Infinight Saga Full Story

#### **Welcome to Boulderay**

The world of "Tales From The Stinky Dragon" takes place in the world of Faeza, and begins in the town of Boulderay, the home of four legendary heroes/adventurers known as the "Infinights."
> "High above the misty Elderpine forests and the icy waters of Shear Lake lies Boulderay, a quaint alpine village nestled on the peak of the towering Vaas Highlands. Merely one realm in a sea of domains that make up the world of Faeza." - Stinky Dragon Barkeep
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Four strangers (Mudd the Furbalg Druid, Kyborg the Wood Elf Arcane Archer, Bart the Halfling Bard, and Galindor "Gum Gum" the half elf-half orc barbarian-"mage") were traveling to the city of Boulderay in order to answer an advertisement for interns for the renowned Infinights. The wagon transporting the adventuring party was operated by Euph, a near-sighted half-orc with ambitions to become a lawyer. Euph passed the time by asking the party ice-breaker questions and offered everyone sticks of gum. During the trip, a wheel popped off Euph's wagon just as a goblin named Bezzler was walking around the bend. He offered a multitool to Bart for repairing the wagon. Bart essentially stole the multitool, and, as consequence, Bezzler stole 3 gold pieces from each member of the party. After Mudd noticed Bezzler taking gold from his pocket, the party attempted to catch Bezzler. While he managed to get away, Bezzler had to leave behind a shirt when he was grabbed by Kyborg who in turn tossed the shirt to Gum Gum.
When the adventuring party first arrived in Boulderay, they met a figure calling himself Guard Grattle sleeping by the southern gate of the city. After briefly talking to him, the party noticed that he was wearing an obvious prosthetic nose, but Guard Grattle denied it. He opened the city gates for the party and escorted them to the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern.

At the tavern, the party met Brink Tussler, a pale skinned elf with spikey blue hair, fancy spectacles, and a flying pet snake named Hannibal. Brink was entertaining some young people outside the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern in Boulderay by casting colorful bursts of fireworks and farting noises at some chickens. When he insulted Gum Gum, Kyborg confronted Brink about his attitude. Brink responded with another insult, this time aimed at Kyborg. Kyborg threatened to fight Brink, but Brink agreed only on the condition of wagering 10 gold pieces to the winner. Kyborg was knocked out of bounds by Brink just as quickly as he wagered gold he didn't in fact have. Defeated, Kyborg gave Brink all the gold he had (3 gold pieces) and Bart used minor illusion to make it appear Kyborg has paid the full amount.

This altercation was witnessed by Guard Grattle who had been observing the situation from some bushes nearby. He popped out, startling the party, and hurried the party away to the mayor's office. In the office, the party met Lewis, the mayor's Dragonborn assistant. Not only did Lewis teach the party how to make the perfect cup of pour-over coffee, but he also made a cup for Mudd who promptly "ruined" it by sprinkling dirt in it. Ushering them into the Mayor's Office, Guard Grattle revealed himself to the party as Mayor Prattle. He hired the party on the spot to be the Infinight's summer interns and gave them their first assignment: find the missing Infinights.

#### Search for Dr. Ahem

The party spent the night at the Thrown Gauntlet tavern and hiked up to Infinight HQ the next morning. Here, Kyborg first told the party of his propensity to always go left (because he deems his left side his lucky side since he is missing his right arm). Kyborg tried to enter the stables, but he was electrocuted. Mayor Prattle appeared from the headquarters and invited the party inside. As they entered, Bart asked Prattle about the glowing purple stones on the outside of the building. Prattle told the party that the glowing stones are Sangrianite, the city's main export before the mine collasped. He told them the Sangrianite had magical property and also had an intoxicating effect on some. After Kyborg had a drink at the bar making him ***feel*** better, Prattle tells the party to take a seat, and Gum Gum takes one of the chairs and picks it up, obviously misunderstanding the mayor. Prattle told the party that the Infinights went missing about a week ago. There was only one witness to the event: Dr. Ahem, and he had been holed up in the HQ ever since. Prattle then directed the party to the ransom letter left behind. Gum Gum "read" the letter, and then Kyborg read the letter.
> Dearest,
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> I am not the villain, merely the scapegoat. The Infinights are no better than you, me, or anyone else for that matter. You will see. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. But if you ever want to see the Infinights again, you'll come. And do not worry about the realms. I'll watch over them.
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> Sincerely,
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> Paralyte.
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In response to the letter, Kyborg began looking for literal skeletons in closets. While Kyborg was searching for skeletons, Prattle's chair unexpectedly flipped 360 degrees vertically, dropping the mayor down a trap door. A robotic voice drones through the lobby and claims to be Paralyte. The robotic voice claimed to have kidnapped Prattle and beckons them downstairs to rescue him and the Infinights. With Bart sitting in one of the chairs Gum Gum was carrying, the party headed downstairs.
Down a stairwell lined every few feet with glowing purple torches, the party discovered an iron door that was cold to the touch. Past the door was a cold hallway with 7 doors: 3 doors on each side of the hallway and a iron door at the end of the hall. Above each door along the hallway was an unlit torch, and the door at the end of the hall had 4 unlit torches. An unlocked chest sat at the end of the hall containing 2 healing potions, 1 elixir of health, a leather canteen of water, and a list of instructions that had been torn in half. The right side was missing, and the left side read:

* Write
* Fold
* Brew
* Feed
* Water
* Clean

The party entertained many different ideas of how to unlock the doors and light the torches. The cold started to effect the party and Bart crawled into Gum Gum's shirt in order to stay warm. Each door on the sides of the hallway has a different picture etched into it. On the right side of the hall, the pictures were a music note, a sock, and a coffee mug. On the left was a teddy bear, a potted plant, and a broom. More ideas were entertained when eventually, Mudd (at Kyborg's suggestion) simply tried to open a door to discover it was unlocked.

In each room, the party solved a puzzle by using a solution corresponding to an item on the list. Whenever the party successfully completed a puzzle, the purple torch above that room and a torch above the door at the end of the hall would ignite. If the part was unsuccessful, no torches would ignite. In either case, the contents of the room would disappear upon completion. Behind the music note door, the party helped Wilhelm, a satyr composer, finish a piece of music. Behind the sock door, the party helped fold some clothes while Gum Gum held closed a cube filled with moths (but not before throwing one of the chairs he was carrying at the moths). After successfully completing two rooms, the robotic voice taunted the party and large metal spikes extended from the ceiling which began to lower.

The group next went to the coffee cup room where Kyborg taught a tiny red dragon named Duncan how to make the perfect cup of coffee (which he remember from when Lewis, the mayor's assistant, taught him). The party tried to enter the broom door but found the door barred. Kyborg used his might to push the door open. Inside, the party found various piles household items in disarray. Two automatons with large eyes, wings, and arms were trying to clean the room and unconvincingly threatened the party. The party was unable to solve the room before the contents of the room disappeared.

As the group went into the teddy bear room, the spikes from the hallway slammed down to the floor. In the room, the party fed, fought, and defeated an oversized bear. Completing this room lit the last torch above the door at the end of the hallway, and the spikes in the ceiling retracted. The party never had occasion to go inside the room with the potted plant etched in the door. The party opens the door at the end of the hallway, and find a laboratory. In the laboratory is are two people bound with bags over their heads atop a conveyor belt running along the center of the room. Gum Gum dashes into the room which triggers the conveyor belt.

