Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, Barry.
Speaker 1 00:00:01 Hey Al,
Speaker 0 00:00:03 How does a wizard get his bearings when he goes somewhere new?
Speaker 1 00:00:07 How
Speaker 0 00:00:09 He casts find familiar it's time for compelled dual.
Speaker 1 00:00:29 Hello,
Speaker 0 00:00:29 Everybody. And welcome back to compelled dual I'm Al
Speaker 1 00:00:32 And I'm Barry,
Speaker 0 00:00:33 And we are a single player, co DM, D and D five V actual play podcast.
Speaker 1 00:00:39 Previously on compelled dual.
Speaker 3 00:00:44 I thought you were dead. They took you, and I thought you were dead. And that it was my fault.
Speaker 0 00:00:51 I'm sorry for lying to you. And for making Leo lie, you,
Speaker 4 00:00:58 You don't ever have to apologize for the fact that the people that were supposed to protect you chose to hurt you. Instead for R, Especially not to me,
Speaker 0 00:01:10 It's hard to sometimes to try and say what I'm thinking,
Speaker 4 00:01:15 Whatever monster is currently sitting on the throne of a stray area, I will help you kill it.
Speaker 1 00:01:23 Okay? So we go, we scout out the tower. We see if we can find wherever they're keeping, what's controlling that spell. We somehow manage to get in there and shut it down. And then we go after the turrets,
Speaker 0 00:01:37 The higher effect makes another vague gesture with his prices, knife, and then slow lashes it across this young man's throat. And the priests, Chuck him over the side of this hole.
Speaker 1 00:01:49 Oh my God. Oh my God. That's what they did to soar. And
Speaker 0 00:01:54 You see the chasm from your dreams, this huge crowd, thousands of people, thousands of ghosts,
Speaker 1 00:02:05 We're gonna have to take over the whole island. That's the only thing we can do.
Speaker 0 00:02:10 I'm inclined to agree with that. Yeah. What's the problem with that.
Speaker 1 00:02:17 I still haven't told you everything. Sid IBAN the higher of Australia takes two big confident steps into this clearing Keeping secrets, Seine. That's not like you. Truth dies in darkness after all. Hey SIS, Long time. No sea
Speaker 0 00:02:51 Leo. We find you in the woods on the island of ol with your sister, your boyfriend, your sister's girlfriend and boyfriend, and Sid, Ian, the higher of Australia. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 00:03:10 No time to think. No time to talk. Leo's gonna football tackle limb.
Speaker 2 00:03:15 You're
Speaker 0 00:03:15 Gonna football tackle a 15 year old.
Speaker 1 00:03:18 We just watched him murder a man.
Speaker 0 00:03:22 I mean, yeah, he's a murderer, but he is a 15 year old murderer
Speaker 1 00:03:27 And we just watched him SL a dude's throat. Leo's not taking any chances and it's not like Leo's a linebacker for the goddamn Patriots. He's five, two, and 110 pounds soaking wet getting by him. Isn't gonna hurt Sid that much.
Speaker 2 00:03:42 Uh,
Speaker 0 00:03:44 Roll a grapple check.
Speaker 1 00:03:47 Shit. I gotta roll athletics for this. Don't I?
Speaker 0 00:03:51 Yes, sir. That's how grapple works.
Speaker 1 00:03:53 Cool. Negative one. This should end well Nine.
Speaker 0 00:04:01 Okay. And Sid can roll acrobatics. So let's see,
Speaker 2 00:04:07 <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:04:08 Eat shit. Your little punk.
Speaker 2 00:04:11 He
Speaker 0 00:04:11 Rolled a natural one.
Speaker 2 00:04:14 So
Speaker 0 00:04:14 It's a six.
Speaker 1 00:04:17 So I body this teenager is what you're telling me.
Speaker 0 00:04:21 Yeah. You tackle this gangly high school freshman <laugh>. He tries to like reg out of your grasp in a way that you think he is very used to being able to do. But he is very, obviously just gone through a growth spurt and he does not know what his limbs are doing right now. So you manage to get him at a headlock.
Speaker 2 00:04:42 <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:04:42 Fuck me. You're running. Okay. Yeah. Leo braces, an arm around his neck and just holds him in place. You got two seconds to start talking
Speaker 0 00:04:53 Sid in this headlock
Speaker 6 00:04:55 Yells, get him off of me
Speaker 0 00:04:57 And then like tilting his head enough that he can look up at you and glare. He goes,
Speaker 6 00:05:03 How dare you? I am the voice of camera.
Speaker 1 00:05:06 Yeah. And he's a punk ass bitch too. You don't scare me.
Speaker 0 00:05:10 Sid. The voice of Kim, the Hant the highest ranked priest in Australia, slaps in effectionately at you. Sabine puts her head in her hands and the captain kind of looks around at everybody and goes, ah, should we be breaking this? Whoop Sid stops slapping at you and looks up at you again and goes,
Speaker 6 00:05:32 Did this make you feel good? Make you feel tough? Like a big man. I'm 75. I can't even grow a mustache yet.
Speaker 1 00:05:41 Neither can I you're not. You think I care that you're going through puberty. I did that shit twice. Is anybody gonna Hogie him before he stabs one of us
Speaker 0 00:05:51 Fee as the only other person in this group that has watched this 15 year old slit somebody's throat is gonna take a length of rope outta for bag and just tie him up.
Speaker 1 00:06:02 Okay. As soon as he's tied up, Leo's going to try to locate and confiscate his priest knife and then drop him on the ground.
Speaker 0 00:06:10 Yeah. You easily locate his priest knife. It's on a loop around his belt. You grab that and just drop him, just him in a heap.
Speaker 1 00:06:19 Well, I mean, given that Leo is operating under the assumption that this is the person that probably killed his fiance, he's not exactly inclined to treat him with kid gloves. So yeah, he drops him.
Speaker 0 00:06:31 The higher offend hits the ground flops over onto his side, looking like the very picture of teenage angst and says, yeah, this is a real low point for me. I have to admit
Speaker 1 00:06:42 Leo ignores that and whips back around a look at Sabine. Okay. You seem to be the other person here who can clarify all of this? What the hell did he mean? Hey, sit
Speaker 0 00:06:54 Seine still has her head in her hands. And she just scrubs both of them down her face. I, as from behind you, Sid says it's a pretty unambiguous phrase. Sabine says shut up, Sid. And then she turns to fee and says, you remember what I told you about the night? My parents died about what defiance did and fee's eyes go extremely.
Speaker 1 00:07:24 Okay. For literally everybody else here. Who's out of the loop. What did defiance do
Speaker 0 00:07:30 Still from the ground? Sid says I'd be happy to clear that up if I wasn't hog tied in the dirt right now.
Speaker 1 00:07:39 Okay, great. So talk
Speaker 0 00:07:41 As you turn to look at him and say, this Sid looks up at you, resentfully blows a chunk of hair out of his face and says, I don't have to tell you shit,
Speaker 1 00:07:54 Sabine. I'm gonna kill him.
Speaker 0 00:07:56 Sabine's size and says, please don't kill him. And then she steps past you and kind of squats down. So she's roughly on Sid's level and says, Sid, here's the thing. Sometimes you say things and it makes people want to commit acts of violence upon you. Not me. I'm your sister. I love you. But some people just, mm, so it would be really beneficial for the situation. If you could just let me handle it, please. Sid shift says glare to her and says, oh yeah, because you have such a good track record of handling dangerous situations that I'm in Sabine wins. As he says that. And then Sid turns to the rest of the group and says not to interrupt a good interrogation once it's gotten started. But can we take this to a different locale? Because people are going to be looking for me very soon.
Speaker 1 00:08:57 Fine. We need to go back and tell everyone else what's going on. Anyway, somebody get him up.
Speaker 0 00:09:03 Zed is gonna sling the hog tide higher offend over his shoulder. And you all head back down the beach to the rowboat where the rest of your party are.
Speaker 1 00:09:13 Hello. Again, everybody, we've got a visitor.
Speaker 0 00:09:17 You all stand there for a second. And then ravine says, okay, is no one else gonna say it? I'm gonna say it. Did you kidnap a child?
