Everyone get down! The Blackberry Dragon has emerged and is vacuuming up everything in sight! If you don’t want to be a greenfolk puree, you better hold on.
What do you do with a thorny dragon? What do you do with a thorny dragon? What do you do with a thorny dragons sucking up the greenfolk?
Sponsors
- Volante Design, makers of some of the most badass clothing there is. Get 10% off your order with code jointheparty at https://volantedesign.us
- Character Select, a podcast by actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco all about the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture!
Find Us Online
- website: https://jointhepartypod.com
- patreon: https://patreon.com/jointhepartypod
- instagram: https://instagram.com/jointhepartypod
- twitter: https://twitter.com/jointhepartypod
- tumblr: https://jointhepartypod.tumblr.com
- facebook: https://facebook.com/jointhepartypod
- merch & music: http://jointhepartypod.com/merch
Cast & Crew
- Game Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Umbi), Co-Producer, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Chamomile Cassis), Co-Producer: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Troy Riptide), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Theme Song: Lyrics by Eric Silver, music by Brandon Grugle. Vocals by Brandon Grugle, Lauren Shippen, Julia Schifini, Roux Bedrosian, Eric Silver, Tyler Silver, and Amanda McLoughlin. Available for purchase here.
- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman
- Multitude: https://multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is an actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre-pushing storytelling, and collaborators who make each other laugh each week. We welcome everyone to the table, from longtime players to folks who’ve never touched a roleplaying game before. Hop into our current campaign, a pirate story set in a world of plant- and bug-folk, or marathon our completed stories with the Camp-Paign, a MOTW game set in a weird summer camp, Campaign 2 for a modern superhero game, and Campaign 1 for a high fantasy story. And once a month we release the Afterparty, where we answer your questions about the show and how we play the game. New episodes every Tuesday.
Transcript
Eric: I remember a time before the Cascade dried up. Here in Verda Stello, the four nations of plant and bug people flourished and thrived. But the great waterfall that fed the land slowed to a trickle, revealing a vast Salt Sea and unknown islands. The only guide were the words of the 13 Dried Carvings. "The water will slow to fall, but the tides are turning. Find the Infinite Lake to replenish the world and discover the Salmon who will grant you a wish of whatever you desire." This marks the beginning of the Tide, as many Greenfolk hauled onto ships to find the Infinite Lake and maybe riches, adventure, excitement, and purpose along the way. And what exactly is a salmon? Is that a berry? That was 50 years ago, and the Tide rushes forward ever still. There are many stories caught on the wind between sails, but why don't we hear just one? Of a butterfly gunman with clipped wings, a ripened and explosive piece of produce, and a witch made out of tea. This is Join the Party Campaign 3, The Rising Tide!
[theme]
Amanda: Last time on Join the Party.
Eric: The crew finds a cave in the mountain that the Kompos facility is built into. It's filled with blackberry thorns and some sort of anti-magic field, because Cammie can't communicate with Kidd Cervantes. As Cammie and Troy are trying to figure out what to do, Umbi geronimos his way into the abyss. What he finds is not death, but the cave opens into a giant pool of some weird liquid that contains the ruins of South Kompos City and the many, many prisoner pirates that are kept inside of this cave. Turns out, this is the prison. Luckily, that includes Kidd Cervantes and his cactus siblings. Unfortunately, that includes a blackberry dragon who opens up its mouth and vacuums everything into it. Even more unfortunately, the dragon emerges at the moment that Troy and Cammie jumped into the cave themselves. So hold on tight, let's get the party started.
Eric: In a word, folks, this sucks.
Julia: Oh, interesting. I agree.
Brandon: Nice.
Eric: I— I think it's pretty good, but I think everyone else who is running away, all the people who are in this Kompos facility, in this ruined town square, running away from the Blackberry Dragon that has opened up its mouth, revealing five sets of teeth, and a gullet sucking everyone in. Everyone running away as Kidd Cervantes and his siblings are pulling Umbi away down in the street and up in the "sky", quote-unquote, the Z-axis? Troy, Cammie, and Havana Tropicana, Doctor in medicine, is getting sucked down from the air. Here's how this works, folks. I'm going to make you all do strength checks to try not to get sucked down into the maw of the Blackberry Dragon. If you get 3 during the time that this is happening, you get sucked in, and you're having a bad time. Each time you fail, you get pulled in a little bit more towards the Blackberry Dragon, alright?
Brandon: Cool.
Julia: Great. So should I— should I roll a new character now or—
Eric: Yeah, I think so, for sure.
Julia: Okay, cool. Cool.
Eric: In between those checks, you can definitely try to do something if you'd like. I also want to say that down on the ground as Kidd Cervantes and the Cactus Kids are pulling Umbi off of the street, hopefully into some of these buildings. Umbi, you're just rolling straight up. But since you're floating down from the top on the Z-axis with nothing blocking you in any sort of direction, I'm going to need our other two intrepid pirates, plus Havana Tropicana is going to be rolling with disadvantage, at least to start here.
Amanda: Well, shit.
Julia: I'm gonna fully die.
Brandon: Is this a collective action or an individual action?
Eric: You're doing it to save yourself, but we're all— everyone's doing it at the same time.
Brandon: Got it.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: [dice roll] Hmm. I rolled a 7 and a 4, so that's gonna be a three.
Eric: Oh, pretty bad.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: [dice roll] Got a 3 and an 8, so 3 plus 1 for a 4.
Eric: Also bad. Havana rolled an 18, but then rolled a 3. So while your—
Julia: Squaaad.
Eric: So while— yours was— so yours you have jumped in, you've splooshed, you're looking around, and then all of a sudden [sucking noise] as you're getting sucked down towards the center of what used to be this town, towards the porthole with the Blackberry Dragon stuck with its head shoved through this iron ring. You're now pulled quickly down towards the town and towards the dragon. Umbi, let me know about you.
Brandon: Well, I rolled a 6 minus 1 normally, and then minus another 1 for my current status, so I got a 4.
Eric: You got a 4, alright.
Brandon: Uh-huh.
Eric: So Kidd Cerva— as Kidd Cervantes is grabbing you and trying to shuffle you in, trying to get you off the street, the pull of the Blackberry Dragon is just too strong. Your hand slips out of his prickly paw, and there's a few needles still stuck in your hand.
Brandon: Yeah, that hurts real bad when that happens.
Eric: Yeah. And you're getting like, thrown backwards, now you're like tumbling backwards down this town square. You're bouncing through the rubble of Main Street.
Amanda: That's a really good practical sound design, Brandon.
Brandon: Thank you.
Eric: When Umbi falls, does he make like a— like a horn sound?
Brandon: Oh, like a— like an Ahwooga horn?
Eric: No, like a— yeah, like wah, wah, wah, wah.
Brandon: Yeah, not out of his mouth though, so—
Eric: No, it's out of his butt.
Brandon: No one's quite sure where it's from.
Eric: It's his butt. Listeners, it's his butt.
Julia: Yeah, his butt.
Eric: It's his butt.
Julia: That was gonna be my guess, was the butt.
Eric: Umbi, you also see other— other Greenfolk are flying by you. Just getting absolute— they're not even bouncing on the road, they're just going [sucking noise] and some of them are getting sucked into the gullet of the Blackberry Dragon.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Some Greenfolk are, like, holding on to the branches of the trees that are rooted into the ground. Some are like by just— little fingers are holding on to some of the concrete rubble.
Brandon: Yeah. It's a real Twister situation.
Eric: It's a Twister, a Twister. Yes, exactly.
Brandon: Are there any— what's a cow? Oh, milk thistle? Milk thistle cow?
Julia: Oh, that's cute.
Brandon: Getting sucked into the tornadoes?
Eric: No.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Aw. So much for yes, and.
Amanda: Protect all the cows.
Brandon: The rules of improv.
Julia: Nooo.
Amanda: Now Eric, Troy, Cammie, and Havana entered this space, like holding on to each other.
Eric: Yes.
Amanda: Remember Troy holding on to the two of them, like two babies on his hips?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: And had retracted the friendship necklace from its anchor on the top of the cavern—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: —to like fall that— the rest of the way.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Can I shoot the arrow again, and try to anchor us to something that is not this vortex? It feels—
Eric: Oh, yeah, no. Once on each of your turns while wearing the amulet. Yeah, there you go.
Julia: Oh, fuck yeah.
Brandon: Oh, nice.
Eric: Yeah, there you go. So the answer is yes.
Amanda: Hell yeah, dude. He's going to position his shoulders down toward where Umbi is and yell—
Amanda (as Troy): Friendship!
Amanda: And shoot out his arrow, hoping to anchor them a little bit to the ground or a structure.
Eric: Sure. Let's do it. So you— you— you wiggle your— your crossbow out. You make another friendship arrow, let's see how it goes.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I'm gonna say—
Amanda: It's got a 300-foot range.
Eric: Yeah, no, no, no.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: That's fine. Especially because you're getting pulled closer to the ground by the fact that a dragon is trying to suck you into its gullet.
