Speaker 1: Hey there, this is Allison from the Kid's Table and
you're listening to Tale of the Manticore.
Speaker 2: The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
Season three. Like the creature from which it takes its name,
Tale of the Manticor is a mashup, a cross breeding
between two different species of storytelling. Here you will find
the unpredictability of old school paper and dice games with
the story craft of a dark fantasy novel. No character
is sacred, and none will be spared if the dice
decide their fate is at hand. According to Lare, the
Tale of a Manticore is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
time until of the Manticor. The last chapter begins with
ten tears ascension to level five and then gets right
into the action. The PCs face a man's sized speaking
fireball that calls itself odok Zygog and accuses them of trespassing.
But as the moments pass by, something begins to feel
not right that Zygog had called them to his presence
to explain themselves, and then refuses to let them speak.
For example, the marble floor feeling cold when it should
feel warm is another. Flicker seems to be barking at
the space beside the great Wizard, and that's not all.
Fairwind detects a familiar set that does not belong here.
The cleric can smell books, but there aren't any of
those in here. What does it all mean? Suspecting that
they face another illusion, albeit a far more elaborate one
than what they encountered before, Ferwin tries to disbelieve the
scene in front of him alas he cannot. Try as
he might, it is all too real to him. Achilia, however,
has had similar thoughts, and her attempt to see through
the trickery the successful. The Dispel magic spell causes the
phantasm to unravel in front of every one, and as
a kind of bonus, it also reveals the illusion's creator
standing to one side, and heretofore hidden behind a spell
of invisibility. Flicker tears away from the group and bears
this newly revealed magician to the ground. Now the tables
are turned. With a little choice, the magic user frees
the companions from their bonds and calls off the animated
armor that surrounds them on three sides. Achilia delivers a
blistering tongue lashing, but ultimately discovers that she is yelling
at the wrong person. This is not odog Zygog Chapter
forty five, Part one day thirty seven, sometime around noon,
mythic event meaning disrupt nature party status. Achillea eight of
fifteen hit points, Court ten of twenty four, de Renni
eleven of nineteen ten, Tier twenty eight of twenty eight,
fair Wind nineteen of thirty three, Flicker sixteen of sixteen
supplies The companions have been without food for one day,
and henceforth will not be able to heal naturally until
they have eaten. Spells available. Achille can cast, shrink, detect
evil and glitter. Dust Cord can cast entangle, locate plants
and animals, create water, slow poison, hold animal, and speak
with plants. Fair One can cast hold person.
Speaker 1: I've been trying to tell you, tell me what I
am not, oh oak Zygod.
Speaker 2: Achilia was dumb struck. How could this be? Was it
another trick? A bold face lie to follow all the
false fent as while sights and sounds this person advised,
but Achilia was not about to be fooled again. She
raised her wand tip pointed directly at the other's face.
Speaker 3: If you are lying to me, no, I swear, was.
Speaker 2: The squealed reply.
Speaker 1: I swear, I swear.
Speaker 2: That wasn't good enough for a Chilia. She cast her spell.
The little wizards squeezed their eyes shut as the arcane
words were spoken. The magical energy beamed at them from
the violet wand, but to their surprise, they were not incinerated,
nor turned to jelly, nor shot through with electricity. In fact,
it seemed like nothing had happened. I believe you, said Achilia,
lowering her wand as she entered her spell of detect evil.
She knew very well that the incantation could not determine
how truthful a person was, but she was satisfied that
the person sitting on the floor and cowering against the
bookshelf did not mean her harm and had no other
wicked intentions. She stepped back, saying, get up, but now
her voice was soft and gentle.
Speaker 3: I will not harm you.
Speaker 2: The diminutive magic users stood up on shaking legs and
holding up their palms in surrender.
Speaker 3: If you are not Odog Zagog? Who are you?
Speaker 2: I I am not you, came the tremulous reply.
Speaker 1: The librarian here, if you please.
