Legends of Avantris - Edge of Midnight | Ep. 28 | A Twist of Fate

Episode Date: January 14, 2025

After a lovely dinner party the gang takes a stroll through a hedge maze...   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/wtau2736RqA?si=pHmwUkVga5wfopvN

Welcome to Legends of Aventress. I'm Briggsita Cutlass Crats. You have heard of me, haven't you? And you're listening to Edge of Midnight. Here's what happened last time. We will get Adela to Hot Quotters, and we will see you at dinner. You're going to need to learn how to speak elegantly. Oh, thank God I can't wait.

I will take you to the small dining room where you are going to learn a dinner etiquette. I was trying to rollplay. Stop it. We're trying to get through this. I have to dance with you, you or Jericho. You see six items. It's all real. It's all right here.

I had faith. I had a feeling, feeling he was a man of his word. You know, he's a man who knows how to make a proper deal. But how? We will learn the tale. Providing you with these items in a grand ceremony at the masquerade will prove to all of them who will be in attendance that you are special.

Oh my gosh, I'm so... Power is a dangerous thing. It seems like something that will solve all your problems and make everything right at the end of a hero's journey. But what lies at the end of the rainbow is rarely gold, and usually it has a terrible cost. You find yourselves inside of the dining room at Chateau Claire DeLoon. It is here that you see Adela and countless what look to be

friends of hers as they drink around the table. She is sitting at the very end of the table in a beautiful beaded dress fitting very tightly to her body. Her long beaded necklace with the planchette hanging at the very base of it. She's swinging it around in one hand as she kicks both her feet up onto the table and leans back and takes a long drag off of the cigarette pinched between her two fingers as she laughs at somebody's jokes. Philip stands behind her, massaging her shoulders, looking off into the distance, almost lost in thought, but still trying to engage with this woman that he loves so much, as you're escorted in via this puppet-like entity, this this Ava, as she has been called, as you've all been welcome into this place. You see that there

are many chairs along the table that are available for you to take a seat as Adela waves you in and motions for you to join them. You see that towards the back of the room there is a band in full swing. Every single one of the musicians appears to be some sort of ghoul-like creature as one of them plays the trumpet, another blows on the trombone. There is a thin, ghoulish woman towards the very front who sings in a smoky, sultry voice. All a beautiful background music to the laughter and the drinks and the conversation. There are tons of people here. None of them seem to be paying any attention to you.

All their focus seems to be on Adela. She doesn't stop her conversation as she motions you in, but there are seats very close to her. You imagine that you could move. in and sit with her. You could go sit at the tables in front of the band. There are waiters moving about, providing drinks and appetizers. There's food all over the table for you to enjoy. Whatever your heart desires in this moment. This is, wow, what a spectacle. Where do we sit?

I think we may sit ourselves. I do not see any name plates or anything along those lines. What is this is some kind of test? the secret final test of Cotillian All social encounters like this one are tests of a sort Oh no It's all right Briggs you just remember what you've learned Remember your training

Well I thought we didn't have to use Anything that we learned until Until tomorrow at the masqueray It never hurts to keep it all of the forefront of your mind Oh gosh Looking around you can see that nobody here seems to be utilizing any sort of manners that you had learned at the masquerade.

There are, not only does Adela have her feet up on the table, but you can tell that there are quite a few people here who have already had too much to drink. There's dancing and laughter, and this feels a lot more casual. Does it look like drinks are being served, or do I have to go to perhaps an open bar or something like that? There is a bar along the wall

where you could go and get drinks. You also notice that there are quite a few well-dressed servants milling about. These all appear to be Philip's servants. They're all ghoul-like or skeletal in nature. But they're all very well-dressed, very well-put together. And the more that you look at them, the more that you realize that they look less like the reanimated dead. And more like there's some semblance in life of life to them. They're almost more human-like.

Can I fetch us all something to drink? I'm thinking something a bit stronger than wine. Ooh, like sour sparrilla? More like some sort of liquor. That would be lovely, thanks. I'll take some, too. All right, I'll be back. Well, if they got any kind of fancy soddy pop,

I would prefer that. Right. And I'll walk off to see if I can find the bar there and just order us around to beverages what everybody would like and bring them back. It's easy enough for you to do so. One of the, instead of handing the beverages to you, one of the servants grabs a tray and piles all of the beverages on there and leads you back towards the table, motions towards seats

that are very close to where Philip and Adela are at the head of the table. And as you take your seats and take your glasses, you get to take in the fare that's on the table in front of you. You had expected dinner. as what had been mentioned to you, but this table is lined with cakes and sweets and candies of all kinds. This is, the birthday cake in the very center is multi-tiered, almost like a wedding cake, but for a birthday girl.

And it is, every single thing about this is pink and covered in frosting. Here's to a successful passing of Catillion and all of our manner's training. Thank you. Very nice. We did it. We did it. Cheers. Cheers. Princey, I'm very proud of you. You did what your old man said you what you couldn't do. That's right. I think together we can accomplish anything. Well at least Cotillian. But I mean we did, I guess we did do some mighty fine things in, uh, in, in Fultons. And I think we may find, we may beat them wishes once in fraud. once we cut off the head of that there a snake.

I certainly hope that you'll rise, Jericho. I don't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to say, Happy Birthday. Adela, thank you for the invitation. Adela immediately pulls her feet off the table and spins towards you sitting upright. You see as Philip squeezes her shoulders, but he doesn't look down at you.

He continues to look off in the distance. As she spins towards you, Oh, God, for my birthday. I couldn't imagine him more. Special occasion, heaven. Oh, my sweet darling behind me and my new back else as well. Ah, this is lovely. The honor is ours.

I feel like such a princess. It is. Would you mind if I send you a classic birthday song? On and go ahead and get up on one? Oh, well, I mean, I suppose I haven't had the audience this large in quite some time since a corn and corned alone day festival, if I recall. She claps her hands and then magically booms her voice and announces to everyone that everyone address your attention to the stage, a performance by her best friend, Jericho Sticks.

Ooh, is this thing on? Well, well, my name is Jericho. Oh, Jericho sticks, but you can call me Jericho. Woo, yeah. Anyway, here's the birthday song. It'll start plugging my banjo. Well, there once was this little blue bird what told me it was your birthday. I hope it was a happy birthday that that blue bird did say to me.

And then it ate a word, and it didn't choke on at that time, but maybe it did later. And it was your birthday and you had many wishes, 25 wishes, and all the first wish. It is the length of Freebird. The live recording session it's like the episode of Aquaternity and I get several drinks over the course of this performance. And a few other people,

a few other people do the same but nobody says anything. Everybody listens and Adela more so than anyone else as she leans forward with her hand on both of her, or her head on both of her hands. She looks wistfully up at you.

She seems very, very happy and no one claps louder than Adela when you're finished. When there's a lull in the song, I start clapping awkward. And then it starts going, oh, oh, oh. Bricksey. Oh, oh, oh. I do that multiple times.

25 wishes later. Jericho, that was just, oh, that was just the berries. Something. Well, thank you, thank you. I'm here all week, I think. I take requests. Jericho, thank you. Was that an original song or was that something you learned?

Well, I mean, I said it was a classic, but I had never had a birthday before, so I just kind of made up what I thought felt appropriate, what I don't want to hear on a birthday. That's all, so, I mean, I feel like it's very, it feels very traditional to me. Lovely day today? I'm sorry about the bloody tea incident. Oh, no need to apologize. Your, your health is, I'm sure, still still. recovering from your experience. I'm feeling a little tired, but it's not so bad. I'll be all right. I'm a strong gal.

I can tell. I'm sure you will be fine. But outside of that, did you do anything fun? You want to tell Della all about it? Come on. I want to hear. Well, we had a very full day, many activities. We had our elocution lessons.

Mm-hmm. And that was... And you all passed with flying colors across. The whole... Isn't that great? All of it, the whole thing. The whole... whole thing not just a little bit of you big brisie dining and an arrest that's

wonderful it went better than I would have expected we'll have to get you some trophies or something made up is that a thing it can be I can have a cotillion trophy sure I can bring it back to me dad and show him of course yeah I'll have one we can do that right Phil and he shakes his head for a minute and he's like and You want, darling. We can do anything you want. Yes. Well, that's mighty, mighty generous of you. I mean, and gosh, to think it's your birthday and you're offering us gifts, and we forgot to gift you gifts ourselves.

Oh, your presence is all I need for a gift. I'm just happy to have you here. That's a very funny double entangra. Why? Oh, you said that our presence was all that was necessary. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Ah, I see. Does Philip look distracted?

Yeah, very. Adela, if you don't mind, I'm curious if we might have the opportunity to speak to your lovely Philip at some point this evening. Sure, I mean, I don't see why now. What do you think about that, honey? And you see it takes him a second. He's... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby. What did you say? Oh, well, the fellas want to know if they could have a conversation with you at some point today. Yeah, I'll do the best that I can. I don't got all the time in the world, and there's a lot of stuff going on right now with some of the lords and ladies and the rest of Druskinvold. But for you, if I can find the time, we'll make it.

We understand you're a busy man. Philip, is there anything we can do to help? We got the masquerade coming up tomorrow. It's just a lot going on. But I'm... Once we get through this, everything will be smooth sailing. Good as gravy. We're here if you need us.

Tonight it's all about my wife. My lovely Adela, it's a special night. Whatever she wants. He reaches down, he leans down, he wraps his arms around her, gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. Sweetest, I don't know what I would do without, Phil. Keeps my head on straight. Well, I'm awful sorry that he's feeling a little stressed

on account of us not killing Mother Midnight and Sitch. And I kind of thought whether we had her on the ropes when we burned that one there witch in Folson's. That ended up being Kazaya Jenkins, who was actually a good witch. So we did burn a witch, but it wasn't the bad witch. We actually were pretty responsible

for a lot of innocents dying accidentally. A witch is a witch, really, when you think about it. But, I mean, you must have done something because things have been outside of what's going on in the provinces, of course, but all that's been going on for a while. Outside of that, things have been pretty quiet. So I'm thinking about a skisking.

get them off or something. At least now they know they are four. Here to protect Druskinvold? Here we are. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but if we've managed to buy ourselves some more time and more importantly all of you, then that is what's important.

Yeah. And is there anything that would make your birthday extra special that we could do? I mean, I feel just horrible that we're... I'm so glad you asked that because... Ava here has all of my stuff. I was hoping I could give you a Taroka reading, just to make up for what happened with the tea leaf reading earlier.

Taroka's really more my speciality anyway. So... How does that work? We probably wouldn't do it here, so we'd want to wait until after dinner. And then we'd all get together. Phil's going to come course. And we'll go into the side room.

