Due to some violent content, Parental discretion is advised. In the year two
hundred and forty seven, in the Age of Judges, Vartan was summoned home
by a letter stating that his father has died under mysterious circumstances. Upon returning
home, fartand open his mind to the possibility that his father's death and his
hometown of Eternal was not everything that it appeared to be. Welcome to Ethereal,
embrace, that's me, Vartan. Yeah, skipping breakfast was definitely a
mistake. At least I got a quick snack. I imagine whenever we finish
up at the temple we can head on over to Cody's and need a proper
meal. Shouldn't take too long. Day four, late morning, the streets
of Eterno. So do we go back to Grace gray Stone and have like
an emergency city meeting, get everybody rounded up, and then we can just
look who looks the shittiest. You know, it's Ruby and she's going to
be a real pist. If you guys go to her house, are gonna
test everybody with fire. I'm really worried about um um Oh, shoot,
what's her name? Uh? Tell Mica. I'm really worried about Tellmica because
she doesn't she hasn't seemed herself to most people, and which means, you
know, losing sense of self. Kind of made me worry for her.
And she's using a cane, a walking cane. Yeah, yeah, we
should still go check her out. And you continue to tell me good,
Okay, let's go. Yeah, yeah, but I mean I like your
idea. It's it might not be that easy to get everyone right spot quickly.
We might start date with bustill. Yeah, round up an entire city
and hose them down. Which one of you are a demon? Well,
yeah, show me your legs. They can only hold that form for ten
days. It's been on several days. That's probably showing some kind of signs
of rock and that's why they were looking for a warrior to start feasting on.
Yeah, yeah, get somebody stronger. We stopped that for now.
Yeah, all right to the temple. Okay, so you continue on down
to the temple you come up to, well, if you continue on down
the path or down the road, it will lead you up to the front
door of the temple, where you'll walk up the steps into the main for
your area. And then back to the actual place where the congregation is,
or it would normally be. But you could also walk around the building to
the garden area in the back and use the back door. So how do
you guys want to go about this um last time we saw tell me because
she was in the back garden. Yeah, yeah, correct sneak around.
Let's check that out. Catch your unaware so she can't flee in case she
is or z. Yeah. Okay, so you walk around, you sneak
around to the back. Yes, yep, go ahead and make stealth rolls.
But just a DC of ten thirteen fifteen. Three. I got an
at twenty, but I have disadvantage because of my I have disadvantage too,
so three. Yeah. So there is a small alley that runs between the
temple and the building next to the temple. I don't even know what that
building would be. We'll call that building. I mean, what's another building
that would be in the town that would be a decent size The library,
Yeah, a library, we'll say the library. Okay, there's a small
alley that runs between the temple and the library. You travel down that path
to get to the back and into the garden to sneak around, and just
as you round the corn owner, you were looking into the garden bed to
try and see where tell Mika might be from when you last came across this,
and you do not see her gardening tools that were stacked in a small
crate next to the side of the building. And you kick the box and
it makes a loud clattering noise of all of her little spade, her little
hand rake, all of her little tools comes spilling out of this crate,
and tell Mika's head pops up and she says, oh, who is it?
Who's here? Oh, it's just made Vartan. Oh, hello,
Vartan. Why are you here today? What can I help you with?
I was just coming about to stop see how you've been. Oh, look,
you've made a mess. Let's clean this up. And she gets up
and hobbles over to your grabs her walking stick and walks over and leans down
to pick ups of the tools and put them back in the crate. How
long has your like been bothering you? Oh? You know the weather and
these old bones. It's been a little while. Now. What happened?
I mean, did you sprain it something like? Oh? I think it's
just the arthritis from leaning down and getting up each day. Oh, why
haven't you done anything to to fix it up. I'm sure Amory could throw
something together for you. I've tried a few healing spells on myself, but
maybe my magic just isn't as potent as it used to be. Um,
hold on, these kind of diseases and stuff don't affect the people of the
city, correct, So sure? No? Uh, no, creature animal
doesn't come up and bit you. I don't think so. I heard something
about something something biting and getting infected. My uh, good tonicle take care
of it. I don't know, Maybe maybe I can take a look at
it. Um, I've I've learned a few Ah, well, I have
a buddy who knows quite a few healing spells. Oh ah, sure,
yeah, you wanna come inside with me and I can sit down and you
can take a look. This feels like a trap. Yeah yeah, let's
let's go inside. Uh, let's see what I can do about that leg.
