The Medusa's Cascade

Many characters appear in this campaign, and quite a few have joined Collateral Damage for varying lengths. Listen to the Journeyman’s audio logs about these characters to better understand their origins. We continue the series with the mysterious Rig from Shanks's past. Written, read, and recorded by Thomas Lapierre III Title Card by Pierce Graphics Check out the show at themedusascascade.com Hos...

The Scorching Sun Ch. 10 As the group continues to traverse and make their way through the dungeon, they come upon a room with a table and several steins of ale laid across it. Chantico, Dona, and Urusus are suddenly compelled to go and have a drink. Before they all make their way to do so, the rest of the party members, understanding something is amiss, do their best to wake their party members u...

Ancient History Ch. 19 Much like anyone’s first time in an unfamiliar space, there is a lot to take in and a lot of questions to ask. Some might do research and some prep beforehand, but not OUR party. Arguile will later regret this decision, but while he feels right at home in Nakoroa, the rest of the party are like fish out of water with no idea as to how to move about in this new ocean of sorts...

Ancient History Ch. 18 We begin with the group's departure to Iwi, where they reunite with their former allies and friends, Cereius, Attros, and a figure named Doctor Honeydew. The reunion is bittersweet as it doesn’t leave much time for the group to reconnect, and they notice the varying changes to the group… Cereius’ Puppet Master ring has taken a new form, Attros’ Mercurial Rod is now his shiel...

The party finalizes preparations before departing Drose, including the creation of valuable scrolls from an old Arcanaloth spellbook and a successful gamble that earns Shanks a plastique recipe. On the Swift Hummingbird, Shanks and Greyleaf have a heartfelt conversation about Greyleaf’s transformation and his past as Kyver, establishing trust while reflecting on how far they’ve come. Upon reaching...

The Scorching Sun Ch. 9 We open up with the party, resting a bit, and going through their new loot. Ursus gets Thorak’s thoughts on his new crown to the group. With rest had, the group continues their dungeon crawl and encounters two cave trolls as Ursus kicks down a door, and Thorak launches two spider legs, like javelins, at one of them, dealing a good bit of damage. The fight ensues with the pa...

Ancient History Ch. 17 The party reconvenes outside Mr. Edge’s home, diving into an unusually intense level of planning. Split into two groups—Team Stealth (Shanks, Arguile, Salix) and Team Dragon (Galahad, Zechs, The Turk, Glad)—they prepare for a high-stakes infiltration, with Greyleaf and familiars keeping watch above. Initial observations suggest someone may have beaten them to the punch, prom...

Ancient History Ch. 16 Zechs regains consciousness following his intense battles with Malar and Enich, slipping into a vivid dream that revisits the night of his childhood sacrifice. This time, the memory is clearer: he remembers around two dozen other young tabaxi present and a once-unidentifiable cloaked figure now unmistakably revealed to be The Constable. With yellow eyes, pale skin, silver-gr...

Ancient History Ch. 15 After the fights, Zechs collapses from exhaustion; he’s not in harm's way, but shows no signs of waking up. Before leaving the site, Galahad displays a sign ensuring that no more sacrifices will happen here, as per the vow of the Champion of Bahamut. The group takes Zechs to his parents’ place so he can rest and wake up in a familiar setting with his parents watching him. Th...

Hey everyone, welcome to the sixteenth Divergent Paths cut scene. This scene shows us the second part of the tail end of the story of a character that we have yet to meet in the campaign, but is a vital part of Shankise's backstory. The party doesn't know this information, but now you do. Written and read by Thomas Lapierre III Title Card by Pierce Graphics Check out the show at themedusascascade....

The Scorching Sun Ch. 8 With negotiations between the spiders and Thorak going out of the window, the party begins taking on the spiders they tried to spare. Everyone is doing incredibly well and working together as if they were well-oiled machines, but the standouts were Chantico, who used Wall of Fire, and Thorak, who used his incredible strength. At the end, some of the party is covered in spid...

Ancient History Ch. 14 The battle had commenced for both teams… Maybe it was a sign of fortune, divinity, or whatever you may wish to think, but the team worked together, dealing heavy damage to Malar and Enich. Galahad shows the divine wrath of Bahamut when Malar goes after Zechs and deals an impressive blow. Turk more than shows his abilities in spades, as he uses his form of dread to inflict fe...

