Episode 3 Medium Cut

The gang is in the forest and trying to decide who will lead them. Seraphina suggests Mordred because he knows the woods. They decide to pair up into twos and give it about 5-10 minutes before turning back if they don't see anything. Idaho and Doran share their personal stories while walking and are then confronted by a large wolf. Idaho tries to bluff the wolf, but it doesn't work. The wolf eventually backs away. Meanwhile, Mordred and Seraphina discuss their concerns about the group drifting apart, but they reassure each other that they will always be friends. We resume with the gang in the forest, deciding who's going to lead them in their way out. Seraphina, you're a team leader, why don't you tell us? Uh, I will default to Mordred, actually, because he's more familiar with the woods than I am. But I think, I think we should just do something, so. I'm gonna devolve into group healing, and it sounds like if we pair into twos, we can work through some of the things we're going through. However, if things don't turn out, and we're not looking good, um, let's give it, does anybody have like a, like a timer? We can count. I'm, I'm a really good counter. Yeah, give it like, give it about, give it about a five, ten minutes, and if you're, if you're not seeing anything, let's turn back. Let's both, both groups will turn back. Wait, since we have done this already twice now, would we know how long this took? Well, we would know if it's looking exactly the same, or if it's something different, I think, at least, right? Like, if we triggered the magic, or whatever, it would, we would probably notice it. Pretty, pretty straight away, okay. Okay, well. Well, yeah. Okay, Mordred, can you assign groups? Idaho, I think you had the most beautiful groups earlier. And, hey, you don't have to ask me. You're our paladin, okay? What does that mean? Doran, you will enter this pass as a boy. Oh my god. And you will leave as a saved man. But I do need you guys to get going, it is dark, come on. Okay, Idaho, come on, paladin, let's get out of here. Okay, let's go. Okay, you guys all head off and pass, and just to clarify, two of you go left and two of you go right? Yes. Yeah. It's been about five minutes of walking. Doran, Idaho, have either of you broached the silence? Oh, I have not. I have not stopped talking. What have you been saying? So I think what I've been doing is I've been trying to like, no, I'm not preaching, because it's not like a religious thing, this is like a good person conversion, do you know what I mean? I'm also, I lied earlier, I'm not very good at counting, so this is interspersed every five seconds of me reminding myself how far along we are. So it's like, Doran, you know, I really think that you can five and be a really good person, and I really think that if you work ten, work really hard, you know, we can get you 50 and into heaven, and I think that we would have, you know, we could be there together. Yeah, tell me more about that, Idaho, please, go on. 25, and then I fade off as we walk into the distance. And that is how you resolve and improvise. I'm basically, I'm just letting him talk himself out of it. I'm just along for the ride, just trying to say as little as possible, because I know he's going to fill the space. Hell yeah, and you know what, as you're walking, Idaho, first thing, I've just got to ask everyone, does anyone have anything like resistance to being charmed or anything? Yes. Oh. Oh, I might. Fae ancestry. I also have fae ancestry. I don't. I have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. Magic cannot put me to sleep. Okay, I might be misreading this, I don't think I have one. Idaho, as you're talking and you're just, you know, going on and on and on, a desire in you kind of starts forming to tell a story. Can you tell a story of the time that you lost something and it ended up hurting you? You know, Doran, I want to tell you a time that I, 5 minutes 52, that I lost something and it really, really hurt me. Six minutes. And I, after a certain point, he disvolves into every other minute rather than every five seconds. Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Yeah, I think we're all on board with that. Yeah. You know, I, you know, I originally started as an oath of devotion paladin, you know. This is like, I took the track for it, right? You don't commit to your oath right away. You're trying to figure out what means that much to you so that you can really dedicate your life to it. And I told a lie. And what happened was one of my friends, we were play wrestling in kind of the, what do you call it? Like the play battle arena, 12 minutes, where you could spar with your friends between classes. We were fighting and one of my friends really, really injured me and broke my, you probably remember my mock sword that I made as a child. The truth is I didn't make that. My parents made it for me. It's one of the only things I had from them with me in what's essentially boarding school. And, you know, there was a whole investigation after we talked to the teachers because you're not supposed to injure people. You know, we're on a track, 13 minutes. And you want to make sure that everyone is in good health. And I lied to the teachers when they asked me who hurt me. And I didn't feel guilty at all. And, you know, I lost a really sentimental item to me. I lost what I believed was going to be my paladin oath. But, you know, I also gained a lot. Actually, Idaho, can you give me a wisdom saving throw? That would be a five. You take 18 psychic damage as the pain of this story fills you with emotional distress. And how does Idaho react to that damage? Idaho stumbles and almost falls. And he looks like he's like, you know, 220th of his health almost, you know. He's really struggling. He goes, oh, my God, my head. Oh, fuck. 13 minutes. That's so weird. I felt the loss feels so much stronger here for some reason. Are you okay? I don't know. What am I feeling here, Christian? Doran, you start feeling almost like that sadness creeping in. But because you're Bay Ancestry, would you please do your wisdom roll first? Okay. I got a six and a 16, so 16. Do you feel compelled to share a moment of a time that you felt alone? One time when I was in the Great Save, the sparrows, they made me rob this woman, this old woman. And we were in the middle of lifting out her jewelry, and she came in the room. I didn't really think about it. I just reacted. But I pushed her, and she fell back down the stairs, and she died. And that night, I wrote to everyone, to you, to everyone. Nobody ever wrote me back. 18. Can I put my hand on your shoulder? I'm not saying anything, but, like, my hand is there just to. I think I gotta go in for a hug. I stop, and I'm like, you're almost supporting me, because I'm almost unconscious health-wise, right? But, like, I give you a big fucking hug. As we're hugging, I kind of shake my head a little bit, and I realize that something feels very, very wrong with this. And as you shake your head, you do take three psychic damage, reduced partly by your saving throw, and also reduced partly by the embrace of another person. You both hear a voice from the woods go, how touching. I'm gonna look. Who the hell's that? It's dark now. It's too dark to see. I have superior dark vision. Oh, you have amazing dark vision. It is just bright enough for you to see the eyes of a wolf standing a ways back in the trees. This wolf is pitch black and is about eight feet tall, and you can assume much longer. Do we know where he's coming from? I guess he would know, but I know which direction the wolf is. You'd be able to see the eyes, so you would be able to see the direction. Okay. I release Doran, and I kind of stand next to Doran. I don't finger my sword. I put my hand lightly over my sword, and I go, Doran, you're not gonna be alone again for the rest of your life. And I draw my sword, and I hold out to the wolf, and I wait to see what Doran and the wolf do. I'm gonna say, was it you that just tried to charm us? It was. I just tried to show you things that perhaps you should know. Well, both of us should thank you. I'm not gonna lie, I'm disappointed in your reaction. The other one felt the despair. You should feel it, too. Honestly, I haven't felt this good in years. That's disappointing. Are you going to kill us, Mr. Wolf? You see the wolf with your superior dark vision. You see the wolf lift its lips and has its teeth bared, and goes, I'm thinking about it, but you're still too happy. Perhaps your friends would make a better meal. A full-on shiver goes up Doran's spine. My sword is shaking, I think, a little bit as I hold it out. And I go, you know, I don't always pick up what's going on, but, you know, Doran and Sera clearly have some kind of thing beef going on right now. I feel like it would probably be very healthy for them as well if you go over there. And the wolf backs away. This is a bluff. I'm trying to, like, reverse psychology this guy. The wolf's going back into the forest. Okay, well, shit, it didn't work, okay, great. By the way, I'm manipulating you. My favorite dice I just rolled, a d1, which is just what happens. We cut to Mordred and Seraphina