[00:00:41] Speaker A: And welcome to a very special interlude episode of the Cracked Die podcast. I'm your host and GM, Sean, and I'm just popping in here to say that this is not a standard episode.
We thought we would take a quick break this week and give you an interlude episode.
We wanted to give you kind of a look at what else is happening around the world of Galarian that pertains to our heroes. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this interlude.
[00:01:30] Speaker B: Vase slumps against the back wall of her cell.
[00:01:33] Speaker C: I can't believe that I got caught. And by that lot. I'm quite sure one of them was drunk the entire time.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: As she looks around her cold, dark, and dingy cell in the town of Breech Hill, she mutters to herself, what will I do?
[00:01:49] Speaker C: They took my books, my research, and my progress. Come on, Vase, this is not the first setback you've had. Remember the incident back in the imperial Academy? You got out of that. Sure, it drove you to this backwater town, but you escaped. There must be a way out of this. By Norgoba's hand, I will find a way out.
[00:02:12] Speaker B: She curls up on the straw mattress that has been put out for her and slowly drifts off to sleep. Her restless dreams are of a person in black armor emblazoned with a one eyed mask, hacking and slicing her way through her captors with the strange smell of garlic mingling with wet earth.
The next morning, Vase is woken with a start by the guard, a dark skinned man with a close cropped haircut. Well, ma'am, it looks like you will be brought before the town council for your trial today. We've placed a bucket of water and a washcloth if you'd like to clean up before the trial. Also, a clean set of clothes are in there as well. We'll be bringing you in some food about 15 minutes, and then head off to the council. After that. If there's anything else you need to prepare for the trial, please let us know. Vase smirks.
[00:03:03] Speaker C: Even though I've done such evil, they can't help themselves. But to be helpful, I should be able to get out of this.
[00:03:11] Speaker B: As mid afternoon rises, Vase is led into the temporary town hall. A makeshift seating gallery for the council has been set up. As vase is escorted in by two guards, Greta Gardenia leans down and picks up a hefty stack of papers.
[00:03:26] Speaker D: Vaz Lorraine, you have been arrested for the following crimes, assisting in burning down of a city building, hiring known mercenaries to incapacitate or kill members of the town who got too close to your work necromancy, destruction of hellmite property, and assaulting members of the town who are in good standing. How do you plead?
[00:03:47] Speaker B: Boz looks around for a moment, weighing her options with this group of people, this group that was supposed to protect the town from people just like her.
[00:03:56] Speaker C: Guilty, Greta. Guilty on all accounts.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: A gasp rises from the members, shock crossing their faces. Greta stammers guilty.
[00:04:09] Speaker D: You have no defense for any of these accusations.
[00:04:12] Speaker C: My only comment on this is that you and your entire town will fall to me or someone like me. You know, you are a joke. And if I ever get out, I will find a way to finish what Kalmot started and burn the rest of this town to ash.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: Vods'eyes sparkle with the thought of burning all of Breech Hill to the ground.
[00:04:35] Speaker D: Well, in light of your actions, we, the town council, sentence you to a life in prison. You will be transferred to a prison in Elidor as soon as space becomes available.
Thank you for making this so simple for us. Guards.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: Two more guards march in and escort Vaz back to her cell. When she arrives, a withered old man sits on her bed, green eyes ablaze despite his advanced age.
[00:05:02] Speaker E: Well, if it isn't the most evil person this town has ever seen.
[00:05:08] Speaker B: Vase scoffs at this.
[00:05:10] Speaker C: What are you doing in my cell, old man? Don't you have a place to curl up and die?
[00:05:16] Speaker E: Oh, the wit on this one.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: The old man smiles at Vase, crooked and cracked, yellow teeth lining his gums.
[00:05:23] Speaker E: I would think someone like you would be more versed in prolonging life.
After all, that is what you study, isn't it?
[00:05:35] Speaker B: Vase looks taken aback by such knowledge.
