[0.0s] Welcome to Dumbgeons and Dragons! We're a D&D 5th edition actual play podcast and I'm your
[22.6s] dungeon master, Rust More, and with me today is Karla Johnson!
[27.6s] That is me, now playing Neryxious Akra, better known as Glim, a dragonborn pAlydin.
[34.1s] Also with me, Tom Laird.
[35.6s] Yeah, that's me.
[36.6s] I play Moot.
[37.9s] He is a half-orc, wild magic sorcerer.
[42.3s] And Amy More.
[43.3s] That's right.
[44.3s] Rust hasn't asked me to leave the podcast yet.
[46.6s] I now play a lightfoot halfling rogue named Sullivan Sleight.
[51.7s] Welcome everybody.
[52.7s] How's everybody feeling today?
[54.3s] Feeling good.
[55.3s] Cozy.
[56.6s] So near death.
[57.6s] For two reasons.
[61.0s] Number one, I'm sick in real life.
[64.9s] Number two, but I don't really feel near death.
[68.8s] These characters are just like so delicate.
[71.4s] They're so squishy.
[73.3s] Like, oh my god, opening this character sheet was, gave me like traumatic flashbacks
[80.0s] because they only have like, you know, 11 hit points to my whole life.
[85.4s] It's crazy.
[86.4s] That's two more than I have.
[87.4s] And I was like, I looked at it and I was like, did we battle last time?
[92.0s] I thought for sure.
[93.0s] I didn't remember a fight.
[94.5s] I've only talked to my two moms.
[96.6s] It was a real knockdown dragon chat though.
[100.7s] Oh my goodness.
[102.6s] Yes, we are playing some new characters today.
[105.7s] The characters that were introduced in episode 74.
[109.3s] And if you're new here, we played Dumbgeons and Dragons and we just finished a big
[114.0s] Rise of Tiamat arc and now we're playing new characters.
[117.8s] So you get to know those characters along with us, along with us as well.
[123.8s] No, that's not how you say that.
[125.0s] You get to learn about those characters along with us.
[128.5s] That's a better way to say that.
[129.8s] Guys, we're terrified.
[131.0s] It's like we're doing it for the first time ever because we've been
[135.6s] playing these characters for like, what?
[137.5s] Three plus years.
[139.3s] Yeah, more than three years.
[140.9s] It's it's like wearing the same clothes every day and then someone
[144.5s] coming along and being like, new human wardrobe.
[148.0s] Here's your fursuit.
[149.6s] And then you're going with this.
[152.2s] But then you have to live in a fursuit and you just don't know.
[155.2s] You don't look like yourself.
[156.4s] You don't know how to act anymore.
[157.8s] It seems like a very specific example.
[160.0s] Has someone come by and given you a fursuit to wear?
[163.0s] It is very specific.
[164.9s] This analogy got away from me.
[167.1s] Or like maybe like starting a new job where you don't know.
[169.6s] Sure. That's it.
[170.9s] I mean, I like Amy's fursuit.
[173.0s] Also a good more like universally applicable.
[176.2s] Like everyone could really relate to what she was saying.
[178.5s] Not everyone has a job, Carla, but we could all have fursuit.
[182.2s] This is true.
[184.7s] So I don't know where we were going with that.
[187.2s] New characters, new characters, scary times, scary times.
[190.2s] For those of you who have been with us for for 84 episodes now,
[196.2s] the the the OG characters, they'll be back.
[200.1s] But we're going to start this thing off with these new characters.
[203.5s] It's going to be a little bit of a time, a backwards time step.
[207.8s] Oh, and then we'll catch up and then we'll it'll all make sense.
[213.0s] I've planned it out in my head and those things always work.
[216.2s] Always. Always.
[217.3s] It will be hard, though, because we'll have to like
[219.2s] not know things that we already know.
[222.6s] You know how good we are at separating player
[224.4s] knowledge and character knowledge.
[225.8s] Don't worry about that. You're in a different place.
[227.6s] We also forget a whole lot of stuff.
[229.4s] So there's a good chance. That's true.
[230.8s] It's true. Something that happens that we haven't got to yet,
[234.8s] but we have a Patreon, Patreon.com slash dumb dragon cast
[238.6s] where when you join us, you get an episode dedicated to you.
[241.5s] Like today's episode is dedicated to Laurie Carrion.
[246.1s] Thank you, Laurie. Thanks, Laurie.
[248.4s] You rock.
[249.8s] You want to join us on Patreon, Patreon.com slash dumb dragon cast.
[253.5s] We'll talk about that more a little bit later.
[255.9s] But in the meantime, fuck it. Let's play D&D.
[259.4s] Where we left off was with our good friend Glim.
[280.7s] We left you with your mama,
[283.9s] Bean, and you were on your way
[286.6s] and had made it to a temple of Bahamut.
[291.2s] As you walk up the steps to the temple,
[294.3s] you begin feeling nearly a physical pull,
[299.7s] almost as if something is drawing you towards the large wooden doors.
[306.3s] As you enter, following your mama,
[310.0s] you see seated at the back of the room, an older human male,
[315.8s] long gray hair tied into a half messy ponytail
[321.0s] kneeled over in silent prayer.
[324.2s] From above, you hear the call of small birds.
[329.2s] And when you look, you see only a silhouette of them
[333.8s] in the light through the open vented roof.
[339.6s] You look down into the front of the cathedral
[342.6s] and you see a seemingly humble set up there that opens up for you.
[349.3s] Pews hand carved out of weirwood.
[353.2s] And within you sense a divine and vibrating resonance
[357.4s] coming from the pews leading or guiding you up to the front of the cathedral.
[364.2s] What is Glim feeling or thinking, right?
[368.8s] I think like a general sense of awe.
[371.2s] I mean, she certainly has been brought up to worship Bahamut.
[374.9s] So this is like would already be like a very powerful experience
[379.3s] because I think she has never been to this temple, correct?
[383.0s] I think that's what we said last time.
[385.4s] So this is already like a very powerful experience of a like,
[389.1s] you know, deeply religious person visiting a religious place.
[394.8s] And I think particularly like she has those multicolored scales.
[399.1s] And I think her platinum scales particularly
[402.4s] are like she feels like she can feel them more in this place.
[410.6s] Your train of thought is broken as your mama touches your arm,
[415.8s] bringing your attention back to the front
[418.5s] where you are surprised that you are now.
