978 – Temba and Teamwork | JLOT 12

Notable Language:

• Rappelling
• Tattered Fabric
• Animal Husbandry

Notable Culture:

• Eeyore
• The Supremes

Notable Talking Points:

• Does the Break Fairy take Breaks?
• Really Check the Ladder for Sturdiness
• Proper Sacrifice

Episode 978 – Temba and Teamwork | JLOT 12

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER:    Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…for some reason, I’m…even though I don’t think I could do…what is that called?  Is it an imitation of Eeyore?  An imitation of Eeyore.  Like, a critical review; one day we’ll say a poor imitation of Eeyore.  I say well, I wasn’t really imitating Eeyore but I like saying it now.  Eeyore, I’m your…beyore; beyore friend.  It’s time for Sleep With Me, patrons.  Thanks for being there for me and what do you say we get on with the show?

 

INTRO:    [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing?  Trouble getting to sleep?  Trouble staying asleep?  Well, welcome.  This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.  We do it with a bedtime story.  Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play.  I’m gonna do the rest.  What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether it’s thoughts you’re thinking about, like things on your mind from the past, the present, or the future, it could be feelings or emotions coming up related to those thoughts or just left over, or anticipate…you know, whatever feelings you’re having.  It could be physical sensations.  It could be changes in time or temperature or routine.

 

Whatever it is, I’m…one, I’m glad you’re here.  What I’m gonna try to do is take your mind off of that stuff and keep you company while you drift off, ‘cause, you know, just in case.  This could be situational, work stuff, outside stuff, third, fourth, fifth, sixth shifts.  I may…I might invent the seventh shift.  Can’t remember the last one.  I say that’s the first shift where people are working in 5D.  They say, here’s the thing; I’d rather you work in one dimension.  I don’t want you working in five dimensions.  I want you here not working and going to sleep, I guess.  So, I’ll go into the seventh shift and the fourth and fifth dimensions to kinda shut that down and say hey, give…this person’s on break now.  Imagine that I come through a portal to your workplace and I say excuse me, this person’s now on break.

 

They say well, who are you?   I say, are you familiar with the tooth fairy?  They say, yeah.  I say well, I’m the break fairy.  I come from Break…the land of…I’m here to give this person a break.  I’d say, that’s…I’m an authority figure and I have magical powers, so just in case…just so you know.  I have this wand here, wings; I’m winged.  Yeah, I’m wearing a smart outfit too because it’s…this is breathable.  Did you know this is breathable?  I said well, I could be…I could do that but I prefer something with a breathable fabric, but comfortable.  I don’t need anything…and also lay…I’m gonna wear layers.  That’s why I have this…also I have this bag.  You can’t see it; it’s on my…they call it a backpack.  It’s a pack you wear on your back.  But yeah, you’ll get used to this.  It’s a new thing.

 

I’ll be popping in and then I’ll say this person’s on break now.  Don’t worry; it’ll be reasonable but it’s reasonable for them to have a break.  Oh, you know what?  I may be by your office later or not, depending on your…break fairy sees it…I see it once, I see it twice.  If you misbehave, the break fairy sees it thrice.  So, you…think about what would be nice.  Maybe a break.  Also increase…just so you know, we have one of those papers that come in a PDF; you gotta put your e-mail in to download it but it’s a research paper on efficiency…breaks and efficiency.  Oh, you thought I was introducing a sleep podcast?  You’re right.  I got mixed up there.  Sorry; I fell into a dual role.  Whatever it is that’s keeping you awake, I’m gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night.

 

I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders…I just went on…I mean, it wasn’t pointless.  I guess that was more of a superfluous tangent.  I said, well…I say well, doesn’t…the tooth fairy…you still owe me $0.50 for my tooth back from…and I’d say okay, well, I’m on break, believe it or not.  I’m actually the break fairy, but I’ll get in touch with the tooth fairy and we’ll see.  I’ll tell you what; since you gave all your employees one extra break, here’s an extra $0.50.  Oh, you want…those were 1987 dollars?  Mm.  Okay, well, the break fairy doesn’t do math, so I guess you’ll have to bring it up with the tooth fairy.  I gotta get back.  I also make a sleep podcast that…when I’m not working.  Well, I’m able to do both.

 

But so, oh, so, I’m gonna send my voice…lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents, all to take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep.  Now, my regular listeners, you already got to enjoy an early tangent there.  I know that’s a reg…for regular listeners, that’s usually a favorite thing but if you’re new, all of this could have thrown you off which is totally understandable because, I mean, this is not like other podcasts, even other sleep podcasts or sleep audio.  Our show is very different because one, it’s not meant to be listened to.  It’s meant to just barely…you just barely pay attention to it.  So, that’s one part of it.  The other part is it doesn’t really put you to sleep.

 

I’m just here to keep you company while you fall asleep, so that’s why the shows are over an hour, to give you plenty of time to drift off.  You could fall asleep in any…whenever it’s convenient for you but that way you don’t feel any pressure.  You got plenty of time, and I’m gonna be here to keep you company and just talk.  You could either…as you become a regular listener you say oh, okay, I prefer Scoots at this volume because I kinda do pay attention.  Also, Scoots, I don’t even know if I’m gonna become a regular listener but I love…is…where do I sign up for that break fairy service?  I’d say, I don’t know.  Obviously I don’t want to charge for it, so I’m looking for some supernatural funding.

 

Oh, also, just in case anybody’s listening that has the ability…like gods or goddesses, high-powered demi-gods and goddesses, supreme beings, members of the supremes that may have superpowers, you know, you could send some my way.  I mean, I have to probably be some sort of…where I can be in two place…where I can…’cause I’d like to be on break.  Obviously I’m gonna be the break fairy.  But you know, I’ll need some superpowers or supernatural powers; probably both.  Also, some multi-dimensional stuff.  Maybe an invisibility cloak so in case I gotta do some…I gotta show up in a break room and then I do a reveal.  I say, this break room’s empty.  What’s going on here?  This is unacceptable.

 

The whole idea of people working from home now, I even have to show up at their places and say hey, time for you to take a break.  Anyway, well, one day we’ll have…maybe.  Oh, so, but I’m doing a sleep podcast right now.  So, you don’t really pay attention to me.  I don’t really put you to sleep.  Other things that throw new listeners off is the structure of the show which is understandable ‘cause again, this is not like a normal thing.  Show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls so you feel seen and welcomed in.  Then there’s support for listeners.  If you need anything extra right now, in the show notes there’s stuff.  Then there’s support for the show so we can be here for free.

