Legends of Avantris - Curse of Strahdanya | Ep. 24 | Tomb of Sorrows: Part 1

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Having encountered the ancient, mad lich Exethanter, the Azran Expedition must decide how to make use of his vast library before finally infiltrating Castle Ravenloft.   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/WRwR-cwfFGM?si=maZTB1vZwYJhwFno

were back at the Amber Temple and listening to Curse of Stradania, a Legends of Aventress podcast. Last time, the Azran expedition delved deeper into the dark corridors of the temple that was nearly their tomb. With the threat of the amber encased dark vestiges eliminated for now, they overcome the ancient defenses established by the long-dead wizards and encountered the one who killed them. Exacenter, the mad lich that wanders the enormous library with immeasurable arcane knowledge, did not immediately kill our protagonists. But something tells me that they cannot get out of these situations so easily. He's a mad lich, after all.

This episode is brought to you by our generous supporters on Patreon. You can become a patron yourself by following the link in the show notes. We are eternally grateful for your support. With that out of the way, let us proceed with Chapter 12, Tomb of Sorrows. You are standing in the room and in front of you, now arising from the chair, the large, ancient spelltone hanging by chains at his side. You watch as the litch moves forward towards you, his eyes now shine with a brilliant clarity. As he looks between all of you, parts of his body you can see exposed bone and sinew, as a smile appears on his mouth and he looks around.

Well, that was much better than it could have been. Thank you. Thank you. Is your madness cleared? Define madness? I'm still litch. Are you yourself again? But I'm a cool litch.

I believe I should back up and introduce you to the leader of our expedition, Triton, Azran. I back up as quickly as I can. To meet you. He looks towards you, and you notice that his eyes move before he actually tilts his head. When they, as they move in his sockets, you can see the dust spill out. He looks towards you in his eyes are glowing a faint red, not nearly as bright. They've dimmed a little bit, but he looks directly at you. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Ex, sorry. Exothanto. Exifanto, that's right. He reaches out his long arm to shake your hand. You can feel the cold bones against your warm skin.

They grind together a little bit as you shake, but he doesn't seem to... It's a pleasure. My name is Professor Clayton Azran, and this is my expedition here in Borovia. So you see, I've heard of a damning litch,

I've heard of a Draco litch, but I've never heard of a cool lich. Is this some kind of distinction that's very rare? No. I'm full litch. You misheard me. Oh, oh, well, it's, it's, you, you, you, you, you feel more like yourself.

Yes, very much so. I can continue on with my duties guarding over this temple. How, wait, it is your, it is your task to guard this temple. Well, it was all of our tasks. Please, take a seat. The floor will be, will suffice. Thank you. All right.

and I'm just going to take my hat off and kind of sit on the floor and like with my back up against the wall. He shuffles over. He's moving a little faster. And as you sit down and he reaches up, apologies. Execenta. Shepherd. It's nice to meet you. Exitanta.

Exitanta. I've already shaken your shooken. Shooketh your hand. He turns and he glides. He almost as if he's not even walking. His feet aren't coming into contact with the stairs. He's levitating or the stones. He's levitating.

a bit above as he makes his way back towards the throne and takes his seat. You see his moth-eaten garb billowing out around his ankles as he adjusts himself and looks out at all of you. Well, it was the wizards that built this temple. It was their task to guard the evil entities within protected. You were a wizard. I was. The entities, well, are militia. The entities themselves are powerful.

They spoke to us, they called to us. They corrupted us. And I fell to one. I accepted its gift. And now I'm a foolage. I see. Well, I'm glad we could return you to your clear mind. Is there anything we could do to assist you

now this place is full of evil. Well, it may be so, but now that my mind is clear, I can watch over the place. It's in disrepair, I'll have my flame skulls come in and clean it up. Where are my flame skulls? He looks around.

Well, I'm sure they'll be around. Well, yes, yes. Well, is are there anyone has anyone left? Is it just you? Well, it is now. It hadn't always been that way.

But as they fell before me, I turned them into flamescores. So they're still here. Tends where? Oh, all right. Speaking of which, where are my flamescores? We've seen a few around. Oh, great.

Great. Yeah, still here. There is a lullaby. Yes. We are seeking. I love a good lullaby. It is of untold power, lost to the ages, allegedly, but if there is knowledge lost, perhaps it can be found here.

Well, all the knowledge here is in the library. You simply make your way in there and speak the code word, exother. All the books will reveal their secrets. We have your permission. Oh, please, by all means. You've cleared me of my madness. Do you feel free to take it? Take what you need. Take what you like.

Is there any way to maybe narrow down the search a little bit? We're a little press for time. None of the time aware of. If you were asking for a spell specifically, I could easily give you directions and how to obtain the scroll that you would need or the book that contained the spell therein. But as for lullabies, I was not quite a fan of stories. There are books of stories. It's on books.

Spells floats. Oh yes, tubes and tubes of spellscrolls. I see. Wizard's tomes. Every spell scroll known to mankind. This wouldn't be a wizard's keep if we didn't have a library full of specials. Fair enough. That's right.

Well, yes. I couldn't be a fool litch if I didn't have that. If you don't mind, I don't think we should waste any more time. We should start investigating. I guess I think that's... Would you like to join us? I would love to join you. I will sit there in my plush chair.

I'll jump up and I'll start, I'll head back towards the library. Before we begin, there's something we must ask you. Please, I am an open book. Literally, you can see my insides. And I am not saying we are intending to do this, but we have seen the sarcophagus that whispered to you and gave you its dark gift.

Yes. Were that sarcophagus to be destroyed, would you return to the void? No. You'd continue living. Well, you can't destroy it. It would just reform in the morning. Is that the case for all of them?

Well, of course. It would be quite silly, don't you think, to trap an entity of that magnitude and something that could easily be broken? We should have known. Do you know what is needed to properly destroy them? Do you... Oh, those entities...

entities are far stronger than I am. No one in this room, no one I've ever met has the power to destroy what's inside of the sarcophag. The best we can hope for is a tomb. How... Where they cannot wreak havoc on the rest of the world. How do you plan to avoid succumbing to madness again?

Well, it took thousands of years, so... Hopefully. By then. I'll have figured something out. All right. It's a problem for the future. It's a problem for future, Litch. One more question. I would have many more answers. Were these not the entity...

Are you familiar with the Countess Tradanya von Zorovic? I am. And were these not the entities with which she made a pact to get her dark power? Oh, they were. That was a good day for this. them. So if this, what you're saying is true and I do believe it to be, then there is no way to truly bring an end to the Countess.

Oh, well, that depends, you see. The dark powers, what they gain from her is not giving her vamprysm. They feed on the torment she brings to Borovia. Everything she does delights them. It helps them to grow stronger. She's come many times begging for release. They will not do it. For it's through her that they hope to escape.

The likelihood is slim, of course. It's just a game. You could attempt to make a deal with them. Though I would not suggest it. I think we are done with deals with them. those kinds of entities. Never again. We did see her here.

You would have to think outside the box. Simple, simply death. A vampirary death. It was not enough to cleanse this land. The dark powers have too much at stake with her. So if we were to kill her with a stake through the heart and anything else, what would happen? Years, maybe hundreds, would pass.

the Rovia would find itself beautiful and hopeful again. But she would one day stir and rise again. And the cycle continues. I've seen it happen once or twice. What? You're joking. No. Since someone has managed to fill the countess, and she's come back.

Yes. The celebrations were lovely, but... Who were these people? Oh, names lost at time. Adventurers like yourself. We understand she can't be killed in these lands, that she would only come back. Is the key here to remove her from the real view?

It's not possible. No, there is something more to it, something I do not know. But those who are wise and those who are determined with the right kind of information at hand and tools, may be able to learn of the key. There are many in this land

who know more than they let him. For as much as we've done and learned, I still just feel like we're under-equipped. Like we're missing something. Some doesn't add up here. I have a proposition. What is it? For me?

Should you wish to be involved, perhaps it could be a great boon to us. Professor, I know you have no pleasant feelings towards a great hag. But she is the only entity here whose power perhaps outshines the countess. She has the ability to curse beyond this realm, beyond time. Maybe you could tell us more about it. Yes. Life saga.

Yes. Exactly. A formidable foe. You plan to challenge her. Well, to be honest with you, first saw her, that's what I was thinking, but it seems more like now we're more in the realm of simple conversation. Your end goal is to destroy Stradonia von Zorvich? Yes. Only because it appears to have been fated as such.

Then you will find no friendship with Lysaga. So they're still allies to the same? She has heard even whispers of your intentions. You will not survive. Your best hope of success is to strike when she is unaware. Oh, hell. We understand that she is attached very much so to Stradanya. Yes.

Stradania not to her. In ignorance. If we promised some sort of reunion, to you believe she would be willing to work with us. you could promise something of the sort but unless you have proof that Stradonia would be willing for an audience with the hands

and you will get nothing from her Lysaga does see the state their relationship is in Sredonia holds no warmth or feelings towards her she might even go as far as to blame her for the death of her mother

Why would she blame her? You think she had something to do with this? Do I? No. But what Strudanya believes is what Strudanya believes. What I know is that it was shortly after Stradonia came to this land that Lysaga followed, kept to herself. There was a horrible storm in Boronia, mere hours before Shradonio. Gondonio got word that her mother had passed en route to Castle Ravenloft.

That storm that drowned the land of Borez was caused by Babelai Saga. Now, I don't believe they're connected. They happened far apart, but the timing is strange, and Shredonia will not let it go. She does consider herself the other mother. Well, she considers herself the only mother, the mother of darkness. Well, perhaps we could learn more in the library. Yes, indeed. Well, if it's Lysaga and Stradonia you want to learn more about,

I'm your Tome of Knowledge, not the library. But if it's fairy tales and spell scrolls and herbalism, the library is a place to be. Well, sorry, Professor, go ahead. I would like to get an early start on investigating, they were looking for the lullaby and perhaps see what's fair is you have. What lullaby are you looking for specifically? We heard that there was a part of a lullaby here that when spoken could put Srdania in a...

In a compromising position. You heard there was a sacred chord that bear of saying, oh, interesting. Did it? Please, the morning, Lord. It might have. Yes. Is that it? What?

I start like furiously scribbling in my notebook. No. No, I've heard of the Lulby. Oh, you've heard of this. I've not, I've heard part of the Lovine. But just part. Do you remember? It's missing the last bit.

Of course I do. Well, yeah. In the memory, like a steel trap. I mean, knocks on his skull and you see a small crack appear. I'll fix that later. I'll fix it now. The calf's mending and heals the breaking his skull.

Professor, if you will. Yes, please. If you could tell us, you knew that there would only be part of it here. I can and I will let me pull it up on my... In your memory bank?

Yes, I have this fantastic metal memory bank. It has fallen asleep on me, horrible beast. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll sing it for you a minute. I'll have to bright tone. Oh, oh, oh. I understand that you'd like to get a head start in the library itself.

I've got a few questions I'd like to ask our new friend. No, the rest of you can stay here. If we split up. I mean, maybe you'll need help pouring over the tones, but I'm not necessarily the guy to do that. I've got some questions regarding the Baba that our friend here might be able to help me with. Please take your time. Well, I can't seem to find the right note, but I do have the skull. He holds up a strange small skull.

It appears to be feminine in nature. What do you sing it for me? Darling. Yeah, sure. The skull says is its mouth moves. And you begin to hear. Hush now, my little one, don't leap. The dawn is almost here.

Close your eyes, little one, and sleep. We're safe here. There's nothing to fear. because when the sun is hidden its scorching rays and the moon is riding high will once again travel in our hidden ways sleep now the time is nigh sleep now my precious and dream

of the forest the lake and the moon dream of wonders of places unseen and will go there hunting soon they'll try to destroy us and harm us with lies, but we're safe here like bees in their hive. When you see the dread and the fear in their eyes, remember we're the ones truly alive. Well, you see, that's, is the lullaby right there.

