Legends of Avantris - Curse of Strahdanya | Ep. 18 | Among Monsters: Part 1

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

The Azran Expedition discovers the terrible full extent of the strange happenings at the Abbey of Saint Markovia, and must face the Abbot once and for all.   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/whUO7sFe_qs?si=y6LBeN-ZoQXRqULo

You are back in Kresk and listening to Kurs of Sradania, a legends of a Ventris podcast. Last time, the expedition chased after a missing Irene Koleana after discovering she had left the safety of the hollowed grounds of the church in Valaki. This chase brought them to the Abbey of St. Markovia in the gloomy town of Kresk. They soon discovered that the abbey was populated by strange, amalgamated creatures and patchwork flesh horrors, products and experiments of the city. their leader, a corrupted angel known only as the abbot. After a brief encounter with the abbot, they finally found Irene and brought her to a shrine where she received a blessing from the spirit of my brother Sergei. I was not pleased, to say the least. This episode is brought to you by our generous supporters on Patreon. You can become a patron yourself by following the link

in the show notes. We are eternally grateful for your support. With that out of the way, Let us proceed with Chapter 9, Among the Monsters. The thunder has subsided. There's a slight drizzle of rain, but it's not much. It's just, it's almost like a mist. And even that is beginning to subside. There's a faint wind that's rushing by you, and the sun is shrouded, but it's not getting colder,

and it seems to be slowly ebbing away to that dark overcast, Horovia midday that you're used to. And I pull myself out. I'll help you out. Thank you. That's right. So thank you, Kana. I hand you back the answer.

No, I just take it. Thank you. It seems as if war has been declared. Yes. Yeah, we did something. We really did it now. Violin, God, what wasn't all that? What happened?

Well, whatever it is, we pissed Rodney off. Brian. I do not mean to be presumptuous, but I believe I have found our ticket into Castle Ravenloft invitation or not. To me, what do you be found? I'll look around as this whole little garden, kind of, a little... Yes, it's like there are stone seats here. stone benches, almost in a circular pattern around what was the statue and the well at the front of it.

And it seems to be less wild than the areas around it. The trees are encroaching in a circular pattern around it, hanging more densely over the pathway that you took to get here. But it's its own little sanctified place. Do you see how despite the horrors that surround us, this is a place of respite, a place of quiet, a place of hallowed ground. And, Irene, your experience with a figure in the world, do you recall what happened? I don't, but I do. It's as if I'm living memories. the face, the man in the water.

The memories that aren't mine. He looked familiar, didn't he? Yes, but I've never seen him a day in color. A day in the past life. Every moment that passes it, it's as if there's a cloud fogging my memory. As if there's a veil that's slowly lifting and I see more and more,

and I'm finding it hard to know what is my life and what is not. But I've lived in what I haven't. And that is the greatest tragedy of your life, is that you are an important piece in this chess game, Irina, whether you like it or not. However, it is because of that you perhaps have become our salvation, and the weapon that will be used to destroy the countess.

Nothing more than a silly girl in a strange land. A silly girl, watched over by the stuptain. spirit of Sergei, brother of the countess, whose bones are making this ground that we stand upon hallowed, I have

found a chamber in the tunnel. The water's gone. Did you do that, Sarnax? I did. A lever in the water, open breaks to drain it away. And at the very bottom of this well, we will find a hallway, a tunnel

that I believe lead to the crypts of Castle Ravenloft, directly to the bones of Sergei himself. So when Stradanya kills us all, we can just blame you then? Yes, because we will be in her chamber. Great. Fighting her in her throne room, Shepard,

and it will be glorious. You're tricky one, Sarnax. You are a tricky one. Nice job. Nice job, now. There's no way that Stradanya knows about this. She wouldn't stand to let it exist if she did. That's a great point.

She would have caved it in years ago. Perhaps the magic of Sergei is that powerful where he somehow protects it. And I will turn to, Irene, just like he protects you now. I sense like a super powerful... You cast detect magic. You have very powerful abjuration magic on you. And I believe that he has protected you, perhaps, eternally, against Radhaunia. I don't know.

I feel different. I feel safe, a warmthness in my heart. Do you really think that it could last forever? It's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's like he's touched her soul and passed on his essence to protect her. I mean, that would be one less thing. We'd have to constantly worry about.

Her safety would be much more assured. It would be one less thing. Yes, yes. I get no sense of duration. I get no sense of a spell itself. It's beyond anything I've ever seen. I, despite having made her an enemy, I believe some good has come up today.

Well, we have always been enemies of the Countess, Professor. Yes. But it seems like that won't matter. We won't need an invitation to get in. We do not. But once again, I believe I am making presumptions based on the evidence. I could be mistaken and it could be a trap that we are being led to. However, I believe that despite the foul taint that laid upon the abbot, that no matter how

powerful Trudanja is, no matter how powerful the dark magics of this land are, they are impotent in the face of the good of the divine. Evil is only as powerful. as the good allows, it only is able to wreak death and destruction via the inaction of the good. And we are called to action. Yes. But now we must decide what we do. Do we purge, and we'll look back to the abbot.

We purge this place in holy fire, cleanse it. Or is there no time to refine von Richten to hatch a plan? We have made her our enemy. I don't believe there's a rush to go up here a visit just yet, especially without seeing our fate through all the way. The only thing I'm worried about is she decides to come at us, and she will, hard. If we don't finish up the rest of these cards,

we are going to be woefully under-prepared. I believe that despite being her enemy, she would not... She could have attacked us in the middle of Dorovia, and she's waiting for something. I don't know what it is, but I believe at the very least they either get away or protect ourselves or something. I'm not too concerned right now about her making the first move in the middle of dark daylight.

I disagree. I think she doesn't know where we are now. What we think like her, when she expect us to come through these tunnels at this very moment. She doesn't know where we last were other than by the abbot. She could be on the hunt for us now,

but she can't seem to find us here. Perhaps we go through these tunnels, we take the bones, and we try to establish more allies. Sonax, are you able to refill this with water? Allow me to check, Professor. I don't mean by spells, I mean like, can you pull the lever again? I can investigate to C, but I doubt it.

There did not seem to be a... Oh, it was a well, right? Yeah. Well, yeah, it was a well. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome to the family. I will quickly investigate. I will report back of my findings.

Don't me to hold you lunch. I believe now that there is no water I should be fine with it. Yeah, keep it on you. And I will just descend and I'll do a quick check. You descend and you look around and you still see the lever, strange bone-shaped lever that was placed at the side. I will see how quick I can be, and I'm going to grab the lever and pull it up and get ready to sprint.

You grab the lever and you pull it up, immediately the rope that was hanging down zips back into the hole where it came from the very top of the well as the grades of the bottom open up and begin to start filling with water as water

is rising and then so I'm going to try to scamper back up do you have a climbing speed? I don't so I'll just kind of flip. Yes I can, Professor. You do that. You float on the water on the very surface of the water

until the well fills all the way up and you're bobbing. That's a very top lantern held up. We'll reach out to pull out of the well. It seems it's weird. Well, I guess that should keep the passage safe. I guess I was only really worried about losing our chance again. I don't want to walk away from this

and come back and find something horrible has happened. I agree. I agree. But I... it could be potentially deadly for us to walk into Castle Ravenloff without at least meeting with Stambrick's first. I agree. He has information for us. He asked us to see him as quickly as we could.

He saw what was in his coat. He's clearly prepared for something as much more than we. Yes. I believe we bought ourselves some time. Now we have this back way in. We've been through a lot today. It's got to be. It's got to be.

towards the evening, right? It's mid-afternoon. Okay. I don't think it was towards the evening. You got out here for a year. It's been two weeks. But we woke up, we went to the thing, and then we came all the way from the Lockheed evening.

Oh, yeah. But you only spent like an hour in the Abbey. You went straight in. You ran straight in. So it's probably afternoon. So it's probably late afternoon. That works. And recall the countess.

said she was preoccupied with urgent business. I think the urgent business was Marina. I am not so sure. I do not believe that she would be so willing to drop everything, just to feast upon her, and then just give her to this strange fallen angel. None of this makes sense, but perhaps we could learn more from the people of Cres.

I am hard pressed to just walk away and let this town continue to be prayed upon, presumably, by this habit. Given that the burgomaster's son recently died, how many people go missing? You saw this stitched abomination that I put to rest. It was a foul place, and if we are bringing salvation to Barovia, shall we not bring salvation to the vile mongrel folk that we just saw? Shall we not free this town from the abbot? At the very least, shall we not remove an ally of Shredania?

If you say the word, I will try. But I can't promise that we'll be strong enough. Every moment we spend here as much as I want to rent the abbot of the abbot from the abbey. is Van Richten waiting for us to make haste to him come back Van Richten is up to his own machinations I have been torn since we have fled the Abbey but I believe now

that we should cleanse it in holy fire but I will also consult Just know We cannot die before we fight and kill Stradania We cannot I agree But we know how powerful

The morning lord is in this land He still has power And Even if we can Bring righteousness back to this abbey of St. Markovia Perhaps that could be another boon In our fight against her And I'm grasping at strong

but, I mean, at the very least, like Sarnak said, this place has been desecrated. This was once a holy place. And St. Markovia, as far as we know, I believe, was like the most powerful... Is that kind of what I understand? Is that, like, she was the... Yeah, she was big.

The most powerful champion of the morning lord in all of Borovia, so... I'll unhulsed their judgment and give it like a flick. And you say the word, professor, will blow the doors off the goddamn heavy. Well... I don't think we should run it down, Sarnax. I think some of those creatures may still be spareable, but I think we should destroy what is at its core

and strike at the center at that avenue. I will consult with the fire lord. I'll throw a twig in, take a minute, cast augury, and I'll stare into the flame. Fire lord, I wish to purge the wickedness from the abbey. bring redemption and renewal to it while delaying our other opportunities. Is this well-advised? The wolves, how?

As you wait for the answer from your God, wheel. I'll pick up. Bad news for Andy, good news for Shep. I will pick up my lantern. And I'll turn to the group and I will say, let us begin the purge. So that means we've got, we got, we got, we got the big guy on our side. The fire lord wills it amenable. Not now, though.

I suggest we, we know that the mongrel folk were tied up, presumably, except the two that we saw, all the others were tied up. and screaming and gnashing, is it best to just barge in guns of blazing? I don't believe so. We need to know what's going. Exactly right. Are we aware that they were being fed flesh? The one that was... Yes, you saw that they were being fed flesh.

As much as I would like to help those poor souls, I'm not sure there's anything we can do for them. You do, no, for sure that you can't help them. We don't have the information. made. What I would suggest is now that the abbot believes that we are gone, we told us not to come back. That's going to think that we are going. Just take the evening, meet with the people of Cress,

perhaps join them in their communal endeavors, their communal trading, and perhaps dinner, see what we can learn. They must know something about the abbey. We can flee something. And then in the middle of the night, to sneak in and see what we can learn and hopefully at least not raise the alarm. And if we need to, we can burn the whole thing down, although I don't suggest that. If we can't undo what's been done to them, we cannot release them on the people of the road. I agree. And we can put them to rest however we can.

Whether that's killing them or killing them. Regardless, I intend to turn this so-called abbot to Ash. and planting evilwood seed on his remains. Everyone else still has a chance of redemption. He, however, does not. Is that acceptable, Professor? Yes. I believe we've learned that much where he's committing evil acts,

and at the very least we can... You're the leader of this. expedition, as much of an expedition that we now are still on. But I don't want to be the only one suggesting options. Does that sound amenable? Are there other options? Does it sound reasonable? Putting that evil bash in the dirt?

Hell yeah, it sounds amenable. And doing it tonight under the cover of darkness and perhaps learning more before we alert him. You're in charge. Should there be any concern for, if we must take extreme measure, rid this place of the evil that would draw attention

to Strudan bring her here perhaps closer that we'd like to our one advantage well we know that

the ground here is still hot with the bones of St. Markovia and perhaps Sergei as well

that is what I believe so I believe she cannot set foot on the abbey grounds and why she left Irina

I believe it is just the garden Well, with a little luck, that still means she wouldn't be able to find the secret passage, and that's all we really care about. We have a passage of escape. Should she choose if it's sudden upon us? That's true.

That's a great point. And I believe we have the tools to get away if we need to. The moment she attacks, we shall flee to the garden. We go to the arena recommended that she stay here. Does she understand her place in all of this? right here. I thought we were talking and raised yourselves.

There's not a large way to do you document to do yourself. Marina, do you feel comfortable waiting here until we can return? You want me to wait here

in this open blade? It's all serenning. You'll ruin my dress. No, you, I believe she should join us as we hopefully learn more and in Cress, but you will not join us

tonight unless he would like to. You're welcome to do what I think you'd like to do. I don't really know anyone in Kresk. I moved straight through it. I didn't need anyone. There was only the guards at the front and the burgomaster that let us prove.

Outside of that, I said nothing to anyone. Where would I feel comfortable staying with people I don't know? The habit was so nice. I propose an alternative solution. Irina, you are in the mood for adventure, are you not? Well, I had been. which are you suggesting? I propose, speaking very frankly, with no means for offense,

that we bring Irene along with us. Should the abbot cast his eyes upon us in our stealth mission, we use Irina as a bargaining chip in order to deceive and then betray him. What does this bargaining chip plan entail exactly? In being the feather in his cap, Irina. I do not follow him on. I will let you in on what is going on. You are being prepared as a bride of Stradonia.

No, I'm simply going to... It is true. She feels her neck and you all look. The scars, the remnants of the wounds, completely vanished from her neck. I didn't even, I didn't even take the potion they were preparing it. You were deceived by Irene. You were deceived by an evil man who was not a man at all,

but an angel. We know that he's an angel, right? Yeah. An angel, fallen from grace. Oh, well. It's going to say angels are a good thing that I heard fallen ones. Not you. Irene, I need you.

So which is my role? Your role, as I am proposing to the group, and to you, you have your own volition in this operation. Yes. To join us in an adventure where we will sneak through the abbey after gaining the information that the professor seeks. And should the plans go awry as they so often do. You shall be used as a bargaining chip. There is nothing that the abbot will want more than the most elaborate feather in his cap.

His magnum opus, the ideal bride for the countess. But your mate's not harm, not harmed. The entire abbey will burn. Irene, know that there will be danger. Should we really burn it? If what you say is true in this place is corruption, don't you think this would be a lovely place, Father Lucian and the children.

I agree completely. I don't think we should consider burning it. I agree. We should target the core of the imbalance. He could bring the bones and he could create hollowed ground here and they would have a school. It would be lovely for that

need of more room. There are so many children that are in need of good parents. The parents at all. I agree. I do not believe in burning the structure or the grounds. Just the bodies of the wicked.

within. I agree. I'll do it. I mean, you must be sure. There's good in danger and though we will do our best to protect you, I do not make a false promise to you.

