High Rollers DnD - Altheya: The Dragon Empire #21 | The Dragon's Confessions (Part 1)

Episode Date: April 30, 2024

Xantheus spills all his secrets while Ophelia continues her brutal journey through the Greylands! Check out Tom's secret Xantheus doodle for free on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/103214750 ---------------------- HIGH ROLLERS LIVE in London on the 17th September 2024! Tickets live now: https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/event/high-rollers/ Add the Heroes of Altheya Minis to your TTRPG collection here: https://only-games.co/collections/high-rollers Enhance your bath time experience with the official Altheya themed DiceBombs at https://geekyclean.com/! Love the podcast? Give us a glittering 5 star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/high-rollers-dnd/id1401508198?see-all=reviews Support the High Rollers on Patreon and get early access to Podcast episodes, vods and more: www.patreon.com/HighRollers Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound, TCT Adventures (Solasta: Crown of the Magisters), Monument Studios and Jolene Khor! Check out Jolene Khor and all her wonderful work on High Rollers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Coors Light the chill choice visit CoorsLight.ca to learn more celebrate responsibly must be legal drinking age Welcome back to Ulfea, the Dragon Empire. Whilst returning to the enticing Devil Inn, our heroes were ambushed on the streets of Ashenrest by demonic creatures that appeared out of the Lamplighter's Guild Everlights. During the battle, Sister Ophelia Delarosa of the House of Blood was tragically slain by a sudden and unexpected lethal blow. As her new allies mourn her passing and attempt to revive her, Ophelia appears in the planar realm called the Greylands, a plane of undeath ruled over by a figure Ophelia knows

as the Gravefather, the god of her homeland of Osseous. The Gravefather announces his disappointment for Ophelia but offers her a chance to return to the living world. She will need to cross the Greylands and survive the harsh conditions there, face enemies and dangers, and prove she has learned valuable lessons to her deity. During these travels, Ophelia discovers a red crystal crown made of sanguinite, a unique jewel from Osseous. When she touches it, she sees images of a vampiric queen who fed on fear and terror instead of blood, and found herself awakening to strange new powers. During the battle where Ophelia fell, the gold dragonborn Xanthius Oregon channeled incredible magical power at great risk

to himself, and in doing so revealed his hand had undergone a strange transformation and when receiving magical aid from the knight to be gruff of tremoro and daisy thistleheart it was clear that something was different about the young man with interest from the ecliptic order of the church of the scions the remaining heroes sat xanthius down and asked him to reveal all. And just before we torment Tom further, Oh, thank, please. I do need a d6 roll from everybody to determine our crucible of fates. Crucible!

Only five dice in it this week because we don't have a key to it. Your dice is going to dictate how it goes. My dice? Yours specifically. Okay. A one. Well, that would be

a dice for me. I rolled a one. That's a dice for me. Thank you, Kim. Two. A two, a dice for me. Jolly. Jolly cooperation.

Five. A five. Yay! A dice for you. Can you imagine? It wasn't a total lockout on Mark's team. Well, and I rolled a four, so that is also a dice for you.

So it's a three to two. Three to two. Well, not eight to you. Fate is slightly turned against you, but as always, fate is a fickle thing and changes. Yeah! Yeah! We find the majority of the heroes

sat inside the enticing Devil Inn. It is late. Late is the hour. Darkness outside. No everlights near the Enticing Devil mean that only a flickering candle, perhaps Daisy's glowing dagger, illuminates this space as you are sat around one of the sort of broken and ruined tables with Xanthius sat down before you.

And that is where I hand it over to Tom Hazel. Is Ophelia just on a table behind us? No. She's been taken? Oh, as in, like, the body? Yes, the body would be, yeah. The body is in the Enticing Devil, sorry. Do you think Ophelia would start stinking?

It's been, like... It's only, like, yeah, an hour. It's been, like, two hours. Yeah, in fact. I'm just trying to get a vibe. You might be kind of stiff. Well, I think it's because Groff was cleaning... You cleaned the body and stuff.

So he probably would have wrapped her in a shroud. You had a blanket from a family. He would have done the bus to clean up. Because I guess being from a little village, he probably has helped lay out the dead before, so he would have done it the best that he knows how. Cube him. Cube him, put him on ice, chuck him in the sea.

Yeah. But yeah, I imagine he would have wrapped her up in a shroud. When we say clean, literally cleaning in the sea. Yeah. But yeah, I imagine he would have, like, wrapped her up in a shroud and, like... Yeah, and when we say clean, like, literally cleaning off the blood. There's not much else that needs to be cleaned. Like, Ophelia was a very... Crushing out the hair. ...like, internal.

That's all internal damage. Like, there's nothing, like... You know, there is... Yeah. There is, honestly... He wouldn't have touched her. There is a sweet perfume smell to Ophelia. She was very clean,

like, took good care of her appearance. I imagine Ophelia would have carried, like, perfumes and incenses and things like that. Percival is stood next to the body, unmoving. Just staring. Just staring. I think Gruff would have lit some candles as well before he tried to hurry these guys out to get decursed.

I'm trying to remember as well. I know Katie's not here, but I think Daisy also went to go upstairs and then turned around when i think xanthius was like sat down so i'm just kind of imagining her like dangling her legs from like the balcony yeah well i think she went up to talk to tyria and just let her know what was like happening and stuff like that but at this point let's just say that like everyone is kind of sat around in very close proximity or near enough to, able to hear. And yeah, I think the Xanthius, you had begun speaking, and that was where we had to end it.

I think we could describe the scene a little bit more. What sort of time is it? You know I've already said that. Ro would have added on to what you already said. Which was? Sit down. Yeah, okay. Yeah, something like that.

Now, I do this out of the utmost respect and worry of your well-being. I'm worried. I didn't know this was a thing. And there's been some other things going on. And I look back at Ophelia. We're friends. I don't want anything bad.

Is something bad happening? Something terrible is happening, Rowan. Ophelia was the only person who knew about my hand. Wow. You knew already? I've been watching. Maria was the only person who knew about my hand. Wow. You knew already? I've been watching. Not so subtle after all, I guess.

At least I'm glad. I just found out. At least, hopefully, only the right people knew. What? Not someone outside of this immediate group, I mean. I worry about what would happen if people found out. And I've run through this scenario a million times. When we first met, how I would gain your trust,

and I would learn to trust you, and I would tell you what's happening to me. But hopefully you'll understand. That's all I can ask for. And if you don't, I can leave. I can walk out the door and you will never see me again. If I'm too risky, if I'm too dangerous, if you can't be around me anymore, I can leave.