[00:05:38] Speaker C: How do you know that?
[00:05:39] Speaker B: The mysterious old man grins again.
[00:05:42] Speaker E: My dear vase, your exploits in the citadel are quite well known in particular circles.
Do you think that your escape from the Imperial Academy was all you?
That no one at that great magical institution couldn't follow you for killing someone who worked there? That you escaped all by yourself?
No, my dear. We have been watching you and your progress. We have been quite pleased with how you have grown in this backwater town.
[00:06:19] Speaker B: The man spits as he mentions breech Hill.
[00:06:22] Speaker E: Now that you are stuck in this cell, rotting away until you are moved, what if I had a proposition for you? What if I could give you more knowledge than a lifetime of books?
What if I could show you the way to transcend life and become the lich that you were studying to become all those years ago?
[00:06:45] Speaker B: Boz slowly lowers herself to the ground. Everything this old man has said about her past and hopes ring true in her ears. Surely there is no way someone like this could be delivered to her unless her prayers had been answered. Could Norgorber have delivered this old crone to help her escape and achieve immortality in their name? She needed to test this old man. But how?
[00:07:09] Speaker E: No. I was not sent here by Norgorber. I was sent here by the group that you have been working with. The group that offered you wealth and funding to start your own guild. However, now that you have been discovered, they have asked me to bring you back to them. They still find value in you despite your utter failure here.
Now, the group that bested you. They have been a thorn in my side before. And that's why I'm here.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: Vase looks the man up and down, determined to figure out who or what he is.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: And how do I know I can trust you? You could be working for that group of do gooders.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: With that, the old man stands, his hunch disappearing. His skin begins to firm up as his wrinkled features fade away. The guards at their post seem not to notice these drastic changes from below them, skeletal hands pierce through the floor, grabbing the guards and holding them in place. The jailers struggle, trying to get away from them. The hands continue to extend from the ground, reaching higher and higher as they crawl with the guard's body. Their screams are muffled as the hands crawl inside their mouths, grabbing and ripping at their tongues, pulling them free.
[00:08:25] Speaker E: Will vase. Does that help show you the powers that I offer?
[00:08:29] Speaker B: Vase is taken back for a moment, then a wicked smile spreads across her face.
[00:08:35] Speaker C: Why, yes. Yes it does. I have decided to take you up on your offer.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: The air is permeated with the sound of the jailer's whimpers and attempt to call for help. There is an indistinct rumbling under the cell's floorboards as a faint smell of garlic begins to permeate the small building. A figure materializes behind vase and the mysterious man. They are clad in black armor from head to foot with a one eyed mask emblazoned in gray at the center of their breastplate. The figure effortlessly rips away at the bars, keeping vase and the man imprisoned and strides towards the guards. The figure makes a quick, shadowy movement to their left and the first guard falls. Another quick movement to the right and the second crumples. Not a moment after the two guards hit the ground, the mysterious man murmurs an incantation under his breath.
[00:09:28] Speaker F: The two lifeless bodies shuddering shakes of.
[00:09:32] Speaker B: Unlikelyness to flow through them. Vase smiles at the thought of two less people in this friendly town. As quickly as everything began, it ceases silence fills the room.
[00:09:49] Speaker C: Well, that was a way to make an impression on someone. I accept your offer, however. How are we going to get out of town? It's not as if I can travel freely around here. I'm a bit wanted.
[00:10:04] Speaker E: Ah, yes.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: The old man shrivels back down to his old form.
[00:10:09] Speaker E: Put these on.
[00:10:11] Speaker B: The old man hands Vaz some black clothes with a veil and a symbol of the hell knights.
[00:10:17] Speaker E: It's so sad that your son died in that old citadel, looking for your family's heirlooms.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: The old man reaches over the black armored creature and removes the gray symbol on his armor. As soon as the talisman is removed, the creature lumbers back the way it came, slowly, moonlight glistening off its armor.
