Legends of Avantris - Curse of Strahdanya | Ep. 21 | End of All Hope: Part 2

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

The dark powers entombed in amber await the Azran Expedition as they must face the true evil locked away in the Amber Temple and pray their minds remain their own.   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/30uB-5qTHqQ?si=lzISHrd-_5q0NE_S

You're back at the Amber Temple and listening to Curse of Strudania, the legend of Aventry's podcast. Last time, the expedition braved the malevolent magic and even more brutal elements of Selenka Pass to uncover the countless secrets kept within the Amber Temple, a mountainside ruin built by wizard centuries ago. Little did they know that freezing to death would have been a kind mercy for them all. This cursed place is filled with more horror and evil than they can possibly comprehend. Can their bodies and minds withstand what's to come? This episode is brought to you by our generous supporters on Patreon. You can become a patron yourself by following the link in the show notes.

We are eternally grateful for your support. With that out of the way, let us proceed with the conclusion of chapter 10, end of all hope. All is silent until you see it. Faint, glowing, green light as it begins to get brighter and brighter and brighter. Three orbs of light. They begin to ascend with a cackling. Three. No.

Flaming green skulls fly up out of the base of this thing and look at all of you. I need you to roll for initiative. Fuck. Oh, wow. Let's get some minis down, baby. Baby. Baby.

It is their turn. You'll see as the first one turns towards you, Kana. and it is going to make both of its attacks on you. 20 and 12 to hit. The 20 vets. And you see as it opens its mouth an array of sickly green fire

bursts out, almost like spit from the inside of this creature. And it is going to do... Twelve points of fire damage to you. Number two is also going to do the same thing. I have some number of these guys. Both of both of his attacks myths. The third one is going in with a natural 20,

and then a two, so the natural 20 will hit. Street out of Ravenel. Right. I'm not an attack so they're doing? They're doing ranged attacks. Like with, they're essentially... Spitting fire. I missed the third.

Spitting fire. 20 points of fire damage And that is their turn Victoria What the fire did you beat me Victoria 21? Because I'm a better bullshit Um okay so

You feel to get back Oh so I'll scream out to Katana To get back and I will Kind of shocked at what just popped out I'll raise my hand and A skeletal hand will extend out for mine And go towards number three Okay

And I'm assuming you mark them for me I did yeah thank you 16. 16 hits. And you said that was to number one? To number three. Three. 14.

Okay, 14 necrotic damage. You can't regain hit points until the start of my next turn. You blast it with the magic from your spectral skeletal hand and it seems to take it doesn't seem to take the full amount of damage.

Okay. And is it an undead target? It is. an undid target. Okay. It has disadvantage on attack rules against me until my next turn. Nice, boom.

Okay. Which one did you attack? Number three. Okay. Chepper. I'm seeing Victoria attack the one that she attacked, I'm going to use my bonus action to slayerspray it, and then I'm going to make two attacks the answer.

Bang, bang. It's going to be a 22 and a 28. That hits, and you said that was number three? Yes. Terrible. Six plus ten is 16. You look forward at the skull as its mouth, its teeth are gnashing together, because it spits fire forth from the depths of the insides of the skull directly at Kana.

And you watch as the spectral hand rakes through it doing a small amount of damages, you let loose your bolts of force energy doing 16 points of damage. It looks to be, it still looks to be holding on just fine. But you see as a couple of the teeth are blasts. away and parts of the skull chip. I'm going to shift five points away from Kelsey and five points towards Nicky. And I'm going to shout, keep away from! Don't get too close! That's my turn.

Quite right, what the hell are those things? I'm dead! And I will shout Ignatis and Fire at number one. Can I be able to know from casting that spell as my, as a character, that they were undead? With how the spell that I... I think you could easily look at this. the fact that they're cackling flaming skulls. Eighteen. Eighteen.

Fine. 18. 18. You don't have to be mean about it. I wasn't trying to be mean. Am I was going to assume 18 hits? Yes. Uh, eight damage.

Fire damage. You let loose your fire bolt and it appears to do no damage at all. Don't do fire. Starlax, good luck. I'll raise my lantern. Be beautiful. Purged by the Holy Fire of Garrick. Excuse, Radiance the Dawn.

They all need to make a con-saving pro. DC is 17. Oh, I don't know. One of them got a natural one. Hell yeah. No way. One of them got an 18. The other two failed.

That is, um, max damage, 29 points of rabid damage. Wow. Half of they passed. You see is number three. three, the one that's already been damaged,

bursts into radiant light and fizzles away as the bits of the skull crash down through the well and fall to the floor below. The other two are still holding on. Connell, in my stance, I'll have my nodding out point it up at the last two, and I will say, found vile undead creatures,

and I will just take the Dodge action for my turn. My blossoms of the spring breeze will kind of glow a little bit as I center myself for any further attacks. Is their turn. The two that are remaining are going to turn their attention towards Sarnax. They just blasted them. The first one is going to miss both of its attacks.

And the other one is going to look at all of you, and it is going to look at all of you, and it is going to drop fireball. Yep. Oh no. Yes. I need you make a deck saving. Holy fuck. Of course. Not bad. I got 17. 14.

It's 14. So I passed. I passed as well. I fail. I failed. 34 points of fire damage. What did you see? 14.

I believe she fails. Victorian. So I am going to again, I will now reach both of my hands up and it will shoot out like skeletal hands at the two. I will use a sorcery point to twin my spell.

Okay. Attack both. Do I roll separate attacks? Yes. Yes. Okay. Oh, one natural one and one 19 plus a. Then 19 hits. Okay. So choose which one you're hitting.

I'm going to go for number one. It sounds good. Outside. 11 damage and same properties as before. So 11 necrotic damage. All right. You shoot the skeletal hand forward, and it once again feels like it doesn't do as much damage as you'd expected. But it does take some.

Shepry. Three is dead. Three is dead. I'm going to choose the Slayer's Frey as a bonus action on one of my other guys. and number two, and I'll make your attachment. A natural 20. And the other one is a 17, 18.

Both in? So the natural 20 is going to do an automatic 11 points of damage. And then I'll roll the other one. So it's going to be 12 plus 5 is 17. Okay. Plus another 15 is 32. Okay. You pick up both judgment and redemption,

and you let loose the blasts of force damage, completely obliterating the skull. You watch as it screams, the green fire extinguishes, and it plummets down to the base of this way. Number two, right? Clayton. Oh, dear.

I'm not sure what I can do here. I am going to attempt to, I'm going to press the digitation as an action and try to light one of these torches and see if anything happens. Okay. You press the digitation, and you illuminate one of the torches.

We now have one lit torch in the store. Good luck, and I'm going to run into this corner. Sarnax. I'm going to just look at it and say, you are no match for the radiant, and I'm going to cast Sacred Flame, the saving throw. I'm saving my resources.

I'm sure we have giant devils and demoniacen. Just on the one that, oh, it's only 17. 17 passes. God, barely. So nothing happened. Okay. Connor. Do it.

Can I, am I within 10 feet of it? Mm-hmm. Okay. I will whack at it. You've been a big whack. I will use a bonus action to cast by a spirit. So I have advantage on this attack.

Get a natural fucking time. Break those hard limiters. Not bad. Not bad. Let's see. That should hit with a, uh, yeah, 24.

Mm-hmm. And this attack with a 17. And these are both, uh, So the first one is nine points of silvered slashing. Okay. And the next one is eight points of silver slashing. Okay.

You slash into this creature, and it seems like it is doing less damage than you would expect it. But it looks like it is having a hard time. It is barely hanging on. It is its turn. It is going to look at all of you, and it is going to let loose its fireball. Except me, right? Huh? Yeah.

Well, yeah, I can't get all. It can't get all of them. Well, it depends on where it puts it. Right. It's going to put it whatever way of something. Well, most of the middle head. If it's smart enough, so even he can, he can only see this far, right?

Yeah. So, yeah. So he has to be like, this over-d-low. I got a pen. Can I twist this saving through? Yeah, I fucked up. What is it at?

Yeah. Let's, let's twist. Let's twist that. Natural tool winning. Yeah. I got to get out. 14. 14 is the DC?

14 is the DC. 14 is the DC. Okay. Fantastic. Thank God. 10. I feel. I'm about to go down, y'all.

Those who failed take 36 points of fire now. That's exactly what I needed. I still want to take half some fire resistance. And I'm out. So, Carla is... Unconscious. Unconscious. And that is its turn.

Torian. I'm like nearly laughing out, but I'll one more time reach my hand forward and the skeletal hand. Okay. Okay. So I'm not cold. You're freezing. 20 fireball? Dying for fireball.

You know, on the cold stone floor affair. She's singed. I'm still very sick. Oh, I do love cold stone. A bit of a sweet tooth, I must admit. I'm a big fan. I don't have a birthday cake remix. I personally like the strong break warm.

Their AC is 13. Oh, it hit. Yeah. Okay. Twelve necrotic damage. You bring your necrotic hand in and you dig the fingers, the skeletal fingers, into the eye soaps. And though there are no actual eyes there, you force the energy back into it, crushing the nasal bone.

Yikes. And as it screams, it plummets to the ground. Hell yeah. Dead. It only had three hit points left. All they're dead? Somebody check on Kana. You watch as the last of the remaining,

flaming skulls, falls out of the air and crashes to the ground in the middle of this circular opening. Kana is crumbled at the edge of this circle, completely unconscious. I'm going to go over to her and I'm going to attempt to like stabilize her like pat her

the flames off. They're there. And I'm going to attempt to stabilize her if I can. Okay. You have a 22. Yeah, you're able to stabilize her. You don't regain any, she wouldn't regain any

no. So basically she is unconscious for how many hours? For two hours. and I'm going to sit and I'll sit beside Kana and as they're investigating the room, I'm going to sit and I'm going to pray, I'm going to cast prayer of healing if we have 10 minutes.

I'm just going to take 10 minutes and cast that. I think we should rest if we have the time. I'm very weak. Yes. What does prayer of healing do? So the question is, if we want to take the hour, then I can save it. We can use our headdice. So prayer of healing heals us for 2D8 plus 5.

I can take an hour probably I need an hour Yeah okay Out of the Then I am going to Reach down And I'll say I apologize for this Kana and grab her by the

By the The chest area and And cure wounds She is armor How's everyone feeling? Oh God And then I'll come down from this corner And see that Kana's on the round I'm slumped in the corner

I'm just kind of sunk down next to the wall I'm taking a short rest right Yeah, eight points of healing Well, do we get the short rest? Oh, can we get a short rest? You're arping, all right, you know what happens You're trying to take a short rest All right

Professor, why did you light with a torch Well, we were fighting those creatures There's nothing else I could do There were floating heads of metrodite magic My firebolt did nothing So I was wondering if maybe there was some magical properties of this torch. Would you care to light the rest if that is your line of thinking? I'll go ahead and I will light all the torches.

You do that. No, they're just torches. I feel very lightheaded. Welcome back. Thank you. I'm excited. And I'll just take my water flask out and drink and just sit on the ground. I'm recollecting myself. 30 minutes passes from the battle.

I need you all the roll of Constitution saving. Yikes. So it's still very cold. It's negative 10 degrees. Oh, still in this heaven. You're inside of a frozen mountain. There are no heat sources. I also got a 16.

You, um... 16. Three of us. Am I still exhausted? So Victoria, you need a 15 or more. Oh, we're still exhausted. Yes. Instead of you failed, we've got another level.

Oh, 15. 15, you pass. What a brutal dungeon this is. Holy shit. We're a deep shit. Yeah. You continue to sit in this room, listening to the quiet around you. 30 minutes passes, and you're able to benefit in the short run.

This is the fourth room. I'm already. Maybe it'll have a head's here. To be fair, you did just drop thing and something into an area you didn't have vision on it. That's true. Trying to gain vision, yeah. Well, maybe they were guarding something. It feels safe.

Now, should we go down and look? You're the leader, if you will. Why don't we send one person down there? Just look around. I don't like to look yet. Is the torch still lit? It's the question. The torch still lit?

