Hello, friends!

My name is Zachary Frederickson. Some few of you may know me as a cast member or GM of a number of actual play podcasts over the last few years, and some of you may know me as a writer. Some of you may not know me at all!

I'm putting out this message to tell you about Sagas of the Sunless Reach. Back in 2021, myself and some friends came together to play a short live-streamed game of Pathfinder Second Edition set in a world of my own devising--The Riddle of Ruel. That was a ton of fun, and after a few years, I came back around on the idea of doing a second season: Hydra Delta Blues--bigger, better, prerecorded.

We're still working on recording and editing HDB--and our season 2 special prologue, Golden Autumn, but we wanted to pave the runway a bit by re-uploading the original fourteen podcast-cut episodes of Riddle of Ruel in their own feed. This podcast feed is going to upload weekly starting on Saturday, February 3rd, and will continue to do so until mid-May, when we'll have a short break to prepare for the arrival of Season 2, which will debut June 1st, 2024.

As a word of warning, season one's episodes are mostly uncut stream archive audio, chopped into podcast-length episodes. There's some pretty crunchy audio in parts, and we do spend a bit of time talking to chat or not stating dice rolls or even just thinking for more than a few beats. However, I still think it's a hell of a ride, and it'll leave you well-equipped to delve back into the shadowy realm of Tarandaur come June.

If you do decide to join us on this journey, allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and to welcome you... to SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH!

Follow @SunlessReach for updates.

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Treju of the Swamp - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Calanthe - Mab Kyte Baywick - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Treju of the Swamp - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Calanthe - Mab Kyte Baywick - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Can you hear the drums? They're sounding down the way. The time has almost come, Prepare for break of day.

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

The timber's hotly burning, The boots stamp down the earth, The villain's luck is turning, _Let's hope it's for the worse. _

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Deep within the woods, A creature slowly stirs. But is justice or shed blood The thing for which the creature thirsts?

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Contact has been made, The rebels have been found Now all that’s left to do Is steal a woodsman from a hound.

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

The woods are dark and deep, Devoid of life and yet, _ _There’s waiting, gnashing teeth, Prepared to snatch our dear quartet.

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Step by stealthy step, Our heroes closing in, The obstacle that’s next Is sure to cause them much chagrin!

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

The lodge is opened wide, The warden’s hackles raised, But the beast that is inside, Can bite in many different ways.

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

The Cat’s out of the bag, The warden’s slipped his leash, And the pain yet to be had will hurt For days to come at least.

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

A long-lost friend is found, The real work has begun, The silver of the spider’s thread Will show what’s to be done

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Their souls are now at rest, As shadows grow above, But as feathered wings a’rustle Do they beat with pain or love?

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin McLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

The secrets are laid bare, the plan is taking shape, but rebels should beware the sleeping beast they mean to wake...

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

A tavern torn apart, a wagon full of death, a machine that was a man--I wonder what comes next?

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

We’ve managed to ignite the light of hope inside us--now we go to battle with a lot of friends behind us!

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

The Maestro’s Manor’s taken, his schemes and plans undone. The battle’s nearly over but the war has just begun...

Embark on a pulse-pounding adventure in the cloud-choked realm of Tarandaur as a group of heroes, called together by a mutual ally, try to unravel the mystery of his final message in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH - THE RIDDLE OF RUEL!

Cast: Game Master - Zachary Ksana the Spear - Bitmap Apricus the Luminary - Cory Elżbieta Wrona - Mab Orin Nāttsku - Jade

Intro Track "Seeking the Sun" by Zachary Frederickson. Additional music by Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

Listen to the voices on the wind. The cheers, the cries, the marching boots. You think that you can stop them getting in? Soon, we all will know the truth.

Every saga starts somewhere. Peer back into the mists of time and discover just how Octavian Errol fared in his battle against Gabriel the Gold in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH: GOLDEN AUTUMN!

Cast: Mab as OCTAVIAN ERROL Bitmap as SIEGMANN HELD Jade as DAI LITTLE Cory as FORTUNE LITTLE Zachary as THE GAME MASTER

Theme music "Not By My Hand" by Joan Stein Additional music by Ovani Sound Video Editing by Zachary Frederickson

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

From tangled vine and poisoned leaf Come jaws of jagged needle teeth But you'd better kill them faster-- Something wicked's coming after.

Every saga starts somewhere. Peer back into the mists of time and discover just how Octavian Errol fared in his battle against Gabriel the Gold in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH: GOLDEN AUTUMN!

