After Dark: Part 2

This transcript is machine-generated and may contain errors in names, terminology, or attribution.

[coughing] Peacocks. This summer, during the biggest sporting event of the year, Peacock turns to two broadcasting legends for the Olympics coverage you can't find anywhere else. Um, I think they mean us. Oh, ****. Um... [clears throat] With an incredible duo sure to take home the comedy gold. Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson. New episodes Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Only on Peacock. Coming to Apple TV+ on August 9th. -You're the Marine? -Yeah. -You're the ex-con. -Yeah, I did time, but you only gotta cast aspersions at me. From the director of Mr. and Mrs.

Smith and The Bourne Identity comes a new film. -It's your first job? -I know what I'm doing. It's a little late for a crit change. Starring Matt Damon. Everybody in New England is after us. And Casey Affleck. Go, go, go, go, go! -What are you doing? -Taking notes. Taking notes on a criminal conspiracy. The Instigators, rated R. Streaming August 9th on Apple TV+. Episode 145 of the D&R Podcast is brought to you today in part by Black Shell Games. You can follow them on Steam at Black Shell Games and see the treasure trove of games. We played a bunch of them on streams recently and they've been gracious enough to give us some keys to hand out to you guys.

Everyone seems to enjoy them and we've been playing even the one-player games like as a group with the audience and everyone seems to enjoy them. You can go to Twitter and follow them at Black Shell Games and they are constantly tweeting about brand new games that are coming out. They're giving away free copies every once in a while. So even if you don't get a free copy, please go check them out because this last week, everything they had was 50% off and there's deals like that every once in a while. So please check them out at Black Shell Games. Episode 145 is also brought to you today in part by GeekFuel.

If you go to geekfuel.com/dandr, you can get a free gift just for signing up for them. It's like a $10 value. Every box comes with a brand new t-shirt. It's exclusive to GeekFuel. We've been talking about them for months. We love them. You guys love them. It's a great company. You really should support them. geekfuel.com/dandr. Every box comes with about $50 worth of stuff in it. All kinds of stuff. They had a bunch of Star Wars stuff this last month. A fantastic t-shirt. I can't wait for my box this month. I've heard a lot of you guys say the same. We've gotten a lot of great feedback about them.

Thank you very much. So go to geekfuel.com/dandr and check them out. Let's do that thing where we go around the table and introduce ourselves. I'm Jason on the Dungeon Master. Going around the table, start with Alex. Hey, I'm Alex and I play Braelon, the halfling bard. And Xavier. Hey, I'm Xavier and I play Actoronus, the shiny and clean revenant cleric. And Susan. Hi, I'm Susan. I play Airlove Grimnless, the tiefling invoker. And Ian. Hi, I'm Ian. I play Khaldun Halec, a half-elf sorcerer. And James. Hey, it's James and I play Dagon, the electric sire. Dagon do electric boogaloo.

Yeah. There you go. That's what I'm talking about. Guys, last time on the show, you made it to the tiny little religious town of Aubrey. You got to interact with the lovely people there. You have Artemis working on both getting the boat back up in shape. He sent Rusty and some guys up that way. And he's working on your armor. In exchange, you're giving him the bulk of your remaining scales. And you also met a drow vampire. Now, you're supposed to sit down with him today. You guys got some sleep. You're talking it over the group. And essentially, you're going to sit down with him today.

He wants you to help the remaining vampires in Aubrey, the caves in Aubrey, to be specific, to take care of that half-orc vampire that is just completely rogue. It's... he's murdering people and them alike. So that can't stand for them. In exchange, he gave the promise that they would leave the townspeople alone if they were fed. So that is something for you guys to hash out. Now, in the meantime, you did meet Alexandra. You met with Father White. And they offered up... At the end of our last session, they offered up two relics from Aubrey, specifically the god of Monitore.

Now, one is the Orb of Light and the other is the Staff of Unwavering Light. Now, let's pick things up pretty much after that. Now, after unveiling these things, they would pretty much take a step back and let you guys discuss it because obviously, this is a pretty weighty decision. Now, Airlove ran a history check, if memory serves, and did very well at it. Yes. I think I got a 34. Yeah, it was something ridiculous. So essentially, these two items, the Staff of Unwavering Light, is supposedly... It is an object that greatly benefits healers. It gives huge boons to healing and focus and all that stuff.

So if you're a healer, this would be the item for you. Now, it's not very offensive. It really has very little to do with offense at all. It's just for healing wounds and things. Now, most notably, this staff has been in the possession of King Zan and Carter for a while. That's been... That's pretty high profile, like you carry it with them and stuff. So this is a big deal that this is here. Now, the Orb of Light has been missing for some time. That item has a bit more mystery surrounding it. It's said to have a mind of its own, at least to those who have touched it.

Some people have claimed that it spoke to them, that it compelled them to do things. And it's kind of a toss-up whether those people were absolutely crazy or not. But with that many people reporting stories of it, you figure there's got to be some kind of kernel of truth in there. There's got to be some kind of validity. Now, power-wise, this thing is more offense than defense. And what it's offensive against is the undead in pretty much all of its forms. It casts Radiant Light. It's a huge boon to people who use, like, implement powers, define powers, channeling, that kind of thing.

So that would be of use to a couple of people in the party. So, Erolove would know this stuff. How much of it would she share with the party? -Uh, everything. -Okay. Especially the part where it goes after undead. I don't know what you're talking about. So worried. Are we still in the presence of... I would say you've taken some... They would step away. They would be like, "We'll let you..." They'd close the cases, but they would, like... They'd let you guys discuss it. Hmm. -We need to talk about it. -I'll start. Braelon will walk forward, look at the... I assume they're still in the case, right?

-Oh, yeah, they're still in the case. -Yeah. He's going to look at the orb, but he's going to put his hands behind his back because he doesn't want to fucking touch it after what Erolove told him. He's going to look at it, like one eye really open and the other one kind of squinting, like... He's going to shake his head. "No, not for me." And he's going to back away, very, very far away from the chest. Acronis is going to walk up to the staff box. He's going to eye it. Hmm. It would be the wisest thing for me to use something that would help me keep you all alive.

However, I'm not sure I know how to use this. Most of my divine powers I've been using so far, I can only channel it through my weapon because this is how I excel in combat. I feel one with my weapon, and I think that this is how I manage to channel divine energy, by being the best I can be. But I'm not familiar with this style of fighting. I doubt I would be efficient. I don't want to hinder the whole party because I try to focus on keeping you alive, but end up failing at both. And I have staff training, but I don't believe that this particular staff would benefit me.

