D&D is For Nerds - Barovia IV #28 The Devil You Don't Know

Episode Date: February 14, 2026

Admiral Cutter,I am pleased to report that while tests are still ongoing we have had incredible initial success. Your tabaxi scientist Crawls-Trough-Walls and the rest of his team believe they are close to isolating whatever element within the Blue Blood that disconnects a subject from the weave and the future. Dr Crawls has demonstrated capabilities of reducing the divinable qualities of a square block of stone to near zero. The object defies even practised divination attempts. The team are saying that live trials may be next. Whatever you have gained here has leapfrogged our research by decades.Your humble servant,Lt HiramIf you're still wanting to pledge for the Jarren's Outpost Board Game you can right here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

O'y, lads, did you miss out on the Jaron's Outpost Kickstarter and wish you weren't such a big doofus? Well, fear not. Late pledges are now open and they'll be open for a little while, so just head to Kickstarter search for D&D for Nerds or Jaron's Outpost and slam that late pledge button. Although you see no water for miles around, you are, like us, marooned. You're stranded in this sad and lonely place called Barovia. To mix metaphors, we are incarcerated.

The fog that surrounds us are the bars of our dungeon, and Baron von Strade is out jailer. As far as I can tell, there is only one way out, and that is to kill the devil Strad. P. Yeah, Father Lemmick is so close you could reach out. His hand is next to you. I look up at Castle Ravenloft, and under my breath I say, God damn it, you're rubbing off on me. And then with one hand I reach out and try and grapple Father Lemick. Then I let the spell go off.

Hector, sitting across from Pyrrhen, you see he gives you a quizzical look, bleeds blue. What do you mean? I was having a conversation with, I guess, the Cantonese delegates. Oh, I remember them saying something about this as well. Right, yes. Apparently, those who bleed blue are something. something of the fatheless, whatever that might mean. And I find after the, I look down at my body, I guess after the experimenting, some things have changed.

One is, I cast light in my hand and then quickly snuff it out. Connection to Peña is weakened. I can do little things. But like before, the memories of the connection there is, it feels like it has been watered down. And another thing is I bleed blue. Pyrrion laughs a little bit like he doesn't believe you. I just like, I don't know, rubbing Gretchen's back, just like, is there like a sharp, like a plet of knives? I just like grab a little knife.

I just like prick my finger. I have never seen this before in my life. I don't know what they want with Strad exactly, but perhaps if we could offer them it's crazy how often my blood is being used in the last few months. But that's not why they're here though. No, but I think I could offer them that something and make a deal of some kind. Sure. And if they're after.

If you think you can deal with them, they're here to make deals at least. And if they're after Strad, whatever comes after him, presumably would take up. There is options there. There's options there. If you could present yourself, however plausible it is, if you could present yourself as Strad's heir, as you claim perhaps he wants, or at least I don't know how buddy-buddy you've become with Strad,

but if you could say claim, or at least maybe you are, can argue on Strad's behalf, then I'm sure the Cantonese army is substantial. It would be very helpful. Well, yes, the army that is coming, it's massive. There will need to be some level of force to meet that whole. She will take over this whole land and I don't know her end goal.

All right. But I hate to think what she could do with the ambitin. Pyrin takes out pen and paper. All right. I will contact some people on your behalf. Who am I contacting? All right. Druids.

Tapos is arch druid now. That's fantastic. It's good for her. It's everything she wanted, I hear. Well, I guess, what has happened? There's some, he's got some, a bit of sass to that sentence.

Everything she wanted. I guess what has happened since three months? Yes. What has happened since? Well, you'll be happy to know that in the time, since you've been gone, our good friend father

has been dealt with oh yes Pip as far my information might be a little old but Pip has not returned returned

yes Pip I don't know the specifics of it but he put FL shall we say put a FL back in its cage

with some help Right, well, that's one thing we do not have to do. That frees up a few. Okay, that is, okay, that's great. So, the Elaniel, Marquilet, and her little cadre are quite displeased with Tarpos's work, but a steady piece is holding right now, kept in place mostly by Keening. They've agreed to work together at least for now on the lodestone. which they've been working at.

Yes. Okay, so they're dealing with the lodestones. Yes. So my understanding is, if it hasn't already been destroyed, the lodestone at... The lodestone north of Valakai has been dealt with, leaving but one lodestone left, somewhere hidden around Borovia.

Right. Well, I can't imagine if Tarpos is with them. Is Tarpos with them? No. So Tarpos is coming here directly with the Druids. Okay. It was Elaniel and her little cadre. Tarpos is...

Is Tarpos? I mean, look, it's subject to Babelso. Tarpos and her knights, Gorub and Lushin. You should see it's quite something. Her knights are on their way marching west eastward, sorry, as we speak. Oh, right. Why are they coming? Not here here.

