Aerois - Episode 182: The Final Farewell

Katie Morrison as Aila

Kim Richards as Nova V'ger

Rhiannon Frost as Sentry

Tom Hazell as Qillek Ad Khollar

**The Final Farewell** is the 182nd episode of the Aerois Campaign. It was prerecorded and broadcast on both the Yogscast Twitch channel and highrollersdnd Twitch channel on 16th April 2023 from 5PM to 8PM GMT.

*The Stormchasers gather their most loyal, trusted allies and prepare for their journey to Hadar!*

## **Summary**

### **Announcements**

* Mark’s opening is as spectacular as ever with this “peek-a-boo” moment:
* Mark welcomes everyone and introduces the players.
* Merch: there is the usual merch available at Freshstore.co – The Blessing glittery dice, as well as the core collection shirts and hoodie. There will be something special and cool available in the near future. Kim bought the last hat.
* Mark thanked everyone for their kind comments about last week’s episode – he applauded the players for their efforts and was pleased to see that other people joined him in suffering from “leaky eye syndrome”.

### **Recap**

*“Our champions enjoyed a moment of peace. Having defeated Kalus Valkyrian, the Astral Emperor, they were rewarded with a moment to take stock – to speak with those important to them, to re-affirm (in some cases regain) connections, to talk of trauma and mistakes of the past (lingering scars), to embrace new avenues (unexpected avenues) of potential hope for the future, to reminisce on memories, to reconnect with home, and to forge new oaths."*
### **Part 1**

*The Stormchasers gather their most trusted allies as they say their final farewell to Aerois on their journey to Hadar!*

The time has come. Siaska, the Star Mother of Aerois, has been reborn, and with her awakening, the entropic being called Hadar is roused to press its attack and consume the last divine spark in the universe.

There is much to be done. Siaska sends the Champions a telepathic message telling them that the time is nigh when they must leave Aerois to battle Hadar, and that she and Kalus must speak and plan with them before they leave. She implores them to gather their most trusted allies, the ones that they would take with them on their final battle, and to meet with them.

The Champions meet in Lucius’ Captain’s Quarters aboard the Stormchaser at mid-morning; Howard has prepared food for them, and the Wolf Pack is making the Stormchaser battle ready. There is a prolonged discussion about whom they will take with them to the final battle.

Nova asks Tiangong whether they, Tassadar, and any other Eterna would like to join them and help to power and/or run the Astoria. Nova hears the familiar voice of Tiangong after so long and they assure her that the Eterna will fight alongside them and the Valkyrian forces against Hadar.

Lucius asks Tiangong whether Eterna can truly be destroyed or whether their energy is simply transferred. Tiangong explains that the previous Tiangong, who had bonded with Nova, has been destroyed but that their memories and the connection that that Tiangong had had with Nova has now been merged with the Tiangong that had bonded with Kalus Valkyrian. Through those memories, parts of Tiangong had been recreated and forged new ideas and beliefs. It is explained that Nova’s bond to Tiangong was very strong and that this left a magical echo – through this echo, they were able to recreate a part of that Tiangong. When the two forms merged, something new was created, similar to the way that two metals can be melted together to form an alloy. When Lucius laments the loss of Nightfrost, Tiangong tells him that while Nightfrost’s energy remains, the form that he knew is gone and that the energy cannot be recreated into a new form.

After much discussion, it is decided that the following will go with them on the way to battle Hadar:

* Thalia, Big Cat, Kyrie
* Maximillion
* Protector and Scout
* Azaria Perel
* Norfir
* Dannica
* Tassadar
* Rethra
* Hope

War Assets:

* Guardians (war asset – army)
* Dragons and Dragonborn
* Eterna (war asset)
* Varnier & Wild Elves (war asset – commando unit)
* The Heartspire Knights (war asset)
* Priests of Siaska

The Astoria Command Crew

* Reyn – Commander
* Oriya – pilot
* Grand Strategist
* Garador

Having decided on whom they will take with them to the battle, they are on the deck of the Stormchaser when a purple triangular portal opens and Valla steps through, followed by Maxamillion. She tells the Champions that Siaska and Kalus are meeting aboard the Tassadar and would like the Champions to join them to discuss their future plans and share with them what they know. To the meeting, they take Thalia, Dannica, Protector, Scout, Hope, Reyn, and the Grand Strategist.