[422.2s] You've made it through the entire cathedral, kind of
[426.2s] the entire walk washed over you.
[430.1s] Standing before you at the front is a hooded figure in deep blue robes
[437.0s] worn to time and fraying around the edges of their platinum threads.
[443.1s] You hear a voice come from below the hood.
[448.6s] You can't see a face.
[450.8s] Tell me, is this person going to be someone you know or someone you don't know?
[455.8s] Oh, um, I honestly thought it was going to be like a switch them up
[462.6s] or this person's going to like pretend they're the priest.
[465.0s] And then the guy in the back is going to be like, just kidding, it is me.
[467.6s] I don't know why he is Shakespeare in love, you know, with the French prince
[471.2s] and pretends he's not the prince.
[473.1s] Why? I don't know.
[475.1s] Because it's fine.
[476.0s] 15 years ago, I saw that movie, apparently top of mind.
[480.7s] But I would say this is not someone I know. OK.
[484.5s] The person lowers their hood, and it is a human female.
[491.5s] She has grayed hair.
[493.8s] She's got lots of laugh lines and deep wrinkles in her in and around her eyes.
[500.3s] And she says, hello, my child.
[505.1s] You must have a hundred questions and I will answer as many as I can.
[511.5s] But first, who do you believe you are?
[520.2s] Well, I mean, I don't know if this is really true,
[523.5s] but I've always in my clan been told that, you know, I was a descendant,
[528.1s] a very, very, very far removed descendant of Bahamut.
[531.4s] But I don't know if that's that seems like it can't really be true.
[535.6s] It seems actually a bit obnoxious to think that.
[538.1s] But that's always what I've been told.
[546.1s] As you kind of trail off there, a gentle smile crosses her face.
[552.6s] And she says, my child, you are a child of Bahamut.
[562.8s] Not a distant relative.
[566.3s] Not a long line faded.
[571.2s] You are a direct descendant of Bahamut himself.
[581.8s] And I look at Mama, who is with me, say, so are
[590.2s] are you a descendant of Bahamut too, is our whole family?
[596.2s] And I look back at the lady and like,
[600.4s] your mama who had taken a couple of steps back once you had reached the front,
[605.2s] she kind of clears her throat.
[606.8s] She said, no, no, no.
[613.4s] You while your mom and I are your are your parents,
[621.1s] And you arrived to our village when you were very, very young, and we took it upon ourselves
[637.4s] to give you a safe home.
[642.0s] It was made apparent to us that you had gifts and powers, not powers, but you had a draw
[654.9s] to help people, and your mom wanted to protect you because of how, I don't want to say naive,
[670.7s] but how naive you can sometimes be towards some of the dangers of the world.
[683.0s] So you told me that there was a dream, that I was a protector.
[689.3s] Was there really a dream, or have a note, you know, pinned to my swaddling clothes or
[695.6s] what?
[697.3s] The man who brought you to us, he told us that you were in line to be the world's next
[707.6s] savior.
[711.0s] How do you believe someone who says that?
[713.3s] I don't know.
[714.4s] But there was a dream, as I had said, that later came as you got older, and it
[724.4s] became very clear that there was more going on than what we had thought, someone just
[732.9s] bringing you to us, but following what your mom wanted to do, we protected you.
[739.3s] We separated the village from all but necessary engagements and trade, shielded your view
[749.4s] of some of the wrongdoings, which is increasingly harder in today's times.
[757.4s] I mean, I'm stunned, I guess.
[761.6s] A lot of information, my little delicate, not that young, 25-year-old life, but still.
[768.8s] I just have, I have so many questions, and I look back at the woman and say, did
[776.5s] you, like, did you deliver me to the village?
[781.4s] Should I be here?
[782.9s] I mean, I guess, where are my manners?
[786.4s] What's your name?
[789.0s] My name is Sirma, Sirma Shora.
[794.6s] I was not the one to bring you to the village, but I was designated to be the
[803.5s] one to help guide you once the decision or the call was put out for you to begin your
[814.6s] trials as a bastion to Bahamut.
[823.2s] Well, I mean, it seems like we're wasting time.
[828.1s] Honestly, this bard came and he told us that Tiamat might be rising and the whole
[832.6s] kingdom is in total disarray.
[834.8s] And because I was so sheltered, I feel overwhelmed by all of this information.
[843.6s] But I want to help and I want to, I guess, live up to my destiny.
[852.7s] Seems like a crazy thing to say out loud, but that's what I want to do.
[860.5s] It feels like the right thing to do.
[863.0s] Being here feels right.
[867.4s] Your time is coming soon.
[873.1s] The troubles that are in the world now are being dealt with and will be dealt
[882.0s] with. We feel that they are in capable hands.
[888.0s] Your call is for something coming later.
[893.9s] What that is, we don't know yet.
[898.1s] Those who fight for Faerun and for Toril and for the world at large are already
[906.3s] out there making sure that there is something to fight for later.
[914.6s] So what happens now?
[915.8s] Do I? I feel like I don't know anything.
[920.3s] Will you teach me how to help the world?
[926.5s] I will do my best to set you on a good foot.
[931.6s] There is a lot to talk about and a lot to learn.
[934.6s] And before we send you off, we will do as much of that as we can.
[944.3s] Dope.
[945.8s] There it is.
[954.0s] Sullivan Slate, where we left you last, you were running away from the
[959.4s] cult of the dragon.
[961.7s] You had just been asked to do something that you deemed far beyond
[968.4s] your capabilities.
[972.1s] My heart could not do it ethically.
[975.9s] You ran into the forest.
[982.2s] How far did you run and where did you go?
[986.0s] Well, I don't think Sullivan Slate knows where he went because North,
[990.2s] South, East, West, I think those are all very, he's like more of a
[993.9s] landmark kind of guy.
[995.5s] So he just started running away, away from where that village was in
[1000.7s] the opposite direction as far as his little like halfling legs would
[1007.0s] carry him.
[1008.2s] He only stopped once he could go no further.
[1012.0s] He physically could not run anymore.
[1014.4s] You wake up, leery-eyed, your head hurts.
[1021.6s] Am I hungover?
[1022.8s] Maybe.
[1023.3s] I don't know.
[1023.8s] You could be.
[1024.5s] You know what?
[1025.2s] It's entirely possible that you are hungover.
