Latest / Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama / Dice Chain: Links 11-12

Transcript

Dice Chain: Links 11-12 · Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to Dice Chain, a system fluid, multi-author, experimental
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: fiction series. Let's briefly recap the last episode. Link 9.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Daggerheart In the woods outside Gant Manor, Buckfine and Alice
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: trade insults, wasting precious time, with Buckfine refusing to accompany
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: a person he calls Traitor. Luckily, Huli and Aristan manage
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: to convince him to set aside their differences temporarily, so
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: they can all get away from the battle raging right
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: behind them. As they make their escape, Aristan questions his sister.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: What's between her and Buckvine, and why did she rescue
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: him if she thought he'd been bewitched? But Alice deflects
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: and changes the subject by announcing that she is leading
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: them to the wise woman of the forest, known as Rootmother,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: who she hopes can provide some wisdom. Link 10 BX
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: D & D After a time, it begins to rain.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Aristan tries once again to engage his sister in conversation,
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: but she believes there are spies among them and will
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: not talk freely. She gives up very little, other than
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: to say that she thinks of Buckvine as a fool,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: but an honest fool. At this point, the narrative takes
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: a break so that Aristan can level up in power.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: By the BX rules, he attains level 3, and his
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: character sheet gets some modest improvements. Back in the narrative,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: the Footsore and Sodden group manages to find a cave
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: in the promise of shelter. But this cave turns out
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: to be the home of an enormous and deadly Hydra,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: which rushes out to attack.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: Link 11 Five Leagues, Sir Wallace. What? By my calculation,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: you gathered me and Ivar along the new road, Five Leagues,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: to Gant Manor, right? Yes, of course I did. What
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: in the seven house are you talking about? Kakoa there! Doctor,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: could you work a miracle to mask us? It's strange, though.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Let's set aside the distance. You somehow recognizing a tunnel
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: beneath a remote, disused manor house. You not having a
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: heart of your own, nor a proper workshop for Dr.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: the Reverend Pooley. Or should that be the Reverend Dr.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: Pooley?
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Are you mad or am I?
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: We're in a fight for our lives!
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: The two knights are falling back, slowed by the heavy
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: armor and the need to keep shields ready. Meanwhile, Greenwood
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: outlaws are moving rather more quickly to the rear.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: Dr.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Pooley seems undecided whether to take action against the monstrous creature,
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: galumphing their way. He seems to be watching Grell, Dale,
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: and Alice. The latter drifts easily by her brother's side,
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: though quicker thanks to her lighter armour, ending about ten
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: foot further away.
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: You two, play your crossbows with all your craft.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: He briefly stops, draws the sensor from his knapsack, and
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: lights it, A peculiarly acrid smoke wafts up and out.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: Initiative.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: Company 4. Hydra 3. Bucvine and Alice both encourage their
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: troops per loyalty check in extreme peril. Bucvine gets 08,
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: OK for the men-at-arms Grell and Dale. Alice gets 09,
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: about right for professionals. Grell and Dale respond to perhaps Bucvine.
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: more likely poolie and ready crossbows. Merry man within earshot,
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: numbering five in all. Rally near Alice. The others use
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: the excuse of not hearing to flee. Alice loses a
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: solid hit. The hybrid takes two damage and drops to
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: 23 hit points. Smoke from the sensor There's a minor inconvenience.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Minus one to hit. It's the Hydra's turn. It advances
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: 40 and is now, end of turn, 50 yards from
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: the Knights and Doctor. Alice is 10 yards further back again,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: or 60 yards from the Hydra. Round two. Initiative. Company five,
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: Hydra two. Company ten. Sir Wallace. I did not pretend
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: to be a deep thinker, but I have had time, aye,
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: time and time again, to ponder this last moon of woe.
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: And what I have concluded is that you did bear
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: me in chains, not to get manner. To that alchemist there,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: little knowing that his claim of loyalty was not to
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: you and not to me. He has said both, of course.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: What are you saying?
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: Dr.