Speaker 1 00:09:27 I mean, a child that definitely kills people. If that helps improve the optics, any, you
Speaker 0 00:09:34 Also kill people.
Speaker 1 00:09:38 VA. I appreciate you. I get that. You're trying to hold me accountable in this, hold me accountable later. Let's get off the beach.
Speaker 9 00:09:49 Uh, okay.
Speaker 0 00:09:54 Soine clears her throat and says
Speaker 10 00:09:58 I have, uh, something that could help us out here.
Speaker 0 00:10:02 And then she does a little dance move and raises her hands above her head, jingles her bells and casts. One of her new spells, which is Mord Cain's magnificent mansion instantly. There is a shimmering sheet of magic in the air in front of all of you. And then it coalesces and clarifies into a set of beautifully crafted, double doors, big glass panels in the front. So being in gestures at it and says,
Speaker 10 00:10:34 It'll only last for a day, but that's enough.
Speaker 1 00:10:39 That'll certainly work. Leo's gonna open the door and go in.
Speaker 0 00:10:46 You walk in to this magnificent mansion spell. As soon as you're in, you kind of recognize the architecture of the space that you're in. It's very like Southern Australian high curving ceiling, big archways on either side of the double doors for ventilation purposes, the space outside the archways is nothingness, but the place seems nice. Roll insight for me really quick.
Speaker 1 00:11:21 21,
Speaker 0 00:11:23 As you walk in, you notice that Sabine shoulders go very tight and Sid still on Z's back grimaces. Neither of them says anything. They just look tense.
Speaker 1 00:11:40 Nice digs. Okay. Zed put 'em down.
Speaker 0 00:11:45 Yeah. There's like a little sitting area in this entry hall and Zed. Just plops, sit down on a chair as the rest of your party kinda gets their bearings in this room. Your mother turns to sine and says, this is very well constructed, but, uh, definition magic can still find its way inside of a magnificent management spell. So I would love to cast something to mitigate that if you don't mind, Sabine kind of wraps her arms around herself and nods and says,
Speaker 10 00:12:22 Uh, yeah,
Speaker 0 00:12:22 I think that
Speaker 10 00:12:23 Sounds like a great idea.
Speaker 0 00:12:25 And then she goes and sits also in one of the little chairs in the seating area. As a Donna starts to cast private sanct, him,
Speaker 1 00:12:35 Leo just starts pacing, glaring it Sid the whole time. Okay. So let's start from the very beginning. Your holiness. You mentioned defiance. I know she's had a hand in all of this, but maybe I was foolish for thinking that our issues with her were over when she died, explain quickly
Speaker 0 00:13:02 The higher offend still tied up, but now sitting in a chair. So he looks a little dignified, sits up a little straighter, juts his chin challengingly and says, it's really not that long of a story. There have always been plenty of orphans running around Elenas. I was a good pick pocket with a little bit of clerical talent. And the beacon is the foremost collector of talent in the known world.
Speaker 10 00:13:32 Or at least it was,
Speaker 0 00:13:35 He looks over at Seine for a moment and then shakes his head and says, when I was 50 years old, I became an orphan a again, My siblings had to run for their lives and defiance was
Speaker 10 00:13:48 Supposed to be helping
Speaker 0 00:13:50 Didn't work out that way. So I found myself on sterol.
Speaker 1 00:13:54 She sold you to the priesthood, probably to be a beacon plant and feed information back to the mainland, right? Sabine feed. Does that motive track with you? Two
Speaker 0 00:14:05 Fee has sat down next to Sabine as sit has been talking and looks at her for a second and then looks back at you and says, uh, considering that defiance was in a LA's pocket, absolutely Sabine has a white knuckled. I around the arms of the chair that she's sitting in and clears her throat says,
Speaker 10 00:14:31 She said she was taking him to a safe house. I was trying to do the same with one of our other surviving siblings. I, I trusted her And I didn't have the
Speaker 0 00:14:42 Time to follow
Speaker 10 00:14:43 Up. I had to leave the country.
Speaker 1 00:14:46 Leo clenches his hands behind his back and starts pacing a little bit faster. No, no we're missing something here. Something's not adding up. If all of this happened 25 years ago and they sent you here to be a beacon plant, then why does nobody in the beacon know the truth about what happens on this island?
Speaker 0 00:15:06 Sid gives you a very acidic glare and starts talking very nonchalant.
Speaker 6 00:15:15 Well it's because,
Speaker 0 00:15:19 And then he stops with a choked sound
Speaker 1 00:15:24 Because what share with the class,
Speaker 0 00:15:28 You watch the higher offense. Jaw go very tight and he shakes his head, rolls his show. And very carefully says
Speaker 6 00:15:41 Because the vows of priesthood Have certain limitations that they impose.
Speaker 1 00:15:53 What kind of limitations?
Speaker 6 00:15:56 What does it look like?
Speaker 0 00:15:59 And roll me and check
Speaker 1 00:16:03 22.
Speaker 0 00:16:06 Leo, you have never been very into the study of magical theory, but you did go to classes on it and Gaius is a pretty powerful and well known spell with very recognized consequences.
Speaker 1 00:16:25 Leo stops pacing and Grimes. Yeah, that sounds about right. Magical gag order. The church would collapse from the inside out. If people on the mainland knew what goes on here. So they keep you from talking about it. Well, on the bright side, you didn't give any information to a Laha, but I'm betting that you probably can't give any to us either.
Speaker 8 00:16:50 Shit,
Speaker 6 00:16:52 Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.
Speaker 1 00:16:55 Your sarcasm helps nothing. You snot nose little.
Speaker 8 00:17:01 Okay.
Speaker 1 00:17:03 Okay. We need to just decompress for a bit and come up with a plan with no help and know information about what we're dealing with. This is fine.
Speaker 6 00:17:14 Sure thing. Can you UN time me while you do that? My hands are falling asleep
Speaker 1 00:17:20 Fine. But if you try anything, see that big guy over there. Leo nods. It said
Speaker 0 00:17:27 Sid also looks over at Z.
Speaker 6 00:17:31 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:17:32 It's gonna be him. That tackles you dead of me.
Speaker 0 00:17:36 The higher offend wrinkles, his nose, and then lets you Unie him. <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:17:41 Leo does. So, and then runs a hand back through his hair and just stares into the Abys for a second. I need, there's a lot of things I need right now, but I need to go think I'm gonna come up with something for us to do. And he's gonna turn around and walk out of this front foyer to try to find somewhere, to sit and get his shit together.
Speaker 0 00:18:07 Yeah. There's a big grand staircase in this entry hall. I think go up it. As you're walking up the stairs, you hear don't worry, buddy. I'm not gonna tackle you. And then I'm not your buddy.
Speaker 11 00:18:23 <laugh>
Speaker 0 00:18:25 At the top of these stairs. You find yourself in a hall with a bunch of doors and they are all labeled with little bras S on them in order left to right. The names Reed, Sabine, Florian, Colette Sorell J O Hugo Ash, Obon and Sid.
Speaker 1 00:18:54 Hey Al when Sabine cast the magnificent mansion spelled, did she model this place after her childhood home?
Speaker 0 00:19:01 Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:19:03 Fuck off. Well, Leo full body cringes at that realization and um, yeah, he doesn't want to go in Sabine's room. That's her space. Uh, he's gonna go open one of the doors with a name that he doesn't know. I think the closest one to him soy
Speaker 0 00:19:25 You open this door and there is nothing but void behind it. It is a door to nowhere.
Speaker 1 00:19:31 Ugh. Okay. He's gonna go down a couple doors and try the one that says Hugo
Speaker 0 00:19:38 Nothing door to nowhere.
Speaker 1 00:19:42 Okay. He's gonna try one of somebody that he knows is alive. He's gonna try Flo in's door.
