My Green Heaven

0:00:00 Fantasy High: Sophomore Year Emily Axford as Fig Faeth; Zac Oyama as Gorgug Thistlespring; Siobhan Thompson as Adaine Abernant; Lou Wilson as Fabian Seacaster; Ally Beardsley as Kristen Applebees; and Brian “Murph” Murphy as Riz Gukgak Episode 16: My Green Heaven < [Previous Episode] | [Next Episode] > [dramatic music plays] [laughing]

0:00:00 Brennan: Hello, and welcome, one and all, back to another thrilling episode of Dimension 20 Live. My name is Brennan Lee Mulligan, I'm your humble dungeon master. With me, as always, are our intrepid heroes. Say “hi”, intrepid heroes.

0:00:09 Players: Hi, intrepid heroes!

0:00:12 Brennan: Oh, shucks, gang. Well, do we have some fun news to you. First of all, new little piece of merch in the merch store. We've got Fabian's School of Dancing. You gotta go check this out right away.

0:00:23 Lou: Come check this out, dude, come check this out!

0:00:25 Brennan: You can go find that right away on our merch store where we have that loaded up for you. The Fabian Seacaster School of Sheet Dancing. Use the code IDANCENOW. That's the code you wanna use when buying.

0:00:38 Lou: You guys heard it here, IDANCENOW.

0:00:39 Brennan: All one word, you get any D20 sticker for free.

0:00:44 Lou: What?!

0:00:45 Brennan: Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, which finally has a little vanity URL, just YouTube.com/Dimension20Show. Make sure to go like, follow us on Instagram, also @dimension20show for a bunch of fun times. Guys, last we left off, oh boy, did a bunch of fun stuff happen. So, these are our intrepid heroes, the Bad Kids, teen adventurers from the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, the world of Spyre’s premiere high school, heroes who are on their spring break trying to retrieve the crown of the Nightmare King. Their adventures have brought them all the way to the second level of hell! Zac, Siobhan, and Emily pretend to play instruments as the music crescendos.

0:01:17 Brennan: The iron city of Dis, where they’ve gone to rescue Riz Gukgak's father, Pok Gukgak— [laughing] Zac, Siobhan, and Emily stop miming instruments.

0:01:26 Brennan: --as part of… was there a joke I missed? I gotta do this spiel, I never catch the jokes. [dejected look]

0:01:31 Ally: Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!

0:01:32 Murph: They were pretending to play a violin. [laughing]

0:01:35 Lou: No, no, it was way more specific than that.

0:01:41 Brennan: So, our intrepid heroes flew on a pirate fleet through the skies of Hell to rescue Pok Gukgak. Riz discovered that maybe his father was not a good father after all, but, at the last possible moment, he discovered his dad was actually not who he appeared to be double again, and was in fact an undercover agent, who had a tractor beam shoot down from heaven, grabbed his son and shot out of the plane of hell, leaving our rest of our intrepid heroes now in a sky fight, a dogfight, in the middle of the sky on a pirate ship made of the slain carcass of their former vice principal. Guys, you can't make this stuff up— you can, we did. And so we come back now to our intrepid heroes or at least five of the six of them in the skies over the Iron City of Dis. Guys, the Goldenrod, the flagship of the rebel armada under Captain Bill Seacaster twists around, fiery rockets shoot up from the Iron City of Dis. We are in the skies of hell, grey sickening rain clouds thud down on you with a cold, soul-despairing rain as you see hordes of devils fly in the Iron City to all of Bill's many ships. You guys have just survived a huge lair action where everyone was almost flung off the ship. Arriving back on the deck, Fig and Bill Seacaster arrive. You are holding a scroll that you Sleight of Hand-ed from Vraz the Mean’s--

0:03:07 Emily: Oh, I forgot!

0:03:09 Lou: That’s right.

0:03:09 Siobhan: Oh yes!

0:03:10 Emily: I got a scroll, and Baby stole something.

0:03:13 Lou: And Baby stole something!

0:03:13 Siobhan: What did Baby steal?

0:03:16 Brennan: Baby stole some scraps and things that were not as good as what Fig stole— [Emily laughs]

0:03:19 Brennan: But he did his absolute best. He goes,

0:03:22 Baby: Mistress, I found, this is some kind of to-do list or a memo!

0:03:29 Fig: Yeah yeah, it's a receipt. Baby, we're gonna have to go to some markets to practice stealing.

0:03:34 Baby: Ah, she bought a side of fries! [laughing]

0:03:36 Brennan: You see—

0:03:39 Siobhan: Just one side of fries.

0:03:42 Brennan: You see that Wretchrot screams with glee. Bill who is fighting looks up to the helm where Fabian steering the Goldenrod, and you see he says,

0:03:52 Bill: Aye there, me boy! Steer us in the direction of your friend, Riz!

0:03:55 Fabian: Aye aye, papa!

0:03:59 Fig: Wait, Bill, I saved your life.

0:04:01 Bill: Aye.

0:04:01 Fig: So you owe me, right? That would be the pirate's code.

0:04:06 Bill: [defensively] No!

0:04:08 Fig: Okay, well—

0:04:08 Bill: What do you want to happen?

0:04:10 Fig: It should be. Alright, what I want to happen is that you don't kill Gilear again!

0:04:14 Bill: Oh! Listen, I had to kill Gilear as a matter of course, but I love Gilear! [Murph chuckles]

0:04:21 Fig: What?

0:04:22 Bill: Well, oh, listen, now he's been killed once, I've been killed once, We're even.

0:04:28 Brennan: Gilear says,

0:04:28 Gilear: I've been killed multiple times. [cast laughing]

0:04:30 Gilear: I can't open the door of the sarcophagus.

0:04:34 Adaine: Also, he didn't kill you, Fabian killed you.

0:04:38 Bill: Well, Fabian killed me, I killed Gilear, Gilear kills Fabian and then we're even.

0:04:43 Fabian: I'm sorry, what?

0:04:43 Ally: Wait, what?

0:04:45 Fabian: What's going to happen?

0:04:46 Gilear: [muffled] Under no circumstance will I attempt to kill young master Seacaster.

0:04:50 Fabian: Oh really, Gilear? All right, okay. You get named The Chosen One at the Hotel Cavalier, and now you have intentions.

0:04:58 Fig: I appreciate that you don't debate that he's the chosen one.

0:04:59 Fabian: I mean, of course he's The Chosen One.

0:05:02 Gilear: [muffled] I was named The Chosen One as a cruel joke by you! Please, I can feel myself running out of air. The ambient heat from hell is heating up the sarcophagus, and the oxygen is being quickly depleted.

0:05:15 Siobhan: I use my Ar-- the rest of my Arcane Hand--

0:05:15 Zac: [chuckling] Can I make a Perception check to look around before I open it, just because I don't wanna open it and him immediately die again?

0:05:22 Brennan: Okay, you hesitate to look around and see and then give me a Perception check.

0:05:26 Emily: [bemused and distraught] Oh no, he passed out. I need to--!

0:05:27 Lou: And I'm turning the ship around to headed back toward The Ball?

0:05:30 Brennan: Yes, you are.

0:05:32 Zac: Perception, that'll only be an 11.

0:05:34 Emily: He passed out, didn't he?

0:05:36 Brennan: What's that, sorry?

0:05:37 Emily: He passed out.

0:05:37 Zac: 11.

0:05:38 Brennan: Oh, you got an 11 Perception? You don't see anything coming. You see two pirates grab the sarcophagus, load it, and begin to load it onto one of the ballistas. [frantic, panicked noises of protest]

0:05:48 Brennan: You see that, cool go ahead and you have one round to give me a Strength check, give me an Acrobatics check to—

0:05:53 Siobhan: I'll help with my Hands.

0:05:54 Zac: I have advantage on Strength checks.

0:05:56 Brennan: Cool cool cool.

0:05:57 Siobhan: Oh, you already had advantage.

0:05:59 Zac: 14 plus... Athletics?

0:05:59 Brennan: Yeah.

0:06:01 Zac: 23.

0:06:03 Brennan: [exertion noise] And you lift the [grunts] [creaking] A lid opens up, the Hand swoops Gilear out, they fire the sarcophagus, it blows up a pit fiend's chest and you see that, you begin to fly off. Ayda lands on the deck of the ship, looks over at you, Adaine, standing next to you, Fig, and she says,

0:06:20 Ayda: Riz is gone.

0:06:24 Adaine: What?

0:06:24 Ayda: Riz is gone from this plane.

0:06:26 Adaine: What?

0:06:26 Ayda: I can no longer Scry on him.

0:06:28 Adaine: Where’d he go?

0:06:29 Ayda: He's either dead or is no longer here.

0:06:32 Fig: Dead?! Well, then, we should go and look for his body or something.

0:06:35 Brennan: Cool, Fabian, go ahead and give me a Dex plus proficiency roll with advantage.

0:06:39 Lou: Oh, you know I'd love to give you that. We can—

0:06:40 Siobhan: Ooh, baby.

0:06:42 Lou: We can call that Dex, 23 plus 5 equals 28.

0:06:53 Brennan: [whoops] You steer the Goldenhoard, oh sorry, the Goldenrod through the skies of hell. You hear from the front Kalvaxus yell out,

0:07:01 Kalvaxus: Are any of my former minions still on the deck? Hello!

0:07:05 Gorgug: Yeah! [laughing]

0:07:07 Kristen: Gorgug?

0:07:07 Gorgug: I dunno.

0:07:08 Kristen: What?

0:07:08 Kalvaxus: Who is that?

0:07:09 Gorgug: It's your minion. [to Fig] I don't usually do this.

0:07:12 Fig: No, this is good.

0:07:12 Emily: Actually, I'll disguise myself and say,

0:07:13 Fig: [vaguely french accent] Yes, I am your minion. [Lou giggles]

0:07:15 Kristen: Mignon!

0:07:17 Fabian: Mignon is still here!

0:07:20 Kalvaxus: [confused] Which minion are you?

0:07:23 Siobhan: I cast the Friends cantrip on him so he believes them.

0:07:26 Brennan: That's gonna give you advantage on a Deception check.

0:07:29 Emily: I actually already have advantage on Deception.

0:07:31 Siobhan: Oh, then, nevermind.

0:07:32 Brennan: Go ahead and give me a Deception check, good grief.

0:07:34 Gorgug: [whispering] We should tell 'em—

0:07:35 Fig: Mignon!

0:07:36 Gorgug: --this is all part of the plan, right?

0:07:38 Emily: I got a 1, but I also got a 17, which means 30! [laughing]

0:07:44 Lou: Woo!

0:07:45 Brennan: You see he goes,

0:07:45 Kalvaxus: Ah, Francois! I can't believe you made it here! Listen, listen to me very carefully, listen. We don't have much time. Come to the front. There's a battle going on. This is your time. I've been turned against my will into a ship. Please, find a way to release me from this bondage, and I will make you wealthy beyond your wildest imagination.

0:08:03 Fig: [as Francois] What is your weak spot?

0:08:05 Kalvaxus: [baffled] My what? [laughing]

0:08:08 Gorgug: Francois, I just, [whispers] maybe we could just see if he knows anything about the Nightmare King.

0:08:16 Fig: I know, I just wanna know where it hurts the most on him.

0:08:18 Gorgug: Oh yeah.

0:08:19 Fig: [as Francois] What do you know about the Nightmare King? Is that who we are going to meet with?

0:08:22 Kalvaxus: What? No, listen. I am a boat. The priority now is to un-boat me. Please, find a way, there's a, Captain Seacaster is doing some kind of--

0:08:31 Brennan: And you see that two of the zombie pirates go throw a huge billowing thing of sailcloth and gag Kalvaxus as you guys continue to fly through the sky. You guys arrive at the building. You see that Sandralynn mounts up on Baxter and says,

0:08:47 Sandralynn: Captain Seacaster, are we gonna, I don't think we can dock the ship. We need to have some kind of away party, right?

0:08:52 Fabian: No, we can dock this ship.

0:08:54 Lou: Can I drive it straight into the building? [laughing] [Emily clapping]

0:08:57 Brennan: Yes, you can. You see Bill, who is now on the prow looks at the approaching building and says

0:09:01 Bill: My god, you're absolutely mad, boy! [laughs wildly]

0:09:07 Fabian: Yes!

0:09:08 Bill: [screaming] To war!

0:09:08 Brennan: And Bill is blasted away as you crush into the side of the building. [laughing]

0:09:13 Brennan: Everyone here, give me a Dexterity.

0:09:14 Zac: Can I grab Gilear?

0:09:16 Murph: [laughing] Oh my god!

0:09:16 Zac: A Dexterity saving throw?

0:09:19 Emily: 15!

0:09:20 Murph: [seeing the result of Ally’s roll] Oh no!

0:09:21 Ally: Nooooo, am I dead? [laughing]

0:09:23 Murph: [laughing breathlessly] You simply need new Dex. You need to re-roll your numbers.

0:09:28 Ally: Oooh, listen--

0:09:28 Emily: [laughing] “You simply need new Dex.”

0:09:32 Murph: They got above a 1 and got below a zero.

0:09:35 Ally: Yeah, I'm a -1. [Emily laughs]

0:09:40 Brennan: Ayda is gonna instead give you a 16.

0:09:42 Kristen: Eyy, thank you, Ayda!

0:09:45 Brennan: Cool, what did everyone roll?

0:09:47 Emily: 15!

0:09:48 Zac: 7.

0:09:49 Siobhan: 15.

0:09:50 Lou: 12.

0:09:50 Ally: 16!

0:09:50 Emily: [to Zac] Just say it more confidently.

0:09:52 Murph: I’m not there.

0:09:52 Zac: [intensely] 7. [chuckling]

0:09:53 Brennan: Cool. Okay, you got a, with advantage you got a 7?

0:09:58 Zac: [squeaks] Yeah. [laughing]

0:10:00 Brennan: Okay, hold on one second.

0:10:01 Murph: Oh my god.

0:10:02 Ally: Wooow.

0:10:03 Fabian: [shouting confidently] We're coming to get you, The Ball!

0:10:04 Lou: And just straight in.

0:10:04 Adaine: This is definitely worth it!

0:10:08 Brennan: Everyone else finds a way to hold on-- [laughing]

0:10:14 Ally: Gorgy!

0:10:14 Brennan: While on top of the—

0:10:16 Murph: If I had literally any way of magically communing with you guys, I would, but I don't. Brennan quietly counts damage.

0:10:21 Murph: I am but a rogue.

0:10:22 Siobhan: It's been more than a minute, right? My Hand is gone.

0:10:25 Brennan: 35. Yeah.

0:10:26 Emily: I'm assuming that you're dead inside this building.

0:10:28 Murph: Makes sense.

0:10:29 Lou: I'm gonna kill the people who killed you with our boat. [laughing]

0:10:31 Siobhan: And If you die in hell, do you not stay in hell? Or do you go somewhere else?

0:10:33 Emily: Hm?

0:10:35 Siobhan: [chuckling] If you die in hell, do you die in real life?

0:10:37 Brennan: I'm sorry, what did you get again?

0:10:38 Emily: 15.

0:10:38 Brennan: 15.

0:10:39 Siobhan: 15.

0:10:39 Brennan: 15. You got?

0:10:40 Ally: 16.

0:10:41 Brennan: 16.

0:10:41 Murph: I'm not here, right?

0:10:43 Brennan: You're not here, that's right. You guys got below 15, right?

0:10:44 Lou: I got below 15, yeah. [Murph laughs]

0:10:45 Siobhan: The two Dex--

0:10:46 Brennan: Okay, everyone else is fine. You managed to hold onto things. Bill takes the full damage. Gorgug and Fabian each immediately take 52 points of damage.

0:10:59 Lou: I'm down.

0:11:00 Zac: Awwww. [laughing]

0:11:02 Zac: I guess I'm, am I Raging anymore?

0:11:05 Brennan: I don't think you are.

0:11:05 Zac: Yeah.

0:11:06 Lou: 52?

0:11:06 Brennan: 52 points. You, let me be clear. You crashed the ship into a building.

0:11:13 Lou: Okay?

0:11:13 Brennan: Bill takes all the damage and is fully fine. Gilear, also, not just down but insta-dead. So, Gilear--

0:11:19 Siobhan: Gilear, again?

0:11:20 Emily: [yelping] What! Again?!

0:11:22 Brennan: [incredulously] You just crashed a ship at full speed!

0:11:24 Lou: Don't point at me like this. Don't point at me like this.

0:11:28 Fig: Gilear!

0:11:29 Brennan: I know, because Gorgug was making his save to also hold on to Gilear, [Emily makes distressed noises]

0:11:34 Brennan: You guys are partially sheathed into this building.

0:11:38 Zac: [chuckling] I'm up.

0:11:40 Brennan: What is Gorgug at?

0:11:40 Siobhan: I already used my Div rolls.

0:11:41 Zac: Gorgug is at 20 health.

0:11:42 Brennan: Okay.

0:11:44 Ally: Okay, I can start casting some Cure...?

0:11:46 Brennan: Yeah, you guys, the ship crashes. A lot of the pirates die [snaps] right away. [Lou laughs hysterically]

0:11:51 Brennan: Bill is covered in rubble. Fabian holding onto the wheel, you go like, over the handlebars on a bike, but over the helm, smash into the rubble of the building, are incapacitated, at 0 hit points. Everyone else managed to hold on and not die. Gilear is insta-dead. How many hit points are you at?

0:12:08 Gorgug: 20!

0:12:09 Brennan: 20, okay.

0:12:09 Murph: [laughing] And meanwhile I’m fine.

0:12:09 Zac: 'Cause I took the full damage.

0:12:12 Brennan: Took the full damage.

0:12:12 Murph: I'm just fine.

0:12:13 Brennan: Riz, fully fine.

0:12:14 Emily: I woke up and I say, and I say,

0:12:14 Fig: Don't worry, it's worth it because Riz is in there, and he needs us! [laughing]

0:12:22 Gorgug: We've gotta save Riz!

0:12:22 Fabian: I have to save my friend.

0:12:26 Brennan: So, now, so, Kristen, you stand up. You see Gilear is, you can spot him immediately fully dead, crushed under rubble.

0:12:36 Lou: I'm sorry. [laughs]

0:12:38 Brennan: Fabian is also unconscious amidst the rubble.

0:12:42 Emily: I can go ahead and use a third-level Healing Word on you, but that'll only bring you back for 15.

0:12:49 Lou: That's okay.

0:12:49 Emily: Okay.

0:12:50 Gorgug: I could use a little heal. [chuckles]

0:12:54 Ally: Yeah, great.

0:12:56 Brennan: But also, Gilear is fully dead.

0:12:59 Ally: Okay.

0:12:59 Zac: Do you, you don't have a spell that maintains his corpse, right?

0:13:04 Emily: Gentle Repose?

0:13:04 Zac: You don't have that.

0:13:05 Ally: I don't have Gentle Repose.

0:13:06 Murph: Are you out of Revivifies?

0:13:07 Emily: Yeah?

0:13:08 Ally: No no, I have Revivify! But I can also Cure Wounds to like, cure a few people.

0:13:13 Emily: Maybe let's bring Gilear back 'cause I think Revivify is within a minute.

0:13:17 Brennan: Oh, you can only do it within one minute.

0:13:19 Ally: Okay, yeah.

0:13:19 Siobhan: Oh, yeah

0:13:19 Ally: So, I Revivify.

0:13:19 Lou: I'll pay for this one. [laughing]

0:13:23 Brennan: Gilear,

0:13:27 Gilear: [gasps Oh god! That building came out of nowhere! [groans] [Murph chuckles]

0:13:28 Fig: Dad?

0:13:30 Brennan: You see that these like devil's zeppelins begin to come in. You see Bill looks to you and says,

0:13:35 Bill: I'll hold the Goldenrod. You get your friend, boy. We don't have much time. Get in and get out, smash and grab!

0:13:41 Fabian: Right, let's find The Ball!

0:13:42 Fig: Bill, does that count as Fabian killing Gilear?

0:13:47 Bill: We're all even! [laughs] [laughing]

0:13:49 Ally: Woooow.

0:13:50 Brennan: Gilear says,

0:13:50 Gilear: Wasn't I supposed to kill— Nevermind, nevermind. [laughing]

0:13:55 Murph: Everyone just kills Gilear.

0:13:55 Fabian: [satisfied] I killed Gilear, I killed Gilear!

0:13:58 Kristen: Who needs heals? I could try to heal us as we run in? Zac raises his hand

0:14:02 Kristen: We got Gorgug.

0:14:02 Gorgug: I'm all fucked up.

0:14:03 Kristen: I'm gonna help you.

0:14:03 Fabian: Great.

0:14:05 Adaine: I'm okay, I mean, I’m not at full.

0:14:06 Brennan: There's a collapsed rubble and buildings, but you guys can rush into the building. I think pretty much the whole crew rushes in. Go ahead whoever wants to and make an Investigation check.

0:14:17 Ally: Can I roll for some healing on Gorgug and...?

0:14:20 Brennan: You know what, just go ahead and start rolling and tell people. Feel free to spend spell slots.

0:14:24 Siobhan: Nat 20!

0:14:25 Brennan: Nat 20, Adaine, you have a pure oracular vision. You know exactly where it is. You guys see Adaine does a whole [gurgles] [eyes roll back]

0:14:33 Fabian: Adaine, not the time. [laughing]

0:14:37 Adaine: [muttering defiantly]

0:14:40 Brennan: You guys sprint into the darkness of this dwelling place.

0:14:42 Ally: [to Lou] 23.

0:14:44 Lou: 23?

0:14:46 Brennan: As you do, you guys arrive at this exact chamber. You see the chair, blood, all of this. You also see, on the ground, partially opened, having clattered there, a leather black briefcase with the initials T.B. on it.

0:15:00 Zac: Can I...

0:15:15 Emily: It's the Briefcase of Holding, right?

0:15:16 Siobhan: Yeah.

0:15:16 Brennan: Yes.

0:15:19 Emily: I guess we pick it up.

0:15:19 Fig: Adaine or Ayda, can you guys, oh wait, you can't Scry 'cause he's on another plane.

0:15:21 Adaine: I also don't have--

0:15:24 Fig: ‘Cause we don't find a body here.

0:15:26 Kristen: Do you have Locate Person?

0:15:27 Zac: I put—

0:15:27 Ally: I don't have another fifth-level spell, and I don't have Scry stocked. So, I would have to take a rest.

0:15:30 Zac: Can I make an Insight check on the briefcase?

0:15:32 Brennan: Make an Insight check for me, yeah.

0:15:36 Lou: Can I also make an Insight check?

0:15:37 Brennan: Go for it.

0:15:37 Zac: I got a 4. [Brennan chuckles]

0:15:38 Emily: Can I look for scratch marks?

0:15:40 Gorgug: Uhh, he's in the briefcase, isn't he?

0:15:41 Adaine: I could do Locate Creature, but Ayda's saying that he's not on this plane—

0:15:43 Lou: I got a 17. An electronic chiming sounds from behind the DM screen.

0:15:46 Brennan: You see—

0:15:47 Lou: Oh, and you got a call.

0:15:48 Brennan: I got a call.

0:15:48 Siobhan: Wow, Brennan is so popular.

0:15:50 Brennan: You see that, what did you get on your roll?

0:15:54 Lou: 17.

0:15:54 Brennan: 17. You look down at the briefcase. [pauses thoughtfully] You know that there was a fight in here. You don't see The Ball going down without leaving some bodies.

0:16:15 Lou: All right.

0:16:15 Zac: There's no bodies?

0:16:18 Brennan: No bodies.

0:16:18 Emily: No bodies.

0:16:19 Fabian: There's no bodies.

0:16:19 Fig: Is the fight going on—

0:16:21 Brennan: You see, but you do see smears of blood like things were dragged out of here.

