00:00:04.57 Kurt Crenwelge Hello, and welcome to another month's exciting episode of Sidekicks and Sidequests, the best unofficial Dungeons and Dragons podcast in my humbly biased opinion. 00:00:15.77 Kurt Crenwelge I've got an awesome guest for you this month, but before I reveal who that might be, have to leave you in suspense with the ad read. Insert here transcription readers where you're hearing about plus one EXP and RPG Zine Club. 00:00:31.61 Kurt Crenwelge Don't you want cool new zines and independently made TTRPGs to play to increase your gaming diet? Then you should support this cool subscription service where you're going to get cool hit games from up and coming makers. 00:00:46.46 Kurt Crenwelge So be sure to go to RPG Zine dot club. And when you're on the, And when you're on plusonexp.com, make sure to use the code Randolph at checkout ah to save some coin on your purchases of beard balms and lip balms and beard themed RPGs. 00:01:05.93 Kurt Crenwelge All right. And after that ad read and everyone is riveted and they're waiting. So without further ado, hello, mystery contestant. Would you care to introduce yourself? Tell us who it is that you are and what is it that you do? 00:01:19.33 Charlie @InkedGM Hello, hello. Yes, I am Charlie. Also go by the Inked GM on social media or Ink Game Master on Twitch. Hopefully by the time this comes out, I'll be doing some fun things over there. 00:01:33.41 Charlie @InkedGM But yeah, I'm also a humble co-host of the Story Crafters podcast and just really grateful and happy to be here. 00:01:34.74 Kurt Crenwelge Sweet. 00:01:41.71 Kurt Crenwelge Yes, we've had ah Nicole on twice. And so I know Nicole was like, oh, yeah, the guys that I'm with, they'd love to be on here. And you were one of the first ones to jump at the opportunity. And so it's just it's been ah scheduling and moving heaven and earth ah to get this to happen. 00:01:58.34 Charlie @InkedGM I do apologize, but I'm so grateful for you, man. 00:01:59.80 Kurt Crenwelge No, no, nothing to apologize for. i believe everyone should be able to live their lives and, you know, deal with what they got to deal um without feeling any needs or or pressures or anything like that. So I'm just happy that you're here. 00:02:16.08 Charlie @InkedGM Well, thank you. And feeling is very mutual, but huge credit and shout out to, uh, to you just as a person, man, not even just a, uh, podcast host. You're just a really genuine and nice guy. And that's, 00:02:27.54 Charlie @InkedGM but Nicole has said and just really happy to be here again. So thanks. 00:02:32.28 Kurt Crenwelge Yes. And um for those not in the know and those not listening to the StoryCrafters podcast, ah shame on you. ah But no, the StoryCrafters is ah it's well, I mean, i think, you know, with one of the hosts here, it'd be it'd be great to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak. 00:02:49.71 Kurt Crenwelge um But from my perspective, it's ah you know it's like ah It's like a communal hangout of like four ah DMs, game masters, ah who are spouting off interesting opinions and bits of ah tidbits of lore from the Forgotten Realms, and then just having really good, interesting discussions on ah different facets and topics related to the TTRPG hobby. 00:03:17.33 Kurt Crenwelge would Would you say that's pretty accurate description? 00:03:20.27 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, um Jeff is the one who kind of like wrangled us all in and and brought us in to come together and chat. And one of the things that I really liked was, you know, I feel like a lot of times when I look up stuff for D&D online, it's very player centric and focused, ah which is nothing wrong with that. 00:03:39.17 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:03:40.54 Charlie @InkedGM That is the majority of the people that are in the TTRPG space are players. They outnumber the GMs. um But that being said, I think it's also really nice when you can have places that are just really GM focused and tips, tricks, what went well, what didn't go well. 00:03:58.63 Charlie @InkedGM And what's nice is we're, we're four different people, um, with different experiences, different backgrounds, different perspectives. And we all don't, we don't do this for a living as much as we would love to. So we have our own stuff nine to five. 00:04:13.01 Charlie @InkedGM And so it's really cool to be able to talk about how, you know, we make those work and, and, what we do to make it accessible and and feasible for us and our players, um which I feel a lot of people can relate to. 00:04:27.25 Kurt Crenwelge Yes, and ah Charlie is often complimented on recent episodes of the podcast because everyone is like, oh my goodness, Charlie's world building. ah 00:04:36.67 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:04:37.67 Kurt Crenwelge and ah And if I understand, it's... ah it's it's it's What is the name of that show? There was a show that was on, maybe it was made by mtv or something like that, um but it's based on a book series, Shannara, the Shannara Chronicles. 00:04:54.83 Kurt Crenwelge Basically this idea that like ah the world is Earth, but it's like very far in the future, and it's post-apocalyptic, because your setting has... 00:04:55.88 Charlie @InkedGM uh, 00:05:05.00 Kurt Crenwelge like real world the real world but it's like you imagine it like differently as if it's been like 50,000 years and magic has happened and so how would this change the landscape of the Mediterranean Sea or Japan or some of these other places that I think you've shouted out on your podcast 00:05:26.80 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. um Yeah. And thank you so much. ah Yes, they're far too kind. And I'm very grateful for um for all of their their kind words. But yeah, it it it is a really fun world that I just love. And i will take any opportunity to talk about it ah because i love running games. 00:05:44.59 Charlie @InkedGM ah um but yeah, it's called Adventures After an Arcane Apocalypse. Hopefully coming to a Kickstarter. ah By the time this comes out, there will be some more information about it and it should be hopefully ah this year. 00:05:57.89 Charlie @InkedGM so But it's, ah yeah, like you said, it's it's Earth, but pulling trying to find ways to pull Earth into the material plane and make everything that's, you know, 50 years of D&D history and lore canon, and also still incorporate and give room for all of the amazing third-party expansions and additions that have been done with with different companies and creators out there. 00:06:22.74 Charlie @InkedGM um And I wanted to create a world where It was really accessible for players and their characters. So my session zero, one of the big things I tell my players is whether it's their first time playing D&D or if they've been in other campaigns is you make a character that you want to play. 00:06:42.34 Charlie @InkedGM Don't worry about anything. There's no limitations. There's no restrictions on on species or backgrounds or subclasses. If you want to homebrew something, let's talk about it. you know, let's have an extended session zero, just the, you know, one-on-one and let's build that out and make it work. 00:06:58.09 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:06:58.02 Charlie @InkedGM And then you, you know, we create that character and then, um, just give, I asked them to just give me a little bit of creative, uh, freedom to create the explanation and justification of how this character's origins line up to be at these specific coordinate coordinates meeting with these other players at the table, you know, um, 00:07:22.46 Charlie @InkedGM and it it's just been so much fun and I I've just had a lot of really great players at the table because of it. 00:07:29.76 Kurt Crenwelge Awesome. Yes, I know. In the episode of the Story Crafter podcast, talking about like these giant... I think in Japan and Tokyo, you were like, oh, these giant lilies on the water. 00:07:40.18 Kurt Crenwelge And so it's like this very... 00:07:41.19 Charlie @InkedGM Oh, Chikatoshi. 00:07:42.65 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, yes. Yeah. 00:07:43.78 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:07:44.73 Kurt Crenwelge yes 00:07:45.65 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. Oh, that is, that is one of my favorite cities. Um, it, it is. Yeah. It's the idea is, is, a section of Japan that um during the ah arcane apocalypse got thrust into basically a geode three miles below the surface. And that's where these inhabitants have have grown over generations and survived and inhabited. 00:08:12.33 Charlie @InkedGM And um yeah, part of the biome is, ah you know, at the bottom of the geode, there' is there's water and there's these massive ancient mangroves and lily pads ah that are like, you know, a full football field wide. 00:08:29.33 Charlie @InkedGM And people, you know, set up set up camp and stuff there. And yeah, it's it's a really cool town. I love that place. 00:08:37.75 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. So for more, because certainly we don't want to give it all away here, especially if there's a Kickstarter that you should be going to support. 00:08:42.40 Charlie @InkedGM Thank you. 00:08:45.51 Kurt Crenwelge um You should just listen to episodes of the StoryCrafters ah podcast because, you know, Charlie will just drop little nuggets and you'll be like, what? How? Wow. That's a good idea. I should steal that for my game. 00:08:55.72 Charlie @InkedGM but 00:08:56.17 Kurt Crenwelge And then you totally should. Yeah. 00:08:59.16 Charlie @InkedGM thank you 00:09:00.23 Kurt Crenwelge yeah Well, ah you know, this podcast is all ah Dungeons and Dragons themed. So for this next question, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you if you currently or if you've ever played D&D before. 00:09:12.88 Kurt Crenwelge I mean, seems like a silly question, but, you know, I have all kinds of people from different walks of life on the podcast. So some people are just like, I'm your buddy. I've never played D&D before. And then, you know, others are like D&D is in their blood. 00:09:26.44 Kurt Crenwelge So. 00:09:27.72 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. um So, yeah, I've been playing D&D now for about six years. It's so much fun. i love every bit of it. And I definitely do not have the I'm still ah a young adventurer, I would say, in the ways of experience. 00:09:45.33 Charlie @InkedGM But there are some experiences that that that I do know that I have that i'm very privileged and grateful to have. For instance, um my first step into D&D was was playing a campaign at level one. 00:09:57.08 Charlie @InkedGM And we got to see that campaign all the way through pretty consistently weekly or biweekly ah for just a little over two and a half years and went from level one to 20. 00:10:08.34 Charlie @InkedGM And I know not a lot of people can say that they've been able to do that. 00:10:08.66 Kurt Crenwelge Wow. 00:10:10.90 Charlie @InkedGM And i'm I'm really grateful. And that was my first experience. And so I thought that was at the time, like, this is the benchmark. Like, this is this is what everybody's done. 00:10:17.85 Kurt Crenwelge This is what everyone does. yeah 00:10:19.66 Charlie @InkedGM And then, ah you know, over the years and going to different cons and meeting different people and and some of I've never played at level 20. I'm like, whoa, it's so much fun. You should. so now I try to do one shots every so often where that is the whole purpose is just high level play from like, you know, somewhere between 16 to level 20. So people can get that experience and get to do some of those really cool things. 00:10:43.01 Kurt Crenwelge Yes, yes. I haven't personally myself gotten up to that high in the levels, which is why I'm i'm curious or in or keen to try out something like Draw Steel, which only goes up to 10th level. 00:10:50.32 Charlie @InkedGM yeah 00:10:55.33 Kurt Crenwelge And apparently that's the same thing with Daggerheart, which is like you only get to 10th level. 00:10:55.38 Charlie @InkedGM no 00:11:00.16 Kurt Crenwelge ah And it's not like Fallout New Vegas where you could be like level 50 or something like that. Or even when I started in fourth edition, you could get up to like level 30 was like the highest that you could get. 00:11:05.59 Charlie @InkedGM yeah 00:11:13.07 Kurt Crenwelge But then again, you know, by that point when you're battling the Pantheon, the Dawn War Pantheon gods and stuff like that, they're all like, see or you know, level 40, you know, boss monsters or whatever by that point. So. 00:11:29.16 Kurt Crenwelge Pretty crazy stuff. 