Dice Shame - 103 | 'Punch Drunk'

Episode Date: September 30, 2021

Despite being short one member, the night takes an unexpected turn when the party is invited to... well... a party! Comedy, action and a whole lot of shaming come together in Dice Shame, an Actual Play Podcast of Storm King's Thunder by Wizards of the Coast! Join our GM Jo; her partner Harlan, his brother Alex & their best friends Justin and Rob as they tackle the daunting world of Faerun in this legendary adventure module! Dice Shame is a podcast that welcomes its audience to the gaming table. Like the games they play at home, they try not to take themselves too seriously. The show aims to be entertaining, inclusive, and irreverent, while still taking the rules (somewhat) seriously. Join us every Thursday morning for brand new episodes available on all major platforms including; Spotify, iTunes, Google Play and more! If you haven't checked it out yet... what are you waiting for?!? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We need our team to be of peak intellect. Love is one thing, but war might be the other. Look, just because Jack's not here doesn't mean we got to let our intelligence be the dumpstatt. Dirty birdie. Hey, you said there's a fountain over there, Doors? I admire your dark horns. Hey, to portrait, it'll last longer. Sorry, buddy!

Yeah! Ha! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! I don't want to remember. We're always going to be best buddies. Jack's going to be like, they never came back, huh? Oh my God. I'm sorry and thank you. Welcome back to Dice Shame. This is episode 103, Punch Drunk.

MVP this week is Rob Christofferson, who only started diving in last week and has already made it through 50 episodes. In no time, you'll be hearing our shout out to you, Rob, so thank you for listening. Looking for another actual play, check out the No Fame podcast. Fellow Canadian dungeon master Justin Crane hosts a gang of certified not-famous players as they romp through actual plays of D&D and Savage Worlds with lots more in the chamber. On top of the podcast, you can join them live on Twitch and YouTube.

All right, shall we do this? Yeah, let's do it. You head out of the village of Pella's Want. The woods are eerie, skeletal trees reaching towards you, clawing at your cloaks as you pass. the snow has slowed to a gentle few flakes. You trudge along the path, picking your way through the stillness. Firth carries a torch that lights a dim, flickering pool around you as you travel. Hmm.

Everyone want to go swimming? You know, I will say that in the dense forest here, you know, it's awfully common. Actually, a bit calm. A bit... What are you trying to say, Doren? It's peaceful. Very peaceful. Yeah.

Peaceful. That's exactly. Oh, calm and, not common. No, it's very calm and peaceful. That's what I'm trying to say. You know, after seeing what we saw already tonight, anything's peaceful. But it's just, you know, what a beautiful little walk this is. I don't know.

I don't know. It's a bit spooky for me, and I look around the trees feeling like a little bit. Yeah, I mean, you've never been in the lurkwood before, and it's a very dense forest. So maybe as soon as Red said, that Doran does kind of peek over his shoulder and realize that as soon as the light dissipates into the trees, like there's all these eerie shadows and like spiny finger-like limbs of trees that come reaching out to us. The torchlight almost makes it feel darker outside. Oh, come on, guys. It's not so bad.

Oh, no. No, of course not. Let's just get there. We must be almost there, right? Feth. It's not far. All right. How long we've been walking at this point? It is far. You've been walking for like half an hour. Yeah. I thought this is like five minutes on the road. Well, 15 minutes, but I'm sure we're almost there. Let's just keep going.

You walk for so long that the trudging through the snow exhausts you. Your feet are heavy, and your legs burn with effort. Buddy, look, you said 15 minutes. It's been like three hours. Where is this place? It's not far. You keep saying that. I feel like he doesn't know what that means. Jack is all the way back there.

Firth, let me ask you this way. If you were to leave in the morning to come to Marina's house, where would the sun be in the sky by the time you arrived? Oh, yeah, right up there. It's not helping. Look, we've come this far. We're not going to go three hours back. Let's just keep going.

And maybe we'll pick up the pace a little bit. And as you say that, Doran's like, it wouldn't be so exhausting if the snow weren't so deep. And you look over and Doran's like standing waist high with his hands kind of like set on the snow. He's just like... You're holding Ork Splitter above your head. Like, you're waiting through the water.

As if he's waiting through water or a pool. Hopefully we're not too much longer. Starting to worry about Jack. He'll be fine. I'm not too worried about Jack. I'm just picturing. like a flashback to Jack and he's just slowly counting coins. Yeah.

Yeah. Or he's just like dining at the mayor's house. He's found a nice soft bed and he's just chilling. He doesn't even have to because he's a half elf, but he's just, he does. He loves to. I feel like he's really kicking his feet up. He's like going through the library, you know, he's like. Oh, he found like a little brandy and he's just having a good old read.

But you know what I like to know is, is you know the history of this town. There's got to be something deeper down here further. Oh, there's an artist that was here several years ago. Eventually, the path through the woods dissolves into a clearing that houses a small community. Being that it is quite late, most houses are lifeless, their dark windows giving them a blank expression. Firth leads you through the village humming. And on the far side of the settlement, one villa is tucked back against the distant, folds of the lurkwood. Its windows are a blaze of candlelight, and even from this distance

you can hear the sounds of merriment. The size of the mansion would likely inspire envy in half of all fairing. Most of the land leading up to the estate is given to a large orchard split by a laneway. Rows of twisted fruit trees covered in snow make strange shapes, and a distant barn and grain silo behind the house boast the wealth of this land. Holy shit, fath. Is this where you're taking us. Yeah, yeah. This is Marina's house. Well, first off, finally, that was not 15 minutes, friend. We'll talk about that after. Secondly, this is a big, beautiful place. Maybe 15 minutes in the summertime. Definitely not. That was many, many hours of walking. It's not far. It's not far compared to what? The circumference of the goddamn earth. It's not called Earth, is it? Well,

Earth. What's that? Toral. The snow of the laneway betrays the passage of many horse-drawn carriages. Several small, darkened outbuildings dot the property as well, and you trek your way up the laneway towards this house. A low stone fence follows the snowy lane on both sides and leads up to a grand columned front porch with two huge mahogany doors. The building is two stories tall and constructed of solid stone. Expensive glass windows look at on the lawn, where manicured topiaries look out from underneath caps of snow. Inside, figures

move past the windows. Their lively silhouettes, a picture of careless frivolity. Oh, guys, it's a... It's a party. Hmm. Wow. This is really quite a beautiful place. Serena Minderrotherger.

No, it's Marina Flinderclather. Cinderg... Look, I'm tired. It's been a long day. Let's just... Arena, Mindermather. Get this over with. And I walk up to the door and I bang heavily.

