#lydia does taz

[autocorrection]

prepare for trouble, and make it [quadruple!]

[pldubrahs]

as i’m watching sophmore yr episode 1 again and thinking abt the most recent episode, i’m considering how fabian being “less cool” is a character choice lou made bc fabian is comfortable enough w his friends that he doesn’t have to be Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Son Of Bill Seacaster. with these people, he can just be fabian, the 16 year old boy, and that means he doesn’t have to always project a collected, cool, perfect persona in front of them but can be a bit of a loser and they’ll tease him for it but still love him in the end and it’s all okay

[soledadcatalina]

[image description: a drawing of Lydia, a dark elf with grayish-purple skin and neatly coiffed black hair that’s shaved on the sides. She’s wearing a red suit with fur-lined cuffs and fur-lined lapels that connect to a large, furry collar. She’s also wearing large yellow-tinted sunglasses and a yellow bowtie. Her hands are on her hips and a small smile on her face. There are two broken hearts drawn on either side of her, and the background is blurry and gray, streaked with strobe lighting.]

cleaned up my lydia sketches & wow im lesbian?

[camorrsthorn]

[wonderland twins voice] your shit is completely wrecked

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

Okay okay okay I hope you're still taking these and that you don't mind me sending another one in, but for the share a secret about a fic thing, I just read Say it with Flours, and it's past 3:30 in the morning for me, but I HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS FIC AND THEN EAT IT IT'S SO GOOD

stop i woke up and saw my inbox and almost cried !!!!!!!!!!

okay so i got inspired to write this after i watched Bridesmaids in a hotel with my parents, actually! and i agonized over a name to the point where the final doc on my computer is still just called "currently unnamed wedding shenanigans" [i still don't love the name tbh but i think it ended up being cute!]

i believe i was starting this as i was finishing trial of lucretia because i have no self control and decided that my first forays into fic ought to be three very long (for me) multichapter fics skldfjsldfsdl

this is my single most well-performing fic as well as my longest (the final doc on my computer is 92 pages long which is nuts to me!!!!) and it's fun to me because you can absolutely tell this was before i had a bit of a better grasp on characterization (and just. writing in general) but you can also see a marked improvement from beginning to end.

i had decided this would be a no magic, still fantasy races au like. a few chapters in which really has no bearing on the fic as a whole, it just felt right.

some secrets!

i've talked about this somewhere but my explanation for Taako being a father is that he spent a lot of his adolescence working at like. a boys and girls club style place and then a lot of his young adulthood working with another similar organization and he decided he wanted to foster and then fostered Angus for like two and a half years before deciding to adopt him (and this happened some time before the actual canon of the fic)

this is something that i don't think a single person has ever picked up on (because it really doesn't matter sldfjsldf) but lydia and edward are the photographers at the wedding (very blink and you'll miss it mention).

I originally wanted it to be such a slower burn but i literally couldn't figure out how to not make it drag.

the chapter names were a pain in my ass but the kiss does take place during Tulips which makes me giggle (and that's the only reason why it's called tulips)

and also I had originally wanted to add more scenes during the wedding but that chapter was like fifteen pages by itself and I got antsy

as in most of my fics that have Julia, she's much taller than magnus <3

the opinions on macaron flavors and phillip glass are my own sdlfjsd

and it was such a fun piece to write!!! this was really the piece that made me stick with writing fic. I was a little discouraged with the lack of traction I thought trials of lucretia got so this was a nice change for me

ALSO i did write a piece that is in its universe for the taz novemeber celebration

[kindofwriter]

RQG is almost over - have some recs!

Usually I’d make several brief recommendations, but instead I’m just going to make two really earnest ones.

Skyjacks

Beloved sky-pirate show I am already re-listening to.

Things it has in common with RQG:

Exceptionally detailed and historical world building. Whilst Spéir is a fictional world an awful lot of thoughts has been put into its history, cultures, and mechanisms. There is so much lore.

A very specific system of magic that includes The Luminaries, which work as a sort of equivalent of Greek gods in RQG.

