Favor, Episode 25: Ugly Duckling

## Starring

Sage Stafford as Aoife Flannery
Naseem Etemad as Fittonia 'Toni' Silvertail
Katie Budabin as Lluvyras 'Lu' Ssath
Celeste Conowitch as Dungeon Master

**Episode 25: Ugly Duckling** *(2x25)* is the 25th episode of the Venture Maidens Favor campaign.

## Synopsis

*With dark deeds a plenty to swallow*

*Our team sets off with leads to follow*

*What awaits at Castle Dread*

*Is known only by the dead*

#### After That Maiden!

Once more, the Maidens find themselves pulled into a shared dream. They sit in a familiar study, with a roaring fire and plush surroundings. They are dressed in comfortable pajamas and sit in front of a rocking chair. A pale skinned woman with dark hair and green eyes perches upon the rocking chair, flipping the pages in a book. As the chapter comes to a close, she looks up at her children once more. Knowing that things are starting to get scary, she asks the kids if they are okay to continue the story. Aoife excitedly shouts her consent from beneath the blanket, which she has tucked under her chin. The woman is surprised because they have never gotten this far in the book before. Toni sarcastically responds that they would be further if they would stop taking all of these breaks. A child-like Lu shakes her raised hand from side-to-side, finally drawing the woman’s attention. She asks if Rook and Gwen are girlfriends. The woman admits that she doesn’t know, but maybe they would find out. Once more, she begins to read:

> *"And so our heroes hurried away from the troubled people of Talemoor to find the missing girls. They traveled swiftly up the road towards the haunted Castle Dread, acutely aware that every hour brought Lorelei one step closer towards a cruel fate.*
> *A few miles from the ancient castle, they encountered a gruesome sight. Signs of a massacre were strewn across the road. Shredded remains, washed clean by rain, left our hunters wondering if they were too late to save the mayor's daughter."*
>
>

The dream fades away and the Maidens once more find themselves trapped within Penny’s Demesne. Finally the long muddy road delivers them through the forest. After hours of mind-numbing sameness in the surrounding environment, a welcome change catches their attention. Through the pouring rain, they can make out the shape of bodies on the road and off to the side. Seeing no other option to pass the obstruction, they decide to investigate after tying their horses off at a safe distance. Limbs and viscera are scattered across the road, though the blood has long been washed away. Most of the bodies are not intact enough to count, but they guess these to be the remains of at least six people. A large body off to the side proves to be what remains of a black horse.

Lu notes that all of the human remains are there, though they might not remain attached to a body, whereas large chunks of the horse are missing entirely. Examining the carcass she can tell the wounds were created by sharp teeth. The other bodies appear to have been cleanly cut, so whatever took apart the bodies was not the same thing that killed the horse. As she looks at the bodies, she becomes unnerved. The flesh has greyed and taken on the leathery texture of an undead corpse.

Aoife searches around for footprints, hoping that Gwen was able to get away from the undead. Though the trail is muddy, a lot of chaos casts doubt on the origins of the whirlwind of footprints. Aoife works her way through the tracks, identifying the shuffled and lurching sways of undead compared to the imprints of the panicked horse. She learns that the horse and its rider were ambushed, and she sees no human prints moving in either direction, but she does see large lupine paw prints sunk into the earth. She can tell from the distance in prints that the wolf was large, and had come from the direction of Talemoor, and continued towards Castle Dread at a sprint.

Toni clears the undead off of the road so that they can maneuver the horses and continue on their way. Once more they set off into the haze of rain and shadow at a grueling pace until they are rewarded with their first glimpse of Castle Dread. Far up on a hill, rising above to tower over the surrounding forest, sits an imposing castle sheltered behind high walls. As they draw nearer, they can see the stone is made of some sort of black material, but it appeared to be emitting some kind of fog or mist. The shifting mist makes it look like the castle is shifting, as if it weren’t actually real.