0:16:26 Siobhan: Can I Investigate the blood to see if it's goblin blood?

0:16:31 Brennan: Sure, go ahead and make a Nature check.

0:16:33 Lou: Can I taste it?

0:16:34 Brennan: Yeah.

0:16:34 Emily: Yeah, I'll taste it as well.

0:16:35 Ally: I'll taste it too.

0:16:35 Brennan: Sulfur.

0:16:37 Lou: Oh, sulfury?

0:16:38 Emily: I got, a 10.

0:16:39 Brennan: Yeah, sulfury.

0:16:39 Ally: Oh, interesting.

0:16:39 Fabian: It tastes sulfury. That's demon blood.

0:16:41 Fig: That’s hell shit, that’s hell shit.

0:16:42 Fabian: This is not The Ball.

0:16:42 Fig: My own blood is probably pretty sulfury. Emily mimes cutting the base of her thumb and holds it out

0:16:44 Fabian: Yeah, let me-- Lou leans in, pretending to taste Fig’s blood

0:16:44 Fabian: Yup, that’s demon blood.

0:16:44 Gorgug: Are we sure? Zac mimes licking blood off the floor

0:16:46 Fabian: Oh yeah, that's demon blood for sure.

0:16:50 Gorgug: I'm bleeding a lot, I should say as well. So hurt.

0:16:54 Fabian: Guys, I don't think The Ball is here.

0:16:56 Fig: Okay, that's a good thing?

0:16:56 Adaine: Yes.

0:17:00 Brennan: Tracker casts Detect Evil and Good, and she looks up and says

0:17:07 Tracker: [sniffs] It smells like Celestial in here.

0:17:11 Adaine: Oh that's, what?

0:17:11 Fabian: Is The Ball..?

0:17:13 Fig: It smells like--

0:17:13 Adaine: An angel?

0:17:13 Fig: An angel?

0:17:14 Tracker: Yeah. Meadow grass, honey. [sniffs] Like a bright day.

0:17:18 Adaine: He is a little angel.

0:17:19 Kristen: Huh.

0:17:20 Fabian: He is a little angel.

0:17:20 Adaine: He is a very sweet boy.

0:17:22 Fig: I guess I’ve always, metaphorically [mumbles] [Murph laughs]

0:17:25 Gorgug: I just thought it was like a sweet little angel--

0:17:26 Adaine: Oh my god--

0:17:28 Gorgug: --just not like he's actually an angel, right?

0:17:29 Adaine: Has he been hiding his angelic form from us this whole time?

0:17:32 Fig: I wish he knew he could tell us that he's an angel.

0:17:34 Adaine: Oh my god, that sweet, good boy.

0:17:36 Fabian: If The Ball's an angel, where do angels go?

0:17:41 Tracker: [baffled] What's your question?

0:17:41 Fabian: Where do angels go? [snickering]

0:17:43 Tracker: The upper planes.

0:17:45 Fabian: Can we go? We have to find our little angel.

0:17:46 Adaine: Ayda, do you have—

0:17:48 Gorgug: Can you fly the ship straight up?

0:17:49 Adaine: Do you have a Plane Shift?

0:17:52 Fig: Also, is it okay for an archdevil to go where an angel treads?

0:17:58 Brennan: You see that Ayda looks up. She is gonna cast a spell as well. She looks and says,

0:18:08 Ayda: I cannot cast another Plane Shift today.

0:18:12 Zac: Right.

0:18:14 Brennan: She says, but you see that she casts Detect Magic and looks around and goes,

0:18:17 Ayda: Conjuration. [sniffs]

0:18:24 Brennan: You see she goes,

0:18:24 Ayda: Yes, this was a, something in the conjuration school. Something… something was either summoned, banished, or teleported here.

0:18:38 Gorgug: They summoned his briefcase.

0:18:40 Adaine: Hmm.

0:18:40 Ayda: Doubtful. [Emily laughs breathlessly]

0:18:42 Ally: Can I check to see if there are like, doors leading around, or like, if the blood smear, like, drags out of the room? Is this Investigate?

0:18:51 Brennan: Mm-hmm.

0:18:52 Ally: 13.

0:18:54 Brennan: The blood smears do indeed go out of the room. You guys look around right now. From the look of this, there is virtually no-- Ally looks up suddenly and holds a finger out.

0:19:08 Brennan: Sorry, yes?

0:19:08 Ally: So sorry, it can wait. Ally shakes their head and covers their mouth with their hands.

0:19:09 Brennan: Okay. From the look of this, you know that something crazy happened here. You guys know that Riz is not a celestial. So, something wild happened.

0:19:21 Zac: Can I take out my crystal?

0:19:21 Brennan: Yeah.

0:19:23 Zac: [chuckling] And try to call Riz?

0:19:26 Brennan: You do not get service in hell, which is, what a fun thing.

0:19:29 Ally: We're in a, like, interrogation room. Can I run and see if there's any camera footage? If there are any, like, security cameras?

0:19:33 Siobhan: Ohhhh!

0:19:36 Brennan: Sure. So, with your 13-- Actually, go ahead and roll another Investigation with advantage.

0:19:45 Ally: Nat 20! [claps] You know it! You know it! [cheering and clapping]

0:19:49 Ally: Nat 20. It was a nat 20 and a 17.

0:19:51 Emily: Yes! Yes!

0:19:53 Brennan: [exasperated] You go next door, and you see a little imp looking at a bunch of screens reviewing footage and see literally—

0:19:59 Ally: I ice him— [laughing]

0:20:01 Ally: And I watch--

0:20:04 Lou: You ice the imp?

0:20:04 Ally: I ice him.

0:20:05 Lou: With what?

0:20:05 Ally: With The Ball's gun that was in the briefcase maybe?

0:20:08 Emily: I cover Baby’s eyes.

0:20:10 Brennan: You can pull another gun out of the briefcase probably.

0:20:12 Ally: Wonderful, that's what I do.

0:20:14 Murph: Jesus Christ.

0:20:15 Gorgug: [shocked and ashamed] Kristen!

0:20:15 Brennan: You ice this imp, which is, you see Tracker goes,

0:20:17 Tracker: Sweetie! My god!

0:20:19 Kristen: Babe, look— [laughing]

0:20:22 Brennan: All of you guys now—

0:20:22 Ally: Power of the 20.

0:20:23 Brennan: Now also, you guys can hear the noise increasing out in the city of battle, combat.

0:20:28 Siobhan: Ah crap.

0:20:28 Zac: We'll probably get the fuck out of here.

0:20:30 Brennan: But you guys all watch the scene of Riz, his dad, and bam bam, putting the ear, and a celestial beam of light crashing through the roof and both of them getting sucked up into the light and the light disappearing.

0:20:43 Ally: What happens after that, to like the bodies? Who moved them?

0:20:45 Siobhan: Yeah, why is the briefcase still there but the bodies are gone?

0:20:49 Brennan: After, it looks like the people came in and dragged the bodies of the devils out of the room to potentially, like, reanimate them or bring them back as new devils.

0:20:57 Zac: Oh, the other devils did.

0:20:58 Brennan: Other devils, correct.

0:20:58 Emily: Who came in, who came in to drag the bodies out?

0:21:01 Brennan: Two lemures that are just, they're the, like, globby, weird, very stupid devils that would have not thought to like, investigate a briefcase on the ground.

0:21:10 Siobhan: Cool, so let's take the briefcase because that's--

0:21:13 Gorgug: Let's get the briefcase. We gotta get the hell out of here.

0:21:15 Ally: We gotta go.

0:21:16 Emily: What about the sword? Let's make sure that we don't lose his sword.

0:21:19 Brennan: No sign of the sword or gun.

0:21:20 Emily: Okay.

0:21:20 Zac: Okay.

0:21:21 Murph: Great.

0:21:23 Brennan: Cool, you guys rush back out to the ship. You get back to the ship. Bill is starting to look injured. He's having a great time, but as you arrive back, he's sorta starting to look injured. He looks at you and says,

0:21:34 Bill: Right then, you got your friend?

0:21:36 Fabian: No, but we know where he might be. The upper plane, where angels are.

0:21:43 Bill: [chuckles] Well, I can't go there.

0:21:44 Fig: Can I?

0:21:45 Gorgug: How do we get out of here?

0:21:49 Brennan: He looks at you and says,

0:21:51 Bill: Well, the best I can do you is the Astral Plane. That's the only other place I can get you outside of the Nine Hells.

0:21:58 Brennan: Fig, go ahead and give me a Perception check with advantage.

0:22:02 Emily: Okay. Nat 20! [cheering] Lou dabs four times, bringing his arms up and dipping his head into the crook of his elbow, in celebration.

0:22:06 Brennan: Oh shit! So, Bill says he can get you to the Astral Plane. You also feel that scroll in your hand from Vraz, glowing.

0:22:15 Emily: Okay. I— Emily mimes flicking the scroll out in one motion

0:22:16 Ally: One-handed.

0:22:18 Brennan: You open it. It is a waiver of release that will recreate the doorway back to the Shrine of Thorns in Arborly.

0:22:26 Murph: Whoa.

0:22:27 Fig: Whoa!

0:22:27 Adaine: Oh, okay.

0:22:29 Kristen: Uhh...

0:22:30 Gorgug: Okay.

0:22:32 Kristen: Make that.

0:22:32 Fig: I don't—

0:22:32 Kristen: Make that?

0:22:32 Fig: I mean, we definitely could do that, but does anyone else kinda wanna go to the Astral Plane? No? Okay.

0:22:39 Gorgug: I just feel like—

0:22:39 Adaine: I mean, I don't know what's on the Astral Plane. Is that any closer to the Upper Planes than our regular plane?

0:22:45 Fabian: We're still gonna need to Plane Shift anyway, right?

0:22:48 Kristen: Yeah, and we're all out of spells.

0:22:49 Fabian: And Gilear keeps dying, so yeah.

0:22:50 Adaine: Yeah, if we go back, we can at least rest.

0:22:51 Kristen: Gilear's holding on by a thread, and I've maybe dumped like $40,000 into him. [laughing]

0:22:57 Adaine: Right. Also, maybe we can go back and talk to the van and even maybe take the van with us.

0:23:01 Gorgug: He's a Celestial, yeah.

0:23:02 Adaine: We can just pull that jewel out of there.

0:23:04 Emily: Alright. I rip the scroll, or whatever I do to it. [laughing] Brennan mimes ripping a scroll

0:23:06 Ally: [incredulously] You rip it?! [Siobhan laughs]

0:23:08 Brennan: You rip it.

0:23:08 Emily: This is hell.

0:23:08 Brennan: [chuckling] The magic all fully fades from the destroyed scroll.

0:23:11 Lou: No, what?

0:23:13 Emily: [high-pitched] What?!

0:23:15 Brennan: You have a broken scroll in front of you.

0:23:15 Fig: No! Can you Mend it, can you Mend it? Emily holds out her hands towards Siobhan, who places a hand over Emily’s

0:23:17 Siobhan: I cast Mending.

0:23:18 Brennan: You guys Mend it, and the magic comes back! [laughing]

0:23:20 Fig: Sorry, I, I thought—

0:23:21 Gorgug: [confused, nervous] Ahhh! Players talk over one another

0:23:23 Fabian: That was the craziest thing—

0:23:25 Fig: --how would my magic work?

0:23:26 Adaine: This is what happens when you don't have to study magic, you're just innately good at it.

0:23:30 Fig: It just oozes from you.

0:23:32 Brennan: You invoke the seal. A flaming door appears on the Goldenhoard, the Goldenrod. You see that Kalvaxus is wrenched out of there as Bill takes him back to the sky. Bill looks back at you and says,

0:23:44 Bill: Back to the Prime Material then, in the world of Spyre, is it?

0:23:47 Adaine: Aye aye, captain!

0:23:47 Siobhan: Then, I put my pirate hat back on.

0:23:50 Bill: Ooh, there's a good pirate, lass! [laughs]

0:23:52 Gorgug: We should ask Goldenrod a question or two before we get out of here.

0:23:54 Fig: I know. What do you want me to ask him, because I wasn't there when you guys talked about this?

0:23:58 Kristen: I'll cast Zone of Truth.

0:23:59 Adaine: [shouting] Ooh, yes, good idea!

0:23:59 Ally: I cast Zone of Truth over Kalvaxus.

0:24:02 Brennan: Ooh, baby, hold on one second.

0:24:04 Emily: Zone of Truth on a boat!

0:24:06 Brennan: [chuckling] On a natural three--

0:24:07 Siobhan: Yass!

0:24:08 Emily: [to Siobhan] Can you cast Detect Thoughts on him?

0:24:09 Brennan: The Zone of Truth takes place.

0:24:11 Ally: Yes!

0:24:11 Siobhan: Oh, good idea. [to Emily] Oh, I don't have it. I don't have it stocked.

0:24:15 Gorgug: Just-- give us everything you know on Nightmare King.

0:24:20 Brennan: Hold on one second.

0:24:22 Fig: Is there another, like, name he might know he might know the Nightmare King by or something?

0:24:26 Adaine: Yeah, something to do with this magic or the--

0:24:29 Kristen: Or anything about your mom?

0:24:30 Gorgug: Oh! I have a question.

0:24:31 Emily: Oh, 'cause she was at the school.

0:24:33 Brennan: So, you see that Bill goes out and starts yelling a warning to his other ships and says,

0:24:36 Bill: [shouting] Alright, lads, we've taken the spoils! Now, back to the Astral!

0:24:42 Brennan: And you see that Bill begins to take his fleet and begins to head towards a part of the storm over Dis that has actual lightning in it, and you see that a whorl begins to appear as Bill focuses on it, and you see that he appears to be opening some kind of Astral portal that he appears to be able to open for his fleet to like, dip in and out of hell to like, get out of here to safe waters.

0:25:07 Fabian: [softly] Oh, my papa! [giggling]

0:25:09 Gorgug: I have a thought, and I don't, forgive me if we've already answered this, but Kal— uh, Principal...

0:25:19 Brennan: You see that Kalvaxus looks over and says,

0:25:19 Kalvaxus: Who is-- Oh no, not all of you. [Emily laughs]

0:25:22 Gorgug: It's us again, sorry.

0:25:25 Adaine: Yeah yeah, you love to see it.

0:25:26 Gorgug: Hey, all that stuff freshman year—

0:25:28 Fig: Yeah, I know you love to see it.

0:25:31 Kalvaxus: [baffled] What’s that? What do I love to see?

0:25:32 Gorgug: You know.

0:25:32 Adaine: You know.

0:25:33 Kalvaxus: Oh, is this some new sophomore year development?

0:25:36 Gorgug: No, you have a crush on her is what she's saying. [Emily chuckles]

0:25:37 Adaine: Yeah, this is canon.

0:25:39 Kalvaxus: No, I don't have--

0:25:42 Fabian: You're in the Zone of Truth. You have to say it.

0:25:42 Gorgug: Zone of Truth. You have to--

0:25:43 Brennan: Oh, he is in the Zone of Truth, right? You see he says,

0:25:45 Kalvaxus: I don't have a crush on anything! I just want to be rich!

0:25:49 Fig: Okay, I don't think it's working.

0:25:50 Adaine: That's sad, that's really sad.

0:25:51 Gorgug: Listen—

0:25:52 Kalvaxus: It's not sad, it's great. It's great, and I'm great.

0:25:56 Gorgug: Did anyone put you up to all that stuff you did our freshman year?

0:26:02 Kalvaxus: [offended] Hey, Mister Thistlespring, why don't you go fuck yourself? No one put me up to-- I was the boss, alright?

0:26:10 Adaine: So, the Nightmare King wasn't the boss?

0:26:12 Kalvaxus: [indignantly] No, I was the boss!

0:26:14 Fig: So, Adaine's mom was working for you?

0:26:16 Kalvaxus: What?

0:26:17 Kristen: Arialwen, was she working for you then? When she was doing all that work for the Shadow Cat?

0:26:22 Kalvaxus: Arianwen never worked for me. Aelwyn worked for me.

0:26:26 Kristen: Okay. But then, what about all that stuff with--

0:26:29 Adaine: So, all of the stuff that was going on behind your back you didn't have any idea, because you were being manipulated and you didn't even know about it?

0:26:36 Kalvaxus: Wait, what? What do you mean I was being manipulated? I was not manip-- Look, the Nightmare King, I brought the Nightmare King back, okay?

0:26:44 Fabian: [surprised] What?

0:26:44 Adaine: When?

0:26:46 Kalvaxus: When I went to go conquer the whole everything!

0:26:48 Adaine: Oh, like, thousands of years ago.

0:26:50 Kalvaxus: A couple centuries, not thousands. But look, the important thing is this--  Why am I saying all this? Um. [Murph and Lou chuckle]

0:26:57 Kalvaxus: Look, the important thing is this. I-- the Nightmare King is an older entity than I, but, he agreed to be my lieutenant in exchange for a couple of favors, alright?

0:27:07 Adaine: What favors?

0:27:07 Fig and Gorgug: What were those favors?

0:27:10 Kalvaxus: [exasperated] I accepted this gift of a single coin. It was added to my hoard, and then he wanted me to spread my wealth around, which I was not a fan of, but part of the curse of his coin and my hoard meant that my wealth would always come back to me fivefold. So, I started to invest, and I learned about stocks, and I learned about bonds, and I learned about collateralized debt obligations.

0:27:39 Fig: Did you ever buy anything, like for fun?

0:27:42 Kalvaxus: Buy anything for fun? No, I—

0:27:44 Adaine: Like a nice pair of shoes?

0:27:44 Fig: Yeah.

0:27:44 Fabian: And then you sold them on a website?

0:27:44 Adaine: Just like a jacket that makes you look good.

0:27:47 Kalvaxus: I bought a lot of art objects because those actually accrue in value--

0:27:49 Adaine: Oh, god.

0:27:51 Kalvaxus: --and they're actually, no, they're good.

0:27:51 Adaine: That's such a boring bad guy.

0:27:53 Kalvaxus: [snarling] I am not a boring bad guy!

0:27:56 Zac: I like, swing off and just kick him in the head. [laughing]

0:27:59 Kalvaxus: [roar of pain] Very easy to kick a boat in the head!

0:28:01 Gorgug: Yeah, it's awesome.

0:28:03 Brennan: You see as you do that Bill goes,

0:28:03 Bill: Woo! That's right, me boy!

0:28:06 Zac: Do some pull ups. [laughing]

0:28:07 Emily: Me too. Zac pumps his arms up and down, and Emily joins in, matching his pace

0:28:08 Brennan: You see that Goldenhoard says,

0:28:11 Kalvaxus: Besides, it was, the more I spread my wealth around--

0:28:16 Siobhan: Adaine fails. Siobhan laboriously lifts her arms up, making a comically miserable expression

0:28:18 Kalvaxus: --the more the Nightmare King was able to cast his terrible magics upon wherever my wealth went.

0:28:21 Gorgug: His magic? Kristen Oh...

0:28:24 Fig: Why did you work with someone who was gonna be so powerful and would inevitably betray you or become more powerful than you?

0:28:30 Kalvaxus: The Nightmare King never betrayed me.

0:28:32 Adaine: Yeah, he did.

0:28:33 Kalvaxus: When?

0:28:34 Adaine: All the time! You think some magical forest guy is gonna give you a coin, and that's gonna be good for you?

0:28:41 Kalvaxus: Listen—

0:28:41 Adaine: You're dumb! That's rule 101, dude, read a book!

0:28:45 Kalvaxus: Listen-- Oh, read a book?

0:28:45 Adaine: You're supposed to be a teacher! Read a book!

0:28:46 Kalvaxus: [irate] I was not supposed to be a teacher, I was supposed to be a dragon! [Emily laughs]

0:28:50 Kalvaxus: I was made a teacher against my will.

0:28:52 Adaine: Well, yeah. We all know--

0:28:52 Kalvaxus: And now I'm a boat!

0:28:53 Adaine: ‘Cause you were bad at it! You were bad at teaching!

0:28:55 Kalvaxus: I was a pretty good vice principal.

0:28:56 Adaine: No...

0:28:57 Ally: Oh, do I have a picture of the picture?

0:29:00 Siobhan: Ooh, yes!

0:29:00 Ally: Since The Ball isn’t here?

0:29:01 Brennan: You do have a picture of the picture.

0:29:02 Ally: On my crystal I think? Can I show it to him?

0:29:04 Kristen: Hey, what do you see in this photo?

0:29:05 Brennan: Huge dragon eye looking up as you're like leaning over him, rain coming down. You're like, the Astral portal is coming up in front of you.

0:29:08 Ally: I’m holding on with all my strength. Ally puts one arm up in the air, leaning dramatically. Zac and Emily resume doing pull-ups.

0:29:12 Brennan: You see he says,

0:29:12 Kalvaxus: I don't see anything in there. Oh, is this about the, what is it, the Shadow Cat? Whatever that was?

0:29:17 Kristen: Yes, yeah, do you see her?

0:29:18 Fig: You don’t see-- the Shadow Cat?

0:29:19 Kalvaxus: No no no, I didn't mess around with that thing at all.

0:29:25 Brennan: Says,

0:29:25 Kalvaxus: Look, the Nightmare King was a total creep. First of all, the guy never talked ever, never spoke, just, you'd see him in visions, just this weird skeleton with a crown and dark robes, and you would kind of, understand what he wanted on an intuitive level.

0:29:39 Fig: Did he like, sit under a tree sometimes?

0:29:42 Kalvaxus: Yeah, in a lot of the dreams he did, but the important thing is this: the, I know the Shadow, the Shadow Cat put me in touch with Aelwyn, but Aelwyn wasn't the Nightmare King's only follower in Elmville. There was--

0:30:02 Kristen: Mhm. Who else was?

0:30:02 Kalvaxus: I actually don't know. It was kept secret because the only condition I could meet them on was if I allowed myself to be able to see the Shadow Cat, and I was like ‘That's fine. I'm fine without meeting--’

0:30:14 Adaine: Man, you are so easy to trick into doing stuff that you don't understand.

0:30:18 Kalvaxus: I am not easy to trick!

0:30:18 Adaine: Aelwyn was right, you're stupid and easy to beat!

0:30:23 Kalvaxus: Aelwyn said that?

0:30:23 Adaine: Yes!

0:30:24 Kalvaxus: She said I was very smart when we met.

0:30:26 Adaine: She's a liar. She's a really big liar.

0:30:28 Fig: Yeah, she's very very charismatic.

0:30:30 Kristen: Wooow. So, they made you able to see the Shadow Cat, but you can't see it in this?

0:30:32 Kalvaxus: No, I didn't take the deal, I said “stay secret”. But Aelwyn was another follower of the Nightmare King, or a servant of the Shadow Cat, I don't know how it all works. But the point is this: Aelwyn approached me saying that the Shadow Cat had sent her. That's when I started to work on the Modify Memory spell with her. She joined with Penelope and Biz in your freshman year. The Shadow Cat made the connection for her to join my conspiracy, and thus was it done.

0:31:04 Kristen: Wow, do we have any other questions?

0:31:07 Fabian: No?

0:31:07 Fig: I think that answers everything.

0:31:10 Brennan: Says,

0:31:10 Kalvaxus: But listen, I-- the Nightmare King didn't use me. When, after that coin, anyone who I was able to give my wealth to, the Nightmare King was able to ensorcel them from leagues away from halfway across the world. It made me incredibly potent and powerful.

0:31:32 Gorgug: Whoa.

0:31:32 Adaine: Very cool. So, us spending all of your money that we got just made us vulnerable to the Nightmare King.

0:31:40 Kalvaxus: [laughs] Oh, you have all my money?

0:31:43 Fig: Yeah.

0:31:43 Adaine: Well, most of it, 'cause we spent some of it.