Mudd immediately noticed someone camouflaged on the far end of the room. The figure was holding down a lever. Kyborg chased after Gum Gum and ran towards the conveyor belt. Mudd hit the figure with an ice knife, and then told the rest of the party about the figure he saw holding the lever down at the far end of the room. After jumping on the conveyor belt, Gum Gum noticed that one of the figures chained to the conveyor belt was a human and the other a Kobold. Gum Gum proceeded to try to break the chains holding the Kobold down, but the chains proved too difficult to break. After a few slurred mumbles, Gum Gum removed the hood from the Kobold’s head. The Kobold seems drugged or drunk. Suddenly, two crossbows positioned over the conveyor belt fired a bolt at each prisoner tied to the belt and hit both of them.

Knowing about the figure at the lever, Kyborg fired his bow at where he believed the figure to be, but missed. Kyborg then noticed that further down the conveyor belt was a ring coated in oil with a small pilot light nearby. Kyborg then hopped on the conveyor belt to help Gum Gum. Mudd and Bart moved further into the room to try to get the lever at the other end of the laboratory. Bart was able to notice the camouflaged figure, and used his mage hand to flip the lever back. The conveyor belt came to an immediate stop, but Gum Gum and Kyborg were able to maintain their footing. However, the camouflaged figure forced the lever back down, and the conveyor belt started back up. Gum Gum removed the hood off the other figure to reveal Mayor Prattle. Gum Gum tried but again failed to break the chains binding Mayor Prattle to the conveyor belt.

Suddenly, the oiled ring erupted into flames. Kyborg was able to partially dodge the fire, but the Kobold, Mayor Prattle, and Gum Gum were burned. Woken up by the burns, the Kobold asked Gum Gum to get the chains off of him and why the conveyor belt was moving. “Pull the lever,” he advised. Kyborg was unable to see the camouflaged figure, but he did see electrified axes powered by a hamster on a spinning wheel further up the conveyor belt. Kyborg fired an arrow at the hamster and hit it right between the eyes pinning it to the wall. Kyborg was immediately filled with regret. Mudd rushed up to the camouflaged figure and swung his great club at it. Unfortunately, the figure was able to step out of the way while continuing to hold the lever. Mudd noticed that in the camouflaged figure’s other hand, it held a wand. The figure used the wand on Mudd, which made Mudd feel like he was rotting from the inside. Bart tried to charm the camouflaged figure, but it did not seem to have an effect.

Gum Gum tried again to free the Kobold, but the chains once again proved to be too strong. The non-electrified axes swung across the conveyor belt. Kyborg was able to avoid the axes, but Gum Gum was hit. However, when the axes made contact with the chains binding the figures to the conveyor belt, it caused a weak point that allowed the Kobold to shimmy free. The Kobold then started to free Mayor Prattle. Although he was unable to see the camouflaged figure, Kyborg was able to fire and hit the figure with his longbow. Through some self-guidance, Mudd wrestled into the lever into the up position, and the camouflaged figure fought him for control. When the conveyor belt came to a sudden halt, Kyborg and Gum Gum fell prone with Kyborg falling onto Mayor Prattle. Figuring that his foe may not be humanoid and not being affected by his charm, Bart approached the camouflaged figure to attack with his long sword. Bart leapt through the air and, throwing the full weight of his halfling body into the attack, plunged his sword deep into the figure. Viscous oil spewed out of its chest as it bellowed in agony. The figure cried out with a robotic voice, incredulous that it was defeated by a bard. It tried to ask, rhetorically, how they were able to defeat the great Paralyte, but the automaton shut down before it could finish. Bart held his long sword up in the air with both hands victoriously. Bart and Mudd attempted to high five at the conclusion of the fight, but they struggled because of their height difference.

The Kobold was able to free Mayor Prattle, and then crawled down the conveyor belt to where Mudd and Bart were standing. The Kobold congratulated the interns for passing his test and introduced himself as Dr. Ahem. Dr. Ahem struggled to speak coherently, seeming unaware that his action had almost killed members of the party, let alone that he had put Mayor Prattle in danger. Kyborg asked Dr. Ahem about the hamster he had killed, and Dr. Ahem lamented the death of the hamster who had been named “Sparky.” When Gum Gum was helping Mayor Prattle off the conveyor belt, he smelled Dr. Ahem’s breath which reeked of alcohol. Gum Gum told Dr. Ahem that drinking was bad. Dr. Ahem denied being drunk and accused Gum Gum of being drunk. Mudd responded by slapping Dr. Ahem and telling him that he had almost killed him. Dr. Ahem denied doing anything to the interns, that it was all done by his valet automaton. He cautioned them that Paralyte would not be any more merciful than his valet, and started to tell the interns how Paralyte was an Infinight before throwing up and passing out. Mayor Prattle confirmed that Paralyte was an Infinight and beckoned someone to get Dr. Ahem some coffee.

#### Intern Orientation

The metal automatons brought Dr. Ahem some coffee who was sobering up. Dr. Ahem apologized for his appalling behavior and admitted to being crestfallen since Paralyte's attack on Infinight HQ. Dr. Ahem said he was in a drunken stupor when Mayor Prattle informed him the party had arrived to serve as interns. In his inebriated state, Dr. Ahem determined that the interns should start training immediately and devised a series of traps and encounters, the final of which was to save himself and Mayor Prattle from his automatons and a conveyor belt of various traps. Dr. Ahem started to say that he had instructed his automaton Valet to impersonate "Luc..." when Mayor Prattle interrupted him with "Paralyte. Right, Doctor? Valet was impersonating Paralyte?" The party was suspicious of Mayor Prattle's behavior. The party helped Dr. Ahem find his wheely-chair, and as they were helping Dr. Ahem into his chair, he picks Dr. Ahem's pockets but only finds an empty flask.

Mayor Prattle wanted to talk to Dr. Ahem privately and bid the party to go relax at the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern and they would reconvene at sun down. Kyborg tried to hide in order to eavesdrop on Dr. Ahem and Mayor Prattle, but Kyborg was spotted. Mayor Prattle again bid the party to go "get to know" Boulderay by visiting the tavern or the school library to review Infinight art and writings, paid the party their stipend, and escorted them out of the headquarters. Mudd and Bart went to the tavern, and Gum Gum and Kyborg went to the library.

Mudd and Bart went to the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern. A thin haze of tobacco filled the rustic, rum filled watering hole. A sparce number of patrons were around the tavern while a rosy cheeked female dwarf named Hops served everyone. Bart was smitten with Hops, and Mudd ordered some food. While they waited on their order, the two began to socialize with a Goliath patron named Teektack. Teektack shared that he was a farmer who used to work in the Boulderay mines before the cave in. He recounted how one day, there was a collapse in the mines. According to Teektack, the incident was officially declared an accident with an unknown cause, but some of the miners heard shouting and a loud bang before the collapse. Three minors were injured - Ostin Tashe, Leonard Lank, and Bo Bender - and killed one - Fred Burns who was married to a local cleric named Marcy Burns. Teektak said that five citizens of Boulderay were dispatched to the neighboring communities of Shearlake and the Elderpines for assistance and to establish trade but he was unsure what became of the group. In exchange for information from Teektack, Bart shared a salacious sounding story about getting caught by his parents practicing magic. Just then, Hops arrived with the Mudd and Bart's food and the trio toasted the Infinights.