Oh, we could go into the parlor. And then we'll turn off. We'll turn down the lights a little bit. Only light. A few of the lanterns. maybe a couple of candles just to set the mood, and then we'll get around the circular table, and each of you will go in turn,

I'll have you shuffle the decks, we'll pull cards, and we'll find out what's going on with your future. It'll be so fun. And it'll be intimate. It'll just be the few of us. I would like that very much? So would I haven't read Turoka for in a while,

not since you, well, not in a setting like this since you all came to Drescan Bald. That was the last time I read your Tiroka, wasn't it? He looks down at her and he smiles and he nods but doesn't say anything. I'm certainly interested in learning a bit more about what might be in store for us. It could be an interesting exercise. Well, if anything knows, it's going to be the cards. How accurate are your readings?

Oh, they're very accurate. And when you last read the cards, what did they tell you? Oh, I can't tell you that. That spills privacy. you didn't read anything about us or the future of Druskenwald. It was just Phillips' reading. Well, in my reading, it said that someone special was going to be coming to this place. And, well, sure enough, I didn't just get someone special. I got someone special, because look at all you're here.

That's very kind of you to say. But here's the thing. The cards feed off the energy of the person I'm doing the reading for, and you weren't here at the time. So I couldn't look into your future, not until now. at least and you're sure that they were referring to us who else could they be referring to you know i knew a guy that used to their readings like this usually the readings are worded in a general way where they apply to most people in a very sort of uh spooky and eerie way

but really it's just a bit of uh subterfuge that's not true at all i'm not saying that your reading would be but i'm just saying is if the reading happened to be general and maybe you know you read into it too much that's my feelings briggs you on my birthday too no i'm not saying you're gonna i'm just saying this other man you know it never mind i don't want to do to roca anymore my point was he was a con man in just the uh the the the art of divination is a safe working really hard to get better at to roca and now you're sitting you're telling me it's all a bunch of cards swallow up i'm not saying you're caught no cards are being swallowed miss mr don't Not at all. No swalleled calves here.

Briggs is just, he's feeling mightily mixed on account of his issues with his father and the resentment and the approval. Whoa, hey. Who told you about that? You did. They're in great detail. Oh. Oh, I guess you're wrong. Adela, please, understand that Briggsie doesn't mean anything by it. We are genuinely interested in hearing what you have to say

and especially what the cards have to say. If you don't believe in it, it's not going to work anyway. I can promise you, we all have experiences that would lead us to believe this. I am very eager. Aw. Don't beat yourself up about it, Briggs. People say things they don't mean all the time. Why don't you just pass me that sweet little cake right in front of you?

That'll make up for it. No, that's a toy. No, that's also a plush toy. That's another one of the plush toys. A man of the plush toys. No, that's another plush toy. No, that's another plush toy. It's right next to the clown, but between the cat.

Nope, not that one. Why do you have so many plushies next to the cakes? Because it's my birthday. You can't have a birthday without toys and presents. This one? Looks like a goblin? You know what, fine, I'll take the goblin. Okay, yeah, it's a goblin.

Hopefully it's a goblin. Not a cake, it's a toy. But she just holds on to it and eventually you see one of the ghouls move over and take the cake she had been directing you to and bring it back towards her, and she begins to eat it. to eat it. It's just that in Catillion, they said that it's social engagements to contribute to the

conversation, tell a relatable story from your life that sort of relates to the conversation. So, anyway, I'm sorry. Are we still on this? Can we just drop it? Oh, stupid though.

Oh, God. Adela, I'm very eager to contribute my all to the reading. I, I curious. what it has to say about my destiny and the future. Oh, I can't wait. I'm sure they're all going to be incredibly positive.

We have... Me too! Yeah, gosh. We've been waiting for a little bit of good news, especially after those terrible nightmares we had last night. Even if they are not, we will at least know that the storm is coming instead of going in blind.

That's a fair point. It's always good to know what's coming so you can prepare for it. We can't do the Chiroca card readings anyway until after we have done. dinner, so eat up. All right. That sounds like a plan.

Well, yeah, we'll eat, uh, when does a supper being served? I see a bunch of cake. I want to fill up. What? A pretzel. Is there a pretzel? Oh. You know, how do they tie it in this?

Well, it's still, uh, soft when they, uh, uh, uh, Oh, it should still be soft now. They spin it up and then they, and then they twist it. And we forwent the salt and we put powdered sugar on it. Oh, like one of them cinnamon sugar pretzels. Hmm? I just don't know how they do it. I feel like it's witchcraft and wizardry that makes these pretzels shapes.

You were tired a knot before, Jerry? Well, I've gotten tongue twisted. Is that a knot? No. It's, look, if you take a look, it's like they start a knot and they just stop halfway through. And that's it. And then they bake it. Well, gosh, that sounds awfully complicated.

I think you should learn. I think you would make a fantastic baker. You're very creative. Usually the process that I've most connected to is just kind of standing out in an old wheat field before it even gets reaped and milled and turning to bread like that little red hen once did. You're familiar with the little red hand, aren't you, Miss Lefica? I have heard a similar tale, though. It did not follow the exact events of what you are describing. Well, I can sing you the song with the Little Red Hand as you're feeling. in the tune oh there is a whole song about it there's a whole song there's a stage right there and some sort of magic mouth device oh you hear the song of the little red

okay i learned this one from from a certain kind of fella who had a bit of an eye vant a guard sort of uh sort of a sort of way about the song as an interesting telling of the tune okay here we go is this song is this song hello hello okay it's me here this whole jericho sticks you can call me Jericho most folk do. Garsh, I fucking hate you useless fucking freeloaders. You don't get any fucking red unless you fucking help. And about halfway through Jericho's song, the door to the room bursts open.

And you see immediately the room goes completely silent, except for Jericho, who continues to sing the song. You lazy fucking fuck. As a ghoul-like creature, much taller than the other servants that are milling about, but still of a similar kind, looking almost soldier-like, rushes through the room. Adela immediately tenses up and looks up to Philip,

who's looking off into the distance. She reaches up and pulls on his lapel and motions over. You see a look of, you see his face almost full as he sees this person walking towards him. And as he does, you all feel the cold air that surrounds this entity as he walks past you. Walks right up to Philip. He's just a little bit shorter than Philip. And you hear him mumble to him that he needs to speak to him. Philip lowers his head and this person whispers to him.

You see a breadth of emotions move across Phil's face before eventually he nods. The gentleman turns around and almost. military-style marches out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. There is relative silence for a minute at all, but Jericho still singing up on the stage, having not stopped a single beat of his song during the course of all this.

Go ahead. And I'll finish up. As far as friends go, you're a zero out of ten, or my name ain't the fucking little redhead. Nobody claps. Let's go. She's not. Except for the two of you, nobody else claps.

Adele is just staring up at Philip and he looks down at her and immediately you see his face fall and you hear her, you hear her say, Oh, Phil, not now, honey, it's my birthday. Tell me it isn't so. I'm sorry, honey. There's nothing I can do about it. I, stuff I gotta, I gotta deal with. You know, I wouldn't leave you on your birthday if I didn't have to. But I have to deal with this.

We've got the masquerade, my darling, and he reaches down, he rubs his hand along her cheek. You've got you to Roker readings tonight. You've done one for me recently. You don't need to do another for me now. And I promise, I'll make it up to you tonight. You see a sparkle light in his eyes for a second. She looks up at him.

You see a pout on her face. your pouting's not going to work on me today. You know I've got to handle this. And he rubs his thumb along her bottom lip and her pout goes from a pout to an actual frown before he smooths it into a smile. Come on, honey, smile for me. You know, I can't leave with you looking like that.

Eventually a smile lights her face and she reaches up and squeezes his hand. All right, honey. But don't stay out too late, all right? It's my birthday. And maybe I can convince him to walk in the gardens with me later. He leans down, he kisses her cheek, he tells her he loves her. And then he motions to all of you and just nods to you

as he takes his hat that had been resting on the top of his cane, he puts it on his head and he strides out without another word. Once he's like out of the room or out of earshot, and I feel like I can lean in to the other people at the table so that Adela can't hear so much. It's kind of like in the side just in. Yeah, she is watching Phil walk away and she looks at, but she's trying to keep up a brave friend.

Perhaps Cherokee is still on stage. Maybe he hasn't made bad. Maybe he's like tuning his banjo. Okay. Thank you, thank you. I'll lean in to left again, Briggsian, say. What this reminds me of. I do not like this.

I'm growing restless. No armor, no sword. And we're here, we're sitting here, and this reprieve, it's nice, it's opulent, but we have to do something. All we can do is wait. We have much to learn about the different provinces, the lords and ladies of this place, about what is actually happening with Philip and the power struggles he seems to be contending with. We must just enjoy this time. We must just try to nourish ourselves in this luxury as long as we can.

The horrors of whatever this land has in store for us can wait. I am rapidly growing tired of waiting. I mean, this is not that much longer. I mean, all we have to do is make it froop, and he's got our fucking artifacts. And that's the other thing, too. I can't get that damn cup off my mind. We're so close to not being cursed.

We can hang in there. Oh, hold on. Play bird what is free. Free! Well, that's the fella. Well, that's mighty. Oh, Bird, Birdwood is free! Oh, Birdwood is free!

Oh, no, you know that one! Oh, well, I... Oh, I mean, gosh, I feel a little beset upon, but I, ha ha, you're right, he's right. I do know Birdwood is free. So, anyway, he's... All right, he's... Me, me, me, me, me, me.

We're in a spooky, horrific land of death, full of like crazy Halloween monsters. I feel like, you know, he's got a lot on his shoulders, and he seems to have... He doesn't have a handle a whole witch situation, but other than that, it seems to me, why just a lot of spooky stuff happen, all the time. This is probably a very normal thing if I would have guessed.

He is ruler of this land. There are many demands on his attention. If he needed us, he would call on us. Fine, so be it. How does it be? I know that I... Oh no. Because I'm as free as a weird old gross crow now. And I know that I I loved you and now I'm going to leave you and that's what we said. But I don't really care. You got a good laugh out of Derek with that one. It was the end. And I do the entirety of the, I do banjo solo.

