Desperloch | Age of Umbra Episode 1 Part 1

Tron Aries has arrived.

I would like you to meet Ares, the ultimate AI soldier.

He is biblically strong and supremely intelligent.

You think you're in control of this?

You're not.

On October 10th.

What are you?

My world is coming to destroy yours, but I can help you.

The war for our world begins in IMAX.

Tron Aries, suited PG-13.

Maybe inappropriate for children under 13.

Only in theaters October 10th.

Get tickets now.

I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I love Geico's fast and friendly claim service.

Well, that's how Geico gets 97% customer satisfaction.

Yeah, I'll let you get back to your food.

Uh, so are you just gonna watch me eat?

Get more than just savings, get more with Geico.

Your sausage mcmuffin with egg didn't change, your receipt did.

The sausage mcmuffin with egg extra value meal includes a hash brown and a small coffee for just $5.

Only at McDonald's for a limited time.

Prices and participation may vary.

Hey there, Critter Podcast listeners.

We have a special new membership service at beacon.tv where you get early access to all new podcast episodes, including Critical Role for the first time ever.

Beacon members also get things like live event pre-sales, merch discounts, access to a private community Discord, and new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown.

Think of it as our digital critical role land.

Head on over to beacon.tv to check it out for yourself and start a seven-day free trial.

Thank you so much for your support, for being a podcast listener, and for being a part of our community.

Hey there, critters.

This is Ashley Johnson.

And Telison Jeffy.

And we're popping in here to talk about our new podcast on Beacon, Weird Kids.

In this series, we're diving into our lives as former child actors, from unraveling our eccentric upbringings to embracing all the delightfully odd interests we still have today.

We're covering so many topics like antique toys, taxidermy, Japanese pop culture, and honestly anything else we come up with.

Weird Kids is available exclusively on Beacon, but good news, we're offering a one-month free trial on beacon.tv so you can take a look before you become a member.

Just use the code weirdos at beacon.tv to start the trial.

You can also find fellow weirdos by following the series on our at the weird kids pod Instagram and using the hashtag weirdkids.

So to all the misfits, outcasts, and weirdos out there, come take a seat at our table and celebrate all things unconventional, nostalgic, and wonderfully weird.

Welcome to Weird Kids.

New episodes release every Tuesday.

Hey there, Matthew Mercer here, and you're listening to the podcast version of Age of Umbra, a dark tale and campaign setting from our recently released tabletop RPG Daggerheart from Darrington Press.

You don't need to know anything about the rules or system to enjoy the story, but if if you're inspired to want to play along, we have several short how-to-play resources we lovingly call Get Your Sheet Together, available to watch right now on beacon.tv and youtube.com/slash critical role.

This is part one of the episode right now, and part two arrives the following Tuesday.

If you'd rather get instant and ad-free access to the full episode, consider becoming a beacon member where you can watch bonus content like the cast discussing each episode and Critical Role Cooldown, receive critical role shop discounts, including on Dagger Heart, and much more.

Sign up now at beacon.tv.

And that should cover it.

Now, let's dive into the adventure.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Age of Umbra.

Before we get into this series, we do have some announcements to give you tonight.

Dagger Heart is officially here, everybody!

Oh, man.

I hope you like it.

We've been working really hard on it.

Us and the incredible development team at Darrington Press and everyone else here at Critical Role.

We're so proud of it.

We're so excited for you to get a chance to actually play it, run it, build whatever the hell you want in it.

Like, of course, our game is good, but it's actually really good, guys.

I'm as unbiased as possible.

It's really good.

And you get to see us play through the series.

So, but you can get your Dagger Heart core set in all the Critical Role shops, Darrington Press guild stores, friendly local game stores.

Soon it'll be available on Amazon, Barnes Noble, and even more places from there.

So,

um,

digitally, you can also find Dagger Heart and Cool Interactive Tools with our partners at Demiplane, Roll20, and Drive-ThruRPG.

And if you want to get in the game right now, check out StartPlaying.games and jump into one of the many launch games that over 150 GMs have scheduled this month for Dagger Heart.

So,

very cool.

For more info, go ahead and visit daggerheart.com.

Yay!

DAM!

Laura!

Guess what?

Boy, what?

Chicken butt.

We have merch.

Yay!

Okay, obviously, this is our dagger heart die set.

Got all your polyhedrals, plus, your hope and fear dice.

I've got them out of the box.

A golden and a navy, and you might just kill yourself with them.

What's happening?

So this is designed, the box is designed by Elena Harris.

And it's available right now in all of your favorite critical role Cheppies.

Yay!

Fantastic.

Got blood all over this one.

Oh, come on.

Yeah, it is.

It works for Age of Ombies.

So, for those of you who aren't aware, Daring to Press has a very generous community gaming license that invites all to come and play in our sandboxes.

And as part of that, there's an awesome new Dagger Heart-compatible Kickstarter that just launched today from our friends, Roll and Play Press and Three Black Halflings.

Yay!

Three Black Halflings!

City of the Black Rose is a 140-page horror campaign setting for fifth edition, Dagger Heart, and all fantasy RPGs that's based on the acclaimed noir adventure audio series from Three Black Halflings, which if you haven't heard it, it's fucking awesome.

Go listen to it, and then now you can get a campaign setting book.

But survive the foggy streets of Mavros, a terrible tiered city plagued by crime, kingpins, unsolved murders, and horrifying creatures that lurk in the shadows.

And specifically for Dagger Heart players, there are pre-generated character sheets, theme tokens, and even a campaign frame so you can jump right in with your dagger heart.

So you can back it now on Kickstarter at rollandplaypress.com/slash C-O-T-B-R

for City of the Black Rose.

And I believe that concludes our announcements.

So, with that, friends,

you're going to need a wet wipe.

Yeah, maybe.

Yeah,

let's go ahead and jump into

the age of umbra.

Critical Role is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Look, there's a difference between venting to your GM and actually talking with a licensed therapist.

That's where BetterHelp comes in with clinically trained and licensed therapists.

They've been around for over a decade, helped millions of people, and out of 1.7 million client reviews, they've got a 4.9 rating.

Now here's what I love about BetterHelp.

They help find a therapist that works for you so you can focus on your life's adventure.

You fill out a short questionnaire that helps identify your needs and preferences.

And if you aren't happy with your match, well, you can switch to a different therapist at any time.

It's fully online and you can pause your subscription whenever you need to.

With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally.

As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise.

Find the one with BetterHelp.

Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/slash critical role.

That's betterhelp.com/slash critical role.

Tron Aries has arrived.

I would like you to meet Aries, the ultimate AI soldier.

He is biblically strong and supremely intelligent.

intelligent.

You think you're in control of this?

You're not.

On October 10th.

What are you?

My world is coming to destroy yours, but I can help you.

The war for our world begins in IMAX.

Tron Aries, rated PG-13.

Maybe inappropriate for children under 13.

Only in theaters October 10th.

Get tickets now.

I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I saw you from across a cafe, and you're the Geico Gecko, right?

In the flesh.

Oh, my goodness.

This is huge to finally meet you.

I love Geico's fast-and-friendly claim service.

Well, that's how Geico gets 97% customer satisfaction.

Anyway, that's all.

Enjoy the rest of your food.

No worries.

Uh, so are you just gonna watch me eat?

Oh, sorry.

Just a little starstruck.

I'll be on my way.

If you're gonna stick around, just pull up a chair.

You're the best.

Get more than just savings.

Get more with Geico.

Bubba Wallace here with Tyler Reddick.

You know what's more nerve-wracking than waiting for qualifying results?

Waiting for the green flag to drop.

Instead of pacing, you rev up with Chumba Casino's weekly new releases.

It's like a fresh set of tires for your brain.

Play for free at chumba casino.com.

That's chumba.

No purchase necessary.

VGW group void where prohibited by law.

CTNC's 21 Plus, sponsored by Chumba Casino.

This

is the Halcyon domain.

A once golden realm of verdant valleys, majestic mountain cities,

and the expansive golden city of Amber Reach, where the seat of the God-King Ophidius and his grand ordinance oversaw the rule of law, faith, and magic under the guiding miracles of the Veiled Gods.

It is said by many who scrounge the shreds of history that it was the clandestine machinations of the God-King and his constituents that sundered the divine laws and caused the Veiled Gods to punish the realm and abandon our world.

Others speak of misuse of the Aetherweave itself that spurned their retribution.

What is known is that the centuries since the apostasy, when the veiled gods blanketed the lands in shadow before vanishing into the dreams beyond, this realm

has been dying.

Society has slowly crumbled under an ever-desperate populace, the clergy and nobility shutting themselves within their strongholds and cathedrals, while nightmarish magic and heinous creatures arose to feast upon the surviving citizens of the domain.

The Ashen Sea spilled into the valley to leave leave a sinking marshland, host to mutating beasts and horrid demons.

Holy heroes and great warriors combated the swelling evils, galvanizing the scattered peoples to defend their villages, or found new ones, where the burning flames of the miraculous sacred pyres could keep the darkness at bay.

Some became great leaders.

while others succumbed to the howling evil force known as the Umbra that now spreads and corrupts the realm.

Those that survived despite this divine death sentence now call themselves the enduring.