I'm no healer, and this staff enhances healing powers, so only you and Brelyn would benefit from it. And she'll look to Brelyn. He's gonna shake his head. "Mm-mm, mm-mm, nope." I could try to... Oh, sorry, go ahead. Who was the one who offered this to us? That would be Father White, and Alexander was there too. Dagon, I'll just look at them both and just say, "We thank you for your kind gesture, but I don't think we'll have use for either of these objects." Well, Dagon, I wouldn't be so quick to refuse both. Um, while it would be wisest of me to try to use the staff, I don't know if I have the time to train with it.

However, this peculiar orb, it seems it and I share common goals. You don't think that orb would work against you? What if someone else uses it? Because it would definitely be of use to us in this upcoming fight. But I don't want any of you to refrain from using it by fear of hurting me. That's why I suggested perhaps we leave it here. Khaldun is gonna take a step forward and look at Acta Ronis and say, "I've had no need for the pantheon of gods in Theria and no need for their implements here, but I do know of a thing that we talk about in the mountains.

We feel from our gut, from our instinct. Acta Ronis, stop trying to rationalize. Tell us. What does your gut feel?" I want to do everything in my power to bury those walking corpses. Then follow that instinct. I've been using some radiant energy in the past few weeks. Although it was uncomfortable at first, it doesn't seem like when I channel it through, when I channel it, if it comes from me, it will never hurt me. I imagine that this orb is no different than the symbol I'm carrying right now. It would only serve to channel and enhance probably what I can already do.

Although... Oh, go ahead. While your current implement channels your own energy, this orb has a mind of its own. It isn't working for you. You will work for it. And I'm uncertain of what effect it would have on... your current status. I know you're calling, Acta Ronis, but I am just worried for your safety. I don't think we can turn up both of these items. I think at least some one of us should bring at least one, if we are to succeed. If this beastly half-orc vampire is as strong as everybody says, then we're gonna need everything we need. Brandon's gonna look at Father White and ask him, "Hey, how did you get in possession of these things?" Actually, we just recently came in contact with them again.

They've been missing for some time. If you'd like to know more about either one of them, I'm sure you can talk to a head researcher. She could fill you in on any gaps that might be missing. Oh, well, thanks, Padre. And then you'll kinda just shrug and walk away. Walk back towards the group who I assume hovered over the chests. Acta Ronis, if you feel that you must take this orb, just know I will stand over you and try to prevent any ill actions this orb may take against you. I deeply appreciate it, and I know you will do what's best. And if it comes to it, I know you will take the harsh but right decisions.

But I know I'm surrounded by very capable people, so I entrust you all with... No, actually, I'm not afraid of this thing. I see the concern in your faces, but truly, I don't. I don't quite see myself as one of this creature that the orb is hunting. Surely we'll come to terms on many points. Forgive me, Acta Ronis, for my ignorance. I haven't known you long, but it seems that your friends here are inferring that you are undead. Is this true? I make sure that Alexandra and Father White didn't hear that. [LAUGHTER] It seems like we keep forgetting to tell you important information.

Everything. Brown will look at Cauldron. -Yeah, it's gonna whisper. -He's gonna need to know. Yeah, Acta Ronis is special. He's sent from the gods or something. He's an undead guy. Just go with it. Cauldron's gonna lean down to hear this thing, and then he's gonna stand right up and look Acta Ronis right in the helmet slit and say, "If this is true, have you given any thought to why you have been brought back?" There was someone traveling with our group. Kori, perhaps you've heard of her through our conversations. Have you heard of the Raven Queen before?

I'm familiar with the gods of the area, yes. Then it would seem that by her presence, I was blessed by the Raven Queen. In other words, I was blessed by Kori. And now that our paths have separated, we're trying just as much as their group to put a stop to whatever's coming in three months. Again, forgive me for my bluntness, but it seems you have the grace of your friends here and the grace of your friend that is of a divine nature. What do you have to fear? Nothing. Because on the battlefield, the only thing I would have to fear is to lose any of you, but I know this can't happen because this specific group is the strongest I've ever witnessed.

And I'll ensure that none of you ever fall in combat. With you by our side, I don't think the day that day will come. And if I can do anything to help as you take up this burden, as you take up this mantle, I will. But I think you need to trust your feeling and take this relic in your hands to do with it and make with it what you desire. He puts his hand on your shoulder and he says, "Calvin, my friend, I love the way you speak." Calvin's just gonna blush a little. -He's very pale. -It's like dark grey. Yeah. And he's gonna turn around to the party again and make eye contact with everyone, but only he knows that he's making eye contact.

And he's gonna slowly step towards the... I guess it's still in the chest or we're holding it. Oh, it's in the chest, yeah. Maybe it'll be safer to wait before I take it. Or we could take it in the chest and have you grab it in the field in case you blow up. Not a bad idea. If I could take a few moments to get accustomed to it too, maybe it would be best, instead of blindly grabbing it in the heat of combat. Yeah. [CHUCKLES] All right, yeah, I'll take a few minutes later during the day. Okay. So you are taking the orb. I'm taking the chest, which is the orb.

Yes, yes, but yeah. All right. So they would allow you to take the orb and the staff is gonna stay behind and... Yeah. The Actors would probably say as they hand in the staff, just, "While we are away, it is probably safer that a healing artifact "stays in your hands while the town is defenseless for one night." And he's actually gonna look at Alexandra and he... "Perhaps you should stay tonight while we go with the vampire. "I don't think this town can afford being defenseless completely "because I still... "Even though he said he was a man of his word, "I still can't trust his whole group." I don't trust any of them, but...

I have to reiterate what I said before. This thing you're going to fight is unlike anything I've ever seen. It doesn't fight like a person. It doesn't even fight like one of them. And then I say, "Oh, that's great, 'cause worms don't fight like people." And I'm pretty sure we just offed a worm on the way over here. "What if we left just before dawn, "leave with enough time to reach their caverns before the sun rises? "That way we can ensure that they are not at their strongest while we fight, "or at the very least while we try to exit. "And at the same time, you won't need to defend the town "and you can reach us right after sunrise "and help us in combat if we need your help." I don't know how you're going to get them to agree to that, but yeah, that sounds fine.

I nod, but... [CHUCKLES] Well, let me ask you guys a question. You've got your affairs straight in terms of someone's working in your armor. Someone eventually is going to fix up your boat. You guys got some time to kill before sunset and these vampires show up. What would everyone be doing in the meantime? I guess Braelon would look for the commercial cleric. I don't know what you'd call them. You're in the temple. You'd be able to... You can't throw a rock and not hit a cleric. They're everywhere. He'd probably approach one, pull on his vestments, like, "Hey!" Can I help you with something?