Gum Gum and Kyborg headed to the school library on the east side of Boulderay. On the way, Gum Gum and Kyborg had to cross the enormous ravine dividing the town in half. While crossing the rickety wooden footbridge, Gum Gum looked down, was struck by a fear of heights (forever changed), and scrambled across the bridge. They found three building comprising the Boulderay Heights School. The school's sign had been graffitied to read "Boulderay is high fool," and two of the buildings bore a notice saying the school was closed due to budget cuts. Kyborg and Gum Gum entered the library. Kyborg's goal was to take a nap, and Gum Gum's goal was to find books about magic. Instead, they found a pair of Kenku who vexed the pair by repeating phrases and impersonating Kyborg and Gum Gum. Kyborg leaves Gum Gum who continues bantering with the Kenku and finds four automaton busts of the Infinights. Each automaton gives an automated speech introducing themselves. When the automaton's started to talk, Gum Gum came over carrying the Kenku under his arm.

The Bust of Elleve the Amender said:
> "Peace to you, dear Kyborg. I am Marcy Burns or as my patients call me Elleve the Amender. On my days off, I rather enjoy preparing hearty feast for my friends and loved ones. [Kyborg talking over Elleve]. To all those who suffer from aliments of any kind, my halfling heart breaks for you for I have known pain and affliction all too well. Call on me and I will offer you remedies and treatment to heal weary bodies and weary souls."
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The Bust of Spectral the Surreptitious said:
> "Pst! Come closer, Kyborg. It’s me, Leonard Lank. Or perhaps you know me by my alias: Spectral the Surreptitious. Ps-ps-ps, can you keep a secret? To be candid, I have fondness not only for clandestine affairs but also love affairs. Sadly, I’m on the move too often to settle down but maybe one day someone will come by and sweep me off my feet. Fair warning to you browbeaters, bullies, and bandits, I may be slim and slight for a half-orc, but that’s why you’ll never see me coming. That is before it’s too late. (sound of a blade being drawn).”
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The Bust of Grislee the Groundbreaker said:
> “\*Roar\* Fear not little, Kyborg. It’s your bud, Bo Bender, or as my trembling foes know me, Grislee the Groundbreaker \*Boisterous Laugh\* To be honest, I feel most at home in the wild woods and hills with my fellow flora and fauna. I could lie under the shady tree for hours on end, but I wouldn’t want to be the fellow who tries to way this beast. \*Roar\* Despite my hunched Genasi back, neither massive monstrosity nor merciless mercenary has ever bested me in battle. And believe me, my hammer and I plan to keep it that way. Next time you’re in the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern, come and find me. You can share an ale and a friendly arm wrestle with your fiercest friend Grislee."
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The Bust of Slique the Symphonious said:
> “Hail and how-do-you-do, fair Kyborg. I’m Ostin Tashe, but my fans know me by my stage name: Slique the Symphonious. ♫ La-da-da Do-da-da ♫ I simply adore finding ostentatious tunics for my dwarven figure, making memorable melodies that will stop you in your tracks, and serenading my sweet supporters with loquacious lyrics accompanied by my lute. Few folks know that while on my rise to fame and fortune, I happen upon a duel-headed dragon that stole TWO fingers off my right hand, but they foiled me not for I slayed both serpentine heads single-handed, one for each finger."
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After listening to all the busts, Gum Gum tried to find a book in the library about magic. As he drew a book from the shelf, the book grew fangs and tried to attack Gum Gum. Gum Gum was able to toss the book before it bit him, and the Kanku started to laugh manically at him. Kyborg tried to pick up the other Kanku. It resisted, but Kyborg was able to pick him up. As they were trying to figure out what to do with the Kanku, Mayor Prattle arrived at the library to escort the pair back to the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern. Noticing that they were each holding a Kanku, Mayor Prattle told Gum Gum and Kyborg to put down the Kanku students. Mortified that the Kanku were children, Kyborg and Gum Gum put them down. Mayor Prattle chastised the students (named Sophie and Arty) as he led Kyborg and Gum Gum back to the tavern.
When the party regrouped at the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern and headed back to Infinight Headquarters. When they returned to the Headquarters, the inifinity symbols over the doors dimmed and the doors swung open. Inside, they found Dr. Ahem who said he had granted the party security clearance to the headquarters. Dr. Ahem told the party that he wanted a second attempt to hone the parties skills by preparing three tests to test the party as a team and prepare them for their internship. Dr. Ahem provided the party with wrist bracelets that would allow the individuals to record "damage" during the training exercises without inflicting actual damage on the individual. Dr. Ahem then provided the team with a set of thieves' tools in order to pick locks they may encounter during their escapades which Kyborg accepted. The party went into the basement where the first training exercise was to cross a room stealthily and pick a lock on a door at the other end. Whenever the party was spotted by the sentries patrolling the area, the scenario would reset and the party would have to try again. The party struggled but was eventually able to cross the room without being detected.

When the party stepped through the door, the encountered a wall of water that soaked each of them. As the party was drying off with some towels were left behind for them to dry off, Dr. Ahem's voice boomed around them telling the party that one of the members of the group had been magically replaced and that one of them was a doppleganer. Dr. Ahem gave them 3 minutes to identify the imposter. Dr. Ahem told them that if they made the wrong choice, there would be consequences and that if they couldn't reach a consensus on who the doppelganger was. then all might suffer. The party questioned each other about their experiences, but they all recalled correctly what happened. When time expired the party was split on who the identity of the doppelganger, and Dr. Ahem revealed that none of them were a doppelganger and the purpose of the exercise was to learn to believe in each other.

The party moved on to the final room, but Gum Gum continued to struggle with whether or not he was a doppelganger. In the next room, they found the automatons Atten and Dant in wooden cage. Dr. Ahem instructed the party that it was their job to rescue Atten and Dant and escort them through the door on the far side of the room to his lab. Just then, Brink Tussler and three of his friends sauntered through the door. Brink stated he was there to collect of Kyborg's debt from when he shorted Brink from the lost bet. Mudd cast earth tremor on Brink and one of his friends, knocking down the friend but Brink kept his footing. In response, Brink cast invisibility on himself and all his friends who blipped out of existence. Gum Gum threw a javelin where the friend used to be but missed. Gum Gum then ran forward waiving his arms around in order to find where Brink and his friends were hiding. As Gum Gum was running, one of Brinks friends popped back into existence and hit Gum Gum with his short sword. Kyborg moved to an elevated position and fired his longbow at the friend who attacked Gum Gum. Kyborg shot again but this time his arrow connected with the friend. Another of Brink's friends appeared by Bart, and he tried to attack Bart but it missed.

Mudd moved up in order to rescue Atten and Dant from the wooden cage. Using ice knife, Mudd cut the rope and the cage clattered to the ground narrowly missing Mudd. Brink popped back into existance and hit Gum Gum with an Eldredge blast. Brink then prompted all of his friends to make a surprise attack on the Gum Gum, Bart, and Mudd. Because of the attack, Gum Gum was still confused and also become frozen, unable to move. Bart cast sleep on Brink's friend standing next to him and the friend dropped his sword and fell to the ground asleep. Bart then moved up to Mudd, Atten, and Dant. Kyborg hit Brink with an arrow who tried to play off being injured. Gum Gum was attacked by a friend while he was frozen. Mudd picked up Atten. Mudd cast entangle on Brink and made a break for the door with Atten. In response, Brink caused lava to appear on the floor of the room. Bart was able to evade the lave, but Gum Gum, still frozen, was burned. A friend tried attacking Gum Gum, but missed. The lava thawed Gum Gum, but he was still mentally frozen because he was still struggling if he was a doppelganger or not. Bart guided Dant towards the exit. With Atten and Dant through the door, Brink used misty step to disappear, and the room disappeared and the training exercise ended.