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: Pooley said... The curse the witch left in... The lives
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: you first believed... You're on parole! That's another nonsense. Pooley
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: realized that I could not be left to think myself
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: indefinitely under house arrest. While some supposed great work of
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: your supposed king was at hand. Yet of all things,
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: the great work proves to be some scrabble of yokels
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: in the boondocks of Gant County. Gant County is the
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: turning of the tide. The king brings a great host
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: to join us. Against what? A witch queen far away
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: east down the new road? Or some nightmare imagining of
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: goblin and spook? And not to your own manor, where
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: you can be sure that your own people would rally? You,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: the loyal knight of this good king? No, just to
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: wear poorly bruises, foulness. My good knights, set.
• 6:59
  Speaker 4: This unseemly dispute aside for pity's sake. I shall do
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: what I can against this deadly Hydra. Yet when monsters manifest,
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: the strongest pieces on the board are still wielding knights.
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: But I know that you can't afford to let the
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: Hydra lose, Doctor. Not until my sister is swept from
• 7:21
  Speaker 4: the board again.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: Again? Don't worry, little brother. I will always find you.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: I will always save you. And the arrows of my
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: troop are real. Real, dear sister? If only you were real.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: But I've summoned you from some grieving corner of my
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: mind to help me thrice now. I think, finally, this
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: may be good-bye. Thank you for giving me the final clues.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Alice draws steady aim and looses without giving ground, then
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: turns back to look square at her brother as he
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: falls back. She is now 10 yards closer relative to
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: the Hydra than he. It's a hit despite gathering smoke.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: The Hydra drops to 21 hit points. With the minus
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: one to hit and still at medium range, The merry
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: men need 15 to hit. Two hit. Three miss, including
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: a crit miss. That bow's string has broken. The hydra
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: loses 11 hit points, which drops it to bloodied and staggers.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Cursing loudly, Grell and Dale use crossbows at short range.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: Both somehow miss and fall back. The archers keep falling back,
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: but are not ready to flee. They'll soon be at
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: long range. Sir Ariston, Sir Buckvine and Dr Pooley are
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: also falling back. Dr Pooley keeps pace with the knights.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: He looks curiously at Alice. Hydra turn. The monstrosity rears
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: one head in particular and bellows. The bellow is echoed
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: by all four heads and a wave of fear rolls
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: across the broken ground. The arrows fall out off its
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: hide and it rejams. Plus 21, up to 31 hit points.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: At end of its turn, Sir Aristam, Sir Buckvine and
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: Dr Pulley are 30 yards from the hydra. Alice is
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: 20 yards. Round three. initiative. Sir Ariston and Alice, four.
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: Sir Buckvine and Pooley, five. Hydra, four. Fuck this for
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: a game of soldiers?
• 9:58
  Speaker 5: You are mean!
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Grell backs away and drops his crossbow and runs for cover.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: Dale mimics his fellow, following a moment later. The nerve
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: of the merry man is holding, but the man with
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: the broken string throws away his bow and sprints away.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: Down to four. The smoke and distance makes them hardly visible.
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: I am a master of the craft. Now is the
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: time for swords. Once the beast's head is struck off,
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: the acid from this alchemy will sear the stump.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: Alice, do you stand by what you said about Sir Wallace?
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: It is poorly, is it not, behind all this? I
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: stand by it, brother. Sir Wallace has been blinded, and
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: not by mere smoke. The masks are not so easily seen.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: It is plain as the mask on Pooley's face, isn't it?
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: Behind a mask, a mask? Yes, little brother. I would
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: have defended you to the last, but I can't act
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: against him. My hints have struck the mark? They have, finally.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: Thank you, sister. I'm so sorry. I needed you to
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: be alive to show me what really happened.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: Sir Aristan, you seem confused once more. Do you think
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: your sister that tried to rescue you and took us
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: prisoner is some kind of phantom? Only get us through
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: this fight and I will decock more barns. I swear
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: to you, I am your loyal.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: It was a week's extra time that really gave me
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: the first hint. You were genuinely surprised about Alice. That
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: I'd pulled her from my memory. Then you put me
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: under for a whole week while you came up with
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: a plan that wove her into your tail. From that point,
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: she could only defend my sanity in fleeting efforts. And you,
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: Sir Wallace, brave soul, mighty heart, do you understand what
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: I'm saying? Dr.
