EP. 89 The Fae-Blooded

[00:00:05] Speaker A: You are listening to an atomic broadcasting production. So sit back, relax and enjoy the feature presentation. And remember, do your part. Such as, like, comment rate. And don't forget to tell a friend to tune in for an atomic time. [00:00:30] Speaker B: No. Where did we leave off? [00:00:35] Speaker A: Ah, yes. [00:00:38] Speaker B: Z'phir spoke with Hodi Aradson in a tavern under the pretense of applying for a hit on the party. As they spoke, Hodie began to recognize not only Val and Einar in the tavern, but also Zafir himself and. And turned into a rat. To make an escape. [00:01:03] Speaker C: They chop off a little tiny bit in your eye and then. So they can get to the muscle and then they re put it up. It's creepy. I watched a whole video about it. It's creepy. [00:01:13] Speaker A: I did rpk. They melt that bit off. [00:01:15] Speaker C: Oh, that's even worse. [00:01:16] Speaker A: And then it regrows. They put a contact on there for. You have to wear it for about a week. And is it like, to protect everything? Yeah. So it's basically you're taking off the protective cover of your eye, so they put a contact on there to protect that. And then after about a week, it grows back. And then after about another half a week, you're back to feeling normal. [00:01:37] Speaker D: I wish they could just take the eye, hold onto it for like a week, and then give it back when it's done. [00:01:44] Speaker C: I like looking at the irises of my eyes and watching the muscles contract. [00:01:48] Speaker A: It was weird sitting at a laser or sitting in a seat looking at a machine that's going to do a laser in your eye and being told not to move. [00:01:56] Speaker D: You know what I think of. [00:01:57] Speaker A: And then watching your. Your sight change. [00:01:59] Speaker D: What's that scene from? Was it dead space? [00:02:02] Speaker E: Yep. You drill into your eyeball there's another. [00:02:06] Speaker C: Eye that has a needle shoved in your eye. [00:02:08] Speaker E: There's a few of them. That one was rough. Dead Space 2 was rough. [00:02:11] Speaker D: So I was thinking on the way here for the remake, how many things like, of driving do people know? Not know? Like, there's the idea of people don't know how blinkers work. Like, what? You don't know how your blinker works or what it's for. But what. How many people do you think have the knowledge of using hand signals for your turning? Do you think a lot of people know that or do you think. [00:02:35] Speaker F: No, I think the general population does not know that. [00:02:38] Speaker A: Yeah, not anymore. [00:02:39] Speaker D: I wish they did because that's just random. [00:02:41] Speaker A: Well, it's in your driver's test. It is in the driver's test. [00:02:43] Speaker C: It is. [00:02:44] Speaker F: But Then how many of us retain it? [00:02:46] Speaker E: I don't remember. [00:02:47] Speaker F: Other than use fed. [00:02:49] Speaker E: I don't remember ever being tested on hand signals. [00:02:51] Speaker C: It's not on the test, but it's in the manual. [00:02:53] Speaker A: So I did it in while I was biking. I used it a lot. [00:02:56] Speaker E: That's what I was going to say. A lot of bike. Like, people who ride bicycles. [00:02:59] Speaker F: They should. [00:03:00] Speaker E: They don't if they're into it. [00:03:02] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:03:03] Speaker B: If I had a nickel for every time I've seen someone here in Springfield using hand signals to say they're going to stop while they're doing like 30 or 40. And then they change lanes. And I'm like, I didn't think you were stopping. But, boy, now I'm confused. [00:03:16] Speaker C: So this is tangentially nothing. Hand signals. [00:03:20] Speaker A: Left, right, left, right. [00:03:22] Speaker C: Did you know your blinker, by law, has to make noise? But because of how we do blinkers, now it's hooked up to your car stereo. So if you turn your blinker on and your car stereo is not on, it will not make noise. Depending on, like, the year of your vehicle and everything. [00:03:34] Speaker D: That does make sense. They're also making electric vehicles that are so quiet, actually, they have to make a sound because if they back up, you can't hear it because they're just so quiet. [00:03:45] Speaker A: So fun fact, fun facts with Sven. The Rolls Royce Phantom. They actually had to add in road noise or they actually had to remove some of the insulation to have road noise because people would get ill because it was too quiet. [00:04:06] Speaker E: That makes sense. [00:04:06] Speaker C: I know how you know that. But also, like, what world can we buy? [00:04:13] Speaker F: Rich people can buy this car. [00:04:15] Speaker D: It's a very beautiful. [00:04:16] Speaker A: Oh, yes. Rolls Royce Phantom. We're. We're talking in the. [00:04:20] Speaker C: I'm pretty sure those are the cars that are, like, made custom to order. [00:04:23] Speaker A: We're looking at $300,000. [00:04:26] Speaker D: This says MSRP 500,000. [00:04:28] Speaker A: Oh. So I was looking at those. Maybe the 2020 a few years ago. [00:04:31] Speaker E: That's fair. But yeah, I got one last week and got bored with it. Just threw it away. [00:04:36] Speaker A: If I had that kind of money to put on a vehicle, it would not be a Rolls Royce. [00:04:39] Speaker D: It's going to get the 2025 soon, so I want to know. [00:04:42] Speaker A: No, it was fired at Rolls Royce. It would be a Paramount Marauder, too. What is that? [00:04:50] Speaker D: I. I have to look these things up, and I can't spell items. [00:04:53] Speaker E: Who spends their time thinking about cars? [00:04:55] Speaker D: Marauder. [00:04:58] Speaker F: What is that, Sven? That's like a freaking army vehicle. [00:05:02] Speaker D: How the heck did I spell that right? [00:05:04] Speaker C: That makes sense. That makes sense for you? [00:05:06] Speaker A: Okay, fine. [00:05:07] Speaker F: You really want to increase your carbon footprint, don't you? [00:05:11] Speaker D: I just. Wires, footprint. [00:05:13] Speaker F: A picture of one with lions on top of it. [00:05:17] Speaker B: But, Abby, it can handle four and a half thousand kilograms of payload. [00:05:22] Speaker C: Come on, what you're saying, Abby, is that addicting? [00:05:26] Speaker A: I didn't say I needed it. I just said if I had money to throw at a vehicle. [00:05:29] Speaker F: Like there's guns attached to the top of it. Are you trying to gun down the pedestrians in front of you so you can drive? [00:05:39] Speaker D: Okay, okay, in all fairness, that picture with the lions. The lions are alive. They're just trying to get into the vehicle. [00:05:47] Speaker A: I thought that was before they detonated 10 pounds of C4 underneath the vehicle. [00:05:51] Speaker F: Oh, my God. [00:05:53] Speaker C: It's on a hunting trip. [00:05:54] Speaker F: This is literally a vehicle the army uses. [00:05:57] Speaker A: Yes. Some militaries. Yes. [00:05:59] Speaker F: This is ridiculous. Sven. This makes the wiper blades that you want. [00:06:03] Speaker E: This. [00:06:04] Speaker A: Look up Rezvani tank, because I want that, too. [00:06:06] Speaker F: A what? [00:06:07] Speaker A: