Altheya - Episode 5: Blood and Fire

Katie Morrison as Daisy Thistleheart

 Kim Richards as Gruffudd of Tremorrew

Rhiannon Frost as Ophelia D'larosa

 Tom Hazell as Xantheus Auregan

**Blood and Fire** is the 5th episode of the Altheya: The Dragon Empire Campaign. It was broadcast live on both the highrollersdnd Twitch and YouTube channel on the 3rd of December 2023 from 5PM to 8PM GMT.

*The team leave Burnell towards Ashen Rest but an event in the night creates a rift between Ophelia and Xantheus!*

## **Summary**

### **Announcements**

* Mark welcomes everyone and introduces the players.
* Today’s episode is sponsored by Afterlight Comics with their new Kickstarter, Tales Unbound. These are cards that depict creatures that are inspired by British, American, and Slavic folklore. They are designed to assist people trying to create an epic tale and would be particularly helpful for a DM looking for help with prompts, and with creature encounters.
* For this stream and next week’s stream, High Rollers will be fundraising for the Jingle Jam! This year, all funds raised will go to CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably. If you donate 35 pounds or more, you get a whole bundle of games.
* We are excited to announce that High Rollers is now an independent TTRPG actual play channel! We'd like to express our eternal gratitude to the Yogscast - they have been incredibly supportive of us over the years and gave us the opportunity to create this show and begin our journey, cheering us on the whole way and again now as we launch Campaign 3 in our own studio. We are still good friends with the Yogscast creators and network and are excited to raise funds for Jingle Jam 2023.
* Today’s episode is live, so all donations from episode 2 will be read at the end of today’s episode.
* Thank you to Omegasama for gifting the High Rollers crew some incredible hand-painted pieces of art of their Aerois characters (Mark was given one of his LARP character, Morrigan). These will hopefully be put on social media for people to see.

### Recap

*A group of strangers arrived in the village of Burnell, a small, homely settlement in the region of North Vale, in the province of Caldra. As their paths begin to cross, they are thrown together in the search for a trio of criminals which leads them up into the mountains and into Blackrock Mine. Inside, they fought against strange alien creatures called Belamorphs, and encountered a Tiefling (also known as a Tyfling in Altheya) called Kalifris, who told them about a stolen relic and offered to make a deal, which the party rejected. Reaching the bottom of the mine, they found the criminals and the mine’s foreman, Marrion, who had lost control of the relic, the Hand of the Lightless Pilgrim.*

*After the battle, the relic was whisked away by an invisible Kalifris, but with the creatures defeated and the criminals apprehended, the party returned to Burnell and were rewarded with a bounty and a Duke’s favour.*

### **Part One**

*The party stock up in Burnell, before making plans to explore Caldra!*

(There is a slight retcon to the end of the last episode – rather than leaving Burnell immediately, the party is making their preparations before they leave). Burnell is a small but promising and growing village – it exists on a main trade road and is able to supply many items to both townsfolk and travellers. Captain Lukas Vecaro and Authorator Zarron Tekis have assembled a small group of soldiers to accompany the party to Ashen Rest – this includes Cade, the Half-Elf man who assisted them in their investigations of the outer wall, and two other young soldiers, a female Tyfling and a male Wildheart with wolf-like traits (wolfy ears, a tail, and patches of fur on their arms). There is also an older Human man who is balding with stubble on his chin and wears a Sergeant’s rank on his lapel. They are currently preparing camping supplies and rations for the journey ahead of them.

The market in Burnell sells various goods – some clothing, produce, and equipment for farmers, and some of which they have seen the previous day. There is also a two-storey wooden building with a slate roof of red and pink tiles that they know to be the general store – the sign out the front is for “Stirling and Sons Supplies”. Many of them need to get more rations (Xantheus is almost entirely out), but Gruff has held onto most of his, including dried fish, stale oat cakes and lard biscuits, and even a flattened pastie that he cannot bring himself to throw away. Xantheus and Rowan are not sure how long the trip to Ashen Rest will take but Nim tells Daisy that it will likely take them about 4-5 days and advises her to get some equipment since daisy is ‘a little more fragile that when [Nim] was travelling’ and she needs to be protected. Daisy considers getting a large blanket that she can turn into a giant cocoon for herself, but Nim also recommends considering shelter given that it is Spring, and that rain can be a problem.

Ophelia decides to do some shopping, browsing, and pitying of the people who have to work at the stalls and lug around large wagons of vegetables. She speaks to one of the farmer’s sons who is transporting vegetables to his father’s stall, telling him that it is sad that he has to get used to doing the work and can’t spend his time on doing what he enjoys – the strapping young lad initially says that he is happy to do the work but then starts to think about going to the tavern and having a drink. Ophelia begins to explain to him that the Grave Father would be vastly happy if he were to do that, but before she can explain any more of her beliefs, the lad is called away by his father who is waiting on the delivery.

