SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to RPG Blokes. Uh, this is one of our live play episodes. We're gonna begin playing Dragon Warriors today, and we're all sitting round the table here together, so this one won't be placed upon any kind of video feed. This is just us round a table with microphones. And John is gonna be the GM, our most experienced Dragon Warriors GM here. I'm just gonna hand over to John. Uh, this will run over a few episodes. We're doing it in a one session sit, but we're broadcasting this over two or three episodes, I think, or more.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Oh, so isn't it nice that we're just about to play? Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

We've just been handed our character sheets. I am of the profession knight, and I need to come up with a name, sir, something, right?

SPEAKER_02 0:55

Oh, uh profession W. I'm guessing that's a Warlock. Yes. Well, it's one of the W's we call you. Wicked. Loving your work. Okay, I've got a name. I'm gonna be called Dirk Darion. Dirk Darien, okay, he's related. Ooh, that's a bad name. Well, as a warlock, I think he's a bad name. He's a warlock's a bit dubious, I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 1:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Maybe he never takes his helmet off. Dark Darien. Dirk Darion, sorry, not Dark Darion. Dirk Darion. It could be Dark Dirk Darion.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

Uh I'll be Sir Wayland, easy. Wayne too. So I played um Dragon Wars before with a character called Wayland, but he was a barbarian pagan, but this one's the completely opposite. He's going to be a Christian, devout, crusading knight.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Yeah, it's just remind me how the spells work, but I didn't do that at the time, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:39

Warlocks can stop spells that are currently in progress and get back half the magic points.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yeah, but that'll only work for second rank spells. You don't get half a magic point back. Oh. About third rank spells then? Uh you'll probably get one. Yeah. I sometimes allow, say, a psychic talent role, or if it's uh only been running a round or two, then yeah, round it up to two, something like that. That's nice.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

But uh you're only second rank anyway. Yeah. Yeah, no, I was just speculating for future. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

Not gonna put us up mid-session, are you, to a higher rank? It's too complicated.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

It's a it's a nice simpletons. Nice little one-shot. Well one of the printed ones, uh Serpent's Venom. I've run it before, so it it works well within the time frame we've got. Which is about three or four hours. Yeah. Yeah. Should be okay. So I've run this at uh Dragomme.

SPEAKER_03 2:31

No, the uh Day of Legends. Yep. That's the four I was there, wasn't I, at the 40th anniversary. You missed that one. I missed that was the one I was ill. Damn it, that's that lovely t-shirt.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

It is, but that that was the one that got somewhat scuffered by people doing slam poetry in the background.

SPEAKER_03 2:47

Okay, what happened there? So you turned up We just couldn't hear a damn thing. So you turned up to play a role-playing game at the convention, and there were people supposed to be art.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

They were drawing, but they had some rap thing go but like belting out. There was no need for for that at all.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Very confused people by the sounds of it.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Well, one of the blokes we had doing the game recognised the rapper and said they're not even playing the good stuff.

SPEAKER_03 3:17

In fact, I don't even like background music at the table. Some people play background music, don't they? Bring along a little speaker or something occasionally to games.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

I like background music.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Yeah. Well, as long as it's not loud. Do it all the time in Cthulhu. Yeah. It can be uh intrusive, it depends on how it's done.

SPEAKER_03 3:32

We won't put on any today. Well, I can put it on post-production. Is that what I was gonna do? Village people. Not village people, that'll be a bit Donald Trump. But uh yeah, we could um I could put a bit of clown ed. Bit of uh legend that would work perfectly. Yeah. There's gonna be a lot of battles today, I think.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

We've got a fighter, uh a hybrid fighter spellcaster, and a trained killer. So he's got the assassin. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Not the same as a fighter, a killer is a very different thing, just inherently cooler.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

So you've I would have thought he'd have just given you a barbarian and been done with it.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Well, I and I mean I specifically said you all saw it when he said what do you want to play? I was like, surprise me, and I was fully expecting to get stitched up. Like, and I thought, yeah, no, but he's he's been very, very kind to me. He's given me a badass, you know?

SPEAKER_03 4:22

With about 20 different abilities you've got to learn though.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Well no, they're not too bad. I'm I'm sure my more experienced players and GM will guide me through those. Yeah, not just sit back and cackle at your misfortune with me, right?

SPEAKER_03 4:37

So assassins have um they're exotic, aren't they? So they have like stink bombs. I mean, what are they called? Smoke bomb bombs.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

If a military order went wrong like that, it would be interesting, wouldn't it? Like being back at school. What do you mean here's the thousand stink bombs we ordered?

