Episode Transcript
[00:00:33] Speaker A: Well, team, this is the final episode of carrots and suffering, a D and D odyssey campaign two. We might be back someday, but for now, I leave you. Special thanks to Todd Ferguson and my pet machine for our tunes, and Julie at elaborate Flight of Fancy for our logo. Special thanks to you for sticking with us and I hope you enjoyed our journey. I have really enjoyed sharing my passion for tabletop role playing games with you in this quirky format of podcasting, and I hope it inspired you to do some interesting things with your own friends.
No intro today for this last episode. If you were just tuning in, of course. Head back to the beginning. There's some good stories to tell. Our heroes have arrived at the final boss fight. In their hands are two magical books that hold the fate of the world.
What they do with them and how they manage the impending disaster will decide the future.
I started writing a world, and my players do the rest. And I'm very proud of what we came up with together.
Catch you on the flip side.
My name is Nate, and I will be your dungeon master.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Mandy. I play boulain the grave domain death cleric.
[00:01:51] Speaker C: Hi, I'm Claire, and I play Creedon the sorcerer, who never really did like reading books very much and feels like there's just too much book stuff going on.
[00:02:02] Speaker D: Hi, book stuff. I'm Robert, and I play Zerus the barbarian. Now, paladin, who loves book stuff.
[00:02:10] Speaker C: Well, I think Zerus has the book. Right?
[00:02:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:12] Speaker D: How. How far away is the portal?
[00:02:14] Speaker A: Not far. 510ft. About 40ft. Beyond it, there is this massive shadow creature that just seems to be waiting.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Why is he encouraging us to throw his own book into the portal?
[00:02:25] Speaker D: Do you have hesitations?
[00:02:26] Speaker C: Can we do, like, an insight check if we think that what we think will happen or Arcana or something? Is this a trick?
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Sure. Roll insight.
[00:02:38] Speaker C: Ooh. That's a 22.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: That's a 30. Oh, Jesus.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: Okay. Two really good roles. Both of you come to the same realization.
[00:02:49] Speaker D: 19 two.
[00:02:50] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:51] Speaker B: Look at us in our wiser.
[00:02:53] Speaker C: We're on a roll. Let's keep these rolls up.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: You have no idea what this creature has planned. But you know one thing? It is certain, 100% certain, that it is already won. You have already failed. And maybe it's just playing with you.
[00:03:13] Speaker B: So, like, the book doesn't make a difference to him at this point.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: Not at all.
[00:03:19] Speaker B: Yeah, go ahead and throw it in then.
[00:03:23] Speaker C: It's up to you, Zerus.
It's in your hands.
[00:03:27] Speaker A: Yeah, I know.
[00:03:28] Speaker D: I am contemplating being very stupid.
I mean, for the moment, Zerus is there with the look of trying to decide on his mind. Cause I feel compelled to be fairly stupid.
[00:03:41] Speaker B: If anything brings this creature down, it will be his overconfidence.
[00:03:44] Speaker D: I used to say I was responsibly irresponsible.
[00:03:48] Speaker C: That's our whole vibe.
[00:03:51] Speaker D: I will cast haste on myself, and then I will take myself and the book through the portal.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: Oh, Zerus.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: You jump through the portal.
Something immediately happens as your body touches this portal. You feel a separation come over you, and you find yourself on the other side. You are in the divine realm. It is a silver sea of thought stretching as far as you could possibly see. Little motes of ideas float in the air, becoming real. And above you, high above you, there is this empirical palace on a mountain.
And far below you is sort of roiling hot vents at the bottom of the silver sea. The following happens immediately to you. You barely glimpse the silver sea before your body solidifies because you know exactly who you are. Your armor appears around your body. Your weapons of all ages past lie behind you on the walls of the barracks. The details are kind of vague and dreamlike. This is sort of both a barracks and a tavern at times. And on the table in front of you is a set of dragon chess. Each piece is worn from a million games, and the indentations are perfect to your fingers. This is a world of total law and order and total absolutes of truth, as you imagine it should be. But inevitably, someone cheats. You look away, and you turn back, and pieces on the board have been moved. And the anger comes to you that has never really left. And you handle this in a thousand different ways. But after a time, a sort of endless amount of time, you're the only one here. You're the only one playing. This world is just Zerus playing chess with himself, waiting for someone, anyone, to come join you. And the results are always the same. You're not in heaven, Zerus. You might be in hell, but it's your hell. When do you end it and leave?
[00:06:15] Speaker D: I want to imagine immortality. To imagine and reflect on what I would do if this were closer to real reality.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Pick a spot in the real world for me that Zerus would be familiar.
[00:06:32] Speaker D: With the barracks and Astragar.
[00:06:35] Speaker A: The aspects of the barracks start to solidify and become highly detailed. And the parts of the tavern sort of fade into the background until you are again in a full barracks, very different from the one you were in. And as this vision fades, this old vision fades. The one you were in, you see something in the back corner. Of the old version of the barracks, there is sister truth. Not all of her, just like a small portion, like a nesting doll. But this version of Sister Truth is not neutral language written in stone or balanced scales. This is the part of sister truth that is angry at the flaws of the world and the people within it. This part is angry at all of those who fail to conform to the law. And as her image fades, you see there's a core of her wearing a mask. And you understand for the first time that these two gods, law and rebellion, they were torn from the very same soul. And they are raging right now at the very same problem for incredibly different reasons. And they're both in your corner. You may have forsworn them, but they are swearing to you and you know that this is Astragarion Contessa, a founder of the empire.
And her rage is your rage. And that is where it has always come from. Meanwhile, Zerus disappears through a portal. The archsage looks surprised. Vana Ulare raises an eyebrow. And this nightmarish creature that was like freikars and maybe Vecna looks down and goes, well, that's not fun at all.
He looks down at the rest of you and says, are you going to do the thing with the other book? And Dan, the arch sage, turns and looks at you and says, what other books?
[00:08:36] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't. I think that Zerus has it on him, so I think we're in the clear.
[00:08:42] Speaker A: I thought it was on cretin.
[00:08:43] Speaker D: I thought. I thought she had the orb.
[00:08:45] Speaker C: I have the orb of Daeron in my inventory.
[00:08:48] Speaker A: Oh.
[00:08:48] Speaker C: Now, I had written in the book before, but Zerus has it on his person.
[00:08:53] Speaker A: I see. So that book is also in the realm of the dead.
Oh, my.
[00:08:58] Speaker C: Yeah. All the. All of our books in one basket.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: The nightmarish eyes look down at you, Creiden. And Daren catches on and looks at you also, just confused and says, what. What is. What is he talking about?
[00:09:12] Speaker C: Hmm?
[00:09:13] Speaker A: That was the only book, right?
[00:09:15] Speaker C: Oh, boy. I think that, like, needs to go.
Oh, do I just attack him? I don't know where Zerus has gone, and this guy's clearly bad news. And I don't want Darren to turn against us. I'm gonna summon a celestial next to lank Friker. Do I need to roll initiative or do I just.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: If this is a fight, I need initiative from everybody. Zerus. Eleven three one 2317.
You summon an angel, and that starts something. And like freikars or whatever this creature is, walks forward and his stride is such that in just a single step piece on you, the left foot is to the left of the portal, the right foot is to the right of the portal, and it just stands in between his enormous legs. And then the shadows start to seep out of him and just fill the area around you 30ft from, like, swallowing your entire group. And you hear him say, let's have a little fun before the end, huh? Creedon? Please give me a wisdom saving throw.
[00:10:31] Speaker C: Okay, that's a nine. Do I want to use my.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:10:34] Speaker A: You know what?
[00:10:34] Speaker C: I'm gonna do it. I always forget that I have this. I have favored by the gods. Or once per short rest, I can add two d four to a failed.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: Saving throw roll very high.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: Oh, that was two fours. So let's see, that's 17. Please tell me that passes.
