by Emily Maesar, Associate TV Editor

Fantasy High: Junior Year
Episode 8 “Fracas at the Frostyfaire Folk Festival”
With Brennan Lee Mulligan, Emily Axford, Zac Oyama, Siobhan Thompson, Lou Wilson, Ally Beardsley, and Brian Murphy
Streaming now on Dropout.tv

“Without doubt you just have rigid faith, which shatters and has no flexibility.” - Fig Faeth (Emily Axford)

Before we begin the event of the season (at least as far as set up is concerned), we first learn how the party has decided to deal with their stress. Basically, the stress tokens impress upon the players disadvantage on a skill check or save. Each stress token from last episode is equal to two skills that they are not proficient at or one that they are. Truly this is one of the great innovations of the season, allowing the characters to really feel the nature of being a teen in their junior year of high school.

There’s also Lydia Barkrock’s notes and things to contend with, from her former adventuring party. Adaine (Siobhan Thompson) casts Comprehend Languages and reads through all the notes, which are in Giant. Kristen (Ally Beardsley) asks Lydia about the god Lucy Frostblade was following, just to try and get some additional information about what may have happened to her. She doesn’t have a lot more to give, so after they talk with Lydia most of the team (sans Gorgug [Zac Oyama]) goes up to Adaine’s wizard’s tower to pour over the notes.

Fig (Emily Axford) gives Adaine one of her bardic inspirations… except, it’s a little funky. Siobhan has to roll a d100 to see if anything happens as her stomach gurgles, like Fig’s has been doing since the first episode. Adaine blows some dust off the pages, and she gets into a similar catastrophic accident like Fig’s been having. Namely, Adaine gets knocked unconscious as she slams her head into the bunk bed after stumbling backwards. Kristen stabilizes her, but her stomach gurgles as well. She gets a flash of red, popping her back for a moment to the food court.

The party investigates Fig, trying to figure out exactly what’s wrong with her and if she’s actually cursed, the way she thinks she is. Riz (Brian Murphy) uses his magical tie to Detect Good & Evil and a fiendish aura surrounds Fig that is not her own.

Over at the Thistlespring Tree, Gorgug’s parents are preparing for the Frostyfaire Folk Festival that’s happening on location. His biological parents are there, along with his adoptive parents, and there’s a long and awkward, but very funny conversation about nudity, bodies, and the different elements the festival has to offer that aren’t just music. It’s this perfect encapsulation of teen life and how even if you’re old enough to have these kinds of conversations with your parents… it never stops feeling like you shouldn’t! Gorgug heads over to meet with his friends at Mordred Manor.

The party actually gets to resolve the rolls they made earlier to look into the notes and things from Lydia. Within the pages exists the knowledge that Lucy’s god once gave a wedding gift to Cassandra! In addition, there’s lots of information about the different gods in the D&D pantheon existing together and traveling around side-by-side.

Emily speculates that perhaps Helio (or his father Sol) might have wanted to harm Cassandra because doubt brought Kristen away from being the chosen one for her former god. Riz attempts to investigate more about the god whose name is no longer readable. He rolls as 26 and finds a glossary that was written for a future adventuring party. There are also notes on “Obliviati Mori", or the Law of Theothanatic Silence. A law that applies to mortals, but not to gods. Meaning, that gods do not forget the name of other gods when they die like mortals do. However, the gods are not allowed to speak those names to mortals. With this newly founded information, Fabian (Lou Wilson) recalls Cassandra’s “I thought you were dead,” in a new context.

Gorgug reminds everybody that Ruben’s band is playing at the Frostyfaire Folk Festival, if they want to keep a closer eye on the Rat Grinders. Kristen shoots off texts to Tracker and her parents to talk soon. Riz thinks that maybe Tracker’s religion blowing up right now might have something to do with the events of their current life. She looks down at the books and notes and sees twenty-four-point stars on an unfinished piece of art that would have a god, were it finished. Kristen speculates that maybe the god who died is Cassandra’s ex.

Before the party leaves Adaine’s room, Fig does her first prayer to Cassandra. She uses the moment of doubt from when her horns started to grow in as her anchor and the shards that everybody still has in their pockets from the mall fight begin to glow. Kristen joins her and ends up regaining a 6th level spell slot of magic. (I just want to note that I love this kind of mechanic and I’ve used it before in my games. It rules!)

It is finally time for the Bad Kids to make it over to the Folk Festival! Fig disguises herself as Wanda Childa since Rubin’s gonna be there. Kristen changes clothes so she can campaign since there are a bunch of kids from their school there. Someone comes up to offer the party drugs, but Adaine sees right through them with a natural 20 before using Dispel Magic and revealing Rubin. After a back and forth, he leaves so his band (My Clerical Gnomance) can play.

