The Bible Belt (Episode 3)

**The Bible Belt (Episode 3)** is the third episode from Group Two of The Spectral Index side series.

## The Bible Belt (Episode 3)

### **Synopsis**

**Pre-Show Shenanigans**

* Darrin introduces himself, and introduces the second group of his three special guests from the TTRPG Twitter community taking part in this side story who can all be found on twitter
	+ **@D8Dungeon** **(Declan)** the dm from "Romancing The Dungeon", playing as **Sister Agnes Hellwig** - Dwarf, Life Domain Cleric
	+ **@DndTravellog** **(Steven)** one of the dms from "The Travel Log", playing as **Cookie Conrad** - Yuan-ti, Battle Smith Artificer
	+ **@DnDingbats** **(Grace)** the dm from "Dungeons & Dingbats", playing as **Billie "Bones" Barraquette** - Emerald Dragonborn, Swashbuckler Rogue

### **Show**

As they stood before the staircase they noticed the scale and grandiose nature of it, including the 20 feet wide stairs and archways, though slightly ruined by the crushed beans on top of the carpeted stairs. They discussed about the bean boys and the messes they left, and whether the task to get the Spectral Index was worth it. Cookie brought up his fears of them getting to the book first and taunting them, disgusting Agnes by the thought of the book covered in bean juice. Agnes questioned why the left the trail in the first place, as well as why it was beans. Bones brought up it could be an accident and Cookie in turn mentioned it might be a trap by them. With the possible trap in mind they decided to continue on. Agnes convinced Cookie to take the lead as he had more of an idea what they could be walking into, then immediately whispered to Bones about their life insurance being valid. Cookie unaware of their conversation spoke of his history as a yuan-ti of using traps to get people for their blood rituals. The others chose to not ask about that.

Cookie led the way, checking the bean paste for traps as they walked. As he continued to the 40 feet point they saw the bean paste stopped. He also saw paintings on the walls of empty chairs, couches and other lone furniture. Cookie let the others know it was and that the bean paste stopped, as well as checking behind the paintings in the spot he stood finding nothing. The others joined and saw the paintings and commented on the paintings, noting that each of the paintings were unique with no copies between them, Agnes had a look at them and finding a painting of a leather chair, emptied the bonbons from her *Bag of Holding*, and took the painting as as souvenir. Cookie looked through the paintings again, expressing his disappointment on finding examples of snakeskin leather furniture. They continued their way up the stairs seeing more and more paintings till they reached the top. Cookie rested his hand against one of them while catching his breath, and suddenly found he was up to his shoulder in it. Cookie first worried that it was another mimic, then took a second to move his hand inside it, notably feeling the ground in the painting. Noting this Cookie told the others they could go through them and Agnes responded that just because they could, didn't mean they should. Agnes questioned if any of the paintings might lead to where they need, and on further inspection noted that the paintings where different perspectives of the same room. Cookie wondered if he were to go through if they would be seen in the paintings. Bones decided to use her *Hat of Vermin* to summon a bat and forced it within the painting, noting that when she pulled her hand away it felt like a viscous liquid had been attached to her. Bones looked in the painting and noticed that the bat could be seen in every painting. They decided the stairs weren't leading to anywhere, and that the way out was through the paintings. Agnes convinced Cookie to be the first as he made the discovery. On agreement with that, Cookie dived into the painting getting stuck for a second as he pulled himself through.

The others could now see an oil painting version of Cookie at different perspectives moving around them. Within the room Cookie could see hexagonal tiles that covered the walls in this round dome structure, and looking around the room could see different incorporeal furniture. Cookie spoke aloud that he found ghost chairs to see if the others could hear him, which unfortunately while they could see his mouth open, they heard nothing. Cookie noted that when he focused on any of the incorporeal chairs that it became corporeal and came into existence. Agnes seeing what happened to Cookie, combined with her understanding of planar travel, was aware that portals in the astral sea were a possibility, but still weird that they were paintings. Back inside Cookie looked around the room noted the hexagonal tiles had a weird shimmer to them, but looking further noted one that had a red hue, almost like a stone that shifts like a liquid and back to stone. Cookie focused further on it and it started to open up into a big round red circle, and seeing through saw a void of space with a large five floating pointed platform, with different colored portals at each point. Agnes and Bones were also able to see this outside of the painting. Cookie attempted to mime what he found unsuccessfully to the others. Noting that he seemed to be alive Agnes made her way into the painting and Cookie soon joined, immediately greeted by the same sight that Cookie saw. Cookie suggested it was a way forward or to somewhere else and was unsure which it was. Bones had a look around the room, touching the hexagonal tiles, and noted that each was most likely one of the paintings. Bones also noted that the the portal Cookie had found wasn't attached to the other paintings, and passed both information to the others. Cookie suggested taking some rope, tying to the staircase outside the paintings, and using it with them as a safety net to get back if needed. Bones agreed taking out her rope as well, combining the two, and Cookie tied one end to his dagger, stuck it to the stone staircase, and held on to the rope as they went out through the red portal.

They noticed when they were through that the space was a five pointed star. They also noted that the base was metallic, and that there was no light or sound, and yet could still see. They turned to the portal they went through and saw as it closed around the rope, but noted that pulling on the rope caused it to expand open. They looked around at the colored portals, seeing the red one they came through, as well as a green portal, blue portal, silver portal and a purple portal. They tried to remember major colors they had seen, from Klo's silver ship, to the blue banners and tapestries. They decided in the end to just have a look at random and if nothing good was there to try a different one. Cookie led the way to the purple portal, poked his head through and saw another void space lacking light and sound, but with a large obsidian stone passageway leading to the blackness. Cookie poked his head back and told the others it should probably be a last resort. Agnes headed to the silver portal, poked her head through and immediately felt the cold against her face as it began to freeze and cover with ice. Agnes poked her head back, peeled the ice from her face, and told the others they weren't going to that one. Bones headed to the green portal, poked her head through and saw sky, air and floating rocks around, but more notably a brown streak four - five miles moving in the sky, which she took time to realize was the same consistency as the beans on the carpet. Bones pulled her head back and told the others of her find to their annoyance as they suddenly felt preference to what they had found over her find. Cookie headed to the blue portal, poked his head through and saw a 20 feet x 20 feet room with flaming beans falling at a supersonic speed disappearing and falling. Cookie managed to pull his head back avoiding being deafened by the concussive blasts and told told the others of what he found. After everything they saw, they decided to take the purple portal.

They went through the purple portal as it opened revealing the 15 feet wide hallway leading into the darkness, but also saw that while the portal closed around the rope again, it only had 10 - 15 feet remaining and decided to pin the remain of the rope into the side. They looked into the darkness, and noting the unknown before them Bones summoned one last bat from the *Hat of Vermin* and sent it ahead of them, but after some time heard nothing unsure if it died or had not found an end yet. They had a look on the ground for any symbology, but only found 15 feet x 15 feet slabs of polished rock hat continued on. Seeing that they made their way through the tunnel into the darkness.

**That is where we leave Episode 3!**

1. ↑ See "The Bad Bean Boys (Episode 3)" at 37:39. The remains from the beans Flint had summoned from his *Decanter Of Endless Beans* that fell.
2. ↑ See "The Bad Bean Boys (Episode 1)" at 1:06:59 - 1:14:42. The results from The Bad Bean Boys attempts to get through that room.