The Pyreheart Accord: Part 2 - The Arrival

0:03 Tonight's episode of Chris Heavens is sponsored by Scribe Quill. Miss a plot thread in your last session? Scribe Quills got you upload your TTRPG session recording and Scribe Quill transcribes it, turns it into an engaging recap, and narrates it with text to speech. Dial in the vibe with thematic background music and pick from a range of voices to match your world. Share it with your party and kick off your next session perfectly In Sync. Preserve the essence, keep the momentum, Search Scribe Quo and start recapping today. Scribe Quo Remember better play faster. Last session the agents of the Syndicate opened on a calculated raid of the Starbound Emporium.

0:49 The half elf proprietor, Iramel * Weaver blinked at six armed silhouettes and tried to smile. Svara quietly claimed Boots of Alvin Kind and eyed the shield rack. Olgerman loomed over a display of chain links reflecting forest light and bargained Alvin chain down with a steady voice and a harder stare. Zebulon asked after gloves threaded in silver script and a second pair of silent boots, promising to leave the first pair to Svara if stock ran thin. Then Nairos stepped to the counter, cool as a winter cut, and pushed for a broom of flying and a cloak of displacement, peeling at the price. And the shop keeps thoughts until fear and numbers bent his way.

1:34 Castella, meanwhile, asked for something with a heartbeat and found a hellhound pup with ember eyes. A single touch and a soft word later, as Modius the Ember Bound sat at her heel like he had always been there. They regrouped at the Whisper Fang Tavern, humming with Syndicate clicks and blue Ward light Almond. Teren, the Curator drifted to their table like he already knew every blade in the room. He broke a wax seal bearing the coiled serpent and laid out a mission with the weight of history, the Pyre Heart Accord, a packed binding dominion of Falrik and Hollow Host under one creed of purification. Their task? Climb Mount Varon, infiltrate Pyre Hart's stronghold, prevent the signing by theft, fire or blood, and capture any intelligence on a rumoured relic that can hold divine flame. He left six vials of volcanic ash to confound scent wards and a final sting.

2:32 Five days until the procession of the Crownless, after which the mountain would seal. To pass, they would need Dominion clearance and a grief offering. Find something you have recently lost, He advised and vanished into the ward glow. The Shatter peaks greeted them with metal tinged wind on a narrow knife trail. The mountain groaned and bucked. Stones battered Zebulon and Ogreman while a Dominion sigil bled through fractured Cliff Pyre heart. 1 faith one flame time pressed, Zebulon scouted the faster route along glowing vents. Slipping behind his Onyx glass mask, he found a Cliff. Outpost 2, Dominion Flame guards, one hollow Host Acolyte murmuring a funeral cadence and glimpsed a memory echo overhead.

3:20 Officers signing beneath volcanic light. Fate leaned toward the worst outcome. They tried to drift past. Inside a mirage of ash haze, One vent exhaled wrong. The illusion twisted. The acolyte's voice rang like a tuning fork and stripped the veil. The agents moved as one. Zebulon froze all three foes mid motion. Nairos streaked forward on his broom and shoved them toward the drop before turning the air into a howling wall. 1 veteran toppled into silence. The other teeted until Ogeman's massive hands closed, swung and threw him into the abyss. Then with a quiet growl, super heated the last man's armor until screams turned to stillness.

4:02 Baxter, Zebulon's summoned hound crashed into the Acolyte because Daya's twin blasts shattered porcelain and breath. Svara's boots reached the blood a heartbeat late, and she walked it off with frost in her eyes. Ash snow began to fall, each flake marked by a faint red rune that only sunlight could kill. A procession crested the Ridge. Robes, bone masks, the glow of memory within. The pale choir whispered in unison, one flame, 1 faith, one end, and marched toward the caldera. The agents raised a stone facade around their cart, but echoes listened deeper than eyes see.

4:42 The illusion wavered, Thoughts rang and the choir turned as the agents hands drifted to hilts and pouches. Steel steel masks face them as the initiative to survive and stop a war flickered into motion with Pyre Heart and the procession's deadline just ahead. In the world of Dragons, where the dice decide adventure calls, We won't run or hide. Gather around the table. Let's ignite the night With friends by our side. We light up the five Chris and failures.

5:24 We'll laugh till we cry. Crit happens. We're on a walk, all right together, through battle, side by side with every Roland. New Tail unfolds in this podcast. World adventure. Behold. From high fantasy realms to quests unknown, we craft our stories together.

6:23 We've grown, rolling with laughter. We make the best team in this DND life. We chase every dream. So roll. The dice let the magic begin and crit happens. We're on a wild ride together through battle. Side by side with every roll on you tail unfolds in this podcast World adventure. Behold, crit happens. Come join the fun with laughter and stories.

7:04 We only just be gone. Welcome to Kurt Havoc here on Spotify, iTunes, Choir FM, poddirectory.com, teacher.com, TuneIn Radio, and iheartradio.com. We welcome in another episode of the Scale Bound Syndicate with our agents. Say hello, agents.

7:46 Hello. Hello, we are back once again to continue on on the adventure to the Pyre Heart Accord. We last left our agents in the best opening possible. Agents need everybody to roll initiative. I refuse. OK, so Nero's explodes immediately. Yeah, Nero's explodes immediately. I think initiative means like how fast you're moving, right? Yeah, right, right. Yeah, that's. Right. I got a 13 standing. Oh wait, you're going to countdown. Yeah, well, I'll now that I'm using improved initiative, not sponsored by the way, I can just put them in. So, Neros, what's your initiative? 13.

8:34 Ogemon. 2. 2. 2. Homie. OK homie, we will actually remove Kansdea from this fight as of right now. Wait, I can use inspiration right? Reroll. I wouldn't on initiative. I wouldn't on initiative, OK. Tomorrow 22. 22 All right, Does that be alone? 15 And we welcome back to the show. Osisa, what did you get for initiative? And five, five all. Right, Let me roll initiative for the big band. He's here.

9:17 That's a that's a one start. Great start. You going where? More ones. Maybe our description says what we're supposed to have advantage on for. All right, agents, improved initiative trackers in the chat for you and we will start with the cream of the crop. Savara, what you see? What? Yeah, what everyone sees here, just to kind of give a little bit of narrative. You Crest over the Black Plateau as the sky begins to dim and cloud, not with sunset, but more with ashfall so thick that it eats the light itself. The snow beneath your boots has turned to soot, and each step leaves a print that smolders faintly before fading. The wind changes.

10:07 It stops howling. It begins to sing. At first it's easy to mistake it for a trick of the air, thin harmonic tones threading through the mountain gusts. But the melody builds, layering itself until words become clear, whispered on every current of heat and dust. Your breath catches, the air ahead of you ripples distorting like heat rising from an unseen forage. Shapes take form in in the storm. They're not alive. They're not dead. 12 silhouettes March in solemn procession through the haze, their bodies nothing but ash, ember, and memory, each wearing the faint impression of tattered vestments that burn and reform endlessly.

10:50 Mass of black glass glow faintly from within, as if somebody excuse me, As if something trapped. As if something trapped them behind I'm having a stroke. As if something trapped behind them is still breathing. As they pass the ash fall, the ash falls thicker, and their voices shift from unison to dissonant harmony, a choir unraveling into grief. Then three of the figures stop. They turn their hollow faces toward you, and the world stands still. No footsteps, no sound but the hiss of cooling ash. You feel it before you heat.

11:34 Without fire. The ground trembles, snow glassing over at your feet. The air itself becomes a wall of of pressure. One of the race that you see in front of you raises an arm. The ash along its form flows backwards, drawn by a wind you cannot feel. You hear the whisper directly in your mind now, clearful, mournful and infinite. You walk in shadows and syndicate. Your flame is borrowed. Do you know what you burn for? And the sound tears through you like a fever. The thoughts shimmer, fragile against the psychic heat. The rest of the choir fades into the Blizzard behind them. These three remain, and they surged forward, trailing tendrils of black flame that shed into no light but leave the taste of iron in your mouth, and for a moment you swear the the mountain itself is leaning in to watch. And we'll start with Savara.

12:35 How far away are they? So when they stopped, turn to face you and they're now, they kind of started moving towards you. They are about 25 feet away. OK, cool. Is any one of them larger than the other? No, they are all the same size. All right, well, I'm just going to go in and I'm going to whack one with my Warhammer. OK, so they are there are three of them. So which one would you like to to hit? Let's go now you know what, let's sort of solve this problem middle. Middle one, all right #2 it is. Go ahead. And what do you kind of describe how your attack is?

13:16 Well, I'm going to use my Warhammer, so it's the plus one Warhammer and I'm just going to 1st go in and swing. Usually I believe I can determine after I hit yeah if I can do anything else. So let me roll first row. You know what, Savaro's really mad over how the last thing went, so I'm gonna re roll that with an inspiration. OK, just like curiosity, what'd you roll? A6 for four? Yeah, well, we'll see.

13:58 How's a 19? 19 sounds good. That is a hit. OK. And we'll do the frost strike on this one. OK so they'll make it DC-17 saving throw Con and I will damage. They will fail to save for the con. All right, they have no movement speed done. OK, until my next turn and they're going to take oh gosh, 7 bludgeoning and or excuse me, 10 bludgeoning and 1 cold. And as she goes in and had heard though, who do you burn for? She would have been I burn for nobody, but I freeze you and just swings down right at them.