[00:10:52] Speaker A: It doesn't.
[00:10:52] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:10:55] Speaker C: But I rolled two bars.
[00:10:56] Speaker A: I know. So sad.
It points a finger at you and you instantaneously know that you're doomed.
[00:11:06] Speaker C: Oh, God.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: And the negative energy that's around you just pools into your chest. You are frightened.
[00:11:12] Speaker C: Okay, I can handle.
[00:11:14] Speaker A: And something blocks some of the damage. You take 20 damage and you feel the presence of the celestial you summoned and the celestial that's walking with you, and they are blocking some of this damage. So you are resistant to it, which is why you're only taking 20 damage instead of 40. It turns its attention ever so slightly to boulain, and a beam of this shadow energy rockets out at you.
This beam of shadow energy sparks off the sort of bluish floor in front of you and misses. And that brings us to boulain.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: I thought I was going to have.
[00:11:58] Speaker A: To roll a save, but when your turn starts, you do need to roll me a constitution saving throw. A completely different saving throw for a completely different reason.
[00:12:06] Speaker B: 13.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: That's a fail.
[00:12:09] Speaker B: Aw.
[00:12:10] Speaker A: Kindly take ten necrotic damage for starting your turn inside this aura of shadows.
[00:12:19] Speaker B: Okay, can I do my thing now?
[00:12:22] Speaker A: Now do your turn.
[00:12:23] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: She is gonna cast guardian of faith over our whole group because he's like he said, he's standing right over us, right?
[00:12:32] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. No, he's towering over you.
[00:12:34] Speaker B: I'm gonna cast guardian of faith on him.
[00:12:37] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:38] Speaker B: He has to do a Dex save.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Got it. He succeeds.
[00:12:42] Speaker B: Fuck. All right. Well, then he takes ten radiant damage.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: That is gonna bring us to Creden.
[00:12:50] Speaker C: I did roll for concentration on my celestial that I summoned, and I did pass that. I'm pretty good at. Excellent con saves. Let's see. I'm frightened. Can I roll again for that at the end of my turn, or am I just frightened for a while?
[00:13:03] Speaker A: You are so frightened that you are paralyzed in fear.
[00:13:07] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: You may roll a saving throw.
[00:13:10] Speaker C: Okay, but is that all that I can do this?
[00:13:12] Speaker A: That's gonna be your turn. And your angel will go on its turn, though, which I think is right now as well.
[00:13:17] Speaker C: Yeah, it goes, like, immediately after my turn.
[00:13:19] Speaker A: So I need you to give me one save for starting in this necrotic aura, a constitution saving throw.
[00:13:25] Speaker C: Okay? That is an eleven.
[00:13:28] Speaker A: You take ten damage. Ten damage? Yes. And then I need you to give me a wisdom saving throw to try to break out of this fear.
[00:13:36] Speaker C: All right? That's what we're talking about. That's a 16.
[00:13:38] Speaker A: Cool. Creedon, go ahead and roll me the angels weapon attack.
[00:13:45] Speaker C: And that is.
[00:13:46] Speaker B: Ooh.
[00:13:47] Speaker C: That's an 18 on the dice. Plus, let's see my spell attack modifier, which is eleven. So that's gonna be a 29 to hit.
[00:13:55] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:57] Speaker C: And the damage is one d ten. Plus three, plus the spell's level. Radiant damage spell is fifth level. And that's, let's see, 912 plus 517 radiant damage. And the celestial can choose itself or another creature you can see within 10ft. Hoping that I'm within 10ft.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: You are.
[00:14:21] Speaker C: And I gain one d ten temporary hit points, which is going to give me eight temporary hit points.
[00:14:27] Speaker A: It gets two more attacks, I believe. Cause it's your level of the spell.
[00:14:31] Speaker C: And divided by two, the next one is going to be a 19. To hit that. It's 513 radiant damage. Okay, so I can keep on giving out temporary hit points?
[00:14:43] Speaker A: Yes, you can. Although they don't stack, so you want to give them to somebody else.
[00:14:47] Speaker C: I'll have it go to Boulain because I know you're in the battle. Or. Oh, sorry. One d ten. Let me roll it. Eight.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: Oh, cool.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: Thank you. Yeah, I'm rolling really well on those d ten s, the last one is a 21 to hit. That is, we'll do all right. Max damage. 10. 13. 18 radiant damage. And I guess it's gonna pick Dredd to give some temp hp. Two. That'll be nine.
[00:15:15] Speaker A: Jeez, you guys are rocking this thing. Shouldn't have chosen something that's bad at radiant damage.
[00:15:21] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm glad it's daytime.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: Zerus, the book in front of you, you realize has a chord. You have taken control of this vision of the world, and after a bit, it sort of fades, leaving you in this same silver sea with a measure of control over the world around you. But that book you jumped in with is still here. And there's a thread. It is a thread of shadows that stretches back away from you.
And, you see, your thread stretches back away from you too. And they all seem to be going to the same place, but you realize there's a connection.
[00:16:00] Speaker D: I would like to call out to mask and sister truth and say, give me your anger. Give me your rage. Make me godlike, and I will fix this. And we will put this how it should be.
[00:16:16] Speaker A: Roll me a religion check.
[00:16:17] Speaker D: Can I do persuasion?
[00:16:18] Speaker A: Sure. You're close enough to them.
[00:16:20] Speaker D: It's 19 on the die. Religion makes that a 24. Persuasion makes that a 31.
[00:16:26] Speaker C: 31.
[00:16:26] Speaker A: 31. Yeah, that's what we're going with.
[00:16:31] Speaker C: That's one of those magic d and D numbers.
[00:16:34] Speaker A: Zeros.
You need to do the following things right now. I would write them, maybe on a post it note or something.
[00:16:41] Speaker D: Sure.
[00:16:41] Speaker A: Double your proficiency bonus for everything. Boom.
[00:16:45] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:16:45] Speaker A: Double your hit points.
[00:16:47] Speaker C: Oh, my God.
[00:16:48] Speaker A: And you are raging and cannot cast spells, but you will get the bonuses of a level 20 barbarian. Fully very mad.
[00:16:58] Speaker C: Oh, my God. Okay, now I just need to haste him.
[00:17:03] Speaker B: Holy hasted himself.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: That does ask.
[00:17:06] Speaker D: You cannot concentrate on the spell. We're raging. Are we ignoring that for this particular.
[00:17:10] Speaker A: Effect, because of the two gods involved? We will not ignore it. No, I think your concentration drops, and you. You are anger incarnate.
[00:17:20] Speaker D: One more question on that, because when haste drops, you go dumb for a second.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: Don't worry about that.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: Okay, that's disgusting, and I love it.
[00:17:31] Speaker B: Maybe we have a chance in this.
[00:17:32] Speaker A: Fight and then kindly attack me. A thread.
[00:17:39] Speaker D: Do I have reckless?
[00:17:40] Speaker A: Yes. Yes, you can be reckless. The ac is 14.
[00:17:44] Speaker D: Okay, well, I won't worry about the hit to hit, because it was 18 on the die. You know what? Pull out my old sister truth. Great axe that I always have kept around. All right, I will go ahead and drop a smite into it.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: You definitely should.
[00:18:02] Speaker D: Is it undead? For the purposes of smite, yes.
[00:18:05] Speaker A: I'm gonna need you to double your radiant for me and then just add everything else up.
[00:18:09] Speaker D: Okay, so it's a 16 radiant and.
And 16 non radiant.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:19] Speaker D: Still kind of reckless.
Okay, that's a hit. I'm just gonna go with that's a hit.
That is much better. 810. 20 radiant.
Nine slashing.
[00:18:36] Speaker A: You swing down on this thread, and it vibrates. Just out. And, you know, you are tearing this thing apart. It holds, but you are essentially attacking directly against this thing's soul. I am applying damage to the boss, Max. He gets grumpy.
