Nature Check

Rate My NPC: https://bit.ly/2QH731H Our heroes pick a new campsite, but during the night Kae has a strange dream. The feeling from her dream leads the group deeper west into the jungle to the site of a strange, subterranean stone structure of some kind. Will they survive their first dungeon crawl? REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter: Nature Check: @CheckNature Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist Joe/Lu...

Rate My NPC: https://bit.ly/2QH731H   Our new friend Nautia leads the heroes northeast through the jungle following the bank of the Cochrial River to search for the source of the pollution. They learn about dangerous jungle wildlife, forage for edible plants, and spend at least one night camping outdoors. However, their campsite may already be occupied by a denizen they didn't expect. The crew als...

Our heroes board Stomonel Laughshield's boat in the early morning and meet her crew. After a short voyage, they are dropped off with a dingy and left to row to the far shore of the river, where they discover a beautiful and terrifying jungle rife with biodiversity. The PCs are harried by a variety of animals and a mysterious interloper, but eventually find a group of the red parrots they've been l...

After battling the gnolls in the grassland and investigating the health of the river, our heroes realize they need some help. While discussing how best to get across the river, they make a new friend with a boat. Next, they sell some gems and ask Pops to analyze their water samples. After some extraneous shopping, the group arrives at the new Royal Academy of Explorers building for an evening part...

Kae has returned, so the group decides to start crossing things off their to-do list. First up, they travel North to the bank of the Cochrial River to investigate the fish problem. Cedric may or may not do something foolish, and the group gets into a tense argument. On the way back to New Sechester, the heroes encounter yet another denizen of the Arda southern grasslands.   REFERENCE SECTION Follo...

Cedric, Fletcher, and "Frank" experience the festivities of New Sechester Day, but without Kae they seem to be utterly at a loss. Fletcher and Cedric meet Captain Dawson-Clark at the naval fort and share their fears about an orc invasion, while Lucanus seems to be developing a concerning drinking habit.   REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter: Nature Check: @CheckNature Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalis...

Kae is nowhere to be found, so the boys are on their own. Cedric and Fletcher find a concerning bill posted on a wall in town that causes the group to act even more squirrelly than usual. However, despite the scare, they still manage to make some appointments and have a very thorough conversation with Casper Reid, the Cartographer for the Royal Academy of Explorers.   REFERENCE SECTION Follow us o...

Isbeil, the Ibixian wise woman with whom the PCs had spoken to in the camp of the Chun An Iar, rewards them for the help they've rendered to the tribes and marks them as friends of the Ibixian people. The group makes their way back through the grasslands, where they engage in combat with goblins and an orc. Kae and Lucanus are both shaken after the battle and take some time to recuperate, while Fl...

Isbeil, the Ibixian wise woman with whom the PCs had spoken to in the camp of the Chun An Iar, requests that they help two young Ibixians with a problem in the Coille Neo-Chríochnach (Unending Forest) far across the grasslands to the east of New Sechester. Will the PCs be able to find a solution to the problem with the trees? And will they be able to survive their first foray into the forests of A...

The PCs and their new Ibixian companion clean up the flooded farm field, removing any further threat of stirges (at least for now). They do what they can for the grieving widow, then agree to travel to the Ibixian encampment to meet the clan chief and the wise woman in order to repay the favor. REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter: Nature Check: @CheckNature Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist Joe/Lucan...

Peter and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 7 of Nature Check, then speak with special guest player Dan Peach (@DanPeach3 on Twitter) about his PhD research on mosquitoes, Canada, and his Dungeons & Dragons background. Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general? Leave them in the comments, or tweet us at @CheckNature and we'll do our best to answer them!

Apologies in advance: Our streaming tech was acting up again, so the first part of the episode has choppy audio. But we promise it gets better! The PCs hear a story from an unfortunate farmer whose livestock were mysteriously killed and sucked dry. While out on the farm investigating the deaths, they meet an Ibixian who agrees to assist them with their work in return for some help with his own que...

