The Lightbringers' Expedition to Castle Ravenloft - updated 12/19
Dr Midnight
Explorer
Session 10 - Chapter 1
AN AWKWARD MEETING
AN AWKWARD MEETING
“Oh no,” Ashlyn said. “This is very bad.”
“This is phenomenally bad,” Thendrick agreed.
“We need to plan. We don’t have time. We can’t go.”
Gerrit grabbed Ashlyn by the elbows and shook her, whispering fiercely. “We have to. If we don’t, he’ll know something’s wrong. We don’t know how much he saw of what just happened out at the cave, so keep your head in the game and play your part. For now we have to stay alive.”
Arianna sighed and set her shoulders. “Looks like Uncle Strahd wants to have a chat,” she announced with a smile. “Let’s get in.”
As they walked to the carriage, Gerrit handed Arianna something. “Eva said to give you this,” he whispered.
She looked at it. It was a small glass bulb, filled with maybe half a teaspoon of greenish liquid. A molded lead spider design wrapped around the sphere as if to hold it. “What is it?”
“She didn’t say, except that you should leave it somewhere in the castle.”
They reached the coach and Arianna tucked the bulb away into her belt pouch. The Lightbringers stepped inside and made themselves as comfortable as they could. The carriage began its bizarre ride north through the hills. Overhead, the clouds churned in darkness. The rumbles of thunder could be heard distantly, but no rain fell yet.
“Uncle Strahd,” Arianna said with a curtsy. “I’m glad you summoned us, we could use a night in fine warm beds.”
They were standing in some sort of grand sitting room on some floor in Castle Ravenloft. The chairs were lavishly cushioned in red velvet. Several well-filled bookshelves lined the room. A fire burned in the hearth, and before it, Strahd stood admiring a painting of a woman. He turned as the Lightbringers entered the room and gestured to the chairs. “Sit.”
Thendrick cleared his throat, noting with some misery how little light the fire seemed to cast about the room. “Pleased to meet you, sir. I am-“
Strahd’s eye fell on Thendrick and chilled him. “I know who you are. I know who and what you are. I know the things you said of me in the town square. I know more, yet.”
“Uh, yes. An unfortunate misunderstanding, all that.” He sat and squirmed, wishing he were anywhere else. His eyes widened as he looked at the painting over the fireplace and glanced to Arianna. She’d seen it too. The painting on the mantle was a tall portrait, painted in oils. It was a stately woman wearing an evening dress with her dark hair tied up in a noblewoman’s fashion. It was Ireena Kolyana.
Strahd’s back was to the group as he stared at the painting for a moment longer. He shifted his weight, turned and faced them. “Where is the Tome?”
Gerrit said “Oh, that. That was destroyed.”
“It was?”
“Yes, we found it in the werewolf den. We gave it a cursory glance, determined that it was the volume you were looking for, and destroyed it.”
“How?”
“Arianna cast a spell of create water over it and it was soaked. The pages were very flimsy and the entire thing just fell to ruin. Those witches really don’t know how to make durable propaganda.” He forced a laugh. Strahd didn’t return it.
“So where is it?” Strahd asked.
“Hmm?”
“Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“Where is the Tome.”
Gerrit slapped his thigh. “Oh! Hah. Well, it went to mush, like I said. Completely destroyed.”
“Where is the mush, then?”
“The Tome-mush? We, uh, we dumped the remnants in the Ivlis river.”
“You did.”
“Oh yes. Absolutely.”
Strahd’s eyes were cold. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Ashlyn stood and walked to the painting, admiring it. “This is remarkable. Did you paint it? Who is this?” Strahd didn’t answer her. “It’s amazingly lifelike. I’m telling you, she’s the spitting image of a woman we met in town. It’s almost…” her eyes narrowed on the painting. She’d found an odd detail. The fire’s light was hitting the raised textures of the brushstrokes and she could swear that the paint was thicker over the woman’s earrings. The style was different as well, almost as if one artist had painted the picture and another had repainted the earrings only. Why? Ashlyn marked it as something to ponder later, when they were out of harm’s way.
