#c2e21

[ariadne-mouse]

They play the D&D Beyond ad twice in 2x21 because it's so good and rewatching now I also paused to watch that twice making it 4 times total because IT'S SO GOOD 😭😭😭 i'm full of wiggles

[the-big-nope]

Today’s the debut of the D&D Beyond animated commercial! Seven years on and we’re waiting with baited breath for the announcement of when we’ll see the Mighty Nein campaign animated for real, and i feel like this was the moment that tipped that boulder down the hill.

[stone-stars]

Transcript:

Murph: You guys have, um, there's a couple like-- (chuckles) Murphy beds-- [Caldwell cackles.] Jake: oooh. Murph: --that are like in the walls here, kind of tucked away. Emily (Fia voice): I don't get it. Jake: Bravo sir. Murph: Yes. Emily (Fia voice): What? Murph: They have (chuckles) glasses and they're super smart and cool. [Emily cackles. Jake and Caldwell laugh.] Emily: I go make love to one. Murph: (laughs) Oh my god. Jake (Henry voice): Oh my god! Caldwell: I shake one's hand. Jake: I lick one. [Murph and Caldwell laugh.] Murph: Henry drops. Jake (Henry voice): What the hell!

[staticrevelations]

got to the cali episode of c2 in my rewatch and mistakenly read the comments which are a minefield of people not understanding that characters being flawed and hypocritical and unaware of their own shortcomings and not magically fixing themselves when their flaws are pointed out aren't signs of bad characters and is actually very good rp

[mooshlovely]

Nein Again Episode 21

A really juicy episode. We've got one of the first combats to really push their limits and also some tense conversations. Also the whole Bren thing

Fuck guys I love the original cartoon so much. I remember it being longer lol but its still so good. I can't wait for m9 animated. It is also so wild that Sam made it all without the rest of them seeing it, and also sang all of it himself

(24) It's impressive that Calianna hasn't been mugged or killed because she is remarkably trusting. Beyond even the normal amount of 'i need to trust these people in order for the plot to work'

(27) Caleb immediately lowers his opinion of Cali after she says she doesn't like cats lol

(28) Kill bill sirens. God I still can't believe the way this worked out. Nott/Sam freaking out cause she used an actual part of her name and trying to figure out why Caleb is being weird, while Caleb is having a mini breakdown. Like how on earth did the names work out that way. The magic of DnD

(1:07) Lol Beau rolls a nat 20 to notice the danger and then just lets Febron walk right into it

(1:16) and the ball bearings have returned. You know this might be one of the few times they have (kind of) helped and not immediately made things worse. Not that they helped all that much

(1:20) Isn't moving faster just asking for a troll fight? What on earth was the logic here, that they could outrun it like the freaky plant?

(1:34) Caleb kind of drops his face into his hands when Yasha says to put 'Bren' in the middle of the group for safety. I can't even imagine how much the constant Bren mentions would be weighing on him, dragging him directly into the worst part of his past and setting off every instinct he has to hide himself.

(1:38) "Is the traveler another wizard?" Jester: "He kind of is, but he's really powerful, and he's super cool" You know it is kind of on us for thinking he's a god. Cause Jester doesn't really enforce that idea. She's pretty up front about him not really being a god

(1:47) Oh hey the map compass is back.

(1:53) If only Molly had ever learned to hit things with his sword… I understand the temptation of racial spells but also if you aren't built for them, they're a waste of time (spoken from personal experience. i wish the drow faerie fire was more useful)

(1:53) The brief horror that their guide is like dead dead, immediately replaced by asshole-ness "Our money is getting away"

(1:58) I think this is the trickiest and closest combat they've had so far

(2:04) Actually a clutch heal from Jester

(2:12) Am I the only one who doesn't find Talisin's infernal voice that cool? Also he literally makes a comment about it never working - THEN WHY DO YOU KEEPING DOING IT

