WEBVTT

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Welcome to Vikings and Valkyries, an actual play

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podcast. We are playing When the Wolf Comes,

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an RPG set in the time of heroes. My name is

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Ian Stewart Sharp and I will be your wielder

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of glory in the adventure ahead. joining me in

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the storm of swords are andy john rowdy bill

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steve and cj welcome to you helmet bearers now

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we have a veritable war band with us here today

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including andy and john from the saga thing podcast

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that has the distinction of going for nearly

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12 years now james that's right Something like

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that. Yes. Amazingly, yes. Now, if you were in

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a real Icelandic saga, you'd have murdered each

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other by now. So what's the secret of your success?

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Oh, distance. Keeping great distance between

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us helps a lot. I'd say a thousand miles has

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turned out to be about the right amount, yeah.

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That's right. You started your careers together,

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though, as fellow youth studying together? That's

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correct, yes. We both went to the University

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of Connecticut. We were grad students there.

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We were both studying Anglo -Saxon England primarily

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and then kind of stumbled into our interest in

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Old Norse stuff and the sagas and helped create

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a minor there because we just wanted to do it

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so much. And we kind of never looked back once

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we started playing with the Icelandic sagas and

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Old Norse history. I can't help but notice that

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in your... What a movie episodes. You can see

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it to have watched and reviewed an awful lot

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of Beowulf. Well, there are an awful lot of Beowulfs.

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I think it's the plural. But, you know, there

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was a period there where Beowulf movies seem

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to be coming out annually. And so, yeah, we're

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sort of working our way through those slowly

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and we aren't done yet. We've still got three

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or four more to get through. Great. Well, I look

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forward to that. We're also joined by Rowdy Gearson,

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the translator of the Impudent Edda, a thoroughly

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modern retelling of Norse mythology. Rowdy, welcome

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to you. In your esteemed opinion, which of the

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Norse gods is the most messed up? Good question.

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Yeah, yeah. I don't know. Might go with that.

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kind of a traditional answer of loki perhaps

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but he's always kind of hit that bill but they

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all have their issues you know so your version

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of thor wields a flamethrower and your version

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of t has a guitar yeah yeah he's a great guitar

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player in his youth before he had to run in with

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a certain animal big fan of def leppard's drummer

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it's similar you know you know them but uh This

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is a timely reference. Now, each week we have

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a little quiz to earn you inspiration points

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that your heroes can then spend in an hour of

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need that represents Odin smiling upon you. And

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so hopefully, what with the esteemed knowledge

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that you have, you'll be able to get this. I

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suspect you'll be very disappointed in the professors

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here. But I did like the word esteemed. Yeah,

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that sounded good. Dragonslayers, an elite group.

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Now, they're not quite as rare in the Old English

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and Old Norse corpus as Tolkien's famous remark,

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where he said that dragons were as rare as they

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are dire. The question this week is, can you

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name five dragon slayers detailed in the Old

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English or the Old Norse corpus? Oh, interesting.

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I'll take the easy one. He said Beowulf is a

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really good one. I'm going to go with Sigurd

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Fafnir's Bane because I want to get in before

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we get to the parts where I don't know anything.

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Let's see. There is... there is reference to

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saint margaret in old english is there not the

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the interesting thing here is the list that i've

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got is drawn from paul acker don't know if you

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know him oh yeah and his death by dragons that

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was published in viking and medieval scandinavia

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and so i'm drawing from that as you are professorial

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times, and you can tell me otherwise. You could

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probably bluff your way through this quiz. Well,

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I was going for St. Margaret, trying to leave

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some space for others, but if we're going with

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Paul Acker's list, I'm going to say Bjorn the

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Hitterdahl champion. Oh yes, he does claim a

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dragon slayer, a young dragon. Yes. I think you

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have three. Are we not counting Margaret? don't

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see we're counting we're counting margaret if

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we have to at the end see how far yeah yeah i'm

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going to say obviously ragnar lothbrok yes very

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good and now we're waiting on rowdy john's gotten

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two of them yeah i'm drawing blanks his figure

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came to mind too but he already said yeah that's

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why i took it early because it's the obvious

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one uh does um uh someone like um um Hrolf Kraki

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encounter a dragon at all? I don't feel like

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he does. Both are Bjarke, that kind of stuff.

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It's going to be in the legendary sagas, which

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that's not our area. There's a wind troll in

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that saga, but... I've actually got three that

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are mentioned in the family sagas. In the family,

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so... Yeah, so Bjorn Heathredal Champion's a

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good one. We can just name saga characters. Does

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it have Thor in the name? Yeah, do serpents count?

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It does have Thor in the name in the sense that

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most Icelandic or Norse names have Thor in the

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name. I'm going to go back to Old English for

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a second and add St. George. Yeah, it's very

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coming. Yep. I could just list Thor names like

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Thorstein, Thorgeir, Thorir. And you would be

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successful. Let me run through the list. So you

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could actually just have... Thor himself, because

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in the prologue to Snorri's Edda, he's mentioned

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as a dragon slayer. That's true. Thwoffo in the

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Gesta Denorum. And then in the family sagas,

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you've got Thorkell Hacker. I thought of one.

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We just covered him, John. In King Harald Hardrada

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slays a dragon in the prison. Oh, that's right.

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And that's referenced in the King's Saga, Morkin

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Skinner. That's correct. In the Saga of King

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Harald Hardrada, he gets put in prison in Constantinople,

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and there he fights a dragon or a serpent with

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some of his friends. Super duper. So you've got

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Ragnar. You could have had also Orvar Odder,

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Fifth Wrecker, Etel, Hunge. from the legendary

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sagas so there's a there's a whole bevy of dragon

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slayers out there to emulate in the upcoming

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adventure that might be it the only one i could

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think of was uh bard the bowman who killed smog

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i remember again you can try to emulate that

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CJ, with your bow and arrow a little bit later

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on and see how that plays out. Machine gun. Doesn't

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sound good. All right, let's begin the adventure,

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the second part of Mother's Night. Not far from

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your landing site, where you crash -landed in

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the whirler at the end of last episode, you spy

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a longhouse with wooden walls and a turf roof.

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There is a roaring fire of dancing golden -orange

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flames blazing away in a massive fire pit, and

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above it the head of a pig roasts happily away,

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suspended over the flames by a longsword which

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runs through its head like an enormous spit.

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Golden mead is being filled from a large tub

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into jugs and then poured into goblets. And you

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see a group of warriors, one of whom sticks out

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his helmet, mead is poured into it, and then

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soon he is quaffing from it. A brace of golden

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roasted pig is brought out on wooden serving

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platters. That is the scene that you see. How

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would you like to approach the banqueters? Gigi

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will introduce himself. So he'll step forward

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and say, Hello there. I am Griotgath the Magnificent.

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My friends call me Gigi for short. Leomi will

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step forward and say, I am Leomi. Can you tell

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us where we are? I am air. And could you perhaps

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tell him where he is? There is clearly a leader

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of this group who is sat behind and away to one

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side, staring pensively into the fire. He does

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not speak, but he lets his oath -sworn warriors

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speak for him. Hello, I am Lucky Thorfinn. You

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see a... Man of about medium height, but stooped

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over, mainly because of the many, many things

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he's carrying on him. He has a long, red, braided

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beard, which hangs slightly down below his two

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bandoliers, one of which is covered in severed

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rabbit's feet, the other of which is covered

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in various religious symbols. He has a belt with

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about 20 or so pouches. hanging from it a large

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pack that appears to be straining to contain

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its contents a staff with various things hanging

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off of it a wind chime hanging off of the back

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of his helmet and large sacks running down the

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sides of his pant legs he is clearly suffering

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under the weight of all this but otherwise seems

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a reasonably normal person. You also see a man

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there sitting on a log, and he's tall and wiry.

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He's got bulging eyes and kind of a very long,

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thin nose. He's wearing iron rings on his fingers

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and on his arms, and he has like a wolf -tooth

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necklace. And he sees you, and as he sees you,

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He puts down what he's got in his hands that

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he's been kind of playing with in his plate are

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small, little small stones. He pops one in his

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mouth, one of these stones, and he swallows it

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really quickly. And he looks up and he says,

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ah, hello. My name is Storheit. What brings you

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here? So, name is, uh, healthcare scaldus spieler.

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It's a medium height. individual short blonde

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hair fairly muscular he had a troubled youth

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as something of a poet pissed off a lot of people

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and hot -tempered tends to get into fights we

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shouldn't and uh sort of became a bit of a drifter

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to whoever would have him and made us living

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that way since The man who was staring pensively

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into the fire steps forward. He has a bright,

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bushy red beard and a shock of red hair. And

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he says to you, I am Viglaf, son of Vestin, of

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the Vagmunding clan. I am sworn to the service

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of my cousin Beowulf, king of the Geats. These

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are the men of my hall, such as they are. Join

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us at my fire. You Yorna are spirits from other

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realms, I presume. This, my kin, is the season

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when the borders between the nine worlds are

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at their thinnest. Did we not hear the wild hunt

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in the sky? Ovin himself has sent these to choose

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who lives and who dies this day. Okay, and then

00:13:15.190 --> 00:13:17.779
she's just going to turn around. It kind of eclipses.

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He's very large. It's going to eclipse the other

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two. He's going to whisper the way that Gigi

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likes to whisper. Did we go forward or backward

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in time? Because I have the terrible feeling

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that we've gone very, very far back. We did.

00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:40.340
Yes, it would seem. It would seem. I assure you

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that you're now, if that helps you. Yes, I believe

00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.139
you are in the now, the present. You are here

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with us for some reason. Now, to the best of

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my knowledge, Beowulf is set in about 500 AD,

00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:03.059
something like that. And you can only put that

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down to the fact that when you pilot a ship using

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two alpha with memory loss, that you're... bound

00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:17.120
to plunge into the deep and distant past. The

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Vendel Age. This actually is an era before the

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Viking Age. And so these gentlemen in front of

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you are thanes from the court of Beryl, King

00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:33.120
of the Geats. Now, they may well be wondering,

00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:37.120
and I appreciate that you have unfurled your

00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:39.659
cape so as to mask some of your comrades, but...

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Big Life did refer to you as Yolne and clearly

00:14:44.750 --> 00:14:48.149
has identified you as spirits, but these guys

00:14:48.149 --> 00:14:50.610
might want to know exactly what you do look like

00:14:50.610 --> 00:14:55.570
so they can be suitably terrified or skeptical

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of the land Vatyr that other people own. Leomi

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will step forward and say, I am Leomi, chosen

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by the Great World Tree to serve again, beloved

00:15:08.129 --> 00:15:12.399
of Ixadril. And the one sent to keep watch over

00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.559
the abomination who dogs my every step, pointing

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back at the air. Did this tree just speak? It

00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:25.720
is a tree, not a man. I am man and tree, both.

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Is this possible? Count the bugs if you disbelieve

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me. Bugs? Air is a tall... I guess a magnificent

00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:43.899
sculpture of a human man made entirely from black,

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smooth, seamless black rock encrusted with diamonds.

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And his head ends in sort of a slightly overdone

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headdress that resembles a chandelier with more

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dangling diamonds. I am Eir, recently returned

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from Valhalla and wishing there to return. And

00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:09.149
I appreciate. The welcome to your hall. I will

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sit by your fire if you permit it. You look to

00:16:14.289 --> 00:16:17.809
be a shadow man of some sort. So I am called.

00:16:18.070 --> 00:16:20.289
Just a little bit of background to help clue

00:16:20.289 --> 00:16:25.169
people in. So in the Vikingverse, these fallen

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heroes, so Leomi was once a character who died

00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:33.529
in the Battle of Brevilin, which takes place...

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probably 250 years from where you are now he

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then dies his spirit gets reconstituted in the

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body of a tree as a as a version of a demon of

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death the alpha that kind of predates tokyo at

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least in my view and steve is similar as a doc

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alpha he was actually slain in the mirror universe

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battle of which is when the Tartar hordes lay

00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:11.059
siege to Kiev or Kunigal. And so they are land

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fatir or land whites who have either been encased

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in stone or wood, and they retain portions of

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their Norse identity, but they're a little bit

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scanty. CJ, on the other hand, is... Gigi is

00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:34.400
quite large. akin to Gengar or Herald, right?

00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:37.720
The big dude. Anyway, so he's large. He's very

00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:42.180
tall, very wide, very loud. And he's a Yofur,

00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:46.859
which is a genetically enhanced version of people.

00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:49.200
And they think they're gods. And that's why Gigi

00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:52.680
is going to look at his friends and go, I think

00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:57.890
we should just tell them that I'm a god. You're

00:17:57.890 --> 00:18:01.309
going to anyways, so sure. Yeah, go with that.

00:18:01.609 --> 00:18:04.549
Greetings, friends! I was the silver medalist

00:18:04.549 --> 00:18:06.170
at the old Asgard games, which you don't know

00:18:06.170 --> 00:18:08.650
what that is because you haven't been to Asgard,

00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:16.329
but I have because I am a god! My word. Subtle

00:18:16.329 --> 00:18:19.190
word. Do you think he knows we heard the first

00:18:19.190 --> 00:18:23.329
part? I don't know. I'm very confused. Let me

00:18:23.329 --> 00:18:26.049
step forward. And so Stort had steps forward

00:18:26.049 --> 00:18:28.569
and he approaches the three of you and he says,

00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:33.890
I don't understand what you are or where you

00:18:33.890 --> 00:18:35.930
came from, though I hope you might be able to

00:18:35.930 --> 00:18:37.990
help us. But before you are allowed to sit by

00:18:37.990 --> 00:18:41.470
our fire, I have one question for each of you.

00:18:42.789 --> 00:18:46.130
Tell me, how did your mother treat you? Because

00:18:46.130 --> 00:18:49.130
only then will I know if I can trust you. Surely

00:18:49.130 --> 00:18:51.710
you must have mothers, gods, or no? All things

00:18:51.710 --> 00:18:55.349
have mothers. I did not. How is that possible?

00:18:55.930 --> 00:19:00.210
I was grown in a test tube. A test tube? What

00:19:00.210 --> 00:19:04.089
is such a test? It is a contraption to create

00:19:04.089 --> 00:19:07.509
gods. We don't need mothers. Gods are born in

00:19:07.509 --> 00:19:12.670
tubes of testing? Tubes of sorts. Hmm. And what

00:19:12.670 --> 00:19:15.769
of the tree man? Surely you have a mother. A

00:19:15.769 --> 00:19:19.769
seed of sorts. A mother, yes. A human mother,

00:19:19.890 --> 00:19:23.190
long ago. Long, long before the great world tree

00:19:23.190 --> 00:19:27.390
reached out and brought me back. But it was so

00:19:27.390 --> 00:19:30.910
long ago, I don't remember her well. But I know

00:19:30.910 --> 00:19:36.210
this. I know she taught me to be strong. Yes.

00:19:36.450 --> 00:19:38.869
But she's neglectful, since you don't remember

00:19:38.869 --> 00:19:43.549
her. It's more that I am neglectful. It is...