To celebrate, Dr. Ahem took the party to the Thrown Gauntlet Tavern and treated them to drinks. The party is greeted by Hops, and Dr. Ahem raised a toast to the Infinight Interns. Dr. Ahem then told the party that it was time to tell them what happened the night Paralyte infiltrated Infinight headquarters, but lamented his story telling skills were lacking. Instead, he offered to show them through an experiment. The next thing the party knows, they are seeming the memories of Dr. Ahem. They wake up on the floor of his lab with his eye swollen shut. The glowing purple sangrianite stones were no longer glowing and the torches were doused, and he heard screaming throughout the building. Dr. Ahem was unable to use his legs but was able to crawl along the floor to the conveyor belt where a tinderbox and torch were located. He lights a torch and crawls to a bookcase where he recalled a dagger being located. The screaming stopped, and Paralyte kicked open the door to the laboratory sending Dr. Ahem across the room. At first, Dr. Ahem was glad to see his old friend, but it quickly became apparent something was wrong when she attacked him. Paralyte told him she was taking the Infinights (referring to them as frauds and charlatans) and there was nothing he could do about it. Leaving behind a ransom note, she informed him that Luce was no more.

#### **Pyous Pass**

The party was awoken from Dr. Ahem's Dreamery experiment by a floating, glossy gray orb named Sorto. Sorto relayed to the party their first mission as interns: go to Pyous Pass and pick up an order for Dr. Ahem at the Give and Take general store. While there, they were also to investigate a plague in the city that Paralyte might be behind. Sorto introduced the interns to the Emmerce Gateway travel system and accompanied them to Pyous Pass.

Pyous Pass is a dustbowl town with wooden building and narrow alleyways. Its early morning when the party arrives in Pyous Pass with many of the stores not open for business yet. They learn that the town is inhabited by a race of orange, mantis-like humanoids called Pyes.

The party visits the Give and Take pawn shop just in time for it to open. The party meets Chick Mate, the stores purveyor. She informs the party that Dr. Ahem's package has not yet arrived and will be delivered tomorrow. The party perused the shop's wares (including a weapon called a Jump and Jav (which functioned much like a pogo stick), a metal Go-For that would retrieve items, and whistle that would summon animals) but found almost every item to be outside their price range.

The party learned about the plague infecting the town, Crypt-Curse and met the magnanimous Pye taking care of the sick, Mother Abby, a small priestess with milky-white robes, and ivory staff, and wooden goblet. Suddenly, the local Sheriff, Guv Urns, burst into the store and apprehend Mother Abby for the alleged murder of her daughter, Patt Urns. Chick begged the party to stop the Sheriff from apprehending Mother Abby, and the party attempted to intervene by questioning the Sheriff's evidence and Bart casting minor illusion to impersonate a judge. But the Sheriff used a badge-shaped throwing star to injure Bart and a smoke grenade to disorient the party while she departed with Mother Abby. When the party regain their senses, the Sheriff and Mother Abby were nowhere to be seen. Chick enlisted the party to save Mother Abby and gave each party member 5 gold so they can get a room for the night at the Lil Pecker saloon. She told them to meet her at the Lil Pecker at twilight to discuss a plan.

The party went and made arrangements for lodging at the Lil Pecker: Bart and Gum Gum would share a room, while Kyborg and Mudd would have seperate rooms with Mudd ordering a "bed warmer" without being entirely sure what it was. Bart and Mudd went to their rooms to rest while Kyborg and Gum Gum socialized with the Pyes in the saloon to learn more information about Mother Abby, Sheriff Guv, and the Crypt-Curse. Even thought Kyborg bought two gallons of ale for the patrons, he failed to make any long-term friendships with the Pyes. After Bart and Mudd finished up their long rest, the party went to the Bard-ber Shop.

In the Bard-ber Shop, the party found 4 Pyes dressed matching red feather caps and white poet blouses singing and playing instruments while scissors and combs floated around patrons' heads. Mudd paid 10 silver pieces for haircut and song from the four Tune Sisters: Soap, Rano, Hal, and Toe. After getting some background information on him, Mudd requested an undercut with the runic symbols shaved into the back and sides of his head. After a few moments of tuning their instruments and writing down a few lyrics, the Tune Sister's perform a song called "His Name is Mudd." The sister's end with a flourish, but when only Bart cheered for the song, the Sister's said some unkind things (in the form of Vicious Mockery) towards Kyborg and Gum Gum. Mudd thanked the Sisters and asked them about the Crypt-Curse infecting the town. Toe Tune answered saying that Crypt-Curse causes people to lock up and become paralyzed and they eventually perish. She explained that Mother Abby had been doing great work to heal people and make those suffering from Crypt-Curse more comfortable. She further said that it was common knowledge that the Sheriff was out to get Mother Abby and was looking for any excuse to get ride of her. Toe said that the town had been infected with the curse for several weeks and that Mother Abby had been in the town for several months. Toe speculated that the Sheriff blamed Mother Abby for the death of her daughter and that the Sheriff had it out for people who help others in need and just wanted to punish people. Bart used minor illusion to make himself look like a detective and questioned the Sisters about the Sheriff's propensity to lock up law breakers and how the Sheriff had grown up in the town. In regards to the Sheriff's daughter, they weren't sure how she became infected with Crypt-Curse, but they knew that the Sheriff never took her daughter to Mother Abby be treated for the curse. They also cautioned the party about staying at the Lil Pecker since the owner, Luddie, had turned her mother's establishment into a brothel.

The party returns to the Lil Pecker to find Chick, Luddie, and the Tune Sisters deep in conversation about Mother Abby. The Pyes agreed that the Sheriff was lost in her grief about her daughter's death and was looking for someone to blame. Rano Tune had overheard the Sheriff say she planned to hang Mother Abby the next morning, and Hal Tune said that more and more people were showing symptoms of Crypt-Curse. The Pyes told the party that they wanted them to break Mother Abby out of jail that night and offered the party 30 gold pieces each (15 gold now and 15 when the job was complete). The Pyes vowed that if they brought Mother Abby to the Lil Pecker they would keep her safe. The party agreed and began formulating a plan to free Mother Abby. The tentative plan was:
> Gum Gum would get arrested in order to be an "inside man" in the jailhouse. To accomplish this, Gum Gum would break into the Give and Take, steal and stash the Jump-n-Jav, and get himself arrest. Kyborg would, from the roof of the Lil Pecker, get on the roof of the jailhouse. Gum Gum would pass the Jump-n-Jav to Mudd so as to not get caught with the stolen merchandise. Mudd would pass the Jump-n-Jav to Kyborg on the roof of the Lil Pecker. Bart would go with Kyborg to offer support.
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>

What actually happened:
> When Mudd used magic to disguise himself to blend in with the dessert background, Gum Gum thought he had disappeared. Mudd used a ghostly voice to call Gum Gum over to the Give and Take. Gum Gum, believing the voice to be the Ghost of Crime, ran and dived through the window of the Give and Take making much noise. The noise attracted the attention of the deputy's guard dogs, several large mastiffs. Gum Gum smashed the display cases that contained the Jump-n-Jav and the Go-For. After attempting to use the Go-For to take the Jump-n-Jav to Mudd, Gum Gum throws the Jump-n-Jav out of the back window of the Give and Take, but mistakenly throws the Go-For against the wall. Three of the mastiffs jumped into the Give and Take with Gum Gum. Mudd took the Jump-n-Jav and tried to sneak away, but his trail was picked up by a mastiff. In response to being confronted with the dogs, Gum Gum grabbed the Whistle of Noma from the display case and tried to use it to summon an animal. No animals appeared in response to the whistle being blown, but Gum Gum did declare "Oh no, it worked!" as two mastiffs jumped at him, one of which bit him and knocked him to the ground. Another mastiff rounded the corner of the Give and Take and spotted Mudd. Mudd tried to entagle the mastiff in vines, but the mastiff broke free. Inside the Give and Take, the mastiffs stood over Gum Gum preventing him moving. Mudd had planned to return to the Lil Pecker through an indirect path, but with a mastiff chasing him, Mudd ran straight to the Lil Pecker and threw the Jump-n-Jav on the roof. Mudd turned invisible and tried to run inside the Lil Pecker, but the mastiff was still able to track him. Mudd cast earth tremor to try to deter the mastiff, but the mastiff was able to keep its footing. The patrons and Pyes of the Lil Pecker are shocked when Mudd comes bursting in with a mastiff close behind. Meanwhile, Deputy Green arrives at the Give and Take and places Gum Gum under arrest. Shortly thereafter, Deputy Green arrives at the Lil Pecker and arrests Mudd.
>
>

