The Medusa's Cascade

Let's set the scene, shall we? The group finalizes its plans for Operation Boom Stick. Chan, Thorak, and Valen are all laying out the trap for their "friend", but first they need to acquire a large amount of andrite. Ursus, Bob, and Dona have a different objective... using Bob's Mask of Many Faces and some bardic charm, he makes a spectacle of himself as the "true voice of Hastur." Before they leave, the Journeyman gives them some gifts for the road, one in particular was a tuning fork of disruption, a prototype that Chan holds on to. 

Thorak, disguised as Snorak, makes his way to a warehouse that stores andrite, serving as a distraction for Chan and Valen to sneak in and grab the andrite without anyone the wiser. If only it were that simple. With some jerry-rigged reverse lock picking, polymorphing, the tuning fork, and some giant's might, the team might manage to pull it off, albeit not nearly as smoothly as they'd hope to be.

In the town, Bob is putting on a grand show of being the "voice of Hastur" with an unwilling Ursus in tow and given the most unflattering of names. They are certainly getting a lot of attention and are sure that the priest in town has caught wind of this imposter. Dona, who keeps watch as a lookout, slips away after and catches the tail end of "mass". Slipping into the shadows, she hears a language she doesn't recognize and continues deeper to get a better look at what's going on, only to see the priest kneeling and speaking in hushed tones. 

The team reconvenes at a bar and catches each other up on what transpired. Dona recalls what the priest said, despite not understanding the language, and Ursus confirms that it is Abyssal. It reveals a conversation between the priest and someone up north, warning about the group causing trouble. With that, final plans are made, and the pieces are set. We finish as the group notices a few onlookers glaring at the party, their faces tense. Ursus shouts, "WHO WANTS A ROUND OF DRINKS ON ME?!" This cuts some of the tension short of a handful of patrons who are still visibly glaring. Valen makes his way "drunkenly" towards them, using Bob's singing as a distraction to exploit Mindsplinter's ability to detect thoughts. The spell tells Valen that they were given orders to take the party out. 

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 Efflorescence

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The group, minus Arguile and Galahad, is recovering from the crash and taking stock of what they lost and what they can recover. Before Duo heads out with Shanks to scout, Zechs urges Duo to be vigilant, as the last time they were in the Feywild, he nearly lost Duo to the Feywild, and Duo assures him that he'll be careful. With that, Shanks and Duo conduct a quick scout of the area and confirm that the forest is dense and that the denizens are abundant. With a quick ping of Zechs' primeval awareness, he confirms the overwhelming amount of fey in the area. Given the recon, they discuss ways to keep themselves safe if the need arises, using their kits, such as protection from Evil and Good or Galahad's aura. 

Glad takes a moment to make an offer to the land, asking for safe passage. With that, the group sets off and encounters a pixie with a taste for booze. The more Glad engages with them, the more apparent Zechs' disapproval becomes. While Glad gets herself into a sticky situation with the fey, she's able to relieve herself of the pixie after giving it some booze from the minibar, guiding it into a fey trap. To which Zechs further stresses that the group does their best to follow his lead and instructions, as he is the only one of the group who has actually lived in the Feywild, which gets some jokes about him being no fun, but the group obliges.

Zechs eventually finds the group a good spot to camp for the evening, and they break into watches, with Arguile and Shanks taking first watch, joined by Duo. They discuss how Duo wants to do more than sit on the sidelines and scout, and the rogues encourage him to tell his dad how he feels. They also tell him that they'll back him up and help teach him things if that makes things easier, which he's grateful for. The second watch is Turk and Galahad, where Turk reveals why the crash left him so shaken and reveals more about his time before meeting the group. After which, they discuss Paladin oaths, and Galahad speaks about his training with Antonius, the markings on his arm symbolizing each year committed to each oath, and eventually running into the party. He assures Turk that the group will be there to aid him if he ever asks, whether for training or to take down Kaz, to which Turk is grateful. 

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We pick back up with the group making final plans and preparations so they can head to Uscana for Glad's boone. Arguile suggests that, since it would take quite a long time by land or sea, and even by airship, the group uses the Strauss company jet piloted by Baf, who retires after this final ride. The group has many questions about how the aircraft works and emergency plans in the event the plane goes down. Arguile does his best to quell nerves, even pointing out that he doesn't like flying but feels safe in there. 

The group discusses how to approach their destination as the Feywild partially inhabits Uscana, and several, but not limited to, the Blooming Court have control. Zechs tells the party what he can of his time in the Feywild, and cosigns Glad's warnings of using real names and their traps because, as we know, the Fey are assholes.

Their journey isn't all smooth sailing: the group is under attack by flying fey creatures, Shanks is momentarily blinded, and their pilot doesn't make it. The group gets ready for a fight while Glad and Turk do their best to land the jet safely. Galahad takes flight and makes quick work of the main assailant as the group does their best against fey magic and a now-descending jet. The fight is won, but the crew makes a bumpy crash landing at their destination. Hopefully, they can finish this quest better than they started it. 

