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

[drothgery]

Daellin stays by the doorway, content to let others do the talking for now.

 

[James Heard]

While the rest of the party is enthralled by the old woman's cryptic answers and rustic ethnic charm, Janis strides out of the tent and meets and interacts with the rest of the people in the camp.

Does the water ward against the mist then? she wonders, honestly appraising the camp's residents.

 

[stonegod]

While the rest of the party is enthralled by the old woman's cryptic answers and rustic ethnic charm, Janis strides out of the tent and meets and interacts with the rest of the people in the camp.

Does the water ward against the mist then? she wonders, honestly appraising the camp's residents.

The Visanti as a whole share three characteristics---their bright clothes, dark hair and eyes, and their relatively shortness. One group of them look up as Janis emerges from the tent, then return back to their rest. A guard mentions, "Go back. She not done yet," but Janis ignores him.

After her probing glance, it becomes obvious to Janis that there are quite a few Visanti that must be missing, considering the number of tents and wagons.

The lake itself roils in the brisk wintry wind, far from placid. North and west she can see it rise into the surrounding mountains before it vanishes into the mist at the far end of the shore. A wider stream exits easterward, in the direction of the village.

 

[stonegod]

The woman chuckles as Janis exits. "Daughter of the the storms wants the quick knowledge, with little patient to work it out, hmm? Seemed patient enough with the plaguebearers below the place of swords."

"I seek to learn of legends long past, and of events of the recent past. Two items were carried by Lugdana, a blade imbued with the power of the sun, and a symbol of Ravenkind. I would learn of these. Also, a recent plague of undead troubles the village of Barovia, I would learn of its source."

"Child of craft so direct, like the father long missing. Of items before the curse she seeks? But seeking is easy, finding is the hard part!"

"Indeed, I would also wish to learn of the shadow that lies over this land, and what the future might hold to those who try to lift it," he chimes in to Ashlyns words.

"Ah, futures! Madam Eva does swim in the future, she does. But futures are things muddled. Is the Khyber-born truly ready?"

She looks at the others a moment, twirling the cards around. "But tellings are a tasking thing for Madam Eva, and she does not give them easily. She knows what they want, but what will they do with their knowledge, hmm?"

 

[James Heard]

After her probing glance, it becomes obvious to Janis that there are quite a few Visanti that must be missing, considering the number of tents and wagons.

Janis points to the apparently unoccupied tents and wagons.

"Where are they? What happened to those of you?" she asks directly.

To the guard with the comment, " It doesn't matter if she's done or not, if she twists her words so. What good is knowledge if she presents it inside a locked box?
Maybe I learn just as much by talking to you, aye?"

"Does Madam Eva receive many visitors? We met a mad fellow named Urik on the way here, does he stop by much? He mentioned witches amongst the farmers we passed as well, surely in a place such as this cautious folk listen to the dangers that stalk their neighbors?

Janis seems to warm her exterior in the firelight, far from the observances of those close to her or those who would likely present a keen danger for her. Like before the people of the village yesterday, Janis is more at ease. As her father told her once, if he told her a thousand times, "If you wish to kill a snake, go directly to its head and strike at it. If you want to know where the snake resides though, listen to the soil." Janis was beginning to see the wisdom of that, finally.

OOC: Spending another Action Point into becoming Janis the Super-Diplomat. Hopefully.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Marot the Deadly, male human warlock

"Ah, futures! Madam Eva does swim in the future, she does. But futures are things muddled. Is the Khyber-born truly ready?"

She looks at the others a moment, twirling the cards around. "But tellings are a tasking thing for Madam Eva, and she does not give them easily. She knows what they want, but what will they do with their knowledge, hmm?"

Maraat jerks when she calls him Khyber-born, looking astonished and shocked. No one else knew his odd past, where exactly he had come from, nor what he thought of himself and his heritage. How had she known? He could only try to answer her questions truthfully, for it was clear no lies could pass here.