Amanda: I'm trying to go as perpendicular to the path as I can. So, like, if the dragon is pulling us to the, you know, southeast, I want to go southwest.
Eric: You are currently on the move while you're doing this. This is a moving shot, so it's gonna be a little bit more difficult. So the AC of breaking stone here is 17, which is quite high. But here's the thing, is that this is all concrete, so you're trying to like sh— you don't have to break anything necessarily, but you're trying to find purchase in this thing.
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: And you're doing it on the move. So I'm looking for a 16 here.
Brandon: Eric, does Amanda get that benefit because Troy's last name is Breakstone? Or—
Eric: Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Julia: Have you considered?
Eric: Yeah. So it's gonna be a little— you're not trying to break the stone as you're now saying it would say. It's a good thing you're not like Bad Roll Fletcherson or something like that.
Amanda: That's— that'll be bad.
Eric: That would be pretty bad.
Julia: It's— it's a good thing you're not arrow shatterer.
Brandon: I can't believe we no butted my milk thistle cow but we went with this.
Julia: Yeah, we did it.
Amanda: Alright. Well, let's give it a go.
Julia: You got this. Easy roll.
Eric: Let's go.
Amanda: [dice roll] 14.
Eric: Hey.
Brandon: Hey.
Amanda: Yeah. Alright, love it.
Eric: Troy, tell me what it looks like. Tell me what your— what's your hitting.
Amanda: I think that Troy's friendship arrow flies right over the top of Umbi's head, cutting off like a single hair as if I was trying to, like, trick shot an apple off of his— his— his dome.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's the one last I have.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Off of his bald pate?
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: Geez.
Amanda: And lodges itself in the window frame of a building behind him.
Eric: I love it. Here's what I'm gonna say, Troy, because the arrow is coming out of your necklace, you don't have to hold on— you don't have to hold on to stay— not get sucked in. You don't have to make strength checks, except for helping Cammie— except for helping Cammie and Havana.
Julia: Please, please, please help.
Amanda: Yes, I would love to.
Eric: Cool. So now that will negate the disadvantage that Cammie and Havana have. So Cammie and Havana, you can roll regular, but Cammie and Havana still need to make strength checks to hold on to you.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Alright.
Eric: And Umbi, you're still tumbling down the— down the road. Does anyone else want to do anything else while you have this time in between getting sucked up?
Brandon: Yes. I would like to note for the record that my first thought was to— because I get two times damage to buildings and structures.
Eric: Hmm.
Brandon: Was to blow up a building and shove it down the maw of this dragon.
Eric: Cool.
Amanda: Not bad.
Brandon: But I have grown up.
Eric: Wow.
Amanda: And what does grown-up Brandon want to do?
Brandon: Grown-up Brandon wants to throw a potion called Oil of Taggit into the suction line of this creature, this Blackberry Dragon. If that happens, the creature must exceed on a bomb save DC throw or become poisoned. And if the creature becomes poisoned, the poisoned creature becomes unconscious.
Julia: Oh.
Brandon: It does wake up if it takes damage, though.
Julia: We will not do damage to it.
Brandon: And it's a contact potion, so it just has to contact it.
Eric: Oh, that sounds great. So what am I— what's my save? Yeah, what am I trying to roll?
Brandon: So it is 8 plus 8 modifier, so 16 total.
Eric: Cool. I think you can definitely toss that out. I think it's going to take one more ro— one— it needs to get sucked in first.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: So it's going to take a little while to get there. But you can definitely toss it in there into the jet stream and let it get sucked in, for sure.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: Love it. No, I love that.
Brandon: I think as he's tumbling like a tumbleweed down this main street towards the open maw this creature, he's like tumbling end over end, right? And he slowly manages to reach his hand into the side of his— his, like, coat jacket thing, pull out a potion, which he hopes to God is the Oil of Taggit, tosses it in the air, and then as he fumbles, end over end, he kicks it with his foot towards the dragon.
Amanda: Nice.
Eric: [dice roll] Oh, Brandon, I rolled and that was actually Italian dressing. Sorry.
Brandon: Nooo.
Julia: Nooo.
Eric: Sorry, sorry.
Julia: Why would my people do this to Brandon?
Brandon: They would never, Julia.
Eric: I rolled a Nat 20 on that, too.
Julia: Okay, cool.
Amanda: It's Newman's Own, unopened.
Eric: Damn.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Paul Newman, why would you do that to Umbi?
Brandon: I wasn't screaming no because it wasn't the potion. I was screaming no because I wasted my Italian dressing.
Eric: Yeah, exactly.
Julia: Aw.
Amanda: Yeah. No, no, that was— Brandon, that— that came across clear. You— you totally telegraphed that, yes.
Eric: That was $7 at the grocery store. That's gonna be expensey. Yeah, no, that's great. You can toss that in there. It's in the jet stream, it's gonna take a little bit to hit the dragon, for sure. Cammie, you want to do anything, or are you good?
Julia: Yeah, Eric, can I— this is a stupid request.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: Can I use candy blast on myself to make myself stickier so I stick to Troy? I'll even take the damage from candy blast.
Eric (as Operator): The magic you're trying to use—
Julia: I literally can't—right. I can't use magic down here. Fuck me, I guess.
Eric (as Operator): The magic you're trying to use cannot be completed as dialed.
Eric: As you try to conjure your steam up to candy blast yourself, the steam just gets dissipated into this liquid and then sucked in into the jet stream of the Blackberry Dragon.
Julia: Huh.
Amanda: Brutal.
Julia: I wonder if that's just like casting spells or if that's also hexes.
Eric: I don't know.
Julia: I mean, I can try to do a hex and see if that will help me.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I— I need strength saving throws from Havana Tropicana and from Cammie, and another one from Umbi.
Amanda: But not disadvantage, right?
Julia: Normal now?
Eric: No, not— these are normal, not disadvantage.
Julia: [dice roll] Yes. 18 minus one for a 17.
Eric: Nice. I rolled a 19 for Havana, so Havana is going to cling to Troy as well.
Julia: Good job, buddy.
Amanda: I just picture you both clinging to me like koalas.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Umbi rolled a 14 minus 2 for 12.
Eric: 12.
Julia: Cammie is screaming like—
Julia (as Cammie): [screams]
Julia: A 18 minus 1 for a 17.
Eric: Cammie and Havana Tropicana cling to the sides of their buffed friend Troy— Troy— I was gonna say Troy Valentine. I don't know who that is.
Brandon: That's Joey's brother.
Eric: Joey's brother, right. Cling to the sides of Troy Riptide. Umbi, you continue to tumble over and over and over. You're keeping speed with your Oil of Taggit that you threw.
Brandon: No, no, no, Eric. If you remember, I kicked it with my foot, so it is ever so slightly faster than me.
Eric: Right. It's one foot in front of you. It's one foot in front of you. This one also— there— speaking of tumbleweeds, there is a tumbleweed Greenfolk that is now catching speed next to you.
Julia: Aw. No.
Amanda: Eric, are our trajectories intersecting at all? Are they going to cross?
Eric: Let me— let me roll. As the tumbleweed gets close to you, Umbi, it says—
Eric (as Bramble): I've seen worse. It's fine.
Julia: Can I share with you a fun tumbleweed fact?
Brandon: Yes.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: While Eric rolls. Tumbleweeds, actually, not originally a plant from the United States. It came over from Eastern Europe.
Eric: Oh.
Brandon: Oh.
Amanda: Julia, did you know an invasive species called the air potato is taking over a bunch of gardens in New York City? That's true.
Julia: That's wild.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Can you eat them?
Amanda: No.
Julia: Oh. Not good then.
Amanda: It's a little weed, big tuber.
Eric: Air Potato is the nickname to a basketball player from Dublin.
Amanda: Uh-hmm. It's really good.
Julia: Yeah, he wears those shoes and everything.
Brandon: There's no rule in the rule book that says a potato can't play basketball.
Amanda: You're right. You're right.
Eric: He has great court vision because all of his eyes. Alright, here we go.
Amanda: Ahhh.
Eric: Troy, as you're holding yourself and holding your two compa— compatriots to your side, you're not moving forward. You're just like hanging. You're still hanging like up there in the Z-axis, in this— in the, quote-unquote "sky."
Amanda: Yeah. Okay.
Eric: So Umbi is hum— because Umbi started on the ground, Umbi is tumbling straightforwardly and you are up.
Amanda: Got it.
Eric: Yeah. Hell yeah. So alright, Umbi, one more failed save and you will be in the maw. Let's see what happens. Anyone else want to do anything?
Amanda: Can Troy try to lasso Umbi?
Julia: Yeah. I was gonna say how far away is Umbi? How far is the Umbus?
Eric: I'm gonna say decently far, but not like incredibly far, because y'all got closer to each other, because you—you're being, like, sucked towards the same vortex.
Julia: Is he within 60 feet, or too far?
Eric: No, I think it'd be farther than that, because y'all were really com— you were coming all the way down from the top of this thing.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And although you got much closer because of the vortex, I think you're farther than that. Because you're like— you're coming down from— from the full top of the cave.