Uh, it's kind of a personal matter. Do you guys do the curing diseases? I've met some clerics who've done it before. I was hoping, in this place full of clerics, I might find one who can do the same. He's going to look down at Braelon and then a look of recognition is going to... "Ah, yes. The Dern Hollow special. "You can come with me and I can take care of you." Braelon quickly scrambles, "No, no, no, no. "My junk's good." He's going to say that really loud. He doesn't realize how loud he's saying it until it's too late. "My junk's fine." This will echo through the church.

The acoustics are amazing. "Junk, junk, junk." He's going to say, "It's not that. "I got bit by something. "Somebody told me I was cured, but I can't trust this source. "Some of my party members actually got it too. "But, yeah, I would like to have peace of mind." What were you bitten by? "Some people will call them rodents of unusual size. "The layman's term is a giant-ass rat. "Huge. Like, as big as I am. "Well, it's not that big, but for a rat, it's pretty big." Again, he's going to look and recognize... "Ah, I can take a look. "Have a seat right over here." And there's going to be kind of a bench.

"Obviously, this bench is kind of big. "I'm going to use my upper body strength to push myself up there." Do we all hear sort of what's going on there? I think after screaming about his junk, I think everyone would kind of know. Take on a walk up and just be like, "Um, yeah, I was bitten too." Fair enough. We'll walk up too. Because she's really worried about this. "Please, everyone, just have a seat and I'll get to you. "And you're positive this has nothing to do with our neighboring town?" No, I haven't... What's a durnhollow? I've never been there in my life.

What's that? "It's where a lot of our clients all come from." Oh, well, sounds like a rough place. But Braylon's obviously going to be lying, you can tell. Airlove's going to tense up at the mention of durnhollow. Take on's going to look at Braylon and go, "Junk?" That's accused of saying stuff about my junk, man. I can't let him... I don't want anyone here to think my junk's gross. What kind of word is "junk"? "Junk for your stuff!" And he's going to say it again real loud. "Your stuff!" -Stuff, stuff, stuff. -Yeah. He's going to put his hands on his face.

I'm not talking anymore. "If you could please keep your voice down about your private parts, "that would be much appreciated." Airlove will shake her head. Braylon's head is nodding with his hands covering his face in response to the cleric. He's going to go down the line. There's going to be a faint glow coming off his hands each time he goes down the line. And he gets to each one of you. "All of you appear to be fine. "So whatever the source was you were speaking of, "at least from a cursory glance, appears to be telling the truth. "There's no trace of any disease that I can see." -Hey, Jason.

-That'll be $30. [LAUGHTER] -Whoa, what's the copay? -15, probably. There's a deductible on it. I can't believe I've never thought of this before. Can I do an Arcana check to see if there's some spell staving it off? Like, it's there, it just can't... It'll activate later or something? Well, you sure can. Dagon should too, because his Arcana's higher than me. -But you're the one who thought of it. -I didn't think of it. That's a great idea. She'll tell Dagon her idea. [LAUGHTER] "Dagon, he said he can't sense it now, "but maybe the witch put some safeguard in place for it to appear later.

"I can't sense anything. Can you?" Um... Let me see. [LAUGHS] Dagon is gonna focus really hard. And for the first time, Dagon's gonna pick up on something that... Unless he were really looking for it, really concentrating, he probably never would have spotted. But there's most definitely something. And at the very least, it is affecting him and the two people sitting next to him. Fuck. He's gonna... Is that all I get from it? It doesn't appear to be anything hurting the party, but he can't quite discern exactly what the nature of this spell is. But there is something definitely woven between, at the very least, the three of you.

You should check Actaronis. [LAUGHS] [GROANS] First he'll sort of gasp a little and then look up at Erla, kind of wide-eyed, and be like, "Uh, your suspicions were correct, I fear. "Not to say we're in danger, "but there's something about the three of us. "Maybe I should check the others." That would probably be best. You want another roll for that? Um, please do. The same thing that is affecting the three of you does also appear to be affecting Actaronis. Okay. Um, so did Brelin hear you talk about it the first time, James? Like you were talking loud enough, I should say.

Yeah, we're all sitting beside each other. So he's gonna interject. So maybe it's nothing about the disease. Maybe she's just keeping tabs on us. I mean, she did just let us walk out of there with nothing but our word. Does it... Would he be able to discern if it feels like the Witch's magic? I mean, he's familiar with the Witch's magic. Oh, this is most definitely her. This is some powerful shit. This is something. Like, it's... not only is it... Whoever did this wasn't clumsy about it. This was something that was meant to just be there, but not have you noticed that it's there.

Mentorian candidate type shit. If someone says nutmeg, that's not true. [laughter] Dagon will close his eyes and say, "There's something about Actaronis as well. Whether it's holding off disease, protecting us, keeping tabs on us, I can't say for sure." This might be a long shot, but maybe a religion check to see if Alberin is known for anything like that. I don't know. That might be a long shot, though. Won't hurt. He was gonna bug you if you didn't. Holy fuck! -Nice. -Crimble! Well, we're about to find out. Well, here's the thing. Everything that this person has displayed so far, if she is who she says she is, claims to be, it is not out of the realm of possibility that there is something she did to all of you to maybe keep tabs or bless you, protect you, something.

The problem is you can't discern the nature of the spell, so it's really tough to... It's really tough to tell if it's magic or more divine in nature. It definitely has its roots somewhere in magic, but considering the person was mortal at the time, that might have something to do with it, so the whole thing's kind of muddy. But if she is who she claims to be, then it is definitely within that realm of power to do something like this. Side note, I like how we all went negative, and Jason was like, "It could be a blessing." First off, I was like, "Oh, she's fucking with us.

She's doing some bad." No, she kind of needs us right now. What if it's Kori's curse that's just following us? Oh, no, hanging over us. But it's not on Kaladin? Nope. So definitely it has to be the witch. Well, yeah... Well, Jason did say that it's her magical signature. It could also be because we walked into the swamp in the first place. He's never been there, as far as we know. So it could be something like the Grudge, where it's like, "Oh, you go there. Oh, now you're going to get killed by her spirit." You have seven days to make it to the swamp. Three months.

We've been tagged, basically. "Well, here's this dumb Kaladin. You can send him to the swamp." I think you should do the rest of the mission by yourself. Yeah, you got it, man. You can do it by yourself. Totally cool. Well... At least we know, or I know, that she does not lie. She has no reason to harm us at this point. That's true. I think maybe it might be insurance, you know, in case we don't hold up our end of the bargain. Well, we're clear of STDs, so... [LAUGHTER] Don't say it too loud, it might echo in here. Our junk, as you put it, is fine. How about we advance time a little bit, guys?

Because as of right now, it's the fifth day of Thorn. So you guys are going to spend the day pretty much in town, you know, getting ready, recouping. Now, if you're still up for it, it would pretty much be sunset. Could I have tried to... Mess with the orb a little bit? Mess with the orb, yeah, I guess. I was looking for a more scientific term, but... I want to touch it. That's pretty much... -Furru's disabilities. -You're messing with the orb. Touch the ball. God, guys, can't leave you alone for five minutes. We should go after the balls. Well, I mean, if we leave you alone, it's chain mail, right?