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: Pooley professed loyalty, at odds with himself, to both of
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: us and to Morlane. But a man cannot serve two masters,
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: especially if he is serving himself.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: That's King Morlane, you car. Will you spit on your
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: knightly vow again? Uh. Serves himself. He did swear loyalty.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: Trust my knightly vow. The same vow we both took.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: You'll see that Gant Manor is no more a center
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: of resistance than this Greenwood Hold's goblin hordes. You hate me, Buckvine,
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: but you know me. Would I ever call Rhiannon a witch?
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: Would I ever serve a king who tortures squires? Look
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: at the beast. Look at its eyes. That's not a monster.
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: It's a mask. Enough riddles. The beast waits. If Ariston's
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: lost his wits, I'll strike it myself. I am the
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: strongest knight. I shall strike off the chief head. Sir
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: Buckvine strides forward and strikes a monstrous blow at Dr.
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: Pauly's mask. His roll is merely a nine, but his
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: enormous strength adds three. and at his level, 12 is
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: plenty to strike a leathern mask. The mask flies off,
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: the sword swings up. Having been swiped off, the mask
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: reveals a high and broad forehead and wide-set eyes in
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: the young-looking face. The twilight brings out their colours, kauri-hued.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: They hint at the enormous intellect that has conjured all
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: these elements. But too many loose ends lie upon this battlefield.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: Dr.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: Pooley steps clear of Buckvine and points at Alice. Sir
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Ariston runs at Pooley, knowing it will make no difference.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: The hydra's crowned head spits a great gob at Alice,
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: easily hitting her. Alice dissolves, still holding Ariston's gaze. Ariston
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: aims his blade at the white face of the mastermind,
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: but already it's as though he has nothing in his
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: grasp and chains on each wrist. The hydra finishes lumbering
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: into the gathering of knights and alchemists, and its four
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: lesser heads strike. I wish I had at least wrenched
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: my way past that coven. Time of day. Somewhere between
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: midnight and 1am. Moonlight of about 40%. Night temperature, 16
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: degrees Celsius. The scene is Dr. Pooley's real lair. To
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: the outside eye, it is ruinous, but inside, it is
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: practical and comfortable for the only man that matters, Dr. Pooley.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: We move inward to Dr. Pooley's workroom. This is reality,
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: not a conjured figment. and in the colourful assortment of
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: the set-up, we see that the great man himself is
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: deeply asleep. Two men, familiar to Paulie, and familiar.
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: To us, are idling.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: What's that scene from?
• 15:46
  Speaker 4: How's his nibs?
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: What do you expect?
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: My sorcery's enough to change the shape of the fairy
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: world has worried me. I must regain my energies. So yeah,
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: sleeping beauty still sawing logs.
• 16:03
  Speaker 6: Ha ha, not bad. Oh, goodness gracious, my magic goes bum-biddy-bum.
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: Ha ha, and for our hero.
• 16:12
  Speaker 6: Of count, did you notice, he came too for a
• 16:15
  Speaker 6: moment as we were leaving, and faded out altogether. We
• 16:22
  Speaker 6: need to watch ourselves around the big one.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: A man to hold a grudge. He has the strength
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: of an ox, and brains to match. Ha! Their laughter
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: echoes across the cold clay of the ward to the
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: prison chamber, the same rustic cabin Aristan first awoke to,
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: and around which, poorly layered an imaginary Gant manor. As
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: we have seen previously, it is somewhat makeshift as a cell,
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: though it really does have an adjoining room outside. Two men,
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: both in the dirty remnants of arming shirt and breeches. One,
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: massively muscled, lie seemingly asleep. Manacles shackle them wrist and ankle,
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: and the chains from each carry back into one thick
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: staple set in the shaped log wall.
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: Hmm.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: I understand. Wallace? Not out cold? I'm lying doggo, waiting
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: my chance. You? I am the strongest man of this land.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: Maybe not all lands, but you would have to travel
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: many leagues to find my match. And there's something that
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: must fuck and those two buggers have forgotten. What's that, Wallace?
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: Bend bars. With the practiced air of someone accustomed to
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: entertaining squires by straightening a horseshoe, Sir Wallace Buckvine rises...
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: braces at the staple, and strains. It bends slowly. He
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: shifts position and heaves from the opposite side. This time,
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: it bends a little faster. He keeps repeating the process.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: Grunts over his shoulder. Oh, sure, for it again. Gee,
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: I think... Unless the good doctor comes in to explain
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: just how much cleverer than us he is, we have
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: hours yet. Try to muffle the noise. Just a little more.