Julia: Okay. Then, if Troy is going to try doing something, I'm going to attempt to cast a hex called Fortune.
Eric: Interesting.
Julia: Do I hear boop, boop, boop?
Eric: Tell me what— hexes are like what? Inherent to you as a per— as a— as a witch?
Julia: Well, according to Valda's, it is “a witch casts their terrible hexes as an extension of their curse. As their curses are magical in nature, their hexes are considered zero level spells for the purposes of features and spells such as counterspell or dispel magic, which interact with magic.”
Eric: Interesting. Yeah, no, I think you can do it. Let me—what— what do hexes look like instead? Because they're coming off of like your— the blight that's on Cammie.
Julia: Right. So hexes always require this somatic ability of my laughter.
Eric: Right.
Julia: So it's Cammie going— very nervous laughing like—
Julia (as Cammie): [nervous laughing]
Julia: And so the hex Fortune as an action, you choose one friendly creature other than yourself. You can see within 60 feet. The creature has advantage on saving throws until the end of their next turn. Or saving throw is not going to be useful for the action that you want to take and you're not making saves anyway. I'll do it on Havana, then.
Eric: Sure. Sounds great. Do the hexes look any different, or you're just like— it's just— the steam is like coming off of you? What— what? How does these look different?
Julia: Yeah, I think it's that, and I think it almost like— almost sonically radiates, like, ripples, like visual ripples that you can kind of see.
Eric: I like it.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Havana gets a little shiny for a moment, being able to hold out a little bit better.
Julia (as Cammie): Well, it's good to know that my innate magic is still kind of working.
Eric: Julia, can you do this but Cammie's like in a wind tunnel? Can you give me that?
Julia (as Cammie): Well, it's good to know that my innate magic is still working!
Julia: Is that good?
Eric: Yeah, and then a cow goes by you. Crazy.
Julia: Oh, a milk thistle cow?
Eric: Yeah. Milk thistle cow.
Julia: Oh, wow.
Eric: I came up with it myself.
Amanda: The tape will show.
Eric: The tape will show that I came up with it myself.
Julia: Brandon's pissed. Brandon's pissed. Not reacting at all.
Eric: Hell yeah. Wonderful. Anything else, folks?
Amanda: Yeah, I think Troy is just gonna throw a dagger into the mouth of the Blackberry Dragon.
Eric: Sure. Yeah man.
Amanda: Give it a go.
Julia: Get 'em.
Eric: Yeah, just make a— make an attack roll with advantage, because it certainly helps when there's a vacuum going towards your face. You're gonna have an easier time.
Amanda: [dice roll] Okay, I got 4 and a 7. Neither is gonna do it, but I do have two attacks, Eric, so can I throw two daggers?
Eric: Sure, you could throw another dagger.
Amanda: Yeah?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: [dice roll] Two. Motherfucker. And a 16. Alright. So—
Eric: Okay. One dagger, you throw it— you throw it out there.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Eric: And it's now like traveling—
Amanda: Well, 16 plus 3 for a 19. I think it hits.
Eric: Yeah, it's traveling.
Amanda: It didn't hit yet?
Eric: I mean, well, it's far away, so it's like— much like what happened with Umbi's oil is that it's like— it's on its way flying towards— because the thing is throwing a dagger, they wouldn't be super far away for you to do it. But because the vacuum is working towards your advantage, it takes a while to get there.
Amanda: Cool. Well, I'm gonna use a risk die, and I'll tell you what that means, if and when the dagger actually hits.
Eric: Alright, no problem. Brandon, you got something?
Brandon: Here's my thought.
Eric: Tell me.
Brandon: Before Umbi dies, he wants to take a potion of truth to tell everybody how it— no, I'm just kidding.
Julia: Hilarious.
Brandon: Here's what I'm going to try. I would like, Eric—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: —to throw a bramble bomb upon myself.
Eric: Great.
Brandon: Because it deals no damage, but instead causes difficult terrain. But if the creature in the blast radius is prone, which I think I am, it is enveloped by the brambles and must succeed on a strength athletics check against my bomb save DC before it can move or stand.
Julia: This is like me trying to candy blast myself.
Eric: No, I love that, man. That's great. I think that you can toss— you can throw that bramble bomb down. I always imagine as all of your bombs are kind of like, you know, things inside of other things.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: There's no like fuse on this. There's no— there's no, like, chemical going through other chemical. It's just like this terrible plant inside of a jar.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: That you just try to, like, let out. So, yeah, you can throw that bomb down, it spurts out, and hol— and is holding you down. I'll give you advantage on your strength saving throw. Absolutely.
Brandon: Well, thank you.
Eric: Hell yeah. Love that. You spike the bomb, the— the brambles grow quickly, kind of grab you.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And it also helps trying to hold you by the foot, a chain of cactuses with Kidd Cervantes holding on to the branch of a tree, the tree itself getting ripped out by its roots and all of the cactus kids holding each other by the prickly hands, are also trying to hold you by the foot.
Brandon: No one has ever loved Umbi in this exact way before, and it's beautiful. A single tear falls down his cheek and then get sucked into the Blackberry Dragon.
Eric: Yeah. Umbi's love language is saving him from dying.
Amanda: You’d be surprised how often it comes up.
Eric: It happens— it happens a lot, it happens a lot. Wonderful. Okay. Here's where it's going. Also, while this is happening, stuff is flying, plates are flying by you, food’s flying by you. More Greenfolk, more prisoners are just flying— are flying by you. While also the dagger and the Oil of Taggit is also— is also nearing the gullet of the Blackberry Dragon. I need one more strength saving throw right now from everybody here. Umbi gets friendship advantage, Havana gets magical advantage, which is also friendship in a different way. And Cammie is just doing it straight up.
Julia: And Cammie rolled a 5.
Eric: Cammie rolled a 5.
Amanda (as Troy): I'm sorry, Cammie. I'm trying.
Eric: Havana rolled a 5 and a 4.
Julia: Oh, buddy.
Amanda: Buddy. If they start to slip, can Troy make a dex saving throw?
Eric: No. You're already doing— you're already doing it.
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: Alright, 5 and a 4. Umbi, what do you got?
Brandon: Well, Eric, here's my question.
Amanda: Sounds bad.
Brandon: If I am completely enveloped by these brambles and I have to succeed on a strength saving check before I can move or stand according to the rules, do I need to succeed on this?
Eric: Yeah, because this is— that's what difficult terrain is, is that usually if you moved into it out and of it, you would get disadvantage. So there's a lot of other stuff happening. You're not dead immediately, Brandon.
Brandon: Okay. I got a 6 and a 12.
Eric: There it is.
Brandon: Minus 2, so I got a 10.
Eric: Alright. Well, Havana and Cammie are pulled from Troy's grasp, and continue to be sucked in by the Blackberry Dragon's vacuum-like abilities. And you're getting closer and closer now to Umbi who is nearing tumbling end over end over end, towards the center of what used to be this town now occupied by this monstrous creature. But there are things entering the gullet of this dragon before you. First, the potion you threw, and at the same time, a dagger coming from the sky. The tumbleweed Greenfolk is now past you because it's so aerodynamic. So let's see what happens before Umbi gets sucked into this dragon, yeah?
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: Let's see.
Amanda: Yes, please.
Eric: Let's see what happens.
Brandon: I hope that tumbleweed dies.
Julia: Rude. What'd he do to you?
Eric: Let's see which hits first. Amanda and Brandon, just give me some D20 rolls really quickly.
Brandon: Okay.
Amanda: 11.
Brandon: 18.
Eric: 18. Alright, the oil hits first. I need to make a constitution saving throw for this dragon. Wha— what am I trying to hit?
Brandon: Creature must succeed on a bomb save DC, that is 16 total for me.
Eric: 16. Okay. Here's the thing, folks, dragons have good constitution.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: I've got plus 5 here for this dragon. So let's see, I need a— I need to have an 11 or higher to see if it swallows this potion and falls asleep. Alright. I rolled something, interesting.
Brandon: You son of a bitch.
Eric: Troy, what are you doing with this dagger?
Amanda: Yeah, so Troy use a risk die on his turn. And so once the dagger actually hits the creature, I am going to be doing covering fire. So when I hit the creature, I can expand the risk die as a bonus action to cow it. Roll the risk die and subtract it from the next attack roll the creature makes before the start of my next turn.
Brandon: Interesting.
Amanda: Now, my risk die is a 10, so I'm going to roll it right now—
Eric: Cool.
Amanda: —to see what's subtracted.
Julia: Ooh.
Amanda: Alright. That is a 6. So, Eric, you're going to subtract 6 from your next attack roll.
Eric: Interesting.
Brandon: Interesting.
Eric: That is interesting.
Brandon: Maybe you take 6 off that constitution saving roll right there, bud.
Eric: Maybe I do take 6 off the saving throw.
Brandon: Maybe.