SPEAKER_00 5:00

So the assassin is the uh sort of original stealth-based character, they didn't go for thieves or any of the more traditional rogue things. It's really good. The only thing that holds back an assassin is they can't wear the heavy armour. So they're they're a little bit squishy, but they've also got you know really good defence and everything else.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

It's just fair enough. I need a character name. I didn't give it any thought. You could always just call it Silas. No, I can't I've I've no Silas. I'll think of something. It'll come, it'll come, it'll come, it's all good, it'll come. Silok. I might I know I might no, I might go for something really innocuous, like I might be a Harry. Potter. I've never been everyone always tries to come up with these sort of dramatic and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

No, no, there's a lot of fancy, there's a lot of fancy fiction when the Lee characters just got like the name of like Peter or or Bill. So it's a thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Okay, okay. So yeah, I'm gonna be Harry Haynes.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

There you go. Double H. But you're gonna have to spell it like you've come from Cellular Radio or something, it's an exotic character. Harry.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Sounds more like a Spanish curry, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

This has definitely come up on the podcast. Every single one of my characters sounds exactly like me. So don't unless you think Peckham is exotic, like, don't be expecting anything else. Every now and then I might do a Delby to go monge to Rodney, and that is your lot.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

It's it's it'll work. Harry from Peckham.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

I'll tell you what, let's make it Harry with an I. Is that exotic enough for you? One R or two R's? Well one R. Yeah, that's very exotic. I like it. It works for me. One R. Harry. I'm still going with Haynes though. Right, so the only Can I I have a question for you, John. Do these count as pre-gens when you haven't pre-generated them? I just want to paint a picture.

SPEAKER_03 6:57

You are eating into your DMing time here, John. I just want to paint a picture.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

I just want to paint a picture of this experience right now. We're just watching John do admin.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Now you are recently returned from Crusading Lands, where you picked up a very surprisingly useful manservant. Harry. You're a servant. That's straight in. That's the cover. Because being a pop either a foreigner or you could be returning to your land of birth. Um but whatever you posed as was to make you seem harmless, innocuous, flying under the radar. Perfect. Whereas this guy grabbed all the attention because night, armour, everything else. What have we been doing then? Uh well, in the Crusades you was doing the dirty deeds, dirt cheap sort of thing. Okay. So you still had your your fighting roles. Right. You you was given the the stuff that they might not have wanted to be associated with.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

So I'm going back to England to well, sorry, to uh Albion to confess all my sins and just basically wipe a slight clean.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

If you want to do that, you could. However, as your money was lost en route and you were unceremoniously dumped on the shore.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

The person I would think would be doing that most likely is Harry. If if I've lost money, it's gonna be Harry, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Um while you're over in the Holy Land, um, you guys would be charged around. So why wouldn't Warlock in a Holy Land? Now there's many things. One of the reasons you may be returning was because your esoteric powers may have raised a few eyebrows. Useful though they were, people uh they couldn't be seen to associate with. They scared of me. Yeah, if you like. Good. Um and with with the name that Darion Darion. That's how you would associate you with a certain uh noble of uh earworn.

unknown 8:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

So you're sort of given a choice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:01

No, I didn't understand at all, no.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

You are the spawn of evil.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Excellent.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Yeah, that sounds cool. Or or worse, the bastard spawn of evil. My real name's Peter. It does so if I'm scaring people, which is my job. Somewhat penniless. You've got plans for what to do, but you are currently discussing your bleak prospects in a tavern. Okay. In Albion. In Albion, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

I've just had all my money stolen on the way here. I can't even pay for my redemption at the church anymore. The donation won't amount to what I need to get rid of all of this sin that's been piled up on me. That sounds more of a you thing than a me thing. Well, it's it's also a a you thing, 'cause I pay you, don't I? And pay him.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

I don't know, does he?

SPEAKER_03 9:44

Somebody's had away with all my cash.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Well, you're meant to be looking after the people that smuggled you back here.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

Oh, I had to pay them to get here. But uh it's cost me everything to get you back here. It's not it's an us thing, let me tell you. You can make it an us thing if you'd only go to your father and ask for a bit of cash.

SPEAKER_04 10:00

He'll have you beheaded.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

So it's cost you every uh as he says, it's cost you everything to get me back here. I'm gonna look around in a kind of I don't think it was money well spent. It's a bit colder. These are called trees. This was this was not the paradise I was led to believe. I'm going with that.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

Oh, it's home, sweet home. I'll just kiss the ground and everything, like proper robbing a rinse of thieves style. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

That that was the visual I had. Yeah. Uh you're currently in the the town of Overdale in the north of Albion. So you are from the soft southern lands. You're you're almost in Geordie country. Uh a bit closer top of them. Got it. Beer vest. Uh a bit closer to your homeland. Um up north people. Possibly a bit closer to you to um the Assassins. If you were born in this area, I don't. It's up to you whether you came from the uh No, I'm gonna be foreign.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

I'm gonna be foreign. Okay. I'm coming from but but I was it uh uh my accent is anomalous.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Let's just go that way. I was well from up north. I think it's a bit more. You were adopted by some of the uh Saders early on, and you picked up the accent. Absolutely, absolutely, from a very early age.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

So should we say that our boat back over whatever we managed to get sort of drifted north a little bit and we've landed here? So I my home is from the s in the south, so I would be looking to get back home at this point. Yeah, your southern softer.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

No horse, no prospects, no money. And I'm gonna ask, is it is it warmer in the south?