00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:46.539
more than a thousand years since i was born as

00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:54.220
a human a mystery and you shadow man i was born

00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:58.220
long ago many years from now and i will have

00:19:58.220 --> 00:20:03.660
going to have been remembered my mother was a

00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:07.319
strong -willed woman who taught me all that i

00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:10.319
needed to know and i remember i remember her

00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:12.319
i remember the things she taught me she sent

00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:17.819
me will have will have did sent me into the world

00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:22.440
to have found my fortune or i will and i'm thankful

00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:25.980
for the things that she will have taught me did

00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:30.079
she teach you to wear diamonds oh ah she did

00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:33.220
not she did not teach me to adorn myself this

00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:38.059
is the body into which my spirit was thrust rust

00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:42.529
is a good word yes big life These gentlemen,

00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:47.670
they might not know their tenses very well, but

00:20:47.670 --> 00:20:51.109
I believe that they are trustworthy. We should

00:20:51.109 --> 00:20:54.970
welcome them to the hall. Thank you, Stoyan.

00:20:55.349 --> 00:21:01.049
Take a seat. This is my hall on the shore of

00:21:01.049 --> 00:21:04.789
Legvania. Tomorrow we will arrive to Araneis

00:21:04.789 --> 00:21:09.450
to join the king. I have but returned. Here briefly,

00:21:09.589 --> 00:21:12.970
to gather these men and my armor. For the winter

00:21:12.970 --> 00:21:16.970
festival has been interrupted by a fire dragon

00:21:16.970 --> 00:21:20.890
that has razed the region. A sky plague like

00:21:20.890 --> 00:21:27.670
no man has seen. Fire, you say? Yomi says, taking

00:21:27.670 --> 00:21:32.609
a step back. Yes, yes, there's lots of fire.

00:21:32.869 --> 00:21:36.490
But a dragon's flame is but a child's scream.

00:21:36.970 --> 00:21:40.650
If we can understand this creature, and perhaps

00:21:40.650 --> 00:21:42.809
that is why you were sent, to help us better

00:21:42.809 --> 00:21:46.430
understand this creature, perhaps you've encountered

00:21:46.430 --> 00:21:52.230
a dragon before. Did this dragon, did it burn

00:21:52.230 --> 00:21:56.009
across the sky from horizon to horizon, and as

00:21:56.009 --> 00:21:58.529
it did, trailing smoke and dropping spare parts?

00:21:59.250 --> 00:22:02.730
It did. I saw this the other night. Lucky you

00:22:02.730 --> 00:22:05.250
remember this, right? We were out. doing the

00:22:05.250 --> 00:22:08.670
thing that we do at night, and it came across

00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:10.750
the sky. I don't think we need to talk about

00:22:10.750 --> 00:22:13.089
the thing we do at night. But yes. No, we're

00:22:13.089 --> 00:22:14.589
not talking about that. We were just out there

00:22:14.589 --> 00:22:18.609
doing that. Fortunately, I have a hair of St.

00:22:18.750 --> 00:22:21.289
Agatha in this ring, which is proof against fires,

00:22:21.349 --> 00:22:24.910
volcanoes, and lightning, so I had no fear. I

00:22:24.910 --> 00:22:26.730
also have a totem of Vulcan, if anybody needs

00:22:26.730 --> 00:22:28.950
that, sovereign against flames. Add some holy

00:22:28.950 --> 00:22:31.990
water. Not so much good against fire, but you

00:22:31.990 --> 00:22:36.269
can pour it on it. But what I find is that fear

00:22:36.269 --> 00:22:38.589
of fire is worse than the fire itself, as long

00:22:38.589 --> 00:22:41.410
as you are properly guarded. I don't think whatever

00:22:41.410 --> 00:22:43.089
was in the sky the other night is anything we

00:22:43.089 --> 00:22:45.529
need to fear, as long as our courage remains

00:22:45.529 --> 00:22:49.589
good and our luck is with us. And our steel is

00:22:49.589 --> 00:22:53.829
strong. Fortunately, I have the legendary blade

00:22:53.829 --> 00:22:59.369
belonging to Amund, son of Otar Vendelcrow. We

00:22:59.369 --> 00:23:03.930
will raise it in defense of the king. Yes, we

00:23:03.930 --> 00:23:09.670
will. Does he have it on him? He is sitting by

00:23:09.670 --> 00:23:13.930
the fire, honing it with a whetstone. Oh, he's

00:23:13.930 --> 00:23:16.130
like actually sharpening it right as we speak?

00:23:16.609 --> 00:23:20.789
Exactly. The sparks are spiraling into the flames

00:23:20.789 --> 00:23:26.390
of the beetle fire. May I see it? You may, Ock

00:23:26.390 --> 00:23:31.509
Strong. And he shows you the legendary heirloom

00:23:31.509 --> 00:23:36.339
blade. It's lovely. Here's mine. He's going to

00:23:36.339 --> 00:23:40.960
draw a bear claw out. Look at the size of that.

00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:44.319
Yeah, a bear claw is massive. Bear paw, isn't

00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:50.579
it? Bear paw. That's what he said. Bear paw in

00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:55.640
your time was a thousand year old sword that

00:23:55.640 --> 00:24:00.619
was forged in the hottest of furnaces. Now, it's

00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:04.599
probably You know, some kind of welded pattern

00:24:04.599 --> 00:24:08.640
steel that is relatively new and advanced as

00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:11.299
far as these smiths are concerned. I picked it

00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:14.980
off a dead man. Ghost creature thing. You are

00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:19.960
surrounded by death. What is this one? Shadow

00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:24.240
stalker. Stone dweller. And this? A land white.

00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:29.539
A grim demon. A hell serf. And you a mead hall

00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:34.380
peacock. You are sent by Odin, was I correct

00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:41.500
in my assumption? Yes. Yes? I see. Then let us

00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:46.299
toast and drink, for tomorrow we may die. A toast

00:24:46.299 --> 00:24:50.160
to Odin for victory in battle, and to you and

00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:55.740
your health, my kinsmen. Vesel! Vesel! Vesel!

00:24:55.740 --> 00:25:01.299
Vesel! You may chat amongst yourselves over the

00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:05.299
Feast of Suckling Pig and get to know each other.

00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:08.740
But in the morning, Big Life makes it clear that

00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:13.839
he expects you all to ride out. He is planning,

00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:19.240
as he said, to attend the king and join the party

00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:22.839
that will go in search of the dragon's lair,

00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:26.640
the cave. A goblet was stolen recently. from

00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:30.420
the cave and the dragon has roared out and left

00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:35.799
the whole lakeside region in tumult and so he

00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:39.019
plans to join with the king and ride with him

00:25:39.019 --> 00:25:42.759
to slay the beast none of us are afraid of this

00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:47.220
she's just thinking uh you know dragons myths

00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:49.819
this is a long time ago probably not a real dragon

00:25:49.819 --> 00:25:52.420
but like he's kind of the wheels are turning

00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:57.400
so he leans over to To Aaron, who are me, and

00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:01.799
says, I don't think it's a dragon. It's probably

00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:05.759
something that joined us from another time. And

00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:08.279
we should investigate it, because it could be

00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:11.140
our ticket home. It could. The thing that fell

00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:13.880
from the sky is probably the falcon. Bits of

00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:18.799
it. And coal. Oh, and coal. I assure you, the

00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:23.450
dragon. is real. It has reduced forts and earthworks

00:26:23.450 --> 00:26:28.309
to dust and ashes. Its den has been found carved

00:26:28.309 --> 00:26:33.130
into the earth by Yodna. King Beowulf plans an

00:26:33.130 --> 00:26:36.670
assault on its lair, and though my kinsmen and

00:26:36.670 --> 00:26:40.390
I are fearful, we have made an unbreakable oath,

00:26:40.670 --> 00:26:44.329
laying our hands on the king's boar in his hall,

00:26:44.690 --> 00:26:47.930
words that went straight to the ears of Freyr

00:26:47.930 --> 00:26:52.319
himself. All right. Yes, well, I mean, we can't

00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:54.160
really compete. He says things like that sometimes.

00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:59.619
He's a very, very good leader, I must say. I

00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:02.759
really must practice my whispering because none

00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:06.519
of what I said was meant for you. We all heard

00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:09.259
it, though. I gathered that. You're not a quiet

00:27:09.259 --> 00:27:14.599
man. I'm trying to be. The honorable king will

00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:17.660
be receptive to have spirits such as us among

00:27:17.660 --> 00:27:21.480
his host. Does he have a choice if Odin has sent

00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:25.160
him to his side? No, he doesn't. Who wouldn't

00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:27.180
want to have a god join him in a fight against

00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:31.660
a dragon? Yes, I believe gods, these servants

00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:34.079
of gods, whatever they may be, these spirits,

00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:37.259
they have been sent to help us gain our victory.

00:27:37.339 --> 00:27:41.339
Surely, we and Beowulf, with their aid, can conquer

00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:44.900
this dragon. And our names will go down in history.

00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.779
Tales will be told of us. Surely, one day, I

00:27:48.779 --> 00:27:52.140
mean, of me, of course, but yes, the others have

00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:55.059
a chance. But I will be there too. Certainly.

00:27:55.720 --> 00:27:57.700
I, for one, look forward to our names joining

00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:00.519
the list of dragon slayers from Old English and

00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:03.960
Old Norse legend. A list that includes such luminary

00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:09.140
names as Beowulf. On the Saga Think podcast,

00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:11.900
you might end up reviewing yourself. That's right.

00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:17.619
Let us then proceed for the next day, Big Leaf.

00:28:18.119 --> 00:28:22.900
rises early and rides with the dawn without waiting

00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:26.200
for anyone apart from his kinsmen. If you are

00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:30.220
awake, you are able to follow his tracks to the

00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:33.940
east or just ride along with him or run alongside

00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:37.380
his well -shot horse. We should go with him.

00:28:37.460 --> 00:28:41.009
Yes. We should. Gigi, go first. Is there a horse

00:28:41.009 --> 00:28:43.490
that will bear Gigi? Or the rest of us? I mean,

00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:45.430
the rest of us are bearing him so far. Not this

00:28:45.430 --> 00:28:50.250
time. Thank you. These kinsmen will be able to

00:28:50.250 --> 00:28:53.349
avail themselves of mounts from the stables,

00:28:53.410 --> 00:28:58.910
but the three of you will have to walk and take

00:28:58.910 --> 00:29:02.430
long shacks as pony, so to speak. There is no

00:29:02.430 --> 00:29:07.690
way a horse is going to bear either one of you.

00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:10.119
Because one of you is made of stone, the other

00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:12.839
is a tree, and the other one is far too big for

00:29:12.839 --> 00:29:15.640
a horse. Any horse that you go near will panic,

00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:19.539
startle, bray, and rear rather than have anything

00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:22.660
to do with you. Particularly 6th century Scandinavian

00:29:22.660 --> 00:29:25.960
horses. Which will probably be a little bit smaller

00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:30.200
than the state boat. the walls of today isn't

00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:32.220
there a saga where like a king raced a guy on

00:29:32.220 --> 00:29:34.299
a horse and he won because the horse was tiny

00:29:34.299 --> 00:29:37.200
possible there's lots of stories i seem to i

00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:39.279
seem to remember something to that effect uh

00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:42.200
i'm i'm fond of the story of ralph the walker

00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:44.799
a man who was tall enough that he kept uh whenever

00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:46.259
he'd stand up the horse would just ride out from

00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:50.779
under him exactly who is wolf of all careers

00:29:50.779 --> 00:29:54.140
who uh cj based his character on yes oh right

00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:59.759
yeah exactly So, as you head along the lakeside,

00:29:59.779 --> 00:30:03.700
you soon pass columns of refugees travelling

00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:06.720
in the other direction. Dumbstruck fishermen,

00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:11.200
women carrying small infants, terrified thralls.

00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:15.900
They all look at you with tired, bloodshot eyes.

00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:19.980
Some are badly burnt, perhaps injuries inflicted

00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:23.519
as they fled from... burning villages. Many are

00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:25.960
carrying treasured possessions that they have

00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:29.980
rescued from the flames. This is much more serious.

00:30:31.079 --> 00:30:34.480
It's getting worse by the day. It's good that

00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:36.779
we have these companions who will help us, no

00:30:36.779 --> 00:30:39.819
doubt. Thorfinn begins stroking a piece of wood

00:30:39.819 --> 00:30:42.440
on the inside of his shield. Diomi asks some

00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:46.599
of the refugees, can you describe what it is

00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:50.950
you're doing? away! What kind of a beast are

00:30:50.950 --> 00:30:55.609
you? Thank you very much. Air will disguise himself

00:30:55.609 --> 00:31:02.029
as an ordinary, well, fairly ordinary human warrior

00:31:02.029 --> 00:31:06.349
type. Leomi, would you like to stop frightening

00:31:06.349 --> 00:31:10.589
the locals as well? Yes, please. Thank you. Air

00:31:10.589 --> 00:31:14.930
will disguise Leomi as a significantly less impressive

00:31:14.930 --> 00:31:18.579
ordinary human warrior type. as non -descript

00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:21.819
as possible. You're going to use your save the

00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:25.660
spells, your glamour sight to make people blend

00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:28.759
in a little bit as opposed to poke them with

00:31:28.759 --> 00:31:32.519
branches. Exactly that. Super. In which case,

00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:36.680
when you then approach that same person, they

00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:40.740
say to you, It came from the sky in the night,

00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:45.339
took all of our flock in its maw. Another woman

00:31:45.339 --> 00:31:49.099
looking on says, I lost my husband in the flames.

00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:54.500
I saw our whole village burn. Did it land on

00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:59.099
your village? The refugees are all slightly wary,

00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:03.480
but seeing the Thane and his kinsmen, they begin

00:32:03.480 --> 00:32:07.720
to flop towards you, holding up their hands,

00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:12.839
desperate for charity, for healing, for alms

00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:16.859
for the poor. If only we could heal them. Think

00:32:16.859 --> 00:32:19.140
of the goodwill we would gain. They need the

00:32:19.140 --> 00:32:23.700
healing later. In this case, I am genuinely saving

00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:28.119
them. We'll be fine. Gigi's going to reach into

00:32:28.119 --> 00:32:29.740
his purse and he's going to throw some Kronar

00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:34.460
at the people. And even though it's not going

00:32:34.460 --> 00:32:37.339
to be worth anything to them. Valkyr pushes him

00:32:37.339 --> 00:32:43.289
away because he's a bad sport. Doesn't want to

00:32:43.289 --> 00:32:45.769
have anything to do with them. Are you actively

00:32:45.769 --> 00:32:48.069
trying to pick up the coins that he's just bestowed

00:32:48.069 --> 00:32:54.930
on the poor? Yeah. Yes. You scramble in the dirt,

00:32:54.990 --> 00:32:58.190
picking up the gold and silver coins and stowing

00:32:58.190 --> 00:33:03.589
them in your pockets. Exactly. Rush forward,

00:33:03.769 --> 00:33:07.109
pushes him out of the way, scrambles for the

00:33:07.109 --> 00:33:11.109
coins, and says some snide remarks along the

00:33:11.109 --> 00:33:17.359
way. And for that dazzling act of hubris and

00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:21.000
greed, I'm going to give you one shame for behaving...

00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:27.359
Welcome to the team. Behaving in a very non -Norse

00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:32.799
manner. One of the other refugees offers another

00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:38.680
tragic story. They tug on your sleeve, Thorfinn,

00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:42.910
obviously recognizing you and says... I saw it

00:33:42.910 --> 00:33:46.910
soaring like a comet in the night sky, belching

00:33:46.910 --> 00:33:51.529
fire and smoke. Well, that sounds most disturbing.

