Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: You are listening to an atomic broadcasting production.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: So sit back, relax and enjoy the feature presentation.
[00:00:13] Speaker A: And remember, do your part.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Such as, like comment rate.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: And don't forget to tell a friend.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: To tune in for an atomic time.
[00:00:31] Speaker C: Now, where did we leave off?
Ah, yes.
In the aftermath of the battle for Joel King Ostog the Unslain sent a summons to the party to appear in the Joelburg and testify about their involvement.
[00:00:54] Speaker D: I'm really wanting to click on this loud noise warning.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Please do.
[00:00:57] Speaker E: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's okay.
[00:01:00] Speaker D: Oh, my computer's muted.
Good Mayor just saved your life.
Hold on, I'm getting back to the beginning.
[00:01:06] Speaker E: You guys made me eeeee.
[00:01:08] Speaker D: Unmute. Unmute. What? What even is this?
[00:01:10] Speaker A: Nemo touched the butt.
[00:01:14] Speaker D: This might be loud.
[00:01:17] Speaker F: Why are you trying to play music? Why are you playing things? This is banter time. Put the laptop away.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Yeah, because we don't want to hear it.
[00:01:25] Speaker D: Somebody told me to.
[00:01:26] Speaker A: It was me. But you shouldn't take what I say seriously.
[00:01:29] Speaker F: Put it away. Put that thing away or so help me.
[00:01:34] Speaker C: So help me.
[00:01:35] Speaker A: Man, a lot of Pixar references.
[00:01:37] Speaker F: Louver is going to lose his memory if you keep doing that.
[00:01:40] Speaker C: Okay, so how does the written and the lost fit into Pixar theory?
[00:01:44] Speaker E: It's a door that Mike Wazowski opened.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: Technically, Galerion is existing in our universe.
[00:01:52] Speaker F: In the multiverse of the real world.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: In the multiverse of the real world. It's just like a long time away. And how many years in the past?
[00:01:59] Speaker C: A long time ago. In a galaxy far far.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: It's just that.
[00:02:01] Speaker F: Around when Rasputin d.
Yeah.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: So, like, that's how answered.
[00:02:07] Speaker E: Absolutely nothing.
[00:02:09] Speaker F: Sven, you look confused. There's a Pathfinder adventure where you go to the real world and fight Rasputin, who's a wizard.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:16] Speaker A: Wait, why is he a wizard and not a priest, like a cleric?
[00:02:18] Speaker F: I don't know. He's like. He's got magic. He's a super powerful magic person. Baba Yaga is. Goes between Russia and Galerion all the time.
[00:02:27] Speaker A: Were you not aware of this?
[00:02:30] Speaker F: Yeah. So you can't canonically go to.
[00:02:33] Speaker D: No, no, no.
[00:02:34] Speaker F: Earth baby Yaga.
Those are stuck on Apollo.
[00:02:39] Speaker B: Oh, that's weird.
[00:02:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
All Isekai stories are valid in Pathfinder.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Other world stories are valid in Pathfinder.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: Oh, and elves are aliens.
[00:02:48] Speaker C: So I have a question for you.
[00:02:49] Speaker B: I knew that one.
[00:02:50] Speaker C: You know, the classic thing for Pixar movies is the format is what if blank had emotions? So, like Toy Story is what if toys had Emotions. Cars is. What if cars had emotions? What is Pathfinder? What if adventurers had emotions?
[00:03:05] Speaker A: What? What if people had emotions?
[00:03:07] Speaker F: What if gods had.
[00:03:08] Speaker C: No, that's.
[00:03:08] Speaker A: That's inside.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: What if a world had emotions?
[00:03:12] Speaker A: What if a world was an egg and had emotions?
[00:03:16] Speaker C: No, that's Starfinder 1.
[00:03:18] Speaker F: Remember Pathfinder, Galarian is a prison. Galerian is not an egg.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: Which makes Galarian an egg. Because it's holding a thing until it hatches out. And it's not.
[00:03:27] Speaker D: No.
[00:03:27] Speaker F: It's in prison. You don't expect prisoners to hatch out.
[00:03:31] Speaker A: I'm sorry. Is it not foretold that he will escape and eventually consume all?
[00:03:35] Speaker F: Everything's foretold. Aaron.
[00:03:37] Speaker E: Instead, what if cult leaders had emotions?
[00:03:40] Speaker F: You have to have the will to make the future your dream.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: All right.
[00:03:45] Speaker A: Our.
[00:03:45] Speaker F: Just do it.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: Stop doing whatever we're doing and try to open up dreams, Destruction.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: Deity. Cop arrests somebody and is like, you're under arrest. Now we're gonna put you in an egg.
[00:03:58] Speaker E: I mean, that would be torture.
[00:03:59] Speaker D: Man. Whose? Cops. You really are cracking down.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: Can I develop a spell that entraps people in egg?
[00:04:06] Speaker C: This sounds like a downtime activity homebrew.
[00:04:09] Speaker E: Homebrew spell.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Don't worry. I'll make it useless and give it the incapacitate trait.
[00:04:15] Speaker F: How dare you. How so?
[00:04:17] Speaker C: You can cast it as a level one spell. Target one person at a level two. You can cast it.
[00:04:24] Speaker D: Just keep getting the 18, then 24. I don't know how many.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: It doesn't heighten. You're forced to take it at level one.
[00:04:29] Speaker F: Super Baker's Dozen.
[00:04:31] Speaker D: Wouldn't that be 13?
[00:04:32] Speaker F: I said Super Baker.
[00:04:33] Speaker D: No, no. Baker's Dozen is 13. I forgot that you said super.
[00:04:36] Speaker F: I said super. It's very important that I said it super bigger.
[00:04:41] Speaker E: I'm gonna need you to calm down, sir.
[00:04:44] Speaker D: Calm?
[00:04:44] Speaker F: No.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Down.
[00:04:45] Speaker E: Okay, then you need to need to go outside.
[00:04:47] Speaker F: You should calm up.
[00:04:51] Speaker E: I don't know what that means and I'm choosing to ignore it.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: It means get on his level.
[00:04:55] Speaker E: I don't want to get on your level.
[00:04:56] Speaker F: I'm very happy with my level.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: You're. Abby.
What?
[00:05:01] Speaker D: I just remembered why we put him in the fridge.
[00:05:03] Speaker F: To tell him to chill.
[00:05:05] Speaker E: Oh, yeah. Sam, get back in the fridge.
[00:05:06] Speaker C: I don't want to go out.
[00:05:08] Speaker F: Get back in that fridge.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: I know.
[00:05:09] Speaker C: So help me.
[00:05:11] Speaker E: You stay there until you can chill off.
[00:05:14] Speaker D: Cool off and then bring me a soda.
[00:05:16] Speaker E: You need to chill.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: I brought you a root beer.
[00:05:19] Speaker D: I.
[00:05:20] Speaker E: Did you drink it already.
[00:05:21] Speaker A: No.
[00:05:22] Speaker D: It's gonna be a while before he comes out.
[00:05:25] Speaker E: It's been a while.
[00:05:27] Speaker B: It's been a while.
[00:05:32] Speaker C: That was the most ominous transition we've had in a banter.
[00:05:36] Speaker E: He's got like that horror movie trailer voice. What's happening over there?
[00:05:45] Speaker B: Jenkins is laughing his head off. But for how long?
Intrigue, betrayal, confusion. Join us next time for.
[00:05:57] Speaker A: Written the lost guy.
[00:06:00] Speaker C: Speaking of joining us, who would like to join me as we dive back into the world of imagination?
[00:06:05] Speaker D: I can't swim.
[00:06:07] Speaker C: We will pick things up right where we left off as the party was interrupted in their talking and catching up on what all had happened with each other since Uwe had been away.
And they are now being escorted from the atrium of the courthouse into the courtroom proper.
Now, the atrium itself was already fairly nice polished marble, but as you go into the courtroom itself, it's just on a whole nother level of grandiose. The there's the like benches where people can sit and listen in. There's the stand for the witnesses to come and talk. And then there's a raised dais of six thrones. And in each of these thrones is one of each of these legendary Linorm kings that are in charge of the different kingdoms of the region.
The guard escorts you all in and takes you up to the front of the benches and gestures for you to sit down. Is like, you'll be called upon when they're ready. And the kings are all up there in their thrones, just kind of quietly discussing amongst themselves.
Up on the thrones there are four men and two women.
Most of you probably recognize one of them who's kind of in the center as Ostog the Unslain. He is the king of Southmoore, which is the kingdom that most of this adventure has been happening in.
Joel is the capital of Southmoor.