Rezvani tank. [00:06:08] Speaker E: Why don't people just want, like, sedans? [00:06:11] Speaker A: It is a sedan. [00:06:12] Speaker D: Hey, I got ew. [00:06:14] Speaker C: Wrong. Wait, no, it's not a sedan. [00:06:16] Speaker A: This one is. [00:06:16] Speaker F: I don't like that. [00:06:17] Speaker A: You don't? [00:06:18] Speaker F: No. That's. That's disgusting. [00:06:19] Speaker A: Well, it has. Comes with level 7 ballistic protection. [00:06:22] Speaker F: Too much like a key assault. [00:06:23] Speaker A: Why not? [00:06:24] Speaker D: It looks like a business shoe. [00:06:26] Speaker C: It does look like a business. [00:06:27] Speaker F: It does kind of look like a shoe. [00:06:28] Speaker D: It looks like the kind of shoe you'd walk up to. A little poor boy with a little polishing rag, like, polish me shoes. All right, sir. [00:06:35] Speaker A: Here you go. [00:06:37] Speaker E: Take two pence for that. [00:06:38] Speaker F: It does kind of look like a shoe. [00:06:40] Speaker C: The fact that these cars are available for civilian purchase terrifies me as a human. [00:06:46] Speaker E: Well, I mean, like, a lot of trucks these days are bigger than World War II tanks. [00:06:49] Speaker C: Sorry, I didn't mean to say civilian purchase. No civilian could purchase this. [00:06:53] Speaker A: Look, here's the deal. You're talking. We're talking about dream vehicles. I don't want a Bugatti. I want. [00:06:58] Speaker E: You got weird dreams. [00:06:59] Speaker C: I'm not saying it's a bad dream vehicle. I'm just, like, confused as to why. [00:07:06] Speaker D: My dream vehicle is one that does not take gas. Any. Any form of, like, charging. Like, it would get, like, solar power, some sort of renewable resource that would. [00:07:17] Speaker C: Not require the purchasing Stones vehicle. [00:07:20] Speaker D: No, I wouldn't want that either, because I would have to run. I want that. I want it to go. That's it. I don't want to ever have to fix it. [00:07:30] Speaker C: You Want the train from that one really, really weird movie. [00:07:34] Speaker E: Which one? [00:07:35] Speaker C: The one that we talked about that had cannibalism. [00:07:40] Speaker B: Polar Express. [00:07:42] Speaker E: I mean, I wouldn't put it past the Tom Hanks, but, hey, that guy. [00:07:47] Speaker D: On the top of the train, he was pretty scary. [00:07:50] Speaker E: Well, no, Snowpiercer arguably has cannibalism. That was the whole point of our discussion. [00:07:57] Speaker F: I came back into that conversation at the weirdest point. [00:08:00] Speaker A: I know. [00:08:00] Speaker C: If I had a nickel for every time Tom Hanks tried to play multiple parts in a movie, I would have two nickels. And that's weird. [00:08:07] Speaker D: If I had a nickel for every time we talked about cannibalism today, I'd have a lot of money. [00:08:12] Speaker C: Actually have enough to buy spends. [00:08:14] Speaker F: Listen, every. Every conversation leads back to cannibalism. [00:08:19] Speaker E: It's just like, why can't we. [00:08:20] Speaker A: And it's usually. And it's usually Sam. That brings it back to cannibalism. Wait, listen. [00:08:25] Speaker B: What? [00:08:26] Speaker E: I don't believe in wasting reason. [00:08:27] Speaker C: I'm on Sam. [00:08:28] Speaker E: Samuel Sarver. [00:08:30] Speaker C: I'm on Sam's side. It's a huge waste. [00:08:32] Speaker D: All right, Sam first. [00:08:34] Speaker E: I don't want to be in a box. You can eat me. It's fine. [00:08:36] Speaker B: Speaking of Sam first, let's go ahead and jump back into things and find out who is acting first in this tense encounter. Maybe Sam Hodie has just transformed into a rat and is planning to book it out of the tavern. I know, petite. You told me that Zafir intends to not let that happen. [00:08:56] Speaker D: I do have reactive strike, but I don't want to strike him, which you. [00:09:01] Speaker A: Don'T have to be, like, lethal with it. [00:09:03] Speaker D: I want to do a reactive grapple. I wish that was a thing. [00:09:07] Speaker C: There is a feat that lets you. [00:09:08] Speaker D: Do that, but I don't have it. [00:09:10] Speaker A: Isn't grapple an attack roll anyway? [00:09:12] Speaker B: It is, but it's not a strike. So let's go ahead. For the three of you who are in the tavern right now, let's go ahead and roll. Initiative. [00:09:19] Speaker E: Do I have to use perception? [00:09:22] Speaker B: If you have an argument for a different roll that you would like to. [00:09:24] Speaker E: Make, I don't, but I was just asking. [00:09:28] Speaker B: All right, Zafir, what is your initiative? [00:09:31] Speaker D: 16. [00:09:32] Speaker B: Val, what is your initiative? [00:09:34] Speaker E: 28. [00:09:35] Speaker B: And Einar 31. All right, so then, as we go into initiative, Hody has just transformed into a rat and is moving like he's going to run out of the tavern. And Einar, you go first. I was gonna do. [00:09:52] Speaker A: After he was running, or. [00:09:54] Speaker C: If Zafir didn't succeed, you could delay. [00:09:57] Speaker A: I might. [00:09:58] Speaker D: I'm probably gonna go last, so. Oh, besides the reactive. [00:10:03] Speaker A: That doesn't mess you up. Actually, as soon as he turns into a rapid. Einar's gonna dash towards him. I say dash, run. Use his movement. Stride, stride. [00:10:15] Speaker B: And you can actually get right up next to him with one action. [00:10:18] Speaker E: Yep. [00:10:19] Speaker A: And I'm going to try grab him. [00:10:25] Speaker B: Alright. Go ahead and make an athletics check. [00:10:30] Speaker A: Just rolled the same thing I did for my initiative. 33. [00:10:35] Speaker B: That is a success. So you run up and you just grab this rat. Now you are holding a rat. Surprising. [00:10:42] Speaker A: Not a critical success. [00:10:44] Speaker B: He's a tough fella. A tough rat. He's a tough rat. [00:10:47] Speaker E: It doesn't change. [00:10:48] Speaker B: It doesn't change your save bonuses. No. [00:10:54] Speaker A: I have a rat. [00:10:55] Speaker B: Congratulation. [00:11:01] Speaker A: Gonna tie him up. [00:11:05] Speaker C: Tiny little thread. [00:11:06] Speaker F: You're tying up a rat. [00:11:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Could you help me out with the. Oh no. [00:11:12] Speaker E: The logistics. [00:11:13] Speaker B: I'm gonna finish that sentence. Could you help me out with visualizing that? I'm just having trouble figuring like imagining in my mind. [00:11:28] Speaker E: It's like a little. [00:11:29] Speaker B: What tying up a rat is. [00:11:30] Speaker E: You put his feet together and you tie a rope around Hog. [00:11:34] Speaker D: Tie the rat. [00:11:35] Speaker B: Tie the rat. [00:11:35] Speaker E: Or rat tie, if you will. I think his tail. [00:11:37] Speaker C: Yeah. You gotta take tail and put it in there. [00:11:39] Speaker D: I mean he comes with his own string. [00:11:42] Speaker C: So. Actually rat tails are not that flexible. [00:11:46] Speaker D: I don't want to ask you how you're. [00:11:48] Speaker C: Unless they're dead. My sister used to have a pet rat. [00:11:50] Speaker A: Okay. I say tie up, but more cover up. [00:11:56] Speaker C: Shove it in a bag. [00:11:57] Speaker D: I do have an idea. Why don't you just grab one of the cups off the table and put them in it. [00:12:03] Speaker E: Rats can bite its way out through your hand. [00:12:06] Speaker C: He could just shove it in his bag. It's a rat. [00:12:10] Speaker E: It's gonna eat its way out of the bag. [00:12:11] Speaker D: It. It's a rat mug. [00:12:13] Speaker E: I think you're underestimating rats. [00:12:14] Speaker C: I'm not. [00:12:15] Speaker D: There are. [00:12:16] Speaker C: I know it can eat its way out. [00:12:17] Speaker A: But like to restrain Einar is going to. After he's grabbed the rat, he's going to wrap it in his traveler's cloak. [00:12:29] Speaker B: Go ahead and make another grapple. Check. But take a plus two bonus and don't take the penalty. [00:12:38] Speaker A: I'll turn that in because I want this to succeed. [00:12:40] Speaker E: He is turning in the hero plan. [00:12:42] Speaker B: What was the original role? [00:12:43] Speaker A: Four. [00:12:45] Speaker E: Oof. [00:12:45] Speaker A: Ah, that's better. 