Ezra

## Ezra Lockwood

Official artwork of Ezra by Jack Kaiser.

**Ezra Lockwood** is a protagonist of Team Four Star's D&D series "TFS at the Table". He is portrayed by Grant "Master Wuggles" Smith.

## **Biography**

Not much is known about Ezra due to his lying nature, so let's go over what is confirmed.

Ezra Lockwood is a half-elf with a penchant for lying and a desire to entertain. His stated goal is to create a traveling comedy and musical troupe that will become renowned.

As for unconfirmed, he has given multiple possibly connected pasts for himself. In episode six, as a passing comment from Grant to Zito out of character for a roll, it was said that he fished for several years in a fishing hamlet before setting off on his own. However, in episode seven, when asked by Wake if he knows an Admiral Lockwood, he explained that he had no clue and was young when his mother lost their quite rich estate to a wandering vagabond, which he stated was a reason he had set out.

## **Appearance**

Ezra is a fairly tall man by normal standards. As a half-elf, he has the telltale pointed ears of an elf. He has straight, chestnut-colored hair. At the start of chapter one, Ezra dressing rather simply, wearing a white tunic with some ordinary pants as well as studded leather armor. At the start of chapter two, Ezra bought himself a top hat and finally retrieved his feathered outfit to wear as part of his ring leader ensemble.

## **Personality**

Despite being the oldest of the core three characters, he can be foolish and almost childlike at times. He often tries to make himself seem in charge and knowledgeable on what he’s talking about, but he is rarely taken seriously. Despite his childlike persona, he can have a dark side to him. He is no stranger to trying to scam people and has referenced holding a hatred of known degree towards his father.

## **Adventures at the Table**

### **Chapter One**

In episode one, Ezra was traveling as a passenger aboard the Voltun. Eyeing Eloy as a potential mark or comrade, Ezra eagerly started up a conversation with the donkey-man. Although he was unable to discern the secret ingredient after tasting Grammy’s soup, he was given a vial of cat’s grace when Wake guessed correctly. Ezra passed the time by eating, drinking, and conversing with the other passengers.

Later, Ezra was brought onto the main deck and questioned with the rest of the passengers at the request of the captain. After the ship was attacked by a group of orc pirates, Ezra returned below deck with Eloy and Wake. There, they confronted and defeated a group of orcs that had broken into the ship and were stealing some of the cargo, rescuing Skrung from being betrayed by his former allies.

Hearing a commotion from another room, Ezra and the others went to assist Redd against the orc captain and two of his crew. Working together, they managed to subdue the captain before the reinforcements arrived.

In episode two, Ezra, along with Eloy, Wake, Skrung, Redd, Pliskin, and Risf, were held separately after the orc raid. After arriving at Jahal Cove and being greeted by Timothy at the docks, they were taken to see Meed, a pirate lord and governor of Jahal Cove, who explained that the island was on lockdown due to abyssal monsters threatening the seas, and they were offered the chance to help investigate the situation.

At the Flappy Stingray, they met with Harros and Mary Pibbs, who owned the inn. When Eloy got drunk from the rounds of drinks, Ezra helped the donkey-man to his room before returning to watch Wake gamble.

The next morning, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, and Risf visited several of the town’s many shops. At the Gimmi Brothers’ Ezra purchased a +1 dagger and requested feathery suits to be made for himself and Eloy. They also visited the general store and the Collective, where they met with Father Dorn, before stopping by the carve house.

In episode three, Ezra, Eloy, and Wake met Onslow Green at Jahal Cove’s carve house. The trio then headed to Black Street to gather some more information before setting out on their mission the next day.

After getting turned around by the locals’ trickery, they eventually found their way to Black Street where they ran into Skrung. Skrung, also seeking information, led them to an audience with Deimos, where they were told to seek out Yeldin Cave. Before leaving, Ezra was told in Thieves’ Cant that Yeldin Cave was filled with secret passageways. The party then returned to the Flappy Stingray and rested for the night.

The morning before they set out, Harros explained the mission would be to scout out a Navy company on the island. Although Ezra advocated for bringing Redd with them, Eloy provided the best argument for taking Onslow in the party. Once they had resupplied, the group left along the western path out of down, which took them down the Squawking Path. There, they were attacked by a group of dire macaws. The beasts proved quite dangerous to Ezra, but, thanks to some quick healing from Eloy, the half-elf managed to survive.

In episode four, having defeated the dire macaws with the help of the others, Ezra plucked feathers from the corpses. When Wake discovered a dead body garbed in a pristine naval uniform, Ezra looted the clothes from the body. After a toucan stole Eloy’s flute, Ezra threw a rock at the bird, causing it to drop the flute.

Ezra, Eloy, Wake, and Onslow regrouped with Redd, Risf, Skrung, and Pliskin at Onslow’s village in Piranha Bog. To assist with their mission, the group hired Old Young Cletus, Onslow’s hunting rival, to travel upriver on an airboat as a distraction.

The two groups split up, with Ezra’s team going toward Yeldin Cave and the other going ahead to scout the navy camp. On the way, they were attacked by a group of stirges. During the fight, Ezra shot Wake in the back of the head with a crossbow bolt, providing one of the stirge drones an open wound to feed from.

In episode five, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, and Onslow found and explored Yeldin Cave. Searching the area, they came across two mimics: a chest that Ezra dubbed Trunky and a sword sheath called Kevin. Advancing further into the cave, the group encountered large spiders and red, abyssal-infected slimes.

As they approached the deepest reaches of the cave, Onslow was ambushed and nearly dragged off a ledge by a slime-controlled rat-man cadaver. Fortunately, Eloy and Ezra were able to pull the gator-man back up but not before the creature bored into his head.

Then, they came upon the Manmaw, a two-story tall, red slime filled with corpses and a giant, rat-faced tumor. During the fight, Ezra was sucked within the Manmaw before being pulled out by Wake’s water whip before being digested. In retaliation, Ezra launched an improvised Molotov cocktail at the monster, killing Onslow’s long-sought prey.

In episode six, after killing the Manmaw, Ezra found a strange ring that emitted warmth among the carnage. While Onslow rested, Eloy, Ezra, and Wake explored more of Yeldin Cave, coming across a laboratory that had been used by Viktor and two more mimics: a trunk named Roy that ingests organic material and a ring named Lancy that produces skeleton keys in exchange for eating a finger bone.

Continuing north, they regrouped with Redd, Risf, Skrung, and Pliskin who had captured and bound a Yuan-ti woman by the name of Zia’ka. After an exchange of words, they agreed to help Zia’ka in her quest if she would help with theirs.

Disguised with the naval uniform he found earlier, Ezra infiltrated the naval camp to provide a distraction for Wake, Risf, and Skrung to look around. He convinced the soldiers that the land was cursed before running out of the camp apparently hysterical. From the loot obtained in the raid, Ezra received ten gold bars.

In episode seven, once they had safely made camp away from the naval outpost, Wake confronted Ezra about the Lockwood side of his family. Ezra deceived Wake and claimed to know nothing of any Lockwoods in the Navy. When Ezra asked about the ring he found in Yeldin Cave, Kevin revealed it is a heat resistance ring. Back at the Piranha Bog village, they ran into Old Young Cletus, who had returned from his hunting trip with a dead, male Yuan-ti.

Eloy, Ezra, and Wake took Redd, Skrung, and Zia’ka with them to investigate the Yuan-ti temple while Onslow, Pliskin, and Risf returned to Jahal Cove to report to Meed. After being greeted by Pinches, the crab mascot, they ran into Mr. Thoroughday, the head of the Fine Day Boardwalk Company in Jahal Cove, who gave them a verbal tour.

While waiting for Wake to challenge the carnival’s champion, Ezra visited the pet shop after a large crab called Chompy caught his eye. Although he tried haggling with the goblin at the stall and took a closer look at the crab, he left without buying anything.

After Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Redd, Skrung, and Zia’ka regrouped in the champion’s room, they talked with Nedra and Mr. Thoroughday and arranged to investigate the temple underneath the fight pit.

In episode eight, after a brief discussion in which Eloy mentioned that Skrung bore a resemblance to the goblin king, Eloy descended into the Yuan-ti temple with the others. While investigating, Ezra spoke to two of Mr. Thoroughday’s workers, who were goblins, and asked if Skrung looked like their king. Despite Ezra’s attempts to go unnoticed, Skrung overheard the conversation, but his aggravation only increased Ezra’s curiosity on the topic. The party learned from the temple’s undead Yuan-ti guardians that the Collective One’s heart had been stolen and returned to report to Mr. Thoroughday.

When the group informed Mr. Thoroughday of the situation, he was displeased it could not be resolved immediately. After Wake punched Mr. Thoroughday for holding Nedra under contract, Ezra was able to successfully buy out the deal with a gold bar and a ring that he convinced Thoroughday was worth a significant amount.

Back at the Flappy Stingray, they rejoined Risf, Pliskin, and Onslow to tell Mary what they had learned on their expedition. Then, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, and Nedra went to visit Mr. Rattles, the local necromancer. There, the lich showed them an image of Viktor and told them that the abyssal were a reaction to too much magic being used by the navy. Ezra assisted Eloy in understanding that magic is not inherently bad by letting the donkey-man cast suggestion on him.

After Eloy was launched into the general store by Nedra’s high five, Ezra followed him in to meet Timothy and Abigail. Ezra purchased some small trinkets and healing rock candy before it was discovered that Timothy had necrotic damage on his arm and might be Viktor’s next target.

Sending Timothy and Abigail to wait at the Flappy Stingray, the group visited the Gimmi Brothers next. Ezra gave them the feathers he had gathered from the dire macaws to make suits and bought some explosive bolts from the pair.

In episode nine, Eloy, Ezra, and Wake went to speak with Deimos to reveal what they had learned on their trip to Yeldin Cave. Each of them were given a potion of invisibility for their services. Then, they visited the Collective so Eloy could confess his worries for having used magic. While Eloy and Wake returned to the Flappy Stingray, Ezra visited the Gimmi Brothers to see if they could embellish his naval uniform to make it a higher rank and retrieved the portable piano Eloy had commissioned. Returning to the Flappy Stingray, Ezra handed Eloy his new instrument.

That night, everyone involved in recent events convened at the Flappy Stingray to participate in a parley with Ave Lo Eshtali, Arundhati, and Troy Hultch from the navy. Eloy, Ezra, and Wake agreed to go with the naval officers to the southern island in pursuit of Viktor. Afterward, Ezra approached to Ave Lo to ask about his father, an admiral in the navy. They decided to take Zia’ka, Gulfur, and Skrung with them on the expedition.

The next morning, they headed to the docks to depart for the southern island. On their way to the boats, Grammy gave them some pufferfish pie, which did not sit well with Ezra.

Traveling to the southern island, Wake swimming while everyone else stayed aboard boats, they were attacked by an abyssal bloater fish. During the fight, Ezra was pulled overboard by the beast, but Wake managed to rescue him. When the boats capsized, Ezra had to swim to shore. All of them managed to make it to the island safely.

Once ashore, the party headed into the woods to search for Viktor. After some time, it became clear they were traveling in circles under the influence of the Green Ones, which Zia’ka explained protect the forests and can manipulate nature. Soon, they came upon a red cap, and, with a coordinated effort, Ezra managed to kill the creature, earning Skrung’s approval.

In episode ten, the southern island expedition party proceeded through the forest until they came upon a pack of velociraptors. Despite their attempts to hide, Eloy was discovered and bitten by one of them, prompting Wake to kill the creature. Continuing on, they met a gnoll leading another group of raptors, but Ezra stayed hidden during the conversation with the newcomer.

The gnoll introduced himself through broken common as Quickin and explained that a deal had been made with Viktor to resurrect the alpha gnoll’s dead mate. When the party informed Quickin that Viktor was not to be trusted, the gnoll agreed to take them to his alpha, Yawrugrik. Quickin let some the two-legged party members ride some of his raptor mounts while Eloy carried Gulfur. Ezra and Skrung were almost left behind when the raptors sped off because they remained in hiding throughout the conversation.

Traveling through the woods, their path was soon barred by traps and they were confronted by Glorriosa, one of the Green Ones that protects the forests on the island. They informed her that they were pursuing Viktor, and she showed them the numerous abyssal and corpses left in Viktor’s trail when, suddenly, the abyssal attacked.

Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Skrung, and Gulfur fought one wave of enemies while Quickin, Glorriosa, and the naval officers dealt with another. Once they had defeated the first wave, a massive, abyssal treant rose to face them. Using unprecedented cooperation, they eliminated the creature with ease.

In episode eleven, Quickin led the group through the path Glorriosa opened for them to the gnoll camp, which resided up on the mountain closer to the volcano. There, they met the tribe’s alpha, Yawrugrik, and explained the threat Viktor posed.

Yawrugrik led them to where Viktor was being held, but all they found were abyssal gnolls waiting for them. Pursuing the elf deeper into the volcano, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Skrung, and Gulfur followed Yawrugrik down the southern path while Ave Lo, Arundhati, and Troy proceeded along the northern path.

Further in, they wandered into a ship graveyard where they found the mimic ship Yeldin. From him, they learned how his crew was turned into mimics by mind flayer experimentation and that a red cap may be lurking nearby.

After Yeldin was depressed by the prospect of not returning to his previous body, Wake left his mimic with Gulfur as he endeavored to repair the former captain. Ezra attempted to intimidate the dwarf to ensure he wouldn’t abandon them on the island, but the Gulfur was unimpressed.

Noticing Skrung sneak off into one of the wrecked vessels, Ezra and Wake followed after the goblin, who was pursuing another red cap. However, when Eloy approached to try and assist, he alerted the red cap to their presence, causing it to vanish and angering Skrung.

Leaving Gulfur and Skrung behind, the rest of the group continued into the depths of the volcano. They swam through a submerged corridor filled with searing, sulfurous water. After exposing the enchanted ring to so much heat, Ezra discovered it could be charged with energy and used to emit that heat in a magical burst.

Deep within the volcano, they regrouped with the naval officers outside of a massive chamber where Viktor was conducting some sort of ritual, guarded by several abyssal mind flayers. They managed to defeat Viktor’s horrifying entourage and converged on the elf. During the fight, Ezra used his invisibility potion to sneak closer to Viktor.

Wake launched an explosive rune into the portal that Viktor was opening, causing the creatures inside to scream in agony and turn on the elf, corrupting him into an abyssal and mind flayer abomination beyond recognition. After the transformed Viktor unleashed a mighty roar, only Ezra, Eloy, Wake, and Yawrugrik remained standing to fight.

A fierce battle ensued between the remaining party members and Viktor, who now had several independently acting heads on long tentacles. Maintaining a distance from the monster, Ezra launched numerous bolts from his crossbow, some of which carried explosives, and managed to defeat Viktor’s mind flayer head.

When Viktor had been defeated Ezra rushed over to Yawrugrik, who had been turned to stone during the battle and poured a healing potion on him to revive the gnoll. As an abyssal lord began to emerge from the portal, Zia’ka appeared with other Yuan-ti and a massive avatar of their god, the Collective One, which slammed the portal shut and sealed it.

### **Chapter Two**

In episode twelve, among the items in the chamber, Ezra found an alchemy jug, a magical device which can produce a certain amount of a liquid once per day. Ezra returned to the ship graveyard with the rest of the party to discover that a week had passed since they confronted Viktor and the Voltun had arrived. Ezra voyaged back to Jahal Cove on the Voltun, leaving Gulfur behind to continue working on the mimic ship.