(2:25) I do love that Beau calls Caleb out on his causal use of manipulation. Like he may truly mean that Beau is a good friend, but also he is also 100% intentionally reminding her of the fact in order to convince her to accompany him and reinforce his place by her side

(2:35) It is funny that everyone has pretty much realized that fear is one of Nott's primary motivators. How do we convince her to do something? Just make it seem like something else is worse lol

(2:48) It is very annoying for me personally, but it is probably a good thing Cali is so naive and easily distracted cause wow the nein are bad at keeping secrets for long periods of time. They manage alright for brief encounters but once they let down their guard, anything goes. A smarter companion would have clocked the weird Nott/Bren thing and the beacon (and probably had opinions on them)

(2:29) Nott: "You're half fish!" Fjord: "I'm not half-fish, I'm half-orc!" Eh he could always be both

(3:54) Fjord: "Yep. . . I drop the rope and jump in" I love when Fjord defies expectations. It's particularly notable because he's normally the most rational and level-headed of the group, so it's always so much more surprising when he suddenly flips on a dime to do something crazy. It's still a totally logical move in his mind, but he is also consciously keeping his patron a secret because he knows the party will have questions that he doesn't want to answer. And he can get away with it because no one would expect it of him. It is interesting that no one even calls him on it afterward

(4:05) Ah I don't think I realized that Caleb saw himself in this situation. The other people in the group are ambivalent to the bowl and it's potential evil: they like Cali therefore she can have the bowl like she asked. Caleb is the only one rn that is looking at the big picture and the potential danger this artifact represents. Why is Caleb the only one concerned with the greater good? Why is it Caleb, who is generally selfish and unwilling to insert himself into conflict? It doesn't make sense unless he sees his own past in this cult

And obviously part of the situation is that the others have slightly less trust issues and are taking Cali at her word, but I am surprised the rest of them don't see his logic

Also relatedly, you can see that Caleb's controlling tendencies. He wants all the cards, wants to control the board, and he will only give out information when it is in his best interests. You can see how he positions the group without telling them why, how he decided a plan of action that he thinks is good and doesn't understand why the others don't agree with him. Caleb definitely thinks he is the smartest person in the room

(4:09) It's actually pretty hypocritical of Beau to call Caleb out for getting in people's business when she is the noisiest of the lot. I'm assuming this is also hitting her trauma and dislike of other people making decisions for her. Tbh I think she has a right to be mad but I think she is accusing him of the wrong things

(4:10) Molly: "You were right, Caleb! You're just a shitty communicator" Yeah that about sums it up

[mareastrorum]

Nein Again music for Episode 21: Stalker in the Swamp under the cut! Matt pulled songs from a lot of games this time.

During the recap, Matt played Kaer Morhen from Witcher III.

The Hunter's Path began at about 12:40, when Kiri, Beau, and Jester wake up.

Forest Day 1 from World of Warcraft plays at about 29:27, when the Nein ask if Calianna has wings. That song is timestamped below, and there are other timestamps in the description to navigate similar songs.

The music transitions into Forest Day 2 (available at the above link at 4:06) about 1 minute later, then repeats once, then shifts to Forest Day 3 (which is the first song at the above link).

At about 34:55, we switch back to Witcher III with Bonnie at Morn (Instrumental), as Febron describes the fog and weather.

At 59:12, we can see Matt switching the music. I believe he put on a Howling Fjord playlist from World of Warcraft because there's a general Northrend introduction before Howling Fjord General Walk Day 1 begins (timestamped below).

Side note: I have been trying to match this song for SO long. The bagpipes reminded me so much of Witcher III that I was convinced that it was a Skellige song, but whenever I thought maybe it was WoW, I kept checking Grizzly Hills and Borean Tundra, completely forgetting that Howling Fjord was a region. It's ridiculous because it's regarded as the best regional music from Wrath of the Lich King, and I don't even disagree with that. Also, nevermind that the woodwinds are more emphasized in Howling Fjord, that just never clicked in my brain while doing a reverse search for some reason.

ANYWAY.