00:11:30.71 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:11:30.95 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 00:11:33.70 Kurt Crenwelge But cool. Yeah. I mean, hey, you know, it doesn't matter, um you know, how long you've been playing the hobby. You know, if you've got the bug for it you've got the passion, you've got the the drive for it. You know, you could, ah you know, you could do really cool and amazing things. And obviously that's what you've been doing with, you know, building your world and ah playing your games and running your games and all that. 00:11:55.86 Kurt Crenwelge So, you know, just want to give you that kudos. 00:11:59.06 Charlie @InkedGM Well, thanks. Cause, uh, the imposter syndrome is always real. Um, but yeah, it's true. I've, I've really been able to, it's been so much fun just meeting so many people and in this space, um, and, and getting to do so many cool things just because I played D and D and, and, um, want to share that with other people. And and I'm really grateful. 00:12:21.58 Charlie @InkedGM Uh, it's just such a great community and, um, and every time I get to go to a con and and get to do a panel or a table or a presentation or something, it is just so much fun. 00:12:33.14 Charlie @InkedGM And i just, just like this, just love to to chat about D and d and as the whole vibe of the story crafters podcast, you know, just four GM sitting around a campfire talking about D and d because we love it. 00:12:34.12 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 00:12:46.10 Charlie @InkedGM um And I just think that's so can never get enough of that. 00:12:47.16 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 00:12:51.16 Charlie @InkedGM ah 00:12:51.95 Kurt Crenwelge indeed And we're moving along with the questions to the namesake questions of the podcast. 00:12:58.72 Charlie @InkedGM Oh. 00:12:58.86 Kurt Crenwelge You know, you know, we like to focus on the other and we like to focus on those B plot elements, ah you know, that really truly make those stories memorable in our minds and our hearts. 00:13:09.67 Kurt Crenwelge So for the first of these, Who happens to be your favorite NPC or sidekick character, whether they be from one of your many games, an RPG, ah video game, movie, film, television, literature, etc. 00:13:17.87 Charlie @InkedGM oh 00:13:22.91 Kurt Crenwelge And why is this character your favorite sidekick or NPC? 00:13:27.63 Charlie @InkedGM Wow. um 00:13:32.43 Charlie @InkedGM Gosh, there's so many to pick from. um I think I think honest what's coming to my mind right now is actually ah an NPC of mine ah that ah Jeff, one of the co-hosts of the StoryCrafters, um we were talking he was talking about this NPC um at this convention we were at and they're called the Jackal and 00:13:46.95 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. 00:13:58.31 Charlie @InkedGM I really like him because he's he's a lot of fun to play as an NPC because so many people um have this stereotype of what paladins should be. 00:14:10.24 Charlie @InkedGM And he is just not a good guy at all. 00:14:14.47 Kurt Crenwelge o 00:14:15.62 Charlie @InkedGM And yet he holds this position as an arch paladin of the king's court for one of the kingdoms in my in my world. And... He, you know, so he has this level of of distinction and station that he holds very dignified or respected. 00:14:34.56 Charlie @InkedGM And yet one of the reasons um he is known as the Jackal is because of just how bloody and ruthless he is in combat. um And this even outside of combat, he he will absolutely take the opportunity. 00:14:49.61 Charlie @InkedGM He's found a way to be able to turn himself invisible. and will do his research and take his time and and and wait to strike right behind a critical element of a party. 00:14:58.91 Kurt Crenwelge you 00:15:03.36 Charlie @InkedGM And that's almost how every party gets to interact with him is when ah he finally unveils himself behind a critical element of their adventuring group and you know just stabs them from behind with his greatsword with a smite and being invisible and just totally brings that player to their knees um and the party is just absolutely like whoa um and people that are like he's a paladin you know paladins are supposed to be nice and this guy uses it for all of the wrong reasons and uh he's a lot of fun 00:15:37.39 Kurt Crenwelge o 00:15:39.74 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. See, you said the jackal and that immediately made me think of the, uh, the 1988 movie, dirty, rotten scoundrels. And, uh, cause the, the big, the big heist, uh, character lurking in the Riviera era where, uh, uh, you know, Steve Martin and, uh, Michael Caine are, it's like, Oh, the jackals around. 00:15:49.99 Charlie @InkedGM excellent reference 00:15:59.69 Charlie @InkedGM home 00:16:01.51 Kurt Crenwelge Um, and there, and then finally at the end of the movie, it's, you know, revealed who really the jackal is. 00:16:01.41 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:16:07.11 Kurt Crenwelge Um, so i was like, ah Jackal. 00:16:08.69 Charlie @InkedGM Not, not the source of the inspiration, but ah I absolutely love the comparison and that that's awesome. 00:16:08.99 Kurt Crenwelge That sounds familiar. Yeah, I was like... 00:16:16.50 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:16:17.69 Kurt Crenwelge And now you just need a Steve Martin and a Michael Caine gentleman. Well, you'd have Michael Caine as the gentleman thief, and then you have ah you know Steve Martin as kind of like the bumbling grifter ah stumbling upon the Jackal and then seeing what sort of hijinks ensue in that way. 00:16:29.56 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. this but Absolutely. 00:16:39.27 Kurt Crenwelge And then a same thing or the other side of the coin. What has been one of your favorite side quests or B plot elements? Again, same criteria of a RPG, video game, movie, film, television, literature, et etc. 00:16:53.05 Kurt Crenwelge And why is this your favorite side quest or B plot elements? 00:16:57.86 Charlie @InkedGM Um, So it would have to be, there's one, there's one that um my, my wife and and friends and I, we talk about every so often. 00:17:08.84 Charlie @InkedGM um We were in a campaign together and we were trying to take we're trying to infiltrate this estate of this Lord who was also a vampire. 00:17:22.84 Kurt Crenwelge Naturally. 00:17:22.79 Charlie @InkedGM And we're like, okay, how are we going to do this? 00:17:23.47 Kurt Crenwelge Yep. ye 00:17:26.13 Charlie @InkedGM It's well guarded, well defended. We need to, you know, drag them out. And so one day we found ourself hanging out without the GM. And so we we ended up like staying up until like 2 a.m., like four hours plotting and creating. And like, were like okay here's what we do when we can do this in in a future session. 00:17:52.54 Charlie @InkedGM Here's what we should do. and And we wrote it all out and we felt so confident about it. And we're like, this is going to go so We've got this. We've absolutely got this. There's no way this isn't going go in our favor. 00:18:03.20 Kurt Crenwelge This is an airtight plan. 00:18:04.92 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:18:05.27 Kurt Crenwelge No flaws whatsoever. 00:18:05.24 Charlie @InkedGM And it was absolutely fantastic. And we then proceeded to roll some of the worst dice rolls back to back that we've ever done. 00:18:16.27 Charlie @InkedGM And it was hilarious. 00:18:16.54 Kurt Crenwelge Ugh. 00:18:19.87 Charlie @InkedGM Our entire plan ruined in a matter of seconds. um And it literally turned into us essentially having this sophisticated plot and and and various different maneuvers to undermine and and and get one over on all these people ended up turning out into chase scene of our characters running through the town with this vampire's dead wife's coffin 00:18:51.71 Charlie @InkedGM and putting it onto a ship that then exploded shortly after ah departing shore. yeah It was a total failure and it was hilarious because we were so intent on like, this is going to go well, and we well into the night and hours. 00:19:02.45 Kurt Crenwelge Wow. 00:19:08.31 Charlie @InkedGM And we it was ruined in a matter of seconds due to the dice and then just turned into this silly chase scene with a coffin, just classic hijinks. 00:19:18.81 Charlie @InkedGM And it was it was awesome. 00:19:21.82 Kurt Crenwelge Right. you you You planned for it to be Mission Impossible, and then it very quickly turned into a Benny Hill, Yakety Sax sketch. 00:19:25.79 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. Very much ah very much a ah Pink Panther moment, 100%. hundred percent Yeah. 00:19:34.20 Kurt Crenwelge Yep. ah Awesome. and then And then the way that we round out the personal interview section, Charlie, what are you passionate about and why? 00:19:47.88 Charlie @InkedGM Ooh. So I got to ask, in what context are we referring to? 00:19:53.31 Kurt Crenwelge i mean, just what are you passionate about and why? 00:19:56.79 Charlie @InkedGM ah Well, as an individual, I'm really passionate about my wonderful wife and our 14-year-old pup, Toby. Absolutely just very grateful for you know being able to live a life where I'm married to my best friend and I get to play D&D in my free time. 00:20:18.36 Charlie @InkedGM and get to go to conventions and talk to wonderful people like you and and meet people about you know the D&D space and and learn new things and share funny stories. you know it's a I'm very, very grateful for that. 00:20:31.27 Charlie @InkedGM And so I'm very, very passionate that I get to do that with my life right now. and But if it's about D&D, it's really about this ah this world ah setting that I've built. 00:20:42.80 Kurt Crenwelge hmm. 00:20:43.19 Charlie @InkedGM And it a lot of times I feel like GMs um are kind of born out of necessity, right? Number of people at the table and like, we want to play D&D, but who who's going to be the GM and somebody reluctantly volunteers or is appointed. 00:20:58.99 Charlie @InkedGM ah For me, it was, i had this really fun concept and I really wanted to play it and and and do more things with it. And I met Chris from Rogue Game Masters. 00:21:11.39 Charlie @InkedGM And, you know, he has this really great platform where people can find games local to them and get to play these professional games where everything's taken care of. 00:21:17.50 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:21:22.37 Charlie @InkedGM And I get to just play with Dwarven Forge and and set up these adventures for people to show up, play D&D, and then they get to leave and go home. 00:21:33.97 Charlie @InkedGM It's so much fun. We just meet up and play D&D and I just get to meet so many cool people that I never would have played D&D with if I just kept it in the friends and family setting. 00:21:44.71 Charlie @InkedGM And I've met so many wonderful people and and got to have so many cool experiences. And so, yeah, I'm just really, really passionate about this world and and everything it's ah led me in to encounter because of it. 00:21:59.18 Kurt Crenwelge Amazing. Hey, we always love ah maybe maybe it's technically i don't know what the what the true definition of a wife guy is, but we love guys who love their wives and and support them. 00:22:09.77 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:22:10.70 Kurt Crenwelge So, you know, solidarity with loving our wives and and families. 00:22:10.97 Charlie @InkedGM but 00:22:15.69 Kurt Crenwelge So appreciate that. 00:22:17.68 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:22:17.82 Kurt Crenwelge And yeah, it sounds like we had a great first part here with the personal interview section that I think it's now time to head into some NPC creation. 00:22:28.61 Charlie @InkedGM All right. 00:22:34.47 Kurt Crenwelge And NPC Creation is brought to you by you, the podcast audience, and our patrons from Patreon. So now is the time of the show where we give a shout-out to our comfortable patrons and above with a loud hurrah. 00:22:42.55 Charlie @InkedGM Love it. 00:22:47.86 Kurt Crenwelge So cheers to you, ah my good buddy Anson Jablinski, and good old mom and dad. Cheers. ah Sampling tonight of the Shiner Oktoberfest Mertzen-style beer, so... 00:23:01.23 Kurt Crenwelge Get you a bottle. It's good stuff. they're not They don't sponsor me, but I've probably consumed enough Shiner products that maybe they ought to consider it. 00:23:04.79 Charlie @InkedGM yeah 00:23:09.51 Kurt Crenwelge ah ah But anyway, yeah, so this shout out, you know, it's for patrons who donate at least $2 or more a month. ah But all these folks that I named are actually wealthy tier level patrons, which means they get to introduce an element of chance for our random tables that we use here in NPC creation. 00:23:25.66 Charlie @InkedGM Ooh. 00:23:28.27 Kurt Crenwelge And we might get to hear some of the responses used today. So if you want to learn more about all the different rewards and tiers and All such things awaiting for you on our Patreon. 00:23:39.23 Kurt Crenwelge Why? You should go to the show notes below, go to the podcast website, or just go directly to patreon.com forward slash sidekicksandsidequests to learn about more of the awesome things that we have to offer. 