[1028.1s] I won't make that decision for you.
[1029.4s] I'm definitely not.
[1030.3s] The cult did not allow footmen such as myself to arm myself with liquor.
[1036.6s] Fair enough.
[1038.7s] So you wake up, you're bleary-eyed, your head hurts, your back is very sore.
[1044.8s] And as you clear the haze from your vision, you see cold stone dimly
[1053.0s] illuminated by light coming in through bars of a small window on a wall.
[1060.0s] I panic and scramble and back myself up to the closest wall so that there's
[1065.2s] nothing that can come at me from behind me.
[1070.0s] You do so and you hit cold stone as you fall off the bench that you're on.
[1076.1s] You're looking around and you see that you are in a small cell, plank
[1081.6s] wood bench in front of you, a bucket in the corner and several other
[1088.4s] cells that you can see, but from what you can tell, only one other
[1093.3s] person, a few cells away.
[1095.9s] Otherwise it is a very cold and damp prison.
[1103.0s] Hey, hey, hey.
[1108.5s] He doesn't appear to, to move.
[1111.6s] Can I see if it's a man?
[1115.0s] Um, it looks like a man.
[1116.5s] Yeah.
[1116.8s] Human man?
[1117.5s] Yeah.
[1118.4s] Human man.
[1119.8s] Hey, you, gate guy.
[1124.5s] Do I, is there anything around me?
[1126.9s] No.
[1127.1s] Anything I can throw at him?
[1128.9s] Is there anything inside my bucket?
[1131.7s] Anything I can splash at?
[1134.1s] Nothing, nothing yet.
[1135.7s] Nothing yet.
[1136.2s] All right.
[1137.2s] Um, yeah, no, there's nothing, nothing in there.
[1139.4s] And it appears that you have been all of your items here to be no
[1143.9s] longer with you, have basic clothes.
[1148.8s] Um, perception check 13, um, as you're panicking and falling over
[1158.2s] to the, and who you're sure is sleeping or just can't really see
[1165.8s] much sign of movement in general.
[1168.8s] You begin to hear the sound of street noise outside the window.
[1173.7s] Uh, so the window is located above the bench.
[1176.6s] Yep.
[1177.2s] Okay.
[1177.8s] Um, I quickly and nimbly run up, jump on the bench and, and try
[1183.7s] to reach for the bars of the window.
[1186.4s] You do so, and you look outside and you see a, it's, it's daytime.
[1191.0s] Um, you're not sure what time of day it is exactly, but it's a very busy
[1194.8s] street and you don't really recognize many landmarks around you.
[1199.0s] There looks to be a long narrow street that is main there.
[1203.5s] Um, there's a big open courtyard down at the end of one way and you
[1207.3s] can't quite see around the corner going the other way.
[1210.4s] There are lots of people, elves, humans, half orcs, halflings, all
[1215.4s] kind of wandering about far away.
[1217.4s] Am I from those wandering people?
[1219.6s] That's super far.
[1220.6s] I yelled at them.
[1221.3s] Could they hear me?
[1222.1s] Let's try.
[1225.5s] Most of them don't pay much attention.
[1227.5s] A couple of people kind of look over and as they keep walking.
[1230.5s] Hey, what, what city is this?
[1232.4s] What town is this?
[1234.6s] Somebody tell me where I am.
[1236.8s] Uh, a small child, um, kind of sees and she says, it's never wintered prisoner.
[1244.3s] Hey, thanks.
[1247.1s] And you see her mother kind of usher her along and give you the foul.
[1254.8s] I kind of, I let go and I dropped back onto the bench and I sit down
[1260.7s] and try to do a bit of mental math based on where I was and how close I
[1265.9s] knew never winter to be, you know, never winter wasn't between 500 and
[1271.4s] 600 miles, a thousand kilometers, far ways away.
[1277.1s] And there's no way that I ran most of the way 800 kilometers to, um, to
[1283.2s] never winter, so I must have been picked up along the way.
[1287.2s] I, I look at the walls.
[1288.9s] Is there any markings or carvings or scratches or anything from these
[1294.8s] tenants, tenants, the previous tenants of this, of this prison cell?
[1301.3s] Um, yeah, it was a short-term rental as you try Airbnb ever.
[1305.0s] I give it one.
[1306.2s] Um, yes.
[1307.0s] You see there's no standard prison kind of fair.
[1311.2s] There's tally marks.
[1312.5s] Um, far who has a small dick scratched on there somewhere.
[1317.6s] Yeah.
[1318.2s] Yeah.
[1318.7s] Yeah.
[1319.0s] Far who has a small dick for a good time.
[1322.9s] Call out down the street is also written there.
[1331.0s] But nothing helpful that I can see on these walls.
[1335.0s] Okay.
[1335.5s] I go over and I inspect the walk.
[1337.9s] Okay.
[1338.6s] Um, make an investigation check.
[1342.4s] Bye.
[1344.0s] Um, it looks like a standard prison lock, um, something that you have
[1350.7s] picked in the past, but you don't appear to have your tools on you.
[1354.2s] Is my hair still up?
[1356.4s] No.
[1357.2s] Oh, I'm a sneaky athlete and I always have Bobby my hair.
[1360.9s] Cause you can't achieve a proper man bun without them.
[1365.5s] Um, I try my hand again at calling to my buddy, my maybe dead,
[1372.2s] maybe not dead buddy.
[1374.2s] Hey, you dead?
[1376.0s] He coughs.
[1377.8s] That's the sound someone makes when they're alive.
[1382.8s] Hey mister.
[1384.4s] Kind of turns over and then you hear the door down at the end of the cells.
[1390.2s] Farthest away from you.
[1391.2s] It opens up and says, be quiet in here.
[1394.1s] Where's here?
[1395.9s] You're in prison.
[1398.7s] Hey, come over here.
[1399.8s] You seem like a very intelligent man.
[1401.3s] We need to speak.
[1403.1s] A well armored soldier enters the room, he's walking closer to your cell.
[1409.4s] It stops about half a cell away from the entrance to yours.
[1415.9s] What's your name?
[1418.5s] I don't answer questions.
[1420.9s] Oh, do you don't know your name?
[1423.0s] I know my name.
[1424.5s] I don't have to tell the likes of you.
[1426.2s] Oh, I never said you had to.
[1427.8s] Sorry, buddy.
