High Rollers DnD - High Rollers: Curse of Strahd #20 | The Dragon's Dance
Episode Date: September 22, 2020The party discover a mysterious tower with a 'fizzy door' in this week's Strahd... Support the High Rollers and get early access to podcast episodes (and more) on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/HighRo...llers Thanks to @jackgtmusic for the Aerois/Curse of Strahd mash-up intro! Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
 Transcript
 Discussion  (0)
    
                                         Pickaxe. Therapy is the ultimate self-care, and BetterHelp makes it easy to get started with affordable online sessions you can do from anywhere.
                                         
                                         Never skip therapy day with BetterHelp.
                                         
                                         Visit BetterHelp.com to learn more.
                                         
                                         That's BetterHelp.com.
                                         
                                         As you rise to a new day, rise to something more.
                                         
                                         Good financial game.
                                         
                                         Introducing the new BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card.
                                         
                                         The credit card that rewards your good financial habits.
                                         
    
                                         And helps you rise from bill payer to reward slayer.
                                         
                                         Rise to it with the BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card.
                                         
                                         And get rewarded for paying your credit card bill in full and on time each month.
                                         
                                         Terms and conditions apply.
                                         
                                         Click the banner or visit bmo.com slash rise to learn more.
                                         
                                         Last time on Curse of Strahd. In the mist-filled land of Barovia, a secret plain ruled by Count Strahd von Zarovich,
                                         
                                         our party seek a way to destroy the Vampire Lord forever.
                                         
                                         They met with a mage who had lost their memories and seemingly been driven to madness.
                                         
    
                                         They convinced this strange wizard that they meant no harm,
                                         
                                         and he provided them with shelter and safety for the night in his magical mansion,
                                         
                                         recounting his tragic tale and hearing the parties in return,
                                         
                                         as well as giving them an opportunity for bathing, for food, and a good night's rest.
                                         
                                         However, he awakens them in a hurry,
                                         
                                         good night's rest however he awakens them in a hurry sending them outside his magical mansion to witness the dark sky being lit red as a thick orange glow arises from across the lake
                                         
                                         in the direction of castle ravenloft and the village of barovia where several days ago when the party first arrived, Strahd made an ultimatum.
                                         
                                         And now I ask you, dear players,
                                         
    
                                         what do you do on the shores of Lake Zarovich,
                                         
                                         having been ejected from the mage's magical mansion?
                                         
                                         You see this ominous red glow coming from the direction of Barovia.
                                         
                                         What do you do? is the mage here
                                         
                                         the mage is there yes he is here
                                         
                                         he appears to be he appears to just be staring up into the sky with an abject look of horror
                                         
                                         on his face
                                         
                                         of horror on his face. yes, given that you seem to have been very busy in your time here.
                                         
    
                                         This is not good.
                                         
                                         We had a time limit.
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Not that we were ever going to deliver
                                         
                                         Tatiana Arena to him
                                         
                                         anyway, but yeah,
                                         
                                         seems time's up.
                                         
                                         Ismark nods, and that doesn't change we're still not giving arena up to that creature no matter what he's done all we
                                         
    
                                         can do now is try and destroy him we need to continue what we started I know
                                         
                                         that we needed this night of rest but it it's time. This mage, this wizard, I don't know if he's going to be much help to us now.
                                         
                                         He's lost something, but do we even know where to begin to look?
                                         
                                         Do we know what he's missing?
                                         
                                         Do we even know that he can help?
                                         
                                         He's powerful, yes, but that might not help us find the things that Madame Ava was meant for us to find,
                                         
                                         or that might not...
                                         
                                         He's already faced Strahd once and failed.
                                         
    
                                         It's hard to trust someone that is fully mad,
                                         
                                         but I see a glimmer of hope with him.
                                         
                                         If we could find the thing he is searching for.
                                         
                                         Problem is, we just don't have the time to do it right
                                         
                                         now.
                                         
                                         He might be able to
                                         
                                         give us more information about Ava.
                                         
                                         It seems that
                                         
    
                                         it could be something that he knows about.
                                         
                                         It could maybe.
                                         
                                         I don't know. He doesn't
                                         
                                         seem to. He's not from Barovia. He's not Vistana.
                                         
                                         How much can this
                                         
                                         mage know?
                                         
                                         Unless you think that he has a way to
                                         
                                         contact the dead?
                                         
    
                                         I do not know much of magic myself.
                                         
                                         Powerful.
                                         
                                         Whatever he tried to do to Zeros
                                         
                                         was extremely
                                         
                                         powerful.
                                         
                                         Obviously he shrugged it off,
                                         
                                         but from all of the other magic that we saw from him,
                                         
                                         it seems like it could be an option.
                                         
    
                                         I wouldn't rule anything out.
                                         
                                         I'm trying to remember.
                                         
                                         Did he mention Madame Ava in that,
                                         
                                         when he directed and asked us why we're all here?
                                         
                                         He didn't seem to, not in any substantial way.
                                         
                                         You think you got the impression that maybe he had heard of her, but didn't seem to really have any sort of connection with her or anything like that.
                                         
                                         You mentioned you mentioned like Madame Ava's readings and he sort of was like, what's that?
                                         
                                         I don't I don't really know what you're talking about.
                                         
    
                                         That's the impression he got.
                                         
                                         As you guys are having this conversation from the direction of Barovia,
                                         
                                         this gust
                                         
                                         of wind,
                                         
                                         intensely strong,
                                         
                                         can you all make strength saving throws for me?
                                         
                                         I do not have roll 20 open.
                                         
                                         No, you don't need to do it in roll 20.
                                         
    
                                         You can use a physical dice.
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         I rolled an actual one!
                                         
                                         Oh, no.
                                         
                                         Oh, no.
                                         
                                         I only got a 17.
                                         
                                         17 for Xeros.
                                         
                                         That's what, a total of two, Zeke?
                                         
    
                                         It is, yep.
                                         
                                         Yep.
                                         
                                         10 in total.
                                         
                                         I rolled six.
                                         
                                         10.
                                         
                                         And then Jesper.
                                         
                                         So Dog's Body, Zeke and Rose.
                                         
                                         I forgot to roll for Ismark and Irina.
                                         
    
                                         Ismark as well.
                                         
                                         Irina as well.
                                         
                                         And the Mad Mage, however, does not.
                                         
                                         The four of you who failed, you are blown back, knocked prone.
                                         
                                         You don't take any significant damage,
                                         
                                         but this wind that rushes from the direction of Barovia,
                                         
                                         it's like a sudden burst of storm wind,
                                         
                                         like a sudden burst of a gale, a hurricane.
                                         
    
                                         It lasts just for a moment trees are almost pulled out of by their roots you see the lake a giant surging wave crests over the
                                         
                                         lake smashing into the shores on the on the western side um you see pieces of of debris
                                         
                                         kind of being thrown through the air as this intense powerful wind just
                                         
                                         rushes through the trees and yes and several of you flying to your four uh to the floor
                                         
                                         and then it just just like look up it uh xeros just with with torah just with fear in her eyes
                                         
                                         Zeros just with horror, just with fear in her eyes.
                                         
                                         Yeah, and then it goes
                                         
                                         incredibly still, as in there is
                                         
    
                                         no wind.
                                         
                                         Afterwards.
                                         
                                         We need to move.
                                         
                                         What?
                                         
                                         What the bloody hell did you guys
                                         
                                         do? What is happening?
                                         
                                         What is going on?
                                         
                                         There is no time. Come on.
                                         
    
                                         We need to go.
                                         
                                         It is Strahd.
                                         
                                         Yes.
                                         
                                         You must leave.
                                         
                                         I am not safe here.
                                         
                                         Where?
                                         
                                         He will be coming.
                                         
                                         Wherever.
                                         
    
                                         Find refuge.
                                         
                                         Run wherever you can.
                                         
                                         Hide.
                                         
                                         If we are to find the thing you've lost, where will we find you?
                                         
                                         I will be here.
                                         
                                         I have no plans to leave.
                                         
                                         I must, I will, still I will remain in the shadow of the mountains,
                                         
                                         but I cannot remain in this place.
                                         
    
                                         If he has an eye upon you, then he knows where you are.
                                         
                                         Be wary.
                                         
                                         Strahd's eyes can pierce, pierce buildings, pierce clouds, pierce darkness.
                                         
                                         As long as you are with that one he points at irena
                                         
                                         he will know now i must leave and he swishes up his cape and his robe his tatted cape and he
                                         
                                         turns invisible
                                         
                                         right where can we go where he will not
                                         
                                         at least pursue us
                                         
    
                                         for now?
                                         
                                         Where were we?
                                         
                                         Where were we near?
                                         
                                         So we were going to find the Mad Mage.
                                         
                                         Yes, you were. Well, I can tell you where you currently
                                         
                                         are. I can even show you where you currently are
                                         
                                         on the map. You are currently
                                         
                                         north of Lake Zarovich,
                                         
    
                                         which is north of Vallaki.
                                         
                                         You're almost dead,
                                         
                                         but you're on the other side of the lake from Vallaki.
                                         
                                         This is Vallaki here.
                                         
                                         And you are on the other side of the lake.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         So like direct opposite, but it's a lake. It's, direct opposite.
                                         
                                         But it's a lake. It's a dang lake.
                                         
    
                                         And where did we hear that the...
                                         
                                         I know in other places we talked about
                                         
                                         it was the Amber Temple. Did we...
                                         
                                         That's in the
                                         
                                         Balnock Mound Ponds.
                                         
                                         In the Mound Ponds.
                                         
                                         Zeke, you might have more information.
                                         
                                         The places that you talked about there is a tower
                                         
    
                                         that
                                         
                                         Dog's Body knew a kind of tower
                                         
                                         that seemed to have some sort of magical
                                         
                                         ward on it that prevented him
                                         
                                         getting inside there is also
                                         
                                         Krezik which is far to
                                         
                                         the west it's on the western side of Barovia
                                         
                                         that Dog's Body also
                                         
    
                                         mentioned something about an abbot
                                         
                                         living there as well. Irene has mentioned
                                         
                                         the abbot a few times as well.
                                         
                                         They're pretty anti-Strahd
                                         
                                         there.
                                         
