Oh Gnome You Didn't?!

*Check Please!*

"**Oh Gnome You Didn't?!**" is the 15th episode of the first season of *Check Please!* Campaign One. It first aired on YouTube on November 23rd, 2019, and was released in podcast format on December 18th, 2020.

*"Last time, our Heroes made their way into the Deepcut Mine to finally confront whatever lies within, only to be overcome by a series of strange visions and hallucinations, and woke up oddly enough near very strange creatures."*

## Summary

The Party members grapple with how to deal with the situation at the Mine, finally finding a way to seal off the problem – but not before tragedy strikes. They later band together with a group of dwarves, and resolve the issue that's been plaguing the Fey creatures of the area.

## Synopsis

### Part I: Shrooms

#### Hallucinations

The Party members have regained consciousness after the seeming-TPK of the previous episode, finding themselves in a fungus-filled cavern deep inside the Deepcut Mine and surrounded by four vaguely-humanoid mushrooms, who are rhythmically swaying and getting closer. Sol removes Lovette's crossbow bolt from Vera's back, where it has (thanks to Vera's Melifera's Boon bee form) not done too much damage. Sol and Lovette then attempt to communicate verbally with the mushroom people, with little success. One of the mushroom people gives Markus headpats. Lucky Markus.

None of the Party recognize the nature of the Shrooms (as we'll call the mushroom people going forward). Lovette approaches one, and receives the same head pat (well, touch) as Markus. As contact is made, the Shroom's eyes begin to change, cycling through many different colors, as it shakes and sways its head. Sol approaches another, touching it with their hand and mimicking its swaying motions. Sol posits that the creatures, since they appear benign and peaceful, must have saved the Party.

Vera, failing to communicate with one of the other Shrooms, makes to leave the area. Noticing that they no longer hear any drums or feel any other effects of their previous hallucinations, Sol suggests sealing the cavern, but Lovette notes it's still unclear what caused their trippy little near-death experiences. Vera reasons that, since mushrooms reproduce by emitting spores, some of the fungi in the cavern (whether the Shrooms or the other non-ambulatory growths) may have been pumping out the equivalent of ten Burning Man festivals' worth of hallucinogenics.

Vera hands the canary – apparently still alive – over to Sol, and the two have a protracted disagreement over whether Vera should be able to communicate with mushrooms via her druid powers. Vera protests that she's unable to do so. Sol drops more muse, because what this situation clearly needs is more mind-altering substances.

#### Gesundheit

The Party members suddenly hear a sound like a sneeze, and notice one of the non-humanoid mushrooms in the cavern emitting a cloud of spores, which the four walking Shrooms gather near and try to absorb. The Party members keep their distance, but Sol, emboldened by their muse, voluntarily exposes themself to the spores for a moment – and suddenly, Sol sees the four Shrooms turn towards them, eyes all turning crimson red. Thankfully, none of the other Party members see this, but Sol begins to panic, believing that the shrooms have now grown tiny poison claws. Hiding behind Markus, they manage to convince themself that what they're witnessing is only a hallucination.

The Party discuss the situation further, uncertain of the relationship between the Shrooms and the spore-emitting mushrooms or the glowing fungi on the walls, and trying (or at least proposing) various experiments. Lovette expresses concerns about immediately trusting the Shrooms given all the dead miners and the as-yet-unfound adventurers/mercenaries who preceded them.

Lovette once again sends Archivald to scout ahead into the tunnel adjacent to the cavern, which appears to be human-made. Lovette relays what she sees via Archie's vision, although the automaton's health is increasingly diminished as his distance from the Party increases. Eventually, Archie is able to navigate to the entrance of the mine. Having discovered the exit, Lovette calls Archie back to the cavern.

Using strips of linen torn from her own clothing sleeves and her antique cigars, Vera attempts to fashion rudimentary facemasks and filters to help the Party avoid any further ill effects from whatever in the mine is causing the hallucinations.

#### It Burns Us, Precious!

Vera repeatedly offers to set fire to the non-ambulatory mushrooms; Sol, at a loss for other options, encourages her to only burn a small one, which she does. The Shrooms react instantly, heading over with their "arms" flailing above their heads. Vera puts out the fire, while the Shrooms pat the burned mushroom. Lovette attempts written communication, but gets no useful response.

