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Runtime Break start
3h 40m 1h 25m

Episode 11: Make Merry

We are here in the dungeons of Castle Delawney (where we have just seen in a beautiful contrapposto) holding an ornament before him, dressed in regal robes, a statue of a Nama (a lion folk warrior) that you recognize. Your brother. A perfect statue of him. You look over at an altar covered in ropes and chains (and you see pulleys hanging from the wall as though to bind and manipulate their captives into shape).
In a corner, you see a chest filled with what first looked like soiled rags (but you realize are actually uncleaned finery of lords and people who dwell here in the castle). After all they don’t make statues of former rebel soldiers. They make statues of lords and ladies. Dress them up, bind them to the table, turn them to stone, throw them on the cart.
You see this horse with a now badly-singed cart. Looks pretty alarmed. You look up and see a large Kahadi wolfhound (a statue of one) on the back of the cart and two other figures. You look down and see the unmistakabel visage of your brother. A little leaner, maybe. Been running on his own through the woods for about a week before they caught him. The look on the face of the statue is distant. There’s something strange about the expression.
He looks mournful, as the other statues here do, sort of pushed and forced against their will into these poses that would make them seem plausible for transport. Statuesque.
But his eyes. There’s something in his eyes, like he’s searching for something. It looks oddly familiar to you. You don’t know why you see yourself in this expression. But it’s a face. He inherited that face from your father. There was a look that your father would get. A middle distance, almost like you weren’t looking at something physically present in the space, but even though it seemed somehow distracted, it was like he was more present in those moments. More thoughtful, more aware, somehow.
Scattered around the bodies of the dead, it smells insane here. Blood. The smell of iron and damp stone. You see that the basilisk’s corpse is now largely turning to stone as stalagmites are growing out of its skull, anchoring it to the ground, but you can see that its tongue is still wet and lolling out. There are some parts of its body that appear to be, in a way that perhaps was somewhat immune to petrification, although other parts of it are not. So you see its weird twitching tongue.
Teor:“Kattigan, I need the blood, the organs of whatever that creature is.”

    • Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPMEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      I agree with you about the combined Seeker Cold Open with the episode split between Schemer and Soldier tables. I really wasn’t sure how to write the intro summary and resigned to typing out one for each table.

  • Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPMEnglish
    2·
    3 months ago

    Schemers Table

    We return. Tal said, “Big titty pikachu” with a “pika” at the end. We return to the city of Dol-Makjar as our wonderful Schemers have gathered around a table in the aviary of the Seven Stars Tavern (a lovely house of recreation and refreshment here in the Rookery at the eastern edge of the city). You have had quite a last 48 hours.
    In the last 48 hours:

    • Thjazi Fang was executed by the authority of the Chamber of the Lords-Advisory of the Sundered Houses here in the city of Dol-Makjar. What followed was his Farramh (an orcish funerary custom where treasures and prayers were gathered around his body). You discovered that the plan to spring him at the last minute had been ruined by a betrayal from even within one of his criminal contacts and a former brother of the Torn Banner.
    • The Soldier’s table headed north after the treacherous Casimir Gavendale and looking for Cyd Pridesire, Teor’s brother.
    • In the past 48 hours also, not only did the young Lord Wicander Halovar discover that there is a monstrosity of a celestial chained up in his basement, and then flee the city, House Tachonis slaughtered all of the inhabitants of the Palazzo Davinos (declaring that the houses of Royce and Davinos would fall).
    • Occtis Tachonis was slaughtered on a table, his heart ripped out of his body and replaced with an elven artifact known as the Stone of Nightsong. That stone was removed by him in the afterlife and by Murray Mag’Nesson and Bolaire Lathalia here in Dol-Makjar in the grounds of the Lloy estate at four-o-clock in the morning after way too much shit had happened.

    Since the death of the gods there has been no resurrection. And that remains true. Young Occtis Tachonis was not brought back from the dead, but he walks Aramán as something, seemingly under his own control.
    You are left with several questions hanging overhead:

    • What did your (Halandil) brother get you all into?
    • Why did he tell you Bolaire had paint?
    • Or to look after Murray at the Penteveral?
    • Why did he send your former life partner (and still close loved one) Thaisha Lloy off to retrieve a cobbled-together coffin of a deceased halfling celestial from Venatus in the east?
    • How long has a sentient mask been interested in your theater company?

    All of you look at a city (strange goings-on of whatever Thjazi Fang was up to that rests increasingly under the thumb of the Sundered Houses). A new dean presided over the Penteveral. The Cormorays are asking about changing wings at the Arcanade (moving the Lloy wing from its primacy here at the Revolutionary Museum). House Einfasen has relieved more than 60% of all of the Revolutionary Guard within the city of their duties as some mercenary company of the Candescent Creed waits with signup papers outside. And Hal Fang has just sent his eldest daughter to go live with her half-sister as he wears a Liar’s Blade on his side.
    Busy couple days.
    Here at the table, all of you return and have much to discuss. Lachmir (the proprietor) leans his head in and says, “Oh, we’ll have plenty of privacy up here. Feel free, Hal, if you need to send word to anyone, there’s some pigeons over there and all their cages are labeled, so feel free…”
    Hal:“Excuse me, Lachmire, but could you bring up equal amounts of whiskey and coffee?”