They arrive on the Tassadar in a room with sleek metal tables with a magical illusory map on it that is projecting the galaxy. Kalus stands imperiously at the end of the table decked in his form-fitting Magitek armour, surrounded by his own forces – they notice that many of the forces who were on the Tassadar before, mainly Xarkira’s forces, are now conspicuously absent. There is a Celestial man with long blond hair (down to his feet), alabaster skin, gold eyes, wearing a mage robe and carrying a staff, a Fiend, and an Erinyes warrior in full black plate armour and looking.

Dannica is unfazed by Kalus and his entourage. Reyn and the Grand Strategist are nervous and in awe of Kalus. Soon after, Protector and Scout join them with Thalia (who saunters in and mounts a chair from behind), Kyrie and Big Cat. Eventually, Valla returns with Hope who is excited and rushes straight over to hug her “Birdie”. Kalus is bewildered as to what has just come onto his ship.

The Champions also bring Oriya and Kamarra and, unbeknownst to them, Howard, who slips in through the portal not knowing what it is and then cannot return to the ship because it has disappeared – he hides awkwardly in the corner, staring at the wall, holding baskets of supplies.

Kalus has water and refreshments brought into the room by a hulking, red-skinned demon in Valkyrian armour – carrying various carafes of drinks in its twelve arms, it places them all on the side tables and hands a number of things out before threateningly asking Howard what he is looking at. Hope insists that the demon stops being mean to Howard before it stumps out of the room.

They wait silently until Kalus tells them that they await just one more. Suddenly, a part of the room becomes shadowy as if the sun sets and it was night - they see the glitter of star light as a blob of amorphous darkness takes a humanoid woman’s form, a white dress materialises, and her hair spills out as Siaska emerges into the room. Most of the Aerosians are stunned and automatically kneel to their goddess as she thanks them all for coming.

Kalus Valkyrian prepares to speak, and Sentry notices Protector stiffen, and his hand move to his sword – she places a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him. Kalus nods, waves his hand, and the map shifts, focusing on a section of the galaxy – Thalia and Nova see some familiar planes such as Genas but to most of them, it is a mystery. Kalus tells them that in a few days, once preparations have been completed, the forces of Aerois will head into Astral Space and they will head, along with the Valkyrian forces, into the far reaches of the astral galaxy and that they will gain Valkyrian reinforcements along the way. He indicates their destination – he turns his hand, and the map shifts to focus on and display an area beyond any of the previous maps that they have seen. What is displayed is an area of the galaxy where planets have been ripped apart and strewn about like debris making the space look like a colossal asteroid field. Kalus introduces this area of space as the Broken Vale, the battle front in his war against Hadar for a thousand years. The front has steadily been expanding since the fight began and more planets have fallen and been destroyed, only to end up as cosmic debris within the zone.

While they will start to encounter resistance in the Broken Vale, their final destination is a rendezvous point within the Vale where they will meet up with the rest of the Valkyrian forces. Once assembled, the combined forces will punch through to a single, unbroken planet at the edge of Astral Space, beyond which is… nothing but blackness, the Astral Void, where no planes and no worlds exist.

The planet is Entropis, a planet that Siaska tells them existed before the first Divines came through the Genesis Well and, therefore, before Hadar. It is where the Divines battled and weakened Hadar in the War of the Crimson Star and they built a prison, Terminus Keep, connecting Entropis to the Far Realm. Terminus Keep can be accessed only from Entropis, and it is only from here that Valla and Siaska will be able to use her magic to create a demi-plane to breach into the Far Realm where Hadar has twisted Terminus Keep, turning it from a prison into a citadel. It is from here that the Champions, Kallus, Valla and Siaska propose to confront Hadar. Reaching Terminus Keep, Siaska says, will not be easy.

Kalus advises that breaking through the Broken Vale will not be easy and it will take their combined forces to be able to take on Hadar’s minions. As they approach Entropis, they will have to rely on smaller vessels, such as The Stormchaser, to reach the surface of the planet (the larger vessels will remain aloft providing support as they can and fighting off the forces that Hadar will inevitably send to fight against them). Once there, they must secure the site where Terminus Keep once stood so that Valla and Siaska can pierce through into the Far Realm. Since no one has been to the planet in thousands of years, Kalus does not know what to expect once they get there, or even in the Broken Vale. Siaska does not even have that knowledge, but Kalus thinks it possible that Root may know some things that might help them.

