Bridge of Destiny
View all episodes in Mythic Cycle.
Season 4: Episode 3
After a heart-to-heart, the Capable Hands rests overnight at the waterfall’s edge. In the morning they bid goodbye to Uncle Bjorn and sclae the steep volcanic basalt steps. At the summit, they cross a dizzingly high rope bridge and get attacked by mirco rapters ultimately losing Bang to the perils of the Jungle far below.
- Camp and Goodbyes: The party moors the steamboat at the base of the caldera cliff and sets up camp for the night. They decide it is best to send Uncle Bjorn and one of the hirelings named Jim safely back down the river in the morning.
- Campfire Heart-to-Hearts: Sitting around the fire, twin brothers Wark and Bang discuss their family’s merchant business, lingering resentments, and their shared passion for inventing things together. Meanwhile, a slightly tipsy Iohannes has an uncomfortably hands-on conversation with the Goliath paladin Cort about his god and finding joy.
- Scaling the Caldera Wall: The next morning, Bang takes apart the warforged W00t and uses his magical tinkering to build a mechanical winching system. This allows the heroes to effortlessly bypass a grueling climb and ascend the slick rock face to the caldera rim.
- Reinforcing the Rope Bridge: At the top of the cliff, the party discovers a massive, swaying, and rotting rope bridge spanning a misty chasm. Wark and Bang combine their skills, using a blunderbuss, a grappling hook, and a custom “whirly gig” to run a new safety rope across the gap to help support their weight.
- Aerial Ambush: Halfway across the precarious bridge, a giant pterodactyl swoops down, which Bang manages to lasso with an invisible magical snare. Simultaneously, a pair of microraptors attack the group, and one tragically knocks the hireling Doobie off the bridge to his death in the jungle below.
- Fall of Bang: During the chaotic skirmish, Wark uses a Thunderwave spell that blasts the pterodactyl backward, violently dragging the lassoed Bang off the edge of the bridge. Bang attempts to rocket back to safety using his Eldritch Cannon as a makeshift jetpack, but he collides with Wark and slips off the edge again. Wark desperately casts Feather Fall as Bang plummets into the misty jungle canopy below, separating the twin from the party.
- Entering The Wild: The surviving party members finish their treacherous crossing and finally set foot on the dark, humid floor of the jungle caldera. They recover Bang’s dropped flamethrower cannon and resolve to backtrack into the untamed wilderness to search for their lost brother.
Camp and Goodbyes
The oppressive, sweltering heat of the primeval jungle finally surrendered to the cool, mist-laden breath of the caldera waterfall as night descended upon the Lost World. Moored safely in the serene basin at the foot of the towering basalt cliff, the small steamboat bobbed gently against the current. The heroes—the Goliath paladin Cort, the orc cleric Ralph, twin artificers Bang and Wark, the kobold Simbiscuit, and their temporarily deactivated warforged W00t—disembarked and built a modest campfire on the muddy shore. They were joined by their South Trading Company hirelings: Captain Iohannes, the perpetually inept Doobie, and the three other mercenary hirelings all named Jim.
As the hirelings finished hauling heavy crates, including W00t’s lifeless body, off the steamboat, the eccentric gnome captain wandered over from the gangplank to discuss his departure.
“I can depart now or I could depart in the morning it’s up to you really how you want to handle it.” -Bjorn
The party agreed it was much safer for the captain to navigate the treacherous prehistoric river in the morning daylight rather than risk the dark waters. Feeling most at home on the water, Bjorn declared his sleeping arrangements for the night.
“I’m used to sleeping on ships and that’s where I feel the safest I’ll stay on the ship and you men can depart.” -Bjorn
As the night deepened, the campfire became a place of quiet reflection and unexpected bonding. The twin artificers, Wark and Bang, sat close to the flames to clear the air. Wark expressed his lingering frustrations about being left alone to manage the family’s merchant business, while Bang harbored guilt for his absence. Ultimately, the brothers reconciled, realizing that their combined talents—Bang’s inventive genius and Wark’s business acumen—made them a perfect team, and they agreed to keep building magnificent things together.