And over these few generations, defined by hardship, survival, and a gently kindled hope,

new heroes arise

to protect their families, to reassemble the truths of the past, to change the tides of fortune for all,

or die trying.

The old world is dead.

Welcome to the Age of Umbra.

It is here in the Halcyon domain where we instead

come in the midst

of a dark night.

Here in the jungles of Avedora,

the sounds of heavy breathing push through the dense hanging vine and canopy tangle.

Snyx,

what do we see as you rush through the jungles?

Okay.

You see

a young, lanky fawn, more like a mountain goat,

with

dirty, dirty fur and armor,

clutching a a wrapped package very tightly.

He's got two horns.

One is broken off though.

His eyes are wide and darting left and right.

And he is running his ass off

as fast as possible.

Looking behind him, looking everywhere, terrified.

You feel the breath itself burning, stinging in your chest.

You've been unable to catch your breath for

half a mile, mile, two miles.

You don't know how long you've been running.

You've been on the road for so long at this point, trying desperately to get back to Desperlock.

And it can't be that far.

You're out of water at this point.

You can feel this burning pain in your shoulder, where something might have got you while you were charging, but you don't have time to even check or look.

But now it's quiet.

And you might

be

okay.

Suddenly,

suddenly, blasting out of the nearby brush, cracking into the side of one of the massive jungle trees, you see the hulking form of some horribly mutated, bear-like creature.

Massive bone spines protruding out of its furry hide.

You see where its jaw was hanging open, this massive, horrifying, cracked mouth that curls all the way back to its shoulders.

As the jaw

opens up, you see seven rows of teeth all tangled and jutting out.

And it continues charging after you.

What do you do?

Oh my god.

Seven rows.

I'm going to stumble and fall backwards, spilling over myself, and not really knowing what direction I'm facing in anymore, I'm going to just pick one and try to avoid

its claws and just dart between two trees that are sort of close together.

All right, I'd like you to go ahead and make an agility roll to see if you can dart between these trees with it not noticing the direction of your path.

As I'm darting between these trees, I am,

Snyx, is saying

to himself,

oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, and I'm gonna use my experience, spineless coward,

to try to motivate my escape and get a little bit farther faster.

Right, so you can spend a hope to do that, which by the way, you all started with two hope.

And because there's five of you, I start with five fears.

Oh my gosh, look at the tracker.

The skulls are covered in blood.

First roll of the game.

Let's go, snicks.

Whoa, that's bad.

Oh, wait, no.

No, it's not.

It's great.

It's a two and a two.

That's a crazy thing.

That's a great

one.

The game is a great.

That's phenomenal.

So So you gain that hope back that you spent in your experience.

If you had a stress, you'd clear it.

And as you spring off, your fawn legs kicking in this direction, you coast right through this thick V of branches as you hear

this massive strike of claws that just barely catch the back of the strands of tattered cloth that kind of mark the exterior of your running ensemble.

You feel it tug and pull and tear, and you hear the claws smash into the nearby woods, the wood splintering and the tree further cracking and beginning to give under its weight as it continues to give chase, but you've managed to gain on it quite a bit.

And you glance around quickly and you can barely see the flicker of flame, the sacred pyre of Desper Lock piercing through the distant shadow, the singular beacon of safety that you see before you.

You

might make it.

I might.

I might.

I grip my package even

tighter because if I make it and I don't have this, then the whole trip was worthless.

And I will use my wayfinder ability, Path Forward.

When you're traveling to a place you've previously visited, you can identify the shortest, most direct path to your destination.

Fantastic.

Yeah, at this point, now that you've locked down and where you were, you recognize those trees you just jumped through and the direction of that flame, you've taken this particular path three or four times before.

Even with the dark light here, it clicks in, the instinct takes over, and you start darting, which means you're able to keep a pretty fair distance from this beast.

It's still gaining on you, especially as you get closer to Desperlock and the density of the surrounding jungle gets thinner and thinner.

There's less to keep it at bay, and you can hear its breath

getting louder and louder and louder as you dart forward, but you're managing to still get closer and closer.

You can just barely see at the edge of the top of the slag wall.

You see torches being held by what looks like four members of the Vigil standing up there, and one of them goes,

Who goes there?

Not knowing if I can make it quite yet, I'm going to.

If they shout it out, who goes there, I'm going to shout back, hey, it's me!

It's Snakes!

It's me!

You know me!

You know me!

You hear some shouting and some voices, and the torches start like mounting more.

You can hear the sound of activity ahead, but it's still like the bright light is so bright against the shadow immediately that you just see these flickers of light and you're just hoping that this is enough to get there.

If I can hear it gaining on me, I'm going to cast a spell.

I'm going to make a spell cast roll, and I'm going to cast Vicious Entangle,

but not at it.

I'm going to try to lead it.

So I'll try to cast it right

where I am currently.

Okay.

So that in a few steps it will hit.

That's about the right trajectory.

So go ahead and roll.

Okay.

That's a 10 with fear.

A 10 with fear.

That is a failure.

Oh, no!

With fear.

You go and cast the spell in the panic.

The trajectory of it was correct.

But the vine reaches up and snags you around the ankle and holds you in place.

You slam, boom, face down on the ground, spin over on your back.

And as soon as you get your elbows kind of locked up, you just see like the burning red eyes of this creature bearing down on you.

It stops above you.

Now, lumbering, you just kind of fills the entirety of your vision with this black shadow with the two burning beads of red.

It's going to go ahead and swipe down with its massive scythe-like claw.

That's going to be a 14 to hit you.

My invasion is 13 that hits.

Oof, and that is

12 points of physical damage out of the gate.

That is my major damage threshold.

Correct.

Does that mean it goes into severe or it stays in major?

Well,

if it hits the next threshold, whatever it would be yours.

Yeah, that's between major and severe.

So, what does that mean?

If it's between major and severe, take two hit points.

Well, here's what I'm saying: is it at the number for the number?

Then that would be severe.

So, you take three hit points out of the gate.

Wow.

Yes, yes, Repute.

Can I do anything?

You hear

nothing but the high-pitched whine that accompanies the flash of white-searing pain that curls up through your spine.

Your nervous system is shrieking within you.

And for a moment, you don't know where you are.

And you realize you're not where you were.

The vines aren't holding you in place.

It's because you were thrown 15 feet to the right.

Your shoulder

impacts against one of the tree trunks.

Might be dislocated.

You don't know.

The burning, the pain is everywhere right now.

All you know is the beast is...

It's routing itself.

You see its jaw kind of unhinge.

Its tongue kind of spills out and splits in two and twitches.

And it's going to rear up to charge towards you for a full-on bite.

What do you do?

Okay.

One question.

I look down.

Am I still carrying the package?

The package is still...

It's like on the ground next to you, but it's right there.

You also look down and see just the reflection of

thick wet on you.

That could be pee.

Also, just going back one step, could I have

taken off an armor to reduce the damage damage down to the majority?

Maybe I could have.

Yeah, you could go ahead and mark an armor slot and reduce that to majority.

Armor is damaged,

but I took two hit points.

Okay, I'm close, but I'm not there.

Do you think the wall, the slag wall, right?

Yeah.

Do you think that's within far range?

Yeah, you almost got there before.

Your own vine snagged you.

So it's just on the cusp of far range.

Just as it is about to slash at me or bite at me, once per rest, I can mark a stress, which I will gladly do, to sprint anywhere within far range without making an agility roll.

This is my deft maneuver.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

So I'm going to try to super speed it.

You mark that stress, you don't even have to roll for it.

You grab that satchel and the instinct takes over once more.

The pain some sidesets, you just go into a full run, you get to the edge of the slag wall, this massive perimeter wall that sits about 15, 20 feet up.

It is a series of boulders and chunks of ruin and other other surrounding bits of massive earth that have just been slammed together to form this ever-growing perimeter around Desperlock where molten iron has been poured on top and through to help kind of hold it into one solid piece of wall.

You get to it and there are handholds to climb for someone who is such a climber as you.

So you've reached the wall.

What else are you gonna do?

I've got a Caprine leap.

As a fawn, I can leap anywhere within close range, I don't know what that means,

using normal movement, allowing you to vault obstacles, jump across gaps, etc scale barriers with ease that is exactly what you would need to do this right now so you have one ability to dart up to it and then bound up onto the wall

in the air what was once like the glowing flame is you that time slows as you go up and above the slag wall and you can see the shadows of all the other vigil that are rushing up to the side you get a quick glance here in this brief moment of breath where you can see bows being armed and arrows being loosed you can see now desperalak is here to protect you.

And as you kind of glance down, you can see the massive column, the 15-foot high sacred pyre that burns bright, the symbol of hope, the symbol of life, the symbol of safety here.

And it washes over you as you clomp down onto the wall, then bounce off into the exterior perimeter, immediately followed by

an impact on the outer wall as the beast that's chasing you slams into it.

Dust shoots out and the rocks hold.

The iron slag itself kind of keeping it jettisoned, but you see a few vigil on top kind of hold on and keep back, still loosing arrows.

And you see two members immediately leap down,

one of which you recognize as a renowned figure known as Ghost Hook Brandsyth, who is a heroic vigil figure of limited conversation, but numerous victorious wanderings across the domain.

