Legends of Avantris - Curse of Strahdanya | Ep. 19 | Among Monsters: Part 2

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

With morning approaching, the Azran Expedition seeks to bring light back to the Abbey of Saint Markovia and uncovers the secrets of their fated ally, Rudolph van Richten.   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

are at the Abbey of St. Markovia and listening to Curse of Stradania, the Legends of Aventrys podcast. Last time, the Ezran expedition received my message of fury, hate, and bloodlust, as well as one could expect. With their precious Irina Kuliana protected from my power, they took their brief victory and returned to the Abbey. It's here that they encountered the horrible fleshy experiments and projects of the Abbot, and had to fight. their way back to the fallen angel. Now that they face this otherworldly mind, tainted by corruption,

we shall see if this ends without more death. This episode is brought to you by our generous supporters on Patreon. You can become a Patreon 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 the conclusion of Chapter 9, Among Monsters.

His head slowly raises, as he makes eye contact with all of you. And then, Irene, you are, you are here to assist me, I believe. Yes, but not in the way that you are thinking of. I asked you not to come back. Yes, but we needed to come back. But you have brought me the bride. That's right. She is right here.

And now. she has the soul in her this will do nicely I believe that you believe that you are doing the right thing I believe that you believe that you are a good man

I am I was a good man you can be again when this lad is cured his good morning Lord will bring me back into his warm

in breaks And I can do that. The bride. No. And now the soul is in time. The love can flow through all. You have done me great on my mind. I must have mine.

We think there's another way of it. We don't believe that sacrificing Eurina to Stradai... I would never sacrifice. The bride. No, but... We have reason to believe that Stradanya will sacrifice her. That Stradania will do brave, evil things with her. Oh, of course.

She would never not to the love of her love. I wish she had a help. She needs a dress, don't you think? We can't send her to the countess and that. Now look, the dress is not important. Oh, and he pulls out all the, notes and you see sketches of dresses. Ashley, I cannot deliver her in this

estate. She needs finally. She does not need to go anywhere. You have been tricked. You have been deceived by the Countess. I know. Long ago. The curse will not be lifted

by you delivering Irene to her. I've seen it in my mind. The hallucinations. It's not real. My mind. Every day in this land my mind falls apart Which I've seen it And I know that the clarity that I need

I know it I believe it Abbot we don't know you To roll an Narcona chant for me I'm staring this motherfucker down And I'm occasionally like looking over to Shepard Like and I'm looking down to his hand And making sure that it's on one of them

You can see that he seems to be shaking He's both nervous and excited, exhilarated, hopeful. 17? You are looking at him and you see the way he's moving. And you realize that he is, that this isn't the Deva that you had expected. This isn't the mind of a Deva, though you don't know much about them. There is an affliction on this entity, a madness, a curable madness. and he picks up his quill and he begins to draw

and he's drawing the body of irena but there are no stitches there are no malformed pieces she's beautiful she's perfect his artistic skills are incredible as he draws her in this beautiful wedding dress and he's next to her he begins to draw the likeness of stradanya and her beautiful regalia also in a wedding dress but a redding dress of red

And as he begins to draw, you, you see that he starts to sketch the villages, the sun shining in her love. It will bring peace to this. The morning, Lord, will shine his light on everything. I've done it. We have done it. We have found a way to cure the land. I can see it. When you see as he begins to twitch and his body is moving in a strange way, but he seems emboldened, renewed,

It almost is if he knows that by taking her and delivering her to Stradania, he will have cracked the code. As I see this, and I make this understanding, I'm going to step forward as my lantern is going to flare, and I'm going to cast daylight in the center of this room. This morning light, fallen angel, is this what you wish to see? I'm going to stop. I'm sure he makes my voice, boom.

He waves his hand at you. Anyone with power can make fake light. The morning moon's sun does not shine on this left. Your redemption. Your redemption. Until, until we cure it. Your redemption does not lie in here with the hands of a devil. Do you not see this in your madness, angel?

She has tricked you. Yes, she has. She has led you down the path of treachery and evil. You have turned countless. Why do you think I am trying to build the bride? Because... If I can reunite her with her lost love, then all that I have done will have been worth it.

No, the ends do not justify the means. Your redemption does not lie in her hands. It lies in her hands. going to point to Irina. Yes, it does. But it will be through the death of the countess, the destruction of all the... He cannot die here. You're insane if you think she can. Do you not know of the dark powers that gave her the life that she lives? Do you not know of what this world is around you? Ignorant, all of you, ignorance. But we know where the artifacts of light are. that will be able to purge her darkness,

to dispel it back from whence it came. For a time, are you looking for a bandage to the problem? Bandage, it's less. Are you looking for bandage to the problem? Or are you looking for, are you looking for a solution? You know nothing.

You know nothing at all. You walk through this land thinking you are wise. I am of a time, immemorial. I know far more than you ever will. She will bring salvation to this land. I am not as wise as my God. But she needs a dress. She cannot bring her to the counters. I'd like to step forward, seeing that he's like distracted by his papers. And is there like a seat near his desk that he's at? He's at a table. There are tons of seats. want to sit.

I'll sit across from him. The table's like nine feet, so he's at the head. You'd be like nine feet away. Do you have to sit next to him? I will, I will sit next to him while he's scuttering about his notes. And I will. Thank you, Band-Aid for sponsoring our channel. The Band-Aid, yes.

Thank you. The Band-Aid Company. Oh, thank you. An adhesive bandage to the situation. Abbott, I don't think this is the way to go about it. We know what kind of man you once were. And I take out the journal and I put it in front of it, wherever he's looking. He looks at it for a second.

Oh, thank you. And he grabs it. He opens it up to the last page and he begins to write. I'm there. The bride has finally been brought to me. We are nearing the end. My mind is foggy and I feel as if I can't breathe. I feel as if I cannot see, but I know if I finish this,

I can only, if I can only think in ellipsies, tons of ellipses, a dress, yes, a dress, the best dress, the most beautiful dress, a gown, it's all she needs, ellipsies. I can do this, I can save this land. I know, I can write the wrongs that I've, I can write the foul, the arrow of my way. I can do this, ellipsies. I'm going to put my hand on his hand. If I may shed some light, Abbott, then I will attempt while he's finished writing with the ellipse,

and I'll try to flip him to the first page of his journal, if you will allow me to. Remember why you are here, Abbott? I know why I'm here. I'm going to read the land of the evil that is Stradonia, and I know how to do it. Let us help you, Abbott. Yes, so you will get the dress.

We will do something better. We will rid the land of Stradania. We don't need Irina in this equation. We will slay her for you. He looks at you with a sadness. All of you. Mortals. Idiots.

She is a mortal. You cannot kill her. Your plans to walk in there with your trinkets and your palms into slay her. she will but return and then who many will slay her time and time again you think you are the only ones no

you will not have I know I can do this but all we need is a dress so Miss Victoria if this goes south I apologize how's this one for a dress it is too dark

it's too dark Too dark. We need to give. It needs to be light. A wedding dress. I would have it to have augmentum. And I cast the spell magic on them. Roll for it.

Mr. Port. I am going to use a lucky die. Uh, 23. That's a good. You reach your handout and you, um, let's see if this might work. So I don't know this is going to work, but 23 would spell, even a knife level spell. But it's, but dispel magic.

It's a spell. I don't want to give away the I mean it's one of those things You know what I will I will allow it You reach out and you do this You see for a moment as he shakes his head And he writes himself I still have my hand on his hand

He waves your hand away Okay He looks at you and there's there's Is this he's finally seeing you for the first time Is it gone? Are you okay? The madness. Now, you are ignorant.

You cannot kill, Tridolia, not in this land. But I have been just as ignorant, just as the bad. He looks at Irina and their eyes make contact. You are protected, child, but you house the soul of Tatiana. She finds a way to get hold of you. It will be lost to all of us. Not just the soul, but now her memories as well. You want a powerful weapon.

There is more in you than you. And she looks at him with a bit of fear on her face, a bit of realization. She swallows heart and she nods if she doesn't say anything to him. I have committed atrocities. All for the hope of doing, for bringing good. But who am I to know what is good for man? Who am I to know?

I will pay those crimes than I have. But I want nothing more than to serve the morning Lord and to bring his glory and the sunlight upon this land. I will help you. It will help you if I can. and you will begin by purging the wickedness you have wrought from this place. It may have been some times since you've been able to clearly see what is happening.

I think now that you've... My memory is fragmented to splintery. I push the journal on the first page, close your day. He pushes it away from me. I can't. Not now. Okay. As he looks up and all of you. We have a lot.

to discuss. Okay. The avid looks out and all of you humor misguided sit. We need to talk

as much that we need to discuss. Yes, of course. Gladly. What is your plan? You all sit around the table with him and he moves his notes together

and you see a look of disgust on his face as he sees the mad rambling of who he had. been moments ago as he stacks them up and pushes them to the side. Before we continue, I just need to ask, are you aware that I just dispelled some form of madness off your brain or your mind? Whatever it is. I aged as much.

But it's something that came slowly upon from the land or do you think of the straw? I'm not sure. You could be both, but I think if I were being the most true, to myself. It is with the land brought it on me. Are you aware of the evil atrocities you have committed?

I believe that being in the land has made my mind, my celestial body that are at odds at war with each other. He looks away from me and he doesn't even deem to answer your question. Yes, yes, and we can make everything right now. But you are saying

that you still believe that Shredana cannot die here. I know that Shradana cannot die here. Why not? The dark powers forbid it. The dark powers that gave her the magic that she has now. There are a lot of people

that believe that she's killed. There are a lot of people that have tried. And none have succeeded. No, none have succeeded. Can you tell us more about this dark magic? I don't know more about the dark magic. I know that the dark powers. They exist swimming in the mists that surround Barovia,

waiting to corrupt the souls of the innocent people. We've been... Sorry. They've given... Shodonius' land, locked her within it. They've given her powers, but in doing so, have made her the prisoner, she wants nothing more than to break free from them. And I believed, I may still do, that with true love, she could come to see that she could be a benevolent ruler.

I have to believe it, but I'm not as sure anymore as I was. may I discern does he is the belief that she could be saved and be good is that the lingering madness tainting it or is it like oh shoot I'm an angel and I still think this is the case

roll a inside joke I'm very good maybe I don't know what I'm 17 you there's definitely still his mind is still foggy from the lingering map but as he said, he, that is what he had believed.

He still believes it, but he's not as sure as he had. He'd been 100% sure while he was mad, but now it's more of a hope. It's more of a dream that if she could fall in love, she could be, she could rule this land as a just ruler. But I would say you can tell that he is saying this more from a, a position of hope than from any real knowledge that he may have or insight that he may have. Angel, do you even know the nature of the dark power? You are a being of the Celestials, the Upper Plains.

Do you know the nature of the darkness? We see nothing but darkness. I do not, but there is an old temple of wizards and mages. the Amber Temple and its vast libraries I have no doubt there could be knowledge of these dark powers

The Amber Temple You mentioned that in your journal Yes I had At one point in my life intended to venture to the Ambert Temple Well

As you saw here My work was never finished you had gained knowledge from the Celia von Holtz, which was actually Straught in disguise. And I think you mentioned that that knowledge came from the Amber Temple. Another corrupted location by Strad herself, perhaps? I've never been. Do you know where it is? If I had a map, I could. Do we have a map?