[1428.4s] My name is Sullivan's light and you are?
[1432.8s] Dinner's not for a while.
[1434.6s] Oh, what's for dinner?
[1437.3s] Oh, better question.
[1438.5s] Do you know why I'm here?
[1442.3s] I was just camping, like probably 200 miles, I don't know, away from here.
[1449.1s] And I just woke up here.
[1451.0s] You were camping, then stealing.
[1454.6s] Oh, and then you got arrested, put up a fight, and then you ended up here.
[1463.1s] That doesn't sound like me.
[1466.5s] I mean, that's, that's what's on the report.
[1469.4s] Show me whose ass I kept.
[1471.4s] I mean, I said I got into a fight.
[1472.9s] I said you put up a fight.
[1474.2s] I did not say you kicked someone's ass.
[1477.4s] It was implied with a tone of awe in your voice.
[1481.7s] So dinner, what is for dinner?
[1485.2s] Same as every night.
[1487.1s] Rule.
[1488.6s] Well, how would I have known that?
[1489.8s] This is my first night here.
[1491.3s] I just assume people know what they eat in prison, and it's not good.
[1495.4s] So like, who's in charge here?
[1497.7s] Just the warden?
[1501.0s] I mean, I'm in charge right now because I'm highest ranking officer here.
[1506.2s] Of course you are.
[1508.7s] So what would it take for me to get a meeting with the warden?
[1512.5s] Miracle.
[1513.9s] Hey, you seem like a miracle man.
[1517.7s] Can I make like a charisma check or something?
[1522.3s] I'm, I'm acting very charismatic, but I don't.
[1526.3s] Yeah, thank you.
[1528.1s] Either are you going for persuasion or deception?
[1532.2s] I think I'm going for probably persuasion.
[1537.8s] OK, I'm trying to get him to do what I want.
[1541.8s] 16. What kind of miracle, my man,
[1546.3s] can you make happen for me to get me to see the warden?
[1549.4s] I only need five minutes of the fine man or woman's time.
[1553.4s] Well, the warden isn't here right now.
[1556.8s] But I mean, I could I could get them to maybe
[1562.1s] see if they could talk to you.
[1566.6s] You know what? Everyone here is wrong about you.
[1570.2s] You, the man, don't you even think about what other people are saying
[1575.3s] because you know what's going down and I appreciate you.
[1578.0s] What was your name?
[1580.0s] I didn't say my name.
[1580.9s] I know. I just wish I knew because I feel like we're really bonding.
[1583.6s] How did you know they're talking about me if I didn't say my name?
[1587.0s] Well, they were talking about the big,
[1589.5s] handsome, in head of the head of this place guy.
[1594.2s] That's not you.
[1595.4s] I mean, sounds like you to me.
[1597.9s] It's definitely not Jerry.
[1599.9s] Oh, no, fuck Jerry.
[1601.8s] No, don't.
[1602.8s] Well, no, I mean, not even on my worst day.
[1606.3s] But well, thank you very much.
[1609.5s] Miraculous stranger.
[1611.0s] You're welcome. Sullivan's light.
[1613.8s] What's he been saying about ramblings of a crazy man?
[1618.0s] Just don't even I'll beat him later.
[1621.6s] He begins walking out.
[1623.4s] I wait till he leaves and he shuts the door behind.
[1626.4s] Yo, dude, look, listen, I'm super sorry,
[1628.9s] but what's probably going to happen to you later?
[1630.7s] That wasn't my intention.
[1632.4s] Got away from me.
[1633.4s] Got away from me.
[1634.2s] You could have talked to me, though.
[1635.1s] You could have talked to me.
[1636.2s] Good Lord, you talk a lot.
[1638.2s] Yeah, grumbles, and he's not turning turning to you directly.
[1643.6s] So what are you in here for?
[1646.4s] Apparently, I was selling goods,
[1649.8s] not at the correct value
[1652.7s] deemed by the officers in charge.
[1657.0s] No rinky ding operation.
[1658.7s] I was told that I was stealing and then got into a fight
[1661.9s] and kick some big ass.
[1663.6s] And then I woke up here.
[1664.9s] And I don't remember any of that.
[1666.5s] I mean, I think he said you got into a fight.
[1668.5s] No, I heard what he said.
[1669.4s] Hmm. OK.
[1671.8s] Well, Sullivan's light.
[1675.6s] And you are?
[1679.1s] And it sits up and turns and lets it choose.
[1681.8s] His name's Murph.
[1684.5s] Nice to meet you, Murph.
[1687.0s] Murrv. Oh, Murrv.
[1688.9s] Sorry, sorry, Murrv.
[1690.2s] Yeah, I think we're going to be the best of friends, you and I.
[1692.6s] I think it's going to be good.
[1693.8s] How how awful is this dinner around here?
[1697.2s] Her rule rhymes with cool.
[1700.8s] Yeah, they mix it with fish heads.
[1702.6s] Oh, so it's not super great.
[1706.0s] It's all right.
[1706.8s] I'm Ovo Pesco lactose.
[1709.3s] I don't know what that means.
[1712.5s] I mean, I'm a fisherman, so
[1716.1s] I think I'd like fish heads, but not the way they make them.
[1719.5s] It's all in the attitude, my friend.
[1723.1s] All in the attitude.
[1735.0s] Welcome back to the middle, everybody.
[1737.2s] How's it going?
[1738.2s] You made it through.
[1739.1s] You made it through the long month.
[1740.7s] What we do now is we just say thank you for listening
[1743.1s] and thank you for being here.
[1744.6s] And hopefully you're enjoying the beginning of the new season
[1748.4s] because it's going to be a wild ride.
[1751.5s] So wild.
[1752.7s] And we're doing a sweet contest to kick off the new season
[1756.9s] where you can win a copy of Ghosts of Saltmarsh,
[1760.6s] the new adventure module from Dumbgeons and Dragons.
[1764.1s] Wizards of the Coast.
[1765.2s] What do you have to do?
[1766.3s] What we would love is if you could tell people about us.
[1771.2s] And if you do that and tell us about it,
[1773.9s] then maybe you can win the school new module.
[1776.2s] Absolutely.
[1777.0s] You can share a link to the show or to a specific episode
[1781.2s] if you have a favorite.
[1782.0s] Maybe it's this one.
[1783.2s] Maybe this is your first one.