Now that they know the route to the exit, the Party members consider simply fleeing. Lovette suggests trying to get one of the Shrooms to go with them in order to get input from someone who might have more insight into the situation; Vera demurs, worried that she's already traumatized them. Markus suggests they take the Shroom to Hildie, and also that they capture some spores for analysis. Vera, always at the ready with a container, does so. Sol approaches one of the Shrooms, gets its attention, and attempts via gestures to have it accompany the Party. Apparently receiving the message, it begins to follow them. Holding their collective breath, and with Lovette leading the Shroom by the "hand", the Party makes its way to the entrance to the mine.

No sooner has the Party emerged from the mine into the sunlight than the Shroom begins to sizzle and boil away. He falls to the ground. Sol removes their skirt, trying to shade the creature from the vicious light and heat; Vera creates water to help cool it; unfortunately, their actions come too late. Between this and the dawning recollection that the persons in pursuit of them might now be drawing closer, Sol begins to panic. For ease of transportation, Vera slices the Shroom into several smaller pieces, and the Party hastens to Hildie's Cottage.

#### Hildie's Help

Sol, still panicking, wastes no time pounding on the door for their favorite snake person (snerson?). Hildie answers the door, and Sol pours out their woes, while still clutching the dismembered Shroom arm. Hildie attempts to calm them, and Sol explains the situation they encountered at the mine and everything the Party learned. Sol also reveals that they've been hiding from their family and fiance for more than a year, and proceed to explain a number of things about themselves that they've been concealing (see below).

Hildie, ever helpful, chimes in that the Shroom may not be completely dead. Despite already having been cut into pieces. Whoops. She offers to attempt to regrow it, knowing that mushrooms can often survive being torn into even the smallest pieces, which reassures Sol... until Sol asks if Hildie has seen someone answering to her fiance's description, and the serpentes answers in the affirmative, adding that he was at her cottage only yesterday, and was not alone. Sol is delighted to hear that Hildie deliberately sent him in the wrong direction.

Lovette asks some followup questions about the individuals she's been tracking; Hildie notes that they'd been in the area to observe the meteor, and then headed out to "admire some architecture", which doesn't narrow things down. Vera suggests resting at the Temple of Melifera to make sure nothing has been done to it by Sol's pursuers. Hildie notes the Party should finish their business quickly, and the Party debate how best to solve the Mine situation.

#### Mushroom Murder is Still Murder

Lovette suggests drilling a hole into the cavern to expose the remaining Shrooms to light, or luring them out into the sunlight; Hildie, taken aback, inquires if their best plan is really just to kill them, and notes that the problems only began when the cavern was opened up by the miners. Markus, echoing/appropriating an earlier suggestion from Sol, suggests simply resealing the cavern, and marking that area off so the miners avoid it. Hildie, having "taken a shine" to the Party, supplies Sol with a Scroll of Shape Stone, allowing the cavern to be sealed off air-tight.

Lovette, money-minded as ever, suggests that they tell Siva that they've solved the problem but hold back on explaining its nature and the location of the problematic cavern unless they're paid more. Thus endangering a vast number of additional lives. The Party elects to sleep on the decision. Hildie once again praises Sol for their brave in revealing so much about themself, and whispers a message for Sol's ears alone. Sol pauses to meditate, while Vera trades honey for five additional onions. Sol's meditation is interrupted, and the Party departs, making their way back to the Temple of Melifera.

#### BEES!

Arriving at the Temple, the Party members detect no sign of any others having intruded into the dilapidated building, and bed down for the evening, despite the loud hum and vibration of the beehive overhead. They pass the evening resting. The following morning, Vera again drinks from the font of honey, gaining additional strength and power from Melifera. Lovette shows off a series of modifications to Archie, including the ability to fly (with wings that Lovette is also able to use). The Party members reaffirm their intent to resolve the situation at the mine.