I'm not so a Curio. My case will open up the map. I'll shoot up. Halfway, I'll grab it, and I'll unfurl it over the table. This I believe is all of Borovia. In general, so you're suggesting we may be able to learn more about these dark powers that bind strad here at the Amber Temple.

It's the light blue. It is an ancient temple. It's alive. Are there is vast in those that once inhabited the place. Maryses and wizards of great round. In that library, I have no doubt there is information that could assist you. But I cannot tell you exactly what you would find there. Would there be information at the Amber Temple that would assist you in restoring glory to the abbey?

Yes. No idea. Would that help you? I need to clean this place, cleanse it. I will begin to do so. From there, I will work a day at a time, fight against the ever-encroaching madness of my mind. When you say you need to cleanse this place,

do you mean with the Mongols? No, I do not. They are hideous to look at, but... Those that... were successfully in the transformations of hearts of minds and souls the others are ravenous the animals they will be disposed of the few that survived but will not take their life for them they are like my children now nurses will this be a safe place for the people of crest who come for proper once my work is finished

this will be a beacon of hope for Christ sigh will the abominations the amalgams of flesh will they be destroyed they will and disposed

angel he reaches out and grabs your hands, plate you may ask a favor of me or what you you've done for my mind. The favor, what are the limits of the favor?

The limits of our incapable of... Well, it's quite certain. I'm not sure what I should ask. I will ask my fellow expedition members, what do we think? Does not need to me now. As I do need to thank you. Yes, yes. Let me get back to you.

There may be something that I ask of you, but recover now. Clean this place. My task is elderly, gently. It's quite sick if there's anything you can do to help. I will make my way, I will feel it. I may also suggest the people of Cresk would look up to you if they saw that man return. Every person they've sent here has never come back.

They may bring home. I would keep no one here against the will. They may bring hope upon the village to cleanse them of this sickness if they see the old man returning because of your good graces. I will not keep him against his will. Nor will I force him home if you start. We should go. Angel, I am surprised you have returned to reason.

And I... As am I. I do not believe redemption comes easily. But perhaps... your morning lord shall be the light for the lost and the meek. I offer potential place of respite for you in your times of rest. There is a garden not far from here. Are you aware of the hallowed grounds of Sergei?

No, not just Sergei of the morning, Lord. Yes, I'm aware of the garden. Is that not a place of respite from the madness? Not for me. And truly, this place is even more evil than I had presumed. My celestial body is in direct opposition. The horror of this land. This land works on my mind, unlike it would, on your simple human brains.

Oh, lizard brains as it were. Even more simple, I fear. Professor, I can take your side of the Lord. Yes, yes. Perhaps the favor that we could ask is to help people to press. We know that he has the power to return their sentence. Now that the doubtiness of his mind has been lifted, perhaps he would see that as a great way to help these people.

Just know this. It is a wonderfully thoughtful request. I believe he has offered to do that on his own volition. is that the case? They're off to the side. You can't do that. But to answer your question, he offered that while he was mad in exchange for a dress.

Oh, for one address. I've got that. I believe that is definitely one option. I believe once we allow the abbots to get some rest and clean up this place, we can discuss whether we ask that,

perhaps allowing or maybe let or maybe let it our favor could be allowing the children to come here and I ruin it to stay that's true well maybe there are other options but we can discuss once we are

in privacy perhaps before we retire yes all right we'll return it Abbott do you prefer that we continue addressing your research but you have a name that we have none I will give to you

very well there's our name especially for one such as I I I disrespect me is there anything I can do to help cleanse fabulous in our hood we've done enough

yeah I would have you take this and he stands up and moves towards the mantel piece you see is he above it there is a large there is a large

painted with a gilded frame in it It's a painting of St. Markovia herself, adorned and white robes, the radiant, blazing symbols of the morning lord all about her clothrobes. She looks beautiful, serene, almost celestial herself. And as he moves it aside, you see a small indentation in the wall where he brings out an elaborate box. And he brings it over and carved into the wood or the symbols of the moon. symbol of the morning lord itself. So he brings it over to you. He takes a key from around his neck and slips it into the lock of the chest and pops it open.

Inside, you see a nearly ancient thigh bow decorated, gilded with gold and silver, inlaid with gems. This is the last remnant, which we have, of St. Markovia herself. A thigh bow. And he pulls it from the box, it radiates with a golden light. As he hands it out to you, I would like for you to have it. Oh, this is quite an honor. What? Am I desecrating it by touching it?

I'm giving it to you. I will take it. May it serve you well. Yes. Thank you. This may help in fight against Fudania. To respect Abbott and all the travels, we have been told to retrieve the bones of the saint

and return them to keep that they once belonged to. Will this go against the cleansing of the Abbey of St. Narcovia if we remove her bones from this life? No. I am Teva. I have the power to cleanse the earth in this land. And I will begin here at the Abbey. Take it.

Use it in your fight. Find the Abbey Temple. Gain the knowledge that you need. May I take it with the box that you withdrew it from to keep it safe? He looks at the box and there's a sense of hesitation, but he closes it and he hands it to you. Thank you. Can I inside check him to infer if I feel like by taking the bones,

this is kind of going against everything that we know that this may not cause it to be like hollow ground if he were to perform his rituals, like just based off what Cona would know? I don't know how much Conn would know about religious stuff, but I would say you're with, you've been with Star-Nex long enough, you know that making something hollow doesn't necessarily require bones. There's actual spells that clerics can use. Okay. hollowed, which creates hollowed ground. Right, right. And with his ability

as a Deva celestial being, I would say you would easily be able to know that he can, he could, now that he's no longer mad, he could put his hands on his ground and make the entire place hollowed. Okay. And he wouldn't need that bone to do it. Would you like

us to return this to you when this is all over? Should you survive? Yes. We should have to the abbey of a namesake. Very well. You will. Thank you. Thank you. We should get some rest.

It's the middle of the night. I suppose we shouldn't stay here. We stay, if you like, in the filth of this place. Would that be all right to you? We'd be disrespectful to stay at my own here? It's not disrespectful to the saint for you to stay here. Not in its current state. You've brought good.

but I have a lot of work to do. This is the only audience I will grant you for now. You have questions or you want me to assist you. Then you must do it now. I have a lot of work to do. And I am not at your beck in call. Would we be committed to return here if we gain more information from the Amber Temple? You may arrive whenever you like, but I am not at your beckon.

cold. It's not guarantee an audience. We would not assume such things from the divine celestial being. I offer my services in purging the darkness from this place if you wish, but I do not presume

to assert that. Keep your strengths. Very well. I will clean the mess I have made. Now, do you have any questions for me? or are you ready to ask of the favor? May I have one moment with my expedition, please?

Please. And he walks to the far end of the room again and st. Markovia and the effigies of the morning morning and he begins to pray. Well, what are you taking? I think we have two options. One is, as notorious of justice, that's be asking to resurrect

the sum of the verbiour. master as he promised originally now in a with a clean mind and gives this place some hope for a future our second option is to allow this place to house orphans to allow irena to maybe stay here and turn this place into more than just an avenue but an orphanage perhaps a school they could bring quite a bit of light to this land. Perhaps the third option. I don't know the extent of Abbott's powers, but being a celestial being,

perhaps he could help us travel the great distance we have to go to the temple. Would I know that, like, teleportation is more of a arcane thing than a divine thing? The teleportation's arcane, yeah, you know that. Okay. Perhaps he could, but it may not be within his ability. And even then, I worry of using a favor for us to save ourselves to travel. I'd like to use our favor for the greater good as it would. Well, any thoughts?

Please, tell what you think. Chepard? I mean, as it stands now, The kids that we know are in a fine place. The father's looking after them. And it just seems wrong to deny somebody life. I would hope that the abbot would, out of the goodness of his heart, just bring the poor man's son back.

But if it takes us cashing in the favor, then I think that that's what we have to do. I just, I don't know how we could just start a, you know. an orphanage or designate this place for something else when we know that there's somebody whose life was promised. I don't know much about celestial beings, Sir Davis, but it's a bit strange, don't you think? But if you worded it as if it would all one favor, do this with this? Do you think he would catch on?

I don't want to attention to deceive him, but perhaps you could ask for it all as well as your favour is all of it in one. perhaps we included as a package he wishes to make, what was the town that we're in? Oh, my God. Cresque. If he wishes to make Cresd a beacon of hope in the land of darkness, perhaps there are several facets of that, resurrecting the son of the burgomaster,

as well as providing a safe haven for the lost in the meet. We could call it. your favor could be to protect the children of Borovia. And in doing so, you would like for him to resurrect the child. He was a butto-meer boy. And to provide an orphanage, etc. For those that are lost. He called himself a shepherd.

Sounds like you're good. What's the worst thing that could happen? He says, no. Would you... He could kill us on the spot. Would you be willing to stay here with the children? I would, if he would allow it. His place is portable.

He can use a woman in the sandwich. All right. We will see what happens. Abbott, and I will walk towards his side of it. His head slowly comes up, and as he turns around, his eyes are glowing with a vibrant golden light, pupiless. It's almost as if a wisp of pure gold are spilling forth from them. Yes. All favor, if you would will it, is to turn this abbey into a beacon of hope for the children and for the future.

And that request has two parts. One is that you resurrect the fallen son, the burgomaster. to Dmitri Kreskov. Dmitri Kreskov's son, to give this chance, this place a chance to have a future burgomaster to take up the reins and one that is raised under the light of St. Markovia.

And the second part would be to turn this abbey into an orphanage, a school, a sanctuary, for children of Kresk. and Brovia. Roll over his weight. This little guy rolls pretty well for me.

Yeah, he's a little fella. It's pretty good. Let's just roll with that. 17. It's pretty good. He looks at you. And as he opens his mouth to speak, you see swirling tendrils of golden light

whipping back and forth around him, almost as of every bit of his being is radiating with solarical energy. Thank you. I have prayed to my God, and he has found me worthy. I will grant you this that you wish. I will save what I can, and he bursts with a radiant light. The entire room is filled with what feels like pure sunlight as it's spilling forth from him.

As he's saying this word, sunlight is beaming out of his mouth. Everywhere you look, it's almost hard to look at him. as the very core of him is almost a pure white light. He looks around as he begins to chant and chant, and you weren't necessarily expecting whatever this was. But then, just as he finishes through the windows, pure sunlight, in the dead of night, pure sunlight breaks through windows, through the panes of glass as they show you

the images of St. Markovia and the Morning Lord all over the floor. The ground is hollow now. St. Markovia and the Morning Lord have blessed this place. And through the fog and through the mist, the sun will shine here eternally. And he burst forth this brilliant glow of pure sunlight. You are all in the mind. Yes!

So take your time to level... I'm going to feel down and just kind of shake my head in awe. And I'll say to myself, thank you, Lord. And as he moves forward, the radiance of him has not stopped. He has finally infused with the power of the morning lord. And with every step that he takes bursts of sunlight appear on the ground where his feet touch. It's almost as if he's floating as he walks. The etherealness of etherealness of it is unlike anything you've ever seen. As he walks past you, the faint scent

of morning, of morning dew can be smelt as he moves forward. It's almost as if he is the physical representation of the morning as he walks forward and takes his seat at the table. It will be done. Thank you, Abbott, for restoring balance of good to this place once in me. No. Thank you for ridding my mind of the madness that was consumed. For showing me the wrongs, atrocities I have committed. For showing me the true path.

