Legends of Avantris - Beneath Dark Wings | Ep. 66 | Memories Unmasked: Part 2

Episode Date: October 2, 2025

After moving through their memories, the party returns to the Black Pyramid...   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/bRYQnyXZAGs?si=eQtgfFhgUOdeX-5D

Welcome to Legends of Aventris. I'm Felix Ackerman and you're listening to Beneath Dark Wings. Here's what happened last time. You all stand before what has only been called the Black Pyramid. This is the tomb of Thar's Dune, the chain god, where this entity was sealed away long, long ago when humanity was new. In the countless eons that followed, the chain god has been trapped away with the power of 14 seals from 14 pieces of the god Osiris, combined with the power of the mist of the primordial force of death. You've come to join me at the end of existence.

The end of existence? Well, not if we can help it. To fulfill the role of the Raven Child. They will take on the full power of Thari's Dune, but after he has been weakened, shirkened down by the rod of law, by the seven angels, reduced to a helpless weakened form. And then, once consumed by that creature, I will sever the beast in two. It will split the children, restoring them by the power of the Raven Queen. I will turn the blade on myself, and with my sword,

My death, Thara's Dune, will be sent to the fortress of memories. You are the only ones who can put an end to the chained God. We will place each of us a memento, and then we will be searched by the Raven Queen, our entire lives. And she will take the memory that you offer here. We will go to that beautiful fortress. We will go to the world of memories, and she will choose an impactful one, and we must face them down. together. You are in a throng of people, a large crowd of partygoers, of wealthy merchants and travelers

from all over Aventress. You are in a palace of Prince Sahin of the city of Grahab, a port town in Neckbat, incredibly opulent and wealthy. one that is in a very convenient point in the trade routes and you see as there are individuals in every kind of size and shape and race that you can think of enjoying the highest caliber of food and drink and you see that there are you see that There's visiting nobility, royalty. There's some of the wealthiest individuals of certain areas.

And you know that Prince Zaheen, he hosts parties all of the time. And that this is just he's able to entertain and host at least once a month, if not more, just with his massive wealth. Very much known for his vast collection of magical items. artifacts. This is what has brought Lifty here. As a up-and-coming socialite, she has been in many parties, many areas of high repute and of opulence. And ever since leaving the safety and comfort and quiet of Kirstein, she has been searching for anything that might be able to tell her where her mother might have been, this mysterious figure who came from a land, allegedly, not unlike

this place that you're in right now. And what is a socialite without her posse, without the friends that she's made along the way that she thought might be useful for a situation like this. And she's generally not a criminal by any means or a thief, but it's whispers that Zaheen has a very strong interest in genies, particularly the gin, of which Luftees have. There is reason for her to believe that Prince Zaheen

might have something in his private store, his private collection, that is a certain very well guarded. Apparently, the rumors are that the traps, the guards, the animated statues, the beasts that patrol the hallways, are deadly beyond

and more extravagant than anyone could imagine. Out of a fantasy novel and then some. And that does not deter her. As she is, there's no party and there's no wealthy people that she

cannot get the upper hand down, especially with her friends that you brought along. Why don't you all take a look at D? Whoa, D? D? Not what I was, oh, I assume. It's got to be E. Oh, E, sorry.

Thank you, I was gonna say. Unless it's a costume. Not what I was ready for, sorry. I don't have an E, do I? What? Did you lose it? I didn't get one. I must have fucked up.

E. There you. There we go. Give an E? I've got it. Everybody else does. I think mine didn't come up with that. Well, double check it didn't get lost under here somewhere.

You just want to look at the Google Doc, right? Yeah. Cool. Lifty, you are in whatever outfit you'd care to be in a situation like this. As you're schmoozing with the upper crust of nobility, as your posse is not far behind, there's a... various, there's servants everywhere, waiting on your every need should you choose to ask them for it. You see across this grand hallway gilded in gold and jewels.

You see far towards the very large ornate doorway that leads deeper into this palace. you see Prince Zaheen. He's chatting with a pair of older human patrons. And you see that he is, he's a human himself. It's difficult to place his age. There's something very youthful about him, but the lines of his face seem experienced. But he's a beautiful, beautiful man and incredibly charming,

and everyone around him is laughing. They're laughing at jokes that they didn't quite hear. what do you do as you're I am dressed in basically like a jasmine outfit but it's all white so it matches my hair looks nice against my blue suit like the first two X Jasmine or sexy sexy Jasmine that's too much

more taste hold than that's what you're trying to say yeah okay well let's do slave Jasmine but no shackles yet um But white also, white fabric and gold. So I'll see Prince Zaheen across the room and... Zahani or Zaheen! I'm coming for you. I have some people for you to meet.

And so I will lead my group up to Prince Zahin. What is your group? Prince... Prince Zaheen. We are having such a fabulous time, and I want to... wanted you to meet my fabulous friends. You're gonna love them. Guys, introduce yourselves. So I wanna do there, fella.

And I am a alligator lizard folk with a very kind of spiffy tuxedo. And I will sort of bow and take my head off. And I'll say, my name is Remy Etouffay. And it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince. And also like, like a ring that I can kiss. or something. Or anything else?

You see as he turns and he's in this brilliant outfit of reds and oranges and yellows. As he looks at you, and you've spoken briefly, as he turns and he grabs your hand and says, oh, it's a pleasure to see you again, as always. I hope you're enjoying the party. As he gets your hand a kiss, and he says, Mr. Etchouffé, was it? Yes, yes, of course, my dear prince. Oh, I like being called the dear prince. Yes, yes.

I mean, you are clearly very wealthy. That's what everyone says. This party has been a higher society than I have ever witnessed back home in Agway. Let me tell you. Well, I appreciate the compliments. Gladdery will get you everywhere. Tell you about your other friends. Oh, well, it's a pleasure to meet you.

My name is Van de Bookings. I am a half-health. And it's very clear. Well, it's not very clear. This is me setting the scene. It's, uh, there's, there's, there's a, there's a tinge of the fact that I might only be friends with Lufty for as far as she can get me in this social atmosphere. But she doesn't know that because she's too much, too much of an airhead.

Oh, Vanda Bookings, it's a pleasure to meet me. you, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you, my good man. Yes. Vanda-Bowking's is like my B-F-F. Yes, could you please point me to the shrimp buffet? We have the finest and largest of shrimp buffets. You'll find the... It's an entire shrimp station. As you see it looks like a coral like palace, like a sand castle with all sorts of seafood on it and there's a large, like very stereotypical party tray from Costco, shrimp cocktail, but it's really nice looking. Thank you, sir. Thank you.

Isn't he a hoot? He's something. He's not sure what to make of you, but I can value someone who value shrimp. I always say the same thing. Now, last but not least, you may call me Marcelline. And as a human woman with a, of great bushy red hair.

I will reach down. You can see what jewelry is on me hanging in all facets connected to my clothes, connected to my face, and I'll reach down and I will attempt to take care of his hand. Oh, he will do very enthusiastically.

Perhaps he would do me the honor of letting me get you your next drink. No, well, I have servants for that. You can just rest your pretty head and hand. Very good. I appreciate the gesture, but I have all of these servants for a reason. How about we'll get us all a round of drinks. That would be lovely.

Thank you. And he'll flag down a servant and will say, and why don't you go enjoy this from cocktail? There's someone that I need to meet right over there. And he will almost glide away. As he starts to glide, I'll grab him by the arm and link arms. Oh, this is going to be so fun. I can wait to meet your friends.

Oh, you're coming with me. Of course. I won't leave your side all night, don't you worry. Just like Lufty to leave us alone. I have shrimp to attend to. You will make a way to feel in all right. I mean... I think that perhaps you are allergic to shrimp.

No, I have a penchant for shrimp. The quite opposite. My dear Marcelline. Marcelline. Clementine, thank you. I didn't realize we were on formal basis. I just wanted to make sure you remember.

Oh, with a four. He says, you see that one over there and you see that there's a very well-dressed Elvin woman. He looks and says, I do a lot of business in a shipyard

that she owns, and she gets very jealous. So I will come back for you. I just need have a quick conversation with her. Where you know where to find me. I do, by the shrimp, apparently. I suppose. And he will...

The second he turns his back and he'll be like, he's like, his face will drop. So I will rejoin my friends by the shrimp. Now, Luffy, did you see the rings that man had on his finger? Yes, they're beautiful. This whole place is beautiful. Did you look at the floral arrangements? I mean, yeah, that's fine, but here's my current plan.

My family owns a jewelry cleaning service, and it's the finest jewelry cleaning service across the entrance, and I just need to take his jewelry for six months, maybe 18, and I return him back is sparkly, and there's new, and then the shipment coming back, the ship will go down, and it'll have to, you know, give him a very partial refund. Well, Mr. Huffet, I... Didn't expect to talk shop of a shrimp.

Isn't that why I were here? And that's why I'm here. I suppose your rightest have a pension for shrimp. You know, you keep saying that. I'm not sure that. Does your goal say I have a pension for you? You always get this like this when you eat shrimp. No, Mr. Atoufay, that is a fantastic plan.

I mean, unless anybody has any other ideas. With just one of those rings we could buy a villa all on all for ourselves. Oh, Villa Schmela, that's not why I'm here. And he brushed me off. I just want to cozy up a little bit. I want to ask him some questions. Oh, Gaffa, Gaffa. Lofti, that is quite the joke.

Oh, wait, you're serious. Why would I not be serious? Because I thought Mr. Atteufe's plan was fantastic. and we'd follow through with that. And of course, the shrimp. Got a little cocktail sauce, Mr. Oh, pardon me, I apologize. I forget myself.

Look, I don't care what you do. You guys are here because you're my best friends in the entire world, and I just need some support, okay? I want to get him alone. I mean, that's the plan, and that's sort of where you come into this situation. You're the one that has to get the jewelry off his fingers. You gotta get the rings off the digits. Well, I guess I could do that.

Maybe over some conversation, and I'll offer him a hand massage. Oh, my. I bet we'd kill Andy. Out of character. Why'd you bring this guy? It's because I'm eccentric. Yeah, he just adds a little... I don't know what.

She'll see what, if you will. I'm certain I don't know what. You look around and he's chatting up with the elven woman as you look around and you've taken some time to case this place. You know that there's a door that goes deeper into the palace and seems to be guarded by a very strange, almost like an automaton powered by magic of some kind. It's very large and bulky, a lot of circular construction, very basic shapes, but almost like the size of an ogre, as it patrols around and as it makes a way very smoothly despite its size. I check my non-existent watch. I don't think he's coming back. He's been talking to that thing over there for forever. I'm going to have to poke around. Well, then do your thing. I'll be at the poker table.

Is that a pokey table here? Yeah, sure. I'll be at the poker table. Well, maybe you could create a bit of a distraction. Cheat a little and see if the robot will come get you. I want to go down that hallway. You know I come prepared. I'm going to pull out a couple of cards from my sleeves.

Nice. You're always prepared, and that's why you're here. That's right. Okay. Okay. Do you two want to come with me? Of course. We're certainly not going to leave our best.

friend to wander into certain death. It would be my pleasure. Fill your pockets and come on then. As I walk you hear the shrimp like squishing a little bit of my body. All right, so we'll sidle up to, I don't know, a table or bar or something that's sort of nearby to that hallway. Once we get there, I'll send a look over and tap my nose to the poker table. Okay, Krammy, you see the, or I mean, uh, Remy, you see this.

Afo. And I'll wait for whoever wins. I'll wait until like the guy next to me wins the hand. And I'll say, wait a second. This man's cheating. And I'm gonna like reach over to his jacket pocket and like whip the cards out and make it look very much like I pulled it out of his like jacket pocket. This man's keeping aces and I mean, clearly that's why he's won twice in a row.

So good to do. This should become interesting. What kind of party is this, that you tolerate this? Don't tell me you're gonna tolerate this. I'm gonna look at the robot. Does it seem to be? This is ridiculous. Or whatever.

First, make a slight of hand check. And add seven. Why not? Oh, big money. 18. 18. No one notices as you do this. And for the sake of this, make a deception check.

17. 17. 17. Immediately that you're playing next. to a very well-dressed work as he looks at you and says, that would impose me a cheater. What are you all about? Proof he's in the pudding, my friend, right here. He looks.

I pulled this right from your jacket pocket. You're trying to tell me you ain't cheating? What are you doing walking around with a pair of aces in your pocket, friend? And does he have aces in his pocket? Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah, no, I'm gonna pull, I pulled them from my sleeve and put it in. and his jacket pocket. As you see, there's a gnomish woman,

he's like, oh, at the table too. And she's had way too much wine. And she's like, oh my goodness. She's right. Wow. She's done for it. Can we get security over here? Let's go out this man out.

I'd like a refund of my auntie, please. Um, I would say make a persuasion check in advantage because that was so well done. I'm ex-elating seven? Yeah. 11. 11. I will say that DC was 10 as you see that several of the guards come in,

but as the orc stands up and he says, I will not be accused of something I didn't do. I don't know what's going on here, and he steps back. He looks violent. And he steps back and he says, I will not be accused of being a cheat. I've never cheated a day in my life. As the guard start to swarm around him,

as everyone being so clearly deceived by Remy Etouffay, he starts to back off and the guard gestures over to this automaton that has no face, but somehow registers that and begins to lumber over towards the orc, who, it starts to put up a fight, but as soon as he sees this huge, it almost is made of a clay pottery,

walking towards him, he immediately gets up and starts walking towards him. Okay, how's that chance? Let's go. I'll make sure he gets his chips in the prison. Just try to like nonchalantly with all the ruckus going. Yeah, I'm sure, yeah, you're able to do that.

All right, Luffy, lead the way. So as soon as the thing, has passed us. I'm going to do a quick check around and then open the hallway doors and try to look in. Do that. Make a stealth check, all of you. I'm particularly squishy. Plus seven. You'll just say for anything that your characters are after that. Oh, 22. That's terrible. Nine. Nine. Even with the shrimp. Soft and serfing your wall. Yeah, he has to be muting the sound of the air. Worst comment I've ever seen.

You haven't seen anything yet. My friend, Mr. Tufei, hold your tongue. I'm picturing you wearing parachute pants that's how much. You make your way through these large halls and you're able to step

Luffy is with all of the jangly jewelry that she has on her person. Yeah, I've got one of the belts on that. She is jingled jangling. I've got bells on the curly shoes. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there's like little bells, each step,

and it's echoing through these huge halls. And all of your research has shown me that the grand party hall, for lack of a better word, is not too far from the vault that you know is where he keeps a lot of his display items. And you also know that he has a great number of artifacts,

all over the, as pieces of art and displayed. And you see these strange weapons and these strange bottles and gems all over and that shimmer with magic. What do you do? So once we're in the hallway, I would be looking for that vault and continuing on there. Okay.

Trying to be as quiet as I can with each jingling step. You are able to, and Remy, I need to make a perception check. What am I adding? Plus three. Ten. Ten. You look around and it's a party. I go to the bar, get a drink.

You do that. You've got all the chips in your shirt. And eventually you make your way through, but then as you, you listen up ahead, you hear the growling of some sort of feline creature. As patrolling the hallway, as you see sitting almost like statues at first and then sniffing, and then their ears perk up as soon as they hear you're jangling, you see a large gilded door that has shimmering, magical, it looks like this would be where, where you might keep magical items.

And these two massive cats, and you think they might be huge tigers, but they almost seem like they are made out of gemstone as they're looking around and growling. As the three of you, they definitely hear something, and look in your direction as you're stealthing along. Hey, is that true? Now I know why we brought you.

Oh, my. I am worried, Luffy, that perhaps, this is where my fate is calling me. Yeah, I think this is exactly where your fate is calling you. I... I was not hoping you'd be so enthusiastic about me offering myself up to the kitty cats. Well, I'm sure such is really playful, you know. They're probably bored back here in this big old hallway.

Well, okay. Just give them a little treat. You'll be fine. Give you scratches. But you have to promise me that you'll move quickly and perhaps snatch something for old Vandapu. Yeah, I'm sure the prince has so many things, like he's so generous to him. He wouldn't even care.