Cast: Mab as Octavian Errol Bitmap as Siegmann Held Jade as Dai Little Cory as Fortune Little Zachary as The Game Master

Intro Track "Not By My Hand" by Joan Stein. Additional music by Ovani Sound and Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Content warning for graphic violence

You might have heard of crooked turns and doors that go to nowhere, Of wicked fates and pressure plates with sharpened spikes below there, But more than any waiting trap or deadly, evil art, The evil you should fear’s the one that’s lying in your heart.

Every saga starts somewhere. Peer back into the mists of time and discover just how Octavian Errol fared in his battle against Gabriel the Gold in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH: GOLDEN AUTUMN!

Cast: Mab as Octavian Errol Bitmap as Siegmann Held Jade as Dai Little Cory as Fortune Little Zachary as The Game Master

Intro Track "Not By My Hand" by Joan Stein. Additional music by Ovani Sound and Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach!

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Tell me truly, as you stand before your mighty victory: Was your heroism honest, or was it noxious trickery? Perhaps it doesn’t matter, as it’s you who’s writing history, But mark my words, young Errol--all of this will end in misery.

Every saga starts somewhere. Peer back into the mists of time and discover just how Octavian Errol fared in his battle against Gabriel the Gold in SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH: GOLDEN AUTUMN!

Cast: Mab as Octavian Errol Bitmap as Siegmann Held Jade as Dai Little Cory as Fortune Little Zachary as The Game Master

Intro Track "Not By My Hand" by Joan Stein. Additional music by Ovani Sound and Kevin MacLeod. Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing Post about the show using #SunReach

One year has passed since our heroes killed Aldrich Errol and helped the Rams free the people of Ruel. Since then, they've spent the time securing their place in the parish and struggling to get an upper hand on trade blockades and fighting back against increased road warden patrols. There is only so much that technology and primal magic can do to help mitigate the dwindling supplies, and they don't have enough raw materials to sustain a growing militia.

Perhaps, then, it's time to dive into the Delta and seek out some allies. And from there: Turn our gaze to the river master Dragomir Errol and his Wolf Armada.

Get ready for Sagas of the Sunless Reach, Season 2: Hydra Delta Blues.

Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects by freesound.org user cgeffex

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

A year is a long time to spend in one place, even though I know we're doing good work here. So when they suggested that we expand our reach beyond just Ruel, I might have leapt at the chance. I agreed to stay, but that doesn't mean I don't chafe at the decision; should have left when Orin did, honestly. I hope they're okay out there -- it's hard to get word back to the fort, even when you don't go all the way into the Delta like they have.

We're headed out into the Delta ourselves in the morning -- first in search of a local contact Jack arranged for us, and then further afield to find a group calling themselves the Anglers. I don't know how well water will agree with Ksana in all her armor, or Apricus with all his fire. Heavy things sink and wet things don't burn.

I'm prepared to be damp and miserable, but at least I'll be out doing field work again. And I'll get to test out my new gun.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta Wrona

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matai
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: Zapsplat; Freesound users augustsandberg & breviceps
Other music: Ovani Sound; Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence

I can’t decide if it is easier to fight against undead that can speak or not. I can fight against other humans (or vampires, I suppose) no problem. The early warning system set up by Vanatori with undead strapped to trees was gruesome but easy to deal with. They were unintelligent creatures being used for a purpose by a cruel man.

Bog mummies are a part of an ecosystem, sure, as much as any predator animal is. Just one with an opinion on the taste of flesh. Observations: tread carefully as you would around any snake-infested territory, and you can avoid confrontation. (Unfortunately, Ksana is not careful.)

First time encountering a wight, though. Would have liked to have been able to hold a civil discussion with him, instead of needing to resort to magical threats and firearms. Would have liked to have been able to help him.

NB: new gun working great. Glad to see that all my practice over the last year has paid off. No way to let Sorren know, though; unable to get word out of the Delta easily enough for casual letters.

- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: Tony Phillips from SoundBible, Pixabay, Dermotte, Tinkroll, julianmateo, molefimanaka, and lg from Freesound, and Still North Media and others from Zapsplat
Other music: Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence

The Wolf Armada is a well-oiled machine — and like anything coated in oil, it is wont to conflagrate with very little provocation. I do not like feeling as if I have to tread on eggshells where Ksana is concerned, but she is willing to turn every confrontation with a hostile force into a fight. Even when discretion is the better part of valor.

Thankfully, the run-in is short and we get away with only a warning. And some advice: to head to Viclean to register ourselves as official ‘monster hunters’ (a cover story I always have at the ready as a freelancer). Sorry boys, I don’t really think you’d like it if I had to tell you what our prey is. Instead, we point our bow towards Tommerby with the intention of seeing if we can forge an alliance with their Delta Militia.

Observations on Tommerby: busy, crowded, equal parts liberated and stymied by the longer leash granted to them by the Armada. Cipru Covan serves as foreman, mayor, and militia leader. I wonder how thin the line is between the last two, and what that means for his people.