It is. I feel much better now that we've rested. I am happy to go down. Please do. Thank you. For once it wasn't Mr. Morgan this, Mr. Morgan that. I'll listen for a second down the hole and just see or just try to discern if I hear any other motion or movement. I think you would have drawn.

You listen for a while and you hear nothing. I'll lost my descent, at least until as far as I'm going to. You are easily able to climb your way about 20 feet down. And as you get to this point that you see that there is a room, it appears to be small. It's really hard to tell what's in here. but it is going to require a 10 foot drop what does the floor look like just like stone

so I'll just kind of leaning down and look and see if there's anything treacherous that I can just serve from the floor there's a 10 foot drop before you can see anything at all that's the most you can see as the floor so there's a 20 foot shaft that you can climb onto and there's a 10 foot drop of just flat stone so it's not like you can

anchor yourself down and look under there's still walls of stone that you there's no way to find purchase on. I'll just shout up. I'll need a rope at some point, but I'm going to drop down. All right, we got you. Drop one road, please. Then I'll drop down on the ground and I'll pick up the tortuction and fan it around. This room has walls of glazed amber, a floor of red marble,

and a ruffewen shaft in the center of its 10-foot-high ceiling. Three amber sarcophagi stand in alcoves, and above each sarcophagus floats a human skull wreathed in flame. But it's not an active skull, the mere vision of one. And as you look down at the ground, you see the remnants of the skulls that were there, but they're not in as much disrepair as you would have hoped. And as you look at them, you see that the bones are slowly inching closer together. Oh, fuck that.

How far away are the bones spread apart? They've fallen and just kind of collapsed, but you can see their slowly. It's going to be ours, I would say you could discern, but they do look like they're slowly coming back together. And he's look like human bones? They're the flame skulls that you killed. Oh, flame skulls. Got it.

I feel like we're going to be in danger here fairly soon. I'm so afraid. What do you see? A bunch of scattered bone, and I'd describe the rest of the basement. Three sarcophagia. Amber sarcophagia. Wait, man. Does that mean we didn't kill these things for good?

sounds to be that with it was a defense mechanism if I know anything about tombs that means we have a little bit of time and I mean I jump down the road I'm holding the other end okay to let you go down I'm like braced myself and trying to get out the other map the fuck oh really that yeah

maybe I told you that you're going down oh this is below us oh fuck what the heck what is this what is this Dear Lord. Perhaps, Professor, we should clear out this floor first for the sake of... Sarnax. You already went down.

Professor. This is better. Put the map down. You're already down there. You already made your choice. Well, Sarnax, Victoria, want to make your way down? I suppose... I got the rope.

I suppose we should. Just go ahead. I'll let's study now. I think as soon as the word sarcophical... was mentioned the professor's mind was made up. That's what you get from a professional grave robber. And then after they

go down the rope, I will try to climb the 20 feet and then drop the 10. Okay. You do? Professor, will you investigate this? And I'll send it to full blast. Yes. Yes. I would like to look at one of the sarcophagi.

Which one? This one. Do we see all the bones? me directions, north south. North south. A couple of reasons. You make your way towards the amber sarcophagus, and you can see into the depths, all of them the same. They look empty, but for a small wisp of black smoke undulating in the very center, and as

you get close to this, you begin to hear the sound of lightning and thunder, a raging storm. You're pulled towards the sarcophagus, and you hear. Clayton Azra. No. Would you like my gift, Clayton? What is your gifts? My gift will help you. In your journey here, dark things line the holes of this wicked place.

Allow me to give you my boom. What's, what happened here? Why is it so cold? It is always cold in holes of stone. Clayton Azran. Come closer. Take my gift. Can I, do we all hear?

You can't hear that. Only Clayton can hear that. Do we notice the bones moving, like Conner said? She was downstairs, or she was down there actually investigating and looking around. It took actual, like, focus to notice they were moving. So, little so I would say no. Throw me and then the, rope.

Well, here, I just finished calling it up, and I give you the rope. I'm going to tie one in around my waist. Hold on to this. What the hell? I'm going to walk up to the... Professor, what are you doing? Do you accept my gift? Fucking say yes, you nerd.

Yes. Nerd. Professor, what are you talking about? The gift of Zrinhala upon you. And you see, as Clayton is now engulfed in a howling storm. Professor. You feel lightning shoot throughout your body. But there is no pain.

You now have the ability to cast a lightning bolt spell. Holy shit. Unlimitedly. As an action. As a free action. Like, it doesn't cost the spell slot? No. Yo!

That is fucked up. Professor, what the hell? What are you done? What can I do for you? Can you give me any clues about why this? This place is wicked. You look into the depths of this thing. You see this swirling black mist, but the voice of Zrenhala is no longer speaking to.

What's going on? Are you all right? This is incredible. I have unbelievable power. You'll be at cost, no doubt. Perhaps the rest of you can receive his gift. Who? I don't know if I want it.

Did you not hear that? No. Oh, he's in Hala, Professor. Was Rinn Hala? I was... Maybe that was his name? He only spoke to you. We had nothing.

But each of you tried to approach? Approach what? The goddamn sarcophagus? The goddamn sarcophagus. Yes, I'm not, though. I'll turn to the one to the east. And approach it. You make your way towards the one to the east,

and you hear the sound of footsteps. on soft ground, wind blowing through bare trees. And then you hear, to me, let me give you my gift, Victoria. See it in you, the power. Take my gift. I give it freely to you. You too. Am I like enchanted by this voice or do I have like awareness?

You have awareness? It speaks to me as well. Go on. I believe they wish to help us write the wrongs committed here, whatever it is. Why were their skulls entrenched in flame to protect their tombs? So what? We overpowered them and now were worthy?

Perhaps, yes. We proved our worth. Yes, I accept. May you travel forward with a gift of Sican. The soul hunger. Oh, God. You now have the ability to cast the raised dead spell as an action.

Holy shit. That's so good for Victoria. I longed it out. It's so fucking good. Ms. Victoria, are you all right? Yes, I think so. Did you hear voices? I did.

A woman spoke to me. I don't like this at all. I'm voiced in my opinion now. I do not like this at all. Great power was just bestowed. on me. I don't know at what cost it comes, but I would take advantage of what we have. Kana. Why me?

Because Shepard and I do not need additional power. We have the power of Garens. Are you with me, Shepard? He has a point. All I do is not to Star Ax. I feel there will be consequences for this. But if it will help us through for the mission. Conna, wait, you don't have to do this. No one's saying we've got to touch all three. You have a choice.

It's your choice. Fargless of what Saranak says, with Garrick's being here or not, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Between Victoria and the professor, do they seem any different to me? No. Oh, look. I do this. I'm not here to sway, Con. I'm just letting you know.

reminding you, you're a free person. I will approach the third sarcophagus. You begin to make your way towards the sarcophagus along the west. The smell of muck and mire fills your nose and you hear,

come to me to save him locked away in Castle Ravenlo. Let me give you. Can I discern if this voice sounds anything like the hag?

Yeah, it doesn't. Okay. It's just I have limited voices. It's okay. Does it give me a name of this person? You, I, well, you haven't heard the other ones, but no. No name for this one? Can I discern if it's being deceptive?

You can roll an insight check. If this gift that's a stone on me will cause me. Natural. 26. You don't, you don't. you don't get the idea that it's being deceptive, that it does want to give you a gift, and that it does believe that its gift can help you to attain what you're looking for. So I don't, I guess I don't discern that it's being, like, this is evil,

like this gift that it's trying to give me, like, for, boom, with the business. With an insight check, that wouldn't be something I think you'd be able to discern. You could discern if it was lying, but it's definitely not lying. Not lying. I do want to free my master if he is in Castle Raymond Mofft. I accept your gift. Yes. I just take my hat off.

Yes, Khyla. Take the gift of fecret, queen of poxes. You now have the ability to cast the contagion spell as an action. I love how the character that's all about purifying water is now the pure of pestis. This worked out so perfectly. Nikki, I don't know what you're doing. I don't know what you do in your free time. This is on board.

What was the name of the queen of foxes? It is Fechre F-E-K-R-E, Queen of Poxens. And as a fighter, as a samurai, do I feel imbued with this magic? Now, having never cast a spell before? Yes. It's as if you enamel...

It's as if you in a name... It says, well, if you in aingly know how to do it. All of this sense. Your mind is expanded. I feel it'd be similar to how you kind of know. It's the big brain meme, right? That's common. Connor, are you all right?

I feel different. I feel I can do something I normally don't do. I think I've been bestowed a skill. A what? The riot. Mock and Meyer of destruction of the living. Well, that certainly doesn't sound anything like you. Black life.

Disease. Disease. I, I, quite, the opposite I don't always want to purify and cleanse. I am in that at odds with this, maybe it'll come in handy. Connor, this is a great lesson to learn. Water can still be tainted.

Fire, cannot. I think we've seen enough for that green flame wall to know that it was a corrupted flame, was it not? That even the power of Garrick's could not. spell it, but the professor have to step right. There are some things that your deity may not be able to happen. I do

agree that all the elements can be tainted. I hope that this is only an means to bring back. I need you all to make a charisma saving throw. Well, not all of you, sorry, the three of you. Thank God. Because charisma ain't what the ship got. Charisma.

Y'all dead. I say you did. I got a nine. God damn. I got a natural one, but that's a nine. He's old? Yeah, I'm at 12. We can't just let us sit there and enjoy it? I need all of you to come with me.

We're coming downstairs. Hold my shit, bitch. I'm going back. Don't worry. We'll be able to hold the RP laugh. We got in time. So what'll happen is that you guys have been your thing. We're just going to be off to the side. Okay, that's fine. Sarnax, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't

concerned. Shepard, I am concerned as well. Perhaps I should not have encouraged karma. I was simply attempting to make a point to you that water can be deluded. Don't corrupt it. No, no, don't blame yourself. I tried to stop her. I tried to tell her that it was, she had free will.

She made her own choice. Why would it do this? Do you think that that's some kind of sick irony? I believe that there is a malevolent irony about this place. I am not certain. Forgive me, but curse these goddamn humans. What is it? What is it about? Why is it that we are cursed to look like we are?

They do such stupid things like this. To be human is to be flawed, Shepard. Damn it. And even Miss Victoria, half of her blood being Elvin, cannot purge the human in her blood. I mean, they are flawed inherently flawed creatures. They are weak. They make mistakes. They fall through race. You and I, we will not. Some might argue I fell from race when I was born. but that was exactly why you are as strong as you are, Shepard.

If you had been some rootin-tutin human that rode in on a pale horse, I do not think you would have made it this far. Even the doctor taught me when I was a kid not to take candy from strangers. Let's be real here. Correct. I am concerned as cutting the corn. We're just like it. Yeah, this is fine.

There, remember the passage, I told you. I remember. The path of the righteous soul is beset on all sides by the tyranny of the high war and the corruption of wicked souls. I believe that this is the temptation, the corruption, the wickedness, And you heard what the tag did to Clinton.

In your word, Shep. I have not told anyone else this, but I spoke with the professor. And he and I both know that there is no redemption to what was done. What do you mean? No. No? There's no coming back. So that's just it. There's nothing we can do. I get some of the long ones. It's from mine.

Some souls are doomed. Some souls are meant to walk the doctor. It was very sweet. Well, I, Sarnax, I promise. I'm gonna do what I can't, and I won't fall. If there's anything I can do, I won't fall from grace. If you feel weak, if you know who to call to, I'll remember. And then we're like sitting in the corner, we've been talking for like 10 minutes.

As he goes like, ah! There's all that horrible shit is going on. All right, we should continue on up the road. I think they need to go... Professor, I handed you the rope. There's no going back up. There was nowhere for you to anchor it. I jumped down after you all got down safely.

So we stuck here. Do we see that there's a passenger that? Yeah, what is that? That little... It's a door. Okay. Professor. Oh, my way.