All right. Whatever you want. I'm, on my word, I will go, Kisses lofty. Kisses lofty. Oh, that's my lofty. All right. Good luck.

And I'm going to, uh, like walk around the corner at the cats and, uh, hello. It's all clinging, you know. Hello, pussy cats. How are things going today? And see what they do. They immediately snapped to attention like gigantic, vicious predators.

I see that you are. And although they are seeming made of gemstone, they look organic too. And they, their noses are twitching. smelling something as they let these growls out as they are aware of your presence and begin to approach you slowly like a stalking predator. When I see this happen, I wasn't ready. Oh boy, I'll want one second. Hey Jerry, do you like meat? Do you like shrimp? You like meat stuffed with shrimp?

You know, I think I probably deleted this. I don't have it. Oh, God, I ever have a little of it like that. Uh, it just, it appears that today, uh, vander bookings may have met his match. Pockets shoot! Reach into my pockets and just throw as much shrimp as I can at these cats. And then try to run the opposite direction of my two remaining friends to distract these creatures enough for them to get away.

Okay, make an animal handling check. Uh, what is my, uh, stat block. We'll say it's plus two. Yeah, plus three. That's reasonable. I got an 18 plus 3 is 21. 21.

Okay. So. Holy shit. As they're stalking, they're getting ready to pounce, you can tell, and you chuck a handful cocktail shrimp out of them.

And this is enough. They actually, they light up when they see the shrimp flying at them, and they take a moment to leap forward, and they're fighting over the shrimp, and then as they're eating it, it gives you enough time to people to roll to see if you don't get instantly destroyed by these cats, as you book it down in the opposite hallway. Woo!

Come on, as I'm running and throwing shrimp behind me. Was creating a trail of shrimp to yourself still also? Yeah, to get them away from you! This is a selfless act, you bitch! Vander was designed to die. Perhaps he'll die a hero. Making acrobatics or athletics check, and we'll give you a plus seven acrobatics.

Who wouldn't he won? Vander is running in the opposite direction as that happens, as the door now is completely on... Let's go. Leave by the shrimp, die by the... Yeah, I follow with this. You should get that tattooed on you. There wouldn't be very much room.

Perhaps on my ass. So I'll open the door if that's unlocked. Okay. You approach it. And as you walk up, you see that you take a step onto the platform ahead. of this large vault. And as soon as you step forward, it suddenly flashes with all of the gems flash

with some sort of recognition. And then it almost powers down and it stops glowing. And then you grab the handle and you open it and it just opens without being locked. Put my thieves tools back away. I guess he just leaves it open. I don't know. She probably, especially the two cats.

That's murderous and tense. That's fair. Let's go. So I'll open the door and continue. Okay. You do, and as you open it up. You're the screen. I had to be able to put a person to get disadvantaged.

Oh, I thought I was safe. I thought I was done with this vision. Well, I got a 14 to 15. 14. You see, as you make your way running through this hallway with all of these strange artifacts you get very close to what looks like a priceless painting and you see that there are a number of tiles all across this hallway that might be indentable and so I will say that you'll have time to make an acrobatics or no dexterity saving draw to see if you step on

up jump into the painting of Mario 64 style I got a 15 yeah you're just booking it down me As I go, I have time to gently place your shrimp on one of the pressure panels and I keep moving. Nice. Go for, go for. It's this nightmare character you've created. His name is Van de Bookings, all right? And why is he going to live forever? Because Bricks never die.

You enter this vault and it is, it almost seems like more of a private, gallery, a private museum than any kind of vault. And you, it's, there are these strange artifacts all around you as you see what you have been looking for. At the very far end, underneath a shimmering light, you see in a very thick glass case. What looks like a tall, all bottle that is circular,

it bulbs out in several places with a very long fluted lid and a very ornate glass top. And there's this strange light shining down on top of it that kind of hums with this strange color as you make your way through. Masalini, I think this is it. Yes, I know how important this artifact is to you, but I'm willing to try my three-fits-for-you-old.

You ought to stop for me, for Luffy, your best friend in the world? Yes, I would be happy to me. I couldn't ask you out. Thank you. Go ahead. Hurry. I'm nervous. Why you scoot your chair and look closer so that you close with the microphone to just project just a little more?

It may be. It may be counterweighted. I will pick another artifact. quickly swap it in order towards three bits in this way. That is so small. I'm going to look around and see if I can find an item that looks like it would be about the same weight as the...

Main intelligence track. And add three to it. Seven. Seven. Yeah, you find something that looks... You're extremely confident. I pick it up, and then I walk up as quietly as I can, knowing that we don't have very much time in hearing

people in the whole way. And I will put it under the surface of the column, and then slide them together to try and distribute the weight as evenly as I can in order to get the object of Lifty's dreams. Okay. I will say, for this purpose, make a slight of handshake. It's disadvantage because you definitely misjudged how heavy this might be. Plus three? Yeah. 11.

No, plus seven. Oh, 15. 15. You are able to, you are able to take this bottle and you swipe it. And you are able to place the counterweight on top of it as you grab it. However, I turn around. It starts to make my way.

Do I have it? You take it? Oh, my God. As simple as pie. As you find, it looks like a falcon statue with dead eyes, as you hear, as it's definitely heavier than the bottle. I'm gonna just peek my head behind her.

Do you hear that? Make a dexterity saving throw. 11. Oh no, plus, not, no, that would be plus 3. So 11, yeah. 11. That's definitely enough, right? You're going to take.

Yeah, no one. Goodbye, Marcelli. Lufti, it was my pleasure. The love-making session while last night was just so good that... That you've lost your wealth. I have that effect on people. You, you turn around.

I told you not to put all of that in your mouth at once. And... How much do I take? You take 48 points. From what? Well, explain what happens. Yeah, you're just mush. You're gonna be person jam.

You... You... And as you approach... Oh, God. And as you hold it out to Lifty, in a similar way, as it it gets closer to her, it kind of flashes with a strange color. But immediately from underneath you, and in a five-foot radius all around this glass case,

and actually, and directly in front of it, rather, a massive, you see a flash of magic instantly, almost like a portal opening up, and a massive pillar of flame erupts dealing, however much damage I said. 48. Could this be the end of Marcelline Clemens? Hey, he took my picture.

You are turning into charcoal instantly as the pillar of flame. As you are able to grab it, as the pillar of flame dissipates. And you blink for a moment, not expecting that. Derek's like over three. I can't believe the Vander lived longer than I did.

This is for shit. Suck it! That will never die. And then as the pillar of flame dissipates, you see a silhouette very quickly, and Prince Zaheen steps out of the pillar of flame. And he looks at you and he smiles. And he says,

this is where you went off to. Yeah, you know, I just, I've heard so much about your private collection, and I just wanted to take a look for myself, and I found this. Oh, it's just beautiful. Oh, don't mind her. And he looks at you and he smiles and you can see that it's looking more and more fake. As you see him start to kind of shift a little bit, as he takes a step towards you, and as his human skin starts to shift, you see red and horns start to form, as you find a genie, but it's in a frieting. as his form turns and he says you came looking for a genie you found one

no unhand that you have no idea what you're holding why don't you tell me what I'm holding aren't you have genie shouldn't you know as he like reaches and he almost he seems he there's a actually making an inside check 26 26 he seems to be a little bit nervous, like, nervous, like what you're holding is actually precious and that you shouldn't be,

that he, like, is hesitant. Now, hand it over. You can see that I'm a genie, too. We are, we can be very good friends, maybe even more. You flirt. I'm going to just take a little hop step back and I just, I don't know. It's just so pretty and, you know, I've heard, about these, but I haven't seen one before in real life. It's just so nice, and I love this shape. And it's so nice.

Maybe I'm a comment. I get advantage. Uh-oh, I have shrieved you some of my fingers. Oh, at advantage. Oh, I don't know lost them, but I don't know. 18.

18. As as you say that. He lunges forward and you see that

your blue skin illuminates in a similar color to the bottle. And he says as he lunges forward and as you rub it, the core unpopps and you see a burst of magic

rip out and attach to him. And he screams as he's turned into pure magic energy and is ripped into the bottle and the court flies after it and plugs it up. Oh dear.

I'm going to just put my eye like to the top of it and see if I can see him in there. It is stopped up and you can hear Oh, pussy. I didn't hate hardly enough shrimp. Make a make one more.

This is it. I have avoided death. for far too long. I don't know. I'm feeling at any point. Make one more acrobatic shake plus seven. Just straight. I got a 13.

A 13. I will say, Lifty, with that, you are able to place the bottle back in Kirtil.

And with that, you're able to rejoin your friends as you leave the calcified course of Marcelline and realize that everything starts shaking. And as he's stopped up, the walls almost start to explode with a strange kind of like liquid gold. And I've seen this part of the movie. And as this happens, you're able to, and as this happens, you're able to take the bottle and place it back on, and suddenly everything calms.

Oh, my goodness. You hear the sound of Vander. The shrimp saving him. As you were able, you realize that the genie bottle that you had heard about was for the prince himself. and with one friend having horribly died, you're able to rejoin Kremi at the bar. Yeah, it's Rehmi. Oh, Remi.

You're able to rejoin Remy as miraculously, no longer with any shrimp, Vander appears next to you, but there's a large comical chunk out of his pants. Take a little bit of this, and I take my top hat off and I turn it upside down. There's a bunch of jewelry from all the different people at the party. Man, they thought that I could add 10 to 15 carrots to the diamonds just by telling them I'll clean the jewelry. Then I'll put it back on my hat. You're so enterprising. Brilliant.

Brilliant. Mr. Atufei. What did you guys score? Just a large hole in my pantaloons. You're like, you're a dirty bird. No gold or coins or jewels or riches or not a single one. Just. The shrimp steak

Just that shrimp thing. The odor is immense. What about you? Well, I think I got what I gave for. Yeah. Well, where's Marcelline?

Thank you. I was just about to ask. Is she in the bathroom? She's actually in the back room? room still with Prince Zahir. Oh, scandalous. She said not to wait up. Well.

Make a deception, Jack. Jesus. I'm completely fooled. I believe it. 26. Yeah, no. Well. I didn't feel posthine that it in her.

And what now she does? I mean that, the smells wring in your nostrils, a raven lands on release of that. And pecks at the wall and suddenly the glass. Play it again, but make Vander die. Yeah. Already pulled out his knife.

That's up his hands. Before we go. The good to die young, but pricks live forever. I am zero for three. It's pretty wrong. I don't know how to play B&A. You survived your own. Barely.

And with that, the, you're closer than ever before. And with that peck of the raven, the glass shatters. You see this massive fortress directly before you. And it's, at this point, it all the glass connects back together and forms a what looks like a temple. This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of avatrous 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 saltmarsh. You can also go to The Crookedmoon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror tomean for Dism, Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. And don't forget to snag all the extra goodies like dice, miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more. Thank you.

You are in a large temple, in these strange jade and greens inlaid. And all of you know who you are now, that you are in the temple of O'Sine. Cyrus in Siquet, the grandest of all of the temples in this Tabaxi kingdom ruled over by the Pharaoh, Jasper of the Sands, is here that you see a Tabaxi with brown fur stripped down to very simple garb, flanked by guards, looking up to a grand-looking high priest, staring down and surrounded by a ring of seated figures, each one, a tabaxi, each one wearing an elaborate headdress.

directly across from this high priest, unmistakably, to you all at this point, is unending cycle, the high priest of Osiris. And all of you wear your respective headdresses, your priests yourselves. Across from the high priest of Osiris, his name is Unending Cycle. Yeah. You see Iris of the sand, the daughter of the Pharaoh, The only royalty to be in the clergy of any of the primary gods, or any of the gods, to be, to be this, and especially at this level. Wearing a great jackal headdress, she sits directly across from on an inning cycle, flanked by all of the other major priests of each of the gods. Go ahead and read your, your biz, yeah.

Dee, I guess. I have a totally mislabel here. No, that's okay. D. A. We are, are we royalty or no? We're just, we're not. No, you're the highest priests in this order, but only high priest in Sucet is the high priest of Osiris, because Osiris is the primary god at this point. It's to start.

So you all see, you all see as this Tabaxi, it is a in the center, standing beside what looks like a sarcophagus, along with the guards, is looking up with very steely determination. And this, Tabaxi, is dream in the night, the priest at your level of Bastet, but has been accused by some of treachery of secretly worshipping set, applauding against the Pharaoh, and the Church of Osiris in particular. Unending cycle is holding court.

And it seems as if the, it seemed as if the evidence, as far as you're concerned, stacks up pretty heavily, but there is a bit of a conflict of interest. Uniting cycle is related to this priest. And Iris has been unable, she's been very persuasive, but has been unable thus far to convince the high priest of Osiris of this extreme treachery and the work that could be done by shadowy agents against the who wants to go and describe their priest.

Greetings on ending cycle. It is I, morning dude. Shut the fuck up. Priest of thorn. God of the moon of reckoning, learning, and of writing.

And I am a kind of pudgy, Russian blue. Oh, yeah. Love that. And I'm wearing a brilliant, like, reflex blue headdress with a gold crown that actually forms half of a mask over the top of the side of my face and forms a long beak that shapes down like so. And I take a

long moment to bow and then look over at the accused. Without saying a word, I will step back into my position. You see his unending cycle nods and says, I thank you. And gestures to the rest of the house. I am ten thunders, priests of Ra. I am a tabaxi who is light gray, and I cannot name a type of cat because I don't know that much about cats like Derek does. But I am a light gray cat. And my adornments have many references to the sun, because that's wrong. Ah, and I'm not like Nikki, who knows everything there is to know about the Egyptian Pantheon. But... You made of a falcon headdress.

Oh, wait, really? Yeah. Okay, well, that makes a lot more sense. It's a falcon headdress. I serve my god and I bring justice to evil. Also, there's a level of irony to be wearing a bird headdress as a cat. That's my character. You can be long-haired and be a main coon.

I'm a main-coon. Thank you, Derek. It's very hot in the desert is a main-coon, but you're a man-cun. I am. I am the lute of the reeds, and I worship Sobeck, the crocodile lord, and the god of the Nile, whatever the river is. The river, the river, the river. You know the one you've heard it.

I can't remember what it is. Yeah, I named it. You did. The name of it. escaping me currently. Forgive me. But... I've hit the...

Lightning stretching from your god. I'm a tan cat. I also don't know the difference. Probably a fishing cat of some kind. Oh, yeah, that's good. And I am wearing a crocodile. Yeah? I am wearing a crocodile headdress.

Because so makes the crocodile god, fuck. I'm done. I've changed my mind. I want to be Mr. Mistophiles. I can't. Everybody means chocotile. Let's make music together. Let's make sweet hominy. I will stand up.

I am Pearl in Paul, priestess of Tarrant. I am a tall, tall, slender, I'm gonna go tawny, a tawny. Yeah. And I am wearing a large hippo headdress. Very cool. Kind of the whole rhythm we have going on, you know.

Kind of sound like Skeletor. You will see as an ending cycle looks and says the pre-stern of Anubis has made her case and very passionately five of the priests

think guilty five think innocent you must sway my mind to get a verdict you understand the severity of an accusation for family of someone at my station.

And he will sit back and you see that there are five other priests of various gods who have, who very much, it seems very flimsy and you're not sure why, despite the evidence being very clear. And it seems as if Iris has made this case against the treachery, of this perhaps former priest of Bastet. But it's up to the five of you, or the four of you, to help Iris and convince the high priest. Oh, so we're doing like a 12 angry men thing. Yeah, that's kind of the intention. As cats, as a Egyptian cat. Yes, well, please let me ten thunders, not nine, not eleven, but ten thunders first.

right out. Twelve's. Twelve is two too many. Ten thunders. Why ten? It's a very long story. Damn it. Then read this book.

Dying to know. Tell it. What? Tell your story. Well. Why ten? Young Iris. has been a very reputable person. She's trustworthy.

