Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, why did the drought meaning it's time for Capella? <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:00:25 Hello everybody. And welcome back to compel dual. I'm married and I'm out. And we are a Cody, M single-player D and D fifth edition, actual play podcast. Last time on good pub doula. We caught up with Leo and the sour dune, where he has some friendly question, Mark tension going on with both friends, Eleanor Ash, Thor of the city. That's their myth, and a very charming monk from the order of the golden tusk, by the name of the dead stone bloom, he bought the bandits, he got into some political entry. He added kind of low-key emotionally motivated a child, but that's fine.
Speaker 1 00:01:06 And before that, the last time we checked in with Ferrara bowel science, she had just survived an assassination attempt back in Australia. She fought off the tree that had been set to kill her very valuable. And both of her friends got absolutely shit kicked at feet and feet took to zero damage at all. And she later found out that it had been discovered that her brother was alive and raising an army halfway across the world to come back and try to execute a military coup a lot happens all the time and a lot will continue to happen all the time. It has been now a little over a month since the last time we saw for what do you think that fie kind of in her own mind and in her own actions Al has been prioritizing in this last month and some change? Honestly, I think fi is constantly on guard.
Speaker 1 00:01:56 I think the hypervigilance has kicked in. I think she is just trying to heap up appearance, which is what she does a lot of the time, but more so now I think that conversation with her dad obviously shook her up pretty bad. We last saw her having a panic attack. So I think she has been trying to like keep it together and keep everything kind of bottled up as much as she can, and also not get assassinated. And it is a goal that your father also seems to have in mind for you as well. That was fucking that hope so. Yeah. Well, it seems to be that way for sure. Because your magic training sessions with your tutor and surrogate mother, a lot of the car and have increased four-fold in the past month and a little bit, you have been training with a lot almost constantly, and that is actually where we find you. Now Camera's zooms in on a great hall in the palace
Speaker 2 00:03:00 In vellum tall, that is no longer ducked out for the party that we last saw. Now it is empty a cavernous, but there are man-made constructed obstacles furniture with blankets over it, just in piles around this room. It looks very slapdash. And like, you wouldn't want the front room of a palace to look like, but fi we find you walking very carefully quietly between all of these carefully constructed manmade obstacles, wand out you're in a new kind of, it's not armor per se because you don't have proficiency in any kind of armor as a sourcer, but it's like quote, unquote, mages, armor, tight fitting pants, sturdy boots, and a police vest. You're in this outfit and you're prowling back and forth between all of these obstacles. You have leveled up by the way, because of all of this work you put in over the last one. That's why I asked you to level up your sheep replay. So you are now a level four devices reserve. Yeah. Yes. So with that in mind, I would like you to pull a perception, check 15, 15. Okay. That does not be the stealth role of the thing that is after you and passe.
Speaker 2 00:04:17 And so with a giggle and the rattle of many of berries dice,
Speaker 3 00:04:24 Because we did not see her Colossae is going to get advanced on this. Actually I took the alert feet, went leveled up, so she does not get advantage shit. We'll wait with the alert. If she also can't surprise you. Right. You can't be surprised. You gotta be shitting me. You made my rogue impotent. Okay. All right. Well then Calissa is not going to get this attack with advantage on you. So let me whole again, God, and you also took away her sneak attack. This is cruel Colossus of bad-ass guys. I promise just not today. She's not. She rolled a natural 19 to hit you. So she's still gonna hit you. And she jumps out from behind one of the manmade obstacles structures next to you. And she has a big stick in her hand and she goes, didn't watch out close enough. And she smacks you for six damage. Dammit. Hello should be a great, just a little bit, if you would like to non-lethal league rebuke your friend. Yes, no, I'm fine. Maybe later. And then she's going to use a bonus action to hide. So let me roll stuff for her. So Colossae rolled at 11 for self, but it's actually a 19 with her modifiers. So yeah, she disappears right behind it. Another one of those structures. And from the other side of the room feet, you hear constant vigilance around a mouth full of food. And you look over to the other side of the room where a lot of the car, your magic
Speaker 1 00:05:58 Tutor is sitting in a cushy chair with an end table beside her with a big charcuterie board on top of it. And she's just like slamming slices of salami and yelling, constant vigilance at you and banging hurricane on the floor. And uh, next to her, you hear? Yeah, constant vigilance and Fen Phen, Andrea storm, Eric, your best friend and bodyguard is standing behind her. Just sneaking like grapes off.
Speaker 3 00:06:26 I don't remember asking for input from the peanut gallery if he was going to try and go after. Okay. So I'm going to use <inaudible> to do a quick and smell to myself. True strike. So I don't have this advantage actually. Okay. So you will flat. I am going to pass the fish. Hold on. That is not going to hit. She again, does not get any
Speaker 1 00:06:53 Sort of benefit on you because you took
Speaker 3 00:06:55 The fucking VI.
Speaker 1 00:06:57 The room goes very quiet again. And Alicia takes another bite of like cheese skew and eats. It goes <inaudible>
Speaker 3 00:07:10 Thanks. Welcome.
Speaker 1 00:07:15 That'd be a dirty 20. And she pops out from behind another structure and you do hear her move, but Alaska was right. You did hear the scuffle of her feet and you turn around and just in time for her to clock you right in the solar plexus with the end of this big stick and she does
Speaker 3 00:07:31 Two damage, and then she's going to use a photo session to hide again.
Speaker 1 00:07:36 She didn't roll so hot on that stealth. It's still a 15. What's your passive perception? Not 15. Okay, cool. So she does hide from you unless you would like to roll perception to try to spot her and see if you can roll over. So you'd have to roll a 14 or higher 25% chance. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:07:51 Yeah. Hey, I wrote natural 18. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:07:54 Okay. So she tries to hide. You do not allow her to hide. You hear a lot shale contract, whatever ones are on some more cheese, again,
Speaker 3 00:08:03 You just EagleEye
Speaker 1 00:08:05 Her and kind of trace her around the back of his, uh, structure. She tries to hide.