If it means the children will have a place, a land to grow up in that's better than what I have. I will do it. I like that attitude. Well done. And we have seen her stab a dire wolf

in the eye. Yes. did, and it almost killed me. What the one behind? It all killed me, but I guess none of them. Do you still have your knife? Of course I do. Then I will ask one question, I'll answer it with one answer. And I'm going to step up to

her and undo my road. Oh, Sonic, please. Please, no. Sonic's no. Sonics, I'm a lady. Sonics, I'm a lady. Where is the heart, Irina? Oh, I thought you were. Show me the heart. which you'll point at the heart.

You know, standing right there with you when you had the same conversation with the children. I believe you are ready. Well, thank you. I guess we could try to go find accommodations for the evening then, down in the village here.

Good luck with that, it's nothing but cottages. Well, we could meet with the bugger master so we know where he lives. And he let us end in the first place. Even just some floor space will make do for now. All right. Well, let's not waste any more time.

Shall we go? Yeah. Either way. All right. So I will turn and I will lead the party down into Cresk. Going to where we, I believe, we saw... You've passed his small house. I believe we saw his cottage.

So we will be over there and see him. Do you make your way down the winding dirt pathway down the slope of the hill that led towards the Abbey of St. Markovia, in the opposite direction, directly back towards Kresk. And from this vantage point going down, you're able to see the buildings of this town. But it feels like hardly a town. The houses are little more than one-room cottages. And so many of them, there may be 50 in total, and many of them seem to be completely abandoned. The few that are there, you see faint lights flickering on inside of them.

The town is quiet. You look around, you don't see a merchant district. You see no shops. But you see a few small area where it looks like a communal farm area, an open area in the middle with a large bonfire, where it looks like communal cooking is half. Clothes and things strung up on lines around behind houses. and it looks like this is more of a commune than anything else.

People barter and trade with what they have. As you get closer, you notice the chickens that run rampant through the streets here and there. Occasionally, you'll notice the faint glint of white or beige as you look down and you notice a lone egg that's off to the side. The chicken seemed to have the run of the streets. You make your way through and people bustle around, but not many, 15 at most, and they seem to notice you. One of the women looks at you cautiously but says nothing. She leans down, picks up a few of the random eggs that are dispersed throughout the streets, puts them into her apron. She hurries off in one direction.

You head through the main street directly towards the burgo master's house, the largest. looks like it maybe has two rooms to it instead of the one, but it's not significantly larger. You hear commotion coming directly off to the opposite side. You turn and you see that just past the open communal space where a bonfire had just started to be lit. You do see that there are a few people cooking, making what appears to be a stew,

but their attention is turns towards one of the smaller houses off to the side where you begin to hear the grunting and screaming of a female woman in commotion. It's at this moment that you see as the burgomaster, throws a cape over his head, slams the door behind him, locks it and begins to march directly towards that house. He seems not to have noticed you. Shall we follow? Yes.

I want to follow. Go ahead. Should we just. Yes. Jesus, move to him down. We got to talk to the man first and find out what's going on. I do not like this place. I feel like you're in great danger here.

Does the scream sound like a natural? Yes, it sounds like a feminine. There's grunting, groaning. We need to keep an eye on, find out of what he's doing, or we just kick the door down and go in and maybe if we're worried about him out there. We should, perhaps we split up. And several of us follow and see what the commotion is and the rest of us will investigate his house.

Which one of us can send messages to the other, the brain? Let's just follow him and figure out. I don't think that we should speak up. We should not break into his home. Let's follow him. Thank you. We follow him, hopefully not being noticed. You, the town itself is very small.

There is nearly no way to truly follow. and not be noticed. You cut through the center area where people are still milling about apparently cooking a large meal. It is approaching time to eat and they look at you, but their attention continues to be drawn towards the house as they mutter to themselves. You notice as more of the townsfolk begins filling out of their houses and you see as they're looking and watching. Some of them even creep over. And as you get closer, you see as you approach this small house, a small group has formed around it watching and waiting. Men, women, and a few children, they immediately part in front of the doors and allow the burgomaster to enter. But they all

continue to watch. None of them seem to notice as you make your way towards the back, but they do form ranks again, and you're not able to follow him into the house. As you're standing on the fringes of this gathering, you're able to look in, the windows, not pained with glass, shutters open on the outside. You see smoke billowing from the small chimney that's inside, a pot boiling on the inside, the fire raging. As looking in, you see one woman, haggard, gray, curly hair down to about waist length as she's leaning over, continually dipping her hand into the pot, pulling out these

dark, dirty rags, ringing them and moving them over. You all shift trying to look as you see the burgomaster stand there and look down. He gets to his knees as he says,

what do I need to do to help? Bell, I need you to just continue to pass me regs. She's not doing Manuel, blot her face. And he starts to grab the rags and block the face. As you move around, you hear the screaming and the agony. And you try to find a vantage point where you can look in until you see a window.

And there on a straw mat covered in filth and blood, you see a woman, her stomach completely rotunded with pregnancy. And she's screaming against the pain of the birth that she is bringing, the life she's bringing into this world. the burgomaster covered in sweat and dirt as him and this older woman begin to participate in this dance of life and the screaming continues the townsfolk are muttering you hear them it is finally come she is having the baby oh it is a good day and no one for grace we could use the joy yes it is a good day she is this day has been long awaited we were worried and everyone around you feels it's almost a happen us of joy and the burgomaster's there helping in the throes of it all and finally the screaming stops

you see no cry you wait just everyone holds their breath you see as the woman begins to clean the child with the rats the board is cut the burgomaster looks over and stares down he looks to the woman it is done you have delivered please breathe a moment We must wait. You see as the older woman long locks of gray hair holds the baby up almost in front of the crowd, and she spanks its rear.

And it opens its mouth. Eyes shoot open. But it makes a gurgling sound. It does not cry. She takes it and nestles it with the mother who cries over this baby. I'm so happy. You're here in my sweetness.

I love you. it is a girl. They will. The woman immediately starts cleaning everything up and you hear as everyone's muttering, but they're mothering to themselves quickly as they begin to disperse. You're standing alone, watching the strange scene.

It all feels as if it's happened so fast, the birth of this baby, and all of a sudden, everybody feeling so down as this woman begins to clean. You look inside, and the mother is holding the infant to her chest. She looks so happy. The baby is looking around. It reaches up. It grabs her hair, but

it makes no sound, aside from the few gurgles. You see as the burgomaster stands up, it continues to help the woman and the midwife, as it were. See, grabs her hand and they begin, they finish cleaning.

You're still watching. There are a couple of people around you watching it as well, but for the most part, the crowd is dispersed and headed towards the center town, where they begin to have their meal. She said this is no longer interesting to them. It's at this point that you begin to hear the burgomaster and the midwife speak. It is as I had feared.

Yes, it is as I had feared as well. The baby lacks a soul. It will be but a whole shell for its whole life. But she does not need to know that tonight. Let her enjoy the warmth it brings her. at least for the beginning. She will come to learn it soon. She will.

I will make sure the town folk now to be gentle with her. Let her find joy for this moment. This sadness will come when it comes. And she turns to him and she clasps his hand. Dimitre, thank you. Your help was most needed. my daughter has been feeling poorly

but she is she is overcoming her realness she could not make it tonight they could not have done this without you he classes for him I will be here for all nerves Kreski is my home

it is our and they look up at each other and there's a silent communication sadness as he says these words and she reaches her hand up and she caresses his young face. There was nothing you could do.

We do not blame you. Go to your wife, get some sleep. I will handle it from here. And you see as he nods, a tear rolls down beside his face as he takes the hood and puts it over his head, walks out of the door. He does not seem to notice you as he steps out.

I'm glad we did not murder him. Thanks, all right. he makes his way through the small bit of the crowd that is there and hurries back past you see as he stops for a moment at the area where everyone is

having their food and you see as he talks to a few people here and there mainly the people who are serving the food and communicates with them they nod almost as an understanding as they begin to whisper amongst everyone I will try to hurry after him and like grab his attention

or like put my hand on his shoulder whatever. You, sure. You hurry after him, and you walk up as he's explaining to one of the chefs. It is best that everyone knows when they get their food tonight,

that there will be no talk of what happened to Clothia. Clovdia? Clovdia. It's like Claudia, but with a V instead of a year. There is no need that she know of the faith of her child.

Make sure that does everyone they are told that they will have the full brunt of the law if I find out that they have ruined this moment for. Allow her this moment of peace and clarity. As you put your hand on his shoulder, he grabs it. And he feels your fingers and he looks almost shocked as he looks around at you.

Though, you are back. I am quite busy here, friends. Mr. Kreskov Dimitri, call me Dimitri, yes Is that woman all right? We were with the other townspeople looking in and witnessed the birth, that was incredible. There was nothing incredible about that moment.

But yes, she's fine. We just thought that there was danger, and I think it's honorable that the leader of the town is there to assist with the birth. I think that's very honorable of you. And this is something that could be talked about at the later time. Right. We would like to speak with you further.

We had to thank you for letting us to the town. We had to rush away to other business. But perhaps over a meal tonight, could we sit down and eat with you? He looks back towards the man who's still standing there as if he's waiting for orders. He reaches his hands out and he puts both of his hands on his. We will make it through this. Do as I've asked. Please.

the man nods at him and looks at all of you now as you're there together and looks a little unsure. He doesn't say anything. Well, come with me then. We will go to my home. We will have a talk if that is what you desire. Yes, yes, of course. Yeah, absolutely. Please. He will follow him. And he leads you directly back towards his house. The town is the silence that had overcome it, has, um, has begin to ramp up as it begins to, people begin to chat, chatter and talk. The words of the burgomaster ring true with them, that their sullen, um, countenance that will lead to only more sorrow in this town as they begin to enjoy the evening together and have their meal in the center of town. As you make your way towards the house, he

unlocks the door and leads you in. It is a two-room cottage sparsely furnished, barely anything inside. And he leads you through to what appears to be a bedroom, but also a living room with the hearth. And sitting in front of the hearth knitting a pair of small stockings as a woman, dark hair. Dark hair, older, maybe early to mid-50s, roughly around the same age as Dmitri. and she looks up at you, but there is a happiness to her eyes. My darling, you're home.

Did everything go well? She looks so happy, and he rushes to her, places his hands on her face. My love, you tease what I fear. The baby has no soul. And you see as she chokes back the tears for a moment, and she tosses down the knitting. Could we have had not but one bit of good news? I wish, my love, I wish that there will be more babes.

There will be more time. And she brings herself together and she looks at all of you. I'm so sorry. It has been difficult lately. She stands up and looks at all of you. Anna Kraskov, it's lovely to meet you and to welcome you into our home. Thanks for hands. My apologies.

Yes, yes. They know, I'm assuming, Dmitri. And he looks at her and there's a bit of irritation on his face. I believe they do know. But he smiles and looks at you. Please take a seat. Bed floor, chair we have. But what we have, make yourselves comfortable.

Thank you for your hospitality. My name is Professor Clayton Hazran. And this is my expedition. And then I'll introduce everybody real quick. Yes. By the no that you're referring to, do you mind me asking what it is that we know,

just so I could clarify? My wife was simply asking if you were aware that the baby had no soul, we were having this conversation. Ah, yes, we did. And I assume that you knew already as you were eaves dropping on me when I was communicating with the downspoken.

Well... I apologize, which is... I've seen. We did hear, we overheard it, but I must ask, how did you know? What tells you that a child is born without a soul? They are emotional things. They do not cry. They know nothing but fear.

They know no happiness, no joy, no anger, no sadness. Is this not commonplace in Brovia, though? Based on what we've learned in my expedition thus far... It is, but in a town... as small as crows, when the family line has ended. Any babe with a soul is valuable. Any without one is painful. Yes. Do most people on this town have souls?

No. I see. You mentioned that babes born with souls are valuable. What value is that? They have a soul. They are their own person. They are capable and able to do what those without a soul cannot. They are not a hollow shell. Our town is dying. This babe was a beacon for us.

There is no light in the darkness. There is always a light in the darkness. There is always hope. You said yourself, there will be more babes. There will be, but not in it. enough time. The Kresk will die. How much time do you need?

More time than you can give us. I mean, I mean, it seems like you're speaking with urgency, like the town's just going to disappear overnight. My daughter, Lina, please. Go join the townspeak. They could use you. This is not a conversation for you some tears. And she looks at him nervously for a moment,

but you can see the sorrow on her face. She nods, she Well, it was great to meet you. Give a good evening. She leaves the room and heads towards the center of town. There is no hope here, not for us. Kresge is small.

We stay out of the business of the rest of Borovia. For it, we do not suffer the consequences of the rest of the villages here. But because of this, we are so played by our own horse and our numbers dwindled my family has run

Kresk for as long as it has survived my son was the last of our line Eulia he rest in peace what became of Eulia he is a sickness

if he it gets cold here at the base of the mountain illness is not uncommon in the village of Kresk. If it's not the warehouse to the sides, it's still a sin in a night, or Stradanya's wolves out hunting, and it is the illness that takes us. We extend our condolences for the loss of your son. Do you know if the sickness that he died of is a common one?

Were the symptoms similar to something you've seen before? It was not the magical sickness. It was an illness that many in Cres, all to the cold, the lack of food, the poor health. We have but one midwife, and she is not the most well-versed in illnesses other than that of the room. It is hard for us to collect herbs with the threats that womb around the borders of the village. So when sickness comes, it comes. Amelia was the force of my children to succumb to the illness. And with him, my family line will die.

If you do not mind me asking, where was he put to rest? So we may pay all respects. He chokes up for a moment and finds it hard to speak. He is a bit of a plot outside for the family line. He's there next to his brothers. He had brothers that also passed. He was divorced. Each child more weak upon its birth than they last,

all with souls, a tragedy, unlike Kresk has known, in a long time. And they all came down with the same sickness? It is not uncommon. My wife has had it, I have had it, but we were older. We were able to overcome it. But when you are young, Ilya being not but 14 years old,

it's much harder to overcome. And as I get older, if I get it again, I will not survive it. Well, we can perhaps pay our respects. We will. If you could just give us directions, we would like to honor him. Has the abbot come down

to offer any consolation? He does not come to Kress often, but when he does, he is nothing but kind. He did come to us. Why do you ask? I am curious, did he know of your son's passing? He did. He offered to resurrect Ilya. did he for the price of a wedding press

we don't have the means Anna is planning to live tomorrow to the lucky she believes she knows of where she can find one but I don't know if I can let her leave

if she leaves the roads at treacherous and I can't an old man cannot lose his children and his wife I fear I must leave Ilya dressed as much as I would love to have you back with us. Does the abbot often come down to ask for

exchanges for wedding dresses? It seems kind of like an unusual request. The abbot is an unusual man. If you were faced with someone you loved burying them and the powerful man offered you his life for a third. Would you take it? No matter how silly it seemed to you.