14:56 OK. So as you come forward with the the kind of the first strike of that hit, it does that 10 bludgeoning. But when you add that cold on the second swipe, however, it doesn't seem to do as much damage as it typically would when you hit somebody with that kind of damage. But you will still receive the one point of cold damage because you can't, you can't degrade that in two. So. And then I'll swing again. OK, same character. Yep. OK, 18. That will hit. This one I'll I'll just leave out this. OK. 10 Damage 10.

15:36 Damage again all right, so that second slash again you just come down and after you see the coal going to kind of not do any damage, you kind of spin around and almost do a 360 and whack it right into its ribs and you just kind of hear it crunch against almost nothing at the same time as we move forward to the 3rd Ashen race turns, so it does have two attacks. First it will this will go after ogemen, so it will go in with an ashen touch. So that will be a 21 to hit you ogemen. It just does all.

16:24 Right, and then we will. That's the cool D4 that I have. That's not what I want. All right, And that will be 9 necrotic damage. And I also need you to make me a Wisdom saving through a difficulty of 15. Hey, let's let's roll. Yeah, you got me. You gotcha, All right? Yeah. That's a six. You are going to be frightened until the end of this the Ashton Ray 3's next turn.

17:06 OK so so little DMS in here. Frightened would mean that he would have to use all of his movement running away from that creature, correct? I forget the difference, but there's like frightened and scared. One of them makes it so you can't move anywhere except far away, and one of them makes it so that you have to spend your whole turn running away. A frightened creature. Let's see, I gotta change this to 2024 rules, OK? Frightened. A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack roles, while the source of its fear is within the line of sight, and the creature cannot move willingly closer to the source of your fear. So you don't have to spend your movement running away from it, you just can't move closer to it, which I guess in this case you can't move any further than you are now technically.

17:56 So I have a question. Is that a Oh, sorry. I apologize. So because that was a melee attack, he is 5 feet in front of you so you can move towards the other two. And with that, he's actually going to target Nero. So am I able to? Am I able to make a reaction first? Sure, Yeah, if you have a reaction, go for it. OK, it'll be Storm Thunder. OK, one D8 of Thunder damage. OK. I guess I'll roll it.

18:39 Yeah, go. That's fine. Yeah. Is that just a straight? Like there's no save or anything. Just a straight, just a straight D8. It's kind. Of like Kelly Buick almost OK. Yeah, and I rolled 8. God damn. All right, exploding dice, give me another roll. Another D8? Yep. OK, let's roll. And that's a six. So 14, is that Thunder damage? Thunder damage. So as as the action Wraith comes in and just kind of like almost does like a cloth swipe at you, it hits you and you just become frightened of this. But at the same time you let loose like this almost like a foosro da from Skyrim.

19:25 And all of a sudden it just shakes in place as it was just hit with this monumental Thunder. And it will it will make it second attack at you again, Ogman, I will say because of the reaction, I do love the the synergy of that. I will roll that with disadvantage because that was a good play. So this will be a Nacho one. All right, let's pull out the tables for the first time tonight. Sorry, Spence. I love it. I love it. No, it's a good play. Last thing is like in and out of out of game.

20:06 While I'm pulling this up here, I learned a lot of my descriptions on attacks, things like that. I cannot understate how much I love Brennan Lee Mulligan. He and the Legend. He is incredible. So especially now that I'm watching the 4th campaign of Critical Role, I just, he's in my head constantly and it makes it so much easier for me to do these kind of things. So let's roll D100. That will be an 84. All right, so on that second attack, his the Ashley race reflection kind of lashes out at him and a doppelganger appears for one minute and it will be attacking that ashen wreath for the entirety of that minute. So I will say that I will add him to the combat. There's a doppelganger in here.

21:17 It is Dang. Noise. I added two. Of them didn't mean to do that. Well, that sounds insane. Have. You seen? Anything like that before? I have actually in one of my boundaries. Yep, so the doppelganger is just targeting action ray three that will not affect anyone. So you know I'm not one for meta gaming, but I would strongly recommend not attacking the doppelganger. So with that we'll then it will then move to the doppelganger's turn. He will use 2 male attacks both at the ash and race, so I'll just roll both of these at the same time to save some time.

22:04 And that is both of those will hit on a slam attack, so that will be two D64. So that's 1014 damage to the ash and race. Jesus. All right, so as he comes down to the second slash over an augment misses completely, and then he almost feels like a like a small as he turns around and there's a doppelganger looking just like the Ashton Wraith who comes in and just slams the into the Ashton Wraith for 14 damage. And with that, we will move to Zebulon. All right, note to self, don't spook augment. Not a good joke.

22:57 All right, so at the start of my turn, I'm going to shout to Savara. Close your eyes. OK, I close them. All right. And then I cast hypnotic image or hypnotic pattern. That's the one hypnotic pattern. OK, what does that do? It is a twisting pattern of colors that weaves through the air inside a 30 foot cube. Should hit both of them and Savara, but she can't see it because her eyes are closed. Anybody who fails a Wisdom saving throw becomes charmed for the duration. Well, charmed. They are incapacitated and have a speed of 0. OK. Great. So one minute we will say that all three of them are affected by it. So you said Wisdom saves for all of those, correct? Yes, and my spell save is really high. It's 19.

23:47 All right, well. All of them failed. So all right, A2A5 and a 12 + 2 to each of those. So yeah, So what what? I apologize. What what happens if they fail to save? They're all incapacitated, Charmed 0 movement. Jesus Christ, all right. Noise. Capacitated to all three of them. All right, nice, very, very nice. All right, so. Do we just run? What does? The team want to. Do. I'll, I'll give you guys, I'll tell you what, I'll give you 60 seconds to talk it over. Go. I want a smash. You want a smash, all right? The one that the doppelganger is already going for. She cannot run.

24:31 So yes, all of them are incapacitated. Let me pull up my conditions tab again and not take actions or reactions. Fuck you, Zebulon. All right, so. If they take damage, it stops. If they take damage it stops. OK, so we will then. Is that the end of your turn? Yes, I've got a bonus action, but I'm not going to do anything with it. I'm going to step away from the fight 15 feet. Stay at a distance. OK. And encourage my team to hit the one that the doppelganger is unstoppably attacking. OK, with that, we'll move to the second Ashton Wraith. Good turn. OK, you're up. You're up.

25:18 So they're incapacitated, huh all? Of them, Yep. It ends if they take damage or if someone to shake the creature out of it's stupor. Shake otherwise. You got a minute to ignore two of them? Don't shake them awake, please. Don't shake them awake. Real quick point of order question, Savara your your frost strike when they can't move, does that mean that they become restrained? It just means that their speed is reduced reduced to 0 until the start of my next turn. OK.

25:59 So their speed is just 0. OK, so technically the Ash and Race 2 will lose the frozen condition, which I've designated because that condition will end if it's incapacitated, we'll say. So everything is incapacitated as of right now. So we will say that we'll move to Neros then. I suppose we're going to do a good old fashioned Channel Divinity Turn Undead. So as an action, each undead creature that you can see or hear within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw.

26:44 If it fails, it is turned for one minute or until they take any damage. A turn creature must spend its entire turn trying to move as far from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions for its action. It can only use Dash to try to get further. If there's nowhere to move, the creature can use the dot, the dodge action. OK. So I guess my first but. It didn't do damage. So there's, yeah, I would say the first question would be because they didn't take damage. Hypnotic patterns still in effect. Right.

27:31 But in capacity they can't move right. Yes. So like they can't do it all until someone hits them and then after that this would remain in effect essentially. Yep. So basically we get two hits for free. Yeah, OK, You know, we'll go through a round where the first one will get hit, it'll be out of its incapacitated, and then it's going to be turned. So it has to take its next round trying to run away, which will invoke a tax of opportunity from everybody around it. OK. OK. And then it gets wisdom to save it's. Going to take. Less than a. Much less than a minute.

28:13 OK with some saves. What's the DC? 16. 16 Well, I've got a natural 20 here, 18 here, and then a twelve there. So #3 will fail, so that will be turn on dead. We'll just call it. The other two will succeed the froze. Boo. Boo. OK. Anything else? Can I do for a bonus action? I think I'm done.

29:01 OK. Next we will move to Osisa. OK so how do we do this? I was sleeping and then just got woken up by the by the fight. Correct. Yeah, I apologize. We didn't really bring you in. So we will effectively say that you were travelling with the team just during that initial. You had a tummy ache, but you feel better now, yeah. Right now, yeah. So you would have been in the in the in the carriage, OK. How long ago did Ogleman boil someone with his pee? That was about four hours ago. Yeah, OK.

29:42 Hey, real quick, Spencer, is this a challenge rating of one or less? No. OK, nevermind. Because if it was, it would have died. If it failed, oh good, OK. All right, so I'm going to. Bust out of the carriage. And be like, what is Shantae's name? And then why does it smell like? Piss. And. See the race they're. Like what the fuck is going? On I'm going to attack the Wraith that was being attacked by the whatever it's called the thank you. Sorry Fuzzy, I assume a 26 hit.

30:27 Absolutely it is. OK, this is going to be Guiding Bolt, so that's going to be 6D6. There we go. Sorry, apps running slow. OK, so that'll be 19 points of radiant damage and that'll be my turn. OK, so you do your radiant damage and you see as as the radiant damage comes in this this attack did a lot more damage than you you think it would have.

