the Castle of the Vampire Lord

The candles go out: the castle itself attacks the party in the dark. The party must brace together or scatter.

They might have chosen to brace together, or scatter and regroup — Paracelsus made the case: "The Work is a devotion. The explosions are incidental." The party chose to sift the rubble.

🪨 The party sifts a fall of rubble: 13 gold.

🛡️ Paracelsus walks in front, which is where the blows land first.

A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic. A silvered mirror leans against the wall, and it shows the room more honestly than the room does. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them.

They might have chosen to experiment with the assembly, or dissolve the lock — John Dee made the case: "Heal fast, ask later." The party chose to take one of the side passages.

🛤️ The side passage goes round, and round, and eventually through. Two more marches of oil burned than the direct road would have cost. +8 score.

🧭 The Devout did not like leaving the dead untended: the party turns off into the burial wing. Its rooms join the route.

A trap blocks the corridor. The party must disarm it, avoid it, or take the hit. A bed of rusted spikes stands out of the floor, most of them still upright. Half the ceiling is on the floor, in pieces worth stepping around.

They might have chosen to disarm the trap, or search for a way around — Johannes Trithemius made the case: "I confess in advance. Saves time." The party chose to push through and take the hit.

💥 The party pushes through the trap, taking 5 damage.

🕯️ The wick is well down the oil. 1 more march of light, then none.

✚ Paracelsus is opened up badly enough that the delve will keep it: 11 is as whole as they get until town. The Reckless do not stop to bind anything, and more of it stays with them. The Devout tend what the dungeon opens: fewer blows leave a mark that stays.

A trap blocks the corridor. The party must disarm it, avoid it, or take the hit. A tripwire runs up the wall to a bell: an alarm trap. Little damage, but the next monster will be warned (+2 attack). Half the ceiling is on the floor, in pieces worth stepping around. A bed of rusted spikes stands out of the floor, most of them still upright.

They might have chosen to disarm the trap, or search for a way around — Simon Forman made the case: "The god forgives. That's the whole strategy." The party chose to push through and take the hit.

💥 The party pushes through the trap, taking 2 damage. 🔔 The alarm rings through the dungeon: the next monster will attack with +2.

🕯️ The flame stands up, thins, and is gone. The party is out of oil.

A chittering cloud of castle bats holds the room (attack 8, health 18). The party must decide how to get past it. It is a swarm: spell openings hit it ×1.5. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. An anvil sits under a dead forge, still true.

They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Paracelsus made the case: "As above, so below. Mind the fumes between." The party chose to pry the sarcophagus open.

⚰️ The party pries the lid off a stone sarcophagus: 20 gold.

💡 Dancing Light kindles in the empty air and the party walks on seeing. The dark takes nothing.

A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong.

They might have chosen to open it with Knock, or inspect it first — John Dee made the case: "Candles first. Then courage." The party chose to loot the treasure.

💰 The party loots the chest: 50 gold.

A pale hound with a red velvet collar holds the room (attack 14, health 24). The party must decide how to get past it. It is venomous: even a won fight leaves poison working, unless a cleric cures it. It will not face the cleric: undead take holy damage ×1.5. A gargoyle spout drips something that is not water into a stained channel. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway.

They might have chosen to speak with whatever wears the armour, or strip the insignia off it — Johannes Trithemius made the case: "Traps are just puzzles with stakes." The party chose to name the armour by its heraldry.

🏺 The heraldry belongs to a house that ended badly and expensively. Named aloud, the armour stops following and folds up where it stands, and what is inside it is worth 20 gold. +24 score. 🎓 Everything this asks for, the party happens to have brought: +25 renown.

A trap blocks the corridor. The party must disarm it, avoid it, or take the hit. A tripwire runs up the wall to a bell: an alarm trap. Little damage, but the next monster will be warned (+2 attack). A pit takes up a third of the floor. The bottom is not visible. A bed of rusted spikes stands out of the floor, most of them still upright.

They might have chosen to solve the progression, or read the dust — Simon Forman made the case: "We are exactly where we are meant to be. Regrettably." The party chose to just walk it.

💥 It is a floor for about six paces. 4 damage out of the ceiling, and the party finishes the crossing at a scattered run.

