Latest / Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama / Episode 55 (S3E55)

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Episode 55 (S3E55) · Tale of The Manticore, a Dark Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Audiodrama

0:00
Speaker 1: Hey, this is Patrick Beaginoner of the Soloist, and you're
0:02
Speaker 1: listening to Tail of the Manticor. The following podcast is
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Speaker 1: intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome
0:27
Speaker 1: back to Tale of the Manticor Season three. Like the
0:31
Speaker 1: creature from which it takes its name, Tale of the
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Speaker 1: Manticor is a mashup, a crossbreeding between two different species
0:37
Speaker 1: of storytelling. Here you will find the unpredictability of old
0:42
Speaker 1: school paper and dice games with the story craft of
0:44
Speaker 1: a dark fantasy novel. No character is sacred, and none
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Speaker 1: will be spared if the dice decide their fate is
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Speaker 1: at hand. According to Lare, the Tale of a Manticore
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Speaker 1: is barbed with cruel iron spikes. There will be much
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Speaker 1: pain in the days ahead. Last time on Tail of
1:13
Speaker 1: the Mantigor, Chapter fifty four begins with Tenier receiving a
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Speaker 1: word of power, seemingly from the Goddess herself that causes
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Speaker 1: the Sword of lear Haane to temporarily irrupt in magical flames.
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Speaker 1: The companions proceed to pass through the air water gate
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Speaker 1: and follow the giant sized tunnel beyond until it exits
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Speaker 1: the mountain side at a cave mouth that overlooks a
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Speaker 1: water filled canyon. A flight of stone stairs go down
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Speaker 1: from here and continue for a long way. Here the
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Speaker 1: story shifts to the perspective of Bellario, the Gnomish magic user,
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Speaker 1: is now more or less following the companions and is
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Speaker 1: not that far behind when he meets Seger. Bellario uses
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Speaker 1: his spells to help persuade the dwarf and Sculptor to
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Speaker 1: share some information, and then moves on, still trailing Achillea's
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Speaker 1: party by a few hours. Returning to Theons, we find
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Speaker 1: that they've come to the end of the line. The
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Speaker 1: steps thereon do not actually stop. They continue right into
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Speaker 1: the water that fills the bottom of the canyon, but
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Speaker 1: there is no easy way to proceed. At this point,
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Speaker 1: achille remembers that she saw something shining off in the distance.
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Speaker 1: It turns out that everyone has seen it, and the
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Speaker 1: consensus is that it must be a beacon. The airwater
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Speaker 1: gate seems to have led them to where they need
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Speaker 1: to make a choice. Will they swim or using the
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Speaker 1: pipes for the last time, Some of the Griffins once
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Speaker 1: again and take to the air. The decision is made
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Speaker 1: to not decide, They instead will stop for the night
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Speaker 1: and make their choice in the morning. Chapter fifty five,
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Speaker 1: Part one day forty three night mathic event meaning attract
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Speaker 1: the spiritual. Balario crept beneath the airwater gate, trying to
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Speaker 1: keep his foot falls quiet. He knew that Achillia and
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Speaker 1: her group were not far ahead. After Bolario had inquired
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Speaker 1: about his burden, Sager had told the Gnomish magic user
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Speaker 1: as much and provided a description of her party, not
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Speaker 1: including their animal companions. It would be five verses one
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Speaker 1: if it came to a fight, not good odds as
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Speaker 1: far as Bolario was concerned. Sager had told him a lot,
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Speaker 1: but Blario wondered if he might not have gotten more
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Speaker 1: had he put a charm on the dwarf. Of course,
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Speaker 1: that would have been risky. Dwarfs are naturally resistant to magic,
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Speaker 1: and when one casts a charm, the target is always
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Speaker 1: aware of the attempt. Blario's foot struck a loose rock,
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Speaker 1: and the vast size of the tunnel amplified what should
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Speaker 1: have been a very small sound. The doom froze, ready
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Speaker 1: for anything, but when nothing happened after a full minute,
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Speaker 1: he carefully continued on his way. Even if Blario had
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Speaker 1: not been of such short stature, he would have looked
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Speaker 1: like a mite as he crept down the gigantic passage.