Absolutely. I'd say unquestioningly... I just... I could question his motives, but I... I have so many things in my life. The loss of my children, my age, the fear that this village will fall

when I die if I do not leave something to keep it standing. And I am tired. I grow exhausted. Perhaps we can help. And I'm sorry, did you say werewolves? Yes, they are blight on the land. So we have not encountered any werewolves since coming to Borovia, and they exist here. They do, yes.

Where? Do you know where they live? Off in the forest. I have not been to their den, but they still, the children. children of the land. So like one den or like all of the forests in Borovia? They travel as far as they would like. But I know

they do have a den. And they're stealing kids. They've stolen a few, yes, from Kresk. But since we've made sure to put the border around and we don't let the children leave the town and we only leave

with a small group of able-bolted people to gain supplies that we need. We have deliveries to and from Velocchi once every couple of weeks. But since we have, since we stick to these rules, we, they have not been much of a bother to us. Have you been attacked and been able to fend off? Oh well, those that are attacked do not come back. Have you seen them for yourself? not. Only the tales. You mentioned this border that you put up.

Is this the wall? Yes. I hate to belabor the point, especially on such a dark topic, but if they're just taking kids, they can't possibly be just using them for food. I try not to think about the ones that are lost. I have enough that keeps me up.

night. I don't need that. Who was the last time a child was taken? And how do they only take children? From Cresk, they've only taken the children. We lost two this year. I believe we can assist.

Do you know where their den is? Can you give us more specific direction? I wish I could. I have not been there. Do you or your people ever go up to visit the abbey to us? for favors and protection.

Those that do not come back. There are a few who believe that the abbot could cure them of the sickness that took my children. They never come back. And maybe they are there. Maybe they are happy. Maybe they are free from the sickness that took them. I do not know. Does anyone...

That's funny. Have you, outside of meeting him a few terms, the request for a wedding dress, Do you know anything else about the Abbey or what he does in there? Are any of you worshippers of Pelo or any other gods? No, there are no other gods in Borovia, but the one Lord and the Lady of the Moon. But the Abbey himself, the abbot, he simply called the abbot. He arrived maybe a century ago.

He has never aged today since. At least as our stories tell us, he does not come here often, but he has on occasion come down and spoken with those of ill health and has cured their wounds. He's helped them, what price they paid, I do not know. It's anything like the wedding dress, and they made out in my opinion. They got the better end of the deal. but

he demands nothing from us but why so one cask on every one of our orders goes up to the abbey aside from that has he

ever divulged to you what is happening to these people of crafts that are going missing I'm not his friend I feel have you asked when he comes to visit of course not

does that not make you worry I am the Bergo master of this place but I am not their Lord I am not their God if when Ilya feels sick I thought of taking him to the enemy but I made that choice on my own and I will not tell the people of this village

they cannot make that choice it is not my place to go and to ask these questions and cry into their lives they're adults, they can make their choices. Yes, yes, I believe that's right. Well, do you happen to know of any other people in the village that are currently sick? There are a few here or there, but I know that the midwife's daughter had come down with the sickness, but she's only meant.

She has overcome the worst part of it, to be wretched in the few years. Do you mind if I see one of these people that I've gone... I cannot give you that permission. Perhaps you could point us in their direction. We would like to help help. All the able body, they make their way to the center of town to die in the evening. You are welcome to ask. All right.

Well, before we leave from a medicance, when we saw the burgomaster leaving a house, he locked it, he took off. Was that his home? Yeah, that's the one you're in right now. And since we've been in this home, we haven't heard any thing like we did. It's only two rooms and they don't have doors. And you can look in. One of them has four beds. And you, I would say, could easily discern that they're the individual beds of the children that they lost.

All of them are made. And it's in pristine condition. The room that you're in has the parents' bed. And it's like the small kitchen and a small sitting area. So from the sound of his wife's voice, it didn't, we wouldn't immediately put any connection together that it was her screaming or any, you know, like, bizarre. No, the screaming was the other. Okay. It wasn't the wrong.

Yeah. So your attention was turned towards the screaming that was over there. He locked his house and went towards, which was just the screaming of a giving birth. Got it. Well, perhaps, is everybody eating now? did we get the sense that like it's... Yeah, they were dishing out meals and people were sitting around the fire

and they were enjoying food together. Yes, well... And that's where he had sent Anna to enjoy food with... Could you direct us to where your sons are buried? Roll participation check. Not bad, I think 15. Okay.

If you would like to pay tribute to my sons, I will allow that. But the wound is fresh. I will not stand for insulin. we only mean to or disrespect we only mean to bring respect

in honor and he picks himself up and he throws the hood of the cloak back over himself as he silently walks

to the door throws it open and ushers you outside and you follow him and you can hear now that the town itself is much louder people seem to be

there's a little bit of laughter it's not like you experienced in the Vistana camp at all. It's still somber, but there is joy here. There is life here as the people in the very center of town are enjoying their dinner. And he skirts around the side of the house directly towards the back where you see a picket fence that once had been white, but the paint itself is chipped off in most places. It's now a dull beige.

Is some of the pieces of wood have been pulled from the ground. It's in a haphazard condition. But inside, you see a small plot of gravestones. It seems to be the land of the land that's used specifically for the village or for the burgomastering's family. As he walks you under a wrought iron arch and heads you directly to four small graves, one right next to the other. Three of them completely packed down. One of them definitely fresh. fresh. The tombstone has the wings of an angel and the words,

Aalya, are beloved, the end of the line, never to be forgotten. As soon as the grief site comes into view and more like walking around the side of the house, I'm going to lean forward in Sarnax's earhole and whisper harshly. No funny business now, Sarnax, understood. None intended, Shepherds. None intended. this. While we pay

our respects, I would like to come to stand in the back and start to ritually cast tech magic while we're Roll in my hand. 18. Okay. He walks you towards the graves and he

places his hand on the first, the second, the third, and then finally it is. And you see as he gets down on his knees and he places his hands onto the earth and he bows his head as he begins to mutter. And at first, you can't understand what he's saying. It's soft and it's rushed and this land is so strange, you feel a sense of nervousness. But it's not a chant. It's a prayer. And you see the tears

that roll down his face as he bows over the grave of his son. He says nothing more to you as he uses this moment as well to pay respects and tribute to the one he is recently lost. Sound like he's praying to the morning Lord? Yes. I'll wait for him to pray and then I will walk up and sit back on my knees in front of like each grave and also offer a small prayer to the souls that once were in your children's bodies. I hope that they have found peace. We miss them greatly.

We hope that you are resting in a better place. And I will just like full, like all the way to the ground, like bow all the way to each one. And give like the utmost respect to each. And I will turn to him and say, my bravest apologies. He passed so young, Dimitri. They did not deserve this. He nods at you, but he's paying attention to you. He's not, as long as you're not doing anything that's disrespectful.

He's not judging or concerned with the respect that you pay. He's lost in thought and in the morning of his son. This is still so fresh for him that being here, being near the stone, is almost overpowering for him that he can't focus on anything, but the body that lies there. And it's just the four graves there. There are other graves around,

and you can easily do a cursory glance and see that they all have the same last name from generations past there, the family members that have died. They don't go to whatever cemetery or plot of land that the rest of the village uses. This is specifically for the lineage, the heirs of Krez.

can I look over the horizon while he's praying at the other graves and just see if any of them look out of order like turn and all a perception joke and everybody else are we all check? No no I'm saying are you doing anything else? Because right now everyone else is just standing there

Wakana's giving to you stuff. I've just removed my hat and I'm just going to be silent and then you know kind of bow my head in reverence and be kind. I'm sorry to ask you about to say a few words I would You, wayward souls in this dark land, you came to your end too early.

But there is a light in the darkness, a light for the lost and the meek. May it guide you to your salvation and rest. And in the earth your bodies will bring upon great renewal and create the growth that continues the cycle of life. And I'll just kind of cast my lantern into like bull's-eye mode and kind of just bathe all of that the light across all the gravestone and then I'll step back.

And looking around, all the graves seem to be in order. So I guess whenever detect magic, I feel like it's down. I would say right about at that point, and you let off this illumination of detect magic and see nothing. It's simply a small plot of graves. I am sorry for your loss and I walk to the grave and I will kneel down and I will kind of sort of pretending to say a prayer. I just want to kind of get a look at the soil to see if I can sense while I'm,

down there sort of investigate the soil to see if it's been disturbed more recently than maybe he died, I think, four days ago, five years ago? Very recently. Okay. So roll an investigation check or perception. It is a pretty good role. Let's see. In the investigator?

That is a 27. It looks like it was in turn roughly around the time that he said, and it doesn't look like it's been disturbed since. Aside from, you can see a few handprints and things on it where it looks like both him and his wife have been out here to pay their respects and to spend time with their son. I'll stand up. I will turn to him with my hat back on. And I will say, well, we can hopefully learn more about. about this werewolf situation at some point. But...

That is a conversation we can have inside. All right. If you would like to talk, let us leave here. Yes. Thank you for your patience. I believe that we will let you get some rest. You've had a trying day, and we have other business to attend to. If you'd allow us, as Bergamaster, we'd like to speak with the others, perhaps, in the town,

and if there's anything we can help with regarding the sicknesses we'd be very obliged to help with that unless you have the power to change the weather there's nothing you can do about the sickness it will happen it is but nature's wrath

but I've given my permission for you to speak to the townsfolk whether they will speak to you that is their decision not mine well, just before we go, I believe we can help this place. I believe we can help you restore Kresg to, as we think.

I believe we can restore Kresk to its form of glory. And to do so, if any more information about the Abbey or the abbot, please don't withhold it from us. I have not attempted. withhold anything. I've answered all of your questions. As for the Abbey, well, it has its secrets.

All I know is that it was once a bastion of St. Markovia. The greatest fighter of Rovia had never known. She marched on Castle Ravenloft to rid this land of the devil's trod. It is there that she found her face. The stories tell us that the abbot came and he tried to make it a bastion for good for the morning war. But I sense no good from the abbot, from the abbey.

That is what I know. Well, thank you. We're correct in your assessment. But we shall make it right. Sleep well with that knowledge. shall we? Have a good evening. Right.

Thank you, Dimitri. Good day. Thank you, Dimitri. And remember, there is always a light in the darkness. He looks at you and he shakes his head. To me, there is nothing but darkness. Good night. I have turned and followed the professor.

So I want to go to the middle of town while the tech magic is still up. Just kind of walk through the villagers to see. see if I get any, like any of them that look kind of sick. I will say it's easy enough as you get there that you can see that there are, that there's an elderly couple and both of them have a severe cough. People are seeming to stay away from them, but they are being fed by a woman who's holding cloth over her face. You attempt to get close enough to them.

And you do not detect any magic. That would be a dumb question. But does pneumonia exist? Sicknesses do exist. Is this just a thing? It's just a sickness. Right. Okay.

But I don't want to be like, oh, that's pneumonia. You know, like, you know, if we didn't know that that's even a thing, right? It's like pneumonia. Right. Doesn't exist, but pneumonia exists. Right. So, so information is wrong. So they're on sports.

Yeah. So I just wanted to confirm that it's not some, like, magical sickness to harvest corpses. It's just a sickness. So, perhaps we could also. Our skills to gather the medicine and the force. that they can't eat to. Anything to help these people. They might not be able to afford medicine

because they're dwindling numbers, so if we're able to make a donation of some kind or get in touch with father and Balaki Sunday. I believe at the very least, if we can, these werewolves stealing children

the night, that's the most curious thing of all of us. To think they're allied with a countess. I think that there is power in youth, regardless. I do not know who is allied with whom anymore, but I would not oppose putting a stop to that as well. We may find more answers to questions that we have. You know, something that the Burma Master said

kind of stuck with me for a minute, and I can't seem to let it go. I know that what we saw up there is what we saw. I'm assuming we're talking. Yeah, yeah. You've moved out of the illumination and you're up against one of the abandoned homes. I know that what we saw there is what we saw. It was unspeakable.

But if the ad bit was going to take a dress in his infinite madness or whatever it is, was going to take it some sort of payment to resurrect this this young man. I can't help but maybe think that if we could just uncorrect him, I mean, it sounded

like he was here to do good in the first place. If just existing here in Borovia or something happened that made him the way that he is now, if we could undo it, I mean, he's some sort of a powerful heavenly being.

it could do wonders for this entire land, not even just this city. I mean, look, I don't know. I don't have the answers. I'm not, I don't do the magic stuff, but I can't help but think that there might still be good deep down in there. And besides, what are we going to do? We're going to go get him a wedding dress.

We're going to convince him to come down here so that he can resurrect the kid, and then we're just going to kill it. We're going to do none of those things. And you're not for all. He did seem at one time to be a being of good, but to undo hundreds of years of corruption and madness, perhaps created by the very land itself, it seems unlikely. And if putting him down is mercy and is the only way to fix it, then fine. But I'd hate to just blow an opportunity or mark straight to our deaths.

Well, I believe that investigating the outskirts of the town, perhaps not collecting medicine, but making it safe for the able body to go back into the woods to collect the herbs and medicinal properties they need, maybe the best course of action to uncover more. It may just be random werewolves, but it feels like a plot to me. We have a few hours of daylight left. perhaps we just take a quick look outside the town and we investigate see if we can uncover any tracks and perhaps find some den and none more.

If Shepard feels capable of tracking, that could be the best course of action. Damn right, I do. And I, speaking frankly, and not afraid of the darkness of night, we did see those abominations stitched together with all various kinds of creatures who could very well bump into the abbot in the forests who may be collecting animals of the night

to create these abominations well shall we enjoy a quick meal with these townsfolk and them if you want to find a professor i'll find it I do not think we should be consuming the food here. I do not wish to be cruel, but I do not deem it wise. I'm a start next on that one. Well, I don't think that there's anything wrong with it, but to be horrible to take the food of people who have nothing.

Exactly right, I mean. We have much. They have lived more. when we saw the long roll hole did they look stitched together no would we know

about them like are they naturally occurring you've never seen anything like it before okay got it they were not stitched together they're not they're just made of just the bride lots of different types of the only one the only thing you saw that was stitched together was of the selka which was the

all. Okay. So the beings that we saw were just different parts of them were different animals, but they looked like they were not stripped together. Yeah. They just looked like if you've seen Batman Beyond, they're like the splices. Yeah, they're like, yeah. They're like, you know, boomers or Cameras or whatever. Yeah. Okay.

All right, good points, though. Perhaps we leave now that. That's your word. All right. Let's us go. And he said the west of town, I think he said, right? East of town. Oh, he said.

