The Cracked Die Podcast - Episode 36 - Strangers Like Me

[00:00:38] Speaker A: Hello, crackdye listeners. How are you guys doing? This is Haya, I should probably say I play Brianna on the show, but I feel like everybody's been following Matt's lead on that, so you know what? I'll think of my own thing to say. Anyway, how have you guys been? How has this quarantine been treating you? As for me, I've been doing a lot of streaming and a lot of animal crossing. Any animal crossing players out there hit me up. Anyway, I won't keep you guys terribly much since we kind of left it at a pretty intense cliffhanger last time. But I just wanted to let you guys know that this episode is the episode where we actually begin with our long distance recordings. So you'll notice that our quality isn't as great as we normally hope to put out. So we're still learning and trying out different techniques to kind of bump up the quality. So please be patient with us. You'll hear at one point, I definitely sound like I have food in my mouth where I'm pretty sure I had dinner before we started recording. There's another point where you might hear drops in the call or Sean and Christine's lovely budgies in the role of Jasper sometimes, but yeah. Anyway, thank you so much for sticking around, and I hope you guys enjoy this episode. All right, I'll send you guys to the table for episode 36, strangers like me. [00:02:19] Speaker B: Previously on the Cracked Die podcast. We answered questions about the show. We gave you a little insight into what's happening elsewhere. What's next for our heroes? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this episode of the Crept Die podcast. [00:02:42] Speaker C: Let's just pick up in the middle of combat. Pond Watcher, you had a 26 initiative. Oh, yeah. So you're going first. [00:02:51] Speaker D: Oh, boy. Okay. Pond Watcher is. He's fired his crossbow. It didn't seem to do anything. And he rages harder than he's ever raged in his life. [00:03:03] Speaker C: Okay. [00:03:05] Speaker D: He rips the halberd off of his back, and he screams an Elvin, the name of his mother, Jele Labria, and charges directly in and swings. [00:03:20] Speaker C: Okay, let's make a roll. [00:03:23] Speaker E: I think Pond Watcher thinks that's his mom. [00:03:26] Speaker F: I think he's avenging her. [00:03:30] Speaker D: 32 to hit. [00:03:32] Speaker C: Nice. [00:03:33] Speaker G: Holy crap. [00:03:34] Speaker C: Okay, 32 will hit. [00:03:37] Speaker H: Welcome back. [00:03:38] Speaker E: Is that a crit? [00:03:39] Speaker C: It is not a crit. [00:03:41] Speaker D: It's not. [00:03:42] Speaker C: Don't like that. [00:03:43] Speaker D: 14 slashing damage as he jumps and swings a Hellburn from left to right. It's 14 slashing damage and four cold damage, which is not being picked up on the. [00:03:56] Speaker C: Okay, so I will subtract another four. So you're using your halberd, right? [00:04:05] Speaker G: Is it dead? [00:04:06] Speaker C: No, it's not dead. [00:04:09] Speaker D: Yes, I'm using my magical halberda. [00:04:12] Speaker C: Your halberd swings through this dragon and you see it whisp away a little bit and reform around it. [00:04:21] Speaker F: So my favorite thing about this on a meta game level is that on roll 20, its health bar takes up three boxes. Exactly. [00:04:31] Speaker G: Why are we seeing its health bar? [00:04:32] Speaker C: Yeah, you shouldn't. [00:04:33] Speaker E: Shut up. [00:04:34] Speaker F: Do you still have me as a GM, Sean? [00:04:37] Speaker E: I can also see its health bar, but I can't see riches or silver or Brianna. [00:04:43] Speaker F: I see mine. I see tevids and I see the dragon. [00:04:46] Speaker E: You don't see mine. [00:04:47] Speaker D: Yeah, me too. [00:04:49] Speaker E: I can see mine. But everybody. [00:04:53] Speaker C: I'll fix that. I'll fix that for all of you. Anyway, that's two actions was one action as well. [00:05:04] Speaker E: His charge is two and his rage is one. I think. [00:05:06] Speaker D: Yeah. Now I'm done. [00:05:08] Speaker C: Okay, great. Next. Sareia. [00:05:13] Speaker F: She's pretty far back in the order. The marching order. [00:05:20] Speaker C: I will say I'll be nice. I didn't remember where you all were, so I kind of just threw you onto the map. So if you would like to adjust yourselves a little bit, I'd say 10ft in any direction, I will let you do that for free. [00:05:36] Speaker E: You just want us to accidentally put ourselves in lava, Sean. [00:05:39] Speaker F: I mean, yeah, I built the map. [00:05:42] Speaker C: You can see exactly where Rhanna. No, don't go into the lava. [00:05:51] Speaker F: Does anybody remember did we try to knowledge this in any way? [00:05:54] Speaker C: You have not. [00:05:56] Speaker F: I'm going to try to. Would Arcana work here or would Dahawk be better? It's Dahawk, isn't it? [00:06:04] Speaker C: It sure looks like him. Let's see. Sorry. Give me a second. [00:06:20] Speaker F: GM has to look up which skill to use for recall knowledge. [00:06:24] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:06:27] Speaker E: I'm surprised. Dahawk Lord isn't the thing you use for Dahawk. [00:06:32] Speaker F: Right? Well, I don't know if this is, actually. Obviously it's not him here in the flesh, as seeing as he's incorporeal. I don't think that's a dragon thing. [00:06:41] Speaker E: I mean, Dahak's a God. [00:06:44] Speaker F: That's true. [00:06:45] Speaker E: So it's unlikely that the writers of the second book put a dragon God for us to fight at fifth level. I would hope second edition is different. [00:06:56] Speaker F: Right. They're just like second edition. [00:06:58] Speaker C: Fifth