#### Safety Seal

Returning to the Mine (yet again), the Party members divide up their onions, don their facemasks, and head to the Chamber of Shrooms, which sounds like a fun place to visit in Amsterdam. Sol drops another tab of muse before using the scroll from Hildie to seal up the cavern, which they do without difficulty, leaving an X-shaped indentation to identify the area as unsafe. Lovette once again suggests not marking the area at all and profiting from the sale of the information; Vera and Sol object, on the grounds that more miners will likely end up hurt. Sol changes the mark to a small feather. Vera begins to experience hallucinatory effects, but they are more muted than before; a bit of onion clears them up. The Party hastens to exit the mine, understanding that it will likely need to be aired out, but that they have effectively solved the issue for Graf von Bergen and Siva. They decide to fix the meteor for Hildie and the Fey creatures, then report back to the Mayor, and (if possible) restore relations between Hildie and the town.

#### To the Meteor

Heading up the mountain in the direction Hildie had indicated, the Party members are soon beckoned by an unfamiliar voice and a waving hand, which turns out to belong to one of a group of fourteen dwarves, who seem dressed for mining work rather than combat. The lead dwarf is glad that the Party members are not "crazy Fey", and explains that they are miners scouting for rare minerals. They request the Party escort them through the dangerous Fey creatures in exchange for a share of the starmetal they can acquire from the meteorite. Sol begins to negotiate for their share to be crafted into weapons by the skilled blacksmiths of the dwarf group; Lovette proposes a more complicated deal, but the dwarf counters that he's willing to make a starmetal weapon for each of the Party in exchange for the rest of the meteor's bounty. Sol suggests the dwarves also consider making use of the Party's services in the future, if they are satisfied by the protection the Party can offer them. The lead dwarf introduces himself as Murmir Alesword, of the "copper" cast of dwarven society, and an agreement is reached between the two groups. Murmir and his troop begin leading the Party towards the meteor impact site.

### Part II: The Meteor

#### Disagreements and Lies

As they make their way towards the meteor, Sol explains the need to pour Hildie's liquid antidote on the meteorite in order to return the local Fey creatures to normal. Murmir expresses concern that this might damage the metal, but Sol assures him it will not. Lovette takes Sol aside to remind them that (in her mind) this is an important business opportunity, and opines that the miners simply breaking up the meteor and taking the bits away should be enough to cure the Fey. Sol disagrees, citing Hildie's earlier statements.

Failing to convince Sol, Lovette reaches out to Vera, who is still in possession of the antidote. Lovette tries to convince Vera to delay using the substance; Vera is set on pacifying the Fey as soon as possible, in order to avoid potential damage to their newly-recovered Temple (along with preventing any further injuries or loss of life in the area, and saving the Fey). However, Vera agrees to allow a portion of the metal to be tested before proceeding. Finally, Lovette approaches Murmir, who answers the half-gnome's questions by stating that while he's never heard of starmetal causing problems with Fey creatures, he's had no direct prior experience with the rare substance. Lovette lies to Sol and Vera, falsely stating that Murmir had informed her that the mining and/or refining processes would neutralize the ore's negative effects. Neither believes her, since they'd been close enough to hear the conversation firsthand.

Vera tries to explain the Party's predicament to Murmir, who suggests (in quite a racist moment) simply killing the Fey creatures, as would be done with rabid animals. Lovette has little problem with the idea, which horrifies Sol; Vera, equally disgusted, is adamant that none of the Fey will be harmed just to preserve the meteor and its metal. Lovette attempts to argue the point, citing the Party's battle with the Weavers; Vera responds that they'd acted in self-defense in that instance.

Sol, apparently truly desperate, asks for Markus's professional spiritual opinion, as a Cleric of Eden, on the ethics of killing large numbers of living creatures who aren't responsible for their actions. Markus, relating that Eden (to his understanding) doesn't condemn such actions, echoes Vera's suggestion about testing a small portion of the meteor and proceeding based on the results. Lovette attempts to haggle for such a portion, learning that a mere four pounds of the metal per Party member would net each person 80,000 pieces of gold. The Party members fail to reach a consensus on how best to proceed.

#### Deep Impact

The dwarves soon sniff out the impact site, leading the Party members ever closer to the meteor and the need to make a decision. Vera hands one of the two bottles of antidote to Sol, just as they finally come to the "meteor": a vast ten-foot-wide twenty-sided object (an icosahedron), each triangular face carved with a different unknown rune, and all pulsing with purple light. Though beyond the direct understanding of anyone in the Party, they recognize that it possesses extremely advanced magic that is completely different from anything they've ever seen.

