DM: Hello, and welcome to Smash, Loot, and Roll campaign two to prevent a war. This campaign, the players characters begin at level 17. It is not often players get to enjoy playing the top tier. High level characters provide lots of opportunities for chaos and shenanigans. So this should be fun.
Be warned. All the players created their PCs from scratch, so expect a lot of chaos. Our story begins with the PCs in the city of Waterdeep. Each have been contacted by a member of the council of Arcosa to attend a council meeting in the Arcosian Tower. Per their invitation, they have all found their way to the Trollskull Manor for food, drink, and merriment.
What better place for a group of powerful strangers to start their latest adventure other than drinking in a tavern. Let's join our silent professionals and see where it leads. Thank you all for, first of all, I'd like to say thank you all for joining the this new game. I'm I'm hoping you guys are gonna have some fun playing some high level characters, level 17 and up. Is there anybody who wants to provide a quick update on their characters or changes that they've made since, last time we spoke?
Everybody's all good and familiar with everything?
Rowan: I don't know if I said this last time, so I will resay it again. I am making a monk rogue build.
Friar Peetor: I'm still a nerdy little monk cleric. The monk brothers. Yeah.
Reynaldo: Still a Paladin with dipping a little bit into fighter here.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Still a Fae Wanderer, Ranger, and College of Whisper Bard. Nice.
DM: Wasn't sure
Georgi Sarel: chronology wizard with a little little dip into you. Nice. Nice. Nice. Artificer.
DM: Nice.
Friar Peetor: Rowan, what what what kind of monk are you?
Rowan: He? Open hand.
Friar Peetor: Is that your subclass?
Rowan: Mhmm. That is that is what I was advised to do, so I'm taking good advice and following it because yeah.
Friar Peetor: So so you knock them down and I patch them up. Got it.
Rowan: Alright. Precisely. I
Georgi Sarel: I like it. Wanted
Rowan: I I I wanted ahead, Sarah.
Georgi Sarel: It's a good balance given what we have.
DM: The wheel and wobbles fall, but they don't fall down.
Rowan: If there is one thing I picked up from the other group I was a part of before the GM took a hiatus is ask at the table level to help the table and help the party.
DM: Yep.
Friar Peetor: Yep.
DM: Alright. So
Rowan: Yep. Build accordingly.
Reynaldo: Before I forget, I do would like to bring out bring up that even though I am a Paladin, I am by no means a tank. I do not have a shield. I'm not made out of HP, just so we're clear. No.
Georgi Sarel: Gary, can we can we share our hit point slash No.
DM: By all means.
Georgi Sarel: Armor class?
DM: Yeah. By all means. You guys can share as much as you want about your characters with each other's stats and everything else.
Georgi Sarel: I mean, we can we can do it separately in role play, but, like, as an
DM: You can also you can also do above the table if you guys really wanna talk
Georgi Sarel: about that. Just to be clear, my armor class is 11. I am squishy for a
DM: second.
Friar Peetor: That's mega squishy. Okay.
Reynaldo: Yeah. It's a wizard. Yeah.
Georgi Sarel: Like I said, I'm a wizard. I have some hit points. But
Reynaldo: Keep that misty step handy is all I'm gonna say.
Georgi Sarel: Well and that's why I kind of pick the things that I did, but I am squishy, and I want everyone to know that I'm like What
Friar Peetor: what what's your hit points?
Georgi Sarel: Hundred and five.
Friar Peetor: Okay.
Rowan: I do not have that many hit points. How did that happen to me? I Really? I have questions for I'd have, like, 88. I don't know how that happened.
Georgi Sarel: We can
Rowan: I did something wrong?
Georgi Sarel: But We can do a few
Friar Peetor: Thieves are thieves are d six. Rogue's are d six. So that's Yeah.
Reynaldo: I think Yeah. I I as somebody who's playing rogue, your rogue's are notoriously low. But your armor class should be quite a bit high the higher, though.
Georgi Sarel: Yes. Okay.
Reynaldo: So so the trade off is low less HP, but you get hit less.
Friar Peetor: Yep. I've got an a c 18 and a 22 hit points.
Rowan: Alright. Nice.
Georgi Sarel: You are not a tank, but you are still the tank of the group at this point.
Rowan: I would very much like to understand where I went wrong on my d I don't think I've wrote anything.
Reynaldo: Well, guess even though I said I'm not a tank. My armor class is 23,
Georgi Sarel: Oh.
Reynaldo: And I have a 57 hit points. I mean, I'm wearing plain armor.
Friar Peetor: Who's the tank?
Georgi Sarel: I think maybe
Reynaldo: I guess I am the de
Friar Peetor: facto tank
Selyse Duskwhisper: ace a c of 18 because I have a I have a ring of protection on boosting my armor class and a 51 hit points.
Friar Peetor: I am Tech twins. Good for you.
Rowan: I am I am figuring mine out.
DM: So these aren't characters you guys have played for months, if not years on ends. So if we need to adjust in between games and sessions and everything else, let's adjust. Like I said, let's have some fun. So is everybody ready to begin?
Georgi Sarel: Yes. I know it.
DM: So We
Friar Peetor: may need we may need some in play reminders. It's like, oh, that guy. Okay. Right.
DM: Oh, that guy. So after a fun night at Trollskull Manor of drinking and having a nice conversation, enjoying the EDM band EDM house band that's hanging out, you guys got to know each other, chitchat a little bit, drank your fill of alcohol or lack of drinking alcohol depending on how your character's doing. And do you all decide to roll downstairs roughly about midmorning? Sun's been up for a few hours already by the time you guys roll downstairs and the you find the manor or excuse me. You find the, tavern quiet.
You've got the, halfling female that had had seen you guys allowed you guys to use the library. She looks at each of you and basically just hey. Have a seat. I'll be right there with some breakfast. There is a there's also three other halflings that are moving around, cleaning up, taking care of everything.
One of the halflings is a little bit you you kinda look at me like, might be a dwarf, but he's a big halfling, like, in big muscular halfling style. So but they're going about their daily business. You guys could sort of get yourselves together, climb downstairs. The only other piece person is you guys each of you come downstairs you see is near the front door is a dragonborn individual standing there in nice nice clothing, something, that would you'd you'd expect to see maybe on a noble or a high merchant, probably like the valet style or messenger from one of those areas. But he does, the individual just stands stands by the door and doesn't acknowledge any of you guys, but he he's also not gonna hire from you.
So who stumbles down the stairs? Who stumbles into the tavern first after
Friar Peetor: So so that's not the lady dragonborn we met last night. This is a different one.
DM: No. It's not the lady dragonborn we met last night.
Rowan: Okay.
Friar Peetor: Well, I I usually get my tea quite early in the morning, so I'll stumble down.
DM: Okay. You're the first one down there. You do notice actually, what is your passive perception there?
Friar Peetor: That would be a 21.
DM: Yeah. I do notice. Is it called pronounced Petter or Peter? Peter. Peter.
Okay. Just verifying the pronunciation. Peter, you noticed the the dragonborn is standing there as as you you can't help but you see when he sees you, he sort of looks down?
Friar Peetor: Literally.
DM: No. Not down at you, but he looks down like a not a like, lack of a better term, as a notebook that he has in his hand and sort of nods to you, but he makes no other motion to engage you whatsoever.
Friar Peetor: Good morning. Are you down for your tea as well?
DM: Good morning, master Peter. No. I'm waiting for you and your companions.
Friar Peetor: Oh, wonderful. We're we're are we expected a particular time this morning?
DM: The the council meetings begin should begin in roughly a couple hours. Oh. Oh. About about noon time.
Friar Peetor: Oh, good. Then I have enough time for my tea.
DM: Oh, you have plenty of time.
Friar Peetor: Go and get my tea.
DM: You get you get your choice of teas. It seems like the Kathleen has she basically opens up a little wooden container and says take your pick.
Friar Peetor: Oh. Oh, Baldur's Gate black. This
Rowan: is wonderful.
DM: There you go. Baldur's Gate black. Oh. Oh. Oh.
Wonderful. Just a try some honey, dear. It it makes it go down smoother.
Friar Peetor: Oh. Oh. That's what after I've woken up.
DM: But, eventually, you guys the other four individuals that you met, Peter, finally moved downstairs, grabbed their morning drinks
Friar Peetor: Waved them down.
DM: Some food. You also with anybody that has a passive perception of 15 or excuse me, 13 or greater, will notice that the individual, the Dragonborn, Sandin, and Livery, makes note of you as you come down and join Peter, but it it not as I'm stalking you. It's like, yes. I've checked the box. You're you're here type stuff.
You're you're the person I'm looking for is more of the actions versus the, yes. I'm coming to a rescue style book.
Friar Peetor: After I've had my first tea, I'm gonna wander over to this to the to the Dragonborn. Are are you sure you wouldn't like to join us?
DM: He goes, oh, no. By all means. He goes
Friar Peetor: I feel horrible just sitting here, you know, having breakfast with you standing here. It it's it's quite alright.
DM: He goes, I start my day early, so I wind up getting getting my food and everything else I need done early as well.
Friar Peetor: Oh, very well.
DM: So when you got when you're well fed and ready to depart, I'll be here waiting for you. I will be escorting you and your and the and the your companions
Friar Peetor: Very well.
DM: To the council meeting.
Friar Peetor: Back over to the table. Yeah. Oh, blood sausage.
DM: Yeah. You noticed that the halfling female does make sure he has a drink in a in a mug and everything. But other than that, she has a plate conversation with them. They they carry on a little bit, but nothing else.
Friar Peetor: This man has a job.
Georgi Sarel: Can we can we tell what's in the cup?
DM: In his cup? Yes. You're assuming it's water?
Georgi Sarel: Are we assuming it's water?
DM: Given the picture that she's pouring it from K. You're like, yeah. That's definitely I would I would almost guarantee it's water.
Georgi Sarel: Okay. So we're all we're all down there at this point, though, it sounds like. Right?
DM: Unless you have some reason not to come join the get breakfast and drinks.
Georgi Sarel: K.
DM: And then then I then I send the rats to chase you downstairs.
Friar Peetor: Oh, the pan fritters are lovely.
Reynaldo: No. Not the r o u s s.
DM: But after you guys have enjoyed your breakfast for a little bit, and it seems like your meal's coming to a close as well as your drinks, the, Dragonborn approaches you all, and just give me about a half hour to half hour, forty five minutes. He goes, well, I see that you've all assembled. He goes, the council is going to begin the council meeting is gonna be beginning very soon, and I'd like to get you all up there in time to any questions and everything else. So if you guys are ready, why don't we step outside, and I'll we'll take you over to the council chambers.
