Arc 12: Die Hot

Official illustration for Arc 12 Episode 1

Arc 12 is the Two Year Anniversary Arc, with the party from Arc 2 reuniting, DMed by Gus. It airs on March 13, 2023, and is the first arc with full video episodes released on Patreon for the 2$ tier and above.

In addition to the players from Arc 2, Jenny joins the party as Sasha's wife Mischka Rose.

## Arc 12 Characters and Players

**DM** Gus (He/Him)

**Lyndell Sterling** (She/Her) (played by Haley - She/Any), a Leonin Pact of the Warrior's Bond Barbarian who has been travelling the world and going on adventures with her girlfriend after spending years stuck as a bodyguard.

**Robyn Lovejoy** (She/Her) (played by Madison - She/Her), a High Elf Mastermind Rogue who is trying to detach herself from her family by stealing from the rich and giving back to the poor.

**Ash** (She/Her) (played by Julia - She/Her), a Fire Genasi Way of the Drunken Master Monk who has spent most of the last two years working in a high governmental position in the Plane of Fire.

**Sasha Rose** (She/Her) (played by Sam - She/Her), a Tabaxi Armorer Artificer who adores her wife and only has to work on passion projects anymore.

**Mischka Rose** (She/Her) (played by Jenny - She/Her), a Half-Orc College of Valor Bard who can finally join her wife in the adventures she always talks about.

The icebreaker question for this arc is: What makes you feel like a million bucks? Any activity, sensation, or feeling that makes you feel on top of the world, like nothing can stop you.

* **Gus:** Briskly walking down a city stret while listening to music on his headphones.
* **Haley:** Biting into a really good lemon macaron on a nice day.
* **Madison:** The feeling of washing your face well, or having a nice shower.
* **Julia:** Cooking for people, and them appreciating it.
* **Sam:** Stepping out from a cold place into the sun and feeling the change in temperature. Also: when she and her friends won awards at the Sand Arts Competition.
* **Jenny:** Being on the back of a train and watching the tracks come up from behind your feet.

## Arc 12 Plot (Full Spoilers)

### Episode 1

Robyn and Lyndell are visiting Gem Lovejoy in prison, where Robyn hopes to get some closure. Her mother, though, tells Robyn again that everything she has, she has because of her family. As Robyn leaves, Gem makes a remark about her going to outlive Lyndell. Lyndell drags Robyn into a bar to get something to drink, but there they realise that the infinite money they got from Ember's *Wish* spell in Arc 2 has run out. Sasha and Mischka, who are out drinking with a customer, and Ash, who was trying to buy groceries, realise the same thing. They meet up and try contacting Ember, but to no avail. They go to Victor and Borys, who have an access to the Plane of Fire that does not rely on the Lovejoy family, and go through. At the dock to the sea of fire, the dock keeper Nerold warns them about trouble since the failed hell portal opening, but lets them pass anyways. Soon after the start of the journey, they get attacked by some imps, who smash through the windows of their ship.

### Episode 2

The party fights imps and a barbed devil on their journey. They nearly lose Sasha's crab Coco, but Sasha manages to retrieve him with her Lightning Line. Mischka nearly goes down, but her tattoo brings her back up with 1 hit point. A barbed devil joins the imps in the fight, but gets beaten up by the "Lovejoy Looters", and he ultimately has to plead with them to be let go. They kick him out, together with his imps, and continue on their journey. As they reach the City of Brass, three magmin steal their ship, which doesn't worry them too much, and together, they go to explore the city.

Ash quickly notices that something is off, there are much fewer people around than usually. Then, they pass the paperwork jail, where it says on one wall, written in Ignan graffiti "our city now", supporting her suspicion. They turn around the corner and come to the main street, which is now lined by tall spikes with bodies of the people of the city impaled on them. Further down, they see the Charcoal Palace, and impaled on top of its highest spire is the body of an efreeti.

### Episode 3

Ash recognises the body on top of the palace as Cinder, one of the three members of the Brass Council, which consisted of Cinder, Pyros, and her father Ember. They also see that there is a brass dragon curled up around the castle, blending into the building, guarding it. They head to the commercial district, hoping to find answers there about what happened. Most of the shops are closed now, but they find an Azer blacksmith named Copper, and his two assistants, and hear that there was a pretty bloody revolution, which was stopped by Pyros, who then took all the power for himself. He now rules over the city as a tyrant, killing whoever he wants. Nobody has heard of Ember, but they refer them to Clementine's Autonomous Casino and Hotel Experience, which is running pretty well, and where many people have found refuge.

