Phantom Nirvana: A Dungeons & Dragons Podcast

S2 Ep8 - The Caravan Moves Out

• Phantom Nirvana • Season 2 • Episode 8

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In our last episode the adventurers defeated the giant sand crab. While celebrating they heard distant cries from the caravan and rushed back to discover the horrific results of an ambush attack. The sacred candle was snuffed out and time reset once again. This is Season 2 episode 8: the caravan moves out. 

Music in this episode is by Dying Suns, Sun Umbra, and Sagey. Desert wind sounds by randomrecord19. Synth by Xkeril.

Warning: Contains dark themes that may not be suitable for all audiences. Instagram @phantomnirvana
Email phantomnirvana@gmail.com

SPEAKER_03:

Close your eyes and open your mind. This is Phantom Nirvana, a Dungeons& Dragons podcast. Be advised, this story contains dark themes that may not be suitable for some audiences. And now we present Phantom Nirvana.

UNKNOWN:

Phantom Nirvana

SPEAKER_03:

In our last episode, the adventurers defeated the giant sand crab. While celebrating, they heard distant cries from the caravan and rushed back to discover the horrific results of an ambush attack. The sacred candle was snuffed out, and time reset once again. This is Season 2, Episode 8, The Caravan Moves Out.

SPEAKER_02:

Looking out across the expanse of the desert, the sand blows across the scene. The caravan is in motion. Several of the wagons and scouts mounted on Garrocks have already begun to move, and the rest of the tribe scuttles around like a disturbed anthill. There is urgency to their movements. You can see from a distance where you sit. The people are packing. They're collecting the things. the tents are coming down they're being loaded onto wagons the sand billows and in the distance it reveals again that floating undulating form that strange jellyfish like creature in the sky and it seems to be hovering over the rock outcropping where you fought the urshion the sand crab and you can see now that a long pinkish tendril is extending down and it seems to be sapping some blackish liquid from within the shell of the dead crustacean. And still the people of the caravan move with urgency. The main tent at the center of the encampment is suddenly raised whole. several feet off the ground and sets of what looked like wheels axles and wheels are slid under it and it lurches along with a great shuddering shift pulled by a team of goroks in the direction of the scouts the whole caravan is now in motion suddenly slowly heading in the direction not far from where the characters stand It leaves a billowing cloud of sand in its wake, and at the center of the caravan, on a large, ornate wagon pulled by bejeweled goroks, stands Rehana. She shouts unheard commands to the caravan. Loud, clanging alarm sounds, running and galloping, stragglers desperately trying to keep up, holding up their robes, trying to catch up, to climb onto one of the wagons. Mounted guards are helping to gather and bring them up. It rumbles along like a living town. The noise is incredible. The caravan is moving out into the desert. They flee for their lives from this flying creature.

SPEAKER_05:

What the hell is that? You all see that, right? It's not just me.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah, I see it. It looks like they're moving and I don't think we want to get left behind. I say we catch up with them quick.

SPEAKER_03:

I need to get to Rihanna.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Let's go as fast as we can. Could you repeat again the

SPEAKER_02:

direction it's heading? It's sort of heading diagonally away from the rock outcropping and this floating jellyfish creature, not far from where you are located now. So you could intercept if you wanted to. Okay, good. Let's intercept. You know, I feel like this is a moment where Axel needs to turn into a horse again. It just seems so appropriate all the time. May I? Yeah. All

SPEAKER_00:

right, hop

SPEAKER_01:

on. Josh just pauses and thinks to himself, wow, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02:

Describe how you intercept with the caravan.

SPEAKER_05:

I guess on horseback we arrive first.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

I mean, I try to leave everyone in the dust because we need you there. We need Mal to speak with Rihanna, but I think we approach and I try to flag down Rihanna. Excuse me, Queen Rihanna. Queen Rihanna, I need a moment of your time, please. I know this is an emergency, but we have very important information for you.

SPEAKER_04:

Do not see the giant cephalopod that's trying to kill us. Right now is not a good time for conversation. Be of use. Start helping.

SPEAKER_05:

Okay, what can we do?

SPEAKER_04:

Maybe see if Corin needs help with the children. Find Rodrigo. I need to speak to Nicole.