During the party at the Flappy Stingray celebrating Viktor’s death, Ezra approached Ave Lo to discuss his father, Admiral Lockwood. Although Ave Lo could not get in contact with the admiral, she pointed him to a contact in South Xellus that may be able to help.

Later, Ezra went up to Pliskin to learn more about the man. Pliskin revealed that he had been suffering under the influence of something he termed “The Call,” which causes him to black out at night instead of sleeping. After one fateful night, he awoke amid the wreckage of a ship to discover his lower half transforming into some kind of creature.

After spending the evening making merry with their allies, Ezra, Eloy, and Wake followed Meed into the back to discuss their future plans. They decided to form a traveling group of entertainers with some of their allies and go from port to port, freeing slaves along the way. Meed informed them of the Grand Design, the secret of Barnacle Bay, and the Navy’s experiments pulling in magic from other realms. Then, he gave them a parcel to deliver to his pirate lord allies.

In episode thirteen, Ezra, Eloy, and Wake spent a couple of weeks relaxing and preparing for their next adventure. Ezra purchased enough crossbow bolts to last until their next stop at a port and a top hat to go with the feathered outfit he had commissioned from the Gimmi Brothers. He also treated himself to what luxuries Jahal Cove had to offer, spreading word of the Lockwood Natural Wonders where he could. While wandering about the town, Ezra was approached by a fancily dressed elf, who was intrigued by the tales of the Wonders, and given 2000 gold as an investment and a signet ring.

At the Flappy Stingray, everyone spent one last night together before the Wonders were to set sail the following morning. Ezra partook in a bit of gambling with Harros, Rattles, and Gulfur, winning a total of 6000 gold and a crawling claw, a disembodied, animated hand which the half-elf nicknamed Scaphy. Mary provided the crew with a set of silver and jewel encrusted mugs as a memento of where their adventure began. Knowing Ezra’s intention to start an entertainment troupe, she also provided ten fireworks wands, which each had five uses. Lastly, Meed provided a map of La Circunus marked with numerous places of interest. Moving on to business, the crew decided what role each of the members would take on the ship, with Ezra being the captain. Before leaving, Ezra left a gold bar at the Flappy Stingray to show his gratitude.

The next morning, the crew boarded the Yeldin and set sail eastward. After being at sea for a time, they came upon the Witness Tower, a massive, porcelain structure protruding out of the sea. Ezra, Eloy, Skrung, Onslow, and Zia’ka examined the tower above water while Wake dove into the ocean to investigate it from below. The surface party was able to unknowingly cooperate with Wake to solve the puzzle of the Witness Tower.

During their voyage, Ezra decided to conduct a talent show to assess the crew members’ abilities and placed a sign-up sheet outside his cabin.

Several nights later, the crew was awoken in the middle of the night when Yeldin suddenly stopped before a ghastly scene. Bodies and blood filled the waters ahead, leading to another ship. After Wake retrieved a jacket from one of the bodies, Ezra identified an emblem on the clothing as belonging to Eburkal. Then, from a sample Wake brought back, Redd revealed the blood in the water belonged to vampires, and Pliskin identified the ship as the Mantaruva.

In episode fourteen, Ezra, Eloy, and Wake decided to take Redd and Risf with them to investigate the Mantaruva, leaving the other crew members behind to defend the Yeldin. The five of them took a rowboat over to the mysterious vessel, meeting resistance from the sharks and blood filling the waters.

Aboard the wreck, they found zombies wandering the decks and corpses piled together. Laying to rest any undead they came across, the group proceeded deeper into the Mantaruva. Following the sounds of a woman crying, they snuck into a room with a man crucified in the center of a pentagram and a vampire lady in a white dress franticly searching through crates.

After Ezra stepped on a loose floorboard, the woman noticed them and immediately vanished. Before he could react, she pounced on the half-elf, taking a bite out of his neck and sucking his blood. Fortunately, Wake and Redd came to Ezra’s aid, assaulting the vampire and freeing him from her grasp. Then, Risf approached Ezra to heal him of any vampirism that the woman may have left behind.

When Ezra recovered from the vampire lady’s attack, he used his charged heat ring to launch a blast of fire at her. However, he missed, hitting the figure on the cross instead, which began screaming in agony. With their combined efforts, the group was able to take her down, but the man on the cross broke free and turned to face them.

After Eloy used heat metal on their new foe, Ezra littered the floor in front of the enemy with ball bearings. When their flaming opponent approached, he slipped on the small orbs and launched the cross he was wielding into the air, which came crashing down on its owner, plunging him through the deck of the ship.

Searching the room, they found various gems, artifacts, and other items of value. Ezra found an attuned robe of Ludarius that he gave to Risf for the kobold’s assistance in the last battle. Setting the decrepit vessel ablaze as they left, the group returned to their rowboat and began the voyage back to the Yeldin.

Having successfully made their way back through the blood and vampire shark filled waters, the Wonders decided to end this threat of vampirism before it spread, so they dumped several barrels of oil into the ocean and burned away any trace of the disease before continuing their travels eastward.

In episode fifteen, the Natural Wonders continued their voyage eastward. Ezra tested out Scaphy’s capabilities and checked the talent show sign-up sheet outside his cabin. Confused by Nedra’s entry of “pɘɘtting zoo,” he approached her to clarify that she wanted to fight and punch things not pet them.

Making landfall on an unmarked island, several of the crew were confused by the presence of so many deer. Leaving Onslow, Gulfur, and Grammy on the ship, Ezra went ashore with the others to explore the island’s town. While searching, they came across deer with strangely humanoid eyes exhibiting odd behavior. Ezra was shocked to discover that Onslow had been transformed into a deer and helped move the former gator-man to the local tavern, the Toad in the Hole.

Resuming their investigation, they came upon a small, female kobold named Jalael. With Risf as an interpreter, she explained that the inhabitants of the island were turned into deer by “Him” and she had been researching the events for the past eight years. Then, she guided Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Risf, Redd, and Zia’ka to her den, where she showed them everything she collected from the town.

Learning of something at the lighthouse built to protect it from the wendigo, which caused the island’s population to turn into deer, the group left Jalael in her den to venture across the island to find a way to reverse the enchantment. As they passed through the forest, they were confronted by Calliope, a faun girl warning them to leave the island.

After Eloy tried to use suggestion to convince Calliope to stand aside, it became clear that she was under the influence of some spell, so Zia’ka placed her into an enchanted sleep. Taking the young faun with them, they arrived at the lighthouse and were greeted by a gargoyle at the entrance, Carble. Hearing their plight, Carble allowed them into the lighthouse.

In episode sixteen, they searched the lighthouse for any useful items or information. Due to the merman’s continued metamorphosis into a deer, Ezra tied Wake’s spear onto his back. As they ascended the tower, Wake found an incomplete cure disease potion.

When Calliope woke up, she was terrified of the wendigo, but Ezra, Eloy, and Wake were able to comfort her slightly and convince her to help them. They discovered that Carble was an incomplete project made to combat the wendigo.

On the top floor, they found the corpse of the lighthouse’s previous master and a note indicating that Carble only needed the completed cure disease potion, which still required poison oak, before he would be finished.

As the group left the tower to pursue the missing ingredient, Calliope and Carble coming along with them, they came upon several deer abominations, macabre hybrids of deer and the island’s inhabitants. The strange creatures were easily dealt with by Carble’s sonic screams, however.

Deeper in the forest, they came upon more abominations and horrific, skeletal deer monsters blocking their path. Ezra stealthily eliminated one of the abominations from afar before attempting to move closer, whereupon he alerted the creatures to his presence. Unfortunately, he was pinned by one of the skeletons after hitting it with an explosive bolt, but he was able to defeat it with his dagger.

Once they had retrieved the poison oak, the group returned to town and regrouped with Nedra, Pliskin, Skrung, and Onslow at the Toad in the Hole.

In episode seventeen, Calliope revealed to everyone that the beans Pliskin’s group had found around town were what remained of the townspeople. Then, Ezra and the rest of the crew that was out all night investigating the island took some time to rest at the tavern.