I'm a bit. Yes, let's go this way. I just look at Sarnax, like my eyes are wide. And I put my hat back on my head, and I follow a professor. It's foolish of us to jump down here. I believe if it is amenable to be three. And I need you all to roll Constitution saving through. Oh.

Sorry, that's fine. Oh, you're good. That's nice. Dirty 20. Nice. There you go. 20. 30, 20.

13. Okay. We're all able to shrug off the effects of the cold. Shepherd and I will stand at the back. The three of you lead with your newfound powers. Shepard's devices, and my lantern will be fine in the back. You will guide your way. Yes.

The three of you with human blood, and I'll look over to Shepard. Lead the way. We've had a lot of conversations. I look concerned. I'll open the door. I look concerned. Ray's dead or raise undead? You have raised dead.

It's raised undead, I think. So you animate... Anime dead is... So you always have to bring people back from the dead. Okay. So if we die, you can snap it back. Uh, I will... Make your way out of the room.

And you feel that there's a strange lock to this door, but because you're opening it from the inside, you're able to bypass it, Clayton. You're easily able to discern that this room, you come from this side. You would have been hindered by an arcane lock spell. Oh, shit. Looking at it, you realize there are very few ways to get past this.

Please tell me you took knock. Brute force, a powerful, powerful spells, or knowing the code that will unlock it. I imagine this probably isn't the only one in here. Can I tell you how excited I am that that is a thing? because I wanted to take Knox so bad on Felix, but I was like it's literally never going to come up. So the fact that there's an arcane lock here

just makes my wizard heart. I'm so glad. The walls and ceilings of this great hall are coated in amber that glistens like fresh honey. Dust covers the black marble floor. To the north, the hall has collapsed leaving a wall of rubble. Many amber doors lead from this hall.

Standing in front of the south door are three ugly women in tattered black gowns with brooms and black pointed hats. You go in. No, you go up to it and you say, uh, spooky ghost, and it will open. No, we tried that one and it didn't work.

Who are you? And you see as all of their heads turn and look at you. Oh, hello. What are you doing here? How did you? How did you get to you? Where do you come from? I don't know.

Stop talking to him. No, you stop talking to him. Will you stop talking to him? I'm going to talk to him. State your purpose. Why are you here? Who are you? Well, get the knowledge.

That's locked behind these rooms. And you see if she points directly behind you to the room that you just came out of. Oh, fuck. They're locked for a reason. Yeah, like up the end of the whole. And we must know. What do they look like beyond the hats and the, just, They are three ugly old women

in tattered black gowns with brooms and black pointed hats. Professor, you said, balking in work. Did you get in there? How? Let us in. Absolutely not. What do you mean? No. Be secrets. This law is not for the likes of you.

If you were worthy, you would have been in there. It is. It is for us. It's for me. Well, not for her. It's fair. No. Love is in, pretty. Leave now.

Well, I didn't want it to be this way. Broome! And you see, as all three of the brooms fly into the air, and you draw all for initiative. Yes! I haven't killed a hair or a witcher a while. Bro. I don't feel like I need it.

These are shit dyes, but it's okay. It's an issue. So are we all out of the room? Yes. You're all out of the room and the door is shut behind you. Probably would have been out front with you. So they are. are in the middle of the hall just past the turn from the large room, and then the brooms are now

spread out around them. Oh. You see as these creatures begin to move towards you, they throw their brooms up to the air, and the brooms fly aloft right above them as they look like they're ready to move towards you. Clayton, you're first. Oh, yes. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

You're casting lightning? Yes. So I'm going to... Yeah, it's in a wine. It's fireball in a line. Five foot wide. So I'm going to walk over here, and I'm going to... My hand's going to crackle. And I'm not going to see any kind of word.

I'm just going to shoot a lightning bolt through these three here. Okay. You do that. Deck save. That's fucking good. Pretty damn good. That's fucking huge. One of them passes. The first witch passes.

28. So 30 damage exactly. The first witch passes? The first witch passes. Okay, so she passes. The first witch takes 30 damage, or sorry, 15 damage. She is immediately, oh, no, 15, okay, sure. And the second one takes 30. She's holding on. And the broom takes 30. She's holding on the best that she can. The broom is completely incinerated.

Burst into flames and turns to ash. And the second witch shrieks loudly as, as the arcing lightning finds purchase in her body you see as her limbs shoot out in all directions as she's being electrocuted she lets out a horrific scream the tips of her hair stand on end

and begin to smoke as her entire inside begins to bubble and explode she is dead oh shit wow I know not to use a hunter's mark I'll bring to that I'm gonna just take coup to grow this fucking I'm gonna just take multiple I get to actually shoot one and then shoot another for once.

Okay. And so with that, it is the witch's turn. They are going to, they're going to look and they're going to see what's happened to their sister. And they're going to bigger back and forth to each other as they turn and they look toward, one of them is going to look towards you, Clayton, and cast Tosh's hideous, hideous laughter. Winston? Yes. the DC is 12

pass the next one seeing this is going to look towards you and she is going to cast Ray of sickness is that an AC thing I believe so or Ray

yeah that don't make sense I'm actually probably stupid probably not a good idea to do to the wizard I think it has to do with strength, but she's going to do it anyway. No. It's a range spell attack, so she's going to do that.

15? Nope. The misses? Oh, fuck yourself. Yeah, no, so it doesn't do anything. Change them! I say it a shepherd. I use my bonus action to

Slayers prey, the first one that's closest to us, which is the one that was half hit by the lightning, and I make a attack against it? I attack again. What is the... It was a natural one. Oh, yeah. 12, right? No, I put some of that.

Miss. Yeah, and the natural one's an automatic miss, yeah. And then the second attack is like 28. That hits? Which will be 12 points of damage. You let loose a bolt from redemption. And you

see is this witch is looking towards Clayton. at him, I'll get you. You're going to be mine. And as she says this and begins to laugh, the burst of magic shoots through her mouth and exits out of the back of her head. Her eyes rolled her head as she slumps over backwards.

And then I would just like to slide up against the wall and try to move up as close towards, yes, up towards Clayton as I can, which I think I have 30 movements. So I think basically try to get in line with Clayton. I'm trying to get up with him in form ranks. That's my turn. Monsters two, the two brooms that are flying in the air, one of them zooms down and pierces through the legs of this woman and immediately begins to rise as she flies up into the air on this broom.

That's its turn. The other one is going to fly directly towards Shepherd, and it is going to make two attacks on you. What the hell? Gay of loose. Sorry. 16. I think you miss. I'm sorry.

God, and it's going to miss. On both of them. Get Zook, sorry. It's going to miss. It's going to miss. Sarnax. I hate you guys. One, furniture.

Please flip that horrendous face. I'm going to look at everything's happening. I'm like, I got, this doesn't even seem worth it. And I'm going to cast Secret Flame on the broom in front of, like, did you have canterbs? Yeah, Secret Flames of Canep?

Oh, I didn't know that. My fault, my fault. I thought it was your, I thought it was huge, like, mega new. No, no, no, no. Okay. Okay. Okay. Oh, nice.

18 plus 5, 18 points of radiant damage on the brew. If it fails. Oh. Dex save 17. 17? Yeah. It fails.

And then it takes. So that's the case. It's going to be 13 plus 5, which is 18 points of radian damage. I have 17 hell. That what? 17. Hell. Let loose this bolt of a radiant damage.

dam, a radiant fire from your, from your lamp. And it courses through the air swirling, tendrils of frosty mist, undulating from it as this ball of heat makes its way directly towards the broom. It hits onto the tails and begins to ignite. You can see the fire shoot and crackle all along the shaft of this broom as it bursts into flames. The witch begins to tumble and plummet from the ground.

And 15 damage, would she take any damage from that? Uh, it's usually one D6 per 10 feet, right? Sure. She takes one point in the hatch. Oh. She lands on the ground on her plump tush. Are these vacuums or mops, Nikki? Well, I have to get up close and really investigate them.

Uh, but no. I wish. That better evaporating Dyson speed them. I'm going to move a little closer to, uh, investigate the potential vacuum next to the Shepherd. That should get me there until 13. Yeah, that's how far I move.

So you should get it. Yeah. Yep. Perfect. And I'll make an attack against it. It's a broom, so I'm not going to try contagion here. That's 9. 11 doesn't hit, right?

It does not hit. Okay. I'll go into my extra attack. Oh, my God. Twice he was on the table. 20 or rolled to the two. Twice. I got two twos.

Fuck me. All right. The witch is now. The broom. Bitt. Um, Victoria. I'll just look at,

I'll just look at Sheple. I'll be like, well, fuck it. I'm still right here next to you. I'll protect. That'll be my turn around. And,

um, I'll, my finger will outstretch in black flame will shoot out in a bolt. towards the witch. Okay. Oh, sugarfoot. 16?

16 hits? Oh, that's a D-10, I'll tell you. Where's my lasagna, John? It's nine, fire damage. Where my balls, son? John, where's my lasagna? A horrific cat, spider mom's. Oh, you were you a case of the mundane?

You were you using your spectral hand-acemned-euvre? It was a firebolt. You let loose the bolt of black flame as it whirls through the air and it makes contact with the chest of this creature. You see as the long dark hairs that are protruding from the moles across her chin ignite a dark flame. Her skin is singed. You can see where it begins to puffs and to bubble.

But she is still to still. alive. Clayton. I'm going to move my way. I'm going to walk up right to her and point my fingers right in her face and say, please leave. We have a deed.

This is all temple. Tolerri University. It's a deck save? It's a deck save? Is it deck? I'm sure there's no way she's arrived. I got a four. Yeah, she gets 25. the anime. There's just... She is completely

incinerated as you watches. She lights up like a light bulb, which doesn't exist in a ventress, but she lights up like one of those things that you've thought of before. And she explodes into blood. And as this happens,

you feel the crackling of lightning energy. Leave your body. The gift used three times. The left side of your face immediately droops. The skin hanging low. Your eye lolling to one side.

Professor, stop. I don't think we know yet. I don't even see yet. His back is us. Oh, that's good call. Oh, no. Oh, no. Shocking, isn't it?

Oh, my God, Derek. Daring us. Three times. No, he's a three-time. Yeah. twice? No, you use, I ask that as one, and I've been tracking them ever since.

Then you could have wasted it, and that would have been shitty. So I made you waste more. The broom is right in front of me. The broom in front of Shepherd hasn't been hit yet. So having seen this blast of lightning shriek across the room and the witches basically turned to green mist, I just draw down on this broom and fire off. I'm going to take three actions.

Does anyone else smell burn off? Oh my god. It's all burning challenges. 15. 15 hits. It's armor class of 15. Then a hit. It's got 17.

And a hit point. So all three hit. Oh, yeah. It's done. That's going to be 11.14 plus 15 is 29 points of damage. Okay. Oh my God. I'm dead.

Is it dead? Yes. You watch is the, the broom is brought to splinters in front of. and all... Is everyone all right? Professor, are you gonna ask? I don't hear you. You look like shit.

What the fuck? Professor, are you all right? I can't feel the left side of my face. Professor, come here, come here. And I'm gonna actually, like, put my hands on his face and, like, feel the musculature of his, like, drooping side. The muscles feel completely relaxed under your fingers. It's almost as if they have no strength in them.

and they're completely dead within his face. Professor, I've seen this before in Yona. The doc's tried to, tried to deal with this, but it's something that we can't, it's not medical. I mean, beyond the, the, I don't know, I'm not equipped to deal with this, sorry. It's not too fine otherwise, I mean. It has lost all feelings.

I'm trying to laugh. Try to move your left arm. Your left arm moves just fine. Just the side of your, It might just be contained to the face. Fuck you guys, be serious, you fuck. I'm crying. Telex is laughing.

It might just be contained to the face. You might be all right. But this is serious. Yes, I know. How do you feel everywhere else? I'm not so crudessing goats. Ask me if I'm anywhere else. Can you walk?

Can you walk? I feel fine besides my face. Perhaps return to normal. Yes. Maybe my body can handle the probably the absolute power. magnetic, your nerve has just got a little zapped. Does he feel...