They go to the casino, where Sasha, Mischka and Lyndell try to talk to Clementine, the giant cat that owns the casino. They manage to gain his attention, but he doesn't care much about the revolution, and doesn't take Sasha's offer of letting her fix his burnt slot machines in exchange for information. He reacts with recognition to Embers name, though. However, before they can continue the conversation, Clementine spots Robyn trying to steal from other guests, and casts *Banishment* on her.

### Episode 4

Robyn appears in Lovejoy Manor in the library, where she finds Richard reading a book. Since she can no longer access the Lovejoy portals, Richard helps her and joins her on the journey back to the sea of fire. Meanwhile, Lyndell and Mischka tried attacking Clementine to break the *Banishment* spell, but fail to do so and are sent to a timeout place ("casino jail") on the Astral Plane. There, they find Ember, who fled into the casino during the revolution, where he gambled away all he had, including the *Wish* spell that granted the party their infinite money. Devastated, he destroyed much of the casino's machines, and got put into casino jail. All of the party members keep in contact with each other over their sending stones. Ash and Sasha decided to gamble a bit, waiting for the others to come back, and as Ash hears that her father is alive and well, she gets some newfound joy, and can actually enjoy gaming and drinking.

Robyn and Richard reach the docks again, where Robyn informs Nerold about the troubles they had on the first journey. He gives her a little device to turn the boat invisible, to keep them a bit safer this time. On the journey, the siblings talk a bit, and Richard admits that he misses her being around. Lyndell, in the meantime, tries to talk to Ember and explain how worried Ash was, and that they need to have a serious conversation. He is ashamed, and wants to avoid Ash. When they tell him about Cinder, he realises that she must be alive, as efreeti's bodies dissolve when they die. They realise they have to help her, and Ember finally agrees to talking to Ash once he gets out.

### Episode 5

After some minor trouble on their journey, Robyn and Richard reach the City of Brass, where Richard is shocked to see the aftermath of the revolution. He admits that he invited Chase and Miles, two more Lovejoy siblings, since he thought it would be a fun journey. The four Lovejoys arrive at the casino as Ash is playing Crabfight, and Sasha is talking to Clementine again. Ash quickly informs them about what happened, and Chase and Miles show Robyn the scry bowl, where they can see their sister Hope fight alongside her adventuring party.

In his office, Sasha tells Clementine their story, and asks that her wife, her friends, and Ember can come back. Clementine tells her that he cannot get involved in outside politics, but implies that he would like the situation in the city to calm down, understanding that they are fighters. A simple apology isn't enough for him, though, and he asks them to play Wreck-a-Mech. If they battle, they will be released and forgiven, and if they win, Ember will be released as well. Sasha agrees, and Robyn, Lyndell and Mischka decide to compete as "Team the Serpent, the Lion, and the Hot Half-Orc Lady Asterisk Tattoo Artist" against the champions of the house.

For the rest of the evening, Robyn keeps a bit of an eye on Ash, concerned for her friend. The next morning, Clementine sternly tells Sasha that he won't allow any funny business, and then Robyn, Lyndell and Mischka get on a carriage to go to the volcano dome, the Wreck-a-Mech arena, while their friends stay to watch from the scry bowl. As they leave, Miles runs up to Robyn and asks her to throw the battle so that he can win enough betting money to make good on an old bet he had with Clementine. He tells her that Clementine is a sphinx and could turn back time to before the revolution, so that none of this happened. He gives her a blue handkerchief to wear as a symbol if she agrees. Robyn tells her team mates about it, and they decide not to do it.

### Episode 6

The battle begins, and the rivaling team, "Team Giant Guys", turns out to be Beryl Hatebad with her children Helga and Charlie, old rivals of the Lovejoys. They recognise Robyn as well, and threaten her. After a quick battle of slamming into each other, though, Robyn, Lyndell and Mischka manage to touch the glowing orb in the middle of the arena with their mech, and defeat their opponents with an empowered attack. They make their way back to the casino, where Clementine sees their debt settled and releases them and Ember.

Ember and Ash decide to have a conversation and go to Ember's private suite, which he fled to when the revolution happened. It takes him a few stumbling tries, but he talks about how he is not a good person, and how he betrayed her, the plane, and himself. He wants to be better and help Cinder, but understands if Ash doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. Ash accepts his apology, but doesn't quite forgive him, yet. She is mostly hurt by him not contacting her. She wants to solve the problems in the city, too, although she doesn't know how. Ember proposes a second revolution, as he is sure people aren't happy under Pyros's rule, either. They hug and go back to the others, who are already exchanging the coins they won for spell scrolls that will help them in battle.