Speaker 3 00:08:09 Okay. So I'm going to cast the lightning lore, which is my new candor. I need to make a straight, make a DC.
Speaker 1 00:08:18 She's a little girl. She's not strong. She rolled at four.
Speaker 3 00:08:24 Okay. So OU with a four, she is the whole, the 10 feet and a straight line toward me. Does that get her within five feet of me? Yes. So she takes five, like damage. She shrieks
Speaker 1 00:08:39 As you hit her. I assume
Speaker 3 00:08:40 I'm not getting in any bullshit today. So the rest of it is just to be petty too quick and smell again. She's going to make another strength and natural 20. Okay. Well, I try to get her with the gut Scantron, knock her feet
Speaker 1 00:08:56 Out. We're on her, but it doesn't work.
Speaker 3 00:08:58 You pulled her in with this light and it shocks her and the shock goes up her arm and makes all of her hair stand on end and freeze out. And you see crackles of static electricity in her hair and she shrieks and goes bitch. And the poles out of your brain, that natural 20 strength check. And then it's her turn again. And she's just going to swing the stick training, exercise forgotten you fucked up her hair. And now she's going to kick your ass. She pulled a natural nineteens. Then that would be 22 five. She just gets you right in the stomach with it. Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:09:40 I'm going to use the commands. So she's got to make a DC 14 with save
Speaker 3 00:09:47 17 mother fucker. When Calissa is a trained magician, she's a rogue now, but she did go to wizard college. So she does know quite a bit about, you know, our Khana and smell structure and stuff. She shrugs off the effect of this smell and like her jaw drops open, super offended. Did you just try to fucking command me? Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:10:07 You keep hitting me with that stick. Cause you're not fast enough. And then she's going to swing on you again
Speaker 3 00:10:15 From across the room. Your hair allows you to go girls, girls cut it out and Colossae does not cut it. Now she's saying you're done with a natural 19, which is going to be another
Speaker 1 00:10:25 It's pretty soon it, she gets you. Okay. Okay. Now I'm going to how it should be at my friend.
Speaker 3 00:10:34 Yeah. She comes at you with the stick again and just babe Ruth baseball swings to this thing at you for six damage.
Speaker 1 00:10:42 And I'm going to do a hellish review by her for 3d
Speaker 3 00:10:44 Damage. You hell yes.
Speaker 1 00:10:47 Cause she keeps hitting me with a thick 23.
Speaker 3 00:10:50 Oh Jesus. Okay. So you and Colossae are just both absolutely beat to shit. Your very good friend Colossae that comes at you, the hair out in a frizzy halo around her head, big stick baseball swings at you. And you catch her right in the face with a hellish review. And with the force of this hellish view from you, Colossae actually does go flying backwards through the air. And none of the structure,
Speaker 1 00:11:18 I want to re flavor it because I know how should we cause usually fire damage, but because of fees, whole deal, I want every flavor. It is lighting. So there's like a small Thunderclap and she takes 23 damage. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:11:28 I think like the force of this thunder, it is like being struck by lightning a little bit, Calissa, just shrieks and goes backwards to the air and collides with one of the training structures. And you hear a loss. You actually stand up big, serious whisky. That's enough ladies compulsively,
Speaker 1 00:11:49 Straightens, her hair. And her
Speaker 3 00:11:52 Alicia is stood up to her fully. Not as tall as you, but still pretty impressive height. It looks the same as ever long black hair scar down one side of her face and down her neck into the neckline of her dress. She's got her cane, right. Purple, but also kind of Hawk, like eyes just narrow at you. And she goes, Colossae you live over there and a very weak voice from the top of this structure because yeah, I'm good. And you see a really shaky thumbs up, come up over the top of the structure. All right. class-A, you're paying for my next deep condition. And she starts crawling down from the top of this structure where you just lasted her to shit. And then you hear the door to the great hall open.
Speaker 2 00:12:40 You have not exactly. You turn around and feed your dad and Colossus dad, the ambassador, even Petrus just walked in and assets ramrod straight posture in sibling Babo Carsey and says father ambassador Manchester, your father takes three steps out of the room. V stops. Sniffs. Why does it smell like burning air in here feet and Alyssa and I were at, sorry, sorry. I lost my temper just a little across there. Erupts coming from the lessee's hair and her eye twitches a little bit. You, your father looks over at Colossae and he has a very composed facial structure, but you see just a moment of a shit-eating grin on his face for just a second. But then he turns back to you. He goes well at any rate, it looks like your training is going phenomenal, which is actually precisely why the ambassador. And I came down here to have a discussion with you.
Speaker 2 00:13:42 We have figured out what the first phase of our public relations plan due to the incident, as you know, tomorrow's the autumn Equinox. Yes, we will be sending you North to the city of McGrath to open up the festival there. It won't be hard and you don't have to do anything other than read some statements off of it. Of course, we just think it's the best approach to get you out among the people doing official duties as grand digests, legitimize your position. And I understand Ferrara given what you went through last month, that whole terrible affair, that the prospect of this may be frightening, but I assure you we're taking all things into account to ensure your security. Yes. It's very sad. I, I agree with that. Yes,
Speaker 3 00:14:46 We'll fund Andrews. Of course we'll be coming with you
Speaker 2 00:14:48 As your first protection. You'll have additional Royal.
Speaker 3 00:14:52 Most of your retinue has already been sent up the road and you will not be traveling by road for safety sake tomorrow morning, we will go over to the wizard's tower and you will be teleported to the church of Kim in when he mentions that fan is coming with you. Fan is anchored down behind a lawn chair and he just looks up with like chipmunk cheeks full of Sheree. Your father shoots him a little bit of a glare, but then brushes it off and reaches over and ruffles your hair a little bit and goes, congratulations on. I would say a battle very well. One and I will see you at dinner this evening. I thank you, father, he and the ambassador turn around and leave. So, um, let me pull up the Australia map so we can talk a little bit about this whole McGrath is a city surrounded mostly by forests, several days ride to the North.