Yeah, I might have said west, but I meant east. Okay. So we will head out the gates, assuming we get let through. They don't seem to stop you. They seem to have had word that you are free to come and go as you please. And then I will allow Shepard to lead the way and track through the woods. Yeah, so once we get in the forest, I'm going to, I'm assuming I've never seen. a werewolf before I don't know what type of you know from a meta perspective out of

character I don't know what type of creature they are I don't know if they're what are they they're technically shape changers which I think is a dumb like it's all it's always like a really dumb like a succubus is and a theme is a shape changer so anything they can change it's a human weight okay okay what I was gonna do was try to in my infinite wisdom look for wolf tracks that don't seem like normal tracks. I would assume if somebody were like, hey, you know, it's a shape-changing wolf. I would want to look for something where I would say, hey, this looks like it might have been a wolf, but something's off, right? So I'm not just tracking normal wolves.

Okay. Role for survival. Looking for odd, bizarre things. And I have, your proficiency bonus is doubled for those things when I'm in there. So this is just, you said survival? Yep. Okay. And you're just right outside of town. That's not a D20 at all. I think we're like heading out because it's night now. So you're going into the woods at night.

That's what the professor would like to do. What is it? No, it's night. I mean, if you did not ask questions. So evening is now descended. I think that we can at least look for tracks and kind of get information. They created their bonfire. They're having dinner.

We'll take a quick look around and maybe I've got it. I'm saying you, you would now. Well, if he didn't know that. You would know that because you would be seeing it. I won't add my provisional my version of bonus. So I just get a 15. You look around and you definitely find wolf tracks. It's difficult because there are many types of wolf tracks.

Some that look like they could fit the profile of dire wolves. Some that fit your standard wolves. Some that seem to be moving in unison like a pack. But you do see here and there some that seem to go from wolf to boot print. Well, I've got some sort of a track here. It's a little off. I don't really know what it is, but it's unlike some things I haven't really seen before. What do you think?

I mean, we could follow them. We can see where they go. It's up to you. Are they leading into the woods? Great question. Yes. They are. So...

Perhaps it's best not to follow them just now. I do not fear the darkness, but do we need the... cover of darkness to investigate to Abby? Was that not our original plan? Well, that's true. What do we know about where roles and, like, how they transform and stuff? Roll a history check? Just him?

He's the one to ask him, so. Presser you don't know shit. I will use a clairvoyancy point on that. What's a clairvoyancy point? Oh, I'm like, what? That's better. making sure of. A 24.

I mean, you know that it is a curse that happens upon a human. You've read about it in all of your studies on just different entities across the lands. So you've studied a little bit about werewolves. So you know that it comes from a curse. You know that there. is, for all intents and purposes, no way to cure it when someone becomes a werewolf, that the moon has a huge factor into it.

You never really did a ton of studying about them. But you know what basically Richie knows about werewolves. Clay knows about werewolves. So I know that that shape changes, and the moon has something to do with it. Okay, no, shut up. I look at the moon of the sky. Is it a full moon?

The moon is bright, but it's hard to tell than the cover of clouds. Based on what I know that they can transform between human and wolf and a mix of both. I would say that you would be familiar enough to know that once they're a werewolf, they can shape change.

That would. Okay, got it. If we could just get a look at one, even just a slight glimpse, I bet you I can learn a bit more. These are there woods. I'm afraid that if we go in there, we may be numbered.

Well, that's a given. Yeah, I'm with you on that one. We can lure them out somehow, not saying that if we could go catch a child. I don't want to be, you know, this is sticking the mud here, but is there a reason? is we had this plan

and we're just diverting all of a sudden because someone says the word were wolves. Is this something we should be doing? Is this just a fancy that the professor has? Just bear with the professor. It's the thing he does every once in a while. He's a little distractible.

I would not like to get myself killed in the woods before I'm able to find a home for the children. We're not going to let that happen. To be fair, we did promise the plan to Irina. We should stick to it. Well, darkness is our ally. Yes, yes. I just was hoping.

to learn. It's something to learn more. We can venture off in some kind of connection. If we survive the evening, we can venture off into the woods in the morning once we have rested, Professor. What do they say out of the fire, into the frying pan, vice versa, whichever direction, just on to the next

threat. Yes. Okay, fair point, fair point. You're right. Well, we did learn something. I said, right, sure, scribbling down to my notes. It do appear to be werewolves in the area, but these walls seem to protect against the werewolves to some degree. If there is any connection, perhaps we can learn more about it tomorrow.

All right, yes. Back inside and onward. All right. Are you well? Yes, of course. I'm well. I'm just trying to keep everyone safe and get us home. And knowledge is how we do that.

Knowledge is power. Very well. All right. To the Abby. I lead us back and I would like to just not like I don't want to draw attention to ourselves but I want us to kind of lead to the alley as and once we get closer to the abbey I want to I want us to I guess step so if you remember the abbey is at the very back of the town there's only one access to it it's through the town proper

and it's a winding path that goes up to it towards the gates okay Victoria, maybe if it later would allow, we could slither into the abbey under their protection. Yes, I think that's actually wise. I try not to call upon my God for trivial moments, but this seems perfect. You're doing great good here, Victoria. Certainly try, for this deserves. So I will, I'll take out my brand-new prayer, be it's that I got to have been a man. And I'm going to pray to

In the beta, God from the rock that has passed so that we may do good and take suffering from others upon ourselves, leave this a better place we found. Right. And shadow begins to bill out around you. You have made your way through town. People don't seem to notice you there

a tent in what their attention is drawn to what they're doing and the communal feasting that they're having and you make your way through town as you get to the base of this winding path that leads up to the hills where's the darkened abbey you you pray to your god and the shadow spills forth around you as you all make your way unimpatting so go ahead and roll for stealth with plus five to that damn it that's two ninety one and a rub Fresh up. Roll.

30. 30. 20. I got a 15. 22. Plus five? 2. Yep.

19. Oh, I'm going to roll for Irene. It's going to be a yikes. She gets plus five as well, right? Yes, she does. Thank God. I got a nine.

Okay. You will, you begin to make your way. And I'm going to put my lantern. Uh, darkness. continues to descend over the land around you. As you walk, you can see the puffs of smoke every time that you breathe as the temperature drops as you climb higher upon this fill. You can see that far off past the abbey, the snow-capped mountains are still visible in the faint moonlight around you. And you make your way apparently unseen.

You find yourselves, once again, at the gates of the air. Abbey of St. Markovia and all is not quiet here. You can hear the screaming and the grinding of bones and things coming from that long hallway where you saw the Mongol folk being fed there, a strange assortment of limbs and flesh. And you can still hear them now. They're loud. But All else, everywhere else, is quiet. You look up the roof of the abbey towards the second story. You can see lights flickering here and there. Through the small slits and the sides of the walls,

slit the slotted windows. You can't see it, but there is life, at least some semblance of it. You stand before the gate. You've found yourself. at the base of the Abbey of St. Markovia. The gates move ahead of you. You're shrouded in the swirl of shadows gifted to you by the prayerbeats around Victoria's neck. Now, I know Ms. Irina here keeps saying that we have a plan.

Are we all on the same page here? What are we doing? A plan is to sneak in and begin investigating. Hopefully the abbot is asleep. If angels need to sleep. So if it comes to blows, though, or letting loose? Well, yes, stealthily if we can, but we may not need to until we encounter the abbot himself. Plan A, sweet can learn what we learn.

Plan B, use Miss Irina as a bargaining chip. Plan C is coming to blows. All right. I think what Victoria said earlier that the abbot and the people that the creatures here may be curable. They may be reasoned with. I think fighting should be our second option. We try to go in and learn as much as we can and maybe see what we can do to help them. They may need as much help as the city of Christ does.

All right. Just making sure we're all on the same page. I don't wish to bring any more attention to this town. that they've had enough doubtness upon them and I won't bring more at my hopes. I understood. All right. So do we have ideas for getting over the wall

or should I take one of you with me up there and drop a row? This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Evantris and gain access to tons of exclusive perks, including a monthly movie night and a weekly Patreon exclusive campaign set on the high seas, shroud over salt marsh. You can also go to the crooked moon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror tome for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. And don't forget to snag all the extra goodies like dice, miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more.

Thank you. Oh, the gates are closed, you said. Does it look? scalable? It's a stone wall. What do the gates look like? They are wooden gates. They were locked, and they were opened by the two mongrel

hotel. Right, right. So not scaled. Professor, how are you feeling? And I do not mean in the sense of, are you well. But I think that would be our best option. None of us are the acrobatic type. Well, let's me take a look. how talls the wall? Sorry.

It's about 40 feet. Yes. Well, 40 feet. I can go about 30 feet. I've been to be able to Yeah. Well, I'm hoping to

use a lower spell slot. Oh, I see. But. I could attempt to climb trips and things. Oh, yes. You're now skilled at climbing as of two levels ago.

Very athletic. I have the athlete feet. She has athletes feet. Climbing doesn't cost me extra movement and you can make a running high jump in this case. I could try to move back and then cling on to a part of the wall and try to make my way up.

Why don't we attempt that and if we need to, I can get up there if that plan fails. And how how tall is the wall? About 40 feet. 40 feet? Okay. You can't. So running high jump after moving only five feet on foot rather than 10. So I can move five feet back, make a running high jump.

But I think that's equivalent to my strength score modifier for running jumps. It means it be better to climb because you don't know if you might be harder to kind of latch on. If you run and jump, but you hit the surface, you're not going to have anywhere to find purchase. So you'll just slide down. Okay. I'll just start climbing up if I can. Yeah. I guess if you don't have climate change.

Athletics check. Athletics. 12. Um, okay. You, I would say you would need something to assist you. You think you could do it, but just hands and feet-wise, you're not going to be able to find. You could maybe get 10 feet up before you realize that like,

this is smooth stone balls. There's really nowhere for you put your fingers or your feet. I can't find any good not just to put my feet in. Professor, it may be worthwhile to just bite the bullet, so to say. I feel that I can break a piece of the world to cause such a commotion. It would give us away. Yes. Hide the sound of those.

We have rope, right? Yes. Okay. I'm going to bring the shepherd with you. Now, I got about 50 feet of rope. Let us go then. I'll put my hand on your shoulder and a very lovely arcane door will open up and be a kind of like a shimmering blue door will open up and we'll walk through. I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of that.

We will appear on top of the wall. Needs your old furnish enough. I'm kidding. I was watching. Nikki. I'm going to get my brush up with that. It's all it. I'm going to get my face.

I just really wanted to do that. Bang, bang. Is there anything at my hand? Is there anything at the top of this wall for me to tie rope to? You appear out of the door and immediately you jump back as you see the figure of a guard. It's arm raised in the air as if it's ready to strike. And it takes you a moment before you realize this is the same scarecrow that you remember seeing upon first entry, wearing the garb of the guards.

And we begin to look around, you see all along the pathway along this gate. There are small alcoats where previously guards would have sat and they would have kept watch over the land and over this place. And in all of the outposts, you see figures. But now that you know them until they're all scarecrows from one end of the abbey to the other. And as you look around, you're easily able to see metal, metal placards where chains or manacles could be tapped in case the guards had prisoners were the like up here. You're able to easily secure one of the ropes to one of these, the sturdies that you can

see bolted into the stone and let the rope down to your friends. And with that, I won't make you all make acrobatics to climb up without your friends. You can easily be able to. assuming Kana with her capable climbing speed towards the back really helping to get everybody up. And it takes about 15 minutes, I would say, with you being quiet and careful, so it's not to draw attention to yourselves before you finally, all of you have ascended over the wall. You're now on, you're now on the pyramid of the wall here, looking down at the courtyard. Over here, like map-wise.

Yeah. We're here. Would there be stairs now down from any of the guard towers? I'd say looking in, you can see that there's a spiral staircase that goes from the main guard tower at either side of the door, directly down to the ground. I'll begin to untie the rope and recoil it up and stick it in my pack then. You do that.

All right, let's climb down and continue all. Yeah, I'll just point over to the staircase or whatever. Where should we get us in which? I believe. based on what we learned last time, to the right was the abbey itself, and to the left were the stables, something,

where they kept all of the... Did we only see the one front entrance, though, the double doors in the front of the abbey? What I'm worried about is there may not be another entry point. I feel strongly that we need to see what's within those stables, but perhaps later

the creatures within will make so much noise. Well, if there's window, or something, we can just peek it. And while we're looking for another entrance or something, I just don't want to go waltzing into the front gates. Yes, I believe we should continue onward towards the main gates. And once we're inside, once we're inside, we could, is it worth investigating where the mongrel folk are held?

I believe that would raise alarm, giving how loud they are. again. You can hear them. They're loud right now. So they're like screaming and yelling and like, and it's not even necessarily screams of pain. It's just these inhuman howling. It's almost as if that's how they're communicating. And they're just, they're incredibly loud.

You hear banging of chains and things against walls, those that might be manacled together. The sound of things breaking apart and crashing. You feel, I would say now that you're up here, you feel like the noise. that they're making is giving you a significant amount of cover from being detected. As long as they don't have a way to raise any kind of alarm, then, you know, I'm with you, getting information on what's going on. It would be key. Yes, I believe first we investigate.

Perhaps we can try to learn what we can from the stables if they're going to be helming either way. And hopefully they don't alert us if they can, those two that we met could speak common, but the rest, the foul creature that we met, that was chained up was just screaming. I don't understand what makes them be so calm all the others are barrels. We'll just proceed with stealth and caution and get as close to the stables as we can get.

Yes. And we'll go from there. All right. Let's go. So we'll try to stealth up here, I guess. Have we seen any, have we been to any or seen any churches of the Moon Mother? No, not.

Okay. Is it Moon Mother? Is that? That's just one of her names. Yeah. Okay. I think I hope I made that. So we will approach the main gate. How tall is it?

Is it like scalable or? Or are the doors open? The doors aren't open, but this is more like a, this is more a gate than it is like wooden doors and like parapet. This is simply just a locked gate and there's chains wrapped through it. if you were like maybe a halfling and like super tiny

you might even be able to squeeze in between some of that it looks like you could pick the lock and slowly move the chains off a bit and open the gate. Professor, should we lap the perimeter of the building? See if there's a way in in the back

like we did with the Wachter House. Maybe this would be drawed too much attention since we saw a creature in the foyer last time. I want to peek through. Do I see anything? looking in you see you you see it just as you left it the same mom girl folk that's tied to the wooden post is there on its back its bat wings can be seen beneath its body as it at first appears to be looking towards the sky that you see the slow rise and fall of its belly which looks protrubate almost full and it is fast asleep the scattered bones of whatever it had consumed scattered all around.

Some of them broken and smashed as it had taken them and smashed them into the ground, splintering them. But now that it's full, now that it's feasted, it's fast asleep. I believe we understand that the backside of this abbey is against a very steep cliff. And so I don't see any sign of them. I believe we should just make haste. Can you pick the lock?

I will take my, uh, feves tools and attempt to pick the lock here. We got the stealth for a while, right? Yeah, for an hour. There was a back entrance in the lady walkedress house. I just suggested that may be a less suspicious way than picking the front lock. Somebody may be on patrol and they may notice that it's unlocked. Do we, did we ever come over here when we were up there last time?

