Sigil

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5 HP: 33 / 33 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Rose River Vineyard (Exterior Hidden Distillery) Action: Ritual Magic (Phantasmal Steed) Bonus Action: Familiar stuff, Morty Reaction: N/A

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Being a formal student of the Arcane, Victoria was still puzzled by the mostly desiccated corpses in the hidden distillery. Her magic didn't work on them, but Kosara's did. Yet they did not stir in the slightest, even to defend themselves. On the face of it, these facts were in contradiction to each other, based upon the uncertain status of the corpses. Before, when she began to have her suspicions, she did not share them with the group. Hindsight told her that this was a mistake. This was not Victoria's first adventuring party, even if it was some time since she was in one last, and she had to extend greater trust if she was going to have greater trust given to her in kind. So, the Bard set down the farm cart with a bit of a huff and addressed whomever was still in or around the entrance to the hillside. "I have formal tutoring in Arcana, and it's no secret that my magical proclivities bend toward the school of Necromancy. Here are the issues I have at the moment: To start, I attempted to use a spell to speak with the dead. It failed. The spell was cast, energy used, but it did not take. There are a few reasons this might happen. One of them is if the corpse affected is Undead. Further, Kosara was able to affect the bodies with a spell which only targets creatures, even if those creatures are merely Animated. Like Morty, here." Well, if anyone didn't already know (which would have surprised the Hells out of Victoria), it was now stated openly that she had a pet Undead thrall. The young Half-Elf shook her head and shrugged off her recently acquired knapsack to retrieve her Ritual Book. She continued, "Now, an unattended thrall, or a spontaneously occurring Undead creature - which, by the way, happens more often than you'd think - might attack the living outright, else it would definitely move to defend itself, even if just to try to move out of the way." Her book flipped open to a page detailing a spectral horse. She completed her thought, "Unless it had an existing command not to."

Victoria lat this hang in the air for a moment. There were implications present in this series of statements, which were all true to the best of her knowledge. Said implications were broad, however, so she left it up to others to add their own thoughts to the pot in hopes of getting a differing perspective. "Or this could be something completely different. This is just biased conjecture from my personal point of view. However, it occurs to me that some of these barrels need a better home, so if you will excuse me..." Victoria spent the next few minutes gathering up Ritual energies to form into another Phantasmal Steed. This one, unlike the usual form she chose of a sleek, bone-white riding horse with interesting, nigh magical details, was shorter, stockier, and semi-translucent. One could just barely make out the skeleton of the beast beneath the phosphorescent flesh, ghostly in nature but quite solid - at least solid enough to link its tack up to the cart. A slender socialite of a lady might pull an empty cart about with a little effort, but one laden with really good brandy? This required an amount of horsepower. "Very good, then. We've a little less than an hour before I have to reapply the Ritual. Let us load up what we might and locate it elsewhere, unless there are objections." In that moment, Victoria was somewhat tempted to go for another small glass of the magnificent brandy. Her raven flapped its wings heavily to rise form its perch, giving a quick look around on its mistress's behalf, and remained circling above.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Rose River Vineyard

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Old Distillery

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Weather: Additional snow is threatened by the approach of clouds, just a touch thicker than overcast - as if they were plotting their own precipitous shenanigans upon the hills and valleys of the Vineyard. This approach is heralded not only by the lessening translucence of the clouds, but also the steady winds which swept the area, unburdened by heavy tree coverage or any appreciable wind blocks. It's not snowing just yet, however.

Time: Elevensies and a half, let's say.

Ambience: Radiant flames have half-turned corpses to ash, which is interesting in an of itself, but lent a different, burnt-corpse sort of smell to the air which replaced the more mouldering scents of just a few minutes prior. The heavy sweetness of old spirits production remains, though now muddled with holy cadaver scorch. But that's down inside of the distillery. Outside, it's significantly better of air quality even if it is significantly colder.