Root, Kalus tells them, is older than Siaska, and was present at the battle against Hadar on Entropis and that he may have memories that can help them. Kalus implores Sentry to speak to Root to see what he may remember because once they reach the Broken Vale and all of his forces are committed, there is no turning back – they either defeat Hadar or Hadar overruns the rest of the galaxy.

Kalus tells the meeting that Magitek does not work very well on Entropis since it is tainted with the Far Realm and Hadar’s power. It is this tendency for Magitek to fail that has always caused Kalus to struggle in his fight against Hadar, because much of his army’s strength comes from the use of Magitek. They will be relying on the Aerosian forces more than any other once they reach Entropis, both magical and physical while the Valkyrian forces can provide support from above and keep the skies clear.

Nova asks if there has been any intelligence about Xarkira and when her name is mentioned, they see some of the anger that they had recently seen from him in their battle. He tells them that Xarkira will either lay an ambush for them in the Broken Vale or will be on Entropis, staying close to her new master. The Erinyes standing behind Kalus is furious, biting into her own lip and making it bleed. She grimly tells them that Xarkira will pay for her treachery. Kalus knows a little about her forces – she has taken many of his ships and troops and has allies from Aerois (cultists, believers, and others like the Wind Barons). Kalus does not believe that she has enough support to worry them and he asks them to concentrate on Xarkira herself. While he thinks that Xarkira has no need for simulacra anymore, he thinks that they should be prepared for trickery, misdirections, and diversions.

Nova asks what forces Hadar might bring to bear against them, and the Celestial man tells her that they have come across abominations: Mind Flayers and their newer, assimilated form, Neothelids (similar in nature, although the latter form is more deadly and powerful with far more magical arcane potential). There are other monstrosities such as Beholders, Astral Dreadnoughts, Star Spawn (or Hadar Spawn) which are creatures that are powered with Hadar’s entropic magic and may once have been cultists or the like. Most of Hadar’s forces are not thinking, sentient creatures – it does not have war ships, instead it has writhing masses of bio-matter and magic combined. This is only his best guess, however, since no one has been to Entropis for centuries.

Lucius asks if there is certainty that Entropis exists and Siaska tells them that it does. She was taught about it by her predecessors, the first Divines – it was a world much like Aerois, a material plane, not bound by elemental, divine, celestial, or fiendish magics. When the first Divines came into being and journeyed through the Genesis Well into this universe, Siaska tells them, the planet was already there although the people, culture, and civilisation that resided on it was already long gone. It stood empty and any living matter was long gone and only grey stone and steel was left behind – a ghost world. It sits at the edge of the Astral Void, looking out onto the vast empty space of nothing. The Divines were never sure what destroyed the people of Entropis, whether they destroyed themselves or it was some threat from the Astral Void. Terminus Keep was originally built as a watch tower, a citadel to safeguard the rest of the universe from any threats from the Astral Void but when Hadar began to consume the sparks and power from other Divines, they battled against Hadar, driving it back to Terminus Keep and fighting a great last battle there. It was in that last battle that the surviving Divines managed to trap the weakened Hadar in Terminus Keep before sealing it away in the Far Realm, breaking the space between that realm and the one in which they all now exist.

For reasons unknown to Siaska, Entropis is the one world that Hadar has not destroyed, considering that it may be because the world is somehow tied to his prison and may be Hadar’s only means of escape. It may also simply be some sort of taunt to the rest of the universe, or even a trap. She reconfirms that Hadar must be stopped, or it will eventually consume the universe.

Sentry asks if they will require speed or strength more in the fight – Kalus responds that he would ideally like both but that they will require overpowering strength to break through the Broken Vale. It is a war front that he has been fighting for a thousand years and will likely take everything they have just to reach Entropis. Kalus tells them that Hadar’s influence will begin to be felt once they cross into the Broken Vale – planar space begins to overlap with the Far Realm – the longer they spend in that space, the more uneasy they will feel. There will be scant opportunities to rest, and he implores them not to overextend themselves, telling them that it is possible that Valla and Siaska can restore their strength, but only once, and that will be before they enter Terminus Keep itself.