SPEAKER_03 11:34

It is actually a little bit warmer.

SPEAKER_02 11:36

If you like that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

But it's a bit cheaper up here to live, so I don't know. I might stay up here a while until I get things back together.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Well, it might be if you could trade on your name to pay for the meal that you're currently having.

SPEAKER_03 11:47

What is your name? My name is Sir Wayland. Never add you. Well, I've just travelled back with you from the Holy Land.

SPEAKER_04 11:54

I mean, no one else would have ever had you. That's what they're gonna say. Never add of you. As soon as you say that.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

You serve your country, sacrifice yourself, go through unlimited horrors and get back, and this is how I'm being treated, having to put up with this horrible inn. I think Up North would call it a reality check. And this horrible company, present company included.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

But I'm gonna be looking over my shoulder because he clearly can't be talking about me. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Well, you you would notice a uh rather pleasantly featured blonde lady in a form-fitting green gown. Um, looks to be much better dressed than anybody else here, who's definitely listening to your conversation with some interest.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

See if she wants to come over and chat. Okay, she gives a nod, she raises a say the power of brings her to the a bit of exotic.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

Good day, gentlemen. This is my sexy lady voice. Bring it on. I understand what it is to be down on someone's luck. Uh you appear to be recent arrivals. You you don't seem to be entirely helpless, however. I do have the proposition, if you would be interested.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

Speak to my agents. Yes, the roads are teaching so well so far.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

And what would this proposition be?

SPEAKER_00 13:24

She gives a surreptitious look over to a group in the far corner. Do you want us to kill them?

SPEAKER_01 13:50

I at that point I'm just sort of like making to stand up. Oh, not now.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

What might be better is uh they have a treasure hunting aim in mind. Now I've been listening long enough to know where they're going. I think we could beat them to their location. Which is it's uh a temple not not too far away. Uh deserted or What religion?

SPEAKER_03 14:19

What what is it?

SPEAKER_00 14:20

I can't disagree at Oh, it it's not one of the the good ones.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

Oh. It is one of the good ones. The good ones for looting.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

There aren't any good ones. Define good ones, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Well I never thought it would come to this, but yes, come me in.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Well i if if we got there first, we would of course have pick of the treasures. Also some of the dangers, which is why I'm not planning on going there myself, because you know Oh, when you said if we beat them to the location, you didn't you that was the royal we, was it?

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Well Well I wouldn't send you into danger without my assistance. Well, what are you getting out of it? Well, uh a share of the treasure. I will guide you there, I will aid you when you are there. I have some abilities of my own. Right, you are coming then.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

And you've just overheard them talking what tonight in the inn? It's uh about an hour ago.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

They're in their cups now.

SPEAKER_03 15:13

So I'm gonna look at the group and just see what we're dealing with here. What do their strength look like?

SPEAKER_00 15:17

There's uh four of them. A mix of fairly rough looking fellas. Only ones in what you would call serious armour. But they they do have weapons about them and uh a certain surly look.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

I'll have a look at Harry and we alright with everything if if it comes to it.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

I see no cause for concern. Right.

SPEAKER_03 15:38

Okay, well I'm in then as long as you two are excellent. I do like the sound of treasure.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

It's better than travelling with you guys.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

Exactly. One last job.

SPEAKER_03 15:54

Yes. Let's do it. Certainly. Wells.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

Um got a heist movie written all over it. Well nice job to say I've got tensions in the who's gonna double cross who is gonna come on.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

It'll be noble. Yeah. I am desperate as hell right now.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah, I don't think his morals are particularly well held. Of course, pay for your your meals for tonight. Um I would suggest not too much ale because we will be travelling under cover of darkness. Uh they are in their cups and they are planning on leaving in the morning. So if we can gain a few hours on them, that will enough. It it should be.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

Well, we go this evening and then we'll get the entire night. I think I'm ready to do this now.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Well, we we just wait for them to retire and good idea.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

We can be on our memory.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Indeed. Sooner the better.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

So I I I'm not gonna have a drink, not if we're working tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

No, I'm gonna drink, but could you d drop something into their drinks, maybe? I mean that would that would obviously make things easier for us. I do I have something that I could drop into their drinks, I don't think.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

I don't you do have a a bottle of some questionable material.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

So what I'm gonna do is repeat what I said in my own voice because my character wouldn't have suggested or said that. I'll just work out. Has your character got anything you can drop into their drinks?