I only hope you're smart enough to complete what you had started. We saw the good idea. And we knew that you could be saved. Many before you could not have shown that grace. I did not. The morning Lord will reward you. And he has a gift, the thibor of St. Marcombe. But it would lead you on your path.

And help me when the darkness kills daily. Is this still light outside? It's almost as if rays of sun or just shine down, it would be happy. You're truly humbled to me. Thank you. I am, above all else, angel. A servant of light. And in this instance, I saw nothing but darkness that should be purged away in destructive fire. But it seems that even in the darkest,

Midnight, there is hope of redemption. And I'll look towards Shepard. Now I'll look back. Forgive me for doubting the power of your Lord of Light. This land needs all of the gods of light and fire that can get. I don't hang like that. I have much to attend to. Sleep.

and have Tray on the poor Ahead of you Tried's food Tried to Catherine We'll find nothing at death Now that's Now that's the grounds

have been of sore And we'll holler once more Would it be all right to Prerna stay here with you? He looks at Irene again And he seems Uncertain for a moment I need hope

I will allow it will do my best to keep her while she remains on these grounds Sir John you can not touch her he looks at her one more time a little more deeply now with the clarity of his mind no

she could not touch them no matter where she treats that's inspected well Arina we'll bring the children as soon as we can let's get some rest good night good night I will sit down and before bed, I would just like to kind of reflect.

I'll say you make your way back up through the room. Cloven is still playing. He's completely drunk to this point, so much so that he doesn't even notice as you make your way into the room. And you make your way out on the ramparts and back into the room where guards normally were slept where you found the healing potion. This was the room that was the cleanest. And though the beds there are old and some of them are crushed and destroyed with age,

there were a few of them at least that looked like they could make good beds for sleeping. Before bed, I would like to just kind of inspect and reflect on the thigh bone to learn its properties. You take an hour with the thigh bone. St. Marchobeas' thigh bone is the property's remase of disruption. If it scores one or more hits against a vampire or a vampire spawn in the course of a single battle, the thigh bone crumbles into dust once the battle concludes. under the magical sunlight emanating from the abbey of St. Markovia, as you spend time with it, you begin to hear the whispers.

Almost as if a long-dead sage is telling the story. As a youth, Marcovia followed her heart and became a priest of the morning war, soon after her 18th birthday. She proved to be a charismatic proselytizer, and before the age of 30, she had gained a reputation for allowing no evil to stand before her. Marcovia had long considered Straub a mad tyrant, but only after her transformation into a vampire did she dare to challenge her. As she rallied her followers and prepared to march on Castle Ravenloft, Straud sent a group of vampire spawn to her abbey. They confronted Marcovia and were destroyed to a one.

So fused with confidence born of the righteous victory, Marcovia advanced on Castle Ravenloft. A great battle raged from the catacomb to the parapets. In the end, Markovia returned to Barovia. and Strad only afterward walked with a limp and a grimace of pain. It is said that she tracked Marcovia in a crypt beneath her castle, and her remains linger there yet. The essence of Marcovia's saintliness passed partly into her bones and the rest of her body decomposed.

Her remaining thyroid is infused with power that inflicts grievous injury on the undead. What a badass. Holy shit. So, for the mace of disruption, when you hit a fiend or an undead with a magic weapon, that creature takes an extra 2D6 radiant damage. If the target has 25 hit points or fewer after taking this damage, they must succeed on a DC-15 saving throw or be destroyed.

On a successful save, the creature becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn. While you hold this weapon, it sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light from an additional 20 feet. Proficiency with the mace allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the tackle for any attack you make with it. But if it hits a vampire or vampire or vampire, Once you use it on a vampire, vampire spawn, at the end of that battle, it crumbles up to dust. End of the battle. Yes.

So it's not, if you only get to hit it once, you could use it. I got it. You could essentially save it and use it against Strott. Yes. Yes. Andy. So now you are in the evening and we're back in this room. You're all together.

You now have all of this information that you've learned. I am going to pull out. a twig another piece of adle wood rather than a little twig it's actually going to be like a side of bark

nice and thick and heft and you should see a kind of a little little bit of a wailing face on it and I'm going to take 10 minutes staring into the fire before I throw it in and as I'm going to gaze into the fire

I'm going to say Garex Fire Lord I feel your warmth I feel your gaze I believe our future lies. Intertwine with that of the one known as the other mother. But I believe there is more to her than we know, or anyone in Borovia knows.

Do you have guidance? Tell me it's lore. I'm cat's a legend. The lore? It's new lore. So tell me what it does again because I fucking hate you. I'm sorry.

This is when you get to us. Maybe describe a person, place, or object. The spell brings your mind to a brief summary of the significant lore about the thing you named. The lore might consist of current tales, forgotten stories, or even secret lore that hasn't been widely known. It has never been widely known.

If the thing you named isn't of legendary importance, you gain nothing. The more information you the more information you already have about the thing, the more and precise and detailed information you receive is. The information you learn is accurate, but might be couched in figurative language. For example, if you have a mysterious magical ax on hand, the spell might yield this information.

Woe to the evil doer whose hand touches this axe and blah, blah, blah. Only the true child of stone lover of beloved Moradin may awaken the true powers of the act, with only the sacred word of Brunog on its lips. For example. For example. For example, I hate you. And why don't you RP for a while while while I... And I'm staring into the...

I just feel this and I'm staring into the flame for like 10 minutes. Well, guys, I'm pretty tired and we should all go to bed. So the windows has... You feel the abbey begin to shake. Oh, hold on, hold on. As these stones fall down around you, you are somehow stuck to the floor. and you can move and you get hit with a rock and die.

I need, sorry, so it has a material component. I didn't realize this. It's 250 gold pieces. Oh, shit. And plus on top of another, so it's 450 gold. So I do not have that. Shrips of ivory and incense, which I do not have.

Somax, what do you need? Curio. That's, yeah, that's what to be. Professor. I require and I'm like, I like sheepers and we look at him and I hand him like a shopping list. Could you pick this up from me at the case? The open case.

Twins, am I right? And as I pull the incense out, you hear like a chiching, like a little more. Chechings. Okay. Okay. No, ivory. Four ivory strips, 50 gold pieces of strips. And then I take out four.

Is I told him? Like really tiny. miniature elephant tusks and I hand them to you. And so I'm going to take all of that and with arrange the ivory tusks, the ivory strips and I'm going to

I see that one more time because it doesn't consume them right? Once you do it would you have the ivory strip, you always have them? Yeah, I don't think it says at the end which it consumes. It'll say it right next to the incense is used and I think the 250 is used. Oh, the incense is consumed. The ivory strips are not. So I'm

reducing my gold by 450? Like 250 because the ivory strips aren't consumed. But he has to use them. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take the ivory strips and the little elephant I'm going to put it in four directions around the lantern. And then I'm going to

take the bark and put the incense on top of it. And then I'm going to cast it into the fire. And then continue to gaze into the flame to see what I get as I make my idea of thorotic. I'm taking this time to

sit back on my feet and I haven't done this in a while but I'm taking out some fresh parchment and my little calligraphy set, this long elaborate like bamboo handle these neat engravings of like waves and

wind and I'm taking that out and I'm practicing different symbols over it over and over again until I get the right one. So I have like several copies now. stacked high and just bringing peace is this part of my nightly calming ritual. As far as next steps, what do you think, Shepard? I don't know. I mean, we have another destination. We have another place that we got to get to, but the problem is that I thought we were going to go north of the lake. We know Von Ritzen's waiting for us. I don't want to keep him waiting too long.

it's not exactly on the way it's the problem and there's werewolves apparently in the goddamn foothills of the mountain I'm trying I'm trying professor and you're right you're right there's so many leaves

and what I believe I pull my map of Baroviat well what we could do is on our way out of town. We have to go east anyway. So we investigate this den and to make this place even more safe, we will take care of the werewolves there. Or they might be good wolves. We can't kill them without learning if they're good or not. Remember last time that happened. I killed a

child. We've only given one side of the story. And while initially I think that child snatching is pretty, you know, labeling of evil here. We don't know for sure that that's even the case. And all I do know is that most things are not initially what they appear to be. So it couldn't hurt trying to find these folk and see what they might have to offer. Yes. Either way, we will see why they're snatching children away. And once we deal with that, these woods here to the Lake Baratok, it's not that large. Perhaps we just continue through the forest to the other side of Lake Baratok.

and that's where we can meet Van Richt. So it's not that far. It's maybe a mile and a half, two miles through the woods. All right. And then we can meet him, learn what became there. And then perhaps onward to... So it wasn't north of Lake Zaravich? So we thought so.

But we were wrong. But we were wrong. Got it. Okay. He said a lake. The other way. He thought Zorovic. Got it.

I believe. Yes, that is correct. But it ended up being very talk because. Um, uh, what's your name? Uh, beast girl. Yes. Base, Baste, Baste, BASDivination girl,

yeah, told us, oh, no, fuckers. You're wrong. Right. Like, Baratog. Well, we'll know that. And then that, then that, damn, you're right. I mean, that's perfect. That'll work.

So, uh. And then we just make our way straight for, straight for the Zola, Amber. Yeah. Amber Tower. What is it? The amber, Amber, Amber, um, Temple. Temple.

Temple. All right. Timber. That will take quite some bit. But let's not worry about that just yet. Well, all right, I'll table it for later. Remind me. Wow.

Are you ready? I'm sure. So you begin to hear and feel the legend come together. A woman clothed of Mock and Meyer, a delivered babe rising death tolls higher. Evil birthed in a time long past. Her role is made. She has long surpassed. she clings to hopes of something more

her false daughter's love she shall never secure she bathes in blood to gain her youth her words are barely laced with truth she does not have the lady's ear the death of the daughter is her only fear her power is immense and old there's truth in all the stories told how do you do this? How do you do this

you literally did that like five minutes got to give it up that's beautiful insane. He did it again, he's dumb. Damn, that's good. Yeah.

Thanks. I recite everything. Thanks for us. There's not going to be any bargaining with this one. She's mad herself. That is what I wanted to know. It seems as if

you'll have to come to blows. That's fine. What is she doing with the symbol? my guess would he just protect and stradonia I mean surely a creature with any kind of immense power that you're describing

would know what she has it wouldn't be a mistake it wouldn't be by accident right I mean she must be doing it to protect who she thinks is her child yes she's just driven by mad desperation

for something more to lick the heels of the lady of the land to gain some kind of favor or power she will never earn that was I was hoping to see

if there was a chance she could become an ally but I believe we must slay her yes well I believe While I was praying, I overheard your clan, and I believe that is the wisest decision.

To the woods tomorrow. Yes. Let's get some rest. The DM wasn't listening, so what is your plan? So, DM, we are currently here in Kresk. Yes, you are. We heard that there are werewolves in the woods to the east, so our plan is to track them into the woods, investigate their den, either clear them out,

perhaps learn more from them, probably kill them all, and then continue through the forest on the north side of Lake Baratac because it's already on the way. And there we will look for a tower where Von Ritton, hopefully, is waiting for us. So handing the map, and I'll show you where the tower is because you've been cold already, and you'll see that that plan is folly. I mean, I see a building on the south side of it, so if that's it, then that plan is very falling. Yes.

