Edge of Midnight | Ep. 25 | Lonely Cairn of Stones
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Welcome to Legends of Avantris. I'm Nikki Scarlet, and you're listening to Edge of Midnight. Here is what happened last time. The Crooked House is crooked once more. How is it that not even death could rid us of you, Van Brunt? Oh, that was bad. It is our fate.

Yorgrim. To serve the Queen. I only serve one master, and it will never be yours. And you realize that Farron and Adela are still nowhere to be found. You all sit down around the crystal ball and join your wills together. And suddenly, it alights. Ah! Ah, what the fuck? It was us. We were six. The figures. The key to, um...

leashing this evil, ancient evil, across the land. We are but pawns in this wicked game. When you know the door leads to the cellar and the darkness below, Farron's voice cries out for help. In a dark, knotted hollow in the center of the trunk, you see an imprisoned Adela, squirming as the knotwork keeps her in a tight advice. You let them go right now. I don't think I shall be doing that, Jorgen. I have a spot on my left with your name on it. And if you won't release them...

Then I've got a spot for your name, too, on my back. The branches of the crooked tree shudder and move apart with terrible speed and even more horrible strength. And the rest of you see both William Van Brunt and Jorgrim get ripped apart, the clan stone breaking into hundreds of fragments as the cold iron chains snap.

Blood and viscera rain down over the entire chamber and hangs amongst the branches. Farron is nowhere to be seen. You notice a faint glow of spectral blue on the ground that emanates from the lantern that had belonged to the gravedigger. It grows and grows until a blue spectral shape of Yorgam himself stands before you. My pilgrimage is at its end. I failed my clan. Worst, I failed you. Please...

A tree still stands, dark as midnight, its branches rising like twisted antlers. And at the base of its withered trunk, twisted in agony and weeping tears of black sap, now embedded in the bark, is the face of Farron of the Heartsplade. In this land of darkness and death, it was only a matter of time before death came for our protagonists. As bitterly swift and cold as the night winds,

And just like that, our fellowship of six is down to four. Sometimes the story is told by forces much greater than the wills and wants of would-be heroes. But maybe these wayward souls weren't so heroic after all. Now they have to accept that what's done is done. I certainly don't envy 'em. You stand. Still.

in the roots of this tree growing out of the very foundation of what was supposed to be your home, what had previously been the Crooked House, what had returned to the Crooked House. Staring at this tree that has grown so large in this space, the roots extending all across the ground, jutting out of the very earth, earth that you now know to be foreign to the land of Druskinwald.

Earth from another time and another place. But none of that matters. Lying on the ground at your feet is the lantern that was once held by a friend so dear to your hearts. You had not known Jörgrim for that long in the grand scheme of things, but the things that you'd been through, the things that you had seen, those things form a bond that time itself cannot even rival.

Looking at the tree, you can still see the remnants of Farron's face, now crying dark black tears of sap. Staring at it, you know that that is not Farron. She was pulled within, but it's hard for your mind to wrestle with the image that's there formed into that tree. Is that her? Could that be Farron, the Farron that you knew? Eternally sculpted into wood.

You look around you and you see bits of tombstone. You see bits of the shaft of the shovel that you are grim-wielded. Torn pieces of cloth. And then you hear it. A heartbeat. And for a moment, hope. As you turn and you see the only piece of remain that this tree, this

wicked tree had left behind, everything else having been consumed by it, is a heart nestled at the very base of the roots. Far too small to be your Grimm's heart. As it pumps, you see next to it a bit of the shirt that you remember William Van Brunt wearing and it becomes clear to you, the last remaining piece of your enemy beats slower and slower.

Yet still somehow holding on to some semblance of life while you stand in the remains of a true friend. Jericho, this is a pain unlike any you have ever felt. For the longest time you have sought friendship and you found it in the darkened lands of Draskinvolt. And this is the first true time that you have ever had to

deal with the loss of a friend in this way. Your soul aches. You're weakened emotionally, and that is just enough. That's all he ever wants, really. It's just enough weakness to take control. The sound of that heartbeat is almost hypnotizing to you as you stare at William Van Brunt's heart nestled in the roots of the tree.

Your pain and sadness turns to hunger. As Jericho, you begin to feel yourself slipping away. I will look at the heart as I will just be completely solid after the action of saving Adela has gone. And I'll stare at the heart and I'll say, "Oh, Jorgen, we couldn't save Jorgen. We couldn't save Miss Lethika. We couldn't save nobody. I hate this place."

I don't want to be here no more. And then I'll fall to my knees and just crumple in a pile on top of the beating heart. I don't want to be here no more. And cover my head with my hands. I would have been holding Adela, having pulled her out of the tree with the help of my friends right before Briggsie had run over to where Jorgen was. And if I had heard this beating heart, I would have taken many steps away from it.

to distance myself and Adela from it. I'm trying to regain my composure. - The silence in here is almost deafening. The sound of the heart beating, it is out of place and it echoes throughout this space.

It is significantly slower than that of a living heart beating, and you can tell that it is slowly slowing down, but it would give you pause and cause you to recoil a bit. And you hold Adela close to your chest. Can I have you roll a medicine check for me? Yes, you may.

17 plus two is 19 for medicine. You listen to the sound of Billy's beating heart and it is slow, but Adela's is far slower. It's much softer. She is unconscious in your arms. You can feel as you begin to move away that the way that her arm moves, clearly the bone has snapped. You feel the...

you feel bits and pieces of her body. You can tell that that's not the only bone that is broken. You see bruises appearing around her eyes and along her face. Her cheeks have sunken in. Her skin is getting colder. She's unconscious, alive, but only barely so. You can also see

these spots you hadn't noticed before, a dark red ring.

in certain areas where bits and pieces of the tree, parts of the branches and roots had actually dug in and under her flesh as if trying to drink of her essence while she was trapped inside of it. Those areas are still shallowly bleeding and struggling to heal. While getting away from the heart, I would take her over to maybe a place where I can gently set her down, where she would be comfortable.

and maybe either lay her all the way down or have her back up against the wall or something, and then I would kneel down next to her, putting my hand on her arm and maybe another hand on her heart, like where her heart would be, and I would close my eyes and whisper to her and to myself, "Please, please, I beseech you, allow me to fix her. "Allow me to restore her blood."

as I attempt to use Lay on Hands and give her 10 points of healing. - Your hands begin to glow at first with a almost rose gold light before the red overtakes and this soft red glow begins to emanate from your palms and out from your fingers as you reach down and you place your hands

on the exposed areas of her flesh where you see the largest wounds, the broken bone of her arm, and you do this. And the light from Jorggrim's lantern, that soft greenish blue that washes over this entire room mixes with the red of the light

of your glowing palms as you attempt to heal Adela and it is eerie the way it shrouds her in shadow almost. And you work to do this all the while Jericho beneath your chest. - I'll call out. - Marius, does she live? - Do I feel that she's stable? I know she's breathing and-- - She, if untended, which clearly you're tending to her, if untended, she would have died.

Okay. It's very clear. But now that you're tending to her, you imagine her wounds will begin to heal. At this moment, you're not sure what needs to be done to stabilize her or to bring her to consciousness, to fully stabilize her. But you know that you're on the right path should you continue. You will at least be able to stabilize her. I would stand up and just... Or no, I wouldn't even stand up. I would stay kneeling next to her and say, I'm unsure. She's not well. I don't think she's in imminent danger of dying, but...

We need to keep an eye on her. Please, you are far more capable of this than I am. Call to me if she gets worse. Just keep her stable. And instead of going to Marius and Adela, I will turn and reach Jericho as quickly as I can. And you'll feel my hands touch on the back of... on your back, and you'll hear my voice. Jericho. Jericho. I would say, while you were dealing with...

Adela, that the beating of the heart would have stopped. Okay. If the DM will allow that. Of course. While all of this is happening, I would still be sort of on my knees, and I was just like kind of almost like groaned over to where the lantern was on the edge of the room, and I'll pick it up. Yogi, you didn't fail, but we will perform your rites. We will. And I'm gonna like put it under my arm and slowly get up and kind of turn and see the scene continue. Sorry. Okay.

As you are telling Marius that to continue what you're doing, if things turn to the worst, call for you. And as you turn, almost moving in time with the thump, thump, thump of this heart, the sound stops abruptly and you are met with an altogether different sound. A almost slurping sound.

The last few, the thumps, the thumps that you hear sound as if the heart itself is being muffled, trapped in some sort of chamber, consumed even. Jericho, you still see, crumpled over where this heart had been, clutching onto himself, shaking, trembling.

I am still clutching my chakram at one side, and I will keep it sort of at my hip behind my back. And you'll still feel that hand on your back, Jericho, and maybe it pulls back just a moment. Jericho, are you all right? I, as soon as you touch Jericho, the shivering will stop it.

and they would just be very still as Jericho would look up. And I presume there might be stains or the burlap sack of my head would have the... It was like a putrefied, gross, rotted heart.

Or was it just flesh? No, it was absolutely disgusting. Billy had been dead for quite a while. This was not a healthy heart. And I'll just look up at you.

and just keep the gaze, and I take the collar of my jacket and just dab around, dab out some of the rotted blood around from the lips of the skin. - And when you lift up, I can see the heart is completely gone. - It's completely gone. There is a pool of viscera where it had sat,

And you can see how some of the putrid blood has begun to spread where Jericho's teeth had sunk into it. It almost popped like a grape. And that viscera had leaked out into the soil. You even see how some of the roots from the tree still move and begin to soak up the liquid. Are you with us, Jericho? Yes. No, no, no, no, not him too! Yes, I am. Ah...

Get the fuck out of here! Go away! Not today! You should be thanking me I took care of a problem. That corruption would have spread. What do you mean, "problem"? What do you mean, "corruption"? I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. You saw what that goddess did, did you not? You saw the spreading corruption that she had. That last part was a remnant to see.

I did what had to be done to take care of it. I think Lethika only has a vague sense of who we're being threatened by right now because I was unconscious. It's Fregzy. What do you mean? Who is this? I don't fucking know. Virgil? Whatever the fuck's inside Jericho? It's not Jerry. I can tell you that much. Am I speaking with Virgil? Jericho needs some time.

He does not handle loss. I was here to be a friend to him. I was here to do what you have also done. Jericho has all friend, Albin. I can say for certain that that is not true. Are you a danger to us? Oh, Stan, do I look like a danger? You are covered in the blood of a heart that you just seem to have consumed somehow.

I know not of your powers, but you share the body of someone who I know has great strength in you. I'll look at you and I will just stare for a few moments and I'll say, if this vessel is destroyed, then so am I sent back to the abyss. We both have a mutual interest

and keeping Jericho unharmed, do we now? I do not know if I can trust you, but as long as you do not harm Jericho or my friends, we have much we must do. Well, you said that the heart was like a seed, and you just ate it! Yes. Is it gonna be like one of those watermelon seeds that grows inside you? Perhaps. And like bursts out from the inside? Perhaps if you ate it, yes.

Let's get one thing completely clear. We don't trust you for a second. We know you're after something. Jericho hasn't told us exactly what. But don't think for even one moment that if Jericho wants you gone, I'll make it happen. He does. But I don't think he knows what's best for him. He's very foolish, Lila. He has a terrible sense of preservation otherwise. Your friends were just viciously devoured and eviscerated.

Whenever Jericho had seen such things, I was in control. He only saw the aftermath. Um, do you have some way to help? Can you fix it? Fix what? Fix what happened. I don't know what the fuck's going on, but ten minutes ago, Jorgrim was standing right there, and Farron was standing right over there, and now they're both fucking gone. In this pathetic state, absolutely not.

If we get you out of there, can you fix it? I can do so much. If the maddening, shrieking, squawking and cawing is removed, it is all I can do to even communicate in simple plain. And why should we trust him? Jericho's a zester? His tormentor?

"Velthika's right. It's quite simple. We don't trust him, we won't trust him, and we're certainly not going to release whatever he is." "Why should they listen to you, woman? I know what you are. I see your secrets." And I'll smile. "I mean, to be fair, he snapped up. I think his name was Slippery Albert. Um, Oswald. With one fucking bite. The rest of us couldn't do shit to him. He basically ate the fucking hat, too."

His power is no reason to release him. To trust him? I would even argue it's a reason to keep him like that. Do not be tempted, Riggsie. We have made things bad enough already. So they're just gone then? Two members of our crew gone? What do you expect? Do you see what we're dealing with? Do you know how many knights, brothers, soldiers I've lost over the years? These things happen. Yes, it's sad, it's horrible. Look at what we're dealing with.

