stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]
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stonegod
Spawn of Khyber/LEB Judge
There is a scarcity of townfolk on the late night streets, staying instead inside homes only recently reclaimed. The barricade at the town square has been largely dismantled at this point, the boards and such now needed for repairs of broken windows and doors. The square, however, is not empty. The one intact wagon of the caravan has been joined by the one semi-salvageable one of the expedition, and survivors of the journey not luckily enough to get a room inside---in otherwords, those not graced by Mateusz's judgement---have formed a camp here.
The faces of the caravan goers---healthier than the townfolk, but now settling into that same haunted gaze---turn to the group. There is a somber whisper as the covered bodies are noticed, and a few point before moving away. The few remaining Deneith mercenaries assist in the handling of the prisoner while the eldest of the Jorasco healers---the second to last with Bergeron's passing---takes the bodies until they can be dealt with permanently.
There burden's temporarily lifted, the weary group is left with a mostly empty inn for the rest of their evening. Mateusz and his scribes are apparently at work in another room.
The faces of the caravan goers---healthier than the townfolk, but now settling into that same haunted gaze---turn to the group. There is a somber whisper as the covered bodies are noticed, and a few point before moving away. The few remaining Deneith mercenaries assist in the handling of the prisoner while the eldest of the Jorasco healers---the second to last with Bergeron's passing---takes the bodies until they can be dealt with permanently.
There burden's temporarily lifted, the weary group is left with a mostly empty inn for the rest of their evening. Mateusz and his scribes are apparently at work in another room.
James Heard
Explorer
Before entering the inn, Janis bids one of the caravan members to play messenger to the mercantile shop and have Perriwimple's uncle come to the inn so that the expedition might tell him of his nephew's fate.
pathfinderq1
Explorer
Throughout the trip back to the inn, Tessa is all but silent, and even as they deal with the caravaneers, she speaks as little as possible. For the first time in this seemingly cursed journey, she has lapsed back into the withdrawn state she remembers from her stints as a healer during the war- she has armored herself with distance and silence, lest the turmoils of the situation drive her to breaking. She all-but stumbles into the inn, discarding her pack, shield, and morningstar in a convenient corner. When she sees that the room is very nearly deserted, she claims a chair and sits at the room's largest table, waving for any of the others who might wish to join her. Curiously, though, she does not ask for food or drink- she merely sits down, looking at those who join her at the table. "So, did we learn enough out there to guess where we might go next?" Her voice is quiet, almost lifeless, a far cry from her usually sunny demeanor.
Jarrith joins Tessa and sits down at the table. At her question, he shrugs forlornly. "The sunsword was to be found with so-called fey creatures out in the forest. I think the info that our prisoner gave tells us quite clearly who and what those fey creatures are. What did he call it? The deep and terrible power that lives in the 'Dark Places of the Etneral Forest'?"
He sighs deeply and signals to the bartender for a flask of wine. "So the ritual in two days time will bring the Verdant Lord to walk the lands again and reward his chosen. They're going to use the Symbol of the Raven to break the fane at Lysaga Hill and then corrupt it to punish the Dark Lady and avenge the Verdant Lord. That and there's a Green Crone that's telling our rabid little friend to do everything he's done." He shakes his head. "So the question is... do we go into the forest like tomorrow and take out these people at their source... and hopefully find the Sunsword while we're at it... or do we wait until the dark moon rises, go back to the hill and then try and take them out after they've destryoed the fane but before they're able to summon their Verdant Lord back?"
He stares at Tessa blankly. "Frankly, I don't know what is the better choice. Because if we take the forest folks before the ritual, who knows if we'll ever find the owner of the Raven's Symbol after that. At least by hitting the summoning we'll know they'll have it with them." He leans back in his chair and takes the goblet when it is handed to him... taking a long, long sip of the wine.
He sighs deeply and signals to the bartender for a flask of wine. "So the ritual in two days time will bring the Verdant Lord to walk the lands again and reward his chosen. They're going to use the Symbol of the Raven to break the fane at Lysaga Hill and then corrupt it to punish the Dark Lady and avenge the Verdant Lord. That and there's a Green Crone that's telling our rabid little friend to do everything he's done." He shakes his head. "So the question is... do we go into the forest like tomorrow and take out these people at their source... and hopefully find the Sunsword while we're at it... or do we wait until the dark moon rises, go back to the hill and then try and take them out after they've destryoed the fane but before they're able to summon their Verdant Lord back?"
