Episode 3
C1 | Tensions Rise in The Gutterrun | S1E3
Reeling from the Hasp Market attack and a royal death at their feet, the party scrambles to keep Prince Wilhelm alive—only to spark a clash between The Guild and Virelian guards inside Saint Kevarin’s Hollow. With the city tipping toward chaos and a bounty tightening the noose, they flee into the lowest depths of the Gutterrun, uncover a hidden safehouse… and an unexpected “prince” of a very different realm. Just when they think they’ve bought a moment to breathe, a violent close call and a shared vision cracks open a secret that changes everything.
Content warnings
Implied Cannibalism — 1:26:57–1:27:00; 1:44:55–1:44:59; 1:48:38–1:48:48
Graphic Gore Description — 1:35:45–1:35:52
Vomiting — 1:48:48–1:48:55
Transcript
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Kurt: Hey everyone, welcome to Tales by Daggerlight. We're here recording session three.
Kevin: Woo!
Kurt: Thank you, Kevin. I am your humble GM, Kurt Wilde, and we're here with the rest of the crew to play another fantastic game by Darrington Press called Daggerheart. But before we get into that episode, let's hear from Luck Factory Games.
Upbeat guitar strumming
Luke: Before there was a podcast, before the epic quests and near disasters, there was a cafe in Concord, North Carolina, Luck Factory Games. That's where we found Daggerheart, each other, and the spark that became Tales by Daggerlight. With walls lined with games, a community that loves stories, and tables waiting for the next adventurer, it's a place where legends begin. Start your own story at luckfactorygames.com.
Guitar fades
Introduction
Dramatic rock style orchestral
Kurt: In every city, every kingdom, there's a story that never sees the light. The one that falls through their cracks, bleeds through the floorboards, and smiles when the sun finally goes down. Where heroic promises, broken oaths, bad decisions, and desperate prayers all sit at the same table. Six heroes emerge out of the edge of the shadows. Ciaran;
Ciaran (Luke): No matter what, there will be consequences.
Kurt: Zeph;
Zeph (Kevin): That asshole needed to die.
Kurt: Pi N’kuwa;
Pi N’kuwa (Geoff): You said we were talking, but you're not saying anything.
Kurt: Seraphina;
Seraphina (Jenn): Look, I have the voice of an angel, we all know it.
Kurt: Severian;
Severian (Kai): It's not a murder… if… he’s food.
Kurt: and Basagar;
Basagar (John) We need to get to the castle.
Kurt: Together, they walk the line between mercy and ruin, rolling bones against hope and fear in a world that wants them obedient, or worse, dead. So lace your boots, check your blades, and hold your breath. Meet us at the blade's edge. Once this story starts, it doesn't let you go. This is Tales by Daggerlight.
Music Fades
Kurt: Last session, the storm didn't just soak Virelia, it soaked you. (Slow and suspenseful strings build) From underneath the Hasp Market in the Gutterrun, fungal horrors, aptly named the Fun Aunts, surged into the streets, twisted, curse-born things that moved like rot-given purpose. The Fun Aunts weren't on a rampage of destruction. Their looming, mushroom-like tendrils picking up civilians, tossing them away, unharmed after a quick inspection. All except one. One body was crushed by the overwhelming power of the Fun Aunts and tossed aside. You fought bravely in the public, in the downpour, with steel and spell flashing while the city of Virelia watched. Basagar, you heard the frightening creatures call out to Severian, Seraphina, and Pi N’kuwa, calling them "defunct" as they were being crushed in their grasp. Then, when the last creature fell, it didn't leave a body. They all dissolved into the ground with no proof, no trail, just the certainty that something attacked you and vanished like it never existed. In the rain at the Hasp, you inspected the body, tossed aside by the Fun Aunts. On it, you found a Virel Signet ring, not from some unknown corpse, but Prince Rydian Virel's son, Wilhelm. That kind of death doesn't go away quietly. That kind of death turns a city's attention like a bloody blade found at a crime scene.
That's when Basagar, you reached out for answers and the city answered back with pain, a rush of screams, of ancient rage, and one clear intent, vengeance. Whatever this vengeance is, it's awake. And those things weren't wandering. They were searching. You entered a nearby temple, Saint Kevarin's Hollow, for sanctuary, where Father Ulrich Vane let you in under one rule, no weapons inside. Ciaran vanished into the shadows to go speak with his connections about the death of Prince Wilhelm in hopes to alert those that needed to know about his fate. Then the next threat showed its face inside the temple, without claws or spores, The Guild. Zeph, Seraphina, and Pi N'kuwa, you talked to a half-orc named Issava Khelt and he told you your names were spreading, your faces were becoming familiar, and there's a contract for Zeph's head. Issava also told you that it can be bought off for the price of two chests or two favors.
Away from the others, Severian and Basagar, you spoke plainly about home, about rot, and what happens when a city starts to resemble a grave. Basagar, you admitted the truth, the first blood gave you life, and whatever is happening here feels like the same sickness that hollowed out Severian's world. Basagar, you said you wanted to cure it before Virelia becomes another cautionary tale. The Lumora was thick in this back room, almost tangible, and you could feel the presence of the old deities with you. Basagar, you reached through Wilhelm again, trying to read what was left in his death, but found something else completely. Wilhelm sat up in a shock and panic,
Prince Wilhelm Virel (Kurt, gasping): They're after the first blood, you're all gonna die.
Kurt: Prince Wilhelm looks like he is grabbing your arm, Basagar, as your eyes go wide.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt, breathing heavily, panicked): So much pain. God's above, the red. I couldn't breathe. It was everywhere, running down the steps of Ashrelm, like blood from a wound that wouldn't close. They were controlling it… everybody. The buildings crashing down, the the people… dead rising. Then the roots. Oh Gods, the roots. They rip through Lowthorn, breaking stones like dry bread. They slid along rooftops, curling around chimneys. What does it mean?
John: I just hold Prince Wilhelm a bit and try to lay him back down.
Basagar (John): I don't know. Just please, you're hurt.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): I have so much pain.
Kurt: And he looks like you look down at his body and his body looks like several of his ribs are just either cracked and out of place. He was crushed.
Others: Oh, ew. Oh no.
Kurt: His arm is almost disjointed as he goes to reach for you. He kind of winces in pain and pulls back.
Sevevian (Kai): How the fuck is he alive?
Basagar: I don't know. I-
John: I kind of just look at him. He's aware? He's looking for looking at each other.
Kurt: He looks like he is on the brink of going back into shock.
John: Oh.
Kurt: His eyes are wide. His pupils are dilated. He's breathing heavy enough to where he breathes in, then stunts his breath as his lungs try to expand his ribs and his ribs won't allow it.
Severian (Kai): What do we do?
Basasagar (John): Get, uh, get Zeph's Father! Get everyone!
Kai: Severian will run off to try to notify the rest of the party of what's going on.
Kurt: All right. As Severian runs off, Prince Wilhelm grabs you once more.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): The castle. That was, it was there. Started from there above the wall. There were- the roots were alive, pulsing. Yeah, please.
Basagar (John): Enough talking. You're gonna, you're gonna hurt yourself. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's-
Sounds of pain from the prince
John: and I'm just gonna like forcefully, but gently just lay him down and just still kind of like cradle what I can on one side of, on his body.
Kai: Severian is running down the halls barking for attention.
Laughter
Kai: As loudly as possible. It just sounds like a person saying bark, too.
Laughter
Severian: Bark. Bark bark.
Kurt: Woof. As Severian goes to get help, Ciaran, you bamfed away to go talk with your network. Who do you go to? Do you go to Lady Diawin or do you go to another member of your group?
Luke: I think I would prefer to report directly to Lady Sylvaine Diawin, but otherwise the closest direct subordinate I could find that I would be aware of within the city.
Kurt: Where is it that you go?
Luke: Definitely towards the Upper Rings. Not into them, but towards the entrance. Like the Ashward.
Kurt: You tell me how you get there.
Luke: I am being as subtle as I can be while making as much haste as I can. So perhaps my own common routes, but being a little bit more lax with trying to be like stay hidden. Like running across rooftops, as opposed to trying to remain completely hidden.
Sounds of running footsteps
Kurt: There's a spot, a perfect spot where you can shadow step just into where you can see a shadow up above a building of Ashward that goes into a roof that's maybe caused by a door or a water tower or something up there. (Wooshing sounds of shaddowstepping) But you easily enough get to the headquarters of the Pillar of Whispers. You get in, explain it to me.
Luke: Yes, taking this- using my abilities to shadowstep within the rafters of this building (more footsteps and wooshes), I quickly duck into this very heavily obscured and fairly open space where I think there are a few people bustling about with documents, reports, whatever they may have.
Kurt: You see, we'll say, yeah, Lady Diawin is in here, is not even in her office. She's standing there talking with what looks like some type of other member of your group. She sees you come in. She kind of like, you know, holds up a finger to you and telling you to pause.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): It's, it's fine. It's- I told you this is what you had to do. It is your consequence.
Kurt: One of- the lady that she's talking to looks over at you.
Luke: I give her a death glare, like hurry up.
Kurt: She kind of pauses at you, kind of looks and backs up into a shadow and she disappears (woosh).
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): What, what is the matter? Why are you so hurried?
Ciaran (Luke): In the Hasp Market. Wilhelm… have you heard yet?
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Heard what? No.
Ciaran (Luke): He had fallen in the midst of the streets. He's only in Saint Kevarin's Hollow.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Does have anything to do with Humperdink?
Light and high tone pings
Ciaran (Luke): I'm not entirely sure. I don't believe so.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Oh dear. Um, you checked the body? Is he dead?
Ciaran (Luke): He was at the very least unconscious, likely dead by now.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Where's he now?
Ciaran (Luke): In Saint Kevarin's Hollow.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): With whom?
Ciaran (Luke): With my… associates.
Laughter
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): With the rest of the Ghosts?
Ciaran (Luke): Other associates.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Oh, Ciaran Ciaran Ciaran. You need to go back. It's-, it's-, if somebody finds out about this, anybody finds out about this, they will go knocking down doors to find him.
Ciaran (Luke): I am aware.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): You need to bring his body up here. Make sure he… if he is alive, do not let anybody from Virelia Guard know. There's something going on, I've… I can't place it just yet, but there's, there's something in the brink of the shadows. Like there's an answer that I'm just trying to search out. I got… I got people working on it. The rest of the Ghosts are working on it. If you can bring, at least bring Wilhelm up to the castle, get them safe.
Ciaran (Luke): I can't shadow step with the body. I can't carry that all the way.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): You said your accomplices were fairly large, right?
Ciaran (Luke): Associates, yes.
Chuckles
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Yeah, that’s what I meant.
Laughter
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): You need to get, you need to get down there. Who can I go to? Who can I tell?
Ciaran (Luke): Well, it’s Prince Rhydian.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Okay…. Okay okay okay.
Ciaran (Luke): Very well.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Get back down there. Make sure that nothing happens.
Ciaran (Luke): Very well, as you wish.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Okay.
Kurt: She steps back, takes a big sigh.
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Ciaran!
Luke: I'm just at the verge of shadow stepping. One foot's already in the shadow.
Kurt: You tell me, do you, do you pause or do you just go?
Luke: I think just taking that moment of awkwardness, like after saying like, ‘Okay, I'm leaving now.’ If she calls out, he will pause.
Kurt: Okay. Yeah. As you pause, she looks, she stops and she waits. She goes;
Lady Sylviane Diawin (Kurt): Just be safe, please. Don't do anything stupid.
Luke: Ciaran tries to come up with a response, has nothing and disappears.
Whoosh and Laughter
John: He won't do something stupid as we cut back to Severian barking.
Laughter
Kurt: Woof, woof.
Kai: What else am I supposed to do?
Kurt: Yeah. Well, you guys hear Severian and barking. This obviously it's Severian, one hundred percent. And Issava goes;
Zeph (Kevin): The fuck?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): What's going on? Who let a dog in here?