We are to quit! People die! I agree. And by my count, Briggsie, three are missing. I assure you, Jericho is in no real danger. If anything, he's in protection after the night scene and the Archbishop's delicious secrets. My clarity grows. My power grows. Those power...

And what the shaman carried with him. I'll point to the lantern. Oh, yeah. Is it still lit? Mm-hmm. What do you mean by that? Is there some kind of secret in here we can use? Something that can help us? It is death itself, but I do not know if it is a power that aided you or something that has held you all back. Especially you, Priestess.

I will not listen to another word that comes out of your mouth until you prove. Prove that Jericho is protected. That he is... Are you suppressing him somehow? What is the nature of your possession? You were knocked out last time. He had about five minutes. Maybe this time with, you know, extra soul juice. He's got maybe ten, fifteen. Is that how it works? I will not pretend to know.

How long my tether will last. But it feels to be in the form of a man. To have fingers. To have feet. Two arms, two feet, two legs. I like it. Do you hear this? Briggsie, do you hear this? He's not speaking like a man, he's speaking like a monster. Like some sort of creature of the night. Yeah, you're right. We don't know two fucks about you. So why would we trust you to make everything right and save the day?

We have some last rites to do for our friend. Last rites? Well, some kind of rites. He wasn't very prescriptive, but we're gonna do it. Yes, we are. I'm gonna walk right up to this and you'll hear me say, Jericho, if you are in there, come get your body back. And I'm gonna cast Calm Emotions. Ooh! Spicy! Oh!

Calm emotions, you say? Mm-hmm. That's very interesting. I would also like to say that through the entirety of all of this, I'm very intentionally staring and studying Jericho's body to watch for any sort of movement towards the lantern. Okay, roll perception. If he makes any sort of furtive movement, I'm gonna be on his ass. Okay. What roll am I making? Perception. That's gonna be a 21. All right. 21. I need to pull up my character sheet.

- I don't know. What's the stat? - I attempt to suppress strong emotions, charisma saving throw if you're trying to avoid, creature can choose to fail if you wish. - I think that Jericho would choose to succeed, or to fail. - But Jericho's not the one in control. - Oh, I should roll. You did roll, I did roll. I need to see it's check the charisma saving throw. - Suppressing things like charmed or frightened. - 23.

That, uh, unfortunately beats my DC. It does, but as you do this, the light from Jorggrim's lantern that had been bathing this entire room in a blue-green glow begins to pulse. Boom, boom. Almost like a heartbeat. And where secrets thrive in shadows, they do not fare so well in light. Virgil.

There's something about this light that you find incredibly unsettling, and as it gets brighter and brighter and brighter, your hold on Jericho grows weaker and weaker and weaker. Between the magics that you're attempting to do on your friend, and Jericho's will and want to return to his friends, and potentially what little bit there was in this room left of Jorgrim,

combined helps to push Virgil back. You feel Virgil like you have mere seconds left of control. As I feel this, I'll kind of the fluttering of Jericho's eyes. And I'll turn and I'll look at the lantern and I'll look back at Lefica and I will just nod. Yes.

You are the only one here who would do anything to do the right thing, to do what must be done. I know your secrets, but it's not my place to share. Well done, Priestess. And crumpled to the ground. - And in that exact moment, one final flare.

of blue-green light pierces throughout this room, almost blinding. Brigsy, you get the full force of this the most as you are holding the lantern aloft. As all of you are bathed in this light, you can faintly hear for but a moment the wailing of souls before the lantern goes dim in your hands. Is that you, Yogi? Oh, thank you. I think he's still in here. Yogi, can you hear me?

Your voice echoes throughout this room. No more heartbeat to muffle the sound. No more clicking from whatever resides inside of Jericho. No more pulsing of the lantern. It's silent. I'm not sure if he can hear us or if he's still within reach. I do know that quite often the dead are not gone forever. There may be something yet we can still do. I mean, look. And I point to the tree where Ference faces.

If she was truly, truly gone forever, why would her visage still be upon this tree? They might be dead for now, but there might be hope. Did I, based on what we witnessed, would Briggsie think Farron was dead or was there very clearly some kind of like portal that she walked into? There was very clearly some kind of portal she walked into. Well, who knows where the fuck that was? I mean...

Like some sort of...

Like a bird in the war. I don't want to be here no more. Jericho, your friends are here when you are ready. It's going to be okay. Gosh, we never should have came here. We never should have left home. I never should have left that old pumpkin patch. I know it hurts. We share the same sorrow. It's going to be alright. I'll kind of sit back a little bit. So I guess on my knees. I'll have like my hand and my

My head in my hands. We didn't even get no witches at all. Not a single witch. No witch-waiter, whatever. We haven't done nothing here. It just means that our work is not done. It's just begun. We can't change what's happened. We can only keep moving forward and find a new path. There's no point wallowing here in a basement. You think that the whole, you know, crooked queen... You think she's far from here. You think she's someone else's problem now.

It's hard to say. We all saw the same thing. None of us are entirely sure what it means. That being said, if she's truly gone, there may be evidence of the such. We've been seeing signs of her everywhere since her release. If those things are gone, then maybe she is too. If the Feywild's anything like the Shadowfell, I hope that bitch is fucking far, far away. I think she's gone and never coming back, just like Farron. You heard her.

She bored her way into Farron's soul and went like a termite would into wood. She got out because of that ritual what Miss McDuff helped us do. But at least I guess she ain't here no more. It's somebody else's problem, not ours. Well, I miss Farron, guys. Shucks. Me too. Once we can see the path forward, we can make it our problem if we want to. That is not without question.

I'm gonna turn and look at the wooden shape that is now what Farron's face would have been, this sort of, not statue, but like a carved...

It's almost as if the bark of the tree, think about the trees in Game of Thrones. So literally-- It's literally the trunk of the tree and her face is formed into it. The eyes are crying what look like black blood or black tears, but it is the darkened sap of whatever this tree is.

Go ahead. It doesn't look like it would be something that would be easy to take with us. No. Is this like a black tree? You're almost completely shrouded in darkness, but it is a very, very, very dark wood. If I was playing Professor Clayton Azran, would I think this was an Edelwood tree?

Would your character, would Brigzy-- Brigzy, yeah, that's meta. No, well, to be fair, Brigzy sailed. He has probably been all over Avantras. Is there a chance he would have seen an Edelwood tree in his travels?

I mean, I guess she's a challenge, but... Roll a nature check. Probably pretty low. Roll a nature check. You only need to score a 42. You've got a 5% chance. I think you need a natural 20. You need a natural 20. Even then, I mean, you know. We'll see. I mean, shit, if he spikes a 20, it's hard not to give it to him. Oh, it's Natty already. The opposite. Oh, man.

What? What is this thing? Oh, it's a tree. It's fucking wood. This is a tree unlike anything you've ever seen before. If you read books, maybe you would have read something about a tree like this, but you don't read.

Would Lethica, having spent so much time in Striga, perhaps know what a natal retriever would be? Fucking crazy how they work. I think you would, potentially, roll a nature check. A nature check, you say? Yes, another nature check. The DC will be adjusted accordingly. You're fucking telling me a shrimp farm is wrong. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

What's that supposed to mean? 15! That is enough. You have seen these trees. You know that there are woods in Stryker that are filled with these trees. There are cults that worship them. There's lore behind these trees and what they can do. You've never really delved into it yourself, but that these trees specifically have, according to legends, have inherent magics. There are even tales of...

There are tales in Striga about a certain valley that popped into existence out of nowhere. And some believe that those trees had ties to that. You can't quite remember the specifics of it, but... It has been more than a few decades since I spoke or read of a tree like this one. But I know that they have great powers. Some...

venerate trees like this. And as I'm speaking, I'm going to be walking up and I'll have pulled out a small handkerchief and I want to wipe away the tears as best as I can. Just, I know that that set might be sticky and thick, but if I can, I want to, I'm looking and seeing Farron's face as I do this, not the tree shape. The eyes are unblinking.

As you wipe away the sap, you coat a piece of cloth in a thick covering of this sap. The smell is pungent but slightly sweet. It is incredibly sticky and very dark. And all the while, it never stops leaking. No matter how much you wipe up, the tears never fail to run.

When my handkerchief is completely saturated and I don't think I can wipe anymore, I will fold it up and I'll give it to Bag. Bag actually reaches out hungrily for it and nearly rips the cloth out of your hands. Bag, you will be careful with that. We're going to have a conversation. We're going to have a long talk when I get back up.

Oh! You watch yourself. I have an idea. I'll stop doing your nails in the night. Maybe Adela can tell us something when she's... Well, I'm sure she has some information regarding this. I don't know what the state of the house will be as we go back up, but I'm sure Philip is losing his mind.

Are there branches that I could reach up and almost hang the lantern on one? I would say the lantern is the very faintest of a glow. It looked at first after the overwhelming explosion of light that it had completely gone out, but there is a faint, very tiny wisp

still dancing in the very center. It's not enough to provide even dim light to a small area, but now that the darkness has enshrouded all of you, you can see that it's there. You imagine that you would need more of a light source. You know that you have Jorggrim's final rights that need to be said, and the only remains of him are in the soil at your feet.

I will take one of the bottles that I have, that hold my various rums and other effects, and one that's empty, and I will walk up, and I will, as the tears are coming down, seeing that they aren't being wiped away, I'm gonna try to collect kind of a jar, or like a bottle full of Edelweb's out. I mean, tree juice. Uh-huh. Oh no, it is.

Yeah, I will say you're able to. It is free-flowing. Just in case, eh? Be careful with that. I have a vague recollection that its sap can be used in perhaps rituals or magics. Oh. It may be dangerous. Briggsie doesn't know that. I'm telling you now. You don't have to refer to yourself for another person. It's a strange way to speak. You know, I appreciate your concern.

But it might be useful later. Maybe Adela can, you know, use her devolution magic and tell us more about it. I wish there was some way we could retrieve something of Ferrin. Perhaps this will do the same job. Well, maybe while we do, your Grimm's last rites. I don't think that Ferrin's dead, but I mean for all intents and purposes.

I am surprised you said intense and not intensive. Very good, Briggsie. Well, you know, I did go to grammar school. Do you see the way that Miss Farron got it up? There was a loud crunching sound. Yes. It is best not to focus on those memories, especially now. Just think of the good times with Farron. We will be, just as Briggsie suggested, performing a...

That's right, for both your Grimm and I think Feryn. It will help Eeth. That's true, I suppose. Lethika's right. It never gets easier. Losing people will always be difficult. The best thing that we can do is do our best to put them to rest. It's just that I never had no friends besides my best gals, the Oakum sisters, and I suppose the, uh, and Virgil.

And so I never had a friend to lose until just now. It don't feel nice. No. Is there anything of Farron left? Or did she go... There's nothing that you can find of Farron left. Nose to hoof, just everything. I was also going to suggest a hoof. Not one hoof? Not one hoof. Her staff is gone, it all went through. All went through. She's having an epic battle with Orthos and the Fae Wann.

It's hard to know. That's pretty cool. But probably I don't know any of that. She got eaten by a tree, that's what I think. That's all I knew. I would look around, and I'd look down to Adela, and I'd say, she seems to be all right for now. I'm not sure what these last rites even would entail, but... And I look at where Yorgrim was and the pieces of his things and effects may be and say, he couldn't possibly mean doing it down here, could he? I'd hate to...

attempt to lay him to rest in this horrific basement i do not think we do it down here for more than one reason if that was his wish i would be surprised i think he just meant to help send his soul on to find its way to find peace one why wouldn't we do it here it's his final resting place you remember what we were told this is not ground from here this is not an appropriate place for his

Spirit to rest. I don't think we're getting back any of the bits of him. We know his blood is in the soil. I think we do it right here, personally. I can be overruled, but... What Briggs is saying does ring true to you. All that you see on the ground here are material possessions. Bits of his shovel, shards of his tombstone,

Tombstone, I don't know, I corrected myself. Tombstone. Tungsten. Bits and pieces of his clothing, the things that he carried on him, all the pieces that were Jorggrim, the soil has already consumed. He's already part of this place. Lethika doesn't get a feeling that this is a cursed place to lay anyone down.