0:31:46 Kalvaxus: [laughs maniacally]

0:31:49 Adaine: Hey man, we're children.

0:31:49 Kalvaxus: Yes, and I wish I had killed and eaten all of you.

0:31:54 Kristen: Interesting! Zac mimes swinging over the side and kicking Kalvaxus again [laughing]

0:31:57 Kalvaxus: One day!

0:31:57 Kristen: What can you tell us about the forest of Sylvaire?

0:32:01 Kalvaxus: I don't know, it's a big forest. I let the Nightmare King have that, and I was conquering Highcourt and Solace and everywhere else.

0:32:08 Kristen: Damn.

0:32:08 Gorgug: You'll never be half the boat my van is.

0:32:09 Zac: And I kick him in the neck. [laughing]

0:32:15 Brennan: You guys surge through the astral portal with that, whoosh!

0:32:19 Fig: Write that one down. That's good for our next album.

0:32:21 Brennan: Bill's ships fly after him into the astral realm, and from there-- [Music stops]

0:32:26 Brennan: We are going to leave, and we are going to cut over to a towering beam of light in darkness. [Soft, angelic music starts]

0:32:37 Brennan: Riz, you feel completely weightless, translucent pearly light surrounds you, and you feel wind in your hair like you are [whooshing noise] shooting up, but you look around you, hell is gone. You look out into endless vastness and see in the distance of the darkness other beams of light, and other things being rescued from all over the multiverse [several whooshing noises] and shooting up. You are wrapped in your dad's arms. He is holding you so tight. [chuckling]

0:33:16 Murph: My angel. Murph mimes a tear running down his cheek.

0:33:18 Brennan: He is holding you so tight, and give me an Insight check. Murph rolls, sees his result, and lets out a snort of surprised laughter. Ally covers their face with their hand.

0:33:26 Murph: It's a natural 1. [laughing]

0:33:29 Murph: He's mad at me.

0:33:31 Brennan: There is, no, if your dad lets go of you, you'll fly off of here and die.

0:33:33 Murph: [chuckling] Oh, okay. Murph holds his arms to his chest with a look of terror in his eyes.

0:33:35 Brennan: You see, he's like holding you so tight, and you're like ‘Oh, danger, there's danger.’ You think that your dad is maybe losing his grip on you. Murph grunts in terror and frantically readjusts his grip.

0:33:44 Murph: I hold him tighter.

0:33:45 Brennan: He holds you tighter as well, and you see that he begins to let go of you. [a chiming ringtone emanates from Brennan’s laptop]

0:33:48 Brennan: God dammit.

0:33:50 Lou: Wow! [exclamations] [laughing]

0:33:53 Emily: It just seems like a problem he would've fixed by now.

0:33:54 Murph: It's Mom. “Dad’s an angel!”

0:33:56 Lou: God.

0:33:58 Brennan: You see that your dad begins to, it feels like he's beginning to let go of you.

0:34:01 Riz: Woah, easy, easy!

0:34:04 Pok: [calmingly] Kid.

0:34:04 Riz: Yeah?

0:34:05 Pok: It's okay.

0:34:07 Brennan: [chuckling] Your nat 1— your dad was not holding you tight because he was afraid of dropping you. He was holding you tight because he can't believe he's with you again.

0:34:16 Riz: Right, yeah.

0:34:19 Brennan: He holds you off- you are arm-length's apart as he holds your shoulder. You see tears at the corner of his eyes float off and fly up into the beam above him as he just smiles with this look of disbelief, studying every inch of your face.

0:34:39 Riz: [quietly, nervous] I got a lot of tattoos. [laughing]

0:34:42 Pok: Your mom's gonna be pissed.

0:34:42 Riz: She's gonna be so mad at me.

0:34:46 Brennan: You see this incredible like, mosaic halo behind his head. It's not like the little angel circle. It's like those saint’s things where it appears like a circle sort of behind him. You’ve seen-- a little mote of light appears in his ear, and you see that he puts a thing up for a second. As he does so, you see that the little noise coming in over it comes out and says,

0:35:11 Voice: [static] Coming in Gukgak, we've got you on the extraction. Are we clocking another body there with you? Brennan holds his finger up to his ear, as if using an earpiece.

0:35:15 Brennan: You see he puts his finger up and says,

0:35:17 Pok: Yep, I have an interplanar, Prime Material, good-aligned--

0:35:19 Brennan: Winks at you, [Murph nods]

0:35:19 Pok: Possible C.I.

0:35:22 Brennan: You see the voice comes over his thing saying,

0:35:24 Voice: Registering that-- holy moly, Gukgak, is that...?

0:35:28 Brennan: And you see he goes,

0:35:28 Pok: [proudly] It's my son. Lou groans and puts a hand over his heart, clearly touched.

0:35:33 Brennan: You see he brings you in close, gives you a kiss on the head. You see that he takes your hat off just so that he can muss your hair up. You see he says,

0:35:42 Pok: How the hell did you find me?

0:35:46 Riz: [stammers] It's compli— Are you okay? How long were you in hell for?

0:35:50 Pok: I've been better.

0:35:50 Riz: [chuckling] Yeah.

0:35:52 Pok: [chuckling] I've been better.

0:35:52 Riz: God.

0:35:54 Brennan: He says,

0:35:54 Pok: Honestly though, maybe I haven't been.

0:35:58 Lou: Oh! [Emily giggles at Lou] Lou shakes his head and covers his mouth with his hand.

0:36:00 Brennan: He looks at you and he goes, he sort of is like, crying disbelief, you see he looks and says,

0:36:10 Pok: I, what were you doing in hell?

0:36:18 Riz: Um… my friend was called to court because her dad is a devil. And he's— it's a Spring Break thing. It's a Spring Break thing.

0:36:29 Brennan: You see he says,

0:36:29 Pok: Spring Break, okay, I think I got it.

0:36:34 Riz: Yeah, I kinda didn't wanna bring down the mood right away, but the reason I know where you are is because [hesitantly] the Shadow Cat, Kalina, told me.

0:36:49 Brennan: He looks at you. You appear [teleportation sound] in this blast of light, [sweet, cheerful piano music starts]

0:36:53 Brennan: And as you appear, there's a flash of light, and for a moment, you can't see your father, and as he begins to-- He walks out of the light with you. You see he's wearing a nice like, dark suit, a tie, he's like, clean again. He got sort of a little bit of scruff, but he's got his thin mustache. He walks out of the light with you, and you know that way where if like, a flash goes off like, vision starts to return at like the darkest colors you can see and blurry shapes, and it starts to sort of come out of the light. You are standing on a grassy hill in a landscape dotted with a babbling little stream. There's a tree, and you see that on top of the hill, there is a gravestone. And you see that the little gravestone up there is a little bit morbid at first until you see that there is a little chair next to it, an old mug of what looks like coffee, a little rolled up newspaper, and you see it's on the backside of it. And on the other side, it says Pok Gukgak next to it.

0:38:08 Riz: Huh. Is... You just like, hang out at your grave?

0:38:14 Pok: [sentimental] Whenever you come, uh, I-- whenever you come to talk to me, I can hear you from this side. Zac hangs his head, Ally turns away. The group makes varying expressions of sweetness and soft sadness. [tittering]

0:38:19 Lou: [touched] Oh, shut up.

0:38:23 Siobhan: Dammit.

0:38:23 Ally: God dammit, Brennan.

0:38:27 Lou: What the hell, dude?

0:38:29 Riz: I missed you, dad!

0:38:29 Brennan: He gives you a huge hug.

0:38:32 Pok: My guy, my guy, I gotta show you the place! Look at my—

0:38:35 Riz: Yeah, please, this is, we're in heaven. I feel like— This is what not having anxiety is like. This is crazy. My heart is just beating like, what I would assume a normal person's heart beats at.

0:38:46 Pok: I know, kid, it's great here. Look, let me introduce you to the gang.

0:38:49 Lou: [softly] There's a gang! [laughing]

0:38:50 Brennan: He takes you over the hillside by a babbling brook, there's a huge, big tree. One of those trees that’s like, that is very tall but is almost like, twice as wide in its canopy as it is tall. There's like a lot of shade from it. There is a tire swing over a little cute river. There's a dock with some boats, and you see in this beautiful meadow with like, kind of butterflies going from place to place. Zac, Siobhan, Lou, and Ally bob and sway to the crescendoing sentimental and angelic music.

0:39:13 Brennan: You see that there is a bunch of row boats, and there's also a collection of about twelve desks and a copy machine over in a corner and like a little coffee break room kind of place. [chuckles] You see that it looks like someone just brought the furniture of an office out into like, the most beautiful stream-side field in the world. It's like a very bright day. Just the right temperature. It's like, warm without being too warm and a cool breeze without being too cool. You look out at this place and see other little paths leading off to other hills and a little path through a forest somewhere. You see that at the various desks, there is like a little receptionist desk at the front of this little patch in the middle of this beautiful field. And you see that there is a gnoll woman who is wearing a little blazer, pantsuit talking to this huge minotaur in like a button-up shirt with a pocket protector and glasses speaking to her. You see that a lot of them have like some badges hanging out of the front of their thing. It's just like a little heavenly, like--

0:40:23 Murph: Secret agent's office?

0:40:23 Brennan: Secret agent's office.

0:40:25 Siobhan: God squad.

0:40:26 Brennan: God squad. You start to walk up, and you see that people look up. You see the minotaur looks up at first. Big shaggy, red minotaur. Sees Pok approaching with you, goes,

0:40:36 Minotaur: [deep, slightly goofy voice] Uh, Gukgak, who do we have here, man?

0:40:40 Brennan: And you see he says,

0:40:40 Pok: This is my son, Riz.

0:40:43 Brennan: You see that they go, the gnoll and the minotaur both cover their mouths for a second and go,

0:40:46 Agents: [gasp] Oh! [sigh sadly]

0:40:51 Riz: No, I'm not dead, I don't-- [whispers] I'm not dead, right, Dad?

0:40:54 Pok: [whispering] You're not dead.

0:40:54 Riz: Okay, good. [normal volume] I'm not dead!

0:40:54 Brennan: They say,

0:40:56 Agents: Ah!

0:40:57 Brennan: You see he says,

0:40:57 Minotaur: Oh man, the kid went interplanar! How about that! And in sophomore year? [Emily laughs]

0:41:04 Brennan: You see that your dad looks and says,

0:41:06 Pok: I know everything about freshman year and all the adventures. I told the whole gang, I kind of—

0:41:10 Brennan: You see there's an empty desk near here. As people come over and start clapping you on the back. A lot of these people are like, kobolds and sahuagin and various like, kind of classically monstrous races.

0:41:23 Murph: Right.

0:41:25 Brennan: You see that they start to come over, pat you on the back and say “hello”. You see a little plaque up on the reception desk here that says, “The Lower Planar Reconnaissance Task Force.” And you see on your dad's desk there is a photo of you and your mom. You see that he walks over with you and you see also a little, like, pen holder that says “Number One Dad” on it. There is a plaque and a mug here. You see he points over to you and says,

0:42:04 Pok: You know, end of last year, they awarded me this.

0:42:07 Brennan: And you see that there's a little polished plaque on the desk that says “On behalf of the association for divine wrath, please accept this memorial that your death at the hands of” --engraved specially, “Emperor of the Red Waste was avenged by”--engraved, “your son Riz Gukgak.” [Murph chuckles]

0:42:16 Ally: [delighted] Awww.

0:42:25 Riz: I started to eat him like a goblin, but then they turned him into a boat. [Emily laughs]

0:42:28 Pok: Ah. I remember, you told me, I remember. [laughing]

0:42:33 Brennan: He also had a little mug on the thing. He says,

0:42:35 Pok: They give you a mug too when you win this.

0:42:38 Brennan: And you see that the mug says “Don't even talk to me until my death's avenged.” [laughing]

0:42:45 Brennan: So, you see he looks over, and a bunch of the other you know, like, detectives here, special agents start clapping you on the back. You see he goes,

0:42:52 Pok: Kid, I can't believe this. Wait, hold on. Clues first, then friends. What's going on? How did you find me?

0:43:03 Riz: Umm, so, Kalina, the Shadow Cat, who said she was your partner... Pok sighs and nods.

0:43:10 Riz: ...has been kind of stalking me with a weird plague disease? And she's gotten into a lot of our friends' bodies too. And she, I don't know why she wanted you broken free, but she seems to have been tempting me by showing me where you were.

0:43:34 Pok: Okay. Let's-- yeah, let's go, let's go to the interrogation room and chat it out real quick.

0:43:42 Brennan: The interrogation room is just two chairs in a part of the field. [Murph laughs]

0:43:45 Brennan: And you see that he walks over with you and sits down. You see he goes,

0:43:49 Pok: Okay, we can figure this out. [somber, investigative piano music starts]

0:43:54 Pok: So, [sighs] here's essentially what happened. First of all, what did you just say, did you say disease?

0:44:00 Riz: It's something that is getting passed along through our friends.

0:44:06 Pok: What's something that's getting passed along through your friends?

0:44:08 Riz: The Shadow Cat being able to see through us and being able to talk to us and us being able to see her.

0:44:15 Brennan: You see his eyes go wide.

0:44:18 Riz: Was she not always like that?

0:44:21 Pok: [serious] No, no, kiddo, I think she was. Kid, you gotta know, the only things I'm up to date on from the Prime Material are— I've been deep undercover since last summer, so I only know what you told me, and other than that, it's all a mess— Okay. A disease. That's why Detect Magic would skip over, 'cause you wouldn't need Detect Magic, you would need Detect Poison and Disease.

0:44:51 Riz: Right.

0:44:51 Ally: Oh.

0:44:54 Pok: Okay, here's the issue. I'll start to cover this with you here. [sighs] Timeline of this: I started first seeing Kalina about 22 years ago. I was a young agent, this was before I met your mom. I— god, a disease. So you think I was infected?

0:45:19 Riz: [uncomfortable, hesitant] Yeah, I didn't, this is a weird conversation, Dad. Is... [cast tittering]

0:45:29 Riz: People have gotten it... sexually.

0:45:33 Murph: I start sweating so much. [laughing]

0:45:35 Riz: [feigning nonchalance, deep voice] They get it sexually from having sex, Dad. Murph makes a series of cartoonish uncomfortable expressions.

0:45:41 Pok: Okay. Hey, listen listen, kiddo.

0:45:47 Riz: I thought heaven fixed this stuff. Murph mimes wiping sweat from his brow. [laughing]

0:45:50 Pok: It's okay. Hey, you're sweating a lot.

0:45:51 Riz: No, I'm cool, yeah, no, I'm good.

0:45:53 Pok: Bud, it's okay, don't worry about it. Listen, okay, yeah, so if she was a plague or a disease, it would make sense that contact would allow that to happen.

0:46:00 Riz: Right.

0:46:03 Pok: I… I met your mom when I was 27 years old. Do you get what I'm saying? There were a lot of years where I was a young spy running around—

0:46:19 Riz: [quickly] Right, yeah.

0:46:22 Pok: Before I knew your mom.

0:46:25 Riz: I'm like 15, I don't know how old you are. I just know that you're old. [Murph and Brennan chuckle]

0:46:29 Brennan: You see he says,

0:46:29 Pok: Well, I was 38 when I died. I would've been 44 if I was still alive.

0:46:36 Riz: Okay.

0:46:39 Pok: Um...

0:46:41 Riz: So, is Kalina some, was she, always like, incorporeal or was she a—

0:46:51 Pok: She didn't seem— I mean, I shook her hand, I could touch her, you know?

0:46:54 Brennan: You remember, though, that Kalina created the sensation of weight on your chest. You know, and then, in the medical stuff that you studied, she, one of the places that they had that cat insignia in the old hieroglyphs was in the spine, which would be able to create the illusion of tactile sensation.

0:47:08 Murph: Right.

0:47:13 Brennan: You see he says,

0:47:13 Pok: But I knew, she couldn't pick stuff up all the time. She—

0:47:20 Brennan: He says,

0:47:20 Pok: Okay, I'll just tell you everything that I know. I worked with Kalina without a problem for about 10 years. I got introduced to her from somebody that I already knew and trusted from the Third Ring. Do you know what the Third Ring is? Murph shakes his head.

0:47:31 Pok: It's part of the Court of Stars. It's part of Fallinel’s government. When Solace and Fallinel needed to work together, we would often collaborate, and we were good partners. I knew that she couldn't get Scried on. I knew that she had ways of finding things out that seemed borderline impossible, but for the most part, you know, I chalked that up to being a good spy. She had elven magic, something else like that.

0:47:57 Riz: And other people could see her, and stuff?

0:48:01 Pok: We were spies, kid. We weren't talking to big rooms full of people most of the time. I mean, I didn't know that something was up for a long time. We would have drop-offs, meeting points. We'd share information. We'd do infiltrations together. You know, that's about it. For, you know, and I didn't work with her all the time. My partner was, when I was partnering with her specifically on something that was of national importance to Fallinel and Solace, but, that doesn't necessarily mean that we spent all the time in the world together.

0:48:34 Riz: Why-- [sighs] She's, I don't know if she's, like-- Do you know what she's doing?

0:48:42 Brennan: You see he says,

0:48:47 Pok: [sighs] Well, you seem to have found out more about her than I knew. We never knew that she was a disease. What I knew, eventually what blew her cover was this: Whatever she is, she doesn't have a godlike intelligence or anything like that. She slipped up. We were on a mission one time, and she said that she remembered something that she couldn't remember. We were in an ancient ruin, and just conversationally she let slip something like “I remember when a river went through here.” A river going through a place, that's an order of geographical time. You know what I'm saying?

0:49:19 Riz: Yeah.

0:49:20 Pok: It was an off-hand thing, I didn't react, but I also knew that she had ways of knowing things she couldn't know, so I couldn't move against her, not overtly. I would tip my hand. So, I ended up going to a group outside of the government to try to find her. This was around the time— Kalina pulled strings to get your mom the detective promotion in Elmville. She always had an interest in Arthur Aguefort and specifically Goldenhoard as well.

0:49:54 Riz: So, when did she... turn, when did she turn evil?

0:50:04 Pok: I don't know how she knew. She— I was so careful, and I went to this, outside of, I went outside the foreign service. I went outside the Council of Chosen. I knew I couldn't go through the government to try to find out about her, and somehow she found out, and she burnt me. Kalina was the one-- [exhales] When I died, I was down in the harbors in Bastion City, and Goldenhoard showed up. Now, part of Goldenhoard's deal with Aguefort or whatever was that thing you mentioned. You know, he said to you about, he could kill people if they weren't Solisian citizens and foreign service agents weren't Solisian citizens. That's a load of bull. I had citizenship when I worked for the foreign service. It was revoked. Someone put me on a list of enemies of the state and got my citizenship taken away, which is how Goldenhoard was able to kill me. I-- look, Goldenhoard is the one that killed me, but I think Kalina somehow found out that I was gunning for her to try to figure out what she was, and I think that she pulled some strings in the government of Solace to get me burned.

0:51:20 Riz: Wow. Why is she, why is she so interested in our family? Why would she help mom?

0:51:29 Pok: [sighs] The only time she ever helped your mom—

0:51:32 Brennan: Give me an Insight check.

0:51:38 Murph: 15.

0:51:39 Brennan: Your dad says,

0:51:41 Pok: Well, we were living in an apartment in Bastion City, and then, we had to move to Elmville 'cause your mom got that promotion, which is what put us in the same town as—

0:51:54 Brennan: And you realize Sklonda having to move to Elmville, getting a job at the police department there meant that Pok and Sklonda were living in the same town as Arthur Aguefort, who had the crown of the Nightmare King in his office.

0:52:06 Riz: Huh. So, what is, do you know what she wants with the crown of the Nightmare King?

0:52:17 Pok: Wish I did, kid. I… [sighs]

0:52:23 Brennan: He looks and says,

0:52:23 Pok: I don't know that I or your mom were special, I think we were a way in. If you're saying that she has to ride other people to be able to get places, you know. I stopped seeing her as much up until we went to Elmville, but she did have a bad sense of humor around-- there was, I remember one time she said a weird thing about a blood drive at the foreign service. There was another time where she tried to-- I don't know, she was always careful about it, she was good, but she pushed her luck sometimes. Joked about me being unfaithful to your mom or-- I don't know that we were special. I think that we were, maybe if she was a disease, her closest shot to getting to the crown.

0:53:19 Riz: Did she have any connection with Sandra Lynn or did you guys, back in the day?

0:53:26 Pok: Sandra Lynn? I, this is Fig's mom, right?

0:53:31 Riz: Yeah.

0:53:31 Pok: I didn't know Sandra Lynn when I was alive.

0:53:33 Murph: Out of character, she was one of the original people who could see it, right, before any of the— Brennan nods, taking a sip from a coffee cup.

0:53:39 Murph: Okay.

0:53:43 Siobhan: But she's only been able to see it in the last three years.

0:53:44 Murph: Right, right.

0:53:50 Ally: Wait, how do we know that? Siobhan explains the situation to Ally quietly in the background.

0:53:50 Brennan: He says,

0:53:52 Pok: I knew that she was partially incorporeal, or I knew that she-- some stuff she couldn't do. When I took that photo of her. She was really careful about not letting people take pictures of her.

0:54:03 Riz: Yeah.

0:54:04 Brennan: And there was a mixer, there was a party at the service, and she showed up, and I asked someone to snap a shot. The person was confused, I didn't clock it at the moment as being anything strange.

0:54:22 Riz: Yeah, for whatever reason, when we first started on this quest to try to find the Nightmare King's crown, the only people that could see Kalina in the picture were me, Mom, and Sandra Lynn.

0:54:38 Pok: That's interesting, the photo...

0:54:40 Brennan: You see he says,

0:54:41 Pok: After I took that photo of her-- Kalina used to be able to do some really impressive Illusion magic. I remember her running around doing stuff. I saw her do some impressive stuff. She stopped being-- after that photo, some of her illusory capabilities were lessened a little bit. I don't know what that means, but--

0:55:05 Riz: There's something—

0:55:05 Pok: I remember—

0:55:07 Brennan: He says,

0:55:07 Pok: I started looking up some stuff in the service though about her. I looked up this thing about this Landrin Lier--

0:55:15 Brennan: And you remember, seeing your dad, that's the stuff that Arianwen's research was about.

0:55:17 Murph: Yeah, I guess I fill my dad in too, about the stuff we found about the god with no name and things like that.

0:55:27 Riz: And I don't know, if you're able to take pictures of her and it takes her power away or something, is… Is she the god with no name? If we make her real, then she becomes less powerful or something? I don't...

0:55:48 Brennan: You see he goes,

0:55:48 Pok: I'm not sure.

0:55:52 Brennan: Give me a Medicine check.

0:55:55 Murph: 9!

0:55:59 Brennan: Cool. You're not certain why the photo would've weakened her, but some-- you're noodling on it. You're trying to think of why, maybe. So, your dad says,

0:56:10 Pok: Yeah, the timeline for me is again, met her when I was 22, worked with her for a long time, but after working with her for about 10 years...

0:56:19 Riz: [casually] You guys have sex, or? Brennan raises his eyebrows and tilts his head, his eyes going wide.

0:56:22 Riz: Did you guys have… [laughing]

0:56:26 Lou: The Ball!

0:56:28 Riz: [awkwardly] A lot of my friends, are into, [under his breath] having sex and stuff, [feigning confidence] and if you did, that's fine 'cause you guys-- people have sex, dad. Murph makes an exaggerated “and what about it?” kind of expression, then wipes the sweat from his brow. [laughing]

0:56:42 Riz: [shouting] It's fine, Dad. People hook up, man! [raucous laughter] [Lou claps]

0:56:51 Brennan: Your dad, kind of, steeples his fingers, and really looks at you for a second and goes,

0:57:00 Pok: Riz, are you, you're, you’re-- sophomore year, yeah, I hear that. Do you, have you... you don't talk about it when you come and talk to me, but have you ever... “hooked up” yourself? Murph leans forward and raises his eyebrows conspiratorially.

