Latest / Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama / Episode 20 (S3E20)

Transcript

Episode 20 (S3E20) · Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hello adventurers.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: This is Jim Zubb, writer of Conan the Barbarian and
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Dungeons and Dragons, and you're listening to the Tale of
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: the Manicor. The following podcast is intended for a mature audience.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Listener discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Manticor Season three. Like the creature from which it takes
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: its name, Tale of the Manticor is a mashup, a
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: cross breeding between two different species of storytelling. Here you
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: will find the unpredictability of old school paper and dice
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: games with the story craft of a dark fantasy novel.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: No character is sacred and none will be spared if
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: the dice decide their fate is at hand. According to lore,
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: the tail of a Manticor is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: time on Tail of the Manticor, in chapter nineteen, they
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: used a mechanic from my one Shot in the Dark
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Ultra Light solo game, Degenerate the dungeon, that is the
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: moroc Family Crypt. After the initial room, which the companions
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: entered through the ceiling, they encountered a room of statues,
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: then followed a curving hallway, where they found the remains
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: of a tomb robber from long ago, impaled on a
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: sprung spear trap. The next encounter was far more dramatic.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: At a four way intersection, the PCs came face to
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: while they met the headless ghost of Prince Learhane. Through
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: the use of a message spell, Achilie was able to
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: communicate with it and learn that the way to the
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: inner crypt was to the west. The scene is now
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: set for a climactic encounter as the quest to return
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: them the remains of the Kymoor Prince is about to
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: be completed, but we can't jump into the story just yet.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: I'm impatient to find out what will happen next, and
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: I know that fair Wind only has a few minutes
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: of light remaining on his makeshift torch. But there's a
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: couple of things that need to be settled before the
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: story can go on. First up, I am happy to
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: announce that Achillea has made it to level three. I
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: do love a good level up, especially with magic users.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Let's get into it before my enthusiasm jinxes these dice.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Starting with a D four for new hit points, I've
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: got one Midnight outed two and Achillea's new total goes
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: up to nine. Not a very auspicious start, but that's okay.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: Hit points are probably the least important part of a
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: magic user's character sheet. Let's move on to potential stat increases.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: Going to the line and rolling a D six. Any
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: sixes will indicate a bonus. Let's begin strength A six
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: was not expecting that. I suppose it's from all the
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: time on the road. It has been over a couple
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: of weeks now, so I suppose that wood Toughener roub
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: ten goes to eleven. Intelligence A one wisdom, have got
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: a two dexterity another two? How about constitution two? Again,
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: that's the third in a row and our last chance
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: for one more stat increase charisma two huh? Four twos
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: in a row. You know, if those have been sixes,
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: I have worried that listeners wouldn't believe it, but twos
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: far more credible. Moving on, we are now rolling for
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: now spells, which is the only part of the magic
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: user's level up that truly matters. A lot is writing
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: on this role, both in terms of character power and
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: story development. Furthermore, Level three is where a wizard gets
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: their first second level spell. This means I need to
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: make a new table hang tight while I go away
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: and do that. I am back, and you know, that
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: was harder than I thought it would be. After pruning
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: spells that have featured prominently in previous seasons for the
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: sake of keeping things fresh, there wasn't much left that
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: really inspired. To be honest, second level spells are often
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: a bit underwhelming, and even some of the ones I've
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: selected from my season three list are well not especially inspiring. Anyway,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: I picked ten potential spells, four of which are from
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: later editions of D and D. I'll post the list
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: on the blog after this episode airs, in case you're
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: curious to see it. Here's the role A nine. What's
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: that okay? Kind of appropriate for someone with elf blood.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: I've got glitter Dust. Here's the brief. Glitter Dust fills
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: a twenty foot cube space with glittering particles. Those inside
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: it must save or be blinded for one D four
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: rounds plus one round per castor level. The spell can
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: reveal invisible creatures. It has a range of ten yards
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: per castor level. It's funny detect Invisible is one of
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: the spells I removed from my list of potentials and
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: the later edition blindness spell I chose not to include