John: He really thinks that's a dog?
Kai: It's rather convincing bark.
Kurt: Well, he doesn't see him yet. I don't think he's ever seen Severian yet because they haven’t-
Kevin: We establish he's not the brightest bulb in the shed last session. So Zeph will get up and head to see what the commotion is all about.
Kurt: Issava looks and he starts muttering to some of the other Guild members have made an approach as they start to gather around the three of you or two of you. You're up in the rafters.
Geoff: I'm up in the rafters. Yup, Kua.
Kurt: Yeah. And Severian you come into the sanctuary.
Kai: Bust through the door, still barking.
Severian (Kai): He's alive. Please.
Zeph (Kevin): What?
Severian (Kai): We need to do something.
Zeph (Kevin): Oh fuck. Uh, ok.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): What do you mean?
Severian (Kai, whipers): He’s not dead
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Uh…Oh . Ooohhh.
Geoff: Kua immediately jumps down the rafters.
Severian (Kai): He still looks like he could-
Zeph (Kevin): Oh, okay, got it.
Kevin: Zeph goes looking for Father Ulrich.
Kurt: Yeah, Father Ulrich is watching this as he was in the middle of his mantra chanting, walking around. But he's over on the other side of the sanctuary and he stops.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): I thought you said he was dead.
Zeph (Kevin): Shhhh…. we thought he was! Let’s go figure out what the hell is going on.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): That's… all right.
Kurt: He kind of goes through.
Zeph (Kevin): Okay. Probably might need your assistance.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Ok.
Zeph (Kevin): Thank you Father.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Yeah, I guess that's why I'm here. I'll be right there.
Kurt: As he stops, you hear him talking, you know, kind of like he's looking up and are you bounding or are you staying staying put?
Geoff: Yeah, I immediately, as soon as we have that interchange between Severian and myself, I kind of start hopping across and jump down and heading straight for the exit.
Kurt: Yeah.
Kevin: And Zeph will motion to Seraphina to come.
Geoff: I will shout over my shoulder at Issava;
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): We’re not done yet, little dick.
Laughter
Issava Khelt: (Kurt): Was that necessary? I didn't even know you guys had a dead body in there. It's-
Zeph (Kevin): We don't.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Okay.
Zeph (Kevin): Shut up.
Kevin: And Zeph heads down the hall.
Kurt: You hear him muttering as your hopping down. He goes;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I might want to go check that out.
Pi N’kuwa sighs
Kurt: As Father Ulrich Vane follows you down into the sacristy area, into the funeral rights morgue. I don't know the official name for it. I'm sure somebody will tell me. Prince Wilhelm is on a preparation table. He is wincing his chest, moving up and down very, very rapidly.
John: Already in the midst of them coming in, I've taken out from my like grass skirt area of just like a crude bottle. And I say… I don't even say anything. I just uncork it and I'm just gently trying to make him drink as a health potion, if you will.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): I- Just-
Basagar (John): Don't just drink it.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): No, I-
Basagar (John): Stop talking.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): Gurgling and drinking
Basagar (John): You're making your ribs hurt.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): Deep Breaths
Zeph (Kevin): What did you do?
John: I look and say;
Basagar (John): Your Father needs to help.
Seraphina (Jenn): Zeph’s Father is coming.
Zeph (Kevin): He's- yes.
Basagar (John): I don't know.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Now what could be the wh- oh, he's not dead at all. That's it. Who are you? Are you hiding it from each other?
Basagar (John): All his ribs, they looks to be broken.
Kevin: Once everyone’s inside, Zeph will close the door.
Door Squeaks
Kurt: As soon as you go to close the door, you catch eyeballs with one of the Guild members, kind of turns the corner, watches you go in and he just slowly just stops and watches you (creaking sounds) shut the door. Yeah. So give me a perceive role, but only if you want to.
Kevin: Sure. Cool. That’s a 14 with fear.
Kurt: You hear footsteps walking towards the door, knowing that he is just on the other side. (Footsteps) You hear, you feel like you go, maybe even put your hand on the door and you feel the door just almost get tense, like somebody's weight is on the other side.
Kevin: All right. Zeph will hold the door closed and look back into the room and just kind of make a shushing motion with his finger.
Kurt: You hear, you hear whispering on the other side.
Geoff: Kua hearing that will kind of walk over to the door with Zeph and with his little pocket knife that he carries to kind of carve the stone and rock that he's been working on, kind of put it up against the door and just (Drilling noises).
Laughter
Geoff: Just as fast as he possibly can just wrap it against the door.
Kurt: You hear;
Guild Member (Kurt, hushed): Ah! Fuck.
Kurt: The footsteps walk away. Beautiful.
(Retreating footsteps)
Kevin: Nice!
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): There's something.
Geoff: This blade retracts back into his hand.
Kurt: Beautiful. I'm going to gain that fear. I'm just going to bank it to this point, but you you're in the room. Father Ulrich looks down at Prince Wilhelm.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Oh, this is not good, my prince. Okay, I'm going to need a second. This might take a moment. I hope you have some time left in you, good boy.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): Coughs Whatever you're going to do, just please, please hurry. I do feel like nothing- I can't breathe still.
Basagar (John): You need to stop talking.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): Just I have- I don’t- There's so much-
John: I just gently put my hand on his or on his mouth and just;
Basagar (John): Shhhhhh.
Prince Wilhelm (Kurt): Muffled sounds
Kurt: And you hear father Ulrich, you hear him go into some type of chant. (Hear this continual chanting in the background) The the room around you starts to pick up with that ozone scent. Whenever you got in this place, you felt like the, especially back here in this room, you felt like the Lumora was thick back in this temple in this spot. Like the the sense of magic for those that can wield magic is palpable. Like it's, the Lumora as what they call the magic in this realm, in this world, is almost glittering or shining. There's an effervescent veil in the air as he's muttering and chanting calling on the Lumora itself to focus into Prince Wilhelm's body. As he takes a moment and he looks up, his eyes go bright almost a glowing yellow as he looks up and he's chanting to this, you know, supernatural being. And here you can see the Lumora swirling around Prince Wilhelm and he kind of breaks for a second.
Father Ulrich Vane: This might take a bit of time to focus this much Lumora. We'll see what we can do. If anybody has anything to help, now is the time.
Kevin: Zeph will spend three hope and use, where’d it go, life support. So spend three hope to clear a hit point on an ally within close range.
Kurt: Ok
Kevin: Nope, nope, nope, he will not. Crap. He does not have his sword on him. Nevermind.
John: Oh man.
Geoff: Shoot.
Kurt: Yeah, Elyndra is in the weapon check.
Kevin: Shoot. Zeph will look on and wish that he could do something to help.
John: He thought he had his sword
Geoff: He walks forwards going towards his belt and then just-
Kevin: Yeah, feels around and just;
Zeph (Kevin): Oh, fuck. Sorry, Father. Not without her.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Looks like I’m on my own then.
Kurt: You hear him almost calling on what sounds like different names. (Background chanting picks back up) He mutters like almost in a different language that he is, almost a spell language itself. Comes to a point where- I hate it when rolls 10. Like right now I have to decide what he does.
Chuckles.
Kurt: Seraphina, do you have anything that you can offer in this moment?
Jenn: Um, she does have luck bender, which she can spend three hope to let him reroll.
Kurt: Okay. You want to spend three hope on a NPC?
Jenn: Yeah.
Kurt: What? Aw.
Jenn: If he feels like he's not pulling enough magic, then yeah, she'll kind of reach out and put her hand on his shoulder and just be like;
Seraphina (Jenn): Father Ulrich, I feel like you're lucky today.
Father Ulrich Vane: Typically luck has nothing to do with it, but I do feel something coming from you.
Kurt: I'm going to use this amazing dice roller that Kevin and Jenn had printed for us.
Kevin: Well purchased, somebody else printed it. But that's okay.
Kurt: Well you had it printed for us.
Kevin: Fair, fair.
Kurt: Yeah. I have no idea what this is going to sound like in mic and I apologize.
Kevin: You might want to move the hourglass.
Kurt: Well is still worked.
Kevin: Oh ok!
Kurt: Yeah, that's better than it was. So definitely help for sure. As you put your hand on Father Ulrich, I want you to tell me what happens. How does this affect Prince Wilhelm in some way?
Jenn: I think because Seraphina still doesn't really think she has any magic. She just thinks that all of the things are just, you know, it's just her personality. It's just, you know, people want to believe her, you know? So I think not knowing where she comes from, maybe this luck thing is kind of like a superstition she's sort of held onto. But the rest of you guys kind of see that as she puts her hand on Father Ulrich's shoulder, there's just a little bit of that sparkle that was in the room. Sort of seems like it glows around her for a minute and you see it slide through her hand into Father Ulrich. And she is completely unaware of it.
Kurt: Okay.
Kevin: Cool.
Kurt: Amazing. And how does this affect Wilhelm? You have full narrative control here.
Jenn: Like I said, it's her fairy ability. So it's something that's innate. It's luck bender. So she's changing his fortune right now. She's twisting fate to make him lucky in this moment.
Kurt: Okay. Yeah.
Jenn: And I think after the day he just had, some good luck might not be a bad thing.
Chuckles
Kurt: Yeah. As you, as you feel that energy go through you, not even sure what it was. But you, Father Ulrich has got his eyes wide open, glowing bright yellow. He stops muttering, looks down at you.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Interesting indeed. Do you know what you just did?
Seraphina (Jenn): Well, I just gave you a little bit of my luck. I'm a lucky girl.
Father Ulrich Vane: All right. I will use your luck, so to speak.
Kurt: As he kind of pulls through, as you watch his eyes kind go through, as he starts muttering. As you see some of Prince Wilhelm's bones start moving and resetting in place (slight cracking). You can see Father Ulrich is just (deep breaths) breathing heavy. He's spending so much energy pushing this Lumora into Prince Wilhelm as this is taking time.
Whooshing, music changes into sneaky tone
At this moment, Ciaran, you know, it's been a minute near that conversation you had with Lady Sylvaine was kind of taking place as Issava was talking with Zeph and Seraphina. You come back as you start making your way to the Saint Kevarin's Hollow from the rooftops of the Gutterrun, still raining, lightning (thunder and lightening striking) hitting some. You see fires that are being slowly put out by the rain just from the lightning strikes. But what you do notice when- I want you- (thunder crashed) as you're running, because you're trying to look out for your step. Give me a perceive roll, please.
Luke: That'll be an 18 with hope.
Others: Woo!
Kurt: 18 with hope. Beautiful. You are- this is not a new thing for you to do. You are watching almost within your peripheral, where you're stepping, where you're going, using shadows to get you to places where your physical body cannot. But you notice that there are what looks like a small squadron of Virelian guard walking through in a paced hurry toward the Saint Kevarin's Hollow. But with that, you are able to outpace them. You get up to the Saint Kevarin's Hollow doors, you can see the guards coming around an alleyway. The lead Virelian guard kind of steps in, looks around, looks down, points a direction and a few of the guards, you know, go a certain way away from Saint Kevarin's Hollow. Then he points down your direction as about three or four more guards come your way and start making a beeline straight for you.
Luke: Okay. I will quickly step into the hall and close the door behind me (squeaking and shutting of door). Is the weapon check secured?
Kurt: It is locked.
Luke: Okay.
Kurt: Yes.
Luke: Then I'll shadow step in (wooshing).
Kurt: Yep.
Luke: I'll just grab two or three of the closest weapons on hand.
Kurt: Okay.
Luke: Possibly including Elyndra, you know. Who really knows.
Kurt: Yeah you would know the weapon well. It is a very ornate sword with a beautiful sheath that is being hung almost like this sword has a special place in this room.
Luke: Okay. Then I'll make my way back out and jam the door closed with all of them.