Friar Peetor: Wonderful. Alright.
Rowan: Sounds like a great idea.
DM: As you guys step outside, notice I'm walking up to what looks like at first a skiff that you'd find on a water, a boat, basically. And there's a couple other, gentlemen in there, one human, one elf, standing by this boat that's on the ground. It's got a little bit of, wings to it. It's a white paint with a not varnished, copper trim on the edges. As he steps up and walks up up to the steps and ladder, he goes, oh, please come in.
And it your guess in the boat will probably hold about 15 people comfortably and anything more than that. And, he ushers you all in. He steps in. And as I
Friar Peetor: please before I get in.
DM: Interesting. Yeah. It's just sort of sitting on the ground balanced. It's got little claw feet in at the four corners.
Friar Peetor: Okay. So it's not
DM: Yeah. So it's not rocking back and forth. It's got claw feet that you know, reminds you of, like, lion's lion's paws. Oh, like an apple. Yeah.
Did you notice that it's hard to kinda miss because there's a big crowd of Waterdavians that have gathered to sort of watch what's going on? They're talking. You step out in the in the out of the Trollskull Manor, and you got a not really a town square, but a area that's you got a fountain. It's a little bit wider area. But as you guys load up in the boat, you feel the boat slowly rise off the ground and start it slowly rises up off the ground.
It gets above the height of the actual buildings, which the average building in Waterdeep is no greater than three to four stories, and turns out towards the, Waterdeep Port and starts gaining altitude flying out there. And you know the and you guys you see two Griffin riders sweep in on either side of the boat and just sort of match pace.
Georgi Sarel: So we we basically have fighter jets on either side. And then how many individuals are on the flying boat with us?
DM: Aside from you two?
Georgi Sarel: Yes. There
DM: is the the as I excuse me. There is the pilot. There is his assistant, and then there's the jargon born that escorted you onto the boat.
Georgi Sarel: K. So eight.
Friar Peetor: I'm going to And then Oh, go ahead.
Georgi Sarel: Two fighter pilots.
DM: And two Griffin riders, that are in the livery of the of Waterdeep. Okay. You guys sweep up into the air up up out towards the ocean. And as I said before, you notice the large floating tower that's hovering out over the bay. You noticed in the distance a couple other of the skiffs that you're similar to the what you're riding are approaching the base of the tower.
The look tower, it reminds you of something that's been pulled out of the ground because they got the base around it. Almost like docks are floating around the bottom. And they eventually it doesn't take long for you to get there. You get the
Friar Peetor: wind I pepper captain incessantly with questions about how the boat functions. Oh, is it magical? Is it is it a combination of mechanical and magical functionality? Oh, where does that lever go? The
DM: assistant pilot engages you, Peter, without a problem. Just explain it. It's it's magically enchanted to fly, keep balance, everything else.
Friar Peetor: Take note. Oh, I see. I see.
DM: Yeah. Come on. But as you go to grab anything, he's like, that's that's not. What happens when you do this? You prefer to be over water when you pull that lever.
Yes.
Friar Peetor: It's a
DM: long way down.
Georgi Sarel: Hey. Hey. How how how large is is fire Peter?
Friar Peetor: Four foot seven. Hold on. How tall is he? He is four foot eight.
DM: Four foot eight tall? Four foot eight wide?
Georgi Sarel: Okay. Yes. Pretty much. I'm I'm gonna step slightly over and just put a a solid farmer's weathered hand on his shoulder and just lean in, look.
Friar Peetor: Oh, you're interested in the functionality of the boat as well. Wonderful. Apparently, does this and this does that and that does this and that does that.
Georgi Sarel: Let let them please do their job.
Friar Peetor: Oh, of course. Oh, last thing would wanna do is get in get in the way of their operation remote. Yes. That would
Georgi Sarel: be helpful. Plenty of time.
Friar Peetor: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Sits down.
DM: Melissa, remind me how to say your character's name again.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Salees.
DM: Salees?
Selyse Duskwhisper: Yeah. Salees.
DM: Okay. Salees, you take note watching what's going on. You noticed your the your, escort, the, dragonborn doesn't work to intercede in anything, but seems not frustrated, but curious as to the type of the type of individuals he's collected up. The Why am I babysitting these rebel? That would be a good summation of it.
Yes. But within about thirty minutes of you taking off from the from where you're at, taking a short flight around, it seems like the pilots enjoying giving you guys an aerial tour of the city, and finally comes in to set the skiff down next to at the base of the actual tower. The tower itself is approximately 200 feet tall, probably a little over a hundred feet in diameter. It is white marble up the sides, and you can see intricate geometry in different types of metal. So this you get the good impression this is either magically created or some one heck of a artistry system of talented engineers built this with a combination of mages.
And you notice there's about six towers much smaller, probably a little more than 50 feet in height and maybe 25 feet in diameter that continually float around the larger tower. You the pilot does take you on a good tour, you get the full view from the bottom all the way up to the top where you get to see the top is actually a a dome of metal and glass looking in there with a lot of different excuse me. The the best way to describe it would be not a clock that tells, like, the time of day, but more of the clock that shows the movements of the star, of the stars and a greater time zone than just simply a twenty four hour day clock.
Rowan: Okay. Does the clock hold any special significance for the area, or is it just a clock?
Friar Peetor: It's the clock. The the clock.
DM: Oh, why don't you give me why don't you give me either a history or a cannon roll? They're a ruin.
Georgi Sarel: Oh, I'll help. I I I like it.
Friar Peetor: Would you like some guidance on clocks?
Rowan: I I would, please.
Friar Peetor: Did I take guidance? That's the question. Yes. I did. Take a d four.
Rowan: Okay. Be able
Georgi Sarel: to add it. Yeah.
Rowan: I I
DM: This is a skill check.
Rowan: I'm gonna roll a straight d 20, Gary, just to keep it easy.
DM: Yeah. Go ahead.
Friar Peetor: Yep. Then roll a d four because that's what my my thingy added to that as well.
Rowan: So I'm gonna roll a d 20. I got an a and you said a d four, you said?
DM: Yep. Mhmm. Feel free to pester the feel free
Friar Peetor: to pester the cleric for some guidance every once in a while. If you need if you need help, he is always willing to help.
Georgi Sarel: Fisher, do you have a history bonus?
Rowan: Not yet. I have I just rolled a 12. I'm gonna I'm gonna call it straight. Like, I don't have anything set up because that's how I remember how to play right now.
DM: Are you an intelligent is what is it is intelligence a high stat for you?
Rowan: I can tell you. Hold on. Where did I set my intelligence up?
Friar Peetor: He's a monk.
Rowan: Probably not. Not very
Georgi Sarel: Ken, stop.
Friar Peetor: He's a rogue.
Rowan: I am a monk rogue. I set my intelligence at 10.
DM: Okay. So you have no bonus Nope. By default. But you do have your proficiency bonus at this level, which is four for this. So it would be your role of 12 plus d four sixteen.
Plus four, so 16, which is good enough. You know the you know the the clock is a is really used in the arc arcane world to talk about the alignment of planets, the looking at the idea of where magic would be the most powerful at any given time. Okay. In our modern world, this would be like Stonehenge, things like that.
Rowan: Okay. So does it dictate ley lines or anything?
DM: I'm sorry. Say that one more time.
Rowan: Does it dictate ley lines?
DM: No. It doesn't dictate where ley lines are, but it'll dictate when ley lines are at their most powerful. There must be another map that you'd have to correlate the knowledge of where the ley lines are to actually use this time to figure out when the magic's the most powerful for those so you can use it in rituals or enhance your skill set across the board.
Georgi Sarel: Gotcha. Great question, though. Oh.
DM: It's very well done. So you guys eventually come to the landing on the on the council's tower, you disembark the skiff. The dragonborn says, please come with me and walks you in. There is a bit of bustle of activity as you see other skiffs are starting to land, and you get the distinct impression that you're seeing individuals finely garbed robes. Some of them have what would you say would be an honor not necessarily oh, an honor guard at the same time of having a capable bodyguard force with them as they start moving in.
Anybody who'd like to do a history check is welcome.
Friar Peetor: Are are we underdressed?
Georgi Sarel: I was gonna say, is everybody else, like, super bougie and, like, we're wearing, like, street clothes?
Rowan: No. I'm just wearing street clothes.
Georgi Sarel: I I will do a history check.
DM: Go ahead. Roll a history check.
Georgi Sarel: That's a five.
DM: Well,
Friar Peetor: Even my guidance won't help that.
Georgi Sarel: That was that was a five with a plus three, to be clear.
Friar Peetor: Wow. Well, it's not a one.
DM: You get the distinct impression with the five that you are probably looking at individuals of senior nobility or if not, maybe rulers of, like, the city state the city state of Waterdeep or maybe Baldur's Gate based on the live Okay. Okay. On the livery that you're seeing?
Georgi Sarel: Can I do an insight check? Because I wanna know if they are actually fancy people or if they are people dressed up as fancy people.
Friar Peetor: By
DM: all means. Would you like to redeem yourself from the five?
Georgi Sarel: Yes. I would like I would like to clarify. So I'm gonna do an insight check if that is acceptable.
DM: There's plenty of people to do insight checks on.
Georgi Sarel: And that's a natural 20. Whoo. So
DM: Nicely done. Natural 20. It says 10 here.
Georgi Sarel: No. It says one d well, I got a b. No. It was a two, I guess. I don't know what
DM: that is. Plus eight.
Georgi Sarel: I got a 10. I fucking don't know. Why does it have a b? Isn't the b supposed to be a 20? Sorry.
Oh? That was mean to say.
DM: It shows a two on the dice. But, anyways
Friar Peetor: It's okay. D 10?
Reynaldo: Maybe. It's just
DM: it shows that you're on a d 20 plus eight.
Georgi Sarel: Yep. It's alright. I got it. So I got a 10. I don't know.
DM: You definitely know these these are not people pretending. These are
Georgi Sarel: Real.
DM: Very senior, very real. The guards, without a doubt, tell you about that. You do notice a few other individuals. Two individuals that you cannot miss are the dwarfs that both have mohawks. One of them is a bright orange mohawk that's about three feet above the top of their head.