                                         That was the impression. Yeah, you've gotten the impression
                                         
                                         recently they have become
                                         
                                         excessively anti-Strahd
                                         
    
                                         for sure.
                                         
                                         What are you guys doing
                                         
                                         is Mark and Irina looking your direction
                                         
                                         where do you think we'd be safest against him
                                         
                                         I mean the last town
                                         
                                         we went to we didn't
                                         
                                         fare very well
                                         
                                         I'm not sure
                                         
    
                                         if they're against him then
                                         
                                         fine but we still I'm not sure if they're against him, then fine.
                                         
                                         But we still do seem like a bit of an odd bunch.
                                         
                                         They might not take us in.
                                         
                                         No.
                                         
                                         That could happen.
                                         
                                         Irina.
                                         
                                         Tatiana. Yes, I'm sorry.
                                         
    
                                         Yes, sometimes I forget that that is the name that you know me by um yes yes
                                         
                                         you are aware that stroud is pursuing you personally since you're awakening
                                         
                                         he has pursued me for centuries yes but many lives he thinks that I am his that's that's that he owns me or that I that I am betrothed to him when I'm not I was
                                         
                                         to wed Sergei his brother he is obsessed with me if you know cities better if I
                                         
                                         done when we first met you
                                         
                                         and Strahd was pursuing you
                                         
                                         is there anything you can reach back
                                         
                                         you must remember
                                         
    
                                         yes but my memories are scattered over
                                         
                                         centuries old
                                         
                                         I was not even aware much of my
                                         
                                         other lives
                                         
                                         the soul of my soul
                                         
                                         Tatiana's soul has
                                         
                                         hidden amongst these women for generations, but my memories of those
                                         
                                         times are scattered. My clearest memories are of a time before Strahd became what he is now,
                                         
    
                                         and then the memories of Irina, her growing up in Barovia, Ismark. The others are muddled,
                                         
                                         confused. I'm not sure which one came before the others.
                                         
                                         It is difficult to tell.
                                         
                                         It is fine.
                                         
                                         We need to go somewhere where he is weak.
                                         
                                         The mad mage, he mentioned running water.
                                         
                                         If we can go maybe behind a waterfall, amongst it, I don't know, where he physically cannot get through.
                                         
                                         I do not know of such a place. Caves behind waterfalls? There are lakes, but he can just skirt the lakes.
                                         
    
                                         It is difficult. I'm sorry, I don't have much knowledge
                                         
                                         I'm no vampire hunter
                                         
                                         just I was a singer
                                         
                                         as you guys are talking Zeros
                                         
                                         you feel
                                         
                                         the blade at your back
                                         
                                         growing warm
                                         
                                         growing hot and then reaching into your mind the soothing
                                         
    
                                         but yet sometimes grating voice that accompanies your new lord and master as modius speaks into into your mind. Ah, my warrior.
                                         
                                         I
                                         
                                         have sensed
                                         
                                         that Strahd's machine
                                         
                                         is nearing
                                         
                                         completion.
                                         
                                         You are running out of time.
                                         
                                         We've yet to locate the soul of Strahd.
                                         
    
                                         I am aware.
                                         
                                         You must hurry.
                                         
                                         Do you know if he's after us right now?
                                         
                                         Is he attacking?
                                         
                                         My knowledge of Barovia is shrouded.
                                         
                                         Enough that I can sense
                                         
                                         things
                                         
                                         I know that he is angry
                                         
    
                                         that he has called upon
                                         
                                         my power
                                         
                                         that he has
                                         
                                         summoned many devils
                                         
                                         to his court
                                         
                                         but I do not know where
                                         
                                         he is now
                                         
                                         the mists caught. But I do not know where he is now.
                                         
    
                                         The mists,
                                         
                                         even I, struggle to peer through them sometimes.
                                         
                                         Luckily for you, we are
                                         
                                         connected. We are bound
                                         
                                         by the weapon.
                                         
                                         I would suggest you
                                         
                                         find someone who knows
                                         
                                         more of Strahd than you and your allies.
                                         
    
                                         Remember, if you ever need to speak to the one that I have here, I can arrange that.
                                         
                                         Useful information.
                                         
                                         Hurry.
                                         
                                         You are running out of time. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you or Ziki.
                                         
                                         And then the blade cools and goes quiet.
                                         
                                         Wherever we go, we need to move now.
                                         
                                         Agreed.
                                         
                                         Let's head south.
                                         
    
                                         Maybe towards that village.
                                         
                                         Krezik, was it?
                                         
                                         Krezik is more western.
                                         
                                         We can start making our way around the lake, back through the woods.
                                         
                                         That tower that Dog's Body mentioned, that's the closest.
                                         
                                         Krezik is still hours away from there.
                                         
                                         And this mountain, this Amber Temple,
                                         
                                         I don't know where it is, but these mountains,
                                         
    
                                         well, we'd have to cross all the way into southern Barovia
                                         
                                         to find the other mountains.
                                         
                                         Mount Gakis is the only other mountain I know of.
                                         
                                         But the tower is close by.
                                         
                                         That's not too far from Argenvostold.
                                         
                                         We can head there, or we can just push on to Krezik.
                                         
                                         If we can't get into this tower,
                                         
                                         I fear that we will be out in the open
                                         
    
                                         if we cannot solve its mystery.
                                         
                                         We can try.
                                         
                                         I say we try, yes.
                                         
                                         It is on the way, and things have taken off.
                                         
                                         We'll cut through the woods.
                                         
                                         Rose, you and me move up front.
                                         
                                         Jesper, keep an eye on Irina for us.
                                         
                                         Keep an eye out, especially for wolves and bats.
                                         
    
                                         Strahd uses them as his spies.
                                         
                                         Let's move
                                         
                                         and with that he kind of pulls his weapons out and begins making a headway um it is yeah this is like nightfall you again it's that kind of thing of the way you guys keep resting is like
                                         
                                         you'll do a bunch of adventuring in the night time it gets to morning you're like yay morning's here travel a bit sleep time now wake up oh no night time it's just the way it's landed it's just it's just unfortunate
                                         
                                         yeah you guys haven't been able to stay in a place for long enough to kind of reset the cycle
                                         
                                         um cinematically as you're saying like you stay with irena he's gonna like summon the sun sword and just ready himself and just create
                                         
                                         around everybody yeah that light is a blessed uh it breaks away the shadows these twisting
                                         
                                         shadows of the trees that you're stood amongst they do take on a kind of nefarious dark intent
                                         
    
                                         almost like grasping hands from the grave reaching
                                         
                                         towards you but as soon as the sword is lit it's like the hands are yanked away
                                         
                                         pulled away by by a moment of hope and light that surrounds yes but now as he
                                         
                                         does say we may draw attention but sunlight is a good deterrent as well yeah absolutely you
                                         
                                         guys begin making your way through the woods and after about an hour and you
                                         
                                         you forward a small river and you are making your way towards the tower that
                                         
                                         is when the unearthly shriek pierces the air it echoes across the land like the wind that blew just a few hours before
                                         
                                         this shriek echoes it is a mixture of men and women and children all muddled together
                                         
    
                                         a cacophony of pain and suffering and then the clouds overhead at night they begin to form the shape of a face angled
                                         
                                         features and long hair of a proud and noble but very very angry man three days i gave Barovia to return my Tatyana. Three days they squandered it in fear with
                                         
                                         pleas of mercy instead of doing my bidding. Now the village of Barovia has learned the
                                         
                                         lesson of defiance. These are my lands. You are nothing but vermin, feeding
                                         
                                         off of my scraps, scurrying beneath my feet. Tonight, I send a plague upon these lands.
                                         
                                         I send you annihilation upon flaming hooves. And until my Tatyana is back, until every man, woman, and child
                                         
                                         of Barovia is brought before my castle gates, I will not relent.
                                         
                                         You outsiders think you can challenge me, that an old sword will keep you safe?
                                         
    
                                         I have not yet begun to show my power the clouds seem to stretch and elongate and a
                                         
                                         darkness falls even darker than the night was before oh damn oh. Will someone please tell me what the hell it is you guys did?
                                         
                                         Because I have never seen the devil that angry.
                                         
                                         What has he done?
                                         
                                         That's the thing, Dog's Body.
                                         
                                         Honestly, they've not...
                                         
                                         He was after Irina.
                                         
                                         He's always been after Irina.
                                         
    
                                         Since she became a young woman, he has been obsessed with her.
                                         
                                         We defied him many times before.
                                         
                                         He would try to break into Irina's room to bite her, to drink her blood.
                                         
                                         Me and our father would stop him.
                                         
                                         And then these companions came they helped
                                         
                                         but there's something about him i've never seen the devil like this in all my days as a boy he's
                                         
                                         been a a loner a figure that haunted his castle like a phantom occasionally stealing out to drain a woman's or young man's blood
                                         
                                         to harass the people of Barovia, but not like this.
                                         
    
                                         It is like he's gone mad.
                                         
                                         And it's just a coincidence that it's when the latest band of adventures rock up.
                                         
                                         I mean, I don't know.
                                         
                                         I've not known any other travelers to have come to
                                         
                                         Barovia before the fact that you and your order had arrived I never heard of
                                         
                                         it yes but perhaps knows more madam Ava spoke of others that had come that had
                                         
                                         been called Strahd mentioned other adventurers but that's not something i am
                                         
                                         aware of yes it is true more adventures have been here before and all have failed
                                         
    
                                         through generations
                                         
                                         i guess you lot must be doing something right, because if my understanding is correct and no screams on the winds...
                                         
                                         He's just destroyed an entire village.
                                         
                                         This whole place is destroyed by him.
                                         
                                         It needs to end.
                                         
                                         it needs to end it's not like those souls
                                         
                                         have anywhere they can go
                                         
                                         they're still trapped here
                                         
    
                                         only to be reborn
                                         
                                         as you guys are making way
                                         
                                         until we find a way to
                                         
                                         undo it Madame ava knew us as soon as she saw us
                                         
                                         she knew us jesper knew us like we were meant to try you do
                                         
                                         uh can let's have
                                         
                                         my good friend tom hazel
                                         
                                         roll a d20 for me
                                         
    
                                         please
                                         
                                         oh as you are making
                                         
                                         as you are traveling through the woods
                                         
                                         how's a 15 sound
                                         
                                         15 15 is
                                         
                                         wonderful tom hazel can you also roll a d12 and a d8 for me, please?
                                         
