Session 7 - Chapter 1
SPOKESMEN
In the morning, Gerrit was reincarnated. The sheet was placed over him and as it deflated, Arianna held her breath. The sheet rose back up in a familiar shape. When it was pulled back, it was the old Gerrit… a halfling.
He blinked. “I’m… back?”
“You’re back. Good to see you.”
He sat up and rubbed his neck. “I feel like I haven’t slept in a week.”
“You were a tough case, my friend.” She folded the sheet and put it away, then helped him to his feet. “You actually became a zombie just before we destroyed Doru. Not an easy one to bring back.”
“You did a great job.”
“Yeah, it’s a miracle you even came back male.” While Gerrit’s mind reeled from the implications, she smiled and finished putting away her magical trappings.
Toufghar burst into the room. “Hey, look!”
Thendrick was following close behind, looking sheepish. “I’m sorry, he gets like this every time there’s an impressive new kill to strip.”
Arianna looked at the half-orc and was about to ask what he meant when she gasped in disgust. Toufghar was proudly showing off the clawed hands of Doru the blaspheme, sewn into his armor at the shoulders so that the fingertips hung down over his upper arms. He grinned. “Nice, huh? The face was cut in half so it wouldn’t really do. Besides, this looks so much more fearsome.”
Ashlyn was horrorstruck. “Touf, the claws are still caked with gore. Our dried blood.”
“I know! It’s so perfect. It’ll be a shame the first time it rains, because that’ll wash away quickly.”
“Well,” Gerrit said at last. “Glad I came back.”
The group wanted to set out for the gypsy encampment along the edge of the Tser Pool to find Madam Eva, but Arianna had reconsidered Bildrath’s offer for the scroll of reincarnate. She missed Jade terribly.
Arianna made the trip alone and found herself at Bildrath’s Mercantile once more. “Well hello!” he called as she walked in. “Done with shopping around for a better price, are you?”
“Um. Yes,” she said politely. “Do you still have it?”
“Of course. Now… let’s talk price.”
She hadn’t expected that. She paused for a moment and collected herself. “I believe you quoted the price yesterday as being three thousand gold pieces.”
Bildrath shook his head with a smile. His neck fat jiggled visibly. “No no no no. I said I could get that much from the wealthier families in the area. You’re wealthier still… an adventurer.”
“You’ve got a mistaken impression of how an adventurer lives, sir…”
“No, I really don’t. Every now and then some hero comes through town on the way to the castle to do what the hundred or so before him couldn’t. They’re all rich with no concept of savings. I’m sorry, but I can see that magical weapon slung over your back. You’re not poor. You can afford this.”
The smug smile he gave her made her want to take the weapon out and show him how it was properly used. “I’m afraid I’ve only got three thousand two hundred gold pieces on me at the moment.”
“That’s fine, we’ll do that and trade. What about that panther I saw you with before? That’d fetch a fine price.”
Arianna bristled. “Surely there’s another way for us to work something out.”
“No, I’m-“ he stopped and thought for a second. “You know… I just had a thought. Bring your friend here, the white-haired fellow.”
Arianna stormed out, using the walk to steady her nerves and calm down. When she returned with a confused Thendrick, she was almost done cursing.
Bildrath greeted Thendrick warmly. “Hello my friend. How are you today? Are you interested in helping Arianna here make a great deal?”
“Ahh… I think so.”
“She wants a scroll but can’t pay for it. I propose that I give it to her for two thousand five hundred gold pieces and you do a service for me.”
“Okay. What’s the service?”
Bildrath smiled his wormy smile. “You seem to be rather charismatic… you have a way with words. I notice the slight figure and robes, as well. You’re a wizard, yes?”
“Well, technically I’m a sorcerer, but…”
“Over the course of this zombie infestation, I did what I had to do. I charged money for supplies. Some would say this makes me a bad man. Some would say it makes me a tragedy profiteer. I’m not too popular in town right now and need to do some P.R., so here’s the deal: later today, you do a show out in the town square.”
Thendrick brightened immediately. “Oh I can certainly do that, I’m trained in stage magic you know. Why, my father made it his profession.”
“Great, great. Okay. You come out, do some flash and dazzle, say a few words about the shop and I’ll give her the scroll for a steal. Sound good?”
“Yes, that sounds fine.”
“Fantastic! Now we’re networking, this is beautiful. What’s your party name, I’ll work it in with the tagline ‘the newest group to go up against Strahd’ or something.”
Arianna immediately recalled what Strahd had told her about bringing the public faith around to his side. “Uh…” she began.
“Splendid,” Thendrick replied. “I think we have a deal.”
“Great,” Bildrath said. “Work up a routine. Be back here at noon.”
At noon, a low stage had been erected before Bildrath’s Mercantile. Children paid in pennies had been all over town for hours, crying out the news of a show at Bildrath’s. There weren’t many people in attendance, but that was mostly because the zombie plague had killed so many. The crowd in the town square actually represented a good portion of the survivors.
“Almost showtime,” Thendrick said. “Can you believe he gave me a script to read at the end? Wish me luck!” He began to walk off.
