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Runtime Break start
4h 6m 2h 2m

Episode 103: Cages

Bells Hells, after trekking deep into the ruins of Aeor along with their guide, Essek Thelyss, you encountered the strange demonic entity that was keeping the Vanguard at bay, Dominox. Defeating it by pushing it through a gate into the abyss of its origin with the aid of Ludinus Da’leth, who then gave you a vision through a relic that he had discovered not too far beyond that of the Fall of Aeor (an era of Exandrian history spoken of but largely lost in its details), as it was it seems, one of the darkest moments for the Pantheon. With the intent of showing this to the world to erode the faith of Exandria (and in the hopes finding a point of understanding with your group) the invitation was given to join the Vanguard and see the world the way he does. After much debate and some heated discussion, he left the offer in your hands and left an offer in Delilah’s as well.
Tossing a relic of enticing power towards Laudna (the words having hold in her heart), Delilah fought her way to the surface and wrestled control of Laudna. The rest of you were forced to do battle with your friend in what may be her darkest moment. But you managed to defeat Delilah, sending her back for the time being as but a shard of shadow withing Laudna’s spirit, likely rapidly growing back.
At this moment, satisfied with what youve learned, Essek took your group via teleport to a place of safety, the abode of his partner Caleb Widogast. Here in this humble abode within the Dwendalian city of Rexxentrum. You had a moment to breathe. A moment to absorb, though still more likely to come. In the midst of these conversations, debating on what you’ve seen, what you’ve witnessed, what you’ve discussed and what’s to be done next.
It was considered that this ‘soul-anchored’ gem (now empty and bereft of its intended target) might have a secondary use to turn the tides of poor Laudna’s fate. After talking with Essek about it (and him looking to research its possibilities), he seemed to come to you with a bit of hope that it is indeed possible, though challenging.
After coming up from his study, his laboratory, to all of you saying that it could be done but it needs to be done quickly, likely before Delilah can begin to recover her former power in this subdued state. Time is of the essence, and began to draw you all back to the laboratory here in this late, late hour, as you stand exhausted, but hopefully driven to see this through.
So, here, as you all begin to follow Essek back into the laboratory where you arrived, you see him now, a number of books even further scattered amongst the laboratory interior. But you see he’s taken some time to organize some of the stacks into more solid towers. It has a number of strange instruments laid across one of the tables. He runs over quickly to start sketching out a larger runic circle than the teleportation one that brought you all here in the first place. In the quiet as you all stand there, he begins the initial process.

Previous Episode: “Reconciliation”

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    2·
    1 month ago

    Bell’s Hells Level UP to 14! (Except Laudna)

    (TWITTER LINK)

    • Ashton takes another level in Barbarian. For Ashton’s Chaos Burst, the damage die increases at higher levels, becoming 2d6 at 14th level.
      • rolls a 2 for hit points
    • Orym takes another Fighter level. Gets an ASI upgrade.
      • rolls a 5 for hit points
    • Imogen takes another Sorceror level.
    Revelation in Flesh

    Pretty much her Super Saiyan mode like Fearne and Ashton. "As a bonus action, you can spend 1 or more sorcery points to transform for 10 minutes. For each point you spend you can choose from a list of abilities: Flight, See Invisibility, Amphibious Travel, Extreme elasticity (Mr Fantastic squeezing through vent grates, etc)

    • rolls a 2 for hit points
    • Fearne takes a level in Rogue! Gets an ASI upgrade.
      • rolls a 7 for hit points
    • Dorian takes another Bard Level. Gets an ASI upgrade.
      • rolls an 8 for hit points
    • Chetney takes a “Blood Nutter” level (13 total). Gets Brand of Tethering.
      • rolls a 10 for hit points
    • Braius PASSes? (already level 14)
    • Laudna rolls 2 different dice for 2 different outcomes IF she survives. Values TBA
  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    2·
    1 month ago

    Sam’s Mug


    The removable section reveals a picture of a red bowling ball on the mug. On the underside of the removed piece reads:
    “COULD THIS BE YOU???”

