Icebound | Ep. 15 | The Lottery
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Welcome to Legends of Avantris. I'm Barnabos Dreadwake and you're listening to Icebound. Here's what happened last time. Every couple weeks or month or so, a lottery happens and Sosalus comes down and sloops him back up, back to heaven. If you guys think you'll be alright, I mean, we can be there and back before anybody even knows we're missing. We've never kept watch like this and with Taishen here...

Maybe we'll be fine. We'll make sure that it's monitored 24/7. Does anybody else find it a little odd that these ogres that are keeping all these people captive, I guess, are able to just freely walk through these sewer systems, deliver letters to each other? It's like they're completely oblivious! This is why it feels like this does not add up. Assuming that all of this is an illusion, we could still just be underground.

Right? It either means that this place is covered in some sort of illusion magic to protect it from outsiders, or it doesn't exist at all. I'm wondering if this is something beyond the normal magics that I'm in tune with, or would you like me to use my Mind's Eye? I think you should still use your Mind's Eye if you're repairing it, because we still need to look for fish. I see a hand holding onto the foot of your ethereal form.

The hand is connected to an arm connected to an ogre's body, and a gnarling, roaring, slobbering ogre holds on, and to your horror, behind him, dozens of additional ghastly apparitions. Not aberrations, but ghostly spirits are coming up, moving almost as quickly as you are, and you seem to be caught. I found ogre heaven. What?!

What does that mean? Why did you go to hell like Mr. Sabascotch? No. I went, I left my body, I flew behind the waterfall, and I entered the cavern, the great cavern, hundreds of feet tall, and all of a sudden I was attacked by spirits, by ogres, ogre spirits that were... Aberrations, like Mr. Sabascotch said! ...sunk in the eyes and looked...

horrified and pained and... and... and... necrotic, and they filled me with these dark, deathly energies, and... I'm remembering now, it was sitting on some kind of platform, and there were ribs... were the ribs, like, on the outside of the...? Wrapping around, perhaps, the top of the helmet, let's say. Ribs, sort of rib shapes wrapping around the top of the helmet, and for an instant I could hear voices.

It didn't sound like giant to me. And you're confronted 60 feet ahead of you, just as it fades from pure fog of war into vision, what appears to be a very strange door. But you were able to get your collar off, were you not? I got very lucky. What did you do? How did you get lucky? Because I was not here in the city. Hold it free.

Snapped off like, seems that everyone is asleep. It seems that everyone is passed out. Not even Daisy is awake. Not even Taishan is awake. He seems to be lying down and walking over to him a newborn baby, but two years old with a pendant around his neck.

Dawn is about to break over the city of Ogerton. Rain pours down from the sky, drenching the streets and buildings, and the air is filled with the sound of steadily pelting water.

You have ventured into the dark sewers beneath the city and returned with knowledge of a treacherous invisible bridge, a colossal hidden structure behind the waterfall, and a door shielded from all those who wear the bangles still clutching tightly around your necks. But you cannot dwell on these thoughts for long.

Upon returning, the grim conundrum of the sleeping Taishen and forever muted newborn shocks you into your own stunned silence.

Looking at them, you remember the dream that you all shared of a library, each of you choosing or not choosing a tome from the shelves of your mind. The dream felt so real, so vivid, and you can't help but wonder what clues that dream held about the city, the ogres, or whatever lies behind the waterfall.

You feel that beneath the city's facade of luxury and comfort there lies some sinister unknown ominous force that threatens not just your freedom but also the fate of all those who dwell in this beautiful cage. And to earn your freedom, the Ogres of Ogerton with their hedonistic culture and twisted beliefs have set before you a series of challenges.

Today, a performance at the theater where you must tread the boards and play your parts. Tomorrow, perhaps some test of your ability to trade, or perhaps a demonstration of faith in the god they call Sotholith. You have been made to wear shackles, magical pendants that bind you to this place, but with each test, the chains grow weaker, more fragile. What happens next is up to you.

But before we continue this campaign, I understand that there's a lot of things happening. So I'm going to actually very quickly step back and I'm going to read some of the clues that I think would be helpful to refresh because I respect that this is a monthly campaign. I would like that. Yeah. Yeah, I am. Here are some things that I would like to highlight. Okay.

The city of Ogerton is filled with thousands of ogres, hundreds of vassals, and a rich, elaborate, hedonistic culture that you're only just growing accustomed to. The city is embedded on a fertile, sloping valley facing a great sheer mountain face, facing a great waterfall that spills into a deep crevasse. It is unusually warm here, protecting the large swath of land from the harsh Dracarion winter.

At the edge of this crevasse is a central city square with a large bell, a forum with a large silver ship perched atop it. Everything in the city looks oddly very new. Beneath the city is a complex sewer system that pumps hot water to the residences and businesses of Ogerton and connects them, which flows down into the crevasse, terminating at a storm drain.

Like Honey and Daisy, all humans here in Ogerton are mute. Most seem to believe they were born this way and that this is the way it has always been. The pendants all vassals wear hides this fact very well. Both Honey and Daisy exhibited scars on their necks which are obfuscated by these magical bangles.

The first night you arrived in Ogerton, you all shared the same dream of a library. You each chose or opted not to choose a tome from the shelves of the minds in this dream, of your minds in this dream. When you first arrived in Ogerton, they told you your gear and artifacts were being inspected to make sure you weren't infected by the madness. Now it seems that they have no idea you had gear in the first place.

The ogres, when injured, seemingly have the ability to quickly regenerate, which aided them in combat when you fought them in the Hippodrome. Good look at that guy regenerating his bones. My bone disease! Spoonitis! Taishen. Oh.

Since you returned with your good friends from the battle at the Hippodrome, you've defined a newborn child of the vassals. You have been present, but also not present. Only half listening to the discussion taking place about what to do next, you find yourself gently assisting the other vassals and choosing to keep your own peace.

When the time comes, you offer to stay behind to watch and protect the child while your companions learn what they can. Two hours pass. Three hours pass. All are asleep, but Frawldina stirs and starts to make her way towards the showers with her newborn baby boy. Not wanting to intrude, but also feeling vigilant, you follow at the ready.

Down the lamplit hallways you pass the still strange features of this wondrous estate. Stone walls adorned with frescoes and artwork. Rooms filled with ornate couches, tables with marble tops, statues, each room with its own unique decor. It occurs to you how very far away from home you find yourself now and you briefly think of Melee.

For a moment, Faldina passes out of sight, and she walks through the doorway into the same room you know your friends exited through so many hours ago into the showers. Turning to look in, you see her. No. Yes, you see her. You see... You see... You see... Darkness. No. Nothing. Nothing at all. I need you to roll initiative. What? Holy shit. We get to find out what happened? Are you fucking kidding me? Let's go!

You're kidding me. Meanwhile, I love it. Is Taishan going to get smoked, though? He's getting absolutely fucking dumpstered. No, not even a chance. Oh, 18? 18, you were allowed in action. You are clearly looking at

some terrible threat, something that you didn't expect, but you are just a little bit faster than it and you are able to cast a spell or take some other action, do something as you are being confronted by this terrible creature, monster, it's unclear, but you may select one thing before we continue. As just a quick,

For me, I don't need to pause. Your turn is over. No quick stage setting, you're done! Six seconds. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. So is this thing next to them? Is it...

Is it the only thing I now see in the room? I would say in this moment that you would have made a choice that would have been safe to the adjacency of this creature with Faldina. Yes, I would give you that information happily. How fucking scary do I think it looks right now? It is...

I'd say perhaps only the terrifying monster that Roland transformed into would exceed your fear at this time. Holy! Oh my god. We were right. Um...

It's a miracle he's even still in the campaign. I would like to try and charge my shock and grasp, and if I can rush it, try and reach out and shock and grasp it, and think like if it's in the showers, thinking like, you know, I'm on electric. Yeah, you...

Take the movement and you race forward. Make a shocking graph power where that mechanically works. So when the dungeon master just tells you how you feel about it and not describes it as if he's HP fucking Lovecraft, you don't go make a melee attack on him. You don't go touch it. I just overmighted it and shoot a fucking fireball?

- Is it a spell attack? - It's a touch. - Natural 20. - Boom, boom. - You rush forward at this menace and you grasp it shockingly. - Are they wearing metal? - Oh, I probably have to. - Are they wearing metal? - I will consider that.

Yeah, I like triple the damage, I think. I will make a note of whether or not that is pertinent to the situation. It goes, what was going on? What's going on? The hot tub! Woo! Neither shall a companion. Why not Zoidberg? Woo!

Yeah, you guys all return and there's just an electrocuted family. Jesus. This actually is a fucking taper. All right, so it'll be 4d8.

That's a cantrip, folks. And it can't take, it can't make any reactions. Oh, very good. Oh. Cantrips are no joke as you level up, man. Eight. Oh, 15. 15. Oh, now. 20. 20. I'm glad you told me that.

A natural 20, that was pretty fucking sexy. I love it. I love this game. It's my main cantrip at the Thortherer. So I think 20. 20 points of how much damage? That's pretty fucking good. Like lightning damage? Is it more if they're wearing armor or metal? I think it'd be... It's at least doubled, right?

I'm putting three exclamation points back for that. Did they knock back or something? Or something special? No, no, no, no, no. I have advantage if they're wearing this. Well, see, you double crit. Yeah, so, well, yeah, I crit. Okay. What? My hand blows with an awesome power. It clearly does. Its power is begging me to defeat this creature. You are doing your very best. I need you to make a wisdom saving throw. And then you bet. And I'm going to spend a dread on it. What?

Oh, so. Cue the G Gundam theme song. Oh my God. If only I could remember a single line of that. I used to listen to it in the car on my- You basically just Chidori'd this guy. Yeah. Yeah. With 1,000 sparrows. Yeah. Oh, hell yeah. The only Gundam battle theme I know is- The G Gundam one is so good. What did you say? A wisdom save? Yep. And at disadvantage because I'm using a grin.

Natural 20 was the second roll. The first was an 8. For a fat, juicy total of 11. For a fat, juicy total of 11. Fat and juicy is my name. You do have a... That's my name presently.

A foggy memory will come through. Fucking giggles at me. The silver lining that comes out of this moment for you is that you do feel that this is very similar to the effect of the power, whatever it was that put you to sleep in the hot springs. It feels almost identical. And you have this general... In the hot springs? There's a parallelity about it that's important. But you do not remember anything further. In fact, Taishan...

When the time comes, you offer to stay behind to watch and protect the child while your companions learn what they can. Two hours pass. Three hours pass. Four. It is difficult to stay alert and awake, but you manage, occasionally brewing a fresh cup of tea for yourself with your obsidian teapot, the one Mei Li got for you.

Fraldina and the baby sleep peacefully through the night, mostly. You do see them briefly get up and head to the showers, but it is quiet and there is no curiosity in you to see what they are up to. A few sips of tea later and they return, and it does not even occur to you to look into the crib to see the state of the baby boy. The pitter-patter sound of rain begins to lightly tap on the window across the hall, and the sound is like a lullaby.

The next thing you know, you're being woken by your allies in the early hours of a raining morning. Is this Andy or Scrim? Yes, it's Andy. So my question is, and I don't mean if you might have the same question, so which memory does he have when he... He groundhogged me. When you wake up, the second description is all you remember. So none of us know anything about the Amazing Natural 20? No. Okay. Okay.

Just to make sure I knew. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, GM. So Derek just essentially negated two of your natural 20s. My flying lightning chop? Nobody knows about my... I've got it written down right here. All right. I mean, as long as it's... I'm still running the universe over here. As long as it's within the history of the universe, that'd be an incredible flying lightning chop. It needs a big bad Cal Amari. You have a gun.

The other guy would suck me. I already have a theory. I already have a theory. Don't let me forget.

Don't let me forget. I won't let you forget. I'm going to write it down in my notebook. Shocking grasp theory. Write it down. Barnabas, Queenie, Scrim, Taishan, you are confronted by the scene of everyone asleep and you are looking into the crib and at the sleeping body of Taishan. The baby's now equipped with one of these bangles around its neck. Uh, and it seems, um, not to be baby size, but, uh, that almost certainly it would grow like a magical item would, uh,

as long as it ages and becomes a man and all of these sorts of things. So that being said, what do you do? What happens next is up to you in this moment. Oh, well, damn. That poor thing.

Tash, wake up! Mr. Fireblossom? Who? Ah, Tash, you gotta be fucking kidding me. What? Boy, that would be lashing in before the mast. I mean, this is something that I would do. What is, what's happened? This is something Mr. Savage Coach would do, Mr. Fireblossom. Tash, you look at the baby. It's got that thing around its neck. You're supposed to be watching him. What? When did this happen? Probably while you were sleeping. You stayed awake all night?

I... was... I didn't fall asleep. I was awake the whole time. Okay, now that's really something that I would do. I quite literally just woke you up. Well, I mean, that's fair, but I may have misplayed that because I didn't realize I was awake. Shirking your work and lying about it? You've been spending too much time with me. No, guys, I haven't. I wasn't shirking my work, and I wasn't lying about it. I was awake. That was just kind of like a, you know...

I just misunderstood where we were beginning the story. But, no, I was here the whole time. They were never without a my sight. Not one point in this entire evening were they out of your sight. No, I mean, nothing weird. They went to the bathroom, but nothing was... I mean, the showers, but... And when they came back from the showers, the baby didn't have that thing around its neck? I mean, you know, there was no reason to think that it would have. I... But...

You didn't check? I didn't check, man. You didn't check on the child when they came back from the bathroom, when you observed them quickly go and return? It seemed to be just a few minutes. And you only closed your eyes for about a moment, really. No, I mean, nobody came in, nobody left. I mean...

They just went into the showers. We've all been in there before. There's nothing, there was no reason to think that anything had happened. Scrim, can you come here real quick? Did I scrim this one up? Oh, you did, Mr. Fireblo- Do you know how embarrassed I am right now? When Mr. Stabberscotch volunteered to stay behind, I said, no, you'll fall asleep and the baby will lose his voice. That's what he said? Mr. Fireblossom is a better choice to stand watch. Oh!

And now why do you look a fool? Oh, how could I let this happen? As Scrim comes over, I grab both of their heads and conk them together. You've been spending too much time together. Ow! What did I do, Queenie? I was with you the whole time. You taught him how to be like that. I didn't teach anybody anything. Just by being the way you are. You know, I'm not angry, Taishan. I'm just disappointed. See, that's better. Somehow that hurts worse. Ow.

It was not Taishan's responsibility. Oh, you gotta be kidding me. You always yell at me when I don't do my work. What are you talking about? We told him to stay and watch. And we learned the nature of what lurks beneath the city. But we did not learn what... No. No. Yorneir, no. The other vassals in this moment are stirring and getting up and around.

immediately starting to go about their morning routines. Faldina is even awoken to the image of her child, and she sees it but accepts almost immediately as if this is the way of things here, and starts to nurse the child and have their morning routine for the first time. There's an unbelievable power. What did you see? Yeah.

I look at all the people around us. We should probably have this conversation in a more private place, I think. Do we feel like we have time?

It is just at the sunrise. So it is early morning. And the vassals are, you've seen them in the morning. They typically are immediately going to their duties. It seems that there's a more relaxed feeling about this morning. So I would say, without even having to roll for it, that you feel that there is more time this morning for whatever reason. And as that happens, you do see that Daisy is starting to

get up and see that the four of you have returned and that the pendant is on the baby's neck. Let us return to the room. Should we not ask Faldina? I can't believe, I don't know how this happened on my watch. Should we not ask her what occurred when they went? I mean, it must have happened in the showers unless, I mean, I blinked. I didn't even sleep. Everyone we've met

He's ignorant to the events going on. I don't believe Faldina is any different. Mr. Yorinir, are you thinking what I'm thinking? What are you thinking? The tower. I don't know if it's related, but what we know is we should return to our room and I'll just turn. It's a ghost curse. To our private bedroom. You make your way and Daisy...

Can I come too? Yeah, you should stick with us. It's for the best. She runs underneath her pillow and slides out what appears to be a weapon and puts it into her robe and then finds something else and also slides it into her robe and then continues to follow you, those of you who care to observe that. And it's just a few minutes later that you're walking back to your room and I will say that Barnabas...

Queenie, Scrim, and Yorner, you need to make a constitution saving throw for having not taken a long rest. Oh, that's some blow. Some bologna. Constitution, you say? Oh, yeah, that'll be a 27. Oh, wow. All right, Amazon, Jay, don't let me down. Ah!