                                         A 10 on a d12 and a 6 on a d8. How does that sound?
                                         
                                         That sounds good. Can you roll a 3d6 for me?
                                         
    
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         3d6? Oh, yeah, I can do that.
                                         
                                         Yeah, the higher you roll it, the worse it is.
                                         
                                         I'm a high roller!
                                         
                                         12 on 3d6.
                                         
                                         12!
                                         
                                         Good!
                                         
                                         That good? Did I do good?
                                         
    
                                         Cool.
                                         
                                         Yeah, this'll be fun.
                                         
                                         I legit have no idea what I'm rolling.
                                         
                                         We should have let Rii roll for it.
                                         
                                         Nah, nah.
                                         
                                         Reroll, reroll, reroll.
                                         
                                         As you guys are making your way through the woods,
                                         
                                         Ismark and Rose leading the way.
                                         
    
                                         Ismark seems to know the direction of the tower,
                                         
                                         and Rose, you're helping Ismark not get off track.
                                         
                                         You're keeping an eye out on the woods,
                                         
                                         and you are the first one, Rose, to spot this.
                                         
                                         You suddenly become aware that ahead of you you between you and the tower and stretching
                                         
                                         round um you can see it almost looks like um soldiers coming through the kind of mist shrouded
                                         
                                         woods lurching towards you you see five and you look further down seven no nine no more humanoids moving towards you in the
                                         
                                         night what do you do i will quietly alert the rest of the guys to it um they are moving close to you can we uh we're not in the woods at the moment are
                                         
    
                                         we you are yeah you're currently thick in the deep in the woods and they're they're coming towards
                                         
                                         us within the woods i mean you've basically unknowingly you you seem to have almost stumbled
                                         
                                         not stumbled into them because you're well trained in the woods um the way that the way that is mark was leading you has led you into them you you they haven't
                                         
                                         spotted you yet you maybe have a moment to to deal with them um but there's maybe 12 of them
                                         
                                         you can kind of see them they seem to be in a kind of staggered line moving their way through
                                         
                                         the woods okay a new buddy I will alert everyone
                                         
                                         to them
                                         
                                         they keep moving closer
                                         
    
                                         they're maybe
                                         
                                         within sort of like 40 feet
                                         
                                         but they still haven't seemingly spotted
                                         
                                         you yet can everyone make a perception check
                                         
                                         for me
                                         
                                         yes
                                         
                                         five why don't I roll that seven 14 14 for Ziki okay yes 16 in fact actually I
                                         
                                         need to remember Ziki would know anyway 19 19 dog's body 16 16 I'm. Dog's body? 16.
                                         
    
                                         16.
                                         
                                         So Dog's body, Rose, and Zeke.
                                         
                                         Well, Dog's body and Rose, you see these things.
                                         
                                         You kind of get a better look at them than the rest.
                                         
                                         You can see that the way they move is very strange.
                                         
                                         There is a kind of stumbling gate to these soldiers.
                                         
                                         One of them appears to be dragging its leg.
                                         
                                         They lurch in an awkward manner towards you.
                                         
    
                                         Ziki, you become aware that there is an undead presence here.
                                         
                                         There is, you know, you can see the shapes
                                         
                                         and you're almost certain that there are undead.
                                         
                                         You can feel it from them.
                                         
                                         This connection you have with death leaks into you.
                                         
                                         I'll tell that to everyone.
                                         
                                         Just say, they're from the mists.
                                         
                                         They're undead.
                                         
    
                                         They are going to walk into where you guys guys are so unless you want to try and hide
                                         
                                         and avoid them um it's going to be a role initiative but if you want to try and act
                                         
                                         like to try and hide somewhere you can do that yeah i would have dismissed the sun sword at the
                                         
                                         the idea it looks like that they were being led to the light like the light was what was drawing
                                         
                                         them so as soon as you diminish it they're like and they start looking around but they are so close one false step and they're
                                         
                                         gonna know where you guys are yeah i'm just gonna try and lay low as much as possible
                                         
                                         yeah hide yeah from them okay stealth checks all around including
                                         
                                         pass can i cast pass without a trace trace that is that would be your action instead
                                         
    
                                         of hiding rose oh because it's like you'd have to gesture and like cast the spell on everybody
                                         
                                         and then hide so don't forget you have disadvantage uh zeros because you're wearing
                                         
                                         heavy armor oh damn like about a six oh boy but no his mark isn't helping either by the way um
                                         
                                         no i only got nine nine for rose uh three for zeros man i'm rolling some real dm rolls today
                                         
                                         aren't i oh natural so well no this is a group check so hang on so we've got a failure for rose
                                         
                                         a failure for xeros success my dog's body so 24 in total. Yeah, I mean are you rolling? Yeah, it was very high. What was that Ziki?
                                         
                                         15
                                         
                                         15 okay, so that's another success
                                         
    
                                         Jesper I
                                         
                                         got a
                                         
                                         13
                                         
                                         13 but 10 is 23
                                         
                                         Yep, that's still gonna be enough that's all of you guys is Mark failed so it's even and then Irena is the deal-breaker who was
                                         
                                         actually a success so over half of you succeed so these creatures very clearly
                                         
                                         zombies a pack of 12 of them, are scouring through the woods.
                                         
                                         You can see they occasionally raise an arm and hack through a bunch of weeds or bushes,
                                         
    
                                         kind of stumble through it, and they are clearly searching for something.
                                         
                                         They're just kind of fanning out in a staggered line,
                                         
                                         spread out over sort of 60, 70 feet in a line five feet
                                         
                                         between them just kind of moving through the trees in the woods so they have not spotted you
                                         
                                         yeah you guys just hold your breath
                                         
                                         okay after you maybe wait 30 minutes it It's hard to tell.
                                         
                                         20, 30, 40 minutes.
                                         
                                         They are further enough that they've moved through the area
                                         
    
                                         and just gone off into the distance.
                                         
                                         And they're far enough away that you think you can move
                                         
                                         without them realizing you're there.
                                         
                                         As long as you don't have any large light sources
                                         
                                         or noises to alert them.
                                         
                                         Sun sword!
                                         
                                         Sun sword!
                                         
                                         How fresh do they look like they're like fresh undead or were they like dead for a long time undead i think they look more on the crusty side um they look like
                                         
    
                                         old soldiers um maybe like the lackey guards maybe you kind of recognized similar armor and like helmets
                                         
                                         to what the lackey was wearing um but they're quite old you know they're probably you know
                                         
                                         a good maybe several months or uh or so old um yeah probably the lackey guards
                                         
                                         crusty boys crusty jugglers excellent yeah you guys avoid uh you managed to hide from them long enough
                                         
                                         that you can move on um five two ah we need tom hazel no let's have kim richards roll a d20 please okay these random encounters son 13 okay uh after see that's about three hours
                                         
                                         um two two to three hours is mark leads you to the edges of another lake a smaller lake
                                         
                                         what makes this one slightly different is at near the not quite
                                         
                                         in the middle but out in the lake there is a small island connected by an inlet of land
                                         
    
                                         upon which is a large tower and i now have to bring up the tower
                                         
                                         is this the one that dog's Body tried to get into?
                                         
                                         Yeah, Dog's Body, this is the same one.
                                         
                                         So, you come to a cold mountain lake enclosed by misty woods and rocky bluffs.
                                         
                                         Thick fog creeps across the lake in the dark, still waters.
                                         
                                         The trail ends at a grass-covered causeway that stretches 100 yards across the lake to a flat
                                         
                                         marshy island with a stone tower on it the tower is old and decrepit with
                                         
                                         collapsing scaffolds clinging to one side where a large gash has split the
                                         
    
                                         wall time-worn Griffin statues their wings and flanks covered with moss
                                         
                                         perched atop buttresses that support the walls.
                                         
                                         Parked near the base of the tower, within sight of the entrance,
                                         
                                         is a barrel-topped wagon, splattered with mud.
                                         
                                         Yeah, this is where...
                                         
                                         Stop number two on Dog's Body's Guide to Barovia.
                                         
                                         There's a weird thing on the door, made me feel a bit fizzy. So just be careful. Fizzy door.
                                         
                                         What do you mean fizizzy? Electric? Lightning?
                                         
    
                                         I tried to touch it. I got near it.
                                         
                                         And my hand started feeling a bit like, nope.
                                         
                                         And I just decided not to.
                                         
                                         Because things around here have a habit of blowing your hand off.
                                         
                                         And I quite like my hand.
                                         
                                         I detect magic. So as you try and conjure a spell
                                         
                                         Jesper, nothing happens
                                         
                                         does it use the spell slot?
                                         
    
                                         it does
                                         
                                         huh
                                         
                                         there's something here
                                         
                                         taking away my power
                                         
                                         it's like stopping magic
                                         
                                         some sort of defense
                                         
                                         yeah is there a map yeah there is
                                         
                                         thank you chris troll i have to slowly slide you over
                                         
    
                                         a whole new map slide into my road 20th tower well i mean i'm just gonna put this uh we
                                         
                                         don't necessarily need to use this you guys can like approach the tower you don't need to wait
                                         
                                         for me if you've got any questions let me know um but if you do this might just be useful for like
                                         
                                         getting an idea of what it looks like and stuff so you say buddy, you saw someone screaming.
                                         
                                         Was it not the ranch?
                                         
                                         No, that was the crazy dude in the other lake.
                                         
                                         We've ticked that site off.
                                         
                                         You didn't see them at this tower?
                                         
    
                                         No.
                                         
                                         No?
                                         
                                         No.
                                         
                                         No, that was the other thing. No, no, you didn't see anybody at this tower. No, Yes? No, that was the other thing.
                                         
                                         No, no, you didn't see anybody at this tower.
                                         
                                         No, no, no.
                                         
                                         This is where I came to try and get out of the cold and the wet.
                                         
                                         It was raining, and then I ended up going to Argenvost Hill.
                                         
    
                                         But because, like, yeah, I just wasn't feeling too confident.
                                         
