The astonishing discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

why were the dead sea scrolls hidden in caves

why were the dead sea scrolls hidden in caves - win

The 1.2 Update has given us very important information about Khaenri'ah. So, Keaya is really the Prince of Khaenri'ah. Do Twins, Dainsleif and Albedo have the same origin?

The new 1.2 patch gave us new information with regards to Khaenri`ah and reaffirmed one very important guess from my last article. So I decided to rewrite my previous article with new details. i hidden my last article so as not to duplicate 80% of the information from there and the admins did not kick me out for the quality of the post.
So I want to show you why Kaeya is very likely the prince / king of Khanriah. In this article I will sort out all the oddities associated with this Knight of Favonius. We will also talk about the origin of the Twins, Albedo and Dainsleif , and how they are all related to the Dwarfes.
MONDSTADT & KHAENRI'AH REFERENCES
Mondstadt seems to be inspired by Germany - Mondstadt is German for "moon city."and the architecture of Mondstadt is inspired by half-timbered houses, buildings that are typical for Germany.
Very little is known about Khaenri'ah, but I assume that it is a Scandinavian based country. Khaenri'ah can also be associated with Arab countries (translated from Arabic - Stagnant). But in my theory, I will develop the topic with Norse mythology, because it is most close to Germany (Mondstadt).
I also believe that Khaenri'ah and Abyss, if they are not the same, are directly related to each other. It is possible that Khaenri'ah is a Kingdom on the surface, and Abyss is an ancient structure and cave under it, but it`s only my impression by other theory.
A lot of theories have already been written about the connection between these two places, so I won't really explain why I refer to the Abyss in one thesis and Khaenri'ah in the second
So, Where is Khaenri'ah?
I guess this place is in this world and can even be found on the map. In total I found 3 convincing clues where this island may be located:
Evidence #1 The place of appearance of the Traveler and Paimon. According to many other theories, Paimon is directly related to the Unknown God and the Abyss. We caught it from the sea, I'll mark this place on the map of the city
Evidence #2 Island Wind and Time. A mysterious Island with a symbolic name. Most likely this is such a hint that this island is located between Mondstadt (Wind) and Khaenri`ah (Time).
Evidence #3. Kaeya's story about his father.
Kaeya's father squeezed his son's lean shoulders as he spoke, seemingly looking right through Kaeya to some place far beyond. On the other side of the horizon sat their distant homeland of Khaenri'ah. (Kaeya`s Story 4)
I found the place that best fits the description.
https://preview.redd.it/je9maxotxb661.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=1361578364a152d3a57cadd1e945bdbcf03a40e5
SURNAME MEANING
Kaeya lived with the Ragnvindr family and bore their last name. Kaeya’s real surname is Alberich. Alberich is the name of Old Norse and German mythical creature.
Alberich is the king of the underworld, the elf king and a magical dwarf who has the strength of twelve people. Alberich belongs to the mythical ancient family of the Nibelungs-dwarfs, owners and keepers of ancient treasures on the lands along the Rhine River.
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Alberich, by Arthur Rackham.
Description Of The Dwarves:
Dwarves were magical creatures with great skill in metallurgy, making them famous and often the craftsmen for powerful artifacts of legend.They have strong associations with death and the earth (dark hair, pale skin) in mythology, and often dwelled within mountains and mines. They also take much of their culture from the Norse, as honorable, brusque warriors, but they do have some similarities to others from the 'Vættir' family (nature spirits). German dwarfs are more mysterious than the others. They often shy away from human contact, choosing to stay in their underground dwellings, although they occasionally will test a human, and if they are able to gain their trust, the dwarf will reward the human with a treasure.
Dwarves may look like gnomes, but they are not necessarily short. In one of the sources I found information that the Nibelungs were of good build, and the height was not particularly different from the human.
Dwarves are always humanoid, but sources differ over specifics of height and lifestyles, and in some early stories the dwarves were even at full human height.
The lines between the dwarves, elves, and dead humans are very blurry. The dwarves are occasionally called “black elves” (Old Norse svartálfar),and in some instances they’re described as being dead or resembling human corpses.
Khaenri'ah description:
Khaenri'ah was an underground realm, and its natural fauna were few indeed. As such, its alchemy focused more heavily on the creation of life. (from Albedo Story)
"the hidden corners where the gods' gaze does not fall," and says that its people "dream of dreaming."The mysterious country, Khaenri'ah, is currently largely known from weapon and artifact descriptions, as well as books found throughout the world. (GI Wiki)
Description the habitat of the Dwarf:
They prefer to live underground and/or in mountainous areas. Dwarves are often reputed to have accumulated treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones, and to pass their time in fabricating costly weapons and armor. Some myths suggest that dwarves have the ability to forge magical items. In Norse mythology, for instance, dwarvish smiths created some of the greatest and most powerful items of power, including the magic chain Gleipnir that bound the wolf, Fenris, as well as Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor.
I see some connection between these two descriptions
Kaeya's tan skin color.
If Kaeya is actually a Dwarf or actually the Nibelung, this explains why his appearance does not look like a typical Scandinavian (pale skin, blonde hair, like Dainsleif).
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https://preview.redd.it/g9rlc5kj9b661.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=9b32eb18acbf5b2a05bc5c73d63b67999a828044
KAEYA’S DESIGN AND ABILITY
Strange Vision
Many thanks to the person who made this comparison.
Is it possible that Kaeya's vision is fake, because he doesn't need it to wield the item (like Venti) or can't get it since he was born in Khaenri'ah. But then why did Kaeya make such a design mistake? I tend to think it was intentional.
Kaeya is a thrill-seeker, as well as testing others' mind and endurance. And this kind of antics in his style, for example, a story about a list of all the criminals in the district:
Between the pages of "The Adventures of Angelos," you find a list of names written on a sheet of official Knights of Favonius letterhead paper.It meticulously records the details of bandits in the city and further afield, as well as mercenaries and mid-to-senior-level Treasure Hoarder members, listing for each entry a name, position, area of activity, and personal profile. A dozen or so names are circled, with a note in the margin saying "Otherwise, things would get too boring."When questioned about it, Kaeya's response is "I suppose I must have gotten drunk and started scribbling nonsense." Your gut feeling is that Kaeya purposely let you see this list, but you have no way of proving it. (Kaeya`s Story List)
Therefore, the wrong form of his vision is most likely a provocation and he himself would like someone to notice this mistake. After all, if he really wanted no one to know that he didn't need vision (like Venti, who also has a dummy), he wouldn't have made such a mistake.