Speaker 3 00:15:50 So yeah, pretty much the only way that you're going to get there in a day is by teleporting. It's a very large city. It has a lot of industry and like forestry and stuff. It's one of the major urban centers of Australia and opening up this festival for autumn Equinox is something that really would legitimize you in the eyes of your people. Autumn Equinox is a very important day in the church of Kim role because it is the day of the year when the veil is finished and the clerics of Kimra can use things like speak with dead spells. It's a big thing for families. Everybody goes to the churches, it goes to the Crips and speaks with their loved ones. But also it gets a big outdoor festival. There's bonfires festival games. It's one of the biggest holidays in the religious structure of Australia.
Speaker 3 00:16:47 Your father just gave you a pretty big task. He seems to think that everything's going to be okay, masking in the ambassador, leave Alesha just kind of raises an eyebrow and goes, huh? Okay, well, let's talk about this. Do you feel ready? I am. Or it doesn't really seem to matter whether I feel ready for a thing or not. It just sort of happens. Listen, fi you've done amazing with the training over the last couple of months. I know I've been riding you really hard, but I think that if you can go open up that festival and get out among your people and project some damn authority that it will do wonders to mitigate what I'm sure is an incoming shitstorm for the whole pantry. Yes. Yes, of course. I add it while you're having this really tense, silent moment. You see, Colossae finally discharging. Most of the electricity from her hair looks up and goes, ah, Balmer. You're going to miss Equinox, maybe going to party. Don't worry. I will have exactly zero fun without you. I'm sure.
Speaker 1 00:17:56 Yeah. Thanks. He puts his hands up. He goes, Oh no, no, no. I know I'm the bodyguard. It's my job to not be fun. Don't worry fee. I'm not offended. He says angerly eats some more structure
Speaker 3 00:18:10 Fen. I do not have the time to worry about your feelings in this. I will buy you a fruit basket later.
Speaker 1 00:18:18 Calissa just puts her hands up in the air and then
Speaker 3 00:18:22 Says, well, clearly we know what we have to do now. Um, no, no
Speaker 1 00:18:30 Missing Equinox. Okay. That's bullshit. And the fact that either your dad or my dad, it's probably my dad because this is the kind of shit he pulls. Isn't letting me go with you. That means we have to party now because we won't get the chance to tomorrow. No, no, no, no, no. I know. We're not going to go out. I know your dad has all, you know, and I mean, frankly, I don't want to go out. I got kicked in the face by a tree. Last time I went out. So
Speaker 3 00:19:01 Specifically awakened to assassinate. That was very fun for me. Yes. It was really great to experience.
Speaker 1 00:19:07 Yeah. Yeah, no, it was great time. Um, so we have to party, but we can't go out. So what do we do? Say it with me kids. We
Speaker 3 00:19:18 Get drained
Speaker 1 00:19:18 On the roof. On the roof. Yes. Good job. You're learning so much. I'm so proud of you
Speaker 3 00:19:26 Despite herself. He does laugh a little bit, but again puts their head in her hands. Alright. Alright. Alright. Drunk on their shirt. Sounds great. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:19:36 Yeah. You guys retire back to Colossus family suite. Yeah. Her mother is, they're just very frail wrapped up in blankets on the chaise lounge, in their living room. And you guys walk in and she gasps and she goes, Oh, I Darlene, what happened to you?
Speaker 3 00:19:50 Your hair see raises a hand. And that says, sorry, she hit me in the face with a stick.
Speaker 1 00:19:58 You own up to this. And she just looks between the two of you and just blinks really slowly and says, all right. And Colossae leads you guys back to her room. She pulls a massive Footlocker out from under her bed that has an arcane lock on it. She pulls one of her daggers that are her spell focuses out of its sheath on her side. And she taps at the arcade lock and it dispels. And the top of this Footlocker flips up and it is just shock full of Boulder and booze. She snuck all this shit through customs.
Speaker 3 00:20:32 You hide this much liquor. You're not a large person bag of holding. Oh, of course. Yes.
Speaker 1 00:20:38 She pops up in this case, pulls out a big like handle size bottle of whiskey and goes over and up her window.
Speaker 3 00:20:48 And she goes, come on the layups really easy. I've been doing this for like weeks now. Oh God. And then I'm going to roll acrobatics for her real quick. Oh good. Oh good. This is an acrobatics check. She rolled a natural 20. Okay. I'm rolling acrobatics. That's a 12 DC tech. Okay. Um, Fenton not roll. Great. Uh, but he rolled enough to pass the DC tech check. Yeah. He like huffs and puffs a little getting up there. And I think his foot like slips once and he has a real panic shitting moment where he almost falls off the roof of the palace, but he does make it up their feet inhale. So sharply like teakettle noises after that. And then just
Speaker 2 00:21:34 Fucking bones.
Speaker 3 00:21:35 Calissa just sits back and pops the cork off this bottle of whiskey just takes a slug right out of the bottle and passes it over to your fee. The fee takes perhaps too long of a drink long enough that it's awkward for everyone else. I think Fenn is actually the person that gives you that. Are you okay? Dude, look, faith holds one finger out of a, finish it a long, long drink and put the dad in Hamptons. Yeah. He just accepts the whiskey. It just takes a regular sized slug of it. And then he passes the bottle back over to Colossae.
Speaker 2 00:22:10 She just kind of sits up and looks out
Speaker 3 00:22:13 Over the top of this tower down on the city.