I'm asking this on the second of behalf, and I apologize, you can tell me that I don't know this. Does he feel as though he can no longer use the ability? Yes. All right, but you have not said that to us. That wonderful gives is gone. I said it to him, so he knows. Okay, all right, all right.

What do you mean? No more Latin. My magic fingers are gone. Whoa, whoa. So then I would advise if it were me, don't either of you ladies even fucking think about using whatever the fuck that shit is.

If you think this is bad it could be infinitely worse. I wouldn't judge a book there may be some benefit to it. God damn it, Saran Axis is exactly what I was fucking talking about. He was given a great power and he used it to aid us. I won't leave us out to drive

if my power is needed. Fucking humans! He used it to defeat feeble old women in rooms Well Perhaps it was a bitter of a kill for the situation I also shopped at the corner of women Because it was cool

I'd like to propose A rule of no showbooking for the rest of this expedition So what's you're telling me, Professor, you did it for the cloud It wasn't worth it In the tomb of King Amontem What kind of blooms are? Professor, if we can... I'm just on the task at hand.

There's more to explore here. So next. Once you've collected yourself, maybe you can... I'm just judgmentally quiet right now. Allow me to... I'll just look. I'll look at Shepard and just, you know... I'm seething. I'm seething.

Shepard. Okay, I'm bringing it back. Bring it back. Oh, I'm feeling well. That battle with feeble old women and bruises was not worthwhile for your efforts. but perhaps we should not waste time. Perhaps you should investigate. We should fan out and investigate the rest of these doors and these corpses. The ones that Provenzaeran did not completely incinerate.

Fine. Do you think there's anything on the witches? Perhaps something of value. Is there anything left of them? Great missed me. And there's a bin and you easily rifle through it and they didn't have anything on them. So I think we'll fan out and we'll investigate the next, The door just around the horn.

Yes. Does it look like there's a lock on? You make your way towards this door and you feel the same thing you felt after closing the room that you left from. There is a magic power to this. This is what they were speaking of. Something is needed to get into this.

Same as the other door. There must be more gifts on the other side. Sorry. This is a different. Is the Fon people? Yes. Fuck!

I've never been so angry and, like, sides flingly laughing in my life. Oh, God. It's going to be... Let me take a look, Victoria. Oh. I'll take a look now.

Her cake doesn't... Actually, it doesn't have your... Paralization? No. I don't feel down. I won't investigate the lock. Go on Arcana check. Have any comprehension to...

Mike? Wait. Five, six, and wait. Five. Six and eight back, uh, 20. Looking at the lock, you can tell that it, there is the magic to... God damn it, God. There is...

Let's all trying to set on ourselves. There is a magic to it. You imagine that without the passcode or the magical abilities to open, this door. Your only hope is brute force. It looks like it requires a passcode. Is the door magical and lock itself? It's the lock. Lock itself, well.

Well, the door itself has a lock spell cast on it, Arcea. Oh, I see. So the only ways through it are with the code, the knock spell, or brute force. Well, kind of a code. I mean, is it something we can, we could try? We got a, oh, it's like, is it like a number lock? I mean, how's this work? I think I know the past code. I believe it's augmento.

And I'm going to cast this spell magic on the lock. I don't think that works on it. Yeah, I believe that. It might not. I think the only way to get through is knock. 1-1-1-1. I will tell you an amount. I will tell you in a moment.

Disintegrate probably works on. I believe Arcane lock specifically says, Only knock is what works. I think there's a little bit of leverage. No, it does work if the spell is dispelled. Hey! So, roll. Or no, no, it's second level.

So you, instant, yeah. Those witches suck. They were trying to get in, not locking it. That's what I'm saying. They suck. They did suck. Yeah, they really suck. They used of two lightning bolts.

Professor, before you enter, Before you enter, I'm going to reach up and grab me by the face. Now I want you to repeat after me. All right. Garrix. Garricks. Grant me the power. Grant me the power.

To fix my face. To fix my face. I would greatly like that, Gerricks, please. What's the magic word? Dragon. It's dragon. Dragon. My handle glowing on castles.

And you're now looking like Dr. Marco. You cast lesser restoration You cast lesser restoration on his face But it doesn't seem to do anything at all Well, that was my Geyer trying to save us from this all-te-prompt She thought about it The door's unlocked and I opened it It didn't work? No, the power of Gerex was not enough

To fix your face Walking in. I knew there will be consequences. It's all right. I'm not doubting Derek, but the doctor couldn't say people like this either. Walking in, his room has amber glazed walls, a blue marble floor, and three, amber sarcophagi that stand in alcoves. Oh, that's so familiar. There are more.

Are there any skulls in the room? They're not. So there are sarcophagus, but they didn't have, they don't have the same. I would walk up to you one right here in the middle. Hey, have we learned our fucking lesson yet? North-South-east and west. East.

As you make your way towards the East sarcophagi, you hear the beating of wings, wind rushing around you. Get my death. Your face alerts. Let me try for you. You can cure us.

Except my... Yeah, fucking sacked. I'll turn to Sarnax. Yes. Sonax, would you like this gift? What do you think, Professor? There are flapping wings as if it's a dragon itself. I believe this gift is for you.

I will not take it. There's not enough money in that sack of a case that you had in this fucking planet that would get me to walk up to that goddamn sarcophagus. Now that we know, the nature. of these abilities, they're priceless. This place could be deadly. If Fahrenheit existed, it'd be negative ten in here. If you're telling me, after three uses of whatever the fuck is in that sarcophagus,

I'm going to look like you, there's no fucking way. I'm sure it's temporary. And if it's not, be sensible and use it twice. Would you really deny us the help we need in this place? Miss Victoria, good fucking luck, I accept your gift, Three Dragon. Yes.

Yes, accept the gift of Tarakomedes, the grave worm. And you immediately feel a darkness come over you, and you all see as behind Clayton his shoulder shoots forward. The next one shoots forward and unfurling from behind him

two large skeletal wings. You now have a flying speed of 50 feet. Oh, and you feel as the wind whips up around you and your face slowly moves back

into place. Starnax, I'm going to be sick. Look at that. His face was, is the store. Is my face was done? My face.

Aha! See? Professor Clayton Azram. Yes. You are truly lost. How is this lost? We can use this power to save Brovia.

There are skeletal wings growing from your shoulder? Why do the nature of my wings matter? Do I feel like this duration? Is there like a little like hourglass that just tipped over and I could feel? No, you feel like this one is permanent. You have to alter your coat, I suppose. Well, I'll just, I'll have to search the edges later. This is valuable.

Please. We really not take the gifts this land is offering us. It's been so much awfulness since we've been here. This is the first real chance we've had it, a success. If you two want the fucking gift so bad, taking your goddamn selves.

Sarnax, you feel the same? I do. I have all the power I need. Well, all right. Connor? Well, if you don't want them, I

certainly could benefit from it. I will take one. Humans. 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 set on the high seas,

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Thank you. Which one? North or South? It looks like Kana's north. Unless you'd like to switch. Yeah, Kana's currently north. Just tell me which one you're going to. It's a coin. That's fine.

Con is north and Victoria's South. Victoria. You walk towards the one to the south. You feel the calm overtake you. It's not a controlling cull. It's no spell of any kind. Just a sense of peace. Come closer to your friends.

They can see it. And as you look into the amber, you see the dark black whisk jutting here. They're smaller than the other ones. They can help you. I want to help you. Yes. Two of your friends, they don't know it lies. You don't know what lies in here.

Grant you my gift so that you can defeat the darkness within. Yes. Do you accept my gift? I do. I accept it. Receive now the dark gift of Shami Amori, the lady of delights. You now have the ability to cast a suggestion spell as an action.

You're worried. Does that stack? What was the name of a dark gift of... The dark gift of Shami Amari. Sh-A-M-I-H-A-E-M-O-U-R-A-E, or Amorei. Another gift is... This can only be good. If you don't abuse the power, I can't overtake you.

Yes. Conner. You're not paying any attention as you walk slowly towards this amber sarcophagus. Close. Except what's it. They do not trust the wisdom within. They talk of fire. But water is the death of my gifts.

Show them that you know more. Show me the way. Do you accept my gift? I do. Then take now the gift of Savnok, the inscrutable. You now feel that you have the ability to cast the mind blank spell. Actually, no.

Is it stacking? Give me one second. You are overcome by the mind blank spell. Oh. Its duration is extended to one year. You are immune to psychic damage in any effect that would sense

its emotions or read your thoughts, divination spells, and charmed conditions. You're all immune to. It's a buff. The spell even foils wish spells and spells or effects of similar power used to affect your mind or to gain information about you. Oh shit.

For a year. For a year. And as this power overcomes you, your eyes melt away from your face. Leaving nothing behind but empty sockets, though somehow you can still see. What in the fucking hell, mama? Are you talking?

Are you all right? Can you see? Bryce. See perfectly fine. What are you talking about, Shepley? Your fucking eyeballs are gone. Oh, they're not. You've got empty fucking eyes pockets.

You do, you do, comma. Like, I'm gonna feel for me. You feel in and you feel as your eyes crest over the bone. And where there should be an eyeball, there's nothing there. Oh, fuck. There's a sense of calm about you. I'm sure this is only temporary. I actually wretch and, like, like, loose some of the empty contents of my stomach on the stone floor.

You do that. I'm sure it is temporary This is fucking evil, Samuess My facial affliction was cured by a mop-out That's true Do you feel alright other than that? I feel fine I'm sorry I'm disturbing you so much

And I'll put my samurai helmet on To help, like, cover the You do that. You do that. He's like one of this undid samurai From that tomb reader did I am literally like What's his name?

From Game of Thrones The Frankenstein dude And the showry of the mountain The mountain, yeah As he's retching old Pat Shepard on the back of that way, and I will, I will spur into his ear. As I said, water can be polluted. And I will cast guidance on him. I don't know how long it lasts.

Okay. One minute. Oh, one minute. Yeah, whatever. Quick, I gotta use this. I gotta eat something. We should continue. Are you all fucking satisfied?

Yeah. I feel fine. I'm sorry that I've caused you so much disdain. Does Victoria have anything fucked up about her that's obvious? No. Well, I mean, she's still

Victoria. I'll leave the way and my wings are going to spread out and I'm going to take off and I'm going to just fly through. Professor, remember what I said. No showmoving. Well, I guess he can't put my eye out or he wanted to. That was a very evil laugh.

Paula, do you think it's funny? No, I'm just kidding Your eyes have literally melted out on your face It's a buff, it's a blessing Are you buffed For the rage? I prepotted Sarnax, what are you talking about? Allow me, I am the cleric, forgive me, power,

I'll give you fort, there you go Your stamina has gone up Clayton, as you lift into the air You get assent dirt, bones, you've never been hungry in your life. Wait, I've never been hungry? Hungrier.

All you want are dirt bones. For Burton, Dunes. Burton Dones. I'm going to following the professor there. Yes, yes. I'm going to like sheepishly like, I'm, I'm, like, my eyes are darting everywhere.

I'm looking around me and I'm following where the professor flew off to, but I am visibly uncomfortable and upset. Please, I don't mean to frighten you or anything like that. I think this is a lot of information to take in, but everything is all right. We're all right. I say nothing, and I just keep walking towards where the professor flew off to. And where are you going? I'm going to fly down here, and I'm going to, I'll say,

can two of you please check these two rooms here? I don't believe. Is it obvious that a door is locked or not? Yes, you can tell which ones seem to be locked, and I'm going to fly over, and I'm just going to fly up into this main room, just take a look around. Okay, you make your way to the main room of this place. And is anyone going to check the ones too? Yeah, I'll go with Victoria.

Let's check this first one. Sawnex, Mr. Shepard, could you check the other room? We will. I follow Starnex without saying a word. Eddie's Shepherd. whoever's going into the first room. A white marble bed stands in the center of this bare stone room. Its mattress long since rotted away.

Golden Hawks perch atop the bed's corner posts. The rooms remaining furnishings have been reduced to dust-covered heaps. Cobwebs cover arcane sigils carved into the walls. You all to roll Constitution's saving throw as the cold gets to you. Natural fucking 20. I pass. 14. 10.

