Session 9 - Chapter 1
SECRETS AMONG FRIENDS
In the morning, the group woke and shuffled out of the blacksmith’s shop into the dim light of the city street. The night had been miserable and the day offered no cheer, just the same overcast gray murk that was every day in Barovia.
There were more survivors among the villagers than just Ireena. Wary folk had turned off their lamps and remained silent to escape detection in the midst of the werewolf attack. Now these people were out on the street, carrying their dead to the cemetery. Pails of river water were poured on the cobbles to wash off the blood. The dead of the zombie plague hadn’t even been fully removed from the streets, and now there were fresh bodies from an entirely new horror. The people of Barovia went about their duties with numb detachment.
The Lightbringers saw that the church had several pieces of timber stacked up against it, and more scattered on the ground. The werewolf siege had begun at dusk, as the people were readying to burn their profaned church to the ground. It was to be a celebration of the end of an era of fear.
“What now?” Toufghar asked.
Ashlyn shook her head. “I don’t know, give me a moment.”
“We’re supposed to find the Tome, but it wasn’t where she said it would be and-“
“I said give me a moment, damn it. Let me think.”
“Sorry.” The half-orc wandered over to Gerrit and spoke to him. “I just can’t stand this feeling. We did what we were supposed to do and didn’t find anything.”
“I know. More people just got hurt.” Gerrit shifted his weight and crossed his arms. “Maybe we should concentrate on finding the Holy Symbol. It’s in a place ‘where humans plumb their darkest nature’. That has to be the church.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
Arianna said “No, no, we have to find the Tome. First thing.”
“It wasn’t there, ‘anna.”
The sound of horse’s hooves on the ground echoed up the streets. No one in Barovia rode a horse, and so every head turned to watch a gypsy man with a bright red neck scarf riding towards the adventurers. He pulled to a stop and looked around warily. He seemed nervous. “Which of you is Arianna?”
“I am,” the elf replied. The man pulled out a parchment note sealed with a blob of wax. Arianna held out her hand for it. He gave it to Thendrick, then turned and rode off.
“That was odd,” Thendrick said as he broke the seal. He read it silently, took a breath to read aloud, then stopped as his eyes traced the last parts of the page.
Toufghar asked “What does it say?”
Thendrick folded the note and quickly placed it in the folds of his robe. “Nothing. Just a personal note. I think we should head back to the werewolf den. We may not have searched it properly.”
Arianna said “Why would a note for you come from a man who only wants to know who I am?”
“I’m heading to Bildrath’s, I want to stock up on a few potions.” Thendrick began walking toward the center of town. The others followed.
At the entrance to the shop was a sign. It read
Official Sponsor of the Lightbringers, the Newest Group of Strahd-Slayers!
Thendrick sighed and pushed open the door. Ashlyn followed.
Bildrath was doing brisk business again. It seemed that he thrived on the town’s hardships. People needed rope, locks, wood, hammers, weapons, holy symbols and more. The shopkeep looked up from his sales and yelled “look who’s here, it’s The Amazing Thendrick and Ashlyn of the Lightbringers! Welcome, welcome!”
Thendrick sidled up to the counter. “So we’re ‘sponsored’ now?”
“Oh, that’s just a promotion. You know how it is. Don’t worry, as a sponsored adventuring team you’re entitled to anything in the store… at
cost.” Bildrath beamed with pride.
“Great. We need two potions of
cure paralysis, three of
cure moderate wounds, and a few material components.” He thought for a second more and said “And do you have a pencil I could use for a moment?”
Outside, Toufghar, Gerrit and Arianna were leaning against the wall. Arianna was petting Jade. The passing people gave them odd looks.
Gerrit studied his nails and tried to ignore the glances. “Why are we being stared at like we’re evil outsiders again?”
Arianna replied “They’re not sure if we brought the werewolf attack down on them. Ireena seems certain, but these people only have suspicions. They haven’t broken out the torches and pitchforks about it.”
Toufghar said “What happens when they find out we did?”
“We didn’t, don’t say that.” Arianna exhaled and slid down the wall to sit on the cold cobbles. “I didn’t come here to fight the undead and werewolves. I just wanted to meet a supposedly rich uncle.”
“It’s odd,” Gerrit agreed. “I think about it now and then. You came to look into an inheritance and I came for the travel. Here we are all caught up in aristocratic intrigue, fighting against an evil we haven’t even confirmed the existence of yet.”
“In horrid weather.” She looked up and crinkled her nose at the deep gray sky. “I’m so sick of drizzly dark days.”
Gerrit nodded and smiled. “Are you saying you’d like to leave? There’s really nothing keeping us here…”
“No. I’m staying.”
“Me too.”
Arianna stared off into the distance and muttered to herself. “We have to find that book.”
Later, they were walking again through the woods to the south. Arianna was scouting ahead, looking for tracks. The others lagged behind.
Thendrick slowed and got Gerrit’s attention with a look. He slowed and the halfling followed along until they were fifteen feet or so behind Toufghar and Ashlyn. Thendrick handed Gerrit the folded letter and Gerrit read it silently.
I blame myself. I do so enjoy my riddles. Your mission benefits me as well, though, so I have further information.
You would hem and haw over the place where humans plumb their darkest nature. The time is not right for you to make that journey, but when it is, find the coven on the hill.
Your focus right now should be the Tome. Tsk tsk... you were right there. You lot are going to have to learn that to know the secrets of death itself, you're going to have to walk knee-deep in the dead.
Do not reveal any of this to Arianna, as she is... watched.
-Eva
Gerrit looked up at Thendrick with a confused expression. Of course they all knew Arianna was being watched. Strahd was scrying on her… almost constantly, if Eva could be believed. Then again, Arianna had been acting oddly lately. She always seemed a bit more motivated than the others to find the Tome. She’d been a bit irritating about it, in fact.
At the bottom, Thendrick had quickly scribbled something in pencil.
If we find the Tome, keep it from her. If we get separated, meet back at Madam Eva’s.
Gerrit folded the note and handed it back to Thendrick with a look. The two nodded and walked on in silence. Thendrick broke away from Gerrit to move towards Ashlyn. He was about to signal her to move back as well when something rustled in the underbrush, two hundred feet ahead.
“Damn,” Arianna said. “Just a sentry. Wolf. Saw us and ran off.
Damn! We should stick more closely together. They could attack at any time now.”
They closed the group up, putting an end to Thendrick’s attempts to notify Ashlyn as to the plan. They trudged on through the brush toward the werewolf den.
Coming up
KNEE DEEP IN THE DEAD
.