We don't have the last bit of it, of course, but... Is that about Shadanya? Oh, I couldn't tell you. All I know is that it was sung to her by her mother, and at some point Lysogga got her hands on it Well, and I'll I wrote all that down And I can read it to you

Yeah, if you just send it to me Well Thank you This will be invaluable You don't know how much you just helped us Great All right, well I'll begin my research Please take your time

And I'm going to proceed the library And start Don't forget the code but you have to say it properly is there a trick I should know well you could mispronounce it try it on me exathanta exanta exanter exanter

exthanta is it exfanta I don't know is it no I don't you I'm a cool litch you're going to be fine I think he's messing with you can say it incorrectly the entire library will go up in flames oh I'll be careful I'd better assist you

yes thank you We'll go and start pouring through the books. Okay. I know this is a lot to ask, but if, I'm worried. There's a good chance that Baba Lassaga has probably heard of us at this point. And if that's the case, and as you said, we're in for some sort of rumble. And we've come across some hags in the past, but I need to understand what. I need to do to be more equipped

to face this Baba herself. If there's anything you can tell me about fighting her or weaknesses or something, it's kind of what I do. It will be difficult. She's resistant to many things. She finds ways to manipulate

the weave of magic around her to prevent herself from taking damage. She has armies of scarecrow at her beck and call. Scarecrows. She is Trixie. Don't believe your eyes because they, she's not always what she seems. Right.

And when you think you're winning, the battle is only just begun. Dolly noted. Is it possible? Oh, I forgot you were here. I thought you were a small salamander on the ground. I had been praying. We have salamanders here. Any other than I am at all.

I have not seen. them. They survive in this cold, I'm not there. They might have died. I am sorry for your loss. Is it folly to presume that

five mortals such as us would even stand a chance against Baba Lysaga? That's a great question. Well, I haven't seen you in battle but you were able to free a full litch from the throes of madness

that's impressive you were able to make your way through the Amber Temple and those of us who are probably mighty and wise and far older succumbed to the evils here

and it sounds like you've had a few running with Tridonia and you've come out on the other side and we've got the power of Garrick's on our side I'm not sure what that is

is that an upset stomach disorder the fire lord the great dragon god of destruction and removed. Oh, you were a salamander, I knew it. You know, salamander's a fire. Yes, I've got the connection. No, I know who Garex is.

I'm a lich. I know a lot of things. Of course. We have many boons and great power. We have survived thus far, but I am concerned that no matter how strong we get, that this hag will be beyond our power.

Well, that is definitely possible. Very well. The only way to know is to go in and survive or go in and die, really. Well, if we don't have a choice, we're going to do what we have to do, and like always, we're going to come out on top. But if you're looking for the final part of that lullaby, you're going to need to go to her. So be it. Then I'm assuming you know why you need it. Yes.

It's the only way to finally win the battle that is inevitable. Well, I don't know if it will help you win any battle, but it will... It's the only thing that will put Stradonius asleep, which would be very helpful, the very least. Wait, so you're telling me we get the rest of this lullaby, we put it together, and maybe we have somebody sing at her, and she's just going to...

Like that? For how long, I'm not sure, but yes, incapacitated. Holy crap. You're going to think you understand the love she had for her family. I think you're right. I have no idea. Maybe that's the key. Maybe while she's sleeping, you need to do something.

Maybe you play this little piggy. It was a joke. La, it was a joke. Just like that, huh? But as I said, for how long I'm not sure? There's re-power and words and song. Yes. And if it does more than that, I wouldn't have known.

All right. Do you know if Donya has heard this since she became a vampire? Well, yes. Part of the reason that she shuns Babbalai Saga's that she tried, she attempted to sing it to her. It infuriated her. And so, they do not speak, they do not talk, and Baba Lysaga ripped the last verse and what she's done was it, I don't know.

But she ripped it from the lullabat so that none would have ever. have the ability to sing it. If she has other motives, you'd have to ask her, not a ham, litch. Thank you for all of the assistance you have provided. But being a salamander and a goat, you don't have much of a sense of humor. Oh, what?

A goat. What is you a goat? I know you're a teafling. It was a joke. Good God. Unbelievable. It's never in my whole life. Where did the one with the top hat go?

He at least chuckled. He's from the library. We can all go there now. shall insist and professor. Unbelievable. Let me lead the way. For what is worth,

your horns remind me more of a steer than a goat. Well, if you burned on his back and you grabbed a hold of them, I'm sure they would steer just fine. This way.

I'll just follow one. You make your way into the library. As you enter the library, you see, and we'll hold off on that and talk about what you have done over the past, I would say 15 minutes or something.

so. As you made your way into the library, you are able to see that the shelves themselves are up very high. Clayton, you would notice immediately that these books were not pulled from the shelves, but these wizards would have used mage hand for everything. And you see that they're high up enough that it would require mage hand to pull them down. But as you walk in and you say the code word, oh, let me make sure I get this right. Oh, ex-eventry. No concept. You say, with with the gumption,

you say the word exehanter and you see as all of the empty spines begin to change color as gold, silver, bronze lettering begins to appear on the spines. And an empty. spots where you imagine book should be

you now see piled high, hundreds, thousands of tubes of spell scrolls. Wow. It seems you've done as pervas. Mother of God. Oh my. This is not mine. It must be respectful.

Victoria, of course. Respectful. How should we start? Perhaps we... It makes it better with the line from his hat on his forehead. Oh, wow. In high deaf.

In high deaf, you can get to see. You guys ever wondered what wizard porn is like? This is the whiz biz. I will machand just the first book that I see, and I'm just going to start kind of pouring through as quickly as I can, just kind of getting a sense of if I can. Well, I guess I can read it, but be gist of what it says. You bring the book down in it first.

What languages do you know? All of them. Okay. God. Damn. I'm singing those. Back to you, Nicky. I can read all languages. Back to you, Nikki.

That is good. I can't understand spoken or speak other languages, but I can read all those. Oh, so there are actually no words in there. The book opens. You hear a voice or language you know. The audio books. Yeah, sign up comment. I think that's maybe one other. Elvis? You are easily able to read, and as you read through the books, most of them seem to be, as you're pulling them down, it's different areas of a vantris. There are some that talk about the topography of different areas. You find books with fully hand-drawn maps of the continents of a vantris. And looking at them, you're familiar, having traveled, these are severely inaccurate, but also incredibly old.

You look through and you, most of these things that you know, you find stories, you find Snowdwarf in the Seven Whites again, but it's first edition, first printing. Oh, wow. And it's the illustrated edition. And Snowdwarf is not attractive at all. But those seven whites for a white. Wow. Yeah.

So it's like pretty good whites. Yeah. Pretty good whites. This would go quite to sum on eBay. But it's not my own. But that's essentially what you. You find books on different entities. I would say you do find some books that look like they might talk about the dark powers,

but there's nothing more in it than what you've learned currently. You would imagine from the amount that you've read over 15 minutes that anything that you could find regarding that kind of stuff in here, the litch has already told you or could tell you. Okay. then I think just for my own curiosity I would just you know kind of just go through and just get a sense of the different kind of the breadth of this library there's books I guess on everything yes and most of it seems to be most of it seems to be topography geography places and tons and tons of folklore but not necessarily books where it's like this is a exactly what this is and how this works, but more like things that you would have read at your library. The folklore of the Shadowfell, the folklore of the Faywild, things like that, where it's questions and queries that need to be answered, but not necessarily have been answered.

So then I would switch to start looking at the spell scrolls just to get a sense of... Looking through the spell scrolls, you can easily see that there must have been at its height hundreds of top-tier wizards that would... have worked here. It seems that every spell known to wizard kind has been cataloged and transcribed here. Dear Lord.

Yeah, so I'll just kind of look at a few. I'll take out a wish and just like look at it. You reach your mage hand up to one of the scrolls that is a faint, iridescent, purple and blue shift.

and you reach your mage hand towards it, and it grabs the spell case, the scroll case, and it pulls it down, and you're able to roll it out on the table, and you see in metallic, iridescent writing, beautiful calligraphy, a spell scroll for wish, the edges are frayed.

This is incredibly old, but it's almost, as you unroll it, you can hear the hum of the magic. And as you look down at it, you see shift. of red, blue, orange, yellow, every color you can imagine

shifting and moving along the spell scroll. And your your heart almost stops looking at this. You've never seen something so powerful. I don't know what this is. What is it? Are they in the room yet? And it's at this point

that you make your way in the room. No, I would say you're completely in transatlantic as you feel a bony hand. Oh, yes, wish. It's a good one, isn't it? Yes, yes. What you got there, Professor? This is the most powerful...

I wrote that one. You wrote this? Yes. It's my penmanship, if you like. That's very nice. I wish mine was this guy. Well, it's not. I'm aware, yes, thank you. For confirming. I assumed as much.

This is just about as powerful as archaem magic can get. This was this spell right here. Can't you just copy it? You can take it if you'd like it. What? I can take it? Yes, please. That's so generous.

Yes. Looking at, look, one, two, three, three of you look like you could use things, feel free to prove. Take what you wish. Ha! That is a joke. Oh, yes. Are you serious? I'm not sure I even where I'd be doing.

I'm as serious as death. I'm a little. lich. Well, I don't know how to feel. Thank you. Can you get him a coffee mug that says, I'm a litch? I'm a litch. All right, professor,

hold your case steady. I'll tilt the bookcase. Well, I don't want to take everything. I can just re-transcribe everything in here. I suppose you do have the time. Yes. I would like some guidelines. That's a good one.

It feels wrong. I'll use that. One of everything. Well, then don't. Take ten. Take ten. Minutes to take it over. And then take ten screws.

All right. That sounds fair. Nice. I'm kind of just like trying to read this guy and see if there's like any, any catch to taking ten scrolls. Roll a, uh, uh,

the inside. Yeah, thanks. It's been weeks. Damn. Oh, man. First, first role, and I has an after one. Yes. He looks like a cool litch.

Pretty cool litch. And that's the kind of thing a cool litch would do. That's true. I just got what a cool lich would do. My wizard would just pass out. I'm going to step back and say, I appreciate your generosity. Professor, do what you will, but I believe I am finished with accepting gifts from this place.

Well, that's just rude. You'll take the scrolls. Are you kidding? Look, and I The Mage Hand True Resurrection. Like, look, look, it's right here. I'll grab that. You can resurrect Grandma. It is Grandma. Anyway, I wrote

that one as well, please, date. I'm going to hand it back. Are you sure? This seems quite generous. Would you like me to be less generous? No, well, no. I... But have you been in Borovia so long, you don't like kindness now. All right.

Well, I will take ten. Minutes and then let me know which one you're going to take. I'll take ten minutes. I will go and I'll look through the spells. I'm just trying to understand here, Professor. You're saying that we're amongst every spell known to

anyone ever, and he's just going to let us take the ten most power? I mean, with that kind of power we could just level Borovia I can't level Borovia I mean we're not gonna

but we could You can't because it would just reform and then jokes on you Spell Scrolls gone Right I mean there was a metaphor This is why he's not a cast

My point is What the hell This doesn't make any sense It's the The weave is tricky And yes it's powerful, but to

alter fate, things might not always happen as you wish. That's why even casting wish at all is a gamut in and of itself. You can use wish to cast any other spell in existence, but if you

use it to... I'll show you. And you see as he snaps and a spectral hand goes up and pulls down a spell scroll and you see a similar radiating magic as he looks down at it and casts wish. I wish for a donkey. And immediately in front of him, a donkey appears. There it is.

But why wish for something like that? And as you look closer, you realize it's not a real donkey, but a statue of a donkey. Well, see, I should have said a real donkey. Or a live donkey or yes. There might be a real don't keep in dead. I'm surprised it's even in this state. It could have been much worse. Oh.

Uh, all right then. So we will take this, but I don't think we should consider using it unless we are desperate. I can cast this. Maybe. All right. Yeah. I mean, I'll trust you. So I will open my

Kirio, and my case will open up, and I will start to place 10 Oh, that's a good one. I did not write that one. Damien wrote that one. He's dead. So, unfortunate for him.