Nova discusses all the powers that they know Hadar possesses – it is a sobering list. Kalus reminds them that Hadar is cunning and to be aware that if things seem too good to be true, that it is likely a manipulation of Hadar in their minds. Hadar, he tells them, is capable of destroying things and leaving no trace – if Hadar or its minions hit them with their magical power, there may not be a body *and soul* for them to return to life, so any death would likely be permanent.

Hope breaks the tension by commenting on how dreary everything is while Howard sits on the floor shovelling shortbread into his mouth. Thalia stretches and sums up the plans so far, “So, fly to the edges of the universe, punch through a war that’s been going on for a few thousand years to reach a planet of people that died before even the first gods came into being, fight our way to a prison of a planar entity that can destroy matter and control our minds. And if we don’t win, everything’s fucked”. Quill asks Thalia if she thinks the plan will work. “Fuck no”, she tells him, “but it’s worth trying”.

Kalus tells them that they can possibly live another twenty years – the time it would take Hadar to wipe out his forces – but now that it knows that Siaska is awake, it hungers for her Divine spark, potentially the last one in the universe. It will do anything to acquire it, coming at them with a strength that they have never seen before and eventually it will win. He asks whether they choose to have the twenty years of life or to take the fight to Hadar and roll the dice – the Champions all prefer to fight. The Celestial tells them that Hadar is arrogant – it believes that it is the most powerful being and that all things must end except it. Hadar has never known courage, love, friendship, or hope, and these may be the weapons that the Champions and their allies will be able to use to prevail against it.

### **Part 2**

*The Stormchasers and their greatest allies gather to discuss their strategy against Hadar!*

Kalus tells the Champions that if they use Astral travel to slip between the worlds, the journey to the Broken Vale will take them a week or more from Aerois.

Quill calls on Starbane to bring back his large, red Demonic chef by calling Kalus, “Starbs”, “My boy”, “Kalus Starbane of the Valkyrian Empire”, and “Kalus” – everyone stares at Quill as he stammers his way through this conversation, Kalus just staring down at him, and the giant Erinyes looking for all the world like she wants to tear Quill’s wings off. As the tension rises, the silence is broken by gentle ripples of golden laughter as Siaska enjoys the ridiculous conversation, telling them that it is these small things that should matter. Kalus promises to have his chef, Garador, meet with Sentry to discuss various culinary techniques. With business concluded, Kalus informs the Champions that his forces are ready to depart – all they need do is communicate when they are ready to leave and he will meet them in Astral Space. Hope, completely unbothered by anything that has happened or been said at the meeting, either hugs or shakes hands with everyone (the Erinyes is not quite sure what to make of her), getting a hug and a “You are just delightful” from Siaska before trotting her way through her arch to go back home. Valla opens a portal and starts sending everyone else where they need to go.

The door opens and a large, 10-foot-tall red demon with 6 arms (two of which are much larger and more muscular than the other four) and a snarling bestial face enters – it is drooling and sucks the saliva back into its mouth. Sentry asks if they can acquire his talent for the journey ahead, but Garador is suspicious, telling Sentry that he only shares the secrets of his clan with those who are worthy. When he asks Sentry to prove herself to him, Nova points at Kalus and tells Garador that they beat him up. Garador does not believe the story and tells them that he speaks not of combat but of cooking. When Sentry tells him that she only knows two recipes, he hopes that she can make them both exceptionally well and takes her to his kitchen. He chases out the other cooks (Angels, Devils, Humans, and Elves) and asks her to present her dish to him.

Sentry bakes an apple crumble as best she can in the unfamiliar kitchen, burning it in places and being too heavy-handed with the cinnamon. He has a small taste before pouring the entire crumble in his mouth, chewing loudly, and declaring it delicious. He wishes to learn her recipe. Other Demons and Devils begin to come over, having smelled the new crumble that she has been asked to cook -Ziknar, a Demon that looks like an insect shows particular interest in the “crumble of apples”. After a few hours of cooking more and more crumbles, Sentry is allowed to leave: Garador agrees to come to the Astoria to share his recipes, most of which are incredibly spicy meats and stews.