Dangerous. Yes. But you've helped us. You've fought creatures against. You're helping people. With a power that I have gained from something I don't think anyone fully understands yet. Okay. Okay. from something I don't think anyone fully understands yet.

Okay. In order to get a full understanding, I think there needs to be a little bit of context. And I ask you not to smirk at this, but the context begins 400 years ago. What? To understand my position as a gold dragonborn, the status that I may or may not hold,

the way that gold dragons are treated in Althea today, I think every dragon can trace their lineage back thousands of years, but for the Gold Dragons, I think their history truly begins with the Oriat insurrection. Now, what do you know about this? Anybody who would like to

can make a history check. Thank you. Yeah. Obviously, Porophilia is not there, but you would probably not know this anyway. Not exactly.

16. 16. 13. 13. 13. Both of you know enough. You know the common law. It is taught throughout the Empire. The Aurea Insurrection is the name given to the event

where the gold archdragon, Galdvasar, attempted a coup on the Empire. I'm sure you all have the same knowledge that everyone else has about this conquest. On one side, Gald Vassar, on the other side, the Dragon Empress. Gald Vassar, driven mad in his conquest for power and domination,

but that conquest ended not too far from here. Thanks in part to Duke Ignarius for taking out great leaders of that war, but obviously to the Dragon Empress as well. But the Gold Dragons have never been the same since. Sure, there were a lot of Gold Dragons that joined and were still loyal to the Dragon Empress, but still their reputation was ruined. And they did everything they could

to restore any amount of honor they might hold. And host Auragan plays a firm part in the Auric banks, in commerce, in trading, in just something to help out Althea and not be seen as Galvasar. But that hatred still lingers in certain places. You might not have seen it, but I have. Gold Dragon and Kaldra, some people just don't like us.

Gold Dragon and Kaldra, some people just don't like us. And I see the sneers and the glares from certain people, but they'll never amount to anything. It was years and years ago. 400 years ago. No one can act on it. But I do have a small correction, though, Gruff. Every time you've addressed me, called me little lordling or Lord Xanthius and I've corrected you every time and in that it's true.

I am no lord. I as my father would call me am tarnished gold, impure I am the result of some affair I guess I'm some bastard child of host Oregon and I was exiled at a very young age

to the border of Calder and Gildai to the village of Rust End and that's where I've stayed until very very recently that's where I've stayed until very, very recently. That's where I've been locked down, and I had a life, I had friends, I even had love there. Fleeting, but... I was happy.

But every opportunity to leave Rust End always seemed to fizzle away for some reason. Maybe I didn't have the money. Maybe I didn't have the time. Maybe those friends just left without me. And it was sad every single time that I was left behind. Until one day, I got a message from the same person that confined me to that place. I got a message from my father. And he gave me a mission to go to Kelskaris to recover something. I didn't know what it was. I just knew it was some kind of weapon or something.

And all I had to do was go to Kelskaris, recover this weapon, and I'd be welcomed back as a member of Host Oregon. And when you've had a life as simple, as slow, and as, frankly, boring sometimes as I had, it sounded perfect. So I took the mission, and I went to Kalkaris. And I've never been to the capital city. I've never seen a place that big.

It was full of life and vibrancy and people from all over the world. And it was so magical and so interesting. And I just wanted to learn more. I wanted to see everything that I'd missed out on. I wanted to learn more about the sun, Pyrrhus, and Maelir. And I'll look out the window, and I wanted to learn. You see, as Xanthius looks out the window, the broken windows of the Enticing Devil, there are no glass in them.

The shutters hang open for a moment. And you see the stars, the constellations. Some believe them to be the saints, the divine saints themselves. You see the small, shadowed moon of Maelyr, goddess of secrets, of darkness, of beauty, hovering in the air, fixed almost, the broken crown, sovereign's prison, a moon of gold and red and black,

pieces of it broken away, drifting, hovering. You've all heard stories that sometimes pieces of the crown fall. They land in the Empire, and bad things follow. and the Empire, and bad things follow. I wanted to learn about everything the world had to offer, but I wanted to learn about the crown, the prison moon burning with the lucent peaks and the hellion throne of radiant and demonic energy dripping with the very material that almost destroyed the gold dragons and corrupted Galvazar.

The powerful, enchanting, and corrupting crownsteel. powerful, enchanting, and corrupting crownsteel. You might not know much about it. It's been outlawed. Research completely halted on it. Anyone that tries to gather it will just simply attempt to destroy it. Rid the world of this dread metal. I will start to remove my cloak and eventually the bandages and continue speaking and say,

anyone that seeks out this crownsteel is branded as a heretic. But for a gold dragon, it brands you as a traitor to Althea, courting the same hideous and misguided aspirations of Galdvasar himself. This was my father's mistake, and I'll completely remove the bandages. You see the sort of form of a fit young man, but that chest, a gaping wound embedded into it.

chest a gaping wound embedded into it spiraling pattern like a great no mortal weapon could have inflicted it some great magical injury and at the very center of it in the middle of Xanthius's chest is a jagged shard of gold, red, black metal. Around it there are runes and you've seen these runes kind of appear around Xanthius when he protects himself sometimes with magic and those runes are almost acting like a field or a net, and keeping it almost in place. And you can see that that metal glows with that same fiery light as is now present in Xanthius's hand. So this is yet another of my father's mistakes that I have to answer for.

First, the mistake of being born. Second, the mistake of recovering this ancient evil metal for him. I don't know why he wants it. I don't know for what purpose. All I know is that I was sent to find it and I found it embedded in my chest and secured by this magic that I don't understand. Magic I didn't have before thanks to this thing. And when Gruff, when you found me on the road, that was just days after I left Kelskaris. Hungry and exhausted and...

filled with this energy that wasn't my own. But I collapsed. The pain overwhelming. But I can feel it eating away at me already. It's taken my arm already. I don't know what's next. Maybe my mind. Maybe it's altering that too, I don't know. I hope to hold strong for as long as I can.

All I know is these runes are protecting me in some small way, but even that's not strong enough to fight against the energy that this is pouring out into my body. Could I actually have briefly an Arcana check from Gruff and Rowan Rowan nice

8 10 10 yeah this is all new there's no more additional information I can give you on that oh damn it. Makes sense. Can I scum save?

Yeah. F5, F8? Sadly not. Okay. Um, but I know that I have time enough, hopefully, to be able to make some kind of stand. If my father seeks crown steel and intends to use it for some wicked purpose,

then I have been gifted proof of the crimes, proof of his cruelty, proof of the vicious and hideous ways with which he treats his own blood. So I want this shard taken out of my body. I want to survive the process, let's be clear about that. But when it's taken out, I can go back to Gildai. I can try to build some kind of resistance against my father. But it may destroy host Oregon.