Laughter
Kurt: Okay. You have Elyndra. What other weapons did you grab?
Luke: I think I would default to my companion's weapons.
Kurt: Okay. Yeah. You walk out with, like you just went shopping. Like you got like a handful shutting the door with your foot.
Kai: I still have mine as well.
Music shifts back to dramatic and suspenseful
Kurt: So as you hear (Crashing knocking on door) on the door.
Virelian Gaurd (Kurt): Father Ulrich.
Luke: I ignore it and go try to find the closest one of my associates.
Kurt: You see some of the Guild members are looking at you.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): He's not supposed to do that.
Kurt: Issava looks at you. He goes;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Do I, do I know you?
Ciaran (Luke): No.
Laughter
Kurt: You hear him just as you're running away.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I think I know that guy.
Kai: He just has social anxiety. That's all.
Laughter
Kurt: All right. So what’s everybody else doing in the room as this happens? So- sorry. You run up to the room. The door's locked and not…well, you didn't lock it, but the door's shut. But you can hear some type of chanting on the other side.
Kai: While they're working on Wilhelm, Severian as an aside to Basagar is still processing everything that the prince had just said and doesn't quite understand it. But, um;
Severian (Kai): Did you hear everything he was saying?
John: As I like kind of just take my hand- is Prince Wilhelm kind of settled down at this point or like probably passed out from the pain or-?
Kurt: Yeah. So as his bones were setting…
John: Yeah.
Kurt: Go ahead and roll me the reaction roll for Prince Wilhelm here.
John: Is that just 2d12?
Kurt: 2d12. So I'm going to say the difficulty of his threshold of consciousness is 12.
John: That's a six.
Laughter
Kurt: A hundred percent. He- as you hear his bones like (chruk) snap and almost looks like a transformation is taking place of, as this magic is resetting his body. You hear, he grabs your hand-
Prince Wilhelm Virel (Kurt): One long gasp
Kurt: -falls over as he's unconscious. Then as that happens, Father Ulrich goes;
Father Ulrich Vane: Oh, that was a big one.
Kurt: As he stops and he goes and he is falling backwards without protection.
Geoff: Kua's going to kind of try and run over and catch and stabilize him at least having been really just watching, not having anything to contribute. Kua is familiar with magic, but not at this scale, not at this density, I guess with all the Lumora around. So he's just been raptured with everything to see Father Ulrich starting to fall and just kind of runs forward, stabilizes him. Maybe doesn't even catch him and just kind of like pushes him back upright a little bit.
Kurt: He pushes them in almost like too much because he's not able to withhold himself and his equilibrium is way off as he goes and stumbles and holds on to the table.
Geoff: It might be like a little jostling of like push him into the table, pull him back up.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): I must sit down. I am exhausted.
Kurt: As he goes, he finds a chair (chair scraping on floor) down, leans his head back.
Geoff: I help him sit down.
Kurt: He’s breathing. You could almost tell that his energy level is drained. He looks almost like he hasn't slept in like days at this moment. His eyes look like he has bags under his infernus eyes. His skin almost turns a paler version of itself. The energy that he just thrust into Wilhelm was extensive.
John: I look kind of as all that happens and Wilhelm's passed out. I kind of turn away from him facing Severian and I go;
Basagar (John): This place is in danger that he said the castle is going to be destroyed. We need to get there. We need to get there! We need to move. We need to save.
Luke: I think at this moment you hear the banging from the door.
Abrupt knocking on door
Ciaran (Luke, muffled): Hey, it's me.
Zeph (Kevin): Oh fuck.
Kevin: Zeph opens the door, looking behind him as he steps.
Luke: Ciaran quickly step in and shut the door behind.
Kurt: The hallway was clear behind him. You do hear the creaking of the door (eeerrrrr) and you hear some type of muttering or shouting from coming beyond the hallway.
Ciaran (Luke): Look, we don't have much time. What, what have you been doing?
Basagar (John): He's alive.
Ciaran (Luke): You want to go- what?!
Zeph (Kevin): He’s alive.
Basagar (John): The prince.
John: Or, sorry, do we know he's a prince?
Kai and others: Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Basagar (John): Yeah. Zeph's Father healed him back to this.
Severian (Kai): You left too quickly. He woke up shortly after.
Ciaran (Luke): That is excellent.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): That’s confusing, I thought that you checked and he was dead.
Severian (Kai): He looked dead.
Geoff: I'm looking at Basagar and-
Laughter
Geoff: -Looking at everyone who interacted with the body. Or was looting.
Basagar (John): I just, well I… I touched… I touched him here on the table and then he shot up and started gasping and screaming.
Ciaran (Luke): Touching princes aside.
Zeph (Kevin): What the fuck is going on?
Ciaran (Luke): Look we don’t have much time. Basagar, you want to get into the castle, yes?
Severian (Kai): Yes.
Basagar (John): Yes.
Ciaran (Luke): Now's the time.
Basagar (John): Oh.
Ciaran (Luke): We have to bring the body- I mean the prince, up to the castle. Preferably out the back. Now.
Severian (Kai): Can we move him in this state?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Father Ulrich, is there a way out?
Geoff: And I'll kind of like shake him away.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt, sounding weak): What did you say, son?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Is there a way out of- a back entrance? A way we can get past? Apparently we can't use the front door.
Ciaran (Luke): There's a window.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Yes. There's usually always a way out.
John: And I'm just kind of going over to Prince Wilhelm and I'm going to just gently start to cradle and carry him as if a very newborn baby.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Forgive me.
Kurt: He stops and feels his head a little bit.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): I don't feel well. Something is wrong. The air is wrong.
Zeph (Kevin): Father?
Ciaran (Luke): Is he normally like this?
Zeph (Kevin): No, and we do not have time for this.
Kevin: Zeph goes over and kneels down. Looks at Father Ulrich.
Zeph (Kevin): You guys gather things up. Father. What's wrong?
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Everything’s out of focus.
Kurt: He's like having a hard time focusing on you.
Kevin: He kind of like gently-
Kurt: Yeah.
Kevin: -pats him on the cheek, on the face.
Zeph (Kevin): Did you overexert yourself? What's going on here?
Father Ulrich Vane: I believe I may have done that before, but not to that extent. Maybe I just over pushed myself over. The Lumora was not strong with me today. I can't feel it.
Zeph (Kevin): Can’t feel what?
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): The Lumora. It is gone.
Zeph (Kevin): What do you mean that's gone?
Kurt: He stands up and sits back down. He’s like;
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Woah
Zeph (Kevin): Easy, Father.
Father Ulrich Vane: The Lumora is missing.
Kurt: He goes to like try to like snap his fingers (snapping sounds) and where he used to be able to just light candles with just touching them and pinching the wick.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): Something is wrong. Something is deeply wrong.
Kurt: You hear (crashing sounds) as the door, not the door to your room, the door to the Saint Kevarin's Hollow almost gets thrust and forced open. You hear a Issava Khelt shouting something in the back and muffled behind brick walls and doors. But you hear;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): What the fuck are you doing?
Kurt: And you hear (Shoomp shoomp shoomp shoomp) sounds like arrows being loosed. Sounds like something is going on inside the sanctuary. Father looks at you.
Sounds of swords crossing and fighting.
Father Ulrich Vane: You need to leave now.
Geoff: Kua is like out the door like;
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Yeah, we know!
Laughter
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): I will… I will buy you some time.
Zeph (Kevin): Father?
Kurt: He stands up, He grabs what looks like an old like cane or walking stick that looks like it's always been in there. It was his a long time ago. He just hasn't needed it. As he pulls his cane in, starts walking and limping out to the hallway.
Father Ulrich Vane (Kurt): This is my place. Let me handle it. I can bring peace.
Kurt: He shuts the door.
Seraphina (Jenn): Hey Zeph, can you give Ulrich a little of your healing?
Zeph (Kevin): Uhhhhgggg…
Kurt: You hear what sounds like magic.
Geoff: You still don’t have Elyndra
Jenn: I thought-
Kurt: (Whoosh) Like a flame of something you hear swords (swords clinking) like swordplay or some type of what sounds like parrying of blades on blades. You hear shouting from inside Saint Kevarin's Hollow. You don't know what's going on.
Ciaran (Luke): Take the body. I will go back in there. Get things and get out of here. Is there anything we need right now taken care of? Otherwise, please.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): It seems we have one pressing matter. Let's deal with that now.
John: I'm holding Prince Wilhelm as a part of my body, like some of my skin just starts to creep up around him as an extra protection or covering. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but yeah.
Zeph (Kevin): I’ll need my sword.
Ciaran (Luke): Yes, we’ll fetch it in a second.
Luke: And Ciaran goes to down an entire stamina potion in one go.
Kurt: Excellent
Jenn: Don’t forget you also have your rally dice.
Geoff: You also feel extra inspired.
Kevin: Hey, better than the one!
Laughter
Luke: Ciaran will once again shift around to shadowstep to where he left Elyndra and the others.
Kurt: You do notice that the weapons are scattered on the ground because the door was forcefully opened that you tried to shove and bar shut. At the moment as you go out, you see that there is a cacophony of arrows (swmp swmp). There are what looks like Guild members that have taken refuge and cover behind the pews of the sanctuary, kind of like peeking out and like turkey-peeking up and taking a crossbow and taking a shot, ducking back down as an arrow (zoom) goes straight past your face. And what you kind of look at there is a Virelian guard that was off to your side that you didn't even see that was trying to sneak up around the side and try to flank the Guild members as he (plnch ohnn) he goes down and drops to the floor. There are about four or five Virelian guard members in here now going up against the Guild. You see one of the guard is holding Elyndra, just looking.
Luke: In that moment, can I use my grappler to grab specifically Elyndra from his grasp?
Kurt: Yeah, yeah, go ahead and make a roll. He is looking and as he starts unsheathing the sword as you launch your grappler.
Luke: That’s such a bad roll.
Others: Oh no!
Luke: That is a seven with fear.
Kurt: Seven with fear.
Others: Shit. Oof.
Kurt: This guard unsheathes Elyndra, holds him up. You see the blades (poof poof poof) the runes illuminate and you see his eyes go wide as he looks at you. As you see his hand (schhmmm) get black as the blade glows a bright blue glow. As he drops the blade (screams), he runs, kind of looks at you and he's like;
Virelian Guard (Kurt): Oh, it's cursed. The sword's cursed!
Kurt: He kind of runs out and just runs out of the door. The rest of the guard, one of the guard kind of looks over at you, sees you come out as you just tossed a grappler your direction. I'm going to spend that fear to activate that guard against you. Oh, that was almost to the 20. That was, that is going to be a 12 against your evasion.
Luke: That will miss
Kurt: That will miss as the arrow (thunk) as you pull back as the arrow kind of (theww) sticks into the side of the wall beside you. Looks like he's getting ready to, as he's reloading his crossbow, Issava looks at you, looks at where the sword's laying and he is going to try to run and run to the sword.
Luke: I kind of want to let him grab it.
Laughter
Luke: Okay, my willingness to pick it up has decreased significantly.
Kurt: Okay, as you pause and let him run, he is going to run to the sword. He stops, picks up the sheath, and (shump) sheath the sword on the ground and then holds it and picks it up.
Luke: I give him a look.
Ciaran (Luke): Coming with?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): What? Why would I come with you?
Ciaran (Luke): You said you know me, let's go.
Laughter
Geoff: Genius!
Kevin: That was good! That was good.
Kurt: He kind of looks back at the rest of the guard. He kind of like dodges an arrow as an arrow flies by and hits him. He takes a dagger kind of out of his boot (threewp), throws a dagger, like hits the guard like right in the forehead and he drops. The rest of the Guild pretty much just eviscerated. The guard has destroyed the Guild. There is one guard member left that is kind of like standing by wiping the blood off of his sword onto one of the Guild members cloaks, kind of smiling at you as Issava starts looking at you and goes;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): If we're gonna go, we need to go now.