00:23:51.75 Kurt Crenwelge ah Help us to grow and expand our operations in the Levitating Platter. ah Help us, you know, to build, to create, to do in this Demiplane and worlds beyond. 00:24:03.41 Kurt Crenwelge Alright, so now is the part where we get to make up a character, and before we hit all the buttons to start the recordings, ah you have opted for the path of randomization today, is that correct? 00:24:03.43 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. Yes. Ooh, OK. 00:24:14.51 Charlie @InkedGM yes yes 00:24:16.89 Kurt Crenwelge Alright, we have ah the tables, we have the dice, virtual or otherwise, and if you are ready to begin, the third the very first thing that we have to roll for and think of with this character is the name of the characters. 00:24:32.18 Charlie @InkedGM o 00:24:32.58 Kurt Crenwelge So we roll a d20, and let's see what name we get. 00:24:32.73 Charlie @InkedGM okay 00:24:36.34 Charlie @InkedGM OK. 00:24:45.68 Charlie @InkedGM 18, starting out strong. 00:24:47.51 Kurt Crenwelge Starting out strong. All right, and your answer was provided to us by Evaterra. ah Sarcastic Undertone. 00:24:57.70 Charlie @InkedGM Thanks. 00:24:58.60 Kurt Crenwelge So sarcastic undertone, ah so ah and indeed, a very strong start. And let's see here. The next thing we get to roll for is the ancestry of the character. 00:25:11.94 Kurt Crenwelge ah so this is where we do 2d10 or a d100 effect to determine the ancestry of sarcastic undertone. 00:25:17.64 Charlie @InkedGM Okay. 00:25:21.87 Charlie @InkedGM I love it. All right. 00:25:34.02 Charlie @InkedGM Okay. All right. ah Keeping up the momentum with an 89. Ooh. 00:25:40.01 Kurt Crenwelge 89. Alright, as I scroll down my list. Hexblood. 00:25:47.13 Kurt Crenwelge So we have a Hexblood that is named Sarcastic Undertone, kind of bucking the the standard lore of how Hexbloods come up with their name. So definitely a unique story there. 00:26:00.15 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:26:00.43 Kurt Crenwelge And OK, and then we need to figure out what's the job or occupation, the role in society that Sarcastic Undertone is going to have. This will be just a regular role. 00:26:11.69 Charlie @InkedGM OK. 00:26:16.29 Charlie @InkedGM Six. 00:26:17.99 Kurt Crenwelge Six. ah Okay. Answer provided to us by Skyline Stars. Awesome cosplayer. ah Accountant. 00:26:30.51 Kurt Crenwelge So CPA certified public accountants here in the land of fantasy. 00:26:35.40 Charlie @InkedGM Love it. D8, OK. 00:26:38.62 Kurt Crenwelge ah Some people's greatest fantasy for all, you know. um And then let's see. Now we need to figure out the age range of our character. And this will be D8 role. 00:26:49.93 Charlie @InkedGM Three. OK. 00:26:57.66 Charlie @InkedGM three 00:26:59.29 Kurt Crenwelge Young adult. So we've got some details here that ah ah hopefully now you have a a visual representation and mental picture forming. So when we think of sarcastic undertone, hex blood, accountant, young adult, can you describe the physical appearance of this character? 00:27:22.73 Charlie @InkedGM Okay. um Yeah. So I'm kind of thinking, honestly, kind of going a little bit of like the the accountant vibe. 00:27:36.53 Kurt Crenwelge and Okay. 00:27:36.49 Charlie @InkedGM um And I'm talking about the Amazon Prime movie. 00:27:43.00 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, interesting. Okay. I was thinking like, oh, the accountant, like, yeah, yeah, just some regular guy works in an office building. 00:27:45.27 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:27:48.61 Charlie @InkedGM No, no. But I think... More so the sense of he uses that as his cover, right, as a CPA in order to do the hired gun and mercenary things. 00:28:01.28 Charlie @InkedGM um Instead for I think I think we're going to go a little bit, keep it with the ah kind of Pink Panther vibe. And first name is Sarcastique. 00:28:14.68 Kurt Crenwelge Ah, sarcastique. How magnifique. 00:28:22.01 Charlie @InkedGM in, you know, undertony. 00:28:27.20 Kurt Crenwelge Under Tony. 00:28:28.46 Charlie @InkedGM Undertony. Sarcastic undertony. He, more so, he his passion is accounting. ah that That is what he loves to do. 00:28:36.69 Kurt Crenwelge Ah. 00:28:38.40 Charlie @InkedGM But sometimes in order to to do these things, to get the numbers, the reports that he needs, he has to use his hex blood hex hexlod race to and origins in order to get some of those things done. 00:28:52.93 Charlie @InkedGM You have to get your hands dirty in order to get the results that you need. So that's what I'm kind of thinking. 00:28:57.13 Kurt Crenwelge Interesting. So Sarcastique under Tony ah sounds, it well, I mean, kind of sounds ah like like organized crime sort of aligned, but maybe more fae, like organized fae crime or something like that. 00:28:59.59 Charlie @InkedGM Passion is... 00:29:12.77 Kurt Crenwelge And 00:29:13.08 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, I like that organized fake crime. 00:29:15.55 Kurt Crenwelge And ah and maybe isn't necessarily concerned about like actual best practices of accountancy of like, oh, you know, we got to make sure all the debits line up with the credits. 00:29:25.35 Charlie @InkedGM Oh, no, they they do. The numbers are important. 00:29:28.80 Kurt Crenwelge Right. No, no, no, no ah Numbers are important, certainly. But I mean, as far as like, oh, well, we need to find, you know, where, you know, these three, you know, pallets of items are. 00:29:40.75 Kurt Crenwelge And then Sarcastic, rather than just like, you know, waiting on the authorities to figure it out, is just kind of like, oh, well, we know that these people stole these three pallets from us. 00:29:51.63 Charlie @InkedGM I'll do it. 00:29:51.77 Kurt Crenwelge So it is time to balance the books, as they say. 00:29:57.07 Charlie @InkedGM Yes, I sarcastic has a has a deadline. And, you know, ah so and so is is holding up on the invoices. And, well, he's just going to go get them done himself. 00:30:08.21 Charlie @InkedGM And if it means, you know, that ah he's got to go take down ah the arrival gang boss and organization or in order to get access to those invoices, he'll do it. 00:30:08.60 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 00:30:20.22 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 00:30:20.30 Charlie @InkedGM He'll do it. No hesitation. He's going to deliver and meet that deadline. 00:30:23.99 Kurt Crenwelge and Yeah, now I'm just kind of curious, because of the Hexblood lineage, um ancestry, um i'm just I'm just trying to picture now the whole organized crime family, like, you know, oh, I'm the offspring of this particular notorious... 00:30:42.01 Kurt Crenwelge Hag, ah you know, or Arch Hag or whatever it is. 00:30:43.07 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:30:45.35 Kurt Crenwelge i don't know if you had to like a like the under Tony. Is that the family name or is that just like, oh, he's like, you know, related to someone else and is like a cousin of a friend. 00:30:56.70 Kurt Crenwelge And that's, you know, how he's related. 00:30:58.33 Charlie @InkedGM It is... It is very much a stage name because of the fact that um his 00:31:08.21 Charlie @InkedGM his ancestry, you know, they're like, you have to make your own name for yourself. You can't you can't use ours. 00:31:14.68 Kurt Crenwelge Ah. 00:31:14.61 Charlie @InkedGM um 00:31:14.81 Kurt Crenwelge True. 00:31:15.90 Charlie @InkedGM And at the same time, they're also they do so much to be associated with would be a point of leverage that could be used against them ah and and vice versa. 00:31:24.73 Kurt Crenwelge true 00:31:26.92 Charlie @InkedGM um And so therefore, he he just He just went with, ah again, he's more concerned about the numbers. He's not really concerned about anything else. And so people tell him they're like, it's a ridiculous name. And he's like, i I don't care. I just had to fill out a form and I had to do it. 00:31:42.74 Charlie @InkedGM Sarcastique under Tony is what it is. 00:31:46.96 Kurt Crenwelge Cool. Yeah. And so I'm just thinking like a mob baker, like like some like grandma, like, ah oh they call her the, you know, the grandma or whatever like that. 00:31:55.54 Charlie @InkedGM Mm-hmm. 00:31:55.66 Kurt Crenwelge And that's like the the family that he works for. And she's like, you know, sarcastic. 00:32:01.80 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:32:02.39 Kurt Crenwelge I need you to go get this done. 00:32:02.32 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:32:04.47 Kurt Crenwelge and he's like, of course, grandma, right away. 00:32:04.42 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:32:08.19 Kurt Crenwelge Grandmother. 00:32:09.25 Charlie @InkedGM Whatever Babushka asks, we we oblige. 00:32:11.41 Kurt Crenwelge Yes. Yes. Yeah. 00:32:13.84 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:32:14.01 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. See, yeah, this could work. 00:32:14.60 Charlie @InkedGM Right? Right? Absolutely. 00:32:15.65 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. So that's, that's another way that you can make hags cooler and not, uh, not so stereotypical, make them into your organized crime faction. 00:32:21.39 Charlie @InkedGM Right. right 00:32:26.04 Kurt Crenwelge Then you can have us all sorts of like creepy, uh, you know, darker fey element creatures in the, in the organization or like lurking or stalking the party. 00:32:26.48 Charlie @InkedGM absolutely 00:32:29.30 Charlie @InkedGM and 00:32:32.33 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:32:35.14 Charlie @InkedGM Oh my gosh. i I now want to create a campaign centered around a a world similar to Gotham in in the Feywild. 00:32:49.21 Kurt Crenwelge Ooh. See? 00:32:50.80 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:32:50.99 Kurt Crenwelge That's what this podcast does. we We generate great ideas and we just give them away. 00:32:55.93 Charlie @InkedGM Love it. 00:32:56.91 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 00:32:57.02 Charlie @InkedGM Somebody needs to do this. And i need I want to be in it. 00:32:58.91 Kurt Crenwelge So... yeah So then, yeah, as far as like his sarcastic physical appearance, does he appear kind of like as a typical sort of hex blood or are there like any particular interesting notes or characteristics? 00:33:14.85 Kurt Crenwelge Because I have never seen the actual accountant movie. I know it's Ben Affleck, you know, like a like a suit and a very like short haircut and glasses that he then, you know, that's like the public persona and he switches out. 00:33:29.25 Kurt Crenwelge to the tactical gear gear and it's all action movie from there. Is that sort of the same vibe that you're thinking? Or you said, you know, Pink Panther themed. Is it more, uh, Inspector Clouseau, uh, you know, uh, Steve Martin or, uh, you know, the, the Peter, uh, 00:33:47.22 Kurt Crenwelge Peter Welling? Now I need to Google it, so I'm not wrong and I don't have to ah fix it in post. I'm going to find the answer here. Pink Panther 1963, tell me the movie. 00:34:01.23 Kurt Crenwelge Peter Sellers. There we go, that's the Peter I was thinking of. 00:34:02.96 Charlie @InkedGM ah Yes. 00:34:03.81 Kurt Crenwelge Peter Weller is Robocop. 00:34:04.00 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:34:06.62 Kurt Crenwelge ah Different Peter. 00:34:07.02 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 00:34:08.57 Kurt Crenwelge um But yes, you're thinking more of like a Peter Sellers sort of a vibe or a Ben Affleck vibe for this Hexblood? 00:34:17.27 Charlie @InkedGM ah Honestly, I'm thinking I'm thinking like a wood elf. Wood elf. 00:34:23.42 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. 00:34:24.81 Charlie @InkedGM you know They ah 00:34:29.51 Charlie @InkedGM unknowingly... 00:34:29.75 Kurt Crenwelge Because I know they have antlers that come out of their their head. 00:34:30.39 Charlie @InkedGM you know Yeah. So i'm I'm thinking like it was... he's from a he's a wood elf. ah His family, one of his parents, you know, way back when ah in in their in their youth and folly, ah made some kind of a bargain with a hag, not really thinking anything about it. 00:34:49.96 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:34:49.94 Charlie @InkedGM And then, you know, century later, fell in love, started a family. And that hag, that hag waited, bided their time and then came for the kid. 00:34:58.83 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. Ah. 00:35:02.63 Charlie @InkedGM And that and then from there, 00:35:03.42 Kurt Crenwelge ah 00:35:06.08 Charlie @InkedGM um started to gain some additional, you know, fey resilience and hex magic and started, you know, uh, you know, a little bit, little bit of, uh, changing their ancestral legacy, um, to, to be, you know, more like them just simply from being exposed to all of these hag dark magics, uh, being raised in that environment. 