Heralds E13

**The Heralds of Wayinar: Episode 13 - The Open Eye**

**Cast (In order of appearance)**

Player                                                   Role

Russel E. Welch III                            Dungeon Master

Ariel Quinn                                         Rosara

Brad Marsh                                         Obi

Josh Jenkins                                      Vano

Nick Little                                       Cendrillion

Bryan Henery                                   Azathell

Russell welcomes us to Episode 13; he confesses he is naming episodes ahead of time now. This episode is called “The Open Eye”. He gives us a behind the scenes peek at his process, revealing that he records the Introduction after the episode is finished filming. He explains he does this because you never know what the players are planning at the table and how the game will go.

We have a “previously on” segment that reviews the actions of Episode 12. In Episode 12, Cendrillion casts Spiritual Weapon and beats up on Rosara, Obi tries to sneak into the Nov Romaran camp as a servant of Master Hartgave, and now the camp is being hit by arrows.

The episode begins with everyone rolling initiative as arrows rain down on them. The Nov Romaran commanders have the troops form a line, shoving a dazed and dishonored Rosara towards the line.

Vano runs to the front of the line and towards the attackers. He takes aim with his pistol and misses at that distance. A small hole is punctured in the side of the cliff with his bullet making the cultist jump. Vano calls out to the others to cover the left side of the camp.

Rosara calls Obi and Cendrillion to her side as she heals herself. Now free of his chains, Obi  runs to the far side of the cliff and hides behind the statue. They pop out from their cover to take shots with their crossbow at the cultists. Obi scores a hit on one repelling down the cliffside. In a snarky call out, Obi says “one”, and the game is on.

Near Obi, a blue-faced Edwed Minor jumps under the table with a sound. This is the archaeologist studying the runes. She grabs precious items, including a brilliant pottery piece and shoves the things in her bag.

From the far side of the cliff, Legionnaires stomp towards the cultists coming down the cliffside. Across the ridge, archers prepare flaming arrows to strike the camp. One of the legionaries takes an arrow to the knee and falls. Cendrillion takes a look around the camp and advises the Commander that the cultists have the advantage of the higher ground. The Centurion raises an eyebrow asking for a demonstration of Cendrillon’s powers. In response, Cendrillion keeps eye contact with the commanding officer and strikes a cultist twenty feet away with his spiritual weapon. He then draws the mystical weappon back to himself, ready for the next attack. The Centurion smiles at him, and this pisses off Cendrillon. He slides up beside Rosara and Vano and casts Sacred Flame towards the cultists to answer the need for more aggressive force; however, the cultists dodge his fire, taking no damage.

Vano charges forward with his halberd, calling for Rosara to stay behind him. He attacks the cultist she is engaged with. Vano rages at the army of Cultists. In response, Rosara decides to protect the Edwed Minor Archaeologist, who ignores her. Rosara returns to Vano’s side.

Obi looks from behind his statue to see the horde of cultists pouring through the valley, and he sees the Romarans pushing towards them in battle. As he tells the others what he sees, he shoots a cultist about to get the jump on Vano and excitedly yells out “two”. Behind them, the archaeologist is still immersed in her study of artifacts under the table.

Another cultist comes for Vano and misses while an arrow shoots past and pierces Cendrilloin. As the group scans the battlefield, they see another mass of cultists is coming towards them. Cendrillion cuts down a cultist with his spiritual weapon as he gathers the group to start planning an escape. He narrows his eyes and says, “Two”, then looks to find their friend Dolben. As he searches the area, he casts sacred flames again igniting the ground around a cultist. The damage kills him, and Cendrillon says, “Three”.

Vano and Rosara lock in a Halberd dance, the big man, twirling around and attacking a cultist in the corner. He manages to behead him.

Rosara quickly spots a downed archer and pulls his bow from his dead hands. She fires at a cultist, and hits them in the throat. The woman begins to spit blood as she dies. Rosara crouches next to the table, trying to get the scholar free from her work enough to get her to leave.

As Obi peers around the statue, he sheaths his crossbow and pulls out a crowbar with a smile. Obi tells the Heralds that they are doing this the wrong way and proceeds to put the crowbar under the largest boulder he can find. Obi leverages the rock to roll down the cliff and decimates the cultists below. Obi then turns to the others and declares “72” with a grin.

In the distance, Vano recognizes a sound, echoing off the cliffs. It is an explosion in the cliff face that showers cultists and Romarans with a deluge of stone.