    Bonus adorable moment

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    1·
    1 month ago

    ♪Episode Song References♪ ᕕ( ᐛ)ᕗ

    Highlights

    • 00:15:27 Travis & Laura: “Oh yeah!”
      Matt:“Sometimes the short rest gets you, brother”
    • 00:17:24 Essek explains that the sucessful process would not separate Delilah, but rather contain her within the soul anchor device as a source of power with no control, like Dominox beforehand. One consequence of failure would be a renewed attack from Delilah, and another resulting in the destruction both parts of Delaudna.
    • 00:20:54 Chetney’s blood magic may come in handy with the implanted device.
      Chetney:“Ooh, surgery! I’m gonna go scrub in.”
    • 00:21:42 Implications with Inspiration
      Dorian:“Sorry, mine’s a little bigger.”
      Braius:“I’m a grower.”
      Liam:“Cube no more…I mean, if we just need deft fingers, I’ve got that.”
    • 00:23:29 Braius:“I’m just going to stand behind you and encourage you and tell you when you’re doing it wrong.”
      Dorian:“Just like my dad.”
      Braius:“Oh, ba, ba, ba, ba. Are you sure you wanna do that?”
    • 00:28:10 Fearne:“Do you need to go poo?”
      Laudna:“It’s like a sloth. Once a month I have to climb down a tree…”
      Liam:“Spit up the dust ball with your lungs.”
      Robbie:“Owl pellets.”
    • 00:29:12 Braius:“WE did it.”
      Essek:“Chetters…”
      Chetney:“Chetters! chettERS!..Doctor Chetters.”
    • 00:34:03 Orym: sneezes
      Ashton:“Stop it.”
      Matt:“…you see a label that says Brenatto at the bottom…”
    • 00:36:20 Marisha:“I rip a dog from my chest, I guess.”
    • 00:39:27 Fan Art Moment Essek’s incantaion creating arcane threads around the crystalline soul anchor.
    • 00:42:26 A good roll of 18 isn’t enough for Chetney to succeed, but a clutch Guidance by Fearne adds two…
      Matt:“The DC was fuckin’ twenty…”
    • 00:46:26 Ashton decides to apply Mark of the Messy End to Delilah (any roll >= 18 counts as a crit for the next round).
    • 00:48:15 Fan Art Moment Orym beautifying the operating table with hexing red poppies giving disadvantage on wisdom rolls.
    • 00:50:31 Essek’s head tilt that says, We’ll talk about this later.
    • 00:52:39 Laudna is mentally taken to a strange intangible space where Delilah is waiting to strike.
    • 00:55:17 Delilah:“I’ve endured far worse than this.”
      Imogen:“I know you have. This will give you a chance to fight another day.”
    • 00:56:03 Matt:"The only other person that hasn’t contributed to this ritual is you, Laudna. HDYWTCTT?
    • 00:56:48 With Delilah’s hands at her throat, Laudna manages a smile and says,

    These years of being your puppet. It ends today, one way or another. I think it’s your turn.

    and casts Void Puppet (recently acquired ability)

