Legends of Avantris - Beneath Dark Wings | Ep. 49 | Hungry Like the Wolf: Part 1

Episode Date: May 30, 2025

The party ventures out with the Count to warn the lands of an invasion...   Gain access to an exclusive campaign, Shroud Over Saltmarsh, over on Patreon: https://legendsofavantris.com/patreon The Crooked Moon, a folk horror supplement for 5e, is available for preorder! Get the Crooked Moon at: https://thecrookedmoon.com/ Watch more D&D adventures in the world of Avantris live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/legendsofavantris Check out our merch store: https://shop.legendsofavantris.com  Join our community on Discord: https://legendsofavantris.com/discord Watch our many campaigns on YouTube: https://legendsofavantris.com/youtube  All other links: https://linktr.ee/legendsofavantris   Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/JkhKcWO6b_4?si=AVka9bl7Ii-cCyWS

Welcome to Legends of Aventress. I'm Mikey Gilder, and you're listening to Beneath Dark Wings. Here's what happened last time. You began the session last time sitting in front of Count Escher Kreskov, Vampire Count. Extraordinaire. Master alchemist and machinist. It's machinist.

Machinist. probably both actually and you asked him for help, you told him you were there from Zern, you basically what the fucking happened last there's only been in three weeks you

you brought the child and he said that he would be in that catatonic state he told you that he could help with the with creating an alchemical brew that could cleanse her of whatever the

the Shadar Kai, the dust gulls of Scephanil, had done to her, but he was basically fresh out of the incredibly potent reagents that grew with the negative energy of the shadow fell that had that seeped into this land. You also requested his help in fighting or an uprising against the Carrion King Vorok, but he seemed very hopeless and said there was no point. He told you his story eventually that he had had a daughter, an adoptive daughter who was a vampire like he was, and that she had become restless. I have in my notes here it says that she took a dark dump. I mean, gift. Sorry.

My handwriting was a lot. I can see that. And that his daughter, Ravanovio, had become restless. And although she had the body of a girl, younger than 10. She was 200 years old, and she had gone restless and gone to something called the Amber

Temple and taken a gift from a dark power there and basically defected and joined the Carian King to become the princess of Scathramil where she utilized

her newly gained dark flesh-shaping powers to help whatever the Carian King was doing. So obviously he's very hopeless. And you go out the next day and manage to conquer your emotions and really realize just how much of a negative energy connection there is to this place, how deeply connected to the shadow fail encountered all sorts of undead and malevolent shadow creatures. You eventually were able to fully replenish his stock. He created a brew and the child was awakened.

The child revealed her name to be Valesca, a 10-year-old Mastani child, from several hundred miles into the south. And she said that she had her howling, and she had then made her way into the woods away from her camp when they were almost returned to their home and suddenly had woke up there. And that was all you knew. You had a feast to celebrate her and make her feel special in her home. And then that evening you all settled down after like bleeding out or something. And it was goofy. Shooting each other with crossbow. Yeah, we basically tried to summon bread.

You summoned bread, you shot each other with a crossbowl. You bled everywhere. And then in the middle of the night, you were ambushed by burrowing undead, spider beel monstrosities and worms who were trying to in case Iris in Webbing and drag her into their burrows. Not on my watch. You managed to smite them. However, Escher had, and then you made your way to the foyer and the whole castle was under

attack. And Escher returning from the dungeon with blood running down his chin, fully rejuvenated, finished off the rest of the attackers. And when you made your way to the child's bedroom, you found that she was gone and a smooth, clung-up burrowing hole in its place. Does that all make sense? I miss anything? Any other questions? No, that's... Where are we? So, I will set the scene.

Bloodbread and Beatles. It's the name of the episode now. That's the name of my new movie. It's perfect. Beatles are really annoying. are standing in the bedroom, the former bedroom of Ravanaughia von Zarvich. You see now that where the child Vlaska has been, there is just an empty bed and a sealed-up hole, a smooth patch on the floor.

As the sounds of the battle with the gargoyles finally finishing off the rest of the undead abominations that had crawled and burrowed through the stone walls and floors of this castle subsiding. Hurry, you hear the loud booming of thunder all around you that shakes the castle. As I feel the storm is roiling and gathering over top the castle directly. What do you all do? You see Escher. You see his grayish skin with thick, dark, dark, veins and a hollow eyes. His skin seems pristine. His hair is glistening. He has blood

running down his chin and all, and there's only a single line of putrid icker from the remains of the spider creatures that he bisected with his rapier on his cheek as he just stares at the hole. And he looks down and he seems to be absolutely brimming. with rage, as you see a level of energy and vitality that you have not experienced since arriving at Castle. What do you all do? Is the siege still happening? It sounds like the, it sounds like the,

that there is still some minor conflict throughout the castle, but it sounds like the gargoyles, the Stone Watchers, are getting under control. Just me or does you look like? I don't know. He looks a little different. How does go? Where does she go?

Yeah, that's up too, but I mean, look at him. Bezier, you know this place way better than we do. Certainly, it's your home. If they can have gotten far. Where could they get them? Can we head them off? Is there a way? What is the easiest way for burrowing animals to get into the,

into the pass? We have to cut them off. We have to save the child. Are we in a tower? You're in a tower on a large cliff face. I'm in a castle on a large cliff face. Okay, okay. He looks and he, he's a funeral of rage,

and he says, if only I had had her power to just slip through the floors. And if only you'd allowed to keep the child with us like we had recommended. Yes, no, that's exactly what I'm trying to say. You hear the booming of thunder again. As you see now, you hear the pitter pattering of heavy rainfall as the sky begins to open up. As you actually see the clouds sort of shape and through the window, you see the flash of lightning, not only as it arcs down to the valley, but also it arcs all across. You actually see as the clouds start to roil and take strange shapes in the sky,

and booms out in thunder. I mean, is that cold storm thing? Is that natural? Is it normally what storms look like? Is it you? Is it because you're sad? He... He's trembling with anger. As he narrows his eyes and says, no it is him as he turns and pushes past you then and he pushes past you as he

pushes past you as he begins to descend he steps over the the ruins of a gargoyle it seems to have been trembled into four pieces and it's covered in some disgusting weapon as he just walks he pushes past you and he disappears Yeah, I'm mysterious. I really wish you'd be a little bit more vocal and communicative with us. I know that we were going to go meet the other count, but... Does that need to wait? We need to go after this kid.

We have to help the other children as well. There could be many of them. Maybe this is our chance to just strike into the heart. I agree that, I mean, if they need a Raven child for some reason, and she ends up being the Raven child, it's probably bad that they have her now. Should we go after... Excuse me.

How can we help? Or do we just like wait here and just stand around? Come on, talk, after him. I'm going with you. And I'm going to try to push Toa towards weird. Where are you going? Where are you? You call out and ask that, and you all turn and you look,

you just see Buddhists looking up with you. A really bad in stressful situations. I'm sorry. As he waits for you all to pass. As you, as you continue, as you follow after Escher. and you see as he turns and goes through a door towards a central tower that you hadn't been in before,

as he begins to ascend a spiraling staircase up as the entire castle shakes from the thunder. And then as a flash of lightning illuminates the sky out of the window, you hear a booming voice. radiating all around you and says, and it says, Count Kreskov, I have my prize. As you, it booms and shakes out with the thunder, with the furious force of thunder,

as he makes his way out to the very top of this tower and flings the door open and rain is tilting down, And the wind is howling as he steps right out and you follow him. And you see now as there's a massive gathering storm, but it's entirely centralized over Castleormor. As you see far ahead out into the valley, the sky seems to be clear. As you then look up and see what Escher is looking at.

And you see now that the clouds have formed and taken shape, and you see a head. It's naked and entirely bald, fleshy, and bloated in certain parts. A long, extending black beak that's curved with jagged teeth from within. Small beady, malevolent eyes, all formed out of the roiling claspian,

as the flesh from the beak curves up into these strange looking cheeks as this vulture-like, the head of this vulture-like entity stares down with this wicked glee as it looks onto the castle. And you see now Escher in his clothing now is whipping. in the wind, as his hair, its following suit completely drenched now, as the rain drenches, all of you, as you hear the voice boom out again, and it says, Hmm. Count Kreskov, now you see the price of your betrayal. You see that meek's strife.

Me destroying your castle is not at all as delicious as stealing your daughter. Did you like her new creations? As you see the mouth opening up as it doesn't the eyes don't seem to be locking in on any individual creature. especially not Escher, and it just seems to loom over the entire castle. And Escher looks and he screams up his life, is this what you want, Vorok? Is this? What are you doing, Kerrian King? You have no idea what you began tonight,

as it booms and echoes throughout the storm. illuminated or increased by a magic of his own, not drowned out by the wind. And the figure in the clouds does not seem to be able to hear, as it does not respond. We now have the final piece to our plan. Vengeance will be mine. It's finally finished for you, Count Kreskoff,

and now my vengeance, as I peer through the mist and through the sand, and your counterpart will be getting his come up as soon enough. And then you will be carrying more than you already are. They will be carrying. Stephanel Strigger all will be carrying. Your daughter says she hopes you can see reason and join us. Gates of Castle Bloomvale are open and waiting, Count Grasgoth.

Goodbye! As he croaks out as it booms and be in a single crash of lightning and thunder, the clouds lose their form and begin to to shift back into storm clouds as the rain falls. And Escher stops for a moment, and he turns to all of you. And he says, I've changed my mind. I'm going to remove his head myself. Well, that's something we can probably help you with. That's sort of what we're kind of here doing.

Have you heard that? She's alive. She's okay. We can go get her. That's this gloomy place. That's right. Any other plans that we had, I mean, it sounds like the other count might be in trouble. And we can deal with that too, but we have to worry about the children first. If those creatures are underground, I have no idea where I've, I've scoured these mountains in this valley for any caverns. and beyond the spider burrow in the tombs that I took you to, I'm not aware of any. I mean, is there any way that we can just plan to strike quickly before they have any time to mount any kind of a defense?

And then we'll find them when they pop up. I have to tell Alexei. He has an army. He is crusaders. It certainly sounds helpful. I have to go. I have to go back. We can go with you. Is there a first way to get there?

Do we have to walk again? Do you think I travel like crap? Well, I meant really for us. Let's get up for the rain. As he turns and completely drenched, as the rain starts to dissipate, as he storms his way back from the door into the tallest tower of this place

and slams the door behind him. We'll follow him. No, wait, don't leave us out here. It's raining. It's raining. Somebody in chat mentioned the Skexas and I am triggered. Okay? I am not like the sexist.

I am going to rain unholy or holy fire and purge all of them. The Skexas make me so mad. Okay, no most does. Yes, holy and unholy fire. I will purge them from existence. The Skexas make me so mad. Um, as he leads you all to the, uh, the foreman, the end of the, um, of the castle as the fireplace immediately roars up and you see that

Buddhist is there tending to it as he as Asher stands by it and his eyes are darting back and forth he says I can't believe I thought I was safe and all it took was burglaring insects don't don't blame yourself I mean presumably this was your daughter's She would have known the castle and it's it's vulnerability in that way. How do they know she was here? It doesn't make any sense. There haven't been any vultures here in weeks. That's a good point. And maybe do they have some kind of spell to spy on you? Would you be able to see through that?

His gaining in power every month. I no longer know what power he has access to. Maybe when they put her in the state that she, that we found, her in. They'd also, you know, found some way to scry on her. Who knows what they saw while they were able to do that? But why this child? Well, I think that's, if they're looking for the Raven child, whatever that means, maybe they somehow know that this is the real deal and all, you know, they could somehow tell given that they've had so many sort of false guesses so far. Bites his lip,

His eyes are staring into the flame as if searching for some kind of answer. And he turns back to you and says, they are attempting to go through the mists. There are far darker powers when I even anticipated. Like the mist of sort of misty land? Or is there some kind of other mist that I don't know about? The world, you saw just a taste of the shadow fell, but there's few parts of it. Lost, souls, choking mist, dark powers within, far stronger than the benches and hounds that we encountered.

That is where Forrox, new powers are coming from. Whatever unholy alliance he has made, he's planning on making good on his end of the bargain, no doubt. Iris, why would they want you? Home, I suppose, to know. I don't even know what they were. Did they look familiar at all? Have you seen anything like that from where you're from? They look like bugs.

Well, I mean, like they were really big bugs. And they were kind of like dead, but not really dead. I live in a palace. Don't normally keep very large, mostly dead bugs. But I guess that's fair. it's kind of like match your vibe, you know what I mean? No, I don't know, too.

