Saving Throw Society | Barrier Cities: New Orleans - Chapter 1 Recap: A City in Flames

0:00 previously on saving throws society 30 years ago the barrier between the material plane and the feywilds broke portals appeared across the world's major port cities people disappeared impossible creatures emerged magic began bleeding into the world eventually governments established controlled sanctioned off areas called barriers, with the cities surrounding them becoming the barrier cities. Then, on August 13th, 1994, every screen and radio on Earth broadcast the same message from the Feywild. A promise of peace, harmony, and unity.

0:44 Everyone believed it, and somehow everyone knew not to trust it fully. Now, in 2025, nowhere is that collision of worlds more complicated than New Orleans. Just before Mardi Gras, Daemonium in Cacophony escapes the syndicate, fleeing into the French Quarter to find refuge at Cold Springs Cold Brews. There, Cacophony finds a new vessel among the bars, instruments, and becomes ensemble. When the Syndicate comes to reclaim their prize, Al, Della, Lina, Honnick, Zeb, and the mysterious alligator man named Chomp are thrown together in a fight that reveals something far more dangerous is hunting The spirits call themselves the Hangmen they could possess the living and they were connected to the Syndicate The group flees into the bayou where they encounter Chomp adopted fathers discover their connection to the Hangmen and meet Daemon, a hangman who had learned the Syndicate was responsible for his death.

1:34 Their escape led them to the in-between, the strange domain of the Collector where they learned that nothing comes without a price. Memories, secrets, even shadows could become currency here. Meanwhile, Della and Onyx sought refuge with Della's grandmother Letty, only to discover Letty had made a bargain with the Collector decades earlier to protect her family. The hangman followed them. Letty was nearly killed. JJ rescues her, only to turn against our heroes, forcing Al to transport the group into the Feywild.

2:04 There, the group discovers that Al was not simply connected to the Fey, he was royalty of the Twilight Court and was engaged to Lyanna, heir to the court of Daybreak in a political marriage meant to unite two powerful Fae courts. Before that wedding could take place, tragedy struck. A being known as a Shadow Severed attacks the group, killing Al's brother, Fandar. Then they discover Al's father, Thaloran, was dying from a mysterious wasting sickness. Their investigation leads to Rhys, one of the palace acolytes, and the hunt ends with Rhys killing Thaloran but just before Selenway slays him At Florn funeral every Fae court gathered and the Shadow Severed army attacked The Fae won the battle but the victory exposed just how close to war they were In the aftermath, Zeb's uncle, Zane Coldsprings, appears to the Fae while Zane was revealed to be the leader of the syndicate.

2:57 He tried to turn Zeb against the Fae, his friends, and the courts, while the courts gathered to decide how to respond to the growing threat of the Shadow Severed and the hangmen. there ensemble encountered Amandine Bordreau the daughter of the man who had imprisoned and tortured them Amandine had escaped the syndicate and with the guidance of powerful fey ally known as the messenger had devised a plan to strike back then came the wedding Al and Liana were married but for only a brief moment there was peace because then the hangmen attacked they flooded the wedding and began possessing the fey ensemble unleashed a devastating sonic blast at the ceremony descending into chaos the group escapes their portal back to norlands and land in the middle of mardi gras thousands of people fill the streets as possessed fey pour through the portal splitting apart and attacking the crowd zeb watched the chaos unfold beside zayn zayn made his choice he turned against zeb and he allowed the city to burn zeb abandoned his uncle and returned to his friends but the damage was already done jazz agents surrounded the group at gunpoint unable unwilling to distinguish between the people causing the destruction the people trying to stop it the group fled to onyx apartment only to find jazz breaking down the door just when escape seemed impossible baron marady intervened they survived but new orleans has

4:15 changed the fae are no longer seen as strange newcomers from another world they are a threat the barriers became heavily policed surveillance and containment replaced cooperation zeb had been betrayed by his uncle al had lost his father and brother and gotten married into a political alliance that had become something more personal dela and lena had uncovered generations of supernatural bargains onyx had discovered the darkness living inside of her chomp had confronted his past ensemble had escaped their presence somewhere in the shadows the hangman the shadow severed the collector the messenger and the syndicate continued to move their pieces 30 years Two worlds collided and now, in New Orleans, the fragile peace between them is beginning to crumble.

4:59 Chapter 2 is coming. Premieres Tuesday, October 27th at 9am EST, wherever you get your podcasts. See you then.

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