Oh, and Miss Pots coming up. And this happens. I'm Jam. Adela cheers up after about. 10 minutes or so. And though she does occasionally look towards the door almost wistfully hoping that Phil will come back, she still continues to entertain the guests and chat with you. She talks to you about many things. And she is, you can tell, a little bit tipsy, but not too much, just enough that she's having a good time as hour after hour passes. And throughout

the evening, the dancing slows down. The band doesn't. stop but the the types of music that they're playing takes on a more softer tone and you begin to notice that couple after couple after group after person starts to leave until eventually the band is playing softly in the background and it's just you and Adela and the bartender and just a handful of the waiters as they're milling about taking any of your orders and she seems to realize this as she looks around. Huh, well, it looks like the night's finally coming to her clothes.

It's just us here. Well, did you want to go ahead and do those taroteroca readings? Did you all stuff? Did you need any dessert? I mean, I wouldn't find a slice of cake. Oh, yeah, of course. And she motions for one of the waiters, and they head towards the gigantic birthday cake in the center of the table,

and they cut off a huge slice of cake. and bring it over to you. I bet this tastes real good. It's quite good. Well, uh, me, you're not ready for that one yet, but your kids are gonna love it. I didn't know Jericho, he can call me Jericho, most folk do, good night. Oh, great job, Jericho, you... We're a rough, grouty night, folks.

Thank you for applauding. I didn't get any tips. I had my hat out the whole time. Oh. Were you expecting tips? Well, I don't know. I was, I mean, sometimes. I was kind of hoping.

I know it's Miss Adela's good day. Well. Well, I can't afford any kind of prison for it. Well, here you go, Jericho. She reaches down and she takes a beautiful strand of these iridescent pearls off of her neck, and she hands it to you. Here's a tip for you. You can have these.

This seems like it's worth quite a bit of coin here, Miss Adela. Oh yeah. For me? For you. For real and for true. For real and for true. Just for you. But you are mighty kind, Mr. Della.

I say, I say, I, thank you. She jumps up from the table and she bounces around the chair, and she gets up on her tiptoes and kisses you on the cheek. Thank you for playing for everyone tonight. I know they just loved it. You did a fantastic job. Well, it's my birthday And a little red hand Fucking fucking freeling

I'm Jericho I mean Happy birthday A little blue bird was joking on a birthday word Watch her She giggles her curls her curls Her curls bounce and she takes her seat back at the table

And a gold coin from me for the performance Oh, Miss Leverickold Thank you for this Gosh, I... Oh, I don't think I've had this much wealth in my entire existence. Gars, what would Virgil say about this right now? I'll take it, and I'll put it in my various pockets. It'll burst through my one pocket.

Okay, this one just needs to sit up a little bit. The hand of bag comes up. Well, I know that we haven't already seen our eye after you snap that little girl's neck, but going to go in the coin. Jesus. It's blood money, Jerry. He's awfully generous.

I can't say no to that. I can't turn it down. All right. Can't turn it down. Really bad eggs. We finish our cake. You do. Is there anything else that you need from us in order to do this reading?

No, we just... I guess we'll adjoined to the study and get everything ready. We'll make it... Really aesthetic. It'll be leveled. Oh, I can't wait to learn my future. This will certainly illuminate our path forward. Thank you for offering to do us a favor on your very wonderful birthday.

You're looking a little stiff tonight, Briggsie. You can like relax a little. It's just me. Well, I mean, I'm trying to be polite and fit in with the upper crust. Oh, you can have to worry about that tomorrow night at the masquerade. Tonight's a night for relaxation. I know. Let your hair down. I'm going to grab a drink for the road then.

All right. Well, get whatever you need. I'm going to head into the study and get it ready, and you head on in whenever you're ready. Okay, I'm so excited. Good old sooty pop for the road. Sounds wonderful. We'll be right behind you.

Adela quickly jumps up, and she runs around the table and throws her arms around each of your shoulders and gives you a quick squeeze before grabbing a cocktail. from the bar and rushing into the part the adjoining parlor immediately you can see the lights in there dim as she clearly extinguishes a couple of the of the lanterns and then eventually you see dots of a flickering candlelight she is making

the place setting up the place for the perfect reading gosh you think I should have not played tugged on the birthday worm probably not I think many in I enjoyed it, though. I wasn't sure how intoxicated they were. I feel like maybe I read the room wrong. Perhaps a little. Gosh, I could have swore. I just thought that she was going to enjoy talking about the birthday word. Jericho, do you know the definition of the word euphemism? I don't really mean any of the word.

Well, I think the whole song was a euphemism. No, it's about on your birthday, you get, you save a bluebird's live under tugging the, on the birthday worm out of its gullet. And then you get blessed by the magical bluebird benevolence that represent joy and happiness and good drops for a good season. Good harvest. Perhaps that's literally what the lyrics might be saying. It's like, tug, tut, duh. I tell you how the birthday word. There's what we call subtext, Jericho.

There are words beneath the words. It's pretty deep. How are they beneath the words? But I don't know how else to say this, Jericho. The worm is a penis. The worm, the what? Jericho, the worm is a penis. Gosh, what's a penis?

We should, we should quickly head to the study. I get up. Thank you, thank you, David. And I'll follow Artella. Oh, gosh, a nice, sweetie pop. You don't know how much money I would have paid to be scrimmed this moment. All the other than you would do was ask Jericho be out of penis. Maris would have been.

Never, ever, ever do. I'm gonna hum it and I'm like, after the hand and all the drinks, I'll like kind of like us towards the study and like, you know. Every single party there's someone who knows nothing about sex. You leave the kitchen or you leave the dining room and you head into the parlor.

It is here that Adela has the room completely set up. You see a circular table in the very center. You see five plus. chairs around it, a very low fire crackling in the hearth directly behind her, casting her in shadows. As she has thrown a transparent dark purple shawl around her shoulders that's dotted in silver beads that makes it almost look like the night sky. as she sits at the table and you see that there is a deck of Turoka cards laid out on the table.

And she's muttering to herself and looking down at the cards, occasionally picking one up and looking at it and humming to herself before putting it back down. And as you enter, she can almost sense it. And she quickly whips the cards up and begins to shuffle them. Alright, so who wants to go first?

I'll scan the room. Take a seat. Take a seat. I imagine that she has darkened most of the room. She's put transparent pieces of fabric, gauzy pieces of fabric over the lanterns and dimmed them enough that they won't catch fire, but that it disperses the light in a very evocative way. The room is exactly as you would imagine it.

Lethika could stand for it to be a little darker, so she uses ShadowSnap to extinguish a few more of the landings just to bring everything down. Okay, oh, we really wanted to be dark and spooky here. All right. I care not who goes first. I just wanted to make sure we were all in the mood. So, Mary, how do you, how do you reckon he thinks you got cursed in the first place? Jericho?

How does Jericho reckon that I was cursed? Well, if he doesn't know what a penis is. Now is not the time for this conversation. Let's get it up. Briggsie, please. Alright. Gosh. We'll take a seat.

Pardon us for a delay. We're ready. Who wants to go first? Oh, how do we pick an order? Why, just whoever wants to go first? Should we draw straws? Oh, what was it like, oh, whoever's oldest goes first? We can draw some straws.

One, two, three, four. Oh, that's a great idea. And I'll pull out four straws from my sleeve. This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Aventris and gain access to tons of exclusive perks, including a monthly movie night and a weekly Patreon exclusive campaign set on the high seas,

shroud over salt marsh. You can also go to The Crooked Moon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror tome for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. And don't forget to snag all the extra goodies like dice, miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more. Thank you. So which one of you wants to go first? You're going to draw lots?

Well, yes, I pulled some straw out of my... Oh, perfect. I'm on the count of being a scarecrow. I've got plenty of extra straw. It seems parallel to the randomness of the card drawings. Yeah, sure. To the random order. It might have a little bit of gargoyle demon eye core and perhaps a little bit of Beasel familiar guts and other stuff that we faced and fought, but...

It's no worse for where. Well, I'll draw last because I plucked them. And most of us couldn't possibly be any more cursed than we already are, so... I want to go first. Okay. Don't let me look, though, because I technically cut these. In the meadowed a universe. Let me pull all this way.

This one feels nice. Well, mighty fine. Nice choice, Briggsie. I'll draw next. Nice choice, Sir Marius. All through this is going to be the long one. Nice choice, Miss Lethica. Nice choice, Jericho.

Perhaps we should compare. Let's compare straws. compare sticks. Strauss, that is, straw. Well, gosh, I got the long straw. I'm third. Jericho's last. Lathka's first and Briggs he is second. It seems that I have drawn the short straw. All right. Well, I guess I need you to shuffle the cards,

and then shuffle while you shuffling the cards, think about all the things that have happened to you, what you want to know, and when you feel like you're done, pass them back to me. You shuffle so nicely, Miss Lephyka. Thank you. That's what I was going to say. That is not my first time.

Well, you're full of surprises, ain't you? I don't know why Virgil's so suspicious of you. Right, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to... I cut the deck for you, and then what I want you to do is I want you to take this. Yes. And I want you to flip over the first card you see. Or the first card on the top? The priest.

Okay, well, the priest is a beacon of faith and spiritual guidance. This card signifies a time of reflection and in a peace. A call to seek high a truce and moral clarity. The priest guides towards compassion, wisdom, and understanding. Embrace the teachings that resonate with your soul and find solace in your faith. I mean, that sets you to a tea. That's exactly right. They really are magic cards.

See, Briggs? Does the first card come in an order or a position on the table? Is it the present or something along those lines? Well, some people want to think of this in the past, present, future tense. And really, it can be that way, but it's up to the cards to decide. It feels very appropriate. Interesting. All right, the next card. The traitor. All right. Interesting. The traitor reveals betrayal and deceit.

This card warns of false friends and hidden enemies. Those who smile to your face will plod in your down. Trust must be earned, and the traitor reminds you to guard your heart and be wary of those who seek to deceive. Unmask the betrayers and protect yourself from treachery. No way that it could possibly mean any of us. No, I do not think that it means any of my allies. No one in this room. I mean, I would hope not, but it literally says false friends are hidden enemies. And I do not believe any of you are.

false friends. Well, you just be careful, Lethika, and you keep your eye open. You watch everyone, no matter how much you trust him, okay? Can I answer a question? Always be, oh my God. If that's allowed in this sort of thing.

Sure. Is it possible that the traitor? Is Lefika herself? I guess it's possible. That's not... But it seems more like it's talking about someone Lethika knows. But then who does Leitha

can know better than herself. The next card let the clerk I would. Oh, I shouldn't say it. Where is Virgil, by the way? No, I don't know. Probably Perch somewhere doing something naughty. Oh. Do you have a way of calling him? Virgil. I know you're technically in there. Are you snooping around somewhere?