37. [00:12:51] Speaker D: I was thinking 36 in my mind. But it was not. [00:12:54] Speaker B: And that will be a crit. So you. Now you've reached down, grabbed this rat, and then you just bound him up in your cloak. And now he has the restrained. [00:13:03] Speaker A: And he lifts him up because I can talk as a free action. And he. Just as if he's just holding the PET ratio very quietly in its little ear. If we wanted you dead, it would have happened now. But we don't. [00:13:22] Speaker B: So why don't we talk little rat next? Then it will be his turn. [00:13:31] Speaker A: He's gonna bite you. [00:13:32] Speaker D: He's gonna bite your little fingies. [00:13:35] Speaker C: Rat's bites hurt, too. [00:13:37] Speaker B: He's gonna try to bite your fingies. [00:13:39] Speaker E: Wait. Does he have to bite through the cloak first? Because he's wrapped in the cloak. [00:13:42] Speaker B: He does. He's gonna try to bite the fingies as an escape action. [00:13:47] Speaker A: What's he have to beat? [00:13:48] Speaker B: He has to beat your athletics DC. [00:13:52] Speaker A: Go for it, bud. [00:13:55] Speaker B: What's the DC? [00:13:56] Speaker A: 30. [00:13:58] Speaker B: Yeah. He fails. [00:14:02] Speaker E: Nice. [00:14:03] Speaker B: He's gonna make one set. One additional attempt. This one has the minus four. [00:14:06] Speaker E: He didn't. [00:14:08] Speaker B: No. So he. He tries to bite. He tries to bite again, and then he just. [00:14:16] Speaker E: Squeak. [00:14:19] Speaker B: And we are now out of initiative. [00:14:21] Speaker D: Yay. [00:14:22] Speaker A: I love that squeak. [00:14:24] Speaker D: So, after hearing that really ominous whispering from Einar Zephyr, Zephyr just looks up. [00:14:31] Speaker B: Just kind of calm. [00:14:31] Speaker D: Zafir, he looks up at the rat and just says, it's okay. We just want to talk. Just let's speak eye to eye. I've been called a rat before, but this is ridiculous. Just dispel it. Dispel. [00:14:55] Speaker A: At the moment, that'd probably not go well for anybody involved. [00:14:59] Speaker D: But we can't talk to him. [00:15:02] Speaker E: Val. I guess we'll cautiously head over to the others. It's. What's going on here, guys? Exactly. [00:15:12] Speaker D: So this is Hodie. [00:15:15] Speaker E: Hodie. You've told us about him. [00:15:18] Speaker B: Squeak. [00:15:20] Speaker D: Zafir reaches into his cloak and he pulls out a rope. We can use this. [00:15:26] Speaker E: Maybe it'd be best if we went outside. [00:15:28] Speaker D: I don't know. There's not too many people in here. [00:15:30] Speaker E: I'd rather not bring this establishment like, you know. This is a good place. And I wouldn't want. [00:15:37] Speaker D: It's okay. Ralph is my friend. [00:15:38] Speaker A: No, you're thinking of the other tavern. [00:15:42] Speaker D: Oh. [00:15:45] Speaker E: Val turns and heads out to the alley. [00:15:48] Speaker A: Einar follows. [00:15:49] Speaker D: Zephyr takes a sip of Hodie's drink because it hadn't been spilt, and follows. [00:16:01] Speaker B: Out in the alleyway, you all have Hodie, the rat wrapped in Einar's cloak. [00:16:09] Speaker A: Einar still holds him, but not in a, like, threatening or oppressive way. And once again, he just Brings it up and says, we're not gonna have you stare at the whole time. And I'm sure you don't wish to. We want to talk and we don't want you to run. But I will tell you now, I personally promised Ylva that I wouldn't kill you. [00:16:44] Speaker E: And I don't think any of the others are planning to do that either. Just to be clear. Just to be clear, I was never. [00:16:51] Speaker D: Gonna do it in the first place. [00:16:53] Speaker E: We don't want to kill anyone. [00:16:55] Speaker A: Scream. [00:17:00] Speaker D: Just a side note anymore, I took the whatever Wanted poster off the table as we were leaving. [00:17:08] Speaker A: So. Are you willing to talk. [00:17:13] Speaker B: Squeak? He nods his head. [00:17:16] Speaker A: Perfect. We'll go out in the woods, because alleyways, I think, are not a good place. [00:17:24] Speaker B: He's shaking his head. [00:17:25] Speaker E: We should just. We can just hit here. Inar. [00:17:29] Speaker A: He sets the cloak down. Don't run. Please. Let's not do that again. [00:17:35] Speaker B: And Hodie unfolds in his normal human form and stands up from being a rat. And he just looks absolutely terrified. [00:17:46] Speaker E: Oh, he does sparkle. [00:17:48] Speaker D: Zafir immediately looks up to him and just, like, straight shoot. He looks at him and says, hodie, yes, we are the people that you have heard of, but we don't want to kill your family. We want to save everyone else. The only reason that this has happened is because the rest of them refuse to cooperate. I don't want that to happen. I personally have also promised not to kill you. [00:18:20] Speaker E: Well, they all kind of actively tried to kill us. [00:18:22] Speaker D: Yes. Your brother, Brangar, he. We were going to talk to him, and he lashed out at us and challenged and turned into wolf. Turned into a wolf and basically killed a friend of ours. Well, technically, I challenged her, tried to, and it wasn't. It wasn't the intention to kill him. [00:18:45] Speaker A: He wasn't much of a talker. [00:18:48] Speaker B: No, he. He. He wasn't much of a talker. [00:18:52] Speaker A: What's your relationship with Yilva? [00:18:54] Speaker B: Oh, I mean, I. I don't. I don't know if I should tell you. [00:19:01] Speaker A: She asked us not to kill you. [00:19:04] Speaker E: She was traveling with us for a little while. [00:19:07] Speaker A: She's alive. [00:19:09] Speaker B: Okay. Okay, that's good. That's good. [00:19:13] Speaker A: She is alive. [00:19:15] Speaker B: I don't know if I believe you. [00:19:17] Speaker A: That's okay. [00:19:19] Speaker D: So you haven't seen her? She hasn't returned? [00:19:23] Speaker B: No, I haven't seen her since. Since I saw everyone else at the party. [00:19:29] Speaker A: The last we saw her was before we went to go talk to Bringa. She went on her own way. [00:19:35] Speaker E: You can understand. She didn't really want to Be involved in the conversation with