Episode 18 - The Mask, the Memories and the Meat mutiny

## Episode Synopsis

### Recap

The gang was split into three different sections. Norman, at the archives, snuck his way in to see the baron alongside Apophis, Bradley and Quasitmotto. They found the Baron but were not expecting the horrendous scream and the attack. They were able to jump into a painting scene to escape. Dariun went to work on getting his eyes crafted at the Wonderworks. While he was getting supplies he saw a familiar person, the masked double glaive fighter who attacked them before they went to the moon. Dariun was chased but he managed to sneak away. Zippy was with the druids on the farm and was able to convince them to make a druid uprising against the farmers.

### Episode Summary

Dariun is running up the staircase to get to the open workshop. Gespatcho and Pepper are still with him as he approaches the cog wheel spinning opening up to the different places within the island. Dariun, hearing the footsteps coming from behind him, jumps through the door to a random place. He comes into a boiler room, struck with the immense heat. Dariun sees a fire genasi sitting who is instantly concerned. He asks the fire genasi to get some help as a psychopath is murdering people. The guard the genasi speaks to doesn't have much care despite Dariun's warning and would rather keep watching the game.

Dariun looks out the hole in the cog and can see the masked person approaching. He watches as someone flies down to the masked person, asking if they need some help. The masked person grabs the helpers head and slams it into the ground. Dariun activates gile of the serpent with his armour and draws the wind fan. He waits for the cog to circle around. When the cog almost reaches the ground and Dariun jumps out, right in front of the person. In one quick movement, Dariun swings up the fan and the masked person flies back down the stairs of the storage area. He drops Gespatcho and tells him to ask Grim to keep working on the eyes. Dariun books it, getting out of the Wonderworks island of Jadu.

Dariun notices there aren't many people around on the ground but there are a heap of people flying towards a drum beat. A large island with an elaborate school and a stadium with lights flashing seems to the place of interest. He remembers this is where the guard the fire genasi had talked to would be. Dariun calls out to the passerby's asking for a lift but most people ignore him. He uses his wand of webs on the doorway behind him to slow down the masked person. After some time, someone does come down on a tandem broom. A dad and three kids swing on down and Dariun offers 16 gold for a lift to the stadium. The very humble father allows Dariun to hop on. Dariun looks back and can see a blade comes through the door and the masked person steps out, scanning the area.

Dariun gets to the stadium which is bursting with people and he tries to blend into the crowd. He gets into a line, butting in front of someone who almost starts to kick up a stink before Dariun gives him a very panicked look. The guy doesn't do anything but when Dariun is asked for his ticket, they hold up two, allowing Dariun free entry. Dariun thanks them and learns their name is Scorpia and that all of their tickets were in fact fake so he doesn't owe him much. Dariun makes his way into the stadium and sees two giant unlit pyres on either end of the field. The stands are full of fans wearing face paint, waving flags and wearing jerseys. Yellow flags have an eagle crest with text below with 'East Wing Wind Walkers'. Blue flags have a hippo crest and say 'Basement Broohahas'. A voice comes over the intercom welcoming everyone to the Pyre Pitch grand championship. Bursting out of either end of the stadium, players wearing blue and yellow wetsuits fly on the brooms. They all come to the middle and the announcer sets the ground rules as the game is started.

Norman has just fallen through the painting and he can see the archive outside. A bullywog solider grabs Normans shoulder and he looks around to make sure Apophis, Bradley, Quasitmotto and Strand came through. Norman thanks the bullywog, noticing they look unnatural, like they are painted. They introduce himself as Pyro Hollyhorn, a mage from the war of rage and says they have a whole lot of history to teach. Pyro tells them the Baron changes how he looks based on how his feelings. Norman asks for some more information about Pyro. He explains that he lives in this painting however Pyro, the real one, only fought here. The Baron brings the painting world to life and the beings live here. Norman walks through seeing the mages holding wands and a giant bear on their hind legs.

Pyro explains the paintings are interconnected around Jadu. Norman asks about the grand treasures and Pyro tells him the first grand treasure is the next painting over. Norman manages to convince Pyro to show them the way and also come with them. Pyro tells them about the war of rage, when all the wizards banded together to take down Babar, the god of rage, and his bear tether. They sealed him into the null prison after. Babar always runs amuck whenever he is reincarnated however, he became too large and powerful so he needed to be sealed away in the prison on Jadu and is still there today. Pyro guides them to another painted scene, a woodland area with trees growing off the walls and roof, a familiar sight to Norman. He sees the first grand treasure team fighting off a basilisk. Pyro tells them the cave had a large pile of gold but only one coin had the true power. Heads or tails, when a wager was put down, had to be able to be paid in reverse. A coin of immense power.