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Speaker 1: As all the members of the Nomish race had the
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Speaker 1: ability to see in the dark, Blario carried no source
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Speaker 1: of light. It would not be easy for anyone to
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Speaker 1: see him coming still. As a precaution, he stopped once
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Speaker 1: again and cast a spell of invisibility on himself. Now
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Speaker 1: only his feet could give him away. He needn't have
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Speaker 1: been so concerned, for as he neared the tunnel's exit,
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Speaker 1: he saw the sleeping forms of Achillia's group on the
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Speaker 1: tunnel floor, or most of them. The wooden man was
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Speaker 1: definitely not the sleep At first, Blario thought it was
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Speaker 1: standing in the middle of the way and staring straight
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Speaker 1: at him, but it turned out that the construct was
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Speaker 1: actually standing with his back to him, just outside the
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Speaker 1: tunnel's mouth and looking into the night sky at something
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Speaker 1: small that winked and glimmered in the distance. It was
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Speaker 1: possible that this peaceful scene was actually a trap, an
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Speaker 1: ambush to catch him off guard. Blario await his options.
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Speaker 1: He could take the offensive and attack while the group
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Speaker 1: had its defenses down. A well executed confusion spell could
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Speaker 1: do much to wreak havoc on a group like this,
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Speaker 1: and it would be highly amusing. But on second thought,
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Speaker 1: it would be wiser to withdraw, wait and see what
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Speaker 1: the group did next. He could learn from their mistakes
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Speaker 1: while letting them deal with any surprises and hazards that
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Speaker 1: lay ahead. Yes, they still had their uses and were
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Speaker 1: better left alive. Later, when the time was right, he
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Speaker 1: could overtake them, or, if necessary, kill them. Somewhat disappointed
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Speaker 1: by the entertainment he would not be getting, but confident
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Speaker 1: that his choice was the correct one, Bellorio began the
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Speaker 1: trip back to the high vaulted cavern, where the towering
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Speaker 1: air water gate stood. As he went, he fished the
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Speaker 1: miniaturized iron tower for Missatchel. After all, there was no
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Speaker 1: need to sacrifice comfort while he took his rest. Chapter
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Speaker 1: fifty five, Part two, Day forty three night mythic event
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Speaker 1: meaning attract the spiritual. In the woods, the darkness moved
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Speaker 1: like a living thing. Somewhere invisible and in the distance,
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Speaker 1: an owl hooted mournfully. Derni knew exactly where he was.
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Speaker 1: This was the clearing where the old crow had made
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Speaker 1: his last stand, where he had sacrificed himself so that
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Speaker 1: Dorni could live, and unintentionally yoking him to a burden
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Speaker 1: of guilt that he would carry. Thenceforth he was alone,
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Speaker 1: apart from the trees and the moon that shone down
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Speaker 1: through the gauzy clouds, edging everything in silver. The night
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Speaker 1: air was cold, and Dorannie shivered long before he could
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Speaker 1: see anyone, he felt a presence. There was no question
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Speaker 1: as to whose oh, crow asked Derannie anyway, his voice
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Speaker 1: was as small as a mouse holding his breath. He
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Speaker 1: waited for an answer. D Rennie came a far away
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Speaker 1: and raspy whisper, like a wind through dry leaves. All craw,
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Speaker 1: said the younger alp again, this time louder than with
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Speaker 1: a touch of longing. De Renie, The voice was closer.
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Speaker 1: Then a figure came through the dark, walking slowly and
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Speaker 1: with effort, as though through water, where as if its
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Speaker 1: body were much too heavy. De Rennie, it said again.
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Speaker 1: Every utterance of his name was a brand of fire
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Speaker 1: against Doretti's heart, and the elf felt tears sting his eyes.
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Speaker 1: He knuckled them away.
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Speaker 2: Railia, is it really you?
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Speaker 1: He asked, even though there'd be no doubt for the
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Speaker 1: first moment, raylia.
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Speaker 2: I am so so sorry.
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Speaker 1: The figure was not far away now, and as it
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Speaker 1: lumbered into the clearing and the moonlight shone upon it,
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Speaker 1: Derrettie felt as though the ground beneath his feet was
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Speaker 1: beginning to crumble. A cold sensation sneaked through his inerts.
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Speaker 1: Raylier looked exactly as he had on that awful day,
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Speaker 1: care eat his bow in his left hand and a
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Speaker 1: curved sword in his right. His body was clad in
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Speaker 1: leather armor. The score of arrows jutted from a quiver
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Speaker 1: slung over his shoulder. The old Crow's face was lined
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Speaker 1: and fraught. His eyes were dark and blied. Menace, Why
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Speaker 1: did you abandon me? Why did you leave me to die?