"We hope to do good things, Madame Eva. We only wish our knowledge of the future so we may make our choices with more certainty, and perhaps with a better idea of what will truly bring light to the darkness," he tells her in a somewhat shakey voice, though his sincerity is unmistakable.

 

[Stormwind]

"Child of craft so direct, like the father long missing. Of items before the curse she seeks? But seeking is easy, finding is the hard part!"

A pained expression crosses Ashlyn's face, briefly replaced by one of longing before her features again school themselves into an expressionless state. How can she know, ... what more does she know of my father, ... I would ask, but I am bound to duty first. Perhaps once this is resolved ...

She looks at the others a moment, twirling the cards around. "But tellings are a tasking thing for Madam Eva, and she does not give them easily. She knows what they want, but what will they do with their knowledge, hmm?"

"I would use knowledge of the past to find the items of legend, and then use them as they were intended to be used, against the unlife that walks the land."

Ashlyn pauses momentarily, then with fresh determination continues, "If there be aught else that you require of me in exchange for such knowledge, then you need only to let me know and I will determine if it be worth the price."

[Diplomacy check to display simple sincerity and improve reaction]

 

[stonegod]

Janis points to the apparently unoccupied tents and wagons.

"Where are they? What happened to those of you?" she asks directly.

Does Madam Eva receive many visitors? We met a mad fellow named Urik on the way here, does he stop by much? He mentioned witches amongst the farmers we passed as well, surely in a place such as this cautious folk listen to the dangers that stalk their neighbors?

[Diplomacy: 10+3+4=17]
The colorfully dressed man looks at the odd woman suspiciously, then shrugs as if dismissing some shy thought. However, he does become somewhat more talkative, though no more understandable. "Others gone. We wander. It is our way."

Looking into the tent, where discussion can still be heard, the Vistanti addresses Janis' other questions. "Villagers afraid, but come some do. Know she see truth. Mad Urik---" The man spits on the ground. "---Urik no welcome here. Lucky we let him live. Crazy, insult Eva and us." He spits again to drive the point home.

"Witches? Rumors. Fire stories. Villages scared of dark."

 

[stonegod]

The large woman taps her long fingers together, the long nails clacking like scurrying rats. She cranes her head to some other in the room without directly addressing Marot and Ashlyn's comments. "And the son of beasts, the heart of savagery and flame? Are these too what he seeks and what he will do with his knowledge? Stalker of truths, as unbendable and brittle as iron? Or the seeker of words, little one of the plains? Are you all united, or does each seek for their own, hmm?"

 

[DEFCON 1]

"Are these too what he seeks and what he will do with his knowledge? Stalker of truths, as unbendable and brittle as iron? Are you all united, or does each seek for their own, hmm?"

Jarrith raises his eyebrows to his Lumin Brother as the large woman picks out their own particular picadillos. He also noticed her referencing Marot as "Khyber-born" and the warlock drawing himself aback a bit from that. Obviously, this isn't some dog and pony show, but perhaps an actual possibility of receiving true answers.

"A blade and a raven... the source of this undead plague... the shadow over this land... the futures of those who'd fight it... yeah, that seems about right." Jarrith reinterates what Ashlyn and Marot have already inquired, showing his solidarity to their requests. He then takes a second to think of anything else that might be worth asking about, then perks up when he thinks of a couple. "Anything specifically we could do to help remove this undead plague might give us a good starting point. And if there's anyone else around here who'd be willing to help out. The more we have on our side, the better chance we have to be successful."

He chuckles lightly to himself, then suddenly remembers something that was the whole basis of this trip in the first place. "Oh yeah... the whole point of us being here was to locate the... what was it called? The Tome of Strahd, I think. Supposed in the lands given to the ir'Zarovich's. If you know where we could find that too... that'd be great."

He looks at Sir Khensu and gives a small, embarrassed shrug. "Spent so much time dealing with the walking dead, I completely forgot about why we were stuck up here in the first place."