Rialla, Jokul and Eight travel through a desert canyon after departing from the city of Isha. Surrounded by the high walls of this foreign landscape, they encounter a warrior of a race long believed to be extinct.
Rialla, Jokul and Eight are travelling through a desert canyon they’ve been following for two weeks. While setting up camp, they are surprised by a monstrous ogre trying to steal Eight’s donkey, Bessie. They try to scare the ogre away, but when the ogre responds with violence they are forced to engage it in combat.
While they may have had the ogre well in hand, a nearby traveller hears the sounds of battle and decides to come to the party’s rescue. This traveller, an 11 foot tall giant-kin, charges from the darkness and finishes the ogre off. As thanks for his assistance, the trio offers Arthas some respite at their campfire.
While sharing a meal, the group learns of some strange traditions of the giant-kin and where Arthas came from.
Transcript by Dax
Upbeat piano intro music ends [00:28]
Relaxing background music and chatting begins [00:30]
Dax: I want everybody to take a second, introduce your character name and the pronouns for that character. So, we’ll start with Cole.
Cole: Hi! My name is Cole and I’ll be playing Rialla Lenoir and she is a death cleric..I don’t know how much to say without giving more away so I guess you’ll just have to listen in and find out more.
Dax: She uses the she/her pronouns?
Cole: Yup, she/her pronouns. That’s important.
James: I’ll be playing Jokul Genhorn, he is a Shadar-kai elf cavalier, him/he pronouns.
Neil: My name is Neil and I use he/him pronouns and my character Arthas Boston Wapon Dynevy Marston Thurlow Lilford, Champion of Offam, is a Goliath barbarian and he also uses he/him.
Wren: Hello. I will be playing the role of Eight, they are a Warforged something. They, in this game, are a bit of a scholar of sorts and they use they/them pronouns and they are looking for friendship and education on their adventure.
Dax: Thanks for adding the little bit of extra. [laughs] And I am...you can call me Dax. I’m gonna be the Game Master for these sessions, so let’s get started!
Story begins, background music still plays [02:00]
Dax: Jokul, Rialla and Eight, you have been travelling together for about a month now. You started out in the city of Saleen and experienced the Festival of Aram - or at least part of it. You volunteered to save all the children that went missing mysteriously one night and you have been on the road ever since. You most recently have left the city of Isha, a city built into the canyon walls on the edge of the desert. And you were able to help out the citizens there and when you left, after staying to help them right themselves and get everything squared away with the tragedy that struck there you headed out. Fully stocked in your supplies with Maeve and the donkey Bessie - the robo-donkey to be precise.
It’s been two weeks since you left the city of Isha, and it’s been three days since you’ve had a reliable road. The map that you had procured in Saleen turned out to be not as accurate as you had hoped and among all the winding in-and-out between the canyon rocks and desert valleys you have discovered that you don’t know where you’re going anymore. The map is not reliable and it has been...there has been too much for you to make your way back to Isha. Your supplies are dwindling. It is night time and..or rather it’s getting close to night time...and the desert valley is starting to get quite cool as it has every other night. What are you all doing?
James: Given the survival, like “we’re lost” scenario, Jokul will be hunting. See if he can supplement their rations with rabbit or rat or any of the squirmy things that like to run around.
Cole: I think I’m probably just setting up camp, getting the fire going.
Wren (as Eight): Rialla, if I might..
Cole (as Rialla):Yes?
Wren (as Eight): May I assist you?
Cole (as Rialla):Oh! Of course. Yeah, that should be fine.
Wren (as Eight): Now, I’ve never set up a tent before. Can you help me work through it?
Cole (as Rialla): Oh. You’ve been travelling so long, you haven’t set up a tent?
Wren (as Eight): Well, I have no need for a tent.
Cole (as Rialla): I suppose that’s fair. Well..
Cole: And I will go through setting up the...I don’t know how medieval..do they have the poles and the thing..?
Dax: Essentially. You would’ve had softer twigs that you would’ve kept set aside and you would’ve had your..I think it would’ve been instead of a tarp more like an oil-soaked...
Neil: Canvas.
Dax: Either fabric or canvas or something so that it would be rain proof.
Cole: Yeah, well I’ll go through all that with Eight and explain everything while setting it up.
Wren (as Eight): Very interesting. Perhaps..
Wren: I’m looking around.
Dax: Could each of you make a survival check for me?
Wren: Oh…
Cole: Ohh…for why?
Wren: What difficulty would that be?
Dax: I will say that for Rialla it’s going to be easy because she’s been doing this pretty much every night. For you, Eight, I’m going to say it’s going to be medium difficulty because this is your first actual attempt. But you have Rialla helping you so therefore it’s not too bad, you’re kinda taking it step by step.
Wren: I rolled two threat.
Cole: Oh, god..oh no…
Dax: O-kay…
Wren (as Eight): Rialla, I apologize I am not being of much help. But...I’m an excellent...stake..er...staker...stake driver.
Wren: I just take my giant palm and I mash the stakes into the ground as best as I can.
Cole: [laughing] The threat is that you put it in too low so we can’t get the rope to tie it.
Cole (as Rialla): No! No Eight can you pull that up a little bit? [still laughing]
Wren (as Eight): Oh! My fingers appear to be too big. I can’t pull it back up.
Dax: I think that’s an excellent resolve for that. Jokul, I need you to also make a survival check. Yours will also be easy, since you are hunting.
Cole: Oh boy...
James: Oh survival..I actually have a dice in that! So that would be [pauses] a green one? And survival would be cunning so I have three green and it upgrades - one of them upgrades to a yellow though right?
Dax: Yup. If you got a rank that will upgrade one to a yellow.
James: And then no difficulty or just one purple dice?
Dax: Just the one - easy.