While this is happening, Nova decides to find a computer panel on the Tassadar and attempts to expunge Thalia’s criminal record from the Valkyrian database. As she is trying to access the records and break into the database, the screen begins to flash red with unfamiliar sigils and Nova feels a metallic hand on her shoulder. Kalus asks Nova what she is doing. When she asks if he knows Thalia, it becomes apparent that he does – she has caused much trouble within the Empire. Nova explains that she would like to delete her criminal record given that Thalia will be risking her life to fight with them. Kalus looks down at the screen and tells Nova that an Empire is built on the foundation of law and while they have larger things to worry about than a single outlaw at present, he will consider her service if they win and survive with the suggestion that he may reduce the charges against her. Even though Nova tells Kalus that Thalia has changed her ways, he tells Nova that there would be many who would be displeased if all of her record was expunged – she is known to be a thief, a saboteur, and injured many (although never killed anyone outright). Kalus, being a man of law and honour, cannot simply allow a criminal to walk free without offering some restitution.

Nova apologises for depriving Kalus of his weapon, Tiangong. He smiles, holds out a hand, and in it appears a Magitek spear, it then turns into a gun, then a mace… He tells Nova not to worry, that he has many weapons in his arsenal and that Tiangong was an ally and convenient for him to use but admits that Nova has a stronger bond with them.

When there is discussion later about having to ensure a great number of crumbles for the crew to eat, Siaska, whom they believe to be in many places at once offers the advice that they should not be existing on crumble alone.

The Champions decide to acquire some healing potions, and Lucius buys a Ring of Spell Storing from Azaria. Aila finds a quiet place on Aerois, uses *Control Weather* and sits inside a little storm, soaking it in. Nova spends some time doing maintenance on Quill’s wing, combining Aerosian magic and Aetherium with Valkyrian Magitek to empower it.

Sentry finds a quiet area in the grand cathedral on the Astoria and looks down over the remnants of Solwynn that now makes up the ship. She casts *Commune* and feels her spirit connect to the golden river within her Matrix, eventually finding Root. She asks Root how dangerous Entropis is and sees a vision in the golden stream as Root narrates what she sees…

“The battle was long, long ago, one that I can scarcely remember now. I was just a young soldier, I was not the true Prime when we first journeyed to that place with the Divines to find Hadar. It had filled its halls, the buildings, the empty places with cultists and minions, creatures of its own devising. Fighting there required great strength and tactics. We had to secure war fronts, places we could re-gather our supplies, disable weapons created through foul magics that could attack our ships and the gods in the skies above. Entropis itself has no dangers… no natural ones, but the forces that Hadar brings there are very dangerous. It will be filled with its greatest creatures, its greatest minions, its lieutenants. You should be wary.”

Sentry then asks Root if there is any way of escape once they enter Entropis. His response is slightly unnerving:

“When we battled against Hadar, there were no ships, no vessels that could help us escape. We brought our own transports, old Guardian technology as well as various magical devices created by the gods. There were gods who came aboard ships much like your Stormchaser, chariots of fire and light, but beyond what we brought with us, there was no means of escape, no archways or portals for us to leave”.

Sentry’s finally asks Root what is in Terminus Keep.

“It was created to be a watch, a place to be vigilant of unseen dangers from the Astral Void. I was once a guard there during my service as a young Guardian, before I became the Prime. Its halls were cold but not unwelcoming. I and many other Guardians, other races, enjoyed our time feeling that there was no danger waiting for us, but once Hadar took it over, it became a different place – twisted, warped by the mad and chaotic magic that Hadar now wielded. Its walls, its corridors could move, re-shape themselves to Hadar’s will. Fanged maws, eyes, tentacles… many of the things that you have encountered when fighting the Hadar Spawn, these dangers will be present”.

She thanks Root for trusting her with the Prime and promises to try to bring it home.

Lucius gathers the Wolf Pack together and asks if they know their upcoming mission. He is brutally honest with them, telling them that they are headed for almost certain doom and that some may die – they cheer. Lucius appeals to their willingness to fight for their home planet and the rest of the universe and tells them that he and the Champions trust them to take them on their final journey. For once, the Wolf Pack is sombre, and the usual jokes and quips are missing. They look at each other, then to Lucius, and snap to attention with the Stormchaser salute. Lucius breaks the tension by telling them that he will meet them below for drinkies which is an immensely popular suggestion.

