Due to some violent content, Brontal discretion is advised. In the year two
forty seven, in the Age of Judges, Vartan was summoned home by a
letter stating that his father had died under mysterious circumstances. Upon returning home,
Vartan opened his mind at the possibility that his father's death and his hometown of
Eturno was not everything that had appeared to be welcome to Etherial embrace. Sometimes
everything goes according to plan, and a big fight goes much smoother than anticipated.
I mean, I'm not complaining, but morse, he could have at
least stabbed me or something. Anyway, I'm glad we won. Day four,
late morning the forest at the Hidden Caves entrance, Graystone says, shall
we go then, and starts to walk back towards the town. Yeah,
making a way downtown walking, No, no, no, no, let's
watch gray girls earlier or white chicks. Did you say hot girls? I
said white girls. So Graystone walks with you and says, I believe your
father was using those portals to try and expand the magic of eternal around the
entire continent of Isan. I think he was trying to tap into the extra
plane or magic. Again, I didn't have much to back up these beliefs,
but I think now from hearing about these types of demons, from hearing
what has plagued the town, it's just more proof that he worked with Emery,
whether she knew or not, to build magic around this portal that invited
entities in from another realm. Yeah, yeah, I think that's the pretty
much the conclusion we came to. Just didn't know who all was involved.
However, like your tone really feels like you're gonna possibly punish Emory, that's
not the case, right. I wanted to hold Emory accountable to some degree,
but Timerin would not have it. That was a concession I've already made,
and it appears that you agree with him. Emory was doing what Kiyan
wanted to wanted her too. Without knowing exactly what was said between them,
we don't know how compliant she was, how much exactly she knew she was
doing, so holding her accountable wouldn't serve a purpose. She may have just
been on surface level, helping, doing minimal things here and there, so
without knowing exactly how involved she was, holding her accountable for what Kirian did
wouldn't be fair to her. If you believe that Kirian had the faculties and
the ability to convince Emery to do these things without her complete understanding, then
I will trust your word on it. Kirian's always been a bright for a
bog, so I have no hesitation in believing that he was capable of getting
people to do the things that he wanted them to do without giving away exactly
what he was doing. Yeah, and I'll also point out that he was
having Emery put magic that he could use in other items like stones and scrolls
and stuff like that. Hell, I was able to convince her to make
me a scroll to dig stuff for free, like I was also able to
convince her to just give me firepotions, so so or wizards fire. I'm
not not too keen with all the magic stuff, but I mean, you
asked her to do something, she's gonna do it. So and unless there's
a way to tell who casts a certain spell, there's no way to know
how much of those tunnels she dug out and how much Kirion dugout. Well,
then I believe I owe timerin an apology. Thank you for your wise
words. Bio whispers to the other two and says, you know, we
never did ask Emery what reason Kirian gave her to create those portals. I
guess I didn't really think about it asking why or how. Wouldn't she ask
why though she's doing this big magic for him that took quite a while,
Surely she would ask why. Seems like useful information now, Yeah, but
I mean we talked to her. She seemed pleasantly, pleasantly ignorant. Right,
Kirian could have come up with some excuse and she just bought it.
She didn't seem to be the conniving, sneaky type, so she may have
just bought any excuse he gave her off the cuff. She was also kind
of smitten with Kirian as well. Yeah, I think I think that we're
safe here. So Bastille wrote those letters back to the churches telling him what,
telling them what's going on in Eterno, and he said he is worried
more people will come? Is there a way? How hard is it to
find? E Turno? Eterno does not want to be found. It is
its own magical entity. Whatever contains the magic in this town also pushes things
away. I don't know what it is. There are certain areas even around
Eterno that appear to have that same effect where you don't want to go to
it, you don't want to enter that room, you don't want to unlock
that door. Eterno has this random effect that encircles the entire city, and
I think I hope that is enough to dissuade the Church of Greyhawk from sending
anymore good Bastille is a bit eccentric. I'm hoping that might be the only
reason he was able to pursue and break through that barrier. It's all I
guess that was the only thing I was concerned with. So I just had
a thought back on like early sessions and finding that basement door. I think
Kerrian learned how to control yeah yeah, yeah, like use that same magic
that's around the town on different things. Because we didn't know about that.
We didn't even think about going down that door until like we broke it with
a perception check. Basically, yeah, yeah, huh. I wonder what
else around town is protected that Kerrian is hiding. But yeah, sorry,
that was just a just aside thought based on what Greyhawks just said for sure
or in also Graystone. Yeah, also, Kirian did keep Kirian did keep
quite a few journals. So maybe there's a journal that we don't want to
find. Yeah, maybe maybe something on my my mother, Graystone, do
you know anything about my mother and her still being being alive. I do
not know anything about your mother still being alive. If you believe she is
still alive for some reason, I promise you I will do everything in my
power to help you find her. I appreciate that, although I'm not quite
sure finding her would be a good thing either. So in my experience,
people who do not want to be found should not be found. Just surrounded
by wise men today, huh. I don't have anything else for Graystone.
