Episode 226 - A Warm Reception

==Intro==
Episode description:n/a
Opening Quote:Kyle: “Paint me like one of your French girls.”
Player introduction:Sean: “Hello and welcome to another episode of the Tabletop Champions Podcast. I’m Sean your Dungeon Master and with me tonight we have Stephanie, who plays Boone.”
Stephanie: “Ah-hoy-hoy.”
Sean: “Kyle who plays Cam.”
Kyle: “Ahhhh! Opening quote.”
Sean: “Matt who plays Cyrus.”
Matt: “Look into my eye.”
Sean: “Ben who plays Kallas.”
Ben: “Hello there.”
Sean: “And Lauren who plays Dagna.”
Lauren: “How do you avoid being eaten by a couch mimic? Approach it with cushion.”
==Episode Summary==
==== Background ====
* Sean describes Cadran’s grand dining hall in more detail:
“An ostentatious curved staircase mirrors itself around a main hall. A crystal chandelier covered in cobwebs hangs in the center of the room. Along the walls are eight iron sconces holding sputtering torches dimly lighting the room. There are four suits of armor with halberds, that are also draped in cobwebs, stand[ing] against the walls, presented to look as if they are guarding the entrances to two other hallways running north and south. Two of them seem to have a faint gleam.”
 Our heroes are currently on the upper level, where the staircase enters this main hall looking down.
==== Act 1 ====
* Dagna recognizes the mansion as Cadran’s Vert la Seine (Vertlasaine?) (Verlesain?) Manor in Silver Strings. The group is ushered to the main twelve seat table that is laid out for a feast. Cam messages Boone and cautions her to play along but not to eat the food. Dagna asks Cadran what happened to him and who he gave his soul to. He deflects, saying he is his own man. Eventually, through the niceties, Cam gets up and goes to play the piano. Cadran comments that he plays as well as his mother said he did (implying his mother is still alive, and that Cadran is in contact with her). The party asks where she is, and Cadran doesn't answer. When Cam refuses to sit back down, the room trembles violently and knocks him prone. Cadran asks for the artifact, and the group has no idea what he's talking about. He says he's glad that he doesn't have to convince them, and can just imprison them while he looks for the artifact.
* Cadran starts to float. His robes fall as he transforms into a glowing skull with green gem eyes. Cam uses a fire attack, injuring the skull for 9 fire damage. This causes the skull to dislodge his jaw, uttering a blood-curdling howl. Cam and Kallas are knocked unconscious, and the rest of the group is frightened. Dagna casts mass healing word and everyone in the party is healed for 9 HP. Standing up, she takes a pot shot at the skull with her hand crossbow, but hits for only 3 piercing damage.
* The skull does another legendary action and reduces Dagna’s HP maximum by 10 points. Dust begins to pour from its maw and Kallas and Dagna become blinded. Cam uses his ability favored by the gods and saves. Cyrus reveals his eye, but the skull resists the curse.
* Cam takes his turn casting spiritual weapon. An exact replica of his sword appears in front of Cadran and slashes across his face causing 24 magical force damage. With haste Cam makes three more attacks, inflicting 16 more slashing damage. Cadran's gaze falls upon Cam and Dagna, and blackness spews from his mouth as he takes their life force from them for himself. He heals for 9 HP from Cam and 21 from Dagna. In exchange, Cam takes 9 necrotic damage and Dagna takes 21 necrotic damage. With this, Cam falls unconscious again.
* Kallas stands and strikes Cadran with his crossbow for 9 piercing damage, cracking the skull slightly. Kallas notices that his damage should have been more, but because the item he used was not magical the damage was reduced by half. To help him take cover, Kallas runs behind the stairs.
* Beams of green energy shoot out of the skull’s eyes toward Boone but misses, scorching the wall behind her. 
* Dagna casts mass healing word again and heals Cam and herself for 9 HP. Then shoots with her crossbow for another 3 piercing damage. Dagna’s actions gain the attention of Cadran, and he uses an ability to prevent anyone but Kallas regaining hit points.