Eric: Though, it would be in a different dire— it would be in the wrong order.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: So maybe I don't. So let's see what happens.
Amanda: It hit second.
Eric: Let's see what happens. Umbi, you are watch— you're getting pulled into oblivion, 5 circular rows of teeth.
Brandon (as Umbi): This isn't how I thought it would go down.
Eric: Down into the throat of this terrible creature, you have no control. You are submitting to a creature to empower much larger than yourself. There's nothing you can do, but just see what happens next. And luckily, what happens next is the dragon starts to yawn.
Brandon: Yay!
Julia: Yay!
Amanda: Yay!
Eric (as Dragon): [yawns]
Eric: And poof.
[theme]
Amanda: Hey, it's Amanda, and welcome to the midroll. Welcome specifically to our newest patron, Shana. We are only able to make the show because of Shana and patrons just like Shana, okay? You make room in your monthly budget for supporting work you like and don't want to live without. And we are here to tell you that your support starting at just five bucks a month on Patreon, or just $50 one time, it's like a pair of mid-level jeans, okay? That's like a— a takeout dinner for two, and then in exchange for that, you can have Patreon support of Join the Party all year long. Alright? We give you ad-free episodes and additional biweekly podcast called Party Planning. We have a bananas Party Planning recording coming up later today, actually, and I'm very excited about it. All of that and more. Plus, of course, access to our patron-only Discord aka the best place on the internet @patreon.com/jointhepartypod. This week at Multitude, there has been so much great stuff coming out of Big Game Hunger, the weekly comedy show where Jenna Stoeber and friends craft the next big video game every single episode. They start with a randomly generated genre concept and vibe. And then Jenna and a variety of her funny and game-obsessed friends take these ideas far enough that they can pitch it to something like Shark Tank-esque or Dragon's Den-esque board of rich investors. If you know Drawfee, a great program on YouTube. Jenna was recently on Drawfee and has had folks from Drawfee on Big Game Hunger as well. So make sure you go on check out Big Game Hunger the podcast. Look it up in your app now. New episodes every Monday. We're sponsored this week by Character Select, a podcast hosted by industry veterans in film and entertainment, the actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco. And what the podcast does is really ask people who make your favorite video games, what inspired them to get into video games. So every episode has a gaming veteran from all aspects of game development. There's actors, composers, writers, directors, artists and more, sharing the moments that for them really inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. If like me, you love interviews of creative people talking about the creative process and what got them into that world, Character Select is going to be one of your new faves. It is specifically meant to be a guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voice over performance and more. So go on and look up Character Select in your podcast app now or click the link in the description. Season One has just wrapped, so it's a great time to catch up. That's Character Select. We are also sponsored this week by Volante Design. If you are looking for a badass and beautiful gear to make you feel absolutely incredible in real life and like you're low-key in a music video, you should go ahead and check out Volante Design. Now, I'm typing right here to bring up volantedesign.us, and amazing. Alright. Prices just dropped on all of their shirts. They have some incredible colors, people. Okay? They have a Novus Noir collection. Take the step back in time with the, like, kind of Victorian Gothic-esque collection. They have Ninja, they have Star Warriors, they have Essentials. Okay? So, like, their design philosophy in quite accessible, like everyday garments that are still a little bit like, "Ooh, they have something going on. Amazing." And Volante Design, they couldn't be kinder. They're wonderful partners. They've actually made a discount code, which they typically don't do, for us specifically. So if you go to volantedesign.us, like I just did, and use the code, Join the Party, you can get 10% off your entire order. Alright? That's code Join the Party at volantedesign.us, where you might have heard me talk about them and think like, "Like, do I really need you know, like a licensed Lord of the Rings collaboration, incredible vest, shirt or dress in my life?" I mean, you do. But if you're like, "No, I don't like that. Everyday cosplay not for me." They also have incredible all unifit, men's and women's designs, gorgeous stuff that will make you feel low-key, like a main character. Absolutely gorgeous. I honestly can't look at this website for too much longer because I really want that Starfleet jacket. Okay, folks. Now, let's get back to the show.
[theme]
Eric: The— the tumbleweed smacks into the dragon's chin and immediately after so does Umbi.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh!
Eric: I'm gonna take 8 points of damage for smashing into— for smashing into this.
Brandon: That's fair, that's fair, that's fair.
Eric: The dragon, as it yawns unexpectedly, it shakes its head violently from side to side, but there is a dagger sticking out of the side of its neck.
Brandon: Oh, fuck. Wait.
Eric: And it— as it tries to rip the iron collar that is holding it down, tries to rip it out, but the chain— the strong chains that are holding it down seemed to be too much for this poisoned and cowed dragon. And eventually, it settles dejectedly, sleepily, frustratedly at the bottom of the porthole.
Brandon: Unfortunately, Eric, I have to be the bearer of bad news for myself.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Did the dragon take damage from that dra— dagger?
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: It wakes up.
Julia: Brandon, why would you do this to yourself? Brandon, why would you— why would you do this to yourself? Teacher, we have homework? Teacher, we have homework, Brandon?
Eric: Give me a dexterity saving throw right now.
Brandon: The— would my evasion work on this?
Amanda: It's difficult terrain.
Brandon: When I'm subjected to an effect that allows me to make a dex saving throw to take only half damage. This is about bad damage, but—
Eric: Yes. Yes. This would be about bad damage, yes.
Brandon: Okay.
Amanda: Mother of God.
Brandon: Let's see. My dex is really good, though. So 13 plus 7 is 20 minus 1 is 19.
Amanda: I did roll damage for the record. It's a D4.
Eric: No, no, that— that counts. That definitely does damage if you're doing— if it hits.
Brandon: I'm so mad the dagger didn't hit first.
Eric: No. I think— I— it's good. No, that— that makes sense. Okay, here we go. Yeah, as it slee— it is sleepily thrashing in the collar and trying to shake it off, it's having trouble. It's being held down by these chains. And Tumbleweed and Umbi, you're in range right now to be smashed. You— with your old man quickness, even by getting overwhelmed by your misuse of potion, you were able to roll—
Brandon: Excuse me.
Eric: —you were able to roll out of the way and also with the Tumbleweed stuck to your torso.
Brandon: Oh, good, good.
Eric: You're able to roll out of the way with the Tumbleweed Greenfolk as well.
Brandon: Good.
Eric (as Bramble): See, it could have gotten worse, but it didn't.
Brandon (as Umbi): We need to practice that one.
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, you have plenty of time. You're not going anywhere.
Eric: At that point, the Blackberry Dragon makes a loud yelp and its head is like getting pulled back out from the collar.
Amanda: No.
Eric: It's struggling and struggling, especially as it's thrashing against the collar. Its very large square head pops out from it and is pulled back inside of the porthole, the porthole closes, and the town at the bottom of the Kompos facility is still again. You're out of danger for the moment.
Julia: Woo.
Eric: Wahoo.
Julia: Yay.
Amanda (as Troy): What the hell was that?
Julia (as Cammie): I hate everything about this place.
Brandon (as Umbi): Are y'all okay?
[Cammie groans]
Amanda (as Troy): Are you?
Brandon (as Umbi): I've been better, but I'm fine.
Julia (as Cammie): We thought you died.
Eric (as Bramble): I've been worse. Hey, what's going on?
Brandon (as Umbi): What— you're not part of this team. Go— go back home. What are you doing?
Eric (as Bramble): Hey, it's nice to me—
Julia (as Cammie): What's your name?
Eric (as Bramble): Hey, it's nice to meet you. I'm Bramble. What's going on?
Brandon (as Umbi): Tumble on, my friend.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, hey. I'm Troy.
Eric: The Tumbleweed Greenfolk raise— raises— raises one of their weird prickly body parts up to you to shake it like a hand. Bramble is just a large tumbleweed with eyes, just coming like— almost like someone threw some clipart eyes on a tumbleweed on— in Canva.
Brandon: Those specific eyes that Eric loves. Yes, the Eric eyes.
Amanda: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Eric: Yes, my— it's my— my specific favorite— favorite eyes. You see there are— are some like little feet in there, but I think Bramble mostly travels by tumbling.
Julia: Fair.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah. You know, you get used to it. It happens twice a day. You know, not to be outside—
Brandon (as Umbi): Twice a day?
Eric (as Bramble): It's like— it's almost like remembering to bring an umbrella.
Brandon (as Umbi): What the fuck?
Eric (as Bramble): Just don't be outside when the Blackberry Dragon shows up.
Julia (as Cammie): How do you have a village here if this happens twice a day and this much destruction happens? The buildings are outside and they all got destroyed.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah, you— that's why you cower behind the buildings. Use it like leverage.
Amanda (as Troy): And you just hope the building goes before you?
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): How is there a town existing here if this much damage gets done and it happens twice a day?
Eric (as Bramble): That's good construction work. I'm not a reading— I'm not a reading— reading Bramble. I'm a— I'm a take care of myself Bramble.
Amanda (as Troy): Bud, you can learn to read at any age, okay? Ask me, I did it.