From there, there's a long break of music from Skyrim or other games. Perhaps Pillars of Eternity? I still need to get familiar with those OSTs.

The Howling Fjord music replays at about 2:51:00, after a long break of other music.

At about 3:03:15, Matt plays Battle 2 from Molton Core, which is timestamped below. This was a common theme among all the dungeons/raids in Blackrock Mountain. The captions will show the name of the song playing, and the time stamps reference the section of the map where they will play.

At about 3:05:38, The Path of a Kingslayer from Witcher 2 kicks up. It's got that woodwind opener that's just so recognizable once you've heard it a few times.

At 3:14:25, when Caleb uses Enlarge on Beau, Silver for Monsters... (the LELELELE song) begins. Liam noted, "the Amazons are singing right now."

Commanding the Fury was playing sometime around 3:22:00, but there was so much dialogue that I could not pinpoint the timestamp at all.

Similar issue with City of Intrigues, which was playing around 3:28:00.

That's all for this week!

[moodsbytraviswillingham]

Campaign 2, Episode 21

[paramecrust]

Cali my precious girl. She held onto kindness after isolation and manipulation. She made it seem natural and easy only because she was so sincere. She was nervous as hell but she tried. She defended caleb for suspecting her and validated his fears. She has adhd this is the hill I’ll die on. She shook everyone’s hand in the end. She wrote letters. She said be kind to yourself. She is my girl with a heart of gold and I love her so much

[dnd-wife]

Investigation and Revenge - C2E21

As the party searches for clues, one of their own goes missing

The episode begins with Zelos, Steverous, Rohorn, and Rhoswen arriving at the Dancing Axe planning on confronting the dwarven proprietor about his involvement in the attack on their keep. Walking in they find the man who asks why they are there roughly. The party notices notes around the shopt written in dwarvish, seemingly dispelling the thought that he had been the one to leave the threatening…

[beauregardlionett]

picking up the m9 rewatch again and i can’t remember if this is the first time beau’s gone down but the absolute panic on caleb’s face...i miss the empire kids sm

[ashleyinwondrland]

“Did you all have to kill the memory of Vax and Keyleth that hard?”

Listen Marisha’s character could literally push Liam’s into acid after his character cut off her’s arm, and it would still not taint the legacy of Vaxleth.

[doctorloverboy]

hm no. fuck beau rn. there’s literally no reason to be acting like this right now. i’m fuming. he’s already learned the lesson dude, YOU haven’t. CONDESCENDING. shut the fuck up.

[stone-stars]

a while ago i made a post about naddpod music and @metamagic-adept brought up kingshammer in the replies. and yeah, i can't resist. so. kingshammer essay, let's do this.

first of all: huge, huge thanks to @operationslipperypuppet for helping me with this; she found a bunch of uses (esp for c3) and contributed truly so much to the analysis as well.

now, the use of kingshammer differs by campaign. so! really quickly. here is every use of kingshammer in naddpod.*

*as of c3e53. obligatory spoiler warning for every naddpod episode up to that point.

(continued under the cut as i was not kidding about this being an essay-- i will leave a tl;dr of sorts towards the end)

c1e45: The Kings protect the Boobs from the avalanche (except Hardwon)

c1e54: Hardwon's death*

c1e54: Hardwon's visions while he's dead*

c1e54: Hardwon is revivified*

c1e55: Hardwon's dreamless sleep after dying*

c1e65: JV and Rosa in the fog, when he gives her his lantern*

c1e65: JV, the Duskmother, and Moradin*

c1e69: Hardwon seeing the day his father died while in Galad's sword

c1e75: Hardwon speaking up in the astral council: "You don't broker a deal with someone who calls themself a God"

c1e80: Hardwon's flashback in Hell: "Looks like a Dwarf to me"