0:57:17 Riz: [whispering] Had sex?

0:57:17 Pok: Had sex? You can tell me. [Emily cackles]

0:57:22 Riz: N-no, no.

0:57:24 Pok: It's okay.

0:57:24 Riz: Yeah.

0:57:25 Brennan: You see he looks up and says,

0:57:29 Pok: I was, if you're concerned about this, I was always faithful to your mother.

0:57:36 Riz: Cool.

0:57:37 Pok: Before I met Sklonda, I was extremely not faithful for many years, and then, I met the person that— ah, without grossing you out, put all the rest in the past.

0:57:54 Riz: Cool. I guess just from-- so I can figure out, 'cause this is a weird thing, because I'm a detective but also I'm your son. I just really need to know if you had sex with this person. [laughing]

0:58:08 Brennan: He's like,

0:58:08 Pok: You're trying to, you think I was infected?

0:58:09 Riz: Yes.

0:58:14 Pok: And so you're trying to figure out when that would've happened. I mean, the answer is it could've happened in a lot of different times— [Lou gasps dramatically]

0:58:23 Pok: Prior to... It was a different uh, it was a different era back then, I… [groaning] [chuckling]

0:58:30 Siobhan: Oh boy.

0:58:30 Emily: Ew.

0:58:30 Lou: Get out, no no no.

0:58:33 Pok: I wasn't, when I was very young, I wasn't as careful as I could've been, I do regret that, but—

0:58:39 Lou: [dramatically] Pok!

0:58:39 Pok: But I went to the doctor you know, had all that-- [various distressed “Oy” noises]

0:58:42 Pok: We had all that taken care of. Murph mimes wiping his forehead.

0:58:45 Riz: [strained] Right, cool, dad.

0:58:45 Brennan: You see he says,

0:58:49 Pok: But-- [tittering]

0:58:52 Brennan: He goes,

0:58:52 Pok: There could've been any number of, is it, it sounds like she's a disease. There's a million other ways—

0:59:01 Riz: Blood transfusion, many other...

0:59:03 Brennan: He says,

0:59:06 Pok: You know, there was this--

0:59:08 Brennan: He goes to, he walks over to his desk in the interrogation room with you and begins to look through some things. Part of his records. He was like,

0:59:15 Pok: The first time I encountered the Third Ring I was 22, it was one of my first missions. I was in this old fortress called Acarian, which is in Fallinel somewhere, and I was in a firefight in this old fortress of the Third Ring, and I busted in through this secret door, and there was this old cobwebbed place. I remember finding a shelf full of potions there. They had some old healing potions. I don't know... It was shortly after that that I met Kalina for the first time, and I'm trying to remember if there would've been any other thing that would've happened. I don't think so. Do you know that-- is it possible to get this illness, this plague in other ways?

1:00:09 Riz: I, if she was--

1:00:11 Brennan: You remember the Life Transference that—

1:00:12 Riz: Yeah, it was, yeah, it was through a spell.

1:00:15 Brennan: He says,

1:00:15 Pok: I think there might be more than one way to get this, kiddo. I think this is a general plague. I don't think this is necessarily...

1:00:23 Riz: [strained, deep voice] A sex plague? [laughing] Murph mimes wiping his brow, covering his hand with his mouth, and wringing the sweat from his hands.

1:00:29 Pok: I don't think it's-- I think sex is a scandalous subject, and so that might draw your attention—

1:00:33 Riz: Right, yeah.

1:00:33 Pok: But I think it might be a more general disease. Murph nods silently for several moments Brennan raises his eyebrows

1:00:40 Riz: [quickly] Got it. [others laughing]

1:00:40 Riz: We don't have to talk about sex anymore, Dad. [Murph breaks into breathless laughter]

1:00:44 Pok: If you have any questions--

1:00:44 Riz: I actively don't wanna talk about it.

1:00:46 Pok: Last time I was able to talk to you, you were nine years old. You've grown up a lot, kiddo. I-- I really miss you.

1:00:55 Riz: [voice cracks] I missed you too, dad. And I'm...

1:00:58 Pok: You can, this is okay to talk for a father and a son. I missed all of puberty. Maybe not all, but I missed a lot of it.

1:01:04 Riz: Yeah, I don't know, I just don't... it just isn't happening yet? Like, not even just the act is not happening yet, like me wanting to do it.

1:01:18 Pok: It's not happening?

1:01:23 Riz: It's not happening yet. And my friends are all like, [whispered] super horny. [chuckling]

1:01:29 Pok: Yeah, that checks out.

1:01:29 Riz: Yeah.

1:01:35 Pok: Well, kiddo, if it never happens, that's also okay. There's a lot to life to enjoy, and I already know that you matter a lot to your friends and a lot to your family. So, you know, if you never end up having those desires, that's completely okay, bud.

1:02:00 Ally: [softly, choked up] You're killing me in this episode. [giggling]

1:02:04 Brennan: You see, he says,

1:02:07 Pok: But if you, it's also okay if it doesn't happen for years, you know? That's also fine. You're your own person. It's gonna happen on your own time, or not, and either way is A-okay, bud. I won't lie, you know, I know that me and your mom would love to see some grandkids-- [Lou chuckles]

1:02:29 Pok: But that has nothing to do with procreation, that can happen a lot of other ways.

1:02:33 Riz: Right.

1:02:33 Pok: Selfish, I know, but I'd love that Gukgak name to continue. Gotta have another little young one scrambling around looking for blocks under the sofa.

1:02:43 Brennan: See, he looks at you and says,

1:02:51 Pok: [sighs] I also wanna show you this.

1:02:53 Brennan: He opens up his desk and says,

1:02:55 Pok: This is my senior year yearbook photo.

1:03:00 Brennan: And he pulls up a photo. Your dad is in a like, short-sleeve plaid shirt with wavy hair and a middle part. Huge braces all over his teeth making a face like, Brennan contorts his face into an awkward, wide-eyed expression between a smile and a grimace. [laughing]

1:03:18 Brennan: Triple chin, like, snaggled back.

1:03:21 Murph: Riz, with zero self-awareness,

1:03:21 Riz: [laughing] Dad, you were a dork! [laughing]

1:03:26 Brennan: Snatches it back.

1:03:26 Pok: I know what I was, all right? Look, the Gukgaks bloom if and when they bloom, and that's fine. And if you're like your old man, you will bloom in junior year of college. But--

1:03:41 Riz: [softly] Wow.

1:03:44 Pok: But after that, if I haven't already made it clear--

1:03:46 Riz: No, you’re, I mean--

1:03:46 Pok: We were off to the races.

1:03:48 Riz: Yeah.

1:03:51 Pok: I don't mean to make you uncomfortable.

1:03:53 Riz: This is, Dad, this is amazing. You're a-- [sighs] You're everything I could've ever wanted you to be. [Lou sighs]

1:04:05 Riz: You're in heaven, and you choose to leave to do your job. It's beautiful.

1:04:20 Pok: [softly] I love you so much, kid.

1:04:21 Riz: I love you, Dad.

1:04:25 Pok: [choked up] You know, there's something I always think about which is that um... I didn't get all the years with you that I wanted, and I didn't get the years with you that I would've wanted to give you and your mom, and… My old man said something to me when I was a youngster, and I'll pass it on to you, which is, you know, people show love in different ways. They hug, they kiss, they say sweet things to each other, and I didn't have a close relationship with my dad. He was a very distant guy. You know, he was first generation in Solace. His parents were goblins out in the Mountains of Chaos, and-- [sighs] He, uh… I didn't get along with him. He was always off working. You know he was a beat cop in Bastion City, gone all the time, didn't have many kind words to say. And I remember when I was an adult... [swallows] I found his locket when he was an older guy, and it had a picture of me and your aunts and your uncle in it, and he just... When he was older and he was sick, he told me that he loved me, and he said it was hard for him to say it with words, but he never had a hard time saying it with actions, and every time he walked to that street to bring home a little bit of cash for us, keep us fed, keep a roof over our head... When I went out on those missions I thought about the same thing a lot. Work is an act of love. And, just because you're a little anxious, you get a little flop sweat, I know, and I think your mom knows, and I think your friends know, that you stayin’ up with your boards at night trying to crack the case. You don't do that because you don't care about people. That's you saying “I love you” to the people that matter to you most.

1:06:54 Riz: Thanks, Dad.

1:06:56 Brennan: Gives you a kiss on the head. You see he looks and says,

1:07:04 Pok: So, after I was... dead, I found out what heaven already knew about Kalina, which was everything to do with her-- we didn't know she was a disease. You cracked that open for us, literally right now. We knew that she was a servant of the Nightmare King. So, we spent about two months putting up a cover for me and got my soul down to hell because we basically went, most demons are able to see Kalina. The Abyss, just the disease is, yeah, I guess spread through. Devils have been able to keep her at bay really well, and we wanted to find out why, and what their wards were. So I was gonna go deep undercover, which is what I do here on the task force. We go down into the lower planes. We disguise ourselves as petitioners, and we do work with the celestial planes, you know. As long as we can keep the Abyss and the Nine Hells fighting each other, war doesn't come to the upper planes. And eventually, what ended up happening was we got down, but my entry point was this place called the Bottomless Pit in the Nine Hells, and I got basically trapped there for a long time. It was like nobody knew that I was there. They were like, gummed up. The work was gummed up. Someone wasn't doing the job they were supposed to be doing, and— Emily grimaces shamefully.

1:08:34 Riz: Right, that’s— Gorthalax, Fig's dad, was captured.

1:08:38 Pok: Oh, Fig's biological dad, gotcha. And Gorthalax, you—

1:08:47 Brennan: Would Riz have mentioned to his dad that Gorthalax and his mom had been— When you like, visit your dad's grave, do you think he would've mentioned Gorthalax and your mom? [gasping] [tittering] Emily opens her mouth wide in shock, turning to Zac. She hits Zac’s shoulder then covers her mouth with her hand.

1:08:59 Murph: [laughing] I think I think maybe not. I think this was Riz legitimately just like, slipping up and then just thinking that he's never brought it up.

1:09:09 Brennan: Cool, he says,

1:09:09 Pok: Yeah, there was this big pit fiend there. Murph fervently wipes sweat from his brow. [giggling]

1:09:12 Pok: He was wearing a whistle around his neck, and it was like he going through like a backlog of all the souls he hadn't processed. There was some other, there was this devil woman yelling at him.

1:09:18 Riz: [restrained] Uh-huh.

1:09:24 Pok: But he—

1:09:28 Riz: [quickly, strained] Is dating mom. Murph’s eyebrows raise. Brennan tilts his head towards Murph and raises his eyebrows as well. They exchange a look.

1:09:32 Riz: Gor— Gorthalax.

1:09:34 Pok: [low] Fig's dad is dating your mom?

1:09:36 Riz: [whispered] Yeah. Brennan exhales slowly and pauses for a long moment, nodding thoughtfully

1:09:41 Lou: Oof.

1:09:45 Emily: [whispering] But he's trapped in a gem. [giggling]

1:09:47 Riz: He's in a gem right now, but he's a really nice guy. He's a really nice guy.

1:09:52 Pok: Hey, you've described him before. He sounds like a really nice guy. [pause] Good for your mom. [chuckling]

1:09:56 Riz: Um, I—

1:10:00 Pok: Hey, kid, it's okay.

1:10:00 Riz: Yeah, I know, I didn't mean to bring it up. I'm, I’m sorry, I didn't wanna lie to you by omitting anything.

1:10:10 Pok: Hey, I would rather--

1:10:10 Riz: He's always getting trapped in gems. Murph covers the side of his mouth with his hand, then makes a cartoonish expression.

1:10:12 Riz: [goofy voice] It's kinda pathetic. [laughing]

1:10:18 Riz: If I'm like, devil who always gets trapped in a gem or undercover angel dad? Uh, undercover angel dad! ‘Cause he has sex! [shocked laughing]

1:10:29 Emily: [quietly] Tell him his daughter trapped him in a gem.

1:10:31 Riz: Fig trapped him in a gem!

1:10:34 Brennan: You see he says,

1:10:34 Pok: Got it. Look, he seems like-- [giggling]

1:10:36 Brennan: He says,

1:10:36 Pok: He seems like a great guy. Kid--

1:10:41 Riz: We don't have to talk about how great a guy-- He's fine.

1:10:44 Pok: Okay.

1:10:45 Riz: I'm not one of those kids.

1:10:47 Pok: Yeah, I gotcha.

1:10:48 Riz: It was just a weird way to bring it up.

1:10:50 Brennan: He says,

1:10:50 Pok: In any case,

1:10:50 Brennan: He says,

1:10:50 Pok: Yeah, he pulled me out and then passed me up the chain of command, which is how I ended up in that interrogation room.

1:10:58 Riz: Right.

1:11:00 Pok: How did you find me?

1:11:02 Riz: Kalina… Kalina showed me.

1:11:09 Pok: How did Kalina know I was there?

1:11:13 Riz: If she can tap into my system, she can [concerned] tap into yours? And maybe tap into heaven?

1:11:25 Brennan: You see he shakes his head and says,

1:11:27 Pok: She might be able to tap into yours right now, but--

1:11:29 Brennan: He looks at you and says,

1:11:29 Pok: This is not my body, kid. My body was eaten by your old vice principal.

1:11:35 Riz: Right.

1:11:38 Pok: I got a new body when I showed up here.

1:11:42 Emily: Oh, that's good.

1:11:44 Brennan: You see he looks at you and says,

1:11:52 Pok: When… when did this... What do you know the extent of Kalina's abilities are?

1:12:00 Riz: I know that she can-- If you have the disease, she can see through your eyes. She can affect your spine in some way, she was able to paralyze me one time. She can, it's, she cannot get into your thoughts. And she can only inhabit one person at a time.

1:12:24 Pok: She can get into your eyes though, right?

1:12:25 Riz: Yeah. Murph furrows his brow and his mouth flattens in a curious expression.

1:12:27 Pok: I'm not asking this because I'm upset. I'm asking this because we gotta crack the case. When did your mom and Gorthalax start dating?

1:12:38 Riz: Right after freshman year?

1:12:42 Pok: So, end of summer last year, Gorthalax pulls me out of a chain of captured souls in the Bottomless Pit, and he's been dating your mom for a couple months at that point. Murph nods.

1:12:59 Pok: So, that's how Kalina saw me. Did Kalina tell you to come rescue me?

1:13:10 Riz: [pause] It was more just like dangling a carrot in front of me. She was trying to prove that she was my friend, essentially.

1:13:19 Pok: Or she was trying to get you to come rescue me so that I would blow my cover.

1:13:26 Riz: [nodding, with an upset look on his face] Yeah.

1:13:29 Pok: She's good.

1:13:31 Riz: Yeah, she is the worst, Dad.

1:13:35 Pok: I realized that after I died. [Lou snorts]

1:13:41 Riz: Do you have any contact with your, do you know where your body is?

1:13:47 Pok: I would assume, well, you should know that my body was incinerated.

1:13:50 Riz: Right.

1:13:54 Pok: So, I— Anything that your vice principal would've eaten would've been ash.

1:14:01 Riz: Okay.

1:14:03 Brennan: You see he looks and says,

1:14:08 Pok: [sighs] Okay, you have a lot to do. Hopefully, some of this has been helpful or informative so you at least understand the timeline. Kiddo, I gotta ask you something. You were asking if I slept with Kalina. Do you know that she has ever been real?

1:14:37 Riz: [shaking his head] I don't.

1:14:42 Pok: [thoughtfully] That photo...

1:14:46 Brennan: You see he looks at you and says,

1:14:46 Pok: All right. I think we've covered about everything I know about Kalina. Is there anything else, any other questions I can answer for you?

1:15:01 Riz: Yeah. After I go back, is there any way for me to see you again?

1:15:15 Pok: Short of some pretty powerful magic, I don't think so, bud.

1:15:24 Riz: Alright. Well, I've got some pretty powerful friends, so.

1:15:28 Pok: You're damn right, kid.

1:15:30 Lou: Oh ho ho. Emily sticks her tongue out and gestures pointedly in celebration.

1:15:31 Brennan: You see he looks at you and says,

1:15:36 Pok: [sighs] How do you feel about, how old are you now, you're 16 now?

1:15:40 Riz: Yeah.

1:15:41 Pok: That's old enough to do part-time work, right?

1:15:45 Riz: I do overtime work, Dad. [Brennan laughs]

1:15:45 Riz: I don't sleep.

1:15:50 Brennan: Okay, you see he looks over and he says,

1:15:51 Pok: Mike, can we get some part-time start form for the kid here? We're gonna hire a consultant. [Emily laughs]

1:15:57 Brennan: We are gonna cut back to the Astral Plane. You guys are on the Goldenrod, hovering in like, empty kind of Astral space. What do you guys do as you come through? You finish talking to Kalvaxus, you’re back on the ship.

1:16:07 Zac: Wow.

1:16:17 Fig: I thought we were going back to the Hangvan.

1:16:20 Fabian: Are we using the—

1:16:20 Brennan: You guys wanna go back to Arborly?

1:16:21 Adaine: Oh, yeah.

1:16:21 Gorgug: Yeah.

1:16:23 Brennan: Cool.

1:16:23 Gorgug: Do you wanna say— goodbye to your dad?

1:16:24 Adaine: I mean, unless there's anything here that's obviously...

1:16:26 Fabian: I mean, of course, I wanna give my papa a big hug before we depart, but I mean, that's last orders.

1:16:33 Zac: Can I look through the like, piles of like, holy relics to see if I can get like, some holy oil or anything like that, like or any like useful shit.

1:16:39 Brennan: Oh sure, if you guys wanna just throw some holy water on your stuff, go for it.

1:16:45 Emily: Can I put holy water on my stuff as an archdevil?

1:16:48 Brennan: As long as you don't touch it.

1:16:50 Emily: Whoa, okay.

1:16:50 Fig: Gorgug, will you—

1:16:52 Siobhan: Can I do an Investigation check?

1:16:55 Brennan: Yeah, do an Investigation check.

1:16:56 Siobhan: On this pile of holy stuff. Okay, that's a 21.

1:17:02 Brennan: 21, pretty good.

1:17:02 Siobhan: Pretty good.

1:17:06 Brennan: You look over and see huge crates of all the stuff that the pirates stole from Dis and also stuff that the pirates stole from the Bottomless Pit. As you open, on a 21, you see, even though it is months ahead of time, a pre-wrapped birthday gift for Fig from Gorthalax.

1:17:21 Lou: Oh.

1:17:29 Siobhan: Ah! Siobhan raises her eyebrows, looking towards Emily, then holds up one hand as if presenting a small object.

1:17:37 Fig: Oh.

1:17:38 Brennan: Sorry, not this. Brennan repeats Siobhan’s gesture.

1:17:38 Brennan: This. Brennan stretches his arms out to the side of him, forming the vague shape of a guitar.

1:17:38 Siobhan: Oh.

1:17:41 Brennan: And it's a very conspicuous shape.

1:17:44 Siobhan: My minus two to strength. Siobhan holds her arms out laboriously. Zac mimes taking the object from Siobhan with ease and giving it to Emily with one hand.

1:17:47 Emily: I'll take it.

1:17:50 Fig: I feel like I should wait for him to open it.

1:17:52 Gorgug: I feel like he'd probably want you to open it-- I just wanna see what it is.

1:17:55 Fig: Yeah. [laughing]

1:17:59 Adaine: I can cast Detect Magic on it if you'd like, as a ritual.

1:18:01 Fig: I feel like I don't deserve this. I've put him in a gem, and now, I'm just gonna get presents from him.

1:18:03 Adaine: You didn’t put him in a gem, Kalina did.

1:18:05 Gorgug: But what if it helps you get him out of the gem?

1:18:07 Adaine: Yeah.

1:18:08 Fig: [pointing to Gorgug] Dang, you're good at this. Emily frantically scratches and tears at the air, miming eagerly opening her present. [laughing]

1:18:08 Gorgug: [childlike excitement] Open the present!

1:18:12 Adaine: Save the paper, save the paper!

1:18:14 Kristen: Ooh.

1:18:15 Lou: Ooh, what is it?

1:18:16 Brennan: You unwrap it.

1:18:16 Zac: “Save the paper.” [giggling]

1:18:19 Zac: Classic Ad.

1:18:19 Fabian: Oh, Adaine. You can always get more paper.

1:18:22 Adaine: No, it's really nice!

1:18:26 Brennan: You unwrap this thing. [upbeat rock music starts]

1:18:29 Siobhan: Woah. Zac nods his head to the beat of the music. Emily smiles devilishly, rubbing her hands together and sticking her tongue out.

1:18:31 Brennan: You see the sickest bass guitar. Like, devil horns on the top. Four bright ruby red strings. The like, even though it's electric, it has like, where the hole would be in an acoustic a like, fanged maw is there. This just like, devilish scaled fucking bass, and you see that there is like a little like place for a like a wah-wah or whatever--

1:18:54 Emily: Wah-wah pedal.

1:18:55 Brennan: A little wah-wah pedal. And you see next to that there is a little, just one of those little like antennae switches, very short and stubby that says: “automatically shatter nearby rubies” / “don't automatically shatter nearby rubies.”

1:19:09 Ally: What!

1:19:09 Emily: [high-pitched, exuberant] I switch it to “automatically shatter nearby rubies,” and I take it for it’s first spin! Emily smiles widely, holding her arms up at her sides. She punctuates her sentence by bringing one arm down as if strumming the guitar. [laughing]

1:19:14 Brennan: One of the nearby pirates has a thing on his belt explode and the shrapnel goes into his leg.

1:19:17 Pirate: [cries out in pain]

1:19:21 Brennan: Falls over.

1:19:21 Gorgug: [distressed] He's dead! [laughing]

1:19:25 Brennan: You see Bill goes,

1:19:25 Bill: Ooh, that be a stately bass, lass!

1:19:30 Fig: I agree! My dad knows me well. One of them. Both of them do, I'm just saying. Gilear didn't hear that, right?

1:19:38 Adaine: Gilear, what did you get her for her birthday?

1:19:40 Lou: [chuckling] Oh my god.

1:19:40 Gilear: It's not your birthday yet.

1:19:43 Fig: I know.

1:19:43 Gilear: Right?

1:19:44 Fig: Yeah.

1:19:44 Gilear: Gorthalax already got-- I already got you something as well.

1:19:47 Fig: Really?

1:19:48 Kristen: What is it Gilear? Do you have it on you?

1:19:50 Gilear: [nervous] It would ruin the surprise. [Emily chuckles]

1:19:53 Gilear: Also, I'm still saving up for it. [tittering]

1:19:57 Fig: [pityingly] Oh, no.

1:19:57 Ally: Oh… oh.

1:19:57 Gorgug: Okay, yeah.

1:19:58 Kristen: Okay.

1:19:59 Gilear: The kitchen of my apartment got termites, and also some nearby buildings that my landlord decided to charge me for as well.

1:20:02 Siobhan: Oh no.

1:20:05 Gilear: So, we're sort of strapped at the moment.

1:20:07 Emily: Can I slide some money into his pocket?

1:20:08 Brennan: [chuckling] Yes.

1:20:09 Adaine: Wait, aren't you in Fabian's garage? Aren't you living in Fabian's garage?

1:20:13 Gilear: I'm not allowed to break my lease. My landlord's adult son threatened to kick my ass.

1:20:17 Fabian: What? Why didn't you tell me, Gilear? I'll go kick his ass.

1:20:21 Gorgug: I think it's... you. Wait.