But that doesn't matter to me. I was never a Lordling. I was never really an Oregon. The family name means nothing to me. But I wanna go back and I want to face my father with this evidence, stop whatever he's planning, and end this. Crownsteel.

That's what's been doing these things to me. The same thing that destroyed Galvasar, and may one day destroy me. Do you understand now? Gruff's gonna get up. Stand for a moment. Looks at Xanthius. Really looks at Xanthius. What does Gruff see right now?

If he were to look, truly look at Xanthius. A defeated man, to be honest. Like, if I was holding up any kind of confidence in anything in all of my lives before, this is the truth. This is vulnerable. This is exposed. This is...

I'm thinking of leaving. Like, I'm looking at the door. I'm ready to just walk out and just never come back. Glancing back towards it. I'm almost expecting someone to raise a weapon, right? Yeah, from everything you were told. So he stares for a moment. What do I see in your face?

Probably a sternness. And he walks over. And he gives Santheus a big hug. I would be careful if I were you, Gruff. I don't know. I don't care. There's a moment where it's probably been some time for Xanthius. You've been down, you've been close to people, but this is the closest anyone's ever gotten.

That wasn't an enemy. Yeah. And there is that fear. You almost turn your body away, not wanting this now exposed piece of crown steel to even touch Gruffydd. But as those big, kind of strong, wild heart arms touch you, there is a release. There is this kind of sensation of like, this has been a long time since you've had this comfort from somebody, from a person, care.

There is this sense of empathy that you've not felt in a long time. It's also the first time, other than when I changed the bandages or anything, that it's probably the longest time I've ever had the entire thing off and just visible. I'd still, I imagine, like, that scarred demonic hand, I would still almost cover the thing so it doesn't touch Grump at all, but... Just before we continue, Rowan, can you make a perception check for me? Sure. You and Daisy are the only ones,

and Daisy's a bit too far to see at this point. Daisy's shit. Okay, all right. Eight. Kim, please carry on. Do you... I know you're protecting your chest, but... I... It's not touching you.

I don't know about what you do. But do you accept the hug? Yes. Well, I mean, I'm just, like... I don't even, like, hug you back. I'm kind of just... there. Yeah.

Yeah. there. Yeah. When we first met I said you were to be my ward. That hasn't changed. I will share this with you and I will carry this with you. But surely you know what it means.

I know exactly what it means. But why? Because you need someone. I really do. You've done well, Xanthius. You've carried it this far. That takes true strength. We will take this to the end.

But I hate it too. Doesn't that take cowardice? Sometimes. Sometimes you have to take a step back to get a really good run up. You sure? From the day I met you, I gave you my vow. And what about you, Rowan? So, dialing back a little bit in time, before Gruff got up and hugged Xanthias, when he took his bandages off, Rowan would probably just stare at that rock

for a prolonged period, not blinking, took his bandages off. Rowan would probably just stare at that rock for a prolonged period, not blinking, and just trying to harmoniously connect to figure out what that is. See what sort of tone, what sort of energy comes from that thing. To be clear, it is not stone, it is metal. Like raw metal. like raw metal. Not worked metal.

Well, it would be partially worked, actually, as if it was maybe a piece of something else once, and this is maybe like a fragment or a piece of it. But metal is connected to the earth in the same way that stone is. It comes from ore, It is a natural thing. As you try and listen, because that's what it is for Rowan, it's listening. Yeah.

You know the harmony of the stones. You know how earth sounds, how the rock and how the mountain might sound to you. This thing sounds like a scream. Madness, grief, rage, sorrow, hatred, greed, pride, all of these things is the howl of a madman.

It's what you hear. I imagine Rowan is kind of taken in by that and doesn't even hear the conversations going on with Gruff and Xanthius. Until you hear Xanthius saying to Rowan, what do you think? Kind of like snaps him out of it. And Rowan kind of puts his hands on his big knees and stands up as well, looks at Gruff, and then looks at Xanthias.

Oh, good. I was worried. I was worried you were bad. But you're not bad. No, not well. No, but it is. Then what's the problem? This, it is bad. I'm not bad, but this, this is awful. This is terrible.

A burden. You can't share that alone, Xanthius. That's why we're here. But if somebody discovers it, if somebody sees my hand and makes the link, if somebody examines my chest a little bit too closely, it's happened twice now already that someone has been that close to discovering. You will all be implicated in this. And I can't protect you from that.

But it's not your fault right you didn't claim this as a power you wanted and put it in yourself no and it is a burden yes but

crownsteel is anyone that finds it destroys it. And that, if someone finds out, that's what will happen to me. As you say that, Xanthius, there is a moment... Because you know that that's not entirely true. The people that you had to claim this from didn't destroy it. They were selling it. They wanted it. Your father wants it.

it they were selling it they wanted it your father wants it it is the word of the empress and the church that crown steel is illegal it should be destroyed but you of all people know that that does not mean that there are not those who find it and store it or want it. Yeah. But I mean. Just to clarify. Yeah. I'm not trying to diminish the severity of the thing that is embedded in your chest.

However, I'm not going to turn away now. We've just become best friends. I suppose so, but I, I just don't want to endanger you on something that, something I did, something my father did. It seems to me, Xanthius, that you've been carrying around the heavy words of your father

for a long, long time. I have. for a long, long time. I have. Like I said, I've been answering for his mistakes. With that, in a cinematic style, I'd like to pull away. Okay. As we talk about fathers.

Yeah, nice link. Help, segue. Transfer over to the Greylands. And Ophelia de la Rosa, the House of Blood. We see Ophelia sort of crouched in these endless grey dust plains. Mountains on one side, ruins on the other. And maybe in this moment the words just happen to ring through a memory.

I'm disappointed in you, child. As you remember the Grey Father's words, the look of disappointment, in a sense of not meeting your potential. But now, the red sanguineite you are holding is gone. But you remember that vision of the Vampiric Queen. you remember that vision of the Vampiric Queen. You remember that power that she felt,

commanding, inspiring fear, feeding upon that. And you can feel, Ophelia, that something has changed. There is a power in you now that you've never felt before. But the temple is still some distance away, There is a power in you now that you've never felt before. But the temple is still some distance away, the mountains are still some distance away, and you are alone out in the wilds. Could I have you make a survival check for me, please?

