Episode 12: Return to the House of Lament Part 2

(BDS Adventure Journal 3: Desmond + Uriah takes place between this episode and part 1 of Return to the House of Lament)

**Act I.**

After Rose leaves and Desmond finally falls asleep, Uriah is alone with his anxiety about being brought before Strahd in his sleep. He wakes Nahara from her trance-like state and tells her what happened, that Strahd seemed very interested in her. Uriah asks why Strahd would be looking for her, and Nahara recalls her first encounter with Granny at the Litwick Market, when Granny said, “he knows,” and stopped her reading. Nahara knows now that “he” was Strahd. She asks how Strahd knew about Uriah and that they were traveling together. Uriah says it seemed as though Nahara was being hidden from Strahd’s scrying abilities. Nahara asks him if they’re in danger from Strahd, and Uriah says if Strahd is interested in her, they’re in danger. She asks him what they should do, and Uriah says they should wake the others.

**Act II.**

Everyone is easily awakened except for Tatyana, who is sleeping late and soundly, which is uncharacteristic for her. The party decides to let her rest. Uriah fills the others in on the discovery he and Desmond made in the night: the toe from the muffin is an undead facsimile of Uriah’s own big toe. Someone mentions the plate of partly-eaten barbecue on the table, which wakes up Tatyana. She wants to eat it, but is reminded of her promise not to eat any more food in the house. Desmond says it’s safe because it came from a friend, and Uriah says that it’s a replica of the great halfling feast in Rivelus. Desmond says it tastes amazing. While the party goes back and forth about who or what the barbecue was made from and tries to get Desmond to reveal who brought it, a piece of barbecue flies off the plate and into Tatyana’s mouth. It’s delicious, but Valentine wants her to spit it out.

Nahara, Tatyana, and Valentine examine the muffin toe. Valentine can tell the toe became undead recently and the place where it was severed has partly healed over. Tatyana can tell the toe was torn off, not just severed. There is no sign the toe was exposed to heat, so it was not inside the muffin when the muffin was baked. Nahara is appalled that they ate the barbecue after examining the toe. Desmond says he could tell the barbecue was made from pigs and cows, not people. Tatyana eats the remaining barbecue. Desmond suggests they make their way toward the attic and he will continue to explain. Desmond was told they can get out of the house by going to the basement, but they must go up first. Valentine notices that both Desmond and Uriah give her an uneasy feeling now, and whenever they step, the house creaks and moans as if it’s trying to get away from them. She asks them what they did, and Desmond says he learned to cast Protection from Evil. Uriah says he also warded himself, and the spell affects undead as well as evil things. Valentine is offended and moves off. Uriah reminds Nahara and Valentine to look out if he has to turn undead. Nahara asks him to warn them first, and everyone discusses the best method for doing this. Uriah suggests “fire in the hole”, Tatyana suggests screaming, but Valentine notes Uriah often screams when they’re in combat. They finally decide on “I am about to turn undead.” After reading several of the books in the parlor last night, Uriah recalls that the house doesn’t have an attic, but it does have a tower; that’s probably what Rose meant. He also connects the tower to “the leaper”, whom they are supposed to evict next. Apparently they have to perform one more task before they’re allowed into the basement, where the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins are trapped. Valentine is tired of the house making all the rules.

As they proceed, a flash of lightning outside casts everyone’s shadows on the wall, and Tatyana’s reaches toward Valentine. Uriah casts Light on Tatyana’s axe to keep her shadow from sneaking up behind her. Valentine pulls Tatyana aside to ask how she’s feeling. Tatyana feels terrible, like a piece of her was taken by the hag’s specter. She thinks it’s somewhere in the house. Valentine tells Tatyana there’s a part of her mind that’s inaccessible to Valentine now. Tatyana asks if Valentine has invaded her entire brain before. She takes it as a compliment that Valentine has and hasn’t told anyone her deep dark secrets. Valentine says she rarely does it to Tatyana, because she trusts her; also Tatyana literally says everything she’s thinking. Tatyana says she trusts Valentine, too. They walk arm in arm, feeling a little better.

As the party approaches the base of the tower, Desmond smells blood.

**Act III.**

As they approach the entrance to the tower, everyone in the party can smell blood. When they enter, there is an alcove outlined in blood on the north wall. Tatyana feels compelled to break through the stone and see what’s inside the alcove, but she looks to Valentine first. Valentine casts her mage armor and Nahara takes on her Form of Dread as the party discusses breaking through to see what’s in the alcove. Uriah suggests they wait until they’re at full strength to do it, and as they’ll have to pass this way on their way back down, they decide to wait. They climb the tower stairs, beginning to feel wind and rain 20 feet up. The wind is powerful, sending Desmond, Tatyana and Valentine tumbling back down the stairs as they hear a scream from the top of the tower. Having lost half her hp in the fall, Valentine gets up and runs back up the stairs before casting Firebolt on the invisible enemy. It hits something, but their foe remains invisible. Guessing that it can hear them, Nahara casts Dissonant Whispers.