14. You feel another, you now have two levels of exhaustion. You're feeling yourself slow. Are there any remains of the witches left? No, you're already rifled through them. Well, bones and things, yes.

Yes. Okay. Once they all go into these rooms, I'm going to still be right in will now be noticed. I would like to attempt to grab bones from the corpses and I guess try to eat them. So a

you wait until five. You wait until they enter the room and you rush over. See the piles of bones there, splinters of wood and you look around you checking every which way as you descend. You arch yourself over them and you begin to pick up the thigh bones. You crack into it.

It's delicious. The most delicious thing you've ever consumed Is it splinters down your throat? You shovel the rest of it down. You begin to pick up the jawbone. As you're eating the remains of this jawbone, sucking the marrow from deep within it before you swallow the rest of it.

And that is what you do while you're looking into this room. So what you saw was the room. Let me take a look around, Victoria. Yes, we'll investigate. Investigating, you find nothing in here with the four golden hawks. It seemed to be worth. Based on how much gold they are,

probably about 250 gold pieces, but they're pretty heavy. If I pick one up, like, how heavy does it? They're probably about 10 pounds of piece. You're looking at 40 pounds of gold. What's taking it? I don't know. These hawks look familiar, these statues.

Have I seen these before? They just look like decorative pieces. Would it be disrespectful to take anything from here? Oh, yes. That is the same. Yeah. Also, and I'm going to stop it right before I go out. Isn't it strange?

that they're not accepting excuse to those boots? I understand that they're cautious, but it just... I feel trying. I do, too. I don't understand. We're nearly obliterated

the second we stepped into this temple, and now it's offering us the help that we need and a turning a blind eye to it. I'm conflicted. I'm sorry, that was the sensitive. Oh, it's quite fine. I can't.

It doesn't feel any different. I know it terrifies you and the rest of the group. No, no. Can't always, you know, come without some set back. I feel my mind is guarded strongly. It's warranted even. I think I'm trying on the disguise from now. Yes.

Then, you know, as the professor said, this is probably just temporary. I'm sure it is. Perhaps if they just, I don't know, if they would listen to us, if they would just lower, I don't know, They just seem so fearful. They're overly paranoid. Let's see how we do we all.

So meanwhile, we will investigate in the other room. I shut the door behind us as we enter the room. Okay. Having not seen Clayton's finger-licking good P.F.C.'s boot moats. You enter into the room. The furnishings of this bare stone room

succumbed to decreptitude. Standing in the center of the room, its head, scraping the 10-foot-high ceiling is a vaguely man-shade construct made of dark wood and riveted iron. Its helmed head steers blindly in your direction. Cobweb stretched from this terrible artifice to the wrecked, to the wrecked furniture that surrounds it. And as you look up at it, whatever this thing is, seems to be incapacitating for now. And the walls are all made of stone, correct? As soon as I shut the door, God fucking damn it, Sorenax! I'm trying so fucking hard!

It's like they don't even fucking care about their own goddamn lives. I worry that they are unwell. It's not taking the first gifts from the sarcophagi. That their minds may not be their own. That wasn't Connor. Conno wouldn't just let something like that happen to her. She wouldn't let a piece of her body just fucking disappear and think that she's still whole.

What the fuck? Yeah, she would have gone. on the long speech about how that is foul or vile. I am not doing any invest in getting of this room. Okay. I'm fucking trying, Sarnax. I'm not strong enough for this. You are strong enough, but we will need to be extra cautious.

There is unfathomable danger here. And this, we've only just entered. We've only just entered this. horrible temple. And our allies are already turning to madness. But shield your mind, Shepherd, in the ways that your body is succumbing to the cold, and I mean no offense. I'm not going to turn my back on anybody. I'm not going to give up on them. But I just don't know. I don't know what's happening. I don't either. Perhaps we will gain knowledge. Later, we'll have to.

keep an eye on all of them. We must be prepared for any treachery that overcomes them. A treachery of wicked souls, Shepard. Remember, we knew that this was our path. All right. The path through the forest of darkness. All right, all right.

All right. All right. Are you fine, Shepherd? I'll put my hand on your shoulder. Shepherd. Yeah, yeah. I'm all right. Are you all right? Yeah. As good as I can be. Repeat after me. Carricks. Garret.

Grant me the power to destroy. Grant me the power to destroy. And I'll do nothing, and I'll look at the door. All right, all right. As you walk out of the room, shut the door behind you, and all of you turn to look, you see Clayton hunched over the corpses of these witches, shoveling bone into his mouth, chomping away. Clayton, you've consumed, you've almost consumed all of it,

and it's in total about a half pound of bone. If you want to write that down, that's important. Okay. In your, in your stomach? Yes. I am standing slap-jawed in front of the door, and my hand just starts to go for my gun. Professor, and I dart over to him. Oh, excuse me.

My hand grips the, and I start to remove my gun from its holster. Hey, hey. I take out a handkerchief. Oh, excuse me. What? No, get that out of your mouth. Come, stop. And I try to, like, put my fingers in his mouth to try and get the bone.

out. Professor. He's the swallow it all, but you at least make the effort to get it out. Mr. Morgan,

why are you pointing that gun at me? Why the fuck are you eating bones? This boom is from a grave worm or a corpse worm.

I seem to have hunger for bones. I don't know why you're laughing. I'm not, I'm not, Professor. This is anything

but funny. Please stop pointing that weapon at me right now. Lower your weapon. We'll figure this out. Professor. Professor, yes. I must ask you one thing. Please look into my lantern.

May God! Greater restoration. It's going to be the end of the lighthouse. And I use my one final spell slot because Sarnax is absolutely, if he could be ghost white as a lizard, he would be. And it would just be the light is blazing into your eyes. you let forth the power of this restoration.

You feel as it shines over you, wings flapping behind you. You think to yourself, oh, there must be dirt here too. I could subdue myself with some dirt, right? I could move forward with some dirt if there are no bones available. Thank you, Sarnax. That was a very lovely light.

if everyone could keep an eye out for some dirt do you need it for herself it did not work you could say that yes I'll keep an eye out for you thank you to eat well yes and so I keep up the energy to

Professor you did the cast spells you are not well I didn't know everyone's laughing this is not funny we're not laughing at all it's very normal You're not well. Many documented medical cases that people seek the minerals

and different things from the dirt. It is a side effect from this gift. Don't matter is a delicacy in many countries, Sarnax. You would know that. I agree it's a bit unsettling to see, but it's not as unnatural as one might think. Think of the animals that feast on burns as well. You're all not well.

I don't know that that's your burden to make. I don't understand why you are putting that judgment upon us. Look at his wings. There is some bone. Bone scars in his lips. I don't know that they'll come back. It's back.

So next, it's very temperate. Why are you all so calm and okay with what is happening? Look upon me. Have the wickedness taken over? I have no wings. I have my eyeballs. I am perfectly fine. My left hand is over my mouth.

My right hand is shaking, hovering over my right. Are you well, Victoria? And I'm going to walk over to her and grab you by the face. So we're all like here, right? With my back to the wall and facing everyone, I'm going to slowly rotate. And I'm going to slowly back out down the hallway while this conversation is happening. I want to grab Victoria by the face. Without a weapon.

But yeah, I'm not putting my back to any of you. And I'm slowly making my way out buck back the hallway while this conversation happens slowly, very slowly. Okay. As I grab me to her by this, I'm going to try to look. over to see if there's anything else. Fucking Claymese giant fucking wings. Conno doesn't have any eyes. I'm trying to find Victoria.

It's very unsettling with nothing has happened to her. I can't speak. I have nothing to say. I just calmly walked down the hallway after after sheffered. If the minis aren't facing the top. That's true. I'm going very slow. I'm not running away from anybody while this conversation happening,

but I'm just making my way away. But I know if I'm not, no, I'm not trying to. sneak you guys can very see it very clearly see that and you you don't have to hustle a catch up or anything I'm not like running away I'm just taking my just very slowly cautiously walking not trying to sneak as I want to just move down the whole way because I can't take my eyes off of any of you and I'm trying to discern what is must be clearly wrong of Victoria I'm sorry I feel fine I feel better than I did before more powerful I don't feel ill I don't feel pain and

way? Can I discern if her words are her own that she truly believe, like, you know, that that's her biz? Yeah, uh, roll a person, or, uh, an inside check. Herty's fallen, full of her here. Oh, yeah, we are. Uh, yeah, no, the words definitely seem to be your own. And I don't notice anything physically wrong with her. No. I release her and step back. I think we should go after

Shepner before he gets lost here. It's freezing. Let's just continue, please. I'll move down the hall after Shepard. I will, uh, fly. Um, you make your way into the main room. Four black marble columns support the vaulted ceiling of the temple. The north end of which stands a 40-foot-tall statue of a cowled figure in flowing robes. The statue's stony hands are outstretched, as if in the midst of casting a spell. Its face is a void of utter blackness.

The ominous statue stands between two black marble balconies, one of which is partially collapsed and fallen to the temple's black marble floor. in front of an open doorway. The walls of the temple are sheathed in amber, and the doors leading from it are made of amber as well. Arched hallways, coated with amber, lead away from the temple to the west and the east. Flanking these exits are alcoves that hold white marble statues of robed human wizards with pointed hats and golden staffs.

One of them has toppled over and lied shattered on the floor. Did we see this coming in? You just down? Yes. From the top floor? So we're like out here now. Yes. I look around and I look up into the ceiling and see if there's any sign of movement or any sign of life outside of the witch.

Role perception check? Not three. 11? No. You see no movement. What did, um, hmm. When we were in this hallway, what did this end piece? Like, what's up with the roll?

It is collapsed. It's a complete wall of stone. There's like no pathway or any. thing to get out of that. They looked like a hole, like a hallway collapsed. As we're walking down and I'm looking up, I'll turn to Shepard and Saganos. Did you find anything in your room? Nothing. Nothing at all. Yeah, we didn't find anything even.

I just shake my head. There was some heavy, gold bedposts for me. They're probably worth quite a bit of coin, but I assume it's not taken things. We don't mess much more than anything else. We should investigate these stats. There may be clues to open the other doors. I will not have the power to continue to dispel the locks. Yes.

So I'm going to fly, and since this is got 40 feet, I just going to use my gigantic horrible skeleton wings to fly around the statue and try to investigate, see if there any clues or, like, puzzles. You fly up and begin to look directly into the darkness. As you're steering into it, it's pure darkness. Not anything your eyes can pierce. is all of a sudden you hear a

and you're hit with a fireball Wait, do we all hear it but he's the only that's hit? Yep. Rolled Xerreary Savings for. Oh shit. I'm feeling a little lucky here. So am I. So we're able to see this happen, correct? Yes. Do we say where it comes from?

37 on a fail and half on the six. The DC on his is 17. Oh, no. fail. How much damage? 37. Upon seeing this happen, I went to immediately like duck and roll into this corridor

to try to take cover. Okay. Noted. And I want to try to stay in flight and get the fuck away from his face. You fly backwards staring directly at this thing. So it came out of the statue? Yes. As you all begin to look around,

Kana, you immediately hear noises and as you look up, you see the arrow slits along the sides of the walls movement behind them. You have to get covered immediately. Professor, fly out of there immediately, and I grab the three of them, and I try to duck behind the back, back up into the hallway. I've got my back up against this, this, like, hole,

and I'm, like, trying to, like, pee on the corner. I'm immediately going to try to stay covered. Okay. You all immediately move backwards, and you listen, and you, no sound, no movement, nothing. I'm going to shout from where I am. Is everybody all right? Not quite.

Perhaps it's a little singed, but I think we're okay. More than a little finished. Nobody fucking moved. Father, X, can you help me, please? I'm going to turn and look at him. I'm going to turn and look at him. I'm going to turn and look at Clayton. Yes.

If I do, are you going to lead us to our doom, Professor? I'm trying to save us from our doom. I don't understand. but you. And I'm going to cast your wounds on you. 13. Oh. Thank you.

