"I'm not going to pretend that I understand most of what you said about 'the Apparatus' or the 'Dread Realms,' " Chara says hesitantly through her puppet. "But finding this book sounds like a pretty easy job. And honestly, that concerns me a little bit. Why do you need... one, two, three... six people for a simple fetch quest? I understand that travelling in these parts can be dangerous, but it still kind of feels like overkill to send an entire posse to dig up a grave."
Nikolai smirks. Through Alexei, he says, "The roads of Barovia are no ordinary byways. The dead travel them near as often as the living. And wolves hunt any that leave the path. Even the simplest of tasks that involves traveling between the settlements can be fraught with danger."
"Alright, let me rephrase that," Chara replies through her puppet. "What dangers should we expect while seeking this book? Besides the typical monsters stalking the night, I mean. I doubt that it will be so easy as to walk into the graveyard, take the book and leave."
Eithne is literally overwhelmed by the flood of oddities Rudolph is saying. She was simply born in Barovia, long time ago, and always lived there... Well, now there was some part of her life she did not remember welll... amyway, for her, Barovia has always been her world. All the world, since it was never possible to leave it. Or rather, the Vistani can... but only them and she is not one of them, so...
Instead, apparently Barovia is only a small place, immersed in a much larger and more complex reality. Realms of dread? Mordent? Dark Powers? Shadowfell? Apparatus? Raven Queen? All names that say nothing to her... Some of the voices in her head overwhelm something, vaguely remember something, rumors, lore... So maybe what Rudolph says is not entirely far-fetched. Especially since Chara and Nikolai don't seem as stunned as she is...
'Sure', the savage stranger finds herself thinking 'if this Apparatus allows you to mess with the souls... Who knows, maybe even the voices in my head, at the end of this story, could find a new life? One that doesn't see them crammed into my mind for eternity? Hey Vlad...'
And Vlad speaks up: "What can I say, Rudolph... Your plan seems a bit confused and bizarre, so much so that at first I was in doubt whether you or the monkey conceived it. But honestly I don't think any of us have never heard of better ideas to free us from the devil Stradh, so you can certainly count on us. We will try to recover this book for you. But Chara is right: can you tell us something about the threats that await us in that cemetery? Any informations? Or at least rumors? At least we will know what to expect... and maybe we could prepare ourselves. Notwithstanding that, news or not, we will go and do our best anyway".
Rudolph/Piccolo looks at Blinsky and the toymaker pulls a map from behind his chair and spreads it out on the floor.
Van Richten continues, "As you may have surmised, the Count is bored and frustrated. He does not like being trapped in this realm any more than you might. So he attempts to entertain himself by inviting adventurers to this realm and corrupting or killing them. Part of the reason we have selected you is that you are native to Barovia and, therefore, beneath the Count's notice. He will be focused on the dealings of these kidnap victims; we believe you can make your way across the land relatively unmolested. However, Barovia is always a dangerous land; there will be wolves, witches, undead, and other monsters of all sorts. Especially outside the relative safety of this town's walls, you will be vulnerable. Defend yourself, move quickly, and, above all, do not draw Strahd's notice. You are not one of his projects. He will kill you, not toy with you."
"We want to get the book, because we need to know more than we do about his motivations. Our knowledge came from sources I cannot reveal as yet, but they are, I am convinced, trustworthy. But even what they know is limited. As far as I know, there is nothing special about the cemetary. Just a resting place for those passed. But I cannot guarantee it is without danger. This is Barovia, be ever on guard."
Turning to the map, he points to a crossroads to the west of the village of Barovia and to the south of Tser Pool. "This is the location of the cemetary. If you need rations or other camping supplies, talk to Gadov. We will supply what we can. Do you have any final questions?"
"Hmmm... I see" Vlad mumbles as Eithne bends down to examine the map. "Considering we're starting here" (she points her finger at Vallaki) "we'll probably have to follow Old Svalich Road east" (she traces the path with her finger) "then after these... gates? Or what are they? We must keep heading south... and in the end, through this path we could take a shortcut... until we reach here" (she points the finger at the presumed destination). "This is the crossroads where the cemetery is, isn't it?"
If Rudolph confirms, the savage stranger makes her puppet ask: "Considering we will have to walk, how many days of travel will it be?"
Lucian listens in utter silence as Rudolph speaks of this... Apparatus. None of what the monkey said makes any sense to him...well, most of it anyways. He thinks he understands enough. He is a little surprised when Chara states that finding the book sounds easy. Sure, it does sound easy, but the fact that it sounds that way likely means that it isn't... otherwise, why wouldn't someone else have found it already? Perhaps he was just ignorant. After all, he'd never left Vallaki before, so...