Full barrels and two distillery tanks take up most of the room within the hidden distillery, in surprisingly good condition despite their apparent neglect for a very long time. The stable, underground temperatures probably had a lot to do with this. The open door might begin to compromise the contents therein over time, but you're probably good for just now.

The dead people are half bones and half ash. Whatever else might have been on their person of a more flammable nature is now part of that ash.

A notation: The effects of the Wild Magic remain, now about a half hour past their onset.

*****

For those focusing on the full barrels, they are extraordinarily heavy and will require either ropes and animal assistance, a group effort, or someone particularly large and strong to manage them out of the hidden distillery. That is to say, Kathryn can roll them up the slanting tunnel with a far better chance of success than any single one of the others present. Still, a slip here could cause substantial damage to one below or behind a loose barrel.

Moving the barrels now has the options of rolling individual ones along footpaths and hope nothing bad happens, rolling a couple into the cart that Victoria provided and hope nothing bad happens, and returning to the Coach House to get the army wagon and mule to haul a greater amount away at one time.

Elsewhere within the bounds of the southern fields, previously viewed anomalies remain for others to view. Barren (even for the winter season) vines entwine frames and stakes in orderly, slightly curved rows. It was a gradual change for those walking toward the affected area, but after a while those with any knowledge of agricultural processes would recognize the signs of a place marked for clearing and replanting. The few leaves remaining on these vines were brittle and dry; tendrils which were once vital and held the vines snugly to the planting frames were woody and snapped with ease. these plants appeared biologically incapable of supporting flower nor fruit. Nevertheless, two spindly bunches of smallish, near-to-black grapes hung from a vine, sporting tough, withered skins. They bobbed lightly as the cold, winter breeze pushed them about, an eerie sight of withered fruit growing on deceased vines.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@rivaan@Shoe Thief@Sigil@Arty Fox

Here we are again, once more I sit writing this harrowing take of ...stuff... and here you are reading it! It's almost like it was meant to be, what with the reading and writing. Makes sense, really. But anyway, to get to the meat of it, the situation hasn't changed a whole lot since the previous cycle, and certain elements of the update hasn't been gotten into, so admittedly there is a little copy/pasting involved here. The previous update here in the OOC still bears fruit, but here's a lightly altered recap:

1) There are two bodies still present in the hidden distillery. They are mostly destroyed now.
2) Multiple barrels of really good, very old brandy are still here to be dealt with. They are quite yummy.
3) The odd grapes are available for inspection, as Kosara spilled their location in the fields marked for clearing.
4) Two of the group actually drank the booze. Both of whom have less that stellar Wisdom scores. Go figure.

I know we have been going over possible actions to take in our Discord, and I am willing to toss some math rocks and arbitrate the spiffy plans that we talked about. Naturally, if there are questions, comments, concerns, or a call for a roll, please let me know in the Avonshire Discord and I'll see what I can do about it.

Last note - to restate from the Announcements channel, due to the holiday here in the U.S., everyone has an extra day to post. I will likely still make my updates on Monday evening, per usual. Or I may give myself an extra day, too. I'll figure it out when I get there. So, have a good holiday (if you celebrate it) and thanks again for joining me on this odd little adventure through rural D&D land's own lovely tract of wine country.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5 HP: 33 / 33 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Rose River Vineyard (Exterior Hidden Distillery) Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Locating a pushcart large enough to be capable of moving a barrel or two wasn't difficult, seeing as this was crop bearing farmland, even if that crop was just grapes. The idea did cross Victoria's mind that any cart she could move by herself over not-quite-even terrain might not be the absolute best thing to transport full barrels of ...extremely fine brandy... along footpaths which wound between the hills of the Rose River Vineyard. The very thought that one of those barrels might careen off of the cart and into some hard and/or sharp surface, or merely crack under its own weight combined with falling from a moderate height, either method of damage resulting in all of that lovely brandy soaking into the cold, winter ground. But this was the best option available to them at the moment, so there she was.

