The Bible Belt (Episode 4)

**The Bible Belt (Episode 4)** is the forth episode from Group Two of The Spectral Index side series.

## The Bible Belt (Episode 4)

### **Show**

As they continued their way through the tunnel and through the darkness, they saw the tiles continued ahead until they noted the tiles no longer came to them and all that remained was a void. As they looked for where they where and wondered why they stopped, they heard a sound, turned around and noted that the tiles they took were no longer there, and saw them dropping from above in front of them, giving them a path to follow, but no way back. With no other way to go, they continued forward and after about five minutes saw as the hallway turned and formed a staircase going downward. They spent some time discussing which way to take in relation to the spire before they headed down the staircase, turning around a few times to notice the tiles behind them disappearing to make the track they were taking. They continue to take the path as it turned and turned until it eventually straightened out until they found themselves on a 30 foot x 30 foot platform.

As they stepped into the platform and immediately smelled something foul, as if something was rotting. Bones looked up to see if there was a ceiling and noticed floating chunks of what used to be someone's dinner and pointed it out to the others assuming her prior summoned bat was amidst the pieces. Cookie noted there could be something wanting to eat them and suggested putting an illusion out to see if it was targeted. Bones cast *Disguise Self* to appear as a tile on the ground to hide, while Cookie pulled out his *Deck of Illusions,* pulled out a card that summoned an illusionary Kobold. Immediately out of the blackness a beam of white hot starfire blasted out through the kobold illusion, as Cookie fell back in shock. After the beam disappeared they could see the source of where the beam came from and noticed as the blackness shifted as stars and space inside the shape of a small to medium sized dragon, which they could tell was a young one, that turned and spun within the void before it vanished.

Cookie stated they now knew what it was, and in draconic tried to greet it. The voice of the dragon responded back asking if they were food. Cookie offered to make it food, as Bones revealed herself and dragon's eyes opened like two stars in the distance. Cookie asked for a guarantee that it could show them how to get out if they gave food, while Bones offered one gold out as well. The dragon's head approached, filled with the colours of a galaxy with stars, stuck out it's tongue to grab the coin seemingly accepting their deal. Cookie used his rations, combined with his cook's utensils, Bone's remaining bat and Agnes's bonbons and made a meal. The dragon approached and started to scarf the food, while his presence immediately made the party feel colder, with Agnes and Bones especially affected by it and asked for more, able to tell it was still hungry. While Cookie asked it to stay there while they got more food, Bones asked if Cookie could see if it knew about the book and the dragon hearing that turned to her and asked what she meant by a book, leaving her surprised by its ability to speak common and it responded again that it new a couple languages.

Bones asked about where they could find a book and the dragon responded his dad had a pile of them. Bones offered to give them more food from home if he could help them get it a and the dragon retorted that his kind hoard books, noting it as natural for Void Dragons and that they liked forgotten knowledge and lore. The void dragon illustrated his fact by sticking his hand into some blackness, pulled out a book, marked it and returned it, then added they were asking him to do something stupid and how possessive dragons were. Bones pointed to herself, referring that she was a dragonborn, and the void dragon asked how she would feel with someone taking something they were hording. Bones replied that she had erotic books that she gave away for coin before reiterating that they could help him if he helped them and pointed out he didn't have a great situation pointing to the mess. Cookie noted that they didn't even need to keep it, that they could borrow it and return it as per their contract, adding that it was fun to pull pranks on their parents and the void dragon admitted he had been meaning to mess around with him and agreed. Agnes also brought up about a group that had been vandalising the place with beans and that they may be annoyed to hear about it.

The void dragon started to lead the group in the direction of his father, with the tiles still stacking to give a track for them to follow. The void dragon asked more about their interest in the book and they replied they needed to read a passage in one of them. He then added that he had 1000s of them and would depend on which book they were looking for. Cookie noted they were looking for the *Spectral Index* and they in return noted his knowledge of it and how you could read how you die and how his father wouldn't let him read it. Cookie added that when they get the book he could check, seemingly exciting the void dragon by the thought of knowing when they would die. He stopped them when they got closer and said he would check to see if his father was asleep, and if not figure out something really quick, then went through a portal that appeared in front of him, causing the tiles to stop moving leaving them in a very tiny spot.

While they waited Agnes took out a bonbon and gave it to Bones as an apology, who then hugged her back. Cookie suggested the idea of taking the book and jumping into the painting to get out and Agnes replied that they could use The Bad Bean Boys as a scapegoat and outlet for his father's rage as an additional plan. They also confirmed the idea of keeping on the young void dragon's good side and using the Deck of Illusion to possibly draw a dragon as a distraction. As five minutes passed, they soon saw the young void dragon returned and asked if they were with the other three, noting the description of them being a goblin, a halfling and a tabaxi, doing the same, and also noted his father was napping. They asked if the three had pissed of his father and he replied that he didn't think so as his father was still sleeping, and when asked where they were noted it was hard to explain, but pointed in a direction as to where they were. Agnes asked the young void dragon if they could travel through the portals and darkness he used and he replied that he never tried but maybe it would work. Cookie suggested it would be fun to appear in front of them with a dragon and scare them off and the young void dragon suggested it would be better to portal next to his sleeping father and get what was needed from his horde and then blame it on the others.

