0:00

WBEZ's Nerd At Podcast

0:02

is a show that helps you kick back and unwind

0:04

from your hectic week with conversations about

0:06

everything from how often to wash your towels. There's

0:08

so much to this. To the fascinating

0:10

history of butts. Yes, I said butts.

0:13

Dear famous

0:14

professor, I would like to interview you

0:16

about butts. I promise I'm a serious person. We

0:19

even have a monthly book club. It's just

0:21

like a normal book club, except sometimes the author stops

0:23

by and you don't have to share your snacks. Listen

0:26

to Nerd At wherever you get your podcasts.

0:31

Greetings adventurers. This

0:34

marks the fifth year of me editing Dark Dice, which

0:36

means my father has also been gone for five

0:39

years. What was originally planned

0:41

as a one-off became a welcome distraction

0:43

from events unfolding in my own life,

0:45

and it grew into something unexpected and special.

0:48

Thank you for your part in that. In

0:51

an unplanned parallel, tonight's chapter is

0:53

about letting go, and I hope that if you're going

0:55

through something difficult in your own life, such as

0:57

losing a friend or losing everything you

0:59

own that didn't fit into overhead storage in an unexpected

1:02

shipping accident, as is likely

1:04

also the case with me this month, that you

1:06

can find the strength to move on from your loss. I

1:09

say this not to encourage you to join our Patreon and

1:11

support the creation of this show and its creators, but

1:13

because this chapter is also our season

1:15

break, as we move full-time to work on

1:18

our other show, The White Vault. Caitlin

1:20

and myself, and the cast appreciate each

1:22

and every one of you, even the skeptics we've

1:24

won over this season, and we hope that the dark

1:26

winter months ahead are kind to you.

1:28

Our friend Jasper, the voice of Aja Ogun, who

1:31

is also the same Jasper as the

1:33

new Dimension 20 show Burrow's End, is

1:36

also starting up his podcast, Rotating

1:38

Heroes, which may fill the uniquely Jasper-shaped

1:41

void in your holiday season. So

1:44

before I get a bit more emotional than I'd care to, let's

1:46

let Jasper explain what he's up to and get

1:48

to this week's story.

1:50

But

2:00

Zach, what is this show?

2:04

What can people expect? We are joined by a rotating

2:06

cast of some of the funniest people we know as they laugh,

2:09

cry, and battle their way through the world

2:11

of Amalar and commit to some of the silliest

2:13

bits they can. But who are some of

2:16

these heroes? Who are they played by? Ah,

2:18

people like, I don't know, Emily

2:20

Axford, love Emily Axford, Siobhan Thompson,

2:23

Wow, Mike Trapp, Oh yeah, Renan

2:25

Lee Mulligan, Yes, Ali Beardsley,

2:27

Noice, Dwayne The Rogue Johnson, we're gonna

2:30

get him. We're gonna get him, one day he's gonna reply

2:32

to our emails. Subscribe to the Rotating

2:34

Heroes podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast,

2:36

Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts

2:38

and be on the lookout for new episodes on

2:41

what day? Friday? Friday! Wow.

2:46

Shameless Deepace, Silas,

2:51

Do you seek him? Do you seek him? Do

2:53

you seek him? Do you seek him? Do you

2:55

seek him? Do you seek him? Do you seek him? Do

2:58

you seek him? The name is Scott. You

3:01

have found yourself among those who roll the dark

3:03

dice. What you are about to hear

3:05

happened long ago, a story brought

3:07

back from the edge of oblivion, beautifully

3:09

transcribed, and enhanced orally

3:12

to better captivate your attention. Previously,

3:15

the crew and guests of the Willows Wake had made

3:17

it to the Sunken Bulwark, a barren rock

3:20

inhabited only by the Sunken Faithful

3:22

and the spirits of their faith. As

3:24

dealings concluded, the bell had

3:26

rung, and it was now time

3:28

for the grand ceremony to begin.

3:31

Dark

3:33

dice, shores of a silver throng. Chapter 7, Last Place.

3:59

ringing of an ancient bell called out, echoing

4:02

across the stones and false red cliffs of the

4:05

symptom-bore. A procession

4:07

of faithful bodies had assembled behind

4:10

the wooden structure of Sorrow's edge as

4:12

the deep nautical ringing continued,

4:15

leaving a somber pilgrimage of blue robes

4:17

interrupted by the occasional sailor or

4:19

guest. Among their number,

4:22

near the middle of the line, walked Lady Vizziana,

4:25

Quinlan,

4:26

Rara, and Convo, who found

4:28

themselves watching with quiet interest before

4:30

moving to join in the strange festivities.