  • thisisdee@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    2·
    3 months ago

    It’s been interesting. Although I do like the cold opens of other tables, it’s weird that it feels like they’re doing side quest while the main table is the main storyline. I know it’s not supposed to be like that but that’s how it felt like. After this episode I thought we were going to Schemer next cos they got half the episode, but I guess not. Thimble has been amazing. Whitney as Tyranny is wild.

    Excited for the next ep to have more Matt as player. Also love Aabria. Ashley and Alex have such interesting characters too. But honestly I don’t know if I’ve been able to follow what they’ve been up to in the cold opens other than traveling west.

  • Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPMEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    ♪Episode Song References♪

    ᕕ( ᐛ)ᕗ

    Highlights

    • 00:00:10 Seekers in Kavros at the Dvalmar Pass. The Stormwrack has been going for 70 years.
    • 00:02:28 Julien is a helpful scout. Thaisha is getting her groove back. Vaelus maintains boundaries, as does Lady Aranessa.
    • 00:06:30 Dwarves constructed the Dvalmar Pass as a gift to allow others passage through the mountains (without having to go through dwarven territory)
    • 00:09:32 Tachonis banners spotted. Vaelus got jokes
    • 00:10:23 Matt makes horsey sounds! After arriving deep in dwarven territory, the village of Adzar, the party realizes that nobody speaks Dwarven.
    • 00:12:43 A massive blue cliff with hundreds of lanterns. The base of many statues, long since destroyed, are seen in various places. This is a sacred place. One phrase repeated the most translates to “Come back.” Another reads, “Not rain, but tears.”
    • 00:15:58 Lore Drop Statues were disciples/devotees to the goddess of the forge, Trozhna. They were constructed to deface the original sacred site built to Tehana (the primordial of earth/soil/stone). Needless to say this disgusts Thaisha.
    • 00:20:52 Tehana and Trozhna were partners
    • 00:29:46 Liam:“Oh for a Muse of fire.”
    • 00:38:08 Murray and Bolaire on different speeds
    • 00:41:25 Bolaire:“Why not both?”
    • 00:42:22 Azune voice carries the whisper of revolution
    • 00:45:15 Bolaire updates Hal on his status as a controversial figure and how they might use it to their advantage.
    • 00:47:22 The Schemers table has a roster of potential spies.
    • 00:48:08 Biteen, an entitled Tachonis tourist of bohemian life, and regular at Bolaire and Hal’s “social club”
    • 00:50:25 A proposition to sew distrust within the Sundered Houses
    • 00:51:45 Pre-gaming: getting yourself tipsy before attending a party
    • 00:54:35 Liam:“Sounds like a skullfucker.”
    • 00:56:24 “Sent to a farm in the north” (what parents tell children happen to pets who die)
    • 00:58:04 Time for some bardic charms
    • 01:03:00 Finding how far rumors have traveled tonight.
    • 01:04:23 Hal:“Scandalous.”
    • 01:05:17 Taliesin with another nat 20
    • 01:05:44 Hell Yeah
    • 01:06:34 Known Orcish surnames: Fang, Blade, Claw
    • 01:07:47 Orus Blade has a breakable spell glyph similar to the one we saw with Thjazi. This one is for See Invisibility
    • 01:12:49 Lots of climbers in the crowd seeking aristocracy
    • 01:14:00 Azune passes on the name Varen Kadorn
    • 01:16:07 Murray:“You know I have more experience eating ass than kissing it.”
    • 01:16:53 Hal:“Make Merry while we can.”
    • 01:18:27 Orus:“They killed one of ours.”
    • 01:23:18 Thjazi never bothered to use the fake glyph. Did he know something?