Virgil. Well, I'm getting a... I'll call it later. Sorry, I don't want to interrupt your reading. Oh, it's very rough. The mist. The mist's an enigmatic an enigma shrouded in uncertainty. This card signifies a journey into the unknown, but clarity is obscured and paths are hidden. Embrace the mystery and venture forth with courage,

for the mists conceal both danger and opportunity. Trust in your instincts and navigate the fog with confidence. Well, that's positive. That was sort of your instinct. Yes. Yeah, but with Yogi gone, someone's got to be in tune with the mists, right? Well, and wasn't that what your...

What did that... I didn't mean to peek over your shoulder, but isn't that what Mr. Druskenball said? Lord Druskenball, I mean, about what you were going to receive? Doesn't have to do with something with the mists? Vindel. Except what?

Excuse me? You're speaking of the treasure that I am. going to this? Yeah, that strange-looking bell. It's with a bee. Just the bell, yes. No, it is. Jericho's an idiot.

Oh, I can't. That's a type of horse. That's a type of horse. I don't think that that's true, but perhaps from where you come from, I... Just know his horses. I will navigate with as much confidence as I can muster.

Mostly. Briggs his turn. It's more turn. You got the third straw. All right, go ahead and shuffle the cards. There you go, Priddy. Good luck. The miss.

Oh, the miss. I don't certainly pretend to know what these cards mean, but perhaps we must press on. It's just saying that we have to be resilient. Would have his past, present and future, then you, you as a priest? Priestess, pardon me.

The present is a traitor. A traitor. traitor which will then lead to the mist in the future. Well, gosh, that's awfully suspicious. How many times do I suffer this? Just until you feel and you're very cool that the cards are speaking to you. So the last time I had is done.

A fella that did it, he would sing a little song while he did it. Is that normally part of the reading like this? No, not any that I've done, but if you wanna sing a song, they'll make you feel better. It wasn't Mayhew singing. It was, you know, he was singing about the past, the present and the future, you know.

Oh, Andrews, did that random. Right, I'm going to go ahead and cut the deck for you. And now I need you to go ahead and flip over the top card for me. Good luck. The swashbuckler. Oh, gosh. Oh, that's so what I am. It is.

The swashbuckler dances on the edge of danger, a symbol of daring and adventure. This card speaks of bold moves and audacious plans, urging you to embrace your courage and take risks. Life is a grand tale of adventure, and the swashbuckler reminds you to seize the moment and live with passion. Oh, it's so right. That was a great one. Wow, I'm starting to think this isn't coincidence. The executioner. The executioner, a grim reminder of finality and judgment.

This card signifies the end of a cycle. a decisive action that cannot be undone. It calls for clarity and resolve to act with conviction and accept the consequences. The execution is blade as swift, cutting through doubt and hesitation. So bad. Is Briggs he going to die?

You're going to kill somebody? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You can pull it. The dark lord. The dark lord embodies power and tyranny. This call. God warns of a figure of immense influence, one who rules through fear and dominance. It may also reflect your own struggle with authority and control.

Confront the Dark Lord within or without and challenge the oppressive forces that seek to bind you. Why was mine so much spookier? It certainly appears to be ominous. There's the only chance that this Dark Lord is referencing that Mr. Crossroads are always talking about. I think it probably is Well who's the executioner though If it's not him Unless he's also the executioner

And maybe he's even a swashbuckler It's not even me How do you feel about this Mr. Crossroads You seem to speak about him With at least some sort of favour You never seem scared of him in the past He's a tricksy bastard Who fucking, you know

Pull Pulled a wool over my eyes And got the better of of me. Better of me greed. But is he really evil? No, I mean, how do you define evil? He has his own aims and his own

machinations, I suppose. Did they involve Dark Lorditude? Perhaps it's not him. It was simply a question. What if you learn more? What if the Dark Lord's going to swashbuckle me head from my shoulders?

I'm not so sure that the cards are supposed to be that literal. I don't think it loops back around, Riggsie, unless I'm misunderstanding. Oh, it doesn't lock up. Doesn't loop back around? What if it's cyclical? They, I mean, they can.

Oh! I was under the impression that it was a bit more of a metaphorical thing. If it doesn't loop around, what if our swashbuckle his head from his shoulders? What if you're the traitor that Lethika's worried about

and you're going to swashbuckle her head from her shoulders? Oh. Well, then, who's... the dark, am I a dark lord? Do you become the dark lord? Do you just Bricksey become the dark lord? Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh. Well, Todd looked so excited about it. That's not a good thing, Briggs. I'm not a dark lord. Or swear. Well, I have, Briggs, I think you'd make a mighty fine dark lord if

one of us had to be one. Oh, you really think so? I mean, if you're not wrong, I do think that's true, but you shouldn't want to become one of those. They're bad. No, why would I be a dark lord? Virgil always says it's always better for a fool and charlatan motivated by simple-based pleasures and greed to get elevated to power because they're easy to manipulate and utilize for your own aims. All right, well, moving on, Mary. Do you want to go ahead and shuffle the deck? I do not believe you are a dark lord, Riksy. Nor do I believe that you're going to betray me or cut off my head if you could. My eyes narrow at Jericho as I begin to shuffle the guards.

and while I'm shuffling the cards, I'm thinking about what Adela told us, about what we want to know. And Marius wants to know how did Philip Druskenwald get that damn cup? And he's thinking about wanting to know the future and the answers, and the whole time that he's thinking and shuffling,

all he can hear is the thump, thump, thump of lack of his heartbeat. And it's extremely frustrating. Here, I'm finished. Oh, it took you much longer than everyone else. You must have had a lot on your mind. Yes. All right, if you want to go ahead, can I cut the deck for you? All right, I'm ready.

The Avenger. The Avenger, a symbol of retribution and justice. This card heralds a time of reckoning, where wrongs are righted and vengeance is sought. You are called to be the arbiter, to balance the scales of fate, embrace your inner strength, and pursue justice with unwavering resolve. Oh. It's totally your thing. That's a good one.

That's so you! Yeah, it's basically you, just like swashbuckler was me and priest was just as a... And this is. That's exactly right. A pattern does seem to be emerging. Oh, I think I'll have a nice first car. I am no one who's swashbuckles. There isn't much on this planet that gives me pause, but I'm worried about flipping the next card. Oh, it's gonna be all right.

The tempter... The tempter... The Gispice of desires and forbidden fruits. This card warns of temptations that seek to lead you astray. Promises of power and pleasure that come with a steep price. Beware of this seductive allure, for the tempter's gifts are often poisoned. Keep your heart and mind steadfast against the siren's call. Could have used that card nearly 80 years ago.

Maybe it's not about who you think it is. I'm not so sure I'd fall for the same tricks twice. There's no one else that you feel tempted by? No. The beast. The beast represents primal instincts and untamed furiosity. This card reveals the wild nature within, a force of raw power and unbridled emotion.

Embrace the strength of the beast, but be wary of losing yourself to its savage urge. balance your inner beast with wisdom and control. I was confiding in my friends earlier that I've been restless. Being here as wonderful as it is, and so much work to be done. Sitting here feels... I don't know. I'm sorry. I thank you for your time. You're welcome. I'm sorry it's made you feel a little icky.

It's not your fault. Look at this fucking nightmare! Oh god, I'm so glad I got the dark lord. Princey, he can't say that just because he got a spooky terrible reading. Oh, I mean, oh, look at the dialled on that card. No, no, he's right. This is concerning. Something dark deep within. Isn't there Mary is? That's why we're being warned of it so we can do things about it.

Well... Derico, take the cards. I guess... I guess I'm next. I guess there's no one else, no other straws, no one... Sorry, sorry, do you... I somehow have a dexterousness when it comes to instruments, when it comes to implements... ...Cetico, just do a mash shuffle. Spread them around.

What's a mash shuffle? It's when you spread them around and they pile it. Actually, it's the most random way to shuffle like a deck of cards. Oh. I ain't no card slinger. I ain't no hustler. I don't want to be nerdy mates that played Marshal the scattering shuffle that way I just do this is this count miss Adela that's fine isn't that fine Nadela yeah whatever works for you I'm sorry I'm fine just don't bend them I'm being gentle

that's why I'm doing this I don't want to hurt your cards it is a lovely Dex thank you you must have had it for some time I oh yeah for as long as I can remember I don't even remember where they came from I got him when I was a little girl really Without Virgil here, I don't have any of the dexterousness. He's really leaving me hanging. Really feel put out? Okay, well, here you go, Ms. Adela. All right.

I'm going to go ahead and cut the deck for you. And now, if you want to go ahead and pass that back. All right. Jericho, I can get this done right away. Here we go. Right, the marionette. The marionette is similar. of control and manipulation.

This card speaks of unseen forces pulling the strings, bend in your will to their desires. Beware of those who seek to dominate your actions, for you may find yourself a puppet in a grander scheme. Look closely at those around you. Trust is a fragile thread easily severed. Gosh, why does everyone get something cool? Couldn't they have the tunesmith or the minstrel?

The songbird. The songbird, the troubadour. The sweetheart. The sweetheart, that's the exactly right. It stands the reason, Jerry. I mean, you know, how many options are there? I mean, what are the odds?

Somebody who wrote a deck of cards, you know, ages and ages ago, thought of, oh, banjo playing, songs, singing, scarecrow, fellow. Perhaps that will be the next card to represent your present. You're right.

Because your past was a little spooky, okay, right? So it goes to saying that your past card would be a little iffy, but maybe your present and your future will be great. The present will be just fine. Okay, I'm pulling it. Let's go. The dungeon. The dungeon.

The dungeon. The dungeon signifies confinement and isolation. It probably gets better. You may find yourself trapped, either physically or within the prison of your own mind. This card urges you to seek. the key to your release to break free from the shackles that bind you. But remember, even the darkest dungeon is a hidden door to freedom. Hmm. Well, maybe this is a good thing. Yeah. There's a door to freedom. I don't know if I like that wording necessarily. Could be fine.

Cards, what are you thinking? I mean, I think maybe I'm doing a jail break, like, Remember the song I played, not a prisoner. Oh, Lord. A reburred. Tonight is going to be a jailbrain. Well, that one, that is a great one. That's a great tune, yeah. Oh.

Gerard. And I have a question for you. Skinny lizards. There's several times that Virgil or whatever you want to call it comes forth. Do you feel trapped? Do you feel alone? Are you aware of what happens? when that entity is brought forth.