He was once a legendary adventurer and has settled down to become king here in the land of the linorm kings after killing a linorm.
Then there's also like an old haggard, sort of classic Viking looking guy on his left side.
And then next to him all the way on the end is like a.
If you've seen Thorin in the hobbit movies, he looks like that. Kind of like a cross between Viking and boy band.
[00:08:14] Speaker E: I don't know why that got me.
[00:08:16] Speaker C: Okay, just make sure to dash in some emo.
Then going the other direction from the middle is a old wise, chill looking guy who out of all of the others up there is not of Ulfan descent. He looks like he is from somewhere further north even than the land of The Linnarm Kings.
And then next to him is a woman with pure white hair and pale blue eyes. Pale skin.
And then on the far end is a short and slight framed Ulfan woman with dark braided hair and facial tattoos.
Petite.
[00:09:00] Speaker D: I just have a history question.
A Linorm.
Those are those snake things, right?
Didn't Val kill one?
[00:09:08] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:09:10] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:09:11] Speaker E: Is Val a Linworm King?
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Well, technically, we all killed one. I think you have to kill it by yourself.
[00:09:17] Speaker C: So we have discussed this previously on the show. So I'm not going to make anybody roll any checks or anything. To become a Lenorm King, you have to confirmed defeat the Lenorman one on one combat and bring the severed head back to the capital and claim your right of kingship.
[00:09:34] Speaker D: You missed some steps, Val.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: It's a very specific format, which is one of the reasons why, you know, digging into the history a little bit, why people did not accept Ered coming back as king because he was unable to produce the head.
[00:09:50] Speaker F: That's why I keep the heads in the fridge with me.
[00:09:52] Speaker A: Me.
[00:09:54] Speaker C: Finally, after just an awkward silence, Ostog looks up from their discussions and is like.
So you five were the ones who defeated King Aid in my absence?
[00:10:12] Speaker D: Zaphir just nods.
[00:10:14] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:10:15] Speaker C: Would any of you care to explain to the council of the Kings of the land of the Linorm Kings the events that transpired? What led up to you hunting down this forgotten king and defeating him just in the nick of time when no one else was able to respond?
[00:10:31] Speaker A: Um, to be honest, it was happenstance.
We kind of just found a helmet and then the Eridsons attacked us and kind of kept attacking us, so we did something about it.
[00:10:48] Speaker C: The guy on the far right, who's dark haired and grim, is just like. And you didn't see fit to report this to the guards?
[00:11:00] Speaker E: I feel like a lot of the guards were working for the Irons and it didn't feel like a good idea.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: They were a respected house of this land, so.
[00:11:14] Speaker C: Indeed, there are some charges on file against four of you that list you as having broken and entered into an Aerodson property. Would you care to explain.
[00:11:33] Speaker A: If you believe our invitations? We were invited.
Uvair was there.
[00:11:40] Speaker E: Yes, you were.
It was before.
[00:11:44] Speaker F: Oh, yeah. Val was not there.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: I'm over here. Going, 1, 1, 2, 3. Who's the fifth?
[00:11:54] Speaker E: That's.
[00:11:54] Speaker F: Hey, Mir. He's not here.
[00:11:59] Speaker A: If you believe our invitations, we were invited.
[00:12:03] Speaker C: Indeed. And can you produce these invitations?
[00:12:06] Speaker A: Um, I go into my rucksack and produce my forged invitation.
[00:12:13] Speaker C: He nods to the bailiff who brings.
[00:12:15] Speaker F: Them over like, well, at level like 2 or 3. Deception check.
[00:12:21] Speaker D: If it's any help, I rolled really well to be out a window, so I lost mine.
[00:12:27] Speaker F: Jordi, you remember the result of his roll, right?
[00:12:30] Speaker C: He's reading over the paper.
Everything seems to be in order.
[00:12:37] Speaker A: I hope he just rolled. Really?
[00:12:39] Speaker C: He rolled it too.
[00:12:40] Speaker F: Amazing.
[00:12:42] Speaker E: That's great.
[00:12:45] Speaker C: I seem to recall the white haired woman on the other side of the row that there is a warrant placed for all five of your arrest in the town of Tomgrove pertaining to a murder.
[00:13:00] Speaker E: What happened in Tom Grove?
[00:13:03] Speaker A: That's the town that's controlled by the Eritsons.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: You got arrested.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: It was a murder for.
What was his name?
[00:13:09] Speaker C: I would appreciate you to conduct these conversations where all of us can hear.
[00:13:14] Speaker D: Oh, what are the charges?
[00:13:17] Speaker E: And who was the, the charge of Zafir's murder?
[00:13:20] Speaker D: I mean, pay attention.
[00:13:22] Speaker C: Who?
Who? Which?
[00:13:25] Speaker A: The wolf guy, Brenger.
[00:13:27] Speaker D: Oh, that wasn't murder. That was self defense.
[00:13:30] Speaker C: Interesting. I would be very interested in hearing your side.
[00:13:34] Speaker F: Technically, we went to Brengir.
[00:13:37] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:13:37] Speaker F: And he attacked us. But he was killed in a duel that he accepted via his deity.
[00:13:43] Speaker A: And he was building an army to overrun the city of Joel.
[00:13:47] Speaker F: They had trolls on the side.
[00:13:48] Speaker A: Well, not yet. We stopped that.
[00:13:50] Speaker F: That's. Oh, yes, right.
I was, I just, just started with them when that happened. So.
[00:13:57] Speaker A: I, I, I had no part of this. U looking at them going.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: I actually wasn't there for that one.
[00:14:05] Speaker C: Interesting, because your name is listed with the warrants.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: I imagine it is. I was part of the party after I. Wait, what name do you have?
[00:14:15] Speaker C: I have Zafir.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: Oh, sorry to interrupt. For the murder.
[00:14:20] Speaker C: For the murder.
[00:14:21] Speaker D: Name Zephyr. That's not.
[00:14:23] Speaker C: I have the name Zafir.
[00:14:25] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:14:26] Speaker F: He's recently changed.
[00:14:27] Speaker C: Howard Volden, Val Neros and Uwe Sturkvind Vind.
[00:14:39] Speaker D: I do have a last name, by the way.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: You have a last name?
[00:14:42] Speaker C: Me?
[00:14:42] Speaker D: I do. It's Ren.
[00:14:44] Speaker E: Oh, you knew that?
[00:14:45] Speaker C: Well, it's not on the warrant.
[00:14:47] Speaker D: Oh, well then it's not me.
[00:14:49] Speaker B: That is interesting, considering I genuinely wasn't there.
[00:14:53] Speaker F: Remember, wasn't it that those were the five that the, the Ayrtons knew about? Right. So they put the warrant out for the five of us. They didn't realize Uver had left and the Aar had come to help.
[00:15:05] Speaker D: So as you can see, they put out a warrant for imaginary things. They just didn't want us around.
[00:15:12] Speaker A: I mean, that's true. They didn't.
[00:15:13] Speaker C: Then the kind of chill looking guy who is not an Olfan is just like. Do you have any evidence for these claims?
[00:15:20] Speaker A: Which ones?
[00:15:21] Speaker C: That Uwe was not present.
[00:15:25] Speaker D: How do you prove something wasn't there?
[00:15:27] Speaker F: Are you able to rewind this map?
[00:15:31] Speaker A: Oh, maybe.
Depending on how cool you are with things.
[00:15:40] Speaker F: He gave us letters and presents.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: Right, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's. I mean, we can give them the.
[00:15:46] Speaker F: Letters, but he sent us mail.
[00:15:51] Speaker C: The bailiff takes the letters.
Your Majesty, these are postmarked by Postman Paul at the time of the murder.
[00:15:59] Speaker A: I'm gonna lean over to Val and be like, thank you. Because I did not want to do what I was planning.
[00:16:03] Speaker F: Stop talking about it.
[00:16:06] Speaker B: Postman.
[00:16:08] Speaker A: He's the postman.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: He is the best in the area for getting things where you need them to be.
[00:16:14] Speaker C: He is the postal service, but only for that area.
[00:16:18] Speaker A: He's the only postal service.
[00:16:19] Speaker F: He runs everywhere without a shirt.
[00:16:22] Speaker A: He's very fast. The shirt slows him down.
[00:16:26] Speaker C: The woman all the way on the far left side just kind of speaks up and is like, ostag, I cannot say that I approve of your selection.
[00:16:37] Speaker E: Selection for what?
[00:16:39] Speaker C: Ostag just holds up his hand. He's like.
And would you have us bicker endlessly for weeks on ends to select a different champion?