c1e81: Hardwon fuses the Bronzebeard and Coldain hammers

c1e86: Hardwon throws King Coldain the Kingshammer in the Tarrasque fight

c1e86: Coldain returns the Kingshammer to Hardwon in the Tarrasque fight

c1e87: Hardwon and King Coldain talk about succession of the throne

c1e90: Hardwon dreams of Grimthor MacGannis in the fall of Irondeep

c1e91: Hardwon notices that the debris from Irondeep collapsing is gone

c1e93: Hardwon and King MacGannis talk about the Godshammer / MacGannis offers Hardwon the MacGannis Kingshammer

c1e98: Pestilence sends Bev and Bubbles to a Maze

c1e98: Bev in the maze, following Bubbles (instead of Erlin)

c1e99: Bev Sr. possesses Balnor so he can bless Bev's sword

-

c2e2: Fia and Zirk talk about their mentors and their books

c2e14: Jabari sees the past and is controlled to need to protect the King

c2e14: Jabari (still mind controlled) attacks Corbeau

c2e20: Bathilda retells the betrayal of the Blades / Cain and Moxora's attack on the Blades meeting

c2e21: Losgrar explains the Crux, and the cave in that killed hundreds

c2e22: The Third Mates plead with the Scrappers and Grez / The Scrappers and Grez stand off in the basement

c2e28: The Third Mates get through to Walder Lachnamoore (using Kenley's map and Remove Curse)

c2e40: The start of the ritual with the crown and Irina (that is ultimately corrupted by Moxora)

c2e41: Henry removing the crown

-

c3e21: Callie approaches and soothes the Silver Serpent

c3e27: Big Bev and Callie go down in the High King fight, the King tries to escape, Calder fails to finish him

c3e34: Murph talks about Moradin, the Kingshammer itself, and the blessings people seek at his statue

c3e38: Callie tries to soothe the Bronze Serpent (first attempt)

c3e38: Callie tries to soothe the Bronze Serpent (second attempt)

c3e39: Callie tries to soothe the Bronze Serpent (final attempt, after bean rat, which succeeds)

c3e45: Callie enters the helm ("I'm coming Calder")

c3e45: Hardwon summons the spirit guardians

(note: uses in c1 marked as a * are credited instead as "A Sight For Sore Eyes", and i'd also like to mention that i didn't exclude side campaigns or oneshots from this list. kingshammer just... isn't used outside of the main campaigns.)

now, looking at this list, there's something that's immediately obvious: you can't talk about kingshammer without talking about hardwon surefoot.

... and i say that, but i'm going to immediately do the opposite of that and talk about non-hardwon uses in c1 and c3, as well as all uses in c2. also, keep in mind that not every use 100% fits these categories, sometimes kingshammer is just the right song for the moment, and that's fine. let's get into it!

first: moradin. the man who created the hammer, so of course it would be used for him. i would place both of JV's scenes here (the first scene, though not featuring moradin directly, is tied to JV's afterlife), as well as the c3e34 moradin statue scene. (i also wouldn't be surprised if the JV scenes get kingshammer partially because of its link to jake like. on a meta level. but i digress)

second: once the godshammer is created in episode 93 (put a pin in that), kingshammer is no longer used for hardwon or the weapon itself. in the first campaign, the song shows up a few more times, all for beverly: when he's in the maze during the pestilence fight, and when bev sr. possesses balnor to speak to bev. these fall in line, to me, with the early uses of kingshammer for hardwon (post his death in ep54). being beyond the planes of the living, being trapped. hardwon sees lydia there and has to leave her behind for his friends; beverly sees erlin and does the same.

third: in eldermourne, kingshammer is largely used for rituals and betrayals, and is especially tied to the cycle of mistrust and betrayal that surrounds the children of the trickster; the final use being when henry goes to remove the crown from irina in the finale. it's seeded with the introduction of the guardians of the grove books in ep 2, and continues throughout. i'm not going to touch on every use here, some fit more obviously, but i want to call out a few things: 1. re; the use in e28, walder lachnamoore was specifically involved in the downfall of the summer and autumn children of the trickster after they had been manipulated by moxora/heredecia and 2. every other use comes in a pair (the use in 2 sets up bathilda's story in 28 / the two uses in 14 are both jabari getting controlled / 21 and 22 are the ghost dragon / 40 and 41 are both the crown)

fourth, i'm just going to quote emily on the c3e27 short rest: "kingshammer in [campaign 3] i'm trying to put under dragons and serpents, 'cause they're the weapons of this campaign." this covers the uses in eps 21, 27, 38, and 39. the use in 34 is for moradin, and the only other c3 use left is the one in episode 45. put a pin in that.

