Episode 419 - The Center of Lyktion

Skud’s back so we venture deeper into Baphomet’s castle… what will await us at the end… probably Baphomet I would assume… but there has got to be some surprises coming our way…

## **Story**

### Long Story

In the last episode, Skud and Adira Harper were snatched up by a Minotaur and carried away through a wall. Now, however, the wall burst forth once again, to review that same Skud and Adira, standing over the body of the very same Minotaur. Surely, a mighty and ferocious battle took place here, one to be written about in the history books. Well, anyway, they must carry on, and that means finding a way to avoid getting attacked by more beefy boys. To that end, Toby creates the illusion of their own bodies on the ground, having been "defeated" by the Minotaurs. He also shlorps up the boneless corpse of the Minotaur he melted the skeleton of last time, like a freaky, tiny microwave. And they proceed through the hole in the wall (this would be illegal in a real maze. But it's okay, because this is just a game of dungeons and dragons). Toby also uses an illusion (a real one) to seal the wall behind them.

This hallway they're now in isn't much better than the last one, save for the fact that there are no Minotaur bodies in it. It's long and dark, and so Lahni bolts down it, to scout ahead. When she comes to a fork in the road, she does the sensible thing, and throws a bean down the left hallway. Actually, this is beneficial, because a fruit tree appears, bearing 29 fruit, 7 of which are randomly determined magic potions, and 1 of which is a poison of the DMs choice! Cool. She also gets 50 ft down the right hallway before turning around, grabbing all the fruit (which are watermelons, btw), and running back to tell the others. For some reason, this prompts Skud to draw a card from his Deck of Many Things, and before Toby is able to stop her, Lahni draws one, too!

Skud's card increases a skill by 2, which he uses to restore his *Intelligence*. Lahni's card grants her the services of "random, powerful outsider". This service comes at a price, but one that is negotiable. She can sense a celestial presence attempting to contact her, but is unable to reach her here in the Maze. Cool! At this point, there are only 5 cards left in the deck, meaning there is a 1/5 chance that the next person to draw a card will immediately cease to exist. Yikes. This prompts Toby to institute a ruling: No one but Skud is allowed to draw cards from the Deck. Also, to offset these odds, Lahni gives Skud a bean, which he shapes into a card somehow and shuffles it randomly into the deck. Not sure how that works, but cool, it's now a 1/6 chance of immediately ceasing to exist.

Moving on through the Maze, the party is met with a serious of Challenges, that they must use their various Skills to overcome. Some highlights include: A hallway where the magic shifts, causing them to fall down it, until Hoby catches everyone. Moss begins growing on everyone's body, and Rowan recognizes it as fire-hating moss, so they clear that up pretty easily. There's a room full of exploding flies, that never seem to run out! That is, until Lahni finds the vent they're coming from and seals it up. In the room that makes you old, Toby finds a jewel that makes you old, and smashes it, so they're no longer old. In fact, they're a week younger! Rowan begins to hear voices in her head, getting louder and louder, until she convinces them to leave. They smell something stinky, but Lahni makes face masks for everyone, because masks work! The get caught in a garbage masher on the detention level, so Skud prays to Uthgar for guidance. He points out a door for them to leave. Next, Toby, aboard his Broom of Flying, flies face first into a Gelatinous Cube! He pops back out, and tells them all to go around a different way, but not before shoving the Minotaur's gooey body into the Cube for some reason.

Finally, they make it to their final puzzle. They can see a wall, with the outline of a door, but it's also made of wall. How to get through! Well, in front of the not-door, is a pedastal, with 5 metallic pouches sitting on. They are filled with a strange liquid, and Toby, the alchemist, understands that they are to drink from these pouches in order to open the door. Lahni and Skud volunteer, since she's immune to poison, and Skud is... made of water, I think? Anyway, they do, and it hurts, but not too bad. And the door opens!

Inside, they can see the inner castle of Lyktion...

### Short

Lahni throws a bean and makes a fruit tree with 29 fruit (7 health potions, and one poison). Skud draws a card to get smarter, and Lahni draws one to gain the services of some "random, powerful outsider". She gives a bean to Skud, who shuffles it into his deck. Mostly, the rest of this episode is just a series of challenges to be over-come. Challenges such as a sideways-gravity room, a garbage masher on the detention level, and a room of exploding flies. The final challenge is a bunch of evil potions that Lahni and Skud drink, that open the final door to the inner castle of Lyktion...

