Spurred on by the promise of discovery, Teddy leads the duo deep into the Wildwoods where they uncover an ancient symbol that may hold the key to Eight’s past.
Teddy leads Eight and Arthas through the Wildwoods, sneaking by the sentries, until they reach the real reason he is here. Teddy reveals he has been researching rifts hidden within the woods - rips in reality made of crackling energy. Whereas Eight wants to research cautiously, Arthas decides to take a head-on approach and charges into it. Unfortunately, this sets off its magical properties and the group is forced to deal with the result of this recklessness.
Once they are free from danger, they continue their search through the area and stumble upon the ruins of a structure hundreds of years old. Engraved on this structure is the same bird symbol etched onto Eight’s plating. Teddy shares with Eight that this symbol once belonged to a prominent family from long ago.
Follow Dax @GM_Dax, Wren @ThornyDryad and Tal @Taldoz1
Transcript by Wren
Upbeat piano intro music ends [00:27]
Soft and mysterious piano music begins [00:29]
Dax: Welcome back to Roads Uncharted. Eight and Arthas are in the Wildwoods with a new friend? Enemy? We’re not sure yet, uh, named Teddy Briggs, an explorer who has been living in the Wildwoods for several months and has convinced our companions to go out and help him with some research. Now, when we last joined the group, uhm, Arthas, in his excitement, actually blew off Teddy’s roof by standing up way too quickly and the group now heads northeast. Please tell me, what are the three of you doing?
Taldoz: Teddy is routinely looking at his map and turning it over, again and again. Stopping. Spinning around, trying to get his bearings and then walking in a different direction and then coming back and walking in the other direction. While he’s doing this, he’s not looking up, because that would take his attention away from the map, but he is shouting upwards towards Arthas.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Do tell me more about yourself, my friend!
Neil (as Arthas): Well, I was exiled from, uh, from my home. On the way down, I found this.
Neil: And I hold my sword up, the end still stuck in the masonry I yanked it from.
Neil (as Arthas): Spent some time, well, wandering. And then I ran into Eight and took traveling companions.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I was wondering why your sword has a boulder on the end of it.
[A few seconds of silence].
Taldoz (as Teddy): Whoop, that’s a tree root.
Neil (as Arthas): Well, you see, if you pull a sword from a stone...then it’s, you know? Destiny: you’re a knight. I pulled the stone with it, so clearly this counts.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I feel as if logic would refute you, but I cannot find any that is refutable.
Neil (as Arthas): Exactly.
Wren (as Eight): Arthas has proven quite the connoisseur of stories and myths. He’s also very good at carrying things.
Wren: Which makes me, ask. Arthas, are you carrying Bessie, or just pulling her along?
Neil: I think I started the trip carrying Bessie and now she is walking next to me.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I should note, if anybody sees any ruins, let me know.
Wren (as Eight): Of course!
Wren: The whole time we’ve been walking, Eight has been flipping to pages in a little makeshift, scrap journal and just drawing pictures of flowers and stuff that we’ve been passing in the forest.
Wren (as Eight): When we first entered these woods, uh, I was a little preoccupied with some difficulties my other traveling companions were having. I did not give adequate attention to the flora in this area. Oh, look! A squirrel!
Wren: And I’ll start, like, drawing the squirrel.
Dax: So I will ask that at this point, um, could everyone make me a stealth check at medium difficulty.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Neil: I have one threat.
Taldoz: I have one advantage.
Wren: I also have one threat.
Dax: Okay. I asked everybody to make stealth because I know that Teddy is trying to avoid being seen by the elves because he knows that they would not be happy with what his mission is. Um, none of you failed and yet, none of you succeeded. So what I will ask is for the two players that had some threat, how would you like to use that threat. What, what does that represent in this scenario?
Wren: I would suggest that I frighten off any and all wildlife that might be nearby?
Dax: Sure, yeah.
Neil: Yeah, that makes the most sense to me if we’re sort of just like, running through the woods if there aren’t really any..any sentries or elves to catch us, just really spooking wildlife.
Dax: Alright and uh, Teddy, what would you like to use your advantage for?
Taldoz: Avoiding tree roots?
[Taldoz laughs]
Dax: Yeah, sure! Why not? Keep it easy. Teddy, how long do you lead them through the woods?
Taldoz: Probably about two hours or so, between trying to decipher my own map that I’d-I threw together haphazardly, having a general idea of where I want to go and trying to avoid tree roots and falling flat on anyone’s face. About two hours.
Dax: So I will say, for the first hour, Eight and Arthas, you hear the sounds of wildlife and bugs and birds, just as you did while you were within the city limits. And then, as the next hour starts to take hold, you start to notice the sounds slowly die down and you are once again in that deafening silence that filled the woods. That lack of life that you knew and grew so accustomed to the last couple days in your wanderings. Teddy, to you, this signals that you are well outside any protection aura that the city has set up and you are now in the Wildwoods proper.
Wren: As we’re traveling, and since it’s late, I’m assuming it starts to get pretty dark..
Dax: Yeah, if you remember when you got close to the city before you ran into the sentries: the woods were pretty close together so you had to abandon your cart and because of that, the canopy was very thick. Again, the canopy is thick. So whether it’s darkness because of the hour or it’s darkness because of how thick the trees are above, it’s difficult to tell. But yes, it is quite dark.
Wren: As it gets too dark to keep sketching and as it gets too dark for Theodore Lawrence Briggs to continue reading his map easily, I light my lantern and use that. Uh, just kind of holding it out. It’s a pretty simple hooded lantern, i-i-it illuminates pretty simply, uh, the area around us.
Dax: You gonna make another plug about how it looks like the lantern in our logo?
Wren: Of course it does! It’s the same one.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I see I am not alone in being prepared!
Wren (as Eight): When you travel the world as I do, you do realize you need to be able to see in the dark.
Wren: I just kind of lift the lantern and shine it as, uh, up ahead of us. Just kind of seeing the shadows off of the trunks and off the foliage and everything.
Wren (as Eight): [nervously] I forgot how spooky it is out here.
