Drama in the Deep - Chapter Five

> "*"Mrrfrrk... Mrrfrrk?"*"
> ― Fraya Love
>
>

**Hex in Violence** is the fifty-first episode of Queens of Adventure. In it the party continues to search Alighieri for lost merfolk, and find strange battle.

## Synopsis

The party and previously rescued merfolk continue their journey deeper into Alighieri to locate other merfolk and locate the cause of the dragon-turtle's ailment.

Emerging into a hazy new chamber, a compulsion comes over Gnomi, Butylene, and Arson. Gnomi blurts out that he thinks the Old Gods should come back and rule them all, causing Fraya to slap him. Butylene and Arson spout opinions too, causing a small argument between Fraya and Londyn over pizza toppings.

The haze clears, revealing stone walls with torches, and recesses in the wall holding coffins with names like Brad the Conventional and Earnest the Expected. A flaming casket at the end stands next to four identical doors. Londyn uses *detect magic*, finding conjuration, enchantment, and illusion magic.

A skeleton rattles to life inside, and declares he only needs four of them. Gnomi and the merfolk vanish. The skeleton says the others are on the path beyond the four chambers ahead. As Fraya makes a joke, a momentary illusion passes before her face. The skeleton tells them they can split up or go into one chamber together. Londyn changes from shark form to a merfolk/firblog hybrid to question the skeleton, getting nowhere. Unable to see the trick, the group flows into Chamber 2.

The Skeleton laughs. He explains that the four chambers have buttons controlling deadly energy flow. Had the group chosen to commit the heresy of splitting the party, they could have distributed the energy, but since they didn't, all take full damage. Londyn is knocked out by it, and Fraya casts spare the dying.

The group is freed and they can hear Virgil and Gnomi down the hallway. Before pressing onward, the group takes an hour long short rest to recover their strength. Arson writes some *inspirational leadership* writing on the wall to further help the group, as Gnomi investigates the room. Butylene summons her familiar, Hella FizzGerald. Fraya casts *light* on her hand as they press forward, and Arson sings a song, triggering the face of a musician to appear before her.

Stepping into the next chamber, Fraya's hands illuminate a wide landscape before them. Sand covers the floor with hot flames sticking out of it, despite them being underwater. A centaur battles a two-headed dog. Past them, fire rains onto the sand. Walls of flame would keep them from avoiding the centaurs.

The group debates a plan as the two monsters fight, which keeps them from noticing the group. Arson decides to act, casting *invisibility* on her and Arson. They head forward. Closer to the fighting monsters the walls of flame bow farther outward. They can see a zig zag path through the fire rainstorm. A merfolk lies in the middle. On the left and right of the storm are giant trees. They head to each tree and find harpies in each of them.

While they investigate, the centaur kills the two-headed dog. Arson and Fraya return to the others and explain the lay of the land. Londyn turns into a centaur version of her firbolg self in hopes of charming the victor of the fight, but when he turns and sees her, he charges at them, initiating combat.

Fraya drags the unconcious merfolk through the fire path to the backdoor, and readies *call lightning* while *channeling divinity*, targeting the left harpy for as soon as she moves. Arson, worried for Londyn, sends positive thoughts to try and give Londyn some help. Londyn readies her flame blade spell for when the centaur reaches her. He reaches her, missing with a pike attack, but bludgeoning her with his front hooves. Londyn's flame blade appears as she spins and slashes.

Butylene huddles the merfolk behind her, and fires a blowdart, which misses. Hella, in bat form, flies off towards the right harpy. The left harpy lifts off. Fraya's invisibility drops as a bolt of lightning crashes down, blasting the tree apart and knocking the harpy to the sand, dead. The other harpy sings, her song charming Butylene and Virgil to move towards the harpy. Virgil walks towards her, and tells a dirty limerick to give some *bardic inspiration* to Butylene, as Gnomi huddles worriedly behind her.

Fraya does a battle cry and hurls her chakram at the other harpy. It flies past it and embeds in a tree. Londyn, wanting to put salt in the wound, casts *tidal wave* creating a blast of water against the centaur, knocking him prone. The centaur attacks back, hitting despite being prone. Charmed Butylene walks towards the harpy, and barely shakes off the charm before getting too close. Hella pivots and bites the Centaur's face, poisoning it.

Arson readies to dash towards any party member who passes out. The remaining harpy swoops down and slashes Fraya before returning to her tree. Londyn, over the fight, casts *erupting earth*, causing the ground to swallow up the centaur.