level. [00:07:01] Speaker D: Wow. So I just want to point out, because we're using roll 20. I didn't realize this but I rolled an 18 on the die for my attack and a ten on a d ten for the damage. [00:07:10] Speaker E: You should never go back to regular dice, rich. [00:07:12] Speaker F: Yeah, never back to regular dice. [00:07:14] Speaker D: Yeah, this likes me. [00:07:17] Speaker H: Meanwhile, it's going to hate me, so. [00:07:20] Speaker D: It'D be great what tables have turned. [00:07:24] Speaker E: I always feel like I have poor luck with roll 20. [00:07:27] Speaker F: Well, we'll find out what happens when Sean finally tells me what I have to do. Yes. His next statement is, if you try to recall knowledge on this, you instantly go insane and have to roll a new character. Oh, no. [00:07:44] Speaker C: Probably. [00:07:45] Speaker H: Hopefully not. [00:07:46] Speaker C: Heck, I need knowledge. Religion. [00:07:51] Speaker F: Okay, well, I am a student of the canon re religion. Okay, I roll the 21. [00:07:58] Speaker C: Okay, something is off about this Dahawk that you see. As you said, it's slightly incomporeal and it's made of fire. But you're guessing that this is not actually Dahawk. This might be some sort of. [00:08:21] Speaker F: Could it be like magic? [00:08:23] Speaker C: Yeah, or like a trap or something? Like. [00:08:28] Speaker F: Huh. All right, so she does that. She kind of looks around and she'll just shut up. Twin talon, keep an eye out. I think it might be a trap of some kind. If there's something you might be able to see that I don't know, to look for. [00:08:38] Speaker E: Okay. I see a dragon. [00:08:41] Speaker F: Yes, but it's not. I'll explain when we're safe. So she's going to run forward as well. And then with her quick bomber thing, throw. Let's do a frost file at him. [00:08:55] Speaker E: Oh, yeah. Ice versus fire. [00:08:57] Speaker C: All right. [00:08:58] Speaker G: Like it? [00:08:59] Speaker F: I just need to double check and see if I got better version of that or if I only have the lesser. I do have a moderate frost file, so that was the roll for the lesser. I'm going to just put in the damage for it separately because it's actually two d six and two cold splash. [00:09:15] Speaker C: Okay, so you hit with a 27. [00:09:18] Speaker H: Oh, damn. [00:09:19] Speaker F: Yes. Awesome. Good to know. [00:09:22] Speaker C: The target is slowed for 5ft. [00:09:24] Speaker F: There we go. So ten damage. Ten cold damage plus two cold splash damage. And they take a ten foot penalty because it's moderate. [00:09:31] Speaker E: Nice. [00:09:32] Speaker D: Okay, Christine, I know that Sareia can control the splash so that it doesn't hit pond watcher, but. Yes, because this will never, ever happen ever again. Let's just say that the ice hits him and it just does no damage because he has resistance to cold. [00:09:49] Speaker C: Cool. Yes. [00:09:51] Speaker F: It hits the fire, it billows out into a hiss of icy steam, and pond watcher just kind of goes like. Feels like my homeland. [00:10:02] Speaker D: You're exfoliating my skin. [00:10:04] Speaker C: Only you're welcome. [00:10:07] Speaker F: We should all have a spa day. [00:10:09] Speaker H: Once this is over. It would be really great. [00:10:13] Speaker C: All right, twin Talon, your turn. [00:10:16] Speaker E: If Sareia thinks it's a trap, I mean, he's going to look to see if he can see some way to disable it. [00:10:23] Speaker C: All right? Do you know how do you detect traps? [00:10:27] Speaker E: Perception. Is it just perception still, I'm almost positive. [00:10:33] Speaker F: Or apparently we've been doing this wrong for 36 episodes. [00:10:36] Speaker E: Well, that doesn't surprise me. One, but two? I don't think that's true. It's perception to find the trap and then thievery to disable it. [00:10:45] Speaker C: All right, let's see. I'm going to roll your perception. All right, so you notice that the lines in the walls, the cracks in the walls are what is powering this vision. You think that you can divert the hazard's energies back upon themselves? If you can make a very difficult. [00:11:19] Speaker E: Thievery check, then I will try to do that. [00:11:22] Speaker C: All right. [00:11:23] Speaker E: It's better than getting close to a dragon made of fire and trying to melee against it. [00:11:29] Speaker D: Okay? Come on. [00:11:32] Speaker E: You're made of ice. It's probably okay for you, but I don't have that luxury. All right. Fifore 23. [00:11:41] Speaker F: Hey. [00:11:43] Speaker C: So you start to work on it. However, you don't think you've been able to do enough to get all of the energy to divert back. [00:11:54] Speaker E: Okay. Is that one action? [00:11:57] Speaker C: Yes. [00:11:58] Speaker E: So if perceiving was an action, my first debris was action. As long as I haven't done something to ruin the trap. I'm going to try it again. [00:12:06] Speaker C: Yes. [00:12:06] Speaker E: Go ahead, 24. [00:12:10] Speaker F: Hey. [00:12:11] Speaker C: Still not enough. [00:12:14] Speaker E: Okay. These dice are super average. [00:12:18] Speaker C: Much like me. [00:12:20] Speaker H: No. [00:12:22] Speaker C: Now dahawk goes. [00:12:24] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:12:26] Speaker C: And it will unleash a blast of fire from its burning mall. [00:12:34] Speaker E: Can it do this every round? Because it did that last time. [00:12:37] Speaker C: It hurt. Yes. [00:12:39] Speaker E: Okay, just curious. Why would it not do this every turn? You know what I mean? [00:12:44] Speaker F: Right. Why would it give the players a break and not TPk? Right as we start book two. [00:12:51] Speaker C: Okay, it's