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: Sir Buckvine no longer needs to shift position. Now the
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: staple is flexing easily, obviously weak. Faster and faster the
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: staple bends, and at last, with a boop sound, The
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: metal parts completely. Sir Wallace Buckvine flexes his shoulders and
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: shakes life back into his forearms. The two men are
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: free in terms of not being physically chained to the wall.
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: The chains may make good makeshift weapons. In any case,
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: they are perforced armed with either a chain whip, a
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: chain flail or a cestus, depending how they use each.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: Wallace also has a semicircle of rough iron to use.
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: They pause, wondering if the adjoining room might even contain
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: their gear. Aristin gestures to it, his hand barely visible
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: in the gloom. Footsteps sound on the clay court, coming
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: towards the cabin, about 40 feet.
• 19:50
  Speaker 5: Range. You ever listen to an actual play podcast and think,
• 19:54
  Speaker 5: I want to play at that table? No Quest for
• 19:56
  Speaker 5: the Wicked's got you. When a planet mysteriously appears in
• 19:59
  Speaker 5: the Castleball solar system, it sparks a chaotic scramble of corporations, scientists,
• 20:03
  Speaker 5: and adventurers. Little do they know, a dark threat hangs
• 20:05
  Speaker 5: over them. And the only two who can stop it
• 20:07
  Speaker 5: are Vlinigan, a father looking for a new start, and Flitwick,
• 20:10
  Speaker 5: a privileged DJ setting out to prove himself to his family.
• 20:13
  Speaker 5: But they have a secret weapon. You, the listener, join
• 20:15
  Speaker 5: the council and vote on important decisions. Create and name NPCs,
• 20:19
  Speaker 5: form factions with other listeners, and even influence the hands
• 20:21
  Speaker 5: of fate themselves. So don't wait. Visit noquestcast.com to claim
• 20:25
  Speaker 5: your seat at our table.
• 20:30
  Speaker 7: Link 12 Sir Wallace Buckvine was evaluating his options in
• 20:35
  Speaker 7: the dimly lit room. The candlelight flickered playfully, shifting the
• 20:39
  Speaker 7: little vision the two men had available to them within
• 20:41
  Speaker 7: the cabins. the gentle rattling of Buckvine's chains in his
• 20:45
  Speaker 7: hands as he wrapped the length around one of his thick,
• 20:49
  Speaker 7: scarred hands while keeping the other end of the chain
• 20:52
  Speaker 7: free for any number of potential uses.
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: Aristan, what are you doing? Do you need help?
• 21:00
  Speaker 7: Buckvine asked in a tone far more helpful and concerned
• 21:04
  Speaker 7: than Aristan had heard in a long time.
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: Was it a long time?
• 21:09
  Speaker 7: Aristan's groggy mind was slowly coming to a moment of clarity,
• 21:14
  Speaker 7: where glimmers of true memories shone through the mire of
• 21:17
  Speaker 7: hallucinogen-addled deceit.
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: Wallace, what have they done to us? Where are we?
• 21:25
  Speaker 7: The two men looked around the room and saw that
• 21:27
  Speaker 7: they were in a place that neither had seen before.
• 21:31
  Speaker 7: Considering their chains and ragged clothing, it seemed likely they
• 21:35
  Speaker 7: were never expected to leave this place alive.
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: Did you see her too? I swear it was.
• 21:42
  Speaker 7: Alice, Ariston said, genuinely broken by the crushing weight of reality.
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: Ariston, I cannot be certain of any.
• 21:51
  Speaker 7: The sounds of footsteps on the clay court, not farther
• 21:54
  Speaker 7: than 40 feet away, warned them that someone was coming
• 21:57
  Speaker 7: to check on them. The two men looked to one
• 22:00
  Speaker 7: another with a panicked expression for just a moment, but
• 22:03
  Speaker 7: they managed to share a plan in just a few
• 22:06
  Speaker 7: glances around the room. The two began to shuffle about
• 22:09
  Speaker 7: before coming to.
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: A stop, silently.