31:07 And when you cast that guiding bolt, it almost like shrieks, but it doesn't have a mouth. It doesn't have it's shrieking in its in its in its brain. So you're able to hear it's shriek as it's just incinerated by this guiding bolt. And with that, anything else? That'll be it. Cool album with the Ogremen. OK, so did that one die at all? Probably not. No, but it's not looking great. It's it's pretty bloodied. So would you say this is close to like a fire Wraith type deal? Not.

31:50 Necessarily OK, it does share a lot of the same properties as a as a Fire Wraith. Oh, it's pretty much essentially made-up of heat, correct? Like flames per SE. Not necessarily, it's more of a ash style of also real quick. I apologize Ogamen, I need you to make me a wisdom same through difficulty 15 please. Oh God. Oh, Royd 14. We will say, however, we we will say that because I forgot that you're already frightened, that you begin to sense more dread while standing next to this creature. Yeah, I remember this.

32:52 Barely fight it off, but you are still frightened of #3. OK. And that's the one that's like directly in front of me, right? Correct. Yes. OK. And he is facing the doppelganger, so I'm at his back, you said. You said he turned around. Yeah, he turned around. So that means would I have advantage on my next attack role? I think disadvantage because you're afraid. I would say, well I would say that he does get advantage, however it cancels out the disadvantage. Yeah. So yeah, you'll you'll take a single normal role with this one.

33:35 OK, well, I am going to try to hit him with my staff of withering. OK, I'm assuming that's not going to hit at all. It's an 11 that does not. OK, well, I don't know if there's anything else I can do. Yeah, there is nothing else I can do unless yeah, I'm just going to chill I guess. OK. Let the doppelganger do its thing. Cool beans. All right, next will be Ashton Wraith One's turn and so beyond. Does it does it make a save on on the beginning of a turn or that's just it for the next?

34:27 It's not, it's just done. I sent the text like the entire text of it in the chat if you're interested. OK, perfect. All right. So that doesn't have a turn because it's incapacitated. So we will go to the top of the round. That will be Savara. Well, a lot happened, so I was attacking #2 but Zebulon did a thing, and there were. Which one is he encouraging us to hit?

35:08 I'm encouraging you to hit the one that everybody else is hitting now, which is on Augment. 3 #3. So I mean, I mean, if I leave because Two's incapacitated, I shouldn't have an attack of opportunity, right? Correct, Correct. Correct. Yeah. It doesn't have any and I'm going to three and I'm on a whack them. You go whack them. All right, go ahead and make your roll. 19. That hits. I'll just do 10 damage and then I'll attack again. 12.

35:48 At misses so yeah, you'll come in with your first strike and just clobber the the race again kind of in the side because it's a lot taller than you so kind of crack that again in the in the side. And then the second attack, you kind of come around and you miss right above its head, going for almost a a death kill. So with that, it will then move to the Ashen race turn. Ashen Race 3's turn now. Who is turned? Yeah. So I apologize, Jesse, it's you have to spend. The entire turn running away from me OK.

36:31 First things first, I'm going to hate this. I'm going to need opportunity attacks from Ogemon, Zebulon, and Savara. So we'll just move in initiative order. Savara, if you want to give me an attack of opportunity. Yeah, but so 22. It's. 9. OK. And then we'll go to Ogemon. OK, I will use I'm. Going to say with disadvantage again though because you are frightened. OK, that's a five. Yeah, not hidden. OK. And then I apologize. I skipped over Zebulon.

37:12 I apologize. Zebulon, you could take your your move. I wasn't ready for this. Yeah. So I've got Warcaster. I can cast a spell. I think I'm going to use fire bolt if he's like stepping away from me. Is that at disadvantage or can I cast it? Between. The five and 10 foot. Yeah, I will say that he's moving more into the 10 foot range as you being the last person get the gets your opportunity attack off. All right, I rolled a 12 + 11. That's a 20. Three hits. Loving those magical items. All right, so 2D10 that is 14 fire damage. OK, so Savara comes in and she whacks this thing as it's going by her.

38:04 Ogemon goes to attack as well and misses and then Zebulon kind of as it's starting to get away from you, you kind of wave your hands together and pulse out of a blast of flames and you see nothing would fire where the Ashen Wraith would stand. And as the smoke kind of clears, it's still standing, having taking no damage from Zebulon's attack. Having taken no damage. All right, so then it will bolt it's full movement away. So that will be 40 feet away.

38:44 So then we will move to oh, I apologize. The doppelganger gets an attack of opportunity, too. It's 25 to hit. Sure. God, how do I want to do this? All right, so that's the first time I've ever killed with my one of my own creatures. So so as Zebulon's fire blast comes out, the doppelganger just comes in and almost does like AWWE body slam and just takes a running start at the at the race and just kind of jumps and slams it into the ground. And the Ashen Race just kind of dissipates into ash and the air kind of clears around where it should have been and it is dead. All right, so then that will remove the double ganger and the Ashen Race 3.

39:44 So that will move the Zebulon. All righty well, I don't feel necessarily as capable of waking these monsters up as I think some of my teammates might be, so I'm going to hold my action to cast Ray of Frost at the first one that someone else chooses to attack. OK, with that, it will be the second Ashen race turn, so it is 25 feet away, so it will move towards Osisa. Has anyone hit it yet? Yes. Oh, I apologize. Yep, it is incapacitated. You are correct. Big label on that's. Why I'm waiting?

40:24 I don't want to wake it up. Right, all right, next is Neros. Oh boy. I know what I want to do, but it's going to wake everything up. I should probably not do that. You could hold your action until someone else wakes it up. There's only two of them left, right? Yep, 1 and 2. You know what I'll do instead? I'm going to I'm going to cast haste Twind. OK, so I'm going to give haste to myself. And who else?

41:21 Who wants? Who wants haste? What does that do? They give you double movement. Target speed is movement, or target speed is doubled. It gains +2 to its AC. It has advantage on Dexterity saving throws and gains an additional attack or additional action on each of its turns. Yeah, action. That's the key thing. Yeah, that action can only be used to take a weapon, attack, dash, engage, hide, or use an object. Screw that, I'm gonna, I'm gonna give it to Savara. And Kezdea probably. OK, all right, cool, 'cause they both at well who?

42:04 Are. 2 Two hits per attack. Yeah, definitely Savara, right. But who's our other? Do we have another like melee focused? Mimi was, but she's not here. I mean, I would say, I'd say Ogeman's your next option for as far as melee style. He's dabbling into spells, but he's he's mostly melee. OK, Ogaman then. OK, cool. So yeah, you both get +2 AC advantage on deck saves and an additional action that has to be used as it for the B attack and a couple other things, but.

42:46 So yeah, Neuros, you kind of turn both to Ogaman and Savara to your right and almost gives them like a word of encouragement here on kind of kind of deal. And Savara and Ogeman, you feel like this wave of security and almost of pride that you have the ability to do more than you normally could just in the way that this battle is going. So we'll move to and we will and. I'll end it with move faster, get more, hit more. OK. We will welcome Kasdea to the show. Kasdea, it is your turn.

43:28 Oh yay, my turn. Hey, yay, I've been here the whole time a little. Did You Know? Right, I'm gonna need to watch a deception real quick. Oh, OK, hold on, let me I'm. Kidding. I'm kidding somewhere. Around here. Oh, that's 19, my good man. Yeah, OK. You've been here the whole time. I've been here the whole time. I'm going to cast Eldridge Blast. No, wait. Yeah, I am. I'm totally casting Eldridge Blast. I don't care. I don't know what's happening. OK. What are we fighting even?

44:09 You are you are currently, you are currently battling at this point now to Ashen race. OK, cool. Are they awake or are they still sleepy? They're both incapacitated. Incapacitated and I'm ready to blast whatever 1 you wake up first. Amazing and. You've been instructed to attack one at a time. Oh, OK, cool. I'm going for two. OK, go ahead and give me an attack roll. Oh fun, that's a 17. That hits you have you have twin blast right for your Eldridge blast? I do. Why don't you just make a second roll right away?

44:52 OK, I have to figure out what I'm rolling these. I'm rolling these 12. The second one misses. OK, so go ahead and give me damage. So as you roll your damage, Yeah, you come out because they kind of popped her head around the the carriage. That's oh, hey, we're fighting you kind of just almost over and right next to her. Oh, and I should. Yeah, I'll get that up in a second. And right next to her. You hear as we're held out how how this Modius is ready to go. Caste will say that as Modius will move in the same turn as you because it's not necessarily specified that it has its own initiative.

45:45 So we'll just say that you can take a turn for as Modius in your same turn as well. What is your role for damage? 055. And that's forced damage? What? That's forced damage, correct? But I yeah, I think so. OK, yes. Force damage. OK. Zebion, we'll move to your held action. Do I get to fire my she attack? Yep, you can go ahead with your Ray of Frost attack. All right, rolled a 9 + 11 is a dirty 20. Is a dirty 20. So let's have you roll damage. Now that's cold damage, correct?

46:29 For Ray of Frost. Yeah, 2D82. D8 OK. 3. OK. 3 frost damage. OK, so as Kez Daya kind of runs around the the carriage starting to fight comes up to Ashen Wraith #2 and we'll say you're what, 1520 feet away, Kez Daya? Yeah, something like that you'll. Kind of sum up the strengthen yourself and kind of throw your hands out and Eldridge blast the second Ashen Wraith and as you do that Zebulon comes in right behind you and throws out a ray of frost. The force damage does exactly what it's supposed to. The cold damage, however, did not seem to do as much damage as it should do. Better than nothing like last time. Perfect.