Nice knockus. Yeah, each door is set with a ring of heavy brass and you grasp and knock loudly. After just a moment, a tall human woman wearing a finely cut servants uniform and a sour expression answers the door. She's got

blonde hair that's been pulled back so severely into a hairdo that it looks like it's kind of stretching the sides of her face. Welcome to the Cindergather estate. May I ask your business here? Whoa. Yes. My name is Red. This is my best friend, Crayloth, and my best friend, Doran, my best friend, Jet. Well, no, Jack's actually back there. Yes. And this is Firth, and Ferth apparently belongs here. And we've been walking for a long time, and we really just want to drop him off so we can go back and help our friend.

Doran's really taken aback by the hair. He's like, you might want to let that out of your point. I can tell you with my hair, it's quite long. That's too tight. You're going to get a headache. Doran, don't touch her. She just kind of blinks at you. Oh. Young Master Firth. What a pleasure to see you. It's been some time. Oh, my lady Marina will be delighted.

Well, you all look exhausted. Please come in. We really shouldn't, but... Okay. Doran just walks in like he owns the place. And I look towards Kri-Laf. Jack. That smell.

What is that? As you stand there on the porch looking in through the open door, a servant walks by with a hoisted plate of canopays and sort of drifts through the house into another room. Oh, Red, I'm sure Jack will be fine. We're just going to come in here. We'll have some canopays and then we'll see him before morning. Exactly.

You know what, Red, and you're less concerned, Krilloth, but you're probably in the sake of the same thing as I am. If Jack gets concerned, he can always send one of his mind messages, you know, one of those secret, the mind messages. Anyways, you can check up on us and we can just say back, yeah, we're staying in the night because it took us longer than 15 minutes to walk here. But Red looks towards the inside of the house

and towards the dark field they entered through and then back towards the house and back towards the field. And he'll be fine, let's go. And he bursts in as well. I almost want there to be a point where Doris is like, But, but food, but, but beer. Oh, I think Red is all about this.

He just, he's like trying to be... There's like, just a little bit of responsibility that's just dragging you back out into the cold and eventually you shake it off. Oh, absolutely. And Red bursts in and enters the front hall. I do need to try certain types of alcohol. The entrance hall's flagstone floor gleams with polish. The walls seem freshly painted. A large chandelier.

you're capped with a hundred tiny candles sends moats of glittering light all around you. Several slightly hairy-looking servants, take your overcoats and brush the snow from your boots and leggings, preparing you to enter into the manor without bringing in a mess from outside. Who'd you have

to knock off to get a joint like this? Do you just kind of gives a look towards red. Not everybody kills the owner of a building. Right, right. Pointed. comment. Krayloff, do you think?

Kralov just has his mouth completely full as he turns to look at them. The woman who answered the door is clearly kind of the head of serving staff, based on how her garments are cut compared to the other servants as they bustle around you, getting you ready to enter the party. I am at Moira, please, if you would follow me, I think my lady would very much like to see you at once. Sure My lady is at the moment

In the midst of throwing a belated Feast of the Moon's celebration Oh, we missed us as well Oh, did you? Guys, it's circumstance There was another Fet happening at the same time And my lady decided to throw hers

On an alternate day As a measure of politeness, you understand I love Fetter We might find her In the Conservatory You guys have a lot of parties around here Oh yes, many parties I like it

I like these canopays, too. Are we allowed to go in? Yes, of course. And you're led through the manor by Admoira, who walks brusquely her low heels clicking on the flagstone. Continuing on through a hallway, you pass a set of wide-open doors leading into a two-story grand salon

where a small crowd of guests are gathered, mingling and laughing. Food and drink are being passed by serving staff, and a quartet of musicians plays low and lively music. As you cruise past, she beelines for a room further down the hall, seated on a divan together to one side, a pair of women whisper loudly behind a held fan, giggling, clutching each other. And another servant approaches Ed Moyer as you walk.

We're out of potatoes, ma'am. Chef said that we had two more pans a half hour ago, but they're all gone. There must be a miscalculation. She brushes him away. Not now, Shin. Tell Ruby will make do as it is. I feel like Red's craning his neck into the party room as they pass it.

Just like, how. You come to a large room now on the south side of the manor. Tall glass windows stretch floor to ceiling on three sides and several planters

house exotic trees and flowers. Lanterns on stands dot the room, shedding romantic light throughout. Several small groups of guests stand around or lounge on wicker furniture conversing and drinking.

Think of all the orphans we could fit in here, Kraloff. Hmm, yeah, at least seven. Seven and a half, maybe. Ed Moira brings you over to a corner near a tall cage of small yellow birds and says, please wait here. Ooh.

Oh, hello. You know what, guys? I think this might be good for us. Krayloth, you and I haven't got to hang out and party since Waterdeep, and honestly, that was a bit of a bummer. There was some darkness there, you know, with your whole undead master coming back to you and telling you what to do. Oh, yeah.

And Doran, you and I haven't had a good drink since the bee in the barrel. Well, I mean, I can't, I almost wish Jack was here. I mean, he's usually the type that mingles well with this crowd. And you could tell Doran's bum is blushing. Boys, this is a chance for us to show our aristocracy. We're good. Look, you just got to fit in, play the part, act how you're doing. And Red Lake, swipe some mud from his arm and throws it to the,

wall spattering all the yellow birds in like little specks of mud they're all now covered in like mud oh furth got his face pressed up against the bars of the bird cage and he's like birdie birdie birdie just talking with the birds they're pretty aren't they first yeah dorin finds like a stained glass paint window and he he like fixes his beer a little bit by brushing it down with his hands and, like, looks in the mirror and, like, wipes the blood off his face. Is there a pan of water around here somewhere? And he sees, maybe there's like a... A little fountain feature? Oh, bird fountain? Yes, exactly. So he puts a hand in a fountain feature and wipes the blood and dirt off his face. And so all of a sudden he's got... It's like a clean spot

in a very dirty. Yeah. You can see his nice clean brown skin. I feel like in the... I feel like in the room there's a fireplace and Red walks over but it's not lit and he bends down to like a small roundish object and turns to crate off and he's like look at this and he blows it and it's got all the ashes collected in it and it's just like all over it you know like

yeah because I remember being a kid and like and playing with those ash catchers oh yeah scoop them out and just like it just goes everywhere and there's this cloud of smoke all just like slowly falling sorry Uh, yeah, thanks, Brad.

Um, sorry, buddy. Hey, you said there's a fountain over there, Doran? Yeah, I just, uh, I was able to wipe my face. Like, how clean I look, Krayloth. Oh. Tell me I look clean. I haven't got blood. I saw some pretty ladies in there.

You look, you look great, Doran. Excuse me. As Kraloth and Doran are busy washing themselves in a small fountain filled with goldfish, you are approached by an elegant woman. Dying from the ashes. And Red is just covered. Red is there too, just washing the ashes off of his paws. And all three of us have our, like, heads and hands in this poor goldfish pond.