That's not bad, I got a 14. I blame my constitution, not the die. May I twist this? Sure. It's in my nature to be exhausted. You might not want to use the Wyrmwood tray for this. Yeah, they're huge. Maybe we can-- We need to get pillows. We don't care about this table at all.

So we should just... Roll it on the flavor tab. It's loud. Yeah, we don't want it to... We also don't want it to chip or bang into the table. I got a 20. I believe a 24. 24. You succeed, which means that you all do not take one point of exhaustion. You are tired. Your mind is drained from the evening's events and from everything that you experienced, what you saw at the storm drain's edge.

everything that you learned from Yorneir after he went into his trance and after your confrontation with Mylon. But you are still sharp enough to keep your wits to this day. Taishen, you do not have to make a constitution saving throw. Instead, I would ask you to make an intelligence check at advantage. That's meaningfully important. That's cocked.

Definitely cock. Nice. Nice. Well done. Pretty good. Intelligence. Wait, just flat intelligence? Is that one of the things? Just flat intelligence. 20. You're thinking about the night and you have...

the regret not regret the disappointment in yourself the Uncertainty of what happened and feeling like you let down your friends that this baby may have come to some harm that you weren't able to protect and prevent but then you're thinking through the night and it wouldn't it went smoothly it went flawlessly and then you're thinking about how refreshed you feel and

You stayed up all night, but you are not struggling to fight sleep the way that your companions are. And you remember having your teapot. You don't have your teapot.

Your gear has been taken from you. And these thoughts occur to you as the six of you go into the private bedroom that has been put to you. Wow. Scrim is acting just like Scrim. I'm really disappointed in your ear. No.

Me? Wait, why is it duh? Why is nobody surprised I don't have a teapot? Because none of us have any of our gear. All of our gear has been taken. So you telling us that you had tea that night wouldn't have made any sense. We would have been like, what are you talking about? Oh, I have you had. But we're all a bunch of numpties. We don't have any of our stuff. We're a bunch of numpties. Barnabo smells nothing like tobacco for the first time in this entire adventure. He doesn't have a shell. Oh, no, he does. He has his stuff. No, you guys showered. You guys have been spritzing with cologne. That's not going to take away my time.

I'm the DM and I say what tobacco you like. It's magic tobacco. Okay, okay, okay. I acquiesce, all right. The mystery seems to thicken and you find yourselves alone. There are no doors, this is an open arch, but you feel the privacy is enough to be able to have a quick conversation without the vassals overhearing. And what did you guys find underneath the...

- In the sewers. - Holy hells, you're never gonna believe it. Go ahead, you wanna tell 'em. - Well, before we talk about it, can I ask you a question?

What were the things you pulled out from under your bed? You said we noticed that if we wanted to, right? Yeah. I feel like Queenie would have noticed. Well, I have something to protect myself with, and she pulls out a small dagger, something that she feels she could conceal. You never know, right? I want to be prepared. No, I think it's great that you have something to protect yourself, and that's something I'm constantly worried about. And this looks like a letter from my dad. Good. What we saw is that

The ogres, I don't understand what they are doing here, but there is something beneath the city. There are ogre souls are trapped. Left my body and projected my being into the weird and I could fly unhindered. And I flew behind the waterfall and not only did I find some massive...

metal, but not quite metal structure. I heard a chorus of voices inside, and then I was beset upon by tormented ogre spirits. Hundreds, thousands, maybe. Thousands, maybe. It is so far beyond the knowing or understanding of anyone that draws breath.

above ground here. Talk about the bridge, don't forget about the bridge and the doors! We also found an invisible bridge that leads from the sewers across the chasm. It's pronounced "chasm." To a door that we approached. We went into a cave and then there was a door that we could not approach because of these. I couldn't even force my way through, even with my crab legs.

All you know is the spirits. There is something beneath us that is in full control here. More so than the ogres, more so than these humans. And it has to do with our minds and these pendants. Other than that, we do not know. You saw a structure down there? Yes. What color? It was very dark. It was like a dark gray, I believe, or some sort of...

What color would I have, what I remember? Of the door? No, of the... Structure. The structure itself. Of the structure. It was matte and glossy, meaning...

I would say it was like wet bone, but dark, darkened and not quite like the cave walls, like stone. But the... Yeah? Did I just eat him from behind? No, please continue. It looked like...

Yeah, it looked somewhere between stone and metal, like some hardware. But it was very obscured. Not only were you dealing with the darkness of the...

behind the waterfall's cavernous entrance in the first place, you were not that close to it. Your darkvision was in effect, so everything would have been in black and white, and you were also being chased by dozens, if not hundreds, of these ogre spirits. I'm being intentionally opaque because you weren't able to get closer with your rolls. That makes sense. It is hard to say. It was dark. Some sort of stone or metal, or... It had this sheen-like wet bone.

It was unlike anything I have ever seen in the natural world. That is what I do now. So what we need to do is perhaps play along with whatever the ogres want us to do, but we need to somehow get... either leave and just run, or we can find a way underground. I don't think we can leave or just run.

Sure, we got Daisy here, but there are a bunch of innocent people in this place. Like that child, that little boy. His entire life is now locked to this place. Not on his own accord, he didn't choose it. We can't see this and just walk away. And I think they're also expecting some sort of uprising. Where would we run? We can't get a mile out of this city without...

Some ogre picking us up hours later, unconscious on our backs. I'm still on deplowny to kill them all, but, you know, it might be a little easier said than done. Ever since we've gotten here, they've said that the ogre souls will go to...

Ogre heaven and they'll board a silver ship. I mean, it's in the middle of the town. Oh, they are very clearly misguided. They have no idea what they're talking about. I know, they're the souls of the damned. Mr. Yorner would not lie about that. Do you think it's time for breakfast?

- There are evil spirits here. - I think Uber just delivered us some bagels. - Oh, I can go get some breakfast if you're all hungry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. - Why don't we take five minutes? - Yeah, let's take five minutes. - And we'll just pick up what that vassal Uber brought us. - Do you have, all I've got is the kitchen, right? - Yeah, we all do. - We need spoons.

Spoons? Well, Barnabas, you come with me. No, I need it with needles. We're going to make some eggs Benedictius. While I fetch what I need, each of you think about what you want pierced.

Minutes later, Barnabas and Daisy return to the private room that you all share. And Barnabas has a selection of spoons for some reason. And Daisy actually has a quick spread, something like a full English almost. Very, very fatty, delicious, but quick to prepare. And you find yourselves again able to continue the conversation that you were having moments ago.

Oh, you don't mind me? I'll take out my whittling knife and start etching into the spoons. So the question becomes, what do we do now? I agree that we probably couldn't run away or leave, even if we wanted to. Put these on. They don't come off either. We tried to... No dice. Does anyone have a way to...

I don't know. Get underground. Well, in the showers, the vassals have tunnels. That's how we got the message from Scrim. It has to be that when Frauleina went into the shower with her child, something must have happened in there. But I don't know. I...

I thought I just blinked, but... I feel rested, I feel like I slept. Everybody, I'm sorry. I let you down. I scrimmed it up. I really just... No, you were just at the will of power or whatever being lurked beneath. Do not worry. I'd love to say that it was something else you're near, but... I just fell asleep.

What even were you doing all night? I don't know. I mean, this really cool dream where a flying lightning chops somebody, but... Kidding. That never happened. I don't know. I just... I was awake. I was with them. I was watching them. And I turned my eyes off. Nothing weird happened. Nothing came in. Nobody left. They just went to the showers and came back and...

Then you guys were here, you were slapping me awake. So you just sat there all night doing absolutely nothing, you didn't talk to anyone, you didn't play a game of Parcheesi. No, I mean, I just brewed tea and enjoyed a nice cup, and I mean, it was all I needed to stay awake, unless I brewed that damn sleeping tea again. But I don't think so, it didn't smell that way. How'd you brew tea?

It's in my teapot. You got your stuff back? Well, I'm never without my teapot. It's... Well... Um... I must have left it in the... You don't have your teapot. I don't have my teapot. You don't have it. You never had it. No, I've had it this whole time we've been together. Well, I mean, up until we came into the city, yes. But since we were captured, you have not had it. You did not brew tea...

Yeah, you couldn't have brewed tea in your teapot last night. I don't remember using anything else. I feel like I... Your memories were stolen from you. And perhaps new ones were planted in their place. Well, that's a big assumption there. Maybe he's just... Maybe you just had a dream that you were brewing tea and you really were asleep all night. Mention of our equipment. My tusks.

They now act like they have no idea what we're talking about. Oh, yeah, that's-- Yeah, I really don't like when they gaslight me. That's a good question. How are you taking that? How are you gonna handle if you don't get the tusk back? Are you all right? I will find my way back to them. I am not concerned about that. Oh, all right. You're handling it much better than I would be. They, along with everything else we carried in, they are lost to the minds of the ogres.

It is not some conspiracy to gaslight or to make us think we're crazy. So you don't think the ogres know what's going on either? I don't believe so. When I was beset upon by the spirits, it was... I believe that perhaps when an ogre goes to ogre heaven, that's not what's happening.

It's the spirits. They're stealing time from us. Well, maybe. I mean, they said that the souls were going to go on a ship. You saw thousands and a structure beneath the ground. Is it possible they don't go up, but...

They just, they're in some kind of like waiting room before they get to the ship. Well, let me tell you, there's definitely something weird going on with this Ogre Heaven, alright? Because one of them, when we were fighting them, told me they were gonna send me to Ogre Heaven, and I did not go to Ogre Heaven. It was definitely a lot more like some sort of Ogre Hell. Emphasis on the hell. I like that idea very much. I didn't. Ugh, him going to Ogre Hell?

I don't really care for these ogres. I don't know if you've noticed. She means the ogre going to Ogre Hell. Oh, I thought you wanted him to go to Ogre Hell. The idea that it exists would be...

a silver lining in this place. Well, let me tell you, wherever they sent me to, however briefly it was, was absolutely some sort of hellscape. All right? And I'm with you on there on this one. There's no way they have any clue what they're talking about. They don't know. There's no way. They are severely misinformed, one way or another. Well...

I mean, Fraulein went into the showers and came back. Nothing came in, nothing came out. It must have been that moment. We know the vassals use an underground network to communicate. You have seen things under, beneath where the waterfall is. Do we go to the showers? Should we investigate? That's how we got to...

The waterfall. You know, that's a good one. Oh, fuck. That's a... We must have forgotten the name. It's a good point, though. We could go to the showers and we could see if there's any substances or anything left behind to indicate that there was a creature or a being or something there. Okay.

And I think at a certain point, we gotta take Taishan back to where the waterfall is. I mean, not necessarily now, and I think we need a plan to figure out how we're gonna get past that barrier, as much as I hate it, but we do gotta show 'em what's down there. I mean, once we figure out a solution and want a way we can, well, I mean, we should definitely check out the showers now, like Queenie's saying, for sure, before any of the evidence is washed away. - Why don't you take a look? - All right.

Just by myself? I mean, we could all go if you would feel better about it. I mean, I can go by myself, but if there's some kind of beastie still in there, it could get me. I'm kind of curious about the spoons and the needles and the piercing. I'll stay with Barnabus. I'll go to the shower. Are you going to turn into some kind of horror? Actually, do we even know that this is really Taishan? What? Taishan. What? Take this. What is it? I'm going to reach into the bag that I have from the kitchen. I'm going to open your hand.

I'm gonna put a whole pile of salt. Throw it over your shoulder? Over, just like over my- Your right shoulder. Oh. Idiot. The whole- You're gonna throw it over your- You'll do this all over your left shoulder! Well but just this whole- Throw it over your right shoulder right now! Okay, now top of your collar! Three times, and spin around to the right three times! Oh! Wait, and then spit!

- Not on me! - Spit! - Not on me, Tashem! - Up and awake! Oh, you are all looking so refreshed. It's so good to see you. Hello, hello! - Son of a bitch. - And at the doorway, Manius is standing there and he's looking at all of you bright-eyed, cheery with a great grinning smile.

Hello, hello, hello, hello. How's everybody rested? Are you all prepared to be my stars today? We need a little bit more time, Mr. Manius. We've got some time, yes, of course. Oh, yeah, we're preparing for... to kill... I mean, to beat the other ogres in this mission, for we are gods and deities and heroes. Well, today isn't the test of strength at the Hippodrome. Today you'll be going and meeting with Seneca Grutenica,

She'll be walking you through a new play that she's devised, so that you can demonstrate your ogre passion for the arts. One of the great five tenets, of course, of course. - Oh, I knew we were doing the theater thing. - Yes, yes, yes. - We will beat all of the ogres that we see in the name of Trothak the Shark Puncher. - Thank you, Trothak. I like the confidence, the aggression. Yes, yes, yes, good.

And, oh, I see that Daisy's already, Alcatraz already got you a breakfast. That's terrific. Yeah, the Vassal Uber brought it to us. Ah, yes, Vuber, yes. The Vassal Uber, yes, I did see that. He's a nice guy. Shipped him $5.

Only $5? Yeah. You paid him it all. Do you have the salt bagel that I ordered? I got an everything bagel. It's not a salt bagel. Oh, no, they must have forgotten that one.

Before we continue... Uber's doomed us all. You just gave me a whole bunch of souls. You put it right in my hand. Sprinkle some of that on the bagel. I mean, I think you can make it work. Before we continue, on your character sheet, I'm going to say that you can add a custom language. Understands but cannot speak hand code. Oh. You now are able to... Yeah, it's not. Thank you. You're welcome. I like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been enough time, and you are in a place of...

Great intelligence. You feel smarter than ever. So you are absolutely capable now of not just understanding Daisy's gestures immediately and her intent without having to slowly walk through almost like charade style certain sentence structures and references, but any vassal. We would be able to immediately understand their conveyances in this fashion.

Well, today being the final day of the week, according to our great wheel of years, we would be able to go to the House of Drama, their theater. And I've already sent the family, well, with the exception of my daughter Minerva, of course, I've already sent the family to the city via carriage so that they can buy some of their finest clothes so that we can all enjoy the show. I'm very excited. Very excited!

We have not gotten a long rest, correct? That's correct. Have I? You did, right? Oh, good question. You were feeling rested. Yeah, no, I would say that you enjoyed the benefits of a long rest. Son of a bitch, that shit. By theater, you mean, and play, you don't mean theater of combat. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not the theater of pain. I mean, speaking, playing a role on a stage in front of an audience. Ah!

Actually, going through drama, being able to portray a character, being able to express oneself and exude the different emotions, anger and love and triumph and sadness. It was kind of like when I was a kid and we used to play house.

I suppose, yes. Is that something that the ogres do in heaven? Oh, yeah, for sure. Do we have to do that? Ogre house. It's come at great political cost for me to arrange this. I've been asking all

of the governors to look at you and to understand that you're more than just vassals. If we convince Seneca, she'll be on our side when we vote whether or not to remove your pendants, you earn your freedom as ogres, full-fledged ogres here in Ogerton. Ugh.

We will do it. Where is this theater? Oh, it's just on the western side of town. We'll be able to take a carriage there directly. I just want to make sure that you're all feeling rested and well prepared. No chores today? No, no, no, no. It's a day of rest. How close to the ship is it?

It's probably a 15 minute walk, 10 minute walk. It's quite close. Most of the great structures of Ogerton are towards the center. The library notwithstanding, there's the forum, the theater, the bank, all kinds of- Where's the library?

It's more to the northwest. It's actually closer to the exterior of town. It's quite big, you know. I manage it, and I have a few errands I need to run there after I deliver you onto the theater. I won't be able to stay for the rehearsals and for the preparation. I imagine you'll all be getting dressed up as they do. Oh, yeah, bigger library, eh? Perhaps as big as the Sea Kings themselves. I have not seen

You wouldn't know. You would not know the sea ogre's great triumphs. You have so much to teach us. An ally with the Sahuagin and conquering their great god, Saekala. Sahuagin. And he pulls this journal that he's underneath his elbow.

his arm this entire time. Anytime you guys mention anything new, he's immediately jotting down. Many uncultured folk will call them... How do you spell Sahuagin? Sahuagin. They will call it Suahagin or Sahuagin. Oh, it's all wrong. Sahuagin. They see the letters and their brain just scrambles it in their head and they just spew out whatever comes out. Suigidi Sahuagin. I'm coming for... No, that doesn't work. Coming for that toboggan is actually... Oh, yeah. I did meet a few...

a few lumberjacks up on the east coast of Namu. I lean over to Yorneir and I elbow him in the knee and I say, I'm gonna teach him a lot of really offensive goblin and tell him that it's normal greetings. No. No. No, you can do that. No.