[00:18:56] Speaker B: Excellent.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: We like grumpy Max swinging his mighty great axe.
[00:19:01] Speaker C: I forgot. Summoning a celestial cost fiverr good gold. Ow. My wallet.
[00:19:08] Speaker B: Worth it.
You're rich anyway, aren't you? Like a nepo, baby.
[00:19:20] Speaker C: Look, my parents didn't send me out with a ton of money.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: Dread fires a shot for 23 total damage. And Chum leaps in for his flurry of death. Swings, 1234 base swings.
All hit action surge.
[00:19:45] Speaker C: I'm so scared for this thing's turn.
[00:19:47] Speaker A: All hit.
[00:19:49] Speaker C: Yeah, chum. Chum was such. Like, I didn't care about him at all. And he's grown on me. If anybody has to die, I'm okay. I would just like to say we.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: Have this reflection every time he's in a fight and does well.
[00:20:02] Speaker C: We're like, oh, good, I'm glad he's here.
[00:20:04] Speaker B: I didn't care before, but, you know.
[00:20:06] Speaker C: I always forget that Chung's pretty good in a fight. He does have value.
[00:20:12] Speaker B: I mean, we got off on the.
[00:20:14] Speaker C: Wrong foot with him, but what a great night. Going out, pirating, having pirate fights, carousing.
[00:20:25] Speaker D: That was a great part of the story.
[00:20:26] Speaker A: He brings home a mighty 79 damage.
[00:20:30] Speaker C: My God.
You're getting the next round of temp hp, buddy.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: The arch sage casts a spell. Boss automatically succeeds on his saving throw, as is his power of being a God.
But that burns one of his legendary resistances. Vana Ulare, stands in the aura, ignoring it.
[00:20:55] Speaker B: Jerk. And she doesn't do anything. Oh, what a bitch.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: You'll see if this power recharges. It does not.
So I need two attack rolls. Attack roll against Chom. One, two, three. Zerus isn't a choice, so the celestial is the other one. I need a constitution saving throw from your celestial.
[00:21:17] Speaker C: All right, let's see.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: Constitution and a constitution saving throw from Chom.
[00:21:24] Speaker C: Oh, my God. I'm rolling such crap. That was a six for my, uh. For my celestial. I was hoping this would hit AC.
[00:21:31] Speaker A: This shadowy doom aura solidifies into a beam that does 30 damage to your celestial. And 30 damage to chomp. Oof.
[00:21:44] Speaker C: Okay, my celestial has ten gp left.
[00:21:47] Speaker A: Vecna joins the fight.
[00:21:50] Speaker C: No, wait. What was happening? But that was Vecna.
[00:21:54] Speaker B: That was supposed to be vecna. God damn.
[00:21:57] Speaker A: Oh, that's just like Fryker's physical form.
The eyes begin to glow this brilliant green, almost jade like in tone. And shit will happen on vecna's turn. Boulain.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: Boulain was gearing up to attack him. But when she sees the eye glow, she gets very, very concerned. And so she casts death ward on Creedon.
[00:22:23] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:22:23] Speaker B: And then her guardian of faith is going to strike it again. So he needs to make a dex save.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: He succeeds.
[00:22:30] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:22:30] Speaker B: Takes ten radiant damage. Okay, so, Creeden, you, if anything drops you to zero hit points, you will instead drop to one hit point.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Boulain, kindly give me a constitution saving throw. DC 21.
[00:22:44] Speaker B: 21. Holy crap.
14.
[00:22:49] Speaker A: No, 15, kindly take 20 necrotic damage.
[00:22:52] Speaker C: Holy shit. Yike.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: Is this like, the aura vecna's eyes flash? Nope.
Also, I need another con save for starting your turn in that aura.
[00:23:02] Speaker B: Oh, fuck. 13. So another ten.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: Another ten.
[00:23:06] Speaker C: What does Vecna look like at this point?
[00:23:09] Speaker A: It appears to be just a jade glow coming from the eyes of this gigantic shadow creature. I think the best way to describe it is that, like is possessed by Vecna when you bloodied. Like, oh, you are now attacking Vecna. So it's one entity, one body. Just gets new mechanics. Extra new mechanics. Consider it a phased boss fight in which you unlocked phase two very quickly.
[00:23:33] Speaker C: But there aren't, like, a bunch of, like, little guys around or anything. It's kind of just our big boss here. Okay.
[00:23:40] Speaker D: Not in phase two.
[00:23:43] Speaker A: Okay, Creedon?
[00:23:45] Speaker C: Okay. Do I need to roll for constitution first?
[00:23:48] Speaker A: Yep. Con save, please.
[00:23:51] Speaker C: All right, that's going to be a 21.
[00:23:54] Speaker A: Oh, sweet. You don't take any damage, and it's your turn.
[00:23:58] Speaker C: My con. Saves are good. I have, like, so many concentration spells I want to use, but therein lies the problem.
One, two. I'm going to use some sorcery points, and I am going to do a quickened spell, and I am going to throw a fireball, and then also throw out a sacred flame. Okay, but is there a way that I can run out of the aura?
[00:24:23] Speaker A: Yes, you can run out of the aura.
[00:24:24] Speaker C: Okay. I will just take an attack of opportunity, probably.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: Even though it has big, scary claws, they don't attack. It's all just manipulation of the negative energy. So it doesn't have a weapon. You get out of the aura without taking any hits.
[00:24:38] Speaker C: Oh, okay.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: Excellent.
[00:24:39] Speaker C: It has to make a Dex save.
[00:24:42] Speaker A: 14 is a fail.
[00:24:44] Speaker C: All right, so that's 34 fire damage. That was a good fireball. Yeah. And then the sacred flame is going to be.
That is seven, eight, nine radiant damage. But that one's also a Dex save fail. Okay, nine radiant damage. Then celestial is going to go. I did double check. I summoned it at a fifth level, so it actually should only be making two.
[00:25:09] Speaker A: Two attacks.
[00:25:10] Speaker C: Multi attack, not three. I'm just going to. There's only one bad guy, so I'm just going to roll both attacks at once. 18 to hit.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: That hits.
[00:25:19] Speaker C: All right. And the other one is even higher than that, so both of those are gonna hit 30 radiant damage. That's going to give temp HP to Boulain. Did you lose your temp HP?
[00:25:29] Speaker B: I did get hurt.
[00:25:30] Speaker C: Okay, I'm gonna give you more temp HP. That's ten.
Excellent. Going to give Max the other. That's going to be six temp HP for max.
[00:25:40] Speaker A: Legendary actions occur. It needs to roll me a new concave because a beam of negative energy hits it.
[00:25:47] Speaker C: Oh, no. Seven.
[00:25:48] Speaker A: It takes 28 damage.
[00:25:50] Speaker C: They better pucker their buttholes.
[00:25:51] Speaker A: For sunbeam, the Vecna power also fires another beam. This one is going to. Chom seems to be the next big threat, even though he can't do that. Again, this creature doesn't know that. Chom rolls a con save, and Chom goes down.
[00:26:08] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:26:09] Speaker C: Oh, I didn't realize that he was that low. I should have given him our temp HP.
[00:26:12] Speaker A: As Chom goes down, you see something odd happen. That silver thread gets sucked up into this creature, and you just see it kind of explode.
[00:26:23] Speaker D: Explode in his face, like in an ow, I'm hurt kind of explosion, or like, in a, like, ooh, that was tasty kind of explosion?
[00:26:31] Speaker A: A little of both, actually. Roman religion. Those of you who can see it.
[00:26:35] Speaker C: That'S just an eleven for me. My plus zero again.
[00:26:38] Speaker A: Boulain, that silver thread is the connection between your soul and your body.
[00:26:43] Speaker B: Ah ha.
[00:26:43] Speaker A: That connection has been permanently severed.