So there you go. Oh, yes, of course. Never mind that. That's terrible. Professor, I thought you were smarter. So it is on the south side of the woods. Then we will just investigate the werewolves and go back to the road. We're still continuing on, don't know, dammit.

So we're going to investigate the werewolf thing. Take a look. And then... It will be, I would say, if you want to... You're going to have to go deep into the woods, so you're looking at probably half a day's journey. To get to where you want to go. because you're going through the woods.

So this isn't like walking on a path. Where the stand is. Yes. So you're looking at going through the woods. So trying to travel through the thicket of the super thick trees. I'm just letting you know it's going to be about a day's journey. So you'd be able to go there and then come back and you have to spend another night in the abbey of St. Marcovia.

If you survived. Excellent. So for what it's worth, while traveling for an hour or more in the chosen terrain, difficult drain does not slow our groups travel down. Oh. However much that would add to what we're looking for. I still have to track them. We don't know where we're going.

So, right, it might be, well, with that situation of knowledge. We also don't have to go find these people. It was just an idea, but, you know, this was before we knew where we needed to go next. No, you're right. You're right. And then with the avids, his right to have. But that's enough for now. We could...

I certainly don't want these people being preyed upon by more predators that are out there, potentially in the woods, but it's certainly not a top priority, or at least it doesn't seem to be right now. And it seems as if the walls do keep the were rules at bay. They are not in any immediate danger unless the children run off foolishly outside of the protection of the wall. Given the time we could waste, it's not worth it. Van Rectin told him to find him as soon as we can. We've already been waylaid quite a bit.

Let's get some sleep. We'll find him first thing in the morning. Yes. Agree. Good night. I'm going to slither out to wrap around my lantern. You were able to have a long rest. You had a peaceful night.

No dreams came to you. And in the morning, you begin to pack up your things and busy yourself about. You can hear that there are things happening throughout the abbey. The sound of the screaming. Mongol folk is no longer present, but it sounds like construction or rebuilding or cleaning, it's hard

to tell. And you wander about the place. You do not find the app, but you remember that he had told you that that night was the last that you would see of him for now. And as you pack up your things and you

make your way towards the gates looking around. Irina runs out from the shed or the area where you had killed the flesh gold and Irina runs out to you

don't don't leave just yet I would like to say goodbye in case I don't see you for a while well of course you see that she's covered you can see down her apron

she's covered in blood pieces of mucus and stuff and she seems to be completely used to it at this point I've been out for four hours by now and have been sure to get up early enough so I'd be able to say goodbye.

Well, please, do what you can to bring some more light into this place, and thank you for agreeing to stay. Don't work yourself too hard, get some rest. We have to make sure that this place is suitable for children. In its current state, it is not so much. And you have to know that you are safe, here or anywhere.

From Trudania, but please do not leave these walls. There's still werewolves out there and other deadly thing to the mist itself. I will not leave. Thank you. Thank you. And should someone come to get me, I will not go with them

unless it is you. I've learned my lesson. It takes some time to bask in the sunlight. I mean, it's the first. Beautiful, isn't it? We've seen this in forever. And as you look up, you see that there is a crack in the clouds, pure sunlight, shining down over the abbey,

but only the abbey. nowhere else. This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Aventress and gain access to tons of exclusive perks, including a monthly movie night and a weekly Patreon exclusive campaign

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miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more. Thank you. It's beautiful. Flowers are already beginning to grow up in the fields. I haven't seen anything quite like it, and I'm going to say, and she wipes some sweat from her forehead. I like it. It's wonderful to hear. You can be right in the darkness. It is. Be safe, all of you. You do the same, and I will let the children know that you are well. I will send a word to them just as soon as I can.

The abbot says that she is able to provide ways for me to send messages to those that are important to me. And perhaps I shall save my strength. I wish you will, I read out. And you. And she clasps your hands and then pulls you in and gives you a strong embrace. as she moves from each of you, giving you a hug. Thank you all. Good luck.

Thank you for tolerating our wacky adventures. You didn't give me much for choice, but frankly, I quite liked it. Well, I'll accept the blood part. I'll get here for a friend. Adventure for sure. Good day. Good day. I'll turn and head out of Cres.

And we will head to where. we believe based on the map of Von Rek and Sowers. As we're leaving the town, I just want to point back over my shoulder and say, you know, Tradanya, she sent us a message

yesterday, and I hope that right there is enough of us fire him back that she gets our own message. That's right. We should, I would like to seek out the burgo master before we leave. Okay. You make your way down the winding path

that leads towards the village of Cres. And as you make your way into the village, the guards barely look at you. They're staring up the abbey, almost in shock as the sunlight breaks its way through the thick, heavy cloud covering. It covers the rest of the village of Borovia in wonder and in awe. They let you in, barely glancing at you. As you walk through the streets, you see every single person you come across is staring up at the sky and wonder. You eventually make your way. towards the town center where you know the burgomaster's houses and both him and his wife

and a young 14-year-old boy are standing and staring up to the avenue. They're embracing him, both of them, in absolute shock and awe as you'll make your way towards him. And as you get closer, you see as it sees you, she shakes the small boy, kisses him quickly in the cheek as she runs forward, tears streaming down her face. You did it. It must have been you. You went up to the Abbey and then now the Abbot visited us. Not Amir four or five hours ago.

He brought sweet Ilya back. Thank you. And she drops to her knees as she grabs her hand. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yes. Thank you so much. We brought life back to the Abbey. You see what you've done.

Christ is blessed. It has the future. We've been sure that. We've done what we can, and we will be bringing more here. More, more, more youth, more. It is at this moment that the door of the house opens up, and three strapping men varying in ages.

Holy hell. Step out of the house in new clothes. as they walk over and stand beside their father. Oh, my God. I didn't believe it. And you hear, is it them, above. It is, my sons. And they all look at you.

You know, you'd think we'd be getting used to this by now, but, gosh, I mean, that, that, that, that, that being is truly some sort of heavenly creature. You were all looking very well. You were all previously deceased. The two of the older boys look of sorrow in their face, but they nod at you, but no longer. And you see as the eldest attention turns towards Kana. And he looks you up and down and then quickly looks embarrassed, looks away. A faint blush makes his way to his cheeks. And his father looks at him and gives him a look and he straightens and he nods at you an apology.

I don't know what to say. I just have my hand folded by my back. After all this time, I still can't believe it. I mean, it's truly a miracle. Small miracles, but enormous miracles. I just... Would you like to stay for breakfast? The entire town has gotten together with maybe the largest of all feasts we've had in a long time.

Yes, yes, we can afford some moments of you. Please, come with us. You kept your promise. I cannot, I cannot even... Dimitri told me what she said you would do. We went to bed last night, and I was angry at myself for the hope I felt in my heart. And then I woke up to the sun, to sunlight, coming through my window and my voice. The abbot is a good man.

That place is good now as well. He was not well, but we have... We have heard the lot. Restort him. Oleg is the first man to ever walk down from the abbey, completely cured of his sickness. He won't be the last. And from here, the abbot left and gave him back his sweet meruna.

Doe. By the gods. By the gods, indeed, professor. I watched him dentsy little jig with his tiny old nobly knees. was so happy. This is the power of light. It's the power of the morning. It's the power of the light in the darkness.

And darkness cannot snuff out the light. You may yet one day be the heroes of Moravia. Yes. Well, lead the way. She dust her hands off and she runs over. And in one arm she grabs, she links with her eldest son. The other peers her second eldest. Let's go, boys.

Let's lead the heroes of Cresk to breakfast. And she marches with you directly towards breakfast. You sit with that. The townsfolk all have questions to ask because they pile food. You hear that a few of the mid-20 to early 30-year-old men had gone out and slain wolves to create to create the food for this morning. They ventured out due to the glory of the sun. As a pile of the food high,

they're all interested to hear your tales. And next to them, you see Oleg and the elderly couple. And he doesn't recognize any of you, but Victoria, as you speak on occasion, he looks at you and you get a smile from him, recognizes your voice. And at one point, he comes over and he squeezes your hand,

gives you a knowing nod. As he tells the story of how he helped you in overcoming everything that it was, he's now hailed as a hero here as well, but you can tell he's putting on airs for his wife, who is now seated beside him. It takes a couple of hours, but you enjoy your meal and the stories, seeing the joy that you have brought to this land. And you know that through all of the dark,

you've done some true good, some lasting good, the first signs of it that have probably ever found their ways to the lands of Rovia since Tridonia came. And it is with that you begin to make your way out of the city of Creds and along your path. You make your way out of the city with a newfound hope, the sun warm on your backs, and you continue to move forwards and slowly the darkness. consumes you. You turn around and you can see the soft rays of sunlight illuminating the abbey of St. Markovia and you know that Shepard was right

but this was a direct response to Shredonia. There is war, but you are not going down without a fight and with her darkness you will with you bring the light. As you make your way along the paths, constantly checking your map and you see at first, confusion from the ravens around you. They almost seem

unwilling to leave the sunlight that they found themselves in, but the Mardukov family protects you as they once again keep the hungers of the forest at bay, and you have a safe path directly towards Lake Baratoc.

So, you did some switch. We got more allies on ourselves. I know. I've done a lot of them. mine. That's insane. I think it was possible. The Deva. Yeah.

He did do Bob and beyond Lee asked him. You continue to move forward as the coldness of the land begins to overtake you. The warmth of the rays of the sun a mere memory in your minds. As you come to a cold

mountain lake enclosed by misty woods and rocky bluffs, thick fog creeps across the dark, still waters. The trail ends at a grass-covered causeway that stretches 100 yards across the lake to a flat, marshy island with a stone tower on it. The tower is old and decrepit with collapsing scaffolds clinging to one side, where a large gash has split the wall. Time-worned Griffin's statues, their wings and flanks covered with moss, perched atop buttresses that support the walls. Parked near the base of the tower, within sight of the entrance, is a barlet-topped wagon spattered with mud.

Do we recognize this wagon? You are not close enough to know. This must be the place. Hopefully, Ron Rixon is all right. But we see that the tower. You see the tower. There's like a causeway,

but it's almost surrounded by water aside from this causeway. So you walk along it and you get to it. Can we, oh, do I see any signs of movement or? or life either in or around the tower? You haven't made your way to the tower yet from where you're at. You can't really see much of anything.

Okay. Let's take a closer look at the wagon to see what has become. If it is, the wagon, we think it may be. Let's go. As long as there isn't any signs of struggle or damage of the wagon, I think it'll be safe to assume that Von Recton's okay, and we're probably safe to approach. but, you know, with caution.

I'm going to stow my blood spear and take out my Naginada now before I forget. Yeah. It's just her, if that is his wagon, Chad is safely not within. You make your way across the causeway. Fucking Chad. You make your way across.

Is that what I heard of him? I just making sure I heard Chad, I was like, she didn't say that. Okay. You make your way across the causeway and head closer and closer towards the stone tower in the middle of the small island. and directly towards the wagon, which looks similar but is different.

It does not appear to be Van Richten's wagon. Under layers of mud, this wagon sports a fresh coat of purple paint, and its wheels of fancy gold trim. A brass lantern hangs from each corner and red drapes cover a tombstone-shaped window on each side. A steel padlock secures the back door, hanging from which is a cheap wooden sign that reads, Keep Out. Ah. Perhaps I was mistaken.