00:35:34.19 Charlie @InkedGM Um, But I'm thinking more so like ah kind of like ah like a like little bit of a stuffy wood elf. 00:35:43.94 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. Interesting. So... 00:35:46.33 Charlie @InkedGM Definitely with a pocket protector. Yeah. 00:35:49.88 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah, the antlers looks at first glance would be like, oh, that wood elf is wearing a very interesting and antler headpiece. But it's like, no, those antlers are coming out of his head. 00:36:00.59 Kurt Crenwelge um So it's like, oh, he's got a darker, more serious vibe to him He's not all artsy fartsy over here. It's frolicking through the meadows. 00:36:07.99 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. Yes. And I think that's where the the Pink Panther element comes into is like, you know, his demeanor is is very serious and everything. um And he he carries himself quite well. 00:36:20.31 Charlie @InkedGM um And, you know, he's he's he I mean, at the end of day, he is an adventurer on paper, right? So he does have some skills. He does have some talents. You know, he knows his way around, ah you know, a a ah weapon. 00:36:35.88 Charlie @InkedGM But. At the same time, every so often, those antlers, they just get in the way. They get caught up in the cords or hit in the doorway or something else. And, you know, it just really undercuts ah the serious tone of the environment that he's in. and when people see him, they're like, think it's imposing. 00:36:53.78 Charlie @InkedGM And then it gets caught on something. And they're like, do we actually need to be worried about this guy? Is he actually a threat? And then takes him out. 00:37:02.19 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. Oh, so it's part of his part of his routine in his act to like get their guard down. Like he acts like a buffoon at first. So they like they don't take him seriously. And then he surprise attacks them. And then they're like, oh, no. 00:37:15.57 Charlie @InkedGM Just like the Pink Panther, that's definitely what the ah the outside onlooker is is thinking, wow, he must have planned this entire thing, and instead he's just rolling with what life has dealt him. 00:37:26.33 Kurt Crenwelge Hmm. Yeah, what was it like in the Boondock Saints movie? They're like, these guys are masterminds. And it's like, we literally just fell out of an air duct and then just happened to spin around and be able to get all the mob bosses at the same time. 00:37:34.64 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. Yes. Yep. 00:37:41.09 Charlie @InkedGM 100%. And for him, he doesn't care about how he looks or anything else. He's just trying to get those invoices. So to everybody else, he seems like mission critical, on point, you know, very efficient. 00:37:53.29 Charlie @InkedGM And for him, he's just like, I'm just trying to get to the damn invoices. Like, fuck. 00:37:59.89 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah, and then, ah yeah, and then, yeah, Grandma Babushka, you know, is like, so he's a very good boy. he does what I ask, and he doesn't mess around. 00:38:06.90 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. Yeah. 00:38:10.11 Kurt Crenwelge And he's just like, here you Babushka. 00:38:13.26 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:38:13.82 Kurt Crenwelge like can I, can I, it's it's my 12, it's 1230, it's my lunch break now. 00:38:13.78 Charlie @InkedGM I love it. 00:38:17.86 Kurt Crenwelge Can I, can I, please, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, goes off. 00:38:18.24 Charlie @InkedGM yep 00:38:23.97 Charlie @InkedGM i love it 00:38:25.63 Kurt Crenwelge All right, so we got the vibe. So it looks like a silly accountant, but is quite deadly. um To kind of go along with the physical appearance of our character, if you had to describe Sarcastique under Tony with three adjectives, what three adjectives would you use? 00:38:44.16 Charlie @InkedGM Three adjectives. um I would say 00:38:50.58 Charlie @InkedGM gaunt. You know, trying to go, trying to, with the, the hag vibe, right? 00:38:52.51 Kurt Crenwelge Ooh. 00:38:57.20 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 00:38:57.74 Charlie @InkedGM Um, so he, he's definitely, uh, definitely sunken in kind of cheeks and everything else. Again, he's so, you know, focused on, on getting his deadline and getting this work done. 00:39:09.07 Charlie @InkedGM Uh, everything else is to the wayside. 00:39:11.14 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 00:39:11.16 Charlie @InkedGM Um, it's just not important, even when it comes to eating meals and getting a long rest. Um, so he definitely looks like he has a perpetual, uh, state or level levels of exhaustion almost. But, um, so yeah, very gaunt, uh, 00:39:27.37 Charlie @InkedGM Um, again, i think to the onlooker, uh, someone who looks focused, but again, they're all, you know, the onlooker would think, oh, he's focused on, on taking out these people, getting this done, everything else. 00:39:34.72 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:39:42.04 Charlie @InkedGM Him, he is just focused, dead set on trying to get those numbers, get that paperwork, get that stuff filed. Um, and he is, so he's, he's focused and driven in that aspect. 00:39:54.01 Charlie @InkedGM Um, so, uh, are Yeah, we'll so we'll say we'll say intense and at the same time um apathetic. 00:40:06.71 Kurt Crenwelge Interesting. Okay, so gaunt, focused, and then ah intense yet apathetic. 00:40:14.07 Charlie @InkedGM yeah 00:40:14.22 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. Good role-playing notes for when we're playing Sarcastique under Tony. All right. Now the is the part where I say, and now we get to go back to some dice rolling. 00:40:26.97 Kurt Crenwelge We like all of our NPCs to have something cool on their person. So we need to figure out what's going to be the valuable item, piece of lore, secret, or ideal or concept that this character would ascribe to. 00:40:31.58 Charlie @InkedGM OK. 00:40:39.93 Kurt Crenwelge This is where we do a combo. So you roll a D4 for the category and then a D6 for the thing. 00:40:44.80 Charlie @InkedGM OK. 00:40:47.16 Charlie @InkedGM All right. So D4 is a 4. OK. is a four 00:40:52.65 Kurt Crenwelge Okay, this is going to be an ideal or concept. 00:40:55.21 Charlie @InkedGM okay And I'm going to roll my special D6 from Opal Grove Games in Detroit. 00:41:03.17 Kurt Crenwelge All right. 00:41:05.62 Charlie @InkedGM Hey, we got a six. 00:41:07.76 Kurt Crenwelge Six. All right. Well, your answer was provided to us by the canine detective. 00:41:08.82 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:41:13.92 Charlie @InkedGM Oh. 00:41:14.51 Kurt Crenwelge Dogs. Uh... Sarcastique under Tony really cares about dogs. So what's that whole thing about? 00:41:23.32 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, um absolutely. I think, you know, and and maybe maybe that's maybe that's part of what part of what drives him. He's so focused on being the best accountant in CPA possible because he's trying to make sure that he can, you know, keep his hag grandmother and all of the rescue dogs in the Feywild fed and taken care of. 00:41:51.80 Charlie @InkedGM That's his driving focus. And he knows he's good at being an accountant. and he is And he doesn't want to get one single audit on his record so that he can continue to do the best that he can, at the most that he can, in order to provide for all of the lost dogs in the Feywild. 00:42:10.02 Kurt Crenwelge I was going to say this sarcastic undertone with all these things that we're learning just is sounding more and more like John Wick. 00:42:18.19 Charlie @InkedGM Oh, yes! I didn't even think... 00:42:22.12 Kurt Crenwelge I was going to say, is there a particular dog that he that he has that's like he's like super attached to? 00:42:22.06 Charlie @InkedGM yeah 00:42:28.34 Kurt Crenwelge or is it like, oh, I rescue, you know, blink dogs or shadow mastiffs or hellhounds or whatever sorts of dogs that grant that babushka likes to keep around. 00:42:34.97 Charlie @InkedGM All of them. All all of the the loss and abandoned dogs to the waysides of the Feywild. 00:42:46.32 Kurt Crenwelge Mm hmm. 00:42:46.48 Charlie @InkedGM He loves them all. Takes them in Doesn't judge. Just cares for them. 00:42:50.89 Kurt Crenwelge Those careless people who just are not responsible pet owners just dumping their dogs in the nearest portal, and then they end up at the Feywild, and you'd think that they would be left to the elements, not able to survive, but really, it's the accountant who's bloodthirsty yet with a heart of gold, Sarcastique under Tony, who's keeping them all fed and alive. 00:42:57.19 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:43:10.68 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:43:16.07 Charlie @InkedGM And I think that's also that that lends a lot of, um, a lot of justification to his apathetic nature ah and why he he's totally fine spilling blood in order to get this accounting done. 00:43:23.36 Kurt Crenwelge Mm. Mm. 00:43:28.00 Charlie @InkedGM Because in his mind, he feels like he's seeing the worst of mortality and how they treat the, these poor dogs. 00:43:33.83 Kurt Crenwelge o 00:43:37.06 Charlie @InkedGM Like they didn't, you know, like all these people just tossing them to the wayside, not caring for them, not, not looking for them when they're lost. and so to him, he's like, they're, 00:43:49.58 Charlie @InkedGM there's There's no reason out there. There's no reason for for attachment with other ah individuals. you know he doesn't He doesn't care to make those friendships or relationships or or even entertain the concept of love because he's like, why would I want to? 00:44:05.90 Charlie @InkedGM You know, this is how they treat innocent dogs of the different planes. 00:44:06.73 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. Yeah. 00:44:12.20 Charlie @InkedGM ah You know, I know what their true hearts are like. That's that's just what he summarized it up to and keeps them at a distance. 00:44:18.04 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 00:44:20.66 Kurt Crenwelge as As we're learning more about Sarcastique under Tony through these dice rolls, two more thoughts have come to my head. Because it's the Feywild, and you don't want to just give anyone your name. 00:44:32.53 Kurt Crenwelge Sarcastique under Tony is like the name that he gives for the Feywild, so that way no one can like trick him and stuff like that. 00:44:32.47 Charlie @InkedGM Hmm. 00:44:37.65 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. Noah's true name. Amen. That would make sense why it would be a stage name. Yes. 00:44:43.62 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. And then, you know, just thinking of his description as a character, because I was like, oh, is he more of like, you know, like ah Ben Affleck or like, you know, some other accountant. Now that I've made the John Wick parallel, it's like, do we is is this is this just wood elf Keanu Reeves with antlers coming out of his head? 00:45:01.01 Kurt Crenwelge this basically what we've done? 00:45:01.17 Charlie @InkedGM I mean, I mean, it started off with Ben Affleck, but let's be honest, like Keanu Reeves probably is an elf, right? Like he doesn't age. 00:45:08.68 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 00:45:08.83 Charlie @InkedGM I think, I think this, I think this does make sense. 00:45:11.00 Kurt Crenwelge Whoa. 00:45:15.06 Kurt Crenwelge you're going to pay for abandoning this dog. And then he just like violent montage later. then he comes back ah to Babushka and he's got like a new puppy. 00:45:26.72 Kurt Crenwelge He's like, here's your paperwork. 00:45:27.05 Charlie @InkedGM and 00:45:28.81 Kurt Crenwelge um I've got to go feed this dog now. And then he just like leaves and goes, takes care of the dog. 00:45:31.18 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:45:35.85 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, man. i love this guy already. All right. Well, of course, we want all of our NPCs that we create on this podcast to be able to have bright gold exclamation points over their head. 00:45:46.76 Kurt Crenwelge So when you encounter them, they can offer up a side quest for your party. So for the last dice roll, if you want to randomize it, D12, what's going to be the side quest that Sarcastic under Tony is going to offer up to a bunch of player characters? 00:46:02.38 Charlie @InkedGM two. 00:46:03.56 Kurt Crenwelge Two. Oh my gosh. The dice giveth and they giveth. Alright, this one to us from previous guest, April Hill. 00:46:11.95 Charlie @InkedGM I'm so excited. 00:46:15.51 Kurt Crenwelge Their dog fell down a well, but there was no splash. This well has been known to be a dry well, and when you attempt to illuminate the well, no normal or magic light can penetrate the darkness. 00:46:30.42 Charlie @InkedGM This sounds like a situation that would happen in the Feywild, and the fact that it's tied up with a dog is just amazing. 