Speaker 0 00:19:50 You open the door. It's a pretty nice room. It's kind of small, but it has kind of the big high ceilings. There's a window against the back wall that you think must open up to some kind of courtyard, but you can't see anything through it. It's just more of that inky, extra plainer void, but it's got a nice, comfortable bed, an armchair up in a corner it's full of art supplies like everywhere. As you move in, you can see a half finished painting on an easel of three figures. One, you immediately recognize as a much younger Seine. They're all sitting in a garden. Talking Sabine is in the middle. Next to her on her left is a much older as Shean VIN woman kind of darker brown skin, a pile of kind of light silver going on white hair wearing a very nice, but very casual flowing set of robes and a lot of jewelry. And on's other side is a very short Asher VIN woman with blunter ears than you're used to. She looks like she may be even partially of like nom heritage with Ash brown hair tied back in a practical braid gesturing fluidly. And the painted part of this picture kind of stops halfway through drawing her body.
Speaker 1 00:21:23 Leo moves very carefully through this room. I think he understands how fundamentally he's kind of intruding on Florence's privacy. Even though he's not here to be mad about it. Like this is deeply and uncomfortably personal. So Leo leaves the door open. Very pointedly does not Snoop through anything and just sort of it's down on the edge of the bed and burs his face in his hands.
Speaker 0 00:21:54 You're up there for a while. And then I think you hear a floorboard Creek right outside the door and you see someone open the door a little bit for a second. You think it's Selica because you know, she was present earlier, but the fact that she has let her hair down and the very sinuous grace that she's moving with says to you that this is probably Tundra.
Speaker 1 00:22:19 Leo barely even looks up at her before going back to putting his head in his hands. Look, if you're here to limb based me for my life choices or the fact that I run up a fucking teenager, I don't really wanna hear it. I know now that it wasn't all his choice, but frankly, if you had seen the shit that he's helping to enable you wouldn't like him either
Speaker 0 00:22:47 To linger kind of straightened little and Cox her head to the side and says, oh, I've seen quite enough. I'm not here to give any lectures. I'm just looking for a place to clear my head.
Speaker 1 00:23:02 Yeah, me too. Good luck finding it. This whole island is full of ghosts. The only difference between out there and in here is that in here, all the ghosts or so beans, he reaches out with one hand and pat the mattress next to him, at least Flo and still alive. I don't think he'd like us being in his room, but any port in a storm, right.
Speaker 0 00:23:31 Tora walks in the room and sits down on Flo and ours' bed. She's looking kind of idly around at the various art supplies, knacks and or Detroit us in this room. And she says, you know, I like this boy pays Ave a lot of attention.
Speaker 1 00:23:54 Yeah. For everything else. He is. He's good. I think it runs in the family. I'm sorry that the road let us here Tora. I know it's probably not easy.
Speaker 0 00:24:14 Tora shakes her head. Yeah. Um, we jumped ship before we got here the first time, but it's, We're feeling a little unstuck is all
Speaker 1 00:24:30 Unstuck. That's a good word. That's how my mother feels. Fuck. It's how I feel. Maybe that's just what this place does to people. I shouldn't have stormed off like that, but I just, I needed to think How are things downstairs?
Speaker 2 00:24:52 Uh,
Speaker 0 00:24:54 She makes kind of a vague hand gesture, Not fantastic. The rest of us just got here were a little confused and everyone who wasn't confused is understandably upset.
Speaker 2 00:25:09 So
Speaker 0 00:25:11 She reaches back and kind of shoves the hand through her hair. I think someone needs to take the reins. She turns her head to look over at you and says, when we discussed this place a long time ago, we agreed that it needed to be burnt down. Do we still agree?
Speaker 1 00:25:35 We do. But since you and I had that conversation, I've gotten a lot more insight and context for the history of this place and unjust Tora. I'm pissed Because I didn't make this mess. This mess has hurt. So many people it's hurt me. So why do I feel like I'm the one that has to clean it up?
Speaker 0 00:26:07 Because you're the only one here that has cleaning it up as an option. You didn't make this mess, but it was made for your benefit. You have more context. Great. Use it.
Speaker 1 00:26:23 I don't know what to do.
Speaker 0 00:26:27 Tora shakes her head again and says, I, I can't tell you what to do. What not to do is to hide up here while people need you. And then she stands up straightens her clothes and says, and I'll just take my own advice. Shall I? And she nods at you and heads out.
Speaker 1 00:26:57 Leo watches her go and very heavily thinks about having an absolute breakdown once she's gone. And then realizes that he can't, He gets up brushes off the front of his clothes in a very similar motion to what Tolin just did. And heads back downstairs Fee. You find yourself in an extremely awkward situation. Most of your party is still hanging out in the foyer of this magnificent mansion. Spell. Leo has gone off to do whatever he's gone off to do you notice Tora follow him up the stairs after a few minutes. But other than that, everybody is kind of just standing around, looking at each other in uncomfortable silence.
Speaker 0 00:28:05 He wants to melt in at the floor.
Speaker 1 00:28:10 Sid having recently been untied is sitting in his chair, kind of rubbing at his wrists. You see Zed look up the stairs like he wants to follow Leo, but then Eleanor comes over and reaches up to grab at his hand and squeeze. And as you're standing here, you are able to kind of take in the frankly impressive complexity of this magnificent mansion spell that Sabine has cast. You've never personally seen this spell in action before, but you studied it the, in your lessons and you know that a magnificent mansion spell comes with a staff of up to a hundred kind of semi-transparent servants that help take care of everything in the house and a kind of fucked up thing that you notice the longer you watch is that all of these semi-transparent servants have taken on the appearance of Sabine across a lot of different ages and states of her life.
Speaker 1 00:29:26 There's a very obviously teenage version of her setting dishes down around a long dining table through one of these archways off to the side. And after a minute you feel a tug on your skirts and look down and see a version of Sabine that is almost unrecognizable, very young, like elementary school, age, hair, cropped short wearing clothes that she would never wear. Now, the only things that tip you off to the fact that this is her are the hair color and the big dark eyes reaching up towards you as if to take your Cape and go hang it on a halt tree by the door.
Speaker 0 00:30:09 Um, fee is not gonna take that off. Or if he's gonna go hang her Cape up herself, if it will make these little spectral, Saines happy,
Speaker 1 00:30:19 It does not make the little spectral Seine happy and act. You get a look from this little magical construct that utterly exemplifies the feeling of a child who is trying their best and wonders why it's not good enough. The real Seine is sitting on a love seat, curled up against the captain with her head on his shoulder, staring at nothing straight ahead of her and numbly reaches out to hand her traveling cloak and a rape here in a scabbard on a belt to a spectral version of herself. That is about the equivalent of 16, very awkward. So clearly learning what her aesthetic is that dutifully takes them and puts them in a coat closet by the door. What are you doing?
Speaker 0 00:31:15 She kind of shifts back and forth on her feet for a moment and then goes and sits down next to the captain and Sabine, wherever she can fit in on that love seat.
Speaker 1 00:31:25 It takes a little bit of effort. This piece of furniture is not meant to be functional. It is very decorative. So you have to kind of cram yourself in there a bit, but the captain scooch is over. As far as he can and lifts up his free arm to wrap around your shoulders. As you sit down, Lyra comes back down the stairs into this foyer pauses at the bottom and rolls her shoulders back. And you've been around her long enough to kind of see the body language shift that indicates Selica kind of taking the
Speaker 0 00:32:00 Front again
Speaker 1 00:32:02 And Sica strides off across the foyer, sits down in a wing back chair next to a Donna who is playing with strands of jittery, disjointed magic between her fingers and starts striking up a conversation. Not too long after Leo also comes down the stairs, his eyes are really puffy. He looks upset, but he strides into the middle of this sitting area and braces himself a bit. Okay, how are we gonna take over this island? I am open to any ideas.
Speaker 0 00:32:46 Fee sits up, clears. Her throat says, well, uh, the natural first step seems to me to be taking over the tower. It's where the church leadership is housed and whatever that thing that they're feeding people to is if we have control of it, they can't push anyone else in.
Speaker 1 00:33:09 Oh yeah, no big deal. We just have to take on a giant building full of the most powerful clerics industry area. What could go wrong?
Speaker 0 00:33:19 Fi gestures that sit and says we have an inside man. We're all formidable fighters in our own rights. I think we have a shot,
Speaker 1 00:33:30 Sid Grimes and kind of tangles his hands up in this lap while you see, because of the limitations that I talked about earlier, I can't physically do anything that would act against the best interests of the church, but I can neglect certain duties that would allow all of you to do as much damage as you deem necessary. Can we work with that?