Deputy Green placed Mudd and Gum Gum in a communal jail cell with another person, The other person in the cell had a small figure and had a bag over their head, manacles on their hands and feet, and wore a tattered plaid dress. Mudd tried to talk to the other prisoner, but it sounded like the prisoner was gagged. Mudd removed the bag and gag and discovered that the prisoner was a small Pye girl. The girls eyes appeared milky white, her skin was blotchy and pale, and her mouth oozed with drool. Suddenly, the girl broke free from her manacles and lunged toward Mudd. As he wrestled with the girl, Mudd noticed a name stitched across the pocket of the girl's dress: Patt Urns.
Meanwhile, Kyborg and Bart were enjoying their evening atop the Lil Pecker when the Jump-n-Jav lands point-first into the roof. Kyborg retrieved the Jump-n-Jav and tried to acclimate himself to it. On the first test jump, Kyborg lost his grip the Jump-n-Jav and the Jump-n-Jav went sailing but did land on the roof. The second test jump was more successful with Kyborg successfully bouncing on the roof. Feeling good about using the Jump-n-Jav, Kyborg tried to us it to jump from the Lil Pecker to the jailhouse, but the Jump-n-Jav goes skittering across and lands on the roof of the jailhouse, outside of Kyborg's reach. Resigning himself to making the jump under his own power, Kyborg got a running start and cleared the gap between the Lil Pecker and the jailhouse. Kyborg, being unaware that the jailhouse roof was made of thin, flimsy materials, fell straight through the roof and into the jailhouse and landed outside of Mudd and Gum Gum's cell. Bart, inspired by Kyborg's leep, leapt from the Lil Pecker and landed on the jailhouse. The roof creaked and groaned but held the halfling's weight.

Attempting to subdue Patt, Gum Gum removed his shirt and tried to use it to grapple the girl. Unfortunately, Patt proved to be too wily and escaped Gum Gum's grasp. Kyborg used some lumber and a desk chair to bar the door to keep the Deputy from entering the room. Bart used charm to calm Patt. From the cell, Mudd looked around for Mother Abbey but did not see anyone else in the jailhouse. Using his abilities to detect magic, Mudd noticed a faint aura of magic emanating from a bucket on the sheriff's desk and remembered that it was the bucket from the town's well. Mudd pointed out the magical properties of the bucket, and Kyborg, wary of the magic bucket, nudged the bucket with his sword, knocked it over and directed it so Mudd could see inside. Kyborg was able to pick the lock on the jail cell and free Mudd and Gum Gum. Bart used his mage hand to pick up the bucket careful not to touch the bucket itself. As Bart casted his mage hand, he noticed there was a hidden door in the floor of the jailhouse. Kyborg struggled but eventually locked the jail cell closed so Patt would not be able to wander off. The party searched the office and collected a few badge-shaped throwing stars and a pair of manacles and several keys. While Gum Gum was searching the jailhouse, he knocked over a picture of Patt which caused the trap door to open. Bart jumped down off the roof and was caught by Mudd.

The trap door underneath the jailhouse lead north. The tunnel lead to the Hump House Stable. The party heard voices and foot steps coming from a loft above the trap door. Kyborg listened closely and recognized one of the voices belonging to Sheriff Guv. Kyborg climbed atop of Gum Gum's shoulders to get a better vantage point of the loft. In the loft, Kyborg saw a large iron cage. The door to the cage was ajar with Sheriff Guv interrogating a cowering Mother Abbey. The Sheriff had forced Mother Abbey to walk through the dessert and was now goading an exhausted and thirsty Mother Abbey to drink from a water trough. Kyborg tried communicating to the group what he was seeing when he was spotted by Sheriff Guv. When the Sheriff turned to confront the party, Mother Abbey grabbed her ivory staff and wooden goblet and made a dash for the door. Kyborg continued to distract the Sheriff while Mudd, who had wild-shaped into a camel, and Bart chased after Mother Abbey. In response to Kyborg's assertion that they could work together to cure her daughter Patt, the Sheriff said that Patt was beyond healing and that she believed Mother Abbey was the source of the Crypt-Curse by cursing the town's well's water bucket. The Sheriff suddenly realized that Mother Abbey was gone and implored Kyborg and Gum Gum to help her find Mother Abbey. In order to mount a camel as epically as possible, Kyborg jumped from the rafters, flipped in the air, and landed on a camel. He landed not very gracefully, slightly injuring himself on the humps. Gum Gum simply mounted a camel without incident. Sheriff Guv leapt through the window of the Hump House Stable and began to run down the street.

Mother Abbey continued to flee until she reached the chapel. Reaching the chapel, she kneeled atop the ivory alter, and clutching her ivory staff and goblet, she said "I never wanted this! She made me do it! I just wanted to see Fred again; hold him in my arms once more..." She then let out an agonizing shriek. Mother Abbey's countenance changed to anger and she turned on the party. She raised several zombies to attack the party and collect their souls. Camel Mudd was hit by a zombie as Bart used dissident whispers on Mother Abbey and Kyborg peppered her with arrows. Gum Gum tried to manacle Mother Abbey but was unable to lock the manacles around her wrists. Protecting Mother Abbey, two zombies attacked Gum Gum. Mother Abbey chants an incantation and all the zombies attacked again. Mother Abbey then tried to frighten Gum Gum, but he was able to resist. Camel Mudd bit the zombie attacking him, and, in response, the zombie hit Mudd. The hit caused Mudd to transform from a camel back into his normal state causing Bart, who was riding on Mudd, to fall off. Landing on his feet, Bart drew his sword and slashed the zombie. Kyborg continued to pelt the old priestess with another arrow. In a rage, Gum Gum tried to swing Mother Abbey to hit a zombie, but before he could, Mother Abbey charmed him. Gum Gum no longer had the desire to harm Mother Abbey. Instead, he tried to turn his rage toward the zombies by picking up a zombie and swinging it into the other zombie, but the zombie resisted Gum Gum's attempt to grab him. The zombies tried attacking Gum Gum, but only one was successful. Mother Abbey then directed the zombies to attack Kyborg and cast a spell on Kyborg making him feel poisoned. Mudd attacked a zombie with his club and knocked the zombies head off. Bart tried using dissident whispers on Mother Abbey again, but she was able to resist most of the effects. Refusing to relent his attack against the elderly, Kyborg fired another arrow into Mother Abbey.