4:55

The other

4:57

following suit, now deeply regretting that he didn't have

4:58

any time to actually

5:07

get

5:19

rid of all the gin he drank. As

5:22

I'm helping Lan walk and she's doing her tricks

5:25

with her magic rope, I try to show interest

5:28

and start to

5:30

try to help her sober up. She maybe won't notice

5:33

how nauseous she's going to be in a little bit. I'm

5:36

kind of asking her questions like, can

5:39

you make it to a bowline? Done. How

5:42

about a reef knot? Easy peasy. Oh,

5:46

make it to a clove hitch. Yeah. Oh

5:49

man. It's so cool. So,

5:52

where is it?

5:53

Yes. Yes, it was. So,

5:57

Yav has a very special

5:59

ability. and he would like to use

6:01

it without drawing attention to himself by

6:04

casually asking That's

6:06

an interesting rope. Can I can I touch

6:08

it? Can I just see what it's? The

6:12

craftsmanship of it.

6:14

Are you casting identify

6:16

or just looking at it?

6:17

Oh, I assure you that

6:20

I am going to try and identify its

6:22

quality if you permit me to touch it Though

6:25

I do not know the spell identify.

6:27

Yes, I permit Everybody

6:30

may touch

6:31

Yare touched the rope and opened his mind

6:33

to an extra sensory awareness To

6:35

feel whether or not death had touched

6:38

the object in his hands As

6:40

he closed his eyes and felt its rough

6:42

texture a foul sensation

6:44

rose from his stomach a feeling

6:46

of tension Then the hairs

6:49

on his ears bristled as though a loud

6:51

sniff echoed on a frequency

6:53

just below our ability The

6:55

air shifted as the snap shot down

6:58

below his neck

6:58

a feeling Sickening

7:01

crack and the most unpleasant sensations

7:04

as his lungs burned

7:05

his limbs and

7:07

his head

7:13

Yara could not be sure if it was accidental

7:15

or intentional But he was sure that

7:17

death had touched this rope and

7:19

worse yet death was all around

7:22

him on this island Yara

7:24

shuttered opening his eyes to truly

7:27

examine the simple rope in his hands

7:29

Okay. Well, I I

7:31

don't know what you're going to use this for

7:33

but I really hope you didn't pay

7:36

too much for it Because

7:38

this

7:38

you look a bit off. Yare

7:41

does the rope

7:42

Would you say it doesn't give you

7:45

good vibes?

7:46

I definitely wouldn't say

7:48

it's giving me good vibes But

7:51

I don't think it's unlucky or anything

7:53

if that makes any sense.

7:55

I see

7:56

Just be careful with it.

7:58

Maybe we're getting left behind guys. Let's

8:01

go.

8:01

Convo, let's go,

8:04

let's go, let's go. Hustle, hustle,

8:06

hustle. At

8:08

first the quiet procession led past a

8:10

small path through the storm, and then

8:13

to

8:13

a large section of somewhat flat, dark,

8:15

boulders which jutted through the very sea

8:18

of heat, leading out toward

8:20

the enormous temple waiting in the water.

8:23

Visible even frined the distance as

8:25

the sick fog abated. The path

8:27

itself, which would be

8:29

under the rising tide within a few

8:31

hours, was slippery as waves crushed

8:34

just beneath, carrying with them

8:36

the odors of salt and marine stench.

8:39

Here the sunken priests had learned the surest

8:41

footing out and back from their holy temple,

8:44

but for all others this turbulent way

8:46

was very difficult to cross, perhaps

8:49

intended as a test of faith for those

8:51

on a past pilgrimage. To

8:54

be scared to approach such

8:56

a temple, such a house of gods,

8:58

a home to the mother of seas,

9:01

violent and uncaring, to do

9:03

this was to sit

9:05

and sit under the smallest fraction

9:07

of her power. At the distant edge

9:09

of the procession some of the larger priests carried

9:11

a number of hefty boxes, because of a simple

9:14

white cloth. The largest of these

9:16

boxes was carried over the shoulders of six

9:18

barrel-bodied priests by long metal poles.

9:21

But this curiosity passed from thought as

9:23

the form of the temple itself came into clearer

9:25

view. The sight of that grand temple

9:28

and the way the blue procession wound toward it, cut

9:31

through the dark ocean itself, was enough

9:33

to give one pause. Viviana,

9:35

Convo and Yara passed through sanity's saving throws.