                                         Yeah, I wasn't feeling too confident about the fizzy door.
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Understood.
                                         
                                         Is there another way in?
                                         
                                         Now I'm double worried.
                                         
                                         I'm double worried about the fact that a magic caster
                                         
                                         cannot cast magic.
                                         
    
                                         Although, does that mean that
                                         
                                         others coming in might not be able to find us?
                                         
                                         If there is...
                                         
                                         If it's something which is preventing magic as a whole, then yes.
                                         
                                         If it is just something that is preventing people being able to cast spells in the area, maybe not.
                                         
                                         How much does Rose know about magic?
                                         
                                         Do you want to make an Arcana check?
                                         
                                         Probably not.
                                         
    
                                         Sure, why not?
                                         
                                         I mean, you're not proficient,
                                         
                                         so you won't have a full understanding of this,
                                         
                                         but you can get a vague idea.
                                         
                                         13.
                                         
                                         13.
                                         
                                         I mean, you've definitely heard of certainly like big cities
                                         
                                         in like Neverwinter and Waterdeep.
                                         
    
                                         There are occasionally places which are warded
                                         
                                         against other people being
                                         
                                         able to cast spells um if it's you it might be like that where yeah it's it's basically like a
                                         
                                         an area where magic just doesn't work um unless somebody dispels the big spell that prevents magic
                                         
                                         working um uh but yeah in theory um and yeah you you see this tower you see that it only really has one
                                         
                                         entrance there is a scaffolding around the side and then there is this um bright wagon um it's
                                         
                                         very pretty um it looks like a vistani wagon but a little bit prettier a little bit more well cared
                                         
                                         for uh it has a little lantern out the front uh where the horses would be no horses just the wagon
                                         
    
                                         um and, it's
                                         
                                         very pretty. I might even
                                         
                                         have a little handout for it, maybe.
                                         
                                         Oh. Did you
                                         
                                         check this cart
                                         
                                         before you left?
                                         
                                         Mark, was
                                         
                                         the cart there before I left?
                                         
    
                                         The cart was not there.
                                         
                                         Okay, you can't see the inside. That was not there. That was not there. Okay, you can't see the inside.
                                         
                                         That was not there.
                                         
                                         That was not there.
                                         
                                         Because if it was, I would have maybe tried to sleep in it.
                                         
                                         But no, I got wet instead.
                                         
                                         Very wet.
                                         
                                         Oh, that's very cute.
                                         
    
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Imagine a cute wagon.
                                         
                                         It's definitely big enough for somebody to live in it you know it's kind of uh yes like a single bed could probably occupy it and enough
                                         
                                         stuff you know storage for stuff yeah um if this was here when i was last here i definitely would
                                         
                                         have tried to sleep in that look it looks so comfortable oh my gosh yeah we should inspect it then yeah if you inspect it um under layers
                                         
                                         there is some mud around the sort of base of it um there is a fresh coat of purple paint its wheels
                                         
                                         have fancy gold trim a brass lantern hangs from each corner and red drapes cover a tombstone shaped window on each side um a steel padlock secures
                                         
                                         the back door um hanging from which is a cheap sign that says keep out
                                         
    
                                         fairly light on the inside oh no there does not appear to be any light on the inside no
                                         
                                         light peeking through the the windows or anything like that.
                                         
                                         The padlock's on the outside.
                                         
                                         Yeah, it's like a kind of big steel padlock.
                                         
                                         Like, you know, you would get on the front of a door or chest,
                                         
                                         like an old school padlock.
                                         
                                         And it's on the outside of the door, yeah.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
    
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         I mean, weird way to lock it if there's someone inside
                                         
                                         does anyone want to go to the fizzy door someone you can check out the tower yeah out of curiosity anyone want to touch the fizzy door? I don't want to touch it, but I'll have a look at it.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         Yeah, the tower door is just ahead, Ziki.
                                         
                                         You can see it looming up.
                                         
                                         You can see that the tower door is made of iron
                                         
                                         with no visible handles or hinges.
                                         
    
                                         In the middle of the door is a large embossed symbol
                                         
                                         with a connected series of lines
                                         
                                         with eight stick figures set
                                         
                                         around it. Carved into
                                         
                                         the lintel above the door is a word
                                         
                                         Kazan.
                                         
                                         And this is what
                                         
                                         the tower looks like.
                                         
    
                                         The door, sorry.
                                         
                                         Kazan?
                                         
                                         Kazan.
                                         
                                         Kazan.
                                         
                                         Interesting.
                                         
                                         You should be able to click on it and it should zoom.
                                         
                                         Yeah, there you go.
                                         
                                         Creepy.
                                         
    
                                         What is that weird symbol?
                                         
                                         Everyone's now just
                                         
                                         examining stuff.
                                         
                                         Chris Trott, thank you for being a very
                                         
                                         good player, because I know you know the solution
                                         
                                         to this so i i unfortunately did not have time to change it for you um no worries it's asking
                                         
                                         us to do a cool little dance oh yeah what's everyone trying to dance that's what he tries
                                         
                                         to interpretive dance the stick figures.
                                         
    
                                         What do you mean? How are you doing that?
                                         
                                         Are you going to go around like... You see the little stick figures?
                                         
                                         I'm just going to start at the one at 12 o'clock.
                                         
                                         Like that.
                                         
                                         So you start the one at 12 o'clock.
                                         
                                         And then up.
                                         
                                         And then again.
                                         
                                         And then straight. And then down. And then up.
                                         
    
                                         So hang on. you start the one
                                         
                                         at 12 o'clock position which one do you do the shapes for me Kim do them do them
                                         
                                         in person so you do it in order in the order that you do it why do you start
                                         
                                         12 why do you start there there's there's two lines. This is right at the top. Well, I'm going to pause you for a second there.
                                         
                                         That goes through.
                                         
                                         I'm going to pause you for a second there.
                                         
                                         He's just doing it at 12 and then going to 1 and then 3 and then...
                                         
                                         Yep.
                                         
    
                                         I'm going to stop you right there, Kim,
                                         
                                         because as Dog's Body starts doing this dance,
                                         
                                         starting with this and then doing like this,
                                         
                                         and like doing all the orders,
                                         
                                         in the story you described,
                                         
                                         you hear a crackle in the air nearby.
                                         
                                         Oh, no! Fizzy!
                                         
                                         Something appears.
                                         
    
                                         Uh-oh.
                                         
                                         In the air, popping out of existence,
                                         
                                         a blue-scaled dragon crackles to life
                                         
                                         and bellows the words,
                                         
                                         wrong.
                                         
                                         And we are going to roll initiative.
                                         
                                         Oh.
                                         
                                         I was like, does this thing attack them?
                                         
    
                                         Yes, it does.
                                         
                                         Okay, then.
                                         
                                         Fuck sake.
                                         
                                         A dragon.
                                         
                                         Dude, listen.
                                         
                                         I don't think they're actually dancing.
                                         
                                         So this is now, I think this means now that Tom and Kim
                                         
                                         have both put a dragon on the party at some point in our DNA lives.
                                         
    
                                         I cannot believe that dancing and that's why i was
                                         
                                         joking i was joking it's like this it's almost like you have to do the dance in a certain order
                                         
                                         in the yeah i didn't even know that dancing was a thing why'd you start well i was being
                                         
                                         lovable i was being lovable and irreverent oh i need to put arena on the board
                                         
                                         and now i'm just dead it's just a blue dragon
                                         
                                         it's not the biggest dragon you've ever seen unbelievable we've seen dragons well you've heard dragons. Argenvostolt. Argenvostolt.
                                         
                                         Argenvostolt.
                                         
                                         Where is it? Argenvostolt.
                                         
    
                                         Where's my face?
                                         
                                         I'm...
                                         
                                         Unbelievable.
                                         
                                         Right.
                                         
                                         Ziki, initiative, please.
                                         
                                         18.
                                         
                                         18 total.
                                         
                                         Nice.
                                         
    
                                         Jasper?
                                         
                                         14.
                                         
                                         14.
                                         
                                         Roz?
                                         
                                         17.
                                         
                                         Oh, 17.
                                         
                                         17.
                                         
                                         17. 17. 17. 17. 14. Rose?
                                         
    
                                         17.
                                         
                                         Oh, 17.
                                         
                                         Zeros, very good initiatives.
                                         
                                         8.
                                         
                                         That's what I was waiting for.
                                         
                                         Buddy.
                                         
                                         Arena is 14.
                                         
                                         15, sorry.
                                         
    
                                         Dog's Buddy.
                                         
                                         8.
                                         
                                         8 as well?
                                         
                                         What's your dex, Dog's body, versus Zeros's?
                                         
                                         I'll bump you up one.
                                         
                                         My dex is salty. I have a salty dex.
                                         
                                         I have
                                         
                                         12, so plus 1 dex.
                                         
    
                                         I'm so salty right now.
                                         
                                         I can't believe.
                                         
                                         So Dog's body is faster.
                                         
                                         Way so slowly. Can't believe. Okay, so dog's body's faster. Yeah.
                                         
                                         Way so slowly.
                                         
                                         Let me dance.
                                         
                                         Right.
                                         
                                         Well, Ziki Mistan, who is stood at the door,
                                         
    
                                         technically dog's body would be next to you.
                                         
                                         Perfect.
                                         
                                         Yep, you've mentioned that.
                                         
                                         The rest of you are checking out the wagon.
                                         
                                         What would you like to do as this dragon bellows this word,
                                         
                                         like, wrong, and its wings fold out
                                         
                                         and lightning begins to crackle in its mouth and it's going to attack
                                         
                                         what would you like to do i would like to cast bless at level one and then run behind the wagon
                                         
    
                                         please who are you kind of been blessed on uh a dog's body uh who my tugs have i got one additional
                                         
                                         target it's about three dog's body yes but burn roast yeah i was gonna say because you need to see the targets and you can't currently see xeros so okay dog's body yes but rose you
                                         
                                         have bless and then move uh can you move yourself um ziki you should be able to so just position
                                         
                                         yourself one square is five feet uh so you rush behind the wagon perfect uh rose
                                         
                                         the wagon perfect uh rose i am going to also uh run behind round to tahir at the wagon and i'm going to uh ready an action if it attacks to shoot it.
                                         