I am inclined to believe the things that she says, in addition to the evidence that we have, justice must be brought when evil presents itself. Well, said, I agree. My argument is that, I mean, she would. Is it a she? Is it a female? Is it a female? It's a goddess. He worships Bastet. He's a cat wearing a cat headdress. It's ridiculous. Even a donkey

odd-vox snafing's better than that. So your evidence is strictly that he had no choice, but you have always been biased against Bastet. No, it's just ridiculous. My point is, is that a set headdress is probably way cooler than Bastet. For a cat to wear. It does seem a little on the nose. How did you become a priest? I was born into the priest class. It wasn't that hard. I just existed.

Ten Thunders is very close to vomiting. You shouldn't have eaten now that cheese, oh man. Yes, you know. Ten Thunders is how you get when you're eating cheese. Dairy in the desert was a bad choice. All right, what are your arguments? I too agree that it is obvious dream of the night

is guilty I have heard it said that Dream of the Night would go into places of ill repute places that are fronts, not just brothels,

but secret gathering areas of set. The rumors confirm what Iris is described and the evidence she's presented so far. There is no question in my mind that we are dealing

with a liar, a deceiver, and a traitor. Well, said. Thank you, 10 Thunders. Yes, we have it sad. Thank you, whatever your name is. You don't remember my name.

I know. All I know is you almost said cock and I'm gonna. I miss smoke, dammit. I'm a crocodile. We've been playing for five years and you've never made that mistake by playing a cockadile, I mean a crocodile. It appears to be contagious.

I am lute of the reeds. I shouldn't have been all that cheese. I really wanted to be a musician at college. That's why I'm lute of the reeds. But you know, family pressures, there's expectations. You sort of have to do with your mom once. I, too, Pearl and Paul.

What's wrong with that? I'm not going to get into it. Morning, do you have something to say? No, no. I've had enough of you, morning do. I too speak for Iris of the sad. I don't know. why, but I just feel like a woman-to-woman thing. I trust her. And so, with my powerful hippo-priestess

behind me and I behind her, as it poor my... Most likely is, I support Iris. Make a group persuasion saying, mm-hmm. Oh no. We have a damage. Uh, add, uh, what do you mean? We'll say we'll say we'll add plus seven. 17, got a 10, right average. 42. Oh, what are we doing? 12, 22. What'd you say?

Plus seven, just you can ignore the code. Oh, no, but what is, oh. Seven. Just whatever we got plus seven. 25. Damn, 25. That's enough. That's enough.

Also given that it's 830. That's unending cycle nods and he looks, very grave, especially when Morning Do. Morning Do is the most persuasive. And it's like, yeah, it is true that there is no justification for the company that was kept. I am sorry, my cousin. We must bring the justice for your treachery. Yes. And you see as... I don't have justice. As you see as there's no pleading or begging, and you see the knight, as this cat was called,

lets out a hiss, and as the guards go and grab him by the shoulders and start to push the top of the sarcophagus off, and you hear a loud buzzing on the crawling of insects, as scurbs are revealed within the sarcophagus. And he says, "...arets are revealed within the sarcophagus. And he says, "'Satz will bring an end to the reign of Osiris once more,

as his mouth is covered by the guards who says, Quiet you, as they take him, and he finally, He's showing no fear of pain until he has taken and lowered forcibly into the sarcophagus, and he lets out a scream as the scurbs descend upon him and begin to devour him. And his screams echo through this temple as the top of the sarcophagus is slid back on, quieting the screams as the priests all look on. and a raven flies down, lands, and pecks the sarcophagus, and all of reality shatters. I told you so.

I propose that we go back and get more cheese. Oh no. Morning, dude. Jesus, dude, start attack. Is that what happened? He's out of risk. I didn't take it anymore. I'm one for four now.

Fuck. Oh, I see. You're trying to. you streak alive. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I gotcha. I have to be totally honest. I missed what we were speaking to.

We were talking to anending cycle. I know, but I didn't know what he was on trial for. He was not on trial. He was leaving the trial. The guy who was on trial. Night, uh, Dream of the Night was accused of worshiping set and not his God. Not that step.

Oh. And Iris was the one who made the accusation. And the evidence was looking pretty good against him. And so. And it is known that Iris is reminded that after this admission that a cult and a conspiracy against the Pharaoh was discovered and rooted out. She was right. Uprooted. And she was right.

And there was actually a plot to assassinate the Pharaoh that had come very close to succeeding. If it was not for cutting off the head of that snake, of that cat, I suppose. Damn. Welcome Zeus Nation for life. Hello, Zeus Nation for what was right then. Yeah. Morning do not survive the heart attack. Over for four.

Yes. As reality shifts and you see that you're standing at what looks like the gates of this massive fortress, as you hear the sound of the croaking of ravens, It's cacophonous. It fills your mind and the glass returns together. But it does not create a new reality, but suddenly you're in an inky void similarly as you feel the gently falling feathers. But the glass hangs in the air and shards and pieces all around you. As you look at the piece of glass and it reflects a moment in time, a fragment, a shape. Like an elaborate.

Perhaps. The manifestation of memories, as you see that these pieces of glass extend in all directions, all around you as far as you can see, countless ones. Are you within the fortress of memory? you're not sure as you feel the soft caress of raven's feathers as it falls more and more and blankets you and although you all look at each other for the first time in all these experiences

you've seen each of your friends in a moment of time the first time that they experienced death and suddenly all of your friends and yourselves disappear into darkness as raven's feathers consume all of you. Ravens feathers consume all of you. And suddenly you see several pieces of glass all around you, start to as they start to form a glass, almost like a glass case around you. and then in a flash of white, you feel yourself to move and change as the raven's feathers swallow you, like a wonderful, like a shroud, as you are then blasted by frigid, cold. And you do not unhoping anything. So we do remember going through that and being each of.

being in the he's gonna describe this as like passengers like witnessing I just wasn't sure if like once we got done with them if we would still remember that interesting fair enough well at least I know what a heart attack feels like

now good to look out it will not be the last time do you have all of Ten Thunder's memories can you tell us the story later if you're good all right they'll be good

You expect to be standing, experiencing another memory as another person. You're flying instead. You're flying on dark wings. As you look around as five ravens hover the top of a mountain, white all around. The wind whips snow. It's blisteringly cold. A raven should not be able to survive at this altitude in this weather. Should not be able to stay upright.

Or rather not, should be able to stay hovering, flying with the sheer force of this wind. However, you do. And you see the top of a mountain, a peak, as the wind and the snow whips all around you. You finally see something. move. Near the very top of this mountain peak is a ledge jutting off no more than 15 feet of a flat surface. As you see a boy, can't be older than 18, 19, and dressed in heavy weather slops, military and seems to be Corvachian, Felix,

but not of the same style or design that you're used to or would have seen. Actually, it seems like you may have seen something similar in one of the military museums from decades prior. As you see a boy with gloved hands trembling, scraping forward,

looking around as if he has no idea where he is, no idea why he's there. A large mound of snow

directly in front of him. Caprice, this then suddenly strikes your memory. It already has. You've been here before. You see as a boy

with, although younger, not marked with wrinkles and lines, strong brow, angular nose, almost beak-like. It's unmistakable that a very young Virgil Zern

has found himself at the top of this mountain, the serpent-spine mountain range in Grand. And you see, through the eyes of Ravens, as the boy, once he realizes where he is and realizes he can't get down, he realizes that he has nowhere to go, he stumbles forward and begins to dig through the snow

and brush away more and more. And you see as the wind whips more snow into his face, but it does not deter him. And you see as he pulls away the last mound of snow covering what, you'd expect to see a statue, you do see that. But you see a glint of brilliant metal. As he pulls away the similar statue

that you had seen. Four wings, two up, two down, one arm raised, one arm down, a jagged beak, an avian-headed man of some kind, of ancient, ancient construction. But fastened, clutched across those two hands, a massive sword. The boy scrapes away more snow. He sees this sword, his eyes alight. And then he gets to the base.

And Caprice, you know what it says. So he looks down and takes both hands and he pulls away the snow. and written very clearly at the base of the statue, Pizzou, Pizzou, Pizzou, Pizzou, Pizu. You see as this boy looks up at the face of this bird man. And there's something in his expression that's difficult to place. But you then see him stand after being on his knees desperately trying. to find out where he is.

And you see him reach forward to the hilt of the sword. And he rips it free from the statue's clutches. No raven pecks it reality. Removing the sword from the statue shatters reality all around you. It rips apart. And suddenly, what's around you is no longer the, the fortress of memory, you don't see it looming above you, you don't see it looming around you. You can feel heat and sand as the glass shatters and spreads. You think that it's shattered into the

sand all around you, but then it disappears and once again you have the babbling of the chained god as the massive black pyramid pulses violently. before you. You see now as you all stand where you had just been, as the runic symbol, now it shoots a beam into the sky, completely engulfing the Raven Child. You can see the shape, the dark feathers of this large, two-headed avian creature looking around, but you cannot hear the cries. as it engulfs it shooting into the sky

of that shimmering silver light, as you see the protective cocoon of magic from Anubis cracking in similar designs to the glass you had seen breaking. As each pulse cracks it more and more, there's not much time. You have experienced all of these together, and you have not had a chance

to talk to each other as yourselves. As you stand, on the shaking stone of the Black Pyramid, and Zern turns, and he looks to the circle behind you with that slot already drawn for the dagger. What do you all do? Zern, is this normal? Is it working? Did we do it right?

Yes. I blocked out that memory. I could see why. Oh, I'm so sorry. It was horrifying. Why didn't you ever tell us before? I just totally forgot. I didn't, I didn't.

I guess I convinced myself that Hector Mancrab wasn't real. I'm so sorry. It was just a children's story. He's very weak. All of my friends. I thought they just moved away. There wasn't anything you could do. I was, I don't know if you know,

but we were all passengers. and the same way, well, obviously you must, but I don't think that there was anything you could have done to stop it. And if it makes you feel better, I didn't feel like that girl was scared. She was having a really good time up until then. Sorry you had to experience being slipped in half by a gigantic half man, half crab. No, don't apologize. It's a surprisingly quick way to go. Yeah, it could have been a lot worse.

Oh, no. I mean, I'm very far. I didn't have to die in any of the memories. It just sounds very unpleasant. Yeah. Sorry about the heart attack. What was sort of sounded, sort of like a Cowan Brothers kind of like off-screen death sort of thing, you know? Like, oh by the way, a major character died since the last scene. Uh-oh, really? He's just dead? Yeah. He's just dead. Isn't that so hard guard? Anyway. How much time do we have left, Zern?

Zern looks as you can see the door of the black pyramid pulses. And you actually all hear them as you all feel the ground breathed as it raises up.

And you then settle back. And he says, not long. You have given the Raven Queen your power, your memory, your secrets, and she has returned it in full. She has a foothold here now. And now the Raven Child will be prepared

for what is to come. The power of that bloodline. Are you ready? Let them go. We have to keep moving forward, yes. And you see now that sitting atop the door perched, or rather flying above the door, is it still contained to that shimmering magic. You see that six-eyed raven that lets out a croak at you.

And Zern looks at you, Felix, and he gestures to the center of the circle. So it's time then. It is. This is our only hope. Are you ready? As an aside, kind of... I... Zern might be able to hear me, but I'm gonna...

I give up this dagger and lose a considerable amount of my power. This is a very real threat for me to not have this thing. And I don't know what's gonna happen. Well, I mean, I have a spare spellbook. Does that help it all? It doesn't. Unfortunately, not in this case, but don't lose that yet. Okay.

What about? The problem is I come this far without needing material components. I just, I never thought that I wouldn't have the dagger in my possession. It's my most prized thing. Once it's done, take it. Whether my corpse is here or elsewhere, the dagger shall remain. He's telling the truth, then it should be all right. Oh, get you a new dagger.

You know, we'll find something else to sort of replace it if we need to. I don't think we're going to need to. Yeah. It's going to be okay. And I don't know if it works like that, but... All right. And if you're in a weakened state, we'll protect you. Okay.

This is it. Am I doing the honors or are you? It is your blade. She sent it to you. She gave it. her power. You all have faced your own memories, face death with grace and courage. You are not weak. You deserve to do it, Felix. All right. I will quickly, but gingerly, walk towards this ink circle, and I assume that I have to step into it to get to the center, but I'm very careful not to step

any of the lines. Yep. It hums beneath you. I look back over my shoulder. One last time. And for the first time, since receiving it, I placed it on the ground

and willingly relinquish it from my possession. And I quickly step out of the circle. Emma's feel weird. It does feel weird. You feel a great source of magical power leave you. There's some panic.

They grips my chest. There's an emptiness in you. And you feel weaker because you are. However, it flashes with shimmering silver light as the entire circle glows. One, two, three, four, five, six, each of these mementos, a beam of light around each one. And you see them fade away as Virgil Zern looks at all of you and says, now you will see the power in the history of the Raven Child

and he will raise his one hand and silver light swirls around you and consumes you once more as there is once more a break you're used to it at this point as the glass swirls

around you, but there is no, there is no fortress of memories. There is no cacophonous cry of ravens. You hear a weak, soft, innocent pair of voices. Faintly, the one half of death being violent, cacophonous, the other half being soft and gentle as the glass gently reforms. And you are surrounded by a strange, dull, silver glow, are what you're standing in what seems to be a strange forge, as a glowing molten metal drips and pools,

all around you. Oh, shit. It's not that hot, molten metal color. It's pure silver white. And not just this forge, it's not just this forge that pulses with this light. A humming, ancient magic, a primeval magic, hums beneath you.

as you see the symbol of a spiral in case and chains, a massive seal. Perhaps the 13th seal. As you see at the center, a large anvil and a figure holding a large, shining silvery hammer, adorned an owl motifs. This individual was hooded and wearing a white mask seems to be, remind you for a moment, if you feel as perhaps the Raven Queen, but no, the mask is almost heart-shaped, dark, black eyes in a very small beak, a barn owl. Is there, as this figure is surrounded by 12 other hooded figures,

wearing similar masks. I need each of you to open your character name in number one. Okay. You see the anvil, and you see the, it seems to be a strange construction of combination of cast and raw, using ancient techniques that are unfamiliar to you. But along the ground,

you see grooves work. This metal is being poured. And now you notice standing before each of you, not standing, kneeling, are hooded figures. But, hooded in submission, having given up, having accepted their fate,

and you see that there's a circular trough, a groove, a deep groove beneath them, right where their necklines are. And you hear a voice, call out, It is this night that you assist your grindmaster in forging a weapon for himself to protect this world from entropy. It is this night you commit yourself to the third. to the eternal imprisonment of the chained God, and to the power of death, the prime of death. Striga.

And you see that the hammer is shimmering with silver, as he turns to all of you. Could you please describe your characters? Sure. I'll go first. I am the brother of the seventh seal. I'm a very tall and robed Shadokai. I am one of the 12 masters of the 13th Order, the cult of Strigger. My goal, my one true purpose, is to keep Thara's doom chained.

And we'll pull back my hood, revealing, uh, orc with many white marks. kings all all in every direction no hair I am well nope where's the where's the skeleton key you are the brook no I'm gonna do fucking frost that's fine whatever I am the brother of the sixth seal and I am here to see that Thar's Dune continues to be imprisoned for all eternity I'm willing to aid you in your attempt to create weapon. I will pull my my hood back and I will be a human girl no more than I don't know early 20s or so with red braided hair and just a very plain pale face. I am the

sister of the ninth seal and I too who keep Khorostun chained. Do you want that so? Yeah. And I would say at this point, he's going out. My face is very plain because of the master. I would say he's going around and in this moment, as you're pledging yourself to the Grand Master, you would be expected to reveal yourself.

Yeah. So I'm the brother of the second seal. You see, I'll pull off my owl mask and beneath the owl mask is that, owl face as I am an owlfolk, a sort of a large brown with pointed ears and big yellow eyes. I too will keep the chain god, chained, and by two pledge to the order, to the So the team all that. We'll then see the rest of the cultists reveal their masks. This is the first time that any of you have seen the face of the members of your order.

