Session 24 — Screenplay

Scene 1 — INT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — CELLAR TUNNEL — UNKNOWN

(Session 24 @ 00:19:17)

The party makes its way through cramped, twisting stone corridors from the cavern shelter to Wizard of the Wines. The passage ends in a small cavern before a door concealed from the cellar on the other side.

MERCURIO
I mean, I think either could work. We could try to sneak around or we can try to just clear everything out. It definitely sounds like we need that staff, though. We should be focused on.

MERCURIO
We could be here our whole fucking lives clearing out twig blights. So we probably do want to try to just find the guy with the MacGuffin staff.

SILDIR
It's on the upper floor, right?

SILDIR
(to Irredel)
Are you ready to cast Silence?

SILDIR
I don't mind leading the way. But I do want to make sure.

IRREDEL
I don't think you need to be leading the way right now. You can let someone else go.

SILDIR
Saturno, you want to get up there?

SATURNO
Sure, yeah.

Sildir joins Irredel and reiterates that she should have Silence ready to cast.

SATURNO
You don't want me to open up, right?

MERCURIO
Yeah, if we see any of those druids, we don't want them thundering their spells through the whole winery.

IRREDEL
Yeah, of course I'm ready.

SATURNO
Okay, so... I'm gonna open. Yeah.

SILDIR
I'm right behind.

SATURNO
Knock knock.

Saturno gently pushes the secret door. Stone scrapes softly, but no alarm follows. Beyond lies an unseasonably warm cellar divided by a thick brick wall. Humid mist curls across a floor crisscrossed by tiny black roots. Saturno peers both ways and hears shuffling to the east.

SATURNO
(quietly to the party)
Maybe we should go to our, well, left of what I'm seeing. This way? I think I hear something coming from, like, the right side. Or we just go to the right side.

SATURNO
What do we think?

MERCURIO
We're not the best at being sneaky, but we can try.

SILDIR
I think maybe Ember should get us through this part.

EMBER
I mean, yeah, my dexterity is pretty high, so my stealth should be high too.

Ember glides out ahead. Eight-foot wooden partitions double as wine racks on both sides of the cellar. The western rack is empty; the eastern rack remains half filled with bottles. Thick choking vines and thorny ivy cover both. Several silhouettes move behind the eastern rack, one crowned by a full rack of antlers.

EMBER
If we go westwards, do we still have, like, a line of sight on, like, the east side?

SATURNO
We're trying to be stealthy, just to be sure. Because I don't think we're a stealthy bunch.

SILDIR
I think we'll try our best, but I wouldn't expect much of us being filthy.

EMBER
All right. What are we thinking? What's the move?

SATURNO
I mean, we could try to be stealthy.

IRREDEL
As in all things, I urge caution.

MERCURIO
The druids might not be bad guys, so I don't particularly want to fight them. I mean, it sounds like it might be that there's that witch, you know, that's sort of compelling them to do this. So I think we should try to avoid as much violence as we can.

EMBER
Okay. So west.

Ember reaches the western door unseen. Behind her, armor knocks and scrapes as Irredel, Sildir, and Saturno cross the cellar. A twig blight stirs toward the sound.

MERCURIO
We're doing so good.

MERCURIO
We're so good at this.

IRREDEL
It's fantastic, dude.

SILDIR
All right, we're not stealthy.

Mercurio slips into cover and conjures the image of another twig blight stumbling noisily through a side passage. The creature turns toward the illusion.

UNSEEN DRUID
Stupid blights. I don't like working with these.

The party reaches a stone spiral staircase in the southwest corner.

IRREDEL
Guys, I think we're doing a really good job of being sneaky.

MERCURIO
We heard that the boss man's on the top, right? All right. Let's go up.

SILDIR
I think he's upstairs, so.

IRREDEL
All right, onward we go.

THEY CLIMB TO THE SECOND FLOOR.

Scene 2 — INT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — SECOND-FLOOR BALCONY — UNKNOWN

(Session 24 @ 00:39:23)

The stairs open onto a narrow corridor lined with doors. Ember cracks open one door and discovers a balcony overlooking a vast fermentation chamber. Four enormous casks dominate the room below. Beneath the rafters hang six cages, each crammed with more than a dozen battered ravens.

A wild-looking female druid stands on the western balcony in an animal-skin gown and goat-horn headdress. Nearly two dozen twig blights surround her. At her nod, two larger blights thrust their pointed arms through a cage and stab a wounded raven. Its screams fill the chamber.

SILDIR
So is this person holding a staff by any chance?

Ember studies the woman and the gnarled wand in her hand.

EMBER
(whispering toward the corridor)
Guys. You gotta see this. If you guys can make your way over here.

Ember invokes her psychic whispers, linking her thoughts to Saturno, Mercurio, and Irredel. She describes the cages, the druid, and the blights below.

MERCURIO
Well, they're in cages, I think.

EMBER
Oh, true. Yeah.

EMBER
What if I sneak down there and use my thieving tools to pick a lock and then free them?