She would want to find the right resting place. If she doesn't feel like this would be inappropriate and that Jorgrim would be comfortable for it, she wouldn't feel that way. I think that would depend on Jorgrim's interpretation of his final rights. His body, for all intents and purposes, has already been interred here. The rights that he was asking for and looking for is the goodbye. It is...

allowing his soul to find peace on the other side. His body is already here. You're not looking to find the perfect soil. What this tree in this place wanted to consume, it already has. You're letting his spirit free from this place. We don't get to fucking choose. This is his final resting place, whether we like it or not.

If we want to go somewhere else to say nice words about them, we fucking can. Well, what if there's like a nice spot up on the hill next to the crooked house? I know it wasn't a fan of the greenhouse, but there's gotta be like, it kept like peacocks and such, right? Maybe there's a nice little, and they kept bees. Maybe there's a nice little apiary or a nice garden out back.

And you know that, I mean, the place had changed on the inside, but coming up the driveway, the crooked house was beautiful with the things that Adela had done to it. There's very possibly a beautiful garden, maybe a nice sitting area, somewhere that you could go to say what it is that you feel like you need to say if you want to make your way upstairs. That would be very nice. Even what we experienced here, I...

Did not relish the idea of coming back here to commune. Not that his body will be a part of whatever shrine we, or space we, say our words, but... Riggsie, if you want to say your words here, I'm not going to stop you. No. I'm not a captain. I'll defer to you. If you think it's best to do it somewhere nice outside, I think Yorgie would have loved it.

At the very least, we can gather the pieces of tombstone, perhaps bits of his shovel, and create some sort of marker. He was a grave digger, after all. We'd give him a gravesite. Oh, that's a nice thought, Merrin. Oh. Like a little, uh... Like a little cairn. Oh, that's a really nice thought. Maybe we place, like, the lantern in the cairn, or on top of the cairn. We put his shovel inside. And we could, like, say, here lies your room. I don't want to seem insensitive, but...

Uh...

Whatever happened between it and Lethika's magic definitely seems to have diminished it. You still see that tiny little wisp in the middle. That has not changed at all. You are, I would say, you would be unsure as to whether it ever will. You're right. We can certainly leave it, but... No, no, no. It's a powerful piece of magic. I'm not fucking leaving this. No, hell no. No, no, no. We're taking this with us. If...

Yorgi thinks he failed. Least we can fucking do is carry this with us. Thank you. At least some part of him is still on his pilgrimage. I'm glad you agree. Keeping an eye on Adela and making sure that she's still okay, I would begin to help see if I can pick up pieces or chunks of the tombstone. You know, something that might be enough pieces or might be able to create like a nice ring of them. And then maybe even just the...

the wooden, even just the handle of the shovel that we could like make as a marker in this ring of stone is what I'm envisioning in my head. And I would just try to begin collecting pieces of of his physical items that have been destroyed and left behind to the best of my ability and just hoping out any way that I could. You know, uh, there's an old sea shanty there that they sing about sailors that were lost in the northern isles of Vargist. And all that was left was a long forgotten

lonely can of stones. Well, I've heard that one. It's a nice one. I think... I think that's appropriate. Why don't we collect the pieces we can and just mound up some stones? Alright. That sounds lovely.

- I will tie, to Marius' suggestion, I will tie the lantern to my hip so that I'm not hanging it on evil, horrible trees. And we'll build a little cairn. I don't know if there's any shovel. - You're building the cairn here or are you building it upstairs, or in the gardens upstairs? - I think for this, it's just to mark where he died. You know those crosses on the side of the road, right? Like when there was a car accident. It's sort of one of those. - I think that's mighty nice. - Pretty easy.

Is Miss Adela okay? From what I know, she seems to be all right. I don't know how long she'll be in this state. I've provided what little healing I can. Lethika's far more well-equipped for this than I am. I'm keeping an eye on her. Let me take a quick look. I examine Adela and get a sense of how much Marius was able to bring her to...

A stable place, whether or not, I feel like we have time for this now. Roll a medicine check for me, please. 16. She is stable. She no longer looks like she's on the verge of death. You can see the yellowing of some of the bruises as they're already starting to heal. She is still in a very weakened state, unconscious, but her breath is no longer shallow and her heart seems to be a bit stronger. I'll...

whisper a few words of prayer under my breath and put a Cure Wounds into her, just pouring a bit of the healing energy that I can channel, just to, where I see things are a little bit more severe, just to make sure that we have this time for ourselves to pay respect.

And you feel like you do. She takes in a very deep breath. Her eyelashes flutter for a second, but her eyes do not open. She breathes deeply. Her chest rises and falls a little more strongly, and you feel like she's in even a much better state. I'm 12. Perfect, thank you. Gosh, even after all that, Miss Adela is so mighty purty.

She's like an angel sleeping there. You think she is an angel? We don't know where she came from, do we? I couldn't even begin to guess. I think she's just a person. She's like an angel from above. She's our guardian angel, that's why we're still here. Philip's gotta be worried sick. I hope Lord Philip's okay. I hope that like a tree didn't come alive and he... and him up upstairs. Oh. If I recall, the outside of the house was lots of lightning bolts, so...

Hopefully he did not get struck. This is where Philip killed that gross old weasel, wasn't it? He did a mighty fine job of that. Yep. You all have this conversation while you slowly make your way around this place, pulling bits and pieces of tombstone from beneath the twisted roots of the crooked tree. And all of you, collectively,

Collect every piece of your Grimm that remains. Shards of his shovel, the hilt, the 13 pieces of his tombstone that you're able to find. Pieces of cloth and things that he carried on him. You find a page that had, it's ripped and torn, it's a page from a storybook.

storybook that he had read to someone that had been special to him. And even through everything, he still kept it on him. All of these things you find as you collectively meet up in the middle of this room with everything. The final remaining earthly trinkets of your room. You take the shards of the tombstone and you begin to build the cairn. If you put anything in it,

I think all of the little bits and pieces that we find, we would build it with a cairn around it. You're going to take, outside of his lantern, you're going to take anything with you when you decide to leave.

I don't know. It's all just destroyed. Right, shards and junkies. I just picture a metal-- The car and up around the shovel. The shovel itself is very much was holding these pieces up. You're stacking them up around it as you put everything into the middle and slowly take these pieces of tombstone and build this small cairn.

And it takes you about 30 minutes, during which time you can... I would reflect in silence. It might surprise everyone to see Lethika pull out a candle, but I do, and I set it, and eventually, with enough wax, get it to sit on one of the front most stones, just at the base, just to illuminate the space a little bit more and give us a little bit more sight in this dark space.

Yorgim really carried around all of this stone and more on his back and all those heavy chains every step he took. Are there any chains left? Links, not anything long, but you do find... Yeah, it would be a busted up chain. It would be a Yorgim-themed pile of stones. Um, he was really a strong guy. Yeah, he was. He was like the backbone of the party. All right, we'll do your rags out, Seller Yogi.

So that's where we should say our final words then? Or may that seem to be the consensus? I think we should do it here. Now that the fever of combat has left, I feel that we could find a piece here. It feels right. If you agree. I mean, it's his fings. It's where he met his end. A surprisingly wise suggestion, Briggsie. Well done. I don't know how to lead this sort of thing. You know, when someone...

on a ship, we just sort of, you know, throw them on the deck, say some nice words and kick them off. Well, that's all we're last rights are, right? Just some nice words? Whether we kick them off into the sea or not. It's not funny. I'm not laughing, that's what I'm laughing at. The gallows humor sets in. The words do more than just sound pretty. Jericho, they are not...

I hope Jorgen's spirit isn't all twisted up like what we saw in the mist on coming over here.

I think that was very nice. I'll try to think of a song here. Then I'll kind of, like, be tuning my banjo.

replacing a string if anything got broken in combat. I'll take my hat off and I'll have it on my chest. I'll take it off. I'll pick the lantern off. Then my hat, I'll take my hat off and I put it under my arm as I try to like... As Jericho said, there is a sad joy to be found in our grief for the loss of Jorgrim. He carried the weight of the dead on his shoulders. And now like him, we carry a similar burden.

I will shoulder it gladly. It reminds me of his strength. It does? If you don't mind, I have a few words I would like to say. Please. I'll step forward. Jorgrim and I initially didn't always see eye to eye. We're both deeply troubled individuals. I did my best to show him the Tenets, what I thought was the way. I'm not sure the Tenets were very much help to him.

I'm not sure the tenants were very much help to me. Still, all I can offer is a small prayer to both him and Farron. And I hope that they'll be alright. And I'll hang my head and I'll say... Farewell, illuminated one, until we meet again. We carry the sun in our hearts until then. Give us the strength to carry on until the next dawn. We greet your ally, the Moon Maiden. The silver light guides us until then. There is always another dawn. Farewell, precious son.

I don't know if I'm supposed to follow that up. What I'll say is, Yorgie and I go way back. I guess roughly the same time as all of us, but he never complained about me calling him Yorgie. And you know, he was a bit of a dour lad, but he was the backbone of the crew. Like the bosun. And that's sort of what we've become. A crew. There's six of us. I killed my whole crew. I didn't mean to, but...

It's the nature of monkey poles and curses and jungle temples and the like. You know, I'm still haunted by them now. And you hear... Shut up, Eddie! Eddie crawls back underground. He's standing there with us. He's got a little hat. You are such a nice guy. Oh, go away! And he crawls back underground. Yogi...

You were the best of us. You were a devil, a black sheep, a really bad egg. It's a drink time. I'll pour some rum over the cairn and then I'll take a swig. As you swig, I'll be plucking my banjo. Kind of a sweet, mournful tune. Lay down your sweet and weary head

And I continue like that and sing into the last play.

The song that Jericho sings fills this space. And you all find yourselves shrouded in mist. You don't notice it at first as it dances around your feet, spiraling around the cairn. But you begin to notice it more as the lantern begins to flare once more. And in the shadow of the dancing light within, you see behind you

A figure. A woman, shrouded in mist. Cloaked. Almost formless and shapeless in the dark. But the mist swirls around her, giving her form. Deep within her, that same spectral glowing light. She looks between all of you but makes no sound. As she reaches out a long hand and beckons. Jorgrym's spirit forward.

The lantern light flares and that tiny spark of light gets a bit larger and larger until it bursts forth and you see not Jorgrim, but a flickering spark of who he had been. This small spirit dances around each of you for a minute, resting on each of your shoulder, the only way a spirit can say goodbye before he answers his maiden's call and joins her in the shadows.

She looks towards you once more, the spirit of Jörgrim nestled deep within her heart. You feel at your side, Brigzi, a small shake as the lantern crumbles and turns to nothing but dust. You all notice this, and then as you look back, you see the mist subside. Where the maiden had stood, she is no more. Where that small, dancing spirit had been, there is no more.

You have put your grim to rest in this place. Keep to the shadows, my lady. This spirit walks its own path. This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Avantris 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 Saltmarsh. You can also go to thecrookedmoon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror tome for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. And don't forget to snag all the extra goodies like dice, miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more. Thank you! The darkness of this place finally begins to sink in yet again as the final remnants of light have disappeared from this space.

As you hear from off in the corner, I feel like I'm gonna be sick. It's so dark in here. I didn't even fill up. Honey, fill

I will quickly extinguish the candle that I lit as the final part of my ceremony and race to Adela, saying, Adela, we are here. You feel her reach up and grab on to you. Oh, God, let the go. Where's Phil? Where's Phil? Where's my honey? We're still beneath the house, but we are going to get you out of here, and then we will find Philip. What happened? It is a long story. Much has happened since...

You're trapped in here with us. - You think my dress is all right? I just got this. - I am sure it will be fine. If it isn't, then we will repair it. It'll be okay. - Okay, all right. - You're going to be all right. You're going to be all right. - Do I, do I? - Yeah, you look, you look like an angel. - Jericho, are you doing all right, honey? She reaches up and puts her hand on your face. You look like you've seen

Your Grim and Farron are dead. What? What do you mean your Grim and Farron are dead? We couldn't save them. We couldn't save them at all. Yes, we lost two of our allies tonight. I don't think I'm ready for this. I need Phil. We will get you out of here now and then we will explain everything. All right. Be careful. We will need you. You are weak from your injuries. Now I can feel...

She goes to stand up and immediately she lets out a yelp as very clearly one of her legs is broken and she crumbles to the ground as she begins to sob a little bit. I actually, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to stand. I can carry you, it's fine. We'll get you out of here. We're not-- We believe that the danger has been quelled for now and we're not sure of the state of things as we head upwards, but we'll get you out of here and we'll find Phillip, all right?