[00:16:50] Speaker F: Picking one of us to be the champion.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: I hope it's you.
[00:16:53] Speaker F: What?
[00:16:54] Speaker E: Better be you.
[00:16:55] Speaker F: Why do I have to be the champion?
[00:16:57] Speaker A: You're the one chosen by Gogs.
[00:16:58] Speaker D: Can you all be quiet? They're going to kick us out.
[00:17:00] Speaker F: My class is champion.
[00:17:01] Speaker C: Asad pulls up his hand.
The bailiff. Bang, bang, bang. Because kings don't bang gables for themselves.
Leave us.
We have much to discuss, and we will speak with you after we have time to do so.
[00:17:18] Speaker B: That works.
[00:17:20] Speaker E: Okay, bye.
[00:17:22] Speaker A: Are we just waiting out there or.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: Bailiff just looks real hard at Alward. You can wait in the weeds. You can. Or you can wait in chains.
[00:17:32] Speaker E: I like the waiting room.
[00:17:33] Speaker A: Yeah, the waiting room.
[00:17:34] Speaker F: I'm gonna give a nice formal bow to the kings before I leave.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: Same.
[00:17:39] Speaker E: I wink.
[00:17:42] Speaker F: Right at Oxygen. Which one?
[00:17:44] Speaker E: All of them.
[00:17:45] Speaker C: Each one in turn or just.
[00:17:47] Speaker E: Just in general direction.
[00:17:48] Speaker F: Just like a machine gun. Wink.
[00:17:53] Speaker C: But is she having a seizure?
[00:17:56] Speaker D: Zephyr just does one of those two finger salutes for just nice bite, little hair flip.
[00:18:05] Speaker C: And the camera's just kind of like looking down the hall as you all, like, walk past the camera. And we see all the kings, like, moving towards each other to talk quietly as the doors close.
The camera remains on the doors for a little bit longer and begins to pull out and we find ourselves back in Alward's apartment in one of the upper rooms. A quiet, secluded upper room.
Sunlight is pouring in through a window on Neros.
Neros, what are you doing?
[00:18:38] Speaker E: Neros is sitting in the middle of the room.
Crisscross applesauce.
Her hands resting on her knees.
And her eyes are closed.
She's meditating. Something she's needed to do for, I don't know, weeks at this point.
It's been a long time.
[00:19:01] Speaker F: Been a while.
[00:19:02] Speaker E: It's been a while.
She's finally at a point where she can center and make all the voices in her head go away.
[00:19:13] Speaker C: Neros. As you're sitting, meditating, collecting your thoughts, allowing the darker thoughts to evaporate, dissipate to where they would go, you notice a shadow across your face that interrupts the stream of sunlight through the window.
And then another.
And then you just hear sort of a noise.
[00:19:43] Speaker E: She opens her eyes.
[00:19:46] Speaker C: And perched on the back of the chair at the desk next to the window is Corvus. An oversized raven like bird with a leather mask instead of a regular bird head.
I told you he was fine.
You didn't know that.
[00:20:06] Speaker F: Neither did you.
[00:20:07] Speaker C: You're not there.
[00:20:09] Speaker F: I know.
[00:20:10] Speaker E: This is my flashback.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: You stay out of here.
[00:20:15] Speaker E: She's.
She stares, a little shocked to see him because the last time she tried to call him, he didn't come.
And a little relieved.
[00:20:29] Speaker C: Honestly, Neros, I.
I'm sorry for making you worry.
[00:20:36] Speaker E: Where were you?
[00:20:38] Speaker C: Well, as much as it pains me to say, I've been hiding.
[00:20:44] Speaker E: Okay. So she didn't find you?
[00:20:47] Speaker C: No. No, not yet.
Fortunately.
This house is complicated.
[00:20:58] Speaker E: You mean Elwood's house?
[00:20:59] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:21:00] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:21:02] Speaker C: Why?
[00:21:02] Speaker F: Is it Canon Kaboom.
[00:21:07] Speaker B: Five dimensions, baby.
[00:21:09] Speaker E: We.
[00:21:09] Speaker C: We should have some time to speak before I run any risk of discovery.
[00:21:14] Speaker E: Good.
Good.
I had a lot of things I needed to ask you and I don't remember what they were.
[00:21:23] Speaker F: Ask him what his favorite color is.
[00:21:25] Speaker E: What's your favorite color?
[00:21:29] Speaker C: I think a good puce.
[00:21:31] Speaker A: That sounds like it's okay. I'm gonna have to look that color up, I guess.
[00:21:35] Speaker E: Just.
Am I supposed to be here?
[00:21:40] Speaker C: Yes.
Yes.
Don't.
Don't doubt that. If.
If anyone tells you otherwise, they are wrong.
[00:21:50] Speaker E: Pharasma says I'm an abomination.
[00:21:56] Speaker C: Pharasma spends her entire time in the boneyard. She doesn't know what it's like to live.
[00:22:05] Speaker E: Do you know what it's like to live?
[00:22:07] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:22:08] Speaker E: Who are you?
[00:22:11] Speaker C: I wish I could tell you, but I can't.
[00:22:14] Speaker E: Why?
[00:22:17] Speaker C: It.
[00:22:19] Speaker E: Oh, that's Right. That's right. I forgot.
[00:22:23] Speaker C: I'm sorry.
[00:22:26] Speaker E: Does Nick's fail mean anything to you?
[00:22:30] Speaker C: Yes.
It is your family name.
[00:22:34] Speaker E: Okay.
My mom's side or my father's side?
Father's side. Kay.
[00:22:44] Speaker C: It was not your mother's name.
[00:22:46] Speaker E: Kay. Father's side.
[00:22:48] Speaker C: Neros.
Not now.
We still have time. But when you are ready, you need to come to the boneyard.
[00:23:01] Speaker E: Why?
[00:23:02] Speaker C: For your mother.
I don't know how much longer I can hide her from Pharasma if I need to hide as well.
[00:23:13] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:23:15] Speaker C: Unfortunately, I think your best bet to get here will be with Val's assistance.
[00:23:24] Speaker E: If I go to the boneyard, will Pharasma try to kill me?
[00:23:29] Speaker C: I think Pharasma would rather kill me first.
[00:23:36] Speaker E: Are you protecting me somehow?
[00:23:39] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:23:40] Speaker E: Okay.
From her?
[00:23:44] Speaker C: Among others.
[00:23:46] Speaker D: Others?
[00:23:48] Speaker E: Who else are you protecting me from?
Do I have a price on my head?
[00:23:52] Speaker C: No. No. You.
Farasma may not want you to exist, and she is wrong. But there are those who would understand her position.
[00:24:06] Speaker E: Like other gods.
[00:24:08] Speaker C: None. No. None of the other gods would really have a say. Have a care in this.
There's a trio of women.
For the most part, I've been able to obscure your presence from them, but. Do you remember in Tromgrav, where you had played the prank with the monkeys? Yeah.
[00:24:34] Speaker E: Are you talking about the old woman?
[00:24:35] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:24:36] Speaker E: She has it out for me.
[00:24:37] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:24:38] Speaker E: Okay. She showed back up right before we fought Aaron.
[00:24:43] Speaker C: Of course she did. What did she say to you?
[00:24:46] Speaker E: Nothing, really. She gave us awesome tea.
[00:24:52] Speaker C: And you drank it?
[00:24:54] Speaker E: Yeah. It made me feel better. And I got my spells back.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: It made you feel better?
[00:25:00] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:25:02] Speaker C: Interesting.
[00:25:02] Speaker E: I was hurt.
What is wrong with that?
[00:25:07] Speaker C: That's. No, that's good. That's good. I.
I'm surprised. I would have expected them to take an opportunity when it presented itself.
[00:25:18] Speaker E: Okay, so they want to kill me?
[00:25:21] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:25:22] Speaker E: What did I do?
[00:25:24] Speaker C: It's not what you did. It's what I did.
[00:25:28] Speaker A: What?
[00:25:28] Speaker E: Well, what did you do?
[00:25:31] Speaker C: I can't say. Okay, what you need to do first is rescue your mother, and then.
Then you will need Alward. I cannot tell you more.
[00:25:45] Speaker E: Am I rescuing her or just preventing her from passing on like she supposed to?
[00:25:51] Speaker C: How are they different?
[00:25:53] Speaker E: I mean, if she needs to be laid at rest.
Unless she's just not supposed to be there.
[00:26:05] Speaker C: You.
You might be right.
And my judgment may be clouded by my many years in the boneyard, but ultimately, this will be your.
[00:26:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:26:21] Speaker E: I don't know that I'd put faith in me for that.
