Queen of Shadows - Episode 31

Queen of Shadows - Episode 31

Previously: In our previous episode, the companions awaken and continue their travels from the iron pillar, following the river south through the tempest hills. About midday, the road takes them to a rotten wooden bridge that spans a large and deep ravine through which the heedless river courses with rapidity. A covered wagon perches precariously near a ragged hole where a tangle of horses and reins and tackle have fallen through the bridge, and, spiraling in mid air above the ravine, threaten to drag the wagon and its occupants down to certain destruction. A boy, named Fen,  leans forward and tries to reach the saddlebags at his mother’s urging. Before Eilwen can do anything, the lad slips and falls, and plunges into the depths. Eilwen leaps into action and saves the rest of the family: three girls from the back of the wagon, Valeri, their mother, and she also rescues the saddlebags, cutting them free, just as the entire wagon collapses through the rotting bridge and smashes onto the rocks near Fen’s body far below . Eilwen confronts Valeri over sending Fen recover the contents of the saddlebags and wonders what could be of such great value to risk the cost of a beloved child’s life. Valeri remains tight-lipped when Eilwen opens the saddlebags and holds a small tube made of hardened leather. But Eilwen doesn’t open the leather tube, and sensing the mother’s trauma and heartache and the need for allies of her own, she returns the mysterious item with no strings attached. Eilwen and Aron with Seith’s then help descend into the ravine to recover Fen’s ruined body. They return the body to Valeri who, upon recovering her young boy’s frail corpse, falls to her knees and weeps into Eilwen’s arms. As we begin this episode, Eilwen's stats are Edge 2, Heart 1, Iron 1, Shadow 3, Wits 2 Current Assets: Archer (initial box), Cutthroat (initial box), Shadow-walk (initial box)] Current Statuses: Supply 4/5, Spirit 2/5, Health 5/5, Momentum 1/10 Current Debilities: None Failure Track: 7/24 Current Unspent XP: 3 Websites: * https://rollponderandplay.podbean.com/ [https://rollponderandplay.podbean.com/] * https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay [https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay] * www.youtube.com/@RollPonderAndPlay [http://www.youtube.com/@RollPonderAndPlay] * https://discord.com/invite/dfKTkJHKem [https://discord.com/invite/dfKTkJHKem] Attributions: - 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - 'Emergent' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com [https://tabletopaudio.com/]) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator. - Deeply Emotional Orchestral Violin - L'Unico Che Amo [https://pixabay.com/music/nostalgia-deeply-emotional-orchestral-violin-lx27unico-che-amo-270824/] (Pixabay.com [https://pixabay.com/]) - Jaques [https://pixabay.com/music/beats-jaques-10807/] - Andreas-Woll-Music [https://pixabay.com/users/andreas-woll-music-16828012/] (Pixabay.com [https://pixabay.com/]) - Sound Effects from Pixabay (Pixabay.com [https://pixabay.com/]).

Queen of Shadows - Episode 30

Previously: In our previous episode, as the companions make camp around the peaceful iron pillar infused with golden mystical ight, Eilwen, during her watch activates her magic and calls the shadows to try to unlock the secrets of the pillar. One of the two-dimensional beings made of shadow stuff tries to lead her astray through a shadowy twisting door. But she resists and binds the shadows to her will. She then uses the sapphire amulet to interact with the iron pillar. She sees a vision of the past. Her mother, Arwed, a beautiful young woman, with blue eyes and blond hair, with the sunset for a backdrop is only a few years older than Eilwen, and stands at the pillar as she is engaged by three trained warriors in dark leather armor and gray cloaks who bear the heraldry of three arrow shafts on a black field upon their brooches. They demand that Arwed give them the crown.  She says nothing. Merely gives a grim smile. They attack her with bows and arrows and Arwed defends herself by drawing power from the iron pillar in the form of an energy shield that consumes their projectiles upon contact. The men try to flee, but Arwed uses the shadow magic to drown them in the dark pitch-like pools that surround and overcome the terrified men as they flee. The shadows take their lives without mercy, without remorse, and without leaving any wounds. After the battle, Eilwen feels sickened and disturbed to see that her mother stands over the bodies with a self-satisfied smile as she strips off everything of value. Eilwen returns to the present and yields her watch to Aron as she slips into a disturbed sleep. Promotions: I invite you to check out The Alchemists’ Monster [https://fullboongames.itch.io/the-alchemists-monster] a Dragonbane Foundry VTT module written by one of our fans, available at fullboongames.itch.io [https://fullboongames.itch.io/]. I had a chance to playtest it earlier this year, and I enjoyed it. It's well written and the VTT module is visually pleasing as well! Websites: * https://rollponderandplay.podbean.com/ [https://rollponderandplay.podbean.com/] * https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay [https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay] * www.youtube.com/@RollPonderAndPlay [http://www.youtube.com/@RollPonderAndPlay] Attributions: - 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - 'Emergent' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/]) released under CC-BY 4.0. -'Ice Cream' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/]) released under CC-BY-4.0. - Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com [https://tabletopaudio.com/]) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator. - Deeply Emotional Orchestral Violin - L'Unico Che Amo [https://pixabay.com/music/nostalgia-deeply-emotional-orchestral-violin-lx27unico-che-amo-270824/] (Pixabay.com [https://pixabay.com/]) - Sound Effects from Pixabay (Pixabay.com [https://pixabay.com/]).