Ciaran (Luke) Sounds good. Let's go.
Kurt: He runs out the door.
Luke: I kind of guide him towards where the others were leaving out the back.
Kurt: Yeah, as there is a crowd that is wondering what's going on, like there's been a lot of noise. Issava looks and goes;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): The fucking guard, they drew on us inside the temple!
Zeph (Kevin): Oh fuck.
Kurt: As you hear the words;
“Gutterrun crowd (Kurt): What? The guards, they draw, the guards are here? They-
Ciaran (Luke): Yes, traitors to the crown!
Kurt: You hear;
Gutterrun Crowd (Kurt): That's blasphemous! They can't pull weapons in the- in our temple!
Kurt: As they, the crowd starts pulling in, there are people running into the temple itself. As you watch, you might look back for one last glance or glimpse. And you see the, guard member kind of standing at, looking at you (guard chuckles) and just sheathing his sword. Looks down as you might look, glance at some people and look back and you see a poof of what looks like some darkness or of shadow. But you watch in as there is utter chaos going on. What are the rest of y'all doing going out the back or?
Kai: Whichever way is the most expedient.
Jenn: Mmhmm.
Geoff: I think Kua would have started following the group and then with Ciaran have not returned as quickly, turned around to come see what's going on just in time to see him letting Issava come along and grab Elyndra for us. I think would have missed what happened with Elyndra with the guard, but seeing everyone kind of starting to go just help Ciara grab the remainder of our weapons to then go out the back with everybody else.
Kurt: Yeah, you're able to get your bow. You're able to get everybody like Seraphina's cigarette stick and any daggers that she left in, any weapons that you guys turned over. I'll say that you guys can pick up in the chaos of all of the people running in and pushing past you there. You see all of these people that are looking around and go;
Gutterrun Crowd (Kurt): We need to tell everybody! Go tell the, go tell the rest of The Guild. They need to know. They need to pay for what they've done here!
Kurt: As you see what sounds like an uprising of people. They're starting to get antsy and their energy is getting excitable as they start pulling in this, what looks like an anger starts pulling in. That feeling that you felt in the Lumora is gone.
Geoff: I think Ciaran would be the only one that will hear Kua say;
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Fuck, this isn't gonna end well.
Kurt: Yeah.
Ciaran (Luke): No, it is not.
Kurt: Basagar, Severian, you are holding Prince Wilhelm, you got Seraphina. Are you guys- what’s Zeph doing?
Kevin: So as you know, Severian and Basagard taking Wilhelm out the rear entrance, the rear door, I think Zeph would have been very torn and would have lingered for a moment. (Angry crowd noise) And then another. And finally just;
Zeph (Kevin): Fuck!
Kevin: And would have followed behind, following the rest of the group.
Awkward Pause
Kai: Yes?
Laughter
Kurt: What you doing, buddy?
Kai: I'm protecting Bas.
John: I have no idea where we're going. I don't know who's in front of me, but I have the prince.
Kurt: You're running. (Alarm bell starts ringing) You see that there are more guards making their way down from the Ashward, almost in like a line coming down the steps. You see that there is, you know, they know that something's going on. They can see the unrest. They're coming down here to keep the peace or at least stop the chaos.
Kai: We're in the dark, right?
Kurt: Like it's darkish.
Kai: Like night time?
Jenn: Yeah. We kind of went out of the back, the back way. Right.
Kai: If we didn’t necessarily knowing where we were going after we got out, I would try to lead the group off into some darker alleys away from the, you know, the main foot traffic.
Kurt: Yeah.
Kevin: Actually, I think Zeph would push his way up to the front because he knows -
Kai: Yeah.
Kevin: -this area and start, start directing and leading.
Kurt: Okay, yeah.
Kevin: I think knowing, just based off of what we heard, because Zeph didn't see anything, but he heard what was going on, and he knows that's going to be really bad. So I think before even they clock any of the guard or anything else, his first thought is we've got to find a place to hold up. We've got to find a place to bunker down because shit's about to get, really bad down here really quick.
Kurt: Where is that place?
Kevin: So being Slyborne, what I'm thinking is he would probably err toward or think of maybe some of his old, you know, smuggling locations. So maybe, maybe like a warehouse with a false area in it? Or, you know, maybe if there's a house with a basement that's well concealed or something along those lines. If I need to roll for it, Slyborne gives my advantage on looking for a place to hide.
Kurt: Yeah, that's one of your abilities. Yeah. Let's go with that. So grab your d6 and add that to your total.
Kevin: Would that be instinct?
Kurt: So yeah. So you're trying to sense navigate towards a safe house. Yeah, absolutely.
Kevin: 14 with fear. I love rolling with fear, thanks Erin.
Laughter
Kurt: Yeah, thanks Erin!
Geoff: Beautiful dice.
Kurt: Shout out to Glitz Dice. They make some incredible dice that love to tell a story.
Kevin: They do, they do.
Kurt: Absolutely incredible. You should, you can see them on our socials. If you go to our, our socials and look at the beautiful dice that glitz dice made for all of our characters. So their character themed. So yeah, you know exactly where it's at.
Kevin: Sweet
Kurt: You know exactly what you have to do to get there.
Jenn: Is everybody together again?
Kurt: I would say not yet. You see Ciaran running out the door, almost the front door through the crowd with Issava.
Jenn: Well, and Kua too, right?
Geoff: Yeah, Kua’s not far behind.
Kurt: Yeah Kua was not far behind. But Issava it looks like he is holding on to Elyndra, which that's what you clock immediately.
Luke: Yeah. Ciaran is very deliberately keeping a Issava between Elyndra and himself at all times.
Laughter
Jenn: Yeah. Cause I was going to say, I would have been flying kind of above their heads, keeping an eye back. Cause I knew that everybody wasn't together.
Kurt: So you're, you're the drone.
Jenn: Yeah. Kind of.
Kevin: The drone view.
Jenn: Exactly.
Kurt: Yeah. So you can see Ciaran, you can see a Issava, you can see the party. You see Zeph starts and he kind of looks, he's looking around. He looks like he is looking for everybody else. Ciaran you do see the rest of the group. You see the guards kind of coming down, especially you… sorry, this is a podcast. So I'm not going to say you. Seraphina you see the guards, especially from your vantage point, there seem to be several different avenues.
Jenn: Like filtering into the area?
Kurt: Filtering in towards the temple.
Thunder
Jenn: Yeah. I would say once she sees them in the distance, she'll kind of put her fingers in her mouth and do this sharp high pitch whistle (whistle sound) to catch their attention and like gesture and fly back lower and be like;
Seraphina (Jenn): Guys, there's a bunch of guards coming.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah I know, we've got to go. Where the fuck is Ciaran?
Seraphina (Jenn): They’re coming, I saw him. They’re coming behind us.
Kevin: So Zeph will slow his pace just enough to allow them to catch up but not stop.
Kurt: Yeah, you feel a (poomf) shoulder gets hit a little bit as this guy spins around and he goes,
Gutterrun NPC (Kurt): Ay, Zeph! Yeah, come on. We got a, we got to protect the temple, man. You coming? I think now's the time we kept talking. We've been telling about it for years, man. It's finally happening! Down with the fucking gaurds, man. Right? Do you want to fucking go to the stand, right?
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah. Yeah. Down with the fucking guards. I'll be there.
Gutterrun NPC (Kurt): It's about time we take them. Take what's our, right?
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah. Go on without me.
Gutterrun NPC (Kurt): Hey, you go over there!
Kurt: He goes;
Gutterrun NPC (Kurt): I don't care what you grab anything. Grab a fucking rock for all I care!
Kurt: And he is yelling and getting just drumming up as much chaos as possible.
Kevin: Once they're out of earshot, Zeph will just be like;
Zeph (Kevin): Fucking idiots. Goddamn it. Fuck this is gonna be bad.
Geoff: I guess the crowd starts like pushing backward, Seraphina might see Kua pop up above the crowd and just jumping from shoulder to shoulder, head to head, kind of like almost kicking people out of the way. So that, probably just because, just because of the Issava to get through.
Luke: Ciaran looks uncomfortable having to walk, but he doesn't trust Issava enough to let him just walk away on his own.
Kurt: Yeah.
Geoff: Yeah. So Kua kind of picks up on that and starts like trying to clear a path between these, rioters at this point.
Crowd noise swells
Kurt: Yeah. Just bouncing off of people.
Geoff: Just trying to expedite this retreat.
Kurt: Your chaos starts almost like mosh pit energy. As you start pushing into people, they bounce off into people and they start pushing. There's fights that start breaking out amongst themselves. And then, the chaos energy is static in this place. It is almost-
Geoff: The kindling is lit.
Kurt: -is just infectious. Yeah. Kindling is lit. And so it's, I mean, you could see how easy this could spread. If they're starting to fight with each otherit's going to get bad very fast.
Jenn: Would I have seen Issava with Kua and Ciaran coming?
Kurt: from your vantage point? Yeah, absolutely.
Jenn: Yeah. Would I have seen what he had in his hand?
Kurt: Yeah. Yep.
Jenn: All right. So yeah, as, when I swooped back down and said like, they're coming, I would be like;
Seraphina (Jenn): And uh, Zeph, looks like they got you sword.
Zeph (Kevin): He's got one thing.
Kurt: What are you doing Severian?
Kai: Not very much.
Laughter
Kai: I don't know. Just trying to make sure the group is safe as we navigate the city streets.
Kurt: Yeah. Um, you guys push through. You got, you know, exactly where that safe house is. It is down past a region of the Gutterrun down here in South Lake Way that you don't even go in anymore. It is a dirty, dirty place. It's almost like right on the edge where the Ember Coil is, but just a little further.
Kevin: Okay, yeah.
Kurt: But you know that is the safest place to be. Cause that's where nobody's going to come looking. Down in the warehouse district of the Gutterrun. You can easily get there through the chaos leading your troop in the direction where you need to go.
Thunder
Kevin: Once we're all caught up, he will begin picking the pace up as much as you can through the chaos that’s going on right now.
Kurt: Yeah. You run over the bridge that spawn, that bridges the gap between the two halves of the Gutterrun going over the Veill Water River.
Kevin: Well, actually, he'll start directing Severian hoping that Severian can help sort of clear the way a little bit better-
Jenn: Mmm, yeah.
Kevin: -than Zeph can.
Kurt: Okay.
Jenn: Deeper barks.
Kevin: So they can make a better time.
Kai: Sure.
Luke: The shock of simply seeing him is enough-
Kevin: Yeah!
Luke: - to make a path.
Geoff: People bump into him and just recoil.
Kai: It's just his size. He's just a very large creature moving on all fours, just through people's feet, directly clearing a way.
Severian (Kai): Um, where are we going?
Zeph (Kevin): Take right. It’s as safe as we’re gonna get right now.
Severian (Kai): Okay. Bark, bark, bark.
Zeph (Kevin): Smartass.
Kurt: You hear the expressions of shock and awe when they see you, the barbed creature, run, as they start making way for you. You get to… well, let's see, I don't have a name for this region. I like letting you guys come up with names on the fly because it's fun. This is a region of the Gutterrun that is run down even more than the Gutterrun is run down itself. This is where the low life's go. This is where the people that are on the last leg from The Guild or if they've owed too much debt to Tavryn at the Ember Coil, they try to hide here because not even the goons and the serpents go into this zone. What is this region called?
Geoff: What about the Grates? Like how you have grates before it goes out into a body of water or something to catch anything coming out of sewers. It's the end of the gutter.
Kurt: Okay.
Kai: I like that.
