Latest / Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama / Episode 45 (S3E45)

Transcript

Episode 45 (S3E45) · Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama

0:00
Speaker 1: Hey there, this is Allison from the Kid's Table and
0:02
Speaker 1: you're listening to Tale of the Manticore.
0:08
Speaker 2: The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
0:13
Speaker 2: discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
0:30
Speaker 2: Season three. Like the creature from which it takes its name,
0:34
Speaker 2: Tale of the Manticor is a mashup, a cross breeding
0:38
Speaker 2: between two different species of storytelling. Here you will find
0:41
Speaker 2: the unpredictability of old school paper and dice games with
0:45
Speaker 2: the story craft of a dark fantasy novel. No character
0:49
Speaker 2: is sacred, and none will be spared if the dice
0:52
Speaker 2: decide their fate is at hand. According to Lare, the
0:56
Speaker 2: Tale of a Manticore is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
1:01
Speaker 2: There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
1:14
Speaker 2: time until of the Manticor. The last chapter begins with
1:18
Speaker 2: ten tears ascension to level five and then gets right
1:21
Speaker 2: into the action. The PCs face a man's sized speaking
1:25
Speaker 2: fireball that calls itself odok Zygog and accuses them of trespassing.
1:30
Speaker 2: But as the moments pass by, something begins to feel
1:34
Speaker 2: not right that Zygog had called them to his presence
1:37
Speaker 2: to explain themselves, and then refuses to let them speak.
1:40
Speaker 2: For example, the marble floor feeling cold when it should
1:44
Speaker 2: feel warm is another. Flicker seems to be barking at
1:47
Speaker 2: the space beside the great Wizard, and that's not all.
1:50
Speaker 2: Fairwind detects a familiar set that does not belong here.
1:54
Speaker 2: The cleric can smell books, but there aren't any of
1:57
Speaker 2: those in here. What does it all mean? Suspecting that
2:01
Speaker 2: they face another illusion, albeit a far more elaborate one
2:04
Speaker 2: than what they encountered before, Ferwin tries to disbelieve the
2:07
Speaker 2: scene in front of him alas he cannot. Try as
2:11
Speaker 2: he might, it is all too real to him. Achilia, however,
2:15
Speaker 2: has had similar thoughts, and her attempt to see through
2:17
Speaker 2: the trickery the successful. The Dispel magic spell causes the
2:21
Speaker 2: phantasm to unravel in front of every one, and as
2:24
Speaker 2: a kind of bonus, it also reveals the illusion's creator
2:28
Speaker 2: standing to one side, and heretofore hidden behind a spell
2:31
Speaker 2: of invisibility. Flicker tears away from the group and bears
2:34
Speaker 2: this newly revealed magician to the ground. Now the tables
2:38
Speaker 2: are turned. With a little choice, the magic user frees
2:41
Speaker 2: the companions from their bonds and calls off the animated
2:44
Speaker 2: armor that surrounds them on three sides. Achilia delivers a
2:47
Speaker 2: blistering tongue lashing, but ultimately discovers that she is yelling
2:51
Speaker 2: at the wrong person. This is not odog Zygog Chapter
3:06
Speaker 2: forty five, Part one day thirty seven, sometime around noon,
3:14
Speaker 2: mythic event meaning disrupt nature party status. Achillea eight of
3:25
Speaker 2: fifteen hit points, Court ten of twenty four, de Renni
3:32
Speaker 2: eleven of nineteen ten, Tier twenty eight of twenty eight,
3:38
Speaker 2: fair Wind nineteen of thirty three, Flicker sixteen of sixteen
3:46
Speaker 2: supplies The companions have been without food for one day,
3:49
Speaker 2: and henceforth will not be able to heal naturally until
3:52
Speaker 2: they have eaten. Spells available. Achille can cast, shrink, detect
3:59
Speaker 2: evil and glitter. Dust Cord can cast entangle, locate plants
4:04
Speaker 2: and animals, create water, slow poison, hold animal, and speak
4:11
Speaker 2: with plants. Fair One can cast hold person.
4:17
Speaker 1: I've been trying to tell you, tell me what I
4:22
Speaker 1: am not, oh oak Zygod.
4:26
Speaker 2: Achilia was dumb struck. How could this be? Was it
4:30
Speaker 2: another trick? A bold face lie to follow all the
4:33
Speaker 2: false fent as while sights and sounds this person advised,
4:37
Speaker 2: but Achilia was not about to be fooled again. She
4:40
Speaker 2: raised her wand tip pointed directly at the other's face.
