Legends of Avantris - Curse of Strahdanya | Ep. 11 | Widows Watch: Part 2

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

The Azran Expedition's visit to Wachterhaus takes a macabre turn.   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/JMLnAW6Ykxc?si=Oes8QzC9EjGbL9S7

You are back in Vokter House and listening to Curse of Stradania, a Legends of Aventrys podcast. Last time, the expedition learned more about their fated ally and my sworn enemy, Rudolf van Richten. After pledging to help the Martikov family in their ruined vineyard, they met Lady Fionne of Vokter at her mansion. They suffered through an incredibly awkward lunch, then made their way to explore the basement of the manor. It was there they were beset upon by living skeletons. and hooded figures. What dark cult magic is at work here, I wonder. As always, the audio quality reflects our humble beginnings,

but does improve over time. With that out of the way, let us proceed with the first part of Chapter 5, with those watch. At each point of the pentagram is a wooden chair. Seated in four of the five chairs are men and women in black robes with hoods. They all rise and look to you.

I immediately cast My case just flies open And I am casting Sleep, so my case will open And I'm not even going to do it Just from the case you see a pinch of fine sand erupt and I said So narrow and I went to cast sleep

All right, roll for it Ooh Some big fucking rolls right there Wow, almost next Holy shit 34 to 534 H3 you see as the young boy with the face of an angel slowly crumbles and falls sleep. All of the others seem to be unaffected.

Oh, Jesus. Who are you? As you say this in unison, the three that are awake, yeah, the three that are standing awake begin to chant. Is this moment that you notice the fifth chair, a woman in all black, large train bustled dress, billowing out around the chair,

and she's bent over deep enchant. She looks up and meets eyes with you, not fully raising her head. A slight smile graces her face when she just not stop chanting. So the the professor stuck his head through the wall. That didn't disrupt the illusion for us.

So we still can't see what's happening. I'll stick my head back there. And I will point through the wall. I want to immediately withdraw my weapons. and basically like tumble forward into the wall and see if I can like fire off a few shots. Roll, we'll do a dexterity contest to see if you're faster.

Otherwise it'll be initiative. Oh boy. Oh, oh. Just decks? Mm-hmm. That's going to be a 24 for me. You're faster. You roll through the wall both judgment and redemption held high

as you. You'll get one surprise round and then I need the two of you to roll for a initiative. I have all of the circles wherever these, whoever's closest to me in that arrangement of the pentagram is the person that I will target, if that matters. And I'll be charging in right after, right after. Oh, my gosh. I'm probably still by the stairs waiting for.

We must purge the wickedness. And then it'll be, uh, 28 and a 20? So yes, uh, that hits. 13 points of damage. I will say, well, I guess you don't know. You don't see what you do. 13 points of damage. You fire into the chest of the,

the balding Hulk of a man. As it blasts and you see blood splatter out from the cult of strobes. It seems to do a significant amount of damage. All right, and I need the two of you to roll for initiative. Do we use these tokens for the people? No, I'm getting... Okay, okay. If I'm rushing after Shepard, what I roll,

initiative as well? Yes, if you're rushing after Shepard. Thought dog. Out of 21. Can I say the professor came back through the illusory wall and shouted us? Can I cast me a German? Yes. As you tumble in, you're able to let loose two of your bolts into the chest of the large balding man doing a significant amount of

damage. The three of them, however, continue to look towards you. They seem to be completely uninterested by the sleeping cultist on the floor. Number two is going to turn towards you and is going to cast and flipped wounds. And he's going to, he's going to miss. Number one's asleep. Number three is going to look towards you and also attempt to cast him to flip wounds.

15? No, you're 16. Yep. And then number five or number four is going to turn towards you, Clayton, and he's going to attempt to cast full person. So I need you to make you system saving the phone. Um, seven. I fail.

I think. You see as it reaches its hand down, it casts a hold person on you, and you find that you are unable to move or do anything. Your body clenches up because you find yourself paralyzed. I'm going to fire two more shots into the guy already shot. Okay. A 27 and a 28. I'm rolling like hot.

Both of those hit? That'll be 16 points of damage. You let loose both of your blood. last again as his, it hits him in the chest on the right side and then the left. You can see a huge gaping hole in his rib cage. He is bleeding profusely everywhere, but he is continuing to focus on the chant that he's yelling out. He looks like he's barely hanging on. All right, and I'm going to say where I'm at. Clay. I'm held. So what can I do? You can repeat your saves, I believe, yeah, at the end of each of your turn. I got a 20 initiative. Do you also get a 20?

Oh, you're moving in to fight? Oh, yeah, I was rushing in the fight because of the fall of the shepherd. I think I'm the only one that's not in the initiative. I passed. Okay. But that's the end of my turn. It's the end of your turn. So you're able to shrug off the paralyization as you're staring in at the scene.

And start next to it is your turn. I am going to step. If I can just step into the room just at least get right next to the Shepard. and there are here like that was a little bit yeah just enough to see to see this and I will say this unholy abomination

will be purged in fire professor shepherd duck and I'm going to cast fireball right here so it hits all of them and so they need all everyone needs to make a dexterity saving throw 26 for those that pass or that failed

13 13 number two and unites into flame, his flesh sizzling the smell of burnt hair and sizzling flesh assaults your nostrils merely immediately. The other three, the sleeping boy, immediately upon taking damage, you see his eyes open up as he looks around. He is severely wounded, but he is still conscious. Lady Wachter takes the damage and you see as she rears back. She looks towards the opposite corner of the room and smiles for a faint second, you hear a

snapping sound as she disappears from the other. Fuck. Oh, no. So I'm going to move forward and what does it seem like they are, what's their reaction? What are they doing?

They're dusting themselves off. They look around and they see as she disappears and they all look shaking it back. They look. between each other and they just continue to chant, they look nervous and uncomfortable. You see hesitation in their

faces. Is the chanting in common? Can we hear it? You can hear, but it's not in common. It's almost like tongues. So it wouldn't be any language we know? No, it's not a language. It's more just a

tongues gurgling kind of. I'm going to shout it all. Stop chunting. Stop it now. Any reaction? roll a persuasion check. 23. The boy wounded and on the floor immediately stops chanting and he looks up at you. The woman, to his sign, kicks him, and he looks up at her, and he points in his body, and you can see a bit of sadness on her face as she, too, stops chanting.

And seeing out, the other one, the female is outnumbered, both young women look around, And they stop chanting. What is this? What are you doing? Both the women look back and forth at all of you, and they don't see anything. But the younger boy looks up and says, we are just, we are working with Lady Vachter. What do you want?

What are you here for? What have we done to you? Tell us now. What are you working with girls? What are you doing? You are in her book? And you see like a, you see. a strange smile, a lightness face.

So as combat sort of stopped, because anyone attacked me? Are you all intending to wait? Are you holding your actions while she communicates? Or are you just going guns, blaze and in there to come? I have not stopped anything. I'm just patiently waiting for my turn. I'm not in combat. I was just waiting by the doors to see if anyone was coming down them to, like, knock them out.

So I don't know what's going on in there, but would I see Lady Wachter or anybody like walking past me, running past me. I will let you know if you see anything. I haven't seen anything. That's all I'm doing. I'm just waiting. What's, what's going on? So that was Victoria's turn. That was Victoria's turn. Kana is doing that. And it is the fanatics turn.

He looks up at you and he extends his hand to the ladies and we are simply here to learn from Lady Vokter. She's wise and she's control of very powerful entities. We are just simply looking for her.

We mean you'll know her. And they've all stopped chanting. Are we keeping in, okay, so then I guess, are we still in this? And so it is now Shepherd's turn. The one that just spoke, which one was she? It was the boy on the ground directly in front of Victoria. The one that had been asleep and then was awoken with Fireball. He is the most wounded.

and so he was the one that gave up the chanting first. I'll just reach down then, basically, if he's still laying down on the ground, grab him by the scruff of his, whatever he's wearing. And he looks to be about 17. I'm going to basically pull him up a little bit, stick my weapon directly in his face and say, y'all better start talking real quick. Roll a intimidation check.

Damn my charisma. That's, oh, that was it. It's only a four. We could twist it. Twist it. Let's twist it. We just got a nice one. I can't.

My charisma is Europe. I got a twist. I'm really high. It's not something I'm good at, right? Unfortunately, even though I'm this horrified devil-looking creature, is charisma, which I don't have any. He looks at you and he doesn't cower. That is what I'm doing. There is no need for you to get in my face with your blade.

I could have attacked you. I chose not to. I am talking to you. What more do you want? Don't scream it at me again. And you see for a moment there's a little bit of confidence returning to him. Tell us where the lady went. Probably upstairs.

Professor, make a call right now. Can I see stuff? Could I hear? Would you like to live? That would be my preference, yes. We will leave now. We will never come back. No, we, can I incite this fucker?

Insight the fucker is my sexual mood. He seems to be honest. What about the rest of you? Will you leave? They look at each other for a moment. They look nervous. Yes, you will leave. Yes, we will go.

We will not come back. No, no, we tie them up. Let's please, please, give them restrained. and we will free you once we are done here. Do not restrain us. Let us leave. I'm going to cast Farmer, hurting my eyes are going to blaze.

You will not resist unless you want me to do that again. Sorry, it's your turn. As I will approach, and I will do that, and then I will attempt to restrain number three. She will resist. What? She will resist. Okay. You will not tie me up.

Why not? We will have to kill you if you will not be tied up. You attacked first. I did not attack you. None of us did. We were simply listening to the reading of a manifesto when all of you barged in here with guns ablazing attempting to hurt us. What have I done to you? I defended myself. You will not tie me up and she's going to resist you. Hold person. Okay. DC 16.

Yeah, she fails. So she's paralyzed. and then I would just start to restrain her. Victoria. What manifesto? What book are you reading? None of them speak to you. Boy, so listen then. Connor, you still hear, you can hear the conversation.

You're listening upstairs, and you do hear that there's movement upstairs, but none of it seems to be coming near the door. You heard, I would say you heard creaking of stairs going up a higher floor, so that the second floor. and after that it's basically been all but quiet as you keep your ears out just listening for anything that might trigger additional movement. I'll just move here and just kind of like fidgeting

around the corner. What is going on? What corner was she looking at when she like she made like a little smirk towards a corner? The corner where you see the stairs over there. Oh, that corner, yeah. So it Connus' turn ended. it is their turn. The boy is going to look directly at you and cast a whole person.

I mean? No. A shepherd. The shepherd's got his hand on his neck. What kind of, uh, is a save? He is a wisdom save. Okay. Ooh, I feel.

You feel as your body seizes up and you're still holding on to the scruff of his neck, but you can no longer move. Um, number four is going to turn towards Sarnax and cast command. 23. She's going to look at you. We simply want to leave. Do not get in over your heads.