him. [00:19:40] Speaker B: I. I can imagine she wouldn't want to be there when you. When you. When you did. But when you dealt with him. [00:19:50] Speaker D: Well, think of it this way. He challenged her. And she won. We won. It wasn't a murder. [00:20:01] Speaker A: It was a face to face battle. That doesn't make it better for you. I know, but face to face, it was consensual. [00:20:08] Speaker B: It was consensual. [00:20:10] Speaker E: But you technically only consented to fighting me. [00:20:15] Speaker A: When he turned into a wolf, he kind of just killed his own men, and then we had to fight him. [00:20:19] Speaker E: That's true. He did kill a lot of his own people. [00:20:22] Speaker D: He was a bit off his rocker. [00:20:25] Speaker B: And he only did that because you pushed him. You. [00:20:29] Speaker D: We did not do anything of the sort. We wanted to talk to him, and he refused even bending his ear. [00:20:37] Speaker A: And on that note, he was only fighting one of us when he turned into a wolf and then started killing his own men. [00:20:44] Speaker B: Well, maybe if you hadn't gotten involved, it would have been fine. Maybe everyone would have been fine. [00:20:52] Speaker D: Then why are you involved? [00:20:56] Speaker B: I. I haven't killed anyone, okay? My. My conscience is clean. [00:21:03] Speaker D: But this piece of paper tells a different story. [00:21:06] Speaker E: But you're working with the people who want to kill a lot of. [00:21:09] Speaker B: I don't want anybody to die, okay? People. People are dying because they are not doing the right thing. If people were doing the right thing instead of standing against us who are doing the right thing, then they would be okay. [00:21:23] Speaker E: But you're not doing the right thing. You're doing the wrong thing. [00:21:26] Speaker D: All right, all right, you two. This is obviously an argument between I'm right, you're wrong, and vice versa. [00:21:35] Speaker A: So tell me, do two wrongs make a right? [00:21:39] Speaker B: What does that even mean? [00:21:41] Speaker A: You say you all are doing the right thing, and you say you haven't killed anyone. And that's not a bad thing, right? [00:21:48] Speaker B: Right? [00:21:49] Speaker A: Have anyone else in the family done the same? [00:21:53] Speaker B: I mean, not everyone has been. [00:21:57] Speaker A: Ylva was actively recruiting trolls for an army. I know Bringer was active recruiting an army. [00:22:09] Speaker B: Well, I mean, if you. [00:22:11] Speaker A: You're trying to resurrect the soul of King, that for all intents and purposes, as far as history is concerned, was either mad or ruthless. [00:22:20] Speaker B: History is wrong, okay? He is a good and wise king. And when he. He comes back from wherever he is. [00:22:30] Speaker A: A lot of people will die due to the acts of your family. [00:22:34] Speaker B: Maybe they will. Maybe they should stop fighting. Maybe they should just respect the true king. Have you thought about that? Have you thought about maybe you're the. [00:22:44] Speaker A: Rebels, the true king is the true king. Not who's a king now? [00:22:49] Speaker B: Of course not. [00:22:50] Speaker A: No, your king. That's a hundred year olds dead. [00:22:54] Speaker B: He's not dead. [00:22:56] Speaker D: Even if he's not dead, why do so many people have to die just to put him back on a pedestal? [00:23:03] Speaker B: Why do so many people have to die to keep him from coming back? [00:23:06] Speaker A: It's a usurpation. The people that dethroned him in that time are no longer here. People have moved on. [00:23:14] Speaker B: We are just trying to give him back the power that he deserves to bring back the king who deserves to be in charge. And when people stand against us and they try to stop us, then we. [00:23:29] Speaker A: Must kill them all until you have them under lock and lock and key. That way that a reign of terror can truly be set in stone. [00:23:42] Speaker D: Hodie, have you ever had doubts? [00:23:45] Speaker B: I mean, I have. Sure. Doesn't everyone? [00:23:51] Speaker D: I recently found that my way of life was not what I thought it was. And it's changed a lot. [00:24:00] Speaker B: Okay. [00:24:01] Speaker D: You may have grown up in the environment thinking that you're right, but some things change and the truth was revealed to you. You may do more good if you just let things be the way they are. [00:24:17] Speaker B: So you think that everything will be fine if we just let the status quo be? [00:24:26] Speaker E: Yes. [00:24:27] Speaker D: More people will live. I'd tell you that much. [00:24:29] Speaker B: Do you know how the king, who is the king right now became king? [00:24:34] Speaker D: Well, probably through conquest. I haven't actually been paying attention. I don't like politics. [00:24:43] Speaker B: Hodie. Just looks like some of his fear is melting away into just indignation. You don't even know what's going on and yet you're willing to kill people over it. [00:24:54] Speaker D: Okay, well, they're willing to kill us over it, and we're just trying to live. [00:24:58] Speaker E: It's leading to the active deaths of many people. And therefore my gods tell me I need to stop you. And that's why I'm trying to stop you from actively killing a bunch of people. [00:25:09] Speaker B: I don't even know what gods you worship. Maybe they're worth stopping for Asma and shelling. [00:25:14] Speaker D: Okay, you're getting a little in over your head, Hodie. [00:25:18] Speaker B: Listen, all I know is that Ered is the true king. He's the high king. He is supposed to be in charge. And if someone is resisting the true king, that makes them rebels. [00:25:31] Speaker A: And what makes him the true king? [00:25:33] Speaker B: He killed Fafnir. How do you not know this? How have you gotten this far? [00:25:38] Speaker A: We've known, we've heard that he killed Fafnir. [00:25:42] Speaker E: Allegedly. [00:25:42] Speaker A: Allegedly. And that's the key. He never brought proof that he killed Fafnir, did he? [00:25:48] Speaker B: I mean, I don't know. That's old history, right? Well. [00:25:55] Speaker D: Okay, if he was this all powerful king, wouldn't he be able to get back on his own? [00:26:04] Speaker B: I mean, he tried and a lot of people died. [00:26:07] Speaker D: Well, there you go. That sounds pretty bad to me. [00:26:10] Speaker B: Yeah, that's why we're not doing that again. [00:26:13] Speaker A: But you are. [00:26:14] Speaker D: You are. [00:26:15] Speaker A: You're actively recruiting armies. [00:26:17] Speaker D: You're doing. He's brainwashed. [00:26:20] Speaker B: No, no, no, no, no. [00:26:22] Speaker D: Yes. [00:26:23] Speaker B: No. [00:26:23] Speaker D: Yes. [00:26:24] Speaker B: No. [00:26:24] Speaker D: Yes. [00:26:25] Speaker E: I don't feel like brainwashed is the right terms of here. [00:26:28] Speaker A: You've only heard one side of the story. Are you willing to see the other and make a decision yourself? [00:26:35] Speaker D: If it helps, Yova was willing to listen to our side as well. [00:26:41] Speaker A: Do you want to go have a drink at a different tavern? [00:26:46] Speaker D: There's a different tavern? [00:26:48] Speaker B: I