00:33:52.009 --> 00:33:55.609
I press a bezoar that has proof against fire

00:33:55.609 --> 00:33:59.369
into his hand. Oh, thank you, my lord. Thank

00:33:59.369 --> 00:34:01.670
you. Thank you. A thousand blessings. Just keep

00:34:01.670 --> 00:34:06.269
that on your purse and you'll be fine. I shall

00:34:06.269 --> 00:34:10.789
wear it close to my heart. We are headed to...

00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:14.659
Orphan's Valley. It's our holy sanctuary. You

00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:19.099
will be welcome there. And you do recognize that

00:34:19.099 --> 00:34:23.460
that is a place that is a sacred grove for your

00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:27.659
people where a priestess known as Ellie makes

00:34:27.659 --> 00:34:32.619
her home and will possibly help tend to the wounded

00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:37.139
and the scared. Yomi looks at Aaron and says,

00:34:37.199 --> 00:34:41.099
See what? Saving it. make sense. They have their

00:34:41.099 --> 00:34:47.579
own selfish tree. Idiot rock. You'll probably

00:34:47.579 --> 00:34:51.739
see at some point Storhead is going to be looking

00:34:51.739 --> 00:34:56.860
for wounded and injured people. He comes up to

00:34:56.860 --> 00:35:01.699
one of them who has a burn on their head and

00:35:01.699 --> 00:35:06.579
he reaches into his bag and he pulls out what

00:35:06.579 --> 00:35:10.320
is basically a bandage uh with rotten apples

00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:13.500
on it and he's he he approaches this person he

00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:17.760
says you must um put this Apple, strap it to

00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:21.599
your forehead. It will help cure your pain. And

00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:26.800
if the pain goes away, then that means that the

00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:30.599
spirits demand another apple, and you keep putting

00:35:30.599 --> 00:35:34.480
more apples on there until it goes away. I learned

00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:38.719
this in the East, so please, if you have apples...

00:35:38.719 --> 00:35:46.239
Absolute nonsense. What? Come here. And Thorfinn

00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:50.840
is going to begin pulling chicken bones and incense

00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:55.900
and a decorated egg from various pockets. Here,

00:35:56.239 --> 00:35:58.960
take all of these. Bury them in the four corners

00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:01.659
of your home. Say a prayer to any gods that aren't

00:36:01.659 --> 00:36:04.519
otherwise occupied, and you'll be fine. Ironically,

00:36:04.619 --> 00:36:09.679
these fascinating pre -medieval... healing spells

00:36:09.679 --> 00:36:13.039
and charms are actually more effective than anything

00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:20.420
that Bill has done in 20 episodes. I resemble

00:36:20.420 --> 00:36:24.679
that remark. That's what we've been doing wrong.

00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:27.739
Rowdy, did you want to do anything with your

00:36:27.739 --> 00:36:29.639
ill -gotten gains? For example, do you want to

00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:32.380
create yourself a kind of Viking horde by burying

00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:35.780
them under a nearby tree for future posterity?

00:36:37.289 --> 00:36:39.789
I think I'll hold on to them. I was thinking

00:36:39.789 --> 00:36:43.829
that maybe it'll be useful having a few shiny

00:36:43.829 --> 00:36:48.650
coins for when they face down a greedy, snarling,

00:36:48.650 --> 00:36:53.869
flying snake and can use them to distract away

00:36:53.869 --> 00:36:57.900
from a killing blow or something like that. You

00:36:57.900 --> 00:37:00.519
do know what happens, Marley, don't you, to the

00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:04.599
first slightly nefarious character in a movie

00:37:04.599 --> 00:37:07.219
who does that kind of stealing. You know what

00:37:07.219 --> 00:37:10.280
happens when they meet the big man. It's usually

00:37:10.280 --> 00:37:13.719
the first to go. They could even buy a T -Rex

00:37:13.719 --> 00:37:17.500
on the toilet, don't they? With his clothing

00:37:17.500 --> 00:37:22.820
red at all. I just didn't want you to let the

00:37:22.820 --> 00:37:26.280
fact that you've tempted fate go by without passing

00:37:26.280 --> 00:37:32.710
remark. on it the various refugees continue to

00:37:32.710 --> 00:37:36.369
pass through the forest by the side of the lake

00:37:36.369 --> 00:37:39.210
towards the holy sanctuary for the geats and

00:37:39.210 --> 00:37:42.750
you can see there is a clearing in this forest

00:37:42.750 --> 00:37:47.570
of oak ash and hazel where huge megalithic stones

00:37:47.570 --> 00:37:51.690
are arranged that's in the shape of a ship at

00:37:51.690 --> 00:37:55.210
the edge of a glade surrounded by a canopy of

00:37:55.719 --> 00:38:00.820
And all around you are the rotting corpses of

00:38:00.820 --> 00:38:04.340
horses, dogs and hens that dangle from branches.

00:38:04.659 --> 00:38:07.639
And you also see lots of bones lying scattered

00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:12.800
amidst the roots below. A priestess moves between

00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:16.219
the trees, singing songs to the cadavers as she

00:38:16.219 --> 00:38:20.480
cuts deep into their sinew. She then collects

00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:24.639
the dripping blood in a bowl and flicks the contents.

00:38:25.070 --> 00:38:27.929
onto the worshippers who have assembled using

00:38:27.929 --> 00:38:34.090
a long twig reddening their faces. It appears

00:38:34.090 --> 00:38:39.289
that she has her own magic and charms to rival

00:38:39.289 --> 00:38:44.150
yours, John and Andy. I am instantly going to

00:38:44.150 --> 00:38:46.150
slide into the end of the row and try to get

00:38:46.150 --> 00:38:53.309
Sprague to speak. Oh no, quite literally. A store

00:38:53.309 --> 00:38:55.730
head is going to be looking around at any of

00:38:55.730 --> 00:38:58.429
the decaying flesh, hoping that there's some,

00:38:58.510 --> 00:39:00.889
looking for maggots anywhere he can find. If

00:39:00.889 --> 00:39:02.789
he can grab some maggots, which he would like

00:39:02.789 --> 00:39:05.829
to put into a little pouch. He's going to save

00:39:05.829 --> 00:39:09.090
those in case anybody gets cut. He is confident

00:39:09.090 --> 00:39:11.710
that putting maggots in the wound is a good idea.

00:39:12.550 --> 00:39:15.150
CJ, did you want to have a bit of a medical?

00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:17.480
discourse, you know, since from the future you

00:39:17.480 --> 00:39:21.440
have your analgesics and you just have no interest

00:39:21.440 --> 00:39:25.360
in these barbarians. Gigi's thinking to himself,

00:39:25.440 --> 00:39:29.320
I could accidentally heal or kill someone related

00:39:29.320 --> 00:39:36.760
to me distantly and cause me to disappear. That

00:39:36.760 --> 00:39:38.940
would be terrible. Or someone that I don't like

00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:43.519
to appear. Don't touch anything. Don't step on

00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:46.289
a worm. Some of these worms might be Leomi's

00:39:46.289 --> 00:39:51.429
ancestors. Friends. Friends. Not ancestors. Friends.

00:39:51.550 --> 00:39:56.130
Family. The Norse did believe that the Dverk

00:39:56.130 --> 00:40:00.650
were born of the maggots that came from Ymir,

00:40:00.769 --> 00:40:04.389
the primordial titan that birthed the worlds.

00:40:04.630 --> 00:40:06.969
So who knows? You might be in good company. The

00:40:06.969 --> 00:40:10.230
Priestess, again, some of you will recognize

00:40:10.230 --> 00:40:14.190
her as the Vendel Thanes. You will recognize

00:40:14.190 --> 00:40:20.690
her. She is quite a young and startlingly beautiful

00:40:20.690 --> 00:40:26.269
woman, although she does have gnarled fingernails.

00:40:26.289 --> 00:40:31.190
And as the three newcomers stride into her glade,

00:40:31.250 --> 00:40:36.070
she studies you silently and then runs those

00:40:36.070 --> 00:40:40.250
gnarled fingernails along your shoulders, sniffing

00:40:40.250 --> 00:40:43.900
greedily at your clothing. whilst tapping her

00:40:43.900 --> 00:40:48.139
staff insistently on the ground. Hello there,

00:40:48.239 --> 00:40:52.599
my name is Grielgoth. Do not talk! I have not

00:40:52.599 --> 00:40:58.900
finished my examination. And she continues to

00:40:58.900 --> 00:41:03.900
run her fingers along your contours and says,

00:41:04.059 --> 00:41:08.679
wear my sword, this one. I was the silver medalist

00:41:08.679 --> 00:41:12.789
at the old Asgard games in Asgard. I believe

00:41:12.789 --> 00:41:17.230
that you were, for you are not from this time

00:41:17.230 --> 00:41:21.869
nor place, nor should you think that your simple

00:41:21.869 --> 00:41:28.789
spells can disguise you, stone dweller. I seek

00:41:28.789 --> 00:41:32.789
not to deceive you, but to deceive those who

00:41:32.789 --> 00:41:37.570
would be frightened. And with him. You are, are

00:41:37.570 --> 00:41:43.090
you, brothers in arms? Gauter's huntsman, here

00:41:43.090 --> 00:41:46.869
to aid the king, lest the doom of battle bear

00:41:46.869 --> 00:41:50.670
our lord away. Soon it will be known to the fracar

00:41:50.670 --> 00:41:53.110
and the frisier far and wide that our king is

00:41:53.110 --> 00:41:56.510
gone, our nation will be invaded, our enemies

00:41:56.510 --> 00:42:00.570
will rampage. Not fair is all thy fortune, the

00:42:00.570 --> 00:42:05.170
norns I blame that this should be. And yet, slaying

00:42:05.170 --> 00:42:08.210
the dragon is the only way to snap their thread.

00:42:09.519 --> 00:42:11.519
It's funny you should mention the Norns. We had

00:42:11.519 --> 00:42:13.820
a run -in with them, or one of their creatures.

00:42:15.400 --> 00:42:19.820
And we got away. Of course you did. I see all.

00:42:20.079 --> 00:42:25.900
I know all. Return to me when the deed is done.

00:42:26.340 --> 00:42:32.980
I must tend to my people. Just to clarify, the

00:42:32.980 --> 00:42:38.539
deed you want done is killing a dragon. Correct.

00:42:38.760 --> 00:42:43.719
Must I repeat myself multiple times, you oafish

00:42:43.719 --> 00:42:48.059
de lad? I just want to be clear in case I make

00:42:48.059 --> 00:42:51.719
a mistake and make half the world disappear in

00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:54.159
my time. I'm afraid of taking a shit in this

00:42:54.159 --> 00:42:57.219
time. I don't want it to fossilize and end up

00:42:57.219 --> 00:42:59.920
in a museum in the 1970s. That would be awful.

00:43:03.019 --> 00:43:08.369
It's a good reference. The priestess Ely turns

00:43:08.369 --> 00:43:12.510
her back to you with a harumph and begins to,

00:43:12.570 --> 00:43:16.449
as you just said, to tend to people more worthy

00:43:16.449 --> 00:43:20.670
of her attentions. A storehead leans over to

00:43:20.670 --> 00:43:23.590
Gigi and says, I told you that was a real dragon.

00:43:23.750 --> 00:43:28.130
We shall see. Yes, you shall. It will be fun,

00:43:28.409 --> 00:43:33.210
I think. Ever since the reference to the Norns,

00:43:33.329 --> 00:43:37.050
Thorfinn has been rubbing rabbits' feet and pieces

00:43:37.050 --> 00:43:41.530
of wood. He's actually sidled over to Yomi and

00:43:41.530 --> 00:43:44.849
is sort of rubbing Yomi periodically as well.

00:43:45.510 --> 00:43:52.530
Thank you very much. You've made a friend. Viglaf

00:43:52.530 --> 00:43:57.250
calls out to you all as he spurs on his horse

00:43:57.250 --> 00:44:01.960
and says, Him is balls. The king cannot engage

00:44:01.960 --> 00:44:05.840
in direct battle. We must join him before the

00:44:05.840 --> 00:44:10.599
storm arrives. Spur your horses, men. There is

00:44:10.599 --> 00:44:14.639
no time to waste. For gold. For fucking glory.

00:44:15.480 --> 00:44:19.079
Let's have it. I mean, fucking glory seems like

00:44:19.079 --> 00:44:21.880
a very different mission. Interesting though.

00:44:22.019 --> 00:44:33.699
Who's glory? For glory? Oh, for glory. Why didn't

00:44:33.699 --> 00:44:37.980
you say? There's four of them. Good lord. Oh

00:44:37.980 --> 00:44:42.639
no, not the four candles thing. It's a time like

00:44:42.639 --> 00:44:48.139
this that the gods look down and go, oh my god,

00:44:48.159 --> 00:44:54.719
what have we done? Such are the assembled heroes

00:44:54.719 --> 00:44:59.090
that have been asked to re -thread the timelines.

00:44:59.650 --> 00:45:05.510
So, will you follow the Valiant Vigli as he rides

00:45:05.510 --> 00:45:10.250
to the north towards the Dragon's Den? Definitely.

00:45:11.010 --> 00:45:13.010
We're oathbound to it. We don't have a choice.

00:45:14.289 --> 00:45:16.570
Thorfinn will, but I am lighting a smudge stick

00:45:16.570 --> 00:45:18.969
and an incense before I do, and I'm sort of just

00:45:18.969 --> 00:45:23.469
waving them around my head clockwise as I ride.

00:45:25.159 --> 00:45:27.980
Ralph Gare is beginning to compose poetry about

00:45:27.980 --> 00:45:30.860
himself and his head, looking forward towards

00:45:30.860 --> 00:45:33.179
the glory that he expects himself to receive.

00:45:33.760 --> 00:45:36.360
Gare will pluck a diamond from his headpiece

00:45:36.360 --> 00:45:39.760
and hand it to a totally random refugee as we

00:45:39.760 --> 00:45:43.380
go by, trusting in fate that that person actually,

00:45:43.480 --> 00:45:45.340
that's where they got it from in the first place,

00:45:45.480 --> 00:45:50.340
or they will have got it from. That is a glorious

00:45:50.340 --> 00:45:54.710
and generous gesture unbeknownst to you. You

00:45:54.710 --> 00:46:00.030
give it to a small child who then grows up to

00:46:00.030 --> 00:46:03.489
use that wealth to lead a major rebellion that

00:46:03.489 --> 00:46:07.230
leads to a huge massacre and the slaughter of

00:46:07.230 --> 00:46:13.489
many innocents. Is Shishi freaking out while

00:46:13.489 --> 00:46:18.570
he's doing this? What are you doing? You could

00:46:18.570 --> 00:46:22.340
have just... funded a rebellion that will slaughter

00:46:22.340 --> 00:46:26.199
millions. Or I could have funded a school that

00:46:26.199 --> 00:46:29.320
will advance science by centuries. And then we

00:46:29.320 --> 00:46:33.599
won't exist. Unless that money was needed to

00:46:33.599 --> 00:46:36.079
found the university in the first place. Very

00:46:36.079 --> 00:46:40.139
unusual gift there, are you feeling? Feels a

00:46:40.139 --> 00:46:43.139
bit out of character for you. Perhaps I should

00:46:43.139 --> 00:46:45.840
use a healing spell after all. It would be a

00:46:45.840 --> 00:46:49.409
first. I find your verb -tense Zender philanthropy

00:46:49.409 --> 00:46:53.630
equally confusing. Thank you. The dragon's den

00:46:53.630 --> 00:47:00.070
lies an hour's ride to the north. As you approach

00:47:00.070 --> 00:47:05.789
the hilltop, Big Life spurs his horse on and

00:47:05.789 --> 00:47:10.389
dashes at a canter far ahead of you and out of

00:47:10.389 --> 00:47:15.460
sight. three oaths one you may decide what you

00:47:15.460 --> 00:47:19.019
wish to do but the other characters you instantly

00:47:19.019 --> 00:47:23.780
recognize the cavern that purports to be the

00:47:23.780 --> 00:47:28.239
dragon's den as the impact crater of the falcon

00:47:28.239 --> 00:47:33.420
parts of the ship are strewn all around the shore

00:47:33.420 --> 00:47:38.980
because it is alongside the lake and you have

00:47:38.980 --> 00:47:43.590
arrived just in time to witness the start of

00:47:43.590 --> 00:47:47.269
an epic battle between King Beowulf and the dragon.

