The Lich Lords Lair.

Strawberri has the highest initiative, she casts the spell ‘Greater Illusion” *

Darkness writhes at the edges of the corridor, tendrils twisting like grasping fingers, stretching hungrily toward the flickering lantern light. The shadows surge—but then halt, recoiling as if struck by an unseen force.

Strawberri raises her hands, her voice weaving ancient words into the air—syllables none of the others recognise, yet their very sound feels like bending reality itself. The tendrils hesitate. Then, impossibly, they retreat, shrinking back into the walls, coiling away as if afraid.

Rhian stares, wide-eyed. “How?” she breathes, gripping her sword as if expecting the tendrils to lash out again.

“Illusion,” Strawberri replies, her voice steady but strained. “I’ve fooled them into believing the darkness is undisturbed. But I can’t hold it forever—run! I’ll follow when you’re safe.”

Rhian hesitates, torn between concern and the urgency pounding in her chest. But before she can protest, Hew grabs her arm, pulling her into motion.

The group bolts forward, boots pounding against the cold stone. Behind them, Strawberri stands alone, her hands trembling slightly as she maintains the illusion. Every heartbeat stretches her concentration thin.

The four companions have not gone more than 30 feet when they come across a rotting wooden bridge, Rhian in the lead with her hand firmly gripping her lantern and sword, shouts “jump over it”.

Rhian and Hew in the lead both have athletics skill and try a running leap over the rotting bridge. The must make a Dex check, +2 for athletics skill but -1 for having weapons in their hands. Rhian needs 12 or less, rolls 10 on d20, Hew needs 10 or less, rolls a good 3. Both make the jump.
Culdus is next, he cannot risk jumping so runs over the bridge. He must make a dex roll to see if the bridge holds. He needs to roll 8 or less, a roll of 12 means the bridge does not take his weight.

As Rhian’s voice rings out, urgency grips the party. The rotting wooden bridge creaks ominously under their mere presence, its decayed planks looking fragile enough to crumble at the slightest impact.

Hew doesn’t hesitate—he lowers his stance, pushes off the ground, and leaps with a determined burst of energy. His boots hit the far side with a dull thud, barely making the landing.

Culdus, hesitates, caught between risk an reason, he starts to jump then changes his mind, landing heavily on the old bridge. The rotting planks groan under his weight. Then a sickening crack echoes through the corridor. The wood beneath him splinters, giving way in an instant. Suddenly, he’s falling.

Karina is the only one who can help Culdus, she must make a Dex check to see if she can grab him as he falls, I allow her +2 for her athletics skill. Needing 12 or less she rolls 10 on d20, success.

I have her make a Strength check to see if she can haul Culdus to safety. She needs 10 or less on d20, she rolls a 4, success.

The rushing underground stream waits below, its waters dark and unforgiving. For a split second, time seems to slow.

Rhian and Hew turn, eyes wide, hands reaching out—but they’re too far to catch him.

As the bridge collapses, Culdus feels himself falling, the splintering wood disappearing beneath his feet. His arms flail, grasping for anything—and then Karina is there.

Her reflexes are razor-sharp; she lunges forward, fingers wrapping around his wrist just as he drops past the edge. The force jolts through her body, yanking her forward. With a final surge of effort, she hauls Culdus up, dragging him safely onto solid ground. Both are safe and unhurt but on the wrong side of the broken bridge along with Strawberri.

Karina can help Culdus jump the broken bridge, she lends her athletics skill to him, adding +2 to his Dex, this time he rolls 8 and makes the jump.
Karina follows, she cannot use her Athletics skill. She rolls a 4 on d20, well below her Dex of 11.

Karina takes the staff and backpack from Culdus, steadying him with a firm grip and guiding his stance. Her voice is calm, reassuring, weaving encouragement through practiced bardic skill.

Culdus draws a deep breath, legs coiling with tension as he leaps—arms flailing in the air, the gap stretching beneath him. He lands roughly, stumbling forward, but he is safe.

Karina tosses the staff across to him, watching as he catches it with relieved hands. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, she takes a running start, her movements fluid, and soars effortlessly over the gap, clearing it with ease.

Karina whirls around, eyes locked on Strawberri. “Strawb, we’re safe! Now move!” Her voice is urgent, a plea wrapped in command.

Strawberri doesn’t hesitate. “Extinguish the light!” she calls back, sharp and unwavering.

Rhian freezes for a heartbeat, fingers tightening around the lantern. Then, with a swift, practiced motion, she snuffs the flame, plunging the corridor into thick, suffocating shadow.

The darkness is instant, absolute. The tendrils coil, confused—hesitating just for a breath.

Strawberri drops the illusion. Her Fae senses ignite, sharpening the shapes in the gloom. Boots strike stone in rapid succession as she hurls herself forward, the broken bridge looming ahead—her one chance at escape.

Strawberri has a Dex of 19, I give her a -2 penalty for being in the dark, her dark vision helps, needsing 17 or less to leap the broken bridge, she rolls 3, success.

With her incredible agility, Strawberri sails over the broken bridge like a shadow moving through the dark, her landing effortless, precise. The tendrils twitch in confusion at the far end of the corridor, sensing the illusion’s absence—but by the time they react, she’s already beyond their reach.

Now all five companions stand together, breathing hard, the bridge behind them little more than decayed remnants over the underground stream.