We are already in where we are in. It is too late now. You will not resist or we will kill you. We are looking out for your safety. You are not leaving us in this cellar with no way to escape is not safe. And it is not to you to choose what is right for me. you have our word that we will come untyed. It is your turn.

When I'm held person, can I speak or I can do nothing? You are paralyzed. Save at the end of your turn so you can save. 16. Failed. No, continue to hold on. Is he going to be able to get out of my grass? He didn't try to.

How beat up do they all look? The boy in Shepherd's graft looks pretty. be the other two are. I would like to have suggestion on a boy. Okay. And it's a what? It's a Wednesday

DC-16. He failed. So, I insist, young man, please, you must release my friend here and tell me

exactly what you are doing and if you're up to no good. Please. He looks at you and he says, We are simply poor, and the lady Wachter is able to summon coin from the depths of the abyss. If we stay here and we listen to her manifesto, she gives us coin, free coin. We listen and we chant with her. That is all that we do. And you must leave now.

I would just like to leave and go home. Let them pass. Let them leave. Professor, are you sure? He was magically compelled to tell me that. He could not lie. I'll release whole person if she had not already break out of a zombie person that I had held.

No, because it hadn't been her turn. You did it on your turn. I'll release her. Can I just insight? Can I just, do I, because I feel like suggestion, he has to do it to the best of his ability. But so my insight is, is like 23.

He seems like he's being honest. You seem scared. You woke up to a fireball and I will say setting the scene, you walked across the ground. You don't know what triggered the skeletons. You just know that they came out of the ground to attack you. You popped your head in

and never spoke to any of them before he started firing in on them. They battled back. Lady walked her left. You killed one of them. And then they're simply just asking to leave. So I would say based on the situation, they haven't been overly aggressive.

They look more scared than anything else. Just leave and never come back. You will never come back. And I will step away. And I will end my turn. I will like step back giving them passage. Oh, Victoria. Oh, it is my turn.

I will, I was not finessexed. trying her up, so I will cast it and says, I will echo what the professor said, leave, and if we see you in this household ever again, I will make good on my promise. Can you do anything, Kels? I'm just going to step aside. Kana, you once again hear, you hear at some point the shutting of a door upstairs and the scampering of feet, but it all seems to be relegated to the second floor of the home, as just as you listen in, you see three people emerge from the illusory door.

And you've heard the conversation and say, you know what's happening. They did not expect to see you there because they both jump back and let out a shriek. But their eyes start back and forth between each other as they take the robe that they're wearing and they throw them off into the corner of the room. As they're about to step out, they look down at the floor and all in unison, let the dead remain at the rest, then they step on the floor and run towards the stairwell. Am I still?

No, no. Okay. They haven't released that to the spell yet. Once they're out of the room and out of distance, it will drop. They just, they have to be like 30 feet away. Oh, is it longer? Yeah. And he obviously doesn't trust you. So why he's going to...

I was going to share my face. Thank God he chose to do it. Yeah. What the hell happened? We should continue onward. She's clearly paying these people to be a part of her cult. Because she's trying to get her out safely, but enchanted, magical in someone. Do I get the sense that the pentagram is magical currently?

It doesn't seem to be so. Are you detect magicing? I could take 11 minutes. I could detect magic on this pentagram. We don't have time. We don't have time. There are noises upstairs on the second floor. I'm hearing movement.

Yes, let us proceed. We can come back if we need to. She glanced in the corner there, but she's disappeared. You are these people? I think they're just terrible that's got wrapped up in something dark that they didn't understand. We've got to figure out this.

Those people are seemingly poor and manipulated. Let's us chase after the lady of the house. Is that wise to do so? Can I just take a quick minute to, like, go into the corner and just, like, feel a wall and see if anything feels, like, unusual? I'll reach down to Shepard and say, Shepard, are you all right? Have they got far away enough yet? Yes, yes, you feel yourself. Oh, God damn it!

I got seven. Those people, they don't know what they're. You don't know what they were doing. You're right. I don't believe they intend us any harm. Where's Watson? I believe she went up this staircase. What the hell are we waiting for?

Let's go. Let's go right now. It is at this moment that Victoria, you make your way towards the corner and you're looking, you don't see anything as your knee comes into contact with something where something should not be. As you ram into it, you hear. Oh, hurry. Coins start spewing out.

everywhere. And for a second, you see the face of a red, horrific, looking, demonic creature as it looks out at you. Oh, my God. Bye. You see him snap his fingers and disappear.

Holy fuck. I'm immediately going to pray and reveal secrets or is anything else in here. Nope. Oh, my God. So did we, You see the only one who saw that? No, you all saw that.

And it was a red. You saw his coins just started spewing out everywhere from this entity. And they were littering the ground as you heard this strange laughter. As all of a sudden, its form became corporeal. And it was a almost spiny, red-looking, very small entity with gnashing teeth and long claws. It spoke to Victoria, snapped its fingers, the same exact sound. that you heard when Lady Walkthrough looked towards the corner. Before she disappeared,

this creature disappeared as well. And it said just by and common? Okay. There is evil here that we must urge. Yes, we should go. We should go now, please. Let's go. Either way. All right.

Come on. And I'm going to run back up the stairs that we came down and laying away. And since you've now seen it, I won't show you the name, but. That is Lady Wachter and the creature that you saw. Oh, shit. So the camera's trying to get a closer? Great.

Yes, it's an imp. Damn. I don't believe we should go up these stairs. This must lead to the center of the house. Fine. And I'll take the other staircase, and I guess when I get to the top, I'll see if there's a door and if I can open it.

I would have been before you. Do you want me to leave? No, go ahead. Well, we're just trying to make case. He's just commanding us to go. I'm doing what he's talking. I will go where he wants me to go, so I'll go up the stairs and try the door. Yes, so you are easily able to make your way up the stairs and back into the vestibule towards the outside.

No, we're going to go via these central staircase. You make your way up the central staircase. You find yourself in the parlor area. Or not the parlor area. No, I guess it would be the parlor area. that the area where you find yourself coming out of the door that the strange man-servant had entered in when he first brought you into the house looking behind you, you see that the stairs continue up towards the second floor. Continue onward.

Okay. Keep going up. Yes. All right. Oh, keep going. You find yourselves in an upstairs gallery. As you walk up and you see that the stairs continue to ascend further, first. further up into the bowels of this house and you climb the stairs slowly, carefully, you're listening.

You hear absolutely no sounds coming from the second floor of the house. As you finally crest your way over the final stair and you spill out into what appears to be a gallery, the staircase climbs 20 feet to a beautifully appointed gallery that continues towards the west, running almost the length of the mansion, framed landscape paintings wind the walls and red silk drapes cover its 10-foot-tall arch window of leaded glass. How long would it take us to get from the basement up here? I don't know, two minutes. Lady, Lady Wachter, are you here?

Nothing with silence. As your voice echoes throughout the tall room. The cat's out of the bag. Let's investigate. Let's hear this place. Let's hear the apartment for the red ring first. All right. Let's go.

I'll go try the nearest door. You slowly open the door. This bedroom contains nothing out of the ordinary. A neatly made bed, a table with an oil lamp on it, a handsome wooden chest, a slender wardrobe, and a window box with drapes. Victoria, do you sense anything in here? Any secrets? I don't.

It took us some time to get up here. Okay. I'm happy to take a look. I think we shall be very thorough in our searches. I jump in and... help whoever needs helping. Just go over the, pull the bed apart, look under the bed. We can check each room before we start tearing it apart.

Yes, agreed. Let us fan out. Let's each take a door. Yeah, so I think we'll each will split up. You're splitting up? Well, just in the main hallway, and we're all just kicking and just poking our heads at it. That's my intention.

Yeah, I agree. Then tell me who's going to wear. So I'm in this room. So she, Katna's there. I'll stay with you and investigate in that room. Victoria's there. Shepherd, where do you want to go? I'll take this.

one right across the hall. I will go to the one by the stairs here. I'll check this closet, actually. Okay, so, Shepard, you open the door here,

and, oh, you attempt to open the door, but you find that the door to whatever this room is, is locked. I'll shout to to everyone. This one's locked. Blooms and lock! I'll attempt to

fire a couple rounds. Roll and attack into the doorknob there. Oh, thank God I can hit stationary targets. I got a 27 or 25. Okay, that hits. Due damage. Oh, 18 points of damage. You were easily able to blow the lock apart on this door.

As you look in, the room is crawling with cats. Bookshelves, look the walls, but most of the shelves are bare. Other furnishings include a desk, a chair, a table, and a wine cabinet. The room has an irregular shape, and none of its angles seem quick. right right is that the shifting of the house to set the whole place on it and and it's just cats cats um there's just a bunch of critters in here's cats why are they tracking the streets are they sitting and moving or like no there some of them are milling about there are tufted bits of a fluff and fabric that they're laying on and they're cleaning themselves as they look at you warily and quizzical

but none of them are making move to come near you. They're doing as cats do and arching their back and playing with a ball of thread, but they're constantly keeping their eyes on you as if they're watching you. I'm going to like stay in the doorway and like keep my eyes on them and be like, I'm going to just watch what's going on here for a minute. Keep keep looking. Something's weird about this. As you look around from cat to cat,

you notice that one of them, the black cat off towards the very edge, sitting on a dark red tufted pillow, licks at its paws, and around its neck a collar hanging from that collar in the very center where a tag or a nameplate would be is an ornate golden key. Oh, oh, wait, wait, hold on. I see something. I'm going to go grab. It's a key.

I'm going to go grab it. And I'm going to start to slowly make my way towards the cat and be like, all right, easy there. All right. It's all right. I didn't mean to sartle anybody. None of the cats seem to be bothering you at all. They're moving away from you, the one in the corner that you're emotioning towards continues to clean its paws and look at you with hesitancy. I'm going to keep approaching and just trying to like, you know, talk to it and be like, it's all right.

I'm just coming a little closer, and I'm going to try to see if I can get closer and see if I can remove its collar. You're going to try to remove its collar? Roll a sleight of hand. Where's my lasagna job? I'm sorry, Shepard. I can smell you. Slide of hand. Went from a 14.

You got a twist. This is twist-worthy. This is twist-worthy. This is twist-worthy. Slide of hand. 15. It's good enough. You reach your hand down.

The cat, you see as it arches its back, its hair stands on it. I know, I know. You reach down, it swipes at you, but you're able to move to the side just as the key jostles on its neck and you grab it. You ache really hard.

Right. Rear's neck. back and you're able to slide the ribbon of the collar off. You now hold a dog's thing that there's a real cat or something here. You're able to pull it away

as the cat lunges at you and then shrinks off into the shadows of the bookshelf. Hey, hey, all right, all right, I'm sorry, sorry. As you watch the cat shrink its way back into the bookshelves, you notice the bookshelves themselves are

shaped strangely, scrape marks on the ground is if they move. I'm noticing this and I'm still slowly backing up to the front of the back to the room and with my face, still facing the cats and the

door frame is around me on my back to the hallway. All of them are watching you now, sitting there their tails going back and forth slowly their eyes and I'll leave it. I'm going to stick my head out in the hallway and be like oh guys I got the key but there's something weird about this room. Something is not right.