47:18 All right. And then do you want to Kenzie, do you want to move into as Modius's turn, Laura? Of course him is the goodest boy. His is the goodest boy. I think he's just gonna bite. Him gonna bite, all right, he gets. An attack. So you can make 2 attacks with. Well, it can attack once with its bite and once with the ender ember snap OK? Otherwise you can do 2 bites if you wish. OK, now I'm going to do the bite and then the amber snap because that sounds like fun, OK?

48:02 So let's have him roll for a hit. That's a 17. OK, that hits, so give me damage on the bite attack first, so that'll be 2D tab +4. OK, hold on, I gotta figure out my life here.

48:46 12. 12 points of piercing damage. OK, and then I need 3. I'm sorry, 3D6. Oh boy, math my favorite. Math rocks. You said 3D6. 3D6 correct? 13. 13 points. OK, so I. Didn't realize I could click more than once on the dice and add them up and then I didn't have to do it in my head. That's nice. So continuing. Yeah, so he comes in and you after your Eldridge blast and Zebulon's Ray Frost, you send in Asmodeus to attack. You know, choppers, sick balls.

49:29 So he runs in and goes up to the ashtray, hits a big bite, gets the full attack, the full like meat, if you will, with the bite. However, with its subsequent fire damage, it doesn't do as much as you would think it does. So then we'll move it to the second attack. You want to do Ember Snap, you said correct. Yeah. OK, so if money's looking, exhale a cone of ember flame within 15 feet cone. Nobody's standing within that cone, so we don't have to worry about any of you getting hit. So the only thing that we'll need to do is action #2 we'll need to make a Dexterity saving throw, which it will critically fail.

50:10 I need you to give me 96. And because it it because it critically failed the save, I am going to say he's going to take this full fire damage. He's typically, they're typically immune to fire damage, but he critically failed. So I need 96 of fire damage. That's 34, Jesus. Christ. OK, he actually right too. After that attack, he's just kind of imagine like a drunk person walking, but just like hovering over the air or hovering over the ground. He's kind of doing that motion.

50:54 He's just kind of woozy. Cool. Anything else guys there? She's just going to pat Asmodeus on the head. Go good boy. OK, so you're moving to Asmodeus. Oh yeah, OK. OK, with that I need we'll move to Osisa. Osisa, because the national race is standing 5 feet away from you, I need you to make me a Wisdom saving throw please on AD difficulty 15.

51:42 Oh, nineteen. That hits. Or that, sorry, that doesn't hit you, you succeed, so you are not frightened by the action race, so you can go ahead and start your turn, OK? All right, Ashton Wraith 2, I assume a 21 hits. Yes, 21 hits, OK. I'm going to attack with guiding bolt so that'll be 4D6. That's radiant damage, so. 19 points of radiant damage. Oh. God, so 38 points of radiant damage. It's so the second Ashton Wraith, you blast this with the radiant damage and it just disintegrates. However, because it is reduced to 0 points, I need Osisa, Kazdea, Zebulon, Savara, and Ogemen. I all I need all of you to give me a Wisdom saving throw. Difficulty 16.

52:50 We'll start with Kazdea. I'm sorry, This is going to be everybody. Nero's here and there as well. It's. Going to be against fear or charm. No, this is going to be against looking ahead psychic damage as it dies. It will basically, and I should have done this for the first one but I completely forgot, Basically it when it when it dies it shrieks and releases the psychic wave as it. What's the radius? It's 10 feet. That's kind of sick. So it was. Not that close. I'm still not that close to us. Too so ashen 3 and two were right next to each other after the the second turn for the Ashton rave.

53:33 So wherever was? I wasn't there. Right. How tall is this room 'cause I'm flying? You're you're in, you're flying. We're we're, we're outside. Yeah, we're. In We're outside. I'm at least 30 feet in the air. Forgot about the broom. OK, nearest you're not included in this. I was by #3 when it died. Right. So that's within, basically they were within 5 feet of each other and everybody was standing around 3. So you're within 10 feet there. Oh yeah. I assume they came after. Me nearest I'll give you, I'll say that because you are floating on a broom like a pretty pretty Princess that you'll stay out of this. Everybody else in the wisdom saving throw. Kez Daya, what did you roll?

54:17 Let's just say my dice is going in jail. I rolled up 1. OK, good start. Yeah, that guy is in jail for the remainder of forever. So here we are. OK. All right, Ogemon. 9. OK, Savara or OK Osisa? Net 20 so I got a 27. Total. Oh yeah. OK, you want to save me some of that? Good luck please. Oh my God, absolutely. So. I just came in here. I was like, oh look, we're fighting. Oh look, I'm dying.

55:00 And then Zebulon. I got A7. Got a seven. OK, so let me grab a couple D sixes here. OK. Do I have to do a saving throw for as Asmodeus too? Oh yes, thank you. He's got, he's got a Wisdom modifier of for saving throw +6. OK. Oh, that's a 19, OK. So. 23 days there, OK.

55:45 Kenzie, do you have as as Modius's stat thing in front of you? It's. Yeah, I can get it real quick. It's. I'm going to recommend using his reaction guardian flame when Castaia takes damage, as Modi's can teleport to a space within 5 feet of her and immediately have the damage she takes from that source. That's once a day. OK OK OK, so you'll take half damage here. Everybody else that failed you will take Jesus 8 psychic damage. I was waiting for you to say 50 or something. It's not too. Yeah, it's not bad at all. These are not high-powered these. This is just one of those random encounters. They're not.

56:26 And then everybody else takes half that, so 4 psychic damage. So I take. 8 damage if you fail the role. Yes, you take 8 psychic damage. OK. And with that, we will move to Ogeman. OK, well I still have that buff that Nero's blessed me with, and so the there's only #1 left, right? Correct. Yeah, Action race number one is kind of standing about 25 feet away and he doesn't really have a face so much, you know, he's just kind of that dark figure action action kind of color. And you can, you can look at him and you can tell like even though he doesn't have a face, he's got that face, that look of worry on his face.

57:25 Well, I get 2 attacks, right? Yes, you do. So I am 2. Attack actions, yeah. Yeah. Sorry 2 actions so if you have like if you had multi attack or something you. Yeah, I, I do not. I do not. So I am going to, I guess I don't know, let me see here. Sorry. But you can use one to like. You could use one to cast a spell and then use your extra 1 to take. Yeah, that's. Something like that, you know. That's what I'm probably going into doing if you want to type. Your thing almost certainly would have. Yeah, I am going to.

58:12 That's what the plan was. I was going to wild shape into a hell hound. OK. So I will use that and then I'm sorry, I guess I have to look at the. I've got it up. Here. So you've got, you've got packed. A bite. And you've got a bite attack and fire breath. OK, so I guess I am going to do a bite attack for sure. I guess I roll D20 for that. I get advantage right?

59:00 Just pack tactics. No, nobody is standing around #1 number one has not been targeted except. For you said they were within 5 feet of each other, so that means there'd. Be two and three when they moved closer to you guys. We're we're next to each other, but number one has not moved yet. Number one has a single turn, technically because he was immediately incapacitated by Zebulon. Well, then I'm going to try that again, I guess. I don't know. Yeah, I guess so. Fuck, I ain't hitting shit. Yeah, well, that was a waste.

59:44 Would you roll? A5. OK. Plus 5-10, yeah, that does not hit. The first one was at 13, so yeah. Oh, you're not no longer frightened, dude. Yeah, I apologize. Yeah, that was the frightened left once the the the the third action race died. So if you rolled that with disadvantage to know if you rolled a 13 that in that's +5. So you would have rolled an 18. That's a hit. Oh, OK. So give me damage will be 1 D 8 + 3. OK. And then 2D6 fire damage, which I'm just going to tell you right now, don't even bother rolling the fire damage.

1:00:31 So it's A7. 7 piercing OK. Yeah. All right. Anything else, my good Sir? Anything else? I think we've lost Ogeman. Oh, there you are. I got to hear you. Yeah. Was that it for you? Yeah, just to like, in my turn, growling at him. Yeah, so basically your turn, you just transform into this almost look like he's as Modius a little bit with the Hell Hound features and you come in at #1 and you just chomp down on him and get a good hunk of hunk of ash in your mouth and deal the deal that damage. So next we will move to the Ashen race turn. And it will.

1:01:27 It will first use its blinding burst attack and it's going to put the radius in front of him. It's a 10 foot radius. So it will only target Ogeman in this instance because he is the only one standing next to the Wraith. So I need you Ogaman to make me ADC 16 Constitution saving throw please. All right. They just aren't for me today. That's A7. Beautiful. All right, let me pull out some D eights here. I mean I got the Tim hid points for the hell hound. How many hit points do you have?

1:02:16 The temp ones from the hellhound OH. Yeah, OK. Let's Yeah. All right. So that's going to be 6-8. 10. 15 fire damage and you are blinded until your next turn. Let's go 50. So isn't it? Aren't hellhounds supposed to be like kind of immune to fire damage? Asking for a friend you. Are correct yeah it is completely immune to fire damage Good good call I didn't I didn't see that so OK so you will take instead no damage and then the second attack he'll come in with the ash and touch again he'll just take a claw attack at you and he will hold a natural 2 cool that'll just.