Markus, in a keen moment of Perception, notes that the "meteor" has a series of micro-fractures, indicating that a great deal of its force must have been transmitted underground upon impact. He also sees a small amount of viscous black liquid leaking from those same fractures.

Lovette, eyeing the object, decides that it is likely worth even more than previously imagined, and considers ways to remove it from the crater intact. Meanwhile, the dwarves prepare their picks and mining tools. Vera examines the black substance more closely, as Sol takes a broader look at the "meteor itself". They get the sense that they are being watched from the trees.

Vera touches one of the runes, receiving a mild shock. She uncorks her flask of antidote and pours it onto the rune; the liquid immediately starts to react with the surface of the object, beginning to bubble and dissolve away the "meteor". The dwarves are aghast, Lovette charges at Vera, and combat ensues.

#### Fight or (Giant Twenty-Sided) Die

Lovette's charge turns into what looks like an angry hug, as Vera easily avoids the tackle. Meanwhile, a nymph emerges from the forest. Clearly feral, but bearing a dagger, she charges at Sol and stabs the elf. Two satyrs and two pixies soon follow and attack the Party members, as the "meteor" continues to dissolve. The combatants fight valiantly for a few minutes, until the "meteor" is completely eaten away by Hildie's antidote, leaving no trace. The Fey creatures suddenly snap back to reality and cease their attack. Lovette draws a shortsword and once again charges at Vera.

## Key Points

### Plot & Lore

* Hildie's cottage is established as being a 3-4 hour hike northeast from the Deepcut Mine.
* The Party members request and receive additional Onions of Fresh Breath (as Beardy calls them) from Hildie.
* Dwarves are featured for the first time in the Campaign, and the strict caste-based structure of their society is also established; the copper caste consists primarily of miners, workers, and manual laborers.
* Starmetal is introduced as a substance that can be forged into the strongest and sharpest weapons, and takes very well to having enhancing enchantments put on it; since it only comes from space, it is extremely rare and valuable.
* Relatedly, adamantine is established as absorbing force extremely well, making it perfectly suited for armor; since it only comes from the roots of mountains, it too is also both rare and valuable.
* Nymphs are introduced into lore, with emphasis on their otherworldly beauty and the fact that the mere sight of them naked can cause blindness. And not just indirectly.
* Beardy notes that the combat in the previous episode wiped out all the Weavers in that forest.

### Character

#### Sol

* Sol expresses concern about Archie's health after he returns slightly "peaky" from his excursion; they have apparently grown less intimidated by the automaton and more fond of him.
* Sol mentions wanting Siva to like them.
* Sol still likes books.
* Sol remains worried about their emergency use of Dancing Lights in the previous episode, and the fact that it may have alerted their family (especially their parents) and/or fiance to their location, despite having been hiding from them for more than a year.
* Sol also reveals that they dropped out of school shortly before heading to The Dead Man's Rest at the start of the Party's adventures together, rather than returning home.
* Sol notes that they don't wish to be taken away from "their family" – meaning the Party, despite having unspecified duties in their home village. They do admit that their pursuers might believe the other Party members abducted them.
* Sol denies being a princess but notes that they are "up there" in terms of power, prestige, and wealth, as the sole heir to a Protectorship that keeps their village safe (which Sol doesn't believe is as necessary as their fellow elves are led to believe, considering them overly isolationist).
* Sol deeply dislikes and distrusts their fiance, describing him as "possessive" and prone to "macho" moments.
* Sol notes that they may have "a bunch of bastard siblings" throughout the world, a discovery that further motivated them to abandon their home. They later relatedly express relief that Lovette's half-elf heritage is on her mother's side.
* Sol finds bee noise soothing and conducive to meditation.
* The feather is an increasingly important symbol with Sol.
* Sol once again uses the alias "Leana".
* Sol notes that they made Symphonia's Wit themself.
* Sol is horrified by Lovette's willingness to put the meteor and its financial value over the wellbeing of the Fey.

#### Vera

* Vera *cannot* talk to mushrooms. It's imperative that everyone understand this. Are we clear?
* Vera's impulse to quickly resort to violence is once again showcased – in this case, by her pyromaniacal urges.
* Vera still has eight cigars left from the Tellic House.
* Vera visibly agrees with Sol's statement that "sometimes [elves] make assumptions about people that are wrong".
* Vera gains additional power from Melifera by drinking from the font of honey in the Temple of Melifera. Her Melifera's Boon form also becomes increasingly bee-like, and, among other things, now allows her to hover in place.