going to get everyone in a 60 foot cone. [00:12:54] Speaker F: Fuck. [00:12:58] Speaker D: Give it to me now. [00:13:01] Speaker F: Give me more. Give me more. [00:13:03] Speaker C: Everyone. Give me a reflex save. Just a basic reflex save. [00:13:07] Speaker H: Oh, boy. [00:13:08] Speaker E: I think I said it last time, but I want to reiterate that I hate not having evasion yet. [00:13:14] Speaker F: Hey, I'm so happy. I got a really good save for once. [00:13:19] Speaker H: Good job. [00:13:20] Speaker D: Oh, nice. [00:13:21] Speaker G: Everyone's doing really well. [00:13:23] Speaker E: 30 g Surrey. [00:13:25] Speaker F: All right, look, I have experience with this, okay? This is my nightmare every night. [00:13:31] Speaker C: Sareia, you're good. Pond watcher, you're good with a 26. Brienna, not so much. Temid, not so much. Quintalon, not so much. [00:13:44] Speaker G: And shenanigans. [00:13:46] Speaker E: So we failed on. Just because listeners can't see this. We failed on 1818. And 22. [00:13:51] Speaker F: Ouch. [00:13:52] Speaker C: And silver, not so much with the 23. Yes. [00:13:58] Speaker D: You burn my jambalaya. [00:14:03] Speaker C: So those of you who did not save, please take 26 damage. [00:14:11] Speaker F: And that hurts. [00:14:13] Speaker C: It's fire. If you are resistant to fire, now would be a good time. [00:14:17] Speaker E: Now I'm just a person. [00:14:19] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:14:19] Speaker H: I'm also just a person. [00:14:20] Speaker C: If you did save. So if you're Surreya or pond watcher, you only take 13. [00:14:27] Speaker F: Yay. [00:14:29] Speaker C: And that's its turn. [00:14:31] Speaker G: I'm not feeling too good. [00:14:33] Speaker F: Yeah, no, me either. [00:14:35] Speaker C: Temid, you're up. [00:14:38] Speaker G: Sucks. [00:14:40] Speaker E: Hey, Cleric. [00:14:41] Speaker G: All right, so Temid's going to cast his second level version of heel. [00:14:46] Speaker C: Okay. [00:14:47] Speaker H: Noise. [00:14:48] Speaker G: He's going to cast it with three actions because everyone's going to die, so we're going to heal everyone at the same time. [00:14:58] Speaker E: Very nice. [00:14:59] Speaker G: A 30 foot emanation, I believe that catches everybody. [00:15:03] Speaker C: I believe so. Let's see. Yes. It hits everyone, including Dehawk. [00:15:13] Speaker F: I'm assuming you can choose to not include him. [00:15:16] Speaker G: You know what? I'm going to have to do what I have to do. So, two d, ten to everybody. [00:15:21] Speaker C: Okay. [00:15:22] Speaker E: I would be willing to bet that he's not a living creature. Yeah, because he's powered by a trap, I guess. A trap. So he's probably a construct or something. I would hope. [00:15:35] Speaker F: Yeah. Right. [00:15:36] Speaker G: So everybody gets 17 hit points back. [00:15:40] Speaker H: Nice. [00:15:41] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:15:45] Speaker G: I can't cast shield this time, unfortunately. [00:15:48] Speaker E: Thank you, Kirk. [00:15:49] Speaker C: All right, Silver, the bard is going to go well. Jumbalaya. Come over here, Brianna. And he's going to walk to Brianna as his first action cast guidance on you as a cantrip. It's a one action can trip. Silver comes. You know, this one time, I was in a cave and I fought this. [00:16:22] Speaker H: Is this the time, Silver? Is this the time for a story? [00:16:25] Speaker C: Really? I was just trying to give you some guidance. So that gives you a plus one status bonus to an attack roll, perception check, saving throw, or skill check. That goes until the start of my next turn. And then I'm also. Actually, he's going to step here and give Soraya guidance as well. [00:16:49] Speaker E: Okay, this seems appropriate because twin Talon is the one trying to disable the trap and Silver is not helping him. [00:16:58] Speaker H: Sounds in character, to be completely fair. [00:17:03] Speaker C: Brianna, you're us. [00:17:05] Speaker H: Oh, the sneaky ones. Trying to save a trap? Nothing. It's divine guidance, right? [00:17:16] Speaker C: It's just guidance. [00:17:18] Speaker H: Okay, so for flavor's sake, Brienna, as her first action, is going to pull out her javelin. Okay, because it's in the air, right? [00:17:30] Speaker C: It's hovering like 5ft off the ground. But yes, you can smack it with your sword. [00:17:36] Speaker E: The power watcher did, right? [00:17:38] Speaker F: Yeah, right. [00:17:39] Speaker H: Sorry, sorry. All right, so next is the javelin. I will be like, excuse me, coming through. Rush forward next to her friend, who she swore an oath to. Fell Eddie. Evil dragons. [00:17:53] Speaker D: Yes. [00:17:54] Speaker C: This falls under evil dragon. [00:17:57] Speaker F: Yes. [00:17:58] Speaker D: This is the time when we kill the dragons. [00:18:01] Speaker H: So as a liberator triggered by an evil dragon, our allies gain a plus four circumstance bonus to checks granted by my liberating step. And the ally can step afterwards. So I guess you have to be hit by it, right? [00:18:15] Speaker E: It's just like your liberating step. Like someone has to be hit for it to take effect. But it's better when you're all fighting dragons, right? [00:18:22] Speaker H: I just thought it'd be. I don't know, it would have been nice for me. Like, hey, twin Talon, I liberate you for that thievery check. Wink, wink, go. [00:18:32] Speaker E: It would be nice for you. Just be able to give your bonuses to whatever you wanted, but unfortunately, that's not how it works. [00:18:38] Speaker H: Yeah, I'm not that cool of a character. So Brienna is going to say something along the lines of, oh, serendre, lady