Edit

Many people wrote that Kaeya's vision is real, because it glitters under some conditions (Sorry, I started playing GI from the beginning of December, so I missed that event). but i have another theory about his vision. What if Kaeya owns two elements (Cryo and Time (Void?)) Like Childe. When Childe interacts with the mask, he starts using the Electro element (by Delusions). What if Kaeya's eyepatch (or something under eyepatch) has the opposite effect and blocks the second element.
Character design
It won't be news to many that Kaeya's pupils are the same shape as Dainsleif and the Unknown God. Most likely, this is a distinctive feature of the Khaenri'ah people, but this diamond-shaped symbol is also present on Kaeya's clothing. A similar shape is found in the design of other characters, but it is with the figures on Dainsleif clothing that Kaeya has the most similarities.
Why does Kaeya wear clothes with patterns associated with Khaenri'ah while living in Mondstadt from an early age? Maybe Kaeya never mentally left Khaenri'ah.
And now let's talk about these 4 characters in a little more detail:
(In mythology) Dainsleif is sword created by dwarf Dain, and which must cause a man's death every time it is bared, nor ever fails in its stroke; moreover, the wound heals not if one be scratched with it.
(From GI lore) A lot of things from his biography can hint to us that Albedo was created in an unnatural way, namely from chalk and dust. Its lineage can be traced back to the nation of Khaenri'ah. Does this mean that Khaenri'ah has the power to create living beings? And in general Albedo in terms of story is a very interesting character that deserves a separate theory.
Also...
(In mythology) Durin and Dvalin is name of dwarf from the Poetic Edda
Therefore of these theses, I want to suggest that Twins was created by the dwarves as Dainsleif and Albedo. All four have similar appearances, and also vaguely remember their origins. If this is the case, then the dwarf race exists in the Genshin Impact universe and will be very important in the last part of the game.
Highlight strands
I also want to add the last paragraph of this great article:
Kaeya’s Suspicious as Hell
(it's strange that I found it after I wrote my post)
Gardient hair is a very interesting detail that suggests certain thoughts. Before Venti became an Archon, he was some sort of spirit and his hair color was solid. Most likely, he received such a new hair style after rebirth.
OK, Venti and Zhongli have such gradient hair because they are Archons, then why does Xiao also have gradient hair? Officially, Xiao is a demon or Adeptus (group of both magical creatures and gods alike, found within Liyue). The Chinese term for "Archon" is 魔神 (demon god), which stems from the standard Chinese translation for the demons in the Ars Goetia—from which The Seven's true names (Barbatos - Venti, Morax - Zhongli, Baal - Raiden).
Сan such a small detail lead us to believe that Kaeya possesses demonic power? Possible. This detail is very strange, without it, the design of Kaeya has not changed much, but for some reason this gradient strand is present. But unlike other owners of this style of hair, Kaeya only has a couple of strands, when everyoneelse has the entire length of the hair. This may once again converge with the fact that Kaeya is hiding his past and a huge dark power. Maybe what's hidden behind his eye patch allows him to restrict his power.
The following information regarding his hairstyle may break your eyes, so look only at your own risk.
Kaeya's hair isn't in a ponytail, it's one long strand. After that, I want to break his barber's hands. I certainly have nothing against rattail, but its location is quite unnatural, it looks like a real tail, but this is just a trick. Then what was the point of mocking your hair? Maybe it could somehow affect the disclosure of his identity (I certainly do not believe that Kaeya can be an Archon, but who knows). As is known from other observations, the colored part of the Archons' hair glows when they use the force, then it turns out that Kaeya specifically cut 90% of his hair and left only those strands that do not have this gradient (maybe he also cut it). And those little strands in his bangs aren't suspicious, so he left them. Well, this is of course all very well beyond the realm of fiction, but still let this information for reflection be here. Thanks nikamonchiii for this information
Image with his hairstyle from the Manga and game - don't open if you haven't read the hidden text on top
Earring
Now let's pay attention to the meaning of the earring in the left ear. Who wore earrings and why:
Based on this logic, if Kaeya wears Diluc's pants, he will become blood-related to Him. It is kind of dumb.
and the most interesting…
Tartaglia & Zhongli also have an earring in their left ear, maybe this is just the same symbol of their well-being
TALENTS AND CONSTELLATIONS
https://preview.redd.it/9wbln6yvm5661.png?width=738&format=png&auto=webp&s=d37dcad6ae0859b2f45526dc9b8e826e52568e27
Kaeya's constellation, Pavo Ocellus, is Latin for "Peacock Eyespot." Pavo Ocellus can symbolize nobility, but it is also a symbol of a beautiful mask.
Mona about Kaeya:
Kaeya Alberich? He's a Pavo Ocellus. Destined for greatness and grandeur... and to hide ugly realities behind a layer of charm and elegance. He believes he has made a clean break with his past, but one day fate will catch up with him. When it does, he will have a major decision to make.
Cryo user
I noticed that all cryo users are strange and muddy. Qiqi – zombie, Diona – neko (& cursed by fairy), Chongyun – exorcist, Ganyu - half-human, half-Adeptus. The Cryo element accompanies the motives of death, destruction, and curses. Also representatives of the Cryo element may be from noble families, like Ayaka - Princess of House Kamisato and maybe Signora (if she really is Tsaritsa).
Not to mention that the Cryo Archon wants to destroy the old world.
Also, the name Kaeya (凯亚) is translated from Chinese as 凯 - victory & 亚 - nitrogen. This may mean that he has probably always been a Cryo user and is unlikely to change his element in the last Chapter.
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https://preview.redd.it/iqfqbh5jn5661.png?width=807&format=png&auto=webp&s=31ac62f7efa39b8e68177a27ca4c8ae6af332d70
The descriptions of the final upgrade gems seem to describe each Archon's ideals
The stone names in GI are referenced from Indian Gods. Here is the list of all of them.
Royal Demeanor. Eloquence isn't the only thing that makes Kaeya so charming. He behaves very reserved and courteous to others. Even if he doesn't like something, he won't focus on it. Remember that page from the manga in the tavern when Diluc poured Kaeya grape juice, not wine.
Even though he was puzzled by the situation, Kaeya didn't panic or lose face, instead he gave his guest an answer that satisfied him.
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Genshin Impact Manga Chapter 13
Kaeya has a competent speech, a pleasant voice, and a calm, unhurried timbre. All this makes his image aristocratic and well-mannered.
About Fischl.
If this is not a red thread then I don't know what could be. But I'm also interested in how Kaeya knows Fischl, because let's say he sees Lisa regularly, but Lisa doesn't have a voiceline about Kaeya. In one of his voiceline he said something about Fischl eyepatch:
What? You think Fischl having one eye covered is very fitting given her title of Prinzessin der Verurteilung. Hahaha, if that's the case, that must make me a future royal progeny too, no? (About Fischl by Kaeya)
I thought he said it too bluntly. And as if laughing, he wanted to make this phrase less serious. Oh, Kaeya, it's probably hard to pretend to be a simple guy knowing you're royalty.
Sadistic tendencies and disregard for other people's lives.
As if the villain Kaeya likes to entertain himself with other people's sufferings and claims his superiority.
However, his reckless approach to things is not uncontroversial. Once, in order to force a bandit leader into facing him directly, Kaeya triggered the Ruin Guard at an ancient ruin to cut his opponent off, putting his own men at risk in the process.Not that this bothers Kaeya, of course. On the contrary, he actually enjoys putting people into the difficult position of making tough decisions.He takes pleasure in seeing the hesitation in his comrades' eyes in the moment just before they dive into battle with him, just as he takes pleasure in the look of fear in his enemies' eyes as they face off against him. (Kaeya`s Story 2)
He can start attacking suspects without a second thought and push his opponent to the limit, even if the suspect's guilt is not proven.
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Genshin Impact Manga Chapter 11
This fact makes his character ominous and violent, which coincides with the fact that Kaeya from Khaenri'ah (the monsters from Abyss Order are also from there) as he act like a ruthless lord of darkness.
Kaeya's conection with Abyss Order
Situation #1. The attack on Mondstadt. How did the hilichurs know that Jean wasn't in Mondstadt? She was out of town for 1-2 days and during this time Abyss Order managed to find out about the absence and attack. After all, they also needed time to prepare for the attack. What if they were already notified in advance that Jean was going to leave Mondstadt for a certain time? They were notified by someone very close to Jean, like the captain of Knights of Favonius. After all, it is very strange that he did not help in the battle with the Abyss Order, and also does not help with strengthening and cleaning after the battle. The very story of how he found out about the leader of the Abyss Order and the spies inside Mondstadt sounds suspicious:
Kaeya: To get to the bottom of it, I decided to wait. So I waited, and watched for their next move.
Kaeya: Then came the day when you made all hell break loose in Stormterror's Lair, just as hilichurls' cries sounded from the city gates...
Kaeya: The same day, I saw shadowy figures lurking in the city itself.
Paimon: Inside the city!?
Kaeya: Well, all the other knights were outside, fighting the enemy. As you can imagine, that left the inside of the city completely unguarded.
Kaeya: Except for me, of course. And so I approached the Abyss Order infiltrators for a bit of... hmm, let's call it fraternizing.
Kaeya: Through various means, I managed to gather some rather interesting intel.
Kaeya: The situation is this: The Abyss Order... they are united under a single leader.
Paimon: The Abyss Order has a leader?
Kaeya: Yes. And it was this very leader who devised the plot to turn Dvalin into a weapon of war.Paimon: What exactly did you have to do to find this out!?
Kaeya: Heh... Let's just say I'm blessed with certain linguistic powers.
Kaeya: There's more... The Abyss Order has a name for this leader... They call her "The Princess."
Situation #2. Letter for Darknight Hero.
https://genshin.mihoyo.com/en/manga/detail/553?mute=1 pg.11
At this point, Kaeya looks as if he not only understands the images in this document, but also knows what is written there. Lisa says that most likely this scroll was written in an ancient language (which most likely comes from Khaenri'ah), hilichurls shamans also write their scrolls in this language. And since all the monsters are also from Khaenri'ah, this suggests that Kaeya can communicate with Abyss Order mages in the ancient language.
Returning to the letter from Darknight Hero's Crisis. The letter was left near the Knights of Favonius, what if this letter has two recipients. The text for Darknight Hero is in a human-readable language, and the "cipher" is for a person in Knights of Favonius who will understand what is written there. And yet this language can be deciphered, so why did they send such a letter that could put their spy in the hands of their main enemy?
Forbidden Curse Scroll was also written in an ancient language and here is a description of this item: "a scroll inscribed with ancient images. It is said that few can decipher its meaning, and the few scholars that have all went mad.". From this we can conclude that most likely this language is very difficult to translate into so much that even the brightest minds can suffer from this. Guys will not miss the moment to harm people.
Situation #3. Darknight Hero personality. It seemed to me pretty strange that Kaeya appeared suspicious after a meeting of Diluc with Abyss Mage. Moreover, he was without his stupid mask, which does not hide anything, and the abyss mage was still alive after the interrogation. Kaeya may have received a tip from the Abyss Order. But here comes an incomprehensible connection with the manga. In the last part of the manga, Kaeya guesses that Diluc is a Darknight Hero and gives him a vase that is already in the game, which means that the plot of the manga was in the past.
But I don't believe that the evil Kaeya wants to throw their friends from Mondstadt. It seems to me that in this way Kaeya has authority over the two fronts, which allows him to smooth out the edges between these sides. It can control the situation and thus prevent the two sides from destroying each other. Because on the one hand, his friends and comrades, and on the other, the people of his homeland, who have lost their humanity. Even in that situation with the attack on Mond, it was said that the Abyss Order sent its weak units.
Similarity to the Abyssal Mage.
https://preview.redd.it/nx691sql8b661.png?width=702&format=png&auto=webp&s=73c424a6e377dfeef975ae98fc68609e19225906
Kaeya drinks to forget?
He's probably been hiding behind a mask all his life, but no one knows what he really feels. He was given a lot of responsibility at such a young age and he has to bear this burden. For the sake of his goal, he has to live in his own lies, it must be quite hard. Especially when you consider that his family literally threw him into an unknown place with a mission of national scale (and possibly world scale).
If Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt went to war, which side should he support? To whom should he offer his assistance: his birth father, who had ruthlessly abandoned him? Or his adoptive father, who loved him and raised him?For the longest time, Kaeya had agonized over these impossible questions, caught between the opposing demands of loyalty and duty, faced with an impossible choice between truth and happiness. (Kaeya`s Story Vision)
And if you also remember the theory that Kaeya had siblings who died, then his past becomes even more painful and dark. And maybe that's why Kaeya had such a good relationship with Diluc because accepted him as a brother
The other was the eccentric Kaeya. He was Diluc's friend, supporter, and sounding board, ensuring he got through every challenge he faced smoothly. They were almost like twins, knowing each other's thoughts and intentions without a word, protecting Mondstadt in both light and dark.(Kaeya`s Story 5)
Diluc was the one who filled the void in Kaeya's heart, but now they can't relate to each other like they used to.
Since that day, Kaeya and Diluc have gone their separate ways.But he never discusses it, just as he never discusses the origin of his Vision.Though it is a reminder of the hard-fought battle, and the prize that he earned in exchange for revealing the unadulterated truth, Kaeya sees it as a stern reminder that he must live the rest of his life under the heavy burden of lies. (Kaeya`s Story Vision)
In one of the dialogues, Kaeya says that drinking inside the tavern is more fun than outside. What's so interesting about the inside of a tavern? There is another tavern in Mondstadt - Cat's Tail, but Kaeya goes to the Dawn Winery.
I suspect that Kaeya misses the old days and comes to the Tavern to see Diluc, as well as bring the second to some dialogue. Even if Kaeya has such a dark past, it's clear from some of his stories that he doesn't really want to leave life in Mondstadt, because here are his friends and the family that raised him. Therefore, the choice between Mondstadt and Khaenri'ah will be very difficult for him.
Disrespectful attitude to the gods. Dinesleif is clearly not satisfied with the way this world works, the fact that this whole world revolves around the greatness of the gods.
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Video: Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview
In the manga, Kaeya becomes very gloomy at Fatui's suggestion. Because this sentence sounds like "give us cannon fodder, no matter who they are, as long as they believe in the Archons." It turns out that as with Khaenri'ah, people will have to sacrifice themselves to please the gods.
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Genshin Impact Manga Chapter 1
CONCLUSION
A lot of facts inside the game indicate that perhaps Kaeya is not just a spy, but someone more important and significant. In the Chapter about Mondstadt's, he was given very little screen time and this despite the fact that in the manga he was very important for the plot. I don't believe that the story about his Vision ended all his secrets, he is too suspicious and undervalued, as if something specifically limits his power. Just think, he's the Captain of Knights of Favonius and he's a 4-star character. Albedo is also a captain, but he is a 5-star character, although he is more associated with alchemy and not with battles, and is also clearly younger than Kaeya.
Perhaps in the future, Kaeya will get something like an upgrade or a new form, although I don't believe this much, because I got the impression from the game that it's easier for developers to add a bunch of new characters that are useless for the plot than to develop the old ones. But even if that happens, his 5-star version will be a Cryo Claymore, because the 5-star character Cryo Sword is already in the game - Qiqi & Ayaka, and the Cryo Claymore is much more useful. Perhaps his ult attack will be something like a time freeze(stop). Like a Cryo with a connection to Time (Khaenri'ah element). This also explains why he teleports behind an enemy after a series of attacks (like Chaos Control from Sonic or The World from JoJo), as well as his battle phrase "Frozen in Time". Also, many fans wanted Diluc & Kaeya to be on an equal footing, like a Fire and Ice confrontation.
Yes, I know that there were cutscenes in which it was clear that Abyss Order is called their Prince/Princess other twin. It is possible that the Traveler is the leader of the Abyss Order, and not the country itself. Because it's not just monsters that live in Khaenri'ah. The second version - now Khaenri'ah/Abyss no one rules, so this position is taken by someone more or less capable.
In the end, I would like to say that I wrote this theory for 5 days and therefore I lost many details in the process. I also don't know English very well, so I might have lost some meaning or made mistakes in the translation. As for references to sources, it is very difficult to find their true meaning in mythology. In different sources, you can find information that contradicts each other, so I chose what is more or less similar between all
submitted by AlexBnew88 to Genshin_Impact [link] [comments]

My Big Recommendations List for the Steam Winter Sale

This has been an absolutely miserable year but finally it’s coming to an end, and even looking up now that Facebook and Google are being sued by Federal and State governments. If you played Cyberpunk I’m sure you’ll also have your fingers crossed that both companies get the sledgehammer into little pieces, with Amazon and the App Store soon to follow. Next year is up in the air right now; it could be the year XR is completely strangled by those soulless corpo’s at Facebook, or it could be the year that OpenXR, anti trust action, and consumer apathy towards VR cut their legs out from under them. Things look completely up in the air at this point. So take the holidays and enjoy VR while you still can, next year we might just be playing Valve’s Citadel while the ship goes down.
Well Steam’s Winter Sale is here and it’s a great time to pick up a lot of great games, hidden gems, and so on. This is my list of games to pick up. Some of them are the best prices these games have ever had. I categorized them by price tier, and I put a few standouts in bold either because they’re a great game or a great deal, or both.
Merry Christmas
[I also made a hardware guide for headsets and PC components, a guide to using steamVR, a guide about how to use the Index for AR, and a master acab list of great VR games, demos, and software]
The Sale ends on January 5th at 10AM PT
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Also worth taking a look at, over at Fanatical they’re doing a “make your own bundle.” 2 games for $6.99, 3 games for $9.99, 5 games for $14.99
submitted by OXIOXIOXI to WindowsMR [link] [comments]

Verum Weekly" Summary of Streamed Games of the Week (January 28th, 2021)