This doesn't seem to be. It's what? It's purple paint is... Is that reminiscent of the Vastani? Is that... They are the ones with the horses to draw such a wagon. There's no chance that this is an allusion to, is it? Do you want...

It's not. Investigate, Professor. Please do. Oh. lock up to it and flip my nagging-knotter around and like knock twice, like on top of the wagon and see if anything happens. You hear the sound of knocking on the wood of the wagon. No sound seems to be emanating from the inside, but it is very clearly not an illusion.

You see there was a lock on the back door and a sign, a small wooden sign that says keep out with an exclamation point. I want to just pick up the lock and pull it and see if it's actually locked. It's locked. Professor. I hope so we should go to the hotel. or take it. I'm not going to pick this lock

if we learned what happened when we tried that last time. It's almost as if Victoria didn't just mention the saber truth

that. Yes. Maybe we should be a warning I have no interesting in face-to-face without him.

It seems awfully suspicious that if I was ruined a tower there's a wagon that is not Ron Richton. I'll make you a deal

Sarnax. If it turns out to be some trick we'll burn the wagon. Deal? I. find this very amenable. Can I laugh the wagon and kind of get on all

fours and look under it and see if there's any other interesting things that I might be missing about it other than the keep out. An investigation check. Keep out, sorry. No, you know, I'm just blind as bad with five. Looking around, it seems like it's a wagon

with simply one entrance. Does it have any horses or anything? It does not. I want to go to the door of the tower. Okay. Does it say anything on it? Give me a moment. As an aside, not to

throw another question. Besides Trondon's horse, have we actually seen distami horses? Yeah. At the camp there were... Okay. Okay. We've seen them. Yes. Okay. Do they just like...

It was starting to feel like who's pulling these fucking laggons? But we did see them. Yeah, they had what? At the camp outside of Milwaukee, they had like... This is what you see. The tower door is made of iron with no visible handles or hinges.

I don't want any of that. In the middle of a door is a large embossed symbol, a connected series of lines with eight stick figures set around it. Nope. Carved into the lentil above the door is a word. Cazan. Sambler. Which shit.

Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Can you spell that voice? How? K-H-A-Z-A-N. Can I write that?

Yeah. Is this the top? Yes. Or is this the top? Hold on. looks like that. Yes, that's the top. Okay, so sorry, let's go out again.

K-H-A-Z-A-N. H-A-Z-N. H-A-Z-N. So those are six figures. Not to be confused with Kavan, who was the wielder of the sphere here. Some kind of wizard puzzle. What's this to me?

Should we just knock? Professor, perhaps you should do the string. Damn. Oh, 50. Before anybody does, I'm taking five steps back and I'm going to observe from over there. You all holler if you need anything from me. And I'm going to take five very large steps back away from this door so that when whoever

decides to knock on it gets exploded, I don't. That would probably be kind of the meet you. Xonax, could you perhaps call on Van Nectin and see if he's even here? I suppose I could. From farther back, I say, but I'm curious to hear what his dance he was talking about was. I am going to step beside Shepherd as well, and I'm going to look into the flame and I'll put my fingers up to my temple and just cast sending to Vonrick then. It is us. We are at the base of the tower.

Are you home? We have much to discuss. You can reply to this message. You wait and wait and wait, and you get no response. That is unsettling. What's the matter, buddy? I sent the message to Von Richton and no response. No response.

You could be in grave paro if not already dead. All right. Do you know if it was delivered? Yes, it was. Well, I believe it was. But I was left on red. Oh, I'm red, yeah. Well,

my God. I said it. Yeah. So someone's like unconscious. They'll still receive them. Like, it still has a recipient, but they can't respond. God. Like, if they're asleep, what, how does that work?

They still get it. But I think it would be for the DM to decide. Okay. I was just curious. I get some, like, we are arriving, and I get the response. Ooh, you're going to hate me. I'll be there five minutes. Four hours later.

Andy's got a lot of ideas, but Shepard's intelligence is far too low for this, so he's not going to say that. I suppose I could try. I'm going to start with this one. So you're standing in front of the door? I'm saying right in front of the door. Oh, you're literally going to do those dances. Now I get it. This, this.

Just all that. Hostress. Okay, show me what you're doing? Zipal up. Gussla. Huh? Huh. Huh.

Huh. Huh. Yes. Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. Ha.

Ha. Huh. You hear lightning as it crackles down around you. Shoots out from the tower as all of the stick figures ignite with blue light. You hear a grinding sound from the inside of the door. is the lock crumbles. Yes! Yes!

Smok! Man! Come on. First fucking try, Sarn. I cannot wait to tell you what could I have. Professor Zanz, magic dance. So, as I see the professor do these moves, I love to sign.

I was going to, you weren't kidding about dancing. No. Do I ever kid, Shepard? What? Have you ever known to kid once? What is this? Here, go ahead and talk to. put this down. First day magic clown

crap is this? See? I told you I am down with the Wizbiz. Get down with whizmins. I'm not a little bit just up to you. Yeah, because North will North will be toy of the TV. This is weird. Anyway,

that's the bottom. That's the bottom. Look at it. Not that I know. Yeah, he's Shepard as well. I have been. Ten kinds of wrong. Oh, that's how I was spelling. So when you said do the dance or where I think it was Starnex mentioned it.

the dance, I thought this was the Detect Magic Dance, because it takes some tendons to do it. So I figured he was just like... No, I literally didn't know where you were going to that. Oh. I was literally being like, I want to hear what Sarnax has to say. If you're going to assume that Azran would pick up what he was putting down.

Of course. Because you're connected mentally. So what I was debating was which one do you start with? Right, right. It would start with this one or this one. Wait, which one did you start? started with the one. You started, yep, that was the one. Okay.

So by that point, I knew what you were doing, but I had literally no idea looking up to that. And there were a few things, right? Because do you match this or do you mirror it? Right. And so I matched it. Yeah. So I don't know if that's what you're supposed to do.

Okay. So I was trying to follow on. I was like, if he's got that one in, you got the first four. And I was like, okay, I think he's right. And then I made sure to make sure you got the last two. Yeah. And I was like, okay. Okay.

You know. Yeah. Yeah. You got. You got it. Brilliant. Oh. Well, that took significantly less time than I thoughts.

I mean, we don't need something. So is it all over? I will open a puzzle. Yeah, Professor, it does love a puzzle. Professor, I believe you should say something in this moment. Oh, you're right. I do love a good puzzle. No, not that.

Kana's tapping her foot in. What satisfies you, Professor? You know, so next. Nothing quite satisfied. size like a puzzle solve. Well done, Professor. Let us continue. Oh, boy. I will.

Are we sure it's safe to proceed? I believe this is just Van Richten testing us and they open the door. The flagstone floor is strewn with debris and a few old crate stand near the east wall. A torn curtain in the south partially obscures the tower vestibule. A five-foot square indentation in the center of the floor contains four pulleys attached to taut iron chains that stretch up through a similarly sized hole in the rotted wooden ceiling. Standing next to the chains are four tall clay statues. Oh boy. Interesting.

Is the the pulley system you describe like an elevator or like a bell? It looks like an elevator. Okay. So it's big for people, not for food. Yep. Okay. Which are these statues? I just don't know.

Nobody touch me anything. I'm getting nervous. Can I take a closer look at them? They look to all be holding on to the chains of the elevator. What are they people? They're statues. Should we get hit? They're meant to look like people. Yeah.

Yeah. That's what I meant. They're not like gargoyles. They're like people. Okay. It's just like men. Yeah. They look like men holding onto the shots.

I don't see any stairs or anything. I want to test the plate that they're all standing on with my foot and give it some fresh. There's no. plate on the ground, it looks like it's up further at, but you're going to move forward? Yeah. As you move forward with the intention to move towards the elevator, you see as all of the statues begin to pull

on the chain and slowly lower the platform to the ground. I honestly could not have said I would have expected that. Professor, I believe this whole tower is all you. It's this whole

Tower of Wizard? That's what? Why? And were a world. So high. Do you love a good puzzle. Easy professor. Clayton walks under the elevator with a boner. Which is dream.

It's too heavy for the both of them. So is the Laveyham coming down? Yes, it is now fully landed on the ground. And the clay statue stays stationary. Well, what do you think? Fearless leader. I believe there's nothing more to do now. Then take a step forward.

And I will step onto the. platform. Professor, should we not look around the room a bit? Oh, didn't we do that when they're looking around. I just want to go. I'll take a little out. I'll cast my lantern. You step onto the platform and immediately they begin to raise you up and you

watch as your friends disappear from view as they raise you towards the second floor. Victoria, you begin to look around the room. It's thrown all about the room and you begin rummaging through them. They all look like they contain things at some point, but

now they're simply empty wooden crates. Clayton, dusty cobwebs filled this otherwise empty room, the wooden floor of which is badly brought it and partially collapsed. The ride on this elevator was not smooth,

it was shaky, and your stomach feels a little unsettled from the quick motions, but as you get to the second floor, the clay golem stop almost as if waiting to see if you'll and park or if they should continue to ascend or dissipate. Professor, I'll get

off. Are you okay? Professor? No, I'm fine. I'm just from the second floor. It doesn't seem to be anything around me. How do we get up there? At this point, you have been able to discern that they have not necessarily ascensions, but

they anticipate what you need. So if you have the need of the elevator, they'll lower it. If you intend to go up, they'll raise it. How do we get up, Professor? Let's hold on, give me one second. Let me just, and I want to look around. As you say this, the golems begin to move the chains

and the platform of the elevator descent. All right, everybody, get on, get on. Quick, we got to get back to the professor. We can't protect him if he's alone. Do we feel like it can fit all four of us? Okay. I'm like attempting to run back to it as it lowers the other. Oh, well, just get on.

So it's fascinating. I see his cat peeking over. You all have placed your feet. feet upon the platform as the golems begin to raise it up. It shakes and jostles. Occasionally it stops and you feel as if it's going to clatter and fall, but they

continue to raise it until you make your way to the second form. Do you want to hop on and just keep on going? Do you find anything up there? As you look around, the middle of the room is a five foot square hole in the floor and ceiling. The rusty chain near each corner are part of the elevator

mechanism. you so while they were coming up I was investing on the floor you looking around you can tell that the floor around the hole is weak that part of this floor

has fallen through and you don't imagine that it can hold much weight there is absolutely nothing true I believe this is a floor is this this is not right

I feel very epic right now. You feel like you're going to go to battle. The riders are rohaddle on their way. Come on. Come on. Shake a leg. Quit dilly down. Let's go.

All right. Once again, thank you. You begin to ascend. It's tight. You're all very pushed next to each other. But you're able to disembark on this next area. Time the elements of all but destroyed this chamber,

leaving a gash in the northwest wall and slime black mildew on the walls. The wooden floor is completely rotted and has begun to fall away in places. There's once again a hole in the floor, but the floorboards here look even more precarious.

You're not even sure if it's safe enough to exit the elevator. Keep going, chaps. I whispered in one of the... Immediately you feel as the elevator moves and you find yourself. ascending to the height of this tower.