Speaker 0 00:34:04 If that's what we have, have to work with, I still think we can manage.
Speaker 1 00:34:10 Leo starts pacing again. You see Zed reach out to try to calm him down and Leo bats him off. Okay. So we clear out the tower. Um, no one can get off this island. All bets would be off if that happened. Right? The first thing anyone with ASC sending spell would do is get in touch with father and bring him and all of his remaining arsenal down upon us, which we're not equipped to deal with right now.
Speaker 0 00:34:42 I think we have to accept that someone's gonna get ASC sending off at some point. So we have to be secure in our position before any reinforcement can get here, which means we have to do this fast and decisively.
Speaker 1 00:34:55 There's a moment where Leo looks very fragile and uncertain, but then he stiffens his posture straightens up and nods over at you. No, you're right. Okay. So we need strategy. We need a plan. I'm thinking three teams. We need a team that can go in and clear out the tower. So those will be our people that are fast, quiet. And deadly me said, Mia, mom will need people waiting outside to take care of anybody that the initial strike team doesn't get. And then we'll need a team watching the docs to make sure that nobody makes it back to the mainland.
Speaker 0 00:35:47 Okay. So that'll be all of our archers Ave, Verity, Tora. Are you all okay with that
Speaker 1 00:35:54 Ave and Verity, both shrug like, yeah, this is is okay. Ravine puts up a finger and looks over at Verity and says, well, obviously I'm gonna be involved in this through all of this. Selica has been settled in a chair talking to a Donna, but you see her posture stiffen and she stands up and Lyra clearly goes, yeah, we're good
Speaker 0 00:36:24 Fee gives her kind of a look <laugh> And then says, all right. And that's exits on either side covered. I suppose that leaves the rest of us in the thick of it, as it were, she looks Atessa and then Sabine and then says nothing left to do with smoke them out. I suppose,
Speaker 1 00:36:47 Sabine who is still partially dissociating goes yeah. Setting things on fire. I can set things on fire. So Goodes however gleefully goes, oh, I'm so good at setting things on now. And she reaches up both hands on either side of her face snaps and summons her wildfire spirit, which is a DED thing she can do. Now, this horrible little wildfire creature, like think Caler from house moving castle, but with a body like long Caler appears on the floor in front of her KASA smiles, brightly and goes, this is Bernie sends. Um, he does great work. This wildfire spirit looks up at all of you from the floor and with a voice that crack like a camp fire goes,
Speaker 12 00:37:52 The system is functioning exactly as intended. We've gotta burn it all down.
Speaker 0 00:37:59 Fee looks at this little fire creature and then looks ATSA and says, I love him actually.
Speaker 1 00:38:06 Right? Leo, the picture sure of a man on the edge, just pauses where he's been pacing back and forth looks around at all of your party. Okay. So we have a plan, your holiness, you should maybe go back to the tower to prevent any further questions and, um, be ready to get the hell out. Captain. You should maybe get all of the crew off of the ship and the banty here to help absorb anybody that slips through the cracks. And yeah, we're doing this aren't we we're doing this. Can somebody tell me that we're doing this
Speaker 0 00:38:55 Fee? It does an awkward little thumbs up and goes,
Speaker 1 00:38:59 We're doing this <laugh> oh, this is, oh, mm-hmm <affirmative> it's gonna go so well for us. It's gonna go so great.
Speaker 0 00:39:20 And doing this, you are Sid heads back to the tower at the same time. As the captain goes to make contact with the crew of the ship and figure out where to position them. And as soon as he gets back, the rest of you head out Ave, Verity Tolin and Rav head to the docks. And kas's little fire spirit cackling runs off into the woods on ol towards the sort of housing for the lower ranking priests. You see a low haze of smoke rides over the trees and the rest of you head off towards what used to be the lighthouse of looks Togo. What's your strategy here?
Speaker 1 00:40:09 Okay. Well, Sid said he was gonna help us out. So I'm assuming we have some kind of inroad that we didn't specify before. All of this popped off. Leo's going to turn around to the team that is ready to catch people coming out of the lighthouse. So fee the captain. I'm assuming a lot of our other heavy hitters like Eleanor, Finn, Sabine, people like that. All right. You're about to hear some wild shit go on in there. Don't come in. Just catch everyone that comes out. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:40:54 Eleanor Andes, both settle into ready stances. Going back to back, Fen go wears his shoulders. HES. His acts fee brings her shield up Seine who is just there to run heels kind of backs off into the trees and the captain swishes his right ear, ostentatiously grinning Fee looks around at the rest of them and says, yeah, I think we can manage.
Speaker 1 00:41:23 I need someone. I need anyone to tell me that this is a good idea.
Speaker 0 00:41:29 There is a moment of resounding silence. And then Mia says, well, I'm excited about it.
Speaker 1 00:41:39 That is not comforting. Mia. Leo's gonna look around and check his team and make sure they're all good to go.
Speaker 0 00:41:49 Z is looking up at the lighthouse, assessing Lee, your mother spreads her hands and looks at this disjointed cat's cradle of magic for a second and then snaps 'em back together. And Mia is just checking the balance on one of their DERs looking ready to go.
Speaker 1 00:42:07 Okay. So we're doing this. I'm gonna go check the front door and see what's going on there.
Speaker 0 00:42:15 You're just gonna try to turn the knob.
Speaker 1 00:42:18 The little punk said he could help us. I'm assuming that helping us includes leaving the fucking door unlocked Al. Yes I am.
Speaker 0 00:42:29 Huh? Okay. Row perception
Speaker 1 00:42:34 18.
Speaker 0 00:42:36 You don't hear any noise from inside and the door is unlocked.
Speaker 1 00:42:43 Little. Bastard's good for something. Okay. Come on. You guys. Leo is going to slip in through the front door and look around the bottom of this lighthouse. I don't know if you need, or want me to a roll, anything to clear the bottom floor?
Speaker 0 00:43:01 Yeah. Romeo was save
Speaker 1 00:43:05 25. How's that taste
Speaker 0 00:43:08 Tastes pretty good. You move into this grand, the lobby, and you can hear whispering from the big pit, surrounded by stones. And, and if you look over it, you just barely see a shifting and the light down at the bottom of it. But you are able to resist its call and you head up the stairs.
Speaker 1 00:43:35 I don't head up the stairs. Actually. I usher Z and Mia and a Donna into the bottom of this lighthouse ahead of me. And then I shut the door behind me and I bar it
Speaker 0 00:43:52 Real slight of hand, I guess.
Speaker 1 00:43:56 Does an 18 do anything?
Speaker 0 00:44:00 Yeah, that'll do it. You manage to bar and jam this door.
Speaker 1 00:44:06 Cool. I'm gonna do some magic fuckery. Now is the area directly in front of the door, any larger than 10 feet in diameter?
Speaker 0 00:44:19 No, the door is much less than 10 feet wide.
Speaker 1 00:44:23 Cool, great. Awesome. I'm going to drop a fifth levelly of warning spell, which covers up to a 10 foot diameter. And I can bake any spell of fifth level or less into that cliff wording. I am going to specify that it will only be triggered if a member of the priesthood tries to get out through the front door. So any member of the priesthood that tries to come into this cliff of waring to UN bar the door is going to trigger a fifth level, flame strike, spell when they do so that's a, uh, fuck off powerful AOE spell just for the record.
Speaker 0 00:45:10 Yeah, it sure is. Okay, cool. You set up this fucking, essentially landmine in the middle of the floor. What other havoc are you going to reek in my dungeon
Speaker 1 00:45:23 <laugh> I'm so glad you asked. Leo looks around at the rest of this infiltration party points at each of them individually, and then points to the big spiral staircase and makes a motion as if to tell them go all the way up to the top and shut the fuck up while you do it.
Speaker 0 00:45:46 Okay. You start heading up these floors. Uh, I'm gonna have you roller group self check. First of all.
Speaker 1 00:45:56 Okay. Leo gets a 19.
