Episode 198 - Welcome to Glaine, the Jewel of the East

Bloodlust runs high when Mike Bachmann returns to the podcast (Who emphatically corrects that he doesn't hate the fans) and Jett Razor rejoins the group. After a quick item delivery sidequest completion by Jaela, the party kills some guards (hooray?) so they can save lives by storming the White Spire and killing whatever is causing havoc inside.

## **Story**

Having successfully recovered the special mushrooms guarded by the Poop Golem, Toby Treacletart inserts them into his newly named device, the **Ranged Arcana Detector**, and powers it up. He knows he's in trouble for freeing Lex, but if the latest hypothesis is right, then this device will lead him to some powerful monster that's been rumored to be terrorizing the area and is the cause of the recent magical disturbance. If he can help kill or capture the monster he hopes to have proved right and welcomed with open arms. However, with the RAD back on he realizes his mistake. All of his previous experiments proved futile because he performed them inside the White Spire an the RAD is pointing back straight towards it.

Toby turns back into TimTim, recovers some magic, and then he, Aludra and Jaela exit the nearest manhole cover where they coincidentally run into Jett Razor. He explains he was looking for some energy source called batteries, to power some device called a beeper, at a place called a petrol station. Toby takes a look and is puzzled at what the device is and how the energy source is supposed to work, but before he can really learn anything about it a loud *THOOM!* fills the air.

The White Spire is under attack, and yet, Jaela suspiciously has the need to stop a guard and ask for directions to the house of Reginald Thornberry without giving much of an explanation to everyone else. By another coincidence, the guard she stopped to question was his grandson, Ray Thornberry. And even though he's resistant to giving out the information to a group of strangers while the place that he guards is under attack, Jett is able to successfully steal a utility bill from his pocket undetected. Jaela splits off from the group while Aludra agrees to Toby's suggestion to send his familiar to spy on her to learn exactly what she's up to. However there isn't much to report. All Jaela did was deliver a letter from his recently deceased old friend Walter Smidge. Someone who was also a fellow gamesman of the Raw Fury Games. And deceased because Jaela killed him because of her pact with the Raven Queen, unbeknownst to the rest of the group. Jaela summons Princess Ivy Bluemoon to catch up with the party.

Outside the White Spire, guards with silvery chain mail and halberds burst out where the clearly splintered doors used to rest, while the sounds of battle fill the air. The guards refuse to let them pass despite their best efforts at pleading or deception. And when the party insists on entering the White Spire to deal with whatever if causing all the havoc, that only causes more guards to show up and bar the way. Toby tries to Mass Suggest the guards and tell them that it's best that they be let through to fight the monster inside, and Jett adds in a *Suggestion* of his own. Half the guards fall under the spells and have enough doubt to be uncertain at what to do, however the other half are offended that they'd even try to cast spells on guards of a tower dedicated to wizardry and battle begins.

Toby throws up when the guard leading the charge is melted within his armor and is horrified when another guard is cut down by Jaela. He's able to hypnotize two more guards and keep them from throwing away their lives. But when Aludra is about to deal a fatal blow to the final remaining guard, it turns out he's not a White Spire guard at all. He liquefies into goo, similar to what Jett can do, and he slides down into a nearby grate and escapes.

## **Trivia**

* Canonically perhaps, and perhaps not. Jaela received experience points from completing her delivery sidequest and now has more experience points than the rest of the group.
* Definitely canonically, Jaela received Inspiration for completion of the sidequest. However she already had Inspiration and it cannot stack.
* Toby has read a thesis on overland travel written by Rolen Twentais.
* Tim Lanning realizes he mistakenly created Toby with most of his spells as *Concentration* spells and by not having any attack spells under 3rd-level.
* The leader of the guards was one of the few guards that isn't friends with Toby.