There is no route to the cages that does not pass within sight of the druid and her blights.

SILDIR
I don't think we're going to make it across the bridge to the other door, personally, as a group. If that's the door you're looking at, I think we could go in and try to kill this lady or something, or we could just move on and keep looking for the staff. I think those are the options, not saying that any one is better than the other. Or we could go and spin some story where we are talking to her as if we belong there. That might be really hard to do. Or maybe Mercurio has some magic, charming, concocted story or spell. But yeah. Or you could go by yourself over to the door. You could say, I'll be right back. I think you could make it alone.

EMBER
Yeah, let's not do that then.

SILDIR
All right, well, I think I laid out the options. I'll let the rest of the group decide or come up with more options. But those are my ideas.

EMBER
(telepathically)
Is it worth it to see what this old lady is about, or should we just continue looking for this staff?

IRREDEL
I think we just keep looking for the staff. I don't think we... Why are we... There's no need to take extra risk right now.

EMBER
All right. Yeah, good point.

SATURNO
We might be able to come back later, but for now.

IRREDEL
Unless, wait, did they give us a description of the witch? I mean, it would be pretty surprising if the very first person that we saw was the witch who is possibly controlling all of this, but weirder things have happened.

The party recalls that the swamp witch is believed to be in the ruins of Berez, not here.

IRREDEL
Well,

SILDIR
Well, how would he know that?

IRREDEL
How would he know that? He's hiding out in some pit.

SILDIR
He's reading out some tips.

Ember returns to the corridor.

EMBER
Let's just move forward. We'll come back if we have time. That's not our main priority right now.

SILDIR
Were there more, like... Could we go further upstairs or no? And, like, did we get the impression that the druid was, like, top, top floor? The one that we need to target with the staff?

MERCURIO
Well,

SILDIR
Okay, so let's go. I vote we go through this door here and we see what happens.

MERCURIO
I mean... We're kind of like... I mean, we're on the second floor, right? But is that druid that we're seeing with the ravens basically on the first floor?

Ember confirms the torturer stands one floor below them.

MERCURIO
Okay. Okay, so then... Probably not the person we're looking for. I mean, people can move from floor to floor, but... I do feel bad for the ravens, though.

SATURNO
Yeah.

MERCURIO
What's the point of torturing the ravens? Maybe they're trying to get important information out of the ravens? I mean, druids can talk to animals, right? So those ravens might know something important. Maybe that's what they're here for.

Through the partly open door, the party hears the ravens scream again.

MERCURIO
(whispering)
That's good. We can warn each other about things we see without even talking.

IRREDEL
Maybe, God, that noise is awful. Maybe what we need to do is, Ember, you're by far the stealthiest one. Do you think you can get a general idea of this entire floor?

EMBER
Yeah, I can.

IRREDEL
Obviously,

MERCURIO
Probably Ember should lead.

IRREDEL
We know it's over where you just came from. But yeah, is there any idea we can kind of map this out and then we can approach where we go strategically? I can't think with those poor birds screeching.

MERCURIO
I think I think maybe—oh, I'm sorry, you go.

EMBER
Let me just close this door.

She closes it, muffling the cries.

MERCURIO
I was just gonna say, I think, you know, just following up with what Irredel said, we should scout the floor and then see how many—like, what's the druid presence here? And if it's low enough, then maybe we can help these ravens.

IRREDEL
Yeah.

EMBER
Okay.

EMBER MOVES DEEPER INTO THE CORRIDOR.

Scene 3 — INT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — SECOND-FLOOR ROOMS — UNKNOWN

(Session 24 @ 00:58:23)

Ember moves from door to door without a sound, listening at each and peering through keyholes. Two central rooms appear to be empty bedrooms, each furnished with bunk beds and footlockers. A third is a vacant kitchen and dining room. Behind the final door, Ember hears one person and the scraping movement of plant creatures. She relays what she has learned through the psychic link.

Mercurio lifts Pepito, his raven familiar, from his shoulder and closes both hands around him. When he opens them again, a tiny spider rests on his palm.

MERCURIO
We can probably check some of the rooms out like this.

IRREDEL
And check out what's in this room. It sounded like from what Ember said, it's empty, but maybe we can all hide in here while we're investigating so we're not just here in the hallway.

MERCURIO
Oh, that's smart. Well, yeah.

IRREDEL
The one directly in front of me.

IRREDEL
I think we should go into this one and then we can listen through the wall into this other room, but we have to be really quiet.

The party slips into one of the empty bedrooms. Mercurio places the spider beside the occupied room's door and sits on a bed. His eyes turn completely white as his senses enter the familiar.

IRREDEL
Funny. He gets the same look after four glasses of wine.

MERCURIO
I can still hear you.

IRREDEL
Ah, so that's the difference.

MERCURIO
Presumably, there's probably a druid and some twig blights in that other room.

IRREDEL
Oh, Saturno, we gotta do something about those ravens. I know you feel just as sensitive about those types of things as I do. It just feels wrong. They're innocent creatures. There's no reason to harm animals.