Yeah, that's true. You're a bad influence. -That's only in caves. -You rubbed it on us. [laughter] Only in caves, guys. [chuckles] So, okay, set a little scene for me here. Are you doing this with the party present? -Are you doing this in private? -Yeah. It would be with the party, because I trust their judgment and reflexes, and if it starts searing my hands, or I get stuck to it or something, I could try to pry it out. I don't know what this thing does, so... Yeah, I think with them is better. Would this be in your room or in the streets? Probably outside.

Well, outside of, like, activity. -Maybe in a clearing. -Yeah. Yeah, I think in the forest, we'd be best somewhere. In the cemetery. Whoa. [laughter] Are we trying to set up a horror movie? Yeah, right. You're called the guy. Yeah, let's go, like, on a hill somewhere within the walls of the town, like, a nice little place that's a bit away. -Okay. -If that exists. -Oh, totally. -Sweet. Just to confirm, do we know this thing's going to be talking to him in a sense? It's only rumors. -So we don't know that. -We know it has a mind of its own, right? 'Cause Erelove told us it has a mind of its own.

Yeah, and what Jason told me is that there are a bunch of rumors about it talking to the person, but none of them are confirmed, but there's so many rumors that it seems plausible. So we know there's rumors. -A lot. -Okay. So, okay, Actaronis is going to open this chest up. It's just a small chest, and it's pretty much just for the Sorb. [clears throat] And you're just going to pick it up? I'm going to look at it from all possible angles first, and then just look around for one last. Does anyone object or stay silent forever? I think before he grabs it, I would just sort of stop him and say, "If the rumors are true, please keep us in the loop." I won't hide anything from you.

Thank you. Maybe you should just put your hand just above it to see if he could sense any ill intent towards you before you try and grab it. That's a good idea. And I'm thinking of maybe collecting my thoughts in a journal, maybe. See how I feel as the days go by. Side note, TEEHEE, I see where that's going. Yeah. I wanted to make it like a spiel, but that would be inappropriate. Wink! [laughter] Alrighty. Yeah, so I would hold the chest in one hand and then start hovering my other one just above it. And then just like when you put two magnets together, he's just like, "Go until you feel the resistance going." Dude, okay.

You know what's crazy? That is exactly how I was about to explain this, that feeling. Like there is an almost repulsion. It's only when you get very close to it, but there is sort of a tingling that's going to course through Acto-Onis' hand. He can feel it. It's not crazy strong, but he can feel that there's just kind of this floaty resistance as he gets his hand near the orb. I would lift it up a bit, just curl and uncurl my fingers, and then I would just say, "You and I have a lot in common." And then he is going to bring back his hand slowly towards the orb until he touches it.

The rest of the party is going to watch this unfold. Acto-Onis is going to grab the orb with his hand. Instantly, Acto-Onis' back is going to spasm an arc. The chest is going to tumble out of his other hand. His head is going to snap back and look to the sky. No words are going to come out of Acto-Onis' mouth, but you can tell that there are noises, like kind of a painful, almost a moan, but it's like it's caught in his throat. So after you hear this chest tumble out of his hand and hit the ground and kind of snap shut, you're going to hear that kind of like moan half caught in his throat.

His hand is going to be clenched tight around this orb, and the orb is going to start to glow. And from the eye slit in Acto-Onis' armor, you're going to see a powerful white glow and just emit from round about where Acto-Onis' eyes would be. And it's going to be sort of a beam that's going to sort of erupt from Acto-Onis' headwear here. And Acto-Onis, the entire time, is going to be getting this very powerful vision. And Acto-Onis is no longer standing in the clearing with his party. Acto-Onis is standing in a city, a very large city, and it's nighttime.

And he can almost feel the temperature change, like it's kind of a cool, crisp night. And in the distance, somewhere to his right, he could hear this huge swell of people. This sounds like they're all cheering and having a good time, but it sounds like maybe thousands of people. And all around Acto-Onis, in this huge city, the streets appear to be almost completely devoid of anyone. And then he's going to hear this almost otherworldly sound that doesn't seem to fit the setting at all. Just sort of a raspy shriek that seems to come from all around him.

And then he is going to snap out of it and be back in the clearing with his party, still holding the orb. The orb is no longer lit up, though. And to Acto-Onis, no time has passed. To the party, this has been going on for about five minutes or so. Would you guys have done anything during that time? I would have tried and run up to him when he was moaning and screaming in pain. I would have tried to go on and help him. Yeah, would we be trying to pry this thing out of his hand? -Probably, yeah. -Does anyone even want to touch it? I would try to grab a cloth from my bag and push it out of his hand with the cloth touching it so I don't touch it.

Calden, I think, would hold out his hand, not trying to physically stop anyone, but he would say, "Wait! Let him find his way through it." Erlo would probably run and check to see if he's in pain, or if it's eating him up from the inside or something. The entire time, any attempt that would have been made to pry this thing from Acto-Onis' hand, it would feel like it's part of his hand, like grafted to his hand. Erlo, do me a favor and run an Arcana check. -It was almost a 20. -Almost a 20. I saw that, dang. This is mostly, to Erlo, it's definitely the influence of this orb, and definitely looks to be causing him some amount of pain.

He didn't appear to be in control of his actions, and the sounds he was making didn't sound like pleasure, so that's pretty much all Erlo would glimpse from that. Okay, because she was worried, is it searing him from the inside out? Because she can't see beyond his armor, so she doesn't know if his skin is flaying off or whatever. Only at bath time. [laughter] There was no smoke coming out of the armor. -No. -Okay, that's good. Just light? Just light. I picture that the X-Man 1 Cyclops scene where he gets his visor removed. Oh, yeah. So he's back with us now.

He's back with you now. After all, he's been freaking out. Wow, I just had a crazy deja vu. Actoronus, are you all right? Yes, my back is killing me, but it seemed to be fine. It's weird. I could see myself... It feels like I was back in Onakol. I could see myself patrolling the streets. Yeah, I was with Amulus and Sahar. Huh? Just a big... I think it's the first... It's the first time I remember anything from the past few weeks before meeting any of you. I think it was a night of the tournament or something. Erlo's gonna march up to him and grab his helmet in both her hands and look right through his visor, put her face to his face, and look eye to eye and be like, "Did it do anything to you?