Speaker 0 00:46:02 Uh, okay. Well, Zed rolled a 12. He gets a 17. So at least someone rolled worse than you. Uh, a Donna got a 17 on the die, which means she gets a 26 and Mia rolled a Nat 20 <laugh>. So Mia got a 35 <laugh> so that's an average of 24, even though you rolled a four on the die.
Speaker 1 00:46:28 I picked the right goddamn infiltration team is what I did.
Speaker 0 00:46:35 <laugh> so true. Okay. You managed to get up these floors without being noticed. As you hit the ninth floor. I want you to, to roll me a perception, check
Speaker 1 00:46:47 14.
Speaker 0 00:46:49 Uh, tell me your marching order real quick, bud.
Speaker 1 00:46:52 Leo and Zed are taking point with Mia in the middle and a Donna bringing up the rear.
Speaker 0 00:46:58 Okay. Roll me. Luck. Check real quick. If it's above a 10, Zed is in front of you. If it's a below a 10, then Leo is in front.
Speaker 1 00:47:08 I don't like that. <laugh> I enrolled a natural one. I enroll a natural one.
Speaker 0 00:47:17 Leo, you are so out in front of the pack here. I think Z like paused on the staircase. So you get a full step in front and you triggers. So let me roll a hit. Yeah, I'll do it. Uh, yeah. Uh, um, uh, a 22 hits your armor cause right.
Speaker 1 00:47:41 You fucking know it does.
Speaker 0 00:47:45 Okay. Uh, roll me a quick conse.
Speaker 14 00:47:48 <laugh> oh, fuck
Speaker 1 00:47:55 19.
Speaker 0 00:47:56 Okay. So first of all, you take two piercing damage and then you take 12 poison damage as a dart comes outta the wall and hits right into the media, your shoulder.
Speaker 15 00:48:11 Hmm, cool.
Speaker 0 00:48:14 How's that? 14 to taste
Speaker 1 00:48:17 Bitter.
Speaker 8 00:48:18 <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:48:20 Did I, uh, have a chance to take a short rest while we were sitting in the magnificent mansion spell?
Speaker 0 00:48:27 Yes. I think you had time to do that after the captain left.
Speaker 1 00:48:31 Cool. I'm still fucked up by getting bored by the magic turrets. So I'm going to use all like all of my hit dice before applying this damage. So I was back up at full, but I'll go ahead and take that 14 now.
Speaker 0 00:48:49 And I'd like you to make me a con save to not make a noise and reveal yourself as you take this damage.
Speaker 1 00:48:57 11,
Speaker 0 00:48:59 The at will do it. You feel this dart hit your shoulder and it's kind of a, a moment of more shock than anything as it pierces. And then you feel this burning gawing pain at your arm as the poison takes effect, but you do not cry out. You just feel your knees buckle a little bit and clutch at your shoulder.
Speaker 1 00:49:23 Cool. I cast find traps immediately. So anything within 120 feet of me in a sphere that's within my line of sight. If it's trapped, I know that it's trapped.
Speaker 0 00:49:38 That's within your line of sight. Um, there's a trap. I on the staircase above you,
Speaker 8 00:49:48 Hey
Speaker 16 00:49:50 Mia, I think you should go up there.
Speaker 8 00:49:55 Wow.
Speaker 16 00:49:57 You don't want me to answer that? I really do. Well. I just got hit in the arm with a fucking poison dart. And since you're not Australian, if that happens again, further up the staircase, it's gonna hurt you less than it's gonna hurt me. Why not San Zed? Because said's not an imortal dragon from the goddamn moon. And I like him.
Speaker 0 00:50:24 Mia gives you a scandalized look and Zed says,
Speaker 16 00:50:29 Ah, I'm not a what shut up. Sid
Speaker 0 00:50:35 Mia, hisses, and visibly considers pushing you down the stairs. And then they do the thing where they point at their eyes and then point at Zs and say,
Speaker 16 00:50:45 Y'all be quiet now.
Speaker 0 00:50:48 And then they say link around you and up the stairs. I'm gonna roll a perception. Check for Mia. No, sorry. I just realized that because of Mia's dragon stats, they cannot roll lower than the DC for this. So they get ways up the stairs. I assume you are all following them and they say,
Speaker 16 00:51:09 Yeah, that's another.
Speaker 0 00:51:12 And I'm gonna go ahead and roll for them to try and discern it. They also can't roll low enough mechanically to fail that. Okay. Uh, Mia, handily, disarms this trip wire and says,
Speaker 16 00:51:28 All right, we're all good.
Speaker 0 00:51:30 And then I assume you are all heading further up the stairs.
Speaker 1 00:51:35 Yeah. For what I'm planning to do, we need to be all the way at the top of the tower.
Speaker 0 00:51:42 Oh, okay. So that was the trap on the 10th floor hallway. As you move on to the 11th floor, what's your marching order.
Speaker 1 00:51:51 Oh no. I'm letting me take this one.
Speaker 0 00:51:55 Okay. Mia stops at the top of the staircase, both arms spread out to stop the rest of you and goes
Speaker 16 00:52:06 Really. I don't know why you're acting so shocked. You're the only one of us that's actually been in here before. It's been 10,000 years. They did some remodeling
Speaker 0 00:52:19 And then M disarms this third trip wire. And in front of the staircase on this final floor is a door which leads to the staircase into the lantern room, Mia gestures at it and goes
Speaker 16 00:52:37 After you.
Speaker 1 00:52:40 Okay. Is this door in any way covered on under the 120 feet of my previous fine trap? Spell
Speaker 0 00:52:50 It. Wasn't in your line of sight. So no
Speaker 1 00:52:52 Motherfucker. Okay. I'm just gonna try to check for it then I'm gonna roll perception. 14
Speaker 16 00:53:01 Seems
Speaker 0 00:53:02 Fine.
Speaker 1 00:53:04 All right, cool. I'm gonna Steve tools. Check it it 22.
Speaker 0 00:53:11 Okay. You take one piercing damage and 23 poison damage.
Speaker 16 00:53:19 Son of a bitch. <laugh>
Speaker 0 00:53:22 As a poisoned needle shoots out of this lock into your hand.
Speaker 1 00:53:27 Leo takes that poison damage and curses colorfully under his breath
Speaker 0 00:53:34 Rule self,
Speaker 1 00:53:35 Fuck you 19.
Speaker 0 00:53:40 That'll do it. But with that thief stool check, you did unlock the door.
Speaker 1 00:53:46 Oh, fan fucking fantastic. I don't feel great about using another spell slot, but I'm gonna cast fine traps again. Before I go into this room, I open the door and I drop of fine traps.
Speaker 0 00:53:59 You're gonna do that just inside the door. Cuz the door leads to a staircase up to the lantern room.
Speaker 1 00:54:08 No, actually I'm not. I'm gonna reach back with my wounded hand, grab Mia by the back of the shirt and shove them up the stairs ahead of me.
Speaker 0 00:54:19 Okay. Mia goes up the stairs ahead of you. And as they get to the top of the stairs, you hear a low, are you also going up the stairs?
Speaker 1 00:54:31 Yes. With my head fucking swivel.
Speaker 0 00:54:34 So true. Uh, Zed, NA Donna are also gonna follow you up. As you get to the top of these stairs, you are face to face with a skull,
Speaker 1 00:54:44 Eh? Yeah. We're in Australia. That's normal. Leo has no reaction.
Speaker 0 00:54:49 What used to be the lantern room of the lighthouse has been replaced with essentially a mask script. There are just rows and rows of just racks of skulls. Each of them has a little plaque on the shelf that they're resting on. Romey history really quick,
Speaker 1 00:55:12 25.
Speaker 0 00:55:14 As you're looking around at these shelves, you recognize almost every name that you used and you know, instantly what this is. There is a sort of historical trend in Australia of former arch Dukes and their spouses and people who are exceptional figures either in the camera, light church as saints or in realms of like great philanthropy, great service to the public of Asharia being in turd at looks Togo and you are standing in the middle of them. And I want you to roll me a wisdom saving through.
Speaker 1 00:55:56 Sure, sure. Fine. Sure. Great. This won't be traumatizing at all 30 20,
Speaker 0 00:56:05 You feel a bolt of pain up your spine and a feeling like something is stabbing into your brain and on like the edges of your peripheral vision, you can see figures moving around this room, but you manage to stomp it down, keep your shit together. And none of them fully solidify.
