Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle - Day 25

In a leaf-fallen forest, under a full moon, a dark shadow lies over a single cottage. Looking up, you can just make out the outline of a ghost-like castle, somehow floating in the autumn skies.

Beneath it, candle-like wisps flit about, summoning all souls who can hear their call, to the "doorway" through which all may pass to the floating keep.

This is the place to which children from the nearby village have been kidnapped, reports claim. But seeing Furiaes Castle in person is more unsettling than you'd hoped.

Day 25 - Gothic Cathedral

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Room Description (Read the Following Text to Your Players)

Before you is presented a gothic masterpiece – a chapel dedicated to dark spirits and doom-ridden gods.

Dark green, stained glass casts gloomy light upon statues of 4-crimson horsemen of the apocalypse. Their look down upon you from their frightful mounts, all with faces filled with agony and fear. Ghosts flit in and out of sight, calling out to the chapel in religious fervor.

Among the many dark implements, books, and black-burning candles, you see a single jack-o’-lantern. Its bright flame burns joyously, and calls out to you in a subtle manner.

Before you can think too much about it, however, a large figure wrapped in a blackened robe moves towards you, as if floating.

“I hear that you require the ‘Noble Keys,'” the creature says, though you can see no face under its dark hood. It pulls out an ornate, crimson colored chain, and dangles it before you. "I require blood... what say you to a trade, weary heroes?"

Room Treasures

Birane: this vampire is the head cultist of the chapel, and is willing to trade the "The Coven's Blood Key," for a drink of blood. He cares not for the children or the wishes of the Furiaes, and knows the heroes must be powerful, to have made it this far into the castle. He's willing to defend himself, but prefers diplomacy. If players accept, he'll drink blood from each of them (dealing 1damage to all characters) and then willingly hand over the key. Creating this trade with Birane will also give him a favorable disposition to the party, and he essentially becomes an ally that may be called upon later in the adventure, as well (such as by using the "castle's servants" from dungeon room 20).
Dullahan's Head: if players inspect the jack-o'-lantern, a successful Intelligence roll (Fate Roll Difficulty matches Avg. Party Level, -2) reveals that this may, in fact, be the missing head for the suit of armor in dungeon room 18. If players take this lantern of a head to "Dullahan," the armor will place it upon his head and introduce himself as the first ever victim of the Furiaes. His curse, for breaking an oath, was to forever serve the Ladies. However, he detests that they've kidnapped children (a new low for them, he claims), and is willing to help the party by telling them how to acquire each key.

The Fairy Skeleton's Key is usually kept by servants of Megaera, who eats in the dining room (dungeon room 4) as a way to bypass the guardian gargoyles. He suspects that key is located either there, or in the kitchen (dungeon room 13).

The Key of Undeath is held by Lady Omega. She enjoys the ballroom (in dungeon room 6). The Lady will be delighted to hear that the porcelain doll has been permanently shattered - who the Lady feared - and Dullahan suggests that the party request the key from her, as a reward. He's certain she'll agree. If she fled the party, through the fireplace in dungeon room 7, Dullahan suggests that she can be found in dungeon room 28, probably waiting on the Furiaes, Tisiphone.

The Sorcerer's Key is held by Lady Alpha. She enjoys brewing in her cauldron (in dungeon room 13). Dullahan says that she is a coward, and suggests that if the party can capture her, she's likely to give up the key in return for her freedom. If she escaped the party, through the fireplace in dungeon room 14, Dullahan says that she can most likely be found in dungeon room 28, probably waiting on the Furiaes, Tisiphone.

The Key of Lanterns is held by Dullahan, who (if he hasn't already) now gladly hands over the key in return for his head.

The Coven's Blood Key has probably already been acquired by the party, but if not, Dullahan tells them that Birane holds the key (in dungeon room 25) - in the gothic cathedral. He says that Birane is usually willing to make trades for a drink of blood, as he too has no great love for the Ladies Furiaes.

