A Skellington Walkie-Talkie

## Description

Everything’s going down at Castle Ravenloft. Robbery! Arcane trickery! Seances! Also the Dragon Friends cross a bridge. it takes them like twenty minutes.

*Featuring old stalwart Ben Jenkins playing Michael Hing playing Freezo* *the high elf warlock. It’s confusing, we know. NPC characters by actor and comedian Edan Lacey.*

## Synopsis

They arrive at the Castle Ravenloft and look to see their driver and horses gone.

Freezo, turning over a new leaf, gives all his belonging to Bobby, excepting his baker's outfit and spellbook, which he gives to Philge. She believes that she is becoming a wizard. Freezo runs into a wall and breaks his finger.

Bobby sees a light up in the tallest tower, but otherwise the castle looks abandoned. They struggle to cross the rickety drawbridge, but make it across.

They decide to break into a guard tower, and ask Philge to hit it. She decides to use magic, and thumps the door with Dilge's Magic Wand and yells "burning hands!" which opens the door. Baston believes her magic powers. They enter the dark room and Bobby casts Dancing Lights and they can see an old barracks with a table, old chain mail and rusty spears, and a shelf. Philge puts on the rusty armor over the baker's outfit. On the shelf they see a relatively new greataxe and some personal effects, along with a soul stone, religious icon of Pelor. This item allows them to communicate with the soul of its previous owner, before they died. Freezo begins the ritual to activate it, which takes an hour. The rest of the Dragon Friends go to scout out the upper levels of the tower, Baston staying to protect Freezo.

From above, they see a storm brewing and a clearly humanoid presence in the tower of the castle. When they return, Freezo has stripped and is muttering to himself in tongues. The spirit of a Minotaur paladin, Cedar, returns to talk to them. He tells them that weapons (including his greataxe) and magic cannot harm the vampire Strahd von Zarovich. He tells them that an item that can harm Strahd is already in the Dragon Friends' possession. There are three items in total that can harm Strahd. The second is made of paper and the third is a holy symbol. The soul stone breaks. Bobby takes an old torch that could be used as a stake. Freezo goes to leave the greataxe, but Philge takes it.

They approach the front door of the castle, which soundlessly swings open. Torches begin to flicker on ahead of them. They enter the castle.

## People

### Dragon Friends

* Philge
* Freezo (played by Ben Jenkins)
* Bobby Pancakes
* Baston

## Themes, tropes and running jokes

* Baffling Reference For Our International Listeners - Dave calls Simon and Ben out for referencing Vivid, an Australian light festival
* Bridges Are Hard
* God/Dave - Dave has to correct the Minotaur on his information

## Quotes

* "Well, that step one." - Philge, after throwing her rope into a crevasse without tying it to anything

## Table Talk

* Freezo was played by Ben Jenkins this episode, who originally wanted to play Freezo, not as Freezo, but as Hing playing Freezo. He subjected "himself" to a range of indignities including breaking his hand by running against a column and giving away all of his belongings (including his spellbook, to Philge.) Baston interpreted these as acts of contrition.
* They name the pig after a member of the audience that had donated to their Patreon.