• 22:13
  Speaker 7: Dale and Grell continued walking under the moonlight, to one
• 22:17
  Speaker 7: of the only buildings in Dr. Pooley's lair, which was
• 22:20
  Speaker 7: not in total disrepair. The old cabin at the edge
• 22:24
  Speaker 7: of the courtyard was safe enough from the elements, compared
• 22:27
  Speaker 7: to most other parts of the compound, and since the
• 22:30
  Speaker 7: two prisoners within were to be kept alive, this was
• 22:33
  Speaker 7: naturally the best place to keep them. As the bucket
• 22:36
  Speaker 7: of water sloshed around at Dale's side, Grell walked ahead
• 22:40
  Speaker 7: to the cabin door to open it. Why do we
• 22:43
  Speaker 7: have to pamper these tubes anyways? Dale said, grunting under
• 22:48
  Speaker 7: the awkward weight of the bucket at his side.
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: We have our orders, Dale. Just carry the bucket and
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: quit asking stupid questions. Grell snapped.
• 22:58
  Speaker 7: Well, if he's giving us our orders, who gives the
• 23:02
  Speaker 7: doctor his orders? Grell takes a moment to look Dale
• 23:06
  Speaker 7: in the eyes in the silvery gloom of the moonlight.
• 23:09
  Speaker 7: He scowls for a minute, and then just shakes his
• 23:11
  Speaker 7: head in disapproval. As Grell unlatches the cabin door and
• 23:16
  Speaker 7: swings it open, he sees that the candle is out,
• 23:20
  Speaker 7: and the room has a thin layer of smoke clinging
• 23:22
  Speaker 7: to the air. Grell swats his hand at the candle
• 23:25
  Speaker 7: smoke and steps within.
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: Leave the door cracked. I can't see a damned thing
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: in here.
• 23:33
  Speaker 7: Grel hissed, trying not to wake the prisoners he couldn't see.
• 23:37
  Speaker 7: As the two shuffled into the cabin, their eyes adjusted
• 23:40
  Speaker 7: in the dark to the familiar form of the knight
• 23:42
  Speaker 7: Aristand lying unconscious upon the ground, slumped against the wooden
• 23:47
  Speaker 7: wall with his head lulled to the side. Grel, look
• 23:52
  Speaker 7: at this here, Dale said with a tinge of fear
• 23:55
  Speaker 7: in his voice. Grel looked to the right, where his
• 23:59
  Speaker 7: portly companion was standing. and saw the wooden wall was
• 24:02
  Speaker 7: disrupted where the chain had been torn free. As Grell
• 24:06
  Speaker 7: turned and peered at the darkness, which was made nearly
• 24:09
  Speaker 7: opaque with the moonlight ruining his vision, the door began
• 24:12
  Speaker 7: to slowly shut. Now, before we dive too deep into
• 24:17
  Speaker 7: anything else here, I want to roll for initiative. I'm
• 24:20
  Speaker 7: going to be utilizing the old school essentials rules, so
• 24:24
  Speaker 7: most all stats will be the same as many others
• 24:26
  Speaker 7: in the chain. but luckily initiative wasn't affected by most
• 24:31
  Speaker 7: of the classes and races. Using competing D6s, Dale and
• 24:36
  Speaker 7: Grell got a 1, and Aristan and.
• 24:40
  Speaker 3: Wallace got a 3.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 24:45
  Speaker 7: The door slammed shut. Wallace leapt like a tiger at
• 24:49
  Speaker 7: the unsuspecting Dale. I'll roll an attack now for Wallace
• 24:52
  Speaker 7: on Dale. Wallace is a third-level knight by most accounts,
• 24:57
  Speaker 7: with an exceptional strength, so I'll rule that as being
• 25:00
  Speaker 7: an 18, granting him a plus 3 to attack rolls
• 25:04
  Speaker 7: and to damage.
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: Brutal.
• 25:07
  Speaker 7: As for Dale and Grell, there have been claims that
• 25:11
  Speaker 7: they would be either first-level fighters or potentially assassins. Now,
• 25:16
  Speaker 7: I think, with all things being considered, some level of
• 25:20
  Speaker 7: experience and ability would be what it would take to
• 25:23
  Speaker 7: work for Pooley as his right-hand man. So, I think
• 25:26
  Speaker 7: second-level assassins.
