Episode 200 - A Journey

## Intro

**Episode description:**
A short one for #200, but the beginning of something special...

**Opening Quote:**
"An adventure!" -Lauren

**Player introduction:**
Lauren, *"Hello and welcome to another episode of the Tabletop Champions, I am Lauren your dungeon master, and with me tonight we have Matt, who plays Fanel."*

Matt, *"Hello!"*

Lauren, *"(cut off)-plays Clover."*

Sean, *"I don't have a quote."*

Lauren, *"Ben, who plays Throden."*

Ben, *"This one's for you, Sean: I drop my bow and take out my rapier. What?! This guy is de-ranged!"*

Lauren, *"Boo! (laughs)"*

Matt, *"Aaawww."*

Sean, *"Okay, apparently it's just a D&D thing, cause I was at Denver Comic Con at the Critical Role panel, and they were just doing puns, for like 30 minutes before they came on."*

Lauren, *"That's delightful. Ah, Stephanie, who plays Raquel."*

Stephanie, *"Sensitive love letters are my specialty! 'Dear Baby, welcome to Dumpsville. Population: you.'"*

Lauren, *"And Kyle, who plays Irpaks."*

Kyle, *"You came to me for help rememberin'? That's like asking your horse to do your taxes. Which I did, back in 1998!"*

## Episode Summary

We rejoin the group, split in two, in the Wellington estate, when the stolen dagger197199 has been discovered and the guards are making a great alarm about it all over the premises.

Raquel grabs Clover like a child and bolts for the fence, with Irpaks, polymorphed into a butterfly, fluttering after them. Clover turns him back into a man after they are all over the fence, and they try to vanish in the streets of Trenton.

Back at the estate, Fanel's former master Leo has stopped attacking the younger Elf in the moment of the alarm. Fanel and Throden hold Leo and the guard back using *Earth Tremor* and *Entangle*, and then escape through a window. They make for the guardhouse, which is now unattended, and also escape to the city streets. Fanel spots Raquel in the traffic, and they join up again.

### Return of Tode

The group have caused quite the hubbub in the city, and a squad of the wyvern guard is flying over the Wellington estate to scout the situation. Suddenly, thunder roars and then silence falls over the city, before a massive, green and fungi-covered dragon appears in the sky with a black, armored rider on his back. Despite the purple eyes, Clover recognizes Tode, the former guardian of Haven and the fey forest. The Mousefolk tries *Sending* to speak with the dragon, but he receives only anguished cries in response.

Tode spews purple fog at the wyverns, which drop out of the sky, but more wyverns appear and engage the mushroom dragon in a fight. The group flees deeper into the city and reaches the market square, but witnesses a large portal inside a purple ring appearing there. A woman who has approached it is defaced by a grotesquely large arm, then multiple hulking creatures with curled horns, and covered in diseased boils, appear, followed by a host of humanoids flying the **Banner of the True God**, including Humans, Drow and Lizardfolk.

A booming voice can be heard all throughout Trenton, commanding the people to *"Return what was stolen and I will stop the attack"*, then the strange intruders charge the crowd and begin a gruesome massacre. The city guard attempts to fight back, but is outmatched. Another loud cry can be heard in the sky, and a massive black dragon, the guardian of the city, is attacking Tode.

The group is running away from the fighting in the streets, looking for sewer gratings in the alleyways. Clover believes it is all happening because of their stealing from Sir Wellington and wants to offer what they took to the attackers, but everybody else is arguing with him; when suddenly they hear someone calling them from a sewer entry. They recognize Thendren Flamebeard, and follow him past the access gate, which the Dragonborn latches shut before leading them away.

However, the group believes Thendren is untrustworthy, noticing the change in his demeanour from the time at *Percipa's Star*198. He also does not tell them where he will take them, but hands Irpaks a note. The bard casts *Detect Thoughts* and learns that Thendren was sent by someone named *the Master of Mystery*. Meanwhile, Clover has secretly *Messaged* Henrietta, and his mother promises to get him.

Raquel does not want to follow Thendren further, and Irpaks hands her the note. She reads it out load: *"I wish the goblins would come and take us away."* Suddenly darkness engulfs them, and the floor seems to fall out from under them.

### Goblin City

The adventurers seem to fall into a black well, but soon colorful lights glow around them and a barn owl joins their endless fall, seemingly guiding them. In the end, the group glide to their feet in an unknown land, near a huge city with a giant castle far in the distance, and their owl guide sitting on a tree branch, offering them another note. When Clover takes and opens it, glitter shoots out, covering everybody. He reads the message out loud:

> “*Greetings and Salutations to you, team Questionable Life Choices!*
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> *I, the generous and benevolent Grifto, cordially invite you through Goblin City in a prestigious foot race.
> You see, it's a timed mission and now there is a life at stake. A terrible creature has kidnapped a child for consumption, and me, being the magnificent that I am, interfered, and have temporarily preserved the child. However, your quarry is getting into this labyrinth at the same time as you. You must reach the child before the other party does, and if you do, you win! If you don't, well, I hope you like questionable magic practises and goblins.
> Now, don't dilly dally, there's a life at stake, also I should probably warn you, cheaters will be handled accordingly.*
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> *Truly yours,
> Grifto McBag, Magnificent Maker of Merriment, Malfeasance, Master of Mischiev, Magister of the Plane of Mischiev*
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> *P.S.: It's all about perception.''*”
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None in the group recognizes Grifto's name. They follow a path down a hill, finding a garden with walls, large like city walls. Someone is nearby, a Halfling watering plants, and they approach him. It's a man with short auburn hair and bushy sideburns in a purple doublet with golden accents, and a purple, floppy hat with a white feather. He also has a wooden instrument with etchings of the word *Redemption* and a ram skull.

The Halfling introduces himself as Corvino, the greatest bard to ever have lived. He plays them a beautiful song and they like it, but then asks if they want to enter the labyrinth. Raquel asks where they are, and he says this is *Goblin City*. Clover urgently invites him to come along, but the bard says it would only anger his master. Corvino then opens the labyrinth to them, and closes the door firmly behind them. The group sees different paths ahead of them, and hears Corvino's faint music behind them.

## Memorable Quotes

**Irpaks,** *"If you never have to run away in fear, you're not doing a real adventure."*