Rowan starts looking around for food to take on the journey – he finds a baker’s stall with fresh breads, a butcher with cuts of meat (some of which are salted and preserved for use on the road), there are also fruits like grapes, berries (especially strawberries), as well as some oranges. Dairy products like cheese and milk are also available. As a cook, Rowan gets fish, asking Gruff about whether he has caught anything lately to take on their journey – he has not had time recently, but is happy to help Rowan find some fresh fish at the market. He points out that they want fish with clear eyes and blood red gills, pointing to a fish with a cloudy eye and suggesting that it is not particularly fresh – this gets the ire up for the stall owner who suggests that it is a local Caldran fish, the cloudy-eyed kipper. When Gruff calls him out on this obvious falsehood, however, the man breaks down and offers them a few fish, including both the cloudy-eyed one, some fresher fish, and some salted fish for 5 gold. Rowan also gets 5 gold worth of fresh vegetables and 5 gold worth of potatoes from the local grocer, before also purchasing some herbs and spices. He realises that he does not have any cook’s utensils – he returns to the Peony Post and asks to borrow Adrianna’s cooking gear, but she tells him that she would just have to go and buy new ones from Janya(sp?) Stirling’s shop.

Adrianna recommends that Rowan spends some time enjoying himself now that he has the favour of a Duke and some bounty money, telling him that how he is perceived in Caldra is very important – she recommends that he get some silver jewellery and some onyx or black gemstones. She also recommends that he cleans and maintains his clothes since she has not seen him do so since he has been in town. Rowan decides to buy some gemstones for each member of the party, choosing ones that resonate with each person. He finds a market stall that is selling cut gems, and the owner, a Tyfling, is talking to a couple of Captain Vecaro’s soldiers about Marrion and any information that they might have about her. He tells the soldiers that he had never noticed anything out of the ordinary about Marrion other than that she had been somewhat stressed, before excusing himself so that he can deal with his new customer, Rowan. Rowan asks if he can feel the gemstones, which the jeweller is happy to allow – Rowan touches his fingertip to each small gemstone - crystal, quartz, citrine, and similar minerals – he finds a small gemstone that resonates similarly to each of the party members: one with a cold, refreshing spring feeling, a darker stone that has the feeling of night time, a glittering piece of quartz with a vein of gold in the middle of it, and one that has a bright sunny feeling. He hands over 20 gold to the owner of the stall.

Gruff heads to the general store to look for camping equipment, meeting the rest of the party there. Xantheus and the others want to get travelling clothes – he has bought a travelling cloak from the market and is now looking for waxes leather boots and waxed leather gloves at the general store. Stirling and Sons Supplies displays a symbol outside the store – a silver coin with a Dragon’s head on it (the coin of Altheya) framed by a cursive accent around the edges – there is neat handwriting on the board and leaded windows in the wall. Inside, they can see that there are rows of wooden and stone shelves filled with items.

On entering, they are met by a more mature, buxom, broad-shouldered and broad-framed Dwarven woman with braided black hair that is streaked with grey, piled up and tightly wrapped around the top of her head – this is Janya, and she looks at the party as they enter from behind the counter. There is no sign of the Metalskin or Earthskin on her face but there are delicate swirling spiral patterns on her hands - carved around her fingers, palms, and the backs of her hands. There are two young boys in the store, stocking the shelves and sweeping the floor – they do not appear to be of pure Dwarven heritage, looking part Human, they are a bit taller than a Dwarf, their short beards are not as thick and full as a full Dwarf’s, and there is no visible sign of Metalskin or Earthskin on them.

When Xantheus announces that he is looking for travelling supplies, Janya is pleased to hear that the roads are open again, reassuring them that the store should have what they need. Daisy tells Janya that she is after a cozy blanket and Janya sends one of her sons, Ragnar, to get some from the back. When Ophelia asks for some appropriate Spring clothing, Janya is uncertain – she has very simple cotton work dresses, tunics, and trousers, but they are not really up to Ophelia’s standards. Janya tells her that she would be better looking for clothing in Ashen Rest or Ferrous, the big city, because there is no demand for fancy clothing in Burnell. Janya tells Ophelia that she is likely to need clothes to combat rain and wind, not so much heat or cold. Ophelia enquires as to whether Janya might have some eyeglasses that she might use that would soften the sunlight – she thinks that she might, so leaves them with her second son, Mittal(sp?). Mittal is a surly half Human, half Dwarven teenager who is hesitant when he speaks, and appears to have a stammer and a heavy accent. He asks them what they need – Xantheus is looking for gloves, a cloak, boots, and some rations, and Mittel tells them that he should be able to supply the clothes, along with some biscuits, hardtack, and jerky.

