Legends of Avantris - Curse of Strahdanya | Ep. 25 | Tomb of Sorrows: Part 2

Episode Date: September 23, 2025

The dead don't just sleep in the crypts of Castle Ravenloft, and the Azran Expedition must navigate their treacherous corridors to retrieve the skull of Argynvost.    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

You are back in the crypts of Castle Ravenloft and listening to Kursa Stradanya, a Legends of Adventress podcast. Last time, the cool, lich exitenter woefully did not murder the protagonists. Instead, he let them loot his ancient library and sent them on their way. He may as well have given them pets on their heads before waving goodbye. They then returned to Kresk to prepare the infiltration of my catacombs. Like the vermin they are, they scurried through the tunnels beneath Barovia and finally arrived to the entrance to the crypts.

I do not think they are truly prepared for the death that awaits within. This episode is brought to you by our generous supporters on Patreon. You can become a patron yourself by following the link in the show notes. We are eternally grateful for your support. With that out of the way, let us proceed with the conclusion of Chapter 12, Tomb of Sorrows. 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.

Looking in, you see this archway form, and you're looking out at what appears to be a strange light. stretching across the pathway that leads directly into a catacombs. And as you stick your heads around from side to side, not necessarily going under the archway. You begin, you can see on one side a sarcophagus. On the other side, a sarcophagus. You are at the very end right here. The main, the main tube area. Here?

You're, like, outside of it. Like, see how there's that flat part that's facing me, basically right there. Got it. This tomb rest in hush silence. Tall stained glass windows dominate the eastern walls, allowing dim light to fall in two coffins, resting atop white marble slabs. The one against the north wall is marked King Berra von Zarovich,

and the one against the south is marked Queen Ravenovia von Rojan. The vaulted ceiling, 30 feet overhead, is inlaid with a beautiful gold mosaic. And the two stained glass windows that you see are on those. like flat diagonal walls. You imagine that where this archway is, there might have been one there but no light would have been coming through it.

Is there anything depicted in the same glass windows? Just scenes. Nothing like telling. Nothing telling. Do the coffins appear to be sealed? In so much as you can tell from here. Should we proceed or do we believe this is already

trapped? Arabella did say, Arabele did say that there were secret hidden traps at every corner. Yes. But she also may have been lying so she could come along. Before we step foot into the catacombs, let me detect magic, and I would like to protect myself, and I'll cast an a major armor on myself. I believe we can step foot inside this room, so I'll lead everybody into the room. You do that. And then, I guess, once detect magic is done, I'll take a look around to see if anything's magical.

You look around in this immediate room, you do not sense any magic. You look at the sarcophagi, and they're definitely old, covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. And as you look towards the stained glass windows, they're covered in a thin layer of dirt. And there is a faint glow to them. As you wipe the dirt away and you look through it, it's not something. sunlight on the other side, but a small alcove with one glowing lantern that's illuminating through these windows. And as you wipe the dirt away, you see these stained glass reflect on the stone floor. It causes a rainbow cascade of light. It's very beautiful. Doesn't seem to show

anything special. It's just a beautiful effect. This room looking around, you see on top of the On top of the tomb meant for Queen Ravanaughia, there is a wilting bouquet of flowers that looked like it had been placed here recently, but is slowly dying. It looks like she does come down here. It must be on God. Her parents are buried here.

Is it possible that the bones of her brother would be here too? So it came all the way down here for, right? Or do you mean right here in these two? Right here. I mean, I don't disturb the remains of... Everybody said that there was a section for Sittania and then another crossed the way for her brother. I believe the bones of St. Marpovia may be down here too.

Those were lost. We're also looking for the bones for the Silver Dragon. Yes. So many bones, I can't keep trying it. three cents that we're looking for it. We can find. I believe we have all the remains

of St. Markovia's buildings. Just the five. I believe all or perhaps there are more here. Is there like the... They were destroyed. All the rest were destroyed, right? Yeah. That's what you're villain, yeah? Oh, okay. I thought the rest were

I wish not to disturb your parents. We have no purpose, but perhaps if we continue, we may find it. All right, let's continue. So we'll move, I guess. up these stairs here. You make your way towards the steps.

Wide steps ascend to a landing flanked by two alcoves. Within each alcove, taking up the full 30-foot height of the ceiling, is a bronze statue of a warrior holding a spear. A soft blue curtain of light flows between the two alcoves. Dimly visible on the other side of the curtain are more descending stairs. Or more ascending stairs, sorry. This is also something that she mentioned on. of me.

And she said we had to be nice people in order to pass through. Yes. If we were good, we would be let through. What does that mean? She's just a child. What is it? Good?

I mean, I would hope we're all good. At this point, we've done a lot of good. Maybe we ask nicely. Ask for permission to proceed. It's a good idea. Yes, this is why she cannot pass through.

This is why she has not found, the tunnel. She cannot enter this room, this chamber. How would she have left this bouquet? Perhaps it was not her. Maybe a servant. Sergei was able to merge from the fountain. His hand on Iruna. Perhaps his spirit still lingers here. Maybe we just be polite. May we please pass through. your voice echoes throughout the catacombs a light that stretches between the two statues does not even waver can I appear a little bit closer at the statues

and kind of inspect the weapons that they're holding and see if the sphere has any connection of the sphere that I found it doesn't look at all the same vein yours is much more barbaric and these are more gilded they're part of they're not even something that can be removed they're part of the

the statue itself. Are they wearing any kind of armor or any sort of symbolage on them? They're wearing armor, but it doesn't seem, there's nothing symbolic about them. They seem to be more guardians. What kind of magic does my detect magic pick up on us?

It would pick up one of the book to me for that. What's a teleportation? It is I can't remember what kind of magic that would be considered.

Not transmutation, but... That's what I was going to say, but I'm like a saw trans... Conjuration. Thank you, Hanjanska, but I will always never answer that question properly. So you've detected magic on the mist. The light that is emanating from this.

Yes. So anyone that walks through this will be teleported, presumably straight to stradda. No, no, no, no. It can't be right here. I mean, I mean, she said it was some sort of invisible circle. on the ground or something. She said it changed.

I believe she just referenced being teleported to them being killed. I thought there's sworn she said invisible circles. She suggested that there would be no way to physically discern on the ground the teleportation's. This is something else. I believe this is something else it has to be. It can't be more than one. How do we get through? I want to look around the room to see if there are any like any writings or like

pray to prayer to St. Markovia or anything like that. Investigation fact. Uh, 20. Thank you. Looking around the room, it appears that this room is the sole

focus of it is honoring the dead, King Barrow and Queen Ravlovia. You don't see anything. It'll give you an idea of how to bypass this, this barrier, this teleportation barrier.

Hmm. Well, uh, so Arabel said to me to be good. I will say with your investigation, you see that there is, that it looks that if you were small creature or less, you'd be able to squeeze around the back of the statues. It looks like if we were small enough, we could get around the statues. I don't think any of us could fit as is.

No, we are not small creatures. But if we're good, we shouldn't have any problem with this anyway, right? I just worry will she know Well of course I don't want to even test it with anything Because she'll be alerted to our presence Yes Or I consider that as well

I'm going to just walk up And close to this first step here And just kind of kneel down And bow my head and remembering the names of The king and the queen I'll speak not loudly, I'm not going to shout because I don't want it to echo, but hoping that this will change the barrier.

I'll say, may the king, Barrow von Zarovich and Queen Revanovia von Royen rest in peace, undisturbed by the evils and chaos of this world. You lean down and you say your prayer in front of the magical barrier that isn't permitting your entry and you wait, you can hear the crackling of magic, but it doesn't seem to have an effect. Does it feel it's clearly emanating from statue to statue?

Um, yeah. I have an idea. You have a professor. What? I don't like it. Well, maybe tell us what it is first. What if I could move these statues? And let us pass.

You might only have to make a little bit of space. I mean, it sounds like there's already some space behind them. So, shift. Four, just to make sure you're aware of it, they're not stand-alone statues. They're built into the ground. So I don't know if that has an effect on what you're doing. So it's not like their statues that are sitting on the ground. They're built into it.

So I wouldn't be able to animate them. You could animate them, but they wouldn't be able to move. Right, because they're being... Because they would be picking up the... The floor. That's fair. Never mind. That won't work based on how it's built. I have a few other options.