They climb the switchback hill until they reach the closed blackwood drawbridge. Toni guesses the walls to be thirty to forty feet high, but no sign of how Gwen or Rook may have gotten in. Lu places her hand on the door and nods as she taps into her ghostly nature to phase through the solid wood. She has tapped into this power often enough to accept the discomfort that followed its use. Exiting onto the other side, Lu finds herself in a long stone room with doors on either side. One of the doors had been left slightly ajar and she could see a large mechanism in the room beyond. She sneaks into the room, noting the arrow-holes lining the walls, allowing the moonlight to filter in. A chain filters out of the room, and various levers control a series of weights and counterweights to open and close the drawbridge. The mechanisms are coated in rust and dust, and Lu assumes that they have not seen any use in recent times, meaning that Rook and Gwen had found another way in. The resourceful monster hunter digs a canister of cooking oil from her bag and pours it onto the chains to help lubricate them before fidgeting with the levers until she found the correct combination.

From the outside, Aoife and Toni move out of the way of the lowering gate, entering after it came to a rest. Lu stands there, now with lips brushed with a deathly pale and translucent hands. She rushes them inside, afraid of what might be lured by the sound of the opening gate. The enter into a once-grand reception courtyard, framed by hedges that had long since grown out of what shapes they were carved into at some point and dead leaves skitter into piles along the walkways. Now in the hush, they can hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. They take off into the castle grounds, whipping past sharp turns ever closer to the sounds of combat. They come to a stop in the main plaza area, where a set of double doors block their path. Sitting in the plaza is a large stone fountain with an empty column rising out of black brackish water. A lupine creature with humanoid features, covered in gashes and matted blood, is clawing at a giant stone swan. Clinging to the back of the wolf-creature is a human woman, who appears to not be doing well.

#### Stoned Swan

Lu rushes in, calling for Rook, who snarls in acknowledgement. She pulls the silver dagger, given to her by Aoife, and sends it sailing through the air, sending sparks and stone shrapnel flying from the creature’s neck. She shifts her weight, drawing forth one of her kitchen knives to plunge into the creature once more, but the blow bounces off of the stone. Aoife shouts out a Healing Word, bringing Gwen back from the brink of death with a magical bandage. This is the first time Aoife has laid eyes on Gwen, but something about her pale skin, green eyes, and raven hair is familiar. Brushing the thought aside, she turns her attention back to the stone fowl and levels her finger in its direction, calling out a Vicious Mockery. Toni throws herself into the melee, swinging her greatsword with a solid crack of stone, attempting to sever its head from its body. The stone head crashes to the ground, but the creature continues to lumber forward, unfazed by its lack of sense. Switching grip, the fighter brings the sword back through with another powerful thrust, showering the ground in sparks as she leaves a gouge through one of its wings before bringing up her shield to guard herself and her allies.

Rook moves her clawed hands to continue grappling the stone swan to keep it grounded, her corded arms straining under the creature’s immense strength. She commands them to protect Gwen, who is tossed towards Aoife. Now that Gwen was closer, Aoife sees that she looks like a younger version of the woman who has been reading to them in their dreams. Gwen ducks behind Aoife in fear, clutching a satchel to her chest, which has fallen open to reveal some garlic, bottled holy water, and a large dusty tome. The werewolf’s razor sharp talons pulverize parts of the creature, but the dust and debris surrounding the stone bird magically lifts and reattaches to the beast, regenerating parts of its form and vitality. It chops a wing down on Rook’s head, who barely remains standing. Toni deflects a kick from one of its webbed feet with her shield, but Lu is not as fortunate, even with the aid of a reactionary Silvery Barbs from Aoife. Thankfully her rogue instincts and muscle memory take over and send her rolling towards safety, reducing the initial damage in half with the use of Uncanny Dodge. Toni uses her reaction to trigger Sentinel, allowing her to attack the Swan once more. Aided with advantage, provided by Aoife’s Silvery Barbs, she returns it to prior state of ruin and removing its head once more.

