this morning, but I have not had a strawberry in quite some time, you
see, and they're my favorite.
I see.
Would you care for me to have the chef prepare you something to go?
Perhaps to keep your pocket a bit more clean?
I don't.
The strawberries being a dirty berry, but no, I'm fine.
This is-
But what if the juice comes and squishes into your pocket?
Feels nice on the skin.
I'm going to go over and pocket some strawberries.
He just walks away.
I just sit there and look disgusted.
Like a little disgusted snarl away face.
I'm going to reach into a different pocket and pull out a couple of good berries and
hand them to Corvind.
I'll take a couple and nod, and I'm going to go back to the corner and sneak a strawberry
under my mask.
This lady leans forward, Marin, and she goes, he always liked that.
Which one?
Right.
Then I grab a piece of meat and I roll it up into a little roll up and I dip it in some
mustard directly.
Take a big old bite.
Horrible eating habits.
I'm traumatized from prison, so that's why I pocketed a bunch.
Imagine you got mustard all over your little sausage fingers and shit.
Some in my mustache and beard.
What did she say?
Oh, never mind.
We don't get to sit at a table this fancy very often, you know, being on the road and
all.
Oh, doing some traveling, are you?
Aye, that's right.
Fresh down from Neverwinter.
Neverwinter?
Is that where we came from?
Is it?
You tell me, traveler.
Just asking out of character.
Pretty sure.
Breaking the fourth wall, are you?
You know, sometimes I have to ask the man in the sky some questions.
We're going to make eye contact with the audience.
Yes, Neverwinter.
Aye.
God, I imagine this whole scene would be just fucking...
What's the movie?
I can't remember the movie now.
Titanic.
No.
What are we doing in the shadows?
Oh, that's a good one.
That is a good one.
Tell me, how's your stay been while you've been here?
I'll figure it out later.
My stay?
It's been well enough.
Stone Hill Inn puts up a good plate and nice rooms.
I heard they found a couple of those red brand bodies outside of the sleeping giant last
night.
Fuck no.
You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?
Not a thing, no.
But I hear they've been causing trouble, so good riddance.
And I spit on the floor.
She spits too.
There have been.
And I tell you what, they don't come messing around me exchange though.
They know better.
Your exchange.
That would make you a Haliya.
Haliya Thornton.
Pleasure to meet you.
She holds her hand out.
Pleasure to meet you, Miss Thornton.
And I wipe the mustard off of my shirt and I shake.
Roll strength check.
Oh shit.
What about X check to see if you got the mustard off?
I got a nine on the die.
I got ten.
She shakes your hand and it really hurts.
Four points of damage.
That's quite the grip you got there.
A minor I imagine.
That's right.
Spend my time in the tunnels with the pickaxes and the hammers.
I do apologize, not trying to hurt you.
There's no worries.
I know the type.
I grew up all around them.
Sometimes I forget my own grip.
They are rather annoying though.
Too bad you didn't know anything about it.
I'm willing to offer up some coin to put an end to all of this.
Are you now?
And how much coin are we talking?
She leans in real close.
I'm willing to put up a hundred gold pieces to the man who can capture me the red brand's
leader.
The one who calls himself Glass Staff.
Well, if there's anything like the two that couldn't keep their hands to themselves last
night, I'm sure there will be no problem for us.
Who said that?
Did you uh, did you say Glass Staff?
Aye.
That sounds uh, mighty magie for a clan of thugs.
I don't know.
All I've heard is that's his name.
I see.
And you want him captured alive then?
Captured him and bring me any of the correspondence found in his quarters.
I see.
I need to know a thing or two about where he's come from.
And if uh, he happens to not survive the encounter, perchance, is there any money in that?
I prefer him alive.
Why?
Well, combat's a messy thing.
I suppose if I run across this man, I can do me best.
Very well.
Let me ask you though.
What is it uh, you've been doing to keep the red brands off of your porch as it were?
Well, she like cracks her knuckles.
I be just hitting them off with brute force.
Me and me clan of miners have no trouble keeping them out.
Annoying.
Like flies on shit.
Now I'm just imagining a bunch of kids with fly swatters.
