2025-9-11 — Akasha

Cedric:Yo, yo, yo.

Cedric:So at work, I've been using, we have chat GPT cleared.

Cedric:We have other APIs, but we can actually use the web chat.

Krod:GPT-5 is?

Cedric:And it is just so much worse than the latest Gemini.

Cedric:It's just, yeah, it's so crazy to me how it just can't answer questions.

Cedric:the same way Gemini... I have to, like, prompt the fuck out of it.

Krod:Oh, probably because they have the router stuff.

Cedric:But Gemini's been... We've been using... I used to use routers while in Gemini a long time.

Cedric:Maybe that's why they flesh it out better.

Cedric:But it's, uh... But even when it does long thinking, like, it doesn't... It fucks up pollers.

Cedric:Like, consistently.

Krod:oh so you have to prompt it like find polar's documentation before you attempt this please

Cedric:Polars aren't in its environment, but figure it out.

Cedric:Fucking figure it out.

Cedric:Yeah, and it'll still send me things and I'm like, this does not work.

Cedric:And they're like, oh, it doesn't work because of this.

Cedric:And it says it doesn't work.

Cedric:When it says it doesn't work, it's like it's telling me I'm wrong.

Cedric:It's like, yeah, why would DigiWizard use and things like that?

Cedric:I'm like, you're the one who wrote this.

Cedric:Stop being so fucking aggressive.

Krod:What are you doing in Polars?

Cedric:Anything in pandas, I do in polars now.

Krod:No, I mean, but what sort of operations?

Krod:Is it complicated group buy shit?

Cedric:All of it.

Krod:Um...

Cedric:I do group buys.

Cedric:I do...

Cedric:Everything.

Cedric:It's interesting, I will say.

Cedric:I like the typeness of Polars, but I do think... I mean, obviously I know Pandas inside and out, but I do feel like it's a little bit of a smoother API.

Cedric:Sometimes there are things in Polars I'm like, oh, why does it have to be so fucking annoying?

Cedric:But...

Krod:It is, like, way too verbose.

Krod:Like, the way they have to type shit out.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:But it's rust, that's why.

Krod:Yeah, well, the issue... My main issue with Polars is, like, it does do some stuff better than Pandas, but, like, if you were to open up, like...

Cedric:I was going to say, it's like rust, but that is why.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Polars 100x or whatever, and you look up some tutorial, it's someone writing bad pandas.

Krod:Someone who's experienced with pandas can get just about as fast as Polars on anything that's not parallelizable.

Cedric:So yeah.

Krod:This one guy on my team is like... He pushed for Polars, which I'm fine with.

Krod:Polars is fine.

Krod:I don't mind using it.

Krod:But...

Krod:he keeps doing these anti joints.

Krod:He like loves using joints.

Krod:So anytime someone has to do a simple column filtering, someone will do like a group by, and then like an equal.

Krod:And it's just like, just do just make an iterable and check if it's in the iterable.

Krod:It's like super, super easy to do this, this hashed filtering, but he does anti joins.

Krod:And then.

Krod:shit breaks because anti-joins are fragile and it's like well it's quicker because the code is optimized for joints and not for filtering and then i ran an experiment and it is if you have three or more cores which none zero of our processes have more than three have three or more the most is two and so like there's it's it's just slower and it's it breaks everything

Gamemaster:Nope.

Cedric:So the reason I use pollers is because Deseret has a, well, they have two, but basically an internal distributed computing framework.

Cedric:So that one, the way it's bread and butter that a lot of people do it is basically, it's not like another one of those streaming libraries that let you serialize and deserialize easier.

Cedric:It's way more just like,

Cedric:writing files, honestly, and reading files.

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:So I really liked the inherent type support that it has.

Cedric:I know I can get that with Pandas, but it felt better for me to do when I have a lot of weird lists of strings and things like that.

Cedric:It felt better in Polars, and then IPC files just felt better.

Cedric:That was the main reason.

Krod:No, no, you're correct.

Krod:Pandas typing is awful.

Krod:It's the worst.

Cedric:Yeah, yeah, that's just why.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:The issue with Polar's typing, it's very good.

Krod:If you're just using it, you're like, oh, it's fine.

Krod:It's very good.

Krod:If you look into Polar's, Polar's uses Arrow as its back end to have the dated memory.

Cedric:Well...

Krod:But it uses Polar's Arrow, which is a different thing than Arrow Arrow, which is different than Arrow 2.

Krod:So Polar's branched off of original Arrow.

Krod:Arrow 2 branched off of original Arrow.

Krod:Arrow original is used if you have an old Arrow version.

Krod:If you have a new Arrow version, it's Arrow 2.

Krod:If you have Polar's, it's Polar's Arrow, which is not the same as Arrow 2.

Krod:So they all have good type systems by themselves.

Krod:They do not have good type systems.

Krod:They're still good at interoperability, but it's a mess what they did with Arrow.

Cedric:Yeah, and I know if I want to convert a panda's data frame to a polar's data frame, I need to download Arrow.

Krod:Yeah.

Krod:Oh, yeah, 100%.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:What I will say, what I have been... It's a little bit of a weird learning curve, but internally we have a thing called Garden, which is just like...

Cedric:Anaconda meets NPM.

Cedric:Really good version locking for everything.

Krod:Oh, OK.

Cedric:But what is nice is when you pass these environment.shs that loads it, it always fucking works, if it loads.

Cedric:So if it doesn't load, it's because you're running on an op.

Cedric:They're now porting over from CentOS 7 to Rocky 9.

Cedric:But I know my pandas, my numpy, my polars,

Cedric:other person's repos across the company, I know it's gonna fucking work.

Cedric:If it worked once, it's always gonna work.

Cedric:It was really nice in that regard.

Krod:Yeah, having a locked environment is so nice.

Krod:The fact that we don't have a locked environment is... Because it's like 6 o'clock during some prod thing, and it's like, oh, this job is failing.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:And it's like, oh, why is this failing?

Krod:And then it's like, oh, an update was pushed at 3 p.m.

Krod:today, and some build of prod picked it up and then started...

Krod:started using code that broke everything it's like cool have we considered locking have we have we made oh no no because if we if we do that then uh we prefer to have packages update and get the latest because they're usually faster it's like wow gotcha gotcha we just want to live in agony

Cedric:Google invested a lot into infrastructure to be able to not lock, necessarily, and there's still some areas where it gets locked.

Cedric:Like servers, we have a daily build, a weekly build, whatever it is for the binaries.

Cedric:But everything else, whatever's on the model repo.

Mickey:Thank you.

Krod:Yeah, but Polars is nice.

Krod:The only thing that I see in Polars is people that had no appreciation or ability in Pandas going to use Polars and then me finding their bugs.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Like, oh, I rewrote this flattened categorical operation from pandas into pollers.

Krod:And it's like, it doesn't work.

Krod:You need to do better when you're using pollers.

Krod:Or we use lazy pollers a lot of places.

Krod:So it's like the API will have some lazy data frame sitting somewhere.

Cedric:Ah.

Krod:An API request will come in.

Krod:It'll hit 10 transformations and then return some subset of the data.

Krod:So it's very nice to use lazy.

Krod:But then they introduced some operation in the middle of the lazy thing that, like, it's like, I don't know, poking a fucking butterfly before it leaves the chrysalis.

Krod:Like, you have this just metamorphic goop of, like, new being in progress, and then you poke it, and it just fucking breaks on the end.

Krod:So you don't actually see the error until it's at the end, and then Polar's is like, hey, here's the sequel, pseudo-sequel we were writing to do that on the data you gave us, and this is where it broke.

Krod:And then you have to figure out that someone fucked up a type or something.

Krod:Yeah, there's a lot of shit that doesn't work in my repo if you give it an empty data frame.

Cedric:you

Krod:Like, the null input test just doesn't work.

Krod:And I had to introduce them to Panda's result type reduce.

Krod:And they're like, what does this do?

Krod:And I'm like, that's crazy.

Krod:If you apply it to a data frame, or if you apply it to a single column, it returns the column instead of the whole data frame if it's empty.

Krod:And they're like, oh.

Krod:I'm like, yeah.

Krod:The fuck you guys doing?

Cedric:I had a funny meeting with her HR, like this lady who's like in HR-ish thing.

Mickey:Uh oh.

Cedric:She's running the mentor program and I have a mentor I've been meeting with, right?

Cedric:She's asking how it's going.

Cedric:She was then asking me detailed questions about my project and then like the other ML projects.

Cedric:And I was like, oh yeah, she's really going in and she's writing a bunch of notes.

Cedric:And then one of them, she's like, why is this ML project called Pikmin?

Cedric:And I was just like, I don't know.

Cedric:I just assumed that was just name of the model or something like that.

Cedric:Do you know why?

Cedric:She's like, oh, no, I don't know anything about these projects.

Cedric:Peter and Soft keep us really close to the chest.

Cedric:And I was like, what?

Cedric:Did I just tell the villain?

Cedric:Like, why aren't they telling you things?

Mickey:Oh, you leaked it.

Cedric:Why did no one brief me?

Cedric:What the hell?

Cedric:Why did I think the lady that was doing a check-in on my month at the company was going to be ciphering information from me?

Cedric:I thought that was her job.

Gamemaster:But have you considered that maybe you now have an ally if you need information?

Cedric:Well, it seems like... Yeah, I'm their informant.

Gamemaster:HR could be worse.

Krod:I gave you Pikmin.

Mickey:You've turned to the dark side.

Krod:Hey, was anything off-color said in that meeting?

Krod:Oh, just the usual.

Krod:I mean, I was a bit weirded out because they started with dudes, not gender neutral.

Krod:But other than that, it seemed, oh, really?

Krod:They're like, no, no, no.

Cedric:No, my company is so small.

Cedric:So we only have, she's not technically, this woman isn't HR, she's people ops.

Cedric:We have human capital, which is shared from D.E.

Cedric:Shaw.

Cedric:Yeah, they use the word human capital.

Cedric:And then her, I don't know what she does, but it's not HR because we have an HR content or human capital content.

Cedric:But she's like in charge of the staff.

Cedric:I don't know what's happening.

Cedric:I don't know why she doesn't know about these projects when she reports directly to the billionaire David himself.

Cedric:I don't know.

Cedric:I don't know if I got some projects canceled.

Cedric:I don't know what the hell's happening.

Mickey:Maybe she's a nepo baby and they had to give her some kind of position.

Krod:What if at the end she was like, yeah, this call was great, but so David's in a meeting right now, but we really need gift cards.

Krod:If you're able to go leave and get gift cards and you take a closer look and you're like, holy fuck, is she AI?

Gamemaster:This is a picture.

Krod:Yeah, I could totally get gift cards.

Mickey:She's got six fingers on one hand.

Mickey:I don't think so.

Krod:Could you imagine if you get an email tomorrow like you failed the infosec thing and you're like how the fuck?

Cedric:I mean, I told you guys about the texts I got sent, right?

Krod:Yeah

Cedric:Did you hear about this, Tanner?

Cedric:First week on the job, I get a text.

Cedric:It's just like, hey, Jorge, how's it going?

Cedric:David E. Shaw.

Cedric:And I was like, does he text people?

Cedric:And I was just like, but he's a weird billionaire who has side projects.

Cedric:So I was like, it's okay.

Mickey:How he might text people, you never know.

Cedric:And then he was just like...

Cedric:Yes, sorry.

Cedric:I'd love to chat, but I'm in some meetings.

Cedric:Do you mind doing some tasks for me?

Cedric:And I was like, flack, flack, flack.

Mickey:Yeah, I... Early on in my...

Mickey:I got an email, a fake email, supposedly from my boss with a phone number that was like, kindly text me at this number.

Mickey:This needs to be done urgently.

Mickey:And the email address was not from our company.

Mickey:So I was like, this can't be right.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Mickey:So I sent it to the software guy.

Mickey:And then he sent it out to the whole company.

Mickey:It was like, guys, don't answer stuff like this, please.

Krod:It's so funny if you're just like, Tanner almost got tricked by this.

Krod:What a fucking idiot.

Cedric:Okay.

Krod:Because when you said sent it out to the whole company, he just forwards it like, don't do this.

Mickey:Don't be like Tanner.

Krod:This is the dumbest thing ever.

Krod:Why would you want me to have a sensitive email?

Mickey:Yeah.

Krod:I have access to all the systems.

Krod:If I accidentally click the link, we're all screwed.

Krod:And you're like, how the fuck am I supposed to do that?

Cedric:So...

Krod:I got one that is just like the training one, like where, I don't know, after two months, they just send you clearly phishing.

Krod:I think I forwarded it to IT in 30 seconds of receiving the email.

Krod:And then I got an immediate email back that was like, you passed.

Krod:It was a test.

Krod:And I was like, I know.

Krod:You guys are bad at making me worried.

Krod:I looked at it.

Krod:I was like, oh, cool, a test.

Krod:And then forwarded it.

Cedric:My oldest sister, Jen, she works in, like, a public school in Connecticut.

Cedric:She keeps getting caught with phishing emails.

Gamemaster:Oh, no.

Cedric:Like, she just, she's like, I don't know, I just keep falling for them.

Cedric:She just falls for them.

Gamemaster:Like, multiple times?

Cedric:Like, multiple times, like, a school year, she just, like, she had to go into training, like, three times.

Krod:really wait wait the test emails or like actual phishing okay

Cedric:Because she just keeps failing it.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Gamemaster:And she's, like, 10 years older?

Gamemaster:She's not 80.

Cedric:Well, okay, we don't know if the actual phishing she's failing, but she's failing all of the test emails.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:She's used a computer before.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Because someone at BU failed the phishing towards the end of our time there.

Krod:I remember getting an email that was just like, hey, you got to pick up this package and a link.

Krod:I'm like, who the fuck?

Krod:And then I look, and it was from a professor.

Krod:And I was just like, and then I Googled it, and it was some 80-year-old woman.

Krod:I was like, oh, she got got.

Gamemaster:I feel like I get those at my BU email address once or twice a year.

Gamemaster:Usually it's from a student and not a professor, but frequently somebody accidentally just gives away all of their info.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:But yeah, it's so funny.

Cedric:But Jen, my sister, she married this super conservative guy that they just live in a really rural Connecticut.

Cedric:Not that rural, but the houses are far.

Cedric:It feels very far.

Cedric:But it's so funny because they go to bed at like 7.30.

Cedric:They have three kids and they have them all in bed by like 730.

Gamemaster:Well, when does she get up?

Cedric:When she's sick, she goes to bed at 630.

Cedric:And I'm like, there's got to be more to life than this.

Cedric:Unclear, I think six.

Gamemaster:I mean, you go to sleep early, but then you wake up, or you've got the same amount of hours in the day.

Cedric:But no, but that's like that's like 11 hours of sleep.

Mickey:Yeah, that's a lot.

Gamemaster:Or 12, if you're sick.

Mickey:Well, if the kids are going to bed at 7.30, is she also?

Mickey:Everybody's going to bed at 7.30?

Cedric:Yeah, no, the kids go to bed because she has to go to bed at 7.30.

Gamemaster:That makes sense.

Gamemaster:They can't be up when she's not.

Cedric:And what's funny is, for a vacation, the kids were once visiting my parents.

Cedric:And the way it worked out was they got a suite.

Cedric:And two of the kids were with Jen and her husband, Joe.

Cedric:And the other one, her name is Rosina, was with my parents.

Cedric:And Jen told them, in front of Rosina, she has to go to bed by 7.30.

Cedric:And everyone's like, God, sounds good.

Cedric:And when they went to my parents' room, she was watching TV on my mom's iPad because they don't really get TV.

Cedric:And then she's like, can I finish this episode?

Cedric:And they're like, yeah.

Cedric:And apparently every day she used to go to bed at like 9.30 or 10.

Cedric:And then every morning they would wake up and never talk about it.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Mickey:You can't give a kid to the grandparents and expect the rules to be followed.

Cedric:No, you can't.

Cedric:But it's just so funny because they would just never... And then Jeff would be like, so you're going to bed at 7.30?

Cedric:And Rosina would be like, yep, yep.

Cedric:And just no one talks about it.

Mickey:Oh, so she's chill like that.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:My mom babysat a lot, and she would teach kids how to swear.

Gamemaster:Oh, like on purpose?

Krod:On purpose.

Gamemaster:Not just by being around her?

Krod:Nope.

Gamemaster:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:Good.

Mickey:And people kept hiring her.

Mickey:Hmm.

Gamemaster:Well, is it the same people?

Krod:Well, no.

Krod:It's like favors for friends.

Krod:She's not doing this to random kids.

Krod:This is like friends and family.

Krod:She's like, oh, I have so-and-so today.

Krod:And then they'd come back saying, fuck.

Gamemaster:That's worse, I think, because then you have to keep seeing them again.

Krod:Oh, well, I mean, okay.

Krod:Take care of your own kid.

Krod:I don't know.

Krod:I think that might have been my mom's opinion.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:That's the payment.

Krod:If you don't want him learning swear words, you gotta watch him.

Krod:If you're gonna pull in a favor, he's gonna come back saying shit.

Cedric:That's crazy.

Gamemaster:That feels like something you do if you want people to stop asking you to watch their kids.

Krod:He has done wilder stuff.

Krod:Like, um...

Krod:I don't know if this was... I don't know if she was joking.

Krod:We were in the car with my ex-girlfriend from high school and she's just like talking.

Krod:She's like driving.

Krod:She's like... Yeah.

Krod:Cool thing about these... She had like one of those styrofoam like... Like wooden... Not wooden.

Krod:Fucking paper foam cups.

Krod:Like with the lid that she had.

Cedric:I got a lot of materials.

Cedric:I'm not sure what these cups are made out of.

Gamemaster:They're made out of

Cedric:Styrofoam paper.

Krod:Paper most...

Krod:Paper mostly.

Krod:You know what I'm talking about.

Krod:They're paper, but then they have the foam layered on the outside, so it's slightly insulating.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:And she's like, love these.

Krod:These are great for tea.

Krod:Also, you can put wine in these, and the cops won't know when they pull you over.

Krod:You could just be drinking wine.

Krod:And I'm just like, I don't think you are familiar enough with her to say these things in front of people.

Krod:And she's like, I didn't actually say that.

Krod:I was just like, yep.

Krod:I hope you don't have it in there now.

Krod:She's like, Oh no, I'm driving.

Krod:I'm like, yeah, no, my mom is, is, uh, absolutely insane.

Cedric:That's crazy.

Krod:Or when she opened a sex shop and the back of the car, one third of it was filled with, uh, strippers, heels and dildos.

Krod:And, uh, my other 13 and 14 year old friends would be like, yo, what the fuck?

Krod:And my mom would be like, Oh yeah, no, you can, I mean, you can look at it.

Krod:I don't know, but,

Krod:That's stuff for the sex shop.

Krod:And they look at me, and I'm just like, but stuff for the sex shop.

Krod:And they're like, all right.

Gamemaster:I was too.

Mickey:Wow.

Cedric:It's amazing.

Mickey:Now that's some lore.

Mickey:I was unaware of your mother's sex shop.

Cedric:That's some lore.

Krod:Oh, yeah.

Cedric:You actually... I was.

Cedric:You're not a good friend, then.

Mickey:I guess so.

Cedric:Wow.

Cedric:Mike told us about this.

Cedric:And he also knew a girl that, uh... Well, she did cams and then had, like, a weird dildo that your friends would slap each other with.

Krod:That was one party.

Gamemaster:What?

Krod:There's a video on someone's iPhone somewhere of me speedbagging the dildo stuck to the ceiling.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Gamemaster:That's better.

Mickey:Mike, thank you for reminding me about the Wednesday-Thursday thing.

Cedric:Pathfinder?

Krod:If I run for office, it'll come out.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Oh, good.

Gamemaster:Good.

Mickey:I was able to get on a little quicker.

Krod:Yeah, because you said it's tricky, so I figured I'd help out.

Cedric:If Mike ever ran for office, I'm going to be like, there's going to be a lot of skeletons.

Cedric:He's going to have them send a lot of crazy shit.

Cedric:And then I'm going to be getting...

Cedric:I would hate to be interviewed.

Cedric:They'd be like, you don't like him?

Cedric:No, no.

Cedric:What do you have?

Krod:Can I talk to a lawyer?

Gamemaster:Bye.

Cedric:Before you get me on camera saying I like him, are you going to bring up?

Mickey:Tell me what you already know.

Krod:We're a news outlet.

Krod:We're not the police.

Krod:You don't even actually have to talk to us at all.

Cedric:Wait, sorry, really quick.

Cedric:Have you seen the Tucker Carlson interview with Sam Altman?

Cedric:It was a while ago.

Krod:No.

Krod:I think that's recent.

Krod:I think that's past week.

Cedric:Oh, there's recent?

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:He... I will... He just... Okay, first of all, you've not been seeing Tucker Carlson's recent work, have you?

Gamemaster:I don't like either of those people.

Gamemaster:We let them in a room together.

Gamemaster:I've seen none of his work.

Cedric:No, no, recent work?

Gamemaster:The most...

Cedric:He's gone... No, no, he's not like an... He's ruthless.

Cedric:I saw one where he was talking to a Republican congressman, and he was just like...

Cedric:Why is it that a lot of the conservatives that hate gay people are secretly gay?

Cedric:And the guy's like, oh, what are they?

Cedric:And he's just like, oh, they are.

Cedric:Do you want me to name names?

Cedric:The other guy's like, no, no.

Cedric:There's been crazy ones.

Cedric:He attacked Ted Cruz for... Anyway, but he was Sam Altman.

Cedric:He was coming at Sam Altman.

Cedric:And then he was just like, you had a man that was working for you that...

Cedric:Then was a whistleblower and then was found dead in his apartment.

Cedric:What do you think about that?

Cedric:And he's just like, uh, what?

Cedric:What are you talking about?

Cedric:Those ruled a suicide.

Cedric:He's like, do you believe it was a suicide?

Cedric:And he's just like, oh, that's what the cop said.

Cedric:He's like, they found blood in multiple rooms, but he reportedly shot himself and killed himself instantly.

Cedric:How is that?

Cedric:It's like, are you accusing me of murder?

Krod:I'm so confused on why Sam Altman would go on Tucker Carlson's podcast.

Cedric:Risa Tucker Carlson has been crazy.

Krod:No, no.

Gamemaster:It's because he...

Krod:Just like even in general, one of Tucker Carlson's main positions when he was still at Fox was like, I think we should outlaw self-driving trucks because then we'll have a revolution in this country because truckers won't have jobs.

Krod:So I think we should ban those.

Krod:And then you're Sam Altman.

Krod:You're like, I'm creating God.

Krod:In technology form, I'm going to talk to the guy that didn't even want a thing that could drive a car.

Gamemaster:Sam Altman has a deal in his contract with OpenAI that every time he goes on a new press release, he's allowed to increase his supposed valuation of OpenAI by a billion dollars.

Gamemaster:So he just hits as many as possible so he can keep increasing that number.

Gamemaster:I think he's up to like a trillion dollars now or something like that.

Krod:Wait, hold on, hold on.

Gamemaster:13 trillion, maybe?

Gamemaster:Something ridiculous.

Krod:I was going to make a joke like, was he going to be on Theo Vaughn next?

Krod:And then I realized he was.

Gamemaster:Is he on Theon 1?

Krod:He was on Theo Vaughn a month ago.

Cedric:That makes sense.