Ancient History Ch. 13 The group meets back up, some still in their Tabaxi guise, but pauses conversing to check if anyone is following the group. A quick check confirms that there was someone, but they are no longer there when Shanks investigates. They are relieved to arrive at the inn and see that the Magnificent Mansion is still there. One of the servants relays a message from Hoshino to the gr...

Hey everyone, welcome to the fifteenth Divergent Paths cut scene. This scene shows us the tail end of the story of a character that we have yet to meet in the campaign, but is a vital part of Shankise's backstory. The party doesn't know this information, but now you do. Written and read by Thomas Lapierre III Title Card by Pierce Graphics Check out the show at themedusascascade.com Hosted on Acast...

The Scorching Sun Ch. 7 The group heads towards the Dispatch Service and meets with Cevari again, who greets them before leading them towards Faerith. They meet the high-elf dispatch manager, taking in the minimalist design before asking their questions about where the book has been shipped from and possibly information about who has been sending it. While they can’t get much of the privileged cli...

Ancient History Ch. 12 With Malar's avatar calling for the start of the Wild Hunt, the currently awestruck party sneakily breaks away from the cultists and decides to follow closely but stealthily to figure out how to stop Malar. Upon re-entering Nymora, it is a scene of pure chaos; the group sees the avatars of Nianke, Nireana, and Xidea come into corporeal form to stand against the avatar of Mal...

Ancient History Ch. 11 We return to a tense scene as Arguile, Glad, Salix, and Zechs attempt to deceive the cultists as they nervously try to figure out their next steps. While their deception works, the cultists still find themselves drawn to Zechs, for reasons they can't quite put their finger on. Eventually, they are asked to join and watch the cult perform a ritual. There's a lot of chanting,...

Ancient History Ch. 10 Arguile, Glad, Salix, and Zechs find themselves inexplicably transported to the distant past, landing in Sloane’s Second Age rather than the Nymora of their time. Struggling to understand their predicament, they attempt to gather information discreetly, but Zechs inadvertently reveals their origins. This earns him a referral to the priestess of Nireana and ultimately to the...

The party’s investigation leads them to a library filled with rich historical texts on magic and a long-forgotten map of Sloane. They later explore an old battlefield under Dreg’s guidance, finding an empty grave with signs that someone once buried had clawed their way out. They return to town to find Hoshino recovering, who confesses to triggering the ancient calamity of Sloane through a pact wit...

The Scorching Sun Ch. 6 The group’s moment of rest was just that, as an explosion was heard and fire erupted in the Witty Glaive. The varying members of the party are trying to assess the situation, wake up the other party members, and do what they can to stop it when they come across some otherworldly beings that are the very culprits of the fire. As the group begins to fight off these creatures,...

Ancient History Ch. 9 At this point, it’s normal for this group; shenanigans are how we start the next part of the story. Arguile gives in and has some hot sauce and fire whiskey, which do not sit well with our tiefling friend. A weary Zechs approaches Hoshino and Galahad sometime after the fun wraps up. What seems to be a regular part of their playbook at this point, Zechs asks if they’d humor hi...

Ancient History Ch. 8 We return to the group on their way back to Nymora. Zechs helps Shanks out with his stealth and uses the Hunter’s Mark spell. Later, Zechs and Greyleaf discuss what they should do with Zechs’ need for vengeance regarding Alma. Greyleaf offers his insight and empathy, which Zechs accepts, but lets him know that it may take some time before it is entirely received. Hoshino rais...

On the western coast of Granzia, built on and in the cliffs of Deep Salt Stone, sits the seafaring city of Nereas. Constructed around the River Nere, Nereas has a long and storied history with trading and the people of the Western Seas. In the tenth episode of Across the Planes, Tom, Law (Zechs), and Jaime (d20dinner) discuss and come up with the lore surrounding the city of Nereas. Throughout the...

The Scorching Sun Ch. 5 Captain Dan runs off to find a healer as the group attempts to alleviate Izca's suffering. As this happens, Bob mentions that he heard about the book and that it can alter a person upon reading it. This is likely what occurred to Izca. The boys decide to go back to the crime scene to search for clues while Dona stays to watch Izca and keep an eye out for the healer. Finding...

Ancient History Ch. 7 The group, now back on board the Swift Hummingbird, discussed heading to Yahnkoshi so Hoshino could visit his home, investigate the reappearance of Eldertwine, and see what the town is like all these ages later. Galahad wonders if he could come with him so he is not alone. Still, Hoshino tells him that while Galahad is immune to diseases, this disease is magical, and he does...