Favors for Favors

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If you want extra games like Last Bastion, New Bloods, The Wardens, and DRP. Plus a metric ton of extra swing on by our Patreon at patreon.com/dandr to find out more. Previously for Group B. With a plan in place, it's now time to gather allies. While Group B explores the city of Esterholt, they split up to search Jadzia's library and try to track down some followers of Vecna. And that's where we pick things up today. Let's do that thing where we go around the table and introduce ourselves for the first time in 2020, I guess. I think. I hope. If I'm off in my calculations, I'll look like a real fool.

I'm Jason. I'm the Dungeon Master going around the table. Starting with Jameson. Hi, this is Jameson and I play Larg. And Valerie. Hi, I'm Valerie and I play Elena, the human fighter. And Alex. Hi, I'm Alex and I play Brelin. And Jamie. Hi there, I'm Jamie. I play Tatiana, the human rogue. And Karen. Hi, I'm Karen and I play Callie, the Elven Druid. And Ian. Hey, I'm Ian. I play Cauldron Halac and I'm here to read books and chew bubblegum. And I am all out of bubblegum. Do you know I just watched that movie with Elle and Bree? Because obviously they've never seen it.

It's okay. It kind of holds up. It's okay. Two things. First of all, yuck, Ian. Second of all, I want oscilloplastic. Wow, in the new year, this is how we're starting. This is the new Alex. Post-Heart Attack Alex. Post-Heart Attack Alex? He's gonna say all the things that he didn't say before. No regrets. No regrets. Regrets. And it's "They Live," right? I'm so surprised "They Live" doesn't hold up. Wow. It's, look, it's okay. It's okay. The spaceship scene's probably the worst, I think, out of all of them. I'm guessing. I watched it recently, but not ever since. I was thinking maybe four or five months ago I watched it.

Yeah, the spaceship stuff is a little... Obviously the message is a little heavy-handed, just a tiny bit. But still good. Still got the best American-made fight scene that I've ever seen. Punch 'em ups. Yeah, duke 'em ups. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's just... Garbage cans. Yup, that's just two dudes fighting. Yeah. So ten out of ten, everyone go watch in 2020. Also, rest in peace, "Run to Run Piper." I forgot to eat that. Always. Yeah, the maniac on "It's Always Sunny Philadelphia." There's an interesting story behind that, but we'll talk about that some other time.

Well, let's talk about it now. We got you. Okay, fine. So... So D&D, guys. So last time we sat down, you guys had a lengthy discussion about food, and then you decided that you were going to split up, which I am always down for. Love it. So Braylon, Lara, Galena, and Tati are going to go find a house to worship Vecna in, and Callie and Calvin are going to go to Jadzia's home library. Read those books, y'all. So you guys... when you guys split up, man, you're dedicated, because that's... Yeah, we're a ways away. So how about we do this? Callie, do me a favor.

Give me a fly at d20. Okay. Bam. Wow, good stuff. Starting out with a solid one. Excellent. Excellent. Love that. I can only go up from here. So Darmok's back, and he's waiting for you at his old house. Oh, no! No, no, no. And, Braylon, give me a flat d20. Oh, Callie's not in our group? For the... anyways. Callie and Calvin. Well, sure. I mean, that's eight. That's an eight. That is... We're off to a strong show. You want to buy one with Karma for the other... for the other time name? That's fine. We're all below ten, so this is going to be a fantastic evening. It's great.

This was just to see who was going first. Don't panic. Everything's fine. It's okay, guys. It's okay. You guys are like beaten dogs. It's the first episode of 2020, you know. You want to be hopeful. That's true. That's fair. We're off. You know what? New year, new us. Let's try not to die. So let's pick up with Braylon, Larg, Elena, and Tati. So you have the location of this place that was given to you by Vincent, right? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was more of a me telling you, not asking. Sorry. I'm trying to help. I didn't study for this quiz. So you guys... this isn't on the map, obviously, because this is more of a secret location.

It's kind of a back alley doctor type of situation. So there is a door in the back of this alley with one of those eyehole slit covers. And it's like, you know, if you knock on it, they're going to open it up. So how do you want to approach? Who's going to do the talking? I believe we said Elena was going to. Yeah, I was going to do the talking. Yeah, then we're going to spearhead it because you had a you had a clear plan. Like you were like, yeah, that's the charge. And we all like that. Yeah. Did you see that character art? Can I before we get into my character, I'm not I'm meaning to take charge.

Jesus. Yeah, but you said you were turned on by it. I said I was scare roused. That's different. So it was like, OK, it's like 50/50. Yeah, if your boner's way different. Yeah, it's like a fight or flight response, but both. I can't I can't help. Like that's not. Yeah. What are we talking about? Jamison wanted dinner. Yeah. Before we get to vector, can we just say that we stopped by the hotel real quick because Larg wanted to take off his Arathis gear. Yeah, you guys got time like this is the ninth of Ulta Ornn. Yeah, I just don't want to waste too much time on it.

I just want to say he's not showing up like decked out in the other team's gear, you know. That makes sense. You know, yeah, you're not wearing a fucking Patriots jersey and going to Cincinnati. Is that good? Is that a is that a decent thing? You know what? That counts. If you could have said Kansas City, but I like the city I try in here. I'm just trying to relate to. Well, yeah, I mean, nobody goes to Cincinnati on purpose anyway, but take that Cincinnati. Anyway, go on. Go on. So, Valerie. Yes. How is Alina approaching this situation? OK, so you said there's a door with a little eye hole.

Yeah, like one of those back alley gambling places you see in TV shows sometimes. Right. Yeah. I guess she's gonna go and I guess we don't necessarily know if this is even the right place then, huh? I mean, given like you were probably given the alley it's in, I would say that's probably the first door that sticks out because. Right. What if Vincent Delorne lied to us and he sent us to a crack house? See, that's what I said last time. He got insulted at me. Do you remember that? Yeah, you guys were mean to him. He's just trying to do his job. I was just like I thought he was going to try to like, oh, you helped me so much last time.