[00:26:24] Speaker C: I do.
[00:26:26] Speaker E: Why?
[00:26:28] Speaker C: You're Nero. Snakes Vale.
[00:26:31] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:26:32] Speaker C: I have all the faith in the world in you.
[00:26:35] Speaker E: Bad decision. Really.
If you've been watching me like you say you have. Haven't you seen all the times I've been thrown in jail, thrown out of bars, banned from an entire town?
[00:26:49] Speaker C: And I've been there for every time you've picked yourself back up again.
[00:26:52] Speaker E: Yeah, but I always got myself into this situations. Don't you not remember that?
[00:26:56] Speaker C: When was the last time you got yourself kicked out of a bar?
[00:27:00] Speaker E: Probably about.
No, it's been before all this stuff happened.
[00:27:07] Speaker C: You're growing.
And you're ready. I know you are.
[00:27:11] Speaker E: You ready to rescue my mum?
[00:27:15] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:27:18] Speaker E: Okay. What if Pharasma finds me first? What you gonna do then?
[00:27:22] Speaker C: She won't.
[00:27:27] Speaker E: I'll be in her domain, Sir.
I don't know how.
I don't know if I can hide from her.
[00:27:34] Speaker C: If needs be, we will create a distraction.
[00:27:37] Speaker D: We?
[00:27:39] Speaker E: Who's we?
You and what army?
[00:27:44] Speaker C: Well, that I can say. But I probably shouldn't.
[00:27:48] Speaker E: You have an army.
[00:27:51] Speaker C: Plausible deniability.
[00:27:52] Speaker E: Okay.
You have an army. Okay, that's cool.
Is there a time limit on this?
[00:28:07] Speaker C: There is, but I wish I knew what it was.
[00:28:10] Speaker E: Okay, so just as soon as possible.
[00:28:13] Speaker C: As soon as you can.
[00:28:16] Speaker E: I don't know when that'll be. We're kind of. Kind of neck deep in everything right now.
We just.
We just thought Ered and Fafnir got out, and it's.
[00:28:28] Speaker C: Yes, I know. And I'm sorry I didn't have time.
[00:28:30] Speaker E: To warn you about Fafnir?
[00:28:32] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:28:33] Speaker E: You didn't have time to warn me that if we defeated Elred, Fafnir would escape?
[00:28:37] Speaker C: No, I didn't.
I didn't know myself until shortly before it happened. And then at that point, I couldn't expose myself. Farasma was watching the whole thing very closely.
[00:28:48] Speaker E: Okay.
Well, it's good to see you again.
[00:28:53] Speaker C: It's good to see you, too.
[00:28:54] Speaker E: I honestly thought one valley said that she told Pharasma about you, that.
That you got killed.
[00:29:05] Speaker C: It was.
It was close.
I.
I was given a bit of advance warning. And I was able to obscure myself from her view.
[00:29:15] Speaker E: Advanced warning by who?
Barzok?
[00:29:19] Speaker C: I shouldn't say.
[00:29:22] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:24] Speaker E: It was Barzok, wasn't it?
[00:29:27] Speaker C: I really, really shouldn't say.
[00:29:29] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:29:32] Speaker C: The light from the window starts to kind of like, flicker back in again and then, like, stutter back out.
Our time is running short.
Is there anything else you need to ask or discuss before I go?
[00:29:48] Speaker E: You want me to go to the boneyard?
[00:29:50] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:29:51] Speaker E: How do I get There.
[00:29:53] Speaker C: Well, there are only a few ways.
First off, a passage to the dead roads opens whenever someone dies and is unwilling to move on. A psychopomp is dispatched to collect their soul.
Secondly, any psychopomp could open a path to the dead roads themselves.
At this point, though, I think the only psychopomp who would be willing to work with you and is not being hunted by Pharasma, Val, has the potential to become that.
[00:30:29] Speaker E: To become a psychopomp?
[00:30:31] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:30:33] Speaker E: That's not weird.
[00:30:36] Speaker C: No, it is weird.
[00:30:38] Speaker E: No, it's a. Forgive speech.
[00:30:40] Speaker A: Corvus.
[00:30:41] Speaker C: Oh, sorry. I'm just. I'm. I'm in a very serious frame of mind.
[00:30:46] Speaker E: Saying that's not weird in a sarcastic tone means it is weird. You know, catch up.
[00:30:50] Speaker C: Yeah, sorry.
[00:30:51] Speaker E: Keep up, you know, it's fine.
So I'm assuming she'll know what that means if I talk to her about it.
[00:31:00] Speaker C: Yes. Okay, I believe she will.
[00:31:04] Speaker E: Okay, so I need to go to the boneyard, save my mum, and then talk to Elwood.
[00:31:11] Speaker C: Yes, you must save your mum first.
[00:31:15] Speaker E: Okay.
Save her from what? Passing over?
[00:31:19] Speaker C: Yes, if you don't before. And then suddenly the light starts coming back and he just looks at the window and just flutters past you into a shadow and the room is lit again.
[00:31:31] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:31:32] Speaker C: The camera turns up from Neros to look at the window with the sunlight freely streaming in once more.
And then we cross, fade and pull back and we are back in the waiting room as the camera's looking up at one of the high up windows shining into this gorgeous, well appointed waiting room with 37 square feet of polished.
[00:31:57] Speaker D: Marble and a fourth, not the same guard.
[00:32:02] Speaker C: Yes, this is a fourth guard. He's like a sure stocky lad.
[00:32:07] Speaker A: They. They shift guards every five minutes.
[00:32:09] Speaker C: Take or keep us fresh to make sure your crazies don't go running off on us.
[00:32:13] Speaker F: I'm not. Why would you call us crazy?
[00:32:15] Speaker C: I think you're crazy. Anybody who'd go against an ancient king and live to tell the tales got to be a wit.
A wee bit strange in the head.
[00:32:25] Speaker F: Have you fought any ancient king kings recently?
[00:32:28] Speaker C: Oh, more than you can count, lassie.
[00:32:32] Speaker D: Wait, doesn't that mean you're crazy?
[00:32:36] Speaker C: He just like backs up behind a bench and just kind of like hides behind it.
[00:32:42] Speaker A: After he goes, I was going to pull out a piece of chalk and walk up to a wall and draw a door and then open the door and step inside for a little bit and then come back out with his staff and be like, anybody want to know what's going on in There.
[00:32:58] Speaker F: In where?
[00:32:59] Speaker A: In the room.
[00:33:01] Speaker F: Why would we want to know what's getting on there?
[00:33:03] Speaker A: I don't know. We could be sentenced to death.
[00:33:05] Speaker C: Ubera gets up, looks at the door.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: Oh, you still have it?
[00:33:11] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. It's really useful. I mean, it's my room now.
[00:33:16] Speaker B: Perfect. Ed Ouvert gets up, walks over.
Is the door open or closed?
[00:33:21] Speaker A: It's still open.
[00:33:22] Speaker B: He walks in.
[00:33:26] Speaker A: So what used to be just sort of like a blank space now looks like it's a mix between an office and a bedroom.
And there's like papers and scattered around everywhere.
[00:33:37] Speaker B: How have you dealt with the oxygen situation?
[00:33:40] Speaker A: I don't stay in it longer than eight hours, which is when the it ends anyway. So.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: I imagine if we have multiples in here, we probably wouldn't stay too long.
[00:33:51] Speaker C: No, you'd run that a lot faster.
[00:33:55] Speaker A: Why are you in my room?
[00:33:57] Speaker C: Just going to take a peek around. If you're making new rooms in this place, I need to know where they are. I can update my mental map.
[00:34:03] Speaker A: It's gonna go away soon.
[00:34:05] Speaker B: It should.
[00:34:06] Speaker C: It better, or I'll have you find for littering. And he was back out again.
[00:34:11] Speaker D: Littering.
[00:34:12] Speaker B: Littering.
[00:34:13] Speaker F: Rooms littered a room. He's littering this whole city with rooms.
[00:34:18] Speaker D: Has it been five minutes yet? I want a new one.
[00:34:21] Speaker A: You can only do this once a day.
[00:34:23] Speaker D: No, the guard, not the room.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: So have you made any more advancements on the runes?
[00:34:33] Speaker A: You were my only example of the runes of air.
[00:34:37] Speaker B: All right.
[00:34:37] Speaker A: I can't write them down. Chicken stock.
[00:34:39] Speaker F: Didn't you find one of the. A weapon or something with the rune on it?
[00:34:43] Speaker A: Zafir has that.
[00:34:44] Speaker D: What do I have?