Seems quite rude. I don't know. I don't have any moths eaten holes on my road. I'm like desperately trying to make eye contact. Oh, I mean, no, I mean, just, you know, that they were going after you. So, like, you know, some kind of connection.

Anyway. She's very desirable. Who wouldn't go after her? Oh, oh, that's right. Maybe she wasn't being singled out. They just went for her first because they're like, wow, she's very desirable. When Besher said, Un-Molei Alliance, I think back again to the shape of the face in the clouds. Yeah.

The beak strike the resemblance to the creature that I met while I was, say, traveling between those. I would say no. I would say that this, this looked like a strange, alien vulture creature with this strange teeth and it looked just very unhealthy. Meanwhile, the creature that you had mentioned was absolutely statuesque and perfect and was not vulture-like. It was more of a more raptor-like than Tarian. Very good. Hmm. Hmm. As As Asher turns to Utah and says, I don't, there's no way that she will

have any way of recognizing if those were the creation. of my little bat. So she just can make those, like, just, I just put them together and build them. She can't put together, whatever. She can imagine her flesh crafting powers granted by that temple. I would, I recognize her unique signature

that is not really a real thing. not for us to bother with. They have the girl, their underground. I have no way of sipping the walls and floors of my own castle. What kind of vampire count are I? But we can perhaps warn Alexi, perhaps rally him to our cause, find the mother of a child.

She said that she had a mother. I... Most girls do. Yeah, I think she has a mother outside of some kind of town or something, in like a camp, maybe. Why would we want to do that? We don't have her back yet. We could, I mean, we could see why she might be so special. Some information, it certainly doesn't hurt.

Just feel like that's kind of poor and salt in the world. Oh, they took your kid and like we can't get back really. Maybe we'll get it back. Please drag up all the feelings and then be very sad when she's dead. It's kind of cool. We're going to get her back. You don't disagree with your faith. Yes, we rescued your daughter and then we lost her.

By the way, what can you tell us? Well, maybe we don't tell her that we rescued it. Maybe we can say, hey, we're really close to rescuing your daughter, maybe. And if you tell us everything you know about it, her, why she might be special, maybe some kind of special powers that she had when she was young or anything else unusual about her. It might help us find her, or at least understand why they need her, right? I mean, it might be kind of unpleasant, but... Only if it doesn't take much of a detour and get there and find out those answers. We're on,

we're on a clock now. We're on a sand timer now. Do you mean, we're on a sun dial. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so let's send through the hourglass. These are the days of our lives. Mm-mm-na-na-na-na-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-h. I don't really know what Caprice is doing, but I do agree with him. We are a sure on time. This song sounds very apropos.

Okay, I mean, it's nice. Is that you actually playing your violin or just been making your violin? Well, I'm playing my violin. Um, and yes, I watch it is the live on my life. I don't know. Fucking Stefano. Get out of here. I can't just say it.

What the hell? God stuff. Either way, we need to find how to travel. So, I mean, if you can travel faster than we can, maybe you just tell us how to get there and we'll meet you a few days or weeks. How do we have a teleportation or something? Yeah, we can get something like that.

I'm looking back here, trying to recall. Is there any... One to Zentra, one to the East Guard, and Austin Guard. Yeah, I don't think we have any into Scephranil. You see as the fire of flickers and wars in the fireplace illuminating the count that his youth has returned. And there is, where there had been a weary defeat before, there is a resolution and an intelligence as his eyes dart back and forth, as if he's piecing something together. And he takes a breath and he turns to all of you and says, You look terrible and you need some rest.

Of course you're not going to all fly together. I need to prepare your mounts. Get me into a morning, we'll leave first thing. All right, fair enough. I hope the mouth are... You can have any more of the Sutherless lying around? I don't know your life. your life. Well, I'm impressed if you think that. Well, I don't know you're right.

I know you, man. We just met. Damn elevators and shit. Well, yeah, I'm, I can never use a revs, but that's a certain. It feels weird. Well, it's the middle of the night, right? Yes. And we didn't finish a long run. Yes. Correct. I guess we could try to get some sleep. Is there anything we can do to help you prepare our mounts, or should we just go to bed?

Go to bed, you're going to need all your strength to fly and make sure your mounts do not kill you. All right. We'll make the journey in two days. By sky. It'll be a long night in my laboratory. If you need something, Ruth is true. which are glad I do not come and disturb me.

All right, understood. I guess that's that. All right, well, good night, good luck, and we'll just be, you know, in our rooms. Do you have a parcheezy? If Brutus knows what that, he has got affected for it. As he glides off in the direction of where you know he that will come in a lab today.

Is that like a cheese sandwich? Brutus. Bruce has, Bruce, who's just been sitting there watching, like, trying to calm down, his tail flicking back and forth. He immediately snaps to attention. Oh, yes, this is what you need? Do you have Parchizi? Oh, could you describe it? You didn't miss anything, please? Do you have Parchizi?

Um, what is Parchizi? It is a game. Do you have one color? Oh, or do you have games? I'll just bring all of them and you can see if one's poor cheesy or carl. I'll be right back. Bring a bunch of knives too. Yeah, um, one. Okay, against.

Nogs. And more. Not necessarily in that room. Um, I think that covers all of my needs. Um, some cheese, maybe, given the, the subject matter. It's, okay. I'll bring you all that, and I'm gonna go clean up the dust. clean up the dungeon and uh and then uh oh you hold it down toward the dungeon area after i'll bring

everything back if you need anything goodbye and he uh shuffles shuffles off well let's make all way about 12 and then um all right i think we'll walk back to the room you're in your room and it is an absolute fucking disaster there is soggy bread there's blood there's webbing there is a bunch the corpses of a bunch of undead spider, uh, beetle and worm abominations, uh, screwed about. I just like, when we get up to the room, I'm just like, and I just begin waving my hand and like trying to press to digitate things and like clean things up as I move around the room. Yeah, you do that. You're moving things around the death that you can, you're piling up with all the pieces of body.

Just like pushing stuff. That's all charred from the fireball. I'm like, I'm like scooping out the window that I can, you know, just like trying to clean it up. Why don't we sleep over there instead, my point, because the other, we were sort of on one side, right? You see the sealed out hole, but there are a couple beds that have not been done. The other half of the room is completely fun. Maybe we just sleep over there for the rest of the night. Yeah, I suppose that's fine.

I just want to clean this up a little bit. We should definitely take watch, and maybe you, you know, I've set a few alarms, and sure. And we'll see if we make it to the morning. I know about that, ritually casting alarm after I've cleaned up a little. Bruce arrives with wine and knives, a large stack of these long wooden boxes,

some are square shaped, brightly colored and painted, filled with all sorts of pieces. And he lays them all down and brings out a plate of cheese and some wine, and there's actually a few crackers and biscuits and Vincent's added. And he said, okay, this is all you need. Like I said, I'll be in the dungeon scrubbing out. Do you mean to cling this out? No, I need to clean the dungeon up first. Or do you like me to take care of this? The dungeon can go back. Yes, of course. What is the dungeon so messy? Just because he

ate that guy. We don't have a cash no more. Oh, that's sort of what I kind of... He checked out. If you know what I'm saying, he checked out. Like he... Like, I know he's like he checked out. So he's like, he's... Like, he's...

Like, he's... He checked out. You know, you know, when I'm so... Sort of like... Oh, I'm deep. Have you used a split dead in this campaign? Yeah. Is he intact?

Well, he's, if blood is required to be intact, no. If blood is not required to be intact, then yes. But minus the blood, he is whole. So he just kind of like, he kind of looks like in him to keep free, sir. I'm so glad he's sad. me. Why I'm there? It's better. He doesn't say that. Yeah. Well, you remember that one time Iris, you know, with, uh, hey, I'm dead, but I, uh, I can answer your questions in the whole and with what not. They was like yesterday.

Oh yeah. Yeah. Okay. What's happened? We've been through a lot to all right now. Sometimes I've been out. It's been like, oh, it's been over half a week. Oh, it has. Yeah. Okay. Do we think there's any value when, uh, when, uh, we think there's any value when, uh, when, uh, we think there's been through. when questioning our intact guests who checked out. But what? Just some dirty dungeon guy, who cares? He could tell us about being him and what that's why, that's like intel that we might be able to use as we infiltrate the culture that he represents.

Maybe we can understand why his leader is that horrible beak thing. Do you where he comes? We know he comes probably, he probably works for the, for the carrion king. I mean, it's just, he actually had to say where he came from, just that he had someone locked in the dungeon. Well, he said that he was a vulture rider that he had captured, I think. I'll check my memory banks and confirm with the dungeon minister. I'm probably, that's not right. Oh, well, that's what I remember now.

I mean, the first question when you ask him is like, what's your profession? He's like, I make barrels, we can just call it a day. I mean, I'm not going to turn down information. I think that's wise. We gather what we can. That would make him a Cooper. I'm sorry. I think Mercer. Is it a Mercer? Oh, it was a Cooper like wagon wheels?

Yeah. You want me to come up to Beatles first. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think spiders. We're passing on the guest interaction. That's fine. I'll just sit over here. If you, I mean, I'll think, you know,

the master said you could even go basically wherever you want, as long as you don't have a minute. Lebris, lebris, lebrotry. Were there any, were there any holes in the dungeon? Like that they got through, maybe, I mean, it's... They had to have gone somewhere.

We can see where they went down in the floor, so where did they come out of the floor? So, I mean, it's sort of, if it's in the bottom of the castle, it might be a good place to at least check out to see if we can maybe plug up a... Oh, do you finish some showdown? How have it checked? Um...

You would maybe you should. Maybe you should go first. Um, I could certainly go down. We probably, I don't know. I mean, you guys would come with me if you want to. I'm doing your voice now. Oh no. What's happening now?

Oh, you're going to be now. Oh, no. Come now. Um, I mean, you guys could come with me. I mean, if you have to. No, I'm not going to go out there by yourself. If that's what you want to do, then I'll go with you. I mean, just to kind of take a look around,

if you, you know, if you want to come or us, you could ask him questions, but, I mean, I don't know what more he would say, or they or whatever. It's like four o'clock. Yes, I'm just very full of adrenaline, and I can't imagine sleeping right now. That's why I asked for Parchimsy.

Oh. We thought we could all get into our channels and play a game or two. We're going to be here for two days. which seems irrationally long, which is the hip-cooled, going down, and the other areas of stricken. We're going to be in this castle for two days?

Yeah, he said we'd leave in two days. No, he said the journey would take two days. No. And we'd leave in the morning, I think. Did you? I mean, I'm not sure. If we're leaving in the morning, I need to get some sleep. I heard two days too, which means that as long as,

Brunus, just leave the body. You can clean up around the body. Prudus, could you bring the body to our room? Yeah, that's way better. And I'll go with you. I'll carry the body back. I'll go check it out. No, no, you've ordered gas now.

You should go to you. Oh, I'll check it out myself. So this is not enough knives. More knives. Oh, I'm so sorry, please forgive me. In case we have monopoly. Oh, I thought that 14 would be enough. I'm sorry.

Move along. I reach down. If you're concerned, let me assist you. And I put my hand on him and I cast anti-life shell on him. And this beautiful golden shimmering barrier surrounds him. Now, nothing can enter the barrier that you don't want it to. Oh, how does it work? Does it just happens or do I go to like focus on something? It just happened.

Okay. Does that mean I'm... So because he's... Do you be able to pick at his corpse and carry Tapper? But if any of those creatures that exist, they will not be able to touch you. Okay, I'll feel like I'm... I can do it. Yes! Yes, I feel very protected and not scared anymore. Good.

Okay. Okay, so we need one body and knobs. Okay, and he uh, he's... he's... he's scampers off and he jumps down as he can and as he makes his way. Have we been to the dungeon? No. No. I don't think so. Would it be a place that would be a place that's unfamiliar to me, but obvious?

Yes. As in like there will obviously be a dungeon, you know where the door is. I would know roughly where I could place maybe a censor. You all, you watch Brutus shuffle off. And you're all in your room waiting for him to drag up the corpse. I'm casting alarm and trying to clean up the room and like, I'm still doing my thing. Yeah. Beatrice is fluttering around. It doesn't take long when you hear...

Who is that? You can't guess? Do you want me to guess? Yes. Yeah, I really would like me to guess. I don't think I can say it in mixed company. It's not really mixed company. company we've been together for like a year at this point that's what that needs also makes and the glue with their little hands they're kind of like sloth creatures right

Fuck, damn it! I'm just like that coming. You basically are grunting and just... I'm just gonna stare intently at the door. It's like 20 minutes. I'm playing a game of Partiz. It's what our house is. And then you hear someone outside the door, and then it opens.