No no miners like the ones with the pickaxes.
You know the rocks.
Still with fly swatters though.
I know.
And uh, even interesting mines and mining.
Have you heard anything of the rocksickers?
Nundrow, Thar'din, I hear they found something big.
Oh, you're talking about the dwarves that come here in the beginning.
They got everybody all excited.
That's why we come out.
Ain't been able to find the cave.
Look in every day though, and I'll find it.
Just a matter of time.
They can't hide it forever.
The Echo Cave?
Aye, the Wave Echo Cave.
Ah, that's the one.
Why do I know that?
We heard about it.
Is he okay?
Mostly, I think.
I lean into Bishop.
You okay?
Echo Cave?
I remember an Echo Cave.
Oh, you know, this may be something you could remember after this meeting when we're not
around all these people.
I have like a long stare and then I turn to him and he says I'm just gonna wink.
I imagine I'm just staring at him like what the fuck?
So the door is open and in comes a gentleman who's walking with a cane.
He walks in with a cane.
He has like a blue overcoat and a thick gold necklace that comes down to a beautiful red
ruby.
He has like these chaps that come down, like these sideburns, you know, that come down
and kind of has like that Elvis Presley look to him.
And he has like that one little strand of hair in the center of his face that like curls
up super curly on the front of his forehead.
He has a thin penciled mustache and a huge pot belly.
Greetings!
Hello everyone!
Thank you for coming and being here on such short notice.
I welcome everyone to the Western Bronx.
Today we have our special guest.
Town Master, this here is Marin and his traveling compatriots here.
Hello Marin!
It is my pleasure to meet you.
I pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Wester.
Tell me Marin, what brings you into our lovely city?
We were doing some travel, some provisions delivery for Miss Elmina over there and contract
with the Rockseekers, though they seem to have gone missing.
I have not seen Gondren in quite a few days.
He was supposed to be here at this branch this morning.
Sildar, weren't you riding with him?
What is the meaning of this?
Well, you see, there were these goblins.
The great Sildar how in there could not take down a couple of goblins.
Well, they were different.
Different?
How do you mean?
What do you mean different?
They had like this green magics to them.
They hit like an ox and had long faces.
I had never seen anything like this before.
This is truly troubling.
I bet they throw explosive pumpkins.
Did you see any of them tossing explosive pumpkins?
I'm just kidding.
Sildar, good to see you here alive and in one piece.
Well, if it wasn't for these travelers here, I may not have fared as well.
I would not be here.
So we have some heroes in our presence.
Well, tell me, what is it you would like to do here in the great city of Fandalin?
I will settle in for a bit.
You have to find out where Gundren's gotten off to.
And here you have a might bit of a problem with thugs and whatnot.
Oh, you're talking about the red brands.
Well, yes.
But perhaps it's something it could be taken care of with the coin.
Don't want any trouble.
You know, we could pay them to stay on their side and they leave us alone.
Why, and that's been working out for you so far?
I hear you're down a woodworker already.
You're right.
Perhaps it is not the best approach to the situation.
Perhaps not the best approach to the situation.
I don't know.
Wait a minute.
Are you mimicking me?
No, just me accent.
Oh, that wasn't accent.
I apologize.
Oh, I think coin can still solve the problem.
Just needs to end up in different pockets.
Where's that?
Perhaps we can work on an arrangement.
I mean.
I really think they're just some mercenary guild and not much all really that much trouble.
But if you think that you could thwart them, the townmaster hall has a small but serviceable
jail with two cells.
Two?
That is all we have.
Don't they?
I'm just over a mite bit more than two, wouldn't they?
Yeah, but we only really need to bring back one.
I think that these red brands should be captured so they can stand trial and potentially be
sent to Neverwinter for imprisonment.
We can at least try to bring back flaccid staff.
I suppose we can't at that.
Is that like a wet New Deal?
Yeah.
And you have a way to give them a trial here in this small town?
No, no, no, no, no.
They would be sent to Neverwinter.
That's along the path that Gundren and Sildar took where they were ambushed.
Aye, but we took care of that now, didn't we?
Well we didn't see the goblins that took Sildar out.
No, but one tour guarding the path.