1:20:21 Gilear: [tearfully] You would do that? [stifles a sob]

1:20:24 Fabian: I mean, now, I would. Then, I probably wouldn't have, but when we get back, I'll, I’ll kick that adult son's ass. [Murph giggles]

1:20:30 Siobhan: I pull a lemon yogurt out of my jacket and then give it to him.

1:20:33 Gilear: Incredible.

1:20:34 Brennan: You see that Bill walks, sort of strides across the deck, claps a hand on Gilear's back and says,

1:20:42 Bill: Gilear, my boy. You're a fine man, I can see by the eyes of your daughter that you are well and truly loved, and I see that my boy will take care of you as well. And you know the tender touch of Hallariel, the most beautiful woman in the world. Take good care of her, Gilear, and if any man looks askance at her, you slit his throat-- or I'll slit yours!

1:21:05 Adaine: What about if any woman looks askance at her?

1:21:10 Bill: [laughs] Dealer's choice! [laughing]

1:21:17 Brennan: You see, you see that Gilear says,

1:21:17 Gilear: I already know what this dealer shall choose. [laughing]

1:21:25 Brennan: You see Bill says,

1:21:25 Bill: We are alike, you and I, in so many ways.

1:21:31 Brennan: And Gilear goes,

1:21:31 Gilear: What?

1:21:32 Fig: I see it, I see it, I do. I was thinking that. Billear, really. [Siobhan laughs]

1:21:37 Brennan: You see he says,

1:21:37 Bill: I wish for nothing more than for you to make an honest woman of Hallariel. Let us talk, I'll try to tell you as much as I know about how to make her happy.

1:21:46 Brennan: And you see he says,

1:21:47 Gilear: Er—

1:21:48 Brennan: And you see he says,

1:21:49 Bill: Now, what she absolutely loves is chaos, chaos in the house! [laughing]

1:21:54 Brennan: And you see Gilear says,

1:21:54 Gilear: Help!

1:21:56 Brennan: And he starts being marched across the desk-- uh, the deck of the ship. For the rest of you: So you see this insane devilish bass there. You see that the bass looks, like, reinforced on the back with like cast iron, and you see that there are some, like, horns on the side that you think might be ornamental, and then you realize are partially serrated. This is like, for swinging at people as much as it is for playing music. [laughing]

1:22:25 Emily: I try it out on Gorgug. Emily clasps her hands together and swings them towards Zac.

1:22:27 Gorgug: Ah! [flinches from impact]

1:22:28 Siobhan: [facetiously] He's not raging, and he's at 20 AC.

1:22:30 Zac: [jokingly] I die. Gorgug just-- [laughing] Zac drops his head backwards, and Murph repeats the action.

1:22:32 Murph: [chuckling] Clean cut off, head off.

1:22:33 Ally: “Waaaah!”

1:22:35 Siobhan: We're out of Revivify diamonds, and there’s--

1:22:37 Brennan: Okay, so you guys [mumbles] you get that cool, that's like the coolest thing you find. The rest of you find some vials of holy water and stuff like that. So, do you guys open the door back to Arborly and get out of there?

1:22:50 Gorgug: Let's get the hell outta here.

1:22:51 Adaine: Yeah, I think so.

1:22:51 Fig: Yeah.

1:22:52 Lou: I run and give my papa a big hug.

1:22:55 Brennan: You go give your papa a big hug.

1:22:56 Ally: Can I look for some like, do a Religion check for some paintings of people? [snickering]

1:23:02 Ally: I'm just collecting art now.

1:23:02 Brennan: Yeah, sure, you get a Religion check.

1:23:05 Emily: 'Cause Goldenrod told you to?

1:23:07 Ally: That is a 24.

1:23:09 Brennan: You get a nice little painting of a saint that is smashed to bits because it was about to be fired out of a cannon at somebody.

1:23:16 Adaine: That's actually like found art, which is like, very rad right now.

1:23:19 Kristen: Yeah, it's very cool.

1:23:19 Ally: Very cool, okay, yeah, I take it.

1:23:20 Adaine: It's like a statement.

1:23:22 Gorgug: It’s bohemian.

1:23:23 Brennan: You see that Gilear comes back looking truly rattled. Sandra Lynn kind of furrows her brow and steers him away from Bill for a second as Bill looks over at you, Fabian. Looks at you. [glorious, heroic, Seacaster pirate orchestral music starts]

1:23:38 Bill: I don't know if I've ever seen the likes of it, my boy. You're gonna put them all to shame.

1:23:47 Fabian: Who are all— All, who is all? Bill. Anyone that crosses your path.

1:23:52 Fabian: Oh yes, very much so.

1:23:55 Brennan: You see he says,

1:23:55 Bill: My praise you don't need. Your name is being written, boy, and I can't wait to see it finished.

1:24:06 Fabian: I'm off to be a man-boy, all on my own.

1:24:08 Bill: [chokes back a sob]

1:24:11 Brennan: [motioning to his eye] The ember, fiery. [mimes a tear]

1:24:14 Bill: My own his darling man-boy. [Ally chuckles]

1:24:18 Fabian: One more hug.

1:24:21 Brennan: He says,

1:24:21 Bill: There will be one for ye waiting here any time you come to Hell. [roars] Brennan reaches out his arms and wraps them in a crushing hug.

1:24:26 Fabian: Ow ow ow!

1:24:29 Bill: Hah! That's my son!

1:24:29 Fabian: Ow, this hurts! [laughing]

1:24:33 Brennan: And he sends you back through Arborly, and he says,

1:24:36 Bill: Best of luck on your quest, and if I ever see you again, you're all dead!

1:24:42 Adaine: Nice to see you too, Mister Seacaster!

1:24:43 Fig: Hey! Look over the Bottomless Pit for me!

1:24:47 Bill: [laughs] Look over it I will, lass.

1:24:50 Adaine: Oh, do you have any wizards with you?

1:24:52 Bill: Wizards?

1:24:52 Adaine: Yes.

1:24:53 Bill: None!

1:24:53 Adaine: Damn.

1:24:55 Bill: Wait, should I get some?

1:24:55 Adaine: Yes!

1:24:56 Bill: I'll try. Oh, and I'm gonna go to the Inn of the Infinite in the Astral Plane and sell off all of this treasure. Most of it I stole from you so I'll cut you in 50/50.

1:25:05 Fig: Okay! I wasn't even gonna ask, but sure!

1:25:10 Bill: [laughs maniacally] To war! Or to market, but then to war.

1:25:14 Gorgug: Okay, bye!

1:25:14 Fig: Bye!

1:25:16 Fabian: Love you!

1:25:17 Brennan: Unfurl the scroll, walk back into Arborly. Well, you guys are back in front of Holly Hill— [sighs of relief] [slow, creeping music plays]

1:25:21 Brennan: With the Hangvan near you.

1:25:24 Zac: Wow.

1:25:24 Siobhan: Okay.

1:25:25 Lou: Oh, and can I have wheeled the Hagv— like the corpse, or the— the bike back with us?

1:25:31 Brennan: Yes, this is not as bad as it was before. A quick Mending from your wax, and [engine revving noise].

1:25:36 Adaine: Oh, yeah. I can cast Mending on it.

1:25:36 Fabian: We'll get it back.

1:25:39 Gorgug: This is, um, maybe it can wait for later, but I'll say it now.

1:25:46 Zac: I try to get us away from Gilear.

1:25:51 Gorgug: So, like—

1:25:51 Kristen: He's the chosen one.

1:25:53 Gorgug: He's the chosen one for sure. [Emily laughs] Siobhan shakes her head and hums in disapproval.

1:25:56 Gorgug: He kinda keeps dying.

1:25:56 Adaine: Yeah.

1:25:57 Fig: [quietly] I know.

1:25:58 Gorgug: I wonder if there's, it's just maybe better for him if we--

1:26:04 Adaine: Just leave him here?

1:26:05 Fig: [disappointed] Yeah, we can leave him.

1:26:05 Gorgug: I don't think we can take him to the Nightmare King forest, right?

1:26:08 Adaine: No, for sure not.

1:26:08 Kristen: I don’t think so either.

1:26:10 Adaine: I mean, Sandra Lynn speaks Sylvan.

1:26:13 Gorgug: He's wonderful.

1:26:13 Kristen: Yeah.

1:26:14 Fabian: I mean, of course, he does want to go.

1:26:17 Gorgug: Maybe the chosen one goes home. That’s his--

1:26:19 Adaine: Yeah, maybe the choice is to leave and not-- just die every five minutes.

1:26:27 Fabian: I mean, everyone knows that I'm pro-Gilear being there 'cause I feel like he's part of—

1:26:32 Adaine: Also, is this chosen one thing a bit because I really don't understand.

1:26:36 Fabian: Oh no, I mean, there was a moment at the Hotel Cavalier where a bunch of demons ran past me to attack Gilear. [giggling]

1:26:43 Fabian: Me, a clear offensive threat. Attacking Gilear? There's something special about him.

1:26:46 Fig: Yeah, yeah.

1:26:49 Gorgug: He was amazing.

1:26:49 Adaine: Right, that's why you think he's the chosen one.

1:26:52 Fabian: That's why I know he's the chosen one.

1:26:53 Kristen: That's why we all know that he's the chosen one.

1:26:55 Fabian: Think is a strong word.

1:26:56 Fig: Okay. I'll tell him. I'll tell him.

1:26:58 Fabian: Yeah.

1:27:00 Brennan: You see Sandra Lynn's over there. You see that Sandra Lynn and Gilear are both talking. As you walk over to go talk to them, you guys are over there with Ragh, Tracker, and you see that Ayda looks over at you and goes,

1:27:15 Ayda: You were remarkable in that fight.

1:27:19 Fig: I mean, not as good as you, but you know. I try to put on a little bit of a show.

1:27:24 Ayda: You eviscerated, with powerful rock magic, the evil coach of your high school.

1:27:31 Fig: Yeah, but you kind of like, bent the battlefield to your will.

1:27:36 Ayda: That's an extremely evocative phrasing of that, and it makes me sound very cool when you say it that way.

1:27:40 Fig: Well, it was really cool.

1:27:42 Ayda: You're really cool.

1:27:42 Fig: You're really cool.

1:27:43 Ayda: Wow.

1:27:44 Fig: Mm. Yeah, yeah.

1:27:46 Ayda: I think I'm about to have a heart attack. [laughing]

1:27:47 Fig: That's fine, that's cool.

1:27:50 Brennan: You see she says,

1:27:53 Ayda: I completed Plane Shift, and though we did it to come and rescue you— Again, can't believe those devils would think to tangle with a wizard's paramour, that's foolishness. Uh--

1:28:06 Fig: What's a, what’s a paramour?

1:28:06 Ayda: A paramour?

1:28:08 Fig: Mm-hmm.

1:28:08 Ayda: A paramour is a lover.

1:28:12 Fig: [nods] Mm.

1:28:13 Ayda: Is that— Oh, I meant to ask—

1:28:16 Siobhan: All of us are standing in a group like this. Siobhan leans back in her chair with an exaggerated expression of shock on her face. She eyes the other players. [Brennan chuckles]

1:28:20 Emily: Wait, but you guys are-- Oh my god, can I, I cast Greater Invisibility. [laughing]

1:28:27 Brennan: You see--

1:28:27 Kristen: Whoa!

1:28:29 Fabian: Find them!

1:28:30 Lou: I just start casting Faerie Fire. [laughing]

1:28:34 Fabian: I'm not gonna miss this!

1:28:37 Adaine: Also, we can still hear you.

1:28:40 Fig: Maybe we should go somewhere private. I have to talk to Gilear at some point for a really uncomfortable conversations, but.

1:28:46 Brennan: You see that actually your parents both come over. You see Sandra Lynn and Gilear are actually both smiling. You see Sandra Lynn looks over and says,

1:28:58 Sandra Lynn: So as an elven ranger I'm pretty keen of hearing,  and Ayda, I heard something you said on the deck of the ship.

1:29:06 Kristen: We don't know where Ayda and Fig went, actually.

1:29:09 Brennan: You see Ayda’s not, doesn't have Greater Invisibility cast on her. She says—

1:29:13 Emily: [laughing, embarrassed] I actually don't have the spell slot so I didn't. [laughing]

1:29:17 Emily: I just hid behind a bush.

1:29:19 Brennan: You see that your mom looks and says,

1:29:19 Sandra Lynn: Ayda, I know you live in Leviathan, but are planning on maybe moving your library. We would love to have you over for dinner at Mordred Manor sometime.

1:29:24 Lou: Ooh.

1:29:30 Brennan: You see Gilear looks and says,

1:29:34 Gilear: I, for one, am very glad to see that you have decided to spend some time with my daughter Figueroth. It is a incredible improvement over previous partners if you were to chart it on a graph. [laughing]

1:29:53 Gilear: It's a pretty incredible spike.

1:29:54 Emily: I grab Ayda and I say,

1:29:54 Fig: Ayda, I made a promise to myself I wasn't gonna skateboard away from you anymore. So you have to come with me.

1:30:00 Emily: And I grab her on my skateboard and we both skateboard away from the situation. [laughing]

1:30:03 Brennan: You see Ayda goes,

1:30:03 Ayda: [quickly] I’m leaving now! [laughing]

1:30:06 Zac: Just on grass?

1:30:06 Brennan: Skateboard on grass.

1:30:07 Lou: So much pushing.

1:30:09 Brennan: Gilear looks he says,

1:30:11 Gilear: Daughter, do not feel shame.

1:30:13 Brennan: And you see Sandra Lynn goes,

1:30:16 Sandra Lynn: Sometimes the mood just strikes, sweetie. Bye bye!

1:30:19 Fig: Ugh! That's so gross! You guys are so gross—

1:30:24 Sandra Lynn: I'm not gross, you’re cute. That's what’s happening.

1:30:26 Fig: No! How does everyone know?! What precisely happened?

1:30:31 Brennan: You see, Ayda looks over and says,

1:30:33 Ayda: I've committed an error. I told everyone.

1:30:35 Fig: No. That— you didn't commit an error. That's not an error. I just am a private person.

1:30:41 Ayda: Do you wish me to swear an oath of secrecy to tell none of your name ever again?

1:30:48 Fig: [chuckling] No, I mean-- [Ally laughs]

1:30:49 Ayda: For 1000 years of torture, I will keep your name hidden, deep in the shadows.

1:30:53 Fig: I think I can come up with a better secret for 1000 years of torture to be hanging over your head. No, no, no. The cat’s outta the bag, let's keep it out, let's burn the bag, y’know?

1:31:02 Kristen: Hey, should we figure out how to get Riz back?

1:31:04 Fig: Yes. Absolutely! Absolutely.

1:31:08 Brennan: You see that Ayda says,

1:31:08 Ayda: I will let you go speak to your parents, but when you find your biological father's gem, I now know the Plane Shift spell, and I will help you free him.

1:31:24 Fig: Thank you. I also think that maybe I might have a real crude version of it, which is just shattering a ruby.

1:31:32 Ayda: Fun.

1:31:32 Fig: So I mean, we could double team it. Emily winks, then chuckles. Brennan holds for a beat, eyes darting to the side. [giggling]

1:31:36 Ayda: You’ve winked at me again. I didn't catch the meaning but I'm very excited. [laughing]

1:31:42 Ayda: Could you explain what was salacious in your previous statement?

1:31:45 Fig: How about later? I just feel like everyone's watching us, and I'm a very private person.

1:31:50 Ayda: Right, right. Something to look forward to.

1:31:53 Fig: Yeah

1:31:54 Adaine: [to the rest of the party] She’s so red. [Ally laughs]

1:31:54 Brennan: You see, she looks at you and says,

1:31:55 Ayda: You have my feather, you know to call me.

1:31:58 Fig: Wait, are you going somewhere now?

1:32:01 Ayda: I need to go finish shrinking the Compass Points so I can move to—

1:32:03 Fig: [dismayed] Wait, you're going back to Compass Points? You just got here.

1:32:05 Ayda: Do you want me to... I'll stay if you want me to stay.

1:32:11 Emily: Oh, don’t put that decision on me. [Ally laughs]

1:32:13 Brennan: She looks at you and says,

1:32:15 Ayda: I would very much like it. No one's ever asked me to stay anywhere before.

1:32:19 Fig: Okay, then let me be the first. Please stay.

1:32:21 Ayda: I will stay.

1:32:21 Fig: Okay, stay,

1:32:23 Ayda: I will stay.

1:32:24 Fig: Cool.

1:32:26 Ayda: Extremely cool.

1:32:28 Fig: I'm gonna go break Gilear's heart. Again.

1:32:30 Ayda: I'm going to go give a piece of payment to Adaine.

1:32:36 Brennan: You see as you go back to Gilear, you see Ayda walks over to you and says,

1:32:42 Ayda: Oracle, seer.

1:32:42 Adaine: Librarian.

1:32:45 Brennan: You see that she looks and says,

1:32:49 Ayda: Due to your exceptional talent and skill at arcane research, we were able to crack the secret of the Plane Shift spell together in record time. I was working on something a little bit hidden, just in moments of our downtime. An older version of me once said that it was extremely gauche, the habit of wizards to name spells after themself. And I tend to agree, I think naming a spell after yourself is very gauche. But the idea of having a spell named after you is—

1:33:21 Adaine: [quietly] Really cool.

1:33:23 Ayda: Extremely cool. So I thought: Most wizards have lived lives of quiet isolation, entombed before death in their research, but now that I have a friend who's a wizard, I thought maybe it would be maybe be-- Maybe as Fig would say “cute” if we, instead of making spells for ourselves, made spells for each other.

1:33:47 Adaine: [gasps] [softly] What?

1:33:48 Ayda: And I made you a spell. Siobhan puts her hands on either side of her face and squeals in excitement. Brennan hands her a piece of paper across the table.

1:33:53 Brennan: She hands you a scroll. It is a first level spell called Adaine's Furious Fist. I can read it, I'll read it right now. It's a first level spell, casting time is a bonus action. Its duration is concentration for one minute. For the duration of the spell your fist gleams with silvery arcane light and you may as an action make a melee spell attack on a creature within reach of your unarmed attack.

1:34:05 Siobhan: [softly] Nice. Siobhan raises her first in front of her and softly whooshes, then punches.

1:34:17 Brennan: The first such successful attack during the duration of the spell deals 2d10 force damage to the target, and the target must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed up to five feet away from you. By using spell slots of higher level the damage increases by 2d10 for each spell slot higher—

1:34:24 Ally: Woah!

1:34:32 Emily: 2d10 for each spell slot?!

1:34:33 Brennan: [nodding] 2d10 for each spell slot, and the failed-- on, and also, the spell it's a five more feet for each spell level up.

1:34:38 Siobhan: Ah!

1:34:43 Brennan: Ah, you see that--

1:34:45 Siobhan: I immediately cast it on myself.

1:34:48 Gorgug: Hit me! Siobhan leans back and raises both fists in front of her with a proud look on her face.

1:34:50 Brennan: [magical whoosh] You see that your right fist, you see, glows with silvery arcane light. You see she says,

1:34:56 Ayda: One of my favorite things that I’ve observed about you is that while you are extremely analytical and rational, you also have a deep and profound rage rooted in justice, and I sensed in you that, from time to time you really want to punch something that offends you.

1:35:14 Siobhan: I punch a wall. Siobhan juts her fist out directly to her side.

1:35:16 Brennan: Boom! A wall, like, section of the fence just blasts off with this incredible force damage spell.

1:35:23 Fabian: Woah! What's going on over there?

1:35:24 Kristen: Woah!

1:35:26 Adaine: I'm strong now! [noises of excitement and intrigue]

1:35:27 Adaine: And I have a spell named after me!

1:35:30 Kristen: Cool.

1:35:30 Fabian: Wow! [Siobhan and Brennan make sound effects]

1:35:36 Brennan: Cool. Awesome. So you now have this new first level spell.

1:35:42 Adaine: Oh, what am I gonna make for you?

1:35:44 Ayda: [glibly] No pressure.

1:35:46 Adaine: No pressure?! Exciting amounts of pressure. I'm excited for this pressure. [exclaims in excitement]

1:35:52 Brennan: Fig, you walk over to Gilear.

1:35:59 Fig: Gilear, do you want to continue in this, because I feel like you've died a lot. Brennan makes a pitiful expression, his mouth in a cartoonish straight line. [chuckling]

1:36:14 Fig: Let’s talk about how you feel first.

1:36:18 Gilear: Several members of your party have dead parents. I am unique in the distinction of having died the most times. [giggling]

1:36:34 Fig: Yeah, unique and special.

1:36:39 Gilear: After-- It has occurred to me that in the forest of Sylvaire, according to the Scrying done by Adaine, vehicles will not be able to travel into the forest. There are no roads, there are no level ground of any kind. So perhaps would be best if someone remained here to look after the vehicles.

1:37:07 Fig: Okay. Do you think you'll be safe here?

1:37:11 Gilear: It's a town with the people that protect it and I'll be in the house. So, you know, as safe as I ever am.

1:37:20 Fig: Yeah. Cool.

1:37:22 Siobhan: There's a hole in the wall now, so you might wanna...

1:37:27 Fig: Okay, so you're cool with this?

1:37:30 Gilear: Yes, Yes, I am.

1:37:32 Fig: [sincere] You're still doing an important job. And there's a lot of good books in there. Hot tubs. [pause]

1:37:45 Fig: [a little sad] Cool.

1:37:45 Ally: I come up,

1:37:47 Kristen: Oh, sorry, I hope this isn't too early. But you have been a rockstar intern and we all got you this $10 gift card.

1:37:55 Fig: He’s not an intern! We promoted him.

1:37:56 Kristen: What?

1:37:58 Gilear: I'm actually an assistant now--

1:37:59 Fabian: What’s his title now? Oh, assistant.

1:38:01 Kristen: Oh, God, I’m sorry, rockstar assistant. And we did all pull together. We got you this 10 gold piece gift card. It's for audio books. It's an online audio book thing that you can get on your crystal. Because we really appreciate you.

1:38:18 Fig: Which would be really nice, ‘cause you can listen to a book while you're in the hot tub instead of getting your Kindle wet.

1:38:26 Gilear: Yes, that's true. I will have to get a new Kindle. My old one got mistaken for a frisbee when I was doing some free yoga in the park.

1:38:37 Adaine: You have a round Kindle?

1:38:38 Fig: That’s—

1:38:39 Gilear: No. No, it's rectangular. Look—

1:38:42 Kristen: You brought your Kindle to yoga in the park?

1:38:44 Gilear: I thought I would lay down and read I was--

1:38:46 Fig: Make a day of it, I think that makes perfect sense.

1:38:49 Kristen: I get it, I get it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, yeah.

1:38:52 Gilear: Um. Daughter, I will remain here.

1:38:54 Fig: Okay.

1:38:54 Gilear: If you need me, feel free to contact me. I can't imagine that anyone will ever need me. But it would be—

1:39:00 Fig: I always need you. In fact, I'm really really sad about this. I wish you could come.

1:39:07 Adaine: If I can take a little bit of your hair that I can Scry on you and we can…

1:39:11 Fig: [whispering] He doesn’t have that much left. [breathless laughing]

1:39:15 Gilear: So, can we do anything other than hair?

1:39:16 Adaine: Blood? [players murmuring]

1:39:17 Adaine: I mean, I can take some of your blood, that seems a strange thing to ask you though.

1:39:20 Fig: I think he’s got a couple open wounds.

1:39:23 Gilear: Let's do some blood. I, actually, you know what?

1:39:24 Brennan: He takes a little flap of his torn shirt, that's blood stained-- Brennan looks down toward the hem of his shirt, then holds his hand out to Siobhan.

1:39:28 Fabian: Oh my god.

1:39:28 Adaine: Great.

1:39:29 Siobhan: I take out a little baggie from my, uh, my coat.

