TL;DR Episode 9 - Only Lasting Death

**Short Summary:**

While the party rests, the fortuneteller from Litwick Market appears to Nahara and apologizes for not finishing her fortune. She offers Nahara a tarokka deck, and a blessing from the Hourglass Coven, telling her she has great potential for power over the spirits.

The party all choose what to do on their last day before the big battle. Uriah administers the plague cure he worked all night to create. Valentine practices her combat magic and enchantment, trying to understand what motivates the Falkovnians to fight. Tatyana trains with Freyja and her talons, learning how to be the bear. Desmond splits his time between helping Uriah and training with Fen and the other lycanthropes. Fen bonds with the lycanthropes, showing them her second form and drinking some blood from Jaeger, the werewolf. She gains some of his power from it. Nahara asks her tarokka deck about Vladeska, and finds out there is nothing she would not do to win. Vladeska thinks she’s in the right, and that only she can save Lekar. But other forces are plotting against her, which pleases Nahara.

As Horstman gives the party a tour of the battle preparations to get their feedback, Fen notices that explosives have been hidden around the city. The party feels that this is to conceal a desperate final option from those fighting the undead, as they will be sacrificed along with the enemy if the explosives are set off. Horstman is unaware of these tactics, but trusts Vladeska's tactics implicitly.

Vladeska arrives and escorts the party to a cathedral, where a body has been laid out in state. It is almost identical to Nahara, and Vladeska accuses the party of trying to distract her on the eve of battle. They try to reason with her, but Nahara taunts and goads Vladeska repeatedly about killing her former self. Telepathically, Strahd reveals to Fen that he is the one sending the undead to attack Falkovnia. Finally, Azalin Rex has to possess Uriah in order to calm Vladeska down, promising an allyship between their nations if she spares his envoys. Vladeska agrees, and leaves the party to hold a funeral for Nahara and bury her body outside the cathedral.

While the others take one last rest, Tregrum and Valentine talk about emotions and death and past life memories. Hildi arrives to wish everyone luck in the battle, and tells them she will be fighting on the roofs in the north ward. She promises to see them at the carnival if they all survive. The party takes up positions around the city, Nahara, Valentine, and Uriah up high and Desmond, Fen, and Tatyana on the ground with the lycanthropes. When the undead come, things go wrong quickly, and Fen flies to warn Nahara when the zombies start to come over the walls near her. When the civilian forces panic, the talons begin firing arrows at both the living and the dead. The zombies form a mass and attack as a giant hand, causing one of the talons to set fire to nearby homes and combatants. As the party fights for their lives, Vladeska arrives to “show them how it’s done.”

Meanwhile, in a realm of ghosts, Strahd von Zarovich approaches Voronika and offers her a way out, in return for a favor later on…

**Notables this episode:**

Granny from the Litwick Market returns.

The characters’ leveling up is worked into the story: Nahara taking her level in College of Spirits bard, Tatyana her Path of the Bear Totem barbarian, Valentine’s new Metamagic ability and Suggestion spell, Desmond picks up Cure Wounds, and Fen takes the Order of the Lycan blood hunter.

We see Nahara’s former body in the flesh

It’s revealed that Strahd is sending the undead armies to punish Vladeska.

**Firsts:**

First mention of the Hourglass Coven

The tarokka deck is introduced, and we get our first reading of the campaign

Fen bites someone non-combatively for the first time.

The first time Azalin possesses Uriah in order to communicate with another character.

The first time Tregrum and Valentine talk about feelings.

**Crit Count:** 7 successes, 1 failure (Desmond’s second roll for perception with advantage to notice something different about Tatyana)

**Memorable Lines:**

Uriah: You must drink this, it will remove the taint in your blood.

Desmond: Perfect. Tastes like trash, but eh. Here you go. Thanks.

Uriah: Yes, the taint should be completely gone now. Why is everyone laughing whenever I mention the taint?

Desmond: I think you may be too young for me to explain that one to you. I’m sorry.

Uriah: It’s been happening all evening! I just–it’s serious business.

Desmond: Sometimes ‘t’ain’t about what you’re talking about when it comes to the taint. It’s just there. It’s a thing that exists.

Valentine: Good bruises or bad bruises?

Tatyana: The best kind of bruises. Grrrr!

Valentine: No more questions asked.

**Previous TL;DR**: Episode 8 - For Here the Lover and Killer Are Mingled