Cedric:But it was on Theo Vaughn.

Gamemaster:Jordan?

Cedric:But yeah.

Cedric:I don't know that.

Krod:But Theo Vaughn is like, I don't know, dude.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Do you know who he's going to be on next?

Gamemaster:Kai Sanat.

Mickey:Ooh.

Gamemaster:That's where he's going next.

Krod:Kysonette.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Has he been... I'm just trying to think of a funny podcast.

Krod:Yeah, put him on Kysonette.

Krod:Put him on...

Krod:Put him on the Nelk Boys.

Krod:Put Sam Altman on the Nelk Boys podcast.

Gamemaster:I don't know who they are.

Cedric:But I said – I sent – No.

Krod:No!

Krod:You have to know because Netanyahu was on the Nelk Boys.

Mickey:Whoa.

Krod:The Nelk Boys are like a media organization of influencers that are just like bros.

Krod:One of their founding members is Steve Will Do It, most known for downing entire bottles of alcohol to gain his initial following and then partnering with offshore crypto casinos to multiply his wealth by like 100.

Krod:And then they brought a bunch of people on in their podcast network and then Netanyahu went on the Nelk Boys.

Gamemaster:Why did B.B.

Gamemaster:go?

Gamemaster:Do they like him?

Gamemaster:Are they fans?

Krod:They talked about fucking Burger King or something.

Krod:Like, the whole episode.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:I don't think those people have the tenacity to look at Netanyahu and say anything negative to him.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Krod:Oh, no.

Krod:Yeah, no.

Krod:It was a complete, like, work, essentially.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:But...

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:But yeah, I sent you guys the videos.

Mickey:I'll stick to... Yep.

Cedric:You should watch it.

Cedric:It's really uncomfortable.

Mickey:Josh, are the people of Færrin in disagreement on what to call this forest?

Gamemaster:A little bit.

Gamemaster:It's got a few names.

Gamemaster:It happens.

Krod:What's the... Oh, okay.

Mickey:Well, in...

Mickey:just these few paragraphs, it is the Green Sea, the Emerald Deep, and the Verdant Expanse.

Gamemaster:Sometimes it's a big area and so you come up with a bunch of names for it.

Krod:I've been to all three.

Mickey:And I could be missing one.

Mickey:I'm going with the Verdant Expanse because that's what's in the limerick.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Krod:My name's not Rick.

Gamemaster:Pathfinder?

Krod:Sorry.

Cedric:That's my nerd.

Gamemaster:Finding some paths?

Mickey:Yes, before Mike takes half of a word I said and makes it into a Spongebob reference again.

Mickey:Oh, yeah.

Gamemaster:Oh, was that a Spongebob reference?

Gamemaster:I didn't think that was a Spongebob reference.

Krod:It's when Spongebob and Patrick are both juiced up and they're wrestling and Spongebob has a pencil and Patrick has a name tag sewn into his chest and Spongebob erases the pat part of Patrick and then Patrick yells, My name's not...

Krod:Right.

Gamemaster:Right.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Gamemaster:Pathfinder!

Gamemaster:I don't... I mean, obviously we don't have a recap to do here.

Mickey:Yes.

Gamemaster:So I think we're just not going to do one.

Cedric:37.

Gamemaster:So I think instead you're all going to say a number between 1 and 100 and whoever's closest to the number I'm thinking in my head.

Gamemaster:It's an integer.

Gamemaster:I can't say it against a mythic point.

Gamemaster:Yes, Jorge.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:We're not doing Price is Right rules, by the way.

Gamemaster:It's closest to absolute value.

Krod:it's any integer 63

Gamemaster:It's any integer from 1 to 100 inclusive.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:Oh, Tanner's, Mike split it, Tanner.

Mickey:So now I just have to pick a third and I'll go with 90.

Gamemaster:It was 68.

Mickey:Whoa.

Gamemaster:So, Mike, you were very close.

Gamemaster:You do get the mythic point.

Krod:My remote viewing missed the left half of the eight.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that makes sense.

Gamemaster:I dislike that you can remote view into my head, so cut that shit out.

Gamemaster:I hate that I laughed at that.

Krod:No, you have it written on a remote.

Krod:I can only look at remotes.

Cedric:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:So...

Gamemaster:I guess I can't say we're going back to Færrin because we were already at Færrin.

Gamemaster:We're just going slightly in a different location in Færrin.

Gamemaster:Because this takes place at the same time as the campaign.

Mickey:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Concurrently.

Gamemaster:That's the word.

Gamemaster:The three of you are members of the Iridescent Church.

Gamemaster:Not like the highest ranking members, but you've got some seniority behind you.

Gamemaster:You've got some influence.

Gamemaster:You're members of a convox, a group within the church devoted to solving magic crimes.

Gamemaster:There's already a group that's devoted to solving regular crimes.

Gamemaster:They're busy a bunch, but every once in a while, they bump into something where they look at it, they go...

Gamemaster:Well, shoot.

Gamemaster:I'm pretty sure they used some kind of magic to fix this.

Gamemaster:That's above our pay grade.

Gamemaster:And so then you guys end up getting it.

Gamemaster:Most of the times, you know, there are cold cases.

Gamemaster:There are unsolved things.

Gamemaster:Frequently, you've got a big rubber stamp that says Act of God on it, and then you just stamp whatever comes your way, send it down the line.

Gamemaster:Sometimes you just can't solve something because it's been too long or it's too weird or, you know.

Gamemaster:This time, though, it wasn't just one incidence.

Gamemaster:It was a few.

Gamemaster:It was 48 a few.

Gamemaster:48 people throughout Hallia were found over the span of about three weeks as dried up husks in their beds.

Gamemaster:It happened overnight.

Gamemaster:Faces not like contorted in pain or anything.

Gamemaster:Honestly, quite peaceful.

Gamemaster:Almost as if they didn't know it was happening to them.

Gamemaster:Just one moment.

Gamemaster:healthy person.

Gamemaster:Next moment, a mummy, but without the wrapping.

Gamemaster:And so, you know, when you start seeing a bunch of people dying to the same cause, being in law enforcement as you are, your immediate thought is serial killer.

Gamemaster:Because that's what serial killers like to do.

Gamemaster:They pick some kind of thing and then they stick to it while they go and kill people.

Gamemaster:But...

Gamemaster:The thing with serial killers is that they usually have a specific target, or a specific kind of target.

Gamemaster:They don't just go randomly.

Gamemaster:They pick some kind of feature or pattern that they're going for.

Gamemaster:And that doesn't seem to fit here.

Gamemaster:As best any of you could tell, there wasn't really anything specific tied to any of the victims.

Gamemaster:No unifying marker.

Gamemaster:Amidst all of them.

Gamemaster:Even the timings between killings weren't set.

Gamemaster:It wasn't like every day a new person would show up.

Gamemaster:Sometimes you'd get three in a day.

Gamemaster:Sometimes you wouldn't get any for three days.

Gamemaster:Strange.

Gamemaster:But also...

Gamemaster:As best we could tell, no one important died either.

Gamemaster:As gruesome as that may sound, it was never anybody particularly high up in an organization.

Gamemaster:It wasn't anybody with a lot of money.

Gamemaster:But it wasn't specifically poor people either.

Gamemaster:It just didn't seem like it was targeted killings being hidden as a serial killer.

Gamemaster:So...

Gamemaster:As you are wont to do, clearly there's something magical going on here.

Gamemaster:So you traced your steps back to the first death, trying to figure out, you know, this guy was the first one to have...

Gamemaster:First one to be targeted by this.

Gamemaster:Maybe there was something that he did, unleashed or whatever, that would have caused whatever is now occurring.

Gamemaster:And that seemed like a dead end as well.

Gamemaster:At first we were like, oh, maybe it has something to do with the person, Herald Vanderbloom of the Vanderbloom family.

Gamemaster:The family's famous.

Gamemaster:This guy wasn't.

Gamemaster:He's like a third cousin of a branch family.

Gamemaster:He had no money to his name.

Gamemaster:He was only related via blood test, effectively.

Gamemaster:So that seems like a dead end.

Gamemaster:He didn't seem to be into magical artifacts or anything like that.

Gamemaster:He hadn't just come back from an expedition into a long-lost ruin.

Gamemaster:He wasn't particularly religious, although he was an average amount religious.

Gamemaster:So nothing stood out.

Gamemaster:Until you bumped into, as you were exiting his apartment, somebody who just lived across the hallway.

Gamemaster:Completely by chance.

Gamemaster:You had been in the apartment a few times at that point.

Gamemaster:Didn't bump into them, but you caught them as they were coming back and you were leaving.

Gamemaster:And they, just in passing, mentioned that he met with someone like a day before he died.

Gamemaster:And then, of course, you got into, please, more details.

Gamemaster:What the hell are you talking about?

Gamemaster:Why didn't you bring this up when we were originally canvassing the area?

Gamemaster:And they just said it slipped their mind.

Gamemaster:Couldn't think of it.

Gamemaster:Only description you got was a person in, like, strange burlap tunic.

Gamemaster:Almost anachronistic to the time.

Gamemaster:People have stopped wearing tunics for almost a century now.

Gamemaster:But this person's walking around in, like...

Gamemaster:Middle Ages garb.

Gamemaster:But they didn't see their face.

Gamemaster:They didn't see any defining features, anything like that.

Gamemaster:Just weird, old-timey clothing.

Gamemaster:Of course, being the good law enforcement, the good detectives that you are, you thought maybe it was the person across the hallway, and they were annoyed that nobody had caught on to them yet, so they wanted to get somebody around.

Gamemaster:But you did a full background check on them.

Gamemaster:They were clean.

Gamemaster:Seemingly just bumped into this person.

Gamemaster:So you tracked it down.

Gamemaster:You looked at, let's see, did anybody else see a weird guy in a tunic earlier that day or previous?

Gamemaster:And yeah, asking around, now that you had a little bit of a target, you found that they had arrived earlier in the day.

Gamemaster:earlier in the day that Mr. Vanderbloom had died, via train coming in from the east.

Gamemaster:You track it down, you follow that path out, and you know that there is actually only one stop he could have come from.

Gamemaster:He could have only come from Wrenford, which is a small, almost abandoned logging town.

Gamemaster:on the edge of the Verdant Expanse, the official Iridescent Church-approved name for that Giant forest on the eastern border of Calaria.

Gamemaster:So, with seemingly no other leads, no other way to stop these murders from continuing, you have to go to the source.

Gamemaster:You have to go to Wrenford, try and figure out what happened.

Gamemaster:And so all of you hop on a train, you know, paid for, of course, by yourselves, but will be reimbursed when you return by the church.

Gamemaster:Business class, it's not bad.

Gamemaster:And you take the day-and-a-half-ish train ride out to Wrenford.

Gamemaster:As you guys are lounging on the train, you've all known each other for a while at this point.

Gamemaster:This is not the first case you've worked before.

Gamemaster:But I'd appreciate it if you could go around and describe yourselves.

Gamemaster:Who are you?

Gamemaster:What are you?

Gamemaster:What are you doing?

Cedric:That's okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Cedric:Okay.

Cedric:Do you want me to go first?

Cedric:You can go.

Mickey:We all know each other already.

Mickey:Mickey Ironroots is a dwarf man.

Mickey:Very naturalistic kind of guy.

Mickey:His hands are just stained with years and years of working dirt.

Mickey:He's got kind of simple clothes on, but he has this necklace with a bit of tree branch, almost like a little upside-down piece of bonsai that you would be aware he uses to conjure forth a wooden set of armor.

Mickey:Just, like, messy, swept up, you know, big beard, kind of.

Mickey:Um, yeah.

Mickey:Mickey Iron Roots.

Cedric:cool i can go next um you know him obviously you traveled with him uh but he he has a black suit with a tie but it's kind of like unbuttoned uh kind of loosened a little bit collar out a little bit and he has a tan uh peacoat i guess or not peacoat like a uh think castiel from uh supernatural that that type of coat um

Cedric:He has a little black fedora.

Cedric:And this is Cedric Corot, the famous detective.

Cedric:He also, as you would know, has a little bit of an entourage.

Cedric:So along with him are four other people who love him.

Cedric:They're like, Cedric, you're the best.

Cedric:He's the best detective ever.

Cedric:Oh, my God, he's so great.

Cedric:And their names are Vinny, Tony, Donnie, and Eddie.

Cedric:You don't really need to know their names.

Cedric:It's not that important.

Cedric:They change a lot.

Cedric:And as this is happening in the train car, Cedric takes out a... Or they take out a cigar for Cedric, put it in his mouth, and then Cedric lights it with his fingers.

Cedric:And he is a lizard folk.

Cedric:And as he grabs the cigar, he's like, Good cigar here.

Cedric:Or cigarette.

Cedric:That's Cedric.

Mickey:I'm not aware mechanically of how that came to pass because I'm not... I don't know.

Krod:We're on a train?

Cedric:Yes.

Gamemaster:You're on a train.

Gamemaster:It's just you three and also Cedric's entourage.

Krod:Sorry, go ahead.

Gamemaster:The skill-fee entourage?

Mickey:Carry on.

Mickey:Okay.

Mickey:Mike, why don't you go?

Cedric:There was no reason to take it.

Cedric:I just had to take it.

Krod:So, peering out the window, who will then turn and scoot along the seat to meet his two compatriots, is the graying face of grizzled bounty hunter Krod Snodman.

Krod:And when I say graying face, I mean his face is covered in hair because he is a pug, which is also why he had to scoot to the edge of his seat.

Cedric:Yes!

Krod:He is a, what is it, shoonie?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Cedric:What's his name again?

Gamemaster:Did you hear me mention that I think Shunis are dumb, and so you specifically chose one?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Krod:There's just a lot of discussion about Shunis.

Krod:And I was like, let's see how we can make a Shuni.

Krod:Shunis are dumb.

Krod:Picking the Ancestry feats was the most painful thing ever.

Krod:But we'll get there when we get there.

Krod:Across his back is, let me see how big this is.

Krod:Hold on, let me, I just gotta check the...

Krod:Across his back is an 87-inch sheath.

Krod:It is essentially three times the size of him.

Krod:And he will say, I can't believe I got put on a case with all this Hollywood shit.

Cedric:That's a good line.

Cedric:I'm going to take that.

Cedric:Cedric pulls out this little notebook and starts doodling.

Cedric:You guys also know when he's not working as a detective, he is a prolific political cartoonist.

Mickey:Yay.

Cedric:So he's writing that out.

Mickey:Very noteworthy.

Cedric:Yes, yes.

Mickey:This entourage feat that I just read is just stupid.

Krod:I'm reading it now, but Krod will say, surprise, they didn't write it down for you.

Cedric:Sorry.

Cedric:They don't have the technicalities for this.

Mickey:That makes sense.

Gamemaster:That's a character trait?

Cedric:As you guys know, Cedric Borderline has split personality disorder and will just be changing a bunch of voices.

Krod:Krod might do the same.

Gamemaster:That's not Jorge.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:God, the people of Polaria are in good hands.

Cedric:Um, how long is this train ride?

Mickey:Oh, geez.

Gamemaster:The whole train ride takes about a day and a half.

Gamemaster:You're going pretty far out.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:I mean, we're picking this up already at the, like, you've already had a rest.

Krod:Oh, God.

Gamemaster:You've slept in the sleeper car.

Mickey:Yes.

Gamemaster:You're just kind of waiting to get to the destination now.

Gamemaster:As you guys are shooting the shit, I guess.

Gamemaster:Yes?

Cedric:Just whenever there's downtime, as long as I have around two hours, I'm going to be doing the spread propaganda activity.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Cedric:And just talking about how great the host is and all of that stuff.

Gamemaster:Right.

Cedric:And I'm going to be doing that most with my political cartoons.

Mickey:Glory, glory, glory indeed.

Cedric:Glory, glory, glory.

Gamemaster:Is there like a mechanical benefit to spreading propaganda or do you just want to do that?

Cedric:I'm not trying to get a mechanical benefit now, but for now, yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Spread propaganda.

Gamemaster:What is this?

Cedric:And I have the light of me feet, so I have a plus two higher to my DC.

Gamemaster:Okay, roll a deception check.

Cedric:Okay.

Krod:Does the train stop?

Gamemaster:No, you're on an express train.

Gamemaster:So actually, roll a society check for me, please.

Krod:So he... So he actually... Oh, yeah, yeah, okay.

Gamemaster:There's a reason why when you figured out that this guy took a train in from the east that you knew that he came from Wrenford.

Krod:Yeah, I guess I remember.

Krod:I was asking for clarification because there's no one else in the train and we're not stopping.

Krod:So is he...

Gamemaster:There are other people on the train, which is not in your car.

Krod:Oh, okay, okay.

Krod:Okay, okay, that makes sense.

Krod:Because I'm thinking, is he yelling out the window at passing towns like the propaganda?

Krod:Or is the entourage just telling us how good our current god is?

Gamemaster:Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

Gamemaster:No, no, no, I apologize.

Cedric:They're not good drawings.

Krod:Okay.

Gamemaster:You're in like a business class car, which is a few sleeper units and some chairs and some stuff, but there are other people on other parts of the train.

Cedric:Don't worry about it.

Gamemaster:Not many, but some.

Gamemaster:You got, that was a critical failure, I believe.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:So two things.

Cedric:One, Vinny knows... No, no, sorry.

Gamemaster:Vinny.

Cedric:Cedric knows this is not his best work, but his entourage is trying to gas him up.

Cedric:They're like...

Cedric:No, no, no, no, these are great, these are great.

Cedric:Good job, good job, CJ.

Cedric:And he's like, oh, I don't know.

Cedric:This might be a little bit of bad work here.

Gamemaster:So just for you guys to keep in mind as we come back to level 13, the average level base DC is 31.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:And in this particular instance, if you're spreading info, propaganda about Calaria, you now have a minus four on checks for the next week to spread more propaganda about Calaria.

Gamemaster:Fortunately, this isn't particularly important to anything, so it doesn't cause any issues.

Gamemaster:It's just, you gave people political cartoons, and people were like, I can't tell who's the bad guy in these.

Gamemaster:He didn't write enough labels around various objects.

Gamemaster:I wasn't sure what these things meant.

Gamemaster:But it's fun.

Gamemaster:Either way, as you're doing this, you guys are set up.

Gamemaster:You're probably close to an hour out of the city at this point, and there's one last call.

Gamemaster:A train attendant is coming by with a little trolley with drinks and snacks on it.

Gamemaster:Oh, sorry.

Gamemaster:Actually, what was the result of the society check, Mike?

Krod:Oh, I never rolled.

Krod:19.

Gamemaster:Oh, so bad.

Gamemaster:19.

Gamemaster:Hi.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you know that, like, this was originally planned to be some big train line going out to Wrenford, but for whatever reason, plans for it fell through, and there isn't much reason to come out here anymore, so not a lot of people on the train, and there aren't many stops, because most of the distance between Hallia and...

Gamemaster:Wrenford is mountain, so it's just mostly traveling through or over mountains, but nowhere that, like, a settlement could reside.

Gamemaster:It's a long and boring train ride.

Gamemaster:I would also take a perception check as the person carrying the trolley and stuff passes by.

Mickey:I think I could do that.

Krod:I shall perceive.

Krod:They're religious.

Gamemaster:I'd allow a religion check as well, if anybody would prefer that.

Mickey:How many perception checks are you allowing?

Gamemaster:Up to three.

Gamemaster:There are three of you.

Gamemaster:I'll let you all do a percent check if you wanted.

Cedric:Oh, cool.

Cedric:Very, very kind of you, gracious Lord.

Cedric:Damn it!

Krod:The odds of Krod being beat are now higher.

Gamemaster:Sorry, crowd.

Krod:Curses.

Cedric:I beat him by one, and then comes over Mickey!

Gamemaster:So in this particular instance, Mickey's the only one that succeeded the check anyway.

Gamemaster:So...

Gamemaster:The only thing to notice is Wrenford is technically part of Calaria.

Gamemaster:It's, like, very out on the border there as you get towards the Verdant Expanse, but it is still part of, like, the Iridescent Church's domain.

Cedric:you

Gamemaster:So most of the people that you bump into here are worshippers of the host, and they have various sizes of that, like, pearlescent rainbow shimmery raiment.

Gamemaster:But you probably would have noted it once or twice, but never really just kind of ingested the information.

Gamemaster:One of the people working on this train, the one that's currently bringing the drinks around, has this weird greenish shimmer to a piece of her rant.

Cedric:I'm not sure we can trust this guy.

Gamemaster:Not quite entirely host, but it doesn't immediately...

Gamemaster:remind you of any of the other outer gods so you would guess it's some regional something or other it's not like a cause for alarm or anything it's just an interesting note

Mickey:all different no no just just keep the eyes peeled there's you know folks are a little this way that's all

Krod:We're panicked.

Gamemaster:But time passes a little bit.

Gamemaster:There are no people wearing picnic blankets who come by and rob this train.

Gamemaster:It gets to its destination within five minutes of when they said they would.

Cedric:Early or late?

Gamemaster:It's a little early.

Gamemaster:They made good time coming down the mountain.

Cedric:Good.

Gamemaster:Prime Meridian, the company that runs most of the trains in Calaria, would not arrive late.

Gamemaster:They would rather increase speeds to a dangerous degree to make it on time than they would arrive late.

Mickey:Yes, of course.

Gamemaster:So you pull into what is much too big a station for Wrenford.

Gamemaster:It seems you pull into one of what look to be maybe eight tracks, despite the fact that you know that there's nothing on this line other than Hallia, and no one's commuting into Hallia from Wrenford.

Gamemaster:This is a large train station that sees one train, maybe two, a day.

Gamemaster:But doors open, you're all ushered out, as they know that nobody's staying on the train right now.

Gamemaster:You're greeted by a very elderly, tired-looking train conductor as he's kind of waving people off of the station.

Gamemaster:You pass by the two people that it looks like were waiting for the train to get onto to head back towards Alia.

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:And as you walk by, you're just kind of handed a pamphlet by, it looks like the conductor's doubling as a tour guide of some kind, because they've just been waiting and they have like a series of pamphlets that they're handing out as people leave.

Gamemaster:that just has a picturesque image, like a drone shot almost, but illustrated of Wrenford, or of what Wrenford was supposed to be when they were originally planning it, because it's very idealized in this, as you can tell as soon as you exit the train station.

Gamemaster:I'd like another perception check, or society check, as you guys exit out into the town of Wrenford.

Gamemaster:And let me know which of the two you roll.

Cedric:And what'd you say, sorry?

Krod:Perception 31.

Cedric:It's a perception or... Okay.

Gamemaster:Perception or society.

Gamemaster:Whichever you prefer.

Cedric:And this is to look around render?

Gamemaster:This is just as you get out of the train station, looking at Wrenford, at the city in general.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:Just like getting your bearings.

Cedric:So this is not like gathering information.

Gamemaster:No, no, no, no.

Gamemaster:Well, if you want to gather information about stuff, we can get to that later.

Gamemaster:This is more of just like, what's going on type deal.

Cedric:Okay.

Krod:God.

Krod:We're going to murder whatever we touch initially.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:Not doing well, Rose.

Cedric:Rose.

Gamemaster:Is that how that works?

Krod:I buy into the gambler's fallacy.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Mickey:Josh, how many are you allowing on this one?

Gamemaster:So we already had two perceptions, I assume.

Mickey:Yeah.