And then you see Brutus, and there is the corpse of a Shadarqa, a dusk elf, very hollow and sunken, this slightly purplish-grey gray skin. And you see Brutus grab this elf by the scruff and sort of eat your... As something is dragging along the stone, as he drags the body and drops. Like, ah, okay. Here, oh, oh, oh, oh. And you see that tucked under his arm. He lets his arm go, and four more knives clattered to the floor.

Perfect, thank you. I don't eat anything out. I was full bed. No, I think we're good You should get some rest as well I mean, do you sleep? Well, you'd have him just throw it out and throw him out of the window

and one of the blockheads will take care of it. When I left the Galtica, I didn't not appreciate how comfortable I would become around dead bodies, but sure, absolutely. No problem. Easy. I mean, this is just kind of life and stricter. Oh, sleep, joy.

Don't let the bed. I will, guess we shouldn't joke about bags, He's boarding us. Yeah. Good night, good night. And he closes the door behind him. So what do we want to do with this thing? I have no idea.

Tomorrow, I thought we might do the questiony-questiony thing. Unless he got to juice enough right now, I don't know. I could question him now. Do you know the question you'd like to ask him? Who are you? What can you tell us about? a terrium game. Uh, maybe it's a little laden.

I might be a little delirious as I'm still like casting spells and walking around. But I'm gonna be honest, I'd really like to see Capricius try to take this one on himself. Oh, right, and I can't speak with dead. Go for it. You, you tell the power of anubis and a shimmering walks is over the body, and you see just the, um, the it's the sunken and it looks very the lips are incredibly parched but it looks like this this elf is quite malnourished for meaning it's added you can see now there are two there are two holes on its neck and it's a male Shedarkai and

there's two no holes on his neck then there's a tiny little trinkled of blood but there's really nothing left and as you cast the magic iris you just see the little You were able to do whatever you do. It's about five minutes, you need to cook. Oh, only five minutes? Oh, yeah. Come on, hi. Hey, buddy, how's it going?

One. It's one. And that, the second one. Dead. No, that was for the second question. Hey, buddy, how the going? I know. I know.

game now. What can you tell us about your living life? Is it for real? That's a question. Oh, shit. Fuck. Okay. I think I've got one or two more.

You. I don't have a sense your tongue ties. I... Yes. What was he planning to do? As I'm casting spells and I'm trying to clean up the room, I just look and I go, uh, who thinks that it's worth

summoning all of this bread? What is your best way to get into the Korean King's castle? The mouth opens and it says, and then the body completely still. He continues to stare at it eagerly for the answer to his question.

And you look as the body is, it's just a corpse and where are the mouth I've been moving. It is... Wow. Do you find anything good, Caprice? That seems like it was a valuable use of my divine energy. Now I would like to go to bed,

please. Throw the body out of the window. For my pleasure. What a vase of time. It smacks into a gargoy all the way down. It's like one of the guys that falls on the back of the Titanic. Thank you, yeah. I'm literally going to say that that fucking shit.

You're in the propeller. That's exactly what it looks like. It was a corpse. It's a rag doll effect. And I was like, shit. All right, well, I'm tired. I'm out. That's it. It's just not gonna tell.

I guess it didn't go well. I don't know. Did it not work? All right, well, I'm going to sleep as well. All right. I'll take first watch. I'll wake somebody up when I'm done. Not me, good night, or me. Good night. Good night.

All right. And once everybody's asleep, I go back to the Part cheesy board, and I just go. And then I move one piece. And then I move the other piece. And I'll just play Part cheesy with myself. Aw. That's the saddest thing I have.

for two hours. That's even more sad than us throwing that body up. You do that and you're able to get to bed and you all enjoy long. Thank goodness. We've most. As the part of you, he doesn't equal past the time quite as much as you know. So it actually makes it go by slower. Oh, peace.

And you all enjoy long rest. You awake to what can be, you know, what you can call a morning in Scephternil. The sky is incredibly cloudy. It's another gloomy day. And you all have some time in the morning. I'm going to immediately call for a brigadoon or whatever saying. The major dumbo. Oh, Brickettucket.

Brickadoon, where are you? Brutus. This morning, Brigadoon. And Brutus arrives not too long after you awake, and he's carrying a large tray of cooked meat, glistening in fat, and cups of milk, and some light pastries as he carries. Oh, good morning, everyone. I hope everyone's ready for a travel day. Thanks for just giving rid of that body.

I hope it was useful and entertaining. Hopefully you enjoyed the knives. I'll see that you got some of the buttons pushed in the side of the room. I'll handle that. After you all leave, here you go. Here's your breakfast, if you need anything else. I'd ask someone to see you in the stone carving room.

Oh, yes? Do you have a gem-incrusted bow with at least 1,000 gold pieces which I destroy at my leisure? Oh! A gem-incrusted bowl with exactly one thousand old pieces? Yes, that I could destroy is my leisure. What would determine

the worth of a German-quested bowl? The owner of the bowl? Oh, okay, check. I like how Nikki just solved that problem. At least until it's owner. We'll see.

Well, technically it would be the buyer. If I would be willing to buy it, thousand gold and that determines its value. It's funny you mention that, Iris, I have a drawing of a spider that I didn't hear that I value at a thousand gold pieces. Does that make it work? As the buyer, no. Fuck, drag.

Oh, I can check. It looks like the dead spider in the window sill you do it at the night before. Anything else, uh... Well, uh, if you could draw me as bold. We've got to look around the castle and see if, uh, see if we got any of those. I'm going to have to let Escher know that you don't think he owns any valuants. I just don't know if it's a bowl. He's really only more a plate guy.

I mean, you know, he's got cobblets and he's got plates. I'm certainly no expert, but I imagine that that will probably work. He's got cups. You're a room full of little spoons somewhere? Yeah, there's spoons. I mean, there's some bowls, sure, but I mean, jamming, crusted. I mean, you know, encrusted's very specific. Maybe just do the best you can, or bring a few things.

I mean, he's got some gilded bows. I know that, but it's more like a nice powdered filigree. Well, that's the definition of encrusted, like if there was one gem, would that technically classify as encrusted? Oh, doesn't he move in one gem? So if there's only one is that enough? No, I think one is perfect. You know, wouldn't encrusted kind of mean like all around it?

No. So the definition of, encrusted is one or more. It starts are one and then it works way up. Yes. Oh, well. Good luck, Prudis. It doesn't say, it does not say gems encrusted.

It says, gem, at least one. Ooh. Well, would gems encrusted be grammatically correct given the hyphen in Jim? The different, the differences in just finally the tambole. Oh, okay. I'll, I'll change. the defined porcelain

and whatever else bowls are confined. You got this, buddy. You're really good at what you do. A inclair. A basin, like a shallow basin, would that count? Yes. I think so. Okay.

Do you happen to have a set of divinatory tools such as bones, ivory sticks, cards, teeth, or carved ruins with a hundred-douled pieces, and an object from the location I would wish to find? Just find the bow. I'll check that too. This one would not need to be destroyed.

I'll see if we got any in the bag. And just in case, I could use a bit of fleece. I could use two lodestones. I could use tiny tarts and a feather that is waved in the air. I could use snakes' tongue. Or a bit... And a bit of honeycomb and a drop of sweet oil. A chip of mica.

Her from a featherer of beast. A drop of molysis. Stupid golden reliquary At least 500 gold pieces. That's a very valuable. What? A reliquary? What?

A reliqui? I'm not sure how to be able. I think it just means like a valuable object, almost like a relic. It's a thing. Isn't a reliquary? Isn't a reliquary?

It's sort of like an earn like to hold to hold entries or... A spunk is worth at least one thousand non-repeas. Such as a crystal ball, a silver mirror

or fault filled with Holyo nevermund. What's the definition of a focus? I mean, that's pretty general. I mean, really anything could be a focus. I think it has to be. I'll start with DeBowl, come on. He's inspired, I'm sure.

You'll be in a minute it. He's pretty quick, Toe. It'll be all right. Let's hope he can use this. He's inspiring inspiration. What's the D for a... Give me a... You get an additional 1D10.

Oh, D10. Okay, roll the D-8. Okay, I'm gonna roll an investigation kit. Okay. I start walking to the stone carving room. With all my things. I walked to his collectibles area with the small spoons, one side of the room,

hard rock cafe, memorabilia. I'm very excited. I'm really confused. Oh, Ozzy Osbourne wore this same outfit on his 1988, three, too. It was pretty cool. He sweat all over this thing.

I don't know if they watched it. You think they would increase or lower the value? Speaking of value. If anyone remember Planet Hollywood? Holy shit. I think there's one still right next to the Baltimore aquarium. No, I think that's gone. No, he's in my late.

Well, we'll find out when we get back from JenCon because that's where the Kohe concert is. I'm on my way. I leave everybody behind. Where are you actually going? To the stone carving room, stone cutting rooms. You are, okay, all right. I'm joining, Ta-U.

I support you in your endeavors. I'm going to enjoy a luxurious coffee and breakfast, and just put my feet up and... I'm going to have coffee as well and focus on preparing my spells for the day. Same thing. So I can be done with the shenanigans. Maybe no.

Toa, what do you think the stone-cutting room is for? Joe's not here in this room with us right now. And I also am not in this room right now. hear that. Well, I'm not really sure. I mean, I guess I'm a little bit sure. He probably cuts stone in the stone-cutting room. Why? For what focus? I mean, like, you know, Brutus is sort of cut out of stone. Those big, like, blockhead guys are sort of kind of cut out of stone. So maybe he, like, cuts all sorts of... Do you think he crafted Brutus? Well, I think he said as much. So, yes, I'm confident in...

I can confirm that he crafted Brutus. I didn't think that he actually carved him. I thought he just kind of like enlivened him. From what? Like a pile of clay? Can you just buy them in bulk? Oh like from a catalogue, from like a medieval... Yeah.

Like a medieval gift catalog? I guess it's in the Renaissance. Oh no, it would be more Gothic period, wouldn't it? Do they have those kinds of catalogues in string? Oh, I don't know. Oh, well. You've got the cold. Anyway, he probably just carving.

I realize you don't know where the... No, I have no clue. So I'm just like wandering around, like, look at... Make an investigation check. Just straight. And we'll see how long it takes you. Ten. Ten. It takes you a while.

You and Lufty are always wandering. You poke your head into certain rooms and most of them are all abandoned. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And so while, what are you all doing while they wander the cast? Choosing my spells for the blue. I don't know, obviously putting out as much music notation as I can, just writing. Felix and I might enjoy conversation, maybe we even pull out a board game, see if we can enjoy one of the, and I'm assuming that's right color being that they are these are board games that are for children yeah yeah yeah yeah

yeah yeah it's like candy land ship yeah exactly right yeah that's okay that sucks i feel like we've done the session before it must be that uh it's changed a little bit it's that moncala effect you want to play candy lamb let me put it another way you want to play a game where you roll a D6 and try to climb up a ladder from zero to 100, but some numbers put you down and other numbers take you up, and first person to give to 100 wins? Sure. Oh. I tried to make that sound as boring and horrible as possible. You guys talking about Monopoly? Now we're talking about Candyland. You're spending. Oh, I don't know Candyland. Yeah, I'm in.

Well, look at kids. Can you have spinach? Do you next? Oh, yeah. You roll a D6 and you try to climb up a ladder from zero to 100. Is this a D6? But randomly, some numbers take you and others take you up for no reason. I got to six. Oh, you're back down to two. I was on zero. Yes, I know, so you went up to six and now you're at that two.

Welcome to Candyland. So we'll play Candyland. As you do that, Ruda's comes back and you actually see that there's a gilded bowl that has some very small, like, bedazzling in it. And it's, it's a both, basically a plate with slightly raised edges and in, and Brutus comes to me, and it's just the closest all could have is this one. I mean, I'm thinking probably only worth about 200 gold pieces, but, uh, here you go.

I will give you one thousand on pieces of that. Oh, you give me money. What's room to steal from all this? This is bold and all to you too. Well, I don't, I don't know anything. I can't believe it. You're trying to charge a guest. You thought you needed to say what to progress was up in.

Yes, and I'm willing to pay one thousand gold pieces. Are you going to give me one thousand gold pieces? Are you trying to steal? I take it! I was really hoping you'd get the $1,000 gold pizzas and be like, Brutis doesn't need this job anymore. I'm out. Brutus is out.