You did not. So we don't not know that there are. So I'll have my thieves on this. As I'm going to. I suppose if we just go around the left side of this building, quickly we can see if there are any other doors, but if not, we can return here. So, yeah, we will come around and I guess check for any other ways in. Saarnax, do you have the ability to silence things in case we run into trouble?

Professor, I normally probably do if I know my class. Did you prepare if that's found in the morning? I did not prepare. That would have been very wise. But I did not assume we were going to engage in the stealth mission. It's been a very long day. It has. So you make your ways around, shrouded in the shadows under the veil of night,

and just by habit stance, covered by the ever-present sound. from. As you make your way around, you come to nestled between rising and plunging cliffs, are four rectangular garden plots enclosed by a five-foot-high wall of mortared stones. White rabbits nibble on turnips uprooted by the cold. Two lifeless scarecrows with stuffed gullets and sat-clothed heads hang from wooden crosses, pounded into the cold barter. The Abbey's East Wing looms over the garden, shattered windows dark and disturbing. A door leads in this forlorn edifice, which apparently is as a bandit as one might

have been within the laughter and the wailing of things that should not be. A door. It is a lot. Give me the old try. You place your hand upon the doorknob and immediately feel

the coldness of the metal towards the outside of the friggined winds coming down from the mouth. It's almost too cold to touch, but you grasp it slowly turn. creaking of the lock as it clicks push it open

the smell that billows out from you is horrific the smell of decaying body parts of fecal matter of dust and grime all unimaginable things before it was a long hallway

that stretches forward doors on either side is it dark inside it is very dark inside it is very dark in Am I still able to see like peering in the doorway? Yes, it does not appear to be like that.

All right, okay. Would the two of you like to go first? Yeah, I guess so. I can't see. And I'm going to lose judgment. Now you can. Perhaps. Go in looking stealthy.

Shepherd, be our eyes. Yeah, just everybody stay behind me, one hand on everybody's shoulders, and then nobody go too quick, all right? And you can see too, right? I can see. Okay, so then they'll go first and it will just be... It is pure black for you.

So I just want to make sure there's nothing in the immediate hallway other than these doors, like there's no creatures or critters or litter in the... As you look through, the lightless corridor has multiple doors behind witch-light creatures that shatter the quiet with their mad cackles and cursed whispers. The stench is overpowering. And even in the glue, you can make it. out a monstrous shape lumbering down the hall to look forward. The darkness can no longer hide to true nature.

Your eyes are treated to a terrifying, seven foot tall, assemblage of human body parts. I need you all to roll over anything. Oh, my God. No. I was literally going to be like, turn around and push everybody out the door, like close the door quietly. You can't go in there.

I don't come on skew me. I don't care for it. Oh my God. It's sauce. It's sauce. Oh, man. Okay. Body.

Oh, okay. One day I'm going to read this terrifying journal to my children. Are they'll take it out? Healing or whatever? That's what that's really sad and scary diaries. I don't play it somewhere so they find it. Yeah. one day, and I'm going to have to scribble out all the

Victorian ears. All right, you see as he, as this creature, it appears to be the sticks together body parts of all types of humanoids, as well as you look closer, even Mongol folk.

As one of its arms moves forward, you see that beneath it another small arm protruding from the side, bones exposed, the rotting flesh of whatever this had been beforehand. still deteriorating as it shambles forward. Its head is partially sewn on,

and as you look closer, you see that it's not just one head, but multiple. And this creature, seven foot tall, looming over you, is absolutely horrific as it moves in, and it is going to get directly in a melee range with Weber was in first. God! This is over the fuck. Okay. Bring on, big guy.

Let's go. It is going to make two slay. Lamb attacks down on me. One of its arms is incredibly hulking and strong. The other is still muscular, but not nearly as strong as the other. Both seem to be from different entities. And that is going to be a... 21 is the lowest one to hit.

They both hit. So on the first one, I'm going to handle his rebuked. Does it have eyeballs? I... Kennedy blind. It has multiple eye eyeballs. I am going to use my reaction to blind it when it is... swinging in with its big,

uh, its big boy, uh, hand and to give a disadvantage on it. Watch out of separate. And like, as a blast, a blinding light shoots for my landing down. I'm looking.

It doesn't look. Yeah, no, it's not immune to blinds. Or a four right here. Um, and it has vision, so. So, so. So, so. One hits. One hits.

So I'm still going to hells rebuk that. Um, so, So it's a just, I believe it's... 15 points of damage. Oh, boy. I'm taking the 15. Uh, applying the changes. And then it's 3D10, Dex 11 save for you.

And I roll you two. Bob dog. That's good. Ooh. That's going to be 19 points of damage. So upon getting the, I guess, the one misses after Starix blinds him, and then once getting hit from the second one, my skin will like flare. And, and his, upon making the, the, the, upon making the, I guess, the, I guess, it's, the, it's contacts his handle and singed for

19 points of damage. Whoa! Fire damage. How happened? Okay. So 19 points? 19. All right. You let out this burst of hellfire and you watch as the flesh on this creature

begins to melt away and as you stare directly into it you see embedded in the chest the image of a face but it's stretched, it's cold top and you see where it's stitched around. the underside of its armpits. The eye holes completely empty as you watch a beetle

crawl out and skitter down its side as it begins to drip almost like wax as the flesh begins to melt away. It takes a damage to. Holy go out, Mickey. Yeah, sorry. I am going to look at it and I'm going to,

I think I can use a bonus action to Unhood. Can I... I basically want to be at least... We're not trying to be stealthy, so I immediately shine light, so everyone can see as I'm doing this. Inside, right? Inside, right?

Yeah, inside. And does the light that I'm now illuminating reveal anything additional is like people are screaming towards us? It's just this one creature. Just this one creature. Okay. There's one creature that's coming towards them. I am.

I am. I am going to, uh, to, uh, to, uh, look at it and say, be blinded by the light. and I'm going to use my lantern of heretical souls to try to blind the creature and he needs to make a con saving throw or be blinded for one minute. Or revved up like a deuce.

20. Okay, yeah, he succeeds. That's my turn. Shepherd. After having just gotten punched in the head by this thing, I'm going to dark souls roll around him to get to behind him using my bonus action to not leaving his staying in the early range. Use my bonus action to slayers prey him.

And then I'm going to fire off to attacks with my action. Okay. Well, I got two tens, which is going to be plus... So 20 for each. Yeah, both of the same. So then that's going to be 1d5 plus 5. So that'll be 6. and then 11 plus 10 is

21 plus the Slayer's Parade damage happens once. So that's 26 points of damage for two attacks. Bang, bang. You leap over him, avoiding touching him. And as he makes a move around you, you move backwards and barely skirt around him and you see beneath his arm a maw, sharp razor-like teeth that chomps

and chomps as if it's alive. And as he moves, he doesn't seem to notice as you spin around him and you let loose two bolts into his back. He rears forward. You hear the mouth beneath his arm scream out in vain and he takes that damage. Shepherd also screams. It is her turn.

My turn? Yeah. So with Sentinel attack when it says a creature within 530, you makes an attack against a target other than you? If I have reach, does that become 10 or is it only 5? It's over 5. Okay, good enough. I will run

up next to Shepherd, so just assume I am immediately to his right. And I can see this now because of his lantern being open, right? So I'm not a disadvantage here, but what I will do is I will use my bonus

action to channel my fighting spirit to get myself advantage on this strike with my nagada slash it all that should be a 23

ahead and that'll be a D10 plus 5 if I'm not mistaken yes nice that'll be

13 points of slashing damage 13 yeah it's a silvered slashing I don't know if this makes any

difference on this mofo you you slash into it and you feel that you are ripping sine you and chunks of bone from him but it seems to be taking less damage than you would expect it

and as you look you actually feel like you're moving your blade through its body but it doesn't seem to be hurting it at all I noticed this can I take out my blood sphere the, as my other attack, the Kavan one that I got earlier?

Yes, but I think you have to drop your 99. So you'd have to drop it on the ground. Can I use an opt-free object interaction to switch out weapons? Not to switch. You'd have to... That's why you have to drop it. So you can pull it.

That's a free object interaction. Or to stowing or me or pulling out a weapon is one free object interaction. But then you have to drop whatever weapon you're on. So you either stow and pull, otherwise you drop another. So I can drop and pull it out? Yes. So you just have to drop it.

you're non-unata. So you risk whatever can happen with that. I'll do that just because I've never used this weapon before. And I think I would like to do that. And I still have advantage on this because it's weapon attack roles. It doesn't say it has to be the one that you're wielding. I gave five temporary hip points. We're just going to note that now. And so I have advantage. I'm going to attack my blood sphere. And that's a plus eight still. Okay. 26 to hit. That hits.

And this is magical. Let's see here. Magical weapon. D, it's piercing. So let's see if this has been made. Nice. So this is, that's going to be

11 points of piercing damage. Magical. Magical piercing. You pierce into it with this blood spear, the blood spear of Kavan, and you rend the flesh and you see where bits of

ooze and pus begin to spill forth from the wounds, it is cut deeper into the height of this thing. You hear the mouth on the underside begin to let out this strogly extreme as it does seem to take the answer. Okay. And that would be my turn. Tori. I'm going to hold up my hand in a black flame will kind of lick up from my fingertips

and all cast it out towards, aiming at like the really horrifying face you described. And let me support a fireball with a natural room. So that will look in my face. You let forth the firebats, but you are so distracted as you look into this. You channel it towards the face that's stretched across its chest. And as you begin to channel your magic, you see as the mouth itself opens up and lets out a wail, its lips are stretched tight, but the sound echoes throughout this dark hall, and you shoot your fireball or fire blast off into the distance.

I click. A whimper, I'll say, yeah. Do, do. How's he looking? It's fine. As fine is a horrible stitch devolation. It's hard to get to make a sense of life in this, considering what it is. And does it look basically the same construction as, what's your name?

Yes. The silka, I guess. We don't have time for this. Dispelio or whatever the hell it is. And I can't dispel magic on it. And so you have to, so if you have to roll, it's above a certain level.

It's third. So depending on one level you're casting it at. Go for it. Well, all you're casting that, though. Okay. Because you can power it up, right? And then that makes it a little easier. I can, but.

Well, no, I mean, it's for a long day. is on that. Yeah, right, it has. It's been a very long day. There we go. 21. You cast your spell and you feel the magic course throughout your body as you shoot it forward

and you stare at its face as if eyes go dark and it continues to lumber form towards you. Oh shit, it's different. So his eyes, you said it got dim. They got dark, like, almost as if he got angry as he lumbers can take that.

Was there any effect that we could visibly see it other than he got dark? No. Okay. Irene. I'm gonna look at you. You see Irene towards the back. Are you crazy? This is not a wolf.

Do I, do I stab it? Do I move forward? Stay behind us, please. Do you don't stop it? No, do not stab it. Put the size of its arms. Are you kidding? Are you kidding?

her turn and step behind whoever is in the back. She's already behind me. She's like, she's cowering. She can dodge. She'll take the dodge action. Perfect. It is now his turn. You want, let's see here. Let's see how this goes.

You see as this creature, its eyes, having gone dark, it's staring directly towards Clayton, almost as if it knows somewhere deep in one of its brains. What you've attempted to do. As you see, it begin to spin its arms. It hunkers down and it begins to go absolutely berserk. Its mouths all over its body are frothing. You see faces where there hadn't been

faces. Open up in the flesh. One of them directly near its abdomen opens up and begins to wail. And you notice that inside of its mouth are body parts and bones as they begin to spill out as he starts lashing and wailing away at whoever is the closest to him. Connor Shepard. Yeah, there's two of us. Nearest creature can see. So we're behind. We're behind it.

Okay. I'm going to use a D2. One is Sarnax. Two is Victoria. One. So it's going after Sarnax. Is it moving? Huh?

Is it moving? Yes, it's going to lumber forward. I would like to make an opportunity to town. I'm good. Thanks. Um, Can I make it a reckless attack? What?

Can I make it a reckless attack? Oh, yeah, of course. I'm going to make a reckless attack. I'm going to make a regular attack. It takes 12 points of piercing damage. And that's magical, right? And it's magical piercing. And because I have the sentinel feet,

its movement is the speed becomes zero for the rest of its current. But that's after it moves. So it's moved once. It's in range. So it's in range. Yes. So I can't move any beyond that way. Yeah, that's fine.

So cool. Shepard. I got an 18. Okay, that hits. Bam! And I'm just trying to say this is the first time each turn that I hit the target. So it's... My turn's already...

I don't want to double up on the Slayer's prey damage, is what I'm trying to say. So the first... So say it again? Can you read... It just says the first time each turn that you hit that target with a weapon attack. So each turn is a different turn, so yes. It counts. But then on my turn, I won't...

It'll be a different... damage. It's a different turn. Okay, so it's on a round. It's a position. It's a turn. It's his turn. But it's his turn. So it's turned. So in that one attack, it will be 24 points of damage.

Ghali! It blumbers forward. Kana, you take the sphere and you slice into it, rending one of the extra appendages from its back, slicing into it, you see a tongue. lock out from deep within it. As bugs begin to

crawl out of the crevices, maggots spill forth from the slice in its back. Shepherd, you see as it stops, it can't. It's unable to move forward with the force of your strike. Shepherd, you take this moment to shoot into it, both of your blasted into it. You're sprayed with the

viscous material from the inside of this creature as it takes the full brunt of this blast. It is looking incredibly weak, but it is still standing. is it is going to rain down its berserking attack down on the Star Antis. I do not fear you.

It's first... Whoopie, is that you? It's going to make its first one, or first set of slam attacks. No, is this a movie special? 15 doesn't hit you, right? Nope.

But the other one will, well, he's blinded, so we'll see what he gets. He's not blinded. I'm using the reaction to radiance. It still has done to hit. So you did not successfully blind him before. What? Did you not succeed?

I didn't blind him, but I'm doing what you call it. You did not attempt to blind him with his future. He changed what he did, right? 20 points of damage for the first set of attacks, but because he's jerking, he's going to make more. Oh, my God. One is a natural 20. And then the other is an 18. 18 is probably all hit.

I think he still had. Yeah, they all had. So you just took 20, and then you got the 18 and the natural 20. Yeah. I'm going to do the first one nine points of damage for that one and then

now you don't have so now you've taken 29 points of damage another 29? No, no, just so you took the 20 and then you just took 9 I'm just making sure you've got that now he's doing the correct just making sure you got that

yikes just 20 points of damage 49 points of damage He went to cert. He's got a lot of health. So, Alex! I'm fine. Okay.

That is his turn. All right. Sox. Oh, I'm up. Are you? Are you? I'm fine. I'm fine.