NB: Astrid found a spider on the ship, and Apricus confirms that there is something mystical about it. A scrying sigil, he says. Remains to be seen just who is watching us and what they want.

- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects:
Pixabay, Zapsplat, Tony Phillips from SoundBible, and richardemoore, jessie_s, monkeyedz, and lastraindrop from Freesound
Other music: Kevin MacLeod & Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence and depictions of suicide

Our conversation with Cipru was immediately cut short by an ambush of members of the Sangele — a riverboat mafia, who must work at odds against the Wolf Armada. But, according to Cipru and Viidra, this ambush is out of character for them. They both agree that there is something far more sinister behind this attack, as Tommerby has not outright drawn the ire of the Sangele, and they would have no reason to do a full out bombardment against Cipru himself.

There are very few things that can compel a man to violence against his will. We saw manipulation into silence at the hands of Aldrich, can this be compulsion at the hands of Dragomir?

One thing is for certain: it was not a message aimed directly at us, the Rams. The ones planning to stir the pot. It is a message from someone else, designed to take out the leader of a powerful settlement. Foreman, mayor, militia leader. What is that saying about eggs in a basket?

Crowns on a head. Targets on a man.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: Freesound users dermotte & brandan89; Soundbible user Tony Phillips; Still North Media and others from zapsplat
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence

It is almost refreshing to be back on a job that is as simple as ‘there is a beast; hunt it’.

Viidra fills us in on local lore as we travel, and even Apricus has some knowledge stored away from an old academic paper, so we have some general information on Ol’ Bone Snapper before we head into battle.

‘Pig-like’ and ‘massive boar’ seem to be the best descriptors we’re able to get. We have fought a dire bear before, so I wonder how it lines up to scale. What, exactly, is the ecology of a beast like this out here in the swamps? Is it the only one of its kind? Is it native to the area?

I’m not an expert on the biology of the monsters I hunt (strictly speaking), but sometimes you come across a specimen that is so fascinating that it makes you wonder: what would a world look like where it is the norm?
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: Freesound users other_kat, julianmateo, and cyoung510, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Still North media and other users from zapsplat
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Does an Errols’ penchant for harming others know no bounds? Aldrich’s experiments, the Anglers. Stanislaw. Sorren. My mother. And here I sit, naïve and, worse still, ignorant. Back at the start of this, I had asked Sorren something about what they might have wanted when they were first free of Aldrich Errol’s clutches. It seems such a stupid question now.

What do I think I could do to help? What do I even know?

I have made myself a thorn in their side simply because of who I have aligned myself with, not because I am some wayward daughter.

I bear no scars. My mother already paid the price for me.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Freesound user hannagreen
Other music: Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

A Note From the Editor: We had to revert to back-up audio for Jade, and had a few other issues throughout so the quality might be a bit mid. Hope you enjoy all the same!

--

I don’t feel confident about this plan of action. We are, admittedly, more prepared to fight Big Bill than we were Argus Vanatori, but something still sits wrong in my gut.

With Vanatori, there were a multitude of reasons why we had to fight him — and we got an excellent keep for the Rams in the bargain.

What do we gain by killing Big Bill? The best excuse they could give was why not. Why shouldn’t we make a show of our intention in the Delta by beheading the Warden’s pet dog? It worked with Vanatori and Aldrich.

And then to blow up the fort to “ensure keep anyone else from using it”. A waste of resources.

I have heard that a snake’s head can still bite once it’s been cut off. Let us hope that the same is not true for wolves. - From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat & Freesound user jfm_sounddesing
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence

It’s a wonder we have made any progress as a united force when we all refuse to work with our strengths in fighting style. And of course Big Bill, a man who churns out a police force for the Delta with surprising efficiency, can see right through us.

That doesn’t mean he has the right to try and instruct us during battle.

We have made it this far, after all. Whatever it is that we are doing is working for us in some capacity.

NB: I can’t help but wonder if he knew Vanatori. Did they train together? Become Wolves together? Or was what Vanatori was different from what Koyakaru is? Their fighting styles couldn’t be more different, or their relationship with the men they manage. But the parallel is too much to ignore.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: Still north media & others from zapsplat; Freesound users julianmateo, molefimanaka, artninja, eminyildirim, alegemaate, kvv_audio, & sounagix; Soundbible user Tony Phillips
Other music: Kevin MacLeod & Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

We'll see you again in the new year!

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Sound effects: zapsplat

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

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We knew, coming into this, that there is going to be a change in power dynamics once we remove the head of the Delta. Ruel is self-sufficient enough, and we have been working with Cipru and the Anglers for these past weeks to know that they will be able to manage their own once Dragomir has been unseated from his position of power.