“Do not concern yourself with the painting,” Strahd said impatiently. “I’d like to know what really happened at the werewolf den. Spare no detail. Arianna, you may begin.”
Arianna looked around for support. Her friends only looked back at her, unable to offer ideas. “I don’t understand, Gerrit just explained what happened.”
“Gerrit lied and I have forgiven him. Your lies will be more difficult to forgive, Arianna, and we both know why. Tell me what happened. I command it.”
Arianna set her jaw. Immediately Gerrit sensed trouble. Arianna didn’t respond well to veiled threats and commands, and this was no time to be anything but witheringly polite. He glared at her with warning eyes but she didn’t see them. She said “We’ve told you what happened and I’m afraid you’re going to have to accept it.”
“I warn you, my niece. You tread on snakes when you speak to me so defiantly.” Arianna said nothing, staring hotly up into the vampire’s eyes. “My control is broken, then. I see. You others, this is your time to prove yourselves. If you refuse to act according to my whims as Arianna has, I will cast you out from my protection.”
The Lightbringers looked at each other, each hoping the other had a quick plan. Finally it was Thendrick who said “We’ve told you what happened.”
Strahd sighed and seemed to deflate, somehow. His face lowered and he turned back to the painting. “A cog that won’t work is one that must be removed from the clock. Very well. Come with me, I have another room I would like to show you.”
Gerrit stood nervously. “Another room?”
“Yes. It’s just out here. Follow me.” He walked out into the hallway and turned right. His cape swirled behind him as he went.
Toufghar leaned over to the others and whispered. “This is insane, we should leave now and try to make it to Palervale. By noon tomorrow we could be on our way across the ocean, away from here.”
“He could stop us if he wanted to,” Arianna said. “I’ve felt his power.”
Ashlyn said “So why, then, did you talk back to him? Did you not see that that wasn’t terribly smart?”
The elf shrugged. “He commanded me. After being under his control like I was, I’d rather have died than be bent to his orders.”
“If we can’t flee, what do we do?”
Gerrit walked to the door. “We go see this room he’s showing us, we hope for the best, we stay polite, and we leave. We don’t have much of a choice right now.”
The group stepped out into the hall and walked to the glasshouse rosegarden.
Coming up
GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUE
GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUE
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Dr Midnight
Explorer
Session 10 - Chapter 2
GLASSHOUSE
GLASSHOUSE
The Lightbringers entered the garden. Its glass-paneled walls and ceiling were held together with delicate ironwork. Blood-red rosebushes grew from seven deep troughs and curled up through lattices to lace outward over the ceiling, slightly obscuring the clouds that growled with lightning beyond.
The mists had thinned and the view was astounding. To the north and the south, the Svalich woods covered the ground like a dense carpet, ranging away for miles. The valley that made up the peopled region was a swath of open land from the southwest to the east, where the road led back into the mist to Palervale. In the middle was Barovia, a small clutch of houses that seemed to cower together between the forests’ borders. Through it all ran the Ivlis river and the lightning lit it up like a bright silver vein in the earth.
Strahd stood by the glass, looking over everything. His back was to them. His posture was different. He stood straighter than he had before. “I had such hopes that you would do as you were bid. You had potential.” His voice was also different- it was deeper, raspier. It was no longer the croak of an old man.
The Lightbringers eyed each other. Ashlyn laid her hand on the hilt of her sword. “I’m sure we don’t understand,” she said.
“You had a part to play. You were to come in, eliminate some of my enemies here and take care of that accursed book, then leave to make things ready for me elsewhere.”
As the heroes listened, Arianna slowly removed the glass bulb from her pouch and dropped it. She caught it on the soft toe of her calfskin boot, then let it roll to the stone floor. It didn’t make enough noise to catch Strahd’s attention. She gently kicked it into the shadows by the wall.
Strahd went on. “I have a lot of work to finish here before I can move on to the next phase of my plan, you see. I took pains bringing you to my land…”
“Excuse me,” Arianna interrupted. “Whose land?”
“Mine.”