Neil (as Arthas): [reassuringly] Eight, believe me, there is nothing out here that can hurt us that we cannot easily hurt back.
Taldoz (as Teddy): That only adds to the atmosphere of adventure! There may be an army of angry chefs!
Neil (as Arthas): I’ve yet met a single chef who can best me and I would like to see them all try at once.
Wren: I-I just kind of put my hand down at my side and the lantern kind of droops a little bit after that comment about chefs.
Wren (as Eight): [dejectedly] I mean...I’m-I’m kind of a chef, but okay.
Neil (as Arthas): You’re better than a chef, Eight! You’re Eight!
Wren (as Eight): [emphatically] I am Eight.
Taldoz (as Teddy): [excitedly] I have yet to know anyone better than a chef at being a chef. Fascinating!
Dax: As the second hour draws to a close, Teddy, you feel this most readily. Arthas and Eight, you begin to feel...and it’s slow at first ‘cause at first you’re not really sure if you’re imagining it, maybe it’s another trick of the forest? But you start to feel this very light, almost crackling energy. Uh, Arthas, you can feel the hairs on your arms start to stand up. Eight, you feel it in the parts of your darkwood core that are exposed. Almost as if you were walking through electrified cotton. It’s tingly, but it’s got this weird feeling in the air like you’re walking through fibers. And it isn’t long before the forest becomes a little lighter, and a little lighter. And before you know it, you stand in front of this large, almost opening.
Taldoz: Now, when you say lighter, do you mean it, like, feels lighter in terms of, like, atmospheric heaviness or lighter in terms of brightness?
Wren: Or do the trees clear up?
Dax: By lighter, I mean that instead of it being dark and you needing a lantern, this eerie glow starts to creep into the air around you. And once you are standing in front of this large opening, and it’s not even really an opening, uh, imagine if you were looking at a space of nothingness in front of you, and there seemed to be this crackling energy that opens up into a opaque window. It’s very jagged looking, the edges are constantly moving with what appears to be electrical energies. That crackling feeling still dances along your skin, but now it’s coming in waves. Almost as if with every pulse of this thing, the crackling energy washes over you and then it’s gone. You do hear the sounds of, perhaps an owl -
[cat collar jingles lightly in the background]
Dax: -in the distance. Nature seems to be just on the very edges of sound.
Taldoz: Is there anything I can roll to gain more of an insight as to what we’re experiencing?
Dax: I would say a Knowledge check - forbidden knowledge - would be most well-suited for you. I’m gonna make this at hard difficulty because you have experienced this at least once before.
Taldoz: Okay.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Taldoz: I have one success and one advantage.
Dax: Alright, so with that success and the advantage; Teddy you’ve seen this at least once before. You know that this is one of those “rifts” that you’ve heard about. Now this is the first time that you’ve gotten close. The last time that you saw one out in the distance, it actually closed up relatively quickly and you weren’t able to get a good look at it. Now you are standing right up close and next to one of these, these rips in reality. And from what you can gather, it seems to be growing. Growing to the point where if it gets much bigger, you could walk through it if you wanted.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Ha haaaa! My friends, do you know what this is?!
Neil:(as Arthas): [matter-of-factly] A hole.
Taldoz (as Teddy): [with bewildered wonderment] It’s not just a hole, it’s a rift! Finally! Right in front of us and it’s growing!
Neil (as Arthas): [blankly] A rift.
Taldoz (as Teddy): [with increasing intensity] Yes! One of the things that may produce an army of angry chefs, or a dragon, or anything imaginable! Or unimaginable!
Neil: I have readied my club.
Wren: Does this rift look like...I know you said it’s crackling with energy...it’s not making any noise, like, a rumbling or anything?
Dax: No, for all intents and purposes it should be making noise, but it is not.
Wren (as Eight): Fascinating!
Wren: And for all intents and purposes this light - this energy - doesn’t look like lightning, does it?
Dax: The edges almost look like, as it’s - as it’s wavering and moving it almost looks like electrical discharge would be a little bit more accurate than lightning.
Wren: Okay, but it doesn’t do, like, sudden flashes or things like that.
Dax: No, nothing so far has come out and jumped out at Eight - at you.
Wren: Okay.
Taldoz: You said looking through it it’s like looking into a void of emptiness?
Dax: Yeah, it- it’s large enough to be like a window, but it is opaque. You can’t see anything on the other side.
Wren (as Eight): Theodore Lawrence Briggs!
Wren: And I just kind of step to your side.
Wren (as Eight): Is this what you’re looking for?
Taldoz (As Teddy): [with fever-pitched excitement] This is more than I was looking for! I was looking for a location! Maybe I could come back and see the effects of everything that these have on everything around it. But this is...it! One of them! In front of us! Growing! I’m going to stick my head in there. Wait, that’s a bad idea.
Neil (as Arthas): Hello, dragon.
Neil: I say, walking into the rift.
[Long, silent pause of surprise from all]
Dax: You’re gonna try walking into it?
Neil: Yes.
[Taldoz laughs and speaks at the same time as Neil responds]
Taldoz: No!
Dax: Okay. This thing is not large enough to be walked into just yet. I will say that, uh, if you get close enough to it, it-it is about chest level for you. Uhm, so for the other two, it is pretty high up off the ground. As you get within one range band of it, electrical discharge shoots out and smacks right dead into the-the center of your chest. And, as it does so, uh, I would like you to make a coordination check to stay on your feet, uhm, hard difficulty.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Neil: Eeeee, two failures.
Dax: 'Kay. And how much soak do you have?
Neil: Four soak.
Dax: So this thing smacks right into your chest and you can feel yourself being pushed down onto the ground. You land on your butt and you now have this stinging scorch mark in the center of your armor and you can-you can feel that..that tomorrow that’s gonna be a bruise, as you take, uh, two wounds.
[Neil lets out a single strained cough]
Neil (as Arthas): Ow.
Wren (as Eight): Arthas! Are you alright?!
Neil (as Arthas): I believe so.
Wren: And I start rushing over to-to take a look at the damage that has been caused. And I would like to attempt to do a medicine check to help muh friend.