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: Seem to fit that spot for us.
• 25:31
  Speaker 7: Now, that being said, I will avoid giving them too
• 25:34
  Speaker 7: many stats for now, just in case something changes or, well,
• 25:39
  Speaker 7: somebody dies. Wearing leather armor, I will give them both
• 25:43
  Speaker 7: an AC of a 13, using Ascended Armor class.
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: Now, let's roll that attack. I got a 17 on
• 25:50
  Speaker 3: the die.
• 25:51
  Speaker 7: Plus 3 is well over the necessary number required. Aristin
• 25:56
  Speaker 7: will also attempt to get the drop on Grell, attempting
• 26:00
  Speaker 7: to tackle him to the ground.
• 26:02
  Speaker 3: I'll roll now for him.
• 26:03
  Speaker 7: I got a 12, but Aristin's strength of a 16
• 26:09
  Speaker 7: gives him a plus 2 to attack rolls and damage,
• 26:12
  Speaker 7: meaning with a total of a 14, that's a success
• 26:15
  Speaker 7: as well. Since both have latched onto the henchmen, I
• 26:19
  Speaker 7: will now roll for a strength contest to see if
• 26:21
  Speaker 7: the knights can restrain their captors.
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: For Wallace.
• 26:25
  Speaker 7: I got an 18 plus 3 versus Dale, who I
• 26:29
  Speaker 7: got a natural 1.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: This is not looking like a good time for these two.
• 26:36
  Speaker 7: Aristan, I got a 9 plus 2. And Grell got
• 26:42
  Speaker 7: a 2 on the die.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: Wow. Okay. Not great. Definitely not great for these two.
• 26:48
  Speaker 7: As Wallace whipped the chain around Dale's neck and pulled
• 26:51
  Speaker 7: him in close, the assassin attempted in vain to peel
• 26:54
  Speaker 7: back the vice grip that their prisoner had upon him.
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: Before Grell could pull the sword.
• 27:00
  Speaker 7: From his belt, Aristan was on him as well, tackling
• 27:03
  Speaker 7: him straight to the ground with a sickening thud, quickly
• 27:06
  Speaker 7: pinning his hands to the floor. After a few moments
• 27:09
  Speaker 7: of flailing and attempting to get free, the two assassins
• 27:12
  Speaker 7: knew they had been bested. I'll now roll to see
• 27:16
  Speaker 7: how loyal these two will be to Dr.
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: Pooley.
• 27:19
  Speaker 7: I figure Grell and Dale are likely mercenaries in their training,
• 27:23
  Speaker 7: and thus they're not cowards, though they're definitely fearing for
• 27:27
  Speaker 7: their lives right now.
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: But they're likely not willing to die for this cause.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: Or are they?
• 27:33
  Speaker 7: I'll roll first for morale, failing on a roll of
• 27:37
  Speaker 7: above a 7 on 2d6.
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: Dale got a 10. Well, there you go. And Grell
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: got a 4.
• 27:46
  Speaker 7: Now that I know Grell is not going to immediately break,
• 27:50
  Speaker 7: I do want to know if Grell is willing to
• 27:52
  Speaker 7: die for Dr.
• 27:53
  Speaker 3: Pooley and his cause.
• 27:56
  Speaker 7: I'll use the D6 oracle from YumDM, with a 1
• 27:59
  Speaker 7: through 3 being a yes, and a 4 through 6
• 28:02
  Speaker 7: being a no, with 1 and 4 being a yes
• 28:05
  Speaker 7: or no but, and a 3 or 6 being.
• 28:08
  Speaker 3: A yes or no and. Alright, so let's roll it.
• 28:12
  Speaker 7: Will Grell die to protect his cause and what he
• 28:14
  Speaker 7: potentially knows? I got a 4, which is no but.
• 28:21
  Speaker 3: Hmm.
• 28:22
  Speaker 7: So, no, Grell won't lose his life to protect his employers,
• 28:26
  Speaker 7: but he will go out of his way to screw
• 28:28
  Speaker 7: over anyone who comes between himself and his employment.
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: Grel, help me, would ya?