They are just nothing but pure muscle with carrying an axe with that one. Big, long beard, bright orange beard, bright orange mohawk, numerous scars across the body. More dressed for the lighter, the warmer climates given the, you know, the short shorts and, you know, the the the shirt that's, like, literally could I'm just gonna Hulkamani out of it and just burst out of it. There's the other dwarf, most likely female, also has a mohawk, much shorter beard, but her mohawk's three feet tall, all red. And everybody seems to give these two a wide berth as they're moving forward with their escort.
The other two that you noticed as well is a close to a nine foot tall lupine bipedal individual carrying a large sword on their back. The the face of this creature is just absolutely mangled, numerous scars across the body. And this figure is moving across with a small human, female that you fits right in with all the nobility, but does not fit in with the giant warrior she's walking with. And she's only about five five compared to the almost nine foot tall creature she's walking with.
Friar Peetor: Who's leading?
DM: In regards to?
Friar Peetor: Those two.
DM: They're side by side. Okay. They have a human individual leading them forward.
Rowan: Alright.
DM: But you guys all eventually make your way in kind of what you would expect when you walk into the giant tower and it's like a bustle of activity of guards, but it reminds you more of a government office with the functionaries moving around, the flags signifying different things. And you notice that there are several colors across the board with various emblems across them. Some of them resemble the same color. You know? These are the colors that you have on the badge that you received are are represented there with their own individual symbol.
There's a couple other ones that, you did not see, including blue. Oops. Wrong notes. Just a second. Let me grab the wrong note.
As I throw them to the ground.
Friar Peetor: And I threw it on the ground.
DM: I threw it on the ground. Here we go. The three colors that you noticed that weren't present with you guys are blue, copper, and bronze throughout the thing. But other than that, the the colors that you have are also present in different banners. Your escort leads you into a leads you to a a large disc that's sort of standing in the middle.
He goes, please, gather close. We need to go up to the council chamber. And as you all step in, you see him basically turn, reach out his hand, and touch a, basically, a floating pad. Next thing you know, he's whoosh. You're moving up in the magical elevator, and you move up through the top up to the top third.
You guys are rapidly rising. You notice we're gonna smash into the ceiling as you go up through the ceiling and you stop on the other side of it, and you're in a foray. And he goes, please come in. And as he leads you guys in, you guys step into the Grand Council Chamber, very large. The it can probably hold a good few hundred people, probably close to 300 people in here, because it's got not only does it have the council's opening the open area in the bottom, but it also has an overhead area for people to see it in.
And the very center is the actual council table table that holds a total of eight seats with one being the highest. You know? So you can tell that one is actually where they whoever's in charge of the council sits. And that one actually has the color red, a red banner decorating it, and the rest of the colors that you've seen now are pretty much evenly spaced around the table. As you enter, you notice that the other people that you saw coming in, some have filled into the, seats above.
Some are standing on the lower level to be more closer to the council to listen. Your escort brings you in and sort of here. Please stand here. And it's not like you guys are on display to, be anywhere near, like, hey. You're gonna be the center of retention, but you are among the closest people to the council.
Rowan: And
Georgi Sarel: Carrie, can I ask a question?
DM: By all means.
Georgi Sarel: So we we'd talked about the colors of our our Emblems? Emblems. Yes. So the one that I have from was red.
DM: Yep.
Georgi Sarel: Is that correlated, or is it something separate?
DM: Nope. That's correlated to the you got a good guess based on you were you were being invited and sponsored by the current, person in charge of the council.
Georgi Sarel: Awesome. Okay. Thanks. Well,
DM: it only takes a couple minutes before the council members appear, and they don't come walk into the chambers. But they basically each of them magically evaporates near their seats as they come popping in. With the last one being Roderith appears behind his chair, steps forward, and looks at all the council members. They all nod him. They all sit down, and he walks to the very center.
So think of their council table, not a full table, but it's a the tables are around them. And in the very center is where they actually step in to speak. Yeah. It's like a it's a think of it like a doughnut hole. He steps into the very center and goes, bright suns and good days, fellow councils.
I'd like to thank those who responded to my call to the assemble. Greetings to the lords of Waterdeep who are in attendance and the rest of the lords alliance that have also been able to attend this council. Thank you for traveling as far as you have. And for a special guest, thank you for thank you for accepting the invite. When he says that, he nods to your group.
He nods to the two dwarfs you saw, the giant wolf and one other and, another group that is a human female on a dragonborn. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Roderith, the Aquarian, current councilor supreme of the twenty second council of Arcosa. It has been nearly one hundred years since our council has endeavored to meet here above Waterdeep. Unlike the last time, the council of Arcosa is not here to share knowledge. We are here because of a growing threat to all inhabitants of the realm.
At this time, the chair recognizes council Eldarus, Judicar of the council of Okroza. He steps back, and, counselor, Ruston White, steps forward into the middle, a small sorry. I just wanna get sure make sure I got the right description for all these. Haven't memorized all my NPCs. My apologies.
Ah, here we go. It is a human female, short, dark, curly hair with, endorned in very, small jewels that are braided into her hair. She's roughly just just around six feet tall. And what's a unique idea is her golden eyes. On top of her dark skin, you see various arcane glyphs and other mathematical lie geometric lines, excuse me, move throughout the exposed portion of her skins.
She wears an off white dress with golden accents. She steps forward. Thank you, counselor Supreme. It has come to our attention that the descendants of Asteria seek to reunite a war that brought devastation throughout the realm. We believe the giants are nearing completion of resurrecting a war machine they will use as the vanguard of their forces to reestablish their former kingdom.
A kingdom that once stretched from Vilhon's reach in the South, the Sword Wind Coast in the West, the spine of the world in the North, and the cold lands in the East. Unless the giants are prevented from resurrecting this war machine, they will conquer not only their formal domain, but all of the realm. At this point in time, she basically beckons she steps aside from being in the center of the room and beckons to a hologram that magically appears beside her showing a a colossal construct, very similar to the giant, statues that you've seen in Waterdeep that are considered the guardians of Waterdeep. It has a large, two sets of large horns on either side of its head. It's got a giant shield and a sword in the hand and roughly stands by the guesstimate of the of what she the size comparison, which is a a dragon that is hologram next to it, almost three times the size of a dragon.
Georgi Sarel: That's like a 50 foot war machine?
DM: Try more like a 300 foot war machine.
Friar Peetor: How does that how does that compare to the Guardians of Waterdeep scale wise?
DM: About double their size.
Rowan: Okay. What is it Guardian of Waterdeep for those who I didn't see at?
DM: So guardians of Waterdeep, there are these giant statues throughout the city
Rowan: Okay.
DM: That are frozen over Waterdeep that it that the legend has it that when Waterdeep is in peril, these guardians can be risen or awaken to defend Waterdeep itself. They are a carryover from when the city was controlled, was actually owned by the elves and controlled as an elven city. But they have nobody in recent memory has ever seen the guardians move, but they are think of it like this think of, in modern world as much as Statue Of Liberties placed around a big city.
Rowan: Yep.
DM: That's about the best description for it.
Reynaldo: If you've ever seen Disney's Atlantis of the movie Mhmm.
Georgi Sarel: That's what I'm thinking. It's like it's like Ghostbusters two.
DM: There you go. It is there's a good one.
Rowan: That's a pretty big Twinkie.
Georgi Sarel: Oh, that's big.
DM: Okay. That's a big Twinkie.
Rowan: That's a big Twinkie.
Georgi Sarel: That's a huge Twinkie.
Rowan: Cats and dogs living together, total chaos. Mass insanity.
DM: See what you guys are trying to stop? The cats and dogs living together. Alright. Council elders continues. The council believes the final step in resurrecting the war machine known as the vomit Vomodon.
Georgi Sarel: Can you spell that, Carrie? I'm sorry.
DM: V o n Mhmm. I n d o d.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
Friar Peetor: D o g or d o d?
Georgi Sarel: B o n I n d o d.
DM: D o d. Is by interdeck is by inter excuse me. Where were we? The council believes the final step is resurrecting of resurrecting the is introducing the spark of life to the war machine. We believe that preventing the giants from gaining the life spark will ensure the Volodyne does not threaten the realm.
I am sure most people are wondering what the life spark is that could power such a enormous machine.
Friar Peetor: Peet Peetor puts his hand back down.
Rowan: She's she
DM: looks over and smiles at you, Peter. She goes, yes. There is very few things that can power this. But one of the key thing one one that brought it to life last time was a primordial fire elemental, which has the power to give the war machine life. As you can imagine, these creatures are not only rare and very far from easy to find, they are nearly impossible to capture.
Unfortunately, we believe the giants have discovered the location of one such Primordial called Magyra. Magyra once powered the dwarven city of Gottlingrim. For anybody who would like to do a history role, you're welcome to do that now. As as most of you know
Georgi Sarel: I I'll I'll do a history role.
DM: Go ahead.
Georgi Sarel: I'm give me what you could, but I'm gonna do it.
Rowan: I got
Reynaldo: I'll do a history role as well. It just would be nice to be guided for this role, though.
Friar Peetor: Alright. Peter, who who are you gonna goose? Take a d four. I'll take a d four too.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah. I got an eight.
DM: Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Guidance.
Guidance. Guidance.
Friar Peetor: I got a 20 I got a 26. This is my this is my jam, yo. I
Reynaldo: haven't trained in history, but I rolled a three.
Georgi Sarel: I got a 17. Okay.
Selyse Duskwhisper: I got a 17.
DM: So what I'm gonna do is give generic information about that she talks
Reynaldo: about, then then I'm gonna history over
Friar Peetor: here.
DM: Then I'm gonna go over and for those that got above 15, give you a little bit more detailed information. Okay? The dwarven city of Gottlingrim was believed destroyed in a volcanic explosion near the end of the thousand year war. That is pretty much the generic history that most people know that didn't roll above a 15. For those of you that did, you guys understand that the the city itself was one of the key cities that was used in the thousand year war to make weapons for, the side of the dragons.
It was one of the, dwarven cities that made steadfast and strong against the giants, trying to subject them to build weaponry. Where is my there's my other notes. Sorry.
Friar Peetor: It's a little known fact that the the dwarves are actually helping the giants to build weapons to defend against the giant.
Georgi Sarel: Can I I I kind of wanna record you just going, actually?
Friar Peetor: Actually. Actually.
Rowan: Oh, there it is. Sorry. Wrong note.
DM: Yes. I did not organize my notes as well as I wanted to. Here we go.
Friar Peetor: It's Alright.
Georgi Sarel: Gary, you're you're doing great.
Rowan: You are you are way more prepared than I Gary, you are way more prepared.