In this episode, we wind the hands of the clock back, long ago to a time when the world of Lasudes was still being ravaged by the wars of The Loss (so, like, 20 years prior to the opening scenes of the core game story). Our PCs are on board a Tainibrian naval vessel, the "Drake's Crest," but they have been separated from the rest of the fleet by a terrible storm, then attacked by a monstrous Megal...

Peter and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 6 of Nature Check, then speak with player Joe Ballenger (@Stylopidae on Twitter) about his background in industry and new PhD research. Joe also talks about his innovative science communication project, Ask an Entomologist, that he runs with fellow Nature Check player Nancy. Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general?...

The PCs meet Siwan, the young(?) woman to whom Hudson Green is indebted. The group makes a deal with her and signs a contract in order to release the Greens from their debt and allow Janet Green to testify and provide Jay with an alibi for the night of the murder of Timothy Prendergast. But will Janet's testimony and Kae's presentation of the evidence be enough to prove Jay's innocence? REFERENCE...

The group goes to the docks and the Luck's Rum searching for information about the murder of Timothy Prendergast and who might be blackmailing Hudson Green. Afterwards, they venture to the scene of the crime itself, where they find pieces of evidence that may help to clear the name of Jay Prowell. But who is the mysterious woman in Green's office? REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter: Nature Che...

Peter and Sheryl do a recap of the first Annals of History episode of Nature Check, then speak with special guest player Eric Earley (@EricJEarley on Twitter) about his experience with this particular game and with D&D more generally. The group swaps stories about their experiences as DMs, and also gets into deeper discussions about culture within the game, intersectionality, and what we can do to...

In this episode, we wind the hands of the clock back, long ago to a time when the world of Lasudes was still being ravaged by the wars of The Loss (so, like, 20 years prior to the opening scenes of the core game story). Our PCs are on board a Tainibrian naval vessel, the "Drake's Crest," but they have been separated from the rest of the fleet by a terrible storm. Will they be able to repair their...

Cedric and Lucanus share several meals and awkward male bonding moments together while Kae goes around on pins and needles waiting for Azzie to tell her a secret. The group forms a plan to investigate the fish problem and venture back into the slums of New Sechester looking for information. REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter: Nature Check: @CheckNature Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist Joe/Lucanus:...

Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 3 of Nature Check, then speak with cast member Ryan Gott (@Entemnein on Twitter) his character Fletcher and his feelings about campaign events so far. The group also talks about Ryan's job in IPM at a botanical garden, what IPM even is, and why endemic plants are cool. Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general? Leave th...

NSFW warning/Trigger warning: sex work Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 2 of Nature Check, then speak with cast member Peter Coffey (@petercoffey on Twitter) his character Cedric and his feelings about campaign events so far. The group also talks about the idea of fair employment and the issues surrounding sex work (as it relates to events in the campaign). Peter also shares a little about his...

Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 1 of Nature Check, then speak with cast member Nancy Miorelli (@SciBugs on Twitter) about herself and her experiences working as an entomologist in Ecuador. Joe and Nancy also pay tribute to their amazing mentor, Dr. Marianne Shockley, who was tragically killed less than a month prior to recording. Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or jus...

WARNING: So sorry about the clipping audio, we're still working out some technical difficulties. But please don't have your volume up too loud when you start the episode! The adventurers find themselves facing off against a pair of strangely amphibious or fishy-looking humanoids in the seagrass bed. Battle ensues, after which the PCs gather some loot and some gilldeweed in two different species or...

The PCs decide to send Lucanus into the brothel to talk to the girl Cedric met in Episode 1. After he gathers some information, the group sets off in a quest to meet an apothecary and find a magical herb.   REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter: Nature Check: @CheckNature Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae Nancy/Kae: @SciBugs Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey Rebecca/Artemis: @Phytosei...

The Nature Check crew find themselves in the burgeoning port town of New Sechester on the southwestern coast of the wild continent of Arda. Though there is initially some pursuit of individual needs, all of the adventurers eventually find themselves in the tavern of The Marked Bird. Inside the tavern, events quickly unravel as a pair of ruffians attack the tavern owner over a poor-quality fish din...