Noting the ivory alter emitting green light and screams, Gum Gum charged the alter and smashed it with his great axe. When he did, a portal opened behind Mother Abbey. A hooded woman with "a cloak as black as her eyes and a bewitching pale face" stepped through the portal and quickly paralyzed Mother Abby which caused her zombie followers to collapse. The hooded figure cautioned the party that she had a few announcements for the town. She said the party was not to interrupt her because at a waive of her hand she would end every one of them and they would never find the Infinights. The party noticed there were several archers in dark cloaks standing outside the stone circle with arrows nocked and aimed at the party. To a gathering crowd of Pyes, the figure introduced herself as Paralyte. Kyborg tried to fire another arrow at Mother Abbey, but Paralyte locked eyes with Kyborg and magically commanded him to wait.

Paralyte told the party "one more interruption without my permission and I will bury everyone you hold dear." Paralyte told the crowd that she had removed the threat from the town and revealed that Mother Abby was actually the Infinight Elleve. Paralyte told the crowd that Elleve had disguised herself as a Pye to infiltrate the town in order to poison it and steal the souls of the dead in order to resurrect her deceased husband, Fred. Paralyte told the crowd of Pyes that she and her Everguards had arrived to save them from Crypt-Curse and from corrupt imposters like the Infinights. Mudd tried to interject, but Paralyte magically commanded him to grovel, and Mudd dropped to his knees. Brink Tussler appeared and took Elleve's enchanted goblet. Just before stepping through the portal herself, Paralyte addressed the party saying that they were sure to meet again. Paralyte stepped through the portal, and as it was closing, Kyborg attempted to fire an arrow after them, but the arrow missed.

The crowd confronted the party thinking that they, as Infinight Interns, knew about an Infinights attempt to poison their town. Mudd and Bart were able to placate the town and convince them that they were not part of Elleve's plan. Just then, a pye named Cara arrived on a camel with Dr. Ahem's package, a wineskin the size of a breadbox. Mudd took the package and tried to throw Cara the gold for the package, but Bart intercepted it and handed it politely to Cara. Chick and the party then got into a discussion on whether or not the party fulfilled their agreement to save Mother Abbey. The party seemed to be on the verge of convincing Chick to pay when Sheriff Guv intervened asking if Chick has seen what the party had done to her store, the Give and Take.

Chick darted off in a panic, and Sheriff Guv told the party they should be leaving soon and take Elleve with them. Sorto interrupted the party's discussion and told them that they should check on Elleve. Checking on Elleve, they noticed she was struggling to breath and paralyzed. They party tried treating Elleve, but Sorto stopped them saying they couldn't be sure what kind of magic Paralyte used on Elleve. Sorto told the party that he would contact Dr. Ahem and they should rest the night in the Lil Pecker. The party went back to the Lil Pecker with Gum Gum carrying Elleve. Gum Gum took Elleve to Kyborg's room. Luddie informed Mudd that his bedwarmer was ready, and the party retired to their respective rooms.

As Mudd entered his room, he found it lit with tea candles and rose petals on bed along with a male Pye with wavy blond hair. After being soliticted by the Pye for some "bed warming," Mudd expressed that there had been some miscommunication and attempted to dismiss the Pye. The Pye started to cry feeling rejected. Bart and Mudd tried to persuade the Pye to spend the evening with Bart, but this only seemed to upset the Pye further. The Pye told Mudd that his true passion was fortune telling, and that he would read Mudd's fortune in exchange for a good review of his performance with Luddie. Mudd agreed and with one hand the Pye held a deck of cards high into the air and with the other hand he reached out to Mudd. Mudd took his hand, and the Pye's eyes rolled into the back of his hand as he proclaimed: "Mudd of the Bramblecracks, you have been walking away from your past for too long. If you continue to ignore the path behind you, the path before you will remain forgotten. You must accept your destiny, Mudd. The fate of Faeza hangs in the balance." At the conclusion of the fortune, the Pye seemed unaware of his proclamation and left the room.

Resolved to retrieve the Jump-n-Jav from the jailhouse roof, Kyborg endeavored to sneak back to the jailhouse. Unlike the first attempt to break into the jailhouse, this attempt was made during broad daylight. Unfortunately, every attempt made by Kyborg was spotted and thwarted by the Deputy. Dejected, Kyborg returned to the Lil Pecker.

Later, Sorto woke up the party and bid them to collect Elleve and return to Boulderay. The party was eyed by the townsfolk as they walked back to the Emmerce Gateway. Chick approached the party and confronted them about the stolen merchandise and smashed display cased from the Give and Take. Gum Gum told Chick that she should check the jailhouse roof. Sheriff Guv told the party that she would be conducting an investigation into the strange occurances over the last few days and, if she had any questions, that she knew exactly where to find the party. The Emmerce Gateway opened, and the party returned to Boulderay.

### **Arc 2:** Deja Ürbloom (Episodes 9-23)

Tending to Elleve

The party emerged through the Emmerce Gateway to find Dr. Ahem in his wheely chair and Atten and Dant with a gurney.

#### Glocken Tower

The party uses the Recapitulator and return to the Glocken Square in time to see their past selves start Euph's tour of the city. Brink leaves to go take care of business, and the party tries their best to keep him from leaving (both from the standpoint of Infinight Interns and as player characters trying to thwart Gus' plans.) Brink is able to slip away, but not before Kyborg looses an arrow into the crowd narrowly avoiding hitting a vendor. Sorto, whom the party and Gus continue to forget is with them, says he will contact Dr. Ahem about opening the Emerse Gateway and keep an eye of Brink. Turning their attention to stopping Slique, the party turns their attention to the Glocken Tower. Mudd turns into a spider and ferried the other party members up to the catwalks that connect the other towers in the Glocken Square to the central Glocken Tower.

Entering the Glocken Tower, the party found a room with tattered rugs and skeletons. While Mudd, Gum Gum, and Bart were investigating the room, Kyborg decided to entertain himself by juggling three of the skulls. As soon as he touched the skulls though, disco music began to play and an anthropomorphic disco ball calling itself DJ Boots N' Cats appeared. Kyborg felt the urge to dance uncontrollably but resisted as DJ Boots N' Cats tried to smash into him. Missing Kyborg, DJ Boots N' Cats disappeared. The next time Kyborg touched a skull, the music began again, but this time, Kyborg was unable to resist the urge to dance. Before DJ Boots N' Cats could disappear again, Gum Gum grabbed hold of him. While DJ Boots N' Cat flew erratically around the room with Gum Gum atop, Gum Gum threw a rope down for the others to pull him and DJ Boots N' Cats down. Kyborg wanted to shoot his bow at DJ Boots N' Cats, but he was unable to stop dancing. They were successful in wrestling DJ Boots N' Cats to the ground, and when Gum Gum tried to wrap him up in one of the rugs on the ground, he and Bart, too, felt the urge to dance but resisted. Using his the web from his spider form, Mudd is able to secure DJ Boots N' Cats to the ground. After much deliberation, the party decided to smash DJ Boots N' Cats. Upon smashing it, they stop dancing, the tattered rugs and skeletons disappear, and a spiral staircase descends into the room.

Climbing higher, the party finds a empty chamber with musical instruments arranged like an orchestra. A ladder extended up into a loft where the party heard someone talking. Bart, using his invisibility, ascended the ladder to discover Slique talking into a vanity mirror with his lute hanging on the wall nearby. Bart climbed back down. After lengthy discussion, Bart used invisbility again to climb up to hear Slique rehearsing his speech and stole the sheet music for Slique's symphony. Bart uses his magic to turn Kyborg invisible and they all go up to the loft. The party tried to talk with Slique, pretending to his fans and trying to separate him from his lute. When he tried to give Bart an autographed headshot, Slique noticed that his sheet music was missing. He dismissed it since he had committed the music to memory. When Mudd tried to tell Slique that his music was not going to have the effect he intended and would harm the city of Ürbloom, Slique took offense and began playing his lute.

