Puns & Potions

What more is there to say except thank you all for listening and cheering on our saviors of Barovia. In this final special episode of Puns & Potions, the cast discusses their characters, their favorite moments, and ask those final burning questions.

With the dark lord slain, and his dusty remains tortured and ran into the lowly mud of the kingdom he brought to ruin, the war against darkness has yet to conclude. The hopeful saviors of this cursed valley, the intrepid heroes we've come to know and love, are still fighting in what is the longest night. Who will survive it to see that fated sunrise over the mountain range? Will a new morning ever truly come?

The fated battle rages on as the dread lord seeks to squash the nuisance of our courageous heroes once and for all. And despite the summoned legions of vile creatures, choking fogs, lashing tentacles of shadow, and the destruction of supposed magical weaponry, they refuse to give up against all odds. Will there be something that can finally break this curse called hope?

This adventure that has perpetually felt like chasing phantoms and unanswerable questions all comes to a head at the same altar where the very curse began. To the billowing tones of a chapel organ, and the shock of lightning through stained glass, our hero's final fated battle begins. Who will survive?

A great bard once said, "it is the final countdown," and for the adventurers of this harrowing tale, it really is. With the dark lord's coffin discovered, the final moments of this story is starting to be woven. Will they be able to pull themselves out of this hellish valley plane, or will the line snap at the threshold to salvation?

Our heroes sit down one last time to tend their wounds, and think on their fateful expedition. Given the opportunity to glimpse back at the dreary locales of their time together, or even escape back into them, melancholy doesn't eclipse determination. The end draws ever closer, but when death literally surrounds them, can they maintain that strong will to survive?

Our adventurers have descended even further into the dank depths of this darkened estate, and continue to find more disturbances than delights. They're holding steadfast to their ambitions, but any corridor could led to a terrible revelation. Deep underground, when will they realize that any room could become an early grave?

Around every corner, and down every stairwell, our heroes are finding more reasons to be cautious... and curious. But with billowing organs, and raucous creatures, the sliding scale of confidence is beginning to lean closer to concern for most of the party. Who among them will be the first to break under the pressure?

The party has withstood another harrowing encounter in the hallowed halls, but took a great strike to their bodies and their spirits. While the battle didn't go entirely their way, they're not yet losing the war, and take a moment to recover before pressing onward... and downward.

Our adventuring party is struggling to hold their own against a confident dark lord, and as one of them falls, their pursuit has never looked more dour. Will the rest be able to save their friend, and complete their first objective? Or will the vampire king come closer to the sweet taste of victory?

The incessant beating of crystal and flesh has pulled our heroes to their first objective, or perhaps into their first trap. Have the hallowed halls been twisting and turning them to their inevitable end? Or are these four friends marching confidently through the dark to where fate will triumph?

Through trepidation the worried heroes of this sorrowful tale band together and run swiftly toward their first objective in this blackened stone citadel. Some may call it throwing caution to the wind, while others may simply believe they're running from their own fear. Will it catch up to them? Or are they running directly at it?

All roads, both marble and dirt, lead to darkened walls and shining towers. All paths, both hidden and celebrated, are traveled by willingness and dread. All avenues, both familiar and foreign, eventually come to a crossroads... or an end.

Our adventurers come to realize that the end has truly begun. Communing with both distant deities, and the nascent forces of nature, they woefully reach at as many final comforts as they can grasp. Will the presence of family, friends, and allies, be enough to overcome the dread of a forthcoming conclusion?

Grappling with a centuries old mystery coming to a potential close, our hopeful to-be-heroes contemplate the weight of forgetting. Whether it be in victory or collapse, what does it mean to witness the end without each other? Is it worth risking that fate simply to avoid the pain of separation?