You got hit him so hard. He got knocked into doughbro. Yeah. I mean a nice sandwich. Let me. Oh, geez. Hi, I am feeling, I am not feeling well. I'm going to look, and as a bonus action, I will say,

the fire lord sustains me, I do not fear you. And I'm going to cast, uh, the fire is going to kind of, uh, uh, singe and cauterize my wounds as I healing word my biz. And I'm going to cast that. And then I'm going to say, and he casts his gaze upon you. You will now burn. And I'm going to cast, um, uh, fuck it. I'm going to cast scorching ray because fuck this guy.

Let's go. And I am going to make, uh, and I'm going to make, uh, and I'm going to do. disadvantage because he's directly in front of me. Wait, even with Warcaster? Is that important? Yeah, no, it doesn't.

It doesn't affect that. Yeah. Okay, never mind. Never mind. I wish. I wish. I could move back by scene. The first one is going to be a 21.

The next one. Ooh, it's going to be a natural one. The next one, ah, was a natural 20. It still hits, but I did not get a natural 20 because of that. So it is going to be, ba-b-b-b-ba-ba-ba. B'ba. Actually, I'm going to use my Sarnax Flyer dice. It is, so that is

scorching ray. It is He's a dinosaur. Oh, yikes. Not very good. Is he attacking with his bear arms? 10 points of fire damage. With all that,

you didn't tend to? Not that he has bare arms. Damn. I roll, I roll B6, I roll two to three. I'm taking him at all. You singe your wounds. You singe your wounds with the healing power of Garrick's. And you let force a burst of fire from your hands,

channeling it directly into this entity, aiming directly for an open wound on its stomach. As you force the flame into it, it ignites. And you see as the skin and the flesh begins to pop, the smell of burnt flesh and burnt hair, begins to fill and billow in this, room around you as you see the entire thing ignite

and go up into flame as bits and pieces of flesh fall from a head of rolls out of one of its open mouths, limbs fall this way and that until it turns into a pool of bubbling acre on floor and front of it. I immediately grab my doggia knot up and had one hit point left

after Shepard. Damn! Storm that's over you all right, buddy! I'm fine. I'm going to kneel down next to Sarnax while we're recovering and getting yourselves, and I'm going to pull out some sort of medicinal herbs and some bandages or whatever. Tendip? What's hell?

There you. Thank you very much. So I'm just flavoring my cure wounds as me doing, you know, like, patching them up. Perfect. Oh, I'm going to just lay my hand on myself. This is true before we got to do necessarily, you know, we're all cast a major room. Okay. I'm immediately going to kneel down and grab my knocking out off the floor and store it.

I'll have my blood sphere out just for any other abominations that come by. I'm fine. Yeah, I mean, he got me a little bit, but I gave him one, two. The nature of the magic to stitch that abomination together was different from the stalker, who I dispelled earlier. It's a foul magic at play. You weren't able to undo it. No, I was not.

Wow. You tell what it was. I believe that the magic created this, did just that. It created this being, and it was not an ongoing magic that kept it stitched together. It is wickedness.

Through and through this place is corrupted. Yes. Let us continue and purge the rest of the evil from this abbey. Yes. We think this was a creation by the abbey? Yes. Can we, the little doors

that lead into the stables are they like, they have a pain or whatever. They look like they have a, their wooden doors, they seem to be completely closed. There's no window or smother anything. So it's not like a forced people. No, it's not a horse state. Okay, I got it.

It's part of the abbey. It looks like it maybe, at one point was, you knew that this abbey used to have like a nunnery any. Okay. So these could have been classrooms. These could have been rooms that people slept. but they are now being used to house the Mongol folk. Whatever, whatever's behind these doors, I don't think we want to go poke in the hornets nest here.

I agree. So the Mongro folk can't see us. No. And you can, you listen and you can still hear the maniacal laughing, cackling, the noises of breaking pieces of wood, the screaming, the scratching, all of the strange noises that you've been hearing since you ventured in to the Abbey of St. Markovia. They don't seem to have been disturbed at all by the noises you were making or to have taken notice of them at all. If we don't look at them now, I wish that we'll come back before we need this. I won't think these creatures will suffer.

We will. Professor, I have seen you use your visible magic hand abilities. Is there anything on this corpse that may be useful? He might have been on patrol. Maybe there's a key on him that he may need later. Take him look. I don't know where to have. keep it. I'm afraid to talk aisle with any

now, isn't it? I will say monum and I will send my mage hand forward and just kind of feel around and you send your mage hand forward and you see as it delves into the viscous material of what once was this

fleshy abomination. You see as bits of bones and teeth begin to move forward around as it digs through the remains of this entity, but it is unable to find anything. Oh, hells. Professor, quit it, man.

Oh, gosh. Please. And I will dispel the main chance. I think how you're... Well, physically. Yes. Mentally, I'm not social. Do you want to hot on my back and I can get you around the muck?

Um, no, mainly because you are covered in the muck. Yeah, too chay. Um, let's just go through. and confirm that these doors just have the mongrel folk and let's continue onward. We don't need to investigate these small rooms, I don't think. Yeah, I'll just like street muck and

gather your skirts and let's go. So, for the sake of gravity in these rooms, you look at each one, so I'll tell you what you'll find in each one. Right. Oh, me? Yeah. Oh, I thought they were, like, that's what I was asking. I thought we couldn't look in.

You can hear the sounds of the Mongol folk. Yeah. But I thought we couldn't look through without opening the doors. You can't. You said there's like a little, like a, at least a No, I said there weren't any openings. Oh, okay. Yeah. So I think I just say you're opening the doors and looking in. I don't know

if you want to do that. I think we're skipping that. If you want to, I just want to make sure we're on the same page. I will take one door and I will just peek open just very quickly to see I'm assuming they're chained up, right? So I'm thinking they're probably changed the wall. Well, that's up.

Just very quickly. Hold, peeked my head in. Hold, people. Again, four Mongol creatures brawl in the wreckage of a bedchamber while a fifth watches and cackles behind a life-sized painted wooden statue of a woman

in St. Louis. None of them seem to notice you. They are not changed. Oh, fuck. Yeah. Scooby-Divie. Where are I? Well, Professor. They're closest to them.

They're not chained, but they're... I don't think that they'd be chained. They're not, do? It's really small. Let's just keep going. Why is decision? I'll lead the way, I suppose.

All the doors, did he have to unlock it to get in? I'll stand in the back and make sure these don't come barreling after us. I think to screw us behind. Do we need to restelf or do we keep your previous rules? I would say you need to re-stelf, but your ability is still up. This is long as it's been within the hour. Come on next. Not bad.

Here's a 20 plus. Here we go. We continue down the hallway. I leave the way. Guns drawn. And Kana's got the back. I do.

So we're surrounded. And I just have the light out so everyone can say because fuck this place. Yeah, we're beyond. I got a 22 stealth. Oh, I'm giving you stealth. Yeah. Who's the lowest stealth? Just tell me the lowest. Oh, 19.

16. That might be the worst. 28. Damn. What? Oh, so 27. Oh, this is that plus five. Yeah. So me.

I got, I think wasn't good to fight. You continue down the hallway until you find yourself into, until you find yourselves in a room that opens up into two directions. This room looks like it used to be in office as evidenced by the remains of a desk and a chair, both of which have been smashed to pieces. A hallway to the south leads to a staircase going up. The dark passage to the east is full of a natural whisper. It's mad laughter and beached jollum.

That's the one from behind you. So this is if you were coming in from the front. And you can see the one door that leads back out towards the courtyard, which will then lead you through the courtyard back to where you met with the abbey. Are we able to basically deduce that through that door we would know Yes. That is the car yard. Yes.

No sense of nowhere we've already been. Of course. But there's a desk. Let me just take a quick book. Take your town. I want to run over there and see, like, and find any kind of notes or information. Investigate.

For investigation. There's another daddy one. Yikes. Thanks. There's other ones that. One plus eight is, what, nine? You look through.

This is, you're the only one? going. The DM wants you to do this. Hint, hint, wink, wink. I will run over... Is someone please go on me? Is it pitch black? Starnax is like, okay. I will run over and roll with advantage.

See, I'm such a nice to answer. Use your port and goddammit. Use a twist. You have luck. I do have luck. Your mom is kings. Divination was a. Help me, help you. Help me, help you. Help me, help you. I will...

I will... A divination point. A different dice. different fucking guy. I'm like, geez, please. Jeez, Louise. Stop using, though. Is it a 10 or higher?

Yes, a 10. The last one was a 10. You, you look, well, then you should have told me that was sort of freaking out. Then, okay. There we go. God. You're so close. Thanks, Nikki.

Yeah, you're welcome. Give it around a lot from NEP. I said it really low for a reason. Okay, I will say, so then the first two, 60s. The first two, succeed. You know, you said the first one was a nine. Yeah, and then I re-roll and I advantage and that was a two.

Yes, yes, so that works at. Yeah. God, you're so lucky to have me. You really, really do. Anyway, you look through, and this is the wreckage of a desk. There is, you're careful as you come apart bits of fecal matter, et cetera, and it's in the corner somewhere. These mongrel folk are quite disgusting and horrific.

But you find... It's a duky. Oh, my God. She really wanted you to dig this. Okay. Oh, my God. Look at the weathering on that. You got the shit-stained journal.

You got a shit-stained journal. What? So would you like me to read it to you or do you want to read it? I don't know what you're going to pass around. Okay. Do you need a bath? Yeah, I do need it back to read it to you. Okay.

You find a weathered journal. And as you begin to look through it, though the head. hand-wainting itself seems to be almost otherworldly, you begin to realize that this is the journal of the Abba.

Day the first. As the morning Lord bids me, so do I follow. The Abbey of St. Markovia and Kresk has led to many years, his low these many years, lain desolate by the evil straw, who by her own hand, slayed

the blessed saint, who gave the Abbey its name, and hollowed its ground. I will restore it to its previous glory and purpose, a place of healing and hope. To do this, I must win the villagers' trust, to cower and fear in the village of which the abbey looms. So fearful are they of strad and her walls that they dare not venture beyond the village walls. The walls of mist might just as well be made of brick and mortar as it imprisons them thusly. Day the 30th I've taken the guise of a mortal, pleasing and young, and gone among the villagers,

though they seem to harbour suspicion about my purpose and origin, they want to help. Certainly am I that I can win their confidence to aid me in restoring the sanctuary they need so much. Fifteenth day of the third month, the third year. Well, there is much left to do to recapture the former glory of this place. It is once more serving the village. They come to the doors, those ill of limb and mind,

and I tend to them as a shepherd wood his flock. Light is returning to Krovia, and in my heart I feel. feel exce. Second day of the sixth month, the sixth year. Today, a sickly brood of imbred lepers appeared at our doors seeking salvation. They call themselves by the family name Bellevue. Though there is little of beauty or good one can see upon them, we will offer what we can to rid them of the dreadful infirmities. 22nd day of the 10th month, the eighth year. the bellevues are much improved the physical deformities have vanished under our soothing bombs and salves they are grateful and follow after me like dogs waiting to please still they brandish such defects which go beyond what cures and treatments i can find in the abbey's texts or from my own lord's guidance i am determined to make them whole again and to bring them into the light Eighth day, a fourth month, the tenth year.

I know not what more can be done to help these woeful creatures, but I must. I shall not be defeated. They cannot undo all that I have worked and strived to accomplish here. Ninth day, the eighth month, the fifteenth year. Their idea of what perfection means does not match mine. They have strange ideas of what it means to be human. They beg me to give them the eyes of a cat, wings to fly, the strength of a mule, the guile of a snake, he pity them.

I am sure their desire for bestial traits cannot lead to salvation. But if it persuades them to follow, then let it be so. I will yield to these mad desires and hope that it helps. First day of the second month, the 16th year. My first experiments have been abysmal failures, the results fatal. Yet they beg and plead. How do I go on? How can I stop now?

How can I stop when the next might be success? We are so close. Fifteenth day of the ninth month, the 17th year. I am. I am at my wits end. First day, the first month, the 25th year. Today, a Peruvian lord named Vasilie von Holtz visited the abbey. His outward appearance was pleasing enough,

but I sensed something sinister about his person. like a blade that penetrates to my depth. It stains like an ink that I cannot shake. His purpose at first was not clear. But he tells me that he has come to help. From whence he comes or why I know not. Tonight he tells me he will reveal more as we sup. Third day of the fourth month.

The 25th? Yeah. Little did I know that when Vassili arrived he would bring me the knowledge that it would help me satisfy the needs of these pitiful creatures who torment my soul. He brings a forbidden law from the Amber Temple. This has solved the fatal

dilemma of transformation that has alluded me thus far. We have found the way to satisfy what they've asked. There is much work to do. 12th day, the fifth month, the 30th year. They are happy as Mongol folk. If insanity brings them happiness,

we should all be insane. 10th month, 55th year. Two of these Mongrelfolk now serve me as guards. Otto and Zygfek. They are two of my most impressive creations as far. I'm proud as a father must feel.

Six day, six months, 66th. I should have known. How foolish have I been. Maybe I did know, but refused to believe so. The ceiling has revealed herself to be the devil's strad.

What is to be done? It would be futile to attempt to slay such an immortal creature. The ancient curse upon this land protects her. She can never truly die, at least not in Borovia. Fourteenth day of the sixth month, the 66th year. There is more to this master than meets the eye. At supper tonight, Straud unburdened herself and lamented the curse that has followed her through the centuries.

She wants nothing more than to escape Borovia. Despite myself, I feel the pangs of sympathy and the urge to help her, find reliefs and peace. I have taken it upon myself to find a cure for her malaise and set her free of this torment. seventh day of the third month the 67th year I can only see one way of curing this poor soul reunification with her lost love she speaks so fondly and wistfully of her I am certain this way lies salvation for all of us

this will end Barovia's curse once and for all day month of seventieth year the Bellevues languish in the madhouse as I toil on creating a golem bride for Stroud, using the paths I've scavened from the town below. Seventy-first year.

Training of the bride progresses slowly. She shall live again to love. She shall learn again to love. Huh, love. The word tastes like bitter root in my mouth. Why is live evil, writ backwards? I wonder what I have wrought. Is this what the morning lord sent me to do?

The lessons and etiquette and the manners of a lady move slow into the wheels of eternity, but soon she would be ready to be presented to straw. Silka, she is beautiful. She will be so pleased. I can feel the morning lord's light again.

This man is... This is curious. He might not be completely consumed by evil. He may just be doing what he think is right, but I don't think he's completely insane. You may be off the path. But I don't know if smiting him where he stares,

though would be wise. He has been fooled. They are all delicious little lies told by the devil, told by the countess to corrupt his mind. Everything written in that journal is a lie. Even the part about him referring to her as a lost soul? She is a lost soul. the lost soul internally gone from the light.