DM: So the the city of Gauntlet Grimm used to reside in the spine of the world up in the North. The clan that was in charge of it at the time when it vanished was known as the fire forge clan. They were some of the strong, best weapon makers of the land.
Friar Peetor: The Fireforge clan. Yes. Yes. Very important. Yes.
They they they actually made some of the absolute best weapons. I wouldn't be surprised if Reynold is actually we're yielding one right now.
DM: Yeah. For for you, Peter, since you rolled as high as you did, you know you understand some of the research that, just before the council member does more description, but you remember looking into research and understanding that there are some that claim that the city wasn't actually destroyed, but the city was sort of drift drifted in the Astral Sea. There was claims of survivors actually returning from the city, but no attempts have ever been made to go find it or discover where it's at because it's adrift in a very vast ocean of chaos.
Friar Peetor: Vast and infinite. So so I I will mutter this to myself. You know, I've I've actually heard that, the city actually wasn't destroyed. Perhaps it was, like, detached from our reality and sent adrift to the Astral Sea. There's there's some evidence, of course, that these people have been coming back and forth since then, but nobody's gone because, let's face it, the Astral Sea is quite huge.
Don't you don't don't you think, Siles?
Selyse Duskwhisper: Yes. Yes. I do. Now can you Oh. Oh.
And listen?
DM: Oh, yes. Sorry. Correct.
Georgi Sarel: Great. We are talking about moving between planes. Correct?
DM: Yes. Okay. Council elders It's
Friar Peetor: not that bad, actually. It's not bad. Is
DM: Council elders looks at at you there, Peter. She goes, if I may continue.
Friar Peetor: Oh oh, yes. Terribly sorry. Go ahead.
DM: So, William, you you are well versed in your your history, and you are correct. We have learned that Daunta Grimm was not destroyed as we expected in the volcanic explosion in in the spine of the world, but is actually adrift in the actual act astral sea. Good lord. We believe there that with the right ritual, a portal can be opened to actually transport to teleport people there and back, but it also is a very magically taxing event. And we believe with the coming of the dragon's tier comet, the giant which which helps energize the ley lines of this land, we believe the giants will be able to open a portal to Gauntlet Grimm.
In our research, we believe that portal will be accessible through the Firestorm Peak. As you can see by the those of you assembled here in front of me, and she once again looks at the five of you and the other six that are there, the council has been searching the realm for those who have demonstrated unparalleled capabilities and skills, those renowned heroes or quiet professionals such as yourself that that have accepted the council's invitation and stand before us now. We believe those of you that stand here now are our best opportunity to prevent a war.
Friar Peetor: Pitork glances around with a terrified look. Oh. Oh. Oh. Beth, that was me.
Oh. Oh. Yes. Well, yes. Yes.
Georgi Sarel: I've heard that sometimes silence is helpful for preventing war.
Rowan: It is? Silence?
Georgi Sarel: Silence.
Rowan: You see the King.
DM: You see the big, you see the dwarf with the orange hair? So looks so gives you the sideward glance. He goes nods to you. He goes looks up at the council. He goes, so why don't you just assemble a a strike force and destroy this thing before before they ever put it into play?
You know, big deep dwarven voice, which I can't do right now.
Georgi Sarel: I'm sorry. Is is this the is this the orange haired This
DM: is the orange
Georgi Sarel: with the short beard, or is this the
DM: The red haired is the lady the dwarven female.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
DM: The orange orange one is the male is the male.
Georgi Sarel: At
DM: this point, Eldriss kinda looks at the at the dwarfs, and you see a, what at first glance, by most people, looks like a Goliath that basically paints his paints himself a dark, almost like a midnight blue color, you realize that as this individual stands up, it is definitely a more mechanical, creature. Think of a warforged in Goliath form. Oh, is
Georgi Sarel: it automaton?
DM: Almost like an automaton. You see councilor just looks back at this individual, and she and she goes, councilor zed, would you like to take this? And so she steps back to her seat. Councilor Zed stands up, the big giant automaton slash Goliath. He goes, thank you.
He goes, a strike force, you say. Chevron, that is quite a novel idea even coming from you. Why do you think the council has invited you all here? His voice is sorry. I can't do a deep voice right now.
Literally choke myself.
Friar Peetor: Why do you think you've all been invited here?
DM: Exactly. Thank you. That's much better. I've
Reynaldo: I gotta say it with you. Yes. Gary, would you like us to do voices for you? I can do the dwarf if you want.
Georgi Sarel: We we can
Rowan: do the voices. Yeah. I'm here for it. The jump. You're gonna have to toss me.
Friar Peetor: Tell nobody.
Rowan: That still only counts as one.
DM: Next time, I promise, I will not be in a seven hour meeting where I talk for half of it before I actually
Friar Peetor: No. Just because
Georgi Sarel: I'm gonna pee my pants if you guys keep doing this.
Rowan: Alright. The ring
Friar Peetor: We we have now had an objective we have now got our objective established.
DM: Gio, you made the mistake by showing weakness. You must succeed,
Rowan: Brother of There will be
Friar Peetor: there will be pants.
DM: For those for those of you paying attention, council Aldress is the one with the white cloth around her chair. This one has a black cloth. Zed has a black cloth. He goes, well And Peter makes a little wave
Friar Peetor: to to to Zed.
DM: He he nods
Friar Peetor: to you.
DM: He goes, why do you think the council has invited you all here? We believe a small strike force would succeed where a large strike force wouldn't would simply start the war sooner. For those of you who had forgotten or maybe not known, Firestorm Peak is home to a clan of fire giants. History history is told or you guys have been around the block. There's also a a town outside of Firestorm Peak.
The fire giants are known, at Firestar at that location for their artistry in glass, metal making, things like that. So it's it's a very unique area that supplies some of the most unique stained glass sculptures and artists using fire and metal and other nonstandard, stuff that you wanna melt and build, glassblowers, things like that. Some of their chandeliers are some of the most sought after by nobles and things like that that are built because they're one of a kind.
Georgi Sarel: So where they're from would probably be close to the epicenter of where the portal to the fire forge clan and the fire I'm sorry. The Firestorm Portal.
DM: The Firestorm Peak Portal. Yes.
Georgi Sarel: So Yes.
DM: That's what you that's what everybody generally knows about Firestorm Peak. At this time, it is known for their artistry of glass and metal sculpting, unique fire decorations, things like that. The area around there is home to a lot of artists and creators. We believe the council believes the giants have been mobilized in giant kind and are waiting for the Valdon to awaken. The war machine will be the rally point for the giants.
We also believe that if the if the war machine never takes the field, the giants will never begin their war. Unfortunately, along with developing a strike force, as you suggest, Thar Thevron, time is definitely not on our side. But that is not my purview. And I will let my colleague, counselor archivist, Zellia, speak to this. Zed turns to the the counselor that sits at the chair with the green sash behind it.
The human male is a bit of a riot of colors. Best what you'd think of. I wanna say that a clown or entertainer, but definitely garish colors, bright, and very noticeable for the he's got the big puffy pants, almost like the MC Hammer style pants as he stands up and walks to the center.
Georgi Sarel: He
DM: you know, he walks sideways, and you see him sort of do that sideways slide crab walk like MC Hammer does. No. I'm kidding.
Georgi Sarel: No. I'm thinking like a. Like
DM: Yeah. Exactly. K. He goes I agree. He he seems to Zyla seems to be lost in thought for a minute, and he goes he sort of absolutely goes, thank you, counselor.
Time. Time. What were you were talking about oh, time. Yeah. I've I've got that.
I'm sorry. I am so forgetful of times, but he goes, yes. Time limits are options. The dragon's tier comet is expected to arrive in the next, I think, two to three days. And you see him sort of look up at the overhead skylight that looks out above.
He goes, maybe four of my calculations are slightly off.
Georgi Sarel: I'm sorry. You said the dragons?
DM: The dragons tier comet, my my good sir.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
DM: I I doubt it will arrive any earlier than two days, but should be here four days. You know? But he goes, what's really more important about this when the when the dragon's tier does arrive, it brings with it a surge in the ley lines and increases the their abilities and powers, in some cases, tenfold. We believe with this additional energy, the ritual to open the portal to Gottmik Grimm will be will be available to them. While the common is was visible will be visible three times each day, this will amp the most amplified times for magic will be sunrise, sunset, and midnight.
And and you see the female standing next to the dragonborn sort of throw hands in the mirror. Of course, midnight. Why is it always midnight? And he goes, he's like, I wish I could give you better information, but he goes, since my esteemed colleague colleague and council member who holds the archmage title is not available, I could only best guess at when they would do it. I I because I believe sunset would be the best time to open a portal in the Astral Sea.
And at this point, he sorta takes a step back and sits down, and Radleth stands back up and steps forward. And kinda he looks around the assembled room at the at the Second Deck where people are standing, looks around at you and sort of waits expectedly to see what the rest of he's almost waiting as if expecting comments.
Georgi Sarel: Like, someone to volunteer?
DM: Not necessarily volunteer, but more like he's expecting questions.
Friar Peetor: Well, it it sounds like that we need to get on our way.
DM: Because because I thank you for stepping forward and volunteering there.
Friar Peetor: No. I I thought that was my intent.
DM: It's good to see that there are still people out there that could do that, step forward and defend the realm. And you see the small human female look up at the big big one, sort of sigh with exasperation. It's like, fine. We can help as well.
Friar Peetor: The what about my companions here?
Georgi Sarel: Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna tip my hat. Like, I'm I'm not wearing actually a cowboy hat, but I would be in this particular scenario. To fire Peter, sir, what experience do you have with moving between planes as it be?
Friar Peetor: Are you referring to me or to the gentleman who's asking for questions?
Georgi Sarel: I'm asking you.
Friar Peetor: Oh, for me going between planes? Well, I'm quite familiar with this one, and I'm eager to learn about any others.
DM: To answer your question, you were and Radliff Radliff knows you. To answer your question, Gio, getting getting to Gauntlet Grimm is the most difficult task, but we can ensure that you have the capabilities to return upon your success.
Friar Peetor: Oh, darn it.
DM: And and a you see the dwarf sort of gives sounds like a one it sounds like a one way suicide mission to me. We're in.
Georgi Sarel: I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna look towards the the dwarfs, the mohawks, and tip the other side of my hat because this one only has one side.
Reynaldo: I know it's Renal slowly looks towards everybody else and asks, what are we? Some kind of a suicide squad?
Rowan: Oh, no. I love it, but
Georgi Sarel: I kinda like it too.
