stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]

Sir Khensu said:

"There are only five of us remaining. What do you wish to do? Return to the caravan and alert them to the dangers? Cleanse this land of the evil that blights it? If the latter, do we seek out this Madame Eva or see what has become of Ashlyn's allies at the church?"

Click to expand...

Jarrith takes a long look out over the barricades, then turns back to his Lumin Brother. "We might be able to do both... although it wouldn't be until tomorrow morning." He looks at the others in the group, and includes Lady Ashlyn in this. "Upon the rising sun tomorrow, I can ask a blessing from the Voice to hide our movements from these undead. It would only last for a little less than three-quarters of an hour... but as long as none of us engage the beasts in any way... the mindless ones will not sense us, and any intelligent ones might not as well."

He shrugs his shoulders. "We would need to be quick about it, but we might be able to reach the church and find answers about Ashlyn's compatriots, then get outside the edges of town to find this Madam Eva. The only problem is that unless I spend most of my low-level blessings, only eight beings will be invisible and thus some of our steeds would need to remain here."

His face grows serious for a second and he looks Sir Khensu in the eye. "The other option, should we not want to give up my spells, is that I go to the church alone... find out what has happened... then come back here. Then we as a group, including our horses, ride hard to the outskirts and hope we outrun any potential dangers."

"I still think that the wider world needs to be informed of this place more precisely, so that at the very least no one less adept than ourselves attempts to retrace our movements recklessly and falls victim to the uncertain welcome we received or this illness. We should also ask them to look into sending a more experienced healer, perhaps one of those from House Jorasco, to tend to these people irrelevant to our success or failure. As for the other..." Janis shrugs.

"I do not believe Jarrith should be left alone. Handing the undead another, powerfully experienced minion in the name of expediency seems ill-fated.

Janis pauses.

"I think you do the villagers a disservice though, and if any of them are indeed involved in whatever discomfort has befallen their fellows I'd think that clearly spelling out our intentions and seeing if those are actioned against might reveal the individual and gain us valuable insights."

"This place has obviously been isolated for some long years, or else Mabar has fallen into planar alignment and taken hold of this place in a dangerous and troubling fashion. If such is the case then the best option might be to simply gather whatever survivors of this place remain and try to escort them to safety, then inform the proper authorities and hope no small fools such as ourselves wander here again until it ends."

Jarrith nods at Janis' statement and turns to Lady Ashlyn. "What is the horse or carriage status with the villagers right now? If we wanted to send someone out of town to pass on what is happening, is there a steed available for that? Or would we need to donate one of ours?"

He looks at the other four of the Thaloist contingent. "Assuming we do send someone to find the caravan as Janis suggests... will that be one of us? Or should we see if one or two of the villagers here would be willing to go?" He nods in the shifter's direction. "Both Sir Khensu and I mentioned before we went into the inn that we won't leave this town while there are still people here to defend, and I don't think anything has changed."

He glances over the barricade once again and tries to guess how far it is to the road that leads up to the gates they initially came through. "However, if the possibility exists of escorting EVERYONE inside that inn up and out of the town... try and get them at least to the small inn we stopped at yesterday... that might be something we'd be willing to do."

He snorts at the thought though. "Of course... this assumes the people inside are willing to leave their homes behind for good... even IF they are infested with the walking dead. And that might be a little too much to hope for I'm afraid."

DEFCON 1 said:

He glances over the barricade once again and tries to guess how far it is to the road that leads up to the gates they initially came through.

Click to expand...

OOC: Old Svalich Road runs through town on its way deeper into the valley---it is the road you followed into the town square. It is at least a mile to the gates you entered through earlier today.

"Our initial charge was to protect the caravan. I dislike the thought of having them enter this valley without knowing what has happened here - but I also dislike leaving the villagers in the condition that they are in."

He looks at the barricades surrounding the city square somberly as he considers their options.

"Dividing the group is not an answer. We made it here with the loss of a companion - I do not want us to be picked up piecemeal. Yet if we leave the villagers, it is very possible that they could be killed before we returned...I could send Luminous galloping back to the caravan with a message, but that would have to wait until the morning. "

"I say this, we must warn the caravan early of the dangers here, though if we warn them by steed or magic or messanger, I care not. And then I say we need wisdom more than any other thing. I would not care to brave the church of a madman before we know the nature of the curse on this town. Once we warn the caravan, I say we must visit Madam Eva. Sending Luminous to the caravan I think would be a fairly wise decision Khenku, your holy horse is swifter and more clever than most of us, and should be able to avoid the slower dead-walkers," Maraat opins.

Jarrith nods. "I agree... if Luminous can find his way back to the caravan on his own, we slip him a note telling the caravan to either not come here, or be prepared for a fight if they do. Then we can make a trip to see Madam Eva. Since that was the recommendation that's been given thus far and as yet has not actually been done... that is porbably the best track. Any other action has not yet met with success."

Sir Khensu moves over to the otherworldly horse and rubs hims down, tending to Luminous' wounds as best as he can before dismissing him to the heavens.

"Perhaps we should ask for a rough map of the village and the surroundings. Right now, we are flying blind. More information will give us more options."

Ashlyn takes a moment to sketch a rough map in the dirt. It is rudimentary, but sufficient. "This is my understanding of the lay of the land. I am told that Madam Eva is in this camp by the lake. As for town, I know to the north is the graveyard and Church in the shadow of that castle, and the Burgomaster's manse is at the south of town."

[It looks like we have a consensus, so I'm going to move us forward just a bit.]

The remaining Six, having tentatively decided to move ahead with sending Luminous to warn the caravan tomorrow while making their own journey for answers, quickly make plans for the rest of the night. Already having promised to aide Ashlyn's vigil, Jarrith, Marot, Khensu, and Daellin all plan on taking turns during the night. Janis, her need for rest having been made abundantly clear, settles down in the quiet kitchen as best as possible.

Jarrith has first watch, and Ashlyn asks for Sir Khensu to join the two of them. "I have discussed with Jarrith the possibility of you allying yourself in the Lightbringer cause. If the undead plague this place, it would be good for you to consider my offer. We have special training in dealing with those who possess such false life."

[sblock=OOC]Ashyln is offering to train Jarrith and/or Khensu in Lightbringer substitution levels (see here for more information). The cost is 100 gp in guild dues (she will accept an Oath to pledge them to her at the earliest opportunity) and 25 XP * the level of the substitution ability (so, it would be 75 XP for a 3rd level ability) taken.

Other characters can join the Lightbringers as well (for the 100 gp fee), though you only gain the non-level substitution benefits.

Let me know if anyone takes Ashyln up on her offer. Any questions should go in the OOC thread.[/sblock]The night passes relatively uneventfully. No restless undead press the barricades, though their moaning and occasional thudding of battle can be heard in the distance. Daellin, whose watch is in the very early morning, hears something more unusual in the distance---the sound of a night bird and perhaps the sigh of weaponry? But the noise is far off, and could have easily been mistaken. But if he was right, it came from the north.

The same direction as the church.

17 Zol, Zaranthyr 998 YK

[Everyone regains one night full of hitpoints, spells, etc.]

There is no dawn this Zol, just a lessening of the darkness. The never-fading mist clings heavily to the ground this cold morning, and thick, grey clouds block the wan warmth the sun may have provided. As the remaining Thailost Six prepare for their new day, the new day does not greet them kindly.