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Speaker 1: Derrennie rocked back on his feet, stunned.
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Speaker 2: No, I I you ordered me to go on without.
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Speaker 1: You, he stammered. The old Crow was close, and as
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Speaker 1: he entered clearing and the moonlight illuminated him mournfully, Derrettie
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Speaker 1: watched in horror as a transfurbation came over his old mentor.
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Speaker 1: The leather armor rotted and fell away before his eyes.
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Speaker 1: Then the old Crow's skin began to shrivel and curl,
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Speaker 1: until it too fell away, exposing the muscles and tendons
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Speaker 1: beneath which gleamed wetly. Blood dribbled down his arms and legs.
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Speaker 3: You ran, you left me.
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Speaker 1: To die, croaked the specter. Horrified, Dorannie could only stammer.
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Speaker 2: No, no, that's not what happened.
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Speaker 1: He wanted to run, but his legs were rooted to
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Speaker 1: the spot, and he could nawfully. Now, the lurching creature
9:21
Speaker 1: was less than a dozen feet away. Most of its
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Speaker 1: flesh had fallen off, and apart from a few clinging
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Speaker 1: scraps of gristle, it was a blood red skeleton. It
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Speaker 1: dropped its sword and bow and raised its bony arms
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Speaker 1: as if to grab him.
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Speaker 2: You you ordered me to a rotten he managed.
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Speaker 1: You left me too die. The thing's voice grated like
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Speaker 1: a whetstone moving along a blade. The skeletal fingers reached
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Speaker 1: for his face. Still, Dornni did not move, could not move,
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Speaker 1: or perhaps this was what he wanted, to be torn
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Speaker 1: apart by this terrible revenant. De Renny, don't let this
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Speaker 1: be for nothing. Just before the hands touched him, the
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Speaker 1: whole figure collapsed into a pile of bones. They fell
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Speaker 1: to the grass at his feet, sank into the soil
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Speaker 1: and were gone alone once again, Durready had time to
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Speaker 1: realize that he felt more miserable than ever before he
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Speaker 1: woke up.
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Speaker 3: Imagine the most intense and realistic survil game ever built.
10:45
Speaker 3: Now imagine that you've just been dropped into it. No guides,
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Speaker 3: no wiki, no respawn. Ready followed Daniel and Grease into
10:55
Speaker 3: a brittal landscape where the environment is just as lethal
10:59
Speaker 3: as the predators.
11:00
Speaker 1: This is the about lovely mat.
11:02
Speaker 3: It's about surviving assistant designed to the leak you bve
11:06
Speaker 3: player versus Everything. Book one of the Condemned and a
11:10
Speaker 3: console series available now on Book Fuddle by.
11:14
Speaker 1: Lord Stephen Asher. Chapter fifty five, Part three, Day forty
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Speaker 1: four Dawn mythic event meaning attract the spiritual party status
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Speaker 1: Achille seventeen out of seventeen hit points after receiving one
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Speaker 1: point of natural healing. Court twenty nine out of thirty
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Speaker 1: two after receiving one point of natural healing, der Anny
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Speaker 1: twenty three of twenty three. Ten Deier thirty five out
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Speaker 1: of thirty five after receiving four points of natural and
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Speaker 1: magical healing. Fairwind thirty eight out of forty two after
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Speaker 1: receiving one point of natural healing. Flicker fourteen of sixteen.
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Speaker 1: After receiving four points of natural and magical healing supplies,
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Speaker 1: the companions have four portions of food remaining spells available.
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Speaker 1: Achillie can cast shrink, enlarge, detect evil, glitter, dust, dispel
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Speaker 1: magic and flame arrow. Cord can cast entangle, animal, friendship,
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Speaker 1: slow poison, bark, skin, hold animal, tree, shape, speak with plants,
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Speaker 1: cure serious wounds, and pass plant. Fair Wind can cast
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Speaker 1: cure light wounds, light, hold person, and bless. Dawn came
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Speaker 1: and made the sky outside look like the inside of seashell.
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Speaker 1: Apart from Cord and Robin, who never slept. Achillia was
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Speaker 1: the first wake. She yawned and stretched, and then began
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Speaker 1: her daily ritual of study. Fairwind roused. Next. The cleric
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Speaker 1: offered a sleepy smile to Achilia, Cord and Robin, and
13:12
Speaker 1: then knelt in prayer to glorify the sun, which yet
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Speaker 1: hid behind the canyon walls. When the clerk and the
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Speaker 1: magic user had completed their morning routines, they came together
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Speaker 1: and fell into conversation. Poor de Rennie had a bad night,
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Speaker 1: said Fairwind.