    • 00:58:46 You see the spirits of every person that was hanging on the tree that day erupt from Laudna’s back. You see them stretch (and almost begin spaghettificaton) and attach to Delilah like the strings of a marionette. Laudna’s grip on Delilah tightens (you’re trapped with ME) in an intimidation check giving Imogen advantage on her charisma roll. The spectre of Whitestone appears in the distance and from it hundreds of other threads emerge forming a sort of network of every person that fell from her actions while ruling the city.
      There is a burning hatred in her eyes. A purple flame that grows brighter and more intense. You feel like if you had flesh in this moment, it would be burned away with the piercing volume of hate in that flame. As she opens her mouth to speak, every one of those threads pulls her away. As she gets pulled silently into the shadow behind, Essek presses his hands down on Laudna’s chest and finishes the incantation. Her entire body begins to glow internally, a vibrant purple to the point where the ribcage itself is the only darkened spot. The rest of her flesh is now alight, like a lantern from the inside. Her back is arched and her eyes and mouth fire out beams of that same purple light. That blackened shadow gets cast off like a torch into the darkness.
      As you (Chetney?) pull your hands back, the light diminishes. Laudna’s body relaxes and Essek pulls back (floating in the air, looking down) his eyes scattered around, looking for any sign of success.
      She’s there, Delilah. She’s there, but she’s yours.
      What you see is that burning hatred and that screaming, shadowed face, quiet as it rails against this ancient Aeorian crystal that holds her. Her flames, her shadow, drifting out like a sieve into the bone-like ribcage that contains her for as long as you walk this realm. You look down upon this, inside yourself, inside your spirit. She is entirely yours.
      As you conjure Pâté, you feel (where once you had to borrow energy from this darkness inside you as a request, as a sharer) now you siphon it from this crystal and you watch that purple flame in her hated expression dim, as you draw from her as you please.
    • 01:03:12 Pâté:“Oh, hey. What happened? Did I fuck it up? Where are we? Who the fuck are you? (to Braius)”
      Sam:“I draw my weapon.”
      20 damage to Pâté who is immediately disintegrated.
      Braius:“I have smited Delilah.”
      Chetney:“Oh Braius, you’re so brave.”
    • 01:05:08 Can you tell I’ve had work done?
    • 01:05:27 Marisha learns something about boys and flashlights.
      Travis:“The Batwing.”
      Matt:“Oh, yeah. A lot of us grew up before the internet. We had a lot of time to pass.”
      Sam:“Your phone has a flashlight on it.”
    • 01:06:33 Liam:“Bony Stark.”
    • 01:08:42 Laudna and Imogen get back together. Braius hangs his head.
    • 01:12:30 Orym suggests they celebrate finally getting a win. Dorian’s see-thru outfit art comes back to haunt Robbie.
    • 01:14:25 Abs?
    • 01:15:38 Goldschläger, Jägermeister, and Widogaster (Fireball).
    • 01:16:07 Liam:(Caleb voice)“Why would I buy it when I can get it for free?”
    • 01:17:02 Braius:“Hells yes.”
    • 01:18:33 Braius’ brief backstory:
      • life around Wildemount
      • origins devoted to Bahamut (becoming head security at a temple in Zadash where a “horrible goblin and a nightmareish tiefling” deceived him, gained entry and desecrated the temple with dicks on the wall not unlike the section here at Caleb’s house)