SATURNO
Right. You just need to know who's just information that.

IRREDEL
I know, but I know I'm always the one urging caution, but there's part of me that feels like we should just bust in there.

EMBER
Should we split up and half of us go after the staff and half of us deal with the ravens, or should we all...

MERCURIO
Inadvisable, you know?

EMBER
Okay, never mind.

SATURNO
I do think we should do something about the raven. I believe Mercurio could get us more information and then we could take action.

The spider squeezes beneath the occupied room's door. Inside, a dirt-caked druid rummages through a cabinet while three creatures made of dead vines stand behind him. A mundane wooden staff rests in the druid's hand.

MERCURIO
(through his motionless body)
Oh, man. What the f-

MERCURIO
(through his motionless body)
Spider says, fuck this. There's this ugly druid guy and a bunch of ugly vine monsters. I'm checking the next door.

SILDIR
We can get that anywhere. We have ugly druid at home.

MERCURIO
I'm going to check the last door in the hallway.

The spider explores the kitchen and dining room.

MERCURIO
It's a kitchen.

MERCURIO
I guess let's take a quick peek on the other doors, and then I think there's not that much in the way of help for that other druid, I think, besides this one other druid. So maybe we can help the ravens.

SILDIR
We could break into the room to our left, cast Silence, and interrogate the druid in there.

The spider searches a master bedroom containing a raven-carved bed, wardrobes, a church tapestry, a cradle, a desk, a chest, and a mirror.

MERCURIO
Okay, so it's like a little office here. But nobody else. So, yeah, we basically cleared this floor for the most part.

MERCURIO
There's like a hallway. Oh, fuck. Another room.

MERCURIO
Another fucking room. All right.

The spider continues through another hallway and slips beneath the last door.

Beyond it lies a chamber open to a dark, stormy sky. A ten-foot-square hole pierces the wooden floor beneath a loading winch. A dead, misshapen tree rises through the opening, blood oozing from its trunk. Its branches groan, snap, and creep higher. Perched among them is a wild-haired, rotten-toothed man with blood-red skin, waving a staff made from a black branch.

The spider retreats unseen and returns to Mercurio.

MERCURIO
Okay, yeah, really bad stuff is happening in that other room. I don't know if that's the guy, but he has a unique staff, so...

SATURNO
Does he look like he has to be killed regardless?

MERCURIO
He looks like he's been killed.

SATURNO
Do we need to kill him again?

MERCURIO
He... He looks, like, kind of unnaturally fucked up. I mean... I'm not that familiar with druids, but... There's something off with these guys. Torturing animals, you know. The tree that he's growing is bleeding. He's making the tree bleed. They're not even being nice to the trees. Whatever he's doing—I'm not a druid—but whatever he's doing to that tree seems unethical.

SATURNO
Maybe these aren't—I don't think druids would torture animals. Oh, well.

SATURNO
I'm pretty okay to kill just about anyone that's messing with that raven.

MERCURIO
Yeah,

SATURNO
But if we're talking about a bleeding tree, that makes me feel even better.

MERCURIO
These people seem far gone.

EMBER
Yeah, I'm ready to do anything, just about anything too.

MERCURIO
All right, well, what's our strategy for clearing this out then?

IRREDEL
We can try blocking off that room next to us. There's some heavy furniture here and at least for a while we can put some stuff in front of the doors. Someone strong, they can just lift it up and move it quietly and at the very least that'll give us some protection. And then I think we go help the ravens. I don't know. I feel like odds are good that they would be helpful to us. I mean, they're smart creatures. And I don't know, something about this whole raven society has me thinking that maybe they're raven shifters or something like that. I mean, I turn into a wolf. Pretty reasonable to think that some of these spies are turning into ravens.

SATURNO
And then of all animals to target, ravens specifically, it has to have a tie.

IRREDEL
Exactly. So, you know, maybe we'll have some allies in that realm that we can recruit. And then from there we'll go, you know, make that person who's torturing trees and animals and all around bloodthirsty pay for his crimes.

MERCURIO
Now, he is quite separated. Like, there's more layers of walls and doors and stuff. So I'm not as worried about him if we're going after the raven lady, I guess. But this guy on the left is, like, right there. Kind of spooky. We can try to block the door. But the vine blights do look pretty... They look strong.

MERCURIO
Maybe then. Maybe that guy is the source of controlling the blights. I mean, maybe he should be our first priority. Without the blights...

SILDIR
That is my opinion. I've been quiet because it seems contrary to the rest of the party's. But yeah, I think we should go there.

MERCURIO
I think, I mean, we all want to help the ravens, but that lady down there has like... A dozen blights is going to be hard to take on directly.

MERCURIO
Okay, so we got some like decently strong blights in the room next to us and at the other room. There's like a couple of those as well, but a billion poopy blights. What shall we do, team?

SILDIR
You know what I think?

MERCURIO
Crazy guy controlling all the blights?