As you have been traveling for some time, you don't know, like, days, hours? You don't know. Minus one, so that's 11. An 11. Whilst you have been sort of drawing out the breath of the Greyfather to sustain yourself in this place, and whilst it keeps your body going,

it doesn't abate the feelings of thirst, of hunger. And you are at that point now where you have been so hungry and thirsty, but you have nothing to eat or drink. You feel like you're starving, but yet your body is still capable. but yet your body is still capable um and you begin to feel that real pressure and that ravenousness come over you and there's just nothing like you there's just no food nothing there's not even a living being here that as far as you can see and you find that your skin like being in that wind the swirling dust storm your skin has been like rubbed raw. Like it is, you know, as if you've been sort of blasted by hot sand. The rags that you've basically been rendered into by the Gravefather,

you know, your armour, your weapons taken from you. Your hair is filthy and grime-covered. Like you are in probably this terrible state. I do need you to go ahead and take... I will roll for it. From the Blasting Sands, seven points of damage. Ducky. As you make your way, stumbling through the stands

after finding the Sanguine Knight Crown, you spend hours trying to find your way back until eventually the dust storm ends. And you realize that you've barely made any progress to the mountains. You've spent that time and you've been going probably around in circles and wandering around and you've just had, you've been sort of blown off course, basically. And so you now begin the long long trudge back in your intended direction that sensation of hunger and desperation growing what's kind of going through Ophelia's mind right now like give us a give us a check-in on like what she's thinking what she's feeling there's always like this desperate madness like the pain internally and externally like there not being any shelter no respite like seeing and then seeing the

temple like no closer almost makes ophelia want to just bury herself in the dirt and just give up just find some comfort in anything like whether it's a small hole in the ground for shelter or i don't know just finding a bug and biting its head off or something. Yeah, give me a perception check. Let's see if you can find something. Like an old tree, like a dead tree to find some shelter. Fourteen. Fourteen.

You squint and almost like a desert, like a mirage, right? The dust is just so endless and and you're beginning to think, am I imagining things? And you squint, and in the far distance, over the dunes and these dusty plains, you can see more ruins and things scattered around here and there, and you swear that one of them looks like a kind of partially collapsed old clock tower from back in osseous and a well

and you think is you think you can see a person and some sort of like is that like a wagon like some sort of ox like wagon and like just in your mind it's like an animal blood like something i can eat you know yeah and you can see see that they're part there and you just begin madly making your way towards it, I'm assuming. Yeah. As you draw closer, give me a wisdom saving throw. 11. 11. You are not sure if this is real or not.

You have got to the point now where you are so desperately hungry and thirsty, even though your body's capable of still acting, you don't know if this is real or not. And as you get closer and closer, you see a heavily wrapped up figure. You can't actually make out what they are or who they are they're so heavily covered in in cloaks and shrouds and things like that but they have a creature um it looks like a giant sort of lizard um and it has flesh it's not skeletal but as you draw closer you see that flesh is rotten and it's like falling off of it um and it's drinking from this well and And on the back of it is these like almost like large tent-like kind of canvas-like wraps

and you can see all sorts of goods are hanging off this creature. And there's even a chain leading from its back to a cage and there's something in the cage and it's being dragged through the dust behind the creature. And you just see this figure is there like petting the zombie beast and talking to it. Would you kind of approach stealthily at this point?

Like, this is from a far distance. Like, you're now at the range where, like, you have to decide, are you going to approach this openly or are you going to sneak? Keep it in mind, you don't know if this is real. This could be a hallucination. I think in her current state, she would just wander up like

almost like a zombie herself just driven by her hunger and desperation just sure sure sure yeah you stagger like kind of just making your way closer and you see the figure turns around sort of at the sound of you approaching and you see this figure is so heavily wrapped up there is no feature you actually see just bandages underneath the cowl of the hood almost wrapped up like a desert traveler would be to protect them from the sands has like the kind of wrapping over the face nearly over the eyes but there is this pair of glowing blue eyes in just darkness behind the shrouds. They're not skeletal, there's clearly a musculature to them, but it's all wrapped up in bandages, and written on the bandages is some script of a language that you don't speak, like completely covering everything.

And you can see that they wear heavy chains with trinkets and keys and little bottles hanging off of it. They have big, thick leather belts wrapped around them with pouches hanging from it. And you can see that on the Beast of Burden, there seem to be weapons and armour. And you see immediately that there is food and, like, a water skin hanging off this thing. And it's not like... it looks like, you know,

almost like a jerky is like being like wrapped up and it's packaged into it and it's like bound to the side of one of these satchel packs. And the figure sees you approaching. Ah, Rajan welcomes you, traveler. You are real. I am real, yes. Do you have food? Water?

I can give you... I have leather. I have this bag. Can I trade? Yes, I am a trader. I am a merchant. I am the merchant prince of nowhere. I am Rahajan. You want... You are living.

Yes. You are flesh and blood. Yes. I am, yes. I... Are you? I am undead. Rahajan.

I was once a great sorcerer and I gave up my life for immortality. You are, yes, the bag. This, yes, and the metal you have. I will give you food and water for this. Yes, yes, yes. There, have it. He takes them from you. These are good.

And he puts them in the bag and he pulls off this kind of leather satchel with strips of like hard meat jerky kind of thing and a water skin and he throws them to you. You hear coming from that cage at the back of the beast like, is someone there? Please, this man has captured me. Please help me, help me.

I'll do anything, help me, help me. His head like snaps. Yeah, you look over and it's kind of half buried. It looks like it's been dragged through and half buried in the dust as well. You see a rather well-dressed, kind of like almost like wearing like a doubler, but it's all tattered and worn, like everything here.

Like the age of time has worn it away. And you see like a ghoul-like creature, a white. He's got like sunken eyes, like his pupils are just pure white. half of his teeth have fallen out. He has like a ponytail, but it's all like thin and wispy and ratted. And he's fairly sort of like looking around, he's like, Please my lady, please, this brute has captured me, I wish to be free, please, would you help me, help me? And the merchant just is like,

Be quiet thief, you have not paid your penance yet i am dealing with a customer what what did he do what is his penance ah he is a thief he tried to steal from rajan and now he pleased to be freed but you are a customer do you is there anything else that you require uh this i think this should suffice. I think. I don't know how long I've been here or how long I have left. But can I... Can I find you

again? Edwin, Rahajan wonders the Grey Wasteland. If you are lucky to have found me here, let alone this place is vast and wide. There's a shame. And you can see that he has things like weapons.

And there's all different sides of weapons, greatswords and axe. You see like clawed blade hands. And also one thing that would probably draw Ophelia's eye, because it reminds you so much of your home back in Osseous. It reminds you of a weapon the Countess would probably be seen wearing, a very fine rapier with a blood jewel, like a sanguinite stone in the basket hill, and it's slung up in a scabbard on the side.