1:03:12 That definitely miss. Yep. Yeah, you're you're AC. Am I still? Am I still allowed? Oh no I can't. I don't know how that works. So am I able to do a reaction still to that? I'll allow it because technically I did hit you. It's just none of the, none of the damage took hold. So I will allow, I will allow that, yeah. OK, well I'm going to hit him with another D8 of Thunder and he takes 3 Thunder damage 3. Thunder damage. OK, perfect.

1:03:55 All right. Anything else for me? Why? Am I asking you welcoming all? Right. No. I was going to say no, it's not my turn. It's line and burst Cool. Next we will hit top of the order. Savara, it is your turn. Well, hello there. Hello. I'm going to go whack A numero Uno whacking. El numero Uno. Take a swing there, Savara. Remember you get the second action so you can. I guess I do. I get like a whole bunch of stuff four times, Yeah. And my AC is much higher. Yeah. So 19 for the first one that.

1:04:37 Hits, I tell you. Why don't you roll me all four hits? And then we can decide at that point where you want it if you want to use any superiority dice. Sure, 18. 18 hits. 22. 22 hits. Oh, that fell Nap 20. Boy oh boy, dream of dreams. OK, let's resolve the first three attacks first. Sure. Lost time on that last game. Yeah, I'm just gonna leave them as is honestly, OK. So let's just tell the first 3 ones.

1:05:20 Hey, so we have 18 + 10 + 4, so that's 282132. Yeah, sure. Yep, I can math. Cool, and now before you roll damage on the critical success, go ahead and give me a Romeo D12. 3. 3 Where did it go?

1:06:02 There it is OK for an instant time kind of slows down as you're making this fourth attack. The first three attacks and you're just like a Wham bam, thank you ma'am kind of attack. As you hit the first 3 ones and then the 4th 1. You almost have a slow motion where you turn around and cleave almost this fourth with this fourth attack on this action race Roll me damage first. 16. 16 OK and then because of your critical success, you may re roll one of those damaged dice one more time.

1:06:45 I already rolled 2. Oh, so that was the entire 16? Yeah. Gotcha. OK, for the rest of you, give me a perception check. Basically anything above A5. Does a 5 count £5 I need? To beat my friend. And I would want to know like how bloodied up is he? We're that's where we're getting to. I'm just making sure everybody succeeds to fail. So did anybody roll below A5?

1:07:25 Perfect. OK, so all of you see Savara just go ham on this Ashen race 123. And then she takes a deep breath, turns around and uppercuts this race with with her warhammer. This race is not looking great at all. It's it's very bloodied. I'm going to action search my. God, OK. Savar to do it one more time. Do it one more time, Savar. 'S fucking mad all right you got to do Jack shit the last time I am not about this 25 that hits let's just. Yes.

1:08:13 So that's 12 damage on that dude, and then again, OK, 22. That hits. And that would be 11 so much damage control. 23 How do you want? To do this. She is going off just the deepest fucking 'cause she just uppercut him too, you know, And she takes her hand and she raises it above her arm and just right through his skull. I love it. I love it. That was yeah. Oh damn. She she's done, she she cannot the the last one pissed her off. You guys see as a Savara finishes her her effectively her turn the last action Wraith falls. I do need Ogeman and Savara to give me one final wisdom check. Ogeman, you get advantage because you are a hellhound. Jesus Christ.

1:09:25 Well, she's too mad to care 7. I tell you what, on that fourth attack, in your final attack, you were able to basically hit it to the point where it was. It kind of flew back 1520 feet. And you as it explodes into ash about 20 feet away from Savara and Ogeman, you see Savara turn around and go, OK, what's next? And. Then literally it was one of those moments where you look it's like when Thor is throwing around Loki at the on the 1st Avengers movie just back up, she's just hammering him and walks away with him just barely screeching. OK.

1:10:23 So anything you guys need to do before you continue on? OK, so as you continue on again, the last of the Ashen race just unravel beneath your assault, the ember light gutting guttering out in a long shivering sigh. It's ash scatters in the volcanic wind, dissolving before it can even touch the ground, and the echo of their hymn lingers, faint and mournful, before it fades entirely into the hum of the mountain. The plateau is silent again. No bodies, no blood, only the faint shimmer of memory glass where your where your blow struck true.

1:11:04 Every surface reflects back. Fragments of the light, flashes of firelight, silhouettes of motion, and even the whispers of your names. The Shatter Peaks themselves seem to have just recorded the slaughter that just happened. The carriage creaks forward once once more along the slope. The road descends, winding between the ridges, now painted in orange light as the sun sinks behind the jagged horizon. Ash drifts down in soft flakes, catching the dying sunlight like almost snowflakes of burning silver. Excuse me. Far below where the Ashton Belt begins, the first fires of the Pyre Heart stronghold gleam faintly off in the distance, in a heartbeat of red orange at the world's edge. I need someone to roll me AD 12.

1:12:00 I can do it. There you go guys. 8 all. Right. You said 8. Yep. OK, so the last of the light of the day die slowly in the Shatter peaks. You begin to make camp. The stars are veiled, but the mountain glows from within. Cracks in the rock pulse with molten light, like the world itself still remembers the forge it once was. Your campfire burns low, fed only by the faint heat of the vents beneath the Ridge.

1:12:46 The wind carries the distant hum of the volcano, a slow, rhythmic throb that matches the heartbeat of the land. Then, through the haze of heat shimmer and drifting soot, a shadow moves. At first it looks like a piece of the mountain shifting, A jagged black silhouette rising higher than the tree line. Then it moves again, almost deliberate, dragging something that scrapes against the stone with the sound of Thunder, muted by snow. Out of the ash storm emerges a giant, easily 20 feet tall, his skin cracked and blackened as if carved from cooling magma. Patches of molten light pulse from beneath his flesh and beneath his armor, but not flame, but embers.

1:13:30 Embers of something older, sustained by faith rather than life. He walks slowly, each step leaving a shallow crater that glows faintly before dimming. His face is obscured by a helm of fused glass and iron. One eye socket is dark, the other burns faintly red. Across his back is a massive, half melted great sword, dragging behind him like a comet's tail, it's edge constantly shedding sparks as he draws near. You realize? Everybody give me a perception check. 13. 16. 20. 2020. 21. All right, so you have the option here. As you as he draws near to you, you realize he's blind. His movements are careful, his head tilting towards every sound.

1:14:31 He hums almost underneath his breast or breath. Excuse me? A low, broken tune. Faith is a forge, but the gods forgot to temper the steel. He stops, nostrils flaring at the scent of your campfire. His head turns towards you, almost unseen, but something in the air tells you he feels you there. The mountain burns again. He murmurs. They wake her heart again. So at this point, I mean, you have three options at this point. You can approach him, you can stay completely silent and attempt to basically have him move on, or you can straight up attack him. Those are your options.

1:15:25 Can I roll perception or something to determine his his demeanor right like. Sure. Is he? Maybe insight? Yeah, I. Was gonna say why don't you give me an insight check for that. Can I do it too? Yeah, anybody that wants to roll an Insight can definitely roll an Insight. I got 25. OK. So 13. OK, Gene, real quick. Where are you? Again. Oh I got a Nat 20. I thought I was with them. No, no. In real life. Are you at home? Yeah. OK. I need you to take your dice and eat them out the door.

1:16:08 Yeah, homie. You know what, I've been using the the digital dice. I'm going to go get my regular dice. Yeah. There's. Your problem. Yeah. Throw your phone outside, Yeah. Yeah, yeah, Throw your phone as hard as. Yeah. So with all of your insights, he is not necessarily hostile. It almost seems like he's marching towards something that he is needing to do, and he doesn't have necessarily a any worry about what he senses so far with the six of you. Hey, where are you headed?

1:16:55 Can. You say that out loud. Oh shit. Yeah. He was mumbling in common, right? Yeah, yeah, he was mumbling in common. So you're going to you said what again? Hey, where are you headed? Who said that? It is I Neros. And you see him kind of out of almost instinct, kind of pull the great, the half melted great sword out from his back and just kind of hold it, not necessarily in a hostile way, more of a frightening. Yeah, I'll meet that with a calm yourself. I mean you no harm and I wish to not prevent you from continuing on your path. I'm just curious to know what it is you're doing, where you're going, and what's your objective? OK, give me a you're not necessarily lying, correct? You're you actually legitimately wondering what he, where he, what he's doing?

1:18:06 That's at this point, yeah. Sure. The giant kind of pauses mid stride when you speak, and for a moment the mountain seems to hush again. Listening to see whether it's such a question almost deserves an answer. The giant steps slow, grinding, the grinding of molten stone beneath his feet soften until the sounds until it sounds like almost cracking of old ice. He almost tilts his head towards where the sound of Neros his voice came from. The single ember in his right eye is flickering like a candle caught in the breeze. When he speaks, his tone isn't hostile. It's, it's tired. The kind of fatigue that comes with, you know, basically holding the world up for too long. And he says down.

1:18:52 The word echoes carried through the heat like a slow bell. He drags his broken sword once, like the sound again, the sound of Thunder rolling on stone. I go with a mountain. Dreams to the heart where she sleeps. They stir her again, the priests, the Dominion, the ones who sing with glass in their throats. They would wake her to forge the world anew. And he kind of kneels slightly, the motion sending cracks, spider webbing through the ground. His blind gaze fixes roughly on where Neros is standing. He says. I was her keeper once, the forged hand of Pyre Heart. I quenched her rage when the gods fled. Now I can only follow her heartbeat. The heat around him intensifies, not painful, but almost solemn and reverent.