SILDIR
Straight to the source, yep.

SATURNO
Yeah.

MERCURIO
I'm down for that straight, I think. We gotta address the root cause.

SILDIR
I mean, we don't want to cast Silence a bunch of times. Cast it once, get it done.

MERCURIO
The root cause, guys. Yeah, that's true. Hey, if we're gonna blow a big Silence, that would be the place to do it.

SILDIR
Ideally, just once would be nice, too.

MERCURIO
I think let's do that then.

Mercurio sets the spider on Irredel's shoulder.

MERCURIO
This is the spider. It wants uppies.

IRREDEL
Well, I mean, he's still really cute. Here, if you want to sit on my shoulder, sure. My little siblings used to bring strange critters into the inn all the time, so I have a soft spot for these things. Oh, come here. Yep, right here. Right on my neck. You can hide behind my earlobe. Got a lot of hair. It'll protect you there.

SATURNO
Do they know how to braid?

IRREDEL
I'd like to imagine the spider is a little bit like now dangling off of the ear, like it had a little bit of silk or something and it's like a funky earring.

MERCURIO
Hopefully I'll be able to help you be stealthier.

Led by Ember, the party crosses the bedrooms and kitchen in silence.

SILDIR
So Mercurio, you may want to lead the way. Tell us where to go, how to get there, since you've been.

SILDIR
Or you can have the spider tell us.

SATURNO
Oh, spirit direction.

MERCURIO
Yeah. All right.

MERCURIO
Come this way.

Mercurio guides the party through the kitchen and into the final hallway. He signals for caution as they near the door.

MERCURIO
(telepathically)
Behind this door is the guy. So everybody get into positions.

SILDIR
I could try to Misty Step in and grapple him to start it off. Maybe we can land a Hold Person. We can get the staff.

MERCURIO
I'm going to suggest we probably want to get the Silence off on this guy.

SILDIR
I think definitely Irredel, upon opening the door, you should Silence. Everyone else, I don't have any opinions on.

SATURNO
I can be right behind you, ready to swing.

MERCURIO
Yeah, I think Silence is like the best thing to lead with, and then grapple we can go for right after.

SATURNO
Do you think you could grapple him on your own? I don't know, like, is this guy lanky? Is this guy jacked? Because I could help you, like, hold him down. Like, that's more what I'm getting at.

MERCURIO
I think he is up in a tree. So it won't be easy to get to him. So the Misty Step is probably going to do some heavy lifting there.

SILDIR
But I think on paper, Saturno is still our breacher then, is my point. Bonus action, Misty Step into action, grapple, and then the movement person will still be Saturno, in my opinion.

SATURNO
So movement being like I'm rushing in.

SILDIR
Yeah. You'll be the breach.

MERCURIO
And remember, guys: quiet, quiet fighting.

IRREDEL
And as soon as the doors open, I can cast Silence. I can cast it from back here even. I just need the door open.

SATURNO
What should I do, like, once I'm up near the guy? Do I just swing?

MERCURIO
Just swing.

SILDIR
I think it will depend.

SATURNO
I could burst in. Is that okay with everyone?

MERCURIO
Yeah, let's do it.

SILDIR
Yeah.

CUT TO:

Scene 4 — INT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — LOADING-WINCH CHAMBER — UNKNOWN

(Session 24 @ 01:39:03)

Saturno bursts through the door and charges beneath the branches. Irredel casts Silence over the entire chamber. Sound vanishes.

Mercurio's Hold Person seizes Lorgoth, freezing the druid among the limbs of the bleeding tree. Sildir vanishes in a flicker of Misty Step, reappears beside him, and tears the black-branch staff from his rigid hand. Ember steps through the doorway and fires. Her bolt buries itself in Lorgoth's chest.

The party attacks in perfect silence. Saturno's halberd and Sildir's sword cut into the helpless druid. Irredel's Guiding Bolt burns across him. Lorgoth throws his head back in a soundless cackle, blood on his lips and a grin fixed across his face.

Mercurio sends a surge of inspiration through his companions. Ember fires again. The bolt strikes Lorgoth in the chest with a crack of splitting ribs.

Vines erupt from the wound. They spread over his body and swell outward until a massive, vaguely humanoid tangle replaces him, knocking Saturno and Sildir back. Hold Person releases its grip.

SATURNO
(telepathically)
Let's go.

Saturno hacks into the creature. Irredel's light scorches it, while Sildir marks it as his enemy and drives his blade through the vines. The mass elongates into a writhing tendril, winding around Sildir and sweeping toward Irredel. She evades it with a single deliberate step.

SILDIR
My own thought is that I think this druid might be, like, under possession of the witch and that's why it's laughing anyway. Like, the witch doesn't even care. It's like not even her body. Something along those lines. Baba Lysaga.

The Silence remains, leaving Mercurio's voice-based magic useless.

MERCURIO
(telepathically to Irredel)
You got this.

Ember's shortsword passes through a gap as the vines bend away from its edge.