Quit. All right. I don't really know what you're trying to do, but with all of the studies that I've had under the weave and about the way that magic works in our world, I've got to be honest, I'm really interested to see how this turns out. Oh, I'm not doing anything with it now.

I just wanted it on me in case we need it in the future. What do you plan? If you don't mind me asking, what are you planning on doing it? Well, I'm hoping that eventually it will be able to create not bloody bread or bloody water, water down blood, I guess. But it will be able to create

food and drink within this vessel, and Anubis will embolden us when we need it the most. All right, well, I... And it will be a... What is the hip-term, crotchute? Keep turning me and asking me for hip-term. I don't know what that means. Yes, you know what they call the millennial, aren't you? They're like a million of you or something. I think what I was just trying to say is, look at your jacket, you're clearly the coolest of all of us.

Yes, you've got to that at the hard rock cafe. I mean, there's not a single... Oh, the barred rock cafe. It's right here on your lap. There's nobody in striga that dresses anything like you. I mean, you're very cool. Nothing is more hidden cool than stealing.

Oh, well. Then, uh, yes, whenever you say, absolutely. No problem. So when that time comes, you let me know because I want to watch this. Yeah, what do you see? Well, it's worse that could happen. I'll put it in my back.

I mean, it's just food, right? Right. Complete waste of my divine ability. but we'll see. We'll roll the six-sided dive, as it were. Ooh, another six. I guess I'm back at zero. No, you're gonna eight.

That jumps you up at 22. Fabulous. Well, I'm feeling lucky today. Lifting Toa. After you wandered the cast, you finally find it up on a high tower. Wait from hungry airbus. You actually see a red glow

from behind the crack door. as you enter it and you open you actually feel... I like gently knock and like kind of creak it open. Excuse me. Now we can spy on.

As you knock, your huge knuckle pushes the door and and the creaks really loudly. Good morning. You feel the whip of wind as you realize that this is a room that

basically has a large balcony out into that's fully exposed. And you can see the whole valley sprawling out thousands of feet below you. As you enter this large room and there are blocks of stone and marble,

all sorts of carving tools. And as well as straightened alchemical tools and devices, and you see that Escher, you see Escher and he is in what looked like

riding leathers. and he... Apologies. Did I say that out loud? Yeah. Careful, licorice. He says, Well, I hope you got a good night's rest.

Where are the rest of you? Oh, what do you ask? Are we ready to go? Well, all you were, was it just two of us? Two of you were. No, we were just checking to see how you would do it. I mean, unless we're ready to leave right now. I mean...

Yeah, there was a little bit of clarity on when... L clarity? Lack of clarity on when we're leaving. Uh, we're supposed to leave at least two hours ago. Oh! We're still playing candy. Um, well about that, I think they may have just started a game of Twilight Imperium, so we may need like seven or eight more hours.

Oh, they're playing X-Sk! What is the Dracula board game? Game? Is it just called? Fury and Pyramympirium? No, Twilight Imperium for sure. And as you enter the room, you see Escher, you see where the glow, the glowing red light is coming from. At the very center of this room are five huge garlands that are standing motionless.

They all seem to have the same general body shapes. They are humanoid-esque, but shorter back legs and larger front arms that they seem to be standing on all fours. Large bat-like wings from their shoulder blades and tails that have slightly different variations. And you realize that each of them, however, has a separate distinct head. And there seem to be stone saddles that have been carved into them. And behind each one is a large, what looks like a crystalline canister with a shimmering metal filigree, this filled each one of these canisters, five in total, is fastened into the ground and is pulsing with this glowing red alchemical fluid. As there are, you now notice there are grooves in the floor running from each of the, where these canisters are fastened into,

to all around these strange alchemical symbols all around each of the gargoyles. And Escher is, as he stands, the wind whipping through the space completely exposed to the outside, his hair majestically whipping in the wind, along with his coat tails, as he was washed in this radiating alkyyting chemical glow. He looks at you, says, well, we're going to meet the rest of you.

Oh, well, um. Yeah, go get them tall. I'll stay here. Yeah, there are probably optional rules to figure out if you run out of time, who wins. So I'll be right back. And I start hustling back to the room to grab them. Um, very impressive. Did you make all? Yes, I know I am. Can I write her? Which one strikes your fancy? You made me mind and me more. Oh my God.

And he's dead when we get back. Oh. He looks at you and there's a flare in its eyes. The vitality in youth that he came to the count. We didn't even know his name because we didn't even ask the guy's name. Sorry. That's why that's so vitality, The vitality had washed him instantly. As he takes a few steps and he is looming tall,

this is a very tall man, vampire, and you see that the heels of his boots are also giving a little bit of a boost as well. As you're standing by the door and he leans forward and he presses it closed. Oh, no. Alex, and allies. They probably still have it. They probably still have been in several weeks of passionate

lovemaking. You don't say that. Enough time, fall in love, grow tired of each other and fall of love again. All right, Iris, that's the action phase. We're entering the negotiation phase. So what do I do next?

Well, you have to choose whether you're going to play. I got to four on the little... Wait, wait, are we actually playing, or are we still setting up? I'm confused. No, no, no, no, no. We're urging all of the board games now. We're going to play them all at once. In order to determine who wins the combat phase,

we're going to play a game of Candy Land. Every single time. I have 20 and I feel like that's not enough. Not enough games of Camiland. I agree, which is why. Did I win with a four? No, you drop back. now to two. I'm sorry. I was at 39. Everything leads to two. This podcast is brought to you by our

Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of avatris and gain access to tons of exclusive perks including a monthly movie night and a weekly Patreon exclusive campaign set on the high seas shroud over salt marsh. You can also go to the crooked moon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror tome for Dungeons and Dragon Fifth Edition. And don't forget to snag all the extra goodies like dice, miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more. Thank you. Lifty. Luffy.

You're special. He, Escher is standing over you. As you say that, he looks down and says, I'm taking a long time to get back. This is, I have It's a very big cast. Oh. You're looking to give me a two. I really don't look you bags about there. This is Nikki that I wrote.

I'll give you the VIP. I don't have that's not expensive. I don't have that money. I've always had a thing for porn. I have another thing. No, it won't stop them. Don't stop on my game, keep going. Shuffling like mayonnaisey.

Uh-huh. Yeah. I had a big pasta salad. Instead of the meme in the comments of the guy eating popcorn is Andy eating in a salad. It's a meat salad. It's a big pasta salad. I'm very full.

Oh, very fool. This is horrible. This is terrible. This is terrible. This is horrible. He'll be the overcharge over there so I can phone the vampire. He looks at you, expected, like, what? What is this Mike you asking what?

You look so expected. That's how I get laid. I feel like you picked me up to the other. Do you get like quick, you see? Hold on, let me hide my magic card. Alright, a little too close, I mean, that's... Maybe we're probably glad I would be sure. Let's move on.

Let's play D&D here, folks. This is a serious business, and I'm Enis Al. This isn't about me, right? What about me? My fuck is on the here right here. You say, to a starving man, anything looks delicious. You just eat? We tossed him out the window, were you not done?

Having his appetite. Maybe a sweet tooth. He leans him, and you feel his hot breath on your neck now that, now that it's to lean in very, very deep because he is considerably taller in you. And you feel his mouth just inches from your neck. Centimedes. As he, as he... Is that a farting?

Is that disturbing tumultuous bampire? I swear God, you said fart beat. I heard fart beat. Is that as fart beat or you just happy to see me? That's what I heard. I haven't said, I heard it. I read this book. I've got a big farting.

I'm trying to do it in the form of a heartbeat. Thank you. Thank you. What in the hell? I can't make the fart sound with my hands. It takes a lot of practice. Kelsey's a master fart, maitra. You can see her in the mirror.

Kelsey's, come on, Gilby. You know, like, the textbooks spread everywhere. Focus. Diagrams of hands. Focus. Don't lose focus. You can do this. You've done it's a thousand nine before.

Her entire YouTube history is farting. As Mikey tries to remember what was said last. Oh. Sweet tooth. And he says, very softly in your ear. And you can feel, when you had been close to him before, that he was starving, that he looked cold and dead like a corpse,

now invigorated by the blood of this shadow Kai. you feel this paradoxical you walk and he says, let's see how sweet you really are. I go, Uh-huh. Toa. Wait, so there's a lion on the box,

but this is just a bunch of colored blitz. Caprice, I got two. I was at 22. 22, and what do you want to do for your combat phase? Are you going to pass, or you're going to play a strategy card? Oh, well, I, um, Toa, combat's a strategy. Wait a minute. We were the lion.

Oh, what are you doing here? Why are you going to love doing this gun gun? If I were in a prairie full of lions, I would do strategy. Oh, yeah, we're like three hours late, but I wanted to let you guys finish a game of Twilight Imperium. Three hours. Do you mean the cow is waiting for us? We're not even supposed to leave until tomorrow?

No, we were supposed to leave three, or maybe it was two hours ago. I can't really remember. Oh, wait from Queen Garces! And I'm like, no, no, you can't. No, no! I flip everything and the guy's longer. I'm backing out my book, shoving papers, into my back. But I'm trying to get down there we have to go!

We'll play when we're back! Where's Luffy? Oh, she's just waiting, I mean somewhere in the castle, probably. Where did you leave her? With Escher. Oh, let's go! Then I'm gonna, we're gonna run. I grab my veal pack and I'm on my way. No, no, no, he was just ready to travel. He had his riding leathers on. His riding leathers?

Yes. What did it look like, Joa? I mean, it was... Would you see the bloodless vealph? in his thongs. It was very form fitting, if that's what you mean. Run. Smuggle a tsunami in there.

She wants a dam. Ah, Kelsey! You should be ashamed of yourself. Or not, I don't make the rules. We're at Kib Dotsu levels. You make your way back and you were running through the castle, Toa. You... I'm in the back. I'm so confused.

I'm so confused. Toa's got a roll to see how quickly gets there. Memory, Toa. Yeah, well, I'm like trying to direct them, Iris is going so fast, she can, you know, roll an intelligence to get a disadvantage. Four hours later. I think it was this way.

Oh, disadvantage? It's a fool. No one of you know where it is. Oh, I think it was just like, oh no, now immediately forgets with the situation is so, He's so high-strung now. Nervous. He's nervous.

He's nervous. He's nervous. You actually make it all the way down to the dungeon, and you see Brutus trying to scrub out of bloodstain. Oh, wait, hold on, hold on. I know how I can find it easier. I could ask one of my ancestors to go to the room since I was just there. And I can look at the room. How do you get to...

What's going on? Just give you one second, and I'll commune with them real quick. I mean, from a better perspective, I like this decision better. So I'll kneel down real quick, and I'll take out my figurines in place. And I'm like, could you please just show me the stone cutting room and try to help me remember where it is? And I'll place a sensor in the middle of the stone cutting room. How long does this take?

I think it's, I would say, Toa, you're able to react, however you would like to. So that's what I do. So now there's a sensor in the, you would see exactly, what you expect. Toa, what do you see? Are they okay? I immediately cut up so I can pick like hearing and vision, so I did vision.

I'm like, oh, I switched the hearing. Ah! What's the matter? He's alive. Yeah, yes. I don't know if it was blood or... We need to get it off there and get it. Leave the way.

I don't want to. as hard as I can. And I intentionally, now I'm intentionally taking as long as I possibly can. I'm gonna give this down, Gubbington. We just loop through here, you're taking us in circle! You know, I could have, no, I think he's this way. Just trust me.

You make several loops through the castle. As you then eventually find the room once again, Toa, and you take them to the door at the top of the landing. Okay, we should all, he told us. He told me that we should wait here. What do you mean? What do you mean you should wait? You said we were three hours late.

Well, I mean, you guys were busy. It's that my fault? It took you like three hours to set the game up. Is this the stone cutting room? Yeah, yes, this is it. Lofti, can you hear me? Lofti. You knock and you don't hear any response.

Is the door locked? You haven't tried to open that. Okay, yeah, I haven't. What? No, I haven't. I'm just knocking. Yeah, you're knocking, and you hear and you don't hear any response from that.

Luffy, are you all right? Measure? One second. Oh, see, I mean, I think he's finishing his alchemical ritual, so to speak. I'm gonna swing open the door and just be smoking a cigarette. What? What does all the noise? Oh my god, I was so afraid that you were hurt. Toa put down a sensor and he had was watching you, and he seemed really concerned.