[1784.7s] So you share it to Twitter using the hashtag
[1787.0s] DumbDragonCast or over on Facebook to your your personal
[1791.8s] Facebook account, sharing the post that we have linked down
[1795.2s] in the description or that is plastered on our Facebook page.
[1798.9s] Then you're entered to win Ghosts of Saltmarsh
[1801.7s] and some sweet stickers that we got from D&D Live.
[1804.6s] And Russ, what is our Facebook page?
[1806.4s] Facebook.com slash DumbDragon Podcast.
[1809.7s] Can I just say you should do it right now
[1811.6s] because you're probably like literally right now listening on a device
[1815.7s] where you could do this thing just right now.
[1817.7s] It'll take like 30 seconds and we would appreciate it so much.
[1820.4s] And maybe a prize.
[1821.8s] So all of the love in our hearts and then also maybe another prize.
[1826.3s] So that's pretty good.
[1827.4s] That's two prizes. So good.
[1829.8s] The contest is going on to the end of the month, but please do it now.
[1832.7s] Thank you very much for listening.
[1834.2s] Hope you enjoy the rest of the episode.
[1836.4s] We're back.
[1837.6s] We're not going anywhere for 83 more episodes.
[1842.0s] I don't know if that's an arbitrary number, but OK.
[1844.9s] I mean, very specific.
[1846.2s] So we did last season.
[1847.4s] Enjoy the rest of the episode.
[1849.1s] We'll we'll talk to you talk to you soon.
[1861.1s] Moot, we last left you leaving home.
[1867.1s] Yeah.
[1869.0s] Running away, kind of like for the good of everyone, though,
[1872.8s] for noble reasons, yeah, no, it was definitely for for for good reason.
[1878.2s] What is it that Moot is going in search of?
[1881.6s] Moot wants to find some sort of either
[1886.7s] teacher or some sort of magic user
[1891.3s] to help him, like, get a handle on his situation.
[1895.8s] With your village and your family, you've traveled
[1900.9s] reasonably far, but you have heard that there are
[1906.5s] teachers in several of the larger cities,
[1910.0s] but the nearest one to your village would have been Neverwinter.
[1915.9s] Well, that's where I would have went.
[1917.3s] It is a several day, if not week journey.
[1922.2s] And you set off from High Forest and you caught a lift on some caravans
[1929.2s] and surprisingly didn't run into too much on the road,
[1934.5s] which you were told is something to be thankful for.
[1939.2s] After a couple of 10 days journey, make it to
[1944.4s] the gates at Neverwinter, one of the northern gates,
[1948.4s] and you hop off the caravan and set off into the city.
[1955.2s] And you along the way, you heard that there were
[1960.1s] tales of Neverwinter as the city of wonders.
[1963.3s] There's a lot of artificers and wizards.
[1966.6s] And before the plague, Spellplague was one of the
[1972.1s] highest looked upon cities in all of favor.
[1975.9s] It has since come back to near what it was before,
[1980.5s] with some minor differences.
[1983.6s] An earthquake tore apart part of the city in the southern
[1987.6s] southern southeastern quadrant.
[1989.8s] There is a floating tower that hovers above that showed up mysteriously
[1996.8s] one day and is now considered a beacon of hope.
[1999.7s] You set into the city and it is about midday.
[2007.0s] There are packed streets, lots of people.
[2009.8s] And you are free to do what Moot would do.
[2016.5s] Well, Moot, is there any sort of guard or like maybe a like
[2023.0s] stop here for information about the city kiosk that he could maybe attend?
[2027.1s] There's we'll say there's there's a there's a hospitaling center of sorts.
[2033.0s] I'm going to head on over to that hospitality center.
[2037.7s] The door opens with a chimed jingle as you enter.
[2044.5s] And it's a quiet building.
[2046.0s] Some bit of dust, you notice kind of collecting in the corners.
[2050.9s] And in a young male, probably in his early 20s,
[2056.8s] kind of bored, looking, sitting behind the counter reading a book.
[2062.3s] And he kind of looks up and sees you walk in and says,
[2064.5s] well, what can I what can I help you with?
[2068.0s] Uh, hi, friend.
[2070.4s] I was wondering, are there are there any wizards here?
[2076.1s] He looks up from his book again, says, yeah.
[2082.8s] But like, do you know where I could find one?
[2087.3s] Maybe a teacher or or like a school or anything like that.
[2091.3s] Oh, you're looking for schooling.
[2092.7s] Are you looking to take up wizardry?
[2094.6s] Are you?
[2096.3s] I mean, it wasn't really high up on my list of priorities,
[2099.5s] but then like it kind of was all of a sudden.
[2102.2s] So, yeah, I would I would I would love to know like what the deal is.
[2105.9s] Sure. Yeah, there are definitely schools for wizards here.
[2111.6s] There's a you can go kind of there's the whole
[2115.0s] Arcanist's quarter down southeast there.
[2120.1s] You can go visit there.
[2122.9s] There is the school.
[2125.6s] I mean, you might have heard of the heard of the school.
[2129.5s] I haven't.
[2130.6s] This is this is my my first time here in Neverwinter.
[2134.6s] Oh, well, welcome to our fine city.
[2137.8s] Neverwinter is a friendly city of craftsmen
[2142.2s] who trade extensively via the great merchants of Waterdeep.
[2147.2s] I feel like you've had to prepare this speech before,
[2150.6s] but really, you don't have to.
[2151.8s] Oh, wait, there's more. OK, this.
[2154.6s] Their water clocks and multi-hued lamps
[2158.7s] can be found throughout the realms.
[2162.4s] OK. Neverwinter gained its name
[2165.5s] from the skill of its gardeners who contrived
[2169.2s] to keep flowers blooming throughout months of snow.
[2174.8s] I mean, I'm very smooth.
[2178.6s] They continue with pride.
[2184.8s] Sorry, if I don't say that, OK, I get in trouble.
[2188.2s] OK, yeah, no, I would hate for you to get in trouble.
[2191.8s] So you were saying the Arcanus quarter and also a school.
[2195.7s] I would love to hear more about this school.
[2198.0s] Yeah, it's Nogwood School of Wizarding.
[2202.0s] Nogwood, do do I need any sort of invitation
[2208.1s] to attend Nogwood's or can I just go and knock on the front door?
[2211.8s] I mean, you can just go knock on the door there.