Gamemaster:So I'll take a society or nothing if you prefer not to.

Mickey:I would rather not roll society.

Mickey:31.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Cedric:I'll roll those going forward.

Gamemaster:So 31 was the best we got.

Krod:uh 31 yeah pennsylvania i don't think so shut up

Gamemaster:31.

Gamemaster:Okay, so with a 31, yeah, so looking around, this is... Have any of you ever been to Scranton?

Mickey:Yes.

Gamemaster:Yes, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Mickey:The Electric City.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:This is Scranton.

Gamemaster:This is a city that for a short period of time was very popular and they pumped a ton of money into it.

Gamemaster:And then everybody collectively realized that was a terrible idea.

Gamemaster:And the people with money left.

Gamemaster:And the people who came following the people with money couldn't follow them because they had used all the money getting here.

Gamemaster:So there are a bunch of, like, it seems almost mostly office buildings, despite the fact that there's not a lot of business going on here.

Gamemaster:You would know from your, like, briefing that you got back at HQ that the city has maybe 2,000 people in it.

Gamemaster:which makes it legally not even a town um but it was originally planned to be much bigger um and it's just so big for lack of people um which is immediately dwarfed when you look behind it and you see that there is a literal ocean of green looming on the horizon just beyond the city itself there are

Gamemaster:If you're not paying attention and you're just looking at it out of your periphery, your brain sees it and thinks, oh, there's a mountain covered with trees on the other side of the city from where I am.

Gamemaster:But then you look at it more closely and you see that it's not a mountain covered with trees, it's trees covered with trees.

Gamemaster:The Verdant Expanse has trees that grow more than a mile tall at its peak and extends larger than some seas do.

Gamemaster:It is this massive, massive landmark that the only reason people can't see it from Calaria is because there's a huge mountain range in the way.

Gamemaster:Otherwise, it would dominate the horizon for the entire country.

Gamemaster:It is the primary view here.

Gamemaster:It was prominent on the pamphlets.

Gamemaster:It gets to the point that as sunset starts to approach, you're getting closer to the evening now, despite it being still an hour away from actual total sunset, there is a shadow from the trees that's growing towards the city itself from miles away.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:But

Gamemaster:Yeah, you're not dead there.

Gamemaster:Just yet, at least.

Gamemaster:You've got to spend a little bit in town and try and figure out what's going on before you start investigating elsewhere.

Gamemaster:So, what do you want to do?

Gamemaster:Now that you made it to Wrenford, not a hugely populated area, you know that somebody wearing a weird old tiny tunic came from here, showed up, met some guy, and then he died, and then 47 other people died after that over the next three weeks.

Cedric:So I'd like to gather information.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Top number.

Cedric:I'm also a hobnobler hobnobber and I. And I have an entourage which should help me.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:Idiot.

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Gamemaster:My cat was climbing something.

Gamemaster:It fell down.

Gamemaster:All right, absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you want to gather information.

Gamemaster:What bonuses do you get from being a hobnobber and from your entourage?

Cedric:Hobnobber, I can do it quicker.

Cedric:If I'm a mastering diplomacy and I roll a critical failure, it's just a failure instead.

Mickey:and then Entourage quicker, quicker.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Spell hobnobber.

Gamemaster:Oh, there's no K in that.

Gamemaster:I thought there was a K in that word.

Krod:No.

Krod:That would be lewd.

Gamemaster:Why?

Krod:Knob.

Gamemaster:Just the word knob?

Gamemaster:No, it is.

Krod:I thought knob was close enough to a synonym for penis.

Gamemaster:But when you put hob in front of it, it's fine.

Gamemaster:You don't need to.

Gamemaster:It's okay.

Krod:A hobnobber is someone who knows how to grease some elbows.

Krod:A hobnobber with a K.

Krod:Greece's other stuff.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:OK.

Gamemaster:Half as much time, can't critically fail.

Gamemaster:And a small group, they followed you here.

Gamemaster:It's crazy to just have a bunch of people that walk around with you while you're in the city.

Gamemaster:You get a plus one, and you reduce the time even further.

Gamemaster:OK, sure.

Gamemaster:Roll a diplomacy check.

Gamemaster:You have a plus one circumstance bonus here, and then you will emit your four entourage members into the city to try and figure out... What information specifically are you trying to gather here?

Cedric:I want to find everything about this motherfucker.

Cedric:Like, I want information about this guy.

Cedric:If anything similar is happening here, anything about that.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:I am also Demogorg's calling for my mythic.

Cedric:So when I attempt to... Demagogue.

Gamemaster:Demodog?

Cedric:Oh, it's only for making an impression, so that's not the same thing here.

Cedric:Never mind, then.

Cedric:Ears that hear the truth.

Cedric:No, no, no.

Cedric:That's not going to help here.

Cedric:OK.

Gamemaster:Especially given that it's not even your ears.

Mickey:While Key and his entourage go out seeking information, I turn... Oh.

Gamemaster:It's your four Entourage members' ears.

Cedric:Is it night?

Cedric:Sorry, one other question.

Cedric:Is it night?

Mickey:Is it night?

Mickey:Oh, right.

Krod:I think Knight is falling.

Mickey:Did we lose Josh?

Cedric:Do we lose Josh?

Krod:He did, yeah.

Krod:He just looked up and then... Yeah.

Mickey:He looks...

Mickey:And then that was it.

Cedric:The music's cutting out, too, so I guess it's his whole place.

Mickey:Wow.

Cedric:I'm also going to stack Guided by the Stars.

Mickey:So you really built.

Mickey:Now, I guess I overlooked the one little bit that said that we are detectives.

Cedric:Detectives.

Krod:farmers.

Mickey:Yeah.

Cedric:No, no.

Cedric:So I am, to peel back the curtain a little bit, I am a blaster sorcerer.

Cedric:I can only be charismatic and blast things.

Cedric:I have no other real skills.

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:But that's good for gathering information, I guess.

Cedric:I could do a lot of damage in one turn if things go well.

Krod:I love the default.

Krod:I don't know how to spec.

Krod:You do damage because that's also what I did.

Krod:I took one of the archetype feats that is just a fighter.

Krod:You just get access to a bunch of fighter feats.

Krod:So I just doubled down on fighter feats.

Cedric:The field propagandist?

Mickey:So is this just a different fighter build from your main campaign character?

Cedric:Sorry, go.

Mickey:Nice.

Krod:Yeah.

Krod:Yeah, I want to know if Josh has figured out my build yet from the poly tool.

Cedric:I think my internet's having issues.

Cedric:Give me a minute.

Krod:Yeah.

Mickey:Yeah, I thought so too.

Cedric:Field propagandist dedication is such a goofy one.

Cedric:I have a feat for one action.

Cedric:Invincible Army, where I try to make a check to see if I can convince you guys that you guys have resistance to other things.

Cedric:And if I succeed, you just get it for the turn.

Mickey:I actually also have a couple methods of handing out resistance.

Cedric:Oh, cool.

Mickey:How many hit points do you guys have?

Cedric:125.

Krod:162.

Cedric:How about you?

Mickey:Nice.

Mickey:218.

Cedric:Holy, do you take toughness and then double toughness?

Mickey:I

Mickey:I did.

Mickey:Anytime I found something that was increasing hit points, I was like, let's see how far we can push this.

Mickey:Because there's a dwarf thing that does that.

Mickey:There's toughness.

Mickey:And then I took the stonebound dedication, which also has a toughness, like 1 HP for a level.

Mickey:And the kineticist uses Khan as its class.

Cedric:Oh, yeah, that's dope.

Mickey:just massive hit points.

Mickey:I was curious how it stacked up.

Cedric:So there's two small people with a tall lizard detective.

Cedric:I guess we're all detectives.

Mickey:Yeah, I guess I didn't really build a detective, but theoretically, I'm a well-regarded detective in Calaria.

Cedric:That's fine.

Krod:My guy's technically a bounty hunter with the bounty hunter background and bounty hunter dedication.

Mickey:Oh, there you go.

Cedric:This is going to be a town where people go drinking at night like there might like they don't know like a working town.

Mickey:Okay.

Mickey:Before Josh just disconnected, I was heading to the local pub.

Krod:Oh, God.

Cedric:Gosh.

Mickey:So... We shall see where this...

Mickey:betunicked man is.

Mickey:You're rolling thrice?

Cedric:I'm going to have super advantage for this roll, so I hope it goes well.

Mickey:Oh, okay.

Cedric:Well, I'm going to definitely roll twice.

Cedric:If that doesn't go well, I'm going to mythic point it.

Mickey:I follow.

Krod:Are you a kineticist that can dig through the ground?

Krod:OK.

Mickey:saw that, I do not have it.

Mickey:I'm primarily a wood and water kineticist.

Cedric:Someone saw the treats.

Krod:Wood.

Mickey:Yeah, well, what's funny is I had been reading a thread on the Pathfinder subreddit the other day.

Mickey:how do you guys build healers that are still fun?

Cedric:Yeah.

Mickey:And someone's answer was like, actually, you could do a decent amount of healing if you're a kineticist with the wood and water... What do they call them?

Mickey:Elements, I guess?

Mickey:Gates.

Mickey:Kinetic gates.

Mickey:So I was like, let's give it a go.

Mickey:Especially when I heard there were trees.

Mickey:I was like, obviously if you're going to a forest, they would bring in a tree guy.

Cedric:I'm a woodland stalker lizard folk, so I will be extra stealthy in the woods.

Mickey:Oh, there you go.

Mickey:Yep.

Mickey:Tree people.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:Sorcerers are cool.

Cedric:We haven't had a... I think they're like psychics.

Cedric:They're just like a blaster mage.

Mickey:Yeah, I'm...

Mickey:I've been a little underwhelmed with the psychic so far.

Mickey:I think that it needs like some more levels for things to Scale a little bit, but.

Cedric:try out try out um play around with a build for a sorcerer like draconic i think those are the best sorcerers i didn't play a draconic because we had divex but they're like arcane casters and some of them even get books like you can get spell books but you also just get a shit ton of spell slots and then every spell rank you can get a signature spell which you can just automatically like upcast if you want to really miss

Krod:Just how casters are.

Mickey:Hmm.

Mickey:Yeah, I think that is relatively standard for spontaneous.

Cedric:I didn't know that.

Cedric:Good to know, though.

Cedric:And then sorcerers get extra slots, like a granted celebrity level that they can use.

Cedric:They're usually not that great.

Krod:Wait, sorry.

Krod:What did you say was standard for spontaneous?

Mickey:I don't know this for sure, but the signature spell feature?

Mickey:Because I've seen that.

Mickey:Because my psychic will have that, and I've definitely... I think... I think the Oracle had that.

Krod:Sorcerers, I think, have it based on their bloodline.

Krod:Bards?

Gamemaster:I don't believe bards have signature spells.

Gamemaster:But I also thought they were prepared casters.

Cedric:Welcome back.

Krod:Oh, I don't know then.

Gamemaster:I've returned.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry about that.

Cedric:You are all right.

Mickey:No sweat.

Gamemaster:I don't even know what happened.

Mickey:You know how the internet can be.

Gamemaster:Well, I don't... Did my music cut out?

Gamemaster:Because I don't know if my internet actually went out.

Cedric:Yes.

Gamemaster:Oh, it did?

Krod:It's stuttered.

Cedric:It did.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Well, I think it's stuttered, yeah.

Cedric:It started stuttering.

Gamemaster:Is it currently stuttering?

Krod:But it hasn't been for like five or probably five minutes.

Gamemaster:Okay, weird.

Gamemaster:Either way, I don't... Where did I drop off?

Cedric:Is it night?

Gamemaster:Oh, yes, kind of.

Gamemaster:It's like starting to get to night.

Gamemaster:It's still an hour away from sunset, but there's a bunch of trees in the way, so it's starting to get dark now.

Cedric:Guided by stars, so I'll roll this with advantage.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Should I have said no?

Cedric:No, I still get it.

Cedric:I just wouldn't have got... I get a circumstance bonus if I can see the stars, but it doesn't matter because of the entourage.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:It's mostly just for my own...

Cedric:I got to crit for 46.

Mickey:Holy moly.

Cedric:Tell me about this, man.

Cedric:So before this happens, I talk to my entourage.

Gamemaster:So, yeah.

Cedric:I give them a briefing.

Cedric:We're in this.

Cedric:We got to find this.

Cedric:Guys, we got to go.

Cedric:We got to find this.

Cedric:I give them notes.

Cedric:I give them...

Cedric:portraits i'm like help me get information send them my way vet them first send them my way and i'm just gonna be going around talking to everyone finding information and if it's not about this guy i want similar things to it maybe husks maybe people going missing weird people coming in many of these people came in you know all information about the case

Gamemaster:So you don't have a lot to go off of in that you never got a full description of this person other than they were wearing a weird old-timey tunic.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:But with whatever information you have, you have general time frame, you have all that kind of stuff, you send out your entourage to try and listen in on the town, ask around, figure out what's going on.

Gamemaster:Is there a Ren Fair or something like that?

Gamemaster:And with a 46 crit, do you gather any particular benefit?

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:So, I mean, like, the obvious thing of note as you guys exit the train station or looking around is that the average person in Wrenford is wearing regular clothes.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's not like they're all just walking around wearing tunics and stuff.

Gamemaster:Why, was that a bet or something?

Krod:No, it would just be easier if there was one guy wearing a tunic that we saw.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:Well, so most of the people here aren't wearing tunics.

Gamemaster:They're wearing, like, you know, suits are kind of in vogue right now, especially if you're working suits and dresses.

Gamemaster:But, you know, t-shirts, pants...

Gamemaster:No tunics, none of that old-timey leggings, all that kind of stuff.

Gamemaster:But with the 46, you would know that there is a small percentage of people in Wrenford who are devout worshippers of who they call the Green Father, which...

Gamemaster:as best your listeners can tell, is like some kind of...

Gamemaster:representation of the Virgin Expanse, of the Giant forest behind you, instead of necessarily being, like, a specific guy.

Gamemaster:But as part of that kind of getting into worship of the Green Father, they've kind of issued some of the more... I don't know if that's how you say that word.

Cedric:All right.

Krod:and

Gamemaster:They've foregone some of the more recent inventions.

Gamemaster:They don't really mess with things that are too far removed from what they perceive as the natural state.

Gamemaster:And so, you know, people asking around, they're like, well, obviously they haven't given us any details to find a specific person.

Cedric:Okay.

Gamemaster:But if I had to put money on some guy in a tunic that came from Wrenford, I would guess it would be the weird people that don't like cars a little bit out of the city.

Gamemaster:And so that's kind of where they point you.

Gamemaster:They point you in the direction you know where the Wrenford commune, as they call it, is, like on the outskirts of Wrenford.

Cedric:That's my contribution for the day, if you guys want to do anything else.

Cedric:Otherwise, grab a beer.

Krod:Krod will glance at Mickey and say, the old-fashioned way.

Mickey:Yeah, I gotta clear my head.

Mickey:We'll go get a drink.

Krod:Sounds good.

Krod:We'll hit the commune tomorrow, and I'll point to Cedric and Johnny, Ronnie, and Johnny.

Cedric:And edit.

Krod:And Eddie.

Gamemaster:That's close enough.

Krod:Are those their names?

Krod:I don't think they're their names.

Krod:I think I made at least two of them up.

Cedric:Vinnie, Tony, Donnie, and Eddie.

Krod:Okay, okay.

Krod:I got one.

Krod:I got one right.

Cedric:It's okay, they're used to being called wrong names.

Krod:Do we have to comp their drinks too?

Krod:You know what?

Krod:That's between you guys and the Iridescent Church.

Cedric:They can get their own drinks.

Cedric:I'm okay with them not drinking.

Krod:Okay.

Krod:So they're like deadheads?

Krod:They're like groupies?

Krod:On their own dime or following you around?

Cedric:If they get me things, I have to pay for it, but if they're doing their own things, it's on them.

Krod:Do they get jobs while we're in town?

Gamemaster:Well, so they won't leave with you if you leave the city.

Gamemaster:So they'll have to figure out what to do for however long that is.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:It's so goofy.

Krod:I've got an issue at my place back home.

Krod:Maybe, I mean, I'm sure they're good handymen if they've been good at trying to find work.

Cedric:Oh, they'd love to help out.

Cedric:Isn't that right?

Cedric:Yep, yep, yep.

Cedric:Thanks, boss.

Krod:Nice, yeah, because at my house, the back's falling off.

Cedric:I knew you were going to say that.

Cedric:And I didn't know it until midway through when you're like, I need help in the house.

Cedric:I'm like, the fucking bag's falling off.

Mickey:Oh, geez.

Mickey:Josh, we're gonna go to the local pub, bar, whatever.

Mickey:Um...

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you guys would have, as part of when you're setting this trip up to come out and investigate, you've already made a reservation for a few nights stay at a local motel.

Gamemaster:But you guys can find a bar to hang out at for a little bit before you necessarily need to go find your wounds.

Cedric:I have alcohol lore, and I'm just bringing that up because I'm just going to be talking to you guys about how this stuff's made.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Cedric:You guys are going to be used to that.

Cedric:That's just going to be, oh, so actually, I meant the hop.

Gamemaster:I killed him.

Krod:So this would be something that Krod would enjoy.

Krod:Oh, Tanner's gone.

Krod:You're like, I can't be the only one that has bad internet.

Gamemaster:I just, I doubled it and passed it off to the next guy.

Krod:Yes.

Mickey:Brief.

Krod:Krod would enjoy here.

Krod:Krod would take the suggestions of the menu and listen to the critiques.

Krod:Sipping away.

Gamemaster:Can I?

Mickey:I can make a medicine check.

Gamemaster:Can I get a medicine or an alcohol lore check if you guys are actually getting drinks at the local bar?

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:I'll do it.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Cedric:Are we doing that thing where lore actually has a higher proficiency or whatever?

Gamemaster:Yeah, sure.

Gamemaster:I'll let you guys be masters and lore, which would mean if you're trained, just add another four.

Cedric:Okay.

Cedric:Appreciate it.

Cedric:40!

Mickey:Well, I'm not going to be able to beat that.

Mickey:Oh, jeez.

Mickey:My medicine check is low.

Gamemaster:unfortunately.

Krod:I also can't beat it.

Gamemaster:Okay, so with a 40, I think the best you would get is... I imagine your character with alcohol lore has tasted a wide variety of beers, and so would know what notes to expect in different kinds of beers.

Cedric:I'd like to ask someone about this.

Gamemaster:And there's a weird, herbaceous note in the house beer here, in whatever that you know is fermented, like in Wrenford, that you...

Gamemaster:Had not quite place.

Mickey:Thanks.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, there's not a lot more about that.

Gamemaster:If you ask the guy at the front, he will have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

Gamemaster:This is like a 24-year-old that doesn't run the bar or anything like that.

Gamemaster:He's just back there serving drinks.

Gamemaster:What's the term?

Gamemaster:Bar back?

Gamemaster:Bartender?

Gamemaster:Whatever.

Gamemaster:He's just like, listen, dude, I pour it.

Gamemaster:It all tastes the same to me.

Cedric:All right, gentlemen.

Krod:Oh, this also would have been detected by the dog.

Gamemaster:Why?

Gamemaster:Oh, shit, you have Super Taster now.

Krod:Via Supertaster.

Gamemaster:That's right.

Gamemaster:One second.

Mickey:Wait, what's the dog?

Gamemaster:He's the dog.

Krod:Krod, my character.

Gamemaster:He's a dog.

Cedric:He's a pug person.

Mickey:Oh, right.

Mickey:Yes, yes, yes.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Yeah, yeah.

Krod:You know, Krod doesn't have a second dog with him.

Mickey:Okay, very well.

Krod:The only dog he brought is himself.

Mickey:Yeah, that would be silly if you did something like that.

Cedric:He's feeding his dog beer.

Cedric:He should not have a dog.

Gamemaster:Okay, so, so, dog, you need to roll a perception check.

Gamemaster:This is supposed to be secret, but, you know.

Cedric:Can dog eat chocolate?

Gamemaster:He is, yeah, he's a humanoid with pug-like features.

Krod:35 on the perception.

Gamemaster:He's not an actual pug, so he can have chocolate and grapes.

Krod:Man, these are brutal.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you guys haven't been rolling fantastic.

Mickey:I mean, you rolled a 13 on the die.

Gamemaster:TBH.

Mickey:That's decent.

Krod:Yeah.

Krod:What did you say?

Cedric:Pretty slow.

Krod:What did you say the DC was?

Gamemaster:A 31.

Gamemaster:31 is the normal DC.

Krod:Oh, OK.

Krod:31.

Gamemaster:Like, for a normal level 13 check.

Gamemaster:With a 35... So, 35, similar to the 40 on the Alcohol Lore, I think you would also note the weird herb.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I think the closest you would get is Super Taster.

Gamemaster:It gives you, like, weird hints almost of...

Gamemaster:It's almost piney a little bit, a little sap-like.

Gamemaster:It's just got like this undertone of vegetal there that you wouldn't normally expect to drink like this.

Gamemaster:It doesn't immediately strike you as poison necessarily, but it is different.

Cedric:That makes sense.

Mickey:Can I... Can I... Yeah.

Krod:You got any insight on this pine shit?

Gamemaster:He already did a load of check and he did.

Gamemaster:Sorry, Tanner.

Mickey:Can I be just looking around for other raiments with this hint of green that we saw before?

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So even without a perception check, most of the people in town have at least a little bit of that green tinge to it.

Gamemaster:I will let you roll a perception check, though, if you're looking for anybody that looks like they have more green than they do pearl.

Gamemaster:37 is pretty good.

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:37?

Mickey:That any good?

Gamemaster:There is...

Gamemaster:Not sitting with anybody.

Gamemaster:Also, not wearing a tunic.

Gamemaster:Like, dressed up in a suit, looks like, at the end of a day's work of some kind.

Gamemaster:There is somebody kind of at the edge of the bar that looks like it's... Their raiment is on the smaller side, but it is also mostly green.

Gamemaster:And you note, actually, that as the green kind of takes over the pearlescent quality of the raiment, it looks like small vines start to wrap around the green bits of it.

Mickey:Ooh, that's fun.

Mickey:So here's what I would kind of like to try and do.

Mickey:And I don't know if this fits within the rules.

Mickey:Mickey is not a charismatic guy, but he's big into nature.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Mickey:And so I'm wondering if I can go up to this guy and just kind of introduce myself as visiting the town and express an interest in the forest.

Mickey:And just engage in some nature conversation with this guy, just as an interested nerd, almost.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:As an autistic hiker.

Gamemaster:I assume you mean like nature as a proxy for diplomacy, effectively.

Mickey:Indeed.

Mickey:I don't expect it to get the same results, but that's the kind of conversation I want to have.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Gamemaster:I'll let you do it.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you're going for a guy who specifically seems to be into nature, so I'll allow it.

Cedric:I'll talk to him after you too.

Cedric:I'll wait for you to say and then I'll go.

Gamemaster:Wow.

Mickey:Oh, nope, sorry.

Gamemaster:Did you roll?

Gamemaster:Did I miss it?

Gamemaster:So are you looking to build a rapport, or are you trying to find particular information?

Gamemaster:What is the plan here?

Mickey:I am definitely looking to connect with this guy in case if we see him tomorrow, he'll know that I've already expressed an interest in what they've got going on.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:With the 32, I think you definitely do make a connection with this guy.

