Manor Most Foul - Episode 4 : "Sacrifice"

[@Sarriff125]

Still want justice for Bugum Toe.

[@Mr._Matt]

***SPOILERS*** I don't know if I've ever seen a lady enjoy tormenting anyone as much as Syriinx loves having Svind make Bugum Toe's life suck. She was smiling a ton throughout the early parts of this session as Sheepy's fallen fleshcrafter returned to the world of the living, only to be made to suffer once more. To be fair, though, Svind is creepy and unsettling whether Syriinx is smiling or not. Both Syriinx's commitment to the offputting, unsettling role, as well as Sheepy's dedication to letting the party make his character miserable are both really admirable qualities. I hadn't realized that Bugum's ritual was designed to turn the dead prisoner's body into a flesh golem, but that was a fantastic reveal. I enjoyed watching Groten "nope out" of that situation instantly. While the outcome was good for the party, I was a little disappointed that Sponge "one-shotted" the flesh golem, making that scene a little anti-climactic. That said, I can understand it given the nature of dice...and I can definitely tell that Sponge's stats went somewhere other than Intelligence. =p The pain wheel certainly looked...well...painful, so I dare say that Sebastian's artwork was pretty spot-on for it. The over-the-top quantity of nails really accentuated the excessiveness of this bizarre setting. I couldn't help but wonder about the things the man on the wheel was saying. Was he just babbling nonsense, or was he speaking truths our player characters have yet to uncover? Heck, WILL these bumbling weirdos actually realize what they've uncovered even if they do come across it? I was sad to see that it seems Bugum can no longer fleshcraft now that he's undead, since his fleshcrafting could potentially be pretty interesting. The - dare I say premature - death of the flesh monster earlier in this episode was underwhelming, so I was hoping more might come of Bugum's specialization. As it stands, his only special skill is suffering at the hands of Svind. His door-opening skills are kinda shit. Valen's commitment to his character is charming. Whenever I look at his camera, I usually see him acting like the wide-eyed idiot, Sponge, even when he's not directly in a scene, and it's pretty great. Also, blacking his eye was a nice touch, and it further illustrates his dedication to the role and making a good show. I felt bad for Syriinx burning through three Omens trying to convince a skeleton regarding a key, when Sponge was able to just walk over and strong-arm it with ease. I can appreciate that feeling of needing to succeed at something, though, and the sunk cost fallacy that comes with it. While I realize that the kinda-periwinkle blue art with some furniture, windows, a table, etc. near the end of the session didn't have any characters or wild architecture, I really liked that piece of art. In fact, I would say it's my favorite from this episode. It has a lot of "mood" to it, the lighting and shading are so nice, and it informs a bit as to the location. I have to say, Sebastian's art really fits well with the campaign and his narration. I dare say that's all I have to say about this particular episode. Next time, we'll have to see what happens as combat starts! Odds are, either Sponge will kill it with ease, or Bugum will suffer a ton...or both. Heck, even if Bugum doesn't suffer from the battle, I'm sure Svind will do her best to torture him one way or another. ;)

[@arkturhellsing1484]

Fit for duty 😂🤣