Mittal goes to some mannequins with thick, waterproof woollen cloaks and pulls one off for Xantheus before also collecting some thick, waxed leather gloves with straps, and some boots that appear to be a little small. He has some larger ones in his hands that he pads out to make them a better fit, the gloves are perfect but can be adjusted, and rations consist of 3-day packs consisting of dried fruits, hardtack, and jerky. Xantheus takes a yellow-brown/tan cloak, as well as the boots and gloves, and 2 ration packs – this costs him 25 gold. Gruff buys a large waterproof tarp for 3 gold, being familiar with how to erect any sort of shelter (even an igloo if necessary). Rowan enquires about pots, pans, and cooking tools, appearing to be confused as to whether he is in the right store to get these supplies – for 10 gold he receives an iron skillet, a copper pan, chopping knives, and a large wooden spoon. Janya returns with a small wooden box for Ophelia telling her that the contents were designed in Iceheart for those who need to block out the light – inside the box is a pair of dark round glasses with silver frames and black leather side blinkers, and Janya tells Ophelia that she will be reluctant to part with them for less than 100 gold. Ophelia convinces Janya to throw in a black waterproof cloak on top of the glasses. Daisy purchases a cozy blanket, a tarp, and rations for 8 gold – she tests the blanket by cocooning herself in it immediately. Gruff impresses on Janya that her sons are very considerate boys – they thank him, and he blushes and murmurs something before leaving.

When they emerge from the shop an hour or so after entering, they notice that Authorator Tekis, Cade, and the rest of the soldiers are ready to leave, waiting by the southern gate of Burnell that leads out onto the road. Daisy makes a quick trip to the local bakery to get some good bread before they leave. Rowan is excited for the journey, expecting adventure, but Xantheus explains that he just wants to get to Ashen Rest without too much excitement so that he can see the Duke and claim his favour. Gruff asks Xantheus if he has spent much time outdoors – he says that he has but has not spent much time travelling. Ophelia is ready for the journey but is not looking forward to the walking part, Rowan offers to give her a piggyback and she tells him that she will let him know when she is tired so that she can avail herself of his offer.

One of the older Human soldiers approaches them with the Authorator and the three scouts in tow. The man, Sergeant Guy Yorrow, has shaved his hair short and has stubble on his face, and tells them that he is acting as their escort to Ashen Rest on behalf of Captain Vecaro. He greets each of them before introducing to them Privates Cade, Bliss (a Tyfling), and Daeron (a Wildheart with wolf-like characteristics). The Sergeant does not believe that they will have any problems since they will be following the Imperial Highway, and although he is not sure and appears nervous about it, he tells them that he believes that the Authorator will be joining them as well. Zarron Tekis confirms this and tells them that he needs to report to his superiors what occurred in Burnell. Sergeant Yorrow tells the group that the journey would normally take about five days travelling the Imperial Highway and that there are multiple rest stops along the way where they can camp overnight, along with other travellers which should keep them relatively safe. Before they leave, they bid farewell to the village where Rowan tells them he met his best friends… all of them, and he embraces them, surrounding them in the pungent smell of his body odour and the strong smell of fish (Gruff awkwardly leans into it, Ophelia, in her sunglasses, dry retches quietly over his shoulder, and only Daisy seems to truly enjoy it).

They begin their journey south through North Vale. Most of Caldra is an enormous valley with smaller valleys within it – on either side at the horizon are sloping mountains, the Obsidian Mountains on one side, jet black, jagged peaks, and to the other are the Fangs of the Empress, brown, ragged, snow-tipped mountains. Xantheus is aware that the Fangs of the Empress are a natural border between Gildai and Caldra, along with the Crimson Peaks further to the south. The Obsidian Mountains are a border between Urdas Kirr (the Black Dragon’s province) and Caldra. The slopes of the valley around them are lush, fertile, green hills and are mostly forested with the occasional river drifting through them and sometimes forming lakes in the distance. There are also scattered vineyards and farms around the place.

As they travel along the road, they occasionally see other travellers and pack lizards in the distance, and on the rare occasion, they see in the air above them, the very distant shape of a dragon flying past on some important business. Their first day of travel goes without incident – the day is clear and bright, although a few hours into the journey a wind settles in, making them very glad that they purchased cloaks. Towards the end of the day, the breeze settles down and the Sergeant finds them a campsite off the main road – it is on the side of a partially excavated hill that acts as a wind break and there is simple wooden fencing to keep wild animals out. There is a cold campfire surrounded by stones and full of partially burned wood – possibly laid by the army when it travelled north to Burnell to investigate the criminals that were eventually apprehended by the party. The soldiers set up tents and campfire for themselves and the Authorator, leaving room for the party to set up their own camp. Xantheus approaches the Sergeant (“Guy is acceptable, my friends call me Guy”) about where to set up their camp – he tells them that his soldiers will keep watch in pairs, that they can assist if they wish, but that they can set up their camp as close to or as far from the soldiers as they wish. Xantheus offers them food, telling Guy that Rowan has some supplies and will be cooking – Guy tells him that Bliss will also be cooking, and she thinks it’s most likely that it will be a stew. Rowan dumps all of his fish and pots onto the ground – he stares at the wooden spoon in his hand (upside down), clearly stressed, before Bliss advises that they will do a large group meal. Bliss, a very pink Tyfling wearing a soldier’s uniform with a bow slung on her back, has long, curly white hair with streaks of blue in it and short devil horns – she comes up and introduces herself to Rowan, asking if he has done any cooking before. He admits that he has not, so she offers to teach him the basics that her mother taught her. Bliss suggests making a basic but hearty fish stew using the fish, potatoes, carrots, and some of Rowan’s spices.