James: Okay. I think that’s the purple dice, right? Yeah.
Dax: Yup!
[sound of dice shaking and hitting a dice tray]
James: Alright! So I have..what is that? I have three of the up arrows, one failure and one threat? I think.
Dax: Okay so the threat and the up arrow which is the advantage will cancel out.
James: Okay.
Dax: So you fail with style.
James: [laughs] Yeah!
Dax: So how would you like to fail with style on your hunting exposition?
James: I will set rope traps and do the whole rabbit trap thing that I don’t know how to do in person...
[laughter from Cole, Wren and James]
James: But the rabbits will always escape, so whether they gnaw through the trap or the trap was too loose like, Jokul...I find evidence that there were rabbits but I just can’t get through it, I guess?
Dax: Yeah. I will say that since you failed with style that 99% of your traps were complete failures. The one trap that was successful is a very teeny weeny little rabbit. So, um, you do have some success but it’s certainly not enough to make a meal.
James: Yeah and if it’s a baby rabbit it’s like, this isn’t worth eating.
Wren: What’s the, uh, so you said it’s getting cool right now?
Dax: Yup.
Wren: And what’s the-
Dax: As it’s getting darker, the stars are starting to come out and it’s getting a little cool out.
Wren: And what’s the landscape? We’re just kind of in a little low valley?
Dax: Yeah you’re in a low valley so the canyon walls are still high, which means that it actually got a little darker than it normally would because the sun was hidden behind the high rocks.
Wren: Oh..
Dax: But even now it’s starting to get to the point where the sky is turning purple from the darkness.
Wren (as Eight): I suppose I should probably build a campfire for us, huh?
Cole: I feel like I already did that. But..
Wren: Oh! Well great! Great. The campfire’s all set.
[Cole laughs]
Dax: Rialla built the campfire, you and her failed-
Wren: To make the tent?
Dax: To make the tent properly and you see over the horizon Jokul is walking back with this tiny...would Jokul have let the little rabbit go from the snare?
James: Yeah, it’s better to come back with no food than come back with this measly, like..
Dax: Thing?
James: Yeah.
Dax: Okay.
Cole: Mhmm.
Dax: So you see Jokul coming back empty-handed.
Wren (as Eight): Well this could be problematic. How hungry are you, my friends?
Cole (as Rialla): It wouldn’t be the first night we’d have to go without.
Cole: If I were to like, if I wanted to make my way up to look at the horizon, is there just like nothing for miles? Do I see anything?
Dax: Do you want to try and climb a 200 foot wall?
Cole: See, I was picturing more of like a..a sand dune. So, uh, I’m gonna go with like no.
[Cole laughs]
Dax: Yeah you’re still within the canyon area, like it’s still the rocky outskirts of desert. You guys have been travelling for two weeks and you have not hit desert yet.
Cole: Oh, fuck..
Dax: So you are looking up at a 200 foot wall of rock.
Cole: Oh my god! And how much rations would you say we have left? Obviously we would know this but I don’t.
Dax: I would say that you guys left Isha with pretty hefty supplies.
Cole: Okay.
Dax: To make it through a few weeks. As you started using up your rations and you realized the map wasn’t as accurate as you had hoped you probably would’ve been smart enough, knowing you and Jokul, to start rationing it off. Like, “okay maybe we won’t eat three huge meals, maybe today we’ll just eat two.” So you’ve got enough to make it through a few more days.
Wren (as Eight): Considering the inhospitableness of this landscape I believe, friends, that I might be able to will into existence food for us.
Wren: Out of character, DM, I would like to attempt to conjure food using magic.
[Cole snickers]
Wren: Using my arcana skill. It allows me to summon items or raw stuff from magic and even if it’s just a little bit of.. I don’t know -
James: Hardtack.
Wren: [laughing] Or root vegetables or something to help tide my friends over I would like to try and conjure something for them to eat.
James: I’m just picturing Eight making more of his..goop.
Wren: Essentially.
[James laughing]
Dax: So we’re doing - you’re doing the conjure skill.
Wren: Mhmm.
Dax: Are you just summoning one item?
Wren: I’d be summoning enough food for two people. [pauses] ‘Cause I don’t need to eat.
James: Hmm that’s a good point. We have to worry about the horses and...or at least Maeve.
Dax: Why don’t you…[pauses]
James: Actually no...we’re still in like shrub-lands and stuff. There..we haven’t hit open desert yet.
Dax: Right. You’ve still got some scrub brush and stuff. So-
James: Okay so Maeve’s okay for now.
Dax: I would say go ahead and - yeah. Go ahead and make your check. It’s gonna be easy difficulty.
Wren (as Eight): [muttering to self] Think about food, think about food, think about food...
[Cole snickers, Wren’s dice hit the tray as they make a grunt of concentration]
Wren (as Eight): Ooooooh!
Wren: Alright. That’s four advantage and a success. And I think long and hard and have my pot set out on the ground in front of me and I create a bunch of recreations of vegetables into the pot and a little bit of sweet berries to flavor them a bit. It’s not going to be anything terribly filling but hopefully it’s enough to keep their bellies full enough and give them a little nutrition.
Dax: Nice. So Rialla, Jokul you two are finishing setting up camp for the night and you see Eight hovering over this pot and all of a sudden you hear “Oooooh!”, and this pot is now full of vegetables.
Wren (as Eight): Excellent!
Dax: And I imagine Eight would bring that pot over to the fire, I would guess?
Wren (as Eight): Mhmm. My friends I will make a stew..soup...I will make food!
Wren: And then I just start cooking it.
Dax: I would like all three of you to make a vigilance check.
Cole: A vigilance check?
James: So if you get one dice from willpower, but you get a vigilance that just upgrades that one dice..so it’s literally only one dice.