Our party spends their next few anticipatory moments together in laughs, but unfortunately, worry doesn't seem to stay quite so far away. Faced constantly with the haunted past, and a dreadful future, how are they expected to live in the present? Left to wonder, is a forgotten picture only worth a thousand unspoken words? Disclaimer: Due to a hardware malfunction, you may hear several dropped words or small pops. We did our best to mitigate this, and don't believe it to be a major disturbance to the content of the episode. The issue has been resolved, but as we record in batches, it may be present for a short period. Thank you for your patience.

In a strange show of clashing swords, a long harbored anger melts away into sadness. By the light of a silent fire, another deal is offered, and questions answered. What does this mysterious man of contradictions want with a once-lonely bard, and his newfound family? Disclaimer: Due to a hardware malfunction, you may hear several dropped words or small pops. We did our best to mitigate this, and don't believe it to be a major disturbance to the content of the episode. The issue has been resolved, but as we record in batches, it may be present for a short period. Thank you for your patience.

The long-awaited descent from the mountain has finally begun, and the chilling winds cut through a thick tension in the party. With only one road downward, who will they be able to trust when they reach the bottom? Disclaimer: Due to a hardware malfunction, you may hear several dropped words or small pops. We did our best to mitigate this, and don't believe it to be a major disturbance to the content of the episode. The issue has been resolved, but as we record in batches, it may be present for a short period. Thank you for your patience. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Before the battered and bruised but ever-hopeful heroes of Barovia can descend through the snowy mountain pass, they have one more heavy chain to break. Chaotic, complex, unseen, and unstable, can they follow their tattered thread of hope towards salvation? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The hands on the clock have halted for a moment, but its chimes, which reverberate in the blood-soaked amber chamber, ring an ominous tone. Reunions of both a darker and deeper nature shake our adventuring party to their core, but has their time in the temple really come to a close? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

At the whims of a truly vile predator, the party rises, falls, runs, and fights... over and over and over again. Will they find a way to take control of this twisted game? Or are they forever trapped in some cold circle of hell? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A waltz of attrition rages on between mythical foes and our band of stalwart explorers. In a ballroom that doesn't tire your body, but wears at your mind and spirit, in what state will they walk away if they survive? Will they just be walking from rehearsal onto the grand stage? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Being caught in this nightmarish arachnid's trap is driving our heroes to resort to drastic measures. However, being pushed past their limits calls for both desperate plans and a bit of extra luck. Will they find that this exhausted fight is a race against the clock, or an endless treadmill? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Our intrepid band of heroes is forced to stare into the face of a potentially humbling encounter. Lured into an ambush, with no desire to succumb to the trap, the temple continues to stand as a battlefield of body and mind. Will this be the fight that finally ends their righteous pursuit? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Although this long road has been obscured by the heavy fog of Barovia, an unlikely ally shows them were it all ends. However, our heroes are still worried about what lurks in the woods between here and there. Will all of them even make it? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A greater force has presented itself to our heroes, adorned in shades of burning passion and cruel pale mystery. Question is met with question, but hidden within are cryptic answers and harsh warnings. Will they finally reveal this place's purpose once and for all? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Led in opposite directions by both sorcerer and string, our adventurers continue this tenuous relationship towards their prize. However, what they discover might be threefold the mystery that believed they were solving. What will they find at the heart of this vermillion vault? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Although our heroes attempt to find respite in these hallowed halls, one of them struggles against a parasite of the mind. Can they take the time to fight it, or simply run from the numerous other threats that loom? Who's to say there will be anything left either way? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Our heroes have witnessed some horrible things, disturbing certainly, and terrifying for sure, and as they sulk through the shadows, even more treacherous beings await their prey. Question is, who's the biggest fish in this amber ocean? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

With red hot flames seemingly extinguished, our heroes still have a temple painted in cold amber to explore. Their guide is questionable at best, but seems to have some semblance of sanity left. Will he lead them to answers, or will these prospects come up dry? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A quirky old resident of this ancient and disturbing locale appears, eager to assist our adventurers. However, with secrets kept, ulterior motives undiscussed, and a strange feeling of longing... they might not be ready to help themselves. Will these embers of tension soon ignite? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