of dawn, guide my friends through this passage against the fiery one in hopes that, I don't know, another celestial being's wrath can help against this thing, and she will strike. [00:18:59] Speaker C: All right, let's see what you do. 20 will miss. Boo. So that was two actions. [00:19:07] Speaker H: And for the third, I'll try again and miss even further. [00:19:10] Speaker F: Yes. Damn it. [00:19:12] Speaker H: Seren Ray. [00:19:15] Speaker C: Pond watcher, you're up. [00:19:17] Speaker D: I screaming. Foaming at the mouth. I swag my halbid. [00:19:25] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, that. [00:19:27] Speaker H: Holy shit. [00:19:28] Speaker D: 19 damage, plus four cold damage. [00:19:34] Speaker C: All right, that cold damage seems to be doing a lot. Every time it hit, gets hit with cold, you see more of it starting to flicker out of existence. [00:19:46] Speaker D: Daisy, scoot. I will swing again. All right, 19 seems to be a miss. [00:19:52] Speaker C: Yes, that will be a miss. [00:19:54] Speaker D: And for my third move, I'm going to move around it. [00:19:57] Speaker H: Are we going to plank? [00:19:58] Speaker D: I don't know. Can I get up close to it here, or do I need to be here? [00:20:04] Speaker C: You need to be there. It takes up a three by three square. [00:20:07] Speaker D: Okay, so for the listeners, pond Watcher is running around the back of the dragon with his back to the lava flow, trying to give it a target that will draw the fire away from the column of his friends. [00:20:20] Speaker C: Sareia. [00:20:21] Speaker F: She's going to try again. And with another frostbile. Unless I might be able to help twin Talon in any way. [00:20:31] Speaker C: How good is your disabled check? [00:20:34] Speaker F: Not very. [00:20:35] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. No. To pull back the curtain, you need to have an expert level or higher in order to even make the check. [00:20:46] Speaker F: Oh, yeah. No, not there. No. All right. Yeah. For argument's sake, I'm going to roll my alchemist fire because that's the proper. Or I'm just going to roll the pros file. But it's actually plus one to attack. Yeah. So a 14 is going to miss Miss. She can try again. But that negative five is not fun. [00:21:09] Speaker C: I mean, what's the worst that happens? Actually, hang on a second. Hold on, hold on. [00:21:15] Speaker F: 1314. [00:21:18] Speaker C: A 14. [00:21:19] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:21:22] Speaker C: Is a critical miss. [00:21:25] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:21:29] Speaker C: I totally forgot about that. On someone else's turn. Brianna. [00:21:35] Speaker H: Yeah. [00:21:36] Speaker F: Okay, I will draw a crit fumble card. [00:21:39] Speaker C: Yes, please draw one card. Yeah. [00:21:43] Speaker F: Sorry. It's just narrating the pop up screen and it says range until the end of your next turn. Your attacks acquire an extra action to use. [00:21:58] Speaker C: That's not that bad. It's like you don't have that feet anymore, right? [00:22:03] Speaker F: Just negating all of my fun stuff. No, that's fine. Okay, so she's not going to try that again. Does it still get the splash damage? [00:22:13] Speaker C: Yes. I'll say. It still takes the two cold. [00:22:17] Speaker F: Yes. Cool. I didn't even think like. I'm trying to think of what I can do now. [00:22:21] Speaker C: I'll find a new group of adventurers. [00:22:24] Speaker F: Goodbye. [00:22:27] Speaker D: This is the beginning of one of silver's stories. [00:22:33] Speaker F: For real. I'm going to move back a little bit. [00:22:38] Speaker C: Okay. [00:22:40] Speaker F: And can I make an arcana check? This seems kind of magical. [00:22:46] Speaker C: Sure. [00:22:46] Speaker F: 31. [00:22:48] Speaker C: You know that it is magical, but it is also divine. So perhaps using some sort of a prayer could also deactivate it or turn it away for now. [00:23:02] Speaker H: So what I did was not a prayer. [00:23:06] Speaker C: Using the religion. [00:23:12] Speaker F: Timid. There's a divine component to it. Maybe something that you two. [00:23:17] Speaker H: Okay, I'll keep asking San Rendri for help. She doesn't seem to like me very much right now. [00:23:24] Speaker C: Twin Talon. [00:23:25] Speaker E: Twin Talon will continue to try to use thievery. All right, 26. [00:23:34] Speaker C: Still not enough. But you're not breaking it. You do see that you're making progress. But it's just a little short. [00:23:44] Speaker E: So far I've rolled a ten, an eleven, a 13 so I'm guessing the next cv recheck will be lower than ten. Yes, I rolled a two, so it's a 15. It's going to critically failed and snapped my hand off or something. [00:24:08] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:24:09] Speaker C: So you did critically fail, but you don't think anything bad has happened quite yet. [00:24:17] Speaker E: Cool. Then I will try it again. All right, 32. That was a natural 19. If that doesn't do it, I'm going to leave. [00:24:30] Speaker F: It's that lock picking check all over. [00:24:32] Speaker C: Yeah. So with a final twist, you manage to divert the energies that you see coming out and powering this vision of Dahak. And it fades away with a scream. [00:24:56] Speaker H: Oh, thank goodness. [00:24:58] Speaker F: What's that, you twin? Darren. [00:25:00] Speaker E: Looks like serenre heard your prayer after all. [00:25:02] Speaker H: Or you're just very deft with your hands. [00:25:05] Speaker E: Well, I am good with my hands. [00:25:07] Speaker C: Oh. [00:25:08] Speaker E: Anyway. [00:25:10] Speaker F: All right, this is already enough of a waking