Like, dude, in the east. Right, right. For the lodestone. Right, right, they're looking for the final lodestone. They're going to cleanse that, yes, that makes sense. Okay, well, they would be, I guess, Tarpos would be great to contact, Ed Gorob and Lushin, of course. Keenig is also negotiating between Valakai and the Dusk elves.

They're not too happy with each other. Wow, they didn't start happy with each other, and their relationship, actually, I don't know if it can get worse, but, look, Keenings negotiating that. The issue here, of course, is if we're to ask them to help us, fight whatever is attacking Barovia, they need to perhaps stop fighting, I guess, with Strad's army,

perhaps even work with. Well, they're not fighting Strad's army. No one's fighting Strad, Hector. They're picking at each other, you know that. Yeah, but the gold was all, hasn't the more things change, the more things

stay the same, yes? Yes, well, it's not, you know, open hostilities, I think. Right, they're right, of course. Couture remains pretty stable. So what I'm imagining is, of course, these people would have with problems of fighting against or fighting for Strad, but they seem to be forgetting about that

and are just fighting each other still to this day. Hector, one thing I know from my time aiding a monstrous, monstrous tyrant is that it is insanely easy to make people fight each other rather than you if you're clever. Okay. So we send a message

to... Anyway, that would be a conversation you'll have to have with Keening, but the Dusk Alves and Valakai, I don't know. The Berger Masters is dead. Both potential Virger Masters are dead.

Oh, so Lady Watchers also. Yes, Lady Watcher and I heard... I'm glad I wasn't there for that. I heard Lady Watcher was quite a nightmare. Well, just like she was in life, I guess. Sure. Lady Watcher and the original Burjamaster Tollmac are dead.

So the geese is no longer applicable to those who have it? That I don't know. Right. I'm assuming. Well, I would assume because F.L. Is back in his little cage, its little cage, whatever. And the source of the spell is dead. Yes, right, right, right.

That might end the geese, but I'm also not an expert on magic. Fair enough. That would be another conversation with Keening, I'm afraid. I think I need to speak to Keening at some point very soon. Okay, so then, so Valachi, the dust guscalves, would they, I don't, well, they might, for the common cause of an invading army, they might stop bickering? Maybe. I'm looking at a pyramid, like, maybe. Pyrrins shrugs.

Yes, possibly. Possibly not there. It would be insane. It would lead to their destruction. And when have they ever done something that led to their destruction? Fair enough. That pause was in real time. At the table.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, there's Coochery. Coochery stands strong. Bigfoot Paul and the Burgomaster there. Yeah. Well, I guess co-burgemaster, your old flame.

And... How is she? How is she? Now that is funny. Call it a flame. More of a trist... Yes. How is she?

Well, the... Are you talking for you? Who-pip? The two of them seem to be... I wouldn't call them happy with each other, but the piece is holding there. Neither one of them... Well, both of them knows that whoever makes the first strike

is probably going to lose. So, neither one of them is willing to do that. They're not... friends, but they're working together. And I feel confident enough that should you call on them, they will aid you. Okay, so there's that, there's... I would call them ready allies. I would call the druids, ready allies.

Well, the druids seem to be they don't want anything to happen to the land itself. And if border invades, then that the land no longer becomes theirs. So, of course, I feel that would be good on our side anyway. There's, there's Cuthshry, there's Cresik. Kresik? Kresik? I have no idea. Does Kresik even have much of a standing army, really?

It has one. They're not, you know, the largest of the forces that you can call upon, but, you know, it's better than nothing. There's the... We did... We did sort out a werewolf problem for them, and then I... There's the mongrel folk up in the hills or whatever you might be able to call upon. Oh, that is true. Oh, and yes.

Speaking of werewolves, I'm not hearing much tale of werewolves anymore. What happened? Well, I was trying to, you know. Yes, you were trying. And the negotiations went south pretty quickly. One of the lead, I really did not want them to keep biting. children. And they also had a couple of... And the werewolves.

Can I guess what they wanted? Well, there was a bit of an argument. And they had a few people that were captured there. As I'm patching Gretchen, Gretchen being one of them. So instead of a werewolf army, we have this woman. Yes. She's a devout of Gulliver from... Oh! From the time before the...

Kings Road was... Can I... A quick question, because I don't know once again, not an expert in magic. Does she have access to spells? Prayers? Well, I believe there was I think with enough training.

There was definitely a moment where there's a potential. So, I mean, obviously, you didn't know that the choice was her or an army of werewolves. Fair enough.

But this is the choice that you made. I feel that's a very unfair, Pyrin, but breaking it down like that, I did what I could. But yes, I guess if you put it like that, sure. Pyrin's such a bitch. Such a bitch. Such a bitch. But he's out, look, he's at his wits and as we all.