Gamemaster:He... It's interesting.

Gamemaster:He very clearly...

Gamemaster:knows a lot about the forest and seems to care about it in your conversation with him.

Gamemaster:But when the conversation strays a little bit more towards who he is instead of just trees, it seems that he works for a logging company, which feels like a weird dissonance there of guy who cuts down trees but really likes trees.

Mickey:Yeah.

Gamemaster:He doesn't offer up any additional information about it necessarily.

Gamemaster:Nor does he say, oh, hey, if you like trees, you should go hang out at this really cool commune on the edge of town.

Gamemaster:But he does, you know, you've definitely made a connection there.

Gamemaster:Anything else you guys would like to do?

Cedric:can I go buy him a drink and go over chat with him I'm going to you know what never mind yeah that's it for me tonight boys you guys want to get started in the morning or

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:You... Oh, okay.

Krod:Can I... Can I walk over to the bar to get a final round of drinks?

Krod:And when I walk by this man, can I sense if he has blood?

Gamemaster:Uh, can you sense if he has blood?

Gamemaster:Like, do you have a feat that lets you do that?

Krod:I do have blood.

Gamemaster:Or... Okay.

Krod:I do have blood sense, which...

Krod:allows you to sense the presence of creatures, living or dead, that have blood.

Krod:This includes most creatures that aren't immune to bleed.

Krod:You're similarly able to detect the presence of fresh blood in volumes of one pint or more, so long as it's no more than 24 hours old.

Krod:So I imagine if I walked by him and he wasn't giving me blood vibes, I would think he didn't have blood.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:He does have blood.

Gamemaster:Can confirm.

Cedric:I'm going to go talk to him.

Cedric:Buy him a drink.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:Now intrigued.

Gamemaster:I will say, if you want, you can make a diplomacy check here.

Gamemaster:The DC has increased because he is... This is the third member of your group of three that he's watched, like, come near him and interact with him in some way.

Cedric:That's fair.

Cedric:So I will immediately, using my glad hand feat, attempt to make an impression.

Cedric:Immediately, instead of waiting a minute.

Gamemaster:No.

Cedric:36.

Cedric:Did that fail?

Cedric:Okay.

Cedric:Because if it did fail, I could retry it again.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you... You've met him.

Cedric:But... Yeah.

Cedric:So hopefully that increased his standing on me.

Cedric:And then I just want to shoot the shit about this.

Cedric:Find out what he thinks of the Expanse.

Cedric:And then I'm just going to point Blake asking him about the green.

Cedric:in his uh raiment just be like hey i'm not used to that what is that is there like a temple or something that you guys worship or is this like you just feel him does he make you feel like happier sadder uh

Gamemaster:let's say it's the green father no there's a big forest no no

Cedric:Does he make you feel different at all?

Cedric:And I have the lie to me feet.

Gamemaster:No, it's a forest.

Cedric:Okay.

Cedric:What you drinking?

Gamemaster:Beer?

Cedric:You want another one?

Gamemaster:No, it's getting late.

Cedric:All right.

Cedric:I leave.

Gamemaster:It wasn't the best conversation list.

Gamemaster:He also didn't seem to have particularly strong feelings about the Green Father one way or another.

Cedric:All right.

Cedric:Sleep and.

Krod:Asleep.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Y'all can find your rooms in the motel and get a night's rest.

Gamemaster:You wake up.

Gamemaster:It's morning time.

Gamemaster:Nobody attacked you in the middle of the night.

Gamemaster:Your entourage all got a four-stack bunk bed in the next room over that they hung out in.

Cedric:They sleep in shifts covering me.

Gamemaster:You're in a motel room.

Krod:I imagine they all treat you like Lex Luthor's employees.

Cedric:I understand.

Gamemaster:You set a watch anyway?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I said, these guys aren't employees.

Krod:Like, yeah, of course, sir.

Krod:No, we'll sleep in the cramped room.

Gamemaster:Like, his character explicitly isn't paying them.

Cedric:No, they just love me.

Cedric:Yeah, they just love me.

Cedric:It's not like Lex Luthor.

Cedric:They just love me.

Cedric:This is the best feat ever.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you guys wake up.

Gamemaster:This motel does not have a complimentary continental breakfast, so you are left to your own devices to try and figure out what to eat in the morning.

Cedric:That's fucked up.

Gamemaster:But you guys can reconvene.

Cedric:Damn it.

Cedric:I was going to do a drinking game.

Cedric:I forgot.

Cedric:I wanted to see who could hold their breath the longest.

Krod:We could still do it.

Krod:Wait, let me check if I have a feed for that.

Cedric:You want to do one?

Cedric:Who can hold their breath the longest?

Mickey:Oh, jeez.

Mickey:Do you have feet for that, Jorge?

Cedric:I can hold my breath 25 times longer than Norm.

Mickey:What are the... Alright.

Mickey:I feel like we probably already learned that about you.

Gamemaster:Where's the drinking coming in with this?

Cedric:He can't hold his breath.

Mickey:I don't think there's any way we spent a day and a half on a train without that coming out.

Krod:How is it a drinking game?

Krod:I think I may have looked at... Is this a skill feat, or...?

Cedric:It's breath control, but yeah.

Mickey:breathe, you drink.

Mickey:So stupid.

Mickey:I'm going to bed.

Mickey:We rest.

Krod:That is really tough, yeah.

Cedric:Okay.

Cedric:It came with being a lizard.

Cedric:All right.

Cedric:Let's re-rest.

Cedric:You guys want to go over to the Verdant Expanse?

Mickey:I think that would be pretty smart.

Krod:Is it the same direction as the commune?

Mickey:Go to the commune.

Gamemaster:You would know that the commune is effectively between the edge of the forest and the actual city.

Cedric:Yeah, that's what I meant.

Gamemaster:So you can start heading over there if you like.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:So...

Gamemaster:You make your way over.

Gamemaster:There's no public transport here, but you don't really need a car at this point either.

Gamemaster:The city never really grew large enough to warrant that.

Gamemaster:You guys can just take a nice 20-minute walk out to the outskirts of town.

Gamemaster:It is pretty obvious once you've found...

Gamemaster:the edge of the commune, because the concrete and brick buildings of Wrenford kind of fade away as you make it to the outskirts and are replaced with wood and thatch-roofed houses.

Gamemaster:that look like they were built for some kind of historical reenactment and not necessarily where people are actually living.

Gamemaster:But people are actually living!

Gamemaster:As you get a bit closer, no perception check necessary, the first person you see is an older-looking human man, full-on wearing a tunic, by the looks of it herding some sheep.

Mickey:I roll to attack.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Mickey:That was a joke.

Gamemaster:Oh, I was checking as I see.

Cedric:yeah head over to the commune proper

Gamemaster:But yeah, it seems like it's the edge of town.

Gamemaster:It is a town attached to a town.

Gamemaster:You could tell from your information gathering before, maybe 30 people live on the commune at this point in time.

Mickey:Well, I think it'd be good if we could seek out if they have a meeting place or if there's a center, a square.

Gamemaster:Okay, what is the plan?

Gamemaster:Are you just wandering into town and waiting for somebody to ask you what you're doing?

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:That would be a perception check.

Cedric:Now, rules as entourage, did they come to this commune, or is this adventuring and they stayed back?

Gamemaster:I think this is already out of the city enough that they probably wouldn't have come with you.

Cedric:All right, I left them back there.

Gamemaster:Yeah, they can find something to do until you return.

Mickey:They're just drinking.

Cedric:And then what are we rolling?

Gamemaster:Up to two people can roll perception checks.

Cedric:Do you want to roll it, Mike?

Gamemaster:Tanner already rolled a third one.

Krod:Yes.

Krod:22.

Cedric:What's your modifier?

Cedric:Yeah, you should roll.

Krod:Easy beat.

Krod:Tanner stood no chance.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Mickey:He beat me by what could be a circumstance bonus.

Krod:It's a 33.

Gamemaster:Not only that, both of you are within the same band of success, so it actually doesn't matter.

Krod:Good.

Gamemaster:Both of you would identify as you get close to what is basically the geographic center of the area amidst some of the wooden houses, there is what appears to be a kind of it almost kind of looks like where a bunch of

Gamemaster:hand-paved roads meet in the center of it is kind of like a roundabout area which looks to be a gathering place of some kind you see that there are two or three people that looks like they're milling around you know right now it's kind of sitting it is you know not long after sunrise at this point so this is an agrarian community a lot of people are out farming but the people who aren't either because they're too young too old or too busy doing something else um some of them are hanging out here

Cedric:Can I try, I guess, talking to people, seeing if they know anything about, like, husks?

Gamemaster:Gross.

Gamemaster:Talking to people?

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Bye.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, if you want, you can gather information.

Gamemaster:You can gather information here, too.

Gamemaster:If you're not trying to seek out anybody in particular and you're just trying to get more information about desiccated people, yeah, go for it.

Cedric:Yeah, goodness.

Gamemaster:That's a diplomacy check.

Cedric:And I'm just going to be straight up.

Cedric:We're with the Clarion police.

Cedric:We're looking into this.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Cedric:Yeah, just not.

Gamemaster:You're going where the law mode.

Cedric:Yeah, I'm not.

Cedric:I'm not being like a dick cop.

Cedric:You know, I'm just like going through like we're looking for a murderer.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Oh, so when Jorge says, I'm not being dick cop, Josh is like, who the fuck is he being like then?

Cedric:And I also have the lie to me feat.

Cedric:So I'm going to be weaving that into your scene.

Cedric:People are lying to me.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Cedric:If I engage a conversation, someone trying to lie to you, you can use a deception DC.

Gamemaster:You can't do that, Mike, because those words are synonyms sometimes.

Mickey:Oh, yeah.

Cedric:I will use a... Oh, if I use a mythic, it's only plus four because I'm a master, right?

Gamemaster:Yep.

Cedric:I'll try it.

Krod:been drinking tonight

Mickey:Mythic rolls suck at higher levels.

Gamemaster:Yeah, we should just get rid of him.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:Ooh.

Mickey:Oh.

Gamemaster:Okay, with a 49 crit, first of all, yeah.

Cedric:And I'm looking for liars.

Cedric:I am bringing in the no more Mr. Nice Guy.

Cedric:Cedric isn't changing his voice either.

Cedric:He's just...

Cedric:Focused.

Gamemaster:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:When he's laying down the law, he stops being... Okay.

Cedric:And cocaine.

Gamemaster:Oh, okay, sure.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:With the 49 crit, I think the first thing with Lie to Me that you would figure out is these are very honest people, to the point that if you question them, they straight up don't believe in lying, they don't think it's virtuous, and...

Mickey:you

Gamemaster:The kind of people that would do unvirtuous things would not willingly self-segregate into a society like this.

Gamemaster:So no one's lying to you.

Gamemaster:Asking about desiccated husks doesn't get you very far.

Gamemaster:They are not aware of anybody who has been either turned into or has been trying to turn other things into desiccated husks.

Gamemaster:It's not a thing that they're familiar with.

Gamemaster:I think what you would get, you're a detective, you know how to ask questions and get information out of people that, you know.

Cedric:Anyone leave recently, you know, come back and forth, all that.

Gamemaster:Anyone leave is a good question, because as best you can tell from asking around, this commune of about 30 people used to have about 31, and only one person has left at all in like the past six months.

Gamemaster:There was a member of the town,

Gamemaster:What was his name?

Cedric:Just pretending his name is not me.

Gamemaster:Lyric Burke.

Gamemaster:No, I have, like, when I need to come up with names, I use a website that lets you, like, save names.

Gamemaster:And I then imagine ones that I would expect to assign to specific things, and I can't remember their last names.

Gamemaster:So I have to go back to it to figure out what the last name was.

Cedric:Hmm.

Gamemaster:Lyric Burke, who was a member of the commune.

Gamemaster:He wasn't born in the commune, but he joined up.

Gamemaster:He used to work for one of the nearby logging companies that...

Gamemaster:tried to and didn't really get a foothold in the verdant expanse.

Gamemaster:Generally a gentle person, as far as anybody describes.

Gamemaster:Kept to himself.

Gamemaster:He liked making pottery.

Gamemaster:They point to one of the houses down on the edge was the one that he helped build, and so they let him stay in it type deal.

Gamemaster:But he recently, six months ago, half a year ago,

Gamemaster:went on a pilgrimage into the Verdant Expanse, and they haven't seen him since.

Cedric:Yes.

Gamemaster:But that's the only person that they are aware of that has left the city, or that's left the continent in the past however many, whatever.

Gamemaster:Also, like, no one's stolen any tunics, I imagine would be, like, a thing a detective would ask, like, are you guys being framed or anything like that?

Gamemaster:Nobody's stolen any tunics.

Gamemaster:They haven't had, like, spools of thread go missing or anything like that.

Gamemaster:This is a low-crime area.

Mickey:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Does Sky Lyric have a room, a dormitory of sorts, or a house that we can inspect?

Gamemaster:Lyric has a home that he has that they haven't sent anybody into because they're waiting to see if he comes back on the edge of town.

Cedric:We go take a look at that.

Gamemaster:Yeah, they're not going to stop you.

Gamemaster:You guys said that you're cops and they're not going to go against authority.

Cedric:And I'm a cop with shameless request.

Gamemaster:You don't need to shamelessly request it.

Cedric:All right.

Cedric:So I sniff out the conversations.

Gamemaster:They point you in the right direction.

Cedric:I'm not these eyes.

Cedric:They're not made for looking.

Cedric:They're made for drawing.

Cedric:So I asked the compatriots to investigate.

Gamemaster:yeah the door is open they don't lock doors here because you know personal property sure but private property no uh but yeah you don't need to break it down or anything like that they'll just be like yeah you could just walk on in if you like uh um i i will accept a perception check um to investigate unless you guys have like something else you would rather roll and could justify it

Mickey:Yeah, can we perceive around this guy's home?

Cedric:So we don't need to kick the door.

Krod:Also, I've been forgetting to add one circumstance bonus to my perception.

Krod:But that's fine.

Gamemaster:Because you're a dog?

Krod:No, because I have obsidian goggles.

Cedric:Oh, me too.

Krod:This is for sight.

Gamemaster:Right, of course.

Mickey:I was like, this is really a fascinating feat.

Cedric:I forgot to add that.

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah, I, listen, for Darkvision, you guys are set, but Tanner was mean to me.

Gamemaster:And I, like, I think he did it on purpose, so good job, but you were mean.

Mickey:I wonder if this will come into play.

Gamemaster:Yeah, rude.

Gamemaster:What'd we get?

Mickey:Are you allowing two rolls?

Mickey:Because I'll roll as well.

Gamemaster:I will allow up to two, but no more than.

Krod:32.

Krod:All right, man.

Mickey:33, baby.

Cedric:Don't be holding my breath while this is happening.

Krod:All right, man.

Gamemaster:That's so much better.

Krod:All right, whatever, dude.

Gamemaster:That's so much better.

Krod:Whatever, guys.

Krod:I don't need to hear that right now.

Gamemaster:Well, so with a 32, you've seen nothing.

Gamemaster:But with a 33...

Gamemaster:As you go, this guy wasn't like living a very lavish life.

Gamemaster:They don't they don't got a lot of stuff here out in the continent in the middle of nowhere.

Gamemaster:So his his bedroom is one room house bedroom slash kitchen slash.

Gamemaster:That's it.

Gamemaster:Those are the only two rooms in this house, and it's all one room.

Gamemaster:You know, studios before studios were a thing.

Gamemaster:Doesn't have a lot in it.

Gamemaster:He's got like a little spot that's been carved out to make a fire and cook some stuff over.

Gamemaster:He's got one of those beds where it's not actually a spot to hold the mattress.

Gamemaster:It's strings that you need to tie tight every night.

Gamemaster:And then as you sleep on it, it kind of collapses because that's how beds used to work.

Gamemaster:not a lot of personal possessions or anything like that either but your perception rolls are enough I think to have noted he doesn't have a diary or anything like that but for a person who so clearly has effectively no personal possessions to find even one that seems like it might have some amount of value is interesting in itself you find like rummaging around that underneath his bed

Gamemaster:Sorry, underneath like the pillow of his bed is a small necklace with what looks to be a carved, some kind of green rock carved in the shape of a single leaf.

Gamemaster:It is...

Gamemaster:Like, it stands out here.

Gamemaster:None of the people that you spoke to else went on the commune were wearing jewelry or anything like that.

Gamemaster:That's, you know, physical ornamentation is against what they, like, came out here in the first place for.

Cedric:I when I

Gamemaster:So to see jewelry is strange.

Gamemaster:And, like, even without getting this appraised by anything or looking into it, it just immediately doesn't feel like some cheap tchotchke.

Gamemaster:Like, this feels like an actual piece of value.

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:I don't know if any of you have any, I don't even know what you would roll for geology.

Gamemaster:Crafting is probably the thing that I would ask to roll here, if any of you are good at that.

Mickey:Can I put forward a different option?

Gamemaster:You can certainly try.

Mickey:One of my lores?

Mickey:I have, unless someone is good at crafting, I have Plane of Earth lore.

Gamemaster:No, that would definitely fit.

Gamemaster:And if you're trained in it, I'll let you add four, because you would be master if we did the additional gore, whatever.

Mickey:That brings it up to master.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Mickey:Cool.

Cedric:I imagine when Mikey Ironroots finds it, he does that detective thing where he has a pen and he picks up the jewelry and he's like, hey guys, look at this.

Gamemaster:God.

Gamemaster:When did fingerprints become a thing for detective work?

Mickey:Oh, I did really poorly.

Krod:Do you have a mythic?

Cedric:I mean, Forensic kits were in the last setting too.

Gamemaster:That's true.

Mickey:I could just use my mythic now.

Mickey:What a creep.

Krod:While he's doing this, I sniff the guy's pillow.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:That's another perception check, I guess.

Mickey:What a creep.

Cedric:Thank you.

Mickey:Okay, so to allow me to do easier math, what is the jump from trained to mythic?

Mickey:Is that 8?

Gamemaster:Eight.

Mickey:Okay.

Mickey:So... That would be this.

Krod:Jesus Christ.

Mickey:I got a 36 to look at the rock.

Krod:25.

Gamemaster:Okay, and a 25 to smell the pillow.

Krod:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:The pillow smells of not much at this point.

Gamemaster:It's been six months since anybody's used it.

Gamemaster:Yeah, with a 25, it smells vaguely of starting to rot slightly hay, as is the internal feeling of this particular pillow.

Gamemaster:With a 36...

Gamemaster:On the lore check, lore checks always have a lower DC, so that is a critical success.

Mickey:Ox.

Gamemaster:So this rock, you would know is, like, you would know this specific rock.

Gamemaster:It is not native to Færrin or to Færrin Prime.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Cedric:Oh, that's actually a really important lore there.

Gamemaster:This is something that you learn specifically from in Crit.

Gamemaster:Like, an average rock connoisseur would know that this is a relatively rare rock, but wouldn't really be able to place it where.

Gamemaster:With a Crit, you know specifically that this is... This piece of earth is from somewhere starward.

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:Not sure where, because nobody's ever been able to locate the source, but every once in a while, somebody shows up with a hunk of it, and it goes for a bunch of money at auction.

Gamemaster:The street name for it is Feyrock, because it's believed that it comes from the Fey.

Cedric:Is the general idea starward is Fae-like, voidward is more demon-like?

Cedric:Or is it not like that at all?

Gamemaster:I, like, basically, yes.

Gamemaster:You'll find one in the other direction.

Gamemaster:And it's less fey, and it's more, like, angelic, almost.

Gamemaster:Like, when you see, like, representations of the infinite horizon, it's imagined as starward takes you closer to the Godhome, and voidward takes you further away from the Godhome.

Cedric:Guys, the Voidsong's definitely bad.

Cedric:And the Ember Calling might actually be good.

Cedric:Alright, but anyway.

Gamemaster:But yeah, so it's known that it comes from somewhere starward, and it's generally valuable because it's rare and pretty.

Gamemaster:It doesn't have any, like, inherent magical properties that you're aware of, but...

Mickey:I look to my compatriots and say, you know, one of these is pretty hard to come by, typically.

Mickey:Most people don't even know how to get them.

Mickey:They just kind of show up.

Cedric:Who knows?

Mickey:Could be that our guy here, maybe he found some kind of passageway in the forest.

Mickey:Maybe something visited him, corrupted him.

Mickey:Who knows?

Mickey:There's crazy things that could happen in the trees.

Cedric:It's good idea.

Krod:Do we know if he got back on the train in this direction, or do we just know that he came from this direction?

Krod:There's the time that he showed up, though, was recent.

Gamemaster:You know he came from this direction.

Gamemaster:He got off of the train, seemingly beelined towards this one random guy, met with him for who knows how long, and was never seen again.

Krod:Or no?

Gamemaster:Yes, he showed up in Hallia about three weeks ago.

Gamemaster:He went missing from the commune six months ago.

Krod:OK.

Cedric:So maybe he's possessed by the green man.

Cedric:Or maybe... I don't know.

Krod:He stays in the woods then, if he's possessed?

Cedric:Has there been any frequency on these murders?

Gamemaster:Sorry, you cut out for my... Random frequencies, as in... Oh, there was seemingly no connection between any of them.

Cedric:Are there any frequencies on these murders?

Krod:Random frequency.

Krod:like randomly spaced out.

Cedric:Are there any?

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:OK.

Gamemaster:Time-based, demographic-based, like, nothing stayed consistent between the numbers.

Cedric:Should we?

Cedric:Can any of you guys locate a person based off the possession of theirs?

Krod:Not locate.

Krod:I can help track based off of their smell.

Mickey:Yeah, I don't have anything to tie this item to this man.

Cedric:Oh.

Cedric:To just.

Cedric:When we chat with the people, what was his goal of going into the forest?

Krod:Well, what if we take this item and walk into the forest with it?

Krod:See what happens to us.

Cedric:Did they say?

Cedric:Did he just go?

Cedric:Do they know where?

Gamemaster:He was going on a pilgrimage into the forest, seemingly to get closer into the forest.

Mickey:Is that something unusual around here?

Gamemaster:People will go into the Verdant Expanse for short bits of time to get closer to nature, but they come back after a week.

Cedric:Do they have a spot that they go to, like a retreat spot?

Gamemaster:The only thing they specify is they never go too deep into what they call the mid-boughs.

Gamemaster:Once you get a little... It's dangerous just at the very entrance, but the further in you get, the darker it gets, because less light actually makes it to the floor, and the more dangerous things live in the forest, so it's less likely for you to come back alive.

Gamemaster:So they tend not to venture in too deep.

Cedric:That's amazing.

Gamemaster:And yes, that's why I was... It's... I, like...

Mickey:I'm so happy about the darkness.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Gamemaster:It's crazy.

Gamemaster:It's like magically dark if you go deep enough into the forest and you straight up have a feat that says no it isn't.

Gamemaster:Which is rude.

Mickey:Guys, dwarfs can just see through magical darkness if you take the right... The caveat is you are not allowed to...

Mickey:use anything with the darkness trait.

Mickey:It's like you are just fully anti-darkness.

Cedric:That's so worth it.

Cedric:I don't know how many things there are.

Gamemaster:be.

Mickey:Yeah, kind of niche.

Cedric:Yeah.

Mickey:Anyway, fellas, I'm ready to face this forest.