And meanwhile, I guess we would have, in that time, investing in our two rooms, this is all simultaneous, please. And so, can you tell me which one? So you are in the closet. Yeah, it's just a closet. This is just a closet. I'm trying the other door. And I'll run into this room. And you are in the big room.

The big room. Okay. Well, you attempt the door. door and it resists you. The lock on this door has been engaged and the handle does not budge. So you could put a whole house and immediately catches fire. You hear from

behind you a groaning, a moaning, a wailing coming from the one door that none of you have checked. Is that this one that I'm moving towards? Yes. Yep. Do I hear that as I approach?

Yes. Huh. Does it sound like moaning like they are in distress? Sure. By the gods. Sonax, do hear that? I do, professor. I think Shepard is dealing with cats. Should we take a look? Yes, let's proceed.

I will attempt to open the door with the moaning. You place your hand on the knob and you begin to twist. You hear scraping and wood slamming against wood over and over again as you jingle the handle the door is locked

Hello is anyone in there Ladies What have you found Should we just Do you want to roll an investigation? I'm going to roll an advantage Because I'm helping you I guess I'm just going to roll an investigation for a room

Because we were going to look at a little twice Not bad, not bad 15 My investigation is kind of shitty The room seems to to be nearly completely bare. As you move through it, you do notice that there is a photo

and it's a portrait, I should say, and it has a very vague resemblance to one of the men that you saw in the inn, one of the drunkards, and you can tell that this is more than likely one of the rooms of one of the Wachter, one of the Wachter boys.

Okay, cool. Do we hear the wailing behind us? As Clayton speaks, the wailing is nearly, it's incredibly loud. It's rooming throughout the entire floor of this house. Would I have time to move to the door that he's at? After we're done, I acknowledge the portrait. I hear the wailing.

I dash out. And I am shoulder to shoulder with the professor in front of the door. And I'm like, is that, do you think that's Stella? Stella, are you in there? I'm like knocking on the door. Oh, mommy. Are you hurt? Can you assist us, please?

I'm a little busy, professor. You want? Try this key. And I'm going to throw the key to him from just down the hallway while I'm keeping my eyes on this creepy cat room. You hold the key in your hand, and you can tell by looking at it that this key would not fit a door. It's for a much smaller. All right, let me try this. I don't take out my few tools at attempt to pick the lock.

10? I think that fails. I'm pretty sure that fails. Can I attempt again? You may? Yes, that does fail. So you, however long that would take with that fail. You are continuing to watch the cats, they move back and forth,

occasionally stretching and yawning, but never taking their eyes off of you. The black cat in the corner is peering out from behind. kind of bookshelf as it licks at each one of its paws. You are all in the hallway as you're listening to this. You fiddle with your tools and you hear the almost snap of the lock as if it's the rusted portion of it is broken beneath the weight of your thieves tools. And push the door open and the air hits you immediately, dank, musty, smell, dust covering

nearly everything. This room is musty and dark, an iron framed bed fitted with leather straps stands near a wall. The place has no other furnishings. Scurring away from you on all fours is a young woman in a soiled nightgown.

She leaps onto the bed and hisses like a cat. Little Kitty doesn't know you, she shouted. Little Kitty doesn't like the smell She rears back, pulling the nightgown up around her. We mean you no harm.

Where's mommy? Are you, Stella? Where's mommy? Your, your, your, your, mommy is nearby. Do you need her for any reason? She was here. She kind of looks around. They don't smell her.

No, no, why do you need her? We can go fetch her for you. Stella, are you okay? You were locked in. here. Do you have food? I do. I do. And I rummage to my path. Closer to me. Can I insight check her? Yeah. Good. Good. Uh, 21. She wants you to come closer, nor? Do I feel like she's loring me in or like trying, is she trying to attack you? She's definitely loring you in, but she doesn't seem like she's trying to attack you.

Okay. Um, I will, uh, take, take a, take out of my bag that dried, uh, um, wolf meat that we had that we had skinned earlier and I'll kind of put my knocking out of behind my back and I will come forward in an approachable like head down mode and offer her the

meat. She reaches out and she grabs your wrist firmly. She holds it as she takes the meat and she doesn't let go of your wrist. Does she Connor do you require assistance? I think I'm okay. So how long

as a thing you. I don't know. How long it's been? And you look down and you see that she has these markings on her wrists where it looks like she'd previously been strapped to the bed, this struggling, causing indentations and torn away flesh, but she was somehow able to wrench herself away from it. Mommy isn't with you.

Is she? No, no. Can I come with you? How? You did this to you. Your wrists? You come with you? Will you take me with you?

Have you been outside at all? When? Any time in the last week? She looks at you and she reaches out and she grabs your hair. She's not gentle about it, but she's not really, she's not harsh about it either. And she grabs it and she begins to touch it. Soft.

Really soft. Are you still hungry? Do you want some more food? Do you need water? I'm really thirsty. Yes. What's going on down there? Everybody alright?

We found her daughter. She's not well. I'm just going to put my hand here. No, I'm just going to hand her my water sack in the water pouch. She looks at it and then back to you and then back to the water. She looks at you. She just takes her eyes off of you. She grabs the water pouch and slowly brings it towards her mouth.

She tips her head back and she just pours it into her mouth. water is pouring all over her soiling the top of her dress. It's clinging to her body. You can see that she is vanished, emaciated. You can see all the bones in her chest as the wet cloth of her nightgown clings to her skin beneath it.

That's good. Stourler, good job. Kana, you should stay with the child. Professor, there's one more door you need to check. You should stay with me. with the child. I can stay with you. Mr. Shepherd, how are the cats looking?

They're not doing much. They're just looking at me. Are these your cats, Stella? No. Those are mommy's cats. What? Does mommy, did mommy do this to you? And I point to her wrists.

Mommy keeps me safe. She protects me from the burgomaster's son. What does the burgomaster's son done to you? The burgomaster son made it. my mind muddled Who are you? Little kid he doesn't know you Oh, that's okay still

My name is Kanah Suryukaze I have plenty of food and water I'm here to keep you safe It's okay And I try to reach out She reaches out and grabs your hand again Do you want to lay down with me? I will sit with you, sure

The bed smells funny It does, but that's okay Lay on it to sleep I will sit with you and I just kind of like put her hand. Will you hold me while I am I? Sure. And I will sit on the bed with her and I'll just hold her.

She curls on the bed and you can smell the sickness, the defecation on this bed as you lean down. The smell is almost overwhelming you. But you hold on to her. She seems to be nearly unfazed by it. And as she begin to rub her hair, she begins to purr like a cat. I know I'm not there, but how, old does she appear to be?

She appears to be about maybe 15. Okay. While that was happening, I want to go over and pick the lock of the door that Sarnax I told me about. The big bed. The sleeping Sarner's Shepard and the cat's pool. I'm joining. I'm going to stand in the hallway, just keeping an eye on all three doors, just like continually shining

black. Before I leave, I will pass Sarnax the key. Give you this back to Shepard. I'll be that and I'll walk over and I'll give it. I'm going to follow the professor. So I got a 15 on the lockback for the... You are able to unlock the door. You push the door it.

The sound of it creaking and the wood groaning beneath it as it slides along the wooden floorboards. You are met with a ghastly sight. Across from the door, the fire sputtered. and struggles for life in the hearth, above which hangs a framed family portrait. A noble father and mother, their two young sons and a baby daughter on the father's arms. The sons are smiling in a way that suggests mischief. Parents look like uncrowned royalty.

Wood paneling covers the walls of the room, a closet and a framed mirror flying a curtained window to the south. To the north, a wide canopy bed lines pinned between mouth. matching end tables with oil lamps. Stretched out on one side of the bed is a man dressed in black. His eyes each covered with a copper piece.

He bears a striking resemblance to the father of the painting. Does he look dead? Can you want to move in and check? Yes, I will enter the room. Sir, are you all right? Silence. This is silly.

Is your only response? I will mage hand The bottom of my mage hand will extend And it will gently kind of press On his shoulder In an attempt to rouse a dead guy You place your You place your mage hand on the chest

You begin to push And the body moves like flesh Beneath clothing The coins fall off And you see wide, staring eyes Staring straight up towards the ceiling of the face completely stern, no motion or additional color to it, but doesn't look to be in decay. Is he clearly dead?

I would say he's clearly dead. Okay, he's dead, but he's not decaying? Or decaying? Yes. I found her husband. This is horrible. Look, the professor, also because I'm saying it's the shepherd, look for a chest for something for this. Yes, I will tear apart the room to see.

That's the last room that we haven't seen. I will tear apart the room. I will roll an investigation check out of advantage. Pretty good. 17 plus 5 plus 3 is 25. You begin to walk through the room. And though you tear this place apart, there's almost a sense of reverence. In the room with you is clearly a dead man.

and you try not to disturb the bed area so much, while still checking it thoroughly. You rummage to the closet, and you find shelves and shelves of fancy footwear, many fine garments, including black ceremonial robe with a hood. Looking at this, you feel the fabric of it, and it's still warm from the flesh that has recently been beneath it. Walking through, you... Look around and I'll see for one second, see if there's, it doesn't seem to be much else in here that catches your eye. Until you notice a high shelf, a locked iron chest, elaborately decorated, sitting at top two iron feet.

It's high, so high, you would need some stool or something to reach it. I found a box. Does it seem like it would weigh more than five pounds? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, it's probably like this. back. Shepard.

Ah, yeah? Is there anything that we should move around here while the others investigate and can't console the child? Oh, absolutely. If you notice over there, and I point at the markings that I notice that looks like the furniture.

It looks like somebody's been shuffling some stuff around here anyway, but I don't like the way these critters are looking at this. Would you like to move, and I can keep an eye on them, or? vice versa. All right, here's the key in case I don't come back. Death by cat is not going to look good on my tombstone. They will burn far easier than you, Will Shepherds. Try not to hurt them. All right, they're just cats, I hope. And I will, with weapons still in my holsters, I'm going to move towards the first piece of furniture that I can see that has the markings where it looks like to be able to. All right. You move towards one of the sections of the bookshelf. It stretches along the southernmost wall.

You shake it from side to side and you can tell that it moves on hinges. And as you pull it outward, you reveal a doorway opening further in. Behind the hinge panel in the bookcase lies a dusty 10-foot square room with a curtain window and shelves lining three walls. On the bottom shelf rests an iron chest. The other shelves are blank. Oh, hell. Sarnax, there's a chest in here, too.