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: because it overlapped with the continue you will light. If
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: I could shrug on a podcast, I would do that
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: right now. Anyway, glitter Dust does seem like a neat spell,
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: and I've never used it in any game before, so
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: if for no other reason, I'm quite satisfied with the role.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: A quick note to say that Akelliya won't be able
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: to cast it until she has rested and studied. Moving
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: right along, I need to spend a minute or two
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: figuring out what the PCs are going to find in
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: the final room. In the last episode, I rolled that
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: there would be a dangerous encounter here. I have a
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: few options. They could encounter the vengeful spirit of Queen
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: Anaya or that of a court wizard, or there could
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: be something else looking in the inner crypt. As usual,
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: the dice will decide I'll roll a D eight and
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: say that on a one to three, the PCs will
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: face the ghost of Queen Anaya, on a four to six,
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: the court wizard, on a seven, it'll be something totally unexpected,
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: and on an eight it'll be a combination of foes.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: The role a two, so it's Queen and Iya. Part
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: of me was hoping for that. I'll be honest. Let's
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: put a pin in that for a second and describe
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: the inner crypt. It's a wedge shaped room of about
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: sixty feet in length, twenty feet at the entrance and
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: forty at the back end, which bulges out slightly arranged.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: Three to each side are stone slabs which have skeletons
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: reclining on them, dressed in ceremonial clothing. There's a seventh
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: slab at the rear of the crypt, between the final two.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: But this lab is not only empty of any occupant,
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: it is cracked down the middle, sundered and broken in
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: two pieces. The occupants of the other six are starting
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: at the entrance and moving around the room counterclockwise. Morocin
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: and I his first child, who had died very young. Then,
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: halfway between the entrance and the back wall. On the
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: right side is a royal bodyguard in rusted armor. Next
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: is a slab holding the remains of the court wizard.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: The broken slab he would have been Morocs, but he
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: didn't die in these lands is next. It was cracked
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: in half upon the event of Sidhal's curse. Continuing counterclockwise,
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: we have the Queen's slab, then another royal guard, and
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: finally the slab belonging to Prince lear Hain, or most
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: of them anyway, his skeleton is missing the skull. All
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: other skeletons have skulls that are decorated with jet in turquoise,
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: as was determined back in episode thirteen with the randomly
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: rolled mythic event meaning extravagant death. Finally, all the skeletons
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: also have some other small treasures or accouterments along with
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: their bones. All this implies that the tomb robbers who
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: initially stole Leirhan's skull got this far, robbed the tomb,
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: and then before they could take anything else left. I
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: think that they met the spirit of the queen, and
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: that it was the disturbing of the contents of the
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: tomb that invoked her wrath and caused her to appear.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: I don't want to delay the narrative any longer, so
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: I think at this point I'll take off my DM
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: hat and let the story happen for a while. Whatever
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: needs to be figured out later could be figured out later.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: Chapter twenty, Part one, Day sixteen, late afternoon mythic event
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: meaning agree tension party status Achillia nine out of nine points,
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Cord eight of fourteen, de Anni nine of nine, ten
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: Tier ten of ten spells available. Achillea has memorized message
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: cord can cast, entangle, locate plants and animals, and slow poison.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Before she had taken three steps, Achillia felt a hand
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: on her shoulder. When she turned around, Fairwind was looking
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: down at her with a strange expression on his face.
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: Just then, when the lights went out, At first I
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: thought we were all going to die.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: I I don't begin, Achillia, not really understanding. My second thought,
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: fair Wind continued.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: Was that I was going to die, having wasted my life,
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: having failed to do the one thing that I promised
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: Sadal I would do.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: The cleric paused, bit his lower lip and continued.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: But when the light came back on, that was Sidal
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: giving me a second chance.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: You see, I think so.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: But why are you telling me.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: This, Master, Killia, Because I believe that we are about
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: to face the darkness again, and I want you to
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: know that this time.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: Fair Wind tapped the holy symbol that hung around his
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: neck with the head of his cutchel.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: This time, whatever may happen. I promise to protect you,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: all of you. You can trust me.