At the bottom of the stairs, Tatyana feels compelled once again to break into the alcove. She kicks the stone in, revealing the warlord in the darkness beyond. He demands his axe back, and Tatyana flees back up the stairs. Uriah watches Nahara’s body stiffen before she’s pulled forward and flung from the top of the tower. Beside himself, Uriah uses his Eyes of the Grave to pinpoint the leaper before casting Guiding Bolt on it. He summons his spiritual weapon in the shape of the Sword of Ezra and cleaves the leaper in two, completely destroying it. His senses also tell him that there are three undead presences at the base of the tower now. When he looks down, he sees the warlord looking up at him. Uriah runs to the top of the tower to try to help Nahara and sees her go blowing by in the storm outside. They call out to each other. Down below, the warlord paralyzes Desmond with Vengeful Glare and strides up the stairs after Tatyana. He tries to grab her first, and then the axe but fails both times, telling her he’ll take the axe from her corpse then. Paralyzed, Desmond sees two boneless undead slide out of the alcove and snake up the stairs. They wrap around Tatyana’s legs but are unable to grapple her. Valentine turns and casts Crown of Madness on the warlord, but it’s ineffective. She checks in with Desmond telepathically, and he warns her that the boneless undead are coming.

Out in the storm, Nahara takes strength from the sight of Uriah and manages to fight back to the top of the tower and land safely. They reunite and turn to help their friends down below. Nahara casts an Eldritch Blast at the warlord, but it glances off his armor. He insults her abilities. Tatyana draws the cursed axe and attacks the warlord with it. Uriah attacks one of the boneless with his Spiritual Weapon and by casting Sacred Flame, but both attacks miss. The warlord uses Vengeful Glare on Tatyana, taking the axe from her when she’s paralyzed. He tells her now she will watch those she loves suffer, and the boneless attack Valentine, knocking her unconscious. When Tatyana is paralyzed, Desmond is freed to attack. He runs up to strike at the boneless wrapped around Valentine with his sword, but misses. Nahara casts Eldritch Blast on the same boneless and then sings to grant Uriah bardic inspiration. He shouts to her that he’s going to Turn Undead, and Nahara flies down the tower out of range. Uriah channels divinity, freeing Valentine from the boneless, but it doesn’t work on the warlord. He tells Uriah that he will die next. Uriah attacks the warlord with his Spiritual Weapon, and the warlord swings his axe at Uriah, striking him. One of the boneless joins in, but misses Uriah. Desmond casts Cure Wounds on Valentine to bring her back to consciousness. She twinspells a Firebolt on the warlord, hitting him with both. Wanting to help Uriah, Nahara runs back up the stairs and casts Witchbolt on the warlord, but it does minimal damage. Released from her paralysis, Tatyana is ashamed that she’s afraid of the warlord now. She uses her kukri to attack one of the boneless instead. Uriah upcasts Guiding Bolt on the warlord, dealing major damage before attacking him with his Spiritual Weapon. But the warlord grabs him by the neck and steps off the top of the tower.

**Act IV.**

The party runs outside to help Uriah, only to find his body broken and lifeless at the foot of the tower. Nahara and Desmond both cast Cure Wounds, bringing him back to consciousness. But no sooner does Uriah come back than the warlord does as well. Seeing that they are getting nowhere fighting the warlord, Nahara recalls that the knight helped them last time they were here. She asks where they can find the knight. Desmond remembers Rose telling him that the knight was buried in the basement. He shouts to the others to run to the basement. Uriah remembers from his reading last night that the quickest way to the basement is through the kitchen. He leads the party that way as Zorg pursues them more slowly. Inside, the house is shaking. Four death’s heads are flying around the gallery, the peryton has hatched again in the foyer, and pots and pans are flying around the kitchen. Valentine recalls seeing some stuffed head prizes at the ring toss stand. Desmond looks back over his shoulder at the warlord and casts Hunter’s Sense to learn his vulnerabilities and immunities; long story short, he has no weaknesses and many immunities and resistances, including to Turn Undead. Desmond shares this with the others. The warlord swears revenge on him, calling Desmond human, and the party discusses, as they run, if it would be accurate to call Desmond human. They finally decide “human plus” is a better descriptor.

They make it to the basement, only to be attacked by a swarm of strange, cat-like creatures. Valentine also remembers cat-like creatures being a prize at the ring toss previously. Desmond attacks the swarm with his sword, killing two of them. Valentine casts Arms of Hadar, but the creatures wriggle out of the tentacles’ grasp, and Nahara pushes some old wine barrels toward them, but they just dodge. Tatyana swings at them with her kukri and misses, so she rages and waits at the bottom of the stairs for the warlord. Uriah offers the swarm some kippers from his rations, and he has their attention. When he throws the kippers to the side for them, the swarm ignores the party to eat the fish. Seeing the warlord coming down the stairs, the party runs into the next room, searching for signs of the knight’s grave, and finds the base of the tower, unearthed below ground level. What were once the main doors to the keep are open, and they can hear voices in the darkness beyond, one a sinister voice calling to Tatyana. As the warlord enters behind them, pleased that he has found the knight’s hiding place, Uriah calls out to the knight to aid them. Nahara tells Uriah to hang onto her and opens her wings to descend into darkness. Tatyana casts Levitate and follows with Desmond and Valentine. They descend into a room lit by an amber obelisk standing in a pool of dark water. Standing calf-deep in the pool are the Weathermay-Foxgrove sisters, frozen in place.