Two things have happened immediately in the wake of the death of Big Bill. The first is that not only do we now have a bunch of unruly Wolves who don’t quite see Ksana as a new master but have offered her their swords regardless. The second is the arrival of the representatives of the Sangele who offered us a gift in good faith (very nearly completely ruined by Ksana’s own blind bullheadedness) and more upon that if we take the trouble outside the Delta.

I wanted to say “sure, we can depose Dragomir anywhere, just don’t get in our way,” but it brought up a better question that I mean to ponder: Who stands to gain with the Wolves and the Warden out of the picture? Lilli said that we are a disruption to the ecosystem, meaning that the Sangele and the Wolves work in concert. The Sangele could move for full control of the Delta if they wished.

Instead, they intend to maintain the status quo, and mark us as a weed to be plucked if we go where we are not wanted.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat, Yellowstone National Park Sound Library, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Freesound users julianmateo, lg, brunoboselli, artninja, and nachtmahrtv
Other music: Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunReach and Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach.
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence

For my whole life, the Errols had been a name that was larger than life — the rulers of Tarandaur, the family who claimed to fight back the night and all it brought with it. Not that I believed it. I couldn’t, if I wanted to stay safe. But they had always seemed bigger than anything I could conceptualize, a boot to avoid being crushed by; myths and legends.

When we met Aldrich, I realized that they’re not untouchable. They might be vampires, but they’re not gods.

They can be killed like the rest of us.

Seeing Dragomir in the flesh for the first time… I find myself questioning what I thought I knew all over again.

Except this time I don’t see him as mortal or mythical.

He’s a monster.

And he has our scent.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat user Felix Blume and others; Freesound users nachtmahrtv, lastraindrop, natty23, augustsandberg, and lg
Other music: Ovani Sound & Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

We have been in Low Road for a scant few hours and already I can feel the pulse of the city humming just out of earshot. This is a city built on waterways and trade so it is only natural that the current of its people never rests.

But beneath it all there is a silent, deadly thread of stagnation.

It is more noticeable here than it is in a city like Tommerby, who has to fight to survive on their own. Low Road, for all its commerce and information networks, is one that relies on things working in an exact way. Always the possibility for things to tip one way or the other, but never enough momentum to topple the structure.

Bodahn Liis wants to throw himself at the unsteady fulcrum, and he thinks that Marcel Sharpe is the piece that will weigh the odds in his favor. We have been given six hours to convince both him and Janek the risk that comes with toppling the gameboard is worth it, but there are better ways than the Sharpes to get what you want.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Freesound user jfm

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach
Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

When an organization such as the Dawnbringer University suddenly shows a deep and invested interest in a local culture, you know they already have drawn up plans on how to bring that culture under its heel. There won’t be anything recognizable about the mess that is left once they get what they want. Eventually, even the stories will stop being told.

When I was looking for samples of the plant in question, I hadn’t known why it would be of interest. But after hearing Lumi’s story (the same one told to the botanist Calanthe, the same one told to the University’s representatives), the scope of it became obvious.

There’s an opportunity for the Errols, the full blooded vampires, to use this plant to avoid any harm from the sun — and the accusations we threw against Aldrich would no longer stick. A lot of our initial momentum after Ruel relied on the irony of the anti-monster sentiment from the Errols now being turned back in their faces. Never mind how it would impact people like Stanislaw and myself. The more important thing was that it would rally the people against the Errols.

If they get their hands on the Midnight Fern and Sofia is able to produce a solution, then the entire foundation of our rebellion fails.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Freesound users Matucha and plus-one
Other music: Kevin MacLeod and Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

They say ‘if you want something done right, then do it yourself’ — which, believe me, I would love to not be in the negotiation room. I am not a negotiator; that is Ksana, and she’s asking us to do the hard work of reading people for her. I’m a bounty hunter and an investigator, and I do my best work when no one else knows I’m there.

Stanislaw, for all his ability to be stealthy and melt from shadows or a crowd, does not seem to have as keen an eye for evidence gathering as I would have hoped. Between the Dawnbringer boat at Fort Pointer, and now with Sharpe’s and Nico’s rooms, he brings me back big picture details but nothing that I can turn into a solid lead.

We don’t have the time for me to slip away from the table now that I’ve made headway on both Sharpe and Janek. As willing as Viidra was to cause a distraction, or Stanislaw to put the toughs to the knife, we have committed our focus to the negotiations.

Sleight of hand tricks only work when their attention is elsewhere.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat, Yellowstone National Park Sound Library, and Freesound user eminyildirim

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for suicide threat

“Don't you know anything about vampires?”