Speaker 2 00:22:15 She goes, this is some shit hot. That's an understatement that is perhaps the understatement of the day. It just seems wild to me. You know, this shit just doesn't feel right. Like I know, I know, I know all of the evidence that's been brought up and I know the whole political situation and everything that it had applied, but I just have a really weird gut feeling about some things, some things. And I know that you said that you don't want to spy on your dad and don't want to interfere with stuff like this. And I don't know what I'm going to do about it, but I've got a gut feeling that I've got to do something and something's not right way, love, leads, and leads for once in your life, leave it alone. And then she needed the sheep size and she goes, yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, it's kind of stupid. Anyway. My dad's probably going to put me on the first boat older, as soon as most of the shit is taken care of. Well drinking on the roof. Yes.
Speaker 3 00:23:50 If he, I think you go to dinner a little bit tipsy and that's fine. So your dad clocks you. He doesn't say anything though. He just kind of gives you a concern. Raise of the eyebrow. Yeah. Feed does not say anything. Just uncomfortable, slightly drunk silence. And you guys finish. All right. So you go, you take your rest. Uh, the next morning you pack up all your things. The ambassador comes by your room and he gives you your remarks that you'll be giving at the opening of this festival. Fenn meets you in the great hall. You guys set off across the city. I think you just get a carriage from the palace. So now we are headed to the wizard's tower. The wizard's tower is almost like a radius from the palace. It's right up against the outer wall of the city, large white marble Spire reflective green roof.
Speaker 3 00:24:44 Beautiful. And you walk in and, uh, fi you've spent a little bit of time at this tower. Not as much as per se Colossae did because she went to school here. So the order of I Luna is it's an order of wizards and it's the academic center of magic in Australia. This is an Institute of learning. You know, people come here to learn how to beat wizards, learn how to practice magic. Heat is also an Institute of law. The high court of the order of I Luna is composed of 12 elder wizards who basically consult upon and confer laws in Australia. Your father is the head of state and can bring laws into existence. These people decide the validity. It's kind of an odd political balance where you have this monarchy, this head of state that can do basically whatever he wants, but he can't do whatever he wants because this order of wizards can tell them based on legal precedent, that's illegal.
Speaker 3 00:25:48 So you've been with your father to several meetings with the high court and everything in the span of just learning how to be the grand Duchess. So yeah, you're vaguely familiar with the place. You're not headed to the high court chambers today that you are led by several backlights of the orders. They lead you up this tight spiral staircase into a small chamber off a hallway where several other wizards of the order that are actually ended up DS of the orders. So people that have graduated, their magical training, several wizards are drawing up this teleportation circle on the floor, marking it up on the stone and chalk with ruins and arcane lifts. And ah, you can only in our check, like share and national. Yeah. Fi this wizard shit. Ain't your bag. It hate your bag at all. You have no fucking idea what's going on.
Speaker 3 00:26:40 Calissa is not with you or she would help you. It's just you and fan and fan. This wizard shit is also not his bag. So he just kind of shrugs and goes and tosses his bags down in the middle of the circle. One of the wizards of pretty young lady with a long silver braid in her hair comes over and ushers you into the circle. Okay. Right. This way grade that just have you ever teleported before? No. Why have not? What should I know for a little bit of nausea? Perhaps it affects about 20% of people. You could get some vertigo again. You know, some people come through it perfectly fine. You're going to feel a little bit of a falling sensation, a little bit of a tingle in the tummy, and then you'll be safe and sound it out. McGrath. Fantastic. Okay. Perfect. Three wizards set up at equal distance points around the circle and start channeling their spell work.
Speaker 3 00:27:38 You see the chocker is on the floor. Start to grow. There's another wizard at a desk in one corner of the room, like doing paperwork and the door to this room opens as you see these rooms on the floor, start to glow and a order of I Luno robe clad, soar in Chicano, walks into the room and he has an armful of papers. He doesn't even acknowledge that you're there. He doesn't roll her eyes, but it's a near thing. Yeah. He walks in. Doesn't even look at you and goes over and plops some folders and some papers down on this wizard's desk in the corner and says, Oh, they sent me down with these from upstairs. They're wanting to know if you can rush the reports on them for the end of the day. And the wizard kind of grumbled something and Soren just puts his hands on and walks away.
Speaker 3 00:28:28 The, I would like you to roll investigation, not 20. You see every moment of what happens next. I think you've just hear a lot of screaming, constant vigilance, and your focus just zooms in on soar. And as he walks back across the room and he did not acknowledge you coming in because there were people watching him when he came in, he looks up at you fi as these rooms on the floor and start to pause and you start to feel like we're floating sensation in your stomach. As the teleportation takes it back, sore Chicana looks you dead in the eye and you hear the scuff scuff scuff of his foot kicking away. One of the chalk runes on the floor face an unmoving mask of bitterness and rage and says, And then you are not in the room gone. The nice lady wizard in the tower told you that you would feel like a little tingling, falling sensation. And you're telling me, somebody has reached into your gut and grabbed your stomach and is holding you. It's the most intense roller coaster of your life takes your breath.
Speaker 0 00:30:16 And then
Speaker 3 00:30:17 Very suddenly very jarringly it's stops. You are about five feet in the air, suspended in air, and you flaps into a heap on the ground. Then collapses next to you. It takes you a long moment to even regain like breath and presence.
Speaker 3 00:30:40 She swears very loud and that for a very extended period of time, but it's like yells and like slams her hands down at her sides and then cast an underclass, which is kind of instinctively, uh, fed needs to make a concert. Unfortunately, 23. Yeah, he's fine. He stands up though and goes, what the hell just happened? He saw nothing of what you just saw. Sorry. Chicago is a red. Fasters what happened? He w what did he do? He fucked with the fucking teleportation server. Where are we? You are in the middle of the fucking forest. Yeah, of course. Yeah, it is early morning. There's still missed clinging in between these tall, tall pine trees. The sound of various, you know, birds and forest creatures, kind of skittering around every direction. You look for us. You don't know if this is the forest around OMA off. You don't even know if you're still in Australia anymore.