All right. And I will gently pick her up. We both can carry you. I just look at Jericho like, I'm helping. I'm helping. Gosh, this is-- I'll just scoop her up and gently hold her and try to make sure that she's comfortable. I'm feeling a little bit woozy.

If she needs more healing as well, I can, while I'm holding her, I'll be ready to use more Lay on Hands if I feel that that becomes necessary. - It doesn't seem like it's necessary. It would definitely help her, but it's not as if she's gonna fall back unconscious if she doesn't get it. - Oh, it looks like I made a Lay on Hands here, Jesus. - You what? - I said, "What, a Lay on Hands here?"

Just calm down here. Lay on hands points, they don't come cheap, you see. Jesus Christ. I will pick her up and I'll look to the rest of the gang and I'll say, "All right, we need to find Phillip. "We need to see if we can even get out of here.

Let us make our way. Lord Phillip is gonna be okay, don't you worry. You notice that she is spinning the wedding band that she has on her finger, and occasionally you don't even need to roll perception, you hear her whispering to it, as if she's attempting to communicate with him through this band, and you see that she looks horrified that she is hearing nothing back.

He failed that Final Fantasy X challenge. Oh no! Um... No, you have to dodge lightning a hundred times in a row. That's to get the super weapon. Yeah. I think the spirit of Jorgrim might be in chat. What? Who? No, Jorgrim's dead. Guys, I can't believe I fucking died! He's just floating there.

Don't worry, my cousin, my chipper's gonna show up soon. Alright. Okay. Briggsie, you lead the way. Jericho next to me. Lethika, you bring up the rear, alright? I will be right behind you. If I need my sword, I'm going to-- we're gonna have to protect Adela. Garsh, we won't be able to fit through. You carry Miss Adela alone. I'll just slow you down, but I can provide some pumpkins. I'll cast Dancing Lights.

Oh, I have to lead the way? Alright. You're a captain, Briggsie. No, I'm no captain. Oh, is it the metaphor? Oh, wait, we'll talk about our metaphor. We're not much of a crew anyway. Alright, I can give it a shot. After this, you know, we've been in a house for so many fucking times, I know it like the back of me hand.

And you do. And my left hand pops out and turns around. And I will start to walk my way out, but then right before we leave the main chamber that goes in, I'll turn and I'll look at the cairn. And I'll just say under my breath, Goodbye, Yogi. And I'll turn, put my hat back on. And I will lead the rest of them out of the basement. You...

You have been down to this portion of the house far more than you would like. And nothing good has ever come from it. And it is with... There's peace, a little bit of peace that you found in performing the final rites for Jorggrim and seeing what you believe has happened to his spirit. And with that, you feel a little lighter.

as you exit this place. And you do know this house like the back of your hand at this point. The layout of this place will be etched in your nightmares. - Yeah. - As you make your way up from the basement and into the house proper. And at first, you don't notice that the house has changed. But as you make your way through the kitchen, you realize that it is in immaculate condition.

All the plaster has been repaired, the windows are fresh, the stained glass that Adela had put in is right back where it had been when you first arrived. All the changes that had overcome the house when Billy took up residence have been reversed. And as you look at the walls, you see, as crooked as they had been, they look much straighter. Less leaned to the side.

Though the house itself will never fully be anything but crooked, it is not as extreme as it had been. The air feels fresh here. Looking out the window as you pass through the kitchen into the hallway, you see that outside the storm clouds are still billowing. The dark of the eternal night is ever darkened by the clouds that shroud the sky. But you do not see lightning or

or rain or the heavy sounds of thunder as you make your way through the house. It is quiet. The floorboards don't creak beneath your feet. They feel firm and secure. The door handles are finely polished. The curtains are freshly sewn in place. Everything about this feels like what it was supposed to be, a home. If I'm leading the way, instead of taking the parlor to the foyer, I would take the main hallway out of the kitchen into the...

Well, you know this house like the back of your hand. And I look for beavers. I make sure there are no beavers left. Or bees. Or bees. Where are the bees coming from? There are no beavers or bees. Oh my God. Just checking. There's no beavers. No rascally beavers always stinging you with weird gauze. Garsh, you ever figure out what that bee guy was?

Anyways, Miss Adela, we're going to find your husband right quick. Oh, gosh, I hope he do. He's not responding to me. With any luck, he's right on the porch where we left him.

He was separated from us as soon as we stepped foot in this accursed home. You listen and you do not hear the banging that you had heard outside when the door had slammed shut and locked as Philip had thrown himself against the door over and over again, frantically trying to get into his wife. Everything is silent. There are no sounds of thunder, no sounds of rain, no sounds of wind. You could hear a pin drop. Adela, is there any chance...

Did he mention anything at all to you that if something were to go wrong that he would get back in the carriage and go somewhere for help or to... I can't imagine that Phil would ever leave me. He would always come to my rescue. You don't understand. The love we have is unlike anything any worlds have ever known. I'm sure. I can't live without Phil and he can't live without me. He's told me so. I know it to be true. All right, don't... If he's not here, Mary, something's happened.

I don't want to say it. He's going to be fine. We're going to find him, all right? All right, I trust you. I trust you. Quickly, come on, let's go. And probably that Kellen or Billy or whoever was controlling the house at the time was probably afeard of Lord Philip on account of him being so powerful, and that's why they waited until we was all separated to lock us inside. That's probably what happened. He's so big and strong and powerful.

I don't like what this is. My Phil is so big and strong and powerful, you don't even know. Gosh, I mean, I'm sure we saw him kill him. I mean, if you had any idea what we went through with this gross weasel guy named Filthy Jasper, you couldn't believe how much he gave us the old runaround. And Lord Phillip just looked at him and he exploded into gore and viscera. Oh, that sounds like my Phil. He's just the berries. It was very impressive and berryful. That's exactly right, Miss Adele.

You see that she wipes a tear away from her cheek as she tries to put on a brave face. She winces in pain as she shifts in your arms and the broken bones, the shock of the whole ordeal has almost completely faded from her and all of the pain that adrenaline had quieted has now begun to erupt and she's doing her best to put on a brave face but she's clearly, she's very emotional.

in pain and concerned. - Can I ask a question, Dungeon Master? - Yeah. - I don't know if Jericho would have noticed this, but when we're hearing the crooked house turn crooked and Philip was throwing himself against the door, did it sound like a tall beanpole man throwing himself or was it like,

Was it what you would expect for a class getting high? Roll an intelligence check as you're trying to recollect a memory. Oh, is he like superhuman strength? Did it feel like a... You know what I mean? Like, was it... Natural one. There! Rules! You're

Your attention was firmly on Billy. Yeah. As that was the last thing that you had expected. That's very true. You were concerned, of course, that the door itself had been locked, but Adela wasn't your concern in that moment. Phillip's concern for his wife wasn't your concern in that moment. It was the specter in front of you. Gosh. It was gonna be just fine.

Oh, you've really done wonders with the place. We never really got to say. Oh, thank you, honey. I did it for you. I mean, it looks mighty pretty. I mean, this looks like a very comfortable... I cannot wait to... Now that all the horror's over, then we can turn it into a nice cozy home for us. On account of us having the key and the deed and the like. It's all yours, should you want it still. Oh, I'll be frank. I don't actually know any Franks. But I'll be him for a minute and tell you...

I wouldn't blame you, not even a bit, if you didn't want to live here after what happened. You haven't met Frank? He's the big horse. Oh, you got a horse named Frank now? Miss Lethica. Yes, yes, his name is Shadow Frank. Oh, I like that name, it's cute. Oh, gosh, oh, my neck hurts. I'm sorry, what? We could introduce you so you know at least one Frank. Sure. I miss Chester already. Anyways, he's happy with his oats.

And his apples. Didn't we leave the horses, like, right outside? And his carrots. No, we only took Witchstomper and Dawn. We left the rest back at... Oh, that's right. Where they were coming from.

Oh, I guess. Yeah, I don't know what it became of Witch Domper. Oh, gosh. Well, Dom's a magic horse. I think Witch Domper's the only one who's in any real danger. Guys, I don't think Witch Domper made it. We don't know that. He was outside of the house very firmly. Don't worry. Witch Domper is incredibly hardy.

I have faith. Smash cut to Philip riding Witch Stomper as he tries to get to the next town over. Come on, you fucking whore! Come on! God, that's awful. Witch Stomper's incredibly exhausted because he's carried Briggsie for the past couple of days. And then Philip.

If we are still moving towards the front door and attempting to burst out onto the porch, the moment that we're outside, I would be yelling for Philip's name to see if he can hear me as we like survey the area to see if the carriage is even still in front. We go through the foyer.

I check for any beavers. You check for beavers and bees. And peacocks. And peacocks through the entirety of this place and see none of it. None of the imagery that you associate with the horrors of the crooked house seem to be present anymore. All of those things, Adela had mindfully gone through every room and removed anything that would be a memory of the darkness that had lived here and replaced it with imagery that is beautiful and happy.

and hopeful. And you can feel that as you walk through these halls. And you do make your way towards the front door. And as you open it and you jump out to yell this, your voice is completely dwarfed and drowned out by the roaring sounds of what sounds like thunder off in the distance. You are not met with the carriage out front.

And you see that even though it is perpetual night here, that the sun, or that the moon, shines its soft silvery light over the land. But tonight, it is shrouded in darkness with the thick, roiling storm clouds. You look off towards the direction that that sound had come from, but it is not dark.

thunder that you've heard. What you see is not something you had expect to see. A veritable army of wraiths and ghouls and ghosts propel themselves forward, almost riding on the storm. And at the head of them, atop a giant,

A giant gray steed is Philip Druskinvald, an entire army of death behind him as he charges towards the house. Flanked on either side of him are two skeletal horsemen on either side.

all of them charging forward towards the house. Even from here, you can tell, though you cannot see his face, you can tell that he has one sole purpose, to rescue his wife. You look up. You see Adela's face go from complete happy to-- "Exactly as I feared. "He stirred up the barrows.

My husband was powerful. He would save me and she spins a ring. Bill, honey, I'm okay. You can put a... Yeah, the ring's not working. We might want to hide. Wait, wait? Hide? Oh, yeah. He's not going to barge forward and have a moment of clarity or anything. I'm broken and bruised. If he sees me like this, we're not going to control him. We might want to get off the porch.

Oh, uh, Garsh, yes, uh, we'll go to the garden where them peacocks probably live. That's a good idea.

All right, we run. You run towards the garden as you watch as this entire army, this personal army of spirits and wights pulled from the barrows, led by Philip, makes their way forward. You see once again that on either side of him, there are two horsemen on the left side.

a horseman wreathed in a white light, a lance held firmly in their hand, next to a horseman that is shrouded in a blue ghostly light, a longsword in their hand. On the opposite side, you see a horseman wreathed in green, holding a flail.

And next to them, a horseman glowing in purple light, a scythe in their hand as they all charge forward under Phillip's control. You see that he calls out, raising his cane as they get closer to the house, as he's fuming with anger and fear, as he calls them to surround, "Find my wife, do whatever you have to do. "Tear this house to the ground. "Adela will be found."

And you watch as all of these wraiths and spirits begin to encircle this place. The horsemen themselves moving to the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, as they raise their weapons towards the sky. Philip begins to circle around this place as Adela looks up to you. I'm not sure what he's gonna do, but we gotta let him know I'm all right. Now that we're

now that the race can't, you know, steamroll us and trample us, not realizing we're there. They're helpless without his command, you know. I'll let him know I'm here. I'm not going to be able to help. So I'm in a tizzy right now. I don't know how we avoid sneaking up on him. I don't want to spook him. Are you still here? I thought you were staying there. Go get him. What are you talking about? He's going to come. My little...

Why did you follow us? Stay out of here. Marius is carrying me. My leg is broken, you dumb dog. Marius, why didn't you leave her there? She left her in the chair, Marius. Let's fucking go. No. None of you are listening to the words that I'm saying. No.

You're on your own, Adela, see ya. We had no reason to believe that he wasn't going to trample the house. Now that we are out of his initial path, we need to leave you so that he can find you. Hey, Philly, she's okay! No, no, no. She's ready. Lord Reskinfall, Lord Reskinfall, it's us, we're cool, we're cool. We're cool. We solved the problem, we saved your wife, we saved her, we saved her. Let us hope that he is the first one to find us.