Yeah. You're approached by an elegant woman with luminous dark skin in a long midnight blue dress. Jules hang at her earlobes and cling to her neck. She's quite beautiful. And she says, welcome. I feel like Greilat and I are like. ogling. Hello.

Oh, Firth, I'm so glad you made your way to me. She goes to him and holds him by the shoulders, kind of looks him up and down. You must be frozen stiff. Is your daddy with you? Oh. Firth says, Daddy's gone. I think he's in the dirt.

I kept your letter for him in case he's coming back. And she sort of looks to the three of you and she says, oh, how awful. You poor, sweet boy. A Taltos! She beckons a serving boy over and he hastens to her side. See to it that Firth has a hot bath immediately. Bring him some of the roast.

And then get him in bed. He is your charge tonight. Do you understand me? And Firth goes off happily with this servant boy. She turns to the three of you. Well, I am Marina Sindegather. Welcome to my home. Thank you so much for bringing poor Firth to me.

Do you know anything? about what happened to Raynard. Well, thank you for welcoming us to your home, Marina. Doren extends a hand, like almost not even listening to the second part of the question. You've got a beautiful home here. Well, thank you very much. She takes your hand very politely. Doesn't even bat an eye at the fact that the three of you are all dripping wet.

Yeah. Yeah. Red spits out a fish. She's like, I think that really what happened is sort of a difficult thing to explain because, see, there was this guy who was sort of cursed and he looks to Creelof.

Yeah, Kralov has just been staring blankly. And then, hey, hey, buddy. Oh, uh, right. Melady, um, it's, it's a bit of a tale. And we've had a very, very long night. Um, would you happen to have any coffee? A booze. We'll take booze. I could go for a specialty coffee maybe.

Booze would be nicer, yeah. If just that's the option. Please, anything, your heart desires, of course. And she gestures to a servant who comes by and discreetly takes all of your orders. Three booses. Three booze. And whatever these two want. Look, there was this guy named Renzo, and he was a cursed something or other, and he got really, really hungry.

And he started hurting. people and frankly your little Firth here, and say, what is the relation between you and Firth? Oh, well, Firth's mother was my cousin. She died in childbirth just over 25 years ago. Raynard and I have stayed close. I suppose I will be his carer until Raynard is found. He's a lovely and capable boy, but Firth does not have strong reasoning skills, but he knows this house and property, and he'll be happy here. Oh, he doesn't know how to judge its distance. No, he surely doesn't.

But, I must say, he's got some lovely family, sorry to hear about his mother, but he's lucky to have you, Marina. Yes, well, I sent a letter to Raynard. He wrote to me with suspicions

about someone in Pella's wand, and I sent him something to help. A couple of well-dressed partygoers clutching, delicate glasses of one, approach your group. Marina's eyes dart over to them and she smiles widely. We can continue this conversation later if you like.

I'm sorry, I must mingle. Lord Carrick, Lady Torlin, where have you been hiding all night? Sure, sure. Thank you so much. We'll make our way there. She glides away. She would glide.

You boys. What? What do you mean what? You two need to look at each other. Look at you. You're both ogling over this, I mean, nice. Ogling? I think there's the point where the contrast of our heights kind of play into the humor of this scenario where Krayalath looks down at me and I look way up at Kraloth and, you know, we've kind of like half put ourselves together with this water from the fountain and we're both kind of little goggly-eyed.

You guys are friends. Don't forget that. Do I need to remind you? Oh, I saw the way you were looking at her. Oh, you did. Of course we're friends. Of course. Yeah, but I mean, that's right. Well, have you a thought about what might happen? What might happen? What do you mean what might happen? Just having a nice conversation with the nice lady. I mean, we both, or maybe she could decide. Right, right. Well, just be smart about it, you two.

If she picks one over the other, how's that going to make you feel? Remember how she glided? Yeah, she glided, but she's got skates or something. It's not magic. Relax. And at that point, I look at her, I love you. You're my brother. I love you, too, Doren.

No matter what. I wouldn't want anything to come between us. Of course, no, even if it's a really, really beautiful, stunning. A woman like that, stunning, just absolutely. Yeah. Stop out of it, boys. We're here for a reason. Look, we need to focus.

Let's get a few answers, a few drinks, and then we can deal with this little issue. A servant comes over with a platter that has three boozes, sir. Ah, thank you. Yes. I pour them all into one glass. And I believe I ordered a coffee. Yes. Just here, sir.

Yes. There is nothing like a cup of coffee after slaying a cursed being. And that's it. A cursed being. We need to be smart about this. Right. So he was cursed. And she knew about it because she wrote.

That's right. What if this person is? is what's in on it. We need to be smart here, guys. Look, just because Jackson on here doesn't mean we got to let our intelligence be the dumpstatt. But I mean, her. How could she possibly be involved in something so...

Snap out of it, Doran! Look, look, there's no way that that letter said that the man that we vanquished was cursed and she was sending help. She sent the ring to help. If she's involved in this, then

she's not on the side of whatever we just kill. Look, I don't think she's involved in it. All I mean to say is we've got to be smart, especially when playing with matters of the heart. And that rhyme. So you know it's true. Let's just play it coy.

Let's try to get as much information as we can about Renzo and, frankly, enjoy ourselves a little bit. So you're saying to get to the bottom of this, we need our team to be absolutely cunning and of peak intellect. Well, I'm not saying exactly that. I'm just saying that we've got to get to the bottom of something and this glass isn't the only thing. going to get to the bottom of, and red downs the booze.

Cheers. Let's go mingle with some of the people and play it cool. As you head back out into the main hallway, you see this party is at hand. There are opulent treats waiting for you in the great hall. A buffet table is set so heavily with delicacies that it bows slightly in the middle. Golden pastries with steam still gently. rising. A juicy roast, honeyed carrots, shimmering with butter, gleaming oysters on ice, bowls of gem-bright cherries, and platters of soft, creamy golden cheese.

Golden cheese? A wide, sweeping staircase leads up to the second floor that is guarded by two men at arms wearing studded leather armor and carrying crossed halberds. I feel like red is like eating a cheese puff and walks over them. I almost killed a man for your armor. I like it. Very nice. Stutted leather armor.

I feel like I was such an ongoing thing. I love it. I love it. I love it. The guard nods and then looks over at the other guard. I got better armor now. No worries. Good luck.

And he walks away. Kralath has a plate and he's trying to walk to a couch. And the plate is just. stacked. It's a mountain of food and it's wobbling and there's like a little... Overflowing. There's like a cup or something on top. He's placed his coffee cup on top and he's balancing it and trying to walk as carefully as possible to the nearest Devon. Yes. You set down next to an old man with a waxed mustache who has a kind of similarly piled plate and he says a fadril d'atsk at your service.