He was simply a man trying to help lift these curses and cure these people and make them happy. She came into his abbey and essentially confessed the same thing. He feels necessary to handle her the same way he handles all of these moments, just to give them what they want to restore Boroviour. to what it once was, he is older than she is. He's lived here longer. He's seen the history of the fold

more so that she has. He may be up to something, but he may not know how deep he. So it's truly misguided. We should continue onward upstairs. Yes.

This may be lies, but I'm not sure given the mental state exhibited in this journal, with bargaining or even more. Roll an intelligence, nice, good. Damn, I'm. Okay, thanks. All right, well,

a little done, Professor, upstairs. Let's continue. I'll lead the group upstairs. You begin to ascend the stairs, leading up, into the darkness of up. You make your way into a room. appears to be a small office. A wooden counter, shaped like an L, stands at the front of a spacious office.

All the other furniture is rotted away, leaving heaps of moldy wood and faded cloth. As you look around, there appears to be a ledger with signings, names faded, all with similar family names, Rosa, Bronovich, Straussie. Some names you've heard. some last things you haven't. Time has worn them down. There hasn't been checking in this ledger, many, many, many.

This may be where they kept the sick or maybe just be down-throthed. Are there any other notes? Are there dates, too? Oh, there are dates, but there are hundreds of years in the past. Does the handwriting look any different? Is it look different than the handwriting? He did refer to a madhouse in his journey. Perhaps this is it.

Perhaps, but maybe before the angel arrived, very true. Now where else to go but forward. Let's just investigate. Is that just where we came across from investigating the whole room? Mm-hmm. Okay. All right, take the direction, professor. Down this way.

Well, let's try the handle on the door. To the- attempt the handle, and it moved, easily as you open the door in. The smell is pungent of rot, of decay, but the smell of interceptors. You hear this skittering in the movements before you see it, but Sarnax holds his lantern up,

and you're able to see into this room. The spacious chamber contains bed frames of wrought iron arranged in two neat rows. Cobwebs and bits of rotten mattresses cling to each frame. Three doors are spaced along the south wall, each with a plaque mounted on it. From west to east, the plaques read, operating room, nursery, and morgue. And is in the shadows that you see the movement first. The beds are not empty. There is movement from them.

And then the movement of women. One, at first. And then two, and then three are the shadows of this room moving towards you. heads wrapped in bandages. Their bodies jerking forward stitched together abominations of the approximation of what a nurse would look like to you. And as they move forward with their jerky movements, you see that some of them have blades stitched or sewn or even welded into their limbs.

Others have magnified glasses or mirrors. Some have vials or needles. And as they move forward towards you, jerking, they bore you and head towards the beds. Some of them turn the dressings down. You see these rough abominations of Mongol folk as they are injecting them with serums or cutting away bits of flesh. As they begin to howling pain, you see as these strange, as these horrific sewn together nurses begin to work. their magic on the influence in the bed.

I immediately attempt to back up and try to close the door quickly but quietly. Do they seem to notice us and just ignored us or did they just not notice us? They didn't seem to notice you. Okay. It looked at first like they were moving towards

you, but they were moving out of the darkness towards the beds. We also, whatever the hell that was, and I don't think that we want any of it this moment. I don't know what kind of fight we might have on our hands if we did, but I don't know if we want to do that yet.

I think they're in there adding modifications that the model have requested. This is maybe what they want. There is no redemption here. It is against nature, I agree. These are all monstrosities, but maybe we can say that the abbots sent us to check on them, and maybe they'll allow us to pass through quietly. I'm with the professor. I don't think there's any talking to or reasoning with any of those creatures.

We should put them to rest. We can, and I think we should, but if we do that now... If I anchor the abbot you might know, he might come. Your call, Professor. I'd rather do it now than they stab us in the back if we happen to engage with the average. Plus, there we saw the three doors. Yes, we know there's more serious. We have to learn what they're doing with these people.

We can walk past them without issue. Yes. That'll be our first course of action. And if not, we will do what we need to do. Perhaps deception is the key. Perhaps we say we have a new bride. ride in preparation for the countess under orders of the abbot. That was my same trail of thought.

Sorry, yes. And if that fails, we burn them all. Right? Rayna, do you think you could play that off? We wouldn't obviously let you. I thought he was going to give me to the abbot. I didn't think you were going to give me to horrific discrimination of women. We're not giving you that.

We will not let them touch you. We'll just say that you're passing through and you're interested in seeing the array of modifications that can be done to a bride of Shreda. We would not end them over to them. I want to do you. Which is your...

It protects me. Stay close. Yes. Stand behind. Does anything happen? Is everybody ready? So I'd like to use your words? as a holy man?

Not as a holy man, but as a loser. I'm going to reach into my pack. Anyone have any kind of like fur or anything? Sure. I would like to... Really cool, sure.

I'm going to... The wolf. Oh, yeah, the wolf. Yeah, it is getting the walls. I am going to try to like wrap one of my hands in fur and try to maybe wrap it around my neck as well and keep my hood up

but I'm going to try to kind of look as free as I possibly can while still having scales. Roll a performance check for me to see how well you do for reading yourself a costume. Before he rolls this, are we allowed to help him? Yeah.

Can I take some of the muck that's like on me and stick it like under the fur and try to glue it onto him a little bit better? To roll with advantage. Oh, thank you. Good words. Performance? 16?

Right. You've done that. And you look at Sarnax now and you see a bit of you'd collected some of the bones. You see as there's bits of wolf jaw with fur still attached to it, whereas almost you're able to cover up part of his face. It almost looks like his jaw is part wolf, part lizard. and you're able to shroud one of his eyes on the opposite side and makes it look more mammalian than reptilian. You're cloak shrouding a lot of this, the fur on your hands. And if you didn't know who this was at first glance without further inspection, he passes for a Mongol folk. All right, you're ready, buddy?

Ivina, with me. I'll back you up, sorry, next if you can help. And I'm just going to, like, turn the handle and kind of, like, open the door for Sarnax to let him through. I'm going to, like, hobble forward and kind of shamble on in with Irina with me. Is it just the two of you guys? No one else is coming? Or are in the league. We are.

Yes, in the league. Okay. She grabs on to the back of your cloak. You can feel her shaking. She's horrifying. But she has forward with you. I'll be right behind her. No fear.

And I'll stop. forward. And I'm going to cast thomatergy to let out the sound of a bore grunting, like snorting, and I will step into the room and try to get the attention. And I will look at everyone. I will say, I have been sent by... As you speak, you watch your land are now illuminating everything. You see, there are at least six of these beds that are tossing and turning the forms beneath the blankets. As these, as all these women, there are roughly ten of them in this room as they turn and look at you. The one closest to you leans forward and you can see the gray flesh of her chest as she raises one of her arms. From elbow to where her fingers should be is nothing but a bloodied, rusted saw.

and she looks forward at you. Their faces are covered in linen wrappings, but you can see the hollow, empty sockets of where eyes should be, and she stares forward at you. She says nothing. I'll pull out a handkerchief and pretend to call,

but then cast amortugee to have like a vulture, like kind of squawk. And I'll put it back. I have come with the bride to prepare. We are observing the grounds. The abbot wishes

not for us to be disturbed. Roll a deception. I am waiting outside the room listening to how this is going to, before I do anything. I just want to hear like what I mean, you know. I think I might be the

position. I'm not. 19. You see as they're jerky movements. They all move forward. And it looks like they're moving towards you. You see that they're actually moving out of the way as one of them moves from the back larger than the others. She does have eyes in her sockets.

They're bloodshot and red and they roll around listlessly. She seems to be able to see as she moves forward both of her hands and in grotesque, bloody and rusted hooks, chains hanging from the. them attached at her shoulder blades, but not attached at clothing, bolted into the bone, into the flesh itself. As she moves forward, she gets directly close to you. She's taller, larger. You can see the stitched together skin, how brittle it looks along where the flesh is sewn

together, dried, almost like leather. And you look up at her. She's tall. maybe how tall are you? Um, like five, 80. She's like six feet. Okay. So you're looking up at her.

She is not making eye contact with you, but she's staring down and I read that. Every breath she takes, even though she has this linen wrapping around her face, you can see the blackness of her lips, the rotting, decayed flesh beneath the mask. And every breath she takes is petriot stench billows out, out from her. And it's almost hard to stand there and deal with it. She looks irena over. She doesn't say anything to you, but she turns her head towards you and nods. She takes one of her hooks, and she hooks it into the dress that I live and begins to fill her towards the closest step.

No, we are not meant to be disturbed. She looks at you and looks around almost confused. She doesn't seem to have the capability of speech. This one is chosen by the countess. Very important, we do not anger her. Bring the wrath upon the abbey. Guide her to observe, and I will bring her back to the abbot. She is not ready yet.

She looks at you and she nods, but she continues to pull her towards the abbey. Stop right now, you will anger the abbot. She unhurt. hooks her hook, and both of her hooked hands fall to her side. She stares at you, almost confused. I want me to roll a perception check. Perception? Or not a perception check.

I'm going to have you roll an insight check. It's still going to be an 11. She seems confused, almost as if she's not sure why, if she's not ready for whatever they do, why you bring her here. We have come to simply show her the process. We are, it is a very special bride for the countess. You must allow her to observe to calm her nerves. Then once the abbot approves, we will then bring her here, but not yet explicit instructions.

Roll a persuasion check. Ooh, persuasion? Yeah. That is going to be a hot 20. 30-20. Very nice. she looks hesitant at first, but she uses the hook to push Irene forward towards you as she shambles back towards the walls. She raises her hook up and flicks it towards the other nurses as they begin to shamble and move towards the bed.

And she reaches out quickly and grabs Irene and slips her around, runs her the hooked hand down her face and you see Clears Day. Sorry and sadness, almost pity on her face. She spins her back around and pushes her towards you and nods, giving you her permission to investigate the room because nurses go about for their work. Thank you. So, yeah, I'm hearing that, I'm going to, like, I'm going to peek my head around the door, the door and just see if I can see what's going on. And hearing Sarnax, I'm going to gingerly, like, step into the room. Her eyes immediately lock onto you, but then on to who she believes to be a Mongol folk capable of some sentience, and she seems to allow it. And I'll proceed to.

Assistance aid me in showing the bride around. Yes, of course. I just go. I just want to sort of walk through and just kind of look around and see if we can kind of investigate as much as we can walking through the room. and I just go into the first room here. As we're moving around the room, I'm keeping my back to the wall and watching all of this happening

as we're moving towards the first door. I'm not putting my back to any of them. You are walking in, and the rest of the nurses don't seem to you pay any attention to you, but the screams in this room are getting to the point that is almost unbearable to hear.

They seem to have no idea of the pain that they're causing these Mongol folks as they make their alterations. But you notice that there's seems to be almost a dance, almost a rhythm to what they're doing. A nurse with the syringes is the first one. She injects strange fluid directly from her body into, from bed to bed to bed. And then the next after the next, each one with different instruments doing different things to these folks.

You see as flesh is sent to a bucket in the middle of the room, you see as they move to the side of the wall where there's a shoot of parts that have come in, all, all, all, animal parts, some mammalian, some reptilian, some avian, as they're taking them and filtering through them, and each one of them has a journal that they seem to be checking, picking parts, and going to certain beds, and making the necessary changes. Do you attempt to ignore all of this? You make your way towards the first room, the one with the plaque that reads operating room. Entering. ring. A scream fills this room. The scream that echoes through time is followed by other fainter screams. There's no one in here. It's as if the room itself is permanently haunted by the faint screams of those who died under the night of this room. And as your eyes, the tune to the darkness

and the light fills every crevice, the screams fade until there are nothing more than a haunting I want to look around the room and the operating tables and see if there are any drawers we can open to find. This room is a large operating table in the center. Rusting. You see blood stains on the floor going down into a small grate in the bottom all along the walls or cabinets and shelving cupboards. Droars. Got an 11. you, all of you are, say look through the room and you find different blades and instruments.

Most of them incredibly foreign things you've never seen before, but you, they conjure up images in your head of what the horrific purposes they could have been used for. Most of them are broken or showing significant signs of disrepair. None of them seem to have been used

in a long time. But other than that, you find nothing of interest in this around with place is hell. We need to get through these rooms quickly and get the hell out of here. We need. Yes, Sonic, please lead the way. Next, keep away. And I'll hovel out.

But that's funny. Opening this door, the signs, the signs, the nursery. This room contains the wreckage of old wooden cribs lining the wall. Paintings torn and age from years of decay are all

along the wall depicted scenes of happiness and childlike joy. The room itself smells dusty and unused. There is a mirror off to the side, and as you pass by, you see a figure reflected in the mirror for a second, a nun in white robes standing in a doorway. As you look back, it's nothing there, no reflection is gone. Did everyone just, did everyone just,

see that. Small rocking horse the side begins to rock back and forth. Creeping with every motion on it. See what? Just saw something here. Sorry, no, I had my back to the room. I'm trying to keep my eyes on where we're coming

and where we're going. Is anyone in this room? Is anyone there? You hear nothing but your voice echoing back in it. The Albert wishes you announce yourselves. I'll walk over to the rocking horse and just kind of put my foot under the firm side of it just to get it to stop rocking,

and I just stare at it for a second, see if it starts rocking again. You put your hand on it, and the rocking immediately stops, and you hear behind you, the giggling of children and the pattern of footsteps, and you all look around, but there's nothing there. You wait, and you wait, just like the first room, the screaming of the ghosts of the past, the giggling of the children in the images of the nurse evaporate. Do not come back.

This place is truly dead. The skins crawl real bad. You're going to get out of here, and I'm going to open the door and lead us back. On to the next. The plaque on the side of this door says Morg.

You open the door to find slots in the walls where bodies after death would have been placed. The room itself seems sterile. It is cleaner than the others, almost like it's been used more recently. A few of the doors against the wall lie open, and you see that there is a small,

a small hay, like bed on the inside, but it is empty of bodies or anything of the like. The only thing of notice, in this room. It's a raven. It perched on the windowsill of this otherwise empty room. The raven are you? Oh, God!

It flaps its wings and picks up one leg and then the other. It makes a strange noise back out at you as its head flitters from side to side, but it makes no motion towards you. Hey, is that is that one of them?

I try to approach the raven. As you approach the raven, it immediately takes flight. and zips out of the window. No, no, no, no. Oh, no. As you watch, it flies and sails down towards the garden. The garden that you'd used to enter into the alley,

and you sees it rests upon one of the sackcloth heads, the scarecrow. I don't believe that's one of where it's. Maybe not. It may be one of the countesses or perhaps a harmless beast. Is this some way to identify a Matikov? I mean, they would announce themselves to us. We are their allies.