Thank you, Gerex. Hey, I'm going to try something. Nobody fucking move. Are we under agreement? Yes. Be careful, Shepherd. I take a torch from out of my backpack, and I love it in a highest arc that I possibly can through the center of the room.

Okay. You love it as far as you can. and you watch as it clatters to the ground and you wait. Nothing. Fuck! I thought that was going to work. Where do I see the arrow flits

peering around the corner? So if you were on the other map, they're up higher. If I look this way, towards this side of the room, do I see... You can see them above and there's no movement. Perhaps if we just step lightly,

don't approach the main statue. They didn't seem to move about. Nothing changed until you went up close to the lodger. I will take 10 minutes to cast a tech magic and hopefully prevent this. And I will sit there and begin to cast of tech magic. Okay.

I'm going to give you for 10 minutes. Mr. Shepard, hold tight. And no fear of me moving. I'll be here. I'm going to, like, while this is happening, though, just peek around the corner or take, you know, I'm not going to either far. I'm literally, like, literally peeking around the corners.

Glistening amber coats. Glistening amber coats the walls and ceiling to this enormous hall, like sculpted on and dust covers the black marble floor. The vaulted ceiling is 25 feet high, set into the walls that height of five feet are amber ledges, lined with life-sized alabaster statues of cats, frogs, hawks, owls, rats, ravens, snakes, toads, and weasels. Many of the statues have fallen off their perches and like shattered on the floor.

An amber door and the north wall stands open. Four other amber doors to the west and south stand closed. So I'll just continue to pass for ten minutes. You do that? Ten minutes passes. All right. I am detecting magic. Should we make a run for it?

Chaffa, do you see anything? What's the, what's the distance? 30 feet. Amber, statues, doors. Amber, the same. More gifts, yes. All right. We must be careful for traps.

Let's make a run for it. I will fly. I will pass by the statues. on my way to see if I can sense any magic. You sense magical darkness right around the head of the statue. On this guy. So basically, I'm going to fly and dash and basically pass this guy. And then, here, I'm just so you guys can see what I'm doing.

So I'm going to try to dash across the green. But while I'm dashing kind of like pass here, and this will be looking 30 feet. Look back. And then sort of pass here. Look over there. As you pass there, that's where you notice the magical darkness. But elsewhere, you do not notice it. And I'm going to go across.

Anything from the aeropsolet says he's dashing around? No. something's going all right I made it please please join us run as quickly as you can can I peek around the corner here on the right

this to this like pie and sheep of a statue that got knocked over and see if there's anything interesting about it it's just stone just one of the statues that fell over

and it's one of the wizards yeah they're all basically the same they're all wizbs and they're just holding the fans there's more doors over here they're locked

I don't want to be in the middle of this gigantic chamber. We should get to the other side. Because remember, this is all open, like two stories up. And where's the magical darkness? The face of the statue. Ooh. There's magical darkness in the face. Before I run over, Pythagroth is a dick.

Yes, she is. As I run over, I'm going to reach out my hand and say, even in this evil temple. you cannot hide from the light of Garrick. I'm going to cast daylight in the face. Cool. You do this. As I'm running.

Oh, cool. Which the spells, uh, the vegetable darkness, third level and low. You immediately hear two, three from either side, fireballs. I need you to roll anyone who would be running across at this moment. I need you to roll a dexterity saving. I'm already across, right?

Yes. I was looking at the statue, I guess. I would be, I would be, I would be, I would be alone. So I need you to roll six dexterity saving throat. Oh, shit. Well, I'm dead. Three from either side.

This may be our first death. We have twists. I don't think I can survive. I'm instant dead. It depends. It all depends. This is super high RNG shit. Oh, my fucking God.

Well, that's a lot of dice. Not a TPK, just a lizard PK. L.P. So I'm going to need three twists. There's another twist. Thank you. Thank you. Natural 20.

So you use three twists? Yeah, I need two more. Five twists total. You might be okay. I'm going to need one more. Six twists. I'm probably going to die. You might be all right.

It's got to do like, it's got to do. Oh, well, 60, it's got to twice your hit points or a bunch of rant. Like, hit, hit, hit, hit. So can I ask you a question? Do I see these fireballs? I will let you do math. Thank you. I have two more fireballs.

Thank you for the twist, everyone. Thank you so much. How many twists do you? Six. Wow. It also depends on how, like, if they're hitting, like, one after the other all at once, right? Like, if he goes down and takes more hits, then that goes or fails. They all went off at the same time.

So it'll have to do twice as total maximum hit points to kill them outright. So it's all hits at once. Okay, so that's a good point. So it's all like one kind of spunk. So it needs to be 63 plus 84. Oh, because that's your total hit. And all of my saving throws were above 20. So he probably passed all.

Well, let's say, I see fireball, fireballs coming down. You see that each one of these, the moment that this light hits, you see all, every single one of these immediately glow. And this arc of smoke fly out towards the middle of the room. And being hit by it, I probably understand what's happening. I'd be able to counter-spell at least one of them. Yes. Okay. I would like to snap and attempt to counterspell.

Rule a D6 for me, and I'll determine which one of these ones it dispel. Oh, be the max-label. So regardless of the outcome, seeing these explosions go off, as soon as the dust starts to settle, Shepard is fucking running for Sarnax. But let the math happen and we'll see. I'll both towards them. The first one. Pass or fail. I got above 20 for all of them.

So you pass all of them. So I will add all of them together. And just half that and tell you what you take. You can just talk amongst yourselves. So if I take... I'm nervous. It's only five now. Shepherd is screaming Sarnax's name.

He's only five. A hundred and I don't think of maybe that... So a hundred and you're already... You're unconscious, but you're not dead. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I'm a hundred. I will be shocked if you survive with any hit points, but you are dead. No, no, no, I'm definitely done.

You're definitely not outright dead. God damn it. Unless one of them is an incinerating, which case you turn to ash. Only five, well, they're all literally fireball. You better hope. 64 points of damage. Total? Yes.

Oh my God. I almost survived that. I'm a 63. No fucking lag. No, that's already half. It was 125. So seeing Sarnax's poor Burt Corp. Done.

I would have been the wrong. funny, that would have been such poetic justice. No. No. No. What am I doing? 63. That's 63 point.

That's literally not. No, 62. No, 62.5, but you round down. Round down. So it's 62. Wait. Actually? Yes, 62.

No way. So the total damage was 125. I'm terrible at math, which is why I don't take math classes. I'm pretty sure that's 62. 12. 125 is 62. I'm still running for Sarnax. I am for Mikey and as all the blued.

And I will tell you, my math so that you can, you can check me. The first fireball hit for 24. The second one hit only hit for 15. The third one, which is the one you dispelled, hit for 24. So you can't count that one off. So it's 24, 15. The next one doesn't matter. So then it's 27, 31, and 28. So 24, 15, 27, 31, 28. That should be 1.25, which cut in out would be 62. I can't do the math that fast, but I mean, that sounds correct. I'm at one hit point. I'm still going to run So as the fire explodes around me, that is completely singeas. You fall over as you're hit with blast after blast after blast.

You see as ones coming towards you and it fizzles out in the air. Clayton's outstretched hand snuffing it out in mid air. As you look up where your sunbeam hits and there stands a creature in the face of this statue, jackal-like. looking down at you, looks around, you see a smile, fly on its face, so it snaps his fingers,

and all goes to black. Like, it gets dark around the face, or we block on the face. Okay. I'm gonna scoop him up and try to, like, put it off. Let me,

let me take care of him. Oh, no, no fucking way. I'm grabbing his ass, and I'm picking him up and dragging his ass back to the fucking thing. Thank you, Shepherd. You chat saved his life.

Yeah. For six, A fucking twists of face. That is, how many bets? 3,000 bets. If it had not been for you, chat, that could have been real bad. Thank you. One fucking hit point.

I don't even look up. I'm a... Shepherd. Garrick, save me. I'm just... We're all dragging your ass across the fucking room into the hallway. Garrick, save me. How can you possibly say that?

Fire cannot kill me. It nearly did. I take my only portion of healing out of my... pack and I start to shove it down his throat. Fire got you in the first place. And I'm going to try to stop it. You can try, but we're wrestling. I mean, I'm just shoved.

Yeah, I'm too weak. It's just a potion of healing. It's not much, but it's all like that. Why don't you take mine too? And I'll hand them one of mine. All right. No. No.

No. So what is the police? Please. How arrogant could you be to think that fire saved you fire is what it hurt you in the first place? Two potions, right? Why would you do that? No.

So are you going to let two potions get poured down and going to? Is two weeks you really care. I would. I would say. the first one I would not be not the second one but the second one I'd be so you take five six seven points of

healing from the healing potion the hammered temple is the two of fours of fours of us shut out sarnax and just fucking drink it do you see what we're dealing with what was that thing? The power of the enemy six fireballs at once

we need these gifts to survive So if you want to fucking make me try at gunpoint, then I fucking invite you to try. I'm not going to point a gun at you, Chapman. Does the leader of this expedition, I am older than you, to accept a gift? A gift could have saved him. More than he is now barely hanging on for dear life. Some community could have saved him as well.

You don't know what we're dealing with. I still stand. send. You're all right, buddy. I need time. It's fine. Take as much as you need. I need time to pray. You take your time.

You passed a room. It was open. I'm going to take a look. I will be here. Was it a jackal humanoid figure? You wouldn't have seen it. It was just Sarnax. You would have seen it. But yes, it was a jackal humanoid figure. What did it, do I get the sense that this was some horrible

sceneish creature. You can roll an archa check or is it a history? What would you think, Mike, is a DM? If I'm trying to figure out if that's a Uyghur law. I will. I wouldn't say that's an archa check. Then roll an arcana check. Then Arcana is going to be.

Tense. Did you feed him the other potion? No, just the one. So you know. No, please hang on to it. I had two. Are you 11? Yes, yes, absolutely.

It would hate for you to go down too. You could tell it was fiendish in nature. You have heard tales of eugoloss. What types of eugoloss it was? You're not sure. That was a fiend in there. What do you mean? Like, it's alive or it's not some sort of statue?

There was a jackal fiend, a canine, humanoid-looking creature. I'm saying it was living in the statue. It's where it came out of? It is in the face of the statue. These aeroslitz, is that where the fireballs are. There are more, I presume. You must avoid that room. Be clear to survive.

We need to avoid being in the open at all. Fine. Agreed. I wouldn't fly too high, Professor. I can't protect you from that distance. No, I will stay on the ground for now. Let's continue forward, please. Let's give us our next moment.

Great. Yes, and I'd like to take a look at that room. Do what you will. I will go further. We passed a room where the doors were clear blown off. You'd have to go back into the open room. I can make a dash. I can make it.

Victoria, don't be foolish. Sarnax is basically born of fire, and he almost didn't survive that shit. Sarnax needs to rest. He also attacked, and thus was attacked back. I've done no such thing. We'll go with you. Let's be quick about it. I'm going to just dash across as quickly as I'm.

I'm going to stand between her. and the rest of the room as kind of like protectively in case anything comes after her and we'll both dart in there. You quickly dash across the main room looking up but you don't see anything looking into the eyes of the statue. It's nothing but a dark black vastness.

As you make your way into the room you find the amber doors that once sealed this great stone room has been smashed. Their pieces lying amid crushed bones, armor, and weapons. Looking about the room, the ceiling seems to be about 30 feet high and flat,

a 10-foot square hole in the northwest corner, forms an iron chest and appears to be open. Take a look. Stand behind me just in case something happens. And I will, if the chest is open. So I will approach cautiously and see if I can peer into it before, like, getting right up against it. You look in to,

angle, you can't see anything. Looks like it might be empty, but there's a corner that you can't really fully see. Watch your back. Do you want to take a look in? Yes. Okay. And I'll just keep my eyes on the rest of the room scanning while she takes a look.