Eric (as Bramble): I know how to read. I just choose not to read. I got other stuff.
Amanda (as Troy): You know, respect, but also, are we in prison right now?
Brandon: Why are we talking to Bramble? Let's go talk to Kidd Cervantes.
Amanda: Troy is, like, hand over handing— towing him and Havana back down toward the bottom.
Julia: And Cammie. Cammie is still there.
Amanda: Oh, good. Yeah. Excellent. And he's like—
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, we need to— we need to compare some notes here because I— I've seen a lot, and that's the first I ever seen something like that.
Brandon: Umbi's gonna go down the line of all of these Kidd Cervantes children, and shake each one's hand, and give each a hug, and then make his way back to Kidd, the man, the myth, the legend.
Eric: Yeah. Kidd— Kidd has a note that's been pinned to him. It has been like rolled a little scroll that's been pinned to him, and he gives it to you. And the note is— you unroll it, the note says—
Brandon: Well— Eric, Eric—
Brandon (as Umbi): Troy, you want to read this, or is it okay if I do? Do you want to?
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, no. I don't have to do all the reading, but thank you, bud.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, okay.
Amanda (as Troy): As the captain, I just do all the steering.
Eric: The note says—
Amanda (as Troy): Why are you laughing?
Eric: The note says the Family Cervantes, and it says Atticus, Eddie, Forrest, Kidd, Sutton, and Quinn are the 6 Cervantes siblings.
Brandon: Excellent.
Julia: Atticus, Eddie, For— I'm, like, looking at it, being like, "I need to solve the riddle—"
Amanda: It's an acrostic poem. Yeah.
Julia: Exactly. I was like, "A-E-F-K-S-Q. What could that possibly spell? Nothing. Julia, That spells nothing."
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: What if you had named it Christopher, Allison, Christopher, Thomas, Umbrella, and—
Eric: Does that spell captcha?
Julia: Susan.
Eric: Brandon, is this a captcha? If it is, you have to tell me. Brandon, if you're a robot telling me to look at traffic lights, you have to tell me or its entrapment.
Amanda: You do nopale. That's five letters. So cute.
Eric: Pretty good. No, I did a different thing with it, and you guys will figure it out—
Julia: Very cute.
Eric: — at some point. Be like—
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, yeah. No, it's like— I'm—I usually welcome people in here. People here at Kompos—
Brandon (as Umbi): You're still next to me?
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, hey, what's up? You know, I'm one of the welcoming committee. A lot of the— a lot of the folks around here, you know, kind of got tired of doing it when you— you're just introduced to someone who gets sucked up— sucked into it, but uh, you know, hi. Hey. If you have any questions, hi, I'm Bramble. It's nice— nice to meet you.
Brandon (as Umbi): I have one important question.
Eric: Bramble is still attached to Umbi, by the way.
Brandon (as Umbi): Goddamn it.
Eric: Bramble is now on Umbi's back. Bramble has moved around to Umbi's back.
Brandon (as Umbi): I have one important question is, if you knew to be behind the buildings twice a day when the dragon comes out, why you get sucked up by the dragon?
Eric (as Bramble): You know, there's only— you— you can only prepare as much as you can prepare. Sometimes the dragon is extra strong this time. Sometimes there's a crack in a window that wasn't there before, and you think that that's a safe place, but isn't. It's— it's an ever-changing environ.
Brandon (as Umbi): Can you please get off my ass?
Eric (as Bramble): Alright. Well, I was thought— I was being friendly. Alright. Here we go.
Eric: And Bramble brushes off— off of you.
Amanda: Eric, are these famous cowboys?
Eric: Nope.
Eric (as Bramble): Alright. Well, you know, this is just an orientation. I can kind of point you around the— around the town, to some stuff that you— maybe some stuff you should know.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Eric: And I'm gonna— why don't you guys look at the Slack? Because I'm going to share something with you really quickly.
Amanda: Oh.
Julia: Forrest Whitaker, Atticus, Finch.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Sutton Foster. Am I just saying—
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: —names in my head?
Amanda: I said the same thing, Julia. Ooh, a map.
Eric: So I made a little—
Julia: Wow.
Eric: —map for y'all. I'll either put it in the episode description, will either like attached in the episode description or definitely share it on the socials. But I made a little map for y'all. Maybe Bramble gives this to you, or maybe this is just like a visualization of him showing you around the town.
Julia: I hate the image you picked for the—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: —Bramble dragon.
Eric: Yes, I did. That's actually the inside of a lamprey eel, which I thought was the closest thing.
Amanda: Yeah. Good.
Julia: Yeah. Oh, no, I recognized it.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I recognized it.
Amanda: Bad.
Eric: Yeah. Did you notice I made it purple—
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —Julia?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Usually, the lamprey eels aren't purple.
Amanda: That's good.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, again, you can look up this map, but I'm going to describe it. Basically, so up Bramble— or Eric/Bramble has labeled this but different letters is notable. A is all the way at the top, kind of like— there's a Z-axis thing going on, demonstrating where you fell down from the top of the cave that you— you splooshed into.
Brandon: Z-axis being height?
Eric: Z-axis being height, right.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: All the way up. But below that, the— the little Z-axis line that— that Bramble made at the top, now you're kind of just looking at the whole town from the— from an eagle eye view like you were looking at any other map.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Please, from a Bartlett eye view.
Amanda: A desiccated pear.
Eric: From a Bart— from a Bartlett eagle eye view.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: A desiccated pear eye view. Yeah, you're right. At the front, all the way on one side of town is the sign at the front, there's kind of like a sign welcoming you. Umbi has seen it, but y'all can go check that out later. C is the Blackberry Dragon thing. So, again, the porthole which used to be— maybe you envision the middle of town. Maybe there would be like a fountain or a statue there, if you're kind of envisioning something else. But that is where the porthole with the Blackberry Dragon is. D, you can see that out to, like, the northwest of town is a big hill that you now see a bunch of Greenfolk are like kind of— are, like, getting up off of the ground and are now just kind of milling around over on that hill. E is over on the east side of town. There is a big door, a big vault door, and Bramble is like—
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah, that's where they— the guards come out and throw all of our food— throw all the food out. You gotta go— you gotta go grab it. You gotta grab it fast. If I can give you one piece of advice, you grab it fast because, you know, 15 minutes after they bring the food out is when the Blackberry Dragon comes, because they're assholes. But that's the whole thing about being trapped in a— in a terrible underwater prison.
Brandon (as Umbi): Great.
Eric (as Bramble): It all kind of make— if you remember that you're trapped inside of an underwater prison, it all kind of fits together.
Eric: F is in the middle, it's kind of the main street. So again, there's the street— imagine that this is like one-quarter of what a main street in a downtown of a— of a small city or a large town would look like. All— and there's all these desiccated ruins of, like, concrete bricks attached to trees of maybe that used to be full buildings. And that's the only thing that's been held down there because, you know, there's a sucking dragon that shows up every 12 hours. And there's the main street there. And then G is like—
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, well, you know, if you have questions you can come to my house. I'm down there. I'm— I'm— my house is in the south.
Eric: That's Bramble's house.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah, if you want, you can just come to my house, ask question. You can see me do pottery. It's where I do pottery. It's a good— a real— a real way to relieve stress.
Brandon (as Umbi): Bramble, I'm very confused by you as an entity.
Brandon: Now, Eric, I don't mean to Disney-fy your map here, but this is— for our fellow Disney Heads If you imagine the Magic Kingdom, you walk in, that's where the sign is. Then you go to Main Street, the castle is where the dragon is. To the right is Tomorrowland, and that's where his house is. And to the left is Frontierland, and that's where the hill is.
Eric: If that helps, if that helps you. I also want to point out to you, Brandon, I don't want to shake you, but Walt Disney did base Disney World on how towns do.
Brandon: Oh, I thought you were gonna say based— I thought you were gonna say based on this map.
Eric: Yeah, that's— yeah. This— about Bramble was alive when Walt Disney was alive, yeah.
Amanda: You don't see the Copyright 1904 at the bottom?
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Oh, they all have— they all have double letters. Atticus has two T's, Eddie has two Ds, Forrest has two R's, Kidd has two D's, Sutton has two T's. Quinn has two N's. Was that the secret?
Eric: Yeah. Yeah, they all— yeah, because you— it's double-barreled names. Also, there's six—
Julia: Double-barreled names.
Eric: Yeah, there's six— there's six of them, so they're a six-shooter.
Amanda: Ah.
Julia: Oh.
Amanda: Shit.
Julia: That's extremely good.
Eric: And then you hear, "Da, na, na, na, na," and a door opens.
Amanda: Whoa.
Eric: You didn't see it before, but now it's here.
Julia: Cool.
Amanda: That's really good.
Brandon: But, Eric, it's not— it's not because they're all from famous novels?
Eric: No.
Amanda: Or famous horses?
Eric (as Bramble): But, yeah, you can go to my house if you need a— have a question, want to take a rest. You want to do some pottery, I got some pottery stuff in there.