Ahead of them there are three steps leading to a door, Strawberri and Hew make their way up them. Hew tries the door.

Question. Is the door locked? No, Misfortune.

Hew tries the door, he puts his should to it and it opens easily, Strawberri takes a look inside, In the darkness she makes out a figure coming towards them, it looks human, almost, and seems to muttering “no…no…no…”

“There is something in there.”

“What.” asks Hew

Strawberri shakes her head, “I couldn’t tell, not in the gloom of that room, it seemed to be muttering to itself.”

I use the ‘Deck of Signs’ from Tales of Argosa RPG to find out what the strange figure is, and get ‘madman’

Hew grips the door, pulling it ajar just enough to glimps the room beyond. The companions ready themselves to enter, weapons drawn, nerves tightening—every heartbeat counting down to the moment they ignite the lantern.
Rhian steadies her hand, poised over the lanterns cover, waiting for the signal. Hew pulls the door wide open, A burst of firelight floods the darkness and the companions storm in ready for whatever lurks beyond.

The library loomed before them, its towering shelves casting jagged shadows in the flickering light. Dust hung thick in the air, curling in slow, weightless spirals as the companions stepped cautiously inside. The scent of rotting parchment and aged leather filled their lungs—an oppressive reminder that this place had been abandoned for far too long.

Then, movement.

A hunched figure lurched forward from between the bookshelves, his wild eyes reflecting the dim glow of Rhian’s lantern. His robes, once fine, were now tattered—threadbare cloth swaying with his uneven movements. His lips quivered, muttering words that refused to form into coherence.

“Beyond the books… beyond the words… sealed…”

The voice was cracked, broken by time and torment. The madman clutched his hands to his chest, trembling with some unseen terror, yet his stance was firm—he lingered at the far end of the room, hovering near an unremarkable section of wall. An obsession. A compulsion. He never strayed far.

Hew stepped forward first, his voice sharp with impatience. “What’s hidden here? Speak!”

The madman flinched but did not retreat. His gaze darted between the shelves, then back to Hew, his fingers twitching at his sides. “Not for the living… not for me…” The words barely escaped his lips, half-snarled, half-whispered. “But you… must end him.”

Karina took a slow breath, her tone shifting—calmer, more rhythmic, as if lulling him with a melody only she could weave. “Tell us where it is. Help us.”

For the briefest of moments, clarity flickered in his tormented gaze. His breathing steadied. He turned his head ever so slightly—toward the wall behind him, toward the door that should not exist.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the moment shattered. His voice erupted into garbled murmurs, hands raising defensively, eyes darting toward the exit. A prisoner of this place, bound by forces unseen, his purpose uncertain. But one thing was clear—he knew the secret that lay beyond the hidden door, and his presence alone gave its existence away.

“A hidden door, there must be a hidden door here somewhere”, Strawberri pushes books onto the floor and starts searching.

Actively looking for the door, Strawberri must make an Int check, she needs 12 or less on d20 (yes, she has the highest Int. of the five), she rolls 20. She uses one of her 3 fortune points for a reroll, 16, still fails.

Strawberri runs her hands along the cold stone, fingers tracing every crack and imperfection with growing frustration. Her breath comes in uneven bursts, the strain of the long day pressing down on her shoulders. “Nothing,” she mutters, shaking her head. “There is nothing here. No door.”

She exhales sharply, stepping back from the wall, her exhaustion settling into her limbs like lead. The weight of their escape, the dangers they’ve faced, the limits of her own magic—it’s all catching up to her.

Culdus watches her slump, eyes narrowing as determination hardens his features. “There must be something here,” he insists, stepping forward, hands already moving to continue the search. His voice carries a quiet resolve, cutting through the doubt that lingers in the air.

The madman’s presence still looms near the far wall, his wild eyes flickering toward them—an instinctive, nervous glance. He knows. He knows what they are looking for.

Culdus has an Int of 11, he rolls 9 on d20, success.

Culdus moves his hands across the stone with slow, deliberate intent. The madman’s presence lingers behind him, whispering half-truths, his gaze flickering toward the far wall with nervous obsession. The air in the library feels heavier now, thick with dust and forgotten sorcery, as if the very walls watch the intruders.

His fingers pause—a fraction of a second, a fleeting hesitation. Something feels off beneath his touch. The texture of the stone shifts ever so slightly—a hairline crack, an imperceptible seam, hidden in the maze of ancient masonry.

A breath catches in his throat. He presses his palm firmly against the anomaly.

The wall moves.

A faint click echoes through the silence—a sound not meant to be heard, swallowed by centuries of secrecy. The stone shifts by mere inches, revealing the outline of a concealed doorway, almost invisible beneath layers of dust and decay.

The madman lets out a strangled gasp. His eyes widen, his muttering turning to a frenzied hiss. “No… no, no! You must not!” His terror is palpable, his body trembling, as though the very act of revealing the passage has fractured something deeper within him.

Culdus steps back, pulse hammering in his ears. “Found it,” he exhales, voice barely above a whisper.

The door waits. Beyond it lies the vial. Beyond it lies fate itself.

To be continued.

* Strawberri uses the Greater Illusion spell to create the illusion of darkness to keep the dark tendrils from attacking the party. I am not sure if that is in the true spirit of the spell but it does not say in rules it cannot be used that way, so I allowed it. GM’s call as they say.