                                         Please. But I would like to
                                         
                                         say to everyone,
                                         
                                         if we figure out the puzzle, do you think it will go?
                                         
    
                                         I don't know.
                                         
                                         Maybe.
                                         
                                         Right.
                                         
                                         Anything else from
                                         
                                         Rose?
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
    
                                         I need to sorry i'm a little bit disorganized today um
                                         
                                         curse of strahd campaign irena there we go did bless work then uh no in fact very good point thank you tom hazel i am very out of it today when you cast a spell it doesn't work
                                         
                                         i completely yeah just like when yes but tried to cast a spell it didn't function i thank you tom
                                         
                                         no no very very well done um it doesn't apply yep yep yep yep yep so yeah it doesn't work. The spell doesn't work. I cannot do anything now.
                                         
                                         Oh no!
                                         
                                         Oh no!
                                         
                                         I mean, 90% of the spells you cast fail in some way anyway.
                                         
                                         That's true!
                                         
    
                                         Wow!
                                         
                                         That also massively helps because Irina was about to cast a spell as well,
                                         
                                         which I'm like, oh, yep, she would see that both of these spells have failed.
                                         
                                         How big is this field?
                                         
                                         She will speak out.
                                         
                                         She will
                                         
                                         call out to
                                         
                                         Jesper.
                                         
    
                                         No, to Dog's Body.
                                         
                                         Dog's Body, you summoned this thing.
                                         
                                         Do something. I'm sure you can figure it out.
                                         
                                         And she will bardic inspiration you
                                         
                                         I'm not gonna come up with a
                                         
                                         She starts singing a lovely song there you go bardic inspiration on dog's body
                                         
                                         bonus action for her action she will take the dodge action and she will join the
                                         
                                         Zekian Rose behind the wagon
                                         
    
                                         Zeke and Rose behind the wagon.
                                         
                                         Squad.
                                         
                                         Dragon squad.
                                         
                                         Jesper.
                                         
                                         Jesper will use his bonus action to draw his sun sword.
                                         
                                         And he will hold his action.
                                         
                                         Kind of backing up.
                                         
                                         Oh, God.
                                         
    
                                         Oh, God.
                                         
                                         Are you moving the map?
                                         
                                         I think so. Oh, Quake! I'll move, I'll back up towards the wagon.
                                         
                                         Yeah, you might be on the wrong level. You should be on the token layer.
                                         
                                         Layer level, yeah, token layer.
                                         
                                         That's so weird!
                                         
                                         Anyway, I'm gonna back up towards Zeroseros the wagon, just kind of drawing the sun sword
                                         
                                         looking at the dragon and I'll hold my
                                         
    
                                         action. If it comes anywhere near
                                         
                                         Ismark, I will do my
                                         
                                         attack on it
                                         
                                         Okay, sure
                                         
                                         Okay then
                                         
                                         Dog's body
                                         
                                         I will I am so salty right now
                                         
                                         I cannot believe that Bustin
                                         
    
                                         being an adorable little pup
                                         
                                         Bustin that little dance move
                                         
                                         has got me into this shit
                                         
                                         no more joy that's what Mark says
                                         
                                         having listened to Tatiana
                                         
                                         can Dogspotty hurriedly
                                         
                                         He's just looking around like
                                         
                                         What? And then look at the thing again
                                         
    
                                         Can I start dancing again
                                         
                                         But this time starting with
                                         
                                         Okay it's going to be a 50-50 chance
                                         
                                         Can I start with a gesture that's
                                         
                                         Yeah using an action to
                                         
                                         Okay go on
                                         
                                         Which ones do you do?
                                         
                                         Okay so it's going to be 50- right? Can I start at 11 o'clock?
                                         
    
                                         So the one that's like upright like that with the arms facing up. What's the next one you do?
                                         
                                         You do you do the arm positions six o'clock?
                                         
                                         But I might be mirrored so I don't know I think am I mirrored I think I think she's married
                                         
                                         So it might be easier to do clock positions
                                         
                                         Am I mirrored?
                                         
                                         I think she's mirrored, so it might be easier to do clock positions as we're looking at it. Yeah, that's fine.
                                         
                                         I'll take it.
                                         
                                         Okay, so you do that one.
                                         
    
                                         So following the line down to 6 o'clock, and then following the line up to 12 o'clock,
                                         
                                         so arms outstretched.
                                         
                                         Yep.
                                         
                                         Next one.
                                         
                                         And then going to the one at...
                                         
                                         What's that, 9?
                                         
                                         Arms down.
                                         
                                         9 o'clock, yep.
                                         
    
                                         Arms up, so that o'clock. Yep. Arms up. So,
                                         
                                         that o'clock.
                                         
                                         Arms up and down again.
                                         
                                         So, the one at two o'clock.
                                         
                                         And then straight out again.
                                         
                                         And then back down.
                                         
                                         Oh, it's wrong, isn't it?
                                         
                                         It's wrong.
                                         
    
                                         That's his little wrong face.
                                         
                                         Is body conspiration going to help me?
                                         
                                         Do you want it to use it?
                                         
                                         What do you want to use it on?
                                         
                                         What are you doing?
                                         
                                         I don't know.
                                         
                                         What kind of role are you making?
                                         
                                         I don't like your face right now.
                                         
    
                                         I don't like that you're taking ages to read it,
                                         
                                         because it's going to be wrong.
                                         
                                         So you finish...
                                         
                                         Which one do you finish in?
                                         
                                         It's like arms down.
                                         
                                         It's like the finishing one
                                         
                                         i'm down like so dog's body's standing there as this dragon looms up behind in fact actually no
                                         
                                         the dragon rears its wings up and you can see that in its mouth it's building up this bolt of
                                         
    
                                         lightning straight for the wagon where the three uh ziki Rose, and Irina are currently hiding behind as if it's just gonna blast through the wagon.
                                         
                                         And as Dog's body kind of...
                                         
                                         You hear...
                                         
                                         The dragon just
                                         
                                         turns to mist, and the doors open.
                                         
                                         Oh god!
                                         
                                         Nice work!
                                         
                                         Yes!
                                         
    
                                         She gets us into it, She gets us out of it
                                         
                                         As soon as Kim said
                                         
                                         Yeah I'm gonna do the little funny dance
                                         
                                         I'll do this one and I'll do this one
                                         
                                         I was like okay
                                         
                                         Sure sure sure
                                         
                                         Well in my defence
                                         
                                         Dog's body is
                                         
    
                                         Yeah I was going off of what Tom was saying,
                                         
                                         just being like, this is going to be cute.
                                         
                                         This is going to be a cute moment, everybody.
                                         
                                         Like, it's going to be a spell or something.
                                         
                                         And then, like, I would like to point out, though,
                                         
                                         in RP terms, Dog's Body is minus one wisdom.
                                         
                                         So he would literally just be like,
                                         
                                         oh, shapes.
                                         
    
                                         He's going to throw some shapes.
                                         
                                         It's fair.
                                         
                                         He would have.
                                         
                                         I'm happy to announce the door opens.
                                         
                                         We beat the door, guys.
                                         
                                         We did it.
                                         
                                         I'm just standing looking at nothing
                                         
                                         with a sun sword ready
                                         
    
                                         to attack the dragon that's no longer there.
                                         
                                         What?
                                         
                                         I am...
                                         
                                         I think I may have soiled myself.
                                         
                                         You do begin to hear shuffling coming from the woods
                                         
                                         as the sun sword's illumination
                                         
                                         is like a beacon in the night.
                                         
                                         Get in.
                                         
    
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         I may have...
                                         
                                         Everybody just rushes
                                         
                                         into the room, yeah?
                                         
                                         Well, I'll describe the room to you as you are all
                                         
                                         rushing into it and then you can decide if you still want to
                                         
                                         shut the door. The flagstone
                                         
                                         floor is strewn with debris,
                                         
    
                                         and a few old crates stand near the east wall.
                                         
                                         A torn curtain to the south partially obscures the tower vestibule.
                                         
                                         A five-foot square indentation in the center of the floor
                                         
                                         contains four pulleys attached to taut iron chains that stretch
                                         
                                         up through a similarly sized hole
                                         
                                         in the rotted wooden ceiling.
                                         
                                         Standing next to the
                                         
                                         chains are four
                                         
    
                                         tall, powerful
                                         
                                         clay statues.
                                         
                                         Do you all head inside the
                                         
                                         tower and shut the door?
                                         
                                         Your statues are better than Strahd.
                                         
                                         That's true.
                                         
                                         Dog's body is not
                                         
                                         moving. He is like decidedly
                                         
    
                                         just not, just yet,
                                         
                                         he's just standing still,
                                         
                                         he's just, he's not making eye contact
                                         
                                         with anything.
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         I'm not doing anything.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         As I go past Dog's body, I'll like
                                         
    
                                         pat him on the shoulder.
                                         
                                         You won, somehow.
                                         
                                         Follow us.
                                         
                                         Okay. When everybody enters,
                                         
                                         you see that on the back of the door
                                         
                                         there are handles that can push the door
                                         
                                         closed. Ismark does so
                                         
                                         and you hear a loud click
                                         
    
                                         as the the stone seemed to interlocks and it becomes solid once more and you are now stood
                                         
                                         in a very small room with these four tall clay statues and that is really it apart from this
                                         
                                         pulley these pulleys and chains and this you know five foot um kind of hole in the ceiling, that's all you can see.
                                         
                                         What is this place?
                                         
                                         I've done the first bit.
                                         
                                         You guys can do the rest.
                                         
                                         Jesper is baffled by this and doesn't know anything.
                                         
                                         I don't really care if you know about the elevator.
                                         
    
                                         It's fine.
                                         
                                         It's very clearly some sort of elevator elevator goes up yeah there's like four chains that are connected um around this five foot it is like a five foot uh indentation these creatures are all
                                         
                                         stood in front of these chains um and there is a exact same sized hole in the ceiling as the floor indentation.
                                         
                                         And these chains seem to link up.
                                         
                                         It's an elevator.
                                         
                                         I'm really smart.
                                         
                                         I got that on my own.
                                         
                                         How does it work?
                                         