Julia (as Cammie): I would love to long rest. Well, actually, I don't really fucking need to, because my magic doesn't work down here.
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, yeah, for sure. Oh, did all of you breathe yet? Did y'all take a deep— deep breath in?
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Whoa. I have never once thought about how I breathed.
Julia (as Cammie): I didn't think to take a deep breath in.
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, I— if— you know, you gotta get used to it, though. It's—it— the thing is you're not using like regular air stuff. It's like the— this— the liquid and they got down here is, like, filled with oxygen but it's filled with other stuff. So you gotta like— you got to do— you got to rewire your brain to, like, take it in to your— to your green body. You got to— you got to let your green cells take it— kind of like moving round to the— to the places that it's supposed to go.
Julia (as Cammie): I— I don't want to. Thank you, but no thank you.
Eric (as Bramble): You're gonna— you're gonna get the runs later, I'm just trying to be helpful.
Julia (as Cammie): Alright.
Brandon: I would love to take out a truth serum potion and offer it to Kidd Cervantes, and just say, "Eh? Eh?"
Amanda: Cute.
Eric: Kidd Cervantes grabs it and, like, doffs his hat to you, and kind of like puts it in his bandolier. He's gonna hold it— he's gonna hold on to it for later.
Brandon: Oh, he's not going to talk? Goddamn it.
Julia (as Cammie): He doesn't want to talk to us yet.
Amanda (as Troy): Kidd, I'm so glad you're okay, and it's so nice to meet all your siblings.
Eric: Yeah. Kidd Cervantes, like, hugs you— hugs you, Troy, does a— the bro hug where he puts a fist on your back.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, while I have you, I really wanted to put— to put, like, a really spiky hurt key between my wings because I think you'll make more powerful. Do you think that's a good idea?
Brandon (as Umbi): No.
Amanda (as Troy): Because they said no.
Eric: Kidd Cervantes nod, like—
Amanda: Thank you.
Eric: —makes like— makes like the thinking face and go—
Eric (as Kidd Cervantes): Hmm. Yeah, yeah.
Eric: Like, nods. Like—
Amanda (as Troy): Thank you.
Eric (as Kidd Cervantes): Ah, yeah. That sounds sick. Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Goddamnit, Kidd.
Amanda (as Troy): Then if I did, I would have been strong enough to save you. Cammie, you almost got sucked in.
Eric: Kidd Cervantes does like the, "I know, right?" hand movements, like arm movements.
Amanda (as Troy): I miss you. I miss you, man.
Eric: Yeah. He— he pulls you into another hug and does like the— the bro hug and fist on your back.
Amanda: Troy gives him little circles on the back.
Brandon (as Umbi): I guess I didn't even look to ask. Did either of the five of you— do you speak?
Julia: And then there's silence.
Eric: Yeah. They all— all five of them have shrugged at you.
Julia (as Cammie): Family dinners must be super weird with your family.
Brandon (as Umbi): Goddamnit. I would love to go to those family dinners.
Eric: Yeah. So, yeah, you're looking at each one of the Kidd Cervantes siblings, Atticus, Eddie, Forrest, Sutton and Quinn. They all have different flowers blooming on them, of different colors. Kidd Cervantes doesn't have a flower, but he has the hat, so that keeps him different. But each of them have, like, red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, because— no green. You don't have green flowers. So each of them have— each of them have different flowers, is how you— how you tell them apart, but they do kind of look pretty similar. All of the other five siblings have different, like, clothing items. Some of them are wearing different pants. Some of them are wearing different shirts. You know, one of them's wearing like a big sweatshirt, but all of them look kind of similar, 'cause all of their clothes are, like, crazy tattered and dirty. And they're all wearing, like, you know, one shoe.
Brandon: Did they all seem like cowpokes or is that just Kidd?
Eric: No, they don't seem— no. They don't— they don't have big cowboy stances like— like Kidd Cervantes.
Brandon: Got it.
Julia: And are they all saguaro cacti?
Eric: Yeah, yeah, they're all— they're all the same cacti.
Amanda: Troy is gonna dig some of his extra, like, change of clothes out of his pack. Now, that Amanda is reading about her explorer pack, I have a set of traveler's clothes. And I'm gonna offer them to anyone who needs them.
Brandon: I also have 10 torches. Would you like one of those, Amanda?
Amanda: Yeah, it's okay.
Eric: Atticus grabs it and it's like— what is it like? A cut off T-shirt, and puts it on.
Amanda: Nice.
Brandon: It's like a— it's like a tube top, cut-off sleeve.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah. I almost got couped at the Crags and all I got was this cut-off T-shirt.
Julia: That's very funny.
Brandon: All I got were my sleeves cut off, not my head or something like that.
Eric: Yeah. Yeah. My dad got his tongue cut out, but I was— I got this T-shirt.
Amanda: Too real.
Julia (as Cammie): So is this the prison?
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's— that's how they do. It's the whole thing.
Eric: And you gotta look around, and so the map kind of only shows everything that is habitable. Everything outside of this map is just like desolate, you know? It's almost like tun— not even desert, but like tundra almost, how it's like everything— all of the plants have been ripped out of the ground. It's all just like terrible nastiness. There is like a—I n a kind of video game style, there is a barrier or a border around because, you know, you're inside of this cave mountain. So there is like a mountain side, eventually, outside of that area, but everything else is just like— there's nothing else here, other than the— the rubble terrible environs and, like, various, maybe, duplicates of other stuff. Because there's like rubble in other places— other people have "houses," quote-unquote, and there's some other, like, community town stuff but nothing else notable outside of what Bramble has noted— noted for you on the map.
Julia (as Cammie): This seems like cruel and unusual punishment having you almost get eaten by a dragon twice a day.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah, yeah. I mean, you'll find it's also cruel and— cruel and unusual for you, who is a part— now, a part of the prison.
Brandon (as Umbi): Well, we got down here of our own accord and easily. Can we not just swim back up? How did Kidd get down here?
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, yeah. I mean, that happens. Like, some of the— you know, some of the guests— some of the— the folks in here already been charged with stuff. Like, oh, yeah, the— the Marigold Field, the whole crew of the Marigold Field, they kind of— they washed up on shore, and then they went through the cave, and just fell in here, and now they're here forever. Hey what's up, Chazz?
Eric: They'll be like—
Eric (as Chazz): Hey, what's up?
Julia (as Cammie): But that's against habeas plantas.
Eric (as Bramble): They don't care about habeas plantas. The Diamond Knot kinda just does what they want.
Amanda (as Troy): What happens if you get ate by the dragon?
Julia (as Cammie): Well, you're dead, I would assume.
Eric (as Bramble): What do you— what do you think happens when they get— when you get ate by a dragon?
Amanda (as Troy): Well, I figure you die, but like, you know, sometimes things are different than what I expect, so I figured it's really— it's good to ask.
Julia (as Cammie): That's fair.
Eric (as Bramble): No, it's fair. I mean, some people think that the dragon is like— is— is fake. It's like an illusion. And when the— you know, one of the— someone from the Diamond Knot wants to, like, talk to you, or take you to a different part of the facility, then like you get sucked up. Other people think the dragon is totally unrelated to what's happening here and it just kind of all fits together nicely.
Julia (as Cammie): That's wild.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah. There's like— you know, Chazz— you remember Chazz from what I pointed out earlier. He thinks the— he thinks the dragon is the salmon. I think that's crazy. Chazz— Chazz— Chazz has not been able to deal with the fact that he's been held without cause down here for a while.
Eric (as Chazz): I can't. I really can't. It's hard. It's bad. It's pretty bad.
Amanda (as Troy): Hey, Chazz. Chazz?
Eric (as Chazz): Yeah?
Amanda (as Troy): My name is Troy Riptide. Nice to meet you. I'm gonna get you out here.
Julia (as Cammie): Wait, Cha— Chad, did you do— do anything wrong?
Eric (as Chazz): All I did wrong was walking into the cave the way I wasn't supposed to.
Eric: And Chazz gets pulled away by his crewmates.
Amanda (as Troy): I keep my promises, Chazz. I keep my promises.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Okay. We can probably get Chazz out of here.
Eric: Troy, when you say you're gonna break everyone out of here, just like— so there's a lot of just, like, folks milling around.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: Doing stuff, kind of picking themselves up after the Blackberry Dragon suck— did its sucking, the bi-daily sucking.
Amanda: Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
Eric: I'm fine with it. I'm gonna keep going.
Amanda: Oh, boy.
Eric: And they're all like, "Oh, okay. Alright. Alright. Great. Okay, sure." It's like—
Eric (as Chazz): Yeah, everyone says that. Of course, you don't— that you— we've all tried this. We all tried to get out of here.
Eric (as Bramble): Like, yeah, it's— it's— so it's almost like a weekly occurrence. Someone's like, "Oh, well, the way you do it is you put the spoons, you— you stack all of the cutlery up on top of each other and then we"— you know, there's no way to get out, there's no point. There wouldn't be a secret— a secret flooded city that got turned into a prison if— if there wasn't going to— if there was an easy way to get out.