• 28:35
  Speaker 7: Dale hollered as the chain around his throat tightened. Grel
• 28:39
  Speaker 7: replied only by grunting in his own efforts. Both of
• 28:43
  Speaker 7: you will be quiet, or I will choke the last breath.
• 28:46
  Speaker 3: Out of you. Wallace growled.
• 28:50
  Speaker 7: As both of the assassins' grunting ceased and they accepted
• 28:53
  Speaker 7: their fate, Ariston chimed in.
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: What are we doing here? And where is Dr. Pooley?
• 29:01
  Speaker 7: Dale quickly replied, He's resting in his chambers. Grell's disappointment
• 29:07
  Speaker 7: was evident on his face as he closed his eyes
• 29:10
  Speaker 7: and shook his head. What is Pooley doing with us?
• 29:14
  Speaker 7: And what in the nine hells is going on here?
• 29:17
  Speaker 7: Ariston shouted, staring down at Grell. So, we know that
• 29:22
  Speaker 7: Grell is not willing to die for Pooley, and is plod.
• 29:26
  Speaker 7: But he will try and spite the knights. With that
• 29:30
  Speaker 7: in mind, we do need to figure out the answer
• 29:32
  Speaker 7: to Aristan's question of what exactly is going on here.
• 29:37
  Speaker 7: Back in Link 10, the Mythic Event Meeting chart said,
• 29:39
  Speaker 7: that the source of Pooley's treachery was Celebrate Opulence. For
• 29:46
  Speaker 7: that reason, it seems that Pooley is in some way
• 29:48
  Speaker 7: trying to accrue some vast wealth through his actions. It
• 29:53
  Speaker 7: would seem that the most simple answer then to why
• 29:55
  Speaker 7: this is going on is that Dr. Pooley is holding
• 29:58
  Speaker 7: the two knights for ransom. I'll check with the d6 oracle.
• 30:02
  Speaker 7: I got a three, which is yes and. So yes,
• 30:07
  Speaker 7: he is holding them for ransom, and he is doing
• 30:12
  Speaker 7: it under the direction of another. But who could it
• 30:16
  Speaker 7: be behind this? I would assume it's more lane, but
• 30:21
  Speaker 7: let's go ahead and roll on the oracle again. Is
• 30:24
  Speaker 7: it more lane behind this? I got a two, so
• 30:29
  Speaker 7: yes and. A hard yes. With that in mind, I
• 30:33
  Speaker 7: wonder how Grell will answer the question. Since he will
• 30:36
  Speaker 7: spite the knights, it seems like he will likely lie
• 30:40
  Speaker 7: to get out of this situation. All right.
• 30:44
  Speaker 3: I'll tell you what the doctor is up to. Just
• 30:46
  Speaker 3: get off of me.
• 30:48
  Speaker 7: Grell said reluctantly. Wallace, from across the room, grunted. You
• 30:53
  Speaker 7: tell us what you know, and you might get out
• 30:55
  Speaker 7: of this alive, Grell. After a moment, Grell finally spoke.
• 31:02
  Speaker 7: The doctor snatched you both up, and he was holding
• 31:05
  Speaker 7: you both for ransom. He figured you'd be worth something
• 31:08
  Speaker 7: to that queen you kept blathering about in your sleep.
• 31:12
  Speaker 7: You expect us to believe that we would have no
• 31:15
  Speaker 7: recollection of being kidnapped?
• 31:17
  Speaker 3: Wallace spat. That strange smoke of his knocked you both
• 31:21
  Speaker 3: clear out. It wiped your minds.
• 31:24
  Speaker 7: Dale and I come by here daily to spoon you
• 31:26
  Speaker 7: some water. You never recalled that, did you? The girl
• 31:30
  Speaker 7: said with a sneer. And the doctor is doing this
• 31:34
  Speaker 7: by himself? With only you two to help him? Aristan pressed.
• 31:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: And Dale.
• 31:43
  Speaker 7: Had Dale fixed those chains to the wall better, you'd
• 31:46
  Speaker 7: still be drooling and crying for your sister in your sleep.
• 31:51
  Speaker 7: Aristan fought the urge to punch the rogue in the face.
• 31:54
  Speaker 7: But did he notice the deception there?
• 31:56
  Speaker 3: I'm going to.
