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Runtime Break start
4h 06m 1h 45m

Episode 96: Shadows New and Old

After speaking with Keyleth (about the next leg of their ability to aid the coming dangers and the Ruby Vanguard’s plots upon Ruidus), with a thread of information that Ludinus Da’leth seems to be entwined in a place called the Ruins of Aeor to the far northeast in a land called Eiselcross. You were granted (from an ally to the Exandrian Accord here, an individual who has some experience here, a stealth mage who was revealed at some point during an interrogation in the city of Zadash to be a figure really called Essek Thelyss of the Kryn Dynasty) discovering a little bit of information about where Ludinus might be within these ruins after interrogating a member of the Cerberus Assembly here in the city of Zadash within Wildemount, you began to do your preparation for a journey to a very chilly place to the far north.
After doing a little bit of shopping (picking up some new acquisitions, and making some orders for some wardrobe that’ll help you in many ways, but as well some cloaks to stay warm in such a cold area) you went to the Lodge of the Eclipse, watched a show, drank a bit, and all of you went to rest for a night before you went on this odd and dangerous leg of your journey into the unknown.
In the middle of the night while everyone was asleep, Laudna, seeing the very blade that had speared her and many friends on the back of Orym, attempted to take it while he rested. However, he awoke, and a scuffle began to ensue, fighting over control of this blade and arguing amongst what should be done with it. When the rest of the team had awoken and the argument had not resolved, Imogen and Laudna escaped out the window to the rooftop, where it seems there is still quite a bit of tension about what has transpired and what is going on between this group of friends.
Here, as Laudna and Imogen hold each other, trying to understand what is to come, we return.

Previous Episode: “Gathering of Needs”

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There was an unscheduled testing of the live stream before the fireside chat on Tuesday and an impromptu Beyblade tournament was displayed with backdoor gambling, brackets and fights. Just some mad goofin.

  • Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPMEnglish
    1·
    5 months ago