SPEAKER_05:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

I want to acknowledge... that she spoke to you almost instinctively and there was some flash of recognition in her eyes

SPEAKER_03:

great recognizing that mal just wants to hop up on that platform with the queen

SPEAKER_02:

okay so you climb up on there as i said it's not moving all that fast but i would like you to make an athletics check real quick

SPEAKER_03:

did it have to be athletics

SPEAKER_02:

it sure does unless you wanna unless you wanna do a front flip onto it and make an acrobatics

SPEAKER_05:

check. Getting run over by this platform might not be the best for your

SPEAKER_02:

health. Yeah, I feel like this one would be a bad one to fuck up.

UNKNOWN:

What'd you get?

SPEAKER_02:

What'd you get, Mallory?

SPEAKER_03:

You sure it's not performance?

SPEAKER_02:

No? Are you pretending to jump up on it? Are you pantomiming a jump?

SPEAKER_03:

I got a 13.

SPEAKER_02:

It is enough. You're able to scramble up on top of it.

SPEAKER_03:

Listen, P.E. was not Mal's strong suit, okay?

SPEAKER_02:

So you're up there. You're climbing up.

SPEAKER_03:

Queen, forgive the intrusion, but you sent me to you with a message.

SPEAKER_04:

Rihanna looks at Mal and kind of stares her up and down. You look familiar. Is this message more important than keeping my people alive?

SPEAKER_03:

You told me to remind you of a story of you as a girl... lifting a dead goldfish out of a blue mosaic pond before some guards whisked you away.

SPEAKER_04:

Rihanna freezes. Absolutely not the thing she was expecting to hear. She looks Mal dead in the eyes, just kind of gauging her. And then reality snaps back in. Tribe's on the move. And she says, clearly... You are someone I need to connect with. I don't have the luxury of time at the moment. Once we are safely away from the sepulet, we can talk. But right now, if we don't move, we will

SPEAKER_03:

all die. Great. No argument here.

SPEAKER_02:

What are the others doing? Sam? Axel? Marcus? Josh? Tell me what your entry into the caravan is like.

SPEAKER_01:

Josh catches up pretty winded. Aerobic activity isn't really his forte. So he is waving his arms and I think arrives and just starts helping people gather their belongings where he can see that people need help getting stuff onto the caravan and is also kind of keeping an eye out for Octavia just to make sure that she gets on there safely.

SPEAKER_02:

Make a perception check.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a 20. Okay,

SPEAKER_02:

yeah, you're able to find Octavia in this madness. And she is trying to roll a keg of your guessing ale up towards one of the moving caravan wagons and signaling to someone on top of it to come and help her throw this thing up while it is in motion. And the person on there is trying to gesture just to leave it, leave it, leave it.

SPEAKER_01:

Josh is going to run right up alongside her and say, hey, pretty lady, do you need help with that?

SPEAKER_02:

And she's going to turn to you. And there is some strange recognition in her eyes. And you can see that they flutter, as you say, pretty lady. And she says, yes, I am trying to get this up onto the wagon and they won't stop it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, let me help you out there. Josh is gonna flex his muscles and call up and say, Hey, this lady needs some help. This barrel's gotta get on there. This is important, so hold it a second and let us heave this thing up there.

SPEAKER_02:

Make a persuasion check.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, that

SPEAKER_02:

is a whopping four. He looks down at you and says, we haven't got time for that. We don't have time for that. Who's to say we're even going to be able to get out of here alive? We can't. We don't have time to try to save ale.

SPEAKER_01:

At least throw us a rope or something. He looks around like, I haven't got a rope. I don't

SPEAKER_02:

have anything to throw you. I don't have time for this. Just get aboard.

SPEAKER_01:

Octavia, I think we just got to jump on board.

SPEAKER_02:

You don't understand. This is root ale. I can't leave it. And she continues to roll it along behind the wagon. Help me lift it. Just help me lift it.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Josh helps and tries to launch it wherever they can onto this caravan.

SPEAKER_02:

Make a strength check. Eight. Eight is not enough. You lift it up with her and it It clatters against the back of the wagon and crashes down and is now, like, leaking ale. And she wails at this.

SPEAKER_05:

Wait, it's broken?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, partially. She tries to tip it up so that it doesn't all come out.

SPEAKER_05:

Can Mark Axel ride by and yell at the guy in the... Good God, man, help them out. I promise you, if we survive this, wherever we end up, we will need ale.

SPEAKER_02:

Make a persuasion check.