[00:26:47] Speaker C: Oh, my God. Chom's dead. So he's actually, like, dead dead?
[00:26:51] Speaker A: His soul cannot be returned to his body.
[00:26:53] Speaker C: Oh, shit. I know that I said that I was okay with Chom dying, but now that I'm facing this reality, I'm ready.
[00:27:00] Speaker B: I won't spend any energy on healing him, but. Holy damn.
[00:27:04] Speaker C: Oh, no.
The stakes have really been raised, Zerus.
[00:27:09] Speaker D: So the raging specifically says, while not.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Wearing heavy armor, ignore that. You're mad.
[00:27:14] Speaker D: Okay, awesome. I. Yes, I am. I'm wondering if I'm so mad that this, uh, this thread cutting bullshit is.
[00:27:21] Speaker B: Not satisfying a paladin with rule breaking rage.
[00:27:24] Speaker A: My God, you can follow your thread. It's what it's literally there for.
[00:27:28] Speaker C: Choose friendship.
[00:27:29] Speaker B: Cover it. No, go ahead and cut it.
[00:27:31] Speaker D: I feel like that's what we're doing in the real world, too.
[00:27:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I can come back.
[00:27:35] Speaker A: I can come back.
[00:27:36] Speaker B: Okay, okay, okay, okay. You can wail on him where you are with no consequences to yourself.
[00:27:44] Speaker D: But I'm not there for you.
[00:27:46] Speaker B: Aw.
[00:27:47] Speaker D: No, I mean that literally. Like, as a target.
I will. I will follow the threadback.
[00:27:55] Speaker A: Your movement action is enough to get you out of the portal standing next to this thing.
[00:28:00] Speaker D: I will move to the opposite side of everyone else, putting it between us.
[00:28:06] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:28:06] Speaker D: Anyone who is in melee is probably going to be affected by my paladin Zora, and then I will begin to show it why I'm here. Attack number one with reckless intent. We are hitting 21. That hits drop a smite.
That's 18 slashing.
[00:28:27] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:28:28] Speaker D: And 40 radiant.
[00:28:30] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:28:32] Speaker D: Second attack.
[00:28:34] Speaker C: Yeah, get him.
[00:28:36] Speaker D: That is again a 21. That is going to be 17 slashing.
[00:28:42] Speaker A: 25.
[00:28:42] Speaker D: 50 radiant damage.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: Okay, Boulain con save.
[00:28:47] Speaker B: Oof.
[00:28:48] Speaker A: Twelve, take 28 damage.
[00:28:51] Speaker B: Yikes.
[00:28:52] Speaker A: My God, that's the Vecna Smith.
[00:28:54] Speaker C: How are you doing?
[00:28:55] Speaker B: She said 50 now, I think. Yeah, 50 now.
[00:28:59] Speaker C: You're doing better than I thought you would be.
[00:29:00] Speaker A: It is Max's turn. The Max smack dread takes a pitiful little shot in the back. He doesn't have any radiant damage.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: I thought his weapon dealt radiant damage.
[00:29:10] Speaker A: It's just a sneak attack. His power does not recharge while I'm.
[00:29:16] Speaker D: Waiting for it to cast a spell.
[00:29:17] Speaker A: Max has been a real problem, so, no, Max is gonna get shot.
[00:29:23] Speaker C: Krady doesn't understand that Tom's dead either.
[00:29:26] Speaker A: He is going to fail. Both saves. Did you add.
[00:29:29] Speaker D: Did you add the plus four?
[00:29:31] Speaker A: One success, one failure.
That's good. That saves his life.
[00:29:34] Speaker C: Oh, hey, this is bad. This is bad news.
[00:29:38] Speaker B: This is very bad news. This is bad news.
[00:29:41] Speaker C: Bears instant death thing.
[00:29:43] Speaker D: What are you talking about? I just saved someone's life.
[00:29:45] Speaker C: Yeah, but, like.
[00:29:46] Speaker D: And those are, I assume those are abilities, not spells.
[00:29:49] Speaker A: That was his turn. Max lives. Barely. Boulain.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: Boulain.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: Okay, I need to con save to start your turn in the radius, 722. Okay, you don't take any damage.
[00:29:57] Speaker D: It's your turn.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: Ah, sweet.
[00:29:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: I'm gonna cast the spirit Guardians, which he needs to make a wisdom save a ten radiant damage.
[00:30:07] Speaker A: Total failure. The shadowy form begins to dissipate, and the corpse body of like phrickers falls to the ground, leaving behind a floating jade skull. Now have your guy attack the skull, which has very different stats.
[00:30:25] Speaker C: Uh oh.
[00:30:26] Speaker B: This raven descends on this jade skull, ripping out where its eyes would be. And he needs to make a Dex save. Distraction, distraction, distraction. He can't see with this thing flying all around his eyeballs. It's great.
[00:30:39] Speaker D: Oh, your bird is so distracting.
[00:30:43] Speaker B: This bird of light is so annoying.
[00:30:45] Speaker A: Who? This dexterity saving throw. He's good at that.
[00:30:51] Speaker B: No, he's mad at that. He needs to be very bad at that.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: Well, he totally failed. Despite being excellent. 20 damage for him, the aura doesn't disappear. It all gets pulled into this skull. It's gone. You're no longer in the aura.
[00:31:05] Speaker C: Excellent.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: But it is inside this Jade skull. The whole thing is sort of concentrated there now. Legendary action.
[00:31:12] Speaker B: No, he needs to knock that off. Legendary, my ass.
[00:31:16] Speaker C: This is my turn.
[00:31:17] Speaker B: Nobody even knows his name.
[00:31:20] Speaker A: Everybody give me a new constitution saving throw, please.
[00:31:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:24] Speaker C: Ooh, that was good.
[00:31:25] Speaker A: At 2024, it's 40. The DC was 15. Take ten. Damage necrotic. This damage cannot be healed if you make the save. Take five.
[00:31:36] Speaker C: All right. Oh, it comes out of my temp HP.
[00:31:38] Speaker A: All right, Max goes down.
[00:31:41] Speaker C: I was about to shove potions in his throat.
[00:31:44] Speaker D: Well, thread hasn't been cut yet.
[00:31:47] Speaker C: I don't think Creiden understands the thread thing. Anyway, I think she's probably gonna try to heal regardless.
[00:31:51] Speaker A: That is gonna bring us to Creden.
[00:31:54] Speaker C: Creedon has two potions of healing. She's gonna dump one down Max's throat.
[00:31:59] Speaker A: Max wakes up.
[00:32:00] Speaker B: Excellent.
[00:32:01] Speaker A: Two. D four. Two.
[00:32:02] Speaker C: All right, that is nine. So I am going to actually use my quicken spell again. Two more sorcery points, and I'm gonna cast sunbeam as a bonus action.
[00:32:14] Speaker B: Excellent.
[00:32:15] Speaker A: As a bonus action, what is the type of saving throw?
[00:32:19] Speaker C: It is a constitution saving throw.
[00:32:22] Speaker A: Oh, you lucky duck. Okay, I fail.
[00:32:24] Speaker C: All right, that is excellent. Six. D eight radiant damage. Let me gather up my D 828 radiant damage, and it is blinded until my next turn.
[00:32:38] Speaker A: Jesus.
[00:32:38] Speaker C: Okay, and this is a concentration spell for me. I can basically redo this. I did have to position myself in such a way because it's like it's a beam coming out of me and it affects creatures, so I did have to position myself in such a way that I'm only hitting it. So I guess I'm kind of, like, off on the side somewhere.
[00:32:57] Speaker D: Well, if it's levitating, too, that's not.
[00:32:59] Speaker A: It lets out a bone curling howl. Everyone who is not outside of the 30 foot radius. So, Creedon, you can ignore this and dread ignores this. Everyone else, give me a constitution saving throw.
[00:33:12] Speaker B: 14.