[00:10:39] Speaker E: Now, come with me, and in a few days'time, we will be rid of this town for good. And you can help me exact my revenge on the people that put you here in the first place.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: Vase smiles fully for the first time in a long time, knowing that she will be able to get revenge on the people who wronged her.
As the days turn to night and back today and so forth, the group travels in a black hearse. Alex sleeps all day and wakes in the evening. He and the old man speak for hours on end about their plans as they head towards catapesh. Vaz sits in the back, poring over her new books, learning forbidden knowledge that at one time she could only dream about.
She thought back to the pesky skeletons that she once summoned and are all but laughable to her now, three days into the journey, they stop.
[00:11:34] Speaker E: Well, now, time to cross the ocean to get to where we need to go. Does anyone have any concerns about that?
[00:11:42] Speaker C: No. I look quite forward to being out of twin Talon.
[00:11:46] Speaker B: I shouldn't have any problems, should I? Alec looks to the old man.
[00:11:52] Speaker E: No, Alec. That is an old wives tale. You will be fine getting onto the boat. But I do think it's time for you to meet some more of our.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: The old man looks around as if searching for the proper word.
[00:12:05] Speaker E: Ilk, I guess, would be the best word.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: And with that, the old man whistles into the darkness. For some time, nothing happens. Silence falls around them. Then the sound of fluttering wings. Darting shadows appear and murmurate all around the man bats, swirling and dancing in the night sky. 20 of them, all fluttering around this emerald eyed old man. Then, with a sudden flash of darkness and smoke, the bats are gone. And in their place stand 20 humanoids of all ancestries and backgrounds. They bow to the old man. Vase and Alec look at each other, confused.
[00:12:46] Speaker E: My children. As we draw closer to finding the elf gates, the Ayudora, we must bring more into our fold.
Luckily, I have found two such allies. Alec Stagrum, once a hero, killed by a villainous rogue due to his belief for simply following a different path than with this person. No, not a person. This animal thought proper. He was poisoned. Thankfully, I was able to find him and save him.
Now he will forever carry that stench of death on him. Bring him into our fold. Now that he walks amongst you as a brother, he has much to teach us all. But first we must find this killer and bring him to justice.
[00:13:37] Speaker B: The group around the old man all nod in solemn agreement.
[00:13:41] Speaker E: As for the other vase Lorraine academic, condemned for her lust for knowledge. She had reached out to us for assistance, only to be captured again. For believing in something different than what is considered proper.
Lusting after knowledge. Wanting to expand her mind to escape the end of existence. Seeking no more than the ability to study and learn for all eternity. What harm is there in that? Those who do not wish to learn are blind. And to learn eternally. If you are willing to make that sacrifice, to lose everyone you know and love over and over for all time, then who are we to deny you that she was captured by the very same people who killed Alec in cold blood?
[00:14:33] Speaker B: As if a match is lit and put to tinder, the assembled crowd seems to writhe as if beginning to frenzy, nodding in agreement with the old man.
[00:14:42] Speaker E: These two have generously offered to join us on our quest and only ask for but one thing in return. To help rid the world of these evil people who kill and maim for no reason other than ideological differences, we must scatter to all corners of Galerian and hunt them down.
I warn you, do not take these people lightly. Do not approach them on your own. If you find them, fly back and inform me where they are. We can then mount an attack together as a family.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: With that, the group, whipped into a frenzy, transforms back into their bat form and fly off to hunt their newly acquired targets.
[00:15:30] Speaker C: Well, you certainly know how to get them going.
[00:15:33] Speaker E: Why, yes. It's easy with the weak willed.
So now that they are out looking on our behalf, we may continue along our route. I think a quick stop in Absalom and then we can get to Katapesh.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Three more days pass. The group visits Absalom and gathers some materials and food, as well as takes in the festivities of a large city. Alec, as usual, sleeps all day and only comes out after the sun has gone down. Learning and studying with the old man, Alec seems to grow stronger.