A PC having something akin to a crisis of faith.

A young PC just starting to learn about his abilities.

If you take RQG Wilde and give him Grizzop’s bite, Sasha’s tragedy, and Hamid’s ability to look like a funky little half-dragon you’ve basically got Travis Matagot.

You know the way Ben and Lydia play their characters? How just a tiny bit of their developing irl friendship goes into every relationship their characters form and it’s really sweet and it makes for great game play? Well, have I got great news for you about Johnny and Liz!

British people, both in the way you’d think and in funky new ways!

Arcs are tied to places more so than battles etc. A storyline will start and end in a place (though always with leads to a new story).

It doesn’t quite have a great, overarching plot in quite the same way RQG does, but each character has a storyline they follow continuously throughout the show, and there are important plot details introduced in the prologue that are still being followed now.

Dearly beloved NPCs.

The point below is simultaneously a massive spoiler and also something you kind of know from the prologue. It’s complicated, but if you’re interested already and don’t want any spoilers just skip to the text titled section.

BLANK SPACE TO ALLOW FOR TIME TO SKIP.

Canon qpr, not in the way that those exact words are said, but in the way that that kind of relationship is described, and also allowed to play out in game. If you like Zoscar but feel disappointed by the lack of development this relationship featuring no historical figures is for you!

Fun added bonuses!

Nonbinary player character from the get-go!

The cultures are so much more carefully and sensitively researched and presented. Mistakes and missteps don’t slip by unnoticed and are always publicly corrected, often with the help of professionals. Even minor story details are dissected and adapted to ensure they’re not portraying anyone’s culture in a bad light.

There’s a lot more time for talking, therefore a lot more time for character and relationship growth.

Grief. A lot of time is allowed for it, and it always comes up again.

It’ll be way easier to catch up on than RQG was if you only started recently!

Almost every episode has fun bonus content at the end. Especially good if the episode you’ve just listened to is particularly harrowing!

If you liked RQG for its character development, world building, and long running campaign then this is for you! If you liked it for the game mechanics alone then probably not, lol.

TAZ: Amnesty

I know a lot of people who are into podcast rpgs started out with taz, but I also know a lot of RQG fans started out with tma as their first ever podcast. Hence this ol’ classic.

Things it has in common with RQG:

Real-world setting! Amnesty takes place in West Virginia, by the Monongahela National Park! Though Kepler is fictional town it’s made to fit seamlessly into WV.

A young spell-slinger learning about their powers!

A beloved rogue!

I don’t wanna spoil it, because the in-game reveal is stellar, but something Bertie-adjacent (in possibly the only good way something can be Bertie-adjacent).

Weird, other-worldly portal magic.

Powered by the apocalypse, baybee!

Arcs very much centred around boss-battles.

NPCs to the same level of importance, I’d say, as RQG. They’re interesting, complex, and given time to bond with PCs, but they’re not always there. The focus is still very much on the PCs and their adventures.

*takes regular thing and makes it fantasy*

Queer characters introduced immediately! And they’re a whole heck of a lot nicer than Bertie, so honestly pro for Amnesty here.

Backstories are revealed slowly throughout the course of the narrative in a way that really helps you understand - and makes you love! - the PCs.

Fun added bonuses!

I know this isn’t for everyone, but a lot more goofs allowed in-game. RQG is largely ‘funny bts, serious game play’ but TAZ really mixes this up and honestly I’m not complaining!

If you like it then there’s a ton more similar content in the form of other campaigns!

Since this is the second campaign it starts out top quality. I know a lot of people struggled with the sound-scaping in early RQG; you won’t get that issue here.

If you didn’t enjoy the extreme detail of the mechanics in RQG but still want to learn about an rpg system this is a great balance between Skyjacks and RQG. They’re playing Monster of the Week, which is much simpler than Pathfinder, and you can easily pick up the rules without them overstating them.