I'm going to path back to the Queen's sarcophagus and just take a closer look at it and see if there's anything about it that may be able to help, like, turn off this wall, like a lever or a button or something. I'm just going to do a full lap around the sarcophagus. Okay, go ahead and roll investigation. 18. I'll say you're easily able to peruse the entirety of the crypt area, both Queen Rabinovia's tomb and Barovs. And you're able to see that none of the Sargothicae seem to have any kind of level. levers or anything like that. If we're sure that we've turned this room inside and out without touching those sarcophagus,

coffins, we can't sit here until we die. I agree. At some point, we got to just try it. Yes. We're good people. We are. We've done good. Garrett has seen within us.

Who touches that? I don't know. Could you summon your servant and have him walk through and see if he does not end up on the other side? Maybe the teleportation is in fact to the other end that we're seeing. Maybe there's something beyond the stairs. Does the stained glass make any particular pattern on the ground? Nope. Just rainbow-colored light.

Perhaps it only teleports you if you are impure of heart. I suppose if... I hate to always be the one to do this. Use my resources. You don't have to. Sarnax. I do. What you're doing right now is being called passive-aggressive.

Arrobele. It's Sarnax of the Aedled. We are in the crypt. There is a beam of light that we could pass through to enter the entire catacomb. Is it dangerous to step through?

What should we do? You can reply to this message. Hello, Sarnax. It's Erbel here. I heard you. You know. You probably. me with you, you could. Don't just ask me right there.

I've seen it before. I'm so glad there is not the word limit on this, and then she's cut off. I'm kidding. I've always told you that I don't deal with word limits on sending. So, yes, no, it's totally cool. Well, where are you? Are you with the king and the queen,

or are you not with the king and the queen? You can respond to this message, bye. By the head she meets, he has to cast it again. You didn't mention that, right? You can tell her what's Adirania. Did she tell you anything? Hold on in a moment. I hope it's not arguing with her.

We are standing beside the king and the queen at the bottom of the stairs with the stained glass windows looking up at the beam of light. Shall we pass through? Shall I dispel the magic? What do you suggest? Your great divination powers, O child. Oh, that is so great that you are on that side because you can just walk straight. through and nothing will happen to you. But if you try to get back in and you

are not a good person, it will just put you back at the top of the stairs and you won't be able to get in. But since you're at the bottom of the stairs, you just have to walk straight through. That's all right. I'm just like, my face is just completely straight and I just...

You walk straight through? What's your alignment? I'm good. I'm chaotic, good. Okay. You feel like had you been going the other way, your fate might not be the same. It is fine. You can pass through. We can pass through unharmed.

If we are trying to leave, it will detect the goodness in our hearts, and we'll teleport us back up to the top of the stairs. Interesting. All right, well. Better than two stradine is right. So we should have no problem getting back out. Hopefully. And I'll proceed through this.

What's your alignment? Neutral good. you walk through and you feel something in the pit of your stomach and you're unharmed, but had you been going the other way, you're not quite sure what your feet would have been. Oh. And anyone who's not lawful good will feel the same thing. I think I'm lawful good. What does your character sheet say, Mayo?

Where does it say it on your end? You didn't put your line, ma'am. I didn't, but I just feel like I play Conno. I'll awful good, but I can't. I would say Conno is awful good. I don't really doesn't matter. It's what Arvell said. I just put you back at the top of the stairs.

This is not like it hurts you or anything. I think that has been a lawful good. You would just have to find some other way to get around it. Yeah. So I will put lawful good in here now. I guess I forgot to. Clayton is certainly neutral good. Maybe true neutral, but that's kind of question.

He's similar between true neutral and neutral goods. I'd agree with that. You're all standing as you're looking out over. the catacombs. Buried deep beneath the keep of Ravenloff lies the ancient catacombs, with arched ceiling supported by wide

hollow columns that double as crypts. Cobwebs hang limp in the musty air, and a thick fog clings to the floor, which is covered in putrid waste. The black ceiling overhead is moving. In what way?

I'll shine my light. That's going to be my question. You shine your light up as you You see the undulating blackness on the ceiling. And as you shine your light up, thousands of bats, blind every bit of the ceiling. Should we make our way quietly? Let's us make our way quietly. Professor, do you feel like you may be able to channel your power to locate an object?

No. I suppose I will shelve you for both then. I don't believe so. Let me check. What's good are you? Gerricks Fire Lord. I seek. I know what the,

what I'm looking for, right? Does Sonic says he's looking for? Yeah. Well, you don't know the, you don't know the item that you're looking for? Have you ever been given the name of the item that you're looking for? Or that you're just looking for Sergei's bones? Well, you could...

And he doesn't even know what we're looking for anymore. So how does it, are you looking for a specific thing? Because if you can look for somebody's remains, that would work. would say I don't think you know the specific thing you were looking for. You knew you're looking for knowledge, which ended up being Strauss Journal. We know that there's a sort or the holy symbol, one of the two.

But do you know which one this is? It was a sort of sunlight. But do you know what it's called? We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. We just know that it's a sort of sunlight. You can try. But you might be able to be like, Sergei's bone. That's... I...

Great Gerex Firelord. Let your firelights my path towards the direction of the remains of Sergei von Zarovich. And I cast locate object. Is that worth of the resources? I mean, we could just walk around. Sarnax, we got to talk about the tone of your voice, too. I'm not liking this attitude you've got all of a sudden.

So how's where? Oh. I made Andy read the entire... It's not a object that's familiar to you. You said it's the direction to the object's location as long as that object was within 1,000 feet of you. If it's in motion, you know the direction. What if it's not familiar to?

Yeah, so I guess a question familiar. Or has a chance to fail, basically. The spell can locate a specific object known to you as long as you have seen it up close within 30... No, no, keep going. Keep going.

Alternatively, this one can look at the nearest object of a particular kind to do with a certain kind of apparel, jewelry, furniture, tool, or weapon. Oh, no. The spell can't locate an object in any thickness of lead, even a thin sheet walks a direct path between your...

So, it should say if it's been described to you as well. So if you say, sort of sunlight, then, maybe that would be better than bones because I can tell you you're going to locate a lot of bones. So if I can burn that. But I'm going to have you roll for it because you've never seen this before, so we'll make it a little more fun.

Because technically I think it should fail since you don't know what you're actually trying to locate. But probably true. But I'll say you can roll for it. And if you get 10 or above, then you can locate it. Does that thing fair? Yeah. I think that is fair.

Whatever you say is fair is fair. Sword of sunlight. Noammy's four. I can't see you. Oh. Yeah, please. You got them. Yeah, we'll use a twist.

Thank you, chap. I'm only using one twist. Okay. 17. Nice. You raise your lantern and you wave it from side to side as you call out to Garex and you channel the power of the fire lord within you. And you see the kernel inside of your lantern ignite as the hatch opens.

And at first a wisp of smoke that begins to undulate and change into your small avatar companion of Garrick's. It's wings outfarl and it flies directly towards an opening to your right. That room at the very, very end, the large room. you watch as it floats in the in mid-air, wreathed in fire in the doorway to that chamber. Well, nice. Well, we know where it is now. The question is, how treacherous is the journey to that room?

We don't want to spend any extra time here, not a second longer than we need to. Yes. We find what we need. and we get the hell's out of you, all right? I suggest, before we mess with Sergei's tune, we find the bones of Agenvost first. Why are you looking at me, Professor?

I, unless, I mean, what do you think? I believe that if I describe bones, I can perhaps say dragon bones. I don't know if that will work. I'm going to trial Eric's fire lord Dragon God I seek dragon bone

please guide me towards the remains of the great organ boss for what it's worth Arabelle did mention some sort of dragon skull That is true

The dragon skull He could work Yes Just talk amongst yourselves While you gaze into the flame and see if he tells me what you want to know. Is it pitch black in here otherwise outside of just the lantern that's

coming from the light from the lantern? Like there are any sconces? There are sconces lining the walls and they give off a faint glow but deep in like along the rows it would be hard to see. Okay. While they're talking I'm just kneeling down on the

ground and to see if there are any signs of like Stradanya's footsteps in the vicinity that we're standing in to see if like she might have avoided certain areas in case there would have been any sort of pressure plates. I'm basically trying to keep an eye off for like non-magical

traps. I would say just, you wouldn't even need to roll for this. You know Sturjani can fly. She offers, that's right. Do you see the avatar of Garrick's begin to move out of the entranceway to Sergei's tomb? He floats

forward. He makes it immediately let immediate left into the small alcove that's pointing directly towards me. This one? Yep. Both what we seek, all in the same direction, so we should avoid the entire left side of this chamber. I'm going to be honest. I'm a little nervous proceed. I agree. However, there's no path but forward.