SPEAKER_01 17:15

I don't know if my character does have anything that we can drop into their drinks. I'm happy to assume that you can. I will say I like a Dragon Warrior's character shape. Yeah, it's so simple and straightforward. There's nothing complicated about it at all. It's a very nice shape. What am I saying? Functional.

unknown 17:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

But no, I don't think I have anything like that. Although John was suggesting that perhaps he might McGuffin me. Uh uh, yeah, I'm sort of laxative sedative or something. No, no, no, sedative, something to head. Oh, yeah, that's the other option. Something to make sure about both. A muscle relaxant, shall we say? I mean, do we need to drug them? They're going to bed anyway.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

I think but I suppose I think as a player, I think we do need to drug them. Perhaps in character we might not consider it to be a good idea, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

It just I think the problem is you run the risk of getting caught doing it. But you're good at I'm I'm incredibly good at what I do, but there are always people out there to prevent us. There are always people out there, you know, you've got to be realistic in my game, it's about percentages.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

I'd frown on the the idea anyway. You do these things without telling us. No, no, I didn't know. It was your fucking idea. You agreed to it. I'm assuming you get on with this stuff without telling me, and that's why you're useful to me in a way.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

I can if you think it's too risky and it's it's not worth trying. The nobility and their plausible deniability is sick, but I can't afford oh, I hate him. Anyway, no, um, I don't think that's a good suggestion. I think we just let them have their sleep. Okay. And we just as long as we get the jump on them, we get the jump on them. Right. Oh, okay. So we're staying up, we'll go back to our rooms and um wait for them to oh wait, we couldn't have a bridge. We don't know we we are waiting for them to go to their rooms and then we leave. But we don't want to make that obvious either.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

So we save money on rooms this way as well, is great. Yeah, yeah. Well, it's fantastic, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

You staggered into the black rose, which is the name of the end you're at, supper of bread and cheese that will probably come when you call it, and uh that was as good as it was gonna get, and you was hoping to blag on your reputation to gain that. How did that work? It hasn't had to.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

Well, she looks 14 in the safety zone with John.

SPEAKER_04 19:20

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

No diseases or anything else.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

So with the advent of your your new patron or partner in crime offering to spot you for the meal, you can actually have something, you know, warm with recognizable meats in it.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

And uh is that how it will appear on the menu? Recognizable meat soup. Yes, we recognise it's a rat. Is that what it is?

SPEAKER_00 19:42

It's from a creature with definitely no more than four legs. Definitely no more than four legs, not too many tubes. And then you you hear the group or you see the group stand up, stagger just a little bit. They've had more ale than food, and go off to their rooms because they're classy.

SPEAKER_03 20:03

Oh right, classy and stupid.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

So we need to bribe the the landlord of this bar to not tell them what's going on. He doesn't have a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

All you're doing is leaving after your leaving.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

Well, we're in a we're in a village, are we in a town or something? So it's not like we're walking out of a coaching inn or something that's on the road. No. Would be unusual right now.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

I mean it's still unusual to go out at night. Oh, yeah. So um maybe the landlord was expecting you to go for rooms, but nothing was said. It's none of his business. The landlord doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 20:33

We might have rooms somewhere else already. The landlord doesn't know shit about us. Exactly. Fuck him.

SPEAKER_03 20:38

He doesn't assume I just get a bit nervous with this lot coming at us. What do you mean? To that lot. Yeah, that lot. They're cunningly gonna Well, they're gonna be there tomorrow morning. This takes us too long.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

But I did like the way earlier on you said this could get confrontational. In my head, I was like, you mean like using inside information to get the jump on them and steal treasure from under their noses? How could that get confrontational?

SPEAKER_03 21:00

Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

It is true.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Well, let's just get this over and done with quickly, shall we? That's uh rather unpleasant.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

You always have them killed in the night, your companion.

SPEAKER_03 21:11

Well needs must. No, no, no, no, not to be killed. No, no, we don't do that. Slit the throat.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

We don't do the cut. Okay. If you're not up for it, then confrontation it is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

Is she with us? What's her name again?

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Uh Gladria.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Gladrian. Okay, lead the way, Gladrian.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Gladria, she does. Uh she roses, she goes and gets her travelling cloak from where where she was sat. Uh she does have a a horse, a little riding horse. You don't have a horse?