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the party journeys toward Ors Themar, they encounter more creatures of the Underdark before overhearing a tense Drow scouting group speaking about them in Undercommon. After a wary exchange, the two groups discover a shared ally in Nettie and agree to travel together. While Yuirk and Arguile pass the time with Dragonchess, the party learns of Ors Themar’s dire state and prepares for the dangers ahead, including the ominous Chasme whose droning echoes through the tunnels. Upon reaching the outskirts, they slip past the front gate and enter a ruined, silent city where danger quickly finds them. A gargoyle ambush ignites a massive battle, soon joined by scavengers, Chasme, and a charging force of Armanites as the party struggles to conserve resources and survive.

The fight intensifies as Shanks is struck by an unknown sniper’s massive arrow, prompting him to pursue the hidden threat while the others press deeper into the devastated streets in search of Enich. Arguile deciphers Thieves’ Cant that hints at possible clues, but before the party can investigate further, they are confronted by an iron golem, forcing another exhausting battle. Meanwhile, Shanks locates the sniper’s perch, sets an explosive trap, and collapses the structure, only to realize his target survived. The chaos escalates as the team fights wave after wave of enemies, the city ringing with clashing metal, buzzing wings, and thundering hooves, until Shanks’ frantic updates suddenly cut off as he’s struck down in retaliation.

With resources nearly spent and enemies still swarming, the party begins a desperate retreat. Yurik uses Dimension Door to recover Shanks, while Galahad ferries allies through the streets under heavy fire. Zechs, carried by Salix in giant eagle form, creates a massive pit with his Hole Thrower to slow their pursuers and even tosses a summoned baboon from his Bag of Tricks to add to the chaos. Bloodied, exhausted, and barely holding the line, the Collateral crew manages to regroup and flee deeper into Ors Themar, another narrowly survived chapter in their relentless fight through a city under siege.

There’s so much happening, and we pick up with arc 29, “Demon's Arithmetic”. How will the rest of this story unfold? Find out next time on the Medusa’s Cascade: Collateral Damage!

Theme Music is written and performed by Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The scene opens mid–bar fight as the Slash Brothers swiftly subdue the patrons and question the barkeep about the warforged priest. The interrogation ends abruptly when the barkeep becomes overtaken by a force tied to the King in Yellow and attacks, only to be knocked unconscious. The group presses deeper into the city toward the temple, noting its ominous architecture and the same eerie laughter they heard the night before echoing behind its doors. Thorak bursts them open with Thaumaturgy, revealing a chaotic scene centered on an altar marked with familiar, unsettling symbols.

As they advance, they spot a ranting figure, clearly the priest, and prepare for battle. After a brief verbal exchange, Thorak cuts him down, but the priest only laughs from the floor, promising a “fun” reunion in Blackburn before vanishing entirely. Bob warns that more enemies are coming, prompting the group to search for an exit and anything useful. They barricade one door, open another, and unexpectedly step into a familiar tavern. There, Chan meets the Journeyman for the first time while Thorak quietly gathers barrels for a developing plan. The Journeyman listens to their report and offers a drastic solution: time travel.

The party rests, strategizes, and collects helpful items, including a tuning fork of disruption. Bob tries to hoard nearly everything in the workshop, but is forced to be selective. With the choice between navigating an army’s worth of enemies back to Blackburn or altering the timeline, they split into two specialized teams: one to gather materials and prepare a trap for the priest, and the other to counteract his influence, with Bob disguising himself as a depraved version of the priest. Thus, Operation Boom Stick is born.

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We find Galahad at an establishment called The Old Pickaxe, where he meets the owner, Ron, and they bond over Dwarven whisky and rare steak. Galahad is given some behind-the-scenes information about the city and how things truly operate, and is even asked whether he and the party would be up for another job to overthrow a corrupt figurehead, given their resume, but has to mull it over, given their tight schedule at the moment. The party sans the tea crew meets up with Galahad to discuss how things were after he left, explain the peculiar game they played and the smell, and think about whether there is even enough time for a new quest, given their ever-growing to-do list. 

Later on in the week, while the group makes their preparations for Uscana, Zechs goes out to find information about his bow, Jack of All Trades. Zechs meets a man named Hollis Breckthane, the owner of the Hollow String shop, who informs him that his bow is made of a special and extremely rare metal called ghost silver. He had come across it once before at the Silver Static Drift in the Astral Sea, a place where gods go to die, and he acquired it from a dead god's tooth to make arrows that were confiscated. Zechs gets an in-depth lesson on how his bow truly works and is appreciative of the insight, realizing he has a long way to go but a clear path to fully grasping the bow's capabilities. He buys an elven saber for Argo and heads out. At the same time, Galahad picks up his newly reforged sword, Kanna's Blazing Fury, and purchases the thunderstrike mace as he's grown attached to the weapon. He's informed that the rest of the crew's orders will be ready later that week, and thanks him for the time and excellent work, getting to see just how the newly forged blade works and feels. He's impressed and excited to test out this improved beast of a weapon.