Pulling forth this massive, kind of gnarled-looking, jagged scimitar and just leaping down.

I'll call back to him

up for you, ghost hook.

He's all yours now.

Does not even acknowledge your presence as other vigil jump after.

These are trained warriors who have defended this settlement for generations and after loosening it up with a series of arrows you eventually hear the lamenting cries of the beast as it succumbs to its wounds.

But it is here now

As you catch your breath and the pain returns, the wounds throbbing, the sound of whispers, and other townsfolk of Desplac coming out to see what the commotion is, seeing you arriving.

You see, as a young man who you have not really encountered much in the time that you've been here, kind of our stuff.

Are you okay?

Oh, um, uh, yeah, yeah, I'm

okay.

I just had a

little fall getting up the

wall.

That's all.

You should get to Truvo.

Truvo should patch you right up.

Yeah.

Oh, God.

And you see, like, it now looks at you, and you kind of look down.

And indeed, like, there are three massive claw marks that go from shoulder to torso, and you are just bleeding.

Oh, oh, God.

Uh, yeah, can you maybe, like, help me there?

Maybe?

Yeah, okay.

But just don't

tell anybody about this.

Just.

I won't.

And you both stop and look and see the four of the people that are, like, 10 feet away looking and hearing this whole conversation.

Shh!

You should see the other guy.

And you hear a horn

beyond the hall, another horn

that connotates that the current threat seems to have been handled.

You kind of rest your arm over this young human man, maybe in his like 16, 17 or so.

So it's carrying you over as you come through the village of Desper Lock.

A

surviving village here in the Halcyon domain.

As you walk into the kind of main central space of it, you can see the beautiful central forum built off of a number of the buildings here built off of the ruins of a partially toppled monastery that sits still on this rocky cliff face up on the mountains above.

Also the focus of much of the research and delving that happens in the Luzall vaults not far from here.

But the ruins that have toppled since the century before have since been outfitted and expanded as the core of this village.

And now you can see all manner of thatched huts and kind of wooden log-built cabins and scrounged materials and leathers and cloths building tarps and stretched patterns that welcome you home.

As folk begin to go about the rest of their business, here the forum, the central kind of massive tapestry where events and gatherings and judgment is meted out by the trambit that kind of are voted in as the localized government of Desperlock.

No more than maybe 300 people live here, a number that has swelled and fallen through the numerous generations since its founding, as danger is never far beyond.

But as long as that pyre burns,

these walls are safe.

Step by step, pushing alongside,

who would be be the first to investigate

the sound of danger and chaos at the wall?

I'd probably break out

and just head to the front.

What happened?

I heard a commotion by the walls.

Describe what we see as you rush out to check, Idol.

So Idol steps forward in some furths and just some basic cloths, but he always drags with him this long halberd, rusted, definitely worn handle with wood and everything.

And he rushes out and he's looking for vigils or anyone else that's recently seen action.

And he's trying to spot any way that he can sort of help or assist.

And certainly any signs of crimson is

an early indicator of that.

As you rush out, glancing about, you do see that the the vigil on the wall have begun sheathing their weapons and setting aside their bows, kind of throwing them over the shoulder.

It looks like you came just as the immediate danger has subsided.

And you watch as exterior hooks and ropes are lowered down and other vigils step above.

You see

vigil ghost brand.

Brandreif has also climbed up.

One of the few vigil figures that you've really kind of built a rapport with,

who kind of looks down at you and gives you a nod.

You see this massive man in his

early 40s, but has seen a weather enough life where he looks much older.

But he is a shit brick house of a warrior who, while not native to Desperlock, coming here maybe about five or six years ago from a fallen settlement far to the west, has become one of the renowned protectors of this space.

A man of few words, but a man of ever dangerous capability, and the kind of person you want on your side.

Kind of steps down from the slag wall and kind of gives you a look.

Adol,

these woods grow more and more restless, at least when

they're being drawn from their nests.

And looks past beyond.

You can see the outer kind of

darkened shadow shape of a hobbling figure being carried across the vision of the sacred pyre behind them, just kind of silhouetting them against the flame.

And you kind of follow his sight, and you can see Snyx kind of limping in the grasp of one of the other civilians of Desperlock.

See, see a one of ours?

Yes.

Survived.

For now.

If you need anything,

I'm never far.

Excuse me.

I'll try and catch up with Snyx.

Okay.

Ghost Tug goes in turns and begins kind of giving orders to the rest of the vigil as you dart off into the center of the village.

You rush up to find Snyx

quite bloodied and kind of hobbling as one of the younger

civilians that you've come across named Norin has kind of taken him under his shoulder.

Oh, Idol.

Nick's just got back.

It's looking pretty rough.

No,

it looks worse than it is.

I mean, there were probably three or four of the bear things.

I got two of them at least.

Two of them.

Wow.

Yeah, but there was one that I just didn't see.

You know how it is.

Sure, you look like you're leaking pretty bad, though.

I mean...

Yeah,

it looks worse than it probably is, but you know,

I gotta get some

just a wrap or something,

some sort of truvel, take care of you, don't worry.

Thank you.

Okay, yeah.

What was it?

It's a bear thing.

Do I know what it was?

Every time you go out, what you remember has changed.

There is always something uniquely nightmarish about familiar beasts.

The landscape seems to not want to be remembered as it was.

And

you catch yourself from speaking more on it, instead deciding to focus on the matter at hand, as the words escape you to even describe it.

Yeah,

it doesn't matter what it was, it just matters that it's not in here with us.

Did you hear any voices?

Anything speaking to you, calling out while I was chasing you?

Did I?

No.

Then I rem remember.

Why?

Oh, I know.

I just heard stories about...

It doesn't matter.

What's important is that you're safe.

Noran will take good care of you.

Okay.

At this point, Norn takes you to the edge of

a familiar, like heavy leather-curtained hut.

It's probably a good 12 feet or so tall.

Wider at the base with some kind of interior wooden structure to it.

All manner of like dried stretched herb and local jungle fauna that is used, a flora, used to mix various possible salves and

healing means you step into the interior, just very, very gently lit here from the interior fire.

You can see the

flicker of the nearby lanterns and a central kind of cauldron that is burning from underneath.

And

the heavy cloaked kind of

rounded shape turns and you see there before you Truvo the hedge.

An older male galapa, this massive

turtle

gentle

herbalist healer of the village.

Been here far longer than you have, and definitely seen as a

bastion of comfort when not

having to tend to too many wounded.

To where he is kind of prone to panic.

But for the time being, Truvo turns.

Oh goodness there, you're looking...

You're looking a little...

You see his kind of face drop a little bit.

Uh-oh, I'll take care of it.

Thank you, Norman.

And Norman kind of nods and you see the face is a little pale now that you have a good look at his face.

Wanders off into the night as Trubo takes you and sets you down on this kind of half-repaired table that kind of lasts as a place to rest.

And begins seeing to your wounds and slowly begins to

place some of these thick sap-like substance into the gashes on you that at least stops the bleeding, though it does burn at first.

It is to hurt if it is to heal.

Yeah.

Just a quick question before you go any further.

Am I going to owe you anything for this?

Or

is there some sort of trade that we can work out?

I haven't made my deliveries yet, but after I do, I'll have

some coin to spare.

Druvo don't need nothing from you.

Just

kind of slaps you in the side of the cheek a little bit.

Stay alive.

Oh, that's very kind of you.

But not very good business.

Not everything's about business out here in the wastes, boy.

Sometimes it's just about staying alive.

He goes ahead and finishes dressing your wounds and kind of sets you up for a bit.

You kind of get a breath.

It gives you some water to drink.

You don't realize until now just how parched you've been.

Your lips are dry and cracked, and you kind of catch yourself for a bit.

The warmth of

this tent, the inside of it, is partially because of just the enclosed nature of it.

And this, you know, the heavy fur and like tattered leathers that drip from the outside of this galpus shell.

You wonder if it's adornment or if it's actually function.

And you do have like the clacking of glass vials that kind of dangle from him and hit his shell and exterior at times.

But The other part of the warmth is the proximity to the sacred pyre.

As you move beyond that tent, on the outskirts, the massive burning flame itself gently crackling as the symbol of safety.

Two pyre keepers currently on task to keep watch.

Brixton, if you wouldn't mind describing what we see as you are kind of looking over towards Truvo the Hedge's tent, curious as to what this commotion has been this Eve.

You see a

big,

hardy orc woman

getting up there in age,

at least for Desperlock here in the waists.

Uh old age is very different here.

Not what we are used to.

And uh she's got long, matted black hair.

You could tell she's not

really one to keep up with her appearances.

Soot smeared across her face.

Her hands are calloused and blackened from tossing twigs and brush and

really anything that they can get their hands on into the fires.

She's got long kind of robes that are the vestments of the pyre keepers.

When she heard the commotion, she went over, kind of looked over the wall of the edge, recognizing Snyx.

Underneath her vestments, she kind of

grips a sword that she's keeping hidden for now.

And

very curious.

Hope Snyx is okay, since

he's very useful to her.

On the opposite side of the pyre, you see in similar pyrekeeper vestments, themselves as clean as they can be, as the

creation of fresh vestments is challenged based on the materials available through the disparate trade across the waists here.