I've been meaning to ask, Scrimm. During your fight, your tremendous victory over the other ogres yesterday, could you tell me a little bit about what you saw in heaven? That's Mr. Bones to you. I apologize. I meant to say Mr. Bones. Yeah, I bet. I really do have it written down somewhere. Okay.

Why would you need to write down the name of the greatest of all of the bone gods of ogre heaven? Mr. Bones! It's right there in the name! Just so you know, osteoporosis comes for us all someday. It's the silent menace. Oh, you don't have cows big enough here. We have big cows. Oh, you're not big enough! Not when Mr. Bones is in town.

There is no glass of milk in all of Dracar that can prevent osteoporosis. That was a devastating blow. I understand he's still throbbing. I'm sorry. I was just thrown by your choice of words. Okay, no, I'm here. I'm with you. All right. What was your question?

Oh, oh, just that you disappeared for a moment, and I can only assume that you were greeted by our ancestors, that you were taken to Ogre Heaven. It's a banishment spell that was cast upon you. Very powerful magic, very powerful. Drained him almost completely of his magic. Oh, yeah, oh.

Oh, ogre heaven. It was paradise. All the ogres were saying hello. Did you see the silver ship? Oh, yeah, it was beautiful and it definitely didn't have millions of legs. And... Sopholith. Oh. Was he present? Oh, he was there. He was there. Yeah, it was a sight. It was a sight.

Wow, always remembering it. Truly, we are at the edge of knowledge. Oh, yeah, I'm just crying because I'm a little happy, too. In this moment, another ogre that you have not had a chance to really engage with arrives. This is a...

in her late teens, let's say, maybe 20. It is the ogre daughter that you've not yet come to know her name. But you did spy her once when you were in the inner courtyard area, the cloister of this beautiful villa. It wasn't the two I babysat. No, it was not the two that you babysat. This is an older, just becoming a young woman, really. Yeah.

and she's shown up. Oh, oh, hello Minerva. I don't think you've had a chance to meet Mr. Bones and Yacht-Nor Frostguard. - Mr. Bones to you. - Y'old Nor. - Yes, I know their names, Father. I came to ask your permission to take one of the carriages so that I might go back to the library today.

Oh, yes, that would be fine. I mean, the rest of the family just left. You could have gone with them. I'd like to go alone, please. I want to read on my way and then study more when I get to the library. You have been always very studious. Yes, yes, of course, of course. Do you have any questions? Do you want to speak? She looks at the five of you and you get this very curious look. It's not... Actually, I would have everyone make an insight check.

- She turns to the table. - This is a nightmare. - Insight, you say? - Oh no. - Not good at that. - I got a natural one! I don't insight anything. I'm still upset about Ogre Hell. I mean, Heaven. - I love you, Dai.

I love when you roll them all at the same time. And the whole room shakes. I didn't get a good spin on that one, that's the problem. 22. 22! 19. 14. 14. I would say everyone except for Scrim does notice.

Minerva is a very introverted and, um, bookish, but there's probably quite a lot of spirit behind that mask. Um, that she is, uh, uh, in more independent than perhaps the rest of her family and that she's trying to do her own thing. And, uh, um,

that there's a bit of tension between Manius and Minerva. And so with that permission being given, she says, thank you, Father. I'll be back in the evening, I promise. And then she turns and with a few books underneath her own arm, immediately exits down the hallway and you can hear her tapping away. Do we get the sense that he also feels like there's tension? Yes. Or do we just get that from her? You get the sense that they perhaps...

are not estranged is a strong word. It's a strange relationship. There's a strange father-daughter relationship there already. Okay. And as soon as she's out of, you can hear her footsteps disappear, Manius turns back to you. I need to speak with that girl.

Anyways, thank you, by the way, for not mentioning the agreement that I came to with Commodus. I have not yet told Minerva, so if you could keep that between us. Oh, wait, you haven't told your daughter she's getting married? It has only been a day or so. I haven't seen her, really. I've been so busy making sure that this discovery, the discovery of you and your reincarnation could be shared with the world. I haven't had a moment to spare.

Anyways, thank you. Thank you. Is there anything else that you need this morning, or should we head directly to the theater? No, we need to prepare for our roles. Costuming bits and the like. I understand that you'll be able to do that there under Seneca's guidance. She's written a new play for you, which is good. Her last one, she's had some good hits, I'll say. I'll say. She's quite a writer. But her last play was a little dull, so I would say...

If it's everything that was promised to me in the letter, then it's gonna be a smash hit, especially with the five of you on stage. It's gonna be fresh, new blood on the stage. I'd love to take a shower before we go and wash off all this shame and disappointment. A shower? Of course, I'm not thinking. I'm not thinking. Hygiene is not perhaps one of the five, but if there was a sixth tenant, they do say that cleanliness is next to ogreness. What other place has she written...

Oh! I have it written down right here. That is so stupid. There was The Ogre's King Reign, a historical play about the rise of an ogre king. That was a good one. Ogre love story, a romantic comedy about an ogre trying to win the heart of a princess. Oh, that was so tragic and wonderful. It was so romantic, really. Was there a donkey in that one? You know, I...

I believe there was, yes. And a dragon. Did you see it? I think so. I'm not sure what a dragon is. There was a giant serpent that started off all menacing, but eventually became friends with the... With the donkey. Was it a donkey? Perhaps it was a mule. Did they kiss? You know, it's been years since she's put this production on. I love that play. Oh, yes? Yeah. Well, thank you, Fiona. I'm sorry, what?

Oh, yeah, that's my name. And there was also the ogre's dilemma, a tragedy about an ogre struggling with inner demons, and then her greatest failure, I'm sure, it was City of the Vassals. Very...

very boring contrived story about inverting power structures and all that it was really putting it on thick if you ask me I didn't care for it I can see why I can see why do you frequent the theater often I go every chance have you ever seen Kinky Boots I don't believe she's had a is this an Ogre Heaven play oh I don't think so

Was it written by Shakespeareus? Because he is one of our old greats. We haven't put on his plays in some time. Oh, no. But I do like Midsummer Night's Dream. It really rustles my gym jams when people say, like, a midnight summer's dream, or they just fuck it all up. It's very clearly a Midsummer Night's Dream. Not a Midsummer's Night Dream. It's a Midsummer Night's Dream. You seem very learned about the theater. I'm sure you'll do just as well as any of our top actors and actresses. Absolutely.

All right. Go enjoy a shower. Go and clean yourselves up, and when you're all ready, meet me at the courtyard at the front of the estate, and we'll be on our way. What do you say? Sure. Mm-mm-mm.

Thank you. You're going to be really proud of us today, Manny. Thank you. I know I will. I almost said the GL word. Break a leg, as they say. And I'll see you at the front. And he turns and he's clearly thrilled about your cooperation and the potential of the lie that you've been telling him over the last few days. And you find yourselves alone. Daisy has just been sitting there sort of like,

As soon as he's out of your shot, I look to the rest of the group and say, "I can't wait to take a shit in that guy's boots." He'll see it. He only wears sandals. I hope he sees it. I hope he sees it a mile away. That gives a whole new meaning to kinky boots. That's right. Stinky boots, more high. I hate that guy. I can't stand it. We have to do a play? I don't wanna do it. Do we have to do this? Yeah, we do.

If we don't do it now, then we have to kill our way out. Scram, can I ask you a question? Of course. Would you rather scrub toilets or put on a play? Those are closer than you'd think. We put on a play back on the ship, didn't we? We're old play actors. I suppose you're right. Costumes and everything.

I just don't think any of the costumes are gonna fit me. And then they were strewn across the ice, blood splattered everywhere. Oy, that's true, they were. Corpses mangled, full of dozens of wounds. Anyway... Barnabus, you wanna fill us in on what you were working on? Anyway...

If we are going to encounter spirits, I figured we'd pull out all the stops here. So I am going to be fashioning us amulets to ward off spirits. You can do that? Of course I can. This is great sailor's luck. So each of these spoons that I've had, I've given it a hex mark, and you'll just see a very simple honeycomb, basically a hexagon. Oh, hey.

Oh hey, that's a honeycomb. I've etched it in here. And so what we'll do is we'll use Mr. Fire Blossom to heat that up. I got this giant needle here. We're going to pierce ourselves and we're going to turn it into a piercing that'll ward off spirits and you're going to get Barnabas's tattooing service free of charge. Can I just like hang the charm off of one of the ones I've already got? Like half a dozen of them here.

Well, you know, you needed to be pierced in you anew. It's got to be a new one, really? Or else the luck won't transfer. I wasn't really planning on getting any new piercings anytime soon. Does it have to be a specific thing that we get pierced on us? Can you do a little butterfly on my lower back? Oh, you know, that one wore it off spirits. Oh, then I'm not getting a tattoo.

There's only seven things, seven tattoos that'll ward off spirits. Do we at least get to pick? Oh yeah, you can pick. There's a cat, there's a cormorant. What's a cormorant? A cormorant is a sea bird that if you ever see anything standing on a rock doing this,

It's a great seabird. Of course, there's a mermaid or merman, if you prefer. Okay, I could get behind it. Of course, the obvious is the club-outerman. The what? The club-outerman. What's a club-outerman? What's a club-outerman? Oh, you see Kobold dressed in yellow who carries a caulker's hammer. Oh, what's a caulker's hammer?

You're saying a whole lot of words that I have no idea what they mean. Oh, you mean a caulking hammer. No, a caulking hammer. A caulking hammer. Yeah, they're caulkers. They're caulkers. Oh, you know, the club adderman is a caulker. Yeah, a caulker. A little sea cobalt, a little fella. Oh, this is making my head hurt. All right. Oh, and then there's Clemens Anchor, Elmo's Bolt, and...

Brendan's knot. What's Elmer's bolt? Well, what's Brendan's knot? Brendan's knot is dolphins all knotted together. Oh, that's a tricky one. The bolt sounds kind of cool. What's that? Oh, it's a fiery bolt in the sky. It's a sign of good luck. I'm interested in that one. Sounds kind of badass. I don't believe we have time. But I got all this soot from the fireplace and they didn't have any seal oil, so I just used lamp oil.

That sounds like an infection waiting to happen. Well, with seal oil, it never infected. I can perhaps find some kind of oil if you can tell me. Does it have to be a sea creature or? I mean, that'd be the most luck. I don't think they have anything here. It'd be the most spirit warding that we have. Fish oil? I can do that while you guys are away today at the theater. I'll have it ready for you tonight.

So, well, just think about what tattoo you're getting and where you're going to pierce your hex amulet. I don't know. I'm pretty close between that firebolt thing and the mermaid, if you ask me. Those are pretty close. I'm thinking about the clubaderman myself. He's a helpful little fella. The coxman? Are you going to give the tattoo to yourself? Are you going to be able to do that? Yeah, of course, yeah. All right, just checking. I mean, none of us are probably autistic enough to be able to pull that off. I don't even know what that looks like.

Oh, yeah, it's all up here. I can make it up for you, but you probably won't like how it turns out. No, I won't. So I'll do it myself. All right, just off, man.

You make your way into the showers after Daisy takes off to go and get on the day's work of creating some fish oil for this purpose. She does still seem to believe in the five of you very much and is ready to do anything. Even as strange as what Barnabas is saying is, she's ready to believe. She's seen what you are capable of, not just here in Ogerton, but beyond the...

perimeter, beyond the limits of this city. And even... So she leaves with gusto. And you find yourselves in the showers alone. Alright, so what are we looking for? What can I evidence? Well, something must have come up through the...

the sewer grate or something's maybe all in the room. I don't know, maybe we check around the drainage and-- - Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and look around and see if I can sense anything. - Anyone who wants to look for some sort of sign may make an investigation check at this time. - For what it's worth, I mean, we came back up through here and we didn't see anything on our way back, but I mean, that's not to say we won't find anything now. It's just, what could we possibly be looking for? - And go ahead and make your investigation checks at advantage.

- Investigation. - Investigation. - Jesus, they're so heavy. - Can I borrow yours? - Heavy dice. - No! Stop doing it in the tray. You're gonna break it. - 14 for me. - For you, sorry. For my dice. - I think that's only, yeah, that's a 15. - Eh, it could be worse.

19. 19? Anyone else wanted to investigate? Nope. Nope. I investigated, but I'm very low. I'm busy. I'll have, you had paper, right? That you wrote a note on? Well, so the paper was given to me by a vassal. They like brought, you guys sent me a letter and I responded, right? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. It wasn't the other way around, right? You got extra paper?

I'll bring a needle and a bottle of ink. Just a random showering vessel? Cover yourself up, man, and get me some ink! Give me some paper! Daisy's in the kitchen at this point. I'm helping investigate. I'm with Barnabas. See, that's Elson Elmo's bolt right there. Oh yeah, it's badass. I think I'm definitely going with that one. Or maybe a mermaid.

Okay.

You are especially keen to investigate this mystery, given your experience overnight and the strangeness of being woken by your friends and having such confused memories of what exactly happened, especially after your promise to protect Fraldina and the child. I would also say to you that at some point during your conversation with Manius, he would have mentioned the excitement that he had over the birth of the child and that he's named the child the baby boy Garum.

So, Faldina and Garam, what happened? And you're looking passionately at the walls, looking at every tile. You're looking at the strange contraptions, these knobs that allow you to control the shower.

and at the floor. You're looking at the tiles and this elaborate mosaic work and the grates where they can, you know that the water flows into the sewer system that can be lifted up when in particular large enough to fit even a medium-sized creature or someone as large as your near and

Nothing. You are dismayed because the water, the shower has been used. It has been all morning. It's been perhaps washed away. Any clue or sign, even with a 19? No. No. Just at the edge of one of the grates, you start to peek down and you see what is a thin trail of some purple liquid. Shut up! And you reach down and

You touch it and you just get a tiny bit of a stain on the two of your golden fingers. Looking at it, that's all the sign that you have is a strange liquid. - No! - I'm kidding, I already know. - What that could be or what it is doing here, you are not sure. - Hey, I have something here by the grate. Look at this, like a purple liquid. Did you leave this, anybody?

If you came and went through this way. Did you try licking it? See what it tastes like? No, no, no. Easy there. We don't even know what that is. I'll kneel down and I'll... Is there any left? Yeah, you kneel down and it's like a...

just enough to make a wax seal, let's say. Like, very, very small, like, pads of, like, a blood spatter pattern. But most of it is already, like, trailing away down and into the sewer grate. I want to kind of touch it and just get a sense of the viscosity and smell it a little bit and then sort of taste it. Oh, you're insane. You're insane. Yeah, you taste it and it has this...

Definitely a metallic taste. You don't go mad. You don't have sudden damage tackle you in any way, but you don't get much scent from it. But if you make a nature check or a survival check, you might get more information. Metallic like metal or metallic like blood metal?

Let's find out how he rolls. Ooh. He got fucking very well. Very well. 26. Oh! If you had to guess, this was blood from a creature, but it does not seem like a beast. It does not seem like a monster that you've ever known, and you've never known a creature to have blood of this color, but you have this gut instinct with your...

Shaman experience being what it is. This is blood, but it is natural blood. What do you mean, unnatural? It must be the blood of whatever creatures are beneath the city. And we have to go to a play at a time like this? It doesn't spark any memory in me, does it? Like, if I see the blood?

It doesn't, like, tickle the back of my... One moment. Mind palace? Ah, the back of the mind palace. Mind palace. I'm just asking. Ah, the elephants. Synonymous in excellence of brain-sucking techniques.

I hear you say the word excellence with that voice every day. Excellence. Roadbag. Excellence. This is dream eating tape of love. I knew it all along. Oh, come to my sexy heart. Wait, hold on a second. Woo!

I'm serving margaritas! You've got a margaritaville machine! Touch in. No. I tried, everybody. Close, but no cigar. I tried. He was looking up the rules of modify memory. It's done. This is the only time. This is the only time.

He's just literally the only time. He's still playing a fucking game. He could have just asked her. Nobody has ever needed blank mind ever, ever, and now is the only time it ever would have been useful. I thought about modify memory and beneath our glands. It's a great spell. It really is. It's a great spell. If that's what's happening. I can't confirm or deny.

I think it's really cool. Totally a dream take. I'm not supposed to. With this revelation, you all ponder the mysteries of this strange...

liquid in the context of what's happened, what you've experienced, and you shower in silence. However long that needs to take, 15, 20, 30 minutes later, you're drying off, you're putting on a fresh set of robes that are provided to you by the vassals. They give you a quick spritz of your preferred cologne, and you find yourselves out and walking towards, let's say, to the courtyard to say what you need to say before joining Manius in the carriage and making your way into Ogerton.

