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A creepy road through a creepy landscape, outdoors, night...
A creepy road through a creepy landscape, outdoors, night...
A permanent dusk grips the world, with growing clouds threatening pure night. The whole area feels like a negative image of Neverwinter, as Eric, Presto, and Diana walk with alert tension alongside Dungeonmaster, who strides down the center of the road. The regular howls and shrill cries in the distance keep the heroes on edge. Presto finishes tucking away his stolen cultist robes, and Eric occaisonally examines his left hand, seemingly normal through shredded pieces of his glove.
GM says:
GM says:
But first, roll for Recoveries.
ERIC
ERIC
1 Recoveries 5d10 ⬙(29) + 8 + Delicate Sash (20) = 57 HP recovered
PRESTO
PRESTO
1 Recoveries 5d6 ⬙(21) + 6 = 27 HP recovered
Wild Flare Recharge ⬙(1) = No recharge
DIANA
DIANA
3 Recoveries 15d8 ⬙(62) + 12 = 74 HP recovered
Dance of Heroes Recharge ⬙(16) = Recharged
Shield Recharge ⬙(1) = No recharge
Diadem of Fortunate Dodging Recharge ⬙(15) = Recharged
DUNGEONMASTER
DUNGEONMASTER
Tread carefully, young ones! Shadowfell is another world, indeed, a dark mirror to the one you left. As you were in the graveyard when you fell through a Crevise of Dusk, in a graveyard is where you found yourselves when you arrived.
DIANA
DIANA
"Crevise of Dusk?" That's what that the Cult Leaders were researching.
PRESTO
PRESTO
That's what they were trying to open! But we interrupted it somehow. Hang on, I saw a vision as we fell through. There were a bunch of cults in a bunch of different places chanting similar stuff.
DIANA
DIANA
I saw that, too! I think we all did.
DUNGEONMASTER
DUNGEONMASTER
Visions you saw. Of the past. The future. Of different worlds.
ERIC
ERIC
Ah, come on! How many different worlds are you talking about here? All these different worlds and *still* one of them ain't our own?
DUNGEONMASTER
DUNGEONMASTER
Every world is unique, and thus each path between them. Perhaps the discovery of a wrong path is equally as valuable as finding the correct one.
ERIC
ERIC
Great advice, as always. Not that this guy will ever need it.
(motions to Presto, looking at him sternly)
PRESTO
PRESTO
Eric, I don't like *this* place any better than you! What makes you think I would want to stay *here*?
ERIC
ERIC
Why would you ever want to stay in Murder-world-land in the first place!
(more softly)
Why would you lie to us?
PRESTO
PRESTO
What-- what do you mean lie to you?
ERIC
ERIC
Every time we learned of potential way home, every piece of evidence, every battle we fought through to get one inch closer... All that time you were standing beside us, cheering with us, but really, inside-- you were ready to abandon us?
PRESTO
PRESTO
It's-- it's not like that--
DIANA
(quietly agreeing)
DIANA
(quietly agreeing)
It's hard not to feel a little betrayed.
PRESTO
(pinching his glasses, which hides his near-tears)
PRESTO
(pinching his glasses, which hides his near-tears)
I'm sorry? It sounds bad, I know, but... look, let's get out of Shadowfell first, and when it's safe we can figure out what's next.
ERIC
ERIC
At the very least we need to find Hank and Sheila and Bobby. So you can also explain yourself to them.
PRESTO
PRESTO
Hey! Diana, did you have a vision of Hank, too?
DIANA
DIANA
Huh? What-- what do you mean?
PRESTO
PRESTO
I heard you calling out for Hank during the battle with those eyeball-things, when Eric was down.
DIANA
(avoiding eye contact)
DIANA
(avoiding eye contact)
I... don't know. I... was confused, I think?
ERIC
ERIC
I'm not. I *know* I want to get home.
(But he sighs, and the sigh is longer than you'd expect.)
DUNGEONMASTER
DUNGEONMASTER
Softly, my heroes! Just as each world's path is unique, so each hero must make their own journey upon them. It will be wide and winding. But first, hark!
Dungeonmaster motions to the distance as the road crests a hill.
It is the Corpse Market.
DUNGEONMASTER
DUNGEONMASTER
You may remember the Fresh Market on your way to the graveyard before? Here is its mirrored vesion, the Corpse Market.
ERIC
ERIC
Ew! Why would anyone want to buy a corpse?!
You know what? Never mind.
DIANA
DIANA
And if there are Cults of Vecna across the worlds, maybe we need to find this world's branch to get to another Crevise. Does that sound right, Dungeonmaster?
Dungeonmaster?
Looking back to their mentor, the heroes find themselves alone on the road.
PRESTO
PRESTO
Well, we kind of knew *that* was going to happen.
continued in 3.6 The Corpse Market. . .
GM FOOTNOTES:
The D&D adventure reads that the victim Elrond from the sacrifice gallery follows the PCs into Shadowfell. (I would go so far as to say that the adventure seems to be written with the assumption that the heroes wlil have tried to free Elrond, making him transport with everyone. Otherwise, he'd have to transport through the cage somehow, if they trigger the end of the spell before he's out?) I have a hard time with this, as it seems this character is only there to give an exposition dump and keep PCs on guard rails to (and during) the next part of the chapter. (The "voice" of his character is quite dry and awkward as well.) It's not that hard to make the Corpse Market the next stop on the PCs' journey, even if they tried to sandbox their way more than the adventure suggests. For my purposes, if I need a guide, I will use Dungeonmaster, who can disappear conveniently and not be hanging around in the background (I'm looking at you, Nobbalin.) I don't know if Elrond will be needed for something much more specific as the adventure continues, but I'm sure the heroes can find a way out (or use Icon Relationships) if needed.
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