Enemy Stats

Birane: "Hero" enemy Difficulty (match Avg. Party Level). Option to use the "Vampire Mage AI." See the Dungeon A Day - Enemy Stats and AI page for more details.

Dungeon A Day

Visit the Dungeon A Day - Furiaes Castle Overview Page for all Dungeon Rooms in this series.

Visit the Dungeon A Day main Page to see all of the Eternity TTRPG dungeons!

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Critical Role Season 4 - Episode 3 Recap - The Snipping of Shears

By Jacob Tegtman • November 22, 2025

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRQRNqRGVMs Transcription Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. With the last recap of Critical Role’s fourth campaign, in episode 2, the Falconer’s Rebellion echoed through Dol-Makjar, and an angel’s bloodline rewrote what faith looks like in the series. This third episode — The Snipping of Shears — pulls those threads tight: divine secrets, infernal bargains, and a murder that changes everything. As a quick note before jumping in, if you haven’t seen my prior recaps of this Critical Role campaign, you should know that A LOT happens in these 4.5hr-ish episodes. Cutting all of that down to about 10minutes means that there will be a lot of summarization. If there’s anything you don’t quite follow, check out my previous recaps for more context. This episode opens with Teor Pridesire, the soldier trying to live quietly under the banner of the Candescent Creed. Sir Filoneus Halovar hires him as Wick Halovar’s new bodyguard and sends him to the Mercanaud Couturier — a tailor’s shop with more whispers than fabric. In the bustling Ogrimok Market, where magic is forbidden, Teor runs into Sir Julien Davinos, who’s searching for Occtis Tachonis. Julien recognizes the Couturier’s name — they make problems disappear for the Halovars. Teor, unaware, walks straight toward them. Back in Villa Aurora, Wick faces a truth that upends everything he believes. Photarch Yanessa Halovar reveals that the chained celestial beneath their temple — Aetheon — is his grandfather. After the gods fell, she took Aetheon’s blood and wished for a child touched by the sun. That child became Godard, Wick’s father — and the foundation of the Candescent Creed. The Halovars turned divine theft into religion. Yanessa built her empire of light to survive a world without gods — and tells Wick the rules of faith are for others. His duty is legacy: marry well, expand Filament, and remember that true power runs in the family’s blood. For Wick, his prior belief has just curdled into this sickening feeling of betrayal. Reeling from the truth, Wick turns to the only person who’s ever been somewhat(?) fully honest with him — his demon companion, Tyranny. She was crafted by the Prince of Demonkind, to serve the Creed’s image, and bargain for souls. But Tyranny hates her purpose. She’s bound to Wick alone, and begs him not to send her back to the Pit. They realize they’re both trapped by family expectations — a believer and a demon chained by faith and fear. Wick promises she’ll stay free, and together they plan to rescue Teor before the Halovars decide that he’s expendable. In another corner of Dol-Makjar, the hunt for Occtis grows dangerous. At the Penteveral, Murray Mag’nesson stands up to Primus Tachonis himself — and is promptly cursed for it. Meanwhile, Occtis, Thimble, and Kattigan are ambushed by the Crow Keepers in the Guard Tower. Vaelus bursts in mid-fight, saving Thimble from a grisly end. The gang learns that Casimir — Thimble’s former ally — had been stealing from the Crow Keepers, paid his debt in blood, and left behind a deed to a fortress, now stolen by Cyd. It’s one more piece in a spreading