Selase mouths, The ancient witches of Lysaga Hill?, her brow creasing. It sounds like these witches are a permanent fixture of life in Barovia. And this man doesn't mention anything about stopping them, so they must be either very powerful, or not usually evil. If it's the former, removing the curse will be easier said than done. And if it's the latter, why did they curse her in the first place?
Hoping to draw the others' ideas, Selase offers, "If these witches are ancient, and the town has so much wealth, I wonder why something hasn't been done about them...?"
Hoping to draw the others' ideas, Selase offers, "If these witches are ancient, and the town has so much wealth, I wonder why something hasn't been done about them...?"
"I can think of a few reasons, but none that make much sense. Even if drawing someone with the ability to deal with them and an altruistic bent proved difficult, there are certainly plenty in Khorvaire with the right kind of skills for that sort of task who are willing to ply them for coin." Daellin adds.
"This bodes well for us," the shifter declared as he returns to his seat. "We have been hired to recover this 'Tome of Strahd' and presented with a further opportunity to cleanse the self-same region of evil." This last was proclaimed loudly enough that the inhabitants of the tavern could hear his words.
The large shifter leans forward and lowers his voice so that only the other five could hear him. "The messenger was not telling all he knew, however; I fear it could be an ambush - perhaps the Emerald Claw seeks to distract us from our task?"
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
Jarrith goes over the letter in his head a few times, listening to the discussion the others are making. His brow furrows and he points a finger at the scroll.
"Let's not get carried away here, and start finding bogeymen behind every corner. All we have is this one man's note saying that the love of his life has been cursed by some supposed witches. For all we know, these 'witches' are nothing more than the girl's family, and there's a lover's dispute involved. That would certainly explain why nothing's been done in Barovia about them... because to everyone else, there ARE NO witches."
He looks over to his Lumin Brother and shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know what the Claw would hope to gain by trying to use this letter to set up an ambush. If they were in the area, they could pounce on us here if they really cared... it's not like we have an army around the corner to rush in to help defend us. Granted, if there's several villages up here in the mountains, they could use this note to hopefully get us to go to a wrong one... but as none of us know where the tome might be in the first place, that seems unlikely."
Jarrith wraps his speech up by looking at all of the group. "I don't think this note changes our plans one bit... with the exception that we now have an 'in' with the town. If nothing else, we now have a desperate man probably willing to attend on us when we arrive, and we don't have to waste time trying to 'make nice' with the locals first. And getting that foot in the door will be the first step on finding the tome."
The door to the inn opens again, slower this time, and in walks the 'leader' of the expedition, Mateush Orchem, historian of the Twelve. As usual, his hair and clothes are tightly controlled, even after a long days journey.
Once he sees the group, he walks over immediately. "Some sort of commotion, eh? Saw the rider. Any indication of what he wanted?"
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Jarrith rolls up the parchment then tosses it to Orchem. "Seems that the Burgomaster of a small village in the area... name of Barovia... is having some difficulties with 'witches'... or so he says. Some have found the arrival of this message a little too convenient for their tastes... but at the same time, it's not like we have a better place to ride to."
The historian looks at the letter closely, mouthing the words slightly as he does so. "Hmm. This does seem fortuitous, as that is the place where the item is purported to be." Mateush never called it the 'Tome', always the 'item.' One would almost think he was superstitious. He takes a free seat and looks at the rest of the seated. "If this letter is to be believed, they would prefer assistance as soon as possible. There is no way possible for the carts to get there any sooner than two or three days, but a lone band of forward scouts would make much better time."
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
"I have no problem moving ahead of the caravan." The knight steeples his thick fingers before looking at the other members of the Six. "If there is a coven of witches in this area, we should destroy them. It may be that they are seeking the Tome as well. Regardless, destroying evil is never a waste of time or resources."
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
As Sir Khensu speaks about moving on ahead, Jarrith nods in agreement. "I'm with Sir Khensu on this... we can move on ahead. Let's go with what Janis said... let's hit the road at first light, and the carts can catch up in a few days time." He then drains his mug and stands up to go to bed.
"Yes. Of course. We must kill witches. Right. Evil is our first priority Janis says, wincing inside at the preposterousness of it all, and finishing up her cup.