 

Then there’s the intro and the intro goes from like, minute six or minute eight to about minute twenty, though lately I’ve been testing out a little bit shorter.  When I say lately…when I’m recording it, but the episodes don’t necessarily get…you know, they get…anyway, not important.  But so, then after the intro is business that keeps the show free, and then our story.  Tonight it’ll be our finale of our episodically modular series Journey into the Land of Tomorrow which you can listen to in any order at all.  Just a bedtime story that’s slightly related to one another.  Then there’s thank-yous at the end.  So, the structure can throw people off, especially the intro because a lot of new listeners say well, when does the show get started?  What is this intro stuff?  I say well, you could skip the intro, and some listeners do.

 

Some podcast apps let you do that, [00:10:00] or you could be a patron; you could just get story-only episodes straight to you.  There’s actually more patrons that listen to all-intro…intro-only episodes though, than story-only episodes, though not by a lot, but pretty close.  But more…so, you kinda gotta see what you do, but the intro kinda serves a purpose; to give you some distance from your day and to start the unwinding process, the unspooling of all that stuff that keeps us up.  Like, I found that I have to be eased into bedtime, and actually the more I do this podcast and the more I get into saying hey, what’s gonna be best for all of us here, my daughter and me, and what is our best…routine really works?  It is this longer wind-down, and that’s something you kinda gotta slowly develop.

 

You do have to sacrifice; for us it’s like well, we’re gonna start making it…your wind-down routine more pleasurable and more, I don’t know, what’s important; closeness and stuff like that versus hey, instead of watching TV for forty-five minutes or an hour, we’re gonna do a quieter activity.  We’re gonna do some quiet sitting or meditating and then we’re gonna read together, maybe listen to an audiobook, then maybe listen to a sleep podcast.  That’s just to ease you into bedtime, and you can kind of adjust.  Like, some people are listening during the day for distraction, some people are doing an activity or getting ready for bed, so just kinda see what works for you.  But that’s why the intro feels like — at least initially — it goes on and on and on or it’s a show within a show.

 

It’s ‘cause that’s kinda how it’s designed and it’s easy to skip for…there’s 3% of people that say I don’t…I prefer not to listen to the intro.  Though I will say the biggest intro fans are the people that initially didn’t like the intro.  It’s just, I don’t know if that’s irony or what.  So, that’s the intro.  Oh, yeah, and I talked about the story and everything.  The reason I make the show is because you deserve a good night’s sleep, really, and you…I know how it feels out there in the deep, dark night, and if I can offer some relief and then you…the ability to rest, because I know how painful it is, to be honest, but also because our world will be a better place.  It just is a better place to live in knowing that your life’s a little bit better and that’s not something I can do for everybody.

 

It kind of is this weird digital thing but if my podcast, if this…my rambling and stories and pointless meanders and light humor or whatever can keep you company whether you’re awake or asleep…if you’re awake, I’m gonna be here to the very end to keep you company tonight, but I’m also gonna be here to the very end if you fall asleep to keep you company.  So, that’s important to me because you deserve some rest and you deserve an opportunity to be more rested tomorrow, to not dread bedtime, and to eventually flourish.  That’s why I’m here.  I really appreciate you coming by.  I really hope and yearn and strive to help you fall asleep.  Thanks again, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to be here for you free twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, it’s Scoots here.  It’s time for our episodically modular series Journey into the Land of Tomorrow.  It’s episodically modular with a touch of seriality, but you can listen to the episodes in any order.  So, if this is your first episode, welcome.  The characters are gonna catch you up on everything you need to know to be comfortable if this is your first episode or your third or, you know, if you say well, it’s actually my fourth.  I listened to Episode 9, then Episode 6, then Episode 3.  Now I’m listening to Episode 12.  I say don’t worry; characters…that sounds perfect.  So, it’s just a bedtime story.  It’s here for you and it’s simply some friends playing a roleplaying game and going on an…the adventure of friendship.

 

I’m laughing just ‘cause, you know, I’m…you know, friendship’s always an adventure and it’s an adventure of…in its own.  Put that on a pillow.  Friendship; it’s an adventure.  Awkward knowing but loving and forlorn laugh.  That might not fit on a pillow.  This is the kinda stuff that cracks me up, is…you say Scoots, you just said something true.  What did I say?  Wow, that’s hilarious.  It’s too true.  The adventure of friendship in gameplay and the adventure itself.  Here, before we do that, Zooming in all the way from Hollywood…here’s the thing; I don’t know if I’ve talked about this ‘cause I tried to respect his privacy and he didn’t exactly like it at first but I said well, if you drive from your home all the way to my driveway and you never get out of your car and then you drive back, you’ll be close enough to be on my Wi-Fi.

 

It’ll be like you’re here with me.  He said yeah, sure.  I don’t have…he said…I guess he was…he may have been being sarcastic when he said no, yeah, I don’t have anything…sounds perfect.  So, I’m gonna drive all the way from Los Angeles to the East Bay, sit in your drive…and I said, well…I said do you think…I wonder if my Wi-Fi reaches all the way to the street.  He made a knowing sigh and then…but he’s here to introduce the series.  What a gentleman, what a voice, what a person deep down, and someone who loves to be on the road, maybe; my friend, your friend, our Hollywood announcer Mr. Antonio Banderas.  The ladies, the gentlemen, the boys, the girls, the friends beyond the binary, it’s time to journey into the Land of Tomorrow.  Roll those dice.  Whoosh.  Yeah.  Thank you.  That’s Antonio Banderas and this is Journey into the Land of Tomorrow.

 

Alright everybody, have a seat.  Who’s…so, we left off where it kind of…not…in mid-planning, so who…which one of you is gonna take over recapping and…’cause this might be…I don’t want to…yeah.  It’s kind of an important sesh.  It’s good to see everybody but I want to get into it, okay?  This is Eleanor; yeah.  I think Zell should do it.  Lord von Chill here; I agree.  Zell’s our leader, and Grenada?  Yeah, Grenada of Darmok here.  I would say, Zell.  Emwatta?  Yes, Emwatta here.  I would say Zell, you are our leader.  Take it from here.  Okay, well, I’m happy to take the lead here and I don’t think it’s…it’s not a binary thing, leadership, so just want to point that out.

 

We all lead at times and we all can lead, and…but I…since you’re looking to me to lead and recap the…where we were at, this is pretty…good one because we’re a team of adventurers here in the Land of Tomorrow, a land in a theme park that has since gone to rest, no longer in use.  At some point it was discovered that there’s a magical, powerful portal to another world here that needs to be sealed up and closed because it’s having a impact on the area and it could have disastrous effects for our world, or more than likely.  We’ve been searching for a staff, a headpiece, and a gem or a stone or something to close the portal.  We found that and we’re here in a space…dancing space attraction…mountain…mountainous space dancing attraction.  Space Mountain Dance-Off?  Was that what it was called at some point?