Well, to avoid this teleport, rotation circle. I know I'm kind of focused on that. She did mention that it was only me who got to port it, if you will. In one of the, who knows how many thousands of possibilities. So if I walk behind somebody, I can't be the only one. Reasonable. So I would like to take someone with you. No, it removes that from the equation. It can't happen. It can't be just me. You can walk in my path, Professor, and you shall walk ahead. But the other thing, The other thing, too, with Victoria, we can't have her take it. And we don't want kind of possessed.

So we don't want to disturb anything that we don't need to is my point. You want to eliminate these visions, if at all possible, up front. That is true, Professor. In her specific visions, she did not mention you or I. That's true. But with your ability to detect magic, can you just simply sense on the ground if there is teleportation? magic. It must have

hidden somehow, yes, I suppose I could. You all stay here. We go together, but if you're light in the way, we'll be all right. Well, you stay behind me. Yes. I will lead. All right.

If something happens to me, continue on. Can we all be turned into bats and be slum across the way? We could, but I would have to burn a very valuable ninth-level spell. It's as you were saying this that you hear deep within the recesses of your mind.

Hello, I just want you to know that the abbot just got home and he is making me some macaroni and cheese. I don't really know that is what he said that he was going to make that for me, so I'm going to eat it. Also, I just want you to know that I miss you kind of just a little bit, or not really you, but your house. Also, this place is really dusty. I've coughed four times. One, two, four. And I want you to know that it is your fault for not leaving the house with me in my care.

Also, I miss you. Okay, don't die. Bye. You can reply to this message. Bye. Did you just cast sending? You hear absolutely nothing back. Professor, you're all right?

Are you all right? Professor, I don't know how powerful than I realized. Why do you say that? She just sent into my brain. I think we knew she was very powerful. That's why she's not here with us. The casting actual spells is incredible. She has discipline.

Indeed. She expended a spell for mechanically. That's impressive. She will be powerful one day. You should check your library. What? Hmm? Well, either way.

She said she didn't give me any useful information. What did she mention? She mentioned that she was eating macaroni and cheese. Why is this? It's a dish. of pasta and some cheese and usually some kind of cream or milk

melted together to coat the pasta he's a pasta but what's that? Stradanya dressed up as Martha Stewart suddenly floats into the catacomb No, no, Julia Child Pause this conversation right there and remind everybody where we are

I'm sorry Good Okay, sorry I've then got the giggles I mean, to be fair, he asked a very fair question. Do you know where we are? I don't think we do. We're in the campus of me.

But I suppose that is actually heartening if she did message you and did not have omens of doom. True. Maybe she was just checking to see if you were okay. She knew that the professor wouldn't respond. And if he didn't, then she may have worried. I, perhaps the professor should have told her, to tell the abbot where we are,

so in case we get into trouble, you could potentially help us. But I suppose that the time has passed for that. Severn, I'm sure you won't get teleported to your doom. Yeah, let's hope. I will very carefully. If I'm recast it, I'll recast it. I'll recast it, I'll recast it,

but I want to start to step very gently, whichever I guess... It would have been 10 minutes, so you would need to recast it. I won't recast them. We're staying close to you And you're staying behind me, but I am offering to go forward investigating every step. So what does Detect Magic

go through? Because that determines how it would handle. A couple inches of, or a couple feet of wood and only one inch of metal. Something like that. Or cannot pass your wood. Yeah, something like it. Detect magic. He's been going to go through like a foot of stone.

You might not. Yeah. It can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by one foot of stone. one inch of common metal a thin sheet of lead or three feet of wood or dirt so if these I'm guessing if these like

enclosures are stone then it depends how thick it is they are and so I will say you're able to attack the paths you can't get a read on the things inside of the rooms that's fair but the path seems to be clear as far as you can

tell I'm very very slowly approach this door. You make your way directly towards the crypt, and there is a placard on the outside. St. Markovia, dead for all time.

Well, this is St. Markovia's tool. Isn't that curious? The fact that Argonvost's bones would be here, it

isn't 100% infallible, perhaps powerful bones of any variety. Is it possible that Shredanya intercepted this message and is trying to trick us? If you did, then we have far worse things to worry about. I think she'd be down here already. Is there a clear way to open this passage? Yes, it looks like it would take incredible strength. Do you think the sigh would help it all?

The cybo. beyond destroying and dead, I'm not sure what it would do. Meaning like... Just that it's close to... Are you going straight up to the door? Yes. I need you to roll a dexterity to save him through, please. Oh.

Fuggers. You're ready to twist that shit. Does not look good from here. Two. I'm going to use a divination point. You roll your importance? He did. Dex, you say.

Dex, she says. That is a 20. Cheer and Vandris. 21. You step onto the stone slab directly in front to inspect the abbey of St. Markovia, and you feel as the slab presses in, you immediately see what's happening, and you rear backwards as four darts narrowly missing you,

potentially do, doing 14 points of poison damage, but avoiding it. Oh. Oh, just dot traps. I've dealt with humphins. And I was going to take a step back. Watch your step, Professor. And we put my foot forward, and I let it reset, and then press again.

You do that, and four more darts pop out of the little slots. So keeping my weight on the pressure plate, I will step forward. and attempt to push it. Roll of strength. Eat. No. These are quite heavy. Keeping your weight on and you attempt to heave it,

but you feel like it comes out, not in. Oh. It's pulled. I will stay on this pressure plate. Hold on. I have a better idea. And I'll like swing my nagu. not around and like push into the pressure plate so that he could safely stave off of it but

I'll keep it pressed down so that someone could like swivel around and try to pull. Given that you have the strongest arms, can you maybe try to open it? You can, it's a 10 foot plate so you could both stand on it at the same time. Oh, right. You can stand next to him. I forgot that the scale is on. That's okay. You can stand next to him while he's, while you're both keeping the pressure and attempt to push it.

Or pull it? Or pull it, sorry. Allow me to maintain pressure just so that in case you stumble off, just you exert all of your strength in opening this door. Okay, I will step onto the plate and try to open the door. A stretch check? Yes, please. Let's do this time.

Let's do... You're looking for 17. You got a 24. Ooh, all right. You're able to wedge your fingers into these notches on the side that you're able to grab onto and pull it open, the weight of the door. Clayton, you move out of the way. The weight of the door is easily able to keep the pressure plate down.

As you are wafted with the smell of roses. Looking in, the remains atop the marble slab appear to have been disintegrated. That's what you see. Remains of roses or remains of a cup? Just appears that there are remains. There's a scent of roses and there are remains. mains on top of the ground. Not like, got it.

So they were destroyed. Yes. Do I feel like I have to keep the door open or does it just Yeah, you just stable to slide it open? And we're sure we asked for the right thing, Sarnax. I asked for the bones of Argonvost, but the spell isn't infallible.

I have not seen the bones myself. So it would have led to something similar, but they do not seem to be bones here. Nobody's blaming anybody. It's all right. You're... Detect magic. You detect evocation magic

in this room. There is evocation magic in this room. That's the only you need to tell me. I'm not getting any closer. Do I see that there's a disson- It is clearly the evidence of a disintegrate spell? No. What is evocation?

Damage. Blasty. Like fireballs evocation. Destructive. Where is it coming from, Professor? Is it from the remains or all over? It's coming from the ceiling, and as you look up, you see suspended the very height of this arched crypt. The remains of a gigantic dragon skull.

There it is. Well, look at that. I'm sorry, I doubt it's so quick. And the magic's coming from the skull? Yes. I'm not sure if that magic is innate within the bones or if it's some kind of trap. What do we think? How do we even get the skull?

out of you. How big is a skull? It's a size of a dragon's skull. It's like embedded in the ceiling or is it like in a like an annexing? It's taking up the entirety of the space. It's like a 10 fun skull. So you were looking up it's hard to tell whether it's suspended

or whether it's lodged or and that won't even fit half the passages we came through to get here. That's true. I'll step as close as I can without stepping in the room. I'm shining my light on. to look at the grandeur of this simply a skull long dead and still containing so much power this is the power of dragon kind shepherd it's impressive i'll give you that

this is the power of organ boss like that's him himself or was at one point was yes silver dragon skull disintegration yes but I would think it'd be cool in here. The ice power that the silver dragons possess, but there may be more at work. Can you tell if it's truly the skull of a silver dragon? Not a different kind of dragon. Perhaps I can deduce God of the world, what would I be able to deduce?

Nature history, or Kana? It could be nature. You're a DM, you choose. Nature, probably. Hopefully. Looks like a dragon skull. It's a dragon skull. I'm presuming it's a...

It does look like a real dragon skull. Uh, yeah. It's a nine, but yes. Yeah, it looks like a dragon skull. I'm presuming it is a silver dragon skull. I'm not sure how we would give it out of here, but maybe there's a teleportation center somewhere down here. Well, we know of at least one that we don't want to find.