Dax: Yup!
Wren: Also you both get a boost die because of my “heightened awareness” passive ability. Allies within short range gain a boost die to perception and vigilance checks.
James: That’s the blue D6, right?
[in the background you hear Cole say “fuuuck yeah”]
Wren: Yup.
James: Alright!
Wren: Because I am always keeping my eyes open.
Cole: Is this easy difficulty or just like a standard roll?
Dax: Just straight vigilance.
Cole: Straight roll?
[Sound of shaking dice]
Wren: Uh-oh.
James: I was gonna say I didn’t add any purple dice or anything but I rolled three successes.
Wren: Nice.
[sound of dice hitting tray]
Cole: [making celebratory “buh buh buh” noises and then in a sing-song response] So many advantages! And a triumph!
Wren: Two success and a boost - you got a triumph? Holy crap!
Dax: You got a triumph?!
Cole: No. I lied. I’m sorry.
[sound of Wren laughing]
Cole: I have two successes and one, two, three, four..five advantages.
Dax: In the middle of setting up the camp and laying out bedrolls, and Eight while you are busy filling the pot with some water and getting the stew started, you start to hear scuffling on the stone..
Music blends and changes to more suspenseful violin rhythm [15:47]
Wren (as Eight): Scuffling..? Jokul. Jokul do you hear that?
Wren: I keep stirring the pot as I lean over towards Jokul.
Wren (as Eight): Do you hear that noise?
James: So I will basically continue with whatever I was doing but kind of nod, just nonchalantly. Basically if something is sneaking up on us don’t give them a clue they’re sneaking up on us yet.
Wren (as Eight): I see…
Dax: Rialla do you react in any way?
Cole: I’m going to grab my holy symbol and just get ready to send out a spell, just in case.
Wren: I see you doing that and just kinda nod, knowingly, at the two of you as I keep looking engrossingly at the pot.
Dax: You’re all focusing on what you’re doing but you’re now listening more intently since you heard the scuffling among the stone. Suddenly you hear Maeve neigh from where she’s been tied up to a nearby rock and you all turn and look and you see that there is this hulking humanoid beast working to untie Bessie from her cart.
Wren (as Eight): [gasps] NO!
Cole: I hold out my hand and it starts glowing black and I say..
Cole (as Rialla): I don’t think you’ll want to do that.
James: When you say hulking, you’re talking ogre-sized or are we looking at like a giant’s like “this is mine.”
Dax: You guys are..I think about...you’re short range from where Maeve and Bessie were set up for the night. You’re not too far away so you can tell from the edges of the firelight glow that this is a monstrous ogre-looking type creature and when Rialla threatened it, it stopped what it’s doing and looked at you and snorts. But it doesn’t seem to really care and just goes back to untying the donkey.
Wren (as Eight): Ooh...no one messes with Bessie!
Cole: I’m gonna blast it.
Dax: Alright I think now would be an initiative roll.
James: That does indeed sound like an initiative roll..
[Cole laughs]
Dax: So, uhm, you guys were aware of this thing so the three of you can make a cool check.
Cole: Yeah! I have no ranks in that!
Wren: Yeah. [laughing] I’m better at the other one...
James: Do I have a rank in cool?
Cole: So is that just the two..err, well your presence die?
Wren: Your presence, yeah.
Dax: Whatever your presence die is, yup.
Wren: And I don’t have anything to boost cool, so uh, you’re on your own for that one!
James: So we get our presence and our cool die. Do we have a boost or any purple die?
Dax: Nope, just the straight.
Cole: I have two successes and an advantage.
James: I have three successes and an advantage.
Wren: I have one advantage and one success.
Dax: The way this is gonna work is you’re gonna have all three PC slots and then the NPC slot. So whoever wants - Rialla you indicated you wanted to go first so you’re gonna get the first PC slot this round.
Wren: Do it.
Dax: So go right ahead.
James: Does Maeve count as Jokul’s PC slot? Or..
Dax: So she’s an ally and I believe when you have allies..I think she technically would get her own slot.
James: So Maeve has two successes.
Dax: Okay, so yup all four - all three of you plus Maeve will go before the ogre.
Wren: And that’s because of the “animal companion” talent.
Dax: Alright, go ahead Rialla.
Cole: So, I’m using the blast effect and that’s one difficulty and it’s based off knowledge so I have two green, a yellow and a purple.
[music is starting to ramp up, becoming more tense]
Dax: Alright.
[sound of dice shaking]
Wren: I believe the attack starts as an easy attack, err easy difficulty, and then by adding blast you add an additional dice to it because you’re giving it that quality.
Cole: Oh, alright I’ll roll another purple. Okay so I have three success - four successes, one advantage, the purple die is blank and then the other one has the threat symbol. I would like the damage to be necrotic but I don’t know how much say I get in such things.
Wren: Flavor it however you want!
Dax: Exactly.
Wren: Your damage will be your linked skill so it’s what, willpower?
Cole: Intelligence. Blast said with a rating equal to your character’s rank in knowledge.
Wren: If you trigger the blast quality, yes. You’re casting your spell using divine?
Cole: Yeah.
Wren: So it’s linked to your willpower.
Cole: Oh! Alright I still rolled it right. Phew!
Wren: Yeah.
Cole: I panicked.
Wren: So your damage for your magic is going to be equal to your willpower characteristic plus the number of successes.
Cole: So three plus four.
Wren: So you’re doing 7 damage before soak.
Cole: Okay.
Wren: And unfortunately you didn’t get enough advantage to trigger blast as an effect ‘cause I think you need three uncancelled ones to trigger blast?
Cole: Because of the threat did one of - did the advantage get cancelled or the success?
Dax: Yeah whenever threats, the little circles with the lines, those cancel out the advantages.