1:19:49 He exhales. A plume of smoke drifts from his mouth, curling upwards in the shape of a tower and then a crown, and then nothing at all, he says. Tell your masters that the gates of Pyre Heart do not need guards. The mountain keeps her own. And with a slow, deliberate motion, he lifts an item almost from his belt. It's a molten Shard, kind of pulsing faintly in his palm. And he kind of extends it towards you near us. And he says, if you still carry purpose, he says, take this. It listens to flame, but answers to will. OK, good.

1:20:36 OK. I won't even wait for him to. Stop so I I have a question for this guy. Hang on one second, so nearest the the Shard that you have is a. It's heavy but warm, almost unnaturally, humming faintly to now your heartbeat, so every time your heart beats it, it glows just a little bit more, if just for a moment. It almost feels alive. The giant straightens up again, almost turning towards the calderas distant glow. He says the path grows short, little flame when you reach her gates.

1:21:18 Remember who lit the fire 1st? And Ogerman. You wanted to ask him a question. Yeah, I want to ask him if he's an ally or an enemy of the Dominion, because he mentioned the Dominion. So you ask, are you an ally or enemy of the Dominion? The wind kind of hollows or howls. Excuse me once more through the Ridge, carrying the scent of molten stone and iron. The sounds, the sound steals him as he goes to start going, as he starts to start walking again. He goes. Dominion. That name changes hands every few centuries.

1:22:01 Men build walls and call, call them eternity. He turns more fully now, so that a single glowing eye is now facing you. Ogman. The giant's voice deepens, until it feels less like sound and more like the mountain itself is remembering how to speak. He goes. Once I I built their their weapons, I tempered their faith, I forged the first ember plate that carried the sealed flames mark the wind kind of shifts and his voice softens and almost sorrowful. He says. When they forgot what the fire was for. I burnt their forges shut. His head lowers. I am no would.

1:22:43 You like to help us? I am no man's ally. I only serve the flame that remembers, not the one they chained and crowned to their halls. If the Dominion wakes her again, I will tear the citadel apart stone by stone until their faith runs dry and a beat of silence passes. The ash settles like snowfall and the giants voices rises again, almost like a confession. Tell your Dominion this little one, the fire does not choose sides, it only chooses truth, and here the truth burns, and he retrieves his sword, dragging it once more behind him as he turns back towards the caldera. The wind picks up again, carrying his words away into the dark.

1:23:34 If your light is honest, I will not strike it down. The sound of his footsteps fade into the ash and for a moment the mountains glow, pulses and rhythm with his departing steps, and then stills again. I like that guy. That's what I just tell you. I just tell everybody I like that guy. Cool. All right, so for the sake of time, we will assume everybody takes a watch. No, if nothing happens during the watch, we're going to take a small break, come back and we will continue on on the journey to the Pyre Hard accord that is next here on Crit Happens. Level up your hangout at the Benevolent Badger. Stop in and say hi to Jordan, Mel and the rest of the Benevolent Badger crew.

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1:25:08 Where we last left our party. They were just completing their long rest. Everything just forsake of time will go off without a hitch and we will move here into the second day. So let's get everybody back to full health. All right, cool. All right, so then as morning comes about, sun cresting the horizon, you begin your your travel once again. Ash falls in soft, steady flakes across the switch back, path, path path, coating the glassy stone and ghostly grey, each step crunching faintly like treading over old bones.

1:26:01 Far below, rivers of magma wind through the caldera and above, black Spires rise from the volcano's mouth, each crowned with pale fire that burns without color. The air tastes metallic. Bells toll somewhere ahead, not heard but felt, the way Thunder hums through ribs. At the end of the path that you see, the Pyre Heart stronghold yawns open, a Dominion citadel fused to a volcanic rim and veiled in hollow host iconography. Basalt archways weeps streaks of black wax. Every torch burns without heat, every brassiere cold as memory lines of mourners move towards the funeral gate.

1:26:48 Dominion officers you can see in parade armor, choir priests in silent procession, all speak in whispers, each step closer, each step closer steals something from the air. Warmth, color, courage, and you realize this is not a fortress, it is a tomb that's forgotten what it buried. As you reach the final bend, you see the outer curtain, Dominion soldiers flanking Hollow Host acolytes, both watching the incoming processions with equal suspicion. Between them stands a gate of carved basalt, depicting thousands of faces without eyes. One of those faces moves.

1:27:33 Its lips part, exhaling A faint sigh that turns into mist. A Dominion officer in blackened emberplate steps forward, visor down. Behind him, a crownless Cantor sways, robes drifting, porcelain masks vibrating in rhythm to a deep subsonic hum. And I assume would you approach right away towards the gate? I would for myself activate my mask that gives me invisibility OK and continue to observe. Lie up pretty high. OK. And I will use my cloak of invisibility.

1:28:17 OK, Savara, are you still guiding the the carriage? Yep. OK, Kezdea, I'm sneaking. You sneaking. I'm sneaking. OK. So without raising his voice, an officer announces all who enter Pyre Heart must surrender their words. Speak only what the host permits. The Accord will not abide liars at its altar, and a line forms behind the gate, acolytes collecting sealed envelopes known as unspoken eulogies and pinning them, pinning fragments of porcelain to each entrance collar. And that's when you realize they're not checking for weapons or relics.

1:29:09 They're checking for grief. Oh, as you approach, Sorry, go ahead. As you approach the Dominion sergeants, the Dominion Sergeant eyes your group, or what's left of your group. He does, however, kind of look in the air. And I mean I'm. Going to wave. He kind of goes, he kind of looks up and salutes a little bit towards you, kind of with a confused look in his eye. And he, the Cantor hums.

1:29:56 The cantor's hum deepens and you can see 3 distinct approaches ahead, 1 lined with carts and mourners, 1 guarded by cliffside vents, and one where merchants offer their offerings and bribes. That means we have to go one of those three ways. Is that what you're saying? Correct. Yep. So there are can. We repeat what they're doing. Yeah. So to kind of break it down a little bit more, basically the first line with carts and mortars, you will be looking to infiltrate from within. You'll be pretending to be funerary auxiliaries.

1:30:38 The second path will be a physical infiltration. You will basically have to scale the cliffside fumaroles to get to the location or the final. You can attempt appeasement through offerings and bribes. I can fly so you know, scaling a Cliff, whatever how high is the Cliff Let's. Take a look. Here I wouldn't know how wide it is. The Cliff itself is approximately 45 feet tall. Cool, I can get myself and three others up there. I mean, I don't need.

1:31:39 It all up there. Yeah, I can. IPhone have no Cliff scaling ability whatsoever. I get to see people with. Best of them though. I can wild shape into a Kwaza Lakotas and fly. Get us. Up there in 30 seconds in game time. Why not? Wait, are there any trees? No, there are no trees. So effectively what you would see is you see a pathway that would allow you to scale it. Effectively what you would do is you would scale it in three separate segments and be basically a skill challenge. How big is how thick is a Stonewall? I could wind block us all.

1:32:31 I'm in for climbing I think. I'm pretty athletic. Wait, how thick is a Stonewall? I am not. It's basically it's embedded into the the mountain, into the wall, yeah. There's got to be like a, there's got to be like a wall, right, Where people are like passing through, right? You're not able to see because it's it's like it says, about 45 feet above you. So you're not able to see the the the width of the wall that you would also need to climb over so effectively. Oh, I wasn't good, I wasn't good. I wasn't good. I wasn't gonna climb over it. I was gonna train. I was gonna stone shape it and make a door. Yeah.

1:33:16 But we have to go up. I mean like, oh wait, fuck that. OK, I guess I could. Wild Shape. I mean, if I wouldn't walk you guys, then everyone's just gas and we're just clouds of gas and myths and we can just fly around wherever. That's very true. I can make it so we have, I'll say advantage. I mean like if she wind walks all the. Time. Yeah. If she wind walks, what was that? Say again sorry. What spell level is that? Because I don't want to waste. It wind walk, I think that's third level. Or is that your bead? 6th level. I think that's one of her beads, right? Let's see something.

1:33:58 That's one of my beads. OK, so I can use it once. Once a long rest for long rest, yeah. I mean it lasts for how long? Like all day up. To 8 hours, yeah. Up to 8 hours. Yeah, and we can go like back and forth between the wind walking, I believe. Yeah, yeah. Actually, yeah, yeah, I mean, that sounded. Yeah, if we want to use that on it, that's probably a good, good use for this day. I. Mean it's I would assume we'd have a decent chance of sneaking around. We're going to. You'll be wherever you choose to solidify in. You're going to be stuck in that position for a minute.

1:34:41 But I mean just hide behind a tree when you do it or something. Or up in the tree. There are do stuff right? Oh yeah, this is where we what we use for the fun house isn't. It. Latrine and just come out be like, yeah, that was a good bathroom break. No other way up this mountain. So I say yes, let's do it. I will take the help when offered. Or we can choose one of the. Other two, The other two notes or. Something else? Yeah, because it gives you a fly speed of like 60. 300 feet I think it is flying speed of 300 feet and resistance to damage from non magical weapons and the only things you can do are dash or revert to normal form while this is going. Let's do that.