After waking that afternoon, the crew went about preparing for an oncoming attack that night, setting up traps, barricades, cannons, and anything else they deemed useful. When they were finished, Ezra took up a position within the tavern along with Eloy, Wake, and Nedra as a last line of defense for Onslow and Calliope.

Numerous deer abominations and skeletal monsters charged the Toad in the Hole, but defenses held for the early waves. During the third and fourth waves, some enemies broke through the back of the tavern. Ezra signaled to Carble for his assistance as Eloy cast silence over the defenders, and the entire enemy group was eliminated both times. After the fourth wave, Ezra repaired Carble’s neck using one of the scrolls of mend Eloy had acquired from Mr. Rattles.

On the fifth wave, the Toad in the Hole was invaded by more of their monstrous foes. They were quickly dispatched, but, in the midst of the fray, Onslow disappeared, with only a small, green bean remaining where the gator-deer had once been. With time running short for Onslow, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Nedra, and Carble proceeded to the lake at the center of the island to confront the wendigo.

At the lake, Carble opened a pathway into the wendigo’s lair. While Carble remained outside, the others entered the strange realm created by the wendigo and came face-to-face with Him. The wendigo attempted to negotiate, but the crew was unimpressed. As the wendigo attempted to devour an arm from Wake’s body, Ezra fired a crossbow bolt to stop Him. Then, he vanished into the shadows, animating the bodies of Wake and Onslow to fight the intruders.

When the battle commenced, Ezra slipped away to create some beer with his alchemy jug. After the concoction was ready, he dropped Onslow’s bean into the container and fired an explosive bolt at the wendigo. Fortunately, Wake, now back in his original body, managed to prevent the explosive from going off to keep the wendigo and Onslow’s body under the influence of Eloy’s hypnotic pattern.

While the wendigo was dazed, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, and Nedra managed to return Onslow to his body by forcing the bean left behind at the tavern down the gator’s throat. Then, Wake and Ezra covered the wendigo in oil and explosive bolts, igniting the creature in a massive inferno.

Cast out of the collapsing dimension with numerous other souls, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Nedra, and Onslow landed in the lake at the center of the island, where Ezra obtained a bag of ten beans(?) that fell from the sky. Returning to the town with Carble, they were greeted with cheers and treasure by the revived townspeople and agreed to travel to Bulkard to request aid for the village, taking Calliope as an ambassador.

In episode eighteen, the Natural Wonders spent a few days on Vennin Island resting after defeating the wendigo. Ezra received numerous colored flags from the townspeople, which were hung all over Yeldin. While speaking with the village elder, they were told to contact Lieutenant Gore about potential aid for the town. When Ezra asked about any authorities in Bulkard, Calliope told him about a Mr. Lot, a tabaxi that runs Jovial Lot and also one of the pirate lords Meed had mentioned.

After departing from Vennin Island, Ezra, Eloy, and Wake showed Calliope around Yeldin and introduced her to the rest of the crew.

That night, Ezra was awoken by Eloy, who claimd to have come across an intruder named Raniero Confictura. Eloy showed a pamphlet of sheet music as evidence, so Ezra woke the rest of the crew. They were unable to determine exactly how Confictura managed to sneak aboard the ship, but Redd found a scrying orb in the galley. After Nedra launched the orb into the ocean with her bat, Ezra stayed up to keep watch.

The next morning, they sailed into Bulkard’s port. Aware of the attention that the Yeldin was receiving, Ezra began taking down the colorful flags decorating the ship, though his efforts were hampered by that fantastic display of Wake and Nedra’s sparring match.

Docking with the merchants, they informed one of the port workers, a bobcat tabaxi by the name of Bob, about the fate of the Mantaruva, providing the ship’s manifest as proof. While the others visited the carve house to chat up the locals, Ezra and Calliope informed the dock workers about the events of Vennin Island and requested aid for the liberated town. They arranged a meeting with Oso, the Kals’ advisor, and Lieutenant Gore at the Shipwrecked tavern later that day to discuss the details further.

After settling their business at the port, the crew was gathered and permitted entrance into the upper area of Bulkard.

In episode nineteen, Ezra and Eloy went to the College of Wandering Scripts, Bulkard’s bard college. There, they spoke with Isaac Thorne about enrolling in the traveler’s program. Although the prices were quite steep to join – 25,000 gold per institution visited – they were able to lower the initial payment to 10,000 gold by providing the tale of solving the Witness Tower’s riddle. In a side room, they informed Thorne about their encounter with Confictura, but he alleviated their worries about the macabre tabaxi.

That afternoon, Ezra and Eloy regrouped with Wake, Calliope, Zia’ka, Onslow, and Grammy at the Shipwrecked tavern for the meeting with Oso, the Kals’ advisor, Serpil, the Kals’ bodyguard, and Lieutenant Gore. After discussing the events on Vennin Island, Oso and Gore agreed to assist with rebuilding the town by providing trade and defense. However, they requested that the investigation into the whereabouts of the Collective One’s heart be handled by Kals.

Oso provided the Wonders with rooms at the Kal embassy for their stay in Bulkard and consented to let Zia’ka cooperate with the investigation into the heart’s location. Ezra retrieved Skrung from local brothel and brought him the embassy. On the way, Skrung told Ezra that Kals were involved in some way with the heart’s theft and it was being held at the carnival.

In episode twenty, Ezra and Skrung returned to the Kal embassy with several other members of the crew when they were interrupted by AJ, a raggedy looking elf. He claimed to have been cursed by Schrodinger, the god of time, to teleport around the world every twelve hours in search of 100 items on a list.

After AJ stole guard uniforms from the embassy and they debated among themselves, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, and Nedra agreed to assist the stranger in recovering a dire elephant tusk from Bulkard’s zoo.

At the zoo, the group convinced one of the zookeepers that they were sent by the Kals and she gave them several tasks to attend to before letting them see the elephants. First, they were instructed to remove an object from the wing of Bruce, a giant bat.

On the third floor, Eloy put the bats to sleep so Ezra could climb onto Bruce and extract the object from his wing. The nimble half-elf successfully removed a sickle embedded in the giant bat, but the creature woke up before Ezra could get off and took a bite out of him. After Wake stunned Bruce with a fierce blow, Ezra managed to swing himself onto the second floor and escape with the others.

Their next task was to remove a fae creature from the purple worm enclosure. They deduced that the creature was a faerie dragon and used a pile of magical artifacts to lure it out. The enchanted bait roused the small dragon’s interest, but it took some further cajoling with honey from Ezra’s alchemy jug and some of Wake’s healing rock candy to convince it to come with them, naming it Yt.

Lastly, they were asked to check on the herd of nightmares, which shared a large enclosure with the dire elephants. The heat exuded by the steeds barred their path, but Ezra and AJ started a fire off to one side to lure the animals away. Leaving Nedra to look after them, the rest of the group continued around the flaming beasts.

Coming upon a band of sleeping hyenas, AJ conjured a small house on top of them, allowing the party to pass without disturbing the slumbering creatures. When they were blocked from crossing a river by several hungry sahuagin, AJ convinced them to eat the hyenas, opening the path to the elephants.

Entering the enclosure, the elephants were alerted to the group’s presence by the scream of a child in the observation deck. After AJ and Wake cooperated to remove the dire elephant’s rotting tusk, Ezra threw some rations to distract most of the herd, but a baby elephant charged Wake. Thinking quickly, Ezra sprayed a can of toy snakes over the area, panicking the elephants and causing them to knock two children into the enclosure. Eloy and Wake rescued the kids as the party retreated from the elephants.

As Eloy, Wake, and AJ escaped using a maintenance tunnel, Ezra retrieved Nedra and left the way they had entered. Regrouping in front of the zookeeper, they tried to allay her worries, but AJ distracted her by revealing that the sahuagin were eating the hyenas. They released the children and returned to town. After handing over the blink pyramids, AJ was enveloped by portal and disappeared.