Speaker 3: You mean to say that you are Zygog's apprentice, asked Achilia.
Speaker 2: By now her companions had come to standard her side.
Assessing the situation, they kept silent. The eleven brothers even
lowered their bows.
Speaker 1: No, Master Zygog has never taken on a pupil officially,
although he has taught me some things. But my role
is librarian and in his absence caretaker of his home.
I suppose that one must say I have not done
a very good job at the latter.
Speaker 3: In his absence, Achilia queried, Oh joke, Zygog is not here.
Speaker 2: The other bit their lip, afraid to reply.
Speaker 3: Speaks of truss and I will not harm you.
Speaker 1: Master Zygog has been gone these past two years.
Speaker 2: The stutter that had only just disappeared was back, as
was the fear in their eyes. A Chilia was for
the second time at a loss for words. Her left
hand unconsciously moved to cover her heart. Fair Wind stepped
into help.
Speaker 4: Where did Massa Zogg go? And how long will he
be gone?
Speaker 2: He asked, as unobtrusively as he could. The other's eyes
flicked over and up to meet the eyes of the human.
He wore bloodstained robes and had a wild look to him.
Fearful of how these strangers would react to their reply,
they delivered it in a measured monotone.
Speaker 1: Master Zygod said that if he returned it, all our
reunion would take place after a century had passed.
Speaker 2: Their eyes passed between the human, the elf like girl
with the wand the dog, and back to the human.
Speaker 1: They've gone to seek the golden path.
Speaker 2: What's that sound, Oh right, it's the sound of the
plot thickening. Although it's clear to me what's going on here,
it might be confusing to someone else, and so a
scene in which things are explained further is probably necessary.
That we'll get to that, But first there's a bit
of housekeeping to attend to. First item of business, my
event meaning, all that stuff with allusions and trickery and
even the eventual dispelling of them. I think I can
call that abuse magic. Yeah, I'm going to say that
event meaning is fulfilled. My new one is disrupt nature,
and as of now I have no idea how to
apply it. But that's no big deal. An opportunity will
come along eventually. The next item of business is a
level up for Cord, who today reaches level six. All right,
This level up begins with a D six of new
hit points A five a great role. Chords max HP
goes from twenty four to twenty nine. Because he's a construct,
there's no stats to potentially increase, but Chord deserves something
in the way of an extra improvement. At this point,
I'll say his increasingly barky exterior has raised his armor
class by one point fourteen goes to fifteen. There's more,
of course. Reading over the class description in the Old
School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome, I see that it's
level seven where druids undergo major changes. Level six comes
with a new language, but I'm exchanging that for some
improvements to Robin. Henceforth, Robin will have greater INTI intelligence.
They've developed a kind of autonomy of thought. How to
explain that? Okay, remember when they flew off to find
Odoke's cottage and pass the iron tower flattened grass on
the hill. At that time, they did not have the
reasoning capacity to pay this any special attention, and did
not report it from here on in, however, they will
have the capacity to think independently and make judgment calls
of this nature. Okay, we move on. Chord's basic attack
bonus remains at plus two, and so the only other
change to their character sheet will be the addition of
a new spell. Oh, not just one, but two, and
access to a fifth level spell as well. Looks like
level six is a milestone level, after all, this is exciting.
Their new spell array looks like this, two spells at
each levels one, two, and three, and one spell each
at levels four and five. So level six comes with
an additional third and fifth level spell. Let's find out
which ones they will be. The new third level spell
will be rolling a D six I at A five.