Flashbacks, both a la Roman Rogues side quest and in a really sad way.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

TAZ Balance Fic Recs

I’m making this 90% because I love these fics and the world needs to know and 10% because I need help finding them once I’ve read them. Let’s begin!! (I will not be tagging authors because I only know a few writers on this list, but if anyone else wants to tag them, feel free :>)

Refractory - Written by Nesswrites on Ao3 - Rated T 

Refractory adj. (rih-frack-tuh-ree) 1. Stubborn or unmanageable. 2. Resistant to a process or stimulus.

Kravitz, a young orthopedic surgeon, is thrust into what feels like a different reality when he meets psychiatric patient, Taako. In a strange flurry of events, he finds himself being drawn toward this man, spending more and more time in a department that he used to hate and becoming invested in a patient who isn't one of his own.

Taako, an in-denial anorexia patient, is forced into a long-term hospital stay by friends and family who worry about his waning health. When he meets an attractive doctor from another wing, he begins to wonder if maybe this was the star-crossed love that he was always destined for. At least, that's what hundreds of episodes of Grey's Anatomy taught him.

In other words, the hospital drama nobody wanted but everyone got

I just really love this fic, guys, there’s not a lot I can say. It’s well written

Bury the Lead - Written by marywhale on Ao3 - Rated T

Taako’s senior year at Neverwinter High could be going better. Faced with a choice between joining the school’s floundering newspaper or being expelled, he opts for a career in journalism.

Lucretia, the paper’s editor, kind of wishes he'd gone the other way.

As the first TAZ fic I ever read in my life, this was really good. Even if it wasn’t the first fic I ever read, I still would love it. It captivated me in a way I didn’t think fics could.

Seven Raptors - Written by DragonWrites on Ao3 - Rated M

In a distant plane, Fate brings together seven scientists and explorers, who set out to explore the unknown and find themselves on a mission to save all of existence.

In another, far harsher plane, Fate brings those same seven together again. But these Seven Birds have been shaped by a crueler, much less forgiving world. These Seven Raptors are the villains in their story.

And when the two flocks meet, each of the Seven Birds must come face to face with who they might have been--who they might still become--if they let the darkness consume them.

I’ve had an idea in my head for a while of the birds meeting themselves but on a different plane? And this fic makes that idea so much more than I ever thought it could be. The first chapter really drew me in and I read it all in one night (with help from insomnia).

More below the cut!!

Serendipity and it’s inconspicuous faults - Written by TasteofDeath of Ao3 - Rated G

The morning after Angus comes home with a sore tummy and a stomach bug, things are starting to get better.

Or, Angus’ fathers have a fun time loving their little boy and a not so fun time worrying about his health

This is absolutely the cutest fic I’ve ever read. It made me tear up but in the good way. Also everything by TasteofDeath is amazing, check them out.

From the blackest room - Written by FordRiverBlues - Rated M

The authorities on a new plane mistake Barry for an enemy spy. They want information he doesn't have. Barry just wants to survive.

What can I say, I like angst. I’ve spent long hours thinking about this fic. Barry is a comfort character of mine and apparently I love seeming my comfort characters going through hard stuff. It’s just a good fic, my dudes.

The Sweetest, Dorkiest Love - Written by ceilingfan5 - Rated G

Anxious about giving Taako the perfect Valentine's present, Kravitz trades Lup two weeks of night shifts so she'll teach him how to make chocolates. It doesn't go as planned, but love wins out anyway.

Okay listen. I just said I liked angst buuUUUT - Heck, this fic is so soft and I really love and it made me cry because they’re just so soft.

All the Things You Prayed For - Written by anonymousAlchemist and marywhale - Rated T

Taako's been dead for two years. Taako's been dead for seven decades. Depends how you count it.

Her brother is dead and Lup’s a whole lifetime into the future. It’s a brave new world out there and she’s trying not to think about it too hard. She gets the feeling that if she starts thinking, she won’t ever stop, and she can’t afford to be out of commission. She's the only Captain America the new century’s got.

Lup is Cap, Taako fell from a train, and eventually all ghosts come in from the cold. You guessed it—it's a TAZ/Marvel shakeup baby. We're bringing the party to you.