How about that blood? Anybody? No? Just me? We're alone? Or are we with Manny? The vassal that Farnabo's talked to finished his shower just before he discovered the blood. We're not on Manny's set. I would like to say, it's unnatural blood. Let me... I've killed a lot of strange beasties that I couldn't explain how they could exist. I could take a look.

I gesture. I thought you took all of it. We all got a little bit of blood. You take a pad of the last of the blood before it finishes draining, and you're able to test it as you might. Does it remind me of anything? You want to taste it? You should taste it, too. I bet you won't. He did it.

You actually just missed the blood and you got a bunch of Concord Grape Jelly. It's so hard to get off your fingers. Why is it so sticky? Why am I enjoying it so much? What are you endeavoring to learn beyond what your intention was? If it's an unnatural creature, does it remind me of any of the sea monsters that I've slain? Any of the strange creatures that I've...

seen and not been able in my voyages on whaling ships, on tide hunting ships. Does it remind me of anything? I feel like Barnabas would, if he sees blood of a creature, and here's the word creature, he's going to want to taste it.

Go ahead and make your own survival check. And because Yornir and Tyshen have already provided you quite a bit of context, you can do it at advantage. Oh, it might be Sahagin blood. I mean, Sahoo-hagin.

He did well. He did very well. I can't read this one. That sounded sarcastic. Oh, gosh. I rolled two natural ones. Oh my goodness. 2400 chance, everybody. Gotta give it up. I'm gonna take two twists because there's so many generous folks. I think that's wise. Thank you. This must mean that a creature came in while they were in the shower. I mean...

What could this be? Something was here. They are using the sewers just like we were, which also means... Wouldn't we have run into it on our way back? Exactly. But it was a labyrinth down there. Perhaps there's... We just missed each other. Lost our own memories were changed. Wait a minute, something just occurred to me. Am I the only one who hasn't tasted the blood yet?

- No, I haven't tasted it. - Oh good, I thought I was the only one who missed out. At first I thought I could trick them into doing it, but then they all left having so much fun. - You wanna drink blood, Scrim? - I mean, I just kinda feel like I didn't get the opportunity to try it. - Sometimes that's all there is. - Your near-stail's a little bit on his finger, you could suck it off. - I might get weird, I don't know.

I mean, it's sort of in my fur. You can just sort of suck it out if you'd like. I don't really want to impose. Are you looking at red wine out of a carpet? Well, when you put it that way... LAUGHTER LAUGHTER LAUGHTER

Are you done? Are you done yet? He's like an ogre hoover. Surprisingly a little left. I don't think I got any. That's what the blood tastes like. You got something in your teeth. No one knows anything different. Sick bastards. Gross. The color isn't something that you recognize. The taste has...

let's go in a more coppery direction than the irony metallic flavor of a normal humanoid like creature that you would experience in the prime material plane. And

Perhaps it's because you're thinking so much about tattoos, and you're thinking about the unusual color of this. You do think of another creature that comes from the sea that does have different colored blood. It's not purple, but the blue blood of a squid does occur to your mind. Tapers, I know it. There's a dream-eating tapir beneath the ice. There's a great lake underneath the earth, right? What? This tastes just like... This tastes just like the...

The blood of a great squid. A giant octopus. That's strange. How would it... How does it look like that? It's not quite the same. It's not exactly one-to-one, but it's... As I taste it, I... How would a great squid fit in those tunnels? Why would a giant squid want to put voice-stealing necklaces on people? I don't know. I mean, I've...

I've stabbed several in their great giant eyes and it gets all over your face. You can't really help but taste it. There's the dire squid. I didn't encounter anything squid related when I projected myself. Hmm. I think whatever we do, we need to get inside the ship. Wait, there are some crabs that only live on land.

There might be a possibility of a shambling tree-climbing squid that swings from tree to tree like monkeys from the jungle. Is that real? I don't know. My imagination. Oh, I think I might switch to the cormorant now. You said you think we have to get on the ship. Do you mean the silver ship in the town? I do. I wonder if it's not a coincidence that the...

Ship is their way to Ogre Heaven, and I witness the endpoint of their Ogre Heaven. There might be some sort of connection, not to mention that it was a similar large structure. I want to think back to... What do I think was directly... It says behind the waterfall. Is there a building that jumps out to me that would be, like, directly over...

where I was or over, anything important or relevant. - I'll give you a zoom in. - Let's say that this is the crevasse. - Can you do me a favor? - Let's say that this is the waterfall.

And the storm drain would have been right here with the invisible bridge making its way directly to the other side. You traveled up and through into some cavernous space, something along these lines, which is where you saw that great structure. Yep. On the other side, directly... Wait, I thought at the end of the bridge, sorry, was the door you couldn't pass. No, no, no. The door was actually slightly deeper in. There were two doors. Oh.

So this is the door that you couldn't get within a certain distance of before being stopped by your pendant and literally choked. And we presume that it kind of was going in the direction of this structure. This goes to a network of sewers underneath the city. And then above, there's the forum, which has a bunch of columns and is...

Very massive and at the top right around here, this is where the silver ship with the orb is in front of it. And there's also the bell structure that was right here. Now, this is a huge city square. I'm like really zooming in and whatnot. But other than that, those are the general features that you remember. All relatively on the same...

V axis. Not higher or lower. Oh god. I don't know what happened, but all generally on the same axis. Join us on the ice. So the ship is in line with the cave. Oh yeah, it's a straight shot.

Just hundreds of feet up from where we popped out, right? From where you popped up. Way, way, way up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He traveled incredibly quickly. I mean, as soon as you're projecting like that, he was off like a fucking rocket. Like, birds can't fly that fast, kind of fast. In my dreams, the ship is in line and pointing directly at the waterfall. Oh, my God.

It might be connected, it might not, but I believe that it is the... Out of everything, it stands out to me. So I don't know if we just skip the theater and go somehow... Oh, I vote for that one. Yeah, absolutely. Or we do the play, and perhaps afterwards we can ask permission for a...

stroll around the forum. That actually might be reasonable. I was going to say, I don't think there's any way that we'll be able to sneak up there. I mean, the only reason we were able to get to where we were with the waterfall was that there was all the tunnels that nobody could see us going. We suddenly can't just waltz through Ogretown all the way up to the silver ship, right? So maybe asking for permission is the best way to get in there.

Maybe the library. We could ask possibly to join Minerva at the library. He might let us go unsupervised if he thinks it could help, I don't know, with his daughter. That's a good idea, too. Maybe he gives a little responsibility to her, shows something like that, and he thinks it seemed like there was something between them.

We either get maybe a little freedom there or we've all dreamt of a library. Is it possible? It's the one that she's at. Keep coming up with good ideas like that and you are on your way to redeeming yourself. So then we do the play and we ask for permission afterwards.

Or perhaps we say in the carriage, we say after we do the play, may we have some freedom. I think that we have used our one opportunity to scurry about the sewers like bilge rats unimpeded. Now that we've announced ourselves to the spirits of that place and tried to knock on their front door, I think that perhaps the sewers will be very dangerous. That's actually a really good point, too. What if they have a kraken down there?

There's clearly something there. I've never killed a Kraken before. Not an adult one, at least. Where would they kill the Kraken? If there's a great sunless sea. I've heard tale in Astrazoa, a great sunless sea, stood for hundreds of thousands of miles beneath the earth. Horrible creatures untold is what the sailors say. What if it's all connected? We're not that far from Astrazoa, are we?

i don't even know what astrozoa is oh you're the southernmost landmass you only couldn't and now you haven't been to really well it would have had to been small enough to get through the grate or to get up the the sewers all the way here that's a pretty tiny gray squid can't be a giant kraken even if what you say could be beneath the the structure it wouldn't have i mean how would it have gotten all the way up here

Really long tentacle, Mr. Savaskelch. I mean, Mr. Fireblossom. I haven't had my tobacco in quite some time. I did not... That's okay. I did not project into the water itself. Perhaps there is something down there. I think that was a mistake. Now, to be fair, he was under duress. If I get some rest somehow, I could perhaps do it again, but not tonight. I don't think. I think I'm out of...

I am out of hope. I am out of hope. I definitely... I have no hope. I have no hope. Hope.

After the Coliseum, did you guys go shopping after the Coliseum? I believe that you guys got some shawarma or something. There was a bistro, Mr. Boyer Blossom. You didn't go shopping shopping. You guys got some food for dinner and then you came home and that's when you guys found out about Faldina having had a child and then that's when you split and now you're in the morning.

He gave us a little leeway after the battle at the Colosseum. We ate all that shawarma. Maybe after, if we do the play, maybe he'll give us similar-- What's that food owl always talks about? Shashuka. I've made it twice since you guys have been here. I can only call that Queenie specifically got fried pickles. Yes, definitely.

Maybe if we do the play, he'll similarly, if we do very well and impress the House of the Arts, maybe he'll offer similar space for us to do as we will, at least before the evening takes. All right, then let's just get this play over with. I can spin a great yarn. I don't know how good this story is going to be is all I'm going to say. I think we should go.

And what I said 20 minutes ago still applies. You guys walk to the... You guys have this conversation like 20 feet of hallway and then finally make it to the courtyard. And standing there is Manius. Are you feeling refreshed? You're so late. We have to go right away. The play is perhaps...

In three, four hours, you're going to have no time to rehearse, to learn your lines, to get ready. Seneca's going to be, she's much more exacting than Lucius was. Please, we have to get into the carriage right away. Let us go. She sounds like a major pain in the ass. Yeah.

Can we stop by if there's time where you keep the great squids in this town? Get in the carriage! No, I'm just saying, the great squids of Ogerton. I don't know what a squid is. Is it a creature from the heavens? You guys are already starting to roll down. Feel free to time skip through. What I will say, and we will. We don't have to RP this, and we won't.

It is cold. It is still that warm, much warmer than it should be, given your experience in Drakkar during the time on the western coast. And it is winter now, so it should be negative 30, negative 60 degrees, right? But it's like a...

40 feels like 35 and raining. And, uh... This is the coldest it's been in Ogerton. It's about as cold as it's been in Ogerton, and the rain is coming down medium. There's really no good word, by the way, when you're prepping a session and you're like, okay, I don't want drizzle, and I don't want downpour. What's the middle word that you want? Is it just rain? Because that doesn't... No, no, I want an adjective! That's fucking horse shit! So anyways, it's just raining is what's happening. Yeah, it's a nice... Well, it's

That's a little lighter than I want. Yeah, yeah. So it's raining. Yeah, I agree with Lone. Spattering. Spattering is still a little lighter than I want it to be. It's raining. It is raining. It's raining out. It's raining. Get your umbrellas. It's raining out. It's a shower. It's a shower. Okay. Splooshing? Oh, yeah, yeah. It's splooshing. You guys are getting splooshed. Splooshed by the water. Oh, my God. Splooshed. Oh, my.

And you guys get in the carriage and you, uh, you're pulled by the polar bear who's clearly been asked to urge, uh, and its intelligence being what it is, it complies. Um, you're being pulled quite quickly through the muddy, through the muddy path before, um, more than it would be in any other part of the car. And, um,

Oh my god! And he answers your question, Barnabas, before we arrive at the theater. Did he satisfactorily respond to what you were looking for? Yeah. And pulling up, you find yourself staring at a beautiful...

If you've ever seen pictures of the Shakespearean Globe in London, it's the classic open air, beautiful auditorium with a sheltered stage area that's domed on one side. This is a huge and beautiful structure. And like I said, I have much ado with the library, so please head inside and introduce yourself. - That was a cute joke. Shakespearean Globe Theater followed by much ado at the library.

Oh, thank you. You didn't intend that, did you? No, I didn't. Happy accidents. That was really good. Okay, well. Like a certain painter always says. Is the rain slurped on the wagon? Always. I missed that joke. And so he urges you to go inside, and as you make your way in, one of the ogres immediately greets you.

Are you the five? Are you the five? Are you the ones? Are you the, Seneca's just going mad crazy. We didn't think you were going to show up. We were starting to rehearse on our own. You can see on the stage, there are people who are like kind of dressed like you, like weird costumed versions of all of you who are just like talking to a silver robed person who's on stilts with a mask on. And you can't hear what they're saying, but you can see that a rehearsal is clearly already underway. I,

- Yeah, yeah, we're here, we're the five, we're here. Just calm down. - Okay, okay, okay, but you don't know what you're doing. Are you gonna be able to... Seneca's just around the corner. I need to make sure that you're prepared. Oh, hi, I'm Cecilio, by the way.

Great, do you have our scripts? Oh yes, I do. And for the record, our secret is that we never know what we're doing. We never have any, oh my god, this is an actual script. Son of a bitch. What were you expecting? I don't know what I was expecting. I was expecting to... Improvise our lines as we play a role. I was expecting to shirk my duties yet again. I don't look anything like that, do I? No.

I'm not that. My gut's not that big, is it? You really need two pillows. You're an ogre. Wow, look at the ears on that bastard. I wonder who he's supposed to...

Well, now that you're here, we're not going to have to play double parts, which is really great because we need to make sure that you guys are all prepared. So start reading the scripts. I'm going to go get your costumes from the others up there on the stage. When Seneca comes, just pretend like you know everything and that you are already prepared because I know that we haven't had a chance to rehearse, but she needs everything to be perfect. You need to hit your marks. You need to hit your lines. She's going to be judging your performance of every single scene, and if you flub a line,

or if you try to improvise, you're gonna have disadvantage on that performance saving throw, or performance roll, mechanically speaking, and I'm just talking about the meta. Cecilio, with your ogre fingers, how did you write this so small? Do you have any readers? Any spectacles? I think I might, yeah. Could I, would you indulge an old man? We have a prop from our last play. I'll go get that right away. I think we should not read this. I agree. And we should do it blind.

I don't do it any other way. Queenie, I'm with you. I know you said that as Nicky, but I'm in the character. I'm in the zone. Oh, it says that I am playing Jotmar Frostguard. We're appearing as ourselves. Oh, that is mean, yes. Cecilio disappears, and you guys have but a moment to confront yourselves with the script, and you're flipping through being like, oh my gosh, I have so many lines. Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to say what? When all of a sudden you go, oh!

Oh, you're finally here. You're so very late. Oh, God. Finally, you must be the five. Are you there, Mr. Bones? That's the one and only. The one and only. Fiona? Yes? That's me. Shagov. Shagov? Yes? And Rofek? No, you know your God is never late. Yes?

He or she arrives exactly when they intend to. Yes, yes, yes, but in the theater we must practice, practice, practice! We must rehearse, and you've missed the entire morning! We are on Sophilus time. You see all the notes there for where you need to stand? You see all the notes for what you need to say? I hope you have a mind like a trap! I hope you really are demigods, because if you screw up a single line of my play, I

Ah, that's awfully shrill, huh? I put down the rum bottle quite a bit ago, but I haven't had my pipe. So it's a bit of a wash, unfortunately. Do you need a pipe? We have some props. We'll get you a pipe. You know, I actually would like that. Cecilio!

Don't read it. What are you doing? No, I've got to prepare. Oh, you fool. I'm not reading it. That was a character. A hundred percent. We start opening the auditorium in about an hour. Understand? You have an hour. Go to the dressing room and put on your costumes, memorize what you can, and we'll see if you're good or not. Okay? Okay.

Fine, I suppose. Do you want us to actually like try to memorize any of this? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. For the purpose of this. 'Cause I'm just gonna just wing it. Yeah, me too. I think that's way more fun. Rely on the script as much as you want. I've already told you how she'll be interpreting your performances. Why? Scrim doesn't give a fuck. Why am I such a Jonah in this?

And you are escorted. Cecilio comes and he delivers a pipe for you and some reading glasses and a lens so that you can actually read the script, Barnabas. You find yourselves in the back of the stage area and you have these strange robes that look like

what you're kind of already wearing, but elaborate and designed and meant to look godly, if nothing else. Wow, this is very bizarre. I don't know what to make of any of this. I'm not going to read the script. I'm letting you know that.

- Now, it's not as much fun if you prepare so much. You gotta let the spirit of the theater just well up inside of you. You have to let the story tell itself through you and your bones and your interpretation. Mr. Bones, your interpretation. You can't do that if you're sitting here taking notes and marking all your lines and making sure that you have your cues memorized and- - I just wanna be very clear. It's simply that I have no respect for authority.