Speaker 3 00:31:45 He takes a very deep breath, clenches her fists at her sides. Okay. We're going to figure out where we are. We're going to get out of this situation, and then I'm going to put, sorta Shaquan his head on a fucking pike. Just smiling. Just very grand. Just smile. A boy. Okay. Yeah. Fen stands up, you know, brushes off his armor. All right. Well, I don't know how we figure out where we are. Do we just start walking? Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and hack that on the back and cast guidance. Okay. Which means he gets to on a check reality for I had the fender is going to roll a survival check to see if he can find a way to figure out where you guys are. He rolled a natural 20 fend turns into fucking Davy Crockett for a second, just like gets down on one knee, puts his ear to the ground, stands up, licks his finger and puts it up in the air to see if he can see which way the wind is blowing. Fin briefly multi classes into a ranger for one shining moment. It's Ben's big day, baby.
Speaker 2 00:32:59 Yeah. Then he stands up and he closes his eyes and he says, hold on, listen. And at his prompting, you close your eyes and listen, and you hear a distant kind of rushing rash. He goes, that's the ocean that way. And he points off to your right. That's somewhat helpful, which coaster we're about to find out. And yeah, you guys just take off through this forest. It's, it's a bit of a Trek. The terrain is very like, almost feel like it's like mountainous terrain almost. There's a sharp, upward slant to some of the lines that you guys climb. And a lot of rocks that you can like trip on and it's not easy going, but eventually you make it to the tree line, this horse river. And you can see, well, first you can see like open sky and lack of trees out in the fresh top of this rage.
Speaker 2 00:34:02 And you see a Rocky inhospitable beach and rain churning seas crashing into it below. This is down like a hundred feet. And then you see a long stretch of this churning Ray, stormy looking water in the distance. You see massive black Island, just Spears of rock shooting up into the sky. The whole place has kind of a necrotic and very distantly. The day is very Misty. There's a lot of like Misty, wispy clouds shooting up. You see a huge black model tower. You are looking at looks to college, which is the center of the church of Kim role. It is in an Island in a huge Bay, along a straight areas. Southern most coast you are as far from home ground, as you can possibly be in Australia right now, pretty much.
Speaker 3 00:35:21 He takes a very deep breath. Cleansed her fists, lets them go big grand up to science says I'm going to kill him so much. I'm going to make that motherfucker wish I killed him. Fast. Fenn just goes really
Speaker 1 00:35:38 Pale. He goes, Oh man, this is bad.
Speaker 3 00:35:42 Yes, then. Great observation.
Speaker 1 00:35:45 Well, I mean, we don't have a vote. We can't get to the Island of what role me as her Bible check and federal role as well.
Speaker 3 00:35:54 12 let's let's see what I have to survival. Oh, negative one, 11.
Speaker 1 00:35:59 It is a DC 10. So with that 11, you got to work really hard for it. I think you spend a lot of time kind of just pacing this narrow Rocky Ridge that you had fender on. Just trying to figure out, you know, what the hell do we do? Do we try to get to the Island? Do we go back the way we came at the very bottom of this cliff where the churning sea is kind of crashing against the Rocky shore. You spot smoke and the harder you look, you see a spot of light. And I think you actually take fan and start to move down this Ridge a little bit. You get close enough to see that it is a small village nestled in the embrace of this like tall Ridge with the forest on the top. Yeah. Okay. It takes you a little while you start making your way down this Ridge, it's probably difficult terrain the whole way you're moving it.
Speaker 1 00:36:54 Pretty much half speed the whole way over these rocks and ledges and pitfalls. Yeah. You walk right into this village. It's a very small gathering of buildings fi I don't think you've ever seen this level of like poverty in your life before you grew up in, you know, a nice city in the South. And then you came to court fees. Probably never seen like thatched groups. And I mean, that's what this is. It's, you know, log cabins or houses with batched grooves and mud and wood walls. Just chaotic dirt roads with wagon ruts down the center of them. And yeah, it's just this cold, wet, salty seaside town. And you see people like shuffling around on in the streets and they look at you and Fen, like you guys are fucking aliens,
Speaker 3 00:37:54 Straighten your roster. Uh, try to smooth out. I think she like was in nice clothes and now she's been robbing to the forest for fucking an hour. She looks roughed up, but she tries to smooth out her dress. Hello everyone. I am the grand Duchess for Mount Sinai. I require assistance.
Speaker 1 00:38:13 Everybody's eyes get real big. Yeah. Cause I mean, these people didn't know who you were as these people, you know, scrambled to help you fee. I think you're struck with that realization of like your entire life, everybody around you has known you on-site. And I think that moment of just anonymity probably kind of fucks with you a little bit. Yeah, probably you have this kind of weird paradigm realization of the fact that like these people have probably never even seen your father and your father is their ruler and they've never seen him. It's a weird kind of mindfuck as you're being rushed with them through this town. Yeah. So you are rushed through this village of these dirt roads, into a Plaza that is set up for the Equinox festival, not like any Equinox festival you have ever seen though. You are used to essentially like a carnival, you know, in a very urban setting.
Speaker 1 00:39:10 This is very simple, just a couple festival games, some booths with food, there looks to be a big wooden stage set up for perhaps like a musical performance leader. And there's a huge roaring bonfire already going outside of what is clearly this villages, churches and you and Fen are led into this church. And while it is simple, it is much the same as every other church of Kimberly you've ever been in, in essence, you know, there's pews, there's an altar down at one end. There are skulls hanging from the ceilings, you know, average church, but yeah, Tuffy, it's totally normal. Maybe even a little comforting. The people that brought you here, they go back further into the church, leaving you. In fact, kind of in this vestibule and you guys are alone with each other for the first time since you got here and Fen just looks panicked.