9:38

However, Lon, whose head

9:41

was a swirling mix of alcohol and

9:43

the nightmares waiting back home, saw

9:45

before her a grand creature, terrible

9:47

to behold, with massive looming

9:49

tendrils that seemed to crawl out from the deep, reaching

9:52

toward the islands that comprised the sunken

9:54

bulwark. Lon took

9:56

five stress damage, and as she was quickly

9:59

guided by Convo, feet moving against

10:01

her conscious will, she realized

10:04

it never once moved, it never arrived,

10:07

never went back to the ocean below, and all

10:09

at once she understood that this monstrosity was

10:12

carved from stone. Her

10:14

brief glimpse at a terrible abomination was

10:16

nothing more than the anxiety-borne dream

10:18

of her drunken stress-addled mind.

10:21

At the end of the tide wave, rising up

10:24

from the powerful white crash of waves, dwelled

10:26

a gargantuan temple carved from a single

10:29

fire of black scone.

10:31

If land memory served, the temple

10:33

had been carved by giants into the

10:35

form of an outlandish tentacled sea

10:37

creature with a mouth and body of swirling,

10:40

wrapping appendages, pillars

10:42

that twisted around themselves in multitudes,

10:45

diving into and out up from the sea

10:47

again. In the haze even

10:49

beyond the great, terrible temples stood

10:51

the three remaining

10:52

arms of the bulwark.

10:54

One modern number of these three remaining

10:57

massive stone pillars were carved in

10:59

the likeness of giants of old,

11:01

some of the first and strongest epilites

11:04

of the symphony room.

11:06

These statues held no entrances and

11:08

could not be reached as they simply stood

11:10

sentinel over the temple in quiet decay.

11:13

Worn

11:14

by the elements, their cracked,

11:16

headless visages were no less imposing.

11:19

Yara found

11:21

that as they moved towards the temple,

11:23

Celie was increasingly agitated, ensueving

11:26

her to require an animal handling check.

11:30

And so she was free. Uncomfortable

11:33

but shifting her attention to Yara, it

11:35

was clear that Celie expected food

11:38

later in payment for her obedience. But

11:40

would the shipwright bring her into the temple?

11:44

So having calmed her down, Yara

11:47

is

11:48

calming her down, speaking, talking to her soothingly.

11:51

And then he is gonna do

11:53

the double tap again and she's gonna fly

11:55

off and he chooses not to bring

11:57

her. And then hanging back...

12:00

and around the... where

12:03

Viviana is going, he's kind

12:05

of hanging back with her and entering the

12:07

temple.

12:21

The

12:30

walls littered under the firelight revealing

12:32

detailed mosaics pieced together with

12:34

minute tiles of knacker, creating

12:37

detailed nautical scenes that appeared

12:39

to shift and move in the firelight.

12:42

Great statues carved

12:43

from driftwood trunks, saints

12:45

of the sunken face stood sentinel

12:47

within the hall as blue-robed

12:50

priests ushered guests beneath

12:52

their fearsome visages.

12:54

All the while walking down the path of

12:56

deeply stirring yet intimidating beauty,

12:59

the roars of the waves

13:00

crashed from somewhere below

13:02

perhaps.

13:03

Rolling in a massive unseen cave,

13:06

their thunderous crashes roared up

13:08

through narrow pits and holes along the

13:10

floor of the wall.

13:12

Before long, the team reached a grand

13:14

chamber fit for giants with

13:16

walls that rose three stories tall, filling

13:19

the belly of the great

13:19

carved beast with winding

13:22

mosaics and shining marine light.

13:25

I would like to take a kind of quick mental

13:27

picture as to who's

13:29

who in the zoo.

13:31

As Convo walked in taking note

13:33

of who might be potentially dangerous or disruptive,

13:36

he observed that people seemed to be split

13:38

left and right, creating rows

13:41

on either side of the center path like

13:43

the pews of a church. Yet

13:45

none were seated as no place to sit

13:47

was provided.

13:49

It was clear to Convo rather quickly that

13:51

guests

13:52

to the temple grouped themselves by ship

13:54

or congregation, as blue-robed

13:56

pilgrims from across the continent had made

13:58

their journey.

13:59

On the left-hand side, Convo saw

14:02

Harquan, Salen, and other members

14:04

of the round nag, the pirates

14:06

forming two orderly rows. Behind

14:09

them appeared to be a crew of Elzin merchants,

14:11

then

14:12

casting a smear to deflect their brief

14:14

eye contact. On the right, somewhere

14:17

near the front, Convo saw not only

14:19

Captain Galmaine, Yaldena, and Bechir,

14:21

but also Vind Greyview, who looked worse

14:23

for wear than when he'd best seen him,

14:26

and a few of the other crew members that he hadn't seen

14:28

since coming ashore. Four

14:31

large statues lined the far wall,

14:33

and a simple hole between them, ten

14:35

feet wide, marked that holiest

14:38

place, the tide altar.

14:41

Adorning the room were closed doors to

14:44

the far left and right, carved

14:46

into the curved wall of the circular

14:48

chamber, entailed with miniscule

14:50

mosaic.

