Last Will and Testament | Shadows of Stravia | Episode 48

You ever get the feeling someone is acting just sentimental enough that you should immediately start checking for hidden motives, sealed letters, and possible last words?

Because this episode begins with Nyx doing something deeply unsettling:

being sincere.

Not chaotic.
Not evasive.
Not even especially theatrical.

Just… sincere.

Behind closed doors, he asks to speak with Requiem alone — and what passes between them is not quite confession, not quite farewell, and not nearly as simple as either of them would probably like.

There is sentiment in it.
There is weight.
And there is the unmistakable feeling that when Nyx starts putting his heart into words, the universe should probably brace itself.

Then come the gifts.

Hand-stitched Bloody Buddy patches, of all things — strange, personal, absurdly thoughtful in exactly the way that makes them feel more dangerous than they should.

And to Requiem, something even heavier:

his will.

Which is, admittedly, not the sort of thing one hands over casually unless one expects the day ahead to go very, very badly.

And unfortunately for everyone involved, the day ahead includes the Crimson Court.

The great lords of vampire nobility gather at last in all their finery, pride, and suffocating self-importance to cast votes on matters that could reshape not only Stravia, but the balance of power far beyond it.

This is not a private scheme in candlelight.
This is not a whisper in a corridor.
This is power brought into the open —
formal,
ancient,
and sharpened to a ceremonial edge.

Every word carries consequence.
Every vote carries threat.
And every smile in the room is hiding teeth.

But while the court prepares to deliberate the future of nations, Nyx arrives with plans of his own.

Because of course he does.

And whatever the Crimson Court expected from this gathering, it was almost certainly not Nyx deciding to make himself part of the proceedings in a way no one can safely ignore.

Which would already be enough to make the room volatile.

If not for one more danger waiting beneath the surface:

Seran.

Because somewhere beneath the pageantry, old grief is still breathing.
Old fury is still waiting.
And the question hanging over the court is no longer just what will be decided—

but whether blood will be spilled before the decision can even stand.

Will Seran finally carry out his plan for vengeance and strike down Selene Blackheart in open court?

Will Nyx’s surprise tip the balance of the entire summit?

And when ancient power, private grief, and public spectacle collide beneath one roof, will anyone leave the chamber unchanged?

So gather close.

The court is in session.
The knives are smiling.
And when the world begins to shift, it rarely does so quietly.

System: Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Campaign: Shadows of Stravia
Episode: 48 – Last Will and Testament

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'Path Through The Mountains' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au