Brandon (as Umbi): Who thought you could just stack up cutlery? What the fuck was—
Eric (as Bramble): It was a bad one. We were running— they were running out of ideas. It's like— we've tried it all. We've tried to go through— if the— if the Bramble Dragon was supposed to be a secret teleportation exit, we tried that. We all tried to rush to the door, but with the liquid stuff happening and all the guards are heavily armed, there's no way to get out that way. Tried to go up, the Bra— the Blackberry Brambles are keeping you from doing it and it's— it— there's no way to get out of here. So the best thing to do is just fi—is just, like, get used to hold— to making your hands like cups to drink from, and just get along to get along.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah. Have any of you tried claiming diplomatic immunity on account of your relation to one-quarter of the Diamond Knot?
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah, some people has done that. Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Has any of it been true?
Eric (as Bramble): No, but—
Amanda (as Troy): Got one step ahead there bud.
Eric (as Bramble): I mean, it would— it wouldn't be— why would you do— would I want— I mean, if you want to—
Amanda: Troy pulls off his shirt, and unwraps his wings, and says—
Amanda (as Troy): Well, it's because I'm Prince Troyvides Breakstone, so I'm gonna get us all out of here.
Brandon (as Umbi): Ooh, he's so hot. Aah, aah, ooh.
Brandon: That's Umbi doing that.
Eric (as Salmon): Alright. And I'm the salmon. Alright. Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Alright.
Eric (as Salmon): Nice to meet you, Prince. I'm gonna go give everyone wishes. Alright. Okay.
Julia (as Cammie): I— I mean, Troy, no offense, who are we going to talk to you? It's not like there's a manager that is— we can contact here.
Brandon (as Umbi): Apparently, there are guards.
Amanda(as Troy): Yeah. And be like, hey, I'm Troy. I bet my brother wants to talk to me.
Brandon (as Umbi): We didn't even try telling the dragon that.
Julia: Hey, real quick, this guy mentioned that some people think that the dragon is fake or an illusion or something.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Can I roll arcana? I saw the dragon.
Eric: Yeah, sure. Roll arcana.
Julia: Yeah. I just want to know. [dice roll] 24.
Eric: 24. Okay. So this was happening while you were like getting sucked in by like a powerful— like you were in a wind tunnel while it was happening. But it— that— even almost that belies the fact that it would have to be a combination of a few different spells on top of each other plus, like maybe mechanics or whatever. Because it's like you need someone to suck people in. You'd need someone to keep the illusion going. You saw the dragon buck against the iron ring, which is incredibly difficult to interact with. So it's not that it couldn't be an illusion, but it would have to be some incredibly high-level illusion magic to make all of this happen at the same time. Especially, where did the people go? So there's a lot of que—there would be a lot of questions and a lot of hurdles you'd have to overcome to make that happen, if this was actually not real.
Brandon: And it interacted with the oil, so—
Eric: And it interacted with the oil, yeah, exactly.
Amanda: Hmm.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Can Troy investigate the iron collar?
Eric: You are in the middle of town. You're on Main Street.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Which is F. You can go over to a different part of the map, but you'd have to, like, go do that to check it out. Because it's like we're going to be in this area for a little while. I kind of want to use this map as a way, as kind of an orientation of everything. You know, sometimes like— thinking about a Dungeons and Dragons campaign as like a point and click adventure. Like, you gotta go to the different rooms or the different spaces to load it in.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So right now, you're in— you're on Main Street and you can go to those different places. You can kind of go up and kind of look up for A. You got to go all the way over to go to the different places.
Brandon: Got it.
Amanda: That's fine.
Brandon (as Umbi): Before we go on the whirlwind tour of— no pun intended, of this place, why does it say on the welcome sign that they don't want to kill you but they want you for Kompos?
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, yeah. I mean—
Brandon (as Umbi): Or they don't want you dead or what— I'm paraphrasing. You know what I mean.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah. Yeah. South Kompos City.
Julia (as Cammie): Why is it South? Does that mean there's more than one?
Eric (as Bramble): South Kompos City. It's not enough to die, they want us to be mulch. Yeah, someone carved that in there a little while ago. I think it kind of—
Julia (as Cammie): That's pretty fucked.
Eric (as Bramble): —embodies— I mean—
Brandon (as Umbi): What does that mean? They'll— are they like taking your energy for something else or what do you—
Eric (as Bramble): I— some— I'm— conspiracy theories.
Julia (as Cammie): It means— it's not— it's not enough to die. They're also going to use our dead bodies for fuel or growing other things.
Eric (as Bramble): I— listen, I think it's kind of a doom— a doom— a sad way to look at this whole thing.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Eric (as Bramble): But, you know, I think it also happens— I think there's something in this liquid that keeps people alive than a little bit longer than they should, if they need us for whatever. It's all just conspira— it's just all conspiracy at this point. But yeah, we— people have to take out their frustration in being locked in this place forever in whatever way, so someone decided to carve that into the sign.
Brandon (as Umbi): Cool. Okay. I get it.
Eric (as Bramble): It's a metaphor for, like, dying.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Cool.
Brandon (as Umbi): You've been really helpful, tumble— tumble man.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah. Anyway, so if you need anything, I'm Bramble. I'm at my house most of the time, because if I'm not, I'll get sucked in, in the way that you saw me get sucked in. So if you need anything, just ask me a question, and I'm at my house.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): I'm really glad you survived, man.
Eric (as Bramble): Me, too. I think about it every day. Well, it's honest— here's the thing, even we're— even though we're here, it's much better to survive than to be dead. That's my thing. That's just what I think.
Amanda (as Troy): It's pretty true, man.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah. And, you know, I did a lot of bad stuff to be— to be put in here, so it's all about—
Brandon (as Umbi): What— what the fuck did you do?
Eric (as Bramble): Ta— tax fraud.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, that's not bad.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, that's fine.
Eric (as Bramble): Oh, no. Every— I've fra—frauded other people's taxes.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Less fine.
Eric (as Bramble): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, less fine.
Julia (as Cammie): White Collar, but still.
Julia: I want to head over to the big hill. Can we— can we do some stuff?
Eric: Yeah, sure. Yeah. So we can zo— we can zoom out. So, yeah, you can go to whatever area— whatever area you want, just to kind of— kind of check stuff out. I'll say just right now that like if you want to kind of investigate generally, you should do that on Main Street. If you want to look around Kompos, do that in— on Main Street. If you want to ask Bramble a question, or you maybe you want to ask Kidd Cervantes a question, you go to Bramble's house. If you want to— and then if you want to investigate some other stuff, like you want to go up to the opening that you fell in from, if you want to go to the sign, if you want to go to the hill, or you want to go— you want to go to the porthole, or you want to go to the door, you can just go there and check— and you got to kind of go to that specific location and check it out. Some other stuff might happen at these various places, and then you'll be— and maybe you'll be pulled there. But now the title card loads in, it says, "Welcome to Kompos. You're never leaving."
Julia: I would like to go investigate the hill. Before I do, can I ask Kidd—
Julia (as Cammie): Were you here before? Or is this your first time like it's our first time?
Eric: Kidd holds up one— one prickly finger.
Julia: Okay, cool. Alright, never mind.
Eric: Yeah, let's go to the hill. So, yeah, you head over the big hill, you take a road out of town. And as you get farther and farther away, it just gets more and more desolate. There's like less and less rubble, because it's like there were— there were less buildings here, and now there's even less buildings here. But again, you see that this like— all of the stre— it's almost like gray, that's how bad the soil is down here, whatever is mixing with the liquid that you're swimming and— and hanging out in. And you even see that like there used to be maybe plants in the ground that's been ripped out, so there's just like divots in the ground. But it's like someone buried them, because the ground is pulled by the Blackberry Dragon twice a day.
Brandon: Eric, also, right— sorry, I meant— I shared this before, but right before we head— go up to the hill, can I just do a quick nature check on this liquid that we're in?
Eric: Yeah, sure. Yeah, check out the liquid.
Brandon: As— I think my natural philosopher might help here to identify herbs, potions, potions, or other alchemical substances.
Eric: Sure, yeah.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: What do you add to that, Brandon?
Brandon: Plus 4, plus 2, so plus 6.
Julia: Okay. Cool.
Eric: Yeah— hell yeah. Yeah, let's do that nature check, dawg.
Brandon: So I got a 13 total. So if you want to do an arcana check.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Alright. 13 total. So earlier, you didn't know this, Umbi has— had been having a head rush for the last half hour or so, because as soon as— Brandon, do you want to say what you did?
Brandon: Yeah, I took a potion of water breathing.
Amanda: Sure.
Brandon: So that means I was, like, juiced up, like limitless pilled.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So Umbi has plus one constitution, but negative one strike for dexterity, because—
Julia: That makes sense.
Eric: —it's like he huffed a bunch of oxygen.