Unlike the levels below, this room shows signs of recent habitation. And although the place reeks of mold and mildew has plenty of creature comforts, including a cozy bed, a desk with matching chair, bright tapestries, and a large iron stove with plenty of wood to feed it. Light enters through arrow slits as well as through dirt-caped windows with broken shutters. Other features of the room include a standing suit of armor and a wooden chest, old wooden rafters bend under the weight of the tower roof, which has somehow remained intact. Mounted to the rafters or pulleys around which hang iron chains that support the tower's elevates platform.

Is anyone in the bed? No. This might be a bad time to bring this up, but is there any chance that, you know, outdoor magically resecured itself, right? You think, Professor, maybe? Well, I didn't see what that is. I can go back down and close it if you'd like. I'm not worried about it just being open or close.

I'm worried about being locked. There's a strange purple car outside that we don't really know about, and I'm just hoping that maybe the puzzle really puzzled itself. Is that what puzzles do? It depends on the puzzle. Some do, some don't. Some, it might close and the puzzle might change. Anyway, I don't mean to derail everything.

Either way, on the third floor, there was a gigantic hole in the wall, so I think at least we can go down one floor and jump out if need me. Fair enough. If you could not. Let's have a look around. Van Ricton, are you here? Your voice echoes throughout the tower, but no sound is met with no sound, no response. The last time we walked into his room, you know, there was illusory magic that kind of prevented Sarnax and I from being able to see what was going on.

And I don't know if you have a way to poke around through that. Can you sense it? Well, let's take a look around first, and while you all do so, I will begin. to cast the tech manager. You begin to cast your spell and you find the magic you're attempting to use. You cannot produce it.

Never mind. What's wrong? It seems to be some sort of magic dampening effect here. Ston X, can you try something? Victoria? I'll try to just cast

the armaturgy to make my voice. You once again try to channel the power of your deity. And nothing is forced from you. Walk over to the window, and I'm going to look out towards the path and just see if I see any signs of movement.

You should roll a perception truck. I'm going to go. You said there was a wardrobe. Is that what that is? There is a standing square and a wooden chest. Oh, that might be a stove. So there are a cozy bed, a desk, with matching chair, bright tapestries, a large iron stove, light enters through arrow slits in the windows, there's a standing suit of armor or wooden chest.

Yeah, I'll just kind of check out the chest and see if it's, I'm trying to like find any of his, if any of these items is familiar. So you're 25. You don't see anyone coming up a path, but you can see movement along the lines of the forest. And you can hear howling a wolf far over the distance. How far is the movement? Like wagon? Are we talking to the? No, like far, far. You're out on an island

in Lake Baratok. It's off against the horizons. I would like to invest to eat the rules. Toria, I need you to roll in... No, you're walking towards the chest. As you get close to the chest, your nose immediately picks up the scent of lavender. Oh.

You've smelled that and yeah, and maybe walked yourselves. Yeah. Oh. Oh. I was like, why have I smelled it? Yeah, I was like, the wheels are turning. You're watching. You're watching. You're on.

You got it. She's there. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Leverth scares me. Yeah. See movement on the horizon. Perhaps it's far enough off that we're okay now. I do smell lavender.

Does anyone have smelled that? Not over here. I'm going through the desk. I'll cautiously continue towards the chest. and you're going to open it? Is it locked? No. My attention is on Victoria though now that she's mentioned this and I'm just watching.

I'm looking out the windows focusing on that. I'll just kind of cautiously open. You begin to open and looking inside the aroma of laminate, the aroma of lavender emanates more strongly from the chest as you see a tuft of hair. And as you look deeper in and your eyes adjust to the darkness, there appears to be a severed human head nestled covered in lavender oil on the bottom of his chest

too God it's a face that you do not recognize what's the matter I'll rush over there's a severed head in this chest oh god I knew that smell and I looked anywhere

I suppose we found it I'm gonna take out judgment and just use the barrel to kind of like move the head a little to see if I get a better look at the face. You open it a little bit further and you look at the face. And it's not somebody that you recognize,

but there are things that you do recognize. The adornments and coloration of the Vastani appears to be a Vastani man. It's the head of a Vastani gentleman. Perhaps an evil Vistani. It's not even enough This is he Why would he keep it

In the chest? If this is truly his tower Did I find anything in the desk? You looked through the desk When it looks like it had been gone through recently You do find The scribblings of a note Ismerelda's wagons

Parked outside She's followed me to Horovia I must make haste if you find this I'm hoping you are the ones I can trust I've been given an invitation to dine the countess

I may take it and is it in his handwriting it is in his handwriting is in his handbrain is it dated it is not he left to last before us any good news

that is Esmerald's wagon outside well that's not bad he is running you from her. Really? Well, she didn't want to find him and he doesn't want to be found. There's not really a problem with that, right?

No, I think she intends to find him. She just didn't want to find him with us. Fine. So on X, would it be wise for us to attempt to contact Desmerelda using your magic? Did he say where he was gone? He said he had an invitation

to Ravenloff, to dine. With the countess, he didn't say when he got the invitation, but he says he may take it. You gotta be fucking kidding me. I believe he's not kidding. Why would he, he read it in the letter? Why would he be kidding, Shepley? It's a turn of frame. Oh, this bad.

What does his name? Perhaps the business Chaghania was speaking of was von Richter. Perhaps he replaced all. our invitation. But he knows that we are also planning to see him. I'm sorry. He wouldn't go alone. Yes, exactly.

Why would he go alone? He's got to be smarter than that. He's got to know more than we do. He wouldn't just throw him his life away like that. Precisely, he's been here all this time. He's never tried to do it alone before. Why would he just suddenly jump at the church? He did not have an invitation before.

Do you think he was with Amarado? No, he was running from the... I had since that I got, but he was, like, getting away from her. You don't know. He didn't say. I did not. Wait, he doesn't know that we know

who Esmirelda is. Does he? He does not. The two things that you read were on separate bits of parchment. Okay. So there's one that says Esmeralda's wagon has arrived or is parked outside.

Another one said, if you find this, I'm hoping you're the ones that I can trust. I've received an invitation from Stradanya. I've received an invitation for dinner from Shradanya. I think I may take it. Are both in this handwriting? Yes.

They're just scattered in the papers about. So it looks like he's been scribbling notes. The other notes are things about different werewolf ecology, where ravens and how they work. You see a actually roll, roll an investigation check to see if you find this other. enough.

My proficiency went up. We got plus five now. Four. That's four. Nine. 12, 13. Yeah. 18.

You, looking through it, you also find what appears to be a recipe for lavender oil. The lavender oil recipe talks specifically about the ability to bolster a speak with dead spell, allowing the dead to retain the memories after their life is passed. On top of that, you find information

about information about the layout of Castle Ravenloft, and that Von Richton is hoping that the Amber Temple will lead him towards maps of the maps of the castle itself, which would help,

and that he plans to seek out the knowledge of images of the past. He believes that there may be traps in things far more ancient and far more evil there than even he knows. Why would he leave all of this here? It looks like he left in a hurry.

Sorry, go ahead, if there was a time sensitive invitation to dine with the Countess, perhaps he left in a hurry, but you all heard what as Marelda had been speaking of in her dreams while she slept? Yes, about the Countess.

Chemical Parents. She said nothing about the Countess, Professor. It has been lingering in my mind since that evening. Go on. It had been a thought I had not wanted to entertain. But what if the... villain in her nightmare was not indeed the countess, but the man von Richton himself, I pray I am wrong.

My God. I mean, I suppose, but he, we discreetly, Victoria discreetly lived through his things and found everything that would show the signs of a true vampire hunter. Yes. He had all the tools. Yes, he had holy water, even communion with us. Well, we also know that he's got a thing against this so-called evil Vestani, which we have yet to meet one. The road to the nine hells is paved with good intention.

Perhaps and just perhaps. There may be darkness in this vampire hunter that started or still contains somewhat noble intentions. But perhaps his daughter, his adoptive daughter, is at mortal odds with him. Sonic has that. I'm going through these things, I found a reason why that head reeks of lavender. This oil that he has placed all over it exists to strengthen the memories of the corpse. I mean, a spell to speak with said corpse is cast apart. Is this something you can do?

It is indeed, Professor. Wait, you can do that? You saw me do it before with the husband of Miss Walker. Yes. I apologize. Sorry. Still. It has been quite some time I've forgotten as well.

I don't do it lightly, but... This head probably contains great information if Von Richton himself used it. You don't think that this is the head of Esmeralda's father, Grusia. He was a bostonian. Well, why don't we ask it? How long would you have to keep up? It can't have been the father. Maybe he...

Oh, was he alive? His father, birth father, his life... is long dead. Yes. Long dead. Yes. Did he maybe cover his corpse? We will not know who this is until we bring it outside of the tower, unfortunately.

How long has... Can I... It's looking at it, it's hard to tell. It has a strange, waxy substance coating the skin. It looks like it was embalmed in some way. So it doesn't look like it is decaying at the rate that you would expect. How heavy is the chest? I mean, big enough for the head, so that's easily, maybe five pounds.

Good one if you collect the chest. I'll go over and lift it up. Thank you. If you can hear me or see me right now, I'm doing this for your own good, and I take all of his notes and papers, and I shove them into my case. Shall we tear apart the rest of the room to ensure that you're not missing anything additional? Yes. And I mean, even if we don't, we just don't want any of this to fall into the wrong hands, that's for sure.

Do you think his room here is warded with anti-magic, or do you think this was cast here by an enemy? It's hard to say. I would assume it is his, so he cannot be scried upon perhaps by the Countess or even Esmeralda. Would that make sense? Or us, even. So we tear apart the rest of the room. Take a special look at the suit of all. so we'll assist Professor Azram

in mechanically on investigation that we're doing. It depends on you. Pretty good. 18 plus 5 plus 4 is 27.

You investigate the rest of the room and outside of what you've already found there doesn't appear to be anything like. I grabbed the chest and I hop on the on the elevator. I don't join, Connor. Yep.

You immediately make your descent down to the bottom floor, the chest and hand. Make your way outside and look out over the mid-morning. Can see the fate to movements in the forest all around you. Life is stirring here. Esmeralda's wagon, coated in mud, hitched up against the side. I scan the sky. for any signs of our raven friends. They're flying around everywhere,

occasionally darting into the underbrush. Okay. They seem to be doing their best to keep the opposite back. I have a thought. Sure. Yes, Professor. We need to see what's in the wagon. We're back to this again.

Yes. Now that we're sure that it's not, and less concerned with March Platte. So the question is, do we look at the wagon first? do we speak with this fine gentleman here first? Or do I send a message to Esmirelda first? We have three options. Why would we alert her to our presence?

We don't know her intentions. Excellent point and well made. I think we should learn what we can. All right. Get the tools, work on the lock, and I'll prepare for a fucking gorilla or a crocodile or some shit. I can't We're doing this again

Unbelievable And I pull out my nice elegant set of these tools And I'll just kind of And I'll take some silver polish And I'll just sort of polish them up While Starnecks Cast a spell

Shepherd Yeah Perhaps you should ready your lasso I save no sense of of ironing Damn it I put the pack down And I take the rope out

And I start fashioning a lasso I'm like, all right, all right, I'm ready, I'm ready. I got the robe of my feet. I got one hand on my weapon, and I'm waiting. So where should we do this? Conn? I'm sorry? You have the head. I do.

Where shall we engage? You're doing that right now while they're doing their thing. I think we should focus on that. Each of all I cast my spell. I was going to wait and let him do his thing before we. Speak with the head before we go forward. What's the cast time on it? Oh.