don't. [00:26:49] Speaker A: In a different town? I don't know. [00:26:50] Speaker E: There's a couple in Japan, some pretty big place. [00:26:54] Speaker A: I'm serious. Just a drink. [00:26:58] Speaker B: If you will hear me out. I will hear you out. [00:27:03] Speaker A: It sounds like a fair deal to hear you out. [00:27:05] Speaker D: OD and assassin's promise. No harm will come to you while you are talking with us. [00:27:14] Speaker E: I thought you were tired. [00:27:15] Speaker D: Well, I mean, it's still valid. It's the only title I have. Come on. [00:27:20] Speaker E: Alright, alright. [00:27:23] Speaker A: I already made a promise. You've heard it. [00:27:27] Speaker B: Lead the way. [00:27:29] Speaker A: Come. [00:27:31] Speaker E: I'm not going to go. But I want to say one thing before I leave. Doubts is something I've had plenty of times. We have killed some members of the Aridsons. And for that I am very guilty. And I have many regrets about that. And I feel and carry the guilt and the weight of those evil deeds. But all I know is that I'm called to save lives. As many innocents as I can. And the gods have led me here to stand in your way and to stop the mad king. I value life. I'm gonna go. [00:28:15] Speaker D: Thank you, Val. Be safe. [00:28:18] Speaker E: Thanks. And please, if. If everything ends your conversation, just let him go. No matter what end. Please. [00:28:31] Speaker D: You have my word. [00:28:33] Speaker B: And as Hodie, Einar and Zafir head off to find a different tavern, the camera is going to pull back and up so we see a bird's eye view of Joel and then zoom down towards the north side where we find Neros heading up a road towards an address that she got on a scrap of parchment from a mercenary in the tavern. [00:29:03] Speaker C: I forgot about this. [00:29:06] Speaker F: What you Forgot I was looking for a man with impeccable biceps. [00:29:12] Speaker A: I've been looking forward to this. [00:29:16] Speaker D: I thought it was incredible. [00:29:17] Speaker F: Impeccable. [00:29:18] Speaker D: Well, they are pecs. No, they're not packs. [00:29:20] Speaker F: They're not. [00:29:21] Speaker C: They're not pecs, but that's what makes them impeccable. [00:29:24] Speaker B: Neros, as you're following, you know, maybe asking for directions here and there, heading to the address that's listed on the sheet of paper, you find yourself moving into the nicer part of town. [00:29:35] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:29:37] Speaker B: Until. Okay, so, you know, if you've ever seen the old movie of Oliver, exclamation point. [00:29:44] Speaker F: No. [00:29:44] Speaker B: Okay. If you've ever been in London. [00:29:50] Speaker A: In London. [00:29:52] Speaker F: No. [00:29:53] Speaker D: Is this becoming a drinking game? Never have I ever seen Oliver. [00:29:57] Speaker B: So as you're traveling, you notice that the architecture in the structures seem to be shifting less and less practical and more and more ornamental until you find yourself passing through whitewashed apartments, essentially. And at the end of a road, according to your address, is your destination, which is a modest sized manor surrounded by hedges. [00:30:22] Speaker F: Oh, geez. Okay. [00:30:25] Speaker E: I mean, he is a party guard. [00:30:27] Speaker F: Yeah, I'm not dressed for this kind of party or any party. [00:30:33] Speaker A: You are a party. [00:30:34] Speaker D: You have disgust. [00:30:35] Speaker F: I am the party. I do have disguise. [00:30:40] Speaker C: The party does not start until Neros arrives. [00:30:43] Speaker D: Until she's Neros. [00:30:45] Speaker B: Out front of the manor, there is one figure who appears to be like a footman. He doesn't seem to be well armored or well armed, but he does have, like, just a standard spear, and he's just standing by the front gate. You do not recognize this? [00:31:03] Speaker F: Okay, thank you. You read my mind. Do the hedges go all the way around the manor? [00:31:09] Speaker B: They do. [00:31:10] Speaker F: Dang it. Okay, I'm gonna walk up to the footman. I don't have a plan. [00:31:21] Speaker B: Hold, he says, and he just kind of looks bored. State your business. [00:31:26] Speaker F: I thought this was where the party was. [00:31:29] Speaker B: He, like, focuses a little bit more, looks you up and down, sees your traveling attire, and is just like. The party doesn't start for another three hours. [00:31:40] Speaker F: Oh, well, what. What time is it right now? [00:31:44] Speaker B: I don't know. If I could smell time, it'd probably be about 2:00pm oh. [00:31:49] Speaker F: Oh, okay. Well, that changes my plan. Or that. That lack thereof. Can I come in? Anyway, I don't. Listen, I don't really have anywhere else to go or anything else to do right now. I could just, you know, hang out in the garden or something. [00:32:10] Speaker B: I'm sorry. Are you a friend of Bersey? [00:32:13] Speaker F: Yes. [00:32:16] Speaker B: Make a deception check. [00:32:18] Speaker E: Obviously. I don't know if spent an hour on the same point. We were like, just ask if that guard is there. [00:32:24] Speaker A: Yeah, that was literally what I was thinking. [00:32:27] Speaker F: No, I can't do that. And I also can't use this roll. [00:32:31] Speaker E: Understandable. [00:32:33] Speaker F: I'm gonna turn in a hero point because I rolled a natural one. [00:32:39] Speaker B: All right. [00:32:39] Speaker F: I want to use this other set of dice that I have. Oh, it's my liquid core dice. That's better, but it's not great. 24. [00:32:52] Speaker B: Oh, well, I guess he did pick up some unusual friends. Does. Is he. Is he expecting you this early? [00:33:02] Speaker F: No, probably not. [00:33:05] Speaker B: All right, well, just opens the gate. Just make sure he's not drunk before the party starts. [00:33:13] Speaker F: I understand. [00:33:15] Speaker A: And I walk in, this dude's gonna be sauced. Now. [00:33:23] Speaker B: Inside, it's. It's nice. It's not, like, opulent, ridiculous wealth, but you can definitely tell that whoever lives here, they've got money. [00:33:34] Speaker F: Is it like an old money situation? [00:33:36] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:37] Speaker F: Okay. [00:33:37] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:38] Speaker F: I'm just gonna walk around, look at stuff. [00:33:43] Speaker B: Looking around? [00:33:44] Speaker F: Yeah, look for a guard. [00:33:47] Speaker B: Are you sticking to the grounds or are you heading into the building? [00:33:50] Speaker F: I think I'm gonna look around the grounds first and then go inside. [00:33:54] Speaker B: Okay. As you round towards the back of the building, you notice a large pond, and all of the waterfowl who would normally be on the pond are all kind of scattered up on the banks. As you see two young men who are trying to practice skipping stones across the pond. [00:34:14] Speaker F: Do I recognize, like, how young? [00:34:17] Speaker B: Like, high school, college age. [00:34:20] Speaker F: Okay. [00:34:21] Speaker E: Boys. [00:34:22] Speaker F: Boys. They're not men. [00:34:24] Speaker A: They're boys can concurrent the boys. [00:34:28] Speaker B: They would disagree. [00:34:30] Speaker