Episode 30: Strangers’ Fête

A very special Holiday episode! Holiday sweaters! Singing! Surprises! In the aftermath of their most harrowing battle yet, the Heroes of Bingle take stock of their losses, emotional and physical, and try to make it safely to the town of Marsh. With the danger of Skyscorcher Peak looming, will their relationships with each other be a bigger threat to the team than even the Ashen Mage’s magic?

#### **DM/GM Intro**

*Twas the night of a simple dungeon run…*

*And all throughout Ain,*

*not a creature was stirring, or so said the sign.*

*The parchment was hung, on a signpost with care*

*To loot an abandoned old dragon’s lair*

*The Amulet was nestled, all snug in that cave*

*These adventurers retrieved it, more greedy than brave*

*But when the Amulet flashed and they saw the eye blink-it*

*Made them understand it’s much more than a trinket*

*It grants you the Watchers the power to give*

*Forces of chaos to James or to Siv*

*Or Lily or Uggo or Fahima too*

*They all feel the impact of things that you do*

*But much more than that, it’s the key to unlocking*

*The memories of Wardens whose powers can be shocking*

*Or firey or earthen or airy or wet*

*But the team hasn’t found all of those Wardens yet*

*The Wardens had long been protectors of Ain*

*During their watch the realms had done fine*

*But the Wardens were captured and our team traveled far*

*To free one in the sea and one in a Lodestar*

*Now they’re heading to find one inside a volcano*

*Or maybe they won’t, after all what do they know?*

*They found clues about it inside a spell tower*

*Along with experiments of dark undead power*

*A hodgepodge of bodies all cobbled together*

*So they left in their vardo pulled by birds of a feather*

*But they didn’t get far when more battles broke out*

*Then their camp was invaded by a girl with a snout.*

*Xenalka - a werewolf! - gave all them a scare-but*

*She seemed to be nice, and had a great haircut*

*She and Fahima shared a connection*

*Together they cured their bird’s lycan infection*

*Then she told them her brother was bound by a coil*

*Rooted in blood on thick bloody soil*

*The apprentice named Vargen was off in the woods*

*Drawing blood from some werewolves, he was up to no good*

*So they stashed their Achaierai and vardo and snuck*

*Seeing scarier sights than a Duke as a Duck*

*Vargen the wizard in a foul bloody shell*

*The only thing worse than the sight was the smell*

*And just when you thought it couldn’t get any sicker*

*The ground was a bubbling layer of ichor*

*Each footfall they took was sticky and wet
They were facing their deadliest enemy threat.*

*James tried suggestion but it was resisted*

*Nevertheless these heroes persisted*

*The battle erupted; excitement and fear*

*The audience tensed up and started cheer*

*On Lily, on Uggo, on Fahima and James*

*On Siv and on Watchers with so many names*

*Use Forces of Good, use your spells and your maul*

*Now smash away, smash away, smash away all!*

*It took all they had and I’m not going to lie*

*For a second there, I thought that Uggo might die*

*When what to my wondering eyes did appear?*

*A Force of Good Hamlet; Uggo’s pain disappeared*

*With the help of the Watchers the heroes succeeded*

*Fighting Vargen even after the blood had receded*

*When he finally was vanquished, the ground ‘neth them cracked*

*Causing Lily the amulet bearer to react*

*She was drawn to a curtain of hovering drops*

*Saw a vision of rangers perched in the treetops.*

*As Lily relayed the details of this dream-a*

*Xenalka tried reaching her hand to Fahima*

*But Siv with a threat put a quick stop to that*

*Even werewolves are weary of our resident cat*

*Fahima was once again losing a crush*

*But before Xenalka leapt away in a rush*

*She turned to Fahima, gave her reassurance*

*And a tube on a chain, saying simply: “Insurance”*

*Then Fahima and Lily found Vargen’s spellbook*

*And Fahima saw something - a cliffhangery hook*

*Then I turned to the camera to say - and I quoth, “*

*"Dungeon Run is now done, Humankind, go be both."*