I would hope that would be the case, yes. But is there anything else of a note in this room? I'm going to point out the window to where the Reba is sitting and whisper a message to it. Are you here to warners of something? let us know if we're on the right track and it can respond if it has the ability to

if it has the ability of speech correct uh yeah I don't know it says it can reply in a whisper that only I can hear so right I guess if it's a creature I wouldn't be able to talk it was it a creature a humanoid

a creature oh you hear the croaking of a raven in your mind not the humanoid voice you hoped for no but it was smart enough to respond would it have to make it choice to respond you're able to tell that it was not a human communication

oh okay it's a red herring my friend yeah it's great whoa let's go back through the main area wait did we open the doors

yeah the bodies were no oh we have investigate. Mr. Shepherd, these doors are quite heavy. Could you please assist? Sure. You all got.

Oh, God. You have to do it. You have to do it. You have to do it. You look through, you open some of, you, you begin to open all of the small wooden doors.

And most of them are empty, but you are able to find a few. that are, that have remains. But it's not as you'd expect it. It is the remains of dead Mongol folk, ones that hadn't survived their mutations. So we'd be both great there.

Do we find anything like out of sorts? This is, I would have thought, frankly, that they were feeding any of the dead to the living, but perhaps they're only using human body. maybe the body parts that they threw into that bucket in the middle of the room is what they're feeding them is disgusting well anyway please leave us back continue and as we head out we are taking our leave now do not leave this chamber under direct orders from the abbot persuasion check

really aggressive football over here yeah there's what's that persuasion is yeah 16 collect the moon now she

she looks hesitant but the sadness that you can see on her face is present and she nods at you and continues to check on each of the beds in the room. Is it the same?

Did he only see the sadness on her face? That would say it's pretty apparent if you are standing around them. Is this the same sadness that we saw in the silka's face? No. Okay. So they continue to go back to the to the unmasked entities that are on these beds as they rise. Some chests rise and fall.

They seem to be sleeping. Some, they haven't started to alter yet. Are they chained to the beds? Are they just laying there? You haven't really looked at them, so you don't really know. Can I just take a look as we're kind of passing by all the beds? That all was just kind of cast.

I want to see if they're chained or if they're just laying there willingly. Roll an investigation check for me. I feel like we would have kind of mingled through as we're, you know. Well, you didn't say that. Oh, sorry. two plus eight is ten they don't seem to be changed but you do see that it is not just

Mongol folk one appears at least one that you've seen appears to be human an elderly man who occasionally coughs he seems to be here undergoing maybe a villager from Kresk undergoing some healing

to help with the sickness see how. Oh, fuck. Yes, we should be on our way. We will be on our way. I cannot leave. I've got my hands folded behind my back, and I'm just pretending to be like,

I'm going to lean towards Victoria, give her a little nod and say, perhaps see if the gentleman is okay, young lady. I'm going to, again, point in the, I'll point in the direction of the gentleman. Sir, I'm the woman standing to the side. Please respond to me and let us know if you're all right to hear the living.

He can speak. You wait a moment and you hear a voice that responds. I am here to get a cure. I lost my life to the sickness last month and I do not want to go that way. I am scared, but they tell me I will be well soon. I will say we'll try to turn and leave and close the door. And if you've relayed that to us, should we... I do not think it were worth our...

day during the operation, but if we have time when we are finished, perhaps we can convince them to retrieve the man and bring him to safety. Yeah, on the way out. On the way out. Yes. We'll upset him for trying to wrench him away now. Yes. Perhaps you command her no further alterations tonight to buy us time so he's not injected

or torn apart all the time we get back. It perhaps is already too late. Why would I have a second of fault? Oh, by the way, stop. Fultly mong or folk might forgive things? You're right. She already seemed confused. I do not want to engage in a battle here.

Agreed. Agreed. I will continue my deception as we continue the other door. I think we know now where the missing people have gone, whether they stay here or maybe they don't survive these operations. I believe it is probably too late if they've been. injecting the old man with those horrific syringes. Perhaps they were only intended for Mongol folk, not for humans. I think no one has survived.

State form of a Mongolian is a human. Let's just continue. And I'll shamble out towards the door and open it. You make your way out of what appears to be the waiting room. You open the door out. out to what appears to be a curtained wall

that leads towards the other half of the abbey looks down over the court guard that you had first entered into scarecrow's line the abbey walls

looking outward they wear tattered chain shirts and carry spears with rusty heads the courtyard below is blanketed with Bob

the chained up monghole continues to sleep peacefully do we see the door down to our left Yeah

Shall we check this one? Yes But we still Oh, guys Okay Pretend like I'm like With my hands folded behind my back And I'm just like

You open the door It opens easily Femps that have Dissinterated with age Lying heaps along the walls of this moldy 30-foot square room Looking around Disappears to have been some sort of

barracks. Maybe the room that the previous guards would slept in. Quick look around. Professor, quick points over, yes. Assist me. Rifle through the beds. I would like to investigate with the help

of my wonderful friends. I'll lift up the beds for him so he can take a look around. No, 19. I'm fucking over. Hey, look at that little guy. 27. You look around and find bed, rotting bits of wood here and here. off to the corner you are able to find a small foot

locker and opening it you're able to find one greater healing potion. Oh, fuck, yeah. No doubt for the gods that once lived here. Pocket just quickly let us be on our way. Let's go. We're trying to

very stealthily. Yeah, I'm going to keep my eye on the sleeping mom. I'm keeping up my deception. Occasionally he joltz makes strange noises and rolls over. You can hear the phones as he's kicking them about in his sleep,

but he seems to be in a fairly deep sleep. How many hours has it been since our first encounter with the abbey? Probably six. Okay, so about eight?

No, we're only like six. Okay, perfect. This old major. Great. Wow. You almost convinced me I did eight. I did cast,

I'm wondering if I didn't need to. I'm opening it. I'm going to open the door. All right, I'm going to listen first. As you listen, you hear the soft tones of a stringed instrument. I turn back. I believe he is in there. He will recognize us.

We have the journal now. Yes, what will that do for us? Perhaps we can try to reason with him. He may become awesome. So I'm on first side as he warmed us never come back. He didn't seem overly hostile what we left to, didn't you, he simply ran us off. And if we come back, saying which we know now,

perhaps we can be reasonable. I think we go in saying that we've had a change of heart. We came a copy on the journal. We wish to help and restore the adding to its former glory, like he mentioned. Perhaps I go in with Irina by myself. Irene, do you feel like you can utilize deception and persuade this angel to leave, that you are allied with the countess? I will try. I can't make any promises.

I'm going to put my hand out her shoulder and then look at her. I'm going to say, you are the key to all of this. It's a lot of pressure to come up with us. It is, but alas, the pressure is on your shoulders. The weight of this entire dark land rests with you. You are blessed by the one who is one of the holiest beings in this entire God's forsaken place, and you are the one who can stop Stradania. If there's anyone in this entire land that can convince this foul angel to give up everything, you must try to trick him, but I will be with you.

I will do my best. I know you can. And I'm going to cast, I think I have guidance. Do I? Yeah. You cast it before. Have I? Yeah.

I have guidance. How about that? The second time I cast up. I have guidance. How about that? You do that? I cast guidance on her. And I am going to turn to the rest of the group.

stay out here I do not believe the abbot to be strong of mind enough to recognize everyone of the mongrel folk I will give you the signal if we get into danger before you go

what's the goal of this what's your plan perhaps being honest with him maybe the best course of action he is a celestial being right we could determine he may see through your guys,

Sarnax, if we go in there, without our guns blazing, we may be able to convince him that what he's doing here is in, he's doing it because he wants to help people.

But what he's causing his foul and dying, the cause is not right, and his God may not, his God would not appreciate this. Perhaps we could help him see a better way to help us. To help the...

If you think it wise to do so, I see no redemption for this fallen angel. I see only deception or death for him, but I will defer to the expedition. Well... If we attempt to deceive, all attempts of persuasion are out of the door. If we deceive him, what do we hope him to do? Just leave? Do you? Be happy forever?

Where would he go? he can't be brokia like the rest of us that is a very good point you have shown many the light of the deity you've persuaded people you have had them change their mind and changed hearts what's one more follower of folly you've inspired mr morgan here you've almost you've almost converted me have you seen the women the nurses The approximations, I believe in a form of redemption, professor. But the only thing that can redeem this being is dragon's fire. I think we can convince him to stop these operations.

Shed light onto how he has corrupted these women, Silka, everything he hopes, to restore happiness in these mogul folk. Maybe we can convince them to set them free. St. Markovia to the church it once was. We open these doors to education for the morning more, raising children just like they do in Velaki. I am not convinced, but should it turn to blows, then we can put an end to this once and for all regardless.

Let us try, and we can put them down if we need to. And I'm going to reach in and cast aside my furze and everything, then kind of pick it up off the ground. I'll tuck it back in. Irene, I still believe you will have a strong part to play in this. Be strong. I'm strong. Professor. This is Victoria.

Connock Shepard. I think we may send a chance to all perish in the next. Moments, I hope you do not. But it has been an honor and a privilege. We're not dying yet, Sarnex. This is not the end of the Azraan expedition. Too much unfinished business. I've seen into the fire, but the power of the divine is strong, corrupted or otherwise.

Be careful. Yes. I'm going to stand to the back. Perhaps we enter without most respect. We knock. We're not trying to hide our presence here. if we come in with his permission. Please.

Here is the humming or the stringing of the heart happening still inside? Yeah. I will knock twice. You will knock twice, and the sound stops from the hearing. You hear moving and grunting, strange noises. But nobody comes to the door. You hear almost like arguing, but it's so quiet, it's hard to tell who would be arguing for food. It quiet.

You hear nothing in the sound to play again again. Does it sound like the same grunting we heard from Otto and the other henchwin? It sounds similar. It didn't sound like him inside. Could be more awkward. One of them went back to play the extreme. Should I knock again or should I? enter.

I believe we should enter. And what happens, happens. Should I put on my deceptive guys again?

Should it be Mongol folk? Come, sweetheart. Yes. It might be the... Very well,

I did not wish to continue. Though I must say was a splendid performance. I did what must be done. Thank you,

Toro. Otto and seek Fred. I think that's maybe the people in sight. That explains the Borovian names.

Love, please, to be honest. I will open the door of not trying to be stealthy about it, but I will open it quietly. Open the door, and you're immediately met to the side of you with a stairwell that leads the way down. The wooden staircase that climbs down

from what appears to be a loft with a pitch foot roof and a door in the center of the south wall. Unlit lanterns hang from the rafters, and a rope dangles from a bronze bell lodged in the belfry 30 feet overhead. The room is filled with a sound of beautiful music, a melody so enchanting that it adds a bit of much-mead and warmth to the otherwise freezing room. A black shroud covers a humanoid shape lying on a wooden table.

The music does nothing to stir it. A cop, heaped with furs, rests in the northeast corner surrounded by empty wine bottles. An oil lamp burns atop a table nearby, silhouetting a squat, creature that has two heads. It sits on the edge of the cot with a veal between its legs. With a crustacean claw-like appendage, it grasps the neck of the instrument while running a bow gently crosses strings with its human hand. Looking at this creature, its right head, is fully formed and combines the features of the patchy-haired man with those of a goat, complete with stubby horns. The left head is about half the normal size and has a soft

Cherovic face, partly covered with crocodileian hide. Crabb pincers in place the left hand in a bear's paw where his right foot should be. This creature wears an ill-fitting monk's robes with a belt made of Humpin-Roeb.

Reactos. It doesn't seem to know. Is that the only figure in her? Aside from the humanoid shape under the cloth on the table. I stopped for a second seeing the figure and I just like kind of move out of the way so everyone else can see it, and then I just looked at the professor.

Let's go. Let's go. Yes. And I'll walk in and try to get his attention and say, is it evening at this point? It's night. Yes. The middle of the night. Good evening, sir.

He turns around and he looks at you as his veal clatters to the ground as he looks around from all of your faces, and then his eyes catch Irene. Oh, the pretty lady. Hi, hello lady. Where is the abbess?

We would very much like to see him. Oh, friends of the lady, abbot's guest, friends of the abbey. He's downstairs? Downstairs? Well, could you please continue that a lovely tune you were just playing? Oh, play beautifully. You like? Yes.

Wine. Wine first, then song. Cloven loves wine. Oh, you? Oh. Yes, of course. Do we have any? Do we have one?

You mentioned bottles. Yeah, there are bottles of wine. What were they empty? The ones you saw were empty, but you could probably rummage through and find out. We'll find you some wine, of course. Is that your name? Cloven. We are gloven.

Yes. I would like to find a bottle of wine. I would like to find a bottle of wine, find a cup of some kind, pour it in, and then the mage hand it to him. And you see as he takes it in his clawed hand, instead of putting it to his lips, he puts it to the cherubic face

that's lulling to one side, and he begins to pour it into the throat of this strange cherubic head. Oh, yes, the wine, the wine. You see as his eyes start to gloss over, he seems to be pretty drunk. I will play for you. Gloven plays.

He picks up his view. sits down and he begins to start playing. Perhaps Lucas can investigate the figure. I believe I could just do that to myself. I'll mage hand over, and I will take the, just lift the tarp to see what's under the tarp. Beneath the shroud lies a creature made of stitched together body parts.

Looking at me, you recognize victorious arm of shepherd's fate. No, fuck. No, no, no. Kana's hands and Sarnax's tail. And as you look closer, you begin to see that your mind is nothing but a muddled mess. It's not shepherd's face or Kama's hands,

but it looked so much like it hadn't. This is a work in progress, like what you had met in the area down below. It's not quite finished it. Is he trying to recreate our... It was hallucination. Okay, okay. It's just another abomination. The kid's missed.

We should carry downstairs. Continue downstairs. Thank you so much. That is beautiful music. Please carry on. He had stopped. He's just, he's drunkenly flag. Just go.

I'll walk down first. I'll follow. I guess we're moving this bad. There you have the map. You make your way down the dark stairwell until you spill out into the room, the table and chairs in the middle where he had sat with the abbot. And the large fireplace off to the corner is still roaring with fire. But Vasilca does not sit there as she had. Her remains seem to have been removed from this room. The abbot, however, is here.

Sitting at the head of the table, the light shining from the candles that line this table shining onto the stained glass windows that line this room. The music is almost heightened here. The music that Cloven is playing upstairs. It almost reverberates here. As you watch as the abbot writes and draws frantically, he looks. nervous, he looks concerned and he doesn't seem to notice him. Abbott. Good evening.

His head slowly raises as he makes eye contact with all of you. And then Irene. Well, well, well. Who would have thought that a place that is supposed to be holy could turn into such a house of horrors? Me? I would have. This is Borovia.

That is what happens here. I am not certain how our ego protagonists will fare against the literal angel, but we will see what tricks they have up their sleeve. Is the abbot beyond redemption? I wonder. We shall see in the next part of Chapter 9 of Curse of Stradania, among monsters. In the meantime, if you wish to watch Legends of Aventrists tell similar stories of Dungeons and Dragons every week, you can follow us on Twitch.

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