If you do remember though, like I was pointing out, those greenies didn't stick around.
They didn't seem to coexist with those other ones, the Kragmaw.
Yeah, who knows what broken staff has or how he's related to their plans because if they're
potentially doing work with them now, then he may be of some import to them.
So they might show up again.
There's a lot we need to figure out first.
Because if we try to transport them back to Neverwinter, who's to say they're not going
to get broken free again?
Another individual walks in the room and whispers into the townmaster's ear.
I see.
Oh, this is splendid news.
Okay.
Attention everyone!
My Stonemasons have just informed me they have finished constructing the great legendary
Yimik statue.
It will be on display for all to see later this afternoon.
I'm going to look at Marin and kind of smirk.
I think they just made a statue of any fucking goblin.
Nobody saw him.
It's probably true, but I think it's going to be the most glorious goblin we've ever
seen.
Oh, behind the statue of the goblin, there's a dwarf kneeled down handing the goblin a
glass.
I'm going to hold up a glass and say here, here to Yeezy the Legend.
Oh, I have not heard this name for him.
What did you say?
It was Yeezy.
Oh, salute to Yeezy.
Next time I'm going to let the bug better kill all of you.
He took off a goblin's head in one clean blow.
That he did.
Would still be here.
Could he have handled several gallons of whiskey?
Also true.
Far braver than me to live out such a tragic ending.
I think he went out doing what he loved the most.
Because he was very excited to be in that barrel.
While you're here, please, please do make your ways around town.
Get to know the people.
Fandalin is a wonderful place.
Also check out the board outside.
I post official notices there besides the door of the townmaster's hall.
I currently, what does it say?
Hold on one second.
Oh, Jeffrey.
Ho, ho.
You are looking for some people to handle marauders?
Quick little two clap.
And the old gentleman comes next to him and opens a scroll towards him so he can read
it.
Ah, yes.
You have heard of it.
Looking for someone to head east on the Tribor trail.
These marauders have attacked several caravans near the Wyvyan Tor.
The most recent victims reported at least one strange complaint.
So your story, Sildar, checks out.
But also I have heard news that there is at least an ogre and some bugbears there as well.
I could offer, it says here, 50, but no, that simply will not do.
I'm going to up it to 100 gold pieces.
Contract to any group who can drive off these marauders and any of their goblin companions.
100?
That's right.
And bugbears.
They are quite the new science.
I imagine we could take care of them, yes.
I put 100 gold pieces.
It's not going to be high on my list.
You fought one bugbear and you saw how that went.
Oh, shit.
I'm sorry.
Did you say that you fought a bugbear?
I thought it was you make that fight a bugbear.
Aye, he was there, that can be said.
You're looking at his...
Don't you say it.
I imagine you whip your mustard stash at him as you turn around so he can't see it.
Well, I mean, if 100 gold pieces is not enough, what were you thinking?
Why, 100 does sound a might bit slim for an ogre and bugbears.
I mean, I did a bit from what it was to this already, so...
You could maybe do 50 gold pieces per person in the party who handles it, no?
That would bring it up to a grand total of 200 gold pieces.
Yes, we were the party who handled it, yes.
Perhaps I'm looking for a party of two.
Good luck finding a party of two to take on an ogre.
Very well.
I shall give it some consideration.
Roll a persuasion check.
The only guy with a negative grism in the party doing all the talking.
I'm not much better, trust me.
I got a big four.
Guidance?
Ooh, I got a big four plus...
Four plus four.
Plus two.
I got a big six.
I wanted to help him too by calling him Squire.
No calling me a Squire.
Not taking the advantage.
It seems I will give this some consideration.
Perhaps I will change my mind.
Do check the board for updates.
You think on it.
We have some business around town to be seeing to before that in any case.
I understand.
Now if you will please be excusing me.
I need to take my afternoon nap.
And you see as Harbin begins to make his way back to the door when she came.
Well I think that went over well.
Well enough I suppose.
So do you think you'll be pursuing the Redbrands?
Why I think we might.
I might know of an individual to go speak to for more information.
That's all.
Perhaps what you had said about that young boy.
That might be a good place to start.
I was thinking much the same thing.