And there's pieces of armour and shields. You see cloaks and clothing, just random odd sorts of everything. And it's all there. How much for the armor and the weapons? Is there anything I can give you? I don't know. Is there anything you can give Rahajan? I could help you.

Do you need assistance with anything? Working for it. I could find you something or punish someone for it. I could find you something or punish someone for something. This one is being punished enough. He is a good servant, perhaps, but Rajan wishes to... Until I am offered a good trade for him, he will remain where he is. He spies the breath of the father in the bottle, and he says, like, Oh, a sip from your flask.

I would let you pick anything from my wares. For a sip of the grave emperor's breath, gladly I would give you something from my wares. And what would that do to you? That would be a great gift and would give me vigor and energy. It is quite a rare thing to carry the breath of the Father. Ah.

Ah. Ah. Ta-da! Okay. You may have a sip. Very good. Just one. Just one. Rahajan is Rahajan is a merchant of his words. You have my greatest promise that I would not cheat a customer.

And I can have anything? Anything you desire. Any wares. My meat here, and he slaps the beast. Meat is not for sale. I understand, yes. A fine beast. Ah, yes, yes. And he slaps it. It's clearly a rotting zombie. It doesn't even move.

It's just like lapping up water. And as it swallows it, the water is then spilling out part of its like, you know, open hide. Like, you know, it isn't going into its stomach. It's just lapping it up and then it spills out on the floor everywhere. He's just living his best life.

He's having a great time. Meets, yeah, he's just doing that. But yeah, Rahajan like pats him and he's like, yes, but weapons, armor, I suppose if you want him. And he points to the white at the back. Anything. Okay. Could I have armor and a sword?

The rapier with the jewel inside. Well, I did say one thing, my customer, just one. Oh, I will take. The weapons are so cool. Oh, love. It's useful. I am literally. Rhiannon is thinking. The Rhiannon is inking

oh the sword is cool armor is useful go with your gun I don't need armor for killing you got dex? I got dex I'll take the sword it's always going to be the sword he very fine choice this belonged to one of the finest vampire swordsmen i have had the pleasure of meeting and he pulls it

off ah ah my good friend vladimir he was so fine such a fine swordsman and he holds it out and he says of course may i have my sip has he given me the sword he's holding it he's no fool rahajan of the the merchant prince of nowhere give him a sip okay he takes it he takes that first and he just pops it he takes one sip ah and you you see that all of the writing on his bandages that cover his body glows. And he's just like, Oh, that is very good. Rajan is very pleased with this. And he hands you both back a fine weapon. It will serve you well, Alty.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Please! Please, mistress! Please, my lady! I will do anything. Please, by my freedom, I'll be yours, your loyal servant. I, Thaddeus Flint, will do anything thou requires of me.

Please, please. I do not let this madman drag me through the dust again. And he's just, like, screaming. He's, like, at the bars now, like, pressed up against it. Please! He's just laughing at him. like, pressed up against it. Please!

He's just laughing at him. Oh, we could have a little man to eat. I will point out, he is very clearly undead. Like, it is, yeah. There's not any sustenance to gain from this man. But maybe, like, a servant, like, or, like, an ally, maybe. But it's up to you. Nah, he can't come with me where I'm going.

Okay. Nah, he'll be of no use to me. I would be of great use, mistress, please! I am a fine scout, and I have many skills, and I'm handy with a blade if you should encounter trouble. Please, I would be not... And your thief? No, no, not to you.

Serve your tenants. No, not to you, not to you my lady i promise i was a servant i was a servant of queen camilla i i i'm a courtier i please i would be of great service i would not dare steal from such a finer lady just this this merchanty i was so desperate please He's so pathetic. In a good way. Old Thaddeus Flint. Yeah. No. Serve your penance as I am serving mine. Oh, please, mistress.

Please do not let him take me. Please. Just walk away. I will kill you. I'll kill all of you. I'll kill everyone here. I'll feast up on your bones. Good call, Ophelia.

Nice. Ooh. Hadjan goes and bonks him with a stick. He picks up a stick. He's like, meh, and jabs him back in the cage. No, please! Quiet! Rahajan is not finished with you yet. Very well, well.

A pleasure doing business. What may living... It is so rare that I encounter a living soul amongst the Greylands that you have not succumbed to become a skeleton or the Untethered or some other beast. Shows that you are of great will. You must be here on a purpose, yes? Yes, I am, yes, to fulfil the Greyfather's great purpose.

You are chosen by the Emperor himself? I am. Well, then, I will deeply hope that we meet again at some point in the future. I too. It's been... I feel fortunate to have met you. And indeed to you as well. What was your name, good lady? Sister Ophelia Delorosa of the House of Blood. Rahajan, Merchant Prince of Nowhere. Fantastic.

Very well. Meet... Slaps the zombie beast of... It's almost like a big... What were the things in World of Warcraft? The Komodos that the Taurens were out on. They had these big dinosaur things. These big Kodo dragons kind of thing. And he kind of slaps it and it kind of... And it begins plodding away.

Rahajan quickly swoops up, sits on top of it, and just kind of... And as it drags away, the great chain pulls taut, and the cage just drags through to just piling it up around Thaddeus. He's like pushed against the bars like, Cursed you!

I feel your dolorous eye, I have my revenge! Thaddeus Pit will kill you! And he's like just dragged away through all of this. I love both those guys. And he's just dragged away through all of this. I love both those guys. When you hold this rapier, the sanguineite in the basket hill, as you grip and pull it free of the scabbard,

the sanguineite red gem glows, and you can now use your spells. Oh, yes. Oh, it's like a focus-y thing. Hell yeah. Cool. Nice. And as you feel this thing,

so you can add just, it counts as just a rapier here, but this is almost like acting as a channel and you almost, as you grip it, would hear the words of the Gravefather. Fight against the inevitable. hear the words of the Gravefather, fight against the inevitable, fight against all that stands before you. You feel that sort of reverberate you as if maybe,

and I'll leave this to Ophelia to decide whether she believes this, but could it be that the Greyfather meant for you to meet this merchant and to take this sword, like it called to you so strongly, maybe he put that merchant here to help

you when you needed it so badly yeah, I think she'd believe that whether or not that's up to Ophelia to believe and you continue on your journey nice, yeah Ophelia will feel bolstered with a new confidence. Yeah, yep. Holding the sword out,

marching through, just ready. Yeah, perfect. Like trailing it through the sand as you walk. Just still dressed in these rags, almost like a game journey where you go through the desert and imagine Ophelia's rags

just kind of trailing behind her and moving through it. But yeah, you now have access to your spells and your pact ability. Awesome. Cool. Nice. As we see that scene... Does anything happen to Ophelia's body in our plane?