Let me help you this time and not give us the specific place, but give us a general area and then make us feel wrong. That's fair. Payback. That's fair. He got insulted when I said that. I mean, he's a noble. He's a man of his word. So how's Alayna tackling this? Well, I think she'll... Okay, that was in English. I think she'll just like knock on the door. Okay. So a couple of seconds are going to go by. You're going to hear that. And you're going to see this set of purple eyes and darker skin looking out at you. Can I help you? Oh, no. Oh, oof. Um, purple eyes are normal, right?

Yeah. Okay. Okay. I guess she'll say hi. We, my friends and I heard that this might be the area where people are interested in a certain god. And I was wondering if we could maybe join. That sounded like you were constructing that sentence by reaching into a sack full of words. You know, I feel like that's on brand. That's the thing, though. I think Alayna said it like that. Because one, she's nervous. Two, and also she wants to be careful with what she says. But like, I think it also like goes along with the image of like this like a group of people who are like, you know, are interested in this thing that's super taboo.

Like, I think anyone would be, even if it was all true, they would be nervous going into that situation. I agree. And it's not, here's the thing, it's not illegal, per se, but it is one of those things where like, it's culturally, they're kind of looked at like, okay, there are extremists from other temples who might look down on this to the point where they, they might firebomb them or something like that. There are crazies out there. When you mix religion and passion, whoo, it's not always great. So those eyes are going to kind of squint. You can tell this is this is a drow, a drow person.

They're going to squint. And then that, that it's going to, he's going to slowly close that little eye slot door. It's like, and then you're going to hear multiple locks on the other side, on the other side go undone. This is like a big, heavy wooden door. And it's going to slowly open up. And he's going to peer out and kind of like take the party in. Come in. Elaine's going to like turn her back a little bit and like give like two thumbs up to everybody like, guys, I did it. And then she's going to walk in. We're going to do a thumbs up back. Yeah, same thing.

Brelyn gives her the same enthusiasm back, but then when she turns around, he's just like flabbergasted. Like, wow, how did that work? Sometimes the direct approach, man. So he is going to lock this door again after everyone comes in. I'm assuming everyone's coming in. OK. Yeah. So he's going to lock these, this door back up, all these locks. He's going to turn and he's wearing these loose robes, kind of purple gold trim. It looks like a big old royal crown. Wait, what is it? Crown Royal? No, that's the soda. Ah, damn it. No, you're right. Crown Royal is a drink.

Yeah. OK. Is that the one that comes in the velvet couch? Not Royal Crown. Royal Crown is the soda. Crown Royal is the... Yeah. OK. I knew one of them came in a... You're not 100% alcoholics. This is good. That's good. Yeah, no. I just like my alcohol to come in a velvet pouch. That's fine. Don't go. So anyway, looks like that. And he's going to give a half bow to everybody. My name is Kinyeki, and you are? I'm Elaina, and I'm sure kind of like a gesture that everyone else should introduce themselves. Brailen would say, Brailen, and wave his hand. Katiana. And wave and say, "Lark." Well, it is very lovely to meet you.

Please follow me. And he's going to take you through this narrow hallway that leads to the door. And in the back, there's this beaded curtain, and he's going to part that. And this place opens up after that. It's actually like a house of worship. But it's got a very San Francisco feel where it's like this restaurant used to be a very small apartment. Like it's got that vibe to it. I'm in love already. And there is a woman bowing, kind of almost stretching like a yoga thing. And she is facing away from the party. And there's this big puffy pillow in front of her.

And after she gets done stretching, she's going to turn to face the party and then kind of knees first plant herself on this pillow. And Kinyaki is going to kind of motion for you to just kind of make yourself comfortable. There is no furniture in this room, by the way. There are pillows. Pillows only? It's pillows. Yeah. Okay, I'll kneel on a pillow. Yeah, Brailen will kneel as well. Same, uncomfortably, but... It's got a very like, make yourself at home. And it's like, I don't know you. This is two at home. Yeah. So before Lark Neals, I actually want to make a quick scan of the room and do a quick religion check just to get like, based on what I know, do I think they're freaks?

Is this normal or are these is this like par for the course for Vekna and worship or something? I don't know. Give me religion. Boop, ten. Ten. Well, I would say Lark is getting a funky vibe just because it's like, usually churches, houses of worship, that type of stuff. It's more there's a standard to follow. This feels much more like someone franchised a house of Vekna and they just put their own spin on it. Like, this is clearly someone's house. This is very tucked away. There's no chairs. This is, you know, you're kind of getting a like it's like, ah, this is giving me a weird vibe.

That might be the added security. It might be the fact that this is kind of taboo to go here. Like it's off limits. Like, I don't know. It could be a lot of things. Like a do it yourself feel to it. A little bit. Yeah. OK, well, he'll he'll actually try really carefully to. To, you know, when in Rome, like he'll follow their their emotions as as carefully as he can. Right. Gotcha. So there is a blonde elf woman, very statuesque, probably like six, four, somewhere in there, very, very tall. So even kneeling, she's you know, she's got a decent height to her. Hello.

Welcome to the temple. And she's going to she's going to kind of spread her arms a bit and bow. Bow back. Hi. My name is Alexis. May I ask what brings you here today? Well, my friends and I had been doing some research and we started reading all about Vecna. And like as she says this, like she looks like everyone's faces to like see how they react. Of the party or Alexis? No, Alexis. OK, yeah. Kenyaki left, by the way, he's back by the door. He's got he's got more security detail. And she's going to give like a slight nod, like, yes, of course. I mean, that's kind of a given.

That's why you're here. OK, so she'll continue. And. We all realized that we were really interested to know more. I'm hoping that by coming here, we get to do that to learn more. Well, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Please. You're always welcome within the temple. I'm sorry for the security measures, but we can't be too careful. Tell me, child, what what specifically would you like to know? OK, so out of character, I think this we're in such a great position to ask. Questions that let us know their ideals on Vecna and so that these first few questions are going to be really important.

And so I need help coming up with them. It's such a good command. I was like, what's going on? Oh, good. Tell me what to say. I mean, I guess I asked them. Well, I guess Brelyn would kind of jump in then, if that's OK. Yeah, go ahead. With this cowl still on, because, you know, he looks the way he does. So Brelyn would ask, we're really curious as to what Vecna asks of his followers or potential followers. We have a general idea, but that's why we're here. What are his, I guess, ideas, his ideals? Am I right in assuming that you are an adventuring group? Olena will nod.