Dax: Of course you may attempt to do so.
Wren (as Eight): Arthas, hold still. That..that needs to be treated with a little bit of salve, otherwise it might...ooh, it already smells a little funky.
Wren: Let’s see, this is going to be medicine...intellect. I’ve got two ranks-
[Sound of dice being rubbed in Wren’s hands]
Wren: So, great. And Arthas has...Two? Two wounds?
Dax: Yes.
*Wren: * Okay. So this will be an easy medicine check because it’s not more than half- of his wound threshold.
Dax: Yep-
Wren: Of his wound threshold.
Dax: Exactly.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Wren: And that’s gonna be three successes! So, um, with some dressings and some salves and just a quick, like, press of that stuff into the wound...uh, I believe with three successes I can recover those two damage.
Dax: Yes, you can.
Neil: [with a sing-song voice] Thank you.
Wren (as Eight): Arthas, your recklessness is part of your charm. But you must take care not to walk headlong into extreme danger.
Neil (as Arthas): You are correct; however, when will it be not dangerous?
Wren (as Eight): That’s a fair rebuttal. Theodore Lawrence Briggs -
Wren: And as I’m standing taking care of the wound, I look to you, Teddy.
Wren (as Eight): What. What shall we do? Do..should I sketch after I’m done dressing this wound? Should we throw something in?
Taldoz (as Teddy): I like those ideas! You sketch. I’ll throw!
[Lip smacking sound]
Wren (as Eigh): It’s settled.
Taldoz: I’m gonna find a rock. And I’m gonna take my rope and I’m gonna tie my rope around the rock and I will “yeet” the rock.
Dax: Sure. Easy enough to find a..a rock of appropriate size. And you “yeet” the rock. Just as with Arthas, once it gets within a close range band, this crackling energy extends out from beyond this thing. Um, and actually, Teddy, as you throw this rock and you’re holding onto the rope and you’re looking at this thing, this thing actually seems a bit larger since it shot out at Arthas. And as it reaches out and, um, this energy encapsulates this rock and the rope closest to the rock actually burns away. Um, the rock drops and this thing grows a little larger. And then suddenly the edges are growing and sha-shifting and changing even faster and there now is a buzzing noise that is very audible for everyone to hear. And another arm of this electric discharge shoots out to the tree closest to you and then it disappears. [Slowly with quiet intensity] And you suddenly start to hear the sound of old wood creaking.
[Dax imitates the sound of wood creaking and groaning]
Dax: You hear the sound of old wood creaking and it is extremely loud.
Soft, mysterious piano music fades out [17:25]
Dax: And you can see on the edges of your light that the tree that it struck is starting to move. I would like everyone to roll initiative.
Wren: Cool or vigilance?
Dax: Well that depends are you, uhm, are you on the lookout for what’s going on?
An urgent, frenetic string quartet begins playing [17:46]
Wren: Well, we all saw that tree get struck and heard it making creaking noises, so?
Dax: I would say that if you saw it strike the tree and you were anticipating, go ahead and roll your vigilance. Otherwise, roll cool. I imagine cool might be more appropriate ‘cause you probably were not expecting the tree to come to life when it got struck?
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Wren: That makes sense and I will roll cool.
Taldoz: I’ve got one success and two advantages.
Wren: I have two advantages.
Neil: One success.
Dax: Alright. So, guess what? The tree’s gonna go first and then it is all the PC slots. So this tree starts to move and when you turn and look and shine the light on it, you actually see that it has started to pull its roots out of the ground. And as it shifts and turns you see that the tree branches are starting to move down and this tree almost looks like a humanoid figure, very roughly, anyway. Uh, made of wood. All the branches are extending out as if this creature has several arms. It takes a step towards you. PC slot.
Neil: I’m going to hit it with my sword.
Wren: GM?
Dax: Ya?
Wren: Since I generated two advantage on my initiative check-
Dax: Ya?
Wren: Would I be able to spend those two for a maneuver to draw my hammer?
Dax: As an out-of-turn incidental?
Wren: Mhmm.
Dax: Sure. Arthas you are attacking this thing. So, I’d say that it is within one range band. So, if you’d like to make a maneuver to get into engaged range with this thing and-and then use your action to attack, yo-you most certainly may be able to.
Neil: You got it.
Dax: And I know you already said you had your sword drawn so we know you don’t have to worry about drawing it. Alright. Go ahead and make your attack roll.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Neil: One success and three advantage.
Dax: Alright, so what is the base damage on your boulder again?
Neil: Uh, it is a damage plus four.
Dax: And what’s your brawn?
Neil: Four.
Dax: Alright. So eight plus the one. Nine. Okay, so what does this attack look like? I mean, yo-you at first were dragging the sword with the boulder attached to it. Tell me what this looks like as you move up into range with this..massive tree.
Neil: Honestly just trying to bring it up from the ground through the tree. Just, uh, as hard as I can swing at this thing. It doesn’t look friendly.
Dax: Alright, yeah. Uhm, you-you swing your sword and the boulder drags along the ground and comes pulling up underneath the roots and you are able to dislocate part of the root. Uhm...before you are able to finalize your swing, so as it’s coming up through the root and you’re dislocating part of that root from the tree, you start to hear the ground underneath you tremble.
Neil: Uh oh.
Dax: And, suddenly, roots climb up from underneath you and you are now encased in this cage of roots. You are immobilized. Which means you cannot take any maneuvers and if you would like to escape from that on your next turn, we will have to do a special check for that.
Neil: Certainly!
Dax: Eight and Teddy, you have seen Arthas run up to this tree and take a swipe at it and as a result is now encased in roots.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Absolutely terrifying! And...fascinating!
Wren (as Eight): [mock yelling] Theodore Lawrence Briggs! I defer to your action!
Taldoz (as Teddy): I learned this trick back in school! [Muttering under his breath] Hopefully it works. [Mock yelling] Hello, friend!
[Dax laughs]
Dax: Okay, so what are you trying to do?
Taldoz: I’m trying to see if it’s intelligent..