SPEAKER_05:

You got it. Mr. Bard. 11 plus 9 is a 20. Plus 9. Get ready.

SPEAKER_02:

What's he doing? He feels like he's hot shit. Level 5 Bard. Anybody else come with a plus 9 in anything?

SPEAKER_05:

I've got two of them.

SPEAKER_02:

The guy looks at you. He's holding the reins of the Gorok pulled wagon. He gives it a tug and slows it down. And he says, all right, I'll slow it down a bit, but I can't stop. I can't stop. She's now trying to fumble with it up on one side. And she says, just help me lift it quickly, quickly, quickly. Make another strength check.

SPEAKER_05:

Can I dismount and help too?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, do it with advantage, Josh. Okay. 14. All right, but it's not pretty. Yes. I mean, the thing rolls on there. You've sloshed a lot of this root ale out, and it's like soaking the bottom of the wagon now, and there are maybe some tapestries or something laying there, and the guy says, oh, my gosh. This is a huge purplish mess that you've slumped up onto this thing. And she says, thank you. And she starts to climb up on there. Come, come, come ride with me, ride with me. And she extends her hand to Josh.

SPEAKER_01:

Josh happily takes it.

SPEAKER_02:

As soon as you get up on the wagon, she holds her arms around you and she puts this big wet kiss on your lips. Like you just saved her whole life. was in your hands and you saved it. This is everything. With one hand she clutches you and the other hand she has on the barrel of ale. And her breath smells

SPEAKER_01:

bad. Wow. I mean, Josh is stunned and I think it's been a while since Josh has been the object of such passion. It is a passionate kiss. So Josh is just flush red and just smiling ear to ear.

SPEAKER_02:

Just as your lips lock, you hear this high pitched buzzing sound and it kind of moves around in the sky. You can see the billowing sand above and you catch a look at these These creatures, these pale-skinned creatures, they almost look like they are decaying. They've got hairy heads and these long proboscis, like a mosquito flying around, buzzing around on these wings, flip-flapping quickly. And they're about the size of a dog flying around through the sky. And you see people in the caravan on other wagons pointing up at the sky, and they're shouting something. They're shouting scattered voices, and you hear the word, Sturge, ringing out. Sturge! And the man on the wagon, he says, Oh, no! Put the blankets over you! Cover yourselves! Cover yourselves! And you see people starting to cover themselves, and the Sturges start dive-bombing down into the moving caravan, trying to... jab their proboscis into people but they're just doing these crazy dive bomb right into like crates and then they'll fly up again and then bang they'll spear someone and they go down you see the proboscis sticking into their their abdomen and it's like ah god what the And he's got to tear this, rip this thing off of him down on the ground and start to try to beat it off. And then holding his side, this guy is holding the side and he's bleeding and he's trying to run back to the wagon. It's just these, you're under attack here. So I just want everybody to give me a sense for what you would do. Sam, if you see this happening, how would you respond?

SPEAKER_05:

So Sam is first looking at the car that he ended up on to see if there's anybody that he can help because he's feeling very, in contrast to some of his companions, very limited in his ability to deal with flying creatures. And so is at least looking to see if there is somebody in his proximity that he can assist.

SPEAKER_02:

So as you look around one of those Sturge creatures, dive bombs bang right into the side of the wagon next to you, like it was trying to jab its sucker right into you, and it just missed, and it starts to flap its wings there next to you, like trying to pull its beak out of this wood that it's bashed through.

SPEAKER_05:

If I'm given the opportunity, I will try to fly swat this with Unogus Flail. Okay, go ahead and make an attack. Okay. As a fighter, I do have at level 5 my extra attack now, which I need because the first roll was a combined 10. And the second roll was a combined 21. Okay,

SPEAKER_02:

well, those are both going to hit. Why

SPEAKER_05:

don't you make a damage roll? It was 10 on the first damage roll. And if necessary, it was nine on the second.

SPEAKER_02:

So you just splat this thing with the first damage roll. It slurps up this liquid inside this creature and you get that same default bonus that you were getting before. This thing just slumps down to the ground what meat is left of it. People who are on the wagon, you look around, it's a family, and they cheer you on. They're very happy that they happen to be on this with you. And they tuck themselves further underneath this canvas tarp. Let's see what Marcus is doing now on top of Axel. What are you doing now that you've, I guess, assisted? Are you jumping back onto Axel?

