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Hey

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everyone, I'm Sarah Century of Bitches on

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Comics, a podcast about, well, comics.

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Join me, Essie Flienor, and Monica Estrella

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Negra as we interview creators about

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Greetings adventurers! We are thrilled

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Simply put, this show exists only because some

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have nice things on this show, like

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It's all happening at patreon.com

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slash foolandscholar. A link is in the

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show notes. There's even a musical. Perhaps

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two. You can subscribe for free as well

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to get newsletter-style updates. Okay,

1:09

I just have to interrupt everything I'm doing right now just to say

1:12

how happy I am to be recording without

1:14

a broken nose. It's the first time in 16 years,

1:16

and I am so happy with how my voice sounds.

1:19

Oh my gosh. Okay, sorry about

1:21

that.

1:21

I'll go back to it. One

1:23

extra note, if you enjoy hearing Jasper

1:25

William Cartwright on our show, the player behind

1:28

Ajay, he is also behind an

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amazing podcast called Three Black

1:32

Halflings. I'll let him explain it, though,

1:34

and then we'll get started. Keep this way.

1:39

Hellooooooo, halflings!

1:41

It's me, Jasper

1:43

William Cartwright, and along with my two

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friends Olivia Kennedy and Jeremy Cobb, we

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host the Three Black Halflings podcast.

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Three nerdy friends with strong opinions and

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even stronger charisma scores. Join

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us on our quest to explore diversity

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within the incredible worlds of D&D.

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TTRPGs and pop culture

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while doling out some GM and player

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advice on how to enrich your games thought-provoking

2:07

conversations about the hottest topics

2:10

in the space

2:10

and a band of epic

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guests including Matthew Mercer, Abriya

2:15

Iyengar, Lou Wilson, we

2:18

even had some OG

2:20

Hobbits themselves, Mary and Pippin,

2:22

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd stopped

2:24

by to have a conversation We do it

2:26

all with a smile on our face and a laugh in

2:28

our bellies and just

2:30

in case that wasn't enough We have actual

2:32

play too, which you should

2:34

definitely check out our post-apocalyptic North

2:37

Africa inspired Western called

2:39

Outlaws and Obelisks featuring

2:42

Connie Chung and Emily Axford

2:44

So for all your TTRPG

2:46

and nerd needs 3BH is the place

2:49

to be. See you there Shirefolk

2:56

Sheilis Dipas, Salis

3:00

Do you seek him? Do

3:03

you seek him? Do you

3:05

seek him?

3:07

Do you seek the nameless

3:09

God? You have found yourself

3:11

among those who roll the dark dice What

3:14

you are about to hear happened long ago a story

3:16

brought back from the edge of oblivion dutifully

3:19

transcribed and enhanced orally

3:21

to better captivate your attention Previously

3:25

five adventurers embarked on the willows wake

3:27

toward personal quests in the frozen north

3:30

with threats of cursed cargo, sea

3:33

sirens, dangerous prisoners

3:35

and more, they continued toward their

3:37

first destination

3:41

Dark dice, shores of

3:43

the silver thrum, chapter 2,

3:45

The Calm

4:07

The Willow's Wake continued its journey, and

4:09

for a few hours, Ajayogun,

4:11

the half-orc warlock who walked the line

4:13

between life and the other side,

4:16

picked up the ship's singular book more

4:18

out of boredom than interest, as he

4:20

knew there were still five days until the ship

4:22

arrived to its first destination, the

4:25

Sunken Bulwark. Even after

4:27

that, it would be two weeks more until he

4:29

and the others would reach their intended destination. By

4:32

now, they had seen the main areas of the vessel. But

4:35

where did its passengers want

4:37

to spend their time during the long hours

4:39

ahead? There was the deck itself

4:41

for those who might be vomiting over its edge,

4:43

or intrigued by the view of the stretching horizon,

4:46

or perhaps searching for a glimpse of sea sirens,

4:49

because that would probably be the best place

4:51

to see them and hear them, as

4:54

the Willow's Wake had very few actual windows.

4:57

And if there's a hole in the boat, it is not

5:00

a window, and it should be reported.

5:03

True as this was, what was Viviana

5:06

Bloodchamber

5:07

up to? Um,

5:10

she's at the top, what do you call it, the deck?

5:12

Yeah, looking out into the water, desperately

5:15

trying to catch a siren feeling,

5:19

but seeing absolutely nothing. One

5:21

thing Viviana did notice, a little bit later

5:23

that evening, was the burly cook Uda

5:25

hauling in a large net. Oh. Uda

5:28

grinned a wide and toothy grin, flashing

5:31

sparse lantern light on her long, pearly

5:33

tusks. The net rose from the

5:35

water with trained ease, and Uda pulled a

5:37

wriggling octopus from the entangling

5:39

ropes. The octopus was placed

5:41

in a bucket, and Uda secured the lid with

5:44

a snap.

5:45

That's cool, octopuses, they're kinda

5:47

gross, so she's not that interested. She

5:49

just wants to see a siren, or sneak back

5:52

downstairs and take a good look at that

5:54

creature again when no one's there.