00:46:37.48 Kurt Crenwelge Yes. The spirit knows. The Holy Spirit knows the dice and makes them shine. 00:46:41.08 Charlie @InkedGM Wow. 00:46:45.52 Charlie @InkedGM Man, when you asked me, you're like, do you have a predetermined character, do you want to randomize? I was like, I want to randomize. It's always so much more fun that way, and this is serving so well. 00:46:51.91 Kurt Crenwelge Yes. 00:46:55.31 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. So what what about the side quest? 00:46:55.62 Charlie @InkedGM That's beautiful. 00:46:57.51 Kurt Crenwelge So like, you know, so a dog fell down a well. Is this one of the many dogs he's taking care of? Or is this like his favorite dog or like or Babushka's favorite dog? Or like, what are the stakes of this as far as side quest? 00:47:11.50 Charlie @InkedGM So I think I think this is because normally if he just needs to go get paperwork, like I said, he doesn't really care about who he's going to hurt or anything else. Right. He just goes and does it. 00:47:20.34 Kurt Crenwelge Right. 00:47:20.94 Charlie @InkedGM And at the same time, that also means he has a lack of concern for his own well-being. um He has a motivation to survive. But as far as you know, as long as he survives, even with one hit point, that's all that matters. Right. 00:47:33.70 Kurt Crenwelge Ah. 00:47:34.44 Charlie @InkedGM But in this essence of not sure what he's going to go up against and needing to rescue this dog, this is what does bring out the concern and empathy from Sarcastique. 00:47:45.25 Charlie @InkedGM And so because of that, he is seeking out people to go with him in order to ins ensure the well-being of this dog. And that's what motivates him to work with others for four the rare time in this circumstance. 00:47:54.04 Kurt Crenwelge ah 00:48:00.36 Kurt Crenwelge Okay, okay, so he's gonna recruit the party to go help him. So, Sarcastique under Tony becomes an NPC who adventures with you, so you can go explore this well, and whatever entails with it, whether it's just, I don't know well, however you treat the underground within the Feywild, is that just the Underdark all over again, or is it the Underdark Plus, or something else altogether? 00:48:04.43 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:48:27.34 Kurt Crenwelge Fraggle Rock, who knows? 00:48:27.29 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:48:30.16 Charlie @InkedGM Absolutely. He's just there for the, for the dog. And he tells them that he's like, look, I need, this is the focus. If anybody falls behind, we're yeah we're we're there to get the dog out safely. 00:48:43.59 Kurt Crenwelge Okay, all right. Yeah, okay, so we got a great setup for a side quest, so obviously we need to know the stakes as far as ah reward and failure. So for the first of these, what's going to be the reward that Sarcastic under Tony is going to offer up you know for success in this side quest of going down here, finding the dog, retrieving the dog, and you know leaving the well, as it were? 00:49:09.09 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, um I would say it makes a whole lot of sense for him to he he does a lot for his babushka and asks for very little in return. And so in this time, he says, he says, I've asked her for a favor to not be for me, but to be for whoever helps me with this. 00:49:27.00 Charlie @InkedGM So they get a free favor from the hag. 00:49:29.53 Kurt Crenwelge Ooh, clutch. Yeah. 00:49:32.17 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:49:32.41 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. Yeah. Okay. So how you get a, you get one favor to be redeemed by a hag and, uh, however you envision this babushka organized crime matron of this faction, uh, could, could bring some major weight into the campaign for sure. 00:49:39.64 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. Yeah. 00:49:51.40 Charlie @InkedGM yeah 00:49:52.28 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. Uh, Simple enough. And then as far as the failure condition. So what's going to happen if the the the party goes down, they go down there to find the dog. Dog's nowhere to be found. 00:50:05.78 Kurt Crenwelge Dog is lost. Dog is killed. Dog is abandoned or whatever the... site this Whatever the consequences or or ramifications or such through their actions or inactions that cause a failure condition in this quest or refusing, you know, he comes up to the party and asks for help. and They're like, we're not going to waste our time with a dog in a while. That sounds too much like Lassie. We have more important things to do. 00:50:34.25 Kurt Crenwelge What's going to be the consequence of failure or refusing the call to the adventure? 00:50:39.82 Charlie @InkedGM Um, refusing the call to adventure. Hmm. I think that would be more so the, the hag grandmother, you know, she cares, she cares about, you know, her, her, her little, uh, under Tony and the fact of, you know, he, he doesn't, she knows him. 00:50:53.31 Kurt Crenwelge Oh. 00:51:04.25 Charlie @InkedGM He doesn't ask people for anything. In fact, he's putting himself out there and get shut down like that. 00:51:08.12 Kurt Crenwelge Mm. 00:51:09.46 Charlie @InkedGM She takes that as a personal slight. 00:51:11.64 Kurt Crenwelge Ooh. 00:51:11.70 Charlie @InkedGM And now this hag has got beef with them. 00:51:15.14 Kurt Crenwelge Oof. 00:51:15.09 Charlie @InkedGM um 00:51:16.25 Kurt Crenwelge Okay, bad news bears. 00:51:16.28 Charlie @InkedGM If... Yeah. That specifically, they refuse. 00:51:21.96 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. 00:51:22.09 Charlie @InkedGM um If they do not save the dog, right? 00:51:26.32 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 00:51:26.88 Charlie @InkedGM If they don't save the dog and and return the dog to the babushka, then what's going to happen is They don't know this. And even Sarcastique doesn't know this, right? 00:51:40.02 Charlie @InkedGM But Babushka, I mean, she's invested a lot in him. So I imagine at some point when he was young, you know, she kept, you know, his his teeth, his baby teeth or or his a lock of hair. 00:51:54.31 Charlie @InkedGM And so if he is ever to die, um she then just ah does, ah you know, the the 00:52:03.40 Kurt Crenwelge True resurrection. 00:52:03.41 Charlie @InkedGM what is the rise yet true resurrection spell? brings him back. Well, his focus is not going to be, you know, I died. That was a horrible experience. 00:52:14.56 Charlie @InkedGM My soul left the plane, all of that normal stuff for most mortals that they would then have to contend with from having died and come back. 00:52:22.43 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:52:22.37 Charlie @InkedGM Instead, he's like, they didn't hold their end of the bargain and he's going to get revenge. 00:52:29.01 Kurt Crenwelge He's going to go John Wick on the party. 00:52:29.22 Charlie @InkedGM And now, yep. And now you've got sarcastic hunting you down. 00:52:35.12 Kurt Crenwelge Oof. Okay, yeah. yeah so bad so if you if you refuse him to his face, you've angered the hag, and now you've got a whole organized crime family organization breathing down your neck, or because the dog dies, or you know something happens to Sarcastic under Tony, he's going to come back, and he's going to come John Wick your party. 00:52:58.11 Kurt Crenwelge Unless you can... 00:52:58.05 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:52:59.40 Kurt Crenwelge Well, it sounds like he'll be a persistent threat. And then that means they're going to have to go deal with the hag and her organization to be like, stop resurrecting him. 00:53:04.69 Charlie @InkedGM Exactly. Yeah. 00:53:07.47 Kurt Crenwelge We've we've nearly all died three times, you know because it keeps coming back. 00:53:10.16 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. Yeah. 00:53:13.94 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, so then they have to bargain with the hag or, you know, or sarcastic to like get this resolved. So. 00:53:20.00 Charlie @InkedGM I 00:53:21.03 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, man. And then that's how you go. That's how you get. well Well, how many John Wick movies are we up to now? Like four for them? 00:53:27.48 Charlie @InkedGM but think four, yeah. Four and and a spinoff because of the ballerina. 00:53:29.47 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 00:53:32.14 Kurt Crenwelge Oh yes. that yeah yeah I think I've only seen the first one. 00:53:33.51 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:53:35.01 Kurt Crenwelge so um 00:53:36.17 Charlie @InkedGM They're good. 00:53:36.75 Kurt Crenwelge yeah I'll have to have a movie marathon one of these days and just watch them all. Just one down the line like shots on a bar. 00:53:41.36 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:53:45.59 Charlie @InkedGM Do it. 00:53:46.78 Kurt Crenwelge Alright. So we have some optional questions if you feel like Sarcastique under Tony has more to be explored. 00:53:54.82 Charlie @InkedGM Sure, yeah. 00:53:56.28 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. So what are the goals and motivations of Sarcastique under Tony as a character? 00:54:03.11 Charlie @InkedGM I think, you know, ultimately at face value, it's going to be meeting all the ah accounting CPA expectations in the BayWOD. um But ultimately at the end of the day, the most that is all motivated in order to make sure that he's taking care of his corner of the Feywild with his babushka, because she is creating this protective area for all of these lost dogs that he's rescued. 00:54:32.16 Kurt Crenwelge o Okay. And then how to do these goals and motivations affect his general personality? 00:54:41.16 Charlie @InkedGM I think it leaves him to be pretty apathetic, ah if not indifferent, towards other mortals. um And yet to animals, specifically to dogs, he is incredibly self-sacrificing and giving and kind towards. 00:55:01.05 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. with With very little regard for his own personal safety. 00:55:02.41 Kurt Crenwelge I'm just imagining. Yeah, I'm imagining you come across him in the Feywild and like a like a 1970s cubicle office. 00:55:14.15 Kurt Crenwelge And it's like very bleak. ah But the only thing that looks like it matters to him is like a couple of pictures of dogs on the desks. And he's just like, all right, I'm here to do your taxes. 00:55:25.70 Kurt Crenwelge And you're just kind of like, I don't understand. Well, this is the Feywild. I guess we're not meant to understand. And he's just sitting there doing the accounting. You're trying to chat with him and he's just ignoring you. 00:55:33.56 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 00:55:36.25 Kurt Crenwelge Like, all right, here's here's what you owe. 00:55:37.24 Charlie @InkedGM And, and you know what, i think to add a little bit more to him and his credibility and also like that, that kind of a John wick respect that he yields in the Feywild is because in order to do all the accounting, 00:55:38.69 Kurt Crenwelge Mm 00:55:48.39 Kurt Crenwelge hmm. 00:55:52.63 Charlie @InkedGM He has to file all that paperwork and he has to know everyone's actual names. 00:55:58.28 Kurt Crenwelge Ooh. Ooh. 00:55:59.55 Charlie @InkedGM And yet, and because, and and because he, he, his motivation is to take care of all of these dogs, right? 00:56:01.01 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 00:56:08.03 Charlie @InkedGM He doesn't, he, he has all this power and all this leverage, but he doesn't look at it that way. 00:56:13.27 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:56:13.77 Charlie @InkedGM And because of that, he doesn't abuse it. And because of that, he has all this leverage and all of this respect because he doesn't do so. 00:56:21.88 Kurt Crenwelge Ooh, I wonder if in the Feywild, it's like, you know, hey, sarcastic under Tony, like, you know, you use it as like an expression to be like, you know, hey, that's like the honest truth, like because swearing on his name is as good as like anything that you're going to get in the Feywild or something like that. 00:56:33.30 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:56:40.28 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:56:41.41 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. Oh, man. And then people talk about him like, you know, he knows everyone's true name, like everyone. 00:56:47.01 Charlie @InkedGM Everyone. Everyone. 00:56:49.88 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. like yeah and people are just as fearful of him as they are of like the the hag you know or whatnot the babushka so yeah and so then you know i think we've we've covered it but like you know as far as how he interacts with people you know maybe to like the babushka in the organization he might show like a little bit more nuance as far as uh how he interacts or speaks with people but like when he comes across like 00:57:11.94 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 00:57:14.57 Charlie @InkedGM little more civility. 