If you’ve been anywhere on tumblr, you’ve heard some mention of this fic and for good reason!! I’m not into any superhero stuff so it took a while to read it because I didn’t think I’d understand it. But honestly? You don’t need to know anything about any superhero to read this. It’s written excellently and I really like it.

It's Difficult To Learn About Yourself When You Didn't Know You Could - Written by Casual_Scribbles - No rating

He licks his lips, running his knuckle along the spiral binding of his notebook. “I was reading my Caleb Cleaveland books – some of the newer ones, where he's a teenager – and one of the characters that were introduced was, um, they’re nonbinary. And I- I've heard of that before, but I didn't know a lot about it, so I looked it up.” He looks up and Miss Lup is listening to him attentively, her ears perked up. She nods at him.

“And I found out- I thought it was just one thing, ma'am,” he feels bolder, having seen the encouragement on her face. “But it's not. It’s a lot- it's so many things, Miss Lup! And I was looking through them and I just- some of them felt really familiar. Like- like I knew exactly what the writer was trying to say and I-”

(They'd been more than familiar. They'd been-)

No. They weren’t his.

Angus struggles to come to terms with something new he learns about himself, but thankfully his family is there to support him.

Non-binary Angus!!! Non-binary Angus!!!!!!! That’s all I have to say!!! Read it!!!!

Back to Wonderland - Written by OhWowAltMal - Rated G

When lich twins Edward and Lydia pull a trick far too convincing for Taakos liking, he may have found himself panicking and making some rash decisions. Just a little, though.

He definitely doesn't break the umbrastaff in half, looking for his (real?) sister.

An alternative look at the live show in Orleans, and how it could have gone.

This idea was something I didn’t even think of but I love it so much?? Half of me wishes this is what really happened, but they write the characters so well that it feels like it did.

I Know I've Kissed You Before - Written by Desiree_Harding - Rated T

"He thinks, one day, that maybe what he’s been feeling is the urge to show Kravitz, really show him, how much Taako cares about him. To make it… official. That he’s not going anywhere. Because Kravitz doesn’t live off of implications like Taako does, and maybe Taako’s a little tired of making him translate.

Maybe Taako wants to do a little bit of the work for him, just once."

AKA The story of how Taako and Kravitz got married alone in their kitchen on Candlenights (on purpose they swear)

This??? Is incredible?? It’s a (long winded but worth it) process of Taakitz proposing. I have no words, truly.

Six Years - Written by WritingIsMyCoffee and zumbah_plumbah - Rated T

Six years ago, Taako was kicked out of culinary school for an altercation between him and his roommate, forever crushing his lifelong dream of becoming a chef.

Six years ago, Merle was fiddling with the ring on his finger that he no longer needed to wear.

Six years ago, Magnus was sitting beside a hospital bed and holding his wife's hand.

Now, Taako is burdened with the struggles of raising a ten year old. Merle is wondering whether or not he wants that ring to become an obligation. Magnus is struggling to overcome the grieving process. For the past six years, the three of them have been running away from their problems and the reasons that brought them to where they currently are. Now they will be forced to face the music and deal with what happened in the past in order to move on.

FUCK!!! Fuck this made me cry?? I really like it. I really really like it. It’s so raw and emotional. All the characters fit perfectly.

synecdoche - Written by androids_fighting93 - Rated M

Echoes of the seven of them stretch into infinity, and now there’s Kravitz, a parallel line that they keep crossing despite all physical laws. Taako can see how they are bound together, he and Lup and the rest of the crew, white shimmering cords that stretch between them, between himself and Kravitz, and every aspect of Kravitz and every aspect of the Raven Queen in every world, all existing simultaneously. The Light falling to countless worlds at once, the Hunger descending over it all, the same patterns into infinity and nothing to stop it except for a silver ship, a bright beacon, unique among it all. He can see all of it.

They’re hunted by two immensely powerful creatures now, the Hunger and the Raven Queen’s servant. It's too bad Taako can't seem to stay out of harm's way.