As they are cooking, Rowan asks more about Bliss and background. Telling Rowan that she is not much of a storyteller, she tells him about Saint Tyfeen, one of the ascended saints of the Church of the Scions.

Long ago, she tells him, there was a temple and priests – they were going about their ceremonies and praying to the Scions up above. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and appearing before them was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She bore the wings of a devil, horns, and a tail, and they said that she had the fire of the Hellion throne in her eyes. At first these priests reached for their weapons, ready to strike down this force of the plains that had invaded Altheya, but the woman cried out and pleaded for them to show her mercy because she had come to repent – she had seen the wickedness of her ways and wanted to return the love that she had stolen across the centuries.

At first, they did not believe her, but when they gazed into her eyes and she touched their hands, it is said that they saw the truth of this woman’s request. Her name was Tyfeen. Tyfeen went on journeys around Altheya, taking love with her wherever she went, especially to those who were unloved by others, the sick, the poor, and the infirm. She would take these people into her embrace, even taking some to her chambers (both men and women) – she had many children, siring and raising them across all of Altheya. When she found families who could not have children, she would offer up one of her own to be raised by that family. These children came to be the Tyflings – this is the origin of Tyflings and how they came to be in Altheya. Now when a Tyfling has a child, there is a chance that they will be a fellow Tyfling.

Tyfeen was beloved by the people for bringing nothing but love and joy to the people that she met, having travelled for hundreds of years on her mission. Being a Devil or Demon, she did not age. One day, her assistants went into he chambers to wake and prepare her to go on a new journey, but she was missing, and they saw only the remnants of the light of the moon. It is believed that Tyfeen had ascended, that Meilyr had taken her into her realms, and now there are clerics and priests who pray to Saint Tyfeen, the Saint of Love, and “adult things”, and they receive her blessing and her power. Tyfeen is now seen as an icon of love and redemption.

Rowan tells Bliss that any time he pictures Tyfeen, he will picture Bliss’ face – Bliss is embarrassed, blushes, and punches his arm, telling him that Tyfeen was the most beautiful being that has ever graced the world, so he cannot do that.

Gruff erects his tarp, creating a sturdy lean to that will keep him dry and protected throughout the night. Daisy, having watched Gruff, tries to do the same but, not realising how large it is, and not being as used to this sort of task, has ended up a bit tangled in it – Gruff tries unsuccessfully to advise her on what to do. Daisy constructs a lean to that is most likely to fall on her in the middle of the night, but she plans on cocooning herself in her blanket. Xantheus enquires of Ophelia where she plans on sleeping and whether she has any sort of camp equipment – she calls on Percival who pushes and sweeps the dirt on the ground away before rolling out her bedroll (a plush, quilted and cushioned, dark red affair), a pillow, and satin/silk sheets. When he is finished, he takes off his enormous monk robes and holds them up in front of him and over it – this reveals a skeleton to the Authorator and the four soldiers, as well as the party.

Zarron Tekis is alarmed – magic charges in his hands – and the soldiers are also astounded and get ready to fight the “abomination”. Xantheus calls for calm, explaining that Percival is Ophelia’s assistant. Zarron Tekis rubs his head and breathes a sigh - knowing about Osseus, he should have expected it - and tells the soldiers to stand down. The Sergeant is still alarmed at the “walking bones” but the Authorator insists that Ophelia has immunity and is allowed to conduct necromancy by the writ of her diplomatic mission in Altheya. The soldiers remain wide-eyed, however, and it is the Authorator who approaches Ophelia to ask her to keep Percival covered – he warns her to be cautions because Percival will attract unwanted attention in the cities, and the Ilmerans are not used to interacting with the undead in this manner. He explains that the Empire’s dead do not just walk around, and that the sight of Percival will upset and frighten others – the only instances of necromancy that the Ilmerans usually encounter is when creatures from the Proto Magi vaults escape. Sometimes, the errant magic of those places awaken the dead nearby and they are very aggressive, attacking and killing anyone they come across, hence the soldiers’ reactions to Percival. Tekis recommends keeping Percival covered by his robes as much as possible, explaining his nature to others before disrobing him again. Ophelia explains that in Osseus, necromancy is a gift, and that Percival means no harm to anyone, assisting with duties and work. Tekis is concerned that some may attack Percival, leading to a diplomatic incident, even suggesting a second outfit is worn underneath his robes. Ophelia asks Percival to replace his robes and to use her cloak instead to provide her with shelter – he bows and does as she asks.

Meanwhile, Daisy has cast light on her dagger as the evening gets dark, and it can be seen that her dagger is shaking in her hands as she stares at Percival. Percival’s head turns in her direction, his head turning almost 360 degrees. Daisy asks Ophelia with a faltering voice if Percival can be asked not to look at her – Ophelia requests that Percival looks at her instead and reassures Daisy that Percival means her no harm. Ophelia moves over and holds Daisy’s hand reassuringly, incidentally feeling the warmth and strong heart beat as the blood pumps around her body… she swiftly drops the hand and returns to Percival to sit on her bedroll. She places a small statue of the Grave Father beside her bedroll, kneels in front of it, and prays quietly in front of it.