Incredibly relaxed. Yeah, it's something about this castle. So what was too? Freaking out about. Who knows? It gets a little tightly wound. I feel like I could happen is this. You enter and you see as

Asher standing by a table in the corner, His hair is completely messed up, where it had been just perfect, this perfectly brushed main. It's now in every direction. And he's holding up these two vials. Hmm, yes, alchemy. Oh, yes, it's all. Yes, this appears to be... Nothing other than alchemy.

Long night, I sure. Long night? Yes, yes, lots of work to be done. Yes, it's been a long time as I've done that much work. He looked closely, there's a bite map, or a bite mark on his neck. Yes, yes, isn't it? Not quite fangs, but mostly it hurts. Well, Toto said that we were really late this morning,

and then we were ready to leave three hours ago. We can go now. We're ready. No, I assure you you were right on time. Oh, well. See, what was the big deal about? Why are you all out of torts this morning? You're doing nothing blind to us.

I mean, I was just confused. I'm confused a lot, you know? I don't think he was intentionally lying. I think he's just struggling. You can tell us what's wrong. There's nothing wrong. I mean, I think we're just ready to go, and I was just making sure that, you know, you guys had fun.

Did you have another nightmare? No. I mean, I've... You can tell me if you did. I won't tell me. It wasn't a nightmare, but I did play Parchisi by myself for two hours. Oh, no. Next time you could have just woken me up,

and I would have played for you. You could have told me how to play. I was keeping watch. If you were awake, I wouldn't have been as alert. All right, well, fair enough, I suppose. You know, if I'm the only one playing, then I can keep my ease out and my senses. Fair enough.

For any kind of danger of bugs. You can keep yourself warm. I really like having a hurt so I'm managing it. That's what she said. All right, well, we're ready to go. I mean, is there anything else we need to do before we head out? No, I think we should definitely go as quickly as possible. Very soon.

I'm done with this alchemy. Okay. Good. Done with this alchemy. Are our mouth ready? Yes, it looks like alchemy. Okay. Terrible.

Please don't do it. Don't do what? Don't stand. You cannot let Lofi know that she wins our future. Later in lock, okay. Oh. You do that. And you all see the same, the same number of galle oils, the five gargoyles all facing, facing

each other with each of the large crystal canisters filled with the glowing red fluid. And as your gesture at all of them, says, well, these have been collecting dust for a long time, but I suppose that this is a good enough time as any to actually... wake them up. There's a process to ensure that you are bonded to your new mount. All right. And how does that really work? So you must each of them to ensure that no one can sneak in and ride off at one of those things. There's a look into your soul, judge, to see if you are worthy to ride it. It's nothing. And when you attempt to bond with it, it judges that you are

not the right match, it will smash you into a bloody mist. What? So that's it, we choose wrong, we just die? Yes, that's exactly how it is. Which one is the most expensive? They're all the same. Do you happen to have a bowl, a gem-encrusted bowl worth around a thousand gold pieces?

I was looking this morning. How much would you value this bowl? I pull out the room on board. We're not saying. And consider that more of a dish. Shit. Shit. Well, shit.

He ushers you all into, Escher ushers you, and get out of the fucking heist. I had all of this for last month. Oh my God. Well, we've added it. We've added it like 10 sashes underneath our wings then today alone. We should. As you see that each of the gargwls, once again, is that same shape with the saddle and it says, well,

these have been carved for a while and now that he's were made for my friends, and now that you're all my new friends, being as lonely as I am, the biggest he chooses. I'm going to get him, be able to you and give him a little bit of a sly wim, bites his lip. You see a little bit of a thing, almost pierce into the flesh, as he gestures to each of the gargoyles. And so he gestures to one that is a gargoyle that seemed to have this ogre-like face.

And it has these large lower teeth and upper teeth that kind of curve off in different directions. And a large underbite. There's these wild eyes as well. And he says, this one is Carameau. And he then gestures to one that has more of an avian face. It's almost like a raven. A raven's face. This is a beautiful creature is lascivia.

and he then gestures to another one that seems to be somewhat humanoid, but it looks these large horns and it looks devilish, and it has this angry-looking face to its sneering. And he says, and he says, and this one is Cogsworth. And there's another one that looks reptilian, almost dinosaur-like, as it has this elongated snout. That is Gerald. And there's one that is very lupine and wolf-like,

and with these pointed triangle ears. And he says, and that is loopie. Loopy. What was the first one? The first one was Cannabon, K-A-N-A-B-O. What did he look like? He looked like an ogre-type, with these strange teeth going in curving directions.

But how are we supposed to know which one is which? The inscriptions. All of them, you can read them and make a decision yourself. I don't know you very well, so I can't make it out. Determinac. I'll walk up and read Kanabos. Connibos says, for the one with a commitment to protect family, friend, and home. Hmm.

But clearly, this is too this. Yeah, that sounds very tall. And then you were able to read all of them. I'll just read them all off. Lupi says, for the one with relentless curiosity that is sometimes ill-advised. Well, Lofty. Gerald, the dinosaur, says, for the one with the desire to grow and transform for the better. Oh, clearly, Helix.

For Lusivia, it says, for the one with the indulgence in all that life has to offer. Oh, that's my... And then for Cogsworth, it is for the one with the commitment to see. seek out and destroy evil wherever it looks. There isn't one for me. You're pretty good at destroying evil. No, not really. I stand in the back and I restrict my friends.

But you, you know, you smite things too with like horrible locus swarms and stuff. I'm really good at nagging and yelling at people who are mean, bad. That's kind of like the same thing. But I don't want to be smashed to a, I think it's the wrong one. I don't think any of us do.

Well, this guy looks like he could be a distant cousin, so I'm gonna just go up to this guy, and I'll go to Carnabot and all like, I guess, attempt to mount him. I'm doing this again. And Asher stops you. And he says, that's not how it works. Oh, when you've made your choice,

you're going to make case to the gargoyer. I'm going to turn on the device and he looks at you lofty. And then the gargoy would make its determination. Do you know which one's match or is it? I don't know you. If you survive the process, then you'll have a mountain. We can fly through the skies of Scephanine. If you just happen to have five that have five specific traits, what if you have a group of five people, then to not?

have those traits. They don't get a pair of wings or they get smashed into a fine mess. I didn't make these from you. So there's a chance that even if we get some of them right, some of us might get smashed. So maybe we should think of a different way

to get torn. I think Toma should follow his heart. I do not want to be smashed. I don't either. But if he does get smashed, then probably process of elimination. We'll have... Then I think that you should know.

first. No, no, no. Because if we're looking at this logistically, if any of us should be smashed, we need to send the person who is the least valuable. You have deceived us. You have gotten us into,

I'm just being fair. You have gotten us into a lot of trouble or soul alonged to some kind of demon entity. I think if you were to die in an offense, that it would be the least damaging to the rest of the world. Well, I was going to choose the same thing Toa was going to choose. I mean, that's where I want to go over to Cannibal.

And I do say all of that, love, please. To Iris's point, I think that out of all of us, you've probably done the most growth lately. Thank you. You... Harm? Harm? Harm? He has done the most harm.

But he's trying to fix... Which is why I was still in his friend. Wait, so maybe you don't go for this carnival, but maybe a Gerald is more your speed. You have died before, so you are the one who's the most familiar. Well, I think that when Count Kreskov talks about being pummeled in the red mist, they probably... He's probably referring to an average like non-Goliath. like non-Goliath. Yeah, Taurus is not going to die.

I don't think so. I can destroy that gargoyle, no problem. I could definitely take a punch from one of these guys. My money would be on Tola. But again, I still think that Caprice is more of a Gerald as opposed to a con about. You think so? I'm glad you're not going to be a password.

So, what did Caprice? What did Jones say? He's all about growth and transformation. I suppose it's an application. Well, Felix does have a point. So all of the things I said about you were pre-desk priests. Right. Post-Device, you've been a pretty stand-up guy.

I'm trying. I know I need to take my lump, so if you want me to go first, I'll ask the group. If Gerald's a way to go, I can make my taste. But what if he punches you? I think he might explode your head like a watermelon. Let's look at it again. One of them was very clearly lovely. Well, I think there were a couple that Lifty could probably do.

I think there was one that probably stands out amongst the others. Which one do you think, Phoenix? You're the smartest of the world. Oh, absolutely the one that involves indulgence, and is very close to the word lascivious. Oh, yes, of course. I only speak 13 languages, but I know that lascivious means the same in all of them.

That sounds of what Lovibov must be out. Don't forget Abyssal. That's not... I'm still working on that one. How do you say? I'm really close. I'm getting better. It's really hot.

I remember wagon. There's more of a gradual pitch on the ending hot. I'm still trying. Thank you. I appreciate all of you being so gracious. I may not be a big-brain Felix over here, but I feel like there's one that fits you extremely well as well. Louie.

Oh. Oh, the one about curiosity. You're Mr. Lurigol. I can't disagree. And again, you don't have to be first. I'm willing to try. I think that fits. Oh.

I've been told that I should wait. The same conversation that we had about which one of us should die if one has to. If we were going to take collectively a punch from a gargoyle, you are the one that would not survive. Oh, I would definitely put my money on the gargoyle. If a garglood would have punched me, I would mind. If my body would just... If you're taking the chance of who is the strongest enough person to take a punch, it would be Doha. Okay.

I don't want to risk it. All right. If someone does have to die, it should be Caprice. I don't want to risk it. This is a very blasé conversation or having about one of our very good friend's death. It's amazing since I left Galica, how comfortable I've got that dead bodies. Well, you may have to get even more comfortable with one very shortly. But either way, step up and become the writer of general, I say.

you want, Cannibal? Yes, if you don't mind. I mean, I think if it's... Which one does that leave for me? Well, I'm kind of with Toa. I've seen... Quite frankly, the fucked up things you've done to the undead. Well, you kind of smite a lot of evil, though.

You really hate, like, bad guys. Yeah. The demons... And curiosity, killed the kitty, you know. Well, then we definitely don't want her going after Lupy. Well, maybe she lives life to the fullest. Ever... You.

I'm gonna look at you. I'm gonna look at you. don't not be this disgusting new thing. Excuse me. Your complete waste of a castle. Yeah, I mean, yeah. Why don't I just go and see what it's like? I really don't want you to die,

too, especially not if you spent your last evening playing a game of Parchezi by yourself. It was for the good of the group. I know how he resolved. Who has, over the past 24 hours, had the most fun? I did enjoy myself playing whatever those games were. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I kept one of the D-6s just in case we want to pretend.

I don't really know what fun is. I think the last time that I had fun was my ice cream all the way back in that small little village. Oh, we got Sundays! Yeah. And we hate a few the five! You got Sundays in a village, and you didn't get any for the rest of us. It was so long ago, and the rest of you were in a cave and some of us got to stay at the inn. You don't remember that?

No, no. Some of us were able to go back, and... And then there was ice cream. But that was when we all came to the tavern. We were all there, we just had different rooms. And honestly, I wasn't really even able to enjoy it. I was so guilty about the whole thing. And we didn't really know you very well.

Like, that was like day two, maybe three. It was... It was... Well, to be fair, it was really good. That would probably be the last time I knew anything about fun. To be fair, it was real. You see Asher stuff in front of you. Was that really the last time you had a fun time?

Yeah, probably. I mean, we've been through a lot of really horrible things. I mean, my brother's... You pull a thing and he runs a finger along your cheek. Stop. I'm trying to tell a story here. Don't waste your time. I've been after that one for a while.

My brother's been missing. It's been a really harrowing experience. It's been a really harrowing experience, as I was saying. Anyway, I think Loopy's the one for me, and I'm willing to take the risk. It'll be fine. In fact, all will protect me. I will go.

I will go. If I've clearly had the most fun of all of us, then if one of us should die, and who was protect my soul? I went out having a lovely 24 hours with my closest endowed restraints. So I will step in front of Hungwash, whatever its name is. Yeah, Cugsworth. Yes, the one about smiting evil. And I will let him judge me, of course.

I think, you know, we'll just have Toa stand by, and he can probably save you. I mean, we'll definitely try to save you. We won't let this thing kill you. No, I'm picking my fate. If I were to be smote into a bloody redness, so to me. Don't you think I'd like to see that, courage? Let's see how it goes, shall we? And Escher walks over to the caniswere's large lever between each one, and he grips it with both hands.

And he says, are you ready? As ready as I'm never be. I stand very close to Iris. Very close. I take a step back, but I do. I believe in you, Iris. It's right. Thank you.

