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TMC: The Mercurial Avengers
The Vineyard Vitalis - "That Tracks"
The Mercurial Avengers continue on their way after meeting up with their new ally, Arnable. As they head towards the Vineyard, they travel down the secret passage and, for the first time, take notice of faded markings and scriptures of something on the walls. Cereius, using his knowledge from the books that he has read in Utholok’s old study, sees a tale woven by the tabaxi ancestors in the tunnel that seems to predate the vineyard itself.
This tale showed a greater red demon with a skull mask, the Blood Lord, a being that the Nymoran goddesses fought off. The visage of plants that sprouted forth from a river of death from the feet of the throne in the scriptures resembled the blight fiend. This very plant of the Blood Lord was once brought to this plane, and bits of it remain, but the fragments of the goddess's power still remain in effect as well in large crystals scattered throughout the lands, as some of them remain asleep. Weaving together bits of the plot of Utholok and the Vitalis, they were able to determine that Orcus, lord of the undead, was somehow involved and that they were seeking to use his power to create a lich.
As the group continued with Arnable, they entered the vineyard and saw the marketplace in its entirety throughout the various levels. To no surprise, Arnable was shocked and appalled by the selling of people, illegal and stolen items, body parts, and various other things in the black market. As they came to the lower levels where the auction house was, they witnessed the selling of a young white tiger tabaxi that the son of the Vitalis family would later purchase.
Shortly after, they went to the fighting arena where they made it just a few hours before their past selves could get there, and saw in person the Master of Cruelties, the mistress of the Vitalis, and a huge proprietor of the Vineyard itself. Her demonic-like appearance was none in the least surprising, as her striking beauty and charm captured the hearts of the audience and worked them up into a fervor for bloodlust in the arena. Eventually, the group decided to leave, taking Arnable back with them to the topside and planning to reconvene at another time.
Lastly, before they parted with Arnable, he recounted a tale of how Malar, a powerful tabaxi entity, feuded with his sister Aphy, one of the Cat goddesses, as he was driven mad by the blight fiend. The effects of the blight fiend have been deeply rooted in the history of Nymora, as it would seem, even after the battle against Orcus. As Cereius spoke with Arnable, they were able to come to an understanding. Even as Arnable is finding out the horrible truth about his father figure, Utholok, he can’t bring himself to kill him. And maybe there was a chance that Cereius would hear out whatever he had to say, one last time.
Theme Music is written and performed by Efflorescence
Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III
Check out the show at themedusascascade.com
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1. Prologue pt 1 - Designation: Mercurial Avengers
37:54||Season 1, Ep. 1Vengeance never dies, it's just reborn.This campaign is happening in tandem with Collateral Damage. Attros and We’ahqa exit the campaign after the Strahd adventure (ep 45/FR 7). Cereius and Kyver disappear from the party after the run-in with Galahad’s mentor Antonius (ep 63/FR 10). The first adventure that you will all hear occurs while Collateral Damage is spending time in the city of Nymora and ends a few days before they make it to the Heartwood and speak with the Arbiter (ep 75/FR 12). I know that this may be a bit confusing, but I recommend listening to the Field Reports episodes (1-12) to provide yourself with a bit more context for this whole thing.Theme composed & performed by EfflorescenceArt by BulletproofturtlemanWritten, read, and mixed by Thomas Lapierre IIICheck out the show at themedusascascade.com2. Prologue pt 2 - Ash and Wind
18:03||Season 1, Ep. 2Vengeance never dies, it's just reborn.This campaign is happening in tandem with Collateral Damage. Attros and We’ahqa exit the campaign after the Strahd adventure (ep 45/FR 7). Cereius and Kyver disappear from the party after the run-in with Galahad’s mentor Antonius (ep 63/FR 10). The first adventure that you will all hear occurs while Collateral Damage is spending time in the city of Nymora and ends a few days before they make it to the Heartwood and speak with the Arbiter (ep 75/FR 12). I know that this may be a bit confusing, but I recommend listening to the Field Reports episodes (1-12) to provide yourself with a bit more context for this whole thing.Theme composed & performed by EfflorescenceArt by BulletproofturtlemanWritten, read, and mixed by Thomas Lapierre IIICheck out the show at themedusascascade.com
3. The Arbiter's Tome - "Seeking Answers"
02:04:02||Season 1, Ep. 3Mr. Bell has recruited Rig to pull Attros and We'ahqa from the Astral Sea. The three decide to recruit Cereius and Kyver from Collateral Damage to help them finish what they started. All the while, Mr. Bell runs a risky gambit to save the planes...Theme music by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierrre IIICheck out the show at themedusascascade.com
4. The Arbiter's Tome - "Welcome to Willowdale"