No, yeah, just like a I don't know why Baia feels like she
has this relationship with Graystone, but just like she wants to like pinch his
cheek and say, you know, thank you, like like he's her son
or something like a little cute nephew. But yeah, sure, um Baya
reaches up and you know it does a very light pinch. It's definitely not
gonna hurt. It's just very light pinch of his cheek and says, um,
you know, I you're an amazing person. And I appreciate everything you've
done for the town and everything that you've done here since you know our return,
and we'll keep that in mind. About Susan for sure, about not
wanting to be found, it's a very good point. He has a weird
sideways glance when you pinch his cheek, but he doesn't say anything about it,
just continues to walk, and after a few minutes he starts to say
something. But but your mind's drift drift off to all of the things,
right, Demons still there, the portals still there, but nobody's going to
go open it. It doesn't seem like now you've resolved that you've been able
to save tell Mika Susan might still be alive. Emery seems to have been
potentially taken advantage of buy Curian to kind of build this security net around Bastille,
informed the Church of gray Hawk that this city is here and craziness is
happening, especially with demons, and probably ask for reinforcements to help with the
demons in his last missives. So you have a lot of thoughts going through
your head on all of the events that happened, So you kind of kind
of are processing those thoughts in your head versus listening to what gray Stones talking
about while you walk and you find yourself at your house. You walked this
entire way lost in your thoughts, and Graystone is standing next to you still,
but you come too with him saying Vartan, I am going to go
home now, will you be okay? Well, yeah, I think I'm
the one you should worry about the least around here. I don't know how
true that is, but I think for at least tonight, he'll be fine.
Get some rest now, and he starts to turn out as he'll walk
away. All right, Hey, you have a good night. Yeah,
have a good night. Take care of yourself. Well do do we want
to go grab some dinner and bring it back? Or yeah, why don't
we stop by the end grab some dornish? Yeah, I just pick it
up, get it to go. Yeah, maybe I'll find some daffodils on
the way. Yeah yeah, yeah, we just go get some one of
everything to go, bring it back to the house. It's like five gold,
yeah, yeah, five gold. Actually it's on the house tonight.
With everything that happened, you do stop and tell Mika's garden and find some
daffodils growing that you could pick a few of and deliver them to Cody.
Yeah, and just make sure that Cody saves one for himself. You notice
that Cody has already hung his sword back up. It's already been cleaned and
oiled and is hanging back up above the bar. And he sets the daffodil
and a little vase. He sets one of them and a little vase below
his giant sword and leaves it there for himself. Good. And yeah,
you get your food, some coffee. We'll get some coffee to go to
Yeah, some late night coffee. Yeah. Sure. And as we sit
down at the table, Bias says, you know, this reminds me of
our first night together, first meal. Yeah, you're right. I did
come in and the evening and walked in here not expected to see you too.
And it's been a pretty eventful What a couple of days, Wow,
it seems like longer. We flashback now to three nights ago, and you
all are sitting around the table with a picnic basket full of cheeses and nuts
and dried fruits and some carrots and stuff in there. Not a lot of
food for all of you, but but there's enough to munch on there and
you sit down at the table. Just after Artan had dismissed, tell Mica
and Graystone. Graystone, so o, Vic, what's your story? I
was born in in the Yuquin Desert. Both of my parents were human.
Actually, I'm the first to be a tiefling. My mom says she was
deduced, seduced by a demon that had taken the shape of my father.
Of course, nobody believed her, so he took off after about a year.
My mother stuck around for a little bit longer and then left me at
the church, the Temple of the Twelve, and wandered off into the desert.
So I was raised by the clergy studying all the different gods. The
Many Faced God came to me in a dream and I've been serving serving him
ever since. He will give me your destination and a name, and I
will find that person and be there for them when they cross over. And
that is my entire purpose for living now, is to just help people cross
over. And the Many Face God gave me your father's name. Yeah,
man, that's some story there. Well maybe you can help me. Oh
what about you by well, my story actually starts an a turnout. Oh
really, yeah, I grew up with your father, Kirian. He was
my very first friend in this world. The only thing that could possibly take
me away from him was a woman, actually two women, your mother,
Susan and my wife Willa. Me and Willa decided to leave a turnel,
and we had few kids, and Willa passed away. My story is not
quite as exciting as Azovic's here, but I found passing comfort with a traitor
who arrived at our village shortly after Willa had passed. While our tryst only
lasted a few months, the consequences kind of lasted a lifetime. Apparently the
traveler cursed me, and as they left town, I became no more.
Nobody could see me or hear me in the corporeal world. I did somehow
get a letter from Talmika. She still some had my address from when I
left, and I watched my great grandchildren open this letter and read it and
saw that Kirian had passed and wanted to come back and pay my respects.
That's why I'm here. Somehow you can see me and hear me as well
as Ovic, So I think this is exactly where I need to be.
Maybe it has something to do with your connection with my father. I don't
know. All three of us are connected to him in some way. Ovic
got the name, and you grew up with him, and I'm a son.