4:44
Speaker 3: If you are lying to me, no, I swear, was.
4:48
Speaker 2: The squealed reply.
4:50
Speaker 1: I swear, I swear.
4:52
Speaker 2: That wasn't good enough for a Chilia. She cast her spell.
4:56
Speaker 2: The little wizards squeezed their eyes shut as the arcane
4:59
Speaker 2: words were spoken. The magical energy beamed at them from
5:02
Speaker 2: the violet wand, but to their surprise, they were not incinerated,
5:06
Speaker 2: nor turned to jelly, nor shot through with electricity. In fact,
5:10
Speaker 2: it seemed like nothing had happened. I believe you, said Achilia,
5:15
Speaker 2: lowering her wand as she entered her spell of detect evil.
5:19
Speaker 2: She knew very well that the incantation could not determine
5:22
Speaker 2: how truthful a person was, but she was satisfied that
5:25
Speaker 2: the person sitting on the floor and cowering against the
5:27
Speaker 2: bookshelf did not mean her harm and had no other
5:30
Speaker 2: wicked intentions. She stepped back, saying, get up, but now
5:35
Speaker 2: her voice was soft and gentle.
5:38
Speaker 3: I will not harm you.
5:41
Speaker 2: The diminutive magic users stood up on shaking legs and
5:44
Speaker 2: holding up their palms in surrender.
5:49
Speaker 3: If you are not Odog Zagog? Who are you?
5:53
Speaker 2: I I am not you, came the tremulous reply.
5:57
Speaker 1: The librarian here, if you please.
6:00
Speaker 3: You mean to say that you are Zygog's apprentice, asked Achilia.
6:03
Speaker 2: By now her companions had come to standard her side.
6:06
Speaker 2: Assessing the situation, they kept silent. The eleven brothers even
6:10
Speaker 2: lowered their bows.
6:11
Speaker 1: No, Master Zygog has never taken on a pupil officially,
6:15
Speaker 1: although he has taught me some things. But my role
6:18
Speaker 1: is librarian and in his absence caretaker of his home.
6:21
Speaker 1: I suppose that one must say I have not done
6:24
Speaker 1: a very good job at the latter.
6:26
Speaker 3: In his absence, Achilia queried, Oh joke, Zygog is not here.
6:32
Speaker 2: The other bit their lip, afraid to reply.
6:35
Speaker 3: Speaks of truss and I will not harm you.
6:38
Speaker 1: Master Zygog has been gone these past two years.
6:42
Speaker 2: The stutter that had only just disappeared was back, as
6:45
Speaker 2: was the fear in their eyes. A Chilia was for
6:48
Speaker 2: the second time at a loss for words. Her left
6:51
Speaker 2: hand unconsciously moved to cover her heart. Fair Wind stepped
6:55
Speaker 2: into help.
6:59
Speaker 4: Where did Massa Zogg go? And how long will he
7:02
Speaker 4: be gone?
7:02
Speaker 2: He asked, as unobtrusively as he could. The other's eyes
7:06
Speaker 2: flicked over and up to meet the eyes of the human.
7:09
Speaker 2: He wore bloodstained robes and had a wild look to him.
7:12
Speaker 2: Fearful of how these strangers would react to their reply,
7:15
Speaker 2: they delivered it in a measured monotone.
7:17
Speaker 1: Master Zygod said that if he returned it, all our
7:20
Speaker 1: reunion would take place after a century had passed.
7:24
Speaker 2: Their eyes passed between the human, the elf like girl
7:26
Speaker 2: with the wand the dog, and back to the human.
7:30
Speaker 1: They've gone to seek the golden path.
7:37
Speaker 2: What's that sound, Oh right, it's the sound of the
7:41
Speaker 2: plot thickening. Although it's clear to me what's going on here,
7:45
Speaker 2: it might be confusing to someone else, and so a
7:47
Speaker 2: scene in which things are explained further is probably necessary.