01:57:34||Season 1, Ep. 4The newly formed party finds its way to the Heartwood on the plane of Sloane. After disguising themselves and a bit of searching, they get an audience with the Arbiter, an Unillum called Amina. She's expecting them and asks them to help her find a Bard named Aldis, who goes by the moniker "Sleight Hand", who can help her defend the region from destabilizing forces. The only clues that she has are in a tome given to her by an Artificer who once knew the Bard. If they are successful, she will give Cereius the piece of the Heartwood he needs to save Valencia. The group agrees, and with some time and dumb luck, they open a portal within the tome and step through it...Theme Music by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas LapierreCheck out the show at themedusascascade.com
5. The Arbiter's Tome - "Behold"
01:38:20||Season 1, Ep. 5The party had made its way into the Arbiter’s Tome in search of Aldis, a powerful bard who could help protect the Heartwood from extraplanar forces. They emerge from the portal and find themselves in a forest, on a path that leads them to a small and idyllic village. But something is off with its inhabitants, and We’ahqa is the first to notice. They eventually figure out, through several interactions, that all of the villagers seem to be constructs, and they remember that an Artificer was the one to give the Arbiter the tome. They feel this might be their doing. Making their way to the large manor at the back of the village, via information from the tavern keepers, Rig and Kyver sneak their way in as Attros, Cereius, and We’ahqa provide a distraction. The rogues find a ballroom inside that is being prepared for a feat, and holds both Aldis and a Beholder in it. After some shenanigans, the distractors break into the manor and are met by two sets of animated armor. We pick up as the three engage in combat with the constructs, and Kyver tries to stave off the Beholder’s involvement inside the ballroom...Theme Music by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas LapierreCheck out the show at themedusascascade.com
6. The Arbiter's Tome - "The Cure"
01:39:14||Season 1, Ep. 6Last we left off, several things were happening at once. We’ahqa, Cereius, and Attros started and then quickly finished an altercation with two sets of animated armor. While this happened, Kyver revealed himself to Aldis and the Beholder, pleading with them not to attack him or his friends. After the animated armor sets were defeated and stuffed into Attros’s bag of holding, the three combatants entered the ballroom, where they explained themselves and their mission. Aldis and the Beholder seemed uninterested. On a hunch, We’ahqa peered into the Beholder's thoughts and realized that Aldis was an illusion. The druid executed a preemptive strike against the monster, which resulted in an all-out brawl. Luckily for the party, with quick thinking and clever uses of magic, they came out on top.Theme Music by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIICheck out the show at themedusascascade.com
7. The Arbiter's Tome - "Past Projects the Future"
02:06:16||Season 1, Ep. 7Last we left off, the Beholder was defeated, and the search for Aldis was at the forefront. With the corpse of the Beholder looted and picked clean for ingredients, the party splits. Rig and Kyver make their way through the mansion while Cereius, Attros, and We’ahqa try to figure out where the bard may be. Using various spells, the three in the ballroom discover that the large painting in the room isn’t a normal painting but a doorway of some kind. The two rogues find an empty manor, which contains the prison of the party in the ballroom. Once Aldis appears, the tome begins to alert Cereius to something in its pages: a crystalline dagger that gives him the distinct impression that this is the cure they need for Aldis. The cleric gives the dagger to Rig, unable to act on this newfound knowledge, only to see it pierce through Aldis mid-sentence.Theme Music by EfflorescenceMixed by Thomas Lapierre IIICheck out the show at themedusascascade.com
1. The Vineyard Vitalis - "Blightfiend"
02:04:34||Season 2, Ep. 1Last we left off, the Beholder was defeated, and Aldis was released from his prison within the Tome. The Party interpreted the clues from the Tome and found the cure for the bard’s affliction. With Aldis free and restored, the party brings him back to Amina, who rewards them with gratitude and a piece of the Root of the Heartwood. She imbues the piece into Cereius’s rings and makes a subtle suggestion to venture to the city of Nymora next. While she is powerful, she cannot combat everything at once. Pulling from some of the clues they uncovered in the Tome, they take the suggestions and run with them, literally. Using various modes of transportation, the party makes its way north to a small village not far outside the Tabaxi city of Nymora. Two weeks have passed…Theme music written and composed by EfflorescenceEdited & Mixed by Thomas Lapierre IIICheck out the show on themedusascascade.com
2. The Vineyard Vitalis - "Preparation & Paranoia"
01:52:00||Season 2, Ep. 2The party arrives in Grimdale, a town plagued by blight and disease. Investigating its source, We’ahqa communes with nature and learns that the corruption stems from the hells, infecting the river through poisoned roots. When Kyver collects samples, the residue manifests into a black ichor slime that attacks.They meet Ruben, a cynical Earth Genasi guard with a grudge against nobles, who warns of Drakewood Travels’ shady dealings. Rig uncovers merchant ledgers linking the blight back to Nymora’s black-market Vineyard. Meanwhile, Kyver experiences a vision of infiltrating a tower with three others, pursuing a figure with a bloody dagger.Attros gathers the party back to the house on the town’s edge, where Gilead has rounded everyone up to share findings...Theme music written and composed by EfflorescenceEdited & Mixed by Thomas Lapierre IIICheck out the show on themedusascascade.com