I don't mean to make assumptions. I was just going by your dress. No doubt. You already know how difficult life can be. As worshippers of Vecna, we believe in second chances. Now, this can run counterintuitive to some of the other gods teachings. This, in turn, has created a bit of a rift in our community. No doubt you've heard some stories. Brelyn would jump in. Well, yeah, but we're always ready to hear new ones or the older ones retold. He's going to try and basically encourage her and say that she can tell it better. Well, namely resurrection. It's frowned upon by many members of the community.

The chance to bring a loved one back is something we hold dear. We find it to be the truest teachings of someone like Vecna. And some people see that as going against the Raven Queen's teachings, a form of necromancy. They see it as evil. She's going to narrow her eyes at Brelyn a bit. I'm sensing something in you. A loss. An aching. He's going to look back at the party and look back at her. Wow, we haven't eaten in a little while. I could be a little hungry. Well, many of us have lost someone dear. I think that's what originally brings people to our congregation.

A curiosity. A want to right what was wrong. I'm all tapped out. Someone's having more questions. I'm scared. What is the general sort of feelings about Vecna and worshippers of Vecna in the general population? Is it that they're evil? Why don't people like them? I would say... again, it's not illegal to be a worshiper of Vecna. This is much more a societal thing. Like, "Ugh, get that out of here." That type of thing. They look at it like it's unnatural to bring someone back from the dead. And then you got some people like, maybe vampires would be worshippers of Vecna.

And people who practice like legit blood magic or necromancy would sometimes be worshippers of Vecna. And it gives bad press to the organization, you know? Then there's people who might even be in Aubrey who practice a, "Hey, let's try to get back to the community." "And I would risk my life to try and bring someone back from the dead." "They might be a worshiper of Vecna too." Okay, so Elena is going to ask her... So, I know that Vecna worshippers a lot of times get a bad rep. So I was wondering... you know, that means there's a lot of misinformation that can go around.

How does Vecna feel about, you know, something, for example, like blood magic? And making deals with demons? Because from what you've said, that doesn't sound like him at all. And as you're... there's almost like a wince. Like, it's like, "Ugh, you hurt my heart." Like that type of thing. And you would be absolutely correct. Those things are not teachings of the Vecna that we worship. Vecna is not a demon, nor does he consort with demons. And blood magic is, by extension, a minor pact with demonic kind. It's impossible to explain to each and every individual that everything they've heard about our worshippers and teachings is inaccurate.

Just like people misinterpret the word of Kord, and use that as a God's given right to conquest, or outright bullying. Yet they are allowed to worship freely. This may be more of a personal thing, but can I ask, what drew you to Vecna? How did you get started in all of this? I lost my sister when I was very young. And I couldn't quite understand why an effort wasn't made to bring her back when the rituals exist to do something like that. And it was explained to me that such a practice was ungodly, evil. I disagreed. And I've been looking into it ever since.

I don't believe anyone should have to go through that heartache if they don't have to. Do you think everyone should come back then? Well, that would be naive to think that everyone in the world has a legitimate chance to come back. But if you have someone that cares for you enough to attempt the ritual, and put their own life on the line, why should we deny them that chance? There's nothing evil about that magic that was granted to us by the Gods themselves. Have you ever lost someone dear to you? Yes, I have. I'm very sorry to hear that. Her eyes are going to roll back into her head suddenly, almost violently.

Eugh. Yeah, it's off-putting. Larg actually jumps, worries me. She is going in one swift motion. Spring to her feet, but she's still in a crouched position, like a goblin. And she's going to kind of scamper forward on all fours, up to Breland's face. Of course, why? Yes, yes. And she's going to put a hand out and touch Breland's chest. That costs extra, lady. Excuse me. And her eyes are going to refocus, return to normal. You... You've been touched by Fecta's love. He's going to look towards Larg and then back toward the lady, Alexis. And... Kind of just nervously chuckle.

Ahh! Maybe? She's going to reach very gently for your cowl. He's going to kind of stutter. I mean, you don't really touch people that you just met, you don't really take off their hoods. He's not trying to stop her because he doesn't want to be rude. Right. But he's panicking and he's going to look at Elena. What do I do? And if no one stops her, she is going to gently kind of pull it down. Just for confirmation, not to like, expose you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doesn't sound like anyone stopped her. Nah, nope. Nah. This... Is an extraordinary gift. I've only heard sparing tales of such a thing happening.

I... And she is going to get back on her knees and then bow to Grelin. Oh, he's going to be like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, no, that's not necessary. Look, we came here with legitimate questions and you're looking at... three and a half, four Vecna believers. Trust me, it's just... we didn't want to make a big deal out of it." He's going to look around the room. Is there anybody else in here besides her? Is there anyone else praying? Nope. Okay. He's going to kind of look at Elena and nod and move his hand, like, kind of motioning. Can I tell her? *sigh* I think...

Elena would... kind of make, like, a so-so motion. So, like, well maybe tell her a little bit, but not, like, everything. Yeah, yeah, he'll understand. Uh, Grelin will continue. I, yeah, I died. And... Vecna brought me back. We have important business, and we wanted to come and reach out to you and your flock. He'll use "flock" in quotations because he doesn't see that many people here. And maybe ask for help or any words of wisdom, any guidance. He's going to, like, scratch his head. It feels kind of funny saying that out loud, you know, that I believe in a god.

But, uh, here we are. I can only imagine that you were brought back for some purpose, something greater. I wouldn't pretend to understand the gravity of the situation, but... I have to tell you that this is... wonderful to hear of. That so many years of sacrifice and prayer and belief... to get this confirmation means the world. Thank you. Oh, yeah, of course. Well, thank you for bringing us in and talking to us. I mean, obviously we have more to discuss, but, uh... It's not as simple as that. There are some things kind of in motion, and he's going to keep looking at Elena as he's saying this.