Oh. Truth be told, the Shark Puncher would never talk like that. They've gotten the characterization all wrong. You have just this time to prepare how you might, and if you want to suggest how your character would be in this moment, how they're feeling, or what they're doing to actually guide themselves through this

thrust upon you performance, then you might enjoy benefits during the show. All right, well, if anyone would like to prepare with me, I'm going to go ahead and do some vocal exercises over in the corner. Okay, well, I'm going to go do that by myself then. I'm going to walk to the corner of the room and I'm going to start doing vocal exercises. I'm sorry, what? What?

What? Et cetera, et cetera. Sorry, I was memorizing my lines and marking all of my cues. I wasn't listening. Taishan's taking this very seriously. Like, you can tell that he's like...

Highlighting his lines and writing subtext next to each one. All right, how much time do they say we have? Like an hour? 15 minutes, people! Oh, you got me in tobacco. Somebody wake me up at 15 and I'm going to pull my hat down out of my eyes and just like slump into a chair. There's not even a hole in this prop. Scrim. No, it's a prop. Scrim. Tyshan, I'm trying to rest. What? Scrim.

What do you want? Don't give us time and leeway if we do well. You can't sleep through your performance. I'm not going to sleep. I don't want to be here, Taishan. I don't want to do this, all right? I'm going to go out there and I'm going to do the best job that you've ever seen, all right? Don't you want to get to the library and find the ship and get behind the waterfall and find the horse?

I have made my entire life have been a con man. I can do this. All right. This is just another day on the job. I'm not worried about it. All right.

Well, that actually makes a lot of sense, so I'm going to go back to studying my lines because I've never done this before. You're taking this way too seriously. Just take a few deep breaths. I don't want to mess this up. You just got to wing it. Scrim that poor kid because I fell asleep. Another ogre shows up. Hi, Cassius here. Are you guys going to be stage punching during some of the scenes or are we actually going to, you know...

We're going all out. We're consummate professionals and so we are not going to block anything. I just understood that you guys might be ogres, but you look different. No, we do our own stunts too. Is there any kissing in this? Because we also will be doing that raw. Well, I mean, there's any other way. The ogre way is only to... How else would you do it? A stage kiss. Have you ever done it?

I've kissed on stage many times. You put your fingers right over your lips. I am an experienced actor. You put your fingers over your lips like this and then you go, you get in there. You know, nevermind. We'll do it wrong. Very strange. Very strange. Uh, and he leaves, uh, you hear, you hear, 10 minutes, 10 minutes. Uh, you can hear, uh, you can hear people, uh, outside. They're doing the same vocal exercises. You can hear people, um, looking, uh, at the script and, uh, looking away, trying to memorize their lines at the last minute. Um,

Others are, you can tell, you're the only ones who aren't going to be wearing masks, but most of the other people have these exaggerated masks with these strange facial expressions on them so that they can be seen from afar, across the entire auditorium. I get dressed in whatever costume they lay out for me. What does it look like? It looks like...

I would give you some creative freedom here if you want to take it, but all they've really had to go on is Jotnar Froskard, Jotnar Froskard, and what you demonstrated in Hippodrome, the announcement that was pronounced by the newsreader in the square when you were traveling through Ogerton just yesterday, and what Manius must have written to Seneca in the letter. And so it's a...

It's like a shimmering blue and silver robe. It's got puffs of white fur coming out of the shoulders. It's an invention, a projection, and a guess based just on the idea of Frost and Guard and Yotnar that they've thrown on you. And that would be true for all of you. It would be an exaggeration of your names. I want to look like a very exaggerated Fiona from Shracker.

Absolutely. Green, red, we even have a wig. Yeah. And a little over ears. Red hair wig. I would basically, if there's like a wardrobe or a prop section, I would spend this time getting ready by basically going and finding as much like armor and furs and leathers and like a big horned helmet. I want to sort of like...

back to like the most extravagant frost giant Jarl that I've ever heard of and basically like try to replicate that almost to the point where like I probably end up not looking anything like whatever costume they prepared for me.

Super impressive and extravagant. You do that. That will come into play. Mr. Bones, your robe is clearly stitched together bones that happen to be like, not plastic because obviously that doesn't exist, but faux bones, just like the pipe that's been handed to Barnabas can't be smoked from because the stem is not hollow. There's a big white tip for the kids' costumes and cigars. Like, ugh.

Mace, you feeling prepared with the script? Taishan, how are you preparing for the script? Reading it. Trying to get a sense of what the lines are. Trying to commit as much to memory as I possibly can. Okay. And I just really don't want to mess it up. Okay. In character, out of character. Now, five minutes!

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You exit your dressing room having done what prep you can in the limited time that you've all had and shared. You've talked to each other. Some of you have remained silent. Others have done vocal exercises for the minutes that you've had. You've read what script you could, attempted to commit to memory as many lines as you could based on the cues, knowing where you're going to stand on stage, knowing what events are going to happen.

As ready as you are going to be in this moment, you are now peeking out from behind the sides of the stage and seeing... Are we on stage right or stage left? You're on stage left, of course. And you are peeking out and looking at...

ogres filling an auditorium on the first level in the pit many of them standing in the central area right on the hard pack looking up at the stage there's actually a small band a pit orchestra and they're starting to quietly tune their instruments and you can hear the faint plucking of a string instrument or a

You know a key check for another instrument up to this point anybody, you know I'm sitting up staying with my friends will still notice that I am actively like rolling my eyes sighing groaning looking very disinterested and just not happy to be here Even the other actors might notice. Oh, yeah, it's it's very apparent in a stage whisper. I'm in the wings. We're still in the wings. Mr Bones. It's gonna be okay. Yeah

We've got you. We'll support you.

You can hear the sounds of footsteps from behind even the the back curtain behind the actual set which is an elaborate construction You can hear stagehands moving around as the final preparations for the show are being made and you can hear the sound of Programs being wrestled you can hear the murmur of the crowd the chatter of excited voices and this again the sound of that band Tuning their instruments and all is quiet You hear lights

You can hear the lights flood the stage, and the stage manager, take your cues, and ushers you to get behind the curtain just before it opens. All right. You walk forward, and you can see that there is indeed small markers where each of you needs to be standing in front of what appears to be a facsimile of an enormous silver ship. The moment that I reach my marker...

Anybody that's still looking at me will immediately notice a complete change in Scrim. There's almost an aura of professionalism that begins to radiate from him. The Scrim that you have all known for these many months is no more. There, standing on that marker, is Mr. Bones. Oh, you method. You suddenly become, you exude this Mr. Bones. You are in character. That's exactly right. And the rest of you...

Taking a quiet deep breath take the stage the audience is waiting You can hear the music start to swell as it plays the motifs the leitmotif of this first act and the curtain Parts and you are hit with hot bright lights act one scene one ogre heaven a grand hall

The stage is set in a grand hall with Sopholith. And you can see the actor, Cecilio, playing Sopholith standing on the tall stilts. Huge silver robe, obviously made to look even more muscular and massive than any ogre should be. Seated on a throne of marble and silver.

The five ogre demigods, Jotnar Frostguard, Trothak the Shark Puncher, Fiona Smashmouth, Shaggoth of the Black Rock, and Mr. Bones stand there before Sophileth, ready to pledge their allegiance. Sophileth. Speak, my loyal ogre demigods. What news bringeth you to me this day?

Great. It's awful lit. The house lights come up. Stop! Stop! A man from all the way in the back of the auditorium. Stop, ladies and gentlemen! It has begun! The lottery has begun! Assemble now in the city square! Ha!

I repeat, the lottery has begun. Please, perhaps only an hour away already. Please hurry. And everyone stands, turning in excitement, turning, and immediately they begin to exit the theater, turning, racing out into the streets, ready to go.

You are abandoned there on the stage. Even the character playing Sophilus jumps down from his fake throne and immediately disrobes from his, taking his mask off, pulls his robes off and darts off, not even caring to go backstage for perhaps whatever its things are, and starts running and rushing out with the rest of the crowd. Manius runs up past the pit orchestra, leaving their instruments. It's the lottery. The lottery, it's here, it's here, it's time.

You gotta be fucking kidding me. You're so intelligent. Good night. I am legitimately pissed off. You made the screen give a shit. I hate you. Good night. Damn you. Oh my God. It's bullshit.

Gotta give it up. That was really good. Gotta give it up. God, and the method acting of "come online, the storm is here to save the day." No news of plotting Sotha left right now. Oh, Sotha! I am the low fucking mid of Chunkback Sharkbunch with a 7/8 voyager!

Fuck! I was so ready. Perhaps we'll perform it during Adventures in Chill. We'll see if we ever get back to it. Patreon content. I was so ready! I was so ready! Son of a gun! So we will perform this for Patreon content. Yeah. Yeah, but it'll be a behind-the-scenes video. Man, that's good. You are a fucking bastard. You know, that's the kind of shit that you always encourage me to do in Prime. Like, no. Like, I wanna, you know...

Okay, Rian Johnson, you fucking bastard. I subverted your expectations. Boomy, you're a mad man. But to be fair, you did it well. Thank you. And you don't have a seeding hatred for a mantras. I appreciate that. That's right. That's right.

Manny is ascending there, slapping the stage. Take your costumes off. Get back into your things. We need to race there right away. Oh, this is bullshit. You've got to be kidding me. The lottery waits for no ogre. Come on, please join me. I flip up the eyepatch that I have. I am so unhappy right now.

But I do feel vindicated that I didn't even read it. There you go. That's the only silver lining. Yeah, we'll get the play on Patreon, so stay tuned. You'll get it. Um...

Get this shit off of me! Yeah, yeah. They're, um, well, come on. Is there anything that you left in the dressing room? Because I'm ready to go. We have to go. I'm sure my family's there already. Just take us there. Come on. I pick up all the stuff I took off and I put it all back on. And I'll just, I'm going to try to wear the costume out.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Feeling very Frostguard-y, you make your way, and Manius leaves you out into the street. You can see a torrent of ogres are all, not a single one of them

turning to the side, they are beelining for the city square. And it's just a 10, 15, 20 minute walk as you make your way looking at these. There are very few vassals is what I will say you also notice. It does seem to be that this is a

What's the word I'm looking for? Not a benefit, but the governors enjoy the lion's share of these, for lack of a better word, these servants, these people who give them support, and very few other houses enjoy them. So mostly you're just seeing families excitedly rushing forward of ogres, children, wives, husbands. They're all laughing, pouring out of the buildings as the news of the lottery spreads. And there in front of you is the...

City Square. This huge, flat stone space in front of the Forum. And you stare up, you can see that the silver ship is up there. You can see the orb. And people are pulling out a... I don't know how to pronounce it, and I should have looked it up. Cerule or Cerule? Uh...

These are the ancient robin folding chairs that have the leather fabric. And they've got hundreds of these things. There are thousands of ogres in this city. And people who get here first are the ones who get the chairs and who are able to coalesce and collect in this great space. Yes? I don't know if we asked this question or if it was addressed at any point in time where I may or may not have been here. Do we know if these lotteries are random lottery

when they happen or if they're always scheduled and roughly the same time. - You remember from Manias telling you what little information he had spoken about the lottery that it is random. The god's decree when someone has been chosen to be accepted by the lottery, they call it the lottery 'cause no one knows who it's going to be. - Right. - But Sophilus in his great wisdom, every two to four weeks, let's say, at some random point, and I believe he also mentioned that it had been a little late,

That had been more than three or four weeks before. But that explains why it was right. They got some signal, and we've been alerted, and now we're going. Exactly right. And Manius, being one of the governors, is immediately...

people are parting ways, allowing him to join his family. There stands his wife. There stands his daughter Minerva, the two twins, his son. They already have seats and they have five seats prepared already for you and a sixth

for Manius. They're not perhaps the front row, but very, very close to the edge of this city square, looking out towards the waterfall. And it circles. It's a half stage now. Not a theater stage, but it's its own audience that's gathering here, that's assembling here, gathering around the bell. And it

becomes apparent to all of you what signals the lottery. Underneath the bell hangs clappers. These...

What would normally be a single interior hammer that would ring against a moving bell, but just these are starting to move and undulate. And as they are moving and undulating, they are creating a pattern. If you've ever seen like a pendulum wave where there's like a short string attached to a ball and then a slightly longer string and then a slightly longer string. They start the same and they start to go opposite.

They create this initial snaking pattern, and then they create this chaotic pattern, and then they eventually re-sync. That is the hypnotic pattern that is happening, but it's starting off very, very, very, very, very subtly. Does it look like Zoidberg? With each amplitude, with each swing, it's getting wider and closer to the edge of this huge, wide-brimmed bell, and people are excited by it.

anticipating the fact that it is going to knock into the side of this bell. And that is where you join Manius and his family at the front of the city square, ready to take your seats. - So they are signaled by, they start to move. - Someone probably almost keeps their eye on it 24/7.

And there's commotion in all directions. There are people bragging that they're gonna be the ones to win the lottery. You can hear gossip in another direction of who won the last time. Oh, what a shocker that was. You can hear also the newsreader. He's still reading. Citizens of Ogerton, the annual Ogerton Mud Wrestling competition is just around the corner. Sign-ups are now open for anyone interested in participating for those wishing to take a war.

for those wishing to take bets on the outcome. You can hear all of this in every direction. A crowd is forming, a huge crowd. What are you all doing? I'm dragging my feet. I guess I'm disappointed that we, I was duped. I'm not happy. You were, for a moment, giving a fuck. And that fuck was taken away from you. Do I notice this in scrimmage?

- Are you hiding it? - I mean, no, Scrim doesn't really, he often wears his emotions on his sleeve. I would say though,

- Maybe I'm sulking a little, but mostly I'm just look annoyed, which is kind of his general MO anyway. - I'd say you're in tune enough to get a fence. - I'll slap you hard on the back in a jovial way and I'll grin at you with a prop pipe, looking at you with one eye through my eye patch, fully dressed as Trothak the shark puncher with big prop sharks on each of my arms.

And I will hold this up in my big cat admiral's, ogre admiral's jacket on me. I'll say, Mr. Stabiscotch, don't lose heart. Or should I say, Mr. Bones, the show must go on. And I like neatly fold up my script and I tuck it away in my pocket. You will have your chance.

- All right, all right, Barnabas, yeah, all right, thanks, yeah. I grumble some things kind of under my breath, but I nod at you and I continue to just kind of drag my feet as we follow along. - You've assembled now at the seats. Manius and his family are there. Manius, food, yes, food and a drink, yes, yes, yes. Can I get you anything? The food is free for the lottery. Any beverages or anything that you want to enjoy? The opening of Ogre Heaven?

Gosh, what an exciting time this must be for all of you to be able to see it from the other side. Yes, I would like alcohol, please. Alcohol! I believe they have meat and they have some sort of cocktail, some fruity contraption.

I'll take both. Both, both, both. And he hands you a long, like, a yard of... Yard marks. Let's go. All right. I set them down, and they're as tall as me. And I have my crazy straw. It circles down in a corkscrew pattern. I, uh, good lad, I will have a frothing mug of ginger beer. Ha ha ha!

Ginger beer, ginger beer. They have it. He yells it out. Truth, that likes a nice hearty mug of beer. Ginger beer. He whips it and Manius catches it and hands it down. Oh yeah, black seal. How about that? Scrim, is that good? Do you have a Nathan's Bone Park hot dog with some ketchup, mustard, some onions maybe? And then can I get a kitty cup maybe with some like animals?

that's filled with carrot juice. You know of Nathanius's great ballpark dogs. Of course, of course, of course. Are they the footlong ones? In Ogerton, the footlong is the small. Can I get the biggest one you got? The three-footer. Three-footer pork fingers. Juicy pork fingers, let's say.

Nathanios! Did that guy say Nathanus? You can also see the other governors are here. You can see Seneca, Grutanica is just all the way to the other side. You can see even Gork Gustus is about a few rows away on another side with his son that you remember to be quite...

Not just boring, but gross Scraven. He was the one who flicked his booger away and said nothing. I hate that guy too. You can see Lucius has almost passed out already, even though he's trying to stay awake for the lottery. Everyone seems to be here.

So is everyone in their seats? Like, is there no, or is there lots of, like, is there a crowd that's standing as well? There seems to be, as things are getting closer and closer and this undulation is getting wider and wider and wider and it's strange patterns, you can see that people are more and more getting closer. Like, everyone wants to be seated for the actual lottery moment.

is what is clear. So as much hustle and muscle as there was when you first arrived and grabbing food and drink, you are seeing them get that popcorn, get that ginger beer and sitting down there, they're now eating and eagerly like, ooh, ooh, ooh, that was a close one. I thought that was going to be it. You can hear gasps and anticipation for the lottery to come. And is everyone facing the bell? And does that mean that the ship is behind us? Exactly right.