Ah, I do love the taste of this venison. Oh. It's been prepared splendidly, wouldn't you say? What's your favorite hors d'oeuvre, sir? This is venison? I just thought it was cow meat. Oh, no. Okay, well, to be honest, we said your name was Fadro.

That's right, Fadro. I haven't tried all of them, but give me two seconds here. Okay, well, I'm going to have to have to. to say that the canopae is quite nice, but I'm also quite particular about the shrimp, and they've done a fantastic job. Whatever sauce they're using, it is divine. I've always been a sucker for seafood. I don't really get to have it too much, but I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name's Kralov. Kralov of Barovia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Krayloff. I presume sir, based on your armor, of course, and your insignia's.

Oh, yeah, I am wearing my armor, aren't I? Yes. Yeah, I was a knight. I still am, I guess. Just a little order of business, you know, type thing. But I don't really talk about it too much at social gatherings. How about you? How do you know, Miss Sindegather? Well, she's my niece's best friend.

And I make a point of attending all her fets, of course. Well, it's just a matter of politeness. You must really keep up appearances in such company. Oh. I didn't wear my armor, of course. A little bit too big around the middle these days. Oh, he pats his ever-expanding waistline. Oh, you know, I might be there very, very soon, I say as I eat another one.

That's kind of a rude thing to say, hey, I'm going to be as fat as you momentarily. That's okay. I feel like Red walks over to the table as well. Eyes a few things picks up one or two things, eats them, and then heads over to the bar. Yeah, you are standing beside a woman who has just the biggest smile and gleaming teeth. She flashes around aimlessly. She's wearing kind of an old-fashioned dress, but she's waiting politely at the bar. Oh, your teeth are big.

What's your name? Oh, well. Your eyes are big Thank you My name is red-handed Robin I'm Alexis Hillesie Cool What are you doing here

Well Anyone who's anyone is here Don't you know Wait does that mean I'm anyone I would presume so Wonderful Where do you come from So

Oh Mazdica Where is that Well it's a continent on the other side of the ocean Oh Like an island Kind of. The same way this place is an island, I suppose. It's really hot, and there's a lot of special bugs there. Would you like me to tell you about them? That's ridiculous. What is?

There's special bugs? Yes. Well, tell me, Red-handed Robin, can you dance? Can I dance? Red jumps up on the bar and, like, knocks over a few bottles and starts, like, dancing his signature red dance. Yeah, Cole! Is dancing? and then jumps back down. She presses a hand to her chest

just absolutely flummoxed. I was referring to the waltz. That too. Wait, what's that? You can't waltz? What, I know? Can I? I always say that a person who can't handle the waltz can't be trusted with much else,

if you know what I mean. But here, I can teach you. Kralov, do I know the waltz? And I take her hands. Probably. She grabs you and the two of you are set off whirling on the dance floor. Doreen, you walk away from this main room a little bit,

and you find yourself off to the side. There's a study, and a couple of older folks sitting around a roaring fire, and one of them has their nose in a book and is smoking a cigar, and isn't even really paying attention to the party at all. And maybe by this point, Doren's kind of almost given up trying to get into a conversation. And so he sees the roaring fire and he goes over and he thinks, well, I'll just stand by the fire and enjoy my drink. A teafling man with sharp black horns who's got a decorative rapier at their waist is kind of just perusing the books on the bookshelf. And he pulls one off almost at random and sort of flips through it.

He turns to you, seeing you approach and recognizes that you kind of have an awkward look about you. And he says, such a lovely collection. Here, here's a copy of Bathazar and Elshka. Looks to be a first edition. Nothing like a good love story. Wouldn't you agree? Love story. Well, yes.

That is part of life, I suppose. I'm Doran. Iron fist. Nice to meet you. And Doran extends a hand. You may call me Fehigragaga. Ah, Fehi-Gagraga. Nice to meet you.

I admire your. dark horns and see that's one book but and he looks at the wall of books and he immediately spots one about fighting in wars but have you read this

and it's um it's a picture book the big blue truck goes to the zoo I especially like the ending because he finds his father Oh, no. Love is one thing, but war might be the other.

I've studied this one several times, actually, funny enough. And he pulls out Carion's big blue book of battle maneuvers. Battle maneuvers. Thank you. Oh, that's great. Combat Sutra. Bingo! All right, Harlan, that's inspiration. Yes, actually.

Very good. Very good. Crushed it. Wow. They go into conversation. Yeah, you guys have a nice chat about love and battle and literature. Yeah. Doran, as you're in the middle of conversing with this crew of older, distinguished gentleman types. And maybe by this point, we've all kind of gathered around and we're all talking about love and war.

I don't go into too much detail, but I do hint at the fact that I've experienced both love and war. Movement catches your eye. as the tall, slender figure of Marina Cindergather floats by the doorway. She looks in just briefly to make sure that her guests are having a nice time, and she catches your eye, and then she moves on towards the party. Doran clears his throat, and he says, If you gentlemen would excuse me for just a moment, then maybe he starts to move towards the door,

and as he does so, he catches Kralath's eyes, way across the room, but just at that right angle. And he sees the same thing going through Krala's eyes. You know, like following this woman. Kralov has stopped chewing. His mouth is full as he's looking back at you. As she enters this great hall, the musical quartet stops what they were playing and starts up a new number.

And she smiles brilliantly in recognition of her favorite song. A tall half-elf man, very handsome, walks over, takes these long, confident strides, and asks her to dance. She nods, and the two of them begin twirling gracefully around the dance floor. A couple of other parties also join in the revelry. I think Red walks over and sort of maybe stands between Kralath and Doran drinking a drink. He's like, oh, looks like she's dancing with some guys. You know, Kralath, there's something to be said about the way some people carry themselves. Am I wrong?

Oh, you are not wrong. Just complete, utter grace. Like, their movements are inspired by the gods. Yeah, he must work out. Red. What? We're not talking about him. Which one are you talking about?

Talking about her. Well, go interrupt. Can't you cut in? I saw that at the wedding. You know, people just come in and, you know, go cutting and dance with her then. As the couples whirl by, Marina and her partner pass close to you, and you get a whiff of brilliant perfume. Dorian steps into dance. And tries to step in before he does.

I think we should do a contested role. Yeah, I think so. I think we both look at each other and then immediately we both move at the exact same time. We're like, oh, excuse me. Oh, sorry. Yes. You should roll for initiative. That's what we should do.

See who gets to it first? I think we should. I think we should. Who gets... Let's see. Roll for initiative. I've got, yeah. 13.

Nine. No. Classic Kralat style. Single digies, man. But that doesn't mean she wants Doren. Doren's foot gets right. right in the way, and somehow this little figure of a person managed to cut his way in between the man dancing with Marina and Kraloth. And she looks down at you.