Not even his flame score still around? Oh, well, my flames scores. It's been too long. They can't come in here anyway. They would ignite the books. So, yeah, I'll collect some spells, and I will... Well, the two of you are just standing there. We'll in a little.

Here's four for you. and full few. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Why can't I hold all these scroll? You want to tell them where they got? Yeah.

So I guess I'll read off. We'll do a little prep just so that we didn't spend too much. Oh, God. Because I was like, what a white day? So here, let me pull on my notes. So, uh, uh,

yes. So you have psychic scream, dominate monster whoa holy crap scream dom monster finger of death

and I bite big voice bells yeah baby oh no no no oh no we might have to take like a 10 minute break

to change the battery in our no detector Slope detector. Starnex has true resurrection. Mass heel, holy aura, conjure celestial. Mass heel. Wow. And then the ten that I took are mislead, modify memory, scrying, steel and

strike, wall of force, wish, foresight, imprisonment, mass polymorph, and confusion. Mass polys. Jesus. Occasionally is. the quiet of the library surround you, you hear a every maybe 30 seconds a minute or so. And eventually

it stops and the litch looks around. Flames schools must have fixed it. I'm going to put all the scrolls in the place in my pack with all of my other unused spell scrolls. And I'm going to show it in there for Perhaps they will come in handy, an hour of desperate need.

This is incredibly generous of you. Thank you so very much. Of course, I'm happy to do it. Is there anything else we should do before leaving? We could leave you to it. It seems like you have a handle on things. I'll have to begin the cleanup process. Are there any rooms we should surely explore before we make our way? for what purpose

any power we could gain perhaps any information or oh 10 spell scrolls of severely high level and four eight between the two of you isn't enough 18 spells and all it's not enough power

would you like to go downstairs to the amos like half the eye and ask them to grant you their boons would you like some skeletal wings you could eat some bones every day no I think that I would not enjoy such a horrible thing Let us make our way then

and say farewell. Where are we going? Or will you be joining us? Would you like to join us? Where are we going? We're going to be leaving the Amber Temple. Oh, no, I'm not going to see that. You wouldn't want to join us in our battle with Stradana.

Well. Or at least Babelah Saga. Downstairs, there are a sarcophagi containing some of the most powerful entities known to mankind and you want me. the only guardian, the only bastion against the potential escape you want me to leave with you and fight a hag.

Fair point. No, when you put it like that. What will happen to you, Execenta, if we do destroy Stradine? Well, I would probably still be halfway through creating a new wish, but scroll. Of course. And you're lichedum.

It cannot be lifted. Can not be cured? What I would I want it to be? You don't find me ravishing. No, you've been most ravishing and most... I could be. He winks at you, but he doesn't have eyelids. So it's like a moment where you see his eye kind of just...

Twitch. Just a small. Some pop-up dots comes out of it. It's just like the red glow of it just dims a slight amount. What are his eyeballs? This is not relevant, but... It's floating red. glowing eyeballs.

Their eyeballs, though. Okay, cool. Does he talk, like, all the creatures in Miyazaki movies where their mouth is just like this? Are you making fun of the way that I shadow puppet? Because Rich and I have an ongoing dispute about that.

He thinks that I don't know how... Open and close and they just voice over whatever the fuck they want over it. Yeah, he thinks I don't know how to shadow puppet, and I do. But it's a ventures and chill. I'm going to write that down. Yeah. Shadow puppets. We got to talk about it. Things we didn't need to know we needed to talk about.

Things we actually don't need to talk about, but it's on the list. I believe that as time is of the essence, we should make our way. Yes. Well, thank you. Well, you're always welcome back. Upon entering, just say the code word, exothanta. If you say it incorrectly, the flame skulls will annihilate you with their firewalls. All right.

The fastest way out would be... The front door. All right. It's the only door in. Make our way back. Thank you for all of your help. Good luck to you. Yes, and if you need anything, you have ways to reach us clearly,

and I'll wave my hand around. And don't hesitate if for any reason things go south here, we can come back. Is there a safe passage out of here? So we don't need to travel through the, the weather oh yes there is I tap my case oh that's right there was the teleportation

so I don't understand why you just tapped your case don't worry about it it's a long story I give you 18 scrolls and you're trying to keep secrets from me it's just there's a mansion in my case checks out well you will just need to walk through

the ice and snow and once you get to Solenka Pass, you can enter into the god tower there. There should be a teleportation circle. I'm not sure if it's still functioning, but I imagine if nobody has gotten to it, you should find yourself somewhere safe or directly into Castle Ravenloft.

Draw the dice, I say. Have you been to Castle Ravenloft before? No. No. Don't want to. Well, thank you. You've been unbelievably generous. I know.

In parting with these scrolls. Yes, I have. And we shouldn't waste any more time. And no, you shouldn't. Thank you. Good day. Thank you. Thank you for your generosity.

Yes, it was very generous. So I will head down the stairs and I'll go all back around. And if anyone asks, I'm a fool, litch. Of course. Thank you. Yeah, so I will lead everybody out back down. around, out this way, to the main room, up the stairs. If we see any skulls, I'll say exanther and...

Domexifanter. As you say the incorrect, incorrectly, eight fireballs land directly. I'm just kidding. And the song like says, oh, not again. So for the sake of brevity, and because you have your house, so every time you start to imagine the hour, you open up, you go inside, you deal with some of our bells pestering

that you're able to shake off the cold reemerge and continue it takes you half a day you get to so you woke up it was fairly early I would say you probably spent four or five hours with the cool litch

before leaving and then it took you another six hours to get from the Amber Temple to the to the pass and so So that is where time-wise where you're sitting,

as you make your way back towards Solangipas, Clayton, as you find yourself once again standing near this precipice, near the bridge that goes over the rushing river below, the Ivelace River, as it pours further into Borovia, you look around for tracks, the memory, a large black goat, and the curse that now lingers, beneath the surface of your skin.

You look, but you see no signs or tracks. As you make your way over the bridge itself, the stones are slippery, the wind is cold. Bits of ice and frost begin to accumulate on your eyelashes and your hair as you make your way through, and you find your way to the small stone structure that towers, it looks to be about three stories high, and you enter in it's a small stone structure.

You enter in, it's musty. There are dilapidated boxes that you kick and rummage through, and they seem to be completely empty at one point storing potentially root vegetables or things, the mold and dirt lining the bottom, the only remnants of what previously had existed in them, is you climb the wooden spiral staircase, one floor, two floor to the top. And at first you don't notice it as you look around. The stones covered in a thick layer of dust. and frost from the arrow-slit windows that adore on the walls.

But as you, as Shepherd moves his feet around, kicking at the snow, you see the faint hint of green, almost illuminated inks. But it's not ink. It's stone, some kind of gem inlaid into the stone of this top room covered in that thick layer of ice and dust. You're able to move it away. you're able to move it away. It's a dirty brown slush as it comes into contact with your hands.

And you're able to uncover what appears to be an inlaid teleportation circle. This is the way that... What's his name? Von Brickson came upon space. Yes. The abbey. We should summon them. Magnificus, in my case, will open up to the mansion side.

and I'll just stick my head and I'll say, Lucas, could you please fetch the Von Wittins, please? And I'll wait for them to. I'll leave it open and I'll sit down the ground

so they can step out. You wait and it takes about five minutes before you see a small hand reach out and climb out of the case. He's not going to come. Hello, it's cold in here and you see them what he's wearing a

blue night. dress, it's not equipped for this kind of weather. She begins shivering. He's not going to come. Oh, it's really cold. He's in the bathtub. We'll tell him to hurry up. Lucas did kind of tell him that in writing, because he can't speak, you know.

But he said no, he was going to take a bath. And as Marilla is sleeping, what do you want? We need him to teleport us out of you. Why can't you just stand on that and say goodbye? and then it would take you away? Is that how it looks? Oh, I don't know. I've never used one before.

You'll catch your death, child. Go inside. How do you catch death? Is it kind of like lightning bugs where you walk around with a little can and you just put it over the bug and then it's not actually in there and you giggle with your friends? He means you're going to get sick from the cold.

Can you get sick from cold? Allegedly. Yes. I don't know. I just died a few times. I'm going to go back downstairs. She says she slowly walks back inside. See, Professor, all you have to do is tell her what to do firmly.

I think with the Litch entrusting you with 18 spells, I think you can figure this out, Professor. What do I know about, do I know that I need to actually cast the spell to use, or maybe it doesn't work that way? I start, like, using my Nagy Nadita, like, clear off the snow from the teleportation circle while he's talking. There was one thing that kind of concern me a little bit, Professor. While the Litch was a little bit more jovial than I expected, he did make mention of it maybe just not going where we knew it would end. Is that a concern? I suppose it could be, but it would save us days of jettys. I'm not saying don't use it.

He may have just been pulling our legs, but it's something to think about. You don't think there would have been a second teleportation circle meeting. I don't know how any of this works. I'm just throwing now cautions here As far as I know, based on what I'm used to, teleportation circles Usually you cast a spell and go to a teleportation circle Or they're connected to each other And so maybe this one without using a spell

Can teleport us there But we know that he came from, I believe he said the abbey Of St. Markovia So at the very least being able to teleport back there Would get us close and we could at least catch our breaths we've been through quite a lot. Can I look around and know for certain this is the one that

Vaughan Richton used to get here? I know I would say you would know that. I can assume, okay. There wasn't like one back at the Amber Temple. No. I specifically mentioned that it had been at the Star Tower Saline capacity. I walked to the center of the teleportation circle.

I turn around, I look at the professor, and I hold up my hands and I say, goodbye. Nothing. I'm not saying anything. Huh. Well, maybe it didn't seem shit. was right. Are you feeling well?

I feel fine. As you start to distribute. Join me on this Edgwick's room. All of us. Perhaps we just say where we want to go. Abbey of St. Markovia.

Goodbye. Farewell. Thanks, Santa. Hello. Greetings. Welcome. It doesn't seem to be working. best puzzle I've ever created. The dancing one was pretty good too.

Is there anything else in like written or inlaid in the room? Roll investigation check. Taggnelly. It ends up in the wrong side of tagging. That's what? Fuck yeah.

Looking around, you There do seem to be bits and pieces of things. You notice that one of the windows at some point had some kind of stained glass work, but you can't really figure out what the image would have been. And the pieces that are still on the ground are worn with age. That's basically what you see. Got it.

What do we do? Well, I don't have any spells that can activate. perhaps we just give me 10 minutes and I want to cast a tech magic ritually and see what I can learn I'm sure it's... Professor, before you do that

perhaps we just send someone to the bath and ask Von Richton how he teleported save us all the effort and the headache. Well, I'm not going down there. It's very reasonable. Mr. Sondix. I'd be happy to check on him but I don't know if he'll answer the door if I

knock. I could break down the door with your permission. Perhaps a gentleman shall visit him in the bath lest we be here well, I believe, an insane amount of time. Do I know, like, do I know all the goings on inside the mansion? Do I have, like, some arcane knowledge of? Okay, it's like

things that I don't know. Yeah, of course. You can't, you're not a big brother. It's not like you're sitting there, this huge, like, 14 tiered street. It's a smart case. I am Alexa. I am alexic. I do listen. Jesus. You enabled the privacy setting for us.

Grandbrother Von Rectin edition. All right. Magnificus, and I will walk in. Good luck, Professor. And I will... Lucas, I thought I could trust you. And I want to approach his bedroom and open the door.

You approach, and it is luck. It's now unlocked. It is. You open the door. You, yes, it is now unlocked. This is your home and you do what you want. It's not unlocked door. That's an unlocked door, not a locked door.