Well, I mean it's dark. And it kind of feels like I'm in a, like a metal confining device. Like a cave? A perch. Bird cave? But I guess what's interesting is that ever since Virgil had a bit of a taste of old gargoyle demon,

and Baylor and Knights of Sin and Such, and the Archbishop and his love for cream puffs. Ever since I go in there, it's different. Like, it's me and it's Virgil. But there's something else in there with us. Like Virgil's trapped in there too. And there's something else. And it speaks through Virgil and it's angry

and it's awful, awful crass, of course. And I'm mighty afeard of it. And it's not Virgil? What I thought it was, but Virgil was... Virgil was... Had Virgil something else, and I don't know. I'm just confused. I ain't smart enough to...

to parse any of that out. Jericho, I... I hope that you find the key to your freedom soon. Well, perhaps? We will and then'll finally shut a little Virgil up. Have you ever been swimming, Jerry? I've been thinking. I want to do an old pirate named Don John. He ran a surf shop.

I wonder if... What's surfing? Oh, it's a long story. Probably just acquaintance. Ah. Maybe it's about that we're both... anyways. The next card will probably be fine. The future.

The future. The Raven. That's not so bad, probably. The Raven, a harbinger of messages from beyond. This card brings omens and secrets. Truths whispered on the wings of night. Pay heed to the signs and simples that cross your path, where they carry vital knowledge.

The Raven calls for vigilance in an open mind of the mysteries of the world. It's a dumb question. Are we sure? Have videos ever actually checked to see if Virgil is a crow and not a raven? Is it obvious? I would say, yeah, it's obvious. He's a crow. I mean, I certainly would not say that Marius is a bird expert.

That's a little, I mean, it's a little wrong. Oh, it's close enough. I mean, this seems pretty straightforward. Yes, how strange. That was fun, wasn't it? Yeah, that was really fun, thank you. Oh, happy birthday to me. Happy birthday.

Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Adela. Happy birthday, Adela. Happy birthday, Miss Adela. Is there any... Are you all just the happiest right now? Very. And it helps that we are in such a beautiful place of luxury, which you...

Aw, thank you. You are crafted with your husband. I sure do love my home, and I'm so happy to have you as my guests. We're happy to be here. Is there anything else that you want to on your last few hours? The last few hours of your birthday? Oh, yeah. I was hoping that maybe we could go on and walk through the gardens tonight.

I mean, at this time, they're absolutely beautiful with where the moon is in the sky. Oh, you just can't beat it. That sounds delightful. Second it. I, I, we would be honored. Gosh, that sounds like the perfect thing to do after a ball or a dance or a birthday, uh, suarez. That's what, uh, Briggs Salamina would always say. Well, let me...

To go on an evening stroll in the gardens. Let me go change out of this outfit. It's a little too fancy, and she shimmies and all of the little beads jingle in the firelight and catch the light. We go put on something a little more appropriate for garden walking. Oh, do you know how to... It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. Since we're leaving the inside of the house, I think it might be best if you get dressed into what you're most comfortable in. The moors can be a bit dangerous sometimes.

And if anything would happen, I would want to make sure I was protected. Not to worry you or anything, I'm sure to all be fine. I just... No, no, please. There's no need to explain yourself. We will... Blatly. Phillips.

Phillips, not at the chateau right now. And I... Pardon me. I'll just be honest. I'm going to spill all the beans. I want to look out over the barrows. I just want to make sure everything's okay. We will happily escort you, and more and more we are becoming defenders of this land.

Yeah. You are very much a part of it, and it would be an honor to be at your side. Plus, I've been out of my armor for far too long. I need the weight of my sword on I am. Good luck this. Change that's totally fine. If you want to change, love it. I'm going to change, because this five wine glasses previous,

so I'm going to go get into something that's a change. It's got a little more room in the tummy. I'll be ready in 10 or 15 minutes. Okay, great. Where should we meet? Um, why don't we meet in the entranceway? And we'll head on out through the back door, out to the gardens. Done.

Okay, well, I'll see you in about 10. We'll see you in about 15. Bye! Birthday waltz through the hedgerows. She hops down off of the seat and quickly rushes out of the door and deep into Chateau Claire DeLoon. Where you imagine she's heading to get changed. Well, none of you need anything, that's fine. I have to go get my armor and my weapon.

But take me ten minutes and I can meet you with the front. Well, I was just getting used to the powdered wig and a fancy clothes. Certainly don't have to change. No one's going to make you. Well, what if I trip into bogs or whatever she said? Barrows. Oh. Well, what if I trip into beaurs?

The moors. It's fine. I'm barrows and moors, isn't that like? wet, maybe a little swampy, I'm not sure, I haven't been back there yet. I'll just don't know the meaning of the word. I don't think I can help you. I'll join you.

All right. I will return with Marius to put on my filthy clothes. Yeah, we would just go quick, and I would take 10 minutes to don my armor. Say, between the two of you, you get lost a couple of times, but you're quick enough that you're able to eventually find the room, don your armor, and head back towards the entranceway, where I'm assuming Jericho and Lethaca are going to meet.

I very quickly would remind Jericho to keep on the lookout for Virgil. And then before getting up and making my way to get dressed myself, would reach over for the tarot deck if it's still there. Yeah, she left it on the table. I'd shuffle it. And... Hmm. Tum, tum, tum, ton.

And then I would get up and... I wouldn't see that. What cards do you pull? It's very interesting. Very interesting. Did you just pull three random cards on the top? Yeah. Okay.

One. Two. I didn't see it. So the idea is that I was just trying to see what would happen. You were just shuffling. Just as a quick glance for her own. Thank you. Just curious.

Interesting. Once we're, once we're armor is done and we're changing into our fully clothes. Marius would be happy to feel the weight of his sword, like hanging from his hip again. No shield, obviously. And the weight of his armor on his body, body would make him feel good again. Like he's been, he's missed being a warrior and again, as much as the opulence is

nice and the rest is nice, there's a yearning to get back in the field and do something of worth that he feels is worthy. Are you ready? I'm as ready as I'm gonna be. All right. The other should be waiting at the entrance. That's hurry. All right. As we're walking back,

Virgil will fly up. Towards it. Oh, Virgil, you're back. What did? Oh, no, I know. We were both there. We saw you, you've been just looking at the key that old time? Well, we know that it's genuine. What does that have to do with what miss, what does that have to do with Miss McDuff? Gars, you're just talking crazy lately. I don't even, I don't know what to do with you. Yeah, there was a raven. How was that feeding? You're a crow.

That's preposterous. I don't. You're speaking nonsense. We're going on through the walk through the gardens. Why don't you go keep, keep looking and snooping around like you do? Get out of my hair, buzz off. And Virgil will fly off. On our way back, while we're walking, we'll be able to marry.

So, I mean, well, Adela is pretty perceptive, I think. I suppose so. She's been known to have some sort of extra-sensory perception of some kind, glimcing the future? No, I'm just saying that tempterous card came up and I think she knew exactly what it meant. You think she knew it exactly what it meant? I think everybody knows exactly what it meant.

What do you think that it means, Brixie? Oh, Mary. Come on. It's obvious. Enlighten me. You, Lefika, two unreasonably attractive companions. sharing secret private moments together more frequently than one might expect.

There are no secret private moments and the only temptation from Lethika's the taste of her blood. Well, I mean, you know, you kept glancing down at a chest. I would never... Briggsie! I'm a gentleman, a knight. I meant to look at where her heart would be, Marius. I'm not so sure that's what you meant, Briggsie. Well, you'll never know what I meant. I'm just saying...

Give me a break, Prigsie. I'm doing the best that I can here. Everybody knows it. You know, what's the harm, is all I'm going to say, you know? Do you understand what the thirst is like? Do you know what it's like now that I've tasted humanoid blood? What I mean? I don't want the others to know. I don't want Rethika to know. How difficult this is for me. I'm struggling here.

So is it? I mean, how bad is it? I mean... Bad! It's very, very bad! Is there something I can do? No, I don't think so. I don't think there's anyone...

Anything anyone can do. I'm not sure how... Really, if... What I have is considered blood. You know, if... I don't know if it scratches the same sort of it, but I'm happy to, you know, drain some of it for you.

One, gross. Two, you have no heartbeat. All right? That's fair. I'd have to like scoop it out. I'm not sure how it would manage. Enough of this. I need that damn cup! We're close, alright? You and I were both gonna have heartbeats.

It won't just be laugh-a-cut. So you won't have any excuse to stare at a chest anymore. Regardless of the temptation, I'm not going to fall again. I'm not going to give in again. Whatever happened when we were... Back there. I wasn't conscious. It wasn't to me. I was in a dream. And then I woke and the next thing I knew it was what had happened.

Look, I'll get it. You know, I've been in the heap of the moment. You know, feeling things. You're incorrigible. I swear. What I mean is if we're in the heat of combat. And all of a sudden, I'm like, I'm a little hungry. Just a wee big peckish. I'll take a bite of some nasty, disgusting gross thing. and it doesn't taste good

I can't even fucking taste it I would assume it doesn't taste good but feel some kind of urge to consume I mean it's not very strong but it's there I haven't told anyone this

that almost happened to me it's one of the hags oh yeah I was worried what might happen if I drank the blood I resisted the urge I mean there's certainly not human

humanoid of whatever they might be, but it weighs on my mind. What would have happened if I had consumed hags of blood? Oh, do you think you would have gotten like magical powers? Like shapeshifting into a gross pigeon weasel? I think it would have been very bad. It weighs heavily on my mind. I'll just get temporary hit points. I mean, it's not that cool. The others are waiting. You're right. Let's go.

He's only gotten one boot on. I'm as free as a bird what is free. It is around this time that you all convene in the entryway. And you see that this is a large portion of this chateau. The way that it's shaped is almost square-like as the wings come out on either side. And this entryway is large. It extends the entire width of the main portion of the chateau. And though there is an entryway directly and from the front, there is also a large glass double door that leads out to the patio out back and eventually down into the gardens that look out over the rest of the moors and potentially the barrows, as you've been told.

And it is here that you find yourselves in this hall, in this area. You all meet up? It is strange to put on this outfit again. I know it had not been much time, but... It has been such a nice thing to have different outfits during our time here. I don't know. I feel good. I feel better. I feel... I feel strong again.

And safe, yes. Though I admit I miss the silk pajamas. Almost more frilly cuffs. Well, I... My jacket and... My jacket and sitch are getting a little ratty and worn. Maybe I can have one of them fine tailors, the very kindly Mr. Old Henri,

to make up some folksy clothes. It might be more comfortable. I think that would be wise. It would be nice to have a few patch-ups here and there. That'd be nice. And I'm really looking forward to enjoying a nice garden stroll after all of the dark things and Lord Druskin,

while being all preoccupied about things going on and everyone's a little on edge. Don't... You look a little on edge, Marius. Well, we all should be. We need to be on guard. We heard what Adela said. Things might be happening. It might be dangers where we're going.