Hail Travelers,
Welcome to Verum Weekly. A weekly post to summarize all the game sessions that happen in the week prior. Hope you like it.
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Friday
The Tearing Veil Ep. 16 (RoyalCaster)
Flamewrath rejoins his party and explains that he had gone to the “Helix”, bragging about his new duty as an Aeon of Balance. They head back through the door and enter the door to the left of the entrance. They take the contents within the room’s sarcophagi, finding a shrunken head with the sign of Vavren, which reveals all the actions that the target thinks they’re guilty of. Next they enter a room with more sarcophagi which seem to be of elven design. Each of the sarcophagi has a riddle about Elven history. The party is able to solve the riddles and are rewarded with a staff, a ring, a robe, a sword, and a crown. In the last sarcophagus however is a strange discus with each of the other items etched into it. As Vim picks up the discus, the found crown he wears starts glowing and disappears, reappearing on the discus. One by one they touch the discus with the items and complete the discus. When they lastly throw the robe onto it, stars fill the ceiling in the room.
The visage of Falaael appears before them and thanks them for remaking the discus. As he prepares their reward, a star, he asks what they are doing here. Angorn explains that they are here to prevent the Order of the Shattered Star from really taking hold in Orde. Falaael seems to be aware of the Enemy, and knowing that they are here to unseat the corrupt government, Falaael supports them. He also gives them another task; he pulls out a shrine of his own and asks them to place it somewhere where his people can be risen from their ignorance of their power, or any place with significant radiance to remind people of Falaael. Upon mentioning their plans to invade the prison, Falaael smiles and conjures another star. He casts a veil over them so they can invade the place more easily. Falaael also asks who would want to be his Star Seeker. Seeking power, Vim volunteers, but Falaael decides that the path of the Star Seeker is not for him, but maybe the path of the Dark Moon suits him more, working as the hand of Falaael, taking down those who have slighted him. He offers Vim the Dark Moon sphere and leaves.
They exit the room and head to the room on the west. They find an altar room full of divine energy, and Nidhogg rolls his black dice, which cracks the altar. Seeing how this area for the most part has been symmetrical, they head the opposite direction, and Nidhogg rolls his dice one more. The Gambler Black is pleased with his actions and rewards him with soul juice. He drinks the liquid, and the power of the Gambler surges through him, evolving his breath weapon. In a room to the north, they find an assortment of sarcophagi of dwarves. Angorn is enraged by the violation of burial rights of his dwarven brothers. He assorts them all together in a pile to alleviate them of an afterlife not fit for the dwarves.
Clearing the floor, they head back to the most western room. Flamewrath notices one of the shrines can be moved and reveals a secret tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a room with black marble covering the ground, an intricate sarcophagus carefully etched with silver inlay, and symbols of the Black Pantheon cover the shelf. Script written in Wicked reads “Hunger is forever. The hunt never ends”. Another sarcophagus in the room is chained down with holy chains. Nidhogg unleashes the flames of Abaddon to try to remove the chains, but it seems insufficient. Angorn walks up and channels the divine power bestowed to him by his race, undoing the chains with two hands. They open the sarcophagus and find a great axe made of sharpened stone and flesh. Across the head of the axe is a face stretched in agony. Angorn calls out to Raber to take this axe for himself, and Raber quickly does so.
Spikes pierce Raber’s arm, binding him to the axe. “Eat. Eat. EAT.” The axe speaks to him. Raber becomes very quiet and growls, “Raber eat.” Raber no longer has control over himself; combat begins. Angorn casts Hold Person, paralyzing the red orc. Nidhogg tries to speak to the axe itself in Wicked, but it refuses the offer of a symbiotic relation between Raber and itself. Nidhogg then takes advantage of Raber’s paralyzed state, but the axe reacts; a surging power strikes against Nidhogg, dealing damage to him and healing Raber. Raber finally resists the axe and gains control, smashing it against the sarcophagus. Its mouth closes and Raber has it in his control. Vim inspects it and identifies it as the artifact Voltervind, the Blood Drinker. Nidhogg asks the weapon who once wielded it, and it says it once served someone called Drakonfell, Guardian of the Storm.
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Saturday
Shadow of Tyre Ep. 25 (RoyalCaster)
While the party teleports back to Kalkatesh, the now awake Color Yellow of the Prism decides that Eustace is to guard their Covenant. Since the monk has walked the Heavenly Path, it seemed fitting for him to be its guardian. He is whisked away, and the party returns to Camp Last Stand without him. They however do not return without company. After a very long while, some heroes return home; the Azengoltians are back on Kalkatesh. Because their five guides are here, they assume that the rest of the population of Azengolt must be on the planet as well, bringing the Dephtar infection with them.
Meeting back up with Ahst and the Vizier, each group tells the others about what they have been up to. The party tells about Azengolt, Ahst tells about her meeting with Ventil Twelvetar, and the Vizier tells them that the Soul wing is done. While they talk, Letol, a principus from Azengolt, introduces himself and asks what happened and how he ended up here. The party leaves to meet with Seren, Ozzie, and Amaris. When they see Seren’s new look, she explains what happened with the Depthar Overminds. Moe remembers what he saw in Seren’s mind — the ‘bad end’ without Stompy — and asks the Azengoltians for advice.
Having learned that there is a Depthar nearby, they ready themselves to eliminate Seren, causing conflict with the Camp members. Believing it’s the right thing to do, Letol points his weapon at Seren, looking to the rest of the Azengoltians to back up his actions. Moe tries to de-escalate by asking for someone to explain what worries them. They explain that as she is one of the Overminds, she is one of the most dangerous Depthar; Seren adds that this allows her to detect and find other Depthar, and possibly the other Overminds. They deliberate her use and end the conflict, withdrawing to deal with the other things that came from Azengolt. An Azengoltian Eldar seer who arrived with Letol walks up to Seren and says there is still a chance for her, as the infection is incomplete.
Amaris asks the group if anyone knows about the Red Star, and Moe proudly exclaims he does. She tells him about her Staff and her reckless actions with it, causing multiple major issues, so she asks if she could get in touch with the Matriarch of the Red Star. Amaris also recalls that Moe can look into the future of people, and she requests that he look at hers. However, as she was previously corrupted, Moe decides against it. Toot asks if he could look at the Staff with his Violet Eye. He may and is able to see that it is broken and not entirely complete. The Staff begins to vibrate, and light shoots off to the dock as a ship arrives. They go to see who could possibly have arrived and meet a finely dressed gentleman.
Zacharias, warlock of the Gambler Black and one of the seven Eyes, arrives on the shore. As Toot approaches him to shake his hand, he Immediately can discern that he is another Eye. Zacharias hesitantly takes his hand, and a flash of Violet shines between them. Their vision sharpens; they see the Staff for what it is: a staff made of glass, prisms shifting and turning within — the Staff of the Prism, one of the keys that the Eyes need. Zacharias’ hat comes to life and advises that they should touch the Staff together. As the two Eyes hold the staff, its forms begin to shift for all to see; it radiates all seven Colors warped into the center, like glass or mirrors reflecting and refracting, but It eventually fades.
They feel that they will need more Eyes to reveal more, so someone goes to get Braktor. While waiting, Raost decides to look into Seren’s soul and sees the horrible state that it is in, malignant with tumors, growths, and twisted vestiges of flesh, purpose, and thought. Braktor arrives, and the three Eyes touch the staff together, once again revealing its prismatic form. Light shoots out from the Staff and splits into seven strands; three of the strands enter the three holding the Staff, three others go elsewhere on Kalkatesh, and one last one shoots towards the Astral Sea.
The area around them darkens, and the Gambler Black appears to tell Zach that he has done well. He flips a black coin towards him and infuses him with the power to match the rest of the Shadow of Tyre. Meanwhile, Ahst has been looking for the Traitor’s Blade that Amaris informed them about. She finds Falcon, Koga, and Scorter sitting around the Blade, concentrating on keeping its energy sealed away. Falcon and Scorter ask how they could help her, but she ignores them and draws the Blade of Vibrato. She observes that the Traitor’s Blade seems not to feed off her Blade, keeping true to its name as traitor. Ahst asks Falcon what they are doing, and he explains that they’re keeping it in check and that they plan to use it as bait for the Enemy. She nods and walks away, and as she leaves a flash of Yellow comes from the sky; another person kneels next to Falcon.
The others meet with Xetor, filling him in on everything that has happened. Ahst joins back up with them, and Xetor and Ahst introduce themselves to Zacharias.
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Sunday
Shattered Crowns S3 Ep. 9 (Lrret1064)
The party leaves their vessel and walks towards the light they saw. The area is lifeless; no birds, no trees, no sounds. However, as they make their way to the main city of Ragdar, they start to get a feeling that they're being watched, yet simultaneously they feel like they're alone. Guy starts to worry that something might sneak up on them, so he turns invisible and trails behind them. As they come around a corner, Scrumpo and Iron Pipe enter a clothes store while Huckleberry, Ikkar, and Guy choose to wait outside in case something tries to sneak up on them. Scrumpo puts on a gothic wristband, sneakers, and a beanie. Iron Pipe puts on a pigeon onesie, believing it’s armor. He runs outside to Ikkar and says he's just like him now, but Ikkar gets offended.
The party continues until they arrive at the building where the light came from. Ikkar flies up to investigate and smells a campfire that was recently extinguished. As he looks through the window, he sees a cooking pot and wood; the last few embers seem to be the light that they saw. Iron Pipe flies up to Ikkar and flies down to tell the party what he sees. Flying back up to the window again, he knocks on it to attract the attention of anybody that’s possibly inside. Ikkar casts Thaumaturgy and throws his voice inside the room to insult Iron Pipe’s bird suit. Iron Pipe takes offense to this and fires his lasers, breaking the window and setting the room on fire. He flies inside to find out where the voice came from but believes that whoever it was has escaped. When he returns the party argues with him for burning the building, but he defends his actions by saying he was offended. Ikkar starts to argue with Iron Pipe over the onesie, but Scrumpo interrupts by asking Ikkar to fly him up to put out the water and investigate the remains. Huckleberry attempts to convince Iron Pipe that it isn't armor, but to try to prove it is, Pipe asks Huck to punch him, which easily knocks him down. He tries to hide the pain and says the armor protected him.
Ikkar and Scrumpo investigate the room and find a hollow panel with a handprint on a wall, covered in soot. Scrumpo moves the panel, revealing a hiding hole, and inside he sees a small girl that starts to panic and cry out. Sai tries to translate her, but the translations are incomplete. Scrumpo puts his hands up to show he means no harm, and she eventually calms down and exits the hiding area. Multiple lines run across her body, almost like scars, her arms are covered in a type of glossy glass, and she has one eye red. She also has knives instead of feet, and sections of her body are old and faded while the rest is metallic. With a combination of charades, translations by Sai, and giving her food and water, they are eventually able to calm her down, and they slowly start to understand each other. She introduces herself as Meena and says that she’s been alone for a long time. As she was about to explain what happened to Ragdar, she suddenly pauses and grabs the two of them, pulling them further into the room. Outside of the building, the rest of the party sees a massive, bright red light approaching the area, and they run inside to hide. The red light is coming from a giant vessel that passes over the area. Meena explains that they are takers that are looking for her. The rest of the party makes their way up the building, but as Guy reaches the room, she blushes and acts flustered. Meena continues to explain that the red lights are the signal that the takers are beginning to hunt with the intent to take people to Home, which is a bad place. They are the one who made her into what she is now. She shakes in fear of the memory.
Meena pokes herself in the eye and a hologram appears that explains the history of Ragdar and the Genophage that took place. When the Genophage happened, all the creatures on Ragdar became sterile. In an attempt to deal with the eradication of life, several groups tried different methods; some tried to go off-world to look for solutions, some used religion to come to terms with the end, some used dark experiments with technology and magic, and some tried to reverse the Genophage. The group that tried to reverse the Genophage were the only ones with any confirmed success, but instead of reversing the sterility, they came up with cloning as a new way of procreating. However, the process was not 1 to 1 efficient; more biomass needed to be inserted than that would end up being used. It only took a few years for the animals to go extinct to supply the biomass required, soon after the plants, trees, and all other forms of life were destroyed to continue the Ragdarians’ life. Eventually it got to a point where only the rich, powerful, and cunning were able to afford this technology, which was the true cause of the current state of Ragdar. All the nobles moved to one centralized location called Home, while everyone that remained was harvested for their biomass. However, the survivors found a different way to survive; they converted parts of themselves into machinery which can absorb energy that helps them reduce their cells’ aging. When the hologram finishes, Meena explains that she came from one of the noble families that resisted the construction of Home, but the others uprooted the rebellion and exiled them. They tried to make her into a weapon to not waste the biomass used to create her, which inadvertently caused her to roam the remains of civilization for many years until she began to fall into madness.
Meena then says she was looking for a way to leave, and Scumpo says they can take her with them since they’re from a different planet. He asks Sai to pull up the map of the Astral Sea, but he says he can’t do that because he had to shut down all functions to avoid detection by the massive vessel patrolling the area. Scrumpo starts to explain their mission to go Maltos, but as the name is mentioned, Meena confirms that Maltos is responsible for the death of Ragdar, but she doesn't know the details. Scrumpo continues to explain their mission to defeat Lord Death, however Meena cuts him off and says she knows how to defeat death as she has seen it happen before. She pulls down her shirt to show her the flesh that has been replaced by machinery, which causes them to think she meant to make themselves immortal through cloning. She however is able to give an accurate description of the Death they saw. She says she saw him weeping for Ragdar when she was born. She says Ragdar found a way to defeat him, to defeat the Genophage. Scrumpo notices that she isn't talking about the literal being they encountered, but that she is equating the Genophage and the death of the planet to Death himself; the concept of death and the being Death are one and the same. Meena says she will help them defeat Death in order to pay a debt to a man that died to save her by going to Home. She leads them to a huge building that looks like it has been attacked by siege weaponry; on it they see the symbol of the Blue Cross. They walk inside and see an open marble lobby that has been damaged by the attack. Written in blood is a warning: "Keep out, dead inside." Scrumpo asks what happened here and Meena answers that this is the place where death was defeated. She proceeds further inside, into the Facility.
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Monday
Heart of Tyre Ep. 24 (av5hadow)
We last left the Tops standing before a creature in the large red orb that stirs to outside stimuli. This creature is the only success in Tyre’s experiment to birth a creature that exists outside the Tapestry of Fate. Everyone but Seren enters the room, and through observation Derok learns that the creature is at an adult size. The Violet Eye sees that this creature is colorless unlike normal creatures who always have a Color presence. Morc believes that this creature is the Unfated One, and the party speculates on the purpose of the creature.
Morc compares the experiment with the blood rituals of the Orc tribes; if this room is the result or output of a blood rite, there must be an input and a control location. Even though the ritual is not complete, the creature itself has been growing. The thin film on top of the orb won’t last much longer, and the creature will be born soon. Leaving Seren’s corpse companion Illan to watch the orb, the party traverses the maze to look for the other parts of the experiment. They eventually find a forge. Former daemon Derok recognizes that the forge uses a soul as fuel — but not just any soul, only a certain one. The party continues their exploration, and they find themselves in a room whose floor is occupied by a large set of gnashing teeth. This is where the bodies for the experiment are placed. The party returns to the orb. Once again everyone but Seren enters the room. Derok gently places his hand on the orb, which prompts it to crack.