Oh okay. She starts walking toward the house. And it's a very
lovely day to day, wouldn't you say? It's much better than the dreary,
rainy day we had yesterday. I couldn't work in my gardens at all.
And she makes her way inside and goes into the into the back area.
There is a little wash sink and stuff for her to kick her sandals
off and wash her hands in the basin from being out in the garden area,
and she drives them off in a towel. And there's a rocking chair
in the back room right there, and she sits down in it and pulls
pulls a stool up with her foot like, slides it over to her and
puts her foot up on the stool and says, is ah, is this
healing medicine that you've got something that is quick fest working. Yep, it's
a spell. It'll be pretty instantaneous. And she pulls her dress up a
little bit up to her knees and go ahead and make a medicine roll on
her to see if you can find anything different about her leg, like a
big bite. Mark got a nineteen seventeen, I can roll. I didn't.
I didn't think about rolling. I get a ten. Okay, I
was gonna say a nineteen seventeen or guy, I'm gonna give you the information
anyway. But yeah, it's DND. Everybody gets to roll. So you
take a look at her leg, and you don't see any bite marks on
it, or any sting marks or anything crazy. But you do notice that
her leg seems very strong, much stronger than what you would think for an
old dragon born who's complaining about arthritis in her leg. What and then I
need a perception roll from all of you. Sixteen thirteen twelve. Okay,
Over the outside sounds of people walking around and and just the everyday hustle and
bustle going on, you can hear candles burning in the main room and where
the congregation sits. I guess we'd call it a sanctuary, right. You
hear candles burning and a fire burning in there pretty loudly. Okay, So
I'm gonna I'm gonna. I'm just gonna slowly like slide my hammer out.
I'll be like, what's that? What's that burning sound? Tellmica, Oh,
I'm sure it's the fireplace. That sounds too loud to be a fireplace.
What's what's going on? I don't know what you're referring to. I
just hear the fireplace going in the sanctuary. Um dang, I'm gonna cast
a tech thoughts on Tellmica, I hope that that, hope that it works,
and my hammer, my hammer is out. So you initially learn the
surface thoughts of the creature, what's most important on its mind at the moment.
As an as an action, I can either so it automatically grabs surface
thoughts. But I can probe deeper. Then that's when they have to make
a wisdom saving throw. Okay, okay, cool, you cast this spell,
and the thoughts that you get the surface thoughts are please don't let them
hear what's in the basement. Okay, fuck. I can probe deeper if
I choose, she knows that I'm probing into her mind. If I probe
deeper. Yeah, so you get those thoughts right away, But then she
knows that you're doing it only if I probe deeper. Oh okay, okay
is what my reading is. If you probe deeper, the target must make
a wisdom saving throw if they fail, if they pass, blah blah blah.
Either way, the target knows you're probing into its mind. Okay,
unless you shift your attention to another creature's thoughts. Yeah, I think that
she doesn't know right now unless I probe deeper. Please, don't let them
hear what's in the basement. I don't probe deeper yet, but I kind
of as Vartan to back up just a little bit and tell him that there's
something in the basement that she doesn't want us to know about. Are you
gonna use that hammer on the fireplace? Vartan? She puts her dress back
down over her legs. Obviously. Was that mocking, Yeah, yeah,
that was mocking. All right, Um, let's do it, I guess
let's uh, let's probe deeper, wisdom saving throw and I and I know
that, like we all know now that there's something in the basement, right
yeah, yeah, she fails it. And is there something specific that you're
looking for or you just want the next series of thoughts that's going through her
head? Well, I I gain insight into her reasoning, her emotional state,
and something that looms large in their mind. Her reasoning is that the
fireplace is the fire is burning loudly to drown out the noise of something that's
in the basement. Her emotional state is she's concerned and frustrated mutually. There's
there's both there and then something large looming on her mind. Oh man,
she doesn't want you to find tell Meca kind of a b oh man,
um uh, yeah, we need to find Talmica. I think frustrated and
scared. Why is this thing scared because it's feb He said that her legs
are stronger than they look, stronger than they should be. So I don't
think she's gonna you know, I don't think she's weak. Yeah, but
she's definitely the more zy. Oh tell Meca is probably in the basement screaming
for help. So is she of to that mocking question of are you gonna
use it on the fireplace? I will be like, I'm gonna use it
on you if you keep talking to me like that. And whoever this Temmica
imposter is knows that I probed their mind. Oh yeah, all right,
So she's going to respond back and say, well, that's a neat trick,
isn't it. How did you learn how to do that? What are
you doing? In my head? I am swinging out it's heads. Who
are you? You say? You say who are you? As they swing?