He gives Nikolai a quick glance as the half-elf talks of undead and wolves, but doesn't remark on it.
Lucian nods in understanding as Rudolph instructs them to avoid attention. So far, that was one thing he was good at. He looks over the map with wide eyes...he'd never actually seen a map before, so it was strange having such a perspective of the land he called home. He was more then ready to head out...well, mentally anyways he could definitely use some supplies. But he's been waiting for a long time for an excuse to leave town, as well as a party so he has some more experienced travelers with him...
As he looks over the map and Rudolph asks if they have any other questions, Lucian raises a hand, then puts his puppet on and has it say, "Um... yeah. You, mentioned that the book is in a grave... do you know who's grave it is in? Or...are we going to have to just dig around until we find it?"
Chara follows Eithne's rundown of the map. Again, it looks like the journey will be simple as following the road until they reach the cemetery... a journey that looks too simple for Chara to entirely trust it. In Barovia, when things look too easy it almost always because there's some other problem that you just haven't seen yet.
She has plenty of supplies... at least, she thinks she does. Maybe she should pick up a shovel or something, but it would probably be wiser to have one of the more physically inclined members of the party carry any digging equipment. It might even be worth it for the party to buy a mule for the heavier equipment. (OOC: If I remember correctly from the Recruiting thread, we're using the Variant Encumbrance rules, right?)
"Also a good question," Chara's puppet says in agreement with Lucian. "Besides that, and if we don't have any more info on monsters in the cemetery, the only other thing I would really like to know now is how long before we need to depart?"
Chara notices Lucian's excitement at the prospect of leaving... and she kind of understands where he's coming from. There are many painful memories that she would like to leave behind as well. She gives Lucian a knowing look, but doesn't say anything at that moment.
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"I too guess sooner rather than later" speaks Vlad's dark voice. "Unless we have more pressing matters than start overthrowing the dark overlord of this place, that is".
The monkey/man says, "Unfortunately, we do not know the name on the gravestone. You will have to dig in order to find the book. It should be inside one of the coffins there. Beyond that, I have no information."
"You are correct that you should probably leave sooner rather than later. Gadov here has arranged for a small hand cart for you, to carry your shovels and other gear. I suggest you take turns pulling it. We also have some long, hooded cloaks that should help with hiding your identity, although you, my dear," he says, turning to Chara, "may have to bind those beautiful wings of yours. Can you do so without too much discomfort?"
"Do you have an idea how many days the journey will take?" repeats one of his questions Vlad, under Eithne's azure eyes "Just so that we know if we have to bring extra rations and how many..."
(OOC: I'm pretty sure he said that it would take 2 days to get there and 2 days back, so 4 days round trip.)
"Oh...I don't like that idea," his puppet says as Lucian envisions cracking open coffin after coffin to see the bodies inside. "But, if that's how it's gotta be I won't complain." He scans the group, "So... should we get ready to go then?"
"Yes, let's go. Digging up coffins in a land ruled by a vampire prince, what could possibly go wrong?"says Alexei the puppet, before Nikolai whisks him off his hand and into his pack. The colorfully-dressed half-human then accepts one of the hooded cloaks and looks it over, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. "Boring"he mouths, before he puts it on.
Chara's wings twitch involuntarily as the monkey mentions binding them.
"I... I don't actually know," her puppet says uncertainly as Chara runs her free hand along the membrane of one of her wings. "Without even considering my comfort, I'm not sure if it's even possible to compress them enough to be hidden entirely. I'm willing to try, but we should probably have a backup plan if simply binding them in place isn't enough to hide them."
“Maybe we could find you a traveling pack…” Lucian exclaims as an idea comes to mind for Chara’s predicament. Then he hesitates before allowing his puppet to continue. “We could cut a hole in the back of the pack so that you can get your wings inside it, then it would just look like you were carrying a bunch of gear. …though, it would still depend on how big the pack is and if you can comfortably fold them inside it.” He looks down for a moment, hoping his suggestion didn’t sound too ridiculous.
Chara considers Lucian's suggestion. It might work, though the 'travelling pack' would certainly look unusually large even if her wings were bound as tightly as humanly possible.
"It wouldn't look especially pretty," Chara's puppet says. "And if we meet anyone on the road, they might wonder why the second smallest member of the party is carrying the largest pack... but it's probably the best option we have considering the circumstances. Someone else might need to carry my actual equipment pack as well, if it's not too much trouble... I don't have a whole lot of money, but I could give one of you a few silver coins for helping me out with that"
"Thats true," Lucian says, "I hadn't considered that..." He nods, "Uh... I can carry your stuff if you want, I don't really have much either so it shouldn't be to big of a deal... but you don't need to pay me for it!"