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: I do trust you, said to Kilia. She reached into
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: her bag, feeling for Prince lear Haan's skull. Come on,
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: let's catch up to any intend here where a dozen
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: feed ahead of them, and it almost reached the archway
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: leading into the crypt beyond.
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: Are you ready, little mouse?
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Reny to Tentyr. He could hear the conversation taking place
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: behind him, and although he couldn't understand the words, he
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: felt sure it did not concern him or his brother.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: Tintyre's face was pale and his forehead was beaded with sweat,
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: despite the cool temperature underground. The younger elf nodded all
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: the same, I'm ready. They passed under the archway and
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: entered a kind of place that few elves have ever seen.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: This is strange, said Tantyr, looking around in wonder and fear,
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: and tried to keep the tremor from his voice.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: Do all humans do this with their dead?
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: He was referring to the method of burial, how the
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: corpses had been left exposed and supine on their stone
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: slabs to decay over decades, but he was also pointing
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: out that those skeletons that still had their skulls had
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: them decorated in jet and turquoise, just like the one
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: he had found in the Ogre's cave. De Reni did
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: not think that all humans did this with their dead,
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: but he wasn't really sure, so he just muttered, touched nothing,
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: and led them further inside. He too had noticed that
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: one of the stone slabs held a headless skeleton. It
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: was directly to their left when they entered. After the
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: others had passed under the archway and all the companions
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: were assembled, he pointed it out to Achilia. She nodded
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: grimly and pulled a bundle from her satchel Leirhe's skull
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: was still cocooned in her clothes to keep it safe.
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: She began to unwrap it. While she did that, fair
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: Wind looked round with an expression of determination on his face.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: He saw that the crypt was shaped like an axe head,
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: narrow at one side and wide at the other. The
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: clearer c reguarded each of the slabs and their occupants
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: in turn. When his gaze reached the broken slab against
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: the middle of the fire wall, he pointed at it
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: with his cudgel that.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: One would have been moronx.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: Cord twisted his body to look and dis tarso gave
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: a little squeak of wood that contrasted with the stillness
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: of the crypt.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: Achilia, you may restore the prince to his final rest.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: I will say the prayer for the dead.
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: Achilie by now had the small decorated skull unwrapped and
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: cradled in both hands. She approached the prince's slab with solemnity.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: The child had been about her height, she supposed, judging
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: by the bones and by what she had experienced in
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: her dreams. A few scraps remained of what had once
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: been a skirt of brocade, A small silver rod, wound
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: with silver thread and topped with an orb of some
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: white stone, laid by the prince's left hand. Achillie took
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: a deep breath and turned to Fairwind, who now held
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: his once again waning torch aloft.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Oh, Divine Fire, we ask you to receive this loyal Emba,
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: who has spent the fuel of their life. Look over
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: and protect them. Let them join the stars in the sky,
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: so that they may bear witness to your magnificence and
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: glory for all eternity.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: He nodded to Achilia, who took this as her cue
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: to set the skull down. She did so, and the
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: clear continued.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: And by your blessings and grace, provide light for those
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: of us who yet burn, until we may too join
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: you in the heavens. With all our hearts, let this
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: be amen.
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: There came a strange, keening noise from the far end
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: of the crypt before Farewin could speak its final word,
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: and as one the companions turned to look. Ten Tyr
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: was not assembled with the others around Leirhanes's lab. There
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: had not been enough room, and so he and Cord
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: were standing a little behind. The cleric's prayer, which he
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: couldn't understand, had quickly lost his interest, and so he
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: had turned instead to the slab opposite. This one also
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: bore the skeleton of a child, an even younger one.
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: He guessed the whole body would have measured only two
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: and a half feet from toes to top. It too
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: had a silver rod near its hand. Ten Tire had
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: only just put his fingers upon it when the cleric
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: said the final word of his prayer and the noise
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: had come. The young else snatched his hand away from
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: the rod as though it had burned his finger tips,
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: and snapped his head in the direction of the noise.