nightmare. [00:25:13] Speaker H: Can we go back home now? [00:25:15] Speaker E: Do we want to go back? [00:25:17] Speaker D: No. What are you doing? Where did it go? [00:25:20] Speaker C: What did you do? Why? Where is it? [00:25:21] Speaker D: Where is it? [00:25:23] Speaker F: Pond watcher. Pond watcher. It's just an illusion. [00:25:25] Speaker H: It apparently wasn't real pound watcher, it was just. [00:25:28] Speaker D: He's just running around frenzied, like, swiping his weapon through the air. [00:25:33] Speaker F: Oh, yeah, you're still raging, aren't you? [00:25:35] Speaker C: So just so you guys know, that was a level eight hazard. [00:25:39] Speaker E: Okay, cool, so we're level six now. Is that what happens? [00:25:43] Speaker F: Yeah. Is that what I'm hearing? [00:25:45] Speaker C: No. [00:25:46] Speaker F: Lame. [00:25:46] Speaker D: What the hell was that thing? [00:25:48] Speaker E: Well, it looks like there's these energy lines here, and someone set them up to project a simulcrum of Dahak to attack people going through this gateway. I don't know who would have done that or when, but I think it's disabled. I'm not sure if it's going to reset itself, but I think we should probably get moving to the end of a hallway. Yeah. [00:26:26] Speaker H: So just to understand we know for sure we cannot go back, so the lady who is trying to come back cannot come with us. [00:26:36] Speaker E: I think we may be able to open it from the other side. I think the way behind us just closed. And then to open it, I need to put the arrowhead into the gate on the other side to open both doors. [00:26:49] Speaker D: Okay, well, we should probably at least try that before leaving. [00:26:54] Speaker H: Yes. [00:26:55] Speaker E: We're going back to where we came. [00:26:59] Speaker H: We need to be able to. [00:27:00] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:27:01] Speaker D: Aren't we just on, like, right on the other side of the gate? [00:27:04] Speaker C: Yes. The blue and green orbs are the entrance and exit. Points blue is where you came from. [00:27:13] Speaker E: Yeah. I got the impression that this is not a place. It's almost like a tube in between the two gates. Because we're going to the moen expanse. And I don't think this volcanic tunnel is the moongi expanse. Although I've never been there. So maybe I just don't understand what the moyngi expanse is like. [00:27:31] Speaker D: There's not a lot of places for monkeys in this tunnel. [00:27:34] Speaker E: Yeah, I thought there'd be way more gorillas. [00:27:40] Speaker F: So the thought is, once we go through, we might be able to come back. [00:27:45] Speaker E: I think so. I think it's just like we're in transit from one side to the other. And then once we get there, we should be able to open and then go. Mean. Sean, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you had said last time that the way behind us had closed. [00:28:02] Speaker C: Yes. And we can kind of wave our hands and say that Renuli was with you if you guys want. And she's just been hiding the whole time. [00:28:13] Speaker E: She's a spider. She's up on the ceiling. [00:28:16] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:16] Speaker F: Okay. [00:28:18] Speaker C: Sure. Okay, so Renulli is with you. She has been hiding. So with that, I'm assuming you all continue out through the green door. And as you exit, cloying heat and humidity hangs heavy in the atmosphere of this opened air temple, its surrounding stone arches smeared black with soot. Charred branches and clumps of roots mark the shape of a garden that once stood here, but the plants and flowers have been ripped up and burned. In the middle of the ring of stone arches, in the center of a cold pit of charcoal, a half complete wooden pillar, once capped with a dragon's visage, stands near a pile of carved rocks and a small sack of cloth. Only one section of the ring of stone arches is solid, a section of wall that bears an exact duplicate of Hunter's gate as it appears in the wall below citadel el Taran. Beyond the open archway, elsewhere, sprawls a verdant expanse of tropical jungle. As you look around, as your eyes kind of adjust to the lighting, you see a force of 20 ebony skinned elves with swords, bows and arrows and other weapons trained on you. [00:29:48] Speaker D: Oh, boy. [00:29:49] Speaker E: How many did you say? [00:29:50] Speaker C: 2020. [00:29:52] Speaker E: Okay, so twin Talon will kind of whisper over to pond Watcher. I'll get the ten on the left, you get the ten on the right. [00:30:03] Speaker D: But maybe they're not dragons or little monkeys. Maybe we can talk to them. [00:30:10] Speaker F: Yes. Soraya is going to hold her hands up and say, an Elvis cousins. [00:30:17] Speaker C: Give me a pond watcher and Soraya, please give me a society check. [00:30:27] Speaker D: All right, how about elven lore? Because I don't have society. [00:30:32] Speaker C: Yes, well, 25 for society, 22 for elven lore. [00:30:38] Speaker E: Nice. [00:30:39] Speaker C: Great. So you both immediately recognize the elves surrounding you as. Now, I apologize. I am going to butcher this name. I actually went on the forums and asked Paizo the proper pronunciation. And I don't think I ever got an actual response. I got some other people who are like, yeah, that's what we call them. You recognize them as ekuje, jungle dwelling elves who keep to themselves and dislikes trespassers in their territory. [00:31:11] Speaker F: Lovely. [00:31:12] Speaker C: The spelling of that is E-K-U-J-A-E. Saray. [00:31:18] Speaker D: Maybe we want to handle this. [00:31:20] Speaker F: I'm thinking so would I know what language