SPEAKER_03 21:39

We couldn't get it on the boat. No, it was too small. You probably ate it.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

I was gonna say if you know Do you own any lads? If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

We have horses at home, I assume.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

Well, yes, if I can get home from this damn northern town.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

No, you're wrong, we're up north, lad. Hmm. So this does involve travelling at night, a group of your size.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

What what time of night is it, might I ask?

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Late. When does the world's getting the spells point spot?

SPEAKER_02 22:08

Uh at sunset. Sunset, so dang. You could have cast them off quickly and then had them back in another.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yeah, midnight. But it's not happening.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

If you want to, if you wish to uh go. That route you can do something before sunset. Well. It's only Eyes of the Night would be useful. Yeah. The only problem with Eyes of Night is you've got torches coming out of your eyes. Is it really? I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_02 22:33

Warlock's eyes glow brightly. Really? Red eyes called that. When you're hunting someone down in the forest, accept no substitute for that. It's not a stealthy spell. Are we being stealthy or are we being fiercely? We're not, are we? But how long does it last for clunking through?

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Ten minutes. On the subject of stealth, you guys are in armour, so I I if memory serves, I think you knock six off of your stealth Wayland.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

And four off of Darion. Maybe I'll cast Perception of Sorcery just to have a spell cast, and I can assess that woman who's coming with us, and I will Oh, okay. I will give her a little bit of a one second when she's not looking. Maybe just having his enchanted or under effects of a spell. Yeah, so how do I cast spells then? You just declare that you're doing it. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

No role or any of that Warhammery stuff.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

It says it's infallible. D20 roll is made by GM for each object person scrutinized. Appears to be mundane. No spells upon her. So the perception we would have a spell expiry, so I'd be rolling D20 on that. Is it an is it a one that's I just wonder what the county was? It's fine. But I will cancel it down.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

So warlock spell expires on a D20 rather than the 2d6.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

1D20 spell expiry. Okay. Is that different? Okay. Lower.

SPEAKER_03 23:53

I remember it being one d6.

SPEAKER_02 23:56

Yeah. Okay, it's one d twenty on that one then. Cool.

SPEAKER_03 23:58

So you've got a greater chance of it expiring, isn't it? One in twenty or other. One in thirty-six. So yeah, your spells expire more frequently.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

That's we said. How dare they? That's fair enough, I suppose. So travelling on, you can each make an intelligence check.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

I'd sort of forgotten this was gameplay and not recording and not can I have some dice, please?

SPEAKER_03 24:23

That would have been fine, but you did actually dig out John for not having those NPCs prepared in time before.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

It was point out that I'm not sure if you can call them pre-gens when you're getting them there and then. That's a reasonable observation. What dice do I need, John? D20 for this. That's enough, bruv.

SPEAKER_02 24:44

My word. I think that's all the dice in the world has just been handed over. Right, D20.

SPEAKER_01 24:49

And what am I what am I doing? Under your understanding. Under my what? He's intelligence. Under intelligence.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Yep. Well of money.

SPEAKER_03 24:57

Okay. Yes, I made it by one.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

I made it on the intelligence. Yeah. Between you do notice that you're pretty sure that given you're travelling at night, she seems fairly familiar with the route. She's not stumbling, she's not looking around for trails or tracks. She's not going to be able to do that. She's going to screw routes.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Can I try and see what she's following and how she's getting there?

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Is there things that I could notice that she's she's but it it is dark, so unless you're using your lamps, uh the moon is clear and it's bright. If you're looking for little details, but if you're looking for a technique, you can roll on intelligence for that. That would be a separate. I made it. Okay, yeah, she's definitely not using tracking. She's not following something. She knows the way. Because she told us that she knew where they were going. Well she just heard the story tonight, didn't she? She overheard it.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

Yeah, but yeah, but she knew the temple. If like if you said to me we're meeting at St Peter's Church in Woolwich right now, I would know the way to St. Peter's Church in Woolwich.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

They knew about the temple before, and she's just identified tonight that they that's worth going to. But what I'm saying is we don't know.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

It's a very trusting way of thinking about it.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

No, no, no, I'm just saying we don't know. I'm not saying it's not an observation worth having, and that you know, clearly knows has been here before.

SPEAKER_02 26:19

I'm IP.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

As as you have a lack of metagame powers, she does overhear you. We went to one side as she was off having a toilet or something.

SPEAKER_03 26:28

But it's probably for the best. Let's let's go.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

I understand your caution. As a girl, mark my a child, my family were in fact worshippers at the temple.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

What didn't you say? The evil, despicable temple. This is why I didn't mention it.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

No, it's fine. There's nothing wrong with this. I just wished you said. It probably wouldn't have been a good way of presenting myself if I said, Ah, my my parents were cultists, but not me. So they were cultists and that they were now daily. They were by There was an attack by Templars, a particular chapter as I understand it. I was away at the time because I for all the being brought up within it, I wish to experience the world outside of the the the blinkers of what I have learnt to be a cult.