Yes. Well, we need to get it down. first. Perhaps everyone step back and I just try to touch it with my mage hand. I would not step into the room. We don't know if they're more pressure plates. Are we been in the room?

They're just looking into it. Allow me to send it up. So my hand and my mage hand will go up. I want to be still out of the room. I'm just going to gently touch the dragon's ball.

You move your mage hand into the room and is it the dragon skull, you see the jaw pop open, and immediately a funnel of pure, radiant, dark energy shoots out and blasts down through the entirety of the room. Had you been standing in there? Imagine you would have taken a significant amount of damage, potentially TBKing everybody had you all been in there. But that was not the case. As it triggers, whatever magic it is, and you still have to check magic up, and you see the fate shift as the magic dissipates

from the room. Holy hell, what was that? That was a vile looking for. It was a trap. It is gone now. That's gone. That's it. That's it.

I still don't know how we're going to get it down and out of here. I will test. Moving your mage hand up and around it, you're able to move it a little bit. The mage hand doesn't manage much for weight, but it can maneuver the brittle bones and you see that it appears to be tied

to the ceiling there with hemp and rope. That was corruption of all the gospel. It's tied. You need to get it down. Without shadowing it. You could try to reach in with my

naginata and cut it. Could we support the weight? Could we carry it? Probably. Between two of you, you could carry it. It's bones. and their old bones, so they've lost a lot of their density and they're not as heavy. It's still huge, but...

And how high up in the year? You know that you have a very magical case that can store things. You don't know what would happen if you try to disper something that large. Well, I suppose I can try to put it next to my case and see if it gets like sloped into it. Do we want to be taking risks like that with something like this? I don't know what other choice we have. You know, there are diminution magic. You can make things smaller.

I believe we should attempt to store it in the case. Otherwise, we will be caught flat-footed. The danger arises and you're carrying this precious cargo. Agreed. Do I know how much weight my case could carry when it's levitating beside me? No. I suppose I could try to have it levitating. on my case.

I would suggest keep your pace open, Professor. Connor and I will put our hands beneath the skull and shepherd

take aim and fire. Do I feel like I can see the rope? Yeah, depending on your head. I don't know if you want to shoot the skull in case he misses. Honestly, I feel like it'd be better if I climbed up there and just tried to cut it

down if that's possible. Does it look like there's any way that I'd be able. Like, how high is it in the air? You would have to climb into the skull. It's taking up most of the room, so you basically climbing up into the skull, reaching out of the eye socket, and cutting the thing. Shepard, this is your

task. I'll put my hand on the shoulder and say, Argan Vost chose you. You are chosen by the Silver Dragon himself. You have his power within you. And Arabele said you would be consumed by a silver jogging. That's true. This could be this.

All right. I'll give you a lift. Hold my hat and I'm going to give my hat to Sarnax. And I'll hold him up. Yeah, I'll hoist him up. She'll put my foot in her hands and I'll try to lift up, see if I can grab onto something. And before she lets me go, I'm going to test it to see if me, like, pulling on it is not too much weight. You are able to have her hoist you up.

You grab onto a part of the jaw and you pull down on it and you see him. seems like it is holding strong as kind of hoists you up and you lay yourself out on the inside of this dragon skull moving crawling yourself up through it sitting in to part of the jaw and reaching out of the eye socket you have access with the dagger to cut that how large is the eye socket it fits you well enough like could i get like through the eye socket on top of the skull and like hang on the rope while i cut so i don't like plumb it with the with the skull you could I'm going to attempt to try to climb out through the eye socket on top of the skull.

You see that there is a small metal, not a small, but like a large metal hook hanging out of the ceiling that the rope is wrapped around. I'll imagine to keep from plummeting, you're going to have to be able to hold on to that hook and the rope because once you cut that rope, you and the skull will fall. Right. I wanted to, before I do all this, I just want to take a look inside the skull. I know he says it's not very big and just see what I can see inside it. If it just looks like bones and I've never, I've never been inside of a creature of this large skull before. You're inside of it looking through it and it is, you feel overwhelmed by the majesty of this creature. And the words from Aravel come back to you that you would be consumed by a dragon.

She was not wrong. All right. let us know when you're ready I will keep hoisting it up so it doesn't completely collapse and shatter. You've hoisted him into the air he was able to grab on.

You can't reach up and hold it. It's too far up in the air for you to touch it. Once he lets that rope go, it will fall. It's a matter of how many people or what you're doing to keep it from hitting the ground and shattering. I'm bracing the couch. Perfect.

That sounds so risky. All I'm doing is positioning myself. I haven't done it. anything else yet. Do you have any rope? Yeah, I got about, I don't know, I lost the 10 feet last time we used, so 40 feetish of rope, rope, rope. Yeah. So you could tie a, makes you tarnasse on

yourself to the hook. So that you can work for you. Not a bad idea. I'll take the rope out of my pack and tie it around my waist and then try to throw it up over the hook. Say you, you're up there, you're next to it. You take the rope, you tie it to yourself.

Then you wrap it over the hook and into the spot on the skull that the other rope was tied to. And you are able to, you could now cut the rope and you would balance out the skull. But how you would get it down, completely up to you. Well, all right. I mean, it sounds like I can. Slowly hoist it down. Yes.

So I'll try that. And then, is everyone ready? I'll take out my bed roll and like lay it out on the ground to help create some more cushion. Like I have no magical means to make this more padded. but I'll like splay out my pack and my bed roll and just in case I'm not able to catch it and get some padding. I'll kind of get it across from kind of on the other side

to like catch this falling buffaloes. I'm preparing a spell. I will be holding the lantern and the hat. I do not have any free hands. Sarnax, you can just put down the lantern and the hat. This is precious cargo as well, Shepherd. I can always buy a new hat. well said

and I'm very carefully put both of them down side by side and I'll go try to help you watch as Sarnax is just going like this under just moving all around in a circle he doesn't really know what to do it keeps tripping over Kana's bedroll

and then sorry please leave your case open beneath beneath the skull but suppose it doesn't sloop or whatever you said

will it crush your case? We will catch it and see what happens. Are there any other hooks on the scene? Just the one? Just the one. Yeah. I don't have to put my case under it in case at first. That is fine. But I think that once we have it down,

we can attempt to slope it in. Or maybe I can just try to slop it in while it's up there with the case. Is there like a pedestal thing that's in the middle that has like a pile of ashes? Is it kind of like higher up off the floor? That's what you would have been standing on to let him up. It's a very tall ceiling. It's not like a, it's not like, it's not like, it's tight much higher than the ceiling. Got it. Okay.

Is everybody ready? Yes. I'm ready. I'll take out my knife. Goad your loins. But the, uh, the, the rope that was originally there. Um, and then. I want you to make a dexterity saving throw to see how well you.

you're able to anchor yourself to the corner of the room and not just slam straight up, fall unconscious, and then fall to the floor. Great. And I got an FAAF1, so I'm going to use a twist of fate. Okay. Listen, please. Oh, much better.

Oh, there we go. My dex is pretty high. Is it just add my decks to it? Yep. I got a 21. Oh, is it a saving throw. In that case, I got a 25. Well, I mean, in that case,

you brace yourself, against the corner of the ceiling as you cut the one rope loose. You feel the weight of the skull pulled down on you. And that initial plummet of it pulls at you, but it's anchored to that, to the hook that is built into the ceiling there, driven into the ceiling there. And you're able to hold on and withstand. It is hard, and the walls here are slightly slick.

And you know that in not too much time, you will find it much harder to keep yourself anchored to this corner, but you are able to lower yourself down, and both of you are kind of balancing there. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, all right. Is everybody all right? Everybody right down there? Yes. I'm going to start lowering this down slowly before I get too tired,

and it gets away from me. Everybody ready? Ready. Yes. And I'm going to slowly try to, like, you know, basically loosen my grip a little bit just to slide up the best I can and see if I can lower this down. And you are able to lower it. you're, it is still about, I would say, probably three or four feet above your heads.

Okay. I'm anticipating it, just waiting for it to come down of kind of like in a like bent knee stance. Just waiting for impact. Do I have any more slack to keep going? How much rope did you have left? Like 40 feet. Oh, then yes, easily. You're able to slowly maneuver it where you're climbing along the rope until you get to a point

where you're holding onto the hook. you have the rope attached to you, you're holding onto the hook, and the remainder of the rope is dangling with the skull just in reach, and all four of you are easily able to get it and cut the rope from the skull, which then would allow you to fish for Shepard if you need to. You're now holding the skull. All right, let's see what happens here. Mercurio and McKeese will open up.