🧭 The party turns off into the archive wing — shelving stacked to the ceiling, half of it collapsed. Its rooms join the route.

✚ Paracelsus is wounded again — 2 scars now, and nothing can heal them past 9 before town.

A library. The party can study here to learn spells. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway.

They might have chosen to study the shelves, or strip the shelves — Paracelsus made the case: "If it smokes, it works. If it screams, it works better." The party chose to move on.

There is nothing to fight and nothing to take. The party keeps going.

A library. The party can study here to learn spells. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century.

They might have chosen to study the shelves, or move on — John Dee made the case: "Heal fast, ask later." The party chose to bless the font and drink.

⛲ The cleric says the words over a stone font of still water and the party drinks: 12 health healed.

A library. The party can study here to learn spells. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.

They might have chosen to move on — Johannes Trithemius made the case: "I confess in advance. Saves time." The party chose to study the shelves.

📚 The party studies the shelves and learns 1 spell.

A library. The party can study here to learn spells. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.

They might have chosen to move on, or bless the font and drink — Simon Forman made the case: "Candles first. Then courage." The party chose to study the shelves.

📚 The party studies the shelves and learns 1 spell.

A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through.

They might have chosen to sing the third harmony, or link the three frequencies — Paracelsus made the case: "The Work is a devotion. The explosions are incidental." The party chose to attune the resonances.

🎶 The resonances snap into attunement. The chamber sings with one voice, the party heals 2 apiece, and they carry the chord out with them: the next fight comes 1 damage a round softer. +22 score. 🎓 It is answered from three directions at once and stays answered: +25 renown.

A shrine. Resting here heals the party; the gold leaf on the altar could be stripped instead. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.

They might have chosen to bring the fever down, or diagnose and treat the fever — John Dee made the case: "We are exactly where we are meant to be. Regrettably." The party chose to push through and take the hit.

🤒 Paracelsus is carried rather than treated, and the fever takes its price in full: 6 damage, and the party files through the next passage strung out around the litter.

✚ 3 wounds on Paracelsus, and the ceiling with them: 7, and no more.

A library. The party can study here to learn spells. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway.

They might have chosen to read the place itself, or reconstruct his rounds — Johannes Trithemius made the case: "Even locks answer to providence. I just expedite." The party chose to leave him looking for it.

🚶 The party leaves him looking for it and finds its own way round the long side. A march of oil for the privilege.

A trap blocks the corridor. The party must disarm it, avoid it, or take the hit. Half the ceiling is on the floor, in pieces worth stepping around.

They might have chosen to disarm the trap, or push through and take the hit — Simon Forman made the case: "Heal fast, ask later." The party chose to sift the rubble.

🪨 The party sifts a fall of rubble: 13 gold.

The boss chamber. The Bride, who was here long before the Lord waits at its center (attack 24, health 67); killing it clears the dungeon. It is ethereal: weapons do only 60% damage unless a cleric blesses the blades. It will not face the cleric: undead take holy damage ×1.5. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. A crack runs the width of the room, wide enough to matter and too wide to jump twice.

They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — the Reckless settled it by going first. The party chose to fight from behind the pillars.

🏛️ The party backs into a row of squat pillars and makes the monster come down one aisle at a time: 3 damage as it closes. ☠️ Even so, the Bride, who was here long before the Lord beats the party down. 🩸 Most of that lands on Simon Forman — 14 of the 45 taken. 📐 The party meets it standing as the last room left them. 🔭 The aspect is favourable and the party knows it: 1 less damage a round. 🔔 The alarm tripped earlier warned it: the monster attacks with +2 this fight. 🛡️ Aegis of Ash goes up before the first blow: 2 less damage every round. 🪞 The Silvered Hand-Mirror catches the ethereal thing where it truly stands: weapons do full damage. 🎒 6 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.

☠️ Paracelsus falls. The party's alchemist is dead; the 3 still standing march on.

☠️ John Dee falls. The party's cleric is dead; the 2 still standing march on.

☠️ Johannes Trithemius falls. The party's rogue is dead; one of them is still standing.

☠️ Simon Forman falls. The party's cleric is dead, and there is nobody left to carry them out.