As the party explores the regions of greater Ürbloom searching for parts of the device, a mysterious figure atop the clock tower, who later turns out to be Slique, plays phrases of a song with a magical lute that plunges their surroundings into chaos. A wave of emerald light envelops portions of the town, consuming buildings and towns people as plants and vines erupt from the ground and reclaim the shops and homes for nature. Due to the unusual temporal situation, parts of the town have been suffering these worsening conditions for weeks and have become home to dinosaurs and even survivors resorting to cannibalism.

Upon rebuilding the device and traveling back in time to restart the loop, the interns ascend the clock tower and defeat Slique. Once again Paralyte arrives and thwarts the party's plans, destroying the magical lute, kidnapping Sorto, and killing future (now alternate-future) Brink.

### Arc 7: Of Life and Breath (Episodes 72 - 78)

Time shifted to the next day. Bart was asleep and through a dream recalling a memory from the orphanage he grew up in. In the dream, he awoke in his bed to the sound of a baby crying in the distance. Upon investigation, Bart found a half-orc baby with dark hair and a wizard hat too big for his head crying in a crib carved out of a stump. Bart picked up the baby to sooth him, and the baby reached for an 8-inch tear shaped rocked on the ground nearby. Bart picked up the rock and gave it to the baby who immediately put it in his mouth. Bart found a nearby recorded and played a lullaby. The baby settled down, and Bart saw a piece of paper in the hat that read "Gum Gum."

Bart awoke in his and Gum Gum's room in Infinight Headquarters. The sound of construction woke up the members of the party. When they went outside to investigate, they found Meld Männer and Dr. Ahem discussing repairs of Boulderay. Considerable damage was done to the city during its brief occupation by Inku and the Sha-Drow. Repairs were being performed by Mayor Brink's construction company, which Kyborg felt warranted an ethics investigation. Meld communicated that the good news was that no one was seriously injured, but the bad news was she had received word from Meld-Beta that her father, Hugh Männer, had mysteriously vanished from his confinement in Ürbloom. Dr. Ahem said that given the attack on Boulderay, the threat posed by Inku, and the disappearance of Hugh Männer, he had sought out help from friends across Faeza who would be arriving soon. Each member of the party was given an assignment as part of this effort.

Kyborg was sent to the southern gate to receive a "VIP" and assist Brink with repairs around town. Upon arriving at the gates, he was met by Smarsh. Mayor Brink tasked the pair with retrieving some trees for lumber from the nearby forest to use in the reconstruction efforts of Boulderay. Together, Smarsh and Kyborg gathered trees south of Boulderay. Kyborg was carful to relocate any birds or woodland animals nesting in the trees and carefully planted acorns to replenish the forest. They brought the trees back to Boulderay which were gladly received by Brink. Brink promoted Smarsh from king to guard of Boulderay who would patrol outside the city gates.

Bart was tasked with going to the northern gates of the city to receive Captain Marrrrrge who had just docked *The Jebediah* on the northern shores. The Captain told Bart how *The Jebediah* had just returned from battling strange creatures in New Valross. The creatures, who called themselves the Anarxs, were red, misty, and constantly twisting and flailing about. Fighting with the Anarxs was difficult since they quickly adapted to the fighting tactics. They were defeated, the city of New Valorss was decimated, and the deity Andi took the Ishbjorn and the Valrossians into the ethereal plane for protection. Captain Marrrrrge had been contacted by Dr. Ahem to regroup in Boulderay so they could formulate a plan of attack. Bart told Captain Marrrrrge about the party's experience with the Amnusias in the Witherveins and how the Amnusias could take the form of people. Bart and Captain Marrrrrge created a secret handshake so that they could be sure that the other was not an Amnusia in disguise. Bart then escorted Captain Marrrrrge into town.

Mudd was asked to take his Bramble Box and meet with Sorto who was at the brig, which formerly served as the Immerse Gateway when they were functional. Mudd found Sorto in a chilled cell where his body (formerly Archie) laid in state. Across from the cell that contained Sorto's body was Paralyte jailed in a cell made of the glowing purple rock Sangrianite. Mudd and Sorto examined the contents of the Bramble Box in hopes that it might reveal a solution for returning Sorto to his body. Examining the seed inside the box, Sorto suggested they plant the seed. Mudd reviewed the instructions for planting the seed, and upon reviewing the instruction to whisper words of encouragement to the seed, Mudd whispered to the seed, "you're the baddest [censor] ever." Sorto and Mudd then traveled to Mudd's Cloak of Secluded Garden's demi-plane to plant the seed in loamy soil under a full moon. Gumbo dug a hole for the seed to be planted in. Mudd then watered the plant with a mixture of water and ground coffee beans. Sorto agreed to watch the tree if Mudd agreed to watch over his body. Mudd agreed, and when he turned back, the seed had already sprouted into a sapling. Mudd stepped out of his secluded garden, but when he spoke the command word to close the gateway, Sorto came shooting out back into the brig and slammed into the wall. Paralyte asked Mudd if he had killed Sorto since they went in together and he came out alone. Paralyte inquired about the state of the world, to which Mudd indicated everything was fine. Paralyte commented that it sounded like a lot of construction was going on in Boulderay. Mudd tried to lie about how the construction was due to economic growth in the city, but Paralyte was not convinced. Paralyte offered to help clean up any messes left behind, to which Mudd made a hand gesture that was considered highly offensive among the Bramblecracks.

Gum Gum was tasked with helping Dr. Ahem, Meld, Aten, and Dant with some equipment in the lab. When Gum Gum and Dr. Ahem arrive in the lab, they found the others working on Dr. Ahem's automaton Valet who had previously posed as Paralyte and tested the party when they first arrived in Boulderay. Dr. Ahem said that they had been working on converting Valet into a mechanized suit for Dr. Ahem to wear granting him greater mobility. They needed Gum Gum's help in securing a power source that would continually generate power. Dr. Ahem told Gum Gum that he needed a magically powered stone, but Gum Gum offered his Boomba. Eventually, Dr. Ahem stated that he needed the broken yellow stone from Shaman Suess' staff. Meld, Aten, and Dant fused the broken staff into a central cavity in the suit. Dr. Ahem then suggested Gum Gum use his javelin of lighting on the suit to jump start it. Gum Gum uses his javelin and the suit powered up. As a thank you, Dr. Ahem gives Gum Gum a potion of draconic concoction which would transform the drinker temporarily into a dragon.

The party reconvened at the Town Square, and Dr. Ahem suggested they make their way to the docks. The party makes its way north, past the gate, and down a path to the docks where *The Jebediah* being resupplied. Aboard is Duncan, Bezzler, Meld, and Dr. Ahem in his mechanized suit. Dr. Ahem outlined to plan for the crew: sail to the land of Tetora. Once there, the crew would do everything in their power to get the Infinights past the border, a heavily protected area only letting those with draconic blood to enter. Since Dr. Ahem and Duncan were draconic and both born in Tetora, they would accompany the party, and Duncan, who had lived longer there, would serve as the party's cultural guide. Once inside, the party would seek out Inku and put a stop to her activities. While the party and Duncan are in Tetora, the rest of group would head north to Ürbloom and attempt to recapture Hugh Männer. The teams would stay in contact via sending stones and regroup once their respective goals were complete. Before setting sail, Kyborg went to bid farewell to Smarsh and the pair created their own secret handshake which consisted of chest bumps.