00:47:48.769 --> 00:47:52.070
What does this dragon look like? Yeah, when you

00:47:52.070 --> 00:47:56.050
say dragon. Yeah. I shall describe it thusly.

00:47:56.250 --> 00:48:01.250
In the mid -distance, the king walks up the cliffside

00:48:01.250 --> 00:48:05.309
alone, resplendent in his male shirt. You hear

00:48:05.309 --> 00:48:08.730
him bellow a challenge and then listen as the

00:48:08.730 --> 00:48:13.679
barrow below rumbles a reply and then something

00:48:13.679 --> 00:48:18.059
erupts from the darkness spouting deadly flames

00:48:18.059 --> 00:48:21.920
the fire hits the king's shield and forces him

00:48:21.920 --> 00:48:26.280
to his knees and at this some of his men around

00:48:26.280 --> 00:48:29.920
him break ranks and flee in terror back to the

00:48:29.920 --> 00:48:34.539
safety of the forest all except Viglife who spurs

00:48:34.539 --> 00:48:40.300
his horse onwards to aid his king Now, this is

00:48:40.300 --> 00:48:43.820
what you all see, and again, for the purposes

00:48:43.820 --> 00:48:47.860
of our new guests, I'm going to explain something

00:48:47.860 --> 00:48:52.139
that happened in the last episode. So, the crew

00:48:52.139 --> 00:48:55.579
of the falcon encountered a weaver, which is

00:48:55.579 --> 00:48:58.739
a creature sent by the Norns to repair the timelines,

00:48:58.980 --> 00:49:04.099
and this creature of paradox appears to the people

00:49:04.099 --> 00:49:09.530
who face it as their most... feared and fated

00:49:09.530 --> 00:49:14.289
enemy. So in the case of you Vendor Age Thanes,

00:49:14.449 --> 00:49:19.610
you do indeed see a fire -breathing monstrosity

00:49:19.610 --> 00:49:23.449
because that would be appropriate to your era.

00:49:23.769 --> 00:49:29.389
CJ, because you imagine yourself a god and an

00:49:29.389 --> 00:49:34.630
illustrious hero, you too see a dragon, although

00:49:34.630 --> 00:49:38.300
you are aware that it... It's transparent, it's

00:49:38.300 --> 00:49:43.119
translucent, but you can see the mythic importance

00:49:43.119 --> 00:49:49.619
of this beast and feel the fears of your forebears

00:49:49.619 --> 00:49:52.900
and your kinsmen course through you. And again,

00:49:53.039 --> 00:49:57.980
Bill, because you, as a tree, are slightly afeard

00:49:57.980 --> 00:50:02.920
of being flambéed, you too see this immense.

00:50:03.719 --> 00:50:07.559
Beast armoured in thick, glistening scales, its

00:50:07.559 --> 00:50:11.300
vast wings battle -torn and ragged as they unfurl

00:50:11.300 --> 00:50:15.380
with terrifying speed, casting shadows that swallow

00:50:15.380 --> 00:50:19.639
the land, and you can almost feel the heat as

00:50:19.639 --> 00:50:24.840
its cavernous maw reveals the very fires of perdition.

00:50:27.019 --> 00:50:30.679
Steve, as air, you see something very different.

00:50:30.760 --> 00:50:34.860
The landscape for you... is dominated by a creature

00:50:34.860 --> 00:50:39.199
with unkempt matted fur that bears the dull sheen

00:50:39.199 --> 00:50:42.420
of neglect. It hisses softly and then begins

00:50:42.420 --> 00:50:46.579
to bat Beowulf around with tiny little claws

00:50:46.579 --> 00:50:51.679
as it purrs in his direction. From its wide mouth,

00:50:51.920 --> 00:50:55.539
which is better suited for meowing than exuding

00:50:55.539 --> 00:51:00.489
fire, it's not the... foul flames of fire, but

00:51:00.489 --> 00:51:03.690
the foul breath of a kitty that's had too much

00:51:03.690 --> 00:51:07.489
fish. I must not fear. Here's the mind killer.

00:51:07.650 --> 00:51:09.869
Here's the little death that brings total obliteration.

00:51:09.949 --> 00:51:14.510
I will face my fear. So, everyone apart from

00:51:14.510 --> 00:51:18.650
the slightly disturbed here sees a dragon. What

00:51:18.650 --> 00:51:24.590
will be your oaths and your responses? A big

00:51:24.590 --> 00:51:29.679
life, as he's already said. is keen to go for

00:51:29.679 --> 00:51:35.360
glory, and he spurs his horse, yelling, Who wants

00:51:35.360 --> 00:51:41.219
to live forever? It's overrated. John, because

00:51:41.219 --> 00:51:43.559
this is an audio podcast, I can't see you putting

00:51:43.559 --> 00:51:47.179
your hand up. I mean, it's working out for me

00:51:47.179 --> 00:51:52.639
so far. Storhead will spur his horse behind,

00:51:52.860 --> 00:51:57.030
and as he does, He shouts, this dragon is a test.

00:51:57.170 --> 00:52:00.530
Just as a son must test himself against his father,

00:52:00.710 --> 00:52:03.610
we too must test ourselves against this dragon.

00:52:03.809 --> 00:52:09.909
We will slay it and conquer our fates. Is there

00:52:09.909 --> 00:52:14.210
something Freudian? That's your character. It's

00:52:14.210 --> 00:52:18.349
way too early. Way too early for Freud. Is he

00:52:18.349 --> 00:52:23.300
a precursor? Storhead is a precursor. I think

00:52:23.300 --> 00:52:25.360
he's on the edge of something very innovative

00:52:25.360 --> 00:52:29.099
and exciting, but he doesn't quite have a full

00:52:29.099 --> 00:52:32.300
grasp of it just yet. Imagine what the field

00:52:32.300 --> 00:52:36.219
of mental illness, how it would advance in leaps

00:52:36.219 --> 00:52:39.019
and bounds were you to survive this crucial test.

00:52:39.340 --> 00:52:41.860
Yeah, I just hope he lives. I just hope he lives

00:52:41.860 --> 00:52:44.820
long enough. Yeah, think of all the good he'll

00:52:44.820 --> 00:52:47.659
do. I'll fully fund him, of course. There you

00:52:47.659 --> 00:52:52.730
go. Thorfinn will remove the tintinabulum, the

00:52:52.730 --> 00:52:55.650
wind chime, from the back of his helmet, hold

00:52:55.650 --> 00:52:57.389
it out in front of him, at which point everyone

00:52:57.389 --> 00:53:00.110
can see that it is festooned in winged phalluses,

00:53:00.250 --> 00:53:05.369
and shake it merrily. In the name of Jupiter

00:53:05.369 --> 00:53:10.130
and Ursul and Uni and Loki and Thor, may our

00:53:10.130 --> 00:53:13.429
path be free of evil forces, or, if that thought

00:53:13.429 --> 00:53:15.730
is possible, then let our path lead stealthily

00:53:15.730 --> 00:53:18.250
up to evil as it is distracted by other concerns.

00:53:18.909 --> 00:53:23.289
Leomi is going to cast healing herbs on Air,

00:53:23.510 --> 00:53:29.829
Gigi, but also on Storehead. He rides towards

00:53:29.829 --> 00:53:33.630
them. There's less cast healing herbs as give

00:53:33.630 --> 00:53:37.869
them out to people. That's what I mean. Carefully

00:53:37.869 --> 00:53:42.690
hand out my packages of herbs, yes. And Thorfinn,

00:53:42.690 --> 00:53:47.289
what do you think of this gift of? Herbs, I mean,

00:53:47.329 --> 00:53:50.909
they don't smell right to you. Oh, they smell

00:53:50.909 --> 00:53:54.090
no worse than any of the incense I've been burning,

00:53:54.150 --> 00:53:56.530
which is a combination of mushrooms, burnt feathers,

00:53:56.630 --> 00:54:01.550
and cardamom. I take this pouch, I give praise

00:54:01.550 --> 00:54:04.630
to the gods of fortune, to the Norns, and I place

00:54:04.630 --> 00:54:06.570
it in the pouch around my neck, right next to

00:54:06.570 --> 00:54:09.989
the call from my own birth. Fantastic. Error's

00:54:09.989 --> 00:54:13.969
going to double cast Ancestral Wisdom and...

00:54:14.440 --> 00:54:17.860
Call on the wisdom of the ancients to keep me

00:54:17.860 --> 00:54:23.860
safe from compulsion or charm or fear or trauma.

00:54:25.119 --> 00:54:29.820
So much trauma. Very good. So you are protected

00:54:29.820 --> 00:54:34.440
by the spirits of the land as you ride into battle.

00:54:34.519 --> 00:54:38.000
Those healing herbs providing three creatures

00:54:38.000 --> 00:54:41.300
with medicine. So if you were given the healing

00:54:41.300 --> 00:54:44.179
herbs by Leomi, then each time you heal damage,

00:54:44.400 --> 00:54:48.219
you heal 1x6 extra damage. If you ever become

00:54:48.219 --> 00:54:50.900
injured, and the injured state is losing half

00:54:50.900 --> 00:54:53.980
of your health, then you immediately heal damage

00:54:53.980 --> 00:54:57.420
equal to your healing rate. Rounding, did you

00:54:57.420 --> 00:54:59.980
have anything that you wanted to do in particular?

00:55:00.219 --> 00:55:02.820
Are you going to gnash your teeth, bite your

00:55:02.820 --> 00:55:05.460
shield? Get angry a little bit, but basically

00:55:05.460 --> 00:55:09.150
plunge in because he's hot. tempered, impulsive

00:55:09.150 --> 00:55:12.170
character with a predisposition towards violence

00:55:12.170 --> 00:55:15.690
to begin with. And so it's not really so much

00:55:15.690 --> 00:55:22.110
about the oath as it is the chance to seek battle

00:55:22.110 --> 00:55:26.309
and glory. And presumably you're a little bit

00:55:26.309 --> 00:55:29.409
hungover from last night's mead. That definitely

00:55:29.409 --> 00:55:32.030
plays a part. It's really helping with the poetry

00:55:32.030 --> 00:55:34.869
composition in the head at the moment. So, you

00:55:34.869 --> 00:55:38.519
know, the same lines are just kind of... staring

00:55:38.519 --> 00:55:40.719
together, but providing a proper sort of impetus

00:55:40.719 --> 00:55:45.360
to kill something. CJ, any cutting insults? Any

00:55:45.360 --> 00:55:49.059
battle cries? Well, first, Gigi's taking a look

00:55:49.059 --> 00:55:51.380
at the whole scene, and he sees Beowulf on the

00:55:51.380 --> 00:55:54.519
hill, and he sees the dragon, and he knows what

00:55:54.519 --> 00:55:56.119
the dragon is. It's that thing from the ship.

00:55:56.159 --> 00:55:59.460
He sees the Falkir. And he just says out to himself,

00:55:59.679 --> 00:56:01.440
out loud, of course, and everybody can hear,

00:56:01.500 --> 00:56:02.980
but they won't know what he means. He'll say,

00:56:03.059 --> 00:56:05.739
holy shit, are we responsible for the legend

00:56:05.739 --> 00:56:09.260
of Beowulf and Grendel? This is fucking crazy.

00:56:09.559 --> 00:56:12.900
Do I fight? Do I sit out? I don't know. So he's

00:56:12.900 --> 00:56:17.000
going to cast bloody runes on his new machine

00:56:17.000 --> 00:56:20.159
gun, even though that might not be the wisest

00:56:20.159 --> 00:56:22.719
thing to do. And then he's going to think to

00:56:22.719 --> 00:56:25.369
himself. You know, Beowulf is supposed to survive

00:56:25.369 --> 00:56:27.949
the thing, right? So he's going to run up the

00:56:27.949 --> 00:56:31.130
hill toward Beowulf. Gigi did not go to school.

00:56:32.190 --> 00:56:37.289
I see you guys shaking your heads like, no, he

00:56:37.289 --> 00:56:39.809
doesn't survive. It's fine. Gigi doesn't remember

00:56:39.809 --> 00:56:42.969
that. So he's going to run up the hill. He's

00:56:42.969 --> 00:56:50.710
going to cast wave runes around. How many? You're

00:56:50.710 --> 00:56:53.969
taking the eight goes in a row. Oh, well, he's

00:56:53.969 --> 00:56:57.889
going to start running toward Beowulf to help

00:56:57.889 --> 00:57:00.769
him out because this thing is way too powerful

00:57:00.769 --> 00:57:03.969
for him to face alone. We're going to work on

00:57:03.969 --> 00:57:08.449
the fact that you carved the blood runes into

00:57:08.449 --> 00:57:11.960
your... Shaker, which is the Norse name given

00:57:11.960 --> 00:57:13.920
to a machine gun. It'll be interesting to see

00:57:13.920 --> 00:57:17.579
what these Vendel age things make of someone

00:57:17.579 --> 00:57:24.139
spewing lead at a dragon. There was a tide of

00:57:24.139 --> 00:57:29.760
professorial shaking of heads there because this

00:57:29.760 --> 00:57:35.179
is post -Grendel, post -Grendel's mum. This is

00:57:35.179 --> 00:57:39.320
really the end of the poem. for anyone who's

00:57:39.320 --> 00:57:41.940
listening who's following along by reading the

00:57:41.940 --> 00:57:44.940
text alongside this episode and see just how

00:57:44.940 --> 00:57:50.199
far it diverges it's right at the end yes let's

00:57:50.199 --> 00:57:55.860
make some rolls because this is a terrifying

00:57:55.860 --> 00:58:00.860
creature that has already laid siege to your

00:58:00.860 --> 00:58:07.150
king and sent a towering inferno in his direction

00:58:07.150 --> 00:58:10.929
that has just been deflected by his newly forged

00:58:10.929 --> 00:58:16.090
shield. So I'm going to ask you all for a will

00:58:16.090 --> 00:58:22.090
roll with one woe. Except Eir. He's not bothered.

00:58:22.289 --> 00:58:25.969
Except Eir, who, having been tormented for a

00:58:25.969 --> 00:58:28.389
long time by ancestral spirits, has now found

00:58:28.389 --> 00:58:32.010
an accord with them, and they help protect him

00:58:32.010 --> 00:58:35.809
against more insanity. CJ, did you have a roll?

00:58:36.349 --> 00:58:39.550
I'm immune to fear, right? Oh, that's true as

00:58:39.550 --> 00:58:42.829
well, yes. I cannot be frightened. As a giant's

00:58:42.829 --> 00:58:49.050
bane, you are immune to the fear effect. Protected

00:58:49.050 --> 00:58:52.369
by his overconfidence as much as anything. I

00:58:52.369 --> 00:58:59.150
rolled a 12 after subtracting four. Then Leomi

00:58:59.150 --> 00:59:04.519
remains a stalwart upright tree. Oak of a tree.