walking along the forest. Look, I, what is going on? What exactly do you mean? There's a lot going on here, Mordred. I, yeah, I don't mean, like, the weird forest stuff or the weird animal stuff or the weird stick stuff. Yeah. All that stuff is weird. Yeah, and are you okay? Yeah, well, I would be kind of. You know, I went through a lot, but I thought I was going to wake up to see you guys and be okay. I'm sorry that you had to see us all die. That would have been horrible. No, no, no, no, no. I saw you all die, and that sucked. And I'm still going through it, but I think it sucks a lot more to wake up and see that you guys are not okay. Like, one thing is Doran. Doran's always been moody and brooding and... Yeah, pretty much. Sometimes a little mean. You're also being really mean right now. You're right, I am, aren't I? Yeah, and, like, I just, I don't, I don't want to see us drift apart. What's going on? If it puts your mind at ease, I don't think any of us will ever fully be able to drift apart or get rid of each other. You know what I mean? Maybe that's just, like, the hopeful little kid in me that wants to hold on to her secondary school best friends forever. I don't know, but I feel like whatever happens, we're not going to break up the band, you know? Yeah, but you're right. I have been mean lately. Hopefully you haven't felt like I've been mean to you or Idaho. You two have done nothing. You came immediately to help with hope and everything, and I'm just, I'm hurt. I'm feeling hurt, Mordred. I know. Um, and you're going through a really difficult time, probably harder than I can imagine, but... I don't know what happened between you and Zoran for it to get this bad. Especially ever since I walked through that door and my brain's been all fuzzy, but... He also clearly has a lot going on, and I don't think things are as simple as he didn't come to help. He's just, he's just him, okay? And, like, maybe one day he'll be able to communicate why he wasn't able, why he didn't come, or why he wasn't able to communicate. But the fact that he's here proves that, you know, he cares, you know, as much as everybody else cares for him. And I don't know. And maybe I'm being too mean to you by telling you to cut him some slack when you're going through all, you're going through this. I don't know. It just sucks. As you say that, you feel like a wave of suck. No, I'm sorry. You feel a wave of negative, sucky energy kind of just wash over you both. And you feel a presence and a voice go, Well, well, well. It does all just suck, doesn't it? And you see on the path with you is the wolf. Hi. You must be the wolf. It is wonderful to meet you. Yeah, likewise. Hi. You must be Seraphina. You know that. Dorne's memories were delicious. What happened to our friends? You must be Mordred. Yep, and you must be the wolf. I'd like to make you both an offer to get out of the woods. Go on. Yeah. There's two options. The first is to leave your friends behind, run away, and be free. Or... The second is to accept that everything is pointless and awful and just the worst. There isn't some sort of secret third option. I'm sorry, wolf. Things suck, but they're not going to suck forever. Yeah. Like, Seraph just said it earlier. I'm only talking to her about it because I know it's not going to suck forever. We're going to get out of this. She said it herself. We're all in this together. If you don't think I'm going to clobber your fucking ass before leaving them behind... Try me. And can you both roll initiative? Ten plus two. I got a four plus three, so a seven. Okay. You see first up, the wolf lunges at Seraphina. These giant gaping claws go to bite you, and it's going to make an attack roll against you. That's going to be a 25 to hit. That's a hit? Just? You take four psychic damage as these teeth attempt to rip into you, but it doesn't feel like it's all there. It doesn't feel solid. It feels like it's ripping your soul from your body more than it feels like it's ripping your flesh. And it goes... Maybe the other one would be tastier. And it's going to do a claw attack on you, Carlos. You can try. That's a natural one. You see this wolf get upset and turn to face you, but it has got big skinnier legs, and it trips and stumbles a little before getting back up and going, I'm... see how much it sucks. See how much everything sucks. Am I next in initiative? Next up is you. As he stumbles backwards, I want to run at him, and I'm going to cast Wild Shape, and I'm going to Wild Shape into a dire wolf. Into also a wolf. Hell yeah, baby! Wolf fight! There's like a little fear in his