Queen of Shadows - Episode 29

Roll, Ponder, and Play is now on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/@RollPonderAndPlay [https://www.youtube.com/@RollPonderAndPlay] Websites: * https://rollponderandplay.podbean.com/ [https://rollponderandplay.podbean.com/] * https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay [https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay] Ways to Show Support: * Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay [https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay] or as a paid subscriber and get additional content * Give the show a positive review * Share the show with others * Reach out to me and say hello Previously:  View Previous Episode [https://www.patreon.com/posts/144179526] In our previous episode, Eilwen, Aron, Seith and their small wyvern companion, Scratch, leave Greenhome, the ruined palace where Eilwen found a connection to her family's past in the form of a mystical and ornately decorated sapphire pendant. They travel south along the road moving most of the day without incident. In the late afternoon, under the beauty of a scintillating waterfall, as they rest and refill waterskins, they hear the piercing howls of a pack of varou that had caught their scent. Thinking quickly, Eilwen throws bits of meat down the road and then the party gather their things and hide behind the waterfall. The deception fools the varou who continue their chase, racing down the road, and the companions decide to move cross country parallel to the road to avoid running into the varou. Hours later, lower in elevation amidst whispering warm grasses, they find another iron pillar on a low hill, the sun bathing it in golden light. Drawing near to the pillar, Eilwen hears music in her head, a clear piercing note that reminds her of a lullaby. She feels drawn to the pillar and upon touching its warm surface someone seems to whisper the word 'Daughter'. The sun sets, but even so, the runes on the pillar glow a golden color. In its peaceful light, they make camp by the pillar. Eilwen feels certain that her mother, Arwed, must've been here and touched this very pillar at some time. She also notices one of the runes of power, the familiar skaed rune on the pillar, the very one that lets your control the shadows and activate the pendant. That night Eilwen and Aron talk about Arwed. Aron reveals how he believes that Eilwen was favored by their mother, and Eilwen detects an undercurrent of resentment from him. As we begin this episode, Eilwen's stats are Edge 2, Heart 1, Iron 1, Shadow 3, Wits 2 Current Assets: Archer (initial box), Cutthroat (initial box), Shadow-walk (initial box)] Current Statuses: Supply 3/5, Spirit 3/5, Health 5/5, Momentum 9/10 Current Debilities: None Failure Track: 5/24 Current Unspent XP: 3 Attributions: - 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - 'Emergent' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com [https://tabletopaudio.com]) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator. - Sound Effects from Pixabay (Pixabay.com [https://Pixabay.com]).

Shadow of the Demon (D&D 5e) - Episode 7

Previously: The party, enroute to fulfill a mission for the king of Craewen, rests and supplies at the royal palace in the new capital of Southmarch. They are attacked by a malevolent force consisting of part physical and part shadow substance. The larger spider-like demon creatures are also accompanied by smaller shadow spiders. We learn that the party’s assailants are sent from the chaos realm by the Demon itself when it momentarily broke free from the puzzle box that bound it fast. This is the same puzzle box that the party was sent to find for the elf mage, Zelfaria, in their first adventure together. We rejoin the party now and return where we left off, with Renchant in a precarious situation. While still invisible, he is covered in shadowy webbing that has both ensnared him and partially revealed his position to the shadow demons even as one of the larger creatures bears down upon him, mandibles clacking in eager anticipation of a kill. Attributions: - 'Emergent' and 'Eyes in the Void' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com [https://tabletopaudio.com]) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator. - Sound effects by Pixabay (Pixabay.com [https://Pixabay.com]) - All oracle queries were done using the awesome solo tools available on rpgsolo.com [https://rpgsolo.com].

Shadow of the Demon (D&D 5e) - Episode 6

Previously: In our previous episode, the party arrives at the palace in Southmarch, the new capital to the Kingdom of Craewen. They ride up the winding icy streets to the kingdom’s palace atop a large hill in the center of Southmarch and witness the Craewan military in full mobilization. At the palace, they are met by the palace steward, a man named Paron, who with the authority and backing of the crown, gives them a suite of connected rooms on the corner of the third floor of the palace to rest, recover, and resupply before their next leg of their journey. Futhermore, Paron pays them from the royal treasury 100 platinum pieces, the promised half of their agreed upon price to perform this mission for king and country. The servant staff sees to the party’s needs and brings in a royal spread of food and drink. While Raena makes plans, and Dosaken, Garvis, and Kendrock eat and drink and gamble long into the night, Renchant continues training Tatyana. We find that she is indeed talented in magic, and she casts her first spells that night under Renchant’s tutelage. In one of these, she detects the magical wards at work in the palace defenses, but to her horror, she sees those defenses wink out one by one as a roiling cloud of darkness rises from the streets below. We return to the party as the palace is beset by some dark force. And now onto Episode 6 of Shadow of the Demon. Attributions: - 'Emergent' and 'The Old Ones' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au [https://www.scottbuckley.com.au]) released under CC-BY 4.0. - Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com [https://tabletopaudio.com]) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator. - Sound effects by Pixabay (Pixabay.com [https://Pixabay.com]) - All oracle queries were done using the awesome solo tools available on rpgsolo.com [https://rpgsolo.com].