1:35:38 Yeah, because you you should do. That at the start of every single day, because we can go back and forth into it. It's got a duration though, right? Like an. Hour 8 hours. 8 hours. 8 hours There was a. Concentration or anything? No, it was just a bead. No, it's just a bead. It's, it's a prayer bead. It's. I I chose. This very specifically for things like this on it, but yeah. Let's do it. OK, all right, prayer, Bead it up. Fur bead to wind walk and then up the mountain. The physical route, correct?

1:36:20 Yep. Well, I mean, we're just going to, it's going to take us a grand total of if an action is 6 seconds and we fly at a speed of 300 feet per act for per turn, 300 feet in six seconds, it takes us no time to get to the dash. Yeah, yeah, it would take you no time to get up the mountain. So yeah, we'll all dash also. So we move 600 feet in six seconds. So just OK, we're here. OK, yeah, so I mean you lift your faces to the vents and feel the ash breath wind gather in loose rhythm and the world fins beneath the mountain's hum of Sisa speaks the incantation. The air bends, fingers of cloud and shadow coil around your boots and in a breath you are no longer quite solid. Wind walk takes you, each of you becoming a low rolling column of mist and ash voices, muffled edges blurring. You ride up the shafts like like nothing, sliding along the rivers, or excuse me, sliding along along the Ridge above the turn events instead of clinging to the glass switch backs from this new hype pyre.

1:37:37 Heart looks smaller and stranger, the funerary gate a ring of black teeth, the cantor's porcelain mass bobbing like seals and slow procession. What I will need from you so like the. Part where you said we're writing up the shafts, yeah. What I will still need from the both from all of you is because there are vents in the in the mountain, I'm going to need 2 checks. I'm going to use my Obsidian heart. That gives me advantage on identifying when those vents are going to do something. OK, so you will.

1:38:20 Before they do something. You'll gain advantage I believe, correct. Yeah, I gain advantage on detecting the vents. OK, so I will. So I will. I will do my best to guide everyone to not go where the vent is. OK. So the first thing I need from all of you is effectively what we'll say first is we will say a nature check with advantage to read, to read the vent patterns and basically choose the path that will be calmer because again, you're made of air at this point.

1:39:00 So you are going to be affected by the vents if you if you take the wrong route. So first thing first, I'll need. Right, but I can detect sources of heat within 60 feet. Mava vents, active forges, hidden wards. Yeah. So again, you'll you'll get advantage and you said you'll relay all the information to your party, correct? Yeah, but that's only advantage on the perception checks to find the vents within 60 feet. So I shouldn't need to do a nature check. I should be able to sense them with perception based on this item. So if we get within 60 feet of a vent, I have advantage on perception checks be like, that's a vent because it's hot and I can feel it and say, right, let's go this other way. Yeah, you're able to detect where they are, but again, so. Yes, within 60 feet, yes.

1:39:54 Yeah, within 60 feet. So if. I get within feet a second, Yeah, and. You're. Going to tell us that. Yep, left, right. Go in that case, then I'll say you all based on Neuros's information that you will all just automatically succeed the first check. The second check will be effectively the check to take said route successfully. A nature. I would need everybody to make me effectively an acrobatics check. Oh fuck. Excuse me, we're flying. And I have it. I have advantage on acrobatics, correct?

1:40:37 Oh, 17. 10. Does my 600 feet per round give me an advantage in acrobatics? I mean, I would say if you're moving at that speed, you're going. Yeah, but it's controlled speed. Not at 600 feet a second. When you are. Formed. Just in gas you are. I got a 17th. Yeah, I. Got 21 anyway, I hate you. 2020 cash. I got a 21 anyway.

1:41:18 Savara, 1010. Yeah. I'm so excited, I just got a net 20 but I have +8 to acrobatics so that's the 28th. There. You go all right, so everyone will succeed and gain their way up the mountain. Just like a snap of a finger and we're there. Poof. Pretty much, yeah. Like Harry Potter chasing the fucking golden snitch. You know your drinks cold when there's fog coming off of it. Oh my God, that hurts.

1:42:12 OK, so all of you making up the mountain successfully with the wind walk. You follow the vents, curve inwarded for a brief moment, the haze kind of opens and you emerge into the the hidden arteries of of pyre heart. The walls here are blackened stone, slick with condensation, and heat in the air thrums faintly with a rhythmic vibration, not mechanical but almost musical. Somewhere above, the hollow hosts crownless. Cantor sustains a continuous note, and the residence makes dust leap up from the floors in steady patterns, and you realize with dawning unease that the entire fortress is singing.

1:43:01 Glowing channels of magma trace the floor like veins, lighting the space with dim, pulsing light. Black candles rest in wall in wall recesses, their flames Gray and motionless. The corridor forks fox, fox. The corridor forks three ways left, a gallery lit by extinguished brassieres in line with tall Obsidian mirrors. To the right, quiet Chapel filled with unlit bells and incense brassieres, or straightforward, A narrow unlit half collapsed room. Now this this pathway for what you can see with all your passives is restricted.

1:43:50 Not the gas. Form though, right? Yeah, that sounds like perhaps the easiest option for us as incorporeal beings right now. Spencer's like, I hate my life. No, that's actually really smart. Give me one second. Oh look, another another puzzle we can bypass. Gaseous form. Wisp of clouds 300 feet. Resistance to damage. Dash. Yeah, that takes a minute to to change back and forth, so keep that in mind.

1:44:44 OK, so you drift forward, silent and shapeless, thin ribbons of ash and vapor gliding through the molting corridors of Service Gallery B. Here the world ceases to resemble architecture at all. The Dominion's masonry gives way to volcanic caverns lined with Obsidian veins that pulse faintly like slow heartbeats within stone. The very air feels charged, as though the mountain recognizes intruders and hasn't yet decided whether to reject or consume them. And in your current state, you make no sound, save for the faint size of displaced air. You pass through the narrow fissures and warped iron grates, weaving around red lit vents that breathe heat upward and slow exhalations. Below, you glimpse an unsettling sight, dozens of Hollow host acolytes kneeling along a glowing channel of magma, their faces hidden between cracked porcelain masks. They sway gently in time with the low, wordless chant, a prelude to the procession of the Crownless. They are marking the walls with lines of black wax, writing symbols that burn and vanish in the same heartbeat. Every line they draw feeds faint runes overhead, living warts that crawl and shimmer like veins of liquid ink. And for a moment, the spells vaporous calm threatens to falter.

1:46:15 You feel yourself beginning to change. I need all of you to make me a Constitution saving throw. Against auditory effects. No, this would not be an auditory. Effect. That's a 13. A spell effect? No, this is just happening, right? Yep. 17. Finally something I've got proficiency in at least. Me too, 2223. OK. 12. 16. To 12 and 16 and then so are you rolled at 11/17/17? OK, who rolled under 15?

1:47:03 Role of I rolled. 13 You OK? OK, so augmented caste as you as a party are kind of witnessing these living wards and ruins being drawn into the into the walls. Just for a split moment, you revert back into your human shape, flicker like a a ghostly figure almost seen like through a if you will like a heat, a heat haze. And a few of the acolytes pause, their chanting mass tilted upwards as if sensing the distortion. I need both of you to give me a, we'll say a hide check, a stealth check. Was it a spell effect?

1:47:48 No, these were these were effectively due to the the wards that are they are drawing in the wall all. Right words. A spell I can counter spell a ward. The cast the words a long time ago. You can't under spell something I can. Dispel Magic Award. That one you could maybe do if you knew that it was happening. You can't do that in gas board though. I That's true, but I can also sense the words when I'm within 5060 feet of them, so. OK, you sense the words. Don't go by that. OK, we're already. 5 but say in augment I need a stealth. Check I got a 18 did.

1:48:39 You hear me, No 30? Oh my God. I got an 18 and I got fucked. Called the Stealth. Oh my God that's the suck. OK so as Ogman and Khazdea revert from the OR revert into the human form for just the flicker, the acolytes look up and as they looked up you're able to effectively hit the deck and re concentrate back into the gaseous form. From there you follow the sound, the hum becoming clearer as you approach a circular chamber where the corridor opens upward into a cathedral like shaft.

1:49:26 Here pillars of solidified magma rise like organ pipes, glowing faintly at their cores. The walls shimmer with faint reflections, you can see yourself within them. Well, your dashes forms if you will through distorted, almost like different versions of you, moving like 1/2 beat out of sync. In the chamber's center floats a massive bell suspended by invisible chains. It does not swing, but it vibrates constantly, a resonance so deep it feels like your your bones would try to to hum along. The sound is not loud, but it's impossible to ignore.

1:50:07 This is 1 of pyre hearts bell chords. They are living wards that tie the dominions truth. A living ward that ties the Dominions truth seals to the hosts hymn magic. The processions opening tone will begin right here. Nero's you are able to detect pressing a little bit deeper into the hall. With your your ability, you can sense award Nexus leading into the next hall. I want to hey, we got 10 minutes. You want to take 10.

1:51:02 No, I'm asking the group. Can we hide here for 10 minutes while he casts a ritual? I mean, as long as, as long as the the thing doesn't get completed, I'm fine with that. That was a ritual with them. We still had the signing, right? You still got what? Days. It was going to be signed in four days and it took us two days to get there. Yeah, I mean, I'm cool with it as long as we we have time. I'm. Gonna I'm gonna cast detect magic.