### **Part Two**

*An event in the night causes a rift between Ophelia and Xantheus as the team travel towards Ashen Rest!*

The party, journeying south from Burnell towards Ashen Rest, has camped for the night along the side of the Imperial Highway. They awaken on the morning of the second day, it is clear and bright with not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature is mild and warm, given that it is Spring. Daisy’s tarp has collapsed during the night and is lying flat on top of her. Xantheus has shared Gruff’s tarp to ensure cover during the night, and he wakes in the middle of the night because he feels an itching feeling in his hand. He recalls having a strange, minor discolouration of his fingertips on their return from the mine. It is only a faint feeling, but he now feels that the itching has spread throughout the fingers, which wakes him up. In the distance, he can see Cade and Bliss on watch, looking out and away from the camp.

When Xantheus looks at his clawed, Draconic hand, he sees that the fingers have all turned black and the discolouration is spreading up to his wrist. Within the darkness, there are lines – fissures of light and fire – burning through it. His fingernails are now blackened and hardened like onyx and ridged like plates, underneath them is the faint glow of fire. He gets the sense that there is power associated with this change, feeling the heat in his palm, and when he tests it, he realises that his right hand can now conjure fire into it (as a result, he realises that he can now cast *Produce Flame* and *Burning Hands* (cast free once a day or using a spell slot)). The change to his hand is very noticeable and it looks far from natural. When he sees it, Xantheus immediately hides his hand in his shirt and looks around to see if anyone else in camp is awake.

Ophelia has spent the evening attempting to go into a meditative trace-like state, but even though she has eaten stew, she is still *hungry*, and tasting Marrion’s blood has given her the gnawing feeling that she would really like some blood. She lies on her back, awake and staring at the black cloak that Percival is holding above her, her clutched hands digging into her bedroll. Ophelia has caught a flicker of light from Xantheus as his hand flared, and before he managed to hide it in his shirt. Their eyes meet and each realises what the other has seen – Ophelia quickly rolls over to turn away from Xantheus, hoping somehow that he did not see her. Xantheus moves over to Ophelia to discuss what she has seen.

Xantheus asks why she is still awake, to which Ophelia replies that her stomach feels a bit strange, then in turn asks what the light that came from him was, why he hid it, and why he is keeping secrets. Xantheus tries to obfuscate the truth, suggesting that Ophelia has just seen the campfire flaring, but Ophelia is not put off and asks if he is ok. Xantheus asks how long she has been awake, and she tells him that she does not think that she has slept. Ophelia presses on Xantheus that she needs to know that she can trust him and that, even though they are strangers, that they are all on the same page. Ophelia makes it clear has a task that is very important to her, that she wishes to complete it, and it is and Xantheus tells her that he wishes to assist her and has her back, pointing out that he helped her in the fight in the mine. Ophelia thinks about this and asks for Xantheus’ word that he can be trusted – Xantheus gives his word and asks to know more about Ophelia. She tells him that she can hear heartbeats and notices that Xantheus’ is very rapid, and it is obvious that he is agitated… there is something unnatural to the rhythm that Ophelia cannot place. When Ophelia advises Xantheus that hearing his heartbeat makes her feel hungry, he reminds her that he tried to procure her some blood from Kalifris. – she recognises this but also tells him that since she drank from Marrion, it is all she can think about, although she is trying not to.

Xantheus enquires whether they drink Human blood in Osseus, but Ophelia is not sure, knowing only that it comes from “livestock” and that her parents were farmers and traders of livestock. They made a name for themselves with the House of Blood for breeding and rearing animals for that purpose, but beyond that, she knows nothing, including whether the blood came from other sources. Xantheus asks whether those who drink Human blood would normally have similar feelings to what Ophelia is currently having, however, she does not know. Xantheus offers to keep this a secret and Ophelia gratefully accepts – he asks her to reciprocate and to keep one of his in return – she tells him that she can hear that he has one. Nothing more is said, and it is agreed that secrets will be kept. Xantheus suggests that Ophelia try to get some sleep and tells her that he will try to find a way to feed her, even if it isn’t Human blood – Ophelia tells him that it will not be the same and that there will always be the hunger for Human blood, but he is not sure how to solve her problem. Xantheus asks what will happen to Marrion, but Ophelia says that she may recover, but she will not become like Ophelia, because that is a gift that must be bestowed upon someone. Xantheus nervously requests that Ophelia does not drink his blood, reminding her that she has given her word not to drink from them without consent – she says that she will try, and does not want to drink from anyone here (she looks pointedly at their camp, not looking at the soldiers’ camp).

Ophelia asks Xantheus if there is anything that he would like to tell her, telling him that she needs to trust him. Xantheus looks around their camp, seeing everyone else deeply asleep and tells her that Ophelia can trust him, but must give him time – she agrees. Xantheus reassures Ophelia – he knows that he can trust her, and this is more than she feels from the rest of the group at the moment. He tells Ophelia that Daisy is just scared of her and Percival (who still looms above them with Ophelia’s cloak) - Ophelia reassures Xantheus that Percival can listen but not talk. Xantheus insists that what they have is an agreement, not a pact to work against the others – Ophelia agrees. She knows that she can talk to Xantheus in future if she needs to, and he feels the same with her. Xantheus makes his way back to his bed and the camp is quiet once more.