As you make your way in, you can, you smell the sense of the bath far before you see them, but it is warm in here. Warmer than you would expect. And there's a fine, thick steam in the air. is you make your way towards the lavatory area in this room that you built for von Richten, and you find that he is covered in bubbles, thankfully. Both of his legs, one hanging over one side, the other hanging over, his legs completely open, is he's laying there in the bath, and you can't see them because, yeah, they're invisible spirits, but they seem to be braiding his chest hair, and some of them are clipping his chest hair.

and some of them are clipping his toenails, giving him a shoulder massage. He's laying there, just enjoying it. What are you doing? What are you doing here? I summoned you. Can't a man have a nice bath in peace? I summoned you.

Lucas should have fetched you. Oh, yes, you tried to, for sure. We're at the teleportation circle in the guardhouse, at Selenka Pass. How do we... Congratulations. How do we go back to the abbey? Oh, a wizard. Quaring me on how to use it to teleportation.

No. Oh, joy. I thought this back could not get better. Continue. All right. Yes. Actually, well, you need to think about where you're going, rightfully so. Okay.

The Abbey of St. Markovia. Yes. What do they worship? The morning, Lord. Yes. Pray to the morning Lord. Boom. Gone.

I never would have gotten. Oh, if you'd cast mending on the stained glass window, it tells you. Directions. Oh. Small prayer. Right there. Yes. Wizard.

A natural one. All right. I'll leave your bathroom place for now, but next time I'll call for you, please try to make an effort. Thank you. Oh, I did try to make an effort. And I failed. And I will turn and I'll leave. Um,

Goodbye, Professor Asron. I will, uh, I will walk up, grab my case. Uh, so what did you find out? Uh, we need to, uh, the stained glass, we'd miss the stained glass window. Wait, if you were to repair us, it would tell us exactly what to do. Uh, we need to pray to the morning Lord to whisk us, to whisk us to the abbey. Uh, what about anywhere else? Uh, good question.

Not that I don't want to go back to the abbey, but if we have options, we might be able to, you know, move around a little bit. I was asked him the professor if he had the foresight with his 20 intelligence to talk to Van Ritchin and see if there might be any other places we could teleport to, but it seems as though the professor may have forgotten. Repalum and repair the stained glass window and see what it says. Ooh, good call. You repair the stained glass window and you see.

the image of the morning Lord. In a similar stance, the sun cresting behind him, his arms outstretched as if welcoming prayer. And in a beautiful calligraphy esk font, you see

prayers to the morning Lord, in quotes. Professor, shall you recite the prayer and take it home? Maybe we should let the God of this world tell us what was mended on the mend. I did. I missed it. Oh. I'm just a dumb to you.

Yes. So what you see is the image of the morning lord, a son cresting behind him, his arms outstretched and written in font beneath. In quotations are prayer to the morning lord. Oh, just that. Okay. So, okay, I understand. Now I understand.

I'm on the same. It just says the words prayer to the morning Lord. Thank you. Is everyone ready? Well, I'm ready for what? Are we all on the same thing? Asia. To get the fuck out of here. And go? And go to the Abbey of St. Markovia, yes.

And then we'll. And then we take a breather, we can plan, but I believe our next course is to rest up, make sure arena is safe, and then we can take it from there, but either way, we need to get into that crypt. So out of the fire pan and into the fire. Yes. All right. And there are still several other things that we need to do. We need to bring the children

to the abbey. We can't leave the children with the werewolves. We can't take care of the werewolves outside of Cresque. You also spoke about bringing our belt to Madam Aval. Yes. We must do that before we make the final song. Perhaps not

yet, but I would like to very much do that. If we go down in these cranks, God's forbid we get eaten alive by werewolves in the woods. What happens to that case of the poor people inside it? It's true. I believe they could get out, but they would be in great danger of the cases. That's why they should remain at the abbey.

That's right. Enough to come up. All right. Well, that's good enough for me, then, I suppose. Lead the way. All right. Well, morning Lord, I will read the prayer, whatever the words are. Prayer to the morning Lord.

Oh, and that literally verbatim. Yes. A prayer. No. Prayer to the morning Lord. you stare at it and you immediately feel that strange pull behind your navel, almost as if you're being sucked to hell. And you do find yourselves traveling, being pulled through what almost feels like time and space,

but simply just space, as you all spill out into a room. The sound of violins clearly billowing. in this room as you look around and you gain your composure, you see that you're in a room you've been in before. And sitting on the bed where you had met him before, that strange, two-headed Mongol folk playing the violin, the one head lolling to the side drunkenly, as he looks up at you startled for a moment,

realizes who you are, chuckles to himself, and continues to play. You are in the room directly above. the main room with the Abbey. It seems like it worked. Yes. Well, it wasn't exactly pleasant, but we're here, I guess. I can't say a careful feeling very much. Hello.

What's his name? I don't think you ever got his name. Good to see you again. That's quite beautiful. Both of his head's nodded at you and he continues to play. All right. Well, it seems to be safe. How are things here?

friend all right let's let's find me have it to somebody arena are you here your voice echoes throughout the room perhaps we should let our passengers stretch their legs so to speak so if you remember where you met him originally you'd come in from the parapets on the second floor upstairs yes or upstairs there's a stairwell that went down that went directly to the main room where you always have oxygen his bedroom or whatever, right? Not his, just whatever this creature is. You've never been to the bedroom of the Abbott. Oh, shit.

Let's go find the abyss. If he's here. We'll go downstairs. We'll just start to kind of go down to the courtyard, maybe, go down the main room, see who's there, go to the courtyard, nobody's no room. You make your way downstairs into the large open area where the abbot, with a large table.

Oh, so you did ask his name. Cool. you make your way down and sitting at the table scratching away furiously at a piece of parchment. You see Irene. She doesn't seem to notice you at first. Are you all right? Oh, how did you get in here?

Man, well, what is something only Clayton Azran would know? You're from Borovia Village? Well, a lot of people would know. you thought you had mosquito bites and you were diagnosed by a man with the monkey? A lot of people would know that. How do I know you're you and not someone else? I was specifically told by Clayton, not Professor Azran, not to go with anyone or talk to anyone or do anything with anyone if I can't confirm their identity.

How do I know your... We did children nigh. We saw you kill Pharaoh. Well, it's been so great to see you, Sarnax. I am need. Sarnax of the Ablewood. No other Sarnax. Yes. Of course.

How are things here? They're well. The abate is in the village of Kresk. He's helping to, he's helping them with the crops and to help cure the sickness that has overcome the villagers. He's spent most of his time there. That's wonderful. It's been quiet here. Perhaps I have things cleaned up. Yes, the mongrel folks still get hungry, those that are. are still here, but they're only fed on the bones of those who are deceased.

So it's not pleasant, but it's much better than the previous circumstances. Aside from that, you see as she looks around, you see that the statues, the effigies, the paintings, and the stained glass windows are all beautifully polished and clean. Everything looks beautiful in here. And they've cleaned up these. ching of bodies together. They're working on turning the hospital portion into rooms for children.

And then downstairs, where the majority of the Mongol folk have stayed, they're turning those into school rooms, classrooms, and making sure to keep at least some of the infirmary should anyone become ill. Sounds like things are putting hands here Well, they're coming along

I'm currently working on Putting together some books Well Wood, is it in shape for You to take a child? I'm sorry, what? So we haven't gathered the rest of the children

They're still in Valiaki What child? We happen to have another child Also from Valki Can I ask you a question? Yes And I mean no offense by this. Why is it that every time I see you, you have a new child with you, that you've taken

from its parents? I've asked myself that same question. There seems to be something about this dark land is quite dangerous, especially for children. Somebody's got to look after them, yes. Well, I'm not sure that this is the place for a child at the moment. She's not exactly a normal child. She probably would really enjoy this place. Well, she needs to say that she's high-spirited. Well, none can be more high-spirited than Thomas. I think she'll give him a run for his money. Someone needs to.

Well, I will do my best. She can, at the very least, make sure we're doing what needs to be done for the children's bedroom portions. And maybe I can, I'm putting in order currently, for some toys from Blinsky to fill up. Certainly? Yes.

Oh, God, I hate that guy. Well, my course funds with him, and so far he's been quite lovely. While you are at it, would you please inquire about an order made, or several orders made by Sarnax of the Ablevians.

I still cannot believe you spend all your money on toys from Blinsky. You'd authorize another person for pickup, Sarnax. I will authorize however Irene is having the toys delivery. Well, lovely. We actually have a delivery of wine coming in from the Wizard of Wines, and I will communicate with them and let them know to stop by Blinsky's

and see if we can pick up your order as well as the toys. That's ready for the children. I appreciate that. Of course. To be happy to. Well, I will fetch Conak. I will put my keys down. Very cute, thank you.

Magnific. and it'll open up and I will Wait, are you trying, you're going to pull a child For my case, yes, yes. You put a child in your case. It's not the artist seems. Don't, don't, don't know.

Would you like to take a look at me? No, no, I'm going to, I'm going to order Lindskite choices. Just let me know when you've caught the child's a whole mansion in that. There's a bathtub in there. All right. You put a bathtub in a child in a case.

It is a mansion. It's really. Yes. Yes, I'm sure. It is a man. I should go to the other room for a moment. Yes, and I'll see you soon. I'm on a case.

Yes. You'll see the professor soon. Where did the professor go? The mansion. You'll really we insist. You should take a look. Given the state that Von Ricton might be in, perhaps we should have the professor check it out first. I don't know what to take.

I don't. Just follow me down, dear, and I'll take her hand. and start walking down into the cage. I don't want to go. I can't go. I don't want you to be not fit in the case with this bussel dress. Oh, we're going. We're going.

Okay, where we are going. Wow. Look at this place. This door is beautiful. How did this fit in you? It drives. Really spectacular. Professor did all of it.

Something new every day. Renal, please collect our guests. And they can meet us in the study. 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, shroud over salt marsh. You can also go to the crooked moon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror toome for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. And don't forget to snag all of the extra goodies like dice, minatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more.

Thank you. Hello. Oh, hello. Welcome. Thank you. So this was the... I don't really like to call it a mansion, but I guess technically,

this is it. Yes. It's lovely. So we've been keeping the child safe and sound in here, but it is dangerous if anything would have happened to us for her to remain here. So we will need you to

keep her safe and we will try as soon as we can to bring the rest of the children from Vlaki to him. Are you going to bring them here in a case? Yes. I will have to get used to this, I think. It's quite normal and safe, I promise you. Well, as long as the children are safe. So are we going to stand in this entryway?

We'll join me in the study. Lead the way, Professor. And we'll turn in the standing. Are we going to leave our friends upstairs? Well, we just need a way for our guests to join us so that we can take them out of the case and leave them here. So we're going into the case to get your friends to bring them out of the case? Yes.

Why don't we just meet them outside of the case? Because I don't trust that they'll actually leave the case. It's a long story and we've been through a lot. I just want to make sure that they are removed properly. All right. Take a seat, please. I will. She takes a seat and she's looking.

around touching things, a decanter of alcohol on her way in, and she's shaking it. She's all real. It's not too. So are three of us still outside the case? Yeah, I'm going to wait. Yeah. So I have some concerns about bringing Lindski dolls into a safe haven. Do any of you have any concerns about these packages arriving?

and having them not expected first before we hand them over. I do not. Well, I mean, I, you know, there's no secret that I can't stand the man, but I trust that Sarnax wouldn't order something dangerous, and even though he's foolishly spending all his money on knick-knacks and chotchkes,

but, you know, I've got to trust that Sarnax has at least some sort of sense, not to bring something dangerous to the Abbey. It is not dangerous. It simply produces flage. very adequate for a child. That is, nope. Okay.

When I was a hatchling, I was handling flame mere weeks after emerging from the egg. How much flame were we talking here? Sarnas. A child amount. Children of this kind do not emerge from eggs ready to grasp a flame

the same way you do. I would not even allow children around water because they can drown Sardex. Where do you? You hear the Mongol folk screeching. out in the courtyard. Where do

these children emerge from? Where do they spawn from them? I'm not going anywhere near that way. This is likely not, yep. It's not from eggs. When two people love each other. Yeah, we're not.