I read this again recently and it broke my heart all over again. The idea is wonderful, the writing is even better. Please go read this fic!!!

[allthatdivides]

the last time I played dnd was before I had listened to any podcast, ever, and now I'm finally playing again, after listening to the entirety of taz and rqg, and a fair handful of critical role. it is a WILD experience going from being the lydia of the party (not that familiar with the rules, struggles with maths, just there to have a good time) to being the Bryn of the party (knows Every Rule, does maths in seconds, a ball of energy because Gameplay With Rules)

[elekinetic]

do they vape? taz balance editon

magnus: hell no! vaping is bad for you

taako: yes. has a bedazzled holographic vape pen with a fuzzy keychain on the end. tries to do smoke rings and shit but can’t so he tries to magic it but fails miserably. has never been more frustrated in his life

barry: occasionally. was peer pressured into it a couple of times. if he’s drunk and the flavor is strawberry pinapple limeade, he might. it makes his stomach hurt edit: he does chainsmoke but does not vape. call him old fashioned (taako: or just old!)(barry: what the fuck man you’re literally like 150 years older than me what)

davenport: doesn’t vape! is actually straight-edge because this goddamn gnome is high on LIFE

merle: this little dwarf can fit so many goddamn juuls in it. merle vapes like there is no tomorrow. he has a portable rig that he can pop open from his bag of holding that is at least 4 by 4 feet large. also a master of vape tricks. knows how to do nearly everything just by watching someone do it once. taako flips his SHIT. it turns into the “adam” vine but seriously violent. the magnus-arm-crystal incident is nearly forgotten. (nearly)

lucretia: does not vape. knows it’s terrible for her (girl lost 20 years already) and also: smoke a doobie like a real man. she does smoke weed and one time merle walked in on her hotboxing one of the closets in her office and immediately pulled out a bong. (tears were shed.)

lup: vapes and only vapes to do tricks in front of taako since he can’t. other than that, she does not vape.

angus: that is a CHILD sir no way. also, angus took it upon himself to steal as many peoples vapes as he could (why the hell are they smoking these!! didn’t they read the articles i showed them??) lup did not notice, barry’s vape is expired, taako caught angus trying to take his and merle’s shit is soul bound to him so

kravitz: nah. not into the whole drug thing. also doesn’t need it bc his breath is already so cold that he always looks like he’s vaping

killian: does not vape

carey: does not vape, but is obsessed with those liquid nitrogen ice creams that make it look like you’re vaping bc she wants to do tricks. her and magnus spend 18 hours straight at the new shop when it opens in neverwinter.

lucas: yes oh my god this fool invented a new type of vape pen that he tried to get everyone at the bureau to try. taako stopped vaping for a month to spite him.

other people who vape: that weird gerblin from htbg, juicy wizard, jenkins, cassidy, paloma, the prince guy of neverwinter, lydia and edward, john hunger, avi, johann

others who don’t: klaarg, sloane and hurley, captain captain bane, no-3LL3 (she’s a robot!!), roswell, istus

special shoutout to the inventor of the vape himself and the only person or being that can rival merle’s usage/addiction:

garfield the deals warlock

[primatechnosynthpop]

Hmm you know what I haven't done in a while... talk into the void about a niche self-indulgent crossover au... Well anyway it's time to break down New Adventures on the Zone (Balance edition, although you could easily do it with other taz arcs as well)

The B.O.B. fills the role of the Studio, sending the THB off to shoot films in different dangerous locations

With maybe a bit of variance between who gets which lines/does which specific thing in which scenes...