Speaker 1 00:56:28 Leo brings his hands up to press against his temples and shakes his head. I screwed shut really hard, but then gets back upright. And I'd like to make an investigation check to just kind of look around, further up here and see if I can find anything useful or interesting. It strikes me now that Zed is probably having a bad time. Huh? He doesn't like Nero Nancy or bones.
Speaker 0 00:56:54 Oh yeah. As Zed gets to the top of the stairs behind you, you hear uh, roll investigation,
Speaker 1 00:57:03 21,
Speaker 0 00:57:06 There are various like spare kind of holy symbols up here. There are various like boxes and chest that you assume are full of like grave goods. And uh, there are various requ kind of around the room and there is a big suit of armor against one of the walls between these racks of skulls that is holding a long sword and looks like it is standing guard.
Speaker 16 00:57:36 Okay. Nobody tried to steal anything. I think that won't go well. But back up, get away from the stairs.
Speaker 0 00:57:44 Everybody else backs up away from the stairs, closer to the racks of skulls. A Donna looks wary at a couple of the skulls and just positions herself away from them. And you see Zed, shutter <laugh> but everyone backs up. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 00:58:05 Something devious and unhinged, I cast cloud kill down the stairs directly below us. So I've done this before. It's poison damage. It's gonna affect Australs a lot worse, yada yada yada. But the thing about cloud kill is that it moves 10 feet away from me at the start of each of my turns rolling along the surface of the ground and the vapors are heavier than air. So they sink to the lowest level of the land, even poor down openings. So this spell is gonna sink down through the whole tower.
Speaker 0 00:58:39 And how long does it last?
Speaker 1 00:58:42 Uh, if I'm concentrating, it lasts up to 10 minutes.
Speaker 0 00:58:45 Excellent. Okay. <laugh> all right. You cast the spell and it starts to disperse down the stairs and then you hear
Speaker 17 00:59:00 Ding, ding, ding dinging.
Speaker 1 00:59:05 And I forgot to check for a fucking alarm spell. Wonderful jig is up everybody.
Speaker 0 00:59:11 And as you're saying that you hear, uh, boss, we got a problem.
Speaker 1 00:59:20 I turn around
Speaker 0 00:59:23 With a cur
Speaker 6 00:59:26 Creek
Speaker 0 00:59:28 And the screech of metal sliding over itself. The big suit of armor against the wall is starting to move.
Speaker 1 00:59:38 Fuck me. Leo turns around, gets Mia by their shirt and a Donna by hers and shoves them towards the stairs. Hold your breath. Try to stay behind the spell. Clear out the tower. We've got this
Speaker 0 00:59:55 Mia and a Donna start moving down the stairs. They're moving kind of slowly because they're trying to stay behind the spell that you've cast, but they're moving as fast as that enables them to do The suit of armor continues cring and screeching. You hear this alarm still going off, very distantly under the alarm. You hear,
Speaker 6 01:00:20 Oh, now intruders, how could this have happened? Fly you fools
Speaker 19 01:00:26 <laugh>
Speaker 0 01:00:29 And the suit of armor steps forward and raises its long sword, Everybody role initiative.
Speaker 20 01:00:41 This would be so funny or upset. And I were both about to die.
Speaker 1 01:00:46 23.
Speaker 0 01:00:49 Okay. Zed gets an eight And this monster gets eight also, but it has lower dexterity than Z does. So it's going last.
Speaker 1 01:01:01 Okay. So I'm up first.
Speaker 0 01:01:04 You sure are. This big suit of armor has stepped forward with its sword. Reg, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 01:01:13 I am going to cast a fourth level guiding bolt And rolled a 19 on the dye. So plus 10 is 29 to hit
Speaker 0 01:01:25 That will hit <laugh>
Speaker 1 01:01:27 Man. I'm glad that I actually prepped some clear exp spells today, Leo rears back and snaps his knife forward at this mobile suit of armor and a bright beam of light it erupts out and hits it in the chest. And I'm going to roll seven D six radiant damage. That will be 26 radiant damage. And also it's glowing now. So the next attack on it has advantage Leo fires off this spell pivots around to go back to back with Z and says, go punch, kill
Speaker 0 01:02:07 Laughs. And then says that was really patronizing. And then he is going to indeed go punch and kill <laugh>. He's gonna use a key point for flurry of blows. Okay. So he's rolling his first attack with advantage. The high roll is a 23. That'll do it. And second attack is a Nat 20. Okay.
Speaker 21 01:02:30 Mr. Stone bloom
Speaker 0 01:02:32 <laugh> and the third one 17 on the die. Hell. Yes. So normally all three of those would hit, but it has a reaction that lets it per a male attack by adding up to six to its AC and Z's first hit was the 23. So that one is not going to hit. So Zeds gonna do three to eight plus 10 damage. So that's 28 and then he gets an extra attack. So he is gonna roll a hit one more time. That'll do it. Okay. So that's an additional 10 damage for a total of 38. And then it's the monsters. Turn this death night steps forward with its sword raised. It's going to cast staggering smite and it's going to make three long sort attacks on ed.
Speaker 21 01:03:30 Oh,
Speaker 0 01:03:31 So let's roll this first attack plus 11 to hit 15. That's a miss second attack.
Speaker 22 01:03:42 No,
Speaker 0 01:03:43 It's the same die.
Speaker 21 01:03:45 Oh my God. Ed.
Speaker 0 01:03:48 That was a at 20. Okay. The death night is wielding this long sword too handed. So let me roll the sword damage first. That's not great.
Speaker 22 01:04:00 Okay.
Speaker 0 01:04:02 And then I'm gonna roll eight D eight nerotic damage that it just gets to add to a long short attack.
Speaker 22 01:04:11 Okay, cool.
Speaker 0 01:04:13 And then I'm gonna roll 86 for the staggering smite. Okay. So that's a grand total of 85 damage.
Speaker 21 01:04:22 Holy shit. Zed.
Speaker 0 01:04:24 And then Z has to make a, we save uh, oh yeah. 14 on the eye. He's fine. So Zed Dodges out the way, this first long sort attack and GRS cocky. And then the second long sword slash goes after him and gets him right in the side. He staggers. And you can see there's magic glimmering along the blade of the sword and Zed reaches both hands up to clutch at his head for a second and goes, And then straightens up bleeding heavily now <laugh> and this death night gets one more attack.
Speaker 22 01:05:06 Oh my gosh, he's gonna die. He's gonna die.
Speaker 0 01:05:11 Uh, that's a 10 on the die plus 11, just barely gonna hit. Okay. So before Zed can recover from this first slash another one goes and gets him in the arm on the other side. And I'm gonna roll that damage. It's it's it's fine. It's all good.
Speaker 1 01:05:28 Al, I want you to look at me in my eyes. If you kill my boyfriend again, our friendship is over
Speaker 0 01:05:36 It all good. He's fine. <laugh> 19 damage. He's okay. He has 13 hit points left. I would recommend a healing spell.
Speaker 1 01:05:49 You fucking think so.
Speaker 0 01:05:52 Yeah. It's my official recommendation. As you're touching master,
Speaker 1 01:05:55 You think I should cast a healing spell on who you just took down to 13 hit points in one round. Al you think I should do that?
Speaker 0 01:06:06 Yeah, I think it'd be a good idea.
Speaker 1 01:06:09 I'm gonna kill you. Leo watches, Zed almost get fucking murdered by this thing. And let's out a panic streak. He just sort of lunges for word with one handout. I don't think he really knows what he's doing. He's just acting on raw magical instinct and his brand new sixth level spell heel explodes out of his hand and Z gets 70 hit points back.
Speaker 0 01:06:40 Oh yeah. See, he's fine. He's fine. He has 83 hit points now, which is almost as many hit points as the death night did damage on its first attack.
Speaker 1 01:06:49 I can only do that once, but for the rest of my turn, I'm gonna use my movement to get up on a flank with Z so that a, this thing has a target. That's not just him B so I can get sneak attack on my next round. Assuming that I don't have to revivify anyone.