Mickey:I mean, I've been around a lot of trees, a lot of dirt.

Mickey:A lot of rocks, so... You know, there's nothing that this forest can throw at me that I can't handle.

Cedric:Right, so what's our plan?

Cedric:We're just going to go into this massive ocean of trees?

Mickey:Well... Yeah, I guess we...

Krod:Yeah.

Krod:What other leads do we have?

Krod:We've been on this case for weeks.

Mickey:We take the most efficient path we can to these mid-boughs and see if we can pick up some tracks if anybody knows generally which direction he may have started in.

Mickey:That's the best we got.

Mickey:There's got to be something going on in there.

Cedric:Do you have any more descriptions of what this guy looks like, size, any of that?

Gamemaster:They can give you a general description of him.

Gamemaster:Lyric was a male human, 32, about 5'7", relatively long brown hair that he used to keep in a braid.

Gamemaster:Not scarred or anything, although he has a general farmer's build.

Gamemaster:He spent most of his days either making pottery or helping out on the farmland.

Cedric:I'm going to sketch them out, ask if these people could hand it to one of my entourage to make copies and spread around the city.

Cedric:39.

Gamemaster:Roll a performance check to see how good you are at making one of those crime scene photos.

Gamemaster:That's a pretty good rendition.

Gamemaster:You show it to the people in the comedy and they're like, yeah, that could be him.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:I'm a... I feel propagandist.

Cedric:Of course I know how to draw people.

Gamemaster:And they were all like, yeah, that works.

Krod:That's what he passed around.

Gamemaster:And you know, they don't like lying, so... Yeah.

Cedric:Yeah, that's true.

Cedric:They really would have been mean to me if I didn't.

Gamemaster:Also, there are apparently 14 spells with the darkness trait.

Cedric:That's not that...

Gamemaster:But you're not a spellcaster, so... Oh, you also can't cast the ritual army of shadows.

Krod:Got him.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Krod:Oh.

Mickey:That was pretty integral to my build.

Krod:integral for last campaign if i'm thinking of the right thing this is a ninth level oh never mind

Gamemaster:No, no, no, no.

Gamemaster:This is... Oh, maybe it isn't.

Gamemaster:This is a different one.

Gamemaster:This is a second level ritual from Battlecry.

Gamemaster:It's beautiful.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You're talking about the Gong Thief spell.

Gamemaster:That's what you're referring to.

Gamemaster:Okay, either way, so you've done a little bit of sketch artistry, and then you've been pointed in the general direction of where he entered, of the verdant expanse.

Gamemaster:There are routes into the forest.

Gamemaster:At one time, there were wide-Scale plans to log a bunch of it, but then it became too expensive because people kept dying, so they kind of just pulled out.

Gamemaster:But the routes remained.

Gamemaster:So you can take one of those towards the entrance to the city, if that is what you would like to do.

Cedric:Wait, are they not logging at all, or are they still logging?

Cedric:Just... I see, I see.

Gamemaster:There's some on the very edges of the forest, but it used to be there was a really big orc presence here, because they were like, oh, shoot, massive supply of wood, we'll get a ton of it.

Gamemaster:And then they went a little too deep, but instead of a balrog, it was just all manner of terrible things.

Gamemaster:So they left.

Gamemaster:Sorry, are you headed to the forest?

Gamemaster:Is that what's happening?

Mickey:Hell yeah.

Krod:I'll do it.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Then I would love it if somebody could roll a d8 for me.

Mickey:Usually Mike does that kind of stuff.

Gamemaster:He's never rolled poorly.

Krod:I'll do it.

Krod:I love swaying the course of the session.

Krod:Six.

Gamemaster:Six.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:On

Gamemaster:your way over towards the canopy, the entrance area of the forest, where the trees are only like 100 feet or so tall at their lowest, to the point that it's strange.

Mickey:you

Gamemaster:It doesn't look like there are any saplings.

Gamemaster:It looks like it just, at the edge of the forest, it starts with a full-grown tree, and then it just gets bigger.

Gamemaster:But as you start making your way into the forest proper, it begins to rain.

Gamemaster:It's not a particularly nice day out already.

Gamemaster:It was already overcast, but now it's actually raining.

Gamemaster:The ground is starting to get a little muddy.

Gamemaster:It's a little annoying to walk in, but there aren't any roads large enough for you to get a car through, so you're not about to drive into the forest.

Cedric:I hate that we have a dude that specialized in water and wood going into a raining forest right now.

Cedric:That son of a bitch.

Gamemaster:Shouldn't have rolled a six then.

Gamemaster:Are you guys being sneaky as you go into the forest?

Krod:colluding.

Cedric:Should we be stealthy?

Mickey:I guess we could give it a go.

Gamemaster:It'll slow you down, but it'll make it harder for things that you don't want seeing you to see you.

Gamemaster:So stealth check, if you like.

Cedric:We'll slow them down, it won't slow me down.

Krod:I just... Oh, I just... No.

Gamemaster:Do you have a feat for that?

Krod:Well, I don't know what he's saying.

Krod:I just realized I should have taken Training and Stealth

Krod:So if you'd allow me to move something over.

Gamemaster:What do you mean you should have taken it?

Gamemaster:Oh, instead of something else?

Krod:I didn't realize.

Krod:Yeah, I was trying to put skill increases in things that I would have the highest modifiers in.

Krod:And I don't know how I just missed stealth completely.

Gamemaster:So what would you move it away from?

Gamemaster:Fine.

Krod:Nature.

Krod:Thank you.

Cedric:I have the Quiet Allies feat.

Gamemaster:You went from a 4 to a 19.

Gamemaster:I get why you wanted the trained and stealth.

Krod:I actually went from a 4 to a 21 because of the item I have that also boosts my stealth.

Cedric:Uh...

Gamemaster:Oh, what?

Gamemaster:The boots?

Krod:Yeah, that's why I know the armor.

Gamemaster:Not the boots.

Krod:That's why I completely missed the fact that I should be boosting stealth.

Gamemaster:Oh, right.

Gamemaster:It is the room.

Gamemaster:Forgot about the room.

Gamemaster:Okay, that's fair.

Cedric:So I have quiet allies.

Cedric:So you and those allies can roll a single stealth check using the lowest modifier instead of rolling separately.

Cedric:So who's got the lowest if we want to do this?

Cedric:Statistically, it makes sense for four.

Cedric:Does it make sense for three?

Mickey:My stealth is 22.

Krod:Well, mine is 21.

Cedric:All right, you roll it then.

Cedric:Mine's also 22.

Krod:I was rolled a 1D21 and then just no modifier.

Cedric:oof do you got a hero that's fine that's him rolling for all of us with quiet allies

Krod:God damn it.

Krod:Well, yeah, we'll just 25 on this.

Gamemaster:Okay, so we got a 25.

Gamemaster:Wait, sorry, is that you rolling or did you just want to roll it for fun?

Krod:No, that's a 25 on this.

Gamemaster:Were you rolling?

Krod:Yeah, that's still a check.

Gamemaster:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:So is 25 the roll for all three of you?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You guys start heading into the forest.

Gamemaster:following the, like, beatdown path that you expect that he would have taken.

Gamemaster:And right as you come up to the tree line... Who has the necklace?

Krod:Rock guy.

Mickey:Probably still me.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Mr. Mickey, you explode...

Krod:He explodes.

Gamemaster:Or alternatively, you would feel the necklace either in your pocket or wherever you put it vibrate slightly.

Mickey:Yes.

Mickey:Oh.

Cedric:Oh, so it knows which direction.

Krod:Is that a necklace in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Cedric:We can follow it.

Gamemaster:I didn't say it gets bigger.

Mickey:I'll fetch it.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:When you pull it out of wherever you've stored it, you note that instead of hanging straight down from the cord, it appears to be pulling slightly in a direction towards the forest.

Cedric:Hell yeah.

Mickey:Okay, okay.

Mickey:I'm gonna put it on.

Cedric:Let's follow this bad boy.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Krod:I'd like to hunt prey.

Gamemaster:It's a strange sensation to put a necklace on and then have it hovering like an inch above your chest because it's not actually making contact with you.

Mickey:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:But as you turn, then it falls back down onto your chest and starts pushing away.

Gamemaster:It is pointing you deeper into the forest.

Krod:Well, no, I'm hunting this guy.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Like, just for fun?

Krod:I get a bonus when I have to roll stuff.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:That's the one kind of prey.

Cedric:I'm ready

Gamemaster:Is it the same as the ranger feet?

Krod:Uh, yes.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Oh, plus two when seeking.

Gamemaster:Oh, and two survival when tracking.

Gamemaster:Okay, tracking is going to be a little difficult, but you'll probably end up rolling survival anyway, so we'll check for that.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you guys, as sneakily as you can, which as it turns out is not very, now with a little bit of a pull pointing you in the right direction, can head further into the forest.

Gamemaster:As you do, I'd love a marching order.

Gamemaster:The person in front will be the person making perception checks, and then the person in any other position can make survival checks, but it can't be the same person.

Mickey:I just want to ask one question about the Quiet Allies before we move forward.

Cedric:I will be in the mood.

Mickey:Was he supposed to add a bonus from your Follow the Expert?

Mickey:Isn't that rolled into Quiet Allies?

Cedric:Oh.

Cedric:What bonus would that be?

Gamemaster:While you are avoiding notice and your allies follow the expert and your allies roll a single stealth check using the lowest modifier and then you still get the bonus, they're still following you, so follow the expert.

Mickey:So what does follow the expert do?

Mickey:I don't think it's going to move it to a success, but just so we know.

Gamemaster:Follow the expert.

Gamemaster:How good are you at stealth, Jorge?

Cedric:I'm a master.

Gamemaster:So you get a plus three.

Krod:So it's 28.

Gamemaster:And for what it's worth, you could have added your level to this even if you weren't trained to follow the expert.

Cedric:Good to know for the future.

Gamemaster:But 28 still isn't particularly sneaky, but it's sneakier than 25.

Gamemaster:I would like marching order.

Mickey:No.

Mickey:So we're making perception and survival checks.

Cedric:I'll be in the middle.

Mickey:One of each?

Gamemaster:The person in the front is making a perception check and somebody else is making a survival check.

Krod:I think I,

Krod:Do you have butcher survival?

Mickey:It's in a forest.

Mickey:My survival is 24.

Krod:Okay, I can make the perception then.

Krod:He's got it.

Cedric:I'll be in the middle of these two short people who are way more attentive than I am.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:How is Cedric feeling without his entourage as he enters the forest?

Mickey:I got it.

Cedric:Not great, honestly.

Cedric:He misses being able to tell people what to do.

Krod:He goes to hand things.

Cedric:He tries to tell you guys what to do and then stops himself.

Cedric:He's like, sorry, we're peers.

Gamemaster:Okay, that's a 34 for the survival.

Mickey:Yes.

Gamemaster:Good.

Krod:And then perception.

Krod:I think I still get the bonus.

Krod:Yes.

Gamemaster:Generally you get an item bonus from items, circumstance bonus from feats, status bonus from statuses.

Krod:This is a circumstance.

Krod:Is the gear also circumstance?

Krod:Item bonus.

Krod:So they stack.

Krod:Statuses, yeah.

Krod:I don't think I have any status bonus, but we'll roll.

Gamemaster:I would be surprised if you did.

Gamemaster:That's such a high modifier.

Krod:I've got high status.

Gamemaster:37.

Gamemaster:You guys both did well this time.

Gamemaster:Okay, so with a survival, you're in the least dense, most visible part of the forest right now.

Gamemaster:So it's not like there are a bunch of hiking trails around you necessarily, but it isn't also like you're having to carve through an underbrush either.

Gamemaster:So it's really just more of making sure that you're steered in the correct general direction.

Gamemaster:That's where the necklace is pointing you.

Gamemaster:And with the roll that you got, that is not a problem.

Gamemaster:Anytime that you feel that the pull is starting to move a little bit off-center, you can make sure to find another path through that doesn't involve you running through a bunch of thorn bushes and the like.

Gamemaster:With a perception check... Okay.

Cedric:Ask Major Armour.

Cedric:Sorry.

Cedric:Just putting that out there.

Gamemaster:With a perception check, you watch as Cedric casts Mage Armor.

Gamemaster:But on top of that, you're keeping a pretty good lookout around you.

Gamemaster:It's a little difficult to see.

Gamemaster:It is raining.

Gamemaster:Visibility isn't fantastic.

Gamemaster:There aren't many animals out, which is not particularly surprising given the weather.

Gamemaster:But with that perception check, I think as you make your way a little bit into the forest, you do note something.

Gamemaster:Something catches your eye.

Gamemaster:There are...

Gamemaster:Some of the leaves on one of the trees that you pass by strike you as just being slightly the wrong shape.

Gamemaster:They eat your brain, and you're like, that's weird.

Gamemaster:And as you go to turn and look at it a little bit, you notice that they're not actually leaves.

Gamemaster:It's like a wing.

Gamemaster:almost, that has been camouflaged to look like leaves.

Gamemaster:And then you note that the wing is attached to a green body that has been staying very still up against a tree, camouflaged to look like leaves.

Gamemaster:And then you follow the body up, and you see that there is a head attached to this body, insectoid, kind of extended, that appears to have been looking right at you, and just gone completely unnoticed amidst the foliage.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, your stealth rolls were not enough to avoid notice of this thing as it's looking at you.

Gamemaster:You make eye contact with it, and I think that is enough for it to be alerted that it's been discovered, and it will attack.

Gamemaster:But it doesn't get a surprise route, because you perceived it before it attacked you.

Mickey:Yeah, those idiots.

Gamemaster:So I'd love it if you guys could go to https://btl.iridi.cc.iridi.cc.

Cedric:Currently, it's that alley where we just fucked up those two hook guys.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's heavy.

Gamemaster:I will change it in a moment.

Gamemaster:I'm just placing you guys.

Krod:those thunderheads.

Gamemaster:Okay, let me, which one is this called?

Mickey:They walked right into our trap.

Cedric:Normally, I walk into traps.

Gamemaster:Does it look different for you?

Cedric:in D&D because I think it's more fun.

Cedric:This time, I was like, fuck these guys.

Cedric:This is stressful.

Cedric:I don't like looking for them.

Cedric:Way too stressful.

Krod:I don't want to get in a fight with them in the open and then have police backed by them help them or something.

Krod:Or some public that's like, take the gloves off, head into the alleyway.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Let's get this over with.

Mickey:Uh, I'm just seeing black.

Mickey:I'll try to refresh it.

Gamemaster:If you're seeing black, can you guys see anything?

Cedric:I see the thing.

Cedric:I see it.

Krod:I see it.

Gamemaster:Okay, so that's it.

Krod:Oh!

Mickey:Oh, wait, it might be happening.

Mickey:All right, it happened.

Mickey:I'm in.

Gamemaster:I'd love it if you guys could roll initiative.

Gamemaster:This thing peeks out from the trees.

Cedric:I have the money for it, but I accidentally selected the wrong staff.

Cedric:I meant the staff that was a higher level of that staff.

Cedric:That was the 12th level.

Gamemaster:Uh, that would explain why you were the worst at getting to the, uh, monetary cap.

Cedric:But I feel like if I use that staff, I'm actually only a few gold under the cap.

Krod:Oh, sorry, I moved myself.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Uh, it was still the Staff of Fire, right?

Cedric:Yes.

Gamemaster:Just a higher-level one?

Cedric:Yes, it was just major.

Gamemaster:Staff of Fire.

Gamemaster:Danger.

Gamemaster:It'll be a little bit of effort to try and get the actual spell.

Krod:Is my... Is my...

Gamemaster:I don't know if it goes right into your spellcasting thing where you have to get into the item description and click it.

Gamemaster:Oh, actually, even with the Major Staff of Fire, you're still the worst at getting to the cap.

Cedric:Really?

Cedric:How much was I?

Gamemaster:I see you at 5,685 gold pieces.

Gamemaster:compared to 6,391 that our winner had out of 6,400 total.

Cedric:I didn't realize we had 400 extra.

Krod:Oh, you added mine up?

Krod:Oh, so I did some math wrong then.

Gamemaster:Well, so it adds it up for me.

Gamemaster:Foundry adds the total wealth of the items in your inventory.

Krod:Oh.

Gamemaster:6,400.

Krod:Oh.

Krod:How much were we given?

Krod:Okay.

Gamemaster:You were off by 9.

Krod:I thought I was off by three in the other direction.

Krod:I thought I was three gold in debt, and I was wondering if you were going to say anything about it.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:And then second closest is Tanner is $6,384.60, according to Foundry, which is still pretty close.

Gamemaster:But also, you don't need to get as close as possible to $6,400.

Cedric:Yeah, we do.

Krod:I think something was not entered.

Gamemaster:Why?

Gamemaster:What's incorrect?

Gamemaster:Hold on a second.

Krod:It appears I have one lower proficiency than Path Builder would indicate.

Gamemaster:Did you change something when you sent me the updated one?

Krod:No.

Gamemaster:Acrobatics is master.

Gamemaster:Athletics is master.

Gamemaster:Nature.

Gamemaster:when she switched to stealth.

Gamemaster:So stealth is trained, surviving is master, and thievery is trained.

Gamemaster:What do you expect?

Krod:Oh no, for my sword I should be legendary.

Gamemaster:Oh, is your sword not legendary?

Krod:I don't believe so.

Krod:It says master in the, where was I?

Krod:One of these menus.

Krod:Inventory.

Krod:No.

Krod:Where the fuck was it?

Krod:I just saw it.

Gamemaster:Oh, no.

Gamemaster:The Nodachi is an advanced weapon.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Weapon Legend only gets you to Legendary for simple and martial weapons.

Mickey:Oh.

Krod:Uh...

Gamemaster:Unless you have something else that gets you to Legendary for advanced weapons.

Krod:I have advanced weapon training at level 6.

Krod:So I gain proficiency with all advanced weapons in that group as if they were martial.

Gamemaster:You know what?

Gamemaster:Let me see if I can just overwrite it then.

Gamemaster:Thank you, legendary advanced weapons.

Krod:Oh, I think it's actually just a class feat.

Gamemaster:So advanced weapon training is a class feat.

Gamemaster:I just didn't realize it would interact with that.

Cedric:Bye.

Gamemaster:But...

Gamemaster:My understanding of it is that advanced weapon training just gives you proficiency in advanced weapons.

Gamemaster:I don't think it makes advanced weapons count as martial weapons.

Gamemaster:But I will see if I have a way of editing this.

Krod:That's what I'm reading.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:How about that?

Krod:Do I have to refresh?

Gamemaster:What number do you expect to see?

Krod:Well, actually, I guess I don't know what you changed.

Krod:Oh, yeah, no, this is fine.

Krod:This is fine.

Gamemaster:I made the Nodachi a martial weapon.

Krod:Oh, okay.

Krod:I was looking at my proficiencies because there's advanced swords under proficiencies.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:I didn't touch the proficiency because I don't actually have an easy way of modifying that.

Gamemaster:I'd have to make a feat that did it.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:But the Nodachi is now just for you a martial weapon.

Gamemaster:Which also, I don't understand how you milk the Nodachi if it's like three times your size.

Gamemaster:But that's neither here nor there.

Krod:Yeah.

Krod:wait we'll get there uh initiative perception i should have a plus two on this yeah i don't know why battlefield surveyor oh it's just a thing that fighters get of course if fighters just get better yeah why not

Gamemaster:Okay, so we are set up to fight a Mantis.

Cedric:I believe so.

Krod:Yes.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Then we will begin the encounter with Cedric.

Cedric:Cool.

Cedric:OK, so Sea Jerk.

Cedric:I'm trying to see where my, I'm trying to cast, it's called Overwhelming Energy.

Cedric:It's a class feat.

Cedric:Where would that be?

Gamemaster:It's in action.

Cedric:OK.

Cedric:So where are those actions?

Cedric:Oh, okay, I see the sword.

Gamemaster:It's like the sword.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:It's calling action.

Cedric:I'll just put that in the chat.

Cedric:That's what I'm doing.

Cedric:And then I'm going to cast the spiel.

Cedric:I want to do a fifth.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:And it is Fireboy.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Cedric:So you'll need to make a reflex saving throw.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:I, uh, critically failed.

Cedric:OK, OK.

Krod:The whole forest is going up.

Mickey:Wow.

Cedric:Don't.

Cedric:No, no, no.

Gamemaster:It's raining, it's fine.

Cedric:First of all, yeah, it's raining.

Krod:Oh, okay.

Cedric:But I have something else.

Cedric:Okay.

Cedric:One.

Cedric:Now I roll a d6.

Cedric:Okay, so since it's a d6, that means instead this does sonic damage and is deafened two because of my chaotic spell.

Gamemaster:what it's it's a spell shape you have to you have to use that before you cast a spell are you sure one second chaotic spell is a one oh wait no

Cedric:Anytime I do damage with acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic, I roll a d6, and it just changes.

Cedric:Oh, it doesn't have any actions.

Cedric:I don't see any actions on it.

Gamemaster:Yeah, Chaotic Spell is a one-action metamagic spell, or spell-shaped spell.

Cedric:Oh, it doesn't.

Cedric:I didn't see that on.

Cedric:It doesn't have an action on path.

Cedric:Can I do that instead of my dangerous thing?

Cedric:I didn't actually expect this to have any resistance to fire.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Gamemaster:You could have instead Chaotic Spelled.

Cedric:I think it's more fun.

Cedric:Yeah, I just think it's more fun.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Cedric:I thought it just I picked that all my stuff is just chaotic now.

Gamemaster:Yeah, so the way that all sorcerer spell shapes work is that you spend an action to do the spell shape, and then you cast the spell.

Cedric:OK.

Cedric:Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you did a d6, so it does sonic damage, and it's deafened for two rounds.

Cedric:Yes.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Can this guy be deafened?

Gamemaster:Does he have ears?

Gamemaster:He does have ears!

Cedric:So ignore the fire.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah.

Krod:Oh no.

Cedric:I did this because I figured if I have a bunch of fire stuff, it's just going to be a bunch of random things, which is way more fun being one type.

Gamemaster:Okay, actually, let's see.

Gamemaster:How does this work?

Cedric:Yeah, sorry if he has vulnerability to fire and I just gave you a fire thing.

Gamemaster:He doesn't have vulnerability to fire.

Gamemaster:He is immune to things with the auditory trait.

Cedric:Ah.

Gamemaster:But this is different from a sonic effect.

Gamemaster:You can't do things with the auditory trait.

Gamemaster:You can still do sonic damage.

Gamemaster:I just wanted to double check that.

Cedric:Cool.

Gamemaster:So he will take the double 41 points of fire damage.

Gamemaster:He is pretty injured and is deafened.

Mickey:Crazy.

Cedric:So as this is happening, Cedric goes, oh, fuck!

Gamemaster:Oh, sorry.

Gamemaster:That's why he's immune.

Gamemaster:He's immune to the auditory trait because he's deafened, not because he's a praying mantis.

Gamemaster:That makes sense.

Cedric:And then just starts trying to put out his cigarette.

Cedric:And as he does, he's just like, wah!

Cedric:And just lets out a fireball.

Cedric:But midway, you see the fire expand.

Cedric:Then all of a sudden, it contracts and then comes back out as if it's a sonic wave.

Cedric:And it just blasts all the leaves in the areas around it.

Gamemaster:I see.