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Speaker 4: Did you hear him?
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Speaker 1: It would have been impossible not to, replied Achilia, as
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Speaker 1: she put her spellbook away.
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Speaker 4: He groaned like a spirit half the night.
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Speaker 1: What do you think will happen today, asked Fairwood next.
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Speaker 4: I'm not sure, but for me going back is not
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Speaker 4: an option. I didn't come this far only to give up. Now,
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Speaker 4: when we are so.
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Speaker 1: Close, I fear that my inability to swim will be
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Speaker 1: the thing to hold you back, Achilie, said Fairwind, cupping
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Speaker 1: his chin in his hand. Achilia thought his eyes looked sad.
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Speaker 1: If you decided to go on the ou to me,
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Speaker 1: I would understand.
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Speaker 4: I don't think it'll come to that.
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Speaker 1: Achillie looked past Fairwind to the beacon in the distance.
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Speaker 1: It still twinkled, and claimed, we.
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Speaker 4: Can discuss it with de Rennie intend here when they
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Speaker 4: get up, but I think the way forward is to
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Speaker 4: use the pipes again.
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Speaker 1: Soon after, the brothers woke and set to packing their
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Speaker 1: bed rolls. Flickers slept the longest, but eventually she was
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Speaker 1: up and sniffing around Doranni's pack, where what remained of
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Speaker 1: their rations were kept.
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Speaker 2: Flicker is right. We should eat the last of the food.
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Speaker 1: Said der Rennie, yawning as he spoke, although.
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Speaker 2: There is barely enough to call it a meal.
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Speaker 1: The five of them shared what was left of the
14:40
Speaker 1: dried fruits and nuts. When it was gone, Achillie said,
14:44
Speaker 1: you know.
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Speaker 4: I can't say I was even a little bit.
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Speaker 1: Hungry, nor I agreed to Rennie Tender and Fairwood also agreed,
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Speaker 1: adding that they had not felt hunger or thirst since
14:54
Speaker 1: they'd started upon the Golden Path, and wasn't that a
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Speaker 1: strange thing. Finally, once they're bags were packed and there
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Speaker 1: was nothing else to do, Achilia asked, well.
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Speaker 4: How shall we proceed?
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Speaker 2: We can all agree that the shining light is most
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Speaker 2: likely to be a beacon to attract the faithful, and
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Speaker 2: that this is one of the tests Ayami.
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Speaker 1: Mentioned, began to Rennie.
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Speaker 2: So all that remains is to decide how to reach it.
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Speaker 2: Do we go by air or water?
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Speaker 4: I am grateful to you all for doing.
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Speaker 1: This with me, said Achilia, suddenly overcome by a sense
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Speaker 1: of gratitude.
15:30
Speaker 4: Thank you for staying with me.
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Speaker 2: We would never abandon you.
15:34
Speaker 1: Said de Rennie. It was impossible not to notice how
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Speaker 1: hollow his eyes looked and how pale his face was.
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Speaker 4: But Fairwood cannot swim.
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Speaker 1: He could hold on to Cord, suggested Tantire, joining the
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Speaker 1: conversation and bringing up an idea Fairwind himself had put
15:49
Speaker 1: forward the night before.
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Speaker 4: I don't like that option very much.
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Speaker 1: Said Achilia. She was remembering the battering she and Flicker
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Speaker 1: took during the rapids crossing.
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Speaker 4: We don't know how far the river goes, or it
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Speaker 4: gets rough. It might even turn into another waterfall eventually.
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Speaker 2: I do not relish the idea of calling the Griffins.
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Speaker 1: Though Dernni really did look poorly, Achilia.
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Speaker 2: Thought Aami said they can only be called twice. We
16:15
Speaker 2: might need them to get back.
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Speaker 4: It's a risk.