5:56

So, I think she's just waiting for that opportunity.

5:59

As Viviana turned

6:01

away, another octopus and the cook engaged

6:03

in a life or death battle, at least

6:05

for the octopus.

6:07

Bored and unimpressed with the plain endless

6:10

ocean, Viviana walked to the deck again,

6:12

passing a grumbling sailor as she noticed

6:15

the perfect opportunity. The

6:17

hatch on the forward deck, between the

6:19

grating of which she was able to catch glimpses

6:21

of the Owl Bear. It

6:24

seemed most probable that the crew had lowered

6:26

the Owl Bear's cage into the hold through the

6:28

hatch. Oh great,

6:31

that is cool, that is relevant, yes.

6:34

Um, can she like sneak downstairs

6:36

then, through that hatch?

6:37

With a stealth check, Viviana

6:39

could certainly try to sneak down through the hatch

6:42

unnoticed. Seven. Convo,

6:45

still sitting in his chair, sketching and smudging,

6:47

glanced up at his prisoners, intrigued and

6:50

contented, waiting for his shift to end.

6:53

It was then he noticed the hatch above him open.

6:56

At first it was a small creek, then a

6:58

louder, lower groan, and

7:00

quickly he spotted the piercing purple eyes and

7:03

small horns of Lady Viviana.

7:05

Viviana, who had spent her entire life training

7:08

to act as a shadow, was surprised

7:10

by how the old hatch, having not been oiled

7:12

in perhaps a decade, maybe two,

7:15

groaned louder and fiercer than any

7:17

fiends or banshees she'd grown up

7:19

hearing about in Legends. She

7:21

chalked it up to the uneasy swaying

7:23

of the old boat's wooden bones.

7:25

Another job for Yara. And

7:28

so Viviana found herself staring face

7:30

to face with Convo, maintaining

7:32

locked eye contact that seemed to last

7:34

for an interminable eternity. Both

7:37

remained silent. Both

7:39

continued to stare. So

7:41

he doesn't say anything, but Convo gives the stern

7:44

look with his eyes as if saying, what

7:46

the fuck do you think you're doing?

7:59

hatch smooth as a viper. Hi

8:04

Maya, you're not supposed to be here. Get out.

8:06

Oh am I not supposed to? Sorry, I just

8:08

like this this hatch. Uh-huh,

8:11

uh-huh. Go, go, go. You guys need

8:13

an oil litter. Okay, all right, sorry.

8:16

I think it's doing its job just well. While

8:18

stalling for time Viviana noticed the bearded

8:21

man in the cage, an actual

8:23

prisoner with her passive perception. She

8:26

pushed down a hint of confusion. Had

8:28

he been there before?

8:30

She doesn't say anything. She just takes note,

8:32

looks at it, and then, you know,

8:35

goes away and will come back again at night probably.

8:38

Could try again and roll higher than a

8:40

seven. With

8:41

early plans of an owlbear feeding foiled

8:43

and a few more hours for Convo to remain on

8:46

launch, where was Ajay during

8:48

the voyage? I think Ajay's

8:50

gonna be on the deck for the most part. He

8:52

doesn't like being in small

8:55

confined spaces, but probably won't

8:57

be looking out to sea either. I think

8:59

he finds it pretty boring. So he's going

9:01

to be kind of sat back

9:03

up against the railing again, reading

9:06

the book, looking, just sort

9:08

of scanning the crew. He'll

9:10

be generous with the book though if anyone does want to read it. He's

9:12

not that precious about it, just in case anyone

9:14

does want to scan this. As

9:18

Ajay flipped through the pages, he realized

9:20

that the book was a collection of myths and legends

9:22

from Vernasco. Adventurers

9:24

of the well-known hero, Rive of Nellium,

9:27

demigod son of Raelir, an immortal

9:30

woman. Some pages had been

9:32

torn from the book here and there, mostly

9:34

title pages and appendix sections near the back.

9:37

The myths themselves remained whole, insomuch

9:40

as the whole of a myth can be written. And

9:43

what was Convo up to?

9:45

For the night, like I said, I'll keep an

9:47

eye on the owl there. I'm kind of taking the

9:49

time to enjoy the peace and quiet, just

9:52

sketching, minding my own. For the

9:54

most part due to the fact that I'm in a deckhand.

9:56

I'm probably going to be upstairs during the day when

9:58

needed or the whole thing.

9:59

taking shifts, making

10:02

sure that we're not veering off course or

10:04

something, dealing with the masks and the

10:06

sails, all the stuff that needs to be done. I'm

10:08

fully intending to earn my pay with hard work. And

10:12

what did Lan Shou, the charismatic human

10:14

dressed in the fine clothing of nobility, find

10:16

herself doing on her first evening of the voyage?

10:19

While the seemingly-interpreted crew

10:22

are down there looking at the prisoner for some reason, I'm

10:24

actually following my new

10:26

small friend Nimble around. Because

10:28

Nimble's quite friendly, and he's one of the few

10:30

who's smart enough not to go downstairs.

