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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dr Midnight" data-source="post: 3948948" data-attributes="member: 69">Session 10 - Chapter 2 GLASSHOUSEThe 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 .</blockquote>

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