He adds the last part in a bit of a hurry. This would be a favor from a friend right? That isn'tsomething he wants to be paid to do. He just wants to be helpful.
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Chara considers the monkey's proposition.
"I'm not going to pretend that I understand most of what you said about 'the Apparatus' or the 'Dread Realms,' " Chara says hesitantly through her puppet. "But finding this book sounds like a pretty easy job. And honestly, that concerns me a little bit. Why do you need... one, two, three... six people for a simple fetch quest? I understand that travelling in these parts can be dangerous, but it still kind of feels like overkill to send an entire posse to dig up a grave."
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Nikolai smirks. Through Alexei, he says, "The roads of Barovia are no ordinary byways. The dead travel them near as often as the living. And wolves hunt any that leave the path. Even the simplest of tasks that involves traveling between the settlements can be fraught with danger."
"Alright, let me rephrase that," Chara replies through her puppet. "What dangers should we expect while seeking this book? Besides the typical monsters stalking the night, I mean. I doubt that it will be so easy as to walk into the graveyard, take the book and leave."
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Eithne is literally overwhelmed by the flood of oddities Rudolph is saying. She was simply born in Barovia, long time ago, and always lived there... Well, now there was some part of her life she did not remember welll... amyway, for her, Barovia has always been her world. All the world, since it was never possible to leave it. Or rather, the Vistani can... but only them and she is not one of them, so...
Instead, apparently Barovia is only a small place, immersed in a much larger and more complex reality. Realms of dread? Mordent? Dark Powers? Shadowfell? Apparatus? Raven Queen? All names that say nothing to her... Some of the voices in her head overwhelm something, vaguely remember something, rumors, lore... So maybe what Rudolph says is not entirely far-fetched. Especially since Chara and Nikolai don't seem as stunned as she is...
'Sure', the savage stranger finds herself thinking 'if this Apparatus allows you to mess with the souls... Who knows, maybe even the voices in my head, at the end of this story, could find a new life? One that doesn't see them crammed into my mind for eternity? Hey Vlad...'
And Vlad speaks up: "What can I say, Rudolph... Your plan seems a bit confused and bizarre, so much so that at first I was in doubt whether you or the monkey conceived it. But honestly I don't think any of us have never heard of better ideas to free us from the devil Stradh, so you can certainly count on us. We will try to recover this book for you. But Chara is right: can you tell us something about the threats that await us in that cemetery? Any informations? Or at least rumors? At least we will know what to expect... and maybe we could prepare ourselves. Notwithstanding that, news or not, we will go and do our best anyway".
Rudolph/Piccolo looks at Blinsky and the toymaker pulls a map from behind his chair and spreads it out on the floor.
Van Richten continues, "As you may have surmised, the Count is bored and frustrated. He does not like being trapped in this realm any more than you might. So he attempts to entertain himself by inviting adventurers to this realm and corrupting or killing them. Part of the reason we have selected you is that you are native to Barovia and, therefore, beneath the Count's notice. He will be focused on the dealings of these kidnap victims; we believe you can make your way across the land relatively unmolested. However, Barovia is always a dangerous land; there will be wolves, witches, undead, and other monsters of all sorts. Especially outside the relative safety of this town's walls, you will be vulnerable. Defend yourself, move quickly, and, above all, do not draw Strahd's notice. You are not one of his projects. He will kill you, not toy with you."
"We want to get the book, because we need to know more than we do about his motivations. Our knowledge came from sources I cannot reveal as yet, but they are, I am convinced, trustworthy. But even what they know is limited. As far as I know, there is nothing special about the cemetary. Just a resting place for those passed. But I cannot guarantee it is without danger. This is Barovia, be ever on guard."
Turning to the map, he points to a crossroads to the west of the village of Barovia and to the south of Tser Pool. "This is the location of the cemetary. If you need rations or other camping supplies, talk to Gadov. We will supply what we can. Do you have any final questions?"
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
"Hmmm... I see" Vlad mumbles as Eithne bends down to examine the map. "Considering we're starting here" (she points her finger at Vallaki) "we'll probably have to follow Old Svalich Road east" (she traces the path with her finger) "then after these... gates? Or what are they? We must keep heading south... and in the end, through this path we could take a shortcut... until we reach here" (she points the finger at the presumed destination). "This is the crossroads where the cemetery is, isn't it?"