Campfire Heart-to-Hearts
The sweltering heat of the Lost World finally yielded to the cool mist of the nearby waterfall as night fully embraced the muddy encampment. The Capable Hands—Cort the towering Goliath paladin, Wark and Bang the brilliant twin artificers, and the rest of their eclectic party—huddled around the flickering warmth of a campfire. W00t, their warforged companion, lay in quiet pieces, partially disassembled by Bang’s ever-tinkering hands for nightly maintenance. Across the dancing flames, a long-overdue conversation brewed between the brothers. Wark, who had been left behind to run their aunt’s merchant ships, finally voiced his lingering exhaustion and resentment about Bang leaving for his education while he managed the business alone.
“I was a little too busy keeping everything running at home to be sending messages to you.” -Wark
“I resent the fact that you think that I resent you.” -Bang
As the crackling fire illuminated their weary faces, the deep-seated tension melted into a shared realization. Wark possessed the sharp business acumen, but Bang had the brilliant inventive genius. Together, they realized, they were an unstoppable force capable of incredible creations.
“I just want to make stuff. I think when we work together we make some pretty freaking cool stuff and I think the advantage that we have is we make stuff and now you know how to sell it.” -Bang
“Let’s make stuff and sell it, that’s what I want to do.” -Wark
Nearby, the South Trading Company hirelings were winding down. Captain Iohannes, having indulged heavily in his cups to calm his frayed nerves after a harrowing day on the prehistoric river, stumbled over to where the massive, stoic paladin Cort sat. In a haze of drunken awe, Iohannes awkwardly reached up, placing his hands directly onto the seven-foot-eight Goliath’s chest.
“You are very tall.” -Iohannes
“This is how I grew.” -Cort
Undeterred by Cort’s immovable, stony nature, the tipsy mercenary captain began to question the warrior’s motivations, demanding to know why a man so large would risk his life in such a dangerous, untamed jungle. Cort spoke plainly of his god, the storm lord Baic, who spoke to him through acts of bravery and order after saving him from the brink of death. Iohannes, uncomprehending of such stoic devotion and desperately seeking a deeper meaning in the violent world, uncomfortably squeezed the giant paladin’s cheeks in his hands.
“Are you happy? Do you have joy?” -Iohannes
“There is satisfaction.” -Cort
“What is your joy? Find your joy. Cherish your joy.” -Iohannes
The chaotic evening finally settled as the weary adventurers prepared to sleep, the jungle insects humming a low lullaby against the rushing water. The eccentric gnome artificer Bang, seeking the utmost safety in the wild, scrambled up the armored back of the giant paladin, choosing to sleep perched squarely on Cort’s massive shoulders.
“We are the wall that protects everyone else.” -Wark
With Wark groaning for his twin to finally go to sleep, the camp fell quiet, leaving the party to rest before facing the daunting climb up the caldera wall at dawn.
Scaling the Caldera Wall
When the pale, golden dawn finally pierced the morning mist, Wark woke to find his brother’s bedroll empty. Panic briefly threatened to set in, until Wark spotted Bang over on the steamboat’s deck, sharing an emotional, tearful farewell with their favorite Uncle Bjorn. The gnome captain gave the artificer the tightest bear-hug he could muster before his perilous departure back down the river.
“You take care of yourself Uncle Bjorn and we’ll see you when we get back you take care of yourself now.” -Bang
“You bring him (Bang) back okay you bring him back.” -Bjorn
With heartfelt promises made, the steamboat departed, leaving the Capable Hands to face the challenges of the wild. The sheer basalt wall of the collapsed caldera loomed above the Capable Hands like a titan’s fortress. An imposing monolith of jagged, charcoal-gray stone, it stood as a daunting barrier between the adventurers and the heart of the Lost World. As the party studied the nearly vertical path slicked by the roaring waterfall, the prospect of the climb looked grim. A sparse line of rusted, weathered pitons—the only remnants of other South Trading Company expeditions—offered a dizzying and treacherous ascent up the cliff face.
