#celeste'spov

[cosblogs]

“Celeste's Unending Hatred For Caves (And Now Kruthik)”

Caves. I’ve never liked them, and apparently, they’ve developed a personal vendetta against me. This time, our “cave” was actually a monster nest. Surprise! Our first encounter was with the Kruthik, insectile horrors that almost broke us before breakfast. Somehow, we survived. Again. Barovia logic.

Next challenge: a massive chasm. We had ropes, determination… and apparently, questionable coordination. A few dubious rope maneuvers later, we were all across—though I may have moved a little slower than I wanted. Marius wasn’t exactly graceful either, so I guess misery loves company. Meanwhile, the monsters weren’t exactly patient, chasing us as if punctuality was their only virtue.

Beneath the chasm: Kruthik eggs. We tried really hard not to wake them. Failed spectacularly. Cue chaotic, intense battle. The swarm pursued us relentlessly. At some point, one monster hit harder than I expected, knocking me out of the fray. Thankfully, the rest of the party handled the queen with aplomb while I… rested. Heroic naps, that’s my style.

Waking up, I found the group in panic mode. Riley was missing. Merlin tracked heartbeats but couldn’t locate hers. After frantic searching, we found her… but no heartbeat. Silence. Fear. Confusion. The quiet weight of Barovia pressing in.

So, once again, the Stunorians survive… just barely. With monsters crushed and heroes shaken, I’m left with one unshakable truth: caves are evil. The Kruthik nest has nothing on my personal hatred for tight, dark, and slimy spaces.

[cosblogs]

“Celeste vs. The Snake Parade (and the Sword That Chose Me)”

Another day, another dungeon, another minor brush with death—this time starring yours truly, Celeste. I woke up after an extremely satisfying nap in Mr. Cain’s mansion, only to find that… well, I was alone. Mostly. The door had been left open, which apparently doubles as a “bring your wildlife inside” invitation. Among the visitors: a snake. And let’s just say, I’m not exactly on speaking terms with snakes anymore.

Determined to reunite with the others, I followed the faint trail to the temple—fortunately, the party had left the door open, because clearly I can’t be trusted to solve puzzles before coffee. Bad idea. Big, terrible, “please don’t let me die” kind of idea. I was chased by something… monstrous (details blurry, thanks adrenaline), spooked by ominous bee noises, and nearly auditioned for a gravity experiment at the waterfall. On the plus side, the puzzles were already solved by the geniuses I call friends. That’s teamwork, right?

Once I climbed back up from the waterfall, things got spicy. Yuan-ti. Snakes. So many snakes. Before I could even properly engage, arrows shot from a distant statue made a dramatic introduction to my face. Ouch. Once I was in fighting shape, I unleashed some well-deserved chaos on those snake monsters—and then, plot twist: Mr. Cain himself emerged from one of the serpents I’d sliced in half. Yes. That happened.

After surviving the snake parade, we stumbled into a new room guarded by a solar deity’s champion. Apparently, this guardian is a stickler for “tests” before you get to the good stuff. Luckily, a combination of logic, charm, and maybe just enough luck convinced him to make it easy for us—dodging yet another fight. Score.

Then… the artifact. Finally, a goal. The legendary sword. Marius ID’d it (I missed some details—was it a manticore guarding it? Something big and angry, anyway). After a long existential debate led by Archibald, we left him and Clara behind, reasoning that touching the sword would teleport us to safety. Smart, right? Mostly.

And then the magic hit. I was last. Reaching for the sword, I didn’t just teleport. I connected. My name, engraved in the blade. THE blade I’d been searching for since leaving home. Cue dramatic darkness and epic revelation.

When I came to… I was somewhere new. By a campfire, with Karl, Izek, and Nicolai—or maybe someone else, hard to tell through the firelight. Maybe I got hit in the head to many times, and this was my concussion talking. Nevertheless, the sword had chosen me. And somehow, the adventure continues.