 

But we suspect…we almost know the portal is below us and we’re about to try to complete our mission.  We’re a team of adventurers.  I’m Zell, a stout-hearted warrior, I would call myself, along with our other warrior from the upper-crust, Lord von Chill.  I guess if you’re a lord, you’re a landed gentry.  Working with Lord von Chill is Grenada of Darmok, fleet of foot and nimble of finger, great with the lasso we learned is Grenada of Darmok.  Then our healer, our nurse, but also such a strong warrior in their own right is Eleanor, a Florencian nurse of the Three Florences.  [00:20:00] Then no longer in humanoid form but now in a water form who can sometimes take on humanoid form but I don’t quite understand that is our wizard Emwatta.  I think that’s it.

 

We’re here and we’re at the…oh, yeah, I could do a place setting and lead into our plans, I guess if I’m the leader.  We got into the top of this…this is a well-guarded and protected place, this Space Mountain Dance-Off that I’m calling it.  We had to get past a wizard who was guarding the door.  Also, we suspect the outside of where we are, outside of the boundaries of this magical kingdom we’re in the land of, some strange tower erupted from the ground.  We think that’s related to the portal and we’re here at the…one of the set pieces of the ride — I don’t know what they call it — where there’s animatronics for a time that featured one of the characters from this company, the Goof, and the Goof’s cousins or kids or nephews or something and friends.

 

But they’re in outer…they’re in a funkified version of outer space or a radical version of outer space where…very cartoonish in a good way, I think.  I mean, this looks pretty funny and fun, but they were teaching outer space beings, imaginary, fictional ones, how to dance, and that was what would set up…I don’t know.  I thought a lot about it ‘cause I said I would ride this attraction…would set up the darkness and the day glow and the funky music for the rest of the attraction and disco-type stuff, and that it would be fun, like, dancing…oh, I think maybe we speculated peace through dance.  We’ve been working…we have a plan.  We’ve recovered the best we can.  We’re gonna take all…we’re gonna get all our hit points back up and maybe cast magical aid again or whatever to have our hit points as maximum as we can.

 

We’re gonna use our magical wrench that we found…can bring these animatronics to somewhat of life and train the animatronics to go down…and this is…I’m speaking to the DM as well as our party, but feel free to…if anybody from our party wants to interject…train these animatronics, put them on the ride, send them down to surprise the wizards, and teach them to just simply grab the wizards and hold them and then we’ll go down and deal with it whether the wizards…I mean, there’s a lot…there’s some noise down there but there’s also the wind against this building, so it’s really hard to tell what’s going on in here.  Some other sound…maybe that’s the portal; there’s the humming of the wind but there’s some other humming, pulsing.  Then we’ll go down.

 

Maybe you…we were…we had talked a while ago about playing dumb versus using stealth or a combination, but I guess we could decide as we get closer, but obviously try to surprise the wizards and see what they’re up to, close the portal whether the wizards are gonna work with us or against us or who they are.  Maybe we’re only assuming they’re wizards, but I think that’s based on…that’s inferring based on the information we have at hand.  This is Eleanor; yeah, so, yeah, I can roll to cast aid, to try to boost our hit points, and I think we have enough med kits to get everybody to 100%.  We won’t be able to rest, so I’ll have…what should we do about the staff and stuff?  That’s the only thing I was thinking.  Should we put it together?  Emwatta, could you let us know or should we just figure it out when we get down there?

 

This is Lord von Chill; I think this is a good plan.  Those are good questions.  Thanks, Eleanor.  Grenada, I’m in agreement.  This is Emwatta; Eleanor, since you brought it up, I would think that maybe because of my water form, maybe the staff is best held in your hands.  At first I wanted to say we should hide it but I think we should have it ready, ‘cause the only thing is, what if we could just close the portal from stealth?  I don’t know.  We don’t really know much else, right?  It’s like, we may be still be missing one piece of information.  But if it’s a two-sided portal or something, we get down there…what if we don’t even have to deal with the wizards?  We could just close it.  This is Zell; are you saying that 100% as Watta or with any…’cause it’s hard ‘cause you’re being played as an NPC, kind of.

 

This is Emwatta; I mean, let’s be realistic, but just an idea I felt I wanted to interject.  It was a possibility.  But was…it’s not a scripted…it’s a scripted idea that I…it’s not scripted from the adventure manual.  Okay, good enough.  Okay, so can we roll for all that?  Magical aid for Eleanor and then training…DM, is that okay?  Does that sound like our initial plan?  Okay, so your plan…let’s just go over it.  So, magical aid…okay, actually…okay, that worked, so I have…hit points are boosted, so I got that.  Then your plan is to use the wrench and then train the Goofs in the…it looks like there’s three sets of cars up here, so if you were gonna go down in the third car…two, four…you could send down eight Goofs in the first two cars, four each.

 

So, you want to train them to go down and then grab the wizards using the wrench, and then you will go down in the last car?  Is that what…?  Is that a consensus decision?  Does that sound correct?  Yeah, this is Zell; I’m looking at everybody and I think that’s correct.  Especially with Emwatta, yeah, whoever has the best…can we just go with those easier rolls of…I would assume Emwatta…yeah, yes; can we just roll for that with our best…whoever’s most able?  Okay, yeah, because of the magical wrench and Watta’s condition…but you’re also in this place of heightened awareness and things.  Okay.  Alright.  Okay, so, a quick question; so, there’s…you could send down eight Goofs or…so, there’s Goof and he has three nephews.

 

Then there’s another green Goof, then there’s…so, there’s about fourteen total characters you could try on.  Do you want to try on all of them or a limited number?  Is there a…if we try on all of them, doesn’t that increase our odds of…?  Yeah, it does.  I just wanted to…okay, that’s what I mean about…I mean, I’m not…yeah.  Yes, thank you.  Okay, so you’re successful at training seven of them, and then the other ones fail and they just don’t activate or they kind of just wander around.  But those seven you feel confident you’ve trained to sit in the car, get out of the car, and find a wizard or anyone they encounter down there and hold onto them, other…but they won’t…it won’t backfire; I rolled for that, too.  So, they won’t…they know who all of you are.  Okay, so can we just send them down?

 

Okay, you successfully send the cars down.  Okay, and then I guess we should go down right away because we should…I guess we didn’t talk about that, but maybe wait thirty seconds or a minute.  What does everybody think?  Eleanor?  Yeah, I think that that’s a good idea.  Yes, Lord von Chill here; I think that works.  Could we get in the car?  I’m excited.  Do we know if this is a good idea?  DM; I don’t…you heard the other cars going and…but it’s tough to hear because Zell said the noises in this place…Grenada here; I can use the lasso and keep…I have multiple lassos I could make, [00:30:00] and then I could use the lasso to kinda help us go slower if that sounds good to everybody, like a little bit like rappelling, and then I could control the speed of our car independent…since we’re not animatronics.