It is very comforting to see you, though, Fartan. You look
just like your father as I remember him. I'm gonna reach into the picnic
basket and feel around. There's not much left. There ain't no food in
the house, and we'll leave this for in the morning. So what do
y'all say? We go inside. I'll light up the fire in the library
and hello, or relax a bit before get in to bed, get a
good night's sleep, and start figuring out what's going on. Yeah, there's
quite a few things in the library that I was wanting to look at.
Anyway, the alcohol is in there, so I'll have a drink, all
right, Yeah, I'll join you on that. We head in Night one.
Judge Graystone meets with Timer and wind Curl. Timer and I just met
with Vartan. He's back home, all right. How's the young man doing?
Is he holding up all right after the news of his father. I'm
not sure. I sense that there is something wrong with him, but I
chalk it up to grief. At this point, he was acting strange,
but who knows how we would act if we were in his shoes. I
take it that you still want the boy to take his father's role. I
do. I believe that he is the best suited for the role. You
know that I care for the boy, but you have to agree he may
not be the one cut out for it. Who knows where he's been these
last years. And you know that he had had disagreement with his father before
he took off. What it was about, I could not tell you.
But what if he does not want his father's mantle. He has shown no
commitment to this town. Cody has chosen to come here. I stand by
my initial thoughts that he is the better fit. Let's give the boy some
time to deal with his grief. Then we can see what he intends to
do after his father's estates are settled. Maybe we can get a glimpse into
what he's been doing this last decade. You talk to Cody, I'll talk
to brass Cane. We can let them know about Vartan. I don't want
to push him right now and cause him to become more unstable. He has
enough to deal with, and Graystone, you're not doing much to raise my
confidence in the boy. But I will agree to talk to Cody and let
him know. In the meantime, you and I appear to have a demon
problem that we need to focus on. Night one, late evening the Temple
of Greyhawk. Tell Mika comes in from the gardens, Bastille, are you
in here? I stopped over and visited Vartan today. He's Kirieon's son.
I don't know if I told you about him yet. He's looking very healthy.
It's so nice to see him, and I'm glad he received my letter.
That poor boy has gone through so much in his lifetime, between his
mother leaving and then passing on, and now his father while he was gone.
I can't imagine what he must be going through. And Bastille, is
that you in the sanctuary? Will you light some candles for Grayhawk? I
don't believe I did them earlier. Today anyway, Graystone and I dropped off
a basket of food for him. I do hope he liked it. I'm
going to make him some delicious foods. I've got a whole menu planned out
for this week. What do you think of zucchini bread? In the morning,
I could make enough in the morning for us to have some, and
enough to take some over to Vartan. And wouldn't that be lovely? Bastille,
I didn't note vart hand seemed very odd Today when I stopped by,
it seemed like Graystone had the same idea. But best not to dwell on
it too much. He's really gone through a lot and is just now starting
the grieving process. In any rate, Bastille, did you wipe down the
pews today? I'm really hoping that now that Magno has defeated one of those
demon creatures, we can start seeing some participation in the evening prayers, Bastille,
Are you listening to me? In there? No basttil here night one
Kirian's house, all right, So you head into the library. You get
the fire going. You know, everybody who wants a drink gets a nice
drink of good fur Bag whiskey, and it's a very tasty. You're standing
around the fire and the fur Bag's Justice is hanging up on the wall.
The room is set up just for you guys to come in and have this
little hilaria. The lighting in the room is very yellow and flickering from the
fire, and the couple of small candles that are in there, and a
large mirror reflects the light from across from the fireplace to help brighten up the
room. Bias says, you know, before we all call it a night,
it's been so wonderful, um seeing you Fartan and honestly meeting you Ovic,
I've never met anyone like you. Why don't we just bring it in
for a big hug. It's a big hug. I could really use one.
Yeah, I think I would have been like standing at the at the
fireplace, like leaning on the mantel and just just sipping on the whiskey and
uh really yeah, and I'm gonna start walking over. I'm I'm not much
of a hugger. There wasn't a lot of affection shown in the church.
Get in here, Ovic, you'll like it here. Let me show you.
Ovic, We'll stand awkwardly, come on in here, buddy, sure
what to do and just kind of leaning into it a little bit. Yeah,
I'm gonna I'm gonna just put my big arms around both them and just
just hug him tight and uh while while I'm looking in the mirror at the
three of us standing in the library, Vartan leans into the embrace, grinning
with his teeth fully bared. He looks into the mirror and sees only the
reflection of himself, grinning back. Ovic and Baya aren't real, They're in
your head. Thank you for listening to this episode of Ethereal Embrace and a
Fool's Quest production. Vartan, the fur bag Fighter is voiced and played by
Adam Culbertson. Bay A Rustin, the half Elf Sorcerer is voiced and played
by Tisha Ovic. The tie Fling Cleric is voiced and played by Chris Johnson
and I am Nico your GM. Please remember to drop us a five star
rating and review on your favorite podcatcher. Music provided in part by Midnight Syndicate,
makers of the original Dungeons and Dragon soundtrack. If you would like to
follow us on social media or say hello to the cast, details on where
to find us will be in this episode's notes. Remember, be safe,
we love you all, and stay foolish.