Rowan: Well played, sir. Well played.
Friar Peetor: Unfortunately, my healing spells don't work on punsters. That was so sad.
Reynaldo: Hang on. Hang on. I have I had one more joke. Long ago, all the dragon nations lived in harmony, but everything changed when the giants attack. Now Rowan must master all the elements before the comet roll their eyes.
Alright. Session derailed. My my job here is done. Well done.
Rowan: You make a take for the monk. Goddamn it.
DM: Oh, by the way, just for your knowledge, that I didn't describe, Radleth is a tiefling, bright red, muscular build when you meet him. Just making sure there's nobody else in descriptions I have not passed you guys. Well, it seems like there's a consensus among you.
Georgi Sarel: How do we have to accept this particular There's
DM: so I mean, since you
Georgi Sarel: It's Zylas. Right? Or Zylas. Zylas? Zylas?
DM: Oh, yeah. It's close enough.
Georgi Sarel: How how do we I mean, I will step forward. It sounds like Friar Peter has also accepted. How do we step forward and say we accept? We can't do it for a team, obviously, but we
DM: Most of you are don't really some of you know each other, some of you don't. We don't anticipate anybody speaking for the other person, but remember that with great risk comes great reward. We will be happy to compensate you for your success. And then
Selyse Duskwhisper: steps, like, starts to lean in. She's finally interested.
Rowan: And go on. At first, you had my attention. Now you have it undivided attention. Mhmm.
Georgi Sarel: I'm gonna I'm gonna lean in as well. I mean, obviously Rowan
Rowan: leans in. Tell me more about this mission of yours, good sir.
Friar Peetor: I appreciate everybody else is leaving for some reason and lean too.
DM: Y'all got that Michael Jackson lean where you lean way too far.
Georgi Sarel: I I would hug you
Rowan: Yes.
Georgi Sarel: Across the country if I could. You are so fun.
DM: It is good to see the quiet professionals are are always incentivized by one thing the Radliffe tief the tiefling says. He goes, what will be your reward? I'm sure we could make it more than what you can possibly imagine.
Friar Peetor: Yeah. Think that quite a bit. Sorry. That's wrong.
DM: Well played.
Georgi Sarel: I I imagine several things quite specifically.
DM: I'm sure that in in most places, the council will be able to accommodate a reward of this because not only are you working on behalf of the council, you are working on you are working on behalf of everyone, every individual within the realm. Imagine what a war that raged for a thousand years is reignited, what it would do to the people in this realm.
Friar Peetor: No. This the safety of all those people is more than enough a word for me.
Georgi Sarel: Gary, above the table, I just wanna ask a question. Do I have to be worrying about the ring bearer factoring in at this point? Because I have it in my notes, but not in my game notes.
DM: No. Not yet.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
Friar Peetor: Oh god. Are you looking for a a volcano?
DM: Wow. It seems like everybody's
Georgi Sarel: We're all in.
DM: It seems like you all have your reasons for being in. So what questions can we answer? We will do the best to accommodate whatever we have and see you on your way as soon as possible. Or or it's Dan stands up and he goes, should we simply point you in the direction of of the peak and let you go?
Friar Peetor: Well, if you have some way to facilitate our, transport there, that might be very useful.
DM: He's like, we can get you close.
Georgi Sarel: What do mean by close? Yeah. Before transport, we should probably be stocking up on necessary things and have some more information about what we're getting into.
Friar Peetor: Oh, go ahead. Ask questions. Sounds like you got some wonderful questions. Go. Go.
Go.
DM: We can get you within a day's, less than a day's walk of the of the city at the base of Firestone Peak.
Friar Peetor: Oh, we only have two days till the event begins.
DM: Well, Zantus says that because two days is my earliest prediction. Because we we we we've got a few wiggle room days. He goes, and besides, the best guess I have is even even if the even if the the common appears on day two, it will take them a good day to complete the entire ritual for the portal to open. So I figure worst case, we have three days. Best case, we have five to six days.
I call it six days. Because where is Arcanus? Why is he not you see him look over at Radleth, and Radleth just sort of gives that look to silence him. He goes fine. Bet like I said, best I can tell you, with the once the comet appears, it'll take them a good day for the ritual to complete.
I don't expect them to be able to immediately power the portal create the portal, power it, and get to where they're going. And he goes, once they power that portal, I'm pretty sure that's the way they wanna come home. So they're not gonna close it anytime soon until the comment leaves.
Georgi Sarel: I have a I have a question, and this might be a history or insight check.
DM: What would you prefer? History or insight?
Georgi Sarel: Let's let's do insight. Okay. How much do they know about where we're actually going as opposed to what they're assuming? Because it sounds like this is a lot of we're doing this, but but we only know this much. And also our our ability to get back.
DM: So the gonna have to be a little bit more specific. The ability for the you guys to go where? Forest Garden Peak, Gauntlet Grim?
Georgi Sarel: How okay. So, basically, their ability to transport slash our ability to move, how close are we actually gonna get, or are we just going to cross planes? I'll I can do I can do insight.
DM: So go ahead and do insight.
Georgi Sarel: I got a 17.
DM: Okay. So you understand that they can transport you to Firestorm Peak or nearby, but they do not have the ability to transport you to the the gauntlet grim in the Astral Sea.
Georgi Sarel: Okay. Second question. If we achieve this objective, can we tell if they have the ability to get us back again?
DM: As, Zyla has told you, there's two options. One option is if you complete it before the Dragon Tears comet the parts of the area, you can come back to the portal you came.
Georgi Sarel: The same one. Correct. Not the one after we've traveled, though. So I think, well, like, if I if I drive to Starbucks and then walk to TJ Maxx, I can't take the TJ Maxx portal back. I gotta go back to Starbucks.
DM: Correct. So, basically, if you depart from Firestorm Peak in the portal, as long as the Dragon Tears common is still there, you can come back to Firestorm Peak. If not, he goes, we have the ability to give you and at that point in time, he basically points at the guy points at an individual that comes over with a small sack, and pulls out a a not really. A jewel that also has an intricate it's about the size of this palm, but it has a intricate platinum and electromesh around it because this is actually was made here in the water deep. It has an anchor.
And he goes with the scroll of plane shifts that you understand, and he pulls that out as well. He goes, even out there in the astral sea, you'll be able to use this anchor to return by using this plane shift scroll. Because it should have no issue carrying you across the Astral Sea back to here. He says, unfortunately, we do not have anything we have not been able to uncover anything that had actually is we can con conclusively confirm is connected to Gauntlet Grimm.
Georgi Sarel: Okay. So then one of the conditions would be that I want to procure said scroll for me and my team?
DM: He's like he hands it back to the individual and the the human that walked up to him with the bag, and he walks over and hands it to you.
Georgi Sarel: Okay. So I can add that to my?
DM: You can add a plain shift scroll, and you can add, basically, a water deep anchor point or key.
Friar Peetor: So just to clarify, it's the bad guys that are making a portal originally, right, that
DM: we're gonna try and go through.
Friar Peetor: And we're trying we we're assuming it will be there, and they've already gone through it when we get there.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah. We're using their bad door. Right.
DM: I mean, that that is definitely a plan to go do it.
Friar Peetor: Or we can stop them before they even open with
DM: Correct. Yes. You know, there's there's multiple ways you can interdict and prevent them from getting this primordial. If you if you stop them from completing the ritual, they can't travel there. They'll have to find another way to engage and build this and get the life spark.
If if they've crossed over before you get there and you follow them, there's those options as well. Right. So the the goal, as we've said, is to stop them from returning the life spark to the Yeah.
Georgi Sarel: Machine. To the the 300 Yeah. Foot tall war machine.
DM: Exactly. Would would any of
Friar Peetor: you be interested in us taking some form of beacon to this city? Since we're going to be there, and, apparently, it's been very difficult to find, I would think it would be very nice to have some way to go there again if you might want
Georgi Sarel: to. And
DM: that's where you see Ralph sit. He goes, that makes a good point. He's like, if you simply bring back something from the city, that'll be a tether that some of our those that are with the capability to plane ships should be able to travel there.
Friar Peetor: Wonderful. I'll
DM: make It has to be oh. Make sure it's very unique to the city.
Friar Peetor: Oh, very good. Yes.
DM: Piece of architecture or something.
Georgi Sarel: People, how unique does it have to be? Sorry. Like, it can't just be, like, a stone on the ground. It has to be, like, a token at some point.
DM: Yeah. That's be a token that you'd find that you suspect was built in there, was was built by, like, the clan or something. So maybe, like, a weapon, a something that something from the ruling family of the fire of the fire forged clan is what you guys gathered that they they were really referring to.
Georgi Sarel: Ken, you're on that.
Friar Peetor: Dude, I thought I was just picking up a brick of some sort. Alright. Very good.
Reynaldo: Well, maybe if it was an indescribed brick.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah. Like the ones where you're like, I'm so sad. I graduated from high school here. I have no additional questions.
DM: He goes, okay. Does anybody else have additional questions?
Selyse Duskwhisper: And I wanna I kinda wanna see if there is some, like, dissension among their ranks on, like, what they feel like should be happening and if they're giving us all the information or if we kinda get a feeling like some of them don't agree with what's going on or if they're holding anything back.
DM: Would you like to do an insight check?
Selyse Duskwhisper: Sure. 23?
DM: Nice. You definitely Nice. So you definitely get the since there are three missing council members, that definitely gives you this impression that there is some dissent among the the council at large. The one that you seem to get the most dissent from of is zed. And it's not in the fact that it's dissent in a way that this shouldn't be handled.
He seems to disagree. He's got a disagreement of, you know, why are we doing it? He almost you get the impression he would rather just start start the fight and and duke it out with these guys.
Georgi Sarel: Like, start a war now.
DM: Yeah. It's like, you know what? If if we're gonna
Friar Peetor: start a war, I wanna throw
DM: the first punch, and I wanna hit hard. I wanna hit the hardest. And that might have something to do with the emblem that is on his chair of the shield with the cross swords that gives gives you the impression that he is probably the for this council deals with matters of warfare.
Friar Peetor: He's the sec deaf.
Georgi Sarel: I hate that parallel. But
DM: It's the title, not the person.
Friar Peetor: He's a fox lycanthrope.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Yeah.
Georgi Sarel: So Ah, okay.
DM: Well, then if you need time to prepare, then we will give it we will please let us know what you need, and we will work to give it to you. In the meantime, why don't we let you retire to one of the observation rooms to allow you guys to put your thoughts together and come up with a plan that you think's best?