they speak with the society check. [00:31:26] Speaker C: Yes, you would know. They speak Elven and mwangi. [00:31:30] Speaker F: Okay, so the elven was a good start. Good. Lovely. She'll keep her hands up. I have no weapons and nothing's crazy. And just kind of say, my friends and I did not mean to encroach upon your lands. We actually had no idea that this is where the portal led. We apologize. We're just looking for passage. [00:31:54] Speaker C: One of the elves, a man set apart from the others by his gold jewelry and bracers, steps forward into the ruined temple, holding his palms open at his side to show he is unarmed. The rest of the elves relax the draw of their bowstrings and put their weapons at rest, though their arrows remain knocked ready to fire quickly. The elf in gold jewelry stops a respectful distance away and gives a slight bow. I am Jahasi of the leopard clan, he says, speaking in accented. Taldin. My mother is of river clan. [00:32:27] Speaker F: What do I know about the river clan? [00:32:29] Speaker C: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. [00:32:32] Speaker F: Okay. [00:32:33] Speaker D: Hello. My name is Pond Watcher. This is Sareia, and these are our friends. We are from a faraway place. I guess you could call me a. [00:32:43] Speaker F: Member of the ice clan and of the mountain clan. [00:32:50] Speaker C: What has brought you here? [00:32:52] Speaker D: Oh, you know, like magic and dragons and stuff like that. [00:32:57] Speaker C: At the mention of dragons, you see him kind of bristle and all of the archers and kind of tense up a little bit. [00:33:05] Speaker F: No, he has had some rather unfortunate run ins with dragons. [00:33:12] Speaker C: But as have we. [00:33:15] Speaker F: Yes, we are no great lover of the creatures. It's actually been quite a torment for me, but no. I'm assuming you know the tales of what I would assume to be a mutual ancestor of ours. And Isthella's ring. [00:33:30] Speaker C: That is not a story for me to tell. [00:33:34] Speaker F: But you know of it. [00:33:36] Speaker C: We guard the temple here to keep Hunter's gate from opening. We have failed. [00:33:43] Speaker F: Why would it need to stay closed? [00:33:45] Speaker C: There is the darkness between that gate and wherever it opens. The darkness is a story for our linguists to speak of, not me. Can you give me a diplomacy check? [00:34:03] Speaker F: I can. Good for 23. [00:34:09] Speaker C: Okay. After conversing with Jahasi for a little bit, everyone seems to slightly relax. He says, I will take you to our linguist. Yes, my daughter, lovely, I would love to meet her. She will help. I know she will. She is our linguist and she knows much about the world beyond this jungle. Please follow us. Now, as you look around, you notice that there is a pillar that is a wooden carving of a dragon's head that has been bleached white. You recognize the face as the same face of the creature you just fought. So it is Dahawk. There is a cloth sack at the base of the pillar and. Yeah, that's it. [00:35:09] Speaker E: This is in their village? [00:35:10] Speaker C: No, this is in this clearing that you're in. [00:35:14] Speaker F: The temple. [00:35:15] Speaker C: Yes, in this temple that you've appeared in. Jahasi says please take your time to get acclimated to this area. You are in the Moangi expanse. You are in a kuje land some distance east of the ligarian coast. [00:35:38] Speaker E: Oh, some distance. [00:35:39] Speaker C: Okay, so he's giving you time to kind of look around, get acclimated. It is very hot. It is a dense jungle. [00:35:52] Speaker D: Can we speak to our spider friend and be like, so you're here now? [00:36:01] Speaker C: Yes. She looks at you and says, oh, thank you. That was quite a bit in the tunnel between here and there. That was harrowing to say the least. [00:36:14] Speaker F: That's a word for it. [00:36:16] Speaker C: I plan on going to visit my family. However, if you need anything, I will be around that you can call on me. If you plan on exploring more or if you're just visiting with the ekuje, then you can not need me. But she gives you a whistle type thing that will let her know that you are calling for her. [00:36:46] Speaker E: And you'll be able to hear this from wherever you are. [00:36:49] Speaker C: It is magical and it reverberates at a frequency only that my people can hear. [00:36:55] Speaker E: Oh, okay. [00:36:58] Speaker D: Man, pond Watcher really wants to just blast on that thing right now. [00:37:04] Speaker F: Not bring all these things over. [00:37:08] Speaker D: What? I can't hear it. I don't understand. He just like keeps doing it. [00:37:12] Speaker E: I think it's broken. [00:37:14] Speaker C: Yeah, it's essentially a dog whistle for spiders. Lovely. Well, her. [00:37:20] Speaker F: Whatever. [00:37:21] Speaker C: Yeah, spiders. [00:37:23] Speaker F: Can I knowledge religion? That statue with the bleached head? [00:37:29] Speaker C: Sure. [00:37:29] Speaker E: And I would like to poke the sack with my foot. [00:37:32] Speaker C: Okay. What is everyone else doing? [00:37:36] Speaker D: I want to just chat with the elf guards and try to keep their focus while we're messing around. [00:37:43] Speaker C: All right, sounds good, Anwar. [00:37:46] Speaker G: So temid decides he wants to kind of try to make an impression on these people, too. So he's going to help. Going to using diplomacy. He's going to kind of try to make an impression on them. Spend about a minute doing so. [00:38:01] Speaker C: Okay. [00:38:03] Speaker H: And Brienna, Brianna is going to ask Jahassi, are you quite all right? Do you seem to be hurt? Is there anything