Heralds E14

**The Heralds of Wayinar: Episode 14**

**Cast (In order of appearance)**

Player                                                   Role

Russel E. Welch III                            Dungeon Master

Ariel Quinn                                         Rosara

Brad Marsh                                         Obi

Josh Jenkins                                      Vano

The episode starts with Russell letting us know we are on Episode 14, and that the new show Emissaries of the Ancient will start soon. We can expect the prologues for the show to begin releasing shortly after Heralds ends.

We have an Episode 13 flashback segment showing images of Cendrillion's death, Obi using a rock to crush cultists, meeting Whipple, and Rosara's flashback.

Episode 14 begins with Whipple, Obi, and Vano running down the dark corner away from Rosara's battle. While running, Obi trips a pressure plate, and the team scrambles to undo the trap they triggered. Discovering the trap is meant to shishkabob Obi, Whipple figures out that they need to punt Obi off the trap and clear the iron bars. Vano tackles Obi easily, sending him free of the trap. Obi then lands on another trap. Obi convinces Vano to go through his pockets to find spare daggers to wedge this trap shut. The blades do not make the trap stop, so Whipple uses pieces of precious ancient pottery to trigger the release switch.

As the group takes a sigh of relief, the legionnaires behind them run into the first trap. They trigger it and use their shields to protect each other. As they approach the group Obi asks if Rosara is with them. They indicate that she was behind them, holding the line with the Centurion. They hear in the distance the cave crashing in. Vano and Obi know in their hearts Rosara made it.

She confirms their belief when she approaches moments later. The group warns her of the traps, and two of the Legionnaires cross the trap again to bring her to the group. She triggers it and takes damage. As the two groups merge, the soldiers ask Rosara if their commanding officer is with them. Rosara has a sad look as she reports that he did not make it. She conveys the bravery of the Centurion and rallies them to stay together and unified. The legionnaires respond to her leadership. She asks that they keep an eye out for traps.

Vano and Whipple investigate the path in front of them and figure out that while this place was a research facility, there is a lot of blood, indicating something has gone wrong. The barricades seem to be of a different period than the original temple. Whipple thinks this place has been like this for 600-700 years.

As the group moves forward and searches their path, Whipple gives Rosara a healing potion for her wounds. She also asks about Obi in private. Rosara does her best to be a wing woman, but the conversation quickly becomes awkward. Rosara exits the conversation and tells Obi to do something about Whipple. Obi is oblivious.

The Legionnaires light torches along the hallway leading to a large room with a ten-foot-long Scorpion weapon. It is a field artillery piece with a large spear at the end. The weapon is loaded and pointed at the door. The mechanism attached had other spears at the ready. Vano asks Obi to carefully step around him to protect his friend as the spear is larger than the minor.

Beyond the weapon are smaller rooms with a collection of dusty old books. Whipple asks that everyone collect as many books as they can carry as they are ancient and valuable. She discovers that they are in an old Prime language that she cannot read. She is excited because she has never had an archaeological discovery as unique as this. While Whipple and Rosara are looking through the books, Obi explores further. He sees that the laboratory and research being done here was intentionally destroyed.

The group collects the books, and Whipple realizes that there is a trap rigged on them. Obi finds another passageway for them to continue their exploration. Along the way, Vano grabs two of the spear bolts to rebuild his halberd. Whipple offers to help craft a new one for him. Vano accepts her offer.

The new room they find has what appears to be dart holes along the walls, a potential trap. Obi and Vano ask for Whipple's help to disarm it. She discovers that the trap sets off when someone goes over the threshold to leave. Rosara discovers that the door to the trap has a hole for The Eye. Whipple finds the only way to disarm the trap is to trigger it and hope they survive. She, Vano, and Obi go through the trapped path, and the door shuts behind them. The poison is released. They hold their breath while Rosara fumbles to get the door open again with the Eye. The magic eye burst from her skin and squelches its way up the wall to its appropriate place. The door reopens, and Obi falls through. The three of them take deep breaths of fresh air and watch as the Eye creeps its way back to Rosara on its black tendrils. Freaked out by the creature, Vano and Obi ask where it came from. Rosara explains that Cendrillon, before his death, used it to open the door to this temple, and after his death, it crawled up into her. Whipple captures it in a jar, citing how cute it looks for a horrific elder abomination. Obi points out that it's not a pet but a key. Whipple jokes that it's much more special than a key.