14:51

A rippling glow ushered further

14:53

from beyond the doors, but it could

14:56

just have been more of those mosaics

14:57

and fire lights. The

15:00

floor of the Grand Temple was carved

15:02

to create intentional indentations, each

15:04

filled with seawater to create small puddles

15:07

to help reflect.

15:09

So, uh, we should join folks

15:12

from the willow over there. Oh,

15:14

mind your step, it's a bit slippery.

15:17

Thanks. Um, could

15:19

we perhaps stand in the row behind

15:21

them? Like, just a closer

15:23

tour at the exit, I mean, the

15:25

central row?

15:27

Yeah, sure, okay, but

15:29

I want to stay next to the captain.

15:32

Yalde and Convo exchanged

15:34

a glance, but could

15:35

only shrug as they approached the

15:37

captain. And by proxy? Most

15:40

of the crew was the willow's way.

15:41

Hey, the Galmaine! Galmaine!

15:44

Heya! Hey! Seppos!

15:47

Oh, thanks again for your help earlier.

15:50

Don't mention it. See,

15:52

we need to get along

15:55

quickly.

15:56

Seems like we still waited in time for

15:58

the thing. Yeah.

16:00

Not sure what you teach you, Doc, I've learned more today,

16:03

but I'm a bit jealous.

16:04

Doc and Yelena winked at Convo

16:07

before lightly elbowing him. I

16:09

assure you, whatever

16:10

you doubt was, I'll not easier than what I had

16:12

to do with. But it was so much

16:15

fun. Got it just

16:17

in time. The sunken mother's gonna

16:19

come in soon. Get in line and stay

16:21

quiet. Yes, sir.

16:23

Hey.

16:25

You don't look so bad. Are

16:27

you okay? I didn't think

16:29

we were supposed to cry at this thing.

16:32

Vind wiped tears from his eyes, reflecting on

16:34

a promise he'd made to his people, and his

16:36

patron, the sacrifices he'd made

16:38

to get here. Lon's words

16:41

pulled him from his thoughts, but before he could

16:43

respond... A

16:44

trickle of new arrivals came to a slow

16:46

end as the rose filled with the sunken

16:48

faithful and the bulwark the visitors

16:51

alike. It seemed as though the

16:53

ocean itself quieted in preparations

16:55

for the forthcoming, and suddenly all

16:57

stirred. There was the sounding

17:00

of a great conch horn, and as the sonorous

17:02

horn rang out, attentions turned

17:05

to the isle. As an old

17:07

woman, standing nearly seven feet tall,

17:10

entered the grand chamber. She

17:12

strolled between the rows like a lion stalking

17:15

slowly towards trapped prey, appraising

17:18

those present with her eyes. Two

17:20

above and two below, which were vestigial,

17:22

but made plain her giant ancestry.

17:25

The looming shade wore a great headdress

17:28

adorned in ghostly gray driftwood,

17:30

silver wound wire, shining

17:33

knacker and gleaming pearl.

17:35

She showed not an ounce of worry or pain,

17:38

but a cruel indifference. Walking

17:40

slowly upon the wet rock with bare feet,

17:43

she held aloft before her, a great

17:45

silver basin, heavy with sacred

17:47

sea water. She approached

17:49

the very edge of the tide altar, a great

17:52

hole set within the front of the room, her

17:54

toes peeking over the deep drop,

17:57

and then motioned first to her left,

17:58

then to

17:59

right.

18:01

Blue robed faithful approached her,

18:04

opening up silver and nacker sensors

18:06

to dunk in sacred

18:07

water.

18:09

These priests,

18:10

one for each row,

18:11

walked through the lines of onlookers,

18:13

merchants, sailors, pilgrims, and pirates alike,

18:16

splashing them with the holy sea

18:18

water, conkeined within their swinging

18:20

sensors.

18:21

As the sacred water splashed upon Yara's

18:24

skin, he felt a sting, then burn

18:26

like salt on a fresh wound. Yara

18:29

gained one stress and two acid damage

18:31

as he knew that perhaps this holy cleansing

18:33

might be indicative of his standing

18:35

with a sunken one.

18:41

Having spent a lot of time on the sea, he's

18:44

used to hurt, so

18:47

he will have flinched, but he

18:49

has had himself under control

18:51

rather quickly. Still the

18:55

smile from a trek

18:57

earlier has disappeared from his face,

18:59

and he is now very aware that

19:02

maybe this is in the right place. The

19:05

more the gathered crew and guests stared

19:07

at her, the more they saw how strange

19:09

her costume was.