There are some bad things coming to... They're well on their way. And, uh, and, like, they're kind of pointed to us and some of our other friends that we can help stop the bad things. Uh, so, if you don't mind, could you tell us a little bit more about him? About, you know, specifically his enemies or, you know, what he stands for in terms of the greater scheme of things, I guess? I mean, I'm not even sure if we're answering... if we're asking the right questions here. He's going to look to the rest of the party. I think Tatiana would probably... she's been sort of just ping-ponging back and forth between everybody talking, like, "Okay, I'm going to let the adults figure this out because I don't want to fuck it up." And she'll just agree with Brelin and say to Alexis, "Any information that you could have might be valuable to our mission, so we'd love to hear anything you have to say." And again, she's going to give a deep bow.

"Of course, I will help in any way I can." And she's going to stand up and offer for all of you to walk with her. Cool. I'll follow. Tatiana makes eyes with everybody. "We doing this?" So she is going to walk to a basement-looking area, like a staircase. This is after she opens a door, and you're going to see lights kind of flickering down there, and you're going to hear noise. Okay, I'm sorry, I have to interrupt and do this now before it's maybe too late. Can Elena run an insight check on Alexis? Sure! Oh yeah, whoops. How is she? Because part of something that I'm worried about is that she's telling us what we want here because it's actually an actual cult, and she wants to get us in the door and then, you know, berate us and the thing that cults do.

That she's more putting on a face and that what she's telling us isn't necessarily all of what she believes, or like she's leaving something out, or she's just straight up lying to us. Well, give me that insight check. Well, shit, 11. Seems on the level to Elena. Fuck. I have a mechanics question. I have inspiration from the last game, but the rules state that I cannot keep it. Wait, what? Yeah, I have inspiration. That ain't how we're doing it. You keep that shit. Oh, hell yeah. You all keep your inspiration, baby. Well, that's mine. Thank you, bye. Yay. Wait, is that your way of telling me I should use inspiration?

Yeah. I don't know if you have it. I have the star next to my portrait. That's why I know I have it. Yeah, Elena's got it. Yeah, we all got inspiration. Does inspiration, is that an automatic 20 or you just get to roll again? You just get to reroll. Roll, yeah. I mean, unless anybody else is feeling the same way that I was and they would like to roll insight. I realistically, I forgot about that and I'm going to say Braille and forgot about it too right off the bat. Okay. Tatiana was like fully into Elena has this down with this plan. She's thought it through.

You got it, Elena. I believe in you. Then I don't know, maybe I should use inspiration. Yeah, I mean. Honestly though, this is out of character. We should probably keep those things for combat because we seem to have so many problems in combat. Yeah. I know. I'm just thinking she's taking us down to a basement and one, she could lock us up down there and do experiments on you, Braille. She ain't locking nobody up because I'm going to thunderclap my way out this building. I'll take a cave in and I'll be buried alive. First try doesn't seem right. We'll be right back on our feet.

We'll be fine guys, don't worry. Erupting earth, go. It's an unfinished basement, it's fine. So are we going or checking? What are we doing? I want to, I really want to check. Check it. I really want to check. Hop that inspiration. Okay. Come on, inspiration. Let's do this shit. Top and 11. Fuck me. Literally fuck me. Like, okay. Wow. I was going to keep going, but then I realized I should stop. Yeah, that's... Be careful what you scream on the internet. Let's just... We're all going to get put on a watch list, Valerie. I'm literally 22. Yeah, I know, I know. But come on, no one's going to believe us.

Well, that's a one. That is significantly less than before. But if you follow her into the basement, you're going to hear people. And it sounds like there's some people eating, it sounds like there are some people walking around. And as you descend the basement steps, she is going to introduce you to the other members of the congregation. These are people who live here. And it looks like there's a good 15, 20 people. Some of them are researching and reading, some of them are eating at a long picnic table. I almost said "pick-a-nick table," like a goddamn Hanna-Barbera cartoon.

Who? She's going to introduce you and they're going to stop what they're doing and wave and welcome you, kind of give like a slight bow. How's about we catch up with Callie and Kaladin? How about we catch up with Kal-Kal? Kal-Kal? Oh man, just go in. Aw! There's only two of you, we let you go in and we're with two? Yeah, that was the plan. We'll be fine. Oh shit. How dangerous can books be? Yeah, nothing bad's ever happened in that house before, it's fine. Definitely no dead bodies in the walls anymore. I just love that our map has that little maze in the back, I'm so happy.

Alright, so let's zip on over to the other side of town. I would say by this point it's dusk. On the 9th of Ulta-Ornn, you were given a key and instructions, with clear instructions "Don't you take none of my fucking books" were probably the written instructions from Jadzia. I don't think we're going to teef anything from the library. So if you were to, like I picture a skeleton-looking key, not that it's shaped like a skeleton, but you know, those old-school iron keys, I love those. Oh hell yeah. I love that aesthetic. So you're going to unlock the door and open, there's a slight creek, and you'll see a living room area, it's very welcoming and warm, big puffy couch.

And you probably, if you're not heathens, close the door behind you, and if you follow... Are we like letting the hot air out? Is that what we're... No, you just don't leave so much, you can let insects in, man. That's how you get ants. Oh, okay. Oh, so the library is open to the outdoors? No, no, no, no, it's in our house. Oh, gotcha. Okay, so we're in the foyer. Yeah, most people would call it a study if they're being generous. This is basically a library. Again, I believe the comparison was made to Beauty and the Beast. This is much. This is when someone has a crippling problem and needs to stop collecting books.

But if you wander to the back, there's a hallway that stretches on, and there's, you know, there's some rooms on either side, but you could definitely see where this "study" is. And there are a couple of big red seats that, like big padded leather seats. And there are books lining the walls. There's a fireplace in the middle of the two chairs. It is warm and comfy in here. There's no fire lit, but like the atmosphere is warm and comfy. Oh, well, I was going to fire. Yeah, okay. I have a first place cantrip. Yeah. I'll just light it. Okay, so let's, yeah, let's, wouldn't it be funny if I made you roll for that?

It's a cantrip! I know, I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Like, I'm just, it'd be funny if you burned her house down. There's still time. Please say that to Bree's face. No, don't ever tell her I said that. So you got a, you got a nice little crackling fire in here. Where would you like to start? What are you after? What's the plan? Is there any, is there anyone here? Like, is there any staff or anything? Not the moment. No, the place seems pretty deserted. Okay, because I think we were going to talk to Serif too, but I don't know if this is her house. This is different than like the mayor's office, right?