He stares at Tessa blankly. "Frankly, I don't know what is the better choice. Because if we take the forest folks before the ritual, who knows if we'll ever find the owner of the Raven's Symbol after that. At least by hitting the summoning we'll know they'll have it with them." He leans back in his chair and takes the goblet when it is handed to him... taking a long, long sip of the wine.
stonegod
Spawn of Khyber/LEB Judge
[sblock=Tessa][Kn: Planes]
While Jarrith could be right about the 'Eternal Forest' being a reference to the woods here, you suspect that it is more likely a reference to Lamannia, the Twilight Forest. The name tickled your brain before. There are dark, corrupted places within Lamannia that could serve as the source of such thing, and the demonic plants you fought do have extraplanar origin, not Eberron.
Slimy as he is, Mateusz would be able to confirm your suspicion.[/sblock]
While Jarrith could be right about the 'Eternal Forest' being a reference to the woods here, you suspect that it is more likely a reference to Lamannia, the Twilight Forest. The name tickled your brain before. There are dark, corrupted places within Lamannia that could serve as the source of such thing, and the demonic plants you fought do have extraplanar origin, not Eberron.
Slimy as he is, Mateusz would be able to confirm your suspicion.[/sblock]
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pathfinderq1
Explorer
Tessa listened as Jarrith said his piece. As he finished, she opened her mouth as if to reply- then closed it again a moment later, with nothing said. She shook her head lightly, obviously trying to finish a thought that had struck her...
Finally, she looked as if she had recaptured whatever idea had come to her. "The Eternal Forest- it might mean Lamannia, the planar realm they call the Twilight Forest. It would explain a great deal- those odd plants for one thing, and this place seems to have the dark sort of atmosphere I would expect of a place linked to such a realm. My studies of the planes are hardly complete, though, and as much as I hate to admit it, an archivist like Mateusz would certainly know the lore better than I. If we want to disturb his no-doubt important work, that is."
"For our next move, I'd say we don't want to wait idle until the rite is upon us. Perhaps we'll not accomplish much before then, but if we wait, it means we'll have only the one try. If we get to work now, we've one chance now, then another last-ditch shot then..."
Finally, she looked as if she had recaptured whatever idea had come to her. "The Eternal Forest- it might mean Lamannia, the planar realm they call the Twilight Forest. It would explain a great deal- those odd plants for one thing, and this place seems to have the dark sort of atmosphere I would expect of a place linked to such a realm. My studies of the planes are hardly complete, though, and as much as I hate to admit it, an archivist like Mateusz would certainly know the lore better than I. If we want to disturb his no-doubt important work, that is."
"For our next move, I'd say we don't want to wait idle until the rite is upon us. Perhaps we'll not accomplish much before then, but if we wait, it means we'll have only the one try. If we get to work now, we've one chance now, then another last-ditch shot then..."
James Heard
Explorer
" In any case, I'd be abed now. This day has been sorely draining on all of us, and one more crisis today and I'll crack the Dragon from frustration. Whatever we parlay with Mateusz he'll not be more pleasant this night than he will be in the morning, and I'd be afraid for his safety this night on a dose of his usual pleasantness."
stonegod
Spawn of Khyber/LEB Judge
As the party discusses their end-of-day, a bleary eye and sour faced man enters the Inn. It is Bildrath, the local mercantile interest in town.
"Humph. What you be interested in to be waking me? Be bad enough you bring men to take my business, now you take my sleep as well?"
Obviously, he's a very cheerful person.
"Humph. What you be interested in to be waking me? Be bad enough you bring men to take my business, now you take my sleep as well?"
Obviously, he's a very cheerful person.
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James Heard
Explorer
" Perriwimple is dead. He died bravely. We thought you should know," Janis says plainly from her vantage near the stairs.
" We also have a man outside, a man of Barovia who would appear to know much about your nephew's death? If you would talk of him and those he allies himself with to us perhaps we might make a stew of our dead after all."
" We also have a man outside, a man of Barovia who would appear to know much about your nephew's death? If you would talk of him and those he allies himself with to us perhaps we might make a stew of our dead after all."
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