Wren: So yeah you’re doing..you’ve got four straight successes on that so..
Dax: Okay, alright. So describe to me how this looks. You said you grab your holy symbol, go.
Cole: I grab my holy symbol and the darkened veins on my face, they pulse and darken and energy comes down my arm into my hand and it’s black and spectral and ghostly looking and it crackles for a moment before it sends out from my hand..and hits the ogre somewhere that does 7 points of damage.
[Wren and Cole laughing]
Cole: [still laughing] We were doing so good up until the end..god..
Dax: No you’re fine.
Cole: I’m a really serious player.
Dax: So you send out this spectral...thing...and it reaches out towards the ogre, and it kinda glances off the shoulder and you see the shoulder move and now the ogre looks at you. And you can see even in the dim firelight that the face begins to look really angry, and this maw opens with these sharp pointed teeth and it-
[Dax growls]
Dax: And it growls at you and you see it reach for this thing at its side, and it starts to stomp its feet. Anything else on your turn before we go to the next PC slot?
Cole: Umm..okay yeah that’s my turn then.
Dax: Jokul or Eight.
James: Uh, Eight can go ahead and go first.
Wren: Thank you Jokul. I would love to-
James: I don’t want to get blasted by anything.
[Wren and James laugh]
Wren: That’s fair. We’re gonna be throwing - slinging magic at this thing. This ogre is still standing next to my best friend, Bessie. And I’m very upset about it. So I extend a hand and, seeing that Rialla is also helping to protect my robotic donkey friend, I reach inside of my brain, think very hard, and I loudly declare..
Wren (as Eight): Step back!
Wren: And I will also make a magic attack against this strange ogre, and it will be arcana, so linked to my intelligence which is three. And I would love to give it the manipulative quality. Which, if the attack hits I can spend an advantage to move the creature up to one range band in any direction.
James: Fancy.
Dax: Okay.
Wren: And I’d like to spend my maneuver to fortify my mind and basically make it an aim action to gain a boost die as I blast projected force at this strange creature. Alright I’m left with three advantages and one success. That would be four damage before soak and I can spend one of those to move it a range band - one of the advantages to move it a range band - away from Bessie. I’d basically just like to pull it - push it, I suppose - away. How close to the canyon wall was it?
Dax: Probably within 20 feet.
Wren: So if I were to push it, it would be basically flung up towards the wall.
Dax: Yeah.
Wren: Yeah! So I’ll do that.
Wren (as Eight): Get back!
Wren: And I blast it, uhm, with a projected force and watch it kinda stagger backwards from Bessie. And with the two leftover advantages I’m trying to think what else I can do…
Dax: Add boost to the next person’s…I think you could notice a thing..
Wren: Oh yeah! I could. Alright with those last two I’m gonna go ahead and give Jokul a boost. As it staggers I look to him and I shout...
Wren (as Eight): I’ve made you an opening!
Wren: And I will be done!
Dax: Alright you see this ogre who’s now dropped the ropes that hold Bessie to the cart and they were stomping angrily at Rialla and all of a sudden you see them just fwhoom and they’re shifted against the canyon wall and it slams its back and you see it didn’t lose its footing but it shakes its head and looks like you caught it off guard. Jokul you’re up.
James: You said Maeve is going on Jokul’s turn or-
Dax: She gets a PC slot. So either she can go now-
James: Okay.
Dax: Or you can go and she’ll go on the next PC slot.
James: Considering Jokul is probably further away from the ogre than Maeve, I think it would be really hilarious that Maeve will actually act before Jokul and just kick this ogre in the face because she’s like, “Nuh-uh! Get away from me!” She’s still a horse so that is a solid reaction of, “Spooky thing is near me and..mechanical friend.”
Dax: To be fair Eight did just push the ogre about 20 feet away into the canyon wall-
James: Oh!
Dax: And she is currently tied up to a rock.
James: Oh I figured, I figured Maeve was - what is it? Drop..drop leash trained or whatever it’s called?
Dax: Oh! I mean that’s fine. I mean, she is more like a dog in some ways.
[Dax laughs]
James: Well it’s a military thing. I forgot it’s like once they’re trained you can just drop the reins and they know “ok”-
Dax: And they don’t go anywhere?
James: Yeah. And I imagine Jokul’s...connection...is..
Dax: Sure! I’ll say that’s reasonable.
James: Cool.
Dax: Alright. So she is not tied up, I strike that. Go ahead.
James: So, Maeve will move one range increment ‘cause that’s how far you blasted it away, right?
Wren: Yes.
Dax: Yep.
James: Okay. So, Maeve will scoot that one range increment - are we on the edge of the canyon or did he come down from above us?
Dax: He would’ve come down at some point from the canyon. You don’t really know where, yet.
James: Okay so there isn’t an edge that we can just kick him off or anything.
Dax: Nope.
James: So..
Dax: No you’re surrounded on most sides by high rock walls.
Wren: We are in the middle.
James: Cool. So Maeve will basically go to Bessie’s defense ‘cause she hasn't seen Bessie do much and by all - by horse brain logic it's a horse or a friend at this point so-
Dax: [giggling] This is someone who needs protecting.
James: Yeah like she’s a trained war-horse she knows “I am awesome. My little mechanical metal friend-”
Cole: I am picturing the sassiest horse just like “Mm-mm get away from me!”
[Cole, Wren and James laughing]
James: I-I mean that probably fits Maeve because we’ve said in previous episodes how Jokul just like, treats her better than himself. So, her being sassy, like, if you do like speak with animals she'll just be like “Uh-uh”. It really works, so..
Cole: I’m dying.
[sound of Wren laughing in the background]
James: I-I love this. Uhm..so she’ll-
Cole: Maeve is a good girl.