But you see a female dwarf in her early 40s,

tightly braided brown hair with kind of graying streaks pulled through it,

hairline partially receded probably from pulling it so tight for the majority of her life, but you know, heavy crow's feet wrinkles from a life of smiling.

This dwarven woman you know to be Pyrekeeper Roman,

who kind of glances sees you looking over towards Truvo's tent.

Like

they've been okay there, love.

Did you see who it was?

Yes, it was the messenger, Snyx.

Looks like the jungles are restless tonight.

He's okay though, right?

He's with Truvo now.

He'll be alright.

Good, good.

He's supposed to find me a book.

Oh.

I'm hoping he is.

Good news.

from one of the neighboring settlements.

I tell you what, you could check on him.

I'll keep watch here.

Looks like a danger's done.

I'll just um

shout if anything comes up.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Look, vigil seems fine.

And you see a couple of vigil folk on the far edge of the slag wall have kind of sat down, their legs dangling over, and one of them pops open a wine skin and starts drinking and passing it over.

If I can take a break, so can you.

I'll be back.

all right Brixton thank you

scurry over

the uh the leather flap opens in the Truro's tent uh and snicks you see there standing Brixton in the pyre keeper attire

oh hey hi hi

that looked

That looks crazy.

It was.

I saw the whole channel.

Yeah, I'm fine.

I'm fine.

It was fine.

It threw your ass

15 feet.

No, no, it's it's a it comes from you did like two flips.

I that was me getting away from it.

Truvo has a somewhat damp cloth that is now just dark red and has finished wiping up all the thick blood on your armor.

Oh, he's gonna be all right.

Some of that's his, some of that's the other guys.

I'm glad you're okay.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Wait, what are you doing here?

Who's on the pyre?

Ramon is covering for me.

Oh.

Just long enough for me to come and check on you.

How was it?

How's Okros?

How's...

Oh, um...

Okros, man, I'm...

It's actually,

it's pretty great over there.

I mean, like, nothing's great, obviously.

Like, the whole world kind of sucks, but.

Yeah.

But Okros has it sort of figured out.

They, um, they have a really good security wall and gates and

lots of good food.

And

I talked to Aliana and...

Did you?

Yeah,

I have a letter from her.

Oh, how did she look?

Did she look healthy?

Did she look

strong?

I mean, yeah,

she looked real strong.

But

I mean, she didn't say she was going to be traveling or anything anytime soon.

I wouldn't want her to.

She looked fine.

Same as last time.

Okay.

No, that's that's good.

Yeah.

Um

here.

Thank you.

I um

I don't have anything on me to to repay you.

Oh no, it's uh

in this world sometimes it's not about business.

Um

it's about keeping people safe.

You provide a great service.

Sure.

Thank you.

Oh, no, I mean thank you.

I mean Desperluck is proud of you.

Really?

And your bravery.

Don't get carried away now.

I hope to be as brave as you.

I hope I am as brave as you.

Oh, I'm sure you are.

For real.

I mean, you're amazing.

You just keep watch on the pyre all the time.

That's important work.

It's monotonous.

Still, it takes a certain amount of strength to soldier through it every day.

And it's what keeps us all safe.

So just know that what y'all do

is one of the greatest joys and honors.

Of course.

Lay down.

You do heal, because he digs it down half a day.

Wow.

So I get all of my stress wiped, all of my hit points gone, and all my hope restored?

No.

But you do heal two hit points.

Hey, that's a lot.

That's very cool.

That's great.

That class is awesome.

I was with you for some of that.

Okay.

I'll check on you here in a few hours.

Get some rest.

I'll look forward to it.

I'm just going to kind of go off into the shadow.

Kind of step in on the tandem.

Bring this to Roman.

She?

They?

He?

She.

She she she ordered it it's a it's a it's a mystery book it's all I could find it's um oh it's a good book it's just

the last chapter is missing so you don't really know who did it oh but still she might like it

thank you

wait should I read this now

I don't have to you can keep doing yourself

Read it out loud.

Do the

nanny Muppet Baby's voice.

She's Russian.

B.

Your lost letter sounded so buried.

No, I'm abandoning that.

Do not be, though I appreciate your concern.

Okros is remarkably calm.

In fact, I've started a garden.

A garden.

Mostly herbs and small legumes.

Legumes?

Legumes.

Legumes?

Legumes.

And in the dry patches, I've started filling it with lovely rocks and shiny stones that I've begun to collect.

How goes life in Zasperlock?

Oh, Aliana.

I trust you are guarding the pyre with your

strength and steadfast passion.

Reading was never my strong suit, she says to no one.

You truly.

are a hero.

Please take care of yourself and the very nice messenger who carries these letters.

Ah, Strix.

He's such a kind young man.

And handsome, too.

You bastard.

Do not worry about me

missing you.

But I will visit again someday soon.

I hope.

Best.

Aliana.

Alright.

Some explorations.

Tuck this away.

And my ropes.

And I head back to my post.

Alright, as you deliver the tome to Ramon, who's

oh, fantastic.

Oh, oh, oh,

I thought I have a second book.

I'm so excited, Ted.

Apparently, the last chapter is gone, but

I don't know.

Maybe you can rewrite it.

Maybe to something hopeful.

Maybe I can.

Do you know who could teach me how I'll write?

Not me.

Anyway,

like, puts the book away real fast as you glance over and see Ember Warden Sheena is like doing a walk through the forum and kind of glances over.

You see this kind of...

near elderly female elf one of the few beings that's probably lived since the last

age,

who walks along and just kind of glances over to make sure the two of you are keeping to your stations.

Is this the Ember Warden?

This is the Ember Warden Sheena.

I don't make eye contact, I just kind of look down and

hurry over to the kindling and grab a few of the larger logs to toss into the flame.

You do so.

It's the

divine magic that sustains the sacred pyre means it kindles slowly.

So, while the fire itself burns tall and bright, it doesn't require anywhere near the amount of fuel that such a fire would normally do so.

Which thankfully means that you aren't having to deforest the jungle around you to maintain it, but it also means there's a lot of downtime to your thoughts.

A lot of time in your imagination.

A lot of time considering the world beyond the bad and the good.

After I toss in the two logs,

Brixton just kind of stares into the flame

and zones out.

Sees images that she has depicted of Okros

in this lovely garden.

The gums.

And just loses herself as she is one to do in what life must be like beyond the walls.

Night after night, she just stares into the flame.

I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I saw you from across a cafe, and you're the Geico Gecko, right?

In the flesh.

Oh my goodness.

This is huge to finally meet you.

I love Geico's fast and friendly claim service.

Well, that's how Geico gets 97% customer satisfaction.

Anyway, that's all.

Enjoy the rest of your food.

No worries.

Uh, so are you just gonna watch me eat?

Oh, sorry.

Just a little starstruck.

I'll be on my way.

If you're gonna stick around, just pull up a chair.

You're the best.

Get more than just savings.

Get more with Geico.

Summer's heating up, and so is the action with Chumba Casino and 2311 Racing.

Whether you're trackside with Bubba, Riley, and Tyler, or cooling off at home, the fun never stops at Chumba Casino, the online social casino packed with free-to-play games like Slots, Blackjack, and more.

Jump into Summer at chumbacasino.com and score your free welcome bonus, 2 million free gold coins and 2 free sweeps coins.

No purchase necessary, VGW Group Voidwear prohibited by law.

CTNC is 21 Plus sponsored by Chumba Casino.

Monday Sidekick, the AI agent that knows you and your business, thinks ahead and takes action.

Tells it anything.

Seriously.

Monday Sidekick, AI you'll love to use.

Start a free trial today on Monday.com.

Want to look and feel your best this summer?

Don't just think skin deep, think sell deep with Prolon.

Prolon is a plant-based nutrition program featuring soups, snacks, and beverages that nourish the body while keeping it in a fasting state, triggering cellular rejuvenation and renewal.

With proper diet and exercise, Prolon can help target fat loss, support lean muscle, and reset your metabolism.

So you look and feel your best all summer long.

Prolon is science-backed nutrition that can help change your relationship with food in just five days.

Get 15% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com slash Pandora Promo.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

See site for details.

Idol.

As you continue walking through the forum, getting through the works, you can hear the heavy sound of hammer fallen metal.

As Beryl Spielbor, the local master blacksmith that is in the process of ever crafting and repairing the numerous arms and armaments that keep the Vigil and the Guild of Delvers ready to do their work.

It's a familiar sound as you are heading towards a handful of the safer spots in this village for you and Homestead Elements.

As a

heavy slap on your left shoulder

smacks you,

and you hear the little chuckle of Aaron Lothrot, who is caught up to you.

You see the young mid-teens,

female dwarf,

bright smile,

just an ever-exuberant cheerfulness that

only the arrogance of youth in such a dire space could really muster.

Her kind of

dirty blonde hair itself kind of come into natural curls that kind of bounce as she runs.

She has like a tatter cloak over one shoulder and a simple leather breastplate that she's affixed on her as she finishes slapping your shoulder.

She's like,

Well, hey there

So what happened?

You just over at the wall, right?

What'd you see?

Oh, nothing much.

Just some monsters that have never been seen before.