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: In the poor flickering light from Fairwin's torch, he saw
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: something strange and terrifying. Chapter twenty, part two, Day sixteen,
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: late afternoon mythic event meaning agree tension party status. The
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: party's status is unchanged. The queen's slab was vibrating. As
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: the vibrations grew stronger, the bones and the treasure placed
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: upon it began to hop and dance upon its flat surface,
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: as though a tiny earthquake was occurring directly below it.
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: Then a wisp of pale green smoke blew up from
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: the queen's remains. It rose into the air like a
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: ribbon caught in an eddy of wind, before taking on
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: the vague shape of a woman. As the vapors grew
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: more defined, the companions could see slashes and cuts covering face, neck,
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: and arms. In one of her arms was a swaddled bundle,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: but the ghostly blanket wrapped around it was purple with blood.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: The specter's eyes were dark hollows, and her hair streamed
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: out behind her, lifting and writhing like tentacles. Her whole
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: shape bobbed and undulated, defying gravity, as if it floated
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: not in air but under the water. In an otherworldly voice,
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: it spoke.
• 15:33
  Speaker 5: Why haven't you come?
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: You should not have.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: Come, demanded the apparition. When the party members failed to answer,
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: she let out a low moan, dropping her lower jaw
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: impossibly far as they were unhinged.
• 15:49
  Speaker 5: Did you come here to mock the dead?
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: Did you come home? You witness? Then look upon the
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: very picture of the lost and sake.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: Somehow Achillia found her voice, Your highness, we are here
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: to restore the remains of Prince lewhng that he might
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: find rest.
• 16:15
  Speaker 5: Yes, yes, I can feel that my son has been
• 16:21
  Speaker 5: returned to me.
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: And for this I would have thanked you. It would
• 16:28
  Speaker 3: not for the insults you flinged my face.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: Achillie had no idea where she had found the courage
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: to address this creature. It was waning quickly. I we
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: meant no offense, she said, meekly. No offense, seized the queen.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: The apparition lifted her free arm and pointed to a
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: blood red fingertip at fair wind.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: And yes, you leave, but betray a servance to my
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: very gray.
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: The spirit reared back once again, moaning in its awful voice,
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: and then surged forward, but at a short distance from
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: its lab it stopped, straining like a dog against its leash.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: It must have been somehow tethered to her grave. It
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: groaned again, you slave, All the files are not well.
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: Fair One stood his ground, defiant in the face of
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: her wrath, and Achillee could not believe his bravery. She
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: saw him set down his makeshift torch at the foot
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: of lear hind slab, and then, with his hand now free,
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: reached for the holy symbol that hung from his neck
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: by a chain.
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: Do not think to vanish for all the.
• 17:43
  Speaker 6: Unjust I have complaint against you, my God, and thy
• 17:50
  Speaker 6: presence is hateful to me.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: So it all is the light of justice. It is
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: you who betrayed him.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: Fairwin called back. The cleric's threadbare gown had begun to
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: rustle and flap around him, as though he were standing
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: in a gust of wind.
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: I shall endure no lies or blasphemies.
• 18:13
  Speaker 5: The sins of the king inflicted upon his wife, his
• 18:18
  Speaker 5: people the innocent, and she call it justice. The darn
• 18:26
  Speaker 5: lies has blinded you, Priest.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: Fair Wind gripped his holy symbol. Now in a clenched fist.
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: He never broke eye contact with the eventful spirit for
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: a moment, and his voice did not waver.
• 18:40
  Speaker 5: Be gone from this world, he yelled, go back to
• 18:43
  Speaker 5: whatever dark hell.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: You call home.
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: Supernatural power enveloped the cleric. His robe was now flapping loudly,
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: and even his hair lifted in the spiritual wind.
• 18:55
  Speaker 5: I ser no hell, priest, that's the the tree lost souls.
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: There is another who suffers you too.
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: The spirit's voice became sardonic.