puzzle of betrayal. While others fight and scheme, Thaisha and Hal Fang build something new — the Hallowed Round, a theatre rising from Dol-Makjar’s old scars. Once a temple of oppression, it’s now reclaimed for art and community. An orc musician reminds Thaisha that rebellion isn’t just war — it’s creation. At the Couturier, Teor meets the Mercanaud brothers — charming, unsettling, and reeking of infernal power. Before he can act, he’s trapped in a circle carved into the floor — a nine-pointed star that reeks of sulfur. Calastro Mercanaud begins cutting Teor’s shadow apart, piece by piece, with silver shears. Then, salvation: Wick and Tyranny arrive under false orders, bluff their way in, and free Teor. The three escape, but Tyranny’s terror says everything — they’ve just angered something far darker than House Halovar. At Hal’s home, the pieces finally align. Hal attunes to Thjazi’s sword — the Liar’s Blade — and sends Thimble north to avenge their brother. Wick, Tyranny, Teor, Thimble, and Kattigan form a small band: the Soldier’s Table. Azune watches them ride out, whispering the names of the fallen. It feels like history beginning again. At the Palazzo Davinos, the story turns from politics to nightmare. Julien watches in frozen horror as an invisible assassin reaches into his father’s skull and pulls it free. Upstairs, Occtis and Aranessa are trapped by silence as his brother Ethrand arrives — holding the Stone of Nightsong. He orders the ghouls to open Occtis’s chest and put the stone ‘where it belongs.’ And then? Fade to black. Alright — here’s why The Snipping of Shears hits so hard, and what you can learn from it for your own table.” 1. Secrets mean more when they’re personal. When Wick learns that his faith is built on a lie — that his family’s light was stolen from a fallen celestial — it’s devastating not just because it’s awesome lore, but because it’s his grandmother telling him the truth. That’s the lesson: don’t dump exposition from an old scroll. Deliver it through someone the character trusts. When revelations come from family, mentors, or companions, the heartbreak feels real, and the fallout drives roleplay for sessions to come. 2. Make corruption generational. The Halovars inherited sin. Yanessa’s wish twisted faith into an empire, Godard’s blood carries celestial power as a burden, and Wick now bears that legacy whether he wants it – or in this case, definitely not. And that’s the power of it. Tyranny’s existence also mirrors that cycle — a demon born into a contract she never chose. If you want emotional weight, make power in your world come with ancestry, or family, attached. Maybe a magic sword remembers every life it’s taken, or a player’s bloodline is blessed by something they don’t believe in. Legacy as corruption creates tension between destiny and free will — one of the best engines for storytelling in D&D. 3. Mix horror with heart. The Couturier scene in this episode works because of what’s being taken. Teor’s shadow — his literal sense of self — is being cut apart. It’s a nightmare. And it is the kind of horror that lingers. When using horror at your table, think beyond monsters. Ask, ‘What does this threaten about who the character is, at their core?’ A curse that erases memories, a haunting that whispers a player’s thoughts back to them — those are the scares that deepen character growth. And that’s it for Episode 3. Celestial secrets, infernal contracts, and one unforgettable assassination. What do you think — is Wick destined for redemption or ruin? Drop your theories below, and join me next time as we follow the Soldier’s Table north. Until then — let your dice fly, and may your stories be legendary.