As the rest go below, Faeth comes to speak to Lucius, congratulating him on his speech. He thanks her then tells her that she will not be joining them - she looks disappointed but seems to have expected it. She is relieved, having been worried that she would have let everyone down – Hadar scares her. Lucius relieves Faeth of her duty on the Stormchaser, resulting in hugs and tears, but he tells her that she has a place in Gusthaven and will be looked after by Edea and Aridan. Faeth thinks that while Kamarra might understand but that the rest of the Wolf Pack will not - she is grateful, however. Faeth is happy to remain friends and looks forward to making a life on her own if they win.

A few days pass and they watch soldiers march onto the Astoria. There are long rows of Guardians and Sentry is amazed to see so many filling the streets and looking around in wonder – they do not think of where they are as “the Astoria”, they think of it as “home”. There are different groups of Wild Elves that have travelled from far across Aerois, all wearing different colours and tartans, led by Varnier and Rethra. There is grumbling and a few fights, but they eventually settle in.

There are priests, Skaldi among them, some having a crisis of faith. They prepare themselves to heal the injured that will be inevitable in the fight to come, as well as offering prayers and services to those in need. Valla and Hope work together to conjure a force of bizarre looking knights, all of them clad in glimmering gold, silver, pink, or light blue armour. The knights are a mix of beings – flowers, Satyr, Centaurs, Nymphs, Dryads, humanoids, and Elves. The resplendent Heartspire Knights are there, too, bringing their joy and mirth to the ship, filling the Astoria with songs and dance, much to the annoyance of the Wild Elves.

A curious mixture of what looks like common citizenry begins to appear on the ship – some might be warriors, scholars, or mages. They gather together, some flying, others coming via airship, and it is only then that the Champions perceive them for what they truly are – as they shed their disguises of living humans, they begin to appear as luminescent energy beings dressed in clothing that seems to shimmer, and they see reflections of swords, maces, bows, and staves. The Eterna on Aerois have gathered on the Astoria to meet the others of their kind in Astral Space.

On the command deck of the Astoria, in the Cathedral of Siaska, the Champions meet with Dannica, Oriya, Reyn, Norfir, Protector, Scout, Thalia, the Grand Strategist, and Azaria and her skeletons. They look to the Champions to give the command to take them into battle – the Champions freeze before collecting in a huddle and panicking about what they should say. Valla pokes her head in to tell them that they don’t need to make a speech, just to order the ship to leave.

Lucius grabs the Captain’s Command, holds it aloft and says, “Crew of the Astoria, saviours of the universe, ASCEND INTO THE CLEAR SKIES! (That’s the best I could do, oh I should turn this off…)”

The Astoria lifts out of the ocean and begins to ascend into the blue, clear skies of Aerois. Joining them are gold and silver Dragonsoul ships of the Dragonborn (fully awoken now that the Cradle is down). On the Astoria, in the command area, a magical illusion flickers to life – they see a man with a long thin beard and a large hat, looking like a tactician, dressed in gold, “Astoria, this is General Amilaz (Velopexis??) of the forces of Draconis. We rise with you!”

The two Draconic ships form up around the Astoria and the three of them leave Aerois together. As they make their way into Astral Space, they are greeted by the sight of hundreds of Valkyrian ships, the Tassadar at their core. An image of Kalus appears in front of them and welcomes them, asking if everything is prepared.

“Forces of Aerois, Valkyrian Empire”, says Kalus to the assembled force, “we set sail for Entropis and the Broken Vale. Clear skies”.

The ships pull away, heading towards a single red star in the vast empty blackness of Astral Space.

## **YouTube Timestamps**

0:00:00 - Intro
0:03:51 - Dun Duns
0:04:48 - Part 1
1:39:01 - Part 2

## **Featured Characters**

#### **The Stormchasers (Player Characters)**

* Aila
* Lucius Virion-Elluin Elenasto
* Qillek Ad Khollar
* Sentry
* Nova V'ger

#### **New NPCs**

* Garador
* Ziknar

#### **Returning NPCs**

* Thalia
* Kyrie
* Big Cat
* Protector
* Scout
* Dannica
* Reyn
* Oriya
* Grand Strategist
* Hope
* Howard
* Kalus
* Siaska
* Root
* Faeth
* Skaldi

#### **Mentioned NPCs**

* Hadar
* Azaria
* Aridan
* Edea
* Nightfrost
* Norfir
* Tassadar
* Rethra
* Varnier