This is like her house. Kind of, yeah, but the word would have gotten out that you're looking for him. Okay, all right. Well, then I figure he knows where to find us. We need the like special part of the library where you go and you like put the gloves on and you put books out like that's where we need to go. So you're looking for the good shit. I could like infer that from like a look around or? There are definitely like, okay, you got your trade paperbacks, you got your smutty romance novels, and then as you smutty, you go around like, oh, this is this is some good shit.

Here's the first edition print of Lord of the Rings. Here's the here's that stuff. And then you go further and it's like, oh, this is in glass cases. Like this is that we're trying to keep the humidity out of these books. Oh, wow. Like you could definitely tell that, you know, once you get to the books made of human skin. Oh, yes. That type of stuff. Like you're in the right section. We need to open the Elder Scroll. And there's, you know, you have a bad breakup, you get to keep some of the other person's stuff. Not all these books are Jadci's originally, but they are now.

I think we're gonna say something about a Dharma keeping parts of no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Well, yes, but not in this room. It's fine. That's been cleaned out. Good. Good. Yeah. Let's call let's call some of these books. Divorce settlement. Let's let's let's let's say that. Yeah, I think that's where holding like looks at Callan is like, all right, let's get started. And he'll like try and yeah, he'll try and go to these books. I think what he's looking for specifically is like anything that gives an insight into Darmok. So maybe like a spell book or something like that.

I guess, like, are the majority of these like actual books or are they like research journals from Darmok? That's a good question. That is a good question. So back in the day, there was a basement. There still is a basement, but that basement has been purged, cleaned out, sealed off for the most part. And oh, boy, there were a lot of research journals there, and all of Darmok's stuff is apparently in one section and locked away. I would say that that key you have would unlock those shelves. Like there'd be almost like a like a piano case type of thing.

You'd have to lift up this this little doorway and then you'd have access to these. And they're organized because, of course, they are. They're organized in order of date. So not least human skin to most human skin. That also aligns with date. Oh, good. That was his filing system. Yeah, he's just shouting out "Klattuborada Nickto" to see which book responds. So there's a bunch of research journals. There's all kinds of different studies, books on demon demons, demonology, that type of thing. So I guess it depends on what you want. Do you want to know more about Darmok, the person himself, or demons in general?

Because, boy, a bunch of that's there. Like, it'll take you a while, but there's a lot of info. Yeah, I guess more about demons themselves and specifically, like, you know, if Darmok looked into making deals with them, like things that they like, dislikes, weak points, things that... Sure, long walks on the beach, that type of thing. Right. I think it would be really cool, and I don't know how you'd figure this out, but to, like, compare Darmok's journals, like timeline, and maybe this is getting a little meta, but because, like, as Darmok, he kept getting crazier as time went on, to kind of, like, correlate what he was reading with his notes to kind of have a better understanding.

That's called cross-referencing, baby. Yeah, but, like, I don't know if Cali would have that kind of knowledge. Give me the intelligence check. Alright. It's not good. You don't know that yet. Oh! That's a 17. Oh! Yeah, I'd say Cali would go, "Hey, we should cross-reference." Okay. Sorry, what were you gonna say, Ian? I was just gonna say you start on one end, I don't start on the other, I guess. We'll pick a section and figure that out. So, it sounds like... Okay, you gotta say that out loud. I just wanted Cali to know I'm very proud of her with her brain damage that she persevered.

Hey, Ian! I got that plate back. You did. You did. Didn't help anything, but I got it back. You just rolled a 17. What are you talking about? I know, but I didn't. I just got it. Like, it didn't change my modifier. I know, but, you know, it's more of the thought that counts, huh? Huh? Well, I'll accept it. Okay, thanks. Little pain-free, but... So, sounds like Calvin is gonna be researching demons in general. Cali's gonna be researching Darmok. Reading those journals. Yeah. Okay. Go team Cal-Cal. Okay. Also, if there happens to be any, like, blood magic stuff going on there, I think Calvin could maybe go on a tangent.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Trust me, you'll see plenty. Okay. So, time is going to pass. And it is thoroughly nighttime now. I'd say 9 p.m. somewhere in there. And the only light in this room is that crackling fire behind you. So, obviously, the way the chairs are angled, the illumination from the fire lights up, you know, the words on the page. You can see everything. The rest of the room is kind of like, you see that firelight dancing around, but there's definitely, like, lots of shadow and stuff like that. It's a very moody, kind of a real Edgar Allen Poe kind of reading room.

It's very nice. So fucking cool. It's so cool. I wish I had that room. But so you're going to be reading for quite a while. Can each of you give me a perception check, please? Mm hmm. Okay. Excellent. Excellent. So, Calvin is going to find a lot of specifics about demons. Like, specifics. This was not a collection from a regular person. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, this isn't like a passing hobby. This is like someone went full dad and got really into World War Two. Like, they have everything. Like, every movie, every book, every fucking everything. And you're going to find information on the general demon pantheon, at least how it was years back.

And you're going to find very specific, like, there's artwork in here. There's drawings and sketches. There's... A lot of this reads like horror stories, to be honest. It talks about a time when demons were on the earth and basically had dominion over everything on this plane and slowly but surely they were driven back until they were basically housed deep within Theria itself. Driven back and kept in check by Vecna. You're going to read about specific demons, their powers. I would say Calvin would recognize some of this art if you get to the lady that Alina squared off with.

Oh, okay. Yeah. And you're going to read all about her. She's fucked up. Basically gets off on torture. Like, we'll torture someone for eons. Basically, when you're in her clutches, you can't die. Is there anything about, like, do these demons all super get along or do they, because of their demonic nature, do they tend to war over it, like territory war or whatever, like souls war or whatever? You're getting the sense that it's very territorial. Unlike the gods, there's no real working relationship between them. They're all pretty power hungry and a bit greedy.