And I figure we're going to be staying in this town a time.
Deal with the pests.
Well I've had about all the cabernet and strawberries I can handle.
Speaking of which you see me pouring the rest of the strawberries in my pocket.
The butler Jeffrey he's brought out another tray.
The second it emptied into your pocket there's a fresh tray of strawberries or a bowl of
strawberries being set on the table.
The second helping of strawberries.
We have plenty of strawberries.
You do seem to rather like your strawberries I see.
When you spend as much time as I did in isolation.
Craving could get the best of you and I just grab a bunch more.
What type of isolation would you expose to?
Yes I can grab some more.
Very well.
So there's still a couple people there.
You see there's a drow sitting across the table from you.
You see a halfling female across the table.
And let's see who else is there.
You met Halia.
You met Harbin.
Oh you already know Lenine is there.
And Elmina.
Lenine kind of makes eyes with you Emress and gives you a nod.
Good to see you again.
Yeah nice to see you too.
She leads you in closer.
If you think you could could you put in a good word for me with Sildar?
I don't think you need the help in that regard.
We mentioned your name earlier and there's a bit of a twinkle in his eye.
Oh.
Emress the matchmaker.
Matchmaker matchmaker make me a match.
I put on my little wings and I float around with my cupid bow.
Well I felt like he hardly noticed me at all but if you say so.
I just compliment him a bit.
He seems to be riding a high right now.
Okay.
Sildar and Sildar he like stands up and then was right at the point when he was saying
how about all the cabernet and strawberries I can handle.
Everyone have a great rest of your day.
And he walks he walks away.
Yeah.
I Sildar.
Not bad timing.
He almost looked at me.
He might have yeah.
I think he's going to be around for a little bit.
I believe you still have time.
Hey Emress you are having a pleasant conversation with her and your your gaze kind of drifts
across the table a little bit and you're met with the stare of an old drow as he's just
locked eyes with you expressionless.
I'm going to nod at him.
He blinks.
I'm going to shrug and look away.
I'm going to look at it.
He leans forward.
What was it you were doing digging around my orchard?
Sits back in his chair slowly.
Ah so that is your orchard.
The name is Duran Edimath.
Pleasure to meet you Duran.
Emress Direheart.
So what do you grow in your orchard?
Yimik.
What?
Oh Yimik.
Well I'm currently working to clear out the underbrush and cultivate the orchard once
again but it appeared to have once been a beautiful apple orchard.
Well let me know if you need help with digging any holes for planting the trees.
Maybe I can help you out there.
Something tells me this year you're going to have some legendary trees.
Maybe.
He's still just staring.
Maybe those who eat from your orchard may have legendary results.
You know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Tell me.
In your travels have you heard the stories from the prospectors in the hills of the northeast?
A roll of history or something?
Sure.
Alright.
History, history.
Guidance.
Seventeen.
You'd heard a few things.
You're not exactly sure which one he's talking about but as he goes on it's news to you.
Oh I have not heard that one.
Someone is digging in the ruins known as the Old Owl Well.
More disturbingly several prospectors have reported being chased from the area by foul
undead.
Perhaps if you wish for me to forget about the corpse you buried in my orchard you may
take a look at what's going on.
It's a couple days northeast of Phandalin.
Hmm seems like a bunch of effort for this kind of thing.
I mean I've already offered to help you dig for your orchard to get replanted and stuff.
Plus they've already built a statue over it and that's kind of the town's thing now.
If you can go there and find out who's doing it and come back to ensure that no threat
will come to this town or my beautiful orchard then I will offer you these.
And he kicks his feet up on the table.
Your feet?
These boots.
Looks like they're made.
And then I lift my feet to show that I'm not even wearing shoes.
You can roll an arcana check anyone who wants to on these boots.
Sure.
Do I still have guidance?
I left out one important piece of information.
I'm a retired adventurer.
How old are you young man?
One sec I gotta lift that up.
I think I'm like in my 30s or something.
I'm 500 years old.
This year as a matter of fact marks my fifth century.
In that time I've acquired some things.
These boots were one of them.
And with your 16 arcana check.
17 with guidance.