SPEAKER_03 27:20

So it still doesn't make sense for me. I I I find it difficult to believe you'd want to return to the temple, and you must have known what was in it in the first place if it was somewhere that's the same.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

I know where are treasures. And I know that the knights that attacked didn't make it out.

SPEAKER_03 27:37

When your parents were slain, and nobody's been in there since. It's it was fairly well concealed. The job description has just changed significantly here. How did these others in the the inn find out about it? Well she probably told them, like she's told us. And they may have said no.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

They would not be um trustworthy. Whereas we are. From your conversation, you said you'd return from the Holy Land.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

I at least consider myself to be more competent than those fools we left behind.

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Look, tell us the truth. What do you want out of this now? You're looking for something in there, surely. Are your parents' bodies inside?

SPEAKER_00 28:13

If we find my parents, I would like to give them a proper burial.

SPEAKER_03 28:17

Yes. We've got flint and tinder and oil.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 28:21

That would that would work.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

The energies that such a place attracts, it's probably got some other residents there by now.

SPEAKER_02 28:32

It kind of makes this more fascinating for me. This temple.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Lead on. Okay, what have we got to lose? Life and limb.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

There are treasures there. Uh many were the offerings that were bought there over the years.

SPEAKER_03 28:46

Oh, there better be treasures there.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

As as a child, these things didn't interest me apart from the occasional shiny bauble. Yes, there were treasures, knowledge. There were scrolls, books. Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 29:01

Well, as long as it gets me back up on my feet on a horse that I can travel down south with, and it's good enough for me.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Sounds like there's a lot there for me to look at.

SPEAKER_03 29:10

Okay, we're still in, strangely. More so.

SPEAKER_02 29:14

I appreciate your candor.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

I hope you understand why I didn't tell you the whole thing to start with. Well, sometimes I I can't tell people all about my abilities. Indeed.

SPEAKER_03 29:23

She sort shuffles a couple of things away from uh this push comes to shove. I think I'm the only one amongst us that wouldn't be burnt at the stake by authorities nearby. You're up north now, then no authorities aren't doing that.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

Finally they prey on you. Finally, a member of the nobility recognises their own privilege. Sorry about that. Fuck your privilege.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

Do any of you have any skill at hunting? I have a spear. I have tracking.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

I I well I I don't see it. Oh, put tracking. So the pre wasn't completely pre-genned. Frantic scribbling. Shut up.

SPEAKER_00 30:01

So if on the way you you wanted to attempt to track and maybe get some food, that would I thought we just ate.

SPEAKER_03 30:08

I don't know. I'm not really thinking about it.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

This would be coming up for morning. You're definitely peckish. You've been travelling overnight.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

I'll have a go at seeing what I've got to forage or hunt or whatever. And a bow. And a butt.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

I have a bow. I've got a crossbow as well, actually. Yeah. So let's start off with a tracking roll from those that can do. Perception. Perception. Right?

SPEAKER_01 30:29

Okay. Rolling under.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

Well, it is perceived perception. Oh, that's that's.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

How can my perception only be nine? It's a perception. That's really good. Some differences have half that. Oh really? Yeah. Let's move on.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

We don't need to eat.

SPEAKER_00 30:40

Let's just get there. You tighten your shit.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

Well, I'll keep an eye out if the rabbit kind of runs across. I'll uh you know, it is.

SPEAKER_03 30:51

Get us there. Get us in the temple now.

SPEAKER_00 30:53

Come the dawn. She has to look around, but there is a a hill. She has to circle around it. And eventually she recognises a willow tree. Um, which is unusual because there's no water source nearby. This has been planted there and somehow has grown. And behind that uh you see a stone arch and a a door. Into the hill, is there sort of now you've got tracking, you don't need to make rolls. There is definite foot uh prints quite recently here. Quite a few of them.

SPEAKER_03 31:33

Do any of them look like hers?

SPEAKER_00 31:35

That would be really difficult to tell, but you can make a roll.

SPEAKER_03 31:42

Tracking's on perception. Yep. We've only got five perception. What's the point of having tracking? Told you.

SPEAKER_02 31:48

No. I got five perception, but no tracking, so you're slightly slightly better than me.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

I'm just gonna ask her, can I look at the bottom of your feet, please? Uh okay, she raises it. So and I want to look at the footprints and see if any of them are a match.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

You can still make yeah, make sure perception raw. You've still got to make it.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

Yeah, but I'll put more effort. I'll make like I've got I've now okay. It's dead on. Okay. They appear to be either larger or dragging. Okay, so I it I don't think it's her. Sorry, we just had to eliminate you from our inquiry.