Victoria's return to the entrance of the hidden distillery gave her a touch of pause. Something had occurred here in her absence, and she bet that the wisps of char on the wind might have something to do with that. This wasn't fully against what she might have suggested, were she to vocalize her suspicions as others had vocalized theirs, as her own attacking magic wasn't the best suited to immediately eradicate an opponent. Yet. But first, she addressed the rather loud topic at hand, putting her opinion in the open. "Of course, I agree. I also think that Cecily L'Rose, or even we, may wish to get back in there." She regarded the gaping hole in the side of the hill, and the barrels Kathryn was rolling out of it. "If for no other reason than the realms shouldn't be deprived of that ...very excellent brandy..." She trailed off for a moment but snapped back readily, "Though a fresh set of eyes on the situation, or the passing of a day for reflection, might reveal more."

Then it occurred to Victoria that there was a conversation ongoing concerning her use of magic in the recent past, this from their resident "Half-Giant" which probably needed addressing before it led to a further misunderstanding. "Oh, I don't have that kind of detection magic. There might be something in one of the Ritual books I acquired recently, but I haven't been able to translate the Pact Magic version into something I can use yet." She shook her head to reorient her conversational direction, as she was beginning to get off of her point. "In any case, I didn't use a Detection incantation on the Constable's hammer. It was an Identification spell, cast in Ritual form. I already knew the hammer was magic from its use in the fight on Harvestide; detection was unnecessary. Do you wish to learn about Arcana? Perhaps there's something further to unlock in the mind of the magically curious."

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5 HP: 33 / 33 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Rose River Vineyard, Hidden Distillery -> Exterior Hidden Distillery Action: Skill Check (Arcana) Bonus Action: Familiar Stuff, Morty Reaction: N/A

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Something was off about this place, and it wasn't just the fact that a piece of magic she was looking forward to using decided to fail on her. Victoria was certain she had done it correctly. So there had to be a caveat somewhere; a condition that existed or that wasn't fulfilled which muddled the spell somehow. Mentally, she prodded about for what that missing piece might be. There was usually a bit of wiggle room with things like this - exact wording to keep the practitioner of Arcana within certain lines of safety - so that a toe may step over a line or small liberties taken with minimal risk. But there were always hard and fast metrics that, when not adhered to, caused a spell to "fizzle". Victoria was certain that this happened here.

The subject of Speak With Dead must not have been affected by it for ten days prior. Considering that the place was walled off, this was probably not the case. The corpse must have some semblance of a mouth, from which it may speak. This condition was filled. The corpse cannot be...

A sudden flash of quiet inquiry flashed over Victoria's face, even as the markings of her preferred school of magic left her face. Sparkling, crystal blue eyes regarded the attempted subject of her spell with renewed interest, but she kept herself quiet. Guarded, even. The general consensus of people's faces brought her to the conclusion that there were notes of suspicion from the others, too. A quick mental command brought her Morty to interpose itself between her and the corpse, and she spoke with a projected, optimistic voice. "No, Master Baronfjord, I do not suspect that the surge altered my magic." She then looked to Kathryn, saying, "Perhaps we should get what we need and leave this place for now. The remains can be properly interred when we know more of them. Now if you all will please excuse me, I shall be right back, after getting a push cart from the workshed nearby."

Victoria met eyes with each of her companions present and then looked warily at the corpse she could not magically converse with just earlier. Her Morty maintained its interposing stance as she exited the distillery, careful not to stumble on her way back up to fresher air. Once out, Victoria did do as she said she would, but first gave her Raven Familiar a hard stare, imprinting a course of action that it may take involving staying put and lending its senses if necessary. Satisfied, the Bard twirled her cloak about her shoulders against the bracing winter wind, and set off for the nearby shed. She was returning with a cart for a barrel or two of that lovely distilled spirit, and she hoped that her silent insistence for caution was received.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Rose River Vineyard

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Old Distillery

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Weather: Steady winds now blow out in front of the recently uncovered passage underneath the sycamore hill. Perhaps these winds were responsible for the approaching cloud cover, which could mean nothing. Or it could mean more snow. For now, nothing drifts softly from the sky just yet.