However, as My Clerical Gnomance takes the stage and starts playing, Principal Grix appears in a crack of lightning over the Thistlespring Tree. He’s spouting off about perfect order before he casts Disintegrate on Ruben. Adaine uses Counterspell, before everybody rolls Initiative. Grix has Lair Actions, and he uses one while talking about how he was created to optimize the school and the school is better optimized when it’s “omnipresent.” From under the tarps, Grix brings up junk items and modified objects that his parents worked on over the summer. Including, a weirdo lawn mower robot dude and other robots most of which have dildos and other sexual objects on them. Both of Gorgug’s parents get sucked into a set of washer and dryer robots.

The lawn mower robot attacks Adaine, Kristen, and Riz. Riz is the only one who saves, though, and the girls both take over 20 points of damage. Other robots around the yard close in on our heroes, attacking them in turn. Fabian goes over to try and save Gorgug’s parents by attacking the washer and dryer. He destroys the dryer, which had Digby in it, and saves Gorgug’s father.

Grix attacks Adaine and on Riz’s turn he casts Remote Access, which allows him to use any electronic device within range as though it were in his hand. He accesses the washer to try and save Wilma. The washer robot fails a Wisdom save against the spell and now both of Gorgug’s parents are saved!

Kristen recruits two gnomes, who were in the naked tent that Gorgug’s parents mentioned earlier, and they come out to help. Nude, of course. Kristen wants to do a Persuasion Check on the vulture that’s on the scaffolding of the stage, because the Bad Kids are always suspicious of vultures. Brennan tells Ally that Kristen would need to get within 5 feet of the vulture, though. She nearly gets hit (by a crit) by a forklift robot, but Riz uses Silvery Barbs to stop it from happening.

Ruben finally sees Fig, as Wanda, and he plays so hard upon seeing her that he gives Fig a Bardic Inspiration. Fig and Gorgug Dimension Door to Grix to try and get his ass out of the air. Fig lets herself fall after their action (as she Hex Blade Curses Grix), but Fabian uses Feather Fall as a reaction to stop her from absolutely eating shit in the grass.

Gorgug uses his Steel Defender, a gecko named Clobica (because Zac is hilarious). Gorgug and Clobica do a massive amount of damage before he falls at the end of his turn. Grix uses one of his Legendary Action and Gorgug has to make a Constitution Save. He takes damage and is stunned before he hits the ground.

Adaine summons an air elemental and keeps it in the air, near Grix. The elemental attacks twice, hitting once and actually using that hit as a grapple instead. It fails, however. Grix flies higher on his turn, targeting everybody at the tree and is out of Counterspell range. Everybody makes Intelligence Save. Half the party saves, only taking 21 points of damage. The rest of the party takes 42 damage and are all stunned. Grix takes a Lair Action again and he resurrects the dryer.

Adaine, not stunned, takes another hit from one of the robots and goes down. Riz pops out of cover, and he shoots at Grix. When all is said and done, Riz does 39 points of damage. He tries to hide again, as his bonus action, but doesn’t roll high enough. Grix attacks him, hitting him with frost damage. Digby teleports to Gorgug, while Wilma teleports to Fig, giving both characters the help action.

Kristen casts Mass Cure Wounds, rolling quite high, and brings Adaine back up. Grix attacks Riz again and then Fabian gets attacked by the dryer. Ruben and his band throw out Bardic Inspirations to all the player characters. Kristen makes direct eye contact with the vulture, which is still hanging out on top of the stage.

Grix talks to Riz, telling him that he’s too good for the Bad Kids. He casts Dominate Monster on Riz, which means he can take Riz over. Adaine uses Counter Spell but has to roll for it and doesn’t make it. And thus, their robot headmaster takes control of Riz. Grix commands him to go after Kristen, but Murph rolls a 2 and misses her wildly. Kristen runs closer to the stage to hide and potentially give Gorgug the help action.

However, Brennan gives Ally an option. Does Kristen want to use her turn to give Gorgug the help action… or does she want to interact with the vulture now that she’s close enough. From across the table Zac gives Ally a thumbs up and a nod to go after the vulture, which they do.

As Kristen reaches out, she asks Cassandra to let her talk to this vulture. Which… goes about as well as one might expect. They’ve been investigating vultures since their freshman year and now, as the episode comes to an end, all of the Bad Kids are transported to the Vulture Dimension, with amazing screen work and some cool minis.

It’s perhaps one of the funniest ways to end the episode, but also a perfect encapsulation of teen media (and teen life). The random thing you’re obsessed with, and that you’ve given some kind of meaning to, will take over your life in unknown and deeply weird ways. Something our Intrepid Heroes have just come face-to-face with.