[00:33:13] Speaker A: Boulain, you dropped a zero gp. Oh, shit.
[00:33:17] Speaker D: That's another 14 for me also.
[00:33:18] Speaker C: Oh, my God.
[00:33:20] Speaker D: I do not drop to zero hp. Cause I'm a raging barbarian.
[00:33:23] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, my deathward's gone now, too.
[00:33:26] Speaker D: Make a constitution safe and pass that one. So I am at one gp.
[00:33:33] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:33:34] Speaker C: Ah, now I get to keep death Ward. Well, that's good. Deathward is definitely a good spell to have cast on someone.
[00:33:40] Speaker B: Starting to wish I had cast that on me.
[00:33:42] Speaker A: But, you know, the arch sage goes down, a contingent spell goes off, and he disappears.
[00:33:48] Speaker C: Excellent.
[00:33:49] Speaker A: Oh, he just blinks out of existence. Oh, shit. And Max goes to zero hp.
[00:33:57] Speaker C: My health notion.
[00:33:58] Speaker A: Well, we tried. Zerus, you're at one gp.
[00:34:01] Speaker D: I am, but I'm also angry, so fuck this.
Under my breath I vow enmity as this stands in my way. Of perfect order.
And this is a manipulative son of a bitch. So. So 17 that hits, we will drop a smite. No. So still undead. But don't double radiant is what I heard.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: Yep, regular hit. Roll your second attack while you're at it, please.
[00:34:26] Speaker D: This is a 15 to hit.
So two hits for 34 radiant and 19 slashing on the first one. And then I will drop a third level smite, because we're down to third level smites, which would be this plus dice.
25 radiant and eight slashing.
[00:34:51] Speaker A: Okay. You crack the jade skull in half, the death energy spills out of the skull, and Vecna's true plan is put into motion. Centuries of energy gathered from nearly every major city spills from the shattered jade.
Our heroes were effective at stopping the energy from leaving two cities, but the power of the other eight is more than enough.
The explosion of death, positioned at the very weakest spot in all the world, between the realms of the dead and the living, shatters the veil and tears it open once again.
Now we understand where this chasm came from.
The hole between life and death grows until it shatters into the sky, stretching equally deep into the earth.
Anything it touches is killed. With a few notable exceptions, Boulain's spell of warding holds credence soul in her body. The phoenix feather in credence hat turns to ash, and dread is reborn in a flash of twilight. The divine power surging through Zerus defies death, and his rage holds his soul to his physical form.
Vana Ulare commands the energy of death, and she is. Is simply herself.
And now stands in the silver sea in the realm of the dead as the gods approach to investigate the calamity. A terror of this size hasn't been experienced since the early days of the forming of the world.
The silent judge and the whispering shepherd each come to their sacred duty, for the soul should not be able to pass from one side to the other outside their care. It is not the order nor the balance. They exist to maintain, to close the portal would end them both and still fail.
They hesitate as the souls pour from the tear into the mortal world, finding countless animated bodies waiting to contain them.
But perhaps all is not yet lost.
I got more box text today than I normally do, and I apologize for that.
[00:37:15] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:37:16] Speaker A: But when we last left off, y'all are dead or in the plane of death with one hit point left still in your physical body. Bewilderingly Zerus. This time when you arrive in the plane of death, you're ready for the images that form and you can just sort of push them aside and you will find yourself in the silver sea. Boulain, this is your first time here. You float for a moment in a sea of silver waves made of endless sparks of light, marred with little islands like an endless ocean.
When the world starts to take form, your body returns to you. Your tattoo is first. Your silent judge ceremonial robes second. Your favorite quill from the office is tucked in your hair. Your home, or at least the one place that was ever truly home in Turtle Bay. Dreamlike, the house has its sharp images in glorious detail and washed out shadows in the background fill in the spaces with things that just don't matter.
You sit at your table, having come home from work early, and your wife is here setting dinner down in front of you with fresh flowers from the market. She got on a special trip with her little granddaughter this morning. Her face is old. She doesn't go to the ship anymore. You have her enraptured and undivided attention as you tell her about your day, and she tells you about little sweet things that young twelve has done.
These are your best years.
Your wife can tell the end is coming, but not when.
Her need for love and connection has never been so great and your relationship has never been stronger. You find yourself leaving work earlier and earlier to spend more time with her. And every day she acts surprised despite already having a meal ready. It's a wonderful dream.
When do you end it?
[00:39:09] Speaker B: Can I continue this narrative a little bit? Is that okay? Okay, sure. I think she waits until we've eaten dinner and we read twelve a pirate story and read her to sleep. And then we go out on the front porch where there's a swing, there's a swing bench, and we sit and we watch. The sunset's kind of off to the side because Turtle Bay is all south facing, but we basically watch the sunset over the water.
We just watch the sun go down and we're swinging gently on the bench and seven's head is on my shoulder. And she slowly falls asleep there. And that's when Boulain will end it.
[00:39:54] Speaker A: In this version of history, which you remember well and fondly, in this little slice of heaven, there is one thing that's different. In the corner of your eye, off down the street, watching you spot this elven figure with ears peeking out behind a dark veil and the robes of a death priest from ancient times. And you recognize Vana Ulare. She's here. She was always here. The fear of aging that made this scene beautiful is powering her. She's pushing it to greater heights with her presence in a way that is rewarding. But also, she's feeding on you. This is her domain. And then it fades away. And you catch yourself in the silver sea. Cretin. You are awash in a silver sea. You never became.
This never becomes a dream. You never find form. You didn't get to be old. You missed out on love's many stages. You never found yourself. So in this world, despite all the change you've come to, nothing comes to you. And nothing is made.
This world is formed for you. A fact that you know would disappoint everyone.
Images of your parents and your mother, Dredd, Boulain and Zerus, just float by you. They don't mean anything. They don't define you. In fact, nothing seems to define you. You're caught in a purgatory of missed opportunity. You notice a single silver thread that emerges from your formless shape and leads from your soul back to your body. On the material realm. And you see islands, the remnants of dead gods, long forgotten by humanity. Far above you, you see the heavens, its great gates. In the realm of the gods, there are just a few more threads around you. And they stretch to points above and below. And they begin to take form. Zerus and Boulain begin to drift towards you. And the world begins to shift. A soft ground for Boulain. Carved stone furniture for Zerus. A sun and a moon form twilight. And you see dread. Max and chom begin to form in this world. And it becomes brighter. The images of humanity form like ghosts in the background. The details of world start to leap out in ways youve never imagined. The churn of water forms this little river that reminds you of sailing on the sea. And in this sort of world where you didn't make any of it, do you accept this world? Or do you remake it?
[00:42:34] Speaker C: To be clear, the world that I'm in is essentially like the current state of my life.
[00:42:40] Speaker A: It seems to be what your soul is experiencing as you pass into the realm of the dead. You can roll me religion. If you'd like to know a little bit more about how this theoretically works.
[00:42:51] Speaker C: Sure. Oh, I actually rolled. Well, that's an 18.
[00:42:54] Speaker A: You know, the way that this supposed to work is the raven queen takes your soul and places it in the well of souls, this massive sea of souls. And as the souls progress towards the middle, they're sort of purged. They become clean. All of what made their life what it was disappears, and then they're recycled, sent back to live in the mortal realm. People who lived particularly good lives tend to drift upward and are often selected to be angels and seem to have better experiences. People who lived fairly bad ones tend to sink downward and have far worse experiences. And whatever vision this world is showing you, it is the vision of missed opportunities. It's probably not, not the only vision you would have if you sailed to the middle of the center and were purged of everything. But this seems to be the biggest one.
[00:43:51] Speaker C: I think that this decision isn't as easy for Creedon as she would like it to be, because she thinks about the way that things have been in her life recently, and they're the best that they've ever been. It's the first time that she's felt success. It's the first time that she's felt like actual belonging. But she's also incredibly ambitious. While she doesn't necessarily know where to throw that ambition all the time, she knows that in order to actually follow ambition that she can't let herself become too comfortable. She needs to want to shake things up a little bit. So I think that she wants to remake it.