Arianna grabbed his sleeve. “Try to get him to leave out the part about Strahd.”
“Oh Arianna, he just meant that he’d introduce me as someone going up against Strahd. It doesn’t have to be true… ninety percent of performance is illusion. Besides, how would this get back to him? He’s just an old man, right?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“What are you saying?”
Arianna looked around and spoke low. “I’m saying I’m having serious doubts that he is what he says he is. It would be wisest to keep from broadcasting any intent one way or the other.”
Some light applause interrupted the elf and she and Thendrick looked to the stage. Bildrath was stepping to the front. “Friends and fellow Barovians,” Bildrath said in a somber voice. “Over the last week and more we have been under assault. Terrible undead have trod through our fair town and taken from us our brothers, sisters, fathers and sons. We have come through a tragedy only to see dark days as we bury our own dead through rheumy eyes. We must never forget what happened, and always honor the fallen.
“All the same, we must remember that our departed loved ones would not want us to live in blackest grief.” He turned his face to the sky and looked very sad. “We must pick up the pieces and begin to laugh again… to enjoy what we have left of the life we live. It is in this spirit now that I pledge to bring to you a moment’s respite… some entertainment.”
Bildrath grinned benevolently. “Barovia! From the Lightbringers, the newest and greatest party to go up against that monster in the castle, Strahd Von Zarovich, I give you:
The Amazing Thendrick!!”
Thendrick bounded on stage and waved to the crowd. The applause was halfhearted but the showman in him knew to press on with confidence. “Greetings! Hey, who here would like to see a little tumbling? Maybe some magic? Well okay then! I’d like to present my esteemed assistant. All the way from Ortil on the mainland! Please say hello to…
Gerrit Applecatcher!” The halfling cartwheeled up the stairs to the stage, bounding up into a double-flip and landing in a kneeling pose with his palms out to the crowd. The crowd’s cheering got a little louder.
“Hey Gerrit,” Thendrick said. “I think they liked that. I think they’d like to see a little more, what do you think?” Gerrit held his hand to his ear and the audience clapped for more. Thendrick laughed. “Come on, I think you can do better than that. Let him hear you!” The crowd applauded loudly, some people shouting.
Gerrit began flipping around the stage. Side-flips, full on backflips, daring leaps ending in somersaults, getting faster and faster. The applause built as he went. He wrapped everything up by bounding off of the building at the back of the stage and going into a high vertical jump. He flipped five times, landing neatly in a dismount position. The audience loved it.
Thendrick said “Wonderful! Gerrit Applecatcher, everyone! And now, Gerrit, if you’ll bring my chest of secrets to the front, we can move on with the show.” Gerrit pushed a large footlocker to the fore of the stage, then stepped back.
Thendrick began moving his hands in wide arcs. The chest opened slowly and the people ooh’d and ahh’d. A glowing symbol began rising from the chest. It was the holy symbol of Bellethanne. Since the terrible downfall of the church was discovered the day before, the people had been despairing. Seeing the symbol of Bellethanne lit up and levitating was a way to play to their hopes. It was a cheap way, Thendrick acknowledged to himself as he moved it to a pedestal to sit, but it worked.
The next trick involved an archery target. Gerrit stood ten feet to its left, and Thendrick was loading his crossbow with a clip of bolts. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an ordinary repeating crossbow. I can assure you, it is quite real… no trickery here. Watch, now, as I shoot a bullseye…” He aimed at the target. “By shooting at my assistant!” He quickly switched his aim to Gerrit and fired. The crowd gasped. Gerrit slapped at the bolt and it flew off, striking the target on its upper portions. The audience cheered as Thendrick emptied the clip at Gerrit, who struck every bolt from the air and into the target.
Thendrick cast a spell in the air over himself and the halfling. “Hmm… no bullseye yet. Watch, now, as we do the same trick… twice as fast!” He pulled the trigger rapidly and Gerrit cracked at them with both hands. With the last bolt, Gerrit spun a full turn around and backhanded it right into the center of the bullseye. The crowd went wild.
“Thank you! Thank you, everyone! And remember…” Thendrick pulled out his script. “…that whether it’s rope or steel, bowstrings or barrelstaves, you can find everything you’re shopping for at Bilbrath’s Mercantile! Yes, that’s Bilbrath’s Mercantile, on the corner of Diril and Main. Our prices are simply… amazing.” He and Gerrit bowed and left the stage.
Bildrath let Arianna have the scroll for two thousand five hundred gold pieces despite Thendrick’s mispronunciation of his name on stage. Business was booming at Bildrath’s Mercantile and he was too busy ringing up orders to have a care for the sorcerer’s error.
The group eagerly took the scroll to a secluded area and used it. Within moments, they were staring blank-faced at Jade, who was blinking back at them. “Well. Um,” Thendrick began, trying to put a positive spin on the entire embarrassing event and its result. “At least we entertained the people, huh?”
Arianna shook her head. “Shut up, Thendrick.”
Jade had returned as a giant crocodile.
Coming up
THE READING
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