Amanda: Sure.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So with the 13, yeah, there's a combination of stuff in here. I would say because you're Umbi and you're looking at this alchemically. This wouldn't be a natural combination of stuff here. You know like when you hear about like them trying to add more electrons to certain elements like in chemical labs and stuff? You're like, "Someone messed with this. Someone put this together. There's like—"
Brandon: Sure.
Eric: "—weird liquid that were— floating in." There's definitely more oxygen in here, which is something that you already knew. There's— also, you're going off of the thing that Bramble was talking about. It's like, why do people last longer in here? There's a little bit of vinegar and salt in here. You were literally being brined to stay alive a little bit longer than you were before.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: The thing about the oxygen, though, is that there's a little bit more oxygen in here that there would be outside. They're— they, like, juiced this up a little bit so that people's bodies could latch on to it.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: The fact that Troy and Cammie didn't even— wasn't even fazed by it means that like their bodies adjusted pretty quickly to just, like, sucking it in. And we're— let's not talk about whether or not Greenfolk use their lungs in the same way, but I feel like without there being a level of photosynthesis or whatever, I think it's like, "I'm in here. I'm swimming in this liquid. Not only am I breathing it in," quote-unquote, 'breathing it in,' I am immersed in this oxygen and liquid, and it's making my body function.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: So there might be like a heightened level of oxygen in here. But other than the stuff that's building on stuff, you already know. That's all I can tell you with a 13.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Cool.
Amanda: What did you roll, Julia?
Julia: Oh, Nat 20.
Eric: Yeah. Cool. Yeah.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Trying to show off next to Umbi.
Eric: Alright. Ask me some questions, Julia Schifini.
Julia: Um, hmm. One of the things I would like to know is based on kind of the divots in the ground—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: —that— where plants were growing. I want to determine how long this Bramble Dragon has been here to disrupt the natural environment.
Eric: Cool.
Julia: And then pivoting off of that, I also want to know if there is any living thing that is capable of kind of withstanding this naturally, like that was not part of the prison when the town was built or whatever, but rather like pre-existed the use of this place as a prison.
Eric: Interesting. Um, so first thing I'll— I'll say is to build on the stuff that Umbi— Umbi was talking about. This is definitely an alchemical solution. Someone, something made this, dumped it in here. Bramble was referring to this before that, like, this is not naturally occurring. They flooded the city, and now it's being used as a prison.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So they must have taken— made this solution and dumped it in here, and they made enough to make it cover the entire— at least like this quadrant of this city, right?
Julia: Uh-hmm. And the other one was, is there anything that existed here pre the dragon that has continued to survive?
Eric: Sure. I think you can track it, and maybe you'll see like a tree has cracked open, and you're looking at the rings of the tree. I would say this tree is about 30 years old, if you count the rings, and you believe the rings and the rings aren't lying to you, like lying trees can do.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Damn.
Eric: Damn, dude.
Julia: That's my favorite kind of tree, is a lying tree.
Eric: The— the lying tree. It looks— it looks twice as old as it— as it usually is so it can get into bars. In terms of stuff that's growing here, you don't see any on the top level, but I think if you— you dig down a little bit more, and there is like some little lichens and some little mushrooms that are still here that's undisturbed, but they're undisturbed because they're underground. Anything that is like within sucking distance, vacuum distance of the Blackberry Dragon, over time, twice a day for 30 odd years, you're gonna su— it's gonna get pulled out of the ground. Roots just aren't that strong. Any plants that exists would have to be underneath— underneath the ground. Magically, like— magically, there's also not a lot going on here because as we said, it's like you can't—
Julia: Oh, yeah.
Eric: You weren't able to contact Kidd Cervantes, you weren't able to candy blast. This is a no magic zone.
Julia: Great. That's my last question is what is causing this to be a no magic zone.
Eric: As you're digging around looking for plants, you also like feel some— you— you—you're getting in there and there's a different wetness in the ground. There's like— you— you kinda like strike this va— this— almost like you're di— you know when you're digging in the beach, and then all of a sudden you hit the water table?
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: Yeah. It's like you're digging in the ground here and you get some other liquid. And you're like, "What is this?" You look at your— you look at your hand. Cammie, you want to taste it? It's bad wine, but it's wine.
Julia (as Cammie): Huh.
Brandon: This is built on the bodies of grapes that are fermented over time?
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, they're fermenting our bodies.
Julia: Is it— Eric?
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Is it blackberry wine?
Eric: What if it was blackberry wine? It could be.
Julia: Cool.
Eric: It would be.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: It could be.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: It could be blackberry. Well, actually, no, that probably makes sense. Yeah, no, it's blackberry wine.
Julia (as Cammie): Huh.
Eric: It's bad, though, because it's in the ground. It doesn't taste good. It has a lot of like te— and a lot of dirt mixed in with it.
Julia (as Cammie): Very earthy.
Amanda: Lot of tannins.
Julia (as Cammie): Lot of terroir.
Amanda: Lot of tannins.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, while you're heading out for Main Street, Troy, do you have anything else you want to check out?
Amanda: Eric, can I roll for friendship? Can I roll for bruvs? Can I roll for just looking around as the townsfolk are going back to their routines and sort of the— the, you know, daily terror has passed? Who's clicking up together?
Eric: You want to just do a vibe check?
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Just give me charisma.
Amanda: [dice roll] That's 14.
Eric: Oh, wait, are you proficient in bruvs?
Amanda: Proficient in bruvs. Okay. Yeah, 18.
Eric: Okay. 18 for a vibe check. Your shirt is off. You pop your shirt off, your wings are out, right?
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: No one's impressed. No one cares.
Brandon: Whoa.
Eric: No one cares. Even if some people recognize that you are in fact Troy Riptide, Troyvides Breakstone, Lost Prince of the Crags, no one cares, or at least they're trying to— they're trying to keep it to themselves, even if they are. You are feeling a little watched, though.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: You're feeling like there are eyes on your back.
Amanda (as Troy): There always are. It's a good back.
Eric: Yeah, there are eye— yeah. If you're looking for vibes, the vibes are in the toilet. The vibes are toilet. They're— they're toilet level.
Brandon: Toilet vibes.
Eric: And I wonder if it's because you're in a prison that used to be touted as destroyed. There's a dragon that shows up every two— more o— there's more dragon than there are food deliveries in this place. Like, the Diamond Knot has put this together to destroy the morale of folks around here.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: There aren't factions. If there are friendships, it's like one-on-one. They're small. They— they're just like trying to get through. Everyone's disenfranchised. You're in a— you're— I know that like I'm doing— I'm English essaying my own work here, but it's like they're in a prison. They're disenfranchised. You're gonna figure out how later on, but the vibes in the toilet, everyone's having a bad time.
Amanda: Troy's gonna lean down to Cammie and Umbi, and go—
Amanda (as Troy): Great news, guys. This is ideal for a fomenting revolution. Ideal, ideal.
Julia (as Cammie): And— and as a member of the Crags, you know a lot about that. That's good.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, how to quash it and how to start it. And until now, I didn't realize is what we were learning when we were kids. I thought it was all like, oh, play, sword, haha, poke, poke. But no, it's about fomenting revolution, and I'm ready.
Brandon (as Umbi): Hell yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Let's fucking up in the status quo.
Julia (as Cammie): I wish I had magic.
Eric: In your Nat 20 Arcana Check, Julia, you realized that like, "Oh, probably in a prison, they take away all the powers that people have to make sure they're in prison, huh?"
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah, that's fair. Uh-hmm.
Amanda (as Troy): Hey, hey, Cammie, you don't need magic to be magical to me, okay?
Brandon (as Umbi): That's true.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay?
Julia (as Cammie): That's very nice, but I feel useless.
Amanda (as Troy): Havana, back me up here, bud.
Eric (as Havana): [blowing raspberries]
Amanda (as Troy): Even if you're not doctoring, you're still a doctor. You know what I mean?
Eric (as Havana): No, man. This sucks.
Amanda (as Troy): Alright. Okay.
Julia (as Cammie): Hey, I agree.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay, okay.
Eric: Havana sits on a broken bench.
Amanda (as Troy): Umbi, you've gotten out of worse scrapes than this, haven't you?
Brandon (as Umbi): Fuck yeah, man. This— we're gonna— we're gonna fucking take them down.
Amanda (as Troy): Yes. Thank you, Umbi. Thank you. Cammie, sometimes the magic you need is your biceps and your dreams. Okay? We're gonna make this happen.
Julia: Cammie raises an arm and it's literally a stick. It's funny because she's a bush.
Eric: Oh, you're right. Damn. Cool. So, yeah, y'all— you're all heading out of town, you're heading towards the big hill. The vibes in the past, terrible. But maybe on the horizon, as you hear people yelling, and cheering, and clapping, there's some energy happening over here at the big hill. And as you get closer, something is going towards you rolling and bounding down the big hill. It is getting speed and it's coming right towards you. It is a wheel of cheese and 20 Greenfolk are running after it.
Brandon: Yay!
Eric: You should probably get out of the way.
[theme]