00:57:16.09 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah, when he comes across like player characters or like other NPCs in the world, like NPCs are going to treat him with reverence and player characters are not going to you know they're going to have a hard time ah getting him to like engage with them or like be forthcoming with information. 00:57:32.82 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, he's he's just... what he's just there to get the information and he's only going to give as much as necessary to get whatever he needs, you know, like he's just there to, to, to do the taxes. 00:57:45.95 Charlie @InkedGM Right. 00:57:46.40 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:57:46.76 Charlie @InkedGM So he, he's not, he walks into the room. He doesn't care about what else is going on. He doesn't care if somebody is bleeding from, you know, ah the face, uh, he doesn't care what, you know, uh, say for instance, you know, if they are, um, 00:58:03.03 Charlie @InkedGM ah dark elves or tieflings, you know, where some people might have some some ah concerns or issues or beef with. He doesn't care. He doesn't care at all. He just it doesn't even bat an eyelash at it. 00:58:18.09 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. And then are there any particular accents or languages that Sarcastique uses? Are there any idiosyncrasies in how he acts or speaks? 00:58:28.61 Charlie @InkedGM I think the i think the the one ah being that it's like this ah weird, ah sarcastic, you know, kind of going with a kind of a subtle French inflection there. 00:58:39.48 Charlie @InkedGM ah And under Tony, you know, kind of this ah silly Italian stereotype, and but a babushka of a hag. You know, you've got this Eastern European kind of vibe to it. 00:58:53.33 Charlie @InkedGM I think you can go in in any ah any of those realms if you want to give him an accent, play around with it, have fun, whatever whatever works for you. 00:58:57.59 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 00:59:01.58 Charlie @InkedGM um And then as far as idiosyncrasies, I do. I think it's that um he is very you know mindful by the book, got a pocket protector, does his thing. He's pretty neat, um doesn't spend a lot of extra calories or time doing anything unnecessary. 00:59:20.18 Charlie @InkedGM And yet at the same time, He always seems to be unaware of the space that his antlers occupy. And so they're constantly getting caught on something and he doesn't get flustered or anything about it. 00:59:33.44 Charlie @InkedGM And he, and it hits a doorway and he's just, 00:59:39.71 Charlie @InkedGM yeah. 00:59:40.94 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. um Let's see. What impact has Sarcastique under Tony made on the world? How has she how has he shaped the local area? 00:59:51.50 Charlie @InkedGM I think of the fact that he has done, he he's lessened some of the ah crime, some ah especially some of like just the chaotic crime that happens in the Feywild has really like people, are you know, they're like, if you think it's bad now, you should have seen how it was before Sarcastic was involved. 01:00:13.97 Charlie @InkedGM It was crazy. People had to get organized in order to get stuff done. ah because of him and and and keeping up with regulations and holding people accountable and making sure that they're meeting deadlines. You know, he's like, if you don't have the invoice, that he's going to come in and and and ruin everything. 01:00:31.12 Charlie @InkedGM And it doesn't matter who's in the way, you know, um even if they're just physically in the way, he's just, he's just, he's got a place he's got to be and get what he needs and he's going to go. 01:00:42.79 Charlie @InkedGM And then at the same time, he's also created some power vacuums as a result, which has really shifted kind of the the ah organized crime in the Feywild. 01:00:55.06 Charlie @InkedGM And then at the same time, also created this culture where like, there's this one individual. And as much as like, yeah yeah all the power that he holds, right? You think he would be an issue. 01:01:06.72 Charlie @InkedGM the same time, they're like, we need him. We need him. in In order for us to to have some degree of organization and to to actually get by with everything that we're doing. 01:01:19.33 Charlie @InkedGM We do need somebody that it that genuinely is not concerned about having our names and is going to use that against us because he's got his own motivations, right? 01:01:27.20 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:01:29.01 Charlie @InkedGM They're like, do not mess with his dogs. 01:01:32.25 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 01:01:32.86 Charlie @InkedGM Like, don't there. 01:01:34.38 Kurt Crenwelge And who is he collecting the taxes for? 01:01:34.62 Charlie @InkedGM in 01:01:37.02 Kurt Crenwelge Is it just who happens to whoever happens to be the Archfey in this jurisdiction or that, or is it all for the Babushka? I'm just wondering, there is this seeming system in place before the Feywild is regarded as 1970s New York City, but because he's around, it's like, oh, we cleaned up the forests and the streets of the Feywild, and you know but what's the system in place I'm just kind of curious like who's getting this money 01:02:05.88 Charlie @InkedGM i i always I do like the idea that in the Feywild, they have a court. um And there are different um regional powers in the Fey that you know have this court that all go by. 01:02:26.40 Charlie @InkedGM And they there's some kind of general... um oversight and committee, you know, for that court, you know, in order for them to have some degree of civility amongst the different regions of power in the different arch phase of those regions. 01:02:42.89 Charlie @InkedGM um They also understand they're like, well, we also have to have an independent organization that is going to take care of some of the things in our stead across those things, you know, um commerce, transportation, you know, things things of that nature. 01:02:51.96 Kurt Crenwelge Interesting. 01:02:59.78 Charlie @InkedGM um The general 01:03:05.64 Charlie @InkedGM media and branding that tells you know the adventures in the material plane that the Feywild is crazy and that it's this dangerous place you know somebody has to run you know these these these somebody has to they have I would imagine that there has to be some kind of agency that is keeping ah the mushroom circles in line and in an order you know like if we're just leaving it to be up for chance right 01:03:28.88 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:03:32.90 Charlie @InkedGM Like, imagine, imagine the chaos there could be. What if there was just a, you know, on the material plane, suddenly um a mushroom circle forms and leads into, you know, ah the bedroom of one of the arch phase. 01:03:46.22 Charlie @InkedGM They don't need that. 01:03:46.60 Kurt Crenwelge Right. Yeah. 01:03:47.52 Charlie @InkedGM Right. Like, um you know, and all of a sudden, ah you know, some kind of Tarrasque or adventuring party of of ah idiotic heroes come bursting in to take all of his loot. 01:03:59.22 Charlie @InkedGM I would would imagine that there's various things that are overseeing different aspects and maintaining the Feywild that taxes and stuff have to be collected. 01:04:05.74 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:04:09.18 Kurt Crenwelge That's true. Yeah. And so, you know, we were imagining this babushka as like organized crime and typically you don't see hags as being like formally accepted as part of like the power structure of the Feywild. But in this idea of like, oh, you know, we have the Fey court and like all the archfey are there and they, you know, oh, we got to have this. We got to have the Fed. 01:04:31.33 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. Well, the Fed in this case is like the babushka. ah You know, so it's like, OK, we don't really like hags, but you know what? 01:04:35.69 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 01:04:39.91 Kurt Crenwelge None of us. We could all agree that none of us trust her, which makes her trustworthy in this circumstance to be able to handle the collection of the taxes that we need from the realm. 01:04:44.96 Charlie @InkedGM Makes her trustworthy. Yeah. 01:04:50.76 Kurt Crenwelge And then, ah you know, Sarcastique under Tony just happens to be like the best agent of her organization to be able to undertake this mission. 01:04:57.22 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, and think about it for her as a hag, right? Like it's a sweet setup. Like they, 01:05:05.84 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:05:05.77 Charlie @InkedGM They respect her. they They allow her her space. And she also gets a cut of it all for just holding on to the money. 01:05:13.27 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:05:15.27 Charlie @InkedGM And all of them are like, she's pretty powerful and pretty, pretty crafty and sneaky. Nobody wants to be on the bad side of a hag, you know, on the off chance that you don't like, let's say if you, 01:05:23.57 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 01:05:26.80 Charlie @InkedGM did want to try to take her out. It's not guaranteed. so it's like, ah, you know, nobody wants to be on that outside. 01:05:30.44 Kurt Crenwelge Right. 01:05:32.82 Charlie @InkedGM So they're like, yet she can, she can get the collection of all the taxes and we trust her to disperse it accordingly with her cut. 01:05:38.07 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:05:41.73 Kurt Crenwelge yeah See, now I'm just imagining your mind at work and you're going to you were saying, oh, a Gotham City in the Feywild. 01:05:47.57 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 01:05:48.85 Kurt Crenwelge You're going to have a whole thing campaign figured out of like political intrigue in the Feywild with the court and the taxes and and this sarcastic under sarcastic under Tony, you know, walking the forest glades of this realm. Just, you know, hey, I need you haven't filed your paperwork. I'm here to take care of that for you. 01:06:11.35 Kurt Crenwelge It's him. ah Sort of a thing. 01:06:12.37 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, I just really love the idea ah of. 01:06:13.11 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:06:17.30 Charlie @InkedGM Just there is a sub agency underneath the hag of basically like like. um 01:06:28.53 Charlie @InkedGM Animal control people, right? 01:06:30.30 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 01:06:30.81 Charlie @InkedGM Like these dog catchers, but instead of dog catchers, like they're just there to regulate mushroom circles. 01:06:37.34 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 01:06:38.39 Charlie @InkedGM Somebody's just out there with a clipboard and they're like, this isn't regulation. They didn't get a permit for this. 01:06:44.58 Kurt Crenwelge Hmm. 01:06:44.96 Charlie @InkedGM I'm going to have to shut this down. 01:06:46.62 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:06:49.24 Kurt Crenwelge The red tape comes up condemned. 01:06:50.83 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 01:06:51.88 Kurt Crenwelge Don't know. No crossing by order of the fake court. 01:06:53.79 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 01:06:55.00 Kurt Crenwelge This is illegal. Yeah. 01:06:56.55 Charlie @InkedGM Yep. 01:06:57.40 Kurt Crenwelge And the fight in the final optional question. ah Does sarcastic under Tony have any current problems that prevent him from being a bigger player on the stage? 01:07:08.78 Charlie @InkedGM um I think i think it would just be like the demands of of all the lost dogs, you know, and just they're they're just constantly, constantly abandoned dogs from the different planes. 01:07:15.41 Kurt Crenwelge Indeed. Mm-hmm. 01:07:21.51 Charlie @InkedGM And somebody's got to take care of them. And right now, he only trusts himself to to make sure that that happens. 01:07:24.90 Kurt Crenwelge indeed 01:07:28.75 Charlie @InkedGM You know, he's like, my babushka has got, you know, all these commitments with the fake court and, and she, you know, she's been here for eons and all kinds of obligations and stuff. 01:07:42.12 Charlie @InkedGM ah I'm the only one with the time, right? Because everybody else has families and, and, and, and and lovers and kids. and And they're so worried about their, their stations, ah you know, amongst the kingdoms and the regions. 01:07:57.37 Charlie @InkedGM ah I'm the only one that can look after all these dogs and take them in when needed. And so that's that's just where his focus lies. 01:08:05.39 Kurt Crenwelge awesome we we have the most amazing NPC this episode we have we have John Wick in the flesh ladies and gentlemen so I think it goes without saying i think it's time that we head into ah random encounter 01:08:27.29 Kurt Crenwelge And insert final ad break here for Zencaster. ah So make sure you ah check out Zencaster if you're looking to do a podcast, if you're you know looking for a service and you're like, man, I really want to do a podcast and I think I need all this investment in tools. Well, Zencaster is the platform I'm using to record the podcast now and it's pretty great. 