19:11

The sunken mother was adorned with the jewels

19:13

of the sea, but her robes were made

19:16

from worn, sun-whipped sails,

19:17

her cape a dirty fishing net

19:20

studded with pearls, and her belt

19:22

a thick line of rope fastened

19:24

with a silver

19:24

brooch.

19:26

The old and new, the rich and

19:28

poor, the sea contains

19:30

it all.

19:32

The gray-skinned woman tipped out

19:34

the remaining holy water at her feet, crumbs

19:37

flowing down into the tide altar, some

19:39

extending as far back as the boots of

19:41

the Ombacos. A

19:43

lesser priest took the great basin away as

19:45

the mother bellowed, her voice carving

19:48

and echoing across the silent chamber.

19:51

Bring forth the light of the

19:53

golden sun, for

19:55

we cast it into the depths, down

19:58

to the sunken ones. until the

20:00

long night runs its course, and

20:03

the sea permits it to

20:05

rise again."

20:08

Four priests bowed and left the chamber,

20:10

returning quickly, laden down with a large,

20:12

heavy object, hidden beneath a heavy

20:14

canvas tarp. They placed

20:16

the object at the edge of the tide altar, and

20:19

with an echoing ring they pulled the metal poles

20:21

away, leaving only the strange covered

20:23

mass. The sunken mother

20:25

walked up and placed her hand upon

20:27

the canvas. So we cast

20:30

you down to the depths, to

20:32

the great and deep sunken

20:35

ones. In a magnificent flourish,

20:37

the giant has dashed away the canvas, exposing

20:39

the buffed and gleaming gold of the statue, as

20:42

large as a seated tiger and just

20:44

as fearsome. It depicted the visage

20:46

of Celagon, the god of the sun, lord

20:49

of light, the morning lord, gleaming

20:51

in masterwork carved brilliance. But

20:54

there was scant time to examine the statue before

20:56

the sunken mother pushed the golden moon in

20:58

its high altar. In

21:01

a magnificent

21:11

to

21:21

see its splendor here now

21:23

would mean we have passed

21:25

to the lands of the dead.

21:28

May this blessing go with you.

21:33

The congregation repeated her blessing, monotone

21:36

and practiced. The sunken

21:38

mother, having offered up the golden idol, moved

21:41

with the grace of a youth to the other side of the tide

21:43

altar, where she would stand to watch and judge

21:45

the offerings to come.

21:47

Those with personal offerings may now

21:49

step forward.

21:50

Few priests stood before the tide altar to

21:52

bear witness as others helped organize

21:54

a procession from each side, so that any

21:56

who had such a desire could present their personal

21:59

offerings to one of the leaders. sunken priests. The

22:02

priests examined these items before

22:04

tossing them into the tide altar, and

22:06

as personal items vanished from sight below, the

22:08

sunken mother peered down into the crashing

22:10

waves before decreeing a calm and needed blessing.

22:14

Those from the willows' wake were near the front of the line, and

22:16

second mate Av-Mithas found herself leading

22:19

them, clearly nervous. Captain

22:21

Gelmé whispered kind words of encouragement, but with

22:24

so many other distractions and complications,

22:26

none could be sure if it worked. Av-Mithas's

22:28

sturdy and well-calused hands gripped a small

22:30

wooden box no larger than a finch. Her

22:33

feet shook slightly, and her grip quivered,

22:36

but her eyes remained focused as she handed the

22:38

small box over to the blue-robed priest beside

22:40

the tide altar.

22:42

I, Av-Mithas, of

22:44

the loaves and spring tides, bring

22:47

these earrings to the sunken mother. They

22:51

were mama-gos.

22:53

Down the box was cast into the

22:55

roaring depths below. Av's

22:57

face held steady, but her eyes

22:59

betrayed the gleam of tears.

23:02

The sunken mother gazed down into the roiling

23:05

waves, and with the slightest of nods

23:07

and eyes that pierced her soul,

23:09

she whispered to Av. Keep

23:11

this way, Av.

23:14

Captain Gelmé briefly stepped

23:16

out of line, resting a consoling hand

23:18

on Av's shoulder as she passed. Then

23:21

producing a wooden chest the size of a red box

23:23

he brought with him from the willow, he spoke.

23:27

I, Mr. Gelmé, give this

23:29

box.

23:33

Too long has it been since my last offering

23:35

to all know each. With faithful

23:37

supplication the captain handed over the box

23:40

to the priest, and within

23:42

a moment it was tossed into the altar, the

23:44

glittering stones inside never to see the light

23:46

of day again.

23:48

The sunken mother gazed at the waves

23:50

and read what she could see. She

23:53

held the eyes of the captain for a moment before

23:55

speaking. Your offering

23:57

is fortuitous. Keep

23:59

this way, Av.

