The Medusa's Cascade

The party arrives at the cemetery and meets Shepard Miles, Yurik's Crew, and Dorna, with tension so thick it threatens to erupt at any moment. That fuse is struck when Arioch appears as a golden-skinned elf and reveals the truth behind the tragedy binding them all together: Yurik is Arguile’s biological father. Long ago, a bargain to save Arguile’s life replaced Arguile’s heart with his father’s, at the cost of all parties forgetting one another. Fate, or Arioch’s cruel amusement, later reunited Yurik and Dorna, resulting in the birth of Enich, Arguile’s younger brother. All of it, Arioch admits, was done simply because it entertained him.Arioch then presents Yurik and Arguile with a horrific choice: his army needs a general, and there are two candidates for one position, so they must fight for it. Despite pleas and defiance, Yurik attacks first, begging forgiveness as Arguile refuses to strike back and challenges Arioch’s logic. The demon’s answer is merciless: it’s more fun this way. To force compliance, Arioch seizes Dorna and threatens to kill and resurrect her repeatedly until they fight in earnest. After a brutal demonstration of his power, father and son are forced to take the duel seriously. The party can only watch, unable to intervene without certain death, offering what aid they can through spells and support, until Arioch halts all interference. When both Yurik and Arguile offer themselves to spare Dorna, Arioch instead forces Dorna to choose. He then cruelly infects Enich with the same disease that once afflicted Arguile, declaring her son’s life limited either way. In the end, Yurik agrees to go with Arioch, granted only a brief farewell with his family, a devastating moment with no true victory.As Yurik is taken away, Enich escorts Dorna to safety in a nearby crypt, and the focus shifts to the remaining threat: Yurik's Crew preparing to fight. The party braces itself as battle erupts, immediately turning against them when a necromancer raises a dozen skeletons to swell the enemy ranks. Galahad is stunned out of the fight by a monk, Shanks lands a heavy blow on the cleric, only for them to heal and press on, and what once looked like a manageable encounter rapidly becomes a brutal, uphill struggle. With no clear victor in sight, the clash marks only the beginning of an even darker confrontation to come.There's so much happening, and that's where we pick up…Find out what happens next in this episode of the Medusa’s Cascade Theme Music is written and performed by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIITitle Card by Pierce Graphics Check out the show at themedusascascade.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Family Matters Ch. 15Still in Ors Themar, the party finishes a short rest and prepares to escape, quickly realizing that leaving the city may be as dangerous as entering it. They navigate tight passages, dispel glyphs, and move with hushed precision, managing to avoid further combat and finally put distance between themselves and the city before making camp for the night. During watches, they process the weight of what they witnessed. Shanks thanks Yurik for the rescue, concerns are raised about Ors Themar’s implications for Nakoroa, and the group reflects on how dire the situation may be.During the watches, deeper conversations unfold. Turk and Glad discuss Glad’s fallout with The Protector, while Arguile admits he initially believed Yurik was the threat his mother, Dorna, was facing. Galahad and Shanks speak candidly about fear, death, how Galahad’s aura functions, and a new potion Shanks has been developing. By morning, Shanks discovers a small copper coin and a raven’s feather, an ominous sign, while Arguile notices the stone’s count has dropped to two. Alarmed, the group breaks camp and heads back toward the city with urgency, stopping one last time at the now-empty field where the cursed cabin once stood. Overnight, the stone drops further, ticking down from 0.5 to 0.1 as they approach.Upon entering the city, a shepherd informs Yurik that Shepard Miles has summoned them to their usual meeting place. Before going, they detour to Yurik and Dorna’s home, only to find it empty as the stone finally reaches zero. As Yurik struggles to understand where Dorna could be, questions arise about his connection to Shepard Miles. Shanks realizes Arioch has been manipulating events behind the scenes all along, and when Galahad asks about Yurik’s sword, Yurik reveals it was given to him by Shepard Miles. Recognizing the urgency, Shanks insists they leave immediately, and as they rush to confront Shepard Miles, the group identifies Yurik’s blade as Tempest’s Edge.There's so much happening, and that's where we pick up…Find out what happens next in this episode of the Medusa’s Cascade: Collateral Damage!Theme Music is written and performed by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIITitle Card by Pierce GraphicsCheck out the show at themedusascascade.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Northeast of the upper continental mass of Sloane sits a conundrum of a city: Stargrave. Nestled between the Barrier Mountain Range to the west and the Unending Seas to the east in the transitional forests of the Gathering Storm, a city of opposing but interconnected sides quietly exerts influence on the rest of the world.In the twelfth episode of Across the Planes, Tom, Law, and Tone discuss and come up with the lore surrounding the northern city of Stargrave. Throughout the conversation, they discuss the culture, religion, industry, and overall vibe of the Northeast of Sloane.VO: Lawrence Bentiné Jr., Antonio Perez, and Thomas Lapierre IIIMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIITitle Card by Pierce GraphicsCheck out the show at themedusascascade.