When Kyborg arrived back at the ship, Bezzler escorted the party to the lower deck of the ship. Bezzler opened a large crate of goods for the party and told the group he was retiring from his "less than legal" trading practices and offered to upgrade the party's gear as a farewell gift. Mudd upgraded his Signet Ring to a Ring of Familiar Bond. Bart upgraded his lute to a Lute of Laughable Levity. Kyborg upgraded the Longbow of Crystallena to a Longerbow of Crystallena. Gum Gum upgraded his battleaxe to a Balancing Axe. Bezzler then offered two items from his remaining inventory to each member with the rest of the items being saved for the group heading to Ürbloom. After each member of the party selects their items, Bezzler grows emotional and tells the party he doesn't think they are that bad. He confesses that he was inspired that the Infinights were actually good people and that he met someone who convinced him to settle down, get a steady job, and help people when he could. Just then, Euph entered the room, calling Bezzler "dear," and asked if Bezzler was done. Euph said that he finally finished law school, passed the bar, and was going to move to the land of Feroz and open a law practice there.

A call of "land-ho" drew the party to the deck of the ship. Once on deck, the party caught their first glimpse of Tetora, an island surrounded by a towering wall. Much of the island was obscure, but in the center of the island was a large volcano. A scout ship was spotted appoaching *The* *Jebediah*. Duncan began to disguise the party as various beings of Draconic descent. With their disguises complete, the scout ship pulled alongside *The* *Jebediah*, and two silver dragonborn scouts (named Nekotume and Gyupo) came aboard. After some questioning, the scouts stated they will be performing a Draconic Blood Test on each member seeking passage to Tetora. Duncan passed the test with no issues. Bart used minor illusion to make it seemed like his test passed, although the scout suspiciously announced that the apparently inert vial felt excessively warm. Gum Gum's blood catches fire on the test scales (indicating a negative result), and the scouts tried to blow a horn to alert the others to imposters but Mudd muffled the horn with Gumbo. The scouts shouted "intruders!" and drew their weapons.

To obscure the ship, Mudd cast fog cloud to envelop *The* *Jebediah*. Gumbo, shoved into the scout's horn rear first, thrashed around causing the scouts to drop the horn and skittered away with the horn. Gum Gum tried to trick the dragonborn into thinking they had angered the god of chickens and then used his Cockadoodle Caller to summon a magic chicken. The scouts resisted the urge to be afraid of the chicken. Before teleporting away because of his wild-magic rage, Gum Gum claimed to be turning into the already present chicken. Gum Gum teleported behind some barrels on the deck of the ship and tried to hide from the scouts. Bart equipped his Varonian Googles to see through the fog and used his Lute of Laughable Levity to cast "calm emotions" on the scouts making them indifferent to the party. The spell caused the scouts to cease their attack, and Bart tried to persuade the scouts to allow him to vouch for the party. The scouts insisted that they had to test everyone to ensure no outsiders went to the island. Kyborg, after taking a swig from his Gift of the Dramatic Flagon, was able to successfully convince the scouts that the reason Gum Gum had failed the test was because the party had just returned from fighting the Tabulians where they had each lost an arm and had their arms replaced with non-draconic arms. The scouts were convinved, but their solution was to draw blood from the remaining party members' legs. They drew blood from Kyborg who tried to use prestidigitation to keep the blood from reacting, but his blood reacted causing the scouts to attack the party again. Nekotume struck Kyborg twice with his katana doing a lot of damage. Gyupo repositioned himself and used ice breath on Mudd and Kyborg. Kyborg was able to resist the attack, but Mudd was stunned by the attack for a moment.

Gum Gum came out of hiding to recklessly attack Nekotume. When Gum Gum tried attacking a second time, Nekotume redirected the attack into Gum Gum. Gum Gum then teleported above Nekotume and dropped down on him doing damage to both of them. Bart cast Cloud of Daggers on the two scouts but the cloud also enveloped Gum Gum. Bart also cast mantle of inspiration on the party to heal their wounds and allowed them to move away from the scouts. Mudd used the opportunity to move to the edge of the ship. Bart then noticed two more dragonborn scouts boarding *The* *Jebediah*. Kyborg tried firing a seeking arrow at Nekotume, but the arrow missed; however, Kyborg was able to curve the arrow to hit Gyupo. Kyborg shot another arrow, but it missed. Kyborg then moved up to Gyupo and used his hand cannon on him. Bart noticed the two other dragonborn scouts were searching the fog with weapons drawn and two other scout ships were approaching *The* *Jebediah*. Nekotume exits the cloud of daggers and hits Kyborg with his katana. Gyupo also exited the cloud of daggers and hit Gum Gum with his katana. Bart then noticed that the wall surrounding Tetora was on fire.

Having jumped over the ship, Mudd conjured 16 giant owls and wild-shaped into a giant owl himself. Mudd directed the giant owls to fly-by *The* *Jebediah* and to pick up the party, Duncan, and Gumbo. As the fog was dissipating, Gum Gum asked the magic chicken if he should go with the owls. The magic chicken replied, "The meaning of life is to live," which Gum Gum interpreted to mean go with the owls. As the fog began to clear and as the party began to gain altitude, they noticed that the wall surrounding Tetora was not only on fire but armed with archers, canons, and ballistas. A flurry of arrows, canon fire, and ballista shots were launched from the wall and killed 4 of the giant owls. The party continued to gain in altitude, and Mudd used his Dwarven Stone of Bread to cast darkness and obscure their exact location appearing as a dark cloud in the sky. Obscured, the party was able to fly over the wall and safely land in Tetora.

The party landed near some docks, but they were greeted by vacant ships and buildings and silence. They took a short rest in the abandoned area, and they followed a paved road up to a gated community. An ornately hewn stone sign hung over the gate saying in Draconic "Welcome to Jio." Mudd pushed the gate open to a quiet courtyard with clay homes. A boulder narrowly misses the party and crashes into the wall. The village is engaged in a silent and bloody battle between green Dragonborn and Sha-Drow enshrouded in patches of darkness. A bruised and bleeding green dragonborn fell a few feet from where the party was standing. The green Dragonborn tried to speak, but no sounds escaped her mouth. But the party was able to read her lips perfectly: "help us...."

### Arc 8: Lost Dianasty (Episodes 79 - 86)

1. ↑ The Meeting of the Infinight Interns - Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6nbu3Xi9qc
2. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@stinkydragonpod/video/7156720483923414318?is\_from\_webapp=1&sender\_device=pc&web\_id=7153288609814349355
3. ↑ End of Episode 1: Infinight Interns - Welcome to Boulderay
4. ↑ End of Episode 2: Infinight Interns - The Search for Dr. Ahem, Part 1.
5. ↑ End of Episode 3: Infinight Interns - The Search for Dr. Ahem, Part 2
6. ↑ End of Episode 4: Infinight Interns - The Search for Dr. Ahem, Part 3
7. ↑ End of Episode 5: Infinight Interns - Taverns, Tomes, & Training
8. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@stinkydragonpod/video/7143311351841033515
9. ↑ End of Episode 6: Infinight Interns - Pyous Pass, Part 1.
10. ↑ End of Episode 7: Infinight Interns - Pyous Pass, Part 2.
11. ↑ End of Episode 8: Infinight Interns - Pyous Pass, Part 3.
12. ↑ End of Episode 22: Deja Ürbloom - Eleventh Hour at the Tower.
13. ↑ End of Episode 72: Of Life and Breath - Young at Bart
14. ↑ End of Episode 73: Of Life and Breath - Naval-Gazing