eyes. Wolf versus wolf. Yeah, so as he's fallen back, I turn into a dire wolf, and I'm going to lunge at him, and I'm going to try to bite him. Use bite! Sick. Make an attack roll. What time is it? That's a 17 to hit. A 17... yeah, what are you... how are you attacking? So my idea is as he's stumbling back, I'm going to jump, and I'm going to try to bite him. Bite him back. Hell yeah, you jump and you bite the wolf back. How much damage do you do? 2d6 plus 3d6, go! I deal 9 damage. Okay, I will say, as you bite into this thing, it seems more ethereal than it is corporeal. And you do damage it, but in D&D terms, it's resisted. If this target is a creature, it must exceed a DC 13 saving throw. What save? Strength. Oh my god, that's a 3. It is knocked prone. Carlos is the fucking brick house, baby! That's the brick house! I'm the big bad wolf around here! You could say the psychic wolf is in a dire situation. And I'm going to end my turn by howling at the moon, because I'm the alpha of this pack. Hell yeah. What time is it, Mr. Mordred? What does it mean when things are prone? You have advantage on melee attacks, disadvantage on ranged attacks. It also has to use all of its movement to get up, right? Half of its movement, I think. Okay. First of all, Mordred, that was so fucking cool! And also, my friend is super cool. You know what? You suck. You suck more than a lady of the night. And at least she gets paid for it! And I cast Vicious Mockery. Oh! So please make a wisdom saving throw, or you take 1d6 of damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll. Snarls. And goes, enough child's play. He rolled a natural 20. Yeah, that beats it. What time is it, Mr. Christian? Wolf stands up. Time to kill. And the wolf is going to... Seraphina, can you give me a wisdom saving throw? Listen, Lauren, I had to go for it. You did? I gave Christian an alley-oop, he took it, landed, and then dunked after that. I got an 18. Okay. You feel a little sadness well up inside you, but it's not much, as, you know what, it didn't resist you saying that it sucked. Okay, you take, oh my god, 7 psychic damage. Yeah, so you take 7 psychic damage as a pool of sadness, of things sucking, of memories that you have kind of come at you. And then it's the wolf's turn, as he looks at you and he goes, give up. Give up. There's no point. Give up. I'm dogging him, I'm gonna keep biting him. Hell yeah, you're gonna bite him. Oh, also, I missed this the first time. If there's a feat, if there's an ally within 5 feet of my wolf, I activate my pack tactics. Fartard! Which means that I have advantage on my attacks. Hell yeah! Okay, yeah, he lashed out at Seraphina, yeah, make your attacks with advantage. Alright, dope. Why not? Hell yeah, baby. Pack tactics, I'm gonna roll 2d20. Oh no, I'm scared. A 17 plus 5, so I hit. 22, yeah, that hits, don't worry about it, that hits. How much damage are you doing? So it's gonna be 10 damage, and then he has to do his strengthening throw. Okay, 10 damage, that's gonna be halved again as you kind of bite through him, and he's going to easily pass the saving throw this time. You see he's in a rage, but you bit into him and almost, there's like, not blood, but like ooze or darkness kind of like looming off him, like gas that's spilling out of something that holds gas, a container. Yeah, I can't speak as a beast, but I'm zoned in. I'm your chemical engineer. What holds gas? What's a relatable thing that has gas in it, Sam? The Pokemon, Gastly. Gastly. Yeah, no, I'm zoned in on him. My eyes are following him. Yeah, he's pissed off, but like one thing a little. Seraphina, do you do something? I'm going to very creepily whisper, you are the sad one. You prey on people who choose, yet to feel the full range of emotion that we were born to feel, and I cast Dissonant Whispers, so you need to make a wisdom saving throw. What's the difficulty check that I have to get? DC 14. Okay, he fails. 13. Oh, hell yeah! Hell yeah! Hell yeah! My first spell to land! So it's going to be 3d6 psychic damage. Oh my god! And you need to move as far away from me as possible. Okay. You guys are doing better than Christian expected. It's 15. 15 damage. 15? 