7:51
Speaker 2: That we'll get to that, But first there's a bit
7:52
Speaker 2: of housekeeping to attend to. First item of business, my
7:56
Speaker 2: event meaning, all that stuff with allusions and trickery and
7:59
Speaker 2: even the eventual dispelling of them. I think I can
8:02
Speaker 2: call that abuse magic. Yeah, I'm going to say that
8:04
Speaker 2: event meaning is fulfilled. My new one is disrupt nature,
8:08
Speaker 2: and as of now I have no idea how to
8:10
Speaker 2: apply it. But that's no big deal. An opportunity will
8:13
Speaker 2: come along eventually. The next item of business is a
8:16
Speaker 2: level up for Cord, who today reaches level six. All right,
8:20
Speaker 2: This level up begins with a D six of new
8:22
Speaker 2: hit points A five a great role. Chords max HP
8:27
Speaker 2: goes from twenty four to twenty nine. Because he's a construct,
8:30
Speaker 2: there's no stats to potentially increase, but Chord deserves something
8:34
Speaker 2: in the way of an extra improvement. At this point,
8:36
Speaker 2: I'll say his increasingly barky exterior has raised his armor
8:40
Speaker 2: class by one point fourteen goes to fifteen. There's more,
8:44
Speaker 2: of course. Reading over the class description in the Old
8:46
Speaker 2: School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome, I see that it's
8:50
Speaker 2: level seven where druids undergo major changes. Level six comes
8:54
Speaker 2: with a new language, but I'm exchanging that for some
8:56
Speaker 2: improvements to Robin. Henceforth, Robin will have greater INTI intelligence.
9:01
Speaker 2: They've developed a kind of autonomy of thought. How to
9:04
Speaker 2: explain that? Okay, remember when they flew off to find
9:07
Speaker 2: Odoke's cottage and pass the iron tower flattened grass on
9:11
Speaker 2: the hill. At that time, they did not have the
9:12
Speaker 2: reasoning capacity to pay this any special attention, and did
9:15
Speaker 2: not report it from here on in, however, they will
9:18
Speaker 2: have the capacity to think independently and make judgment calls
9:21
Speaker 2: of this nature. Okay, we move on. Chord's basic attack
9:25
Speaker 2: bonus remains at plus two, and so the only other
9:27
Speaker 2: change to their character sheet will be the addition of
9:29
Speaker 2: a new spell. Oh, not just one, but two, and
9:33
Speaker 2: access to a fifth level spell as well. Looks like
9:35
Speaker 2: level six is a milestone level, after all, this is exciting.
9:40
Speaker 2: Their new spell array looks like this, two spells at
9:43
Speaker 2: each levels one, two, and three, and one spell each
9:46
Speaker 2: at levels four and five. So level six comes with
9:49
Speaker 2: an additional third and fifth level spell. Let's find out
9:52
Speaker 2: which ones they will be. The new third level spell
9:55
Speaker 2: will be rolling a D six I at A five.
9:58
Speaker 2: That's it's tree shape. I don't know where that does,
10:03
Speaker 2: but it feels pretty dark appropriate for Cord. What can
10:06
Speaker 2: this spell do? Okay, it's pretty straightforward. The caster takes
10:09
Speaker 2: on in the form of a living or dead tree
10:11
Speaker 2: whose appearance is completely realistic. All the caster's clothing and
10:15
Speaker 2: equipment is also transformed, and while in this form, the
10:18
Speaker 2: druid can perceive their surroundings normally. Well, that was fun,
10:21
Speaker 2: but it was a mere amuse bouche compared to what's
10:24
Speaker 2: coming up. A fifth level spell is no joke. I
10:27
Speaker 2: hope I don't jinx it by saying that Cord is
10:29
Speaker 2: probably about to come into some significant power. Here it's
10:32
Speaker 2: another D six for this role. Here we go A
10:35
Speaker 2: three means Chord gets pass plant. Okay, I have to
10:39
Speaker 2: admit this sounds a little underwhelming. Druids at this level
10:43
Speaker 2: can already pass through natural terrain unhindered and without leaving
10:46
Speaker 2: a trail. But let's see what the spell description in
10:48
Speaker 2: the book says it does. Ah, I see, it isn't
10:51
Speaker 2: what I thought. This spell is more like a teleport
10:54
Speaker 2: or a dimension door kind of thing. Here's the entry
10:57
Speaker 2: pass plant. The caster steps into a tree and then
11:00
Speaker 2: instantly steps out of a tree of the same species
11:02
Speaker 2: in another location. The maximum distance between the two trees
11:06
Speaker 2: depends on their type, but ranges from two hundred and
11:08
Speaker 2: forty yards to six hundred yards. Are we ever going
11:11
Speaker 2: to see this spell in action with the heck nose?