Dax: Okay, so you’re using your incidental to talk to it.
Taldoz: Yes.
Dax: Okay. It might be intelligent but right now it i- it seems to just be more moving around and kind of searching along to see who all what it’s dealing with. So it does not respond.
Taldoz: Hmm, that being the case...I’m gonna-uh, look to Eight.
Taldoz (As Teddy): As far as we’re aware, it became sentient. It might be afraid! It may not be trying to kill Arthas, simply stopping him from assaulting it!
Wren (as Eight): [mock yelling] I understand!
Taldoz (as Teddy): Do you have any F-I-R-E?
Wren (as Eight): [incredulously] Now is not the time for spelling!
Dax: Uh, I will say that that is probably as much as you can do with an incidental so-
Taldoz: Yeah-
Dax: If you’d like to make any actions or maneuvers, otherwise, it is Eight’s turn.
Taldoz: Uh, s-s-I’m gonna.. just gonna move a little bit further away, an-and try and just keep my eye on it. And that’s it.
Dax: Okay. So move one range band backwards?
Taldoz: Yeah, I’m gonna move one range band backwards and just keep my eye on it to see if I can...uhhhhhhh, I guess gather it’s intent? Aside from “smash”.
Dax: Sure! Okay. Eight?
Wren: Well, my new best friend, Theodore Lawrence Briggs has imparted a curious thought to me in-in the heat of the moment. And I would love to employ, uh, this tactic. And I also would like to size up this newly sentient tree. Uh, I would like to use my heroic ability to psychic scan? And I would like to spend a story point to do so, because I need to. And I would love to do the empowered version? So, primarily I can read the current thoughts and emotional state of creatures of my choice within medium range. I choose the tree. Does the tree have thoughts?
Dax: Alright, uh, so what does this psychic scan look like?
Wren: Ah, yes. So, after Theodore Lawrence Briggs takes a step back. Or, several steps back, and I nod in agreement with the thought that perhaps this tree is frightened because it has suddenly been gifted with the thought of “Hey, I can do stuff. And I can think and act on my own! What is this?!” And, I feel that. Deep in my..my bones. And I turn and look and see Arthas in this root tendril cage and for a moment my eyes flash red, because Arthas is in trouble and that’s no good. But for that brief moment I remember:
Wren (as Eight): This tree could be struggling with newfound life.
Wren: And my lenses kind of dim to the point where they look like they’re squinting in concentration? Uh, of course I can’t actually squint, but I’m just focused on the tree. And holding the lantern in one hand and my hammer in the other, Theodore Lawrence Briggs, you would see Eight simply standing there motionless, essentially. And after a few seconds, you’d probably see a faint purple aura emanating from their head and just kind of going out in waves towards this tree. Just kind of in all directions. And, uh, as this purple energy kind of strikes against the tree, um, it kind of breaks like a wave against rock. Except in this case it’s purple against a trunk. And that purple energy would impart the emotional state and/or thought capacity of the tree to me in my head without me really understanding how.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Have you tried offering it a piece of bread?
Dax: And you’re trying to determine if the tree is intelligent and what is going on it’s head?
Wren: Yup. Any current thoughts or emotional state.
Dax: Okay. You send out this scan and as soon as the waves start to reach this tree you start to get flashes in your brain of ‘attack’, ‘protect’, ‘pain’, ‘protect’. And the words just keep repeating over and over and the words are very, um, not necessarily gravelly but very deep and almost as if they are coming from the depths of the earth themselves.
Wren: I call out to Theodore Lawrence Briggs.
Wren (as Eight): This tree seems to be given one simple task: “protect”. And it seems to be doing that at any cost, despite the pain. I do not believe there is any way we can reason with this.
Dax: And with that we go to the top of the round. Uh, this tree now shifts and takes one more step and it is now very close to you, Eight. And you see three of the limbs reeeeach back and f-come down to take a swipe at you.
Wren: I would like to dodge? So as an incidental out-of-turn I would like to suffer two strain. I’m going to upgrade the difficulty of it’s combat check twice.
Dax: Alright. So you’re taking the dodge, it’s going to upgrade the difficulty twice.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Dax: Eight, what’s your soak?
Wren: I’m sitting on a lovely four.
[Sound of breathing in]
Dax: This tree has these three arms it rears back and the next thing you know, it i- they are all three pounding into your body and you are going to take nine wounds, as you are pushed and swiped across the forest floor.
Wren: And that is after soak?
Dax: That is after soak.
Wren: Oh God. I try to dodge, but I just get hammered by all these limbs, apparently.
Wren (as Eight): Ow. Ow. Ow!
Taldoz (as Teddy): He is very fast, for a tree!
Dax: Alright. So, Teddy and Arthas, you can see this tree come down with its-its limbs and at the end result you see Eight, kind of, go skidding across the forest floor. Next PC slot.
Neil (as Arthas): I would like to free myself.
Dax: Alright. So if you would like to do that, uh, you can make an Athletics check at hard difficulty. So three purple.
[Sounds of dice rolling]
Neil: Two advantage and one failure.
Dax: Okay. You’re unable to free yourself. The, uh, roots are a little more hardy than you probably imagined they would be. How would you like to spend your advantages?
Neil: By using whatever writhing I can to distract the tree from anyone else.
Dax: I’m thinking, maybe, you are yelling out to the tree to try and get its attention and in doing so, that allows the next PC to have a boost die?
Neil: Sure.
Dax: Okay. Next PC slot.
Taldoz: Okay, having seen everything that has transpired, Theodore Lawrence Briggs makes his way to his brand new friend, Eight. I would like to pick Eight up and...
Dax: What are you thinking?
Taldoz: I’m thinking of trying to do a quick patch-up of some of Eight’s wounds? Because that sounded like it hurt a lot.
Wren: Mechanical thing: Eight cannot be healed in the same way as a normal character can.
[Lip smacking sound]
Wren: So it would have to be...Medicine doesn’t work. It would be mechanics.
Dax: So, a maneuver to get to Eight. You could, if you wanted to try, I’d probably put a little bit of duress on the mechanics check if that is something you still wanted to do or you’re more than welcome to try something else.