Does it look like the key that you gave me would fit the chest? It does. Yeah, yeah, this is probably it. Bring me the key, let's be careful. Just watch the craters. I'll walk towards, I'll keep my lantern cast at all of them, and also extend my hand and with the key, because I keep an eye on all the cats.

Before I open up this chest, I am going to use find the traps as a second level spell. It just says, a trap for the purpose of this spell includes anything that would inflict if sudden or unexpected effect I consider harmful or undesirable, which was specifically intended as such by its creator. You immediately detect a poison trap on this box that seems to be disabled by using the key. Very. Use of the key disables a poison needle trap hidden in the lock. Hey.

Very, very clear. All right. And I'll insert the key and I'll turn it. You insert the key and you can hear the hiss as the poison trap deactivates, the click of a lock. You open it up completely unscathed. Nestled inside are quite a few items. Silk bag containing 180 electron pieces. Each coin bearing straw stern visage in profile.

A leather bag containing 110 gold pieces. a wooden pipe that has been passed down through many generations of Wachter Patriarchs. Five scrolls, notarized deeds for parcels of land given to the Wachter family by Count Stradanya von Zarovic nearly four centuries ago. A supple leather case containing an unbound manuscript titled The Devil We Know, a poetic manifesto written by Lady Fiona Wachter, attesting that the worship of devils can bring happiness, success, freedom, wealth, and longevity. A blasphemous treatise, found in black leather, titled The Grimwar of the Four Quarters, written by the infamous Diabolist Davostas, who was drawn and quartered for spell practices, yet did not die.

This is a forgery. The actual grimor would drive a reader mad. I take all of the paper. Not none. Sorry. Oh, a very old letter to Lady Lavina Wachter, an ancestor, from one lord Vasily von Holtz, thanking Lovina for her hospitality. loyalty and friendship over the years.

This letter is clearly written in the handwriting, Shradanya von Zarovich. I'm going to take all of the paper artifacts and leave the pipe in the money. So I'll gather these things up and close the lid of the case, take the key out, and head back to Sarnax in the far of the room.

Can you find, Shepard? There's a lot of paper here. Looks like deeds, some kind of bound book with the title about devils, Here, here, we'll take these things to professors, but feel free to take a look. I let us, let's professor read them when we are out in danger. Kana, how is the child?

And we'll head to the room and poke her heads out. So I'm just petting her. She seems to have finally fully calmed down. And she looks up at you, and for the first time you see into, you look into her eyes, and the cloud of madness over her seems like it's receded a little bit. Please don't leave me.

Take me with you. I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to leave you here either. Stella, what happened here? Mommy can be sick here. Is Mommy not feeding you? She feeds me when she can. I'm trouble.

Too much trouble. Trouble could a young girl like you have caused. Right. Mommy knows best. You can trust me. Can I sleep on you? We have to leave soon. I suggest you don't sleep, but just

for a minute. My eyes are happy. I try to keep her head up in somewhat not like uncomfortable, but in a way to kind of prevent her for falling asleep. No, no, no. Hold on, Stella. We really need to leave soon. I don't want to have you falling asleep just yet.

Because we're okay with you. Professor, shall we Take Stella with us. These are not conditions for a young girl. I'm not there. I'm not there. Whoever you cross those. It's just, I think, you by yourself. Oh, I thought you guys were up to her head.

Oh, we poked her head. Yeah. Well, we're walking past. Yeah, to bring the professor that needs to be down and the key. Yeah. You catch that way away. Yeah. I-

Take Stella with us. This is not safe. I'm so hopeful now. We will check in with Victoria and the professor. All right. you can take a short nap Stella and I will hold her in my arms and

let her like lean against my chest and pet her while she falls to what is, I just like turn to Sarnexon what is with the people of this land treating their kids like this? They are wicked I am starting to believe that there is power to be derived

from torturing, consuming slaying children and I do not care for at one bitch shepherd but I I will hold, I will refrain him burning this entire place, unless the point we all the rules let us see what the professor has

found. We must bring the child to the church, but I am not the one to make a decision. Agreed. Professor. So while that happened, I guess you saw the lockbox and the fine thing. Are there any immediate stools anywhere?

I would say you'd easily be able to pull some things over and climb up to get it. Okay, so I will have... You definitely need Victoria's help, but with her help, I'll take you a couple of minutes. Can you her a boost up just to grab it? So we're not disturbing anything? Is that, would that still be too?

I think you've disturbed enough that you know that moving a stool or something, they're going to be the least of your worries. Oh, my top of it. Get it up. Okay, well, I'll pull up the stool. I'll grab it. Sprague ghost. And I'll take down the lockbox.

And just look at it. See if I can open it. You pull the lockbox down, and it seems, you know, to be locked. Yes, we found this. Well, here, I'll trade you. If you walk in, because you haven't been here before, the stench of death immediately hits your nostrils

as you walk into this room. Both look towards the bed, and being a cleric, you immediately are able to sense the gentle repose spell thinking about this room. She has been using witchcraft to preserve his body. I'm going to attempt to see

how long this man has been dead. If the spell does not prevent me from doing so. Okay. I'll hand the professor all of the paperwork that I found, the men, the books, and all of that stuff. What is this? It was just stuff I found in a lockbox in the back of that room with all the cats. There was some gold, and I left the money.

We're not thieves, but there might be some stuff amongst here that might be helpful. It mentions the devil and some weird things. You want me to take a look at the box? You soon. All right. And then if you want to roll a... a medicine check. Let's see what I get.

14. You look and inspect the body, and though he has been held in his stasis, you imagine that this body has been dead for roughly about

three years. Three years in his wife's embrace to exist in such a putrid state. It schemes me to the core. What does this gentle will pose actually do? It keeps it, so it essentially keeps the corpse from deteriorating,

and it extends the amount of time you can catch resurrection on it. So essentially right now in the state that it's in, if somebody had a resurrection spell, you could resurrect him. So that way you don't have to use the seventh level one. Okay, raised dead. Cool. So you can do you raise dead. Revivify doesn't work because that's within a minute,

but the other ones you can use. And so it looks like she's been essentially doing it to keep his body from me. Okay. So you're opening the box? Yeah, I'm going to see if this key looks like it fits this box. The key that you around your neck? Yeah, the same key. It looks to be of a different size.

This isn't going to work, Professor. This one's not for this box. The portrait. One downstairs. Maybe Walter was in this room not that long ago. She deposited her hood right here. So she must have come up and then gone somewhere else. how do we miss?

Shall we head downstairs? Well, there is what Victoria was referencing from before. Still got to check that out. Oh, I was... You would realize that the secret staircase goes down immediately behind the portrait. So what you were detecting that secret...

Oh, I see it's behind it. Oh, we came out there. Got it. Oh, okay. My misunderstanding. I apologize. Um, so... I believe that this gentleman. and Mr. Wachter is part of the car as well.

What? Is he... Are he the bones of an ancient enemy? No, the two of swords, the paladin. This card of power and strength that tells of a weapon of vengeance, a sword of sunlight. I see a sleeping prince,

a servant of the light and brother of darkness. His treasure lies with him. What the hell? I mean, look at it. I will attempt to search him. I think we should attend to the child. If this is some sort of a holy warrior, then why would Lady Wachter even attempt to keep him around

if he's a threat to shit on you? I don't know. It must be some reason. And you said that you got 11. 11, you rifle through his clothes and at first you don't notice anything until you come across an iron key in his front breast

pocket. This might do the trick. Alright, nice, science. Go for us. Very well. And I'll unlock it. You place the key into the iron chest. You disengaged the lock.

You open it up. Inside sits ancient bones no words no notes no letters no bits of fancy soil and ancient bones

we're now old six holy fuck that's amazing as you rummage around in the soil it is then that you notice hidden beneath them a dark leather diary

the journal of ladies from Donya von Zarv. I believe this is the journal that one Ripton was referring to. Adam Eva's divinations prove correct once more. Thank you. This is the wisdom. This is the knowledge that the Carter refers to. Yes.

Professor. I'll open it up and just leave through it. You leave through it. And there seem to be pages. It seems to have been. written in about halfway before the writing stops. Could these be

more bones of save to end round through them to see if there's anything else? So you're just leaving through it? I guess I'll leave through it. I want to get through the whole thing to see if there's anything hidden. You won't be able to read it in one sitting. But I'll read like the first page to give a sense of

Just to yourself? I'll read it out loud for sure. If you've got it. I'm just asking what you're doing. I will read just the very beginning out loud just to kind of get a sense of exactly what this is. Does it feel like it's in the first person, like it's a journal or a diary, just to get a vague sense of what I've heard. I am the ancient.

I am the land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness in the past. I was the warrior. I was good and just. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god. But the warriors and the killing years wore down my soul as the wind wears stone in sand. All goodness slipped from my life.

I found my use and strength gone. And all I had left was death. My army settled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a God's grace or justice. I called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castle Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Serga. He was handsome and youthful.

I hated him for both. From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty was called perfection, joy, and treasure. Her name was Tatiana, and I longed for her to be mine. I loved her with all of my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me.

Old one was my name. to her, elder and sister. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set. The words she called me, sister. But when I looked into her eyes, they reflected another name, death. It was the death of the agent that she saw me.

She loved her youth and enjoyed it, but I had squandered mine. The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death, my death. My hate is very strong. I would not be called death so soon. I made a pact with death, a pact of blood. On the day of the wedding, I'd killed Sergei, my brother. My pact was sealed with his blood.

I found Satyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She would not let me explain, and the great anger swelled within me. She had to understand the pact I made for her. I pursued her, finally, in despair. She flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever. It was a thousand feet through the mist.

No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate. Eros from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die, nor did I leave. I became undead, forever. I have studied much since then. Vampir is my new name. I still lust for life and youth,

and I curse the living that took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and its light I fear the most. But little else can harm me now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, that cursed sword, that Sergai brought with him.

I must dispose of that awful tool. I fear and hate it as much as the sun. I have often hunted for Tatyana. I've even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes me. She taunts me. She taunts me. What will it take to bend her to love me? I now reside far below, Ravenoft.

I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castle of the stairs. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs that none make it sternly. How she became a vampire. She's a bargain. What I find is interesting is she mentions fear in the sun. But we've seen her walk about it. Well, unless you count, it's kind of cloudy, I guess. It's always a little cloudy here.

Maybe that is her intention. She keeps it overcast all the time. Is that enough? Perhaps it needs to be direct sunlight. And then she's an overcast guy that's not direct. Would that be like a fair thought to have? Yes. That's why we have not seen the sun since we've been to this left.

Except for the one time when you entered the boat. That's right. Right. But St. Andrew. I mean, even the father said it was unusual. Yes. He said years. Years and years.

Maybe these bones are the key are... Could we create new shallow ground? Did you read all three of those pages? Okay. Okay. Is there some way to know this journal doesn't... I wouldn't need to spend more time reading it, but what if there's some way to know whose bones these are?

