Summary of The Adventure Zone Royale: Episode 13

Overview of The Adventure Zone Royale: Episode 13

This episode covers downtime between trials on the Octave Ziggurat: the day after the Trial of Evocation. The party (principally Hellgrammit, Loravith, and Rictus) spends their free day exploring parts of the island they haven’t visited, buys new spells and items at the Atelier, and levels up to 4 (new feats/spell choices are made). Key beats: Hellgrammit scouts the forbidden Crystallarium, gets caught by his grimoire and has the last ten minutes of his memory purged — but secretly scratches a hidden clue into the dirt; Loravith gets a surreal giant-mage-hand spa treatment and discovers a golden tower being prepared under the lake near Nash Bridge; the trio then draws new spells and random items from the Atelier’s pools that will affect upcoming trials.

Main scenes & plot beats

• Day off announced: the party has today + tomorrow to recover before the next trial. They head to the Atelier later to pick up spells/items and discuss level-4 choices (stat increases vs. feats).
• Hellgrammit reconnaissance:
  • Sneaks to the northern woods edge to spy on the Crystallarium (forbidden site).
  • Uses Chameleon Carapace for stealth and the feat-based ability “magically mischievous” to attempt an Obscure Object-style trick to create a tiny peephole.
  • Peers inside and sees a system managing the crystallized spell-“memories” (motes of light / shelves like an abacus).
  • His grimoire (“Chris”) detects the breach, warns him, and demands a memory purge. Hellgrammit persuades/consents; gets wisdom save and critically fails, losing the last ten minutes.
  • Before losing the memory he etches a secret shorthand message in the dirt about the Crystallarium; after the purge he does not remember or notice the message. The clue remains hidden for now.
• Loravith at the Gilded Lily spa:
  • Enters a spa run by mage-hands; gets a giant mage-hand deep-tissue massage that becomes chaotic and smashes a hole under the lily pad into the lake.
  • While underwater he gets a Nat 20 perception and glimpses a huge golden tower rising from the lake near the Crystallarium side (under Nash Bridge) being prepared with mage-hands and supplies—a likely setup for the next trial. He gains a point of inspiration and 10 temporary HP from the experience.
• Back at the Atelier:
  • Each aspirant draws three spellstones from a set of five random options and then takes a random item from the Orb of Conjuration (third-place prize distribution means some item rolls had disadvantage).
  • The episode also includes light banter, jokes, and in-world commentary about trials escalating in difficulty.

Characters present / important NPCs

• Hellgrammit (thriken-thrikine-like aspirant): curious, sneaky; broke the rule about approaching the Crystallarium; received a memory purge.
• Loravith (the Goliath-like aspirant): relaxed, likes water; got the spa treatment, inspiration, and a preview of the golden tower under the lake.
• Rictus (aspirant who didn’t sleep well after the last trial): present for shopping and item drawing.
• John Arbuckle: runs the Atelier, dispenses spells/items.
• Chris: the holographic/crystal grimoire assistant that enforces rules (and purged Hellgrammit’s memory).
• Giant mage hand and smaller mage hands: spa staff and hands prepping the golden tower.

New mechanical changes, feats, spells, items (explicit list)

Level / feat changes and notable mechanics introduced in this episode:

• Level 4: characters were asked to level up to 4 (standard D&D milestone where you pick ability score increase or a feat).
• Feats chosen / notable personal abilities demonstrated:
  • Hellgrammit: took the feat “Magically Mischievous” (grants Sleight of Hand proficiency; on a successful Sleight of Hand steal you can make a small object invisible for 1 minute; usable twice per long rest). Also uses Chameleon Carapace for stealth.
  • Loravith: took the Athlete-ish feat (narrative: better climbing, get up from prone more easily—referred to as “athlete’s feet” jokes). Loravith also received 10 temporary HP from the spa and a point of inspiration after seeing the tower.
• Spells added to character grimoires (from Atelier spellstones):
  • Loravith: Unseen Servant; Locate Object; Magic Missile
  • Hellgrammit: Cloud of Daggers (2nd level); Shocking Grasp (cantrip); Misty Step (1st-level teleport)
  • Lorvith (a second Lorvith/Loraveth entry—naming in the scene is a bit mixed): Alter Self; Ice Knife; Mending (Note: two characters named similarly—context makes clear that each aspirant selected a trio from their offered five)
• Items drawn from the Orb of Conjuration:
  • Spectacles of Bernard (Loravith): dark-tinted spectacles that let the wearer animate dead when placed on the recently deceased; advantage on Deception checks to appear the corpse is still alive; effect ends after 24 hours or if spectacles are knocked off.
  • Jordan’s Secret Stuff (Rictus): a magical flask that once-per-dawn grants +1d4 to skill checks for 10 minutes; on each drinker’s DC20 Perception they discern it’s just water (then lose future benefit); possible to trick others into drinking (Deception DC10).
  • Artificial Banana Peel (Hellgrammit): a banana peel that never rots and always remains slippery — usable to make someone slip (comic utility).
• Other: memories/crystals in the Crystallarium are shown to be literal stores of spell-practice/experience (not souls), reinforcing how spellstones work in this setting.

Notable discoveries & plot hooks

• The Crystallarium appears to be a controlled archive/management system for spell-crystals (motes of light arranged on shelves)—it stores and organizes crystallized spell-memories.
• Hellgrammit was caught peeking and had a memory purge, but he secretly etched a shorthand message in the dirt that preserves a clue about the Crystallarium. This hidden clue may matter later.
• Under the lake near Nash Bridge, a huge golden tower is being prepped (with mage hands, crossbows, sealed urns, etc.). Loravith’s sighting is a clear setup for the next trial and an immediate lead on what to expect.

Tone, humor & standout lines

• The episode is full of the show’s usual banter and character humor—Highlights include:
  • Hellgrammit’s awkward attempts at persuasion and eventual tragic nat-1 wisdom save resulting in total memory loss.
  • The giant mage-hand spa parody (absurd, physical comedy) culminating in Loravith smashed through the floor and plunging into the lake clad in only a few leather straps.
  • Running gag about “athlete’s foot/athlete’s feat,” “dirty 20” vs. “gentleman’s 20,” and the copper-tier randomness of Atelier prizes (banana peel, plastic water bottle, spectacles).

Sponsors & meta (brief)

The episode includes sponsor read segments and network notes:

• Alienware (holiday sale on gaming PCs/monitors).
• Aura Frames (promo code ADVENTURE for discounts).
• Squarespace (promo code ADVENTURE for 10% off).
• Maximum Fun membership shoutouts and a MaxFun member-of-the-month segment.

Main takeaways & what to watch for next

• The party is better-armed/prepared for the next trial (new spells, items, and Loravith’s inspiration/temp HP), but Hellgrammit’s memory purge could obscure important intel — though he left a hidden clue by etching symbols in the dirt.
• The golden tower being prepared under the lake near Nash Bridge is the clearest foreshadowing of the next trial’s setup; expect water-themed or tower-related challenges with mage-hand activity and hidden supplies/urns.
• Players’ new spell selections (Misty Step, Cloud of Daggers, Alter Self, Ice Knife, Magic Missile, Locate Object, etc.) will influence tactics in the upcoming trial — cloud-control, teleportation, ranged damage, and utility/utility reconnaissance are now available across the party.

If you want, consult your character sheet sections next: add the listed spells, items, and feats, and note Loravith’s temporary HP + inspiration and the secret message by the Crystallarium as a DM-only breadcrumb for future episodes.