10:33

So wherever he is, I actually would like to speak

10:36

with him because I want to know what's his deal. Like,

10:39

why is he on his journey? I know

10:41

why I'm here, but I want to know

10:43

why everybody's on this journey, on

10:45

this boat in the cold seas, and see if

10:48

I can ask them to join

10:49

me on my quest. That made sense,

10:52

but where was the halfling hero, ranger, and

10:54

pathfinder, Nimble, Remble, Trout, Spine,

10:56

Trout? Yeah, where did you

10:58

rush off to? Uh...

11:00

Oh, yeah, I know. I would be at

11:03

the front of the boat, looking out across

11:05

the horizon, watching water break

11:07

around the front, feeling the wind, checking

11:10

out what there is to see if there are any fish.

11:12

And if someone from the crew passes

11:15

by my side, I look like what they're doing

11:17

and wearing. And if they happen to leave

11:19

something

11:20

behind that I can maybe take as

11:22

a small trinket to

11:24

bring back home and tell my sister, like,

11:27

Hey, you know, I got this on a boat!

11:29

And the boat was bigger than

11:31

half our village! As

11:34

Nimble, head filled with ideas, enjoyed

11:36

the push of clear, crisp air from the front

11:38

of the ship, the hatch in the deck behind him

11:40

was opened, and deckhand Lindzen climbed out.

11:45

The air changed in an instant to that of a

11:47

horrid stench. As perhaps the land-dwelling

11:50

Nimble did not fully recall that the head of the

11:52

ship was also its version of an outhouse.

11:55

As this hatch fell closed, and the

11:57

ship pushed on, the salty sea air

11:59

pushed off.

11:59

away the stench once more. Oh,

12:02

but I think I can have completely different lights.

12:04

We did explain it earlier, but surprise,

12:07

but also not. And it was at that moment that

12:09

Lon approached.

12:11

So, hey,

12:13

Nimbo, is it? Oh, hey there! Yes,

12:16

I'm Nimbo, Rimbo, Trout, Pine Trout, but

12:18

you can absolutely call me Nimbo. And

12:21

you're Lon.

12:22

Am I saying that right? Sorry if I'm not. Lon?

12:24

Yes. Wow, that's a rather

12:26

unique name. So different from everyone

12:29

from my village. Yes, I'm Dalarian, and

12:31

it used to be a bit more common before

12:33

the Dark Miracle. Pleased

12:36

to meet you. The pleasure is all

12:38

mine.

12:40

It sure is pretty

12:42

here, isn't it? The

12:44

open water. Yes,

12:46

the cold oceans have a different air to them. I

12:50

thought I earned my sea legs and my youth, and

12:52

this would feel the same as being

12:54

on the Dark Sea, but it's a bit

12:57

choppier than what I'm used to. And

12:59

these talks of sea sirens have me quite

13:01

curious.

13:03

What about you? Well, nothing

13:05

fancy like sea sirens and Dark

13:08

Sea, but in my community

13:10

we have rivers and fishing

13:12

and stuff, but nothing with

13:14

that great quantity of water. But

13:17

I mean, that's pretty much it. I

13:19

can swim pretty well, but I really don't want to

13:21

fall here, because I'm not sure if I could be

13:24

able to get back on a boat in time. The

13:27

ship sails so quickly and the currents…

13:30

Of course, of course. We don't want

13:32

to get caught by fishfolk, sea elves, or

13:35

by the sunken ones, others giant sea denizens

13:38

that we have not yet seen or even heard

13:40

of either.

13:40

I

13:43

mean, yeah, that sounds kind

13:45

of terrifying when you put it that way, but also

13:48

a bit like an adventure. This

13:50

is an adventure. Yet we

13:52

must never forget that the ocean's depths know

13:55

no bounds, so the creatures within

13:57

can grow to limitless size and

13:59

hunger.

13:59

It's their home, their

14:02

domain, and where the intruder's passing

14:04

through, hoping to avoid the ever-hungry

14:07

glassy gaze of the deepest horrors, all

14:09

while exploiting their precious

14:11

waters. Mmm,

14:14

so I hear that you're some kind of hero. Oh,

14:18

well, sort of? I

14:20

mean, I think Vinda and Ajay are

14:22

really the most hero-like out of her lot,

14:24

but if you're just talking about the brofolks

14:27

from the Shadeheel

14:28

River, well, yeah, I guess

14:30

I'm kind of a hero also, but

14:32

it's a very small village, so that's not

14:34

saying all too much. Now,

14:36

Danya, oh, Danya is my sister, and

14:39

she's a pretty brave Jew, and

14:41

I bet in another few years her village will have

14:43

songs about her Jew. Does that mean

14:45

the Shadeheel Riverfolk have songs about

14:47

you? Sort

14:51

of, you know, yeah. Do

14:54

you want to hear a story? A little good story. Okay,

14:57

so, Lon. Yes. A

15:00

couple winters ago, a crude giant

15:02

threatened our community. It

15:04

was all like breaking

15:07

into all our food stores and

15:09

lighting houses on fire, really

15:11

terrible stuff. People were terrified. And

15:14

I was kind of in the area when it

15:16

was happening, you know, visiting family, and

15:19

the giant who probably didn't know this

15:21

was about to step on the water breads.