James: She’ll come to Bessie’s defense and go try and kick the ogre in the face.
Wren: [whispering] Yes….
Dax: Alright.
James: Uhm..so I believe she makes a brawl, or is brawl something different?
Dax: Yeah so that’ll key off of her brawl.
James: Okay.
Dax: So whatever she’s got - she’s got two brawn.
James: Yeah so she gets-
Dax: So, is it two or three?
James: Uhhh..two brawn. Right?
Dax: So yeah she’ll have the two. And then-
Wren: And then upgraded by ranks in brawl if she has any.
Dax: Yeah. She does have a skill right?
James: You marked it ahead of time and it says she gets two yellow, one green.
Dax: Yep.
Wren: Nice.
James: So, and-
Wren: Very cool.
James: And I’m not rolling any negatives or..?
Wren: Since it’s a combat check difficulty always starts at moderate.
Dax: Yup, which is two.
James: Two purple?
Dax: Yeah.
James: Okay.
[sound of dice shaking and then hitting the tray]
James: Alright! Come up empty.
[Wren snickers]
James: So I have a...failure?
Wren: Threat-
Dax: Uhh threat.
[Wren can be heard in the background muttering “Threat, threat, threat”]
James: Threat, there ya go. That’s the word. But I rolled an advantage, so that’s cancelled if I’m-
Dax: Yup.
James: Doin’ it correctly. And then my other yellow came up with a double success?
Dax: ‘Kay.
Wren: Ooh!
James: And my other purple and green came up blank.
Dax: Alright so you have two successes it sounds like. Cool, cool.
James: Yes.
Dax: Alright so you got damage six, plus the two I believe. Right? Or is it damage plus the one?
James: Uhm damage plus the one I think?
[James, Dax and Wren talking all at once]
Dax: ‘Cause you have to have one success to make the damage-
Wren: But that one always counts as a success so it’s gonna be brawn plus whatever for the weapon profile plus the number of successes.
James: Okay so-
Dax: So three plus six plus...two?
James: It says hooves are seven?
Wren: Ok so seven damage plus two.
Dax: Okay.
James: Okay.
Dax: Seven plus two, so nine. Alright..
James: I’m good with that. And-
Wren: [laughing] Right?
James: Oh, uhm. Was that boost specifically to Jokul or-
Wren: It was!
James: Was it to the next person? Okay. So-so Maeve couldn’t have used the boost. I was like..
Wren: Yeah if you use two advantages you can assign a character a boost otherwise it’s whichever PC acts next.
James: Gotcha. Okay. Uhm..so Maeve is done..oh wait, no. Maeve had-Maeve’s attack has a knockdown. What do we do for that?
Wren: You can trigger knockdown if you have enough advantage to trigger it.
Dax: Yeah, which you didn’t have.
James: Ah, okay. That-that’s what I was thinking I’m like, “I forgot how to do that..”
Wren: Yeah, effects are nice but they’re very difficult to get off.
James: Yeah! Uhm Jokul’s going to...how many range increments away is the ogre? Probably-
Dax: With the push against the wall..it’s medium at this point. Yeah. I was going engaged..short..I was like pausing on the word. Medium, yes. Medium range at this point.
James: Mkay so that’s two ranges away. I-I can stay short range with my chain..
Wren: Mhmm.
James: Yes-
Dax: Yes.
James: So I don’t-I don’t want to be in melee I want to be short ranged.
Dax: Okay.
James: So, just do my jump and I don’t have my weapon drawn so I’m gonna use my incidental to draw my weapon.
Wren: Maneuver to draw, gotcha.
Dax: Okay so you’re gonna use the “Blessing of the Raven Queen”, so that’s gonna be one...we do have some story points so there’s-
James: No no no, wait. I forgot it cost me a story point. So-
Dax: Well that’s okay you’ve got plenty of those, so it’s a ya know...there’s...
James: Well-well J-Jokul can...oh actually no I have to do it don’t I?
[Dax and James at same time]
Dax: Yeah.
James: Yeah.
Dax: Go ahead and use it, it’s fine.
Wren: Yeah. They trade hands, it’s fine.
James: Yeah.
Wren: I encourage it.
James: So I’ll do that and that will get me in range so I can use the chain on the ogre which is….that’s a light weapon that scales off of my agility so uh that would be four green dice but one upgrades to a yellow. Alright that! Bam! Five-
Wren: Don’t forget your boost!
James: Oh, boost! Thank you.
[Sound of a single dice hitting a table]
James: Yay! So I have six success, two failure, one threat...the threat is cancelled by the advantage...the two threats cancel those two so I end up leftover with just four successes
Dax: Alright. So that would be your four success plus...your…
James: Plus the chain’s damage, which is-
Dax: Yup.
James: Three? So I just have four successes so..that will do seven damage because it’s four successes plus three from the chain. If I’m doing that right. Or is my agility added in there somewhere?
Dax: I think your agility gets added ‘cause it’s the melee weapon right?
James: Right. Oh so it’ll be four successes plus the three damage plus four so..eleven points of damage.
Dax: Geez Jokul..alright so-
James: Braha! I’m doin fighter things!
[Wren laughs]
Dax: You run just enough to get a little bit of a jolt in you, all of a sudden flash you’re gone in one second, the next second you’re much closer to this disoriented ogre-like creature and you whip out your chain and choom you’re able to get a nice gash across the ogre and it cries out in pain and suddenly...someone comes charging out of the darkness. You see these people are being attacked by an ogre-like creature, what do you do?
Neil: So, I’m going to go with my first instinct and think, “Wow they could probably use some help!” And just come rushing in with my club and try to kill it.
Dax: Alright!
[Wren laughs]
Neil: So that’ll be...that’d be brawn, correct?