00:59:06.780 --> 00:59:11.400
That's good. Rowdy, what did you get? I had a

00:59:11.400 --> 00:59:19.360
16. You are a dranger. John? I plus minus plus

00:59:19.360 --> 00:59:24.719
15. Another stalwart companion of King Beowulf.

00:59:24.760 --> 00:59:27.960
You're doing the geats proud. Andy, it just falls

00:59:27.960 --> 00:59:31.599
to you. Will you get higher than 10? Yeah, I

00:59:31.599 --> 00:59:35.199
have a 16. What? It's a full house of people

00:59:35.199 --> 00:59:39.199
who are not reduced to quivering lumps in the

00:59:39.199 --> 00:59:42.820
face of this, whereas many of the other followers

00:59:42.820 --> 00:59:45.460
and fans of Beowulf have run screaming into the

00:59:45.460 --> 00:59:50.000
forest. You remain unabashed and unbowed and

00:59:50.000 --> 00:59:55.440
can charge the beast. So let me know if you have

00:59:55.440 --> 00:59:59.420
a combat strategy or whether you just want to

00:59:59.420 --> 01:00:03.570
form a kind of impenetrable wall of... shields

01:00:03.570 --> 01:00:05.809
and advance steadily towards the dragon, whether

01:00:05.809 --> 01:00:09.849
you want to ride with wild abandon, waving your

01:00:09.849 --> 01:00:13.269
swords. Thorhad understands how these things

01:00:13.269 --> 01:00:15.150
are supposed to go. He's going to stay very close

01:00:15.150 --> 01:00:19.670
to League life. Thorfinn is squatting in the

01:00:19.670 --> 01:00:25.469
dirt and tossing dice and chicken bones and runes

01:00:25.469 --> 01:00:29.530
and various other accoutrements and poring over

01:00:29.530 --> 01:00:31.750
the results. He's actually not even looking at

01:00:31.750 --> 01:00:35.349
the dragon right now. Very sensible. How did

01:00:35.349 --> 01:00:40.469
you get into this position, Thor? I'm reading.

01:00:41.409 --> 01:00:47.369
Healthcare's advancing. Cautiously, but arrogantly.

01:00:47.769 --> 01:00:51.989
Very well. So I'm going to assume that those

01:00:51.989 --> 01:00:56.849
are slow turns, and so that you advance with

01:00:56.849 --> 01:01:02.269
caution and control steadily towards... the dragon,

01:01:02.449 --> 01:01:07.150
your bashing metal and determined footfalls echoing

01:01:07.150 --> 01:01:12.030
over the smoldering earth. CJ, what did you want

01:01:12.030 --> 01:01:16.670
to do? Gigi is now frozen in place and he's torn

01:01:16.670 --> 01:01:20.090
between the thrill of getting to fight this thing

01:01:20.090 --> 01:01:22.230
again to take it down because he already injured

01:01:22.230 --> 01:01:26.630
it and the counterposition of he can't remember

01:01:26.630 --> 01:01:29.650
how this legend goes and he's like, fuck! Does

01:01:29.650 --> 01:01:31.710
he die? Does he live? Do I save him? Do I kill

01:01:31.710 --> 01:01:34.670
him? I'm not sure. And so he is frozen in place,

01:01:34.809 --> 01:01:38.590
trying to figure out what to do. He's ready to

01:01:38.590 --> 01:01:42.349
fight. He just doesn't know if he's going to

01:01:42.349 --> 01:01:45.730
accidentally ruin history. We'll come back to

01:01:45.730 --> 01:01:48.409
you next turn, then, to see whether you have

01:01:48.409 --> 01:01:53.289
concluded your deliberations. Leomi? Well, Leomi

01:01:53.289 --> 01:01:56.349
is either going to cast or possibly hand out

01:01:56.349 --> 01:01:59.840
whatever's involved with... doing narrow escape.

01:02:00.039 --> 01:02:03.719
Sorry, I couldn't get to the end of that. Again,

01:02:03.780 --> 01:02:05.880
for our guests, what you should understand is

01:02:05.880 --> 01:02:10.119
that Bill has less command of his character sheet

01:02:10.119 --> 01:02:15.900
than, I don't know, a kindergartner. Narrow escape

01:02:15.900 --> 01:02:20.980
is best applied when you need to narrowly escape

01:02:20.980 --> 01:02:24.019
something such as the dragon's flaming breath.

01:02:24.769 --> 01:02:28.670
Using it now before such time as it has... Oh,

01:02:28.690 --> 01:02:30.789
I thought I had to preset it. I thought it was

01:02:30.789 --> 01:02:34.710
like... You want to do it as a trigger, but at

01:02:34.710 --> 01:02:38.929
least wait until you get a kind of fiery... So

01:02:38.929 --> 01:02:42.650
like when Gigi's on fire or something like that,

01:02:42.769 --> 01:02:45.369
then it might be a good moment. Here's how to

01:02:45.369 --> 01:02:50.369
set the trigger. When a wall of flame, a hung

01:02:50.369 --> 01:02:53.429
of flame licks towards you, then narrowly escape.

01:02:54.340 --> 01:02:57.280
using your gift, as opposed to... On your wall,

01:02:57.519 --> 01:03:01.639
or either. Either. Either, okay. Important, important.

01:03:02.000 --> 01:03:04.300
Anything that looks like it's going to burn you

01:03:04.300 --> 01:03:06.440
to a crisp, then narrowly escape. Don't narrowly

01:03:06.440 --> 01:03:08.400
escape while it's still on the horizon. Although,

01:03:08.519 --> 01:03:11.119
we've done that in the past, and it works pretty

01:03:11.119 --> 01:03:13.139
well. It also seems like you have a lot more

01:03:13.139 --> 01:03:15.500
leeway for your narrow escape if you do it way

01:03:15.500 --> 01:03:19.039
in advance. Yeah, we see now that the bone reader

01:03:19.039 --> 01:03:21.800
is thinking straight. Yeah. Then it's called

01:03:21.800 --> 01:03:25.039
a not -so -narrow escape. It's called a well

01:03:25.039 --> 01:03:28.119
-prepared evacuation plan. I think that sounds

01:03:28.119 --> 01:03:32.059
a lot better. Sorry, Steve, were you still playing?

01:03:32.860 --> 01:03:37.679
Are we... Is this considered long -range at the

01:03:37.679 --> 01:03:40.659
moment? It would be. Or should I get closer?

01:03:41.260 --> 01:03:43.780
No, this is long -range. The scene ahead of you

01:03:43.780 --> 01:03:47.900
with the dragon emerging from its den and breathing

01:03:47.900 --> 01:03:52.159
all over the king with its... fiery inferno is

01:03:52.159 --> 01:03:55.760
at the wrong range. Then that's close enough,

01:03:55.920 --> 01:04:01.820
I think. Yes, that's plenty close enough. Air

01:04:01.820 --> 01:04:09.039
will cast Stormseat, which sort of draws an electrical

01:04:09.039 --> 01:04:13.860
surge down from the heavens to land behind the

01:04:13.860 --> 01:04:19.619
dragon so that this What would it be? So it's

01:04:19.619 --> 01:04:24.300
a 12 -foot -wide column of lightning, lands and

01:04:24.300 --> 01:04:29.260
hopefully hits a dragon, but stops before reaching

01:04:29.260 --> 01:04:32.559
the king, because burning kings is bad for him,

01:04:32.579 --> 01:04:35.920
and will strain himself, make of that what you

01:04:35.920 --> 01:04:38.460
will, to make the spell even more potent and

01:04:38.460 --> 01:04:42.139
more damaging in the hopes of having an effect.

01:04:42.440 --> 01:04:47.239
So 5 die 6, I think? 5 die 6 indeed. Wow. Which

01:04:47.239 --> 01:04:50.480
I believe... Oh, yeah. Let's wait and see if

01:04:50.480 --> 01:04:58.400
anything happens. Hi -ya. Wow, I'm 25. That adds

01:04:58.400 --> 01:05:02.539
up to 12, the thing says here. Just for the benefit

01:05:02.539 --> 01:05:06.260
of our listener at home, you rolled five dice

01:05:06.260 --> 01:05:10.280
six and you got a 12. You're right. Yes. One,

01:05:10.880 --> 01:05:14.139
two, three, and five. Yes. The traditional ones

01:05:14.139 --> 01:05:16.699
were definitely part of the mix. I could try

01:05:16.699 --> 01:05:23.719
again if you like. Vigilief turns as he hurtles

01:05:23.719 --> 01:05:30.679
forward on his steed and says, A veritable thunder

01:05:30.679 --> 01:05:39.829
god, or thunder child at least. He also hurls

01:05:39.829 --> 01:05:46.869
back an oath towards you, Gigi, and says, I now

01:05:46.869 --> 01:05:50.789
see you are no man at all. You fight like a farmer,

01:05:50.849 --> 01:05:54.309
not a warrior. Yeah, we've been trying to tell

01:05:54.309 --> 01:05:58.670
him. I appreciate the sentiment. However, I'm

01:05:58.670 --> 01:06:01.630
not sure if I'm going to interfere with history.

01:06:02.489 --> 01:06:05.590
It's a problem. I would be happy to kill this

01:06:05.590 --> 01:06:10.840
thing. At that, the creature and I'm going to

01:06:10.840 --> 01:06:16.280
direct this at the only the three charging things

01:06:16.280 --> 01:06:21.420
so Rowdy Andy and this also applies to Riglap

01:06:21.420 --> 01:06:27.219
himself as daring warriors ride forward swiping

01:06:27.219 --> 01:06:30.820
your swords with the precision of seasoned hunters

01:06:30.820 --> 01:06:37.769
aiming for the beast's underbelly but He emits

01:06:37.769 --> 01:06:41.369
a slow, menacing hiss that builds into a deafening

01:06:41.369 --> 01:06:45.110
crescendo, and then from its gaping maw, it releases

01:06:45.110 --> 01:06:49.949
a blast of searing heat and lethal precision.

01:06:50.449 --> 01:06:55.630
And so, first of all, I am going to ask you to

01:06:55.630 --> 01:07:05.179
take 10, 16, 23 damage as you... rush into that

01:07:05.179 --> 01:07:09.619
inferno. In addition to that, please make a slight

01:07:09.619 --> 01:07:13.900
roll, which is a dice 20, and then add your slight

01:07:13.900 --> 01:07:17.260
modifier and tell me the results. It's going

01:07:17.260 --> 01:07:20.679
to be a five for me. Sorry, it's kind of dark

01:07:20.679 --> 01:07:25.880
here. Nine. It's going to be less dark when it's

01:07:25.880 --> 01:07:31.099
lit up. There's going to be a lot of torchlight

01:07:31.099 --> 01:07:35.460
around here pretty soon, isn't there? Eleven.

01:07:35.460 --> 01:07:38.820
Okay. Actually, it's with two woes as well, so

01:07:38.820 --> 01:07:40.699
I need you to roll two dice six and subtract

01:07:40.699 --> 01:07:44.460
those from the result. Well, mine will probably

01:07:44.460 --> 01:07:48.500
be zero. Subtract those from the eleven? Please.

01:07:49.639 --> 01:07:52.400
I would have zero with that. It's traditional

01:07:52.400 --> 01:07:55.900
to roll poorly, Andrew. Well done. Yes, yes.

01:07:56.860 --> 01:08:03.889
I end up with a final sum of three. Okay, then

01:08:03.889 --> 01:08:09.150
in addition to the 23 damage already sustained,

01:08:09.489 --> 01:08:17.810
I need you to take another 25. As it sprays flames

01:08:17.810 --> 01:08:23.770
from its maw. That would be all for me, but I

01:08:23.770 --> 01:08:27.260
believe maybe I can do an energy burst. You can

01:08:27.260 --> 01:08:29.520
indeed use your triggered action to do an energy

01:08:29.520 --> 01:08:32.619
burst, and I think that Bill gave you those healing

01:08:32.619 --> 01:08:37.760
herbs. He marked you out for those. And so what

01:08:37.760 --> 01:08:40.739
you should do, Andy, is I'm going to leave you

01:08:40.739 --> 01:08:42.619
to do the math, but you're going to get, I think,

01:08:42.640 --> 01:08:46.000
14 back from your energy burst, which brings

01:08:46.000 --> 01:08:48.819
you back from the brink. Because of the healing

01:08:48.819 --> 01:08:54.840
herbs, you get... Another 14 back as it immediately

01:08:54.840 --> 01:08:57.960
heals you. And then you, in addition, get one

01:08:57.960 --> 01:09:02.939
dice six extra back. Perhaps a combination of

01:09:02.939 --> 01:09:06.939
adrenaline, herbs, and good old -fashioned shield

01:09:06.939 --> 01:09:11.079
work protects you from the flames. Yes. Rowdy.

01:09:11.199 --> 01:09:13.640
That's an awful lot of math going in your direction.

01:09:13.640 --> 01:09:17.699
Use the same energy burst to give you 14 back.

01:09:18.350 --> 01:09:23.250
But that's all you get at this stage. So imagine

01:09:23.250 --> 01:09:27.109
that you've just been raided by this flaming

01:09:27.109 --> 01:09:30.329
tongue. You're charred and you're singed. Your

01:09:30.329 --> 01:09:33.789
arrogance has been burnt out of you and you're

01:09:33.789 --> 01:09:37.149
flung from your horse onto the floor and have

01:09:37.149 --> 01:09:40.250
to scramble to safety in order to survive. John,

01:09:40.270 --> 01:09:42.550
I don't know if you saw that in the chicken entrails,

01:09:42.590 --> 01:09:45.510
but obviously discretion is the better part of

01:09:45.510 --> 01:09:50.000
valor. The last part of Thorfinn's ceremony is

01:09:50.000 --> 01:09:54.699
to take out a large -ish black ball, shake it

01:09:54.699 --> 01:09:57.659
in his hands, and ask whether conditions are

01:09:57.659 --> 01:10:01.119
favorable for an attack. And I'll just press

01:10:01.119 --> 01:10:02.380
the button and let everybody see the result.

01:10:03.039 --> 01:10:08.439
Signs point to yes. Well done. My black ball

01:10:08.439 --> 01:10:12.220
says that signs point to yes. Signs have spoken.

01:10:12.520 --> 01:10:17.100
I leap up and rush into action. Super Thorfinn

01:10:17.100 --> 01:10:19.659
was obviously rummaging around in the fallen

01:10:19.659 --> 01:10:21.840
spaceship and found himself a magic 8 -ball in

01:10:21.840 --> 01:10:27.659
advance. Fallen through the windows of time.

01:10:28.399 --> 01:10:32.979
Andy and Rowdy, you may make an attack with your

01:10:32.979 --> 01:10:37.739
sword and board, with your shield bash and cold

01:10:37.739 --> 01:10:41.260
steel and attack the creature. So you're going

01:10:41.260 --> 01:10:46.149
to roll with your might. And so what you're going

01:10:46.149 --> 01:10:52.649
to do is a straight dice 20 in this case, because

01:10:52.649 --> 01:10:54.989
this is a horrifying creature. And you're going

01:10:54.989 --> 01:10:58.689
to add your might modifier of two. 21 for me.