Cedric:And that is his turn.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you do have one more action, if you want.

Cedric:Oh, I have one action because of him.

Cedric:I'm going to, can I step into these trees?

Cedric:Is this terrain?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Cedric:Yeah, I'll just step over here.

Gamemaster:So you don't have a very good idea of seeing underneath the trees, but there is still ground under them.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:I did that very inefficiently, but I have 30 feet of movement, so I figured I can go for those.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Next up is Krod.

Krod:Crod will... Sorry, mine got sidetracked.

Krod:I thought I remembered some weird thing.

Krod:Oh, isn't there some, like, aid?

Krod:It's like an aid reaction.

Krod:You have to ready... I don't even think I have the feat.

Gamemaster:Are you talking about aid?

Krod:Yeah, but I thought it was something slightly different.

Krod:that did... Yeah, I thought this was... I'm remembering something that was very specific on... It had to do with Reactive Strike.

Gamemaster:You can spend an action on your turn to ready your reaction to aid an ally, which lets you roll a check and then maybe add a bonus to their check.

Krod:But either way, this will be a Vicious Swing.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Do you need to step closer?

Gamemaster:Do you not?

Gamemaster:Does an Odachi have reach?

Krod:A Nodachi doesn't reach.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Krod:So Snod, being an expert in his weapon of choice, he will pull it off of his back.

Krod:By the way, it's at this angle because it's so big and he's so small.

Krod:Have you guys ever seen someone using a scythe for taking down meat?

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Essentially, that is how far he has to grab the Nodachi.

Cedric:Like Final Fantasy character.

Cedric:Have any of you guys seen Otani?

Krod:Exactly.

Krod:He does not unsheath the sword.

Gamemaster:Clouds the planet.

Krod:He throws the sheath off of the sword.

Krod:His arms, he can't... So he just throws it off and will make a swing.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Krod:Oh, I...

Cedric:hold the baseball bat before he swings.

Mickey:Yeah.

Cedric:That's how I'm picturing it, just like a really long way out.

Gamemaster:You hit the deadly mantis.

Krod:Yes.

Krod:27 points of damage.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It's not looking good.

Gamemaster:You've chopped one of its legs off.

Gamemaster:It's an insect.

Gamemaster:It's got more legs.

Gamemaster:So that doesn't actually stop it from moving around.

Gamemaster:But it doesn't like that that's happened.

Krod:Unfortunate.

Krod:And then I don't have a whole lot of.

Krod:All right, I guess I could just swing again.

Krod:But this does count as two for map, I believe.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you already made one attack, so this would be your second.

Gamemaster:Oh, you mean Vicious Swing.

Krod:No, no, no.

Krod:Vicious swing counts as two.

Gamemaster:Yes, it does.

Krod:So we will just attack again at this map.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Krod:Let me unclick vicious swing just to make sure it doesn't do anything crazy.

Gamemaster:Still hits.

Krod:Another hit.

Mickey:You don't need those extra D8s.

Krod:27 slashing.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Of course not.

Gamemaster:That is enough to make it bloodied.

Gamemaster:It screeches.

Gamemaster:It's got this greenish-bluish blood shooting out of the many, at this point, cuts.

Mickey:Hmm.

Gamemaster:Because if it had gone the other way, if it got cut and then fireballed, it would have cauterized.

Gamemaster:It'd be fine.

Gamemaster:But you guys did it in reverse order.

Cedric:Does it scream as if it's deaf?

Gamemaster:It is deaf.

Gamemaster:You would know that it's deaf.

Cedric:Yeah, but Mike knows what he means.

Gamemaster:But also, I don't know how you would know if a mantis' scream is deaf.

Cedric:Mike knows exactly what he means.

Gamemaster:It's not trying to speak in English.

Gamemaster:I know what you mean, but it's dumb.

Cedric:So does Tanner.

Mickey:All right.

Gamemaster:Is that the end of your turn, Krod?

Krod:That is Krod's turn.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Next up is Deadly Mantis 3.

Krod:Oh, what?

Mickey:Okay.

Krod:Wait, what?

Krod:Oh, no!

Gamemaster:It's an optical illusion.

Krod:Is that bigger?

Krod:Or is it just an optical illusion?

Mickey:That's just an illusion.

Gamemaster:He's the same size.

Krod:It's an optical illusion.

Gamemaster:He's going to jump off of... Actually, he doesn't really have a good... I was going to say, yeah, no, I think he has to do this the old-fashioned way.

Gamemaster:Actually, what's this guy's movement speed?

Gamemaster:Their speed?

Gamemaster:It's still going to be two actions, but you watch as it skitters.

Gamemaster:Back here.

Gamemaster:That's as close as it can get, which is close enough.

Krod:Oh, unfortunate.

Mickey:What the heck?

Gamemaster:They have a 50-foot move speed.

Krod:I'm going to reactive strike.

Krod:25 points.

Gamemaster:You can do that.

Gamemaster:That's allowed.

Gamemaster:25 points of damage.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It is still its turn.

Gamemaster:It used two actions to move.

Gamemaster:It's going to use its third action to try and bite the backline here, Mickey, because it has the sudden strike passive.

Gamemaster:You haven't gone yet, so you are off guard to it.

Krod:What is... What are the traits?

Gamemaster:Of the passive, there aren't any.

Krod:No, of the action.

Gamemaster:It's a melee attack.

Krod:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:So none, I suppose.

Krod:That's okay.

Krod:I just...

Mickey:I'm secretly a tank.

Gamemaster:Because you are off guard, that appears to have been a crit.

Mickey:No, it's a hit.

Gamemaster:Oh no, that appears to have been a hit.

Gamemaster:That sucks.

Gamemaster:I thought that was bigger than that.

Gamemaster:Never mind.

Cedric:Josh.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry, I saw the big green thing.

Gamemaster:I thought it was a crit.

Gamemaster:You're totally right.

Mickey:Trusting me out.

Gamemaster:33 points of piercing damage.

Krod:What are the traits of the grab?

Mickey:I accept.

Gamemaster:And that is the end of its turn.

Gamemaster:Samantha's one's turn.

Gamemaster:Uh, Mantis 1 is going to leaping grab.

Gamemaster:It jumps off of the tree right at Krod, who is only five feet away, but that is long enough to leap, uh, and will attempt to grab you in midair.

Gamemaster:Um, it, it isn't attempting to grab.

Krod:Oh, it's an attack because the grab.

Cedric:Wait, can you attack opportunity on moves, though?

Krod:Oh, yeah, it moved towards me.

Gamemaster:Uh, leaping grab, it leaps, which leap has the movement trait, so you may, uh, if you have another reaction, then you may reactive strike.

Cedric:Leaps.

Krod:Oh.

Gamemaster:Uh, that's what a critical hit looks like.

Gamemaster:That's unfortunate.

Gamemaster:Oh, it's deadly d12.

Krod:Oh, also, Deadly Mantis 3 I hit, right?

Gamemaster:Correct.

Krod:Let me just double check the...

Krod:I believe I have the thing if I get a hit.

Krod:Yeah, disorienting opening.

Krod:When you hit a creature as part of reactive strike, that creature becomes off guard.

Krod:So Mantis 3 is off guard, and now Mantis 1 is off guard.

Gamemaster:Until the start of your next turn.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Krod:Yeah, and Mantis 1 is also off guard.

Krod:But that's for two reasons.

Gamemaster:Yep.

Krod:That's because of my crit specialization and because of... Oh, and also he's frightened, too.

Gamemaster:Okay, yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:So 57, that's already doubled.

Gamemaster:So we'll take the damage.

Krod:Yep.

Gamemaster:He is not looking good, but then he's also frightened too, as well as off guard and deaf.

Gamemaster:This poor mantis.

Mickey:Now, it was a movement.

Gamemaster:Okay, can I go now?

Mickey:Yeah, he doesn't get disrupted because of the move.

Krod:Yeah, you can get.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he doesn't get disrupted because you did it on a leap.

Gamemaster:So either way, he still goes, but it's still a grab attack, which is worse now because he's frightened of you.

Gamemaster:So let's do that.

Gamemaster:Oh, that was bad.

Gamemaster:Maybe not.

Gamemaster:That's a 30.

Krod:against my fort or athletics or acrobatics?

Gamemaster:I think it's fort that becomes a biblical check.

Gamemaster:Against your fort DC.

Mickey:Thank you.

Krod:My fort DC is 32.

Krod:Unfortunately.

Gamemaster:So he doesn't even succeed in grabbing you.

Cedric:All that.

Gamemaster:All that.

Gamemaster:I guess he'll just try and bite you then, I suppose.

Gamemaster:When in doubt, he's got man to lose.

Gamemaster:Rolled bad.

Krod:Yep.

Gamemaster:That's the end of his turn.

Gamemaster:Nikki, it's your go.

Mickey:OK, so I need to channel elements.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Did you apply the effect?

Mickey:I'm going to click Apply Effect.

Mickey:We're going to make big.

Gamemaster:And then it's probably going to ask you, oh, OK, we got that.

Gamemaster:And then now you should be able to make your elemental blasts, if that was what was coming next.

Mickey:So I can either do a blast or go into one of my kinetic stances, I believe, as part of this action.

Mickey:Where is it?

Mickey:Or a one-action stance impulse.

Gamemaster:Okay, you should do that, though.

Mickey:I'm just trying to find it.

Mickey:Oh, it doesn't show up here, so I just turn it.

Mickey:Yes.

Mickey:I'm in drifting pollen stance.

Mickey:Be safe, elements.

Mickey:I am designating both my allies to be immune to the effects of this stance.

Cedric:Hell yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Mickey:A creature in your kinetic aura, when you enter the stance, attempts a fortitude save against my class DC.

Gamemaster:28.

Mickey:I don't know what DC is.

Mickey:Wait.

Gamemaster:Your class DC is listed under proficiencies, which is the hand in your character sheet.

Mickey:Where is that?

Gamemaster:It's 32.

Mickey:So you have failed.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Mickey:That means you become sickened one.

Mickey:And you are dazzled while you are sickened.

Gamemaster:Absolutely, let's make a sick mantis.

Gamemaster:Sickened one, and...

Mickey:So you're also dazzled.

Gamemaster:Dazzled.

Gamemaster:In the old razzle-dazzle.

Mickey:Okay, so that's one action.

Mickey:What do I want to do next?

Gamemaster:You could stop.

Mickey:No.

Gamemaster:Worth a shot.

Mickey:Next.

Mickey:Do I just want to blast?

Mickey:Where's the blast?

Mickey:Alright, there's so many things.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Hiss off, Martin.

Gamemaster:It's weird how, like, Kineticist is not implemented as spells.

Gamemaster:It's just... But you have so many actions.

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:Oh, and my blasts are in as attacks.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Mickey:But they do something else if you spend a second action on them, don't they?

Gamemaster:You can... There should be a drop-down that lets you change one action to two action for your Elemental Blast.

Mickey:I'm just seeing what the second action even does.

Gamemaster:Too much.

Mickey:You gain a status bonus to damage equal to your constitution modifier.

Mickey:Is that worth, I guess?

Gamemaster:which is big.

Gamemaster:I'm getting an additional five.

Mickey:Oh, I see the thing for the two actions.

Mickey:Wow, this is crazy.

Mickey:Alright.

Mickey:We're going to... Okay, so now I need to target.

Mickey:And we're going to hit him with wood.

Mickey:Actually, I'm just going to do one action because I have other plans.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Mickey:One action would make... I've hit

Gamemaster:One action, chuck a stick at that guy.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that hits.

Mickey:Okay.

Mickey:He'll take 16 bludgeoning.

Gamemaster:He takes 16 damage.

Gamemaster:He's injured, but alive.

Mickey:And then with my final action... Oh, I messed up.

Gamemaster:yes sir and that's the end of your uh journal okay next up is this guy

Mickey:What I was going to do is two actions.

Mickey:I misread it as one.

Mickey:Can we just put five damage on there from the second action version for my five con?

Mickey:Okay, next round we do that.

Mickey:Very well, that's all.

Cedric:No, I was really hoping that three, you were just fucking with us by having a three.

Cedric:Go for it.

Gamemaster:Well, you don't know if there's a fort.

Mickey:I was going to make a joke about how Josh can't count, but... I have something here.

Gamemaster:OK, so 40 feet to get within range.

Gamemaster:And now he's going to leap at Cedric.

Gamemaster:So he does a leap and grab.

Gamemaster:So he makes this athletics check against your fort, DC.

Gamemaster:What are you doing?

Mickey:It has to make a save against my pollen when it enters my aura.

Gamemaster:It does have to do that, so I will make a fort save on its behalf.

Gamemaster:A 40, which is a success.

Mickey:Yeah, I don't think it does anything.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:And it got a 43 on an athletics check, so it does critically succeed, which means you are restrained.

Cedric:Josh is always restraining my character as a mate.

Gamemaster:Is that a thing that I'm predicting?

Cedric:He doesn't like me to play the game.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, that was all three of its actions, so it's done now.

Gamemaster:But that means we could go back to Cedric.

Cedric:So all I can do is get out, right?

Cedric:There's nothing else I can do.

Gamemaster:You can't attack or manipulate actions except to attempt to escape or force open your bombs.

Cedric:OK.

Cedric:So I will attempt to escape, I guess.

Gamemaster:Absolutely, you can attempt... Yeah, unless you have one that's, like, vocal only.

Cedric:Basically, all spells are going to have manipulate, right?

Cedric:Or if I took subtle casting or something.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Cedric:OK.

Cedric:So I will attempt an escape, which is

Cedric:Acrobatics or Athletics?

Gamemaster:Acrobatics, athletics, or unarmed attack?

Cedric:OK.

Cedric:What's my attack?

Gamemaster:Pick your favorite.

Gamemaster:Your unarmed attack is plus 17.

Gamemaster:Actually, it's plus 20.

Cedric:OK.

Gamemaster:I lied.

Cedric:I will do that.

Cedric:32.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:Somebody escaped.

Gamemaster:That's a hit.

Gamemaster:You successfully escape.

Gamemaster:You are no longer restrained.

Cedric:Cool.

Cedric:All right, so now I can do... That was one action.

Cedric:All right, well, this guy's in front of me.

Cedric:I will cast a spell on him.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:I see Mike measuring in the background.

Gamemaster:Not concerned.

Cedric:I have to find where that fucking spell is.

Gamemaster:He's a fighter.

Gamemaster:He shouldn't be to measure much.

Krod:Just checking.

Gamemaster:What are you looking for?

Cedric:This one.

Gamemaster:No, of course.

Cedric:And then, followed up with, let's just do a

Cedric:Chromatic array.

Cedric:Yeah, I'll just do that.

Cedric:Does this give me advantage on all of my strikes or just the next strike I do?

Gamemaster:next one you do otherwise it would be very overpowered that would hit

Cedric:OK, so I'll just do a chromatic.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:OK, I thought I didn't.

Cedric:i thought it would list the thing i hit it with okay chromatic ray and this is spell four so i just roll ah i did from that menu all right whatever so it's one uh fire

Gamemaster:I think it would have if you had cast the spell originally and then made the attack roll.

Gamemaster:Thirty fire damage to the Deadly Mantis.

Gamemaster:We have injured it.

Gamemaster:It is a little singed.

Gamemaster:Prod!

Cedric:That doesn't matter.

Krod:Krod would like to attempt to kill.

Gamemaster:Negotiate.

Gamemaster:You said negotiate.

Krod:Krod doesn't negotiate.

Krod:Krod is going to swipe.

Krod:Can I target multiple people?

Krod:Oh, just hold Shift.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:uh crit to both 6d6 to both nice um

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's a crit.

Gamemaster:That is enough to kill the Deadly Mantis in front of you.

Gamemaster:And it makes Deadly Mantis 3 bloodied.

Cedric:Nice.

Gamemaster:Chopped its thorax in half.

Gamemaster:I think that's a thing that mantises have.

Cedric:Help!

Cedric:Help me!

Krod:And then help you?

Krod:Oh yeah, because the other guy's bloodied.

Cedric:Yes!

Krod:But he's so far, I'd have to use a move action and I wouldn't have unless I can lunge with my reach weapon.

Krod:I can lunge with my reach weapon.

Gamemaster:And you lunge with your reach weapon?

Mickey:Now, it uses the same amount of actions, but you maintain positioning.

Krod:Miss, damn it.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:Why wouldn't you just, every time you make a regular strike, just make a lunge instead?

Krod:That's why you take the feat that gives you lunge.

Gamemaster:Okay, yeah.

Krod:Because I have actually, I think, five different strikes.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Krod:They're all two action, and I can't use lunge with them.

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:yeah uh for noah's one shot when we were level three children i had the reach weapon with lunge so i didn't have to get close at all

Gamemaster:It's the Deadly Mantis' turn.

Gamemaster:It's gonna make a leg attack on Krod.

Gamemaster:It's dazzled, but it rolled a 10 on its flat check, so it could target you, but then it missed.

Gamemaster:So it doesn't matter.

Gamemaster:Problem is, most of these guys' abilities rely on it having grabbed someone.

Krod:Okay.

Gamemaster:So I just gotta try again.

Krod:Grab me.

Gamemaster:Okay, well, he was concealed that time because he's dazzled.

Gamemaster:I think he might just run, to be honest.

Gamemaster:He's frightened, dazzled, sickened.

Krod:A good choice.

Gamemaster:Like, there's no reason for him to stay around here.

Gamemaster:He's just an animal.

Cedric:Ha ha ha!

Gamemaster:I think his next step is run 50 feet in this direction.

Krod:Oh, that's unfortunate.

Gamemaster:He's not thinking to step.

Gamemaster:Right, of course.

Krod:Because he's frightened and off guard because of swords and swords.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:69 damage.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's poor Mantis.

Gamemaster:He has 18 hit points.

Krod:And it refreshes as frightened.

Gamemaster:It doesn't matter.

Gamemaster:He's dead.

Krod:And it refreshes as off-guards.

Gamemaster:He tries to leave and his corpse is frightened.

Krod:There's only a couple of conditions I'm missing.

Krod:If only I had two weapons that could apply conditions on crits as a fighter.

Mickey:Wow, that was excellent.

Gamemaster:You have one rapid that applies two conditions on one grit.

Krod:Man, that's a good idea.

Gamemaster:It's ridiculous.

Krod:Well, that's because...

Krod:That's because it's a sword.

Krod:If I had somehow a rune that applied two effects on crit with a sword, then I would get three total effects.

Krod:There is one rune that applies two effects.

Gamemaster:Yeah, just wait, like, a few levels until you can fit a third rune on your sword, and then you're fine.

Gamemaster:Is there one rune?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Mickey, it's your turn.

Krod:Do you want to know what level you get the rune?

Gamemaster:Is it 14?

Gamemaster:It's level 3.

Krod:It's level three.

Gamemaster:What are the effects?

Krod:clumsy and I think enfeebled.

Gamemaster:That's a bad combo.

Gamemaster:Dex and Strength.

Krod:It's crushing.

Krod:The only downside to crushing is it has to go on a bludgeoning weapon.

Gamemaster:I mean, that makes sense.

Krod:So swords are kind of out of the picture.

Krod:Unless you had a sword that did bludgeoning damage.

Gamemaster:that might exist.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Mickey:All right, I'm going to start.

Gamemaster:Mickey, it's your turn.

Gamemaster:You've got one very scared mantis currently because it just watched its two, I'm not going to say friends, other species mates get butchered.

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:We're going to start with a ranged blast.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Krod:They knew this was coming.

Gamemaster:That hits.

Gamemaster:It's not a crit, though.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:19 points of damage.

Gamemaster:This guy was hit the least, so he's still a little spry.

Mickey:And then... I guess we'll just have a little fun.

Mickey:Nobody's taking damage, so... Except me.

Mickey:So I'll instead work on preventing future damage.

Mickey:I am going to cast... Timber Sentinel.

Mickey:Which means... Which casts Protectorate Tree.

Cedric:Hmm.

Gamemaster:I was wondering how you had Protectorate Tree with no focus points.

Mickey:So I think what happens is they use the focus point menu just to make references to spells that you get from your kineticist stuff.

Mickey:I don't know how to actually apply the Protectorate tree.

Gamemaster:Does it... I would assume now...

Mickey:Oh, can I just drag it onto the field?

Mickey:No.

Gamemaster:If you, like, double-click on your character to open up your spell sheet, you should have Protectorate Tree there.

Gamemaster:I don't know if it'll let you cast it, because you don't have any focus points.

Mickey:Yeah, let me see what I can do.

Mickey:My cast.

Mickey:You cannot cast Protectorate Tree.

Mickey:OK, so what is supposed to happen is there should be a spell rank 7 Protectorate Tree.

Mickey:If we can just put a little marker on the ground.

Mickey:adjacent to on this block here.

Mickey:Yeah.

Gamemaster:How many uses do you have of that per day?

Cedric:He did.

Gamemaster:As many as you like?

Mickey:I think it's unlimited.

Mickey:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, I'm just going to give you 99.

Gamemaster:Can you cast it now?

Mickey:Okay.

Mickey:I clicked cast.

Mickey:I don't know how to apply.

Gamemaster:Oh, it doesn't give you an option?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Fine.

Gamemaster:Whatever.

Gamemaster:Um... Just... We'll just make a... It's not your fault.

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:I'm sorry that this is not implemented well.

Mickey:The tree... I want it one to the left, because it has to be adjacent to Cedric.

Gamemaster:That's a tree.

Gamemaster:Where do you want it?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Mickey:Basically, it has 70 hit points, and if something attacks Cedric because he's adjacent to it, it will absorb any damage first until it hits the 70 hit points, and then it dies.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Cedric:Very nice I like it.

Gamemaster:This is probably turning into a two-shot, so I will, in between one and two, work on it.

Mickey:Yeah, the Kineticist is kind of weird.

Mickey:Like you said, they're not spells, but they're spells.

Gamemaster:Yeah, it's interesting.

Mickey:So it's just odd.

Gamemaster:Is that the end of your turn?

Gamemaster:Did you have something else you wanted to do?

Mickey:Yes, those were three actions, because I did one action Blast, two action Timber Sentinel.

Gamemaster:Okay, well, in this particular instance, I think the Deadly Mantis.

Gamemaster:I'm going to roll a d20.

Gamemaster:If it's a 5 or below, it stays.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's going to attack Cedric.

Gamemaster:It's going for a sweep the leg.

Gamemaster:Okay, I rolled a natural 2, so it doesn't even hit.

Mickey:at the end of its turn since it has not left my aura it has to make another save

Cedric:Oof.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I don't know.

Gamemaster:I don't even know why I bothered.

Cedric:Great.

Gamemaster:It was going to, and then it rolled stupid.

Gamemaster:It rolled a stupid check.

Gamemaster:And then he got a 29 on his fort save, so he fails.

Mickey:Sickened, won, and dazzled.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Because that's what he needed.

Gamemaster:Okay, Cedric, it's your turn.

Cedric:Yeah, I don't really want to waste anything good on this guy, so I'm just going to Telepanetic Jectile, and I will do it bludgeoning.

Gamemaster:Sure, of what flavor?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:And I will roll them a deck.

Gamemaster:Because he sickened.

Gamemaster:Oh, no, never mind.

Gamemaster:Even if he wasn't sickened, that would still be a crit.

Cedric:All right.

Gamemaster:Oh no, I lied.

Gamemaster:I was correct.