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Speaker 1: I'm not saying it isn't, was Achilia's honest reply. In
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Speaker 1: the end, they put it to a vote, and the
16:24
Speaker 1: result was two to three. Duranian court voted to go
16:27
Speaker 1: by water, but Fairwood, Tantier, and Achillia all chose the
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Speaker 1: other option, to blow the pipes and summon the Griffins
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Speaker 1: once again. Between the lines the Golden Path and the
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Speaker 1: Seven Tests of Aha, the Golden Path is kind of
16:49
Speaker 1: a pilgrim's road that eventually leads the faithful to Ahea,
16:52
Speaker 1: the goddess of magic. However, pilgrims, or petitioners as we
16:56
Speaker 1: might call them, must pass seven tests before their premitt
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Speaker 1: an audience with the divine manifestation on this plane. Of
17:03
Speaker 1: these seven, only four must be completed. The first test
17:07
Speaker 1: takes place before a pilgrim can even begin the journey.
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Speaker 1: It is administered by the centaur Iami, the warden of
17:14
Speaker 1: the North, who acts as a gatekeeper in Iami's tests.
17:17
Speaker 1: No matter whether a petitioner chooses the musical instrument, the bottle,
17:21
Speaker 1: or the spear, they will only be able to pass
17:23
Speaker 1: if someone in their party has the ability to use magic.
17:26
Speaker 1: The next two tests are marked by lightning blasted trees.
17:30
Speaker 1: Each tree contains a hidden message. The first simply points
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Speaker 1: to a short cut. The second hides a message that
17:36
Speaker 1: warns pilgrims not to foolishly follow blind faith. Tests four
17:41
Speaker 1: and five can be found beyond the enormous air water gate.
17:44
Speaker 1: Pilgrims must attempt one of these tests, choosing to face
17:47
Speaker 1: a danger associated with their respective element. There is no
17:51
Speaker 1: correct way to pass either of these tests, no prescribed solution.
17:55
Speaker 1: Hopeful petitioners either have the resources, skill and talent to succeed,
17:59
Speaker 1: or they do not. The final pair of tests yet
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Speaker 1: to be encountered in this story, requires pilgrims to make
18:04
Speaker 1: another difficult choice. If one of these final tests is passed,
18:08
Speaker 1: a pilgrim will be granted the chance to speak to
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Speaker 1: the Goddess and potentially receive a boon appropriate to the
18:13
Speaker 1: risks they have taken and the sacrifices they have made
18:16
Speaker 1: to get that far. While the entire length of the
18:19
Speaker 1: Golden Path is situated on the prime material plane, there
18:22
Speaker 1: is no other place on Marith that could match its
18:24
Speaker 1: concentration of magical energy and power. Strange and wondrous events
18:29
Speaker 1: regularly occur here. One peculiarity worthy of note is that
18:32
Speaker 1: pilgrims who follow the path are immune to the effects
18:35
Speaker 1: of hunger and thirst, and do not feel any deprivation
18:38
Speaker 1: when going without food or drink. This is how Sager
18:40
Speaker 1: has managed to survive all this time while working to
18:43
Speaker 1: complete his task. The companions have noticed that they aren't
18:50
Speaker 1: hungry or thirsty, and will soon come to realize they
18:53
Speaker 1: no longer require food and drink while in the queendom
18:56
Speaker 1: of the Goddess. In the interest of expediency, I will
18:59
Speaker 1: drop the supplies available line from each chapter and part
19:03
Speaker 1: heading going forward, I'll continue to leave out chords, locate
19:06
Speaker 1: plants and animals, and create water abilities to under the
19:10
Speaker 1: assumption that they will not be needed anymore. That said,
19:14
Speaker 1: if there comes a time that coord does want them
19:16
Speaker 1: for some reason or other, he will still have access
19:19
Speaker 1: to those powers. While I still have the story paused,
19:22
Speaker 1: I need to roll up a new action and subject pair.
19:24
Speaker 1: I used to inquire burden. As you'll no doubt have guessed,
19:27
Speaker 1: when Bellario met with Seger, he traded some assistance with
19:30
Speaker 1: the Dwarf's burden for information and has learned all the
19:33
Speaker 1: Pecs know about the Golden Path and then some. The
19:37
Speaker 1: attract spiritual event meaning was used to generate the idea
19:40
Speaker 1: for the beacon that marks the end of the air
19:42
Speaker 1: water test. By the way, if you're interested in knowing
19:45
Speaker 1: how the sausage is made, this is one of those
19:47
Speaker 1: times where I've engaged in a little back editing. What
19:50
Speaker 1: I mean by that is, after rolling the event meaning
19:53
Speaker 1: and coming up with the idea for the beacon, I
19:55
Speaker 1: went back into my script to a spot a little
19:57
Speaker 1: before I rolled up that mythic pair, inserted a seed
20:01
Speaker 1: so the idea would make better sense when I fully
20:03
Speaker 1: introduced it. You may recall Achillia seeing something in the
20:06
Speaker 1: distance that she couldn't quite make out before going down
20:09
Speaker 1: the stairs to the river filled canyon floor. To me,
20:12
Speaker 1: it just doesn't take away anything from the integrity of
20:14
Speaker 1: the story or the fairness of the gameplay. It only
20:17
Speaker 1: helps with continuity, and is one of the benefits of
20:19
Speaker 1: playing and writing episodes far in advance of releasing them.