Fortunately, a careful investigation of the surrounding rock revealed a secondary path hidden inside a crevice. Shielded from the wet mist of the waterfall, the rock crevace and climbing path here was much drier, and a sturdy leftover rope still hung from the cliffside. Yet, even with an easier path ahead, the eccentric artificer Bang saw an opportunity for invention.
“I had an awesome idea for design for a self-winching rope. “ -Bang
Using his magical tinkering and spare parts stripped from their temporarily deactivated warforged companion, W00t, Bang constructed a bizarre but highly effective mechanical climbing machine. One of W00t’s detached legs functioned as the primary pulley system, a severed mechanical hand provided a vice-like grip on the guide rope, and repurposed servos powered the entire contraption. The ingenious device hummed to life, allowing the heroes to completely bypass the grueling physical labor and simply ride the mechanical climbing arm up the sheer incline.
While the heroes enjoyed their smooth, magically-assisted lift, the South Trading Company hirelings—Jim, Jim, Jim, and the perpetually inept Doobie—were forced to huff it up the crevice with the supplies. They utilized standard ropes and pulleys to painstakingly haul the heavy crates of gear. Cort stayed back momentarily to oversee the logistics, opting to manage the ascent and raise morale rather than break a sweat himself.
“I don’t just delegate. I do what I tell them to do. “ -Cort
As they climbed higher, the wiry scrub of the jungle began to thin out, giving way to the sweeping heights. Despite the exhausting labor, the mercenary captain Iohannes was utterly exhilarated by the ascent. Swinging wildly on a secure line as he crested the caldera rim, his drunken existential dread from the night before was entirely replaced by pure, unadulterated thrill.
“Safety first! Everyone go, everyone come back! “ -Iohannes
Iohannes, pleased with a successful climb, grabbed Corts’s face and planted an affectionate kiss squarely on his forehead. With the grueling wall behind them, the Capable Hands finally reached the crater’s rim. The were able to look out over the vast, untamed expanse of the jungle caldera that awaited them.
Reinforcing the Rope Bridge
The Capable Hands finally crested the towering caldera, only to be met with a terrifying new obstacle: a dizzying span of frayed hemp and rotting planks stretching across a yawning chasm with the jungle far below. The ancient rope bridge swayed precariously with every gust of wind, groaning under its own weight as the jungle floor remained lost below in a sea of thick, churning clouds. Iohannes, the typically nervous mercenary captain, looked over the sheer drop and then back to the party’s imposing Goliath paladin, Cort, emboldened by their successful climb.
“We’ll follow you anywhere, Cort–even this. “ -Iohannes
Wark cautiously stepped forward to investigate the perilous crossing. While he determined it was originally built to South Trading Company standards, years of unforgiving jungle humidity had severely compromised the wood and lashings. It was far too dangerous for their heavily laden party, especially with the hirelings Jim, Jim, Jim, and Doobie carrying heavy crates. Ever the tactician, Wark suggested cannibalizing more parts from their deactivated warforged companion, W00t, to build a magical “whirly gig” that would hover above them and magically cut the weight of their gear in half.
“Let’s make a whirly gig to lighten to lift us to make it easier for us to cross it may be all we can do for now unless you have another idea. “ -Wark
His twin brother, the eccentric artificer Bang, immediately reached into his pockets to offer a characteristically chaotic alternative.
“I just realized I have two mining charges. “ -Bang
The brilliant twin devised a masterstroke of engineering to further secure the rotting span. He proposed using his powerful blunderbuss to fire a grappling hook across the massive gap, trailing a fresh line of sturdy hemp rope to reinforce the bridge’s center. Because the chasm was wider than the gun’s ninety-foot range, Wark masterfully engineered a two-stage mechanism, attaching a timed blast cap to the hook to give it an explosive boost mid-flight. To ensure maximum distance, they painstakingly unstranded their heavy rope, cutting its weight in half.