You're like trying to like fit it over the nose. Are you trying to put it in? Well, I'm trying to like just sort of like, it's the bag of holding opening and I'm sort of like tap it to it to see if something happens. Roll an intelligence check. Something is stalking. 18.

You are, you are doing this and it comes to you, almost like a light going off in your head, a lantern as it were. and you remember vaguely reading a line a word, a normabus and you say this word. Oh.

Your... This word. Yes, you do. Your case grows larger and larger and larger until it slurps the dragon's skull. Oh, we should look at that. You told me. Oh, look at that.

I've noticed... I just came to me. I've never seen your case get that big before. Yes. I quite like it. That's my boyfriend, Maya Your husband's probably in the chat You're kind of redact that

It was so seductive I've never seen your case You've been a long If you want to have a dirty conversation with Kana Call 1-800 D&D FAP with two peas Well I know what our first Patreon

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How far is the drop down from this hook now if I wanted to just let go? 40's a distance where I would easily break both my leg. But they could grab the other, the rope is still dangling. They could grab it and kind of help you down. Don't leave me hanging. up here. Why would we leave you hanging up there? I'm not much for comedy. Please let it.

And we'll pull him down and let him go. Oh, but for the sake of it, it's something that you can add to your case that it does not have a size or weight limit for the for the bag of holding. Nice. Oh, this is... Look at. Nice and safe.

We did it. We did it. That seems easier than it should have been. of two. So did it get smaller again? Yes. Okay. No, it's gigantic. Clayton is going to have to grow to to dragon proportions to be carried that briefcase. It's stretched now we have to wait for grotes. Yeah. Degris again. Kama, you may need to assist my case to make it smaller. I was the strongest, but you got short on it. Some tall Dengen strongest, but you have quite the grip. I heard you want a polon master.

I love my friends. We're reaching Lusty Argonian maid levels of I love that we're a bunch of like 30-year-old goons that can't like have a normal conversation.

No, we cannot. Oh. Very good. Very good. All right. Oh, goodness. On to the next. I'm going to coil up

what remains of the rope. If I have to cut some away and lose some, fair enough. You do that. And I'll put it back in my pack. I'm going to walk over to the pedestal that we were just standing on. It's a crypt.

The crypt? It is the actual crypt of St. Markovia. Those are her bones that are disintegrated on the top. I'd say you've been there long enough. You'd be able to see that, yeah. Should we collect these safely and return them to the abbey? It would be anything sacred about this? I don't know.

If that was a foul magic, it seems desecrated. It's like just dust, right? Yeah. Still the dust of the bones. Is that sacred at all? If you would like to collect them in some kind of... Do I get the sense from my claret business that it would still be sacred

or hasn't been desecrated by that horrible dragon fire? You get the sense that it's... I wouldn't say it's desecrated. And I would say looking at them, you obviously haven't touched them, but looking at them, you can see that it doesn't appear that it was the magic from the dragon

that did it to the bones. they were probably put here that way. And I would say looking around the room, considering it was both the skull and St. Marcovia's bones, that this is almost a tomb that she used to store the relics of her triumphs over those who opposed her. I see.

I'm happy to collect them and return them to the advent of you feel that it's worth of trouble. That's a wise idea, but allow me to collect them, and I'll reach in or grab one of my, like, pouches that I use to store, my atlewood seeds and my soil. these heaven left and I'll just scoop whatever I can. You begin to scoop

the bones into a vial and as you touch them a ghostly form appears above the dust so faint that you can barely discern more than part of a face from this apparition

comes the faintest of whispers the vampire must be destroyed use me as your weapon sad which fades away are you still there we will save Vancouver

and I'll bow my head and there even more slowly and respectfully I will try to collect everything into one of my my blessed pouches you do that you all gain inspiration

oh shit I already had it yeah me too guess you start using your inspiration that is my that is my biggest D&D toxic trade is I always forget to use my inspiration. So I'll say that I'll put it by my seeds, my, you know,

my soil and everything, ashes, all the things that I kind of keep. We know how to destroy, well, we know how to potentially defeat Strad with the fiber. That is still intact at least. Yes. I believe that was for me, man. You are in good hands, St. Markovia. you will avenge you. All right, let's continue. We'll hear it when you text magic again

if we approach Sergei's tune. Should I close the door behind us? Please. I'll keep my weight on the pedal and I'll close it and then back up and lift a boat once it's safe. You do that everyone in case the darts go again. You know that they would go once they're depressed

yet another time. So as long as you're just taking your weight off of it and leaving it, you know that it would be perfectly fine. Yeah, trying to close in a way where it doesn't look like we barney. So you can easily do that with your strike. Pulling it or pushing it close

is much easier than pulling it open. Yeah. All right, well, it's not that much further to say this too. This may be heavily trapped. Right. Heavily guarded. I must be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out, Shepherd.

I will like the path, Professor. Continue to detect magic. Yes. Absolutely. So you're going to cast detect magic again? Yes, so I'm taking the time right outside. You can do that. And once again, you follow along the path.

And leading up to Sergei's tomb, you do not notice any magical traps. You make your way to the front of the tomb. White marble steps descend to a tomb that has a vaulted ceiling 30 feet overhead. A stillness. A calm amid the storm is felt here. In the center of the tomb, a white marble slab supports an intricately inlaid coffin. Chiseled into the slab is a name, Sergai Manzarovich. To the north, behind the coffin are three alcoes, a stunning young man flanked by two angels,

looking as polished and new as the day each was placed there. An iron lever protrudes from the south wall west of the tomb's entrance. So, west is this... Of the tomb's entrance or the room's entrance? Of the tomb's entrance. I think they mean this is the tomb. Yes. So it would be the west of this entrance.

Which way is west do we know? Well, of... Is it telling us to cardinalize on this entrance, is my point? Like, I.K. this would be the west of the entrance. Well, when to be... The entrance of the walls on the outside. Oh, there are levers over here. Yes.

So it You Sorry, sorry, I didn't describe one part to you It's closed with a portcullis Oh, okay So you would imagine that raising or lowering That would raise or lower the portcullis Where's the portcullis again? I'm sorry?

It's just straight across the open And there's just a lever Yeah, you can... They have it on the map But I just didn't read it too. No worries. This seems too easy But like we discussed

She does not expect Everyone to come from the back Is the lever magical? Can I peer around and see if there are any slits for darts now that I kind of can recognize and leave the door and see if they're... We're all investigation for traps. Oh, you can't see any traps?

Very few people expect their backdoor entry. Thanks, Alex. Perhaps... That's very fitting with the conversations we've been having. Perhaps Lucas could attempt to leave her while we stand in a safe distance. Yes. I suppose so. I want to walk to the port close.

If it's like an open, if it's just iron bars in front of it, I would like to try to see. The technique magic is 30 feet. So I think I can get, oh, it's 5'10. No, no. If you get like here, probably not very far. I can probably see here. Can mage hand full levers?

If it's 5 pounds of resistance or 10 pounds, whatever. 10 pounds, yeah. So I guess, we'll all. stand back and I will 30 feet we'll get 30 feet away and I'm going to try to have the mage hand pull the lever down. You attempt to have the mage hand pull the lever but it cannot seem

to gain enough ground. The resistance on this, the portcullis is too heavy. We do strength to pull the down. That is what you would introduce. Would you like me to? I was hoping you would all that. Please do it.

Anytime. Make a strength check, add your proficiency. All right. The DC is 25. 15? No.

Is this something where I could keep trying or what I wish? Yeah. Time fast. That's it. Did anything happen when I attempted to try and pull it? No, it just gave you a lot of resistance. It's really heavy.

This is well-fortified. Very heavy. As you struggle, walk up, and I'll kind of stay far away and I'll put a hand on your shoulder. that says, thank you. Your strength is not within you. It is within your faith in

Garenes. I will not accept guidance. All right, you guys. At the professor's request, I will assist, if at all possible to try to help you pull the way through. If you can get four.

You can do, add advantage with the help of Shepard. So I get to do this, and then I get to add guidance? Yes, for your faith in Jerry. Fireland. Okay. So fucking close. Yeah, I don't think that makes it

it. It's 12. It's 21. He says it's 25. And that includes your proficiency? Yep. I basically made like an athletics check. I did 5 plus 4. That's 12 plus plus 9 is 21 unless I twist it. I will step up again.

It is told in certain the circle that the third time is indeed the charm. Would you mind lending me another hand? Of course not. Remember, it's not with the strength in you, Kana. It is the strength of Garex, the Firewood. Yes, thank you. I heard you the first time.