Speaker 1 00:40:08 She put her fucking head in her hands. Okay. Yeah. And I think you and Fen just kind of share this quiet moment of despair and you know, just uncertainty, not knowing what the hell is going on. And then the people from the square come back into the vestibule, leading behind them, a very old, very rotund elf in priests rooms, just like the oldest roundest elf you've ever seen. Fantastic. He has barely just wisps of silvery hair left on his head is, you know, shuffling behind these people and comes up to you and Fen. And harrumphs a deep, exhausted breath and says, well, what a gnarly Equinox gift? What brings you to advertise your highest? Uh, there was an unfortunate accident with my transportation, uh, elsewhere. And I was accidentally deposited in the forest outside of your lovely town. No, sounds like you've been through quite an ordeal.
Speaker 1 00:41:21 That's one way to put it. Well, if we can be of any assistance, I know we're just a humble village, but please don't hesitate to let us know either small that go back and forth to deliver supplies to Luxembourg golf. Occasionally does anyone here have the sending smell? Well, I do. Yes. Would it be at all possible for you to send a message to the Archduke? I understand that that's a big ask, but would it be at all possible for you to at, at request of the grand Duchess? Send a message to the Archduke saying that I am here instead of, uh, where I'm supposed to be. Okay. Very well. Thank you. So, so he shuffles up to the altar at his rope belt. He has a JAG, wickedly, sharp dagger with a skull set into the pommel. It is not weird to feed that this old man has a very sharp knife because these jagged knives are the Holy symbols of priests of Kimmel.
Speaker 1 00:42:28 He takes this jagged knife in his hand and he starts motoring a prayer. And the dagger lights up with this kind of grayish silvery, radiance. And you feel the arcane kind of energy of a spell going off, you turns back around. He says, Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm brother <inaudible>. I am the proprietor of this church. Lovely to meet you brother, vendor, and then feed. Bob's like a little curtsy and says, I am for Alside as discussed with some of your find people outside. We're so honored to have you and then his head twitches a little bit. And uh, you think he's getting an answer back on his Sunday smelling feet, like shrinks roll and it's like, check that was old man. Full inches. So to speak. Yeah. He just flinches and kind of her rumps to himself. Oh, well the Archduke is certainly not happy.
Speaker 1 00:43:33 Yes. I think that he wasn't me. He said you'll be retrieved by land since teleportation is no longer safe. Yes. I thank you so much. He says, well, it seems we'll have you for why didn't extended stay. There were eight days ride from bell and doll. Of course you are fantastic. Fantastic. Well, commendations, don't worry. Now you can go out and enjoy the festival if you want. Thank you so much for the mountains he says, and she just like pinched the bridge. It's just Fen looks at you and mouths eight days, he looks back at him and just nods and like clenches or teeth and then mass eight days. Yeah. And just kind of blinks hurriedly. And I think just turns around and leaves the church. Yeah. Just going to like sit in a few for a second, just had in her hands, thinking of all the things that she's going to have to hear when she gets back then. Well, I think she's kind of wait a minute and then she's going to follow the fan. The fan is going to town on one of the snack booths. By the time you make it out there. But also there's a crowd gathering around the stage that has gone up and
Speaker 2 00:44:46 You begin to hear music for other than that, you know, there are festival games. If you want to go try to put a jester in a dunk tank or something, you can keep them, try to do that from Theo. Just go push the performance. Okay. You close it on this stage and see something pretty interesting. There is a young alpha woman, very tall, almost as tall as you. And she is decked out in a short puff sleeve red dress with lots of multicolor, red and orange and yellow petticoats underneath. It's very like fiery beamed outfit, lots of littering beading and stuff on it. Kind of silky squishy fabric. She has silver hair, like a steel gray hair rated a crown around the back of her head and on her wrists. And on her ankles above her bare feet, she is wearing leather bracers and leather anklets that have many, many small silver belts sewn into them.
Speaker 2 00:45:59 And she is dancing. There are a couple other elves at the corner of the stage, like St. Drums, pipes and everything. And she begins to dance. And from these racers around her wrists and around her ankles, you begin to see magic up here, like prestidigitation type effects. She is dancing and swirling around and making sparks Laila for appraisers, kind of making her look like a flame. She dances in this red and yellow orange flowy dress. And everybody around is losing their shit. This is probably the coolest thing any of them have ever seen. She finishes the performance with a flourish to just absolute sheers from the audience and then makes a exaggerated bow and leaves down off the stage.
Speaker 1 00:46:53 All right. Yeah. Wow. What does she do after she gets off the stage? She hops off the side of the stage. You see her talking to another elf this one little bit younger looking who she hatches out. Some things with UC, like some money exchange hands. And then she grabs a tanker of something to drink off of a side table by the stage and just like chucks it down. Okay. And then I'm going to roll something for her really quick. Okay. Yeah. Phew. She looks over at you. And when you first walked into this, you had
Speaker 3 00:47:30 The thought of like this anonymity being totally new experience with people, looking at you and not knowing who you are that does not happen. You see this lady clock you all the way across the square. Fantastic. And her eyes get really big. And she leans over and says something out of the corner of her mouth to the shorter woman, the shorter woman, let her something back. And she puts her drink down fee and she walks straight over to you,
Speaker 1 00:47:58 Straightening out her skirts. I just kind of brushed herself off because she's fucking covered in dirt and walking through the forest for an hour and a half. You got some Moss in your hair. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:48:09 But this young woman comes walking over to you and she dips into flourishing, very charismatic curtsy and says, and I thought, I felt out of place here. What's the grant. Not just doing it, a backup
Speaker 1 00:48:21 Water like this. Um, uh, straighten their hair again, I guess. Um, uh, teleportation accidents. Uh, obviously I don't need to introduce myself. And who might you be?
Speaker 3 00:48:36 My name's Mira. She offers no further information than that.
Speaker 1 00:48:40 Right?