F: Well, they can disagree, and it doesn't make it true. Okay. [00:34:35] Speaker B: Oh, nice. One of those stones skipped 17 times. [00:34:40] Speaker E: It's a long lake. [00:34:41] Speaker F: Wow. I walk up to the pond as that stone skips 17 whole times. It's like. Well, that was impressive. [00:34:53] Speaker B: The two boys who would consider themselves men look over in surprise. [00:34:59] Speaker F: Hello. [00:35:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Hi. Who are you? [00:35:04] Speaker F: A friend. What did you say the name was? [00:35:06] Speaker B: Bearsey. [00:35:07] Speaker F: BEARSI yes. [00:35:08] Speaker E: It's like Darcy but with a bear. [00:35:10] Speaker F: Okay. Oh, I'm a friend of Bassey's. [00:35:16] Speaker B: He kind of looks at you. I don't think we've met. [00:35:20] Speaker F: Oh, probably not. Wait, are you Bassey? [00:35:25] Speaker B: The other guy is just like, dude. [00:35:30] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:35:33] Speaker A: You really didn't see that coming. [00:35:38] Speaker F: No. See, this is what I get myself into. Wait, are you Bersey? [00:35:49] Speaker B: Yes, I'm Bersey. And you are? [00:35:55] Speaker F: Freya. [00:35:57] Speaker D: Freya. [00:35:59] Speaker A: That's apt. [00:36:00] Speaker B: Pleased to meet you. How did you get in? [00:36:05] Speaker F: Your foot didn't let Me in. [00:36:08] Speaker B: Okay. And did you tell him you're my friend too? [00:36:12] Speaker F: No. [00:36:15] Speaker B: So what are you doing here? [00:36:17] Speaker F: I am here to help set up for the body. [00:36:29] Speaker B: Okay. Did they not tell you where to report? [00:36:34] Speaker F: No, actually, they didn't. Oh, well, I'm just wandering around. [00:36:38] Speaker B: I do apologize for that. You'll want to speak with Achilld. She's inside in the main hall. [00:36:45] Speaker F: Okay. That was very impressive skipping, though. [00:36:49] Speaker B: Thank you. I rolled a D20. [00:36:51] Speaker F: Nice. When are the guards supposed to get here? [00:36:59] Speaker B: He just suddenly looks very concerned. Did you call the guards? [00:37:04] Speaker F: No, I mean, like, you know, the bouncer people. [00:37:09] Speaker B: You mean like the extra security? [00:37:11] Speaker F: Yes, that's exactly what I mean. [00:37:13] Speaker B: Oh, I'm sure they'll be here any minute. [00:37:15] Speaker F: Okay, that's. Yes, like. [00:37:18] Speaker B: Like any minute. Now. [00:37:23] Speaker F: You keep practicing because that's very impressive. Also, I think I was told to make sure you're not drunk when the party starts. Why is that? [00:37:39] Speaker B: I don't know. The other guy just, like, elbows him hard and is like, I've got that covered. We'll make sure that he's got a nice haze. [00:37:47] Speaker F: Okay. Then I dig in my satchel and I take out a small bottle of a little something called witch's brew, and I'm just like, here, I'm sure this will keep. This will do the trick. [00:38:04] Speaker B: He suspiciously takes it and looks at it, and his friend is like, dude, you have some cool friends. [00:38:12] Speaker F: You're welcome. If anyone asks, I didn't give it to you. [00:38:20] Speaker B: I don't know what you're talking about exactly. [00:38:23] Speaker F: All right, I'll see you inside. You have fun with your rock skipping. So she fakes salutes and turns around and walks inside the building. That was fun. [00:38:37] Speaker A: I knew it. He's going to be sauced. [00:38:40] Speaker F: Yes, he is. Listen, if Neros is good at one thing, it's making sure everyone is drunk and having a good time. [00:38:48] Speaker B: As you enter into the building and going into the main hall, you do notice a woman with bright red hair tied into, like, two braids on either side of her head. And she is talking to an older man wearing, like, this huge fur vest. [00:39:07] Speaker F: Okay. I don't recognize him, do I? [00:39:11] Speaker B: You do not. [00:39:12] Speaker F: Okay, they haven't seen me, right? They're just talking to each other. [00:39:17] Speaker B: They're just talking. They haven't. [00:39:18] Speaker F: Hey, I'm not even gonna acknowledge they exist, okay? Just walk around the house and. [00:39:25] Speaker B: Are you looking for anything particular? Anyone particular? [00:39:28] Speaker F: A gwibs. I'm looking for a gwibs. [00:39:32] Speaker C: So when we first met. [00:39:34] Speaker B: Gwibs. [00:39:35] Speaker C: That Fateful night. [00:39:36] Speaker F: Yes. [00:39:36] Speaker C: We were at a masquerade. [00:39:37] Speaker F: Uh huh. [00:39:38] Speaker C: Does Gwibbs know what you look like? [00:39:39] Speaker F: Nope. But guess what I have kept this entire time. [00:39:43] Speaker C: You kept the mask? [00:39:44] Speaker F: I kept the mask. [00:39:45] Speaker C: Amazing question. [00:39:46] Speaker D: Even though he was guarding, Did. Did he have a mask on? [00:39:49] Speaker F: That's a Geordie question. [00:39:50] Speaker D: Probably not. [00:39:51] Speaker B: He was not wearing a mask. [00:39:52] Speaker D: That's what I thought. [00:39:53] Speaker B: Neros, as you are looking around the house, you do not see gwibs. But you also notice that you don't seem to find any extra guards. Anybody who seems to be additional staff that's been brought on for the event is more for catering and such. It doesn't seem like anyone who's brought on for security has arrived yet. [00:40:19] Speaker F: Is there a back porch? [00:40:21] Speaker B: There is. There's a nice spacious back porch that overlooks the pond with two young men. [00:40:28] Speaker F: I'm gonna go sit on the back porch and just sit there. [00:40:35] Speaker D: Have a drink with Bersei. [00:40:37] Speaker B: Your gift of the witches brew has purchased enough goodwill from the young lads that they decide not to question that and just let you be perfect. [00:40:48] Speaker F: It's all going according to the non. [00:40:50] Speaker A: Plan, the best kind of plan. [00:40:53] Speaker B: And as Neros is biding her time, waiting for her quarry to arrive. [00:41:00] Speaker C: This is Nero's hunts. [00:41:04] Speaker B: We're going to change perspectives. Down beneath the town, into the sewers, the vaults. [00:41:13] Speaker C: I mean, kind of alward. [00:41:17] Speaker B: You have been reading through some books, most notably a book that was called on the History and formation of Troll Forge. The notable takeaways from that book is that the book is talking about trolls as an ancient and wise race. It keeps referencing them as someone that people would go and seek advice or to seek assistance. One of the passages actually mentions that like in a. Just a sideways reference, since it's been decades since a troll has taken an apprentice. But it does talk about the formation of Troll Forge as being something that happened maybe a century or two before Starfall. It's. It's unclear trying to align it with a time, an event that occurred after the book was written. And it's difficult because it's so long in the past to try to figure it out. But you can definitely tell that Troll Forge is far older than really anything. It's on the order of magnitude of being as old as the Thessalonian Empire. [00:42:26] Speaker