Speaker 0 01:07:10 Okay. You draw up even Z breathing heavily favoring one arm looks at you and goes, yeah, I'm sure we got this. And then he's gonna punch the thing again. Uh, he's gonna use another key point for flurry of blows and he has advantage because you're flanking. So, okay. First one double seventeens. That's a 27. It cannot pair that second attack. High roll is a 24. It can pair that third attack 18 on the die. Yep. <laugh> so two of those are gonna hit Z does another 22 damage. He just lunges up on this death night, goes wide with the first attack, but then he's just gonna pumble it with his second day attacks. And then he also has advantage on his extra attack. So that's a 22 that'll hit and it doesn't have a reaction anymore. So that'll work barely. Okay. Uh, and then one eight plus five. That is an additional 13 damage. So that is a total of 35. And you, you knock this thing down half its hit points already. Okay. It's fine. It's fine.
Speaker 23 01:08:30 Yeah.
Speaker 0 01:08:32 This monster looks at the two of you and it into cast hold person. At third level, I need you to make a with save and I'm gonna have a Zed roll 1 23. Okay. And Zed gets 14. <laugh> this death night looks between you and Z raises one hand glimmering with magic from the Palm, a little bit sword. And you feel something like a giant, heavy hand pressing down on you. You manage to shake it off, but Z goes down to one knee and you see him straining against this hold.
Speaker 1 01:09:17 Okay. Is it my turn?
Speaker 0 01:09:20 Yeah. As this monster turns back to you with both hands on it, sword again, and you hear the sounds of an explosion and then combat from below your feet. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 01:09:33 Leo shrugs off this whole person spell and spins his knife around his finger. As he looks up at the death night, Hey, ugly, pause off my boyfriend. You're not his type. And he's gonna roll to hit for a fourth level inflict wounds. That's a 22 to hit and it can't Perry because it can only pair Meli attacks. Right? This is a Melet spell attack.
Speaker 0 01:10:00 Uh, that is accurate.
Speaker 1 01:10:03 I've already used my max damage on an Nero Nancy spell from Kim roll's blade for today. But I'm gonna go ahead and roll this 60 10 damage and then do my channel divinity to add an additional 27 necrotic damage onto this. So that's third from the spell. Plus 27 is 65 necrotic damage.
Speaker 0 01:10:32 Okay. You raise your knife. You cast inflict wounds, a beam of silver magic shoots into this death night. And it brings me no pleasure to tell you that it fizzles and like smoke upon contact with this armor because death nights are immune de nerotic damage.
Speaker 1 01:10:54 Come again.
Speaker 0 01:10:57 You do zero damage because death nights are immune to nerotic damage.
Speaker 1 01:11:02 I do something because I have a death cleric feature called inescapable destruction where my Neman spells ignore all risk. Resistances
Speaker 0 01:11:10 Resistance is not immunity.
Speaker 1 01:11:13 Fuck me sideways with a cactus. Okay, well that's my turn. Leo breaks off this big, bad inflict wound spell with all of the unearned confidence that he's been wielding throughout his entire life. Yeah. How's that taste you son of a,
Speaker 0 01:11:35 From where he's still down on one knee grits out.
Speaker 8 01:11:38 Good
Speaker 0 01:11:38 Job. And you have not wasted your turn because you have drawn the full attention of this death night.
Speaker 1 01:11:48 Great. I love this for me.
Speaker 0 01:11:51 Okay. That means it's Z's turn. So he is going to make another w save, try and get out of this whole person 13 on the die. That's a 23 he's out, but that's his turn. And now it's the death night. All right. First attack. That's exactly 16 meets it, beats it. That's 30 damage. I'm gonna need you to make, make me a DC 15 concentration check to keep that crowd kill active.
Speaker 1 01:12:23 Okay. But I have the ER feet. So I have advantage on that.
Speaker 0 01:12:27 That you do, and you have a plus three. So choose to roll a 12.
Speaker 1 01:12:34 I rolled a natural one and a five. Nope, Nope. Nope. It's gone. Gozo baby.
Speaker 0 01:12:45 Okay. So your cloud kill, spell dissipates, which will have consequences for everyone else, but not for you, cuz you're still in this combat.
Speaker 1 01:12:57 Maybe I won't live to see the consequences. I'm hoping that's what happens at, at this point earlier. Other two attacks,
Speaker 0 01:13:04 Second attack. Yep. That's a 16 on the die that's gonna hit. So you take an additional one D 10 plus 48 plus five. You take an additional 29 damage.
Speaker 1 01:13:24 Cool. Because of all the damage I took from the traps, I'm down to 35. Cool.
Speaker 0 01:13:31 And the death night has one more attack with the D 20 that rolled two crits in this battle. 16,
Speaker 1 01:13:41 Just take me out back like old yellow, just do it
Speaker 0 01:13:48 16. So it's just a regular attack. It's fine. Uh, you take an additional 30 damage because your cloud kill went down. I'm gonna roll a luck check to see if Mia and a Donna are coming back for you 19 Don, that I okay. We will not see the results of that this round.
Speaker 1 01:14:11 Well, I'm starting out this round with five fucking hit points left. So I'm gonna start out by bonus action healing, wording myself at fourth level 44 plus five, 13 plus five is 18 hit points that I get back. And cause you can't cast two spells in a round, but you can do a spell and a canned trip. I'm going to try to hit it with a sacred flame with advantage because that is flanking. Well, good thing. I had advantage cuz one of those was a natural one, but the other one is a 22 and it's a spell attack. So it can't Perry.
Speaker 0 01:14:55 So true rule damage.
Speaker 1 01:14:57 Okay. At my current level that's gonna be 3d eight radiant damage 17. And because that is flanking, can I use my charge from Kim's blade to do sneak attack on a spell with this?
Speaker 0 01:15:13 I will let you do that. And because you're doing radiant damage with the spell would think that sneak attack would also be radiant damage.
Speaker 1 01:15:21 Okay, dope. So that's actually two D six more, Another 10. So a total of 27.
Speaker 0 01:15:31 Okay. And then at Z's turn, this death night is focused on you with its sword, raise to make another attack and skids in between the two of you. And he's gonna make an attack. He's gonna use flurry of blows and then he's gonna do his extra attack. And he has advantage on all four of those because you're flanking. So first attack That's a 28, which means the death night cannot par that second attack. A 27th, the death night cannot par that third attack. Also a 28. The death night cannot par that. And with his extra attack, he gets, That's a 20, the death night can par that, but that's still three attacks. So that's gonna be three D eight plus 15 damage for Z
Speaker 0 01:16:23 29, Zed skids between the two of you GRS. He is still bleeding and kind of shaky, but he says, Hey, come on. I know he is got a loud mouth, but pick on somebody your own size. Huh? And then he's gonna punch this thing three times and then it's the death. Night's turn it gonna cast another staggering smite. And then it's gonna start swinging on Zed. First attack, 26. That's gonna hit. So that's gonna be one D 10 plus five plus 48 plus 46. Okay. So for the first attack, that's 35 damage and then he needs to make a Wiz save.
Speaker 8 01:17:09 Yes.
Speaker 0 01:17:09 Natural 19. Yeah, baby. So he again gets hit with the sword and clutches at his head with a pained noise just, and then visibly shakes it off shifts back into a fighting stance with his teeth gritted. And this death night is gonna make another, that is a seven on the die. That is not gonna hit ed. It gets one more attack.
Speaker 21 01:17:38 Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 0 01:17:41 That is a five on the die. Plus 11 is 16 that does not hit.
Speaker 21 01:17:45 Fuck. Yeah.
Speaker 0 01:17:49 Z shakes off the staggering smite, reds himself back in to a fighting stance. And then this death night swings at him two more times and he dances out of the way and settles back at your side with his fist raise and says, gonna have to try harder than that.
Speaker 1 01:18:04 Um, what's the total amount of hit points that Zed has left right now.
Speaker 0 01:18:09 48.