With the tome closed, our party is exhausted, and with the entirety of the Amber Temple still to explore. Despite several strong leads to follow, two of our adventurers are feeling the subtle tug of threads deeper within. Will it prove to be a distraction, a blessing, or damnation? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Everything still seems perfectly fine in Berez, despite the stark contrast of tragedy just moments ago. How could it be that our adventurers are still only treading water? Will this be the moment they finally catch their breath, or drown? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

With the full expanse of Berez in all its living glory before them, our heroes contemplate what they're about to witness and why. Even familiar faces fail to provide comfort in the confusion. Will this uneasy chapter finally unearth answers to the unknown? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Wedding bells ring, church organs sing, and the warm sun welcomes spring! Everyone gathers to celebrate the beginning of something glorious... and terrible. Is our party ready to witness the slow descent turn into an unsightly dive? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Our adventurers test their resolve and valor against the very pages of Strahd's historical tome. Meanwhile, the dark lord makes his way through the temple, but in pursuit of what? Will they survive long enough to find out? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Dark, sunken, and sad eyes find themselves fixated on an ever-radiant light, but with an undercurrent of unrest brewing in the Barovian past, it may be hidden by storm clouds. Although they know how it ends, what will our party make of the story unfolding before them? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Not all may be warm welcomes and ready reunions in the valley. Nonetheless, nobles reign without a care in the world and stand idly by as drama unfolds. Will any of them, or our party, be able to see it coming before its too late? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Enraptured by visions of ages gone by, our party watches the slow descent of their greatest foe. However, not all yet seems bathed in destruction. Can they stop him? Or will they be forced to witness damnation? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Dazed from facing the deepest matters of their hearts, our adventurers find themselves underneath a looming presence and an unravelling mystery. Will they be able to handle the revelation, or are they still lost in the past? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Our heroes have finally discovered those once-fabled amber giants hidden in the expansive southern mountains. However, the mystery behind the foretold knowledge they hold is still elusive. What trials and tribulations will befall them in uncovering it? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Bravery prevails as our heroes continue to harden against the chilling winds of the mountainside. The expansive view of Barovia lends inspiration to their cause, even without knowing for certain what lies at the peak. Will it be their reward, or their greatest fear? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In travelling with caution, our party unknowingly allowed their pursuers to gain significant ground. Now they're face-to-face with more powerful assailants and the ground is completely out of sight behind distant mists. Will they back down? Or be pushed to the edge? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The frigid trek up the mountain begins. Days are spent trudging through the landscape as clouds grey over the optimistic heads of our adventurers. What waits for them at the summit? Will they even get there alive? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

As our party reflects on what has befallen them, and search for resolutions, they find they may have less available assistance than desired. Will they be able to call for aid? Or will they simply find solace in each other? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Looking towards the southern mountains, our party prepares for the arduous journey ahead with some well-deserved shopping. Will they walk away with bargains? Or will they be stricken with the feeling of empty palms? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Yet again standing in the aftermath of battle, our party's heavy breaths hang in the furthest moments of the night. As death takes the assailants, will it also take valuable knowledge of this dreadful game being played in Barovia? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Our party springs from a disturbed slumber in pursuit of their aggressors. Poisoned blades swing and barbed bolts fly through the depths of dusk. While they may survive, what greater danger does this forebode for the future? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Beckoning out into the endless void, one of our heroes seeks to understand their purpose. With quill in hand, another contemplates their own journey. Will these distractions allow lurkers in the night to remain unseen until it's too late? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Trudging through the bog was one thing, but slugging the remains of a primordial being is another. Our heroes make their way back to the hallowed mausoleum and gaze upon both radiant light and endless darkness. What will they make of it and where will it guide them? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

As all falls silent once more and shadows finally withdraw, we find our adventurers facing a truth much darker than they expected. Now that we understand a bit more about how they came to be, we must ask: What will become of them? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app