That's it's tree shape. I don't know where that does,
but it feels pretty dark appropriate for Cord. What can
this spell do? Okay, it's pretty straightforward. The caster takes
on in the form of a living or dead tree
whose appearance is completely realistic. All the caster's clothing and
equipment is also transformed, and while in this form, the
druid can perceive their surroundings normally. Well, that was fun,
but it was a mere amuse bouche compared to what's
coming up. A fifth level spell is no joke. I
hope I don't jinx it by saying that Cord is
probably about to come into some significant power. Here it's
another D six for this role. Here we go A
three means Chord gets pass plant. Okay, I have to
admit this sounds a little underwhelming. Druids at this level
can already pass through natural terrain unhindered and without leaving
a trail. But let's see what the spell description in
the book says it does. Ah, I see, it isn't
what I thought. This spell is more like a teleport
or a dimension door kind of thing. Here's the entry
pass plant. The caster steps into a tree and then
instantly steps out of a tree of the same species
in another location. The maximum distance between the two trees
depends on their type, but ranges from two hundred and
forty yards to six hundred yards. Are we ever going
to see this spell in action with the heck nose?
But it's on Cord's character sheet now. All right, housekeeping
is done, and it's time to return to the narrative,
where we'll try to make sense of everything. Chapter forty five,
Part two, Day thirty seven, early afternoon, mythic event meaning
disrupt nature party status. The party status is unchanged with
the exception of Court, whose hit points are now fifteen
of twenty nine and who can now cast the following
additional spells, tree, shape and pass plant. The six of
them were gathered around the table of dark wood in
the small dining room the party had passed through before
encountering the room with the animated suits of armour. Since
there were only five chairs, Cords stood while the others sat.
Flicker laid Achillea's feet under the table, and Robin stood
atop Chord's head, hopping and tweeting happily. Natchu was seated
in the one high chair whose purpose had made the
wunder before. Each of the companions had an empty plate
in front of them that had minutes before been piled
with boiled beets, boiled carrots, and boiled onions. These, their
hosts explained, were the preferred food of the Gnomish race,
of which she was a member. She it had taken
much too long for Achilia to realize that not You
was female. If she had known their race, she might
have guessed their gender by the lack of beard, but
she hadn't known and therefore hadn't guests. Achilie found the
boiled vegetables overcooked, but since she had neaten in over
a day, she cleaned her plate regardless, barely retaining her
dignity as she wolf done the food. If the gnome
had served them plates of boiled shoe leather, Achilie thought
she probably would have eaten that just as quickly. After
the meal, they sat, digesting and wondering what else to say.
For a few moments, the only sound was the sputter
and crackle of the torches in their wallsconss Before the meal,
Achilia had done most of the talking, explaining who they
were and why they were there. Nachu had listened sympathetically,
especially when Achillia talked about the day that she had
found her vappy turned to stone, somewhat to the half
Helse's disappointment. Natchu said she had never known anyone named
Altve Muagg. She'd come to work with Master Zygog four
years ago after the famous historian had saved her from
what she described as a quote difficult situation with a
family member unquote Natchu had not elaborated, and Achilia had
not pried. Fair Winds still had a question. He'd been
wondering whether he should ask it, but ultimately decided he would.
Speaker 4: M I uh, I was wondering when you first became
aware that we were here.
Speaker 2: The gnome dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
Speaker 1: I was made aware of your presence when he came
to the front door.
Speaker 4: Of the cottage. You mean, no, no, of the.
Speaker 1: Interior space, the front door that.
Speaker 2: Opens into the rest of you with the paintings, Fairwood confirmed,
right right, said not you, with a nod and smile.
Speaker 4: But if you will allow the question, why did you
assume we had come with ill intentions?
Speaker 2: Not? You chuckled.
Speaker 4: I don't see what's so funny about that.
Speaker 2: Replied Fairwind, frowning. After all, the fight with the animated
suits of armor, in which Cord had almost been killed,
might have been avoided. It's just not you searched for
the right words.
Speaker 1: It's just up with it this way. How many visitors, petitioners,
and guests do you think Odoak Saigon has had all
together in the time I have known him?
Speaker 2: Ferwind understood the question is rhetorical, but not you answered
it anyway?
Speaker 4: Zero uh, I see.