we can do to help? I guess she'll do a medicine check. [00:38:18] Speaker E: Cool. [00:38:19] Speaker C: So, Christine, is that your religion role? [00:38:22] Speaker F: Yes, my religion role is 26. [00:38:25] Speaker C: Okay. As you look at the pillar, you can tell that it is a vague impression of what the pillar is meant to do. It is meant to amplify divine power and channel it back to an unknown focus in the shape of Dahawk. [00:38:44] Speaker F: So it's supposed to channel divine energy? [00:38:47] Speaker C: Yes. [00:38:48] Speaker F: It's carved in the shape of Dahawk? [00:38:50] Speaker C: Yes. [00:38:50] Speaker F: Does it look defaced in any way? [00:38:53] Speaker C: It doesn't look like it's finished. There's essentially a totem pole without carved into the body of Dahawk, but the head is on the ground next to it. The head is bleached white. The totem pole itself is still wooden colored, so it doesn't look like it's quite finished. [00:39:15] Speaker F: Okay. [00:39:16] Speaker E: And if we remember, they said that the cult was clear cutting the forest and then setting up totem poles. So maybe this is something that they. [00:39:24] Speaker F: Did also, for better or worse. And it's probably going to be worse. Jasper is absolutely flying over to Jahassi and taking in all of his golden finery. If Bran is there, he lands on her shoulder and puffs his chest out and displays his little claw and starts nipping at some of his gold. [00:39:44] Speaker C: Okay. [00:39:44] Speaker H: Brianna will gently put her hand on his head and try and subdue him like she. No, don't do it. No. [00:39:53] Speaker C: So since we're already over there, Brienna, when you ask him if he's hurt, the brightness in his eyes kind of dim a little bit and he goes churekas. He runs his thumb across the bandages with a sheepish smirk. I need to be more careful when dealing with them, but I am fine, thank you. [00:40:13] Speaker H: We certainly had a few runs ourselves with the pesky creatures. I'm guessing your wound has been handled. You do not need any assistance? [00:40:27] Speaker C: Yes. You can tell with your medicine. Check that there's been a salve applied to it with a bandage over it. We were attacked by churikas and boggarts. The cinder claws. But they were so much stronger, with claws and scales and breath of fire. But that is no excuse. Jahasi holds his arms stiffly to the side, his muscle straining. I ordered us to run. We returned and fought them off, but not before they opened Hunter's gate and sent some of their kin through. [00:41:02] Speaker H: Well, we can safely say that the kin that went through did not survive. We have taken care of them. [00:41:08] Speaker C: That is quite good to hear. So, pond watcher and temid, you guys manage to talk to the. Actually, does temid speak elven? [00:41:20] Speaker G: Does not. [00:41:21] Speaker C: You have no idea what's going on? Because the guards only speak elven. [00:41:27] Speaker G: Okay, then can I change what doing? [00:41:30] Speaker C: Please, please. [00:41:30] Speaker G: Because then I would serve no purpose. [00:41:33] Speaker E: But you might not know that until you get there. Because the guy in the beginning was speaking in common. [00:41:39] Speaker G: That's true. [00:41:40] Speaker H: Yes, ma'am. [00:41:41] Speaker C: Jahasi speaks common, right? [00:41:43] Speaker G: So I like that. So he starts off, he pulls out, like, a mug and fills it with a little bit of ale. And he walks up and he's like, hey, everyone. And he greets them. He introduces himself and he can kind of see, like, they're like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like, what's this guy saying? [00:42:02] Speaker C: But everyone speaks, so. [00:42:07] Speaker D: Yes, when he. [00:42:09] Speaker G: Sees a blank look on their face, he starts giving them like, this is the way that I do things, I guess. [00:42:17] Speaker D: So pond watcher turns to temid and says, oh, that's very good. The good icebreaker. And then he turns to the other people in Elvin and says, yes, this is temid. He loves drinking and he's got, like, 50 mugs and, yeah, just go nuts. [00:42:35] Speaker C: They smile and they start to take the mugs and you can see that there's some sort of camaraderie being built. [00:42:42] Speaker G: So temid kind of motions to them, like, points to them, and then drinky, drinky motion, like the tipping. Like, do you guys have some type of alcohol that you drink? He's trying to convey that. I don't know if it really comes across you. [00:42:56] Speaker F: Drinky, drinky. [00:42:57] Speaker C: You see that they smile, they nod, and they kind of point in the distance towards where you guess their village is. [00:43:05] Speaker D: You know, Tammy, if you have a question or something, I could just translate for you. You don't have to mime. [00:43:11] Speaker G: I was having fun. [00:43:15] Speaker D: He says, drinky, drinky. Make drinky for me, please. [00:43:21] Speaker C: They're kind of laughing at him, so I don't speak any other languages, but talking about temid and making kind of. Not making fun of him, but, like, laughing about how he's trying to communicate with pond Watcher in Elvin starts to. [00:43:38] Speaker G: Talk really loud, too. He's like, do you guys. [00:43:42] Speaker C: Yeah, really loud. [00:43:43] Speaker F: And drink. Not the loud flow. [00:43:47] Speaker C: Twin. Talon. [00:43:49] Speaker E: Yes. [00:43:50] Speaker C: You nudge the bag, you feel something solid in there, and the bag falls kind of open, and you can see a thin bar of gold just sitting there. [00:44:06] Speaker E: Okay. [00:44:08] Speaker C: Silver, kind of. [00:44:09] Speaker E: No. [00:44:10] Speaker C: What's going on in there? [00:44:11] Speaker E: I stabbed silver in the eyes. If I see that, I'm going to immediately kind of COVID it up so that silver doesn't see it. And I guess at this point, when Talon is thinking that maybe this is a sacrifice of some kind, it seems like the important guy here is wearing gold. So apparently they see gold as a status symbol, which is not so much different than what we do. So he'll just kind of leave it be. [00:44:46] Speaker F: Okay. [00:44:49] Speaker E: And he'll go over to Brianna, who is talking to the elder. I'm sorry, I've forgotten his name. [00:44:59] Speaker C: Jahassi. [00:45:01] Speaker E: Jahasi. Okay, so as he's being tended, like. So you said that you're from two clans? [00:45:14] Speaker C: Yes. I am of the Leopard clan. That is where I currently reside. My mother is of the river clan, where she resides. [00:45:25] Speaker E: Oh. Do you often. Does everyone who kind of motion just to the assembled elves trace your lineage from your mother? [00:45:39] Speaker C: Yes. [00:45:40] Speaker E: Okay, that's interesting. I myself am from a tribal society who is organized into clans. Mine is the Shrikiri kwa, twin Talon. It would be the Hawk clan, but ours are by our father, not our mother. But it is a similar structure. [00:46:08] Speaker C: That is very interesting. Why? Your father, your mother, is the one who brings you life. [00:46:22] Speaker E: Z snap. That's fun. That's a good reason as any. I honestly can't say. The holy people, those who communicate with the spirits, are often men, but women serve as warriors just as much. My mother was a warrior as well. To be honest, I didn't know my father very well. He passed away when I was very young. But the Shrikiri kwa, the clan, was my family that I grew up with until later in life. I moved to the city where I meet these kind of people. He'll kind of gesture at all of the light skinned people around him, but, yeah. So I would be very interested to learn later. Not now, maybe, but about the structure of your clans and your society. And I know my clans. They have different kind of proficiencies or area of expertise, different symbology so like, for instance, he'll kind of grab the collar of his armor and pull down. You can see the tribal tattoos coming up his neck. And he'll roll up his sleeve or undo his bracer and he'll show, like the tribal tattoos on his arms. And I'll say, my tattoos are of hawks and horses. I have a hippogriff here and he'll kind of pull away and got one on his chest and he says, I want to get an air elemental, but I couldn't figure out what it should look like. Those are also important to my tribe. But other tribes would see eagles or squid, maybe a wolf or a mountain lion, a rock, things like that, different animals and elemental forces as representations of their tribes. So I would be very interested to kind of share information and talk about our societies when you have a moment. We're not. [00:49:01] Speaker C: Yes, out here. I think my daughter, who would be more knowledgeable in these things than I, she has been able to see more of the world than I have. [00:49:22] Speaker E: Okay. [00:49:25] Speaker C: She is a linguist, meaning she has traveled and brings the knowledge back to us. [00:49:34] Speaker F: Sounds like the anthropologist. [00:49:38] Speaker H: Sudden thing. [00:49:40] Speaker E: Well, I guess we should go see her next. Yeah. [00:49:44] Speaker C: Yes, we should start going. It is getting fairly late in the day and we do not want to be in the jungles at night. [00:49:53] Speaker E: Quick question before we go. That totem pole there, is that of your clan or was that from the cinder claws? [00:50:00] Speaker C: That is of the cinder claws and. [00:50:03] Speaker E: The bag beneath it, also of the cinder clause. Oh, interesting. And Twintown is going to go. [00:50:09] Speaker C: Take that. All right. [00:50:15] Speaker D: So sorry. Before we leave, I think pond watcher would deface the skull. [00:50:22] Speaker C: Okay. No, you see them laughing as you deface it. And a couple of the people you join in with. [00:50:31] Speaker F: You see, I imagined he was like, pissing on it. I was going to ask in a circle. [00:50:40] Speaker H: How are you defacing it? [00:50:42] Speaker E: Is this a common thing elves do, piss in a circle? I've only known two elves and it's these two, so I don't know if. [00:50:48] Speaker F: This, well, I'm not part of the piss circle. Lack the proper plumbing. [00:50:55] Speaker C: So with that, Jahasi whistles a signal into the forest that is echoed by the nearby birds. Then him and the rest of the elves start to escort you back to their village of Arkaville Akrivel. And it is a ten mile journey. [00:51:23] Speaker G: Does that take an overland movement? [00:51:26] Speaker D: So Pond Watcher is really suffering in this heat? [00:51:29] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:51:31] Speaker D: His clothes are all like furs, so I think he's going to just have to take his pants off, probably. [00:51:39] Speaker F: Sareia is like tying up her skirts and her sleeves because everything she wears is long and flowy. [00:51:45] Speaker C: The humidity is just oppressive. After this ten mile journey, you get to acreavel and we'll find out what happens next week. [00:51:58] Speaker F: Of course. [00:52:02] Speaker D: A bad choice. [00:52:05] Speaker B: Now in the Muangi expanse, what weight are heroes in this new village? Will they survive? What will they find there? And will they learn more about the Cinderclaw's plans? Find out the answers to these questions and more on the next episode of the Cracked Die podcast.