SATURNO
I'm going to turn this thing into string cheese.

Saturno presses forward with her halberd. Irredel tolls the creature toward death with divine power.

Sildir recalls the damage caused by his own past mistakes and sees their echo in this stolen winery. He sends a swift prayer to Torm, asking for the strength to liberate the Martikov family and restore what is rightfully theirs. He charges, slashing and smiting the mass with radiant force.

The creature answers with two crushing blows. Its vines close around Sildir and drag him bodily into their shifting center.

MERCURIO
(telepathically to Saturno)
Can I borrow a sword real quick?

Saturno nods. Mercurio reaches toward her walking armory, then remembers the shortsword already at his own side. He draws and strikes, but his blade fails to penetrate the mass. He steps between the creature and Irredel.

IRREDEL
Mercurio, stop. You do not need to do that. I don't need another person getting hurt to protect me.

She tries to shoulder past him.

MERCURIO
No, no. You need to... You focus on the spell, and I can't do any spells, so...

Ember steadies her crossbow and aims at the creature's roots.

Her bolt pierces through both of its legs. The roots tear apart, the mass loses its balance, and the creature collapses into loose vines. Sildir tumbles from its center, battered and on all fours. Lorgoth's ruined body falls beside him, barely alive.

A voice enters Ember's mind.

LORGOTH
This victory means nothing. Winter Splinter comes.

Lorgoth falls limp.

EMBER
All right, bro.

IRREDEL
All right, I don't even care about that. For my sake and for everyone else's, Mercurio, for the love of Tyr, do not do reckless things like that. I can take a hit. And Sildir, please do not get absorbed by any more vine creatures, or any other creatures for that matter. Oh gosh, just get better.

Irredel casts Healing Word over Sildir.

SILDIR
I had it under control. I was talking with Torm in there. That feels great. Thank you. Look, I have a feeling if I had just a few more minutes, a big blast of light from the sky or from me, I would have taken it out. But great job, Ember. To you too as well.

EMBER
I just did the finishing touch. Y'all did all the work.

Ember shares Lorgoth's dying warning with the party.

MERCURIO
What the hell is a Winter Splinter?

SILDIR
Winter Splinter. Did you make that up, Ember? What do you mean?

EMBER
No. That's literally what he said.

SILDIR
Did you get hit in the head during this fight, or something?

SATURNO
I mean, respectfully, yes. Disrespectfully, yes.

EMBER
Yeah. I feel like all of us did.

SATURNO
A poet, maybe? I don't know.

IRREDEL
Well, no, not a poet, some pathetic weirdo. Someone grab the staff and let's see what we can do with it.

SILDIR
Something tells me you and Mercurio will know best. Sounds like you want Mercurio to look at it, though, so I'll pass it to him.

Mercurio takes the spongy black staff and casts Identify. He recognizes a Gulthias tree branch whose evil presence unsettles beasts. Its magic controls blights for miles; breaking or burning it will cause nearby blights to wither and die.

MERCURIO
What do you think? Should I just snap it in half right now or should we try to use the blights against the druids or something?

SILDIR
Can you control them?

Mercurio senses that wielding the staff is beyond him.

MERCURIO
I'll snap it over my leg.

IRREDEL
Put it on the ground.

Mercurio snaps the staff. An inhuman scream erupts from the broken wood, loud enough to carry hundreds of feet. Throughout the winery, vines twist, shrivel, and collapse into black dust. The bleeding tree decays into ash.

MERCURIO
Okay. Well, fuck. My inspection of the staff didn't tell me it was going to scream when I broke it. Where should we go, guys? We probably should move.

SATURNO
I think we run and see what's up with that bird.

SILDIR
Yeah, why don't we just go through this door? Oops. I didn't mean to open it.

MERCURIO
Let's help the nerds.

SILDIR
Why don't we just go through there and charge in? We should be well able to overpower now. I'm actually just going to... Maybe I won't just charge ahead to make Irredel happy, but I'll cautiously move in.

MERCURIO
Mercurio's going to charge ahead to make Irredel upset.

SILDIR
Okay, I'm going to charge ahead to help to make sure Mercurio doesn't die.

IRREDEL
My God.

SATURNO
And I will follow.

THE PARTY RUSHES DOWN TO THE FERMENTATION CHAMBER.

Scene 5 — INT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — FERMENTATION CHAMBER

(Session 24 @ 02:42:36)

Black ash lies where the blights stood. The female druid flees toward an exit, but the party cuts her off. She cowers, raises her wand, and struggles to look threatening.

FEMALE DRUID
Stay back, all of you.

SILDIR
I don't stay back.

He rushes forward and blocks her escape.

IRREDEL
We took out your leader.

MERCURIO
We have some questions for you.

EMBER
Challenge accepted.

FEMALE DRUID
And why would I answer your questions?

MERCURIO
Well, you don't have to, but you look like you care to live.

SILDIR
We took out your leader.

FEMALE DRUID
I knew that Lorgoth could not be trusted with that staff.

