D8 Night

When Jessica, Tommy, Lexy, and the rest of the campers head to the wild camp, things get a little wilder than anyone bargained for.

Danger is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Dark depths make falling dire
When you fall into a web of fire

They fell into a burning web of fire
And went down, down, down
Into the river muck and mire

And it drowns, drowns, drowns
The web of fire
The web of fire

The party wrap up their affairs in Old Spore City to begin their subterranean voyage own the Dark River, where the influence of the Underdark begins seeping into their collective psyches.

After exploring the city ruins, the party moves onto its adjacent tunnels and discussions about when and where they are actually are.

Tommy and Jessica settle into camp where a mysterious man shows up looking for Lexy.

Keira, Ahrin, Zev, and GW take a side trip to the ruined Orc city of Nevermoon, where they have an unexpected encounter in the Temple of Lyra (courtesy of Father Terry).

Many lives have been lost to the Sporey-Gone Trail’s most prolific killer. In this episode the party discovers the nature of the danger Oomoo warned them about; and Zev and Ahrin learn more about their Orcish heritage.

On the second half of the Sporey-Gone Trail, our heroes encounter a child alone in the darkness.

We return to the Underdark beneath Lumosh to pick up the story of our main party. G.W., Ahrin, Keira, Zevask, and Henna say farewell to the luminescent mushrooms that inhabit New Spore City as well as their new friend Oomoo.

As the last light of their journey fades behind them, long shadows of darker influences loom ever ahead.

Jessica, Tommy, and Lexy visit Carraway’s Arcade and share a very unusual experience.

In this finale to the Cliffshire arc, the Lemon Crew pursues Lucius as he tries to exact his revenge against the very thing our heroes have worked so hard to save.

The day of the auction has finally arrived, leaving the dwarves a wee bit overeager to start the bidding.

Jessica and Tommy Stevenson spend a morning in New Shine at McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese giving us an introduction to what normal life is like in the sleepy little upstate town of Willowbrook, NY. 

Durn & Werden attempt to delay Aloysius outside of town.

Back in Cliffshire, when Trixie checks back in with Lucius, he provides information that makes the Dwarves wary of their agreement with Lord Greycastle.

The Mayor decides to distribute the winning lemon pie to those partaking in the Feast of the Bells, and Kayman makes Werden an offer he hopes he can't refuse.

Multi-pronged implements are put to good use at the Feast of Bells before Durn and Werdan commission Trixie to aid them in the next prong of their plan to delay the auction.

Our Paladin and Cleric discover that, to really straighten out the seedy underbelly of the pie contest world, even the squeaky-cleanest heroes may need to get their fingers a little bit sticky.

In this bonus arc, Jessica and Tommy Stevenson find themselves caught up in conspiracy in the sleepy little upstate town of Willowbrook, New York.

In episode 0, we complete the character creation process in the Kids on Bikes system and explore the connections our characters have to each other. Finally, Will reveals a few things about the town, and Mike and Aimee collaboratively add to its history, composition, and folklore.

When the Dwarves try to problem solve in the big city instead of in deep caves or along the adventuring trail, they find it hard to acclimate. But at least there’s plenty to eat.

Trixie keeps a sharp eye on Durn and Werdan in Cliffshire as the dwarves track down and confront one of Werdan’s old associates, Kayman Graycastle.

While the rest of the party has been navigating the Underdark and dealing with the ramifications of crucial goats and the dangers of the Sporey-Gone trail, Durn’s been living the high life. Specifically, by being high above the Baccarian Sea in the airship known as the Thundercloud.

When he finally lands on the main continent of Valbaara, Durn is unsure where to go next. But as fate would have it, he stumbles upon an old friend, one that just so happens to be the Dwarf that our newly initiated Owling, Trixie, has been tasked with keeping an eye on.

Durn’s tale on the mainland will give us a brief recess from the rest of the party’s Underdark journey. Aimee, Mike, and Will are joined by Josh Smith (who you may recognize from premium episodes: Beneath the 10,000 Cities and Clean-Up Crew Cloud Recovery Services) in a multi-part quest that takes place in the Halfling city of Cliffshire. Sam and Ive will be back when we return to the Underdark a few episodes from now.

After entering a mysterious misty mansion, an out of town Owling flies her way into our story.

Ahrin's clan learns a valuable lesson about retreat and the party is whittled back down to its core members before setting out on the Sporey Gone Trail.

Ahrin is transported through the mysterious rift and learns more about her connection to her people and of their great need for a hero’s return.

In the finale of the Crucial Goat mini-arc, Oomoo and his newly blued blue-goo crew face the scariest thing a goat can imagine. Meanwhile, Ahrin discovers a link to her past and begins unraveling the mystery of her strange teleportation problem.