I believe at least one or two of us should keep an eye on the ship to see if something happens when the bell rings. Oi, Truthak, the Sharkpuncher, being the great admiral of the Sea Ogres, shall keep an eye on this silver vessel to make sure that she is sea-worthy, heaven-worthy, as it were.

Just like the seventh great voyage of True Black the Shark puncher. Which these fine ogres will soon know. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to them shortly. I will also keep an eye out. The rest of you keep a close watch on the bell. Mm-hmm.

We should scan the crowd, and if whoever gets taken wins the lottery, we should pay close attention to what happens and where they go. It's always a fascinating moment. Just after the lottery, looking around and seeing who's been chosen. Oh, it's a magical moment. I can't believe you don't have a... Do they not speak of it in Ogre Heaven? Is that...

I guess it's already passed. It must be almost mundane there. Yeah, it's what gets you to ogre heaven, but it's not what keeps you in ogre heaven. Yeah, it's like when you're at the party, you don't talk about the door outside. You talk about the party. Of course, of course. Obviously. Yes, yes. That was actually shockingly profound. Hey, can I have one of these?

what he's having in fireball flakes if you have them. You get that. Oh, okay. Well, thank you. The undulating motion creates strange patterns and it's growing faster and faster, back and forth, together and then apart. These different cadences and syncopations being what they are. You can hear the cheering, the gasping, the squirming of the ogres in the seats and eager anticipation around you. And...

Just as the clappers reach the bell's edge and only the rain around you and the rushing waterfall can be heard, you find yourselves on the edge of your seat.

The audience is getting quieter and quieter. Oh, it's almost there. But even then, it doesn't quite seem to hit. And there is no way that this last swing won't create a chime and the lottery will begin, whatever that means. You're not sure. And it stops. There is only silence. It feels as though time has frozen. You realize your muscles have stiffened.

You cannot speak. You can barely move your eyes or blink. Your breath becomes shallow. Cold rain drenches you and the gates of ogre heaven open. Beyond the bell, through the waterfall, shimmering light before you. Beautiful lances spilling out and across the square. Five ogres emerge out of nothingness, looking happy, standing next to the bell. They gesture outward,

And you hear a lone voice. That of Octavio Sclericero, governor of the house of religion. He stands. Oh, yes. Of course, yes, me. I thought that it would have been a little sooner, to be honest, but...

I am ready to share my knowledge, ready to rejoin you, my ancestors. He's scooting down and through the rows, and you're just watching, paralyzed in this moment. And looking at the other ogres at your sides, they aren't doing this. They aren't moving. They aren't doing anything. They also seem to be frozen in time in this way, and they are staring just at the bell.

But you seem totally lucid in this moment. You seem to have some agency to be able to witness what is happening with Skloricera. He makes his way up and towards the stage. And as soon as he reaches the bell and his ancestors, the heavenly light, and I should mention just behind, of course, an elaborate and beautiful woman,

silver ship can be seen through clouds as the golden rays splash out. Behind the waterfall?

through and in the waterfall, almost making a bridge as though one could ascend it. If you recall the really terrific Looney Tunes cartoon where he's ascended to Valhalla by Elmer. It's a fucking great one. It literally walks up a beam of light. That's what it looks like. It looks luxurious. It looks like Ogre Heaven, what's written on the tin.

And he reaches his ancestors and the light extinguishes. From behind you, above the forum, you are hit with a new source of light. The world becomes as though looking through dark vision eyes, but dyed violet. Brighter than the illusory heaven even that was visible moments ago, long shadows stretch out from the crowd all around you, out and towards the waterfall. And...

Where there stood Orgurs, you now see five figures, robed, blotchy skin, four long tentacles coming down from around their mouths, and eyes golden yellow like setting suns. Their dark robes stretching out from around them. Scleroso cries out for a moment. What is this? And is held there.

before levitating from the ground with these five illithid. They defy gravity and they float upwards. He kicks, swims in the air, tries to get away. When the center creature pulls out a dark-bladed dagger and with a swift motion slashes outward, cutting through just the very crown of Skloricero's bald head. He cries out and his eyes roll up

and his body is turned, rotated, flipped upside down. You watch as his brains tumble out into the air like filling from a dumpling. Another is at the ready and scoops up the matter into a jar filled with some strange liquid, quickly sealing it. He revolves back up again and upright, and you see that already the crown on his head is coming back together, healing, regenerating.

Sklorisar's eyes come back into focus and he's able to gurgle out, "What? What is happening to me? What are you doing? I don't understand. Is this... What is this? My life... My life is awful. I don't understand." This time one of the creatures floats forward and its tentacles wrap cleanly around the ogre's head and you hear a faint pop. Sklorisar's eyes... Skrolisaro's eyes again roll back.

Each creature takes its turn as you watch in horror as the ogre is killed again, regenerating from its natural regenerative properties, and then fed upon again. One, two, three, four, five. By the end, his words are screams. His words are, "'What you would come to expect an ogre's nature to be.'"

gurgling, gnarled sounds, not even making sense. When the fifth creature completes its ritual, it pulls back, and with a gesture, a small hand wave, the dead body of Sklericero is hurled out over the precipice of the city square towards the waterfall and falling out of sight down into the crevice. You hear no splash. It's then...

that each of these strange creatures' heads turn, locking eyes with each of you. They silently levitate forward, leaving the brain cylinder behind and float above and behind each of you now, out of view, and you can only look as they land behind you. Unable to turn your heads, unable to do anything, struggling inside of your mind to do something, to do anything, that could do anything, something,

But you are completely at the mercy of the magical bangles these creatures seem to also command. Tentacles wrap around the crown of each of your heads, covering your eyes and your ears. Your hearing is dulled. And I would ask you each to close your eyes. You feel the tentacles. Oh god. This is what he warned us about.

I don't know if I can do this with your buns, but... You feel this, Yornir. You feel this, Barnabas. You feel this, Taishan.

You feel this, Queenie. Okay, that feels great. Oh, do go on. Oh, do go on. There's margaritas in the hot tub. You don't have to stop, I'm a fan. You don't hear the voice. All you can hear is the muffled sound of rain still falling down and around you in silence, but a thought is implanted in your mind. It is a message.

You are but mere insects to us, insignificant and disposable. We have the power to control your every thought and action, to bend your will to our own. Your minds are open to us, and your fate rests solely in our hands. Do not dare to think of escape, for we will know. Do not dare to interfere with the order we have created, for it is perfection in its design.

Your only hope is to comply with our wishes and live out what remains of your pitiful lives here in peace. Sophileth may have other plans for you, plans beyond your wildest nightmares. Know this: We are always watching, always listening. One wrong move, one thought of rebellion, and your fate will be sealed. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

Then the tentacles release their pressure on your heads and you can see again. Open your eyes. The world is still shades of purple and all the ogres seated around you have turned, facing you. Their expressions grim and savage, their eyes glowing with sinister light before they turn back and resume their position, staring at the bell.

With this, the cloaked figures are already soundlessly gliding through the air back to where they emerged. The purple light flares and they vanish. Color returns to you. Only a few moments have passed. Your eyes feel like ball bearings in your sockets, unblinking, and a heavy, loud gong

reverberates across the city and against the waterfall-wearing mountains. A tremendous crowd of cheers erupts from all around you as you are freed from your paralysis and regain control of yourselves.

The ogres cheer and scream. You can see them all looking around. Who was it? Who was it? Who won the lottery? Who was it? It's Skrulletro! Octavio has won the lottery! He's gone! Everybody is screaming in sheer excitement and panic, and you are left sitting, having experienced this.

Is my three-foot hot dog here yet? I'm gonna need to emotionally eat. Your hot dog arrives moments later. Manny turns. Well, that was it. The lottery.

Can you believe it? It's so wonderful! No, I cannot believe it. It's beautiful. Oh, I always cry. And you can see he's got tears running down his face, but almost certainly because of the unblinking minutes he's spent staring at the bell, I always cry at the lottery. Oh, gosh. It's just so beautiful.

I didn't give him as much respect as he deserved. We're going to have to go through his records and give them an honored place at the library, for sure. Absolutely. There was no respect for him at the end. He just was one of the chosen ones, of course. He's in ogre heaven now, feasting with his ancestors, and his family, of course, will have a great feast tonight. It's a beautiful thing.

Aye, there will be a feast, as for certain. May we have the rest of the day to explore the forum and enjoy the various amenities of Ogerton. Why? Given the amazing experience that's been had here today. I'm happy that you said that. I think that you should have a tour. If you would like me, I can join you and take you up even to see the silver ship.

But I also would plan to get back. I mean, there's going to almost certainly be no theater today. I mean, a day of lottery on a day of rest like this? No, no, no. We're going to go home and have our own celebratory feast. Isn't that right, everyone in the twins? Yay! Yes, yes, yes. We'll be heading back to the estate unless you want my company. You're all under my protection. You're free to do what you want on this, the final day of the week. I want to go back to our quarters.

No, you can give us a tour of the ship. You can get us inside. I am not technically supposed to take vassals up to the ship. The vassals normally come to the lottery?

as guests of the house who they're part of the family certainly but it's not very common there's very limited room and no vassal is going to be taken to the ogre heaven it's almost a little scandalous if you ask me I don't want to go see the ship I want to go back to our quarters we really shouldn't I would like to go to the ship Scrim can go back to the quarters would anyone else like to join me

I don't think that's a very good idea, Yorneir. I think we should stick together, but... I think we should see the ship. Well, I only have a foot foot long now, and I'm full. Is anybody else feeling hungry? No. I filled up on ginger beer. All right, I'll keep eating it.

You look down at the tiny frame of Queenie and you wonder how she could fit two full feet of hot dog inside of her. After hurting one foot. Poor finger. Oh, jeez. I would love it more. Were you not even listening at all? Yes, I was. We are simply vassals interested in the wonderful creation of

of our people. Manius leans down conspiratorially. I think, honestly, if we were going to do it before you prove yourselves as ogres, today would be the day most people will head home after the lottery. And I...

I would very much like that, yes. Thank you. Aye.

What an opportunity. Well, let's come on. I will happily take any of you who want to join, and there are two carriages at the ready to go back to the villa for anyone who is feeling tired or wants to enjoy an evening of rest. I now only have a foot long left. You and I, they're gonna know. They're gonna know. We all know anything anyway, so we might as well enjoy the hospitality of our...

100 hosts.

Please do lead the way. Well, come on, then. Let's go. Good beer, this. Manny says goodbye to his family and explains that he's going to be staying behind, escorting you through the city. And you can tell that he's giving a bit of a lie of it as well. And as the crowd continues to disperse, he takes you up and you look at the... Crossing the great city square, you look up and you see these enormous columns of...

marble-like stone, and you can stare straight up at the peaking bottom of the silver ship just as it rests at the very top of the forum, and you can see that figurehead holding out that great orb at the top. And if we cross through here, you'll be able to see the theater where we have great intellectual debates, philosophical debates, and please, just come this way. And he leads you through and down, and there it is. There is indeed...

And to your surprise, something that Daisy mentioned to you, gosh, perhaps a week, 10 days ago, when you were first...

when you first confronted a Wheel of Years at the bottom of a great mountain on Midwinter. And it is almost an identical design. It is... It doesn't have the same little stones peeking up. This is a flat mosaic, but it is the same counting of months, the same counting of days, and in that same kind of a pattern. The coincidence is startling, but you're still amazed by the huge open space. And you can imagine that...

Were it not for the unease that you feel for having witnessed what you just experienced in the lottery, that this could be a place of wonder and joy.

debate and intellectualism and it inspires that kind of confidence. These huge stairs all in a half moon circle where people would stand and sit and be able to listen to their peers and be able to talk about whatever subject they needed to come to. And on the side, a staircase circling and leading up to the roof of the forum.

Well, here it is. This is where we do most of our governing, so to speak. It's an amazing thing our ancestors did, isn't it? Yes, I recall sailing upon the heavens.

in a ship such as this more is coming to you then yes I'm nauseous I ate three whole feet of hot dog and then climbed up all these stairs even I would be struggling a little bit that was quite a bit of hot dog and look at you you're very tiny I don't think those are onions I don't know what those were oh those are radishes I love radishes but not that many they're pickled they're usually very briny yes it's not for everyone

And you're having this conversation as your foot falls upstairs. We're not in the ship yet. Not in the ship, but you make your way up and there's a...

floor, a ceiling floor. If you were staring up at the bottom from the Wheel of Years, looking up, there would be a ceiling. But in order to get to the ship, it does seem that you need to cross along the top, almost like an attic of the form. You cross along and through this empty space. Just beams and construction in all directions. Not lit by anything in particular, but the sunlight peeks in through a few gaps, and it's...

at the other side that you're able to reach the front of the forum and here, here, this is where you can climb on and pull yourself up to the top of the ship. From this angle, it's...

always been a guess as to whether or not the size would be ogre-sized or not, but it seems a little small. It seems a little small. It's actually almost identical to the size of what you came here in when you first sailed to Drakkar. It's not...

Ogre Scope, let's say. It's not Ogre Scaled. And he climbs up a few ladder rungs, let's say, and you're able to pull yourself up to the top and

You're standing on it. You're standing on a ship that is seemingly made of silver on the back, I guess, the aft of the ship, looking out and over and around the Ogerton. You get this great 360-degree panorama looking in all directions where you're able to see the theater,

off on one side. You can see the Hippodrome even farther away, even the library and the curving slope of this terrain being what it is, even the villas as far out as they are. It's raining, but it's not foggy or dim. And it's still midday almost. I would say mid-afternoon.

Well, here we are. This is it. This is the ship that our ancestors rode in on and decided that this was the fertile ground where they would pursue knowledge, pursue knowledge on behalf of Sophilith and bring that back to Ogre Heaven. But I don't need to tell you all this. It's just, here it is.

"May we look around, please?" Certainly, yes, of course. "I looked just like my ship "when I sailed through the green flash to Ogre Headman myself.

I imagine it is of a similar design. That's very, very interesting. And he is taking notes of your reactions. Don't get too close to the edge. You're not supposed to be up here, remember. And he continues to write. Can we go into the cabin? Is there an inside of the ship? Yeah. I would just start looking around, acting like I'm a curious vassal, but just sort of keeping an eye out for...

any sense of a way down or in to wherever these creatures are. Yeah, I kind of always imagined it as like a Samus Aran ship, like a Metroid ship, but is it more like a galleon? It's a galleon. We're on like a deck. You're on a galleon that is made of silver.

Got it. And the metal would be bright and shining and probably very hot in even the Drakarian sun if it were daylight like this. But it's just actually quite slick. Even the planks beneath your feet seem coated in silver. And there are stairs leading down into a second floor cabin area. There are...

picture what you were on when you arrived in Drakkar, and that is what you were standing on, but it is covered in silver. And if I could also keep an eye out for, like, anything that would have made the lights that we saw come from behind us. Oh. Do you go down and in, or do you... Yeah, I'm going down, and I'm just sort of... I'm not trying to be, like, you know, I'm not trying to, like, break anything, but I want to sort of get a sense of...

Someone's actually perceptive and not just sort of take it for granted like try to see if I see any seams Oh, there might be a doorway there. Okay, it's some sort of sense Go ahead and make an investigation check at advantage. And what are the rest of you all doing? I would say I'm also looking around but not to investigate things. I'm very much like just like shaking and scared and I'm more looking around because I'm worried that like I

those horrible creatures are gonna come back at any time. You're looking around your shoulder, like-- Yeah, yeah. So I'm looking around, and I might notice things, but I'm more preoccupied about getting brain-- You can make a general perception check. I would test the cables and the rigging, and the general construction of the ship to see if it's seaworthy, or is it purely decorative, like how would a ship get here, I guess. What's the water vehicle roll?

It could be honestly whatever you want. Yeah, plus proficiency. So you could pick any stat, right? And then if it's a water vehicle roll, then he would add his proficiency. If you're proficient. I would say another investigation at advantage and you can add your proficiency because you are very familiar with nautical vehicles. I'm going to use a twist. I would move to the...

Bow of the ship? It was the very front. Yeah, yeah. I'd move to the bow of the ship and just, and not, I'm not like searching for anything. Not really looking for anything. I would look off the bow of the ship and stare into the waterfall. Okay. Queenie? I think I'm traumatized and eating. I just finished my hot dog. I'm probably standing very close to Scrim and just kind of like staring at my feet. Okay. Yeah. I'm like horrified to be here. 19. 19.

19. You are bound into the bowels of the ship, and what strikes you is how empty it is. It seems that it is almost like when you visit a historical ship in real life, and it is...