Hopefully it will just be a routine walk and we're keeping an eye on her for filling. But be ready for anything. And it is at this time that you hear the same, sound of soft footfalls and the stairwells that come down around leading from the second floor down to this main floor area. And you see descending those stairs is Adela

in a beautiful white cotton dress that looks perfect for strolling through the gardens. She has her hair piled up on top of her head. She has a little bit of baby's breath nestled into the coiffure. And she looks radiant, spectacular. as she slowly makes her way down the stairs. She trips a little bit on the hem of her dress,

but writes herself and giggles. That was not planned. She was down to her neck breaks and she's dead. That's very funny. I cast her a vivify. It doesn't work. Her soul does not want to return. No, she makes it down the stairs easily as she joins her.

She joins you. I'm so ready. Are you ready? We should only be down there for a little bit, I think. And you wanted to go to the bedows, you said? Well, I don't want to go to the barrow. So as you saw when we were at the house that once was crooked and now doesn't exist at all, Willis has control of all of these.

This is a veritable army that he uses to protect our home and Drusk involved in myself, of course. and he keeps them resting in the barrows. And I just want to make sure everything's all right with him being gone. He doesn't take him with him, you know? Do you know the nature of this control? Is it an agreement that they have with Philip? Or does he truly command them and their thoughts, their actions? Oh, I don't think he commands their thoughts.

I'm sure they can think whatever they want, but, you know, they belong to him. They work for him. His to control how he does it, I don't know I've never spoken to him before Like sworn an ancient oath type thing Yeah, kind of like that Like the great tales You can tell they just love him though

They would do anything to keep him safe They were right at his side At the moment he learned you were in danger Oh yeah And they love me too by proxy of course So I don't know I just feel unsettled Phil isn't been himself

The past couple of ever since you know, what happened at the house that used to be crooked but doesn't exist at all anymore. And so, he's obviously got stuff going on with the Iron Maiden, and he's got whatever's going on and some of the other areas of Druskinvald, and it's just worried about him. He's got a lot on his mind. Yeah, I know his conversations with Charlotte Heady didn't work out very well, but everybody's problems.

And then he thought that was the worst of it. And then he got that message from headmistress Voss. And now everything in Astromar is going all to, pardon my French, all the heck. And I just don't know what to do to help him. No matter how hard I try, it just seems like I'm going to be honest. And she's leading you into the gardens at this point, the moon's shining. down over these beautiful towering hedges that lead out to what is very clearly a hedge maze. They're dotted with different flowers, and it's all quite beautiful to behold as she walks out

into this scene. And it's just, he always looks at me with so much love and affection, you know, but lately irritating him. When I try and talk to him, he just doesn't want to listen, and he doesn't care, and his thoughts are here and there and everywhere else, and I don't know what to do or have, to help and... Well, I'm sure it's not your fault at all. And he doesn't mean anything by it, I'm sure just heavy lies the crown. And, you know, ruling a whole land as a Lord as he does, with all of them provinces and especially all of them wishes, it's got to be stressful. I know, Jericho, and that's what I tell myself, but it's me birthday.

More important that he's out dealing with that, and it probably is, but not even here. Where he went to, I don't know. somewhere in Druskinvold, but he's not here. To leave me alone like this with the masquerade only a day in the future, it's just a lot. It's a lot for a poor girl and a raking heart. The whole time that we're walking, I'm listening intently to what Adela is saying,

and without even thinking my hand is resting on the hilt and of my sword, just the second nature of being back in my suit of armor with my weapon at my side, and I'm just taking in what she's saying while, you know, taking in the surroundings that are happening as well around us. So I don't know, I'm just a little...

Oh, that's so... Oh, Phil must have done that. Look at this beautiful statue of a griff in here. Huh, that's quite large. Oh, whoa. Oh, nice. Anyway, yeah, have any of you been in love before? Question to answer?

I have lived... many long decades. I can say that I have loved. I deal with loving someone so much it hurts. Well, what I do is I'll do whatever they say and then if that's not enough, I'd do even more and then if that's not enough, I'll break myself if needed. Oh, Jericho, honey.

A scrap of affection and her kind word. Don't, don't, no. Don't listen to Jericho. Keep it in game, bro. Oh, Jericho. She asked. Then she rushes up to give you a big hug. I hope one day you find someone that would never ask that of you, you know, that could be the one to ask for things, and they'd give you stuff, and you could give them stuff when they ask, and it would just be a statue of a beggar skittie.

Oh, he must have done it over my birthday. Oh. It's huge. Look at its wingspan. It looks a little like dawn. Hey, look, Mary. It's both big old wings. Oh, what's dawn?

Dawn. Dawn is my trusty steed. You got a Pegasus for a steed? Oh, no, no, no wings on Dawn, just a faithful steed. Who managed to you even find me here? A howl rents the air coming up off of the moors. Sounds very much like the howl of the wolf, but significantly louder and deeper and more ferocious. Giant, almost. Adela jumps back and Jericho, you feel her body as she slams into you and she stumbles back into you.

The wings of the Pegasus causing the shadows to consume you as the light of the moon can't hit you from this angle. And as you can feel her shivering nervously against you as all of your shadows begin to get larger and larger and larger and then shrink back into the hedges. Did you hear that? Did you, do you see that? Is that normal? Like there's a totally normal thing that happens out here on the moors? Is what it's, like the howling, sure, wolves are, but that, that sounded big.

Doesn't that sound big? I wasn't gonna say it, that's not normal like more size wolves? No, that sounded like big, big, big size wolves. Wise wolves. You said that there are dangers here at beyond. Yeah, of course there are wolves. As everyone is talking, I'm kind of listening as my ears have perked up to where the sound was. And as I have resting my hand on the handle of my sword, I kind of close my eyes and concentrate as I want to use my divine sense.

As an action, I can detect good and evil until the end of my next turn. I can sense anything affected by the hallow spell or know the location of any celestial feet and undead. undead within 60 feet that's not behind total cover. So I'm trying to sense if there is some evil afoot. You sense, you sense, Briggs, are you considered undead? I've had my certain point of you. I would say you roughly sense Briggsie.

But within 60 feet, I would say you don't get the sense of anything like that. Strange. I would like you to roll a perception check for me, though. Something feels off, but... Yeah, it really does. Oh my gosh, a Hydro statue. Look at all of its heads! I can't put my finger on it with a 13.

Adela? Yeah? Are you sure you know where we are walking? Oh yeah, we're in the hedge maze, and I know my way through the hedge maze. It's just these statues that we're seeing. They're gigantic, beautiful, of course, very well sculpted. But they went here yesterday. My guess is Philip is doing something for the masquerade.

Oh my gosh, we're probably gonna have some kind of... Do you think he'll do fireworks? Oh, because it didn't leave for work. Do you think it's possible he didn't even leave for... Why, for me and here I am being a silly billy and all mopey and whiny and stuff and he's probably out doing something so sweet? I hope so. That may very well be true. Yeah.

It is a nice thought. Okay, but that Hell-Hound statue is making you know. She was making me a little bit uncomfortable. I don't like its eyes. And that they're getting a little more concentrated. I feel like it took a while a walk in between the last few. And now it's like, oh, yep, there's a man to court. And you've never seen any of these before.

Oh, no. I mean, we have statues all around and stuff. But they normally statues of people. Like, you saw the fountain out front with the beautiful dancer. Oh, that was mighty fine sculpting. Yeah, clearly not made by the same person. but yeah, these are just absolutely wild. Oh, but there's a chimera right there.

Don't turn around, Marius. You think maybe Philly's just decorated? No, that's what I'm saying. I think so. It's just strange that he didn't tell me. I mean, I've seemed to get the sense. Oh, God, do you smell that? E!

And all of a sudden, you breathe in and you smell what smells like putrid stink of low tide, rotting fish. It is overwhelming as the wind brings it past your nose. Adela looks sallow and like she's on the verge of wretching. And just as quickly as it came, it's completely gone. Adela, stay close to us. Yeah.

Wait, what did it smell like? It smelled like the putrid smell of low tide, rotting fish, like fetid sea salt. Sorry. Is that through? Oh, I don't know. You're all just grimacing and disgust, so I figured you were just smelling this. No, we've gotten this.

You hear the sound of flapping wings, and Adela immediately looks up, and you see what appears to be a large amassment of carrion birds as they circle overhead. Oh, yeah. After we hear these wings, the next thing everyone will hear is the sound of steel as it's coming out of my scabbard as I hold it with two hands.

I'll be gripping my chakram, and I'm going to, take a few steps to the nearest statue, perhaps the chimera. Yeah, as you're, you've walked, because you've continued to walk as she's leading you through the maze. And you, as you round the next corner, you see two sphinx statues that she looks at. She didn't say anything this time, but she clearly doesn't recognize them. I'll walk up. I'm going to just put my hand and touch the stone surface of one of these statues.

I want to get a sense of if it feels real. Roll up perception check. Oh my gosh, I have to roll. That's right. Yeah, no, I got it. That's right. I'm looking for my details. My first roll of the session.

Oh. I'm gonna use a twist. Use a twist. No. Love that. I don't have twist work anymore. Oh, you're right. Wham, wei-wamp, wham, wham, wha.

I get an 11. It feels like a statue. The only thing that seems strange is it feels warm, Like, it's been out in the sun all day, but as you know, there is no sun in Druskinball. The statue feels warm to the touch. Adela, I know that you wanted to make it through this maze, but I wonder if it is best we turn back. I know, so just on the other side, and I... With all of this strange stuff happening, I...

I need to know. You don't have to come with me if you're worried, but... No, we will stay at your side, and it is your birthday. I just need to know that everything's all right. and that they're where he left them. I mean, what if they're warm just because they were freshly made? Is that how that works? No, I don't know.

I don't know how it's got. As you say that, a strange music, the sounds of a pipe organ, are carried on by the wind, coming up off of the furthest parts of the moors, a soft minor tune, melancholy, sad. as it plays hauntingly against the air. That's kind of a sad, melancholy tune. Do you think it's coming? Do the Moors carry a tune like that?

Perhaps one of the other mansions we saw of the visiting lords? Perhaps in a celebration ahead of the masquerade? I know that Charlotte Heady, the Iron Maiden, really likes music, but that's this kind of sound isn't... or a thing. It's just a little more upbe, a little more rock and roll, really. And that's a lot more melancholy and,

and you see as she knocks a huge spider off of her shoulders and jumps back as down from another statue in front of her, another, a griffin, you see a trail of spiders just running down the statue. And you look all around you, and the hedge maze that surrounds you seems to be moving with hundreds, thousands of spiders.