“What I want to do is I want to use my blunderbus that can shoot 90 ft. Then I want to make a two-stage system to propel it. I basically just want to run a new rope as reinforcement down the center. “ -Wark
Taking a steadying breath, Wark aimed his customized blunderbuss across the milky white abyss and pulled the trigger. A deafening crack echoed over the caldera as the grappling hook sailed across the sky. Just as gravity took hold and the heavy iron began to dip, the timed blast cap ignited with a fiery flash. The hook rocketed forward with renewed momentum, perfectly clearing the far edge and securing itself firmly to the opposite rock face.
With the mechanical whirly gig safely spinning over their heads to lighten their heavy load, and Wark’s newly strung safety line pulled taut, Cort and the rest of the Capable Hands finally took their first terrifying steps out onto the swaying Bridge of Destiny.
Aerial Ambush
The frayed hemp and rotting planks of the Bridge of Destiny groaned under the combined weight of the Goliath paladin Cort, the twin artificers Wark and Bang, and their South Trading Company hirelings. Suddenly, dark shapes circling in the sky caught their attention. Like specks of black pepper tossed against the leaden sky, they vanished and reappeared, diving erratically through the misty updrafts.
Before the party could fully brace themselves, the deafening beat of leathery wings echoed over the chasm. A massive, horrifying pterodactyl broke through the clouds, swooping directly toward the center of the precarious bridge.
“We’re not in a very safe place right now. “ -Bang
Ignoring the perilous drop below them, the ever-chaotic Wark drew his customized rubber-band gun, readying a barrage of magic missiles. Beside him, Cort deftly juggled his immense Warhammer and raised a javelin, while Bang reached into his pockets to prepare a magical, invisible snare.
As the massive prehistoric bird descended within striking distance, Wark bellowed the order to fire. The mercenary Jim loosed a heavy crossbow bolt that struck true, while Wark’s glowing magical rubber bands curved through the air to smack the beast squarely across its beak. Seizing the moment, Bang threw his invisible lasso. The magical snare caught perfectly around the pterodactyl’s neck, drawing taut and violently jerking the creature’s head mid-flight!
The agile predators swooped across the bridge, their razor-sharp talons extended. Cort and the mercenary captain Iohannes firmly held their ground and ducked out of the way, but the perpetually inept hireling Doobie was not so lucky. A microraptor’s talons dug deeply into Doobie’s shoulders, plucking the screaming man cleanly off the wooden planks sending him to the jungle floor below.
“No Doobie! “ -Jim
“Oh well. “ -Iohannes
The surviving mercenaries could only watch in stunned horror as Doobie went careening to his tragic death, disappearing entirely into the oppressive jungle canopy far below, leaving the fractured party fighting for their lives high above the Lost World.
Fall of Bang
The frayed ropes of the bridge groaned as the chaotic skirmish unfolded high above the misty jungle. Unwilling to let the terrifying pterodactyl press its aerial advantage against the party, the brilliant but unpredictable artificer Wark stepped forward to confront the flying prehistoric monstrosity.
“I really want to do something stupid. “ -Wark
With a deafening crack that echoed like a giant, crashing cymbal, Wark unleashed a devastating Thunderwave. The magical concussive force slammed directly into the pterodactyl, violently hurling the massive beast backward through the air.
However, in the heat of the moment, Wark had forgotten one crucial, terrifying detail: his twin brother Bang was still holding onto the invisible magical snare wrapped tightly around the creature’s neck.
As the beast was blasted away, the invisible rope instantly pulled taut. Bang was violently jerked right off the rotting planks, launched into the sky to dangle helplessly over a deadly drop into the jungle below like a terrified kite trailing behind the screeching dinosaur.