11:13
Speaker 2: But it's on Cord's character sheet now. All right, housekeeping
11:17
Speaker 2: is done, and it's time to return to the narrative,
11:19
Speaker 2: where we'll try to make sense of everything. Chapter forty five,
11:30
Speaker 2: Part two, Day thirty seven, early afternoon, mythic event meaning
11:37
Speaker 2: disrupt nature party status. The party status is unchanged with
11:43
Speaker 2: the exception of Court, whose hit points are now fifteen
11:45
Speaker 2: of twenty nine and who can now cast the following
11:48
Speaker 2: additional spells, tree, shape and pass plant. The six of
11:56
Speaker 2: them were gathered around the table of dark wood in
11:58
Speaker 2: the small dining room the party had passed through before
12:00
Speaker 2: encountering the room with the animated suits of armour. Since
12:04
Speaker 2: there were only five chairs, Cords stood while the others sat.
12:07
Speaker 2: Flicker laid Achillea's feet under the table, and Robin stood
12:10
Speaker 2: atop Chord's head, hopping and tweeting happily. Natchu was seated
12:16
Speaker 2: in the one high chair whose purpose had made the
12:18
Speaker 2: wunder before. Each of the companions had an empty plate
12:21
Speaker 2: in front of them that had minutes before been piled
12:24
Speaker 2: with boiled beets, boiled carrots, and boiled onions. These, their
12:29
Speaker 2: hosts explained, were the preferred food of the Gnomish race,
12:32
Speaker 2: of which she was a member. She it had taken
12:35
Speaker 2: much too long for Achilia to realize that not You
12:39
Speaker 2: was female. If she had known their race, she might
12:42
Speaker 2: have guessed their gender by the lack of beard, but
12:44
Speaker 2: she hadn't known and therefore hadn't guests. Achilie found the
12:48
Speaker 2: boiled vegetables overcooked, but since she had neaten in over
12:51
Speaker 2: a day, she cleaned her plate regardless, barely retaining her
12:54
Speaker 2: dignity as she wolf done the food. If the gnome
12:57
Speaker 2: had served them plates of boiled shoe leather, Achilie thought
13:00
Speaker 2: she probably would have eaten that just as quickly. After
13:03
Speaker 2: the meal, they sat, digesting and wondering what else to say.
13:07
Speaker 2: For a few moments, the only sound was the sputter
13:09
Speaker 2: and crackle of the torches in their wallsconss Before the meal,
13:15
Speaker 2: Achilia had done most of the talking, explaining who they
13:17
Speaker 2: were and why they were there. Nachu had listened sympathetically,
13:21
Speaker 2: especially when Achillia talked about the day that she had
13:24
Speaker 2: found her vappy turned to stone, somewhat to the half
13:26
Speaker 2: Helse's disappointment. Natchu said she had never known anyone named
13:30
Speaker 2: Altve Muagg. She'd come to work with Master Zygog four
13:34
Speaker 2: years ago after the famous historian had saved her from
13:37
Speaker 2: what she described as a quote difficult situation with a
13:40
Speaker 2: family member unquote Natchu had not elaborated, and Achilia had
13:45
Speaker 2: not pried. Fair Winds still had a question. He'd been
13:48
Speaker 2: wondering whether he should ask it, but ultimately decided he would.
13:52
Speaker 4: M I uh, I was wondering when you first became
13:57
Speaker 4: aware that we were here.
14:00
Speaker 2: The gnome dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
14:03
Speaker 1: I was made aware of your presence when he came
14:05
Speaker 1: to the front door.
14:06
Speaker 4: Of the cottage. You mean, no, no, of the.
14:08
Speaker 1: Interior space, the front door that.
14:10
Speaker 2: Opens into the rest of you with the paintings, Fairwood confirmed,
14:14
Speaker 2: right right, said not you, with a nod and smile.
14:17
Speaker 4: But if you will allow the question, why did you
14:21
Speaker 4: assume we had come with ill intentions?
14:24
Speaker 2: Not? You chuckled.
14:26
Speaker 4: I don't see what's so funny about that.
14:28
Speaker 2: Replied Fairwind, frowning. After all, the fight with the animated
14:31
Speaker 2: suits of armor, in which Cord had almost been killed,
14:34
Speaker 2: might have been avoided. It's just not you searched for
14:38
Speaker 2: the right words.
14:39
Speaker 1: It's just up with it this way. How many visitors, petitioners,
14:44
Speaker 1: and guests do you think Odoak Saigon has had all
14:47
Speaker 1: together in the time I have known him?
14:49
Speaker 2: Ferwind understood the question is rhetorical, but not you answered
14:52
Speaker 2: it anyway?
14:54
Speaker 4: Zero uh, I see.