    ♪Episode Song References♪

    ᕕ( ᐛ)ᕗ

    Highlights

    • 00:23:06 Laudna:“Just as Orym wishes to wield that sword, I wish to wield Delilah.”
    • 00:28:25 Dorian gets caught up on Laudna + Imogen and the attempted assassinations. It is theorized that when Laudna killed the assassin, she set forth on a path of increased vulnerability to her inner demons.
    • 00:32:32 We’re just hanging out writing a song called “Can She Be Trusted”
    • 00:35:37 Chetney:“This is about resistance, it’s not about giving in.”
      Imogen:“I just want her to want to fight it.”
    • 00:50:47 Chetney:“Laudna, do me a favor. Hold out your hands and close your eyes.”
      Laudna:“Please don’t put your dick in my hands.”
    • 00:51:35 Ashton pulls out the pipe to feel good again
    • 01:00:19 Dorian:“Do you put your hands in the center and say, ‘Bell’s Hells!’?”
      Chetney:“Chetney needs sleep, on three.”
      Fearne finally loses her last point of exhaustion
    • 01:04:24 Dorian chooses a blue lapis button for his flute.
      Marisha busts out her fan which reads:
      LIAM+I=STILL BUDS Activating one of the blue lapis buttons uses the magic of Bertrand Bell’s Gambler’s Blade. This gives Dorian +1 to attacks, but leaves him with only two death saves after falling unconscious.
    • 01:06:06 Travis:(as the ghost of Bertrand)“You’re welcome.”
    • 01:06:20 Matt:“…after a night of rough rest, you see Seth…”
      Ashley:“Esseth?”
    • 01:06:47 Chetney:“You shut up. It’s just us. Sit down. Let the masters work. And go.”
      Ashley:“Dingus.”
      Taliesin’s face is red from laughter.
    • 01:08:40 Essek:“…magic gets a bit strange to the north, and I cannot guarantee my first attempt at getting us to our destination will be smooth.”
      Chetney:“…it’s like pulp in my orange juice, just get it the fuck out…Chilly up there and chilly here. Let’s go get the others.”
      Marisha:“I like pulp.”
      Chetney:“You’re not here!”
      Taliesin:“Was it her or Delilah?”
      Marisha:“Only Delilah would like pulp.”
    • 01:10:23 Marisha announces a “Suit-Up Montage” and Travis emulates the intro to Hot Shots Part Deux. Marisha:“Bat nipples!”
    • 01:11:18 Fan Art Moment Descriptions for new winter gear for the team.
    • 01:13:08 “Touch of (dreamy) fey”
    • 01:14:26 “Pay-unts”
    • 01:16:00 A completely mature exchange about nipple freedom.
      Laura:“Imogen’s are like this big!” (makes a 9" diameter circle with her hands)
      Matt:“Every time she casts a big spell, they just grow.”
    • 01:17:00 Dorian’s switch from silver to gold represents the passing of his brother Cyrus
    • 01:23:12 Taliesin mimics the old rock candy on a string experiment to describe Ashton’s hair growth. His new jacket reads “Smiley Day” in a scary font.
    • 01:29:00 Nobody laughs at Travis’ dick joke
    • 01:31:50 Matt does the Shia Lebouf SNL Magic hand motion
    • 01:32:40 The floating city of Aeor was brought down during the Calamity (sounds a bit like Avalir, eh?)
    • 01:39:36 Lore Drop Lyrengorn, the city built into twin snowy peaks
      Teleportation failure montage continues into the break.
      INTERMISSION
      Lost in the snow, an icy, mountain-surrounded landscape of an unfamiliar place among the continent of Eiselcross. You and your (now apparently a bit nervous) guide, Essek Thelyss, look up at the massive fortress not too far off and the numerous undead frost giants that lumber around its exterior, one of which seems to have taken notice of you upon the top of this snowy hill and has turned in your direction.
    • 02:05:30 Travis:“I got this.”
      Taliesin:“Bailey?”
      Travis:“My wife’s got this.”
    • 02:11:32 Essek permits his mind to be read to give an image of their destination to Imogen. She is shown a fortress primarily submerged in a massive cracked glacier, with towers and ruins jutting out of the ice in various places.
    • 02:12:38 Marisha’s reaction to Matt saying “You can certainly try.”
    • 02:12:55 Imogen:“Chetney, move the bag.”
    • 02:19:19 Fearne’s foot fetish
    • 02:23:09 Matt:“…eventually you crest beyond the panicky top, the canopy’s top…”
    • 02:25:07 “Pocket bacon.”
    • 02:40:50 Laudna probably doesn’t want her immovable rod back after Chetney’s done with it.
    • 02:49:26 Essek:“All right, so first things first, do not touch anything brown. That’s not dirt.”
    • 02:52:23 The Praesidis Ward, Convocation Grounds, Central Deliberations
    • 02:58:45 Essek:“…many of the original civilians at the time of the cataclysm still remain in those domes, locked in a point of time.”
    • 03:00:08 Imogen:“Is it like if I cast a spell, I could go bald or turn blue, or somethin’ like that, or is it more serious?”
      Robbie’s look says “What’s wrong with being blue?”
    • 03:01:35 Liam:“Funny strange, or funny ha-ha?”
    • 03:06:36 Chetney’s Grim Psychometry flashback to the final moments of this frozen city
    • 03:08:03 Laura busts out some Zemnian/German to impress Liam a bit. (Naturalicht, ja)
    • 03:20:52 Successfully arrived at the Genesis Ward.
    • 03:22:16 Travis:(nervously laughing)“Muthafuckin Matt Mercer”
    • 03:30:51 A tent with a red glow is discovered completely out of place in thise frozen blue graveyard. Chetney busts out a new (to him) ability, Arcane Eye, to investigate from a distance. 5 bodies wearing Vanguard attire with slashing wounds.
    • 03:46:18 Chet comes through again with Grim Psychometry revealing a scene of possible mind control over the elven member of the Vanguard in the tent. The vision ends with the elf carving symbols into it’s flesh (similar to the K’nauthi in Cataclysm) before plunging the dagger into it’s throat. Chetney is reasonably freaked out.
    • 03:50:54 Chetney:“Fearne, you should call your boyfriend.” (referring to the soldier of Asmodeus who tattooed her finger)
    • 03:52:09 Chesty McCarvey
    • 03:53:15 Sonovabitch
    • 03:54:25 Rubble rubble shout out to Hamburglar
    • 03:56:22 Marisha rolls a 1 on her stealth check and gets into her infamous ‘Perch’ position in preparation for punishment.
    • 03:57:59 15+ ft tall humanoid dragging an equally large hammer.
    • 03:59:26 Matt tries to avoid overusing terms and is happy that ‘toothy maw’ fits the scene.
      From the creature’s chest come 8 pale gator-sized scorpion minions.
      They head straight for Laudna.
    • 04:05:02 Liam:“So Chet, Dorian: The three of us, we could just leave.”
      Robbie:“It’d be a great spinoff!”
      Taliesin:“This week on a brand new EXU!”
    • Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPMEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      COOLDOWN

      • 03:36 Remembering the Tomb Takers
      • 05:40 Black Ops clerics?!
      • 06:53 Reminder: Ludinus is here because Dominox had taken up root in Aeor and was hindering his progress.
      • 07:07 Have we not told Essek about Dominox?
      • 08:38 Robbie:“That’s not old Dom, is it?”
      • 12:16 Lore Drop There’s only one known time, through all of Exandrian history, that the “good” and the “bad” gods ever said game off and that was when they destroyed this city.
      • 13:14
  • Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPMEnglish
    1·
    5 months ago

    Battlemap!

    (for next episode)

    This monster figurine is a Tomb Tapper. The listed stats block shows they are not a threat to the Bell’s Hells at a Challenge Rating of 10, so it is likely to have homebrew elements added.