No, it's still... Not that you can tell. Still like the grave. Totally different plane of existence. And like I said, time works differently, right? Like, this might all still be happening as you're bringing the body to here. totally different plane of existence. And like I said, time works differently, right? Like, this might all still be happening as you're bringing the body to here, like you don't know.

Yeah. So, we fall back to Orthea now. You're all sat around. Hi. It is late. It is probably close to one in the morning. Xanthius and Rowan, you are both feeling exhausted because you slept but you did not really gain much rest

from the night before. Cursed rest. Even Gruff, you and Daisy. Daisy's struggling. She's been falling asleep a lot. She's struggling to stay awake. What would you guys like to do? Is there anything more you'd like to talk to Xanthius about?

Is there anything more you would like to do? So, as I said, two groups or two people were close to identifying this. The Inquisitors seemed to have an idea, but they offered their help. I don't know whether it's to remove it or to use it, but I don't think they're just going to kill me.

but I don't think they're just going to kill me. And Blackwing sensed the magic and was terrified of it. I think if we went to Blackwing, he might kill me. Oh, well that was my next suggestion of staying awake all night. To? Go to Blackwing. Well, the Inquisitors did give us a list of things to recover in order to get the curse removed from them. True. Right? Yes.

Silver needles, two glass objects, I think, little vials or something. Yeah, I'll give you the full list because I think it was very recent. Pure natural water, six silver needles, about three inches long, a pair of clear gemstones or glass objects, just anything that's clear and about the size of like a palm and a copy of Sir Mortimer Graves' poem

Cometh the Raven. Yeah. Cool that. Keep in mind that as you are having this conversation as far as I'm aware Xanthius you've not pulled your tunic back up or anything there is almost like

a involuntary force that draws your eye to this thing in Xanthius' chest like you can't help but occasionally look and stare at it and as you stare at it, the pattern, the gold and red and black almost seems to kind of shift

and move along the surface of the metal itself. Maybe it's a good idea to cover it up. Oh, I'm not walking around Ashen's Rest with this thing. It has an energy about it that's... An energy that Blackwing could sense. But yes, I intend to cover it up. What did you think of the sisters? Did they, I presume, when that one took you

into the back to talk to you, she spoke about this? They blindsided me with a question about it. I don't know if they were detecting some kind of magic, but they were in my mind and they asked me about my chest. I don't know what information I gave up to them, but their question came from somewhere. They seemed to be aware of something. And do you trust them? I don't know where else to turn.

I don't think it matters if I trust them or not. Then perhaps tomorrow, when we get this curse seen to, because they have offered to help with that for a most agreeable price, at least the one that we can afford right now. So at least small steps first. We get the curse of Haring dealt with first. And at least you two then can get a good night's sleep. I often find that things look better in the morning after a good night's sleep.

The curse isn't the only thing stopping me from sleeping. That has made me. But it's a start. Rowan grips Xanthius by both his arms. Ow. Okay. We're going to get through this together. Okay.

He's streaming with tears. Okay, Rowan. Okay, okay. It's going to be all right. I like to hope so, Rowan. I really do. Just pluck it out right now. No, do not.

I've got healing. Healing will not get through. Don't go close to it. It's why I tried to stop you from getting close to my chest. Well, at least to not spot it, but also I don't know what this thing will do. Well, actually, when you went unconscious the second time in that fight we just had,

I must confess I forgot what you said about your chest and I touched it in trying to heal you. But protected by, I don't know, I don't know how much it ekes through the clothing or bandages or anything, but I wouldn't touch it as it is. Gruff and Rowan, can you give me a, I guess maybe insight roll here? This isn't against you, Xan, can you give me a, I guess, maybe insight roll here? This isn't against you, Xanthius.

No? This is like an insight into the situation. Okay. Six. 22. 22. You remember that moment, Gruff, and you remember feeling metal. Xanthius' clothing is not particularly thick,

or there's no magical nature to his clothing. You don't think that there would be any reason why his clothing would protect him. But when you look at the Crownsteel Shard, you can clearly see that those runes are almost like a net over it. Like, they're holding it in place. And you wonder for a minute did you touch the shard or were you touching something around the shard? Do you know what I mean?

And yeah, that's just something that you pick up on that actually you're not sure if you did touch it. Because there definitely seems to be a layer of maybe magic over it, but also clothing wouldn't normally protect you from some sort of magical power like that. It wouldn't normally shield you or anything like that from it.

So there was a moment when I was trying to heal you where I felt the magic in nothing fighting against me to use my healing magic on you fighting against the healing yes okay but I must say who put those ruins there I don't know they just appeared with it? They were there when I woke up. A magic that, I guess, either came from this or was always a part of me but just never realized until it had some kind of kickstart, I guess. So you touched this thing and woke up and it was in your chest with runes over it.

Yeah, and now I can cast spells of this runic ability. Because I think actually those runes might be protecting you or doing something. I hope so. I don't know how well it's fighting against it. I mean, you can see that there's like the spiraling burn marks and even, I guess, some parts of it very similar to the hand. The area around the wound is almost identical to his hand, like black. The flesh turns like black and gold and it has these lines of like fiery energy.

the flesh turns like black and gold and it has these lines of like fiery energy um there is something i guess for maybe more for gruff because rowan you're a bit of a wanderer you're not as religious but in the religious teachings in ice heart you've seen prayer books you've seen illustrated like kind of manuscripts of the scions and church it is inherently like you took celestials and some sort of fiend or demon and you've merged them together mixed in with fire like there's this prominent sort of fiery theme and it's almost identical to the crown that sovereign's imprisoned into like it has this you know but it's also mutated like his arm where the the flesh has become blackened and charred

it's almost not swollen but it's like bigger like it's become hardened and you know it's it's a mutate

like almost warped or corrupted and the same thing is happening around the chest yeah I guess like any on my left hand where there's sort of rounded scales I guess on the other hand they left hand where there's sort of rounded scales,

I guess on the other hand they're sharp and jagged. They're jagged and sharp, yeah. It's taking what Xanthius is, it's not like transforming into something completely different, it's almost making Xanthius' parts take on this more twisted form, but it's still Xanthius' body, do you know what I mean? Can you read these runes on your chest? form, but it's still Xanthius' body, do you know what I mean? Can you read these runes on your chest? I guess that's more

a design thing. This is not Xanthius talking. I think you would know that they're not... You don't think that. You guys don't know every language and everything else like that, but they look more like runic sigils rather than being a written language.