Vano lets everyone know that the battle is over. He sees the Centurion turn pale having come to the same conclusion. He summons the troops into a retreat. Troops and the Heralds are ushered into the cave. The Centurion calls for a volley of spears. The legionaries respond by launching their spears at the cultists on the cliff.

Rosara grabs the archaeologist and drags her from under the research table. The blue Edwone snatches artifacts to shove in her bag. Obi joins them, calling the edwone minor “Ma’am”. She slaps him with her hat. Rosara hurries them towards the mouth of the cave. In her hands is the sack of the odds and ends that the researcher had packed. As they reach the cave with Cendrillion, the Commander Holds out his hand and yells, "Do not abandon your countrymen!" She continues with her group, for now, leading them deep into the cave system.

The Heralds examine the door to see if it can be shut to help protect them. At first, no one can read the writing and then Vano understands the script, it talks about workers and soldiers, and Vano realizes it is talking about social classes.

Cendrillon casts light to see better, and there is an eerie green color to the walls. As they examine the passage, Margot explains that this was a Prime site from before the Breaking. The researchers needed a Prime to open the doors as some were locked in the path before them. Rosara offers her name and Margot responds that her full name is Whipplestine. Margot explains further that they had repelled down and no one has returned.

Obi walks to the edge of the chasm and tries to echo his voice but hears nothing.

The others examine the door in front of them and see shapes of the Primes. They turn to Cendrillion. Together they all explore the door to discover a way to open it. There are no keyholes or hinges. Vano attempts to use his halberd to open the door, and energy shoots him back. Finally, Cendrillion pulls the Eye out and lets the thing reach itself to the door. It grasps at the wall with squelching noises and settles in.

Out of nowhere, Azathell appears.

He comes down and strikes Cendrillion with his sword. Azathell channels dark energy into the blade, causing the blackness to tear into the Prime’s skin. Chunks rot away as the edge buries deeper. As Cendrillion falls over, Azathall slices twice, and Cendrillion’s head falls away. The villain takes the head and vanishes.

Vano rages into the darkness and strikes with his halberd. There is nothing there but the dead body of Cendrillon.

Rosara runs to cradle Cenderillion’s body. Obi and Dolben stand there, mouths gaping in surprise. The Eye continues to blink at the group, unmoving from the wall. Vano loses his control and throws his halberd at the wall. He tells the group that Azathall was his apprentice before leaving Oakeish and service to the Mad God-King. Obi drops his crossbow and starts crying at the loss of Cendrillon. Dolben explains that he heard stories from his grandmother about the warriors who fought in the Breaking using the same techniques and magic. Vano pulls Rosara and Obi up, telling them that being a Herald is a curse and a blessing.

Then Cenderillion’s head drops from the sky, and Azathall reappears. He torments the group and drops a bag full of rings at Vano’s feet. He tells the group that Obi is correct and they will not survive this. He explains that he is going to terrorize Vano and everything he loves. Vano recognizes the rings as his tribemates’ and elders he stayed with. He cups one ring in his hand, thinking it might be Varisa. In anger, he snaps his halberd in half.

Whipple gives them some hope of escape. She explains that she studied many sites like this for her degrees and that once they get inside of the temple, they will be safe.

Obi asks for Vano’s gun, and Whipple studies the design in fascination, explaining that Vano should not have that. She then guides them through the open door.

Rosara hears the clang of battle and orders them forward, she rushes back to the fight. She takes a moment to close his eyes one last time. The Eye squelches as it travels to her. It crawls into her hand. A part of Cendrillion is now with her. The stomp of boots comes closer, and she is ready for battle.

The Centurion meets with her and commands her to help hold the line. Cultists meet the soldiers in a battle. Rosara takes a knife wound. She then steps into the fight and meets a shaven-headed cultist, who uses an ax. Rosara meets her with her sword, and she is transported back for a moment in time.

Her vision clears, and she is play-fighting with her beloved squire Mogwin. They exchange blows as he teaches her the power of controlling her emotions in battle.

She comes out of the memory, powered up and ready to take this fight to the next level. The Paladin uses Moonbeam spell on the cultists, causing their bodies to splatter on the cave walls. She overpowers the cultist and kills her. She and the Centurion push back the cultists until the cave crashes in. He urges her forward on her path and tells her that he can see growth in her already. She feels a sense of pride she longed for from a father figure and runs to join the others. Temple. She watches him sacrifice himself for her and the legionaries fleeing with her.

The episode ends with Russell reminding us that there are only three episodes left. He plugs premium to get more content with the upcoming release of Emissaries of the Ancients. He reminds us that Chaos Awaits us in the dark.