The rogue comes sliding in with her daggers, slicing through its wing and sending it crashing to the ground, allowing Rook to let go of it now that it no longer threatens flight. Aoife stitches Rook’s flesh back together with a 2nd level Cure Wounds before using her bonus action to pass Toni some Bardic Inspiration through her glowing felt charm. The fighter whips her sword through the air with a practiced ease, guiding it once more through the stone flesh of the stone swan. Without hesitating, she brings the sword back into another thrust, drawing on the warmth of her felt charm, shattering the guardian swan with the thunderous aide of Aoife’s magic.

A breathe passes where they think it might reform again, but they all sigh in relief when nothing happens. The rain pulls them back into the moment. Rook’s body snaps and contorts back into her humanoid form, leaving her retching in pain on the ground. Gwen steps forward, thanking them for saving her and Rook and introduces herself to them. Gwen knows that the women are not from Talemoor because she doesn’t recognize them. Aoife explains how they are monster hunters and they had a job that brought them through Talemoor, where they talked to Victoria. She tells them that Lorelei is due to be burned at the stake the following day for the crime of witchcraft in the death of Gwen, but they were here to bring the girls back to prove Lorelei's innocence.

#### Legend of Castle Dread

Gwen’s eyes go wide and her skin grows paler with the shock of the situation. She wishes they had been there a day before and asks if they know of the legend of Castle Dread before explaining that she has been working with Lorelei for some time. She correctly guesses that Aoife used magic in the fight and Aoife admits it to be true, but that they already knew of Gwen’s instruction under Lorelei with the gift. This information calms the girl, explaining that while she has been working with and learning from Lorelei, she has also been trying to stop all of the darkness that seems to be spreading across the world. It all started when the Champion went missing, so if they were able to somehow lay her to rest, then perhaps the world could be saved and nobody need fear any longer.

She had been reading a lot, and had even managed to get her hands on some of the hidden literature in the church, including the tome she pulls from her back. She believes that she can lay Penny to rest, and she is sorry that her mission has drawn in Lorelei and that Rook had followed her here. Rook, in full access to her overworld faculties, asks the Maidens what is going on. They briefly discuss their knowledge of their monstrous presence and the effects of Penny’s Demesne. Gwen is sure that they can put a stop to all of the pain and suffering if the Maidens are willing to help her, and then they can return to Talemoor to save Lorelei from her fate. Toni thinks the girl is a bit idealistic, but they all agree, much to her relief. She does not know what to expect in the castle, and assumes that more undead await them inside, but the stories are vague about what happened the the Champion inside nor does it provide information on the Lady of Shadow. She tells them that she is going to complete her mission, but that they should not feel as though they owe her their aid. Lu puts her hand on the woman’s shoulder, reassuring her that they would never leave her behind to run off into the dark alone.

Aoife brings up their original purpose in being inside Penny’s Demesne. They were sent here to find a book, and she believes that the book that Gwen holds is the book they need. She asks Gwen if they might take the book from her after everything here was settled, and Gwen agrees, though it mostly just reads like a religious text about burial rites and laying souls to rest. They take a short rest before readying themselves to venture into Castle Dread. They push open the double doors, which creak open to reveal an atrium. Clearly magic is involved here as blackened trees twist and stretch out of the living rock beneath them. Parts of the branches are ashy, as if the trees had suffered tremendous heat. As they step onto the floor, their feet meet something soft and they see pages and pages and pages of parchment covering the ground. More and more pages float down from the ether above them, full of the frantic writings of someone who was losing their mind. As they step into the rotted atrium, they are greeted by a long hall of decay, at the end of which is a raised dais, displaying a familiar red leather chair. This is where our adventure comes to a close, until next time! Venture Away!

## Featured Characters

### Player Characters

* Aoife Flannery
* Fittonia 'Toni' Silvertail
* Lluvyras 'Lu' Ssath

### Non-Player Characters

* Gwen
* Penny Dreadful
* Rook

## Locations

* Penny's Dwelling
	+ Castle Dread