      • downward trajectory, excommunication from the temple, shunned by family
      • called to serve Asmodeus
    • 01:25:52 Braius:“If I’m being honest, and I always am, there’s a lot of people who don’t really love my god…but My guy did not just care about himself, he wanted to be with his family, and that’s all we ever want.”
    • 01:27:59 Chetney confesses that he fell asleep during the movie
    • 01:29:06 Braius’ checklist:
      • Kill Ludinus
      • Save gods
      • Kill Primes
      • Hunt and kill the goblin and tiefling
    • 01:30:05 Orym:“You’re an interesting new friend.”
      Laudna:“We have ‘hells’ in our name, though. It’s honestly very fitting.”
      Braius:“When you told me that, I got really excited.”
    • 01:31:23 Braius’ math is in the base-6 system, rather than base-10
    • 01:32:45 Orym states his belief that the Wildmother is not behind the divine gate.
    • 01:33:57 Imogen:“If I have to deal with one more crazy bitch watchin’ us when we’re tryin’ to bone, I’m gonna be real fuckin’ pissed.”
      Chetney:“All right! I’ll stop.”
    • 01:34:33 Braius:“…I’m not all bad…(whispers) that was a lie… There’s a greeting card on your mantle and it’s written, ‘To my favorite war criminal, signed Beauregard’.”
    • 01:38:52 Dorian:(to Laudna)“You’d rather die than stay in control by someone else.”
      Laudna:“Yes.”
    • 01:41:11 Orym spouts some FCG-style ‘Flat Exandria’ facts
    • 01:42:05 Chetney suggests that the power vacuum will also result in mass death from ambitious contenders. Orym suggests that Ludinus has a significant ‘step two’ that they may want to investigate.
    • 01:44:26 Imogen:“What does Predathos mean for the Luxon?”
      Essek:“If it even exists…who knows. Whatever the dunamantic power source is, it is quite divergent from divine power sources. If indeed Predathos seems an entity that feasts on divine power, then I do not think it would be as interested in the Luxon. That is just a theory.”
    • 01:45:16 Braius suggests, rather than Betrayer, they refer to the non-Prime deities as ‘Indie-Alt Gods’ and then foolishly dares to taunt the Legion of the Swift. “I told you, I’m bad.”
    • 01:46:29 To celebrate Laudna’s victory over addiction to toxic power, Ashton looks for his ‘good time pipe’.
    • 01:47:13 Marisha:“That San Fernando Valley.”
    • 01:48:06 Braius:“I don’t mind if we spin the bottle, that would be fun.”
      Chetney:(laughs)“Tha-hirstee. My man is in a drought! Feed that plant!”
      Dorian:“Seven minutes in the Hells?”
      Braius:“Six. Gotta be six.”
    • 01:48:53 Taliesin rolls a d10 and Braius gets the first hit, but tells the group his moment was killing Stanley (who stabbed him in the back and who his drinking mug is made from) without even needing to, which is probably for the best because his hooves made smoking very difficult.
    • 01:56:45 Taliesin:“I have disadvantage on anything. I don’t know why I bother.”
    • 01:59:38 Braius rolls a 33 on persuasion or deception.
      Ashton:“God, you’re pretty.”
    • 02:01:22 Essek notices some artwork of Jester and Nott, remembers Braius’ story about ‘an evil tiefling and goblin’ and prestidigitates a curtain to obscure them.
    • 02:05:45 Ashton laments travelling with artists as Chetney and Braius discuss blood-based artwork and Dorian practices his instrument.