MERCURIO
So tell us, what are you doing here? What is your goal?

FEMALE DRUID
You fools, you don't know what you've done. These feathered ones, they act in service of the Shadowed Lord, and we are under orders from the Swamp Witch herself to save this winery from their ilk.

MERCURIO
I think you've been tricked by this swamp witch. The friends of the feather definitely do not serve the devil.

FEMALE DRUID
And what would you know of this? You don't know their allegiance.

MERCURIO
We know some of them quite well.

FEMALE DRUID
What do you intend to do here? Leave me be.

MERCURIO
They've helped us. They might have helped us oppose the devil himself a few times.

FEMALE DRUID
What do you want from me then? Let me go.

SILDIR
What's in it for you to come here and cleanse this place? You're just blindly listening to a swamp witch?

FEMALE DRUID
The feathered ones have occupied this space for centuries. This belonged to us. These forests, these lands are for the forest folk.

SILDIR
If you haven't had a problem with it for centuries, then why ask now when the swamp witch tells you to do it? What I really want from you is to correct the record with your people, at the very least. I mean, that's probably the way you live. Because the Martikovs have nothing to do with the devil.

IRREDEL
And not to mention, there's no way, even under the most arcane rules, that you all would have title to this land. I mean, even under, like, relatively primitive ideas like adverse possession, you all would have lost this after twenty years. So you have no basis in reclaiming this.

The druid falters, then repeats that the feathered ones serve the Shadowed Lord. The words come too quickly and too eagerly.

IRREDEL
Yeah, all right. Is she possessed? Because...

Sildir studies her while Irredel searches for magical influence. They find no possession or outside spell.

IRREDEL
All right, so it's regular old brainwashing, then. Not anything magical.

SILDIR
Well, I told you my terms. I think we need to take this one with us, guys.

FEMALE DRUID
I will go nowhere with you.

IRREDEL
So why don't you go ahead and tell us how long has the swamp witch then put you in the minds of your people?

FEMALE DRUID
What business is it of you?

IRREDEL
The business of people who, again, just took out your leader and are very quickly running out of patience.

The druid turns up her nose and scoffs.

FEMALE DRUID
I'll tell you nothing.

SILDIR
That's very rude and quite frankly.

SILDIR
Tired of your attitude.

Sildir charges his sword with divine light and raises it before her.

SILDIR
You better start talking now if you actually want to live.

The druid cowers.

FEMALE DRUID
All right, all right, just don't hurt me. I'll tell you what you want to know.

SILDIR
Start talking. We can talk like this.

IRREDEL
Yes.

FEMALE DRUID
These lands belong to us, the forest folk. The witch of the swamps told us that she could return it to us if we help her. She serves the Shadowed One.

SILDIR
Baba Lysaga is the witch you speak of.

FEMALE DRUID
Yes. If you know that name, then you know your struggle is useless. We came here with her allegiance. With her creatures, the Strix, to assault this winery. We came and we took the seed of the pine wrought in crystal stone, the source of the Feathered Ones' power.

SILDIR
Where is it?

IRREDEL
Where is it?

The druid hesitates. Sildir brings the glowing blade closer.

SILDIR
Yeah, it's like my patience is thinning.

FEMALE DRUID
All right, all right. It's with her. With the witch. She has it now. If you want it, you'll have to get it from there.

SILDIR
Where is there?

FEMALE DRUID
If you ask this, then you truly don't know what you're dealing with. The witch lies in her swamps that she controls.

SILDIR
What are the name of these swamps?

The party recognizes those swamps as the drowned remains of Berez.

SILDIR
And what do you plan to do now?

FEMALE DRUID
If you let me go, I'll return to my people.

MERCURIO
And what will your people do next?

FEMALE DRUID
No, they'll kill me. I can't. I can't say.

SILDIR
Who are you talking to? Who's they? Are you saying we'll kill you if you say what you're going to do? You might be right.

FEMALE DRUID
It matters not if you kill me. If I spill these secrets, I'm dead all the same.

SILDIR
Anyone have any rope?

EMBER
I do.

SATURNO
Did we ask what she was doing with the bird? Or like, what was going on with these birds?

MERCURIO
Why were you torturing those birds? Good question.

SATURNO
Yeah, what were you doing with those birds?

FEMALE DRUID
What does it matter? What do you want to know about them?

SATURNO
I want to know what you're doing to the birds. Do I have to repeat myself?

SILDIR
It matters to us.

IRREDEL
Obviously, it matters to us.

Sildir presses his sword to her neck.

SILDIR
No more questions from you. We do the asking.

FEMALE DRUID
They're fools, these feathered ones. They mean to oppose the ruler of these lands. It is useless. We are merely taking back what is ours.

SATURNO
What's yours?

FEMALE DRUID
The forests, these lands.

SATURNO
So you kill the people who live in the forest, you kill the animals that live in the forest? That's the most backwards shit I've ever heard.

FEMALE DRUID
That is the law of the wilds. That is how it's always been.