I was hoping it might be in the journal. Could it be Salegates boats Is there a chance? Brother of darkness I'm not Sorry I'm sorry

I'm petting I'm trying to Because I'm with the girl There was nothing Written on a chest Right Like no marking How heavy is that box

Are we able to take it wills? It's probably 10 pounds I can get it That's fine There you are. Let me, let's see if we can take this all stuff. Let's rekind of me with Con and make sure she's still all right. And we need to get out of here.

I don't know if we're even going to find Lady Walker. She might not be here anymore. We can get tarrap off this house. There could be a way to get more information from the gentleman lying there. What's... How? What's the mean? I hate to do it, but...

Given, say, minutes, we may be able to speak with him. You can do that? Yes, the power of Garrick's. No snow limits. Do we have the time? How much time do you need? Ten minutes, I believe. Let me check.

You've already wasted so much time, eh? Perhaps we tried to find Lady Watch her first, and then we can come back. Very well. Let's go collect, uh, Carter. Yes. Should we collect the bones? Or we bring in the whole chest? I mean, it's just a bunch of dirt.

I don't want to, like, disturb it or... Don't take the whole thing. Or lose any of it, you know? I don't mind sharing. It's not that heavy. Okay. Let me know if you need assistance, shot. It's fine if I... What we should probably do is relock it,

because if I got to drop it quick, I can drop it, and I mean, it's iron. It should be all right. You mind relocking it. Of course. And here's the key. Thank you. and I'll stick it like on my person in my vest or pocket or whatever and I'll just try it just it's not that heavy.

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Are you? I know what I. I'm sleeping. Stele-in-my arms. How she doing? She's breathing softly. Sleeping. I'm okay. I've managed to calm her down. She's just sleeping. I think we should take her with her. You should bring her with us. Are we going to run into any trouble? recognizes her. It could be dangerous. We should have her face, certainly. I just don't know how well known her, or walk their children are known, and it might cause

a stir if they see us walking around town with one of them. Yes, we should disguise her, or perhaps I can make her completely unseen, but... We know her brothers, her brothers are at the end. You know, sounds of what she was saying before. I don't think she was allowed to meet the house. out. She was fed when, like the lady's fed, found it was time to feed her. So she, I think she has been starving her. For whatever reason, she seems to be getting in trouble. She didn't say how or why, before she fell asleep. But I think for whatever reason, lady walked her, purposely keeps her

locked away, maybe to draw too much attention. Can we lock this door perhaps? And then so it's the rest of the house then come to collect them. Perhaps lock it in a separate cleaner room. If you have a way to relock the door, I don't think we have a key for this one.

Is there, are any of the doors relockable? It doesn't look like it. They all use actual keys. So you can lock it with the same key, right? You don't have anything. You don't have any names. I pick the locks. I'm in the

top of their back, but I don't have a way to like. I see, I see. I see. I'm fine taking, carrying her with me as long as we don't come across too much shoe, I can carry her. She's familiar with me now, so if she wakes up, she shouldn't hopefully be too distraught. Then let's make haste. Right to the church, right? At once, we need to find Lady Wachter.

Yes, we've got more to see her. Be not prepared to silence her, Kana. Should the need arise? Right. have we found the two of swords card the paladin card suggests a weapon

of vengeance I believe that's how many the two all is it may rest with Sir Nicolai he is on the same card indicated that the treasure lies but it does mention a weapon of vengeance

a sword of thought he might have wielded that sword since he was the one that Stella told me Fiona. Fiona said that her husband was against Stania.

She was out. He might have been the one that wielded the sword into battle. Can you read the card, please? The two swords, the paladin card.

This is a card of power and strength that tells of a weapon of vengeance, the sword of sunlight. I see a sleeping prince, a servant of the light and brother of darkness.

Say again. Yes, the treasure lights. Are there dates in that journal entrance? Any idea of how old it is? No. No dates. But surely, say again.

The brother of darkness. That's assuming if the source still even exists. What if it's just lost the time? Pops, we should research downstairs. You think that it might be here? I do not think so. I suspect we won't return here once we left. Fair enough.

So this may not be the secret prince we are looking for, Sir Nicolai. I believe he is. Wait, hold on. Just get it straight. The dead man in that room is not who that card refers to. No, it is not. It is referring to Sergei. His final resting place is where the sword that Shradanya fears is. Yes.

We have not necessarily found that treasure here, although this is all very useful for me. No, we have found the treasure of knowledge. What safety to assume these bones aren't his? Perhaps not. The bones of an ancient enemy. That is this journal. We have found the traitor. The sword is referring to is the paladin.

Why? Why separate the bones from the sword? Because I think Sir Nicolai was maybe just as great of an enemy as Sergei was. I think Sergei was the one that wielded the sword that the paladin card is referring to and that the traitor may in fact be referring to Sir Nicoline, Stella's and Fiona's husband. Well, these are probably, well... We do not know whose bonuses are.

Until we can learn more. I believe we should keep an intelligence check. It's my specialty. Well, it's important. Use it now. I don't know. I don't. Uh, we, uh, eight.

You could turn that into something else. You didn't. Or you can we switched this? Well, you also have your divination stuff, right? Yeah, but I want to... Up to you. Make your trust. It's your choice, buddy. You can't do it.

It's an 18. You quickly, you scan through a little further, and you, your attention is drawn to an entry, in which Stradanya is speaking of deeds given to the Wachter family. And speaking of a certain set of bones

in their possession, bones of Leo Galiznia, an enemy of both the Wachter family and Strath. Leo was one of the soldiers who betrayed and attempted to murder Strott in the balcony after the killing of her brother. Damn.

So he worked for Castle Ravenloft? Yes, and so in the diary it said that after Tatian jumped from the balcony, the guards turned on Stratt and fired arrows into her, but it didn't kill her. Leo was one of those guards. He was then tracked down and murdered by Strad, and all of his bones had been destroyed but a few. The Wachter Family are in possession of those bones. Interesting.

Well, now we know whose bones he saw. Neither Sir Nicolai nor... the brothers. So, I believe the paladin card is still referring to Senge. Yes, indeed. Well, let us bring the child with us and let us investigate the house. I would say that you would all know that the cards do not interact. Each card refers to something different.

Okay, okay. So the one card referred to Rudolph Van Ricton. It told you what you were looking for and where to find it. The next one was referring to Stragg's Journal. and told you what you're looking for, which was Straudge Journal and where to find it. And so you know that the Paladin card tells you what you're looking for and where to find it. Sold him, he's ancient enemy brother of darkness. Yeah, so the first lot, the first like sentence is what you're looking for.

The second one is where to find it. Do I think it was to rouse the dead? I don't think we should wait 10 minutes here, Franklin. And do we even need to? Do we get any value out of that? You'd find out what was the kill for him. Where would his wife be hiding? Also, why he had such a vendetta against Shradanya,

why he hated her and his wife didn't. Are we fine waiting? Let's investigate the rest of the house and we can come back up if we agree. There's no more danger. Not to be dressed, but I don't think he's going anywhere. I agree. Do you want me to remain up here with a girl,

or do you want me to carry her around the house with you? If we find, I mean, I don't have a good answer to that, because the bottom line is, we find walked her. She sees us with her kid. Things are

going to get dice. You stay here with the child. If we stream, you should be able to hear us come running. Okay.

Agreed. So we will investigate the rest of the house looking for her. We'll investigate and investigation chat. Out of the garage. Outside,

like kind of in the doorway, so I'm not completely in the room holding the kit, some kind of the foyer area. You're taking her outside? Yeah, I'm taking her

out of the room, but just, So that I don't get shut in. But you're not carrying her while she sleeps. I'm carrying her, but I'm just still on the upper level in that foyer area, kind of where the stairs are, just waiting and listening. You got it. 22.

You flip the house apart. And you find nothing. No remnants of anyone left. Servants gone. Lady Wach you're gone. Just emptiness. I really hate me, blue sands. Well, we know she has an enemy in town.

We could use the burgomaster against her. She's clearly paying these peasants to chant and create gold for herself as how she maintains her wealth. Perhaps it would have been wise to secure her requests in writing. Damn, that's actually a pretty good point, sir. I have she even agreed to that. Perhaps not. Perhaps not. You guys left.

Sorry. I doubt it. That was a good question. Well, will we convene with Kana and we'll, we should take the girl, we should get out as quickly as we can. Do we feel like we can,

I believe I'm now comfortable if you are willing to speak with... I am willing. Nikolai. Perhaps he will know nothing, but since the lady walked her has escaped,

perhaps we can believe in some information of where she may be. hiding. He's not going to go into like a frenzy or anything, is he? I pray he does not shepherd. I pray to stop. He gets it already.

I will keep I will keep Stella outside. This will probably be incredibly traumatizing to her if she saw this happening. And I will dark kind of back in her room just so if she wakes up, she's not surprised, and

I'll like keep the door kind of cracked, so she doesn't hear as much. Oh, I do not need 10 minutes. I have 10 minutes. I have 10 minutes. to speak with him. I misread my own spell. I can do it instantly. I'm going to put the iron chest at my feet and draw both my weapons while Sarnax is preparing. So as I stand in the room

and everyone's repairing, I'll hold my lantern and I'll cast the light over the corpse. And I'll stare into the flame and then back to the body as I begin to cast, speak with dead. And I'll say, your soul

has left but your knowledge has not Garrix compels you speak and watch ass and see what happens there's no save for this right

because it's just dead things you talk to yes or no question you watch as the body itself doesn't move but the mouth slowly opens the eyes still completely vacant staring up the ceiling and as the mouth opens

the legs was spider, crawl forward, and scuttle down the chin of the man, skittering away, down his body and off the side of the bed. Dust rises up out of the open mouth, a foul stench can be smelled filling the room. Where would your wife be hiding if she were to hide? The closet. Why were you against the Countess Stradanya? I was neither for nor against. Is your wife a good woman or evil? One can be both.

Where is this closet? Behind you. I just, I spit around both guns, like all in the closet. There is an armor. Professor, I thought you checked this. I did, but perhaps, There could be some kind of magic here. I mean, you made us invisible.

I would like to mage hand and just start to open and put the mage hand through to see if I can feel anything that may not be visible. And I can, my lantern reveals invisible objects. You do that. You scan the room and there is nobody in here with you. And there's no like trap doors or levers or anything in the closet itself. Nope. And I will say you specifically asked if she were hiding. So she's likely not hiding.

She's long gone. Likely long gone, yes. I think we should dispose of this gentleman's body in the gardens. Do what you were. Shepard. Did you give me some assistance? Yeah, I guess. I'll like, somebody else can grab the chest, at least until we deal with this.