#### Markus

* Markus, on hearing Sol's confession, is evidently moved by Sol's worry for the Party's safety and their description of the Party as their family, and offers some equine-based encouragement.
* Markus states that the faith of Eden is rather quiet on the matter of genocide, again calling into question his fitness to be a Cleric (or indeed, the veracity of his entire identity). In his defense, he does state that he's personally against it.

#### Lovette

* Lovette, or at least her Player, alludes to Lovette being half-gnome, and later reveals that she is half-elf by way of her mother.
* Lovette is offended when Sol praises Markus's plan despite half of it having been her idea.
* Lovette's first thought at the sight of the grievously injured Shroom person is that this provides the Party with "another option" for dealing with the situation. She is also the most supportive of the idea of killing off the remaining Shrooms in order to solve the difficulties at the Deepcut Mine.
* Lovette is shocked by Sol's revelation about their fiance, but relieved to learn that Sol is actively avoiding him, and vows to prevent anyone from taking Sol away.
* Lovette remains inclined to view things as business transactions, including the potential necessity of dealing with Sol's pursuers.
* Lovette prefers the sound of clockwork to help her sleep, rather than the noises of bees; however, she does find the bee noise helpful as background noise for concentration.
* Lovette recalls having been teased for her comparatively long legs (for a gnome).
* Lovette is loathe to potentially damaging the meteorite, given its commercial value, and is not above lying to the rest of the Party in order to protect it.

## Running Gags & Callbacks

* Just as bees aren't bugs, and not all insects are bugs, mushrooms aren't plants.
* Mushrooms also aren't bees.
* Similarly, it's not an arrow, it's a bolt.
* Lovette always introduces herself by her lengthy full name, Lovette Ziniris McKinney-Bodwin. Even to mushroom people.
* Sol takes muse at odd moments.
* A "muse"/"amuse" pun from Xeno goes unpunished by Beardy, as does a later "Vera"/"verify". Beardy himself drops a "buff arms"/"bug arms", but declines to inflict any damage on himself or grant any bonuses to the Players.
* Vera's hoarding of items from previous quests – in this case, a cigar from the Tellic House – comes up, rather handily.
* Vera, as a druid, does not have the best personal hygiene or grooming habits (at least as far as the other Party members are concerned).
* Out-of-character, Screwy/Markus is warned not to flirt with Hildie, since Markus has that tendency.
* Beardy regrets giving Xeno immunity to bee-related pun damage after the "bee's knees" comment.
* Markus's Will-o'-Wisp encounter is again mocked by the Players, damn near killing Keni with laughter.
* Markus and Sol's fiance are both doing a bit of "soul"/"Sol"-searching.
* Xeno takes minor damage for a "vera"/"very" upset pun that doesn't fall under their bee-related wordplay privileges.
* Vera's transformation sequence is again indirectly likened to that of an anime magical girl, with its own "theme music" – which only Vera hears, with the rest of the Party just experiencing the sound of bones liquifying and guts rearranging. "Splorching". Shudder.
* Vera's "Fecund Familiar" is sounding increasingly like "Fuckin' Familiar".