Flesh Crime Prime appears. Its head is missing facial features. While it is mostly humanoid, it possesses black tentacles as arms, and its monochromatic appearance lacks any hue. It was created to be unbound by the Tapestry, by the Colors, by all things. Its purpose is to be more, but its only desire is to live. During their conversation, FCP constantly evolves and grows stronger, becoming an increasingly larger threat. Derok asks if it could see the Tapestry with its eyes, apparently missing the fact that it doesn’t have any facial features. Regardless, the Flesh Crime promptly forms two eyes and scans the room. The eyes then gaze upon the Violet Eye, seeing the Entity behind it. It reaches out its hand, and a piece of bone comes out. Violet begins to infect the bone, but FCP purges the Color. Derok commends the act, saying that destroying Violet is FCP’s purpose. It however rejects the notion. From outside the room Seren asks what purpose FCP would want then. A mistake. FCP looks at Seren for the first time; the creature grows again, and Seren detects a new fourth Overmind.
FCP acknowledges that it must stop the Enemy, and Ives asks how they could help. FCP says that they are too weak as they are bound to Fate. Tentacles grow from its back, and it takes a hostile stance. It wishes to make the party its tools. The Tops try their best to persuade the creature to not modify them. Eventually the topic falls on the purpose of strength and living. The FCP says that strength is to protect oneself; the Tops say that the purpose of strength is to protect others as the purpose of living is to share life with others. FCP is confused, stating that it could just walk away. Why would it stay and die? Ives asks why it would die if it stayed. FCP reiterates that they are all too weak. Ives retorts saying that they are stronger because they are together to which the FCP replies, “Test then.”
Neve immediately tells FCP that they don’t want either party to harm the other. She argues that the Enemy is a threat to all. Even if FCP follows its ideals and does beat the Enemy, FCP will end up alone. The creature becomes still and asks “How to feel?” Neve offers her hand, saying that a lot of people start with physical touch; affection can be shown with words and actions. A tentacle transforms into a hand, and their hands touch. Neve’s mind suddenly is barraged with the misery caused by her hag mother and her unresolved issues. FCP pulls back, feeling her sadness and regret, but Neve says that there is more. Ives is reminded of what he saw before entering Labyrinth and asks Morc to hold Neve’s hand. Morc complies, and the couple grasps the creature’s hand. FCP makes several noises. A monstrous groan turns into a whimper. “Never will-... will… I feel.”
Flesh Crime Prime then fades away, and all what remains is its soul in the form of an orb. In order to create a Fateless One, one must be created without anything that Fate can have. A Fateless One is strong against suffering and death. However, without Fate there can be no Fated pairings. Prime saw what it could never have: love.
As the Tops continue walking around the maze, they eventually find a staircase going down. They descend and The party find themselves on a precipice in a large open space. They walk to the edge where they find a floating quicksilver cube, the lock of the Heart of Tyre. Beneath the empty space in front of them is a large phantasmal hand. Morc thanks the soul, and Neve inserts the orb in the cube which absorbs and dissolves the orb. Two of three locks have now been unlocked. The phantasmal hand forms a platform waiting for the heroes to meet Tyre’s End.
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Tuesday
Weal and Woe Ep. 10 (av5hadow)
With the armored enemy defeated, the party immediately starts to loot the remains. Lily takes the larger-than-him katanas which are coated in a sort of slime that both retains the blades’ sharpness and stores some sort of energy. Laius puts on what’s essentially a welding helmet. Mara opens a door to a modern restroom with yellow stains all over the place. She takes a sample, learning that it’s the blood of a creature. The party then walks through the iron door that was broken by the contraption Meni rode into battle. On the other side, they see a large construct that is believed to be the construction unit. However, the unit does not have any power. The party finds an item whose design is like that of the machines within the Raven’s Watch tower. On one end are prongs, and the other side has a slot for a finger. The party finds the machine to insert the item’s prongs, but they soon then realize that they don’t have a power source, like the Annathem to insert into the other side. The party then enters the last unexplored room. There they find a platform with two flanking monitors and three vats, each with a mysterious, churning liquid. The party identifies the liquids as distilled essences or concentrated emotions: sorrow, happiness, and pain. Mara finds a chance to experience some happiness in her life and drinks the happiness juice, and both her mind and body are temporarily revitalized. As Laius and Ferdinand study the monitors of the platform, Mara boogies across the device, activating it. The device seals her off and analyzes her, displaying both her temporary happiness and her usual miserable self. The party has a chance to modify her normal personality, but they choose not to. Ferdinand says that there is more to the facility, and the party asks if they can explore those parts. He complies, pushing something on the device. The seal is lifted and the platform now functions as an elevator.
The explorers find themselves in a large chamber full of humongous devices and other apparatuses. Across the room is a power station covered in crystals. Lightning bolts travel between the devices of the power station. The party decides to sleep so that they would be prepared for any potential threats, and nothing disturbs their slumber. When they re-enter the room, they find that the power has fluctuated, shifting to another location. This indicates that the power follows a pattern. They also discover a device that displays power levels distruibted to four different rooms of this level. In the first room are four large and strange capsules. Each one contains a bound person with a metallic featureless head, but only one of them seems activatable. In the second room is an oil production facility which would make constructs more effective. The third room contains an odd device whose materials appear older than the facility itself. It has a segmented ring, and each segment is named after the Common name of one of the nebulas of the universe. The swivel of the device points to the segment named “Prime”. The fourth room contains locked storage units, each containing loot.
Mara goes dumpster diving and finds a record that shows the history of the power fluctuations. With the ledger she is able to safely reach the display that is in the center of the power station. This device controls the power levels of each Taladonic settlement in the Rift. The display shows a total of eleven settlements; eight of which are the bigger cities, while the rest are smaller and newer settlements, such as Raven’s Watch. The cities are at 20% each while the smaller ones are at 5% each. Mara siphons 5% of each city for Raven’s Watch which is now at 45%. The display then lists all of the activated facilities in Raven’s Watch: water purifier, greenhouse lamps, wall turrets, crater production facility, and +̴̮̞̒̈́͊ͅ&̶̼̺̓@̵̨̦͖̉̏#̵͈̪̼́̔̆$̸͕̺̇theheraldwatches%̴̢̛̬̺̓͗<̴͉͋͛^̴̛̍̍͜/̸̨̹͕̍̋
Meanwhile, the rest of the party decides to send all of the power to the capsule room. The designation of the creature is Keaza (Kay-za) the Arbitor. Keaza is an angel who serves organics. Through the Ascension Protocol and a serum, Keaza can ascend worthy mortals into becoming angels. A mortal must be capable, trustworthy, and honorable. They also must have a hidden talent (being a PC). Keaza also powers the construct on the floor above while updating its IFF. Upon request, Keaza analyzes each person present to see how close they are to the requirements of the Ascension Protocol; though the party members don’t reach them, they are close. Having accomplished their task, the party leaves the facility with the constructor unit, Ferdinand, and Keaza in tow.
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Soul of Tyre Ep. 25
Alexander falls back down from the arcane sphere, and the party manages to catch him. Ozzie gives a prismatic colored staff to Amaris and hopes that she can use it well against the Violet. Belanovan comes back from Falcon after learning his new stance, and everybody is ready to head back to Gailen’s Gate. However before they leave, the party uses the Oblivion Shards to empower themselves. As the Violet energies flow through them, they all go through varying changes: Braktor becomes a Monolith as his skin becomes stone, almost as if he’s petrified; Ozzie begins to decay as he changes into a Rotted One, poison seeping from his talons; Hackne is granted the path of the Onmyouji, her mind bombarded with the knowledge of Gleis as her scrolls transform into charms around her body; Belanovan’s skin darkens and he fades into the shadows as he becomes the Vagabond; and lastly, Alexander’s right arm merges with his Negatia Blade and dark crystals spread through his body as he becomes a Devourer. Finishing their transformation, Belanovan meets with his wife to consult with each other. They bond over these hard times while hoping for a prosperous future, and Ano decides to come along with them as they head back to Gailen’s Gate.
The party arrives at the city’s Adventurer Guild and sees Gailen at the front desk. The man looks up and happily welcomes the party back to Gailen’s Gate. They tell him the events of the Labyrinth to Gailen while Gailen tells them what happened in the town. It seems that Belanovan’s sister has taken an interest in politics; she may be a successful statesman when she comes of age. The city has expanded greatly, and they’re planning to build a district just for adventurers. Their stipend has built up a lot and the party gains a total of 265k gold. The nomadic elves chose to be stationed outside the western walls and the Iron District will be headed by Braktor’s clan. Belanovan’s assassin guild was changed to a specialized peacekeeping service. Still, there are other problems in the city; Gailen’s Gate is not a utopia. Foreign affairs seem to be well, as great figures of the factions in Verum have traveled to the city and had positive views on it. As Gailen proposes to increase tourism by treasure hunting expeditions in the Badlands, Belanovan tells him that they are going to the wound in the Badlands to heal it. This could mean that, if the dangers of the Badlands are quelled, Gailen’s Gate could be the foothold for other cities to be built in the region. Belanovan reminds Gailen that the orc tribes could be negotiated with, but Gailen ireplies that must be unified and led by one orc leader to even be considered a diplomatic relation. Braktor recommends Madd Morc and Gailen ponders on it. Braktor follows up by warning Gailen about the new refugees and how they should be treated. Finally, Gailen tells the party that a monument will be built in the waters to honor their achievements.
Belanovan splits away from the party to meet his sister. Deena is by the pond and seems to have grown. Belanovan tries to scare her, but Deena sees through his attempt. She runs into her brother’s arms and the two hug for a long time, happy to meet each other again. Deena talks of her ventures in politics and how she has met a man. Belanovan also talks of his travels and introduces Deena to Ano. In a sudden rush, flustered by the sudden revelation that her brother is married, Deena takes Ano away to learn more about her. As the girls leave, Belanovan looks at Caddy the catfish with somber eyes and tells him that Gruff is still on his adventure. Caddy swims away blissfully ignorant of the cold truth, and Belanovan prepares to meet Deena’s lover to see what he is made of.
Belanovan learns from his peacekeeping service that Deena’s lover is a tiefling adventurer named Janny. He then finds Janny himself and tests his skills. Although Janny has much potential, he is still a novice adventurer. After testing Jenny on his skills, Belanovan introduces himself and learns about Janny’s past. The two form a bond and they enjoy their time.
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Wednesday
The Herald's Call Ep. 10 (AsAlternateAsItCanBe)
The party starts interrogating their captive who is called Anna. They ask who hired her, but she confesses that she doesn’t know as she was only given directions by parchment. However, the most important takeaway is that the four people they were running away from are at the Wall to conduct a ritual to summon something to the west of where they fled from. The party discusses what they should do next and decides to hide Anna inside a collapsed part of the Wall with the aid of Asuna to keep her safe. Before departing, they ask Anna what she knows about the four people that they saw. Though she claims she doesn’t know much, she warns them that their leader, Urien, is a swordsman who uses two blades and keeps a third on his back. She says to try and prevent him from using the third blade if possible.
The party then decides to investigate their surroundings and rest before meeting their opponents. Midas walks into a library and finds ledgers depicting the wealth of the nobles, hidden throughout the Wall. As he investigates further, he realises that part of the treasure — hidden by a master weaponsmith — is located right where the party is. Meanwhile, Arienne searches through the room beside the library and finds a barrel filled with shaved silver that could also be used as magical components. Arienne and Midas then exchange their findings, and Midas asks Arienne if she can use her True Sight to search for the treasure. As she starts searching for it, she instead sees Riku, who is resting, awake in the Dream realm.
As Riku walks on the path, he attempts to summon another wing on his back, but instead the brass dragon is called. The dragon seems to be trying to lead Riku somewhere; he follows it until the dragon stops and looks up. Riku looks up and sees a collection of ancestral dragons flying above him. The brass dragon then beckons Riku to follow him further, but as he takes the dragon’s hand, he wakes up. After explaining what happened to him, Arienne continues searching and finds an iron chest that contains Stormstrike, a morningstar capable of summoning lightning.
The party then talks about their plan again and decides that they may need to call for aid for the upcoming battle. Riku suggests that he may try finding help from the dragons he sees in the Dream. He meditates and reawakens himself in the Dream realm, but this time he realises that he is not alone. Nox, a dragonborn who guards the Dream, stands beside him and asks what he is doing there. Riku explains the situation and asks for aid and advice for what’s to come. As Nox talks with him, she notices that he holds the power of the Orange within him. Realizing that he doesn’t know about the importance of the Colors, she starts explaining about the Seven and the Prism. She then tells him that he should go to Camp Last Stand to learn more. Riku asks her about the Violet Shard that the party sees, and Nox sees where it is and what its intent is — to weaken the Dream and summon Violet Servants. Nox empowers Riku with the power of the Silent Knights, which is a quickening rune that gives Haste for 1 minute when activated.
Riku awakens and explains what has happened in the Dream. After that, the party ventures back to where the campsite is. Arienne stealths ahead towards the supposed summoning site and sees a Violet light coming from one of the rooms. The party moves closer and sees that the four people are commencing the ritual; the Violet Shard in the middle of the four is growing bigger by the moment. With no time to waste, the party surprises them by trying to use Frost Tangle to restrain one of them. They however shrug it off, and the battle begins. The enemy cleric Vida casts bless, and Midas uses Thunderwave on the rubble outside the room, making another opening to the room and knocking Vida to the ground. Riku decides to use the quickening rune and is bestowed Haste. He immediately moves to Vida and hits her with Flame Weld, which is followed by Azylea’s Moonbeam. The fighter Urien then hits Arienne and enters a stance. Zada uses Apholios and fires an energy beam to Urien and the monk Nojack Lor, and casts Shield of Faith on Riku. Archael blesses Riku, himself, and Zada, and then learns that the enemy paladin is a follower of Runtheras, which means that he may predict what their moves are; if he is correct, he could use Smite with devastating effects.
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Steel and Silence Ep. 4
The party continues to spy on Order of the Shattered Star meeting. More information is revealed; they eventually learn that not only is the Order trying to corrupt an artifact of the Seven, but they also have shipment of supplies coming in a few days and three members will stay to handle that while the rest deal with other matters. The meeting ends, and Clearwater, Break, and Vunderbrant leave while Valor-Jin, Tich, and To’ril stay behind to take care of the shipment.
To aid in the party’s escape, Rev’lis tries to distract the three that stayed by summoning an illusion of a “unique” cow and some peculiar bees. Although it doesn’t seem to do much to distract the three, Rev’lis notices something interesting; Tich seems to be a bit scared of these sudden bees arriving, attracting the nearby Will-o’-Wisps. This gives Rev’lis another idea, and after the party quietly leaves the building through a window, she summons one of the worst atrocities she can imagine. An abomination from the depths a Babylon’s realm appears and screeches at the three insurgents. All of them are terrified, and the Will-o’-Wisps rush in for a feast. Unfortunately, it attracts more Will-o’-Wisps than they want as swarms come in from all over the ranch, destroying all life in their way. Terryn and Zara run into the basement while the others manage to run far enough away to avoid the swarms.
After some time, the party reconvenes to see nothing but pools of blood where the three insurgents once stood. Rev’lis captures one of the remaining Will-o’-Wisps and keeps it in a bottle, hoping that one day it will become her familiar. As the party investigates the scene of the massacre, they find the map leading to the ruins and a backpack. Having finished their task, they head back to the Lord of Blades to update him on the situation.
As the party arrives back at the cave, they see Hokky who informs them that the Lord of Blades is currently sleeping. Vaeri wakes the dragon and tells him what they have learned from the Order’s meeting. The Lord of Blades tells the party to make haste to the ruins as the Herald is coming ever closer. He empowers the party with the Dragon Storm and sets them off on their journey.
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Edited by PalladiumDrake
Thanks for reading.
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The Great Collapse - Volume V