C: And as a quick question. What is Starfall? [00:42:29] Speaker B: I think I'm meaning Earthfall. [00:42:32] Speaker E: Indeed. Earthfall. You know what that is, Jenkins? [00:42:34] Speaker C: Is that the. [00:42:35] Speaker B: That was when the Azlanti Empire got Majora masked. [00:42:39] Speaker C: Ah. And the moon ate the ground fall. [00:42:43] Speaker B: Yeah. They pulled a meteor down and slammed it into the continent and now it. [00:42:46] Speaker C: Go bye bye as. As you do when you just get fed up with your own continent. [00:42:49] Speaker B: Indeed. They got barren bladed. [00:42:52] Speaker C: Things happen. [00:42:52] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:42:54] Speaker C: That's very cool. Very good to know. I don't know how that helps me. It just makes me question things. I'm gonna be honest. [00:43:06] Speaker B: Do you have any other questions or curiosity about that? Because that was what I've got on the top of my head. But there's of course more information in the book than what I just gave you. [00:43:15] Speaker C: Does it have any information about why trolls are dumb now or would I know any reason? [00:43:23] Speaker B: Let's make a society check and do something fun. [00:43:25] Speaker C: Oh my goodness. I get to roll. [00:43:28] Speaker E: It's like the Warhammer orcs. They started out so amazing and then became. [00:43:32] Speaker C: I'm gonna use my time ability to redo that roll. It was a five. Don't at me. [00:43:42] Speaker F: Oh no. What did he roll? [00:43:43] Speaker A: You got a hero point. Oh, is that a fortune effect? [00:43:47] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:43:48] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:43:48] Speaker E: Is it replaced or just it replaces. Oh no. [00:43:52] Speaker C: I am a master of society with a plus 20 bonus. I rolled a 21. [00:43:59] Speaker B: What was the result on the die? [00:44:01] Speaker C: Please don't make me say it. [00:44:06] Speaker A: He, he, he, he. [00:44:08] Speaker E: He said it without. [00:44:09] Speaker D: That sounds like a laugh. He. [00:44:12] Speaker C: Stop laughing at my misfortune. [00:44:15] Speaker E: He got a little sus too. [00:44:16] Speaker A: The success was less than. [00:44:20] Speaker C: If. If I put it into normal terms, I would get one degree of success less than what I should. [00:44:28] Speaker B: Thank you for outlining that. That outcome. [00:44:31] Speaker C: Yeah. It's the opposite of a 20. [00:44:35] Speaker B: So with that result, that outcome of that check, then I'm not going to be able to give you as much information as I could. But I can tell you that Alward feels like he has read the word Vatyr somewhere else before, which is the word that you're translating as troll as you're reading. [00:44:58] Speaker F: Jenkins aggressively flipping through his notes. [00:45:01] Speaker A: The note taker. [00:45:03] Speaker C: Sometimes on my pages I just put emotions. Fair. [00:45:08] Speaker E: So you've maybe heard that word somewhere before. [00:45:11] Speaker C: Vat here is to troll. I'm so upset that I didn't take better notes on the one thing. It's fine. [00:45:19] Speaker E: It does sound familiar. [00:45:20] Speaker C: It's fine. Can I look up? Look, are there any information about how Thessalonian Empire's flesh warped? [00:45:29] Speaker B: Yes, actually there are several volumes that talk about flesh warp. There's a flesh warping section. [00:45:36] Speaker C: Terrifying. I guess I'm going to read that and that will be it. [00:45:41] Speaker E: Is it under banned books? [00:45:43] Speaker B: No. [00:45:44] Speaker C: So under books everywhere. [00:45:47] Speaker B: There's, like, 10 bookshelves. Two of them are about flesh warping in this library. [00:45:53] Speaker E: That makes sense. [00:45:54] Speaker B: So Alward now knows about flesh warping. [00:45:58] Speaker C: I'm glad that's just hand waved. Thank you. [00:46:00] Speaker D: Albert begins to. [00:46:02] Speaker C: I don't like how you're looking at me. [00:46:05] Speaker B: Albert finds out that he is flesh. [00:46:07] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:46:09] Speaker C: I knew these crystals couldn't. [00:46:10] Speaker E: These crystals were just glued on this whole time. [00:46:14] Speaker D: That was my headcanon. [00:46:15] Speaker F: Albert has been bedazzled. [00:46:17] Speaker D: Alward was gonna become a flesh warp in that. In that library, and then he's gonna come out as Cornelius. And then he goes, I have to talk to Val. [00:46:28] Speaker C: I got a lot of my legs. [00:46:30] Speaker B: What's your Arcana training level? [00:46:31] Speaker C: Garbage. Shouldn't this be a cult? [00:46:34] Speaker B: Are you trained in arcana at all? [00:46:36] Speaker C: I am trained in arcana. My arcana is a plus 15. My occult is a plus 18. [00:46:39] Speaker B: If you want that, go ahead and put yourself down as trained in flesh warp lore. [00:46:43] Speaker C: Ooh, fun. [00:46:44] Speaker D: I want to be trained in flesh warp. [00:46:48] Speaker E: Talk to Albert about it. He can teach you how to read flesh warps. [00:46:53] Speaker B: And as Alward is collecting books and continuing to read, our camera moves and passes over a stack of books. And as it comes out the other side, the camera is coming out from around a pillar just outside of one of the temples of Pharasma here in Joel. We see standing outside the temple is Val. [00:47:18] Speaker E: So Val is standing there. She has her glaive. She had gone back for it. She's, like, kind of clutching her tome in her arms. It's a very big tome, so it's kind of comfortable to hold onto. And she looks very nervous as she's looking out for the temple. It's been a very long time since Val's actually gone inside of a temple, especially since she's learned a lot more about herself. So she's walking up the stairs, and the purple light is illuminating her as she trepidatiously goes inside the front door. What she is. It looks like she's just muttering prayers to herself. [00:48:03] Speaker B: Inside. There is a woman dressed in a simple purple robe, and she's just tending to some incense and some candles. And she looks over as you enter, and she just gives you a respectful nod. [00:48:19] Speaker E: Just kind of nod back very nervously. [00:48:23] Speaker B: With Val kind of looking unsure, like she's not coming in with a purpose. You notice the woman in the purple robe kind of switches into customer service mode, and she's like, can I help you find anything less? [00:48:38] Speaker E: Oh, not too sure. I just been. I don't know. I haven't been very sure about things lately, so I thought I'd come here. I don't know what I intend to do here. [00:48:57] Speaker B: Oh, many of us are searching, and a lot of us never find the answer. But I think you're in the right place. [00:49:04] Speaker E: Well, thanks. [00:49:07] Speaker B: Is there something specific on your mind, dearie? [00:49:12] Speaker E: There's a lot that's been going on, and I've been doing a lot of things. And Phrasm has been calling me all around to, you know, help do things. I think. I think I'm doing the right things. But really, I've been going around fighting things, stopping what