The question has been looping in my head since he asked it, and I can't snuff out the spark of irritation it caused.

I am a dhampir: a human mother and a vampire father. But I've spent my entire life rejecting the half of me that was wrong. I never could lie to myself, to pretend I was fully human, but it was always my secret to bear until Ruel.

Now, though… “Don't you know anything about vampires?”

My knowledge of my own ancestry is on par with Apricus’ in that it is purely academic. Do I want to know anything about vampires? About myself?

Aldrich offered to teach me, not that I was tempted. I would reject Dragomir's offer the same way if it was ever given. I don't need an uncle to suddenly find me interesting — not after what happened to my mother. Not after what happened to Stanislaw.

But something about that question feels far more pointed than it has any right to be.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat, BBC Sound Effects Library, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Freesound users julianmateo, eminyildirim, treyc, and fastson
Other music: Kevin MacLeod and Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

We have a lot coming up quickly upon us — the Tursa cranberry bog and its spider problem, the Last Fool Standing tournament, and all the bits and pieces that fall between them.

But now all I can see is the bloodless, decomposing face of the mortic on the ship. All I can think of is why have I not looked closer at the Anglers? There are pieces falling into place, and my usual propensity to not delve into an ally’s secrets are coming back to bite me in the ass. Let them keep their secrets, as I have kept mine, I would say.

There are two ways that this can go. The first is that it could be as Stanislaw said, and he freed the Anglers from Sofia’s clutches; these people on the ships were ones less fortunate or more dedicated to her cause.

The second is that I have made a terrible mistake.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat user Alan McKinney and others, and Freesound users other_kat and licorne_en_fer
Other music: Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

At last we have met the final two players of the Delta’s power structure: Daria Sangelue and Mama Tursa. Not under any circumstances I would have preferred to meet them, but I’ve long since anticipated for nothing to go the way I would prefer.

It wasn’t until we arrived that we even realized that the Sangele had moved in to fix the Tursa’s problems while we worked elsewhere. But based on Viidra’s investigations, the Sangele might have moved in even earlier to instigate the problem in the first place. Can’t fault her for shrewd business practices, even if it comes at our expense.

I still feel confident about our decision to approach Low Road first. I do not like the alternative timeline where we rid the cranberry bog of weevils, but lost our chance at securing a solid route out of the Delta.

(There’s a clever thing to be said here about tactics with regards to this card game I’m learning. We have one final play left before we can win the hand, I think.)
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: Soundbible user Tony Phillips and zapsplat

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

This whole time, I’ve pushed to be taken seriously as a contender. I’m treated like a child by my own party, I’m seen as naive by kin, and I’m otherwise ignored by every other player in the Delta. Even Stanislaw, whom I hoped might see me as an equal despite my ignorance of family politics, keeps things from me.

And now I feel like I am earning that disregard. All my calls are backfiring. All my ill-earned confidence turning against me.

Our advantage, the trust and faith we have gained, the surety that we are on the right path: I’m questioning all of it now. Nothing is what we thought it was.

Does it count as a victory if this is the price you have to pay to earn it?
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab & Zachary
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat user Still North Media and others, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Freesound users halleck, julianmateo, kirkpatricklive, & eminyildirim
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

I have to keep the truth from everyone for as long as I possibly can. I don’t know how much Stanislaw knows. I don’t know if he can see through me because at this point I feel like every lie I tell is so transparent that it’s a wonder I’m even visible at all.

Does he know I’ve figured him out? Have I figured him out?

Things I know are true, or at the very least, I have solid evidence for:

• That was him fleeing the bogs after the Sunken Tune took Paavo.
• He is the one who pushed for the fight against Big Bill and the destruction of the fort
• All we have is his word on what he found in the Dawnbringer ship, Nico’s rooms, and Sharpe’s rooms. (None of which is concrete.)
• He did not grow up alone in Coronant like he claims
• His Anglers bear strong resemblance to the mortics we found
• He genuinely hates Dragomir with every fiber of his being.

I don’t know how much rope I have left at this point, but I hope that it’s enough that if I fail, I can at least take him down with me.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Freesound users augustsandberg and cgeffex
Other music: Kevin MacLeod & Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

THIS WEEK ON: the ADVENTURES of DARING RED - our intrepid PRODUCER faced challenging OBSTACLES, literal HOURS of GRUELING LAG, and a deep and terrible FEAR that she would not get the episode OUT IN TIME! So to save her the distress and ENSURE that YOU, DEAR LISTENERS, get the BEST OF THE BEST we bring to you: OUTTAKES from episodes 6-18!

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

The culmination of our plans with Stanislaw comes to a head tonight, and I will be stuck behind a locked door playing cards — unable to tell which way the tower falls. I can only hope that my friends, whom I have kept the truth from, will prove victorious.