[00:34:45] Speaker A: Also you have a brooch.
[00:34:46] Speaker E: Yeah, the brooch has a rune on.
[00:34:47] Speaker A: The back of it.
[00:34:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember the brooch.
[00:34:51] Speaker F: I can get real big with it.
[00:34:53] Speaker C: Both of the weapons that Aerid wielded also had the runes on them.
[00:34:58] Speaker A: I don't think we have those, do we?
[00:35:00] Speaker C: Time for a flashback.
[00:35:03] Speaker F: What?
[00:35:04] Speaker C: We're going to do a white flash. We see Zafir's face. We zoom into his eye, and then we're zooming down from the sky to see Zafir.
Seconds after Fafnir has burst out of the mountainside and a chest goes and lands on the ground next to him.
[00:35:21] Speaker F: I forget about that.
[00:35:23] Speaker D: You mentioned that happening for a solid five seconds. He stands there and breathes heavily, looks at it, runs over to the armor and his weapons and just starts throwing it in the chest.
And without so much as a word from the rest of you, the chest disappears. Again.
And he starts walking away without saying anything.
[00:35:49] Speaker A: We're gonna ignore that, right?
[00:35:51] Speaker F: That's a crazy dragon.
[00:35:55] Speaker B: Ignore. What, again, was it?
[00:35:58] Speaker C: And as Zafir walks away from everybody agreeing to ignore him, we cut to a side angle of Zafir walking. And the background behind Zafir crossfades from the Joelberg to him walking through, like a back alley of Joel.
It's now, like the next day.
[00:36:20] Speaker D: So Zafir is now walking down this back alley, just looking around, doing what he tends to do and tries to take in all of the environments and looking for any shifting shadows.
Does he see any you?
[00:36:38] Speaker C: Do you see a shifting shadow? There seems to be a form of a man lurking in a doorway with a. A red scarf.
[00:36:47] Speaker D: Sphere looks over in that shadowy area and says, Roger. Roger. Roger, say you.
[00:36:55] Speaker C: He steps around the corner.
Yes, it's me.
The middleman.
[00:37:03] Speaker D: Did you adopt that new nickname?
[00:37:05] Speaker C: Oh, I had it granted to me by a very good client recently.
Hmm. How's business?
[00:37:13] Speaker D: Non existent.
Did I tell you that I was no longer in the business of.
Well, you know.
[00:37:22] Speaker C: That's a shame. Working as your own agent isn't working out for you?
[00:37:27] Speaker D: Well, no, it was working very well. It's just things have changed, and, you know, I'm not as young as I.
Let's not think about it. Anyway, I was in the area, and I wanted to see if I could ask you a few questions, see if you could use your connections a little.
[00:37:49] Speaker C: Well, sure, but it'll cost you double since you're not part of the guild no more.
[00:37:55] Speaker D: Nobody said I wasn't part of the guild.
[00:38:00] Speaker C: Fine.
Guild rate until we have another meeting.
What do you want to know?
[00:38:07] Speaker D: Well, I know as a middleman. The middleman?
You're not really allowed to give out information about those who give you contracts.
But I know you know something.
And I've been around for a long time in this game trying to figure out who's who, what's going on, who wants things to happen to what people.
And I've been searching.
How old would you say you are? Older than, say, 20? 30?
[00:38:45] Speaker C: Yes. Older than you.
[00:38:47] Speaker D: Yeah. Okay, so 15 years ago.
I don't know if there was anyone infamous or.
We like to keep a low profile.
The question is, was there anyone who happened to.
I'm looking for who hired the person who killed my family. Now I think it was a boogeyman, because they tried to hire me as well.
Am I giving you too much information? Do you care?
[00:39:22] Speaker C: Listen, Zafir. He puts his hand on your shoulder. You And I have been in this business too long to believe in the boogeyman.
[00:39:31] Speaker D: Right, Right.
[00:39:34] Speaker C: Well, anyway, do you have any concrete clues? Any evidence? Do you have footprints? A murder weapon? I don't know.
[00:39:41] Speaker D: This was 15 years ago. I have only the information that I'm about to give you if you'd stop interrupting.
[00:39:49] Speaker C: Okay. Okay.
[00:39:51] Speaker D: So I was approached and asked to perform a service.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: You're cheating on me.
[00:40:00] Speaker D: For the record, I did not go through with it.
I would never take a mark from someone else. Except Spade.
[00:40:11] Speaker C: I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that.
[00:40:14] Speaker D: I feel like you're pushing me away from the point of this.
[00:40:19] Speaker C: I feel like you're pushing me away. No, go on.
[00:40:25] Speaker D: We're gonna have to talk about this later.
When this all happened to me, I.
There was a change in me. And obviously, you know, I'm no longer taking on these types of jobs. I'm wondering if you are aware of anyone who would have had the same change about 15 years ago? Maybe. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. Somebody that may have taken on that job?
[00:40:52] Speaker C: There was one guy, now that I think about it, he was one of the greats.
You know how the greats, they've all got, like, their. Their call sign, you know, like boots. Boots. Catchy call sign name. Yeah.
This fella called himself the Black Rabbit.
[00:41:11] Speaker D: Oh, right. Okay.
[00:41:15] Speaker C: He's good at his job, good at what he did, but he kind of just disappeared. Right about that time frame you're talking about.
[00:41:24] Speaker D: Do you know if he was in any shady businesses?
[00:41:27] Speaker C: Yeah, ours.
[00:41:28] Speaker D: Well, besides ours, you know, cheating on us. Somebody else.
[00:41:35] Speaker C: Well, I mean, if I wanted to be vindictive, I would say he gets what comes to cheaters. But, I mean, I don't know. I don't have any evidence, man.
[00:41:44] Speaker D: So you said the Black Rabbit.
[00:41:46] Speaker C: Mm.
[00:41:47] Speaker D: And you said he just disappeared or he just stopped.
[00:41:51] Speaker C: Nobody ever heard of him or saw him again.
Nobody knows what his last job was either. He sort of started withdrawing. Didn't take up as many jobs. We just kind of thought maybe age was getting to him. Maybe the. You know, people don't stay in this line of work for too long. We thought maybe it was time for him to move on. But, you know, typically, you kind of see him again somewhere as a civilian.
[00:42:14] Speaker D: Yeah. And they put in their resignation to the Guild and.
[00:42:18] Speaker C: Well, I promise that's just.
[00:42:19] Speaker D: That'll come at some point.
[00:42:21] Speaker C: That's. You.
[00:42:23] Speaker D: Don't worry. Just let it go.
I think.
I think you've given me everything I've asked for. Or wanted.
[00:42:32] Speaker C: Good. I mean, it's not like I've outlived my usefulness.
I can still be of help.
[00:42:39] Speaker D: I'll let the Guild know that you said that.
That sounded ominous. I'm sorry. I just meant that you were very much help.
[00:42:47] Speaker C: Listen, listen. You and I are having a conversation in a dark alleyway. And you've got weapons. I just have a cute little knife.
I'm just a little jumpy.
[00:42:56] Speaker D: Yeah. You remember my catchphrase that nobody usually lives long enough for me to talk to them that long?
I think I'm gonna go now.
But for your troubles. And he hands him a little package of coins.
Thanks.
That's what I owe you, right?
[00:43:21] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:43:21] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:43:22] Speaker C: Yeah. That's actually a little more.
[00:43:25] Speaker D: Go buy yourself something.
[00:43:27] Speaker C: I'll keep this conversation off the books.
[00:43:29] Speaker D: Oh, all right.
I couldn't think of a reason. Anyway, goodbye. I'm leaving now.
[00:43:36] Speaker C: You take care.
[00:43:38] Speaker D: He dives into the shadows.
[00:43:41] Speaker C: Man, that guy is cool.
[00:43:44] Speaker D: He appears like 10ft away, but Roger's already turned around.
Quickly dives next to the corner.
And then he walks away with his newfound information.
[00:44:00] Speaker C: And we zoom back out of Zafir's eye.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: I mean, I know we can't hear anything if I cast the spell, but we'd be able to at least see what they're doing.
[00:44:12] Speaker B: Can you?
I don't recall it exact functions of the spell, but are you sure you put it in the right room?
[00:44:21] Speaker A: Well, I haven't cast it yet. You just spend some time and it makes an invisible scrying point.
[00:44:27] Speaker F: I just don't think we should risk it.
[00:44:29] Speaker D: Do we need those weapons?
[00:44:33] Speaker C: What?
[00:44:33] Speaker B: What?
[00:44:34] Speaker D: I'm sorry. I was having a moment in my head.