I think are bad people. And Pharasma has been gifting me blessings, her and Shelyn with magic and his powers. And I'm still not too certain that I'm following the right steps, you know, And I'm still not very sure about me. I'm not. I have some sort of something in my blood. It's not just not human. And I don't know. I'm still confused by that, you know, I've got the wings on my feet. [00:50:12] Speaker B: I had noticed. [00:50:15] Speaker E: I'm colder than I was before, in a good way. And I've just been feeling lost. And I had this horrible thing that was happening to me, this horrible curse. And my friends helped me get over that. And that was great. But I don't feel any better like I thought I would. And now I don't really know what I'm doing. [00:50:45] Speaker B: It can be very easy to feel like there's something negative, something holding us back and pulling us down. And that once that's been removed, that we'll be free to move forward. But if we don't have something that we're aiming for and something we're moving forward to, it doesn't really matter if we're being held back now, does it? So what are you moving forward to, deary? [00:51:11] Speaker E: Well, right now, with. Or I think I'm being called to just help stop some particularly bad people in the area. But it involves a lot of fighting. And I've ended up killing at least one person. And I guess I was in the right, but it doesn't feel right. And I feel like I've been called to protect and to save and taking any lives just doesn't feel right. And this idea of being molded into a great warrior or some hero or something big like one of my other people wanted me to be, but he's gone now. And I don't know if that's what I want to be or what I should be, but maybe it's what I am right now. I don't know if I like the idea of being a warrior or fighting people. It was easier when it was all monsters and undead people. Now just people who are lost and confused and are being led down the wrong paths. [00:52:19] Speaker B: Life is very mysterious, complicated, and sometimes there's difficult truths that you have to cling to and fight for. And other times there's prejudices and misunderstandings that need to be purged through the difficulties of life. And it can be difficult to know which of these things are your own personal opinions in which things are directed from the gods that we need to cling to and follow. Are you so sure that you are not meant to be a great warrior? Or on the flip side, are you so sure that you aren't already one? [00:53:07] Speaker E: I mean, I've been trained for a couple of years to be a warrior. I might be one. I don't know if I want to stay one. I just know the one thing that I'm here to protect people, innocent people, from being harmed by those who harm others and just preserve life and offer redemption. And I've done that. But even when those people reject it, I still don't feel right. Taking their lives weighs so heavily on me. Just not feeling what I was expecting. [00:53:42] Speaker B: And what were you expecting? [00:53:45] Speaker E: Confidence, comfortability. Like, you know, there's so many times in my life where I've felt so sure and so clear about direction, like. Like they were directly taking my hand and leading me and saying this thing. And now I don't. I'm not feeling that as much right now. And this time at town planning and organizing, gathering information has just shown me again how of little value I am in these situations outside of hurting people. That's not what I want to be. I'm also a stout worshipper of Shelyn. Art, beauty, love. Those are things I care about. But it feels like I've lost so much of that. [00:54:42] Speaker B: The gods have many ways to help us grow and become more firm in what we know and believe. And sometimes one of the ways that they do that is by helping us to work for what we know is true and to solidify it so that we don't always need to have our hands held to know we're on the right path. And I think she kind of cuts herself off and is looking behind you at the entrance to the temple. There's like a balding old man in a red robe, and she just glances down and is like, I'm sorry, I need to speak with this gentleman, if you wouldn't mind waiting over here. And she gestures to some nice chairs with a tapestry next to them. [00:55:30] Speaker E: What's a tapestry? [00:55:32] Speaker B: The tapestry depicts a battle of some kind. There's two opposing forces. It's all a very old style, so it's difficult to pick out exactly what, like, if you think of, like, you know, old Middle English art style. But there's a battle of some kind between two armies. And over top of everything, there's two armored winged figures. [00:55:58] Speaker E: I think she walks just up to that one of those winged fingers in the mural, as close as she can get to it. And her heart kind of gets, like. There's a warmth in her chest that tells her, like, that feeling of familiarity. I knew I'd been trained for this path my whole life set for it. Maybe it makes more sense that I was born for it, but for Asma, I need something from. Please. As she's praying, she just keeps going back to that figure that she would recognize as a Valkyrie. And it's just on her mind as she prays the whole time. [00:56:47] Speaker B: Val, as you're in thought and praying, at one moment you open your eyes and they're cast down, looking at the polished marble floor. And for just a moment in your reflection, you see standing behind you, a large crow like figure. Its one ring is kind of draped around your shoulder almost in a comforting posture. And the other wing is holding a tombstone and a giant key made out of bone. And that's where we'll end this episode. [00:57:26] Speaker E: What is that? [00:57:28] Speaker D: We may never know. [00:57:30] Speaker A: I know what that is. [00:57:32] Speaker E: Do you? [00:57:33] Speaker D: Of course you do. [00:57:35] Speaker B: All right, so the hero point for this episode goes to Sam with his interesting scene, just kind of getting a sense of what's going on with Val, recusing himself from the continued conversation with Hody, recognizing that that wasn't really going anywhere. And just. What? What? Why are you looking at me? [00:57:58] Speaker E: It's not going anywhere. [00:57:59] Speaker A: It's not going anywhere. [00:58:01] Speaker E: Going somewhere? [00:58:02] Speaker C: No, it's not. [00:58:04] Speaker E: Just. Just not the right place for Val. [00:58:06] Speaker B: To be there, all that stuff. [00:58:09] Speaker E: Oh, well, anyway, thank you. I'm gonna go and look at a house. [00:58:17] Speaker B: All right. And we will see you all in the next episode. [00:58:21] Speaker D: Of all the unrealistic things. [00:58:23] Speaker B: I know. I was like, how do you. How do you be funny? 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. [00:59:15] Speaker E: The Chunky Loaf I thought we were. [00:59:17] Speaker B: At the I didn't have time to build a battle map. [00:59:20] Speaker D: It's a different tactic between these two episodes. [00:59:22] Speaker E: Where am I? [00:59:22] Speaker D: It's a franchise, so they're all built the same like Applebee's. [00:59:28] Speaker E: Some are just built different.