You had no idea who they were, who their names were, you just knew them by their title. And it's at this point that you hear the Grand Master call out. And he says, On this night, this momentous occasion, we celebrate my betrothal. I have taken the wife, blessed by the Raven Queen, an acolyte, a worshipper, of a measurable power of death, of a new goddess, who has taken power. power for herself. This union of old and new will create a bloodline

of death so powerful that it will keep the chain god chained until this universe dwindles away. And you see as this heard the grandmaster,

pulls off the mask and you see older man, human man, dark black hair, short, great black mustache, but very well trimmed and beard as well. And I would say that all of you would recognize who this person. as perhaps there had been suspicions. As you see, Barov von Zarvich, the ruler of the kingdom of Tsar, one of the several numerous human kingdoms on Striga, usually at war, usually rising and falling, but czar has been standing for quite some time, he then turns to look at all of you. And he says, my brothers and sisters, help me forge a weapon for your grandmaster, for my line, a weapon that can strike down. The evils that only death, the only the primal force of death, and bring an end to.

To safeguard this land, we worship the land. The land has power. Now give the land what it desires. Give the land what it needs. And he gestures with all of the kneeling, hooded figures in front of each of you. Say, do I have, like, a weapon on me?

I would say, for this purpose, however you would like to do it, if you would like to, however you would like to do it, you may. I have a sweet, like, curved Shatter-Kai blade, like, at my hip that I pull from its scabbard, and I just begin to virtually sacrifice these. So you each have one guy. You each have one guy. Do you only get one?

Sorry, I was really just full with the Warriors' bloodline. The Shatter-R-Kai kills all with them. I just, I murder the one that's in front of me. Only the one. I teleport. I need you, but I say, sorry, nothing personnel. sacrificial person and like slit their throats. That's just the one.

You do that very certain ceremonial. If my talent were clawed like sharp, I would say absolutely. I would take out just a very small like, almost like a pairing knife, something you would have in the kitchen, very plain, and just lean down and start to like hum a song in their ear and then cut their burrow.

There's a level of peace there. Holy fuck. You know that these are willing sacrifices. There's no fear, there's no pain, There's no, you're not even sure if they feel the pain. The zealous of the land, the zealous of Striga. Do not view death as anything to be fearful. It will be quick, my brother.

And I walk over and I pull what is effectively an orc sledgehammer. The skull disappears beneath the shoulders into the chest cavity. It's very Gallagher style. Is that possibly like a moment? You're so cute. If you ask me. Um, it's front row needs splash pants. We're all wearing robes.

It's with this. The bottom of my robes. All 12 of the sacrifices slup forward, and their blood fills the trough as it then flashes, as the blood melds with the molten silvery metal, and it flashes with the prime power of death. the prying power of Striga, as it fills the room with this light and hums with power, and you hear, you swear you can hear this power here, the soft hoot or screech or whatever it is. And then it's just as quiet as the grave as you see the grand master with a hooded figure behind him.

But he gets to work. He takes this silver hammer, and with a combination of cast and wrought iron, he crafts a sword, not of the, not adorned with owl iconography to give away his allegiance, his true allegiance. But he begins to use his deliberate hands in his craftsmanship to forge a pommel in the shape of a raven. as a nod to his new bride, a nod to his love, a nod to the one who will bear an heir that is worthy of Barovon's Arvich, is worthy of the Grandmaster of the 13th Order. And you see once all of the incredible primal magic fills this weapon, he raises the silver sword high. the hooded figure beneath him does not move. As he raises it, it cools instantly.

And with a single motion, he brings it down and it slices the head off cleanly. The head hits the ground as the body slumps forward. And you see a flash of silver as it takes the life. and this sword has claimed its first soul. And with that, the reality shatters once more. It swirls around in darkness, and you hear, you just see the very faint feather, and you hear,

it's in your minds as well as your ears. As you then smell rich spices, burning wood, wood and cooking meat. You hear music. You hear laughter. You hear joy. This evening. You are in a camp of the stony.

A great roaring fire, a roast boar on a spit. You hear the soft whinning of horses. All set up for the night as, The camps are all erected. Several wagons are around. As you see the various individuals of the, this band that you've been traveling with across Striga. You've made your way through the various kingdoms of Striga,

before Koravakia was even a nation. And you find yourselves in the kingdom of czar. You perform, you do tricks, you perhaps con and steal a little bit. But for the most part, you trade goods, whatever, however you care to make your money, you do. And however, the main draw of this. band that travels the countryside resides in the large, elegant, purple-threaded tent. Madame Elena, the matron of your group, who can see the future, at least, she says, and the nobility and the wealthy will pay quite a bit to have their fortunes read by Madame

Milana is here you may read your character descriptions of second Millena what nothing go ahead I I I do I have to go first my will go first hello friends I am Poroski I am a humble Vista I have a shamed head and a great big bushy mustache and I am simple farmer. It is my job to care for the animals, of horses or cows, to make sure we have plenty of milk to grow big and strong. My name is Blazanoff. I am a human bastani. Not like too have mustache. It's not as grand as Poroski's must. Not even close. Blazanoff has come into string of bad luck. It's trouble-holding job.

Blazanoff find himself here and hope that to Madam Malina will turn blind eye to pass the grievances. Blazanoff hope to find work here and hopefully hold down job for more than weak. It is unlikely. History does repeat itself. Yes, it does. No? No. always going last. Also I can't figure out my fucking voice. Why am I? Okay, hold on. I am Rohadid, this only human. And... Wait, what is your name? Rahaval. Oh, don't you

say something else? I am language coach here in this camp. I help people with their lists. This day, rape, for this service in this camp? Blazanov never hear a profession like that. Blasanov is interested if you are looking for assistant. We make much coin, yes. Good to know. This is why I was gone last because I can't do it.

Yeah. I am Murushka. Ah, yes, Murushka. Murushka. Oh, that's a very lovely name. I'm a pretty rotund, older Vistani lady. The children, they cry, I feed the children. The men, they cry, I feed the children.

And the men. I can't tell the difference between the men and the children anymore. Do any of the children, oh, God. Do you need a children's care of beans? Run, run, run. Ro, run. Ro, ro, ro. Brom.

Do you know. No, yeah. Let's not quite catch language teacher's name. Raha'a-something, Rahadel? Rahavel. His name is Rahavel. Rahvel. He says he is language coach,

but really he is a crazy cat guy. Oh, boy. Well, citizens of this encampment are in big trouble if they have speech impediment and go to him. You watch your mouth. He does do very well stirring beans, though.

This is true. Sometimes he helps me in the kitchen. Perhaps if he gets fired from stirring beans or teaching language, Blasanov can stir beans. Is this what you aspire to, Blasanov? It has to be very difficult to mess up stirring beans. You look too skinny to stir beans. Blasanoff is desperate, please. You would probably spill the beans if you.

It requires great precision. No, Blasanoff will not spill the beans. Perhaps looking into a different line of work. Perhaps you help Borowski. Really? Yes. What do you do? Well, I look after the horses is one of the things I do.

Apparently listening is not something. But one of the services is... The other... The horses have been... Are they assist with. He's... is taking messages. all across the Kingdom of Tsar. So you are saying,

Blasnolv could represent Kingdom of Tsar and Telegraph Company? That is exactly what I'm saying. My last messenger came back with multiple knife wounds in his back. It's very common for messengers in this land. This is very promising. I must tell you one small secret. Yes? Blazinoff is slightly scared of horses.

A Vistami scared horses? Surely you jest. Blazanoff does not know how to jest. Are you sure you're Vistami? No. Is it this point? Yeah. Madam Melena steps out and says,

I hope you are all Vistani because we have honor guests arriving soon. the Lord and the Lady of this land. And you see that she is a very matronly-looking woman. She is not, it's kind of hard to tell, like, where, how old she is, where there is a youthful viability to her, but a maturity and a motherliness to her as well. As she slowly walks out and,

and, and gathers you. around and says, they will be looking for one of my crystal ball readings. They wish to see the future of their line and their air. And you know I need your assistance to do the Taroka reading before I peer into the crystal ball. And she holds up a deck of Taroka cards, large and black and white. And she says, as you all remember how this goes, I'm reminding you, that when they arrive, you will each shuffle the deck, draw a single card, and give the fortune that you read in the card, and then I will peer into my crystal ball.

Yes. Madam Melina, perhaps you have simple message that need to be delivered instead. Blazanoff can do that. The message can be what you read in the drug card, Blazinov. Oh no. Does Blasenov think he is capable of such a simple, menial task? But Blasenov can read. That's why Blasenov deliver a message for poros.

If you can spill beans, you can read message from card. Blasenov does not follow. If you are capable of such as stirring beans and not spilling them, of not spilling them, then you are certainly capable of looking into the card. Oh, no, Blazanoff. Deloving its message interpretation. Blazanoff hopes that you are right. I believe in you.

I will go from the cows. What's your name? Marushka. Maruska, perhaps you prepare some food for our guests. What does it look like I've been doing for hours stirring the beans? I'm always stirring the beans. I could use a snack on my way. I hold out a big ladle of beans.

At this point, you hear the whinny of horses. And you hear the loud, scamp. You hear the loud creaking of a wagon as, or a carriage, as it is pulled through the gloomy country. as you see that it is black and adorned with a large silver crest with a raven emblazoned. And you see as Melena says, they are here. I remember what they said. They are going to pay a lot.

This will last us months. And she looks at you and says, welcome them in the to the tent, I will be ready. And she turns and disappears into the tent as the carriage comes to a stop pulled by these huge black horses. The rider, very well-dressed, bearing the mark, the sigil of this house as rulers, the Von Zaravish family. and you see the door open, and you see a very well-dressed older human man with a neatly trimmed black beard and hair, step out of the carriage, and he extends a hand to a beautiful young, very pale skin, black, red, black hair, tied up in a neat, in a neat bun,

As she grabs her husband's hand and joins him and stands beside him, you hear the babbling of a toddler. As you look inside and you see an adorable-looking little girl, no older than two. as as she is playing with these brilliantly blue eyes, wide blue eyes in this very cute

bustle dress of a similar color to her eyes as she's playing with a nursemaid in the carriage. And the door closes, and you see now that the lady of the house, seems to have a bit of a bump in her stomach. As she joins her husband, and you see as Berra von Zarovich looks and says, we are here for our greeting and our fortune

telling. Yes, yes. Come in. Welcome to our camp. Some tea for you. I'll bring some tea. And I'll pregnancy. And you see as they take it graciously, and especially the lady of this land, Ravanaughia von Zaravich, she takes it and she says, thank you. Would you like some milk? I have milk, and I look like a dirty one bucket. We also have beans. Do not offer the guest the beans. He stirred the beams, though. They look, they look around at you and says, We look around, they look from all of you and say, we will, and Barov says, we will see Madhem Belaena. We have an engagement this evening yet. And they enter.

You guide them into the tent as it's a mysterious, there's a mysterious air to this room. as I'm going to change in music. Music changes are always good. You enter this tent, and even though you've been in here plenty of times, it still gives you a sense of power and mystery and magic. As you see Madame Melena with her shawl over her head, her hair, her cup framing her face as a purple crystal ball sits before her, the deck of Taroka carts sitting beside. You see that there are two seats on either side of her, and she welcomes the four

of you to sit. And you see two stools, very plushly upholstered, as Ravanaovov sit down. And she says, welcome to my camp. Welcome to your future. And, uh, and thereof nods and says, you have always seen the future, Madam Milena. We know you can peer into the weave, peer, and see what has not. yet come.

And we wish to know the future of our line, our heir. And Ravinovia nods and puts her hand on her stomach. And Melana takes the deck of tarot cards, and she places them

in the center of the table. And if you want to put that out. As you know, peace. My associates will pull a single card each of them. Read your fortune that the card speaks. And then I will peer into my crystal ball. And you will know the answer that you seek. And she hands it to you if you care to start. Shuffle, shuffle or just cool? Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. Do a shuffle however

you'd like to and it'll be up to you how you read this card good because i'm definitely not flipping back and forth right now between uh frost and some random news from european guy oh yes i'm an ork they don't be wrong in it no i need to remember how to do the voice let's come on let's let's fucking go all right they lean forward and see what card is it a mercenary oh it's yeah it's good yeah i was on the camera. The first card of your Taroka reading, the mercenary.

In this donny culture, the mercenary card is a very fortuitous card. For, it means the ability to appreciate one's own value in life, in their abilities, to know what is one's worth. not just in one's abilities, their skills, but also the worth of their soul. To see the mercenary card in the first position in this way is a good sign. They turn and nod at you appreciatively.

You can see that they are looking with absolute intensity. They've not spoken since this has started. know also that it is in the upright position. Had it been flipped like so, the opposite would have been true. But we will keep it here as it will guide the rest of this reading. And with that, Moena now doesn't speak, and she just gestures to the next Vestani to pick up the cards, shuffle. The dick.

You know what a new place. Let us see. what the cards have in store for you. The transmuter. Not see this card in solo. The second card of your reading, the transmuter. This is a very interesting card for you to pool. That's very glare.

There's a glare on our candles. Here this and then this. Yeah, that's better. In the second position, the transmuter card signifies a great change going on. Perhaps within you. And I'll look at the wife. She nods and they both look at each other like knowingly. Yes.

Now what this change can be is entirely up to you. In one hand, you have the power. to change for good. And in the other, the power for darkness. Choose carefully your next steps. For what you choose will become the future.

They look... They look very intently at you. And Berov, especially, has a grim sense about him. And he nods. As Madame Elena, gestures to him. Who's next?

I am. My name is Blasinov Zirosky of Kingdom of Zar Messaging Service Poroski branch. New employee. Happy to be here. Madam Melina glares daggers at you.

Happy to be here. He's doing very well so far. I will be reading your next card. You have very interesting card of charlatan in upside-down position. Generally, the charlatan is a character who is not very forthcoming with their true emotions. It is one who is quite easily able to fool others.

But in the upside-down position, it means that you have the wisdom to see through this point. false, front, and see the truth in people. Like, if Blazanov ever need job and he did good job here, you might give him good recommendation. He did well, eh? They nod, and they seem to be very appreciative, as Melena had said before this. The third card of your reading, The Charlotton.

Perhaps the Charlotton could be someone in your wagon. Just the suggestion. And Barov seems to be. deep in thought now, giving these cards. And he just, and Molina gestures at you, Perowski. I will shuffle the deck as is tradition. Don't get milk on it again. So milk helps the cards glide together.

That has not been my experience. And I will cut the deck. Now, the fourth card. The dictator. The upright position. This indicates a great ruler, a great conqueror. Perhaps not just of these lands, but lands beyond the borders of great zon. Is this dictator you?

Or perhaps, your lineage. An aim. It is uncertain. Whoever it is will certainly rule with an iron face. And you see Bearoff nod at you, as Melena has said, your fourth card in your reading,

The dictator. And she waves a hand, and you see a strange mist appear in the crystal ball, this glowing, slight purple. As she says, we have communed with the cards, and now I will peer beyond into the future, into what has yet to come. Oh, a great ruler, yes, a great conqueror, yes. Power, immeasurable power, power, death.

And you see as bear off as, His eyes are alight as he, as, and Melania continues to appear. Yes, not just the ruler of a kingdom, not a changer of not just this land, the whole world, beyond this world. the greatest, most impactful ruler for generations, this world and all that is beyond. And then suddenly the crystal ball fills with blood and swirls in a disgusting mucusy yellow. And she sits back as she peers. No.

Oh no, no. What is it, Madame Leigh? I see. And you see now that Robinovian and Beroff are shocked as they are, as Robinovia is clutching her husband's arm. No, I see blood. So much blood. A blood, moon. A blood, moon, a doomed.

A doomed line to bring greatness, yes, but even more ruin. To bring the destruction of soul, the consumption of soul. evil, unfathomable evil. Ruin. To you, ruin. To your life, ruin to all. It has already begun. It has already fated.