I trust them on the field of battle, but my hesitation to trust them in spycraft and delicate investigations might just cost us more than it will be worth. Whatever I win at this tournament won’t compare to what we lose if I am wrong. Or, more vitally, if Stanislaw outsmarts me again.

There are two final thoughts that I have, before I take my seat at the table: The first is the reassurance that, despite all his resources, Stanislaw still couldn’t access the journal without our help.

The second is just why, exactly, does Stanislaw so clearly hate Dragomir but is so willing to help Sofia to the point where he would use me as a stepping stone to get what he wants? How does he not hate the Errols for what they have done?
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat, Soundbible user Tony Phillips & Mike Koenig, BBC Sound Effects Library, and Freesound users slave2thelight, IENBA, artninja, eminyildirim, brendan89, fractanimal, sounagix, kev_durr, bcginn, kevp888, julianmateo, and minecraftgamerlr
Other music: Kevin MacLeod & Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence and medical mention

So that's it then? Stanislaw’s betrayal has reached its peak, my name as Dragomir’s daughter has spread beyond his cloistered few, and Ksana…

But how do these pieces all fit together? Why does Stanislaw hate Dragomir so much, when they are not father and son? What is Nico and this faceless Hans’ role in the Errol hierarchy? What is Stanislaw's? Something tells me he is not as integrated in the family politics as he claims he is, or he would not have needed our help to steal the journal.

Because he very clearly couldn't do it on his own. We were a cover, to be sure, but if he had the support of the family he could have made his own cover. He could have become integrated in the society of the Delta the way Dragomir has.

He might not play at politics very well, but he can play on people. He got us to cover his weak points. And I, who never trusted anything for so long because it meant the difference between survival or death, didn't even blink twice.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat user Still North Media, Alan McKinney, and others; Soundbible user Tony Phillips; BBC Sound Effects Library; and Freesound users halleck, artninja, sounagix, homeboylp, eminyildirim, julianmateo, mycompasstv, kevp888, and jaklocke
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

CONTENT WARNING for:

• medical/descriptions of surgery at 21m04s to 29m11s
• spiders at 1hr02m8s to 1hr02m33s

I can’t stop thinking about how Aldrich and Dragomir have viewed Ksana’s brand of magic. Calling it self-sacrifice, calling it stupid, calling it useless because she gives and gives of herself and expects nothing in return. Of course they would think that; their view of that outpouring of life is that it does not sustain them. All the Errols can do is take from this land, to literally bleed it dry, and they cannot understand a selfless act as they are inherently selfish creatures.

That is not to say that I condone Ksana’s martyrdom. What is the point in throwing yourself away to build a better world if you are not here to see it? Over the last year, since I have joined the Rams and was finally given the chance to realize that there is so much more to life than surviving, I have figured out what I want out of this quest. I want to create a world where people like me, people like Sorren, people like that Wight we met upon first entering the Delta, can live without hiding their true faces. And I want to fight for a place like that so that I can experience it.

Ksana fights for a world that exists to display the wondrous good of humanity, so why would she carve herself empty and hollow so that she will not live to see it? There is so little of her left and she will gladly parcel it out.

Granny Weaver is wrong. There is nothing that the Errols can do to break me and reshape me into a monster who will serve alongside them. I think I want to see Ksana’s vision of the future, and I’m determined to ensure she’s there to witness it as well.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson
Sound effects: zapsplat, Yellowstone National Park Sound Library, and Freesound users lg, DBlover, nachtmahrtv, other_kat, and iainmccurdy
Other music: Ovani Sound & Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Momma,

I met him recently.

Did you know this would happen? When I wrote to you weeks ago and said that we were going into the Delta and that our next target was going to be its Warden. Even if your response had been able to reach me in time, would you have warned me off of that course of action?

Would you have finally given me an answer, told me the truth, or would you have begged me to find someone else to go in my place without an explanation?

Actually, this is the third time our paths have crossed. Twice he was a monster who never acknowledged my presence. The third time, he sat across from me like an estranged father would, looked me in the eye, and had the gall to say I had the best of you.

I already knew that. I did not need him to tell me. I did not want him to tell me.
- Unsent letter from Elżbieta Wrona to her mother, Mariska

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Freesound users jfm, arnaud-coutancier, cgeffex, nachtmahrtv, hannagreen
Other music: "For Endless Days" by Pamela Yuen, licensed under CC-BY-4.0; changes made to loop certain segments of the song.

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

It has been a little over a year since I learned that I was an Errol. It has been mere days since I learned that I was Dragomir’s daughter. And of everything those revelations have brought to light and have forced me to understand about myself, what Dragomir said today highlights the one fear I’ve always had about my lineage.