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael "Thrifty Nerd" DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Toby Treacletart
* Jennifer Cheek - Aludra the Dwarf
* Mike Bachmann - Jett Razor
* Nika Howard - Jaela

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Ray Thornberry
* Reginald Thornberry
* White Spire Guards

### **Inventory Updates**

* +1 Toby Treacletart to the party
* -1 Wren from the party

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Complete] [Jaela] [Sidequest] - Deliver letter to Reginald Thornberry
* [Active] - Find the monster terrorizing Glaine, the Jewel of the East
* [Active] - Discover the cause of the magical disturbance
* [Active] - Curse of the Raven Queen
* Save the shrinking high elf city of Galanthis

### **Quotes**

**"Grrrrr... I'm a bugbear. I need to get in here to destroy that monster. I'm a bugbear."** ~ *Toby as TimTim*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Bachmann - 18
	+ Nika - (unknown)
	+ Tim - 6
	+ Jennifer - 4

* **Toby**
	+ *Minor Illusion* - 18 vs Intelligence (Investigation) Saving Throw
		- Fails - (Unknown) - The lead guard sees through Toby's illusion of Archmage Cornelius Talionis

* **Toby**
	+ *Mass Suggestion* vs Wisdom Saving Throw
		- Succeeds - (Unknown) - 4 of the 10 guards are confused enough to not combat the party.

* **Jett Razor**
	+ *Suggestion* - 17 vs Wisdom Saving Throw
		- Succeeds - (Unknown) - 1 more guard is confused enough to not combat the party.

*Combat Begins*

* **Initiative** vs 5 White Spire Guards
	+ Jett - 8 - (Dex) 14 - 13
	+ Toby 8 - (Dex 14) - 2
	+ Jaela - 8 - (Dex 12)
	+ Aludra - 1

*Opportunity Attack*

* **Jaela**
	+ Melee Attack - Nat20 vs closest guard
		- Hits - 21 damage

*Round 1*

* **Guard** vs Jaela
	+ Melee Attack - 18... but with disadvantage... 9
		- Hits... no wait... Misses

* **Guard** vs Aludra
	+ Melee Attack - 15
		- Misses

* **Guard** vs Jett
	+ Melee Attack back - 15
		- Misses - Swings wildly and you wonder if he's even trying.

* **Guard** vs Toby
	+ Melee Attack back - 25
	+ **Toby** interrupts
		- Illusory Self - Heheh idiot
		- Guard misses

* **Jett** vs Guard
	+ *Heat Metal* (at 7th-level) - vs Guard that attacked Jaela for talking shit, heating up his armor.
		- Hits - 7d8 - 35 damage (fire) - The guard melts and dies. Toby throws up.

* **Toby** vs Guards
	+ *Hypnotic Pattern* vs Wisdom Saving Throw
		- Succeeds - 2 of the remaining 4 guards are charmed - They see a picture of Toby saying, "Hi!"

* **Jaela** vs Guard
	+ Melee vs the guard that has not yet attack - Nat20, 17, & 17-
		- Hit, Miss, & Miss - 26 damage
* **Guard** vs Jaela
	+ Melee
		- 12 damage

* **Aludra** vs Guards
	+ [Crackle] vs 16 Dexterity Saving Throw against Both Guards
		- Hit & Hit - 7 damage (lightning)

*Round 2*

* **Guard**
	+ Melee Attack
		- Miss
* **Jett** vs Guards
	+ *Suggestion*
		- Fails - Forgives everyone except Toby
* **Toby**
	+ *Fireball* 18 vs Dexterity Saving Throw
		- Success & Fail - 8d6 - 13 damage (fire) & 26 damage (fire)
* **Jaela**
	+ Melee Attack - Nat20, 23, and it doesn't matter
		- 29 damage, 19 damage, and... the Guard is dead.
* **Last Guard**
	+ Melee Attack - 21
	+ **Toby** Interrupts.
		- Shield
		- Guard misses
* **Aludra**
	+ *Tremorstep* - vs Dexterity Saving Throw off Guard & Toby
		- Hit & Miss - 2d8 - 9 damage and knocked prone

*Combat Ends*