20:23
Speaker 1: Right now. By way of illustration, you're listening to episode
20:26
Speaker 1: fifty five, but I'm currently playing in writing episode sixty one.
20:30
Speaker 1: A peek behind the curtains nobody asked for you say,
20:33
Speaker 1: very true. Let's quickly roll up a new event meaning
20:35
Speaker 1: and then get back to business. I've got an eighty
20:40
Speaker 1: eight and a fifty two that gives me control dispute.
20:44
Speaker 1: Nothing springs to mind, so I'll put that aside until
20:47
Speaker 1: it's needed. Achilie put the strange y shaped dual pipes
20:59
Speaker 1: to her lips and blewe as before nothing happened right away,
21:03
Speaker 1: But then the companion saw a specks in the distance that,
21:07
Speaker 1: as they approached, grew larger and larger. Before long, the
21:11
Speaker 1: specks became a formation of griffins, soaring towards the through
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Speaker 1: the canyon.
21:16
Speaker 2: I hope this was the right decision.
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Speaker 1: Said Dernni.
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Speaker 4: If it wasn't, it's too late.
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Speaker 1: Now the Gillie replied, adding.
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Speaker 4: If Iami spoke to choose, we won't be able to
21:26
Speaker 4: call them again.
21:27
Speaker 1: Despite this being the second time the party members beheld
21:30
Speaker 1: the magnificent creatures, they were awe stricken by the griffins
21:33
Speaker 1: and overcome with emotion. When the creatures drew closer and
21:36
Speaker 1: then landed in the mouth of the enormous tunnel. As before,
21:45
Speaker 1: the griffins numbered five. They scratched with their talons on
21:48
Speaker 1: the ground, fanned out their brown and white wings, strutted, stamped,
21:51
Speaker 1: and regarded them sidelong from the way birds do. Robin
21:56
Speaker 1: managed to be out of sight during this time, having
21:58
Speaker 1: flown back into the tunnel, where she nervously watched the
22:01
Speaker 1: proceedings from a distance. Achillie noticed right away that these
22:04
Speaker 1: Griffins were not the same five that had borne them
22:07
Speaker 1: from Mirror Lake to the top of the mountain where
22:09
Speaker 1: the Golden Path began. These griffins were slightly smaller, and
22:13
Speaker 1: each one bore battle scars, jagged white lines like lightning
22:17
Speaker 1: forks that criss crossed their faces, flanks, and hind quarters.
22:21
Speaker 1: One of the griffins had but half a tail, another
22:24
Speaker 1: had a cracked beak. When the creatures settled themselves and
22:27
Speaker 1: lowered their bodies in invitation with the companions to mount them.
22:31
Speaker 1: Achillie used a shrink the spell on flicker she had
22:34
Speaker 1: in the past, so that she could carry the animal
22:36
Speaker 1: in her satchel. Once all the companions climbed onto the
22:39
Speaker 1: strong back of their griffin, gripped the feathers at the
22:42
Speaker 1: base of their neck, and hugged the golden brown fur.
22:45
Speaker 1: The beasts flexed and sprung into the air, gliding off
22:49
Speaker 1: with a little robin flying a safe distance behind them.
22:54
Speaker 1: Down below, the Canyan river looked like a shining blue ribbon.
22:59
Speaker 1: At a shriek from the griffin carrying through any the
23:01
Speaker 1: whole pack fell into a dive, canting their bodies and
23:04
Speaker 1: making the riders tighten their grips. Akilia felt the same
23:08
Speaker 1: thrill rushing through her body as she had before, just
23:11
Speaker 1: as electrifying the second time around. She squeezed her thighs
23:14
Speaker 1: against the ridge of the griffin's back as it dipped again.
23:17
Speaker 1: The pack was flying through the middle of the canyon,
23:20
Speaker 1: now with a rock wall ascending a few hundred feet
23:22
Speaker 1: to either side and the river rushing along directly below.