Neil -> Taako; Kevin -> Magnus; Ryan -> Merle

Angus fills the roles of both Kyle (the kid Kevin leaves standing alone in a field in episode 1) AND the kid who defends them from Max at the start of episode 3

John Smith -> Magic Brian. He lives in a secret lair underground and guards a treasure. Also is lit in purplish lighting. C'mon, this is obvious

Wendy -> Julia, but in this au the reason why the date goes poorly is because half of what Magnus says she just hears as static and it weirds her out. But instead of pretending to be dead it ends with her agreeing to go on another date with him (I know that's less funny but c'mon, it's magnulia, what else do you want from me)

Max -> Maarvy. Maybe the THB blowing up his battlewagon is less of an accident and more of an ""accident""

The Ghoul in Spooky Manor is a mysterious red-robed lich, and Barry Bluejeans is an innocent old groundskeeper....

The vigilante plotline stars Hurley and Sloane rather than the THB, but it resolves the same way, with Taako sneaking up and chloroforming Sloane immediately after an emotional moment in which Hurley shows her the error of her ways

There's also a B-plot about Taako lying to Merle about his relatives for no particular reason because that part is really funny and I don't want to change it

Rocky -> Steven the goldfish (he kinda rolls around inside his bowl to get around, I guess?)

Spencer -> John, as illustrated in this animatic I made a while back. Instead of using novelty ironic t-shirts to lure him into a box, they use a novelty chess set

Kravitz is the Misery Meister and he encases Merle in crystal (but the plot point of using a hairdryer to undo this spell is unchanged)

Frosty -> Upsy

The luck demon from the lost episode is Edward and Lydia. Instead of Taako's horseshoe necklace pulling him toward the electric car and choking him, the car battlewagon gets pulled toward him and lands on top of him, much like that one "bad luck" scene with the piece of heavy machinery

The ambiguous "President" -> Lucretia; she also brings Davenport with her and gestures at him when she says "it's like my best friend, the vice president, once told me". She puts the money tree in one of those things she put the relics into and wheels it off rather than just setting it on fire

Daxter Flaxter -> Garfield the deals warlock

Mitch Dollarton -> Lucas Miller. Originally I had him as Lord Artemis Sterling but Lucas is a gamer and also an antagonist so he works better

Even though Max was Maarvy before, I think his role in CF is filled by Klaarg because it also just works better

The Quackers are a bunch of gerblins, and Gunfoot is one of the judges from that judge planet

Instead of saying the hollywood east url, the THB look into the camera and say "www.maximumfun.org!"

[bythe-outsider]

Cosplay ideas tbh

[alternative-approachtochronology]

Sad TAZ Balance thought: Wonderland keeps pulling Barry in when he has a body because they say they can give him Lup and he's not sure what it means but he knows he has to find Lup.

Edward and Lydia are just like "this guy again? Does he not remember the other five times we've thrashed him?"

And that's why lich Barry helped Tres Horny Boys Escape Wonderland bc he remembers and it hurts

[pldubrahs]

the reason that no one’s commented on aubrey’s sunglasses is that they thought she was doing a casual dave strider cosplay and they didn’t want her to think they weren’t supportive

[soledadcatalina]

[Image description: two sketches of Lydia, the first just the lineart, the second coloured. Lydia is a dark elf with grayish-purple skin and neatly coiffed black hair that’s shaved on the sides. She’s wearing a red suit with fur-lined cuffs and fur-lined lapels that connect to a large, furry collar. She’s also wearing large yellow-tinted sunglasses and a yellow bowtie. Her hands are on her hips and a small smile on her face.]  

a couple lydia sketches, tried painting but the sketches look vastly better tbh

[herbgerblin]

(because i like how you write her in BitK) Lydia!

Oh really now? In that case I’m going to respond to this in terms of canon and in relation to how I’ve been writing her.

How I feel about this character

Love her. She’s very self-serving, but does enjoy entertaining others. In BitK, she’s snakey as fuck, but she recognizes authenticity in others, and I think that opens her up to be more vulnerable than she would like.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

shit boy i forgot about this question. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh we’ll see. :>My non-romantic OTP for this character

Her brother and her make the perfect team rocket-esque duo. I adore every moment they fuck shit up. My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t have much to say in terms of canon. For BitK, I’d say much of her pomp is put on for other people.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Just, more of them! I love that Taako is immediately drawn in by their aesthetic and he understands their line of reasoning in regards of being evil. I think TAZ elves are just Like That™. They all have the potential to be The Worst, but it’s folks like Taako and Lup who chose kindness and compassion over self gain.