01:08:48.53 Kurt Crenwelge I love its tools and its awesomeness. It's a good service to use if you're in the market for something new or like I said, you're starting up a new podcast. And you know what? If you can support the sponsor, ah then you can support me. 01:09:02.42 Kurt Crenwelge Just go to Zencaster.com forward slash pricing. Use the code SideKQPodcast at checkout and get 30% off your first month of any Zencaster paid plan. Yada, yada, cha-cha-cha. 01:09:14.54 Kurt Crenwelge All right. And now we're here in the part of the show, the random encounter. This is where we do a role play, a vignette, a scene with of the character we've made here today. So I think Charlie is going to do a fantastic job, whether he's going to nail down French, Italian or Eastern European. 01:09:30.22 Kurt Crenwelge or Keanu Reeves ah to become sarcastic under Tony. But the question that I have is, who am I going to be in the scene? What sort of scene are you interested in doing today? Is it going to be sarcastic under Tony coming to one them of the podcast adventure characters asking for help? 01:09:48.35 Kurt Crenwelge Is it going to be him speaking with the babushka? Is it him just randomly encountering some poor person lost in the Feywild and now is being subjected to taxes? 01:10:00.58 Kurt Crenwelge ah Or is it something else? I don't know. What what sort of scene are you interested in portraying Sarcastic under Tony in? 01:10:07.73 Charlie @InkedGM Honestly, any of them, man. I would leave it up to to you. what What sounds most interesting to you? 01:10:14.26 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, no, no, no. yeah You are the guest. I'm just the host. So you get to choose. I have a whole Rolodex of characters. 01:10:19.85 Charlie @InkedGM No. 01:10:22.10 Kurt Crenwelge If you want me to go through them, if you're looking for an adventure character to meet. 01:10:27.43 Charlie @InkedGM You picked. This is collaborative storytelling. That's how I look at it. So I want you to whatever's speaking to you, whatever seems ah more fun right now. 01:10:36.87 Kurt Crenwelge Okay, well, let's go through the let's go through the list of characters and and see if any of these spark joy. so we have Duncan. he is the recklessly brave adventurer for hire, happy-go-lucky, no task too small, no feat too daring ah sort of a guy. 01:10:53.11 Kurt Crenwelge We've got Sonya. She's the warrior woman who started off as a barbarian and multiclassed into a paladin who wishes to redeem the undead. ah We have Korak, who's the lawful evil arcane trickster roguish dwarf. 01:11:07.31 Kurt Crenwelge We have Chrisley. She's the herbalist botanist wood elf druid who then multiclassed into a cleric who serves living memory. We have Orion who is the astral elf illusionist wizard. 01:11:16.92 Charlie @InkedGM Thank you. 01:11:22.08 Kurt Crenwelge ah We have Agape. She is the lilac colored tiefling sorlock started off as a wild magic sorcerer and then made a pact with ah who she refers to lovingly as Prosperina but really, Proserpina, the Archfey, and that's, so hence, Sorlock. 01:11:41.19 Kurt Crenwelge um We have Lifespell the Necromancer, and at this point in the podcast, he definitely has, he is rolling deep with some skellies, let me tell you that. 01:11:52.37 Charlie @InkedGM Okay. 01:11:52.64 Kurt Crenwelge Um... And then we've also got Anne Boleyn Mithril Shaper, who is a ah dwarven bard lady who's only been featured in one adventure. um But if none of those characters sound interesting, we could totally randomize a new one to just introduce to the scene. 01:12:09.39 Kurt Crenwelge Or if any of them spark your interest. 01:12:09.62 Charlie @InkedGM Well, I would say, which one of those do you think is most opposite to Sarcastique? 01:12:18.49 Kurt Crenwelge The most opposite. That is a good question ah because it would have to be so sarcastic is very um not caring and apathetic and doesn't really like people. 01:12:31.14 Kurt Crenwelge I mean, Duncan is very much like chaotically good and just wants to be everyone's friend and like, oh, I'm this adventurer ah sort of a guy. 01:12:38.98 Charlie @InkedGM ah 01:12:41.25 Kurt Crenwelge um So, yeah, Duncan could could totally be totally be your your helper, your person, if that's who you want. 01:12:47.78 Charlie @InkedGM i think I think that would be pretty interesting ah dynamic there. you know That ah classic you know buddy cop kind of situation where he's like really trying to like get the the friendship and the approval and Sarcassi's like, we have a job. 01:13:03.37 Charlie @InkedGM Just do the job. 01:13:06.58 Kurt Crenwelge Alright, and then would you care to set the scene or shall I set the scene? 01:13:09.99 Charlie @InkedGM I will let you. You've been doing a great job so far. 01:13:12.90 Kurt Crenwelge Okay. 01:13:16.05 Kurt Crenwelge Where we last left our hero, Duncan ah Duncan was recently hired to infiltrate a cult of Tiamat And ah kind of like the goblin camp in Baldur's Gate 3, you know, snuck around the edge and came across the torturer part and he met an Inquisitor, Zuri the Inquisitor. 01:13:36.95 Kurt Crenwelge Zuri the Teen Manticore Inquisitor, in fact. and was given the task of ah completing the side quest of delivering some Al Mirage to a ah ah nature preserve so that they would be safe, and because Duncan was successful in this, well, Zuri turned ah to join Duncan as an ally, and so between the two of them, they were able to successfully defeat this cult of Tiamat and get that resolved. 01:14:02.81 Kurt Crenwelge um But, at one point ah during the combat, the as the head priest cultist of this cult is dying, manages to use a magic item to banish, uh, Duncan to another realm. 01:14:19.22 Kurt Crenwelge And so Duncan finds himself being catapulted yet again the Feywild. 01:14:20.43 Charlie @InkedGM right. 01:14:25.19 Kurt Crenwelge Uh, Duncan summarily finds himself like footing onto the ground and he's like, Oh, oh how my everything thing hurts where? 01:14:37.18 Kurt Crenwelge oh I'm back. I'm back here. ah the Feywild. And so he'll start standing up and dusting himself off. And he's like checking himself and his wounds and seeing how badly he's hurt. He's like, well, I hope that Zuri lad was, I think he got the killing blow. But that reflex of the... 01:14:57.08 Kurt Crenwelge the head cultist must have zapped me with that thing. And and now I'm here. He's looking around trying to get his bearings and figure out where he is. But perhaps maybe he hasn't been to this part of the Feywild. So he's just standing around looking and he's like wondering what he's going to do. 01:15:11.91 Kurt Crenwelge He's trying to, he pulls out a compass to look at and it just spins around like a top. And he's like, well, I don't know why I bothered even looking. 01:15:17.55 Charlie @InkedGM I 01:15:20.15 Kurt Crenwelge And so he's just looking around trying to, you know, see if he can see anyone that's going to be helpful to him while being cautious. 01:15:29.45 Charlie @InkedGM ah like it. like it. Yeah, I think, i think honestly, Sarcastique is just wandering through ah the edge of the Feywild. 01:15:45.87 Charlie @InkedGM he there's ah There's a dog that he's been looking for um that he got word of had had been abandoned, and that's what he he's out looking for and sees Duncan. 01:16:01.17 Charlie @InkedGM Well, actually, if we if you want, roll a d20, see who spots who first. Okay. 01:16:08.15 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, sure. Yeah, go for it. I just kind of I just narratively, I'm just like, oh, he rolls higher, he rolls low. But if you want to roll and actually see who does the better. 01:16:18.06 Charlie @InkedGM Okay. um so rolled, rolled above 10. So we'll say, we'll say, uh, that sarcastic, uh, season first. Um, 01:16:28.58 Kurt Crenwelge Okay, yeah, and Duncan's still looking around, and he's just like... He's probably saying some rhymes out loud to himself to kind of like remind him of like best practices ah for the Feywild, so he's like, you know... 01:16:41.41 Kurt Crenwelge Remember, don't eat the mushrooms. They might eat you back. So he's saying, you know, sort of silly things like that. But he's like, he's just trying to keep himself mentally fresh for now that he's here. And he's like, I'm going to have to find, ah you know, some point of civilization here to find a wizard to be able to, like, get me back um to where I need to be. 01:17:02.87 Kurt Crenwelge He's. Hello. Hello. 01:17:06.91 Charlie @InkedGM Hello. You, uh... You seem lost. Yes? 01:17:13.38 Kurt Crenwelge ah Yes, i've I find myself yet again ah here in the Feywild. ah My name is Duncan, and he produces a business card, and he bows, and he hands He has it in front of him to present to this new face that's appeared before him. 01:17:35.42 Kurt Crenwelge And if Sarcastique takes it, it's business card that says, like, Duncan, the adventurer for hire, recklessly brave, no feet too daring, no task too small, proud sponsor of the... of the ah and Actually, it names Delraman and Katniss the Magic Mouth Stonecasters. Yeah. 01:17:56.64 Charlie @InkedGM Mm-hmm. 01:17:57.31 Kurt Crenwelge Not that it's necessarily a thing of like, oh, all Hexbloods know each other. But in point of fact, Delraman and Katniss do happen to be Hexblood siblings. um Up to you whether you think Sarcastique might know them. 01:18:11.51 Kurt Crenwelge ah No, he shakes his... He doesn't know the names. Maybe he doesn't even know what the idea of a stonecast is either, but ah you know, patron, proud patron of the arts, you know, all of Duncan's accomplishments sort of encapsulated within the idea of a business card. And so he's like, ah, and, you know, Mike Duncan might just start spouting off some of his ah previous adventures that he's had here in the Feywild before. 01:18:36.43 Kurt Crenwelge ah Yeah. 01:18:38.60 Charlie @InkedGM you are You say you've been here before, but the way you so casually give out your name is indeed quite reckless, as your card suggests. um But you order for hire, yes? 01:18:51.85 Kurt Crenwelge Uh, well, I did just finish my last job. I'll have to go turn that one in, but I... 01:18:57.64 Charlie @InkedGM So you're currently unoccupied. 01:19:01.06 Kurt Crenwelge Uh, currently... He looks around. Yes, currently, yes. 01:19:06.80 Charlie @InkedGM okay If you are lost you are looking to go elsewhere, can help with that. ah But I will need your help in the first place to find a missing dog I am looking for. 01:19:18.35 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, a a missing dog. Ah, good sir. I am more than capable of finding lost dogs. Why? And he's going to start rattling off um one of his ah other adventures here from the Feywild unless you stop him. 01:19:33.85 Kurt Crenwelge But he will keep rambling and and be grand eloquent in his explanations. 01:19:39.48 Charlie @InkedGM I would imagine if the if the audience was was watching this, they would see he would he would kind of go off and is stay dreaming and going and trailing off and everything. And eventually ah when when he he comes back to meet the gaze of Sarcastique, he is just ah standing there already with a contract and pulls out a pen from his pocket protector and he says, 01:20:04.02 Charlie @InkedGM So in all of that that you said, you did not actually state of which that you accepted, and I would prefer your legal signature, please, on the line if you are accepting this or not. 01:20:14.20 Kurt Crenwelge ah, okay, he takes the pen. um And maybe he you know, in his passive investigation or or perception sees like the name Sarcastique under Tony. 01:20:26.29 Kurt Crenwelge um And maybe, you know, because of the cha the the the chaotic goodness, ah the plot armor that follows Duncan where wherever he goes. um This is one of the rare instances where he like critically succeeds on a history check. 01:20:41.40 Kurt Crenwelge And then he just, cut his eyes widen and he's like, Good sir. You, you are the one with which people swear their oaths and names by here in this realm. 01:20:51.93 Kurt Crenwelge You are the sarcastic undertone. And, and, and I feel like Duncan goes through this grand gesture of like, like kneeling on his knees and like bowing before him, kind of like, oh, the legends that they tell about you surely eclipse anything that I have to tell. 01:21:08.85 Kurt Crenwelge um And he's going to butter him up, you know do a charisma check, and and persuade, and just how does Sarcastique take it, as ah he seems to have an adoring fan in front of him. 01:21:24.19 Charlie @InkedGM I will not discuss other people's business and other projects. so Additionally, none of this helps me find the dog. So will you sign the paperwork or not? 01:21:36.38 Kurt Crenwelge oh, oh, oh, the stories are certainly true of you being very keen for business. And without a second thought, Duncan just signs his name on the on the contract and hands him back the thing. He's like, right, well, um what's the job? What's the mission? What are we off to go do? 01:21:56.95 Charlie @InkedGM to find last dog. i I thought you accepted and you understood. 