10 minutes? It might be 10 minutes. Oh, you have walked outside. Oh, it was one action. Oh. Yeah. You immediately hear from in the box. Hello, can you let me out?

Can you open these box? You're making a lot of noise. What? Wait, the chest. Hello? Hello? I would knock, but I don't have any hands. I put the chest down.

Hello? Is anybody there? Oh, they left. Oh, hello. Well, you're a lot prettier than that ugly old man that keeps talking to me. Thank you. I appreciate that. I would check your hand, but, well, can't. You want to kiss me?

And he looks at you with a slight smile. Come on, you know, you're wrong to. It's the only way to say hello. Very flattered. Is it okay if I pick you out? Yeah, well, I'll kiss anyone. Who are you? You want to pick me up? Sure, you're going to hold me tight. I'm kind of just be careful. Don't worry. I don't bite.

I don't believe that. Perhaps professor's assistant. Oh, no. you didn't bring that surly old man with you, did you? I don't mind. And I'll just lean in and pick him up. Oh, oh, oh.

No, I'm kidding. I can't really tell what you're doing. How are you speaking to us right now? Is his mouth moving? Oh, yeah. And his eyes are looking around and... Oh, my goodness. Are you in pain?

No, can't feel anything below the neck. You, why are you on such a good spirit? Well, because you're the first people I've seen since that crotchety old man killed me. So you are aware that you're a severed head? I'm a severed head? And he begins to, like, look down. Oh, my God.

Yes, of course I'm a severed head. What is your name? My name is Jan. It is nice to me. Ooh, look at you, hot stuff. Come over here and give old Jan a kiss. Why did the crotchett's the old man kill you? You know, well, it really depends.

Do you want my story, his story, or the truth? The truth. The truth. Well, he invited me to ride in his wagon. I tried to steal the wagon. He killed me, and then he told me he hates all the stony anyway, so he was going to do it if I hadn't tried to steal it. So here I am, I hid in the box.

Hello, nice to watch him. What is your story? My story is that I got into the wagon, and I was being very kind, and he was trying to give me a ride, and he killed me anyway. What is his story? I don't know, probably that I'm Vastani, and he wanted to kill me, and that I stole his wife. Maybe his story was the truth.

What does it matter? Hey, you want to kiss? Well, that last part about him hating all Vestani doesn't really sound like him from what we know. You know, he does hate Vistani. Could you do me a favor? Would it be too much to ask? I mean, yes, I'm a head in the box. It's a little weird.

I'm trying to kiss your ladies. But, you know, you could do me a solid, and you could tell all of the Vestani that this guy is trying to kill us all. Yeah. How are you able to speak right now? How does you... I'm a powerful wizard. I'm infused with magic Okay, fine

He casts a spell on me And he keeps putting this stinky whale A little over my body I'm in my head Where's your body? You know, if I know I would have, no, I guess I wouldn't have fucked

I don't have legs I've no idea he disposed to the taggis Do you know? Have you seen? You seen any severed bodies around You could just give me? How is my hair?

Does it look messy? I can't see. see. It looks fine. It doesn't matter. Well, I mean, when all you've got is a head of hair and a brilliant smile. I slick his hair back to him. Oh, yes.

Oh, I just scratch there near the back. This is a bar. Oh, yes. It's very fascinating. Yeah. Thank you. How long ago did you die? Huh.

At least a year. Wow. And which the Stony group do you come from? The one near Falaki? Oh, no, I come from Striga. Oh. Yes. The crotch at the old man wanted to find his way into Borovia, and through a game of cards, I lost he won.

I told him I knew how to get in, and he said that he would give me a ride in the wagon to one of the camps if I would show him the way. So I did, with all intention of stealing his wagon and making my way to Borovia by myself. But he caught me, and now here we are, new friends. I have two new girlfriends. How did he kill you? Does it really matter? Yes, it does. I put the blade through my throat.

Are you happy now? I think for a tale like that, they deserve a kiss from this one. I give them more head scratches. It's still you can speak. I've got the tongue. And ladies? Medical.

You're like back and far between both of you? My last is high in fear. Well, Why did he preserve your head? What knowledge do you have that he seeks to keep that he does? Has that already gotten from you? He's just using you as a GPS? Well, as I talking about.

What is the GPS? I don't know. He simply asks me constantly where to find Vistani, how to sneak into the camps, how to forge their plans, and, you know, he brings me outside, away from that magic barrier in that tower, and he brings me outside,

he asks me questions. Once I start getting irate with him, or telling him jokes, he shoves the box closed and takes me back inside. How recently did you last year? Two days? Do you say where he was going? He was in a rush.

He asked if they were with Stony Kim's around Castle Ravenloft. I told him none that I knew of. He has to find the location to a place called the Anvar Temple. I told him I did not. And then he got mad at me because he thought I was lying. I was not. He shoved the box closed and I don't know anything else from there. There's a chance that he's just going to the temple before, so we might be able to catch him.

Oh, and he was pissed off because apparently he got burned on that wagon. Burked. He tried to open the door and the wagon burned. I told you. No, it wasn't a gorilla or crocodile, but I told you we should have been messing with it. Well... He wanted to get in there pretty bad. Do you know what's in it?

Yes, he tells me all of his secrets. Sometimes we put on pajamas and we lay in bed together and he tells me about all the things he does all day long. What his hopes and dreams are, what life was like before he killed me? Fair Rick, you can't even get in the wagon. What makes you think we can? I'm not going to stop you, but I'm certainly not going to touch the damn wagon.

Well, that's time to try. Well, second time today, Mr. Morgan, I am down with the Wisbeys. And I walked up to the wagon. Professor, I can assure you that's not as cool as you think it. You know, I kind of liked it. It insinuates that he is going to take a piss. So I push my glasses.

I take a few steps back from the wagon. I was close to it. I'm backing up. I am too with the head. Lucas, please assist me, and my mage hand will float up. Who's Lucas? He's... My butler.

He's talking about wiz and butts. I like this man. Can we just, did we just acknowledge you? That, bang! For VPS for Vastani positioning service. Oh, yes. Like that. Does Brett Con back five minutes and pretend I said that?

We did. VPS. So the Mageehan will take the lock and bring it closer to me. And rolling on our comic check. How to get burned, girl. That was, looks like a good roll from here. 20. Yeah. Hell yeah.

You begin to look at this, and you can tell it there's not a magical element to this. There's definitely some trap here, but it's not a magical trap. No, it's not even a magical trap. This is mechanical. Do you think it's cursed, professor? Do I think it's cursed? No, it's just a trick. Well, she is. Stoney. She is cursed people. Well, they're also tricksy in there. Clearly...

We're not a rixie. You want me to take a look at it? I've been through enough tombs. I know how to disable a mechanical trap, no matter how old it is. All right. And I will, I will attempt to disarm the lock that is in place.

That looks like a less than cell phone. I'm about to, like, trigger, oh, wait, look. I saw the future end. There we go. Stadder, rather. 12, 13, 14, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. You hear the initial click and you hear the sound of the tumbler moving in a way you didn't intend it to. It's almost as if you can see what would happen before it would happen and you quickly turn the tools the opposite direction as you hear everything right itself and the lock pops open.

The door itself swings open and you see tethered to the top 10 vials of some strange alchemical potion that glows with a fire. an alchemist fire. All right. Here you go. What the hell is this? I will open the wagon. It's open already. Oh.

That's all it's in it? No, that's the trap you disabled. If you hadn't disabled it, 10 vials of Alchemist fire swing down. Oh, all from inside, destroying the wagon and hitting everyone. I'm just going to throw this back, with 10D10 fire damage

to anyone within 30 feet. Holy shit. Well, I certainly hope it don't drop. this. You could have burned this head alive. What do you mean burn this head alive? No, please don't. I'm already dead. I think it would have burned it dead.

I'm already dead. Very true. I'll take my hat off. Well, that was a close, huh? Can I wear that hat? Do you know as a head? There's not much I can wear. God's no. I don't know. As I started

looking through the wagon and I would like to investigate the wagon. You begin to look through the wagon and in the back it's in the back you don't see much as piles and piles of things but you do notice a few things. A wooden trunk.

Actually, we're only investigation check and I'll see what you find. Things are through here and there. They are chests and piles of fabrics and things. I... So 10 or more? Oh, yeah. Okay, then you're going.

A wooden trunk covered with claw marks that holds a battle axe, a flail, a morning star, a light crossbow, and 10 silver crossbow bolts. A narrow wardrobe containing three sets of fine clothes, two sets of travelers clothes, several pairs of shoes, a harlequin mask and three weights. A climbers kit, a disguise, kit, a healer's kit, and a poisoner's kit. A liar with golden strings worth

about 50 gold pieces. A sculpted wooden cage holding a chicken and a silver uwer worth a hundred gold pieces with five chicken eggs in it. A tiny wooden box containing a deck of Turoka cards wrapped in silk. A set of copper pots and pans worth 50 gold pieces. Three sets of manacles, a shovel, a wooden chest containing a gold holy symbol of the morning lord worth 100 gold pieces. Three vials of holy water, three vials of perfume, two vials of antitoxin, a 50-foot coil of hemp and rope,

a tinderbox, a steel mirror, a sharpened wooden stake, and a spyglass. Two spells rolls, one of mirror image and one of removed curse. A map of Verovia showing all of the locations marked on this adventure's map of Berovia. And what looked to be a handful of papers ripped out of a journal.

all in Van Rectin's handwriting. Yes. They're papers. They're all posted in his journal, and I was like, look, the papers, I'll take the spells roll. What did you find? Did you find my body in there? I didn't find anything. It's just a wagon.

Oh, well, that seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a wagon, especially one that doesn't even have any horses. What kind of shitty wagon is that? I would like to very quickly read any pages if I can't it's quick enough. It's long. Can you throw the head back inside? No, you're not going to put me away. Not when my girlfriends are here to visit.

You gotta convince them. I'm glad we'd do it. You would not, he looks up to you. Somebody closed off a face. You would never do that to me, right? Beautiful. You're my favorite girlfriend. I never really never really like the other broad. I'll keep you comfy.

Okay. Go inside and I'll close the box. You walk inside and as he sees the arch of the door, no, no, honey, you don't. His mouth and his eyes immediately close as you walked into the anti-magic

shield that is around this tower. And the door is still open? Yeah. I'll just place them like right inside the door and I'll just like lean up against the door while it's still open, listening to him, but keeping an eye on the chest.

I found some pages in Van Recton's handwriting, phone from a journal. I will read them to you now. Here's your copy. True. I'm not going to read it in, and I will read in this voice.

Yes, of course. For more than three decades now, I've undertaken to investigate and expose creatures of darkness, the purifying light of truth and knowledge. Hero, I am named in some circles, sage and master hunter, I am called in others. That I have survived countless supernatural assaults as seen as a marvel among my peers. My name is spoken with fear and loathing among my foes.

In truth, his virtuous calling began as an obsessive effort to destroy a vampire that murdered my child and just become for me as a tedious and bleak career. Even as my life of hunting monsters began, I felt the weight of time on my weary shoulders. today I'm a man who is simply linch too long. Like a regretful lich I find myself inexorably bound to an existence I sought out of madness, and seemingly must now endure for all eternity. Of course, I shall die, but whether I shall ever rest in my grave haunts my idle thoughts, entoments me in my dreams.