23:59

and no knot for ire." When

24:03

Captain bowed and with a look of relief, he returned

24:05

to the row where his crew waited. For

24:07

a moment, there was a pause, as other

24:10

members of the Willows Wake were given the opportunity

24:12

to give offerings alongside their Captain. Some

24:15

sailors brought scrimshaw, others bottles

24:17

of fine wine, and only Vind

24:19

could see that Yuhai sheepishly rested to

24:21

hand atop a thin book, and the

24:23

branch that Ajay had given her. She

24:26

had been true to her word. Yet

24:28

even as these two were cast down to the

24:30

depths, Vind could swear that he heard

24:32

the something-mother angrily hiss. The

24:35

blessing shall remain. And

24:37

so Yuhai turned on heel, departing

24:40

the temple entirely. So

24:42

Vind, being next in line, slowly

24:44

approaches the priest, holding in

24:46

his hands a feather and staring down into

24:49

the dizzying depths of the tide altar as he

24:51

speaks. I

24:59

am... I

25:02

am Vind Greyview of

25:04

the... The shade elves from

25:07

the Blackstone Forest. I

25:10

have with me a rare feather from

25:12

a morning pearl catcher that has been

25:15

with my family for generations.

25:18

It's... As Vind stared at the ebbing, crashing

25:20

waters twenty feet beneath him through

25:22

the tide altar, his words

25:24

seemed to die in his

25:25

throat

25:26

as the body of nimble rumbling,

25:29

his travelling

25:29

companion as of only an hour

25:31

ago appeared blue and tangled

25:34

in a mass of ropes as it struck the

25:36

side of the tide altar's rocks. His

25:39

lifeless, unfocused eyes were wide

25:41

with fear, and even now

25:43

he seemed so small.

25:45

So for him, it's...

25:49

It's...

25:53

It's, um...

25:57

And with the next wave, the corpse

25:59

was pulled down.

25:59

beneath the water, if it in fact

26:02

had ever been there at all, and been

26:04

stressed rows. I'm

26:06

sorry for the hesitation and stuttering. I know

26:09

this is supposed to be a glorious, fulfilling moment.

26:12

As I was explaining, the

26:16

feather, it's not

26:18

just something from a rare beast of the sky. It's

26:21

also one of the most sacred tools in my community,

26:23

it's healing properties. I've

26:27

saved many lives over the centuries.

26:31

It could

26:33

have even saved my brother if he had it.

26:36

May this offering be

26:39

of nourishment and health to you, all

26:41

meld each and the creatures of your domain.

26:44

And may you accept this as a penance for

26:46

any perceived wrongdoings on behalf of

26:49

all of my community,

26:53

or me. The sunken

26:55

mother's harsh, unblinking

26:57

gaze made of end uncomfortable.

27:00

The sacrifices made today

27:02

shall spare your people from her wrath.

27:05

May this blessing go with you. Um,

27:09

but what about me? It's

27:11

a little cryptic. I mean, does that include me

27:13

as well? The unblinking stare continued

27:15

to pierce him as the priest guided the nervous,

27:17

finned gravy away from the tide altar. Vin

27:20

returned to his place within the rows.

27:23

And as he did so, he saw someone familiar standing

27:25

at the back of the line. It's all

27:27

form of Ajay Ogun. There

27:30

was only a brief moment in seeing his friend

27:33

before this shifted to fear, remembering

27:35

what had only just come to pass. Vin

27:38

blinked and rubbed his eyes in an effort to make

27:40

him vanish, but Ajay remained, his

27:43

eyes blankly ahead as if in

27:45

a trance. Vin tried

27:47

to see if anyone interacted with Ajay or if

27:49

it was perhaps the spirit of the shaman,

27:52

and Vin's chest physically ached as more

27:54

and more, it seemed as though the orc who

27:56

had defied death once before might

27:58

have done so again. It was

28:00

at this time that Queen Lan reached the tide

28:02

altar, hesitating before staring

28:04

off into the dark waters below for longer

28:07

than the priest seemed comfortable with. Do

28:10

you have an offering to present to the great

28:12

and ancient Sumpin Wan?

28:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I

28:16

come from the ship of the Willows Wake and

28:18

I represent the people of Daleria. I

28:21

am of

28:22

my own faith.

28:24

But I come with good will

28:27

and I am here to present a hairpin

28:29

that has been passed on to me by my deceased

28:32

grandmother. It is made of

28:34

opal and I wish to receive

28:36

a good blessing from the Sumpin Goddess.

28:39

And with that, Lan recites a

28:42

few verses of poetry in the

28:44

Eastern Dalarian tongue.

28:46

She sees a fallen sink into the ocean and

28:48

looks at the sunken mother for guidance.