I don't think is in my... Would it fit through the opening on my case? the body no the lockbox that had the journal on the burns

he's yours he's just he does like a little lock thing I mean are you surprised that I ask it's great

no no that's Professor stand back I'm going to use my boot push me in there so I will

place the iron chest into my case and shut it all right it's probably safer in there anyway

uh Agree. Sarnax, you grab that and I'm taking the feet. Yes. Very well. And so we'll go, unless there's anything else anyone wants to do in this house, I'll take him to a plot in the garden. And I'll pull out my oil and I'll douse.

Sarnax, you're going to burn him out here. It's going to draw attention. You sure? Yes, I'm sure. What intention? Is the professor? Are you guys with us? Yeah. Okay. Are you, are you all right with this?

Uh, he would be long gone before anyone investigates. There must be some reason for keeping him alive, but maybe that was a question we should have asked. Perhaps. But that chance has no past. Do your thing and let's get to the church. Or perhaps we can bring it out towards the woods. We don't want to start any kind of forest fire. If this man was a good man,

that maybe he deserves a proper burial instead of being left to burn into a pile of ash, Sarnax. That is a proper burial, Connor. Is at this point that you can hear throughout the town yelling and footsteps, sounds like guards mobilizing

and making their way through the town, it sounds like it's heading towards your direction. We should go now. We should, uh-oh, uh-oh. Yeah. Burn him, dispose of him. Let's us go. We'll get to the church.

I'll cast a good flame. What if, um, uh, all right. Let's try to go, uh, to the church, I guess. Our best bet may be to confront the guards and say that we found this girl in her current state trapped inside. And that she, and that she had threatened to murder the burgomaster. Perhaps it is better for us to confront the girl. guards. All right.

Oh, wait. And I press the digitation, the fire off the body. The body itself is smoldering the skin bubbling as the fire had begun to consume it. It's very fast fact to. Is he recognizable at all?

Not really. The skin from the face has been nearly melted away. Can we take his body too? Yes, we should use it as proof. Oh, damn. If his face isn't that recognizable. Oh, all right.

Sorry. At this moment, that four towns guards make their way around the corner, who goes there? Oh, hello, hello, yes, yes. There is an emergency in this house. We've been told, apparently, Lady Wauksha has been come up. upon in the night by a group of brigands fitting your description.

It is quite the opposite. No, we have discovered that Lady Walter has... He looks around and sees the burning, smoldering corpse lying at your feet. Please, please come. This looks real bad, but please let the professor. I would understand where I am. Bring me the girl.

We have uncovered... Men, adults! Everybody just called them. The loud clanging again as 10 more guards come up around the other side of the house and begin to encircle you. We have proof. Listen to what the professor is saying. We have proof. We have proof.

We came upon her doing horrible things. Demand it. Demand it is. Literally devilish things. Look at her daughter. She's filthy. And kept away. We have proof too.

We found the group on the manifesto. Yes. We have devilish writings. We have saved this girl. We have found that her very. own husband was killed three years ago, and she's been keeping him alive. We just begun to give him a proper burial by fire. Because after we had learned that they were practicing necromancy in the basement of this mansion,

we wanted to ensure that this corpse could not be raised as well against the people of Velocchio. Persuasion check. We believe in you, Professor. Who's rolling on? You refuse me? Oh, you? Advantage or? No, you have a burning corpse at your feet.

I am not charismatic in the least. It is a 16. Are you plus zero on Krasma? No, plus one. He looks back and forth between all of you. We received word that the lady watcher had been come upon in the night. And here we find you,

burning the evidence in her very garden. The evidence of who? Take a look. I see who this man is. She did say who had killed one of her guests.

She came uninvited into her home during a book club meeting. I will turn the burnt body over to hopefully some unburn pieces. Does this flesh

who recently killed you? He looks down, he covers his mouth with his mouth with his hand, the smell of burnt flesh. and burnt hair overcoming him. Yes, it looks fresh.

I understand how this looks, we all do, but we're always asking us to entertain the idea that perhaps he's come to you in false pretenses. We're offering to show you the proof that we're coming. Become bearing no arms. We would like to comply with you absolutely. You can show us the proof if you come willingly. Yeah, if you're...

If you're willing to look at the proof, we're willing to cooperate. Hands behind your back as we matacle you. Get the madicals. We're cooperating. I will not let go over. I would hope so. And you feel as the guards begin to surround you and at least two guards on each of you as they begin to start to manacle you. As he, I would like to cast suggestion on him.

Oh, Jesus. And he rolls an eight. Oh, my God. He rolls an eight. The, the, manacles are unnecessarily. as I assure you that it is safe. You will allow us to take you through the house and show you the evidence

and you will be honest and you will insist to the rest of your guards that we mean the town no harm and that we are on the right. Hands off me. No, I get easy. We're cooperating. Both steady men. Make it quick. Yes, of course.

Take him in the server. And I will leave him down to the cellar and I'll say we uncovered a necromanic ritual. You can see all of these bones. They were animated. Wait, is the trap still there? Oh, fuck.

Let's be done with you. Do you have Starnax with you? Yes. We'll all there. I will walk onto the dirt floor. We have to say the entire ground begins to shake. Do you not see?

As skeletons be able to begin to rise up. Eight skeleton bodies rise up. See, see, men! Look, horror yourself! I'll only roll one, since I know what this is for. And I roll a natural two. To just! Yay!

Oh, God, Mark! That never sees so amazing, buddy. Holy fuck. Well, it could be a fluke. We will come upon by Cotus, and I say, I lead him through the door, the, we managed to take out this one, The rest, please.

He leans down onto one of his one of his knees and he rolls the body over and shakes his head and looks away. Do you know this man? No. Saarax, please wave your lantern around in case that devil is still

in this room. Yeah, we saw a horrific creature. I, it was not. It was not. They burst from hell itself. A devil. Some sort of summon demonic creature, it was awful. He looks around and

there is, he seems to see nothing. With a crack, it was just gone. I can't speak to all that. Does he see the pendergium on the floor? He doesn't seem to be looking or noticing anything. Do you see this pendergum right here on the floor?

There's nothing on the floor. Do we see it? Yeah. What? Sir, sir, you've got to believe us. There's... We must take them to sell this room. You saw these skeletons that you not rise against you.

I did, yes. And you then understand why we had to burn the corpse that you found. You can see the conditions that this four girl was living. Whatever the lady was doing to her was inhumane. We can take you to her bedroom where we found her. It's covered in human feces. I think I've seen enough. That's...

Head about her outside. Again, we're willing to cooperate, but we hope you believe us. Lady Wachter is very powerful. I cannot stand against her this day, but I will let the burgomaster know that we have found here today. You've got to let him know that his life is in danger. We never saw you. Stay away from this place. You do the same as well, and we have failed to mention the reason why we came back this very night

is that in the lunch that we had with the Lady Wachter, she asked us to be assassins and murder the gentleman. Do murder the burgomaster himself? Isaac. And Isaac. His, yes. Both. She asked us to murder both of them.

We agreed in order to deceive her and to deceive her and disarm our sense. But when we came to investigate cult rituals, a devil, this poor child. He is in great danger. Lady Walker is powerful, which means that your burgomaster's life is in danger. He seems nervous almost as he looks around, and he begins to look at you questioning.

Are you in league with her? This is a destruction to keep a burglar master. And he immediately turns and heads straight upstairs as he begins to yell and sheds. and shake his arm and point out to the mansion. And they all begin to nearly at full speed run head straight to the Burger Master Man. We should join them, let's go.

The girl. We have to drop the girl off somewhere safe. I am not leaving her. We just can't take her into battle. Which way in town is the mansion? It's near where, it's not near where the N is, but it's on the way north where the N is. Are they assuming that? with the guard here.

It's going to be a distraction and the burgomaster is, we may be too late. Defenseness. Let's go. In case, they will think that it's also a kid. We must use her husband against him. He suggests we bring his body

and burn it in front of him to intimidate. Hold on leave. You must do it! That sounds about that. You cannot leave it here. What? We'll get her away, though.

Surely she will cry out. She will reveal. Everyone in this town must know that her husband died years ago. Yes, let's just bring it. Shepherd, can you have it? Damn it, fine. Come on, let's go.

We rush our... What are we doing with this girl? I'm still carrying her. Bring her with us. She will lose her mind if she wakes up, and I am nothing. She's pretty zonked out. It seems like this is the first time. She's felt actual comfort and relief in a long time,

and she hadn't seemed like she'd slept much. She's in a super deep. Let me take her to the church. And I can meet up with you later. Yes, please. All right. Would we house the church on the way? The church is on the opposite side.

I will use my bonus action to channel my blossoms of the spring breeze and expeditious retreat, dash, movement, action to get there as quite as possible. You do that. You are on your way speeding through town. The guards have already been told not to apprehend you, though those that are. those that are engaged in heading towards the burgomaster's mansion, do look at you quizzically as they see you speeding through town. I'm going 90 feet for six seconds. Oh, yeah.

Well, it's a big wonder what the hell that even was. You're Naruto running. But I'm also holding it, so I'm like, need it. Yes. So you do that, and I'll say for the second break, it's going to take you all, so I'll let you know when you get back, but you're able to make it to the church. Father Lucian's there.

You speak to him. He takes the challenge. from you. He said he'll take great care of her. She wakes up for the exchange. She seems pleased to be there and you're able to drop her off of the church. I give her a hug and sweat back towards

this last four up to ten minutes. So however much time it takes me to get there, I'll use the rest of the time to sprint back to the burgomaster's place. So we will follow the guards and come of the man. Once you, so you

so the guards have already left, of the time Kana leaves. So we want to head. So Kana heads out. But what are you? So you're just leaving the body? No. I'm carrying it.

He's carrying it. Are you? Yeah, I've been told to. You walk outside to the garden, the smoldering remains of Nikolai Wachter, and you see that the body is no longer there. As you hear rustling

coming from the line of trees at the very edge. I bull's eye right to be at the direction of it. we say that he walked her away. I'm going to cast the bull's eye. Reveo yourself. No, no, no. You know that he's not so kind of you to be playing with the dead.

Lady Voktor was very concerned. It was you done tonight. She asked me to come and check in on her poor husband. What's good to? Really. Look at you. How could you so easily desecrate the bones of one who's lost his life? How could you?

It's not at all what I'd expected. Be quiet. We are talking. It is the opposite of what we've done, giving him a proper burial. It was not for the work of the lady. He would have been ash and returned. the soil of the earth as it should be. Who's in there with you?

Oh, do you mean pain? And she reaches into the tree line and you see a shaking, young guard. His limbs are nearly locked up. He looks frozen and horrified as she runs a finger down the side of the space. Like, you are full one. She pushes him back into the tree line.

What are you going to do with it? I'll have. We're going to spend some time together, you see. And he's going to tell me all the things I want to know. And I will make sure he is a very pleasant evening before he finds himself in a deep, relaxing sleep. Now, I did hear that you may have come across something that does not belong to you. You have many things that do not launch us. And in the last, you think, have a bit.