The blood. It spreads. It spreads from this world. It spreads to the next. It spreads in the mist. Spreads to doom. And her eyes flash with blood as she then closes her eyes and she sits back as she is wincing in pain as the crystal ball

moves and cracks and the crack spills with blood and mucus as the crystal ball rolls off the table The tablecloth is stained. The Turoka deck is staining with bloody mucus as it hits the ground and empties entirely. And it returns to its purple color. And Barov looks absolutely ghostly. white, Ravinovia even more pale, as he slowly looks at Melanaz. She moves her hand from her eyes, and they've returned to normal.

And she says, sorry, I did not. And you hear Brerato say, I've heard enough. He stands and his eyes turned towards his wife's stomach. And the sense of fear comes over Ravanovia's eyes as she follows after him. You see them leave in silence as the door opens, and the happy toddler is playing with a nursemaid as they get in, slam the door, and ride away. I know that was Blasinoff first reading, but I think it went three. good.

I don't think they paid us. Oh, oh no. Is that the blood was a nice effect? Is that normal for reading? Perhaps Madame Elena since bill. You can deliver bill. I can't be your first job. I have new one.

Thank you, Paulus. Madam Elena, are you okay? She's staring at the tablecloth stain in blood and mucus. in blood and mucus. And she says, I hope I do not live to see what I just saw.

And you all look at the crystal balls it continues to roll, and it shatters along with all of reality. And you hear the brother, Mommy. Then you hear the crying of an infant.

As you see shapes, you see, you hear the hushed whispers of a father wanting to prevent the disastrous air from being born that grows inside the mother. A mother's love not able to do such a thing. But a father, yes, but someone can. committed to the protection of this reality and would sacrifice anything to do it. A lying mother says that a child was still born, but delivered in secret by the very same nursemaid that had been seen shepherded away to another humble human family. in this land, a brother, the name given to the nursemaid, Sturm, and the child never knew its family, but it survived. He survived.

And suddenly, as you hear the crying of the infant and the hush voices and the worried voices all around you, you suddenly hear shouting voices and thundering, marching, rushing, running plate boots, hitting stone floors as they echo off castle walls. As reality returns, the glass creating. Have we heard the name Stern before? No. I said it. I didn't think so. I need to swap number three around real quick.

Sure. So I know Lifty and I need everybody. I know. Jesus. Oh. He would later grow, get a second name and become known as, Germackenzie. I was praying so hard that Blasinoff drew, like, the death card.

I was, like, hoping for something so bad. You have... The fifth card was beast. Yeah. That's hardcore. I gave you guys the number three that is yours. Oh, we flip a... Oh, I think.

Oh, no. Yeah. So, that's the one I need. Um, yeah. I have so much fun. Yeah, this is fucking. cool man your um the character you just were needs to be like mature that that that's a character character that's not I love I love that guy he is a long story history at our table

but it started from us playing that game where you have like a professions and you're like trying to get a job interview and you have like random like apples to apples cards have you think oil no it's like something probably very similar job interview or something oh yeah yeah yeah yeah so I was Blasenoff which is you which is a character character from Deadwood. And he works for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Telegram Guy Company. But basically, I spent the whole night pretending to be Blasinoff looking for a new job. Sorry. So when I saw the thing said Blasinolp,

I fucking lost it. Blood. Coats the stone, floor, and walls. Castle Ravenloft. having only recently been built, you, the four of you, had delivered the news, you had been delivered the news too late by a servant who had managed to escape but had succumbed to his wounds when he delivered the news to the four of you. you make your way through the body of a royal guard at your feet, but you are not royal guards. You are not loyal to any ruler, any dictator.

You are loyal to the morning lord. You are loyal to your lord Sergei von Zaravich. You know what the traitorous sister, Shredaanya von Zaravich has done. and you make your way through Castle Ravenloft, cutting down anyone who would stand in your way as you press on to the throne room. I never want to look at your characters. I apologize.

I need to swap you two, too. I'm sorry. How do you know? This is all in your brain. Also, if I think what's coming is coming, I am praying for it. I am praying for what I hope to be in one of these future next couple of cards.

And we can talk about an adventure still. I am Sir Riva. I am a Barovian human, knight of the Morning Lord, and, as previously stated, my one true purpose is to serve the Morning Lord and Sergei von Zorović. Rivara. Sorry.

You may call me Sir Zelensky. I am at the Morning Lord's service. I'm here to serve you. You and to serve Sergei as well, yes. I am Dame Blanchett, and I too am here to serve Sergey. And of course, the morning road. Hey, and Sir Corden, and I serve the morning lord. And our brother in arms, Sergei von Zorovich.

Is he dead yet? What? Is he dead yet? I'm presuming no. Oh. You have heard that sister has turned on brother. And Blade has been turned, and the servant boy had barely escaped and knows nothing more. Yeah, we don't know. Okay. So we know he's in danger.

And we're trying to get to him. Yep. Well, this will be easy. We will slay anyone that stands in our way. What are our weapons? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah! Grab them. Can we just give them?

Yeah. Oh, fuck yeah. We look a lot more whole than this. These are our undead forms. Which are my money? Yes, you're purple. I'm purple? Derek is white.

Your buddy is blue. I have a sword. But you're talking about sick flail. Holy shit. We must ride quickly to get to Sergei. We will crush and cut down anyone who stands in our way. I don't think we have our dead horses yet. We are walking.

No, we have regular horses. Oh. They're outside of the castle. We're outside the castle. alive horses. Okay, all right. The horses are outside of the castle. We will proceed on foot. I'm just like crush, I'm just literally killing anyone by flail. Yeah, we're not even hesitating. Oh, actually, I would be Sauron from Philadelphia. Oh, yeah.

And I have a fucking, what do you call? Not javelin. It's a spear. No, no, no, no, it's. Lance. Lance. I have a lance. And so I have to be really far away. You can't turn in the hallways. to like really guide it through the hallways in order to like. Like a six-point turn or one corner. So there's a Lexki is fine. Everything's fine. Just hold.

You back up. No, you just get out. Sir, peasant, please remove yourself from my lens. It does a 1D12 damage. It's great. I swear. I have a shield, but I'm not even using it. It's on my back,

and I'm two-handed wielding my longsort as I'm just cutting down anyone that stands in my way. You make your way into, make your way through Castle Ravenloft. You see that some of the servants are running away. Some of the guards see the carnage that you have left behind in the name of vengeance,

the name of the mourning lord, the name of Sergei von Zarovich. and some of them just drop their weapons and run away. And eventually you arrive at the massive double door of the audience hall where you had heard Sergei had last been seen. It is closed and it's quiet. What do you do? I've dropped my lance.

We'll use it. We'll use the speed. No, no, no. I've got a shield that I've cut, like literally the edges. I'm going to use like a blade. Yeah, of sorts. I've sharpened the edges of my shields too. What's my voice? Ah, I never need. You did all of that in the last five minutes?

It's always been like this. You just never noticed. I never need. Sergei, are you all right? Are you alive? We're here to save you. No response. It's quiet from the other side from what you can hear, but it's echoing. Your voice, Ceravara's voice is echoing in the halls all of us.

Enough. I don't want to kick the door in. You kick the door in and it reverberates and fills the audience hall. You see the grand audience hall. Castle Ravenloft. The grand carpet that makes its way flanked by Candeladra, the huge chandelier, filling this room with a beautiful light. even amidst the horror that awaits you, you kick the door in, Sir Gordon. And you see the brilliant throne of gold and red slumped up against it.

Is Sergei von Zarovich. pierced through, his tavern of the morning Lord stained with his own blood as blood drips down his chin out of his mouth. His blonde hair, once pristine and shimmering, is now matted and his eyes are empty. As you see the grand piano, the great tapestries, those stained glass windows,

windows, and you hear nothing but the flickering of the fire from the candles and chandelier, and the chill of wind, as you see the doors to the grand balcony, are open. Everything else is quiet as your Lord, your brother in arms, your leader in service of the morning Lord sits dead before you. I'll get this a habit. Deliverous Lefender from this evil. No. Where did she go?

I want to run out to the balcony. I'll follow. You turn, you run into the room, your heavy plate boots echo, through this place. And you see a shock of red as you hear a voice as you hear a voice. A voice. You are too late. As Shredanya von Zarvich, countess of this land that she conquered, is stained with her own brother's

blood, as she holds her sword by her side, her father's sword, shimmering silver with a ravens pommel, dripping with blood. As she wears her battle armor. the vest and the wolf's, the dire wolf's pelt around her shoulders, her hair tied back like she would wear on the front lines of combat, flanked by those two gargoyles in there, eternal vigil. The eternal vigil staring into the abyss, thousand feet below. the now named village of Borovia a mere mile or so away flickering lights from the sleepy night

as the full moon hangs over she doesn't look at you as her eyes gaze into the abyss and she says she jumped she seems to be in shop

what do you all do How could you have done this, you, you demon? She jumped because you're a monster. What you did do your own ken? I'm circling around with my shields, trying as quietly as I can to try to charge if I see her begin to turn. You see the blood streaking a little bit on her cheek

as she stares into that abyss. The wind whips through in this cold, Barovian night. As she slowly turns to you, the sword low, as you see something that you hadn't seen on your countess's person before.

Strange choker around her neck with a ruby red gem that flashes for just a moment. You're not sure if it's a trick of the light, but you could swear that those striking blue eyes that she has also flashes red. As she looks at you, as she looks at you and says, my Tatiana jumped. I thought we could be together forever. You call me a monster, Sir Gordon.

We are all monsters here. We are all monsters here. We are all a monster. Among monsters. I have finally seen, I am damned. You are damned. We are all damned here. As she raises her sword, and in a moment of agility that you would not expect, she lunges forward.

I need everyone to roll for initiative. Yes, let's fucking go. Joe, okay, all right, okay. I was not expecting that. Can we get a balcony drawn? Deer. Nice. Oh, boy, did not roll well. That's pretty good.

It's this night stack walk. Yep. Our oils are where they normally are. Yep. We don't have anything to. What's it? Dix theory. It's just plus.

Oh. And proficiency. No, for initiative. Oh, it's just. Fuck up seven. 15, uh, 2025. Oh boy. You have like a piece of paper or something in your hair.

Oh, you do? Yeah. You can't see. Oh. There we go. Um, uh, do we have stat blocks? Oh yeah, I sent it in. Thank you.

Just double check in and I thank you. And ooh, that's gonna be a 17 for me. You got higher than 17, anybody? I got a fucking 8. I got a fucking eight. 15. Okay, so 17 is Caprice. You got a 15 for Toa?

What do you get, Lifty? Seven. Or rather, Blanch up. Let's roll her initiative real quick. I saw. I have a feeling this is going to be over very quickly. I just get that feeling. Just long enough for all.

Just all to say a cool tagline and then we die. But we die for our brother and our Lord. Um, okay. Don't you, King. Whatever we just housed her right now? That'd be fucking awesome. I didn't even come true. Uh, look, uh, what did you get, uh, Ravora?

Uh, eight. Okay. So she's in the middle. She's lunging forward. What is you? I got a seven. Wow. With that, Selensky, you're up.

I think anyone can roll worse than me. Oh, um, doing, doing what I prepared to do, uh, I will, um, uh, race forward, and, And as I run forward, I scream, as the Lathander teaches us, there is always another dawn, and I will attempt to ram her off the balcony. Nice. Okay. I love that. Mop where your head's at.

I'd say make an attack. Lung darmens use feeble mind. 19 to hit. 19 does hit. Athletis context. Roll damage too for whatever, you know, whatever weapon it is. Yeah, that's gonna be, that's gonna be seven points, I'm sorry, eight points of of bludgeoning damage and my, you said athletics.

Yep. That's strength. I get a 16. 16. She gets a 23. As she, oh, are you so sad about my brother's demise? And she holds against your shield attack. That's true. It is Sir Gordon's turn. You're dying here tonight.

I'm going to run up and, uh, let's see you there. I'll flail her in your face. Flail the shit out of her. Keth Feeble mind. Ha ha ha ha ha. Chris is proud with her, it's feeble mind. Oh, 15 to hit. 15 does not hit.

Okay. So I'd totally whiff. Okay. You do that. Ah. We give me two melee attacks. Are we good? Oh, yeah.

Yep. Oh, we get it. Derek also roll yours as well while that happens. That one definitely hits. So she takes an additional, another 15. Wow, 11, 14 points of bludgeoning damage. Okay.

All right, okay. But in the moment, it was just the one slam. With that, she is going to make an attack on each of you as she raises her father's sword, now her sword. We got some hit points. Yeah. She does 533. Yeah, I was going to say she might should have

disintegrate us. Um... Well, that killed me 11 times over, so I'm dead. You're 11 dead. But not 10 thundered dead. 19 to Sir Kordin. And 16 to Serzolensky. 19 damage?

No, no, 19 to hit. That should hit. 16 does not hit. Yeah, all right. C is 18. Okay. I'm going to roll this damage real quick. this damage real quick.

Well, you do a parry. I'm going to parry. I'm going to use my reaction. Yeah. And I'm going to, with my flail, I'm going to grab her sword in my flail and I'll knock it off. And it increases your AC by two. If I can see the attack and have wheeling with the nail him up. Yeah.

There you go. You were able to bury it out of the way as you fight her off. And you get the sense, although she is moving quickly, that there is almost like a deadness in her eyes. after saying that she has seen Tatiana jump. With that, it is Sir Mavar's turn. For Sergei! And I charge in, and I'm going to make two attacks.

Was it plus five? I miss both of them. I'm grief-stricken, and tears are streaming down my face, and I'm enraged, and I miss. She parries both. I have the Dean Blanche's turn. I too will rush forward. Be perished in the light of the morning, Lord.

I will swing my safe at her. Okay. Why, why she's he? 21 and a 10. 10 doesn't hit. Oh, 10 doesn't hit. Oh, 10 doesn't hit. Yeah, 21, sorry. Race. Yes, silly goes.

You can't not hit her. 10. 10. 10. 10. 10. Okay. You miss one, but then you swing around and slice.

That. Okay. With that, it is Lonzi's turn. Oh. I will, seeing that she was able to so quickly and easily stop my attack and knowing that I'm not going to get another chance to run around and go for it again, I will lift up and using the pointed bottom of my shield, I'll grab the top and attempt to dig down trying to get into her neck or try to find some sort of vital organ. Twice. And 11.

Misses. 18. Hits. 12 points of damage. Okay. Oh yeah. Roger that. Corum. I will just go on for two more attacks. One hits. Okay. What's AC? Her AC. is 60. 60. Oh, great. Jesus. She'd be missing that badly. Seven points of bloodhending damages, what would be. Okay. She says, oh, I can see you in training, but I have more power now than you can even imagine. As she swings for sword and she's going to go and attack you, Sir Gordon. And that's going to be 24 ahead. And And we can't figure that. You can try.

She pushes the sword right between the little sled in the helmet. And she's going to go for Dame Blanchette and get a natural 20. Damn. That sucks. Nice to know you. You might be tested. No, she'll survive. I'm going to roll Sir Corden first.

No. Eight, ten, twelve. 15, 20, 22, uh, 26 points of damage to you. Okay. And then I'm just gonna double that for you. So 50. 52 points now. It's just enough. She runs Dame Blanchette through swiftly,

as she is down, not dead, but is down. And she says, that was so easy, I told you. And she pulls her blade out of Dame Blanchette, who completely crumbles to the ground instantly from a single strike as she slices you and says, like, okay, I let you get your first hits. Impress me. With that, it is. No, steal yourselves, knights.

And I go to double and make two attacks. 17 and 18, so they both are natties. Whoopee. 12 plus 6 is 18 points of damage for two attacks. Oh, my. Okay. She attempts to parry your sword strikes, Suravara, but you managed to strike True now.

Although she is incredibly powerful, you still outnumber her and are facing her on equal footing here in this in this duel as she's taken out one of your companions, even the odds a little bit more. Okay? Gordon. Oh, no, Zolonski. No? Yeah. Roll dust saving.