As they enter the new room, things light up, and they discover that this is a library and research study area. Books in perfect order line the shelves, odd instruments are intact. The ceiling is over a hundred feet above them in a domed roof of bronze. Runic symbols line the floor. Items glow in blues, greens, and reds from places all around the room. Vano is transfixed as he wanders to a bookcase and picks up a blue orb. The orb lights up and gives him a sensation of waves on the beach, and his soul feels pulled towards the ocean. He puts the sphere down for Obi to touch, but it rolls away from Obi and back to Vano. He picks it back up, and it transforms into a bracelet as he goes to place it in his pocket.

Rosara investigates the circles. She clears the legionnaires from it and steps in the middle. Strange colors light up and affect the dome. As Obi finds another orb, Rosara calls to Vano to check out the circle. The magic continues to unfold, and Vano thinks they might need the Eye for further research. He and Whipple reason the eye should go in a book.

Obi has discovered another orb, and this one forms another bracelet around his arm, but this one is red. It gives the feeling of earthquakes and fire.

Vano has Whipple put the Eye in the book, hoping it will release the book for her. The Eye connects, and suddenly there is a violent set of words and images jumbled in the air before everyone. Rosara asks Vano to step out of his circle, and they discover each circle plays a different scene. Obi runs to the furthest circle as Rosara lets her circle's scene play out.

Before them is figuring discussing a historic moment of plotting. The story finishes, and Rosara steps back.

The group attempts to piece together what was being said and described. Vano steps into his circle, and a new scene appears. There is a rumbling, and it seems like the walls are shaking. There is the sound of splitting stones and screams, then an explosion in the distance. In the vision, Edwed are running through streets away from something. A large being tears through the crowd. This vision looks like it was happening in the very room, very long ago. In the doorway within the vision, the hulking being freezes.

This scene is over. Vano and Obi think the creature looks familiar to what they encountered in Faltus. Vano recalls a story from his childhood about a creature from The Breaking.

Obi steps into his circle. The vision changes. A hulking Edwed-like being appears before them. This shape is taller than a Edwed Major but shorter than a Prime. The features look eerie, like they should not be. The figure has an unmistakable red color to its skin and blue eyes. It speaks in a booming tone at someone outside of the vision, saying that what was done was wrong. It commands that they be punished.

A new figure emerges in the vision to answer. The figure is twelve feet tall and well known. The collection of viewers murmurs in surprise. The beings argue about a crime. The view of the beings changes, and the room gasps in shock. Rosara asks if she is correct in her understanding. Before them is Romar, the Herald, founder of the nation Nov Romara, practically a god to the Romarans. He is the being that Rosara and the Knights of Furry swear their oath to, but this creature's snarling face, his shape, and his size dictate he is not an Edwed like the party. The room erupts in confusion as their faith and history is now challenged. Vano thinks back to the stories of his people. He remembers rumors touted by crazies on the fringe of society, Edwed that had been dismissed. There is a rumour that before the breaking, a race of beings inhabited the world who bred with the Edwed.

Obi notices a shape out of the corner of his eye, moving through the room. It seems to be made of darkness and he smells sulfur. In the dark, a thin line breaks into a smile.

Russell ends the episode reminding us that we have answers, but that all answers lead to more questions. He asks the audience to support us while we transition between seasons one and two of Heralds of Waynar by liking and subscribing. He asks that the viewers consider premium and to check out the site. He describes what the viewers get for $5 a month: The new show, Emissaries of the Accidents, all episodes of After Dark, and our fiction. He reminds us that he can only say this twice more this season: “Chaos Awaits us in the Dark.”