Taldoz: I’m gonna still try an-and do the mechanics check to, uh, help Eight. That, that seems like the most, uh, prudent thing to do at the moment.
Wren: I have suffered more than half of my wounds.
Taldoz (as Teddy): By the stars you appear to be very, very injured!
Dax: So that means more than half the wound threshold so that’s gonna be a medium difficulty.
Taldoz: ‘Kay, and do I still get the boost die from...?
Dax: Yup.
Taldoz: Alright, let’s roll the die-
[Sounds of dice rolling]
[Taldoz makes unintelligible, surprised garbling]
Taldoz: Okay! Four successes. One threat. Holy jee- ha ha ha!
Dax: Teddy, what does this look like?
Taldoz: So, Teddy, seeing Eight kind of, banged up and I guess the only way to really describe it is bruised...dented. Um, is going to kinda take out, uh, his, uh, dagger, uh, but keep the sheathe on it? And he’s going to, kind of, smack some of the, uh, the, like, bulging out parts a little bit flatter. Um, then trying, uh, use his own, uh, like stuff that’s nearby, like, uh, um, like, uh, like tree fiber to tie parts of Eight that seem a little loose a bit tighter.
Taldoz (as Teddy): It’s not much, but it will do!
Dax: E-Eight, this is probably the first person you have met that has known anything about how to help you out without you telling them first.
Wren (as Eight): Ooh, that’s...surprisingly soothing. Thank you!
Taldoz (as Teddy): Knowledge is power and power right now is very much needed!
Wren (as Eight): I agree!
Wren: And that would put us to another PC slot?
Dax: Yup. Last PC slot.
Wren: And that would be me. As I kinda like..lean up from the..the, uh, position on the forest floor. I let go of my hammer and I hold out my wrist..er, my hand. I hold out my hand with my wrist up and I kind of flick my hand forward and a little compartment on the underside of my wrist pops up and a wooden spoon shoots out and catch it in my hand. Theodore Lawrence Briggs you see my eyes go, like a deep, blood red...because I’m mad. And as I hold the spoon, I level it at the tree creature. And I mutter to myself,
Wren (as Eight): Hopefully the forest doesn’t mess this up.
Wren: And I’m going to cast an attack spell and, hopefully, a streaking energy of fire will..will shoot out and I would like to... first I’ll ask: how-how far away is the tree creature from me? Short range, now? After I got bumped?
Dax: Yea.
Wren: Or is it engaged with me?
Dax: No, it’s..it’s short range.
Wren: I would like to, uh, give it the...I-I’ll give it the fire quality. Yeah, I’ll give it the fire quality and make it an average check. Ummm, so. Magic spell! It’s keyed off of my intellect. So I’ve got three green and I have arcana ranks two so that makes it two yellow. Cool.
Wren: So, the spoon glows with a little bit of crackling arcane energy-
[The whole time the sound of dice being rubbed in Wren’s hands is heard]
[Sound of dice rolling]
Wren: -as I level it at the-ooh. I’m left with a Triumph, which is nice. Uh, because I will use it to trigger the burn quality, which has a rating equal to my..knowledge..skills? Which, I only have one rank in Lore, so it’s gonna be one burning damage. But the damage itself is going to be intellect, plus one, plus my magic wand implement of plus three. So that’s gonna be seven damage before soak.
Dax: Don’t forget to suffer your two strain because you cast a spell.
Wren: Yep.
Dax: This spoon is laid out and you see a blast of fiery energy shoot towards the tree and it hits dead on and the head of the tree starts to crackle as some of the leaves catch fire. You are successful and the spell did do exactly what you wanted it to.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I’m not sure if I’m impressed or terrified.
Dax: ¿Por qué no los dos?
[Dax laughs]
Wren (as Eight): That’s exactly what this is for!
Dax: The tree now turns to Teddy, who is close by, and reaches down and tries to pick you up.
Wren: The tree would take the burn damage on it’s turn. So it would take another sssssssssix damage.
Dax: Before soak?
Wren: Yes.
Dax: Done. Thank you very much. So Teddy, this thing is reaching down...it looks like to pick you up, ‘cause it’s certainly not pulling its arm back to attack like it did with Eight.
[Sound of cat meowing in background]
Taldoz (as Teddy): Okay, hi there!
Wren (as Eight): Theodore Lawrence Briggs! Be careful!
Dax: Are you gonna try to dodge it or are you just gonna let it happen?
[Dax laughs]
Taldoz: I am mostly curious. This is probably going to hurt!
Dax: So the tree reaches down and you can feel this massive hand, like, it’s not really a hand, but let’s just say it’s a hand for all intents and purposes. All of this wood is now curling around you and you can feel the heft of it. You can smell the old and ancient wood that makes up this creature. Once it wraps its little limbs around you it pulls you up. Higher and higher and higher until you are at... what could be construed as its face? It’s got a few knots in a very particular distinct fashion. Then this jagged crack opens up in the trunk and you hear:
[Dax’s voice has been modulated to sound like a deep, rumbling voice for this next line]
Dax (as the tree): What...are you doing...in my forest?
Taldoz (as Teddy): Ha ha! I knew it!
Dax: At this point, it is a PC slot. So..
[Lip smacking sound]
Taldoz: Uhhhh, I would like to, kind of. Uh, is like any of my hands, er, arms free?
Dax: Yeah, I’ll-I’ll say you had your hands free. Kinda like picked you up underneath the arms and...
Taldoz: I’m gonna hold, as best as I can, like a.. like a stop sign towards Eight. Because I’m not sure if Eight could hear it.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Merely exploring my very tall, very remarkably fascinating, friend! I am Theodore Lawrence Briggs, an explorer. A seeker of knowledge! And you are absolutely amazing!
Dax: Any actions that you’d like to try and do?
Taldoz: Could I...? ‘Cause it...