14:56
Speaker 1: The only logical assumption was that you were thieves and
14:59
Speaker 1: had broken into, burn blaorize my home. I was just
15:01
Speaker 1: trying to defend myself in my master's possessions, of which
15:05
Speaker 1: I am custodian, a business with the illusion. I meant
15:08
Speaker 1: it when I said before, I was just trying to
15:10
Speaker 1: scare you badly enough that you'd leave and never come back.
15:14
Speaker 2: Ah but weaponless not you made a helpless gesture. Then
15:18
Speaker 2: she turned to Achilia.
15:20
Speaker 1: What did you hope to accomplish by coming here?
15:23
Speaker 3: I told you about my bobby turned to stone, and
15:25
Speaker 3: about the name scratched into the dirt.
15:28
Speaker 1: Master Zygog would never have done that, though he is
15:31
Speaker 1: a pacifist through and through he abhors violence of any kind.
15:35
Speaker 3: But why wouldn't my master have wanted me to find yours?
15:39
Speaker 3: Why did he write Duk's name in the dirt so
15:41
Speaker 3: I would find it?
15:43
Speaker 2: Not? You, once again seemed to choose her words carefully.
15:46
Speaker 2: I kill you.
15:47
Speaker 1: What if your master all they didn't want you to
15:49
Speaker 1: find the man who hurt him? What if he wanted
15:52
Speaker 1: you to find the only man who could help him.
15:54
Speaker 2: This had occurred to Achillia many times before. Perhaps the
15:58
Speaker 2: intensity of their recent encounter and how much so much
16:01
Speaker 2: of the world seemed intent unharming them, had made such
16:04
Speaker 2: a scenario feel unlikely, But now she saw that it
16:07
Speaker 2: was almost definitely true.
16:09
Speaker 3: Then there's only one thing to do, she said, we
16:12
Speaker 3: have to find your master.
16:14
Speaker 2: There was the smallest pause, and then it was neither
16:18
Speaker 2: a question nor a sound of contemplation. Not you, regarded Achillia,
16:22
Speaker 2: with her eyebrows slanted in compassion. What's the matter, Master Kilia.
16:27
Speaker 1: It's just that finding Master Zaygot might be a little
16:31
Speaker 1: bit complicated.
16:42
Speaker 2: Ten dear, unable to understand the exchange between Achillia and
16:45
Speaker 2: their now friendly host, someone who had been their captor
16:48
Speaker 2: only a few hours before, found himself growing bored. He
16:52
Speaker 2: wondered where the kitchen was and why it was not
16:54
Speaker 2: adjacent to the dining room. In the pantry, he looked
16:57
Speaker 2: at Chord and wondered when the dryad's pink flower had
17:00
Speaker 2: ceased to be an ornament and had started actually growing
17:03
Speaker 2: out of his wooded Horso when the incomprehensible conversation grew
17:06
Speaker 2: more serious, punctuated by lengthy awkward seeming pauses, He picked
17:10
Speaker 2: up his silverware and idly inspected it. At a certain point,
17:14
Speaker 2: something must have been resolved, because all of a sudden,
17:17
Speaker 2: Fairminton Cords started to clear the plates off the table.
17:20
Speaker 2: Tinty had been looking at the reflection of his face
17:23
Speaker 2: distorted and upside down in his spoon when this took place.
17:27
Speaker 2: Before he knew it, the table service was cleared, plates
17:30
Speaker 2: were stacked on the floor. Their host and Achillie were
17:33
Speaker 2: talking excitedly, and the latter was pulling the Derothi map
17:37
Speaker 2: out of her satchel as she smoothed it out so
17:39
Speaker 2: that it laid flat. He finally asked, what's going on?
17:43
Speaker 2: A killie?
17:44
Speaker 3: Oh forgive me.
17:45
Speaker 2: Gamer replied Elvish.
17:47
Speaker 3: I've completely left the two of you out of the conversation.
17:50
Speaker 4: Heaven't I that's all right?
17:52
Speaker 2: Why are you showing them on map?
17:54
Speaker 3: Nat? She thinks she might be able to help us
17:56
Speaker 3: locate her master for us odok Zaygog has gone off
17:59
Speaker 3: insert the Golden.
18:00
Speaker 2: Path really was Tender's reply. Granny and I were wondering
18:04
Speaker 2: why we haven't met him yet. The elder sibling nodded
18:07
Speaker 2: his agreement at this, Not you help.