3d6! And you got 15, Helen. I didn't land anything else! Christian just adds another death to your life. I'm like, what the hell? Hmm, oh wow. As you cast Dissonant Whispers, it takes a massive amount of mental damage, as the wolf is just trying to shake stuff off, but it's just too sad. You're the sad one. You're miserable. You hate your life. You want to cut up and die. I do hate my life. My life sucks. You're a terrible wolf. You prey on those who are just experiencing the true essence of life. This wolf is so much better than me. Listen to your alpha. I'm howling at the moon. Suddenly there's a clearing, and you can see there's a full moon out. The wolf runs away. By the way, for anyone listening, this is actually the Omegaverse podcast. Well, I mean, I'm here. Don't worry about me. The wolf howls and runs off into the night. And you see just streaming of, like, gas behind it as it's running into the woods. Wow. Mordred, you incredible. And I come up, and I, like, scratch behind his ears. Yeah, I roll over. And at this moment, I believe Doran and Idaho, you two, would arrive. I'm in the middle of giving Mordred a belly rub. Man, this was a great walk, guys. How are you guys doing? You guys! Did you see a wolf? He knew your names, and... Yeah, right there. No, no. This is Mordred. I put my paw up as to wave. That makes considerably more sense. Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? I put my paw up myself. Mordred, are you a good boy? Yeah! Can I roll an animal annually to scritch Mordred? You don't have to. It digs his ass. But yeah, we also saw a wolf. He was extremely creepy. Did you guys have to fight him? Did he hurt you? Well, no, yeah. He kind of helped. Yeah, honestly. He kind of helped me work through some stuff. You know, like, when you get stretched out, and at first it's hurting, but then you feel it pop in your back. You're like, whoa, I feel better. It was like that. I gave Idaho a hug. Whoa! What? I'm still riding that high. I feel like I made progress today. How did that go with you guys? Not great, until, you know, Mordred became a kick-ass wolf. Um... I turned back. Yeah, it was, um... It was something. Okay. Yeah, that was spooky. Nigel, are you okay? Which group did you go with, Marcel? I was just kind of stood in the middle while you all walked away. Oh, I'm so sorry, Marcel. Can somebody put him in a pocket and have, like... Does anybody have a front pocket for him? He's Marcel. He's like, you know, yay big. And Christian, how big is he for the people listening to the podcast? Uh, yay is like two names. Okay, two names. He's the size of a small size. That's metric, actually. So, for those listening, that means he could probably fit in a babybjorn. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And for people listening that don't know what a babybjorn is, he could probably fit in, like, a knapsack that's pretty big. Marcel's there. Okay, hi, Marcel! Hi. Do you know where the wolf went? I might have said some things. And, um... He didn't really like what I had to say. So, just trust us. I think he's learned his lesson. I think we taught him a lesson. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I high-five Mordred. Christian, sorry, we met them again? Are we back at the crossroads? You would have had to run by the crossroads. Because you guys said you would turn around after 10 to 15 minutes. Yeah. Gotcha. Okay, well, let's keep going. Should we just go backwards? The other ones haven't worked yet. Wait, that one didn't work? Well, the wolf was causing this madness now, so if we just walk forwards, maybe he'll do the whole magic business he does. Is it undone? And if not, we'll figure it out. Well, we just keep going forward, not back to the... Yeah, let's... Yeah, I think that the wolf was causing this weirdness. And I think if we just go forward now, things should be okay. I agree. I think it should be fine. Hopefully. Which way do we go? Well, you just came from that way, so we go the way that Mordred and I were originally headed. Yeah, let's keep going this way. Sure. Why not? You guys head the way that you were both originally headed, and as the exhaustion of night and pain and, quite frankly, the long trauma of the day is overtaking you, you, big yawn, walk back to the crossroads. Okay. Can we go backwards, please? Yes, let's go back the way we came. Go backwards. You walk backwards this time. Clever. And you return to the crossroads. I don't feel clever. Okay. Okay. Gonna be morning soon. We should... Can we just go to sleep? Yeah, okay. Can I find a bundle of non-animated sticks? Yeah. Okay, I'm just gonna make a bonfire. Now we can reset our progress. Yeah, I, you know, I use the old create bonfire tantrum, as we all know. And I pass the fuck out. Instant, just... Immediately asleep. You guys feel pretty safe in this woods. I think the wolf form takes a lot of carbs. Like, we have to... Yeah, probably. Like, the calorie, probably pretty brutal. We should get him some food when he wakes up. Yeah, I agree. Um... Can we no