Yeah. Because questions verbally directed at the target creature naturally shape the course
of its thoughts. So I'll get the thought. Okay, okay, well
that's is that probing deeper? Is that the next round of probing deeper?
Then? Um? Yeah, I mean that's I mean are we are we
getting ready to be in combat? Because I can hold the question. I
mean that depends on your your two comrades in arms here. I am not
attacking. I've pulled my sword and I'm ready, but I've not actually done
anything yet. I would say reading the room, you guys would kind of
know what Baia is trying to do. So if you wanted to make that
decision, you can, or you can still attack if you want. Vartan
Okay, So I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna bring the hammer back
and then I'm gonna wait for bio. So I need to make another safe.
I mean because that last round I answered alter your questions right, yeah?
Yeah, yeah, sure make another save. Um. Either way,
the creature can use its action well I'm not hold on, I mean go
ahead and try and save. But hey, I rolled in that one on
the save, so okay, so on your yeah, on your turn,
the creature can use its action on its turn to make an intelligence check contested
by my intelligence check. If succeed the spell ins. So yeah, yeah,
I mean I gotta now I feel like okay, all right, and
my intelligence bonus is also a zero, so I guess yeah, if if
asked who are you? What would this creature think? All right, so
this creature would think because it's instantaneous, right, the thoughts that are right
through there, So this creature would think, I am a more Z and
I am claiming my place in this realm, and I will bring my armies
here. So gross, all right, where's Tellmica in the basement? And
you get an image of Tellmica in the basement, and then Baya is going
to ask the more Z who brought you to this realm? And because I
gotta, because I critically failed, I'm going to give you quite a bit
of information that all floods in at once. Kirian brought me here when he
tried doing that stupid spell that he was too inexperienced to do. And since
I've been here, I've only had to take one bite out of one person,
and my visage has stayed. I have not had to continually eat.
This world is perfect for me. Who else knows that you're here? Oh
man, I'm going to make another save for that. Okay, that is
a fourteen, So you got to make an intellect role to our intelligence role
to right, Yeah, and it's got to be higher than a fourteen fourteen
or higher. Okay, oh that's a six. Wom you saw of inspiration?
Yes, I have two more inspiration, thank you? Up another six
nineteen the inspiration all right, Okay, so you're out of inspiration. But
you do find out no one else in the town knows that I am here,
No people from Eterno, just my army and just my keen. And
you get a glimpse that the Morosi's hand is in the big sweater thing that
tell Mika Will always wears, you know, because she's like a little old
lady wearing like a knit sweater and for a dragon boorn. And so his
hand is in the sweater right now, and you know that it is specifically
trying to think about something, or it's specifically trying to not think about what
is in the sweater. I mean, do we want to fight a demon
god right now? Oh? We're gonna have to. I think it's less
of a matter of who want to it's going to happen. Okay, Uh,
yeah, I mean I could continue asking questions like who is his king?
And what is in his sweater? Yeah? I think the second one,
if it's not too much meta gaming. The second one seems more important
at this exact moment. Okay, uh, what's in your hand? What's
in your sweater? All right? Making one more role? Will this be
tested intelligence? Okay? Yeah, and I don't have any more that is
a twelve not one. That one we'll never know until we kill it,
all right? So what as as the link fades with more As trying to
not think about what is in its pocket instead thinks about the two chasms that
are down near, tell Mika, and then I will give you guys a
quick role for initiative. No chasms, chasms the demons, not chasms like
holes in the ground. Correct, chasms the demons we need to save.