We're thinking so long. Lucas, can you please make sure that Reynolds does his job? It takes about 10 minutes and you see in a flouncy mint green dress, princess dress, a tiara on her head, her hair

in dark ringlets around her body, she flounces in curtsies. Hello, you're very pretty. Look at you, darling. You look wonderful. I know. I had the little people that are in here you're like, what is his name? Jupiter.

That's fine, yes. I had him do my hair and he burned this part off, but this part looks great. You look wonderful. I know. Did you find these clothes in the mansion? Yes, you made them for me. Remember when I asked you to have an entire wardrobe

made of princess clothes? This was the biggest one in there, and I put it on immediately when I heard we had the guests to my house. We're at our destination. the time has come to leave. So what are we going to do then outside of the year? Well, this is Miss Coliana.

The name is Irene. Or do you prefer Ms. Irina? I know who you are because you're the person that Stradania wants to make a vampire and then put you in the creepy crypt beneath the castle and keep you there forever. Well, she's safe for that. Welcome to my house.

And she hurts. She's quite knowledgeable. I'll turn my Irene. Well, she's safe from all of us now. Oh, that's so great. Thanks to magic and things that I don't

fully understand. It's because Serge did it. He loves you still, even though you are not the same person, but your body is the same. And for him, that's well, it matters. This is a shallow man.

Well, by the way, in any case, she's a little girl I needed to get changed back into the dress you were wearing But I don't want to put on a different dress Well, you have to

I'm sorry If you leave the case wearing that it would disappear It sounds really real It's just magic But I don't want to put on the other dress I'm very sorry It has a hole on the hem

That no one can see any The red his pocket Are you a seamstress? Could you make her a dress that looks just like it? She looks at Irina, and you see the entire underside is brimming with water, but the tears haven't fully spilled over. Could you make me the rest look like this? Well, it would take a while, but I could make you one that looked prettier than that,

and immediately... Okay, I'll go put the other one on it. It will take me two minutes. I'll be right back, okay, but can they keep my hair like this? Is that okay? Can they keep it like this? Oh, also I have some feathers I want to put in it because it matches the color of my dress

Can I wear that outside the room? As long as it was not collected here, it will stay. Why? What is the wrong with that if it was? Because it's not actually real, the magic will cease once you leave the case and it will disappear. My doll is not real? Well, it's real, but inside a case. My doll is not real?

Well, no, it's real in a net... I guess it depends what the definition of real is and perception. Then that gets into philosophy. You're getting really boring, so I'm going to go down my dress. I'll be right there. Can you make sure Esmeralda and Rudolph join us shortly? They laughed.

They laughed. Yes. Didn't you see? I was in my dress. I walked in, and he waved, and they walked past the door and headed outside. It's about this time that you see Rudolph and Esmeralda just stroll straight out of the mansion. Sarnax is blushing. As Conn's going to do.

gory detail. Yeah. Very, no, yeah. Very biological. Detail. Rickton. Asmorel, you're all right. How are you feeling?

Well, I'm strapping. Attractive. Young. All right. I'm not too young. But you wouldn't know that by looking at me. And that's what's important. Am I right?

I'll be able to you. Yeah. I guess. you're all right. Are you sure you're all right? Well, Esmeral is still not feeling very well. I'm going to... Yes, we're here.

I'm going to take her back to my tower and get a set up there. And then I will meet you wherever we choose to go. All right. If you think that's the best course of action, be safe. I'm not going to risk her life again. Of course not. I would never ask you to.

Esmeral, would you mind if I inspect? She looks at you look at her and you see that there's something different about her in the sense that she, she looks scared and she looks incredibly tired. She looks at you and she just nods and holds out her arm and doesn't seem to give any resistance whatsoever to you poking and brawting at her. As she extends her arm, I'm going to walk past it and grab her gently around the throat. and I'll try to examine her neck to make sure, like, the head's on straight, but you can fuck it up. Is there visible scarring?

There is a very thin scarline where the head was severed. Esmeralda, are you feeling especially unwell beyond a natural sickness? No. I wish that I had to quit to come back. But I have met death head off. As have I. And I apologize if I'm not one of the jokes. I'll leave that up to perhaps.

And she smiles, but it doesn't fully reach her eyes. You see as Van Rectin reaches out and grabs her hand and squeezes it, she'll be fun. She needs time to rest and she needs someone like me to kill a Dracula. Oh, usually you want to wear what that point. was. It's a name I've coined for Vambia of extraordinary strength.

That sounds... We've heard it for us here. To serve the purpose. Esmeralda. Not a mere 20 minutes before you met your end. I similarly perished. However, it was the power of my God

that returned me to this life. In full honesty and transparency, it was a far darker power that brought you back. I need you to be very well aware of your thoughts, of your body, anything that changes.

There has been a sinister catch to all the power granted in that Amber Temple. I want to be certain that you are truly well. Please be aware, and please

listen to your body. Well, if there's anyone I'm going to run to, Should I find myself feeling poorly? It will be those that signed off on my death, should not. And she smiles at all of you. It should. I will let you know. I don't feel like myself.

But for now, I feel like a irritated and very sleepy version of myself. Rest and stay alert. I will. We should wait for. professor as from shouldn't we we'll gather Arabeau

when she comes back with her new dress well I don't have a piece she flamses in she's wearing the same dress I don't look nearly as much like I own this entire house anymore but don't let my looks deceive you this is my house I put a plaque up at the front that says

Arbel's house but they spelled my name wrong, but that's okay. Well, we should go already. Okay, where are we going to go after we leave? Because I, so I put together an outfit that I think that I could wear when we go on our missions and we're going to fight Stradania because I think that it would not be okay for me to be dressed when I'm fighting a vampire because then it would like, if I turned to run, I could trip on a hem, you know? and then if I fall down, then she could like swoop in in the bat and be like,

ah, bite you! And then I don't take this anymore. So I was thinking I should wear these little leggings that I made and you see that she's like stitched together roughly some like handcloths and it's a rough approximation of what trousers should look like, but there's a little tie on the front where she could tie them on. So I made these and then I was thinking that we should probably go and get me some new shoes. You look like you have a lot of money, Professor Ezren. I was thinking we could go, no offense or anything, is that that too safe? So we could go get me some new boots, and then I think that I need a gun thing, kind of like what Shepherd had you know, and I could name mine foresight.

Well, that all sounds wonderful. Why don't we leave the case, and we can discuss the details then? Okay. Let's go. Okay, I'll go right by the head. head out. You're right. She is very spunky.

I warned you. Yes, she will be... She'll be quite a handful. Indeed. You make your way out, and you see Van Richten's arm around Esmeralda, and they look at you.

Esmeralda stares at you. And she just stares. Well, we're going to be heading out, you see. I need to take Esmeralda to get some sleep, some rest, and there's no safer place, then, Van Ritin's Tower. Obviously, with the... No one, none but the smartest, me, could ever make the way into that tower? Quite right.

You will make sure she's safe. Maybe. Of course I will keep her safe. I'm not the one that sent her to a death. Do you think you'll be ready in the next few days to make the final assault? Wait, um, um, Quar? To. You mean to go straight to Castle Ravenloft?

To defeat. And kill the bitch that cut my daughter's head from her body? Yes. Yes. You won't go until we all are ready. Let me think. Go alone, get myself killed. and then have Shredonia come and kill the daughter I failed to protect.

Yes, I think I'll wait. Not that I couldn't handle it on my own course. But if she needs to kill someone, I would prefer it, will you not me? That's right. I'm just making sure. Well, please do make sure that she stays well. I'm deeply, deeply sorry for everything that you've both been. it's at this that Esmeralda straightens herself and you can see

you can tell that she's still incredibly weak she walks over to you and she grabs your hand I don't forgive you but if it were you I would have saved the little girl too so I'm going to do this and you're going to let it happen and we're going to move on and she slaps you across the face all right

go take four points of damage. Ew! She could have almost killed a little bit of the ferocity of that slam. Yikes! Yes! Oh, well, yes.

I did deserve that. If you ever have me beheaded again, it will be much worse. I don't intend for that to happen again. Good. And there's still time to get killed. Now kill, that bitch. and makes sure one of you

looks her in the eyes when you do it and push it in a little bit further from me. Understood. The time will come. I have no doubt. She will burn. In the meantime, stay safe and say hello to Yanni for me. Yes. Oh, God, that head.

Yes, I will not take him out of the tower. All right, well, we will take care of things here. Oh, before you go, I should let you know that we do plan to sneak into the catacombs of Ravenloft shortly.

Good luck. Any words of wisdom or anything we should know before we do? We don't plan to defeat her, but as far as we know Shudan does not know about the tunnel that leads from here to the castle. Both of their face is scrunch up in a quizzical

look, and you hear Well, so the important thing is that you don't want to leave the catacombs proper. If you had anywhere else into the castle, I've seen that you will all die. So make sure that you don't go up any of the spiral staircases. You walk straight in. I don't see what's inside of the tombs themselves, so you're on your own for that. But we will come out successfully for sure. I do have my new boots, though, when we're in there.

You mean that as long as we stay in the catacombs, will be all right. Yes, we will take the tunnel straight there, and we do not, we make sure that we do not go anywhere else we stay in there. She will not know where there. Sergei is protecting us. All right. You're saying we a lot.

That's conservative. Why do you want to leave Connie here? Because that wouldn't be a good idea because I've seen that she helps out a lot inside there. Right, right. How many of these visions that you've seen or had where you aren't there? Oh, none of them now. I don't think you might be telling a little bit of a white lie. No, I would not do that, though.

No, I think you might. No, Gerbert, they would not do that, though. Do you want to tell us the truth? No, Shepard, I don't want to, because that would imply that I did not tell it in the first place. I understand, but it'll be better for everybody if you're fully transparent with us. Okay, well, in one of them you went in and you got teleported directly to Stradar. And she killed you. You, and I mean you, not everyone else.

You were by yourself. And then in another one, Kana was possessed by an evil, like, undead spirit thing. And it made her walk to the top of the highest tower and plummet to her death. And she screamed, I can fly before she hit the ground and splattered into a million pieces. In another one, the brides woke. And they took Victoria with her down through. a secret passage and you did really gross things.

I don't want to talk about it. I'll keep going. No, no. Don't stop. And then in another one, all of you were completely sidelined by things that were there and you just died. But in the one that I was there, I was like, oh, don't step there. There's a trap. Don't go there. That's a bad thing. Don't go there.

That's the bad thing. In one of the ones I was in. I was into I also stepped on something and birthed into flames. You're not coming. It's too dangerous. You know that you're not coming. But if I just don't step on that one spot and now I know

that it's there, although it always moved in all of my missions. It was not in the same place. But I think I could hear the hissing. You are needed here with Miss Irina. This place is in shambles and there are more children that are coming here. You could help

her get this place in a fair condition Well, but So look, this is the problem Okay, with that Professor, I know, okay? Because other kids don't like me very much And they pick on me

And I was punched in my stomach once By one of the little elf boys And so I don't play with the little kids Well, these are good children That won't happen and is she the oldest of all of them? Yeah, no, I think Thomas is a year older. Oh, yes?

No. No, I think he was seven, so she's a year older than Thomas, because she's eight. She's eight. Well, you're about their age, and I promise they're all very lovely. They'll be wonderful friends. So you will stay here with, and I'll look at Irina. You will take her, yes? Of course, it'll take her if you want me to keep her here.

Yes. Yes. So keep us safe, and we will take care of things. Well, keep a die. I will miss you because you will all die now. So goodbye forever. Do I get the sense that she's trying to guilt us? She actually thinks she wanted to die. Roll.

And then, yeah, that thing. Can I roll too? I will have Sarah nice to do it first. 18. Oh, wait, no. Sorry. 14. She's definitely trying to kill you.

I have faith in my God that we will be fine. I know you are going to say that. That's what you said in one of my vision. I probably said it in a numerous number. Okay, well, you don't need to say that. Of your visions, because it is true. We will be fine. We will meet again.