Heard some tales that you wouldn't believe.

It was so funny.

Just a second ago, I felt the slightest little mosquito bite on my shoulder, and I thought, that must be Ren.

Well, uh.

You, uh...

Wanna go see Pa?

See how he's doing?

We can.

Are you gonna try and sneak over and see how Snyx is doing?

It was him.

So Snicks made it back?

He did.

He did.

I asked him

what he saw.

He didn't say.

I'm not sure he saw.

But

it sounded pretty gnarly.

I'll bug him later.

However, I'm just gonna rub your hands together.

I've been thinking.

Maybe we, uh...

maybe we start talking to the Delvers about uh

you know giving us a little autonomy

a little autonomy for you someone that doesn't seem to follow any kind of rules that's not true at all I follow all kinds of rules your dad would not agree with that in the slightest I didn't say his rules I said the rules I understand

and would we be going to talk to the delvers

together

Well, I figured, you know,

you got a rapport with Raskello and some of them folks over there.

And, you know, I work with them, but

they don't respect me because of my youth, which I think is

folly.

Fair.

I think it's unearned judgment and ageism.

I will give you this.

You are easily the most accomplished.

of your age, around here at least.

But I still I have to side with your dad.

i fucking know those vaults most of it like the back of my goddamn hand

it's true you do i just naturally want to look out for you and protect you from things that you can't see coming which is a lot i'll give you that much i'll tell you what we'll go talk to the delvers

see how it goes but I just don't want you getting disappointed like last time.

I will see what we can do, I suppose.

It's at that moment as you're coming up the outside of Garrick's homestead, her father's little like farm house on the kind of eastern edge of Desperlock,

that you hear a quiet skittering in the nearby brush.

Did you hear that?

Can I uh can I scan the scan the brush?

Is it common to hear skittering in this area?

No, not this way.

It's large enough where it doesn't sound like it's any sort of, you know, wildlife that surpassed the wall.

Go ahead and roll an instinct roll for me if you don't mind.

First roll of the campaign.

I'm not scared.

I'm not scared.

I'm not scared.

Double 11s, baby.

Hot table, hot table.

You guys are rolling hot already when it doesn't help you, really.

I'm sure sure it'll be great.

Warm it up.

Warm it up.

You glance over and see something shift, and instinctually, like some power takes hold of you, the need to protect for a second time, little Aaron.

You reach over into this brush and grab the back of some thick cloth and pull forward.

Towson, if you please describe your character.

He's the skitter.

I skidder.

What you seem to be grabbing out of the brush is a

kind of a pile of clothing with definitely a person inside of it.

It is a, what would be a very fine,

medium-sized top hat and long coat probably 60 to 70 years ago.

Now

it's seen better days.

It has been repaired and repaired and repaired.

and repaired.

There's a lot of stitching holding the whole thing together.

Whatever color it originally was has long faded to browns and grays.

It's

it is expertly held together.

If anything, the stitching is more impressive than the clothing itself for its magical ability to hold everything on.

The young man

within this giant pile of clothing, he's kind of hard to make out because he's got a very, he's got a bit of a scarf around his neck and the hat definitely is too big, so it sits down.

But you can see that his face is very gray

um

and the hat and and scarf are gently concealing just just a touch

six eyes which is definitely

you know four more than than anybody should have and which are large and insectoid um and a mouth that is far too wide

covered on the sides by little mandibles almost as if it was some sort of strange anthropomorphic spider, which he's an anthropomorphic spider.

Explain it.

So it is just kind of this bundle of cloth with, you know, what was once nice fingerless gloves and a little

what seems to be a rather large sewing needle

at his side, just below the cloak.

So I suppose you give this this very

bundle of clothing a big

whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!

Hey!

Everything's fine!

Everything's fine!

I give up!

What have I said about trying to sneak up on us?

Um that I should do it as often as possible.

You're really sneaky, I grant you, but sometimes there are people you just shouldn't sneak up behind.

It's very fair.

Very fair.

Don't sneak up on him.

But when I do, it's so rewarding.

I'm sure.

I'm sure you're gonna get punched again.

You'll be down two more eyes.

I'm sorry about the coat.

It looks really, really nice.

I can fix it later.

It's no problem at all.

If anything, a little bit of practice.

What are you hiding from, anyway?

I wasn't hiding.

I was actually

doing a bit of digging.

There's some

interesting things down here.

We're seeing what was possibly

either edible.

Turn something into some tea, spice up some meat.

Did you tell Pa you were going to be digging in his yard?

Yeah, this is

where things are grown.

We work really hard on this stuff.

Weeks ago?

Within a month.

We're not gonna tell him anything, but just

it's nice enough he's letting you all stay here.

Just trying to be a little more respectful, you know?

Aaron, I've got some work.

Remember, leverage.

We talked about this.

I think we probably should tell him about this.

We'll remember this, and should the moment arise or we need a favor, you'll remember this too.

There we go.

I will certainly remember this when I'm working to stitch up one of your pairs of trousers, or otherwise, it might mysteriously come apart if the work wasn't, you know, expertly done.

There you go.

All right,

I'll go check up on Pa.

Go about your business, I suppose.

See if you get dinner ready soon.

All right, I'll be there.

Aaron darts off towards the cabin.

Just seem a bit on edge.

Is everything all right?

Snicks came in from his latest run and was chased by something.

Vigils jumped from the wall, handled it.

He got stitched up by Norin and Truville, but

couldn't get any information about what it was or what led to it or anything else.

That's no surprise.

I'm glad he stayed.

Did he have everything that he wanted to bring in to the city?

Oh, with him?

Yeah.

Yeah, there was a

thing.

A satchel.

I wasn't really looking at that part.

I think so.

He was carrying something, which is good because he was leaking a lot.

Oh.

Well, that's most important.

That's been taken care of.

Can I get you something, by the way?

I think I've got some food or otherwise inside.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind.

A little pre-dinner dinner.

At this point, Aaron's sort of shouting in here in the house, like, Pa!

Power!

We come back over to

about 30 or so feet away from his little farmstead home that's been cobbled together with gathered driftwood from the nearby Ashen Sea shore, as well as what elements of logged jungle tree have been allowed by the triumphant of the village.

But there's a small kind of storage shed, barn-like

building there.

And there

you sit amongst the shadow, pushed against the window and listening in as best you can from the distance.

Misty, what do we see through the

somewhat cracked glass that has been placed here to look through?

You can see

well, first you just see her face, which she is completely made of stone

and you see sort of a

crown

a veil that's been chiseled carved into the stone

and

she is eight feet tall

she is covered in in decades and decades and years and years of muck and mire and

she has spots on her where, you know, there are hornets' nests, and she's a bit of a living nightmare.

She's been stained over time, she's been picked at and desecrated because she is a large statue.

And she's grown over with moss and vines.

Areas of her have graffiti, but on the bottom of what would be her skirt, it almost looks like drawings left by a child.

But she's sitting there in the

in the shed, just excitedly sort of peeking out, but also trying to stay hidden.

Beyond your massive stone wings that arise, you're three sets of them.

Four sets.

Four sets, my positions.

I forgot to move forward.

You can just barely hear the muffled sound of the guttural voice that's going on in the background.

It's about these times that the sun rose and

Misty, are you even listening to me?

Oh,

yes, I am.

I you turn around and you can see there sitting is old man Garrick, the farmer dwarf, uh, father of Aaron and purveyor of this little uh farmstead here in Desperlock.

This old dwarf with a mass of uh gray curls that kind of

curve inward, much like Aaron's hair does.

Himself a massive scar that runs down one eye and down his throat, some heavy wound that he took long ago, but it doesn't keep away that perpetually curled smile on his face.

A patchy white mustache and a clust, like a curl of a beard that kind of curves upward there at the bottom.

And he's holding what looks to be a tattered children's book.

He's been reading to you here in the kind of the quiet silence of this back room.

I know you've heard this story before, so but it is one of my favorites.

Please, uh, would you read that page again?

Because I got a little distracted by what was happening outside.

What's happening outside?

Fun

the book closes and

he stands up.

I sort of slow moving and

you know, creaking a little but I help him up

oh looks like we got company.

Are you a stone statue?

Yes.

Okay.

I am a stone statue.

Wow.

The sound of like creaking and scratching stone with each movement.

Just that rub with each shift.

An entity from the old world,

once a vessel for the spirits and the angels from the veiled gods of old, left empty and abandoned here in the age of Umbra.

But not this one.

This one lives, talks,

listens to books sometimes.

But Garrick has now closed the tome and excitedly kind of walks with you over to the edge and opens the exterior door of the barn.

Says,

okay,

looks like we got a whole gathering.

August was in the bushes again.

Aaron smacks you in the back of the head.

He goes, Sorry, Pa, he's

he's trying to take out of your farm again.

Oh, see, I wasn't gonna go that far.

I think that's overdoing it a bit.

I was just working on a thing.

I think you'll be impressed later.

That's okay.

If he needs it, he can have it.

Right, Aaron?

Aaron kind of goes,

you're right, Pa.

I'm sorry.

I did

hear a little bit of a hust and bustle outside.

Does anyone know what happened?

Aaron immediately like cuts you off and is like, there was a big old bear that went and attacked the outside of the world.