That's fair. That's fair. You can't blame him, you know? Okay. Even, yes, even still, we have. Is she good with a sword? She's capable, yes. Well, chuck her on the pile of resources.

then. And she owes you a favor, I'm assuming. Yeah. Well... Thank God. It is... I swore an oath to look after her in a way.

Hector! Her, um... Her mentor. It's sort of more like, you were her a favor. It's what it feels like. Oh, my, Hector. Her, um... Her mentor was...

Um... I did, I killed them. The lost and the downtrodden. They were aware of any way. Once I thought they flocked to you, but surely you are putting out the lighthouse for them. Maybe, maybe. Either way, Cresik, I mean, we saved their children from the curse. They did.

They might be able to be seen something. Yeah. And the, I guess... Look, it's another thing for the pile. The other... The family that lived on the hill. Yeah, that the angel made. They might be able to come to our aid.

I would count on them maybe more than Krezik itself. Creswick seems very... Especially we ended up successfully getting the dust gulls to help. Yes, also I was going to probably say that there seems to be... Well, they're getting the dust cells to help. I have little faith in that. That might be a conversation, actually, for... Mark Willett?

No. I mean, probably speak to Mark Quillet about that. But no, our good army friend. Oh, Cavendish. Don Cavendish. Right, yes. Cavendish would probably know the, he might know the logistics of seating people at a table and at a battlefield. Yeah, actually, where?

He, incidentally, and the engineer are riding to join Keenings Group. He was Arn. Arnie? Is there Arnold Crumper? Look, someone said his name. Is this a joke?

Because you are so close. Cronclough? Either way. Arnold Cronkle? Arnold Cronkle? Yeah, Archie Crunkle. I think it was an Arnold or something. I don't know.

I don't think I was there for whatever you're talking about. No, no. Raha didn't. See, Rahdin might be someone we could speak to. I know of Rha didn't. But, no, I've never spoken to him. He knows my face. it would be a very silly thing for me to do

while sneaking into Strad's Castle. He knows a lot of the ins and outs of what's happening. Well, weirdly, yes, speaking to John and the engineer would probably very useful. Yes, I suppose if the engineer's got something to do with this army coming forward. Might also know some of the weak spots as well. Sure, yes.

We don't actually, I think, remembering like a where we were when we went in, where we were found from like the elf and human and all of that as well as like when we came out of me and Gretchen. Do I know kind of vaguely where that might be on Borovia, like as in like that might be the invasion point? You don't know if that's the invasion point, but you could certainly hazard a guess that you could find the army somewhere around there.

Yeah, I think, yeah, because one, I think we can figure out where the invasiting army is going to be coming from so that we at least are prepared. So getting John and, yeah, the engineer would be very useful. We also have a look at see what Strad has to offer, you know, in a way. Sure. Surely they, when I arrived just early today, there's definitely an army there. Well, yes, he has some forces. I've not got a great, anyway, there's apparently some dregs and whatnot in Barovia.

itself, the township? I was about to ask, the Barovia... I wouldn't... I don't know much about the township of Barovia specifically, though. All right.

It seems that everyone was like it is bad there, but I met a half-ling that was... It's come from there, really. All right, so... Okay. Here is the series of messages I will send. I will contact Tarpos.

I will contact Keening. I will contact... Who the devil will I contact? I will send letters to Kresik to... Maybe I won't send to Valakai or to the Dusk Elves. I'll send just a Keening and then we'll see what he can drum up, perhaps. I will send messages to Kutri.

I shall send messages to who else. Was that the family? Yes, the Kresik, the Mongrelfolk, I forget there. Belford, Belmont. Belfi? Bellevue, that's the one, maybe. I have heard as well, tale, Hector, that there is some group of paladins, undead paladins.

Undead paladins. Yes, somewhere to the south of here. Interesting. Look, I'm sorry to be insulting, but that shit sounds right up your alley. Fair enough. Perhaps I can go north, you said? No, more southwest.

Yes, southwest. Well, perhaps I could head there next and see them. If you can get your friend Strad or someone else to reveal the location of the last lodestone, that would be very helpful because from the messages I've been getting, Tarpos cannot locate it. It's been secreted somehow. Right, right. I would not necessarily call Strad, my friend. But right now, I think defeating him...

Oh, shit, and the Cantonese. Yes. Speak to them. I will... Yes. But I think right now he's, shockingly, our second problem. Strath?

Yeah. But... Oh, Pip better hope he's dead. If he comes back and hears this... All right. The first problem, the first problem, Pyrn, is this invading. the second. But if you tell me that the

the FL is no longer an issue, we can, we, we, we, we, I know what to do. Hector, I've always seen myself at most, at most, I've always seen myself as a number two. If you tell me that the current problem is this army, that's the current problem.