15:25

That's our neighbor, Burl, was going

15:27

to step on our neighbor's burl.

15:29

And it would have totally

15:32

gone through the roof, boom, and maybe

15:34

hurt someone. So I

15:37

started yelling at the giant

15:38

like, hey, leave them alone,

15:40

you know, and come on, come on, come on, come

15:43

on, come on, come on, come on. And

15:45

it seemed the most pertinent to the problem.

15:48

You know, enough to ask for directions or that

15:50

sort of thing. It's too, but although maybe

15:52

my accent's not that good. Oh,

15:55

sorry. And the giant got kind of angry.

15:57

And I used my sling to throw some rocks at it.

15:59

I was just trying to get his attention and

16:03

maybe turn him the other way. I

16:05

didn't really mean to kill it. And in

16:07

truth, I feel kind of bad about it. But anyway, that's

16:10

what happened. Oh, okay. It

16:12

took a rock to the face and fell head first

16:14

into the river. Drowned, poor guy.

16:17

And ever since then, whenever we have

16:19

problems on the Shadyhill River, I'm

16:21

the guy who they sent to fix them. Though

16:24

not so often with violence. Well, not

16:27

only with violence,

16:28

thankfully. What other sorts

16:30

of problems have you fixed? Oh, uh... Well,

16:34

I helped solve a dispute to answer who

16:36

makes the better cornbread. There was

16:39

Kamo Fierro and Antique.

16:42

They were both delicious. But Kamo

16:44

Fierro was... Anyway, I think you're not into

16:46

this. So anyway, I helped find

16:49

a way to build a bridge over a Great

16:50

River Pass, which actually once built

16:53

helped save lives in the Flood about 10 years

16:55

back. And

16:57

a few

16:57

summers ago, I was pretty good at sharing

16:59

some of our village songs with a traveling part. It

17:02

was a gnome, I think. And

17:05

I helped Prince Vind go on a hundred trips with his brother.

17:08

So you invent our friends? I

17:11

think it's safe to say we are. At least for my

17:13

part I say that. Vind, Ajay

17:15

and I come from three tribes

17:16

from the same woods. Ajay

17:18

and his father led the Mifreya of Tsangoma,

17:21

a big old underground village of works. And

17:23

Vind has been the leader of the Shade Elves

17:25

for the past year. Well,

17:28

since Alistar, his brother, died.

17:31

But let me tell you, if

17:33

you think I'm heroic, well, just

17:36

ask that guy for a few stories. Vind

17:39

is a true hunter, a true hero. And

17:42

Ajay is pretty amazing too, always helpful,

17:45

very grounded. Just

17:46

such a nice guy. Okay,

17:48

so like, why are you all taking

17:50

this journey together? It seems safe

17:53

to say that you guys don't leave your forest forever much. So

17:56

why the three heroes leave your villages? Where

17:59

are you traveling to?

17:59

Can I ask? Well,

18:02

sure. I mean,

18:05

it's not a secret, it is. I don't

18:07

think it is. So our village

18:10

where we live there was kind of a storm,

18:13

worse than usual, and it

18:15

was a catastrophe for us. So like

18:17

every four years we have a festival for

18:19

aeodych, that's the

18:21

morn of the storm gods, there's music

18:24

and dancing and fires, food,

18:27

all the whale shaped cookies, they're so good.

18:30

And the idea is that if the offering

18:32

we give is big enough, the lightning

18:35

at the end of the festival will strike the shrine

18:37

with built, and not hit one of us, you know. There's

18:40

a whole story behind this involving us hitting too

18:42

many fishes one year, but that's

18:43

a whole different story. Well, anyway, the

18:46

festival this year ended with something

18:48

new. Well, there was

18:50

a flood, and it destroyed

18:52

part of where we lived, and Vind and

18:55

Ajay villages were damn chill. After

18:57

it all, the shrine was still intact.

19:00

And two days after there was a fire, and

19:03

this one was also pretty bad

19:05

and unusual. So

19:08

we feel like maybe we must have done

19:10

something to upset nature, upset

19:13

aeodych. So we, Vind,

19:16

Ajay and I, have the idea that maybe

19:18

nature could use a reminder of the better days,

19:20

the less stormy ones, for

19:23

the sake of our villages.

19:24

So that's why... I totally agree.

19:27

So we're just trying... I mean, I'm

19:29

just trying to get to some

19:32

place... Yeah. Oh,

19:34

another place to settle down, you mean?

19:36

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. How

19:39

can I say this? To commune

19:41

with nature. Like, nature

19:44

has been angered by some... Well,

19:46

something, I guess. It's not looking

19:49

very good for our peoples, and we're

19:51

just trying to make amends. Let

19:53

nature know that we... We

19:55

need better days

19:56

so we don't starve. So we

19:58

are each bringing gifts to the shore. of

20:00

the Sunken One and then to

20:02

the Shrine of the Storm Gods. I

20:04

myself am bringing some water from the Shade

20:07

River because I think it's really nice water and

20:09

it's probably not something that the storm and

20:11

sea beings get to enjoy very often. So

20:15

maybe when they taste it, they'll remember

20:16

that they like us. Oh, I see, I see.