Together, the party decides to find the people currently working on another revolution, remembering the blacksmiths forging weapons. The Lovejoy boys hand the party their potions so that they can be cool and do some adventure, and party later. Miles tells Robyn that he understands why she didn't take his offer, and they hug. Then, they leave to start another revolution.

### Episode 7

Mischka advances to level 5. On the way, they discuss their plan, after Ember informs them what abilities he has left. Robyn and Lyndell follow some writing on a wall pointing them to a rebel hideout while Sasha, Mischka, Ash and Ember go back to the blacksmiths. There, Ash talks to Copper, who recognises her and is suspicious of her at first. He listens to her ideas of a new government structure, a fight club, and no paperwork jail, and admits that he would have wished she would have pushed for change earlier, and not just now. However, he agrees to make a distraction with what is left of the rebels, and Ash gives him her bomb. Robyn and Lyndell find the hideout, where they meet Snap, who is starstruck meeting the Lion and the Serpent. She tells them about their plans to cut off the Salamander guards that are under Pyros's control, they were just waiting for the time to do it. Robyn and Lyndell tell her that the time is now, and leave to meet back with the others.

They reconnect and can see the revolutionists prepare. The party moves towards the Charcoal Palace, deciding to first get Cinder, and then attack Pyros. They hope to be able to deal with the dragon Andior by taking out Pyros's PISPIS (Pearl of Identifying Supreme Political Individuals and Sovereigns) of the throne, so that Andior no longer identifies him as the ruler. Ember gives Ash her own PISPIS, which he had been preparing to give her for some time now, so that she can put in hers in exchange.

Robyn and Mischka both become invisible and fly up with Mischka's broom. Ash and Lyndell hide in the Bag of Holding, which Sasha, also invisible, takes, before she flies up with her winged boots. Sasha hides herself, Ash and Lyndell in a safe corner inside the castle. Mischka drops Robyn off with them as well, and then takes off to get to Cinder. Right as she flies above Andior, he looks up, right in the eyes, and says "Oh, that's cute. You thought I couldn't see you."

### Episode 8

Mischka immediately starts crying in fear, while the dragon calmly tells her that he cannot let her get Cinder. In that moment, Ember comes rushing in, shouting that he will save her. Mischka uses the distraction to alert the others, then goes up to Cinder and dispels the magic paralysing her. Andior attacks both her and Ember, and makes them fall asleep using his gas breath. Mischka falls, and gets only saved by her tattoo. That is the moment the others can enter initiative. Ash, Robyn and Lyndell get back into the Bag of Holding, and Sasha flies to the council room of the palace again. Mischka has the broom still with her and climbs back up to get to the council room as well while healing herself. Mischka and Sasha meet in the air and see Pyros sitting on the only remaining throne in the council room, currently watching the execution of a magmin that is about to happen.

Since Ember and Cinder are both unconscious, Andior follows Mischka instead and gets to the council room to protect Pyros. Sasha pulls her friends out of the bag. Mischka casts *Dispel Magic* on Pyros's PISPIS and succeeds, making it no longer fixed in the throne. Pyros tries to physically protect it, but Ash runs up, grabs it, exchanges it for her own, and punches him. She calls towards Andior that she is in charge now, and commands him to remove Pyros, while Sasha shatters Pyros's PISPIS. Pyros recognises that he cannot win, takes Ash's PISPIS back out of the seat and uses *Planeshift* to get away with it. Andior is confused and without a boss, and the party tells him to not make his whole identity depending on a pearl. They ask him to get Ember and Cinder, which he does, and then he goes away to have some holidays. Ash asks him to send some of his dragon friends over, if he finds some, so that they can help safeguard the city and palace should Pyros come back.

They first wake up Ember and discuss what is going to happen next. Then, they wake up Cinder, who immediately lunges at Ember before Mischka can calm her. After some discussion, she agrees that they need a new government structure in which the people of the city have more influence, but also says that it should not happen from a place of anarchy, as then the strongest and meanest efreeti are going to violently take the power for themselves. Ash and her come to the agreement that her PISPIS will go into the remaining throne while Ash's PISPIS is being made again, at which point Ash will take over to restructure the government and implement her goals of the fight club revolution.

This happens over the next few months. Robyn and Lyndell stay in the Plane of Fire as friends and security for Ash until she hires the dragon Fleembo. Sasha and Mischka stay for a while as way, and Sasha builds a little firey mechanical assistant for Ash to warn her if Pyros comes back. For the opening of the fight club in the volcano dome, Robyn and Lyndell compete against Sasha and Mischka.