Furnty. Oh, boy. Things are looking in-shed is pouring blood, and it's running through the, running in the grooves along the balcony. Yeah. Seeing her go down so quickly, seeing her go down so quickly, Seeing, what's your name,

Damn Blanchet dies so immediately from the attack of, Damn, damn, Blanchet. I'll do something. Just call her Blanchie. Hey, Blanchie. No, I loved her. Blanche.

And seeing how ineffective our attacks are, I start to think of a broader plan. I will. They are effective. They are wounding her. Are they? Yeah, so you see it, she is taking me.

She is not a vampire. She is not undead. She is a living person. She's a living person. She's a human stone. Oh. Impress her. All right. Well, then I will, uh... I take my shield and kind of like a pizza pie. I'll start spinning it on one hand and I'll go in like a razor saw. Canonically, he's using the land. Yeah, yeah. Okay. In the reality of the story, I should be using the lens. I'm poking her. Wallace Wells. or twice, it's just that I'm 10 feet away

and I get disadvantage on the attacks because it's a lance because that's not that mechanically works. 16 hits? 16 hits, yeah. Wallace Wells from way up in the Balchase creams. Kick her in the balls. Seven. Oh, wow, double seven. So I do 14 points of damage.

I'm not going to do anything else. Just look around being like, I think we can kill there. Okay. You do that. And blood is poor filling her armor. The dire wolf pelt that is around her shoulders is seeping with blood as she looks at you. But she takes her tongue and runs it along her lip and licks up some of the blood and her eyes light up and say,

there's only three of you left. It was hardly a fair fight before. 15 and 10. Yes. She parries both of yours. You'll meet your head here. As she's going to swing around, she laughs at Usurcourt and brings her blade around on Sir Zelensky. Let's see what happens here. This we get at 24 to head.

What does you get for trying to impress her? Up for... Up for... You're like one of those side flippers. She goes up and goes back down. She's sealed around the back of your head. 27 points of damage. I'm fine.

Of slashing. It's only after help. That would be a deal. I make two attacks. Fine. I took the bronze. She doesn't die in? But she rolls a natural one to follow up.

Oh, shit, okay. I rolled two attacks. Hot tears are still screaming down my face, and I hit one of the attacks. Eight points of damage. Okay. I make no motion to move. or change, I am just bearing down on her with all the might of my morning lord.

Okay. It is, yeah, it is David Blanchett's turn. Pass. Pass. One in one. Okay, there you go. It is now Zolanski's turn. I can't do it. You're stabbing, your lance and your spirit. One hit.

14 damage. Okay. Okay, Gordon. I'll go in with two attacks. And one almost crits, but it's a hit. 13 points of damage. Benage. The sweet smell of damage.

As stabs, as you smash into your crack, as her eyes are going a little bit more dull. as she looks and there's a sickening smile to her face as she then turns her blade on you, Sir Corbyn. After you land you, you'll join your sweet love soon enough. And with that, that is a 27 to hit. Real poor. Almost a natural 20.

Jesus. That's going to be 10, 14, 18. 1821, 21, 24. Oh, no. 30 points of of Sash. Follow up on Serselensky. Oh, no, it's crotch.

Yikes. Be a natural 20. For Zolensky? No, it's fine. I negate it with some ability that I have. Oh, my, you, I'm not a hot to all. Oh, no.

This isn't place. It's Adamantite. Yeah. Can't be great. 10. Um. I have forcible armor. 24.

It's even stronger than the Forpal armor would mean you get the headed more easily. 44 points of damage. Oh, yeah. 44? 44 to Zslazki. Mm. Oh, 44.

I fall over backwards onto my shield and this slide off of the balcony. Like I'm running one of those flying saucers sleds. This is a bad thing. She doesn't have any full. In conscience, he's not dead. No, I will not fall. You have yet to harm me. I will not fall here. But I still think she gets to go first. No, that's her turn. Oh, sweet. Okay. As your friends collapse, she says, oh, it's one on the one. No. What hope do you have? Double critz. Right here. She coughs and blood spits up.

Just one hit. Just one hit, unfortunately. No. Yes. That's gonna be 11, 12, 13, 14. 14 points of damage. How do we do this? Oh. We have five hit points left. Just the absolute hate boner that I have right now because she murdered my brother. I will with one slice cut up through the breastplate and then come down back through to to catch her in the collarbone and try to like, Monk's robe cut her through to really make sure that she's not getting back up. I'm gonna go.

You do that. With your fellow knights collapsed, bleeding out near death. No. You raise your sword with all of the fury of the morning lord, your hatred for this traitor, kin slayer. You're the countess that you had served, murdering her own brother. And she raises her blade, her father's blade,

to Perry and Block, and then she stops. And lowers her sword, and you slice her, shattering the top of her armor, piercing through the leather. The blood sprays and coats the two gargoyles, Boris and Vasilis as she stumbles back, spits up blood, and blood now feels her eyes, and she cries bloody tears. As her eyes start to roll back, she says, and she tumbles off the balcony into the abyss below. And as you stare into that abyss, reality shatters around you.

And you see Castle Ravenloft shatter around you. And you hear, once again, that brother, my me, but you also hear the screams of pain. As Shredaña returns to Castle Ravenloft. And she was telling the truth when she said that she had more power than they could imagine. You hear the cries and screams after all of them, all of the nights barely surviving their battle with Sredania. It was short-lived when she returned a vampire with horrible ancient Eldridge power, slaughtering all of them, raising them as impossibly powerful death nights, to serve her in death as an ultimate mockery and standing like statues in the cathedral.

In an eternal vigil, just like Boris and Vassili, no more than gargoyles, but abominable undead gargoyles. You see a mist, a bloody mist, swallow this place. not unlike what you had seen happen to the land of Reed and Lotus's. You see centuries of terror, horror, and heartbreak. You see a blood moon, just as Madame Melina had foreseen. You see a terrible, terrible bloody pulsing veins snaking from Castle Ravenloff that beats like a heart. and you hear the roar of a dragon, brilliant dragon of golden red erupts

from the heart of this castle. It sends it toppling into its foundation and melting away. The mist fades. Rainfalls. From the land of broverie from what you can see. And trees of red and gold grow. Life returns.

centuries pass, the castle is rebuilt, and darkness still remains. It's never truly gone, especially in a place like this. As the glass returns and forms reality around you, still a cool Barovian night, but gnarled dead trees

surround you with strange holes pocked in them looking like wailing faces, the place that you've heard and seen and warned children about the beastwood. As you sit now around a crackling fire, having been called to this land, having been called and pleaded with the count, to investigate the strange disappearances of the poor and the sick, wandering off into the woods, never to be seen again. Count Alexei von Zarovich is certain it's the werewolves, and even more certain, is his companion in the service to the Morning Lord and Vestani Monster Slayer,

Sophia Anabellekov, as they assemble at an ex-becki. expedition into the beast wood to hopefully find an answer to what's been happening. This is as you sit around a campfire looking for leads. I've seen, heard strange, chittering voices in these dark woods, flapping of tiny wings, mocking laughter high-pitched voices and the sense that something is stalking you, something large,

but you're not sure. Why don't you go ahead and read your... What's the girl, the woman's name? Sophia. Andy's going to pass out, so I'm going to... This is so much better than I hope what would happen. You sit around the campfire the count of this land of Schethranel, the only human kingdom or county of this land,

young, incredibly young, orphaned far too early, but a smart man, a wise man and a good man, and committed to his people. This is why he did not want to send any of his knights, any of his men and women into harm's way, and why he went himself. And only with the incredible insistence of Sopiana, did he bring her along and requested for outside help, as he know, has proved beneficial to this land's history. Round a campfire? Yep. I take the kettle off the fire and I pour myself some tea.

How is everyone feeling? My name is Professor Lucas Albatross. I'm a human, professor of presumably like amphiphy, because Alexei is convinced its werewolves and I love werewolves. My goal is to seek relevant knowledge and assist Alexei von Zorović in mysteries. Play it to werewolves, of course. I'm doing fine thanks for asking. Name's Tom Morgan, but you guys can call me Tommy.

I'm a Barovian human. I've moved a rattlesnake with my pop. It's a good man. Just like my father, I became a gunslinger, monster slayer, just doing what I know what to do and preaching the good word of Garrick's. I was told my uncle knew something about Garrick's, a thing or two. My goals kill monsters, protect me. Monsters, protect the innocent, spread the word of Garrix, the fire lord.

And, of course, help discover the mystery of Alexei von Zarvich. And we're on the same page. You're looking for the same mystery. That's exactly right. That's exciting. Thank you, Mr. Morgan. And you hear, and you listen to everything that old, and some folks that call him old Tom Morgan, far older than all of the rest of you.

But his wisdom and his age and his knowledge and knowledge. tracking monsters is, is unmatched, is strange apparatus. I'm gray. I'm gray in my facial hair. My hair's slipped back to the best of my ability, but I'm older. You guys can call me old time with Tommy is fine.

That's nice to meet you. I'm old a barley brew and I'm here to be the muscle. I'm a dwarf. Basically, I'm just here to, you know, get paid to eat. eating, drink, and assist Alexey. So give me a holler if you need anything. Thank you. It's quite the expedition.

And you. I mean, I know we know each other, but just, you know, we should probably introduce... If you've forgotten, my name is Sir Monterey Van Griffin. And I'm a hippo man if I ever was a hippo man. I'm not sure why you are the muscle in this operation. We should perhaps arm wrestle sometime. Gladly. Any day. Any day. I'm sure there's going to be plenty of need for muscle. There's no need for fine there. There's going to be plenty of time for all the muscle we can find. The goal is

for the rest of you to have muscle and I'll just sort of observe. You do all the violence and I'll take notes. That sounds good to me. Hi, me. Are we with Alexi? Yes. So Alexi looks at you and says, Once again, I am appreciative of you joining me on this expedition, as you put it. You do not know why the sick and the weak and the poor and are wandering off into the beast, would never to return. I'm doing all I can to make sure they get the aid that they need, but it is if they, as soon as I give it a shelter, or as soon as we try to help them give them arms, they disappear shortly after. Well, this wouldn't be the first time I've seen something like this. Now, of course, I'm not

really from around here, really, but... So I'm not exactly sure what your local floor and phone will look like, but I'm sure we'll get down to the bottom of it. Something's probably loring them out there and eating them. This might be a stupid question, but I have some sort of it. so many, we've done so many voices tonight. Yeah. I'm just going to do frost for the rest of the night. I'm just going to do a big boister's voice.

This might be a stupid question, but has anyone that's not sick or weak or poor gone into the woods to look for them? Not a stupid question. It's a great question. Has anyone written any songs to warn people about the dangerous woods? No, that is. I always respond well to music. Yes, it seems extremely memorable.

They're, catchy. There have been... I did send several knights. They did not return. There was whispers of their screaming. Well, um, they lichenphropes, they have this enchanting howl that when they call out to the night, sometimes their spell-bound and they wander into the woods, never to return.

So it's almost certainly a werewolves. using this sort of howling magic, as it were. You see Sophia Anna, her long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, a bandolier of silvered weapons, and holy symbols of the morning lord and vials of holy water like you had been placed in the circle. As she sticks her hand out and says, do you see, they are werewolves. I am telling you they're a werewolves. I do not know why you're going to be. protecting them. Well, the evidence certainly does seem to head up. That is definitely a thing that they are capable of. I assure you, it's where I just do not wish to jump to conclusions. They are beasts of the night, yes, but we do not have any hard evidence. I'd like to see with my own

eyes before we instigate any kind of inquisition, hunting them like dogs in the street. As you see Sopjana glares at him and scowls, and she just kind of looks into the fire. Sir, von Zarevich, if I may, our goal is not the wanton, killing or slaughter of anybody. We need to do some reconnaissance and see if we could find traces of these people before we start delivering judgment. That is why I have invited you all here and begged you to assist. Monster Slayer, a great hunter, incredible strength. A beefy girl. Beefy girl.

And the beefy boy. Two beefies. The beef is quite impressive. An expert in liking tropes. in lichen tropes and you are summoned here for a reason. And I know that you will be able to help. Once I heard about their screams in the night, and massive beast stalking the woods,

I did not want to submit any more of my men and women to that evil. We will work to unpack this mystery. We'll find out. what the werewolves are up to and see if we can return with knowledge, perhaps. Oh yeah, I'm getting up there in age, but I still got a few monsters left to kill in these bones. We can do it. I'm sure. If it's any comfort, the werewolves can't kill each other, so we'll be able to kill them.

I'm not following. Well, mechanically, they're resistant or immune to magical bludgeoning, slashing, and... But damn... But they can actually... deal that to each other, so there's no way for them to... Anyways, let's continue. I'm not sure how that's relevant.

Is it common for you to hear with lightnings from killing each other? No, it's uncommon because it's impossible. It's like you weren't listening at all. They can't do it. That's what you just said, right? From the mechanical sense, yes. Exactly right.

I've been around a long time, and there has not been a single thing that I haven't been able to fail with my weapons, all right? Which are? Oh, have you named your weapons? Well, I certainly didn't name them. Passed down to me, to my father, from... When he retired, right?

I guess he got him from someone that he might consider a father as well. And they're called judgment and redemption. Oh, that's very inspirational. Yeah. Kind of threatening as well. Well, you know, when you've been around as long as I have and you've read all the teachings that there are of Garrick's, it all starts to make a lot more sense. There's a lot of reading.

I'd have to look into this Garrick's fellow you keep talking about. He seems capable. He's a stern but fair God. I can perhaps use God in my life. Dragon Gives. It's pretty cool. And with that, you enjoy the night. After a light supper, you all stay up, but Alexi and Sophia go off to discuss something out of earshot of the four of you.

And there seems to be a bit of tenseness, but you but you catch the occasional longing looks at each other, and there's a bit of tension there that's unmistakable to all of you. As the next day, Mr. Morgan sets out to track. And you didn't make a survival check for me, tracking these creatures as well. You want to hook me up with a plus? Plus nine.

Twist it. Can I twist it? Thank you. Unbelievable. Thank you. Thank you. 15. I'm getting hold.

That's enough. As you spend time tracking, old Tom, you look around for the signs and you've dealt with lichenthropes in your many years. You see signs of lichythropes in the area. But the presence, the direction, the luring, it's not their hallmark that you're particularly used to. And everything that you're investigating, Professor Albatross, is not quite lining up to your research. Something else.

Something about your father's blood that he always told you about the power of the hells, of fiendish, devilish nature. And what you're tracking now, you realize is not a werewolf. It's not any kind of lycanthrope. What you're tracking is a fiend. Multiple fiends. You hear the flapping of wings, and you realize that they're not bird wings, leathery, bigger the bats. And you read the occasionally look and you hear snickering voices taunting.

Something hypnotic. about it, but you learn that what's luring them is from the same, has the same kind of blood like your, that your paw did. What did you learn? Well, I'm getting a bad feeling deep of my bones. I mean, something is not right here. Look, those werewolves are out there, but they are not the perpetrators of these atrocities. What do you mean?

Well, first I was... looking around and I was able to pick up some tracks and I certainly found signs of of these wereholes but it didn't match up with what we've been told about the disappearances and the attacks and the missing peoples

and the more I got that sense of this bad that bad feeling I found I was tracking something else and I begin to describe exactly what you said so you're saying that they're fiendish

flying werewolves. By the God. Highly doubt at this point that they're were. You were good up to that point. No, no, no, no. They're certainly werewolves. That I am certain. Sofiana steps forward and says, it must be the werewolves. They are just flying on horrible leathery wings. And they're full of fetish blood. Alexi steps forward and says, please, they can fly now. They can fly now. They can fly now. I will kill you.

Make it point out. Somehow, werewolves have returned. Alexi steps forward says, excuse me. Excuse me. Wrong voice. Mr. Morgan did not come all the way from Yona to have us doubt his ability.

Thank you. If there are fiends, devils, you said. Here, luring the weak and the helpless Does that make sense? I have studied the ways of the light, the upper plains, to resist and to banish the darkness of the hells. If you find them, I will ensure that they are perched from this land.

Oh, we can find them all right. That shouldn't be a problem. Then we can kill them if we find them? Of course. That's why we're here. That's why we're here. Oh, well... We thought he was going after rarewolves, so...