 

I’m sure if the animatronics…they’ll be fine.  Okay — this is Zell — I think that’s a brilliant idea.  DM?  Okay, so just to…so, you’re gonna slowly rappel down in the car with Grenada, using it to control your speed?  Yeah, that’s what we’re gonna do.  Okay, so you go down.  So far, the first rope runs out.  Grenada throws the second rope and thinks it held, but it didn’t, so when Grenada lets go of the second rope, the weight of the car pulls…or, lets go of the first rope, the second rope does not hold and your car picks up speed for a little while.  You all kinda brace yourselves and you’re figuring out what to do but before you could even discuss it, the car kinda goes into a braking area.

 

The back…three out of the four trains…there was two trains, two cars each; you kinda…you slow down enough but then you get stuck behind a train.  Three cars went down.  One car’s there in the brake area.  You don’t…you safely get stuck behind it.  There’s two animatronics there and they’re just sitting in their seats.  Okay.  Can we push their car out of the way or do something, and can we double-check our ropes next time?  Okay, this is the DM; you’re not…that car…those cars are permanently…you’re stuck.  You’re gonna have to find a alternative way down.  Okay, can you give us a idea where we are?  Yeah, so you’re on a platform that was used…that would be used, actually, to get people on or off the ride.  There’s catwalks going in each direction.

 

It looks like if you went left on the catwalk, that seems to be where there’s more the pulsating noise coming from, where to the right it heads more towards the side…like, that’s…to the left is more towards the center of the building where to the right is more towards the side of the building.  Okay, can we head towards the right and see what we…and go ahead cautiously, like with caution?  Okay, eventually you get to a ladder and you’ll have to climb down.  It’s pretty far, so I can roll for everybody if you want to do that, or you could kinda keep going.  Okay, can we check the ladder for sturdiness and…yeah, really check the ladder for sturdiness and then…how long is this gonna take us?  Or should we look for other options?  Okay, you check the ladder for sturdiness and it seems pretty sturdy.

 

It’s built into a support, so it’s…you’re confident that it’s sturdy, but as you’re also checking it, you start to hear the sounds of…distant covered-up sounds of commotion, which I don’t know what that would lead all of you to believe.  That means our…Lord von Chill here; this means our crew’s arrived down there.  Let’s start climbing.  That would be my vote.  Yeah, this is Zell; I guess we better just get going.  Okay, so you all are successfully climbing down.  It does take some time though, because it’s a ladder and you wanted to be spaced out if you were doing it safely, which I was implying, I guess.  So, it takes you about fifteen minutes to get down to the bottom of the ladder.

 

Okay, as we’re going down the ladder, did we hear…were we listening and what did we hear, and then what do we see at the bottom of the ladder?  Okay, as you were going down the ladder, you heard a lot of commotion.  Then the commotion started to die down and as you got towards the bottom of the ladder, you kinda hear someone in a somewhat intensified voice trying to reason…but you only hear…and you hear the pulsing, and then you hear some other voices also reasoning or kinda saying stuff.  Okay, what does everybody think?  Sounds like our plan worked.  Maybe there was…maybe they think we’re closer than we are or they think that the animatronics can hear them, but we should make haste, I think, because sooner or later, if they’re really good wizards, they’ll figure out a way to get out of the animatronics.

 

Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.  So, what do we see here?  Okay, so you’re at the bottom, so it’s a big concrete floor and you kinda see that there’s tattered fabric that they used to separate parts of the ride to cause darkness or different effects.  So, you can kinda see through some of the tattered stuff, like the tracks and some…a light source and the sounds and everything in a direction that would be kind of…if your back is to the ladder or your…if you got off…well, yeah, if your back is to the ladder, it would be to your right.  Okay, I think we should discuss a plan, then, before we head over there.  What does everybody think of how we…how should we play this?  This is Grenada; I think we should use stealth.  I don’t think personally we need to wander in and say oh, what’s happening here?

 

I think we should get as close as we can with stealth and then be ready to close the portal but also ready for anything.  Yeah, this is Eleanor; I agree with that.  I mean, they don’t know Watta’s with us, so I think…Watta, is there anything you can do to find out more?  Or if you sense anything, can you let us know?  Then I think also we should be aware of Watta’s plan, at least, to say can we close the portal?  Where is the portal?  So, I think we should get closer…get more information but be ready.  Okay, this is Zell; yeah, I think…can we see how stealthy we can be?  Okay, this is the DM; yeah, so, it’s…there’s a lot of noises, right, and as you get closer, you’re moving with stealth.

 

It’s a open…it’s a area with a lot of places to be stealthy, but the good thing is there’s enough light and you can all see enough that it’s just kinda…it makes it easy for you to kinda get closer and closer towards the sounds and light.  You can definitely hear as you’re getting closer…the wizards or voices…the voices seem to be trying to reason with somebody.  Also, you hear some brainstorming about exactly what Lord von Chill had said; like, we gotta get out…we gotta…can anybody get free or think of anything?  Then you also hear some wizards trying to cast spells but they don’t seem to be working, either.  Okay, Watta, do you think that’s important that the wizards can’t cast a spell?

 

This is Watta; I mean, I guess it’s important to know because it may limit…I think we should keep that in mind if whatever they’re dealing with or the portal is blocking some sort of magic use, or if it’s just that the animatronics are so effective…I don’t think we…but I think we should prepare not to be able to use magic.  But other than that, kind going along with our plan.  Okay, so should we just try to get closer?  I don’t know.  Did we stop for some reason?  I can’t remember.  You didn’t…you did stop now.  While you’re talking, you notice…at first you thought it was just another light or something but there’s a light coming towards you.  It’s kinda growing.  Not growing a lot; it went from a pinprick and it seems to be floating towards all of you.  It’s definitely coming towards you.

 

Kind of a slow, meandering pace, but it’s making its way towards you.  Okay, everybody get ready.  [00:40:00] We should try to still be quiet, though.  Anybody have any idea what’s coming towards us?  Watta, do you sense any magic?  Is there some sort of…do…could we just be ready and try to figure out what it is?  Okay, I’m gonna use you then, Zell, and…since you’re the leader, you’re watching it.  Everybody’s ready and you say…you do say this looks a bit like one of those nighttime light friends we used to catch as kids out in the forest.  It reminds me of that coming towards us.  Seems to be slightly bigger, and…but I would still say ready…just stay ready just in case.  Also, you do say Grenada, you sense anything mechanical or at play here or anything surprising?

 

Grenada rolls and says nope, I’m clear that there isn’t anything mechanical, because I rolled a sixteen.  Okay, so I guess we wait for this thing to approach dramatically, and then what happens?  Oh, it’s like a firefly from my youth, or something like it.  It’s coming towards us and it arrives.  Then what happens?  The firefly, which is about the size of a small ball you could hold in your hand floats in front of you.  It does have features that are familiar to you like eyes and a nose and a mouth, but you sense something otherworldly about it.  It looks at all of you and it says are you with the wizards?  This is Zell from my party; not for the DM…is it okay for me to take the lead on this?  Then if you feel like you need to let me know anything to just interject or…you know what I’m saying?  But I’ll see what I can figure out, here.