[Taldoz sighs]
Taldoz: This is where I-I’m a little, like, torn. ‘Cause it seems like it-it’s willing to talk. Um, but could I potentially use a...try and get it to-to kinda calm down further? ‘Cause it seems like it’s willing to talk now. At the very least it’s curious. I’m not sure if there’s anything I could do to further convince it that we don’t really want to hurt it.
[Lip smacking noise]
Dax: I mean I s- the only thing I could think of is that if you want to make one of your social skill checks and consider that part of what you were saying when you were calling it ‘fascinating’ and calling it ‘friend’. That’s the only thing I can think of?
Taldoz: That’s all I can think of, too. Um, yeah, we’ll..we’ll go ahead and do that.
Wren: Like you’re trying to charm the tree?
Taldoz: Er, not charm it, but….yes.
[Taldoz laughs]
Dax: So go ahead and make that a hard difficulty.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Taldoz: Okay, I have two successes and three threats.
Dax: What would you like to use your threats for? Do you wanna take some strain? Do you want to...I mean, not that anybody really does, but I think you can add a setback to the next check?
Taldoz: I actually would like to take some strain. Uhm..being picked up is a bit strenuous. It’s a bit stressful, so...
[Taldoz laughs]
Dax: Sure. I will say, at your words, the tree softens up its grip just a little bit and it does appear to be pausing. Uhh, next PC slot.
Wren: Arthas, if you would like to attempt to break out, I will defer to you.
Neil: I would like to enter a rage and then break out.
Dax: Alright. So are you gonna try and attack the roots, then? So, you can either try and attack because that would be an action and it’s a maneuver you would have to spend in order to get out of the roots. Or you could try and do the athletics check and get the boost from the rage.
Neil: I’ll try for the athletics check.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Neil: I have two successes and a threat.
Dax: So, I will..I will say for the threat go ahead and take a strain and you are able to break out of the roots.
Neil: Okay.
Dax: So, Arthas you are free. The-the roots around you immediately break and disintegrate and crumble around you. Uhh, yo-you stand there a free Giant-Kin.
Neil: I would like tooooo gain a strain to give my weapon the auto-fire quality so that I may make an extra attack.
Dax: So if you wanna spend the strain and make the attack, because you did not attack the roots, right? To get out of them?
Neil: Correct.
Dax: Go ahead and make your attack.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Neil: Uh, two successes and advantage.
Wren: A single advantage?
Neil: One single advantage.
Wren: Which, unfortunately is not enough to trigger auto-fire.
Neil: Aw, darn.
Dax: Yeah, which is fine. I mean, you still get your normal attack. So...how much success? You said two success?
Neil: Correct.
Dax: Okay. And this is your sword club. Arthas, what does this attack look like?
Neil: Uh, after I freed myself from these roots, just rushing up to the trunk and continuing my, uhhhh, well, my assault. Just trying to chop through this tree as quickly as I can.
Dax: So I will say that this attack is going to bring it down. If there is any way you would like to describe your final attack on this tree?
Neil: I am deeply tempted to yell ‘timber’ before I do it.
Dax: Do it.
Urgent, frenetic string quartet fades out at [41:10]
Neil (as Arthas): Timbeeeeeer!
Neil: And then I swing.
Dax: Alright.
Somber piano music fades in at [41:14]
Dax: And as you do, as that club and the boulder attached, the sword and the s-the boulder attached to it slam into the trunk, um, just pieces of wood go flying. It splinters. Teddy you suddenly start to feel the ground is coming closer and closer and closer as the tree is falling. I will- I will say that you are encased in this tree’s grip enough that when the tree lands, you do not also land with it. The downside is that you are now surrounded by this tree’s, uh, essentially, hand. And we are out of initiative. You have defeated the creature.
Neil: Woop woop!
Wren: I scramble up from my..my back. I kind of, like, turn over, get on my knees and then push up. Flick the spoon back in my wrist. Stow my hammer. And rush over to Theodore Lawrence Briggs and offer my hand.
Wren (as Eight): Theodore, are you okay?
Taldoz (as Teddy): [cupping his hands to sound muffled] Hello? Is anybody out there? I appear to be surrounded by tree-
Wren (as Eight): So you would be. Just a moment! I will help get you out!
Neil: I would like to walk over and lift said tree up.
Dax: Yeah, so, picture..picture as if Theodore had been picked up by a large wooden hand and this..this hand is still encasing him in, like, a cage.
Wren: It’s, like, surrounding his body, right? ‘Cause it’s..
Neil: I would like to grip said fingers of the hand and start to snap.
Dax: If Arthas is n- is doing it, I-I definitely would think there probably wouldn’t be too much difficulty left to it. Um, so yeah, we’ll just forego the check for this. And, uh, you are able to pry out a couple of fingers for Teddy to escape.
Wren (as Eight): It appearssssss...that it has been reduced to kindling.
Wren: And I kinda poke it with my foot.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Well that settles that. Is it dead? A terrible tragedy, a shame.
Wren (as Eight): It spoke!
Taldoz (as Teddy): [Morosely] It did but...it was intelligent. It was curious and it wanted to know what we were doing here. I have never been more disappointed in being right.
Wren (as Eight): It is a shame. If only its curious nature wasn’t rivaled in intensity with its...
Wren: And I kind of run a hand on the dents on my plates.
Wren (as Eight): ..violent nature, we might have been able to reach some sort of mutual understanding.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I don’t believe it was a violent nature, merely-
[Taldoz Sighs]
Taldoz (as Teddy): -merely a desire to see the things it cared about kept safe.
Wren (as Eight): What was so important that it had to protect?
Taldoz (as Teddy): The only thing I can think of is...Yes.
Wren: I look around. Up at the trees and to the forest floor and around at the splintered remains of the tree and shake my head.
Wren (as Eight): I see... Yes…
Wren: And I kinda.. hold out the lantern. Are there any, like, stone ruins or anything?
[Cat meowing in the background]
Wren: Or anything out of the ordinary?
Dax: Yes there are! Um, so just beyond where the tree emerged from, this gaping hole now in the earth and you can see a few roots are sticking out from the dirt. Beyond that, are what appear to be a cluster of stones and when you get close to examine them, you can see that they appear to be the remains of a foundation of some sort of building.