SPEAKER_05:

Yep, hop back on and looking for Rodrigo.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Let's see, make another perception check, I guess. 19. You are able to spot him, and you can see that he has a bow and arrow in his hands, and he's firing into the air. Trying to shoot these steerages as they swarm around the caravan. You gonna go towards him? Yeah. So, Axel, I assume you support that? Yeah, I'm going with what he wants to do. Okay, what's Mallory Reed gonna do?

SPEAKER_03:

I think I'd like to Eldritch Blast a few of these.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, make an attack roll on one that's up in the sky, or are you trying to hit one as it dive bombs?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, I can make two of these right now.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, great. Do you want to do one of each then? So give me one

SPEAKER_03:

of

SPEAKER_02:

each, yeah. Okay, go for the one that you see kind of as it's hovering up in the sky. Make an attack roll on it. 22? 22 is going to hit, so make a damage roll. Fourteen. Fourteen is enough. Describe how your attack kills this thing.

SPEAKER_03:

This is my electric, purpley-black lightning, and I think it just kind of lights it up purple, and then it falls out of the sky.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, falls out of the sky, and as soon as it hits the ground, you see it piff into sand, grayish sand.

SPEAKER_03:

Second attack?

SPEAKER_02:

Go for it. This one is as it comes streaking down through the air. You can see it heading directly towards this one wagon. 26 to hit. Ooh, another good one.

SPEAKER_03:

And nine damage.

SPEAKER_02:

Great. Describe how this one perishes.

SPEAKER_03:

Same thing. It's just another lightning bolt.

SPEAKER_02:

It gets rocked backwards and piffs into the sand again. Let's have Rehana take a turn.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay. Are there any dive bombing near me that I could intercept?

SPEAKER_02:

I'm going to say no, probably because Mal took care of the one that was closest.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

You can see in the distance that there are some issues. I mean, this is the whole caravan, and you know the reason that you're running is because of the cephalid, so you're kind of mindful of that creature and its impending approach.

SPEAKER_04:

Do Hilroy, Mikael, Glenn, and Sonora have... bow and arrows on them. Okay. Then I'm gonna command them to flank the moving caravan and shoot any oncoming ones. And Rihanna has also noticed that Mal and Sam are fighting. I don't think Rihanna saw if Josh attacked anything, but she did notice the Eldritch Blast and she did see Sam squish one of them. So she's gonna shout instructions for them to follow my guard and assist.

SPEAKER_02:

Great, the guards respond immediately to your command, and they start to circle on their goroks and look for Sturges in the air. Joshua aims.

SPEAKER_01:

Josh is gonna turn to Octavia and say, get behind me, and is gonna look for something on the cart that Josh is standing on that he could use to throw unless there's any that look like they're coming close to him that he can spear. No,

SPEAKER_02:

I don't think there's any that are coming close to you. If you wanted to throw something, I think there's a crate of oranges. Octavia looks at you with bloodshot eyes and a big smile and gives you a nod and clutches your shoulders.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. So I think Josh then is going to scan and see if there's any Sturgis that are Close.

SPEAKER_02:

Sure, I think you could find one flitting around in the sky.

SPEAKER_01:

He's gonna throw his only weapon, his half-busted spear, and throw that.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, the spear. All right, you chuck the spear into the sky. Yeah, make an attack roll with it, I guess.

SPEAKER_01:

That is a 23 to hit.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, well, 23 hits. So you spear this thing and you can roll damage. And that is

SPEAKER_01:

seven damage.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, describe

SPEAKER_01:

how you kill it. Josh spots it incoming and diving towards its target. and gives a little wink to Octavia and then launches it and like ends up kind of like a very fancy bowling strike on like one leg and it really like focuses on his form and follow through. It

SPEAKER_02:

splats when you hit it. You can see that it explodes out the other side and falls to the ground and you see as the spear disappears in the distance, the sandy distance. The faithful spear. Okay, at this point, you hear this loud rumbling. And there's this parting of the cloud of sand that is following the moving caravan. And you can see that this huge jellyfish-like creature hoves into view, sort of obscuring one of the suns, and casting a giant shadow over part of the moving caravan. And you hear screams erupt from people. One of the Sturgis comes and bashes right into a guy who's driving one of the Goroks. Spears him right off. The reins of the cart get pulled. As he falls to the ground, the Gorok topples over the wagon. Ass over tea kettle crashes onto the ground. and the cephalid is on the thing, its big tendril comes down, boom, right into, through the bottom wood of the thing and latches onto a person. And another big tendril right through and latches onto a child, bang, just grabs this thing and starts to suck them up into its body. You can see them cloaked in this greasy, pinkish, membrane as they're slurped up into this jellyfish body. And it kind of uses its tendrils to smash the wagon out of the way and continues to follow. Let's have Sam Campbell take a turn.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, my. How far is this sepulet in its tendrils from my part of the caravan?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so I think you're probably 80 feet to 100 feet. from the thing.