• 19:11
  Speaker 5: Your did hall wanted as aimlessly in the dark, sheddy ties.
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: Of grief, grief over your failure, grief over you.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Betrail, never speak that name.
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: Oh yes, how suffer us, just as you all suffer
• 19:42
  Speaker 5: this transcression.
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: The spirit swept her arm in a line in front
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: of her, leaving a silvery trail of vapor in his wake, aries.
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: Faithful.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: When the motion was complete, the two skeletal warriors on
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: the crypts middle slabs sat up with pin cracks of
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: crimson light shining from the eye sockets of their jet
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: and turquoise covered skulls. Dramatis Personae Dalen fairwynd All followers
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: of Siddal embark on two six month pilgrimages as part
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: of their education. First, as a novice, they are paired
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: with a mentor to learn firsthand how to spread the
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: word among the common people. When finished, the mentor blesses
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: the novice and grants them their own holy symbol, marking
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: them as full members of the church. Some years later,
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: when the mentor deems them ready, the novice becomes the
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: teacher and is paired with their own acolyte. Dalen had
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: earned his holy symbol some thirty years ago, when he
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: had only just reached adulthood. When the time came for
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: him to lead another in the way of the faith,
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: he could hardly believe the day had arrived. His life
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: as a clerk had all gone by so quickly. He
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: was assigned a novice named Harlow Errands, a red, thin,
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: slouching young man with dark hair and a tremulous, wispy voice.
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: At first, blush, they seemed an odd fit, the garrulous,
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: enthusiastic priest and the withdrawn, reclusive acolyte. But over many
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: miles of walking on the long road to cameronth Dalen
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: gradually drew Harlow out of his shell. To pass the time,
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: they would create poetry together, adding stanzas to each other's work,
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: as they mused on the blessings of Sadhul and the
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: beauty of the natural world.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: My eyes drink in the forest green, and bird song
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: fills my ears.
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: Si dolvvines the morning light and eases all my fears.
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: These poems proved an effective way to open the hearts
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: of the villagers outside the city, and after months of
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: traveling from town to town as missionaries, they had crafted
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: an impressive body of work. Dalen and Harlow were eager
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: to return to the Church of the Sacred Flame in
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: sol Moor and add their poems to the library.
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: And after that, will I be read taty for my
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: own symbols at all?
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Harlow had asked, Soon soon, my brother patience in all.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: Things, came the reply from Dalen, but he was just
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: as excited to reward his faithful protege. That excitement turned
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: to dread when they finally returned to so Moral and
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: approached the church and found the proclamation nailed to the
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: front door. It had read, whereas we have taken into
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: our royal consideration, it is hereby decreed that all properties
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: and child belonging to the Church of the Sacred Flame
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: beheld in custody for an indefinite period of time by
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: royal order. All residents are hereby placed under arrest pending
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: the trial of the following accused of treason. Some three
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: dozen names were listed thereafter, including that of Arness. The
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: High Priestess. Dalen and Harlowe had been speechless at first,
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: but later they learned by talking to some townfolk that
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: their brothers and sisters of the cloth had been dragged
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: out in chains, beaten and bloody weeks earlier. An old
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: beggar they spoke with told them.
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: They passed calfree. If I didn't know that all you
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: priests of the Old Order heretics to the Crown. Every
• 23:06
  Speaker 4: soul they used to live in Yonder Church now rots
• 23:08
  Speaker 4: in his dungeons. So now where am I supposed to
• 23:11
  Speaker 4: get my bread? In Ioline? Spare a penny for a
• 23:14
  Speaker 4: good man, brother?
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: White eyed Harlow looked to his mentor.
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: Daven, we must save them.
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: Shaking, Daleen tucked the holy symbol that hung around his
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: neck into the folds of his room and said, no.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: Harlow, it's far too dangerous, Saidan. We'll provide for our brethren,
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: our mission has changed. No, we must leave.
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: With that, they hurried back out the city gates. Refugees
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: from the city they called home. That night, they huddled
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: by their campfire, racked with worry. At last, Harlow broke
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: the silence.