But be energized for, friends of your own age is something that I believe children should enjoy and care for. I do like children my own age. They just don't like me. I believe your perceptions will change when you meet our

cavalcade of orphans. What does that mean? Does that mean that they have a bunch of horses? Isn't that what it is? Knights in a cavalcave and they have horses? Perhaps in the realm of pretend that you...

I think you're thinking of cavalry. No, that's... No, that's one of those things on the mountain. It opens up and it's really dark inside and bears live in there. That's a cave. Speaking of caves, werewolves.

What? Why would you say werewolves? They do live in caves. I know. We should... A child run along and play now. We should... We should ensure that the werewolves are not sneaking into the city and snatching the children. That would be a great idea. It would be a terrible thing if the abbot spent all this time healing everyone just to have them stolen in the night.

What time is it? It's the same daylight out, and so it's difficult to tell. What time does it feel about, like, roughly? I don't know. I've been living inside the building for a long time. but I think the god of the world told you before one of the breaks it's been like 11 hours

6 hours to get there you spend about 4 to 5 hours dealing with the cool litch and then it was about 6 hours and then it's probably been an hour and a half since you teleported over So it's been like 12 hours since they woke up

so it's like the evening like 6, 7 p.m. Great. Yes. Uh, well, its approach, it's about nighttime. Perhaps we go tonight. I'm feeling quite well.

Thoughts? I mean, I'm a little tired, but it's nothing I can't handle. I just, is it wise to go after werewolves in the middle of the night? Not really. It's not something I personally dealt with yet. I would appreciate, I think, just a... night to relax. You know, I am the best

adventure in all of Orovia, so I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but I will give it to you because you are my friends. I don't think that you should go visit werewolves in the evening because that's when they bite people.

And then you become a werewolf in the evening. And I know it seems like it is so far-fetched, but It is a definite possibility And I think if you're going to go anywhere in the middle of the night Why not a spooky crypt? You know?

That's a fair point. Do we know Mr. Danya is Did she sleep? No, she does not. You, yeah, like, I don't know, actually. Do we get confirmation that she doesn't sleep? I thought she couldn't.

without the lullaby. I thought it was mentioned once before. She can't be forced to be put to sleep. So, like, she's immune to all magical sleep. That's, like, how you put her to sleep. But I'm just wondering, like, does she need to, like, sleep in the, you know, in the earth of her homeland style,

like the Dracula style? So no, you could check in the crypt to see if she's in there sleeping in the middle of the night. I think we want to come upon that. No, we don't. No, we don't. All goal is not. So when, In your visions, when we were successful in our goal, was it the daytime or was it the night time?

Well, it was always dark inside of the crypt, so obviously it was nighttime. That stands to reason. But you know what is really great about the fact that I see things in my heads for you? In not a single one of them, whether you failed or whether you succeeded was Sturdaney inside of the crypt. It was just when you sat on a teleportation. the invisible teleportation pads, and you ended up directly in front of her, and she...

Yeah, I don't know what to talk about that. That's fine. We don't need any more involved in that. I say we travel. We've been traveling for a long time. Been through a lot. Some of us have died. I believe we take the night to rest.

It's relax. And in the morning, we can decide what to do. Okay, but then can I sleep inside of the briefcase? thing because this is not really as cool as that is. We can all sleep in the briefcase thing if that would be preferred. Perhaps we all retire right now.

So why did you kick out Von Ritten and Esmeralda and make us all come out here and I had a change of my pretty dress if we were all going to go back inside and go to bed? Because we weren't sure what was going on yet. We needed to have a team meeting, if you will. You really need me to come with you

because you are so disorganized. Well, thank you for offering to be our assistant, but it's unnecessary, and I assure you it will be much safer here once we leave. It's happy. You will not be accompanying us outside of this area. Unfortunately. Your father and your uncle would never forgive us. They probably are the one forgive you because I believe they think they stole me.

And then we'll cross that bridge and we'll get there, I suppose. problem for future you. Yeah, literally. They would listen to you, though, wouldn't it? You would tell them that's not the case. I don't know what I would tell them if I'm cooped up inside of this house for the entire time, always. It's really hard to say. Arabele, you would never.

You would never sell us out like that after everything that we've been through together. I've really, I have a headache, shepherd, so I don't know. No. Oh, you've got a cough, too. You don't feel good. You know how you said when I was outside in the cold that I could get cold sickness? I think I got it because. Ouch.

Oh, my dummy hurts. Oh, no. Perhaps, Professor, we should put Arabelle to bed with some hot soup. Or Coco. Oh, no. Or Coco to cure the sickness. Yes. Yes.

Coco has no moon. Coco has no medicinal property. That's Shepton. Star Ax has enough. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to leave this one to the professor and his medical expertise. Metas, Matas, Mattaia.

Okay. I will go there now, but please walk to the side of me because I'm very fragile, and if I faint, someone needs to catch me. And she begins to stay walking back into the house. I'll eat her inside. and I guess are we all retiring? We'll all retire, get an early night. In the middle of the night, you realize that your case wasn't as safe as you thought

as it catches fire and you're all burned alive. Oh, shit. Unfortunately. Did I go? Thanks for you're going to. Yeah, you're able to, unless you're going to, like, hang out and talk with each other, you get a long rest. Yeah, I think, okay.

So we'll spend the night. Look up super early. I would, you know, take many of the hours of my long rest transcribing some of the spells that I got. Sure. And so in the morning, I, we would be sitting down for breakfast. And I'll see. Well, we have two options. We could make, ensure that the werewolves don't.

steal away with... Herbill's probably... Oh, yeah, she's sitting right there. She's sitting away with any... Other children in Cres and take care of them first. Well, we just go straight into the crypt. What do you want to do? You want to just roll out into the woods and, you know,

massacre them? I mean, there's no conversation, no understanding what's actually going on. Well, I'm not saying that we should massacre them wholesale. We should at least attempt to learn more and understand the threat. Why don't we try speaking with some of the where we are we? It's true. They might have information. They fly over those woods all the time.

We could attempt to gain information, yes. But I think either way, we should decide what we're doing next. Thoughts, preferences. It's hard for me to say. And the longer we postpone going down in the crypts and finding what we need to find, she gives me an uneasy feel. I'd rather just get it over with. I don't want to spend too much time in that castle if we don't have to.

But I certainly don't want to leave the Abbey undefent. And vulnerable to whatever might be in the woods. He'd sleep with the abbot to see if he's aware of the incursion of the werewolves and he may be able to boast through their defenses. Perhaps we will ask if they proceed the werewolves to be a threat. If so, we take care of it. ourselves, if not, we continue on to the catacobers. It's a wise decision.

All right. Let's see if we can gain an audience for you. I will say your characters would remember that you were told about their were told about their werewolves in town, and they said that it's not often that they steal children, but that they essentially keep the children out of, they don't let them leave the village because they could be picked off, but the werewolves don't really pose a threat to Cres. White and was just intrigued by werewolves. The catacomers, I still want to kill

the werewolves. I was told them, you know. I think you want to send to kill a werewolf for you. Yes, that's right. Oh, my God. It doesn't feel right. He's not.

I'm independent. I believe the best force action. The wisest decision, Professor, is to make our way into the catacombs. Is it, if Stradania perceives there's a threat of the artifact being stolen from Sergei's bones, she would defend it immediately. I agree. I just worry that she may be alert. We don't know her sleeping patterns.

Yeah, I mean, we don't. We got a little bit of insider knowledge, though, saying that she's not down there. She does not know what the country. Sergei has made sure of that. So why would she presume that anyone who gets into the catacombs not through the front door? We have surprise on our sides. Our next is right. Let me just see what my portals are.

Do we have any abilities that will help us against the traps? I have a sense for those kinds of things. here and there, I might be able to point it out, but I'm going to be honest with you, invisible teleportation circle is worried me a little bit. I don't know how would you text something like that. It's really tough too because I would tell you, oh, we'll just go straight into this, this tomb and get your dragon head or go straight into this tomb and get and find Sergei, but there are so many really powerful things that could help you against Trudania

that you don't want to mess on in there. So you should really just take me with you. You know, it's probably the best. It's not enough. I'm sorry. Parabelle, if anything happened to you, none of us could forgive ourselves. And you certainly don't want to be spending the rest of your life with Shradania. God's forbid you fall into her hands.

Yes, but. you know, I just think that it would be so much fun, no, and I could be really good at being an adventurer because I see a lot of things that other people don't see. Is there, anyway, I can convince you to let me go? You were easily convinced to kill another person. So do you think that there's a chance that I could convince you of this? Because you seem to be the person with the most loose morals and also the most most... easily affected by convincing.

No, you are not coming with us. You are captured. You are nearly killed by her. Well, to be fair, no. Yes. It was really in your hands to kill me or not to do it? She could get her hands on you again and is not worth the risk. It would not be fair or respectful to Irina to take you into Ravenloft after the decision that I had to make. wouldn't be respectful to Aswell either.

Do you not be really cool? Sorry. Do you know what would be really cool, though? Thank you. If I was a Dracula, can you think about, like, not for real, but like if I wanted to play, oh, you know what it would be awesome

if one night per year you could dress up like monsters and go around, people would give you candy. If we survive all of this, Arabo, you can name that day. Okay, I want to name it. Arrobel. So it shall be That is so cool Because I would dress up like a vampire you think

And I would have little fangs You can run around and give people mosquito bites Why would I do that? Mosquitoes are gross Oh but you know who would make a great mosquito? Oh, I don't know I was asking you Maybe your uncle Give me 10 minutes and I will

be back. Okay. I'm going to put my lantern down and I'm going to take my my Edelwood business. I'll throw it in. I'll look into the flame as I'll cast Alguery and I will say, as a ritual, and I will say

Garrix, I am unsure and I am losing my patience. I am considering allowing the clever child of extreme power to accompany us on this mission. What say you? And that's my algorithm.

Whoa. Damn, that's pretty straightforward. I'll come back. I was convinced it was going to be real animal. I was so convinced. The child will not come with us. This is not up for debate. What one?

Garrix has spoken. Gotta go with what the big asses. As I said. That's just because you're going to turn into a dragon. What? I'm sorry? What? You said he's going to turn into a dragon.

He's always going to side with Jerry because... You misspoke. It's Eric. Jerry. It's the hard of June. That's a new one. It's not Draftics. This might be the first time I've seen Sarnax flossing.

Oh, my God. It is Garex. I believe you misspoke. child. Sorry, it's all right, buddy. She's just a little girl. Sorry. With her clear,

knowing powers, you would think she would know how to pronounce them God's name. Listen, buddy, don't let her get under your skin or she's just going to, it's going to get worse. So anyway, as I was saying, she's a brewing competence. It is, it is, he will always side with him because he's going to turn into a dragon, so. You can't mean that in a literal sense. What do you mean?

Well, I'm not actually going to turn into a dragon. I mean, there's just a lot of imagery with the religion and the stories. You're going to be eaten by one. Let this silver dragon consume you. Well, again, it's got to be a metaphor. It can't be a literal thing. You're going to get its entire face. You're losing.

That would be a great blessing, child. And I believe that we will. meet that fate when we will. Yeah, I know. So... Like, seriously, tell me something I don't know already. Well, stay here. Make this reasonable for children,

whatever children you collect as many knives as you see fit. And we will make our way to the catatone. I didn't have that on my list, but I'll put it on my list. You're staying here. Okay. Irene, please keep an eye on her. Do you have a clear vision of what the catacombs look like? If I bargained another sleepover with you, would you be willing to draw it out for us?

I don't know how to draw. But so this is the problem. Every time I look in, not everything is in exactly the same place every time. So like I could draw what I saw the most last this time, but that doesn't mean that's what all the things will be. And then if you expect them where I last saw them and then it's not there. then you'll be disappointed. And then when you step on the teleportation thing and you go up to a lady Stordania

and she sucks on your neck and makes you her little man slave, I will be the one that's blamed. I would never blame you, Arabele. You've been nothing but vital and very knowledgeable so far. And that's why we want to keep you safe. But if there's any knowledge that you can give us on just the way that the catacombs are laid out

or every time that you've seen this circle, if it looks a particular way on the floor, whether there's an indentation or anything. No, there isn't. There's no way to detect it at all. That's what makes it so scary. There's no way to physically look at it and know that it's there.