Kurt: Yeah. The Grates of Gutterrun whenever you guys have run into this place. This is, might be the first time for many of you to come down into this area. It is dark. The wood here is rotten. The streets, what looked like it is old cobblestone that you could tell it once was a part of the city that, you know, housed the merchants and the good people of Verelia back in the day, but it is just covered in layers of soot, well layers of rot and disgust, filth. It's squishy, mucky. It smells like a swamp here just cause it is always wet. The buildings, most of the buildings, either the windows are boarded up with what looks like some, just barely enough room for somebody to peek out and see who is bothering them down here. It is, there is not a lot of people down here. And those that do see you run like scattered rats, especially seeing a large group like this in such a hurry. But you make your way over to the warehouse that you know of. It is a rundown warehouse. It is looks like it was a storehouse that was right off of the Veill Water River at some point that is just dilapidated and fallen down.
Most of you might think that this is a dead end. Why has he taken us here? You know, this place doesn't even, can't even stop the rain. It's not going to stop a guard. But lead the way. Where do you, how do you, where do you go?
Kevin: So Zeph will head over to what appears to be just kind of a pile of refuse off in one corner. And he will reach down and underneath some of the loose debris, he will flip a latch that unhooks a trap door and raise the trap door that has debris and things that are actually kind of a fix to it to make it blend in and expose a small hatch with a ladder going down.
Kurt: Yeah
Geoff: Is this like inside of a building or is it in a street or something?
Kevin: Inside the warehouse, like in the corner of this old dilapidated falling down building.
Kurt: It's inside the building. What you look up is like the roof is pretty much non-existent. There's barely what like some maybe rotten wood planks that are holding on by probably just termite shit at this point.
Laughter
Kevin: Building is in quotation marks.
Geoff: Got it, got it!
Kurt: Yeah. But, somehow it withstood the test of time and at least made this little corner where Zeph took you is still at least accessible. You go down into the, or you look at the entrance to this underground domicile, hideout, safe house, whatever you want to call it. Issava looks at goes;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Ain't no fucking way. I'm not going in there.
Kevin: Zeph will reach out, grab the scabbard of the sword (Whooshing of the runes starting up) in order to have the power flow (whoosh) back into him. And then with the strength (woosh) of that grants him, we'll grab Issava and just push him into the hole.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Woah! (sounds of him tumbling down)
Kevin: While affixing the scabbard back on to his belt.
Kurt: That’s one way to do it. A hundred percent, he is going to take one hit point.
Laughter
Kurt: He falls down, hits his head on the ground.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Ah, God almighty. What the-
Geoff: Kua was just standing with his arms raised right behind where he was just at.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): That works.
Kevin: And he goes to grab his weapon.
Zeph (Kevin): Make yourself useful. Light a lantern.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): You’re lucky you got your sword back.
Zeph (Kevin): Thank me later. You’ll be safe down here.
Kevin: And he goes through and he sets the ladder up (dunk) and like clunks it up against where the door is open. He kind of steps back.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Man, I didn't even know this place was here.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah, that’s kind of the point.
Kurt: Everybody… does everybody go in?
Jenn: Mmhmm.
Kurt: If there's anything that you all want to do.
Kai: Severian's going to go in and start sniffing around.
Kurt: Okay.
Kai: I'm just trying to make sure everything's kosher.
Kurt: Sure. Give me a instinct sense check.
Kevin: Ooh.
Kai: Crit!
Jenn: Oh, nice.
Kai: Double tens.
Luke: Nice.
Kurt: Nice.
Geoff: Nice.
Kurt: All right.
Kai: That is my first actual roll with these dice.
John: Hell yeah. There you go.
Kevin: Hell yeah.
Kai: We go back to- Thank you, Erin!
Jenn: Thank you, Erin!
Kurt: Yeah, thank you.
Kai: That was nice. Fantastic.
Kevin: Yeah. Most of her dice are amazing.
Laughter
Kai: Yeah. Some really good numbers on here.
Kurt: Ooh, I need a sound bit that goes ‘Glitz!’
Kai: Every time we roll a crit.
John: Yes. That'd be so dope. Every time it crits.
Kurt: Yeah. At least while you use the Glitz Dice. Yes. Anyways, but yeah, so you get to gain a hope and clear stress if you need to. And you tell me, what do you find?
Kai: Some person hiding there.
Laughter
John: I'm sorry? What?
Kai: I mean, there's got to be somebody there, right?
Geoff: Severian walks in and immediately someone pops out.
Chuckles
Kurt: Now it takes a moment. You're like a dog in a new place. You're sniffing around, going through. It takes a moment to get a good sense of this. You're trying to sense what kind of danger is in here. You smell something familiar. It smells roughly like Seraphina.
Kai: Hmm.
Kurt: Yeah. It has that certain scent that you can't really quite pick up that Seraphina always has. You might've thought it was just a perfume or something that she's wearing, but you smell this fragrance coming from what looks like a box or a crate.
Kai: I'm going to try to open the crate and it pounce on whatever is inside.
Laughter
John: For our listeners, Kurt is just kind of looking at his notes long and hard.
Kurt: My note is literally a blank sheet of paper.
Laughter
John: While he's looking at it long and hard.
Kurt: Thanks a lot Kai.
Laughter
Kurt: As you open the grate, or the lid to this box, you (creaking) as it pops open. It's easier than you thought. It's not even nailed down or shut down. That fragrance almost hits you in the nose. As you see this small tiny creature (light and high tone pings) about the size of a football running at you, almost flying your direction.
Manny (Kurt): Waaahhhhh!
Kurt: He screams, and I'm going to spend a fear.
Kai: The Doppler effect is wild.
Kurt: And stabs in the nose-
Geoff: Sheesh!
Kurt: -with some type of small pointed, almost like a push dagger. He goes;
Manny (Kurt, high pitched tight voice): Get out of here!
Light plinky music begins
Geoff: Cool, I’ll kind of follow down.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Severian, I see you're making friends.
Kurt: He's got a dagger stuck in his nose.
Kai: Yeah, at point of being stabbed that we'll try to like fully... if he's small enough, yeah? I'm just going to jump on him.
Kurt: I don't even know if you can jump on him without getting into the crate itself.
Kai: I’m getting in that crate.
Laughter
Kurt: You jump in the crate and you notice that it's big enough for you to fit in, but you jump on small little, what looks like a bed of some sort that this creature was sleeping in.
John: Some Tom and Jerry shit.
Luke: What was once a bed.
Kai: It's a little house.
Kurt: Yeah, as you crush everything in it and you're holding on to this creature.
Kai: And I’ll start growling.
Severian (Kai): There's somebody here!
Manny (Kurt): Unhand me now!
Zeph (Kevin): What the fuck?
Manny (Kurt): Help, help!
Kai: It's like trickling blood off my nose.
Severian (Kai): Who are you?
Manny (Kurt): Who, what are you? Just let me go!
Severian (Kai): I'm asking the questions here.
Manny (Kurt): You jumped into my house and destroyed it! You startled me!
Kai: Severian will look over at the little broken bed and anything else that's kind of smashed around and be like;
Severian (Kai): We're seeking shelter here.
Manny (Kurt): Would you do the same thing in somebody else's house? If I came and destroyed your house, would you be nice to me?"
Laughter
Kevin: Is this like... a fairy?
Kurt: You, yeah, so what you see as you are now, take the time to look at it, you are holding this tiny creature with both of your hands. He's almost insect-like. He's got green skin, green arms. He's wearing what looks like some type of earth tone robe or vest. He's got wings that would be fluttering out that you saw when he was flying towards you. His eyes are massive, just big, just plain like dishes of yellow and what looks like some like almost like seafoam green eyes.
But he is a fairy, indeed. He is a fairy. Praying mantis-esque. He looks like a praying mantis.
Kevin: Dope!
Kurt: Yeah, so his arms are like almost bent like a praying mantis trying to like claw at you, but he tries to like pierce you with his mantis barbs, but sees like you're covered in them.
(Laughter)
Severian (Kai): Stop that!
Kurt: So you see him struggle for a moment until he-
Severian (Kai): I will let you go.
Manny (Kurt): It’s fine, just get it over with.
John: Oh, no!
Severian (Kai): No, I don't- I will let you go, but we need to stay here. We're in danger.
Manny (Kurt): You're in... I'm in danger!
Laughter
Kai: Severian will just unhand him.
(Sounds of the fairy hitting the floor)
Kurt: He starts flying, goes and kind of like sits and stands on top of the box, looks up and looks at all of you.
Manny (Kurt): Oh, hi.
Zeph (Kevin): Hi?
Severian (Kai): Hello.
Zeph (Kevin): Who are you?
Manny (Kurt): Hi. Why are you here?
Zeph (Kevin): Things are very dangerous out there.
Kevin: And Zeph kind of points-
Manny (Kurt): Well yeah!
Kevin: -toward the hatch. Like he, as he came back down or down in, I can imagine Zeph sort of closed the hatch and latched it from the underside, but he points up at the hatch and says;
Zeph (Kevin): Things are about to get very dangerous out there. So we needed a place to be safe. Who are you?
Manny (Kurt): Oh, I’m-
Kurt: He kind of looks around and looks at all of you.
Manny (Kurt): I am Manny.
Zeph (Kevin): Manny?
Manny (Kurt): Yep
Zeph (Kevin): Pleasure. And what are you doing here, Manny?
Manny (Kurt): Ah, well…
Kurt: He looks down at his destroyed house. You're just kind of like sitting in, maybe like playing with like a broken piece of furniture.
Manny (Kurt): Well, I was kind of living here…
Zeph (Kevin): Fuck how long has it been since I've been here? Shit.
Manny (Kurt): Was this your house?
Zeph (Kevin): No, this was more a place that I used when I needed to make sure things wouldn’t get found.
Manny (Kurt): Oh!
Zeph (Kevin): But it's okay.
Manny (Kurt): That's why I'm here too.
Zeph (Kevin): So how did you find this place?
Manny (Kurt): I was running from those that wanted to kill me and I found this place and decided to hide here. I thought you found me. You didn't come here for me?
Zeph (Kevin): This is the first time I think we are finding out about you, Manny.
Manny (Kurt): Oh well, that’s a relief.
Zeph (Kevin): Sorry about your house, buddy.
Manny (Kurt): It's all right. I have to make a new one.
Kevin: So Zeph, now that that excitement is over, takes a deep sigh, slinks down against a wall, takes this flask out and takes a very deep draw from it before tucking it back into his jacket.
Zeph (Kevin): So... What the fuck happened at the Hollow?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): There were guards there from the castle.
Zeph (Kevin): And?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): What I saw was they were... Well, I mean, by the time I got there, most of them were dead. But as was many of the Guild members, they...
Zeph (Kevin): The Guild attacked the guard?
Pensive Piano music begins
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Well, I don't know. They were all attacking each other by the time I was there.
Ciaran (Luke): While I was out, I received some information that there may be some unsavory elements among the guard and not to trust them with, well, anything at the moment. And I attempted to outpace them and make it here before anything else could happen. Unfortunately, they were forewarned. How or why, I do not know. But we are all out. We are all alive still… mostly.
Kevin: Zeph looks over at Issava.
Zeph (Kevin): What happened?
Ciaran (Luke): And why is your arm okay?
Zeph (Kevin): Hmm?
Ciaran (Luke): Nothing, sorry.
Chuckles
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Look, I don't know what happened. I-
Zeph (Kevin): Did you jump the guard?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Did I jump the guard?
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): No.
Zeph (Kevin): Did you jump the fucking guard?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): No, they came in shouting looking for somebody by the name of Caelan.
Zeph (Kevin): Caelan?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Yeah, I think he's one of the princes. Caelan?
Kevin: Does that name ring a bell?
Kurt: I mean, it would be... I mean, those... one hundred percent for you. Maybe not for those that are new to Virelia. Caelan is one of the sons of King Alric, but he was;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): But yeah, he came in saying that there was a siting of Caelan and Wilhelm.
Zeph (Kevin): Fuck would Caelan be doing in the fucking hollow? What would that skyblood be doing down here?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I don’t know,
Ciaran (Luke): They were at least half right.