Dax: I believe so I think that’s what we keyed up your...you’re using your hatchet? Your swordclub?
Neil: Swordclub!
James: Wonderful. Swordclub.
Neil: I have...three success and three advantage.
Dax: Alright so you rush in with your swordclub, raised up high and you’re charging with this-this blood-curdling battle cry. How do you take down this monster?
Neil: Absolutely overhead. Just crush its head like a melon.
[Wren laughs]
James: Wonderful.
Music blends and goes back to relaxing piano [34:28]
Dax: Rialla, Jokul, Eight, you see this person, this huge person, come rushing out of the darkness and slam a weapon onto the ogre's head and the ogre crumples. And now stands before you…
Wren (as Eight): A blood-splattered stranger. Oh, oh my..
Cole: I think I’ll be standing very still and keeping an eye on them to see what they do?
Neil: I’m just sort of looking at the collective people and thinking to myself, “Wow. Those are a lot more realistic than the other mirages I’ve seen.”
[James and Wren laugh]
Wren (as Eight): Is...is this a friend or a foe?
Neil (as Arthas): Are you real?
Cole (as Rialla): Are we...real?
Neil (as Arthas): Yeah the other ones-
Wren: I look at my hands.
[James and Neil laugh]
James: Is it just..he’s hallucinating but he’s accidentally very deep and philosophical right now.
Wren: And I look back to this new friend and I look back to myself.
Wren (as Eight): Last I checked I was real. Are..are you concerned we are not?
Neil (as Arthas): The other ones didn’t respond like that so I’ll take that as a yes.
Cole (as Rialla): How long have you been travelling the desert?
Neil (as Arthas): I’m not sure...
Wren (as Eight): He appears to be suffering from heat exhaustion.
Wren: I kinda walk over towards this strange person and-
[Cole laughs]
James: I’m just picturing-
Wren: And lean in, uh, towards them. And….Art how tall are you?
[James laughing in the background]
Neil: Eleven feet tall.
Cole: Eleven feet!
Wren: Wait, really?
Cole: Holy shit!
Neil: Art is an absolute unit of a lad. He is..he’s like small for a giant.
James: I was gonna say I’m like…”holy crap!”
Wren: How do you fit anywhere?
Neil: I duck..very hard.
Wren: Alright so I don’t lean in, I lean back. And-
James: Hold up, get a step stool.
Wren: And look to you.
Wren (as Eight): You are quite tall. Eh..I am Eight! And these are my companions: Jokul and Rialla. And Bessie. And Horse Jones.
Neil: Art just nods and responds with:
Neil (as Arthas): I am Arthas Boston Wapon Dynevy Marston Thurlow Lilford, the Champion of Offam and I see you had an ogre problem I’m quite familiar.
Wren: I look back to the other two, and look to the crumpled bloody splattered mess on the canyon floor.
Wren (as Eight): Is that what that was?
Neil (as Arthas): Yes! I assume..
James (as Jokul): Looks like an ogre to me from what I’ve seen in the past.
Wren (as Eight): Interesting. I’ve never seen an ogre before! I-
James (as Jokul): Consider yourself lucky!
Wren (as Eight): I suppose I won’t really be able to get a good picture of what it actually looks like at this point. If I might call you...simply Arthas?
Neil (as Arthas): I prefer Art.
Wren (as Eight): Very well, Simply Arthas.
[James snickers]
Wren (as Eight): You made quite quick work of this strange creature...do you frequently smash things..on your trips?
Neil (as Arthas): Yes! It is one of my many talents.
Wren (as Eight): Hm.
Cole (as Rialla): Um, do..ah, um sorry. Would you...like a...place at our fire? You seem quite tired.
Neil (as Arthas): That would be spectacular!
Neil: And I just heft my club and start making my way over there as..
Neil (as Arthas): I’m not sure when the last time I sat down or rested was.
Dax: This is actually a good opportunity. Why don’t we take a second and um...Jokul, Rialla, Eight you all know what you look like to each other but why don’t we each take a turn. Art we’ll start with you, describing what this trio sees and then we’ll describe the other three and indicate what Art is seeing as he comes closer to the firelight and gets much better less shadowy visuals.
Neil: Art is wearing an old flag that he found as a tabard, and is wearing a brigandine that is made out of a bunch of full plates that he scavenged. He’s bald, and growing a little bit of a beard as he hasn’t really had time to clean himself up in a minute, and is carrying a large piece of masonry with a sword stuck inside of it. Like a sword in a stone, that hasn’t been pulled out yet.
James: That’s awesome.
Cole: How would you describe his face? Is he like...gaunt-
Neil: Not-
Cole: And kind of withered? Sharp, angular?
Neil: Hmm..honestly if the beard’s not there, soft and kind of like...you have no business being this tall or this tough looking.
[James and Wren chuckle]
Cole: Soft! A real life gentle giant! ...And so I fell in love!
Neil: With what beard he looks-he looks grizzled and the instant he gets sure that he shaves himself he’s going to look like...like-
Cole: A baby!
Neil: Yeah basically-
James: I just immediately think of the really tall lean giant from the.the old BFG movie.
Cole: Is he a younger giant?
Neil: Yes he is.
Wren: What color is your skin, Art?
Neil: Kind of incredibly pale white.
Wren: Hmm..
Neil: This is not his preferred environment.
Wren: [laughing] No kidding.
[Neil laughs]
Cole: Are we describing us too?
Dax: Yeah, ‘cause this is the first time Art is seeing you three, so why don’t you go ahead and take a second to describe what each of you look like.