Part I Part II Part III Part IV
21st of Frostfall, 4E122, evening Pale Mountains
The small train of refugees climbed the hill slowly but steadily. The wind shrieked wildly against them as they ascended the mountain and flecks of snow caught in the men's beards as they made their way through the storm. Thorbjorn and Ingrid advanced slowly, dragging their wagon through the snow that piled high around their feet. Despite the cold they were both sweating heavily with the excertion.
The statue of the goddess Azura, raised by dark elf refugees who came to Skyrim in anticipation of the cataclysmic Red Year, loomed over them. It was the greatest structure they had ever seen, towering higher than even the College of Winterhold. Despite its impressiveness, however, none of the refugees were looking at the statue. Despite the flurry of snow that surrounded them they could still see Winterhold in the distance; the ancient city on the edge of the sea covered in a black ringing of clouds as the storm assaulted it. Waves black as tar climbed the walls, assaulting the city through its streets, through the alleys, and through every household and holdfast. A great roar of thunder boomed in the distance, like a battlehorn signalling the final push, and the sea, ravenous and raging climbed into the city and pulled it apart. They all stood mesmerized, horrified and astounded as ancient Winterhold slumped, quivered, and with a grand final shudder slid into the sea. Stone battlements, houses, forgeworks and stables, temples and taverns, mansions and slumtown hovels cascaded in a flurry of stone and timber into the ravenous sea. The waves, fed with the momentum of the falling city, climbed ever higher as though hungry for more, eating away at the very bedrock of the city. Humongous sheets of ice and stone were swallowed by the sea. The snow beat at them mercilessly, but no one could move a muscle. They were frozen in terror.
21st of Frostfall, 4E122, evening
The city fell, rushing in a flurry of stone, earth, and water into the dark mass of the sea. In those final moments, in the fleeting time between life and death a million thoughts went through the minds of Winterhold's citizens. Some were only numbed by surprise; empty, unable to understand what was happening.
For a select handful, however, a few articulated thoughts braved the recesses of their mind as the water filled their lungs and the light disappeared under a canopy of debris and chaos. A soul that had gone by the name of Svanrig managed to form a single sentence before it was torn from its frame. A conciousness, barely coherent, hurtly thorugh space in a blur of movement. Through water, air, ice, and stone it went; an instant passing like an eternity. And then it ended; an abrupt halt in a fine crystal. A perfectly aligned, violet crystal. And in that moment the soul named Svanrig managed a final thought; "I should have said something" and was dragged into Oblivion.
21st of Frostfall, 4E122, evening College of Winterhold
"I've counted," Vandus said meekly. It was a moment before Belas even noticed he had spoken, lost in thought as he had been. "Counted what?" he asked. "The souls. That's another hundred in the past hour." Belas was about to scold him for interrupting his thoughts, but he knew why the boy was saying these things. He only wished for it to end, and Belas wished he knew how. The Sload still sat contentedly behind its ward, perhaps counting the souls as well with its bulging, greedy eyes.
Belas was thinking hard; methodically going over every spell he knew or had heard of. Blasting the ward with Destruction magic was out of the question, he would tire long before the Sload. Conjuration was not an option either, any daedra mighty enough to combat the Sload would be too much for him to control. Vandus was still trying to encourage him; "Come on, Master. You're the greatest wizard the College has known!" he lied, though Belas appreciated the compliment. He was about to correct him that Archmage Aren was the greater sorcerer, but just then a memory slipped into his mind as though the words were themselves a spell. A young apprentice, a fresh faced refugee from Solstheim intent on making a name for himself in this new city, Belas Othren had snuck into the Archmage's quarters on several occasions, convinced that the would find copious tomes of esoteric spells. Instead he had mostly found disappointment along with the bitter realization that it took more than a handful of spelltomes to become Archmage. But in his third break-in he had found one tome, tucked away at the very bottom of an ancient chest burried underneath a mountain of worthless, powdery scrolls. The tome only contained a single spell; a spell it had taken him weeks to decipher. When he did decipher it, he had vowed never to use it. And had quietly returned it to its hiding spot when next he had had the chance.
"There is one spell I know," Belas said in a barely audible whisper. Vandus heard him any way. "I knew it!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "What will you do?" "It's a binding spell. I can't kill this monstrosity, but I can trap it. A permanent stasis that will contain it. The Storm should die down, the soul snare should stop." "Then do it," Vandus urged. "Trap it now, and we can come back to kill it later." "A permanent binding requires a permanent source of energy," Belas said. He suddenly began to feel the chill of the cave, his whole body stiffening with cold. Vandus didn't seem to understand, so Belas was forced to elaborate: "The binding requires a soul. A permanent barrier maintained by a permanently bound soul." Vandus looked mortified: "No sir! You can't! We will fight; we have to try to fight it together! "Even if we could kill it, the College dies with it. Didn't you hear? Only the Sload's ward is keeping the College from being consumed by the storm same as the city." Vandus bit his lip, but took only a moment to make up his mind: "It's worth it. All those people," he gestured meekly to the souls which were still being drawn mercilessly into the soul gem, "all those people dead. We can't put the College above a whole city. Hundreds of people..." "No. I won't risk it," Belas said sternly. He had already made up his mind. "We use the spell," he said as he rose and began to channel the incantation that he had never forgotten. "But no, Master! There must be another way, your soul--" Tears welled in his eyes as Belas looked at his beloved apprentice and took aim for the spell. Vandus stared numbly at his teacher, struck dumb by the betrayal. So pitiful was the lightless look in his eyes that it was all Belas could do not to close his eyes as he cast the spell.
22nd of Frostfall, 4E122, midnight College of Winterhold
Belas Othren sat on a thin ledge of ice overlooking the Sea of Ghosts. He had slipped through a crack in the cavewall, barely cramming himself through the crevice. But now there was nowhere else to go as he faced a sheer drop down towards the raging sea. His limbs had gone numb, All he could hear now was the howling of the wind as his eyes watered with cold. His tears had either dried or frozen now and he had already stopped trying to convince himself that he had done the right thing. The spell had cost more than the life of his apprentice, and he felt tired, so very tired. He knew now in his heart that the Archmage must have once used the spell himself; he knew because of the manner in which it had been hidden; no locks, no magical seals or otherwordly designs. It had only been tucked away in the dark recesses of his rooms, as though he had been hiding it from himself. But it didn't matter now, few things seemed to matter now as his mind slowly went numb. The sea stretched itself endlessly before him. Ravenous and foaming; waves tall as castles flinging glaciers tall as houses against eachothers in a random rage. Torrents of rain pelted the ocean and the ledge where he sat, but he was too cold to feel the soaking of his clothes. He stared out into the dark waves. Somewhere far out beyond those raging currents lay the island of Solstheim and beyond that was Morrowind, his childhood home, smothered by ash and fire. Belas thought back towards that home, his real home, and he missed it even now. Perhaps he should have died there for it was so very cold to sit here upon this ledge above the sea as the wind cut into him. But he had not returned to Morrowind and now he never would. He took off his gloves and laid his hands upon the broken cave wall. At least he would not lose this home, he thought to himself. He curled up against the stone and listened to the wind howling through him.
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Verum Weekly: Summary of Streamed Games of the Week (December 17th, 2020)