Table display of D&D gifts and game inspiration; dice holders, artwork, and character cards.

2025 D&D Gifts and Game Inspiration for the Holidays

By Jacob Tegtman • November 22, 2025

Know someone who’s a D&D fan? Not sure what to get them for Christmas? Or are you a D&D player and want to treat yourself?

Woman in armor, mohawk, tattoos, and spiky gauntlets.

Is Dark Sun Coming Back in D&D 5.5e?

By Jacob Tegtman • November 18, 2025

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BYfKn3_nXc Transcription What if I told you that Dark Sun , the brutal, sun-scorched D&D campaign setting, might be making a serious comeback … not with a full book yet, but through new Unearthed Arcana subclasses? That’s exactly what’s happening — and today, we’re breaking down those four apocalyptic subclasses and what they might mean for the future of Athas. First, some context. Dark Sun is one of D&D’s grimmest, most apocalyptic settings — magic is destructive, the world is a harsh desert wasteland, and mighty Sorcerer-Kings rule with an iron fist. That desolation comes from the fact that in Dark Sun, magic doesn’t just draw power — it devours life . That’s why many mages, called defilers, siphon life from the land or even from living beings to fuel their spells. Historically, Dark Sun has also leaned heavily into psionics , making it very distinct among D&D worlds. Now, Wizards of the Coast has dropped a new Unearthed Arcana (UA) called “Apocalyptic Subclasses” , and all four subclasses in it feel very Dark Sun-inspired. Fans are interpreting that as a possible signal that a full on 5.5E Dark Sun sourcebook could be coming. To understand these Apocalyptic Subclasses, picture yourself stepping onto the cracked earth of a dying world. The sun hangs low and cruel, magic scorches the life around you, and survival is never guaranteed. That’s the energy these four subclasses channel. So let’s break them down — not just what they do, but how each one captures a different piece of Dark Sun’s brutal legacy. 1.Circle of Preservation Druid These druids focus on restoring life. In an apocalyptic wasteland, they represent the fragile hope — trying to heal and revitalize what’s left. Their mechanics emphasize “purifying” conditions or restoring vitality, meaning that they actively reverse the environmental damage caused by defiling magic — turning dead ground fertile again, cleansing blighted areas, and preserving what little life remains. Roleplay-wise: these could be preservers in the classic Dark Sun sense, using magic to bring back life instead of destroying it. 2. Gladiator Fighter A charismatic, show-man-warrior. Gladiators are huge in Dark Sun lore — arenas, duels, brutal spectacles. Mechanically, this subclass leans into “performance + combat.” According to community feedback, it uses weapon mastery and charisma in interesting ways, intimidating foes, rousing allies, and performing daring maneuvers that blend martial prowess with theatrical flair. In a Dark Sun campaign, gladiators could be slaves, champions of sorcerer-kings, or rebels. 3. Defiled Sorcery (Sorcerer) Now this is very Dark Sun. These sorcerers draw life energy — either from the environment or even from other creatures (hit dice) — to fuel their magic. The risk/reward is huge: you get powerful magic, but at a terrible cost. Perfect for a wasteland where magic is taboo and destructive. 4. Sorcerer-King Patron (Warlock) Warlocks who’ve made a pact with a Sorcerer-King — those tyrannical, magically powerful rulers of Athas. The patron imbues them with fear, command, and the oppressive power of their masters. This is a really flavorful pick: warlocks aligned with Sorcerer-Kings could be enforcers, gladiator-lords, or even secret agents of tyranny. To be clear with all of this Dark Sun speculation though, nothing is confirmed by Wizards of the Coast, yet. Unearthed Arcana is playtest material. Just because these subclasses are Dark Sun–flavored doesn’t guarantee a full sourcebook. Still, for longtime Dark Sun fans, this could be the biggest hint yet that Athas is returning in 5.5E. Understanding these subclasses is one thing — but using them in your campaign is where they really come alive. These options have strong thematic identities tied to survival, corruption, and power. So, here’s how DMs and players can integrate them into their campaigns in meaningful, story-rich ways. As a DM: Consider running a campaign set in a Dark Sun–inspired wasteland , even if you don’t go full canonical Athas. These subclasses give you hooks: gladiator arenas, life-draining magic, tyrant warlocks, and more. Think about NPCs: Defilers (sorcerers) and Sorcerer-King warlocks make for excellent villains. The preservation druids can even be the rebels. As a Player: If you want flavor: pick one of these subclasses to lean into the “wasteland survivor” vibe. Think about backstory: why does your defiler steal life? which Sorcerer-King did you make a pact with? That will drive roleplay. Just remember with all of this though because it's not final : some features might change or be removed. Also, balance could be off, currently: some players in the community already think certain features are strong or need tweaking. So yeah — these four apocalyptic subclasses are awesome, and they are giving major Dark Sun vibes . While they don’t guarantee a full Dark Sun 5.5E book, they’re definitely a strong signal. Whether you’re a fan of Athas already or just love grim, high-stakes fantasy, these subclasses open up some very cool possibilities . Let me know in the comments: which subclass do you want to try first? And do you think Wizards of the Coast is actually building toward a Dark Sun comeback?