23:26
Speaker 1: Looking down again, Achilia thought that she could see their
23:28
Speaker 1: shadows keeping pace and skimming along the surface of the water.
23:32
Speaker 1: But then she realized that the sun was not yet overhead,
23:35
Speaker 1: and wouldn't be for several hours. The shapes below were
23:38
Speaker 1: not shadows at all, but living things, large living things
23:42
Speaker 1: that swam just below the surface of the water, chasing them.
23:46
Speaker 1: One of the Griffins gave another mighty cry, and a
23:49
Speaker 1: second pierced the air. In answers, she looked up and
23:53
Speaker 1: saw humanoid shapes emerging from cracks in the canyon walls ahead.
23:57
Speaker 1: They spread dark gray wings, like batwing before taking to
24:01
Speaker 1: the air. The Griffins, in response, drew their formation tighter.
24:06
Speaker 1: One more cry from dernny Steed, and all five beasts
24:09
Speaker 1: suddenly dropped like stones, diving almost vertically straight down. Tears
24:14
Speaker 1: sprung from Achillie's eyes as she held out for dear life,
24:17
Speaker 1: too frightened even to scream, The bat winged humanoids mirrored them,
24:22
Speaker 1: pummoning towards the river in a trajectory that telegraphed their
24:25
Speaker 1: intention to intercept, and they were now close enough that
24:27
Speaker 1: Achillie could see them well. The creatures were shaped like men,
24:31
Speaker 1: but a dark gray skin and large leathery wings. Their
24:35
Speaker 1: faces were narrow and their jaws elongated. Wide open mouths
24:39
Speaker 1: revealed pointed teeth. Arms and legs were spindly and ended
24:43
Speaker 1: in clawed fingers and toes. Panic searched up in her brain,
24:47
Speaker 1: but Achilia grit her teeth and forced herself to concentrate.
24:51
Speaker 1: She was the pupil of old Veai Muab, and she
24:54
Speaker 1: was not going to lose her head. She now understood
24:57
Speaker 1: that this was part of the test. They were not
24:59
Speaker 1: merely to reach the beacon. They would have to fight
25:02
Speaker 1: their way there, and she would with everything she had.
25:07
Speaker 1: A dozen yards to a left, dur Any was having
25:10
Speaker 1: similar thoughts. Since noticing the scars on their steeds, he
25:13
Speaker 1: had known they were headed into battle. He wondered how
25:16
Speaker 1: many times the scenario had played out before, and how
25:19
Speaker 1: often the Griffins prevailed no matter what happened, Like Achillie,
25:23
Speaker 1: he would face it with courage. Weeks earlier, when he
25:26
Speaker 1: was preparing to face torture and death at the hands
25:28
Speaker 1: of his orchestra captors, he had declared that he would
25:31
Speaker 1: fight like a griffin, and that is exactly what he
25:34
Speaker 1: intended to do. Chapter fifty five, Part four Day forty four.
25:49
Speaker 1: A few minutes ago, Bellario squinted down the length of
25:55
Speaker 1: the tunnel. He could see where a line of shadow
25:58
Speaker 1: fell just across the inside of the mouth, and knew
26:01
Speaker 1: that he was well concealed in the darkness. He watched
26:04
Speaker 1: patiently as one of the figures outside blew into a
26:07
Speaker 1: double pipe identical to the one he carried. Even at
26:12
Speaker 1: this distance, Belario recognized a killia by her platinum hair,
26:16
Speaker 1: but the others were unfamiliar. A wooden man, the human,
26:19
Speaker 1: and plate mail, a pair of elves, along with a dog.
26:24
Speaker 1: While he didn't know any of these other people, his
26:26
Speaker 1: conversation with Seger had led him to expect them. Of
26:30
Speaker 1: all the members of the group, only the dog was
26:32
Speaker 1: a concern. However, from where he crouched a good eighty
26:36
Speaker 1: or ninety feet away, he was fairly confident it would
26:38
Speaker 1: not notice him. Soon after the pipes were sounded, a
26:42
Speaker 1: bird flew into the tunnel and settled in a little
26:45
Speaker 1: pock mark cavity in the wall, about half way between
26:48
Speaker 1: himself in the cave mouth. But it was just a
26:51
Speaker 1: bird after all, and if it saw him, he didn't
26:53
Speaker 1: much care. While it twittered nervously, a quintet of griffins
26:58
Speaker 1: arrived and landed among the people. Shortly after, the girl
27:02
Speaker 1: touched the dog with her wand shrinking it and allowing
27:05
Speaker 1: it to ride with her in her bag. Then each
27:07
Speaker 1: of them mounted a griffin, and the whole pack flew off.