You don't know when to stop talking, and he keeps forward. And the, you hear a shh-f, as the canister begins to drain, as all the lines around the floor fill with this alchemical solution, that then in almost an instant, a large transmutation circle appears of fill with its fluid and glowing, and it illuminates this huge gargoyle named Cogsworth. As it then begins to rise up all of these alchemical designs all along the hide of this gargoyle, and then you see as it finally fills the eyes, as the eyes glow as bright red, as then you hear as the creature finally begins to move and then leans forward. You see this devil-looking face now staring directly at you,

as it seems to be waiting for something. All right, Kongs, be my guess. Are we any staring at Congress? You have to make a case about why you are worthy of the inscription thing. Why are worthy of inscription? Or to ride on its back? Well, of what it says on the instrument. I'm worthy to write on your back because you're made of stone.

This is ridiculous. I'm worthy to write on your back, Coxworth's. Because... I've seen me. I've faced evil, and I've not turned through the light. For my friends guide me through, and my heart will always wait for mourning. Now, let's meet you on your back. Uh, you, uh, you wait as, as Cogsworth leans forward and you see now it says, what was just a statue beforehand, uh, and not quite a breathing creature, but is now very clearly a living creature that leavened,

leans forward, the mouth opens and closes, and as you finish, it stops, and then it leans down. And you see that the saddle now is perfectly level against the ground as it waits me mountain. Do you have a side saddle? You say, I don't fry it this way. Oh, whatever. I climb up on the gargoyle. You climb up on the gargoyle, and you feel that there's actually two grooves for hands. and they glow with this red, this red magic. As soon as you put your paws on there, you feel this wash of alchemical energy, and you get the sense now that this gargoyle

will follow all of your commands and will follow it to the best of its ability, and you now have a loyal trusty meant. What is that? Look at that. Good job! I think that was the riskiest one that might, that, I'm so glad.

Who should go next? You see the kale with a spade at the end? Who had the second toast, fun? I mean, kind of a relative term. That's one person not dead. Who's next? When I go, what did you do to have a good time? Well, I always have a good time.

Everywhere I go. Yes, I can. I'm like a walking good time. Okay. Then talk to the dogwood. The boys must call me a good time gal. No, I'm sorry. That's one of the things.

I'd like to add another four-poenaed star review. What? Did she cook you breakfast? Does the stars come into play? So to speak. And he steps forward and grabs the, which one I guess are you? Are you standing in front? Lassivia. I was already out of my way there.

And he grabs the level. He already. When you see the alchemical solution, but once again, and fill that transmutation circle and rise up, fill the raven-like head as the avian face stares into, as it leans towards large wings, with a little bit of slight little bat-like with a bit of a feathery design as it stares in here.

Well, I can already tell we're going to be best friends. I like to have fun. You look like a bundle of fun. We're going to soak all the joy out of life. Ring every little bit. You and returned into mist. What? And even you would have fun as mist.

I think I could. Tell it. Well, don't turn me and mist, but I could have fun as missed. You don't want to do that to you. To me? Do you? Can I get a little about me? You're so cute.

You see this bird face stare at you and lean as the eyebrow marrow of furrows. As it leans down, I'm like. kiss a room, the beak. You kiss right on the beak, and as soon as you do that and it leans down, the cold, the tall of like hands of, settles down, and you're very easily able to knock the dog. Bound up.

Once again, those same hand holds, you feel like you're able to control this car well. Oh, I love her. Well done. Easy. I have fun. I'm having it last. I get to sing and dance.

and do all kinds of fun stuff. And I get to hang out with you guys. We just wait three hours of setting up a board game. Great time. I think I'm ready. I'd like to go and walk up to Gerald, if you don't mind. I don't mind at all. And he steps over to my lover.

I guess your friends are right. You do look like a Gerald. Are you ready? Yeah. He pulled it forward. And once again, the Natillion Dyerer. dinosaur like the long, much thicker tail with spines down the back of it, as it then leans forward and looks at you expectantly. You see that there's very, not sharp because

as a stone, but very prominently carved teeth in its, and it's small. I'm a deep bow. Hi, Gerald. My name is Capricio de Cesto. It's a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Caprice. I don't know if you could hear anything before you were animated by this a red boot. However, my friends tell me that you know, I am good at a transformation, growth, that I would make a good Gerald. I turn into a cometer, you can

be all sorts of things. I turn into a lizard folk. Just like you, reptilian style. I am a king of transformation. I'm bopping myself through a variety of different characters. But you know what? That's cheap tricks. That's just a solution. The reality is that

very recently, I passed through the the first bail and came back from the other side. And to be frank, I have been very much reborn. I no longer wake up with existential dread in the way that I used to. I feel a great burden off of my shoulders, and I'm here for it. It's just, my heart sinks. Gerald, what do you say? You want to be my mouth?

There is no hesitation as Gerald leans forward and rests down. and is effortless for you to hop on on its path. I jump up and I, uh... Oh, it's a little pokey rep, repile style. All right. And Asher looked at his own to be able to wake up without existing to bread. I feel for you, buddy. I feel for you.

That's three out of five. Well done. I must say, I'm... Slightly surprised. Who's nice? What are you saying? What are you thinking? thinking, I think you should go so I can be ready just in case you get punched in the face. Well, that is very generous of you, and something that's someone who protects their family, friends, and home would do. Wait, can you read that one more time? Something, but that would, someone would protect their family, friends, and home.

Conabo isn't animator yet. He's just making, he can't hear you. He's taking notes, all right? It helps to be studies. I'm just trying to, the inscription is really like squeiggly and swirly. Yeah, it's like cursive. Is it Welsh? Is it the same thing as Kusiv? I'll be honest, I don't really know. Is it Welsh or GOOD-GOOD-GOOG. You're here for any of the gymnas of the two-ne-Gooch-Gooch-Gooch.

Let me see you call it giggle. Whittle giggle. I was like, let me go giggle giggle. So like, g-g-g-g-g-g-ch. All right, here we go. All right, Loopy, that's me. All right, here we go. Well, I'mlessly curious.

curious? That's absolutely me. I'm ready. Escher, fire it up. We'll do. And he leans forward on the lever and the alchemical flu, once again, forms that circle and animates this lupine creature. And it's a bushyer tail as it leans down. You see the fur-like design on the wings as this wolf-like head stares directly at you like a predator. All right. All right. All right. All things considerate that have happened in my lifetime I still consider myself pretty lucky because I've always had my brain and because of it I've ever since I've been able to read I've learned like 13 or 14 different languages and every single day I learn something new and and I devoted my entire life

to studying and learning and trying to cram as much knowledge into my brain as I possibly can even in the short few years that I've been on this planet but it's not going to stop I promise, I know in that until the day that I am can no longer breathe, that I'll continue to learn and and pick up new things because there's always something new you can learn every single day. And that's what I've devoted my life for. And then hopefully using that knowledge to save some people. You see it lean forward as if it's attempting to smell you. As soon as you finish, it then kind of wet, the tail starts to move back and forth a little bit.

And then it looks at you expectantly as it unlayes down. Ha! That's it! Look, easy as that, we can do this, right? And the best way to learn is just try things, because you never know what's gonna happen, and I will jump on to Luke's back. That's awesome! I'm so glad! Wait, what if...

What if I pick from, and there's only one left, and it's not a good fit? What happens? Oh, I mean, you're not gonna... Something like this isn't gonna hurt you, and even then, I think that we have full command over these things now, and I have to make my gargle amount destroy that one before it hurts you.

You look close enough to Anoni. I'm sure we're fine. All right. Okay, I'm ready. I'm ready. And I'll walk up to Carabo. Conabo. Sorry. He leans to walk out. And it starts to get illuminated. You see the ogre-like face close with difficult.

straightened curved teeth that it has, the tusks and fangs, as it then leans for definitely the biggest of the lot and much more muscular. It lowers its head at you, almost, almost menacing. All right up. My name is Toa. We both looked like rocks, kind of. You know, sort of just you made of stone and I have a very great. skin. Do you speak, oh good, I mean, I mean, Giant, not an Giant, well, Ologos speak Giant, but do you speak Giant? I could speak in Giant if that would be more comfortable for you.

I'd look for any sense of recognition. Not in any sense. Oh, okay, well, and I'll take my block and I'll put it up, I'll say. Um, well, I think that I would be a good partner to um, take flight on your back because I love, I love. to protect my family I love to protect my friends and I love to protect my home and I already did that last one and sort of the first one and I'm kind of in progress of doing that middle one let's say the second there's a delay as the over like phase He was supposed to be cons.

Five minutes later, Hey everyone, I'm Moeller. As the only face looks at you, it almost looks masquer like from how it's carved on the head of this garboyle, it hesitates and leans forward and then very slowly, and lowers. Thank you. This is a drear. I don't know. We'll respect any boundaries you may or may not have. As I'll ride you into possibly better. And I'll just like climb on them. And just like all the others, you feel like you are in full control of these mounts. Asher stands back. And there's a look that he has as if he, he, he,

His stare lingers as he watches all five of you atop these gargoyles that they begin to move around, and you're getting a sense of how they work. And it's a little bit of an awkward gaitment they all have as they move around, but you all get a sense of it as the wings unfurled and flap a little bit, and you realize how despite these massive constructs, whatever kind of alchemical magic, the amount of lift that they're able to get with each beat of the wings, actually lifts it into the air quite easily.

And Escher just stands and stares, and he's, there's actually a smile to his face that you haven't seen that level of, of warm, it seems a bit surprising given that you guys are right in gargels. And he takes a moment to take it in, and he just nod and says, well, I'm glad they are no longer collected dust.

Are you already? Yeah, I don't see why not. No time like the present. He just looks... Let's go. What are you going to ride on? He whistles and immediately into thin air,

Bicephalus appears. Floating in mid-air. Have we seen Bicephalus? Yes. We didn't. As Bicephalus, this horse-like face that really isn't a horse, but then he just realizes it looks more snake-like

and fiendish and it stares at all of you with this malevolence and as it chops. Busephalus, no, these are friends, not food. As I was like, you, don't worry, you'll grow on him. As he leaps into the air, does a flip, and lands on Bicephalus, and he realize now that he has all of his travel bags with him slung over Bicephalus, and he looks towards the door of this balconied room, and he says,

Brutus! It booms out magically, and you hear, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. I don't even have lungs. I don't know why this is happening. As the door opens, as Brutus appears,

and Asher looks at him and says, I don't know how long will it be gone, but you know that you are in charge while I am not in the castle. Make sure that the that these stone waters are keeping extra high alert. I made sure that we are extra fortified, but if there are any problems, you know how to contact me.

Yes, of course, Master. Anything you say, I will run a very tight ship. Well, no, I won't run a ship. Because it's a classroom, we're very clean on a ship. I've never been on a ship. I only know from what you put into my not brain about what my ship is. You don't have to worry about anything, Master.

Boy, have a lovely, lovely chip. I'll make sure it's your whole feast when you go out of it back. Have a good one. And Escher just sits and listens and just nods at him and says, Take care of yourself, Pruvus. Friends, we fly south. And with a horrifying winnie, Bicephalus, That was great.

Bicephalous lets at this booming fiendish sound and immediately starts galloping through the air as Asher takes off and pulls out a parasol and holds it over his head as Bicephalus rockets through the sky. Somehow the parasol does not get immediately ripped out as he holds up. Just before I start to join us, I will turn up. Brutus, leave our board games where they were.

We may still be able to recover and pick back up when we get back. Oh! And you see you absolutely horrible. Come on his face. Oh, also supposed to pick up any of all those pieces and put it away? No, leave them exactly where they are.

And if you see anything out of place, put them back exactly where they should have passed. Yeah, okay. Oh, dude, I won't touch it. I'll certainly have already cleaned it all up. Certainly have not ruined your game. Thank you. I'm ready to go.

We're just following that show, right? Yeah. Yeah, let's go. Again, no time like the present. All right, here we go. Remind me not to become an alchemist. This room smells like garbage. Be away.

At least no, we fly. As you all take into the gloomy skies of Skethernal and begin your journey south. You all take off from Castle Romeria and leave it behind as you soar through the skies of Skethernal. Schethra now. And you, it takes a little bit of getting used to, but after several hours, a flight, you get adjusted to riding on the backs of these huge gargoyles. And it's, despite their size and then they made entirely of stone, they're surprisingly fast. And as you travel for

hours, you see the distant of valleys and mountains, castles off in the distance, small towns around them. And you occasionally see a vulture rider off in the distance. And Escher will tell you, he'll be back in a second, and disappears, he goes invisible. And then off in the distance you see the vulture fall, followed by, you hear a scream as a the body of a Shadar Khai falls shortly after and Escher returns with blood dripping down his mouth and you continue on your way it was like a Wilhelm scream yeah exactly like boba fed into the Sarlak pit style like terrible it's impossible to impersonate because I don't think it's like a real scream

it's very difficult to do it's like yeah it's hard we see a soundboard You travel all day and you eventually have to make camp for the night. And Escher invites Luffy to help find firewood. Oh boy. How do I look like to you? Don't you have servants? And... And...