    INTERMISSION

    • 01:34:51 Sam:“Pussy.”
      Whitney:“Zip zap.”
      Laura:“Zip zap.”
    • 01:35:23 Sam’s shirt reveal
    • 01:39:43 Daymond’s Doink of Guidance
    • 01:40:34 Petrification-resistant bile
    • 01:41:15 Oh yeah, the letter! It’s in Dwarven!
    • 01:43:15 Magical Flasks! Sam guesses correctly what the janky ones are.
    • 01:44:44 My First Lawn Ornament Sculpture
    • 01:45:10 Say this precisely:
      “Warrior, reach your senses. Tell me true: do the dead draw near?”
    • 01:46:10 Location: The city of Houndsport, in the northern region of Gannalir of the kingdom of Timmony. Trimus Tachonis, female family member. Captain Lantry Ferris of the Spurring.
    • 01:47:18 Letter of commendation from Lord Doset to Seremai (Sir Aniko) and the implied destination of the Bay of Gaerhithai, the northernmost part of the Sea of Inlay near where the sea reaches into the Barrowdell made from the death of the Goddess of Life.
    • 01:49:06 Thimble sounds disgusted at the concept of money.
    • 01:50:38 Fan Art Moment Tyranny chooses a dog disguise, seemingly out of jealousy.
    • 01:57:23 Tyranny isn’t having it
    • 01:58:33 Horses are amazing
    • 02:01:34 Tyranny enjoying the barbecue
    • 02:05:28 The cart is busted but the party has options
    • 02:06:13 Level Up! Teor. Also the realization the Cyd was using Divine Sense before being petrified.
    • 02:08:32 A cart full of paladin statues.
    • 02:09:26 Wick tries not to be offensive
    • 02:12:26 Confirmed the paladins are petrified to perform as protective sentries
    • 02:12:42 Sam’s shirt is noticed
    • 02:13:42 The ancestral seat of power for the Tachonis is an overlapping of zones ruined by fallen gods.
    • 02:14:49 Doesn’t everyone have statues at home?
    • 02:17:02 Whitney gets some wine. Sam is happy not to be yelled at.
    • 02:18:39 Laura:“YOU-”
    • 02:20:30 Demon daddy is proud
    • 02:21:10 Dame Morgaine to the rescue
    • 02:21:43 Sir Groveland:“Land of Timmony for whom I died and lived and would die again. Let the shadows come to our aid and let the city welcome us home. Victorious kin, the land’s people.”

    “That’s my dog.”

    • 02:23:04 Lay on Tongue (healing puppy kisses)
    • 02:25:28 Sniff test!
    • 02:27:00 Dame Morgaine seems disappointed in the lack of evidence connecting the (newly Candescent Creed Convert) Earl of Gormalay
    • 02:29:23 Thimble also gets Lay on Tongue
    • 02:30:30 Thimble gets instantly voted combat VIP
    • 02:30:55 Felltower:“Many gifts are given to the Hounds of the King. Faithful hearts and magic true of the land and its people…We don’t have hands.”
    • 02:31:38 The Druids of the Seven Tines at Timmon’s Rock may have answers
    • 02:34:20 Dame Morgaine plans ahead
    • 02:36:06 Thimble:“Yes!” clap clap “Spend the money.”
    • 02:38:38 Dame Morgaine:“Hope is not a condition of the world, but one of the soul. I have not yet seen anything fall so far that it has gone past the point of recall. One life ends, but the world asks us back in a new name, in a new guise, in a new life time and time again. Do not lose hope. Safe travels my friends. What a stroke of fortune to have met you.”
    • 02:41:03 Kattigan makes an argument not to return to where they fled from.
    • 02:42:42 How close is Houndsport?
    • 02:44:51 Wick fails at roughing it.
    • 02:47:38 Slumber Party.
    • 02:49:12 Tyranny:“Well yeah, but they’re not going to kill you, right?”
      Wick:“…everyone else has certainly tried.”
    • 02:50:22 Teor suggests that Kattigan’s lack of reputation may give him entrance to Dol-Makjar unopposed.
    • 02:53:12 Wulfric is the bestest boi.
    • 02:57:10 Candle Feast has lost its magic for Wicander.
    • 02:59:08 Tyranny’s mood improves after learning that Wic was abandoned by Wulfric in battle.
    • 03:01:03 Kattigan:“That’s tough to love, isn’t it?”
    • 03:02:47 Teor:“The stars remember, before the gods rose and fell, before the wars began, our ancestors roared beneath the same stars you see now. They still watch, still listen. And when you doubt yourself, look up, their strength still runs in your veins.”
    • 03:06:49 Teor resigns himself to not learning more about his brother for the night
    • 03:08:56 Kattigan helps Tyranny do some demonic soul searching
    • 03:12:06 A gift to help teach Tyranny the right lesson
    • 03:15:44 Attuning to the stolen blade. Tyranny is reminded of the forces of destruction she was made from.
    • 03:18:28 Somehow the love imbued in the knife reaches Tyranny, though her demonic essence cannot comprehend it.
    • 03:18:48 Empowered Artifact! Vestige of Divergence comparison makes jaws drop.
    • 03:20:36 Laura:“Butt.” Good thing Whitney didn’t have much wine to go up her nose.
    • 03:22:07 Level Up! Kattigan
    • 03:24:43 Robbie:“Fuckin’ do it.”
    • 03:26:15 Pettin the doggo.
    • 03:29:00 Travis looks at Sam after suggesting Teor find purpose in “the light”
    • 03:30:03 Teor:“…we are just getting started.”
    • 03:32:00 Wic:“Thank you for just letting me be me and figure this all out and letting me be scared and not really a great leader and not really a great soldier…I miss Armas so much.” (Wic’s lost love)
      Laura has to hide her tears.
    • 03:33:08 Lore Drop Give someone a candle on Candle Feast
    • 03:35:35 Whispered gratitude from a fierce pixie
    • 03:36:57 Callowyn’s bracers
    • 03:37:37 Despair becomes the only numbing agent, the only thing to let you feel like maybe the little bit of power I have is to stop feeling how frightening and horrible this is.