Gruff dreams:

*He dreams of home – he can hear the waves crashing and the cries of the ice divers in the solitary, dark period just before dawn when he would set out. He can feel the gentle, rocking motion lulling him. He dreams of things out in the deep, knowing that there are things always in the deep. They do not come for him – he dreams of them and knows them to be there – they prey upon other boats out there. He just watches and listens. His birds are always with him, perched on the end of the boat on their little stands where they rest and watch.*

The dream is soft and gentle, and he sleeps peacefully.

Rowan dreams:

*He finds himself… not himself. He is watching the pebble – swept by the lake, bouncing, singing and calling for its lost friend, pulled away by the stream. He watches it thrown about in the currents, seeing trees, sights and sounds pass by him in a flurry. He follows the little pebble.*

His dream is peaceful and the night passes for him without incident.

Daisy dreams:

*She dreams of running through wheat fields – she is younger but there is joy. She hears Nim singing a song that has no words, a chorus of harmonies, a chanting that has no words, only sound. It is joyous and she runs free.*

Daisy sleeps peacefully.

The morning comes, they break camp, and they travel for a day along the road without much excitement. Nim speaks to Daisy as they travel, “*Little one, there is something we must talk about – do you think you will travel with these strangers for a while?”* When Daisy answers in the affirmative, because they seem ok so far, Nim responds, “*They do, but we should always be careful. We don’t know them. Some of them wield strange powers, and one courts the realms of death, which worries me. You’re old enough now – our bond has become quite strong. I think I should share some more of my power with you. It’s been a while, but I think you’re ready for it, and I think you’re going to need the tools… if you continue travelling with these people, I think you should be better equipped. You should always be prepared.”* Daisy admits that she is scared of the death lady and finds the shiny one a bit weird (and that people keep asking questions about him), but she tells Nim that the other two seem fine. Nim agrees, suggesting that while they should not necessarily distrust them, they should be cautious. Daisy has learned to fight a little and to keep herself hidden, says Nim, but now it is time for her to learn more – they have been bonded for many years now, and the longer they are bonded, the more that Nim can share with her as more of her memories return. Daisy begins to feel growing power and to see images of herself in her mind – a light in her hands begins to form into a shape. She can see faint lines that project out from her eyes to her companions, and she knows that when she is ready, she can choose to connect with them. Daisy also feels that Nim’s knowledge and memories are easier to access.

They find a new place to rest – a small copse of trees on a small hillock – and they make camp for the night before the sun begins to set. As they are setting up, Gruff, Rowan, and Ophelia are the only ones to notice that there is a faint echo of a hideous giggling on the wind. Rowan thinks that it may be Xantheus, but he is not laughing, and the Authorator asks what they heard. Now that it has been brought to their attention, they all hear it, and it sounds closer, although they cannot see anything. Bliss is busy cooking stew at the centre of the camp as the light is beginning to be lost, but they hear the malevolent giggle once more and closer again. The Sergeant suddenly shouts for them to be ready – he recognises the sound – and they suddenly see two 7-foot-tall, grotesque, hyena-like but bipedal Humanoid figures with jackal heads emerge from the woods and leaping up on top of the hillock, both of which have longbows. One of the bowmen begins to draw his bow, cackles, and calls out, “FRESH MEAT!” Shortly after, two more Gnolls emerge from the trees, carrying rusted hatchets and cleavers. One carries an axe attached to the top of a carved staff and has two abyssal, demonic hyenas on a leash.

Seeing that the camp is being attacked, Sergeant Yorrow calls to the Duke’s men to form a line and ready themselves for an attack – the soldiers form a defensive line, readying their spears and shields, preparing themselves to meet a charge. The hyenas are let off their leash and charge towards the line of soldiers focusing on Daeron, who takes a nasty bite from the two hyenas that leap onto him, but Bliss and Daeron impale them both on their spears. In their death throes, both hyenas lash out and bite Daeron again – he falls to the ground, bleeding profusely. When the Gnolls see the hyenas’ blood spray into the air as they die, they let out a cackling howl, and the two marauders with the rusted weapons move immediately towards Gruff to attack him. Both make a bite attack in their death frenzy, but only one manages to pierce his skin with its fangs. The Gnoll archers hit the Sergeant and Cade, with Cade’s wound being a serious (perhaps mortal) blow. The Sergeant is furious as he snaps off the arrow that has pierced his side, calling out to his two badly injured men.

Rowan drops his stew and pulls out his lute – he strums a note that resonates and creates a green energy beam that hits Daeron, healing him with *Healing Word* – Daeron clambers to his feet again. Rowan then drops his lute by the campfire, grabs his longsword and charges into battle against one of the marauders, slashing it across the middle. Xantheus tells Ophelia to protect Gruff and the guards, then casts a twinned *Chaos Bolt* at the archers – he hits the first in the chest with force damage which snaps its ribs and almost pushes it backwards off the hillock, then hits the second with a poison bolt, but even though it retches against the effect, Xantheus notices that the creature appears to be resistant to poison damage.