and with that we've covered all the other kingshammer uses. so, finally, let's talk about hardwon and kingshammer.

hardwon is definitely the strongest association the song has. especially in campaign 1, where it's almost exclusively used for hardwon and the kingshammer (the weapon, not the song) until the godshammer is created in episode 93.

i want to break these uses up real quick; first, let's look at the first handful of uses in campaign 1: 45, 54 (all of them), 55, 69. here, the song comes in as things get dire. the mountain collapses, and it looks like even as the kings save his friends hardwon is going to die. then, he dies and sees that lydia is trapped. he watches his father's last stand. kingshammer isn't a heroic theme for hardwon here, it's a theme he struggles against. it's not prompted by his actions, it's prompted by something happening to him. it's the weapon he wields, but in 69 it's even actively rejected him due to his vampiric nature.

and then, well, a few things happen. he's reborn, for one (literally). and then in episode 75, for the first time, hardwon prompts the song. he speaks up in the astral council, and says "you don't broker a deal with someone who calls herself a god." and his friends and allies stand with him.

after this, the uses in episodes 80-93 (keep that pin in episode 93) are pretty obviously tied to the weapon itself. the kingshammer. as it gets stronger, so does hardwon. the "looks like a dwarf to me" flashback is the first time he wields it. every other use concerns the hammers and the dwarven kings. the kingshammer isn't what makes hardwon a hero, not by a long shot. but the thing that's interesting to me is the turn here. it's no longer a song that happens to hardwon, not really. it's often a song prompted by hardwon's action, and it's more hopeful now. it represents the weapon and its legacy, which is a thing hardwon is coming to embrace.

now, about that pin. in episode 93, hardwon and macgannis talk about the godshammer. when macgannis offers hardwon his own hammer, hardwon says: "i don't necessarily have to be the guy, you know, if you wanna swing it--" and the song cuts off. they wrestle for the hammer, hardwon wins, and the godshammer is restored.

after this point, kingshammer is not used for hardwon again until campaign 3 episode 45, when he summons the spirit guardians at the 11th hour of the lord ultrus fight.

i just want to emphasize that; hardwon tells macgannis that he doesn't have to be the one who wields the kingshammer, and the song doesn't get used for him again until he accepts it back in campaign 3. when he says "hey boys, i think we have a friend to avenge," stands against ultrus, and his friends and allies stand with him. when he accepts himself as the wielder of the kingshammer again, and what that means to him (being a hero).

do you see-- i am talking directly to you, the single person who read this far-- do you see why the song use in this podcast is insane?? like! did murph know, back in the first campaign, that hardwon would return, be retired, and have given up the kingshammer? definitely not. does the use of kingshammer for hardwon mirror his arc in an insane way? yes.

so that's an overview of hardwon and kingshammer. however, we're not done. let's look at it all together: moradin, the kingshammer (the weapon), the uses for bev and jv in c1, betrayals and rituals in eldermourne, the serpents and dragons of c3, and hardwon's relationship to the hammer and the song.

kingshammer is a song for weapons. emily says it, when talking about campaign 3. and that is 100% a common theme here. but, going a bit further, it's also a song about the interaction of mortals and divine/otherworldly power.