18:09
Speaker 3: Zyegod with his research on finding the Golden Path. So
18:12
Speaker 3: while she doesn't know exactly where he is, she thinks
18:15
Speaker 3: she could point us in the right direction. I'll explain everything.
18:18
Speaker 2: Later, but for now, of course, we understand translating as
18:23
Speaker 2: you go would be slow and tedious. We can wait.
18:26
Speaker 2: Tindo was still holding the spoon and poked the air
18:28
Speaker 2: with it to emphasize certain words. Natch said something and
18:31
Speaker 2: held out her hand.
18:33
Speaker 3: She wants your spoon.
18:34
Speaker 2: The Kilia explained, all right, it's her spoon after all.
18:39
Speaker 2: Tantyer found the request strange, but the reason for it
18:42
Speaker 2: became clear when the Gnome flipped the spoon around and
18:44
Speaker 2: held it by the began to use the handle as
18:46
Speaker 2: a pointer. Then the four among them we spoke the
18:49
Speaker 2: common tongue, all bent over the map together, chattering quickly
18:52
Speaker 2: about things the elves could not make out. Several hours later,
19:03
Speaker 2: not You leaned back in her chair and.
19:04
Speaker 1: Declared, that's the best I can do.
19:07
Speaker 2: Since her initial inspection of the Dorothy map, she had
19:10
Speaker 2: gotten up and left the room several times to chect
19:13
Speaker 2: various books, lists, and other maps located here and there
19:16
Speaker 2: in the complex. His numerous collections, the last time she'd
19:20
Speaker 2: got off on such a mission, she'd returned with ink
19:22
Speaker 2: and quill. She used these to fill in as many
19:25
Speaker 2: pertinent details missing from the incomplete map as she was able.
19:29
Speaker 2: As she worked, she talked to herself, is the Yes, Yes,
19:34
Speaker 2: the crystal what is here?
19:38
Speaker 1: Rayside Mountain is here? There's a river in this spot?
19:46
Speaker 1: And finally, yes, I guess that Mirror Lake would be
19:50
Speaker 1: around here. I hope I have gotten the scale right.
19:55
Speaker 2: Mirror Lake is her destination, remembering the painting in the
19:58
Speaker 2: vestibule the Chillia guess.
20:00
Speaker 1: The start of it. Yes, Mira Lake is the entrance
20:03
Speaker 1: to the Golden Path, as far as Master Zygog believed.
20:06
Speaker 1: Since he hasn't come back, he was either right or
20:08
Speaker 1: he's dead.
20:09
Speaker 2: Not your Aequilia had discovered had a penchant for abruptness.
20:13
Speaker 3: Is there anything else we should know?
20:15
Speaker 1: The way is hazardous in general, though you're not entirely
20:18
Speaker 1: unfamiliar with danger? Are you a special note? You need
20:23
Speaker 1: to pass through the crystal wood? And Master Zygog said
20:25
Speaker 1: there's something bad living there?
20:27
Speaker 3: What kind of something?
20:28
Speaker 2: Peculia wanted to know?
20:30
Speaker 1: He called it the bloom.
20:31
Speaker 2: That's all I know, Peculia noted.
20:34
Speaker 3: I can't thank you enough the information you've given us.
20:37
Speaker 3: Could we presume upon you for some supplies? We would
20:40
Speaker 3: be happy to pay for them, of course, of.
20:42
Speaker 1: Course, and I wouldn't dream of taking your money at Chilia.
20:45
Speaker 1: Your weapons will also be returned to you when you leave,
20:48
Speaker 1: and I have an idea for something else that you
20:50
Speaker 1: might as well take. But you can't go anywhere today.
20:53
Speaker 1: You're in no shape to go on and expedition. I
20:56
Speaker 1: insist that you stay with me until you are rested
20:58
Speaker 1: and ready.
21:06
Speaker 2: While they're probably impatient to move on, notch you is right.
21:09
Speaker 2: It would be foolish for the companions to begin this
21:11
Speaker 2: stage of their adventure in their present condition. The fight
21:14
Speaker 2: with the animated armor really left them in poor shape,
21:17
Speaker 2: and they need rest and healing. Since it would be
21:20
Speaker 2: tedious to listen to me rolling dice and enumerating all
21:22
Speaker 2: the hit points regained by natural and magical means, counting
21:26
Speaker 2: days past and so on, I've done all that off, Mike.