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The group finishes plans to go to the Ren Faire, recounting the fight and what transpired during some members' visit to the other side. They decide to pick up some supplies, place some orders, and stock up before the next leg of their trip. Eventually, they finally arrive at the Ren Faire, and Arguile gives a lay of the land. Shanks and Zechs make quick work of the archery game, Turk enters an exhibition fight to test his new abilities but gets promptly defeated, and Galahad has... a slightly more unique experience. 

The champion of Bahamut enters the jousting competition, summoning a pegasus as his mount. He loses the first match with the crowd favorite, The Red Knight, but with such a great battle, they go into a rematch right away. We see Galahad the victor, but he brings the Knight near death's door, thankfully bringing him back with Lay on Hands. He hands him some coins as an apology and promptly leaves. In his exit, he unfurls the pegasus wings and hits a few onlookers with them before flying off. The rest of the crew split into groups. Turk and Zechs head to a fortune teller and get some very on-the-nose readings. Arguile and Shanks head to the casino, later meeting up with Zechs and Turk, where some had better luck than others. 

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the southern island of Ecra, where the Noku Peaks split into the Collapsing Slopes and the Silvered Highlands, sits the mountain of Ghelgo and the ancient city built upon and deep within it.

In the thirteenth episode of Across the Planes, Tom, Frim, and Jaime discuss and come up with the lore surrounding the mountain city of Ghelgo. Throughout the conversation, they discuss the culture, religion, industry, and overall vibe of the Southern reaches of Iwi.

VO: Frimmer Starstone, Jaime (d20dinner), and Thomas Lapierre III

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We find the party all getting up and gathering their things after their long rest, filling each other in on what they've been seeing or hearing all night. It's decided that they should head to the mines and determine what happened to the people. As they head over towards the mines, Bob decides to take a quick detour on his own to do a little shopping. It takes a second for the group to notice, catch up with him, and decide it wouldn't hurt to stock up on supplies, unaware of any dangers that await them ahead. 

As the party arrives and begins venturing into the mines, the book grows warmer the deeper they go. As they explore more through a maze of stalagmites and rock formations, they come upon a large and disturbing scene. They are reminded of the gruesomeness described on the ship that crashed into port, and this is so much worse. The party steel themselves and decide whether to destroy the effigy or leave it and investigate further.

Bob can translate the book, and Ursus begins to read the book, learning of the many names of The King in Yellow, particularly Hastor. At this point, Bob begins trying to take down the effigy, but isn't making so much as a dent. The group decides to feed the book to the altar and see if it triggers something, as the book has been vibrating more and more throughout their time there. 

Afterwards, when the group felt they had exhausted all the clues and information they'd gathered here, they decided their next course of action was to head to Midmount. As they decide on this, the group realizes they're being watched and finds itself surrounded by the watchers it has been encountering since its arrival, even though it doesn't recall all of them. When Valen uses Mindsplinter to cast Detect Thoughts, he hears many voices saying, "He waits." After a wave of psychic energy emits from around them, Valen and Chan are compelled to begin crying uncontrollably. The rest of the party, unaffected, bring them with them to try to lead them out of the mines. They finally arrive in Midmount shortly afterwards and find out what's been going on in town from the locals, confirming that a warforged priest is very charismatically gathering followers.

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The aftermath of the fight sees Zechs, Turk, and Shanks being brought back up. Turk's magic seems to have left him, as a plume of black smoke leaves him, and Zechs has a white handprint that has appeared on his own hand where Tumra touched him. Turk appears visibly angry with his former patron, and Galahad tries to assess the group. Shanks is brought back from the brink of death, and he awakes, feigning memory loss, to cut the visible tension. Zechs heals Arguile and directs Arguile towards his brother and mother. The family reunites and comforts each other through their grief, then reconvenes with the party before heading back into the city. The party looks over the area to see if there's anything worth grabbing before heading out and finds several things, including armor that they're unsure is cursed, so Turk holds off on putting it on until they can find something better suited for him. 

The party decides to head to their lodgings rather than Dorna's home, at least until they can be sure it's safe for them to return. As they return, per their usual routine, the drinks begin to pour, and some seem a bit more tense after the fight than others. After checking in on one another and trying to plan their next moves, the group decides to go out on the town to get some tattoos. Shanks, Turk, Glad, Galahad, Arguile, and even Dorna all join in getting tattoos and blowing off some steam. 

Later that night, Shanks, Turk, and Zechs all divulge what happened to them while they were out of commission, and they all had wild experiences with gods and patrons, which they are shocked by; this is fairly normal for them. There's a bit of inventory sorting and such before heading out to negotiate for Galahad's belt. With some trades, gold, and bartering, he's able to acquire the Belt of Fire Giant Strength. There are plans to pick up their special gear, Glad's boon via airship, and a trip to the Ren Faire for some much-needed revelry after a long few weeks. 

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 Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Title Card by Pierce Graphics 

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.