Gruff creates his *Armour of Oak and Thorn* before attacking the marauder in front of him, hitting it as it cackles away to itself. Zarron Tekis leans around and tries to blast the archers with *Firebolt* but hi spell goes wide, before he casts *Healing Word* on Cade (muttering, “Pyris help this one, do not let him fall!”), and Cade gets up slowly from the ground. The Gnoll Cackler, who released the hyenas, moves towards the defensive line and lets out a *Fiendish Cackle*, scaring Daisy, Rowan, Ophelia, and Sergeant Yorrow – the rest remain unaffected. The marauders hit Rowan and Gruff with their rusty weapons, making a significant wound in Rowan and slashing Gruff lightly. Daisy moves to hide behind one of the tents, and using what Nim has taught her, forms a blade of radiant light (a gladius, perhaps well-known to Nim) and throws it at the marauder attacking Rowan. She hits the Gnoll in the shoulder before summoning a radiant dagger and hurls it towards the same archer, but it goes wide – she also rallies and is no longer frightened by the Cackler. Ophelia orders Percival out of harm’s way before moving towards Gruff and Rowan – she rages, crying, “In the name of the Grave Father, your blood will spill when none shall feast!”, and activates one of her red gems to activate her blood whip. She slashes the nearest marauder with the whip, splitting the furred hide and revealing a dark, almost black-looking blood streaks out, empowering Ophelia almost as if the Grave Father is calling for more (gaining Ophelia a blood point).

The soldiers see that Rowan has taken a bad hit and move around to assist him while the Sergeant, who is frightened of the Cackler, staggers back towards the trees and shoots with shaking hands at the archers with his crossbow, missing his shot – he shakes his head and shakes off his fear of the Cackler. The three soldiers hit the marauders, Daeron almost managing to kill the very injured one with his spear. The archers, seeing Xantheus as a terrible threat, shoot and hit him twice – he uses his active rune to block some of the damage, but he is slowed as he is hit in the leg with an arrow. Rowan, still frightened of the Cackler, reels backwards and is attacked by the marauders, both of which bite him – Rowan falls to the ground from his wounds. Xantheus casts *Scorching Ray* at the archers – one beam shoots wide of the injured archer, one goes wide of the poisoned Gnoll, and one hits the poisoned Gnoll – the ray merely singes the Gnoll as it hits him, but Xantheus activates two protective runes for himself.

Zarron Tekis moves towards the archers with a throwing dagger in one hand and prepared to blast magic with the other – he annihilates one with a *Firebolt* and injures the second with his dagger throw. He calls on the Sergeant to get back into the fight. Gruffudd casts *Cure Wounds* on Rowan before whistling and summoning Seren, who is ordered to protect Xantheus – the green illusory ice diver appears, flies over to Xantheus and begins to circle over him, protectively. The Cackler uses *Moment of Brutality* and orders one of the marauders to attack Gruff – the marauder is injured and fails at biting Gruff, before the Cackler tries to bite Xantheus and misses.

The marauders attack Gruff and Bliss, cutting into Gruff with its hatchet, but being parried by Bliss with her rapier. Daisy steps out from behind the tent and attacks the Cackler with her radiant blade, penetrating it with the gladius but missing with the dagger once more. Ophelia attacks the marauder in front of Gruff with *Crimson Fury* (using a blood point), slashing it with her whip and downing it, surging with power once more (gaining a blood point). As they see the Gnoll die, the rest are consumed with *Death Frenzy* and they move in to attack spontaneously. Xantheus and Gruff avoid the vicious biting attacks, but Zarron Tekis is bitten.

## **YouTube Timestamps**

0:00:00 - Intro and announcements

0:09:57 - Part 1

1:39:04 - Fan Art

1:43:44 - Part 2

2:56:23 - Outro & Donations

## **Characters**

#### **PCs**

* Daisy Thistleheart
* Gruffudd of Tremorrew
* Ophelia D'larosa
* Rowan
* Xantheus Auregan

#### **New NPCs**

* Janya(sp?) Stirling
* 2 Stirling children, Ragnar(sp?) and Mittal(sp?)
* Sergeant Guy Yorrow(sp?)
* Private Bliss
* Private Daeron(sp?)