## **Featured Locations**

* The Stormchaser
* The Tassadar
* The Astoria

## **Trivia**

* This episode was pre-recorded because people were away.
* There was talk of the illuminati, conspiracy theories, and the fact that the lizards are in control. Trott alleged that Mark is a lizard. This was retracted some time soon after. This was in relation to a recent Hat Films “Hat Chat”.
* Mark opened after the DunDuns with “She can fuck ya!” and hoped that it did not make it into the live audio. It did, though, and there was plenty of laughter about it.
* Mark explains that the crew can take both “assets” and “trusted NPCs”. Assets would be something more generic like “the Guardian army”, whereas the trusted NPCs would be “like Mass Effect companions” who may end up fighting in a mission or battle with them. They may also be sent off to do tasks or missions for the Champions. Once the Astoria leaves Aerois, anyone not specified is not present.
* Hope is a powerful druid. When she gained her Unicorn/Centaur form, her power vastly increased.
* Arval has almost no combat ability. He is a civilian tradesman.
* After the battle with the great beasts, the Dragons and Dragonborn would have suffered some casualties, but none of the ones who lost their lives were “significant” to the story.
* Many of the Guardians that Sentry brought back in the City of Glass were soldiers who first fought Hadar long ago and had spent a long time in the Matrix. They would know this fight very well.
* **Lore dump:** Solwynn was making new Guardian bodies that could be used to accept new or old Matrices. Solwynn worked with Root to make new bodies and new Matrices but this knowledge was lost with Solwynn when it was destroyed. There was a time when, at the height of Guardian civilisation and culture, they were a people or race out in Astral Space. They built worlds and bodies. Back in Root’s day, the Guardians would have grown bodies then affixed stone, metal and wood. When Root worked with Solwynn, the bodies were constructed, being more metallic, but this is now lost knowledge.
* Azaria Perel now has an understanding of Magitek, having worked with Solwynn and Valkyrian technology.
* Kim pulled out some notes from episode 52 that referred to Commander General Velavixis who was asleep because of the presence of the Cradle. She asked if, now the cradle was down, the Commander General would wake up. Mark said that this was a good question and that it could be investigated.
* Tassadar would be represented as a fragment of the whole Tassadar and is very knowledgeable about Magitek and magic. They have the benefits of not being a real person – they are a magical projection of Tassadar, meaning that they cannot be killed off entirely – this also means that there may be limitations to what they can do.
* If Oriya left to be on the Astoria and Lucius had to leave the Stormchaser, Kamarra would take command and have Lancion be the new pilot (he’s better than she is, but not as good as Oriya or Lucius).
* Mark advised that not having the best people in the most important places will increase the risks for the assets they control. There will be dice rolls. E.g., having Lancion as pilot of the Stormchaser means there would be more risk than if the pilot was Oriya or Lucius.
* Katie suggested that they should bring Zim Zam as part of their group.
* The group declined to consider taking the Wings of Ishtar after their last disappointment.
* Tom suggests that Quill would not be able to message Pyri since they have not met. They did, though – at the start of episode 39:
* Tom suggested that Quill left 5 golden tickets around Aerois (a reference to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and those who found them would be taken to the final battle.
* Mark describes the Celestial with Kalus as looking like Kael’thas Sunstrider from World of Warcraft.
* Thalia “mounts her chair” like Will Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, what Mark refers to as "The Riker Maneouver".
* Garador is actually a company that makes garage doors and openers. Trott knew it as a company and was looking through its catalogue on stream.
* Mark confirms that once they leave Aerois, every rest (long or short) will have an ongoing, cumulative consequence (stacking penalty). Taking a rest will give the enemy time to muster their forces and pressure the champions, they may be risking their allies and forces who may suffer huge casualties.
* Mark allows Lucius to get any of their magic using allies to cast any spell they know into his ring of spell storing.
* Once Nova does some maintenance to Quill’s wing, it no longer requires attunement, leaving open a slot for Quill to use another magic item.
* Mark said that he would allow Trott to upgrade the Captain’s Command: Azaria could empower it so that Lucius could spend a charge from the gauntlet to infuse the sword with an elemental type of damage (which would not trigger Dicromancy). It would do an extra d6 (per charge?) of the elemental type chosen. The amount for this is yet to be determined.
* During one of the donos, the donator said they came from Hemel Hempstead – Tom wondered if this was where the Martians landed in War of the Worlds. It was not, Tom – it was Horsell Common.

## **Quotes**

* Quote 1

* Quote 2