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: Do you think our brothers and mere poor are safe?
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: I I hope so, Daleen had replied.
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: We must put our trust in Sadal's mercy.
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: The next morning they made their way to Merepool to
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: give warning to the church there, but their distress was
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: only deepened by what they found. A falanx of Colfrey's
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: guards lingered in the town square, eyeing the villagers and
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: laughing gruffly among themselves. The chains on the church door
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: were visible even at a distance. We dare not stay here,
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: Daleen said, in low tones. But I know now where
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: we must go. Thus began their journey of several weeks
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: to the birthplace of the Cayhorse. The duel were unprepared
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: for the length and hardships of the journey, and their
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: remaining food was quickly depleted. The men soon found themselves
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: battling hunger panes on top of the rigors of the wilderness.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: Once again, they used poetry to lift their spirits on.
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: We trudge through day and night, beset by grief and fear.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: Our single candle has the light to make our journey clear.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: Days passed, and then weeks. Dalen began to regret his
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: decision to steer clear of physician settlements. While he he
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: retained much of his natural vitality, Harlow's bare frame became
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: nearly skeletal. Water had been easy enough to find, but
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: the companions had been without ample food for days. By
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: the time they finally reached the ruins. Amidst the broken
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: stone foundations was one crumbling building that remained mostly intact. Inside,
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: they found shelter from the elements, but little else. Harlow
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: slumped to the dirt floor as desk settled in, Daleen
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: made a fire and said.
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: Rest, my friend, I'll find us something to eat.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: He grabbed a torch and headed out, delirious with hunger
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: and fatigue. Venturing amongst the ruins, as dusk gave way
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: to night, Dalen was startled to see another figure moving
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: between the scraggly trees some fifty feet away.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: Hello, hello, friend, praise it all.
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: Dalen made his way eagerly in their direction, but As
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: he got closer, he realized something was a miss. The person,
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: if you could call them, that, wore the simple garb
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: of a farm, but their skin hung in tatters, and
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: their lifeless eyes stared at nothing. The creature suddenly became
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: aware of Daleen and lurched at him. Daleen fell to
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: the ground and scrambled away. As it bore down upon him.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: He instinctively reached for his holy symbol and shouted.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: Get back, The light of Sadal protects me.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: The silver medallion shone brightly in the dark, and the
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: creature turned away, retreating to the shadows. For some moments later,
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: Daleen lay on the ground, gasping for air. In his studies,
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: he had been taught that the undead were unable to
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: harm a preach of Sadal who wielded his holy symbol
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: with faith, but this was his first actual experience of it.
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: He clung to the medallion and wept with gratitude. Suddenly
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: he bolted up no hull. Without a holy symbol of
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: his own, he would be helpless if one of these
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: monsters were to find him. He scrambled to his feet,
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: grabbed the torch, and ran as fast as he could
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: back to the ruins. As Daleen drew closer, his fir
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: fears were realized. The door to the building was off
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: its hinges, and just in front of it, another zombie
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: was tearing at Harlow, who was helplessly weak, unable to
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: put up any resistance. Daleen brandished to symbol again, turning
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: the vile thing away, but the damage was done. Bloody
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: scratches and bite wounds too numerous account ravaged Harlow's face, neck,
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: and limbs. Dale dropped to the ground and cradled the
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: novice priest's head.
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: Oh I'm so sorry. Oh this is my fault. I'm
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: so sorry.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: Harlow looked up at Daleen, the light rapidly fading from
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: his eyes.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: Whispered, A single candle has a light to make ud Johnny.
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: Craa, aren't we trudge through day and night? Beset my
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: grief and fear?
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: Daleen sobbed in reply, as Harlow took his last breath.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: Fairwind is trying to turn this spirit, but what he
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: doesn't know is that he is completely outclassed. There is
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: no chance for him to turn Queen and Iyah. Her
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: type of undead is just not within reach of a
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: first level cleric, So what exactly is she? I looked
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: through every monster book I had and rejected everything I
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: came across. She's not a white or a ghost or
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: a specter. She isn't a crimson spirit or a revenant.