20:19

Anyway, what about you, Lan? Wow,

20:22

so I come from a place up in the mountains.

20:25

Mountains? That's really amazing.

20:28

Yes, yes, and we... How is

20:30

it there? It is a bit dark year round,

20:32

but actually quite nice. We used

20:34

to have a really nice city, but our lands

20:37

were within Dalaria and now suffer,

20:40

cursed with darkness and undeath.

20:42

The dark lands? I

20:44

am so sorry for your loss, Lan.

20:47

The loss took place far before my time,

20:49

but we are still people left without

20:51

a home. As you two are having

20:54

your conversation, Yara, who's

20:56

the shipwright, just fixing everything

20:58

he can, just sort of barges

21:01

in. I guess he doesn't...

21:04

Well, he indicates that he needs

21:06

to get to the railing and then doesn't wait

21:08

for confirmation and just pushes through

21:10

because he needs to get this done and starts

21:13

fixing everything around you. Oh,

21:15

sorry. Excuse

21:17

you. Sorry, I... My... Sorry,

21:20

I didn't mean to do that. It's just, you

21:22

don't want this ship falling apart beneath your feet,

21:25

do you? I guess.

21:26

No, no, of course not.

21:28

We were just having a conversation. Never

21:31

mind. So, how is

21:34

silly doing these days, Yara Ray? On

21:36

the waters, I mean.

21:37

Well, right now she's... She's

21:39

an owl. She's used to the waters.

21:42

We've lived along the waters all her

21:45

life. So

21:47

she's... Right now she's up in the, well...

21:51

scraps of

21:53

old bread and

21:56

Yara is looking around to see whether

21:58

Omen is around. or anyone

22:01

else of the crew is in earshot.

22:04

He doesn't see anyone,

22:06

so he says, well, there might be one

22:11

or the other rat around, but again,

22:13

don't worry about it. So he's taking care

22:15

of it. She's well fed at the moment. Well, she

22:18

gets her fair share. No, I mean to say

22:20

she's

22:21

fed. And

22:25

he kind of tries to stop himself

22:27

from saying more and just gets

22:29

back to fixing

22:32

the railing.

22:33

Loncie is clearly trying not to impart

22:35

more about the situation. So Loncie

22:37

simply says, oh, I'm

22:39

just assuming that, you know, we're on the sea,

22:42

so like it'd be more fitting to have a appear

22:45

as a pet. But what do I know, right?

22:47

Hard, hard, hard. No laughs. No laughs.

22:51

Well, tough crowd tonight.

22:53

Well,

22:55

I'm sorry to hear that your mountains are

22:57

covered by the shadow of darkness, Loncie. I

23:00

really am. That sounds quite

23:02

regrettable.

23:03

Let's hope for better days, right? Thank

23:05

you, dear friend. Thank you. I hope

23:08

that one day the light of Seligong will return, and

23:10

that we, like you, can return to

23:12

better days.

23:12

After

23:16

fixing this railing, which is just something

23:18

that popped into his head that he took

23:20

note of on his first day on deck,

23:23

and he needed to get that out of the way,

23:26

he's actually gonna go up to the helm

23:28

to grab a cup

23:31

of that sweet, sweet, super bitter

23:34

coffee to bring down to

23:36

Canvo, because he knows that

23:38

if you are on watch, you're gonna need something

23:40

to stay awake.

23:41

What? Wait, what? So we have

23:44

coffee. No way. Wow.

23:47

Did I say that out loud? Oh, and

23:49

geez, so scandalous bitter. I need

23:52

some of that. Yara, I love

23:54

wine

23:55

and girl just as much as the next guy,

23:57

but you are holding out on me. What is that?

24:00

well I

24:02

have been to places that

24:04

would call this coffee

24:08

I'm not sure that anyone in

24:10

their right mind would do the same it

24:13

keeps you awake, it keeps you warm

24:16

so I suggest you leave

24:18

it for the crew and again he looks around

24:21

to see if any of the higher up

24:23

ranking people of the ship are

24:25

around

24:25

can I have some? sure

24:32

if you meet me by those stairs

24:34

over there in let's

24:36

say 30 minutes I might be able

24:38

to sneak you a cup Vind

24:40

who was standing not too far

24:42

away but in a shadowy lit

24:44

area so nobody noticed he was standing

24:46

there overheard the conversation

24:48

of the secret coffee exchange in 30 minutes and

24:51

it piques his curiosity and he plans

24:53

to reappear in 30 minutes in this exact

24:56

spot to see exactly why it must

24:58

be so secret and Jarek just

25:00

hurries off, no confirmation needed,

25:02

hurries off and brings Kanvold

25:04

at one cup of

25:06

hot bitter coffee before

25:08

contemplating how to get a second cup

25:12

and sneaks past Uda who is

25:14

still battling the cephalopod finding

25:16

his way down into the hold

25:19

that better not be you

25:23

no it's just me, I

25:25

got coffee if you're interested oh,

25:27

Java,

25:28

close the door, close, thanks, I need to tell you

25:31

something we've got a couple

25:33

of fucking problems is anything happening

25:35

around this prisoner situation?