Me too. My utility heads here. Then goodbye. I think of this is another fantastic opportunity for research. Something new. You're right, maybe I'll be a professor of flying demon hot-wear-wolves. Preaches or something, whatever it is.

There you go. I can change my specialty. It's at this. At this point, you're in the dark, you've spent all day and several days tracking, and you hear, you get to a dense part of the wood, and with all of you, you're able to track, you find some footfalls and the kind of tracks

where perhaps one of the injured members had wandered off, never to return, and you actually follow that track, Tommy. and you find a dense part of the thicket. And something as trickles on the back of your neck occasionally in the night. But you feel like you're being watched and you can't find it. And then one night you hear not just one, not just two, but numerous snickering voices. From a very dense thicket up ahead.

And you said it's dark. It's very dark. It's the dead of night. Up to this point, I would say that we would be very low light to be as stealthy as possible and not draw unwanted attention, but hearing these awful voices and needing to be able to see and just being a human, not really having any form of night vision, I would immediately go into my pack and pull out a gnarled wooden, lantern. It was passed down to me from my father and lighted and it is very much Sarnax's lantern. Yeah. Oh, it's that dragon bone. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes. That's what I'm told. I mean, I don't I don't know where this came from or or what its purpose really was

other than it's basically an ancient artifact of Derrick's and it was my uncles. Oh, it's fascinating. Yes, and I'm hoping it's going to help us light the way and find these godforsaken fiends. I think it's clear that it's not werewolves, but I think I know it is. Go on. Wear hyenas. Now, what in the nine hails is giving you that. Sophia Ana says enough of these, and she sprints into the thicket, as she pulls out her blessed whip and pulls out a silvered axe,

as she thunders into the thicket. What do you all do? Oh, hell, Sophia. Be careful, we're coming! I'll thunder after her. And I kind of hobble after. I too will thunder. Go on to my head. I move quick for an old guy, but I'm hobbling a little bit.

And it's here you see what's been happening. You find clearing in this thicket, and you see body parts, it's true, and about, remnants of humans. it's horrifying. As you hear flapping wings and jaunting, taunting voices, as the trees are alive

with dozens and dozens of pairs of leathery wings, snapping tails, horns, and leering faces. But the body parts around you look like they were torn apart by a massive beast, but what descends upon you is a massive swarm of imps, laughing, cackling, taunting. And they swarm as we're not gonna roll initiative.

But they descend upon you, how are you going to deal with this? As you see Sergei draw his sort of glows gold as he shoots out a blast of morning light in this dark wood, causing some of them to be absolutely singed and fall to the ground as Sophia Anna takes a bottle of holy water and uncorky sprays it in the air, they let out, as they sizzle and pop. What do the rest of you do?

I would immediately realize what's going on and find a low-hanging tree branch where I could gently hang up the lantern. I would adjust my hat, throw back my poncho, unholster both my weapons, and begin to unfire on the feats. You do. And you unleash these arcane bolts of magic from these artificeers revolvers as you are blasting them as the cloud of imps is being cleared out. Olga is picking up large rocks and shot putting them up into the air.

Yeah, you are hitting every single one. It's like, I am glad I hired them. As he's slicing them. as soon as the imps get within grabbing range I am Zankeef style grappling them and breaking them against the ground similarly strong as in this way probably a blossoming romance happening between us

and in the form of dance as I grab them and like literally suplex one and crack its neck and then grab the next one they can't get close enough before they get into my meaty hippo hands Yeah you've seen meaty elephant hands so you now have meat hippo hands, as you were smashing them,

as eventually you clear them out, and in one last imp remains alive, and he is, his fiendish skin is bubbling and popping from holy water in radiant light, and you are standing, I'll say Tommy Morgan, you are standing over this imp as he is, his wing is broken, he's on the ground, and he snickers and says,

the prince of imps will continue to get all the souls he needs. And the beast must feed. What do you do? I've got my foot on his chest, and I'm listening to what he's saying, and I draw it down on him. I look at me and I say,

I will not rest until every beast is gone. justice always finds its mark. Can I pull the trigger? It's sick. And then you mess. Ah, shit. It explodes in to just gore and fiendish magic, and the last of the imps have been destroyed.

Not sure what you mean, cryptic, cryptic words, it's final words, but you look at the body, body parts and you hear something off in the woods, a bark of a tree snapping and cracking as you all turn, just pitch black through this thicket. And you see for just a moment, but you're not sure. It's so quick, it would look like massive red goat eyes staring at you as reality shatters. Oh, no. And the peaceful camp, you see, as you hear,

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. The voice of young Velasca, as you make camp away, as they make camp away from that that horror scene, for whatever reason, the imps were luring those

the the weak and the sick and the poor and the down-trodden you do not know and that beast was never seen again at least as far as the four of you were aware you all went back

to your respective homes safe and sound that night camp was set and you could have sworn that you heard the sophiana leaving her tent

and perhaps joining Alexi in the night before returning home. And... Yeah. We knew it. We knew it. Me too. You also hear the snorts of a large hippo.

Oh, no! As you hear the sound of clinking glasses. You see the sound of clinking glasses. and laughing voices, smell of warm cooking food, as you are in a tavern, an inn, across the continent. A small town called Kesselfeld, a little place called Mendels. As you see a mustachioed man in an apron, laughing and delivering food in a...

to customers as the help that he's hired is assisting in preparing a great dinner and feast and there's a special guest that he's expecting he thinks is going to arrive I need all of you to read your characters five oh I did not expect this oh I am Hans I am Korovaki and Newman, town's folk profession in tavern of my choice. I watch the glasses. I like to make a coin and earn my bonus from Mr. Mendel. Yeah.

Or Aunt Franz. It's funny you're named Hans, because I'm Franz. Oh, what are the chances? And I'm the bartender, I guess. I'll call that one out. Before anyone else takes it. I bought a drinks. You washed the glasses and I bought a drinks and make a good team.

Yeah, that sounds good to me. My name is Arno, yeah. I am the chef and I think we all have the shared goal of making the coin earning the bonus for Mr. Mendel. Mr. Mendel is good man. You just say that because you want the bonus. Yeah, so you should be saying it too. Well, he's not good, he's great.

I am Petra, by the way. I just mop the floor but I too hope for bonus. Every job is important. Yeah? Yeah. These glasses are not clean. No, we'll get right to it. This floor is not clean.

I just keep mopping. It keeps getting dirty. What do you do again? I'm the bartender. I pour the drinks. Well, they tell the glasses are clean and then fill them with the liquids. Why are you saying? I can't understand a word you're fucking saying.

My name is Arno. Your name is what? Arno. Arnie? Arno. Yeah, you've been working with Arno for how long? At least a decade, too, but I'm sure you can't have to do what he's coming. He will be here within the hour.

We need his favorite meals prepared. We need his drinks. Bored, ready. It needs to be a perfect experience. I couldn't hear you. Who's coming? Mr. Z. Oh. You know who that is.

Yeah. I made sure that every glass that we have is clean. I need a total one. And then I, yes, I make sure that all the glasses are clean, but I keep one and I just polish one glass for the rest of the evening because people get nervous if the guy behind the bar isn't doing something. So I'm just polishing the same glass of the rest of the night. I'll take the biggest glass we have and pour whatever drink I'm used to him getting.

I'll have it ready waiting for me. I'm mopping the same path from the door to a very special table that we've set up and back again. so it's like a perfect walkway amid muck on either side. I put on some craftwick and I get to cooking. I'll make beef Wellington. Yeah. I can go ham. I do this whole Duxel mushroom mix and I've got the mustard.

I've got the prosciutto. I wrap the beef. I cover it in puff pastry. It is perfect through and through a delicious entree of a lot. Oh, yeah. I'm starting to think that I'm not very contributive to this team. You clean the glasses. It doesn't seem like very important job needs to beef Wellington.

Oh, no, it is beautiful as always. What if the Wellington turns out dry and then nobody has anything to drink? Because the glasses are all dirty. Not it to turn out dry. The glasses are not dirty. I am just polishing this one because I finished my wife. Then your job is important, yeah? There's the only first to fault in fighting performance as he gets here.

This is my best work. It is not just Beef Wellington. It is Beef Gratington. Why not beef perfect, Tington? How long have you been waiting to say that? I mean, he's got to be at least half a decade, maybe, maybe at least 20 years. I've been working very hard, and this... He works very hard.

It's a good beef Wellington. Oh, I've no doubt. He's good. No, he's here. That's his horse. That's his horse. Places, places. It's at this point that, uh, it's at this point that, uh, um, that, um, that you.

You see Mr. Mendel walk forward. He says, oh, I forgot. And he says, and you see him go up to the stair, up the stairs very quickly. And he yells out, Felix, I have a very special job for you. Oh yeah, come boy. And you see a young, brown-haired boy holding, clutching in his hand, almost kind of like,

almost like a security toy. a nicely carved bluebird painted with the bright blues and oranges and whites. As she leads Felix and says, I need you to go across the town and take a look at my goats and make sure you milk them and bring back the best pail you can. But take your time. Take your time. boy. And he is a good lead, and he pulls out a copper piece and puts it in the young boy's

hand. It is very clearly a young Felix Ackerman as he clutches it. And he says, oh, thank you, Mr. Mendel. I'll do a really great job. As he runs out and you see him leave the door. And then he runs back into the tavern and he opens up a little chest, kind of tucked away to the side of this tavern and he grabs some super weathered, ratty-looking book, and he runs out as Mendel, Mendel kind of lets out a sigh. That book, he will be gone all night. And with that, several moments pass, and the door opens. Heavy bootfalls as a figure that's moving very slowly.

long travel from the road, moving wearily, steps forward, and Mr. Mendel walks up and says, Mr. Z, welcome, welcome. We have the Beef Wellington like you like and your favorite drink. And please make yourself a tongue. And what do you all do? As he walks to the table, I'm like three inches in front of him, almost as if I'm curling him to his table. That's awesome. His hood, yeah, you're doing that, and his hood is covering his face,

a rider from a long journey. Let me know if he needed never. I'll push the drink across the bar to them. I'm just polishing this glass and I'm like staring at him kind of like, regally because like I'm just in awe. And every time he looks at me, I'll go from this face to.

That's horrifying. And then he looks away and I'm like. Much better, much better. Then if he looks back, that's horrifying. And that's all I'm doing. And you do that and you watch and you see as he sits down and all of you can see is it's a man with a strong nose and brow and some silvery hair, drinking from beneath the hood as the hood comes back and you see slightly younger, but still older,

Virgil Zern as he sits, as the meal is prepared, and there's a seat that's set for him, next to him as well. And Mr. Mendel walks up and says, of course, your, uh, your dining partner could be here in one moment. Beatrice. And you hear a door open from upstairs, and you see as a beautiful high-heeled boot steps down into visible onto the stairwell, and it's brightly polished of a bright, a bright shining silver leather. And as soon as it makes contact, and you can see that beautiful high-heeled boot hit the stair, reality shatters. Damn.

And evening is spent not dissimilarly to not dissimilarly to the previous vision that you had seen as the beautiful Beatrice welcomes Mr. Z

and there's a resemblance as Virgil Zern, the High General of Corvaccia, eats his beef Wellington, and actually smiles and laughs as you hear, Brother, Mommy, around you. There's a strange resemblance to just an infant that you had seen in brief glimpses. Strange resemblance to the man who had forged that silver blade that had taken so many souls. strange resemblance to the abandoned baby Sturm, as Zern, which you now feel so clearly,

resembles and is the descendant of Barovanzarovic and Ravanovna and Ravanovia von Zarovich. And after that night, so is Milo Akraman. Reality returns and it's the most horrific thing you've seen yet. You hear panting, labored breathing, coughing, whimpering, occasional rattling of metal on metal. You're in a strange horror show laboratory workshop, children in cages, horrible fleshwork, abominations, and toys, and play things. All around.

All of you were taken from your homes by various figures. Some affiliated with the government of Corvacia, others taken on by highway agents, all sent to the distant lands of Skeffronil, all sent into Castle Gloomvale, all sent to the princess. Ravanaughia, and it's here that you are all huddled in a cage. the four of you and one boy. He's brown hair, round cheeks. Despite so many of these children, that since you're a short time being here,

being tested, experimented on, not surviving, and being turned into horrible toys, living fleshy toys. This boy has survived. everything with a monster that has been your captor. She looks like you, at first glance, ringlet curls, round pale cheeks of a child, but with the horrible body of a monstrous spider.

Using her horrible needle, her extra eyes, some horrible dark power. You children are in her. in this cage as this boy coughs exhausted from the most recent round of experimentation. You can go ahead and read your final characters. Roughly how old are we? You're around all younger than 13. You're probably aging from 10 to right before 13. Get out of here. Oh, we're going to look it out. I don't know.

I can't even remember how long we've been here. We have to keep trying. Do you think if we all pushed up, maybe we can lose the hinge or something? I don't know. I'm Tobias, by the way. A Corvachian human child with no profession. You don't have a job yet?

No wonder they sent you here. My name's Gregory. Hi, Gregory. Um, well, what about you guys? I'm Macy. Macy? Gregory. DeBias.

It's nice to meet you. I'm Jeremy and I also don't have a job because we're in a cage. Maybe my job is to be in a cage. What's your name? I don't ever want to work. And you see as this boy looks at you and he says, I'm Milo. Working sounds really boring.

That was really boring, huh Jeremy? Yeah, I mean, maybe if work was just like whatever you wanted to do it or and you could just do it and then also you got like paid and stuff. I want to play with cats is my job. I bet you could make that job. It sounds like a pretty cool job. How long have you been here? I don't know. But I have a plan on how to get out.

Really? Yes. And despite just the horrors that has been done to this poor. child, there's a still smile that comes to his face. And he, he, uh, looks at all of you weekly and says, I last. And he holds up this jagged needle with the spider iconography. What are you going to do that? I'm going to stab her in the eye and her big ugly eye on her forehead.

I don't know if that's such a good idea. You seem like she's capable of. She might kill. you could we use it to like get out of this cage maybe what if we tried it's crazy to see if we get out of at one of the bars looser or try the lock yeah yeah yeah do you know how to do it I was I kind of wanted to stab her in her stupid ugly eye fine you guys try to pick it you want to just jam it in there I guess I'll reach my little skinny arm through the bar and like...

Think about the way your brother does it. I'm always just scared what he's doing it, that our parents are going to find out, and then I'm going to get in trouble because he always blames everything on me. Just think real hard, okay? You gotta get out of here. I'm just gonna try my best, like,

to wiggle it around and pick the lock. I'm going to be lookout. I'm gonna go to the edge of the cage and like... Make a reception check of disadvantage. It's dark in here. I would like you to make a lock picking check, which we'll do here. is with your decks and given, I'll say you can add proficiency because your brother did it.

So let's say that's a plus four to your role for Lott Fidding. Plus what? We'll say for you it's plus two. Three. 15. 15. You see as Milo looks at all of you. As he says, guys, we don't have to try and escape right now.

My brother Felix is really strong and he's magic and he's going to come save all of you. You have a brother? Yeah, yeah, he's a smartest guy I've ever known, and I wish I could be as smart as him, but I'm really dumb, but that's okay because I'm crafting. And I can stab people in the eye, and I don't think Felix would be very good at that. I wish I had a brother. You sound lucky. You don't have a brother?

No. I have brothers and sisters. You sound lucky, too. I'm not that now, but I'm in this cage. Well, it just... Where are they? I don't know. Probably at home. Probably having fun with toys.

Alright, well, if we know that you're able to get the lock open, maybe Milo's right, maybe we don't do it right now. But we know that we can and we wait for the right opportunity to get out of here. I still feel like we should unlock it. I still, if we don't have to leave, we can just unlock it and then... whatever happens, you know, we can maybe run or we can, I don't know. We need to escape. I'm keeping lookout, so I'll let everybody know if anyone comes up. You are keeping a lookout and amazing, right?