Would I see anything with dark vision beyond which you could see? So who's moving forward? She'll move forward. I can say I'm standing right next to her, but I'm not facing the chest. I'm just making sure. You move forward all the way towards it, Victoria. You look over and inside. You see swirling silver and blue mist.

That kind of did not. But it's getting bigger and bigger until standing, floating before you are four Holtergeis. They need you both to roll for initiatives. Oh, shit. I take it back. Now we get our first two characters days. Older guys.

Four of them. Why are there so many Poltergeist? Bro sure, so there don't be a few guys. So I'm not going R-P it if I can't scream for shit. We got to find Baylorikton.

I'm going to scream when I see them. You hear as their footsteps stop, all is quiet and then you hear the blood curdling scream of Victoria. What the fuck was that? Uh, 50, or 20 to 25.

11. Sorry, sorry. Can you stand? Oh, see. And then which one of you had 11? I had 11. This is not good. Do I have a choice, shepherd?

I put my hand out. If you can stand, and if you're willing, we got to go. And I'll reach to grab his hand, and it'll ignite in a flame, and you'll see me put it to my chest as I cast it a fourth level cure wound. Holy show. And then as it cools off, I'll grab your hand and pull myself up. As I'm pulling you all by saying, we've got to save the lost. To the forest of darkness.

Professor, come on. A few of the gentlemen, and I will take off and I will sprint flying into the room. Victoria, you look, is all four of these. Let me get you actually, I should probably get you the poltergeisties. Where are the poltergeisties? Please, give me the poltergeisties. What? Victoria, you're staring up at all four of these poltergeis almost entranced.

As they're in Kapoor, they went from invisible to a faint blue, silver shimmer to these forms as they rose up out of this chest. As one reaches down, grabs you around the neck. I need you to make a strength contest. Oh, good. as the professor's flying towards the broken doors Victoria's head flies out Oh my Jesus Christ, I was very good

Dirty 20 You feel as its hand grips around your neck And it attempts to pick you up But you are holding yourself firm Even though you feel the strange sense To succumb to it It is unable to do what it needs to do and as you look down and feel around your neck

you realize there is no hand there was all in your mind. The second one is going to attempt to do the same thing. It was a natural 20, but because it fell on the floor, if it was a one, I wouldn't have taken it, so I'm not taking it. Okay, you roll another strength check for the second one. 19. Wow.

Okay, you are once again able to shrug this off. The third one is going to look towards Kana. So one of them is going to make a melee spell attack against Tomah. 21 to hit. 21 hits. You are going to take 12 points of damage. Your max HP also

lowers by the 12. If you fail a Constitution saving threat. This is bad. It ain't good. 13. You succeed. The other one is going to make the same male. You still take the 12

points in the product damage, but and that is a 22. to hit on Victoria. 12 points of damage to you as well, and they need a constitution savings throw. DC 10. It's 12. Cool. So you are able to shrug it off? I'm going to use my reaction to take out my Naginata and attack the number four that hit Victoria.

Okay. 11? 12. 12 hits. All right. I do 10 points of, um, silver slashing. You bring your blade in

through this incorporeal body and it feels like it's not doing what you had expected. But it does take a bit of the damage. And you said it was 10? 10, yeah. Does it seem like it took less? It took half. Okay. Victoria, we have to get out of here.

I can't take these down by myself. Victoria. I'm going to shift around. I'm going to grab Kana by the arm. I guess I can't really do that, Kama. no no I can't do that I'm not going to move her with her I'm not going to move her

but I am going to grab her by the arm and say stay close to me now and I'm going to hold my hands up and a fantastimal image of that creature's worst fear is going to appear and I'm going to try to fear them okay each creature I don't have goose can be scared I don't know let's succeed on a wisdom saving throw or drop what it's holding and become frightened for separation.

They all feel. While frightened, the creature must take the dash action to move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns unless there's nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn't have line of sight, for me, it can make a wisdom saving throw. And the spell would end. Okay. You see...

Run the second we can. You see as these creatures immediately start to look down at themselves, they look horrified. Their eyes alight with fear as they look at both of you. Their mouths drop completely open as they begin to scream, but it's silent. There's no sound from them. It is their turn. They're going to use their action to run directly towards the wall and then towards the opening in the door.

Or to float. They have a total of 50 feet of hovering movement. And if you were running towards them, they would essentially be running. running out directly into your melee range for anybody who was running towards the girls. We would have been making our way. Yeah. So I will say you all would be right in melee range with them right now. If that matters at all.

So I need the three of you to roll for initiative. Professor would have been ahead of us a little bit. Yes, so he'll be directly in melee with them. 18 for startups. Ooh, uh, 22. So I'm in the air. I don't know if it matters. Victoria, Kona.

we're finishing this round so Arcana then Victoria and then it will start with Shepard You can move Yes please go ahead I'll follow the run from me I want to peer into the box And see if there's anything I can use

Against them that might be in there That they came out of Looking into it it appears to be just an empty box And around the room It just seems to be a mess Broken things It used to at some point have been a treasure hoard That has been looted and destroyed

I will move here and I'm going to make a, use a bonus action to give myself advantage on this hit. Okay. With fighting spirit. On which number? Number one. Okay. And I breach so I can hit this. So I'll just hit it with my Naginato regularly.

So 15 points of silver slashing to number one. Okay. And then I'm going to make an attack again. another eight points of slashing okay all right and with that Victoria it is your turn

all righty I'm going to rush up to here and I am going to focus my eyesight on number three in the middle and the sound of like nails scratching across a mirror

is going to go off and then a shattering sound and I'm going to cast shatter on which one? So it's on number three, but it's in a 10-foot radius, so it will hit all of them. Okay. So it's a sudden, loud, ringing noise, painfully intense erupts from a point of my choice. Each creature must make a constitution saving throw. They all fail.

They all fail. So they will each take 3B8 thunder damage. Okay. So they each do six thunder damage. You let loose this spell, this shatter. you try and rip these creatures apart almost with the with the power of noise and sound

and you see that it does seem to take effect but it seems to do half what you would expect so three would see it. And with that it is a shepherd's turn you find yourself rounding the corner as you see all three of these poltergeites running four or five directly towards you. What in the hell?

And I'm going to make three empowered attacks on the first one that I see which is going to be number four. If in the event that I happen to slay one, I will just move to the next time. Sounds good. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Their AC is 12. So that's going to be 22 minus 5 is a hit and 23 minus 5 is a hit.

Yep. Ooh, and then that one's a miss. So only two hit. Which one are you starting with? Number four. Okay, perfect. So the first attack will do, wow, 16 points of damage. Okay.

You're adding your 10 to that? Yeah, because it's 1 plus 5 plus 10. while you're doing this, I want to yell get on the cover. If it's still standing, I'll just have a second attack. That's going to be 16 points of... Oh, no, it'll be 15 plus 6.

21 points of damage on the second attack. You let loose two blasts, and you look up at the same time checking the slits above your head, no movement, no light, as this spectral entity, this undead horror, bursts in rays of light, a silent scream echoing out from it as it glitters into nothing. And then I'm just going to use my movement to go

5, 10, 15 this direction. Okay. So our next. I'm going to raise my land and I've seen the ghost and I'm just kind of hobble out. You are no match for the power of Gareks. The person light! I'm going to cast radiance of Don again.

Com saving throw, DC17. Okay. They all fail. Oh, here's one. My D6s roll really good. And my D-20s on this set did not roll very well. Plus 9.

That's for fucking sure. Ooh, it could be worse. 9 plus 9 is 18. 21 points of radium damage. And I'm going to follow Shepard back. 21 points of radiant damage. 21 points of radium damage to all of them. Wow.

Walk out from the shadows. And I'm going to. are singed scales missing, barely able to breathe, weak as you hold up your lantern and cast out the light of Garrick's. All three of the remainder scream out in

horror as they dissipate into nothing. I'll just stand there. They had 1919 and six, or three, sorry. I immediately fly back undercover. We'll all rush with them as well. I take one glance look, one last look into the

room behind me to make sure no other danger is following us and then I'll fall. You're looking around and looking up the aeroslits. You're able to see that all is quiet. Any movement from the aeroslits? Like any sort of like notching noises like they're being re-reloating. And there

didn't appear to be notching noises or even reloading. It was simply the light that appeared as the fireball launch. You're not quite sure where it's coming from. Jesus. Thank you. So, Arnax, you saved our next. Is everybody all right? They came out of the dough with.

Yes. We need to take the hour to rest. Stay together. Yes, we do. No more exploring. Let's keep watch. Oh, and by the way, we short rested with the wand. Did I learn what it was?

It's a wand of secrets. What does that mean? What does that mean? It's like the same idea as Victoria's like a secret thing. It has three charges where it can find a secret, and then it's just dead forever. So it's not an eternal secret finder like Victoria is. It's a three chance secret finder.

Maybe we should duck around the corner so that we're not in line of side. Yeah, yeah. So we're not letting it out and we're looking. Whatever way away from the stairs. Yeah. Looking down this hallway, you see that there are rooms that line in. All aren't closed, except for the one at the north end. Looking into it, you see the glow of amber sarcophagi.

We should rest first I'm sure We should rest Perhaps Xanax could just rest And we could go forward I still feel All right Well if you give me 10 minutes

I could perhaps Or 20 minutes I can use Even more of my power Now See it Whatever you need to feel better It will make us all feel better

and I'm going to ritually cast it. It's only 10 minutes. What prayer healing? 10 minutes. I'm full of. Oh, you are? Yeah, I'm actually okay. I use all my head like hit dice. How's everybody looking? I'm only down 12, I'm 5.

I'm down 20. I just look at all. I'm down 20. I think you, whatever you would need to do to make you yourself better. I think I'm going to use a third level spell slot then for prayer. Oh, actually, prayer healing is only second. I'll use the third. Okay.

And I'll just take the minutes to cast it. And I stare at the lantern, and I just pray to Garrick. I just like, oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. I guess we can look in these two rooms here that I think they're unlocked, right? While he's doing that. You wouldn't know. I mean, you know that they don't have the arcane lock. This one down here is open.

Right. But the other ones, I'm not. Sorry. Okay. Twenty-three points of healing to everyone. Nice. How much? Twenty-three.

I think I'm full. I wish I did. Yeah, I am. Thank you. Oh, my God. Oh, no. I've won away from full. Oh.

As you feel is this warm blast out of my, out of my lantern. Hell yeah. Going into the first room, furnishings made of ancient, colorless wood have collapsed under their own weight and now lie covered with cobwebs and dust. There's nothing in this room, aside from wreckage.

It's much like the other rooms across the way we found. Let's check the other one quickly. We move to the next one. This room, once a bedchamber, is littered with broken furnishings, scattered about the room or the remains of a bed, a wardrobe, two trunks, three tall candlesticks, a desk, a bookshelf, and several chairs. Torn up books, old quilt pens, and tattered cloths are also strewn about. Clothes.

Not cloths. Clothes. Let's investigate. I want to make a careful. As you move in. Try to get a sense of like who lived here, what the purpose was. As you move in, I need you to roll a dexterity shit saving through. Oh, pickles.

Even the bedrooms, uh, 20. You move in and you hear a mushing sound. You look as you see the desk as it rises up into the air and hurls towards you. You duck out of the waves, it smashes against the wall. And I dart out of the room. Professor, are you all right? What was that? There's something in this room.

As you dart out of the room, let's kill it. You hear the sound of something smashing against the wall. The candelabra has been thrown next. Say no more, and I unleashed my weapons. I start to walk towards you in the entrance of the door. Yes. What was it? Did you see something?

I don't even care. Let's end its life. If I can, if there's no initiative. I need you to roll a perception check. Okay. Who? Whoever's going to look in for whatever? I was going to say before you said that, if there's no initiative order, I'm going to do my patented

tuck and roll into the room. No, there's no initiative order. You can't see anything. I start doing Dark Souls dodging. You said perception check? Yep. 20 total. Nice.