It's not how it would have been lived in. There aren't crates, there are no barrels, there's almost no rope or anything like that. This does not look like it's a ship that would have been taken to sea without... unless you were a complete idiot.

But even the interior seems to be coated with this layer of silver. And very quickly, you're able to go through a few rooms, and it's obvious that there is nothing inside of this ship. It is almost like a set piece. Barnabas, you start to go through the same motions, and you start to test it. It is a ship that, were it not covered in metal, could perhaps float on the ocean floor.

And you notice there are no sails. There are no real ropes. There don't even seem to be knots that you could examine and get a sense of the quality of the sailors who may have actually piloted such a vehicle. And you're unable to come to any more conclusions than that. You guys are standing traumatized, and your perception was... 22. 22. You...

See what I described with great clarity, but you are feeling particularly rough Taishan you are Yourself again unlike the version of your memory of yourself that you experienced in the evening Over the previous night where you were not curious your desire to learn about this world and to Learn about a Vantress and what what was

quest it to you, what was bestowed upon you by Fu Zhao to go beyond the Golden Valley and see the world. You walk right up to that front of the ship, but you do not make it very far. It is as you start to walk up and start to walk towards the figurehead, you get about ten feet away, and something pushes against your throat. Back up. And...

You take a step to the left and you start to walk forward again and just seeming to approach the front of the ship, you are hit by something that the pendant seems to prevent you from moving forward. You do not get a good look at the water, well, unfortunately, but you run into this obstacle. And I think that we probably need to go a little more mysterious. - Oh. - I will come back up to the deck. - Your ear returns to the surface of the ship.

Does anyone spend time up here, or is this sort of just for show? It is the ship that their ancestors came upon, and the legends have it that when we have gathered all the knowledge there is to know about the mortal world, that we'll use this ship to travel back to Ogre Heaven. Beyond the lottery, it's the only path back, really, but...

No, it's really more of a symbol as it stands right now, unless you know something more about what the future may hold. I was just wondering if it was used for rituals or religious ceremonies or government business or anything. It just was very empty. Oh, I suppose it is. Yes, I...

I mean, I wasn't here when it was put atop the forum. That was centuries ago. But perhaps it's been cleared out. There aren't any other artifacts or ancestors that I can recall. I'd have to go to the library and check the records. And does there seem to be any kind of source of light? Or would he have to walk up to the bow to see it? Make an intelligence check at advantage.

Stop using the Wyrmwood Dice, Dre. You're going to break it. Two nines. Ten. I would say even with a ten, thinking about the shadows that were cast by the purple light that hit you in the moment that the heavens transformed into the mind flayers that you were confronted by, the light would have come from the front of the ship.

And you remember that there is a massive orb being held by a figurehead that looks like an ogre, mantled just under the bow. What do you see, Taishan? Manius, could we enjoy the view for a moment in private? It takes me back. Can we meet you downstairs? Make a persuasion check. Okay.

On the Flavortown. Oh! You didn't go to Flavortown. You hot dog when you should have pizza. I eat french fried. French fried, yeah. I hot dog. Hot dog on the brain. Well, 24. 24? Shagoth, I understand. I too love what Sophileth has given us in this rare opportunity of mortality, and I'm sure you're...

breathing in the air anew, fresh, especially after the lottery. I'll be just down there. And he turns and makes his way down the side of the ship, and you feel for a moment that you are all five of you alone here on the surface of this silver ship. Guys, Mr. Fireblossom? We're not really ogre souls, are we? No. No, we're not, Mr. Fireblossom. We are cattle.

I'm a rabbit. Just like that poor bastard. You know, when he was talking to us and making his pronouncements, all I could think about was seeing him dead. And I think the first death would have done it. But you see the look of his eyes, the look on his face every time he died.

Perhaps you should stop talking about these. And I just sort of very like, side-glanced at Scrim.

He's right. Our thoughts are on our own. I've been sitting here trying to think of what to do, but I... Wait, what does it matter? It doesn't matter exactly the point. No matter what I come up with, they already know. They know everything. There's nothing we can do. We're stuck here forever. We are cattle. Oh, we are not. I can't approach the... I'm a rabbit. I haven't been... I couldn't approach the bow. It's like you described under the... When you made your journey under the waterfall, the...

The necklace began to tense and I couldn't move forward. My actions weren't my own. They're protecting the orb. And I'll sort of slowly walk forward until I feel the same, presumably. You get to where Taishan is standing and take an inch forward step and you feel the gentle press. Very familiar now. The same kind of experience when you attempted to approach the door, saying, this is off limits because you have a bangle.

You detected magic on the other door, or no? I recall that you did. I did. And that you felt that it was magical, but that it did not have a arcane school. Correct. Okay, that's what I thought. See, I'm not even gonna use it now. We were able to, when I was, when I left myself and I wasn't wearing this, I could...

go to places that they would not allow. Perhaps that is our only way to know. You said the souls of the damned guard even that realm. Mr. Yorneir, your soul is as much cattle as ours. I'm a rabbit. Despite its ability to fly. Did you notice that when he threw the body into the water, there was no splash?

You suspect that the lack of splash was because of the sound of rain, waterfall, and the distance from the... Just that it wouldn't... On the bridge. That was not a clue. I will give that to you. I was thinking maybe it was like a mind-vision illusion water. Never mind. I will not allow these beings or anyone else to keep me from my fate and my destiny.

If we didn't have these on, I'd say maybe there was a chance, but I don't know. I'm out of ideas. The only thing I know is that we can't, I can't, live the rest of my life here waiting for the same fate. It's clear to me now more than ever that we have to find a way to stop them.

Maybe they can see our thoughts. Maybe they can't. We've been plotting since we got here. And only now, when the bell tolled and the lottery began, did they try and stop us. You think maybe they're bluffing? Actually, I don't think that's a bad point. If they were as powerful as they say they are, why wouldn't they have just stopped us earlier?

Why'd they have to put on that show and tell us, we know what you're thinking, you keep doing this, why wouldn't you have stopped us already? What are we to them? Well, like Barnabo said, we're just cattle. I'm a rabbit! Man, they're gonna eventually sloop our brains out like that ogre. Why allow the ogres to continue to live in the manner that they do? The only reason you announce your plans like that to everybody is when you know you can't be stopped. Or you think that it's so...

Horrible? You'll cow someone into not even trying. Oftentimes, the people who feel like they can't be stopped are the ones who are more easily to slip up. What do you always say about cons?

You have a big show with one hand. That the pointless and I wasted my whole life doing a lot of things that I really regret. No, you never say that in front of time. Now I'm going to die here in Ogerton. I've said it a lot and I'll say it again. You always say that you make a big show with one hand and the finesse occurs with the other. Everything's all right up there, yes? Yeah, we're just enjoying the birthplace of our ancestors. Carry on, carry on.

Maybe this is their big show. Maybe this is their dazzle so we don't look closely at what they're trying to do. Maybe this is their con. You know what? Regardless of whether any of that's true or not, living here like this is a fate worse than death. I agree, Miss March. So if my choice is to just submit...

and live my life like this and die someday, I'd rather die sooner in a blaze of fucking glory. So I say, if you're out there listening, we're coming for you. - I'll grab absentmindedly the large crab tattoo on my forearm right above my fin. And I'll say, well said, Miss March. Every single soul is born free, or souls.

the souls of the ogres, the souls of the vassals. And these brain-eating squidfellers, they think that they can be our captors, our herders, like we're fucking chattel. Like we are cattle waiting to die, waiting to be fed upon. All I know is that I would rather die a thousand times just the way that he did and accept that these creatures

Hold the key to my freedom. I am going to keep moving forward until all of my enemies are destroyed. And now I finally know who my enemies are. And I've never killed a Kraken. But you know what else I haven't killed? That squid-faced fuck. Right. And come up with a plan. And if it's good enough, then they'll stop us. And the only thing we won't have is the element of surprise. But we can deal with that. Right? Right.

I gotta imagine that... No, you go ahead. Wherever we get, they'll see us coming. Well, or they won't. To both of your points. Which, if, you know, if that's in our favor, then so be it. We can't, if they're... If they obviously live in the waterfall or just behind it or under it or whatever, then we can't approach them with these on. We have to start here. We have to get these off somehow. And from there...

It's a fair fight. The only person that we know that's been successful thus far was Mylon. And he made a deal. And we don't really know entirely what that deal was. Nope. So maybe we gotta press him. The ogres removed them. We know that they have, well, we think they have the ability to, right? But, I mean, Mylon might be the key to all of this. Figuratively and laterally.

If there's a tool, if they control the ogres, they're not going to let the ogres remove these things from our necks. If there's a tool, or maybe they will, I don't know. We have to find some way to get them off, but I think Scrim is right. We start with Mylon. It's the only thing we know for sure. It's the only lead we've got. Didn't Daisy say she had a letter from Mylon at the beginning of the session? This morning, yes, she did. I...

I'm never disarmed with the power of the city, but I want my fucking anchor. I don't want to kill those things with claws or tails. I want to smash their skull in like I did to old Forgos. Do we have the ability, do you have the ability, to bring us back to life if something were to happen? I know that there are

Now there were medicine people back where I came from that could do that. Not without a diamond. Oh. I want my shield. That's too rich for my blood. Wherever they're keeping our effects, there must be a diamond there. The library! We knew that they were cleansing them

somewhere specific. He seemed to indicate when you first, first, first woke up that he was worried that you were all infected with the madness and that your clothes and items would be almost like going into a radioactive zone would be infected with the madness and that they weren't being inspected, but he was very vague.

And then immediately the next day, it seemed like you didn't know what you were talking about. As though... - I'm an asshole. - Whatever happened to Taichen perhaps, as a parallel. And you are struck by that thought as you think through the way that your gear has been described. - Our equipment was being cleansed. - It's probably gone forever. - I wish we could find it somehow. - We've all dreamed of the library. That's not a coincidence.

I think that's, we have to check it. Well, you didn't, right? I, well, it was more like a cozy study. But yes, there were lots of books. Then we should go. What if the study is a room in the library or perhaps beneath? What does that mean? That they're just taunting us this whole time? From the very beginning, proving that they're inside of us? Like Miss Mark said, and Mr. Fireblossom, pure fucking hubris. Arrogance.

Or they only reach out when we dream, when we're at our lowest mental defense. Maybe their power is just limited! I would be interested to see what they could do any distance away from the orb right down there. Well, again, or if we just didn't have these on us and they couldn't freeze us in place, then, you know, it might be a fair fight. They are not gods.

Though they claim to be. They're sea creatures! Skinny bodies! And we know they bleed. That is a wonderful point, yes. We know they bleed. I'm sorry to interrupt. And you see the head of-- Shut the fuck up!

Just give me a goddamn second! Just give me a goddamn second! More ginger beer! The one with the cute black seal on it! Just kidding. It's been 10, 15 minutes. Can we have five more? And then I promise we'll be ready to go.

Just five, please. All right, thank you. Manis, we actually don't want to hold you. If you just want to go home, we'll meet you there. I only have the one carriage, and I don't want to make you walk in this muddy... Oh, we don't mind. No, no, no, no, no, we, we, we. Just five minutes. I'll wait. Just five minutes. I'll be just... No, you know... Nope, Tasha, just five minutes. We were planning on going to the library after to meet up with Minerva. She has a carriage. All right, ssss.

The equivalent of Sunday, the library is closed. She went to the library. Oh, it's the worst day, the equivalent of Sunday. No posts on the equivalent of Sunday. In the morning, she said she was going to the library. But then they had the lottery, so everything closed down like theater.

But he said it was the equivalent of Sunday, and that's why it was closed, not because of the lottery. I don't know. I'm just making this up. Or you bought home. We can take out the library. Yes. The library is canonically open. I just hope we don't run into a tabaxi that hates the equivalent of Monday.

- An orange tobacco shows up. - Just housing lasagna. - Where's my lasagna, Jon? It rises up from the depths of the earth, like a horribly long neck and spider-like legs. - You guys all fight-- - You make him laugh when he's drinking. - You all fight an Eldritch Garfield and then you're back and Manius gives you the five minutes to conclude your discussion. - You said that you had that weird,

Stop, you shall not pass. Have been at the front of the ship. Yes, right here. Yes. Will you take care of me if anything bad happens? If I can, of course I will. All right. I want to try something. You trust me? I don't.

I do. Okay. Would having someone with crab legs sprouting from their lower half help in your plan? I'd really rather you didn't. Okay, roger that. Ahoy. Thank you for the offer, though. I did have a dream that I would die to Garthulu. Do you mean...

Thufield. Shut up! Five minutes! Well, you know it's not meant to be pronounceable by mortal tongue anyway. It's like rely. It's not spelled that way. It's not rely!

I want to walk up to the front of the ship where I feel like the tugging or whatever happened. And thinking back to the library and how I was able to change things by the way that I would think about them.

I want to focus all of my energy on my mind and imagine myself walking forward through it without my necklace and see no matter if I can pull it together no matter how hard it is until the point that I essentially just pass out and die. Oh. But I'm going to keep going and I'm going to see if I can will myself further.

You push as hard as you can, closing your eyes. You endeavor to, leap of faith, push past the pendant as though it wasn't around your neck to cross the bridge or go through the portal or do something to try and undo this shackle around you. And you push and you push and you push

You can hardly breathe. You can't breathe. You're pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing until you pass out. And it's like a very angry toddler who holds their breath until they pass out. You are that determined and so...

for answers or some path forward that you all watch as she pushes and pushes. It doesn't take more than a minute of the five, and then she falls back. And I would say one of you is close enough to easily be able to catch Queen Anne. And you're able to stop her from slamming into the metal planks of this strange silver ship. And another minute passes and...

head throbbing, your blurry eyes open. Yornir, did I make it? No. Oh, dear. Well, I tried. It was worth a try. And I'll send you... Are you okay to stand? Oh, my legs are a little wobbly, but yeah. Look at these feet. I can stand on anything. I'll let you go.

- We wobble a moment, but not that much. - I thumper my feet. I'm like, okay, I'm good. - You all right, Miss March? - Yeah, I was just, you remember when we had those dreams? I don't know about y'all, but I decided for myself where I was gonna go in that library and what I was gonna remember. And I thought, well, if I could do that in the dreams they're forcing upon us, maybe this is all just has to do with mine stuff and we could will things to happen, but

No, that's just in them fairy tale books, like that Matilda book I read when I was a kid. Or the legend of Garthulu. Those great voices calling out, Nyaa, Nyaa, Garthulu Lazagan.

Nyah, nyah, Garthulu, Dlazergan! Okay, there's no answers for us up here. We should head down. Barnabus has finally snapped. He's gone cuckoo bananas! He's seen a squid man, his mind can't handle it. Manius is gonna become suspicious. He's already popped his head up twice.

We should head down, we should find Daisy, find Myelin, see if we can get to the library. And perhaps Manius is right. It is the equivalent of Sunday. And there's no post on Sunday. I have no energy left. If we do find something, I will have nothing to defend us.

Then we go back, we rest, we prepare. We still plan to keep moving forward until our enemies are destroyed. And I'll start with the library. I want my fucking shell back. And my anchor. And my pipe. And my ancient estuary. And my fucking tobacco. I didn't ever realize how much stuff you had. I do! They have my pan!

They just have a teapot. A couple cups. What if they're washing it? We cut to an elephant with a steel wool. And soap. Ooh, there's a baby's bottom. Yikes. The truest evil.

I'll start to join Mannius. Me too. You make your way down. Solemnly. Solemnly. Not feeling that you have come to a game plan, to a path forward. Moments of hope and excitement and ambition to get free of this space. And moments of despair. Moments of feeling that there are no options. The uncertainty that fills you

fills you for the carriage ride all the way back to the villa as you make your way down the stairs through the forum into the carriage where Manius guides you to make your way all the way up, up, up the...

first cobblestone path and then muddy, muddy dirt path past the fields and farms, past the many gardens of the House of Knowledge, the House of Education, the Blaginius House. And creeping up and over and into the courtyard, you can see that there is another carriage here.

Do you say or do anything on the road, or is it mostly of silence? Manius may have asked you a few questions, but he's greeted with your ponderings. Yeah, I'm definitely not answering anything. I'm freaked out. I'll be just doodling with my tattoo designs with my needle. The rain seems to be intensifying, and you reach the courtyard, and... Oh, what's this? It's almost dinner. It's...

It's the carriage of the House of Commerce of Gorgustus. Very strange, very strange at this late hour. Well, uh... Oh. Oh my. Well, uh, let's all go inside and see what Commodus has called upon us for. And he starts to guide the five of you into the villa.