01:10:59.130 --> 01:11:02.949
I got a plus three. So Rowdy, you got a three.

01:11:03.550 --> 01:11:07.979
One plus two. Yeah, I can do that math. See,

01:11:08.079 --> 01:11:10.819
again, this is the perils of being the guy who

01:11:10.819 --> 01:11:13.579
steals the coins from the poor people. I can't

01:11:13.579 --> 01:11:19.680
help it, though. I mean, that thread was woven

01:11:19.680 --> 01:11:24.239
before I was born. That's right. That is very

01:11:24.239 --> 01:11:27.140
true. That's terrible to see that the norns are

01:11:27.140 --> 01:11:30.579
tightening their weave around you. Rowdy, your

01:11:30.579 --> 01:11:33.659
blade thirsting for a chink in the armor fails

01:11:33.659 --> 01:11:39.170
to penetrate, but Andy, your... Hero manages

01:11:39.170 --> 01:11:44.270
to find a way to penetrate the creature's hide.

01:11:44.470 --> 01:11:48.770
These roll some damage as perhaps you slam your

01:11:48.770 --> 01:11:53.109
shield into the dragon's snout and find a way

01:11:53.109 --> 01:11:58.010
to pierce its armor with your sword. So that's

01:11:58.010 --> 01:12:02.170
just 1d6, right? No, I think it's sizable. I

01:12:02.170 --> 01:12:05.140
think because you're... attacking with both weapons

01:12:05.140 --> 01:12:07.079
at the same time. Oh, it's a forceful strike?

01:12:07.840 --> 01:12:10.899
Yeah, it's actually eight dice six plus two.

01:12:10.899 --> 01:12:13.579
Okay, well, I've only got two of those. You just

01:12:13.579 --> 01:12:18.560
keep rolling. Okay. So we've got 29. Nice. So,

01:12:18.560 --> 01:12:24.619
under your vicious onslaught, even the king himself

01:12:24.619 --> 01:12:29.859
smiles at your prowess. Rowdy, one thing you

01:12:29.859 --> 01:12:34.420
can do... you do have the ability to call to

01:12:34.420 --> 01:12:38.180
arms when you're severely wounded and that will

01:12:38.180 --> 01:12:42.979
enable all of your brethren to roll with one

01:12:42.979 --> 01:12:47.100
wheel and with a dice six is extra damage something

01:12:47.100 --> 01:12:54.359
like that that will be fine so you blow your

01:12:54.359 --> 01:12:59.199
bugle and rouse the spirits of all of your kinsmen.

01:12:59.340 --> 01:13:02.399
They will both attack with more gusto and do

01:13:02.399 --> 01:13:07.039
more damage when they ride into battle. So thus

01:13:07.039 --> 01:13:10.939
far, the dragon has been mildly electrocuted

01:13:10.939 --> 01:13:15.340
and punched on the snout with a shield and impaled

01:13:15.340 --> 01:13:19.439
with a sword first. We will go to the top of

01:13:19.439 --> 01:13:23.720
the next round. Where is everyone in relation

01:13:23.720 --> 01:13:30.119
to the dragon? The three Vendelthanes, after

01:13:30.119 --> 01:13:33.439
we guess, have all joined the fight in toe -to

01:13:33.439 --> 01:13:38.199
-toe melee combat, along with the king himself

01:13:38.199 --> 01:13:45.300
and Vigoyf. The three usual players are standing

01:13:45.300 --> 01:13:50.399
somewhat back, Steve having called down the heavens

01:13:50.399 --> 01:13:55.590
in his thunderous attack, you musing on. temporal

01:13:55.590 --> 01:13:59.770
distortion and Bill thinking about narrowly escaping.

01:14:00.590 --> 01:14:03.729
Yes. It's sort of our standard formation, CJ.

01:14:04.090 --> 01:14:07.649
We put the men in front and we hang back. Just

01:14:07.649 --> 01:14:13.289
clarifying, you know. So could I shoot my machine

01:14:13.289 --> 01:14:17.470
gun convincingly without hitting the people who

01:14:17.470 --> 01:14:19.750
are in melee? I wouldn't worry about it. You

01:14:19.750 --> 01:14:25.100
never have before. But recall that multiple people

01:14:25.100 --> 01:14:29.140
perished. The last person we had with a PhD on

01:14:29.140 --> 01:14:35.260
this podcast, you did just gum down. This is

01:14:35.260 --> 01:14:38.060
a bad habit. I feel like that would be good information

01:14:38.060 --> 01:14:42.539
for the invite. Anti -intellectualism of our

01:14:42.539 --> 01:14:47.000
age. He will happily let you charge in and then

01:14:47.000 --> 01:14:51.369
gum you down for life. In a burst fire effect.

01:14:51.550 --> 01:14:55.430
No, I think that even given the terrifying size

01:14:55.430 --> 01:14:58.210
of this creature, were you to use burst fire,

01:14:58.369 --> 01:15:01.810
you would hit everyone in the area. You would

01:15:01.810 --> 01:15:06.430
be able to fire. Shakers can only use full auto.

01:15:06.949 --> 01:15:11.229
With a howling dog, you can do individual rounds,

01:15:11.310 --> 01:15:15.649
but shakers only have full auto, and you would

01:15:15.649 --> 01:15:19.699
spray your lead. into the backs of all of these

01:15:19.699 --> 01:15:22.539
noblemen. You still have the flamer, don't you?

01:15:22.579 --> 01:15:24.359
Maybe you could shoot that more precisely. He

01:15:24.359 --> 01:15:26.720
does not have the flamer. He left that behind.

01:15:27.159 --> 01:15:33.840
I did. So could I take a slow turn, run up next

01:15:33.840 --> 01:15:36.880
to them where they're in melee, and then shoot

01:15:36.880 --> 01:15:39.319
the creature from underneath, thereby avoiding

01:15:39.319 --> 01:15:47.310
hitting everyone else? Yes. I will say that if

01:15:47.310 --> 01:15:50.770
you take, not just this turn, but the next turn

01:15:50.770 --> 01:15:53.449
to get on the other side of the creature, the

01:15:53.449 --> 01:15:56.449
creature itself will act as cover for the people

01:15:56.449 --> 01:15:58.109
who are attacking it from the other side. So

01:15:58.109 --> 01:16:00.689
you need to flank it. It's not something you

01:16:00.689 --> 01:16:06.050
can do underneath it because, I don't know, it

01:16:06.050 --> 01:16:07.850
might just crush you. But if you get on the other

01:16:07.850 --> 01:16:11.039
side from another hilltop, then I will... I consider

01:16:11.039 --> 01:16:14.920
that to be a moment of tactical genius. I just

01:16:14.920 --> 01:16:17.479
remembered, I'm a giant Spain. I'm going to climb

01:16:17.479 --> 01:16:21.619
it. I didn't tell him, Ian. I specifically did

01:16:21.619 --> 01:16:24.060
not tell him to jump on anything. I want that

01:16:24.060 --> 01:16:28.340
in the record. She's going to say, if it's here

01:16:28.340 --> 01:16:30.859
and it's our fault, then we must help fix it.

01:16:31.220 --> 01:16:33.859
And so he's going to run up to the dragon and

01:16:33.859 --> 01:16:36.380
he's going to climb it because it's one of his

01:16:36.380 --> 01:16:39.579
special abilities. And while he's on top of it.

01:16:39.880 --> 01:16:44.039
is that my whole turn that is a slow turn to

01:16:44.039 --> 01:16:47.319
do that yes because you have to run up you have

01:16:47.319 --> 01:16:50.079
to run up and then grab it and then climb it

01:16:50.079 --> 01:16:53.579
and then climb it okay so zizi is now riding

01:16:53.579 --> 01:16:58.800
the dragon well whilst you might think that that's

01:16:58.800 --> 01:17:01.239
what you're doing do you remember how last time

01:17:01.239 --> 01:17:04.800
we ascertained it didn't have a corporeal body

01:17:04.800 --> 01:17:08.859
it was insubstantial and how bullets glided through

01:17:08.859 --> 01:17:11.399
it, and it didn't have a might score, so therefore

01:17:11.399 --> 01:17:15.199
Bill wasn't able to do anything. So what you

01:17:15.199 --> 01:17:19.699
do is you rush toward this amorphous spectral

01:17:19.699 --> 01:17:23.560
translucent creature and merely glide through

01:17:23.560 --> 01:17:27.000
it as you try to grasp hold of it. Well, you

01:17:27.000 --> 01:17:28.220
know what? I was going to have to burn a turn

01:17:28.220 --> 01:17:31.380
flanking it anyway. That's true. So you just

01:17:31.380 --> 01:17:37.210
barreled through its spectral... The rest of

01:17:37.210 --> 01:17:41.970
you, it's much more real and less imaginary for

01:17:41.970 --> 01:17:47.409
you. So you just see this peacock, this magnificently

01:17:47.409 --> 01:17:51.050
dressed giant of a man, stride and he looks like

01:17:51.050 --> 01:17:54.550
he disappears inside the creature's belly. But

01:17:54.550 --> 01:17:57.050
he pops up on the other side with a suit of bull.

01:17:57.310 --> 01:17:59.970
Just a little roll and he goes, that's how gods

01:17:59.970 --> 01:18:03.350
are supposed to fight. Everything's normal here.

01:18:04.140 --> 01:18:07.579
That was meant to happen. I can't remember. Did

01:18:07.579 --> 01:18:10.460
I try against a dwarf against this thing the

01:18:10.460 --> 01:18:15.140
last time? Is that what failed? Yes. I'll go

01:18:15.140 --> 01:18:17.260
back to thinking. Whoever else was speaking could

01:18:17.260 --> 01:18:22.439
have been. With a slow turn, what Thorfinn needs

01:18:22.439 --> 01:18:26.680
to do, I need to festoon my sword arm with a

01:18:26.680 --> 01:18:28.840
couple of charms before I can do anything else.

01:18:29.470 --> 01:18:32.050
With a slower turn, can I do that and still attack,

01:18:32.289 --> 01:18:36.409
or do I need to take a turn to festoon? No, that's

01:18:36.409 --> 01:18:38.949
what we call a minor activity, so you are all

01:18:38.949 --> 01:18:42.649
good with your potions, concoctions. All right.

01:18:42.689 --> 01:18:44.970
As he slowly makes his way up to the dragon,

01:18:45.229 --> 01:18:48.470
his bandolier of rabbit's feet is now wrapped

01:18:48.470 --> 01:18:52.149
around his arm. There's a clover hanging from

01:18:52.149 --> 01:18:55.409
his wrist, and various charms against the evil

01:18:55.409 --> 01:18:58.409
eye are dangling from a bangle around his wrist.

01:18:59.059 --> 01:19:03.260
Then make your roll and see whether Lucky Thorfinn

01:19:03.260 --> 01:19:07.319
is indeed Lucky Thorfinn. So what am I? I did

01:19:07.319 --> 01:19:10.600
a d20 and then we have a wheel at this point

01:19:10.600 --> 01:19:16.220
or no? You do because Rowdy has blown his horn.

01:19:16.220 --> 01:19:18.979
Right, I thought I rolled one down. Let's see.

01:19:20.439 --> 01:19:27.210
Eight. That's not good. Less. fortuitous and

01:19:27.210 --> 01:19:30.750
lucky that you did some of your incantations

01:19:30.750 --> 01:19:34.529
slightly wrongly. I should have chosen a different

01:19:34.529 --> 01:19:38.369
bandolier. Your blade glances off the thick,

01:19:38.390 --> 01:19:42.250
scaly hide. The lords have forsaken me! All of

01:19:42.250 --> 01:19:47.489
us, brother. Andy, did you want to have another?

01:19:47.789 --> 01:19:52.659
Yeah. Well, so what Storhead is going to do is

01:19:52.659 --> 01:19:55.680
he's going to try to move closer to the dragon's

01:19:55.680 --> 01:20:00.340
head. And he's shouting, the pain that I have

01:20:00.340 --> 01:20:02.840
inflicted upon you is nothing compared to the

01:20:02.840 --> 01:20:07.539
interior pain you are feeling from your, I assume,

01:20:07.659 --> 01:20:11.859
a raucous childhood. Tell me about your mother,

01:20:11.960 --> 01:20:15.279
he says as he stabs upward. And I'll go ahead

01:20:15.279 --> 01:20:25.390
and roll. Roll bigly. Is four big? That's a three

01:20:25.390 --> 01:20:28.670
plus one. That's not a very big number. I think

01:20:28.670 --> 01:20:31.890
you've been hampered by your diagnostician skills.

01:20:32.369 --> 01:20:37.970
Yes. Again, you fail to penetrate the dragon's

01:20:37.970 --> 01:20:40.250
hide. Rowdy, what have you got? What about its

01:20:40.250 --> 01:20:44.189
mind? That's what I'm really interested in. I'll

01:20:44.189 --> 01:20:46.789
come back to you on that once it's had a little

01:20:46.789 --> 01:20:49.710
bit of time for that to percolate. Yeah, it takes

01:20:49.710 --> 01:20:52.390
a while. This kind of thing is a process. Several

01:20:52.390 --> 01:20:57.350
sessions. Book another session. Leomi still has

01:20:57.350 --> 01:21:00.430
a shotgun and nobody's really in need of healing

01:21:00.430 --> 01:21:02.569
just yet. I mean, Gigi's just getting warmed

01:21:02.569 --> 01:21:08.609
up. What amazes me as an alpha healer is Rowdy's

01:21:08.609 --> 01:21:12.710
on 14 health. He took... a full inferno to the

01:21:12.710 --> 01:21:15.050
face, and you then just said, no one's really

01:21:15.050 --> 01:21:17.510
in need of healing. Well, he's still standing.

01:21:17.789 --> 01:21:21.970
I mean, come on. He's not dead yet. His beard

01:21:21.970 --> 01:21:26.130
burst into flame. I begin to see why you go through

01:21:26.130 --> 01:21:29.689
guests on a regular basis. You know what? I'm

01:21:29.689 --> 01:21:32.970
sensing, once again, the GM may be subtly hinting,

01:21:32.970 --> 01:21:35.050
and I don't always pick up on it right away,

01:21:35.170 --> 01:21:38.890
but I think tonight I picked up on it. So, why

01:21:38.890 --> 01:21:45.069
don't I then... uh do uh do gandry so you may

01:21:45.069 --> 01:21:48.050
take a faster and a slow turn as you as a thread

01:21:48.050 --> 01:21:52.409
rider dance on the twines of fate and enter the

01:21:52.409 --> 01:21:58.710
battle able to not only ride to rowdy's aid but

01:21:58.710 --> 01:22:03.170
cast upon him such life spells as you have and

01:22:03.170 --> 01:22:06.250
i have so many that it's quite a long book here

01:22:06.250 --> 01:22:12.699
we go i heard that Now you've thrown me, you

01:22:12.699 --> 01:22:16.619
bastard. That was easy. Yeah, it's always easy.

01:22:17.819 --> 01:22:22.119
Why don't we do... What's the really good one?

01:22:22.659 --> 01:22:25.100
Everlasting Runes. Yeah, that's the one. Let's

01:22:25.100 --> 01:22:28.399
do Everlasting Runes on Rowdy, since I've noticed

01:22:28.399 --> 01:22:34.960
he's doing poorly, being a healer and all. Everlasting

01:22:34.960 --> 01:22:38.869
Runes enables you, Rowdy, to return to... full

01:22:38.869 --> 01:22:41.689
health, so all damage is eliminated. You are

01:22:41.689 --> 01:22:45.890
back to your 42. There you go. Due to the gentle

01:22:45.890 --> 01:22:50.270
ministrations and runic healing of the alpha.