And Doran, as though he is maneuvering through a battle, continues the dance, the exact same momentum, without breaking even a moment. And they continue to kind of swirl in the same momentum that he cut in on. Her other partner, the half elf, kind of does like a little mini footstamp. I feel like Red plays wingman and comes in and sweeps the guy away. He's like, come on, let's get a drink pot. Like, walk in the house, you know? Love it. So Doran, you are whirling around the dance floor with this woman.

It doesn't even feel like the two of you have that much of a difference in height. Her grace far exceeds what is necessary to perform the steps of this dance. and it is magical. I want you to please make a straight up and down charisma check for me. A seven. Okay. So not very good. You spend a heady few minutes dancing together,

and after the song ends, she gives you a polite smile and says, that was lovely. Thank you. The pleasure was all mine. And as he turns away, he kind of looks at nobody, and he says, Damn, that body is a battle axe. And Kralov, while Doren and Marina are dancing,

Kralov is kind of pacing the side of the floor like, oh, I was too slow. I'm always too slow. I'm always last to act. And I look up and I see how Doren is not just blushing with his butt, but blushing with his face. Ooh, that's a big blush. I kind of chuckled to myself.

And then something clicks, and immediately I reach into my pouch and I pull out some flower petals, and I crush them in my hands, and I cast enhanceability on myself. Eagle's splendor, which gives me advantage on the charisma rules. Yeah, that's not fair. Dora is watching this all happen. It's fair. You had your shot Doren. Quiet, watch them work.

It's pretty impressive. I turn to Red and say, how do I look? You look ready. Give me one second. And Red runs across the room and you see him tapping on the shoulder of the band and they stop

the song and you see him whisper and this real slow tune starts up and he like gives you a big thumbs up from the other side of the room. Like Godlock. And Kralath smiles and nods at his friend and he steps on to the dance floor and he moves with unnatural precision and grace,

almost like he's walking into battle, but there's a softness about him, a very gentleness as he walks up to Marina, taps her on the shoulder, and says, milady, may I have this dance, please? Ooh, Krayloff, make a charisma check. Roll it. Oh, that's a 19.

As she spins to meet your eyes, you are dumbfounded to see that looking at you has brought a blush to her face. And she takes your hand outstretched and says, of course. The next few minutes pass in a whirl that feels almost as magic as anything that you could create. It's fantastic. The lights from the lanterns in the room glimmer on her jewels as you swing her around. You've never felt peace and pride like this before. The dance is simple and slow as far as dances go,

but every step is perfectly in place. And it doesn't feel slow. And Kralath is tapping. into something he didn't even know existed within him. And he maybe caught a sense of it, but this is on a whole other level. The calm, the sweetness, the feeling of being home just settles in on him. And there's a moment where he doesn't even realize he's dancing. As the music kind of comes back into his consciousness and he can sense that the

the song is ending, and very slowly, but with the strength of his military body, he dips her down slowly and gracefully, fully in control, and then gently brings her back up, looking into her eyes the whole time. You went for it. Kralath, inspiration. I love it. Get that girl. And then, from another room.

a clatter, a clang, and the sound of something shattering, quiets the gathering. I feel like at this point, Doren having failed in his attempt and like really rooting for Kralath now. Yeah, Red's right next to you. He did good, didn't he, Doran? And hearing this sort of disturbance almost takes like an irritated approach to this sound in the next room.

And he actually pulls the axe off his back. It's just rampages. Then you spot motion on the buffet table. all eyes are drawn as a roast turkey wiggles twitching and cavorting down off of its platter onto the floor it rolls once twice and then explodes in a shower of stuffing a small bipedal creature bounces out basically a mouth and a little soft body on legs at the same time another creature hops up onto the back of an armchair opening its maw wide to display rows and rows of curved teeth roaring a little roar the dude in the armchair scrambles up, tipping over in his haste and crawling on the floor to hide underneath a table. A third creature swings wildly from the chandelier

which breaks and crashes to the ground. Candles rolling from their seats and gutter on out. The guests panic. Some fleeing the room while others drunkenly try to sort out what's happening. Everybody roll for initiative. It's party time, boys.

Doran looks over and sees the crowd that he was kind of speaking with around the fireplace before the dance and pulls his axe and almost does like a wide grin. I'm like, this is my wheelhouse. This is what I'm doing. This is why I'm here. Absolutely. Harlan, what does Red have? 17. Nice. Doran. Five. No. Crailoff? I got a neat. He's distracted. Yeah. Yeah, you just dipped this beautiful woman. I did. Okay. First up. Red.

Red, opposed to everyone else, including his friends, is so quick on the draw. It's lightning fast. His bow is off of his back in a split second, and an arrow is singing across the room towards one of these gaping maws. I'm going to cast Hunter's Mark as a bonus action. Okay. That would be a 14 to hit. No, you miss.

Oof. I'll attack again. Oh, that's better. 17 to hit. Mm-hmm. Nice. 26 damage. Your arrow drives deep into the creature's beady eye as you skewer it through its brain

and it drops down flailing into a pool of viscera. Hope that wasn't your pet. Next up, these little guys. What are they? One of them runs towards you, waddling a little bit. They're on these two kind of stumpy legs and they're like knee height at most. These pudgy little bodies and they're basically just like a big walking mouth. runs at you red and leaps on you it's gonna try to bite you 18 to hit just hits oh oh damn that's six

piercing damage and you feel as it's multiple rows of sharp curved teeth latch on to your furry little leg so he grabs you right around the thigh and his teeth start rasping at you he's a Trasping. Ah! Get it off, get it off, get it off. And then the other creature, the one that's not been skewered by Red's arrow, runs forward and launches itself at you, Doran. That's a natural one.

Oh. Missed. So it misses, it just clatters off of your armor and falls on the floor. Its little legs are waggling in the air. It's got these really gross, long black talons on its toenails. I would love to do a repost. Ooh, do it. Because when a creature misses me with a melee attack, I can use my reaction.

Good move. To expend a superior already die. Great move. Do it. 26? So the creature bounces off of you and you take a great swing with Orch Splitter hitting the creature. How much damage do you do?

Oh, shit. Max damage. Nice. So Dorn winds up, this little fucker jumps at him and tries to bite him. And with a smirk on his face, why? watching his newfound friends in the other room by the fireplace, he swings at this thing as though it were a baseball, and he hits it with a 23 points of damage.

Nice. Wow. You cut it to pieces. And slices the fucker in half, blood and guts. I want to imagine, because you said it's the size of bird, I want to say it's got very similar guts as a bird. It's not too bloody. It's more corpulent than a chicken, right?

It's fatter and juicier. All right. Ew. Mm-hmm. Kralath, it's your turn. Kraloth steps beside Marina and says, Stay close, my lady. And he steps beside this creature that has attached itself to Red.