In episode twenty-one, an exhausted Ezra sat around a table at the Kal embassy with Eloy, Wake, Nedra, Calliope, and Zia’ka. Using his alchemy jug, Ezra created some boiling coffee to help wake up the crew after their escapades the previous night. They were soon joined by Lieutenant Gore, Serpil Juniem, Oso, and Prince Ozlem Kal.

During the conversation, Ozlem revealed that he would be receiving a gift for his younger brother, the king, from the Fine Day Boardwalk Company within the next few days. Gore also asked the crew to visit Fort Dizmak later to discuss other business that he had in mind for them.

Later, Eloy and Ezra stopped by the local magic shop to look for anything that would enhance Eloy’s upcoming performance. For 5000 gold, Legitimate Larri, the exuberant air genasi that ran the shop, offered them an enchanted crystal that can be used to create a spotlight in various colors, summon an illusion of rippling water, and amplify Eloy’s own magical skills.

After regrouping with Wake and Nedra, who were now dressed in their fight pit costumes, the four of them headed to the bard college to meet with the headmaster. Isaac Thorne introduced them to Headmaster Nergalt, a graceful high elf who explained how the battle between himself and Eloy would be conducted.

On their way to the fight pit, the group came across Onslow enjoying the results of a successful hunt. Before they left, he introduced them to Pogo Gama, the head of the hunting lodge.

While waiting for the match between Nedra and Barabus to start, Ezra and Eloy bet 2000 gold each for her to win. After Barabus defeated Nedra, Ezra informed Eloy that the gold they had wagered on the match was now gone.

Back on the ship, Ezra was at the crew meeting where Wake explained his plan to use the blink pyramids to transport the Collective One’s heart aboard Yeldin after it had already set sail back to Jahal Cove.

In episode twenty-two, the crew meeting was interrupted by Raniero Confictura. The macabre tabaxi had arrived to parley with them on behalf of Lot Nyeth, the pirate lord. Ezra found the scrying orb Confictura had used to appear on the ship and gave it to Wake, who promptly smashed it. After some debate, they decided to try and cooperate with both Gore and Lot in an attempt to avoid making enemies unnecessarily.

When Grammy made Pistachio stew for the crew, Ezra was the only one to find out the secret ingredient.

Ezra, Wake, Pliskin, and Redd visited Fort Dizmak to find out what mission Lieutenant Gore wanted their assistance with. The Crabateer, a ship flying under the colors of the pirate lord Blurderek Rumblood, was in the area, and he asked them to subdue the crew and retrieve it within the next three days. They decided to accept the mission to stay in the Navy’s good graces.

On the way back to the Yeldin, Ezra and Wake stopped by Legitimate Larri’s shop to purchase a pair of scrying orbs for the crew. Using the down payment Gore had given them and the promise of more business in the future, Wake bought the second smallest pair for 4000 gold. Ezra also restocked his supply of ball bearings from another shop.

Upon arriving back at the ship, Ezra noticed that Grammy had scavenged wood for a stage from a nearby Naval vessel. Although confronting the sea hag terrified him, he gave her a stern warning about her actions.

The following morning, Ezra took the opportunity to promote the Lockwood Natural Wonders to the crowd gathering for the upcoming bard battle.

In episode twenty-three, after congratulating Eloy on his performance, Confictura requested the Wonders’ presence at the arranged meeting with Lot. It was decided that Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Pliskin, Skrung, and Zia’ka would go to Jovial Lot to participate in the parley.

Upon entering the carnival, they met up with Gavriil Bezumets, head of Lot’s research and development team, who guided them into the large complex beneath the carnival. They were taken into a tower-like structure where they were confronted by Saga, Lot’s quartermaster and owner of Bulkard’s zoo. She was not pleased that they had disturbed her property and growled at them as they all entered Lot’s room, where Lot and Confictura were waiting for them.

After Confictura verified that Meed’s parcel was untouched, the parley began in earnest. They discussed a variety of topics, including the fiasco at the zoo, Nedra’s past, and the Collective One’s heart, which Caster had purchased as a gift for the Kals. As neither group wanted Caster to hand the heart over to the Kals, Lot advised them to take the aasimar to the Unwitnessed Kingdom and obtain something of equal value to trade for the heart.

On their way out, Lot told Ezra that his father was likely in North Xellus. Then, they followed Gavriil back to the entrance of the compound. When Gavriil offered to make something for them, Eloy requested a cotton candy machine that could infuse healing potions into its sweets. Eloy put in 4000 gold and Ezra put in 3000 gold toward the investment, but, to hasten the process, Eloy offered a scroll of hypnotic pattern and Ezra provided three glass beans for the tabaxi to experiment with.

To demonstrate the power of the glass beans, Ezra shattered one against the ground, resulting in a large glass bean stalk sprouting from floor. Five beholder eyes blossomed from it and began firing lasers at everyone nearby. After nearly being killed, Gavriil agreed to have the project completed in three days.

Before returning to the ship, the group, now without Zia’ka, went to the Catnap Inn to seek out Edward Caster. Despite Wake’s attempt to make another bet with the lawyer, it was decided that they would take Caster and Barabus to the Unwitnessed Kingdom to look for treasure, with Caster taking 95% of anything he deemed valuable. Ezra, Eloy, and Wake were marked to seal the deal, though Skrung and Pliskin avoided the same through deception.

Back on the Yeldin, the crew discussed the plans for both traveling to the Unwitnessed Kingdom and completing the mission assigned to them by Gore. They agreed to split into two parties to complete both quests in a timely manner. Ezra would accompany the party heading to the Unwitnessed Kingdom.

In episode twenty-four, once they had obtained the diving bell from Lt. Gore and were joined by Caster and Barabus, the crew departed for the Unwitnessed Kingdom. Arriving at the approximate location of their destination, Wake dove into the sea to get a more precise idea of where the submerged empire resided.

After Wake investigated the ocean floor and returned to the ship, Ezra, Eloy, Redd, Risf, Caster, and Barabus climbed into the diving bell and descended beneath the waves while the merman swam alongside them. When they reached the bottom, Redd cast water breathing on the group inside the diving bell. She had difficulty concentrating at first, but after Ezra gave her some red wine, she was able to successfully cast the spell.

Walking along the seafloor, they approached the large, domed barrier containing some remnants of an ancient civilization that Wake had found on his reconnaissance. Going into a cavern near the base of the arcane shielding, they used a weak spot in the barrier as an entrance to the long-forgotten realm.

Before braving the unknown ahead of them, the party took a short rest. Then, they ventured further into the caves, finding evidence of ancient equine centaurs and troglodytes, a race of lizard-like folk. Coming upon a submerged passage, Wake scouted out the path, returning with the terrifying knowledge that a blue dragon had made its nest on the other side.

They decided to attempt to sneak past the creature, hoping a fight with it would be unnecessary. With the assistance of Eloy casting silence on the dragon, the party was able to enter the room without waking it. Unfortunately, due to Caster’s actions, the dragon woke from its slumber, immediately noticing the intruders in its lair. Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Redd, and Caster were unable to make it out of the room before the dragon blocked the exit with a massive claw.

In episode twenty-five, Ezra attempted to pacify the dragon with ten platinum before revealing that they were on a treasure hunt under the employ of Caster. The dragon introduced himself as Pabsvadri and blocked the other exit with his tail before demanding an offering from the rest of the trapped party.

When Eloy failed to impress Pabsvadri with a wand of mending and music, Ezra slipped a perfect ruby into the donkey-man’s pocket for him to give the dragon. Ezra also tried to bargain for Caster’s passage with the heat resistance ring, but, after Pabsvadri commanded Redd to launch a large fireball at Ezra to demonstrate the ring’s abilities, it shattered. Luckily, the dragon agreed to allow Caster to leave, accepting the half-elf’s pain as the price.

