Below you’ll find a detailed recap for Dimension 20 Cloudward Ho Episode 2 called “The Path Out of Gath” that released on June 11, 2025 on Dropout. Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan ended the premiere with the old crew of the Zephyr being stopped by Imperial forces. Here’s a summary of what happened in the second episode of Cloudward Ho, the latest season featuring the Intrepid Heroes: Zac Oyama, Emily Axford, Lou Wilson, Brian Murphy, Siobhan Thompson, and Ally Beardsley.
What happened in Dimension 20’s Cloudward Ho Episode 2?
Dimension 20’s Cloudward Ho episode two starts immediately after the events of the premiere. Maxwell Gotch (Brian Murphy), the seventh son of a rich family that is facing financial ruin, is spearheading an expedition to Zood, a fabled continent where the renowned aviationaut Comfrey MacLeod disappeared many years ago. He has recruited Comfrey’s grandaughter Olethra MacLeod (Ally Beardsley), gunslinger Daisuke “Pappy” Bucklesby (Zac Oyama), artificer Marya “Cap’n Junker” Junková (Emily Axford), author and survivalist Montgomery “Monty” LaMontgommery, and bosun Vanellope “Van” Chapman (Siobhan Thompson) to join the crew of the Zephyr in an effort to rescue Comfrey. Along the way, they hope to find the legendary continent of Zood that’s apparently past the Effulgent Biangle.
But upon recruiting Monty in the subterranean city of Bellenuit, our heroes are stopped by Imperial vessels under the orders of Lord Kensington Cosgrove Mordecestershire (pronounced “Murder-sher”). This pallid, serious Lord of the Exchequer of the Confederated Imperial Republic and the Queen’s Minister of Deranged Sciences once worked with Comfrey to locate Zood. He was sent by request from Maxwell’s father, Longspot, to repossess the Zephyr, but he seems to be here for other reasons too.
Kensington notes a green gas called Widow’s Breath that apparently made air travel safer, ending the days of wind riders. This substance is pumped into the mech suits of the brutes standing behind Kensington and is something Monty believes is “bad for Gath.” Due to the Queen’s smog in the Imperial city, many people cannot breathe normal air anymore and must survive on Widow’s Breath. (It also makes one soldier, Ivan, completely hairless.)
During the conversation, Kensington reveals that Comfrey denied his request to bring the original crew (that’s Van, Daisuke, Marya, and Monty) onboard for her trip to Zood. The crew tries to deceive Kensington by pretending that Monty is sick with a disease and that he is merely touring the Zephyr out of nostalgia. Somewhat failing that deception, Marya places an Arcane Lock on the door to the captain’s quarters after Kensington decides to search the vessel. Olethra turns one of the Eisengeistian brutes away from her mech that hides beneath a tarp and over to the captain’s quarters. Assessing that they will have to fight their way out, Daisuke tells Max to grab Kensington as he turns away. A lengthy battle ensues aboard the Zephyr.
Cloudward Ho Episode 2 combat summary and highlights
- Before combat, Van was able to get the crew of the Zephyr in position. The heroes have to fight against Kensington, about seven brutes, and three flying “wasps” ships.
- Monty uses an ability to add a d8 (he rolled a 6) to everyone’s Initiative.
- As Van pulls and grapples an enemy, she orders the crew to start the engines.
- Daisuke “grapples” Kensington and readies an action to fire on him if he moves. Both Daisuke and Maxwell fail at intimidating him, so Maxwell tries to use the ability To The Mat to grapple and make Kensingston prone. It sadly doesn’t work; still, he manages to grapple him with a basic attack.
- Marya uses Pyrotechnics to create smoke and obscure the vision of the wasps surrounding the Zephyr. She successfully performs an emergency rise at the cockpit, which causes Maxwell, Wealwell, the crew, and several brutes to be knocked prone.
- Monty fires a shotgun (Nat 20!) at the glass helmet of a brute, who after two shots brute goes unconscious in a single turn as he gasps for air.