[00:44:32] Speaker A: You start moving the blocks around and that ends this vision. And you find yourself in the silver sea with your team, kind of reunited. But you realize something. No, God chose you, and you didn't choose you either.
And it occurs to you, as you sort of purge this moment from your soul, that maybe it's time for you to start making some choices of your own. Welcome to being dead.
You see something odd about this realm of the divine, something you did not know about. Even within 18 images of whatever people are thinking about take form here just momentarily, sort of like dreams and drift away in the ocean.
And in a way, what a lot of people in the country of Astragar are seeing in the northern kingdom are seeing is a lot of new fears that remind you of nightmares.
And you can tell by watching this what's happening in the mortal world. That tear has torn itself from below ground to high in the sky and poured out of it came souls, perhaps, but sometimes ideas and even dead gods as they sort of fell to earth. And all of these bodies that had marched there had sort of given away the power that they carried to this spot. And so they're just lying inert when all of these falling souls and dead gods find them. And you see this army of the dead stand up and begin to transform. And amongst it, you see devils and angels that seem to begin fighting each other immediately, as if they remember from past lives how much they despised each other. And demons who fight everything, regardless of its affiliation. And souls that are just sort of blank, brand new, just born.
But in a dead body. And scattered throughout the field, you see different avatars begin to form again. And you recognize the pox as it begins to take form and pull in corpses and swallow them whole. And many other vestigial gods that maybe you've read about. This is what the world seems to have come to. And that is when, amassing around you, come the gods.
A cloaked and silent figure with a scythe appears amidst the sound of raven wings. A grand figure of muscle and menace with a sword. A ball of light so pure it has no detail. A glistening moon, ambivalent and mysterious. A faun with bright eyes experiencing the world for the first time.
Harold the cat stands on two legs now, a towering lion made of the four elements of earth, fire, air and water. A feminine figure with a hammer in hand, exuding a shroud of soot. A genderless form, like the perfect fusion of all humanity, glows with this faint warmth. And they are joined by Max, dread Chom, and the three of you. And one withered, dark, elven woman in death robes. Harold the cat takes center stage.
The prophecy has begun as I have spoken it, the green man sends me in his stead. For the very foundations of this world cannot die and therefore cannot join us here in the realm of the dead. The divinity of three gods will be required to close the tear between the green man and this realm of the dead. And the gods, as humanity creates and sustains you, they will be the judges.
And Harold turns and looks at the six of you and says, speak now and select the future by right of elimination.
[00:48:48] Speaker C: Yeah, we're a good population. Sample size.
[00:48:55] Speaker A: Your opinion will be statistically valid.
[00:49:01] Speaker B: We're all really here, and we all have agency at this point.
[00:49:05] Speaker A: You all have agency? Yeah.
[00:49:07] Speaker C: Do we have the book?
[00:49:08] Speaker A: Most of you can't tell the difference between you being here in a soul or in a body that would require a lot of concentration. But you're here. You're yourself. You have the items that were on you when you got shunted into the death world, dead or alive.
[00:49:25] Speaker C: Well, maybe before we take out the gods. I mean, there's a bunch of. There's like, pox and stuff over that we can see as well, right?
[00:49:32] Speaker B: They're in the mortal realm now, right?
[00:49:34] Speaker C: Oh, okay.
[00:49:35] Speaker B: They've come through the rift.
[00:49:37] Speaker A: Yeah. So? The silver thread spent 500 years purging them from this world. They appear to all be back.
[00:49:43] Speaker B: Boulain says, I do not understand the task being set to us. We are to pick three gods to close the rift and leave all that on the other side of it.
[00:49:56] Speaker A: Harold tilts its head. Perhaps you could reform the silver thread, if you wish, but three gods must simply tear themselves apart to patch the whole. The green man will accept no other alternative.
[00:50:08] Speaker C: Would Harold count as one as an emissary of the green man?
[00:50:13] Speaker B: I think probably not. I think he's. Yeah, I think he's just a representative.
[00:50:18] Speaker C: Well, it's very convenient for the green man.
[00:50:21] Speaker B: Is this sacrifice going to pull all the souls and the gods and demons back through?
[00:50:27] Speaker A: No.
[00:50:29] Speaker B: Then we should not do that yet, should we?
[00:50:33] Speaker A: It cannot remain open. All souls of the divine realm will leak out and sending them back would be pointless.
[00:50:41] Speaker D: All souls would leak out of the divine realm?
[00:50:45] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:50:46] Speaker D: Leaving what in the realm of the divine?
[00:50:49] Speaker A: The gods. And a vast emptiness.
[00:50:53] Speaker D: Gods are souls, all right. And without the souls, would the gods have power?
[00:51:01] Speaker A: The souls here do not power the gods. Only the souls in the mortal realm.
[00:51:08] Speaker C: Can some of the gods with us go through it as well? It helps kill all the stuff on the other side.
[00:51:16] Speaker A: The green man prevents them from direct intervention.
[00:51:21] Speaker D: I say they can all stay here.
Close up the portal and we'll send the rest back one at a time.
[00:51:31] Speaker A: The only question we have then is who must close the portal, for it will cost them everything.
[00:51:39] Speaker C: All of them.
Just line up. Everyone.
[00:51:46] Speaker A: Anaulare watches your spirit faces unmovingly and steps in and says, humanity ruined me. I was a counselor. I was a mentor. And they turned me into a bogeyman. I didn't want to be a God any longer. And after 500 years of fighting these things, I don't want to do it any longer.
Certainly not 500 years again.
I will be one of the three that will close this portal.
My power is not nearly as great as the rest.
Perhaps I can prevent one of them from dying. When they also try to close the portal. That means you'll still have to choose three, but one might live.
[00:52:31] Speaker B: Bulay looks at the gods and says, Amy volunteers.
[00:52:35] Speaker A: A silent, feminine figure in a robe with a scythe steps forward.
[00:52:40] Speaker D: Other than you, I don't think it's fair or just to choose three of this pantheon.
And I think each should forfeit their power one way or another, either given to us to fix the mistakes caused by their lies and manipulations, or to the actual act of closing the portal. I will suggest with that idea instead that the three of us figure out, though I think most of the choices have already been made. But one who we are aligned with and will take the powers of, and the remaining three will close the portal.
[00:53:31] Speaker A: Vanu lare says, gathering divine power costs you your free will.
You may be yourself for a decade, but you'll be nothing after that. You'll be whatever they make you.
[00:53:47] Speaker D: I'm not saying to become gods, but to fix these problems in a timely manner. In a decade, one would need the power of one.
[00:53:57] Speaker A: Harold looks around the room at the gods, and they start to weigh in. First is the ball of light that you know is likely the radiant one who says, it is our duty as leaders to put forward the ideas that will solve this type of problem. Zerus is asking for champions, and champions we can create.
They keep their free will. They stay mortal. They return and save the world.
If we all use a small fraction of our power, we will all be weaker. But we could hold this closed for some time, and the luminous one says, we will all be much weaker. Those who are not our champions will likely lose the ability to cast spells at all. It would be wiser to find the least, the lesser and remove those three, as the green man instructed.
[00:54:58] Speaker C: Well, okay. If we're trying to become champions here, then I think that the radiant one is probably one that I would like to receive aid from.
[00:55:08] Speaker B: Boulain looks at the luminous one and says, if we are going to gauge each of you by your importance, lady, you would be at the bottom of my list.
[00:55:19] Speaker D: It's funny. I thought the same thing.
[00:55:22] Speaker B: God, you are in charge of magic. Do we absolutely need it?
[00:55:28] Speaker A: You could live without magic, but I wouldn't recommend it.