    (continued)

    • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago
      • 02:06:00 Liam:(to Robbie)“Your brother died three days ago.”
        Robbie:“Ok-shutup-about-that.”

      INTERMISSION

      You all went to rest through out the handful of chambers within Essek’s abode, here in the capital city of Rexxentrum. Looking to get a full night’s sleep after a very long day. You succeed and get a long rest.

      • 02:19:41 MFMM:(Hal 9000 voice)“You’re right, I should just destroy you all.”
      • 02:20:13 Chetney attunes to the recently acquired Demonshell Armor on one of the couches and the party agrees to give Imogen and Laudna their own room.
      • 02:21:00 Marisha’s tablet quits the game
      • 02:22:22 The armor gives Chetney a rust-colored bodysuit appearance and he smells a fiendish essence from it.
        Travis:“Never seen a reptilian werewolf?”
      • 02:25:50 Please Matt, describe the fit of Chetney’s armor suit and put emphasis on the genitals
      • 02:27:31 The armor holds designs like sequin pillows
      • 02:30:44 Chetney inadvertently flashes Essek’s neighbor while climbing the house to use the 2nd story washroom.
      • 02:35:15 The Amulet of Cursed Life nullifies spells of 5th level and below within 5 feet once per day. After doing so, all dead bodies within 200 feet are immediately risen as skeletons and zombies and begin to attack the wearer.
      • 02:38:12 Essek:“The majesty of carefully and discreetly slipping jewelry onto an individual without them knowing why is a time-honored tradition for assassinations. Not that I know anything about that…”
      • 02:39:50 Orym updates Caleb via the sending stone
      • 02:41:36 Ashton volunteers for further investigation (by Essek) into the dunamantic origins of his head
      • 02:47:15 Essek provides a dunamantic focus for Ashton to reign in any uncontrolled reactions to his unique construction
      • 02:50:15 *The party teleports to a ruined landscape with some small fires burning nearby. Gloamglut (the fey dragon mount of Sorrowlord Zathuda, Fearne’s father) is spotted as well as an emerging Slither nearby. They are spotted by an unknown caster who attempts to counterspell Essek’s next teleportation, and fails. The group arrives at another ruined landscape of much more recent battle with fresh blood lingering in the air.
      • 02:59:20 Keyleth:“Can’t talk much right now. In a council meeting. You should come. Within the Platinum Sanctuary.”
      • 03:04:28 Chetney’s nose detects the presence of resurrected flesh
      • 03:05:17 Braius’ brashness overcomes Oryms apprehension “We push past.”
      • 03:06:38 Thumbs up for everyone!
      • 03:10:10 The remains of an earth elemental titan form the center of the city of Vasselheim.
      • 03:11:02 Marisha:"I want to go to there
      • 03:11:35 Gibbets are spotted with Vanguard colors on the deceased occupants.
      • 03:12:09 Sam sneezes, Ashley shushes.
      • 03:13:15 Essek:“I wish I could say it was purely altruistic, but I am still working to burn the rest of the guilt off my soul.”
      • 03:15:20 Lore Drop The Whispered One’s plot but 30 years before, a newborn god from the stolen rites of the Matron of Ravens rose up to become the only god on this plane and was foiled and sealed away by a heroic group of figures known as Vox Machina, to which the Voice of the Tempest once belonged. This towering entity, drawn from a long dead chasm beneath the ground. Risen from necromantic power unimaginable to walk once more. Then left here, lifeless, as a reminder of dark times and the hope that lies, even at the edge of darkness.
        As you walk beneath these arms and legs, you can see gardens planted along its many shelves where winter flowers bloom. A number of snowdrops seem to coil up alongside its legs. You can see miners carrying materials from within. It has become part of the landscape.
        Continuing inward, you take note of the various bastions that are keeping a close watch. Try as you might, a few times you are clocked and followed. Most upon seeing your definitive Ashari attire, tend to splinter off shortly thereafter. You begin to smell the haze of smoke getting stronger, and as you pass into the further interior region, you step into an area known as the Duskmeadow…
        There is a perpetual stillness to this space. Those that walk through here seem to walk with a quickness. You’re hard-pressed not to have your eyes catch an incredible structure along your path, what looks to be a massive ‘gothic’ cathedral that looms over the rest of this region. Tall pointed spires, architecture reminiscent of one such temple in much more modest means, where some of you had a brief vision with the Matron of Ravens. The air of this space definitely carries her scent, her energy. As you all walk past towards its peaks, dozens of ravens scatter and call out to the night.
      • 03:19:28 They walk past ‘burn pits’ where undead are disposed of to avoid further reanimation.
      • 03:20:00 Bastion:“This is a recent thing called The Dark Bloom that occurred when the Solstice came and all of this (points at the ethereal-tangled sky). We keep many of the dead of the city throughout history through the endless catacombs beneath Vasselheim. Many of them awakened, all at once. Raven’s Crest has been busy with their funeral rites a second time… it takes a little bit of time for thousands of our ancestral dead to climb through the caverns. We have them sealed for now, so perhaps in time we can deal with the rest. There’s no confirmation of how many have risen.”
      • 03:25:36 Places of worship are crowded
      • 03:28:33 They pass by another set of guards outside the council meeting.
      • 03:34:15 Fan Art Moment The Platinum Sanctuary
      • 03:35:18 Essek spots a banner of the Kryn Dynasty (who are hunting him as a criminal)
      • 03:35:54 Essek:“…besides, this one can talk to my boyfriend.” (he drops the “partner” terminology)
      • 03:36:43 Dorian:“You can look at the menu as long as you order from home.”
      • 03:38:35 Fan Art Moment Fearne carrying Orym on her shoulder leading the group to the meeting
      • 03:38:43 GROG STRONGJAW
      • 03:39:22 Ashley’s delayed reaction
      • 03:40:33 PIKE TRICKFOOT
      • 03:40:56 “Bidet”
      • 03:41:00 Grog’s Muffin Top over the Belt of Dwarven Fortitude
      • 03:44:50 Matt describes J’mon Sa Ord and the Bright Queen after mentioning Earthbreaker Groon. Allura and Kima are here. The dwarven royals Queen Fruunast and King Talviel of Uthodurn. That’s just who Bell’s Hells recognize.
      • 03:46:09 Travis:“I love him so much! He hasn’t learned shit!”
        Sam:“This was a big first day for me.”