I just know that Pip, when I tell him what our new focus is, is going to shit himself. I understand that, but I think Pip is a person who sometimes sees the bigger picture often. Please, no, no, no, don't misunderstand me. If you, I'm number two.

You say it, I'll do it. I am just relishing. Truly relishing telling Pip this. It's going to be very fun. It's just, it's not that it's off the table. It's not off the table, of course not. It's on the backburn. we'll deal with Strad

when he becomes the main problem In a way, yes Sure I There's so much bad news in Varovia It's nice to get this, you know Yes, there's never really any good news is there I'm not going to lie as well

This is the nicest meal I've had since we came here All right You'll enjoy You handled the Cantonese I will contact you again soon Gretchen, how are you doing? Gretchen's unconscious. Okay.

I call over some of the weighty staff, the staff here. Could you please escort my good friend here back to her quarters? And if you could please have some like a cold compress and basically some like, you know, just like care for somebody who is going. going to be having the first and worst hangover of their life. Two waitstaff come over, pick her up, and then gently take her away. You look back and Pyrin is gone. Where'd he go?

Release does that. Okay. Okay. All right. You see the Cantonese delegation? They're kind of mingled in amongst the crowd. But the man that you can see before, who's quite clearly the head of this diplomatic mission, you can see him sitting a little further down the table chatting with some other people.

I head over to him. Is he talking to people? I'm not going to be like hi and just burst in. I'm just going to head over there and even wait for a break in that conversation or I wish there was a socialized role. I guess this would be maybe insight. Eventually, you find a lull in the conversation. And maybe you don't find a lull actually, but a lull is created for you when the

man that you're trying to, whose attention you're trying to get a hold of, seeing you waiting, makes the opening for you. He turns around and he says, I don't believe we had a proper introduction before. Please, take a seat. Thank you very much. Vice Admiral Cutter. Vice Admiral Cutter. Does that name ring any bells?

Do you have anything for an intelligence check? I think I do. Well, you might want it. Is it a check? Is a skill check? Yeah. I just succeed, Adam. Oh, you just succeed?

Beautiful. Yes, you know the Cutter family, C-U-T-E-R. They're very famous. They're like, they're not royalty from Blue Beach. So very quickly. Blue Beach is the one region in Kandor that operates differently to every other region. Every other region in Kandor has a lord or lady who pays fealty to the king. Blue Beach, because of the specific circumstances of how they were incorporated into Candor, quote unquote, conquered.

Their agreement allows them to also have a king or queen who pays fealty, and they just operate a little bit more independently. They have their own noble court, their own lords and ladies who all pay fealty to the king or queen of Blue Beach rather than the king of Candle. And then the king of Blue Beach sits under the king or queen of candle. Does that make sense? Yep. So the Cutter family is part of that lords and ladies group. They're completely separate to any of the courtly intrigue that you are familiar with. But they are definitely a very powerful and notable family.

Huh. And that's back in my time. That's back in your time. And they keep going. Yes, so it seems. Right. well, so the Cutter family keeps being successful, I guess. Oh, yes, Hector.

I've been known as many different names in my past one, Hector the Beautiful, Hector Dragon's Ben, and Hector Alabaster. And I know I said I was from a, I think, one of the more powerful houses. But truth be told, I was just trying to get your attention. He, the admiral smiles, you really could have just told me your original name. I promise you I would have treated you the same. There is a strange nature to the smile that the admiral gives you that doesn't feel like he's mocking you. It doesn't feel like, oh yeah, I would, oh yeah, I would have treated a peasant the same way I treated a lord.

It feels more like the name that you just gave him is more important than the name that you gave before. Mm-hmm. Yes, I, so I, I apologize for that. I just, I've been, you're here for a deal with Stratt. Yes, well, that is the hope. So, what is your, if you don't mind me asking, I have recently found myself in an audience with the man, as well as I'm finding myself someone under his, I guess, gaze. He's a difficult man to get a hold of. The Admiral takes out of, the Admiral takes out of, corn-cob pipe and begin stuffing it. He is, but I think I have his ear, for lack of a better word, or at least for now, his

trust. So what is it you're trying to do? We're here for, I suppose you could call it trade negotiations. In my time, there are, candor has expanded, and with this expansion, there are further needs, more complex. complicated needs than what you might understand. It's difficult for me to explain, as I do not even understand myself, the complexities or the specifics of how this works. But there are things that Borovia can offer candor that another nation cannot.

Right. Do you know what those things are? It is an intimate access to the weave of creation, of magic itself. Right. Candor is looking to expand and to expand mechanically. Mechanically. I believe this is before your time. No. I don't know if that's the right term.

Have you ever heard of an engine? You probably have heard of the term before. Yes. Up north with the gnomes. Well, in my time, we have surpassed the gnomes in this technology, in many technologies. That's great to hear. Yes.