Oomoo and company continue their up close and personal rescue operation. But to help the goat battle its mental demons, they’ll have to get inside its head.

To ensure the safety of a very important caprine creature, Oomoo and friends take a fantastic voyage through a very intimate inner space.

The Grease Wizard commissions an Amanita into his designs in New Spore City, causing the others to wonder “what makes a cult a cult?”

Then, to prove to the Spore Druids that he is both a friend of man and of animal, Oomoo and his new companions have a special side quest to undertake.

The road from Lightwater Falls to New Spore City grows more deadly as our heroes pass beneath an old haunt in continuation of their long, subterranean journey.

As the party delves further beneath the Temple catacombs that link up to Lumosh Underdark, horrific sounds and visages abound. (Though just how many of those were native to the region and how many came as part of the party’s baggage is for the listener to decide). This episode, not for the faint of heart, includes a vast amount of crunching, bubbling, slurping, and gurgling.

In this episode, the party’s departure from Raventree coincides with the unplanned arrival of a special guest that had more to do with real life coincidences than in game ones. Meanwhile, the Grease Wizard is in a dark place after the potential loss of another friend cuts at the still fresh wound of Durn’s departure. But, in the light of the full moon in the party’s last night in Raventree, while still licking his wounds, he comes upon a potential solution. Finally, abandoning even the light of the night sky, the test of darkness on everyone’s spirit begins as they start going under.

As the Vanilla crew does their best to figure out what they need to do to prepare for the Underdark, the Grease Wizard reminds listeners why he shouldn't be left to his own devices.

After a fair stretch of time on the road, our adventurers take a day in Raventree to engage in their individual pursuits.

Our adventurers cash in their invitation to the Labyrinth to secure supplies for Raventree, but get more than they bargained for when Keira discovers a surprising connection to her past.

The party continues their journey across the dangerous roads of Lumosh as the periphery of the blighted jungle begins its encroach. If they can reach the gates of the Labyrinth, a pit stop in Daph O'Dell's General Store is in order.

Our heroes make a stop at a familiar Gem and Junk Juicer, learn a little about its purveyors, and then depart on their journey over the dangerous roads that lead toward the Labyrinth.

As the party returns to Raventree and the weight of the changes all around them grows more difficult to bear, they realize that a long road awaits, but maybe first, preparations for a shorter journey taken for the sake of their friends.

After the conclusion of a devastating battle, our party of adventurers find out that once you are touched by a Titan, you are never quite the same.

 

When disaster strikes and Albagula calls for her champions, will they be strong enough to save her?

Before acting on the new revelations from Takeshi about their quarry in the south of Lumosh that is bathing the land in blight, the Thunderhorns must first stand trial for alleged infractions during their stay in Albagula.

Our heroes finally meet the eccentric mind behind the Albagula Games. When they do, they are faced with a choice of treasures of their hearts' desires or knowledge about their true purpose.

In the 5th and final part of this D&D homage to MXC and Takeshi's Castle, the Thunderhorns square off against an old foe from Slaver's Bay and face the perils of the Arcanagon itself to see who will be the winner of Takeshi's Games. 

In part 4 of this D&D homage to MXC and Takeshi's Castle, the Thunderhorns take a break in between events to deal with two alarming deliveries and restore their mana in Takeshi's magic hot tub.

In part 3 of this D&D homage to MXC and Takeshi’s Castle, the Thunderhorns lead the charge into everyone’s favorite steampunk stationary ship battle game: Let’s Get Kraken!

In part 2 of this D&D homage to MXC and Takeshi’s Castle, the teams rely on unconventional fishing methods to prove who is the best turtle feeder in the game: Shell Shocked.

In part 1 of this D&D homage to Most Extreme Elimination Challenge and Takeshi’s Castle, Team Thunderhorns kick off Takeshi’s Games by trying to capture a Wyvern from Team Elemental Halitosis in “Tuck and Fumarole.”

Our heroes reassemble at the Carapace Inn and deal with the consequences of a prank gone too far.

In a battle worthy of Ray Harryhausen himself, our adventurers square off against their final foe in this exciting conclusion of Beneath the 10,000 Cities!

Players in this episode: Josh Smith as Sharpcheek, 8-year old Isaiah Mayer as the Sorcerer of the Elements, and Audio Engineer Aimee Mayer as the Firbolg Druid.

In this, the perfunctory shopping episode, our heroes have a long, hard day in the traveler’s market shopping for potions, gear, and a squirrel, then Ahrin caps off the night with a good old-fashioned bar fight.

Ahrin and Keira sneak off to try and learn some secrets to gain an edge for the upcoming competition. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Durn spends the evening in his cups, and the Grease Wizard goes about the process of making a new friend.

Finally, there is official business to attend to as our party tries to secure a sponsor, uniforms, and perhaps a few special “kaboomity things.”