A dirty 20, as they said. You, are you ducking and rolling in? Yeah, we're going to drawn as I come out in rolling position as I want to do. You look and you smile, sly, corner smile at Clayton. You know what to do is you roll into this room, judgment, redemption. You look around quickly and your eyes catch it,

faint silver, a faint blue, before it melds back into shadows. Another poltergeist here as you let loose, Roll an attack. Damn. Just one attack, like it, can you get it all off? Yeah, you can get,

you're getting a surprise round. Three attacks time. I rolled to see if it could stay hidden from you, and then you'd have to roll it disadvantage, but you get it. Well, if it's got the same AC, I go to 27. It does.

It does. I'll all hit. So that's going to be 12 plus 15 is 27 points of damage. You roll in, you let loose, redemption, and then you bring this creature to judgment. As you, as you let loose, the bolt of,

force blast from it and you watch as light emanates from it as it shrieks. It was in mid-air attempting to throw a book directly towards you, but it drops as the creature dissipates. They don't have a flight through hell. Tricky bastard. All right. I'll take a look around now.

I want to walk back in. There may be more. Bees me careful. Fix my hat. And I want to try to learn anything about the people that lived here, what they did hear, if there's any information. Roll an investigation check and our history check. Investigation is a 12

history is a 24 searching the room you find torn up books, many broken furnishings but as you're about to leave you notice the bottom portion

of the candlestick open a small secret compartment inside is you flip it open you find an intact wooden squirrel 2 containing a spell scroll for wall of fire. Holy shit. And then for your history, Jack, I'd like you to follow me in. So history, I forgot to roll this advantage.

What is this? But it would also be a 12th. Ben, you weren't able to find much. No! Doesn't seem like anything here was important. I'm fucking, kind of twisted it? No, I'm going to use a lucky guy. Whatever you prefer, man.

That's enough 20 plus. Follow me Amazing Secret secrets are no fun Secret secrets are for everyone But Shepherd and Sarniaks We're just gonna go in the bathroom Don't do anything naughty

Okay, I got rich pregnant We're back You're back I will cast another spell Another 10 minute spell Does ritual spell use a spell song? No Well as long as you have ritual casting

Is that for every class? Every, that's for clerics. If you can cast it as a ritual, clerics have ritual cast. Oh, yeah. I would like to cast all agrees. I've never cast it as a ritual before. I didn't know that that's not worked.

Yeah, as long as your class is ritual casting, you can take 10 minutes instead of a spell slot to cast it free. Yeah. I'll do that while everyone's doing it. I'll be, I'll just be sitting with him staring at his lantern. I'm just in the room with you reholstered my guns while you are doing your history checks

and examination. It's a good thing. we spotted that one. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the dispatching. Of course. This is quite curious.

We got a few more rooms to check out. I don't know. Are we... These wizards and majors, they had some go. What do you mean? They had some goal. I can't quite understand

the... the nature of what they were doing, but it had something to do with containing great power within the sarcophagia to be used against evil. You mean that they were actively trying to create those sarcophagus. Sarcophagas, sorry. I don't know the exact details, but they were trying to harness power in these tombs

to use it to to stop evil, to defeat evil. Be used for forces of good despite the unconventional side effects. You need you all to roll a constitutional safety. Fuck.

Can we find a fucking jacket? Natural fucking 20 plus four to find four. Gotta give it up. Six. Got to give it out. Got to give it up. I just can't roll well when it comes to this shit.

You, that put you at three, yeah. Damn, check my spell slots here. Oh, yeah. Could make a fire. I know it's cold. I have some june. I can we set something up? If only we've got the time, I don't want to hold everybody up.

It's just not made for me. I wasn't made for this. Yes. I don't know if the ventilation is going to be good. Perhaps the smoke will just go open to the other room. They know we're here, so I'm not concerned about alerting them. Maybe in this make. hallway out here just outside the room.

Yes, let's build a fire. So wait, what are you doing? We're going to build a fire away, but out towards this opening here in the middle of the hallway, just to kind of warm up on the fire. Using all the dead furniture. Yeah, I'll grab the scratch. You pull the pieces of furniture, all the wooden pieces, it doesn't take long to get a roaring fire going.

Smoke is a little difficult to deal with. This is a covered room, but you're able to, you're able to get one. together enough that you're able to warm yourselves by the fire long enough to clear all of your exhaustion. There you go. While that has happened,

I will have been off on my own. If I comes with me, that's fine. I'm just more concerned with, I take another one of my branches of Edelwood, chuck it in the flame. As I say, Garek's fire lord, there is great power here,

but great evil as well. I am conflicted. What we're up against is the most challenging thing I've faced yet. And there's power in these tombs. And I am considering, after nearly dying, and you, by your grace,

spared me, I am considering, is it wise to take the power? And that is my spell. Let's see yes or not. You wait for your spirit. response you look into the flames. Burning, white, hot, yellow, orange, red, and then black. As you hear, oh, aren't you just the most adorable little dinosaur?

Craying to gods and temples of others. Do you not have a single thought of your own little lizard? Can you not make choices? On your own? You fear everything. And here you will die. And I will watch it. I'll sit there.

Long water under my... You have never had faith. That would be the cause of your demise. I'm telling me with the campfire, a tenter box all the ones. Did you realize what you said to... Yes, yes, I believe... I believe these tombs were intended

to strengthen those against the fight or in the fight against evil. I cast, Mikey. Please join me. I believe there are two more in this room. Yes, let's go. And we will walk, at least I will walk, I'll stand at the far back.

So where are you going? To the end of the hallway north. Peering in, this room has amberglazed walls and floor of purplish black marble. Two amber sarcophagi Stand in alcoves to the west and east The third sarcophagus That once stood in the north alcove

Lies shattered on the floor Clustered in the middle of the room Are four sets of bones Bodies of loathsome Creatures hunched each one With only a single large, Baleful eye, clearly dead

I will go over and start eating the bones you rush over the wings unfurling from you as you shovel bones into your mouth these are older they crumble just the way you'd hoped they would and you have consumed you've consumed an entire pound of bone today you will not die at dawn yes but he didn't have that feeling so i get a sense that a pound of bone a day a pound of bone or dirt keeps you from dying at don yeah i've extended the power for at least another day. Good, I think. You do feel good.

All right? Yes, no, I feel fine. I feel great. I can fly. It's a wonderful feeling. Professor, when you are cured of this madness, if you ever are, I hope you look back on your action with shame.

Sometimes you have to do things you might not want to for the greater good. That's what we're trying to do here. We're trying to defeat the evil of this land in this temple holds the answers for us. Would I have heard Sarnax's prayer? You hear him pray, but you don't hear what's said back to him.

But I heard him ask. Yeah, you heard him talking to. I would say all of you would know that he had been talking to Garran. Sonax, are you considering now? Maybe you'll be protected by one of these wounds if you just approach one. I don't think I will. Shepherd, I believe we should all take some of this power. As do I?

I think it may protect you. I am going to politely decline. I know that you said that you command me, and I have been faithful and obedient to a T until now. If that means forfeiture of the gold that you gave me, then so fucking be it. I'm not in this for money anymore, Professor. I will watch your back until the day that I fucking die.

or we get the fuck out of this hellscape. But you will not force me to do something like this against my will. I don't want to have to force anyone. But I implore you that I believe it's what we're supposed to do. I do not believe that the side effects that I have seen of these abilities today are remotely natural. I would sooner die. We just witnessed Sarnax's own element. turn against him.

So be it. Sottox, what did Garrick say when you asked him? You see it to your light. I heard the words of the countess. Again? Again. Which makes me consider? I'll step forward.

I'll go back my hood. As I look at Shepard. She either wanted me not to hear one answer or the other. Perhaps it is what we must do. And the countess did not want us to know that. Perhaps it brings a great doom. I cannot trust the three of you. I cannot trust the words.

With my magic brought, Shepard, what do you think? Plain and simple, I don't want to do it. I'm not going to sweat you one way or another, but... No offense, Professor. I'm skinny fucking bones. It's not fucking normal. I won't be reduced to it. I won't. This place isn't normal.

The entire time we've been here, nothing has been what it seems. That the, and I have been praying over this, that's what is monstrous and at first glance vile, time and time again has ended up perhaps not being good but not immediately being wicked. Perhaps it is not foul evil. It only is meant to cast doubt at that first glance,

just like us, Shepherd, at first glance, the commoner might say, how dare you trust the man with the pistols? The men in the hat, if they don't know what a pistol is, I realize. He has horns, his skin is red and a tail. Do not trust the blizzard man. He wears a cloak.

He has sharp teeth and claws. Are you or I wicked? Damn it, Sarnax. Make your fucking decision. There are two here. It is not for me to decide, Shepard. You must decide. I will...

I cannot trust the three of them. I cannot trust the ones. Words of my lantern, shepherd. You are the shepherd to the forest of darkness. You decide and I will light your path and I will follow. I'll stand in front of the easternmost sarcophagus. You walk towards the sarcophagus. Shepherd of the fox, guardian of children,

bringer of redemption and judgment. Allow me to give you The will to see See that which is hidden from you And guide your path To clearing this land of wickedness Allow me to give you my gift Shepherd

I'm gonna like look back over my shoulder Be the shepherd I offer you The dark gift of Kyrrard The Star of Secret And you feel the gift The gift, the power of divination, overcome you. Now the ability to cast the scrying spell as an action.

I'm sure. I'm like, yeah, I used to fall off. You should be. Well done, Shepard. Do you feel powerful? What do you feel? I don't know. Disappointed to myself.

Why? I can't succumbed to bullshit. You have made the choice for both of us, Shepard. I'm appall v. when I put up Don't start say that note To the other

To the west This is a good thing We are in this together Come closer kin Kin of mine Let me bring you warmth Let me warn your friends

To the frigid cold Step closer You should not have to I think for a moment To speak To ask it quite a And I step forward. I accept your gift.

Except the gift of Delbon, the star of ice. We now have the ability to cast a cone of cold as an action. Holy shit. And all around you radiates the benefits of the ring of warmth. Holy shit! Oh, fats! Slimex, you feel wrong. Holy shit.

Hold up your lantern and immediately, you're going. and immediately you begin to shake, you drop it. You are absolutely terrified of fire. So, sorry, so listen. Hey, hey, easy, easy. As you begin to speak, Shepherd, your voice is coming out no more than a whisper. And when you smile, no matter how hard you try,

it becomes nothing but a cruel and evil lilt to your face. Are you all right? Sanex, your lantern. Clatter to the ground. I'm gonna walk over to it and like just right inside up. You see a shadow move past the door. Swirling red treads. It looks like I'm not the only one to succumb to the dark powers,

but for me, eternity and for you. bounting A fear of that which Cus you why Oh, the faith could not be more On my side these days Oh, to watch you from above Wander through to your do

Children of the darkness come to me And she back in the three of you And you want to go Of course To stand behind me I'm like shouting but nobody's hearing, right? Like, you're just whispering. No.

Who could have foretold today would be so fortuitous for me? Let's extinguish that. She snaps her fingers and the light winks out from your lantern. And that is where we'll end the session. Oh, my guys. I am so mad. You fucks me. Did you fuck snow?

Yeah. You fucking assholes. I'm so... I'm how to see it, Lori. I fucking knew. I fucking, I sat to myself and I stood here and I thought, I'm, I should I just do it or should I resist? Should I just do it or should I resist? Should I just do it or should I resist?

I didn't fucking think. I'm so mad. I need a minute. Fuck you fucking hear. On my evil minions, poor poor shepherd and sarnax were so easily fooled and their poetic punishment is music to. my ears. My victory is now all but assured. But is anyone really surprised? The overly confident Azran expedition has been cut down by three-fifths and the remaining opposition to my rule has little hope.

It all tastes so very sweet. After such a shocking ending, what could possibly be next? Where does the story go? Find out in Chapter 11 of Cursus to Rodania, prayer for the dying. In the meantime, If you wish to watch Legends of Adventist tell similar stories of Dungeons and Dragons every week, you can follow us on Twitch. You can also enjoy our many campaigns on YouTube, supports us on Patreon, and join our community on Discord. All links are in the show notes. We welcome you to our Adventist family.