21:30
Speaker 2: In the end, the companions stay with Natchiu for two
21:33
Speaker 2: nights and leave Odok's occlusium on the morning of the
21:36
Speaker 2: third day, which is day forty. Fairwint is used up
21:39
Speaker 2: both of his cure lite wounds spells. But otherwise the
21:42
Speaker 2: party is setting out it nearly full strength. Achillee spends
21:46
Speaker 2: a considerable amount of this downtime on her own. While
21:49
Speaker 2: she is ostensibly studying from her book of spells, Really
21:53
Speaker 2: she is struggling with a very very difficult question. Since
21:57
Speaker 2: she was able to dispel Natchu's illusion, might she also
22:00
Speaker 2: so be able to dispel the enchantment on her Voppy
22:02
Speaker 2: that restore him without help from anyone else. Perhaps, But
22:05
Speaker 2: she is deeply concerned about two things. One is that
22:09
Speaker 2: while she can unravel enchantments, she is not so sure
22:12
Speaker 2: she can reverse one, and so the attempt might be
22:15
Speaker 2: utterly impossible from the get go. Two, even if her
22:19
Speaker 2: dispel magic incantation could work, there is no guarantee it
22:23
Speaker 2: would work if the enchantment was cast by a much
22:25
Speaker 2: more powerful magic user than herself. Ultimately, the idea of
22:29
Speaker 2: going all the way back and saying goodbye to her
22:31
Speaker 2: friends along the way, only to arrive home and fail
22:35
Speaker 2: to save Vopi, she just cannot take that chance. Better
22:39
Speaker 2: she stay the course and try to find Zygog. If
22:42
Speaker 2: there is any consequence for taking this downtime, it's that
22:45
Speaker 2: Bellario and Fim of the Iron Tower, who are also
22:48
Speaker 2: seeking the Golden Path, will have extra time to look
22:51
Speaker 2: for it. Whether they find it before the party or not, well,
22:55
Speaker 2: that's unknown, and for now I think it will remain unknown.
23:07
Speaker 2: Chapter forty five, Part three, Day forty early morning mythic
23:15
Speaker 2: event meaning disrupt nature party status, Achillee fifteen of fifteen,
23:22
Speaker 2: h points, Chord twenty nine of twenty nine, der Ani
23:28
Speaker 2: eighteen of nineteen ten, Tier twenty eight of twenty eight,
23:35
Speaker 2: fair Wind thirty one of thirty three, Flicker sixteen of
23:40
Speaker 2: sixteen supplies. The Companions have twenty portions of food spells available.
23:48
Speaker 2: Achille can cast shrink and large, detect evil, glitter, dust
23:54
Speaker 2: and dispel magic. Cord can cast entangle, locate plants and animals,
24:01
Speaker 2: create water, slow poison, hold animal, speak with plants, tree
24:07
Speaker 2: shape and pass plant. Fair Wind can cast hold person
24:17
Speaker 2: nach you had prepared for them for bundles of rations
24:20
Speaker 2: organized by perishability. There were boiled vegetables, raw vegetables, nuts
24:25
Speaker 2: and seeds, and finally dried fruits, salted fish, and smoked meats.
24:29
Speaker 2: The portions were generous and not too stressed that if
24:32
Speaker 2: eaten in the right order, they would last the entire
24:34
Speaker 2: party for as many days as there were bundles. But
24:37
Speaker 2: food was not the only gift the Gnomish library, and
24:40
Speaker 2: it provided fair Wind now wore most of the pieces
24:43
Speaker 2: of plate and mail from the suit of animated armor
24:46
Speaker 2: that they had destroyed. The cleric was visibly uncomfortable in it,
24:50
Speaker 2: not only because he was unused to the weight and
24:52
Speaker 2: feel of armour, but because he was wearing something that
24:55
Speaker 2: had once been, at least in a sense, alive. Not You,
24:59
Speaker 2: detecting his misgiving, had explained that the magic was entirely gone,
25:02
Speaker 2: and that Fairwind might as well take the suit, as
25:04
Speaker 2: it could not be animated again in its current battered condition.
25:08
Speaker 2: Ten deer standing nearby had not understood any of the
25:11
Speaker 2: cleric's grumblings, but the look on Fairwind's face said it all.
25:15
Speaker 2: Tell him that he will grow used to it eventually,
25:19
Speaker 2: he offered. When Achillia relaid the message, Fairwind barely grimaced
25:22
Speaker 2: in response, shifting uncomfortably in the metal suit. After pushing
25:28
Speaker 2: the last packet of rations into Achillie satchel, not too
25:31
Speaker 2: straightened up to her full height of two and a
25:33
Speaker 2: half feet, she put her arms akimbo and declared, that's
25:37
Speaker 2: that you're.