 

But I’m gonna slow…you know what I mean?  I’m gonna take the lead.  You’re our leader, Zell.  Yes, Zell, you’re our leader.  Okay, this is Zell speaking to the…who are you?  I’m Zell.  Who are you?  Hello, Zell.  I’m…it would be tough to explain who I am.  My name would not make sense.  I’m trying to figure out what I’ve learned from your world, but I’m a concerned citizen from my world, and that’s…you could call me…CeeCee, I guess.  Okay, CeeCee, what are you…are you…you’re from another world?  Yeah, I’m from the world the portal has opened.  I thought…did you send down those dancing space dogs that embraced the wizards?  Maybe we did.  I just don’t…I don’t fully…I’ll be honest with you; we don’t fully trust you, CeeCee.  We don’t even know who you are.  Can you tell us more?

 

Well, they came down on the ride a few minutes ago and embraced the wizards.  They were holding the wizards in their embrace.  The timing was not…was interesting because there’s…the reason I came out was I saw coming into your world a being from our world that has entered your world, and the wizards…it’s complicated but it’s not a good thing.  Okay.  That could have been us, but could you…so, can you just help me understand this situation more?  So, the wizards are now in the embrace of dancing space dogs, or their space friends, and you are from the portal.  My understanding — I’ll give you what we know — is that that portal goes to another world, a kind of magical realm, and that maybe we are tasked with closing that portal to protect our world, because our understanding is that it just…it’s…that your world is full of magic that is neither all good or all bad.

 

Watta, am I close, here?  But it’s not compatible with our world?  Yeah, this is Emwatta; this being does seem to be made up of some magic that I don’t understand, but also yes, that was a great summary, Zell.  Ah, yes, this is CeeCee; yeah, this is…that’s a water-based being.  You are correct, I believe.  I don’t totally understand your world, but I would say that your theory that a lot of beings in our world are incompatible with your world, including the being that has exited the portal and is now meeting some of your wizards there, and give you…the wizards have been here while messing around with this portal, I think waiting for you, and I was listening at the door because I was concerned that this portal’s been opened and that the wizards, they’ve been trying to learn what they can.

 

Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that our world is kind of more like…it’s not all solid material.  So, they sent in some wizards that it didn’t work out for because you can’t enter our world in solid form.  Like, even I…if you look at me closely you’ll see I’m a little bit gelatinous, and the being that has come out is like a giant S-L-U-G that you would see in one of your gardens.  Also, I’m…just so you know, I’m able to absorb your…not absorbing you but get information from you as we spend time together, and from the wizards.  I do know that I absorb from the wizards that have been watching.  They weren’t honest with you, that you are the party they hired to close the portal, but the Wizard’s Council with this access to this magic, they also wanted to…they more wanted to come close and open the portal and study it.

 

Then they called this…they felt this powerful force and came too close and now it’s come through.  This being, this is a organic being in our world, but in your world the power of the magic of this being…just not compatible with your world.  It’s dug a hole, it may have even gone into the earth, and it’s conferring with the wizards in a way that the wizards would not enjoy.  Okay, CeeCee, can I just also — on behalf of my party of adventurers — kinda reflect back to you what you said?  So, the wizards…we were tasked with coming and closing the portal.  We may or may not have the ability to do that, or…and we don’t totally understand that.  We’ve got nothing against your world other than if it’s not compatible, we’d like to close the portal.

 

I don’t know what you want ‘cause you haven’t made that clear, other than you’re concerned.  It sounds like the wizards were mucking about and they wanted us…from other information we know, maybe you’re already learning from us by studying us or whatever that I’m not sure I’m comfortable with, they wanted to kinda wear us down so when we got here, they probably could have told us what to do.  But we still want to close the portal and complete our mission, whether the wizards…and maybe give the wizards a stern talking to.  So, we definitely don’t trust the wizards anymore, and they definitely maybe underestimated us.  So, would you help us close this portal and maybe get this giant slug being from your world back?  Because what would happen if we closed the portal with the slug being?

 

It wouldn’t be…it would change your world slowly.  It kind of takes…it assimilates.  That’s what it’s doing with some of the wizards, but it’s in a state that’s neither…you have stages of existence.  Inside of that being is this long, stretched-out existence which you’re not really…your universe isn’t designed for that kind of existence, so you wouldn’t enjoy it.  It’s too hard to explain.  It’s just a different…totally differing type of existing.  Okay, so can we get that thing back in there, then close the portal?  What other things are we seeing that we shouldn’t do?  Is there any help you could offer us?  Is there anything you could tell us about how [00:50:00] difficult this is gonna be or best practices?  Oh, is the…something about the magic’s not working.  Yes, there’s not much I can do to help you because I’m just a small, little firefly.

 

You seem to be powerful to deal with that…this slug.  What I would say is I could go back into the portal and find…we do have other types of beings, not the same as me; more…like, in your world you’d call it an infant.  They’re not like an infant in our world.  We call…I go…oh, what did I say?  Steam beings…they’re…or mist beings.  I could call some mist beings and ask them for help.  What they could do is go into the tunnel that the S-L-U…try to pull anything out of there, ‘cause I don’t think you’d be able to do that.  I guess if there’s some way you could get it into the portal, the slug, and then close the portal and then we use some of the steam beings…the only other thing I would be concerned about is anything left over.  Some of the steam beings will be left over.

 

They’re not suited…you would be asking them to come live in your world, so I would say if there’s a way to seal…you’d have to…you wouldn’t want them interacting with your world.  If you could keep them in a building or…you know what I mean?  It’s not incompatible in a negative way; it’s just, it wouldn’t be fair to them or to you to have them wandering around your world.  Okay.  Also, we have this staff.  We’re not exactly sure how to use it, and…oh, did…I had that magic…oh yeah, magic doesn’t seem to work.  You could use some of the…you could use the staff.  That must be the way they…I think my understanding is that you could…you’re closing the portal by absorbing it into that stone on the staff.

 

It would be simply when you’re ready to close it, just imagine…whoever’s holding the staff is focusing…so, someone that would be very good at focusing on holding the staff and kinda focusing on it closing.  I think you could probably use the staff at least…it has the power of the portal to imbue your tools there for battling, maybe.  I think that would work.  Maybe your magic-user would know more if they made a attempt or something.  But yeah, I can help.  I think we’d also need someone…this is a little complicated but I think convenient because I’ve met your other friend there.  I can’t get back into the portal without some help, so I need someone to kind of…it’s just my certain…same with the S-L-U-G or the steam beings; we can’t just go back into the portal.