## Memorable Quotes

### Part I: Shrooms

* "I got it out! That's disgusting!" "Wait, what?" "Nothing, nothing! Um... I hope you heal." – Sol, carefully tending to Vera's oozing wounds.
* "Hello, fellow creatures! How are you today? Are you... good? Nod if good." – Sol, attempting to establish communications with the mushroom people.
* "Markus, would you like to do anything?" "Me?" "Yeah, you've got a fungus-man touching the top of your head." – Beardy and Screwy.
* "All of life is but a dream induced by mushrooms." – Beardy, like, philosophizing, dude.
* "I like the mushroom people!" – Sol, and honestly who can blame them?
* "You understand that mushrooms are not bees, right?! They're completely different!" – Vera, getting tired of having to explain this.
* "They've got poison in their hands and they're coming for me!" "Did you take more muse?" – Sol, freaking out, and Vera, unconcerned.
* "Okay, so just because you do a lot of drugs doesn't mean you are a chemistry expert." – Lovette, being uncharacteristically short with Sol.
* "Can someone make a gesture of stabbing the giant mushroom and see if the other mushrooms get angry?" "Nope!" – Sol, proposing an experiment, with Lovette unimpressed by the idea.
* "Can the DM take damage?" "I mean, yes, I can." "But you won't." "I won't." – Beardy and Xeno, post-pun.
* "Listen, I can burn this place down, I can burn *you* down." – Vera, not caring for Lovette's comments on her physique.
* "I don't know if we want to have a magical mushroom girl transformation sequence." – Beardy, contemplating future plot developments.
* "Do you want to be a half-gnome, half-mushroom?" "I'm already half-gnome!" – Beardy and Grem/Lovette.
* "Oh my god, Markus, you're so smart!" – Sol, genuinely impressed by Markus for once.
* "I messed up!" "Always the best way to start a conversation." – Sol, to Hildie, and Screwy/Markus.
* "He's kind of the worst, so I really don't want any of you near him." – Sol, describing their as-yet-unnamed fiance.
* "It's my fault if they come. I just didn't want any of you to get hurt in the mines. It was an act of desperation and I thought we were dying, and now I've chopped up a mushroom person in my freakout, and I feel really bad about that, because he was a really sweet mushroom person." – Sol, getting everything off their chest.
* Markus: "Sol, I have a question for you."
Sol: "Yes, Markus?"
Markus: "How does one eat a horse?"
Sol: "Uh... excuse me?!"
Markus: "How does one eat a horse?"
Sol: "You are NOT touching my horse!"
* Sol: "Have you met an elf with silver hair?"
Hildie: "A few."
Sol: "Amber eyes?"
Hildie: \*nods\*
Sol: "Was he wearing a dark purple cloak?"
Hildie: "Dark purple cloak? Kind of a prick?"
* "We solved the iron problem: there's no more mine!" – Xeno, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between the Mine's entrance and the entrance to the Shrooms' cavern.
* "Thanks for the honey..." "Say it. Say it!" "... honey." "'Thanks for the honey, honey!' YES!" – Hildie, with encouragement from Keni to Beardy.
* "Don't flirt with the thousand-year-old snake person. Don't do it unless you mean business." – Beardy, leaving plenty of room open for folks to flirt with the thirty-year-old snake person.
* "It fills Vera with the most incredible sense of belonging." "It's the bee's knees." – Beardy, describing the Temple of Melifera, and Xeno, making full use of their special permission for bee-related wordplay.
* "Come morning, you guys are feeling a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, a little bit smarter, a little bit more comfortable with your abilities." – Beardy, as the Party gains a level.
* "What the hell happened to you?!" "Something wonderful." "... oh. Good." – Sol, not necessarily as taken with Vera's new form as Vera herself.
* "No one is going to be hurt." "There's dead people everywhere!" – Lovette, with Sol not sharing the half-gnome's confidence.
* "Well, I think you're the most wonderful copper dwarf I've ever met so far in my life." "He laughs." "(whispers) Nailed it." – Sol/Keni, buttering up Beardy's Murmir Alesword.

### Part II: The Meteor

* "Okay, continue talking to dwarves, you small person." – Sol/Keni, unimpressed by Lovette's attempts to protect the starmetal at the potential cost of the Fey.
* "Well, why don't you just kill the Fey? That seems like the easiest solution to me." – Murmir, not sharing Sol and Vera's concern for the creatures.
* "We will not be killing a natural order of creatures just for some fucking rock!" – Vera, putting their foot down with Lovette.
* "Eden's totally cool with genocide!" – Xeno, mocking Markus/Screwy's response to Sol's request for a Cleric's opinion
* "Money... money isn't everything to me. It used to be, but it's kind of a curse, in my opinion." – Sol, increasingly dismayed by Lovette's priorities in life.
* "I think I found out why this starmetal's a bit different than the others." – Sol, with the understatement of the year, as they assess the "meteor".
* "Sol, you have a nymph and a pixie that are both trying to kill you." "Which is arguably a very adorable sight..." – Beardy, emphasizing the gravity of the combat, and Screwy, relentlessly seeing the positive side.
* "If there's another fucking Weaver in a tree I'm gonna be so mad at you, Beardy." – Keni, not ready to forgive the DM for the events of the previous episode.

