Worlds Beyond Number: WWW #014 Recap and Review

Welcome back to another recap and review of Worlds Beyond Number’s main campaign. This one is special. This is the end of the arc. After this one, we technically start Arc 2.

A lot happened in those two hours, so let’s dive in!

Suvi Takes The Lead in Battle

In the last episode, we left off with Suvi wearing an illusion of Naram and trying to fool Orima’s forces into following her to save the rest of the city.

It works for a bit until Orima intervenes and asks why she can’t hear his voice.

Again, Suvi realizes she’s being ignored. We’ll talk about how that backfired later, but I just want to mention here the confusion Suvi has and her negative self-talk here about herself.

That’s also something she would need to confront as time goes by.

Eursolon’s Revenge and Naram’s Mercy

Underwater, we find Eursolon trapping Morrow in a coral prison. He wanted to watch him suffer and die. And yet, there’s still a sense of mercy within him that Naram shares. When Eursolon was held hostage, it made sense for Naram to kill as many of those wizards as he destroyed the Derrick. But now? Killing Morrow when nobody was in danger was not a justified kill. This was revenge.

So, while Morrow was still trapped, Naram also gifted him the ability to breathe underwater. He would have to use his own wits if he were to get out of this. But at least they gave him a chance. He doesn’t deserve more than that.

After dealing with Morrow, the honored friends hear Ame’s request to return to shore and heed Orima’s call.

Suvi’s Deception Backfires

Suvi’s own investigation check leads her to realize her mother’s amulet is sucking the light from her surroundings, which is probably the reason why Orima can’t hear her.

She takes it off, and immediately, Orima flips in rage and calls her a liar.

I loved that moment because while it was a relief for Suvi that something wasn’t wrong with her, it was also - in hindsight - a bad choice. Orima, as a goddess, would absolutely see through your level 0 illusion. And she also immediately dispelled it. And yet, it was a very human moment to do the thing that would get people to listen to you.

And then Ame intervened.

Ame Intervenes for Suvi

Ame could sense Orima was about to kill Suvi. And Erika gave us a glimpse of the witch class, which is still mostly mysterious to podcast listeners.

She used “Stop” but for spirits. It seems to work similarly to Command, but I’m not sure what the consequences or the requirements needed from the witch casting it.

Orima succeeded in her saving throw, so we’ll never know. Well, at least until the next time Ame beckons a spirit.

When Ame failed to persuade Orima, all rage was turned to her.

The Fight Concludes

As Orima is about to kill Ame, Naram and Eursolon arrive to save the day. Naram takes the poison in stride and shares a comment with worried Ame, “My wife poisoned me many times, my dear”

It sounds like Naram and Orima have been together for a long time.

In any case, Naram is creating a little pocket of time where they can discuss in peace while everyone else is near-frozen.

In that time, Ame shares that she’s cursed. Naram, noticing the spell Galani launched at him, decides to instruct Eursolon that he can cut off the curse, and he cuts off at an important moment.

As Naram disappears back into the spirit realm, all of the forces Orima had attacking anything and everything to find him fell apart.

Ame gives a little speech about the importance of respecting the spirits of the world and all they have done for the people of Port Talon.

The people listen to Ame, and one woman in particular starts to sing. That’s so fantastic. I wonder what was behind the production of this song for the podcast.

Eursolon’s New Normal

Later that day, the gang met back up in their new rooms (staying at the fort was a bad idea), and Eursolon told the girls he touched his breath again.

The girls also noticed there was a faint smell of honey coming from Eursolon. That’s a new smell.

I loved it when Eursolon looked down at his human hands and thought this was just a disguise. This isn't who I truly am. It's quite a bit of growth since the beginning of this arc.

Figuring out Ame’s Curse

The gang decides to use WaveBreaker right then and there to free Ame from the curse. Brennan clearly states that Ame doesn’t share her personal conversation with Steel from the courtyard. In that conversation, Steel offered to study the curse to understand better what it means to remove it. If they knew, maybe this could have gone differently.

The rolls don’t exactly work out in their favor. Eursolon successfully frees Ame from the curse. But, there was more of it that was hidden. Now, Erika needs to make a choice for Ame. What would it be? The mind or the body?

Ame elects to save her mind and takes a hit to her body, and that manifests in throwing up black bile and excruciating pain. Erika’s voice acting past really shines here. That scream was top-notch.

Ame falls unconscious to save herself from dying. This black bile should have killed her, but her roll was high enough.

In the meantime, Suvi casts the Identify spell on the black bile and has a shocking realization.

Suvi’s Horrifying Realization

We find that Yoren is behind the curse. Yoren is the horrifying dude from Suvi’s introduction as a kid in the children’s campaign.

Yoren doesn’t exactly strike me as human. I think he might have been like an indentured servant to Soft - Suvi’s father.

I knew from the start there was something fishy about him and I can’t wait to figure out what was the relationship between him and Suvi’s parents.

Steel Finally Arrives

As the day breaks, Steel finally arrives.

She’s disappointed she was disobeyed again. This time, the wrath isn’t pointed (mostly) at Suvi. It’s pointed at Eursolon.

She kind of puts him in his place, giving him a clear message that putting her people in danger will be received as an act of an enemy.

There is a little ray of hope for Suvi’s relationship with her surrogate mother when she tells Steel that Galani was exemplary during the whole ordeal.

Finishing Off The Arc

While traveling to the citadel a while later, Suvi finally had time to study the book with her parents’ writings.

In D&D, there’s an aspect of casting spells quicker. And in that moment, Brennan gave an explanation as to why that is. As a beginner wizard, you learn what you need to do to cast spells. As you become more proficient, you learn how to cast things quicker by changing the elements needed for casting. That trick is essentially what Suvi learns from her father’s writings, and it’s a cute moment when she talks to herself.

Steel comes to wake her up and tells her they’ll arrive within the hour at the Citadel. And it’s time to talk about her parents. That’s where Brennan cuts it off to much of the players’ dismay (and hours, I should add).

It’s been an amazing one. If this is arc one, I can’t wait to see what else Umora has in store. What did you think about this arc? Let me know in the comments below!