They hop into another painting, the Alexandre academy being built. This is where Alexandre brought together specialists in magic to teach people about magic and become stronger. Norman finds a window looking out to a large stadium where a Pyre Pitch game is being played. He points it out to Bradley and he becomes extremely excited and rushes to try to jump through. Norman holds him back and determines that this must be happening in real time. Pyro points down the wall they are next to of all the world renowned Pyre Pitch players who sit and watch the games from the painting world. Norman asks about any other treasures or artifacts and Pyro tells him there's nothing on other treasures but there is one on the Beyond Vessel. Bradley and Apophis suck it up and follow the history tour to get it over with so they can see that game sooner. As they start to walk, Norman sees someone in the real world floating by speaking on their rockie walkie suddenly very concerned as something is happening at the farm.

The gang continues on and come to a large opening in the next diorama. A very large pink crystal floats above as older folk fly in and young stand below weeping. Pyro explains when people become old, their souls go into the crystal to avoid going to the deep so one day, when Veroulias finds a place on the other side, they can go. Norman comes closer, he sees a bit of a reflection and he puts a hand on the crystal. He sees himself but he is in demon mode. He feels a pounding in his chest as Royce starts to claw for control. He backs away, muttering under his breath 'don't even try it'. Norman casts detect thoughts on the crystal and he hears a sweet, silky voice, saying how the painting was perfect, like the thoughts of the artists is embedded in the painting.

Zippy is riding atop a stag with an army of around 100 druids behind him. There are fields in front of him full of produce. Ahead is a country farm house and three barns. An aqueduct behind the buildings appears takes up the clouds and turns it into water to spray over the crops. He calls forth the leaders of the squads; Lightfoot, leader of the squirrel cure wounds squad, Willowfreeze, the detect magic crow squad leader and Bethany, the sole charmer peacock of the army. The army charges in and he sees some farmer towing the fields are running back towards the barn, trying to signal for reinforcements. Willowfreeze comes down and advises to cut off the communications. Zippy asks what kind of magic is around and Willowfreeze tells him there is a communication amplifier used to communicate with all Jadu. Willowfreeze suggests a sniper to take it out. Zippy calls for his sniper, a cloaked beaver hops across telling him he would be able to do it. Zippy questions this, saying beavers usually have bad eyesight and the beaver agrees but tells him he isn't the gun, he is the bullet. If enough people cast long strider on him, he can shoot towards the tower and gnaw through the wood. Zippy calls forth several druids come on and they lay their hands on the beaver casting long strider. The beaver's cloak billows as he jumps on Zippy's stag. Zippy gives him a stone shape helmet before he starts to aim to the tower. He aims and the beaver fires off, zipping across the fields. He crashes and the base of the tower explodes in a flurry of wood.

He sees an elf come out of the house and starts ringing a bell. Around 200 wizards start piling out of the barns and a voice yells out 'fireball'. Lobbed fire balls course through the air. Zippy calls out for everyone who can to cast create water. In unison, they all create water balls, shooting them out. They collide with the fireballs above them, extinguishing the fire in the sky. Zippy then casts control water over all the water that was just created. He feels in tune with all the druids and the water around him. The water starts to bulge and he controls it to knock over wizards, taking out about 50. The water he controls grows in mass as he collects more water from around. The odds looks to be even with druids versus wizard.

Suddenly, a large bullywog bursts out of the farm house, knocked off it's hinges. They wear giant muddy boots, blue overalls, straw hat and have a strand of wheat in their mouth. They yell out asking who dares to take over the farm. Zippy yells out to him, proclaiming that the druids will be able to defend themselves when he is done. The farmer flicks his overalls and a sound wave bursts out. All the druids in their wild shapes start to scream in pain as the farmer yells 'dominate beast!'