But these technologies, they require a great deal of energy to power themselves. Strad, Borovia. You were saying before. Yes. Okay. This electricity can be provided by Borovia, by Strad, in enormous quantities. Kandor would like. like access to it.

Perhaps if it is being able to provide by Strad or I guess someone comes after him, then. All right, well, I could try to... Are you close with Stroud? Potentially? You said you spoke with him. I did, yes. I'm having trouble dealing with his man. Rahadin, yes.

That is the man I have spent a lot of time with, yes. I need Strad to understand this. If you can pass this message along. He can fight candor off. now, but progress is forever. That is very funny, that is exactly what I was talking about.

Tell me, Blue Blood. How much do you need? The man smiles, enough to power an army. And how much would that be? Well, ultimately, quite a lot. I think four liters

of blood to a body times 100,000, times 100 million. But, I think a pint would be enough to start with. Just enough for us to get an idea. Oh, so you've never actually acquired any yet. It's difficult to find. Enough to fill a pint glass

would be enough that we might be able to replicate it ourselves. That is all? And what would you do for a pint glass of blue blood? If I was to... The admiral looks into your eyes and you get the impression that you... No magic just... But you get the impression that your mind was just red.

The Admiral leans forward. Maybe at this exact moment as well, someone a server comes around with some more wine and is about to pour wine into the Admiral's glass and he does like a little like a cutoff gesture like I'm done drinking. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He leans in forward and you can see you've got his full direct attention right now. For a pint of blue blood, Hector, you could name your price. I grab a knife. I prick my finger.

I am in need of an army. The Admiral, a huge smile on his face. What in business. Hell yeah. He brings over one of his attendants to kind of hash out any specific details. You are kind of given a bit of a blank check. What do you ask for? Oh, my Lord.

I'm like, okay, almost like, like, cards on the table in a way with, like, torture of, like, there is an invading army. this is going to be happening sometime soon and like this is the basically going through the what I personally know of the army

and what I saw with my own eyes the magic that Baritsi was using like that there was all just like that Alvin magic that was just bastardized by what she was doing mixed with all the mechanical mixed with the fact that like she's making Franken guys

kind of just laying all of that information that I have on the table and I can get probably some more information from Braha and the others. But this is the people that were fighting against, and that is the size of their army. And then going over, like, they've got that mechanical thing, the control, then

that's what is either, like, controlling them somehow, and I'm guessing without that, it might be... Yeah, yeah. You start describing that army, and before, when you pricked your finger, the admiral had this, like, hungry look in his eyes. A hungry look, you would describe

it to more of a, like, a vampire-like strad, seeing you bleed. And then when you start describing this army that Boritzi has, you can see somehow the hunger becomes more intense. The Admiral almost like he starts salivating.

You can tell that there's something about this description of this Britsian army, this Borchian army, has him he desires it more than he wants money, more than he wants food, more than he wants air. He wants, he is so engaged in this. What are you doing, Hector?

I can't, I can't, I have pride in my country. Hector is above all, a nationalist. He's a fucking patriot, dude. Hector is a fucking candidly's patriot. And I salute the flag. Very good. You tell the Admiral about this. the details of this invading army

and once you're done explaining it, you see, like, he doesn't literally obviously pick his jaw up off the floor, but there is a moment where you're done talking and there's a, like a beat as the, all of this information, you have fed this man so

much that he wants. And you have still so much more that he wants. Oh, I'm aware. Yeah, I was asked, before I, after finishing describing the army, I'm like, D.S. Did you know that there were other dark places? Again, this was very new information

for myself. Scouting has been very rudimentary of this area. It's difficult for us to travel to other planes of existence, especially in great numbers, which, Hector, I will give you whatever you want.

But the problem is, for me and my retinue to get here was kind of nightmare. I spent a fortune, not an insubstantial one, to create the architecture to get just us here. If Strad could just permit, open up a gap just big enough, just a few horses abreast for long enough. I can get as much forces as you want in here. I can make that happen. A literally at the table, that scribe draws out a content. The contract is actually not for you, technically.

The contract is for Strad. The scribe pushes it over to you, or the scribe rolls it up, actually, probably, and puts it in a case. Hands it to you, Hector. If you can get Mr. Strad, get him to agree to these deals, these terms. How many soldiers do you want? Well, you're the Admiral. At a moment's notice, at a drop of a hat, I can call upon possibly... He turns around to another aide de camp and another aide...

He, like, very quickly hashes out, like, literally with no notice how many soldiers he can get together. And he comes up with the number 2,000. Okay. 2000 would be great. 2000. All right. Done. Fantastic.

I will... You get strapped. He taps the case... Oh, the one with the details in it, the one with the contract in it. He taps the case. You get strapped to sign this, to agree to this, and I will have those soldiers standing ready to fight. Thank you very much.