So like literally nothing you can do, which is horrifying, right? So scary. I'm getting like slightly paler. Just a little bit. I mean, it almost gets like red, but it gets a lot. So scary.

And then each one of the rooms, it's like a big hallway, right? It's like really big. full of a lot of dead people like a lot of them. Can I see if she's telling the truth? Yes. And so in each one of the little doors,

you'll look inside and there are dead people in there. But sometimes they're not completely dead. But sometimes they are, and there are things in there that are really important or super cool. So with those ones, you kind of want to go into them, but then sometimes you don't want to. And then on top of that at one end, there's a super big one that has statues in it that shoot like this mist. And if you try to walk through it, then I don't remember what happened.

But that was not good. Unless you were someone who was like super nice. If you were super nice, nothing happened. If you were not super nice, then something really bad would happen to you. So, so that happens there. That's like the most big one. And then on the other side is one that Tradanya would sleep in if she were down there, but she's not down there. And on the complete opposite side is another one for her brother.

It's not too early for a bourbon, is it, Professor? I rolled a 12 for inside. I'm just trying to gather. She seems to be telling the truth. Especially the part where she's like, there's no way to discern the teleportation circle. Yeah, you imagine she's telling you truth. She's saying physically and with your eyes, yeah. So you imagine that you would need to utilize some sort of magic or ability or something to be able to figure that out.

If it would settle your nerves, do my ears. All right. All right. Are we ready to go? Yes. Yes. You said. All right. as we can be.

I've never been more ready. You'll stay here. That's what I meant. Good day. Good night. Wait, it's not... Saw and actually the way, please. Yes, I will follow you.

Stay huge. I read the case. Please keep a close eye. She looks at you and then she looks down and you see that her dress is on the hem of our bell's skirt. She's not going anywhere. She could try. You knew we could have. Well done.

Let's proceed. And I'll guide the party to the well or the little pond, the fountain, I guess. And then I'll look into it and I'll say, I'll look at Shepherd and I'll kind of wait for a moment. Would you please, please? My pleasure. I'll then dive in, swim on down, pull the lever and just wait. until it's, see what happens, I guess. You do that.

And you pull the lever, one shaped like the bone. And you see the grates appear at the bottom. The rope ladder unfurl from the top and fall all the way down as the water drains up the grates in the bottom. And you are standing in the long, whole way. It is done. You may proceed. Clinton, can I have you roll?

roll a perception check for us, please. Yikes. Bye. Okay, thank you. Are we ready to proceed? Are we armed against these potential traps that lie ahead of us? I can only be vigilant, but I don't wield the same sort of magical ability that many of you do to detect them. Right.

Right. I have prepared the power that I believe we will need, and I assume that Professor Azran has as well. Yes, I've prepared as much as well. as I can. There's still many abilities that I have to leave unprepared, but is what it is. Should I have the mace, the sidebone ready, just in case?

I think that must be Cedonia herself, we should leave it. Leave it protected. Does it assume that I have it for to someone else? It's in the case. It's in the box that we found in in. Because it's the bag of holding. Got it as well.

Shepherd. Yeah, yeah. Before I do, before we go any farther, you all got to promise me one thing. If this goes south, if something goes horribly, then I end up like one of those fucking monsters, vampires, and anything bullshit, fucking kill me. And you fucking burn my body. All right, you do not let me become like one of those things. I won't hesitate.

And then if you could, gather the ashes, bring them back. to you. All right. If anybody gets out of here alive, just get my ashes back to the good doctor. That's all I ask. You have my word, Shabler. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate.

No way before. Right? Yes. We are strong in our faith in Garets. We've seen what he has done and what he has undone. You will not fall for shadow. I agree. This will be a long journey through this tunnel.

It may take days. We will see. Let us proceed. I'll light the path and we'll keep going. If you light the path and you continue to move down this tunnel and as you get deeper

and deeper into it, darkness would have consumed you who had been for the lantern. It illuminates the area around you. As you look down, you see the the floor of this is covered in what appears to be a thick, wet mud, almost like a clay that's settled and coated the bottom of this tubing that leads all the way down. And as you continue

along, it begins to get colder and colder and colder. Nothing comes close to the cold that you felt walking towards the Amber Temple. This is nothing in comparison to that. You're able to shake it off easily as you notice the thick fog begin to billow around your feet, thicker and thicker, but it never seems to get higher than your knees until you come

to an area where the tube shoots out in four different directions. I'll immediately go to the front of the group and check to see if one is more traversed than the other and I'll take it closer to the ground with the light of sonox. I will say it's easy to tell you and you need to roll it.

of these have been traversed. It looks as if no one has ever traveled the path before. So are we heading straight east? It's how it felt. But you know that this has been kind of curving and turning. It's hard to tell what direction you're facing. Sonax, maybe you can shine the light on some of these walls. Yes. I think that'd be wards. I will. I will. I'll take a close to look at the wall.

Because didn't he see like an engraving on the wall that said like Ravenloft this in like a arrow? Oh yeah. Or like it was like a sketching. There was something on the wall. That was much further down and he essentially saw a grate that was marked with Ravenloft. Okay. And he deduced that this looked like it headed directly in that direction. And it did.

He's just now been met with a fork. You've been walking for probably two hours. Are there other greats? No. No. Can I inspect each like intersection's wall? just to see if there's anything on them or anything that's different. Dirty 20 for investigations?

They all look to be exactly the same. Just simply picking an interaction and hoping it's right. I'm not sure that we're doing good in this case, which perhaps it would have hurt. As long as you can cloak our movements once we arrive, I believe that it might leave you off it, yes. If Richard was here. Yes, I think I'll try.

All right. So I'll class my fair beads and it'll be to shine your light down for us and guide us to the secrets that lay before us in these tales. Which one should we choose? Do I see anything to glow? No. Your beads did not seem to detect any secrets. It seemed to be just four varying tunnels. Not that I'm overly concerned or anything, but how many times I make you do?

that. And maybe we should be saving it for this teleportation circle. Yes. Well, I can... I can continue to help us with my guards. All right. All right. Okay. Yeah. Well, I don't see any other decision to make besides just choosing randomly. Unless Sarnak's praise at each one of these tunnels, two garricks. I suggest you just stick together

and we don't separate. We're going left. You must have some way to peer into the beyond of the future and know that's the right one, right? Unfortunately, no, I can't. I could... I thought that was kind of a thing.

Even if I could send my arcane eye down one tunnel, it could be... It could take hours to know if it was the right decision. That's true. So were there two tunnels or four? Four. Four. All right. Left most, I suppose, who said?

Sonox, there are four tunnels. They all look exactly the same. Her pearls have not uncovered any sort of secrets. Which do you suggest we go down? His professor is saying the furthest from the left. That sounds wise to move. If they're all the same. Should we keep quiet to move? the divinations.

Did the professor detect magic? The divinations back? The professor did not detect magic. We just had a sly prayer to Illamator. I think you'd gather that it's probably not magical, like they're just... Right. Are you two tunnels?

Um, well, I... If I had a small clairvoyant youth, she might be able to tell you what you do. I'm telling... I was so tempted. I was so fucking tempted. But though... The Garrick's woe was like, uh, no, can't do it? If it had been wheeled a lot, I'd actually come with us.

Yeah, I know. If it was like fitting, pity. There's any kind of wheel. Yeah. All right, Professor. Uh, well, allow me to, let me just see, see if there's anything else I can do. Yes, waste your spells. That's crossroads.

While they're, while they're deciding, can I go and listen down each one just to see if I hear any noise? Yeah. Is that like four different? checks or... I won't make you make any checks. You can hear it's pure silence. Silence. Yep. You're deep within the earth in a tunnel that doesn't look like's ever been traveled.

And it would have been pitched black here if it went for his left. My vote is for a second from the left. I... We read and write right to left, so I'm tempted to go far right, but up to you. You have a man that can help us.

I think we just click one second from the left that's fine although I think that start going leftmost and try to come back and make sure that we can continue to the left so we know where we've gone that seems like a wise course of action that's happening in the case we've announced our plans that gods and they're laughing

onward the left we'll go down the leftmost the leftmost yes are we attempting to be quiet or are we just mortgium she said that we could not be detected while we're in the captains by her but by other things that may be down here it doesn't look like anything has traveled this way

I think that we should be alright certainly we shouldn't scream our presence as we go along cautiously but not slowing down our pace so we'll continue you continue you feel the moisture on the walls get thicker and heavier. The fog mingling about and the muck at the bottom is getting just a little bit thicker,

a little bit deeper. But it still doesn't seem to make its way past your knees. But that almost makes it worse as you're looking down at this thick layer of fog. And it's almost as if you could step forward. You never see it as you plummeted to your death. There's no way to see what's down there as you take. Step after step after step, one hour, two hours, three hours pass before you find yourselves looking at three different directions, right, left, and forward. Professor, I feel like something's going to jump out of the fog, but I don't like this at all.

A little rattlesnake or something. Well, you're a snake in my mother. Yeah, there might be. It's hard to tell which direction you're facing. And we've got three more choices. Should we head back and try another route? It's been hours. We're wasting time.

We're wasted in daylight. I know it's not... I anticipated this. That's why I believe we just continue leftward. And then we know that we went the leftmost path so we can easily come back and then cross off further alternatives. If you're going left again? We're going left again.

Okay. You're going left to go, but... forward. Or left or right. So, you begin to take the left path. The fog is once again thick, but now you begin to start seeing the moisture dripping down the walls. Different spots where it looks like, not mold, but algae has accumulated.

And it's slick, but it's getting warmer. It's almost getting so warm that it feels like it's harder to breathe. but you're able to manage it as you continue to walk, looking down as if you're walking on clouds. One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours so you find yourselves in a small circular room

with the only exit, the one you just came in through. No, no, no. This isn't good. All right. Small circular room. Let me just take a quick look and I'll see if anything's bad.

Your path and assist you. We might be down here for days. I will like to investigate the room and richly cast a tech magic. Full investigation. I'm going to use a lucky guy. A divination die. That's better.

Skills. Investigation is plus 10, so 27. Wow. You get down on the floor. And this room is only maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. It's not that large. as you get down on the floor and you begin to feel around,

get to the very center of the room, and you see a multi-pointed star being bent. And as you look closer, a single red gem in the very center. As you run your hand over it, there's some give there. This could be pushed. There's a button here. There's caution.

We don't know what it does. Enough to detect magic here, and I will take 10 minutes virtually past to detect magic and see if it glows. You cast detect magic. There is no magic here. So it's just some sort of mechanical bud. What does it look like? Is it a trap?

Is there moisture on the walls and is the algae still, like, strong? Yes. Is this anything we've seen before in the winery? No, no, it's not that kind of... I am hesitant to press the button for perhaps as long as we've been traveling. perhaps near beneath the lake when if pressing the button will unleash the plumbing, the water.

Do you mind if I, just take a look? Please do. I won't touch anything. Please do. I'm going to walk over to this thing. I'm going to cast find traps. And so basically I sense

the presence of any trap within range. The range is, oh shit, 120 feet. A trap for the purpose of this spell, includes anything that would inflict a sudden or unexpected effect that I consider harmful or undesirable, which was specifically intended as such by its creator. Thus, the spell would sense an area affected by the alarm spell, with affording, a mechanical pit trap, or it would not reveal a natural weakness in the floor, an example, or an unstable ceiling or a hidden sinkhole.

It immediately reveals that a trap is present. I do not learn the location of each trap, but I do learn the general nature of the danger posed by the trap that I sense. Sure. You do not sense any traps. Thank you for making me real of that. You're welcome. Thank you for reading it all. That's helpful.