I expect that those who think me a hero will change their minds when they know the whole truth about my life as a hunter of the unnatural. Nevertheless, I must reveal here and now that I have been the indirect of certain cause of many deaths and the loss of many good friends. Mistake me not, do not merely feel sorry for myself. Rather, I come to grips with a devastating realization. I now see that I am the object of a baleful vistone curse. More tragically, the nature of this hex is such that I have not borne the bruntlet. Instead, far worse.

Those who surround me have fallen victim to it. I've related the tragic story of how my only child, Erasmus, was taken by the Stony and sold to an empire. I explain how Varasmus was made a minion of the night-stalker, and how it was my miserable part to free him from that fate at the point of a stake. But I have neglected to illuminate before as how it tracked Erasmus's kidnappers across the land, and how I extracted Erasmus' wearouts from them. In fact, the Vestani took Erasmus with my own unwitting permission. They had brought an extremely ill member of their tribe to me one evening, and insisted that I treat him,

but I was unable to save the young man's life. I fear in their retribution. I begged the Vistani to take anything of mine, if only they would withhold their terrifying powers, of which I knew nothing. To my everlasting astonishment, they chose to surreptitiously take my son in exchange for their loss. By the time I realized what had occurred,

they were already an hour gone. Incensed beyond reason, I strapped the body of the dead young man to my horse, and doggedly followed the Vestani Caravan through the woods, naively allowing the sun to set before me without seeking shelter from the night. Shortly after darkness fell, I was beset by undead, which ripped me from my horse. Had some not been distracted by the freshly deceased boy, I would surely have overwhelmed me. As it was, I was barely able, I barely escaped and became lost in the woods. By the time I reached civilization and returned in pursuit of this Vistony, there was no. trace of their caravan. Three years of tracking, interrogation, and I barely survived, and barely

survived encounters with monsters and men, and I was no closer to finding my son. It seemed that every time I found myself closer to answers, I'd be thrown off by ghouls or a pack of risen dead where it made no sense for them to be. It was during those days that I made an abandoned tower my home, using it as a base for many forays into the neighbouring areas. I recognised the two perfect coincidences of undead blocking my way and began to change tactics, where at first I ran headlong into ambushes at the first hint of information. Over time, I started anticipating their attacks, and I began to lie and wait. One evening, I returned to the tower to find my heavily trapped front door disarmed and unlocked. Entering with my weapon drawn in a flask of fully water in hand,

I found a young woman lounging at my desk with one of my books in hand. Her name was Esmeralda. She had fiery red hair Which matched her temperament In worn clothes Which belied a sharp wit In noble countenance She had a beautiful face Which tugged at the edges of my memory

But I was certain I'd never seen before With barely a word of introduction She spun a tale of tragedy And revenge Her family slaughtered by undead And her desire to hunt them down While the story was well rehearsed I had interrogated too many people

Not to sense the lies I did not expose the story However though even now I am not sure why, in part perhaps, because my very existence focused upon finding my son and killing the monster that stood in my way. Any help was welcome. And in part, perhaps, because I become so isolated

that the idea of a human companion, even one who I could not trust, was too precious to let go. It would have been far better if I had just run her off, but I did not. The next year she'd joined me on my adventures, and gradually I revealed more of my story to her, The sympathy she showed me was deeper and more personal than expected, which I erroneously assumed was because mine closely resembled her story.

One evening, after a far too close encounter with a pack of ghouls, the truth came out. I was bandaging her arm, where a claw had caught her in the melee. Standing close as I was to her, I could see the roots of her hair, much darker than the fiery red of the rest. Suddenly, the pieces started to fall together as I looked at her face and knew who she resembled. the black-haired Vastonny witch, whose son I failed to heal, at whose feet I begged for my safety, at whose feet I offered my son. Recoiling back from Esmeralda, my lips curled in a snarl of fury and self-loathing, as it recalled my failures. Esmeralda jumped to her feet, a look of confusion on her face, which slowly turned to realization, as she looked me in the eyes, I knew. She was too young to be the Vestani woman, a daughter, a niece perhaps.

I do the sword from my cane pointed at her midsection, demanding answers, some primal rage inside me, goading me to run her through. She sent back into the chair with a look of sadness on her face and spoke. She was there that night when they took my son. Always quick to question, she had voiced dissent and had been silenced by her mother. A few days later, they had given my son to a messenger of some sort. She didn't know who he was or where he took my son. Of the next several years, similar occurrences became more frequent. children stolen from homes or sold by the parents

always passed along to men who appeared in the night and were gone in the morn. Angry moths or individual peasants that followed the caravan tried to rescue the children or seek revenge met timely hordes of zombies or packs of ghouls. Esmerelda was the only one to openly defy her mother, the only one to speak out against the kidnappings and trades, and thus became distrusted by the rest of the caravan.

She was kept well away from the children and the messengers. She overheard quiet conversations about vampires and obligation, but such conversations were quickly cut short when she was noticed. Eventually, she decided to leave the caravan. Unsure of what to do were holding a growing hatred for undead, and whoever was orchestrating this charade, she went in search of allies. She died her hair and discarded her for stony garb. Following tales of my exploits, she sought me out, only then realizing that I was the father of the first child and family of stolen. I was where it had all begun.

after that realization she was unsure of what to do or how to reveal her part of my tragedy. I stood in silence, sword still drawn during her tale, listening intently for any hint of a lie, any excuse to kill her and temper my desire for vengeance. But her words rang true. Certainly she was hiding things, but nothing that she said was a lie. It seemed my vengeance would best be carried out elsewhere.

I demanded that she lead me to her caravan. She readily agreed. She told me she would be by, my side and do whatever it took to find my son, that I was more family to her than the stony. I barely heard her. We set off at a grueling pace, running our horses into the ground and buying new ones at each passing village and city. It took a month of searching in questions for her to track down the caravan, even knowing their normal route. During the whole journey, I said barely a word outside of battering or making demands were necessary. She tried to speak to me

most nights, but my mind was trapped in a cage of revenge and self-loathing. Eventually she stopped trying, and the silence echoed through my head in the night as I lay trying to sleep. Then we found them. Camped in a copse that caught a mile from the main road. They seemed to, they seemed at ease. It seemed that they weren't on, they weren't yet on the run from a new conquest and were enjoying the reprieve. We watched them from the woods until evening. Most were gathered around a fire, listening to a large man tell stories while two cook. while two took turns stirring a stew that sat over a smaller cooking fire. There were no guards posted.

It was trivial for us to slip into the camp. I poisoned the stew while Esmerelda took care of the ale. Chatterroot was what the man called it. I don't know its true name. It was a plant that paralyzed the body from the neck down, because little and no lasting harm. I had a small patch of it growing atop my tower and had been using it for years. It was perfect for interrogation.

The poisoning went almost too well. Within hours, everyone in the camp was lolled over on the back, shouting to each other, in panicked voices, but unable to move a muscle. I approached the largest tent draped with colourfully embroidered cloth and bubbles. With each step my anticipation built, pueling of renewed rage as I slashed the drapes from the front of the tent. And there she was. That of a stony bitch who took my son. Less regal and demanding now, as she was half fallen out of a chair, with stew spilled down her front. Her eyes lit with a panic as she recognized.

eyes my face, and slurred words bubbled from her mouth. She was lighter than I expected as I picked her up and threw her on the floor. In the center of the room, my blade out of the cane and into her shoulder before she hit the floor. The most painful part of the drug was that the victim could still feel pain. She screamed as my blade pulled roughly from her shoulder and dragged a shallow gash down the front, her already unintelligible utterances, now stained by an ugly realization. that she was going to die here, dropping my sword and unsheething a flat skinning knife, stomach with my hand against her neck and demanded answers. The question hadn't changed

in all these years. Where was my son? Ismerelda stood at the entrance, one handful of the bright tense cloth, the other clenching her ravia. I got the answers I sought. My son and many others had been given to a vampire, a baron metis. Whether they were sold or a sword, or a traded or a gift I could not tell, as she grew steadily more unintelligible. His location, however, I did obtain. Raising my knife to be done with the task, a voice spoke with a surprising decree of clarity.

It had a cadence to it, almost as if she were reciting a poem. Lift you always among monsters and see everyone you love die beneath their claws. The final flick of the knife, her noises stopped and I stood up, facing Esmeralda. She'd pulled herself together, more so than I.

She had a grim set to a jaw on a determined look in her eyes that I recognized. What now? She asked. Sword still gripped in her hand. I should have told her that we were leaving, that we were going after my son, but I did not. Instead, I strode off in the direction of the campfire. The rage a dull throbbed behind my eyes. My blade took the first through his open mouth as he tried to scream.

Turning to the next, I was surprised as a rapier punctured through his chest a moment. before my blade reached him. Esmeralda stood by my side, but did not meet my eyes, as she stepped towards the next with a raised arm. The Vastonia was very long-lived people, and seldom for children. There were only two in the camp.

The camp was a fiery blaze in the night as we rode away to the crackle and pop of ancient trees catching fire. The smell of old oak blended with the acrid scent of burning dyed cloth and the sweet scent of cooked flesh. We never spoke of that night. We rode for the baron's estate at a breakneck pace.

In my mind, I felt that everything would be justified if I could only save my son. Alas, such sins are not so easily forgiven. Esmeralda accompanied me to the baron where I found my son Erasmus made into a vampire, a consort for the baron. He begged me to end his curse, which I did with a heavy heart. I wept until an insatiable desire for vengeance filled the bottomless rift in my heart. We hunted the baron, like walls run down a rabbit, right back to his lair. He led us to the rest of his consorts, adults and children.

All turned. They fell like grain before a scythe, only a few even attempting to fight back. Some managed to escape, but most welcomed their end. I tracked down those that ran at first. Then I went and searched for servants of the baron, then allies. There always seemed to be a good reason to continue the hunt. another monster in need of its end. Esmerald is stayed by my side,

though our relationship never returned to what it was. Nightmares began to haunt her. She screamed out like a child witnessing the death of her parents. It was a choice she had made, but somewhere in her heart a part of her blamed me for their fate. She tried to hide it. Not knowing she called out like a wounded babe in the dead of the night. I tried to drive her away many times.

I, it seemed, could not leave the hunt. But surely she mustn't content. need to suffer for my failures. Eventually she did leave, but somehow it seems a vain hope to leave that she found her way clear of the business. No, it is all she knows. It is all I ever taught her. And that is where we'll have a session.

Oh my God. It seems as if the legendary Rudolph Van Richten is not everything he appears and has demons of his own. Don't we all? But no matter what he has done, I am certain that. our heroes believe he can be redeemed. After all, if a fallen angel who has crafted abominations beyond mortal comprehension can be saved and the light of mourning return to Borovia, anything is possible. I do find it strange that our heroes seem to trust this strange vestoni head in a box.

Will he lead them to answers or to certain doom? We shall find out in chapter 10 of Curse of Stradania. End of all hope. In the meantime, if you wish to watch Legends of Adventress tell similar stories of Dungeons and Dragons every week, you can follow us on Twitch. You can also enjoy our many campaigns on YouTube, support us on Patreon, and join our community on Discord. All links are in the show notes. We welcome you to our Ventris family.