 

It’s tough to explain, but basically they have to be taken into the portal, or…again, it’s…you would say were unwilling to go through the portal but it’s more of not able to.  Like, I can’t will myself back into the portal even if I want.  Okay.  Watta, could you…let me review everything before…so, basically what we need to do is we need to trust you that you’ll help us with these steam beings, create a…in some sense a weather pattern where your steam beings are going into the tunnel below the S-L-U…slug being, enforcing any remnants or whatever that we don’t understand in…forcing those back into the portal.  But those steam things aren’t necessarily able to push the slug in.  We have to do that, obviously.  We’re the heroes or the adventurers, maybe.  I’m not saying that in a grand way.  That’s on us.

 

The hardest part is on us.  You need somebody to pull you into the portal or take you into the portal, and none of us solid beings could do it but Watta is a water-based being now, so Watta might be able to do it.  We can’t use magic but we might be able to imbue our…my bow or arrows and everyone else’s stuff.  Someone with great focus which is Eleanor, I think, but Eleanor, you could…you can disagree…needs to close the portal when we get the slug through it.  Also, we need to figure out how to seal off the park or the building for the steam beings to be here.  So, Watta, I would need some help with some of this stuff, with your knowledge.  Okay, well, that’s great, Zell.  I think that’s all really solid info.  I guess I would roll, Emwatta, to see if I could come up with a plan to seal off the park.

 

I guess I’m happy to take the lightning bug into the portal, because if I’m liquid, I’d…I would guess I would ask what are…are there any other consequences?  But I’m happy to do that.  I’m happy to roll to see if I could come up with a plan to accomplish that.  Sounds like what the…CeeCee is saying is that using the staff on your…your things will give us some kind of bonus which it probably…the DM would be able to tell us what that is.  Yeah, so I guess I would turn it over to the DM.  I’m ready to find out those two things.  Okay, this is the DM; thanks, Watta.  So, for as far as the staff goes, you would have to decide to try that and then I would tell you the results, which I’ll tell you the results just in…and then you could try it.

 

But you could power all of your things and it will give you a pretty nice advantage, basically a bonus and a double-up, but you’re not exactly sure how long that will last, obviously.  So, wait, they’ll do double damage and we’ll have a bonus?  Yes, yes, yes.  I mean, not double…you know what I mean, like an advantage.  Yes, yeah.  I mean, not a, well, roll, but yeah.  Okay, and then…okay, and then rolling for…so, Watta says well, the one thing I could think of is that there is a way for the wizards to…those are powerful wizards out there if they’re from the Wizard’s Council.  They could choose…if there’s four of them, to create a four-points…they could go to the four points around this theme park and pretty much permanently seal it off.

 

Some things, natural things, would be able to cross in and out, but this already has boundaries and stuff.  So, it wouldn’t be 100% sealed against air and weather and stuff like that, but sentient beings would not be able to…anything sentient — which I think it was my understanding even if it’s from another world — wouldn’t be able to cross in or out permanently.  The only thing is, the wizards would have to choose to do that because that would be…in order to enact that thing, according to the rules, they would have to…that would be their permanent status forever, like…kinda like the other beings that were guarding the building.  I don’t know if those were volunteers or not but they would have to volunteer to do that, to seal the park and give up their existence.  Okay, this is Zell; I don’t know.

 

Is there a way we can communicate with them?  Watta, can’t you do some sort of water talk into the ears?  Like, how likely are we to be able to convince them to do that?  I don’t know.  I mean, I can talk to them, yes, through water.  Yeah, water ear talk.  That’s how I communicate with all of you now.  I’m pretty sure I could do it at this distance.  The thing is that I don’t know if they do it.  They might feel bad…oh, I’m sorry, CeeCee.  Did you have something to say?  I just had an idea.  So, there were six wizards.  One wizard has already joined with the slug and another [01:00:00] wizard is in the process of that, but the other four wizards have been watching that unfold, and they kind of have a sense of what that would be like.  So, you could just give them a choice.

 

You could wait and they could join in with the slug, which they know is not gonna be a pleasant, permanent state of existence, too.  Or if it’s my understanding, with this situation, they would actually move onto another stage of existence.  This one, they would be locked in one stage of existence.  Like, within the slug versus they could do something good, protect their magic and their world, and move onto whatever the next stage of wizarding is.  Is that correct, Watta?  Sounds correct.  Okay.  This is Zell; could we just roll for this?  ‘Cause this kinda feels cursory.  Okay, yeah, so you roll with it.  Can we get to the…I want to get to this…dealing with this slug thing.  Okay, so, the wizards agree to that.  Watta presents that choice.  They say okay, let us know when and we will do it, but please hurry up.  We’d much…please hurry.

 

Okay, so this is Zell; we gotta come up with a plan now.  So, we have our blessed weapons.  We’ll send…oh, we didn’t ask CeeCee about what will happen and how we get Watta back.  So, basically we would…how are we gonna get the slug in there?  Can we push it or something?  How big is the slug?  Can we get closer and observe, CeeCee?  Can you answer the question about Watta, and can we roll to get as close as possible to see what we see?  Okay, so you get as close as you can see.  The slug is very big and it’s gelatinous, so pushing it is probably out of the option because you’re watching…you probably don’t want to touch it.  It’s pretty apparent you could get…you probably want to stay at least a axe-length away from it.  Oh, boy.  So, how are we gonna get this thing in there?  How big is big?

 

Compared to the steam giant, is the slug bigger or smaller?  Oh, much smaller than that.  Like, it’s about the size of two of you or two-and-a-half of you.  Two-and-a-half Lord von Chills, where the Steam Genie’s about six or seven or eight Lord von Chills.  Okay.  Oh, this is Grenada of Darmok; I have an idea.  What if I sneak out?  The steam giant can’t see.  I could use my lassos, and I also…I do have some animal husbandry skills.  What if I ride the steam giant in?  Maybe we even use the wrench on the steam giant, or I could try and use it to toss the slug in.  Okay.  This is Zell; I like that idea.  I guess we could try…we can try that.  I think we should probably…because I can see the DMs making it like there’s a time…like, that once that wizard’s done, which it seems like that time is passing and I’m aware of it ‘cause I see a timer moving.

 

So, I mean, it does…but that’s the reality; we’d be watching it anyway.  So, I think we should make our move; get the wizards to seal off the area, send Watta and CeeCee into there to get the steam beings out, and have Grenada…see if Grenada can sneak out and get that, and then Lord von Chill, Eleanor, and I will engage the slug at a distance.  What does everybody think?  This is Lord von Chill; I would say yes.  I’m not trying to be a hero but I think that you…Eleanor needs to be the most protected with the staff.  Zell, with your bonuses, I think your longbow and I will get close, but I will remain a safe distance away.  Because I’m trying to think; this…if this thing is double or two-and-a-half, that means its hit points are double or two-and-a-half or more, and we probably need to weaken it for…you know what I mean?