25:39

well, he is pretty creepy, but there's

25:41

a little horn girl, guest lady,

25:44

keeps on trying to sneak in here, keep an

25:46

eye out

25:47

sure, she knows she's not supposed to

25:49

be here and I don't want any further trouble, but

25:51

she could try again I'm gonna talk

25:53

to the other deckhands and omen, but she could really

25:55

cause a situation if she lets him out somebody

25:58

could get hurt

25:59

I'm not talking about work. Okay,

26:02

wait, how did she try and sneak

26:04

in? I point upstairs. You

26:06

know the way we brought the larger crates in? Sure.

26:10

And at this point, Yara has taken another

26:12

mental note to not oil

26:14

that huge grate. Good, good,

26:16

good call. That thing is working great

26:18

as an alarm. I'll tell you that much. Do

26:21

not oil it. But yeah, we need to talk

26:23

to Av and the others about it. Sure, and

26:26

Omen hasn't told you

26:28

anything more about that prisoner.

26:29

No, I've been here the

26:32

entire time since this started. I haven't seen

26:34

anybody else so far, so. If you have

26:36

questions, you need only ask. I

26:39

am not talking to you.

26:43

Until we know more about him, I

26:45

keep clear of him and keep everyone

26:47

else clear of him too. That's

26:50

a good call, I guess. And really,

26:52

I only got this one

26:55

cup of coffee here. And there's

26:57

someone else that needs some

27:00

coffee. So Yara's just gonna

27:02

hand Canvo his hot, still

27:04

hot, coffee, and then giving

27:07

Canvo a knowing look and nodding to him in

27:09

affirmation that this situation needs to be

27:11

dealt with. He kind of

27:13

just backs out

27:15

of the room to get the other

27:17

coffee for the other people. The

27:20

secret coffee handoff took place on schedule.

27:23

And Malvin had originally anticipated to make confront

27:25

Yara and Lon about getting his own coffee.

27:28

He quickly reconsidered after seeing Lon's thorough

27:30

disgust at the taste of the drink. She

27:32

subsequently attempted to give the near-full mug to

27:34

various crew members as a gesture of

27:36

goodwill. But after all expressed

27:38

being full lore having a cup already,

27:41

she retired to her quarters shortly thereafter, having

27:43

quietly tipped the coffee contents into the vast

27:46

sea below. It was then

27:48

Vinjoy nimble on the deck to stare

27:50

at

27:50

the endless ocean before them, the

27:52

flowing waves and the stars

27:54

above, and to hear the calming lull

27:57

of the water and sails.

27:59

So

28:02

different from our quiet river. Yeah,

28:05

it really is. Just wonderful.

28:08

Well, not that our river is not great, it is too,

28:11

you know? I know

28:13

what you mean. My sister would

28:15

have loved to see this. Have you

28:17

met Dania? Well, anyway, Dania is my

28:19

sister and she would have loved to see this.

28:22

She loves fish reeling

28:23

and she wants to see those big

28:25

fish. What are they called again? The dolphins,

28:29

the dolphins. Dolphins? Yeah,

28:31

dolphins. Now that I think of it, I'd

28:33

maybe like to see one too. My brother

28:36

had. He had told me about

28:38

them. I'm sorry,

28:40

Vind. Here I am mentioning

28:42

my sister. How

28:45

are you? Since, you

28:47

know, taking up the mantle and all. Well,

28:51

Alistair certainly made it look easy.

28:54

Might have been better to just send

28:56

someone else to the shrines. Stop that

28:59

duck, Vind. Come on. You're doing great.

29:01

I think our brother, he would have been proud

29:03

of you. Taking charge, doing

29:06

what's needed, taking care of your people. Proud? Yeah.

29:10

Let's not take it that far. I mean,

29:13

listen, you're

29:13

a leader, Nimble. Even if you

29:16

don't realize it, people love you. You're

29:18

Mr. Nimble Hero. Do one good deed.

29:21

How do you keep them all content? I

29:24

wouldn't say I'm a leader. Not like

29:26

that. I wasn't born to it at

29:28

all. Nope. Just

29:30

did the right good things at the right good times.

29:32

And why people like that? We're

29:35

all just trying to do good. Hmm.

29:38

Do good.

29:40

Sure. Change

29:42

up! They're all yours, Loz.

29:46

Keep an eye out for the sea sirens. I hear the

29:48

quiet hooch.

29:49

If that is the fitment, if I see any.

29:52

Av Mitov, the second mate of the Willow's Wig,

29:54

smirked at first mate Mason Lors, leaving

29:56

the next shift of work in his hands.

29:59

They leave and follow the sound of pleasant conversation

30:02

below deck, where Galesk, Yelena,

30:04

Yara and Convo ate, drank and

30:06

enjoyed the end of their long shift.

30:09

Now they could wrap themselves in the willows wooden

30:11

husk and warm their winter bit skin.