## **Trivia**

* Nika hates Egg Salad Sandwiches! I'm angry and betrayed by this information.
* Tim says that Toby has the Greatsword of Lifestealing, even though in Episode 412, it was Rowan who took it. I guess I'll just move it to Toby's inventory from this point on. I guess that's easiest.
* At the start of the episode, there were 7 cards in Skud's Deck of Many Things. 2 were drawn, leaving 5 left, one of which will immediately cause the character who draws it to immediately cease existing

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

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Toby Treacletart
* Jennifer Cheek - Rowan Grey
* Mike Bachmann - Skud Derringer
* Nika Howard - Lahnik "Lahni" Caplain

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Adira Harper
* Uthgar

### **Locations**

* The Abyss
	+ Lyktion

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Active] - Stop The BBEG!
	+ [Active] - Go to The Feywild and save Melora
		- [Active] - Steal Baphomet's key to the Dimension Chest
			* [Active] - Find and defeat Baphomet
* [Optional?] - Destroy The God Killer

### **Quotes**

* **"I have brought you all here tonight, because I have a truth that I need to honor myself, and to you, the listeners. The truth is, that I have never eaten an egg salad sandwich. I think I might hate them."** ~ *Nika Howard, liar*

* **"'Skud, do you want to pull a card?' I say, trying to be an ally."** ~ *Tim Lanning*

* **"I love 2 things about the Deck of Many Things. One is the randomness, and two is the immense amount of pressure it puts on Michael."** ~ *Mike Bachmann*

* **"Masks work! Wear your fucking mask!"** ~ *Michael DiMauro*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Jennifer - 8
	+ Nika - 5
	+ **Tim - 17**
	+ Bachmann - 2

* **Lahni** and **Rowan** make *Survival* checks to see if they can smell other Minotaurs about
	+ Lahni - 17
	+ Rowan - 19

* **Lahni** rolls to throw a bean - 73
	+ A fruit tree appears, with - 29 fruit

* **Lahni** rolls *Perception* to see what's down the right hallway - 16
	+ There's nothing for her to see

* **Skud** pulls a card from the Deck - Draws the Star Card

* **Lahni** pulls a card from the Deck - Draws card that gives her the services of a random, powerful outsider

*Skill Challenge Begins*

* Initiative
	+ Rowan - 21
	+ Lahni - 18
	+ Toby - 17
	+ Skud - 7

*Round One*

* **Rowan**
	+ Makes an *Acrobatics* check to grab Skud and hoist them up onto the wall - 12
		- Failure - She gets hurt for 14 piercing damage

* **Lahni**
	+ Makes a *Survival* to figure out the best way to run/fall down the wall - ~~15~~ - re-rolls with Ki point - 14
		- Failure - She bangs her head on the wall for 11 Bludgeoning damage

* **~~Toby~~ Hoby**
	+ Makes an *Acrobatics* check to catch everyone - 21
		- Success - He catches everyone

* **Skud**
	+ Makes a *Deception* check to trick everyone else into thinking he's not mossy - 4
		- Failure - He's noticeably stinky

*Round Two*

* **Rowan**
	+ Makes a *Survival* check (I think) to see if she knows how to get rid of the moss - 17
		- Success - She knows if they light a fire, it will vanish without hurting them

* **Lahni**
	+ Makes a *Perception* check to see if she can tell which way to go - 30
		- Success - She sees the vent that the flies are coming from

* **Toby**
	+ Makes an *Arcana* check to see if he can stop the room that makes you old - 19
		- Success - There's a ~~gem~~ jewel that makes them old

* **Skud**
	+ Makes a *Religion* check to pray to Uthgar - 27
		- Success - Uthgar appears and

*Round Three*

* **Rowan**
	+ Makes a *Persuasion* check to convince the demons to leave her brain - 23
		- Success - Her brain is empty now

* **Lahni**
	+ Makes a *Medicine* check to make face masks for everyone - 21
		- Success - She is able to make face masks

* **Toby**
	+ Makes a *Nature* check to see what the Gelatinous Cube-like thing is - 28
		- Success - It's a Gelatinous Cube

* **Skud**
	+ Makes a *Perception* check to see if the pouches are on a weighted trap - 25
		- It's not on a weighted trap

*Skill Challenge Ends*

* **Toby** uses his *Alchemical Tools* to test the liquid in the pouches - 23
	+ He's never seen this stuff before, but he knows that someone has to ingest this liquid to open the door

* Lahni and Skud roll CON Saving Throws while drinking the acid
	+ Skud - 16
		- ~~17~~8 Acid damage
	+ Lahni - 12
		- 21 Acid damage, also must make a WIS Saving Throw - 29
			* She's able to maintain control