 

Okay, and yeah, I guess we can accidentally safely assume that our weapons will work because of the blessing of CeeCee’s idea.  So, we would have to…okay, so we’d have to see is CeeCee and Watta successful?  Is Grenada successful?  Are the wizards successful, and can we…and we engage?  This is Lord von Chill; quick question.  What about…you haven’t told us what’s gonna happen to Watta.  If the wizard…the wizards are gonna seal the park with us in it though, too, correct?  This is CeeCee; Watta will come…unfortunately Watta will have to be a member of our world and see if we can make it…I don’t think Watta…Watta has kind intentions, so Watta could be another concerned citizen…new citizen in our world.  But there’s no way for Watta to re-enter your world without it messing up our plans.  Okay.

 

What about the rest of us, DM?  You’ll also be…you’ll be…you’re…it’s…the whole theme park will be sealed off, so it’s pretty big but yeah, that’ll be your world forever.  Okay, but there could be other adventures in the theme park for…but I can’t return to my castle and manor.  Now, that’s unfortunate.  Zell?  Eleanor, what…Grenada, what do you think?  Grenada of Darmok; I’m not happy about this but I have…we have to do what we have to do.  This is Eleanor; the Three Florences will guide my choice and it’s clear.  Yeah, this is Zell; we just got…we gotta do it.  Yeah, I guess we’ll have to learn to get along or something.  Watta, how do you feel?  Normally I think we could have a big talk about this but I’m watching…the wizard’s almost done, so…yeah, this is Watta; it’s fine.

 

It’s been a pleasure working with all of you but I think we have a lot of things to roll for, so I will say goodbye to all of you because I’m…you know, it’s been a pleasure and I’ve learned a lot.  Okay, that’s…this is…that’s a little anti-climactic, but just what we have time for.  So, does all that make sense?  DM, can we…I guess can we roll for all that or what do we have to roll for and what can we do?  Okay, so Watta communicates with the wizards.  That’s check, and the wizards are ready.  So, you would just have to…when you…so, yeah.  Watta and CeeCee go into the…can go…you want all this to happen?  I just want to make sure.  Watta and CeeCee will go into the portal, release the steam spirits.

 

At the same time, Grenada’s gonna be sneaking out and then you’ll engage, release the wizards, the wizards will make their attempt, and then we’ll roll…that’ll be…this’ll be an encounter, so we’ll roll for initiative and then go from there.  Yeah, let’s do it.  Okay, so CeeCee and Watta don’t have to roll.  That’s just kinda part of the story, so they do go in.  There’s tears shed, yadda, yadda, yadda.  The steam spirits come rushing out.  That’s one thing that’s happening.  At the same time, Grenada…sixteen, so you do successfully sneak by.  This is all gonna be part of a round, so I’m also…okay.  It just has to be because otherwise it’d be too hard to track.  So, basically the order of action is gonna be Zell, LVC, slug, Eleanor, Grenada.

 

The wizards would go between Zell and Lord von Chill, but they only have two actions; leave, and then can they complete…but they’re like, very, very high-level wizards.  Does that sound straight to everybody?  Sounds interesting, so yeah, let’s do it.  Okay, so everything happens at once other than what’s happening in the background with the same steam spirits, but that kinda gives you confidence as you see them flowing out and into this hole below the slug, which you say wait a second, does that hole go all the way to the tower?  It does, but you don’t know that, but whatever.  So, you go in.  Zell, you’re gonna…oh, so Zell, just…Lord von Chill went over your actions, but I just want to double-check.  So, you’re gonna be using your bow.

 

LVC’s gonna be using his axe, and Eleanor, [01:10:00] you’ll be using your…whatever you have, your bow.  Sounds good. Okay, so…okay, this is what happens; so, Zell goes.  You launch…you get two actions.  Oh, I guess your first action would be to release the wizards, which is successful.  Your second action would be a bow which is eleven plus your bonus, so that does…I’ll be using the numbers just to be clear; twelve on the slug.  The wizards, after they’re released, they do follow through and they leave, ideally to go seal at the four points to create this impenetrable barrier.  Permeable but impenetrable.  Lord von Chill, you got fifteen and a two, so you do…on your first one you hit and do fifteen.  Well, I’ve never felt more powerful.  Okay, now the slug goes.

 

The slug has three things, and first it uses its…it is surprised but it’s not surprised to inaction.  So, it does…it gets a fourteen.  It kinda swings at Lord von Chill, does twelve, and then it shoots a slime shot, like just one thing, and that does thirteen.  Oh no, two shots, so a ten and a thirteen, so it hits Eleanor and Zed…or Zell.  It does ten each.  Eleanor, you get a sixteen, so you do ten on the slug.  Grenada, you got a sixteen, so you successfully get out to the steam giant.  In this round, it takes you one round to reach the steam giant successfully.  Oh, and to get on it, so you…in that roll you have the time to sneak out, jump on it from the thing just ‘cause of the distance and stuff; it’s not really that far.  So, with the bonuses and everything, Zell, you go from forty-seven to thirty-seven.  Lord von Chill; forty-two to thirty.

 

Eleanor; forty-one to thirty-one.  The slug goes from one-thirty-three to ninety-six.  Whoa, one-thirty-three to ninety-six?  Alright, this is Zell; let’s do it.  Let’s stay strong and let’s do it.  Eleanor, be ready.  Let’s go, action surge and everything too, okay?  Oh yes, action surge too.  Okay, so Zell, you do…okay, two…you do twelve with your action surge and your two…and then Lord von Chill…okay, so you do thirty.  So, Zell, you get one thing off with one extra thing.  Lord von Chill, you get in two good swipes for thirty.  Slug; miss…takes a swipe at LVC; misses, but manages to squirt…it’s kinda like a unpleasant magical spillage on Zell and Eleanor.  It does ten each on you, kinda like lava but not like lava.  Eleanor, you do ten more on the slug.  Okay, Grenada, eleven but you have your dexterity bonus.

 

Okay, so you are controlling the steam giant with your things and trying to lead it in, but it is a bit wild right now.  But you’re successfully leading it back in, just not perfectly.  So, for that round, Zell, you go down to twenty-seven.  LVC, you stay at thirty.  Eleanor’s down to twenty-one.  The slug’s down to forty-four.  Alright, this is Zell; let’s just keep at it.  Okay.  Also, you notice that you feel the power leaving your magical weapons on this round.  Okay, this is Zell; I don’t think we should try to recharge them because we don’t have any time to lose now.  So, can we just proceed?  Yes.  Yeah, this is Eleanor; yeah.  Okay, so Zell, you…nine and sixteen, so you do six on the slug.  LVC, eleven, sixteen, so you do eight.  Wow.  Slug’s…these are just rolls; I’m…twelve, eighteen, and eighteen for the slug.