Time: Late morning. Let's say Elevensies.

Ambience: The air within the hidden distillery has let out somewhat. It is still its specific sort of dank, but much less overpowering. At least one can figure out the source now - two corpses and a fine collection of utilized distilling equipment. In fact, knowing the difference lets one's senses fully appreciate the sweeter air coming from the outside, which beckons with its clear jolt of colder air.

The crates, barrels, and two distillery tanks remain inside, in good condition considering their sedentary nature over the years. Though neglected, this underground hideaway maintained fairly stable and dry conditions. It is mostly safe to assume their integrity for travel if necessary. The barrels, at least. The tanks look a bit harder to move.

The dead people remain being dead, but... well, more below.

Those venturing back outside will note that the temperature has not risen a whole lot from earlier in the day. The glistening elements that signal the beginnings of a thaw did not progress any farther, meaning the sun's most direct rays were kept behind the semi-translucent grey and white clouds above. The hills in this area are mostly untouched, save by the footpaths trudged into common walking areas.

A notation: The effects of the Wild Magic remain.

*****

Kosara's search of one of the bodies bore a marginal amount of fruit, if one considers a few small tools and some silver coins marginal fruit. The advanced decomposition makes things a little difficult and something may have to be done to make these items more pleasant to be around, but we take the wins where we can get them, yes?

In contrast, Baronfjord's misadventures with dead people continues. The leathery remains of the corpse's face-meat, particularly that of an eye, yields with barely a hint of pointy, Dragonborn poking. The smell is, to put it as accurately as possible, suboptimal. What might have been a particularly dead stare (were there functional eyeballs present) seems to be the only reaction from the corpse. In other words, the questions put to the slab of decomposed former Human go unanswered. In its own way, the rictus grin of the dead guy might even appear as a mocking smile to the context provided.

For those focusing on the barrels, and contents thereof, one can readily figure out that they are an excellent size to roll up the tunnel and to the outside, as it the width of it was cut to specifically accommodate said barrels. Also, the full barrels are extraordinarily heavy and will require either ropes and animal assistance, a group effort, or someone particularly large and strong to manage them out of the hidden distillery. Unless one wishes to roll the barrels across the vineyard, one may avail themselves of simple levers and pushcarts located within the tool sheds nearby to the fields. Alternatively, an actual wagon might be a less labor-intensive option, though it requires a full return to the lands around the Estate House, temporarily taking one further from the continuing investigation.

Elsewhere within the bounds of the southern fields, previously viewed anomalies remain for others to view. Barren (even for the winter season) vines entwine frames and stakes in orderly, slightly curved rows. It was a gradual change for those walking toward the affected area, but after a while those with any knowledge of agricultural processes would recognize the signs of a place marked for clearing and replanting. The few leaves remaining on these vines were brittle and dry; tendrils which were once vital and held the vines snugly to the planting frames were woody and snapped with ease. these plants appeared biologically incapable of supporting flower nor fruit. Nevertheless, two spindly bunches of smallish, near-to-black grapes hung from a vine, sporting tough, withered skins. They bobbed lightly as the cold, winter breeze pushed them about, an eerie sight of withered fruit growing on deceased vines.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@rivaan@Shoe Thief@Sigil@Arty Fox

And here we are once again, balancing upon the knife's edge of greatness and disaster, all within the mercies of our decisions and the whim of the polyhedrons. I do sometimes wish that I could divulge things, or bits of lore which shape the events unfolding, but that would cheapen the event overall. To that end, I suppose it's one spoonful at a time. So let us focus on the issues of the in-game moment:

1) There are two bodies still present in the hidden distillery.
2) Multiple barrels of really good, very old brandy are still here to be dealt with.
3) The odd grapes are available for inspection by anyone accompanying Kosara to the fields marked for clearing.
4) Two of the group actually drank the booze. We'll discuss later.