29:16

Your sails, your boards and

29:18

your mast will not know the Sumpin

29:21

Wan's wrath for as long as you live.

29:24

Do not stray and keep

29:26

this way. Thank you. Keep

29:29

this way.

29:29

Thank you so much.

29:32

And Lan goes back to

29:33

her group.

29:35

Fidgeting with his sash, Convo was

29:37

next to stop up to the tide altar, reluctantly

29:39

producing his stick and poke tattoo kits.

29:42

The wood of the handle shone from where an oil

29:45

has accumulated over decades and

29:47

while the objects held little monetary

29:49

values, they represented so much

29:52

more to the man holding them. As

29:55

his fingers touched the wooden handle, he

29:57

recalled the physical sensation of a plane

30:00

ink to the skin of Captain Rose,

30:03

the soothing kisses that would often accompany

30:05

their ritual, and the sensation of her

30:07

tapping the ink of new art and

30:10

adventures into his skin.

30:16

I

30:24

sacrifice

30:28

my hopes and dreams, what

30:32

I had with

30:34

someone that was

30:36

important to me. The

30:39

hope

30:40

and the dream that I would

30:42

find her somewhere else, in

30:45

another beach,

30:47

somewhere

30:49

by a shore, somehow

30:52

still alive. Or

30:55

that any of my old crew, my

30:58

family, could still be out

31:00

there. I

31:02

give these whoops to you. I

31:05

sacrifice these to you, all sunk

31:07

in one, so that what I do

31:10

not sacrifice can be a life that

31:12

I will continue to live well, and

31:15

for them, for

31:17

as long as you'll allow, till my

31:21

very last

31:21

breath. And

31:24

he

31:27

hands over the stick and pooker.

31:29

The priest accepted the pieces, scanning

31:32

them over before sending them into the tide

31:34

altar. Convo watched

31:37

as they were consumed by the waves below.

31:39

The sunken mother looked at Convo with slight

31:42

pause before speaking.

31:43

The sunken one

31:46

can never take back that which she

31:48

has done. That is not

31:50

the way of the sea, but she

31:52

can see that her ire does not

31:54

tear yourself, nor her

31:56

children cross your path. Do

31:59

not.

31:59

stray and keep

32:02

this way. And

32:04

I walk away.

32:06

Ah, this is going to go horribly

32:09

wrong because of the whole sensor thing,

32:12

but Yara will step

32:14

up and because

32:16

the only thing of value he has is that

32:18

hooded lantern and the thought

32:20

of pouring oil into the ocean doesn't

32:22

sit well with him on some level, he's

32:25

going to pull out a certain corkscrew,

32:28

which is the only other thing

32:30

of real value to him as it

32:32

reminds him of that nice

32:34

moment down in the kitchen. And

32:37

he's going to offer it up and say, Mung

32:40

die die die sie befahren, irigrecht

32:43

ich karter van. Which

32:45

roughly translates to, may

32:48

those who travel the seas be subjected

32:51

to her justice. Which

32:53

is actually kind of a blessing, but in

32:55

this case, a certain

32:57

sight. The

33:00

priest took the corkscrew, scowling

33:02

at it

33:03

before it too was dropped down into

33:05

the waves below, consumed

33:06

within the crashing waters. The

33:09

sunken mother locked her eyes on the tide altar,

33:12

bouncing her head ever so slightly

33:14

as the listening to a distant lullaby.

33:17

With an echoing break of a wave below, she snapped

33:20

her view to Yara, locking eyes with

33:22

him.

33:22

A tumultuous happening

33:25

approaches which you cannot

33:27

succeed, but perhaps failure

33:30

will bring you where you need to go. The sands

33:33

do not know where they go or why. Accepting

33:38

what she said, stepping back into his place,

33:42

quiet.

33:44

The grave you stared unblinkingly as,

33:47

among the final ones to give an offering,

33:49

stood Agye open, tired

33:52

and battered,

33:53

but breathing.

33:56

Those around him seemed to regard his

33:58

presence as well, so very much so. The wind

34:00

felt increasingly confident that this was

34:02

no mere hallucination. As

34:04

the shaman reached the front of the line,

34:07

he produced a small vial of water.

34:10

I would like to make an offering on behalf

34:12

of another.

34:14

For his home, the Shaitil

34:16

River has been stricken like many within

34:18

our great forest. I

34:21

believe he would have liked all Nelthit to

34:23

have this, in hopes that she might

34:25

admire his bravery and compassion. And

34:28

his willingness to sacrifice anything

34:30

for his friends.

34:31

May he be remembered by

34:34

her. May his feats as

34:36

a warrior, and as an

34:38

even better person, inspire

34:40

the Sunken One to spare his people from her

34:42

wrath.