1:39:32 Brennan: He puts it in the baggie. [heartwarming, tinkling piano music plays]

1:39:35 Gilear: I need you too.

1:39:35 Fig: Yeah.

1:39:37 Gilear: And um... I wanted to be helpful and I think I still might find a way to be and maybe I'll find it here.

1:39:47 Brennan: He gives you a kiss on the cheek and walks back into Holly Hill.

1:39:52 Fabian: How’d he take it?

1:39:54 Fig: I don't know. I mean, he was very adult about it, but he's also an adult. Y’know?

1:39:59 Kristen: Yeah, I'm sorry I came in way too hot with the little gift card--

1:40:02 Fabian: Did he like it? Did he cry? I thought he would cry.

1:40:04 Kristen: No, I thought maybe he would cry!

1:40:05 Fabian: I thought he was gonna cry for sure!

1:40:06 Murph: [giggling] The little gift card?

1:40:07 Fig: Kristen, everyone knows we're traveling with Adaine who has a 10 gold piece Jacket of Usefulness.

1:40:13 Fabian: Yeah, we just kinda grabbed it out of it.

1:40:14 Kristen: That’s exactly where I got it out of.

1:40:15 Fig: It’s like repurposing a gift—

1:40:15 Gorgug: What do you get the guy who’s got it all?

1:40:16 Kristen: Exactly!

1:40:17 Adaine: Yeah, but it's not about the amount of money getting spent--

1:40:19 Fabian: He’s got a beret and a chambray shirt!

1:40:21 Adaine: We could've picked anything in the world and we picked something that we thought would be thoughtful for him.

1:40:24 Kristen: Yes! I got him that card that said, “Gilear I need you” and on the inside “to get me a cortado.” And then we put a 10 piece— [laughing]

1:40:31 Fabian: That was hilarious.

1:40:31 Kristen: That was so funny.

1:40:32 Fabian: That was so funny.

1:40:32 Kristen: I thought that was so funny.

1:40:34 Fabian: It was like a great reference—

1:40:35 Kristen: I can wait for him to open it.

1:40:36 Fabian: Yes.

1:40:36 Adaine: It was a callback. To our--

1:40:39 Fig: I'm just always tryin’ to help him find his calling and I thought maybe this would be his calling, but--

1:40:44 Kristen: He's died maybe nine times. So. [chuckles]

1:40:46 Fig: I know, I know, I didn't wanna let go. But once all every single one of you-- What do you think Riz would have said if he was here? Do you think he would have argued to keep Gilear?

1:40:55 Fabian: Of course he would have. Of course The Ball would have. The Ball loved Gilear.

1:41:00 Gorgug: All I know, the only truth I know in this entire world is that the Ball loved that Gilear was here. [Murph and Emily laughing]

1:41:03 Gorgug: That’s all I know.

1:41:05 Kristen: Yeah.

1:41:07 Fabian: Because, remember all the times he encouraged us to bring Gilear along? [laughing]

1:41:09 Fabian: He would always put up a fight but he’d always bend, because he loved having Gilear there.

1:41:15 Murph: Just a little angel—

1:41:15 Adaine: Even in a different universe from me.

1:41:15 Gorgug: Thou doth protest too much.

1:41:18 Adaine: I miss Riz, we have to get him back. [heavenly music]

1:41:20 Brennan: Speaking of Riz, We cut back to the plane of Bytopia, your dad gets you to fill out some consultant paperwork. And you see that he brings it over to this dude. He comes over to a desk where you see a hound archon, which is this sort of an angelic muscular dog-headed angel who looks over. You see he smiles. He says,

1:41:48 Pok: Riz, this is our commander Fitz. Fitz this is Riz,

1:41:52 Brennan: And Fitz goes,

1:41:52 Fitz: [deeper voice, Midwestern accent] Hey, there's the kid, huh? Got your dad in the old Avenged Dads Club. Way to go, buster.

1:41:59 Riz: Thanks. I tried to eat him, he got turned into a boat.

1:42:02 Fitz: Hey, you know what, it happens to the best of us. Listen, pal, we wanna get you part-time working on the squad. You know, we don't make a lot of concessions for Prime Materials, that's living mortals like yourself, but we'd be happy to get you on… Your dad really vouched for you here and, way to go cracking that case, pal. I mean, really.

1:42:21 Riz: Thanks. Yeah, I'd love to help in any way that I can.

1:42:26 Brennan: You see, says, well, he says,

1:42:28 Fitz: You know, we sent your old man here, down to the Nine Hells trying to root around for Kalina. But this thing about her being a disease, that really busted this thing wide open. So, we feel like our best shot is probably getting you to do the rest of the legwork down there on the Prime Material. Now, there are a lot of multiversal laws about when Celestials and Fiends start messing with the mortal world and we can get in a lot of hot water by going down there ourselves. But, now that we've got a mortal here, we feel like maybe you're the guy for the job. That sound alright?

1:43:09 Riz: I'm definitely the guy for the job.

1:43:10 Brennan: You see your old man pats you on the back and he says,

1:43:12 Pok: That's right.

1:43:15 Brennan: You see that he says,

1:43:15 Fitz: All right, well, we're gonna start you out on-- We're gonna start out on a stipend. We can either-- We can either give your paycheck to charities of your choice, in Spyre, or we can keep it here in a trust fund, and turn it into pure faith and good wishes. So, up to you. [Lou chuckles]

1:43:40 Riz: Let’s do the faith and good wishes, that seems fun.

1:43:42 Fitz: Perfect that's great. So we'll put that into a reserve account. So we'll get that set up.

1:43:47 Brennan: He types something on his little crystal screen. And he says,

1:43:50 Fitz: And we're gonna, because we can't send muscle with you, we're gonna have to get you suited up. Let's get the kid down to Isosceles.

1:43:54 Siobhan: Ooh.

1:43:57 Lou: A triangle?

1:43:59 Brennan: You see that your dad opens up a pure white doorway of like gleaming crystalline light, walks you through it into this gleaming white void. See your dad looks up and says,

1:44:10 Pok: You're gonna love Isosceles.

1:44:11 Zac: Triangle? Lou makes a triangle with the thumb and index fingers of both hands. Zac does the same. Lou moves the triangle to the top of his forehead. Zac then makes his index and middle fingers in V shapes and places them over his eyes.

1:44:13 Brennan: You see that this… You see this like, weird bizarre-- You know like in the bible when they describe angels as being just like, completely inhuman like fractal images that kind of can't be held by mortals. Brennan moves his hands in front of him in triangular patterns.

1:44:27 Brennan: This [magical buzzing sounds] little thing appears it's like sort of spinning fractal of energy and you see it says,

1:44:34 Isosceles: [high-pitched stuffy voice] [chuckles] Agent Gukgak, my goodness, I thought you were deep undercover.

1:44:40 Brennan: And you see your dad says,

1:44:40 Pok: Well, you know what? Happens to the best of them. Looks like I’m back up top for a spell. This is my son, Riz Gukgak.

1:44:50 Brennan: You see he says,

1:44:50 Isosceles: Oh, Mr. Gukgak. Hello, I'm Isosceles. Uh, what are we doing here?

1:44:56 Brennan: You see he says,

1:44:57 Pok: Well, my son is gonna be doing some covert espionage work for us in the Prime Material and we're looking to get him decked out, make sure that he's not going in less than fully loaded.

1:45:11 Brennan: You see Isosceles goes,

1:45:11 Isosceles: Aha!

1:45:13 Brennan: [magical buzzing] And these just shelves sort of like matrix style shoot out of infinity and become covered with all these gleaming relics. And you see that your dad starts walking you through and starts outfitting you with a bunch of gear.

1:45:30 Lou: Okay. Okay, Riz!

1:45:30 Murph: Riz is so pumped.

1:45:33 Riz: [quietly] Yes, yes, yes.

1:45:34 Brennan: You see says,

1:45:34 Pok: Okay, take this first of all.

1:45:37 Brennan: Takes out a set of little like, dull gold bullets in a black clip. You see there are like net bullets. There's like tranq darts. There's a grappling gun, a fixture for your arquebus. You see that he takes you over. Lou chuckles and puts his hands in the air in astonishment.

1:45:53 Brennan: He takes you over to it, says,

1:45:53 Pok: We're gonna give you the big three that we start our agents off with here.

1:45:59 Lou: Big three?!

1:45:59 Pok: This is an Arcadian Watch.

1:46:02 Brennan: It just looks like a completely normal wristwatch, but it allows you to potentially lockpick even magical locks. It gives you advantage on tool checks to escape being bound, it has like a little saw that comes out of it. And it also, there's a button on the side that allows you to shoot out a laser that does 1d4 radiant damage.

1:46:24 Lou: That man’s got a laser?!

1:46:26 Brennan: A little laser—

1:46:28 Siobhan: I’ve never seen Murph happier.

1:46:31 Murph: Riz was welling up before, now he's crying. [laughing]

1:46:34 Brennan: He says,

1:46:35 Isosceles: We're also gonna—

1:46:37 Brennan: You see that Isosceles moves over somewhere and says,

1:46:41 Isosceles: Let's get the kid decked out with a Seraphim Vest and a Gregori Tie.

1:46:43 Brennan: You see that they give you a very, it's like a charcoal black front-- You know how a lot of vests will have like the silk gold back to them? It has a little gold back. On the inside of the gold back, there's a faint outline of wings. And you see that this can grant a temporary fly speed of 40, but there's no ascending. So it's like a wingsuit, you can like descend gradually, so there's no risk of falling damage ever again.

1:47:12 Lou: Wow. And he’s got a wingsuit?

1:47:14 Brennan: It's like a Batman cape, like you can just glide to where you need to go to. [Lou scoffs]

1:47:19 Brennan: And he gives you a Gregori Necktie. The necktie has a small clip in it with a little like, celestial eye on it, that is hidden underneath the knot of the tie. Your dad looks at you and says,

1:47:31 Pok: All you gotta do is adjust the tie, pull twice on the back part, and this can record up to 20 minutes of footage. It gets audio and video. And depending on how you activate it, you can activate it with a Detect Evil and Good effect or a Detect Magic effect. You won't be able to watch until you can get back to a viewing room and undo the tie. So, you’ll have to go review that footage, can't do it in the moment.

1:47:45 Riz: [nodding] Right.

1:47:59 Pok: Cool?

1:48:01 Brennan: He gives you the Arcadian Watch, the Seraphim Vest, the Gregori necktie. Says,

1:48:04 Pok: How you feeling Gukgak?

1:48:09 Riz: [shaking his head in shock] Amazing.

1:48:13 Brennan: He looks over at you and he says,

1:48:21 Pok: Alright, I think we better get you back to your friends, huh?

1:48:24 Riz: Yeah, but I'll be back soon. Not in a fully dead way but in a fun—

1:48:25 Pok: Exciting way.

1:48:27 Riz: Visit way. [gentle, warm piano music, with some strings]

1:48:30 Brennan: You see he looks at you and says-- Walks out the door with you, once again on the field. You see, he looks and says, looks over at Fitz and says,

1:48:44 Pok: Fitz, can we get a door open now, so we get it to this exact moment on the Prime Material?

1:48:54 Brennan: And you see that Fitz nods and says,

1:48:54 Fitz: Yeah, we can do that.

1:48:55 Brennan: Opens up the door says,

1:48:58 Pok: We got it in the moment there. You want to go for a walk for a sec, before we send you back?

1:49:04 Riz: Yeah.

1:49:07 Brennan: You and your dad go on a walk and he says,

1:49:10 Pok: I want you to tell me everything. I missed the last six years. You tend to, you know when you come visit, when you come visit me at the cemetery. It's the important stuff but, can I ask a favor?

1:49:26 Riz: Yeah.

1:49:29 Pok: The door's frozen in time now, we can get you back to your friends. They're not waiting. Can you just tell me, uh… [choked up] Tell me all the least important stuff.

1:49:42 Riz: Yeah.

1:49:44 Pok: I just want to, if I'd have been there, I would have seen all this stuff that didn't matter. And that's the stuff I missed.

1:49:51 Riz: Yeah, I would love to tell you everything. I got a really cool briefcase, I was trying to stuff you in it.

1:49:59 Pok: Love that!

1:49:59 Riz: Yeah, it's a cool briefcase. I got these business cards that I give out to people and everyone thought it was really weird. And I thought—

1:50:09 Pok: The calligraphy’s beautiful, what--

1:50:09 Riz: I know, I thought that it would help me make friends but it didn't. But, I made friends anyway.

1:50:18 Pok: You sure did. I like your friends, and you can tell them I said so.

1:50:24 Brennan: You and your dad walk. He just wants to hear all the minutiae and all the little stuff of your life at the school. You finally get back to the door after a long time talking. And he looks at you and says,

1:50:39 Pok: I am so proud of you kid. You know, there's only one thing that could have made this better. Please give your mom all my love.

1:50:54 Riz: Of course.

1:50:56 Pok: [quiet] I think about her all the time.

1:50:59 Riz: She misses you too. [soft, tinkling music]

1:51:09 Pok: [sighs] There's a day on the horizon where we all get to crack the same case together. And I hope that day is as far away as possible.

1:51:24 Riz: I got to be honest, this is the best version of the afterlife I could have ever imagined. [laughing]

1:51:31 Brennan: He openly cries, he goes—

1:51:34 Riz: We're just gonna be badass goblin detectives.

1:51:37 Pok: That's the thing, I know your mom didn't tell you! She didn't get it. We're goblin badasses!

1:51:42 Riz: Right, yeah.

1:51:42 Pok: The whole family’s badass!

1:51:44 Riz: Yeah! She was shooting out a dragon while I shot at the dragon, givin’ me cover and stuff. And if you were there too, we could have got it for both sides that one of us could have been like-- Murph holds up finger-guns at different angles around his head.

1:51:55 Pok: I know your mom didn't want you to walk down this path because she was afraid of losing you. But, you're walking down this path and I know more than anything in the world that it's everybody else who's gotta watch out for my boy.

1:52:14 Riz: Thanks, Dad.

1:52:15 Pok: I love you, son.

1:52:15 Riz: Love you, Dad.

1:52:16 Brennan: Gives you a kiss, as you walk through the door. You see, the light fills your eyes until it's just the dark of his suit and his hand raised, [whooshing] fades away. And you guys see a mote of light in Arborly that fills and [whoosh] the light grows and grows and Riz, fully healed, steps through.

1:52:43 Gorgug: [gasps] A little angel.

1:52:44 Adaine: [shocked] What? [laughing] [talking over each other]

1:52:45 Fig: None of us knew you were an angel! I mean we knew you were an angel, but--

1:52:47 Adaine: He’s a watch guy now.

1:52:47 Kristen: What?!

1:52:48 Murph: I look really cool for a split second.

1:52:50 Fabian: Wait, what?

1:52:50 Adaine: He’s a vest and watch guy!

1:52:50 Riz: [shouting] I met my dad.

1:52:52 Fabian: What?!

1:52:52 Riz: I met my freaking dad.

1:52:54 Fabian: What?

1:52:55 Riz: I met my dad, he's super cool, he's in underco— uh. Murph raises his index finger in front of him, pausing in consideration. He furrows his brows suspiciously.

1:52:59 Riz: Mm. Murph raises his eyebrows and lowers his finger. [laughing]

1:53:02 Siobhan: I Message Riz!

1:53:02 Adaine: What is he?

1:53:06 Riz: [whispering] He’s an undercover angel.

1:53:06 Adaine: [whispering] That's so cool!

1:53:09 Riz: [whispering] I know!

1:53:10 Siobhan: I Message everybody.

1:53:10 Fabian: The van, now!

1:53:10 Adaine: The van!

1:53:14 Gorgug: Um, wow.

1:53:17 Fabian: Crazy!

1:53:19 Riz: How are you guys doing?

1:53:19 Adaine: Ooh my gosh.

1:53:21 Fabian: I just killed Gilear. [Murph chuckles]

1:53:24 Riz: Is he okay?

1:53:24 Kristen: We got him back, we got him back--

1:53:26 Fabian: Of course we got him back.

1:53:27 Riz: You guys know how much I love Gilear.

1:53:29 Gorgug: That’s all I know.

1:53:29 Fabian: We knew! We talked about it.

1:53:33 Riz: I've a lot to fill you guys in on...

1:53:38 Fabian: Just glad you’re okay, The Ball. It was scary for a second.

1:53:41 Adaine: [quietly] Yeah, we were worried about you.

1:53:41 Gorgug: We tried to find you, we got your briefcase.

1:53:43 Adaine: Yeah.

1:53:44 Kristen: Oh yeah, we have your briefcase.

1:53:45 Gorgug: Yeah.

1:53:45 Fig: We thought maybe you were dead.

1:53:45 Riz: That's awesome. Thanks guys.

1:53:46 Adaine: Yeah.

1:53:48 Riz: Yeah. If I could have, if I had any way to reach out I would’ve let you guys know that I was okay but—

1:53:52 Adaine: What was heaven like?

1:53:54 Riz: It was awesome, there was like, outdoor working space. [Brennan chuckles]

1:53:58 Fabian: What?

1:53:58 Kristen: What?

1:53:59 Riz: Yeah.

1:53:59 Fabian: It's like an office?

1:54:00 Adaine: People have to have jobs in heaven?

1:54:01 Fabian: What?

1:54:01 Fig: Isn’t it usually the point of outdoors is that you don't have to work anymore?

1:54:04 Fabian: Yeah that's when you go to relax and leisure and those sorts of things.

1:54:07 Riz: No no no no, but you go and you work on what you wanna work on—

1:54:10 Fabian: Which is—

1:54:12 Adaine: Oh! I do get that, I do get that.

1:54:14 Riz: Yeah, right.

1:54:15 Gorgug: Interesting.

1:54:15 Kristen: Oh…

1:54:16 Adaine: It’s like a--

1:54:16 Riz: Yeah, I did some part time work.

1:54:16 Kristen: Okay, yeah.

1:54:17 Fabian: Heaven sounds weird.

1:54:19 Gorgug: What would a park be?

1:54:21 Riz: A park?

1:54:21 Gorgug: In heaven.

1:54:22 Riz: There's just desks and stuff. [chuckling]

1:54:24 Riz: Outdoor working space.

1:54:25 Adaine: Maybe you just saw what your heaven would be.

1:54:27 Fabian: I guess yeah, I hope that's just one heaven. I hope there are other heavens—

1:54:29 Riz: Honestly, that's the only one I saw.

1:54:31 Gorgug: Seems fine. Yeah, it seems fine. [laughing]

1:54:36 Murph: Everyone’s so scared of dying now.

1:54:38 Siobhan: [to Zac] You’re going to weird orc hell.

1:54:40 Gorgug: Riz, I tried to improve your briefcase, but I— We didn't have enough time. [laughing]

1:54:46 Gorgug: So I just wrapped some tin foil on the end.

1:54:48 Riz: Wow. You broke it a little bit. Thanks Gorgug.

1:54:50 Gorgug: It’s a little different.

1:54:51 Riz: Thanks guys.

1:54:51 Gorgug: It didn’t do anything.

1:54:53 Riz: My dad, uh. My dad says he really likes you guys.

1:54:56 Fabian: What?

1:54:57 Kristen: Oh wow.

1:54:57 Fabian: I'm flattered.

1:54:58 Adaine: That's so nice.

1:54:58 Riz: And I really like you guys, too, so.

1:54:59 Adaine: Aw. We really like you too.

1:55:01 Fig: We really like you.

1:55:03 Kristen: We got to talk to Kalvaxus a little bit.

1:55:05 Riz: Yeah?

1:55:05 Kristen: Or, uh, Goldenrod and learned a little bit too. Yeah.

1:55:09 Fig: Speaking of which, does anyone else think it's weird that Aguefort like, gave us the money? Didn’t he tell us to spend it?

1:55:16 Gorgug: Well, we got it because we won right?

1:55:17 Fabian: Yes.

1:55:19 Adaine: Yeah.

1:55:19 Fig: But if it was like potentially cursed—

1:55:20 Adaine: He did warn us about dragon madness.

1:55:21 Fabian: Dragon madness.

1:55:22 Fig: Oh, he warned us. Okay.

1:55:25 Gorgug: But Kalvaxus--

1:55:25 Adaine: And then he spent 20 minutes talking about rock angels and that fully—

1:55:27 Fabian: Never, yeah of course not.

1:55:29 Gorgug: What happened with th-- Anyways, when we were talking to Goldenrod he was talking about the coin being added to the hoard. Do you think, this is just my guess, that coin infected all the other coins?

1:55:47 Adaine: I think so, yeah.

1:55:47 Fig: Yeah I think it did. I think by entering the stock market, it infected everything it touched.

1:55:51 Gorgug: Should we just give away our money?

1:55:52 Murph: I think I wanna, through like a series of--

1:55:54 Adaine: But I think we've already spent it, so it doesn't matter anymore.

1:55:57 Murph: Through a series of Messages I just wanna fill you guys in on like the nonpersonal stuff. Specifically, I guess that my dad might have found her as like, some kind of like, potion or something.

1:56:08 Adaine: Oh. So, it’s not a [quiet] sex thing.

1:56:09 Riz: And then she also set—

1:56:10 Fig: She's a familiar.

1:56:10 Riz: It’s not always a sex thing.

1:56:12 Adaine: Oh, okay.

1:56:14 Riz: And then the other thing was that she is the one who set him up to get killed by Kalvaxus.

1:56:19 Gorgug: So, you said—

1:56:23 Adaine: Well, that's not surprising.

1:56:25 Zac: You filled us in on everything right?

1:56:26 Murph: Yeah.

1:56:27 Gorgug: See, your dad said something about, like someone from the Third Ring introduced him to her?

1:56:35 Riz: [drawn out] Yeah.

1:56:36 Adaine: What is the Third Ring?

1:56:36 Gorgug: Who was that?

1:56:36 Kristen: Do we know who it was, yeah.

1:56:37 Gorgug: Who introduced him then? Unless maybe that's not--

1:56:41 Siobhan: Do I know anything about the Third Ring? They’re from Fallinel right? I mean, my dad was an ambassador.

1:56:45 Brennan: Yeah, your parents would have interacted with them. I mean, what it sounds like to you is that Kalina was introduced into elven society a couple hundred years ago by Landrin Lier. And that-- That there's like, if they didn't fully eradicate her, she would've been able to repopulate and respread. And that like, especially if, because Landrin joined the Third Ring was in the Court of Stars that like, high-ranking elves may have been the most likely to have her like lurking. And she doesn't have to appear to people, so people can—

1:57:19 Siobhan: Right, she can just stay undercover.

1:57:22 Brennan: Stay undercover as long as she wants.

1:57:24 Siobhan: Sneaky.

1:57:26 Brennan: So, in other words, your mom or Aelwyn having come into contact with her is not shocking.

1:57:31 Siobhan: Yeah.

1:57:37 Brennan: You know, like, you guys ran in all the circles that specifically would have been the most targeted by this. It sounds like maybe Pok coming into contact with her would have been the anomaly. Like, the Abernants having contact with Kalina makes kind of the most sense.

1:57:56 Siobhan: Mhm. It's like a secret society thing?

1:57:58 Brennan: Yeah, maybe.

1:58:00 Riz: And then also, another important thing.

1:58:03 Murph: Again, saying this through like, Messages,

1:58:04 Riz: Is that my dad specifically mentioned that after the picture was taken of her, it seemed like it took, sapped some of her power—

1:58:08 Adaine: Oh!

1:58:12 Fig: Then let’s make a bunch of copies of the picture.

1:58:14 Fabian: Or we get a camera.

1:58:16 Adaine: Or, yeah, I mean, we all have our crystals next time either of you see her—

1:58:17 Fig: My crystal doesn’t have—

1:58:18 Zac: Can I go to the--

1:58:19 Kristen: Oh, I have a—

1:58:19 Adaine: Oh, yes.

