The Riddled Remnant (episode)

*One second you're ambling along the Switchblade foothills, and then BOOM you're accosted by the traumatized diaspora of the festival you indirectly marooned in the desert (played by the hosts of good and beloved podcast Hey Riddle Riddle), and then juuuust when you're getting used to that BOOM a greater danger appears with heretofore unseen powers and malice. You just can't win these days! Unless, no, I shouldn't say it, it's too crazy. I just can't help but think, perhaps if you banded together with the nah, dont worry about it. What do I know, anyway? I'm just someone who cares! lol, this is a "fun one." Magnetize!*

An episode of Rudes Tales of Magic featuring guest appearances from Hey Riddle Riddle; Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, and John Patrick Coan as Fancy, Champagne, and Thunk.

## Summary

The party leaves The Switchblades on their way back to The Forbidden Zone. Albee and Cordelia attempt to read Bellow’s note for Albee, but they are interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. Stirfry leapt in to ambush their stalker, only to find a normal possum. Stirfry threatens it for interrupting them and throws it hard at Cordelia, smashing it into mush on impact.

The party is soon approached by four strange and half-mad warriors; the pineapple-headed Fancy Tropicalia, the half-orc barbarian Thunk, the intoxicated rogue Champagne Champagne, and a robotic pig named Professor Chomps. They announce themselves as The Riddled Remnant, three of the survivors from Riddle Guy who managed to cross Thirsty Falls and reach the mainland. They threaten to kill the party for stranding them in The Trashlands, especially when they learn that Stirfry killed their scout and friend Russel the possum. Stirfry offers to join them to replace their possum in atonement, but they still demand retribution.

The Riddled Remnant forces the party to answer their riddles and perform improvised challenges. When they not only pass but start to bond with their attackers, a new face emerges. Dr Dilemma appears as a man in a fur coat and sunglasses wielding a crossbow and a magic forcefield. He claims to be a big fan of Albee, a Riddle Guy who hates riddles. Hating riddles himself, he vows to kill everyone who was at the last Riddle Guy festival.

The party attempts to attack Dr. Dilemma, but his forcefield prevents all from hitting him. He combines two crossbows into a single double-crossbow shaped like a question mark that launches riddle-marked arrows at the party. They escape long enough to regroup and see that a riddle is written on the arrow. When they answer it, the arrow falls out of Stirfry and they find themselves able to arm it with a new riddle. Cordelia and Champagne Champagne combine their crossbows into a single weapon, though shaped like the opposite to Dr. Dilemma’s. The answer crossbow to his riddle crossbow.

The party finds their riddled arrows effective on breaking his forcefield, but he continues to fire back. He nearly hits Thunk when Professor Chomps uses his magnetic field to draw the arrow to him. Refusing to lose another teammate, Champagne Champagne leaps in the way and dies from the arrow. Thunk creates one last riddle from the arrow in her chest, arming it with “When does green mean stop and red mean go?” Cordelia fires it back into Dr Dilemma, who is wounded and unable to answer. Albee pushes it further into his chest, killing him as she answers “Tomatoes.”

The groups part ways as friends, returning Stirfry to the party as he leaves them with his crown of The Rat King in exchange.