SATURNO
The law of the wild is torture and crows.

FEMALE DRUID
We—

SILDIR
There really are two shamans.

FEMALE DRUID
The strong take what is theirs. As you yourself are proving now.

SATURNO
No. You see, I wouldn't kill you or a crow or a raven for funsies. But you, on the other hand, are torturing small, innocent animals because you're stronger than them. I don't want to do this. But you make it easy to do.

FEMALE DRUID
Do your worst.

SATURNO
Anyone want to say something before I do my worst?

EMBER
No.

SILDIR
Maybe if we were at home, I'd let you leave. But these lands have changed me. Force for good for your people. Do something that matters.

IRREDEL
Or maybe if you'd be willing to work with us. We have worked for good for your people. Do something that matters.

SATURNO
Yeah, volunteer or something, man.

SILDIR
I'm afraid I think I can't let you leave.

SATURNO
That's okay. I will do my worst.

SILDIR
I feel that if I let you go, you only cause more damage to those who can't protect themselves, and you must be stopped here.

Sildir steps aside. Saturno kicks the druid down from behind.

SATURNO
My halberd isn't worth this.

A dark voice enters Sildir's mind.

DARK VOICE
Take your vengeance. This right is yours.

MERCURIO
Sildir, are you okay?

SILDIR
I'm going to take my vengeance. This right is mine.

Sildir swings his sword down. The wound is fatal. The druid coughs blood and laughs.

FEMALE DRUID
You may defeat us, but Winter Splinter is coming.

She dies.

Scene 6 — INT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — FERMENTATION CHAMBER

(Session 24 @ 02:59:39)

Only Sildir notices a glint at the druid's neck. He takes an intricately carved amber ring from its cord. A strange glyph marks its face. Beneath its surface, visible only to him, red energy flows and pulses in answer to the vengeance he has taken. He pockets the ring.

The druid's blood spreads around Sildir's boots. He pants, shoulders heaving. For a moment, his companions hardly recognize the man standing before them.

SATURNO
Are you okay, Sildir?

SILDIR
I feel fine. I feel good, actually.

SATURNO
Yeah?

SILDIR
I'm sorry that I had to do that, but...

SATURNO
It's okay.

SILDIR
This is the path I've chosen to walk. My oaths are stronger than allowing her to leave alive.

MERCURIO
What is it that you have to do?

SILDIR
And I know she would have caused more damage had she gone.

Irredel considers Sildir's oath and recognizes that he believes what he says. The execution aligns with commitments he has defined for himself, but something inside him remains torn. His faith in Torm's assistance is weakening, and he is beginning to look toward other paths.

Irredel walks over and places a hand on Sildir's shoulder. She nods once.

SILDIR
Look where life's taken us, Irredel.

IRREDEL
A very odd, bloody, smelly place.

SILDIR
A bloody, smelly place.

IRREDEL
Seriously,

IRREDEL
This is like a fermentation room or something.

SILDIR
It's quite the stench. It's the blood. Ugh. Mercurio, look away. You'll never want to drink wine again. Or at the very least, you'll always have to switch to whites.

MERCURIO
That would be a tragedy.

IRREDEL
There's just not the same depth of flavor.

MERCURIO
That would be the greatest tragedy to come.

MERCURIO
This one is like with a dessert, sure, but, you know, as a regular drink...

IRREDEL
Do they even have dessert in this world? I haven't seen a single sweet anywhere.

MERCURIO
Well, there were those pies,

IRREDEL
They were full of children. Which, I guess they were meat pies anyways, so it'd be pretty weird for them to be sweet.

MERCURIO
But yeah. Good thing we didn't eat those.

MERCURIO
They were meat pies, yeah. Surely they have sweet pies. Surely.

IRREDEL
Well, have you seen any fruit trees?

MERCURIO
Well, there's a vineyard here, so... There's that.

Mercurio looks toward the enormous wine vats and their spigots, suddenly aware of his thirst.

MERCURIO
Well, this could use a refill.

He uncorks his bottle of Red Dragon Crush and refills it.

SILDIR
You should examine that carefully before you drink. This place has been in druid control for too long, and they're really weird people. But... I'm sure you know your wine well enough, Mercurio.

Mercurio sniffs it.

MERCURIO
I'm one hundred percent sure that this is Red Dragon Crush. I mean, I was honestly hoping it was—what was the other one that they had that we had the last time?

SATURNO
Oh, the really good one?

MERCURIO
Champagne du le Stomp. Yeah, I was hoping to find some of the champagne, but this will have to do.

He puts his mouth beneath the spigot and drinks deeply. Wine runs across his face and through his hair.

MERCURIO
Yeah, I've been too sober for these last few days. I'm going to take a real good sip. I'm going to let it run for a while, and I'm probably going to splash some on my face.

MERCURIO
I'm going to run it back through my hair, too.

SILDIR
A little perfume for you there, Mercurio.

MERCURIO
I feel right as rain.

