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

[Kralin Thornberry]

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."

Still standing at the back of the group, Bergeron listens closely to Madame Eva talk. The comment about being of Khyber sent a shiver down his back quickly, but he soon recovered. Khyber was nowhere near them. He then heard about the lands of ir'Zarovich and the Tome of Strahd.

"Madame Eva, do you think that you might possibly have any maps that could show us the way? I am very good with maps. And I would love to see the Tome of Strahd, perhaps learn some of the lore of those lands, and perhaps spread their tales!"

 

[stonegod]

The seer laughs, a booming sound that reverberates in the tent. "They know not they walk the lands of they seek now, do they? Ho, how blind they are! Zarovich's lands these were, and Zarovich's lands they still be, though there be no new masters in a very, very, long time." The last of her words or almost a whisper, a sinister escape of breath.

She turns her gaze upon the halfling, the full brunt of her presence with it. "The land is its map. Ask any, and they'll speak where things be found, but none have been to but a few."

She turns her gaze on the shifter, apparently waiting on his reply.

 

[James Heard]

[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."

Janis nods in agreement with the succinct assessment of knights and villagers, a small smile breaking the lines of her face from their usual mask.

"In my ruined homeland, the land walks with ghosts and ghosts of ghosts, wild magic run free to assault the sane and living...I too understand what it is to wander."

Janis laughs aloud, a barking, uncomfortable noise.

"A person can wander away from their dead, but their dead follow them and the new dead great them from every shadow," the petite wizard says wryly before a long pause.

"A lot of people are afraid of what they don't understand. Sometimes, you understand something and you know to be afraid of it too," Janis says as she warms herself by the fire, the light casting strange shadows across her eyes.

"What are the smart folk afraid of in Barovia, friend? And what light turns the night away?"

 

[stonegod]

"What are the smart folk afraid of in Barovia, friend? And what light turns the night away?"

The Visanti man grunts. "Smart ones avoid deep woods. The dead haunt them, as do the wolves. And those that stay alive no go to castle. But for light? No light in Barovia. Shadows and mist."

 

[stonegod]

[sblock=Ashlyn]This book your new companions are looking for... you have not heard of it, but the name 'Strahd' is one you have. Seemed to be a boogeyman or cursed name when used in the village, but always used quietly and with an uncomfortable glance about. She did not get the impression it was a still living person.[/sblock]

 

[Kralin Thornberry]

She turns her gaze upon the halfling, the full brunt of her presence with it. "The land is its map. Ask any, and they'll speak where things be found, but none have been to but a few."

QUOTE]

"W-w-w-why thank you, ", Bergeron stammered. "I will do my best to help find this book, what did you say it was called again?"

ooc: Bergeron will try to use bardic knowledge with knowledge to see if he knows anything about the book.

 

[Stormwind]

As Ashlyn waits patiently for the old woman to address her questions, she leans back listening quietly to the old woman's various cryptic references to her companions and watching her companions reactions.

She is a little surprised when Jarrith mentions the purpose of the group, particulary as it seems to have details in common with her own mission, specifically the name ir'Zarovich. Thus when Madam Eva's comments indicate that they are indeed within Zarovich lands, it is yet another indication that she is closer to finding the blade she seeks.

[sblock=stonegod]Did the name 'Strahd' seem to scare the adults in the village as much as the children?[/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

[sblock=Ashlyn]

Did the name 'Strahd' seem to scare the adults in the village as much as the children?

If anything, adults were more askance at anyone saying the words 'Devil Strahd;' like the evil eye or some other superstition, it makes them uncomfortable.[/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

[Bardic Knowledge: 14]
Bergeron tries to recall any tales of this tome, but it apparently little is known of it beyond what the Twelve researchers have already revealed.

 

[stonegod]

The Telling: Sunsword

Sir Khensu remained quiet, perhaps overwhelmed at Madam Eva's presence, or perhaps unwilling to trust the stranger. Either way, it caused the large woman to smile, a half-predatory grin.

[Marot Diplomacy: 29; Ashlyn Diplomacy: 27]
Madam Eva turns her grin towards Marot and Ahslyn. It appears she has warmed upon to the two of them, though why is unclear. "So a telling, my pets?" Her hands begin shuffling the cards, a motion more rapid than one would expect for hands so large and nails so long. She places the deck in front of the Cyran paladin first. "Cut it, for first we ask your question."

With a steady hand, Ashlyn separates the cards, then Madam Eva collects them. She concentrates a moment, her lips pressed tightly together. Aloud, she intones, "You seek a blade of light, a weapon for vengeance." Without opening her eyes, she takes the first card off the desk, and turns it over.

Immediately, she draws another card and places it over the first, eyes still closed.

When it is placed, she opens her eyes, and gazes down at the green dragon on it. "Seek it in the heart of the wilds, far from human hands." She caresses the tail of the dragon, idly adding, "This card speaks of the wildness of nature. The weapon is deep in the woods, perhaps guarded by a spirit of the fey."

Closing her eyes once again, she holds the deck tightly. "The sword sleeps." With those words, she draws another card, placing it crosswise over the other two, forming a cross.

In the tent light, the scales of the gold dragon seem to sparkle with a luminance of their own. Her eyes open once again, Madam Eva stares intently at Ashlyn. "To wake it, bring it to where the light lies dead, slain by the darkness that shrouds the castle." Before Ashlyn can speak, Madam Eva places a finger over her cracked lips. "Quiet, pet, we are not done." The seer's hands then hover of the golden dragon, as if gathering the reflected light. "Seek the tomb of the fallen prince in the deepest recesses of the castle. Only there can the blade be awoken."

She looks once again at those gathered, the shadows seeming to have gathered around her face. "Do they have questions, now? Or shall we seek the next?"