Wren (as Eight): Theodore! Theodore Lawrence Briggs, over here! Look!
Wren: And as I shine the lantern, it kinda catches some of the stone and you see that, like, all shh catches the light differently than the rest of the forest.
Wren (as Eight): It appears to be some sort of structure!
Taldoz (as Teddy): I never! You have a wonderful eye, Eight.
Wren (as Eight): Thank you! (Mo)-ther always said that I had a knack for noticing things. Do you suppose that there’s something beneath the forest floor?
Taldoz (as Teddy): It is entirely possible. Although you seem to be a bit worse for wear. I would recommend that we find rest, at least for the time being.
Wren (as Eight): Well, um...
[Lip smacking sound]
Wren (as Eight): While I can’t deny I’m in worse shape than I’ve been in a while...in the pursuit of knowledge there is never time to rest!
Taldoz (as Teddy): Bully for you!
Wren: DM, would it be possible to, uh, examine for like, an entrance into this foundation?
Dax: I will say that it- there are no entrances. It is literally just like if you were to come across what is left of, like, a house from over two hundred years ago. You’ve got just a few stones that are placed-
Wren: Mm-
Dax: In an obvious building shape. Uhh, but even the floor has rotted away-
Wren: Mmm-
Dax: And there is, you know, you can kind of see where a door maybe used to be. It’s that kind of-
Wren: Okay. ‘Kay, so it’s.. it’s literally, like..ruins in the forest. Okay. Uhm, alright. If there are any symbols or anything that are visible, I’ll just go about and set, like, sketching them. And doing like a rudimentary, uh, sketch of what the building shape might have been and just, kind of, using the lantern and, like, sketching from memory as..as I just kind of look around, while we rest.
Dax: Sure. Uhm, I will say that there are- is a symbol that you do find. It is the same symbol of the bird that graces your plating.
Taldoz: Uhm, may I attempt to do something similar and, uh, try and get a layout of, uh, the…uh layout?
[Taldoz chuckles]
Taldoz: Of-
Dax: Sure.
Taldoz: Of the ruins? And try and see if, uh, there’s anything, like, I can piece together, like, what...maybe what it was at one point based on just the overall layout and stuff?
Dax: Sure. I will say since you are, uhm, you are definitely trying to piece together more of what this building was as opposed to just glancing over what’s on the stones. Uhh..why don’t you make aaaaaa...would you prefer adventuring or lore knowledge check?
Taldoz: I think adventuring might be a little bit more apt for this one?
Dax: Sure. Uhh, go ahead and make it medium difficulty.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Taldoz: Apparently I’m really good at adventuring knowledge things. Uh, four successes and two threats.
Dax: Alright, how would you like to use your threats?
Taldoz: Maybe I knock something over. Uhhh, kind of further deteriorate the site a little bit.
[Chair creaks in background]
Taldoz: Uh, trying my best to uh, get a, uh, an example of what this was. Trying to climb up on something, I slipped a little bit and knocked over some rocks to make it a little bit harder to discern what it was at first.
Dax: Sure. Sure. I like that. I think that’s-that’s an excellent suggestion. Um, you study the way that the few remaining stones are set up in this foundation and even though you might have knocked over a couple of rocks and changed how they looked you- you are eventually able to kind of roughly place them where they were? You kind of get the sense from this structure that, uh, it’s definitely not made by the Kinder-Kai. And based on the deterioration, it probably is from way back, maybe even before the War of the Seven Hells, with how old this thing is. Uh, it looks to have been maybe once a home? Arthas, what are you doing while Eight and Teddy are concerning themselves with the..the bunches of rocks that you found?
Neil: Very much keeping my eyes open for any other weird trees that get any funny ideas.
Dax: Alright, why don’t you do me a favor and, uh, make me a vigilance check and go ahead and make it at medium difficulty.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Neil: One single threat.
Dax: What do you suppose this threat looks like?
Neil: Uhhhh, every other tree in this forest being a potential target.
Dax: Right, yeah. Um..
[Dax clears throat lightly]
Dax: Why don’t we say that you take a strain. Um, you have never seen trees come to life and now you’re anticipating that every other tree could potentially come to life, like you suggested. Uh, you are now, uh, on edge. You are expecting everything else to now jump up and attack you. It’s a little stressful, even for you. Alright. So Arthas is keeping a watchful eye out for trees or other things that might be lurking in the woods.
Taldoz (as Teddy): Have you found anything, Eight?
Wren (as Eight): No-
Dax: Carry on.
Wren: Nothing beyond just...Do you suppose…you suppose this was?
Taldoz (as Teddy): Well, based on the age of some of the stones and some of the erosion? This, uh, site is, at the very least, at the very least, 400 years old. Probably older!
Taldoz: And I kind of point my finger to one of the corners.
Taldoz (as Teddy): The way it’s set up around there, uh, very common for, uh, most household dwellings. Uh, whether this was a home for someone of import or a home for common folk? I honestly do not know. It is my best guess that this was at some point, someone’s home.
Wren (as Eight): Fascinating. And to think, it now harbored an angry tree spirit. If this was a dwelling, why would the tree feel the need to protect it?
Taldoz (as Teddy): That is indeed a very good question. My first, initial thought was, since we saw how much pain those, uh, discharges could cause. That the creature was born from pain and thus thought it, and the surroundings, was under attack. But seeing this here? I’m unsure. It could very well be a holdover from years long gone.
Wren (as Eight): Do you suppose the energy discharge...the... tear? That you called it? Was here by coincidence?
Taldoz (as Teddy): In my experience, there is no such thing as coincidence. Now, the exact reasoning for why it is here, there...I have no answer for. Could have been many things. It could have been simply a..a build-up of energies on some far-away plane, caused it to happen here. Could have been the result of something done long ago before the War of the Seven Hells, that simply finally released. Many, many different options. But I do not believe it to be coincidence as we would commonly refer to them, as, uh, anyway.
Wren (as Eight): Do you suppose we should linger here? Or should we head back into the town?