* Jumping on the table, Boone swings down upon the skull with a divine smite of her great sword but misses. She swings again and comes in contact, causing 25 radiant damage across the front of the skull.
* Cyrus runs across the table and jumps off, suddenly teleporting behind Cadran using relentless hex. With eldritch energy emanating from him, he slices his halberd down, casting eldritch smite for total of 18 damage, leaving Cadran cursed. In an action surge, Cyrus pushes his swing through and finishes him off. The two halves of the skull fall to the floor and crumble to ash.
* Cam uses up his remaining spell slots to heal himself. Dagna casts mass healing word for the group.
==== Act 2 ====
* Dagna decides to investigate Cadran’s library. Sean gives more detail of this room:
“Black velvet drapes cover the windows in this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and matching high-back chair face the entrance…and a fireplace. Above which hangs a framed picture of a young woman with blonde hair wearing a shimmering red dress…slightly older male with black hair and black clothing. He has a dominating presence. Situated in the corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor to ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to easily reach the high shelves.”
* Cam throws back the curtains and tries to shatter the windows but finds they can not be broken. Cam announces that this whole thing is an illusion. Dagna asks Kallas to help her look for things of importance in the library. She gives him bardic inspiration. Kallas finds another secret room by pulling a red-covered book with a black spine. It falls back closed after some time. Kallas pulls it again and the group enters.
* The books in the secret room have titles related to fiend summoning and Kri’zakth. A heavy wooden chest with clad-iron feet stands against the south wall. Dagna pokes the chest with her mage hand and then uses it to open it. She fails to open it as the lids is too heavy. Kallas investigates for traps and finds that there is a dart mechanism embedded in the chest. He disarms it and inside the group finds three blank books, three spell scrolls: bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon, and the deed to the mansion. Dagna takes the deed. Kallas takes the books as well as a tome on fiend summoning. HISTORIAN’S NOTE: I assume that Kallas also took the scrolls, and that dialogue was lost to editing.
* Kallas returns to the main room and investigates the desk. The desk contains a jar of ink, quill, pen, tinderbox, letter kit containing a red wax candle, four blank sheets of paper, an iron seal bearing the wolf of House Morgrir. Kallas saves against a needle that springs out from one of the drawers he investigates. In the drawer is a letter with a broken seal bearing the Crest of House Macwell. The letter states:
“Information…Efforts have been made to find my son and his party…We have crossed the Plane of Mischief and tampered with the whistle which should summon them to your mansion. Upon doing so, please try to convince them to stay there while you search for the artifact…glean any information you can on this artifact that holds the power of the false gods. [We] do not know the properties of this artifact, but [we] know that it exists far in seas to the north, at a place called Titan’s Crown…[We] believe the artifact is to be held below Titan’s Crown…Delay [the party] or keep [them] held until the crew is able to recover the artifact. ”
==== Act 3 ====
* Cam and Boone get antsy, so the group looks for a way out. Upon trying to leave through the front doors, Dagna finds that they cannot open. Kallas sticks his dagger through the crack in the door and announces that the doors aren’t locked but blocked. The group has Dagna play the whistle song backwards in hopes of returning to where they came from. It only returns the group back to the secret room outside of the dining hall where they first entered. As they go to try the back door, Cam tries his best to break all the windows he sees, but is futile in his efforts.
* The exit door in the servant’s quarters is another dead end as it doesn’t budge. Dagna punches it with her Arcane Hand: Clenched Fist a few times. Through the splinters a black, solid void is visible. Exasperated, Dagna casts dispel magic at the void and yet again, nothing happens.
* The party tries to play the piano hoping that pressing a key will help them get out of the illusion, but all that happens is notes from a finely tuned instrument.
* The party tries that last door that opens to the balcony in the tower. The door opens to a a very cold wind. It appears to be snowing outside on the deck of a ship that is tied off to the shoreline. The land around them is covered in ice and snow. Off in the distance there is a black tower looming.
==Memorable Quotes==
Sean: “As you cleave through, a massive gash is left across the front of the skull. He’s still up though.”
Stephanie: “Damn…but I looked cool doing it, right?”
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