Tellmica, I got a twelve six. Okay, So Baya goes first,
then Ovivic and then more Z and then Vartan. Correct. All right?
Sounds good? All right? So bya your you now know this information,
She says. Let's let's head to the basement and saved. Tellmica there's two
chasms down there with her. She's in danger. Okay, and that the
door to the basement is in the next is in the adjoining room. You
can see it from where you're at right now. Out she heads that way.
Okay, So you make your movement to the door. Is that it
for your turn? I don't think I can dash or anything. We could
say if if you want to do two rounds of movement, we can say
you make it to the door, and you can open the door if you
want to. Yeah, let's do that. Do you want to do a
quick once over to make to see if there's any traps or anything on the
door that you see just at a glance. Yeah, okay, So I'll
say, because you're moving so quickly to the door, you're in a rush,
give me a perception check to see if there's any traps DC twelve.
I got a twelve. Oh okay, all right. Right before you grab
the handle of the door, you do see that there is a something sticking
out from the bottom of the door, like a like a metal pin of
some sort that is under the door, where if you try to push it
open, it would move the pin. She backs up a little bit.
Okay, Ovic, I believe it's your yea. I will head towards the
door as well and cast emboldening bond on the three of us. So once
per turn you get an extra D four to add it to an attack,
roll ability check or saving throw. Okay, and is that it for your
turn? Yep. I'll just get close to the door as I can with
my thirty feet and Morezi stands up from the chair. The rocking chair activates
the thing in its pocket, and a teleportation circle opens up. Make a
perception check from all of you guys to see if you can tell where the
landscape is eighteen twenty five okay, all right, cool geez, all right,
so the nineteen and the twenty five are good enough to do it.
But you guys, see, it's from on top of so if you remember
where the cave entrance was, where it was like under a little hill where
you kind of had to crawl down to get into it, it's from on
top of that, but maybe thirty yards back from the entrance. So you
can recognize the same scenery from when you came out of the cave. But
you can't even see the mouth of the cave from where you're at. You
just recognize it when you came out that's what it looked like upon exiting the
cave. But you're about thirty feet up on that rise looking down. Okay,
so we know where he went. Yeah, and we have the stone
to teleport ourselves there. Ye, correct to the cave at least? And
did we did we knock down that tree to block the mouth of the cave.
No, we didn't know. We decided we couldn't do it without alerting
breast can and best deal, there's no sneaky way to do it. Yeah,
so we have a decision, save Tellmica or go after the bad guy
right away. I vote for go after the bad guy. I vote for
Tellmica. Save Tellmica. Morzy is gonna summon a thousands ill and we'll take
care of them when it comes to it. But tell me, because a
life we know we can save, and she's in danger right now we could
think we can save. We don't know anything about this creature's magic. Yeah,
as soon as we save her, we could pop teleport there and fight
it at the source. All we have to do is grab her and pop
it and then take her to where this portal is gonna open. No,
we'll leave her here. Tell her to head So we're gonna fight Great gray
Stone. We're gonna fight two chasms and hope that Morezy does not have a
chance to open the portal in the time it takes us to take out two
chasms. Surely it's at least a ten minute summoning no idea. Well,
I'm not gonna go fight the more Z by myself, Yeah, because he's
I mean, we could use everybody we have in town. These chasms might
kill tell me goa and then kill other people before we can make it back
here. All right, So let's get into the basement. Yeah, I'm
gonna take off down the basement and I want to make eye contact with the
more Z. Be like, but I had my I had my hammer up.
I'm just gonna lower it and just feel like I'm gonna get you,
and then I'm gonna take off running downstairs. Thank you for listening to this
episode of Ethereal Embrace and a fools Quest production. Vartian 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 Dragons soundtrack.
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cast, details on where to find us will be in this episode's notes.
Remember, be safe, we love you all, and stay foolish.