34:44

The priest ran his finger over the cracks

34:46

in the glass vial before dropping it down

34:48

into the tide over.

34:51

The Sunken Mother leaned in to

34:53

whisper.

34:54

The Sunken One has met your friend,

34:58

and for his deeds and your own

35:00

humble request, his people

35:02

might know her bounty. Ajay

35:05

has a small fishing dagger in his hand, looks

35:08

down at it, looks up at the priest

35:10

for a second, kind of looks at the altar,

35:12

and then sheaths the dagger.

35:15

And I think Ajay is just gonna, if

35:17

this is permissible, is just gonna leave

35:19

the room. None

35:21

stopped Ajay as he simply

35:23

left the temple, as

35:25

the final call for personal offerings

35:28

was founded. Do any

35:30

others have a personal offering to make? As

35:34

the last of the congregation returned to their rows,

35:36

the Sunken Mother waved a hand toward the

35:38

side door and closed her eyes in

35:40

quick reverence before continuing.

35:43

May these blessings go with

35:45

you. Keep this way.

35:48

Keep this way.

35:50

Now, the ships in waiting

35:52

have brought their sacrifices. The

35:55

priest

35:55

next to her held out a small, harnessed

35:58

bowl, from which he pulled out a bowl. the shell

36:00

and read the name inscribed upon it.

36:03

The black verse. The priest

36:05

disappeared

36:05

once more

36:06

down a thigh hall, returning

36:09

with a large glass container, inside

36:12

which

36:12

twitched and wriggles an angry

36:14

scorpion larger than a gnome. An

36:18

adolescent giant scorpion,

36:20

few of which will ever spy the

36:22

sea. She nodded slowly,

36:26

and a moment later the priest tossed

36:28

the glass down into the tide altered

36:31

over the crashing walls of the blackburn.

36:35

The massed bores and sails

36:38

of the blackburn will not know

36:40

the sunken one's ire.

36:43

Her gaze lingered on the ship's captain

36:45

for a few moments more before

36:47

she pulled another shell from the bowl.

36:51

The willows wake.

36:53

The priest disappeared once more, with

36:56

a

36:56

whirl of facial effect. Each

36:58

bowl of priest's

36:59

strength and hold

37:00

a switch pole in hand, forcing

37:03

the owlbear from the willows' wake to

37:05

its hole. An

37:08

owlbear, creature of

37:11

wood and sky.

37:14

All heads turned to look at Viviana

37:17

for her outburst, but their interest

37:19

only lasted a moment.

37:21

Here, the will of the gods was more important,

37:24

and so attentions returned to the ritual.

37:27

Now we cast you down,

37:30

an offspring to the great and

37:32

deep sunken ones. The

37:34

priest's whole force of her micro-homing

37:39

is in the age of a

37:56

Yara

38:00

knowing what she's about is going to pass her

38:03

as tinderbox not getting

38:05

involved any further than that just now

38:07

I like the first one and roll it toward the middle of the room

38:10

when the explosion goes up I run as fast as I

38:12

can toward the burly priest holding fluffy

38:14

and I'm gonna slice the hell out of their ankles

38:17

Well With

38:20

the party taking their first step toward a total party

38:22

kill It's a good time for us to end this episode

38:25

and announce the season break while we get to work on

38:27

the white vault gosh, hawk Fans

38:29

of that show make up 90% of our patrons. So

38:31

we'll be back in March with more dark dice We'll

38:34

see you when the light returns from winter and

38:36

until then keep

38:37

this way

38:39

dark dice shores of the

38:41

silver throne chapter 7 last

38:44

light Created by Travis then gruff

38:46

and K a stats featuring lily peach

38:48

you as if he on a blood chamber Eric Nelson

38:50

has been to grave you Jasper William Cartwright

38:53

is Aja Yogan Florian Zeitler is Yara

38:55

on Ricky Perez as Convo Sophie

38:58

Ang's lawn Sam Yao as you

39:00

a high K a stats and Travis

39:02

then graph as co dungeon masters featuring

39:04

the voices of Lonnie Manila Clara's different

39:07

Ryan Philbrook Kara Baxendale

39:09

and Kareem conflict this episode was

39:11

produced and edited with sound design by Travis then

39:14

graph with dialogue editing assistance by

39:16

Kayla Shoe mixing mastering by Jane Lennartson

39:18

transcriptions by Sian Francois and executive

39:21

producers Dennis Greenhill Carol van Graaff AJ

39:23

Punkin and Michael Vegas This

39:25

episode features music by David Wise Stephen

39:27

Mullen Brandon Boone and Travis van Graaff

39:30

To support this production and get ad free access

39:32

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39:34

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39:41

This is a fool and scholar production. Thank

39:44

you for listening You

40:00

you