And that was his name, the snickle boy, the jumping one.

Snicks,

he was out there and fighting off three bears.

No, he died.

Oh no!

Travesty!

Yeah, no, and but the great thing was Truvo, a little bit of herbs, brought him right back.

Wow.

What an incredible healer.

Snix is so brave.

I'm just kidding.

Snyx was fine.

Yeah, I mean, he was wounded, but he came in.

He was fine.

I felt bad lying.

I don't know.

Oh, no, really.

It's okay.

I know.

It's kind of like a type of humor.

Yes.

Yeah.

Just

barely humor, by the way.

I'm bringing out a little bit of bread and butter just for everyone.

I imagine that laughter sounds like it has gravel in it.

Gary kind of leans away.

Putting out just a little bit of bread and butter for everybody.

Well, let's make this a feast.

We got

it's been a minute since we've had a conglomeration of fine friends to celebrate the survival of your friend.

In fact, I think I got a stew on from yesterday that still got a little little flavor left.

Come on.

Yeah, you know,

still some flavor left is usually just about right, Prussia.

As you all kind of gather and follow Garrick to the farmhouse with Aaron,

you keeping watch there on the pyre, you recovering under the watch and healing hands of the local turtle,

an evening of safety progresses.

One that is

rare in many places of this land, but that's what makes these settlements so important.

The enduring here

are allowed some peace.

They are allowed family.

They are allowed hope.

And you all, throughout the evening, find a night of rest

for some dreams come, for others

Just an exhausted darkness until the morning wakes you

Some have odd visions

Some have recurring flashes

Two stone pillars framing a mountainous

doorway

An endless mist spilling forth.

Purples and pinks, lights glowing from the mist,

almost

stained glass arising.

A drawn, a crown

on a pedestal.

Flames burning.

Flames shut.

Towers bending.

Voices like a choir of angels

singing,

then screaming,

and then

nothing as the morning comes

and raises you all to a new day.

The morning,

standard as many mornings here.

There's not a lot to do here in Desper Locke.

Many fight to engage their curiosities.

Books are contraband.

What exists is often hoarded by many of the libraries and existing guilds that exist mostly within Amber Reach's ruins itself.

For any book, any story could hold a shed of truth, and what truth of the history of the Lost Age could possibly lead to change in the current one.

But the people wake and go about their day.

The darkened cloudy skies ever choking the sunlight away.

Eventually, the warmth of day reaches its zenith, as bright as it ever could be, the distant mists crawling over the grief cleft mountains that loom above.

And it is there you can still see the shape of the Luzal Monastery.

The majority of it still standing.

A beautiful, if ominous, echo of the old world.

And one of a handful of very holy sites held by the great ordinances of the God-King Ophidius.

It is also the focus of a lot of Desperlock's business.

As what secrets might remain within that monastery,

what connections might exist to the veiled gods that have since vanished this century, what secrets that could unveil the reason for their leaving and perhaps a chance to call them back, and if not,

at least a miracle, a relic,

something to keep you safer than you were the day before.

But the cliff is too sheer, the monastery unreachable by the means that your settlement of enduring have.

But beneath the monastery are numerous catacombs and vaults,

a spiraling labyrinth of hallways and subterranean walkways,

winding staircases where much of the monastery's great hoard of knowledge and power was kept.

And when the apostasy was over, the caverns beneath collapsed, and part of that monastery tumbled to create the backbone of Desperlock.

Some

wished to reap what was once hidden.

And so, for generations now, a whole sect of members of this community and those beyond who have come here for this purpose as well, they call themselves the scholars of Luzal.

Researchers, delvers, are those that work with them.

Sell swords,

tomb raiders,

those that like to fight the front line as they push into these long collapsed vaults

to recover these powerful relics, these shreds of information,

and remove

the corruption that still lurks in the shadows beneath.

But

here in the morning, the scholars are already out and about, their massive structures and large tents already abuzz with information

as you hear another horn call.

Not a horn of victory, but a horn of arrival.

The slag wall outer gates are pulled back,

and five figures come rushing in.

A number of

vigil

that moonlight as delvers,

the hired

vault soldiers that push deeper into this mountain in hopes of eventually finding a way to the monastery from the inside of the mountain itself, come rushing in,

along with

Raskello,

one of the two main Delver organizers.

Human male, mid-30s or so,

kind of shoulder length,

straight brown hair.

He is, it would be considered ruggedly handsome and often lords his confident self around.

But this is a different state, as him and

the four others that have arrived are all gravely wounded.

And with just bits of conversation around, you discover it was ten who had left.

As they're pulled into the gates, the desperaluck civilians begin to gather around, whispering, passing information.

They slam behind, and you can see already various figures of the community are coming out to inspect, discuss, and wonder.

Misty in August, you see this commotion happening, and

do you inspect or inquire about this or stay put?

Am I allowed to go in?

I'm not sure.

How many of the people involved do we know, at least, know us reasonably at this point?

Can we kind of can they see this from where the homestead is, Garrick's homestead?

You can see the people gathering.

Have we made it?

And you heard the horn, but you don't know the purpose or reason for what this is.

Just the entire

Desperock is a small community, so when something happens, very quickly everyone knows and it becomes the focus of information.

Why don't we go take a look gingerly?

All right, I'll try to

tuck behind a tree.

We'll just walk until we're told to turn around, maybe.

Okay.

You gather yourselves up just as Garrick is rushing out the door, like throwing his jacket on, like,

what is going on?

Kind of darts off in that direction.

the rest of you about your morning business begin to head towards the

exterior of the praxis collective which is the region where the scholars of the zoll set up most of their work and business there a number of the delver scouts and other soldiers that were not on this current mission

the only handful themselves that aren't already locked into being

guardians of the wall under the

the vigils themselves are trying to figure out how to organize a rescue mission for those that were left behind the horizalo kind of steps forward to them and says

we

i believe we found it

we got to the gate

we did it

we just um

we just took some hits we took some

he like falls to one knee and you can see some of the other scholars come forward.

Idrova Khan, one of the

scholar elf females who's one of the heads of research of ancient faith and mythology, steps forward and kind of takes him by the arm.

You can see Thalia Vintwood, another one of the younger and recent additions to the scholars of Lazal, kind of steps forward and sees you real fast.

He goes,

Did you see what happened?

No, no, they just came in.

Apparently there were more than the five that returned you can see at this point uh Raskello kind of gets up again and kind of pushes off like

Look

We lost about four

down there.

We burned the bodies, don't worry

However,

I think we found the doors to the filament's harrow

There was a guardian at the gate

A very dangerous one, but we we managed to take it down.

And it grabs his side, and you can see now, like, where he has his cloak wrapped around him, the cloak has been hiding how bad it was, but the cloak is starting to turn dark

red.

And immediately, two scholars grab his arms, kind of pull him aside, and someone shouts out,

get Trovo, get in, get someone!

The Delvers are hurt!

It's like,

we're so close.

The gates there.

I need to...

I need to be the one to see the monastery.

I've earned it.

He kind of leans forward, and at this point, Idrova steps forward and pats him on the shoulder and goes,

Look, love,

you need to recover.

And the purpose and import of this is above you.

This is the scholars' jurisdiction.

You've done your job.

Now.

Your current

deed

is to survive.

So,

do it.

And she turns around to the rest of the scholars, and they all kind of begin to talk amongst themselves.

Aaron kind of creeps up and goes, like, what?

What's that?

Roscallo, is he okay?

I think so.

Actually, Aaron, come with me.

Can I go up to Roscallo?

Yeah, so Roscallo's currently like...

like pushing away some of the scholars as they're trying to help him over towards Truvo.

And I'm sure Truvo has got his hands full.

Truvo is currently in the process of gathering a troop to start handling the rest of the four other delvers who have returned.

And like they're, you look at upon him.

One of them is missing a leg and is like tourniquet, you know, placed upon it that's barely functioning.

Somebody else is like, their hand is on their neck, and you can see they're like pale in the face and they're still leaking as much as they're trying to hold it as much as they can.

It is a very dire situation for those deverses.

Does Scallo look like if he doesn't receive urgent care, it could

go very poorly very quickly.

Go ahead and make an instinct roll for me if you don't mind.

It's double 12s.

No!

Stop!

Whoa!

Dang!

We're gonna die as soon as we get into battle.

Yes, you are.

You are going to roll terribly when it matters.

As long as I'm with you.

That's great.

So take a hope.

Thank you.

And if you had a stress, you'd clear it.

Roskello

looks

quite hurt.

You can see there is

a puncture in his torso, like right beneath the rib cage that goes through his armor.

And that's what he's trying to hold and plug it with, like, looks like a heavy part of his leather glove.

It's like the finger is pushed into the puncture wound.

But it's still kind of soaking through.

With that role, he'll likely survive, but he'll be down for weeks.

Okay.

But he's still like kind of pushing aside, and eventually, like Truvo and some of the other kind of broad-in assistants are starting to like trying to hold him down.

He's like, no,

we're right there.

We're right there.

And no one's taking this away from me.

And like spits up blood on his legs.

Just someone give me a bucket of wine or something.

Idrova,

Roscarlo's done a lot.

I think we can take care of him.