And he's just going to reach. Get it, get it, get it. And he's going to try to yank it off. Yeah, you can do that with an action. You just pull the creature's jaws off of Red's leg and you see this gaping wound where its mouth was, but you have this creature in your hands now. Ah, fuck! It squirms out of his hand. And as a bonus action, I'm going to call upon my spiritual weapon. Ooh. And I'm going to have it, yeet. Throw it up and let the spiritual weapon just

knock it at the window. Get us. My spiritual yeat. And I'm going to cast it as a level three. Spirit weapon. Yeah! That's 26 to hit. You do. Get it, cradolph. Get it. Get it. 16. of damage. Your scythe cleaves down and chops the creature in half. It's blood leaking all over this beautiful, polished floor. You all right, buddy? Thank you. Thank you, Kralov. Yes, yes. It hurts, but it's okay. What the hell are those things? Can I roll in nature or something? Do you figure what those were? Yeah, you can roll nature. That's what Jack would do, right? That's a 16. You think that it's very likely that this creature would have been able to, you know,

to just continually bite you on its next turn, essentially, that it wouldn't have to keep continuing to try to attack you. Additionally, you've never really seen a creature like this before, and with it lying bisected in front of you, you can see the workings of its innards, and strangely, the cleft organs seem to writhe around in the darkness of its own viscera, almost still alive somehow. What the fuck? Is everybody all right? Lady Cindergather's face is flushed with fear

and she weakly applauds your effort. That was outstanding. Please, everyone, stay calm. Here, your drinks all around. Yes, please take a seat. And more, Ra! And then the sound of something heavy falling from upstairs and hopping footsteps.

All of the guest's eyes train upwards. I would be extremely grateful if you three could please see if there's anything dangerous upstairs. I will keep our guests safe down here. Please, would you? Yes, of course. The lady. Of course, my lady.

Yeah, yeah, we'll do it. Have you ever seen anything like this before? Red says he picks it up by our foot. Its innards are like squirming and kind of lashing around. Yeah. Yes, once. What? We're going to talk about that after. And Red walks over to the table that the turkey fell off of and he flops this thing down on a like a linen napkin

and he wraps it up and he puts it in the bag of holding Jack's gonna want to see that all right let's go Dorin goes charging up the stairs you know like he's out to prove something the men at arms are gone from the foot of the stairs and you are alone in the dim entry hall many of the candles of the chandelier

have burned out leaving this room in quasi gloom dorin charges up the stairs with red and Kralath following quickly after, following the sound of thumping. You pass through the hall, decorated with framed oil paintings, an expensive-looking curio cabinet. The sound seems to originate from behind a closed door. I don't know what the hell that was down there, but let's be smart. When that thing bit me, I feel like it would have just kept sucking, and I don't have that much blood to go around, so let's keep our distance. Like a leech? Yeah, kind of.

All right. Yeah, weird. I wonder where in the planes they came from. Yeah, this is weird. Why are they suddenly showing up? Doran, why don't you take lead? Happily. Doran pushes the door in. Oh, it's a pull, Doran.

Doran, stop pushing. Pulls the door open. And does a diving roll. You find a private library in absolute tatters. At least four of the same creatures from downstairs are visible, wretched and sweating, tearing. with their hundreds of teeth through books and upholstery alike, feathers and shreds of paper falling through the air like snow. One of the little monsters roars a little roar at you

from atop its perch on the desk, and a fifth pops its head out of the wrecked, fainting couch. Oh, God, Jack would hate this. They're eating books! All right, Doran, it's your turn. You roll into the room. What do you do? Like a man with a fly swatter surrounded by flies, He just sees the closest one and swings his axe to hit 25. Yep.

Doing 12 points of damage. Yeah, you cut it to pieces. Well done. And in the same sort of motion does a spinning swing to hit the second one in the room with a 20, an unnatural 20. Mm-hmm. This one's like balanced on top of a. pile of papers precariously. Doing 17 points of damage.

Mm-hmm. You murder that one too. Ork splitters laughing all the while. Red, it's your turn. What do you do? Red pulls at his bow and fires at the creature, probably closest to Doran. There's three kind of arranged toward the rear of the room now. So as a bonus action, I'm going to move my hunter's mark to that one.

That would be a 18-hift. Yep. 14 damage. It dies. Arrow through the skull, directly through the mouth, the opening maw, and it tumbles to the floor, spurting blood. And I'll fire out the other one. Nice.

12. Miss. All right. Damn. Kralath, they're yours. The remaining two creatures charge Doren, and they both attack, seeking and opening in his armor, leaping up on their little legs to trap whatever flesh they can between. their teeth. Look out, Doran.

23 to hit on the first one. That hits. And 16 to hit on the second one. That misses. Eight piercing damage. Ouch. And the creature clings to your stomach, catching at your flesh just underneath your breastplate.

Oh, I got a clinger. Kralath, it's your turn. Kralov again is going to see this creature attached to Doren. And he's going to run up. The door is closing slightly, and Krayloff just bashes it back open. Yeah. And quickly reaches over, grabs this creature that's on Doran's leg, and yanks it off as well. Sorry, buddy.

And it squirms out of my hands. And I say, get it, Doran. Now's your chance. Yeah. Perfect, Doran. It's your turn. And there's two of these creatures right in front of you. And you're side by side with Kralath, your best friend and rival.

Yes. Doran's like, you got it, bestie. and he's just going to do a straight-up attack. That's going to be a 23. That hits. Excellent. 19 damage. Yeah, yeah, you chop it in half.

One gets batch cocked. The next one's a 21 to hit. Yeah. And doing 15 damage. You kill it. Nice. This is great. These things are awesome to kill.

Yeah. Fuck yeah. Yeah! Yeah! Doran's like hyped up. He's got booze in his system. He's got a little bit of, you know, he's got some ego. He's got some lust there from before.

He's just jacked up on all sorts of natural. Methantetamines. He's just jacked up on all sorts of natural bodily enzymes and testosterone. Doran's like in the element here. Well done, Doran. All is quiet in the study now. All right. Let's go check the rest of the house.

You head back through the hall, descending the polished stairs to the main floor, down into the dimness. When you see a dark form standing in the entry, it's the size of a man, its arms and legs tapering to sharp bony points where you would expect hands and feet. Its expression, though human, is made terrible by the blackness of its eyes and the streams of black liquid pouring through them down its face and naked. gray body. It spots you and keenly wails. You are one sad looking creature.

Tighten up guys. This one looks tough. Yeah. We can take them. So the creature wails and then lashes out at you with its long pointed arms. It's going to attack Tacky Red.

21 to hit. Yeah, that hits. It launches its arm out and sticks into your shoulder. You take 14 piercing damage and you are grappled as this spiny limb sticks directly through your shoulder. You have to make a wisdom save. Oh, shit. Nine. You take 20 psychic damage.