You mentioned the.
The runes and the weapons that we got or had from.
[00:44:47] Speaker B: That was 20 minutes ago.
[00:44:53] Speaker A: Card 10.
[00:44:59] Speaker B: Right.
Runes. I know about the brooch. I'm the one that gave it to you.
They were right. They were the runes on the weapons of the Ararat.
What happened to those weapons?
[00:45:17] Speaker D: Actually, I've hidden them.
They are safe.
[00:45:22] Speaker A: He can eat chests.
[00:45:23] Speaker B: Oh, that thing.
[00:45:26] Speaker A: There was a giant dragon coming out of a mountain at the time.
[00:45:29] Speaker B: I didn't really notice that extra bit.
[00:45:31] Speaker D: I didn't really eat it, but.
[00:45:33] Speaker B: But you have it?
[00:45:35] Speaker D: Not presently. It takes time and effort and spell slots and you know, things that you don't have an unlimited number of.
But it's safe. I promise.
[00:45:48] Speaker B: I will trust you. Severe. They could be useful in our research.
[00:45:55] Speaker D: Do you think we needed them for this meeting?
[00:45:58] Speaker B: I think it actually is best that we don't show the kings and the spoils of our fight. Especially since I would be very likely they would be very likely to take some, and I would rather that not happen.
[00:46:13] Speaker D: I wouldn't call them spoils.
Trophies.
What if they ask?
[00:46:21] Speaker B: You don't have them.
[00:46:22] Speaker D: Okay, that's true.
Half true.
[00:46:26] Speaker F: Should we be encouraging lying more?
[00:46:29] Speaker B: I mean, don't bring it up.
[00:46:31] Speaker E: Listen, I've lied plenty in a courtroom. I've never gotten caught.
[00:46:35] Speaker F: That doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
[00:46:37] Speaker E: Yeah, but if you don't get caught, it's still.
[00:46:40] Speaker F: It's still not morally great.
[00:46:42] Speaker E: How would they know?
It's more of like, how would they know?
[00:46:46] Speaker C: I mean, I can't say I encourage lying, especially not in a courtroom.
[00:46:52] Speaker B: How did you get in here?
[00:46:53] Speaker C: I'm the new guard.
[00:46:55] Speaker E: They're guards. They're allowed to go wherever they want.
[00:46:58] Speaker B: Is there like a special school of sneaking that you all have to take before you become guards?
[00:47:04] Speaker C: In this, we're just wearing soft sneakers, like slipper things.
We have to scratch the floors.
[00:47:11] Speaker F: You really should just pay more attention and move air anyway.
[00:47:16] Speaker B: It's very high.
[00:47:19] Speaker E: No, I don't think we need to do the scrying thing.
It's better if we just wait.
[00:47:24] Speaker A: Okay, our just gonna put his staff back in his room, come out, and then shut the door.
[00:47:30] Speaker D: Little did the guard know, I've been putting stickers on each of them as they go by so I can track to see if one came back.
[00:47:36] Speaker F: You out sneaked the sneaker.
[00:47:38] Speaker B: You closed the door on the guard in the room?
[00:47:40] Speaker A: No, he left.
[00:47:42] Speaker E: They already cycled.
[00:47:43] Speaker D: Did you.
[00:47:45] Speaker B: Did you physically see the guard leave the room?
[00:47:48] Speaker D: Yeah, he walked right out. Hopefully it was the new one.
[00:47:51] Speaker F: He'll show back up at 40 episodes.
We're in a desperate situation and Dick is like, I'm gonna do it for.
[00:47:59] Speaker D: Murder because the guards suffocated in the room.
[00:48:02] Speaker F: I don't think this guy needs oxygen.
He gives that vibe.
[00:48:09] Speaker B: It was the accent, wasn't it?
[00:48:11] Speaker C: As you all are kind of waiting and chatting, you just hear some hushed conversation. You know, like the kind of thing where people are having a conversation they shouldn't be having in public, but they're trying to keep it down. And you see coming from like a different hallway is the woman with the white hair. The. The litterum king with the white hair. Oh, and the grizzled older looking guy, the quintessential Viking. And they're walking down the hall, and as they're walking by, you overhear. Can't Say, I approve of it. We should be sending a warband. She's like, I know, I know, but this way, none of our people will be in harm's way. And if they fail, we can send a warband as they walk by.
Of course.
[00:48:59] Speaker E: Goody. It looks like we're pawns in a game.
[00:49:03] Speaker A: I. I mean, haven't we been since the beginning?
[00:49:06] Speaker E: I mean, yeah, but this almost feels worse.
[00:49:09] Speaker A: Or at least we're government sanctioned pawns.
[00:49:12] Speaker E: I don't know that I like that.
[00:49:13] Speaker C: Another guard comes up, a different guard. This guard that walks up has a sticker on him.
[00:49:18] Speaker A: Oh, he's been here before.
Right.
[00:49:22] Speaker C: Well, King wants to talk to you.
If you'll follow me.
[00:49:26] Speaker D: King? Which one?
[00:49:28] Speaker C: The king. King Ostog the Unslain.
[00:49:31] Speaker D: Oh, right, right, right.
[00:49:32] Speaker C: That one.
[00:49:32] Speaker D: I forgot the lore of the area that we're in.
[00:49:36] Speaker C: And he leads you down the hall, but instead of going into the main courtroom, he leads you off into like a side room, opens the door and gestures for you to enter.
[00:49:45] Speaker F: Thank you.
[00:49:47] Speaker C: Inside is Ostog the Unslain. And he's just kind of like sitting at a desk in a chair. It appears to be his office where he does paperwork and stuff like that whenever he needs to be here at the courthouse.
As you're entering, he just kind of gestures to some chairs that are off to the side. Wordlessly.
[00:50:08] Speaker A: I just stay standing.
[00:50:12] Speaker C: So does everybody just file in and stand in the doorway? Is there a chair? There are several chairs.
[00:50:17] Speaker B: I grab a chair.
[00:50:18] Speaker E: I'm not gonna do that.
[00:50:20] Speaker A: Do it.
[00:50:20] Speaker F: I'm gonna walk up to a chair and turn it around and sit on it backwards.
[00:50:25] Speaker D: I'm gonna take out that blanket I had in the last episode, flap it a couple times, lay it down, and sit cross legged on the floor.
[00:50:31] Speaker E: I don't know if I should.
[00:50:32] Speaker B: You're gonna Riker that chair.
[00:50:34] Speaker F: That's what you're gonna do.
[00:50:35] Speaker A: Abby looked at me, her back.
Whatever you're thinking, do it. Don't think anymore. Just do.
[00:50:43] Speaker E: I walk up to the desk and I sit right on the desk. And just like, you know, one leg over the other and just.
[00:50:51] Speaker B: Puppy dog eyes this one.
[00:50:53] Speaker C: After you all have entered, the doors to the office close.
King just sits there for a little bit.
Looks up at each one of you.
[00:51:01] Speaker E: Oh, so he has no issue with me being on his desk.
[00:51:04] Speaker C: Breaks into a grin and he's like, I knew I choose the right group.
Now we've got a dragon to slay.
I'm sure you all are familiar with the legends and tales surrounding Fafnir.
[00:51:21] Speaker E: I mean, we watched him break out of a mountain.
[00:51:26] Speaker A: I don't remember if I've ever rolled on that.
[00:51:28] Speaker C: Does anybody have either Linorm lore or First World lore?
[00:51:34] Speaker A: I have a king. Counting lore.
[00:51:36] Speaker C: Lands of the L Kings Lore I have.
[00:51:38] Speaker E: Gossip Lore.
[00:51:39] Speaker B: I have.
[00:51:39] Speaker C: All right, you can roll on gossip lore if you don't have another lore that you feel like would be applicable.
[00:51:45] Speaker F: Music?
[00:51:47] Speaker C: Not in this case.
[00:51:48] Speaker B: Ancient Empire.
[00:51:50] Speaker D: Plane or Underworld.
[00:51:51] Speaker C: No.
Otherwise you can roll Nature.
[00:51:54] Speaker A: Flesh Warp.
[00:51:55] Speaker C: No.
[00:51:56] Speaker F: Society.
[00:51:58] Speaker A: Can I roll?
[00:51:58] Speaker C: I'd allow a society with a minus two penalty.
[00:52:01] Speaker A: I'll take that.
[00:52:01] Speaker D: Nature's literally my lowest skill.
[00:52:05] Speaker A: I'm gonna reset time.
[00:52:07] Speaker F: Oh, no.
[00:52:09] Speaker D: We all get eaten, right?