Your screaming is drowned out by the sounds of the wailing of this entire spectral army. Yeah. Vulu's stepmom says 10 and 9 is GTFO. 9, 10 and his, fuck this shit, I'm out. See ya! Just kidding. That's a groan. Well...

We all die. Yeah? Okay. Do you have, like, messages sending or anything like that? What do you think I've been trying to do? Phil, it's Adela! Right, and then all of a sudden you hear, almost as if coming from the gem on her ring, Adela, honey, is that you? You all right, honey? Where are you?

Oh, I'm over in the gardens, baby. What are you doing bringing the barrel army down with you? Didn't you know I was with the heroes of Druskinfall? You immediately hear the sounds of sobbing. It is in an instant the amount of fear that Philip had felt

completely cracks as he begins to sob over his wife. You feel the clouds overhead open up as rain begins to pour down and pelt you, the weather itself mirroring the emotions of the lord of this land. You see Adela hold her ring to her heart and keep the communication line open as the sound of her heartbeat transmits through her ring and to her husband.

and with some time, you hear his choked sobs come to an end as he clearly pulls himself together and tell her he'll be on his way. You immediately see this darkened light emit around everything as all of the spectral rays and things come to a standstill. They're marching stops. He has

halted the army here at the house. From your vantage point, you can still see the horsemen at their four corners, their weapons raised towards the sky. They do not move. They stay there. Their order is still in place. You eventually hear the sound of, uh, Phillips, uh,

the hooves of Philip's horse as he makes his way around the house and eventually finds you in the garden. He says nothing to any of you as he nearly vaults off of the horse and rushes to Adela, pulling her out of your arms quickly. He holds her to him, cradles her in his arms as he...

as he begins to mumble into her hair, into her neck, kissing along her jawline, her lips, taking her face in his hands and telling her over and over, "I love you, baby. "I love you, honey." You can see that he-- You can see this look on his face of absolute joy that his wife, his true love is fine.

before eventually cradling her into his arms, making sure that she's all right. And he turns to all of you. You can see he quickly wipes the tears from his face. He stands up straight, looking another two or three inches taller, something only Andy could wish to attain. I don't really want to be like 6'6". I'm good. No, no, no, he's a good 6'2", 6'3". Oh, I see.

No, actually, he's probably like 6'5". I would imagine. He's like very lanky and tall. He's like Conan O'Brien. He's definitely like Conan O'Brien. And he looks towards you and almost as quickly as you see all of this emotion on his form, now that he has his wife in his arms, he picks up his cane, kicks it with his foot and begins to spin it. Well, that was quite the wild ride you guys found yourselves on, wasn't it?

And I was suddenly a close one. And you kept my wife safe? We did our best to keep her alive. Well... Jorgrim died for it. We lost two of our friends in the process. Ah, my condolences. It is horrible to lose someone you love. He looks down at Adela for a minute and smiles. Well, uh, I know that you called Jorgrim in separately, and I don't know, and you're like the master of death out of this land, or I don't really know how it works, but...

Can you, like, sense his spirit? Or... and also, Farron, she was with us. She was the, uh, the druid. Um, I don't know if you can sense if she's still here and still alive. We would just like some closure there. She got hit by a tree. I, uh, don't necessarily have a connection to your friends the way that you do. Not the way I do to Adela. If they're still here, I can't sense them. That's alright. Thanks for trying. No, I think he's dead. Like dead Ted.

You know what I mean, like not coming back. Dead forever. I know, I was just... Gone. I know, I was just trying to maybe be hopeful and I don't know. But to know that they gave up their lives to protect my wife, I will think of them fondly. They have done me a great service here today. That all of you, look at you. Dirty, battered, bruised, miserable. Yeah. All for Adela. Yeah. All for Druskinvold. I owe you one. Yeah. Yeah.

No, I think nothing of it. Especially considering I'm going to tear down your house and we're going to completely destroy the thing. What? Oh. Oh, yeah, I can't allow something like this to remain in my land. Filled with evil. It almost killed my wife. I mean... It kept me from my wife. Your wife did a really nice job sprucing up the place. You really did, honey. And he looks down at her. I tried my best. It was really hard, too. It was so... Shush, my love. You need to rest.

Yeah, right. Oh, so that means that we won't destroy it because you tried really hard? Oh, no. We're definitely going to destroy it. Oh. It's really for the best. We can have something else built here for you at a later time, if that's what you're wanting. You want to put down roots. So I'm going to have to pay you back in some other way. All right. Don't say it like put down roots. There's just something about that that doesn't quite ring. Oh, yeah. I can say it another way.

Oh, that's still on? Oh.

But I do. I gotta do something right by you, because you've done something right by me. He reaches down and caresses her cheek. It feels wrong being excited for a party until your friend just died. But I'm a little excited. I mean, that depends on where you come from. There are some places in the realms of death where they celebrate death all the time. Death is one big party. Some big party. So think about it that way. You're not celebrating the death, but you're celebrating the life.

yeah I can't really see your party we also haven't killed any of the witches you wanted us to kill so we've got a lot of work to do that reminds me you know what that's what I could do I told you I'd give you the artifacts you were looking for when you killed the witches what if I gave them to you early I mean can't get out of here till they're gone anyway so you might as well help me kill them regardless it's not a good faith shows you I wasn't lying shows I've got what what you were asking for I'll give them

masquerade how does that sound that's my wife most generous what wait you mean after all the heroism and life saving including your wife that you get to reward us handsomely sure that's very generous i mean with of course the promise that you're gonna continue hunting after mother midnight rid my land of all the witches i still have a witch problem on my head yeah of course you have my word

Then I don't see any reason I couldn't give him to you now. We're much more than acquaintances. With what you've done for my wife, we're practically friends. And I have learned much about this land, much about the people here. It is a beautiful realm. He smiles down at you. Thank you. I appreciate that a lot. Do you have it with you now? Of course not.

I've got an entire hallway at Chateau Clair de Lune where I keep all of my prized possessions. Artifacts from all over, of interest and everywhere else. So you're saying if we're staying with you, I can see it? Sure.

You're a very kind and generous lord, not giant and generous lord. I'm sorry. I'm just a little all mixed up and my head's all aflitter with Crow squawking and Virgil talking. Anyways, we swear on everything that we'll kill Mother

uh mother midnight on account of the fact that she she she tricked our friend jorgrim worst of all and broke his heart and so she really deserves to die and we want to see her killed terribly and devoured by a crow demon well maybe not that last part but certainly dead and i mean i think he said we can't leave until the deal i mean even if it was none of us couldn't i couldn't even if i wanted to we're all stuck here and we'll get rid of those witches so it would behoove you

to get rid of them. And if I can pay you early with the little trinkets that you require, there's enough skin off my back. And my sweet wife is here with me, and the best of help she could possibly be in, considering the circumstances, is the least I can do. Are you familiar with the entity that we faced beneath the house? Well, we haven't really talked about it. I'm not quite sure what you faced. I just know you've told me that two of your friends have died, all to sacrifice themselves to save my precious wife.

Do you know what an Edelwood tree is? Edelwood Shmedelwood. A tree's a tree. We have much to discuss. I look forward to it when we, uh, have been able to get rested. Once we get back to Chateau Clair de Lune, we can have a nice hearty meal before you lay your heads down to sleep. And then perhaps brandy and cigars. Ah, that would be lovely. And maybe cocktails in the parlor. I'm sure we can have it arranged.

It will depend on what Adela feels like she's up to tonight. She's been through a trialing harrowing experience. She needs much healing. You wouldn't understand what this must have been like for Adela. Oh, and maybe after doing the mints on my pillows.

What? Don't be a mouse. Ask them for a glass of milk. What? A mouse? What the fuck are you talking about? You gave a mouse a cookie. Be gracious. We thank you very much. Whatever you can offer. We'll give a mouse a cookie. We are all tired. Sleep is new to me. And ever since coming to Druskinwald, I feel like I need it. I don't understand it, but I feel very sleepy right now.

and then we could all go home and rest our weary heads, just like our dear friend, your old room. I could certainly use a drink. Well, I wasn't sure you would make it. I expected that you wouldn't. I hope. It's no offense to you. None taken. Something can keep me from Adela. It's a true evil. I expected to have to bring down the attack might have Druskin Vault on this place. And for the most part, I'm going to have to. I will level this house.

Are the barrow under your command for long? Why, yes. There is not just the evil of the house, but that which lies beneath. I would recommend that no other living or soul enter this land until we have diminished the power. Put these barrow as sentry. They can guard the place. I see no reason they can't. No reason.

Now I don't have my carriage with me, obviously riding atop my steed, so I'll have to call in the palanquin and that will help you make your way to Chateau Clair de Lune. I'll ride ahead with Adela. I'll be able to get home faster and get things ready for you. And if she is fit for dinner, we'll meet you for dinner. If not, I will at least have someone meet you at the door. They will take you to your rooms and get you settled in and we'll have dinner tomorrow. Either way, we'll be able to talk through this and

Maybe even find some time tomorrow to show you your artifacts. I'm not gonna give them to you until the masquerade. It'll be a grand ceremony in front of everyone. Oh, that'll be good. Everyone will love that. Thank you for your generosity. We appreciate it. You really are the nicest... You are as wonderful and nice and kind of a rich folk that I always imagined meeting. Yeah, you really didn't have to offer that. I mean, you know, based on our deal, we're not even close. And you didn't have to save my wife either, but you did. We're glad that we did.

And I know your grim and fair would be even more at peace knowing that we did. I'd do anything to protect my wife, my lovely Adela. And you see that she has already fallen asleep in his arms. She is gently snoring as she is cradled up against his chest. We'll stand back away from this house so you can do what needs to be done. We'll wait for our ride and follow your order from there, I suppose. All right.

- That sounds nice. - Then let it be done. And if, should you decide at some point, once all of this is said and done, that you would like to have a home here, and this spot is quelled of its eternal evil, we can build you a house right here to whatever specifications you like. Adela, I'm sure, would love to design another house for you. But that's a problem for another time.

And he raises his staff up towards the sky and you watch as a dark purple and black magics begin to swirl around it. As he shoots a large orb into the air, you watch as one, two, three, four tethers of dark magic shoot from the weapons of the horsemen at the corners and combine with the orb above the house.

And in a blinding, shadowy light, you watch as the house is completely leveled by spirit and race and dark, undulating magic. You're a badass. As the dust begins to settle, you see that Philip has already begun to ride away a little. He turns towards you and points his cane at you, not in a menacing way, but in a way of acknowledgement as he taps it to his hat and calls out on the wind, Thank you, and I'll see you at Chateau Clair de Lune.

as he begins to ride off into the darkness. You hear a sound come from him, this strange spectral haunting, almost like a banshee's song, a banshee's wail, as the wraiths and skeletal warriors and spirits begin to march away from the crumbling ruins of what once had been the crooked house. You watch as the four,

The four horsemen begin to march forward on steeds that move far faster than any steeds you've ever seen. They loom large over the rest, clearly now in command of this barrow army, as they all begin to follow after the Lord of Druskinvald. And all that's left are a small smattering of spirits.

And you begin to hear the ramblings down the road of what sound like

not wheels, but wailing spirits in a circular song as piercing the misty cloud cover of this place. You see a large palanquin drawn by spirits as it makes its way towards you. It pulls up next to you and the remaining spirits that encircle this house begin to combine with those that make up this giant...

carriage isn't the right word, but this giant contraption that will take you through the moors into Chateau Clair de Lune. You watch as spectral steps roll down from this palanquin, and one of the specters writes a spectral tie and motions for you to step foot onto this contraption. All the while, you see that about...

a handful of specters and wraiths have begun to encircle this area, clearly keeping watch, keeping guard like they had been instructed. - Is it open air or does it have an enclosed carriage-esque? - It has a carriage-esque part to it. - Like a door? - Not a door. - No door. - You should step up onto it. It has a big back portion where a seat where you can-- - Oh, like an awning. - Kind of like an awning. - Like a hovering, yeah, yeah.

but it doesn't, it's not fully enclosed. It is open to the end, no cabin. And it is all intertwined with skeletal architecture and wraiths and spirits that move throughout and wail throughout it. The moment that these spectral stares make themselves visible in this skeletal...