Cole: Um..Rialla Lenoir is a petite young woman. She appears to be human, um, currently her hair is about shoulder length and it looks...umm..choppy, like she cut it herself. With a blade. And didn’t really fix it up. Um..she has ice blue eyes, they’re almost white, she has very very pale skin and her skin is kind of marred with like these black, veiny patterns. Umm..and she is clad in simple garments, darker colors...greys and um...greys and browns. Uhh her cloak looks like it’s seen better days, it’s got patches sewn into it and around her neck is the symbol of the..of uhh...the I don’t know uhh-
James: A god!
Dax: You can say the Raven Queen it’s okay.
[Cole laughs nervously]
Cole: Okay! I was like, “Oh god, we didn’t discuss this I don’t know!” Uhh the Raven Queen. Or in this realm she would be known as Baradesh.
Dax: And Art you would have no idea. You just see this like...it looks like a raven pendant on Rialla, you don’t really know what that means.
Neil (as Arthas): That’s a funny bird!
[Wren and Dax giggle]
James: Perfect reaction.
Dax: What about Jokul?
James: Uhmm...so Jokul is like a six-three..he’s a tall, lean...like..he-he’s got..he’s got muscle but its not like brawn it's more like the lean muscle you see on like Jackie Chan and the monk..like it’s that weery muscle. Uhm-
Dax: [imitation welsch accent] You-You’re wiry.
James: Wiry? Is it weery or wiry? I always screwed that up.
[Dax makes an “I don’t know” noise]
James: Eh. But yeah he-he’s lean and like, I mean, elves are normally lean but he’s got that lean muscle on top of his elf frame so he’s a little bit bigger than your average elf. He’s similar to Rialla, his hair looks like it was kind of raggedly cut with a blade. It’s kind of like a...it’s not white but it’s like a sandy blonde, almost? Considering how long they’ve been travelling it's probably kinda dirty so..he’s probably closer to a brown hair at this point.
Wren: It’s literally sandy.
James: Yeah! I mean he’s not rolling through the dirt but still..
[Wren laughing]
James: If we’ve got wind it’s all picked up in his hair so..yeah and he’s wearing like..kind of old looking leather armor and he’s got this like, really intricate, like chain whip, kind of loosely hanging in his grasp. It’s still bloody from slicing up the ogre and he’s just kind of like looking between ogre and, really tall guy. Ogre, really tall guy.
Wren: Eight looks very much like a human, in most respects as far as body shape and size. They’re probably...they’re pretty average in height, although compared to Art they're literally half as tall as you. They are kinda bulky and their frame is made out of metal plates that are not really, like, alabaster but they're whitish in tint with gunmetal trim. So kind of like a rosy gold edging to them. There's etchings and markings on all the different plates that cover their body, just different symbols. They look kinda like eyeball motifs and some like bird-head kind of things. Eight wears simple...simple vestments, so kind of like a...a neck cover with trailing tails that go down his back, and they have kind of like a tabard that’s wrapped around their waist and dangles between their legs. They don’t really wear clothing, per se? And they have big, three-fingered hands that have enormous, cylindrical gauntlets with uh..they almost look like compartments built into them. Like if you pushed a button they might pop open! And something could pop out of them! Uhh..but underneath all those metal plates Eight is composed...their fleshy areas are like woven vines or vegetation. So they look very much like...they look like a person. But ya know, if that person was, for lack of a better term, like a puppet. Oh and they have bright purple eyes.
Dax: So Art you move into the firelight and you see these..these three individuals and you’re able to sit down pretty close and..and almost immediately you start to feel this wash over you of the heat from the flame and the cold of the desert night that you have been feeling is...is washed away.
Neil (as Arthas): Faaantastic.
Neil: I’m trying not to stare at Eight because it’s rude to stare.
Wren (as Eight): Simply Arthas, we have some extra water if you are feeling a bit parched.
Neil (as Arthas): I would absolutely love that.
Wren: I reach to my side, pull out my waterskin and hand it to Art.
Wren (as Eight): You..you can have as much of it as you need. I do not drink.
Neil: For a second...I’m overcome with the “I’m happy to get water” and I’m inhaling that waterskin. But when I heard “doesn’t need to drink” I'm already a little curious. But I’m still trying not to stare.
[Cole laughs]
Wren: [giggling] So polite.
Neil: I’m thinking, “Oh I wonder what took those off..was he a thief?”
Cole (as Rialla): Why...are you travelling this way? Do you have a destination in mind? Are you lost?
Neil (as Arthas): A little bit of both. I'd like to say I’m a wanderer, and I’m really just going wherever I...well, wherever my legs take me.
Cole (as Rialla): I don’t suppose you’ve found any towns or anything then?
Neil (as Arthas): A couple on the way here, but I'm not exactly sure how I wound up here either.
Cole (as Rialla): When you say that, is that because you’ve been travelling for so long or is that because something happened and you forgot?
Neil (as Arthas): Travelling for so long. The last town I remember is one called Offam.
Wren (as Eight): Offam…Rialla is that village on our map?
Cole (as Rialla): I don’t know...I stopped looking at it since it’s..not been very helpful.
Wren (as Eight): That’s fair. And my map-making skills leave something to be desired.
Wren: I pull out a folded piece of parchment and it just has a little bit of ink scribbled on it and a couple pictures of flowers and trees.
Dax: Eight, how high are you holding up this map?
Wren: In front of me kind of like...I don’t know..
Dax: As if you were looking at it?Examining it?
Wren: Yeah. Yeah.
Dax: Jokul, Rialla…you notice for the first time, as this is...not the first time that Eight has pulled this map out, but it is the first time that they have held it up so high. You notice on this map, that Eight had drawn of flowers and pictures of animals, that there's...a map...on the back of their map.
[James, Cole and Wren start laughing]
James: I’ll point at the map and just look at Rialla kinda confused like…”Isn’t that the correct map on the back there?”