Kill the witches, grab the book, save the town, then we save the world, she thought. Second verse, same as the first. I wonder if whoever caused the Destruction was as confident, or if they stumbled upon their fate less easily? Unhappily, she sighed. Oh well, we must serve as Fate wills or else never achieve our Destinies.
"I'm for bed, and you boys don't stay up much longer then if we're to be off. The first foot forces the other to chase and all that, and the sooner we get to where we're going the soonest we'll be to force this all to its inevitable conclusion."
The "necklace" draped around her neck shifts its multicolored coils and bobs its slitherine head at the party in mimic of the spellcaster's words and then returns to its previous warm position.
With that, unless someone stops her, Janis goes upstairs to her room and locks her door, lest fate send more messengers at night to further call upon her and her companions.
Jarrith stares at Janis as she speaks her mind... the words laced with the hint of sarcasm and annoyance... then rolls his eyes when she walks from the table to go to bed.
"Anyone know what 'inevitable conclusion' she's talking about? By the Host, I don't understand that woman or her motives sometimes."
He turns to go to bed as well, and says over his shoulder "So we off at first light, yes? If the four of you decide to change plans and leave later in the morning, put a handkerchief on my pack or something so I know not to start going around waking all of you up. Heh heh..."
Jarrith Bronns then returns to his room and goes to bed.
Sir Khensu will retire for the evening. Once in his room, he will perform his (k)nightly devotions and pray for guidance in the task set to him.
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
The morning dawn finds the band collected out front of the Weary Horse Inn, the ever present fog still clinging to the nameless village. Each rides a steed, whether the brilliant silvery blue celestial warhorse of Sir Khensu (with Jarrith riding alongside) or the finely bread surefoot donkey of Janis Stormhand. They all follow the faint path into the western mountains, looking for the distant Barovia.
The trail is treacherous initially, moving through cliff-edged wooded areas and snaking switchbacks. Near midday, the rut the party has been following starts showing signs of being a road, and within the hour bears the resemblance to something once cobbled in the distant past. Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors about the muddy roadway, a pall of thick, cold misting spreading over the ground. Giant tree trunks stand guard on both sides of the road, their branches clawing at the mists. In every direction, the fog grows thicker and the forest seems more oppressive.
Eventually, the road reaches an apex of the mountains, and the party gets the first look at what must be the Barovian Valley spread out to the west. From the ever present mist, all that can be discerned are the thick woods, with a distant lake draining eventually into a fetid swamp to the southwest. But the most prominent feature is the towering castle standing above a 1000 ft drop near the enter of the valley. It appears of quiet ancient construction, but seems to be mostly whole from the distance.
The party winds its way down the road towards the valley as the sun starts to edge downwards. Suddenly, gray in the fog, high stone pillars loom up from the impenetrable wood on both sides of the road. Huge iron gates hang from the stonework, dew clinging to their rusting bars. Standing before the pillars are two stone statues of armed guardians with wicket polearms. Their carved heads lie among the weeds at their feet, neatly broken from the stone shoulders.
Stopped where they are, a good 100 ft. away, the party sees that the gates are closed.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Jarrith leaps from the back of Sir Khensu's steed and walks up to the giant gate. As he appraoches, he glances to the left and right to get a look at the broken heads of the statuary, then spies the stone construction of the giant statues themselves. He really doesn't know much of anything about stonecarving, but the intricacies of the design are enough to catch his attention and appreciation.
When he arrives at the gate he puts his hands on the bars and leans casually into them, his head filling the gap in between. His eyes scan the road ahead for any sign of life, for no other reason than to get someone to open the gate. He could climb the gate if needed, but would prefer to do this the easy way. Plus the last thing they need is to anger any locals with their presumptions that the Thaolist Six can just break into a town on a whim.
"Hello! Hello there! Anyone home?!? Travelers arriving to town! Coin to spend! Hello!"
The shifter guides his warhorse forward, taking the lead. His broad, flat nose twitches unconsciously as he scans the walls and the surroundings, alert for trouble.
OOC
Staying alert. Do you need Spot/Listen checks?
__________________
"We create joy." - Pirate Cat, 2006 ENnies
"...the worse thing that can happen to players is not to have their characters die. The worst thing that can happen is to have a boring game." - Mike Mearls
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