Blood compels.

I am only a dhampir. I can stand in the sun, can eat and drink like a normal person, and I bleed the same as everyone else. But before I received this gift from Quester Apogee I could be harmed just the same as any full-blooded vampire if the powers of life were turned on me. So where is the line, really? Who am I when compared to Curwen, who yearns for everything the name Errol should give him by birth.

Power, prestige, strength.

If I had grown up as he had, chasing my father’s shadow instead of under my mother’s protection, would I have wanted it as he does? I told Granny Weaver that I wouldn’t have, but that is because I answer as myself, as a Wrona, who has known what it is to live in fear of what I am and not know that I could demand respect as an Errol.

Blood compels, but I still do not think that I would have wanted anything else.

My father hides here in the Delta. He protects the small world he has claimed for himself, and nothing more. I think, in his own way, he is afraid of what he is, too.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat user Still North Media and others, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Freesound users monkeyedz, kyles, webbfilmsuk, halleck, artninja, julianmateo, molefimanaka, brunoauzet, eminyildirim, and cgeffex
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

We come, at last, to the first step in the emancipation of the Delta. So much has changed since we first entered months ago. The Anglers are poised against us and Dragomir, the erstwhile father I never anticipated to find here, fights on our side. Not an ally, per se, but the enemy of my enemy…

Old allies are a welcome sight. I didn't mean for my letter to be a summons, but I won't lie and say that I do not wish to have them here. Sorren, especially, after everything—

There's so much we still have to survive. We have to survive the assault against the Delta. We have to survive Sophia. We have to survive each other.

I plan to use the favor won from Dragomir to see him leave the Delta in peace, but if he and Ksana are determined to come to blows, I will use that favor to get him to stand down.

I do not doubt that he will do anything I ask, even if he puts up a fuss now. I just don’t yet know how far I can push him. He may claim to know me by sight, but he is a stranger to me. And we have miles to go before he can earn the right to call me ‘daughter’.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Soundbible user Tony Phillips
Other music: Kevin MacLeod; "Streets of Democracy (ID 2368)" by Lobo Loco, licensed under CC-BY-4.0

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

There is one thing I keep telling myself with each report from across the Delta: It means nothing if they can’t do this for themselves. With each new day, how much are we carrying the fight on our backs, instead of letting the citizens of the Delta learn they can stand for themselves? They do not need outside revolutionaries, and they do not need Wolves. They just need to know that they can.

I can’t speak for the others beyond what they have reported through Granny Weaver’s spiders. The Sangele are already masters of their own defense, they just need extra hands to help where theirs are tied. The Sunken Tune, their long-standing agreement with Dragomir, the self-imposed isolation. For the future of the Delta, these are things that need to change and have ready solutions.

Despite what Sorren says, I am no master tactician. I see all the same pieces on the board as everyone else does. I just do not have the same obligations and ties to this place, so I am not afraid to tear it up from the roots. I will hand them back the shovel and say ‘now you do the rest’, because once we leave then they will have to learn to rely on one another. They deserve freedom from an Errol’s reign, even if his hand was more lenient than most.

The Rams’ Horns are not here to govern this place in Dragomir’s stead. We cannot take on every responsibility for freeing this place on our shoulders alone and then leave them to fend for themselves. We are here to remind them that it is possible to take what they deserve from the hands that would claim to know what is best.

We are not shepherds. Let the people rule themselves.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat, Freesound users webbfilmsuk, augustsandberg, kyles, plus-one, cgeffex, mycompasstv, julianmateo, fractanimal, halleck, brunoauzet, axiyee, other_kat
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

I am not the only one with a deeply personal connection to this course we have plotted. It is still a new concept to me, that this is my family, though they seem so ready to try and drag me in on one side or the other. And as this family starts to tear itself apart, it expands wider and wider across the countryside.

But even beyond that: Apricus has some sort of history with Nico. I don’t really know how to ask him such a personal question, especially considering all of the grief that we have been put through due to their interference. Would he answer, if I did? Would I be able to find some sort of way to be as vulnerable in return, as an equivalent bearing of souls?

My secrets are now known. I did a poor job of mitigating their damage, especially where Curwen was involved, but I have little else to give that would be as personal as who is this person to you? What will it mean for you that we have to kill them?

Apricus has always been a solid supporter and a level head in times where I felt I couldn’t keep one. I feel I am doing a poor job of offering him the same in this moment.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Orin Nāttsku
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat users Still North Media and others, Yellowstone National Park Sound Library, and Freesound users lg, nachtmahrtv, kvp888, julianmateo, eminyildirim, breviceps, nofeedbak, and kev_durr

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content warning for graphic violence
When we first came to the Delta, there was no real reason for Viidra to have trusted us the way that he did. Implicitly, our presence meant that we were here to disrupt the order of things — undoubtedly Jack had told him stories about us. What we had done in Ruel, and what we looked to do in the Delta. At the time, what did we know of Viidra’s life before our arrival?

