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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dr Midnight" data-source="post: 3748928" data-attributes="member: 69">Session 7 - Chapter 3 FIRESIDE CHATStrahd held his hands over the bonfire. “How bravely, and how bright, the fire burns against the darkness… not knowing how easily it can be extinguished.” He looked like a kindly grandfather warming himself at a fire, until he turned his head to her and the eyes flashed with the threat of his words. “Uncle Strahd,” Arianna said, immediately unnerved. “How nice to see you. Did you travel by coach?”“I am wondering, beloved niece, how your new friends saw fit to put on a performance condemning me in the center of Barovia.”“That was a miscommunication… uh… You saw that?”“Word spreads quickly. Tell me, how is it a miscommunication that the ‘Lightbringers’ are ‘the newest group to go up against’ Count Strahd Von Zarovich?”“That… he wasn’t supposed to say that. Bildrath, he…”Strahd shook his head. “Bildrath is not the problem. The problem is that you yourself doubt what I tell you, and that you’re taking the words of the idiot peasants to heart. You believe what they say about me and aren’t acting against their slander.”“We’ve been doing our part. Seeds need fertile soil to take root, and it will take time to turn them back to you.”“Lies. You may have a silver tongue, but know this: I have a forked one. ” He waved a hand at her disgustedly. “I have given you enough time on that count. You will focus on finding the Tome, and when you find it, you will destroy it.”“Just a moment,” Arianna said. “I think I’ve had just about enough of your orders. I’m not here to serve you and to be honest I’m not even sure I want this inheritance. I think-““Silence!!” Strahd hissed and leveled his clawed hand at her. His eyes closed like a fist around her mind and she couldn’t move or look away. His words melted into her as he spoke. “You will find the Tome, and you will destroy it as soon as possible. You will not read it, nor will you allow any of your companions to.” He lowered his hand. “You will not disobey my directions this time, I think. Should I hear of these ‘Lightbringers’ acting against my best interests again I shall have to take further measures.”Strahd stepped back into the shadows and disappeared against the night. Arianna stared after him, still feeling him in her mind. Her eyes were open wide and aside from trembling she didn’t move at all.<img src="http://a132.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/74/l_8cb59b0bf1f8084d97818e3453a2be0b.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Gerrit, Thendrick, Toufghar, Ashlyn and Jade emerged from Madam Eva’s tent. They’d gleaned from her just about all they could and grew frustrated with her cryptic answers. They came upon Arianna outside the tent, staring off into the darkness beyond the fire. She’d have looked relaxed if her arms hadn’t been pinned to her sides. Tendons stood out in her neck and she was breathing quickly. Ashlyn stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “Arianna?”The elf gasped and whirled. A thin sheen of sweat was on her brow. “Oh, it’s you. You… uh… you scared me.”“Is everything all right? You seem tense."“Fine! I’m fine. I just got spooked by the reading. Did she tell us anything else?”Thendrick looked down at his notes. “Yes. She mentioned a few things. Here’s what we’ve gathered… for the Holy Symbol, we’re going to find a place ‘where humans plumb their darkest nature.’ I’m betting that means it’s in that church somewhere. Once we’ve got it, we’ll have to take it ‘to the place of its antithesis, where hellish magic is made.’ No idea where that could be. Luckily, we won’t have to worry about that for a bit- she did mention that we’d have better luck starting out for the Tome of Strahd. The Tome will give us a clue to his weakness, it looks like, which may explain why he wants it destroyed.”Arianna tensed at this and said nothing.Thendrick continued. “The Tome will lead us to three defiled places, where we must unearth three relics. Once we have them all, we must destroy what we have created. To find the Tome, we go where ‘the moon is hidden but most powerfully felt,’ and we’ve got to watch out for the moon’s children.”“Whatever that means,” Toufghar sniffed. “Wolves,” Gerrit said distantly. “Those huge wolves that live in the forest.” “What, that forest?” cried Thendrick. That’s the scariest looking patch of woods I’ve ever seen. There are huge wolves in there? I’m not going in that!”“I have to,” Arianna said. She shook her head and spoke again. “We have to. We must find that book.” Thendrick sighed. “Great. Well, after that Eva mentioned that Strahd will find us many times and we will find him only once. This is our time to strike. We’ll find him ‘among his riches, hidden from might.’” “Sight,” Ashlyn corrected.“Oh.” Thendrick looked at his notes. “That does make more sense. Anyway, uh… ‘every piece moves with a purpose, and none but the master can know the objective of the game. No piece on the board, however, is as important as the queen… who is but one move away from her king.’ We thought that might be Ireena, so we asked about her next. Her card was the empress. ‘She has loved him before and will again. The master covets her.’ Not sure what that’s about, and what part she has to play in all this, but she’ll be one to keep an eye on.” Thendrick folded his notes and placed them back in his pocket. Arianna said “So. We go to the forest?”“Are you crazy?” Toufghar asked. “It’s nighttime. If there are werewolves out there to be dealt with, the dead of night’s not the time to do it. I say we spend the night here.” The others nodded. Arianna, who was unnaturally eager to get moving, resigned herself to the delay with a pout. “You guys watch my stuff,” Toufhgar said as he stripped off his armor. “I’m going swimming.” He ran to the Tser Pool and jumped in with a splash. A voice spoke behind Gerrit. “You go to fight the werewolves. Yes?” The halfling turned to find a Vistani man standing there wearing gypsy clothing. He had a curling mustache and a colorful scarf. His eyes crinkled with a kindly smile. “Yes,” Gerrit said. “How did you know that?”The gypsy laughed. “I am Vistani. You needn’t have the second sight to see some truths. For instance, your friend just now broke the surface of the water, fragmenting the reflection of the moon. Thus, I know you’re going to fight the werewolves. Little signs like this exist all around us if we have the wit to see them.” He extended a hand. “My name is Miolho. I am very glad to meet you and your people.” “Gerrit Applecatcher,” Gerrit replied, happy to meet a friendly person in this land. “You have a lovely encampment here.”The gypsies were beginning to filter back out of their tents and into the common area. Some kept a watchful eye to the sky and the darkness beyond the tents. They broke out a few bottles of some spicy tasting Vistani cherry ale and over the course of the next few hours, they toasted, danced, wined and cheered the adventurers. In the morning, Toufghar and Ashlyn found that they’d each been robbed over the course of the night. They’d each had so much fun, though, that they called it an even trade-off and waved to their new friends as they left for the Svalich Woods.Coming up THE SVALICH WOODS.</blockquote>

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