As a gesture of good faith. Yes. Perhaps. Not a pint of blood, but maybe a vial. Of course. Another aide de camp steps forward. and this would probably be something you've never experienced. Oh, no, never mind.

I tell a lie, you have seen, you've seen this in the reverse with, what's your face? Esmaryl. You've seen this in the reverse of Esmeralda injecting herself. But instead, a metal syringe is brought out. This is very similar to a blood transfusion. This is very similar to... Someone's taking Hector's blood. Like, this is an old hat at this point.

I forgot about the blood transfusion. You're absolutely correct. For not the first time, Hector. you medically, someone takes your blood. You watch, they treat that vial of blood like it's a fucking relic. So what exactly will you do with the blood out of curiosity? We've been trying to recreate this ourselves. It's nigh impossible, especially because we're not exactly sure what's in it.

We will, my best top researchers, scientists will work on this. And hopefully, with an actual sample, we'll be able to recreate the effects. All right. Well, God speak to you. I will, um, with contract in hand, any two, I try to speak to a strut. The admiral puts a hand on your shoulder. You're a good boy. You've done well.

That hits weird. at good boy with that hector kind of just like pauses for a moment I don't know just thank you and walks off

it's now maybe come across Hector's brain maybe this wasn't the smartest idea he's ever had but we'll maybe stop an invading army

well it's the future's problem Hector stand up and walk away, and unbeknownst to you, centuries, millennia from now, out of all the deals who have ever made, that one will have been the most consequential. For good thought. Consequential is pretty neutral. Unbeknownst to you, out of all the devils that you have ever made deals with, this was

perhaps the worst. See, the thing about devil's school. Yes. is that we're very good. They teach you how to like identify a devil. And it's never really presented as just a guy from the future. They really don't. Yeah, they're really going to do that.

They're going to be showing you. When they say a devil, they're like, this guy, look at his tongues. This one's got like four hooves. Yeah, he lives for a big red guy. Yeah. After, your defenses were so low, Jerry. That's the first time I have made a deal with you and you haven't pondered the effects. Yeah, that's true.

That's true I just see the I just see the goal I just see the goal Yeah absolutely 2000 You don't know it yet But you sold your soul

My friend Again Anyway So what are you doing with this Right I Knowing that none of what I just said You are aware of

I am Okay I start Heading back to, I guess Strad's Chambers? Chambers or Rahan and hopefully the catching Rahadan

or he's still there. You don't pass Rahadin but you do successfully get to Strath's chambers. The doors are currently closed. Can I be reading that contract or is it sealed? It is sealed but well, no, it would be sealed, yeah. Okay, then never mind.

You watched them write it. Okay. If you want, you can kind of have read it. You might need to make a roll because you really only get one chance to read it. And it's a, it's like a contract contract. It's complicated. I was just seeing if there's anything that they were like, because that seems, you know, whatever they're asking for, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. Would I have like picked it up, I guess, reading it?

I'll make a roll. Do you have anything for an int to check? You did well enough to understand some things, but you don't understand every inch of the intricacies. Oh, I can re-roll with advantage. Now, letting you know that you did get a level of success. If you re-roll with advantage, you could get more success. That's re-roll with advantage. So what happens? That's the gamble of life, my friend.

You feel like for a brief moment, you're like, oh yeah, I kind of understand it. And then you, when they finished writing it, you're like, oh, wait, no, can I reread that? On the tip of my tongue. You understand parts, or you understand. send the basic, the broad gist

of this contract. Candor is looking for trade access and future negotiations with Strad and with Borovia generally. It does mention this like magical energy electricity that they're looking for access to

and part of, it's kind of like negotiating access to rare minerals. Okay. In a way. Okay, okay. Right. That's just mostly just because I'm curious. Cool, I'll knock on the door

Oh, there's no answer I Open the door You open the door, it's dark inside I I quickly just like cast a light Just in like the palm of my hands But I cup it so it's almost like a muted light

So I can still see But it's not going to like Annoy anybody as it were The light illuminates the room You see over by the bed There is a shape under the sheets Strad Are you?

The shape shifts. A bony, sallow wrist and hand peer out from underneath the sheets and gesture beckon for you to come closer. Well, I do. Without a second thought. What an inviting image. How welcome.

Oh, it's so nice. It's so funny. The door is slowly. close. And me with a fresh blood wound? Oh yeah. Smelling the most delicious you've smelled him? The most appetizing? I had, I go towards Strad's in his bed. Strad is sitting up in his bed. The once

youthful, beautiful visage of his face, a sunken, sallow horror now. He doesn't look like a vampire. He looks like a zombie, like a corpse almost. You can see, sitting up, You can see his parts of his chest. He's wearing kind of like night clothes now. Peering through the V of his night clothes, the shirt, the night shirt. You can see ribs and skeletal structure. It looks like a skeleton that skin has been stretched,

taught over. It's almost translucent as well under the light. His hair is wispy and white. It looks less like he has hair and more like he has, very bad, what are they called, plugs? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. His, from sallow eye sockets, he looks at you. You do not look as well.