    
                                         Only one of you can go up at a time, though.
                                         
                                         Because it's only five foot.
                                         
                                         What kind of positions are the statues?
                                         
                                         Like, what kind of poses are they making?
                                         
                                         Arms down by the side.
                                         
                                         Just arms down by the side, not doing anything.
                                         
                                         Humanoid?
                                         
                                         They're vaguely humanoid, but androgynous.
                                         
    
                                         Like, just shapeless humanoid forms, but that's really it.
                                         
                                         No features, no faces, just arms, muscles.
                                         
                                         Have a closer look at them.
                                         
                                         See if there's any things like switches on them or anything or buttons.
                                         
                                         Something like that.
                                         
                                         You look around them.
                                         
                                         Are you touching them or are you just kind of looking,
                                         
                                         like walking around them?
                                         
    
                                         Sort of looking around, yeah, examining them.
                                         
                                         You don't see any switches or anything like that.
                                         
                                         You don't see any kind of switches or levers or buttons.
                                         
                                         They don't even seem to have mouths.
                                         
                                         They're just faceless, like nothing in their faces.
                                         
                                         They have heads but no features.
                                         
                                         Well, who wants to try it first?
                                         
                                         One of you should go on first, just in case there's something up there
                                         
    
                                         well i've got the sound sword oh zeros goes in yeah zeros as soon as you stand on that middle
                                         
                                         bit and you kind of think i want to go up the four statues their arms suddenly to the chains and they start and you begin to rise up um how high do you want to go
                                         
                                         you can see that there's at least uh one two three fours uh that you can go to above you
                                         
                                         uh i mean i'll go for the first floor and just see what's on there and slowly right
                                         
                                         yeah okay so the first floor,
                                         
                                         the flagstone for,
                                         
                                         no,
                                         
                                         that's what I'm reading.
                                         
    
                                         American floors.
                                         
                                         I always get confused.
                                         
                                         Dust and cobwebs fills this otherwise empty room.
                                         
                                         The wooden floor of which is badly rotted and partially collapsed.
                                         
                                         So up,
                                         
                                         up you go.
                                         
                                         Zeros.
                                         
                                         If I step off the elevator,
                                         
    
                                         does it go down again? If I step off the elevator, does it go down again?
                                         
                                         Do you step off the elevator?
                                         
                                         I mean, yeah, because I kind of want to bring everyone up floor by floor
                                         
                                         and just see what happens.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         As soon as you step off, yes, the elevator goes down.
                                         
                                         This floor is clear.
                                         
                                         We can get everyone up one by one okay I
                                         
    
                                         don't like trots face though okay next spit fucking harsh that's a weekly
                                         
                                         problem right sorry I don't know why I just spurted that there. I just don't like your face!
                                         
                                         All of a sudden, after all this time, I hate his face!
                                         
                                         It's so funny looking, innit?
                                         
                                         I'll go up next.
                                         
                                         I just had to get it out there.
                                         
                                         How much do you weigh, Zeros?
                                         
                                         You're like a big guy, right?
                                         
    
                                         Okay, there's the reason.
                                         
                                         I mean, I'm a big dragonborn wearing heavy armor and a massive
                                         
                                         200 pounds uh give or take okay i don't know what that's equal to
                                         
                                         uh yes yes but right perfect yes but you make your way up to the first floor um do you step off
                                         
                                         yeah opposite okay opposite as soon as you step opposite uh you hear the what was it i described
                                         
                                         it as uh the badly rotted and partially collapsed floor of this uh room collapses beneath you you
                                         
                                         both plummet 20 feet can you uh well you're just going to take damage i think um do you want to
                                         
                                         actually make acrobatics checks acrobatics checks reduce the damage nice minus two zero on me wow yeah yes we'll land on you
                                         
    
                                         yeah he was like well let's see how his acrobatics does oh i land under the elevator natural 20 27.
                                         
                                         so yes actually jasper falls um you're only going to take three bludgeoning damage yes but you just
                                         
                                         kind of land a bit badly um you can see that you're going to land on dog's body so you kind of twist your body
                                         
                                         to kind of angle yourself so you don't accidentally you know slap him in the face or kick him or
                                         
                                         anything um xeros you land badly knocked prone you take six points of bludgeoning damage as you just
                                         
                                         slam into the ground shoulder first land on uh nothing you just land on stone
                                         
                                         just insta killed
                                         
                                         it's gonna say it's likely yeah i just spin around the sunsault
                                         
    
                                         Chop my head off! I'm cool.
                                         
                                         Whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp.
                                         
                                         Like a Jedi.
                                         
                                         Is everyone all right?
                                         
                                         Sorry.
                                         
                                         We should have really known that.
                                         
                                         Jesper, that floor was going to go in minutes or moments.
                                         
                                         You just happened to come up at the wrong time.
                                         
    
                                         That floor was not going to hold Zeros' weight for much longer.
                                         
                                         Okay, that floor
                                         
                                         is very clear.
                                         
                                         I can try the
                                         
                                         second floor.
                                         
                                         It doesn't exist anymore, so yeah.
                                         
                                         Exactly. Can we take someone
                                         
                                         lighter, perhaps?
                                         
    
                                         Maybe
                                         
                                         Zeki should go up. She looks like the lightest of all of us.
                                         
                                         I like that Zeki is go up, she looks like the lightest of all of us. No she can't. I like that Zeki looks like Dragonborn.
                                         
                                         Okay, yeah.
                                         
                                         No, Zeki's quite thin, she's tall, but she's, especially since she's, like, come back, she's gauntly thin.
                                         
                                         But she's also, no offence to Rhi, she's also very low AC, very low health Zeki.
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Going up on her own
                                         
    
                                         high risk high reward
                                         
                                         are you going up Ziki?
                                         
                                         I can go if you want
                                         
                                         you son of a bitch
                                         
                                         Ziki goes on
                                         
                                         do you go up all the way
                                         
                                         or are you going to go to the third floor Ziki?
                                         
                                         I will try the third floor.
                                         
    
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         Time and the elements have all but destroyed this chamber,
                                         
                                         leaving a gash in the northwest wall and slimy-backed black mildew on the walls. The wooden floor is completely rotted and has begun to fall away in places.
                                         
                                         Not liking this floor. rotted and has begun to fall away in places. Hmm.
                                         
                                         Not liking this floor.
                                         
                                         Not liking this one.
                                         
                                         Do you want to go up again?
                                         
                                         Yes, please. Let's go up one more, please.
                                         
    
                                         Shall we travel up one more?
                                         
                                         Unlike the levels below,
                                         
                                         this room shows signs
                                         
                                         of recent habitations.
                                         
                                         And although the place reeks of
                                         
                                         mould and mildew, it has plenty of creature comforts,
                                         
                                         including a cosy bed, a desk with matching chair, bright tapestries, an iron stove with
                                         
                                         plenty of wood to feed it. Light enters through arrow slits, as well as through dirt-caked windows
                                         
    
                                         with broken shutters. Other features of the room include a standing suit of armour and a wooden chest.
                                         
                                         Old wooden rafters
                                         
                                         bend under the weight of the tower
                                         
                                         roof, which has somehow remained
                                         
                                         intact. Mounted to the rafters
                                         
                                         are pulleys, around which hang
                                         
                                         iron chains that support the elevator
                                         
                                         platform.
                                         
    
                                         Um,
                                         
                                         I'll, I guess
                                         
                                         I'll step off here, and then I'll just shout down
                                         
                                         come all the way to the top
                                         
                                         don't go to the next floor
                                         
                                         it looks pretty bad
                                         
                                         but this one looks like there's someone living in it
                                         
                                         there's someone there
                                         
    
                                         there's no one here right now
                                         
                                         I don't think
                                         
                                         okay
                                         
                                         wants to go sure There's no one here right now, I don't think. Okay. No, it doesn't seem to be... What's the goal?
                                         
                                         Sure.
                                         
                                         I'll go on.
                                         
                                         Okay, Rose, you go all the way up to the top.
                                         
                                         You see the same thing.
                                         
    
                                         Mm-hmm.
                                         
                                         A little cosy room.
                                         
                                         Yeah, you guys can all make your way up.
                                         
                                         There's nothing...
                                         
                                         Nothing's going to happen.
                                         
                                         So you guys make your way up to the top.
                                         
                                         Boop, boop, boop, boop. i'm stuck under yes bro oh sorry hang on i've
                                         
                                         put his mark too close to zero so he wouldn't do that um what don't stand so close to me
                                         
    
                                         yeah you guys make you guys all make your way up to the top and yeah you find this cozy looking room uh neat there's no space for the dog's body
                                         
                                         oh sorry i forgot to bring the dog's body up um yeah you see this uh exactly what i described
                                         
                                         before cozy bed oven suit of armor uh desk with a chair uh wooden chest bed would you guys yeah the other is loud right when we
                                         
                                         were doing it it's pretty loud it's like squeaky kind of like pulleys like shake
                                         
                                         big rattly change who was here who's using this tower it looks like the person whose wagon is outside
                                         
                                         the door said Kazan on it maybe maybe that's the person's name
                                         
                                         Kazan you say the word Kazan yes but well you see he already said it oh that's true Zeke he said it and Zeke
                                         
                                         is stood in the right place Zeke when you say the word Kazan the armor and it Hello. Hello. Uh...
                                         
    
                                         Uh...
                                         
                                         I...
                                         
                                         Are you Kazand?
                                         
                                         Are you...
                                         
                                         Well, it's not doing anything bad, I guess.
                                         
                                         No.
                                         
                                         Do the dance. Do the dance.
                                         
                                         Do the dance again.
                                         
    
                                         I don't know how it goes.
                                         
                                         You were the one who was good at it.
                                         
                                         There was a lot of arm stuff, but I'd do it wrong.
                                         
                                         I was pissing myself while I was doing it.
                                         
                                         I can't remember.
                                         
                                         Maybe if we both do it together,
                                         
                                         we might be able to channel the same dance if we just combo it.
                                         
                                         You guys dance and nothing.
                                         
    
                                         The suit of armor just looks in Ziki's direction.
                                         
                                         I mean, obviously you can't.
                                         
                                         It's got like a thin slit in its helm that you assume are its eyes.
                                         