Adela screams and charges forward, running into a hellhound statue as she falls backwards and lands on the ground, but she looks around, she sees there no more spiders in this section of the hedge maze. She's panting and her heart's beating. Marius, you can hear the sound of the blood pumping

through her body. Um, Um, D-D-D-D-D-D-L. Adela. I, I think, I don't think it's a good idea

to be here. I think that maybe we trust, we take one quick look at the barrows and we get out of here. This is, we're just running back through those spiders. Adela. I need you to calm down.

I'm trying. Yes, please get, get control of your heart. I'm a bit of rect. You're all right. You're all right. Just, just, just here. Let me give you a hug.

and I'm going to draw the attention away from you. I'm going to make sure that you're safe, okay? You get down to your knees to give her a hug as she is sprawled on the ground as both of you are completely consumed by mist that's spilling in from the moors ahead. But it looks different, not like the same mist that you know surrounds all of Druskenwald.

It is the same mist. But the light that reflects off of it isn't that almost perfect blue, green light that you remember so fondly from Yorgrim's lantern. There's a darkness to it, a change to it, as it wraps up around you, cold, and then quickly spills out over the rest of the ground. It almost dances and moves with you as Adela moves one way and you move the other. It's almost as if the mist follows you for a minute before it slowly starts to retreat back and you watch as it makes its way in the direction that you're heading towards the barrows and the moors ahead.

I want to keep Adela's eyes if I can. I want to hold her and just sort of, this is, I'm going to channel my faith and protect you as best I can. It's going to be a little strange, okay? and I'm going to look at her and as I do, my height shrinks to her height and my mask starts to change towards evoking her features. She starts to feel like she's looking into a mirror

as my hair changes from white to her curled brown hair. I'm going to, my outfit, my corset, everything changes to the white cotton gown and as I cast disguised self to make myself look exactly like Adela Drescan Vault. Her heart continues to beat the same way. Oh, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, trick.

I feel something on my back is there a spider on my back. Can you look? Can you look? Can you look? Can you look? Can you look? Is there one? Is there one? There's clearly nothing. It's a tendril of her hair is like lightly brushing against the nape of her neck.

I've got it. Oh, gosh. You're all right. You're all right. Let's go. Hold my hand. Hold my hand. This is going to be okay, Miss Adela.

We're going to, we're here. We've got, we think it bit me? I didn't feel anything, but. But do you think it bit me? No, no, you're fine. Okay, cool. I think I'll be all right then. Is anyone there?

Yeah, but I'm here. Are any spooky villains around? It's just maybe the nature of Tuscan Vall. We're the heroes what saved full sense from a certain point of view. Once again, the wind picks up and you smell that fetid scent of the rotting sea. Assail your nostrils one more time. Adela clutches at her face and tries to hold in her gag. and it takes a moment, but she is able to calm herself down

as the wind passes and the scent returns back to the floral scent of the gardens. Using your help, Lethika, Della gets to her feet. We're not that far now. It's just two more turns, and then we'll be at the exit to the maze. And I think on the way back, we just go around the edges of the house, probably, I think.

Yes, fine, that's fine. There might even be a side servant's entrance or something we could take it. I think that would be better. I don't want to... They spite us and everything. Oh, I know what this is. Yeah?

Oh, we'll probably ruin a surprise. I bet you Philly's making a haunted maze for the masquerade tomorrow. That's exactly right, Briggs. The big actors aren't here yet, but, you know, for the patrons of the guests of the masquerade. They're going to walk through here, and then someone's going to jump out of a chainsaw

and with a big spooky mask. I would actually love a hunted maze sand spinus. Everything else would totally be fun. But I cannot handle spines. They are creepy and crawly. I get there. We're going to make sure that there's nothing wrong at the barrows. We're going to take a quick look.

We'll just look down there and then we'll head right back in. All right. And everything's going to be fine. It's just around this corner. Oh, my gosh. Well, this is a statue I haven't seen before. And you see what appears to be another statue. of a hydra, and it is right next to the entrance that leads out to the Moors.

And on this one, the Hydra looks completely like the other one had, just as large with all of the heads, curled and twisted in different angles. But the main head, one that is just a little bit larger than the others, in this strange neon paint, you see that the face on this hydra has been painted over, where there had been what had looked like a snarling scowl there is now a crooked smile. This neon pink, almost purple paint, drips down the face of the stone. In this strange fashion, it looks, it's supposed to be a smile, but it almost looks horrifying. And in the light, the vibrancy of this paint looks almost like it glows.

range It almost looks like it's been vandalized Would anyone do that around with? Not anybody that I know Who would have possibly been in the guns Everyone was at my party Everybody who's in the house You're avant-garde

What did you say? Yeah I'm gonna see if I can touch the paint With my finger It's very high up But I will say you can climb up I won't even make you make a check for it and the paint still hasn't fully dried,

and you smear it and you see that your finger is now tinged with this paint. Be careful, Jericho. Oh, gosh, that's mighty beautiful. It's a little avant-garde, I'd say, but it's quite, it's just shocking. It's really does, it's exactly like Briggs said. It's just decoration.

For a haunted masquerade, perhaps that's the theme this year. It is well executed. Yeah, I'll ask Phil about it when he gets home. She reaches up to the earring that you know that she's called him with, and she twirls her wedding band, which you know she's also called him with, and you can see that she hesitates. No, I can't. Not when he's, not when he's busy. It's fine, it's fine. Nothing's happened. Everything's fine.

If the barrels are right ahead. They're right there. Let's proceed. We'll take a look, and then we can circumvent this entire maze on our way back. Oh, right. And she quickly picks up pace, walking very quickly, as she makes her way around the statue,

sidling herself around and not even touching it, as she spills out on the other side of this hedge maze, and looks down over the sprawling moors ahead. You can see the curved hills of what appeared to be miles worth of barrows. these hill-like gravesites, where you know that Phillips Warriors, Phillips Army resides.

And actually very close by, maybe not 100 feet down the hill, you see what's very clearly the largest of these barrows. It's door facing directly the entrance to this maze. And everything looks fine. The only thing that seems strange is you can see that wall of mist on the very edge of Drusk involved.

And the color is not quite what you had remembered it being. But as you look around further, you realize that the mist on the opposite side, even towards full sense, seems to look normal. There's just something slightly off about the mist swirling around the barrows. Begin to notice the mist crawl and creep across the ground and tendrils of it dip down into one,

barrow and two or three, a large swath of mist begins to crawl along the ground, heading directly towards the largest of the barrows. Well, everything looks all right to me. It's misty, it's moory, it's barrowy, and it's quiet. See, nothing to be concerned about. Just a normal spooky day on the moors. We're in a spooky kind of place, just these things happen, I presume. I mean, you know you live You've been here lower than I. Yes. Nothing to worry, but hey!

And as you look, there's a strange, flickering orange light just hovering inside the entrance to the barrow, almost held aloft by mist. It flickers this way and that. It's almost as if it's doing a dance, almost as if it's beckoning you like a finger calling you forward. And just as quickly as you notice it, it dips deep into the barrow itself and is consumed by the darkness within. Was that someone with a lantern? Yeah, what else could it have been? Hey, Philly! Is that you?

Hey, Philly, is that you? Your voice echoes off of the Moors back at you. Yorgrim? Is that? Is that? Are you back, Yorgram? Are you back, Jorghum? Are you alive?

Are you alive? Maybe he's your... He was in the graves. He was really in the graves. You think it's possible that Yorgrim's... But he survived? I... Maybe he came back as a ghost. If it was, Eurgrim, he would not be hiding himself.

It may be a lantern. I mean, there's a lot of mist. I mean, he was, he was the valiant warrior of the maiden in the mist. Like, maybe she let him free. Maybe she let him go. Do you think? Well, I mean, we know that after he died, he was able to take some sort of form.

I'm not going to get my hopes up. Neither am I. Maybe, maybe the miss deemed him a good spirit and he was returned and had experienced resurrection of the flesh. And he's coming to scope out the barrows because that's what he does. He's a grave digger. And he's got a lot of graves to dig. It might be your grum.

Adela, have you ever been to the barrows? Have you ever been down into any of them, specifically that one? Yeah, that's where the four horsemen reside. That's the best bear of them all. Something isn't right. It's the biggest and most ancient of them, but I've been in there many times with Phil when he's...

You know, there's normal upkeep, and it's important that they're all well held together. You can know the bones and stuff. Are the horsemen down there now? No, they should be sleeping. What happens if someone who isn't supposed to be there walks in? Oh, actually. I don't think we've ever had to deal with it before. I don't like this.

I don't like this one bit. I feel like if there was some kind of villain, they would have attacked us by now. Are the birds still above us? Yeah, they're still circling overhead. You still occasionally hear that same howl from the giant wolf echo across the moors. The strange melancholy tune in a minor key wafes in on the wind,

and every once in a while, you still smell that putrid scent, your shadows occasionally act out of character and then shrink back. If there really was a villain foot, then I certainly wouldn't expect me, and I, I hit my, and I shoot at one of the vultures flying in the sky. Roll to attack.

It's a vulture, I endeavor to crudles the mine. You hear the sound of the gun crack out in the night air. you hear an echo blast, blast, blast, blast on the wind. 22. As you take aim and effortlessly hit one of the vultures above, the bird immediately its wings crumple and it propels downward, slamming into the statue of the hydra. You watch as the entire statue is splattered

in blood feathers viscera as the lifeless bird hangs around the neck of one of the Hydraheads. What the hell was that, Briggs-Z? Briggs-ie. See? Just a regular vulture. Fris-ie. I want to walk up to my grab it when it's left in its body. Briggs-y. It's up high on the statue. My left hand is going to detach from my wrist and float up there and grab it and

pull come back down. And you have a very warm, very dead vulture in your hand. Does it feel like a regular vulture? Yeah, it does. Well, see? Briggs, I demand you put that down this instant. Oh, I mean... George. Virgil always hates the vultures.

He says nothing good can come of a vulture. It's not the first storm I've killed a vulture. They're being rotten carrying and all. They sort of follow me sometimes. All right. I wish Fult, Virgil is here. Look, whatever we're deciding to do, I don't think it's wise that any of us get close to that barrel.

regardless of whom may have entered. This is Philip's domain. Philip will know, must know, the comings and goings of the people who are or are not supposed to be in the barrows. We certainly are not taking Adela down there. But what if Philip is too busy on account of all of the politics

and all the business he has to do? What if he's unawares? And what if it is your group and he has business and he needs his dearest chums? I do not think that possibility. is likely. But it's not impossible, no? The safest choice in my mind is

for us to return. However, if our shadows are behaving to your eyes the way that they are behaving to mine, there may be a plot here, a scheme, something that endangers the chateau, or Philip, or Adela.