Satisfied with the gifts he had received, Pabsvadri raised his claw to let them pass, whereupon Wake immediately dashed down the corridor, still holding onto a suit of armor that he had stolen from the dragon’s hoard. Infuriated by this slight, Pabsvadri slammed his mighty paw back down, demanding recompense. Fortunately, Ezra and Redd were able to convince the dragon that a naval uniform was equally valuable, and Pabsvadri allowed them to continue onward.

Rejoining Wake in the hallway beyond, Ezra, disappointed in Wake’s actions, pressed the group on to the tunnel’s exit, where Risf and Barabus were waiting for them.

Proceeding deeper into the lost kingdom, the party stopped to rest in large room containing old medical equipment and centaur skeletons that seemed to have fused into the building. After the encounter with Pabsvadri, they decided to take a long rest with Wake, Barabus, and Risf keeping watch. Upon waking up, Risf was nowhere to be found, though his belongings remained.

Investigating the area, Ezra discovered a trail of unnatural coldness leading from where Risf was up a nearby spiral staircase. They followed the trail up the staircase, which was lined with centaur gargoyles armed with shields and spears. When Eloy spoke to one of the gargoyles, they attacked the party, shouting about “lesser ones” throughout the encounter.

With his crossbow’s effectiveness limited in such close quarters, Ezra used his rapier to attack the gargoyles. As they slowly whittled away at the gargoyles’ numbers, they were able to work together to defeat all of the enemies.

Ascending the staircase once more, their path was blocked by two stone guardians wielding tower shields. Eloy placed one of the guardians under the suggestion that its partner was an enemy, causing it to hurl the other off the staircase. Then, Caster approached the remaining guardian and exorcised it with divine power, clearing the way for the rest of the party.

Further up the staircase, they entered a room where Risf was being held by a bodak, a spectral monster that appeared to be pulling out the kobold’s soul. After Wake leapt forward to attack the creature, it let out a horrible screech, summoning the souls of Risf and three centaurs to its aid, though Risf’s soul remained tethered to his body.

In episode twenty-six, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, Redd, and Barabus attempted to defeat the bodak and rescue Risf from its clutches. Seeing the creature controlling the souls with hand movements, Ezra leapt from a table, intending to stab bodak’s hand with his dagger, but he missed, passing through the ethereal being instead.

When two of the centaur souls had been defeated, the bodak summoned another pair to replace them. Then, it raked Ezra with its spectral claws. Ezra struck at a centaur soul that was attacking Barabus but missed, retreating to a safe distance after the failed assault.

As the situation continued to decline, Caster walked into the room. The aasimar’s divine aura illuminated the room, damaging the bodak with holy light. With the malevolent spirit now weakened, the party was able to successfully defeat it.

For assisting in the fight, Ezra gave Caster a glass bean. Having conquered the ethereal foe, Eloy discovered that what remained of the creature had transformed into a sentient staff that introduced itself as Grand’ejurefalt and explained some of history of the Unwitnessed Kingdom. In exchange for passage to the surface, Grand’ejurefalt agreed to guide the party through what remained of the fallen kingdom. Additionally, Ezra convinced Caster that Grand’ejurefalt’s knowledge was worth the aasimar’s share of the treasure found on the expedition.

After the exhausting encounter, the party settled down for a long rest to recover before continuing on their adventure.

Resuming their journey, the party, now guided by Grand’ejurefalt, headed further up the spiral staircase and through more rooms, eventually coming upon a long bridge that led into a castle. Deciding to go across in two groups, Barabus, Risf, and Caster began traversing the bridge first. When the first group had made it nearly halfway to the castle, Ezra, Eloy, Wake, and Redd followed them, but a group of troglodytes launched a boulder at them with a catapult, hitting the bridge instead. As their footing gave way beneath them, the second group rushed forward, but a troglodyte grabbed Eloy and pulled him over the edge of the collapsing structure.

In episode twenty-seven, Ezra grabbed ahold of Wake’s spear as the merman dove after Eloy. Wake caught Eloy, and, although the additional weight nearly tugged the spear out of Ezra’s hands, the half-elf managed to secure his grip on the weapon. Ezra attempted to force the spear into the bridge with his hammer, but he dropped the tool in the chaotic circumstances. Fortunately, the hammer hit the trog that had grappled Eloy and sent the creature plummeting into the abyss. Then, Eloy threw a grappling hook onto the bridge for a more secure link to a solid ground.

During the trio’s struggle to stay on the bridge, another boulder was fired from the ballista, hitting a nearby wall and showering them with rubble. The projectiles caused Ezra to lose his footing and fall over the edge, but he was able to grab hold of the grappling hook’s rope. Using the rope from the grappling hook, the three of them climbed back onto the bridge and hurried into the castle. As soon as they had entered the building, Redd closed an iron gate behind them, locking the trogs outside.

Venturing further into the castle, the party came across a young unicorn called Gilbert. After convincing him that they meant no harm, Gilbert led them to Gorroc, the elder unicorn, so they could speak with him.

Entering into a central chamber, they met Gorroc and explained their purpose for being in the Unwitnessed Kingdom. After they agreed to assist the unicorns in returning to the surface, Gorroc told them where to find an artifact that could amplify his abilities and strengthen the barrier he was maintaining over the castle, but he warned them that they would have to pass a trial to obtain the device.

Leaving the safety of Gorroc’s barrier, the party made their way into the remnants of a small town outside the castle grounds. Sneaking through the streets to avoid alerting any trogs, they came upon a house containing what appeared to be a troglodyte brood. When Ezra discovered that its head protruded from the building’s roof, Ezra and Wake decided to try sneaking through the second floor window.

Inside, the building was covered in slimy ichor and filled with eggs. As they investigated the room, they were surprised by Uxekulvax, the alpha trog, who rose out of the ichor. Uxekulvax explained how the trogs had been cursed by ingesting unicorn blood and requested that the party kill Gorroc, which would lower the barrier around the castle and allow the trogs to feast on the remaining unicorns. However, Ezra convinced Uxekulvax that dragon blood would counter the curse of unicorn blood, for which the trog was extremely grateful. In exchange, Uxekulvax “blessed” Ezra by spitting in his face.

Rejoining the others outside the house, they watched as Uxekulvax led the trogs into the caverns to fight Pabsvadri. Then, Wake used a scroll of remove curse on Ezra to lift the “blessing” he had received.

In episode twenty-eight, the party continued to travel through the ruins of the ancient town until they wandered into a coliseum where they were greeted by a semi-functional sphinx. Once they had confirmed that they were there to take the Trial of Wills, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Redd, Risf, and Barabus stepped into the central ring of the building and prepared to face the test. As an aasimar, Caster was exempt from participating and took a position in the stands.

When the sphinx began the trial, ethereal doppelgängers of the six participants appeared across from them. With the party preparing to take on their duplicates, the copies appeared to perfectly imitate each member’s actions. Suddenly, Ysoria, a stout, halfling-sized, female aasimar, appeared out of a portal. Appraising the situation, she began assisting the party by attacking their wraith-like clones.

Ezra, taking note of Ysoria’s presence, maneuvered himself so that his doppelgänger would be positioned close enough for her to attack. Wake, whose clone had been enlarged when he attempted to avoid fighting it, approached Ezra and hit him on the head. Although this was a more minor inconvenience for Ezra, his copy sustained heavier damage from the enlarged duplicate of Wake. In an attempt to double his supply of items with the ones dropped by his copy, Ezra placed his explosive bolts, his bag of glass beans, and Scaphy on the ground next to him.

After Risf’s and Barabus’ counterparts were defeated, the remaining enemies each grew slightly larger. In a remarkable display of grace and athleticism, Wake leapt over Ezra, and the half-elf caught the merman on his descent. Because Wake’s clone was a size larger, though, Ezra’s double strained to achieve the same feat. Then, when Wake tickled Ezra and they collapsed onto the floor, Ezra’s doppelgänger was crushed under the gigantic, ethereal merman. With another foe vanquished, the remaining three grew even bigger.