SPEAKER_02 32:23

So people have been here before then.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

Well, and that does it does rather beg the question are we about to go to an empty treasure room? That's not what we get. I would hope not.

SPEAKER_03 32:37

Either way. We're being stitched up here, aren't we? It just seemed quite obvious to me now that this woman is not being honest with us even now. This place has had activity outside it, something's what, been dragged in or out of the place. Are we just going to be going in there and we're gonna be sacrificed to whatever cult that you're you belong to?

SPEAKER_00 32:55

I don't believe there's any members of the cult left alive.

SPEAKER_01 32:57

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 32:58

Well, I take your word for it then. Do you have a better plan of how we can get rich and fuck off?

SPEAKER_02 33:03

I don't trust her, but there's still somewhere we can explore.

SPEAKER_03 33:06

I th I think if it wasn't for being with you chaps, I would have nothing to do with it, but you two are quite competent. I'm sure we can handle whatever's inside. Oh, you say the sweetest things.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

So you're going first, are you? Well anyway. Doors are assassin's business, aren't they? Uh it's not a door. It's a stone arch.

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Oh, uh an archway concealed by the willow. Um concealed by the willow, but it isn't sealed in any way. We can just walk in. That was what I thought. Yeah, so yeah, doors uh absolutely my expertise, however. In this instance, I think we can get through the air. But open portals?

SPEAKER_03 33:41

I'm gonna light my lantern then, and I'll go in first, I suppose. Let's have a look.

SPEAKER_02 33:46

I'll squeeze around the willow tree to be in the I'll pull up my spear off my back and have that in my hand readily. And shine out of the side. Oh, you don't have to squeeze, you just brush the the hanging branches away.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Does this character have a shield? You can, but if you have a shield, your spear won't be quite as effective. It'll be a D6 instead of two D4. As in bypass. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

I'll I'll I'll I'll have a shield on the back, but I'll I'll put it into it. So you can write that on.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Okay, and a spear and nick one on the way home. As soon as we get inside, that I'd uh from this point onward I stick to the shadows. He's got a lamplet.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Well, I I'll I'll direct that forwards. That would be you going ahead.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

I'm not saying I want to scout as such. I'm just saying that you know I I'm not gonna be like walking down with a lamp in front of me. I'm gonna be close to the walls, I'm gonna be in little alcoves, I'm gonna be go to the back, and then I I'll focus the lantern forwards anyway.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

You can go down side by side. You can. Galadria would be happier in the middle.

SPEAKER_03 34:41

Well, there will be no middle, and in fact, I'd like Galadria to be next to me because sh she recognises this place at the front. No, I'll step in front of her if anything comes out.

SPEAKER_02 34:50

I will go at the back, is what you're saying. Well, no, I think um Harry's at the back because there's the most shadows at the back. I'm in the middle, is what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Well yeah. But there is no middle. Make up your mind. Well, we're going single file.

SPEAKER_03 35:02

It's very important this smart of business. I need to know my thoughts. I think what we do is me and Galadriel will go two two at the front. Okay. And if if if anything happens, I'll s I'll switch in front of her. And you come third, single file, and fourth, single file, Harry. Please.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

And if she tries something, I'm behind her with my spear, yes.

SPEAKER_03 35:20

No, no, no, no. Please. Oh, I need to ask you politely if you was to hide in shadows at the back of the party and Well, you're not paying these guys, Elmo.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Your partners are.

SPEAKER_01 35:31

You need to not bark orders at me like you're better than me. So it's not my fault I'm better than you, it's just the way I've been born. Just just say please. Just say please to a servants. Oh, this is gonna go so how equipped are you for PvP? Because that that's up to you guys. Alright, I'm I'm gonna go to the back, but I am. Just remember you've got shock attack if you successfully stealth.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

I am I am I am But no way my eyes are the night. But I but I'm but I'm seething.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Your servant.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

You can seething as a free arrogant. I can see it as a free action.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

He thinks he's more in a servant, your servant. Well, I don't know what he is actually now. Leading down the tunnel. The passage is quite smooth. It it's old, it wasn't brilliantly created, but it's certainly been panelled. There's uh mosai remnants of mosaics uh showing different scenes of worshippers kneeling, gentle towards a dark figure. Now a lot of the iconography has been smashed as crusaders or people fr on on the Crusades, you would recognise this as the walking past the things of a different faith and just smashing into it with whatever disposable weapons you've got. So someone's definitely been having a go at these as they've been going about their business.

SPEAKER_03 37:02

So this place looks like it's been already been ransacked or looted in the past. It's old as well, isn't it? I'll ask her, I'll ask Graduate, how can there possibly be anything of value left in this place?