Are you okay?" Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just feel sore in the lower back, but... Why? What's with all the... What's with all the ghost faces you're making? What's happening? Because you shot light out of your face, man. Sorry, I'm not familiar with that idiom. There was a white light coming out of your slits, your face there, and your back was going all crooked. You looked disgusting. I didn't like it, for one. You looked like you were in an immense amount of pain. I assure you, it's fine. Beyond that little... That weird out-of-body experience, everything's great.

Actually, I'm happy I got those little glimpses back. This is rather pleasant, actually. The orb took control of you for a full five minutes. You were standing here rigid with your back crooked with light pouring out of your armour. Are you sure you're okay? Absolutely. So far, it hasn't talked to me. I'm not going crazy. Now I'm just gonna try to get familiar with it, see what it can do in combat, but yes. Believe me. Believe me, I'm fine. Jason, is there a... Because he saw on a call, either we could glean from that, that orb wanted him to see on a call, or it was pulling memories from him.

We could just as much assume that if we grabbed it, we would see our own homes. Is there any way of figuring that out, or do we have to keep going? That is... I don't think that's a crazy leap of logic. Mm-hmm. And your intelligence is really high, so I think you can make that leap. Do me a favour, actually. Make an intelligence check. I don't think that would be a crazy leap of logic for Dagon to make. Okay. So the whole time, he'd probably just have his hand on his chin, just thinking about what he'd heard. And he'd probably just express his questions there.

So either you saw on a call because the orb was pulling memories, or you saw on a call because it wanted you to. Are you afraid it would be trying to trick us into going there? Because those memories felt very familiar. I'm pretty sure they are my own. You haven't had problems remembering your past before. Maybe it's just unlocking a part of yourself. But what do we know about the orb? I'm afraid I don't know any more right now than I did before touching it. It'll take some time, but at least for the moment, it seems to be nothing more than a highly powerful holy relic.

It seems that it's restored your faculties and invigorated you, in fact. I think we could call this a success. Hold on. We know the orb seeks out the undead, right? Yes. We sure do. Yep. I'm asking out of character. Right? We got that info? Yeah. I'll seek them and destroy them. Yeah. I'm not so sure about the memories, actor Onis. The orb seeks, the orb craves the undead. And what is on a call but a city of undead? Um... Let me assure you, for most of its history, it wasn't the case. I know. But let's see how this goes. I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of OniKol.

Caution will be key, but... Again, I'm feeling all right, sitting on my feet, and we have very pressing matters as the sun is setting. Jason. I feel like I'm running a bunch of checks, but can I check to see if he's changed at all? Like, if he's still a revenant? Yeah, I want to do the same. I was thinking that. -Would that be... -What? You guys don't trust me anymore? -Maybe the light... -Oh, so you think he got body-snatched. Or maybe the light turned him into something different. He doesn't know it because he never takes off his armor. I am now a female half-orgy...

Wow, I can't come up with D&D terms. -With tentacle arms. -I have changed. That's funny you don't look druish. Oh, yeah. -The callback guy. -That's Juridia. Or Spaceballs. Well, okay. Without being able to actually look at Doronas, that's gonna be kind of tough. But Airlove knew he was a revenant with no one else. That's true. I'll tell you what. Do me a favor, give me an Arcana check. Not with the check. Oh, it's the same check. Whatever. Why am I fighting this? 'Cause of that. That's why. You are not having a good night. Just for funsies. Fuck you. Why did you do that to yourself?

Oh, man. Well, now, okay, let me ask the party a question. So the sun is setting. And your meeting with the vampires will be happening soon. Well, when you get back to town, you're gonna get to a certain point in town and... Do me a favor, everyone, roll a Perception check. Oh, my. Okay, wow. Dagon and Airlove are going to spot someone from a little bit of a distance away. It's gonna be this younger-looking blonde woman. Kind of smaller. She's going to light up when she sees you guys enter town. Or that portion of town. And she's going to come running at you guys, holding this really large book.

This huge tome. Bah, look out. Not an aggressive, like, not like... - It'll change you. - I'm gonna club you to death with this. It's a Necronomicon. Oh, god. And she's gonna come running up to the group. I am so glad I found you guys. I think you're gonna want to see this. No introduction, no nothing. Just wandering up to the group. Just starts talking like she's known you forever. Oh, thanks, stranger. And then Brelin's gonna look at Dagon like, "What the fuck is this?" I politely look at what she has to show. So, it's this really large, kind of red-leather-bound book.

It looks to have hundreds of pages in it. Actually, is there some place we can talk in private? Uh, Cauldron's gonna look to Dagon. Erolove will say, "I'm sorry, but have we met?" The blankest expression is gonna cross her face for just a second, and then sort of a, "Oh." So, she's holding this book with both hands. And then, in the shock of the moment, it's like, "I didn't introduce myself." She's going to stick out her hand to Erolove and instantly drop this book. I try to catch it. Yeah, can someone make a check to catch it? Do me a favor. Roll an athletics check to see if you're quick enough to grab it.

-There, Echorons? -No. I'll do it to Echorons if you fail. -Nope. -Aww. -Try. I'm close to the ground. -Yeah. -Hah! -Ooh, I helicopter it. -No. -Brelin actually does catch this book. -Nice. -I cherish the motion. And I place the side of my hair. [laughter] I grab the book, hold it to my chest, and say, "It's all in the reflexes." You're my hero. And thus begins a torrid love affair. Oh, God. [laughter] She's actually gonna light up. At first, she's going to look mortified that she dropped this book in the dirt. And then, she's going to light up when she sees that Brelin catches it.

I am so sorry. Thank you so much. That's no problem. It's a book. I'm Clarissa. I'm the head researcher at the temple. I was told you're going to be working with the vampires? Mmm... TBD. And then I will look at Dagon. I don't know what that means. [laughter] I don't either. Um... Yes. For better or for worse, we are working with vampires. Well, I got the description of the thing that you're going to be fighting, and I've been looking for it ever since Alexandra told me about it. You guys might want to see this. Ah, yes, please. Any help would be much appreciated.

Well, it doesn't have an official name. At least, not that anybody knows, but... The orcs gave it one. They called it a "Doban." And apparently it's been around for decades, and it just crops up every once in a while, and every time it pops up, it's in a different corner of the continent. No one knows exactly who he used to be or where he came from. A Doban? Khaldus is just going to sort of squint at her. It's an orcish name. Does it have any meaning? Violent one. Oh, Brelyn's going to say, "Ha, of course." I don't know how much you guys know about orcs, but if that's what they call it...

And you can tell she's getting a little flustered, just talking about it, because she's thumbing through these pages while she's... There are pages of descriptions of countless acts of violence this thing has committed. And all of them are told from different people, like they're different accounts of stories. And as she's thumbing through these pages, she's going to rattle off events. This thing has cleaved through whole regiments of soldiers in the middle of the night, and attacked people at their bonfires, and it doesn't speak or take prisoners. There are no accounted records of it ever having a conversation with anything.