Georgi Sarel: I I think it's best that we retire and have a conversation amongst ourselves.
Rowan: Okay.
Georgi Sarel: Are you all on accord?
DM: We are. The We are. The council says, well, will
Rowan: adjourn cycle. So sure. What?
Georgi Sarel: You changed your profile, and a motorcycle pops up.
Rowan: What? That's my motorcycle. Her name is Betty. I own that motorcycle free and clear. I'm very proud of that fact.
That's a
DM: good thing. So as the council adjourns, you guys, the 12 the 11 of you actually, are led off into a side room and basically given the opportunity to go in the room. So you it's basically like walking into a accounts not accounts room, but walking into a room with some strangers, some people know, and then they never just sort of stands there and looks at each other. And you notice
Friar Peetor: the dwarves go, oh, hey.
DM: There's Yeah. There's a mug there's a there's there's refreshments and ale, and they immediately both of them walk over and break open the keg that's sitting off to the side.
Georgi Sarel: K. This is the human female with the dragonborn, the two dwarves, the mohawks, the giant lupine, and then us. Right?
DM: And the and with the lupine, there's a, petite human female.
Georgi Sarel: A little little lady.
DM: Yeah. She looks like she's she had more sits best way to describe her is you'd find her more hanging out with the nobility based on her stature, her looks, and the way she walks.
Georgi Sarel: Oh, yeah. No. I But it's like I I use use lady. I use lady not because she was a girl Yeah. Or a woman, but lady because she was a lady.
DM: No. No. Understood. I'm just saying she looks very out of place comparison to the other professionals and fighters.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
DM: The the dragonborn and the female, you can tell the dragonborn is a warrior. Mhmm. You can tell the female is a cleric, healer of sorts.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
DM: No. I forgot. God, excuse me.
Georgi Sarel: No. That's okay.
DM: The dwarves, you can definitely tell, are absolutely
Georgi Sarel: Warrior slash fighter
DM: slash Yeah. Dwarf. Yes. Slash. They love they love their slaying.
Georgi Sarel: Alright.
DM: The lupine, the figure is definitely a warrior, and it's tended to by a petite female, then you have you five. K. The walking tin can, the the tortle, two human males, and, Salise, you are
Selyse Duskwhisper: A half elf with Joann's ancestry.
DM: Okay. It is the 11 of you in the room looking around, and strangely enough, Gio, aside from the doors that are already drinking, everybody sort of looks over at you since you've been the most vocal, you and Peter.
Friar Peetor: I toddled I toddled over to the, the big lycanthrope and introduced myself. Hey. Hello. I'm father Peter. How are you?
Georgi Sarel: Stick with me. Lycanthrope in assumes that they can switch between forms, which is, I think, an inappropriate assumption. So I'm just gonna make a eyebrow up, look at the other people around, and say, hey, y'all. I'm not sure where we're going from here, but I am certain we have a lot to talk about. Does anyone have any things that they would like to share and or question?
And I think that it would be good to have a talk separate from all those other people. I'm just gonna sit my ass down.
DM: The dragonborn stands up. He's like, he's well met because I am Corin, guardian of the north and protector. He's like, I agree that, we need to talk separate from the rest of the group because I do not trust the council. They seem bent on their own mass their own machinations. From what I can tell you, a firestorm peak of the mountain, I have traveled there before.
There's a city down beneath at the base of the mountain that is the main trade area for the artists that work in the actual mountain itself. To my to best of my knowledge, nobody's ever been allowed outside of the giant kind of those those deeply trusted inside the mountain to see their how they do their creations. I will say this. There is rumor. There are various interests.
Oh, by the way, if you haven't guessed, Firestorm Peak is an actual live volcano. Oh, shit.
Friar Peetor: It does put on a display from time to time.
DM: I hear that when the dragon tear does arrive, I've not seen it, but it makes the volcano much more active and much more energetic overall. And that's when the the female stands up and but she doesn't stand up. She's step forward. She's like, yeah. It she goes, I've seen the drawings of that.
She goes, what I can tell you is the fire giant clan is very secretive there. But as with any large mountain, I can almost guarantee they're more than one way more than the main entrance is available to us. She goes, I once talked to a an adventurous young dwarf that had said he he was claimed to have successfully found a way into the fire city in the the peak, on the upper thirds of the mountain by a large statue that was that decker that decorates the top. Apparently, they're from time to time, they go out there and carve their I wouldn't call them effigies, but statues out of the volcanic rock as a as a challenge. So there might be a way to find
Georgi Sarel: My head and cowboy hat turns to the two dwarves as they say that.
DM: Go ahead, Solis.
Selyse Duskwhisper: I'm kind of looking I'm I'm listening to them, but I'm also kind of, like, looking around the room to kinda see if, like I can feel, like, if anybody is, like, observing or listening to us as we're having these conversations, like, how private our conversations really are and if our if anything we're gonna be doing in that room is going to go back to anybody else.
DM: And then is that through your perception, or is that through
Selyse Duskwhisper: psychological abilities? Perception.
Friar Peetor: Just Okay.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Just general.
DM: Give me a roll.
Selyse Duskwhisper: 20. Not natural 20.
DM: Just no. A dirty 20.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah. Dirty 20 is dirty.
Rowan: Dirty. Dirty.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Dirty. Uh-huh. 20. Not not a nat 20, sadly.
Rowan: But
DM: So on 20. You're fairly confident in that it is private in the Oh,
Georgi Sarel: it doesn't add your modifier.
DM: It is actually your communication here is private, not because you're being left alone, but there's a magical lattice that has been erected around the room to maintain the privacy.
Georgi Sarel: Okay.
DM: That lattice and the emanations of the magic, you can trace back to the small female near the lupine figure.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Oh, okay.
DM: And with that, I will come back to brother or, friar Peter as he's approached the lupine figure with the very disfigured face between burns and scars and markings on him. The creature simply nods to you, and you see the female look down at you look over at you, Peter. You're how tall? You said four foot eight?
Friar Peetor: Four eight.
DM: Yeah. You're she's only about maybe six to eight inches taller than you. And she's like, oh, he says hello, and he asks if you would like to converse with him.
Friar Peetor: Absolutely.
DM: That's where you hear a deep gravelly voice in your mind that says, this is nice to meet you.
Friar Peetor: You as well.
DM: I don't I don't think I've ever met a turtle. You can hear Peter's having a conversation out loud, but you're not hearing it from the creature that's there. He's just looking
Georgi Sarel: at it. Talking out loud.
DM: Peter's talking out loud to the creature. He's having it looks like it sounds like a one way conversation. It's like watching somebody on a headset that's just walking down the street just talking to himself, but he's actually looking at the big giant, the nine foot eight eight foot tall creature that's in front of him.
Friar Peetor: So so I I take it the fact that his his his face is messed up, it's messed up to the point where it literally can't speak.
DM: Yes. I've lost my ability to vocalize. So now I simply speak directly to those or I speak through bliss.
Friar Peetor: Oh, this is a wonderful way to converse. This is excellent. I'm so sorry that you you had was this from some sort of combat that you encountered? Or
DM: You you get a you get a bit of a laugh in your mind. He's like, you guys can also see when he, that laugh goes in Peter's mind. You can see the whole the creature sort of shaking like he's almost like he's laughing, but no sound comes out. The mouth opens. He goes, no.
More than one. Let's put it that way.
Friar Peetor: I understand. The world can be rough.
DM: It is. It is difficult being in my profession from time to time.
Friar Peetor: I see. What is it you and your companion do? Yes. I travel the world learning about new things and perhaps helping people that need help.
DM: Yes. For the long it was just because that is noble cause. Myself and Bliss were not so noble.
Georgi Sarel: Oh. You said Bliss?
DM: Bliss, b l I s s.
Friar Peetor: And yet here you are doing the most noble thing of all. Even if they're even if you're compensated, you're here to help save thousands and thousands.
DM: This is like, don't think it's so noble. We're simply doing this because they're gonna pay us very well.
Selyse Duskwhisper: You can see me you can see me like.
DM: You all hear Bliss you all hear Bliss say
Georgi Sarel: that. Yes. So and and, Melissa, I'm sorry. It's it's Solis. Right?
Selyse Duskwhisper: It's Solis. Yeah.
Georgi Sarel: Just making sure.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Mhmm.
Friar Peetor: Well, I'm certainly certainly glad to have someone of your of your obvious, capabilities here to have be along with us.
DM: He's like, well
Friar Peetor: And you're tall.
Rowan: Very tall.
DM: He's like, I'm generally the one that steps forward.
Friar Peetor: I'm basically talking to his shin. Yeah. His kneecap.
DM: He's, you know, he's you you notice as being up close to him is, he doesn't lack for armament, but you notice that he's not, like, decked out like a a paladin. He doesn't wear leather armor. It's pretty much you can he wears, for lack of better terminology, a kilt that's got leather straps hanging down on of it. For the most part, everything else is he's got the big giant claymore. I mean, it's a claymore for his size on his back.
Short swords, shield. You know, he he's literally a walking
Georgi Sarel: He's a barbarian.
Reynaldo: He's a high highlander. Is that how it is?
DM: Yeah. So yeah.
Rowan: Is he the Kurgan?
DM: We'll say the Kurgan Kurgan without the Sorry. I You're good.
Rowan: Head. I don't see your throat attached. See my cockroach improve the tone of your voice.
Reynaldo: Well Well, maybe if he wore some armor, his face wouldn't be so messed up. Damn.
DM: You say that Did you say that out loud?
Reynaldo: I did not. I I will specify when Renald Renald is speaking.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah. I'm I'm I actually am I'm just checking to make sure that Renald and Rowan are still here.
Reynaldo: Renald has been pretty much silent this entire time. He's just been listening and hasn't pretty hasn't spoken a word throughout the entire thing. I am quietly upset. Mentioned was it Bliss who is a cleric, or was it the the Dragonborn's group?
DM: Yeah. It's the one with the Dragonborn.
Reynaldo: Gotcha.
Georgi Sarel: Oh, shit. I thought I thought Bliss is the little lady with the lupine.
DM: Bliss is the lady with the lupine. The cleric is the one with the Dragonborn. Hey, Nikita. What was Joe's character's name, the cleric? Remember?
The one he called Boobalicious.
Rowan: Oh. Oh, Jesus.
Reynaldo: That
DM: That was that was the player's nickname. Yeah. That was the player's nickname for his character.