[2214.2s] They're pretty nice over there.
[2215.5s] Little hoity toity compared to some of the other folks in town.
[2219.8s] But you're just looking to get some information.
[2224.3s] Yeah, since I since I'm picking your brain here,
[2226.9s] who are some of these not hoity toity people?
[2230.6s] Maybe I can go see one of them as well.
[2232.2s] Not hoity toity wizards.
[2235.8s] I mean, there was this one guy I knew he was pretty nice.
[2238.2s] I don't know if he's still around.
[2240.2s] His name was Gabriel.
[2243.4s] Gabe. Gabriel.
[2247.5s] Could have been something like that.
[2249.2s] It was a while ago that I saw him.
[2251.6s] OK. Yeah.
[2254.4s] Yeah, I guess I'll just I'll just head out.
[2257.0s] Which which kind of direction are all these places?
[2261.1s] Do you have like a city map, maybe?
[2262.7s] Oh, yeah, sure. I've got maps.
[2265.8s] Perfect. Final question for you, new friend.
[2270.3s] Are there any of those water clocks you mentioned here in the city?
[2273.2s] I'd love to see one of those.
[2275.2s] They are nearest the water.
[2279.3s] But some people think that Neverwinter looks like an angry fish.
[2285.1s] But really, it was designed in the shape of an eye.
[2290.7s] Oh, OK, I can see that.
[2292.9s] I'm saying that it's by something's by the water is not helpful.
[2297.0s] There's like ocean and then a river and then it looks like a lake also.
[2301.3s] Maybe there's one by every water.
[2303.2s] All the water, just any water.
[2304.8s] I guess it is what they're known for, those water clocks.
[2308.0s] Yeah, so now that I'm looking at the map,
[2310.8s] can you maybe circle where where some of these things are,
[2314.4s] like the Arcanus quarter or or Gabriel's place?
[2318.3s] Yeah, absolutely.
[2320.3s] I don't know where Gabriel's place is.
[2321.7s] He was at the he was at the school.
[2324.6s] Oh, yeah.
[2326.3s] Currently, if you're looking at your map, you're right here.
[2330.1s] And he points to the on the kind of north
[2334.3s] west, there's a two to spot
[2340.4s] signifying an entrance to the city, like a two.
[2344.2s] So you just kind of came in.
[2345.3s] You're in the kind of that entry, quarter entry, open entry way there.
[2350.2s] OK. And he circles off to the west.
[2356.2s] Actually, that big open courtyard area on the far west.
[2360.0s] That's going to be your school. OK.
[2363.0s] And then across the river, he says,
[2365.8s] you can take one of our many sculpted bridges
[2370.4s] to get over to the Arcanus quarter.
[2374.2s] And it is the north side of the southeast quadrant, so it's split.
[2379.3s] There is a giant river
[2381.5s] that splits through the southeast or a lake, rather.
[2386.8s] That is the the earthquake wreckage that came across our city.
[2392.9s] I do have a question about the design of the city itself.
[2398.2s] I see a lot of bridges in only one section
[2402.7s] of town here.
[2403.8s] Why are there no bridges later, like over to the east?
[2408.1s] Well, they are to take you to the to the better parts
[2412.9s] of Neverwinter.
[2414.9s] You see down in the southeast section, that's kind of the beggars
[2419.2s] orders as well.
[2421.0s] They wanted to try and separate that part a little bit.
[2425.1s] If that makes sense.
[2426.7s] Yeah, yeah, that's I mean, I don't.
[2429.6s] Yeah, sure.
[2430.4s] I mean, I don't see why there couldn't be a bridge over there, but
[2434.8s] I guess I'll have to do a little walking.
[2437.3s] You know, you get to take in our entire city,
[2441.0s] which is something that not a lot of people get to do.
[2444.4s] OK, I I appreciate the heads up and all the information.
[2449.6s] I'm going to go for a stroll over to the to the Nogwood's Academy and see
[2455.8s] see if I can talk to someone over there.
[2459.3s] Yeah, yeah, you're walking through through the streets there.
[2463.2s] You see people of all different types of races and backgrounds.
[2467.3s] And you begin you keep walking through the streets
[2472.8s] and you pass underneath as you are walking
[2477.0s] a giant hovering looks like part of a castle,
[2482.8s] a deep black in color.
[2485.8s] And you walk into the shadow of it.
[2489.0s] I mean, you feel kind of a wash over top of you.
[2493.8s] And as you exit the shadow, make a perception.
[2497.6s] Sure. I should have asked the dude about the floating tower.
[2501.6s] I forgot all about it.
[2503.8s] That is let me pull up my stats here. Hang on.
[2507.2s] Because I got different stats.
[2509.2s] That is a 15.
[2510.6s] You notice that your shadow has disappeared.
[2515.3s] Does this freak me out in any way?
[2517.4s] Yeah, let's make a let's make a wisdom saving roll.
[2524.4s] Oh, boy. All right.
[2526.9s] That is a seven.
[2529.9s] You are freaked out.
[2532.7s] Your shadow is gone. What does mood do?
[2535.7s] Is there anyone on the street nearby?
[2538.6s] They'd be walking by me.
[2539.7s] Yeah, there's lots of people around.
[2541.8s] Um, I'm going to run over to somebody and say like,
[2546.2s] um, what happened to my shadow?
[2548.3s] Can you see my shadow?
[2549.7s] You run over to a man who's dressed quite he's in quite nice
[2555.0s] fineries and he kind of looks at you and takes a step back and says,
[2558.3s] what are you that you're new here? Yeah.
[2561.3s] Yeah, it's my it's my first like few minutes here.
[2564.6s] Oh, OK. Your shadow will come back.
[2567.8s] OK, but why did why did it disappear to start with the shard of night there?
[2574.0s] Now kind of known as the shard of the moon,
[2576.4s] but a lot of people still call it the shard night.
[2579.7s] It it the magics on it remove shadows.
[2584.6s] So you walk underneath it, your shadow disappears.
[2587.8s] It will come back in time.
[2590.4s] Don't worry.
[2591.4s] Um, what why?
[2594.0s] Well, what is it?
[2594.9s] Why is it here?
[2598.3s] Did you not talk to the information booth?
[2601.6s] I did, but he didn't.
[2602.6s] He didn't say anything about this.
[2605.1s] Who was working?
[2606.9s] I don't know.