Whoa! And the creature reels you in towards it all the way close. You are directly beside the creature and you see it, you smell it, you feel it. I am almost dead. Jesus. And you feel deeply alone as your friends are up at the top of the staircase. Red, it's your turn. You are grappled.

What do you do? I feel so alone. like as I'm like looking around, it's almost like this blackness that's surrounding me. Like I can't even see past the five feet between me and this creature. And suddenly, this coldness sets in as this creature looks almost longingly at me with its black, dead eyes. And I stare back at it. And I try to snap out of it. So a grappled creature's speed is zero. great and a grappled creature

can use its action to escape to do so you have to succeed on an athletics or acrobatics check whichever one you prefer and it's going to be

contested against the creatures check so red is going to try to break out of this and I'm going to use my acrobatics yeah we're going to do contested check

okay and I'm going to use my inspiration hey good call this is the time I got to use it that is that would be a 22 I rolled an 18. Great job.

Definitely the one for the inspiration. Red feels this loneliness crushing in on him and sort of closes his eyes and feels this warmth and he reaches into his pocket the only thing he can touch and he feels the locket,

the little locket with a picture of a woman that reminded him of B and he feels the chain around his fingers and he's filled with this warmth, this reminder and despite it not being his daughter he felt so close to that person he lets go and bursts from the grasp of this creature yeah so that was my action i'm going to use feline agility

nicely done are you disengaging no because i don't have to with fleet of foot oh i'm going to move my full 60 feet into the next room so i'm out of the line of sight okay and over 60 feet away that was clutch. Nice. And I'm going to run into the room with all of the guests. And I picture you just like smashing through the door, just bloodied and panting and knocking over a table. Hide! Crayloth, it's your turn. Let's get this abomination, Doran. So Crayloff is going to cast protection from evil and good on himself. And that will hopefully protect him against aberration, Celestials, Elementals, Fay, fiends, and undead. And then he's going to run towards this creature. heedlessly and try to get it to attack him instead of Doran.

Great. Hopefully. I love it. I love it. Doran, what do you do? Doran is going to just do the Doran thing and dive in head first, you know? That's what Doran does best, man. He's going to run in and face this beast head on.

Now, Doran charges in with the same enthusiasm that he's had. this evening. That's what he's known for. And attacks. 21 to hit. That hits. Nine slashing damage. Mm-hmm.

In one swipe. And then in the other swipe coming back around doing 25 to hit. Yes. And Max 19 damage. Nice. Very good. The blood on orc splitter from the previous creatures now mingling with the blood from this. Yes.

Polking. Yes. Take that. Doran and Kralath now you are so close to this creature. Waves of dark energy just roll off of it and pervade your senses. Each of you roll a wisdom saving throw. 23. And 11, straight up 11.

Doran, you take 8. damage. And then the creature lashes out at you, Doran, with its terrifying spiny arm. That's 26 to hit you. Yeah, that hits. You take 17 piercing damage, and you are grappled as you're harpooned through the leg.

Make another wisdom saving throw. Oh, no. Yes. Oh, fuck. A two. Darn's not very wise You take 19 psychic damage Oh fuck

How many hit points do you have left? 32 Jack's gonna be like They never came back huh The creature just starts Winding you close to its body As it is almost embracing you And the black liquid

That's flowing from its eyes Start to coalesce on your skin as it brings you close and touches you. Red, what do you do? Red is going to dip his finger into the punch bowl and touch his skin, and this punch-flavored shell of ice blooms over his entire body.

That's awesome. It's like orange because it's tropical punch flavor. It's exactly that, and there's a little bit of alcohol in it, so he's constantly a little bit drunk now. Very good. And I'm going to stay still this turn to regain my feline agility.

All right, Kralath, what do you do? Kralath, seeing that Doren is grappled and the light draining from Doren's face, he reaches out with a hand and says, I got you, brother. And he's going to cast warding bond. And that is going to give you plus one to AC and saving throws.

So whenever you roll a wisdom saving throw, you get plus one. Ooh, that's clutch. And you have resistance to all damage, and I'm going to be sharing your damage with you. Cool. All right. Good stuff. So you should be okay for a little while, and I say, end this beast, Doran.

Doran, it's your turn. You're grappled. What do you do? Doran feels the rage and anger that this beast has destroyed, ruined Marina's party, the most beautiful, elegant babe he's seen in a long time. Fuck, and I can't even... Well, you got luck. You got luck. I don't have any luck points left.

A 14 to hit. No, sir. Okay, then another hit. That's going to be a 21 to hit. Yes. How much damage? Doing 17 damage. Excellent.

Nice. Yeah, the despair almost proves too much for you, Doren, and you rally your strength at the last moment and land one hit. But I'm going to use my second wind here. And use a bonus action to regain some HP. Great call, great call. Equal to 1D10 plus my fighter level. And we're at 8, so that's going to be 13 points regained. Just as you take a moment to recover some of your stamina,

another wave of despair washes over Kralath and you, Doren. Make a wisdom saving throw. Three. Shame, shame. Shame that dice. Shame it. Shame it. Shame.

Shame. Oh, I'm shaming that dice. Yeah. You deserve it. D-20. You little bastard. Would you get Kralath? 21.

All right. So Doren, you take another 11 points of psychic damage. But it is split in half and you only take five and Kralov is going to take the other six. Oh, my God. I'm sorry and thank you. Krayloth starts funneling this psychic damage through the bond that you share into his own brain. Ugh, this is such a perfect thing that's happening to the two of you compared to what happened to you out on the dance floor. I love it.

Bonded in pain. Kraloth, the creature then extends its arm towards you and tries to harpoon you. Now, is it one of those creatures? No, it's not. Oh, no. This is a monstrosity, my friend. friend. I rolled a 23 to hit you.

That hits. Red, you hear the cries of your friends from the other room as Kralath takes 20 piercing damage. And you are grappled. Then Kralov, the creature starts to wind you towards it. You are pressed

in close alongside Doren as this black liquid, draining from the creature's obsidian eyes, starts to gather on your skin in the crevices of your armor. Make another wisdom save for me. 26. There you go. You're all right. Nice.

All right, Red. Come on. You are newly crystalline with fruit punch. What do you do? Red walks back into the front hall and sees the creature with his two friends on either side of it, the writhing mass that is this creature between them. I'll cast fairy fire as a bonus action. Good call.

Yeah, excellent. Deck save. 13, I think. That's a natural one. Hey! He pulls an arrow and knocks it and says, Hey, freak! I got a friend for you right here!

And he fires at the creature. All right. Oh, natural 20. Are you serious? Show me that dice. Double damage. Roll it all, baby? Hells, yeah, baby.

This is a clutch moment. This evil creature limbed in flame clutching your best friends, draining their psychic energy from them. 36 damage. Your shot goes through the creature's jaw, and it shudders in pain, but it remains standing. And I'll attack again. All right.