Maybe you do not believe how much. Natural fucking trying. See, you just had to believe in Jerry the Firewood. Oh, Jerry. I had to begrudgingly believe in Jerry the Firewall. So that would be a 32-2-0-2. I'm sorry, it's Jerry's wood-fired pizza. It's not Jerry.

Discount. What fire. Mollowlop. It's flying like a dragon. Do you like vampires? Do you like Morgian music? You are able to, you are able with Shepard and Sarnax's help to pull on this lever. The other previous times, we're helping to just lodge some of the,

the rust as you're finally able to pull on the lever, releasing the chain, and allowing the portcullis to raise up into its slot. And you notice two iron braces come out from the wall and they hold the portcullis in place. You're now standing at the entrance down to Sergay's tomb. What do you do? I listen momentarily to see if Strauss is coming or if there's an emotion behind us. You listen to see if Strah's feet of song. begins to play. That is exactly what I'm listening for. And it's still just that weird, creepy playlist that's been playing for an hour.

And just the baths up ahead. Yes. I wish to hear of here. Yeah. I don't do sound effect. That's not my schick. I do four voices and that's it. Do you think that she comes down here and pays respect to her brother at all regularly?

She, I believe, was the one that killed him. Cheers. So you don't think that maybe there might just be like a teleportation circle right in front of that tomb. Again, I'm just a little worried, is all. Shepherd, stand behind me. If anyone will get teleported to their fate, rather it be me than you. I'm going to be honest, though. If I see you go, I'm going after you.

I just don't want to be the only one, and then she kills me, and then it's all over. We might as well face it all together if we're going to accidentally end up in front of her. I just, you know, I'd like to cut off the prophecy before we get to it. You know, beat it in. Well, let me go first. I'm detecting magic, and I'd like to keep you all safe if I can. All right, all right. Let us go carefully.

You span the room with your detect magic, and you do get a sense of magic at the crypt. But it's not the type of magic you are expected. It's more of an abjuration magic. There's some kind of protection magic in place. Is it anything like what we detected Wanderina? It's the same school, yes, yes it is. Perhaps he protected it himself against his system. I don't see any swords down here.

Maybe he's protecting himself from her. Maybe she can't come visit him, even if she wanted to. maybe he despises his own sister. I'm sure he does. How could you not? I want to investigate the room. I see some like angel business back here that you described earlier. I want to, so this is him, and he's flanked by the two angels.

Yes. I want to get up close and probably have my face disintegrated. But I'm just going to go for it. Let's send it. Roll an investigation check and a dexterity saving tip. I doubt. I hope that's not a joke. Huh?

Is that a joke? No. Natural 20. For your investigation, yes. You notice the fire as it explodes all over your face. You're inspired. You get a very good... I am inspired.

You know what? Thank you. You have your points, too. You got a lot of stuff. What did you get? I guess like a two. Three. A ten.

Oh. You investigate the statue. And I just made you roll for a dexterity saving throw because I like to fuck with you. I'm not going to let you waste you. I hate of it all. You do your investigation and you can, looking at it,

you notice a vase at the very base that is filled with flowers fresh. It looked like they had been placed here maybe a mere hours before. You notice that everything in this tomb is pristine, clean. You be able to be. begin to look and your attention is drawn back to the sarcophagus or the coffin, the crypt.

And you see a spot that's worn down over hundreds of years where someone, small, well, not necessarily small, but a lithe feminine figure is bent down day over day, or day at the script. And you see the spots on the top where tears have carved away at the stone. Do I get the sense that... You can tell that it's redaniasized.

Do I get the sense that it's safe? Yes. Okay. I believe it's safe. Please join me. These flowers were placed mere hours ago. And she weeps at his tomb. I guess I was wrong, man. Interesting.

She truly loves her family. Maybe she wishes she could undo everything. We know that. She's gone to the Amber Temple, asking the fates, whoever they are, to undo or a curse. I'm told that she's as trapped here as we are. I don't know what to make of this. It means that regardless of her fate,

not even she can escape it. And it's confirmed what we've known. But this at least shows regret. I am reminded of the dark powers of the Amber Temple, where we were compelled against our own better judgment and even our own free will to commit atrocities outside of what we'd ever even conceive of. And recall the darkness offered in the very sarcophagus. that Sredania herself made a bargain with.

When she accepted the gift of the vampire, she would have been compelled to murder one she loved. Perhaps it was the dark power that forced her hand. Now she has to look at the consequences. And so she does. Day in and day out, century in, century out. So that's why she would nail her mother to a wall

that we still feel remorse. The three of us felt turned evil and it only took the power not only, but it took the power of a God to cleanse us and return us to our good our good selves, our good natures.

She could be afflicted in a same way. She was human ones with human feelings. Jealousy, anxiety, depression and these are all things that we have all felt. True love. And yet, here we are at the bottom of her.

Fortress of evil and wickedness. That she's built trapped a prisoner along with everyone else. Monuments to the evil that she made a pact with. Do you truly think that she must be killed? Do you think that she could be saved? Kana, had you asked me that, when we first entered Berovia, I would have told you there was no chance that she must die. Now, after what? We experienced, and even after, no, especially after, feeling the cold steel of her blade pierced my heart.

I feel that there is renewal that is possible. And perhaps she can be saved and redeemed, even if it requires turning her to ash. I know why we need to retrieve what's ever in this tomb. Does it look like we can... So it is... There's obviously like a stone lid on top of the... I think sarcophagus. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Perhaps we just try to move the lid. It's protected by magic, so... Maybe being good can bypass this magic? I don't know. Should we try? We didn't come here all the way here just to look at it.

Let's see what happens when we touch it. Please back out. I'll step back and I'll bullseye it. Once everybody's back far away enough, I'm just going to kind of stand back here in May Chan and just touch the touch it soon. The hand slowly lowers itself down into the crevice

where Stradonia's tears have worn away at the stone nothing happens Is the abjuration magic on the stone itself? It appears to be on something inside but the stone itself isn't a foot thick so detect magic would go through that

protection is on the inside perhaps we gently move the lid all of us together then yes Yes All right gently

Just so we can hear it so we're going to gently push it open you all begin to push and it's not giving way but kana is your hands touch the coffin it's almost as if it moves easily it's almost as if sergey can sense the goodness in your heart the lawful good in your soul as you're easily able to move

the top of the coffin or the top of the sarcophagus to the side Clayton, you look down into the recesses of this, and you almost rear back at first in shock. Sergei's flesh has been preserved. First glance, it almost looks as if he's sleeping in his casket. But he is not sleeping. He has found death. But his body is pristine.

His armor, gleaming, glowing, a brilliant radio. a magical radiance. His arms crossed over his chest and in them a glowing magical blade. This is non-sacred. What is going on? Is the abjuration magic from him?

He's like flesh? Yes. He's being preserved. By someone himself? Is somebody so powerful that can keep themselves from decay? Perhaps the morning mode. He was doing it,

or maybe he's just trying. Trudanya. Would Sturdania have been... Have I sensed that the coffin gave way easily because of my alignment? Do I... Can I infer that or do I... Yes. I don't know if...

I'll say you've been able to tell that there are things in here with the dead that seem to judge your hearts and you can feel when you're being judged favorably or not. I don't know if Stradania would have done this. She's wept over his tomb. I don't know if she's ever been able to open it. So if she bestowed this boon on him, it would have been before she accepted the gift of memories. We must retrieve the sword.

This was fated in the cars along with everything else. Kana. You are the sole blade master among us. It should be you that retrieves it. I feel conflicted grave-raving, but I think you're right. Sergei led us here. I believe he led us here with each express purpose of giving us this sword of sunlight. Basically, I'm sure to take up all of my blades and put everything on the floor.

I'll kind of stand where Stradania was standing, and I will, you know, kind of scanned a whole preserved body of Saraje appear into his eyes. And before I take the blade, I reach in and just try to lay a hand over his guy. You put your hands on his and you can feel not cold. It almost feels like stone. This body has been laying here for so long that now that you're this close to it, you can see that it's almost as if it's been involved. but

nothing else happens there is a sense of calm that washes over you I take my other hand and would be one still on his hands I take it and I put it where I feel like over on his arm over his heart

to get a sense you can feel the humming of the magic that radiates in the armor that he's wearing and you place your hand where over where his heart would have been look at the sword between his arms between his legs and then the one between his bones.

Great. And I'll look into the correctness of Sergei and Zaravitch. We've come here for your weapon, but we've come here to hopefully save your sister. And the arena is safe now. Stradanya deserves a second chance. But I hope that this blade blends whatever corruption is consumed. Please, I hope you deem you worthy to wield this. And I will reach forward and gently try to, I guess, pry his fingers off.