longer feed him wolf? Like, once you become a wolf, is that then cannibalism? You eat wolf? Do you not eat wolf? I don't often eat wolf. Do all paladins eat wolf? I've never eaten a wolf. Did they haze you at paladin school? Were you forced to eat animals? Serafina, it says in the rules you're not allowed to be hazed. And no one would ever break the rule that you're not allowed to be hazed, and then haze someone. That's weird, dude. Serafina's gonna walk off and grab some sticks to stop the fire before sleep. Christian, I have a question. Did the wolf make a path in the forest? Did it have a trail? Like, it physically interacted with the environment? No. Okay. So it didn't make, like, a footpath through the woods as it was walking through shortcuts? No, it kind of dissipated slowly. You all wake up in the morning. New day. You all feel refreshed to some extent. Kind of like the last days behind you. You're at this fork in the road. There is all of the tools that you need with you guys. You have everything. You have everything. I'm gonna try to help you guys figure this out a little by just reminding you of everything. There has been a recurring theme in this forest. Yellow. We are dumb. Going the opposite direction we think we should be. Really sad wolves. Nothing matters. Talking about our feelings. Walking forward. Four word. Sadness. Four words! There are four words we need to speak, and then a magic portal opens, and we go through. None of you have pieced together the theme. Speak, friend, and please open the path. Fuck this shit, bitch. Haikus! After a good night's sleep, do I remember anything from the, uh, the po- Do you wanna do a history check? Yeah, I've not, I've not done one yet. Okay. Nineteen plus four. Okay, twenty-three. Hey! That's not bad! Maybe we get that last line. It's really very good. That's gotta be worth something. On a twenty-three, you remember the full poem after a whole night's sleep. But the poem goes something like this. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. The traveler couldn't travel both. Looked down one. Looked down the other. They looked the same. They were the same. Not the same path, but they both had the same level of wear. However, the final line you remember. I shall be telling this with a sigh. Somewhere ages and ages hence. Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference. We are not puzzle doers, are we? It's stories, is the thing. Memory and stories and- Remembering? I'll be telling this ages and ages hence. Since the wolf was like, remember, memories, and then now you're like, ages and ages hence. I'll be telling this story. Is there any... Can I do a horse whistle? Would I know how to do that? Can I go, hey, horse! We did it! We did it! I'm gonna try to beckon a horse. I am a horse farmer! I do come from a horse- But they hate you! Oh, guys! They hate you! They hate me, but they want- They want to come and fight me! I feel like that's not the- I don't know. Never mind. I mean, if the road less traveled by isn't either of the two paths in front of us, we may just need to go off into the woods. Yeah. I'm trying to figure out what Christian means by the stick. Well, the stick did- What did we do to it? It was blind. It can't see. Why, you covered its branches. So it couldn't. A memory. It's memories. Can I try to offer up a memory to the path? Oh, okay. That's what I wanted to do. So do we just have to talk the entire time we walk? First we spanked his wolf, now we can't answer his puzzle. Hey, guys! I... I remember... I remember that it's this way. And I start walking. I don't think that's gonna work. Idaho... Begins to fade away as Idaho is walking forwards along the path. Well... What? I don't know what I did! What's the last thing Idaho did? Doran, you were with him. He was telling stories the whole time. Okay. Idaho... Hugs someone? I... Okay, Doran, what else did Idaho do? Christian, I'm gonna message you something. Hey, message me. Is it just SU? No, I sent you a Discord. I think. Okay. Okay, I did figure it out. Idaho, come back! Don't leave us here and disappear! Okay. Okay, um... Have I faded away? Yeah, are you like... Could you be like an ethereal being? Why don't we say that you haven't fully faded away? That you are more human. Guys, just listen to what I just said about remembering which way it is. I remember the way. I remember it's this way. No, sorry. I remember it's this way. You just said... I don't... That's the last thing that he said! I don't know! I mean... I mean, we can think about remembering... To clarify, he's walking away from you guys, yeah? Yeah. I'll