27:12
Speaker 1: The bird followed directly. Belario waited a few moments before
27:18
Speaker 1: he moved. Then he walked to the cave mouth and
27:21
Speaker 1: watched the diminishing forms of the riders. This is when
27:25
Speaker 1: he noticed the beacon shining in the distance and the
27:28
Speaker 1: river far below. He understood now that this was one
27:32
Speaker 1: of Aya's tests. His first thought was that there was
27:35
Speaker 1: no special need to be right on the group's tail,
27:37
Speaker 1: and that he should take his time. But when he
27:39
Speaker 1: saw a number of gray shapes detached from the canyon
27:42
Speaker 1: wall further up and fly to intercept the griffin riders,
27:45
Speaker 1: he realized that he was being given a rare opportunity.
27:49
Speaker 1: He muttered a quick prayer of thanks to Mirbabeb, got
27:52
Speaker 1: of surface gnomes and touched the gem on his ring.
27:57
Speaker 1: The magic inside it responded right away, and along with
28:00
Speaker 1: his clothing and all the items he carried, transformed into
28:04
Speaker 1: a giant hornet two feet long and brightly colored with
28:07
Speaker 1: bands of yellow and black, just like the ring. While
28:11
Speaker 1: Achilli's group handled the incoming threat, he who would fly
28:14
Speaker 1: on ahead, safely avoiding danger and arriving at the other side. First,
28:24
Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Tale of the Mandicor if
28:27
Speaker 1: you'd like to help the show to grow and reach
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Speaker 1: new listeners, there are lots of easy ways to do so.
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Speaker 1: You can recommend her like ny post episode announcements on
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Speaker 1: social media, purchase a Tale of the Manticore t shirt
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Speaker 1: at bare Arts dot store or one of my offerings
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Speaker 1: on drive through RPG, Rate and review the show on
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Speaker 1: your favorite podcatcher, or give me a sub on YouTube.
28:45
Speaker 1: Your support means a lot to me. Here's a trio
28:47
Speaker 1: of comments left on YouTube all about Ciena Jay's magical
28:51
Speaker 1: performance in episode fifteen. Joshua Zenx comments beautiful singing. J
28:56
Speaker 1: K Stein writ's my favorite episode of the season, so good,
29:00
Speaker 1: and Jody Wadsworth five seven seventy five writes that song
29:04
Speaker 1: was truly magical. It is a very good surprise. I've
29:06
Speaker 1: listened to it multiple times now. Thanks for those comments
29:09
Speaker 1: and thanks for nudging that YouTube algorithm. I'm so glad
29:12
Speaker 1: you liked the song. I think it's the best piece
29:14
Speaker 1: of music I've done for the show to date, and
29:17
Speaker 1: I have already reproduced it as a reprize for the
29:19
Speaker 1: season finale. Next, let's acknowledge the contributions of my great
29:23
Speaker 1: cast of voice actors. This episode features the core cast
29:27
Speaker 1: of Kyellen, Kevin Barringer, and Dave Cooper playing de Renny
29:30
Speaker 1: Tantier and Fairwind. Chris Old Crow Atkinson is also back
29:34
Speaker 1: to play the dream Revenant of ray Leer a ka
29:37
Speaker 1: The Old Crow. Thanks very much Kyellen, Kevin, Dave and
29:40
Speaker 1: Chris for your work. For those who wish to find
29:43
Speaker 1: other like minded creators doing similar shows, please check out
29:46
Speaker 1: Solo role Players Network dot com. And if you're curious
29:49
Speaker 1: to learn more about this show, I keep a blog
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Speaker 1: where I post all kinds of show and arpgy related
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Speaker 1: stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts, and show notes. You
29:57
Speaker 1: can find it at Tale of the metcor dot com.
30:00
Speaker 1: To get in touch with me directly, I'm a Tale
30:02
Speaker 1: of the manticor dot Bluesky dot Social Tale of the
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Speaker 1: Meticor podcast on Instagram, or Tale of themantacor of gmail
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Speaker 1: dot com. We'll see you next time on Tale of
30:11
Speaker 1: the matagord, it's the story. We're chaos rolls