• 31:58
  Speaker 7: Roll for Aristan's Wisdom versus Grell's Charisma. Both will be
• 32:02
  Speaker 7: rolling naturally, since Aristan's Wisdom of Twelve has no bonus.
• 32:07
  Speaker 7: Aristan rolled a ten, and Grell got a ten as well. Okay,
• 32:13
  Speaker 7: too close for comfort.
• 32:15
  Speaker 3: I'm going to re-roll. I got a ten again for Aristan,
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: and a three for Grell.
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: Okay, alright.
• 32:24
  Speaker 7: Aristan noted Grell averted his gaze when saying it was
• 32:27
  Speaker 7: only the doctor and these two holding them captive. You
• 32:31
  Speaker 7: tell me the truth now. or I will find the
• 32:33
  Speaker 7: truth and make you rue the day you lied to me,
• 32:36
  Speaker 7: Aristan said with gritted teeth. Grell considered the likelihood of
• 32:40
  Speaker 7: Aristan slaying him for lying and knew this job wasn't
• 32:44
  Speaker 7: exactly worth dying for.
• 32:47
  Speaker 3: Morlane, he croaked. Morlane?
• 32:51
  Speaker 7: Wallace repeated. He pulled the strings here. He's got eyes
• 32:56
  Speaker 7: on the throne, Grell said. Where is that fiend hiding?
• 33:01
  Speaker 7: Ever since that traitor fled the battlefield, I had assumed
• 33:04
  Speaker 7: he'd become food for the wolves, Ariston asked, puzzled.
• 33:09
  Speaker 3: How am I supposed to know?
• 33:11
  Speaker 7: All I know is that a few strange birds land
• 33:13
  Speaker 7: at the doctor's window every day, and Dale and I
• 33:15
  Speaker 7: aren't allowed to ask questions about the birds.
• 33:18
  Speaker 3: Do with that what you will.
• 33:20
  Speaker 7: Now get off of me, and you let Dale and
• 33:22
  Speaker 7: I go. In response to Grell's demand, Ariston drove a
• 33:27
  Speaker 7: clenched fist directly into his face, knocking him unconscious. Dale
• 33:32
  Speaker 7: gasped in alarm, but was soon choked out by Wallace
• 33:36
  Speaker 7: and his steel grip. As the two snored in their
• 33:39
  Speaker 7: unconscious state, the knights knew time was of the essence.
• 33:44
  Speaker 7: Aristan began by quickly swiping his signet ring off of
• 33:47
  Speaker 7: Grel's necklace and fit it back on his finger where
• 33:50
  Speaker 7: it belonged. Wrapping the chains around the two rogues and
• 33:54
  Speaker 7: fitting a bolt through the link, Wallace bent it to
• 33:57
  Speaker 7: keep the chains snug and in place. When considering how
• 34:01
  Speaker 7: the doctor and Morlane would keep in contact, I had
• 34:04
  Speaker 7: rolled on the mythic event meaning and got return and magic.
• 34:09
  Speaker 7: I took a little creative liberty with this and suggested
• 34:13
  Speaker 7: some sort of maybe magically influenced carrier birds of use,
• 34:17
  Speaker 7: but who knows. After putting on Dale and Grell's ill-fitting
• 34:22
  Speaker 7: leather armor and wielding the short swords and crossbows that
• 34:25
  Speaker 7: they had, the two knights set out into the court.
• 34:29
  Speaker 7: Under the pale moonlight, the two caught sight of a
• 34:31
  Speaker 7: large bird swooping through the air silently to one of
• 34:35
  Speaker 7: the larger structures among the ruins. As the two stood
• 34:39
  Speaker 7: in the shadows, waiting for something to happen, they heard
• 34:42
  Speaker 7: the telltale plinking of a beak upon a glass window,
• 34:46
  Speaker 7: delivering a message.
• 34:48
  Speaker 3: For the Dr. Pooley.
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: You have been listening to Dice Chain. In this episode,
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: we heard from two different podcasters. Link 11 was created
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: by Larry Mann of the Solo Bickering podcast, and Link
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: 12 by Dan of Legends from the Fireside. You can
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: find both of these great shows anywhere you get podcasts.
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: Episode 6 will be out soon. Until then, you can
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: always find new and exciting solo RPG pods at soloworldplayersnetwork.com.