The lodestone has this effect on you? I will recover in time. Right. I am sorry to intrude. I have been speaking to the, the Cantonese, Admiral from my far future Um

Agha What deal How does he know? Why is he Uh Bullshit Um Well

As you know A butcher is at your doorstep They have an army They're just wanting Some They have a contract here If you could cruise it, sign it, and permit them with their access point to be a little bit wider. We can get 2,000 men to fight.

Hector, very well pass me. I pass him the contract. He opens the scroll case, unfurls the contract, and he very gingerly reaches over to a nightstand where you see a pair of. of glasses, reading glasses. He grabs them and slowly puts them on his face. Hector,

if you agree to these terms, there is another better way. Come, you sign let me give you a fraction

of my power enough to make this deal in exchange please Hector may I have some of your power some of my power like your blood to sustain it's gonna be so bad you sound up a bitch what are you fucking doing in exchange I will give you the power to tear a hole in Borovia. Then we would be able to stop Portia. Yes. Then you could halt their advance.

Keening won't have to die. None of us would have to die. Perhaps, perhaps, this decision you will make. And I hope. Do you let him? Yeah. You lean forwards? Strad, his dead, desiccated hands wrap around the back of your neck.

Hector? Hey, what's another blood transfusion? Oh, my God. Hector, for not the first time, your blood is not taken medically. You feel ice, cold fangs sink into your neck. It's only a moment of pain, though. a fraction of a second and then instead of cold

you feel warm. Do I even feel this? You do? Okay, okay, okay. There is enough Azamir neck left over that you feel this. Just wondering, just wondering, okay.

Strad drinks, it feels both like an eternity and also like just a moment. When Strad retracts, you feel part of him stays with you instead. Actually, that's not what it feels like.

Forgive me. Strad's fangs retract, and then for a brief moment you feel something through the very holes that he drained your life force. You feel his life force enter back into you.

It's a bit of power, a returning of energy, but not nearly as much as was taken. You don't feel woozy or weak when Strad is done feeding, but you can tell

that you have lost a bit of Flot now. Strad immediately looks a little healthier. He doesn't look like when you add his height, but he does look immediately healthier. He leans back in his bed. You can tell visibly, noticeably, that you have this new power, but at the same time, it also feels like nothing has changed. Okay. Strad sits back and you see your blue blood tinging his lips. Thank you, Hector. Okay. You have the power to make this deal.

Good. I grab the pen. I sign. As you sign, you, when the pen touches page, you gasp a little bit as you feel like, like when you pricked your finger before, you feel that sensation, the sensation of your finger being pricked. And when the pen writes, it writes with a blue ink. Huh.

Cool. I sign my name. What name do you sign? Oh, that's good. What name do you sign? Oh. It's kind of important. Yeah.

So, okay. I think, oh. All right. So I go to, I think, okay, so I go to write, I go, because he's like, you know, there's hector the beautiful, the dragon, like,

Dragon Spain, Hecht, like, I just, I think I go to write, I go to write, even like the first, are the first, like, the downward stroke of the H of Hector.

And even that, like, looking down, seeing that I'm like, what, an eighth Hector at this point. Yeah, yeah. Even look, like, you know, looking at the scars, the hands that are holding this, like, pen nib that just aren't mine that are, like, mismatched. Probably the different fingers on each hand. There's, like, nothing that's really there that remains. Even writing Hector, I think, signing a lot of. as Hector would feel weird. But looking at

my hands and in one of them, the very dim light that I cast before, just and I make that H, and I turn that into an L, and I write light bringer.

Okay. Right. That feels better. Not right, but better. As you finish signing it, you are aware, You feel it. It's like you have an eye that is... Actually, it feels like the tear in Borovia

is a third eye that you have. It opens before you, and you see both directions. You see into Borovia, the entryway into Borovia is... It's near Castle Ravenloft. This was part of the contract preordained. There's like a field close enough near the castle that it is convenient to get to or from the castle.

but also far enough away that the castle feels still like this ominous, distant presence. When it opens as well, on the Borovian side, you can see this field, there's a bunch of like knocked over old tents and camp equipment. You believe, you realize, oh, this is where the rebellion a year ago was staged from. Huh. You see a tent that looks eerily similar, or has this vibe. of similarity to the cabin that Pip had when you first met him. On the Candanese side,

you see it opens up into Blue Beach, into busy city streets that you recognize, but only vaguely. Blue Beach is a completely changed city in this time. Thousands of years of future. At first, you think the city's on fire, but then you realize those black smoke stacks

are intentional and normal. Cool. You see an industrialized, like a blue beach, if a medieval blue beach met London from, we'll say like 1799. You stare out through your third eye at this place that is somehow so familiar and yet somehow so distant. Not just through time, but also through experience. You have never seen a place so definitely. Esolate and cold, Pip. The material realm you did not realize could be in places as inhospitable as Borovia.