Speaker 1: The only logical assumption was that you were thieves and
had broken into, burn blaorize my home. I was just
trying to defend myself in my master's possessions, of which
I am custodian, a business with the illusion. I meant
it when I said before, I was just trying to
scare you badly enough that you'd leave and never come back.
Speaker 2: Ah but weaponless not you made a helpless gesture. Then
she turned to Achilia.
Speaker 1: What did you hope to accomplish by coming here?
Speaker 3: I told you about my bobby turned to stone, and
about the name scratched into the dirt.
Speaker 1: Master Zygog would never have done that, though he is
a pacifist through and through he abhors violence of any kind.
Speaker 3: But why wouldn't my master have wanted me to find yours?
Why did he write Duk's name in the dirt so
I would find it?
Speaker 2: Not? You, once again seemed to choose her words carefully.
I kill you.
Speaker 1: What if your master all they didn't want you to
find the man who hurt him? What if he wanted
you to find the only man who could help him.
Speaker 2: This had occurred to Achillia many times before. Perhaps the
intensity of their recent encounter and how much so much
of the world seemed intent unharming them, had made such
a scenario feel unlikely, But now she saw that it
was almost definitely true.
Speaker 3: Then there's only one thing to do, she said, we
have to find your master.
Speaker 2: There was the smallest pause, and then it was neither
a question nor a sound of contemplation. Not you, regarded Achillia,
with her eyebrows slanted in compassion. What's the matter, Master Kilia.
Speaker 1: It's just that finding Master Zaygot might be a little
bit complicated.
Speaker 2: Ten dear, unable to understand the exchange between Achillia and
their now friendly host, someone who had been their captor
only a few hours before, found himself growing bored. He
wondered where the kitchen was and why it was not
adjacent to the dining room. In the pantry, he looked
at Chord and wondered when the dryad's pink flower had
ceased to be an ornament and had started actually growing
out of his wooded Horso when the incomprehensible conversation grew
more serious, punctuated by lengthy awkward seeming pauses, He picked
up his silverware and idly inspected it. At a certain point,
something must have been resolved, because all of a sudden,
Fairminton Cords started to clear the plates off the table.
Tinty had been looking at the reflection of his face
distorted and upside down in his spoon when this took place.
Before he knew it, the table service was cleared, plates
were stacked on the floor. Their host and Achillie were
talking excitedly, and the latter was pulling the Derothi map
out of her satchel as she smoothed it out so
that it laid flat. He finally asked, what's going on?
A killie?
Speaker 3: Oh forgive me.
Speaker 2: Gamer replied Elvish.
Speaker 3: I've completely left the two of you out of the conversation.
Speaker 4: Heaven't I that's all right?
Speaker 2: Why are you showing them on map?
Speaker 3: Nat? She thinks she might be able to help us
locate her master for us odok Zaygog has gone off
insert the Golden.
Speaker 2: Path really was Tender's reply. Granny and I were wondering
why we haven't met him yet. The elder sibling nodded
his agreement at this, Not you help.
Speaker 3: Zyegod with his research on finding the Golden Path. So
while she doesn't know exactly where he is, she thinks
she could point us in the right direction. I'll explain everything.
Speaker 2: Later, but for now, of course, we understand translating as
you go would be slow and tedious. We can wait.
Tindo was still holding the spoon and poked the air
with it to emphasize certain words. Natch said something and
held out her hand.
Speaker 3: She wants your spoon.
Speaker 2: The Kilia explained, all right, it's her spoon after all.
Tantyer found the request strange, but the reason for it
became clear when the Gnome flipped the spoon around and
held it by the began to use the handle as
a pointer. Then the four among them we spoke the
common tongue, all bent over the map together, chattering quickly
about things the elves could not make out. Several hours later,
not You leaned back in her chair and.
Speaker 1: Declared, that's the best I can do.