[00:55:33] Speaker B: I also am quite skeptical that removing you would actually eliminate magic. Would it really cease to exist if you did?
[00:55:42] Speaker A: A time of trouble would certainly ensue.
[00:55:45] Speaker B: A time of trouble exists right now.
[00:55:49] Speaker A: You would be powerless to work against it without magic.
[00:55:54] Speaker D: See, and this is the crux of my issue. This argument that we would be powerless to stop these events, or that we would be powerless without magic comes from a source of conflicted interest in their own continued existence.
[00:56:17] Speaker B: It is a source that benefits greatly from fomenting fear in us about what we are about to do.
[00:56:24] Speaker D: And so, plainly put, I don't trust you to not fight for your life when you're about to die.
[00:56:34] Speaker A: We have let you mortals make a choice in the past, and we are doing it again. Last time it killed a thousand gods.
This time, perhaps only three.
Will this happen every 500 years?
Will there be any God left? If we tell you anything, like the.
[00:56:54] Speaker D: Truth, let us call every God every 500 years. That sounds like a ritual I can get behind.
[00:57:01] Speaker A: Sister. Truth steps forward, and the mask step forward. And they both say in simultaneous, double voices, we made this empire. One of us wishes to preserve it, the other to cast it away.
If we are both destroyed, there is balance, and people can find their own way again.
[00:57:25] Speaker B: Boulain looks at divine hammer and divine mercy and says, do you have anything to add?
[00:57:30] Speaker A: Divine Hammer says, no, I don't, really.
It was an innovation that brought this empire into existence. A fundamental change. A crafting of humanity. I support it entirely.
And this. This next instantiation you make, I support entirely. It is the only thing I am capable of doing. And divine mercy says, we are putting a lot on you. An awful lot. And in the absence of gods, whos to say what comes next? So I think you should just trust your instincts.
You cant know the future. I gave them to you for ambiguity. Just like this one.
[00:58:19] Speaker B: Okay, can we huddle?
[00:58:22] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:58:23] Speaker B: And Max. And Dredd. And chom as well?
[00:58:26] Speaker A: I think so. Just to get Max, Dredd, and chom out of the way. Chom pops in. He's like, uh. I have no idea what's going on. Guys. This is fucked up.
[00:58:35] Speaker B: Oh, chom.
[00:58:36] Speaker A: I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't have any ideas. Uh, crap on waffles. That's all I got. Guys, just you tell me what we need to do. Dredd leans in and says, the truth of the universe makes gods weak. It limits them greatly. It renders the structure of the empire obsolete in favor of something where the gods don't rule. And if the truth is all that matters, then perhaps they all close it and become quite weak. And Max leans in and goes, okay, okay, hold on. The mask has always treated me well. And if we listened to the mask, we could have trashed three gods, easy peasy, and gone back and remade the empire. So that's my vote.
[00:59:29] Speaker D: Well, I think they all stay here. They all close it.
[00:59:33] Speaker C: I agree.
[00:59:34] Speaker B: I think they all stay here and they all close the rift and they diminish themselves. If that will not work, then we have two volunteers. And arguably the least among them, the least important among them.
[00:59:46] Speaker C: If we do choose to go with only three gods, I think that divine mercy should definitely be involved.
I was taught her teachings. I was taught love and empathy.
She should want to help those people.
[01:00:03] Speaker B: I think we require them all to do it.
[01:00:06] Speaker D: I think so.
[01:00:06] Speaker B: Then we kill none of them. They are weakened to the point of forcing the hand of mortal agency in the mortal realm. And we, you, I suppose, are forced to start rebuilding the world your way.
[01:00:25] Speaker D: So we're agreed then?
[01:00:26] Speaker B: I think so.
[01:00:27] Speaker C: Wait, can we see like, the thread that, like Craden and I assume Zerus also have, like, back to our bodies?
[01:00:34] Speaker A: Yes.
[01:00:35] Speaker C: So I can see that Boulain doesn't have one.
[01:00:38] Speaker A: Correct.
[01:00:39] Speaker C: Okay. I think that Creedon's just now realizing whenever Boulain says that we would. Yeah. I think that she'll look a little bit puzzled for a minute and say, but you're right there. We can get back out.
We can heal you, Creiden.
[01:00:56] Speaker B: I suspect that will not be possible. I am sorry I will not be able to see to your remains one day after all. You will have to see to mind instead.
[01:01:06] Speaker C: Now, I know that chum doesn't have one. Max and Dredd also don't have one.
[01:01:10] Speaker A: Max does not have one. Dredd has one.
[01:01:13] Speaker C: I'm still not fine with leaving Boulain and Max here. And I guess Chom too. Ah man. Is whispering shepherd one of the gods here?
[01:01:23] Speaker A: Dancing faun is here.
[01:01:25] Speaker C: All right. How do I beg, borrow and steal whispering shepherd to resurrect my friends.
I think before we fuck them all.
[01:01:34] Speaker A: You negotiate is what you do.
[01:01:37] Speaker D: I was saying, I think instead I want to turn to Vanna Ulari. You seem to have shown care for Boulain.
[01:01:48] Speaker B: That is one word for it.
[01:01:51] Speaker D: There was honest concern, at least for her continued existence. And I believe that you still have it in your power to be more than a boogeyman, and to show the compassionate side and your wisdom once again in aiding these mortals who you led to this fate. And so with that, I would, as humble as you're ever going to see me do request that you restore them to the way they were when we were talking together in your palace underneath the city.
[01:02:27] Speaker A: Romy persuasion?
[01:02:29] Speaker D: I would love to. I thought you'd never ask. 28.
[01:02:34] Speaker C: Damn nice.
[01:02:36] Speaker A: She blinks for a moment and you realize this is a gesture that she fakes, but it seems to sink in. And she says, I think that this world would be better off without a book, Pokeman.
But I think it would be my honor to have my last action return the heirs of the silver thread to life.
[01:03:05] Speaker C: Well done.
[01:03:06] Speaker B: Boulain looks like weirdly apprehensive about this. And she says, and what would we owe you for this favor?
[01:03:15] Speaker A: I'm not going to lie. I foresaw the possibility of this outcome. I worked to bring you here, Boulain, so that you could decide the future. Not me and not any of these pricks.
You understood for all of your centuries of life the vision that I wanted to be before they changed me. You. You have led a life that gave people relief from the fear of the end. I want you to be what I failed to be.
And if you would like to think of that as a price, do so. As long as you pay it.
[01:04:04] Speaker B: She turns to the silent judge and says, I.
I answer to you. And I have spent my life answering to you. And if you approve of this offer, then I will take it. And if you do not, then I will gladly take my last walk now with you to go see my wife. If that is what is in the cards for me.
[01:04:37] Speaker D: I stared daggers at the silent judge.
[01:04:40] Speaker A: Call me religion, Boulain.
[01:04:42] Speaker C: Creighton too. You have so much life to live. You have.
You have twelve.
[01:04:48] Speaker B: That is a 13.
[01:04:49] Speaker A: In this moment you're a little overwhelmed. You're having trouble pulling in all of the lessons you've been taught over a lifetime about the silent judge. But you do remember the core tenet, which is death is not to be feared. And so it occurs to you, looking at the silent judge, that what youve asked of her isnt a question she would ever answer.
Theres also a reason you suspect she was the only God who stepped forward without hesitation to disappear. And true to form, the silent judge does not say anything.
[01:05:25] Speaker C: Creedon does her best attempt to kind of like shake boulain by the shoulders and be like, you have hundreds of years of life left. More than my entire rest of my life. All we get is time, and that's precious. You can't just throw this away, that multiple lifetimes of a human. You can't. That's so important, Elaine.
[01:05:49] Speaker D: Imagine the world 20 years, just a mere 20 years after Creed and I returned without you. Because I think.
I think you're a leveling influence to our honest to say impulsivity.
[01:06:13] Speaker C: So we go back and we make all the decisions.
