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

[stonegod]

The Chase

With little ceremony, Janis knocks on the worn wooden door of the domicile. The large bearded man answers, again with his child in tow. Daellin and Janis can see a worn woman in the process of putting back together a clutter strewn home.

The man is taken aback by Janis' appearance, and instinctually makes the 'V'-mark that signifies the evil eye. Open seeing her husband's reaction, the wife chides her husband. "It is the Pale Lady, Igor, as Marzena mentioned. Treat her with respect." The man frowns, then turns to the pair.

"What may I do for you, Pale Lady?"

 

[James Heard]

Janis sniffs the air for any of the relevant smells from the inn.

" Forgive us for intruding so. We're trying to check up on all the townspeople. How are you, and have you seen anything untoward recently?"

Janis crouches to bring herself to eye level with the child, inhaling deeply as she does so.

" And what do they call you?"

 

[stonegod]

The Chase

The man looks at Janis with a look of 'besides-the-hungry-zombie-hordes' before a thump from his wife removes it. "No. Nothing. Widania here did wander of a bit and pester Jerzy down the street on our way back from Anya's mothers, but nothing otherwise."

Widania, the little girl, looks at Janis with a finger lolling her mouth. "It was all purple!" Her father frowns the non-sequitur.

None of the smells seem familiar to Janis.


Edit: I'm going to move the questioning forward a bit.

Janis and Daellin look at each other, and the druid asks "What was purple?"

The girl looks up and smiles. "Mama and Tata and me going down the street when everything turned purple! It was shiny! I just float! Then it wasn't purple anymore and Mister Jerzy was there and Mama and Tata were gone! Purple was fun!"

Janis cannot be sure, but it is clear there was a spell-like effect going on similar to what happened to Marot, though she cannot say what exactly. [Spellcraft]

 

[James Heard]

Janis scrunches up her face in distaste.

"I see. What an adorable child you have here. Maybe we could inquire as to which residence is Master Jerzy's? Ah, let me see if I recall...he's a baker? No...That's not right. You'll have to forgive me, faces to names, names to faces and such...Daellin, I don't suppose you remember him? I think that maybe Marot spoke to him the most?"

 

[stonegod]

Igor frowns again, not quite buying Janis' bluff, but another thump from the wife brings him around. Irritated, his gives directions that are to a house down a few side streets from here along one of the paths the pair crossed on their way here.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Jarrith returns to the others after the day of gathering information. Mateusz had been quite helpful, and with his help, the Stalker was able to piece several things together. When Ashlyn, Tessa, and Perriwimple were available to be spoken to, he went over what he discovered.

"The witches on the Hill control what used to be a monestery... build many years ago by St. Ecaterina for an Order by her name. It is said the witches walk in fair form and make sacrifices during the new moon... which I believe is five days from now. We should be able to find Sir Urik's Symbol of the Raven there.

To the northeast, deep in the Svalich wood... there was talk of a czernovoi. A dark trickster fey spirit. It's lair is deep in the woods where the wolves run. It wouldn't be difficult to believe that Lady Ashlyn's sunblade is in that lair.

There was also talk about some water spirits as well... rusalka, I think they're called. Not necessarily germaine to what we are doing, but there IS at least one more fane that has ties to the darkness of this land that we need to find. We won't know for certain until we acquire the Tome of Strahd... but it is something to keep in mind."

He nods once to himself and runs through a couple further things he discovered which have no real impact as of yet. Then he looks back up at the others. "I think we should prepare ourselves for the day and the journey out tomorrow or the day after. When Janis and Daellin come back, we'll need to determine what our next course of action will be. Either heading straight to the castle to find the Tome first and before the agents of the Claw get there... or start on finding the objects at the two fanes we know about in order to lessen the Curse that hangs over this whole place. What say you?"

 

[stonegod]

The Chase

[I'm going to move this ahead again. Need to get folks back together.]

Taking their leave, Janis and Daellin went in search of a man named Jerzy. Janis' heightened scenes were still at work, but in the village proper, there were many people moving about now that the zombie incursion was lifted. With neighbor visiting neighbor and kin checking on kin, there were a lot of threads that made her untrained tracking difficult.

Jerzy was not found at his house, or at least no one answered at the door. While Daellin looked in the window---seeing another house in need of cleaning---Janis asked if anyone had seen Jerzy recently. No one had---apparently, he had not returned from his journey yet. Or something had delayed him.

With their only recourse breaking and entering, the increased difficulty of tracking scents in the village, and the limited duration of Janis' spell, the druid and the tracker decide to return to the Tavern to report their findings. It was clear now that whomever had possessed Marot had the ability to jump bodies---the little girl proved that---and was most likely of an arcane bent, considering the fiendish creature at its command and the nature of the Claw. If their camp was to the north, as the sulphur trail indicated, then they would not be able to make it to the Castle without passing by Marot and Sir Khensu. As far as the party could tell, the Castle had but one approach.

With that, the group rejoined at the Blood on the Vine, with Jarrith having shared his news.

 

[DEFCON 1]

"So that's the story. It seems obvious that if it was in fact Claw agents who took over Marot and this young girl of yours... then we are on a race against time." Jarrith picks up his wine glass and takes a quick swig. "Janis, you originally wanted to head for Lysaga Hill and the forest before going to the castle. Is this still your opinion? Or do you think we should head to the castle first, find the Tome, then proceed from there for the other parts we heard about? And what of the rest of you?" He shrugs his shoulders as usual, and looks at his glass. "I know what I would prefer, but I think majority should rule on this one."

He finishes off the wine, and motions to the barkeep for a refill. "But be that as it may... we all have some things we need to finish here before we move on. We've been going pretty much non-stop. I had promised I would help Ireena out at the church's gravesite to put the villager's bodies to rest. So that is my plan of action once our meeting here in adjourned."

 

[James Heard]

" I think we should find the Claw agents and kill them. After they're dead I think that we're still better off going to Lysaga Hill."

Janis sighs.

" I hate feeling rushed. Why can't we trouble ourselves with outing more...leisurely villainy on occasion?"

 

[Stormwind]

For many hours while day slowly turned to night, Ashlyn toiled with the dead of Barovia, transporting the bodies by wagon to the graveyard where a large pyre was being built. Unobtrusively organising things when they need to be done, and always busy working herself, the day passed. The scent of death lingered in the air, but it was a scent that Ashlyn was well used to ... still it itched in her nose like a sneeze waiting to happen.

During the day, Ashlyn spent time working alongside both Tessa and Perriwimple and with a few words here and there, she slowly got to know them a little better.

As far as the arrangements for the funeral, Ashlyn was relieved that someone else was able to take on the burden of officiating. She was much happier quietly organising what needed to be done in preparation.

Finally as the group regathered at the inn, Ashlyn walks in and quietly takes a seat. She seems a little more relaxed, albeit somber. As Jarrith and Janis speak, she listens carefully, and then nods slightly, "My thoughts would seem to coincide with Janis's. It would be unwise to proceed with our objectives with an enemy on our flank, thus I would be keen to neutralise them before we proceed."

She pauses a moment, "We should also examine the equipment we obtained at the church. Perhaps we can put some of it to better use."