30:15

Evening, mates!

30:16

Morning! What

30:26

the fuck everyone gets so quiet, yes? We

30:29

were just back on the same topic

30:31

from two nights ago. That topic

30:34

you're not so fond of, and

30:38

we didn't want to make you uncomfortable. The

30:40

rats? No. Superstitions

30:42

and such. Ah.

30:45

So, I

30:47

already know for the rest of ya, but what about you

30:49

Mr. Convo? Are you a superstitious

30:52

man too? That

30:54

depends on what you're talking about. I think

30:56

it's safe to say everyone has at least

30:58

a few beliefs. Look, not

31:01

to judge here but crew and sea. Collabs

31:03

to an hokum and spirits and stuff?

31:06

Or in like, blessings from

31:08

gods or otherwise? Do you even believe

31:10

in the gods?

31:11

I do have something of a special

31:14

respect for Tuliga, but

31:17

more to answer your question, I have

31:19

witnessed some of the blessings gods

31:22

have provided first hand. My

31:24

own life sometimes feels a mixture

31:26

of blessings and curses. However,

31:29

focus, focus, I

31:31

leave that for the fairy tales of the children. And

31:33

me?

31:57

And

31:59

what a fine job you have. do, Gollisque. But,

32:02

er, I guess

32:05

the gist of my question is, if

32:07

you think the... well,

32:10

certain boats have certain traditions and well,

32:12

our boat's got traditions, sure, but... It's

32:14

not just hokum,

32:15

or hokus

32:17

pokus, the bulwark has got

32:20

magic in it. That place, those

32:23

rocks, that's heavy

32:25

magic. Old, scary

32:28

stuff. Yeah,

32:29

it does. But,

32:32

er, can you just stop any potential

32:35

curses? Like that thing Gel Main

32:37

got so up in arms about? That

32:39

shouldn't affect us after we got the blessings at the bulwark,

32:41

right? Er, that's what you're,

32:44

er... wait, is that why you told

32:46

me not to touch it? Oh, the idol?

32:50

Nah, I was just telling Lindsay

32:52

not to touch it, but just if it

32:54

has to do with the magic, just let me do it. It's

32:56

easier, and then the captain doesn't get all in a half

32:59

of our superstitions and curses and the

33:01

sunken one and getting blessings and not

33:04

doing this thing or that thing or the other thing. You know,

33:06

you know that, you know what I

33:08

mean. He has been a bit of a ghost himself, since

33:10

that happened.

33:12

I'll beat his old self soon enough. He

33:14

just needs Ein and Nachtav to say, well,

33:18

maybe a few, and captain'll be good. See

33:20

how he pushes his troubles away. I got

33:23

the impression he was more worried about the high paying guest

33:26

aboard, I must outnumber him and the crew. I

33:28

know I'd be worried about tending to so many

33:30

guests, especially the fancy ones.

33:33

But the thing that we're talking about, that

33:36

idol, the crit had the

33:38

farhaulers mark, so it's not

33:40

illicit guch, right? That's,

33:43

er... what we're transporting

33:45

is quite legal. The

33:48

question is more of

33:50

just, erm... Danger.

33:53

Yeah. Danger. And

33:56

sometimes that may be ethics

33:58

behind the thing, but yeah. Ah, that

34:01

thing might be dangerous, but I was told as

34:03

long as we just leave it in its box, hopefully

34:05

not to be out again and anger it, we should be

34:08

okay. Well, I'll be fine. Just

34:10

live with me. Yeah,

34:13

can now.

34:13

Sounds good. As long

34:16

as it won't come to life and poke a hole in the

34:18

hole or something. That

34:20

might be a nightmare for at least Yara over

34:22

there. Ah, yes, no

34:24

more holes on the ship, please. I

34:27

feel like my job is already going to keep

34:29

me busy until we get to Winterport. So,

34:32

uh, Yara, uh, I'm sorry about

34:34

earlier. I was not trying to be

34:37

rude. I didn't think you were rude.

34:39

Well, uh, we never really properly introduce ourselves.

34:42

And I extend my hand out, combo,

34:45

as you might now have heard like seven

34:47

times. And Yara grabs

34:50

his hand, shakes it firmly. Yeah,

34:54

again, Yara.

34:56

Spilled as it sounds. G'now.

35:01

So, how was your latest shift aboard the Willow,

35:03

Yara? Anything interesting? Well,

35:07

have you ever seen a kitchen that's

35:09

held in place by knives before?

35:11

Hmm, no, I

35:14

don't believe I have. Well, count

35:17

yourself, Lucky. Um, not

35:21

being of the superstitious kind, but having

35:23

seen more than my fair share of wild

35:26

magics out there, did you say

35:28

that we move this thing, this idol,

35:31

into cargo?

35:33

Yeah, haven't touched it since. Okay,

35:36

then. Uh, so, if

35:39

I ever come across this particular box,

35:42

and one of you is around, just point

35:44

it out to me so I can stay a good

35:46

ten feet away from it.

35:48

And anyone that has ever spent enough

35:51

time around Yara, which isn't

35:53

too many people, would know that

35:55

it is the exact opposite of what

35:57

he intends to do with that box.