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: I was looking for something in the neighborhood of wraith,
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: or even the Eurona, if you're familiar with that kind
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: of supernatural entity. I looked at the Banshee and the
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: Groaning Spirit, but these were not really appropriate. Even a
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: straight up Wraith would not work, mostly because any of
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: these foes, especially the level draining ones, are simply too
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: powerful for the PCs to face, and I did want
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: an encounter that the Pieces could at least try to fight.
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: All this is my long winded way of saying, I'm
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: making up a new monster for this encounter. I'll start
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: with the Wraith as a base and then make some tweaks.
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: A wraith is a four hit dye monster with a
• 29:04
  Speaker 2: morale of twelve. These stats stay the same. They are
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells, and can only
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: be hit by silver or magic weapons. These elements also
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: stay the same. But bear with me, you'll see where
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: I'm going with this thing. A wraith attacks with a
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: necrotic touch that does one to six points of damage
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: and drains a level on a mist saving throw. This
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: is the part that gets cut. Queen Anaya is a
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: different kind of wraith. We'll call her a cursed wraith.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: She cannot attack directly. Instead, she can animate an amount
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: of dead around her equal to her own hint dice.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: She could have animated four one hit dye skeletons with
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: the remains in the crypt, but instead she has put
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: two hit dye into each of her former royal bodyguards,
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: and it appears that they will now serve her one
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: last time. There's no need to roll up the Queen's
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: hit points, but I will roll up and go over
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: the stats for the skeletal warriors. They each have eleven
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: hit points. They have an armor class of normal scal
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: Eleatans have a descending AC of seven, which I think
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: is thirteen ascending. But these guys are wearing some rusted
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: plate mail. I'm ruling that they'll have an AC of fifteen.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: They wield long swords, so that's one to eight points
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: of damage on a successful hit. Finally, even though the
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: b X book does not include the rule that skeletons
• 30:18
  Speaker 2: take half damage from piercing and edged weapons. I do
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: like that aspect, and I balance this encounter with the
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: ability in mind, so I'm putting it in. The Eleven
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: Brothers swords and Achilles' knife will be much less effective
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: in this fight than Fairwood's cudgel. Kord's axe is heavy
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: and I think would do full damage. That's my ruling anyway.
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: If the Queen's bodyguards are destroyed, Anaya will not be
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: able to use her powers again that day, and so
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: the battle will essentially be over. The Queen's spirit will
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: be forced to return to her purgatory. Looking at the
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: run time for this episode, I see that we're already
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: well over the twenty minute mark. I can't enter into
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: combat at this point. I'll need to say that for
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: next time. Instead, I'll just invite you to imagine this
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: scene as a freeze frame, with fair Wind clutching his symbol,
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: face defiant, with the companions poised on the verge between
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: fight and flight, with the skeleton warriors hopping nimbly off
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: their slabs, and with the spectral Queen tormented, full of
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: hate and thirsting for revenge. Thank you for listening to
• 31:21
  Speaker 2: and for supporting Tale of the Mantigor. This episode has
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: run longer than usual, so I'm going to jump right
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: into the credits and this episode features a big cast.
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: In order of appearance, this episode's voice actors are Dave
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: Cooper as fair Wind, Kyeen as de Rennie, Kevin Barringer
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: as ten Tier, Fiona Howitt, host and GM of the
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: What Are My Rolling Podcast as the Wraith of Queen,
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: and Ayah Winston Cooper as Harlowe the Novice, and Karl
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: White of the Load Inventurer Podcasts as the old Beggar.
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: My eternal gratitude goes to all my actors. Each of
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: them did a superb job. Extra thanks is due to
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: Dave Cooper, who wrote this episode's dramatis persona section in
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: which some of Fairwin's backstory is revealed. Great job Dave,
• 32:06
  Speaker 2: who nailed it. The adventure will continue on the next
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: episode of Tale of the Manticor It's the story where
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: chaos roles