Speaker 1 01:18:11 Okay. So more than I do, but not enough to take three more hits from this thing. Probably even if Mia and a Donna are coming back for us, they've been running down the stairs for two rounds. It's gonna take them at least that long to get back up. Uh, gimme a second. I need to look at my spell sheet. Okay. This is my biggest hail Mary of the campaign thus far. I'm gonna try to hit it with my last fourth level spell slot with a guiding bolt.
Speaker 0 01:18:48 You have advantage because that is flaking.
Speaker 1 01:18:50 So I do thank you. 25 ranged spell attack. It can't Perry
Speaker 0 01:19:02 That it cannot, that will hit will damage.
Speaker 1 01:19:11 Not the best I've ever rolled, but 20 damage. And Z's first attack on. It has advantage. There is a moment where Leo heavily considers dropping a fourth level life transference and knocking himself out to keep Z up and able to take this thing down. But then he looks over at him, down at himself at both of them still up, still fighting And changes his mind at the last minute before the magic leaves his knife and lights, this thing up like a beacon. He smacks it on the back with free hand. It says, go get 'em honey.
Speaker 0 01:20:01 Uh, Ze already has advantage.
Speaker 25 01:20:04 So how are we gonna house rule
Speaker 0 01:20:06 This?
Speaker 1 01:20:07 Um, I think it says in the rules, that advantage doesn't stack, but because guiding bold is so geared towards giving the next attack a one up, I would let you roll with advantage for the first attack. And if that advantage misses you roll one more time to take the effects of the guiding bolt into account.
Speaker 0 01:20:32 Yeah, that makes sense. Okay. Um, first attack 19 on the die, maybe because the death night has such few hip points left. I'm gonna roll the damage for this before eye roll. Another attack. That is a seven on the D eight Z does 12 damage.
Speaker 1 01:20:54 How many did it have left?
Speaker 0 01:20:57 11
Speaker 26 01:21:00 <laugh>.
Speaker 0 01:21:04 So you hit this death night with this guiding bolt. It shoots into the armor and lights it up from the inside. You pat Z on the back, say, go get 'em honey, Z GRS wide and bright and extremely SMU. And then he just uppercuts this thing, knocks the helmet off and it goes flying out the window. And the armor falls into pieces.
Speaker 1 01:21:32 They're both beat all to shit, but Leo staggers back away from the fallen body of this monster looks up at Z with a big smile. His scar tugging down at one side of it, white away, some blood from his lower lip. <laugh> bit higher stakes than hunter the bandit, huh?
Speaker 0 01:21:57 <laugh> he grabs either side of your face and just pulls you into a kiss.
Speaker 1 01:22:06 Well, passionately out with somebody in a crypt full of his ancestors is not somewhere Leo would have ever thought that he would be, but he's very happy to be here right now. He Tanes both his hands up in Z's hair and kisses him back.
Speaker 0 01:22:24 There's a long moment where you and Z are locked in each other's arms a and lips. Uh <laugh> and then you hear we interrupting something.
Speaker 1 01:22:37 Oh, I don't think Leo cares to give Mia the time of day. They're still making out.
Speaker 0 01:22:43 I think Zed can actually see the top of the staircase. So he does pull back with a pop and uh, clears his throat and straightens up. And you hear your mother's voice. Very SMU say Hmm. 86%.
Speaker 1 01:22:57 Okay. No. If his mom is witnessing this Leo Shives up like a Shrinky, Dan.
Speaker 0 01:23:03 Okay. <laugh> even said pull away from each other. Awkwardly. Mia and Donna are indeed standing at the top of the staircase because they started running back up. When the cloud kills fell failed. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 01:23:19 Well, um, we, we killed the thing, obviously. Uh we're we're we're good. We're fine. Uh, the threat is mitigated. And on that note, Leo's gonna start tearing through all of the Relic queries and chests and potential treasures up here.
Speaker 0 01:23:38 You're grave, robbing your own relatives. <laugh>
Speaker 1 01:23:42 My relatives that put a horrifying death night here to attack their own flesh and blood. Your goddamn, right? I am
Speaker 28 01:23:50 <laugh>
Speaker 0 01:23:52 Fair enough. Romance investigation.
Speaker 1 01:23:56 21.
Speaker 0 01:23:58 Okay. With the 21, you start tearing through these umbrella queries. I think you find two diamonds. So you can Castro Vivify again, in case you need to, as you're around this room, looking for anything useful, the ghost of Soren appears leaning up against one of these racks of skulls looking around distastefully, and then he catches your eye and nods at one of these skulls. And you see that the plaque below it says, Lander, Val sign
Speaker 1 01:24:31 <laugh> oh, this should be good. Leo goes over there
Speaker 0 01:24:37 Just visually like immediately you can tell that the skull is not shaped, how you expect skulls to be shaped. The teeth are much bigger than you would expect. And there are little bumps of the roots of horns coming up from the forehead and the eyes are shaped weird. Somehow it's hard to put your finger on it. And this skull is wearing a golden gem stud circle. And over the forehead between the bumps where the horns used to be, the circuit is closed with a big decorative engraving of a skull that lays flat against the forehead of what is left of a land. Sine.
Speaker 1 01:25:27 Yeah, I'm feeling disrespectful. I'm gonna grab it. You know what? Old man, this is all your fault. I'll be taking. It's not like you're using it. Can IANA check it?
Speaker 0 01:25:41 Yeah. Roll. Arkana
Speaker 1 01:25:44 Dirty 20.
Speaker 0 01:25:47 You have just picked up a magic item called the circuit of consequence.
Speaker 2 01:25:51 Fucking
Speaker 1 01:25:52 Uhoh.
Speaker 0 01:25:54 The mechanical impact of this item is that every time you miss with an attacker, an ability check, the DC to crit on your next attack goes down by one. So if you miss on two attacks, then the next time you hit, if you roll an 18 and 19 or a 20, it counts as a crit.
Speaker 1 01:26:18 And like that compounds into attacks and ability checks a until I roll a Nat 20
Speaker 0 01:26:25 Until you CRI yeah.
Speaker 1 01:26:28 Oh, that rocks. Do I need to take the normal hour to attune to this thing?
Speaker 0 01:26:36 Nope. It is instantly attuned to you. You pick it up and it goes almost searingly hot in your hands and then dies down to just a pleasant, warmth, and you know, looking at it that it would fit perfectly.
Speaker 1 01:26:54 Leo weighs this circle in his hands for a moment and then carefully picks it up and puts it on his head. He looks around at Z and Mia and his mother and breaks out into a big confident smile. Well, what are we all standing around up here for? We've got work to do,
Speaker 0 01:27:25 And that's where we're gonna end for this week.
Speaker 1 01:27:29 I believe that gay love <laugh> pierces through the veil of death and save the day.
Speaker 2 01:27:36 <laugh>
Speaker 30 01:27:38 So true. It's so true.
Speaker 0 01:27:41 And we'll see what happens next time
Speaker 1 01:27:44 On compelled dual.
Speaker 1 01:28:01 Hey, everybody Barry here with the post script, just clearing up a couple housekeeping things here at the end of the episode, as always, I'm gonna go ahead and plug our social media profiles. You can find us on Twitter, Tumblr and TikTok at compelled dual. We have lots of other cool stuff going on. However, an official website, an official Spotify profile, our official merch store, stuff like that. You can find all that stuff linked on any of our various social media. If you're interested in supporting the show, we ask that you consider heading over to patreon.com/compelled dual, where starting at just $2 a month, you can get access to all kinds of cool patron perks, including early access to episodes, access to exclusive playlists and bonus content, and even handwritten letters from your favorite character every month. If you're interested in supporting the show in ways, other than pledging to our Patreon, we ask that if you're listening to us on apple podcasts or Spotify, that you leave us a rating and a review, since that helps the show get promoted to a wider audience, we host a weekly Q and a show on our YouTube every week.
Speaker 1 01:29:11 And we would love to see you show up for that. Ask a couple questions. We always have a really fun time. And as always, if you like what you're hearing on the show we ask that you J just tell a couple friends about it. And if they like it, ask them to tell a couple friends as well. Word of mouth advertising is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. Our next episode will be going live on Friday, April 29th, 2022. Or if you're a member of our Paton, you'll be getting your early access to that on Thursday, April 28th. You guys so much, and we'll see you next week.