                                         It's just looking at Ziki.
                                         
                                         I wave at it.
                                         
                                         Give it a little wave.
                                         
                                         No, it doesn't wait no uh
                                         
                                         what's everyone else doing why ziki is freaking out over the armour? I'm freaking out!
                                         
    
                                         Yes, but we'll be freaking out over the armour as well.
                                         
                                         Yeah, sure. I mean, you can all freak out over the armour if you like.
                                         
                                         Yeah, we're probably all just looking at it.
                                         
                                         Sure.
                                         
                                         Maybe ask her, do you want to do something?
                                         
                                         Can I, like, walk up to it?
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Everyone's a bit away from it, I almost want to walk close to it and just see what it does.
                                         
    
                                         It doesn't do anything. In fact, actually, it'd have to be
                                         
                                         next to it because it's moved up to
                                         
                                         Zeke. I forgot it's going to be.
                                         
                                         Like wave in front of his face?
                                         
                                         Yeah, you wave
                                         
                                         in front of its face. It doesn't do anything.
                                         
                                         It just looks in Zeke's direction.
                                         
                                         Ah. Ah. see if it will do anything
                                         
    
                                         Ziki
                                         
                                         seems to be
                                         
                                         walk to
                                         
                                         the oven
                                         
                                         it walks to the oven
                                         
                                         my arena has to move out the way walk to the oven. It walks to the oven.
                                         
                                         My arena has to move out the way.
                                         
                                         It doesn't, it literally will shove Rose and my arena out the way if they don't move.
                                         
    
                                         Like, it just begins moving them out the way,
                                         
                                         and as soon as there's no resistance, it just pushes past them,
                                         
                                         and it moves to the oven, turns around, looks in your direction.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         Zeke, tell it to dance oh can you dance it just begins sort of twisting it's like awkward
                                         
                                         body and like moving its arms up and down in this really like it's doing its best to do what it thinks the dance is.
                                         
                                         Good idea, good idea. It doesn't stop. It doesn't stop dancing.
                                         
                                         Oh. Oh, you can stop, you can stop.
                                         
    
                                         It stops.
                                         
                                         Does it have any weapons or is it just armour?
                                         
                                         It's just armour. Doesn't seem to have any weapons on it.
                                         
                                         Cool.
                                         
                                         It's got these. Fucking A and fucking B.
                                         
                                         Death, Troy. It's got these. Fucking A and fucking B. Dirt Detroit.
                                         
                                         This is pretty neat, but it doesn't belong to us.
                                         
                                         And now it's just going to...
                                         
    
                                         I'm worried that it's just going to follow us around.
                                         
                                         It's listening to you.
                                         
                                         It's following your orders.
                                         
                                         Can I poke its helmet and see what it does?
                                         
                                         Nothing.
                                         
                                         Do you mind?
                                         
                                         I'm gonna like put my hands either side of its helmet.
                                         
                                         Look at Ziki.
                                         
    
                                         Alright, I'll pull off the helmet and see what's inside.
                                         
                                         So when you go to pull the helmet off you
                                         
                                         feel resistance like a creature's there and it immediately grabs your hands and begins squeezing
                                         
                                         your wrists magic it's
                                         
                                         Listen magic didn't work here. I don't understand how this this thing can move but our spells do not work
                                         
                                         Maybe whoever put this here also put in the defenses
                                         
                                         Maybe there are some clues as to who lives here, in this chest or
                                         
                                         something like that. Yes, let's
                                         
    
                                         look around, everybody. Look for clues.
                                         
                                         Anything.
                                         
                                         Zeke, ask the armor to find who lives here.
                                         
                                         Find the
                                         
                                         owner of this place.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         It goes,
                                         
                                         it stands on the elevator.
                                         
    
                                         And it goes,
                                         
                                         starts going down.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         I think it's gonna leave, Zeki.
                                         
                                         I think it has left.
                                         
                                         Call it back.
                                         
                                         You hear it get off the elevator.
                                         
                                         Come back, come back.
                                         
    
                                         It starts coming back.
                                         
                                         Okay, okay.
                                         
                                         But...
                                         
                                         We could use this to get to the owner.
                                         
                                         If we wanted to.
                                         
                                         Yes.
                                         
                                         Let's hope the owner's not Strahd.
                                         
                                         Though.
                                         
    
                                         Mmm.
                                         
                                         How...
                                         
                                         How long has it looked like this place has been
                                         
                                         left for?
                                         
                                         Like, with the oven and stuff, is there still, like, warm coals?
                                         
                                         Or is it like it's been left for a long time?
                                         
                                         There's no warm coals.
                                         
                                         There's stacks of wood.
                                         
    
                                         So it looks like somebody could stay here for quite a while.
                                         
                                         There's only the one bed.
                                         
                                         There's no food.
                                         
                                         The only thing which really shows signs of any age is there's mold and mildew in the corners, which must have built up over some time.
                                         
                                         But it looks like maybe that's been here for a while, but things like the bed has clearly been slept in recently.
                                         
                                         Um, the stove hasn't been used, but the bed's been slept in.
                                         
                                         You can see the chair, there's like scrape marks where the chair's been moved out of the way.
                                         
                                         It's been dusted, like there's no dust on anything. Um, gotta look around the chair. There's like scrape marks where the chair's been moved out of the way. It's been dusted. Like there's no dust on anything.
                                         
    
                                         Got to look around the room.
                                         
                                         Everything looks recent.
                                         
                                         Yes, but as you look around the room,
                                         
                                         the only thing you can really notice,
                                         
                                         a thing that kind of strikes you as unusual,
                                         
                                         is there is a heavy, heavy lavender smell coming from the chest.
                                         
                                         I'll inspect the chest
                                         
                                         further.
                                         
    
                                         Yeah, hang on.
                                         
                                         Give me a second.
                                         
                                         Yeah, the chest
                                         
                                         does appear to be locked.
                                         
                                         Not too complicated.
                                         
                                         Kind of a simple
                                         
                                         lock. Easily picked.
                                         
                                         But yeah, it's kind of wooden and yeah there's like a heavy scent of lavender coming from it um i think i found something
                                         
    
                                         uh and i'll try and it's locked though simple lock i might be able to get into it unless one of you has more skills lock picking i could hit it with my fix um yeah i mean that's my picking as well
                                         
                                         i'll inspect the lock yeah all right yeah just i mean are you looking for like traps
                                         
                                         you make an investigation check if
                                         
                                         you like uh i don't think i was actually looking for traps to be honest yes i just kind of dove in
                                         
                                         because of the lavender smell and uh yeah nothing bad recklessly just physically looking at the lock
                                         
                                         before someone takes over to pick it yeah i mean still make an investigation check if you're
                                         
                                         looking at the lock you're examining it enough to warrant a sort of investigation check 18 18 yeah you uh examine it
                                         
                                         it doesn't look like that there's anything unusual about it it just looks like a pretty basic lock
                                         
    
                                         something that yeah somebody could try and pick lock or somebody who is sufficiently strong enough
                                         
                                         could probably just rip it off
                                         
                                         or like break it off with their weapon.
                                         
                                         It's just like a little padlock, really.
                                         
                                         It seems regular. Go ahead.
                                         
                                         I'll stand back so that they can, whoever
                                         
                                         can destroy it
                                         
                                         or unlock it.
                                         
    
                                         That was Rose, right?
                                         
                                         Well, I would be picking the lock. I wouldn't be
                                         
                                         just hitting the thing off. I would be hitting the lock. I wouldn't be just hitting the thing off.
                                         
                                         I would be hitting the thing off.
                                         
                                         Yeah, me too.
                                         
                                         Do you want to try that? You're probably stronger. I'm not particularly well-versed.
                                         
                                         How about Zeros and I both just smash it to tiny pieces?
                                         
                                         No, just hit the lock.
                                         
    
                                         If I put my sword on it and you hit the top of my sword, like a hammer and chisel.
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Okay.
                                         
                                         I'll hit it with my face.
                                         
                                         I mean, what?
                                         
                                         Yeah, just give me a strength check, really.
                                         
                                         Whoever's going to break it open.
                                         
                                         Tom, you and me.
                                         
    
                                         Raw strength.
                                         
                                         D20 plus strength.
                                         
                                         Just you do it.
                                         
                                         You both go to hit the chest, but you hit each other instead.
                                         
                                         You just, yeah.
                                         
                                         If you're helping each other, you can make it with advantage.
                                         
                                         You don't want to get blown up,
                                         
                                         do you, Tom? Like, this is it.
                                         
    
                                         You've seen what happens to Dog's Body in the door.
                                         
                                         You're just like, you do it, Dog's Body.
                                         
                                         I don't want this to blow up in my face.
                                         
                                         It was Rose saying, I'm going to lockpick it.
                                         
                                         That is where I'm confused.
                                         
                                         And now you're saying you're going to hit it, and now everyone's everyone's saying tom why aren't you doing it well yes for saying that it could easily just
                                         
                                         be hit but you may as well just do that it sounds like it'll be quicker 13 i hit it 13 yeah it's
                                         
                                         enough like you feel the little brass lock snap um comes cleanly off a bit of the chest. And yeah, it's open.
                                         
    
                                         Awesome.
                                         
                                         Took way too long.
                                         
                                         It did take a long time.
                                         
                                         I'm going to make such a laugh out of this.
                                         
                                         I'm scarred by the door.
                                         
                                         The door summoned a dragon.
                                         
                                         Whilst you are discussing this, Jesper, you pop the chest open
                                         
                                         and immediately there's like a visceral reaction as you look in
                                         
    
                                         and you are looking at your own severed head that looks,
                                         
                                         it has your face, your hair.
                                         
                                         The rest of you see a Vistani man's head, but it's not Jesper's.
                                         
                                         It looks like a young Vistani man's head, but it's not Jesper's. It looks like
                                         
                                         a young Vistani man's severed
                                         
                                         head. The stump has been
                                         
                                         wrapped in like a cloth and tightly
                                         
                                         bound with leather around the neck.
                                         
    
                                         Its mouth is
                                         
                                         open, its eyes are rolled back,
                                         
                                         but it looks very well preserved.
                                         