Kevin: Well, that's true. Wilhelm.
Basagar (John): That's true. Wilhelm is...
Kevin: Well, it’s too late.
John: Has anything happened? Like, has Prince Wilhelm just still just knocked out?
Kurt: Wilhelm is starting to stir a little bit, breathing a little heavier. His body rhythm is picking up. You could see his eyes starting to flash open a little bit, and he's looking around.
Wilhelm Virel (Kurt): What are we?
Kurt: Obviously, coming out of unconsciousness. Basagar, do you wanna... What are you doing? Are you putting him down?
John: I've been nervous of connecting with him. I was just truly trying to just protect and do whatever I can to keep him safe. But yeah, I guess also the fear of experiencing what he experienced again by... if I had... I don't wanna accidentally cause a connection between us again.
Kurt: Yeah
John: So, I think if he's kind of settled down, I will find a spot, a look to Severian, looking at the broken furniture and stuff.
Basagar (John): Can you get the covering there and lay it out? It's not much, but something to lay him on.
Severian (Kai): Sure.
Kai: Severian will do whatever Basagar says immediately with no questions.
John: I'm imagining that the sheet is not even enough to cover his head or support all of his head, so I just lay as much of his head on the little sheet as I can and just lay him down a little bit as gently as I can.
Kurt: You see over on the other side, Severian, you just put Manny down. He looks at the destructed house that you jumped in and jumped on, and he sits up and he dusts himself off. Are you still holding him at this point?
Kai: I would have let him go.
Kurt: You would have let him go? Okay. But he looks at you and goes;
Manny (Kurt): That is no way to treat someone like me. What do you have to say for yourself?
Severian (Kai): Why should I not treat you that way?
Manny (Kurt): Well, I happen to be a very important person, and you just come in here barging in, opening my house and destroying it. Are you going to pay for this?
Severian (Kai): It doesn't look like it was worth very much in the first place.
Manny (Kurt): What?
Seraphina (Jenn): Severian, who are you talking to?
Severian (Kai): This is a very important person.
Manny (Kurt): Oh, hello.
Seraphina (Jenn): Hi. I’m Seraphina, it’s… are you a fairy?
Manny (Kurt): Oh, yes, I am.
Kurt: He comes over and kind of flutters over to you. It hovers and grabs your hand and holds it.
Manny (Kurt): Uh my name is...
Kurt: He looks around a little bit and at the guys over there having a conversation with Issava. And leans in and whispers a bit,
Manny (Kurt): My name is Prince Manny. I am a prince of the Fey realm. I'm here on hideouts, especially. Are you from the Fey? Have you come to rescue me?
Seraphina (Jenn): You're a prince?
Prince Manny (Kurt): Well, yeah.
Seraphina (Jenn): Man, they're falling out of the sky lately.
Prince Manny (Kurt): What? Really?
Seraphina (Jenn): No, that was just a figure of speech. I don't think I'm from the Fey, but I'm not really sure.
Kai: Severian is looking between the two of them, squinting really hard and noticing all of these similarities. He's just not sure what to say.
Kurt: Yeah. So what you see, you definitely see the mantis style, the more insectoid of Prince Manny. Definitely don't see any insectoid other than the wings on Seraphina. But Seraphina definitely is of a fairy background because of the wings. So there's no physical resemblance other than the wings on Seraphina.
Prince Manny (Kurt): How do you not know where you come from? You look like you're from home.
Seraphina (Jenn): I don't remember. All I remember is I came from a city north of here. I just came here recently, like last couple months. Why are you here? You said somebody's trying to hurt you?
Prince Manny (Kurt): Yeah. Well, I mean, the fey does have that effect on some people when they cross over. But I was up in somewhere. I don't even know where I was. I came through and I was in a big city and everybody was so mean to me up there. I got in touch with someone to try to find help. And they thought that I would make a better ransom than to really help me.
Seraphina (Jenn): People kind of suck, Manny. That's true.
Prince Manny (Kurt): Yeah. What was his... He called himself something. There was something Lord have... Is the Chain lord? Does that ring a bell?
Seraphina (Jenn): Oh, yeah. Actually, yeah, it does. Yeah, he's one of the council members up in Port CaeMor. I'm kind of glad that you got away from him, Manny. It is probably safer here.
Prince Manny (Kurt): I was coming back to look for somebody that was lost a long time ago. I just felt nothing but hatred here. I don't know why anybody would live here. And I came down here to hide out and made a little home for myself. And I've been here for maybe several weeks? And it just seems to be getting worse.
Seraphina (Jenn): Yeah, it's a tough town. Well, you can stick with us for a little while and we'll keep you safe.
Prince Manny (Kurt): Are any of you going to the castle soon? I could... I'm trying to get to the castle.
Seraphina (Jenn): I mean, the big tall mushroom guy over there, that's Basagar. He definitely wants to go to the castle.
Severian (Kai): Yes, we've been trying to get to the castle ourselves.
Seraphina (Jenn): Yeah, and Severian, too. Yeah. And so, yeah, if you want to stick with us, we can maybe help you get up there, too.
Prince Manny (Kurt): Oh, okay.
Severian (Kai): What do you want at the castle?
Prince Manny (Kurt): I'm going to talk to the king.
Severian (Kai): I understand.
Seraphina (Jenn): Yeah, I think that's who Basagar wants to talk to, too. So yeah, sure! Come with us then. We're going to hide out here until the heat dies down upstairs though.
Prince Manny (Kurt): Oh, okay. Thanks.
Seraphina (Jenn): It's nice meeting you, Manny.
Prince Manny (Kurt): Yeah, it's always nice meeting another fairy.
Seraphina (Jenn): Yeah, you're the first one I've ever met.
Chuckles
Kurt: And then we'll head back to the other side.
Nervous music starts playing
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): So Issava, do me a favor here. Have a seat.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): What are you looking at me like that for?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Um, well, You- no, don't look up there. Don't look up there. You're just going to just have a seat right there, right on that barrel. Right there. (Tone changes to threatening) Sit the fuck down.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): All right. Just calm down.
Kevin: Zeph will flank him from the other side. Just to make his presence known.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): We're all in the same team right now. I don't want to be up there just as much as you guys do.
Tense music begins
Zeph (Kevin): Good.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Good, that’s good.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): We can forget about the contract right now. I can table that for later.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): We don't like our liabilities loose. So sit down and give me your hands.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Really?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Sit down.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): This is what we got to do?
Zeph (Kevin): Sit.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I could have taken off-
Kevin: And Zeph puts a hand on his shoulder and pushes him down.
Kurt: He sits down.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, it's, look, we don't have to get anything crazy. That's, I don't like to look in your eyes.
Zeph (Kevin): Look, look, my sword is still sheathed. No one's getting crazy here. You're fine. Go for it, Kua.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Kua's going to pull out some rope and go to start binding him. Is he receptive?
Kurt: You pull out a soft of rope?
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): I do pull out a soft of rope. A full soft. Oh so nice yeah.
Kurt: Shout out to Dodoborne coming up with that one though. Had to use it in our game campaign so.
Geoff: It was too fun, we had to have it. Thank you so much.
Kevin: But do two softs make a medium?
Kurt: You know, two softs do make a medium.
Geoff: Two softs make a medium. Love it
Kurt: If you don't know what we're talking about go check out Dodoborne.
Kevin: Absolutely
Geoff: So yes I do pull out a soft of rope and I will use that to start tying him up, binding him up, you know, to be wrist around the wrist.
Kurt: He's amicable at first. As you start to tie him up, his hands are behind his back. He starts looking around. He is getting agitated. Seeing that he has no advantage here being tied up.
And he does not like to be in a situation where he doesn't have advantages. He starts eyeballing the ceiling.
Geoff: If he starts shifting and shuffling around, I'll yank down on the rope behind him and come across in front of him and start to extend my blade out from my hand. Just like;
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): If you move, I will remove anything that's moving.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Fuck you guys.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Just- fair enough.
Geoff: And then I'll pull the blade back and just finish tying him up.
Zeph (Kevin): Just relax. This is just a precaution. You're fine.
Kevin: He pats him on the head.
Zeph (Kevin): You're fine.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Prove that you have a reason to keep your head and you will.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): All right, fine.
Zeph (Kevin): Good boy. So what happened with the guard?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Look, they came in. They asking where these fucking nobles are.
Zeph (Kevin): Sure.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Princes, I don't give two shits about them. We told them that they weren't here. They started firing on us. They took the first shot.
Zeph (Kevin): They took the first shot?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): You know I'm not going to just sit there and take it.
Zeph (Kevin): No, no, no, no. I get that. All right, so just to fill in the rest of the class. The Hollow is one tiny, bright spot of hope in what is otherwise an entire district of suck. And one of the rules, which you all were introduced to, is there's no weapons, no fighting in the Hollow. So if the guard attacked the Guild in the Hollow, well, you already saw what was starting to brew. People are going to be upset because that's pretty much the only hope that most of them have down here.
Ciaran (Luke): Even if it were only a few unsavory elements within the guard, these actions will lead to full civil war within the city.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah, this is going to get really ugly, really fucking quick. This entire town is a powder keg that's about to go up.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Look, I'm not going to, I'm not going to lie to you. I was sent down here for you.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah, you mentioned that earlier. Who?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I don't think there's any reason to keep it on under wraps here. It's one of the pillars.
Light and high tone pings
Zeph (Kevin): I'm sorry, what?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Look, I don't know why this came from Boss. He gave me the mark. He spread it. Multiple people have these marks on you.
Zeph (Kevin): Great.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I don't know what they know. I don't know what this means, but I don't know what you did.
Zeph (Kevin): What I did?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): All I know is somebody was saying something about Humperdink. You know that asshole?
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah, that asshole.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): You wanna tell me about him?
Zeph (Kevin): No
Severian (Kai): Tasted like shit
Basagar (John): Looked like shit.
Zeph (Kevin): Look, thanks, Severian!
Severian (Kai): Chuckles. What?
Zeph (Kevin): He drew steel on us in the Painted Veil. He was roughing up one of the girls. We were just trying to separate him. Self defense. And that asshole deserved it.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): You took him in?
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah, we took him out.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Laughs. I didn't think you had the balls to do that. Did you know it was Humperdink when you-?
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah. Didn't matter.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): You're all right, man. You're all right. I keep telling you you should have joined joined The Guild long time ago.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah, but you all got that the masks and the whole disease thing.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): That's the rookies. They got some debt to pay. They're all family guys that are sick that pledge to loyalty to us, so we give them the cure.
Zeph (Kevin): Really?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Yeah.
Zeph (Kevin): Huh. Maybe you should advertise that. It would probably help a whole hell of a lot with recruitment.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): We want them desperate.
Zeph (Kevin): Of course you would. That's why I didn't join you. So, great. Now, on top of the entire fucking city about to burn around us, I've got numerous marks on my head from who the fuck knows where.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): And all I use guys do.
Zeph (Kevin): Yeah.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Anybody that is seen dillin-dallyin with him.
Zeph (Kevin): Jesus
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I could be rich, turning you guys in.
Ciaran (Luke): You could be floating down the river.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I heard that's what you like to do.
Zeph (Kevin): Whoa, whoa, whoa. That wasn't... wait, was that us?
Kevin: And Zeph looks at Kua.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): No.
Laughter
Zeph (Kevin): Okay.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Of course not.
Zeph (Kevin): Well, that wasn't us.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): That sounds like I got someone else to look out for then. All right.
Zeph (Kevin): There's a lot of weird shit these days
Kurt: Give me a presence check for me. You're trying to deceive.
Kevin: I didn't do it. Well, I guess I did know.
Geoff: Yeah we did.
Kevin: So that's technically true, yeah.
Kurt: You one hundred percent did.
Laughter.
Kurt: Don't deceive me!
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Kua is still convinced that he wasn't seen but Ciaran did come in right after and said ‘No yeah he got spotted’.