All I can say it that you're getting into the meat of it now; nibbling upon the fatty endpiece of the roast as a whole and set to delve into the bulk of it with gravy-laden gusto. Get with me in our Discord to discuss where you're going from here and what your individual character's plans are, whether you're splitting the party to cover more tasks or if you're sticking together to tackle things one at a time. Per usual, DM me for rolls, questions, and such.

And also, think about what you're going to be doing to cover the downtime between events. We're here in wine country for the whole season, and some of us are picking up new bits of education, skills, training, and experiencing new things only available in this charming, rural paradise (that probably won't end up as a precursor to an '80s slasher flick). Above all, have fun.

@Pirouette If you are still interested in joining, please get with me on character concept and if you have questions concerning the listed rules for character generation or the general RP, "session zero" stuff, and the like. I am a fan of making entrances as organic to the setting as possible. I might also suggest getting with the current players for their input. They've been at this for a while now.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5 HP: 33 / 33 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Rose River Vineyard, Hidden Distillery Action: Cast a Spell (Speak With Dead), Skill Check (Perception) Bonus Action: Familiar Stuff, Morty Reaction: N/A

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The brandy was phenomenal. No doubt about it, it was some of the smoothest, most interesting hard liquor that she had experienced. Her ability to pick out the more interesting notes and flavors of the potent potable did very little to bring greater understanding, unfortunately, and it was precisely this feeling that there was something just beyond her understanding that was rather bothersome. All she could do was appreciate the brandy for its apparent, mundane qualities as observed by someone with exposure to life's extravagances. As a result, the additional sampling was practically mandatory. The sudden discharge of electricity from Baronfjord snapped her concentration away momentarily, but she quickly came back to a thought: "It would be polite, even prudent, to bring one of two of these barrels back to the L'Roses. There must be a fortune in distilled spirits here that they hadn't a clue even existed."

It occurred to Victoria that they were probably far away from the appropriate equipment to comfortably move something like a full barrel (or two) of liquor to the estate house, so gingerly reached out her senses to her Raven outside. She still marveled at the idea of doing this, as it was something she had read was almost purely the wheelhouse of Wizards to do this. In truth, her Familiar could only come by means of Ritual Magic, a longer and more elaborate affair than simply casting the spell as normal. The results were the same, however, and that was all she cared about. She was a Bard with a Familiar, and that was just fine by her. Satisfied with her status, Victoria placed her senses within her bird's and gave the immediate area a look. She didn't recall a wagon about, but it couldn't hurt to check.

Outside, Victoria's cloak lay over a shovel handle which stood perpendicular to the ground as the blade was unceremoniously driven into it. This seemed as appropriate a perch as any, and it was from this point that it launched itself upward for a better view. There was no one in this part of the Vineyard as far as she could tell, and certainly no extra wagons around. Maybe something near the shed, or further out in the next field. Disappointing, but an issue to resolve a little later.

Inside, the not-quite-living Morty stuck close to its Mistress who had placed her senses elsewhere. This was by mental command as opposed to its own sense of propriety, as it was sadly lacking in appreciable empathy or free will. Victoria's mental commands bound the flesh and bone animation. It protected her purely at her discretion, an automaton of smoked, tasty, once living matter. Compared to some of her compatriots, Victoria was a bit toward the fragile. Every little bit of additional support helped.

Then a thought occurred to Victoria as she stood there, weighing her options. She was versed in Necromancy, after all. A penchant for the darker arts, one might venture to say. And she did muse just a handful of days earlier, "I can speak with the dead." Her abilities in her preferred school of magic had developed. This was within her repertoire. And one might have noticed the availability of two deceased persons within spitting distance. Persons who, she just came to realize, needed a proper interment. Finally speaking aloud, Victoria suggested, "I might ask a question or two of the distillery's residents, if you will excuse me." She randomly selected the one toward the very back and moved within ten feet of the corpse.