You reach forward and you touch the hilt. And as your hand makes contact, his immediately let go. Though they don't move, they no longer grasp onto the hilt and you're able to slide the blade out. We're all now level 12. Whoa. Whoa. Oh, my God. What were we before?

10. Good luck being on expelled, brother. You get a level for the dragon skull and you get a level for the sword. Holy. Holy. Oh, Oh,

Holy shit. Level two. Yeah, so we're going to need like a 10 minute break while everyone levels up to level 12. Holy shit! Did you, so did you say that it seems like he's been embalmed? Like, is that, like, he doesn't

have, like, organs and stuff? No, you don't know if he still does. them have him. Not everything that's involved, the organs are removed. It's normally what happens because they decay, but there's magical stuff that's going on to keep them preserved. You'd have to cut into him to determine whether you guys organs.

I wouldn't recommend doing that, but you could. So you now find yourself holding the sword. Do you a stab lock? Won't you spend an hour with it? I love gear. I love weapons. Once you spend an hour with it.

Glowing armor that you could from his body. Should I be building this? I have nothing worthy. I mean, we just don't know much about it, is all just be careful. We don't want to trust anything. I understand that he is holier than most,

and seems good, and I think it's probably safe, but let's all just be careful. I don't believe you need to wield it. Perhaps you just keep it safe. When the time comes, maybe Von Rit is a sword user. Perhaps he's the one that he leaves in the battle.

and we definitely don't want anyone to know we have it. Okay. It couldn't hurt to spend some time with it when we get a chance, I guess, but I certainly don't want anyone know if we have that thing. I'm kind of gazing down at it lovingly, and I hold it up to my ear to see if it speaks to me at all, as I feel a lot of my weapons speak to me. It's a perjah moment here,

as I feel like all my weapons are sent to you. It's humming with magical power. I back away from everyone and I just like slowly and gracefully kind of slice it through the air. You slide it through the air and it radiates. I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Oh, no.

It radiates a din. It radiates the glow of pure sunlight as it slices through the air. It's beautiful. I'll take time to like very gingerly. There was no sheath that came with it that was next to him. I'll gingerly wrap it up. as carefully as I can. I had a gift box.

Some tissue paper. There's a nice microfiber cloth and some some shine, some silver shine if you'd like to shine. I'll still a polish, yes. I'll stow it on my back and just carry my naginaata

freely in one hand where I would keep my naggingana on my back is where I keep the sword and I'm just kind of protectively putting it between my back and my back. You can feel the warmth of the warmth of the sun all down your back with the sword lays.

This is a comforting feeling. I hope I can live up to his legacy wielding it. You will, Connor. And with that, we should not linger here any longer. I have an idea, Professor.

That is becoming my least favorite sentence. I shoot the professor in the face. Oh, that hits. That doesn't know. That hits here. You're going to take it back with a Vajarver that is. I was getting.

Doc in your pay. Yes, it's true that one wrecked in because me old was sore against Rania. But why not Sergei himself? Professor, I already had the thought, and I dispelled it. Why? The man is at rest. Is he?

The fact that he just recently had to protect his beloved, that he's been protecting this stone passageway? He was certainly murder taken before his time, I think. Yes. And he's been preserved beyond anything, any capability that I've ever heard of. I have a same idea, Professor. It's almost as if it's fate. He could be a staunch ally against his sister.

He could convince her to turn over and this doesn't have to end in bloodshy have to end in bloodshed, but I also am conflicted about raising him from his rest. Allow me to pardon the phrase play devil's advocate here. I get it. Let's say we bring him back. What's to stop him and all of his righteous fury from charging up there right this second? And we follow him? Unprepared.

He has a way to stop him. And I think that he was a great, godly man. I don't think he would be that brash. He would have that kind of weird, like, post-resurrection sickness. Like, Tom Solo and Return of the Jedi. I don't know any of those words. Those words are not. Those aren't words, Professor.

I'm worried. Are you feeling all right? We can't predict his actions if we did successfully end up resurrecting him. What's to say he doesn't storm upstairs immediately and face his sister, all of us with him in tow? I don't think he would just leave quietly with all of us back through the way we came. I will leave it up to Sarnax because I can't use the scroll myself. Perhaps you, and I don't make...

I know you don't want this to feel like a cop out. Perhaps you ask Garrix. He may know. He's very powerful and he has a greater presence here. His avatar resides in your very lantern. You know, if we're not troubling you too much, Sarnax. Sheppard. Yes.

Watch the sets. I thought these, these terms of phrase were lost on you. I apologize. Bidst. Sarnax is starting to come into his own and picking up on social cues. He's learning.

He's evolving. He's evolving. He's evolving. Oh my God. I am going to Oh, Pikachu. Sign. I had hoped

to not use these scrolls. found in the Amber Temple. But it is worth the question. Garex, it may be in our best interest to reach back hundreds of years and bring life back to Sergei von Zarovic

so he may be an ally in our war against the Countess Radania. Shall we return him to the fight or let him rest? We are leaning towards resurrecting him. What do you suggest? Audrey? Yep. Throw on the biz.

Weal and woe. I'll respect any decision you make, Synex. Gerrit's has spoken. What did he say? Both wheel and woe. We have one scroll, we have one shot. Is there any chance that it doesn't work? Yes. So we could just end up blowing the scroll for nothing?

Yes. All right. And we, it's there as an opportunity cost of, we can resurrect. You can resurrect St. Markovia. We can resurrect anyone, really, long dead. I think we need just a piece of them. What have we resurrected? Does it have like a human way that gives any other than anything?

Right? Yeah, I resurrected a dragon in a different campaign. That was fun. Let me joke. Let me joke. I think it's creature. It was, I cast, uh, yeah, I cast a resurrection. In a broops dog.

So I know resurrection is just creature. So true resurrection's got to be better, right? Yeah, it's got me better. Uh, oh, so true resurrection is still only 200 years. Oh, shit. Oh, it's years. So what's the, is there anyone that does, is better than that? Because I thought your resurrection was the best.

So I guess once it's been 200 years, you can never... That's it. So he's got to be way dead. Way longer than that. That's a good question. We're obviously talking at a meta perspective here, but... But if, is there... Do we know...

Well, I don't know if... Well, we'd be able to judge roughly how long that he... Well, that too. I don't know how that affects... Let me read it. Let me read it. You touch a creature that has been dead for no longer than 200 years, and that died for any reason except old age. If the creature's soul is free and willing,

the creature is restored to life with all its hit points. This spell closes all wounds, neutralizes, any poisons, cures all diseases, lest any curses. This spell replaces damaged or missing organs and limbs. The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists in which you can, oh, in which case you must speak the creature's name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose than 10 feet of you. So the idea is what you were saying, Maya, this gentle repose or something,

other spell would lengthen that time from 200 years to whatever, right? The idea is that if it could be extended, we might still be a super gentle repose. We might be somewhere still in the window. We're obviously talking about this all out of character. All meta. Kana would have no idea about this. Right. Because we're dealing with something very powerful here.

So, and that's the thing. I think that at least from an in-game perspective, a spell scroll basically have all of these details within it, I believe. You'd be able to understand it. So I believe that you can gain from a spell scroll at least this and So it's not like you just, you don't really know. So I think we would know the catches of 200 years. Okay.

Or perhaps not. I'm not sure. I would say you would know that. Well, and we also do have knowledge on when the, you know, a rough approximation of time of when those events happen based on the journal, the information would begin from other people. And we know that it's well outside the 200-year range. I think so, right? Yes. What do you think it would be saying?

So I think the only shot from a meta perspective is. is basically, well, from a non-metta perspective is the way the body looks. Right. We could basically roll the dice, ha-ha, and think that, you know, maybe he's not decayed. Right. It's not decaying. And it's like a demiplane, right, inside of whatever. So maybe that's fucked.

Normally I would not have these conversations out of RP, but this is a serious, heavy choice that we have to make and could very seriously alter the course of what we were going to do next is all. This is a heavy, heavy decision. It may not anymore. Right. It just might not hurt, which would be fine. Are we good from a meta perspective? Have we discussed everything? I do for a meta perspective, we understand what this bell does.

We understand the limitations. You touch a creature. Professor, are you able to discern the exact abjuration that is on the corpse? Now, what you mentioned? It's gentle repose. But it's basically a buffed gentle repose. So we saw this before. It's the idea that it lengthens the window of time that you have to resurrected bodies.