1:51:42 OK, it's April to tell you, or I tell you the school of magic, that that's incorrect. You sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic, I can see an aura. If I focus, I use an action to focus and learn the school of magic, if any. It lasts for 10 minutes. So I'm going to do a quick, a quick little sweepy sweep of this area and especially the bell to determine if any of this is like, what's all magic in this place? OK, so the Bell core ward in this chamber. That's the bell itself.

1:52:41 The bell and the surrounding area, if you will. OK. They draw from 2 intertwined schools of magic. Its structure and residents are deliberately hybrid, the product of a Dominion artifice fused with hollow host faith. The main school of magic would be the bells molten lattice projecting a self-sustaining truth ward, a stabilizing field that suppresses lies, shape changing and memory distortion within its radius. This is abduration. All right, I'm going back down and be like hey, y'all like that Bell?

1:53:28 You don't like that, Bell? Did he say bite the bell? No, don't bite the bell. So what I will, what I will say is. What's the being held up by? Nothing. Nothing. Yep. So if OK because you use detect magic in this instance, here's what I will give you. School of Magic is going to be an abduration enchantment hybrid. It is a 120 foot spherical field centered around the bell. Well say forsake of argument. You did not enter that sphere while you were detecting metric.

1:54:11 The effect. Wait, so. The sphere is the thing that prevents shape changing and all that and truth and all that. Yeah, at this point, because of the because of detect magic, it's a 120 foot spherical field centered on the bell itself. So it could be the bell that's doing it, I just don't know if the bell itself is what's magic. Correct. I mean, can't I? I can still get into oh wait it prevents shape changing? Is this considered shape changing? This wind walk. I am going to say yes. It's transmutation, yeah. Yes, yeah, you've changed forms.

1:54:51 So I'm going to say for, you know, take of argument in time, yes, it would be affected by this this this area in. Well, I can't do anything with my wild sheep then. In this radius because of your detect magic spell, all creatures within the radius have disadvantage of deception roles spells their ability that would conceal truth such as non detection, disguise self, mislead, modify memory and we're going to say. Invisibility. Invisibility and wind walk as well would trigger the bells hum, which would require a skill check once and then once per minute the ward pulses. Creatures making charisma saving throws against charm or compulsion effects within this field have disadvantaged not from external magic, but from the almost the alignment pressure of the resonance itself coming from the bell. And just because I know you guys like to break shit. If destroyed, the bell releases a concussive pulse which will do 13D6 Thunder damage plus 10D6 psychic damage. DC-18 Con save is half of that damage. Jesus, that's part of the ward too. Yep.

1:56:09 Holy shit. So I'm I'm. Gonna dispel magic so it doesn't do plenty of that. I. Think he broke something, Spencer? Well, he's about to set off a super alarm here. Why? What would set off the alarm? The fact that the magic is being dispelled and changing. But if the alarm is part of if the alarm is part of that that ability or that ward, it wouldn't happen. Correct, but you're also in an area that has a hollow host members and Dominion forces that can both sense magic changing. So the change in the one thing that's going to keep this whole thing together is going to set off a super alarm I. Mean I already said it unless you let me wreck on it. I mean, it's up to you.

1:57:14 I'll relate everything that that I've learned and let them know that, Let the party know, hey, I can dispel this thing, but it's probably going to raise some flags. But here's what it's going to prevent us from doing, or here's what the limitations are. If we are, if we are there, I think it's worth it. I mean I. I think let it happen. You said it already. Yeah, the fact that we can't use this form, that augment can't Wild shape, that our our changeling or shapeshifter can't do any of that. I've got a bunch of Yeah, I was going to say. Are effective here too, so my.

1:57:57 Polymorph does nothing. And let let a line of creatures come in. Effectively, there's a doorway right into this room. It was more of an archway, if you will. How big is it? Wide ways. 15 feet, we'll say 15 feet by Oh yeah, 20 feet high. Let them come It's it's a pretty straight shot all. Right, so I will ask for my sanity smell magic, yes or no? Well, and it's got to do some. We got to do some things. But yes, I'm going to cast the spell magic unless oh Cisa, Savara, Cassvea 3 of you. No, I mean it's not right.

1:58:46 Do what you want on this one. I've asked one DM how straight is the pathway where the archway is? It's just an archway and it opens up to a big cathedral room, correct? Yeah. OK, let them come. Yeah, let's do this. Is there? Hold on to your back. Quick scan of the room, is there a place that might be more advantageous for advantageous for us to hang out in like to prepare for what we assume will be a combat like does anybody want to go hide somewhere? Does anybody want to? Understand. The other thing, visibility after I. Think I think we should all spend the minute to revert back first, but do it in the place that makes the most sense. Yeah, I'm going to be like where there's a direct shot to the archway in the straightest shot where I can hit the most people coming through in a 5 foot with it. Doesn't sound like you're preparing for a lightning bolt or anything.

1:59:54 OK so you guys will hover as mist above the bolt and glow. You will find an area to be able to. Revert. Thank you. Revert form back to human form. Then you, as you are kind of preparing, you feel Neros kind of shift. The vapor curls reforms, threads of mist twisting into a faint outline of his elven silhouette. The bells resonance wavers, confused by the distortion of form and intent. A single breath gathers in the air, heavy with purpose. Neros says enough. The word is a little more than a whisper, yet it carries like a shout through the chamber.

2:00:41 The dispel magic incantation blooms in his hand, glowing silver white against the furnace light, and the spell hits the residents like cold water on iron. And for an instant, the sound stops. The silence is absolute, total crushing and and wrong. And then, like a heartbeat after death, the bell screams. Runes flare white hot molten script unraveling and fractal spirals that paint the walls with blinding light, and you hear something fracture inside the metal. Not magical, but physical, the clean crack of almost order breaking, and the vibration dies, and with it, the entire chamber's hum ceases to exist. The acolytes kneeling just outside along the lava channel freeze mid chant.

2:01:35 Their porcelain masks tilt upward as one, each head snapping towards the bell core. The absence of sound is worse than the noise. The world fears feels emptied. 1 mask shudders, then another, almost. A low, inhuman keening fills the air rising from beneath the masks. Not anger, but grief. The first breath falters. One tones voices trembling. The flame remembers pain. Another raises a hand pointed directly towards Nero's reforming figure, and the the black wax along their finger drips molten hot onto the floor.

2:02:20 Who silences her voice. The acolytes begin to rise. 9 in total, their movements unnatural, fluid and slow, like puppets being pulled by invisible strings. The bell glows faithfully in their direction, flickering as though straining to return to life. The first acolyte, her mask spilt across the the brow, steps closer, hands clasped than prayer. The words that form the words that follow are a whisper and a threat intertwined. To mute the choir is blasphemy. Speak stranger of breath and shadow.

2:03:01 Do you seek to silence truth? Is it talking to me? Yes. I'm going to stand on my broom, slowly descend and just say truth. You seek truth in this of all places. I am the reliquary of the Laura. I am the truth. I hold all the memories. The Laura worships me, not the other way around. God damn.

2:03:45 OK, Shivers. The silence from the shattered bell hangs heavy. The air ripples the ash, and the chamber stops. The molten light across the bell flares once, guttering like a startled flame. For a single breath. No one moves then. Rhythmatic effect. Also I'm I have my shield out obviously with all the faces and the masks on it and I have my 3 masks floating around me. OK then all nine acolytes, I said 9 correct? Yeah, OK. All nine acolytes collapse to their knees as one, their masks striking the stone with a chorus of cracks.

2:04:31 The black wax in their palm boils the voice. The Keeper remembers. The flame speaks through flesh. 1 raises her head. The split porcelain, now half half melted, is a dull ember red beneath the mass fracture. We were told that the reliquary was, was, was lost, that that velour wept until her silence became prayer. If you are what you claim, then the mountain will open it's heart memory. Hear us, burn us clean, show us what we forgot. And that's where we're going to end tonight's session. God damn.

2:05:24 Damn dude. Very. Very nice. I might, I might have fucked that up a little bit because I wasn't, if I'm the reason these things happen now, I'm I might have messed that up. Yeah, that was, that was awesome. I enjoyed. I was trying to just convince them to like hey be my lackey hey instead hey. Yo. Sounds like you did, yeah. And. That's something. Yeah, but I also might open whatever heart thing or.

2:06:04 I mean to be fair I was gonna say I am the mountain because I have been called the mountain before from the mountain. We're the mountain and the memory, yeah. Twinsies. I executed the peaks and the mountains marked. Beautiful. So you guys are primed and set and ready to go to prepare for the the Pyre Hart accord procession. But first, it looks like you got to deal with some hollow house. But they may. We'll see what happens.

2:06:45 Yeah, I was not expecting. I gotta ask, are they, are they part of the Dominion? No, no, they're. Separate fashion. Yep, the hollow host. Separate faction, so. I was gonna say cuz I gotta urinate and my. God. And that's gonna do it for great happens tonight. Thank you so much for listening to the night's program. Find this on Spotify. Also on Facebook to keep up to date with all of our upcoming episodes. We're nearing the end of season 1, folks. We're planning for campaign 2. We're really excited to bring you more and more of Cred Happens. So for everybody here at the P3 Podcast Network and for all of our players, I have Spencer Heart. We will see you next time. Bye bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.