Speaker 2: Since her initial inspection of the Dorothy map, she had
gotten up and left the room several times to chect
various books, lists, and other maps located here and there
in the complex. His numerous collections, the last time she'd
got off on such a mission, she'd returned with ink
and quill. She used these to fill in as many
pertinent details missing from the incomplete map as she was able.
As she worked, she talked to herself, is the Yes, Yes,
the crystal what is here?
Speaker 1: Rayside Mountain is here? There's a river in this spot?
And finally, yes, I guess that Mirror Lake would be
around here. I hope I have gotten the scale right.
Speaker 2: Mirror Lake is her destination, remembering the painting in the
vestibule the Chillia guess.
Speaker 1: The start of it. Yes, Mira Lake is the entrance
to the Golden Path, as far as Master Zygog believed.
Since he hasn't come back, he was either right or
he's dead.
Speaker 2: Not your Aequilia had discovered had a penchant for abruptness.
Speaker 3: Is there anything else we should know?
Speaker 1: The way is hazardous in general, though you're not entirely
unfamiliar with danger? Are you a special note? You need
to pass through the crystal wood? And Master Zygog said
there's something bad living there?
Speaker 3: What kind of something?
Speaker 2: Peculia wanted to know?
Speaker 1: He called it the bloom.
Speaker 2: That's all I know, Peculia noted.
Speaker 3: I can't thank you enough the information you've given us.
Could we presume upon you for some supplies? We would
be happy to pay for them, of course, of.
Speaker 1: Course, and I wouldn't dream of taking your money at Chilia.
Your weapons will also be returned to you when you leave,
and I have an idea for something else that you
might as well take. But you can't go anywhere today.
You're in no shape to go on and expedition. I
insist that you stay with me until you are rested
and ready.
Speaker 2: While they're probably impatient to move on, notch you is right.
It would be foolish for the companions to begin this
stage of their adventure in their present condition. The fight
with the animated armor really left them in poor shape,
and they need rest and healing. Since it would be
tedious to listen to me rolling dice and enumerating all
the hit points regained by natural and magical means, counting
days past and so on, I've done all that off, Mike.
In the end, the companions stay with Natchiu for two
nights and leave Odok's occlusium on the morning of the
third day, which is day forty. Fairwint is used up
both of his cure lite wounds spells. But otherwise the
party is setting out it nearly full strength. Achillee spends
a considerable amount of this downtime on her own. While
she is ostensibly studying from her book of spells, Really
she is struggling with a very very difficult question. Since
she was able to dispel Natchu's illusion, might she also
so be able to dispel the enchantment on her Voppy
that restore him without help from anyone else. Perhaps, But
she is deeply concerned about two things. One is that
while she can unravel enchantments, she is not so sure
she can reverse one, and so the attempt might be
utterly impossible from the get go. Two, even if her
dispel magic incantation could work, there is no guarantee it
would work if the enchantment was cast by a much
more powerful magic user than herself. Ultimately, the idea of
going all the way back and saying goodbye to her
friends along the way, only to arrive home and fail
to save Vopi, she just cannot take that chance. Better
she stay the course and try to find Zygog. If
there is any consequence for taking this downtime, it's that
Bellario and Fim of the Iron Tower, who are also
seeking the Golden Path, will have extra time to look
for it. Whether they find it before the party or not, well,
that's unknown, and for now I think it will remain unknown.
Chapter forty five, Part three, Day forty early morning mythic
event meaning disrupt nature party status, Achillee fifteen of fifteen,
h points, Chord twenty nine of twenty nine, der Ani
eighteen of nineteen ten, Tier twenty eight of twenty eight,
fair Wind thirty one of thirty three, Flicker sixteen of
sixteen supplies. The Companions have twenty portions of food spells available.
Achille can cast shrink and large, detect evil, glitter, dust
and dispel magic. Cord can cast entangle, locate plants and animals,
create water, slow poison, hold animal, speak with plants, tree
shape and pass plant. Fair Wind can cast hold person
nach you had prepared for them for bundles of rations
organized by perishability. There were boiled vegetables, raw vegetables, nuts
and seeds, and finally dried fruits, salted fish, and smoked meats.