If he'll just come with me, we'll take him off your hands.

Kanega looks you up and down.

It would be our honor.

Very well.

Just

don't have his death on your hands.

Of course.

Drova turns back and continues to walk.

Roscallo, at this point, like as Truvo's trying to get his troop together to help him, you kind of saddle up next to him and he's like,

Aaron!

Aaron!

Yeah, yeah, hold on.

over this way.

Right.

Oh, Roskello, we got you.

Don't worry.

Can I, can we try and like take him by the shoulders and just lead him, lead him a little bit away from the hustle and bustle, maybe just around the nearest corner?

Yeah, you bring him in.

Like, this village is, especially given the fact that small town talk gets around quickly, even as you move around the corner, there are people that are like trying to look and listen in at the distance.

I'm gonna move over.

I was gonna say, Missy, wanna?

Yes, let's go.

I'm gonna move over to meet them around the corner.

Same.

Okay.

May I may I lift you?

Right.

I am a friend.

Of course.

Would you like help?

Just sure.

So I'll pick him up and I will cradle his head.

And just hold him.

And you're kind of like.

Let me see your.

Let me see your side.

I'll sort of I'll hold him out to be inspected you need an assistant here I think so all right and I'll I'll I'll hold my hands up and you'll see them start to glow but I'll sort of like tuck in behind Misty and I'll use I'll put a wing sort of blocking to sort of keep us in private.

This might hurt.

Hold tight, friend, and I'll use sparing touch to heal two hit points on Roscallo.

And hopefully immediately staunch that wound.

And while while it's happening I will say listen I understand that information and knowledge are power and there are those here that are well intended but

we would be very interested in knowing what you know we can help

as he is kind of like almost like trying to bat you off still kind of entranced by this angelic figure that he's seen around town but never directly engaged with until I just try to ease him because I can feel his

tension tension, and I smile with my stone teeth.

How is the damage, by the way?

Like, what is the...

Oh, he's on the cusp of death.

I mean, like, okay, so there's still healing that can be done.

Yeah,

you heal him up, and the wound closes to the point where he's no longer going to bleed out,

which is good.

And as soon as that kind of his breath comes in, it's like, what did you...

I know you have questions.

I don't have a lot of the answers.

Listen,

I know I've always been.

I would like you to make a presence for all four.

Which ones are going to be used?

Which ones?

How many do you have?

You know, there's a lot in here.

There's a.

dice we just got today.

It matters.

It does matter.

Okay.

That is annoying.

Any three, so it's

14 with hope.

14 with hope.

Okay.

So take a hope on that one.

Okay.

That's for Scala like calms a little bit.

I'm going to slowly walk up.

Keep my, use the hat to keep my

face a little hidden.

And I'm going to...

also a medical professional one moment and I'm gonna see if there's anything visible that also still needs needs work other than it if that if that gash is finally caught up or I mean he he's gonna survive yeah it's gonna take a little bit of recovery time there are all manner of other wounds but also Roskelo is covered in scars uh old and newish

um

but he'll he'll survive but he's he's gonna need a few days of recovery even at this rate.

He's longer in danger.

Just a okay, so we're good on.

I'm good on.

All right.

I'm going to,

just to be careful, just where it got healed up, I'm going to do a little bit of

suturing.

Okay.

And I'm just going to take a little, yeah, it's almost like I'm going to smear a little bit of blood, and I'm going to mix it into some silk thread that comes out of my mouth, grab a little needle, and just start going very, very quickly.

He doesn't even notice because he's still kind of looking at the two of you.

Idrova is part of the Triarch, right?

Idrova is, yes.

Idrova.

Can we say

we've shown you some trust here?

We're vulnerable.

I know you've seen me around, and I've asked before to join the Delvers.

This means a lot to me.

I think I and we could be

of great help to you.

This is the Rascala?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Aaron is right.

Indeed, you know, I've been all all throughout them vaults all over and you've been an absolute necessity for a number of your folk there.

Mescal kind of nods and was like,

we lost some good men inside.

And there's one that might still be alive in there.

She she has a lot of value.

She can move quietly and unseen.

And if you really think you found the filaments hollow,

we'd be interested in helping you.

But she's a child.

I am not a child, I am a Delver scout.

Thank you very much.

It's like,

look,

I can talk to Edwashi.

If you have a crew you can throw together to see if you can bring back Velk

Velk,

You know Velk Dravenmore.

Oh, yes.

Who is.

Oh, Velk's still out there?

Velk he's referring to is the one that got left behind.

Velk Dravenmore?

Yeah, Dravenmore.

Member of the Vigil

from Moonlights is

occasionally a Delver.

Very powerful male Katari.

Almost lion-like in his

exterior.

I know Velk sustained a wound,

but we could not recover a body, and he's a survivor.

But

if he's in there and needs help,

you go find him.

We could help.

Don't you even go to that monastery without me?

No.

That is

mine to have.

I understand.

We would go as quickly as we can if you don't think the Triarch would mind.

In like pushes against your arm, and Eskelo steps out of your grasp and onto his legs again.

Catches himself as you finish suturing.

I'll talk to it.

Gather your things.

For the more time that goes by, the less chance there is that he's alive.

Understood.

Don't fuck this up.

Don't

don't take that monastery from me.

You have my word.

He grabs your like the front of your

kind of cloak and breastplate area there, where they're like kind of the leather, you know, tunic ring is and pulls you in.

That's

mine to uncover.

It's yours.

And he kind of starts and hobbles back over to where the rest of the scholars are.

His hair, he's got amazing hair.

He's very

obsessed with the monastery.

Idol just kind of like rubs his shaved head

kind of obsessively.

I'm sorry, I know that you kind of got thrown into that, but...

No, it's really okay.

I like having a purpose and I like having a job.

Yeah.

I want you help in any way I can.

I am a friend.

We get to go up into the like even close to the monastery?

I am bloody in for that.

Yes, uh so much can we go to there

well

let's start by getting velk and then we'll see what happens it doesn't look that far

just like kind of like look where her giant arm is pointed

the massive sheer bladed cliffside

of the grief cleft mountains there above you itself an ominous unclimbable death trap for those who were to traverse it on the outside it's not the distance it's the altitude that's really the trouble i understand

But the Firmament Hollow- or Harrow, which is the rocky outcropping that the monastery was built on, that partially collapsed after the apostasy, the majority of it still remains there with the monastery itself aloft, beautiful architecture that still sits above

a gorgeous and ominous relic of the old world there.

And the hope that the vaults still can lead up to it.

If indeed this gate has been found to the firmament's harrow,

it would be an ascending

path

to the monastery.

It doesn't take too terribly long before

Raskello speaks to Etwandi

and the interest of haste towards the hope of saving a life of a very respected member of the Vigil.

You are told to leave within the hour.

You are given permission.

And

Aaron enough is like,

honestly, it's okay.

I know most of where we've already been before.

I have myself a little rundown of where we're going.

Just make sure to bring some snacks.

Those of us who enjoy them.

And I guess anyone of able body or mind,

just the three of us?

Well, Aaron, that feels like not enough.

We're gonna need, we're gonna need more, but I want to be clear with you.

We're going farther than even you have ever, ever gone.

Okay, well, I'll go as far as I know, and then I'll get behind you, and then you go further,

and then that'll be as far as I've gone.

Sure.

You know what you can do, Aaron?

Um,

go find Snicks.

Okay, I think we're gonna need

more people.

Someone that can navigate as well as you can.

Oh, should you find a replacement?

No, not a replacement, a supplement.

It's called redundancy.

Someone I gotta train.

I wouldn't mind a second in command.

Yes.

As I understand it, when people go there, some of them don't come back.

So probably

we should have

our numbers much higher.

I see.

I see.

Redundancy, which is what you just said, and now I understand.

I'll get him.

And she darts off, running that direction.

We follow Eren as she runs into the interior tent of Truvo the Hedge, where you are kind of sat up hearing all this commotion going on and pretty feeling much better than you were the night before.

Hey!

Snicks!

What?

You're coming with us!

What?

We're going in the vaults.

Idol said that we need a secondary scout to work under me, and I'm going to train you.

To work under you?

Yeah, come on.

Grabs your hand and starts pulling you out of the tent.

I don't work for anybody else right now.

It's just me.

The vault, that's scary.

I don't want to go down there.

She's just diagnosed.

She's rambling at this point, but like, so we're going to go on down the bottom tip for it.

It splits off into four different directions there.

Now, the second one from the left is have large marble pillars on each side.

Go ahead and stay to the right-hand side so you avoid the cliff faces falling off the bottom.

I pulled myself back.

What are you talking about?

We can't go in the vault.

People die down there all the time.

Only the ones who don't know what they're doing.

I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm going to teach you.

Forgive me, but you don't know what you're doing either.

That's just hurtful.

We need someone.

If you're going to go down there,

if anybody's going to go down there, you need somebody brave, strong.

Like

you?

No!

Then who do you recommend?

Fucking love of this.

I mean,

if none of the vigil are going,

you should get Brixton.

Would you go if Brixton's going?

I mean.

Only if she wanted me to go.

Brixton!

Wait, no, don't.

I'll I'll ask her.

I was literally right on the other side of the curtain.