SPEAKER_00 37:13

Well, as I understand it, the Templars did not come out from here.

SPEAKER_03 37:18

Okay, so something's guarding whatever is of a value.

SPEAKER_00 37:23

There were areas that the children were not allowed to go to. Um I heard stories. I believe those defences hold true. Well, I'll let you know if they do or don't. Yeah, I if it's too dangerous, we can retreat.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

No, no, no. I should have should have thought of that. There's got to be something dangerous here, isn't it, to stop it being looted already over the years. Okay. Then ahead we go. But will you tell us which way to go to those hidden areas?

SPEAKER_00 37:48

There are the the local hill folk, but they are too superstitious to come here. I believe they f fell uh foul of the the cult in earlier times and they've stayed clear.

SPEAKER_03 37:59

I'm gonna ask her to guide us to those hidden areas because the areas we that that people may well have got to are already looted or d or desecrated. Those are the kind of areas we don't need to worry ourselves with. Okay. Was there an area, particularly when she was young, that she was very frightened of or told not to go to?

SPEAKER_00 38:15

Off to the right. Okay. So Wh where we were quartered or where where the priests live, that was on the left side of the temple. On the right, we were just not to go near at all. To the right.

SPEAKER_02 38:31

That sounds like the way to go, I think. Is uh Please? Anything that's not being desecrated is where we should be headed.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

I mean, there's a political joke there about an ability fucking swerving to the right, but yeah, let's go to the right. Let's go to the right. I'll buy it.

SPEAKER_03 38:45

My communist friend.

SPEAKER_00 38:50

Your lamp light falls upon a uh a large chamber. This looks to be the the gathering place for the temple. This is where people change their uh Galadria will tell you this is where the the adults change from their workday clothes into uh the ones for the rituals and where most of us children were were left to play while we were using. From all over actually. It was quite extensive uh as I understand. There were travellers, merchants, many different walks of life.

SPEAKER_02 39:30

I'm gonna cast the perception of sorcery now. They might be a good idea to do it now, and I'll have it running and let me save you a spell point there, just for the moment.

SPEAKER_00 39:39

Also, to the left and the right where the passageways lead off, you notice barricades. Fairly crude, like bolted together. They would be the sort of things that you would use to stop horse charges. You know, the big sort of cross barricades.

SPEAKER_03 39:56

Okay, so they've been repurposed to be in here, so they've been dragged in. Would they have had to have been built in here or were they too large to have a lot of things?

SPEAKER_00 40:03

That would account for some of the drag marks that you saw at the beginning of the uh So that's a recent thing then, the drag marks you're gonna be able to do. She's surprised when she sees that uh that that's not part of the design or defences.

SPEAKER_03 40:18

So what what's happened here then? I can't understand. Let's go find out. Would you like to have a little look around, please?

SPEAKER_01 40:26

I'm gonna assume that was meant in like decent spirits and that he's maybe learned a lesson. So yeah, I will have a little look. I'm going to look at the back barricades, I'm certainly going to inspect them for booby traps, and I'm gonna see how plausible it is to get past them. It would stop foot traffic.

SPEAKER_00 40:43

Either way, you could climb over, you could you could risk jumping over it. Okay. You could. These MOOCs they would have to clamber, but it would leave you open to any counterattacks, it would be really difficult to do so and fight at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

So I I could jump over, but if these were clambering over, they would be at risk.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

It's not guaranteed. If you fail the jump hole, you'll fall on some spiky bits and that that would be an owie.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

But I could climb over without any risk of injury from the barricades, but be defenseless whilst clambering. Yes. Oh, um I think we need to cross.

SPEAKER_02 41:21

Can we dismantle?

SPEAKER_01 41:22

I'd rather do that. It's difficult to get across. I'd rather be a perception chair.

SPEAKER_02 41:26

A perception chair. Right. Dismantle enough so we can get ourselves through.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

Oh, yes, please.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

Okay. Amongst the drag marks and the bits of mud and dust that's on the floor, you do see some ropes leading to that barricade on the right.

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Is it like I can pull the barricades aside and then reset them?

SPEAKER_00 41:47

It definitely looks like they they could be used to pull the barricade, yes.

SPEAKER_01 41:50

Okay, so I think we might be able to just walk through and reset it. Given the again, I'm being very careful, I'm being super conscious of looking for traps, etc. etc. But I'm gonna try and open the barricades and see if I can get these guys through. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 42:01

So you you start pulling it, it goes fairly easily after some initial resistance. They're not locked in, and darkness awaits.

SPEAKER_03 42:11

Brilliant. Okay, I think we'll leave it there. Thanks, guys. Tune in in a week or two's time for session two.