Amazing. You hear as you actually pick the lock with the needle. Oh my gosh. Goodness, you did it. You're the best. You're so smart. I'll hand him back the... Yeah, no, that's my stabbing implement.

Felix taught me that word, implement. He's a nerd. But he's minor. He's my brother. He's a cool nerd. You guys are made me smile for the first time in a long time, and I almost don't feel scared. I could really go for a banana nut duck muffin.

Oh, that would be so young. I'm so good. I'm so hungry. Yeah. You know, I will go for ice cream soup. Oh. You know, I make ice cream soup? You know, I make ice cream soup?

I do it. They are a secret recipe. But I know what to do. When we get out of here, I'll make it for you. Well, I, the door is open. Shouldn't we just go? Yeah, we have to go right now. Is it the way clear?

Yes, it's totally clear. Okay. I have a four on my roll. No, I mean the three. It's all right. It's fine. you because you believed in yourself. I do.

I'll start to, I'll, and I'll gingerly step out of the cage. You do that. And, and, and, um, I look back over my shoulders. I walk. It's gonna be okay, guys. My- A spider,

pass a spider bitch comes out of nowhere. Milo packs you on the back and says, yeah, good job, a good eye, Tobias. I know that you're not gonna miss anything. I think maybe she's going to meet with her stupid, gross vulture dad. Ew. Let's get out of here. Let's go.

Come on. Come on. Scamper. And scumper. And scurry. And stay together. And scampor and scurry. Hold hands.

And you do that. And you disappear. Like, you jump down. And it's a couple feet down. And you have to be careful. And your bare feet hit the cold stone of this place. And you hear some movement above you in the. the cages, but you know that there's nothing that can be done for anyone else that's here.

You see where you believe the door to be is so dark. You see the horrible macabre workshop body parts, creatures turn some insectoid, some bird-like, some mammalian, all wants children. And you're making your way through and you see the door and you're getting closer and to buy And Tobias is keeping an eye out. And then you hear clang as the cage shuts back behind you. The door placed you just been in and you hear a voice. The itsy-beatsy spider. He's right.

Run! We start to take off as fast as he'd say. We make it. Everything's fine, right? Everything's fine, right? Oh my God. You hear as the... I did.

I did. You see the door, that heavy, the gilded, and that crest of your captor. And you hear, down came be rain, and the wash. this by the route as you feel

a shape looming above you as you make it to the door and you slam your small hands against it and you try to pull it open and it is completely sealed and you're man this is like

Muffin baby upside out instead of two giant of dog feet it's a spider and you try everything and you hear the voice. Out came the sun and dry the ball be rain. So you see a small girl in a black bustled dress and black ringlets pale face

lowers smiling like one of your playmates. And Milo is clutching the the needle. And he stands in front on the rest of you. And he says, Get behind me, guys. I'll protect you with my stabbing implement. I'll protect you if Phelis can't be here to protect us.

And then you see her as she opens her mouth, two fangs in her teeth. And the itsy-beatsy spider went up the spout again. you see the seven extra eyes of a spider opened up instantly

as her jaw in hinges and she lunges forward shattering reality around you oh the door just opens this way and we all got out see that's Christ made the black

you don't play that you don't You are fortunately spared. And fortunately, Milo is as well, from what the rest of the children were. And you hear the results of that dark work. As you hear the Raven Child, it shatters, and you know what happens next. And all that's left is falling raven's feathers.

and you feel a presence all around you. You are finally yourselves again in that void. You blink for a moment and you see a huge looming feminine shape above you, looking down at you with a pale white mask. And she simply looks at each of you. At least that's what you think. As her inky black eyes of that mask move, not searching like moving organic eyes, but you feel her gaze on all of you.

She does not speak. And neither do you. As you see the hanging glass shards and fragments containing millions of memories. They surround you and they consume you and they shatter and you feel sandstorm all around you. As you hear all around you the madden babbling of Thar's doom, the chain god. The black pyramid pulses and shakes. as you are standing with Virgil Zern, as the shimmering golden light of Anubis fades.

And just as the glass did all around you, so does the magic of Anubis, the protective cocoon breaks. Jesus. However, swirling with silver light is the raven child, levitating into the air, no longer afraid, at peace. Something had come over it, and you felt a similar comfort when that strange, masked woman, was with you in that void.

Perhaps it's what came over it. As the silver blade now pulses and radiates with silver light to the center of the circle, the meanto's gone. Safe in the fortress of memories. The, you hear the croak of the Six-Eyed Raven as it flies away as the entire black pyramid shakes and shifts. as Zern looks at all of you, his four wings, stretching out. This is it. We are at the edge of Apocalypse. We have received her blessing.

He looks at the dagger. Felix, my boy, are you comfortable? Do you trust me now, at the end of the world? To put an end to the chain god? I said it before. And I'll say it one more time, I'll follow you this last time. Thank you. And with a massive jolt, the entire pyramid lurches upward.

As it, as it, as you tumble down and you tumble off the stairs. crashing into the sand beneath it. As the pyramid raises up, and you see Zern beat all four of his wings and he takes off into the air as now the black pyramid with no protective magic, no seals, no power of Anubis. It pulses with red and black.

All of the bricks are pulsing. And then you see, as it falls. as it falls off and lands in with a massive thud, another one, too, as one after the other as they pulse out of the black pyramid, as Zern looks at you, Luffy. Lofti, this is it as soon as you see that door open, as soon as you see the chained god emerge,

try to hold on to your sanity as you look upon it. grip your mother's feather, call upon the wind dukes. It is our only hope. And you see the sand all around you shakes and shifts and spills away as suddenly the pyramid rises into the air. Sand pours and spills just as much as massive obsidian black stones and bricks. collapse all around you. It is a miracle that you don't get absolutely flattened

as Zern flies into the air with the silver talangar dagger in his hand as he awaits. And suddenly, in an instant, it's a movement that is too fast for a structure this large.

You blink and it pulses out all the bricks, and they suddenly shrink back into the shape of the pyramid, and it's upside down. As you see bricks plummeting down as an upside-down black pyramid spins and rotates, as it pulses out, and it turns the door to face you once more, and then it stops and you're,

and then all is quiet. And then, as, it pushes out. And you hear, as horrible, cacophonous babbling of a tortured, maddened entity

beyond your universe. Echoes all around you, booms forth as you see a mass of undulating flesh of grays and reds, a tortured face, its fingers ripping

in to its flesh, as empty eye sockets, a gnarled, You can't even tell if it's humanoid or not, as you see Thar's Dune, the chain god, push out of its prison. What do you do? I grab my feather. I can't remember how he used it before.

I would say, however you want to call upon that, is what Lifty feels in her heart, as you hear very similar to Mufasa of your Moza, saying, remember. I mean, it was very much like think of the place and feel. Okay. I don't know if I was. I think of what you want.

Yeah. I was like, I don't know if I break it, do I step on? Like, do I threaten the air? Be respectful. I know. Okay, so I will, um, I will grab the feather and, yeah, Wind Dukes, we are calling on you now.

Protect us. And I will clutch it, and tighten my hand. And you see the, the door push open as you see a flash in the matter. And, you know, and the men, and, you know, And you do this. And I need all of you to make a wisdom-saving throw at disadvantage. As far as doom was once the chain God, no longer chained.

Wisdom, you say? Yep. I'm in deep shit here. Oh, I got a plus seven. You're proficient at then. I got a 17. I'm rolling tens like hot fire all night. I got a 10.

If only tens were hot fire. Wisdom saving throw at you say? This advantage, right? Disadamage. Yeah. Tim. Oh, yeah. You are all paralyzed by as the maddened horrific gibbering of babbling of the chain god, as you're able to witness what happens.

And all goes still once again for a moment as a massive, brilliant, bright blue beam of brilliant, of brilliant. Brilliant light. Rockets down from the sky, and you see mist disintegrating. As it crashes down onto Lofty, her soul resonates and glows as the feather swirls around. As Zern looks up,

his silver hair flowing in the wind, his four wings flying, the Ravenchild beating its wings, swirling with power as this horrible Eldridge entity pushes its way. You see the upside-down black pyramid, the door opening, bricks are continuing to fall,

crash all around you, causing tidal waves of sand, spilling in the sandstorm all around you as it pushes out. And you see as Lifty, as all pauses for a moment, as Lifty rises into the air, and suddenly a beam of light

shoots onto the door almost like a spotlight, and you see, see a flash of white above you. As suddenly you see seven pairs of wings, 14 massive bluish white wings rocketing forward in a gleaming united radiation. You do not see the individual seven angels, but you see almost, if you can imagine,

an otherworldly angel from long, forgotten eons, a creature of pure good, of pure law, wielding a massive rod of seven parts, a rod of law, rockets towards them, following the spotlight beaming from Luffy Soul at the door. as you see a you see this massive creature

with empty pained eyes looking out in all directions as the whispers of the and the babbling la la as out of as this massive

beam of light with 14 wings caught strikes the chain god, thar is doom in the face. And all goes silent for a moment. As your eyes are blinded, filled with radiating divine light, as you see quiet, stillness, and you hear a snapping as the rod of law shatters.

and the seven pairs of wings are dispersed in all corners, and the light fades. And you see the pyramid, the black pyramid floating in the air. It looms treacherously. However, as the light dims, this brilliant blue blinding, angelic light, the power of air, the power of the divine, the power of law and good, it's done, its job. You see a clump of flesh or an approximation of flesh, floating in midair. You see that similar face and you hear the weak, strained, almost whispering in an incredibly weak and you see Thar's Dune helpless as you see the black pyramid fall and collapse into the sand.

A massive tidal wave of sand crashed into you, sending you back dozens of feet as Zern his wings and extends his one hand and says now my raven child and

you see as this tiny it looks more like a tumor with a face and tiny hands as it's ripping and clawing and horrible

imprint chain marks in its disgusting mottled flesh as the Ravenchild empowered with silvery light lunges forward and like a hungry baby bird with both heads tears apart the weakened form of Thar's doom

swallowing it down, hungrily. And as soon as each beak makes contact with that Eldred's flesh, you see that pulse of silver. The same magic, the primordial power of death that had entombed it, now filling this creature, this raven child, as the raven child devours Thar's Dune. Jesus. and it's at this point that Zern flies forward. You see as this raven child devours and rips apart to the remnants of it. As it swallows it and gulps it down and you see it swell,

as massive wings sprout from the back of this raven child creature, and it begins to surge with peasant. and both beaks emerge open with a chaotic croaking. But Zern is too fast. Before it can grow any bigger, he flies in a single motion. The talon blade dagger held high and he slices the Raven Child down the middle in half. and you see it's not blood and gore as he spits this thing, splits this thing down the middle.

It's shimmering silver light as each wing falls limp. Each head cries out in a croak and falls limp and descends to the ground as Virgil Zern holds the talon, holds the talon guard dagger shimmering with the power of death above him as each half of the Ravenchild slowly descends not sure if it's in slow motion or if it's just your perception of time is so slow and as each half the dark and the light falls to the sand slowly shrink feathers disappear and two children sleeping softly land on the dunes, almost like landing, being caught by a soft pillow.

And you see Felix, despite your body horribly paralyzed by that moment of maddening, jibbering and babbling. You see Milo sleeping peacefully on the sand next to Velasca. As Zern holds, as Zern swirls, and you see his flesh start to shift and change. And he takes the blade and he looks at it and he puts it to his throat and begins to tear into his throat and then he stops.

No. And then all four of his wings wrap around him. They lock his arms in place. The blade to his throat. You see a shadow cross over you. You all watch helpless beneath dark wings. As the Six-Side Raven flies before Virgil Cern and says, my. And with that, it grows larger. and larger. The body of man sculpted and statuesque, wearing a toga,

razor-sharp talons, a jagged, hawk-like beak, four wings, emerging, standing, not standing, floating, beating his own four

dark wings. before Virgil Zern, you know who this is. And now you all do too, as Pizzou floats before Virgil Zern, his six eyes, surveying, observing, taking in the scene with a sick joy and a, like a predator, are observing its prey, and you hear its voice call out.

Virgil, you really thought you could outsmart me. M13 steps ahead. As that horrible bird voice croaks out, floating above Zern. Zern is looking with abhorred. absolute shock and hatred and venom. You cannot expect to get my power, my help, my guidance, for you to set the board and not have it work out for me. You are my child, and now you are my.

You are my Pizzou's jaw on hinges. Oh. With a sickening crack, as the jagged beak moves so quickly, Virgil Zern is helpless and is unable to react as you see it clamped down over his head. And you see all six eyes flash as the chump of the beak pierces into Zern's flesh,

attempting to swallow him as he pulses with the back. power of the chain God. And you see as his gullet bulges out as this demon lord swallows Virgil Zern whole. With a sickening crack, you see the bottom half of Virgil Zern's boot fall onto the sand, bloodied, and the shimmering silver dagger fall on. to the sand below, and you see Pizzou, flying above you, surging with power. Dune consumed your power. Consumed Miska the Wolf Spider, the eclipse will come. The Queen's Concord bring an end to all things not willed by the Oberiths.

Not willed by Pizzou, not willed by... Suddenly, he coughs and gags and sputters as you see the form of this Oberoth Lord. a demon older than demons flying powerful surging with the power of Thor's Dune having consumed the chain god Silver lions are to shriek streak

its flesh and its feathers as you hear a fluttering of raven's wings as he chokes and sputters as you see his body swell and surre

with that same Eldrit might, that Eldrish unspeakable power of Thar's Dune, as his wings sprout out, up and down, as silver lines of pulsing energy, the pest of corruption of a different variety than what you had seen on O'Rocke, but not too dissimilar. Virgil Zern's final trap, as the shimmering magic of the Raven Queen arcs over deep veins of the demon lord, as almost like snaking lassoes, the surging, swelling power of Thar's dune that it coursed through Pizzou is now being choked back

and pulled back and diminished by the shimmering silver, gentle power of the Raven Queen as he choked and sputtered as he you see something gets spit up as a skull it bulges as he it erupts from his mouth and the last something erupts from his mouth and lands on the sand six red eyes or levelant as this Oberoth Lord struggles against whatever new affliction has been unleashed upon him. He's fighting against it, and you see his body surging with power, and you can hear as he lets out, uh-huh, yeah, me, blah, blah, combined with the voice of Thar's Dune, it's squelch back as he looks down at what he just coughed up.

Sir, we've stopped nothing. I am 13 steps ahead. Now you may relish in your victory temporarily. As you see, he spit up a black egg. What the fuck? As orange lines are to crack. You think yourself clever. You think yourself smart.

You think yourself a wise raven. You are no better than a crow. Please? You deal in secrets. And secrets are all you will be. You lost your humanity long ago. Virgil. My son, accept your fate.

Roam! The egg. cracks in a burst of orange energy as you see a shrieking twisted form of a man. Virgil Zern, the man that you had seen as he twists and corrupts in an energy form, his face elongates into a horrible beak, four wings. He turns covered in black feathers. He turns into a horrific demonic crow-like creature, and it shrinks back down until it's just a dull orange glow

and a black egg. And then you see a bit of movement within. And you see a crow stick its head up. You see orange eyes with four-pointed star pupils. It looks around and flies away. And in a flash of orange energy, it disappears. Pizzou looks down at all of you as he struggles to resist and ward off what's becoming him. This is not the end.

Return to Pizzuania! And a flash of black feathers. The dark wings of Pizzou are no more. He disappears. And you are all left alone at the edge of the apocalypse. edge of the apocalypse. And that's where one session. Sweet fucking hell.

You all got Mike. That was incredible. How did you guess? I want to know how you guessed. I guessed because I had, I mean, suspected since the beginning of Ed of Midnight, there was Viral Zern and Brown connection. Okay. And the second he said orange, Mike has been on color-cote.

Thank you. Right? Thank you. The second it's, oh, it's orange. that has nothing to do with red and black and silver and purple. Okay. Orange. Okay. Interesting.

Holy shit. Well done, Mike. That was a girl. Thank you. Good job. Thank you so much for listening to the Legends of Avengers podcast. We hope you enjoyed the session. If you want even more campaigns to listen to,

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