25:38
Speaker 1: Ready to go. If you're careful, these rations will last
25:41
Speaker 1: you all the way there with the data spare, but
25:44
Speaker 1: you'll need to forage on your way back.
25:46
Speaker 2: The journey to Mirror Lake the Nomad calculators would take
25:49
Speaker 2: about three days.
25:51
Speaker 3: Thanks once again, said Achillea, bowing slightly.
25:54
Speaker 1: Mind you keep your witch sharp when you get to
25:56
Speaker 1: the Crystal Wood not.
25:57
Speaker 2: You reminded them.
25:58
Speaker 3: We'll be careful.
25:59
Speaker 2: Well.
26:00
Speaker 1: I wish you good fortune as you begin this journey, said.
26:03
Speaker 2: The Dome, her smile showing her small white.
26:05
Speaker 1: Teeth, and maya hey guide you.
26:10
Speaker 2: A happy new year everyone, ann As always, thank you
26:14
Speaker 2: for listening. If you'd like to help to support the show,
26:16
Speaker 2: you can recommend, or like and repost episode announcements on
26:19
Speaker 2: social media. If you can purchase a Tale of the
26:21
Speaker 2: Manticore T shirt at Bare Art stars store or one
26:24
Speaker 2: of my offerings on drive through RPG, And of course,
26:26
Speaker 2: you can rate and review the show on your favorite podcatcher.
26:29
Speaker 2: If you happen to listen to the show on speaker,
26:31
Speaker 2: you can join the Support Club for two dollars a month.
26:34
Speaker 2: Members now get ad free content at this time I
26:37
Speaker 2: would love to share a listener review. This one was
26:39
Speaker 2: left on Podchaser by Milo Lawson. Milo writes, truly a
26:43
Speaker 2: must listen for anyone looking for a dramatic, engaging story.
26:47
Speaker 2: Knowing that no character is saved from an untimely demise,
26:50
Speaker 2: keeps you on the edge of your seat, makes every
26:51
Speaker 2: success feel earned and every death a true gut punch.
26:55
Speaker 2: Whether you're a DM looking to improve your storytelling and
26:57
Speaker 2: game management ability, or I've never played a TTRPG, Tale
27:01
Speaker 2: of the Mantagor is something for you. My only complained
27:03
Speaker 2: is that John doesn't stay chained to his desk releasing
27:05
Speaker 2: a new episode every day until that happens. However, seasons
27:09
Speaker 2: one and two are still just as engrossing as the
27:11
Speaker 2: first time I heard them. Thanks very much for the review, Milo,
27:16
Speaker 2: I aimed, please, since it was just Christmas and all,
27:19
Speaker 2: I was wondering if I might get some longer chains.
27:22
Speaker 2: No not this year. No, No, I have no problem
27:26
Speaker 2: with that. Yeah, I'll get back to work now. And
27:30
Speaker 2: speaking of slaves to the fiction, let's talk about this
27:33
Speaker 2: episode's wonderful cast of voice actors. Sherwind and tent Here
27:36
Speaker 2: are voiced as always by Dave Cooper and Kevin Barringer, respectively.
27:40
Speaker 2: Amanda Tea is back and I can finally credit her
27:43
Speaker 2: by her character's actual name. Amanda plays not You, Noomish
27:47
Speaker 2: librarian and custodian of Odoak's Seclusium. I encourage everyone to
27:50
Speaker 2: check out Amanda's wicked artwork at Wicked Underscore. Loving Underscore
27:55
Speaker 2: lies on Instagram. For those curious to learn more about
27:58
Speaker 2: Tale of the Mantagor, I keep a blog where I
28:00
Speaker 2: post all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts,
28:04
Speaker 2: and show notes. You can find it at Tale Offthemanticore
28:07
Speaker 2: dot com. I think I might put up an entry
28:08
Speaker 2: about the powers and limitations of the Dispel Magic incantation
28:12
Speaker 2: in the next day or two. If you'd like to
28:13
Speaker 2: know my thoughts about that. As usual, you can find
28:16
Speaker 2: me at Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale of Themanticor
28:19
Speaker 2: dot Bluesky dot Social, Tale of the Manticor on Instagram,
28:22
Speaker 2: and Tale of Themanticor at gmail dot com. The eventual
28:26
Speaker 2: will continue on the next episode of Tale of the Manticor.
28:29
Speaker 2: It's the story where chaos rules