#### **Returning NPCs**

* Private Cade
* Authorator Zarron Tekis

## **Featured Locations**

* Caldra
	+ Burnell
	+ The Imperial Highway

## **Trivia**

* There was a change made to how the Crucible of Fate dice could be used from last episode. See Homebrew rules page.
* Crucible of Fate dice rolls: Kim (5), Trott (3), Rhi (1), Katie (1), Tom (2), Mark (4).
* Mark describes the Sergeant who is part of the party’s escort to Ashen Rest as looking “a little bit like Commander Shepherd”.
* There is a suggestion (unsure if this was entirely a joke) that Tremorrew is famous for its pasties.
* Xantheus has a history of being a trader in Rust End.
* The starting screen flashed up a number of times throughout the stream in this episode.
* Mark advised that he would be factoring a number of things into how well-rested the characters would be on a long rest during a journey – this would include whether they have tents or other protection against the elements, whether they cook a meal, and what the weather is doing – this may make a journey more exhausting or harder to finish.
* An expression in Iceheart is, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”. This is a Scottish saying, and the Iceheart region was partly written by a friend of Mark’s, Steve, who is Scottish.
* Rowan is a bit of a nomad, wandering around the world.
* Katie was wearing a Bing Bong shirt (that was initially hidden under her hoodie). When Gruff goes to the general store to buy supplies, Kim asks if there is a doorbell or chime, or any sign of an imp, a shout out to the Balder’s Gate 3 D&D show that Mark did with the voice actors from the game. Bing Bong, the imp that Mark created on the fly, has since been made canon in the game. Katie has had the t-shirt for 3 weeks, but because they weren’t doing the show live, was not able to wear it until this week. Mark did not notice the shirt reveal for about 8 minutes after Katie removed her hoodie, and only did once the question of the doorbell was brought up.
* Tom got in trouble from “Daddy” Mark for picking up his phone during the stream.
* The sunglasses that Ophelia buys have “no benefit whatsoever” (according to Mark) except giving her a good vibe (according to Kim).
* Being a Wildheart with a layer of fur, Gruff is somewhat protected from cold and wet weather.
* Inconsistency: Mark refers to Sgt Yorrow as Sgt Yarrow as well.
* Journey rules will be used when moving to lairs/dungeons or going to an unusual place. If following a well-travelled and paved road (such as the Imperial Highway), there is little risk of getting lost, so a simplified version of the journey rules is applied – roles are still applied but the guide will automatically succeed (since they are following a road).
* Rowan does not receive proficiency for cooking tools (because Bliss does the cooking), but he does learn the recipe for fish stew.
* Cooking a hearty meal adds to the camp comfort level – the more comfortable the camp is, the easier the constitution saving throw for exhaustion is at the end.
* Just after the break, Tom is asked by Mark to roll a d6 and asked to choose from three body parts: an eye, a hand, or the body. He is not allowed to know why he is choosing whatever he does. He chooses “hand” because he has just ‘bought some bangin’ gloves’.
* Along with his power gain (the casting of flame spells), Xantheus also gains a flaw – Tom is able to choose from paranoia, pride, greed, wrath, deceit, or righteousness. He asks Mark whether, if he picked wrath, he would just be constant fury – Mark’s response is “not to begin with”. The flaw may develop and grow stronger. Tom eventually chooses pride (although it is unknown what this pride is about at this stage) – he is proud that he is graceful/attractive/talented/artistic/intelligent/wise (choose one), and he strongly dislikes anyone who suggests otherwise.
* Katie mentions that Tom is nervous about the changes to his character, noting that Tom’s “leg has been bouncing like crazy with a nervous tic since this started”.
* **Lore drop:** Gnolls in Altheya are a type of Vaultspawn, so these creatures have escaped a Proto Magi vault. Once they escape, they reproduce rapidly, spread, and can become terrorising forces in between points of civilisation or out in the wilds of the world. Gnolls were created by the Proto Magi, and it is believed that they were created using demonic essence, so they are demons but were created by the Proto Magi on Altheya and kept in the vaults. When the Proto Magi fought with the Gods, the Gnolls escaped and have now escaped and have now spread out throughout the world. Gnolls are not like Goblins, which are sentient creatures with culture and history, these are pure demonic, evil beings, that have become mutated and transformed. They are magically evil monsters (they do not choose to be evil) and there is no way of redeeming them.
* When the group is rolling initiative against the Gnolls, they start calling out, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” referencing the seagulls in Finding Nemo. Rhi believed that the film was released in 2006 but looked it up and found that it was 2003.
* Mark uses the Gnolls from the MCDM book, “Flee, Mortals!”, for which Mark wrote something. He offers a shout out to James Introcaso and Matt Colville from MCDM.
* Ophelia’s blood points: gained and used as part of her custom subclass:
	+ Dealing damage to a creature for the first time gains one blood point
	+ Take a minimum amount of damage gains one blood point
	+ Do a minimum amount of damage gains one blood point
	+ Blood points can be used to add an extra 1d6 of damage (*Crismon Fury*)
* Mark uses one of his Fate Dice to boost the damage roll of an NPC, Zarron Tekis.
* Gruff summoning his bird is part of using *Mage Hand* as an action or using it in another way.

## **Quotes**

Tom: “Give me the boot, put it on the floor. Thank you.” Put my foot next to it.

Mark: This one maybe not so much, but you can see that the other one he’s holding probably looks more about your size.

Tom: “Please, no. This one’s far too small.”

Mark: He hands it to you – it fits, maybe it’s a bit too big, but he’s like, “I could put some padding in it, that might help.”

Tom: “If anything, I need it to be adjusted a little bit, tiny bit bigger. Is that possible?”

Mark: “You want bigger?”

Tom: “Slightly… slightly. I can feel it rubbing in my…” What is this role play?

Mark: I didn’t start this! You started it!

Tom (as Xantheus): Ophelia, I know you’re awake.

Rhi (as Ophelia): No I’m not.