Gamemaster:Because he sickened, that's a crit.

Krod:Remove his eyeballs.

Gamemaster:Don't remove his eyeballs.

Gamemaster:You don't need to telekinetic projectile his eyeballs.

Krod:Oh God.

Gamemaster:That wasn't doubled, correct?

Cedric:Yeah, so you need to double it.

Gamemaster:Okay, 60 points of damage.

Gamemaster:Bludgeon damage.

Gamemaster:That's what kind of damage.

Cedric:Yes.

Gamemaster:He is bloodied.

Cedric:You see, I have a bunch of stuff I could have done if he spoke the same language, but I'm going to guess he doesn't.

Gamemaster:He's a bug.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I would like to use propaganda on this bug.

Cedric:Yeah, yeah, there's really no propaganda for this, so I'm just going to... Cast Shield!

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:Crod?

Krod:Kill.

Gamemaster:Crod's not... Trying to go for a flank?

Krod:Does this actually?

Gamemaster:That's not quite a flank.

Krod:All right, fair enough.

Gamemaster:No.

Krod:And then this will be a vicious swing.

Gamemaster:He's already sickened.

Cedric:I thought mystic armor allowed me to use dex.

Gamemaster:Maximum dex of plus 5.

Gamemaster:I mean, I can check it in a moment.

Cedric:I guess my dex is already... I didn't realize my dex was on path builder and it didn't look like my dex was being counted.

Gamemaster:Let me...

Cedric:It's really not that important.

Gamemaster:Heal the 30 damage to this deadly mantis.

Gamemaster:He's not looking good.

Gamemaster:He's mortal.

Krod:That's okay.

Krod:That's my turn.

Gamemaster:That's your turn?

Krod:Movement and then vicious swing, yeah.

Gamemaster:I know, I just expected him to die.

Gamemaster:It's when he runs away on his turn is when he's going to die, I imagine.

Krod:Yep.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Mickey, it's your turn.

Mickey:Oh my gosh.

Mickey:So it is.

Mickey:Um...

Gamemaster:Your dex is only plus 3, Jorge.

Cedric:Plus what?

Gamemaster:Your dex is plus 3.

Cedric:Yeah, no, I thought my path builder, my dex wasn't applied to my defense.

Gamemaster:What's your AC in pathbuilding?

Cedric:30 when I'm unarmored, but my unarmored says my dex cap's minus one.

Cedric:That's why I assumed it was going to go up.

Gamemaster:Your AC should be 34 with your dex added.

Cedric:With shield as well.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Cedric:Okay, because it's only 32 now.

Gamemaster:No, it's not.

Gamemaster:Oh, well, did you just... I just saw it as 34.

Cedric:Maybe you're clicking someone else.

Gamemaster:We'll look into this later.

Cedric:It's fine.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Sorry, Mickey.

Mickey:Yes.

Mickey:We'll start with a blast.

Gamemaster:Hit.

Gamemaster:That is enough.

Gamemaster:He doesn't even get a chance to run away.

Mickey:Oh, shoot.

Gamemaster:You just elemental blast Chuck a stick at his head and it explodes.

Mickey:OK.

Mickey:All right.

Krod:Shame we weren't able to ask him.

Gamemaster:And you murdered some mantises.

Gamemaster:And if your path further into the forest is unobscured, undeterred, uninhibited, you're free to go.

Cedric:Well, guys, that was a really stressful 18 seconds.

Cedric:We dispatched of them very quickly.

Mickey:Yeah, they really came out of nowhere.

Krod:I've been practicing.

Cedric:Yeah, they winged you.

Cedric:They almost got me, too.

Cedric:Thanks for that.

Cedric:Thanks for that tree.

Gamemaster:Imagining Krod turbo-macarena-ing, like, eight hits in 18 seconds is crazy.

Gamemaster:Yeah!

Krod:And that's even, like, it's so many, because he had so many reactions, because most of the time he used a two-action strike.

Cedric:I think also what helps is these things are fucking massive and they had quick movement speeds.

Gamemaster:Oh, shit.

Cedric:It's like in my head, these 18 seconds seemed way crazier.

Cedric:These massive things, fireballs, things like that.

Cedric:And then it's gone.

Gamemaster:That's fancy.

Gamemaster:Go a little heliokinesis.

Krod:The old bomb.

Mickey:I heal myself 30 hit points.

Cedric:How many times can you do that?

Mickey:I can do it an unlimited amount of times, but an individual can only benefit from it once every 10 minutes.

Cedric:Oh, this is dope.

Krod:Oh.

Mickey:But if I've already used that on you, I could also use this on you.

Krod:Oh.

Cedric:Very nice.

Mickey:Actually, I should have just done that on myself, although I'm only down one hit point now.

Mickey:So that's not really a problem.

Gamemaster:I do think it's mean that dash of herbs can be used to be cooked into food, and then anybody who eats the food can get the benefit.

Gamemaster:But if you're sickened, you can't eat food.

Gamemaster:It works for the other stuff.

Krod:Huh.

Gamemaster:It's just that specific use case doesn't work if you're sickened.

Mickey:Fascinating.

Mickey:But you could just cast it normally on someone who's sickened to let them...

Gamemaster:And it would work.

Gamemaster:If you specifically, like, if you had five people who were all sickened and you wanted a way to fix it, this is not the way.

Gamemaster:Every other situation is fine.

Krod:But so.

Cedric:Or you just spend five rounds.

Krod:The action, the flavor here is absolutely crazy because you're just like a puff of herbs.

Krod:I'm just imagining the perfume department from Spongebob.

Mickey:No, they're very pleasant herbs.

Gamemaster:You don't... Just like pocket oregano?

Mickey:It's totally different.

Krod:So it's the perfume department.

Krod:No one's going to check this.

Gamemaster:Oh, it was a SpongeBob.

Krod:Yeah, the perfume department.

Mickey:Yeah, yeah.

Krod:Bye, Josh.

Mickey:Oh.

Krod:He froze.

Mickey:I guess he didn't like that at all.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Like...

Mickey:Did your apartment flood floor to ceiling with water?

Gamemaster:Are we okay?

Gamemaster:Can you hear me?

Cedric:Yes.

Mickey:Oh, yes.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:I went to look at that image.

Gamemaster:Oh gosh, am I frozen on your screen?

Krod:You're not even loaded in.

Cedric:You haven't loaded on mine.

Krod:You went to look at that image and it was cursed.

Mickey:But we can hear you.

Mickey:What did you put in that image, Mike?

Mickey:You just crashed his Discord.

Gamemaster:Every time that image shows up on my Discord, Discord freezes.

Krod:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:What happened?

Krod:I can delete the message.

Gamemaster:No, it's fine.

Gamemaster:I'm gonna restart Discord and maybe OBS.

Gamemaster:I don't know what's happening.

Gamemaster:I hope.

Krod:You're back.

Gamemaster:I don't understand how looking at an image of Spongebob made my OBS crash.

Gamemaster:That's a completely different application.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:So.

Gamemaster:What are we doing?

Gamemaster:Oh, right.

Gamemaster:You guys are in the forest.

Gamemaster:You just murdered a bunch of bugs.

Gamemaster:What's next is to continue walking into the forest.

Gamemaster:This was an 18 second diversion.

Gamemaster:You've still got a mission.

Krod:Did the necklace react at all to these beings, or are we still being gently guided?

Gamemaster:Not that you can tell.

Gamemaster:The entire fight has just been kind of gently pushing you further into the forest.

Krod:Onward and upward.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:you guys continue trekking forward.

Gamemaster:We'll use your survival roll from earlier, which I don't actually remember what number it was, but it was a success.

Gamemaster:And you can continue walking into the woods.

Cedric:We make a new stealth check.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:But... Actually, I guess this is a question for how prudent do you guys think your characters would be?

Gamemaster:In that, you knew you were entering the forest.

Gamemaster:How long of a trek do you think you would have prepared for?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Krod:Krod would have prepared for the long haul.

Gamemaster:What is the long haul to Krod?

Krod:Krod probably has a month of rations on him at any given time.

Cedric:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Krod:He's small and he has high strength.

Gamemaster:I'm not gonna, like...

Gamemaster:Contest that.

Gamemaster:If Krod would have a month of rations on him at all times, then Krod will have a month of rations of him on all times.

Krod:Krod, he would be a doomsday prepper.

Mickey:Mickey has confidence in his ability to find sustenance in a forest environment.

Gamemaster:Tin cans!

Gamemaster:Recent invention.

Gamemaster:Pretty cool.

Mickey:I don't know if that's nature or survival or both, but he would not have packed as heavily, but he's confident that he can find what he needs.

Gamemaster:Either would work, probably.

Mickey:Also, I can create water, so I don't think that...

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Mickey:Yeah.

Cedric:Bjerg would not have planned.

Cedric:His entourage takes care of it for him.

Cedric:So he would be at the whims of nature.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Because part of the reason I ask is because it is dark, or it is starting to get dark, and you realize that your trek into the forest is going to take longer than a day as you continue forward, to the point where you're probably thinking that you should find somewhere to rest for these people.

Cedric:I got that.

Cedric:I'm really good at finding places to rest.

Cedric:Are you guys okay to rest?

Krod:Absolutely.

Mickey:Yeah, if you think that you've got what it takes.

Cedric:Alright.

Cedric:So I don't normally like to do this, but I am part lizard, so I have Tail Whip.

Gamemaster:You're fully lizard.

Gamemaster:You're a lizard person.

Cedric:I have Tail Whip, and it's extra dexterous, so I'm going to use it to assemble a really small... Just use my tail to...

Cedric:Get rid of a little bit of foilage.

Gamemaster:Is that why you took that feet?

Gamemaster:So that you could use your tail to move some leaves around?

Cedric:Yeah, yeah.

Cedric:And then I am going to... Where is that other thing?

Cedric:I guess Planar Palace right there.

Gamemaster:Right, of course.

Cedric:And then I will only designate us.

Cedric:and I will grow an extra-dimensional demiplane, and we'll have a nice little dwelling to chill in.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:This is the first time we've seen Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion in many a year.

Cedric:Yeah, Mike was cheap with it, but I'm not.

Krod:What was it?

Gamemaster:Wow.

Cedric:That aided to disintegrate budget.

Krod:It's a seventh level.

Krod:It did eat into the disintegrate.

Gamemaster:In his seventh level.

Krod:We also never needed it.

Gamemaster:Either way, you have it now.

Gamemaster:So you all can hop into a nice little mansion with 24 servants so that I guess you get a little bit of your entourage back while you're hanging out in here.

Cedric:Right before I did this, I would have looked at the rations from my compatriots that they might have foraged.

Gamemaster:We can say that four of the 24 servants are actually your entourage.

Gamemaster:They got ported in just to hang out with you.

Cedric:And...

Cedric:uh, crowd would be like, you want some like beef jerky and like, I don't know, kibble.

Cedric:And then Mikey would have been like, Hey, you want these little bit of berries?

Cedric:And I'm not having that.

Cedric:I want nine course meal.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah?

Gamemaster:So you guys are totally safe in here, because reading the spell, the only way for something to enter without permission is plane shift.

Gamemaster:And there are no bugs in the forest that are going to try and plane shift into this mansion.

Gamemaster:So... Yeah, through the invisible door.

Krod:Reassuring.

Gamemaster:Of course, you don't know what's on the outside.

Gamemaster:Could be a bunch of bugs waiting for you.

Cedric:That's true.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:Well, it gives me enough food for nine quarters.

Gamemaster:But at the moment,

Gamemaster:You guys can get your rest easy enough.

Gamemaster:I guess I didn't need to ask about the rations.

Gamemaster:Actually, does this give you rations?

Gamemaster:Yeah, it's stocked with enough food for a nine-course banquet for 150 people.

Gamemaster:So you're totally fine.

Gamemaster:You do not need rations in any restaurant.

Cedric:Yeah, yeah.

Cedric:Like, I sit down, servants come over, like, sit down.

Cedric:Set up a bib for me.

Cedric:They take my hat.

Cedric:I get fed the food.

Cedric:It's great.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Y'all get a rest and is there anything you'd like to do before you get back on the trail?

Mickey:I do have a thing.

Cedric:Nice little bubble bath, and then I will have a nice cup of joe before setting off in the next morning.

Mickey:I'm just trying to find it.

Mickey:Is it this?

Cedric:Oh, and I'll cast Mage Armor right before I leave.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Mickey:No, it's not this.

Gamemaster:Okay, so Mystic Armor gives an item bonus to AC, and it increases your maximum dex by plus five.

Gamemaster:Excuse me?

Gamemaster:Shield gives you a circumstance bonus to AC.

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:So I thought...

Cedric:A path builder says my current armor is a negative one dex cap.

Cedric:That's what I thought it was going to go up for.

Gamemaster:What are you wearing?

Cedric:I didn't put anything.

Cedric:Just whatever is a default.

Gamemaster:Oh, you're just wearing clothes.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:Yeah, I didn't think I could get anything as a sorcerer.

Mickey:Oh, there it is.

Gamemaster:That sounds great.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you only have unarmored defense.

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:So your base is... You should have... You get a plus 17.

Gamemaster:And then... Oh, minus 1.

Gamemaster:And then when you put on the armor instead, it raises it from minus 1 to plus 3.

Gamemaster:And then plus an additional 1.

Gamemaster:So I think you should be at 31.

Gamemaster:I think we missed a moment.

Cedric:Oh, why?

Cedric:I thought the other one had minus one dex cap, then it goes up to a plus five dex cap, but I only have three, so that's why I thought it was going to be plus four.

Mickey:Do you have the proper runes applied, or does that not affect the AC?

Gamemaster:That is plus four.

Gamemaster:Is that true?

Cedric:Oh, without it, I have 30.

Cedric:Yeah, I just took it off.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:He's just wearing clothes.

Gamemaster:Let me double check what unarmored AC is.

Gamemaster:Oh, no.

Gamemaster:Okay, so unarmored AC is you get a plus zero bonus AC, but it doesn't have a dex cap.

Gamemaster:So it's just whatever your dex is.

Cedric:OK.

Cedric:Oh, so PathBuilder just had that negative one probably because it doesn't have one.

Cedric:That's probably what it was.

Gamemaster:Maybe.

Cedric:Yeah.

Mickey:Yes.

Gamemaster:OK, you guys are set up?

Cedric:Yeah.

Cedric:Yes, yes, yes.

Gamemaster:Did you find what you wanted to do, Tanner?

Mickey:I would like to survey wildlife.

Gamemaster:OK.

Mickey:I spend 10 minutes assessing the area around me to find out what creatures are nearby based on nests, scat, and marks on vegetation.

Mickey:Attempt a survival check against a DC determined by the GM based on how obvious the signs are.

Mickey:On a success, you can attempt a recall knowledge check to learn more about the creatures just from these signs.

Gamemaster:Okay, good.

Mickey:So I'll spend 10 minutes outside of this...

Mickey:mansion, just kind of looking around and seeing what's what, and I'll make a survival check.

Gamemaster:Please do.

Mickey:And actually, I think I get a plus one because we're in a forest, so... Oh, that's bad.

Mickey:Well...

Gamemaster:28.

Gamemaster:I mean, it is enough to get information about the animals close to the edges of the forest, if you wanted to do a recall knowledge on that.

Gamemaster:You're not going to get a lot of insight as you get deeper, but like the things in the, what's this area called?

Mickey:Okay.

Gamemaster:The canopy?

Gamemaster:You can try that.

Gamemaster:That's a nature check for this recall knowledge.

Mickey:Okay.

Gamemaster:With a 27, I think the best you'll get is you know that in this area there is a pack of glide apes, which are like a cross between a monkey and a flying squirrel.

Gamemaster:They're like apes with flaps in the arms that they use to glide from tree to tree.

Cedric:We can continue.

Mickey:Sick.

Gamemaster:But unfortunately with that roll, not much other information you can find.

Mickey:Totally fair.

Gamemaster:You know, there are birds of what kind?

Gamemaster:You can't quite tell, but there are birds.

Mickey:There's birds around, fellas.

Gamemaster:Yeah, there are birds afoot.

Krod:What kind of bird?

Gamemaster:We continue?

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:That was crap.

Gamemaster:Then I would love it as you guys continue in, if somebody could roll a d8.

Krod:Don't mind if I do.

Cedric:Do we make a new stealth check now?

Gamemaster:If you want to continue being stealthy, yes.

Krod:I have crit.

Cedric:All right.

Mickey:Let's go.

Krod:Shall I also roll the stealth?

Gamemaster:Thanks.

Cedric:Yeah, you roll the stealth and add my plus three.

Krod:33.

Krod:Garage ready.

Gamemaster:Better than last time.

Cedric:Ah, yeah.

Gamemaster:It took you a little bit of time to acclimate to the woods, but you are starting to acclimate.

Gamemaster:In addition, with an 8,

Gamemaster:And perhaps a little bit of help from the necklace.

Gamemaster:You guys continue heading further into the forest.

Gamemaster:It's been more than long enough now that you can no longer see where you came in from.

Gamemaster:If you turned around now, the only real good way that you would have of...

Gamemaster:definitely getting out of the forest is by just going in the opposite direction of wherever the necklace is pointing you because you have left whatever trails there were into the forest at this point uh you have no visual indicator because any direction that you turn is tree tree tree and more tree

Gamemaster:This area is relatively flat.

Gamemaster:If anything, the altitude of the ground is starting to descend slightly, as if you're, like, lowering closer towards and maybe slightly under sea level.

Gamemaster:And the trees around you are getting taller.

Cedric:I don't like that.

Cedric:Oh, they're collapsing the ground from their weight.

Gamemaster:The trees are getting taller, and the canopy is getting thicker, and less light is making it through.

Gamemaster:It is, in fact, despite, you know, like, through your internal chronological clock that it's probably around noon-ish, but it is dim.

Gamemaster:It is dim light.

Gamemaster:It is almost like twilight here.

Gamemaster:And at some point, there's no, like, immediate cutoff of, oh, we've entered another part of the forest, but another day of pretty good trekking in and you feel that you've hit...

Gamemaster:mid-bounce you've hit the point where like you are no longer just kind of entering the forest and you are now fully in the forest proper can i get a perception check and a survival check not from the same person

Krod:uh i'm perceiving i am perceiving uh let me just is does this uh

Cedric:Oh, I'm going to I guess you guys already look like you're.

Mickey:Yeah, I'll survive.

Cedric:I will survive.

Mickey:Josh, I also am going to use the one action summon mythic power to gain a mythic point.

Gamemaster:If you must.

Mickey:Jeez, maybe I should use it.

Mickey:Holy crap.

Krod:is this still considered a hunting tracking my prey 43

Cedric:Might be worth it, yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I'll allow it.

Gamemaster:You're still in search of wherever this necklace is pointed at.

Mickey:46.

Cedric:Ooh.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So 43 on the perception check means that you spot them before they actually become a problem for you.

Gamemaster:As you've entered into this area and as the light gets dimmer, the first thing you noticed is that it's not just trees here.

Gamemaster:There's plenty of foliage on the ground, too.

Gamemaster:There are bushes that are kind of grabbing up.

Gamemaster:from the area where they can find in the dirt, although the trees are starting to get thicker, to get more dense.

Gamemaster:And there are vines and the like growing up the sides of a lot of these trees, ivy and things of that nature.

Gamemaster:But with your perception roll, you would note some of the ivy looks, at second glance, closer to a snake.

Gamemaster:than it does to a plant.

Gamemaster:It's got like almost barely visible scales on the vine-like body as it comes up, but it still appears to have leaves growing out of it.

Gamemaster:It's a relatively convincing disguise, but you can, with that perception check, just completely steer clear of the trees that have vine snakes on them.

Gamemaster:So that is not an issue for you.

Gamemaster:With this revival check, you rolled more than high enough.

Gamemaster:You're certainly not lost.

Gamemaster:You know where you're going.

Gamemaster:You've been able to steer the group in a direction that stops you from getting trapped in areas where the trees are too dense to continue.

Gamemaster:You have had to take a little bit of a zigzaggy path in order to do that.

Gamemaster:So it's no longer like a straight shot back out of the forest, but for the most part you feel confident that you can continue progressing forward, and the day ends uneventfully.

Cedric:you know we're risen it up in the palace.

Gamemaster:Okay, another night spent in Cedric's portable bungalow.

Gamemaster:And you all get a rest.

Gamemaster:If you have nothing else you'd like to do, you may continue forward.

Mickey:Can I survey again the next morning, now that we're kind of in a different area?

Gamemaster:Okay?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Cedric:And can I just automatically put Mage Armor on every morning?

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Mickey:OK, so first I make a survival check.

Mickey:This ability does not like me.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Mickey:I got a 26.

Mickey:Sure.

Gamemaster:I will let you make a recall knowledge check, but the DC is going to be higher because we found less nests, scat, and tracks.

Gamemaster:36.

Mickey:Not a lot of scat today, boys.

Mickey:36.

Cedric:Not a lot of scat.

Gamemaster:Not the end of the world.

Gamemaster:You're still probably not going to find any information about, like, further into the forest, but you might get some stuff around here.

Gamemaster:I mean, besides, you've already located some divine serpents, so you know about those and to look out for them going forward.

Gamemaster:I think with the 36, the things you would notice in this part of the mid-bows that would stand out to you, you find more evidence of, like,

Gamemaster:um shoot what are they called um you know how owls don't poop they instead like barf up pellets um like those uh but not not quite of an owl there's something strange about them you would identify that um as the gosh i can't remember what they're called um i don't know of the droppings of chorister birds um

Mickey:you you

Gamemaster:which are flocks of birds that can harmonize their singing in a hypnotic fashion to lure you off of the trail towards other predators that might even leave stuff for the birds to pick up.

Gamemaster:So something to be weary of.

Gamemaster:And I think the other thing you would note in this particular area would be there's like a very faint, almost mucus-like residue on some of the trees, not specifically by your camp, but a little off to the side, that you would identify as being part of some kind of ooze.

Gamemaster:that must live in this area and left it behind.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately you can't get more information about what kind, but you know there is one.

Mickey:That's all pretty good.

Krod:In the in D&D.

Gamemaster:Ooze.

Gamemaster:It's been a while since you guys encountered an ooze.

Gamemaster:I'm not going to inquire further.

Gamemaster:Would you guys like to continue?

Gamemaster:I think we can do one more this evening.

Gamemaster:It's another D8.

Mickey:Let's do it.

Cedric:Let's do it, boss.

Cedric:Are we stealthing?

Gamemaster:Wait, sorry, we're in the mid-boughs.

Gamemaster:I take it back.

Gamemaster:Don't roll that.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:It's a D10 now.

Mickey:Can you delete that, Mike?

Gamemaster:Yeah, delete that.

Gamemaster:Are you stealthing?

Krod:Who's Whiskers?

Mickey:Whiskers is the Zorbon guy.

Gamemaster:You met with me.

Mickey:He believes in the Zorbon.

Gamemaster:I mean, he knows about the Zorbon.

Krod:Oh.

Gamemaster:He doesn't just believe in it.

Mickey:That's true.

Mickey:That's my bad.

Krod:I thought Whiskers was like a cat cat, not like a person cat.

Krod:That's what I was like.

Gamemaster:No, he's a person.

Gamemaster:You can't tell because the image is really small, but he's wearing a vest and one of those newsboy hats.

Krod:I see.

Gamemaster:What did you get on the D10?