                                         Jesper,
                                         
                                         your own voice
                                         
                                         comes out of this thing's mouth i failed her she died because of me
                                         
                                         uh i back you know when you classically fall onto your ass and start scrabbling away
                                         
                                         yes you bump into the suit of armor uh like you... next to it as it's just standing behind you
                                         
    
                                         and you have to scrabble around behind it.
                                         
                                         No.
                                         
                                         What is this?
                                         
                                         Trickery.
                                         
                                         When you look again, it's not your head.
                                         
                                         It's just a Vistani.
                                         
                                         But it's a Vistani man's.
                                         
                                         As far as I saw, he just saw a Vistani head
                                         
    
                                         so I can understand the reaction even still.
                                         
                                         Some sort of evil magic.
                                         
                                         What would someone do such a thing?
                                         
                                         Strahd's done that to me before.
                                         
                                         Strahd's made me see a body that looked odd.
                                         
                                         It was my face.
                                         
                                         Did that happen to you there?
                                         
                                         Yes, it spoke this place is messing with me as still yes I had in a box yeah very very ominous as you guys as yes for is dealing with this I
                                         
    
                                         think who's got what sir who's got the highest passive perception? I think it's rose right roses got a high one
                                         
                                         Pp for sure
                                         
                                         Pp yeah, what's everyone's people roses 15 roses a PP of 15? I haven't anyone got high
                                         
                                         9 oh, yes, he's minuscule 14 for Ziki
                                         
                                         alright As you guys are for Ziki. Alright.
                                         
                                         As you guys are there,
                                         
                                         Ziki and Rose,
                                         
                                         you begin to hear,
                                         
    
                                         coming from outside the tower, probably rushing along the causeway
                                         
                                         towards the tower, you begin
                                         
                                         to hear the frantic galloping
                                         
                                         of hooves against stone.
                                         
                                         Like proper, somebody
                                         
                                         is sprinting a horse
                                         
                                         as fast as they can
                                         
                                         along the causeway then closely behind you can hear what sounds like howling wind like rushing
                                         
    
                                         wind and a very dark like an inhalation like a scream that inhales breath rather than expels it like a
                                         
                                         two of them echoing
                                         
                                         behind the horse hooves.
                                         
                                         The Nazgul
                                         
                                         are here.
                                         
                                         There are little arrow slit windows
                                         
                                         in the tower, which is what you're
                                         
                                         hearing these through, these kind of like open
                                         
    
                                         arrow slit windows.
                                         
                                         Can I look at one of the windows?
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Yes, but you are just still this dead Vistani.
                                         
                                         You don't recognize them.
                                         
                                         You're a dead Vistani.
                                         
                                         Maybe part of the camp near Vallaki,
                                         
                                         the one that you didn't know too well,
                                         
    
                                         the folks that live there.
                                         
                                         Not part of Madame Ava's lot, but maybe one of theirs.
                                         
                                         But yeah, doesn't seem too familiar.
                                         
                                         But yeah, Rose and Zeki, when you rush over to the windows,
                                         
                                         you glance down and rushing along the causeway is a figure.
                                         
                                         They're cloaked and hooded.
                                         
                                         You can't see who they are or what they are.
                                         
                                         Riding a black stallion that is on the verge of collapse.
                                         
    
                                         This horse must have been running for hours without a rest.
                                         
                                         It's going to collapse and probably die the second it stops running.
                                         
                                         Wow.
                                         
                                         And at first you're kind of like, what are they running from?
                                         
                                         You can't see anything on the road chasing them.
                                         
                                         And then you look up and descending from the sky
                                         
                                         hooves flaming are two black horses galloping through the air they make no noise but the
                                         
                                         flaming manes and flaming tails extend behind them two dark steeds of flame rushing down towards the figure on horseback,
                                         
    
                                         and the riders on the back of these flaming dark stallions are unlike any creature you have ever
                                         
                                         seen. Dark matted black robes, but their faces elongated with a dark, gaping mouth, glowing green eyes, gnarled, wizened hands clutching the reins.
                                         
                                         One has a long spear made of jagged iron. a barbed flailing whip um both kind of like spinning them around ready for battle um as
                                         
                                         they are trying to gain on this rider who is rushing towards the tower uh what do you guys do
                                         
                                         can we help them can we help them
                                         
                                         i call to the um the group there's there's a group there's a rider
                                         
                                         there's a rider
                                         
                                         you can all now hear
                                         
    
                                         these hoof
                                         
                                         marks against the stone causeway
                                         
                                         the rider is going to be outside
                                         
                                         the tower in seconds
                                         
                                         the two
                                         
                                         nightmarish riders from
                                         
                                         Find the Sky will probably arrive
                                         
                                         at the same time
                                         
    
                                         we can let the rider in and and close behind them i we need to get to the bottom
                                         
                                         at least one of us i i'll go on the elevator well the lift is the elevator still here
                                         
                                         yeah it came back up with the armor.
                                         
                                         So you ride it down.
                                         
                                         It lowers down slowly.
                                         
                                         You hear somebody, you hear a horse whinnying outside. There is deep, heavy horse breaths that become slower and slower.
                                         
                                         You hear the sound of a large body slapping into wet mud.
                                         
                                         The collapse of the horse as it just buckles to the ground
                                         
    
                                         the rider rolls in the mud their cloak being caught under the hood and they tear it free rose
                                         
                                         as you are approaching the door uh the doors just open um and you see this figure holding a hand out
                                         
                                         a symbol carved in blood on their four on their their palm. And when they bring it down,
                                         
                                         it is almost like looking at a twin, but with different, her hair is black and curly,
                                         
                                         her skin a little more tanned than you, but her face, her eyes, the lips, very, very similar.
                                         
                                         She kind of blinks for a second in almost disbelief um as she then rushes you for like
                                         
                                         rushes towards you what do you do uh i will back up towards the wall but i don't mean you any harm
                                         
                                         uh she when she steps inside she doesn't even respond she grabs the doors and
                                         
    
                                         is bringing them to a close as one of these riders on the horse the the nightmare flies down it sticks
                                         
                                         its face into the door and looks towards you and the rider let me just get something up here
                                         
                                         let me just get something up here you can feel rose even though you've backed away from this thing
                                         
                                         its face this this horrid mossy cloak around its gangly form but this elongated mouth these dark
                                         
                                         hollow glowing eyes as it sticks its face into the closing doors. It is like
                                         
                                         looking into the void of
                                         
                                         death itself.
                                         
                                         Can you make a constitution
                                         
    
                                         saving throw for me, Rose?
                                         
                                         The other woman is kind of turning her gaze away
                                         
                                         as she goes to shut the doors.
                                         
                                         Twelve.
                                         
                                         Twelve.
                                         
                                         Oh no. 12. 12. Hmm.
                                         
                                         Oh no.
                                         
                                         You take 16
                                         
    
                                         necrotic damage as you feel
                                         
                                         like your life force is being
                                         
                                         sucked out of the...
                                         
                                         As you hear this...
                                         
                                         As it sucks in your life force,
                                         
                                         the woman calls out,
                                         
                                         No! And slams the doors and presses herself up against them and looks,
                                         
                                         Are you all right?
                                         
    
                                         Are you alive?
                                         
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         What is that?
                                         
                                         Is it going to come in?
                                         
                                         Can we keep it away?
                                         
                                         I don't know.
                                         
                                         Why?
                                         
                                         Why do you look like me?
                                         
    
                                         And she kind of sees you for the first time.
                                         
                                         And that is where we are going to end today's session a little bit early
                                         
                                         but I am going to end it there
                                         
                                         yeah
                                         
                                         why are there dementors
                                         
                                         and someone who looks like Rose
                                         
                                         yeah
                                         
                                         first they were Nazgul
                                         
    
                                         now they're dementors
                                         
                                         it's like it's a Nazgul Dementor.
                                         
                                         Think of that, eh?
                                         
                                         You don't want to. It's not nice.
                                         
                                         Dementor.
                                         
                                         Yes. Yes.
                                         
                                         So I think we're going to end it there.
                                         
                                         I know it's a bit early.
                                         
    
                                         We'll have a little chat and read out donos and stuff.
                                         
                                         But it's just, yeah, I'd like to start with a cool, epic thing next week.
                                         
                                         Yeah, no, that's a good start.
                                         
                                         I mean, a character from a pre-made campaign
                                         
                                         looking like a character that has been made for this campaign?
                                         
                                         It's cool.
                                         
                                         Okay, you sure?
                                         
                                         I like it.
                                         
    
                                         Mark's been doing things.
                                         
                                         I've been doing things.
                                         
                                         Machinations.
                                         
                                         Machinations.
                                         
                                         Good game.
                                         
                                         I'm very pleased, Kim.
                                         
                                         I am very pleased you activated the door wrong. I'm very pleased, Kim. I am very pleased you activated the door wrong.
                                         
                                         I am very pleased by that.
                                         
    
                                         I'm very pleased.
                                         
                                         Chris Trott.
                                         
                                         Chris Trott, he knew.
                                         
                                         Chris Trott was there like,
                                         
                                         I know this fucking power.
                                         
                                         I wasn't even looking at him.
                                         
                                         No, you were just like,
                                         
                                         there's funny symbols.
                                         
    
                                         Yeah.
                                         
                                         Tom said dance
                                         
                                         and I was like that sounds like a fun silly thing
                                         
                                         to do that Doctor Who would do
                                         
                                         Kim it's almost like
                                         
                                         it's almost like the designers
                                         
                                         of D&D know that players
                                         
                                         would go I'm just going to do the silly dance
                                         
    
                                         and then they're like
                                         
                                         what if they do that we'll make a dragon
                                         
                                         appear and then the dragon will fight
                                         
                                         we're going to punish you for having
                                         
                                         any fun and joy in
                                         
                                         Vallaki. I rolled so bad for that
                                         
                                         dragon's initiative and you all got a turn
                                         
                                         before it because otherwise it was going to be like
                                         
    
                                         lightning back. Very lucky.
                                         
                                         I was expecting, yeah.
                                         
                                         I was expecting to be a fried little boy
                                         
                                         before I got to dance.
                                         
                                         Until then then take care
                                         
                                         we love you look after yourselves
                                         
                                         goodbye Thank you.
                                         