[2608.0s] Some bored 20 something guy.
[2611.1s] Then, yeah, I don't have a lot of time,
[2614.8s] but I will I will tell you about the shard of the night.
[2617.9s] Hey, yeah, please.
[2620.0s] Thank you kind of.
[2620.6s] He kind of puts his hand on your shoulders and you're going to be OK.
[2624.6s] I yeah, yeah, I think so.
[2627.7s] Just talking about this is helping a lot from quite a while ago.
[2632.4s] The shard of the night was.
[2637.0s] I mean, it just kind of showed up one day.
[2640.2s] I know that doesn't really explain a lot of things,
[2642.8s] but it has the ability to eat
[2646.4s] shadow and darkness is what they is what they called it.
[2650.3s] So anybody who walks underneath it, the shadows disappear.
[2655.4s] There was a group called the netherese.
[2657.7s] They they attacked to try and take the shard of the night.
[2664.3s] They wanted its power, what it could do.
[2666.8s] They weren't very great people.
[2668.5s] But then one day some lovely people
[2672.7s] lovely lady named Lady Jasmine.
[2675.0s] She came along and she brought the shards of saloon, a
[2679.2s] and she banished these netherese from the shard of the night.
[2685.3s] Ever since then, these shards that were put into it,
[2689.7s] shards of saloon, a have been given more of a a mystical,
[2696.1s] fantastical, good aura that protects the city
[2700.2s] and has given it kind of a beacon of hope.
[2703.4s] So really now, more than anything, it's a a religious
[2708.3s] symbol for saloon, a who watches over the city.
[2711.8s] So why it's here.
[2715.6s] Nobody knows. It just showed up one.
[2719.4s] Is this is this Lady Jasmine some sort of sorcerer?
[2723.6s] She was kind of a priest of sorts, not really a sorcerer
[2728.2s] or not really a wizard.
[2730.7s] Kind of a some sort of cleric, someone who is just more religiously driven.
[2736.3s] OK. Well, what was what was your name?
[2738.9s] My name is Gregor.
[2741.0s] I appreciate the the the information there, Gregor.
[2746.4s] Do you do you know of any wizards around town?
[2749.9s] Yeah. Yeah, there's lots of wizards in town.
[2754.1s] What was your name?
[2756.2s] I'm Moot. Moot. Pleasure.
[2759.9s] What what are you looking for?
[2762.4s] Well, see, I kind of I need to find a wizard
[2765.6s] just to ask some questions, basically. OK.
[2769.2s] Go to the school. OK.
[2770.6s] Nogwood's not yet go to Nogwood's.
[2774.0s] So you got that information from the from Denton.
[2777.9s] Yeah. Go to Nogwood's.
[2780.1s] I mean, just there's a big gate
[2783.7s] that you're going to have to go through.
[2786.6s] I'll let you through. Not a big deal.
[2788.2s] They love people coming in.
[2790.1s] Probably don't love people, but if you're seeking information
[2794.2s] is what you're doing, go to the front desk.
[2797.0s] Usually a lovely lady named Shieldsuit.
[2802.2s] She's usually working at the front desk.
[2805.4s] Tell her Gregor sent you
[2807.4s] and that you have a few questions for for somebody there.
[2810.4s] All right. I can I can do that.
[2812.0s] Thanks. Thanks, Gregor. Of course.
[2813.8s] And I kind of hustle on my way.
[2815.9s] And he watches you go and then walks off.
[2819.2s] You keep walking through the streets and you hear a call
[2825.0s] coming from one of the buildings.
[2827.5s] Hey. Hey.
[2831.4s] I kind of look up,
[2833.9s] but I don't really notice anything out of the ordinary.
[2837.0s] You hear somebody yelling out of a window,
[2839.0s] but you don't really quite see them directly.
[2842.2s] You keep going.
[2843.8s] You pass by a tower
[2847.2s] that looks like it has one at one point fallen over
[2850.4s] and it has crashed down into the streets.
[2853.3s] And there are people kind of going in and out of it.
[2856.2s] Very jovial.
[2857.6s] It looks like it's been made into from from the face of it
[2861.8s] sort of tavern.
[2864.1s] And you carry on to the gate of Nogwoods.
[2867.7s] Do I have to knock? Is it open?
[2869.9s] Is it closed? What's the deal here?
[2872.1s] It is free to travel up the path if you so desire.
[2876.3s] All right. I'm going to kind of almost double time
[2878.7s] my efforts through the gate.
[2880.4s] It's a long, long stretch of road
[2883.2s] that goes up to a large castle
[2886.7s] at the center of this wide open green clearing.
[2890.3s] One of the few green clearings that you've seen since you've been in here
[2894.1s] and you make it up to the big front door,
[2896.7s] which appears to be kind of cracked open just a little bit.
[2900.2s] And I kind of give it like two big wraps on the door
[2903.6s] as I kind of slowly open it and say hello.
[2908.2s] You hear a your voice kind of echo and bounce off the open chambers.
[2914.6s] You hear some voices from down inside and some footsteps
[2918.5s] that come to the door and pull it open.
[2921.6s] And there's a an elven female.
[2925.4s] She says, yes, you can you can come in.
[2928.4s] And she opens the door and allows you through.
[2933.0s] Hi, I ran into someone named Gregor
[2936.8s] who told me to come talk to a shill, a shill Sue.
[2939.8s] I believe it was a shill Sue. That's me. Yeah.
[2943.3s] Oh, yeah, I was I was wondering if you guys could
[2946.7s] maybe help me out or answer some questions.
[2950.7s] Of course, yes.
[2952.7s] Um, what are you what are you looking for?
[2956.8s] What's your name? Sorry.
[2958.8s] Oh, sorry. My name is Moot.
[2961.4s] Um, yeah, I kind of had this.
[2965.6s] Magic happen,
[2968.0s] uh, like a couple of weeks ago, and it it was really scary.
[2973.4s] So I was wondering if you guys could maybe help me magic happen.
[2977.4s] It just happened. You weren't like
[2980.3s] playing with spellbooks or scrolls or.
[2983.6s] I've no, I've I've never, never seen a spell book,
[2988.8s] or at least to my knowledge.
[2990.4s] Ah, OK.
[2992.4s] Well, come in, have a seat.
[2994.5s] I will I will see if there's someone who can come
[2998.4s] and speak with you.