Krod:one eight and eight until i was sick to the floor yeah so yeah

Gamemaster:Can you roll a D10 two more times, please?

Cedric:And stealth check.

Mickey:Oh, yeah.

Mickey:Let's go.

Gamemaster:You got very lucky that you rolled the same thing twice, so only one thing happens.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, are we stealthing?

Gamemaster:If we're stealthing, then Mike is rolling.

Gamemaster:35.

Krod:with the plus three, 35.

Cedric:Delicious.

Krod:Progressive improvement.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:With a 35, it is a pretty stealthy.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You guys continue.

Gamemaster:There isn't much for you to do in terms of decision making right now.

Gamemaster:It's just kind of keep following the necklace until something happens related to the necklace.

Gamemaster:But you find yourselves being pulled ever further into the depths of this forest.

Gamemaster:Each step makes it ever so slightly darker.

Gamemaster:Actually, can I get a perception check on this?

Mickey:Mike, that's you.

Krod:I am perceiving.

Krod:36.

Gamemaster:Okay, so the further you get into the forest, almost counter to what you would expect in a forest, the quieter it gets.

Gamemaster:Less animals are making noise.

Gamemaster:The leaves, the canopies of the trees are further away from you, so you can't really hear them in the wind as much anymore.

Gamemaster:So it feels very much for a while like the only sound is the crunching of the dirt underneath your feet.

Cedric:you

Gamemaster:as you all navigate through, punctuated every once in a while with a bird cry or a kind of baboon screech.

Gamemaster:So it stands out to you when you feel like you hear like a voice for a second.

Gamemaster:And then like not quite ahead of you, a little more to the right.

Gamemaster:You have pretty good hearing.

Gamemaster:It sounds like a child yelling, Help!

Gamemaster:Help!

Gamemaster:Someone help me!

Gamemaster:Is anyone around?

Gamemaster:Necklace says to continue forward.

Krod:Does the necklace say to go that direction?

Mickey:I mean, jeez, how the heck would a kid even get out this far?

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:usually gets down to their level and goes, I ain't paid for this shit.

Krod:Honestly, I wouldn't trust a kid that was able to survive out here.

Gamemaster:Help.

Gamemaster:Please, someone, anyone, I'm trapped.

Krod:Even if it's a kid, it probably only looks like a kid.

Cedric:Especially if he looks nine or something.

Krod:Yeah.

Mickey:oh jeez we should I mean in the most careful way possible we should try to get eyes on what's going on

Krod:Not many nine-year-olds I can trust.

Krod:And then Snod will walk off after that comment.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Krod:Which direction are we going?

Cedric:Wait, wait, wait.

Cedric:Guys, I was kind of kidding.

Cedric:You don't think we should totally look into this?

Cedric:We're cops.

Cedric:We're cops, guys.

Cedric:I was joking.

Cedric:We're cops.

Cedric:We've got to look into this.

Krod:Is there any gain to enter this clear trap?

Krod:I don't think there's any gain.

Cedric:What?

Gamemaster:Help, please.

Cedric:We've got to, guys.

Gamemaster:Please.

Mickey:Josh, what would the host do?

Cedric:We've got to do this.

Gamemaster:Yep.

Gamemaster:Um...

Mickey:Tell me about my edicts.

Gamemaster:The host of the Outer Gods has the least emphasis on helping your neighbor, because, like, really big on, like, building yourself up.

Mickey:Not looking good for this kid.

Gamemaster:The only real exception is, like, the host is very much of help your fellow man if it would enrich you to do so.

Mickey:Now, I have a... We are... So, we've established that we're skeptical of this supposed child.

Krod:How much money do you have?

Gamemaster:It sounds like you're skeptical.

Krod:Capsicle.

Mickey:Uh...

Mickey:What can we do to... Can we listen to the voice and try to suss out if there's any notes of malady or...

Gamemaster:You can try.

Gamemaster:Perception or deception would probably work here.

Gamemaster:Actually, your lie to me feat might work here as well.

Cedric:Ooh, I'll do that.

Gamemaster:If you think that they're lying about not actually being a child who's asking for help.

Cedric:I definitely think they're lying.

Gamemaster:Beyond that, if you have a skill that you think you could use here...

Cedric:Oof.

Cedric:I'm going to reroll this.

Cedric:I'm going to use one of my hero points.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:Oh, plus, are you fucking kidding me, man?

Cedric:All right, so that's that plus.

Mickey:The Zorbon.

Cedric:I have a, I'm a terrain stalker specializing in the underbrush.

Cedric:So I don't need to sneak.

Cedric:So when I can sneak without attempting a stealth check, as long as I don't move more than five feet.

Cedric:And I do not move within 10 feet of an enemy during my movement.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:No, this doesn't allow you to metagame and learn if there's an enemy if you try Sneaky Mirror and it discovers you.

Gamemaster:Okay, sorry, what is this ability called?

Cedric:Oh, it's not going to be like a wall.

Cedric:I know it's not going to be like, I'd walk this way.

Cedric:But I would like to use this to get a little closer to the voice.

Cedric:I'm a trail stalker.

Gamemaster:Underbrush Trailblazer?

Cedric:I selected underbrush.

Gamemaster:Trail Stalker.

Cedric:Terrain Stalker, Terrain Stalker, sorry.

Gamemaster:Terrain Stalker.

Krod:Underbush happy trailer.

Cedric:It's because I'm a Wood Stalker Blizzard.

Gamemaster:Okay, so first you have to start sneaking.

Gamemaster:So if you think that you're currently undetected, then you can continue without making a loop.

Mickey:I'm just feeling disgusted right now.

Krod:I thought about it for a full five seconds before I said it, by the way.

Cedric:Am I allowed to make another stealth check before, or

Mickey:You shouldn't be able to draw those connections that quickly.

Gamemaster:You can either choose to make another stealth check, or if you think that you're already hidden, you can continue without one.

Gamemaster:It's your choice.

Cedric:All right, so I'm going to... I forget what it's called, but Tanner just did it, and I have it as well.

Cedric:Oh, summon an extra mythic point.

Cedric:What was that thing called?

Gamemaster:You can do that.

Mickey:Oh, it's like summon mythic power.

Cedric:Yeah.

Mickey:Yeah.

Cedric:Yeah, yeah, that.

Gamemaster:I know that you have it, so you can just do it.

Cedric:And then I'm going to... Now I'm going to do that.

Mickey:Level 8.

Cedric:I'm going to roll a stealth check.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Okay, he's rolling stealth with Mythic.

Mickey:Oh, I guess... It's a once per day thing, so I could do it again, right?

Cedric:Not yet.

Cedric:I'm not doing it with...

Mickey:Because today's a new day.

Gamemaster:It's another day.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Mickey:Alright, I'll do that.

Mickey:Get a mythic point.

Gamemaster:32.

Krod:Oh, I didn't grab this.

Cedric:I'm going to add four to this.

Cedric:All right, 41.

Gamemaster:41 is not bad.

Mickey:It kind of seems like the level 8 mythic feat to get.

Krod:Yeah.

Krod:Every other character that I've had that's mythic and level 8 or above.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you think you're sneaky.

Cedric:And then I'm going to sneak up onto this voice.

Cedric:10 feet, yes.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:We can sneak within 15 feet so long as they aren't actively searching or on guard.

Gamemaster:No, this is during exploration.

Cedric:Give me one second.

Gamemaster:So you can approach within 15 feet of other creatures while avoiding its notice as long as it's not actively searching or on guard.

Gamemaster:Who knows?

Gamemaster:You creep up to what appears to be the edge of small clearing.

Gamemaster:I'm going to make a perception check to see what you see.

Gamemaster:Or I could just describe it if you don't want to take a good look around.

Cedric:I'm just looking how these goggles work.

Cedric:Is this, do I need dark vision?

Cedric:I have light vision.

Cedric:I have a dim for any dark.

Gamemaster:It's currently in dim light.

Cedric:Okay, so I'm fine.

Gamemaster:Yeah, this whole area is dim light.

Cedric:Yeah, and I have, okay.

Cedric:Perception check, cool.

Cedric:That's it.

Gamemaster:30.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Inside the clearing, you see there's a little bit of light.

Gamemaster:It looks like there's just a break in the trees that allows a little bit of light in, which is illuminating, for the most part, what looks like a seven-year-old human boy.

Gamemaster:with what appears to be a branch of a tree, like, wrapped around his ankle.

Gamemaster:He's on the ground.

Cedric:Oh, it's so much worse.

Gamemaster:It looks like he's been pulling at the branch to try and get free of it, and it doesn't work.

Gamemaster:You see, like, scratches on his ankle where it is.

Gamemaster:He's much closer now, and so you can still hear him yelling out, like, help!

Gamemaster:Help!

Gamemaster:Anyone!

Gamemaster:Please!

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:He looks like he's wearing... He looks like a kid that you would see in Hallia.

Gamemaster:Like, cargo shorts, a graphic tee by the looks of it.

Gamemaster:He's got a bald cap on.

Gamemaster:You can't really see his face from this perspective.

Gamemaster:But he sounds pretty desperate.

Cedric:Alright, I'm going to slink back to my compatriots.

Cedric:Honestly, I feel like this is the more he looks like an average child, the more I don't trust it.

Krod:Okay.

Cedric:What do you guys say?

Cedric:Do we go help him?

Mickey:Grodd doesn't really want to.

Mickey:It's very odd for him to be out here.

Cedric:What do you want to do, though?

Mickey:I mean, he would have been eaten by, you know, mantises.

Krod:Why are we considering... What do you mean it's weird for him to be out here?

Krod:He's not.

Krod:It is something that is going to hurt us.

Mickey:Alright, alright.

Mickey:Let's just go then.

Mickey:We can just go.

Cedric:We just fireball it.

Krod:Yeah, we'll just leave them there.

Cedric:We just fireball it.

Mickey:I mean, if you could do it from a distance... Well, no.

Gamemaster:How did you get from I don't think this is a kid so we don't have to engage to we have to fireball this area?

Mickey:We shouldn't, because if... No, definitely not.

Gamemaster:Right now...

Mickey:No, I don't agree with the fireballing, but...

Krod:How far away can you fire them all?

Cedric:Five hundred thirty feet.

Krod:How far away are we from the alleged child?

Gamemaster:You're about 500 feet away.

Gamemaster:Maybe a little longer.

Gamemaster:You'd have to get closer to actually get a fireball off because there's trees in the way.

Cedric:No, I have a reach spell, so I can do five third.

Gamemaster:But there are trees in the way.

Gamemaster:You don't have like 500 feet line of vision.

Krod:It doesn't work like a fucking predator drone where his eyes roll back and it just shoots a fireball into the sky and it comes down on someone.

Gamemaster:No.

Cedric:I guess you don't... I feel like... Okay, look.

Gamemaster:No, it does not.

Cedric:I'm going to be honest with you guys.

Cedric:I know it's not a kid.

Cedric:But it could be some entity.

Cedric:that we don't understand, that might be like, oh, I was trying to see if you guys are good people, and then it's good that we did something.

Cedric:To be honest with you, I think that's a better chance than it being an innocent kid.

Mickey:You think it's a test of our morals.

Krod:Okay, let's go say hi to the kid.

Cedric:No, no, no.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Cedric:I don't know if that's higher odds of it being a good entity than a bad entity, but if it's not a bad entity, it's definitely...

Krod:We've stood here for 15 minutes hearing this child yelp.

Krod:Let's go check out the child.

Krod:And Krod will begin his waltz over.

Cedric:No, no, no, let's go.

Cedric:Let's just skip it.

Cedric:We got to go.

Cedric:All right, let's do it.

Krod:We've been here too long.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you are going towards the kid.

Krod:You guys stood here for 10 minutes trying to wear me... I'm the only person that wants to leave.

Krod:Trying to wear me down, and the instant that Krod is like, okay, let's go, he's like, you're right, we should leave.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Cedric:Yeah, exactly.

Krod:Krod is walking over to the kid.

Cedric:All right.

Gamemaster:Krod, leading the charge, walks over towards the kid.

Gamemaster:Does he go into the clearing, or is he trying to remain hidden still?

Krod:Uh... He wants...

Gamemaster:Like, is he making himself known, or...?

Krod:No, he wants to... How far is it from the tree line to the kid in the clearing?

Gamemaster:About 15 feet.

Krod:So the kid is 15 feet away from Krod?

Gamemaster:Yeah, you could probably circle around the clearing.

Gamemaster:He's like on one edge of the clearing that's opposite from where you are, so you could get closer to him without actually entering the clearing.

Gamemaster:You just have to circle around him.

Krod:Oh, but he's... Would he be 15 feet away from Krod then if he was hiding at the tree line?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Does the kid have blood?

Gamemaster:Yes, the kid has blood.

Mickey:Hmm.

Krod:What other shit do I have?

Cedric:Did the mantises have blood?

Gamemaster:The mantises did have blood, yes.

Gamemaster:Most living things, and quite a few undead things, also have blood.

Krod:Crod would like to take a look if there's anything that is, like, is there, like, a cable or a vine from the kid to outside?

Cedric:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Gamemaster:You see a tripwire and a net.

Krod:No, no, no.

Cedric:No, it's like those deep sea fish.

Krod:I mean, like, if he's being... Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Cedric:Yeah.

Krod:Perception.

Krod:Jesus Christ.

Krod:Yeah, I mean, I might as well mythic that.

Krod:So, I'm a master, so I get four extra?

Gamemaster:Correct.

Krod:Jesus Christ.

Gamemaster:That's not a critical failure.

Gamemaster:With a 31, looking around, the only thing you can see is it looks like one of the branches of the tree has grabbed around his ankle.

Gamemaster:You don't see anything else attached to the kid.

Gamemaster:You don't see any other cables or whatever in the clearing.

Gamemaster:You don't see any vine serpents hanging out.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:Can Krod circle the clearing to where the branch is?

Gamemaster:I mean, like, he'd be in view of the kid at that point.

Krod:Where does the branch goes up?

Krod:The branch goes out?

Gamemaster:So, at the edge of a clearing is a tree.

Gamemaster:The kid is, like, laying down inside the clearing, about two feet away from the clearing, and the branch goes from the tree down to the ankle of the kid.

Krod:Can Krod get within 10 feet of the branch without alerting the kid?

Gamemaster:Yeah, but that's pushing it.

Gamemaster:Like, he can't get any closer.

Krod:Can Krod get within 15 feet of the branch without getting any?

Krod:Actually, what am I saying?

Gamemaster:That's more than 10, so yes.

Krod:I haven't used this yet.

Krod:We're at the end of the session.

Krod:Krod is going to unsheath his Nodachi, and he is going to activate go-go gadget extendo mode.

Krod:And he is going to make a strike with the weapon with 60-foot reach.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Krod:And he will actually, he's going to step back if he has 60 foot reach.

Krod:He is going to, from 60 feet away, try to cut the branch.

Krod:47.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Make an attack roll.

Mickey:Tanner thinks he's figured out what's going on here, but.

Gamemaster:OK.

Gamemaster:Roll damage.

Krod:Is that a crit?

Gamemaster:No.

Krod:15.

Gamemaster:Okay, you make a strike and the branch snaps at the point of impact.

Gamemaster:And that's where we'll end the session for today.

Krod:Okay.

Mickey:I don't know what that is, whatever you just said.

Gamemaster:It's 11.

Gamemaster:That's the time that we stop.

Cedric:No teaser.

Cedric:Does the boy go.

Gamemaster:The boy looks a little surprised at the branch immediately breaking.

Gamemaster:But no, he doesn't immediately start screeching.

Krod:Okay.

Gamemaster:I assume Tanner thought it was like an El Rana or something.

Gamemaster:I'm not going to tell you if that was true, but I think that's what you think it is.

Gamemaster:It's a German folklore of a plant that would disguise itself as a human and then lure people in.

Gamemaster:And I assume that's what you thought.

Mickey:Well, I am, and this is questionable, but I was pulling from a 5E ooze that I'm familiar with, that it does something similar with corpses.

Gamemaster:But is that what you're thinking?

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah, I know what you're talking about.

Gamemaster:I think it also, does it also start with an ooh?

Gamemaster:The picture of it has like the big red guy.

Mickey:Yeah, and then it makes like a person with one of its tentacles.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I'm not going to tell you.

Gamemaster:You don't get to learn until we pick this up.

Mickey:No.

Gamemaster:Maybe next week?

Gamemaster:Is Jorge running something?

Gamemaster:And then we pick up the week after.

Gamemaster:What's the plan?

Mickey:So... Right, so actually tomorrow night I'm flying to Italy.

Cedric:Let's do this.

Cedric:Or does Tanner leave next week?

Gamemaster:Oh, right.

Gamemaster:Okay, so we pick this up a long time from now.

Mickey:I'll be... Well, you are welcome to hand Mickey to Noah if you guys want to do that.

Mickey:Um...

Mickey:The next time I'll be available to play is September 29th, which is the Monday leading up to Jorge's wedding.

Gamemaster:I also assume that by the time you're back, Noah will also be back.

Gamemaster:So we would just... Right, so we would just do the regular campaign when all four of us are around.

Mickey:I think Noah's coming back this weekend.

Mickey:Well, but there's two weeks where I'm going to be away, but Noah's going to be around, so you guys could play something.

Gamemaster:Right.

Gamemaster:I just meant that by the time you're back, it doesn't make sense to do this one shot.

Gamemaster:We would just continue the regular campaign.

Mickey:Oh, right.

Mickey:That's why I'm saying if... Up to you.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Gamemaster:We could also just keep this in our pocket for the next time this particular group of people happens to be around.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Mickey:Right.

Gamemaster:Jorge, do you have a plan for something to run?

Gamemaster:Or no?

Gamemaster:We'll figure something out.

Cedric:if Noah I don't know what time Noah gets back and if you have time to make a character yeah all right well this was fun um we're

Mickey:Yeah, I don't know exactly when he's returning.

Mickey:I just know it's sometime soon.

Mickey:I think we're a little slow.

Gamemaster:Something to figure out.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry we didn't get to a conclusion.

Gamemaster:This ran way longer than I expected it to.

Mickey:I don't think that's on you.

Krod:I think so.

Krod:And also the combat wasn't slow either.

Krod:The combat was very quick, so it was just us fucking around.

Gamemaster:That happens.

Cedric:well the problem is josh makes these really rich worlds and then we just gotta interact with it like we just gotta we gotta do things yeah yeah if you don't want to spend so much time in an area don't make it so cool how else are we supposed to do drinking contests gotta use

Gamemaster:That's not a bad thing.

Gamemaster:It's called playing the game.

Mickey:And you gotta use the entourage.

Gamemaster:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:So it's my fault.

Gamemaster:I get it.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Yeah, and you do have to use the entourage.

Krod:What was the one shot that we did where we were previous cycles ascended that had to compete in some challenges?

Gamemaster:Yep.

Krod:That's literally, you're in a box.

Krod:You have to do the thing.

Krod:Don't interact with the rich world.

Cedric:Yes, that was mine.

Cedric:It was just fight things.

Cedric:So I didn't get a chance to use it because of the way that it went.

Cedric:But I have split shot, which lets me, if it's a single target thing, do half damage to another target if I hit.

Mickey:Hell yeah.

Cedric:So I was going to use one of my sure strikes with a split shot on disintegrate.

Cedric:It was going to be like...

Gamemaster:Because you do have Disintegrate, because you guys have 7th level spells.

Cedric:Yeah, I have a lot of disintegrates, actually.

Cedric:I can do it.

Gamemaster:I think you could have Disintegrated that Mantis, like, wholesale.

Gamemaster:Like, one Disintegrate would have erased it.

Cedric:Yeah, so the big issue with the Mantis was that I didn't want to use all that because I didn't know if it was going to be a long day.

Cedric:And then when I got jumped, I didn't have time to do it with three actions.

Gamemaster:Which is fair.

Cedric:I need that for that super play.

Gamemaster:I cannot believe, Mike, that you rolled the roll two and get both in one day thing, and then you rolled the same thing twice.

Gamemaster:That was rude of you.

Krod:I like that.

Krod:I thought it was very funny.

Mickey:Lucky.

Gamemaster:What was even the point?

Krod:I also liked... Yeah, fighters are... Fighters are fun.

Mickey:I don't remember getting Legendary Proficiency at level 13, but I guess I just wasn't paying attention.

Krod:Yeah, I don't know.

Krod:It's like Weapon Legend comes up at 13.

Mickey:Wow.

Gamemaster:Yeah, it's just a thing you get at 13th level.

Krod:Yeah, actually, I had a spare rune.

Gamemaster:Like, it's not a feat or anything.

Gamemaster:So... Hmm.

Mickey:I just wasn't paying attention back then.

Krod:I should have gotten a damaging rune, but I had a spare rune, and then I thought extending was too good to pass up because extending is very funny.

Krod:Also, I looked at it.

Gamemaster:It still needs to be...

Krod:I was like, is this like a once a day thing?

Krod:It's like, no, it just takes an extra action.

Krod:It effectively just makes a melee character ranged.

Krod:What do you mean I get 60 feet?

Krod:That's further than a good amount of ranged spells.

Krod:A lot of ranged spells are like 15 feet, 30 feet.

Krod:So yeah, it's absolutely crazy.

Krod:The one swipe that crit both of them because they had already been put off guard and one of them was feared...

Krod:In researching fighter builds, I can't believe how many debuffs you can just apply by doing damage.

Krod:If you have a spellcaster, it's like, oh, you do this.

Krod:Sometimes you'll get a debuff applied.

Krod:And then it's like, oh, yeah, if you just have this rune on there and one other rune, you turn them into a pile of soup that has a minus 5 on all checks.

Krod:And you're like, what?

Krod:I just have to crit as the class that crits?

Krod:You're like, yeah, it's the whole thing's for.

Cedric:Now imagine you did multiple fighters and you guys are all just playing your debuffs and you're just all stacking crits on each other.

Krod:You can get a lot of debuffs, unfortunately, with one fighter.

Krod:Like, if one fighter... Yeah.

Cedric:No, I know, but now imagine two.

Cedric:Because now when you're just doing normal crits, you're also just stacking a bunch of damage because they have a high two hit.

Krod:I think it's probably more the redundancy.

Krod:Because, like, with a two-weapon fighter, you can get, like, crushing, which will enfeeble and clumsy.

Krod:If it's a sword, it makes them off-guard.

Krod:If you have...

Krod:fearsome or if it's an intimidating strike, it's fear.

Krod:Like, I don't know.

Krod:Can you sicken something?

Krod:There's probably a rune that gives sickened on crit.

Cedric:Yeah, well, materials.

Cedric:Materials you can stick with.

Krod:Yeah.

Cedric:But yeah.

Krod:Just, yeah.

Cedric:Well, have fun in Italia.

Mickey:Thank you.

Mickey:I'm going to eat gelato.

Gamemaster:Also in Italy.

Krod:Yeah.

Gamemaster:That makes sense.

Mickey:Bunch of gelato.

Krod:Eat more while you're there because you'll get hungry.

Mickey:Yeah.

Mickey:I'll definitely be eating.

Cedric:Oh, and then the week after my wedding, I will not be around.

Mickey:But of course.

Krod:There.

Cedric:But, uh,

Cedric:Yeah.

Mickey:All right.

Mickey:Well, I'll see you guys in a few weeks.

Cedric:All right, see y'all.

Mickey:Good night.

Krod:Peace.