Cole: I hold out a hand and just like..touch Jokul’s arm. And just like staring in disbelief for a moment.
Cole (as Rialla): Eight...may I see your map?
Wren (as Eight): Uhh..I suppose..
Cole: I’ll hold out my hand.
Wren: I kinda hand it over.
Wren (as Eight): Be very careful. There's a special map on the back of my map.
Cole: I want to look at not-Eight’s map on the back and what do I see…?
Dax: So, you have this piece of parchment in front of you and like I said you’ve seen it before, there’s all the drawings and everything. You slooowly turn it and..there is indeed a map on the back of Eight’s map. The map itself is in detail respect, similar to what you had where it doesn't have a lot of cities and everything on it, but there are some named cities. You can see Saleen, you can see some city named Harendall. You can see Isha listed on it. The only difference is that there are...there aren’t a ton of roads. Where there were roads on your map, those don’t exist on this one.
Cole: Is this one more helpful?
Dax: I guess that depends on what you consider helpful.
Cole: Like..
Dax: To be fair you and Jokul are also not from this area so you wouldn’t really know if it’s more correct than the other map was.
Cole: That’s fair...but is there like...past Isha like is there anything?
Dax: There are some roads that lead away from Isha that were not on your map. The downside with this map is that it ends shortly after Isha. Whereas your other map seemed to have information regarding the rest of the area. It’s a much more condensed regional.
Wren: As she..as Rialla’s looking at that one I pull out the other...the other map and start looking at that one as well.
James: I’m just standing there like “How many maps do you have?”
Cole: Maps and maps and-on maps in maps…
[James laughs]
Wren: I like maps. And I’m looking at that one too. I hold it up towards the other one, next to Rialla, see if I can compare them at all.
Cole: Does it have anything interesting or helpful on it?
Dax: The map that Cela gave you was of the southern region.
Wren: Mmm.
Cole: Not Isha.
Dax: So the lines on the map don’t even add up to match.
Wren (as Eight): Just as I remember!
Wren: I roll it back up and stick it back in my scroll case.
Dax: You start to hear the hissing sound of water, falling into the fireplace.
Wren (as Eight): Oh! It would appear that our soup is ready. Simply Arthas..I suppose you might partake of some sustenance if there's enough. I know we just met you...I had been preparing food for my two friends. I’m...not sure what you eat.
Neil: All that reverberates out of Arthas is a...I’m not saying foundation rattlingly loud stomach grumble, pretty close to it.
[Cole laughs]
Cole: I didn’t say that, but I kinda said it.
Neil (as Arthas): That would be fantastic!
Wren: I just start ladling..umm, well I pop the ladle out of my wrist and hold onto it in my right hand and just start scooping this….gruel...porridge into bowls and dole out a couple servings to folks.
Wren (as Eight): It has some nutritional value.
Neil: I see the ladle and I’m immediately like, put on edge because...I assumed you were just a weird...weird man in armor. But more importantly-
Cole: Surprise!
Neil: I inhale that bowl of gruel.
[James and Wren laugh, Dax mutters “more importantly”]
Cole: While we’re sitting, and kind of...I’ll say before I eat anything, I want to...I don’t know if I can do this hang on wait let me check something real quick..that or I’m gonna see what happens when I do say it. Umm….[laughs]
Dax: Now I’m intrigued.
Cole: Umm…
James: Please, continue.
Cole: Please, continue! Umm..yeah, I’m just..I’m gonna see what you do with it. So, I want to hold my holy symbol and it’s kind of like a black obsidian and it’s like really reflective, and I want to close my eyes and hold onto it and I want to reach out for...this Baradesh or the Raven Queen.
Dax: Okay.
Cole: And I want to open my eyes and stare into it, and I want to see if I can divine perhaps a direction to head in? North, east, south, west?
Dax: Okay so you kinda wanna do...you’re essentially...entreating this Goddess of Death for assistance, to see if she can give you a hint as to which way you want to go.
Cole: Yeah.
Dax: Right? Okay.
Cole: Mhmm.
Dax: So…
Cole: And you can hear Rialla speaking in a language that Art does not recognize. It is French, I don’t know French...but it sounds French.
Neil: Right.
James: Insert French sounds here…
Cole: [laughing] All I can say in French is “Hi my name is Rialla”.
Wren: Oui!
Cole: Oui!
Dax: So, Jokul would’ve heard you speak this way on occasion, Eight and Art on the other hand you just start hearing...and-and Art for you it’s extremely weird because you don’t know anything about this person. You just see this person suddenly grab their pendant, bow their head down and start muttering in some language you..umm..have never heard before and Eight, you may have heard her say a word or two? In a language very similar but, for her to talk this way for an extended period of time is very unusual for you as well. Umm..Rialla you close your eyes and in your mind’s eye you see yourself, after a few moments you see yourself walking in the canyon and you’re by yourself. And you’re looking to the left and you’re looking to the right and you’re taking in the sound and while it is bright day, you don’t feel the immense heat that you have been feeling as you walk through the desert during the day. And you walk for...what seems like hours before you come to the edge of the canyon walls and out amongst you..er out ahead of you is a vast sea of sand dunes. And you hear…as if someone was standing right behind you...
[in a whispered, ghost-like voice]
Dax: Just keep following the canyon, little one. Find your way.
[back to Dax’s normal tones]
Dax: And the vision goes dark, and all you see is the darkness behind your closed eyelids.
Cole: After I hear that, I’ll open my eyes and I’ll keep my head bowed and I’ll say a quick prayer of thanks. And then I’ll scooch closer to Jokul and quietly eat, and like kinda mull over what I saw.
Calm piano continues during the outro [55:48]
Dax: Thanks for tuning in to Roads Uncharted. We hope you’ll join us next time!