Zippy gathers all the water and throws it onto the ground and uses flood to raise the level of the water. He calls out to all the druids telling them to change back from wild shape. He then asks all the druids who were not in wild shape before to change into piranhas. The druids sprint forwards and dive into the waves of the flood and change into the piranhas. Zippy calls out to the Farmer, asking how he could do this, being a bully to everyone. The Farmer tells him that they all need to eat. Zippy is disgusted with the Farmer but despite his control of the water, the farmer isn't impressed as he casts his own spell. Black tentacles rise from the water and come towards Zippy. Zippy casts wall of fire with rises but the tentacle comes down hard on some druids next to him. Zippy asks the Lemasu for help and he jumps up and manages to curve the tentacle out of the way, tanking the hit.

Zippy calls to a centaur who hasn't wild shaped yet, asking for their help. He then calls out to the other druids, telling them to trust in their druid abilities. Zippy gets a stone and shapes the Wesnian teleportation symbol that is on his boot into this stone, thus removing the one at the Sparrow. He hands it to the centaur and asks them to throw it as close as he can to the Farmer. The disk is thrown through the air and just as it reaches behind the farmer, Zippy teleports to the symbol. He goes to stab the Farmer with the bleeding dagger. The piranhas are swimming through. The farmers eyes dart to Zippy as the dagger is just about the reach the skin.

Dariun is in the crowd, blending in and staying low. The school wall to his left has the images of Pyre Pitch championships of old. He looks around to find a small space to hideaway out of sight next to a hotdog stand. He pulls out Pepper and asks her to look around for the masked person. She flies above on the search and through her eyes, Dariun can't see much apart from a lot of commotion of the fans and guards who are calling out to go to the farm. Pepper comes back and Dariun decides to go but, just as he is about to leave, he spots the masked person at the entrance. Dariun spins around and makes his way back in, knowing the masked person hasn’t spotted him just yet.

Dariun subtly hides away and watches the masked person walk through the entrance, using a ticket to get in. They walk by and Dariun starts to follow them. They are looking around through the crowd and suddenly they jolt up, patting at the back of their pants for a second. They then walk faster and take a turn to enter the school. Dariun follows them in.

Norman walks with Pyro into the next room. Before they enter, Norman closes his eyes and under his breath he asks if he has been here before. The voice Norman is wanting to hear doesn't respond. They enter into a lush country side, Pyro explains this was King Dumas' childhood home, way back in the mystical land of Wesnia. They come to a cottage and they find a little blue bullywog who runs out and introduces himself as Victor, Veroulias' little brother. Victor shows him around the house, further explaining that when Veroulias went through the time skip, Victor wasn't here anymore. Victor tells Norman that magic was everywhere, especially in Wenian times. Gods essence and presence was felt more so in the world. When they were down in the world, forging the planes, the magical energy was so much stronger but this has faded over time.

Norman asks to see Veroulias, Victor holds his tongue. Norman offers to help them get out of the painting world if they would like in exchange for helping him to Veroulias. Victor tells him he will guide him to the king through the painted world. He looks around to everyone, his new team of Apophis, Bradley, Quasitmotto, Pyro and Victor. However, Bradley and Apophis look bored out of their minds and ask to go to the Pyre Pitch game. Norman permits this, going with them along with the others to the academy as it's on the way to king. They come back to the portraits on the wall of the stadium. Bradley is small enough to squeeze through the wall and gets some hotdogs. Norman says his goodbyes and he, with Pyro, Victor and Quasitmotto, continue onwards.

They walk down the hall, seeing even more portraits that line the halls of the school. He sees out of one of the portraits, the white masked person in a hall. They stand in a corner and have their hand to their ear, like they are speaking. Norman approaches and can hear a muffled voice, catching the words 'Lou', and 'the plan… tomorrow'. He then spots Dariun coming down the hallway.

## Quotations

* Pyro "*Anything's better than the Deep am I right?*"
* Norman "*Maybe not for long.*"

* Zippy "*We are the most unprepared prepared group! This is great!*"

* Jacob "*Thank you listeners for putting up with me but we're gonna make it through this, Zippy Westborough style.*"

* Victor "*It's a bit of a journey.*"
* Norman "*That's what I live for!*"

## Featured Characters

### Main Cast

* Norman D
* Dariun Branch
* Zippy Westborrough

### Returning Characters

* Gaspatcho
* Masked person
* Apophis
* Bradley
* Royce
* Lemasu
* Pepper

### New Characters

* Fire genasi (Boiler worker)
* Pickles Firewax
* Scorpia
* Pyro Hollyhorn
* Babar, the god of rage (mentioned)
* Lightfoot (squirrel)
* Willowfreeze (crow)
* Bethany (peacock)
* Farmer
* Victor