Don't worry, I got another friend for you. Do it! Doran yells with strain in his voice. 15 to hit? 15 does not hold him. Second one goes wide. Kralath, your turn. Kralath is struggling against this monsterocieties grasp.

And while he's thrashing about and feeling this complete utter despair, the exact opposite of the feeling he felt while he was dancing, he's out of instinct going to summon his spiritual. weapon as a level four. Yeah. Behind this monster. Kick its ass. And, uh, remember, any attack rule has advantage.

That's going to be a 21 to hit. Yes, sir. 17 points of damage. Your spiritual weapon comes down and dislocates these creatures' head from its body. It slumps to the ground, and its pointed arms slide out of you, Doren and Krayloff. His limbs clatter on the ground as it falls limp and quiet. All right, buddy. I'm fine.

That was really tight around me, and you've managed to kill it. Oh, it was all of us. Hey, Craylon. About Marina? Yeah. You know what? I don't, I don't care if you, if you winter over or, If I win her over, we're always going to be best buddies.

And I've always got your back, regardless of whatever happens. And I'm not going anywhere. We're brothers for life. Damn right. You're not alone. And I hug you. I give you a big, strong... And as Kralov is hugging you, he kind of nods, and there's this nice, quiet moment.

And then he says, your body's like a battle axe. More like a hatchet, Red says as he walks up and picks you two up and gets in on the hug. Ha, don't leave me out. We like look over to the open doorway that has the ballroom and all of the people like crowded around watching us. Just staring at the three of you in absolute stunned horror and appreciation. Just admiration and fear. This is what toxic masculinity doesn't look like. It's called Gaila.

deal with it. Yeah, and I feel like Red's got his arms around us and we come strutting in. So you head back into the Great Hall. Some of the servants run into the entryway and start cleaning up the mess of bodies that you've left behind already. They're picking up the pieces and Marina is trying her best to salvage what's left of the party. Marina, I think we'd like to talk to you for a second, please. Oh, yes.

Just wait one moment, please. Admoira, the drawing room, please. And the servant makes ready a room for the four of us to have a conversation. She leads you in. Look, you know what happened with Renzo back in that town. Something's going on. We've never thought anything like that before.

Tell us what you know. There's something weird up here on the north, something going on with these people. No regular person gets cursed like that. The man from Pella's want. He's not the first of her afflicted with a curse, such as Rainer described me. She settles down in a chair and gets some writing things out, and she starts scratching on some parchment. Being in the position that I am financially, I hear things.

Tales from traveling merchants. People in the trade with business all over the countryside. Well-traveled friends. I've heard tell of something called The Hunger. It consumes, turns folks rabid. Might be something, might be nothing. I was worried enough that I sent Rainer to magic ring to protect him and firth. If I were you, I'd keep my eyes peeled for signs of it,

of a sickness that devours the spirit and leaves a monster. You mean this area is afflicted by this hunger? There are others like Renzo. Not just this area. I've heard of others, I'm afraid. You're more well-traveled than I am, I'm sure. Have you never seen something like this? No, nothing like this. It does remind me of some necromanic things.

Do you think that there could be someone behind this, or is this almost a force of nature? I'm unfortunately neither learned nor experienced enough to comment. on a matter like that, Sir Crayloth. But I fear that it can only get worse. She folds close the parchment and seals it with midnight blue wax and presses her signet ring to it. I heard from Raynard that the town of Pella's want

was in need. This letter states that I will pay their taxes owing for this season and indicates that your good deeds here tonight are the causative factor for this beneficiary. Oh, well, thank you. You're too kind, milady. And Red takes it and tucks it away

into the bag of holding. Of course. It's the least I can do. And Mayor Breacher should hear of it before you send it to Mirabar so he knows. Of course. I don't think Red stands up with Kralath and Doran on either side of him

and he's like, well, but you know what, I'll wait out in the hole. And Red like walks out and starts talking to some waiter. Doren reaches out a hand and he begins to say something else but then stops and he says thank you very much for having us in your home and he kind of gives a look to Kralath and shakes her hand and says it was very nice to meet you have a good evening and goodbye he awkwardly excuses himself I'll see you outside Kralath I'll just be a minute

And he finds a fruit punch bowl and dives in. Just picks it up and starts drinking from it without a glass. So Kralath is standing in front of Marina. And there's this moment of silence, the birds kind of rattling in their cages. And he says, My lady, well, I do wish that we could have met under better circumstances. But I must say that I am quite glad that we met. As am I, Sir Kralov.

And though we only were able to spend one dance together, I hope you enjoyed your time here at my villa, and perhaps you would like to come and visit sometime. Oh, I would be honored. It's quite nice here in the summer. Oh, yes, I saw the fruit trees. I could only imagine what those taste like. Yes, we have many orchards.

And then she sort of closes the distance between you with a half step. And with kind of an inquisitive look, she puts one hand on your shoulder and up on her tippy toes. She plants a kiss on your cheek. And she says, please be careful. Uh, yes, my lady, you as well. And he takes her hand in his for a moment and does a nightly bow, kissing her on the top of the hand, and takes a couple steps back, just taking a mental picture of this, of her in her study,

and then swiftly turns around and exits the room. As you begin the long trek, back to Pella's want, in the chilly darkness, the moon emerges from behind a cloud, just as the ghostly form of Captain Treneros appears to you, Kralath. He stands there on the path ahead of you, confrontational, blocking your way, his hand on the pommel of his sword. Why haven't you said anything? So Treneros, I... Tell me, you recognize them. Those monsters.

The ones we just faced. I, uh, do I remember these? And he searches his mind, his memories, and he gets flashes. Flashes of his dear friend and fellow cleric Dena being speared through. in the vest and being pulled towards this monstrosity. Her face going pallid, her form going limp as it opens its maw, eyes black and dripping with black eye core as it takes a bite out of her neck. And he screams and immediately he's ripped back from this memory.

And he says, no, I don't, I don't want to, I don't want to remember. Yes, Krayloth, you must. They come from the plane of darkness. From the shadow family. Oh, I'm sure that's good news. Thank you once again to our wonderful Patreon supporters, Christopher Ryan Evans, Merlin, Mitchell Cadwell, Ashley and J.B, Colin Burkart, Daniel, Doug, Jessica Orrett,

Jonah Goldman, Katie Orrett, and Mari Kaneski. See you soon. I'm going. I'm giving musical ideas for Justin. I'm just waiting for Alex to continue being a four-piece drink quartet. Bum, bum, bum, bum. All right, let's play the game now. The game is now called,

Thank you, Alex. Make yourself a D&D band. Although it had to get a little, a little bit more, right? It's a, it's a barbershop quartet. ...you know... ...you know... ...withal...

...and... ...withal... ...you...