“By what right do you call it yours?” The elf’s voice was defiant. Thendrick cringed.
Strahd paused. “I took pains bringing you to my land and arranging for the proper strings to be pulled. I will have to find a new group… one that won’t be crippled by curiosity and bad judgment.
“Your choice was to continue to do my work and eventually become honored lieutenants in my service or to defy me and die. You’ve made your choice, and your lives are now forfeit. The good news is that I’m not going to kill you right away.”
Gerrit’s jaw dropped open. “Wait. What…”
“You’re going to leave. You will keep trundling about the realm, looking for ways and clues to destroy me. I’m going to let you.”
Ashlyn stammered “Wh… why?” It was all she could think of to say.
“I am very, very old, as you now know. My existence is a tedium of repetition.” His voice grew quiet. “Endless echoes of night.” He waved a hand and continued. “Anyway. That the occasional goodhearted adventuring party come to pound a stake into my chest does me good. It helps me to pass the time… gives me something to focus on. It’s a game to play.”
“This is insane,” Toufghar muttered.
“Insane is what it isn’t,” laughed the vampire. “I’d have gone mad years ago without the pleasant interruption of adventurers.
“I’m going to give you time to try to kill me your way, and you’ll gladly take the opportunity because you still think you can do it. You’ll… find the Sunsword or some clue in the Tome to bring me down. Well, I say have at it.”
Gerrit began walking back to the door. The others followed. The door swung shut suddenly and the latch clicked.
“Not just yet,” Strahd said. “Before you leave for the night, I am going to show you why I am the master of Barovia.” He turned from the glasshouse wall and his face was young, cold and pale. His hair was dark and slicked back, silver only at the temples. His eyes were glowing a cloudy scarlet. The tips of fangs lit at the edges of his smile. “Don’t worry, though. For now…” He pointed to Arianna.
“I’m only going to kill her.”
Coming up
LIGHTNINGROD
LIGHTNINGROD
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Cutty Sark
First Post
Thanks for writing up another session. I've always been curious about how people run horror campaigns in 3.5, plus I was a big fan of Silver Quill/Spellforge Keep, so I'm having a blast reading this.
Dr Midnight
Explorer
We still haven't played again, and I don't know if we will again. I think I mentioned that one of us is having family problems and Saturdays are largely getting inconvenient for a few people. Unlucky timing's crippled the campaign. Also, I've been discouraged by a few things in-game. I'm going to make a run at getting things reorganized soon, but I honestly don't think there's much of a shot at this. Waiting until after football season may help (We've got a Patriots fan or two).
So let me spoil the rest for the curious.
This is an outline of what happens in the next update, which I honestly may never get to.
SPOILERS.
Now for what would happen next.
SPOILERS.
So let me spoil the rest for the curious.
This is an outline of what happens in the next update, which I honestly may never get to.
SPOILERS.
Strahd begins cutting through the heroes like butter. He's not really trying... this is an exhibition bout. He flings Thendrick out the window and Toufghar rapels down, making a run for it. Ashlyn flies out on her griffon mount and Gerrit and Arianna continue the fight because they've got nowhere to go. Ashlyn catches Thendrick before he splatters and sets him down before wheeling back up to the glasshouse. Inside, Strahd has fixed his eye upon Arianna and approaches her, then begins to drink from her jugular. Gerrit leaps forward and plants the biggest heal spell he can muster on the vampire's back. Strahd snarls in pain and pulls away. Ashlyn is rocketing down from the sky. She calls to her god and lightning strikes her upraised sword. She sweeps the sword through Strahd's neck as she flies by. He collapses into a puddle of mist and melts through the cracks in the floor.
Now for what would happen next.
SPOILERS.
The little metallic spider delivers its payload to the bubbling cauldron of blood, which Strahd uses to scry on Arianna with such ease. It will spoil the batch and make it harder to find her. At this point, they will have a choice- run and try to destroy the fanes whilst hiding all the while, or find their way down through the castle to the crypt to destroy Strahd forever. Either will be nearly impossible, but if Strahd ever confronts them again, he will NOT underestimate them again. He will kill.