Victoria drew her bone flute from the cylindrical bag on her belt and held it in a manner not unlike a wand. She gestured, intoning words of power at a singing whisper, letting necrotic energy build and drip from her words. Her face immediately formed the marks of black tears moving from shadowed eyes, a thing common to her when she cast from her College's pool of arcane knowledge, and one would witness wisps of shadow smoulder from her form. It was a coldly beautiful form of spellwork, showing a clear difference in method of casting from a pure Wizard's art. Victoria was a Bard of the Grey Requiem, and this was her performance.

Unfortunately, despite having done everything right, the corpse did not stir. It did not ready itself to speak. It lay dormant upon the dusty, brick floor. Victoria seemed puzzled. "That... should have worked. I felt the power build and release; more unblemished Necromancy than I have channeled before." Puzzled, indeed. "That should have worked," she insisted. Something was wrong.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Pirouette

At work presently, so apologies if I come across as terse. Yes, there is an opening for one more person. Create a CS using the rules provided and I will review. There is a further consideration, that being that we are now in an established setting with an intentionally designed, greatly reduced NPC count. Your character's presence will have to fit narratively, which may be a hill to climb. And past this I will review your posting history to get a gist of your play style.

But yeah, wouldn't mind seeing another character involved if we can make it fit.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Rose River Vineyard

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Old Distillery

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Weather: The weather outside remains a beacon of relatively calm early winter out in wine country. While no new snow falls, the thickening clouds despite the continuing day hints at a possibility in the near future.

Time: Still late morning. The sun remains behind its veil of overcast grey-white.

Ambience: The hidden distillery contains only as much light as you bring into it. Not even so much as a torch sconce or lamp is available to illuminate this thirty-five by twenty-five foot room. Feet tap upon a relatively even brick floor, and the same sort of rocks which made up the wall the party tore down to enter here seem to form the walls. Wooden supports maintain the tunnel, walls, and ceiling, though the ceiling was mostly a network of thick, gnarled sycamore roots. A deceptively thin layer of dust and/or covers things in here, though not enough to prevent a casual inspection of things. There are crates, several stacked barrels, and two large distillery tanks present.

The corpses don't have a lot to say at present, being that they are, indeed, corpsing very nicely as far as one can tell.

From the outside, one might barely hear a low whoosh of wind blowing past the unearthed tunnel's entrance.

*****

To recap:

Investigating the bodies has yielded marginal results. One trying to find anything of importance upon them or anything past that which is obvious was not the epic event of deductive logic one might have hoped. The good news is, they ARE clothed, so their shriveled bits and pieces keeps to the general concerns of social modesty for the area. For whatever good this does... you've at least got that proverbial feather in your cap.

The effects of the magic surge remain; Kathryn is slightly taller, Victoria is marginally taller, Baronfjord is ...blue (imagine that), and Kosara retains the flowers in her hair as more than a fashion choice. A bit of time has not changed the changes.

The barrels in this place, for those who took some time to check them, are mostly all full, having been produced and stored in this room for at least as long as the place has been walled off. Examination and sampling of the liquid therein had revealed an amazingly balanced and smooth hard alcohol. If it ever was wine, it stopped being that following the distillation process. It is, at this point, quite flammable in addition to its other properties and strangely familiar note of flavor.

The previously mentioned crates, following the Kathryn's search for tools to tap, revealed a number of hand tools of the trade of distilling, barrel sealing, and liquid retrieval. Due to the wonder of their being packed in a manner consistent with their continued use over time, they have not received the ravages of dust and only a little of the ravages of time.

Things are going rather smoothly, all told. Nothing new with the setting. No sudden drops or raises in temperature. No giant insects burrowing up from the loose earth, nor attacks from small, green humanoids. In fact, it's only Baronfjørd "Blackberry" Chedgusah who even thought that something might be slightly out of order within this place, being as he thought he, at the extremes of maybes, swore that the dead guy in the back was facing away from everyone when they came in. And now, it was facing toward.