1:58:21 Zac: [pointing to Ally] Oh, go for it.

1:58:22 Ally: I have that photo of the-- Ally waves their hand in front of them, referencing the mural of the goddess they took a picture of.

1:58:26 Lou: Of the photo?

1:58:27 Emily: Of the mural?

1:58:28 Brennan: The goddess?

1:58:28 Ally: Of the goddess yeah. Do I think that that is taking any power away from her? Can I do like a Religion check?

1:58:34 Brennan: Do a Religion check. Anyone that wants to can make either like an Arcana check-- I would also let Gorgug make a tinker’s tool check.

1:58:44 Zac: Okay.

1:58:47 Ally: [quietly] Oh, yeah.

1:58:48 Siobhan: Uh, I got a 25.

1:58:50 Ally: 22.

1:58:50 Lou: I got a 12.

1:58:51 Zac: (laughs) 7.

1:58:52 Brennan: [pointing] 7. You got a 25?

1:58:55 Siobhan: Yeah.

1:58:57 Brennan: I'm actually also gonna say Gorgug, make that with advantage. And then, because there's enough people who would like, help you guys that you should make these all with, with advantage.

1:59:00 Lou: Yeah, yeah, I won’t make my roll--

1:59:04 Siobhan: Oh, well, if we’re rolling with advantage--

1:59:05 Zac: 15.

1:59:05 Brennan: 15.

1:59:05 Siobhan: Ooh that's a nat 1. So I got a 25.

1:59:07 Brennan: 25--

1:59:07 Ally: 22.

1:59:10 Brennan: [pointing] Religion check. So, you're rolling Arcana right?

1:59:13 Siobhan: Yes.

1:59:14 Brennan: First thing you think of with Arcana is, you realize if this is-- With the bypassing of Detect Magic by being a disease, what that means is that the disease that is infecting someone has to cast magic all the time. When Pok’s like “She couldn't do stuff anymore,” what you think is, Kalina is incredibly powerful, like a global illusion that can spread to people and do all this stuff is crazy. You know that she's able to create illusory effects because of what she did with Ragh and the cell phone call on Leviathan, right?

1:59:32 Siobhan: Mhm.

1:59:50 Brennan: But, making an effect that anyone who ever looks at a photo of her automatically sees her, is something [taps his temple] she has to do ambiently every sin— to every single person that has her in their body whenever they do it. That is a static global effect. And just like the pylons in Fallinel, doing an effect that is permanent and static takes a tremendous amount of power.

2:00:14 Siobhan: So why is she choosing to do this? Or is she not choosing to do it?

2:00:17 Brennan: It might just be that it's a blowing cover thing. If someone takes a photo of her and then can't see her in the photo that raises alarms, even though-- like there's no way for her to cast the illusion necessarily on someone that she's not in their bloodstream.

2:00:24 Siobhan: Oh.

2:00:31 Brennan: So it's like, okay, if someone sees the photo that like-- You know, the exact thing that happened with Riz, Riz eventually cracked it through a photo that couldn't be seen, like, the sun damage-- So like, there was a hole in her plan, but she just kind of had to hope for the best.

2:00:44 Siobhan: Ooh, so maybe if Gorgug takes a picture and then texts it to everyone.

2:00:46 Emily: That's what I’m saying! Make a wanted, a wanted photo.

2:00:48 Brennan: So here's, here's what it is. With the Religion check, you think the mural is not a depiction of Kalina as is. It's about her-- This is about her spellcasting. But, what you think that Religion check is, you know  the four transubstantiations that were done by the goddess. You think that these curses might be self reinforcing because they were united by this great transubstantiation. So, the more that Goldenhoard wealth spreads, and that dragon curse-- It also makes sense to you. Kalvaxus said the gold allowed people to cast spells, the coin was the goddess’ spellbook. Right? The familiar is the plague, but they're all kind of curses. The spell book turns into a curse with the dragon madness. Kalina turned into a curse that was a plague. You know that the cottage, or whatever it was, turned into like, a static curse-- The sanctum turned into a static curse. You think that all these curses, these four curses might overlap and take the position of like, big global curses, right? That they might be self-- not self reinforcing, but have synthesis between them. Right?

2:01:56 Siobhan: Like a mycelial web?

2:01:56 Brennan: Yes, that they're reinforcing each other.

2:02:00 Ally: So then who was that woman--

2:02:02 Zac: [smartly] Your classic mycelial web. [laughing]

2:02:04 Brennan: Gorgug, with that 15 went because Adaine posits that to you, you realize technologically, the way to take the most pictures of Kalina would be to take video of her and that the way to-- and that like, honestly like broadcasting video of her to as many people as possible-- Obviously people that don't have her in their bloodstream won’t able to see her, but if there was a way to broadcast video of her it would weaken her the most if it caught some people that were capable of seeing her.

2:02:22 Zac: Hm.

2:02:40 Murph: I convey over Message that I have a way to record her.

2:02:45 Gorgug: That's absolutely sick.

2:02:45 Fabian: What, okay.

2:02:47 Adaine: How?

2:02:48 Kristen: So--

2:02:49 Riz: I don't want it to slip. So, maybe—

2:02:51 Gorgug: Okay.

2:02:51 Adaine: Okay.

2:02:52 Riz: I have it on my person.

2:02:52 Gorgug: Okay, whatever-- I, um. Do we think that the money that we have is actively endangering us?

2:03:03 Adaine: I think yes, but I think it's the action of spending the money that gives us the curse, which we've already done.

2:03:09 Kristen: Yeah.

2:03:11 Adaine: Maybe we shouldn't spend any more money, but I don't—

2:03:12 Fabian: That sounds right.

2:03:12 Riz: I feel like it's already spread, right?

2:03:13 Adaine: Yeah, I mean, I don't know if the curse sort of peters out if we stopped spending the money or whether we just have it?

2:03:20 Zac: As an experiment Gorgug is gonna go to the Tinker's Hall. And just whenever--

2:03:28 Tinkerer: Hello there!

2:03:28 Gorgug: Hi. Just for no reason, here's... 25,000 gold. [players laugh raucously]

2:03:36 Tinkerer: [shouting] Wow! We’ll make so many repairs!

2:03:37 Siobhan: How do you have 25,000 gold?

2:03:41 Ally: But now they’re gonna spend it!

2:03:42 Zac: But they don't know what it’s for! You have to know what, that it's dragon hoard--

2:03:47 Brennan: That is correct, Gorgug has remembered this. Dragon Madness spreads when people are aware that the gold comes from a dragon's hoard. So in other words, giving a huge chunk of wealth with no strings attached and no mention of it won't spread it. The money that Kristen gave to her brothers at the start of the campaign would have just appeared, there'd be no knowledge of it. But anyone that like, knew where the money was coming from, that's how the curse would spread.

2:04:19 Ally: Wow. Cool.

2:04:20 Siobhan: Very cool.

2:04:21 Gorgug: So this is just I found this and it seems like it's yours. I think it's--

2:04:25 Tinkerer: Well this is gonna change absolutely everything.

2:04:28 Gorgug: Oh, awesome--

2:04:30 Tinkerer: Absolutely everything!

2:04:31 Gorgug: You don't have just like a little camera anywhere?

2:04:35 Tinkerer: There's one in your crystal.

2:04:37 Gorgug: Oh, great. Okay, cool, nevermind. [chuckles]

2:04:41 Tinkerer: [screaming]

2:04:46 Brennan: Uh incredible.

2:04:46 Zac: Just, jump and click my heels and walk into the sunset.

2:04:49 Brennan: Cool.

2:04:50 Fabian: Well Gorgug, do you feel different now that you have no money?

2:04:51 Gorgug: I don't know, I feel pretty similar. I don't have to carry that much gold around.

2:04:56 Fabian: Great. So everyone, we can keep our money? Nobody's gonna ask us to give money away anymore?

2:05:01 Adaine: I mean most of my money is still in Solace so I can't give it away.

2:05:04 Kristen: You guys, I have a crazy idea.

2:05:05 Fig: Yeah?

2:05:07 Kristen: I think we should have another seafood party.

2:05:10 Fabian: Okay.

2:05:10 Kristen: And I think that we should film all of it and start gaining a following online. [Lou chuckles]

2:05:15 Kristen: And then, eventually we start seeping in videos that we try to take of Kalina.

2:05:18 Riz: I see what you’re saying. [crosstalk]

2:05:19 Adaine: I see what you mean.

2:05:21 Fig: Go viral so then we have an audience to expose Kalina.

2:05:23 Kristen: We go viral with the seafood, with the big seafood idea.

2:05:25 Adaine: We’re the virus now!

2:05:27 Fig: I certainly agree with you that the seafood is the best way to go viral.

2:05:29 Kristen: [chuckles] Yes.

2:05:31 Fabian: I mean, if you—

2:05:31 Adaine: Yes. I mean—

2:05:31 Kristen: To think of anything eye catching, it’s me on a shrimp slip n’ slide—

2:05:36 Fabian: #I’mALittleShrimp will trend.

2:05:38 Adaine: #WhoIsTheCrabKing?

2:05:41 Fabian: Exactly.

2:05:41 Kristen: Crab king.

2:05:42 Gorgug: [gesturing to Riz] The crab king.

2:05:42 Fabian: Crab king’s back.

2:05:43 Adaine: The crab king is back. The players cross their arms under their chins and wiggle their fingers while swaying back and forth in sync, imitating a crab. [chuckling]

2:05:49 Ally: I go and give all my money to the Tinkerer’s Hall. [chuckling]

2:05:52 Lou: What! [laughing]

2:05:52 Fabian: Who's going to, oh I don’t know, buy all the diamonds?

2:05:55 Kristen: I still have a bunch of diamonds!

2:05:58 Brennan: You guys have-- I will point something out by the way. You guys didn't convert all your money to gold, so you're giving away the gold you have on you, in other words?

2:06:10 Zac: Okay. [various “yeah”s]

2:06:11 Lou: Do we each get 25,000?

2:06:12 Brennan: You each got 20,000.

2:06:12 Lou: Great.

2:06:13 Siobhan: Yeah.

2:06:15 Lou: So the amount of gold I have is the amount of gold I have.

2:06:17 Fig: But Gorgug has been touring so he has extra money.

2:06:19 Fabian: Oh, of course.

2:06:19 Gorgug: Yeah. Kinda a couple of what? Probably another... 300 grand? [laughing]

2:06:25 Fabian: 300 grand?

2:06:30 Brennan: Cool, that night. By the way, I don't wanna gloss over any of it, but do you guys have a shrimp party that night-- another crustacean party?

2:06:38 Zac: You can’t gloss over the shrimp party.

2:06:39 Kristen: You guys are thinking about it, right?

2:06:40 Fabian: I think we should-- I mean our little angel returned to us. [Murph laughs]

2:06:44 Fabian: We’re now hanging out with—

2:06:44 Kristen: Yeah, a short-- we still get a full night’s rest.

2:06:47 Fabian: We have a lot to celebrate.

2:06:47 Adaine: And I found three new jars of horseradish. So I think it’s time. [players whooping]

2:06:51 Lou: I’m getting some shrimp.

2:06:53 Zac: So, where's the rest of my money? Is it at a bank still?

2:06:58 Brennan: Yeah it's in a bank account.

2:06:59 Zac: Alright, I'm gonna call the bank. [chuckling]

2:07:00 Brennan: Okay, you call the bank. Zac holds his hand up to his ear, as if having a phone call.

2:07:03 Gorgug: Hello? Is this the bank?

2:07:05 Brennan: You also just have an app.

2:07:07 Gorgug: Oh, right. Zac brings his hand down from his ear and mimes scrolling through a phone. [laughing]

2:07:12 Adaine: [leaning over to Gorgug ] Are you still there on the phone?

2:07:14 Fabian: Where do you take, where are you sending it to? Zac quickly brings the phone up to his ear.

2:07:14 Gorgug: I gotta go. He drops it back down, tapping to hang up.

2:07:17 Riz: Are you calling the bank at a shrimp party?

2:07:19 Zac: I'm going to—

2:07:19 Brennan: This is the first online banking session in a game of D&D that there’s ever been.

2:07:21 Adaine: You can’t call the bank. Absolute party foul.

2:07:22 Kristen: You're going online at a shrimp party?

2:07:25 Gorgug: I'm gonna liquidate. [laughing]

2:07:25 Brennan: Okay, cool.

2:07:27 Zac: Just give it to-- Is there a give to charity option?

2:07:30 Brennan: Yeah, you can literally go and-- Yeah you can give—

2:07:33 Zac: I do that.

2:07:34 Kristen: What kind of charity?

2:07:36 Fig: I guess I'll go on and do the same.

2:07:38 Gorgug: Probably—

2:07:38 Fabian: What! What is everyone doing? Has everyone lost their minds?

2:07:43 Kristen: What kinda charity, Gorgug?

2:07:45 Gorgug: Computers for… [chuckling]

2:07:45 Gorgug: Retired people. [laughing]

2:07:49 Kristen: What?! Retired people have a 401k!

2:07:53 Brennan: Question, are you actually giving all your money away?

2:07:57 Zac: I am.

2:07:57 Brennan: Cool.

2:07:57 Fig: I think I'm doing the same.

2:07:57 Brennan: Fig does the same.

2:08:00 Lou: People are wild.

2:08:00 Riz: I'm gonna do the same.

2:08:01 Fabian: [flabbergasted] What the fuck is happening--

2:08:02 Kristen: Okay, we do need enough diamonds to Revivify.

2:08:05 Fabian: Exactly.

2:08:05 Fig: Actually mine will be computers for infants.

2:08:08 Brennan: Great. Computers for infants.

2:08:08 Emily: So we get both sides.

2:08:09 Brennan: [points to Ally] You keep the diamonds for Revivify. Brennan gestures towards Lou.

2:08:10 Lou: Of course I keep my money! [chuckling] Brennan points to Siobhan.

2:08:15 Siobhan: I have to keep my m— I don't have parents!

2:08:18 Gorgug: Retirement aged people, not people who have accrued the amount of wealth to retire.

2:08:20 Kristen: Oh, okay, okay, okay.

2:08:22 Brennan: Cool, great so you guys do that. And then you do--

2:08:24 Fabian: [sadly] Who's going to buy all the shrimp?

2:08:25 Brennan: And then you have your shrimp party later that night? [laughing]

2:08:28 Ally: I mean it’s a little bit less flashy now that we don't have any money. [chuckling]

2:08:31 Ally: There are just a few shrimp around.

2:08:34 Gorgug: I'm gonna go look for some shrimp.

2:08:36 Kristen: Yeah.

2:08:37 Adaine: This house is full of shrimp though, right?

2:08:38 Brennan: Cool. So I'm gonna point this out now. I'm gonna need a-- As you guys are giving your-- giving your vast sums of wealth away.

2:08:42 Murph: [chuckling] What an insane thing.

2:08:46 Brennan: Go ahead and make a... I'm gonna say make a pers...You guys doing this like, live streamed shrimp party?

2:08:54 Lou: Oh, hell yes!

2:08:56 Fabian: What's up, I'm Fabian Seacaster and welcome to Shrimp Party!

2:09:00 Kristen: Shrimp! [air horn sound effects] [players cheering] Murph and Lou repeat the swaying crab gesture.

2:09:01 Brennan: I’m gonna need a group-- I’m gonna need a group Persuasion check. [laughing]

2:09:05 Lou: Can I make an Intimidation check?

2:09:07 Ally: Meanwhile, three people are online banking?

2:09:10 Brennan: Yes.

2:09:10 Ally: This is a Persuasion to make— [giggles]

2:09:13 Brennan: This is - I could not have predicted that the session would go here. I have no ability—

2:09:18 Murph: Little beans! Murph rolls his dice on the map in front of the players.

2:09:18 Murph: Oh, hell yeah.

2:09:18 Lou: 14.

2:09:21 Murph: That's 23 total for Riz.

2:09:21 Emily: I got a 27.

2:09:25 Siobhan: I got an 11.

2:09:25 Brennan: Okay, we’re going around 27. What did Gorgug get?

2:09:27 Zac: 8.

2:09:29 Siobhan: 11.

2:09:30 Zac: What is this for?

2:09:30 Lou: Can I do Intimidation?

2:09:33 Ally: To go viral.

2:09:33 Siobhan: To go viral.

2:09:34 Lou: Would you let me Intimidate?

2:09:34 Brennan: No.

2:09:35 Lou: Okay, great. Then that'll be 12.

2:09:40 Ally: 11.

2:09:40 Brennan: Plus 11, what does Riz get?

2:09:42 Murph: 23.

2:09:42 Ally: Oh!

2:09:44 Lou: Wow. The Ball is the crab king, of course .

2:09:48 Murph: Well Fig got-- what, you got a 27?

2:09:50 Emily: 27.

2:09:50 Lou: Well, of course.

2:09:50 Brennan: Okay so you guys-- I’m actually gonna say everyone roll one more time so do this with advantage.

2:09:59 Lou: Great.

2:09:59 Ally: Okay.

2:10:00 Murph: I think we're boiling shrimp in the hot tub and eating the shrimp—

2:10:03 Emily: I actually got a 31. [Murph laughs]

2:10:05 Brennan: 31.

2:10:05 Zac: Back at 8.

2:10:06 Siobhan: 6.

2:10:07 Murph: Little beans! [rolls again]

2:10:08 Lou: 12 is what—

2:10:08 Ally: 21.

2:10:10 Brennan: 21.

2:10:10 Murph: Let's stick with the 23.

2:10:12 Brennan: Cool, you guys start livestreaming your shrimp party.

2:10:18 Lou: I'll film. [laughing]

2:10:18 Brennan: [to Emily] You’re getting panicked emails from Lola Embers saying, “I just got a call from the business manager, that you've given away all your money. What is the shrimp party? You're using Fig and the Cig Figs—”

2:10:30 Adaine: Wait why did you give all of your money away? Why didn’t you just give your dragon hoard money away?

2:10:34 Gorgug: It affects your hoard. [crosstalk]

2:10:37 Brennan: So you're like retweeted all this-- You see, there's like you're doing Fantasy Twitter and all this stuff. Because-- and you see that people are writing articles that are like, they're like “Figueroth Faeth and Gorgug Thistlespring of Fig and the Cig Figs give away all of their wealth in the midst of a shrimp party.” [laughing]

2:10:57 Brennan: It goes super viral.

2:10:57 Lou: Wow.

2:11:00 Kristen: Hey check in this time every week, because we're gonna be doing a shrimp party in all new terrain! [chuckles]

2:11:06 Brennan: I assume - is there any Bad Kid that doesn't have a social media presence? Siobhan immediately raises her hand.

2:11:10 Brennan: Adaine you have no social media presence?

2:11:11 Murph: I think I have a really weird one where I like retweet news articles— [players laugh]

2:11:15 Ally: And every time a girl posts a photo—

2:11:16 Brennan: It’s like the Riz Gukgak Detective Agency? So it’s like a business one?

2:11:19 Murph: Yeah it has like two followers.

2:11:21 Brennan: You surge to 43 followers. [cheers]

2:11:24 Lou: Whoo! Okay, The Ball!

2:11:26 Emily: Even though I am a public figure, I actually am private.

2:11:28 Brennan: Gotcha.

2:11:28 Zac: But you run the like, Hangvan’s Twitter?

2:11:30 Emily: Yeah, I run the-- yeah.

2:11:32 Ally: You ghost write— [laughing]

2:11:32 Brennan: You guys, I don't know say this but the charity shrimp party goes super viral.

2:11:39 Zac: You don't know how to say it, you said it perfectly.

2:11:41 Lou: Yeah you just said it.

2:11:41 Siobhan: It sounds exactly like what we just did.

2:11:42 Lou: You said it.

2:11:43 Brennan: You see after the party dies down Sandra Lynn goes,

2:11:46 Sandra Lynn: So guys, we're gonna head to the Forest of the Nightmare King to get this crown back. Uh.. [giggling]

2:11:51 Kristen: What’s your point?

2:11:56 Fig: I, don't worry mom, I'm private.

2:11:57 Fabian: Yeah. Brennan discreetly rolls a dice and looks to the side for the result.

2:12:01 Brennan: So--

2:12:01 Siobhan: What was that roll for?

2:12:05 Brennan: She says,

2:12:05 Sandra Lynn: Are we gonna rest tonight and head out in the morning?

2:12:08 Kristen: Yeah.

2:12:09 Adaine: Yes. [crosstalk]

2:12:10 Fabian: We had a big shrimp party and now--

2:12:12 Gorgug: I'm all full of shrimp.

2:12:13 Brennan: You guys long rest.

2:12:16 Adaine: If we’re going— we're going in tomorrow to the [mumbles] nightmare, so I want to bring Boggy back. But, I feel like the Forest of the Nightmare King, maybe a frog— I just want to protect him after him disappearing. So, I think I want to bring him back as an owl called Bogowlriel Frogowlriel. [chuckling] [Brennan claps]

2:12:38 Lou: Just as round?

2:12:40 Zac: How is that-- Bog-owl-riel.

2:12:41 Siobhan: [nodding] Bog-owl-riel.

2:12:41 Brennan: Bogowlriel Frogowlriel.

2:12:44 Ally: So it’s kind of a froggy owl. Siobhan holds her hands in a spherical shape in front of her.

2:12:45 Siobhan: The roundest owl you've ever seen.

2:12:48 Brennan: A perfectly spherical owl with s-- it’s m-- it’s 75% eyes. It’s just [owl hooting].

2:12:55 Fig: I don't know if this is-- I don't know if it's fake. But I saw online that owls have really long legs. Zac shuts his eyes and smiles widely, shaking with silent laughter, before bowing his head.

2:12:59 Adaine: Yes they do. They do.

2:12:59 Kristen: Wait, wait— [laughing]

2:13:02 Fabian: I can't tell if this is real.

2:13:03 Adaine: They’re like this. No it’s actually true. Siobhan places one hand on top of the other before raising and lowering it a few times, indicating the difference between owls’ main body mass and their legs. This is a true fact, and can be seen here.

2:13:04 Riz: I actually retweeted an article about it.

2:13:06 Fabian: Oh, okay.

2:13:06 Kristen: [shocked and confused] I, wait-- Ally puts their head in their hands. [laughing]

2:13:07 Brennan: Okay.

2:13:07 Siobhan: I take Boggy and lift up his feathers and you see his extremely long legs.

2:13:12 Gorgug: Oh my god.

2:13:13 Fabian: Creepy.

2:13:15 Siobhan: It’s just eyes and legs and that's it.

2:13:16 Brennan: You bring Boggy back. The next morning you guys go to the briar wall at the edge of Arborly. As you do so—

2:13:20 Siobhan: Oh! Siobhan rolls her portent dice.

2:13:24 Brennan: Gilear sees you off at the borders of the forest. The Hangvan is staying behind the hang-- Tracker looks at you and says,

2:13:38 Tracker: I'll go back to doing the Moon Havens. The van just won't be able to travel through the forest.

2:13:43 Gorgug: I forgot if we-- do we want to bring the gem with us?

2:13:47 Fabian: The gem?

2:13:48 Adaine: I mean, maybe.

2:13:48 Gorgug: Of the Hangvan.

2:13:49 Kristen: The gem.

2:13:49 Fabian: Oh, the gem.

2:13:51 Gorgug: The celestial—

2:13:51 Fabian: That could be cool.

2:13:53 Fig: I could probably shatter it out of whatever it's been shoved in.

2:13:56 Kristen: Well, let’s not shatter it, but--

2:13:57 Adaine: It’s a sapphire, not a ruby.

2:13:59 Fig: [croaking voice] I'm powerless to it! [chuckling]

2:14:01 Gorgug: Well I'll defer, I don't know I really--

2:14:04 Ally: I think we should, yeah, let's do it.