Speaker 3 00:48:43 Actually I think she just moves past you and starts walking. It's with kind of a self satisfied knowledge that if she moves past you and keeps walking, that you're going to follow her. Yeah, I am. And you see her kind of grin to herself and start walking. She's jingling the hallway, but, uh, she, you know, walks off and you kind of fall into step next to her, I think. And she just starts kind of moving around the booths. Everybody's giving her free shit. Cause she just did something really cool. And she passes you like some festival food, like some hand pies and stuff as you guys walk. And she, um, takes a bite of some steak on a steak and goes <inaudible>. But we were thought they want to have the talented wizard taking care of you. Right?
Speaker 1 00:49:31 Oh, they did just happened that a less towns would one was that in the mix?
Speaker 3 00:49:38 Ooh, got some wizard, drama, boyfriend drama.
Speaker 1 00:49:41 You like flinching. Ooh, definitely not. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Speaker 3 00:49:48 No. She grins. And you can see one of her canine teeth is gold. Oh, you just want just the one on the left. Yeah, she grins. And she says, well, okay. Noted.
Speaker 1 00:50:02 Uh, well, not that, uh, uh,
Speaker 3 00:50:07 So you're saying that you have personal beef with a wizard that sent you down here and got you stranded in Australia's armpit on the night of the Equinox that blows.
Speaker 1 00:50:17 Yes. Quite I'm sure my revenge will be Swift and terrible.
Speaker 3 00:50:22 I bet it will be
Speaker 1 00:50:26 The last nervously.
Speaker 3 00:50:28 Yeah. You guys just keep walking for another couple of seconds of silence and then she grins a little bit wider and she says, you know, I heard about that assassination attempt on you last month. That was some really horrible stuff.
Speaker 1 00:50:41 Oh good. People have heard about that outside of the Capitol.
Speaker 3 00:50:46 I've heard about that. And I know a lot of things that a lot of other people don't, so she winks really? Yeah. All I'm saying is just, it kind of begs the thought of an assassin that we fuck up trying to kill you two times as a pretty shitty assassin.
Speaker 1 00:51:04 Yeah. I had that thought as well, but the problem will be dealt with when I get home in Oh two weeks, apparently
Speaker 3 00:51:14 Rough. She says, she goes, well, I'm only in town for the festival, but I mean, I guess I could hang around if you wanted some more help, uh, navigating rural life sucks out here a bit. Doesn't it have a little bit. Yes. She says. And you know, I think that we have a lot of things that we could talk about, but listen, I've got a, another set coming up here in like 10 minutes. So I'm going to go, would you take some suspense, maybe add a little flair,
Speaker 1 00:51:51 Didn't have flare, but uh, and he cast the gusts and trip. Hmm.
Speaker 3 00:51:58 You know, you don't want to tempt me with that because then I want to take you on the road. And I think your father wouldn't really approve of that.
Speaker 1 00:52:04 No, but
Speaker 3 00:52:07 I won't tell if you won't tell, come on and yeah, I think she does. I'm going to roll a performance check for, with advantage from your health action. She's going to fucking destroy this. She rolled a natural tool.
Speaker 1 00:52:19 Fantastic. Love it.
Speaker 3 00:52:22 She fully melts. These people's faces off. It's a religious experience for these people.
Speaker 1 00:52:27 Like before she starts dancing at feed does a little bit of a Gus and like makes the bells start before she starts moving. Just like really suddenly.
Speaker 3 00:52:35 Yeah. And again, you know, just this frenzied, like dance, she's got the prestidigitation effects and that like dancing lights, I think eventually also coming off and like going in between the folds and petticoats of the skirts over skirt, like glows. Yeah. It's very cool. And yeah, she finishes and by the time she finishes a fan comes over and he just has a Brent bowl of soup in his hands that he's like drinking out of the bread full.
Speaker 1 00:53:01 What was your friend? Um, you just like tugs it in your low, but uh, that's Mira. She's a performer
Speaker 3 00:53:14 Part. Extraordinary. Hi, nice to meet you. And she, uh, dips a little curtsy defense and he just kind of shrugs and takes another bite of a soup <inaudible> army. And I go, we're over, you're stuck here for eight. Um, and
Speaker 1 00:53:26 You guys can see that the festival is starting to really kick into high gear. The sun is starting to go down. You see brother Vontez out in front of the church, like where the big bonfire is. And they are actually starting these kinds of like ceremonies of remembrance, where families are coming in, he's going in the church. I'm bringing out a skull and casting, speaking of dead on the skull. And like these people are talking with their disease, love and laugh and that's all going on. And Mira turns around and she goes, Hey, so I've got to go manage some money stuff with my troop. Do you want to meet by the bonfire later? And maybe we can have some more conversations about this. I would love that. Yes, yes, yes. Cool. It's a date and she jingles off you. He's a very deep breath.
Speaker 1 00:54:13 Penn just kind of nods like us. Yeah. Anyway, so I heard some creepy ass ghost stories while I was going around the food booths. All right. Well apparently like everybody is really shocked that we're alive. Cause I guess like when the veil is then this year, they're like dead in the woods to come out and take people. And that's why people go missing every year around the Equinox, over a bunch of bullshit. But it was spooky. I know. Right? Like, I mean, if you saw that ledge that we went down and surprised that a person that fucking day doesn't die around here. Yeah. I didn't even know this place existed. I suppose I knew that there must be some place <inaudible> but I don't know. I never thought about there being a place where people lived, but did that. I know wild right there. Got good shoot though.