With a powerful blast of lightning, Ysoria slew Wake’s doppelgänger, whereupon the final two opponents were enlarged once more. Then, Wake defeated the duplicate of Redd with a strike from his water whip, leaving only Eloy’s copy remaining. As the ethereal centaur began growing once again, it also ceased copying its original, gaining its own sentience instead.

Sneaking around behind the enormous doppelgänger of Eloy, Ezra fired at it with his crossbow. After the entire party worked together to chip away at the creature before them, Barabus landed the final blow with his hammer, and the shadow deformed.

Having passed the test, the sphinx allowed the party to take a glowing cube that appeared to be emitting the same energy as the shield protecting the undersea kingdom. On the way back to the unicorns with the artifact, they noticed that Pabsvadri appeared to be trapped on the outside of the barrier.

When they returned to Gorroc, the cube’s energy rejuvenated the ancient unicorn and provided him with the strength to repel both Pabsvadri and the trogs. Thrilled to hear that the entire herd of unicorns would be able to escape through the portal Ysoria had appeared from, Gorroc escorted the party back to Pabsvadri’s den so they could recover their lost items and plunder the dragon’s hoard. Leaving the unicorns and Ysoria to pass through the portal, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Redd, Risf, Barabus, and Caster rushed back to the diving bell.

Taking the bell back to the surface, they noticed that the Yeldin was accompanied by a naval vessel. Just as they made it back onto the ship, Pabsvadri emerged behind them, furious at the theft of his treasure. However, before Pabsvadri could make another move, the claw of an ancient brass dragon suddenly erupted from the water and grabbed the much younger dragon by the neck. As the brass dragon’s head rose from the beneath the waves, it revealed itself to be Lieutenant Gore.

In episode twenty-nine, the entire crew was stunned to discover that Lieutenant Gore was actually an ancient brass dragon. After he launched Pabsvadri far into the horizon, Gore returned to his human form and approached the Wonders, informing them that Skrung had been injured on his mission and was receiving treatment at Bulkard.

Before making their way back to port, there was an accounting of the treasure that had been collected on the expedition to the Unwitnessed Kingdom. Caster accepted Grand’ejurefalt’s knowledge as his share, leaving the vast quantities of gold and treasure for the Wonders to keep. Hoping they had retrieved enough to trade for the Collective One’s heart, the crew returned to Bulkard.

Back on land, Eloy, Ezra, and Wake went to visit Skrung in a medical ward at Bulkard, where they saw that he had a wooden peg in place of the lost limb and suggested replacing it with a prosthetic that doubled as a gun. Then, taking Zia’ka with them, they met with Lot Nyeth again to settle the deal that had been arranged. In exchange for all of the magical items they had discovered in the Unwitnessed Kingdom, Grand’ejurefalt’s journal, and a map of the undersea realm, Lot agreed to give them the heart of the Collective One.

After Eloy and Ezra bought some additional lumber, they fed it to Yeldin so he could make room aboard the ship to store the heart. When the preparations were complete, the blink pyramids were used to teleport the heart onto Yeldin. However, standing in such close proximity to the heart, Eloy and Ezra were overwhelmed by the light and heat it emitted. Onslow pulled them to safety but not before Eloy accidentally rubbed his face on a honey-soaked Yt, which caused severe hallucinogenic effects in the donkey-man.

A dejected Wake soon returned to the Yeldin, and Ezra, noticing the melancholic expression on the merman’s face, confronted him about it. Picking up on Wake’s feelings after learning that Calliope would return to her island, Ezra was able to cheer Wake up a bit before the merman sent himself into a hallucinogenic state by licking Yt.

Before departing from Bulkard, Eloy, Ezra, and Wake made one last stop at Legitimate Larri’s shop. Ezra had Larri create a grappling hook gun, which the genasi crafted at no cost due to the business the Wonders had been giving him. Magically enchanted to retract the grappling hook at the use of a code word, the gun was imbued to respond to “clinkback” at Ezra’s request. Also making a quick stop at the carnival, they retrieved the cotton candy machine that Eloy had ordered from one of Lot’s researchers.

With their business on the island concluded, the Wonders set sail for Jahal Cove to return the heart of the Collective One to its proper location. One day, Ezra discovered that his alchemy jug had been taken by Pliskin, Onslow, and Skrung, who had been trying to replicate Yt’s hallucinogenic bodily secretions, and Gulfur offered to refine the concoction for various uses. After arriving back at Jahal, Zia’ka used the blink pyramids to transport the heart back to its proper location. Anointed the role of priestess to the Collective One, Zia’ka gave them the magical compass she had used to find the heart and granted the Wonders the protection of the Collective One. Additionally, Ezra was given the ability to detect the nearest landmass. Bidding farewell to Zia’ka for the time being, the rest of the Wonders departed Jahal Cove on their next adventure.

### **Chapter Three**

In episode thirty, the Wonders began making their way to Eburkal. After retracing their path to Bulkard for a time, they diverged from familiar waters and turned more toward the mainland. As they continued their journey, the ship and crew were plagued by torpedo snails, small, black, poisonous creatures that occasionally turned invisible.

One night, a mysterious fog beset the Yeldin, and it was infested by numerous torpedo snails. Spending the night removing the scourge of snails from the ship, the Wonders were exhausted when dawn broke.

That morning, Yeldin ran aground onto the sandbar of an archipelago as they sailed through the fog. Deciding to take a short break after the long night, each of the crew took shifts on watch to look out for any danger. When Ezra took his shift on watch, he noticed a female aarakocra tangled in the rigging of the ship. Ezra was too exhausted to free her, but, after everyone had rested up, she was released from her bindings. She had gotten lost in the fog and requested to stay with the Wonders while regaining her bearings.

Bursting onto the deck, Redd revealed that the torpedo snails were infected with vampirism and demanded that the island be investigated. While the others stayed behind to watch over the ship and scavenge materials from other wrecks on the beach, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Redd, and Nedra set off to explore.

After passing through a jungle filled with poisonous plants, the group came onto a beach where they could see a galleon buried upside-down in the sands on a nearby island and flying a Rumblood flag. When Wake attempted to swim over to it, he was dragged underwater by a large, jawed tentacle.

In episode thirty-one, when Wake broke free from the unknown creature’s grasp, it emitted a black cloud of ink that enveloped the merman. Ezra shot the beast with a bolt from his crossbow. Through a combined effort, they were able to defeat the sea monster, which turned out to be a goblin squid.

Now that it was safe to cross the water, the party made their way onto the next island to investigate the large shipwreck. Finding torpedo snails along the shaded side of the vessel, they decided to search the inside of the ship, using a hatch that was placed on the top of the ship to enter it. The hatch was booby-trapped with a cannon to fire upon any intruders, but Ezra was able to skillfully open it and avoid being hit by a cannonball.

Within the dilapidated structure, they found evidence involving the Bottled Lightning Project, similar to what had been seen on the Mantaruva. As they delved deeper into the ship, they came upon a massive, millipede-like creature that could form and deform human faces along its carapace. When they attempted to pass by it in a hallway, it lurched upward, revealing a bloody, human ribcage on its underside, grabbed Nedra, and dragged her through a small opening into another room. The rest of the group immediately chased after it to rescue her.

Taking one of his explosive bolts, Ezra dropped it next to opposite end of the monster that was holding Nedra and backed away. Seeing Ezra drop the explosive bolt, Redd launched a firebolt at the creature, igniting both it and the bolt in a massive inferno that burned away a large portion of the millipede. Unfortunately, the part that seared away was just a normal animal, and the upper body of an elf emerged from that end, emitting a shriek. Ezra, Eloy, and Redd were caught in a toxic mist that the elf expelled into the room. When the millipede clamped down on Eloy, Ezra lunged at it, striking it with his rapier. After successfully defeating the monstrosity, the ribcages along its underside melted away, leaving only the millipede shell remaining.