On the eve of the fifth night, a small bat flutters down and lands on the seat next to the mysterious old man.
After a moment, the bat is gone and in its place is a gnome with green streaks in their hair. They look to Vase driving the cart as Alec and the old man plot.
[00:16:28] Speaker G: Oh, hello, Miss Vaz. Well, I think we found the people you are looking for. See. Well, they are in the Muangi expanse. I don't know how they got there, but they seem to be looking for something. I was tracking them through the forest to one of their camping spots, but.
[00:16:49] Speaker D: I think I made a noise or.
[00:16:50] Speaker G: Something and one of them.
[00:16:51] Speaker C: Were you spotted?
Were you spotted?
[00:16:57] Speaker G: No, I wasn't. This woman looked in my direction and started to try and find me. But I changed to a bat and got away as fast as I could to come tell you. Please, Rema. Please don't kill me. Please. Sorry about. Please.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: The gnome collapses into Vaz's lap and starts wailing, begging for mercy from the elf.
[00:17:13] Speaker E: What is this racket?
New prim.
[00:17:18] Speaker G: But I may have alerted them to me. I'm so sorry, Master Nupri.
[00:17:23] Speaker E: Did they actually see you?
[00:17:26] Speaker G: No, they never saw me. I don't think the woman I started. The human woman started to look for me, but I was too quick for her. I stayed hidden in the underbrush.
[00:17:34] Speaker E: Well, then there is nothing to fear. Stay with us for the evening. We are almost to Katapesh. Once there, you can help me organize everything, and then we can strike out at these evil creatures.
[00:17:48] Speaker B: Finally, after eight days of travel, the group arrives at Catapesh. The sweet tang of spice fills the air as the dark hearse pulled by a black horse arrives at a red stone building. Guards dressed in purples and blues move aside as the frail old man with the stunning green eyes proceeds to the rear of the hearse to open it. Vase, dressed in the black dress and Veil the old man had given her, begins crying over the coffin, and guards gently lower it from the carriage.
[00:18:18] Speaker E: He's in a better place now.
Please take this to the upper floors.
[00:18:24] Speaker B: The guards nod and take the coffin away. With the guards out of earshot, vase abruptly stops crying.
[00:18:32] Speaker C: I'm not sure how much longer I could keep up this charade. Even I have my limits. What are the next steps to exacting our revenge?
[00:18:41] Speaker E: Well, you and Alec should be safe here while he finishes regaining his strength.
Plus, with all the studying you have done on the road, you should be able to work here in the upper levels. I will take the rest of the family to visit old friends of ours. Since nucleus found where they were, it shouldn't be that hard to track them down. Keep an eye on Alec and continue your studies.
[00:19:07] Speaker C: Yes, that will work. Keep us posting what you will need from us.
[00:19:11] Speaker B: With that, the old man starts to walk away to a different building, his form shifting again from old and hunched to straighter and stronger looking frame. The sweltering heat of cataphesh stings most people, but the old man, or once old man, wanders the streets looking for something or someone.
There is a glint in his green eyes as he finally spots who he is looking for.
[00:19:35] Speaker E: Ah, bashed. I have finally found you. Hope all is going well in the guild. How does this new position fit you? Are you enjoying it as you thought you would?
[00:19:47] Speaker H: Yes, father, it is. I have them quaking in their boots under me. I can't think of anything better than that. You have taught me well.
[00:19:57] Speaker E: Come now. I simply worked with what you had and was able to enhance it. Now I need you to use your guilt hall and influence to gather the family.
[00:20:08] Speaker H: Yes, as always, it would be a pleasure to host the family.
[00:20:13] Speaker E: Good. We have work to do.
[00:20:16] Speaker B: That evening, the family has gathered by torchlight and listens to the plans of the old man.
[00:20:29] Speaker F: Thank you for listening to the Crackdye podcast. Background sound effects provided by sirenscape because Epic Games deserve epic music. Please visit
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