All right. Well, I'm not getting any weird feelings. I don't have any hunches about this one. Can I walk over to the walls and inspect the algae and see if it's natural if it looks like things that would occur in nature in my travels? Yeah, I mean, it definitely looks just like normal algae. And it just looks like it's been gathering. It doesn't, does it look like there may be friends? Well, you know.

I know that all of this had been underwater, that Sarnax had flushed it all out. So this is the stuff that is drying. It's warm in here now. It's starting to accumulate a mist. The sediment, the silt has collected in the bottom of the circular tubing that you're walking through. It looks like an underwater, like aqueduct of water systems. I see. My preference is that we press forward.

We've been on this path, press the button, and see what happened. I agree. We come this far. We can't be wasted another 12 hours or a day. I'd like to go to the wall and just kind of like take my little dagger and scrape some of the algae off and see if anything's underneath the road. When you take your dagger, you scrape some of it off and you're able to clear away a small portion of clean stone beneath the algae. You now have one serving of algae. Delicious cave mold for a while.

Delicious cave mold for a while. Delicious cake. Yay! I love delicious cake. Yay, sturdiness. If only I had chosen slimy Barovian

Wells as my favorite terrain, you wouldn't get lost down here. So before I do this, I will. Did you describe the button to us? Yeah. It's right here.

Look, you can see it. Can I see it? There's a red gem. It's in a shape of a star. It's a multi-pointed star. Multi-pointed star. With a red gem. How many points?

I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but a lot. Is anything we recognize, like any sort of symbology to Palor? Nope. Morning Lord or not Palo. I will have my case very... It definitely looks like it could be a foggy. Very close to me, and I will have a particular spells roll. I will open my case.

I will grab a very particular spells roll. Put it in my jacket just in case. Oh, no. And I will press the button. You press the button. feel like it doesn't it gives you some resistance as for at first as you push it in almost as if it catches but you're finally able to push it all the way in and you all begin to feel the room shake under you as slowly you you you lurch backwards as you see the gem recess in and then slide

into a compartment in the stone as it spirals open and you're looking now down a small five foot by five foot door has opened up in the floor a spiral staircase leading down. Down's good, right? Catacombs and crypts and whatnot? I suppose, yes, yes. We should continue to be out

but they're already very deep, but let us continue. The catacombs, I presume, are quite deep. Well, it's going. No path forward. Or down?

Well, down in this case. You began to make your way down holding the lantern out. And as you take step after step after step, it feels as if you've been walking for ages. The mist, nearly completely

shrouding your vision as it spills up out of the deep below and up and out through the hole from once you came. Your eyes begin to adjust. The lantern pierces through it as best that it can. And you're able to

slowly make your way down. There is no and the stairs themselves are slick with moisture. The walls are covered in algae. And occasionally the writhing, the writhing of something. And it takes you a moment, but worms. Not often, sometimes. Skittering animals and things. You see who sees a rat, darts past you.

But it was something different about that rat. It was too quick for you to fully understand exactly what it was. As you continued down, down, down for one hour, two hours. Three hours, you dissent. But it didn't really feel like a descent. It almost felt like you were walking in place. But looking up, you see that small pinpoint of light way above you. Do you look around, you see once again, you're in a small, circular room, and there are no accents.

Roll from claustrophobia. Oh, kill me now. Okay. This baby. I want you to roll a perception check for me, please. Just Clayton? No, everybody. Sorry, everybody.

I was just looking at him because he's got a large hat. He does have a large chat. I got a nice you great perfect something you said perception yeah 25

25 as well what did you get rich all of you would notice this so you you stop and you wait and you look around you listen

and you hear it a very faint grinding noise and as your eyes adjust you notice the stairs are actually moving up. So though you were descending for hours,

the movement's so small, it was hindering your ability to descend as quickly as you could. Every step you took lifted you just a little bit higher. Oh, there are any buttons in this room. I look for buttons. This is an investigation check. Yes, I would like to have. So it's basically slow stone escalator.

but it's slow enough you can descend. 17. Okay. But if you got on it and just sat there after probably like seven hours, you'd be back at the top. Oh, I see. It's going backwards. It's going backwards,

which is why it felt like it, which is why it took four hours to get to the bottom. What did you get? 17. Looking around, you don't see, you don't see a button of any kind, but you do see four chains. coming out of the walls.

They all look like they can be pulled. Of course they do. Oh, no. But are chains? Is this reminiscent at all to the chains that I saw in my dream? I would say, yeah, they probably look pretty similar. Same make? I've seen these before in my dreams.

I'll do some wizbeas and detect magic. I'll take 10 minutes to ritually cast like magic. You do not detect any magic? Well, no, you wouldn't. detect any magic. I don't steer's on magic either. Let us each grab a chain and pull at the same time. Ah, oh boy.

I don't know. There's no right answer here. Oh, no. Well, the button was safe, and Shredonga doesn't know about this, so I don't think anything would kill us instantly. Hopefully. Until we get to the catacombs,

yes. These were ideally carved and borrowed by the enemies left all the way down, right? We only pulling one chain? We're just pulling the one. Just one. Just one. Do you want me to pull? Yes.

Thank you. That would be lovely. Yes, I do. Again, just one chain. Just one chain. What do I left? Left. Left. I have to love you. You walk up to the four chain. They're in line together.

And you see where it enters the wall and exits the wall, these two small holes. And on each one of them, a metal wheel that the chains are slotted into. And you're able to pull down on it, you grab onto it. It's only about maybe a foot and a half, two feet and heights, a height of chain that's exposed. You can pull it, you hear the clicking and the grinding noises of things behind it. And then a heavy thud as it lands into place.

The room itself shakes from. moment. The stairs grind to a stop and then continue faster. Same direction. Same direction. But the room that we're in is okay. Pull the next one. You do the same thing. You pull the next one. This time as it grinds, it begins to go the other direction. The stairs. Same speed as before.

Yes. Spat up speed. Okay. So this is faster, reverse direction. you begin to pull the next one. And as it finally gets to the end, you hear a clinking noise as the stairs stopped completely. Okay. Fourth chain.

You begin to pull the fourth chain. Keep pulling and pulling and pulling, but it doesn't seem to slot. It doesn't seem to ever connect and stop. It just keeps pulling and pulling and pulling. I go back to the third one, and I see if it's reversible, like if I can turn the stairs back on.

You do that. you begin to pull the chain, the opposite direction. And once it clicks into place, the stairs, once again, start going. Perhaps we need to have the stairs going quickly into the earth and then pull the last one, and the door will merge. These are how these things go, right? That's oddly specific there, Sarnax. It's currently going quickly into the earth.

And so, what that's... No, we've reversed it. So let us... Now, it was previously going up towards where you'd come from, which is why it was slowing you down. It's now going faster into the earth. And then we stopped it and then pull the other ones. So now there's going again into the earth. Perhaps we should try at least the last one and they do or will emerge.

We did and the stairs stopped. I'm going to go pull the last one. You pull the last one and you pull and pull and you pull and finally feel it click into place. you hear a grinding noise, but the stairs don't stop. You don't go faster, they don't go slower. Where did that grinding noise come from? That's what I meant. Do we still see a light at the end of the...

You do? It's still open. Do we see anything else? It took you four hours to get down here. The descent is actually not that far. It would probably take you another two hours to get back upstairs. If you wanted to see anything up there, otherwise, you have to, well no, it'd be another four hours because the stairs are moving the opposite direction and faster.

Did anything change in the floor? Maybe there was a door, something having upstairs. Perhaps. Did the grinding sound farther away than the stair up sound? It was hard to tell. We need to be absolutely sure there's nothing here before we head all the way up these god-forsaken stairs again. Perhaps we've set it up.

Absolutely not, Professor. Are you well? I think even Garrick's would say no. The claustrophobia is getting to your mind. Can I run around the room and just pat the walls and see if there's any give in any of them now that there was that clicking noise that I heard? Yeah, it's easy enough to do that. The room itself is only about, it's a mirror of the one upstairs, 10 by 10. Okay. You pat all the walls, and they all seem to be completely.

hardened stone. So you even are able to get down on the floor and look down into the slot where the stairs are going. It seems to be on an elliptical rigging. It just keeps recycling the stairs. Well, let us make our way back up. Yes. Perhaps we can have it go faster. We can ride up as we walk.

Let's have it go quickly up. Yes. That we can... But are we okay to change the direction? Now, I thought that Sarnak specifically said that it had to be going one direction before we pulled it to chain. If we change here, are we going to ruin everything? He's pulled it. I think it's all right.

Something seems to have changed. That is my understanding, at least. All right. Well, then, yeah, of course, we should make it easier for us. We don't need to be working harder than we need to be. All right. The second chain was the reverse one, right? So we will reverse it and have it going fast going up, and we will head back up.

Roll perception check. Just him? Whoever's messing with chains. It's not me. What did you get rich? You got him eight. I got a Oh, what happened to my

here? I got a 17 plus something. 20. You reverse the direction of the chains and the sound of the gears moving in the opposite direction

is very loud, but you hear that same very, very softly grinding sound of a slab closing. Oh, no. He said out of character because he doesn't know what's happening. And it came from which direction up above? It's hard to tell with all the noise that stared moving. Turn it back.

Let's, I'll turn it back. Why? Because, does that, do I hear this lab open again? Roll perception. At advantage because you're listening for it. 21. Yes, you can hear it opening. Okay, something's opened.

So Sarax's incredibly specific suggestion was the rat one. Yes. All right. Classic, just like Fayle Wilde. So we've got a hell of walking. Have we left them to spare. We best to walk. We need to go.

We need to walk against this. Against the grain, as I say. Can we put a little pep in our steps? You imagine with the fact that it's sped up that you would have to run. Just to just be able to ascend. Could we perhaps slow it down? We could dash up there very quickly and expend some resources, but I don't know if that would be beneficial.

How long does that last? A minute. She's exhausted and falls down in a minute. I'm sorry, 10 minutes. Constitution up to 10 minutes. Oh, I didn't get that ball. I show how far you get to 10 minutes. 90 feet for 10 minutes.

I think he for six seconds. I'm sorry. I try. Ten minutes is how much I take it on. Well, I think... Professor... That was a good thing. Professor... I needed that loud.

By chance, did you secure a scroll of fly? I don't believe I did. Delightful. That would have been convenience to procure. Let me see what else I got from the library. This is what he gets for choosing. the ones that the spells he chose. Can I jump in place

and see if the gravity has changed it all down here? It hasn't. Okay. Just curious if I can start running on the wall. You all immediately watch as kind of just starts jumping in place. Keep you warm. Just keeping warm. Out of boredom, I'm just going to start walking up the stairs slowly and then

like riding down. You begin to step on the stair and as both of your feet find purchase on one of the steps, No. You hear a k-k-k, and it begins to go the opposite direction even faster. What? Get on, I guess. How long?

I was bored. How long are they not going to step on the stairs? I was bored. I was a little fucking puzzle. I'm going to take a few steps forward and just, like, step on it and turn around and, like, watch the rest of the group as I'm, like, waiting up the steps and, like, begin to leave. I'll get on. This is how the madness begins to step in. This is why they see.

say that doors are the hardest boss in D&D. You put something so simple as just stand on it and see what happens. Yeah, it takes forever. Now, you wouldn't leave me if I told you, but I can run like the wind blows. Let's have a leisurely walk up the stairs as we ride, and so we'll... You start to make your way up the stairs. It's significantly faster now as you're able to ascend the stairs in about 30 minutes. And as you crest over...

and through the mist that's accumulating around at the top because your head comes out over it, you see an arched doorway open in front of you and pass it. No, it's dark at first, but Sarnax comes up with his lanternlight peering in the long expanse of a catacomb. So the sneaking rats seek to scurry around my basement. They may have found an entrance to the catacombs,

but what awaits in Castle Ravenloft makes the Emperor Temple look like a children's funhouse. They wish to be among the dead? Perhaps it is time that they join their ranks once and for all. Will the Asran expedition infiltrate and escape with their lives? Find out in the conclusion of Chapter 12 of Kers of Stradamia, Pum of Sorrows.