Yeah. But you don't know, like, it could be. There is, like, parts of it that could be, like, a scrawling or something, like... But generally they're, like, geometric shapes and, like, circles and triangles. Yeah, they're magical symbols, like, that a wizard might, like, a wizard might conjure to cast a spell.

They're very Doctor Strange-y kind of runes, do you know what I mean? Yeah. So not really a language as such. No. I just wonder if maybe a starting point is identifying these runes, at least figuring out who would use them or the magic behind them

or something like that? Maybe. Maybe. I just don't know. I guess Blackwing would be the one to ask, but... And you did this mission alone? You had no accomplices? No. I headed to Kelskaris alone. And it was a house? Some sort of estate that had an artifact like that in it? Um... some sort of estate that had an artifact like that in it? It was, I've never, well, I've never been to Kelskaris.

I don't know what kind of place this was. But, again, I don't think we should go to Blackwing. Based on his reaction, their reaction to just the energy of this. I don't know what they'll do. But we have... No, Matt Kim's remembering what we went back, you didn't go back. Yeah, and I was going to say... So maybe it's the sisters then?

Possibly. The Blackwing did give one potential avenue. It's just, you said to think small, this is thinking big. They suggested that the proto-magi may have some way of assisting with this. Rowan steps back. But the proto-magi. assisting with this. Rowan steps back. But... The proto-magi. I mean, the vaults have been stripped clean, at least the...

The known ones. The ones that have been here for the longest times. How are we to find... any kind of... technology or material or anything from these. You'd have to find a new one. One that's not been discovered before. Or one that's not been opened before. This is rare, right?

Well, it's tricky because the Proto Magi vaults are unpredictable. They can be hidden in plain sight and nobody would know until the right conditions are met, and then they open up. They can be buried in caves and tunnels and ruins. The ones that are known about were obvious and they've been picked clean. It's where a lot of advancements in magic and things like that have come from. Maybe even some of the, not technology, but advancements in technology in general,

high-level spells and things like that have all been researched from it. But it is every now and then there are people find these weird places and, oh, my child who has blue eyes touched a rock and a doorway appeared in the middle of nowhere. Do you know what I mean? Protomancer Eye Vaults, they have these weird unknown rules like they can just appear anywhere yeah but generally if one is found out there's normally a call put out by the local draconic lord or lady or even by you know the empress's own administration because the dragons want to like

be the first ones to get whatever's inside because there could be something in there that is immensely powerful and dangerous. So we need to find one, open it ourselves, go into it ourselves, and come out of it with the treasures. There are guilds that, like, there is a guild specialised in diving into vaults and they are sanctioned by the government, basically. They're like a government-sanctioned guild to go in and reclaim stuff on the proviso

that then the administration gets to check everything that they find. Obviously, you get rogue adventurers and rogue parties who are like, we found a vault, let's get in there and get in and get out kind of thing, like anything. Yeah. and get in and get out kind of thing. Like anything. Yeah.

So, not really an option, I think. But it's not impossible. No, no. If we happen to trip open a door, then I guess we can dive in and hope to find their magical crown steel scoop and pull this thing from my chest. My question, obviously you guys can keep talking, is what are you doing about tonight?

Because obviously to go and buy things, if you want to try and get this curse removed, you're not going to be able to do that until morning. What is the plan? Is it are Rowan and Xanthias going to try and get this curse removed, you're not going to be able to do that until morning. What is the plan? Is it, are Rowan and Xanthias going to try and not sleep? Are you guys just going to try and stay awake the whole time? I think after, you know, this conversation kind of rounds off a little bit,

Rowan is going to say to Gruff, first of all, I think we need someone at least to be sharp and alert for tomorrow if me and Xanthias are going to have another rough night. So maybe you should get some sleep. I suppose. And Daisy as well. Daisy is passed out on the balcony. She's fallen asleep.

Like her face against one of the... Exactly. Good idea idea I just it feels wrong to me not to stay up with the dead you know

normally we hold awake and at least on the first night a vigil aye we've got the watch don't worry

Ophelia's not going anywhere. No one's. Get back here, lady. I said Ophelia's not going anywhere. Well, it's up to you, but I've got some coffee beans. I mean, we're not going to sleep anyway. Right? And tomorrow...

You'll sleep, but you'll have nightmares, basically. Well, yeah. Like the previous night. So mechanically, as a point, if you long rest, those of you under the curse, you won't regain hit points, but you will get any spell slots, you will get a hit dice back.

If you don't do that, you will get nothing. You can take a short rest, basically. For Gruff, as a point, because the inn is still dilapidated, if you take a long rest, you get half your max HP back, and you get one hit dice back. So if you do a long rest, and it gives you max HP back, and you get one hit dice back. So if you do a long rest and it gives you more than that,

just manually adjust it. You might need to work out what half your HP is. Just because the inn is not very comfortable. It's like in a sorry state. And I'll get my spell slots. You'll get all your spell slots and class abilities back. They all come back just from here. Because you are in a safe place.

If you are out in the wilds and you long rested and you're in a safe place if you are out in the wilds and you long rested and you're in a shitty situation i might be like oh you only get seven levels of spell slots back or something like that you know what i mean um but here you're in a pretty safe place you're in town it's dilapidated it's not comfortable but you're safe so you get all your spell slots in that back you just get half your max hp um back as in like if you're, you know, it restores that amount and then one hit dice back. So I think I guess as we kind of, you know, have decided to wrap up and

you know, you guys staying up and Gruff, you know, making sure Daisy goes to bed and stuff like that I think the last thing that Gruff would want to do and just be like, yeah, just one more thing before I bed down for the night and Rowan I might need a little bit of your help in this being a skilled musician as you are oh I imagine you'll be able to

work your magic in a moment and then Gruff is gonna go up to where Ophelia is laying on the table and just very solemnly bow his head. And then after a moment, he's just gonna start rhythmically beating his paw on his chest. And a bit timidly at first, but picking up his voice. He starts singing. It's not the best singing in the world. And it's a very low voice. And he's singing a sea shanty, very mournful, very kind of quite soft. And it sings of the sea.

the sea, it sings of lost sailors, and it sings of how we light a lantern so the souls can find their way home. It's simple, it repeats, and maybe as he sings it, Rowan starts to join in and finds that beat and joins in. Just out of interest, because you say it's not very good, but can you roll a performance check for me, please, Gruff? Let's see.