[01:06:17] Speaker B: So you want me to. You want me to come back to be the boring old father Pokey, wet blanket raining on your parade.
[01:06:29] Speaker D: We have worked well together because of our varying views.
And don't get me wrong. I have imagined killing you.
[01:06:41] Speaker B: I would be disappointed if you hadn't.
[01:06:43] Speaker D: But in this moment, I am fighting for your life.
[01:06:46] Speaker B: Well, she. She looks at Vanu. Larian says, it would be a point of spite and pride to turn away this thing that is offered to almost no one. And you're right. You two are going to make a mess.
[01:07:02] Speaker A: The herald says, well, are you all in agreement then?
[01:07:06] Speaker D: Yeah. Y'all can stay here, rot and close the portal. Together we'll go clean up your fucking mess.
[01:07:14] Speaker A: The gods will all contribute a portion of their power. They will all be weakened.
[01:07:21] Speaker D: I'll see you all later.
[01:07:24] Speaker A: Vanna Ulare says, well, follow me.
[01:07:28] Speaker B: Before Boulain follows her out, she will turn to the silent judge. And she will touch the raven on her chest. And then touch her lips. And then she will follow.
[01:07:37] Speaker C: Well, but before Creiden steps out, she does look back. She's crying. And she looks back just at divine mercy. Because it's hard to walk away from the thing that she thought she always wanted.
[01:07:50] Speaker A: You walk away from the gods that didn't choose you.
[01:07:53] Speaker C: I don't think I have too much more to learn from her.
[01:07:56] Speaker A: In the depths, Vana Ulari reaches down and touches Bulayne. And you see this brilliant glow roll through her hands. And Boulain's eyes open and she walks over and touches max. And the same things happen. And she walks over to Chaum and she says, this.
This will be the last thing.
[01:08:21] Speaker C: Yeah.
Aw, we're getting chum.
[01:08:25] Speaker A: She dissolves into a thread that touches Chom's chest and leads to the tear.
And along the thread, you see the soul pull itself back into Chom's chest. And Vana Ulare is gone. And Chom is awake.
I will point out one thing before we close this scene.
You did not sacrifice the arch sage's power. You still have the book and the orb.
[01:09:03] Speaker D: Mm hmm.
[01:09:04] Speaker A: What do you do with it?
[01:09:05] Speaker D: I'm going to write all those fucking names in the book.
[01:09:08] Speaker A: After the gods use a large part of their power to seal the portal and weaken themselves significantly. You weaken them significantly further.
[01:09:17] Speaker D: Mm hmm.
[01:09:17] Speaker A: What do you do with the book and the orb?
[01:09:19] Speaker D: They have to be kept.
My. Personally, my end goal was to do exactly what I said.
Create an order to maintain the book and write every fucking weed that comes up into it.
[01:09:34] Speaker C: You're definitely gonna end up becoming a God.
[01:09:36] Speaker B: Yeah. You are definitely gonna end up becoming a God yourself. Are you also going to write your own name into this book?
[01:09:42] Speaker D: I was considering it at some point, yeah.
[01:09:44] Speaker A: I would like you all to imagine what life is like for your characters 20 years from now.
[01:09:49] Speaker B: Okay. I think I know what Boulain is doing for the next 20 years. So she is going to reassume her old occupation, but she is also going to work to contribute to bringing the mountains under control again.
Trying to deal with the shades of the gods and the demon problem. She's going to try to help with that, but she's also going to try to at least be a part of re appropriating Vanu Lahre's whole organization of assassins. And she's going to try to re, I don't know, direct them.
[01:10:25] Speaker A: What do you want them to be?
[01:10:26] Speaker B: Because they're concentrated in meloria already. I think she wants to turn them into a force that is bringing the mountains back under mortal control. They become demon hunters, essentially.
[01:10:36] Speaker A: What do you got, Creedon? Did you become the pope?
[01:10:38] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, I actually think I'm doing something very different than becoming the pope.
I think that the first thing that Creeden does is goes back to Astragar for a little bit. She wants to make sure that her family is okay because her family was very involved in the church. And there's kind of, I imagine this time of upheaval, and she kind of wants to like, repair her relationship with the family. I guess her family never quit trying with her, but she quit trying with them for a while. She kind of wants to reconnect with them some, but she doesn't want to stay in Ashtragar. I think that this is kind of a temporary, you know, making sure that my family is set up thing. I think that she's gonna ask to join sharp edge of the pub.
She likes the adventuring life and she wants to be able to go out and make a difference. She kind of wants to be a little more vigilante with some of our things. She did not forget those people that were being trafficked in Turtle Bay. And like, she wants to go try to bring down trafficking in Turtle Bay. But in 20 years, I think that she might be finally starting to hang up the hat because I think that she might be a mom. I'd like to imagine that she and Dredd stayed together.
[01:11:53] Speaker D: I travel with Creedon back to Astragar. I join her to see her mother and inform the bishop your daughter is here safe, and my duty is done with that. I go to the barracks. I find the angriest, the most upset by the changes to society. The ones who will not handle the oncoming change well or with grace. And I persuade them. And a new cause. I also retrain. I retrain myself as a battle master.
[01:12:36] Speaker A: Okay.
[01:12:36] Speaker D: A fighter who leads others, I assume. I have the book and the orb. That always seemed to be the plan.
[01:12:43] Speaker A: And I'm up for this.
[01:12:45] Speaker D: We find a home base and then somewhere near the north. And then, while fighting any vestige, we get picking up basically the work of the silver thread, but in a much more. We know what's going on. Less clandestine manner, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. My group purges the vestiges one at a time, with the goal of gaining the skills to take on those that don't call themselves vestiges.
[01:13:23] Speaker A: Hello, apprentices. I have returned to my ancestral home at house Mason in the kingdom of Fenrir to live out my days.
Do not be concerned, for the tales of my death have been much exaggerated.
It is time for me to offer you another history lesson. Just 20 years ago was a convergence of great events. The first is known as the cataclysm of the Ghostlands. Witnesses tell of a great tear in the sky, countless souls and greater spirits, angels and demons, flooding the eastern mountain ranges of the northern kingdom of Astragar, as it was called in those days.
Moments later, it closed, but the gods fell silent, and that was the end of the kingdom of Astragar and the birth of something new, as all endings become.
You see, in those days, the northern kingdom was a theocracy. Anyone with any degree of power channeled divine energy.
Well, when the gods fell silent, so did their power.
The world went out of order for a few months. Only those of fairy magic ancestry, or whose power came from the natural world were left unaffected by the declines of magic. And legend has it, the sun and moon failed to shine.
Those men and women of the northern kingdom who had not been chosen by the gods and were forced instead to build power within themselves. They were now the powerful and the majority, and the whole theocratic caste system collapsed. By the end of the first year, a new government had emerged under a council of elders. But the cities of Meloria and Trebae did not return to the nation, and the empire was, in a sense, broken forever. In the same year, the thorns surrounding the kingdom of Fenrir fell. The council of elders passed control of old Fenrir back to the royal line, and even surrendered Turtle Bay. Now that it could no longer control it, in the southern lands where we now reside. This event is called thorns fall. The people of Fenrir and their fey heritage and lingering magical effects have given them an edge in this new wild world of roaming beasts and demons. Those who choose not to end their curses are known as shifters, maintaining their animal features even across generations. Today, the world is anything but quiet. Clerics and paladins are far more rare and dedicated to lesser nameless spirits or lofty ideals attached to no name. No one style of magic is any better than any other in this new world. Which isn't bad at all. In the wake of this tragedy, they even say the great desert of the world blooms again.
It may have started off with a great sadness, but what exists now is an era of true adventure, of heroes and villains. Once again, this. This is a world of great suffering, but also great sustenance. And it is a little early to name the era, but I have a proposal that I think just might stick. This is the era of carrots and suffering.