01:22:50.270 --> 01:22:53.590
Bug -laden tree. How long have you been able

01:22:53.590 --> 01:22:57.689
to do that? A while. I used it last time to try

01:22:57.689 --> 01:23:01.350
and kill the weaver, but it didn't have the right

01:23:01.350 --> 01:23:06.270
aspect for it to do. So my first attempt was

01:23:06.270 --> 01:23:10.840
to kill something, sure. You know, medicine's

01:23:10.840 --> 01:23:15.720
complex. The dragon turns its attention to the

01:23:15.720 --> 01:23:19.560
king and you watch with horror as events unfurl

01:23:19.560 --> 01:23:23.579
in accordance with the famous saga. The king's

01:23:23.579 --> 01:23:27.420
sword shatters on the dragon's skull and it's

01:23:27.420 --> 01:23:31.520
up to Viglife to strike the beast in its belly,

01:23:31.659 --> 01:23:36.260
allowing Beowulf to... stab a hunting knife into

01:23:36.260 --> 01:23:42.239
its flank the king looks to have taken a mortal

01:23:42.239 --> 01:23:48.460
blow and falls backwards the creature also not

01:23:48.460 --> 01:23:52.159
being a real dragon but being this manifestation

01:23:52.159 --> 01:23:56.739
of the fates let's see who it targets unfortunately

01:23:56.739 --> 01:24:00.579
lucky thorfinn you are proving to be less than

01:24:00.579 --> 01:24:06.850
lucky as the Beast targets you with its ability,

01:24:06.970 --> 01:24:11.930
bending the fabric of space and time around its

01:24:11.930 --> 01:24:15.310
claw as it reaches out to you. See past, present,

01:24:15.350 --> 01:24:20.409
and future merge into one. And I am going to

01:24:20.409 --> 01:24:25.430
need you to make for me, please, a slight roll.

01:24:25.850 --> 01:24:30.409
Roll, Dembo. Straight roll. A slight roll with

01:24:30.409 --> 01:24:37.420
one wheel. 15. And then that is enough to save

01:24:37.420 --> 01:24:42.460
you from sealed fate, and the creature fails

01:24:42.460 --> 01:24:47.220
to knock you prone, and you avoid your judgment

01:24:47.220 --> 01:24:51.939
of the lawns. I crush one of the colored eggs

01:24:51.939 --> 01:24:54.000
in my hand and throw it to the ground before

01:24:54.000 --> 01:24:59.560
me. Super. All right. Steve, I think you're the

01:24:59.560 --> 01:25:03.800
only person that didn't go. Right. Is there any

01:25:03.800 --> 01:25:08.039
way at this range to drop another Storm Seat

01:25:08.039 --> 01:25:12.279
Lightning Burst on the dragon without hitting

01:25:12.279 --> 01:25:18.390
any of the lunatics fighting it in melee? Your

01:25:18.390 --> 01:25:22.029
question is, can you summon from the skies a

01:25:22.029 --> 01:25:25.369
bolt of lightning that solely hits the dragon

01:25:25.369 --> 01:25:29.470
in the midst of these brave battling heroes without

01:25:29.470 --> 01:25:33.770
electrocuting them? Sounds like a yes. The answer

01:25:33.770 --> 01:25:38.689
is no. You may indeed call forth your sorcerer's

01:25:38.689 --> 01:25:43.130
storm, but you will electrocute everyone at the

01:25:43.130 --> 01:25:46.489
same time. I feel like that's a bad idea. Tempting

01:25:46.489 --> 01:25:50.869
though that is. He will instead use Gandfly to

01:25:50.869 --> 01:25:54.750
hurl a bolt of energy from long range at the

01:25:54.750 --> 01:26:00.350
dragon and hit only the dragon. And he will strain

01:26:00.350 --> 01:26:05.130
himself again to make it potent again in the

01:26:05.130 --> 01:26:09.909
hopes of hurting it very badly. So 3d6. Steve's

01:26:09.909 --> 01:26:14.229
Dark Elphar is a scratcher able to use Gandcraft

01:26:14.229 --> 01:26:20.010
to hurl. projectiles like the the finnish wizards

01:26:20.010 --> 01:26:24.189
of old and you hit automatically what was your

01:26:24.189 --> 01:26:32.770
damage 11 100 yes eminently reasonable if the

01:26:32.770 --> 01:26:37.210
gand fly sparks off the creature's hide and obviously

01:26:37.210 --> 01:26:40.189
penetrates through its scales where it unleashes

01:26:40.189 --> 01:26:44.670
a monstrous bellow you get the sense that with

01:26:45.340 --> 01:26:50.300
all of you hammering on the creature that you

01:26:50.300 --> 01:26:53.720
are slowly wearing it down even though it is

01:26:53.720 --> 01:26:57.659
insubstantial and occasionally translucent depending

01:26:57.659 --> 01:27:01.960
on who is watching it it is falling under the

01:27:01.960 --> 01:27:06.520
mass of blows okay we can still turn it around

01:27:06.520 --> 01:27:13.260
let's go to the top of the round thing has fallen

01:27:13.260 --> 01:27:18.039
big life is striking with his hunting knife and

01:27:18.039 --> 01:27:24.899
he yells at you all are you not the ale -drunk

01:27:24.899 --> 01:27:30.140
sheep i think you are strike men fast turn okay

01:27:30.140 --> 01:27:33.479
cj you want to unleash a belly full of lead i

01:27:33.479 --> 01:27:37.020
can tell yeah just at least once with your bloody

01:27:37.020 --> 01:27:42.159
runes so roll So Bloody Runes is how many dice

01:27:42.159 --> 01:27:47.720
extra? 3d6 plus the Machine Gun's 3d6. And I

01:27:47.720 --> 01:27:50.340
believe since Bloody Runes was already cast,

01:27:50.539 --> 01:27:53.520
Orlog can be invoked. So since it is a creature,

01:27:53.699 --> 01:27:57.239
I can cast it at a level 4, so I can give myself

01:27:57.239 --> 01:28:00.180
another 4d6. You cast it at level 3 because Bloody

01:28:00.180 --> 01:28:04.140
Runes is your level 4. Plus 1d6 for a Fractured,

01:28:04.199 --> 01:28:10.130
so 10d6 all in all as you. And I'd be interested

01:28:10.130 --> 01:28:13.710
to see what your companions make of you peppering

01:28:13.710 --> 01:28:19.189
this thing with lead. I mean, I have been telling

01:28:19.189 --> 01:28:23.170
them at regular intervals that I am a god. Yes.

01:28:24.210 --> 01:28:27.609
Cover your ears. The gods have business to do.

01:28:28.829 --> 01:28:30.989
I'll start rolling and you guys can... Okay.

01:28:31.069 --> 01:28:35.470
The air trembles with a continuous roar of gunfire.

01:28:35.729 --> 01:28:39.000
And the bullets are maxed. merge into a metal

01:28:39.000 --> 01:28:42.420
storm and begin to hammer with Mitli against

01:28:42.420 --> 01:28:46.699
the priest. 44. Okay, your bullets strike with

01:28:46.699 --> 01:28:50.060
ferocity, peppering the dragon's scale high.

01:28:50.180 --> 01:28:56.180
What else have we got? Well, Storhead sees this

01:28:56.180 --> 01:29:01.100
happening and he almost drops his sword and spear

01:29:01.100 --> 01:29:07.619
in shock. He says, this god has a... A thunder

01:29:07.619 --> 01:29:12.340
stick firing troll's teeth, some strange magic.

01:29:13.260 --> 01:29:18.180
I'm glad he's on our side, Lucky. And then he's

01:29:18.180 --> 01:29:19.939
going to go ahead and strike with two weapons,

01:29:20.119 --> 01:29:25.479
sword and spear, this time. That means he gets

01:29:25.479 --> 01:29:28.239
a whale, right? And also, do we still have the

01:29:28.239 --> 01:29:31.699
whale from Horn, or is that gone? Nope, that

01:29:31.699 --> 01:29:34.420
lasts for a whole minute. So I get one whale

01:29:34.420 --> 01:29:36.420
for striking with two weapons, correct? Yep.

01:29:36.829 --> 01:29:42.350
It's not great. It's just a 12. Not able to penetrate

01:29:42.350 --> 01:29:47.630
that thick hide, I'm afraid. So distracted by

01:29:47.630 --> 01:29:50.970
the thunder stick. Rowdy, did you have a roll?

01:29:51.109 --> 01:29:56.090
John, did you have a roll? Going to run up to

01:29:56.090 --> 01:30:01.069
the dragon, irritated, angry, get out the coins

01:30:01.069 --> 01:30:04.710
that I took for refugee, throw it. in anger at

01:30:04.710 --> 01:30:07.010
the dragon saying something along the lines of

01:30:07.010 --> 01:30:09.630
how do you like them apples and attacking and

01:30:09.630 --> 01:30:18.930
it's a total of six boy that was yeah it's divisible

01:30:18.930 --> 01:30:25.189
by three does that count for anything uh joe

01:30:25.189 --> 01:30:28.970
what did you have so i am uh grabbing a handful

01:30:28.970 --> 01:30:32.949
of small vials smashing holy water all over my

01:30:32.949 --> 01:30:36.029
sword I invoke the good fortune of all those

01:30:36.029 --> 01:30:39.010
divinities that favor redheads. Very sensible.

01:30:39.770 --> 01:30:46.949
And that is a 17. Which is enough to injure the

01:30:46.949 --> 01:30:49.609
beast. Now roll for me if you would. 8 dice,

01:30:49.649 --> 01:30:58.010
6 plus 5, I think we said. That is 33. Nice.

01:30:58.189 --> 01:31:01.899
There's a lot of gods that like redheads. as

01:31:01.899 --> 01:31:08.340
you hew the creature with your sword. So, between

01:31:08.340 --> 01:31:13.119
you all, you have done an impressive amount of

01:31:13.119 --> 01:31:15.659
damage. The sustained onslaught is wreaking its

01:31:15.659 --> 01:31:19.399
toll, and the mighty dragon begins to falter

01:31:19.399 --> 01:31:23.619
in its fight. Bill, I think you're the only one

01:31:23.619 --> 01:31:26.199
I haven't gone to. So, yeah, I may need a little

01:31:26.199 --> 01:31:30.420
guidance here. Unusually, atypically, my play

01:31:30.420 --> 01:31:33.869
style. So I'm wondering whether I should be doing

01:31:33.869 --> 01:31:37.510
meditation so that I'm ready to do the big heal

01:31:37.510 --> 01:31:41.090
again on someone who might need it. Or whether

01:31:41.090 --> 01:31:43.590
I should try and attack it with like a reverse

01:31:43.590 --> 01:31:48.609
one of the remaining healing spells. So what

01:31:48.609 --> 01:31:50.630
I'm going to suggest is while you are a Valkyrie

01:31:50.630 --> 01:31:53.409
and as the chooser of the slain you can reverse

01:31:53.409 --> 01:31:56.630
your spells. You've already tried that last episode

01:31:56.630 --> 01:32:01.510
and it didn't work. Oh shit. And also, because

01:32:01.510 --> 01:32:04.170
you've got the gandride on, you can still take

01:32:04.170 --> 01:32:06.510
a stone turn faster for a few more rounds yet.

01:32:06.689 --> 01:32:10.789
So you could simply retreat and use improved

01:32:10.789 --> 01:32:13.149
meditation to get some of your spells back. You'd

01:32:13.149 --> 01:32:16.470
effectively be uttisetti. You'd be sitting out

01:32:16.470 --> 01:32:20.949
and communing like John's showed you how to do.

01:32:21.470 --> 01:32:24.550
Yes, he's done it beautifully. It's been a life

01:32:24.550 --> 01:32:29.340
lesson in so many ways. All right. You know what?

01:32:29.420 --> 01:32:33.159
I think I'll do that. So you're absconding? I'm

01:32:33.159 --> 01:32:36.079
stepping a little bit back and meditating so

01:32:36.079 --> 01:32:39.840
I'm ready to do the big heal because I am a healer

01:32:39.840 --> 01:32:43.319
at my woody core. Okay. And when you say a little

01:32:43.319 --> 01:32:46.239
bit back, how far is a little bit? How far can

01:32:46.239 --> 01:32:51.880
I go? Half a mile. You can go... If you rushed,

01:32:52.020 --> 01:32:56.079
you could go 30 yards. I want to go just far

01:32:56.079 --> 01:32:59.390
enough that I can get back in. So just ten yards?

01:32:59.649 --> 01:33:03.350
Yeah, let's say ten yards. And I'm certainly

01:33:03.350 --> 01:33:06.090
ready to do the narrow escape thing, as we discussed

01:33:06.090 --> 01:33:08.989
earlier. Right on top of that. Good, good, because

01:33:08.989 --> 01:33:12.649
that's exactly, that ten yards is exactly the

01:33:12.649 --> 01:33:16.409
radius of the flames that are about to deluge

01:33:16.409 --> 01:33:23.369
all of you. As the dragon lifts up its head and

01:33:23.369 --> 01:33:28.720
it rears into... The sky wafting the ground with

01:33:28.720 --> 01:33:34.100
its powerful wings and taking to the air, leaving

01:33:34.100 --> 01:33:40.279
its ridged belly exposed, but about to immolate

01:33:40.279 --> 01:33:45.079
you all in an abundance of flame and fury. If

01:33:45.079 --> 01:33:51.359
you would all first of all take for me 27 damage

01:33:51.359 --> 01:33:54.850
and then make a slight roll on top of that. Steve,

01:33:54.949 --> 01:33:58.529
you are accepted from that because you are outside

01:33:58.529 --> 01:34:02.590
that. I saw your grimace, but you have been shooting

01:34:02.590 --> 01:34:06.090
at a distance using long range as your friend.

01:34:06.270 --> 01:34:09.609
Everyone else, slight roll, please. Bill, now

01:34:09.609 --> 01:34:12.069
you may use narrows. Yeah, I was just going to

01:34:12.069 --> 01:34:15.289
say, because given I'm a little flame sensitive

01:34:15.289 --> 01:34:19.529
and I only have 27 or 29 health, it seems like

01:34:19.529 --> 01:34:23.569
a good time. Narrow escape enables your fill

01:34:23.569 --> 01:34:27.399
again. to come to your aid and guide you out

01:34:27.399 --> 01:34:33.060
of the immediate disaster area. Okay. Thorfinn

01:34:33.060 --> 01:34:35.659
is still wearing his ring with St. Agatha's hair

01:34:35.659 --> 01:34:39.279
in it, which he believes will affect him against

01:34:39.279 --> 01:34:42.960
all fire. That should probably have no effect

01:34:42.960 --> 01:34:44.539
on what actually happens next. I just wanted

01:34:44.539 --> 01:34:49.210
to mention it. If you'd like, that can be the

01:34:49.210 --> 01:34:52.729
thing that erupts into flame first and falls

01:34:52.729 --> 01:34:57.729
to the ground in ashes. So, I also rolled a one.

01:34:58.569 --> 01:35:03.590
I just wanted to make sure that everybody knew

01:35:03.590 --> 01:35:05.430
I was holding the ring up when that happened.