[00:52:10] Speaker F: We all have to reroll.
[00:52:12] Speaker A: Oh, that's bad.
[00:52:13] Speaker E: So he has no issue with me just sitting on his desk right there, Right in front of him, puppy dog eyeing him.
[00:52:18] Speaker D: I think that was his final.
[00:52:19] Speaker F: He looks like.
[00:52:21] Speaker A: Let me see.
[00:52:21] Speaker F: I don't think he cares.
[00:52:23] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:52:24] Speaker E: I just wanted to know he is the king after. After all.
[00:52:28] Speaker F: That's fair.
[00:52:29] Speaker C: All right, we'll go around the table and get results.
[00:52:32] Speaker D: Zafir, I didn't roll.
[00:52:33] Speaker C: Oh, okay, Howard.
[00:52:34] Speaker A: In one timeline, I rolled a NAT one. In the current timeline, I rolled a 34.
[00:52:40] Speaker F: Val 24 with nature.
[00:52:45] Speaker E: I did not roll that well. I got a 22 with gossip lore and Uber 38.
[00:52:51] Speaker F: What'd you roll?
[00:52:52] Speaker B: 19 on the die, plus 19 in nature.
[00:52:55] Speaker F: Oh, my goodness. You're a wizard.
[00:52:56] Speaker C: I am. All right, so I rolled a three. Anyway, everyone but Zafir is familiar with the concept of Fafnir. Fafnir is the father of all linorms, as the legends dictate. He is the biggest, the baddest, the strongest. Linorm.
Now, caveat. There are portions of the lore that I am about to dig into that may or may not contradict Pathfinder lore.
There are things that might just be like. Well, in Pathfinder, it's like this, but in our story, it's different, according to the lore.
[00:53:32] Speaker D: May I say that Zafir was originally going to say, yes, but tell me anyway.
[00:53:38] Speaker C: That's fair.
[00:53:40] Speaker D: I don't know how that strikes into the story.
[00:53:41] Speaker F: Strike that from the record.
[00:53:42] Speaker D: But I wanted him to know that I wanted him to happen.
[00:53:44] Speaker A: In the failed timeline.
[00:53:46] Speaker C: According to legend, Fafnir has been around since time immemorial.
And some legends even claim that he predates the material plane that he was born in the first world. And when the gods decided to create the material plane, he came over from the first world.
[00:54:05] Speaker F: Explains why he's so grumpy.
[00:54:07] Speaker C: Just so old.
[00:54:10] Speaker B: Don't look at me like that.
[00:54:12] Speaker E: I mean, he's looking at uver. And you play uver.
[00:54:15] Speaker B: I know what he's looking at.
[00:54:17] Speaker C: You are all familiar with the history, the theory, the. The concept that whoever would kill Fafnir in one on one combat would become the rightful High King of the land of the Linorm kings.
[00:54:31] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:54:31] Speaker F: And we proved ered a big fat liar.
[00:54:34] Speaker C: And Uver rolled high enough to know from what he's heard, that King Ostog the Unslain had returned from his campaigns and adventures and had originally planned to go kill Fafnir. But one of his friends was like, dude, it's not worth it. So he went and killed a different Lenorm and just became the king of Southmoor.
[00:54:55] Speaker D: Technically, Fafnir proved ered a big fat.
[00:54:58] Speaker F: Liar by being alive.
[00:54:59] Speaker D: That is true. By being alive.
[00:55:01] Speaker A: By being.
[00:55:01] Speaker F: Yeah. But we on on hitted Fafnir.
[00:55:08] Speaker C: As you all are aware, Fafnir is back. Somehow Fafnir turn very traumatic.
[00:55:17] Speaker B: He is back.
You don't say.
[00:55:21] Speaker F: We're very aware. Yes.
[00:55:22] Speaker C: We find ourselves at a very difficult crossroads.
Because Fafnir is an imminent threat.
Not just to Southmoor, and not just to the land of the Linorm kings, but to the land of mankind. The peoples of mankind in general. And elf kind. And dwarf kind. Sorry, I didn't mean to be racist.
[00:55:46] Speaker B: None taken, Jack.
[00:55:50] Speaker E: Calm down. Uhoh.
[00:55:51] Speaker F: I'm half angel.
[00:55:53] Speaker C: But the problem we find ourselves facing is Fafnir represents a significant political interest in the kingdoms of the saga lands.
Anybody who were to kill Fafnir could rightfully claim the seat of the High King. Which means anyone who would go after Fafnir would likely face intense political inhibitions from anyone who didn't approve of that person becoming the High King.
[00:56:22] Speaker A: Who would go after a mountain sized beast by themselves. By themselves.
[00:56:29] Speaker C: Sometimes a man gets bored.
[00:56:31] Speaker B: And sometimes the lust for power exceeds the wisdom of man.
[00:56:38] Speaker C: I wouldn't say that.
[00:56:40] Speaker B: Or race.
[00:56:42] Speaker D: So what if a group of people were to go and kill him? Would they be counted out? They wouldn't be considered eligible.
[00:56:49] Speaker C: That is where we'll find our solution. And he pushes the desk. But instead of pushing his chair away from the desk, he pushes the desk away from him.
[00:56:57] Speaker F: The one with Neros is on.
[00:56:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:57:00] Speaker E: And you just hear.
[00:57:03] Speaker C: And he stands up and he's like, if the five of you were to go after Fafnir, bring him down as a group, we would eliminate that political problem of having one person engage Fafnir One on one combat.
[00:57:17] Speaker A: Why can't all of the kings go after Fafnir?
[00:57:21] Speaker C: The kings of the saga lands do not get along well together.
And none of us, to be frank, none of us trust that anybody would allow the others to help, to work as a group.
We would seriously consider that there was some sort of backstabbing. Trying to leverage any preparations the others had made to give themselves the opportunity to take Fafnir in one on one combat and position themselves to become the High King.
I can't honestly tell you that the temptation hasn't crossed my mind.
[00:57:55] Speaker B: Then it would be better for us as a group to do it. I can tell you I have no wish to be High King of this land.
[00:58:05] Speaker D: What about an army?
Why us?
[00:58:11] Speaker C: Why you?
The five who were able to take down the Undying King, Aerid. We all believed him to be a legend. That it was just something that family just passed down. But when he returned and marched on the town.
Well, if it weren't for the five of you, I don't know if there would be much of a city for me to return to.
I think you five are our best last hope to stop Fafnir.
[00:58:38] Speaker F: I'll say we're expendable and dauntless. Leave any of these kings vulnerable without an army.
[00:58:44] Speaker B: Uvaire gives a slight smile.
I see that you have grown wiser thou.
[00:58:50] Speaker F: She doesn't look happy about that.
[00:58:52] Speaker C: As much as it pains me to agree, that is one of the points by which I was able to get the other kings to agree to this plan is that none of you are affiliated with any of the kingdoms directly. And none of you would really be able to to jockey this for political advancement.
[00:59:09] Speaker D: So what is in what is?
What is?
No.
[00:59:17] Speaker C: What if?
[00:59:18] Speaker D: No.
[00:59:20] Speaker A: What if we refuse?
Alward is like sweating.
[00:59:27] Speaker C: Well, your services to the kingdom of Southmoor would not go unforgotten, but you would not be remembered a hero. And he says this with the utmost seriousness in his face.
[00:59:43] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:59:43] Speaker E: We would go down in history as criminals.
[00:59:46] Speaker A: I think he just threatened to end my life.
[00:59:49] Speaker D: But what's in it for us?
[00:59:50] Speaker C: No, no, no one's getting executed.
[00:59:53] Speaker D: What's in it for us?
[00:59:55] Speaker C: Heroism. The memory of a legend to go down in the history books as the tactical team that slew Fafnir.
[01:00:04] Speaker E: Okay, that's all great and all, but what if that does means nothing to us?
[01:00:08] Speaker D: Yeah, what if we don't want to be remembered?
[01:00:09] Speaker B: I don't have you all so easily forgotten. What Fafnir said to us directly when he left. Yeah, actually, that he would kill us last.
Oh, we are already targets. Whether you like it or not, it.
[01:00:27] Speaker D: Does give us an advantage. Because that means he has to kill everyone else first. And then us.
[01:00:33] Speaker E: The man has a point.
[01:00:35] Speaker B: By all means, let Alwood's family die while you run and hide.
[01:00:39] Speaker F: So I figure I wouldn't really trust this thing to be a man of its words.
[01:00:42] Speaker E: Not a man. Fafnir is not a man.
[01:00:45] Speaker F: It's a speaker of speech.