And that might be what is so dangerous about Darmok, because in this book, you will see that there's notes scribbled in the margins about, you know, what could be if there were some organization, if there were some, you know, if there was a reason for these people, these things to come together, what could they accomplish, that type of thing. And from what you're hearing, that might be what's happening on the other side. Like, Vecna kind of warned you. It's like, yeah, like, they're unionizing. This is great. So that's probably a lot of what you're taking away from this.

Do we, is there any information on the demons we saw specifically in the vision that Vecna granted us? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what? I'll give you a complete download and artwork and all kinds of stuff so that you could take away. Yeah, I like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So... Sorry, listeners at home. You gotta wait. They're coming. They're coming. Calli is going to, oh boy, essentially follow these journals of a man who wasn't all there to begin with. And you are going to try and keep up with these scatterbrain journals. I would imagine a lot of it's flipping through, right?

Because sometimes there'll be a coherent idea or thought or concept, and he'll follow it through. There's a lot in here about blood magic, specific rituals, what can be done, like him experimenting to try and to essentially gain more power. He found a loophole in casting blood magic that allowed him to do it for far longer than he should have. You know how blood magic is essentially making these little bargains with demons? He found a way to tap into a larger source of power, but not risk his own life. He would essentially abuse people in the neighborhood, and they would go missing.

And he would use their blood as a bartering tool. This is one of the reasons that Valnor was so pissed off. He wanted to get a hold of Darmok because he gained the system. He cheated death. He never had to sign away his soul and all that. So yeah, you're going to find out a lot in here. But a lot of this is going to be like 10 pages of nonsense and ramblings. Sadly, you're going to read a lot about Jedzia and his thoughts on her. Essentially, she was property. There's a lot of abuse, a lot of that. You're going to be flipping through. It's not great. I'll probably, Callie, probably skim over those sections, like, out of privacy.

Right. Yeah. Callie is going to look up from one of these journals at some point, and she's just going to make out eyes peering at her from a corner in the room. Mm hmm. Just just standing there looking, huh? More crouched, but looking. I think she'll, because like we're in these two big chairs, just like digging into books. I think she'll like move her foot over and like nudge Khaldun. Hmm. What? You find? Do you find anything? You're like, it's like when someone says don't look. Yeah. Well, you're signaling me? Why? What's wrong? What's happening? He like turning his head on a swivel.

She'll just nod her head in the direction of the eyes. Khaldun looks over. We see eyes. Is it tiny? Is it a Sheldon? It's not a Sheldon. It's too big for that, but it's definitely watching you. And once once they notice that you notice them. A drow man is going to step out of this corner and into the illumination of the fire. I didn't want to interrupt. Oh, yeah, you're not interrupting. We were just perusing the library. And you are? He's going to give, not a bow, just kind of like lower his head a little bit, but constantly be making eye contact. Like he hasn't blinked.

Seraph, I heard you were looking for me. Yes, Khaldun, heilik. And this is my friend. Kali. Hello. Okay, Seraph. Thank you for coming to meet with us. What is your title exactly? Major Domo? What do you do for Mayor Jadzia Grinus-Grace? I'm what you might call a consultant. So a jack of all trades then maybe. He's going to fold his arms. And he's kind of, he's kind of eyeing you. I'm going to guess because you have a key to this house. That you're doing something important. Let's not waste each other's time then. What is it I can do for you? Khaldun will like look over at Kali and just like give her a look of like, we're maybe in over our head a bit.

She'll like lift an eyebrow. Khaldun will, I feel like we're still sitting in these chairs. So Khaldun will like close the book and stand up and walk over to Darmok to, I'm sorry. Oh my. Walk over to Darmok and I stab him. He's dead. Alright. We got that. So thank you. Goodbye. And 2020 starting off with arc four. All right. I walk over to Darmok. Damn it. Is this racist? I don't know. It's not. I don't know. I walk up to Hitler and damn it. Sorry. Not Hitler. I meant Greg. Damn it. Walk over to Seraph. Punch him in the face. He walks over to Seraph and he's gonna like hand in the book that he was reading, present it to him and say, well, we're going through Darmok's library.

We're trying to read up on demons. Do you were you around when Darmok was here? Do you know anything about him? Anything? Anything that could help? I arrived at the city a little later. I spent most of my time in Brightborn. So from what I understand, that's your next destination. I can't insight this motherfucker. You could try. OK. I'm pretty pretty wise. Oh, how do you like that? That's a quick way. Twenty nine. Holy shit. Cow cow is killing it. Yeah, she like she's like close her book the same time as Kaladin did and she instead of standing up, she'll like lean back, like lounge in the chair.

Having a cool off. I like it. Yeah. Yeah, you you're gonna pick up like he knows a lot more than what he's kind of letting on. Like he he already knows why you're in the city. He already knows what your destination is. He knows. OK. So Kelly, say anything or just look. Yeah. Did you just want to look? That's totally that's like a man spread. No, just kidding. Just got your deal with it pose. You just get the arched eyebrow that you did just like goes up and hits the roof and just like a pair of clip art sunglasses, descent. They light up. They have different. I don't think she's going to say anything just yet.

Like, I don't want I don't think she wants him to know that she's on to him. Cool. Good. I'll just keep putting my foot in my mouth. Yeah. You're doing really good. Do you think things in 3D? Colin will be like, yes. Right. Port. That's. Yeah. Do you know the city? Well, I assume Jadzia mentioned you might be helping. Get word to the other houses about what we're planning so as to keep a panic down and if possible, bring them into the fold of our coalition. He's going to unfold his arms and he's got to take a slightly more relaxed position here. I think I can help you out.

I definitely have some connections at how Silverclaw. Though there are a few bridges burnt there under the circumstances. I think they'll be willing to help you out. You do know that what you're attempting would be suicide for most people. Don't you? Well, yes, the plot has has crossed our minds, but a few of us have died before. We're not most people. I had to say I'm sorry. I guess you get a line. I know that you have the Paladins. And they'll be accompanying you. This makes it sound more like it's going to be an all out war in the streets. Well, that's actually what we're trying to avoid.