It has torn people limb from limb. It doesn't even kill to feed. It will drain something dry, but it's only every once in a while. Most of the time it'll just take a huge chunk out of something and then let it bleed out, or tear its arms and legs off, or it looks like it kills for fun or sport. There are also no accounts of it ever working with anything else. So here's something fun. Karen talked about this too, but Susan just posted it in the chat. That was posted on the site back in like 2013, I think. -What? -What? Oh, good. So we're fighting not only a legendary ancient creature in game world, but also in real life world.

-It's got two years old. -Oh, Jesus. Oh, God. What was the context of that posting? That was one of the first living in there is. Ooh. Those are the ones no one ever read. That's why. I'm kind of a nerd and I did and I remembered that. Oh, really? Wow. -It's open. -Yeah. This is what I do when I'm muted. [laughter] I'm usually just... I'm praying to every god that I don't die in this episode. Usually when I'm muted. No cliffs, please. This is better than the cliffs. -This is an actual walking, talking... -This is a walking cliff. Yeah, a walking cliff. With knives. [laughter] -Huh.

-Shit. Okay. We don't have to worry about being turned into vampires. -I'll rip your face off instead. -Yeah. I'm okay with that. It doesn't appear as if this thing is interested in turning anyone. That's not its thing. It's into mercy. [laughter] So what would be the reaction of the party after Clarissa gets done? I would say she would probably rattle on until someone stops her. That is... She'd probably get faster and faster. "And then this one time? Oh, my God, this other time. But that's not even the most violent part." And she would keep going. Yeah. Right on the front, "That's enough, Clarissa.

Thank you very much. We appreciate your information. It's been very helpful." Any records of recurring patterns or weaknesses or things it avoids? Well, sunlight, obviously. Got it. Other than that, as she's rattling on, there doesn't appear to be a pattern. He'll pop up in... There'll be a sighting of him in the Stone Thunder Mountains. And then that'll move on to... He'll just pop up in the south somewhere, south of Esterholt. And it usually... For a long time, it was kind of like... Like a scary story you tell people while you're camping, that kind of thing.

Like a bougain? Yeah, kind of just like, "Be careful. Dovin'll get you." Because it'll be years sometimes between sightings, and it'll fade into legend. It's not a problem like the werewolves, where it's like, "No, seriously, don't go to the fucking Silverglade. They're there." It's more like... Because the stories are so random and all over the place, a lot of people just figured, "Oh, well." It's just that they've just... The story's spread around, and there's no rhyme or reason or pattern. Nothing just kills for the fun of it and is unstoppable and all this shit.

Nothing tore through a regiment of soldiers, no single person. It was probably just a bunch of orcs. This is gonna be a very fun, fun cave diving time, guys. This is in character, but I'm not saying this in character. He's gonna look to the group and say, "Well, we got about a few minutes before we gotta go. "Maybe I'll have my last drink. Who knows?" And he's gonna walk to the nearest tavern door, whatever's closest, and he looks visibly upset. Again, I don't wanna force any of you into this if you all don't feel comfortable. This is something I believe our love and myself really took upon ourselves, and it's not too late to stay behind.

Are you really positive that you wanna do this? I'll... I'll come if you do. It's up to you. You've got me either way. Um... Yes, I can see myself turning my back on this specific situation, especially considering that I hope this town can help with whatever's to come. And now that I have... And he looks at... Is the orb still, like, in his fist? Yeah, unless you drop it. And it's not glowing or anything like that. But I could not hold it. I could switch hands. I could put it in the bag. It's not still, like, grafted on my hand. I'd probably tuck it away. But as long as I have this on me now, I doubt that if the rumors are true, I doubt it would let me walk away.

You gotta get that thing mounted to your chest plate. Then you can truly call me the Iron Man. Oh, I was like that. Yes! Can we ask for this information? Or should we ask for this information? Like, maybe borrow this book? I don't want to ask her to come to the meeting. That seems overly dangerous, but... I don't think we'd have time to, like, read during... Are you talking about to show the vampires? Right. I mean, like, I would suggest... Or, like, either bring the book or, like, the other option, I would maybe, like, bring her, because she seems to be some sort of expert on this, but...

Wouldn't they already know, though? Like, this is, like, their boogeyman, essentially. Like, they know about this thing. If we just now found out and we have to go through books, and those guys live, essentially, for hundreds of years, I would say they have known about this guy and that he's unstoppable to them. -That's a good point. -Yeah. Then maybe we can try to name-drop a Dobin before, and then it would be like, "Oh, yeah, of course I know that." Get psychological advantage. Speaking of which, guys, the sun is going to dip the rest of the way in the sky, and nightfall is going to set.

What would you guys like to do? So, before we take off, Brelin's going to take a shot of whatever alcohol you can purchase, and then he's going to bring two out. Oh, he'll bring one out for everybody on the team. Uh, Cauldin will take one. Thank you, Cauldin. I can't hold these forever. [laughter] And he'll raise his glass to everyone. Same here. And I'll say, "Two happy and hopefully prosperous negotiations." And I'll take the shot. So, I'm just going to ask, what's the drink? Because if it's going to give me a negative on something... No, it's not skull splitter.

I'm going cheap for this one. Yeah, I kind of figured. That was the... I didn't even ask for a roll yet, because it's probably something, you know, like... It's flip soda. Yeah, probably for Dagon, I gave him, like, it's grape juice. Like, you don't want it. It's Diet 7-Up. [laughter] Ew. [laughter] Do you not like Dagon? [laughter] Yeah, I'll cheer with everybody, and while everybody's taking their shots, I just discreetly pour mine behind my helmet. Oh, a man after my own heart and motives. The goal is that nobody sees it. That's the goal. Perception check?

No, I'm kidding. [laughter] I'm taking a shot. I'm not looking. "At the edge of town, "Alexandra's going to be standing guard "at the same place you found her last night, "and right about now, "the vampires are supposed to be rolling in. "So, I'm guessing you're going to join her at the border?" Yes. "Everyone, do me a favor, roll a perception check." I can't see it. It's too night. [laughter] Why did I expect anything different? [laughter] Oh. Why is it only perception? Why is... I don't know, man. Perception's my lowest one, next to heal, I think. Right, but you roll high other times.

-Yeah, it's just... -Like you just caught a book. Yeah. I use all my luck points. He's nearsighted. I'm the only guy on the team who doesn't have low-light vision or speak elvish, so... It just kind of comes with the territory, I guess. "Actoronus, Aralove, Dagon and Kaldin "are going to be standing next to Alexandra, "and she'll greet you as you wander up. "And a little bit of time is going to go by after sunset. "And then some figures are going to appear in the road. "A bunch of figures, actually. "And as they get closer, you guys are going to start to count them up.