- Olethra successfully stealths into the captain’s quarters.
- The brutes deal minor damage to Van, Monty, and Daisuke. One attack is about to Maxwell, but Marya uses a reaction ability to make the brute reroll and it misses. Maxwell uses the Meat Shield ability to force a brute to attack the grappled Kensington instead.
- Kensington is unable to break Maxwell’s grapple, but he takes out a dirk and hits Maxwell with a crit (ouch!).
- Despite rolling with disadvantage, the wasps hit the Zephyr damage three times, effectively cutting its HP in half. This inflicts two mishaps, with ice falling on the heroes twice.
- Van uses Action Surge and hits a brute three times, making him fall. She runs toward the bridge, issuing an Inspiring Invective to the crew to man the battle stations against the wasps and giving Marya a d12 inspiration.
- Daisuke also Action Surges and deals enough damage to drop another brute.
- Maxwell drags Kensington over the edge of the ship and drops him, gleaning that he was indeed searching for confirmation that Comfrey was still alive. But the Lord deploys a set of wings and flies off toward the wasps instead of falling. Maxwell succeeds in grappling another brute off the ship and triggers Dig Deep to gain resistance to physical damage (like a Barbarian’s Rage).
- Marya slams into a Wasp with a high-speed collision dealing 49 (16d6, gosh) bludgeoning damage and knocking out its top cannon. But the Zephyr takes 24 damage from the ram. With a blunderbuss, she deals 37 damage (Nat 20!) and then another 17 damage to the same wasp, destroying it. Her rat in a small mech suit, Kocka, grabs snacks from Bert and hands Maxwell mayo for 4 Temp HP.
- The crew is able to blind one Wasp using a spotlight.
- Monty spins a mounted gun around, hanging off the side of the ship, and uses Hail of Lead that damages one brute (and sadly Max and Van again). He then shoots the injured brute enough times to make him fall.
- Olethra takes the captain’s log and upon a successful Investigation check (19), she recalls the word “Nef” and that opens a compartment (that exists on the set too!) and finds some sort of gadget (plus some snacks). She flees back to the galley where Van’s husband, Bert, is busy making aiolis.
- The wasps miss their shots, misfire on Nat 1s, as Kensington dashes through a glass windoe into the captain’s quarters. But Olethra has already taken the documents! Monty gets hits by a brute in a larger metallic suit for 27 damage.
- Van activates the Into The Fray knack to deal extra damage and three more attacks on different enemies. (Brennan allows her to use Second Wind beforehand to survive an attack of opportunity.) She only has 7 HP as she rushes to Marya’s side.
- Daisuke nails one brute with a shot, and then fires with advantage and Sharpshooter at Kensington, dealing 20 damage. This dislodges a tube on the Queen’s Minister, revealing a strange red gas (instead of the normal green Widow’s Breath).
- Maxwell dashes to the steel brute and knocks him off the ship with a Shove attack (making its 100+ HP moot). He chooses to jump off the ship and onto a wasp (passing a DC 15 Athletics check with a 27 in the Box of Doom) and lifts the pilot out of the cockpit and into the wind. He then jumps back on the ship (19 Athletics) and barfs a little at how risky that was.
- Marya uses her hammer and takes out one of the two brutes in the room with her and Van.
- The crew unloads the sails, increasing the Zephyr’s speed even more. Several Bellenuit black-velvet blimps zoom past the ship in the other direction toward the Imperial aircrafts.
- Monty calmly walks into the captain’s quarters and fires at Kensington with Steady Aim and Tracker’s Quarry (effectively Hunter’s Mark). The shotgun blast deals 22 damage.
- Olethra stumbles into her mech suit, which, sensing her deep breaths, encapsulates her. The MechLeod goes into combat mode, rushes toward the captain’s quarters, and flings the last brute off the ship.
- Near death, Kensington flees the scene in an emission of Widow’s Breath and dives off the Zephyr.