Hail Travelers,
Welcome to Verum Weekly. A weekly post to summarize all the game sessions that happen in the week prior. Hope you like it.
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Friday
The Tearing Veil Ep. 11
The party continue fighting Morgan and his chastisers. As the battle rages on, heavily armored units are seen from the distance. The guards watch as Angorn crushes Morgan's skull and the party takes out the rest of the chastisers. In the heat of the moment, Flamewrath also tries to use the forbidden art of blood magic in front of the guards. Sergeant Mallace walks out from the guard and asks Angorn what happened. The dwarf then manipulates the story so that they were actually the ones who were attacked by the chastisers. The party chimes in saying that they were actually doing a circus act to the worker. However, Mallace knows that isn't the whole truth so he orders everybody to stand in line so that their hearts can be scanned. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of the party, Flamewrath is forcefully taken away as he had used an illegal magic in public space.
One by one, Mallace scans through each person's heart trying to find any sort of evil. As the dockworkers are being scanned, Angorn prays to Oloken'hai for help against the heart scan. The god informs them that his power is limited in Orde and it will give as much power as it can (One person can auto-succeed a deception check). After all the dockworkers are checked, Wisp goes first. Because she is from the Dalton, Mallace understands the stains on her heart and allows her to leave. Nidhogg is next and as Mallace scans through Nidhogg's heart, a single tear falls from his face. Although he cannot see Nidhogg's heart (because of Svelt's Non-Detection), Mallace notices that Nidhogg has committed a crime but he cannot see what the crime was so he asks Nidhogg. The dragonborn replies that the crime was loving his wife too much and Mallace lets him go. Raber shoves Vim forward and the tiefling walks up. Athough Vim is a cannibal, Vim's heart is not evil but neutral and Mallace allows him to leave. Raber goes after and as Mallace has a soft spot for orcs, he allows Raber to leave disregarding his actions. Angorn is last and because both can interfere with their divinity, Mallace just interrogates him. Angorn gives his side of the story and after listening, Mallace allows him to leave. However, they are not to leave the district until the investigation is completed.
Meanwhile, Flamewrath is put into room where he will be interrogated by a inquisitor. In some odd coincidence, the inquisitor interrogating him is Illaicorai, the man they met back at camp. Even though Flamewrath has Oloken'hai gift and he knows the inquisitor, he does not give a good argument for him. After the questioning is over, Illiacorai uses a heart scan. The inquisitor eventually sees the homeless killing in Flamewrath's memories and his lack of remorse. In the end, Flamewrath exclaims that he should have killed more and the guards prepare to take him to Whitemarch prison.
The rest of the party go back to the inn. Nidhogg contacts Svelt while the others do their antics. He asked Svelt if he can give him any information about Flamewrath current situation. The rest of the party arrive and listen to Svelt. After hearing the situation, Svelt offers to help the party with Flamewrath if they get the bartender to give him a kiss. Nidhogg pays the bartender to do so and Svelt makes a plan to help Flamewrath escape. The party is to get Flamewrath as he is in transport and when they acquire him, Svelt will open a portal to let them escape.
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Saturday
Shadow of Tyre (No Session)
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Sunday
Broken Bonds S2 Ep. 1 (RoyalCaster)
The story continues on the road to Steton. Nox pauses and feels the pull of Oun and Wode. The dream needs her once again, but she is given a little more time to lead this party to safety again. They detect something and see a haze of dream energy. Remag determines that they are standing right above a ley line, and he informs the party of their position. They all decide to follow the energy they feel seeping out from something. The party follows a winding path that leads them to an assortment of shimmering standing stones surrounding an obelisk. Zorro claims to feel great life energy coming from the obelisk. Li’lu nears the obelisk and it begins to glow, but there seems to be no reaction to the half-dead Dhampir Bryan. Nox checks out the outer ring of the obelisk and finds Bazzlebop FizzFlam, a druid-in-training. Bazzlebop asks them all to step away as they had ruined the calibration by touching the obelisk and informs them that it is a centrifuge of the ley lines, keeping them balanced.
Bazzlebop said that they were only really trained in the rudimentary facts and did not know what to do as his Druidic master left for Dolten. Ea’r remembers that she is a druid, but she panics as she doesn’t know what to do either. Zorro advises to study the stones carefully. Upon inspection she can feel the imbalance of the ley lines and everything they have felt is due to the ley lines bleeding. She finds a small panel shaped for a hand and places her hand on it. There is a soft clicking sound, and the center stone obelisk begins to twist and shift in places. As it does, beams of visible light of the ley line reflect into the obelisk. It is apparent that all but one of the ley lines are misaligned. They will now have to find the source of the interferences of the 6 leylines. Bazzlebop sees that the leyline to the northwest interference is the closest and sends the party off in that way.
They follow it to a large tavern called the Autumn Tide Inn. The inn is troublingly empty. A large Tabaxi comes waddling up to them. He introduces himself as Big Doa, the owner of the Inn. Li’lu asks about the lack of people in this Inn and Doa chalks it up to the inn being haunted, scaring off the clientele. He offers a reward if they get rid of the ghost. They decide to stay at the inn because Big Doa says that he feels that the hauntings happen more at night. They split off and find their own thing to do. Bryan goes to smoke with a halfling named Diglet and Remag takes a bath. Li’lu, E’ar, and Hashbrown sit down and talk with a man who introduced himself as Nathaniel Cross. They ask him if he knows anything about the hauntings Big Doa mentioned. He directs to the stables outside. Nox interrogates Big Doa and asks what he knows about ley lines, as the haunting could be caused by its proximity.
The party that headed outside enters the stables and gets trapped by a spirit. Ethereal flames emerge from the straw in the stable. Hashbrown goes to touch it and is transported to a memory. He finds himself alone and runs to the inn. As he walks in he finds a scene of slaughter. He feels something that urges him to go upstairs, and he finds an open door at the end of the hallway. He enters and meets with an ethereal man. Hashbrowns asks how to get outside, and the man tells him that he’ll just need to go sleep and he’ll wake up. But the man asks a favor of Hashbrown to find “it”. Hashbrown doesn't question further and falls to sleep.
Hashbrown snaps awake and finds himself back at the stables with his party. He tells them of what happened, and brings the rest of the party into the flames to ask the man more questions. Except for D’ahc, he goes to ask for help. He finds Bryan and Remag and brings them to the stables. Bryan in her baked state just walks into the flame, but Remag and D’ahc stay outside.
They ask the man more questions and find out that Big Doa is responsible for the massacre Hashbrown saw in his first trip. He had a device that controlled the man, and they see that he has a necklace of the 7-pointed shattered star. The man, Carson, asks them to get “it” or the device from Big Doa and free him.
They get back to the stables and gather Remag and D’ahc. They head to the stables and play nice with Big Doa long enough to get him distracted and tie him to a chair. He figures the scheme is up, but he doesn’t tell the party much. They however manage to get the necklace, a correspondence report from the Shattered Star, and the soul tether from him. The party mistakenly doesn't pay attention to Big Doa’s hands, and he casts a spell to teleport away.
After they have calmed down they release Carson. Nox feels the pull of the dream and decides that her job with this group ends here. She advises the party to leave the inn and wishes them good luck in the future. Nox gets accosted with a hug and they part ways.
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Shattered Crowns S3 Ep. 3 (Lrret1064)
The fight begins as the party rushes down the path to assist Raging Raidon, casting buffs on themselves. Guy and Huckleberry arrive first and take out the enemies surrounding Raging Raidon. Arrow volleys from the town rain down on the Akai. Iron Pipe casts Fireball at the Akai reinforcements approaching them. Huckleberry helps some of the Iron Flower guards defeat the Akai they were engaging, however a group of them completely surround Guy and almost kills him. A heavily injured Guy lies to Ikkar that he has fire immunity from an item they got on a previous adventure, and he tells him to use fire to take out the group surrounding him. Ikkar believes him and takes out the group and Guy. Huckleberry starts to clean up the rest when Raidon finishes up the fight by flashing around the battlefield with his iaijutsu. Impressed with the moves Huckleberry asks Raidon to train him and exchange techniques in the future.
Ikkar heals Guy and notices Raidon picking up the bodies of his critically wounded men to rush them to their healer. He flies towards him and uses magic to stabilise them. This surprises Raidon as healing magic is rare in Oza village. While this is happening Iron pipe investigates the Akai and their technological improvements and notices they are more inconvenient than actual improvements and the Akai are all exactly the same, as if they are being manufactured. Scrumpo also investigates them for loot and find a flower with orange petals, It feels hard like glass. Studying it further he senses that it's rare and might be a clue to where they came from.
Iron Pipe starts pulling the cybernetic implants off the Akai, separating the useful parts, and stuffs them into his Bag of Holding, getting covered in blood during the process. Guy begins to act depressed and walks away, so the party chases after him. When they catch up, he starts ranting to them about his interaction with the other Songblade wielders when he disappeared on their way to the Red Star, about his expectations of the Songblade’s power, thinking it should help him dominate in combat, and about how having to hunt for his blood in his past makes having people willingly giving it to him feel weird. They then debate if they should kidnap somebody to let Guy experience the thrill of the hunt again but Huckleberry objects. Guy feels a bit better and they make their way to the town. The party arrives at the Pagoda and the Prefect greets them. He is relieved by their safe return and thanks them for their assistance in defending the town. Guy asks for a hot spring to clean themselves off. There is a spring nearby, but Raidon says that an Akuma occupies it currently and he doesn't like to share. The Prefect directs them to the forge maiden to clean their armaments.
They go to the metal building Guy was in before and are greeted by the forge maiden, Futaki Ikuko, who gestures to them to come inside. Scrumpo pulls out one of his daggers and asks if she has anything like it. She notes that the natural material of the dagger is stronger, sharper, and longer lasting than the ones she's used to, and the magic woven into it is one she's not familiar with. It would be difficult for her to recreate it, but she can try. Scrumpo instead asks to see her specialty and she pulls out a sickle attached to a chain called a kusarigama. The group starts to discuss if they would even have the currency to pay for the weapon and as Guy speaks up about having money, Futaki recognizes his voice and gives him a cold stare, but she does nothing as she is in front of guests. Scrumpo asks her to train him but she hesitates as she is still a pupil herself, so they agree to train together instead. Huckleberry is next to show his weapon and Futaki comments that she can tell how much care and trust Huckleberry has in Loud Iron, and she offers to make repairs. Guy asks for info about the Akuma presiding over the hot spring and she tells them that it is protected by a barrier that needs a priest to get past, but Ikkar is not powerful enough to handle it. Finally, Iron Pipe leaves his suit with her and pulls out a sapphire and asks for its value. She informs him that gems like that are incredibly rare and valuable.
They go to the tavern to rest and meet Keikain Tokutomi, one of the retainers at the pagoda who also runs the Singing Bells tavern, behind the counter. The next day they leave to pick up Iron Pipe’s suit and Loud Iron, which now has horse decor on the handle. Iron Pipe confirms that his suit can be placed on someone else and be controlled remotely by putting it on Futaki. Guy spits on Keikain but Huckleberry and Ikkar cover for him by saying it's part of their culture. As they are leaving to find the source of the Akai in the region, Raidon stops to talk to them about the Prefect and his weak will. The Prefects promised to give Iron Flower soldiers to a more powerful clan, the Okai, that plans to go to war with another Prefect. This worries Raidon as they will gain nothing from participating in the war, but it puts their village at risk of future Akai attacks. They discuss possible solutions when Guy pulls out the documents he stole from the Prefect thinking it can help.
The documents turn out to be proof that the Okai have captured the Prefect’s family and use them as leverage, but he is still trying to fight for the town showing he's actually not weak willed. Raidon says he will speak to the Prefect about using the gems they received from the party to pay for his family. As they make their way out of the village, Ikkar casts Animate Dead on one of the Akai corpses to show off. However, all of them awaken instead.
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Monday
Heart of Tyre Ep. 20 (av5hadow)
The last we left the Tops in their struggle, Seren psionically sucked the psychosis of the memory that is Thomas Teal the Riftblade. Believing that she will go down soon, Ives runs up to Morc and gives a Potion of Healing to the blind half-orc. Morc asks Ives to hit him with a cocaine arrow, believing that it will cure his blindness. Ives declines the request (and Arcadum will talk to Russ about Morc’s addiction at a later date).
As predicted, Thomas takes Seren down with his weapon and even tries to pull a fast one. He Overwhelms his second strike on Seren, but her Wisdom save prevents her from entering stasis. (Another Nat 20. “Good job, b*tch.”) Dranf lands a Hold Person on the Riftblade, however the Warrior’s Tenacity (a Reaction) in Thomas prevents him from being Held. Despite his blindness Morc knows where the unconscious satyr is and revives her with Ives’ Potion of Healing. Thomas uses an unidentified ability which then activates another unidentified ability. The second ability summons spheres that send bolts at Seren. Neve identifies the spheres as Rift Bolts which lock on a random enemy and hurl a bolt of energy, striking at them continuously. Neve then feeds a Potion of Healing to Seren before hiding behind Morc. Resisting her Depthar self (as at the start of her turn, the Depthar for now has a chance of controlling her for the turn), Seren gets back up and plants down her healing tree.
Thomas moves so that Morc, Neve, and Derok are around him and uses Whirling Negation with Overwhelm. Derok's Charisma fails him, and he ends up in a stasis prism. Not wanting to be in there for a whole minute, he Dispels the prism. Thomas summons another sphere and it randomly targets Seren, downing her! Neve learns of Conflux, an ability that allows Thomas to set one of his resources to the same amount of another one of his resources. Conflux was the ability that activated the first Rift Bolt. The psionic presence in Seren wishes to help, and the unconscious Seren accepts the help, which increases her Infection to 3. Neve goes to Seren’s side and feeds her a Potion of Greater Healing. Neve now only has one Potion of Greater Healing left. Seren informs the party about what she learned. The party could trick Thomas to lower one of his resources with Conflux by lowering the second resource with a readied action. Seren Dispels the Rift Bolts that have been targeting her. Ives goes over to Seren and heals her with his Flaming Sword.
Morc waits for the moment when Thomas gets paralyzed by Hold Person. Ives considers the effects that cocaine would have on Thomas, and he then fires two cocaine arrows at the ground next to Thomas. However, Thomas doesn’t get affected by the drugs. Ives blurts out “Well, sh*t!” and throws up his arms.
Thomas Overwhelms an unidentified AoE ability in which Morc, Neve, Seren, and Derok get caught. Luckily, only Seren winds up in stasis. Derok baits a reaction from Thomas. Thomas attempts to use Overwhelm with his attack, but the Wild Magic Sorcerer Bends his Luck and doesn’t go into stasis. Now that Thomas is unable to use Warrior’s Tenacity, Derok casts Hold Person on Thomas, twice. Thomas manages to resist the first, but he wasn’t able to do so with the second as Derok Heightened the second spell. This activates another Indigo Wild Magic Event. A Rift Storm appears over the Scar. Every round the Storm will activate a Wild Magic Effect. Dranf uses the Negator this time.
With Thomas paralyzed, Morc goes into his Iass form, his hair turning white and the symbol of his goddess embodying his chest. He attacks Thomas twice and summons 5 Iass Spears. The Spears allow Ives and Neve to attack Thomas with arrows. Thomas does not withstand the barrage of arrows and he falls. The fourth boss of the Indigo Trial is defeated. (Upon summoning the third spear, Morc gains a new Iass ability, the Silver Spear. It allows him to teleport to an enemy within 30 feet if he lands an attack against it.)
Immediately after Thomas goes down, Morc rushes to where the cocaine arrow had landed. Since Seren’s infection has gone up in this fight, the once quiet whispers in her head are now demanding her attention. She now needs to always split her concentration between keeping the voices at bay and maintaining spells (meaning that she makes Concentration Checks at disadvantage). A pillar rises, the Neverend’s cracked mask is restored, and the trial continues.
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Tuesday
Weal and Woe (No Session)
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Soul of Tyre Ep. 19 (SootheBe11)
The group continues with the now formed shroud who seems to have lost his memory. Unfortunately, the group doesn’t know what to do with him yet. Belanovan asks Toragard about the weird crystal eye in the room they’re standing in, and he answers that the crystal is a prison. Ozzie suddenly opens the box with the World Seed. He moves forward to the shroud and the room shifts with power. The creature however doesn’t seem to be affected by it. The group leaves the shroud for the moment and moves around the crystal eye. Toragard proceeds to open the crystal, and the shadowy thing inside fires itself towards the shroud.
The shroud seems to see different fragments of his memory come back. Then Belanovan finds that each of the stones within the room seems to be part of the same soul. As Hackne looks closer, she notices that they hold the emotion, history, and sight of the same person, and the group can pick three combinations of a memory and an emotion to give back to the creature. They pick the memory of its friends coupled with loyalty, the memory of caution with courage, and the memory of loss with responsibility.
A flash of insight spears the shroud’s thoughts, revealing him to be the Precept. He asks whether the sky is clear and where they stand in the fight. When the group asks what he knows about the Colors, he responds that the Prism must be kept safe and that the Colors must be awakened. He is astonished when he hears that the group has awakened two of them and that their ambition is to fix the Broken Covenant of Mercy. When asked about what his purpose was, the shroud tells them how they had the hope to recreate souls, so he captured souls and stored them in the area between the Waking and the Dream Realm, a sort of Purgatory.
When the shroud mentioned that, Braktor approaches him and his vision blurs. A smell of a certain material fills him. In a vision, he seems to be hanging from something, and a pair of canine eyes watches him, baring its sharp fangs. The Precept is one of the Wolves. Braktor comes back and he tells the group that this shroud was a Warden that kept hope alive. When the dwarf was a Seven, the Warden sacrificed itself to protect them. Now, the Precept must return to Purgatory to help this new group uncover the lost knowledge of the place.
The shroud says they weren't ready when the Violet came. It was devastating. Souls were stolen from the life stream and faded into ash. It was from that the Order was formed, an order that would watch the Creature’s movements. For was it not for the heroes of their day, it would have destroyed them all. They tried everything to face it, but when it returned, they looked to the heroes once more. They paid the price and the Great Wheel turned.
Then a vision flashes in Braktor’s eyes. In the Abyssal Ocean several mages are rising up stone and earth, making an island, forming a tower. He sees Purgatory where the Seven once walked. It was developed in the first and second iterations to combat the Enemy, but it was not until the fifth iteration that the gamble was chosen. It was designed to put souls captured within the Life Stream through despair in the hope that they would refract. Braktor sees a great black orb that drains the people of their life force. When it fell and shattered, it released its strength into those who remain. He sees bracers and collars infused with energy that would destroy those who tried breaking it with violence, and with each swing of the pick, the body is reinforced. A flash of insight. Finally, Braktor sees the fall of Purgatory, when a great sea serpent rose and laid siege to the island. This is what Tyre tried to recreate, for he too believes that those Wardens of Purgatory were perhaps close to a solution.
Braktor asks why Purgatory fell, what went ‘wrong’. The shroud answers that he should see for himself, as he senses that Purgatory still stands, that it still performs its duties. The weaver then wonders if it’s manned if it is still working, but the Shroud tells him it’s an ancient process that doesn’t cease. He doesn’t know more, all he says is that something must be done. Braktor asks what they can do to help, and the Shroud mentions that below them lays a Hall of Remembrance and... A sharp pain befalls the Precept, and it seems that he cannot speak more on the issue.
The group goes down to the second floor. On the second floor they find an enormous hallway that swirls and pulses. This appears to be the labyrinthian attempt at the recreation of Purgatory. Hackne feels that this place is hostile towards them, the souls within believe that the party is just another ‘test’. This Gauntlet will be a special test, and they must fight their way through non-stops (meaning no breaks or rest). Because of the nature of the gauntlet, Alexander asks for items from Azalon who obliges. Azalon uses 3 Order to give them an array of potions, scrolls, and magical items.
​
Wednesday
The Herald's Call Ep. 6 (AsAlternateAsItCanBe)
The fight against the Violet Servant continues. The round starts with Zada and Azylea dying. While Zada passes the death save, Azylea gets a Nat 20 and revives with 1 hit point. Riku then also passes a Greater Healing Potion to captain Lorant using Mage Hand, seeing how badly hurt he is, while Arienne flies over to heal the downed Zada with another Potion. Zada then tries to check The Listless Lament’s tactics using a Martial check, and it is revealed that it attempts to combine with the remaining Violet Aberrations using a hidden ability, which Midas then learns is called “Transmogrify”- in which The Listless Lament turns into The Listless Abominiation as it attempt to combine with the remaining Violet Aberrations to gain bonus health, a melee focus, and new abilities. The group then decides to focus on killing the four remaining Violet Aberrations on the field before its turn, but unfortunately they are only able to kill two.However, the other two Aberrations provoke an attack of opportunity from the party as they try to join The Listless Lament, and they die in the process. The Listless Lament, seeing it is outnumbered and his tactic is failing, raises its hands to call silently for the Herald and uses “Sorrow Surge” (3d4 Force damage) on everybody.Zada once again attempts to check for its tactic, and it is revealed that The Listless Lament is trying to empower Sorrow Surge with the aid of the Herald. She then uses her Soulfire ability to refresh Archael’s, Arienne’s, and Riku’s Soulfire ability. Archael decides to use his Soulfire ability and heals everyone, and Riku uses Chaos Bolt and his Soulfire, but he has to use the last Black Die or his Soulfire attack misses.
In the next round Archael reveals The Listless Lament’s tactic is just to whittle everyone down using Sorrow Surge. As its turn arrives, it uses Sorrow Surge and Azylea falls unconscious. Fortunately, Sorrow Surge does not target unconscious targets, so the party decides to not heal Azylea for now as she will just go down again eventually. The party continues to whittle down The Listless Lament - who now looks very hurt - while it uses Sorrow Surge again, this time downing Zada. However, when Zada rolls her death saving throw, she lands on a Nat 1 which gives her two death fails. The party discusses whether they should focus on The Listless Lament before Zada’s turn arrives or risk healing her. In the end they decide to get Zada back up with Riku’s Superior Healing Potion. And finally, with a final fiery punch from Captain Lorant, The Listless Lament dies.
The party then quickly gathers the loot from The Listless Lament before going back to the airship with the captain and Lucien. As the airship lifts off, they see hundreds of Violet Aberrations trying to get to the ship, but they are unable to do so, so they disappear back into the forest. The party returns to Orde where Lucien can find an orphanage for the children they rescued there. The party also identifies the loot which consists of gold, a pouch of documents, a Shadow Servant robe (Advantage to stealth checks and +1 attack roll to Shadow Blade spell), and a Ring of Bombardment (+1d4 damage to ranged spell attack). Riku takes the Ring of Bombardment while Midas takes the robe. The party also levels up to level 3, and they gain 8 Order for defeating this encounter.
​
Steel and Silence Ep. 2
The girls walk onto the the ship ready to find their target through their "services". Madeleine, on the other hand, walks onto to the other ship with The Shining Shadow, her newly acquainted friend. Madeleine takes the initiative and the two go to the housing quarters as the screen "fades to black". Meanwhile, Terryn meets Douglas Deleruse and his bird companion Damien; she finds out that Douglas is on the boat to find his mother. On the other side of the boat, the rest of the girls are approach by a burly man who want his "services". As the man stands before him, Zara and Vaeri notice that he has a tattoo of a shattered star. They persuade for him to buy the group while Zara stays up top and prepares to be backup. Terryn notices that the rest of her party went down to the housing quarters and she follows them. Zara is then suddenly called out by a man who wants to draw her and she obliges.
Revlis gets on their target and blackmail his "goods" with her sharp tail. Unfortunately, the target doesn't understand that Revlis is threatening him and thinks it's part of the show. Seeing that her threats aren't working, Revlis cast Sleep on the target and the party now has an unconscious body. Terryn changes into the target and Revlis cast an illusion on the body to make it look like Terryn. The deception manages to work until they pass by Azeatec who sees right through it. Luckily, Azeatec will only speak about this to Azeatec. Umi the tells him that they are friends because of that. Azeatec is touched by this and vows to keep the secret as he suddenly disappear. The party finally notices that they don't know where Madeleine is. Revlis finds a trail of hat-feathers and finds Madeleine having the time of her life. Sadly, she needs to stop Madeleine's pleasure so Revlis uses odd measures. The succubus cast an Illusion of a certain dead nipple-less man. Madeleine quickly puts on her clothes and leaves with Revlis but before she leaves, Madeleine asks the Shining Shadow if she wants to come with her and her party. Sadly, The Shining Shadow only follows the wind but she hopes that the wind will cross with Madeleine again. The two bid adieu and Madeleine leaves.
The party finally arrive at the beach where they hid unconscious Hokky. Umi wonders where Azeatec is and as she says his name, Azeatec is summoned in front of her. Because they are friends, Azeatec will grant any amount of wishes they desire. Umi first wish was for Azeatec is to constantly sing and Azeatec obliges. Terryn summons Azeatec again and asked for everybody around them to be teleported to a cave. Azeatec then teleports the party, their target, and Hokky to a random cave. Luckily, Veari corrects the wish and all of them are teleported to the Lord of Blades.
The party awakens LoB and gives their bounty while talking about their ventures. LoB steps on the target demanding for answers. LoB then usurps all of the targets memories and then crushes him. LoB then explains to the party that the Order of the Shattered Star will have another meeting nearby. They are to spy into the meeting and gather more information about the Order. LoB then gives Vaeri a horn and tells her that when they are done, they should use the horn to be teleported back to the cave. Hokky then wakes up and LoB tells Hokky that he will now be a servant to the party. Hokky accepts whether he likes it or not. The party then travels to their target destination and prepare for espionage.
​
Edited by PalladiumDrake
Thanks for reading.
submitted by Emanresubmudyllaer to cadum [link] [comments]