"And it would appear as though 14 of these vampires have shown up." -Oh. -Huh. Is this the Kalbary or an ambush? Recap. Let's recap for a second. Did we tell them this town only has one guard? Did we let that slip last time or no? -No. -I don't think we talked to Paul. It was you guys, right? Was it Aralove and Actoronus talking to... -Yeah. -I don't know if I'd lead with that. I just want to make sure that they didn't pick something up subtly from the conversation last time and were like, "Let's just fucking take the town." Before they get closer, I'm going to ask Alexandra, "Do you have any idea of their current number?

"Not this patrol, but the overall amount of them?" It all depends on how many they've sired recently. This is not an uncommon number, although it's a little uneasy to see them all at once like that. And the entire time she's looking out at them. Do you think there are more than this regiment? I don't know. All right. She's going to have her weapon drawn. Now, standing at the front of the pack, the same drow that some of the party met last night is going to step forward and sort of hold his hand up, and all of the vampires behind him are going to stop. And he's going to continue forward just a few paces and hold his hands up.

Just kind of a gesture of like, "I'm not carrying anything. "You can check if you want." And he's going to be looking at the lot of you. After a few seconds, Alexandra would just sort of motion for him to step forward, but everyone else stay back. If you're here to talk, then we can talk, but they are not coming into town. The drow is going to have this kind of shit-eating smile, as if he's like, "Yeah, I kind of figured it's fine. "You do understand that they're going to wait here, "and if anything happens to me, "bad things are going to happen. "Are we clear?" Yeah, Reynolds is going to say, "Crystal clear," give him the finger guns.

And then this vampire is going to step forward just a little bit further. And he's going to look at Dagon. "Well..." And he's going to give this deep bow. "We have an eladrin in our midst, "Your Highness." And it is oozing with sarcasm. "Force Bunch?" [CHUCKLES] "You grace us with your presence." Dagon will walk up to him. Is he still bowing? He'll stop after a second, but it's this really deep, slow bow, like just being an asshole. He'll just say, "Nice. "Well, at least you're a vampire. I've got something going for you." Tyranus is going to snap his fingers? [CHUCKLES] "I knew your kind was frail, "but you are an exceptionally frail-looking eladrin.

"How do you defend yourself on these dangerous roads at night?" [CHUCKLES] I don't want to start something. Just do it, James. You have the team's okay to do this. Go for it and slap the shit out of this guy. Dagon will light up and say, "Do you want me to give you a demonstration?" [CHUCKLES] Agh, Tyranus will walk between both of them. He'll go, "Enough of this already. This is extremely petty. "If you don't want to all burst into flames because the sun rises, "I suggest we get to the discussion at hand." He looks at Dagon and nods because he's, "Uh, kind of kept his cool till that little bit there." Do me a favor, Tyranus.

Roll a diplomacy check. -Hmm. -Not bad. 23. So this drow was looking... Like, the smile left his face and he was more like, "Oh, you want to go?" Like, that kind of... It was more animosity than anything. And he's gonna compose himself after Tyranus speaks and then the smile's gonna come back. "We've had hundreds of years to work out our differences. "I'm sure we can wait one more night. "Just remember who's helping who here. "When we're done, you can crawl back into your hole." He's going to narrow his eyes at Dagon. "We'll see. Shall we speak in town?" Dagon will just smile.

Like, uh... Not a nice smile. And turn around and walk back towards town. So I would say the same room that you guys had a discussion in last night would be available to you. So this is just you guys and this vampire. Is anyone keeping an eye on the other vampires outside? -Oh, Alexander would not leave. -Okay, cool. -No. -Is she gonna be okay by herself? You think, guys? -She might. -Here's the thing. There's not a whole bunch anyone can do against 13 other vampires. So it's this tense, taking everybody at their word type of thing. Yeah. Okay. Never mind. Shouldn't Alexander come with us? 'Cause I don't think we should make decisions on behalf of the town. 'Cause we're not gonna stay here.

That's true. Hey, yeah, we'll give you blood. And then, bye, guys. Bye. She would go if invited. 'Cause there's not much he can do to stop an onslaught like that anyway, but it does feel weird to just keep the gates unguarded. Can we ask Father White to be present? -I don't see why not. -Okay. That sounds like a good idea. Called him. Oh, and he should come with the staff just to be intimidating. -Ooh. -Yeah. Yeah, do that. So I'm gonna wake him up and I'm gonna knock on his door. Hey, old man. [LAUGHTER] Yeah, he would definitely be present for this. -He was invited, yes.

-Okay, cool. Who's gonna be doing the most talking, guys? As we're walking there, I think Berlin would ask, who's our forerunner? I feel like I would, but I'm bad with words. Hey, yeah, no, but I feel this is gonna act on us as a gig. Yeah. Yeah, just don't feel like you can't talk. Just if I start going off trail, just, you know. You're the point man, though, right? -We'll back you up. -Calvin will be back up. He has 17 diplomacy. As we're walking, Berlin's gonna hum a little song and put his hand on Acronis' forearm because I can't reach his shoulder. And I will use words of friendship and give you a plus five power bonus to your next diplomacy check.

Oh, shit. Oh, you also get, I think I have something that gives you like a plus one or two to diplomacy as well. Hmm. So I'm gonna hum a little tune. Oh, I think it's your half-elf feats that might give your allies diplomacy. Yeah, it's me being half-elf or something. Yes, actually, that does, yeah, Kuzuna had that. Yeah, I have a plus one to diplomacy for everyone. -And I'm standing next to you or something? -Right, yeah. -All righty. -Stand very close to Acronis. I'm gonna rub his shoulders the entire time. Yeah, I'm gonna rub down and I'm squirting water into his mouth and like...

Oh. No, it's fine, Ian said that. There's no like, "Sous entendre." So good, so good. Okay, so you're just squirting into his mouth, okay. As you do. I thought we would get through the entire episode without one, but here it is. It's group two, baby. We're back. You're filthy. You can do it, champ, just have this squirt. Just let me squirt into your mouth. Oh, now I'm picturing Burgess Meredith. Oh. It's every episode we do like fan fiction ready. -That seems like it. -I hope so. It comes prepackaged. Mickey loves you. No. Okay, sorry. Sorry. So this room would be, you know, it would be empty except for you guys, Father White, and this vampire.

Father White would be sitting at the table but not speaking, because he realizes that this is obviously a situation you're spearheading for the most part and their town can't quite take care of. You're risking your life, so yeah. After a moment, the drow would just kind of note the uncomfortable silence. You've had some time to think. Did you come to a decision? We had informed Mr. White that the deal was to have people of the town give their blood. Did we inform him of that? Oh, no, I don't believe that was ever really discussed. Awesome. That part was left out.