Reynaldo: Yeah. Yeah. Before she walked into the room, her personalities walked into the room first. So, yeah, that was Brentari.
DM: Brentari, thank you.
Georgi Sarel: This gets better by the second.
Rowan: It gets worse. Oh. So
Friar Peetor: I don't know these people.
DM: This this is I I borrowed another friend of mine's character. He said, I'm gonna use
Rowan: it. Quoting. Like
DM: After the after the freaking frack, the two dwarves
Georgi Sarel: have Like, clucking cluck?
Rowan: Freaking frack. They
DM: seem to have pound about half the keg that's on the table, and then they
Friar Peetor: finally smashed their mugs down and look
DM: over at you, Gio. You seem to be the brains, so what's your plan?
Georgi Sarel: You're you're looking at me with the cowboy hat and the beaten down hands thinking I'm the brains. I think what we need to do is bring the entire group together, have some food, definitely have some wine, and then make a smart choice after we've shared all of our information.
DM: Because at
Georgi Sarel: this point, we don't know what we don't know, And the unknown unknowns are the things that come back and bite us in the ass.
DM: Alright. He goes, I I like your plan. You do realize that the Zed, when he was talking about, he did drop the orange hair door's name as, Thevron, t h e r o n. Thevron. And he was like, I like your plan.
And you see him go walk to the door you guys had entered through, and he opens the door. He goes, hey.
Friar Peetor: You. Go bring
DM: us food and some drink and make a strong alcohol. He goes, make it quick, and he slams the door and walks back in. Damn. I got the food and drink coming.
Georgi Sarel: I think I think we need to have a whole group conversation about our next steps because
Friar Peetor: Sounds good.
Georgi Sarel: From what I can tell, there's gonna be somebody in charge of moving us between planes. There's gonna be somebody in charge of moving us back, But we have a very loose description of stopping the spark of life and pausing things before the dragon's tier comment. So when it comes right down to things, I can do a lot with my hands.
Friar Peetor: Well, I don't know if we actually have to do the work of getting us to the other plane. The my understanding is is that once we get there, if they have already gone to the other plane, the portal will be open, and we can hopefully follow behind them.
Georgi Sarel: And then I think I sir, you're making a lot of assumptions about how we're gonna get our ass back, and that puts a lot of trust in people that you've never met before and that I've never met before.
Friar Peetor: Are the enemies. My understanding is that the the the they they they are actually the bad guys in this circumstance opening this portal. And, ultimately, it probably would be bad if they do open the portal because that's where they get the bad stuff.
Rowan: Hold on to that thought. It is not us for us to decide who is good and bad. Good and bad is decided by the winner of the war. We don't I'm I agree with our friend here, the hat. Forgive me.
I don't remember your name off the top of my head, but
Georgi Sarel: it is not Yeah. I'm I'm just go by I'm I'm Georgie. You can go by Gio.
Rowan: Gio. Thank you, Gio. That our friend here has a point. Good and bad is relative to the eye of the beholder and a matter of perception of the group as well as the people that are, well, being threatened.
DM: Yeah.
Rowan: They they perceive this to be a problem, but it very well may be the other way around. We don't know if somebody is just feeding us a bag of well, a bag of garbage.
Friar Peetor: You you don't you don't trust the council? That's very
Rowan: Hell no. I don't trust authority. I have trust issues with authority. I take everything that has given me with a grain of salt, and I believe in a firm position of performing my own recon. I'm doing a fact finding mission on my own and using my contacts out in the streets to and my language of can't to figure out what's actually happening on the ground here and there so we have a much better picture and can make a much more informed decision.
I feel like we're going half half cocked.
Friar Peetor: Yeah. Then
Rowan: that just doesn't feel right.
Georgi Sarel: Can given all the things that we know, given the fact that we don't know if we can get back or forth on our own, I think he makes a good point. We take it by ear. We play what we can, but we have to be cautious. Is a dangerous game that we are playing, especially when it comes down to the fact that we're dealing with dragons. Now And so
Friar Peetor: Are are you not you were talking about worried about getting back. You you are carrying what I understand is a spell that will get us back should we need it.
Rowan: You've been
Georgi Sarel: check you've been you've been checking out my purse? Is that what you're saying?
Friar Peetor: I saw somebody hand you a bag and say, here's a here's a here's an anchor and a spell that you can use to get back from the
DM: the astrofite. Yeah.
Georgi Sarel: That's I feel I I feel like you are making inappropriate assumptions.
DM: No. The the council did deliver a bag to you that actually had a that they said was a scroll of plane shift as well as an anchor an anchor for
Georgi Sarel: A scroll of plane shift is different than a way that we are getting back home.
DM: Understood.
Friar Peetor: I'm just That, of course, was the
DM: fallback for the DM. Yeah.
Friar Peetor: That that that my understanding was the fallback in case we cannot go through the portal should we have to traverse it that we might find there or not with it, we might find at the volcano.
Georgi Sarel: Well, my my good fryer, you're making a lot of assumptions on where we're going in the first place. So I think that we need to all be on the same page.
Friar Peetor: I'm just repeating what I've heard. That's all.
Georgi Sarel: Can't we can't come back more than once. So I think we need to all determine where we're going and then collectively go from there. But I do agree that we should be doing what we can to make a difference.
Friar Peetor: Very good. Excellent.
DM: Bliss has moved over, grabbed a glass of wine and a nice, you know, fluted glass, and she's like, you make a lot of sense, Gio. I think we should honestly take a moment to have a couple different plans. She goes, I think our most effective plan would be stopping the portal from opening at all. Indeed. A second plan would be is if we cannot stop the portal from opening, is we ensure that the life spark is never removed from the city in the astral sea.
Friar Peetor: And if the portal is collapsed, that is maybe their only way back?
Georgi Sarel: Maybe. Oh.
DM: And that's when the the female dwarf with the redhead goes, the hell are we talking about stopping at the portal? Why don't we just go destroy this big old war machine? It's nothing but a bunch of bunch of metal hammered together.
Georgi Sarel: Can
DM: They're they're loud and boisterous.
Georgi Sarel: Above the table? Yeah. I I think I just saw your suggestion, which is that if it is destroyed beforehand, you can't the spark of life is the issue. Right?
Friar Peetor: The spark of life is my understanding is what is their they're going to the city to get the spark. And if they either can't come if they can't get there, they can't get the spark from there. Or if they happen to get in there and we get in there with them, we can close this close the portal behind them because we have a way out.
Georgi Sarel: Well, even if we don't have a way out, we could still close the portal. That was kind of where I was going, like, the self sacrificing. But my my point is they have to have it. Right? That's where you were going.
Yes. Okay. That's the question. Was above the table. That's fine.
Rowan: Above the table and severely out of character. I'm just remembering stuff from my own notes is we're trying to just prevent a war regardless of who's right or wrong. And if we just to actually, by the way, go break the thing that might cause the war and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, whoever that is, right, wrong, or indifferent, that may stop it or just
Georgi Sarel: keep this sparkling up. Is is stopping the automaton or the giant 300 foot
DM: The kaiju?
Georgi Sarel: Is that Is that enough to stop it, or is there, like, a dragon side that's like
Rowan: That's understood. But I I'm gonna go back into character when I say this. I would like to go get a lay of the land to make sure where we are not inviting a bigger evil or causing a genocide of another nation that would not sit well with me if we did that. I am all for preventing war, but I do not want a genocide on my hands.
Friar Peetor: Well, from what I understand, that's the entire intent of what the council is proposing, that the that if we stop the spark from being applied to the giant, then there will be no war, and that will prevent any sort of genocide on either side. Now that is, of course, assuming that you trust the council and that they do not have some, ulterior motive by having us prevent this event or something else. I I haven't seen any indicator that they are trying to mislead us, but then I tend to take things at face value.
Reynaldo: Reynald finally speaks up. Kinda slightly startling people because they forgot that he was even there.
Rowan: He was like, holy crap. Holy shit. Oh my god.
Reynaldo: This guy can speak. Hey, Scott.
Friar Peetor: Thought it was an iron golem.
Reynaldo: The threat of a 2,000 year old war and all the councils council sends us 11 people.
Rowan: Damn.
Reynaldo: Something clearly doesn't end up here. Either they don't wanna get their hands dirty or we're walking into something into a complete unknown.
Georgi Sarel: That is the two point. High five.
Rowan: High five.
Georgi Sarel: That's awesome.
DM: About the time you hear a knock on the door and the door opens up and several individuals come in with plates of foods, begin sitting them down on the table with drinks.
Friar Peetor: Any tea?
DM: Yeah. There's tea.
Friar Peetor: Oh, excellent.
DM: It is the amount well, minus the fact
Friar Peetor: that dwarves are here, there'd probably be enough food for a lot more of you, but the dwarves are here. So it's probably just enough food for all of you plus those two
DM: with the way with it seems like they need a lot of fuel to keep those muscles powered.
Reynaldo: What? The mouth muscles? Because they've been running those a lot. Yeah.
Friar Peetor: Those those pesky Warhammer '19 '80 '4 dwarves.
DM: Hey. Stop picking on my stealing from all the different cannons I know. As the as the individuals filter back out, a older elf, gentleman stays as well as a human female, about middle age, sort of stay in the room and go the council has asked us to see what additional information we can provide by answering any of your questions. As you can understand, inside the larger chamber with the larger audience, there is at least some information we were unwilling to the council was unwilling to divulge to the greater audience.
Friar Peetor: Why does the council cons not consider a direct assault against the un unanimated war machine an effective approach?
DM: Because they do not know where the actual war machine is housed at the moment.
Friar Peetor: That's a good start.
DM: Unfortunately, our agents that have attempted to locate said war machine have never returned and reported back.
Rowan: Oh, no.
DM: So we have to assume it is one of their most dearly guarded secrets. The older, the Elven gentleman sort of looks and goes, I am quite surprised that any of our agents have been able to give us any information. The Firestorm Peak was a a very unique win even in my even in my opinion.
Friar Peetor: Another question came up. Given the obvious historical power of the the, council, why are they not taking direct action? Why are they working through intermediaries?
DM: The council believes that if they take direct action, it is simply a declaration of war. And in truth, when the thousand year war ended not as a it ended as a truce that neither side would raise raise up in arms again. The council believes that if they can find a way to solve it without directly intervening and calling a war that would cost many lives of the inhabitants of this realm, they'd like to do this as an option. But they do have a I do believe they will fall back to an actual war footing if necessary.
