The Emerald Collective Podcast

Deep within the Underdark, the Curtain Callers continue to explore the mysteries of the Memory Root, where the past is not merely remembered… but relived. Hoping to uncover clues overlooked during his time in Grendal, Daemon delves into his memories of the days before the Violet Madness outbreak, searching for anything that might shed light on Galfond Illemis and his disappearance. But the past has a way of revealing truths hidden in plain sight. Meanwhile, Mina and Daemon share a moment of trust, allowing one another to glimpse memories never intended for anyone else's eyes. For Shadar, however, the Memory Root offers something far more dangerous; a chance to uncover the identity of the betrayer who wronged him at Mistmoor Manor. Yet some revelations have the power to shatter everything one believes. And Aelfric faces a dilemma of his own. With memories once stolen from him now within reach, the wizard must decide whether the truth is worth the pain of remembering. In a place where every memory can be revisited, the greatest danger may not lie in what was forgotten… but in what is finally remembered.

The caves have become less of a rescue mission and now more of a fight for survival. With threats now lurking around every corner, the investigators scramble to make sense of where they are and how to get out with their bodies and minds intact. As they venture further, they encounter an ancient temple deep within the cave system. But there is also something else... and someone else.

Having left the haunting tragedy of the duergar settlement behind, the Curtain Callers venture deeper into the Underdark, where they encounter something as ancient as it is mysterious; The Memory Root. A colossal tree whose gnarled roots stretch through the depths, the Memory Root holds within it the echoes of countless lives, preserving the memories of all who have crossed its path. For Shadar, it presents an opportunity to leave something of himself behind, offering his own wisdom to the tree's vast collection of memories. But for Mina, the encounter takes a far more personal turn, drawing her towards fragments of a past she would sooner forget. As the Curtain Callers delve into the mysteries of the Memory Root, they discover that some memories are worth preserving… while others are buried for a reason. And in the Underdark, even the past refuses to stay dead.

The depths loom over the investigators even more as they continue their search for Josh within the strange and imposing caverns. Something deep within stirs as they make a gruesome discovery.

Believing himself infected with the Violet Madness, Shadar keeps his distance from the Curtain Callers, uncertain of what may be happening within him, or what danger he might now pose to his companions. Meanwhile, Daemon and Aelfric’s investigation of the ruined duergar settlement finally begins to bear fruit. The strange inhabitants, the abandoned homes, and the unsettling silence surrounding the village start to form a much clearer, and far more disturbing, picture. But uncovering the truth is only the beginning. Faced with a discovery they cannot ignore, the Curtain Callers must make a harrowing choice… and decide just how far they are willing to go when there may be no right answer.

The trio of investigators push further into the depths and begin to uncover more unsettling clues as to what is happening beneath the hills of Providence. As they venture into the darkness, they find remnants of civilisation. Not particularly human, and not particularly hospitable...

Deep within the Underdark, a moment of unexpected tenderness takes a horrifying turn, leaving Shadar facing a threat unlike anything the Curtain Callers have encountered before. As the party rushes to their cleric’s aid, uncertainty forces them to take precautions. Something has changed, and until they understand exactly what they’re dealing with, even standing too close could prove dangerous. Meanwhile, Aelfric and Daemon intensify their investigation of the mysterious duergar house. Their persistence finally begins to pay off as they uncover a vital clue that could explain what happened to this strange settlement. With Sir Tirion keeping watch and the party forced to reconsider their next move, uncomfortable questions hangs over them all: Is Shadar infected? And if so, how much time does he have left?

Beneath the hills, the darkness is not empty. The investigators leave the safety of the surface behind and descend into places where daylight has never fallen. Each step carries them farther from the world they know, through passages shaped by old hands and into depths where the silence seems less an absence than a watchful presence. There are signs that others came before them, but in the earth below, distance and reason begin to lose their meaning, and the investigators are forced to confront a terrible possibility: They have not merely entered the darkness. The darkness has become aware of them.

Deep within the Underdark, the Curtain Callers attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding the ruined duergar settlement and its peculiar inhabitants. While Sir Tirion and Mina question their unusual hosts, Daemon and Aelfric take a more methodical approach, searching the abandoned village for evidence of what happened here, and whether the survivors they've encountered can truly be trusted. But patience wears thin, and Shadar withdraws from the investigation in search of solitude beside a quiet underground pond. Away from the others, the cleric turns his attention towards something far more personal, reaching through the veil in search of a figure from his past. When Mina joins him, a rare moment of tenderness offers some respite from the darkness surrounding them. But questions remain. What happened to this settlement? Who, or what, are its inhabitants? And in the depths of the Underdark, are the Curtain Callers investigating the aftermath of some forgotten tragedy… or have they walked straight into it?

The earth remembers what men choose to forget. Drawn together by a mystery rooted in years long buried, a group of investigators begins to disturb the settled dust of the past. Old accounts are revisited, uneasy questions are raised, and beneath the ordinary details of human history they glimpse the outline of something that should not be there. There are absences where answers ought to be, and beneath the hills, unseen in the lightless depths, something ancient appears to have left its mark upon the generations above. The investigators have only begun to dig. They cannot yet know how deep the past descends, or what may feel their hands upon the soil.