4 - Going Stag

***Note: This summary contains possible spoilers. If you have not listened to the episode and do not wish to have in-game events revealed, do not read this article.***

## Warmup Question

This episode is the first to feature a warmup question, although it's reserved for the outtake section.

* What does each player like about a specific character in the game? Specifically, Thane, what is something you like about Wamberbash? What is something Bash likes about Tira? Meredith, what do you like about Peter?

The intent of the question was to prompt players to provide their *characters'* opinions of another character, although Rhett accidentally directed the questions to Thane and Meredith rather than their characters. Oops.

## Summary

Quiet falls over Griphook Forest when the last bandit falls. The party ties Jarrett's hands, and they leave Dismal Hollow heading west, in the direction of Wamberbash's house. It doesn't take long for them to notice a sinister change, however: the woods feel more dense, making it difficult to move. Tira draws her axe in an attempt to clear the way, but the air grows chill and the trees begin creaking as they lean in. Looking back, Wamberbash notices the woods at the east side of the hollow's clearing are more open, and the air feels warmer in that direction.

They return to the hollow for a short rest, using a little time to recover from their fight as they talk. Wamberbash uses the downtime as an opportunity to complete his improvised sling, and Peter spends time in prayer. Jarrett is visibly unnerved by the state of the woods, although he appears to be otherwise at ease with his situation and the party.

Once they feel ready, they move along the eastern path, hoping it will eventually allow them to double back, but it runs deeper into the woods. The party crosses a little stream, and Peter steps off the path momentarily to see if anything happens. When nothing does, he is just as bothered by that as if something *had* happened. When Tira sees nothing happen, she decides to take advantage of what looks like a way back toward the west, and begins moving that direction, only to be stopped cold by the sound of something enormous moving out of sight in the trees. When it growls menacingly, the party quickly makes its way back to the path.

Some way further along, the party comes to the edge of a moonlit clearing. A feeling of great peace pervades the place that is at odds with the experience of the last couple hours, and in the middle of the open area is what looks like a statue of a great stag with iron antlers. Tira recalls snatches of childhood stories of the Iron Stag, and they all approach in wonder.

A voice infused with music speaks in the dark, and the stag stands, a green stone glinting from a fine silver chain about its neck. Wamberbash and Jarrett stay low out of respect, but Tira has continued to walk forward in a daze. Wamberbash nudges Tira, urging her to ask why they've been brought to this place; she stammers and hesitates. The Stag talks, telling of having met Tira's ancestor, Inguld Ironstag, ages ago. He warns of coming evil, and says he has expended great power to bring the party to him. He directs them to a place high in the Three Sisters Mountains where they will face a series of tests.

The party feels an inner call to something great and decides to let the Stag escort Jarrett to Arden as they press on. At the far side of the glen is the head of the trail that leads into the mountains. A sign stands there; printed on its face in neat letters is the word RESOLVE. After an hour on the path, they leave the woods and climb the lower slopes of the mountains. As they walk, the conversation revolves around the topics of the existence of magic and of the sinister but shadowy presence of monotheists.

They walk for two hours on the winding trail, climbing several thousand miles during that time. The night air of early spring is cold in the mountains, and they stop to build a small fire. In the distance to the east, they can make out settlement lights across the expanse of the Moorland, and to the south they see where the Great Sand Waste begins. The companions rest for a few hours, and then set out again in the light of a new day.

The continuing trail hugs the mountain's face. There's a moment of panic when Peter steps on a trap, and a large boulder tumbles down from above, slamming into Tira and Bash, but they maintain their balance. The danger past, the sojourners at last step into a pleasant dale that widens out, giving them space to move and breathe. On the far side of the dale is a round tower that climbs to the top of a sheer cliff, at the top of which is a delicate white bridge that crosses a chasm.

The episode ends with a cutscene, marking the first up-and-away moment of the series. In it, we travel across the continent of Edelenn to Trand, where a masked figure marches into a throne room and assassinates a king before surrendering himself to the stunned guards. We have met the Reaver Mordant, the main antagonist of this story.

## Quotable Quotes

* Those bandit pigs! - Thane
* *Thane:* I'm just going to take like five steps off the path and see what happens. *Rhett:* Okay, you take five steps off the path, and nothing immediately happens. *Thane:* That unsettles me. I'm going back to the path.
* Did you feel that when he was talking? Yeah--I have to use the restroom. I'll be right back. - Michael
* Maybe it was just the power of the gods, but I know one thing--there's something weird going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it, and once I do, stuff's gonna happen! - Thane

## Chapters

* 1.38 - Actual Play
* 59.07 - XP Awards
* 1.04.20 - Outtakes

## XP Awards

* The party receives a total of 15 XP each:
	+ 10 - For exploring the Stag's Glen
	+ 5 - For finding a way to get Jarrett safely back to Arden
* Tira gets 5 XP for roleplaying with the Stag
* Peter gets 5 XP for his emotional involvement in the story

## DM's Notes

1. At the end of the recording, Rhett shares a little background that explains some of Thane's reaction to revelations during the episode. Prior to the start of the podcast, the two of them had played some exploratory games to help build out some of the world and set the stage for the podcast. In the process, they had some meaningful character experiences, and Thane reacted to that with some unexpected emotion. It was a magical experience that was intensely gratifying to see in real life.
2. In pre-recording planning, Rhett and Thane discussed possible derisive names that polytheists like Peter might have for monotheists. The one they settled on was *onesies*.

## Notable People

* Endoril Oakenstave
* Peter Greyhawk
* Tira Ironstag
* Wamberbash Bensonmum

## Notable Places

* Dismal Hollow
* Griphook Forest
* Moriga
* Wamberbash's House

## Notable Things

* Monotheists
* Wamberbash's Spoon