The young void dragon approached closer, bringing that same cold energy as before, with Agnes able to resist it while Cookie and Bones took the cold completely, attempted to make a circle big enough for all of them to go through, which spun and created a sideward view of a platform with a mountain of books with a star tail hanging off it. He then told them all they needed to be quiet and to aid that Agnes cast *Silence* on the young void dragon to provide a quiet area for all, which after he realised what happened gave his approval with a thumbs up. After motioning them through the other side they saw the sight of the elder void dragon sleeping. The young void dragon led them to the pile, created that circle again as he attempted to find the *Spectral Index*, and after a few times pulled out a hefty sized book, with "Index" on the bottom, handed it for someone else to take, then created a copy of the book, placed it back in the portal, closed it and created another circle allowing them to leave the room and back where they entered from.

As Agnes released her *Silence* spell, the young void dragon said how cool it was and how his father would be so pissed later, but admitted he would realize the illusion later on and Bones added they could just blame the other three. The young void dragon noted that other three were just showing up as they left the room and the group noted their excitement that they would wake him up. As they spoke, the young void dragon stopped mid conversation and noted they woke him up. While the group discussed leaving, the young void dragon asked them to wait, then pointed in a direction towards a white dot in the void that exploded into a giant white line leaving the outline of a small platform. Agnes pulled out the painting in an attempt to use it's portal effect, but her head just went through breaking it as the young void dragon noted they didn't work in this space, and were a creation of his brothers, but shouldn't ask about the furniture and that it was weird.

Cookie asked for another way for them to leave and the young void dragon replied that he didn't know as he couldn't leave and wasn't strong enough to make his own void planes yet. Cookie suggested they could put a *Bag of Holding* into a *Bag of Holding* as it might make rift for them to escape through, but Agnes suggested maybe checking the *Spectral Index* first to find out what happens and learned it would create a rift that would send them to the *Astral Sea*, but made no mention if it would work for the location they were in now as they were already in a space between stars and the void. As they read, one of the tiles started to move from the back to the front, and then a second, which the young void dragon was his father's doing. As Agnes' placed the *Spectral Index* into her *Bag of Holding*, the young void dragon noted his father was aware of everything that happened there. As the tiles continued their progression forcing them to move forward, they checked the *Spectral Index* again for a way out of the void, and the book seemingly knowing what they wished to read just came to the excerpts that said "Dragons, Void" which explained that when you were in a void dragon's lair, only they could allow them to leave as it was their created extra dimensional space.

Agnes looked up the book to find out Klo, the person who hired them, would as per his contract, and as the book brought them to "Klo Zelos" read that he drowns in a small pond. As Cookie confirmed with the young void dragon that his father was aware they were there, he confirmed as such before creating more portals and confirmed that the hoard had been covered in beans. The young void dragon then noted he wouldn't go with them, but would hang back to see what happens and could get them out. Bones quickly asked for their name, who answered it was Charles and noted the names of his siblings while disappointed for not getting a true dragon name. The group thanked Charles and told them they liked his name. Charles noted that he wished he was named after his father "Galactacon" as it was cool, and Agnes suggested Cosmos as a nickname for him, which he appreciated. Charles soon opened his mouth, exhaled into his hands some white fire, crushed it revealing a small white vibrating ball and told them to use it if things got bad, and would know to come if that went off. Charles added to throw it and get out of the way, before giving it to Bones took it, and told them they had five to 15 minutes before they would arrive there and should consider any preparations they needed now. Charles also noted that his father was very pissed off as there was grease everywhere, but added that he still thought he had the book.

In preparation Agnes cast *Prayer of Healing* to recuperate their health and *Aid* to grant them temp hp, while Cookie cast *Warding Bond* on him and Bones to connect the two and give them a few buffs to their resistances. Charles gave them a reminder that if something goes wrong to blame it on the other three and to stay out of his range by not being close as he has a temper. The group thanked him again and Charles in turn thanked them for the nickname and food. Charles also added to get a member of the other three to touch his tail, reminded them to throw his gift if they needed him and gave them some distance while they left while asking them not to die. They walked five minutes as they continued down the path, and as they got closer they heard the deep rumbles of a voice in the void that got louder and louder as they got closer and slowly came into view of the Galactacon, the adult void dragon, on a mountain of books covered from bean juice film, with a goblin in a croptop duster, a signed tabaxi and a halfling looking at the dragon, who then turned in the direction of the group.

**That is where we leave Episode 4!**

#### **Post-Show Shenanigans**

* Darrin thanks everyone for watching, noting this was the last adventure for The Bible Belt as the finale would turn two stories to one
* Darrin re-introduces himself and ABSQ, and thanks 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

1. ↑ See "The Bible Belt (Episode 3)".
2. ↑ See "The Bible Belt (Episode 3)".