I believe I said to you to not go sticking your nose into other people's business. Oh, but you did not listen with you. They never do. And we have done no such thing. Oh, really? Yes. We were invited to tell. We were invited to this phone.

This evening. Yes. When you walked in during her book club meeting. You're very invited in men. No, not then, but this all pertains to us. This all our business, business of the expedition and business on getting home from this expedition. You know, you are very overwhelmed.

You should take a deep breath. The night is beautiful. The wind is slightly more. It's perhaps. You don't need to be getting yourself overwhelmed. You look so angry, Professor. You're too young to be angry. We must be going now.

It's been a lovely chat. Oh, it has been a lovely chant. Please. Return it to me. When you're done, you know what I'm speaking. Good night. I will tell you when it is a good night. And she looks at you her own.

eyes, plays red. I would not press your luck. The professor is tired. He simply needs to sleep, and that is what we intend to do, Countess.

Would you did us good evening? I would. But first, Victoria Darwin, come to me. I'll step forward towards her. Victoria.

Victoria. Hictoria. This is a moment. that does not include any of you. She reaches her hand out to you. Look at your fingers. Look at the way your veins pulse with passion. You believe in the god

who does not know what lies in your heart that beats in your shoes. You have power running from your veins. You could be so special. When you come, you will stay the evening with me. I have lots at one to show you. Our dinner does not have to end. It could last for a long time. I can't wait.

You look for me to do it. She leans in. She runs her hand down the side of your face. She places a chaste kiss on the very base of your neck. Soon. Now, be quiet. We are leaving.

It was great to see all of you. Now, please, this time, keep your nose out of other people's business. I don't want to have to keep cleaning up after your messes. Good friends. She turns and she tosses her hair behind her. Let's go. You will enjoy this.

see if she kicks him deep into the forest. Get up. Walk faster. And she begins to move off into the woods. I want to say a thing. I'm going to just keep staring in the woods. God, we can't. We should let her walk off with that guy?

Yes. Yes. Pick up your body. The body's gone, right? Yeah, it's gone. That's right. She took her body. She said that Lady Wachter was worried about her husband.

And so she came to collect her husband. Let us go to the burgomaster's mansion, please. We just keep willingly giving her people. Their fates were already sealed. There's nothing we can do. If you'll provide me one moment, then I'll hobble over to the patch of soil where it had been burning. I assume with half of it being char, there would be some ashes there.

I'll reach out to my pouch and I'll pull out a seat. Submits to the soil of the earth. I'll place them, cover it on. You got to get to the Burger Master. Yes. Just go quickly, please. I hope we're not too late. We may very well be.

Would I have beaten them there? Yeah, I'll say you would have been. have beaten them there. So we'll switch over to that. As you make your way, you notice a congregation of guards down the road opposite of the one that leads to Wachter House, and you quickly dark down it until you come to the second largest house that you've seen so far in the village of Milwaukee. And it is here that you see the entire house surrounded by guards. The one that you remember speaking with steps out, and he looks around you. Well, the rest of you. Are they with you?

They are back at the mansion, but they're on their way. They were carrying the body of Sir Nicolai. Well, it looks like it was but a diversion. But all is well. The house is secure. The burgomaster? Was, asleep instead, now pacing his parlour, quite displeased, but safe nonetheless.

and would much rather he were angry at us than that he were dead. If I may ask what did take place? Nothing. We must have cut them off at the head. And I believe once they saw us fleeing towards the Bugabaster's mansion, whatever designs they had on his head, they have, they have quilt. Is Isaac here? His henchman? He sleeps here, yes. This is his head. So Isaac is inside? Yes, he's with the burgomaster. And they are both well?

they were when I last spoke to them. Any of the windows were they left open? Not that I know, but I didn't walk through and check all of the windows. May I? You may not walk into the burgomaster's mansion without his express permission. Understood. If you were concerned, he would check the windows himself, and he's asked that we post-guard at his place for the entirety of the evening.

Is there any chance we may have an audience with him, sir? I highly doubt he is in his good jobs. Yes. Understood. Well, if you have an opportunity to pass forward to him,

I imagine my companions will be here shortly. We will stand guard with you until he is ready perhaps to speak with us. We have some information. You're going to stand here all night long. He's going back to bed.

If that means saving his life from the hands of lay be walked her than yes. You can go home. Find where you sleep and sleep there. You can request an audience with him in the morning when he's not in his. Very well.

I have promised my companions that I would wait for them here. I will stand a little further away, but... You may stand here next to me if you need, just... Very well. Not all night. Understood.

I just have my nagging out of there. If I see you checking the windows. Oh, absolutely. Will not. Send his damn pajamas for me. no sir no pajamas and it asks from that point i would say it takes probably about um 15 minutes or so before you make your way to the burgomesters mansion you see the guards completely encircling the entire thing there were around 15 uh that came to walk your house to uh walked your house to

assault you, there are about 50 that are around the entirety of the Brigger Master's mansion. And as you look up, you can see that there are guards stationed inside, that you see that there are two guards on the topmost balcony. Looking through the windows, you're able

to see a guard pacing back and forth in a hallway. They seem to have this entire place on lockdown. Within like five, ten minutes, I'll turn to him again and say, any sign of Lady Wachter. Have I screamed for the guards? Yes, sir. There's not been sign of Lady Bochta.

Right. Will you remain here a little bit longer until my companions arrive? I will be here all night. Very well. What is your name, sir? Frederick. Frederick, I'm Kana, and I will bow halfway. Thank you, Frederick.

He seems to be really confused. This is probably the first time he's ever seen a woman that is standing at attention like a guard would do. And there's a part of him, I would say, you need to roll for this. There's a part of him you can see that he keeps questioning whether you're mocking him or whether this is serious. But he's finding it hard to believe that this is the thing that's happening. Do I sense that he's uncomfortable with me and like culturally? He's not necessarily uncomfortable with you.

He's just, he's in shock and disbelief. Once he got over the fashion, once he realized that you weren't making fun of him, that this is your name. He's trying to kind of just get used to the idea that. that there's a woman that is essentially a guard in militant. And he seems to really like that. Okay. He smiles at you and you can tell he has respect for you,

but he's trying to do his job. Do I feel it requires further explanation? I will remain silent, vigilant and just wait for my friends to arrive. About 15 minutes past and that's the scene you come up to. Kana is literally standing next to what appears to be the captain. She seems to be in a stand. as well right next to him. And he's kind of looking back at her,

but then constantly scanning the streets. Oh, God. Do we make it? Does he dead? He's not dead. I don't want to speak out of turn. Sorry. Well, this is Captain Frederick.

Now that your companions have made the way, we have this place on lockdown. You may head out. I just wanted to take the time to apologize for the commotion in the scene. I know that we did not get off on the right foot, but we're glad to hear that everything's all right. It is for now.

I can't stress enough how willing we are to comply. If you ever need to send for us, we're staying at the inn. I cannot remember the name. The blue water in. The blue water in. If we need you, we will send for him. I will make sure to let the burgomaster know what has happened to this fact. And from there, it will be his decision how he would like to help this.

Thank you. Thanks for your patience. Don't forget to put in a good word. I think of the mess. Any addition? I nods at you. There's a little Trump edition in his face. I'm still concentrating on the question.

Yes. Why do you think this is turning out this way? Okay, gotcha, got you. You should be in a fucking cell right now. I should be. That would not. All of you should be in fucking chains, begging for your lives. That's what all of you should be

doing. Oh, my God. Yes, I'm um, Professor. Yes. We're sharing any more evidence with Captain Fudge. No, no, I believe that they are well informed. I think we should get some rest.

It's been a harrowing time. It has need. Captain, will you let us know if you spot any sign of Lady Wachton? No. Very well. Professor? They are capable of doing their jobs. I think you let them handle it.

Thanks again, sir. We'll see you tomorrow, maybe. Or if you need us. Once again, he kind of looks at Connor. Ivert my gaze. Matt. And I start walking back towards the end, I guess. Well, we should come to the church.

Professor, should we go? What happened to the church? So I dropped off Stella with the priest. You woke him up. He was asleep. He was in a nightcap. Oh, is his name again? Plachamas. Lucian. Father Lucian.

Father Lucian was asleep. I woke in the midst of all the chaos. I delivered Stella. She woke up. I explained the situation. So she was not frightened. and she seemed to be much happier. She seemed to know who he was and he seemed to know who she was. He was really concerned over the state of her

and he immediately had additional people there helping to bandage up some wounds and they had already started to set up food to feed her and to clothe her. I share that with her. We'll have to compensate the father for violent him as such now. He now has one Tafiana and four children. There was an arena. There was arenas too. This is the Clayton Nazarian Memorial Orphanidonan show,

Corombolema, compliments of Tabitha University, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Sponsored by Tower University. Let's just return to our room. Yes. Quickly. What time is it? It's probably 2 o'clock in the morning. Okay.

So maybe we check in with Stella in the morning. Yes. On the way out of town, yes. all right I will I guess we'll do get back fine get in our room

so you you make it back quickly once at the end you are sure to be as quiet as possible so it's not to wake

anybody I'll say you even make a stop by Rudolf van Rickens' room and you can hear his heavy snores as he is

sound asleep in his room you find your way back to your rooms and you are able to commune in one or do whatever you need to. Professor, I know you said we're going to head out in the morning.

I'm assuming you mean the winery. Yes. It won't look weird if we just skip town all of a sudden. I'm not too concerned about appearances at this point. All right. We already have, I believe, thanks to a bit of arcane magic, we have some good graces with the burgomaster. I think we prove him to the town guard,

Captain Frederick and the burgomaster himself that they aren't his side. And if we can bring wine back to this festival, it's even more good graced. I hope so. Two nights. The night after tomorrow? It's a little less than 48 hours, right? No festival? Yes.

So you have one, so you have all day, a night, all day, a festival. So if we make hasten to, like, the mid-afternoon. can be hasten the morning we could hopefully get back in time well there's always a chance we stumble upon the shipment on the way to the winery we only make it all the way there that's right so if we can just recover even just the shipment

we can worry about whatever might be going on there at another time yes in fact I wish to observe this crystal you're not going to be disappointed if we don't make it to the to the winery are you will eventually make it to the I have no doubt. Fantastic. It will give me more time to examine Crystal.

I find that a minute. Do you have a crystal? Yeah, you have it. The Green Jam? We don't have too many hours till sunup, and I'm feeling all right. I might just try to shut my eyes for a little bit and rest. We should get some sleep, but then let's get up early and leave.

Yeah, we don't have too much time to dilly-dally anyway. Before we retire, I must ask, Victoria, are you feeling well? It's been a long day. It has indeed, but I would not blame it on a long day to present your neck to a vampire. Victoria. I didn't.

I didn't understand it. I saw one with my own two eyes. She could have buried her fangue. and drained you from every single drop of blood from your body. But she didn't. But she didn't. Yet she could have. At the very least, I believe what's starting to say is it was reckless.