Scouring the seas in search of treasure, the Dragon Turtle is an unstoppable force - Lore & History of the Dragon Turtle

You can read the post and see the Dragon Turtle across the editions on Dump Stat

The Dragon Turtle is a legendary creature from Chinese mythology. It has the body of a turtle and the head of a dragon, which are two of the four celestial creatures found in Chinese mythology. The Dragon Turtle is thought to symbolize courage, determination, fertility, longevity, power, success, and support and, if you practice Feng Shui, you may have a small statue or ornament of a Dragon Turtle in your house facing a window. It is here that the Dragon Turtle will bring you good luck and positive energy.
But the Dragon Turtle pops up in more places than just Chinese mythology. Everyone knows that Mario's arch-nemesis is Bowser. He's one badass Dragon Turtle with a strange habit of kidnapping princesses, a killer ultimate - the Giga Bowser Punch, and never getting to win the final boss battle in any of the Mario games. In Pokemon, Turtonator is a fire/dragon pokemon, also known as a blast turtle, and has a shell that explodes when struck.
And, as you might suspect, the Dragon Turtle even shows up in Dungeons & Dragons. The Dragon Turtle was once the biggest, baddest creature in the sea until he was knocked off his rocky outcropping by the kraken. It’s a shame too because the Dragon Turtle was pretty amazing and a true horror to encounter.
&nbps;

OD&D

No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 2
Move: 3”/9” (swimming)
Hit Dice: 11-13
% in Lair: 60%
No. of Attacks: Breath Weapon
Damage/Attack: Equal to Dragon Turtle Hit Points
Treasure: Type H
We get our first look at the Dragon Turtle in the White Box - Book 3: The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures (1974). They are called the most fearsome creatures in the ocean, which is saying a lot since there are sahaugin, killer manta rays, and even giant freaking otters. It makes some sense though seeing as how they were basically dragons, hence their name, and had all the abilities of a dragon except they couldn’t fly and had a slower land speed.
Because they are considered dragons, that meant they get a breath weapon! If you had to guess, what do you think a sea dragon would breathe? If you guessed boiling hot steam, you’d get a cookie. Dragon Turtles breathe a large cone of super-heated steam that is so hot that it deals fire damage equal to its hit points… three times a day. While the three-times-a-day part is a bit sad for it, the fact it deals between 11d6 and 15d6 damage is extremely rough. This is especially rough when you remember that every character only gets a d6 for their hit die in this edition, so you are basically wiping out the entire party with a single breathe.
Beyond the eye-melting steam, Dragon Turtles are given a bit more information though not as much as the rest of the dragons who get 3 pages devoted to how they attack, how you can attack them, how you could subdue them, or how much you can sell your newly subdued dragon for. These massive turtles can live in both fresh- and saltwater, and if you think being on a ship makes you safe well… Dragon Turtles are incredibly strong and if it comes up under a ship, it just lifts it out of the water on to their back. If you find yourself in this situation, well, you’re kinda stuck until it decides to go back underwater. At least you can tell all your friends you once sailed upon a Dragon Turtle!
 

Basic D&D - Dragon Turtle

Armor Class: -2
Hit Dice: 30
Move: 30’ (10’) / Swimming 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 2 claws/1 bite
Damage: 1-8 claw/10-60 bite
No. Appearing: 0 (1)
Save As: Fighter 15
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: H
Alignment: Chaotic
We first encounter the Dragon Turtle in the Moldvay/Cook Expert Set (1981) and the stat block is later reprinted in the BECMI Companion Box Set (1983), and boy do they make a splash. The Dragon Turtle is so incredibly powerful that there is a special note at the bottom of the description that lets the DM know that they are mighty creatures and not to use them unless the PC's are of exceptionally high level. It’s pretty easy to tell from their stat block that they’ll mess up anything that gets too close to them.
Part dragon, part massive turtle, these creatures live in the deep waters of the ocean, quite content to stay down there for a majority of their lives. It is something that we should all be thankful for, especially if you have any close relatives that make their living on the sea. In the unexplored regions of the bottom of the sea, the Dragon Turtle builds its lair in massive caverns. What do they do with their liars? Why Dragon Turtles, like the dragons they are, like to hoard treasure, magic items, and more that they scavenge from sunken ships. Of course, how those ships came to be sunk is another question.
Alright, we’ll spill the beans. Dragon Turtles will rise up under a ship, flip it over, and then eat everyone. That’s how those ships sank, by a freak force of nature in the form of a dragon and a turtle. If you find it hard to imagine such a massive behemoth the text explains that some have been said to have grown so large that they are mistaken for small islands, and sailors have put down anchor on them before realizing their horrifying mistake. We feel bad for any sailors sailing through an archipelago and playing roulette but with Dragon Turtles and islands.
Dragon Turtles are a combination of the best of being a dragon and a massive turtle. It has the head, limbs, and tail of a typical dragon, but its body is encased in the protective shell of a turtle. If it doesn’t feel like breathing hot steam everywhere, it can instead get up close and personal with three attacks. The first two are with its claws for a rather measly bit of damage that a fighter can laugh off, that is until it bites. It’s bite deals 10 to 60 points of damage, which compared to the 1d8 of its claws is pretty powerful. We suppose there is a reason why the DM is warned by the book that a Dragon Turtle is incredibly dangerous… going back to the breath weapon for just a moment, it still does the same amount of damage as its current hit points, which means it can do up to 30d6 in a 90-foot cone that is 30 feet wide. Better make sure you start hitting it before it breathes on you.
You might be wondering, how dangerous is this monster when compared to others. To put some more perspective on it, a gold dragon only has 11 hit dice and has the same basic attacks as the Dragon Turtle but its bite is only 3 to 36 points (3d12) points of damage. There’s a reason why in the 1981 BX Companion Box Set it describes the tarasque as being a Dragon Turtle on land and not a dragon on land. Also, the tarasque only deals 10 to 100 points of damage on a bite and has no breath weapon.
Though, if you can survive fighting a Dragon Turtle, and somehow swim down to the deepest parts of the ocean, without your lungs collapsing in on themselves, and find its lair... Well, you are about to make it big. The turtle of death is the proud owner of Treasure Type H, which means you could find up to 24,000 copper, 100,000 silver, 60,000 gold, 20,000 platinum, 100 pieces of jewelry, 40 gems, one potion, one scroll, and four magic items of any type or strength. Sure those are maximums, but even one-quarter of that treasure is enough to hang up your sword, buy a tavern, amaze the young adventurers with your war stories, and never, ever, set foot on a ship again.
 

AD&D - Dragon Turtle

Frequency: Very Rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 0
Move: 3”//9”
Hit Dice: 12-14
% in Lair: 5%
Treasure Type: B, R, S, T, V
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 2-12/2-12/4-32
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Very
Alignment: Neutral
Size: L (up to 30’ dia.)
Psionic Ability: Nil
The first line in the Monster Manual (1977) description of the Dragon Turtle tells us that it is probably the most feared creature in the water. That's saying something, considering the Kraken can be found in the Monster Manual II (1983) and the debuff the poor turtle monster gets compared to the previous editions. Hit dice drastically reduced, bite attack cut in half, the size of its breath weapon is shrunk, all we can say is that it’s claw attacks got slightly stronger. But before we get too saddened by this sudden betrayal against the Dragon Turtle, let’s go over how you make one and reveal… it’s not really nerfed.
Not all Dragon Turtles are created equal. Like dragons, you never know if you're going to run into a young or ancient turtle of dragons. In fact, in this version, the DM will roll on the same chart they would for a dragon to determine the age of the Dragon Turtle, which also determines how screwed you are. They roll a d8 and the higher the number, the older the creature and the more hit points it has per hit die. If the DM rolls a 1, it’s a tiny baby Dragon Turtle with 1 hit point per hit die, so between 12 and 14 hit points. Quite pathetic. Then again, they might roll an 8 and you are looking at an Ancient Dragon Turtle with 96 to 112 hit points and can deal that much damage in its steam breath. The other dragons of this edition all have between 6 to 12 hit die depending on their color, though for some perspective, Tiamat only has 128 hit points. While the numbers look low compared to before, the Dragon Turtle isn’t something to mess with.
Majestic and colorful creatures, they have dark green shells with a lighter green body with streaks of silver highlights. Its shell, not surprisingly, is incredibly hard and nearly impossible to break, which is also its biggest weakness. The turtle lives in saltwater and freshwater, which means if you can just make it to land, you can outpace it. If you stay in the ocean, it’s going to capsize your ship, and then eat you. Jump overboard, make it to land, and you are safe… until you stumble upon the tarasque.
The Dragon Turtle also gets a few brief mentions throughout a few other books, and we will quickly go over those. Appearing in Oriental Adventures (1985), it isn’t given a description but does appear in so far as it’s scales are a spell component for the 9th-level spell, tsunami. Of course, how you are supposed to get those scales is probably an entire quest in and of itself. After that, it shows up in the 1986 module, The Mines of Bloodstone, and is listed as the Lake Midai Monster who attacks boats on the surface of the lake. It gets two sentences devoted to it and one of those sentences is for the DM to reference the Monster Manual for treasure.
It can also be found in the Mad Monkey vs. the Dragon Claw (1988) module about a group of adventurers fighting against a cult in the name of the Mad Monkey. During their adventure, the party has the chance to land on an island that is a massive Dragon Turtle, but will not attack no matter what, but peacefully swim away regardless of the situation. In another book, Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (1988), the people of Obakuto in the Forgotten Realms worship a dragon turtle spirit deity. Being the good followers they are, they provide an annual sacrifice to a Dragon Turtle that lives off the coast of the city. Unfortunately for the region’s Dragon Turtles, the barbarians that live in the area hunt them. Another sourcebook, Dreams of the Red Wizards (1988), gives some information for the nation of Thay and reveals that they are lucky enough to be blessed with the presence of Dragon Turtles. Lake Thaylambar, located in central Thay, was said to contain Dragon Turtles since many a fishing boat left port never to return. Or maybe that’s just propaganda, and Thay has a lot of terrible sailors.
It’s hard being a Dragon Turtle, everyone just assumes all you do is capsize ships and eat people… Like our last example in 1988 with the Mists of Krynn mini-adventure series where an 11th-level party is expected to kill a Dragon Turtle. The Dragon Turtle is going on raids across the countryside, and conveniently carries all of its treasure inside of its shell. If the party can destroy the beast, the gnomes are ecstatic and give the party a bunch of strange inventions they’ve been working on. This kind of makes it clear that even on land, you are never safe from a Dragon Turtle, it'll simply walk across the hillsides and destroy everything it can.
Before we go on to the next edition, we are going to do something we’ve never done before. We are jumping out of the books and into an old animated TV series of Dungeons & Dragons. In the 10th episode of the 1st season, The Garden of Zinn (1983) features a Dragon Turtle. Now, it looks a bit weird and looks like the lochness monster but the episode claims its a Dragon Turtle that can… poison you… with its bite. Huh. Well, we’ll be honest, this show is a bit strange and the Dungeon Master is pretty bad. He has the party fight against Tiamat in the first episode, and then comes up with some weird McGuffins to help them defeat her since he wrote himself into a corner.
 

2e - Dragon Turtle

Climate/Terrain: Subtropical and temperate fresh and salt water
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Very (11-12)
Treasure: B, R, S, T, V
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 0
Movement: 3, Sw 9
Hit Dice: 12-14
THAC0: 12 Hit Dice: 9; 13-14 Hit Dice: 7
No. of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 2-12/2-12/4-32
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, capsize ships
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: G (30’ diameter shell)
Morale: Fanatic (17)
XP Value: 12 Hit Dice 10,000/13 Hit Dice 12,000/14 Hit Dice 12,000
In the 2nd edition Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) and later reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993), the Dragon Turtle is given the proper respect that it has been due, being called beautiful, fantastic, and feared all in the first sentence. Additional imagery of their splendor continues as many an adventurer has thought that a Dragon Turtle shell of the surface of the water is the reflection of the moon or sun. The shell still holds a deep green color, with silver highlights that have the sun's reflection dancing across the water. Their arms, tails, and head are a lighter green color, and its neck has spiked webbing that runs down the top of it. Also, it now specifies that the Dragon Turtle is an intelligent creature and they even have their own highly developed languages, which is the only language they speak.
Being significant and deadly makes you the target for a great many people and puts a target on your back, which is no different for the Dragon Turtle. They live solitary lives deep under the ocean and inhabit large sea caves that are hidden from all but the Dragon Turtle itself, as this is where it lives and keeps its treasure hoard. When you sink as many ships as an ancient Dragon Turtle has, your cache is going to contain untold riches, so keeping a secret makes total sense. The area around a Dragon Turtle's lair is considered that turtle's territory and everyone should be wise enough to stay far away. Of course, not everyone gets the memo and the Dragon Turtle is more than happy to destroy your ship, eat you, and then take all your treasure. Though, you can also give great sacrifices of treasure to the Dragon Turtle to simply dissuade it from destroying your ship, think of it as a toll for using its water.
Not everyone is willing to simply give up their hard-earned treasure, and sometimes they want what the Dragon Turtle has. Other sea races, including mermen and sahaugin, find themselves in direct conflict with Dragon Turtle on occasion. Many times this is over territory or underwater caves, but sometimes it could be over treasure or simply because the sahuagin don’t like anything that isn’t a shark. If you find yourself in the middle of a warring faction between Dragon Turtle and sahuagin, sail away quickly. The ocean is vast and wide, and your treasure won’t do you any good if you’re dead.
Before we move on from the Dragon Turtle killing you, lets first talk about a change for them. No longer are their breath weapons tied to how many current hit points they have, instead it just deals a flat 20d6 points of damage which is… well, that’s a lot of steam as it erupts in a 60-foot long, and 40-foot wide cone that will cover all but the largest ships. If you think a Dragon Turtle is about to spew hot steam all over the ship, we recommend hiding below decks… or just jumping overboard and hope it's distracted with the massive chew toy that is the ship.
Once again, beyond the Monster Manuals, the Dragon Turtle is shown very little love. There was a book released called Draconomicon (1990) and the word ‘dragon’ appears over 1,600 times but no mention of the great and fearsome Dragon Turtle. One of the mentions of the Dragon Turtle can be found in the 1993 Forgotten Realms supplement Jungles of Chult which simply says that there are many Dragon Turtles in the waters around Chult and that outside of the city, Port Nyanzaru, the harbormaster pays a monthly tribute to a Dragon Turtle. They claim it is protection from the other monstrous sea creatures that might destroy the city, but we all know it is protect them from the avarice and wrath of that particular Dragon Turtle.
 