Kevin: I will spend a hope on fast talker on Zeph's experience before making roll. 14 with fear.
Deep boom
Kurt: Oh, as you guys are talking, he looks;
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Yeah. All right, all right, all right. If you say it wasn't you, it
wasn't you. It's-
Zeph (Kevin): It doesn't matter.
Kurt: You hear what sounds like muffled voices.
Zeph (Kevin): Shh.
Guard NPC (Kurt, muffled): Hey, hey, hey, I don't know, I was told you went this way. Did you see anybody come down here?
Kurt: You hear this through muffled floor, you hear;
Gutterrun NPC (Kurt, higher pitched still muffled): I swear I didn’t see anything!
Guard NPC (Kurt, muffled): You didn't see a mushroom and a fucking dog covered in thorns running down the alleyway?
Kurt: And goes;
Gutterrun NPC (Kurt, higher pitched): Look, look, I did see something. I think they do it with that way, probably.
Guard NPC (Kurt): Get out of here.
Kurt: You hear a (schomph). You hear footsteps above.
Foot steps continue
Guard NPCs (Kurt): Alright alright alright, they’re in here somewhere. Go on that side, see if you can find anything. Maybe they went out the back.
Kurt: You hear footsteps go down to the left of the building and a footstep that sounds like it's coming almost right above the hatch.
Drumming that sounds like a heartbeat begins.
Guard Underling NPC (Kurt)I don't know, boss. I don't think anybody's here. I don't know why there's really not much to hide under the unless you're somewhere under this rot.
Guard NPCs (Kurt): Just look for any clues.
Kurt: So they are going to be looking. You hear the footsteps. It takes a moment. They walk right above you. (Footsteps and floorboards squeaking). You can see the dust and the debris falling between the floorboards from right where the hatch is. Hear, like what sounds like, a shifting of some type of furniture.
Guard NPC (Kurt): Hey, hey, hey, hold on a second, man. I got to take a fucking break.
Kurt: You could tell that he sits down on a box, or something shifts underneath him.
Guard NPC (Kurt): So, what's the plan? What are we doing here?
Guard underling NPC (Kurt): I'm not in the loop like I used to be. Not after, you know, boss catching me with Dez.
Guard NPCs (Kurt): Chuckles. I told. I told you you were going to get caught, but I don't blame you. She's a showstopper.
Guard underling NPC (Kurt): All I know is that when we're done cleaning out this filth, then we'll be on the move for the next caretaker.
Guard NPCs (Kurt): Oh, oh, yeah, man. You know, sometimes I feel bad, but, you know, I just got to think about like we're just doing the job, you know?
Guard underling NPC (Kurt): Yeah, yeah. Oh, oh, oh, did you get on that Prince Rhydian job?
Guard NPCs (Kurt): Nah, nah, I wish, but I think Frankie got in on that hit. Yeah, he says it's going down tonight. I'll have to ask him about it. I'll get on the next one if I make good on this mark.
Kurt: I'm going to spend a fear as he shifts up to stand up. You hear him yawn, stretch a little bit. He goes;
Guard NPCs (Kurt): All right. Hey, I'll be right out. I got to leak the lizard, you know what I mean?
Kevin: Fuck!
Kurt: As the guy here, the other guy, go, you know, walk back out, and you hear him call;
Guard underling NPC (Kurt): Hey, hey, they're not in here! Search the other warehouse.
Kurt: Hear what sounds like water, start to trickle and fall. And as the, you know, the excrement from you know… whatever, you know, it's piss.
Laughter
Kurt: As this guy is relieving himself, it starts to run down, starts to, like, you see the water stream drop and starts to puddle and right underneath where he is. He goes;
Guard NPC (Kurt): What the hell? I think there's something under here.
Kurt: As he’s, you know, talking to himself. He shifts the furniture (heavy furniture moving) out of the way and kind of moves and lifts stuff up. And he goes (dunk dunk) he starts pulling on the hatch.
Kevin: All right. Zeph's going to-
Kurt: He goes;
Guard NPC (Kurt): I got you now.
Kevin: -go up and between pulls, he's going to flip the lock so that it yanks up.
Kurt: Okay.
Kevin: He's going to yank him down and then lock the hatch again.
Kurt: Chuckles. Okay yeah so he's (dunk dunk). He pulls one more time (dunk). Do you flip the lock?
Kevin: Mmhmm.
Kurt: As he does (pfft) the door comes open he goes;
Guard NPC (Kurt): Wha-??
Kurt: You grab;
Guard NPCs (Kurt): Woah!
Kurt: As he pulls down (thunk thmpt thmph) falls on the ground.
Zeph (Kevin, whisper yells): Keep him quiet!
Geoff: Kua will jump on him and just press both of his forearms across his throat to hold him down.
Guard NPC (Kurt): Sounds of struggle and trying to speak.
Geoff: Cut off as much air and as much movement as he possibly can.
Kurt: I spend a fear. As you do that, I got some fear that I need to spend anyways. As you push down, he goes through and he's going to (pfshh) kind of kick up his hips and to try to push your weight you're pretty heavy so you don't-
Geoff: I’m massively heavy.
Laughter
Kurt: - so you don't move like he thought he was but just gives him enough to skirt his hips off to the side and he uses that momentum to roll out from under you (kaboof boof) kind of like pull you through and he takes a very quick second to glimpse to see what he has to deal with and he goes;
Guard NPC (Kurt): Ahhhhhhhh!
Kurt: He yells. What are y'all doing as he's yelling at the moment?
Basagar (John): Being as this is very an enclosed space I'm just going to pick up my my foot and just stomp on his face.
Kurt: Okay, yeah. Yeah so you, go ahead just give me an attack roll. Add your strength.
John: Okay. That is a 16 with hope.
Kurt: 16 with hope. That'll hit as he is, he's yelling, hollering for help as it gets cut off (snaps) short as you hear the sound of skull and brain, squish and crush.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Whoa, holy shit. Oh, man, and you guys thought we were bad.
(Geoff): Is that a Issava?
Kurt: Yeah.
Geoff: He has an arrow pointed at him.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Shut up.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): Shut up, there’s more up there.
Kevin: Like I said, Zeph definitely relocks that latch.
Kurt: Yeah, you hear what sounds like one person. Footsteps off in the alley.
Guard Underling NPC (Kurt): I thought I heard something. Where's, uh, where's, uh, where's Ricardo at?
Footsteps
Second Guard Underling (Kurt): Well, I don’t know, man. You think, um, maybe you went out back.
Guard Underling (Kurt): Yeah, yeah.
Kurt: (makes running footstep sounds) You hear running out back. You hear;
Guard Underling (Kurt): Hey, Ricardo. Uh, Ricardo, you here?
Second Guard Underling (Kurt): Uh, Ricardo!?
John: Aw.
Second Guard Underling (Kurt): Um, Ricardo??
Kurt: Muffled and kind of walking around take like this pregnant pause of footsteps. You hear things shifting. You hear-
Sounds of furniture being moved, squeaking floorboards, more footsteps.
Geoff: Kua going to go over to Zeph, and nudge him.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): We need to move. We need to get going.
Kevin: Is there another way out of here that Zeph knows? Like an entrance, I don't know, to the sewer?
Floorboards squeaking.
Kurt: You would know, yeah, every, every safe house has a contingency plan. There's never one entrance, always probably multiple exits. You are underground. You get to a point where-
Footsteps above them
Kevin: Yeah, I'll go in and open that. I'm sure it's kind of a disguised, like not easy to find like, you know, exit and quietly push that open and kind of beckon folks.
Kurt: Yeah. As you find it, you hear the footsteps. The footsteps walk through, go and go out. The one sounds like a bigger guy.
Second Guard Underling (Kurt): I don't think Ricardo's in here. You sure you heard him in here?
Guard Underling (Kurt): I don't know, maybe he ran out back. He was, maybe he's chasing somebody. He was yelling for help.
Kurt: You hear the footsteps go out towards the back and away. It's just the two that seemed like they are now dispersing from the area. But you do find that there is an exit. You see that there's some boxes, like you said, kind of moved around. And you see there's a hole in the wall that you can kind of smell the just the draft of sewage system.
Kevin: Maybe hold off on that for a second, but at least I know where it is. Clear anything out of the way once they're gone that would make extra sound so that we could go that way if we
need to quickly.
Geoff: Kua also kind of relaxes and keeps an arrow knocked but down at his side.
Kurt: Yeah
Basagar (John): I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to kill this person.
Zeph (Kevin): Don't apologize, Bas. It's all right.
John: And his demeanor has been very shaken, just been lost in thought the entire time of just truly just kind of going with emotions being on autopilot, if you will, of just thinking about everything that Prince Wilhelm has been saying.
Kurt: Mmhmm.
Kevin: Can we search the body of the guard?
Kurt: Of he guard?
Kevin: The guard.
Kurt: Yeah. Absolutely. Okay.
Kevin: I searched the body.
Kurt: He's got, yeah, it's, like I said, it's not hard. He's not resisting. He's got what looks like just standard armor, leather's armor with maybe some metal pauldrons. He wasn't a very high ranking member of the Virelian Guard, but he has a just a run of the mill what looks like short sword or falchion. He's got a like a circle shield, like almost like a bracer, not a bracer.
Others: Buckler?
Kurt: Buckler! Buckler, thank you. Yeah, buckler that he was wearing on his forearm. Two handfuls of gold just like in one of his back pouches that's kind of underneath his cloak.
Kevin: Zeph’ll snag those.
Kurt: But what you do notice is he in, like underneath his armor wedged up against his chest or pec muscles is a piece of paper. It's a chit. It says M dash Zeph Virel. (Light and high tone pings) Underneath: L dash Typically seen in Gutterrun. Check Blade’s Edge, Ember Coil, or St. Kevarin’s Hollow. Under that: P dash XX and then signed,
just an E D.
Kevin: Erectile dysfunction?
Laughter
Kevin: Sorry, all right. He takes that and reads it.
Geoff: Did his Issava sign this?
Laughter
Kevin: Like, kind of cocks his head to the side.
Luke: Ciaran will peek over the shoulder.
Zeph (Kevin): What the fuck?
Ciaran (Luke): Virel?
Zeph (Kevin): Huh?
Ciaran (Luke): Zeph Virel.
Zeph (Kevin): Yes, no relation.
John (Doubtful): Mmhmm. No relation.
Kevin: He'll hand the chit over to Ciaran.
Ciaran (Luke): No relation to the king and the royal family and...
Zeph (Kevin): No, the fucking Skyblood stole everything, even our fucking name. We couldn't even use it when I was growing up.
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): What? You can't, you don't steal a name. What are you talking about?
Zeph (Kevin): It’s some distant relation. I mean, we're talking like generations and generations back.
Ciaran (Luke): Zeph, who was your father?
Zeph (Kevin): Uh, Toman.
Ciaran (Luke): Toman?
Zeph (Kevin): Toman Virel. Yeah, I'm sure you don't know him. He spent his whole life down on the Gutterrun. He's in a fucking labor camp now for stealing food to try and keep us from dying when I was a child. That doesn't sound like the Virel family name to me.
G: Kua wouldn't recognize this name, would he?
Kurt: Toman Virel. Uh-uh. I'm not even, I'm not even going to make you roll for it. You have no idea.
Ciaran (Luke): We'll get back to that in a moment. Issava, you said the hit was put on Zeph by one of the Rings? Elowen Daris?
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Oh, yeah, it looks like they got the hit, too. Looks like everybody was after you, man.
Zeph (Kevin): Great.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): I don't know why they were coming after looking for that prince. Have you been hanging out with the prince?
Giggles
Zeph (Kevin): I didn't know.
Issava Khelt (Kurt): Well, we do have one right here.
Zeph (Kevin): This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Basagar (John): Give me just a moment.