I think it may be worth investigating. I'll concede that it's not Impossible, you're correct. Regardless, I do not like this and something is wrong. I agree. But I do not think that leaving it alone is what Philip would want us to do.

We should keep Adela safe. We must find out why this area has soured. I shouldn't have told Virgil to buzz off. Now we're paying for it. He'd know what to do.

Yeah. I'm a bad friend. You are a good friend. Yogi, if that you, say... Anything at all. If you yelled a echo Wednesday. Yeah. Oh!

The echo? That sounded exactly like him! It sounded like you were doing an impression of him, and it was just the echo off the abhorrence. My impression was perfect. I must admit, it was pretty good, but it was not enough to be confused. enough to be confused. But what if that was him?

It was not him, it was you. I am, I, so convinced. While this is happening, I would like to just kind of do a check. We've seen the vulture, we've seen the spooky stuff. I wanna just make sure that our immediate perimeter, that there's nothing else, the paint is dripping down this thing, right? The statue above us, the hydra. I want to just do a quick perimeter

to make sure nothing's sneaking up on us, that nothing is. The roll of perception check. While he's checking, I'm gonna turn it to you to Brazy and say, watch, I'll prove it. Bougal. Bougal. How I didn't say anything like him. It was basically exactly like what he said.

No. 23. You do a quick perimeter check, and outside of the vulture, circling ahead, it does not seem like anything's creeping ever closer. To this one on the facade. No, Anya, how can you betray me?

That goes back. Briggs, I almost wish you were saying Bugo. I'm... I've got another one for you. Just to prove further that it's just there. Oh, if the citizens just lined up in a single line five feet wide, we could take the entire town of Folesantz. At two, Mereus, et two.

Oh, if the town would just light up behind, we could take the town of Falsett. See, Adela, that's remarkable. No, no, that was the echo. The echo sounds exactly like what we're doing. It's not him. It's not your name. It's not. I'm going to disagree.

That's fine. That's fun. Just more impressions a bit of it, what I'm gonna say. One of us needs to go, and it can't be me because I look like Adela. Well, if you can't split out. If you're gonna go, I'm gonna have to go with you. I think whatever you're doing, you should keep doing it. If harm were to come to, a distraction would be wise.

If anything. A decoy, if you will. In fact, I think that you should do your best to hide. Make as little noise as possible as we approach. the barrow. Yeah, I'll just be there with you in case any of them wake up, because with Phil not being here, I can, I'm the only one they can control them. So.

Well, you can jump into action should the need rise, but in case there is danger, we want me to be seen first, as you. All right. Just steal, and I will touch her shoulder and I will give her advantage on stealth chess. Oh. All right, I'm gonna wear this. this very, very bright white dress down into a completely moonlit drenched moor.

And hope that I am very stealthy in doing so. Well, all right. That sounds good. And stethy. All right. Sir Marius. We can take care of that. Very funny.

Sorry. Yes, Sir Marius is heavily armored. Briggs is heavily armed. We've got spells. Why did you just say chuk chook, chook. when you moved your hand over your gun like that. Oh, I saw it in a major image once. We're going to make sure.

Quick in quick in and out. I'll be sure it's fine. It's going to be fine. Honestly, it could have just been a lightning bug or something. A really, really big. A lightning bug. Or a June bug. Sure.

Do they have lights on them? Well, no, but sometimes they really stink. They do, though, don't they? Maybe that's left the second that we're filling. So we'll go down. It'll be fine. It's probably all part of the deck. I'm sure it is.

I'm sure it is. That's no worry about now. You would admire leading the way down. Stay close and let's move quickly. All right. The moment that we see any real danger, we must get you to safety. First and foremost. Yes.

When we discover the source of the light, regardless of what it is, we're not sticking around longer than we need to. Understood. If you say so, but y'all should really watch bad boys too if you haven't seen to. Vicki, what the fuck do you talk about you do it? Bixie, what the fuck are you talking about? Follow me. I'm a sword drawn.

I begin to move down the moors towards this first barrow. You do. You make your way very hastily, but stealthily. Everyone roll a stealth check for me, please. I'm disadvantaged. Stealth, eh? Oh, sweet. Jesus, I go to say.

I'm not stealthy at all. Why didn't we use any of our twiths, you idiot? Nine. You have so many. I would have gotten an eight. With a max twist, it would have been nothing. 25. Dormbage.

I'm feeling very Adela with a bright white dress on. I'm looking at an 11. Perfect. Yeah, Adela rolled a six and a three. Nice. None of you are very stealthy at all. But it doesn't seem to matter because the... Oh, I thought you said you got a five.

The illusion dress. It doesn't seem to matter that you're not stealthy because the barrows and the moors seem to be completely empty. You occasionally glance back at Chateau Clair d'Alune and you see so many rooms filled with light. You know that the heads of the provinces are here for the masquerade and that they have their own individual houses on the opposite sides of the moors, but that there are tons of people staying at Chateau Claire DeLoon right now for the masquerade. people coming in from all of these provinces, not just the lords and ladies, but other peoples of nobility that will be there, and the lights that shine in Chateau Clair de Loon are quite beautiful. And it gives you a little semblance of peace as you make your way through the moors. The mist, the strange, almost darkened mist undulates around your feet, swirls around you, occasionally dancing with your shadows as you make your way. down to this barrow. Still, the same howl can be heard carried along the winds, the putrid

stink of rotting fish, occasionally assails your nostrils. Very faintly, you can hear that organ continue to play off in the distance. All of these things do not abate as you make your way towards the barrow. And eventually, you find yourself standing at the entrance towards it, the large stone entrance, these what look like little pebbles that have been stacked together to create an arched doorway directly into this small pocket of earth. It's completely grown over with grass on the top. You see that the pathway leads just a little bit down and deep into this place, and it is pitch dark. Standing in the entrance of the sparrow, I look over my shoulder to my friends and I say, if that was, suppose him with a lantern.

Thank goodness they didn't ask who goes there. There could have been women around. Are you ready? Very. Sir Marius, that was very funny. I give you part of inspiration. Thank you. What is G8?

Yeah, you must get an eight. You make your way into the barrow, and immediately you feel cold overwhelm you. This is built into the very earth itself, and it is almost like a natural refrigeration. system, the way that it keeps the air here so cool. You can see your breath come out in puffs of smoke as you, or frost as you make your way deeper into the sparrow.

You realize as you begin walking, are you using any light source? If there wasn't any light, I would throw some pumpkins in there. If- Some pumpkins. Well, I got lanterns of my own pumpkins. Pumpkins. Yes. Four phoenix jackalantrons will emerge.

And they do, and as they do, you realize that there are skulls embedded in the length of the walls of this place, almost like a catacombs as you make your way down this long tunnel, and you see very faintly, far off in the distance, that strange, orange, undulating light dancing. Well, hopefully they have not noticed us, despite our creation of light.

Who goes there? Who goes there? Who goes there, your voice echoes back in you. Your grim, is that you? Your grim, is that you, your voice echoes back. Jennifer, get a hold of yourself. I think it's your grim, it looks like a lantern. You're embarrassing yourself.

Let's go. We hurry. We rush forward. You make your way further in, and the walls that are built up in this thing are almost circular as you make your way through, and every time you feel like you're getting closer to this light,

it seems to move further and further away as you make your way through this circular pathway until eventually, and all of these walls lined with bones and skulls, and eventually you spill out into what is a large inner cavern, and your lights immediately snuff out, Jericho, as darkness consumes all of you. The temperature drops just a little bit more. The sound of the music off of the moors,

completely gone now, that putrid smell, you can no longer smell, your shadows can't be seen in the darkness, so what they do and whether they choose to act correctly is completely unknown to you, is all of a sudden, not one, but two orange lights erupt in the very center of this room on the floor. You immediately hear what sounds to be, or what appears to be the sound of horse hooves,

giant horse hoops running in circles around this barrow outside. You hear the neighing of, um, let's do history. I'd like you all to roll a history check. The neighing of history? The neighing of history. The neighing of history. Adding three twists.

As Benjamin Franklin wants to say. I'm not adding anything. I got five. The neighing of history. I only know one type of horse, and this is not it. I think that sounds like a geese. 20. Everyone else?

I got five. 18, actually. It does sound like a goose to me. Briggs and Jericho, you immediately can hear the sound of this force, and you know what it is right away, this ungodly, unholy abomination of the nightmare. As it maze out, the sound of it echoing throughout the, throughout the moors, and then the soft, a soft but confident feminine laughter,

as all of a sudden those two lights erupt, and you see what is very clearly a giant jackalanturn in the very center of this room. Those are not-propos. The two lights dancing inside of the pumpkin's gourd-like form, and the face on it is carved in a malicious sneer, and clearly painted with that same similar pink paint. You look down at it, and the light shows

that your shadows are dancing behind you, strangely moving this way, and that. You occasionally, you look towards Jericho, and you see his shadow is moving in to choke Lethaca, as Lethaca's shadow is moving towards Briggsie with a strange bottle attempting to pour it down his throat, as all of your shadows attempt to attempt to attempt attack and harm each other.

You see the mist has begun to fill up this space. That's strange, horrifying mist. The smell is getting stronger, it had been gone, but now it's completely filled this space as that melancholy tune begins to play, and then the entire barrows begin to shake. You watch as the skulls begin to tumble down from the walls. As you see one skeletal,

hand pop up out of the earth, and then another as the dead begin to rise. But they don't look like they did when they were charging down at the crooked house. Their complete forms are infused with this strange, corrupted mist. As they begin to, as they begin to burst forth from the ground, you then notice that coming from that spiral entranceway that you took, more of them are encroaching upon you as a veritable horde of whites bear down on you. And that is where we'll the session. Damn it! Maybe they're friendly.

The night is talking full of terrorists. Yeah! Thanks for the session, Dickey. You're welcome. What an awesome cliffhanger. I'm very excited. Wow. We, uh, okay.

All right, we're back. It's edge of midnight. We're back, baby. They're friendly whites. Yeah, okay. Are you sure we can't fight them? I mean, do you want to fight them? Do you want to stay up until midnight?

We can do it. I say, fuck it, we can do it. We'll save that. I want to. I want to. Thank you so much for listening to the Legends of Aventras podcast. We hope you enjoyed the session. If you want even more campaigns to listen to,

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