Refusing to plunge to his death, the eccentric gnome reached into his jacket and quickly rigged his mechanical Eldritch Cannon. Strapping the flamethrower to his back and pointing the nozzle toward the open air, he activated the device as an improvised jetpack. A massive gout of fire erupted, rocketing Bang directly back toward the swaying bridge.
“Cort, catch me! “ -Bang
The giant Goliath paladin lunged, but Bang’s unpredictable trajectory was too fast. Seeing his brother hurtling past the safety of the paladin’s massive arms, Wark desperately reached out over the chasm with an iron crowbar, hoping to snag Bang’s clothes. Instead, the heavy iron hook caught the strap of the jetpack. With a violent snap, the Eldritch Cannon was cleanly ripped from Bang’s back, shooting off wildly into the sky while the two brothers collided in a tangled heap at the very edge of the precipice.
They tumbled helplessly against the frayed safety ropes. Wark scrambled with all his might to pull his brother onto the solid wood, but the sheer momentum of the crash was simply too much. Bang’s grip slipped, and he went tumbling backward into the open air.
With only a fraction of a second to act as his twin dropped out of reach, Wark desperately thrust his hand outward and cast his final prepared spell of the day: Feather Fall.
The magical deceleration instantly took hold, slowing Bang’s tragic, chaotic plunge toward the unforgiving canopy below. Leaning over the fraying bridge, Wark shouted a heart-wrenching farewell to the brother he was losing to the jungle.
“You’ll be fine, Wark. Go build stuff and make something beautiful. “ -Bang
The surviving Capable Hands could only watch in stunned silence as their beloved artificer slowly descended into the thick, churning clouds of the caldera, swallowed entirely by the untamed darkness of the Lost World.
Entering the Wild
With Bang’s tragic, slow descent into the misty abyss still fresh in their minds, the surviving Capable Hands—the towering Goliath paladin Cort, the eccentric artificer Wark, and the remaining South Trading Company mercenaries, Iohannes and the Jims—pushed across the final stretch of the swaying Bridge of Destiny. As their boots finally left the rotting planks and touched the terra firma of the caldera floor, a heavy, exhausted silence fell over the group.
They had reached the interior of the Lost World, but the victory felt hollow. The primeval jungle enveloped them in its heart of darkness. The dense, alien environment felt completely alive, inhaling and exhaling a thick, wet, and unrelenting breath. Though it was high noon, the massive, curled canopy overhead formed a living ceiling that blocked the sky, allowing only blotchy, scattered patterns of sunlight to pierce the deep shadows cast by massive tree trunks, fanning leaves, and draping vines. Moisture immediately clung to their skin in heavy rivulets.
Overwhelmed by the loss of the tiny gnome who had slept on his shoulders just hours before, the stoic Goliath was ready to charge blindly into the green hell.
“Keep me from running back into the jungle to find Bang. “ -Cort
Wark, reeling from the violent separation with his twin but forcing himself to remain a pragmatist, stepped forward to intercept the massive paladin. As he did, a glint of familiar metal caught his eye near the bridge’s rocky anchor. It was Bang’s Eldritch Cannon—the makeshift flamethrower jetpack that Wark’s crowbar had violently torn from his brother’s back during the chaotic aerial skirmish.
“I will pick up the arcane cannon flamethrower. “ -Wark
Securing his twin’s brilliant, chaotic invention as a precious keepsake, Wark slung the cannon over his shoulder and looked out into the untamed sandbox of the caldera. They were now in completely hostile territory, surrounded by prehistoric dangers, unknown ancient structures, and the looming threat of the rogue Knox. Yet, the mission to hunt down the company traitor would simply have to wait. There was only one path forward for the fractured party.
“Our next step is going to be go see where Bang would have fallen and check on Doobie. “ -Wark
With a firm nod from Cort and nervous, exhausted glances from Captain Iohannes and the surviving Jims, the Capable Hands readied their weapons. Turning their backs on the safety of the cliff face, they plunged deep into the oppressive, sweltering wilderness, determined to face whatever nightmares the wild had to offer in order to try to reunite their party.