Taldoz (as Teddy): I feel as though that would be the safest option. Therefore, the only option I have is to take another look around for any runes, or markings, or sigils.
Wren (as Eight): I’ll come with you.
Wren: And I hold up the lantern and just follow behind you.
Dax: I won’t make you make a check. I will say, that on this, what is left of this particular building, other than that one marking that I noted to you, Eight, there are no other runes or sigils either on or near the building.
Wren: Okay, I thought I had heard you say something. You said the sigil was like the bird on my armor.
Dax: Yup.
Wren: Okay. That’s...that’s what I thought I heard. But, for some reason it didn’t click for a second. Aaa-as we’re looking around I’ll kind of shine the light on that. You-you see my head turn as I stop and stare. And I get the lantern closer and I move closer, and my blue cloak just kind of hangs down over my shoulder as I lean in.
Wren (as Eight): Theodore...Theodore Lawrence Briggs, look at this. Do..do you see this? This marking!
Taldoz (as Teddy): It is a bird.
Wren (as Eight): Not just any bird.
Wren: And, uh, I lift up my cloak and point to a small etching that’s carved into one of my plates that matches the figure of the bird that’s carved into the wall. Um, it looks like a long-legged bird with a thin, long pointed beak. Umm..in-in plain terms it’s basically like, uh, an Ibis. And I point it out and then point back to the wall.
Wren (as Eight): These are identical.
Taldoz: What can I roll to see if I know anything about this marking? ‘Cause I know that I have, um, magic skills with runes, but...
Dax: You could roll some-
Taldoz: Okay.
Dax: Lore.
Taldoz: I’ll do that.
Dax: You could roll some lore.
Taldoz: Looooorrre, got that. Uhhhh, and what difficulty?
Dax: Go ahead and make it easy difficulty.
Taldoz: I’m okay with that.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Taldoz: Uh, so three successes.
Dax: You have seen this marking once before and it was while you were still in your hometown; however, you have no idea why this sigil would be up so far north. There is legend of a town that existed long ago down somewhere in the Southern half of the continent where you all are now.
[Lip smacking sound]
Dax: Nobody really knows what happened. Or, at least, nobody where you’re from really knows what happened to the town. It-it’s almost as if it just disappeared from the map. That symbol itself was a representation of the ruling family that of, uh, at the time that it disappeared.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I need to check one of my books. I definitely need to check one of my books. I know this sigil. I saw this only once before. Back in Arcwall...we should get back to town. I can check my books there.
Wren (as Eight): You’ll have to tell me what you know.
Taldoz (as Teddy): My memory is vague on the details, but...If my memory serves, this was the sigil of a very prominent family at some point in the past. Um, it should be in...oh, it’s going to be in the brown one. Um, it’s either going to be inside “A History of Noble Families” or it’s going to be inside “The Mysteries of the Past”. One of those books. It’s going to be in there. The story is in one of those. I guarantee it!
Wren (as Eight): We have no time to lose! Well I mean, nothing but time, but... well, you and Arthas aren’t getting any younger.
Neil (as Arthas): I certainly hope not!
Dax: Speaking of Arthas.
[Dax chuckles]
Dax: Um, Arthas, make me another vigilance check.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Neil: Success.
Dax: You can hear Teddy rambling something about noble families and books and things while he is talking to Eight. And then, as you are looking out into the trees, you start to hear voices. They’re very low at first, but you can tell that they appear to be from some of the elves. You know that your time has run up here and you need to get back to the village.
Neil: Well I just suppose I’ll just start bee-lining to the village.
Dax: Are you gonna say anything to your companions or are you just going to start walking back?
[Dax chuckles]
Neil (as Arthas): I get the feeling that our time here is up and we have to go back to the village.
Neil: I’m going to leave out the part where a voice told me these things.
Taldoz: Um, just before we start heading back, uh Teddy is going to stop by the now dead, uh, tree-thing-man. And, uh-
[Taldoz takes a deep breath]
Taldoz: -kind of do his best to, I guess, the closest thing is-is the whole, um, like, close their eyes after death? And, uh, he’s going to just whisper,
Taldoz (as Teddy): However long or short your mission was, you did well in protecting your land. Rest easy, my new friend.
Taldoz: And then move out.
Dax: Everyone make a stealth check for me and make it at medium difficulty as you get closer to-don't, don’t shake your head, Wren. Uhm, as you get closer to the elven city.
[Sound of dice rolling]
Neil: One success.
Taldoz: I have two advantages and one failure.
Wren: I have two threat.
Dax: Okay. Oddly enough, Arthas is the, uh, stealthiest out of all three of you. Eight, how would you like to spend your threat?
Wren: I feel like the anticipation of knowing what that symbol is, is probably just wearing on me and, uh, I’ll just take two strain if that’s okay?
Dax: Sure. Teddy, you failed with style. What does this look like?
Taldoz: Since Teddy was kind of the last one to leave, he’s hurrying up to catch up to everyone. In doing so, I, uh, miss, uh, one of those damned tree roots. And I end up tripping and stumbling forward. But in doing so I end up doing a somersault and then just standing up very-
Dax: Sure.
Taldoz (as Teddy): I meant to do that!
Dax: Three of you get closer and closer to the village and, um, at first everything seems to be going just fine. And you’re almost to Teddy’s house, without it’s roof, and you hear a voice behind you.
Dax (as Mira): Teddy, I thought we talked about this.
Dax: And there stands Mira in her light blue robes. And that is where we are ending the session.
Somber piano music fades out at [1:00:48]
Dax: Thanks for listening! We hope you’ll join us next time, but in the interim, follow us on Twitter @Roadsuncharted. The “Roads Uncharted” podcast is GMed and produced by Dax using the Genesys roleplaying system published by Fantasy Flight Games. You can follow me on Twitter @GM_Dax.
Eight is played by Wren, who also composed the music for our opening theme. Follow them on Twitter @ThornyDyad.
Arthas, Champion of Offam, was played by Neil.
And Teddy Briggs is played by our guest, Tal. Follow him on Twitter @Taldoz1 and check out his art.