He was hired to ferry us about the Delta and to be our local guide while we got our feet under us. Now he’s leading one of the charges against Sofia’s grip on this place. He has, more than any of us, a reason to pry her claws from the beating heart of his home. We merely gave him the leverage with which to anchor his spear.

I am glad that he talked me out of pursuing vengeance against Curwen. The bigger picture dictates that I should join the charge on Viclean, but it is hard to see around the hurt and betrayal that still sting.

The battle against Curwen is one that involves the Sangele; I have no need to overstep the bounds of their generosity towards my presence. Let Viidra see this one through, to solidify in him the knowledge that he is willing to fight to see his home freed from the stagnation it has maintained under Dragomir’s thumb.

He will work at the rot blocking the river until the water can run clear once more.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Treju of the Swamp
Cory as Sad Jack “The Axe” Little
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Lilli Kuusela
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat user lukas_tvrdon and others, Soundbible user Tony Phillips, and Freesound users univ_lyon3, homeboylp, slave2thelight, molefimanaka, jaklocke, brendan89, cgeffex, artninja, tosha73, minecraftgamerlr, jessie_s, and britelife
Other music: Kevin MacLeod, Ovani Sound, and AlesiaDavina from Pixabay

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

Content Warning for graphic violence and body horror

It seems useless at this point to be asking why? And they’re not even good investigative questions either.

Why do the Errols want to control Tarandaur? Spare me the greater good rhetoric, you’ve proven you’d just as soon control mindless sheep than lead people to prosperity. Endless food supply? Finally a chance at freedom, for your chosen handful?

Why did Hans and Nico want to become vampires? What reward was worth so great a risk? Why subject yourself to such a miserable way of life simply because you eke out the slightest advantage against the common man?

It’s a foolish and childish question. I can’t say I inherently believe in the good of any one individual as a general sense; I’ve been a hunter and an investigator long enough to know that people will do awful, petty things for their own advancement, even if it only earns them inches. It isn’t like the adventure serials where the bad guy always gets their comeuppance.

Why is this the future that the Errols want to promote? Why do I feel like none of them have an ounce of common sense, because all they have created is a breeding ground for dissent.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Orin Nāttsku
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Freesound users richardemoore, dermotte, matucha, halleck, artninja. Webbfilmsuk, eminyildirim, julianmateo, and sounagix
Other music: Ovani Sound

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing

And with that, our time in the Delta draws to a close. There’s just enough time for us to catch our breath and regroup before we go our separate ways and tackle the next big thing.

Dragomir and I have reached a sort of impasse, I think. He wants to have a relationship with his daughter, and for a long time Daria had been that proxy. I still don't know if I want a relationship with my father, because I have made it this long without one. I was afraid, at first, to see what kind of man he would be. Then I was terrified once I learned who he was.

Him? I had thought, remembering that look in his eyes as he slaughtered a hydra or forced Cipru to hold a gun to his own head. This is the man my mother had loved? Still loves, in her own way.

Now, after working and fighting alongside him, I have come to understand him in another light. I won't say that he's a good man, but I can see how he thinks he is one — or at least not a bad one. I say that because I am not a good person in the same ways, and I can see familiar pieces of me in him. I can see the same sort of ache in him that I see in my mother when he talks to me.

He’s not interested in the greater good, but he wants to do right by me. I will give him that chance. I am not a little girl anymore, and he is not the selfless, heroic man I once thought he might be. But he wants to try, for me, for what we could have been if circumstances were different, and that’s enough.

Because if there’s one thing that I’ve learned from working with the Rams this past year, it’s that so long as you’re willing to try, and so long as you care, then that’s enough. There will always be someone there to help carry you the rest of the way.
- From the investigation notes of Elżbieta

Cast:
Bitmap as Ksana the Spear
Cory as Apricus the Luminary
Jade as Viidra Matei
Mab as Elżbieta Wrona
Zachary as The Game Master

Produced by: Mab
Theme song: "Stray Not, And Be Safe" by Zachary Frederickson.
Sound effects: zapsplat and Freesound users matucha, dermotte, julianmateo, and eminyildirim
Other music: Ovani Sound and Kevin MacLeod

Find us on Twitter at SunlessReach, Tumblr at SagasoftheSunlessReach, and Bluesky at SunlessReach. Don't forget to post about the show using #SunReach.

Follow all of Standing Stones' projects @stones_standing