**Act V.**

As Nahara hesitantly lands in the shallow pool of dark water, a ghostly shape shimmers into being on top of the obelisk: the knight. She looks down at the obelisk and orders it to release her, demanding it take them instead. Black tentacles emerge from the monolith to attack the party. Nahara calls out to the knight that they’re here to help her, asking her to stop. Desmond tries to persuade the knight that he’d rather fight the warlord with her than fight her. Both attempts to reason with the knight fail. Valentine feels the knight’s mind, finding that she can be reasoned with, though madness, rage, and evil occupy the bulk of her consciousness. She promises the knight telepathically that they will escape the house together, but they need her help. The knight looks up at the warlord and her rage focuses on him. Nahara casts Witchbolt on the warlord as he and the boneless jump down into the pool. The obelisk attacks our heroes, missing Nahara and Uriah and getting blocked by Valentine’s Shield. But it grabs and drains the strength of Desmond and Tatyana, glowing brighter as it feeds on them. Having deposited Valentine and Desmond, Tatyana levitates over to the Weathermay-Foxgrove sisters and lifts them out of the pool, carrying them to the stone ridge around the perimeter of the room. She tells them they’re safe and asks them to wake up, but they still don’t move. The only sign they can hear her is a glint in their eye. Uriah casts Protection from Evil on Jennifer, and she begins to move. He tells her they got Laurie’s message and came back for them, but they’re in trouble. Jennifer yells for everyone to cover their ears a moment before the knight shrieks like a banshee, destroying the boneless and knocking Valentine unconscious.

Valentine finds herself on the familiar plane where the giant eye stares at her when she rests at night. Tregrum-cat walks over to her and reminds her he promised not to let her die. He offers the insight that there is something inside the obelisk that is like them. Valentine makes a telepathic link with the entity inside the obelisk, finding it peaceful and calm. It tells her that it is everything she surveys and asks Valentine to join it. Valentine bargains with it for the safe release of her friends. When it asks why it should, Valentine brings Tregrum into the telepathic conversation. Tregrum asks if he has her permission to negotiate terms with the entity. Valentine agrees, as long as the other six living is part of the bargain. Outside in the chamber, the black tentacles stop moving and Valentine’s eyes go white. The house stops shaking and the rain also stops. Laurie comes out of her paralysis and Nahara asks if they can leave now everyone seems distracted (the knight and the warlord are preoccupied fighting one another). Loose rocks begin to fall away from the wall, revealing a tunnel to the outside. As they all hurry to leave, Tatyana shouts for her axe and starts to go back, but her shadow emerges and punches her in the face, knocking her out cold. Laurie helps Nahara carry Tatyana outside. Valentine wakes up, knowing what bargain Tregrum made with the entity, but choosing to worry about it later.

Once everyone is safe outside, the twins invite the party to come back to Borca with them. Uriah recommends the sisters come with them back to the Carnival for now. When Jennifer learns that Nahara is a Mist walker, she’s very excited and begins to lecture on the subject. Laurie covers her mouth and drags her sister along as the party flees through the Mists back to the Carnival. As they collapse onto the ground, they find Hermos waiting for them. Seeing that they are in no shape for a hearty greeting, Hermos scoops Valentine up onto his shoulder and carries her toward the healer’s tent. As the party follows, Hermos tells them he thinks something is wrong with Fen.

**Epilogue:**

Later that night, Nahara accidentally on purpose wakes Uriah out of a sound sleep. She tells him she’s been pondering why the group was brought together, and he says he has wondered as well; they seem an unlikely match. Nahara says she feels their fates are connected, but she can’t discern how. She likes to think there’s a reason, just to give her a bit of hope in a dark place. Uriah says he felt the hand of fate, or something darker, bring them together on their first visit to the House of Lament. He doesn’t know why, but he’s glad it did. Nahara says she is, too. She doesn’t have memories, but at least she has him. Uriah says that at least she has memories of them all together, adding awkwardly: “as friends.”

Nahara wonders why this is happening to them, and what the darklords want with them. Uriah agrees that it’s disconcerting to be summoned before them, and he thinks their plans can only be terrible. Nahara asks if there is ever an end to the suffering here, wondering if they’re just being used as bait. Uriah says they might just be mice in a maze. And on that existential reflection, B. Dave tells us it’s a good place for us to stop.

**Previous Episode:** 11 - Return to the House of Lament part 1