MERCURIO
Trust me,

SILDIR
Well,

MERCURIO
It was doing more damage for me to not drink this.

SILDIR
Well, Davian Martikov did say if we liberated this place, we'd have the full support of the Friends of the Feather. I think that includes as much wine as you want.

Ravens squawk from the cages behind them.

SILDIR
Let's free these little guys.

MERCURIO
Let's free these guys, yeah.

IRREDEL
It's time.

SILDIR
I'll step aside and let someone else get on in there. Go save the birds, somebody. Do it.

Saturno approaches the first cage, opens it gently, and offers her hand, making no move to defend herself should the frightened birds peck.

Most burst free at once, escaping through doors and windows. A few remain. One approaches Saturno and nuzzles its beak against her hand. Their eyes meet, and the raven conveys unmistakable gratitude before following the flock.

IRREDEL
I wish they would have stayed in here.

SILDIR
Those birds are always eerily smart. I swear that one knew that it should be grateful to you.

SATURNO
Yeah. I can't imagine hurting these little guys. I think so too.

IRREDEL
I think they're people.

SILDIR
Well, there's werewolves. I dont see why there couldn't be. It's possible.

EMBER
It does seem plausible.

IRREDEL
Were-ravens. And if they're able to control the transformation, maybe that's something I can learn from.

MERCURIO
Well, but don't they, you know, the werewolves are like big and like, they're not quite just regular wolves.

IRREDEL
And if it's not a full-on transformation, maybe some type of familiar relationship. But there's something up with these ravens. Normal ravens they are not.

MERCURIO
Maybe we can go ask. We've got to be like premium Friends of the Feather now. We're best friends of the feather. Wow.

SILDIR
Yeah, I think everyone else is the Friends of the Feather now. We've become the feather at this point.

SILDIR
Well,

IRREDEL
Oh, I agree. Let's roll. There's, uh,

SILDIR
Are all the ravens free?

The last cages stand open.

IRREDEL
Yeah, let's go back to Davian and, uh,

SILDIR
Awesome. Yeah, let's get back to Davian and that stupid brat kid and show him that we were able to handle this just fine.

IRREDEL
Well, I mean, I guess we probably should clear out the rest of this house. Make sure there's no more druids.

SILDIR
It would be a failure to send them back here and have them get hurt.

THE PARTY SEARCHES THE REMAINING ROOMS.

Scene 7 — INT./EXT. WIZARD OF THE WINES — LOWER ROOMS AND EXTERIOR

(Session 24 @ 03:16:23)

Saturno finds a locked door. She grips its handle and rattles it until the mechanism falls apart and the door swings open.

SATURNO
Wow. It opened.

SATURNO
It opened.

Mercurio stands nearby with his Red Dragon Crush bottle inverted above his mouth, blankly watching her while wine pours down.

MERCURIO
We should call ourselves something like the Piña Colada Freedom Fighters.

SATURNO
Wow. I like that.

SILDIR
I like that one.

MERCURIO
And nobody in Barovia knows what a Piña Colada is, so that'll make it even funnier. Anyways, let me know when you get that door open. I'm going to go back to refilling the bottle.

SATURNO
But the door is open.

Beyond it lies a flagstone veranda with three grape-stained wooden tubs and catch basins.

MERCURIO
This is where the magic happens.

SATURNO
Something like that.

SILDIR
Surprised you're still standing.

MERCURIO
I got a good constitution. I've been sober for days. So my, you know, like my blood alcohol level is very low.

SILDIR
For most people that would mean you'd get more drunk the next time that you drink, but for you, you actually decreased in BAC first. That's incredible.

MERCURIO
For me, it's since I'm used to a certain level, you know, being at zero is like practically being at negative, you know.

SILDIR
Wow. You know, if you're interested, I may want to fund some research with you as one of the example subjects, and when we get back home I'll ask you again.

The veranda holds nothing hostile. Sildir checks another room, finding rows of new barrels and a spiral staircase. He calls Mercurio over and tells him the barrels could let him carry his wine more efficiently in the future.

He opens the next door. Beyond is a cooper's workshop lined with tools, iron strips, wood, and two worktables.

SILDIR
I'll make a mental note to come back here and make a better affixment for my shield to my arm. But for now we're good.

Sildir checks the final door and sees that it leads outside. He returns to the others.

SILDIR
It seems like the coast is clear from my side.

MERCURIO
Well, let's maybe go report back to our friends then.

The party steps out of the winery and scans the storm-dark sky and surrounding tree line. The Greater Strix that patrolled above earlier are gone.

IRREDEL
Do we need to worry about the Strix, though? I thought we were going to go back in through the tunnels for that reason.

SILDIR
Wait, do we need to worry about the Strix as well? I thought we were going to go back in through the tunnels.

SILDIR
Maybe we should at least examine now while we remember that, because I would have definitely forgotten. We can just look outside and see if that's still a problem. Or try to intuit that.

Nothing circles overhead. The party stands before the reclaimed winery, free to return to Davian and the waiting Martikov family.