As few actual casualties as possible. We'd like to catch the Black Hand by surprise, if at all possible. Do you think that's even something that we can do? You can see him kind of pondering it like he's thinking it over. Well, that might prove to be difficult. She seems to have an unreasonable amount of information for someone so new to the city. It might behoove you to try and find out a bit more about her. Though I'm not exactly sure where you would start. Are you planning to draw her out? Or attack her and her compound? Well, I think having her be on her home turf would make her dangerous.

More dangerous for us. But drawing her out, unless we can get people away from where she is, there could be a lot of collateral damage. And she's getting help. He points to the book like demons. I think that's how she's able to learn about everything. Even having been so new. That would make sense. You understand that this doesn't make your task easier. No, not at all. If you know Brightport, do you think she could be drawn out? Or do you think we could get people away? It would take some doing. But... If there's anything the people of Brightport dislike more than the status quo, it's an outsider.

She does have an amazing amount of loyalty. Amongst... even the people of Brightport? Those in her organization. Not the common people. Hmm. I wonder if there's a way to spin this to make her seem like an outsider. I mean, she does want to have everyone in Theria destroyed by demons. That might do it. Do you have anything that could prove that? Hmm. I think Calli would stand up then. Probably have a stack of those Darmuk journals next to her and turn to Seraph and say, "Do you know anything about the Blacktip Forest?" He's going to narrow his eyes a bit. Yes.

What exactly did you want to know? Well, what exactly do you know? He's going to give a bit of a grin. Sorry. You go first. We're still in our cool off, guys. Yeah. I don't know, but... Calli's just trying to see what he's going to give before they go too far into it. I know about its reputation, and I know that there are many travelers who will not even get near the forest. But if you're asking about it, I might know of a few people up north that would be willing to... guide you. Hmm. Who are these people? Mostly trappers. Though they are a bit superstitious.

I'm trying to spare these here, but I'd like to insight. Go ahead. Try not to be too far into it. Twenty-seven! Oh boy! You are doing so well tonight. Jesus! On fire. New year, new Calli. I don't want to overdo it though. No bad juju. If you roll a one, you fart. Real loud. I already rolled my one. We're good. Do you know anything about the... Sorry, I accidentally kicked a chair. Yep, that's these leather seats. Yeah, you're going to get like, I would say it comes off more as this is a dude who has a guy for everything, that kind of person, who's like, oh, I might know somebody, you know, that type of thing.

OK, so trappers might not really be trappers, but like a coder? Could be, or, you know, that's their legitimate business front type of thing. Oh, OK, OK, I see. On my taxes, I file as trapper. Did you want to follow up? I honestly don't know. Well, I like your honesty. Like, I wouldn't ask him like, if there's like a specific area where someone might just like hide some really important information. But like, I also don't want to be like that precise about it. I don't know. I just don't want to like give a bunch away. I'll tell you what, if you're serious about dealing with the Black Hand, I can pull some strings.

I know quite a few people who would like to see her gone. I'm guessing the mayor feels quite strongly about this. She does. Yes, she. She's a threat to not only the world, but to her kin, her family. If you give me a date and a time, I think we can get most of the people in the area around her compound to flee. That way we can lessen the impact on bystanders. OK. Although I should warn you. There are many of the poorest in the city who look at her as a breath of fresh air. A promise. Why? Well, the city has operated under certain pretenses for many decades.

And some people see her coming as a second chance for people like them. I would be very careful about who I trust if I were you. With this information or just in general? With this entire operation. Can we trust you, Serif? Oh, of course. I hate you. I'm gonna fucking roll this shit. 21, you call that a roll? Get the fuck out of here. I mean. It's relative. If. What specifically are you checking for in this role? Because I would say up until now, he kind of comes off like an asshole, but not necessarily a liar. Right. I'm like. Can we trust you? But like, that could mean so many different things because we've been talking about so many different things.

I guess, like, I'm trying to. Relate like, yes, we can trust him to kind of like everything he's been so hard because he's so slippery now that I'm thinking about the things that he just said. I hate you. Wow. Because you made him this. I don't know. I just. I just want to stop. Not like that. Like, I just want to stop playing the cool game. I'm not cool. I think that what I'm really looking for is. Basically, like the information, like he's given us information, I guess I just want to know, like, can we trust that, like the information he's given us is on the level?

Okay. Whether or not that means his intention. Mm hmm. So regardless of how the sausage gets made, you just want to know if the sausage is edible. Yeah. Okay. You want to know if you can eat serif sausage? No. I would say I do. I do want to know that. I've got to bring it there. I know. I'm sorry. We're 12. I'm almost 30. I don't know what you're talking about. Whether or not you trust this man, there's nothing that you've heard so far that would cause Callie to think that both the information he's giving you and the plan itself. It's like, okay, well, he's telling you, you could be walking into a death trap.

Yeah. And you know that what you're attempting is dangerous and how to get to her and all that stuff. And the bit about getting rid of people downtown to empty this place out. That seems like he's being legit. Okay. So now all you'd have to do is give him a date. It is the ninth of Ulte Ornn right now. Do we have to give an actual concrete date or can we just say, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then... Oh, he's looking for a concrete date. He wants a date. No, but I mean out of game, since we don't know what the actual date will be. Oh, no, no, no, no. Or do you want us to try and plan it out?

I want you to plan it out. Okay. Yeah. I got you. I got you. We'll text you. Yeah. We'll text. We'll have our people text your people. Are you a doodle or slack? Can we get... Well, unless Callie wants to say anything else cool. No, she does want to lean her hip up against a table or I don't know. I like that. Yeah. That's cool. Okay. That's good stuff. I think Cauldron will say... Cauldron will like look back at Callie and see her strike this awesome pose and then turn back to Seraph and be like, okay, then we'll... If you can arrange for us to meet with your people at the Blacktip Forest and speak with...

It was Silverclaw, correct? Yes. Any help they can give, partially, and probably more getting that area clear of people, we and the Paladins of Kord will work on drawing her out. We might have a way. And as far as a date, we're still in town. We'll need to meet with our associates so we can talk and figure it out. But we'll have a concrete date for you. We'll talk with the Paladins and work it out. Or if you want to be a part of that conversation. That's not necessary. Just tell them and I'll find out. And call in a lad. All right. Well, thank you, Seraph. You've been very helpful.