2:14:05 Adaine: If there’s no harm--

2:14:05 Gorgug: Do you wanna bring it?

2:14:07 Fabian: Yeah.

2:14:07 Gorgug: Alright cool.

2:14:08 Kristen: Yeah, when we go back to the van maybe I'll get my weird painting that I stole-- from the ship and few art supplies. [laughing]

2:14:12 Brennan: Okay cool.

2:14:15 Fig: Maybe we could put the gem into--

2:14:17 Brennan: [mildly frustrated] All this happens and then something else happens which is this, you guys—

2:14:20 Fig: Should we try to put the gem into Baby? [chuckling]

2:14:21 Adaine: [vigorously shaking her head] No.

2:14:23 Fabian: No! I’m gonna say no.

2:14:23 Gorgug: I don't want to.

2:14:25 Brennan: All of this just has to stop. [laughing]

2:14:28 Brennan: You guys go to Arborly and move through. You see that, you take the gem out of the van. Wretchrot is still with you, Baby’s still here as well. As you move through this place, Fabian, you have to make a decision. Which is, the Hangman. Which is, the Hangman, depending on the terrain, the Hangman can maybe come with you through, for a short portion, but if you get into that insane like subterranean tree area, the Hangman won’t be able to travel through there. What is the call Fabian wants to make?

2:15:03 Fabian: [softly] Hangman.

2:15:03 Hangman: Sire?

2:15:06 Fabian: You're too important to me to bring you into the forest. You belong in long expanses of land where you can run wild and do your thing and it's just gonna be too tight in there.

2:15:25 Hangman: I shall remain and prevent the one known as Gilear from dying.

2:15:28 Fabian: Protect him. He is the chosen one. And he will chart the destiny of the known world. [laughing]

2:15:38 Zac: I just wanna tell them that like,

2:15:41 Gorgug: I guess we could just see if the Tinkerers will watch them.

2:15:44 Fabian: Oh, yeah, well, you have--

2:15:45 Hangman: Oh, we’ll go talk to the Tinkerers.

2:15:47 Fabian: We gave them like a ton of gold so they should be--

2:15:49 Hangman: I’ll take care of it.

2:15:49 Fabian: You know, yeah. [chuckling]

2:15:52 Fabian: [suddenly] I love you!

2:15:52 Hangman: I love you.

2:15:54 Fabian: Ugh, that felt weird. [laughing]

2:15:59 Brennan: So the six of you-- the six of you, Sandra Lynn, Baxter, Ragh, Tracker, Ayda and Wretchrot—

2:16:04 Lou: [quietly] Squad!

2:16:10 Brennan: Enter along with the familiars which are Bogowlriel, G.A.F., and Baby. You guys enter—

2:16:24 Fabian: Ayda’s coming with us?

2:16:27 Brennan: You see that Ayda gets to the—

2:16:29 Fig: Is that a problem?

2:16:30 Fabian: No!

2:16:30 Adaine: No.

2:16:30 Fabian: She’s dope as hell.

2:16:31 Brennan: Ayda looks and says,

2:16:31 Ayda: You asked me to stay, I will stay.

2:16:35 Fig: Yeah, I mean unless you don't wanna stay. In which case, that's also totally fine.

2:16:39 Brennan: She looks and says—

2:16:39 Adaine: [suddenly] Ayda please come.

2:16:41 Ayda: Okay, I'll come, I'll do it. Siobhan has an intense look on her face. She then breaks into a wide smile and sticks her tongue out a tiny bit.

2:16:46 Brennan: You arrive at the briar wall—

2:16:47 Fig: [standoffish] Why’d you jump in on that, huh?

2:16:48 Adaine: Because she's my friend!

2:16:50 Fig: I know but it’s like, I was kinda having a thing you know? You know, just kinda like-- [clears throat]

2:16:53 Adaine: You don't own her, I can be friends with her.

2:16:57 Fig: No, I'm just saying, like, I was trying to freaking flirt!

2:17:00 Ayda: [suddenly] This is upsetting me please stop. [pause] Thank you.

2:17:04 Brennan: You see that you arrive at the briar wall. As you approach, Fig, the emblem that is normally not even present burns into existence on your forehead, and you feel the ability to open a passageway for your friends into Sylvaire. Emily holds her arms out in front of her, spreading them in an imitation of magical fire powers.

2:17:25 Fabian: Very cool.

2:17:28 Brennan: [fire whooshing] You guys move through the burning doorway in the thorns. As you move through, you arrive on the other side of the briar wall. [players sigh] [twinging, dark music fades in]

2:17:37 Brennan: Endless, twisted, dark forest. Barely any light appears from the canopy. You walk through. As you do so, you feel the malevolence of this forest. [musical sting] As you begin to walk further into the forest, and you get about, you know 40 or 50 feet away from the briar wall, Fig as you leave the sort of nearness of the wall you see that the burning door [whooshes] closes back up. And you guys are in the Forest of the Nightmare King. What do you guys do as you enter?

2:18:23 Gorgug: Anybody have a compass or anything?

2:18:25 Adaine: Oh, our library cards are compasses.

2:18:26 Gorgug: Great.

2:18:27 Kristen: Do we have some sort of find— Locate Person or do we have an idea—

2:18:32 Adaine: Um, I can Scry?

2:18:34 Brennan: Also, you guys will recall that you guys had th— You can make the tincture with the different things that are here—

2:18:40 Siobhan: Oh, right.

2:18:41 Brennan: To remove Kalina.

2:18:41 Zac: Oh. Can we make Survival checks?

2:18:41 Ally: Cool, so can we start looking for some of those, yeah.

2:18:45 Brennan: Um, sure. Here's the deal. You see the three ingredients you need, actually, anyone that can make a Nature check make a Nature check first.

2:18:52 Siobhan: Can Sandra Lynn also make a Nature check?

2:18:53 Brennan: Yes.

2:18:53 Zac: Can I make a Survival check?

2:18:54 Brennan: Sandra Lynn just got a nat 20. [cheering]

2:18:57 Brennan: Sandra Lynn looks and says,

2:18:57 Sandra Lynn: Okay the three things that you need for-- everything else Adaine can get out of her jacket. We need star moth chrysalis. That's gonna be growing up in the canopy. We need Harrowgray nectar. That will be in deep foliage, vines, ferns, things like that. And then we also need Lungreed pollen. That's gonna be near water, usually stagnant water.

2:19:19 Brennan: You see that she [licks] puts up a finger says,

2:19:22 Sandra Lynn: [pointing] Stagnant water’s that way. We can also, there should be some deep foliage over here, and the star moth chrysalis just someone needs to go up and get that.

2:19:32 Fabian: I'll do it! Lou puts his arms above his head and pulls down as if climbing. He makes a “hup, ha” noise as he does.

2:19:34 Gorgug: I will go with Fabian.

2:19:34 Fabian: Come on, Gorgug. Lou repeats the motion and sound effect.

2:19:36 Adaine: Oh, you’re just climbing? I can cast Fly on you.

2:19:38 Kristen: Can you Scry while we-- [pause]

2:19:40 Adaine: Or you can climb! I just-- you can climb!

2:19:41 Gorgug: I just didn’t wanna-- I just don't wanna waste any spells yet.

2:19:42 Kristen: Yeah, yeah.

2:19:43 Adaine: No, you’re right. Why don’t you climb. Uh, I can send Boggy up with you.

2:19:47 Gorgug: Cool.

2:19:47 Fabian: Yes. We'd love to have [stuttering] Fr-owl-ariel. Bog-owlriel. [Siobhan chuckling]

2:19:53 Brennan: Cool. So you two guys are going on canopy duty. Who's going on stagnant water duty, who's going on the deep foliage duty? [crosstalk]

2:20:01 Zac: Pretty split up—

2:20:02 Murph: Stagnant water duty, that sounds like a job for Riz Gukgak.

2:20:05 Adaine: I'll do deep foliage because I have darkvision?

2:20:08 Brennan: Cool.

2:20:11 Fig: Oh I have darkvision as well, I can do that.

2:20:13 Riz: Okay so let me and, um, Kristen’ll go-- Ally nods.

2:20:16 Fabian: Will you guys take Ragh or, Ragh or Tracker?

2:20:20 Kristen: Yeah, we’ll take both of them.

2:20:22 Riz: We'll take, I guess let's split up evenly just in case anything bad happens. We can take Tracker and these--

2:20:26 Brennan: Um yeah, Sandra Lynn is going to go with Fig and Adaine.

2:20:30 Murph: Okay cool.

2:20:30 Siobhan: Great.

2:20:30 Zac: They have Ayda as well.

2:20:31 Murph: Oh great.

2:20:34 Brennan: Ayda is actually gonna-- yeah, Ayda I think will go with Fig and Adaine as well and then Ragh is gonna go up into the canopy, canopy with the rest of the boys.

2:20:45 Fabian: [softly, to Gorgug] Hoot growl.

2:20:46 Gorgug: Hoot growl.

2:20:46 Fabian: Hoot growl.

2:20:47 Brennan: Hoot growl squad’s going up there with Boggy. Both Lou and Zac make climbing motions and accompanying sounds of effort.

2:20:50 Gorgug: I’ve done so many pull-ups in the last 24 hours.

2:20:52 Fabian: Exactly. My back is feeling absolutely jacked.

2:20:56 Gorgug: You're looking shredded.

2:20:58 Fabian: [touched] Ah, you're also looking shredded. Lou and Zac flex their arms.

2:20:59 Brennan: Cool. We’re gonna start with the canopy squad. Both of you guys give me Survival checks.

2:21:07 Zac: I’ve been rolling like trash. 9.

2:21:10 Fabian: Uh, Survival?

2:21:10 Brennan: Yeah.

2:21:14 Lou: 13.

2:21:16 Brennan: 13. [points to Zac]

2:21:17 Zac: 9.

2:21:18 Brennan: 9. You guys keep looking. Ragh’s--

2:21:20 Zac: Can Bogowlriel give me advantage?

2:21:22 Brennan: Sure, sure sure sure. Zac chucks his dice into the tray. It clunks heavily. Zac shakes his head.

2:21:25 Zac: Worse.

2:21:27 Brennan: You guys are having a hard time finding any. You see that Ragh goes,

2:21:29 Ragh: Hmm. Damn, having a hard time finding stuff up here.

2:21:37 Brennan: You guys continue to search for it. Both of you guys make Perception checks with disadvantage for me.

2:21:44 Lou: Uh, can I look to Gorgug and say,

2:21:44 Fabian: [heartfelt] I believe in you, spring break.

2:21:48 Gorgug: [touched, warm] Oh, thank you.

2:21:49 Lou: I'll give you 1d6 Bardic Inspiration. [rolling]

2:21:58 Lou: Oh, Perception checks.

2:21:58 Brennan: Disadvantage.

2:22:00 Lou: 15.

2:22:00 Brennan: 15.

2:22:02 Zac: I rolled a 3 and on this d6 a 1 so four. Wait oh, Perception. So 9.

2:22:10 Brennan: That's a 9, cool. You see-- [haunting, ominous piano music plays]

2:22:13 Siobhan: Mmh, it’s the bad music.

2:22:16 Brennan: You guys that are going off into the deep foliage, head off into the deep foliage looking for it. You see Sandra Lynn looks up a tree a little bit and goes,

2:22:25 Sandra Lynn: [tsk] I think it might be a little bit higher.

2:22:28 Brennan: She's gonna make a Survival check herself. Oh, you see she goes,

2:22:29 Sandra Lynn: Aha!

2:22:30 Brennan: Jumps up on Baxter. You see she flies up over the tree to where some, she thinks some is going to be. And then Riz, Kristen and Tracker are all traveling. Who's got the celestial in the gem?

2:22:49 Siobhan: [quiet] I would imagine Gorgug--

2:22:50 Zac: I mean I took it out of the van maybe I have it, yeah.

2:22:53 Brennan: Cool you and Fabian both see that the gem goes [magical zapping]. You see an image of a cobweb-filled horrifying cottage, an old ancient witch’s hut in the gem, you hear a voice go,

2:23:09 Hangvan: [panicked] O-oh not chill, not chill, not chill!

2:23:14 Brennan: And the gem loses all of its glow.

2:23:16 Fabian: Gorgug! What's happening?

2:23:20 Gorgug: I think it, it feels like a witch… did something? [chuckling]

2:23:24 Lou: I draw my blade?

2:23:27 Gorgug: Let's get down.

2:23:27 Brennan: Neither of you guys can see Ragh.

2:23:31 Gorgug: Ragh!

2:23:31 Fabian: Ragh.

2:23:32 Gorgug: Ragh!

2:23:32 Fabian: Ragh!

2:23:33 Gorgug: [worried] Spring break, Ragh!

2:23:35 Fabian: Crab King? Where's my Crab King?

2:23:40 Brennan: [to Emily] You hear Baxter flap off into the forest and quickly the noise fades and you don't hear Sandra Lynn anymore. You don't hear Baxter.

2:23:54 Fig: I guess I'm gonna go, my spells are not suited to this kind of stuff. You guys are--

2:23:58 Brennan: Ayda looks and says,

2:24:00 Ayda: I can fly after her, I-- Brennan jerks and twitches a bit, grabbing at his chest.

2:24:04 Fig: What's wrong? What's going on? Are you okay?!

2:24:06 Ayda: [scared] I’m-- Why are we in a house? Is this normal?

2:24:07 Fig: What? We are not in a house, we’re outside.

2:24:08 Adaine: No, we’re not in a house.

2:24:09 Ayda: Is this normal?

2:24:12 Brennan: [magical buzzing and zapping] Vanishes.

2:24:13 Fig: What the actual fuck just happened? Where did she go? I have her feather! Um! Emily holds her hand in front of her as if gripping Ayda’s feather. She looks around, panicked and shocked.

2:24:20 Brennan: [pointing to Murph and Ally] You and you are over near some stagnant water. You both look in. You, and Tracker, look in. And in the reflection the water Kalina looks back up at you.

2:24:39 Ally: [smugly] I take out my crystal.

2:24:39 Kristen: Bitch.

2:24:43 Kalina: Nice, photographs.

2:24:46 Kristen: How does it feel to be the Nightmare King's little lieutenant?

2:24:51 Kalina: How does it feel to be in a forest where dreams are real? Oh. You see something you don't like, Tracker?

2:24:58 Brennan: You see Tracker looks up and you realize all three of you are seeing Kalina at the same time. You see Tracker looks up and goes,

2:25:05 Tracker: No. I can't even see the sky. No, no no no! Brennan hunches forward and his eyes bulge. He snarls viciously, then it turns into a feral growl.

2:25:17 Brennan: And Tracker begins to change. Kalina goes,

2:25:20 Kalina: Full moon. Tough break.

2:25:27 Brennan: You guys cannot see a full moon but Tracker can and the full moon is real enough that she begins to change. Ally puts a hand on Murph’s shoulder and grabs at the air in front of them.

2:25:35 Ally: I’m so sorry, but I grab Tracker and Riz, and I Dimension Door out of the forest?

2:25:40 Brennan: You are too far into the forest to get back outside the wall.

2:25:42 Ally: Fuck. Dammit. Okay.

2:25:43 Zac: You can only do one person, too.

2:25:45 Murph: I guess I'll,

2:25:45 Riz: Sorry, Tracker!

2:25:48 Murph: I wanna shoot her with my grappling thing.

2:25:51 Kristen: You have a tranquilizer too, right?

2:25:52 Riz: Yeah.

2:25:52 Brennan: Cool. Both of you guys as you go for your weapon and you go for that. You see-- go ahead and give me an attack roll first. Ally mouths something, awaiting Murph’s dice roll.

2:26:05 Ally: [pointing to Murph] Ah, help action?

2:26:05 Brennan: Sure.

2:26:08 Riz: I feel this is [chuckles] gonna be bad. Lou, Ally, and Murph look away from the result. Murph slaps his hand on the table and Ally balls their fists.

2:26:12 Ally: Ah, you jinxed it! You jinxed it!

2:26:13 Lou: You don’t say that, Murph!

2:26:13 Murph: 15.

2:26:17 Brennan: 15, [whiz] flies off. Suddenly Tracker is just-- you see that Tracker's, her body in your line of sight disappears and it disappears as though moths, invisible moths were flying in front of her and where they crossed over you’re ability to see her, when they left she was gone. [fluttering noises]

2:26:41 Ally: I reached in the area and see if I can feel her, if maybe she just turned invisible?

2:26:48 Brennan: You sw— give me an attack roll with disadvantage.

2:26:52 Ally: Okay, what is my attack, I never attack. Uh, 10.

2:26:58 Brennan: [whoosh] Air. You see Kalina goes, appears again to both of you she goes,

2:27:04 Kalina: Tracker is chasing you down to kill you.

2:27:07 Kristen: Hm.

2:27:09 Brennan: You see, she says,

2:27:09 Kalina: I mean, what she thinks is you. She's gone. Ragh's gone, Sandra Lynn's gone. I told you if you came to the forest I'd kill you. Dreams are real here. So, for example.

2:27:32 Brennan: Riz you take 4 points of damage and you know the damage is real.

2:27:34 Murph: Ow. As I wince, I pull on my tie to record.

2:27:44 Brennan: You start recording her. You see that she stops for a moment and goes,

2:27:52 Kristen: Did that really just hurt you? Murph nods.

2:27:56 Brennan: She disappears from sight and a moment later, Kristen, you take 1 point of damage. You can feel claws against you like a cat scratch. And they're— you know they're coming from inside your own body.

2:28:15 Kristen: Are you flirting with me? [chuckling]

2:28:19 Riz: [astounded] What?!

2:28:19 Kristen: She's fucking flirting with me. [laughing]

2:28:22 Brennan: You see she goes,

2:28:22 Kalina: No, Kristen, that's funny. I'm gonna kill you here. Now. ‘Cause I'm gonna keep tearing you apart from the inside. And I don't think you can stop me. I was very clear. I've never double-dealt you. I told you in Leviathan. You try to get the crown, I'm gonna kill you.

2:28:47 Kristen: Is that what your superior told you to say?

2:28:50 Kalina: Yeah, my superior, Kristen. I work for the Nightmare King.

2:28:53 Kristen: Yeah, yeah, cool.

2:28:55 Kalina: So I guess--

2:28:55 Kristen: A job’s a job.

2:28:58 Kalina: Hey, this is gonna take me a long time.

2:29:00 Brennan: She hits you again for 4 points of damage.

2:29:03 Riz: I start furiously looking around for what we need to find in this water I guess.

2:29:09 Brennan: You guys both continue to start taking damage. You will not be able to make tinctures in time while you are here. We're going-- Like this, like, disease is like ripping you apart.

2:29:23 Ally: Each second, yeah, yeah.

2:29:23 Brennan: Each second. You have a lot of hit points, so it will take a while, but you're being killed by something that you don't know how to hit. I'm gonna need a-- Gorgug and Fabian what are you guys doing?

2:29:36 Gorgug: We gotta find this stuff, right?

2:29:37 Fabian: Yes we just--

2:29:37 Gorgug: While we're up here

2:29:38 Zac: Can we make another Perception check, while we’re up here.

2:29:40 Lou: Yeah.

2:29:40 Zac: We can't make the-- we don't know that, do we?

2:29:42 Lou: Yeah I mean, we should--

2:29:44 Gorgug: Let's look for it and then like, try to get back to everybody.

2:29:46 Fabian: Great. Spring break, I believe in you.

2:29:48 Gorgug: Thank you.

2:29:48 Brennan: One last one last Survival check and then you guys are gonna run down and find everybody?

2:29:50 Zac: Yeah.

2:29:52 Lou: Yes.

2:29:52 Brennan: Cool.

2:29:55 Zac: Okay, Survival? 23.

2:29:57 Brennan: You find a star moth chrysalis.

2:29:59 Fabian: Did you find it?

2:29:59 Gorgug: I think so.

2:30:01 Fabian: Okay, yes!

2:30:01 Gorgug: Let's get the fuck out of these trees!

2:30:04 Brennan: Fig and Adaine, what are you guys doing?

2:30:07 Fig: What are we looking for in here? I got really distracted.

2:30:10 Adaine: Oh god, I don't even remember.

2:30:12 Zac: The pollen or the nectar?

2:30:12 Fig: I don't know what to say here.

2:30:14 Adaine: Can you use your feather to find Ayda?

2:30:16 Emily: I take out my feather and just say-- I speak her name.

2:30:20 Fig: Ayda Aguefort, I really want you to come back. Please come back.

2:30:25 Brennan: The feather has lost its shine.

2:30:27 Adaine: [quietly] What.

2:30:31 Fig: Why? Why did I freaking invite her? Why did I even think that this was a-- okay thing to do?

2:30:36 Adaine: No she's rad, she's much more powerful than any of us.

2:30:39 Fig: I know she's much more powerful.

2:30:43 Brennan: What are you guys doing in this moment? You-- Sandra Lynn is gone, Ayda is gone.

2:30:48 Siobhan: Aghh! Um, can I look through—

2:30:48 Emily: Yes what are you—

2:30:48 Siobhan: Boggy's eyes and see what the lads are doing.

2:30:54 Brennan: Freaking out because Ragh is gone and they just found the star moth chrysalis.

2:30:57 Adaine: Ah, okay, Ragh is also gone, but they found the star chrysalis. Let's look for the moss that we have to find.

2:31:02 Fig: Okay.

2:31:03 Brennan: Give me one more thing for the nectar.

2:31:06 Emily: Okay, Bardic Inspiration.

2:31:07 Siobhan: Oh, thank you.

2:31:07 Emily: Oh, what are we looking for?

2:31:09 Brennan: You're looking for Harrowgray nectar.

2:31:12 Emily: Oh, sorry, what is this check?

2:31:12 Brennan: Survival.

2:31:13 Siobhan: Oh I don't even need it, ‘cause I got-- I mean I got a 21. Is that enough?

2:31:19 Brennan: You find the nectar of the flower, pull it out. Kristen and Riz, you are both being ripped apart by this thing.

2:31:26 Ally: Yep, you know I start a-- fuck I only have one of these per time. I cast Greater Restoration on Riz. Ally lays their hand on Murph’s shoulder.

2:31:37 Brennan: [magical whirring] Choosing Riz over yourself, you cure Riz of the plague of the Shadowcat. Riz you suddenly feel the attack stop on you and double on Kristen.

2:31:47 Kristen: Fuck, you need to find Tracker.

2:31:52 Ally: I started the Prayer of Healing, it's gonna take 10 minutes. I don't know if I'll last but--

2:31:56 Brennan: You'll be dead by then.

2:31:57 Ally: Yeah! Okay.

2:32:00 Brennan: We're going to-- Emily and Siobhan mutter for a moment about spells.

2:32:02 Emily: Can I just cast, I mean can I play-- I don't know if anyone can hear me but I have like, Countercharm. Can I just play my Countercharm thing to give people an advantage on saves against frightened and being charmed?

2:32:13 Brennan: You guys-- I assume you're trying to find all of each other.

2:32:15 Fig: Yes! I think we just like--

2:32:15 Lou: Yes, we’re--

2:32:15 Brennan: Riz, you watch the wounds begin to appear on Kristen's face. You guys find yours, you guys find yours, you begin to run. You hear from every corner of the forest [ominous laughter] [whooshing] and for the first time you will see an image of a crowned skull. That's all for this episode of Fantasy High. Tune in next week, gang, bye bye.

2:32:48 Lou: [quietly] You suck. [laughing] [clapping]

2:32:51 Ally: Damn! An ominous image of Kalina fades in from black. She smirks viciously. [NEXT EPISODE - Episode 17: The Forest of the Nightmare King]

2:32:51 Captions extracted by: matthew

2:32:51 Edited by: gluegunshots, somnolentselenophile, tevildo, natjennie, ghoulfriend, rowan solsys