Hearing the rain still pelting outside, you guys enter House Blaginius, and you are greeted by a few vassals who quickly point to Manius.

And he looks at them. Yes, yes, yes. Lead the way. Where is the family? And where is Commodus? Where is Governor Augustus? And they lead down one hallway, down a wing of this villa, and make their way to a sitting room. And therein, you can see that there is...

sitting in one of the comfy chairs. You can see his son Tito is sitting there. You can see Minerva and his wife are sitting there. And you can see Daisy is holding a platter of some hors d'oeuvre or whatnot. Looking as subservient as she can, but her

her eyes wide looking at the five of you as you all enter this space. Commodus, what brings you to call upon our house at such a late hour? It's a pleasure to see you, of course, of course, but what are you here for? Greetings, Governor. We come bearing a gift for your lovely daughter Minerva in celebration of her upcoming nuptials to my son, Tito.

And you can see next to him a long wooden cylinder by his side that looks as though it might contain a map or parchment, something along those lines. And Minerva turns. Yes, what does Commodus speak of, father? What exactly is going on? What nuptials are they speaking of, father?

Oh, uh, this, uh, just, uh, uh, an arrangement that, uh, uh, Governor Gorkostas and I, uh, uh, uh, discussed, really. Uh, uh, yeah. I had no idea about this, Father. I'm not going to be forced into a marriage I don't want.

I refuse to be a pawn in your political games. I refuse. You think you can just have me marry out of love? As a promise? For what? Well, it was very, very important, Minerva. You have to understand this is a discovery. You have to understand what is happening. You may have been able to control...

"My birth, but you're not going to control my life, father. "You're not gonna control me. "I refuse, I'm not gonna marry this disgusting man. "This is gross. "If I'm going to marry at all, I'm going to marry for love." And now Minerva, calm down, calm down. Tito stands and grabs this wooden cylinder and moves forward.

And it seems like he's speaking words that he hasn't come up with himself, as though he's been told to say these words in this order.

Should things not go well with the vassals your father entertains as though they're ogres, you could... Minerva pulls the... for lack of a better word, the scroll case out of Tito's hands.

opens it and pulls out what is clearly a scroll and you recognize this scroll. You, looking at it, even the exterior of it, this is the same scroll that was used on you the day that Skloricero visited you and the remainder of you disappears to be, even from the exterior, a scroll of remove curse. What are you all doing in this moment as this dramatic event continues to unfold?

Try not to make eye contact or anything, because it's really awkward. I'm sort of like, kind of rustling in my armor and furs and leathers, still in my costume. Sort of kind of uncomfortably waiting. I'd like to go take a finger sandwich from Daisy. You sidle up next to her and just sort of pull out the toothpick and...

It's cucumber. It's fine. This is fine. I'm not going to marry you. I don't care what gifts you have or from who. We've barely spoken our whole lives. This is not some game. What do you know about me? You wouldn't be able to respect me. You wouldn't be able to... Please, please. Tito is flustered. He immediately doesn't know what to say after this simple introduction.

And she pushes him back and he stumbles a little farther back. If there's anything in this house that's cursed, it's you! And she pulls out the scroll and she immediately uses it on Tito. Speaking the word out and something transforms in Tito. For whatever has warped his mind, for whatever has been...

the wool over his eyes, he is now able to see the truth. You see what can only be in his face, the flood of memories of everything that he could have possibly witnessed in his old life. A series of endless lotteries. Whatever history of Ogerton he may have experienced from whatever age going back, he... Don't...

What have you done, Minerva? What have you done? I've used the scroll on him. And in this insane manic moment, everything seems to break out into chaos as Cheeto immediately pulls his hand back and smashes into Minerva. Crap.

crushing into her with a heavy blow. She's hit. Oh! I need everyone to roll for initiative. Oh dear lord. You don't hit a girl. Oh my god! Oh, thank you.

I'm going to... Can I use my ability? I think so. I think it's still an H to me. I don't have any spell slots. Oh, I don't have any spell slots. Never mind, I can't. I should be okay. Never mind, I can't. Oh, yeah, I'm good. I'm ready to rock and roll. You're good. I'm ready to rock and roll, baby. I'm top tier. I'm top drawer.

Oh, I guess you were asleep. Yeah, I was asleep. I was asleep while it was all going down. I'll go last, though. Yeah, that's fine. You never send the big guns first. Let the pawns go first. Let's see here. Can I? What's the? I think I can still do something here. Oh, I can't.

Just one moment, bear with us while we prepare combat. I didn't know if we were gonna get this far and I didn't do any of the DM prep work that I normally do. Oh, I'm so pumped. Is it an item that--oh! I don't have my little gem. I don't have my stone. No. No. None of us do. Okay. Okay, that's fine. What stone?

The stones from the Yeti. My stone feature. Our elder Yeti stones. Oh yeah, the elder Yeti. That was my favorite boss fight. What was it? An elder Wendigo. Damn it! It was actually Yeti the mean old Yeti from the Donkey Kong Country cartoon. Elder Yeti sounds pretty badass. It does. No, I'm going to have an elder Yeti in a campaign forthcoming.

Oh, that's really funny. Alright. 20 to 30. I got a 28. Oh, damn. Pretty good. She's fast. She's full of hot dog. Powered by pork. 15 to 20. Oh, I got a 19. I'm sorry. 19.

We have some combat music. I will do that in one moment. I like the roll initiative first. It's 10 to 15. I lied, it was a 27. Okay. You'll still right up at the top. 14. You're near what you can. Nine. You definitely beat Tysha. Right here.

There's only one roll that's lower than mine. Well, it depends on what your initiative is. You can have negative initiative. Is that possible? Yeah. If your dex is negative. Yeah. Or is it just whatever your dex is? Based on your dex, yeah. And then some people get proficiency bonuses to it, and you get like rogues and bards get like extra. Yeah, super. Or like roll on advantage, stuff like that. Perhaps the hairs do too. Yeah. Yeah.

Because that was a mighty high initiative roll. That was way too high. She would not be able to get there. That'll do it. A lot of cards up there. Yeah, that's kind of scary. All right. Who do we subdue in this situation? Because I have a feeling they're all going to turn on us. Top of the round. Queenie, you're up.

I'm not gonna do this, it's more theater of the mind, but this is a small room, so you're always gonna be in range, you can do whatever you need to do, and Cito has already injured Minerva once, doing a pretty good amount of damage with just a single blow, and she's cowering, Manius and Commodus are reaching for their wands, and the rest of you are springing into action. Daisy drops her platter, what do you do? I am going to lunge forward,

and I am going to smack him in the face with my hand. - Okay, roll to attack. - Does a 14 hit? - Let's find out together. Tito is Gort Gustafs's kid, right? - Yes. - That's the son? Okay. - He's pretty large.

You're just gonna hit him with your fist? That's quite literally all I can do. It just misses. Okay. Oh yeah, you don't have a bow. I don't have a bow. I have no spell slots. Yikes. So all I can do is one point of damage every round. Everybody chill out, Scrim will handle this. You run up and you punch the side of him and it's like punching a medicine ball.

Yeah, no, I didn't hit him, so. I actually missed. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I would say that you hit. It just obviously doesn't do damage. He's a huge guy. You smack him on the ass. You do not hit a woman. I don't care how mad you are that she has declined your advances. You do not hit a woman. I'm going to stand between him and Minerva.

Okay, you sneak in between there, and he's up, and despite your sneaking in there, he is much taller than you, and he immediately goes into Minerva for an additional two strike attacks.

And he gets a seven and a natural one, so he actually smashes into her, but she's able to block both of the blows. But she screams out, Favala, what is happening? And Manius, I'm not sure. Tito, stop it, stop it. Calm your son down. Manius turns and he says, I will ready a spell. If he hits again, I will. I will. I will attack your son. I will. Fonibos, you're up.

I'll step forward and crack my neck, and I'm just so fucking fed up, and I will say, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit a lady?" As I am going to, immediately covered in seawater barnacles and starfish and other sea life, as I lunge forward

and true to my name in this persona, hanging below my shark props, my hands will turn into snapping sharks, and I'm just going to go in and attempt to annihilate this fucker. - Okay. - I'm going to recklessly attack. - AC is 15. - First one will hit. - Could it be 11, do you think? - What? - Could we just change this AC to 11? - No. - I don't know if he has...

if he has any reactions or whatever, but I'm gonna hit him three times. - Okay. - And none of that's gonna crit. And so that is going to be 3d6, eight, 11 plus 21.

that's 32 points of slashing damage. As I'm just punching with my fists and the sharks are just chomping. - You are reeking against his back as he is laser focused on Minerva for the insult and also

He seems to be under his own madness. He seems to have, just as you watched the slow transformation of Skrullicero, you are seeing him immediately have been transformed. This remove curse scroll seemingly unleashing the ogre within, and even though you're doing tremendous amount of damage to him, he seems to be ignoring you. Commodus pulls out his own wand. Now stop it, stop it!

Uh, uh, Trothak, uh, the rest of you, do not hurt my son, I swear, I will put you all out.

- Scrim. - Ignoring what he's saying and the absolute chaos that's breaking out, with one hand I raise my hand and cast Hexblade's Curse on him as a bonus action to slow him down, channeling the power that I have within me, and with the other hand the Brutal Blade will appear out of nowhere, and after I feel the Curse take effect on Tito, I will go for his ankles as if to try to hobble him.

I'll make a melee attack. Achilles heel being very appropriate. Twist it. Twist it. I would like to twist it, please. You may. That's how this game works. One or two? Two, please. I don't want to miss. The first one is a 15. AC is 15? All right, that's good enough. You want to fish for a 20? Yeah. Yeah, I do. You use the two. Elmo will save you.

- Not good enough. - What? - I mean, not good enough. - Oh, good credit, good credit. - Yeah, I needed a 19 or 20 actually. Okay, so it hits. It's gonna be 3d4 plus five plus nine. Oh, 'cause I'm also using Fury of the Small, I think, if I can. - Yeah, yeah, he's much, much larger than you. - Yes, because it doesn't require an action. So three, four, seven, eight, nine, 10. - I need to pump this. - Plus. - What am I doing?

That's gonna be 24 points of slashing damage. 24 points of slashing? 24 points. 24, damn. That's like all of my biz right off the bat. You dumpster. Barnabas is going high, you go low, and you slash into his leg. And you can see, even though the wounds are opening and immediately starting to seal, you do significant damage to this creature, as regenerative as this ogre is.

- Good job. - Thank you. - Commodus yells out, "I told you, I would put you up!" And Mania says, "No, no, no, no, no, Glorcusus, please, please don't! Tell your son to calm down! Tito, stop, stop!" They're screaming at each other at the top of their lungs, and Yornir, you are up. - I will shout, "Ahh!"

Do not kill him, so do him! Grimnir, grant me Fang and Claw. I'm going to shift in a flash of light blue light and I will turn into a wolf with kind of gray and white fur with one with my right eye still. Ghost! And then I'm going to leap and just go for his, you know, a non-lethal wolf bite, if that's a thing.

- You just gotta weaken him. - Yeah, exactly. - That's fine, he's tough, he's a big old ogre man. - And I have pack tactics presumably, I do. - Yeah. - Nice. - So that is a 20 something to hit. - 15 to hit, 15 to hit. - And bite damage is 2d4 plus two. - Classic. - It is classic. - Let's go for 10, let's go for 10, I'm feeling it. - You think so? - Yeah, why not?

Seven. Close enough. Buddy needs to make a DC 11 strength saving throw or we knock Brown. Derek, a preparatory question. Are the ogres of Ogerton considered humanoids? I don't think so. Yeah. Really? Are they really? Large giant. Oh, but aren't humanoids... No, humanoids is a type of species. It's its own thing. So trolls and ogres are giant can cyclopes. But they're human-esque.

They're human in shape. My Flare is humanesque. Just couldn't let him say humanoids. No, no, trust me. He doesn't want them to be humanoids. Sorry to tell you. No, it's okay. There's nothing that wasn't relevant. He rolled a natural 11, so he...

Regardless of what strength he had. So he rolled like a 34 there? He rolled a 17. That's fine. And so with your wolf attack being what it is, you can hear Commodus screaming, Mania screaming at each other. Tito is continuing to pound his fists against the surface of Minerva. She's shrinking down, shrinking down. She's perhaps very perceptive, but she is a bookish...

pacifist almost, let's say, and she's not doing anything to try to attack in this moment. That's the conclusion of Yornir's turn. Commodus looks just about ready to, given the immediate aggression that all of you have shown so far, to use his wand against you, and Manius is trying to figure out some way to arbitrate this situation, to mediate it. Daishan, you're up. - I have a quick question. Did we get the sense that when she cleansed him, he began to remember

where do you just think he's going berserk? I would say make an intelligence check at advantage. I think 15. I think it's plus one. With a 15, you get the sense that his transformation isn't just...

a release from whatever intelligence is sustaining these ogres. But also, and he's reverting back to an ogre space, to his natural state. Oh, are ogres just like kind of naturally like... Typically quite stupid and aggressive. Okay. But also, he seemed to have gone through a revelation of...

seeing all of the lotteries that have happened, seeing whatever's happened here in Ogerton. He has fresh memories of horrors, very similar to what you experienced in the lottery. And it would not take much of an insight check or an intelligence check to guess those qualities that that's happening to him. Yes. He's going cuckoo bananas. Should we be worried about the fact that he's maybe remembering everything and is attacking Minerva?

I am. I am, Mr. Fire Blossom! Why are you looking at me? Bork, bork, bork. Twist it, twist it. All right, I'll twist twice. Yeah, yeah, we're gonna use two twists. Yes, think of Jett. Okay, good thing we used two. Do you have a plus 10? You just need a plus 10.

I will fire. Oh, I actually have to roll for every hit. I'll use Scorching Ray at a third level. The first will hit probably at a 24. Yeah, that hits.

18 15 I'll twist once it also is once was once we got him Remember that all right in the third scorching ray Oh 15 yeah, yeah plus seven you're doing all right so two normal hits and a for four be roll for four games shit go six

Alright, you got a bossy decent. Yeah, free game. I love being a little team at the one being two beams. I said to you six times four. I love those two. I need one more. You're kind of taking this. I just got to use my fireball for more. What is it to 2D six per beam? Yeah, it's like fireball. Oh, I knew my little six.

I thought the Barnabas died in their own lives. These are hard to read. All right. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-four. Twenty-four fire damage. Nice. Three scorching rays. Well done. Yeah.

You've done a tremendous amount of damage in a single round and Tommenus is fed up. They're not gonna kill my son, they're not gonna kill him! And Manny is, no, no, no, no! And he points his wand and for all of you, Ah, fuck. The pendants alight and you fall unconscious and go into darkness. Okay.

We should have killed him and taken the wand. Hindsight's 20-20. There's no save, right? Do we get the sense that this is a spell of any sort? Not with the pendant on it. Got it. It's like an auto. Yeah. We're toast. Yeah.

We choose to fail when the pets are on. You each struggle against the sleep. You each push. You see the insanity. You're ready to go in for your next attack. You see the beams smash into Tito. You're preparing perhaps your next spell. You, as a wolf, are digging in your jaw into the side of the love handle of

Commodus's son you are ready to press standing. Yeah, you're just standing there trying to distract Like the bear and fucking Harvey Bird That's what happens when you're a ranger and you have your boat

taken home. I missed one ray. He should have taken ten more damage. That's fine. I'll add it. But as your vision fades and tunnel vision takes over, you can see Manius. No! No! No! And he runs at Commodus and attempts to strike the wand away. Daisy races out of the room as quickly as she can and before you see the outcome of what's happened. Darkness. Uncertainty.

Not knowing what happens. And an hour, ten minutes, five, eight? It's unclear. A week. A week. Confused. Dizzy. You start to bleary-eyed begin to awake to...

the scene and you find yourself in that same sitting room still on the floor almost exactly where you found yourself your wild shape has transformed you back into your near and you wake in your human form or your uh fear-born form i should say your humanoid form and you start to all look at each other's eyes your heads against the mosaic floor the tiles and you

You start to peek around and you can see, looking up, Manius is cradling his daughter and stroking her hair. "It's gonna be alright. It's gonna be alright. Everything's gonna be fine. It's all gonna be fine. You're alright. You're alright." And just to the side of them, the bodies of not just Tito, but also Commodus Gorgustus lie dead at the side of Manius.

Holy shit. And that's where we're gonna end tonight's segment. Oh my god! Chat knew too. They were like, I feel it. It's coming. Dude, can we tell if Minerva's alive? Yes. She's alive. Do we see Gorgustus' wand on the ground? We'll resolve that. Damn it.

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