01:22:03.41 Kurt Crenwelge Right, right, but I mean, is there like the caves of crankiness? Is it the marshes of madness? Is it the peaks of perilousness? 01:22:17.93 Kurt Crenwelge He's like trying to name some of the ah the illite alliterative places that exist within the Feywilds. 01:22:25.80 Charlie @InkedGM I do not know. I've been just trying to track this dog all day. And these are where the the paw prints have led elled into these part of the woods. 01:22:37.14 Kurt Crenwelge Ah, aha, aha. All right. um Okay. So that it sounds like Duncan is, ah is, ah is good at just join the adventure. And then, you know, as, ah as the camera, you know, sets and and shows them setting up for their side quest adventure together. The, the paw prints will show them ah leading to this well. 01:22:59.88 Kurt Crenwelge And then, ah you know, Duncan looking down and is like, hello. and then like waits for an echo and one doesn't appear. um He lights a torch, and he drops it down, and he sees like the the light just gets extinguished, and then he looks over at Sarcastique, and is just like, huh, well, ah impenetrable darkness. 01:23:21.48 Kurt Crenwelge ah And he looks at his wrist-mounted grappling hook device, and he's like, this reminds me of the adventure that got me this contraption. A whole forest that was submerged in magical darkness. 01:23:34.02 Kurt Crenwelge And, you know, just basically is looking to sarcastic to get like his professional opinion before I guess they just will dive on down. 01:23:45.38 Charlie @InkedGM I've, uh, you've dealt with magical darkness before? 01:23:49.44 Kurt Crenwelge Oh, yes, and he's about to go off on another tangent about the side quest where he was helping out an orc artificer get a crystal of power in ah and an abandoned mine on the other side of this forest ah that was, you know, so of shrouded in impenetrable darkness. 01:24:05.29 Kurt Crenwelge But that was back in the mundane world, not the Feywild, so I don't know if magical darkness has the same sort of quirks as it does and that realm. 01:24:15.75 Charlie @InkedGM and And this is like when he finally sees Sarcastic, who's been incredibly patient and just just waiting um for either an oral agreement, which is binding in the Feywild or a written one, which he prefers to have documentation um here. He hurriedly and impatiently like cuts him off and he's like, it's like, 01:24:37.12 Charlie @InkedGM But you how how dangerous is this for dogs? I mean, are they able to breathe? Are they able to, um are they able to can they do they are they aware of their own selves that they cannot see anything? 01:24:51.25 Charlie @InkedGM um I'm very concerned if a dog fell down there, i how would they know which way is up if to doggy paddle if there's water? 01:24:59.66 Kurt Crenwelge Now I think Duncan will roll like ah like an insight check. And this is probably also another rare occurrence where he does really well in his insight check. So what's Duncan picking up as he can tell now, like, oh, this guy has been like very cool and aloof and not wanting to open up. But now suddenly he's like caring about dogs all of a sudden. So like what's what's Duncan really picking up on this? 01:25:22.95 Charlie @InkedGM Oh, yeah, no, he he is just um concerned deeply concerned for the well-being of this dog. And he he sees something. This is the first time that he recognizes something in sarcastic that he's familiar in himself. 01:25:40.24 Charlie @InkedGM A reckless abandonment for good. To put his well-being far on the line and to the into the wayside in order to help another. 01:25:50.41 Charlie @InkedGM And in this case, it's for this lost dog. Genuinely is concerned in a way that Duncan can very much relate to. 01:25:57.87 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. Yeah. Duncan has this newfound, like, respect and look over at Sarcastique, and he's like... Well, the well looks too small to have a black dragon in it, because that was what was causing the impenetrable darkness in the last thing I was in, so... 01:26:15.09 Charlie @InkedGM big sigh of relief coming from sarcastic anyone else, you know, the the audience would be like, of course, it's too big for a black dragon. 01:26:15.26 Kurt Crenwelge You know what? 01:26:22.77 Charlie @InkedGM But that is just how much sarcastic gives a damn about these dogs as he eat he even puts that to that he doesn't even the logistically. Obviously, it doesn't make sense. But for him, the fact of hearing that from someone whose experiences before is a big, big load off his shoulders. 01:26:40.02 Kurt Crenwelge so then Duncan without wasting too much time you know sensing this comradeship with him is going to work to like secure a rope and a line and like throw it down ah and then ah you know before ah the scene will cut ah you know Duncan will grab onto the rope and he'll just be like well into the the depths below. 01:27:01.49 Kurt Crenwelge And then he'd just be like, um and he like disappears down the well, uh, as he's zipping down the rope. And so as the camera is left on sarcastic under Tony, uh, what's his final line or his final beat of the scene that he's going to do before it would jump to the next chapter in the DVD. 01:27:20.38 Charlie @InkedGM I think Sarcastique would ah take another breath, kind of compose himself, adjust his ah his pens and in his pocket protector. And for the first time, even in Sarcastique's time, there's a smile. 01:27:38.49 Charlie @InkedGM Subtle, but there is ah little bit of hope that someone else cares about these dogs as much as he does. And he jumps in after them. 01:27:52.89 Kurt Crenwelge And scene. That's how you do it on this podcast. So what do you think it was like getting to be sarcastic under Tony in that scene? 01:28:02.41 Charlie @InkedGM It was great. It was so much fun. i ah Yeah, that would be somebody I would i would love to to do a campaign with or have as a reoccurring NPC. Yeah, that's definitely somebody you want in your corner. 01:28:15.21 Kurt Crenwelge would. Yeah, yeah. No, I feel like he would be a very strong ah ah person to introduce into into my own game and be like, oh, so how much do I want to ah to change some of the established lore of what how I think the Feywild works to now introduce this John Wick sort of fellow working for a babushka hag that's somehow ah regarded in like this ah the fed sort of status within the Fey court, so No, it's very intriguing. 01:28:46.49 Kurt Crenwelge And if he's not featured in your upcoming campaign, well, then you've already got your next campaign on the back burner for like, OK, we're going to do ah Gotham, Gotham in the Feywild or something like that. 01:28:54.91 Charlie @InkedGM Absolutely. 01:29:00.54 Charlie @InkedGM Love it. 01:29:01.75 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. So this is the final thoughts section of the show. So I always like to, you know, turn to the guest and ask them how they thought their time was on the podcast and, you know, feedback and critiques and all that other sort of stuff. 01:29:15.50 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah, 100%. Nicole, I totally get everything that she said. it lives up to all the hype, and i get why ah she came back and and is excited to come back again. I know i know she's talked about it. 01:29:29.46 Charlie @InkedGM um And i think it would be a lot of fun to get all of the story crafters on here. That was honestly my thought, to get everybody to get a character and and do a little 15-minute side quest. 01:29:36.69 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:29:43.41 Charlie @InkedGM It would be so fun. 01:29:45.01 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. I think it'd be interesting. I mean, cause I know on this podcast we've made, uh, you know, where we've had like, I think the most that we ever had is we had when the five sided fates first came on, there was like five different NPCs we've made. So I don't know if we'd have to get to those sorts of, uh, numbers, but having all four of the story crafters on, you could make like a little, 01:30:06.57 Kurt Crenwelge NPC adventuring party or something like that ah that people could come across or or something like that or you'd be very meta and it's like oh these four storytellers that you just always see around a campfire just talking about life and stuff like that 01:30:09.22 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 01:30:19.90 Charlie @InkedGM I think that would actually be the perfect encounter. I think it would be, you know, every adventuring parties have to set up camp somewhere, right? 01:30:28.89 Kurt Crenwelge yeah 01:30:28.99 Charlie @InkedGM They're going to look for a place that seems naturally, you know, some degree of shelter ah back to, you know, a cliff face or a shallow cave. It makes sense that if they go there, that they could run into another adventuring party that's taking rest there. 01:30:44.86 Charlie @InkedGM And they, you know, ask to, hey, can we set up camp over here? And that's what they could run into. 01:30:49.99 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. 01:30:52.72 Charlie @InkedGM What did those, what does that other adventuring party look and sound like? 01:30:53.13 Kurt Crenwelge that 01:30:56.00 Charlie @InkedGM What are they up to? 01:30:57.37 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. Well, definitely a good idea. So, you know, we'll have to have to pencil that in, put that in the schedule and see if we can make that happen. 01:31:03.27 Charlie @InkedGM Yeah. 01:31:05.81 Kurt Crenwelge But... Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, this is final thoughts. So I always want to leave here in the the last moments of the podcast to the guests. So this is your soapbox, your stage, your microphone, your platform. So ah for your plugs, where can people find you online? 01:31:22.08 Kurt Crenwelge Where can we support you and all your variety of ah projects? And then if there's any passions or causes we need to be made aware of, let us know. 01:31:30.90 Charlie @InkedGM Um, yeah, you can. So I try to keep everything, ah social media wise, inked GM, uh, Twitch is ink game master. And you can also find me with the story crafters, uh, big shout out to, uh, Jeff of Jeff Rogers gaming, uh, Nicole game master mom and Jared worlds. Okay. As crafter, um, 01:31:51.51 Charlie @InkedGM That is not his, what we interpret him as. That is his Instagram handle. 01:31:55.97 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 01:31:56.61 Charlie @InkedGM ah He's actually quite adept and very talented. But um yeah, we're, you know, just doing the SideQuest. I'm here doing the SideQuest podcast with you. 01:32:07.49 Charlie @InkedGM And the StoryCrafters podcast is something that we like to do and have fun. um Love people to come over there and give a follow and ah listen to us. And if they want to follow my personal stuff, they're more than welcome to try to do a variety of things. 01:32:21.41 Charlie @InkedGM But ultimately, just like to give back when I can and support and and share some tips and tricks. But ultimately, biggest thing everybody can do is drink some water, take care of yourself. Don't be so hard on yourself. 01:32:38.60 Charlie @InkedGM Love one another and be kind and and try to try to remember that the best mark of a D&D game, in my opinion, is as long as you're winning, if everybody at the table is having fun. 01:32:40.02 Kurt Crenwelge Mm-hmm. 01:32:50.65 Charlie @InkedGM And if you can try to lead with that same mentality in your own life as much as you can, I think that would be great. So I wish everyone listening the best and to support you and every, all the goodness that you're doing over here. 01:33:03.72 Charlie @InkedGM And I hope, I hope your next dice roll is in your favor. 01:33:07.78 Kurt Crenwelge Yeah. And you know, uh, if the story crafters are ever, uh, looking to make a little more room on the log, around the campfire, I'm, I'm certainly happy to, to lend my voice. 01:33:17.71 Charlie @InkedGM Yes. 01:33:18.74 Kurt Crenwelge If you, if you'd ever like me, not that I always try and invite myself on to other people's podcasts. 01:33:20.79 Charlie @InkedGM Absolutely. 01:33:24.51 Kurt Crenwelge Um, but, but wonderful, Charlie, this was an amazing, uh, time getting to, uh, make this character to learn more about you and to promote the story crafters and, 01:33:33.49 Charlie @InkedGM Thank you. 01:33:33.93 Kurt Crenwelge so So thank you, and ah you know what? I can't wait to have you back on the podcast making even more interesting NPCs.