I understand. I just, I don't know what came over me. Wickedness. Wickedness came over you. You never told meckiness. I do. And I see it from you. In my head, I have little black blades in my eyes.

You do want to make it home, right? It's just nothing to say now. We can't leave here anyway. Not yet. We need to be careful if we're going to get out of here alive. I'm being careful. And the way I see it, frankly, is if you would like to join the Countess and be a consort to join her side, please feel free. Professor, we just, I'm, I would, of course, I'm, I, I'm, I, I'm, I, I'm, I, I'm, I, I, I, I, I,

I don't know for thought of it, but if you are compelled to do so, you may, we would have stopped hesitated to kill you. I can never understand, but I can say honestly, I, something just came over me when she spoke to me. Wickedness. Not wickedness. I suppose the same sort of influence she has on other people as well. Truly, none of you felt it? No. No.

the armor of my God shields me from such types of wickedness. Anger. Felt a lot of anger and hate. Can I want to walk up to, are you sitting or standing? Whatever we're doing. Standing.

I'll walk up to you so that we're face-to-face, I'll stand in front of you. And I'll open my hands to allow you to put yours in line. Victoria, spilled water would not return to the trip. Let's today rest what happened today.

Pass over us for now. She must remain vigilant. I don't consider you to be wicked. I think you are kind, highly intelligent to the bodies. Please do not let their words hurt you. I'm here to protect you, and I will protect you from you.

Stradanya. If she decides to lure you into her, but I squeeze her, I would dread. Very point. As always. Sidesep and stand next to her kind of proudly and protectively. For what it's worth, I agree with you, Kana. I think we're here to protect each other, and that's why Sarnax is so concerned. Speaking of which, how many more times are we going to meet her that I don't do anything about it?

Because my patience is wearing fit. I understand that, but do you have a death wish, Mr. Morgan? Would you like to die again? And I don't mean any harm. If any of us would like to join her or cross her now, then we're not ready, feel free. I want everyone to know that it is in their power to choose. I won't force anyone to remain a part of this expedition. But it is a death wish to attack her.

Agreed. I'm not eager to join her, but think of the knowledge that she has in this land. She's ruled it for centuries. I have no doubt. But there is time and place for everything. And as told in the crystal ball and in the cards, the time is not yet. And I will not even dare to think of encountering, of fighting, of taking combat. against the countess until we have fulfilled the divination that we've received. There is still much to learn about her. Yes.

I fear we will not like what we do learn. Great. I'm going to sleep. You get some rest. I said to Victoria just under my breath. Sure, you know. Thank you. I'm going to go for a walk.

Would you like some company? I will remain next to you in silence. Just to know we're getting up before dawn. We're getting out of here early because we've got to try to make it back at time. Agreed? Yes? Yes. Does everybody be ready?

Before dawn. Yes. I will remain awake until Victoria has returned. So I will be downstairs. Well, are we trying to remain low key? Do you think that with the good graces, with us being the good graces of the burgomaster, we don't need to hide our faces? It should be all right.

At least for now, I'm going to get some sleep, and then we'll just head out first thing in the morning, hopefully without incident. I will wait for Victoria to return. I will be outside of the end for her way. If you need anything, just wake us up. We'll do. And I'll just, this probably looks kind of awkward,

but I'm just posting up out front, just kind of like leaning up against one of the posts of the inn, just panning back and forth looking into the night. The real is like 233 in the morning. I'm getting tired, but I'm simply waiting for her to return from her walk. Then I'll escort her up to the room whenever she's ready. I'm going to kind of, is there like a place near the end that would be like away from people just kind of like near the wood line or something like that?

Yeah, you can find a place near the tree line. Okay, I would just want to find a quiet out of the way, out of sight place. and I'll kneel down in the grass or in the dirt or whatever and undo the back of my dress and expose my shoulders and then I'll unravel my prayer beads and just hold them tightly and you've caught the wickedness in you. You've tried to hide it.

You've tried so hard, but everyone sees it. You can see the darkness that peeks out of you, especially in this land. It's not going to be hiding in a much longer. I'm just going to whip with my... spray your beads onto my back until just swells for him. I'll do that for a little bit. You do that.

Then you feel a hand cold on your back. Did you really think that I would leave you here? Oh, my God. And sweet, wicked the same. And you can feel her breath on the back of your neck

before you even realize that it's her. And then coldness as her tongue slides from the base of your back all the way up your spine. What? Mom, you've cut yourself. Much sweet to say. And she takes her hand and slowly turns your head

so that you're staring directly at her. And you can see as some of your blood is lining the outside of her lips. She slowly licks it off. It is dangerous out here. And she moves the tree line away and you see where a wolf, a large dire wolf, lays dead, not a mere five feet. But that's why I am here to protect you.

The friends, they don't understand you, but I do. I know what it's like to be both wicked and good. That is why we were meant to find each other. I do. She slowly slides her arm around. your waist and pulls you up against her. You can feel the boning in her corset at front pressing up against your naked back

as she leans her head on your shoulder. We will be friends always, Victoria. Don't you think? I think there's much that I want to learn myself. I think perhaps you could help you to. I would love to. I'm kind of bad with my friends. Not yet.

Oh, no. And I would not ask you to. I like them very much. I just like you a little bit more. Now, and she pushes you forward a little bit. Get inside, so I don't have to kill more wolves to save your life. And give her a little smirk. She runs her hand down your back one more time.

Make sure that you hide those. They won't like society, but I do. She turns around before you can say anything more and heads back into the brush. I'm going to button my dress back up and walk towards the inn. You are easily able to walk back towards the inn. Are you okay, Maya? You're easily able to walk back towards the end. You see as Kana is leaning up against one of the posts outside of the inn.

I'm kind of smiling and flushed. What are you doing? Oh, that's just Sonny. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. If you hear like the B-D-D-D-B-D-B. Lady Victoria, I was waiting for your return to make sure you got to bed safely. That's so cut. Thank you. How was your prayer? It's really.

There are a lot. In the door. Pray a lot? Go to sleep. It's in the door. I hold open the door for her. You are able to make it inside, and you find yourselves settled into bed and finally able to get a good night's sleep. So before we go to bed, while that was happening, I would have made a final cup of tea. And I would have, I'm just like sitting there drinking tea all this is happening, not realizing. And I would take 10 minutes to cast their influence. And I would say, privacy of, looking into the tea leaves in the bottom of the top. And I would like to place a sensor in the bedroom of Wachter House

and see what I see. Sure, I'll say for the sake of this, you can see and here. You place your sensor. For a moment, it's missed and really hard to make anything out. As finally, you begin to see familiar shapes come into view. The body. Skin bubbling and burnt.

Face, the skull, mostly exposed where the fire seemed to burn the brightest. And in a nearly translucent nightgown, your entire body exposed to your vision. Fiona Wachter is laying atop the body, rubbing her hands up and down his boiled flesh. As she slowly casts her spell, don't worry, my husband, you will never leave me. We are in this together forever.

As she leans down and she kisses him sensuously, you can see the way the flesh moves beneath her lips. Unyielding, she nestles into a little bit of, his arms. You can see the bits of bits of skin that have, where

it's blistered, have rubbed off and are still sticking to parts of her chin if she nestles down into them and slowly closes her eyes to fall asleep. Do I notice anything unusual walking behind Victoria? I'm not looking at any particular

part. I'm just seeing if her gate has changed. I would say Probably not. Okay. So she looks just as normal as she did when she left. Yep. That's what you see? I'll put my cup away and go to bed.

You mean you try to. I will attempt to go to sleep. Dark themes. That's your strange. As Professor Clayton his nods off. You would have gotten used to the fact that I keep my lantern lit but low in time of the evening.

And I'll be kneeling before. the fire, looking, stared. And while still looking, without even changing my gaze, I'll say, Shepherd, are you awake? Uh, uh, what? Hmm? The god

that Victoria worships ill meter. Yeah, yeah. What about it? Do you know of this god? Uh, GM. Have I heard of Illamadier? Probably not a

role of religion check to see. I'm going to comfortable just saying no. Then, yeah, no. No, no. It's not a godly man. I'm not a particularly religious individual.

She says she prays. She says she is a woman in the divide. That is not what I see. I'll shift in bed and kind of sit up and lean towards him and like roll over and what? What do you mean?

You don't believe her? It may not that I do not believe her. What's your God is we impotent to shield her in the way that Garrix shields me. I'm going to take that as you're concerned about her, but nonetheless, as far as I understand about religious individuals, as generally they don't appreciate one person insulting their God.

You wouldn't like it if people said the horrible things about Garrix, would you? People can say what they will about Garrix. It all burns the same in dragging its fire. I guess that's true. Damn. So what's your point, sir? Do you want to DM this one? What do you want to do about this?

My point is, observe the power, the shielding, cleansing flame that Garrix provides to me, and I believe even to you. Hold on to it. Let that fire burn, and you will be protected in a way that Victoria is not. I mean, there's no doubt in my mind that what you do is very real and powerful. There's is a very powerful entity, and I've seen it firsthand, I get that. I didn't like that Shandania just walked right up to him. We didn't do anything about it.

What do you propose a murder? Perhaps. That is a terrible idea, Shadley. Perhaps it is Garrix that will be the one that saves us all in this dark land. I wouldn't mind that. Hold it tight, Shepley. Left the flames cloak you like a

warming blanket from your earliest fondness memories. All right, Sarnax. Good night, buddy. Sleep well. Yeah, you too. And as soon as I'm certain, he's asleep, I'll roll over. I'll step in.

I'll reach in and I'll grab another small twig. The needlewood. I'll cast it into the fire, and I'll wash the flames ignite, they'll stare into the flame, and cast, other, barracks, firewood. Every day, my power to destroy increases. I see your traconic eye. I feel your dragon's fire.

there is darkness in this land and even doubt amidst my companions I do not intend to let her go to the darkness carrots I intend to save her very soul am I a fool? Old Cat's Longerre Wheel and well As I predicted Thank you for your infant wisdom

Fire Lord I put the lantern down into my spot that I've been keeping it, and then I'll kind of wrap around it, like a lizard. Like a lizard around, like a warming, a heatling thing in an e-drarium. And it'll feed my cold blood as I will drift off to sleep.

So at what point does Shepard get to start multi-classing into Gert. Cleric? Clerics. The level of life. Lyrins. And you all receive. the long rest.

Oh, thank you. And I think that might be where we call a session tonight. It seems as if Lady Fiona Vokter has even more dark secrets than anyone ever anticipated. If it's true what she says about caring about her family,

then she's a very interesting way of showing it. They've seemingly rescued yet another poor, helpless child and have quite the growing collection at this point. Will they face the wrath of the widow? find out in chapter 6 of Curse of Stradania, the Raven Child.

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