[01:00:48] Speaker C: If you were to accept this commission, you would not stand alone. And he reaches into a drawer of his desk and he pulls out five scrolls.
If you accept, you will be officially commissioned by the kingdom of Southmoor.
You will have greater political invulnerability, greater assets to leverage. I cannot promise aid from the other kingdoms, but it is quite possible that the more you accomplish in your journey against Fafnir, they might be swayed over to provide theirs assistance as well.
[01:01:21] Speaker D: Will our crimes be forgiven?
[01:01:24] Speaker F: Crimes?
[01:01:25] Speaker D: Holding up quotation fingers.
[01:01:28] Speaker E: The only one that's committed a crime is me.
[01:01:30] Speaker F: Actually, I'm pretty sure.
Committed a lot?
[01:01:33] Speaker B: Don't answer that.
[01:01:36] Speaker C: I don't know what it is you're referring to, and frankly, would probably be better for you at this point if you don't explain. But whatever crimes you've committed, I am willing to pardon you.
[01:01:48] Speaker D: Well, I did speed that one time with my horse down, you know.
[01:01:52] Speaker C: I am willing to forgive most crimes. Alright, you'll have to pay the fine on that one, buddy.
[01:02:01] Speaker E: Government needs its money.
[01:02:02] Speaker F: Well, I am ever the servant of Pharasma's wheel, and supposedly I was destined to be a big hero, so. Amen. Let's send it.
[01:02:13] Speaker B: Solara. Fafnir lies in Sudgrungeir forest. And apparently he and I might have some history.
I would be a part of this, whether you supported it or not.
[01:02:25] Speaker D: As long as I could go searching for a black rabbit, I am in.
[01:02:31] Speaker C: Rabbit, it's your turn to say you're in.
[01:02:35] Speaker A: Oh, I. I guess I don't have a choice.
[01:02:40] Speaker B: Do any of us, Albert?
[01:02:42] Speaker A: Yes.
[01:02:44] Speaker B: You do not.
[01:02:44] Speaker D: He said yes. He's in.
[01:02:46] Speaker E: Theoretically, we have a choice, Albert.
[01:02:49] Speaker F: You could stay with your family. We can do this.
[01:02:51] Speaker A: Staying with my family won't do anything.
[01:02:54] Speaker C: We all have a choice, Alward.
We can choose whether we stand against the evil that threatens our time, or whether we allow others to do it for us.
We have that choice.
The choice to be a man.
[01:03:11] Speaker D: Sorry, this guy reminds me of the Old Spice guy.
[01:03:15] Speaker A: But a horse. Look at me.
[01:03:19] Speaker B: I think one day, Ayward, you will be faced with a Choice.
And it will determine what you become in the future.
[01:03:29] Speaker A: I'll.
I'll fix it.
[01:03:34] Speaker C: Ostag turns and looks at the last.
[01:03:35] Speaker D: Person undying, who may or may not be in the floor.
[01:03:39] Speaker E: I kept my balance, thank you.
I.
Fine.
I don't like being commissioned by the government.
[01:03:49] Speaker F: Yeah, you did say our advantage was that we weren't politically affiliated. And now you're making us politically affiliated.
[01:03:56] Speaker C: I have requested the other kings to provide you the same benefits that I have provided.
These scrolls, should you accept them, are.
[01:04:06] Speaker F: They'll burn in five seconds.
[01:04:07] Speaker C: Quick.
[01:04:10] Speaker A: I think we've already accepted them just now.
[01:04:13] Speaker F: This mission, if you choose to accept it.
[01:04:15] Speaker E: We just accepted it.
[01:04:18] Speaker C: Our writ of commission from the kingdom of Southmoor. The other kings have provided their provisional acceptance of your acting on behalf of the saga lands itself.
Now, these writs that have been provided by Southmoor will provide you a greater lenience towards the law that I trust you will all use responsibly, as well as the ability to call upon any economic benefits that you may need, now that I have put out the legal jargon that I am responsible for providing as king. In other words, these writs will get you out of trouble with guards should the situation arise, and will also get you out of any trouble for appropriating any resources necessary for your mission.
[01:05:05] Speaker A: Hey, you can't steal that. I'm the Thane.
[01:05:09] Speaker F: The jarl said I can.
[01:05:10] Speaker E: I'm already really good at getting us out of trouble with gods, so not to worry.
[01:05:14] Speaker C: I have a license.
[01:05:16] Speaker B: I have a permit.
[01:05:18] Speaker A: It says I could do whatever I want.
[01:05:21] Speaker C: I have encouraged the other kings to provide you the same courtesy while you are saving all of our necks. But the other kings want to make sure that you've proven yourself on the greater stage before. They will provide this as well.
[01:05:33] Speaker A: Do we have to, like, go help them kill another undying king that plagues their lands?
[01:05:38] Speaker C: No, they just want to make sure that you. You are able to maintain that same high degree of performance and that this wasn't just a one time thing.
[01:05:47] Speaker F: Do we need all of that?
[01:05:49] Speaker D: This is kind of time sensitive.
[01:05:51] Speaker A: I mean, it would be nice to not, you know, worry about money constantly and not have to hide.
[01:05:59] Speaker F: You don't want to just go right for Fafnir.
[01:06:01] Speaker A: That would probably end in our death.
[01:06:03] Speaker C: I agree.
I believe that the best course of action is for you to begin preparations for defeating Fafnir.
Legend says he has many strong abilities, as do all Linworms that would spell your doom. At this point, we don't know the Full extent of what abilities he has at his command. We know some, though. I have my head researcher working on the problem now. And before then, as he's talking, there's just a knock at the door. Ah, yes. Come in.
Door opens. Seer dire walks in.
[01:06:35] Speaker F: Oh, my gosh.
[01:06:38] Speaker C: That's where we'll end this episode seared.
[01:06:41] Speaker F: That's why he's always so busy.
[01:06:42] Speaker D: One thing's for sure, he's not researching my head.
[01:06:46] Speaker C: All right, and the hero point for this episode goes to Jenkins for some real cool Al word moments. Specifically for the three words. I'll fix it.
Two words. One of them is.
[01:07:00] Speaker A: Yeah, three syllables.
[01:07:02] Speaker E: It's three words. I'll fix it.
[01:07:04] Speaker A: It.
[01:07:04] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[01:07:07] Speaker A: We know how to count. We play a counting game.
[01:07:09] Speaker C: I told you earlier today, I can't count.
[01:07:11] Speaker D: Accounting lore.
[01:07:12] Speaker A: Go.
It's five words.
[01:07:15] Speaker C: Crap.
[01:07:16] Speaker A: I rolled really low now. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it.
I look forward to seeing where this goes and ET ing home with Sam.
[01:07:27] Speaker C: I guess they're touching their fingertips after.
[01:07:29] Speaker F: What you said you were gonna do.
[01:07:32] Speaker A: What did I say I was gonna do?
[01:07:33] Speaker F: You said the next time you're gonna got a hero point, you're gonna command the audience.
[01:07:38] Speaker A: Oh, right.
That is factual.
I have to stick to my word. Audience, I command you to listen to the next episode. Give us a like and a follow and maybe, just maybe, go to bed.
[01:07:58] Speaker D: I just got to work.
[01:08:02] Speaker C: You heard the man. Listen to our content. And tonight. Tonight.
[01:08:06] Speaker A: No, right now.
Don't. Don't. Don't change my words.
[01:08:09] Speaker C: Get a good night's sleep.
[01:08:12] Speaker A: Go to bed.
[01:08:12] Speaker F: What are you listening to? Are you listening to this on the drive to work? Go to bed.
[01:08:16] Speaker A: You've been up too long.
[01:08:17] Speaker C: Get sleep. We'll see you all in the next episode.
This has been an Atomic Broadcasting production. If you enjoyed the show, make sure to give us some support by liking, commenting and following. These things really do make a difference in getting the word out and helping our community grow. Also, make sure to check us out on threads and check out the Discord server where you can chat with other fans and discuss all the recent developments and happenings. Links to all these good things in the description below. The written and the Lost is an original story that uses trademarks and or copyrights owned by Paizo, Inc. Used under Paizo's fan content policy.
Atomic Broadcasting and the written and the Lost are not published, endorsed, or specifically approved by Paizo. For more information about Paizo, Inc. And Paizo products, visit paizo.com. hope to see you all in the next episode. Until then, have an atomic time.
[01:09:11] Speaker A: Puce is an okay color. Horrible name.
[01:09:14] Speaker C: I love Puce because the color is okay and the name is horrible.
[01:09:17] Speaker A: It's so bad.