Can I just give advantage? You can give advantage, yeah. Because I join in. Yeah, you're playing the music along. Maybe that encourages Gruff, gives him a bit of confidence to sing louder. 16. It's pretty good. Like, you know, Gruff is timid and shy,

but when you come in with the support, you find that voice. And this is a sea shanty. This is a song you sang back in Iceheart. This is something that would gather round and you would in with the support you find that voice and this is a sea shanty this is a song you sang back in ice heart this is something that would gather round and you would sing for the dead and it is you know your voice isn't a trained voice but it's a good voice it's a deep voice it suits this kind of song that kind of like you know rhythm and you would notice, because you're singing it's like about death and stuff, right? There is a moment where, I think only Gruff would see this, but singing the song about death, you almost see kind of like shadows that are clung to Rowan and Xanthius kind of shift

as if the shadows were uncomfortable that you're singing this song. You would also notice that Tyria is just stood on the balcony looking down, watching and listening. And she almost goes a little bit transparent, like her form becomes weaker as you're singing about death and saying goodbye to the lost and stuff.

But you finished singing. Yeah, I think at some point towards the middle of the song, maybe after the chorus or something, I would slowly move up to the edge of the table that Ophelia's on as well, and I would assist by sort of just banging the table in rhythm to the song as well. But not in a means to help out with Tyria disappearing or my shadow vanishing. Xanthius, because you're doing that

and you're at the table next to Ophelia, you're the only one who notices this. It takes a little bit of time, but just maybe after the third or fourth time, Percival's copying you. Just on the table. Just not make his skeletal hand barely able to make a noise,

but it's very subtle and subconscious, but just following along. Yeah, I would just let the song finish. Yeah. Just keeping that rhythm and feeling the confidence with which you sing it. Yeah. It's a great moment.

As that leaves, and Gruff, eventually you go up the stairs, you pick up Daisy, take her to a bed. Xanthius and Rowan, even though you are not sleeping, I do need you both to make two rolls for me. A wisdom save and a constitution saving throw, please. Wisdom and constitution. There is two points of fate in the pool, but you have to make one each.

Like, one wisdom, one constitution. Wisdom, con. All right. What one are we doing first? Wiz. Wisdom first. All right.

What's your worst? My worst is wisdom. Same. Yeah. Oh. Get them out of the wisdom. Same. Yeah. Oh. Get them out of the way. I have a minus two. Plus one.

Really? Cute. Nine. Fourteen. All right. Xanthius. I'll come back to you in a minute, but that's a fail for Rowan.

Can you make the constitution, please? Hey, what are we talking? I've got a plus three. Plus two. Mm. Fifteen. Nat one. Four. All right, that works really well. As the witching hour approaches and as it gets late,

even though you're not sleeping, your eyes, for you, Rowan, your eyes begin to play tricks on you and shadows are moving and things you begin to hear whispers it's unpleasant and your wisdom unfortunately goes down by a further one

for Xanthius maybe it's the stress of revealing this big secret maybe it's everything else but I'm exhausted after that. Your heart almost feels like something's clutching and squeezing at it, and that feeling doesn't really go away. Yeah. And it's a minus one to your constitution.

Ah, damn it. So if it goes, don't forget, if it drops it by a modifier point, then you lose... I've done that. Mine had already done that. Your con didn't go down, just your wisdom. No, no, my wisdom. Yeah, so your wisdom's gone down to a point, then you lose. I've done that. Mine had already done that. Your con didn't go down, just your wisdom. No, no, my wisdom. Yeah, so your wisdom's gone down to a point,

so you lose the modifier. Boy. And as a point, those DCs increase for the next night. Every night the DC gets higher. Yeah, I know where I'm taking you guys from first thing in the morning. Latte fun? Latte fun, and then... I imagine that both of you, you know, for Xanthius,

it's a much more physical thing. Like, you feel yourself tired and weakened. The coffee doesn't have any effect on you and things like that. Oh, I mean, I've had my guard up for, like, weeks, so to finally unleash it is like yeah my body is now saying like this is it it's the consciousness of physical physically you do not feel good yeah yeah like this curse is ravaging your heart basically for rowan this is it is getting to your mind and those things that you saw in the nightmares, you hurting your friends, you being this out of control maniac, the frightening image of the scarred lady, feeling those scars on your own face, like these horrible kind of images, even not in sleep like as the sun begins to rise you're like out of the corner of your eye

you're seeing tyria stood there covered in blood just like pointing at you and things like that you're beginning to hallucinate as you do um as you walk around and for xanthius like even the slightest bit of exertion you're like out of breath you You're like your heart, like somebody's literally squeezing your heart. Is Tyria still like watching on? Because I mean, I don't attribute this directly to Tyria. No, no. She's almost disconnected from this curse now. And the two of you would notice that Tyria,

there is a bit more of a peace to her almost. Tyria, there is a bit more of a peace to her almost. There's less fear around at least the five or the four of you now. And you would notice that throughout the night, if you guys stay down with Ophelia's body, Tyria, the scarred form, moves about the inn as if she was working, as if she still ran the place. She starts, like, those broken chairs,

she telekinetically, like, lifts them up and puts them back in their place. Like, super slow, right? Well, just like, you know, as if she went up and picked them and moved them herself. And she moves around. Like, you see her go into the spare inn room that Gruff and Daisy aren't sleeping in, and you hear her, like, trying to put bedsheets on that don't exist.

Like, she's going about the life that she would have lived, and there's almost a peace to her right now. Does she move around us? Yeah, she moves around you. Like, she treats you almost as if... Well, she treats you as if you were customers of the inn. Like, you would probably find if you were sat at the table, like, drinking coffee, when you finish the cups,

she comes over and, like, takes them away as if, you know, you were patrons of the inn who had just finished their drink. You know, she might bring you over an empty but cleaner cup, you know, with nothing in it. Yeah. You know, there's this kind of simulacrum of life to her now. Okay.

But it does look like that fear and that rage and that anguish that she was suffering from, and this is maybe a bit out of character, your characters might not know that, but is being transferred onto the two of you, and she's unaware of that. She doesn't know that that's happened. And that is where we are going to end part one

of today's episode just before we cut away i think a certain someone deserves a round of applause very good job oh you're nervous about it i know so nervous but you did an amazing job i was up until 5 30 in the morning writing up a lot of notes for this. That's why you deserve a big round of applause. The scribbles of a madman. It's not organised, it's scratchings. Maybe

not post that to the Patreon. I'll post the image of the crown steel shard. There's a description underneath as well. I will post that to the Patreon free for everyone to look at. I wanted to get that into the episode so it doesn't get cut out. But that is it for part one. We will see you very shortly for part two.

Take care, everybody. Back in. Bye. Back in on. Bye.