Heckran Cave: Where the Beast Sleeps [Book 2, Chapter 1]

After being transported to Chrono Trigger’s “end of time”, the Nicks have a new challenge to overcome: the self-destruction of their experimental device! Perhaps Gaspar’s repository has some clues to aid them? Or perhaps someone in that family of geniuses, the Ashtears! T and G discuss: * The short (and questionable) lineage of the Ashtear family, including what is known of Banta (ancestor), Taban (father), Lara (mother) and, of course, a bit about Lucca (daughter / genius / protagonist with science on the brain)! * The inventions and developments of the Ashtears, from the relatively mundane (Leene’s bell) to the anachronostically extraordinary (The Telepod / time travel?) * Rampant speculation about the relationship between the Ashtears and the Guardia family, along with a certain lack of other inventors around the globe?! ## What is “the Race Against Time”? The Race Against Time is an annual charity livestreaming marathon run by [the Nickscast](https://thenickscast.com) where we get as many endings as possible in Chrono Trigger to raise money [for the Alzheimer Society of Canada](https://alzheimer.ca/)! This year’s event will be August 10 and 11th from noon until midnight each day. We hope to outdo all of our previous records and raise $1500 CAD. For more details on the event, you can check out the main website at [raceagainsttime.io](https://raceagainsttime.io), [our Twitch page](https://twitch.tv/theraceagainsttime) where we host the stream, or you can follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/raceagainstio) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/raceagainsttimeio) for news about guests, giveaways, and other special surprises! Heck, you can even [donate right now](https://raceagainsttime.io/donate)! ## Where to find us The Zeal Archives is a [Nickscast](https://thenickscast.com) production and can be found wherever fine podcasts are listened to, or at the source at [zealarchives.com](https://zealarchives.com) For news and other updates about ...

The party has tracked down the latest anomaly, but what happens when they are pinned down in a sandstorm in the middle of the middle ages? And can a small act of kindness bloom in the desert of a multi-millennial feud? T, G, Robo, and Lucca will have to depend on new allies to face off against old foes… or will they? In our world, T and G revisit one of the most eclectic, inspiring, challenging, and surprising sections of the game: the Sunken Desert / Fiona’s sidequest. There’s certainly a lot to cover, but we ‘dig’ into… * Its difficulty! After beating the game probably more than a hundred times collectively, why is it that this section is so much harder than any of the others? * What they remember about this influential moment in the game… and if they managed to save HER * The strangeness of this point in the game! Why is the iconic fireside chat optional, and why is it so easy to miss this sidequest entirely? Whose sidequest is it, anyway?! Editing, scripting, and podcast visual design by [Nick Terwoord](https://nt3rp.io). Special thanks to Square Enix for making that game that we love, Chrono Trigger ...and for not suing us. ## Episode Cast Alphabetically, by actor: * Manda Whitney in the role of Azala and Fiona * Nick G in the role of his fictional self, and discussion host * Nick T in the role of his fictional self, Robo, and discussion host * Patrick "TrickyLove" Moylan in the role of Nizbel III * SMZeldaRules in the role of Lucca Ashtear ## Musical Credits * [00:00] It doesn’t make ...

With world-ending calamity nearly at bay, a critical decision need be made, one that could alter the course of history. Lucca’s mastery of science means that the temporal distortion can be stopped, and save the world of Chrono Trigger, but G must decide whether it is more important to make his way home… or risk it all to save his friend. T and G discuss: * The surprisingly relevant (but entirely understated?!) origins of the sun stone; how you can find it in the story, what it means for the world of Chrono Trigger, and WHY NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT?! Seems like a big deal, really! * The Sun Stone as a metaphor for… greed? Man’s reliance on oil? Would be really nice to talk with one of the developers about this. Could have been a bigger part of the story for sure! * The weirdness of all of Chrono Trigger’s sidequests. They just threw tradition out the window with this one, eh? ## Where to find us The Zeal Archives is a [Nickscast](https://thenickscast.com) production and can be found wherever fine podcasts are listened to, or at the source at [zealarchives.com](https://zealarchives.com) For news and other updates about the podcast, you can follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/zealarchives) or [Facebook](https://facebook.com/zealarchives) @zealarchives For more about the hosts, Nick T and Nick G, check out [the Nickscast](https://thenickscast.com) on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), or [YouTube](https://youtube.com/thenickscast), all @thenickscast. ## What is the “Race Against Time”? The Race Against Time is an annual charity livestreaming marathon run by [the Nickscast](https://thenickscast.com) where we beat Chrono Trigger _thirteen times_ to raise money for charity; this year that charity is [Trans Lifeline](https://www.translifeline.org/)! Tune in on August 8 and 9th from noon until midnight ...