follow him. So let's... We'll follow him. Okay, yeah. Serafina begins to fade away. Yeah, I was just saying... Wait, I'm gonna remember that I know the way. Yeah, I remember that I know the way. And I remember all the paths that I've taken. You begin to fade. Oh, I remember the paths that I've taken! Until the very next day. What the fuck was all of that? Let me fade away! Oh, he's gone. You are now all solid, walking down a different path than the one you were previously on. You're walking down the path you remember to be the correct path. Do we level up? I love that. Nope. Okay, fair enough. Guys, we did it. I really feel like we, uh... You know what? Wyatt was right from the beginning. This is one of those two halves make a hole and then you climb through the hole. Yeah! That's bullshit! That's wild. How do you know the way? You just gotta remember that you know. Yeah, come on. The point of the Robert Frost riddle is that he's a liar. The end of the riddle is just a... The end of the poem is just a lie. Okay. I'll be telling this with a sigh at some point that, yeah, I walked down the one less travel. No, he didn't. They were the same freaking path. I'm not gonna believe anything you ever say ever, ever again, Christian. I... Ever. Good. So it feels like that was what he... No, that's what he wants, Helen. Listen to what he said. He's like, Robert Frost is a liar at this point. At least we haven't gotten to written riddles yet. I think we're okay. Thoughts? There is a sign at the fork. Uh-huh. What does the sign say? It says, your DM hates you. What does the sign say? No, what does the sign say? The left says mountain. Uh-huh. And the right says temple. Okay. Well, we want to go to the mountain. Temple? Temple might be tempting. Temples do seem like the kind of place where that freaky old man hangs out. And temple is where he came from, technically. I mean, kind of. Oh, that's true. We wanted to go to the mountain. Have we gone through all of this not to go to the mountain? Yeah, you're right. We've got to go to the mountain. But, no, but hold on. Let's take a second. This forest fucking is crazy. Sucks. So much. Why are we trusting the sign? Wait, if I go up and try and switch the signs around, do they do some kind of fucking hijinx QVU bullshit? And, like, re-spell different things when I touch them? Yeah, Looney Tunes. Because you walk up to the sign, you pick them up, and you go to move them around. These seem to be two very, very crudely written, like, carved wooden signs that some person has just, like, hit together, not with any functional tools or anything. When he turns it around, do the paths change? No. Duh. This one is in the puzzle. If I move the signs, the whole world folds over on itself, and that should stop. Let's? So we want to go to this mountain to help people? Is that why we're going to the mountain? I'm going to be honest. I've never really caught up. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So here's the context. There is, like, locust demons that are attacking the people of this town. They're from the mountain. We want to know what the hell is going on, and also maybe not let the town keep getting eaten. Okay. Are you okay with that? There are four temples in which we might have come from. However, I do think it's the right thing to do. And we can always come back. I mean, like, if we come back to this forest, what happens? We just kick this wolf out again. That's true. Yeah. And next time we won't split up, because that didn't do anything. So. Well, it seems to really help them. They look great. I take it back, then. Yeah. I mean, I don't know I had a tough time, but it was pretty nice for me. Sometimes the wolf was the wolf that was inside you and not the one that was outside you, inside you. True. And then when there's only one set of wolf prints in the sand, it's when the wolf is carrying you. Okay. I begin to walk towards the mountain. I like that one. I like that one. That was a good one. You get five Wyatt bucks. Thank you. You all leave the yellow forest with a poem made by Mr. Freeze. As you head towards E, and as you're standing outside this forest, you're still in a bit of another forest, but you do look, and you see there is a bit of a trodden trail heading up the mountain. And at the base of the mountain, with a whole bunch of wood supplies in their hands, and big horns, and like a tiki-esque mask on their face, is what appears to be a young adult, who notices you all, screams, Oh my God! There's more people! Drops the wood and bolts up the mountain. And that's where we're going to end the session.