Father Limek is no longer the monstrous, humongous entity. It is now instead still large, still standing maybe two, no, three meters tall, but now much more human-sized. The creature gives one faint, weak cry, and you hear booming distant, the voice of winter, the voice of a god, telling, mocking, mocking, Father Lymic, telling it, asking it how it could possibly imagine to consider itself a god of the cold, a god of the winter, a god of snow and ice. And stepping out of, you are standing, by the way, knee deep in snow. A blizzard howling all around you, white in all directions. All you know is that you are very close to the North Pole. Stepping out of that snow somewhere you assume, no, you know from the north.

Steps Lemmon Canaan himself. A man blue of skin, bright blue of eyes, bold, long, wispy hair and beard. It points a finger at Father Lemick and the winds begin buffeting it northwards.

I gesture to him. Here's your guy, I say, and then I... I've got to shunt him, right? Yeah, you and the winds work together, pushing Father Lemick north and north and north, and north.

And then the cold, does not recede, but the wind dies immediately, and the white recedes enough for you to realize that you somehow were always on an island of ice and snow with a cage in the center.

Is Lemon Canaan here? Lemon Canaan puts frigid frozen hands on the other side. Father Lemmich is a pathetic entity now. Like some swollen, awful creature. that is unfortunately for it, helpless before the two of you.

A gentleman's work must be done by strong people. The two of you begin pushing farther limit end over end. It would be, had you not fought him a moment ago, this would be so comical. You literally roll, as if the effort you went through to this point was nothing.

You roll him into the cage and close it. a gentleman's agreement head south and remember do not play tricks on a guard I don't intend to I don't intend to I turn around and not even

like looking over my shoulder I head south you don't I mean you turn around you can turn around if you want but a part of you some instinctual part of you understands that you are as north as north can be

and you don't need to turn around to go south. Any direction I had, by definition, will be south. You start taking steps towards the edge of this frozen island, and the wind kicks up again. And after a few more steps, you realize you must have fall. If that ice island was still beneath your feet, you should have fallen off it by now, and yet you still head south. One step, another step, another step. Another step. Wondering where you will find the entrance to Borovia.

Pip Mandarin. Yes. You hear over the din of the snow and wind. Yeah! Yaw! Hail! I say, hail. Hello?

A sled pulled by dogs appears out of the snow. What do you? What manner of being lives this far out? lost. I'm a dragon born. You got lost. Yeah, very lost. You are far from whatever place you could call home, Dragonborn. Do you know it's somewhere warm?

Yes, there is a small town not far from here. Some of your kind live there. Dragonborn. Oh, um... Come. I will take you. Is it night time? Or is it... It's daytime. Okay.

I like, put a hand on the sled. Part of you. You know how birds can see magnetic north? Part of you currently can sense magnetic, the portal you need to take to get back to Varovia. He is not gesturing in that direction, Pip. How far away is the town? But an hour, as north as north can be. Okay, an hour to the town.

Unless one wishes to walk to lemon cane. Yeah. And we could get, you could, could you, could you theoretically, I get into the sled, but just to be warm. Sure. Yeah, of course. Truly. Yeah, wow, wow, wow.

Okay, I had to give my neck up to make a deal that I really don't know to save everyone this. A little high and mighty draught. It can be warm. It's a little warm for once. Yeah, that's what you want. That's all that you're going to do. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Come on, climb, dude, go on. If you climb in, the guy, because he doesn't know that you need to be somewhere else, he could not conceive of you needing or wanting to be anywhere other than this small village. Oh, no. Oh, no. Stop, please. Let me out. You wouldn't dare take me to a tavern.

Piece of shit. Looking over my shoulder from the sledding But then The winds pick up Immediately It feels like It feels like it was negative 30 before And it just hit negative 50

Is there like a blanket in the slown? Yeah Yeah Oh you're getting comfy are you Like may as well run off I pull the blanket up Around my shoulders And then to my

The man driving the sledding If you needed to get back to that place Exactly Would that be possible I imagine I could But we do not want to be there now We must get back to a village Lemon Canaan is mad today

I wonder why I I feel around in the sled Yeah For like I don't know if he's got like whiskey You better believe he has a hot cook Yeah The thermos of sorts

I bring it out, out, my hand out holding the whiskey from under the blanket. You do mind if I, if I... You must be frozen through, my friend. Drink. Drink to your heart's content. Okay.