And he'll turn to Callie and smile and shake his head like, why were we worried? And again, he's going to be kind of grinning, looking at Callie, and he's going to give like, again, almost a sarcastic bowel type of thing. Well, I'll get to work. Oh, shoot, Seraph. Sorry. One more thing. We're helping. There's a man in town, Vincent Delorn. I don't know if you've spoken with him or if you know him. He's been in town for a while, but he's trying to get into a house. What's the name of it? Callie, what's the name of it? The Order of the Scale. That's the one. I know about Vincent.

I suppose you want help. Yes, he's come up against some red tape and I don't, I'm not familiar with the bureaucracy of Esterholt, but he is a friend of ours and we are both a friend of House Dragonkeep. He's one of the Grimnesses and I know what he is trying to get back from that house belongs to them. It would be a personal favor to us, to Jadzia, and of course, you know, to help a noble in Brightport. I mean, that's got to come with favor or something. I'm not really worried about getting the favor of someone like Delorn. He's going to look at Callie.

Are we talking about actual stolen property? Yes? No. Yeah, she'll nod to him. Yeah, stolen straight from House Dragonkeep. Well, with all of the distractions from more important things going on, consider it my job in this instance to cut through the red tape. And he's going to grab, he's going to kind of like bow a bit and as he's leaving the room, you could, he's gripping the hilt of this corkscrew looking dagger. And he is going to take his leave of this room. What a helpful man. Didn't you think? You're very precious. I mean, he, okay, admittedly, he was leaning into the drow a bit, but I understand you got to keep up appearances, but so helpful.

Of course, he's working with Jadzia. What a great, what a great person. Callie is going to like sigh pretty heavily. I think, Kaldin, that, you know, a lot of the information is good and I'm grateful that we've learned a few new things, but I don't, don't think we can fully trust that man. Kaldin looks shocked. Like confused. Hurt. Hurt, yeah. He just made a new friend. And he says, what, why do you think that? I think that a lot of the information was given to us based off of whatever deal we've made with Jadzia. But I don't know if you noticed, but there was never, not that there was never a straight answer, but there were always holes.

There was, everything was given to us with his, his intentions. We, we give people information with holes. That's exactly what we do. We do it all the time. We've been doing it since we got to Esterhold. It's just a way to safeguard. He's working with, he's working with Jadzia. How bad, how bad can he be? He's, he's a consultant. Right. He's a consultant. He doesn't work just for Jadzia. He works for a lot of, maybe he works for himself, but he works with a lot of people, some who may not be friends with Jadzia. I'm just saying that while we did get a lot of good information and we gave him some information, we should just be careful about what more we give.

I understand. I will try to enact caution. It's all in that scheme. I think this is, this is something you should bring up with the others. In fact, we should get back to them. We have, we have a marching day to decide on. We need to figure this out. Are we done here though? I've barely even gotten through half of these. They're very hard to follow. Well, we can always come back. We've still got some time here. If there's something else we need to pick up. I've been reading all about these demons. We'll go talk it out with everyone in the group. Maybe we can pull some information out from that.

How best to battle them. How best to get to her. I should definitely see what everyone else has found out from the Vecna church. The House of Vecna. Yes. Yes. If there's any allies that we can bring in. Yes. Let's do a thing. One more thing in this room. Let's see how much information that you've been able to gather from these books. Besides the stuff that I've already told you about, I'm going to go into more detail. Let's see how much of this is stuck. Like someone threw a bunch of spaghetti at the wall. Let's see how much of this sticks. Kaladin, give me an intelligence check.

Intelligence, you said? Yes. Well, OK, you get to keep the stuff that I was talking about and I will give you more details, but you rolled a five total. Not great. Callie. Yeah. You're on a hot streak. I am. Give me an intelligence check. Can I argue to roll an insight only because these are personal journals and I'm interpreting what is written in them? That's very good. A little Faustian bargain. I'll allow you to roll an insight check with a significantly higher modifier. I might add. And if you roll a 15 or higher, I'll give you some bonus information. Oh, OK.

I'll give you some hot scoop shit that might not even make it into the book. Come on, Callie. However. Yeah, what's the cost? If you roll a 12 or below. I get to have a little fun. Like misinformation. What does that mean? Well, at some point during your stay in the city. Something's going to happen as a result of you digging into these journals. Oh, no. OK, plus nine insight, like I have to roll really low. This is too good. All right. Just don't roll a 12 or below. You're fine. Wait, hold on. Well, total. Yeah. OK. That's good. You check in that fine print, though.

Oh, no. Oh, no. That's an 11. I don't have my inspiration. I burned it the last time we played. No. I knew that, too. Let me just jot down a note here. Oh, it was hot. It was hot. You were up until you're not. It's that cool. I was I cooled down too much. That's too cool. That happens. Guys, I think it's an excellent time. Really? Stop for the night. You jerk. I'll be 20, 20. New Year, same as the old year. You guys said one bad rule. Everything else was fire. You did amazing. And just fuck everything. That's a 22 for those of you. Wait, hold on. I do the intelligence role.

Well, I mean, that was a one. So you still did better. I feel like you definitely should go to you today, even if that that 11. You did amazing. Don't take the entire session away from yourself because of one bad rule. Hey, everyone, thanks for sticking around to the end of the episode. It's me again, Ashley, the intern. And this week I'm going to be talking to you about our epic games for the month of January. So as you may or may not know, we have four epic games running currently. There are two longer running games, which are DRP and Vampire the Masquerade, as well as two newer games, which are Stars Without Number and Mutants and Masterminds.

This month, we will be releasing one episode of one of the longer running games, as well as a character creation episode for one of the newer games. We're not quite sure which episodes that would be yet, but I'm probably guessing that our character creation episode is going to be the Stars Without Number game this month. If you want to listen to that, as well as our campaigns for all four of those games, you should go over to patreon.com/dnr and subscribe to our $15 tier. If you're not able to afford that, like me, because I'm a poor college student, you should definitely check out our $1 tier because you'll still be able to get all this content, but just on a back order.

Also, you'll be able to get a bunch of other cool things, which you should check out our Patreon for. Again, thank you guys so much for sticking around to listen to me talk about this, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. Bye!