often, it's mortals wielding that power. the kingshammer (the weapon) is a divine gift, given by moradin to the dwarven kings. a huge chunk of the uses, especially in c1, are directly tied to the weapon and hardwon's wielding of it. the spirit guardians is a huge example of this as well, as hardwon and his allies are touched by the kingshammer's magic and able to stand against ultrus. and also; bev sr uses the power of the shadowfell to bless bev's sword. and the serpents are oberon's weapon against the destruction of nature; glen uses the silver serpent for his own gains, gromdal does the same to the bronze. callie, meanwhile, doesn't use the serpents, not like glen or gromdal-- instead, kingshammer comes in when she attempts to soothe them. because ultimately, that's the way she wields their power. through connection.

sometimes, they're being pulled at by its influence instead. positively, or negatively. JV, when he's beyond death, meeting the gods. hardwon after his death, torn between lydia (who was put in this position by a god) and his friends. beverly, trapped by an avatar of thiala's magic, being guided by the ghost of erdan. the souls of irondeep being pulled from the prime material by lydia, the lord of shadowfell. callie, entering the helm where ultrus was trapped to save calder.

in eldermourne, this is less tangible. however; the betrayals and the children of the trickster. this cycle of betrayal is the biggest divine influence that remains in eldermourne. the blades are tied up in it, due to their ties to cerenysus and the betrayal by the blades who sided with moxora. walder is tied up in it, as i mentioned before, and he remains in his undead form because of the influence of moxora. jabari is influenced by the prophet-ed king into betraying his friends. the ghost dragon, an otherworldly being, is created by pain caused by mortal actions. and then the crown ritual, at the very end. when moxora, disguised, betrays them and shows irina the third mates "betraying" their ideals, out of context. and the last use, with henry, is as he steps up to end the cycle, one that he had been a part of before.

it's all mortals and the otherworldly, and the places they meet. it's hardwon and his mortal allies, standing together on the premise that you don't broker a deal with someone who says they're a god. and, at the same time, it's hardwon and his allies finding strength in the kingshammer's magic to stand against the avatar of one. it's the ways the two influence each other. an intervention by one onto the other. sometimes they draw strength from each other, other times they're opposed. it's a song that is dire, and also hopeful. oftentimes, which of those is the case is determined while the song is playing.

tl;dr: kingshammer has a lot of uses, but it's very consistently used to represent (divine) weapons, and the interactions between mortals and the divine/otherworldly. when applied to hardwon specifically, it has a lot to do with his journey as a hero and accepting that that's what he is.

(also, since i'm writing this before either happens: don't be surprised if it's used for the ice knife (the weapon) and/or the final serpent whenever we meet it. both of these have a high chance of getting kingshammer applied to them considering everything that's been set up about the ice knife and also, y'know, serpents.)

in conclusion: you can pay careful attention to the music in naddpod, but watch out. you might accidentally write 2.5 thousand words about a song. thank you for reading.

and go listen to kingshammer-- aside from all the meaning it also just kicks ass.

-

notes, disclaimers, etc:

for the purposes of this, if the song loops, it's part of the same use. if it is used later in the same episode, it's noted separately.

this is mentioned above, but not every use fits 100%. murph and emily very deliberately use music throughout the story to inform it, and also sometimes kingshammer is just the right song for a moment. both are true.

as a follow up to that, i'm not claiming that all of this was the specific intention. i'm just saying that when you look at kingshammer's uses as a song, there are some pretty strong themes, and it's fun to examine those.

i am not perfect. this is for fun. if i missed one, i'm sorry, feel free to point it out, and also i'll edit this post if that's the case

i would once again like to call out alli operationslipperypuppet for her help. she pointed out the divine connection first, and in general helped immensely. and, if naddpod music interests you, she's another person who often goes insane about it.

i am not above doing this for other songs, if you're interested let me know (few songs are as prolific as kingshammer, however)

[mysterytwink]

every book that i have ever read about trolls, they do not make friends, they are bitter nasty…… things

[acebender]

motherfucker

[darewitchstr]

oooooh i just realised they added their live points on the screen along with the pictures of their characters CAUSE BEAU IS BLINKING RED CAUSE CALEB AND FJORD ALMOST KILLED HER