SPEAKER_05:

Okay, well, what's the Sturge update?

SPEAKER_02:

There are a number of them, and they are continuing to fly and dive

SPEAKER_05:

bomb. Okay, I think for now, the Cephalid is far enough away that Sturge duty is my main option, and so I'm going to sit around on my cart and look for if there happen to be any in my proximity now, or I could do a hold action to attack any Sturge that come within range.

SPEAKER_02:

I think there are a couple in your vicinity. In fact, one is kind of dive bombing towards you as you make this look around, and I'd like you to make a dexterity check.

SPEAKER_05:

Ooh, okay. Landed on a 15.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, I rolled a 22. So it slams into you with its proboscis, which is a word I've said too many times already. You can feel it jab into your body, and it deals you seven damage. piercing damage. It is now attached to you, and you can feel your life force being drained out of you. It's sort of leathery. Flippers is what they kind of look like latch around your body, and then it is their turn, so another one starts to jab down towards you, Sam. The family that is on the cart with you screams as it Oh my lord. Rolls a nat 20 and jabs its nose into you. It deals you four more piercing damage and lashes onto your back. Another one of these Sturge creatures flits through the sky, swooping low towards Marcus Birkhead. What do you do, Kevin?

SPEAKER_05:

I will fire an arrow

SPEAKER_02:

with my shirt bow. Okay.

SPEAKER_05:

Four plus five, nine.

SPEAKER_02:

Nine is not enough. It shoots off into...

SPEAKER_05:

I just meant that I always miss.

SPEAKER_02:

Sandy cloud. What sort of reaction does Marcus have to missing yet again?

SPEAKER_05:

God damn it. And I turn my attention back to Rodrigo because I need to give him a message.

SPEAKER_02:

What do you want to say to him? You're there.

SPEAKER_05:

Rodrigo, Queen Rihanna has... She needs you up front. Go, right away. What can I help you with? He says, I

SPEAKER_02:

will go to her. Point to where she is. Over there. He says, come, follow me. And he runs off just about as fast as Axel is on the horse. Very fleet of foot, this guy. What's Axel doing in his head? I think he's thinking, if it was up to me, I would have left a long time ago. What do you mean you would have left a long time ago? Well, I mean... I think he assumes that it's doomed and that we should just end it all and start again. Okay. So I hate to say it, but I think that folks in the caravan are sort of starting to wail and cry like this is a very bad thing that is happening right now. You can see some people starting to communicate with each other from wagon to wagon and on the ground, those who are running or those who are mounted on Gorox. And there is the growing... sense that something is going to have to be done. Let's have a turn from Mal.

SPEAKER_03:

What was the message about the second key?

SPEAKER_01:

The tabaxi had the second key. Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

So that's about as much of that as Mal can remember, and Mal would like to communicate that to Queen Rihanna while we're bumping along in the midst of all this. Does it mean anything to you if I say we learned that the tabaxi have the second key?

SPEAKER_05:

Something about the sanguine pool.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, in the Sanguine Pool.

SPEAKER_04:

And you're doing this via send message, I assume?

SPEAKER_03:

I think in the midst of the din, I would have to.

SPEAKER_04:

Rihanna's kind of taken aback for just a moment, because your voice is in her head, unexpectedly. She says, The scouts are riding ahead towards the Sanguine Pool. That's where we make our escape to. The cephalid is slow. We can outrun it. We need to kill the Sturge and get everybody out of range of the cephalid.

SPEAKER_03:

Gladly, can I spy two of these coming near us or attacking some of the most screamiest of the villagers?

SPEAKER_02:

Let's say that there's one that is sort of got itself latched to one of the runners on the ground. And so you look down at them and make your attack.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, how low do you go? Is a 13 going to

SPEAKER_02:

hit? A 13 will not hit, unfortunately. So Malbus is that one. Yeah, you can see the sand billow up. as your energy hits it. Wanna make your second attack?