35:59

He gets the chance.

36:23

I

36:30

am eagerly looking forward

36:31

to seeing what's going to be on the

36:33

menu tomorrow.

36:53

But

37:01

Udo quit. He's a great

37:03

damn cook. One of

37:06

the best perks of our being on this ship. Cheers

37:09

to that. Aye.

37:12

The evening grew later, and a curious

37:14

Vind Greyview found himself on deck, chatting

37:16

with various crewmates about their lives, their

37:19

families, and their experiences on the vast

37:21

and mysterious waters. By

37:23

this hour, Vind was speaking with one of the deckhands,

37:26

Lindzen, a brick of a dwarf who referred

37:28

to Vind, his companions, and the rest of the crew

37:30

as surface dwellers at every possible opportunity

37:33

as if out of habit or honor. So

37:36

hold up, hold up, hold up. Let me get this straight.

37:39

You work on this boat, which is on

37:41

the surface,

37:42

and yet... Wait. So

37:44

how long have you worked on this boat? I've

37:46

worked the Willows' wake for... about 56

37:50

years, I suppose. 56 years?

37:53

Wow.

37:54

And so how many expeditions have you taken? It

37:57

must be hundreds. Hundreds? Okay,

38:00

wow. And this one is taking us

38:02

up to the super cold region, the

38:05

northern realm, is that right? Yeah,

38:08

but we're gonna go past or to

38:10

the sunken pole walk first. Then after sitting

38:12

around there for a bit, we're on our way up to Winterport,

38:15

basically North realm. Hmm, okay.

38:19

This is something you should have been told before you

38:21

got on the willow.

38:22

Oh, well, I know

38:24

where we're going. I've just, I've never been

38:26

there before. So it's

38:28

all kind of new to me, you know? My

38:31

older brother was always the one who went on journeys. I'm

38:33

not, I'm just

38:36

not used to being this far from home, if

38:39

that makes sense. Ah, I

38:41

understand that feeling. Yeah, I

38:44

still miss him a lot.

38:48

He died recently, my

38:50

brother. Oh, I'm sorry.

38:54

Losing a brother is both the loss of family and

38:56

a friend. Yeah,

38:59

he got really sick. It

39:02

was pretty quick, thankfully, because he

39:05

was in a lot of pain for the days he had to endure it.

39:09

I don't know if you'll believe this, but

39:12

I come from a long line of elven rulers.

39:16

And elves, as you

39:18

may know, undergo a change

39:21

when we come of age called the choosing.

39:24

Yes, I've heard of this, the polymorphism

39:26

thing. That's why some elves can

39:28

see in the dark and others have wider ears and

39:31

such. Yes, our bodies physically

39:33

reshaped during the choosing to help

39:36

us adapt to our surroundings, also

39:38

our professions.

39:39

And well, my

39:41

brother, my father, my grandmother,

39:45

and so forth, they

39:47

all were chosen, physically

39:51

adapted to be the best capable leaders for

39:53

my clan. I

39:55

suppose there's some comfort in that. They

39:57

were all great leaders. They,

39:59

they,

41:57

boat

42:01

on the water. They

42:03

do boat on the water.

42:09

Well, it's good to know I've got a good listening air

42:11

aboard linson. I'll be completely

42:13

honest. I'm really new to this whole leadership

42:15

thing. But I'm worried I'm making mistakes.

42:19

Could I get your opinion on some things? Let's

42:22

get one thing straight. Just because you weren't chosen

42:24

to lead doesn't make it incapable of leadership.

42:27

I mean, wolves and humans and orcs. They

42:30

lead us just a regular everyday folk life. The

42:33

heavy dwarf with well earned muscle and a relaxed

42:35

approach to life was certainly hardy

42:38

and strong. And so it seemed odd

42:40

to vin that he moved through the air so

42:42

quickly, followed by a deep

42:44

throat tearing scream. Something

42:48

an ever shifting effervescent darkness had

42:50

descended from above, wrapping the dwarf

42:53

in rows of silvery teeth and pulling him

42:55

up into the night sky.

42:56

Dark

42:58

dice shores of the silver thrum.

43:01

Chapter two, the calm created

43:04

by Travis vengroff and KA stats featuring

43:06

Lily peach who is a Vienna blood chamber. Eric

43:08

Nelson is Vind grave you Jasper William

43:10

Cartwright is Ajay Ogun. Danilo about his chine

43:13

as number rumbold tracks by trout. Florian

43:15

Seitler is Yara on Ricky Perez is

43:17

convo. Sophie Yang is lawn. KA

43:20

stats and Travis vengroff as co dungeon

43:22

masters and featuring the voices of Kara

43:24

Baxondale, Kareem crumpling,

43:26

Lika Kukashvili, David Devaro, Michael

43:29

Heitner, Chris Lierz, Peter Joseph

43:31

Lewis and the Marisha Tipperra. This

43:33

episode was produced and edited with sound design by

43:35

Travis vengroff with dialogue editing assistance

43:37

by Kayla shoe.