Speaker 1 00:55:02 He just goes back to something shimmery. I got you. And he reaches into his pocket and just pulls out a handful of loose cake out of his pocket. And he goes, I run out of room in my bag, kind of nod I'm takes the cake because today already sucks. Shoves it in her mouth. Yeah. So you guys walk around and um, fi you actually over here, some of these like ghost stories, you know, kind of people those, Oh, keep your kids inside tonight. It's just spooky. Spooky bullshit. And yeah, I think you invent, just go enjoy the festival for a little bit longer. I think, you know, you now know that you have people coming to help you. It's now just a waiting game for both your father's wrath and the resolution of this conflict. So why the hell not? Yeah. I think you and Fen just kind of roam this Equinox festival and go to the small, fast roofs Tavern and get a little drunk and come back out. The musical troupe is still playing, you know, mirror, his friends and everything that she was there with there up on stage, doing just a set of like lively Tavern music. People are dancing. Yeah. I think you guys really enjoy yourselves for a bit. And then several hours pass. It is late, late, late into the night. The musicians, troop packs up and leaves. And most of the people are starting to clear out of the square.
Speaker 3 00:56:24 Did mirror meet me at the bonfire or is she waiting over there? She's not there.
Speaker 2 00:56:33 Okay.
Speaker 3 00:56:36 You see her true, including the smaller Elvin woman that she was talking to. You, you see them like over by the stage, packing up their stuff to go home. Oh, okay. I am gonna go over. Uh, she's not over there either, but the smaller Elvin woman that she was talking to earlier, who also recognized you, she dips a currency and says, Oh, you're Highness. What can we do for you? I was hoping to talk to the dancer in your tube, uh, mirror. We had, uh, plans. Oh, she's not with you? Uh, no. Oh, she told me she was going to be with you feet gestures at like the empty faith at her side. Then I'm, I'm sorry. I'm not sure. I mean she better hurry the hell up. We're packing up and leaving town tomorrow. Can I make an insight check? Yes. You can make an insight check. So it's a one. I mean, you can't tell that this woman seems genuinely confused. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:57:42 Thanks. I
Speaker 3 00:57:44 Guess he's going to walk away, start trying to figure out what it is. Okay. As soon as you kind of walk away the troops, they go and they look a little worried. And I think you and Fenn just kind of start combing through the rest of the square. Like, do you have a few remaining people trying to see if mirror's anywhere
Speaker 2 00:58:01 And something happens, God, you and Fen are roaming the square, trying to locate your new friend and a bat comes and lands on your finger, like an actual physical, the bat scuttles down your arm. And it looks up and it opens its little back mouth. And in a fully human familiar, whispering voice. It says green Duchess. So sorry. I could not make our appointment. I was knocked in the back of the square and it appears I have been kept in the dark. I am bound at life. First of all, they took my jingles healthy. Be greatly appreciated. Thank you. And the bat flies away. Um, that's weird. Okay then, and then she pats me on the bag. Casts guidance again. What was that for? He says he heard none of this. Okay. Mira has been apparently
Speaker 3 00:59:22 The
Speaker 2 00:59:22 Hell. That's weird. We're going to figure out where she is because that's fucked up. Yeah, sure. And then he's going to roll a survival check and add a D four to that because that's over 20, 23. So you got ranger fan ear to the ground again? Yeah. He's it seems like a cave. She said the bat. That would be up the ledge somewhere then. Yeah, probably hell is going on here. I don't know. He finds a trail. I think you guys actually find one of her jingles on the side of the road, bleeding out of town and Fen stops and picks it up and he looks horrified and he looks over at UV and he says, I think this is worse than we thought. Remember all those ghost stories about the people that go missing on the Equinox? Yes. The ghost stories. I think we're looking at the conclusion and that is where we end for this week. Right?
Speaker 3 01:00:38 So, uh, team fi has gotten themselves into quite the pickle and we will see the resolution.
Speaker 2 01:00:43 <inaudible> see you guys next time.
Speaker 0 01:00:54 <inaudible>
Speaker 3 01:01:08 Hey, everybody Barry here with the postscript, just getting a couple of housekeeping things taken care of here at the end of the episode, first thing's first, I would just like to apologize in advance. The next couple of weeks of sound quality on the episodes are going to be really, really rough. I think I discussed in episode one that Al and I recorded the vast majority of season one way before we ever released the show. So the next three or four episodes were recorded during the dog days of summer when it was in the nineties every day, sometimes the one hundreds. And we just had to have our air conditioner on while we were recording. I was able to get the air conditioner sounds out of the audio, but it distorted the quality of the audio quite a bit. So just bear with us again. I'm really sorry.
Speaker 3 01:01:52 The sound quality is going to vastly improve once we hit episode 10, because that's when we got some more advanced recording equipment to help us out with the podcast moving forward. Thank you guys so much for listening and hopefully sticking with us from previous episodes. If you're new, welcome. We just want to thank you guys for all of your support and all of the discussion we've seen on social media. We are on Twitter, Tumblr and Tik TOK at compelled duel. We are also Tik TOK at compel dual audios, where we post audio snippets from the show. And we are also on Patriot, which leads me to another small update. Um, this is a really great problem to have, but we actually have too many patrons now for us to be able to thank all of you at the end of episodes, without making these postscripts really, really long.
Speaker 3 01:02:40 So moving forward, we are going to just be thinking the new patrons that we have gotten since the last episode, but that does not mean that we appreciate you guys any less. We love you so much. Thank you for all of the help you get less. So this week we would like to think our new patrons and missed six sucks more again, Ellen spent some Tala head and saffron HG. If you like what you've heard and you want to help support the podcast, there are a few things you can do. You can consider pledging to us on Patrion. We do have a lot of really great perks available on there for our patrons. If you listen to us on Apple podcasts, you can drop us a rating and a review. If you have a second, that helps us get promoted and reach a wider audience. And as always, if you're enjoying compelled duel and you like it, tell three friends about it. And if they enjoy it, tell them to tell three friends, word of mouth advertising is all we've gotten right now. And it's done so much good for us. The next episode, it was going to be going up on January 8th, or if you are a member of our Patriot on you'll get early access on January 7th as always. Thank you guys so much and we'll see you next week.