So like one of them you have to do within a minute of like 10 minutes or something, right? With a gentle repose, it would say give you an extra week or something. 10 days. Whatever it is. Okay. You have to keep recasting it like Lady Wachter. Lady Wachter was doing that on her husband. Yeah.

God. Although hers is still. gentle repose, can I just use raised dead on him? Maybe. But we don't know what kind of organ damage he has. We don't know what kind of issues he's got, right? Because Ray's Dead doesn't mend all that, I don't think. So basically...

Oh, I, I mean, as written... Oh, boy. Here we go. As written, if it has gentle repose on it. Uh-huh. And gentle repose has been on it the whole time. Uh-huh.

then technically then you can resurrect that's the whole point general votes even if he's like missing limbs and shit they just I mean

obviously one looking at means not but it wouldn't restore those those damage that extra damage correct it's a normal resurrection at that point or revivify

if you will it's just normal thank you for the commentary I don't know how it would work because so the duration is normally 10 days right it's obviously still on it but if you

just put it on, then... The flowers are fresh. The flowers are fresh. But if you just put it on, it probably wouldn't work. You know, so... Could you cast Jumps or Pose? The thing is, we don't know for certain whether or not she's casting it, right? Because, like, you have to be good to move the lid, right?

Potentially. But again, yeah. Maybe she's just very hard to move? I think... All of us were pushing it, and it did not move until you pushed it. Correct. because you are lawful good.

We don't do this generally, by the way, everybody is watching. This is very out of character. These things, it's fine to do that. Hello, hello, hello. I'm going to just spell out all the names.

We're going to speak and spell everybody's name. She passed it on a corpse that she can't see, assuming that she is not able to open the lid of this thing. Or maybe she has other ways of opening it. I don't know. That's definitely not. She's been weeping over the, there's indentations of her tears

over the car. Right over the sarcophist. What if she is not... What if she is bringing people here for purposes other than we thought she was? It could also be some mega ton like Boring Ward. Shit, right, right, right. All right. Okay, back on the character.

Look, I don't know anything about this. You know, this isn't my strong suit. This isn't what I excel in, but I'm willing to do whatever you want. If you think bringing him back and really, you think bringing him back and really, you know, Really bringing him back will make a difference. We could try it. I just, there might be consequences. She clearly mourns for the loss of her brother.

What greater gift could we give her? If she can be redeemed, then her brother. If she, if, if she doesn't just strike her down. If, yes, if, but. She killed him after all. Yes, but like Sam had said earlier, perhaps it was by being compelled by the gift that she took. Right.

She may have had no choice if he explained that to him. We don't know what kind of state he was in before he passed in. Mentally, he might too, be mad. He might have been afflicted by similar gifts. We don't know. We don't know much of this is true. I just know that he had to love the transcendent time for Tatia. I think the question is,

we know that there is some good that will come out of us. Can we handle the bed? We have to be prepared for it. I'm not sure that doing this now is the best course of action. This land is a never-ending source of battle. Every decision we do, if you would ask, I can't imagine a single question I could ask Gerex, but he would just say we. Fair enough.

Ever since you've been here, nothing has been as it seems. Nothing has been a pure golden, golden decision. As long as we're all together, And we're ready. It is... If he does something drastic and we feel that we have to follow, are we ready to make that decision? That's all.

Yes. Or do we say good luck in the castle and... Do we come back? You're on your merry way. I believe we can reason with a man that was as pious and capable and holy and well-respected by gods. Yes. Then I leave the remaining decision up to Sarnax. because he's the one that's got to do it.

Let's say it does work. What then? Do we just go out the way we came? Yes. With Sergei Intel? He built the tunnels himself. He would know. You know better than anyone how to get back.

He could have so much good to just learn. Just imagine the look on her face when we blow up in the front doors that cats would have Ravenel off with Sergei with us. It could end right there. perhaps. I see this as a way to avoid having to fight her. We could bring good. Yes.

Lift this darkness. It doesn't have to be killing. How about St. Marlavia? Is that part of the question? Yes. I think it's... She died over 200 years ago and the bones are disintegrated. I said.

Even so, that would be a certain road to fight. It would be a different kind of battle that we were accepting. True. What do you think, Starnex? Feeling up to it? I am able to bring him back without even using the scroll if this magic is indeed. I wouldn't.

Do you really think anything beyond a true resurrection spell? Would he powerful enough to bring him back after such time? Perhaps, but I suppose this is something that we need to be certain of. I just... You could try, I suppose. I will attempt to simply harness the knowledge on the scroll, but still channel the power of Garrick's. That is my main hesitation,

to lie on the ancient arcane magic etched onto a piece of parchment. I just think that if we're going to be doing something this big, we don't want to be half-assing it, you know what I mean? Yes. Yes, indeed. Are we at all worried about these scrolls being written by Litch? Sarnax is worried about it, yeah But he's the one who's got to read it

A spell scroll is a spell scroll The arcane words are A fact of the weave And He was once a great wizard And still is He's kind of us He certainly had no malice towards us

A brilliant mind I trust you This is definitely not my domain And either way This in my mind is not Any of our decision Besides Sarnag And I may not

Be able to even harness its power, it may fail. That's right. It may fail. I'm going to pull out the scroll, and I'm going to flick it open, and I'll see the ruins etched and glowing. We'll grab it by the corner.

Garex grant me the power to destroy the evil of this world and bring back the great saint that wishes to use holy fire on our grand crusade. and I'm going to flick these spells swirl into the lantern and as it burns I'm going to attempt to ignite my hand and go over to Sergei and plunge my glowing claw right onto his chest

and I'm going to... He's wearing plate armor so... Yeah, right over his chest on the plate armor and I'm going to attempt to cast true resurrection. Oh my... So how does this work? This is so insane. You are casting him? What is the role? It is a Ninth level spell? So you have to roll a 19. Before you roll.

Oh, my God. What the fuck? I didn't realize you had to roll that. Hold on, hold on. Before the Arab, so. A 19?

That's what like he's thinking about doing. Are we allowed to help like, um, with this from character to preventives? No, not with the spell scroll.

If you were doing it with his own magic, it is a spell ability check. Ability check, yes. Okay. Is it a spell casting ability checks? And you add your, your spell modifier. Yes.

So whatever you would add to casting a spell. As Sarnax reaches his fiery hand Don't you have fucking important. Don't you dare. No, you are not. Over and places it on Sergei. Yes, I've seen it and my eyes

will glow this pink blue kind of shifting arcane and you roll a natural 20. Garrix the fire lord and the morning lord call you back to Barovia. Call you back. call you back to life and call you back to join the burning crusade against your sister.

You watch as you watch as Sarnax erupts into flame. You see not just fire, but pure radiant fire and sunlight emanating from the armor on Sergei's body. And you all watch as he begins to channel the avatar of Garrick's whiffs out. from his lantern as it bursts forward in an eruption as he swirls around him, his wings getting larger and larger, he begins to beat and it looks almost as if

Sarnix is going to burn the body into dust, disintegrate it where it stands, but you watch as the armor itself, the pale silver begins to glow with an eerie yellow sunlight. And Serge's eyes

open before you. He grabs on to your hand Sarnax. Thank you for what you have done for Irene. He smiles as he looks around all of you. He stands up. He is six, four. He looks over you standing in what had previously been his crypt. He looks down at Yukana. The smile on his face is so beautiful, so achingly beautiful and charming,

as he reaches down for your hand. I immediately take the sword out and I'm just like offering it back to it. Like I'm like not even making eye contact. I'm like in full knees on the ground, sword up in the air, just like in complete shock. He avoids touching the sword and instead moves his hand to yours and clasps it. There is no one better to wield my blade. I would have spoken to you through it.

But now I can speak to you myself. There is a lot of work to do. My sister will either die at my hand or be redeemed. And that is where we'll end the session. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Unbelievable. Wow.

Shit, I'm so happy right now. Like, what happened? A natural fucking truth. When I rolled that, I'm like, God, I hope there's a good reason to use this. That was not the other. supposed to happen. Sergei is my brother. He does not belong to them. I killed him. He belongs to me. He's not theirs to bring back. The divine intervention was simply irritating before.

Now it is unacceptable and unforgivable. The gods have no power here. But it is all in vain. Not even Sergei can change their faiths. He cannot change mine either. Will he even make a difference at all? Find out in Chapter 13 of Curse of Stradania, Mother's Malice. In the meantime, if you wish to watch Legends of Adventress tell similar stories of Dungeons and Dragons every week, you can follow us on Twitch. You can also enjoy our many campaigns on YouTube, support us on Patreon, and join our community on Discord. All links are initial notes. We welcome you to our Ventris family.