You even know these to be the boots of striding and springing.
Striding and springing?
What does that do?
I have no use for these.
Perhaps if you could come back with the information I need.
I will part ways with them.
And forget the corpse that you buried.
Dirty goblin as it was.
So you need me to find out who's doing it and somehow ensure that they don't come back
and direct them to your orchard?
That's correct.
Well I'll see what I can do.
No promises.
There's quite a bit to do in town already.
Right.
Understood.
Nothing is more pressing than the cover up of murder.
Huh?
I look at him with a confused look on my face.
Who's covering what murder up?
Did I say something?
Are you talking about the worker?
I'm 500 and I tend to ramble.
Can I do a sense motive on him?
Sure.
Wait where is sense motive?
It's insight.
Oh insight?
That's a pathfinder term you just threw out.
It's a 3.5 term.
I'm assuming I still have guidance right?
Like it lasts a while or is it just one step?
No it's for one check.
One check.
You get the feeling he watched you guys bury this body and he might be suspicious of why
you were trying to hide a body.
Oh.
Should be like...
Oh so he's trying to like blackmail me.
Not so much blackmail but he's just kind of like beating around the bush that he thinks
you buried a body because you murdered someone.
How could you guys just dump the legendary Yimik in a hole?
It's what...
We buried him.
We gave him a burial rite.
He leans in.
If it was just the dirty goblin then it's already forgotten about.
It was just the dirty goblin.
We can exhume him for you if you want.
What disrespect for your...
Take that corpse away from my orchard.
It will taint my trees.
It'll provide nutrients for the trees.
It'll be a part of this circle of life.
What disrespect for the legendary Yimik from the Squire.
The soil reeks of booze.
Oh you're right, it's probably a little poisoned.
It'll keep the gophers away at least.
Anyhow.
It was a pleasure meeting you.
Please, I did not mean to come off as though I was blackmailing you.
I did not know it was the dirty goblin.
Yeah, well, I mean if you want to see who's in there we can always exhume him for you.
But at this point it might smell a little funky.
All of us are meeting up tonight to push over the statue that was made.
We might want to talk to Marin.
We might have a little help.
That's right, we're meeting up in the trees in my orchard at roughly 9pm.
No goblin shall stand in our village.
How do you spell the guy's name again?
S that's D. A. R. A. N. Duran.
E for Duran.
U for you just met Duran.
My last name was Edermath.
That's E D E R M A T H. Edermath.
This entire drow adventurer lives in a tiny cottage besides the apple orchard.
It isn't quite a tiny cottage.
I keep it clean, free of the goblin filth.
Kinda like this guy.
You would.
I would.
It was a pleasure meeting you, Duran.
What was your name, boy?
Em- Emris.
Emris.
Pleasure to meet you, Emris.
Likewise.
He makes eyes with Marin and just nods and gives you like a grin.
Nine o'clock.
Right.
So, should we be heading out here?
Seeking out this boy carp?
Yes.
I'm just nodding with a mouthful of strawberries.
It would appear, sir, that we are all out of strawberries.
All but more reason.
I think we should be moving on now, yes.
We got plenty to do.
I'm gonna shove another strawberry in my mouth.
Alright, with you guys wrapping up Harbin Wester's brunch, we're gonna call it for the
evening.
Nice.
I think we went a little long on this one.
Yeah, we did.
We kinda got caught up in that role play, but you know what?
A couple long ones for the pods, pretty good.
Why not?
Yeah, yeah.
Just means we're having fun.
So for everyone out there, thanks for listening.
This is the Forge of Fable podcast.
Come check into us next time, where we are going to hopefully go confront a young man
about the tunnel he found.
Remember to bring strawberries for me next time, and like, subscribe, follow us, check
out our next episodes, share them, all those fun things, and we'll see you next time.
Hey, what an amazing journey it's been so far.
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Additional music is provided by Monument Studios, with immersive sound effects from Soundbun.
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Be sure to like, subscribe, and share to help us grow.
Most importantly, thank you so much for being part of the adventure.
I was having way too much fun playing Harbin.
Nope.
There was no such thing.
Can we just do this like, for three hours?
This is fucking great.
Oh my god.