This spectral person makes themselves into a razor tie. I would actually take a few steps forward, look to my friends, motion towards the thing, but I'd reach out to help Lethic on first. You do. As it's coming down, as it's flying at us, I would have turned to everyone and said, Guys, what's a palanquin? And I turned back. Oh my god!

Pops is screaming while they're gently... I would help let it go on. I'll go up and then insist that the others go before me. I'll put it back on my lap and sort of get comfortable and sit down. I will not be on. I'll be still just facing, just kind of staring at the rubble of the crooked house. I'm just going to stand there. Jericho.

"Jetico." "Darsh." "Are you alright?" "I know a lot of bad stuff happened there, but..." "And I wanted to destroy it too, but now that it's done..." "I can't help but feel sad." "We have a lot of memories..." "In that place." "That's where we first became friends." "That's where..." "Our friend is resting." "Both of our friend, well..." "Maybe fair in some place nice and green like the Vision." "I'm gonna-" "I think she might be okay." "Goodbye, crooked house."

Goodbye crooked house. I know you was bad and crooked, but you're very... I'm glad that I met you. And I'll turn around. You cleaned up real nice. I'll turn around. And I'll get up. Yeah, I would just like, like, you know, not help you guys on the motion for you to go for this big big point. Okay. And then I kind of have like a weird look on my face as I'm like, ugh. And then I'll put my arm around, my hand's just in your hand, and I take my arm away. I'm just kidding. And I'll take your hand and I'll...

as a bunch of black feathers will spray out and then I'll as Virgil's head will poke out of my mouth and then force its way and fly in a little circle above as I climb on. Gersh! Are you all right? No, I'm fine. Virgil, Virgil, you seem to be in good spirits. I thought you was mighty cross about that key. You seem like a different person.

Oh, gosh. I'm glad that you're happy, too. Well, that's nice. Oh, what about Witchjumper? Phillip!

Philly! I think we'll have to ask him that at dinner. I'm sure he's at the stables of Chateau Clair. You see the spiritual form of witch. No! I'm kidding. As you're all settling in on this palanquin, I would follow you up after I've helped everybody get on. And with one last look over my shoulder at the house, I'll say, rest in hell, demon. And then sit down next to you, all of you,

and just take in what's around me, what's going on on this contraption, and I've never seen anything like this before. You haven't. I'm very interested to see how it operates and just kind of watch. It is a fully spiritual

palanquin. It is driven by spirits and made of bone. The way that it moves, there are no wheels but the wailing dead that propel this thing forward. And it is unlike anything you've ever experienced before. There's no warmth to this. Look at this. Though it looks... The seat you sit upon feels soft beneath you.

There is no warmth to it. It is the cold of death that surrounds you as you are propelled forward. It moves rather quickly. You are able to make your way away from the crooked house, away from Folsens, possibly for the last time. You look over your shoulders. Do I fly in the sky? No, it's rolling, it's hovering above the ground. I see.

As you are making your way away from this house, you look back at the ruins of the crooked house. What was supposed to be your home. You make your way further and further from the final resting place of your room. The last place that you saw Farron. From memories both good and bad. And there is a moment, a few moments, where you get to think about everything that has happened in this place.

as you pass a sign that shows that you are firmly leaving Fulsons and you're making your ways into the moors that surround Chateau Clair de Lune. - Briggsie, was Eddie underneath that house? - No, I mean, yeah, he was. - Okay. - But it's not like he's always there, you know, he didn't die there. I can sort of, that's sort of one of the powers Mr. Crossroads has, as he's been calling it.

Summon me dead, I guess undead, true, wherever I am. So, you know, he'll be crushed and buried, but the next time I summon him, he'll be wherever we are. I will be... My spirits will be in heaven lifted, getting away from Folesense, as I will play a folksy version of Night on Bold Mountain, as we are pulled by the spirit host of all of the Skeletal Riders.

When you're not playing, I'd be trying to comfort you. I'd be trying to offer you words of... Words that I've used to help counsel others who are going through profound grief for the first time. Oh, shucks. Do we feel like we have time to talk amongst ourselves on this trip? You are on the roads between areas. So you haven't fully gotten to the moor yet, but you've seen that you've left Folsons behind.

You've left Cyril behind. You know that Cyril is in good hands, that Hugo and Maggie Macduff are doing what they can to make right by the city. You know that the evil that had been there has, at least some of it, has been quelled. And with that comfort,

You leave the boundaries of Folsense and make your way deeper into Druskin Bold Proper as you roll through these heavily tree-lined streets that lead eventually towards the moors of Chateau Clair de Lune. You don't know how long you have, but you know that this is a big place, and you imagine you have a while to talk amongst yourselves. And Virgil is circling overhead.

See kind of the, and what I would say is that you just circling and watching and kind of the squawking and pecking at the head and all of that, that is not, that's completely stopped. I think I've always been telling stories of just like, you know, the times we had with Jorgrim. Hey Marius, remember that time Jorgrim, you know, remember that.

Wherever he is now, I'm sure he's standing in an alley in front of hundreds of commoners. Yeah, no, he probably is. Remember when he got tricked? That was sad. That was sad, Briggsie. I think that Mother Midnight has to pay on account of breaking Jorgrim's heart. There ain't nothing worse than a broken heart. We'll get our revenge. It's only a matter of time. This isn't over. I think that's the one thing that pisses me off the most.

He's a Billy the bitch still got the final laugh. The last fucking laugh in the end he won. I don't agree. Jörgrim won when he spoke his words of wisdom in the forest before Billy became crooked. Jörgrim said that he failed but in that moment he was the victor. Yeah but I mean what if what if he killed Billy right there chopped his fucking head off

Then Kellen couldn't have fucking snapped him up and used him like she did. Just because evil uses a moment to do evil does not make that moment wrong or corrupted. It was still the right thing to do. Who decides what's right? And we can't think about that. You can spend your whole life thinking about what could have happened and

You'll drive yourself crazy thinking like that, Griggsie. You have this conversation for about an hour before the treeline gives way to the rolling moors. You see before you foggy expanse of land. Before you are soft rolling hills dotted with heather, gorse,

peat bogs, barrows. You see all of it laid out before you and shrouded in mist and fog. It seems to stretch on forever. The wind here is cold as the Palanquin propels itself forward almost faster. You see at the very edge, it almost feels like the edge of the world, a grand structure.

Hundreds of lights illuminated inside, but shrouded in the mist and fog the way it is, it's hard to make out the architectural features of it, but you can only guess this must be Chateau Claire de Lune at the very end of the moor.

The palanquin propels you forward past these bushes with spiny evergreen thorny leaves and branches dotted with flowers in the shape of stars and moons. Strange and beautiful. Flowers of purples and blues and soft silver milk-like glows.

They look like flowers you could have seen at home, but with another worldly appearance to them. The wind whips past you as if the unencumbrance of the moor causes the wind to be a little more fierce and cold as it bites at your skin. When you talk about these things, that structure gets closer and closer and closer.

It takes another hour traveling across the moor as the palanquin floats over bog and brush before you eventually find yourselves propelling towards what is very clearly a cliff face down to the sea and perched at the very edge of it in all of its splendor is a beautiful milk silver chateau, grand in its nature, incredibly large.

Carved into the stone are images of, are depictions of the moon and stars and other astrological symbols. You see that atop the large pillars that rest aside the wrought iron gate are carved into them what look to be two giant crystal balls. And as you make your way towards it, you see that this entire place is illuminated with a soft yellow light.

Eventually, the dirt roads of the Moors turn into a soft gravel drive that leads up to this gate that opens as if on its own as the Palanquin makes its way towards this place. And it is...

it towers over you in its grandiosity. The gravel pathway leads up and around a large fountain of what appears to be some sort of dancer, covered in silks and

and coins, almost like a belly dancer of sorts, with all sorts of musical instruments around them. But it's a fountain, a statue of some kind. It reminds you, Lethika, of the Vistani of Striga. As you make your way forward towards this, you see it in its grandness, this grandeur.

this dancer in all of her beauty. And you see that everything about this place looks grand in some way. And as you finally make your way around the front and the Palanquin parks at the marble steps, the doors themselves open and you see into the large foyer, marble.

floors, a marble stairwell that leads up and curves around deeper into the chateau. The walls are lined with wooden panels at its base and intricate carvings and gilding all over this place. This is truly beautiful and grand in every way.

And as the palanquin stops, you see what appears to be a man standing in the doorway. His outfit is a pale cream covered in gold, gilded gold embroidery.

Beautiful swirls and flowers and images of stars and moons intertwined in the motif. His hair is high atop his head, very clearly a wig covered in powder. His face is pale white, his cheeks dotted red with makeups. He smiles out at you as he waves his hand and you see the frilly cuff around his wrist shake and flounce.

as he begins to make his way down the stairs, his dainty shoes clicking on the marble stairs as he makes his way out to you. And he ushers aside some of the specters, they roll down the spectral staircase and motion for you to disembark. And as you do, he bows. "Good day, I am Jean-Luc,

And I will be your host this evening in place of Lady Adela and Lord Phillip. They have retired for the evening, and so I have been tasked with showing you to your rooms and getting you acquainted with Chateau Clair de Lune. Good evening. He bows very deeply, and you see the cuffs around his wrists are a very delicate lace. Good evening.

Good evening, Lethika. It is lovely to have you with us. And as he bows, you are able to see, now that you're up close to him, that every bit of him is carved from wood. Whoa. That's fun. John Luca, my name is old Jericho Sticks, and you can call me Jericho. Most folk do. We saw this place.

out the train, the window of the Ghostlight Express and it's even more beautiful than it looks shining high on the moors. This is a place of a dream. Oh, and quite right. Lady Adela absolutely loves, loves to make things beautiful. And this was her dream, a house like this. And so it was built exactly as she demanded.

Every bit of it, plucked straight from her dreams. It is exquisite. Be sure to tell the Lord and Lady that we are again very thankful for you having us. My name is Marius Renethyr. This is lovely to meet you. It's lovely to meet all of you. I'm sure you know my name. I'm Brigsy. Captain... Brigsy? Just Brigsy. Well, just Brigsy. It's lovely to have you in residence.

And you must be incredibly, incredibly excited about the masquerade to come. The house has been in an absolute uproar as we prepare for all of the lords and ladies of Druskinvold to make their way here in three days hence. We can speak about this once we've reached, once we've gone inside. Let us not tarry outside. Follow me in and I...

Are you hungry? Do you need a drink? A drink would be lovely. Gosh, a drink and food would be fantastic. Cocktails in the parlor would be lovely. Sarsaparilla and popcorn in the parlor. Do you need a full meal or would an evening tea suffice? Well, I think a full meal. If I am alone, I will just snack, but... It's been a long fucking day. Here's a full meal.

Oh, and this is Virgil Land on top of my hat. This gentleman here is Virgil. He doesn't... Oh, he's a pleasantly polite Virgil. He doesn't address Virgil by name, but he nods curtly at him, making note of his presence, but turns back to the rest of you. Well then, follow me, and we will make our way to...

to the dining room and I will have a full meal set out for you. Thank you. Jericho, we must not tarry. Let us go. Oh, let's not tarry at all. Gosh, that was always my favorite part of corn and corn and loam day was the popcorn. The children loved to eat it too. He quickly motions you into the house and you find yourself in this gigantic room

I mean, there's no else to say it. It's a mansion. Oh.

Looking at this place, the floors are marble, the wood is carved and gilded in gold, the frescoes are painted all along the ceiling, down every hallway. The doorways are nestled in intricate archways, and you can hear the sound of your footfalls echo throughout this place as you make your way quickly through this place.

Jean-Luc chats with you periodically as you make your way through, pointing out different people in photos, pointing out

pastoral scenes of different, pastoral paintings of different areas and Druskinwald and giving you little tidbits of what the paintings are for and the statues are about and where Adela's inspiration came from. And you can see that this place is a beautiful mix of Baroque artwork and a, as well as Adela's own personal fashion. This

little bit of jazziness. You can see that it blends in in a very strange way, as if it was hard for her to separate her dreams from who she is. But it is very clear that this place was made as an homage to what it is that she aspires for.

And it is quite beautiful. And you make your way through this place. And eventually you are taken into a room with large mahogany walls.

wooden mahogany walls. There are books here and there. It looks similar to a study, but it's not quite as lavish. There's no large desk. It's a parlor of sorts, a seating area where people can enjoy some time. There's a large decanter of whiskey. There is already a tea service here should you choose to enjoy that while you wait for dinner to be finished.