Yes!

Hi, are you heard my name?

I heard my name and nothing else.

Second, continue.

I'm going on a mission.

Now I'll go with you.

I am ready.

I'm going on a mission.

I will go.

It's going to be dangerous.

I, of course, am willing to risk it.

That is because you are very brave.

I know.

Despite everything you just said that I wasn't listening to.

Wait, what?

You were very brave.

I am.

I know.

That's what I said.

I'm not following this.

Listen, I don't even know what this job is, honestly.

I have a bunch of deliveries to make, so maybe you can just figure out what it is we're talking about and if there's any money in it.

We're going to deliver

a wounded vigil, you know, named Velk

back to the village safe and sound.

You're good at delivering.

Just this time, the payload is alive.

I come over.

I Aaron, I heard you shouting.

Is everything all right?

I think we got ourselves

two new members of our delving crew.

Oh,

oh, you're going?

Oh, of course.

I don't know if Aaron told you, but the reward for this mission is quite substantial.

High monetary value.

Magnificent.

The scholars themselves have thrown quite a bit of tradable goods into the pot for those who return.

Really?

Yeah.

They found the gate to the firmament's heart.

Aaron!

They found the monastery gate.

Is that...

Okay.

Is that...

Is there money down there?

Is there good?

They're good.

Okay, okay.

I think it would be very valuable to the Triarch.

So, you know, if monetary compensation or favor is of import to you, I mean, you're the one who trades to the outer settlements.

You tell us how useful that stuff is to hang.

Yeah, I mean, it's

everything out there.

Once you leave the walls, if you don't have anything to trade, you're as good as dead.

And outside the walls is where the expertise we need.

That's wait, we're going outside the walls?

Sure are.

It's

just

not too far.

It's a few miles up at the base of the mountain right there.

I actually know the vaults quite well.

Don't tell anybody.

How?

How many tell me?

Wait.

What?

I was hiding behind

the little bush wrestles.

I'm usually just hiding behind the giant statue.

Oh my god.

Well, good, I guess.

Or on the statue now, yes, I'm not sure who you are.

I've got a whole bunch of stuff for you.

Can I?

We'll do that later.

Hello, August.

It's good to see you.

It is so good to see you.

Gentlemen,

this is Destiny Calling.

It is?

Yes.

Can't you feel it?

Deep down inside.

We don't need no money.

We do not need monetary payment.

Our payment will be an honor and glory.

I was promised stuff, but okay.

Stuff is only secondary to glory.

Yes, glory and stuff.

Yes.

Bit of respect to the side.

Oh, boy.

You hear the voice of Ember Warden Sheener.

Not far behind you.

I was hoping we would be gone before this happened.

Hello.

You brashly speak loudly to my ears catch phrases that speak towards glory

and beyond the wall.

What pray tell is a pyre keeper doing beyond the wall of Despelock, Brixton?

I'm sorry,

Imber Warden.

But I hope you would understand

that our duty to protect Desperlock extends just beyond the walls

of just this pyre.

I have put in an entire life's worth of service

to this settlement.

Please, please,

let me extend my life even further

for this cause.

Make a presence roll for me.

Let's go.

Anyone would like to aid, you can spend a hope to do so.

I would like to spend a hope to do so.

All right, so spend that.

Yes, I would.

You get to roll a d6 and add that to her roll.

She's gonna roll a couple.

She's gonna roll a d6.

That's good.

Uh, 12 plus 8 is 20 plus 5.

25 with hope.

Good god.

That's pretty fucking good.

Okay.

Yes.

Take that hope.

Add plus what?

Or did you add that bonus?

Oh, sorry.

24 because I have a minus one presence.

I have out there.

Kind of gives you a charismatic person.

Stern hard look.

I am just fueled

by what we have lost in the old world, and I have hope.

We all must have hope

That

the entire valley could once be returned

to the valiant glory we once knew

I plucked you from the other orphans because I saw in you a seed

a seed that could grow into something of importance.

And you became

one

in my stead.

To watch this flame is one of the greatest honors.

And you have done so.

I know

it is sacrilege to abandon my post.

But I hope you would not see it as abandonment,

but merely an extension

of the servitude that I am so bound and dedicated to.

You are bound to protect the sacred pyre.

To kindle is but one way to protect it.

To see

that those that receive its boon

live is another.

Take your leave for a time.

Do not fail me and do not disappoint our order.

Thank you, Himberwarden.

I will not disappoint you.

No, you will not.

No.

She walks away.

That did not go the way I thought it was going to go.

She is very desirous.

Yes, she's a terrifying woman.

But she

arguably saved my life.

Let's go quickly before she changes her mind.

Pick up supplies.

What are we even doing?

We're going down into the vaults to save some guy?

No, we're we're going after uh Vigil Velk Dravenmore.

going up, technically, also.

But he's not like

what are we gonna I mean, is it a clear shot?

Do we know what we're facing?

No,

we do know there were nine or ten of them and five made it back,

and we just need him or to know what happened to him, or a body, or a body

part,

and if we do this,

we get glory

among other things and stuff stuff

and what do you get out of it

increased favor with the delvers and the vigil

and a little more station around here bit of respectability could use some

besides if we find anything of particular interest while along the way if it doesn't get catalogued and just happens to stay in our

midst

who's going to be none the wiser?

I'm going to try and decide to idle.

Are we going to take them with us or not?

I don't want to.

I.

I'll tell you what.

Distract them for a minute.

Right.

Okay.

Uh.

Aaron, can we...

Can we kind of strategize for just a second?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

No, I can go ahead and I was planning to go talk to Roscal and see if I can figure out where their last path was and I can go ahead and say check it out

very quietly.

Oh, there's a map.

Don't worry, we know.

Very quietly.

I'm going to take a thread out of my mouth and just sort of tap it and shoot it right into her ear.

And then say,

and I'm going to cast slumber.

Okay.

Do you have a hope to burn for a little help?

I 100% do.

I have my hope.

So throw that D6 at me when you get a second.

Yeah, you can roll it or I can roll it you roll it's traditional

uh oh yeah we're good so that's um

uh

24 28 with fear 28 with fear

you whisper as aaron's like i'm gonna go

catch you catch her her you know

teenage waif-like body which makes her so deft in traversing the exterior unnoticed unseen and so quickly also makes her a little bit easy to catch for someone as brawny as you.

But she,

the process of doing so and immediately realizing that Garrick, her father, might be somewhere around causes you to glance around heavily and you take a stress just kind of glancing in the vicinity out of fear of being caught.

That's fair.

Nowhere near present, you think.

That's good.

Let's get home really quick and then we can get on our way.

Can I grab that map?

Go ahead and you clutch a write-up of the various tunnels with absolutely no labeling nor indication of where the beginning, end, or direction is supposed to be.

Everyone's going to she's gonna be so fucking mad at us.

Let's uh let's drop her off to home really quick.

Did you kill her?

What's the math, snor?

She's fine.

I think that was very wise to do.

Yeah, she won't thank us, but I think I think Garrick will.

I think her father will.

We'll go in and we'll tuck her in nice, cover her up with a blanket, leave a little note.

Be back soon.

Don't follow us.

See you before nightfall.

Maybe it's sorry.

Sorry.

Your dad insisted.

You plant her back in her abode.

With the understanding with Garrick that she is to have a little nap.

Gather your supplies as you feel are necessary for this rescue mission.

And with a bit of approval and a bit of guidance from Moskello for the path they last took beneath the ruins,

you are pushed beyond the slag wall exterior of Desper Lock in the midday,

the jungle itself tangled and ominous around you.

as you set foot in the direction of the base of the mountains and the vaults below.

That's where I'm going to take a break.

We're outside the walls.

We're outside the walls.

Run of the map.

Or under the map.

Hey, we all made it to the first break.

That's great.

You almost signed in proliferate.

I'm the best.

Snicks sneaked.

This is fun.

So we'll come back here in just a few minutes.

We'll see you guys here shortly.

Yay!

That's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode.

Part two will land here the Tuesday after this episode at 5 a.m.

Pacific, and we'll pick up this story right where we left off.

Until next time, keep the umbra at bay, and we'll be back for more of this adventure before you know it.

I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I saw you from across a cafe, and you're the Geico Gecko, right?

In the flesh.

Oh, my goodness.

This is huge to finally meet you.

I love Geico's fast-and-friendly fast-to-friendly claim service.

Well, that's how Geico gets 97% customer satisfaction.

Anyway, that's all.

Enjoy the rest of your food.

No worries.

Uh, so are you just gonna watch me eat?

Oh, sorry.

Just a little starstruck.

I'll be on my way.

If you're gonna stick around, just pull up a chair.

You're the best.

Get more than just savings.

Get more with Geico.

Summer's heating up, and so is the action with Chumba Casino and 2311 Racing.

Whether you're trackside with Bubba, Riley, and Tyler, or cooling off at home, the fun never stops at Chumba Casino, the online social casino packed with free-to-play games like Slots, Blackjack, and more.

Jump into summer at chumbacasino.com and score your free welcome bonus: 2 million free gold coins and 2 free sweeps coins.

No purchase necessary, VGW Group Void where prohibited by law, CTNC is 21, sponsored by Chumba Casino.