[2999.7s] OK, thanks.
[3001.0s] She ushers you to a seat in the corner by her desk,
[3004.1s] and she kind of goes off in to the back of the chamber
[3008.7s] that she's in and leaves.
[3014.3s] We cut back to Glim,
[3016.4s] and you are standing
[3019.8s] with the priest and your mama.
[3025.4s] And you've just been told
[3028.0s] that you are a future savior of the world.
[3032.5s] Sirma looks at you and she says,
[3036.7s] your journey will take you far across favor.
[3040.4s] Several, several times over what we will teach you here
[3046.5s] today and for the next few days
[3050.0s] is what hopefully you can expect along those travels.
[3055.9s] We will grant you some tools
[3060.2s] of the trade, some tools of your calling
[3064.0s] that have been left to be bestowed to you.
[3069.2s] And we will try to answer as many questions as we can
[3073.2s] before we part ways for now.
[3076.8s] She walks back to a half open door
[3081.2s] behind the altar and she says, come, come, come with me.
[3088.0s] Well, I'll be staying here, right?
[3090.5s] So can I have a minute to say goodbye?
[3093.2s] Of course. Just come join me when you're ready.
[3097.1s] She nods to a bean and walks in through the door.
[3103.7s] Well, I turned to mama
[3106.7s] and say, this is a lot to take in.
[3113.4s] Yes. And I'm scared
[3118.8s] and overwhelmed.
[3122.8s] But I think I'm doing the right thing.
[3127.0s] So I guess thank you for
[3133.2s] having me be your daughter for these last 25 years.
[3137.1s] I love you. I give her a hug.
[3140.4s] She says, and I say, beat it.
[3144.4s] She says, we love you, too.
[3149.5s] OK, well, I'll try and be back soon.
[3152.0s] I guess I don't know how long being the savior of the world is going to take me.
[3157.4s] But I'll see you soon, OK?
[3161.4s] And I follow Sirma through that door.
[3166.0s] Bean watches you go and you turn back and see her begin to walk out.
[3174.8s] You also notice that the
[3177.3s] that the room is empty now, you know, to hear the call of the birds.
[3181.9s] Or I see the see the old man who was sitting at the back left at some point.
[3189.4s] You walk through the door and laid out, you see a shield,
[3195.6s] platinum edged, deep blue shining shield
[3199.9s] with the emblem of Bahamut in the center of.
[3205.1s] Beside it, you see a scuffed up steel
[3210.0s] used war pick that, although it looks used,
[3215.4s] still has a vibrance and a radiance to it
[3220.1s] that you can't quite explain just by looking at.
[3226.8s] And you see Sirma go over to them and pick them up
[3232.1s] and hand them to you and says, we will begin training with these tomorrow.
[3239.9s] If you have any questions now, let's talk about them.
[3244.4s] Otherwise, it is perhaps time for rest.
[3250.0s] I think I'll have a lot of questions tomorrow,
[3253.0s] but for right now, rest seems like it might be a good idea.
[3258.0s] And she takes you back out and out of the chapel itself.
[3262.7s] And behind there are a couple of single roomed quarters.
[3268.4s] She leads you to one of them and she says,
[3270.2s] this is where you will stay for the next few days or week,
[3275.7s] however long you need.
[3278.0s] I will be in the other one.
[3279.6s] If anything comes up, please come find me.
[3283.2s] She opens the door and puts your stuff down inside
[3287.2s] and leaves, or goes to leave in case you need to stop her.
[3292.2s] Um, no, I think I like want some time to process all this business.
[3298.9s] OK, so she closes the door behind her.
[3303.2s] And you are alone in this room.
[3304.8s] It's a it's a very modest room, a single bed, a table
[3310.2s] with two small chairs at it and some reading utensils, paper.
[3315.5s] Otherwise, not a lot in this room.
[3318.4s] What's them doing or thinking?
[3321.4s] I think that she is probably going to
[3326.9s] like try to commune with Bahamad or, you know,
[3331.9s] like meditate essentially and think about like try to center herself.
[3336.5s] And, you know, she is a deeply spiritual person
[3340.0s] that needs to kind of reconnect to that
[3342.7s] because her whole life is totally just changed.
[3350.4s] Hi, Brady.
[3366.1s] Do you want to sit on one of those?
[3378.0s] Good start.
[3379.5s] I'm in a holy place, Amy.
[3381.2s] I made Tom go so red.
[3384.9s] The man who dropped you in our village,
[3390.1s] not dropped you, the man who brought you.
[3392.7s] I'm very tough. I'm a Dragonborn.
[3394.1s] You see, those kids are fine.
[3395.4s] It was really a double dribble situation.
[3399.1s] He got he got into home.
[3401.7s] What is it in football?
[3402.7s] Anyway, he spiked her.
[3404.0s] Is it Enzo? Enzo!
[3406.3s] Home!
[3407.9s] I love it.
[3408.5s] Hey, that's baseball, right?
[3409.9s] We know sports. It's a sports ball.
[3412.6s] Nice sports all the time.
[3414.8s] The world's next savior.
[3418.3s] No pressure.
[3419.0s] Jesus Christ.
[3420.6s] Fuck. Savior, that's a big word.
[3425.0s] The world's next protector.
[3427.8s] No, no, stick with savior.
[3429.7s] Sure. Drop that bomb.
[3431.7s] You're leery eyed.
[3434.2s] Your head hurts.
[3435.9s] Am I hungover?
[3437.6s] Hmm.
[3438.9s] Did I grab a brush and put a little makeup?
[3443.7s] Did you leave the kids up on the table?
[3445.7s] Here you go. Create another fable.
[3448.2s] Somebody tell me where I am.
[3450.5s] A small child kind of sees.
[3458.3s] You there, boy. What day is it today?
[3461.0s] Christmas day, Mr. Scrooge.
[3465.3s] That's how I feel like this is going.
[3466.8s] That's fair.
[3468.1s] You remind me of of
[3471.4s] Willy Wonka, but like in the new one,
[3474.4s] where Johnny Depp plays it.
[3478.1s] Welcome, children.
[3480.4s] I shake you firmly by the hand.
[3483.8s] She nods to a bean and walks in to the door.
[3491.8s] Walks in through the door,
[3496.1s] through the door.
[3497.0s] No, she hits the jam.
[3499.4s] Everyone has, you know, their problems.