Friar Peetor: I see.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Where are you even getting your information? Where is this coming from?
DM: Like we have used a number of intermediaries that are mainly loyal to our loyal to the council to gather information. Some of the information has been simply gathered over time, but we do have a an agent that is has been embedded with the giant clan the excuse me. The Cloud Giant Clan, Zephyrus, for some time. And we and we believe that by sheer luck, he stumbled across this information of what was going on while while in the city of, Nicholas. Nick Nicholas.
Excuse me.
Georgi Sarel: Nick Nicholas?
DM: Nicholas. So anybody wanna give me a history check?
Friar Peetor: I got me. Hold on.
Reynaldo: I got a natural 20.
Rowan: Holy shit.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah, buddy.
Rowan: That. What is
Reynaldo: Oh, everyone else decided to wake up for this one, so that's 26 history total.
Rowan: It's kind of a
Georgi Sarel: 26?
Reynaldo: Yes. My iOS plus six history. I'm not an intelligence build.
DM: Nice and
Reynaldo: done. Intelligence is my dump stat.
DM: Alright.
Reynaldo: But I am still trained in in in history. So,
DM: Nicholas, it's actually kind of funny that you with your background and everything else that you actually wrote in '26, which is awesome. You know that the city for the rest of you, the city of Nicholas is a myth. It is one of the few one of a very few cloud giant cities that floating cities over the, realm that that supposedly still exist. Nobody has seen it in the lifetimes that you guys have any of you have currently lived in. There's always claims that somebody's seen it.
But for you, Renault, you're well versed in the knowledge that it does exist. The cloud giants clan Zephyros is in control of it. It generally sticks to the much more northern reaches above the ice caps in the Great Northeast or sticks out over the oceans away from the, eyes of the current inhabitants of the realm. Any other questions I can answer? Well, Vernal, is there any other questions you wanna ask about the, the city or anything like that?
Reynaldo: So they've got their information from a cloud giant from the city?
DM: Is is that a From
Friar Peetor: a from a from one
DM: of their spies operating in the city.
Friar Peetor: From many Bothan spies, if you have to know.
Reynaldo: How many of them died? All of them. Many? Well, many of them died. So does this mean that the the cloud giants are oh, I guess it would make sense that the cloud giants would be in the lines with the fire giants if
Georgi Sarel: Or some of them.
Reynaldo: Giant giant race are talking to each other. Look. If they have if we have a council of dragons, so it makes sense that they have a council of giants. Just saying.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Who's to say that the information that supposedly is being given to us isn't being fed by the giants directly? It's false information.
Georgi Sarel: And and that's that's true because the the point that Solis making is good is that we also have, obviously, information that is coming from dragons and dragonborns that are the people who are also sponsoring us.
Rowan: Another good point. Which is amazing.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Only goes as far as my purse.
Friar Peetor: Well, this this
Georgi Sarel: is What and the person so at least the person that sponsored you, do you trust them?
Rowan: Not I trust the money.
Georgi Sarel: I try yeah. I trust I trust Maloney and that money.
DM: So, Solis, you your your conversation and the invitation letter knew exactly the right buttons to push with the treasures and everything else, and, basically, the small kingdom you were promised.
Rowan: Yeah.
DM: You know, it it's not quite a blank check, but as close as you can get to one. Yeah. Your skills are not cheap. None of your skills are cheap as a matter of fact. You guys have reached the pinnacle of your career, into the point of where you are probably less than 1% of the overall populate.
I wouldn't even say one per probably the 1% of 1% of the population to reach this. There's not a lot of people that get to this level of perfection. You are beyond Olympiad perfection in each of your given professions and skill sets. You know, it is do you guys have to think of when what you're capable of doing as individuals when the impossible needs to be
Rowan: done Oh, Wes.
DM: That your skill sets can do it regardless of what it is. I mean, that that is who you are of each individual.
Georgi Sarel: Melissa, I know you that you're in in Canada, but you know what the a team is. Right?
Selyse Duskwhisper: Yes. Yes.
Friar Peetor: You make them look like chumps.
DM: Very true. You do.
Reynaldo: A a team is thinking small. I was thinking more like the Avengers.
Georgi Sarel: Uh-huh. The
DM: older the older elf that was is in the room is like, so
Georgi Sarel: Gary's like
Friar Peetor: Next week on MCU, Chad.
DM: Don't worry. I'll let you guys derail much as much as you want in the future. Just trying to get you guys the backfill. But
Friar Peetor: Yeah. But the monsters do get more powerful as we do. So
DM: Yes. He goes in he goes in addition to one of the thing that we have learned. The fire giant clan, Aurin, was the original creators of the vol Volunden Volundaad. Oh. It is believed they are the ones that are working to resurrect their majestic creation.
They are located out in Vilham's Reach. We believe they are the, for a lack of a better term, the money behind the efforts.
Georgi Sarel: They're the money trying to spark life and start this war.
DM: Yes. They are the the descendants of Thorin fire giant clan seem to have taken a great interest in the their family's greatest creation, something that was designed to slay even the mightiest of creatures that have walked this realm. We believe their ultimate goal is to re reestablish not only their kingdom, once they wouldn't have, but destroy the city of Austeria that was destroyed during the thousand year war. To do so would take a great effort by them, which giants have in the past have had no problem slaving the other re enslaving the other races of this realm and bending them to their their bidding or will with very little concern of the outcome of what happens to to the elves, the dwarves, the humans.
Georgi Sarel: Above the table?
DM: By all means?
Georgi Sarel: Assumption is that there are no real dragon representatives besides potentially Dragonborn on this existing plane.
DM: Are you saying there's no Dragons is what you're saying? Is it asking
Georgi Sarel: I'm I'm saying there is no Dragon representative. You know, there's there's no Kamala Harris being like, hey. I'd like to stand up for dragons.
DM: Oh, no. There no. There are there are people that side with the the council of Arcosia, which is the dragon side of it.
Georgi Sarel: Well well
Friar Peetor: It's pretty much an open secret that the councils are dragons. Right?
DM: Yes. Yeah. It's that it's that open secret that
Georgi Sarel: But they're not actually dragons.
Friar Peetor: Oh, they're totally dragons.
Georgi Sarel: So so are they dragons, or are they dragon sympathizers?
Friar Peetor: Or They're totally dragons. Okay.
DM: Are you are you are you asking if the council's dragons are real dragons or not?
Georgi Sarel: I am.
DM: There are rumors that they are. There are rumors that they're not.
Georgi Sarel: I feel like I can't actually roll a check here because
DM: it's You can if you like to. Go ahead.
Georgi Sarel: Yeah. I feel like it's too deep, and it's too all encompassing, but I would like to reserve the option to check-in the future.
DM: You're welcome to. I I will make it a good it's a challenging DC. It's not insurmountable. But like I said, if you would like to roll a check
Georgi Sarel: why not? I do. No. You know what? Let's do it.
Let's let's roll a check.
Rowan: Fuck it. What do you want us to roll?
Georgi Sarel: A check.
Rowan: Perception?
DM: This would be
Reynaldo: Insight, I would guess, again.
DM: Insight. Yes.
Georgi Sarel: Insight? Yes.
DM: I agree.
Reynaldo: Because you're trying to figure out what they are.
DM: Because you you all have you all have information that's both good and contradictory to each other.
Georgi Sarel: I rolled a one, so I got a nine. I rolled a I have plus eight on Insight, and I
DM: do nine. So so here's my here's my comment to you. You get to choose which which of the stories you heard that you believe, that the council of Ahsoka is actually real dragons in disguise or the dragons have left the realm and are being rep and their interests are being represented by those they have chosen to have represent them.
Georgi Sarel: I I am going to believe that they have stayed and that the people representing are in fact dragons? Because I'm I'm going full tinfoil hat. I believe these are dragons. I might not be able to see it, but they are.
Reynaldo: Geo believes that they are, in fact, three Kobolds in a trench coat.
Georgi Sarel: I believe that they are not three Kobolds in a trench coat. I believe they are one dragon in a human suit. Imagine Edgar from the original men in black. Like, I'm in an Edgar suit, like, drinking a cup of sugar water.
Friar Peetor: Y'all are totally a human.
Rowan: Yeah. Don't stop. Don't tell me.
DM: Sugar and water More.
Georgi Sarel: Yep. More.
DM: The the female that is actually with the elf, and you you see them constantly pulling out different scrolls and, you know you know, he should pull out a scroll, hand it to
Georgi Sarel: It's a dragon.
DM: Yeah. It's a dragon. She's like, if she goes, there is another she goes, if you have a are open to other ways, you may be able to go after the possible architect of this design. And
Georgi Sarel: I am okay with that. I am a friend of dragons. Just don't lie to me.
DM: She goes, the Oren clan, which resides in the Volund Reach, is what we believe the power that's seeking to re reignite this war. If they could be somehow removed from the board, there may be no need to go after the portal or stop getting it stop from getting in their realm.
Georgi Sarel: Bad guy dragons.
Friar Peetor: Strikes me that may involve some noncombatants, though. The
DM: red haired dwarf looks at you. She's like, are you really worried about that? They're giants.
Rowan: Above the table. This is why I have trust issues.
DM: Why don't we bring this session to a close tonight? This will allow you guys, you know, in between sessions to sit there and formulate the plan and make the decisions that you want.
Friar Peetor: Commit to something.
DM: So We
Rowan: are going to commit to something between now and then.
DM: Do you commit to something? Or
Friar Peetor: Or get committed. We will
Rowan: get railroaded. It'll be great.
Georgi Sarel: High five everybody for just fucking showing up. Like, that's so new to me.
Friar Peetor: I was like So what?
DM: Yeah. We we all we all are here.
Georgi Sarel: Complaining. Mhmm.
DM: There there are some people that have were were having some very bad withdrawals from not being able to play. I completely understand that. But I'd like to thank you all for taking the time out of your busy day and your busy lives to be part of my chaotic story and imagination. Mhmm. And I look forward to continuing the story in a couple weeks.
Friar Peetor: Indeed. Thank you all. Have a good good news.
Reynaldo: For having us, Gary.
Selyse Duskwhisper: Yes. Thank you very much.
Georgi Sarel: I have taken notes on everything and probably more than is necessary, but I'm a % glad to type them up and share them.
Friar Peetor: A scholar after my own words.
DM: Not a bad way to start. Everyone has met and found that they have a common reason to be where they are. I guess we'll have to see what the next day brings when they attend the council of Arcosa. Next time on Smash Student Roll. Thank you for listening, and take care.