John: And you just see Basagar take the body of the guard and just kind of go to a different corner and go prepare a little burial of the body. Is it kind of a dirt ground or is it like, man, like stone?
Kurt: It's kind of like a Michigan basement. I know y'all don't know what that means.
John: I have no idea what that is.
Others concur with not knowing
Kurt: It is kind of stone, but with, not stone, it's dirt with stone sides. So it's buried but hard packed dirt. There's some stone, but it's not really finished. It was just blanket level and you could tell the water from the river was like seeping through the stone a little bit, which makes it a little musty and wet down here, but-
John: Doing my best to not bury the body, but enough to at least cover it with some of the dirt and make it look like a body is buried here on top of the dirt. And I'll produce just a small flower and and set it on top of of the body.
Geoff: Kua will kind of help a little bit and just make a small cairn at the head of it and just kind of instinctively like picking up what you're doing and you know not used to burying anything he just kind of stacks a couple of loose objects around into a pile.
Severian (Kai): What are you doing?
Basagar (John): It's, uh, I'm- this was not… I shouldn't have done this. I… I'm sorry.
Severian (Kai): You didn't have to cover him up. I could have handled that.
Basagar (John): If you would like to do that, I would rather not see that again.
Luke: Still kind of looking down at the paper, Ciaran will speak up.
Ciaran (Luke): Don't feel too bad, Basagar. He was a traitor to king and kingdom.
Zeph (Kevin): And it was him or us.
Basagar (John): I know. This whole city is cursed.
Zeph (Kevin): You can say that again.
Prince Manny (Kurt, sarcastic): Scoffs. You’re telling me?
John: And I kind of just look up and finally just like being present with the group and just kind of look for further.
Basagar (John): Well, the castle is in danger, according to the young prince here.
Geoff: Kua will stand up with Basagar and look to Ciaran with what he just said of this man being a traitor. And kind of circle back to what you had said back in Saint Kevarin's Hollow of;
Pi N'kuwa (Geoff): You said now is the time to go to the castle? You think we could get in now? Is that, I guess that's where we should go? It sounds as if there's a threat to Prince Rhydian as well.
Ciaran (Luke): Precisely. Though having a bounty by the Pillar of Voice may not help things. Would you like to explain some things?
Kai: Severian hearing this whole conversation about the name is going to go up and sniff your (Zeph’s) butt.
Laughter
Zeph (Kevin): I mean, other than-
Kurt: Well, hold on.
Laughter
Kurt: You don't get to just gloss over that.
Jenn: Yeah!
Laughter
Kai: I'm stealthy enough that you don't notice.
John: Yeah okay.
Kurt: Yeah, no. Everyone’s entire focus is on Ciaran. Give me a instinct so you're sensing-
Jenn: Give me a sniff roll.
Laughter
Geoff: Give me a butt check
Laughter
Kai: 20 something, sorry, with hope.
Kurt: Wow okay
Kevin: Damn.
Geoff: Jesus, good butt sniffer
Jenn: It's not his first butt.
Laughter.
John: You smell what he's shat three days ago.
Laughter
Kai: I'm trying to see whether he smells like, you know, Wilhelm.
Kevin: Well, and Zeph did get wounded in the fight with the Fun Aunts, so there might be a little bit of blood on him.
Kurt: Yeah.
Severian (Kai): Okay.
Kurt: Yeah, so immediately you catch a very similar to a familiar scent from, that you smelled on Manny that Seraphina has. You get a familiar scent from Zeph's butt that you've smelled-
Kai: Just the area, you know.
Kurt: Just the area.
Kai: I'm just on all fours. It's the closest thing.
John: You get in there.
Luke: So what kind of perfume does Seraphina wear, that’s the question.
Kurt: But you get a very familiar scent that you've smelled from Wilhelm.
Severian (Kai): Zeph, you smell like shit.
Kevin: Looks down behind him and;
Zeph (Kevin): Well you're kind of in that area, Severian.
Severian (Kai): Uh no no no.
Kai: Wherever you're wounded he'll go for that area-
Zeph: What- what- What are you doing?!
Kai: -just kind of like climbing up onto you and just start licking you.
Zeph (Kevin): Ah!
Kai: Wherever blood is.
John: Unironically creating more blood is like the briars-
Kurt: Yeah the briars.
John: -are digging into him.
Kai: Yeah he has like a spiked tongue like a cat.
Jenn: Oh God.
Others agree.
Zeph (Kevin): Oh it's rough! Ah!
Kai: Like sandpaper.
Kurt: Yeah. As you lick the dried blood from Zeph's wounds, you're almost like tasting it in your mouth. It tastes utterly vile. The same vile taste that you sensed with a few very familiar meals that you've had recently.
Kai: Yeah, right in your ears, Zeph, just (dry heaving noises)
Sounds of panic from others, others dry heaving and laughing.
Zeph (Kevin): Oh, easy! (Dry heaves in response)
Severian (Kai): As you do that, you guys notice the weight of Severian goes slack. Zeph, you notice that specifically because he almost like drops. Like you feel his weight drop on your body. The rest of you see as his eyes go almost deadpanned and unfocused, his eyes dilate.
John: I'm gonna like just seeing that he's about to like fall over, I'll kind of grab both Zeph and Severian and just kind of like hold-
Kai: Group hug!
John: -like support and like making sure that he doesn't injure Zeph anymore with his briars and I'll just kind of put like my hand on Zeph's shoulder area.
Pulsating creepy music begins
Kurt: Yep, you are pushing through this moment and you worried for your friend for I guess the most part. You're holding Zeph and trying to make sure nobody gets hurt.
Severian you see this vision. Basagar you almost see this… from a different point of view. Like you are sharing this vision as you reach in and almost use your mycelian connection, not even meaning to, you're just out of concern. I want both of you to give me a… let's do a knowledge check please.
John: That is… 17 with fear.
Kurt: 17 with fear.
Kai: Yeah I got a 13 with fear.
Kurt: Chuckles happily. Okay all right, so I will-
Kevin: He keeps using that fear for bad shit guys, come on!
Geoff: Quit giving him those.
Kurt: I will accept those fear that you just so graciously gave me, and call you with this. Severian, you are the leader of this vision, Basagar, you are simply a bystander. You can almost watch Severian as he is standing in a field, a field full of briars. You look as it is just a ungodly amount of, just cacophony of twisted tangled thorns and weeds. But you see Severian walking through it like it's nothing. Severian you see as you're walking up almost like shadows whisping off of the horizon. You see two figures sitting on a hill. You see they are sitting down covered, there's briars everywhere. It’s like shadows pulling through whisping off of them like you're in the middle of what looks like a nightmare. It is dark, it feels gloomy, it feels like there is hate in this area. You feel like the moment, as you are stalking on these two people, it feels like they are your prey and you are the hunter.
Kai: Hmm.
Kurt: You see that there is… you walk up. Basagar, you might even go to reach out and stop him, but you feel like you have no power to. You are here just as an observer.
You watch as this man that is sitting on this, what looks like rotted, dark picnic blanket that is just torn to shreds.
Male NPC (Kurt, rough voice):I hate that I can't be with you. Sometimes I want to abandon my station.
Kurt: Everything is echo-y and big, and almost the reverberation makes this feel like a dream.
Male NPC: I want to abandon my duty.
Kurt: The woman looks over. Looks like she's got tears that have just ran down her face, just makeup that is covering her cheeks.
Female NPS: But we both know what we got ourselves into. We both know what this means.
Kurt: And she looks down at her stomach, holding what looks to be a swollen belly, pregnant maybe.
Female NPC (Kurt): I will do my best to hide him. Please, don't take him away from me.
Kurt: You see that this woman, obviously pregnant, is holding the man's hand and pulls it on her stomach.
Female NPC: Listen, listen, my love, Alric. I told you this was a mistake when we first started, and you wanted to go through with this.
Kurt: Alric looks at you.
Alrich (Kurt): Linessa, this was not a mistake. Nothing about this is a mistake. He is my son, and he will always be.
Kurt: As you pull back your eyes come to. Basagar, you saw this from your point of view. (Pulsating creepy music fades You saw two people sitting on a hilltop, enjoying a picnic on the, what looks like a sunset. (Melodic singing and music) At first you saw the briars that Severian was walking through, but as the more you focused here, you saw that this is a, it almost turns into a lovely scene. But you watch as this person, the male that Sevarian saw, but you see a completely different side of the story. He says,
Kurt’s voice is lighter in this version.
Alric (Kurt): God, I hate I can't be with you. Sometimes I just want to abandon my station. Abandon my duty.
Kurt: Linessa says,
Linessa (Kurt): Honey, my love, we both know what we got ourselves into. We both know what this means. I'll do my best to hide him, I promise.
Kurt: You see the woman, obviously pregnant, holding the man's hand on her belly out of love. She says;
Linessa (Kurt): Listen, Alric, I told you this was a mistake when it first started. I'm so glad we went through with it.
Kurt: Alric says;
Alric (Kurt): Linessa, it was not a mistake. Nothing about you was a mistake. This is my son, dear. He always will be.
Kurt: As the vision ends.
John: I think as Basagar comes to, you kind of like sees him also leaned in on Zeph and like somehow just manages to have his finger like in his ear. Like in your ear, and shakes off and looks at Severian if, if you're up and...
Kai: Tongue’s still hanging out of his mouth.
Basagar (John): What-?
Kai: He's finally conscious, though.
Basagar (John): Sorry,
John: And retract himself and help Severian off your body.
Zeph (Kevin): Oh, that felt weird. Oh.
Geoff: There's just like mushroom hanging off the side of Zeph’s head.
Laughter
Kai: Still kind of steadying himself on all fours, like on the ground. To no one in particular is kind of out loud as he's processing what he's just seen;
Severian (Kai): Who is Linessa and Alric? Who are these people?
Geoff: Kau just kind of freezes at the mention of the second name as he's like digging towards the back where Zeph had previously pointed out an exit, trying to get ready to leave.
Kevin: Zeph just freezes.
Pi N’kuwa (Geoff): What did he just say?
Severian (Kai): I saw people.
Zeph (Kevin): How did? Linessa's my mother's name.
Kurt: And that's where we're going to end today's episode of Tales by Daggerlight!
Geoff: Zeph, what did you do?
Laughter
Kurt: Thanks for sticking with us, everybody. If you've made it this far, I hope you've enjoyed what you've been hearing. If you have, go to Apple Podcasts, go to Spotify, give us a five star review. If you're so kind, or leave us a review, that would be amazing. If you have any fan art, you can submit that on our Discord channel, which can be found on our website, www.talesbydaggerlight.com. As well as any art can be emailed to us at talesbydaggerlight@gmail.com. So make sure you listen next time, because as always, the fate of our adventurers is TBD.
Credits
- GM: Kurt Wild
- Players: Geoff, Jenn, Jonn, Kai, Kevin, Luke
- System: Daggerheart
Transcription
Glorious transcriptions with accessibility + content notes by Alexa Woodburn
Music / SFX Licensing
Music and sound effects licensed via Soundstripe (Pro) and Fantasy+ (Monument Studios).
Track/playlist details
- Welcome Music — Famous Cats / Sparky Parker (Instrumental)
- Heroic Sponsor Music — Material Gurl / Special Day (Instrumental)
- Intro/Outro Music — Kai Bittner, Tales by Daggerlight Theme Music
SFX Attribution
- Group fighting — sonsdebarcelona — https://freesound.org/s/221960/ — License: Attribution 3.0
Links
- Soundstripe: https://www.soundstripe.com/
- Fantasy+: https://www.fantasyplus.app/
- Monument Studios: https://www.monumentstudios.net/
- Socials: https://talesbydaggerlight.com/community
Daggerheart Notice
This product includes materials from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0, © Critical Role, LLC. under the terms of the Darrington Press Community Gaming (DPCGL) License. More information can be found at https://www.daggerheart.com/. There are no previous modifications by others.