The portions were generous and not too stressed that if
eaten in the right order, they would last the entire
party for as many days as there were bundles. But
food was not the only gift the Gnomish library, and
it provided fair Wind now wore most of the pieces
of plate and mail from the suit of animated armor
that they had destroyed. The cleric was visibly uncomfortable in it,
not only because he was unused to the weight and
feel of armour, but because he was wearing something that
had once been, at least in a sense, alive. Not You,
detecting his misgiving, had explained that the magic was entirely gone,
and that Fairwind might as well take the suit, as
it could not be animated again in its current battered condition.
Ten deer standing nearby had not understood any of the
cleric's grumblings, but the look on Fairwind's face said it all.
Tell him that he will grow used to it eventually,
he offered. When Achillia relaid the message, Fairwind barely grimaced
in response, shifting uncomfortably in the metal suit. After pushing
the last packet of rations into Achillie satchel, not too
straightened up to her full height of two and a
half feet, she put her arms akimbo and declared, that's
that you're.
Speaker 1: Ready to go. If you're careful, these rations will last
you all the way there with the data spare, but
you'll need to forage on your way back.
Speaker 2: The journey to Mirror Lake the Nomad calculators would take
about three days.
Speaker 3: Thanks once again, said Achillea, bowing slightly.
Speaker 1: Mind you keep your witch sharp when you get to
the Crystal Wood not.
Speaker 2: You reminded them.
Speaker 3: We'll be careful.
Speaker 2: Well.
Speaker 1: I wish you good fortune as you begin this journey, said.
Speaker 2: The Dome, her smile showing her small white.
Speaker 1: Teeth, and maya hey guide you.
Speaker 2: A happy new year everyone, ann As always, thank you
for listening. If you'd like to help to support the show,
you can recommend, or like and repost episode announcements on
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Manticore T shirt at Bare Art stars store or one
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If you happen to listen to the show on speaker,
you can join the Support Club for two dollars a month.
Members now get ad free content at this time I
would love to share a listener review. This one was
left on Podchaser by Milo Lawson. Milo writes, truly a
must listen for anyone looking for a dramatic, engaging story.
Knowing that no character is saved from an untimely demise,
keeps you on the edge of your seat, makes every
success feel earned and every death a true gut punch.
Whether you're a DM looking to improve your storytelling and
game management ability, or I've never played a TTRPG, Tale
of the Mantagor is something for you. My only complained
is that John doesn't stay chained to his desk releasing
a new episode every day until that happens. However, seasons
one and two are still just as engrossing as the
first time I heard them. Thanks very much for the review, Milo,
I aimed, please, since it was just Christmas and all,
I was wondering if I might get some longer chains.
No not this year. No, No, I have no problem
with that. Yeah, I'll get back to work now. And
speaking of slaves to the fiction, let's talk about this
episode's wonderful cast of voice actors. Sherwind and tent Here
are voiced as always by Dave Cooper and Kevin Barringer, respectively.
Amanda Tea is back and I can finally credit her
by her character's actual name. Amanda plays not You, Noomish
librarian and custodian of Odoak's Seclusium. I encourage everyone to
check out Amanda's wicked artwork at Wicked Underscore. Loving Underscore
lies on Instagram. For those curious to learn more about
Tale of the Mantagor, I keep a blog where I
post all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts,
and show notes. You can find it at Tale Offthemanticore
dot com. I think I might put up an entry
about the powers and limitations of the Dispel Magic incantation
in the next day or two. If you'd like to
know my thoughts about that. As usual, you can find
me at Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale of Themanticor
dot Bluesky dot Social, Tale of the Manticor on Instagram,
and Tale of Themanticor at gmail dot com. The eventual
will continue on the next episode of Tale of the Manticor.
It's the story where chaos rules