The Once and Future Nerd · Glass & Madera

What’s Close To You, Pt. 1

January 30, 2022·25 min·2 clips

Regan's arm breaks again as Rhi Lothite's crossbow bolt deflects mid-air for no discernable reason.

The episode begins with a return-from-hiatus announcement and notes about Patreon changes for the show, followed by a brief explanation that the character Nia has been recast with a Black actress, Regina Renee Russell, for reasons of authenticity. The previous actress, Rhiannon Angel, remains in the cast in new roles. The story resumes with a recap: three teenagers from Pennsylvania were transported to the world of Yorden and have been on the run from elf general Reloteet, whose capture of Nia's parents was being used as blackmail. Nia devised a heist at a horse fair to rescue her parents, steal gold, and eliminate Reloteet. The episode picks up immediately after the heist, with the group trying to lower themselves from a cliff using a mechanical device Jen built. Regan insists on chasing down the wounded Reloteet rather than retreating, against the wishes of Brennan and others. The narrator describes the combat between Regan and Reloteet in precise detail: Regan's hidden shoulder injury causes her to loose wide, Reloteet returns fire, and Regan's instinctive block with her already-injured arm breaks it again. Jen then intervenes with her abilities to deflect Reloteet's bolts, but Reloteet fires a bolt that Jen partially stops; it superheats and shatters, sending a fragment into Jen's eyelid and leaving her with a permanent partial blind spot. An arrow and axe from unseen allies force Reloteet to retreat. Brennan and Jen make their way back to the cliff device, where Yelloin has struggled to repair it after cutting a rope in haste. The sandbag counterweights fail, forcing Yelloin to empty a chest of stolen treasure on the beach to reduce weight. The group reaches the beach just ahead of elf pursuit, abandons most of the stolen goods, and boards Nelson's rowboat. Nelson's crew rows them to the ship while Nelson triages the injured. Nia, reunited with her mother, treats Regan and Jen: she confirms Regan had a pre-existing hairline fracture that explains her defeat, and that Jen retains her sight. A summons from the ship's captain interrupts the reunion.

As heard by us

A comeback entry that mixes housekeeping with a brutal magical duel.

The Once and Future Nerd comes back after a pause with the practical stuff out front, including a plan to return once a month for at least the next year and a note welcoming Regina Renee Russell as Nia.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Come back for the crossbows, stay for the grim little jokes and the show’s monthly return.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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