And... Escher, he'll look at you, I guess. You were all at camp now. We want to roll play this. And he says, no, I mean, firewood. Firewood. Hey, Toa, do you want to go get firewood? Yeah, sure.

Yeah, sure. Don't do it. I'd love to get firewood here. It's been a long time since we've... I like stupid men, not stupid. We go prancing off into the dark woods together. We're like skipping along. We go find a firewood.

Oh, this is a good one. Oh, that's a good find. Here, let me see where I'm going. Look, this one kind of looks like a snake. This was gonna burn for hours. Wow. Nice and dry. Whoa.

Wow. Wow. Wow. You eventually, unless is anything you'd like to do when you find a spot that's pretty protected out in the wilderness, and you're able to make camp unless you're anything you'd like to do. Just collect firewood and then burn that firewood. Collect more, maybe. You can run out. So be it, you know?

So it be it, yeah. I play some fucking home. You do that. You take off the next morning and you get a long rest. Hey.

It's great. I used a lot of resources right now. Actually? No. I'm still going to long rest because of my immersion. No.

No. I didn't do shit for entire daily. As we just fucked around. As you fly all day and once again in this gloomy land of scatherineal it's sometimes hard to gauge where the sun is because

in what time of the day it is besides just the the slightly basically how how light gray it is it goes from it's lighter dark gray to light gray to dark gray to night and you continue to fly for for many and you're able to avoid the gaze of the vulture riders. And when there is a vulture rider nearby, Escher handles and there it's with them. And after what feels like you've been traveling all day, you finally see these large mountains looming over you,

and you see that there's two mountains, two massive mountain peaks, the number of miles in between each other, with smaller mountains forming a bit of a valley. As you turn around, you get a view and you see something that you haven't seen, you realize now that you haven't seen since you came here to Skefer. The sun. Interesting. And as you fly, and as you fly, you see a bit of orange and red and pinks and violets of the sky at sunset.

around the bed, as you curve around this bend in the mountain to get a look at where you're headed, and you see that there's a ring of clear sky and sun shining through, the colors of sunset painting, entire space that you can see. And as you look down past the ring of mountains and highlands, you see, you see seeing where there had been these dense dark ring forests. What looks like now to be a ring of gnarled black, dead trees that form the outskirts of a valley that make a ring around a forest that's grown throughout the entire space of the valley that seems to be entirely bathed in the sunlight of the light of the light

of sunset and as you continue to approach you see the shimmering of golds and reds below as the entire valley besides this ring of black gnarled dead trees is absolutely filled with these huge brilliant trees of red and gold glinting in the light of sunset and As you see a large castle at the far end of the valley rising up, and it looks like a verifiable city built into the moors that's surrounded. And as you fly forward, Escher turns to you and he extends an arm and says, Welcome to Rovia. I know it.

As you draw. You draw near and you see that there's an incredibly large lake and there's these two massive mountain peaks that seem to flank each side of the valley. And you see that towards the one side, it's, despite the time of year, it's covered in a dense snow cover. And despite the temperate forest of the valley below. And as you approach, the ring of clear sky never dissipates. As the light slowly disappears and sinks below the ring of mountains, and twilight falls over the valley. A quick question. Do I get the sense that Sceprenel and Borovia are neighboring states or that Borobia is a

county of skeptic? The latter. A literal county. Okay. And you see now that as the sun sets, you see the small villages throughout this forest of reds and golds. As the light seems to bathe only... This one count, as Ether... Escher starts to descend on cephalus. Danny, he gestures all of you to follow. And he calls out as he rides. I don't think that they'd appreciate us dropping in.

We should. You should proceed on foot. Oh, so do we, just like right here and we walk, are we going to the big castle in the middle of the city? That was where I was aiming, yes. As you skirt the valley and you see that there's a wistful look to Escher as you all descend as night falls. And Escher stops right at the tree line of where the forest of gnarled dead blackened trees. stops and merges and borders the brilliant forest of red and golden rooms and he stops and stops here I think this is where we should have for tonight I guess it's late I think that's fine what was so close we can see the council yes we can and

Escher dismounts Bacophonus as he looks into, he looks up at the tree line, those golden red trees, and he takes a few steps and looks down at his feet. Oh, it's so long. I don't know if I can enter this may be where you have to move on without me. Oh, it's not, it's not time. You should be fine, right? There's no sun right now and maybe we could just like stay shaded during the day. Hallowed all visible the entire valley

Whatever these trees grow it's hallowed ground as their roots were deep Which is real tall and I am a preacher of the night Not believe I am well for there a way we can test that theory without risking you or anything or is it sort of an all-or-nothing Thank you No what happens It's true very painful And as you all land in dismount, you see now that this strange, spooky forest that you've landed in, these trees seem to have these sunken, wailing faces in them.

And they look familiar. You had first encountered trees just like this in Erius in the grove of the cult of Garrick's. And you see that there's, and each one as you look around, that there seems to have be a whole board in at the base of these trees. And they seem to be hollow and sunken and brittle. Despite that, the trees, even with their bare branches form, darkening canopy. As Escher looks up at the tree line, it says I am not sure. I can always just write a letter of introduction. Just be here.

And that was going to be my question, was if we have to go on without you, what do we say to the count to convince them to be on our side? Well, tell them everything. Everything that we've seen over the past several days, I'm sure that if he knows what is coming for him it's a good thing that he seemed to have arrived before the audience made his move I'm not sure how much time we have

can he make a move if this place is hallowed and protected with sun and poorly times that's a good question I thought I was protected too I do not know what the nature of The extent of the power of the Carian King, especially every week and month that goes by, as power grows, it seems. And the creations with my little bat keep getting more monstrous and vile. Well, then, yeah, if you could write us a letter, and we'll be real quick.

We can sleep tonight, and then we'll just go straight to the castle, and we'll beg for help, and then hopefully we'll ride out of here with the whole army. Yes. Yes, that's a good plan. I... You'll see that. You won't look, and you see into the forest of trees of red and gold. Off in the distance, you see a light that seem to be flickering off in the woods.

Is it in the Holy? Hallowed woods? Yes. And we're not near you in the village, so that's the whole leaves off, right? Yes, yeah. Is that a person or is it some kind of... What would they be doing all the way out here? It could be anybody, could be some sort of the county's guard. I mean, we just, we don't know it's good or bad, just, uh, let's just see what happens, I guess.

They must know we're here. It could be maybe like a ranger, you know, just keeping up and maybe collecting some Texas. What's Texas? No, Texas, like, Texas, like, like... Yes, which is Texas. It's like when you have to give a portion of your money to, to, to, to, to, to the count of the county that you live in, and then he has to give part of that to the king.

That's what I said. Yeah, like a tithe. Tixas. I don't do you say, I don't pay those. My point is that he probably means well. And we can explain the situation, and maybe he can give us an escort tomorrow. Do we need that?

What, I mean, he might know like a shortcut or like places to avoid, although I mean, if it's so holy, maybe there are no places to avoid. It might be easier to get audience with the count. We have someone who would, you know. Like an end. Yeah, exactly. He doesn't seem to be listening to what you're saying.

He stares off into the forest. Just like add the light. Yes. Yes. All right. Do you want to go? Yeah, let's go. How dark is it?

It night fell very quickly. I'm gonna just like snap my fingers and create a little flame like you do that and it the flames I don't do you're in your head as as I just hold my hand up as I walk forward you know a slightly ahead of me you step forward and you make it about 50 feet in and the light continues to flicker but you don't seem to draw any near to it it seems to to stay at the same distance and move through the forest. And you look back and you hear Escher's voice call out.

It's calling to me. Hear it? What does this mean? I hear. There's a guy, I don't know. I'm going to try to step across the threshold. He said the good idea. Yeah, I don't know about that, Esher. Can we still see him or is he like?

How far is he? He's about 50 feet back. He's not that far. No, he's not that far. So the three of us are in the woods following the light and yelling back to Escher, but the two ladies are with Escher at this point where... I don't know where the ladies are. I would have been walking.

Yeah, we would just be like turning around back towards him and just say, I don't think that's a good idea. You already said it could be horribly painful. Yeah, stand there. It's not worth risking it. We're okay. If there's one thing I know, but don't follow, when something is tempting you, it's probably a bad thing.

Might be fine, but probably bad. Do as I say, not as Lufty does. Yeah, that's good. We should have broider that somewhere. We'll figure it out. You stay there. And you can just very, very, very faintly in the light of moon. And you realize now that you, the moon's also most most, you can just very, very faintly in the light of moon.

And you realize now that you, the moon's also most, you can just, you can just, you can you, you can been clouded this entire time. And he, you just see his silhouette, and then you see a leg rise, and he steps forward. Oh, no, come on, dude. Into the forest. And then he takes another step, and another step, and another step, and another step.

And in several moments, he approaches you. You hear the rustling of the underbrush as Escher joins you, looking around. You're all right? Do you feel okay? I feel fine. Isn't that mean with these? This forest is no longer hallowed. Maybe you're not a vampire anymore.

Oh, they're so amazing. Congratulations. So I think it's much more likely that the Count's county is no longer as safe as we thought it was. Oh, are you still the vampire? Yes. We should probably hurry, and I begin to like hustle through the woods with the little flame that I have. You see the flickering lanterns gone off the left, and Escher says we must follow it. Are you sure we don't want to just head right for the castle?

No, there's a reason why this flame is here. Okay, and I start to view towards the lantern. Is Gerald and the other's gonna be okay? Yes, they'll be fine. The cephalus will keep an eye on them. And making your way through, and you see that as you approach and get closer to this light, it never gets any nearer, and it continues to move through the forest. As you follow this light,

Follow this light that looks like it's someone holding a lantern guiding you through the forest. Felix, I can't see very well. Very well. All right, right, right. As you continue to follow this light, Escher is walking along side of you, lit your end towards the back. And as you continue to make your way, you, priest's fault, continue to follow. And suddenly he's in the lead, and his eyes are wide. And he says, no, I think that these forests still have a...

He looks down in his own feet as he continues to guide you as you follow for what feels like in eternity until you suddenly emerge into a small clearing And you see what looks like a lantern flickering in the center of this, and suddenly it shimmers and fades and the light disappears. And Escher takes a few steps more and looks around. What? Where?

And then warmth. As the cloudless night reveals the large moon shining down in the light, and you hear a voice. around you, it's not too loud and it's not threatening, as it seems to be centered around Escher. Step or the million of the step on the path to both the creature of the night as an ally of the light and an old friend is welcome and then it fades. His Escher stands, his eyes are wide. He looks up at the media. Yes, you like that.

What was that? Is everything alright? What kind of ghost? Gaggaggagggose. Everything is all right. Latin is under. It happens. Oh, hell.

I'm pretty good. And you now see... The number of lights. lights. As you see a very thin tree line of these forest, as you see the light of villages, just on the other side, as you've arrived through the forest to the valley of the road here. Well, yes, I was worried. It was something bad there. I sure we're okay. Well, everything, everything's under control, right? We're good. We made it. Are they normally spooky disembodied voices?

To be fair, Tella, that's probably one of the least scary things that we've encountered in our time together. It sounded like we're all welcome. Yeah, it was a good thing, right? Yes. We are welcome. There is power here the voice that you heard was living in the future. To not be long. I... we all are. Then that's gold. It's not gilly, darling. Right, I agree. We need to get to the castle and we need to see the count.

count as quickly as possible. Yes, and he guides you out of the woods, which we lie now behind you. And you see now that this village is still filled with these trees of leaves of red and and you see that there's the recurring lights of villages through the valleys. You see farmland, You see far off a vineyard by a tall hill and all nestled between these two huge mountains and the smaller mountain ranges along it. Something crosses above you're casting a shadow beneath the moon and you look up and you see what looks like a small raven flying overhead as it circles a little bit and then flies off. Um, Escher looks at all of you and says, I'll stay off the road, there's enough drama,

too much attention to ourselves. Alexi is going to even want to see me. All right, if you think that's for the best, that's fine? Well, if the forest was okay with me, why wouldn't Alexi be? Yeah. Well, I'll hope for it. Well, then, if you, I mean, you can lead us now.