Taking a brief moment of rest after the battle, the party healed their wounds. Then, a hand suddenly grasped Ezra’s shoulder as they were joined by a large orc and an adolescent half-elf with two pseudodragons on his shoulders. The pair introduced themselves as Mite and Roc Ashdrake, members of a group of paranormal investigators looking into the Bottled Lightning Project. Ezra overheard Redd ask Mite a coded question, which he responded to correctly. The two parties agreed to work together to search for any clues that might be found on the decrepit ship.

Ezra confronted Redd about the question she had asked Mite, and she revealed that her order had a rocky relationship with the Ashdrakes but Roc seemed to be more innocent than the other members. She agreed to cooperate with them but asked Ezra to not reveal any more information than necessary about her mission.

In episode thirty-two, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Nedra, Redd, Roc, and Mite continued to explore the ruins of the overturned galleon. As the investigation took them deeper within the vessel, they found evidence that it was being inhabited by vampires. Their previous encounter and the remains of gruesome experiments also indicated the presence of flesh golems.

Suddenly, Nedra was struck with a poisonous dagger from an unseen assailant. Chasing after the shadowy figure, the group subdued and captured a young, sickly goblin vampire. With the group divided on whether to kill the thrall or not, they agreed to keep him alive until they had searched the entire ship. Leaving Mite and Roc behind to look after the captive, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Redd, and Nedra pushed forward in the hopes of finding and killing the head vampire. By helping to shape this agreement, Ezra also desired to keep the Ashdrakes at a distance while obtaining information for Redd’s mission.

Proceeding onto the next floor of the ship, they came upon a room filled with traps. Ezra was briefly pinned against a wall by a large bladed trap that swung down from the ceiling, but Wake pulled the contraption loose and freed the half-elf. When they attempted to open a door leading out of the room, they discovered that it froze anything that came into contact with it. With some clever thinking, Wake was able to force open the door. Inside was a laboratory that had been used to create flesh golems. The room contained trunks filled with various body parts, and corpses comprised of an amalgamation of races hung on crosses. When he opened one of the trunks, Ezra inhaled a noxious miasma.

As they made their way back out of the lab, a wall of ice covered the doorway, trapping Nedra inside. However, when the ice melted away a moment later, Nedra had vanished. Then, Eloy, Wake, and Redd were caught in an enchantment as they heard a strange humming in their minds and a halfling girl activated a machine in the center of the room. The three of them converged on the machine in a trance as numerous blades, guns, and other weapons closed in on them from every side. Wake managed to break free of the spell and, at Ezra’s direction, attacked the small girl with his water whip, which freed Eloy and Redd from her influence as well. The child retreated to the other side of the room as the weapons came together, making a wall that hid her from view.

Enraged at the girl’s escape, Wake punched through a wall. On the other side of the hole stood a large flesh golem, and a panicked girl’s voice rang out, “Get him Mr. Slaps!” The golem thrust a griffon arm through the opening and launched a ray of torpedo snails into the room, covering Ezra and Redd in the small creatures. Then, the golem smashed through the wall, revealing itself to be constructed from various pieces of human, ogre, troll, griffon, and octopus bodies.

Ezra ordered Scaphy to remove every torpedo snail from him, and the animated hand quickly disposed of them all. When Mr. Slaps charged into the room, Ezra launched an explosive bolt at the monstrosity. The bolt failed to pierce the golem’s skin, but Ezra fired another one, which misfired, exploding in the half-elf’s face. Wake grabbed the remaining explosive bolt from the ground and threw it at Mr. Slaps. Taking a massive octopus tentacle, the golem struck Ezra with a fierce hit.

As combat wore on, Mite, followed shortly by Roc, appeared to assist in the fight against Mr. Slaps, charging the flesh golem and raining down a series of heavy blows. With the detonation of the explosive bolt, Mr. Slaps burst into pieces, but two vampire children had joined the battle. Ezra fired another explosive bolt at the girl vampire. Eloy downed a potion of firebreathing and belched an intense inferno at the vampires, incinerating them. With their foes finally defeated, the party took a moment to heal up and recover their strength.

In episode thirty-three, Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Redd, Roc, and Mite searched the ship for Nedra. In the deepest reaches of the vessel, they came upon a magically protected door that emitted bolts of electricity whenever anything living attempted to open it. By showing the gargoyle overlooking the door the vampire child they had captured earlier and asking politely, Eloy convinced the gargoyle to let them pass.

Inside the enchanted door was another laboratory where they found Nedra encased in ice and a vampiric doctor by the name of Gustav Murgun. After a brief dialogue with the doctor, he vanished, and they were able to free Nedra from her confinement. Still ill from the effects of the toxins inhaled from the trunk, Ezra asked Mite for something to help. Mite responded by giving Ezra a hearty punch to the stomach (lay on hands), after which Ezra coughed up a live lamprey. Scavenging what they could from the lab, the group left the galleon and began heading back to their own ships.

Walking down the beach, Eloy and Ezra saw Pliskin, Gulfur, and Poliffi stealing crates of equipment from the Ashdrakes’ vessel and taking them to the Yeldin. Ezra excused himself from the conversation to approach the trio about their actions.

When Ezra arrived back on the Yeldin, he discovered that the crew had stolen several crates of cannonballs adorned with blades and hooks. Explaining the newforged relationship with the Ashdrakes, Ezra convinced them to return all of the crates they had taken. Meanwhile, Ezra returned to the beach to delay the Ashdrakes for as much time as he could manage. He managed to divert their attention from the Yeldin, but they took him on a tour of their ship instead. Fortunately, neither Roc nor Mite noticed the crates of ammunition being returned as they were showing Ezra around.

After Ezra had been shown around the Ashdrakes’ vessel and they had given the Wonders two crates of the bladed cannonballs and materials for repairing Yeldin, Roc and Mite were invited aboard the mimic ship. They were intrigued by Risf’s relationship with Vexkor and pursuit of godhood but satisfied that the kobold did not seem malicious in his intentions. Before parting ways, the two crews exchanged symbols showing that they had met and were on cordial terms with each other. With the Ashdrakes taking custody of the captured vampire child and burning down the vampire-infested shipwreck, the two groups set sail once more.

Poliffi approached Ezra and offered to pay a fee for the Wonders ferrying her to a familiar destination. It was a tough negotiation, but they settled on a 250 gold payment for Poliffi to stay in one of the guest rooms.

Staying near the archipelago, the Wonders made for the port of Rite. Ezra and Gulfur began using the alchemy jug to manufacture faerie dragon secretion. After trying some of the raw product, Ezra had a vision in which the words “Take sparingly. We know what you’re doing.” and “The she-beast…” appeared to him in elvish. Then, Gulfur also sampled the substance, but he went into a seizure as a result. Fortunately, Ezra, Eloy, and Wake managed to stabilize the dwarf. As loud noises beset the crew, Risf came in to oversee Gulfur’s recovery and Eloy, Ezra, and Wake rushed above deck to investigate.

During the voyage, the Yeldin had wandered into the presence of a massive storm giant and was caught amid numerous large manta rays trying to escape. Eloy garnered the giant’s attention by playing a soothing song on his bagpipes, but, when the song stopped, the giant seemed displeased. He grabbed the ship in his massive hands raised it to his face.

He died when the tower exploded, never being able to resolve the issues with his father.

## **Notes & Trivia**

* Ezra's character was inspired by Magilou from Tales of Berseria and Brad Pitt's Sinbad from the animated movie Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. He is a big performer, likes to mess with people, and tries to be cool but inevitably overestimates his own abilities.
* Ezra's name was chosen because Grant wanted a name that sounded cool but still human (Ezra) and he looked up old surnames (Lockwood).
* Ezra's favorite animals are dogs because they're loyal, stick around, and are good for families.
* Ezra's favorite food is turkey.
* Ezra Lockwood is a real name