01:35:06.890 --> 01:35:11.310
Your gods have forsaken you. Rowdy, what did

01:35:11.310 --> 01:35:14.609
you get? Eighteen. I rolled a fourteen on mine.

01:35:15.789 --> 01:35:21.409
Okay. Rowdy and Andy, your heroes fling themselves

01:35:21.409 --> 01:35:25.930
to one side in the nick of time, avoiding the

01:35:25.930 --> 01:35:29.930
bath of flame. So that damage I said, what was

01:35:29.930 --> 01:35:33.729
it, 27, is all you've taken since you were broadly

01:35:33.729 --> 01:35:37.050
healed last time. And perhaps you have survived

01:35:37.050 --> 01:35:41.210
that particular onslaught. Just barely. John,

01:35:41.229 --> 01:35:43.510
I don't know if you want to take a moment for

01:35:43.510 --> 01:35:48.800
our listener to describe... your withered, blackened

01:35:48.800 --> 01:35:53.659
corpse. Absolutely. As the flames completely

01:35:53.659 --> 01:35:57.880
wash over Thorfinn, obviously the first expression

01:35:57.880 --> 01:36:01.680
on his face is genuine surprise, because he's

01:36:01.680 --> 01:36:03.279
got about 11 different things on him that are

01:36:03.279 --> 01:36:05.739
supposed to stop this from happening. As he continues

01:36:05.739 --> 01:36:09.880
to burn, he pulls from a pouch inside his cloak

01:36:09.880 --> 01:36:15.560
a fragile, flimsy white box, and he gasps, Behold!

01:36:16.399 --> 01:36:19.500
For the ultimate auspice I traveled, paths unknown

01:36:19.500 --> 01:36:23.579
to any in this part of the world, to the heart

01:36:23.579 --> 01:36:25.979
of the great city of St. Francis, and there I

01:36:25.979 --> 01:36:28.619
gained this favor. And he reaches into the flimsy

01:36:28.619 --> 01:36:31.279
white box and takes out a kind of folded cookie,

01:36:31.399 --> 01:36:34.399
and he shatters the cookie and takes from its

01:36:34.399 --> 01:36:37.760
crumbs a thin white strip of parchment, which

01:36:37.760 --> 01:36:41.779
reads, How do you keep a fool in suspense? And

01:36:41.779 --> 01:36:48.539
then he dies. No. Perhaps what you should have

01:36:48.539 --> 01:36:54.939
read on the piece of paper is just John, that

01:36:54.939 --> 01:36:59.479
was a glorious and noble as well as erudite death.

01:37:00.460 --> 01:37:04.779
You scowled the world for those games. I mean,

01:37:04.880 --> 01:37:09.699
it was impressive. It all comes to the same in

01:37:09.699 --> 01:37:13.439
the end, doesn't it? Now, does your long -term

01:37:13.439 --> 01:37:16.909
co -host, and friend of the side of the podcast.

01:37:17.090 --> 01:37:24.550
Just go post. Andy, as Thorfinn falls to the

01:37:24.550 --> 01:37:27.850
ground, a smoking ruin, do you exclaim anything,

01:37:28.050 --> 01:37:31.710
or is that good riddance to that rubbish? No,

01:37:31.750 --> 01:37:34.649
not good riddance. Thorfinn is a close friend

01:37:34.649 --> 01:37:41.409
of Storhead's, so he is going to be shedding

01:37:41.409 --> 01:37:45.420
a tear, and and thinking fondly of his friend

01:37:45.420 --> 01:37:47.939
who he spent many, many a night guarding the

01:37:47.939 --> 01:37:51.640
longhouse with. But he does see the dramatic

01:37:51.640 --> 01:37:54.199
nature of that death, and he shakes his head

01:37:54.199 --> 01:37:57.420
and he goes, that's so Thorfinn. CJ, did you

01:37:57.420 --> 01:38:00.220
make your roll? Are you a bit singed as the satin

01:38:00.220 --> 01:38:03.479
fineries turn to... No, no. Triggered action.

01:38:03.659 --> 01:38:08.779
Iron sides. I ignore damage. So she's just standing

01:38:08.779 --> 01:38:12.039
there going, see, I told you eating the orc mare's

01:38:12.039 --> 01:38:16.819
heart was worth it. An appropriate laugh that

01:38:16.819 --> 01:38:20.340
time. We talked about the fact that, you know,

01:38:20.359 --> 01:38:23.260
you're thinking of yourself as a god. Perhaps

01:38:23.260 --> 01:38:25.600
now you do think of yourself as Balder, and so

01:38:25.600 --> 01:38:29.409
you can only be touched by mistletoe. Let's go

01:38:29.409 --> 01:38:34.470
to the top of the next round. The beast has taken

01:38:34.470 --> 01:38:39.329
to the air. Yes. Fast turns or slow turns? Fast

01:38:39.329 --> 01:38:41.670
turns. Shoot at it again. I'm just going to throw

01:38:41.670 --> 01:38:44.310
a spear at it. Andy, that will be a slight roll

01:38:44.310 --> 01:38:47.829
this time, so use your slight modifier as opposed

01:38:47.829 --> 01:38:50.329
to your might modifier to hurl your spear into

01:38:50.329 --> 01:38:56.310
the sky. Warning. This time you like Bart the

01:38:56.310 --> 01:39:00.560
Bowman. Find. You're chink in the armor of the

01:39:00.560 --> 01:39:04.000
lizard above, and despite the near impenetrable

01:39:04.000 --> 01:39:09.199
scales, it roars ferociously, flapping its wings.

01:39:09.539 --> 01:39:14.140
That's the softer, less guarded area near the

01:39:14.140 --> 01:39:16.760
wing joints. Raph is not feeling particularly

01:39:16.760 --> 01:39:20.439
original in the heat of the moment. He's fired

01:39:20.439 --> 01:39:22.460
up, and he really likes what Andy just did, so

01:39:22.460 --> 01:39:25.460
he's going to throw a spear also. Okay. Try and

01:39:25.460 --> 01:39:28.000
split the spear that was thrown just before you.

01:39:28.020 --> 01:39:32.739
Yeah. I got another one plus two. Just like that

01:39:32.739 --> 01:39:39.760
other time. So instead of splitting the spear,

01:39:39.979 --> 01:39:43.720
William Tell or Robin Hood style, you poke yourself

01:39:43.720 --> 01:39:48.260
in the kneecap and fall flat on your face. I

01:39:48.260 --> 01:39:51.399
mean, Rowdy is starting to roll like a regular.

01:39:51.739 --> 01:39:53.680
Maybe we should make him a regular member of

01:39:53.680 --> 01:39:57.539
the team. Steve, what did you want to do there?

01:39:58.420 --> 01:40:01.560
CJ, give me your rolls in the background. 39.

01:40:01.880 --> 01:40:10.960
39. You are a veritable hellsmith today. Yes.

01:40:11.260 --> 01:40:16.000
And some damage. So, um, air's fifth level gand

01:40:16.000 --> 01:40:21.979
spell. And he... Drop the singularity rate on

01:40:21.979 --> 01:40:28.380
it. Oh, yep. A Viking singularity. If that's

01:40:28.380 --> 01:40:31.659
the case, yes. In that case, air will summon

01:40:31.659 --> 01:40:35.600
a black hole. A roiling clot of blackness appears

01:40:35.600 --> 01:40:40.399
in the sky. Unsecured objects in the area move

01:40:40.399 --> 01:40:43.500
towards it. Each creature within the area or

01:40:43.500 --> 01:40:45.100
that enters the area must make a might challenge

01:40:45.100 --> 01:40:47.680
roll with one woe. Actually, that would be...

01:40:48.270 --> 01:40:50.949
Two woe, I think. On a failure, it's moved towards

01:40:50.949 --> 01:40:53.229
the origin point. But what if I put the origin

01:40:53.229 --> 01:40:56.289
point right in front of it? Yep. Because if it

01:40:56.289 --> 01:40:58.850
touches the origin point, then there's a kaboom.

01:40:59.850 --> 01:41:04.670
Correct. Can the kaboom happen? Well, it has

01:41:04.670 --> 01:41:07.069
to make its rolls, but you can certainly summon

01:41:07.069 --> 01:41:10.949
your... We will summon the black hole, and then

01:41:10.949 --> 01:41:14.050
it gets to make a might challenge roll. That

01:41:14.050 --> 01:41:16.670
may not be enough, I don't know. Ringing four.

01:41:18.539 --> 01:41:24.520
begins to suck at existence and just rip people

01:41:24.520 --> 01:41:28.239
towards it. I'm going to remind you, though,

01:41:28.300 --> 01:41:31.060
that he doesn't have a mic to score and so, therefore,

01:41:31.239 --> 01:41:35.619
is unable to be affected by things that require

01:41:35.619 --> 01:41:39.260
mic challenge rolls. That is not the same for

01:41:39.260 --> 01:41:43.680
Rowdy, who is on the ground having tripped over.

01:41:44.020 --> 01:41:46.939
So... I was hoping it was higher up than that.

01:41:49.310 --> 01:41:51.250
Rowdy and Andy, both give me a Mike Chandler

01:41:51.250 --> 01:41:54.949
with one woe each. Rowdy, I'm actually going

01:41:54.949 --> 01:41:56.590
to ask you to do three woes because you're a

01:41:56.590 --> 01:42:02.750
grown man. Okay. It's a seven for me. I'm hoping

01:42:02.750 --> 01:42:08.010
that's good. So, eight. And you got eight. So,

01:42:08.130 --> 01:42:11.750
it's not good because... You know, I don't know

01:42:11.750 --> 01:42:14.510
if you can imagine spaghettification around a

01:42:14.510 --> 01:42:18.890
black golem being sucked into a temporal disturbance

01:42:18.890 --> 01:42:23.630
that has no real part in the Vendor Age, but

01:42:23.630 --> 01:42:31.930
it's 10 dice, 6 damage, so 15, 20. Well, not

01:42:31.930 --> 01:42:34.989
necessary, I don't think, to roll. Oh, no, roll

01:42:34.989 --> 01:42:39.479
all the ones. Roll all the ones now. It only

01:42:39.479 --> 01:42:44.460
has a 30 -foot radius. Yeah. Okay. Suffice it

01:42:44.460 --> 01:42:49.439
to say that there's 47 damage there as the clot

01:42:49.439 --> 01:42:53.439
explodes, doing damage to everything in the spells

01:42:53.439 --> 01:42:59.260
area. And unfortunately, you have used your Gan

01:42:59.260 --> 01:43:04.279
spells to evaporate your comrades. I've got the

01:43:04.279 --> 01:43:07.699
good healing spell, though. Yeah, you used a

01:43:07.699 --> 01:43:09.180
good healing spell this time. It's a really good

01:43:09.180 --> 01:43:12.119
one. I mean, I know the wild guy is dead, but...

01:43:12.119 --> 01:43:15.359
Join me in my holobores. We have excellent mead.

01:43:15.859 --> 01:43:18.539
No final words as we're spaghettified. We're

01:43:18.539 --> 01:43:23.739
just instantly erased. Feel free to give us something

01:43:23.739 --> 01:43:27.560
for the annals before you are utterly erased

01:43:27.560 --> 01:43:29.880
from existence. Your body and soul vanishing

01:43:29.880 --> 01:43:33.670
forever. Sure, yeah. Storhead looks up and sees

01:43:33.670 --> 01:43:36.829
this black hole and feels his essence being pulled

01:43:36.829 --> 01:43:40.810
towards it. And as he begins to fade from existence,

01:43:40.970 --> 01:43:44.149
he says, These gods were not as helpful as I

01:43:44.149 --> 01:43:54.029
thought. Asgore feels forlorn. He had really

01:43:54.029 --> 01:43:57.670
been hoping to be buried, you know, in a boat

01:43:57.670 --> 01:44:00.310
grave in Valsierda or somewhere like that. And

01:44:00.310 --> 01:44:03.420
now it's just like... Well, what was the point?

01:44:03.619 --> 01:44:06.239
And so he kind of disappears into nothingness,

01:44:06.239 --> 01:44:12.319
silently, heartbroken. Steve, look what you've

01:44:12.319 --> 01:44:17.060
done. When you said it was in the air, I thought,

01:44:17.140 --> 01:44:19.880
I was thinking in the air, in the air. And the

01:44:19.880 --> 01:44:22.359
thing is, for you, it's like a big floating cat

01:44:22.359 --> 01:44:25.779
as well. So, you know. True. Leomi pats air on

01:44:25.779 --> 01:44:27.659
the shoulder and says, never mind, we'll get

01:44:27.659 --> 01:44:34.119
some more men. Is the dragon in the explosion

01:44:34.119 --> 01:44:39.260
radius? With the same tear in reality caused

01:44:39.260 --> 01:44:43.140
by this relativistic wave from your black hole,

01:44:43.239 --> 01:44:48.939
it has also vanished from existence, torn back

01:44:48.939 --> 01:44:54.500
through fabric of fate, woven back into the weave.

01:44:55.060 --> 01:45:02.840
Result? Vigleaf. comes towards you with a thunderous

01:45:02.840 --> 01:45:09.560
brow and says, You bear ill tidings. Drive this

01:45:09.560 --> 01:45:14.319
weakling from my sight. May the trolls take you.

01:45:14.640 --> 01:45:20.199
Be off. I have no need of things like you. At

01:45:20.199 --> 01:45:22.159
what point does he realize he's alone because

01:45:22.159 --> 01:45:26.600
all of his men have been vaporized? I think that's

01:45:26.600 --> 01:45:30.720
why he's pissed. That's why he's a little annoyed.

01:45:31.260 --> 01:45:34.420
She's just looking around, just wondering. So,

01:45:34.520 --> 01:45:38.359
that didn't fix everything? We're not going home?

01:45:38.659 --> 01:45:44.100
You notice that amidst the mayhem and carnage,

01:45:44.239 --> 01:45:48.779
the aging king is lying mortally wounded and

01:45:48.779 --> 01:45:52.600
he unclasps a collar of gold from around his

01:45:52.600 --> 01:45:57.899
neck and He beckons to you, Gigi. Gigi's going

01:45:57.899 --> 01:46:03.140
to go up and take a look. Oh, Gigi. Everybody's

01:46:03.140 --> 01:46:08.319
favorite. Yeah. The king beckons you closer and

01:46:08.319 --> 01:46:13.420
then whispers in your ear and says, Now is the

01:46:13.420 --> 01:46:17.399
time when I would have wanted to bestow this

01:46:17.399 --> 01:46:21.340
armor on my own son, had it been my fortune to

01:46:21.340 --> 01:46:24.399
have fathered an heir and live on. in his flesh

01:46:24.399 --> 01:46:29.079
for 50 years i ruled this nation but fate has

01:46:29.079 --> 01:46:33.020
swept us away and sent my whole brave highborn

01:46:33.020 --> 01:46:38.399
clan to their final doom now i must follow them

01:46:38.399 --> 01:46:44.100
and he hands you the gold talk that he wears

01:46:44.100 --> 01:46:48.079
around his neck passes it into your hand and

01:46:48.079 --> 01:46:56.590
then himself fades I remember now he does die

01:46:56.590 --> 01:47:06.350
at the end of the story. The Vikings and Valkyries

01:47:06.350 --> 01:47:09.850
podcast is hammered together by a dedicated team

01:47:09.850 --> 01:47:12.989
of scalds and smiths. Please don't forget to

01:47:12.989 --> 01:47:16.289
like, share and sacrifice to the old gods.