Forgot about that. Go us. Really just a fine print thing. It's just a tiny thing. It wasn't in the recap. [Laughter] We have all agreed that the present threat is big enough for us to have to cooperate. Because either of us can take care of it on our own, we have decided to accept the offer that if we help you defeat the Doblin, you will leave the town alone on the condition that the people of the town willingly offer you a portion of blood. As you expressed yesterday, you don't need the blood of people to survive. But that was the one request that you made in exchange to leave the town alone.

And we have concluded that it was acceptable. And he sort of like tries to look at Father White while he speaks to see like how big of a shock that could be. Yeah, no, that's the thing. I was kind of busting balls. No, you didn't tell him about that, obviously. Like, Alexander was there. Like, that's not... yeah. Now, that's not... The insinuation that you're offering up animals is a lot more acceptable than people. Like, he'd be more studying the vampire just to see what his reaction would be. You understand that animals... I'm guessing that's what you're offering.

Is it nearly as appetizing as... Mew, for instance? The people of this city eat animals. You understand that there's nothing low about it. It's a taste issue, you see. I may be able to run that by the rest of my kin. I'm sure we can work something out. Do you have any ideas about the half-orc? We don't have the book with us, right? I don't believe so, no. But you have the knowledge from it. Yeah. Yes, we've come across information that this one is called Udoben. He was called... It is an orcish name that means "violent one." And it is our understanding that he has been appearing and disappearing for a long time now, doing the same thing he's doing right now.

No records of him showing any sign of weakness. Only records of him being absolutely merciless and killing everything on his path. The Drow have had similar stories, although most dismiss it as a fairy tale. I can assure you, this thing is every bit as dangerous and violent as it's been described. Am I to understand that this is the force you're bringing into the caves? This party? I can guarantee that this party is worth at least as much as the fourteen people waiting outside the town. The Eladrin. I suppose he thinks he can blind the vampire. If you're not careful, you might get blinded yourself.

I'll take my chances. And he's going to be looking at Dagon the entire time. Ignorant as always. I'm just going to dismiss it. For the party's sake. So I assume we'll be attacking tonight. In the event that this creature tries to flee if cornered or at a disadvantage. I was thinking we could wait until just before sunrise, before going into your system of caves. If, of course, you know about his whereabouts. That way you would be able to make it to safety just before the sun comes up. And he would be prevented from fleeing. Well, I do very much appreciate you thinking about our safety.

But you do realize we are bringing in most of the fighting force. And taking us in in a weakened state might not be the smartest course of action. I see you have the numbers. But I also assume that if you are in the weakened state, the beast will also be. Hopefully. Yes. Hopefully. But the five of us won't be. That I can guarantee. So you intend to attack tomorrow morning? It will sound like a good plan of action to me. And he looks around to see if anyone has other ideas. All around nodding. I think we can do the same thing. Yeah, just nodding vigorously. Fine.

I think we can work that out. However, since we are adhering to all of your rules, I would like to ask a question. If that would be okay with His Highness. And he's going to be looking at Dagon. Oh. Are we going to have a problem here? You do remember that we are helping you. You're helping this town. Don't pretend it has anything to do with helping us. I simply just wanted to ask. Where have your people been? For someone who felt that they were so dominant, so high above the rest of us. Specifically, the Drow. To up and vanish seems a bit curious to me. And then to find one of you walking around.

Well, it does raise some questions, you understand. It is not of your concern. It has nothing to do with killing this orc vampire. I see I've touched a bit of a nerve. You Eladrin always look down on us from your high towers. But it's a little different when you have to look at us in the eyes, isn't it? Although, your towers aren't so high these days, are they? There's going to be a big smile that crosses his face as he finishes that last line. The issue on the table, gentlemen, is not personal vendettas between your races, but the elimination of this creature.

Might I remind you that we should stay on task? Do you have a roll of diplomacy check? Take my +5 bonus. I gave it to the wrong guy. No. Fine. Again, this can wait till later. We'll deal with the half-orc first. Then, if you're still alive, we can have a little chat. As good a plan as any. It sounds like you'll still need all of us to facilitate you being fed after we defeat this creature. Actoronus, I do not trust this drow. Whether or not we kill... the orc vampire, if they have their way, I don't think we'll be getting out of there. Dagon, you've entrusted me with this negotiation.

I would appreciate if you trust in my judgment. Yes, Aladrin. He turns around to the drow immediately and says, "Now, I believe you have to go tell your men and women that they can feed on animals as you've agreed. However, we can discuss your own terms that you've wanted to talk about after this is all resolved just as well." And he takes a step forward. And please remember, my drow friend, that in the heat of battle, make sure you're out of my way, or you could end up getting hurt. You know, that's the second time a member of your party has threatened me.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that we weren't friends. I guess we'll have to see how this all turns out to find out. I'll speak with my people. Unlike certain members of this party, you can trust our word. And again, just a passing glance at Dagon. And then he is going to start to turn toward the door here. Again, I've been appointed with negotiations here, and you can trust the word of a Rashobar knight. Of course. And he is going to take his leave. Gonna follow him. [LAUGHS] Instantly, Father White would kind of chime in. "You trust this thing?" Absolutely not.

"To be honest, I don't like any of this." "You can tell he's visibly upset." I don't blame you. Clearly, my presence has changed things. And I don't think there are any guarantees here. Breland's gonna chime in. Well, we know one thing. He just admitted that he's giving us the bulk of his army to help out to fight the orc, right? And then what? Turn on us? Well, usually, in a lot of the board games I've played in the past, lesser, more unimportant pieces move first. So in a way, we could kind of sandbag the fight, let his people get kind of shredded, and then we move in.

Yes, most of us are distance fighters. So should we just stay back and use our ranged powers? That should take care of the vampires who fight head on, in fist to fist or claw to claw. Plus, we would have to put one person out there as a show of good faith. More of a trick, really, just to make sure he doesn't fully... he's not fully aware of our intentional setup. And who knows? One decimate could go awry. You know, in general, personally, I really don't have a problem with the drow. But this guy, this guy pushed buttons. This guy's asking for a fight. Well, in the near future, Captain Dagon, we don't have to be friends, but we do have to be allies with them.

Well, if anything feels wrong, I'm taking him out. Hey, guys. I think that might be a good time for us to stop for the night. -Ooh. -All righty, all righty. Next time we play, you guys got a boss fight on your hands. Whoo! God. -Plus 15 other weapons. -Yeah. -A boss fight. -Plus extra. Yeah. I hope this guy just rips those threads. Hey, this is Xavier. What a show we had today. I can't believe everything that just happened. It was amazing. And if you liked it, well, you can help support the show if you go to patreon.com/theandr and help support the show by giving $1 or more if you want.

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