But what catches your eye are four outfits that are hanging on hooks against the wall.

They are very similar in dress to what Jean-Luc is wearing. Frilled cuffs, stockings, and boots, and they all seem to be tailored to your individual body types. I hope you don't mind, but while in residence at Chateau Clair de Lune, there is a certain expectation for one to assimilate and look the part. Not to say that you don't all look bad,

And you can see he attempts to quell a look of disdain as he looks between your dirtied and soiled clothes. It's not my fault. I can't take this bag off. Underneath it's just hair and shedded skin. Like wearing a cast for two weeks. Through the door there, you'll find heated baths. Oh.

Please take the time to bathe and clean yourselves and change. We will have... The ladies' mates will come in and take your attire. We'll have it cleaned and returned to you. Gladly. I can't wait to be rid of this burdensome armor.

I will come and fetch you when dinner is ready. Also, I'm sorry on my shabby clothes. Normally, folk like me aren't allowed in nice, fancy mansions, and I never would have presumed unless I was directly invited. I'm so glad you have something other than these filthy rags, what I got. I just want you to know that I feel mighty sorry about it. Apologize to the Lord, Lenefant.

I will do so, my lord. And he slowly backs out of the room and closes the double doors and you find yourself in this candlelit room. You can smell the bathing oils and you can already see the steam begin to wind its way out from beneath the door that leads to the baths in the other room and you have a little bit of time before dinner. Well, I'm not wasting a moment. Getting out of this, I need to clean myself.

I need a moment to relax. I'm sore, my muscles hurt. It'd be nice to get clean for a change. Um, would love to try to clean up as best I can. I mean, I really don't... I ain't never done that. I don't really know what that... I don't... Two things. I'm getting changed either way. I'm gonna run up and I'm gonna get the outfit that's neat for me. Regardless, don't let all of this stress you out. All these lords and lady types, they're all the same.

Gonna be very happy that we saved them. And they'll look past any potential faux pas we may commit. Just try to enjoy yourself. There's a bunch of lords and ladies of Druskinvold. Archbishop, well, I guess not Archbishop Renaud. Oh, but do you think that little Cosette is gonna be here on account of being the lady? And maybe Miss McDuff, since Cosette is her ward? Regardless, you heard what Adela said about us. We're the heroes. It would be fantastic

Oh, I mean... You think he's serious about giving us the artifacts? I mean, we could be free from our curses in like less than a few days! I am deeply, deeply concerned about all of this. If you... If I'm being quite honest with all three of you, I've had many, many decades to think about this. If the Grail is real, and if...

Lord Druskinvald happens to have it. And if I am certain it's the correct one when I lay eyes upon it, then what? I can't drink from it. Why not? Isn't that the whole fucking point? We have work to do. What happens when I drink from it and I'm no longer a vampire? Oh, do you like... Do you have any idea how old I may be? Actually, no, I... Have you ever told us how old you are? Oh, I mean, I know you're old. Look, I know, yeah, you're old, but like...

What use will I be to any of you, all the people of Druskinvold, if suddenly all of my wishes come true? I mean... And I'm just supposed to carry around the damn cup, parade it around and show it off? Maybe you can keep it here in a safety deposit box. Or was it like...

I don't know, wasn't it supposed to be like you drink from it or your old, your king, King Victor, his grace, I suppose. If King Grace drinks from it, suddenly he defeats all your enemies and becomes a holy sanctuary of the land. The cup is a tale, a myth. I'm not even sure it's real.

Didn't you swear your life and your honor to your very own king? Your own best pal? Victor is dead. You don't know that. I'm quite certain of it, Jericho. Probably like a wise old king or something. Probably like one with a long beard. And he's the good king, probably. They always sing good tales about a good old king. He was a great king. Look.

You don't only have this conversation in these rooms. You bathe and you dress and eventually Jean-Luc comes to collect you. You pause the conversation for a small while. He helps you affix the powdered wigs atop your heads. Do we figure out how the bag mechanics work? Because I still feel like... No, the bag's still on you. It just looks awful. Even in the bath? Even in the bath.

It's a cursed item, I don't know what to tell you. You picked it up. Get the back. And she does. But we're moving on from that. As you do eventually make your way to the dining hall, it is everything that you would expect. It's gilded and laden with food, everything that you could possibly imagine to eat. And around this table, you continue this conversation. If it is not what you seek, then there is nothing to worry about. You will be back in the same place that you were

before all of this happened. If it is, then we will figure it out. You're right. Regardless, there's work to be done. But I mean, here's the thing. Look, even despite poor Yorgie Mae, rest in peace, and Ferry, things are kind of looking up. We may be curse-free. We'll see.

That's a very big "may." I'm trying to stay optimistic. No, you're right. Yeah, I mean, we're gonna... I mean, even Virgil is mighty happy. He's feeling so chipper about locking away the darkness in that old amber key. It's... there's only reason to celebrate, and we get a big old bucket of popcorn. All three of you are right. I... I apologize. Optimism is good. Now that we've been through some dark times,

But the ultimate consolation to me is that Fip's ate shit that they'll fucking lick at night. Even Marius can't help but have like a wry smile across his face as he thinks about his horrific end. Yes, regardless, it was a bit of justice. Did they provide like a bowl of hay for me or like a bale of hay? Or should I? No, they didn't.

I'll, like... All of my hay would have come out in, like, the bath. And so as I, like, have... As I transfer into the clothes awkwardly, it's all, like, it's creaking. I'm like, oh, I gotta get it out of the bath. Gosh, I feel...

A mighty hungry skeleton it'll look like. Wet haze. There's no way to solve that. As I put on the new clothes, I'm trying to stick it in. Gosh, I'm even skinnier than usual. Does it have to be hay?

Well, I mean, it could be anything, I suppose, but I'm a scarecrow. I go over to one of the... I'm a self-respecting scarecrow, I know. And I'm going to take a knife and I'm going to... Oh, Jesus. ...diagonal across one of the couch cushions and I'm going to pull out the cotton. Here. I'm going to pretend I didn't see that. It's important you look your best.

It's probably down, to be fair. I mean, there's no way they've caught me in a manner that's like this. Oh, feathers! They're feathers. I'm like, I'm like, oh! I thought about making it hay, just for, but no. You're always saying that I'm going to start growing feathers. This is a good thing. Gorsh!

I start something myself and suddenly I'm like, you're like Popeye. That had already happened because you were currently sitting in the dining room. I just want to make sure. That's already happened. Do we have to have put the wigs on? Or can I say that Marius for once has been able to comb his hair and like,

- Oh no, you put the wigs on. You imagine they're not going to make you keep the wigs on for the entirety of your stay, but he's being very strict about keeping them on.

that you are dressed to code. - I'm really impressed by how well tailored my outfit is. It fits where it should, and yet I never saw a tailor. And so I'm very much enjoying the luxuries of this sudden change in atmosphere. - It would have been a very, very, very long time since Marius had done anything like this, but he would be familiar with some of the rituals of being at court, right?

But it would have been many, many decades, many decades since he's done anything like this. You watch as many of the members of the household here make their way in to replenish your drinks, pour you more wine, refill the veritable troughs of food.

And the thing that you begin to notice about all of them is that none of them are human. None of them are living, breathing entities. Some are carved from wood, some are puppets, strings exposed, some are jointed dolls. But all of them are dressed in the most beautiful regalia. Everything intricately tailored, beautifully embroidered, and

Completely spotless and clean. Every wig freshly powdered. All of the paint on their bodies is clearly upkept. There is not a hair out of place. As they all make their way through, and occasionally they chat with you, some of the entity, or some of the servants flirt with you a little as you...

as you chat with them in that way. None of it serious, all of it for fun. - Is there a cute doll? Is there like a cute woman doll? - Yeah, of course. - Jericho's gonna get it, he's gonna have his heart broken. - Yeah, he's gonna have his heart broken. - He's in love. - He's 100% in love. - Gosh, I'm ready to be hurt again. Gosh, I'm ready to be hurt again, like that good night, Sir Marius. - Yeah, there's a cute, cute bubbly... - Hold on!

a cute bubbly servant who makes her way in and she's replacing warm towels for you to clean your hands between courses. And she always makes sure to bring you an extra warm towel. At one point she helps and she picks up the towel and she dots your face. Even though you're not really eating anything, she...

She does this in a way to help you. You see that even though dolls can't blush, the rouge on her cheeks is so bright, she looks like she's eternally flustered. But your night is peaceful and it's lovely. The sounds of the music throughout this house, there's clearly-- Jesus Christ. Oh! Where the fuck did you get that? There we go.

You want to be your Grim? The house itself tears you to pieces. The Chateau itself. There is clearly a ballroom somewhere on this floor and a band or an orchestra is playing music. You can hear laughter from the hallway.

This house is alive and filled with people, though most of them you haven't met. And the dinner is pleasant and is warm and is comfortable. You spend two hours at least here just filling up and drinking and...

relaxing from the day's events and if there's nothing more you want to do as the night begins to wind down though the music doesn't stop and the servants don't stop coming. That sounds awful I wish I had chosen that word.

Fuck. Jean-Luc makes his way back into the dining area and lets you know that once you are ready to be escorted to your rooms, he will escort you.

I would just say that this is absolutely probably the first moment of any safe feeling that any of us would have since stepping foot in this horrific, accursed land. So Marius would absolutely be eating and drinking his fill and over-imbibing on the body. Overindulging. For sure. Absolutely, for the first moment in forever, being able to let his guard down, knowing the power of Philip and Adela, and being in a place where we probably feel untouchable,

and able to finally relax a little bit. He would be filling up on food and absolutely overindulging on wine. And, I mean, we've only experienced one feast of opulence before, which is in direct contrast to the people. And we were with a creature.

creepy gluttonous pervert. You were! Who was abusing, abusing Hugo, and so, like, we couldn't even... And fucking a pigeon hag. Yeah! I mean, he was the worst! Making pancakes. He was the fucking worst! No!

- Right there! - So we had, so I mean, this is such a contrast to that meal. This is the first time we've been able to relax, and I think Jericho would do the same thing, or he, you know, he probably can't taste any of it, but basically, you know, even stuff that Virgil doesn't crave,

He said, "Oh gosh, I suddenly have a craving for tea." Yeah, I would be indulging too. I don't know why. And you know, even though I can just barely, barely taste anything, I would just, just the ritual of it and being able to sit and feast

is something he very much used to do, and to sort of Danny's point, feels very safe, and this is our chance to relax and breathe and not be looking over our shoulder. I think we'd be smiling and laughing and telling stories and enjoying each other's company. I feel I have been put into the stories of Bridgerton, Marius. Did you ever see that program? I have no idea what that even means, Latika, please. You know!

Tell us, tell us. I always thought it was pronounced Bridgerton. Bridgerton? Bridgerton. I only ever read it, so perhaps you are correct. I said, how am I the only one who hasn't heard of this? Oh, it is a relatively new story. A very romantic, very filled out. Wrong period in history.

Wrong period of history? Bridgerton is the Georgian period, which happens just after Rococo, France. Okay. So it's the early 1800s and not the late 1700s. But it's fine. Good soup, Dace. Keep going. I'll imagine that it's good soup. I'm learning to eat like one real person.

I mean, all of this is fantastic, I... Oh, I got soup on my filthy sack! No, no, Jericho, Jericho! The nice folk, you have to eat correctly. Wait, do I have another pencil? Oh, you took a pencil. I took it. It's not this. You have to do this. He's right. That? Here, let me try. If you do this, you look like a fucking savage. Briggs, I'm surprised you know as much as you do about all of this. I took a cotillion, all right? I took a cotillion.

It's a long story. Get schooled, Marius. I'm impressed. Virgil's been scolding me too, I'm sorry. Gosh, everyone's giving me lip tonight. Usually I just kind of open the old hatch and just chuck in the flesh. Enjoy it. That's half of the pleasure of doing all of this is to enjoy it. It just goes down to the demon vault, I suppose, inside Virgil is.

I was always taught that you use your dominant hand to hold the fork and then cut with your other hand so that you can more easily place the food in this way. Oh, gosh. Well, I'm learning a lot. I'm trying to be more of an upper-class fine folk, but that just ain't where I come from. As Marius was saying earlier, the way to approach it is to have overconfidence. We are heroes. We are, uh,

Going to have to smile a lot and nod. This is nice. It's been decades, decades since I've done anything like this, but old habits die hard. Ooh, what is this drink called? Moonshine. Comes out of a charming jug.