I mean, if this is your home, do you... I mean, is it still familiar? It says both familiar and unfamiliar. 200 years is a long time, but I know where to know. The castle is not that far. You see it looming, tall above you. You get the sense that it's probably a several hour walk

to get to the large sprawling town that's been built into the more that surround this castle. And you make your way And you occasionally see a little bit of movement off these sleepy homesteads. As one by one, the lights dim as this town starts to settle in for them, walk for probably another two hours, undetected. And then you feel as the ground beneath you starts to rumble.

And you see dust cloud off in the distance from behind the hill. A dust cloud? Dust cloud. Large dust cloud that continues to move and get closer. As you then hear the rumbling, thundering of hooves, sounds like thundering, galloping horses approaching them. How good, they've sent carriages for us. It must be some sort of guard or some sort of night watch or something.

All right, well, you can explain the situation and you can just, you know, tell them what's going on. Yes, of course. And you see that Asher seems to be a little bit nervous. There's a bit of trepidation in his voice as the thundering of the galloping grows louder and louder. And then from around the hill that you are, around a hill that you're approaching, on the road you're staying on the outside of, you see a dozen horses galloping in your direction.

And you see the glinting of moonlight off of the shimmering plate armor of a dozen nights, atop. And you see that one is carrying this standard of a rising sun, as there seems to be one that had with the most decorated horses as they mean the thunder forward, and they are probably about 500 feet from you when Escher steps out into the road and raises his hands. I suggest you all do the same. Of course.

Hi. I raise my hands and one of my hands still has this flame in it. And the line of galloping nights stops at you. And you can't even see any faces hidden in any comments all of them. As the one at the lead with a very, large swarm with a gleaming at its side, rides forward, trolling, looming tall over you, the horse is huge, and this night is no small man. Leans forward as Escher steps forward.

My name is Count Escher Kreskov. I come seeking Count Alexei von Zarvich to warn him of the dangers that his thundering towards Barovia, we mean you no harm, quite the opposite. And you see as the one at the lead steps forward and reaches up and grabs the helmet and pulls it off, and we see shining, shimmering blonde hair fall out and about shoulder length. as a middle-aged man who is very strikingly handsome, strong features, who looks at Escher and then all of you. Oh, you have found you.

My name is Alexei von Zarovich, the Count of this valley. Hi, hello. Hello, Count von Zarovich. We mean you no harm, and we have a very, very important information to give you. It's a bit of a long story, but it's like Toa says, very important. He looks at all of you and you see as he looks back at his knights and he trots up to Escher more closer.

Seeking your counsel or presence of the vampire here. But we have in Novosayne. strange occurrences. Thank you. That's fantastic news. We appreciate it. He gives a hand gesture to his guards, and they begin to ride forward

and make a circle around all of you. As Alexei Monsorovic rides up and dismounts, and he stands even taller than Asher. As he looks at all of you and says, I move. Count Kraskov's in the alliance that he had with my ancestor. But I do not, do not look like you are from. Most of you, do I have the honor of speaking.

Oh, well, uh, uh, uh, Phila Tacharman, sir, of Kesselfield from Kovacia. Sir. Sir. That's right, sir. My people also came from Korova. came from Koto, many centuries. Oh wow, that's, I didn't know that. I'm for Koripark in 2020.

Kirstai and you're not. Yeah. Hello. You do not know Kora. But we have been in our valley for many years. His life. Well, I can tell you we're going to get on very well. So if you want to come back, I will give you a tour.

First class. This gives me very good. But not, we're not looking for Korovaki, they just happen to be from there. We're with him, I'm Queen and Asher, and I'm Toa, Kamenui. Some people call me Wind Chaser. Nobody calls you, though. Let's be real. I mean, you guys don't call you that, but you don't know my friends back home. Sometimes they call me.

I'd like to make an insect set, but no one doesn't get any way they're calling him. I'm fucking making up. What's your insight, Chuck? 29. 13. He feels me telling the truth. He feels he's telling the truth. He feels he's telling the truth.

Word and character. I'm from across the city. I'm from Magalcita. I don't know if we've ever heard of it. It's a great city. And, yeah, I'm the these folks. We're here at hell. My name is Camry Jonas.

That's now. You can call me Caprice. Why do you? You, like, you, about this. Place, yes. I don't look out of place pretty much anywhere. I'll probably, shouldn't be honest, because it would be honest. Well, thank you for a little bit.

Like, the bow, holding my tail on one hand. Step forward. You will look at you and you can see that there is... And I hold out for my hand so you can kiss it, which is a proper. He looks at you and he gives you a nod and he reaches down and he grabs your palm. And despite the size of his hand, he's a gyrgy lord. Man, it's a very gentle print. And he leans down in his blonde hair, brushes against your hand.

A kiss. I will speak to you. You speak for your guards. I lean in to it. I'm like, why do we always get that? Guard, servants, it's never just, you know, people. We're never just alone for the ride. I'm not like guarding and serving people.

So it works for me. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying it's an interesting observation. I wasn't talking to you. You know, I am. The adults are talking. Maybe if you cleaned up your clothes a little bit, you look a little dusty. I take it back, not friends, guards.

After someone makes a comment about that clothing, I just look deeply wounded. Guards and troubadour. I put a few screens. This is all starting to make sense. And yes, I have also a cow. And also, I respect the stories that have been sung about you. But I will speak to the royalty in my presence first. And then we can discuss what we must.

Look wise. So I ask you. What is death? The settlement? In my faith, death should be a state where you no longer walk the values of darkness of me. In my faith. For us all, they've counts. Esher's life.

Iris of the sands, I will speak to you by her new old count. Simply put, there has been an attack on Count Ashes. abode domcile, can't frankly call to castle, and a warn him from the Kerrian king himself and your name upon his lips. He claims to be coming for you and your land. And though, Count Escher, feels as you do not have quite the connection he would hope. He could not turn away from you and felt that though our journey lies further, into this land, that we must make a detour and warn you so you could protect your people, and that maybe you would see it in your heart, to care for those in this land by lending us your aid.

Whatever you can spare. We are capable, myself and my friends. Tzarticosa. It's not the place we're going. All these names are so strange to me. I don't know. Where are... Yes. Thank you, Tim.

Yes. Yeah. I look at persuasion, I get a man. I look at all of his guards, and I like, I look standing, and I like trying to match how they're standing, so I feel like a guard too. Is it persuasion? Um, 19. 19. He, he looks skeptical.

I'm kidding. his attemptive revenge of my family for generations. What hope does he have? What is? His plan we do not know of, but we do know that he may have acquired something he has sought. A raven child, that he wishes to use. Pono travels, we came across a band.

He believed they were working for him. Carriage and in it made coffin with a small girl. You rescued her and brought her to the castle. But the carrion king was smart. He infiltrated the walls of the rooms and he stole her back. It was then that he gave us this warning. She, she, oh. Her name was Valeska, probably.

Does that name ring true to you? What's... Starnie. You may speak to her. Oh, may I speak, sir? I mean, can't tell her, just speak. Oh. Um, yes, uh, Toa, uh, lead dog here. Um, and, uh...

What's it all that? Do, uh, she, I believe, I believe, uh... Toa spit it out. I'm nervous. Uh, I believe it was meant... She was a Vistone. She was a Vistani. And she is from a Vistani camp outside of Vlaki, maybe. See what she said?

I don't know. All these names and places and people sounds the same to me. And she, she had a very bright, blonde. blonde head, uh, not too dissimilar from yours. Might be kept. It looks at you. I throw him a scooby snack. And then turns back to you...

Tong comes out. I had... I had been informed that the missing child. They're saying that she's lost. Well, our hope... Our hope is to retrieve her. I know, is it? I can only speak from my...

I can only speak for myself, but I know my friends well. We will not rest until she is safe. That's right. He steps forward. Inpens. My God speaks to me. He tells me to trust you. Is that how you knew that we were like right about here?

Did you intentionally write out to meet us? Or was this sort of a crazy coincidence? He moves wisely. Makes great alliances. And he looks up and he sees three ravens circle around. As he then turns back, I have eyes that is what alarms me. We've had several missing children. The house in the beast that surround me this valley.

We're present every evening with a decent fire as nothing. He was in the mountains just because times were getting desperate beyond the edge of our very wrong. You say that belisk wasn't been in yet. Yes, that is what she told me of us. And she also mentioned that she heard a howl in the woods and she went out to go follow it for some reason and that's what she was taken. The first time.

Oh right, the first time. She was taken the second time. Do you remember hearing of your helmet? I didn't hear any of how many people? I didn't hear any of how many? No, just the chittering of insects. Yeah, more like that. So I could do that.

Yeah. Uh, the briefs, I guess I'll have to be. Daryk lost openly. He looks around his guards and then back at you and says, you are welcome in the end of my... What I ask we cannot speak, always have hope for fear. You mean of the, uh, uh, the girl being? Or this meeting right now?

...he's not a... ...to take him to a close of him. He's bad enough for children are wandering from the woods being taken from my de veras. No problem. You got it. But wouldn't they wander less if they were more scared? Maybe you should scare them a little. Fear is an incredible motivator. I'll agree under one condition.

This is your home and your county. I'll abide by the rules provided you give us all the information that we need to save these kids and help us in any way and furthering that goal and making sure that these children get home safely. I am not sure if I can pledge by men and women to ride hundreds of miles north of storm Zarikosa and Gary and King. but I know that you are here for a reason. I know that you made it through the forest without being burned alive for a reason. Such a thing is an impossibility.

Oh, God. Oh, jeez. We're just going to cut that. Cut it? Did you not see the charred corpses of the moon's and Shadarkai that tried to infiltrate? To be fair, we just kind of saw some weird trees that had. I didn't really notice any charred corpses. It's generally the thing I'd pick up one.

You are lucky that your guide looks over at Asher. They not lead you astray. We are protected here. But there is something that is these days getting darker. The clouds encroach even on this blessed land. The valleys and the fires. There is movement in the pack. They are waiting.

for something. You wish to stay night. Yes, it would be much preferable to sleep in the roots. No, we traveled a very long way. And I feel like we have a lot to talk about. Even if you can't lend us people, which we can hash out the details

later, any knowledge that you might have is good. And a long talk might be helpful. Thanks for a moment and then looks at Asher. We, you and I have to speak following up on our correspondences and he steps forward

and says yes of course I must ask you a question is box that your ancestor had gift to Victoria Isaacs isn't still in her residence

and he nods slowly yes let me wait we have to live the raven child that our common foe had mentioned appearing beyond mists and piercing through them

I believe it has parts to play the secrets that she and I discussed her last trip before she passed I would very much like very well you and I shall meet tonight mother of the child

has gone missing as well. And send my own men to look for her above. I cannot risk any more disappearances. The more that morale breaks, the more that the hook fades, and once the hook is gone, you will have nothing left.

We may want to weigh the wolves or something rowding in the distance. Oh, they've quieted those lips. Please, please leave them. Press off. Yes. Lots are. Hansarovich. You will come with me.

My guards will escort you in Sydney camp. You will be built in there. Fine by me. So we shouldn't come into the town or the city? Are we not welcome there? I would prefer no bands of strangers coming under cover of darkness. It's a few. Go waiting and go morning.

Yes, the light of mourning. We'll put people at ease. You understand. Sure. Is there anything we didn't know about the Messiah before we meet them at the first time and try not to offend them and be generally a good stranger's friends?

Treat their customs and each and every one of them respect and they will respect you. They are the ones that welcome strangers of all kinds. You will not be out of place there. Perfect. Escher, like, thinks of the ride in the view.

Yes. He thought as he mounts his horse and Escher gets on the back of the war horse and looks back and says, are you going to be all right? Yeah, we'll be fine. I think we've escaped burning at that, so I've all built him here. Yeah, it's pretty normal for us. Pretty good talking to people.

Well, we must discuss our country duties. I think there may be hope here yet. I'll fetch you in the morning. All right. Good luck. Good luck. And with that, Alexi and Escher joined most of the nights. As they ride off.

and one stays behind and gives you the directions to the Astani camp near by the town of Milwaukee. Thank you so much for listening to the Legends of Aventras podcast. We hope you enjoyed the session. If you want even more campaigns to listen to, become a member of our Patreon at the Pearl Dolphin Tier or higher to unlock Shrout of her Saltmarsh, a patron exclusive campaign set on the high seas. You can find that at patreon.com forward slash Legends of Aventrace.

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