## The Dice

*These are estimates, since not all rolls are called or broken down out loud.*

* It is unclear from the overlapping dialogue whether it is Screwy or Grem who rolls the Nat 20 on the Knowledge (History) check for starmetal.

## References

* Sol describes Archie as being like "a big friendly giant, a BFG". The estate of author Roald Dahl would like a word with us.
* The 20-sided meteorite depicted in the title card and appearing later in the episode. No more need be said – if you're reading this wiki, you understand this reference.
* Markus drops "For the night is dark...", a reference to the phrase "The night is dark and full of terrors" from *Game of Thrones*.
* Keni sings a bar of "Good Vibrations", bringing in a Marky Mark reference for the second episode in a row.
* Grem fears that Vera's character arc and increasingly bee-like appearance in her Melifera's Boon form will result in a situation reminiscent of David Cronenberg's *The Fly*.
* Xeno confirms that *The Fly* is more his speed than the "magical girl *Sailor Moon*" transformation sequences the other Party members imagine.
* Archie's hands beneath his detachable outer gauntlets are described as being similar to the spindly hands of the titular character of the *Terminator* franchise.
* Keni likens the Party's "to the mine" refrain to the song "Get Low".
* Screwy channels his inner *Pinocchio* ("I'm a real boy!") for Markus.
* Grem quips that the group of fourteen dwarves also has "two Snow Whites", referencing the 1937 animated film *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs*. Classic Disney movies are getting pretty good representation in this episode.
* In reference to dwarves (temporarily) joining the Party and the fact that a wide array of races are now represented, Keni throws out the famous "Gotta catch 'em all!" line of the *Pokémon* franchise.
* Beardy's Scottish accent is compared to that of the titular ogre from the *Shrek* franchise. It will not be the last time Shrek is mentioned.
* In response to Beardy describing an attacking creature as "shaken", Screwy quips that it's "not stirred", a reference to the signature cocktail of everyone's favorite "sexist misogynist dinosaur relic-of-the-Cold War".
* Grem mentions having envisioned the fight as being "King of the Hill"-style, "but not the show".
* Screwy tries to request a second roll after getting double sixes; Beardy shoots down the idea, stating the game isn't like *Monopoly*.

## Trivia & Notes

* As a random aside: Foaly loathes mushrooms as a food, but is deeply fond of the mushroom people depicted in this episode. Sol is similarly enchanted by the shrooms, but Keni, despite liking the taste of mushrooms, cannot eat them due to an allergy.
* Archie is unable to go further than a certain distance from Lovette before his total HP is reduced (at a 50% penalty past 100ft, and a 75% penalty past 1,000ft). This penalty will eventually be removed as he grows in independence, and is able to act separately from Lovette.
* Archie contains many wonders, but sadly (at least for Sol), these wonders do not include oxygen cylinders.
* At least one of Screwy's children makes a background audio cameo or two.
* The proper term for the Shroom person is established around the 42m mark as a "Myceloid", but Shroom is more fun.
* The message Hildie gives Sol is left unrevealed.
* In terms of game mechanics, the onions give 2-5 rounds of imperviousness to aerial poisons per use.
* Beardy adds the ability to make bee puns as an actual feat on Vera's character sheet.
* At this point, Lovette's Summon Monster spell lasts for only two minutes outside of combat.
* The Party levels up to Level 3.
* The duration of Vera's Melifera's Boon form has doubled, now lasting two hours.
* Archie becomes a great deal more modular, returning to human form and gaining the ability to fly, with detachable wings that can also be used by Lovette.
* Sol gains the Inspire Competence Bardic Ability. They use this shortly after to improve their Use Magic Device check, since Hildie's scroll is a little above their current level.
* One of Aedron's metal substances is referred to as "adamantine", but elsewhere listed as "adamantite".[*validation needed*]
* On Earth, the chunk of rock and metal in question would (strictly speaking) be classified as a *meteor* only while it entered the world's atmosphere, and a *meteorite* upon impact with the planet's surface – but the science and languages of Aedron may not make this same distinction. Since it's clearly not a naturally-occurring stellar object, the point is anyway largely moot.