3e/3.5e - Dragon Turtle

Huge Dragon (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 12d12+60 (138 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 25 (-2 size, +17 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple +12/+28
Attacks: Bite +18 melee (4d6+8)
Full Attack: Bite +18 melee (4d6+8) and 2 claws +13 melee (2d8+4)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, snatch, capsize
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, sleep, and paralysis, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +9
Str 27, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 12
Skills: Diplomacy +3, Hide +7*, Intimidate +16, Listen +16, Search +16, Sense Motive +16, Spot +16, Survival +16 (+18 following tracks), Swim +21
Feats: Blind-Fight, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Snatch
Climate/Terrain: Temperate aquatic
Orgnization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 13–24 HD (Huge); 25–36 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: -
The Dragon Turtle premiered in the 3rd edition Monster Manual (2000) and was later revised in the 3.5 edition's Monster Manual (2003). There are a few changes between the two stat blocks, and they have a significant impact on how much more powerful the Dragon Turtle is in 3.5e. The AC of the Dragon Turtle increases from 20 to 25, which is quite the jump as well as the 3.5e version receiving additional bonuses in Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Survival, and Swim skills - with swim alone being a 21 point addition. While they lose their Alertness feat, they more than make up for it by adding the Improved Bull Rush and Snatch feats. We're sure that trading a higher initiative bonus for being able to grab creatures with your mouth works out in the Dragon Turtle’s favor. Sadly, its steam breath weapon range is nerfed a bit, with the steam cloud now a 50-foot cone that is 25 feet wide, and the damage is knocked down to 12d6. To compensate, the Dragon Turtle can now use the weapon every 1d4 rounds.
Despite the many mechanical changes, there is basically no lore changes between 3e and 3.5e and very few between 2e and 3e. While you might think having a Dragon Turtle as a pet would be a good thing, keep in mind that they can weigh up to 32,000 pounds - which we can only imagine would make it very hard to find a big enough stable for them. They can also grow quite long with the largest getting as long as 40 feet and their shell up to 30 feet in diameter. Now, you might be wondering why we are talking about a Dragon Turtle being a pet, and it’s not to give your players any ideas!
No, we bring up the Dragon Turtle being a pet because it can actually make a great companion… for a storm giant. In the setting-neutral and exploration-focused supplement, all about underwater realms and terrains, Stormwrack - Mastering the Perils of Wind and Wave (2005) provides a huge amount of inspiration and descriptions about underwater combats, explorations, and roleplaying moments. One of those comes in the form of a storm giant, Tamoreus, who finds an ancient Turtle Dragon, known as Queen of Mists, kills her (barely), and then takes over her lair. He ends up finding a nest of Dragon Turtle eggs, eats most of them but keeps one alive who he eventually calls Galoril. Together, as companions, they have set up a massive territory beneath the waves and destroy any intruders who enter their realm. Ship captains all avoid their territory, preferring to instead sail for weeks out of the way then face certain death in the mist-laden waves of Tamoreus’ and Galoril’s realm.
And what has become common, we once again must dive a bit deeper than usual to find any references we can get about the Dragon Turtle. In fact, we checked several books all about dragons that had either a single sentence about the Dragon Turtle or didn’t mention it in the least! Books like Draconomicon (2003), Races of the Dragon (2006), Dragon Magic (2001), Dragon Compendium (2005), Dragons of Eberron (2007), and more barely mentioned or didn’t even mention the most important dragon to ever swim through the vast oceans of the world. But even if we had to check every book ever released in 3e, we were going to find something more to talk about.
Luckily for all of you, sort of, we found a few brief mentions of the Dragon Turtle worth sharing. The first example is in the Unapproachable East (2003) which simply restates what we know about that one lake in Thay, which is nice. Glad to hear that that Dragon Turtle is still causing lots and lots of trouble. Up next is Dragons of Faerun (2006) which features a dragon cult that has bribed a Dragon Turtle to protect a lighthouse they are running their operations in. And that’s it.
We’re sure it can’t get worse for the Dragon Turtle and things will turn around in 4e! If there is one great thing about 4e, it always has 3 or 4 different versions of the same monster! It’s going to be turtles all the way down!
 

4e - Dragon Turtle

Gargantuan dragon, neutral
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 149 (13d12 + 65)
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Str 25 (+7) Dex 10 (+0) Con 20 (+5) Int 10 (+0) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 12 (+1)
Saving Throws Dex +4, Con +9, Wis +5
Special Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Immunities doesn’t sleep, can’t be paralyzed
Resistances fire
Languages Draconic, Primordial (Aquan)
Aquatic. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Multiattack. The dragon makes one bite attack and two claw attacks.
Bite—Melee Attack. +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 20 (2d12 + 7) piercing damage.
Claw—Melee Attack. +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail—Melee Attack. +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the creature must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away from the dragon and knocked prone.
Steam Breath (Recharge 6). The dragon breathes scalding steam in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the cone must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Those of our readers who like to read through the stat blocks might notice something a bit odd about the 4e stat block above us. We’ll explain in just a moment, but first, let’s just say that we vastly overestimated how much 4th edition was going to bring for the Dragon Turtle. Scouring every single book we could find in that edition, we finally located the Dragon Turtle and it’s… well, it's very unfortunate for this poor creature.
In the 2008 Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide, we get our first mention of the Dragon Turtle. The Campaign Guide simply says that there is a lake, Lake Thaylambar, that has Dragon Turtles and that necromancers have made an undead one and they serve in the Thay navy. The Player’s Guide makes one mention of a Dragon Turtle being in the sunken city of Soorenar and that’s it. Well… better than nothing like we originally thought was going to be in this edition.
Except, we aren’t done! The Dragon Turtle makes a sudden appearance in the 11th season of the D&D Encounters program in the adventure War of Everlasting Darkness (2011). In this adventure, a Dragon Turtle acts as an obstacle to adventurers trying to make it over a lake. Someone stole all of the turtle’s eggs and she is now quite angry. She is meant to be a bit of a roadblock and has no real stat block, instead she just absorbs any hit that might be dealt by a character, as they are only low level at this point in the adventure, and then hits them with a steam breath that the adventure kind of shrugs and admits might kill an adventurer but they shouldn’t have angered her. If the adventurers can get past this difficult social encounter, they can pass safely through the lake and find the drow they are hunting afterward, who probably also stole the Dragon Turtle’s eggs!
Now we can talk about the weird stat block for this edition. In 2014, 5th edition was released, but before the official release of 5e, there was also D&D Next which was the prototypes of the 5e rules. In the 18th season of the D&D Encounters program in the adventure Dead in Thay (2014), we are finally given a stat block for a Dragon Turtle! It has nothing to do with 4e mechanics and the poor Dragon Turtles are simply juveniles, but hey, it only took the entire life cycle of 4e before we got a Dragon Turtle, but we got it! The Dragon Turtles in this have been captured from the Lake Thaylambar and wish to be freed, which the players can help with… or just fight them for that sweet XP.
 

5e - Dragon Turtle

Gargantuan dragon, neutral
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 341 (22d20 + 110)
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Str 25 (+7) | Dex 10 (+1) | Con 20 (+5) | Int 10 (+0) | Wis 12 (+1) | Cha 12 (+1)
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con + 11, Wis +7
Damage Resistances fire
Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Aquan, Draconic
Challenge 17 (18,900 XP)
Amphibious. The dragon turtle can breathe air and water.
Multiattack. The dragon turtle makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. It can make one tail attack in place of its two claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3dl2 + 7) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3dl2 + 7) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away from the dragon turtle and knocked prone.
Steam Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon turtle exhales scalding steam in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Being underwater doesn't grant resistance against this damage.
As we arrive in 5th edition and gaze upon the Dragon Turtle in the Monster Manual (2014), we can't help but be a little disappointed. The Dragon Turtle falls in line with most adult dragons, landing somewhere in the middle of the pack, especially when you look at hit points and AC. Where it falls short is in the actions it can do in combat, which on the positive side, it does gain a tail attack that was not present in the older editions. Their breath weapon attack is weaker than other dragons, they lack a Frightful Presence, don’t have Legendary Actions, and are just more limited. In the earliest editions, Dragon Turtles were stronger than even the greatest of dragons and had their abilities, and yet it has now fallen behind.
The Dragon Turtle is still a massive creature with a dark green and silver-streaked shell and still loves treasure. It will sink any ships it comes across, killing everyone and taking any treasure it may find among the wreckage. New fun fact - the Dragon Turtle swallows the treasure it finds so that it can get it back to its lair, which makes sense since there is no mention of them having a bag of holding in their equipment list. Once back at the hideout, they puke up the treasure onto what we can only imagine is an evergrowing hoard. Puking it up may not sound pretty, but it's way better than the other option to pass the treasure from its stomach and luckily, the lair is underwater so any grossness should clean right off!
In addition to behaving like the normal Dragon Turtle, they are also dumbed down just a bit as they are given only average intelligence instead of just slightly above average. They are clever enough to know a good deal when they see it and will work with denizens of the deep if given enough gold and treasure. They have even been spotted on the Elemental Plane of Water as mounts for the marids, though that’s probably not by their choice. It’s a hard fall from being the most feared creature in the sea with even the kraken scared of you.
Forgotten Realms still loves the Dragon Turtle as they make an appearance in the adventure book Tales from the Yawning Portal (2017) which features a reprint of the D&D Next adventure, Dead in Thay. The major difference here is that there is only one Dragon Turtle instead of two and it is a ‘reduced threat’ version, which gives it half its normal hit points and has a -2 penalty to pretty much everything it tries to do. It’s basically a juvenile at that point.
Dragon Turtles make a few more appearances, nothing major, in the books Princes of the Apocalypse (2015), Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2018), and the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount (2020) which all feature pretty much the same thing. There is a Dragon Turtle, and it is guarding something or wants more treasure. The party then has to talk to the creature and come to an understanding with it, typically by giving it lots and lots of treasure.
Lastly, we have the adventure Tomb of Annihilation (2017) which brings us back to the Forgotten Realms in the city of Chult. Outside of the main port, Port Nyanzaru, which you might remember we briefly talked about back in 2e, it still has a Dragon Turtle problem and all merchants must offer it tribute to sail the Bay of Chult. Named Aremag, this Dragon Turtle has seen better days as it's blind in one eye and missing part of his shell. Like all Dragon Turtles, he is incredibly greedy and demands a lot of gold to not kill everyone and destroy the ship. So, it’s pretty much like every other adventure that mentions a Dragon Turtle.
Throughout every edition, even 4th, Dragon Turtles have found a few sentences here and there to sneak into. The creature was set up to be this colossal creature who could defeat krakens and be this massive and powerful force of nature to throw against your party when in reality it ended up just being a roadblock or random encounter. The Dragon Turtle is treated more as an afterthought throughout the history of Dungeons & Dragons and barely even shows up in many of them.

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why were the dead sea scrolls hidden in caves video

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The Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden in caves overlooking the Dead Sea around 70 CE, at the end of the First Roman-Jewish War. They included many standard Jewish scriptures, as well as a number of The first Dead Sea Scrolls were found in this cave, later called Cave 1. They were the best-preserved, said to have been protected by tall clay jars with lids intact. This seven-Scroll discovery revolutionized the study of the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Judeo-Christianity. Scrolls found in Cave 1 include the Community Rule, War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness Mike Pence's post-White House plans come into focus. Heartbreaking reason star's young son went to bed crying So they were hidden to protect them. It is also possible that they weren't actually hidden. The area they were found in extremely hot and dry. The writing was on parchments with inks that would... With the exception of the "Copper Scroll", the Dead Sea Scrolls are papyrus scrolls. They were hidden in caves near the Dead Sea, in an arid area of very low humidity, conducive to their... Upon entering the cave, the young Bedouin found a mysterious Bedouin goatherds Jum'a and Muhammed ed-Dib (left to right) claimed to have discovered the first Dead Sea Scrolls Photo: John C. Trever Some of the scrolls may have been hidden in jars like these, which were found in the excavations of the caves and the site of Qumran The Dead Sea Scrolls are a series of religious texts that were discovered in caves around the Dead Sea. The scrolls were hidden around the time of Christ, though scholars disagree on the exact... Hidden in caves in the desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls were identified as ancient Jewish manuscripts — the only known surviving biblical documents written before 100 CE. As more caves were searched, other scrolls and thousands of scroll fragments were found. Between the years of 1947 and 1956, a total of 11 caves containing scrolls were discovered near Qumran, by the Dead Sea. When all the scrolls and fragments are sorted out, they account for about 800 manuscripts. About one quarter, or just over 200 manuscripts, are copies of portions of the Hebrew Bible 3. Nobody knows for sure who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. The origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written between 150 B.C. and 70 A.D., remains the subject of scholarly debate to this day.

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The Dead Sea Scrolls

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why were the dead sea scrolls hidden in caves

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