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Serpent's Strait Ch. 6We pick up where we left off the morning after the party's stakeout of sorts. It seems as if Ursus was not the only person visited last night, as we learn Bob also came in contact with an unfamiliar figure, presumably an Ashen Child. The party splits for the morning, with the Slash Bros at the temple, where they find Sister Flinthorn, who discusses Ursus' evening encounter with the Ashen Children and receives a refresher course on who the Silent Keeper is. Back at the tavern, where the rest of the group is having some food, they start connecting the dots regarding what happened with the ships, the Ashen Children, and other things that haven't lined up. Chantico's sister, Tozi, gets in contact with her amid all this and checks in on her, informing her that she will get back to her about Bob when she has more information to share.Eventually, Bob, Ursus, and Thorak meet with everyone else. After exchanging information, they conclude that while the circumstances are similar to those of a false hydra, these are not identical situations. This doesn't leave the group feeling much better about their circumstances. It's then that they realize they are marking themselves, and they are losing time every time they encounter the being (or beings) causing all of this. After that, they attend their meeting and obtain the address where they were just yesterday, but with a different point of contact. Not Lua Hugh, but a one Nora Vakara. Instead of drawing too much attention to the discrepancy, they leave to go investigate.It's here that things really go off the rails. As they approach the home, the group realizes time has been passing rapidly, and marks are appearing more frequently. It's then that Thorak uses Paco as his eyes, while Valen blindfolds himself and utilizes his blindsense, a way to see without being affected by the entities causing all this. And, to their (mis)fortune, they can see and begin fighting the strange grey beings and instruct the group to keep them contained. By losing eye contact with them, they forget, so Valen stuns one, Thorak grows large and grapples a few, and Chantico restrains one via her druidic magic. An intense fight later, they manage to restrain one with a rope and with Bob's tentacles, Elizabeth, and kill the rest of them. They take them through the city to the temple and try to gauge the situation. In showing the creature to Sister Flintorn, something bothered Thorak. He catches a faint glimpse of a smirk that just barely creeps over her face, and with that, Thorak yells to Bob to restrain her.There's so much happening, and that's where we pick up…Find out what happens next in this episode of the Medusa’s Cascade Blood & Booze!Theme Music is written and performed by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIITitle Card by Pierce GraphicsCheck out the show at themedusascascade.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Family Matters Ch. 14Amid a chaotic tactical retreat, the party is scattered and under heavy pressure. Arguile is locked in combat with a draegloth, Shanks is on the brink of death, Yurik is struggling to reconnect with the group, and Galahad, glowing and highly visible, draws relentless enemy fire while attempting evasive maneuvers. Zechs deploys an axe beak from his Tan Bag of Tricks to disrupt the draegloth, while Duo delivers Shanks’ chained alchemist fire to further weaken it, allowing Salix to extract Arguile by eagle. Meanwhile, Galahad is struck by a lightning arrow and badly injured, Turk and Glad remain stuck to him, and Salix, Zechs, and a barely lucid Arguile scramble to locate Shanks with no clear bearings.Duo is sent ahead to search and coordinate, eventually catching up to Yurik and guiding him through the chaos of Ors Thurmar. Zechs summons additional eagles to aid the search, but they are shot down, costing the group time and momentum. Turk and Glad fend off a chasme while stuck to Galahad, and Salix creates a decoy image to draw sniper fire, giving the party a chance to regroup and escape at low altitude. Yurik contributes by unleashing a firestorm toward the area where the group fell. Through quick thinking and teamwork, Salix, Zechs, and Arguile reach Shanks in time and pull him back from death. Once reunited, Zechs uses alcohol from the Bag of Holding to dissolve the substance binding Galahad, Turk, and Glad, allowing the party to move together again.The group is then approached by a pale man, urging them to move quickly and quietly, revealed to be Enich, Yurik’s son and Arguile’s half-brother. After brief explanations of his disappearance and how he’s survived, Enich leads them to a hidden safe spot where they can rest and recover. The brothers share a quiet moment bonding over family memories, and Enich confirms hearing rumors of Elrin topside, but nothing of Arioch. Shanks and Arguile exchange coded words in Thieves’ Cant, revealing that Arguile’s stone has grown warmer in the Underdark and that its number has dropped significantly, raising new concerns. With questions unanswered but strength regained, Enich points out a route out of the city, and the party prepares to move on.There's so much happening, and that's where we pick up…Find out what happens next in this episode of the Medusa’s Cascade: Collateral Damage!Theme Music is written and performed by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIITitle Card by Pierce GraphicsCheck out the show at themedusascascade.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.