Butylene dashes to the tree and blows another dart with a randomized arcane venom. It hits and the harpy is overcome with *Kucci's hideous laughter.* Hella bites at it as the harpy writes on the ground in laughter. Arson casts *hex* on the harpy, drops invisibility, and fires two *eldritch blasts*. With one final laugh, she collapses to the ground, dead. Arson waves goodbye and the others gather up some feathers. Investigating, Butylene finds a scroll of magic missile, and Fraya finds a packet of dust of disappearance.

Reviewing the landscape, the queens sing a few bars, and another musical illusion appears. The group reflects on all of the brief flashes they've seen and realize the illusions are all tied to references to tales and songs.

Londyn checks out the tree and finds a bean pod, which she picks. Fraya swims up to get her chakram.

Finally, the group reaches the next fleshy opening at the far end of the burning rain and move on.

Back at the Golden Palace, Belfry asks her daughter Jo to locate Patrick, who isn't at his post. Belfry then retires to her room, changes the bandages on her wounded arm, and puts on a silver mask as she lies down on her silver lines pillow.

### Characters

#### Party

* Arson Nicki - drider warlock
* Butylene O'Kipple - tiefling alchemist
	+ Hella FizzGerald - familiar
* Fraya Love - water genasi cleric
* Londyn Bradshaw - firbolg druid

#### NPCs

* Alighieri (setting)
* Gnomi Malone
* Virgil
* Rescued Merfolk
* Animated Skeleton
* Belfry Ramshackle
* Jo Ramshackle

#### Monsters/Enemies

* Two-Headed Dog (Orthrus)
* Centaur
* Harpies

## Episode Notes

### Lore

* References to song and tales triggers momentary illusions inside Alighieri

### Memorable Quotes

* "Drag Kings have to work twice as hard to get half as far!" - "That's not unpopular, that's just true." - Butylene O'Kipple and Fraya Love
* "Fraya, I need you to chill. Pineapple does not go on pizza." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "I want to know how you make all those sounds without lips or a tongue. Fascinating." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "Can we be unorthodox?" - Fraya Love
* "Is there magic that can make us go back in time?" - Londyn Bradshaw
* "Are you feeling me, Arson?" - "Um, I am actually not feeling you. I have a different plan." - Londyn Bradshaw and Arson Nicki
* "Does it happen to land on the centaur?" - Londyn Bradshaw
* "I tell a tale of a drow from nantucket. It's ribald and randy so I wont repeat it." - Virgil
* "This date is over. Check please." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "In Londyn world it's always Sagitarius season." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "You didn't expect us to mug a harpy?" - Butylene O'Kipple
* "I thought you were going to say dust of disappearance." - Fraya Love
* "All you hear is the crackle of the fire and the pounding of the flaming rain behind you" - "Smores anyone?" - DM Matt and Fraya Love

### References

* Pineapple on Pizza debate
* Spongebob Squarepants (his Pineapple House)
* Skeletor
* Tales from the Crypt/Cryptkeeper
* Timelords - Doctor Who
* Ghost - "You in Danger Girl"
* Chicken Soup for the Soul
* Thoughts and Prayer
* The Secret
* Beyonce - Lemonade
* Tidal - by Jay-Z
* Tindr
* Tumblr

### Name That Tune

* "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" - The Darkness
* "Halo" - Beyonce
* "Fire to the Rain" - Adele

## Behind the Queens

* Butylene records the intro. Fraya records the previously on.
* Londyn Bradshaw comes close to appearing in her natural form as she shapeshifts into a merfolk and centaur version of it, but has still not appeared as a true firbolg in the main continuity.
* The journey through Dante's Circles of Hell continues. This episode starts with a parallel to the sixth circle, Heresy, with the 'unpopular opinions' and the burning tombs. Later they pass through a parallel to the seventh circle, violence, which DM Matt explicitly names.
* In the outro, DM Matt thanks listeners for taking the recent year end survey and confirms that because there were over 100 responses there would be a free to everyone bonus episode recorded and released later this year.

**Greetings From Fire Island**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Show Must Go On**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Operation Watersport**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - Ch7 - **Trials**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Ghosts of the Coast**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Devil's Due**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Special**: The Story So Far
**The Beautiful Place**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **A Dance in the Dark**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Drama in the Deep**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - **Ch5** - Ch6 - **Whispers From the Heart**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Danger Rangers!**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Mist Connections**: Ch1 - Ch2
**Unreleased**
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