Well, I propose a toast to the generosity of Lord Philip and Lady Adela and to our dearest best friends, Jorgrim and Farron. May they rest in peace. May they rest in peace. Now their watch is ending, their journey's over, and we shall never see their like again. Cheers. Yeah. You cheer and you drink and you celebrate the life of the friends.

of your friends Farron and Jorgrim, and the night continues on. For a few hours you spend here drinking and feasting until your bellies are full, your senses are a little muddled, but you are happy and warm. Eventually Jean-Luc collects you and helps you to your room. Some of you stumble a little with the alcohol that you've imbibed.

but you're laughing. He laughs along with you as he helps to write you. As you make your way through the winding corridors of this place, it is incredibly large. The frescoes on the ceiling look like they stretch on forever, and eventually you turn down a wing of this house and are led to a large recessed doorway, an alcove.

You enter into it and there's a roaring fire in the hearth. The candles are flickering. You see that pushed up against the wall is one singular bed. A large bed that is surrounded in tapestries, far larger than any bed you've ever seen. This bed looks like it could fit ten people in it side by side. And at first you are a little shocked to see one bed for all of you.

But Jean-Luc opens a door, which leads to another room with another large bed. - Oh, thank the gods. - I thought we were gonna do that scene in "Planes, Trains, and Mountains." - No, I just-- Jean-Luc eventually shows you that there are a total of four adjoining rooms, all with one connecting sitting area. - Oh, if we go common rooms! - That you can all enjoy a nice private place to yourself. All of the rooms have their own private baths.

with beautiful porcelain clawfoot tubs, and that you have each been assigned a servant to assist you should you need them. And with the simple pull of a rope that rings a bell, you have someone to attend to your every need, day or night. And with a thank you from him,

the entirety of Chateau Clair de Lune, and especially Lord and Lady Druskinwald. He welcomes you to Chateau Clair de Lune, and he makes his leave. And you are all left in this space. This is a heck of a lot bigger than a broom closet, Virgil. We really are a fine society now. Oh, Jericho, this is true luxury, and I am surprised by how much I missed it.

I mean, it's awfully nice. I've never experienced anything like this. Do rich folk and nobility and royalty, do they get to experience this like every day? Oh yes. Oh yes. This is how the fucking governors live, that's for sure. And keep in mind, I was merely a knight. I was able to indulge from time to time given my relationship with the king. But these people, they experience wealth and opulence beyond our imagination daily.

You know, I used to sing this song that the children really liked about a castle in the clouds, and this is how I always imagined it looking. It's just like out of the songs and the stories that the singers say, yours truly included. I mean, to be able to pull a rope and summon like a ghost to show up and be like some sort of puppet or something, is a real genuine person. That is something that is curious, is it not?

And I will reach forward and pull one of the cigars that have been clearly left for us. Yes, definitely. You have all already changed. You've gone to your different rooms and changed, and you have all found...

the most comfortable silk pajamas that you could possibly imagine. All of them have your initials embroidered over the chest. Lethika, yours were paired with this beautiful feathery robe that wraps around you, keeping you warm and also keeping you modest as you pick up this cigar and begin to smoke. Yeah, yeah. It would probably look extremely out of character, but I'm not fucking around. But I say that she would absolutely see a cigar and be like,

There's vintage Burger King merch in my room! What the fuck? Everything says BK on it! You're so dumb. That's amazing! Isn't that cool? To Jericho's point about summoning the servants at any time, I would, in that moment, be curious and say, "You're right, Jericho, let's find out about this. I need more wine." And I would pull wherever the

the call is that we were shown to see if I can summon-- In each one of the rooms, there's a large rope that hangs with a tassel. And when you pull it, a bell rings somewhere else in the house and immediately you hear the pattering of footsteps as one of the servants makes their way towards the room. They open the door and stand in detention in front of you. I look at Jericho and I kind of motion to him.

Wine and lots of it, please. Right away. And with a gentle bow, the servant leaves and shortly after brings back a tray that has four different bottles of wine and glasses. Gosh. Not bad, right? No, not bad at all. Genuine living. So this is always what she was talking about, eh, Virgil? I could get mighty used to this.

I feel so low class compared to everything we're surrounded with. I feel like I need to work on myself. Hi, me too, Breezy. Maybe we should, maybe if they offer a cotillion courses here, we can learn how to be genuine in our society. Maybe they have like a dialect coach and I can work on the accent. Oh, we only have three days until we are going to embarrass ourselves in front of all the ladies and lords of the Crescent Court. Should we try new voices now?

*Barris gives you the most incredulous laugh that you have ever seen* *Barris is like "Bring me more wine, dude"*

That was very good, Briggsie. What do you think? That's pretty good! That was surprisingly good. Briggsie, are you feeling alright? No, that's exactly what they all sound like! I'm concerned. I'm deeply concerned, Briggsie. I say, Marius, that's a cadaver, isn't it? That's remarkable. It's like I'm looking into a royal throne room. Pretty good, right? Oh my, a spectre is bringing me English muffins.

Oh, oh, let me try it. More wine. Oh, that was so good. How did you do that? That was really good. Well, it was so much better than what I did. I didn't know I could do that. Hold on, I'm going to try to imitate it. I'm like a ventriloquist. More cigarettes, please. I can't see your straight face. You're that bad, Mary. You can tell me if it's that bad.

Well, I don't know about you. Sleep is all new to me, but I'm feeling mighty tuckered out, so I think I'm going to call it an evening. I'm not going to be far behind you. In fact, if I have an opportunity to sleep in for the first time in my life, don't wake me. Unless there's serious danger, do not wake me.

Don't we have wine coming? We are waiting on the wine. It's right there. They already brought it. Oh, Clarence. Briggsie, I am becoming very concerned. Briggsie, that's so good. Bring me a shrubbery. That's so good, Briggsie. The servant that brought the wine has already left. Oh. But he may still be here. Before we go to bed. Check your date. Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!

And I do think that we talk about what we do amongst these people. But... That's tomorrow. That is a tomorrow problem. Have we all noticed the same quality these servants share? Oh, I'll say you did notice something else while you were eating. You encountered so many of the servants that...

Though most of them were puppets and dolls and things like that, you did notice that some of them were also just skeletal. That they were... Oh, cut that. I'll let you finish. That actually reminded me. No, that was all. It's just that they were intermixed, almost as if Adela's whims in some of the servants, and then you could see the ones that were more...

skeletal and spiritual, which were clearly Phillips. And I've never seen anything like either of these creatures. No. That was very new for me, and I have lived a long life. Wouldn't... Do any of you know what these creatures are or where they're from? A pond? Are you wearing a mask? Like...

Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay, fucking weirdo. Upon mentioning the disturbance or bringing this up, I would intentionally like to, I mean, I like to think that Marius should be very aware of it, but would I be able to be as aware as I think that I would be that the only heartbeats that I'm hearing

Is that one? Yes. There's only one in the room. Or anywhere. Anywhere we've been. Anywhere. It would be so definitely silent that all he'd be able to focus on is a lot like his heartbeat. That's true. I shouldn't have had so much wine. I would pick up immediately what you're talking about and then basically say, yeah, to everyone. I noticed immediately. Where do you think they came from? Are they...

conjured, constructed somehow, or perhaps peoples of this land? Probably so. I mean, I think they said that the only really predominantly human province was Folsons. So we probably got all sorts of fantastical folk that we're going to meet on our grand adventures.

And maybe it's all just out of Miss Adella's dreams. Now we can't have been a land of the dead, you know what I mean? I mean, it's sort of... That's what I was going to say. We're acutely aware that this is a land of death. It's what it says on the tin. Lord Philip is very powerful, as we saw not even hours ago. It makes sense that the servants and people here would be undead.

Constructed, reborn, I don't even know what to begin to call it. There is still so much to learn about this world we have found ourselves to. Even if it was not for the promise, the reward, the prize that Philip says he will gift us, which I admit excites me very much. Even if it was not for that, I...

Feel a resonance with this space. I feel not a home here, but a calling. For as nice as all of this is, unsettlingly quiet. What do you mean, calling? It is as we were in full sense I first sensed that perhaps I could find some greater purpose here. Not that I am here to proselytize each of you, but to spread the word.

of my goddess, my dark lady. Her teachings here would be very potent. - Why is that so funny, Virgil? Why are y'all laughing all the time? What does that even mean? - You're a weird, gross crow. - Huh. - Huh.

"Postulate-ize." That's a fancy person word. I'm feeling awful sleepy. So, uh, I feel mighty clean. I never had a bath before. That was strange. I can't believe my filthy sack is no longer filthy. I kind of missed how it was, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I've never been happier in my fucking life. I'm glad to hear that. That I can sleep. Than I am right now. Well, let's take advantage of it. Yes. All right. I, for one, am retiring soon. I let the wine get to my head, and my head is just pounding. Get some rest. And sleep in, old man. Yes. Yes, for once, I...

Hope that I will. Leave the heavy lifting to us young strapping lads. But if there's danger, please get me. Alright? I know it's unlikely here, but we still shouldn't let our guard down entirely. There's gonna be danger here. Just fucking take him here. Nothing of that's gonna happen. This is Odella's dream house. It don't get more perfect and idyllic. It's utopian. Exactly right. We're gonna be fine. Just try to take the edge off. This...

This is right. Maybe Miss Adela is an angel. This feels like what I always imagined heaven to be. Maybe Miss Adela is an angel and she welcomed us in into heaven. If it ain't heaven, it's probably fucking cloaks. I'm gonna have some sweet dreams of angels on high singing a nice tune for Jorgrim and Miss Farron. Good night, everybody.

Good night, Jericho. I'll go to the far end. I'll probably try to stand on a bed. Oh, that's a high two. And I'll just lay down awkwardly and try to toss and turn until I fall asleep. There's a central room connected to two bedrooms. Yeah, so you're connected to four bedrooms. Yeah.

And so you, I'm assuming, are all going to your individual bedrooms. I will choose a bedroom and make it mine. You all make your way out of the common-- Evening is timing is chump. I'm getting hang of this! Briggsie, go to bed. Good night! You...

You all make your way out of the common room and make your way into your individual bedrooms and you're all dressed in your pajamas, soft silk pajamas and sinking into these feather beds, large feather beds. It is...

incredibly warm. There is a stone, a heated stone that had been recently pulled from the fireplace at the foot of the bed just beneath the covers that helped to create almost like an oven inside of this bed, keeping you all warm. And it is incredibly cozy. Your heads, those of you that can be affected by alcohol, are swimming with the liquor that you've had tonight. But it is a comfortable liquor.

think about, or it's a comfortable drunk, as you think about everything that had happened today and as horrible and sad as what happened was, you find yourself smiling as you think about Jorgrim and you think about Faron. Think about what you've done for Cyril, for Folsence. You can finally put that place behind you, doing everything you possibly could have to protect it and its people. What you've done for Draskinvald as a whole is incredible.

And it is in that that you find comfort, in the memories that you have with your friends that you find comfort. Snug in your beds, you fall into the most comfortable slumber you've experienced in years, perhaps ever. Then you all begin to dream. - No. - You are shrouded in mist, overwhelming, choking, all-consuming.

You can't control your own limbs. You are powerless. In the misty purgatory, you feel the cold iron of chains wrap around you, imprisoning you as you begin to fall down, down, down. You sink deeper and deeper until darkness entombs you. The grave silences all. Then, a break.

Your chains are shattered along with the all-consuming mist. You rip yourself away from the broken links and pull yourself out from a cocoon, its misty threads falling aside as you rise. Two brilliant wings unfurl around you like a moth made of moonlight itself. You rise into the night sky, unbound, unchained, unbroken, and unstoppable. And that is where we will end the session. Damn.

Great session. Great session. Great session. Damn! Yay! Gotta give it up for Nicky. Gotta give it up. What is he heading to? Natural 13. Natural 13. I didn't roll a die tonight, let me roll one.

Thank God I didn't roll a die. I rolled two d20s in a row, and they were both natural. I would like to use a dread against the DM. You cannot. I rolled once tonight. I don't think I rolled tonight. I rolled a perception check. Yeah, and you rolled a die. Oh, no, and a medicine check. I rolled a die. And you rolled one on both. I did, 16, 17. Yeah. I rolled a natural one tonight. No, 21 and 17. I got 17 and a 16. It was plus one, and it was plus one.

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