 

So, LVC, you take twelve damage and Zell and Eleanor, you each take ten more on the spray.  Eleanor, you got a four.  Grenada…okay, Grenada, you successfully enter the room with the…you successfully get all the way back into the room in front of the slug in this round successfully.  Okay, great.  What does that even mean?  It means you got around…with your bonus, you’re in the twenty-plus range.  Okay, so Zell, you’re down to seventeen.  Lord von Chill, you’re down to eighteen.  Eleanor, you’re down to eleven, and the slug is down to thirty.  Okay, so I think this is…so, should I try to grab it and throw it in?  Is that what we’re doing now?  Is this the round to try that?  I think you could try to pick up the slug.  I don’t think you could pick it up and throw it in one round because you’re…you know what I mean?

 

Okay, well, I’ll try to pick up the slug this round then.  Everybody else gonna do the same thing?  This is Eleanor; I think I should probably focus on…I mean, if everybody’s okay with that, to start to get…connect it to the portal and try to close it.  Hopefully I don’t take any hits or anything.  Yeah, this is Lord von Chill; I’m gonna…why don’t you move behind me?  I’ll move back.  I’ll still try to go after the slug, but yeah, or behind the steam giant.  Zell?  Yeah, I think this is a plan.  Let’s roll it.  Okay, Zell, you got eleven and four but with your bonus, your natural bonus, you do six on the slug.  Lord von Chill; four…okay, four…okay, so you do seven on the slug.  The slug; two, nine, and nineteen, but with bonuses.

 

That means that…but Zell…or Eleanor’s behind Lord von Chill and the steam giant, so that means ten on Lord von Chill and Zell.  Eleanor, you got a nineteen, so you’re very focused and ready to close the portal.  You feel connected to it.  Grenada, you got a sixteen so yeah, you successfully pick up the slug with…yeah, like you’re like a wild bronco or something but you’re controlling the steam giant with its things and your mind, I think, too, but…’cause of the wrench which we didn’t talk about but that would take too long anyway.  But you successfully pick up the slug.  Okay.  Anything else happening?  You definitely notice the force…the steam beings are helping you almost, it feels like, and they’ve pushed other things…are flying back into the portal.

 

You see Watta in the portal reaching out with some sort of water magic too, or getting ready for something.  You also sense that the wizards have been successful.  You feel some sort of confidence or pulsating.  Okay, Zell?  I think we should go for it.  Let’s try to throw that thing through the portal and close it up, right?  Yes.  Lord von Chill?  Yeah.  Eleanor?  Yeah, that’s the plan.  Okay, so Zell…okay, so pretty much the same thing.  So, Zell, seventeen…seven, so seven more…Lord von Chill…okay, eight.  Oh boy, so the slug, as you’re trying to throw it or lifting it above your head, has this other thing it can do which is like, pulsate out its whole body in this splash.  It does that on Grenada to try to hopefully get Grenada to let…to fail.  It does seventeen on Grenada but you still hold…well, we’ll see when you roll.

 

Okay, this round you unsuccessfully…you aren’t successful on throwing it.  You’re still maintain…holding it but you aren’t successful in throwing it.  Okay, and we’re all close…what are our numbers here?  You know what?  [01:20:00] Yeah, the slug is down.  I think you should keep going.  Okay, let’s just keep going.  Okay, Zell, I definitely…Zell…so, Lord von Chill can’t reach…Zell, you hit the slug once.  The slug still does another round on Grenada but at the same time it’s doing that, Grenada, you successfully throw it in.  Eleanor’s focused on the thing, so Grenada, you do successfully throw the slug into the portal, but it also is spraying you as that’s happening ‘cause…and this isn’t cheating, either.  It’s like, this would make sense that…the order of action here.

 

Also, I messed up on the earlier role for Grenada, so kinda already…but anyway, so you take thirty-two of damage but you also successfully throw the slug, which…because what really happened…I just got…my notes were a little confusing.  Sorry, everybody.  But as you threw the…successfully threw the slug and it sprayed Grenada of Darmok…and the slug is thrown in and Watta catches it and the thing and they pull it in.  Then Eleanor, you’re focused and as soon as the slug goes in and you see it and you make eye contact with Watta and CeeCee, the slug does even more spray out, but you all fire back in, so that was this other round…battle.  So, the portal’s closing.  Zell and Lord von Chill, you’re still firing at the thing.  Lord von Chill, I think you would have switched things.

 

Grenada is, again, takes damage from the slug.  So, it’s pulled into the portal and I don’t know…it’s hard to say ‘cause then the portal closes.  It’s sucked into the gem on…in Eleanor’s hand.  So, it’s gone; it’s sucked into the gem.  Grenada lays there and calls Lord von Chill over, and they have a moment, I think, here.  Wait, Lord von Chill; does this mean Grenada’s…oh, there’s nothing to do ‘cause we’ve used up every…oh, no.  Grenada, it looks like it’s time for…do you have any last things you want to say?  Yes.  Yeah, this is…I want to call out to Darmok, Jalad at Tanagra.  Shaka when the walls fell.  I think I say Temba, or oh, did the walls fall, Grenada.  Thank you for your service.  This is always hard with these end of advent…Grenada was great.  Couldn’t have asked for a better sidekick.

 

I wouldn’t have ever considered him a sidekick.  Zell, you want to take it?  You’re our leader.  As our leader, I think maybe we could just have…so, I think we’re now tasked with…we want to take a moment to thank Grenada and Watta.  But we did our job.  I think the portal’s sealed and we’re sealed here.  Our next task would be to protect the portal, ‘cause we didn’t ask if it could ever be reopened.  But I think we have to safely assume that our purpose would be to hide the portal and keep it protected.  We know there’s other beings in this park and now there’s the steam beings.  I don’t know if we could live with them or leave them to be.  So, I guess we could have more adventures, but we could probably rest.  Maybe we just have a short recap session or something with the DM?  But I’m proud of all of you.

 

I’m proud to be your leader and that…I mean, it is hard.  These adventures do tend to be anti-climactic, and that’s a good thing.  We did what was on us and we acted.  It was creative solutions with Grenada and all of us.  While we had some help, we didn’t need any outside help to actually complete what we set out to do.  We did sacrifice some things, so I’m proud of all of us.  So yeah, let’s…we could do a debrief next week, a shorter debrief next week.  Does that sound good, everybody?  Yeah, this was good.  This was great.  Thanks, everybody.  Yeah.  I guess, yeah, this is the…maybe that’s the best way to do it ‘cause otherwise it’s like huh, that was it?  So, yeah, let’s take a break and then we’ll catch up.  I’ll see everybody next week, then.  Okay.  Thanks, everybody.  Thanks.  Thanks…thanks.  Okay.  Goodnight, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

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