SPEAKER_03:

Ooh, this one's coming at us, 16. 16

SPEAKER_02:

hits, roll damage.

SPEAKER_03:

That's gonna be nine.

SPEAKER_02:

You strike this thing and it gets blasted off of the body of this person whose wound erupts with blood and they staunch it with their hand and look up at you and give you a nod and start to pull themselves up desperately, reaching for the nearest wagon. Let's have Rihanna take a turn now.

SPEAKER_04:

Do I see Rodrigo approaching or heading up to me?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, he runs up towards you and he says, Rihanna, my queen, I know what must be done. I will take one of the wagons and I will draw the cephalid away. I go now with your blessing.

SPEAKER_04:

Rodrigo, I don't know. I can't ask you to do it, but you know it has to be done. Please, find a way to survive. Find us, meet us at the sanguine pool.

SPEAKER_02:

He nods as he runs along beside your wagon and off he goes. He leaps onto one of the other moving carts and says something to the gentleman who is there holding the reins. And that gentleman gives him the reins and jumps off onto the ground and kind of falls over as he does it, but gets himself back up. And Rodrigo rips the reins to the right and curls the wagon around, nearly colliding with the cart that you are on top of, Reyjana and Mal, and whips it in the opposite direction, heading directly toward the cephalid. Let's have a turn from Joshua.

SPEAKER_01:

Joshua is now, without any weapon, is going to reach over and grab a couple of oranges and throw one and try to goad one of these Sturges to attack him. Okay,

SPEAKER_02:

you see one flitting around in the sky above and looking for a soft target. Make an attack roll with the orange. That is a 14 to hit. You see another orange come flying from behind you, and Octavia's released one as well. She rolled a 15, and you both are able to get the attention of the Sturge, who arcs in the sky and turns and dives towards you.

SPEAKER_01:

I would like to hold my attack as soon as it approaches within range, basically punch it four times. with my two attacks and flurry of blows. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, let's do contested decks because of the speed that it's coming down at you with. I got a 13. I got

SPEAKER_01:

a 21. Okay,

SPEAKER_02:

you basically are able to interrupt this thing right as it's jabbing towards you and make your attack roll.

SPEAKER_01:

My first attack is 21 and the second one is 16.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, 21. That is gonna hit. Make an attack roll.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. So that first punch is nine damage.

SPEAKER_02:

And nine damage is more than enough. Describe how this thing absolutely gets caved in by your fist.

SPEAKER_01:

Josh basically, like, finds the spear of it and, like, focuses all of his ki energy into his fist and... punches right into the tip of the spear. So it like sort of accordions, it's proboscis all the way towards its body.

SPEAKER_02:

And does it make like an accordion sound when it does that?

SPEAKER_01:

It does. It's like, and then it just sort of like bounces off like a spring.

SPEAKER_00:

Nice. And then afterwards, right? Exactly,

SPEAKER_02:

yeah. Okay, great. Octavia's still clutching your shoulders. You see now rumbling past the cart at pretty good clip is a flock of sheep prodded along by a young man that you don't recognize, Josh. He looks fearful and he's kind of looking for something around the sheep or trying to stay together, but the whole caravan is kind of moving at such a this is not like a running away pace this feels very much like okay let's just move from one place to another so when rodrigo goes ripping through the center at high speed in the opposite direction by himself standing hair flowing behind him holding onto the reins of the gorok going right towards the cephalid, it gets a lot of attention and people start to cheer as he charges through the center, past the sheep, past the center platform, past where you are with your broken barrel of ale, Josh, and right towards the cephalid who opens up like a flower and starts to like slow itself down. As the wagon approaches, you can see that it blocks out that sun and Rodrigo is cast in shadow. The wagon itself rolls right underneath the cephalid and Rodrigo with a sword drawn jumps up into the sky. You see him in silhouette with the cephalid behind and he jabs it up into the center and is enveloped by the drapery of that top cap and it brings him in and sort of stops its advance and you can see the billow of sand blows up and the Sturges continue to swarm around but the caravan moves away and it becomes silent after a few moments as you realize that this danger has been left behind for the moment you all realize what you've just witnessed and there is an instant change to the tone of the caravan sadness at what they just saw.

SPEAKER_03:

Thank you for listening to this episode of Phantom Nirvana, a Dungeons& Dragons podcast.