[owlaholic68]

CR/TAZ crossover: Wonderland

Thinking about the M9 in Suffering Land tm:

EDIT: NOW WITH FIC! https://archiveofourown.org/works/17604710 ( @floootle tbh you gave me the drive to actually write it with your comment)

Jester is way too good at staying positive even when it gets very real, because that’s what she does 24/7 anyways. Jester spins Clock one round and gets some of her beauty taken away. She also gets Eye and loses some of her color vision, affecting her communication with the Traveler. Her last spin is Backpack, the vial of her mother’s perfume. Jester gives up 26 hit points in the healing game to heal Fjord for 13.

Beau having the opposite problem of Jester, which is that she naturally inclines towards the pessimistic side of things. Volunteers to take big sacrifices when the Wheel gets tough, and definitely takes two or three extra spins in the last round because some of the things the Elves ask of her party members are unthinkably impossible for them to give up, and Beau has stopped caring about her own weaknesses anyways. She spins: Hand (ability to catch missiles), Swords (a future battle), Skull (see Fjord, below), Clock (10 years), Brain (Jeweler’s tools proficiency), Backpack (her special initiative boots), and Brain (Elvish language). 

Poor. Caduceus. He gets the first Trust or Forsake, and of course he would pick Trust without a second thought, and of course the other team picks Forsake, and of course Caduceus ends up feeling kind of garbage about it even though he would have never picked anything different. Caduceus gives up 40 hit points in the healing game to heal Caleb for 20. Caduceus spins Body (max HP down by 10), Backpack (Periapt of Wound Closure – he refuses), and Question Mark (he gives up his tea set, keen sense of smell, and 15 years of his life).

Glass cannon Caleb suffers the most from the “No Healing” rule after getting knocked down to 1 hit point in the first Trust/Forsake battle. Besides Jester, the most stoic and after the first couple of minutes, he doesn’t hardly complain at all. Caleb spins: Skull (see Fjord, below), Hand (his writing hand becomes unpredictably shaky), Brain (ability to know the direction of North), Brain again (dyslexia, he refuses), Brain again (the memory of Trent, - he almost takes it but instead refuses), and finally Body (Edward and Lydia take pity on him and make him have an occasional stutter instead of lowering his already low Wizard Max HP).

Bad luck Fjord, who spins: Skull, Skull, Skull, and Skull again (the Elves have to check the Wheel to make sure it’s not rigged – it’s not, he’s just that unlucky). The first one hits both him and Caleb (the classic dishwasher falling from the ceiling almost killing them, ah the classic). Fjord Thundersteps them out from under it, but it gets real rough. The second is his boot coming untied at an inopportune time. The third is him and Beau both rolling Nat 1s on Dex saves and both fall and take a bunch of fall damage. The fourth is just…bad idk.

Nott who is always trying to escape the room(s) to try and find the Elves. Nott is the only reason they survive the first Trust or Forsake. She gets picked for the next round and pushes Forsake so fast it almost breaks the machine. Is the biggest producer of that black smog besides Beau. Gives 30 hit points to heal Caleb for 15, wants to give more but he won’t let her. Nott spins: Backpack (ring of Water Walking), Brain (she forgets three of her and Caleb’s plans and won’t be able to re-learn them), Backpack (her bottomless flask – she refuses because there’s no way she’s going to be able to get through this hell sober), and finally Hand (or Foot this time – she’s a little more clumsy).

The Elves do all they can to get Yasha to break, but they feel like they’re trying to counter a brick wall. She sacrifices 50 hit points to give Fjord 25. Yasha spins: Brain (ability to cast the Light cantrip), Swords (future fight), Brain (memory of the Harvest Close Festival – she narrowly agrees), Body (down 20 HP), and Hand (left pinky finger). She gets the last Trust or Forsake and decides Trust.