If Rudolph confirms, the savage stranger makes her puppet ask: "Considering we will have to walk, how many days of travel will it be?"
Lucian listens in utter silence as Rudolph speaks of this... Apparatus. None of what the monkey said makes any sense to him...well, most of it anyways. He thinks he understands enough. He is a little surprised when Chara states that finding the book sounds easy. Sure, it does sound easy, but the fact that it sounds that way likely means that it isn't... otherwise, why wouldn't someone else have found it already? Perhaps he was just ignorant. After all, he'd never left Vallaki before, so...
He gives Nikolai a quick glance as the half-elf talks of undead and wolves, but doesn't remark on it.
Lucian nods in understanding as Rudolph instructs them to avoid attention. So far, that was one thing he was good at. He looks over the map with wide eyes...he'd never actually seen a map before, so it was strange having such a perspective of the land he called home. He was more then ready to head out...well, mentally anyways he could definitely use some supplies. But he's been waiting for a long time for an excuse to leave town, as well as a party so he has some more experienced travelers with him...
As he looks over the map and Rudolph asks if they have any other questions, Lucian raises a hand, then puts his puppet on and has it say, "Um... yeah. You, mentioned that the book is in a grave... do you know who's grave it is in? Or...are we going to have to just dig around until we find it?"
Chara follows Eithne's rundown of the map. Again, it looks like the journey will be simple as following the road until they reach the cemetery... a journey that looks too simple for Chara to entirely trust it. In Barovia, when things look too easy it almost always because there's some other problem that you just haven't seen yet.
She has plenty of supplies... at least, she thinks she does. Maybe she should pick up a shovel or something, but it would probably be wiser to have one of the more physically inclined members of the party carry any digging equipment. It might even be worth it for the party to buy a mule for the heavier equipment. (OOC: If I remember correctly from the Recruiting thread, we're using the Variant Encumbrance rules, right?)
"Also a good question," Chara's puppet says in agreement with Lucian. "Besides that, and if we don't have any more info on monsters in the cemetery, the only other thing I would really like to know now is how long before we need to depart?"
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Lucian nods when Chara asks when they should depart, "Sooner rather then later I'd guess, right?"
He seems...a little over excited at the aspect of leaving, yet also a little timid about it.
Chara notices Lucian's excitement at the prospect of leaving... and she kind of understands where he's coming from. There are many painful memories that she would like to leave behind as well. She gives Lucian a knowing look, but doesn't say anything at that moment.
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"I too guess sooner rather than later" speaks Vlad's dark voice. "Unless we have more pressing matters than start overthrowing the dark overlord of this place, that is".
“I agree, we best be off. But perhaps you’ll tell me more about these magics when we return, Ritchen?”
She seems to have some satisfaction with the fact that she can puppet a vampire.
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
"Do you have an idea how many days the journey will take?" repeats one of his questions Vlad, under Eithne's azure eyes "Just so that we know if we have to bring extra rations and how many..."
(OOC: I'm pretty sure he said that it would take 2 days to get there and 2 days back, so 4 days round trip.)
"Oh...I don't like that idea," his puppet says as Lucian envisions cracking open coffin after coffin to see the bodies inside. "But, if that's how it's gotta be I won't complain." He scans the group, "So... should we get ready to go then?"
"Yes, let's go. Digging up coffins in a land ruled by a vampire prince, what could possibly go wrong?" says Alexei the puppet, before Nikolai whisks him off his hand and into his pack. The colorfully-dressed half-human then accepts one of the hooded cloaks and looks it over, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. "Boring" he mouths, before he puts it on.
Chara's wings twitch involuntarily as the monkey mentions binding them.
"I... I don't actually know," her puppet says uncertainly as Chara runs her free hand along the membrane of one of her wings. "Without even considering my comfort, I'm not sure if it's even possible to compress them enough to be hidden entirely. I'm willing to try, but we should probably have a backup plan if simply binding them in place isn't enough to hide them."
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“Maybe we could find you a traveling pack…” Lucian exclaims as an idea comes to mind for Chara’s predicament. Then he hesitates before allowing his puppet to continue. “We could cut a hole in the back of the pack so that you can get your wings inside it, then it would just look like you were carrying a bunch of gear. …though, it would still depend on how big the pack is and if you can comfortably fold them inside it.” He looks down for a moment, hoping his suggestion didn’t sound too ridiculous.
Chara considers Lucian's suggestion. It might work, though the 'travelling pack' would certainly look unusually large even if her wings were bound as tightly as humanly possible.
"It wouldn't look especially pretty," Chara's puppet says. "And if we meet anyone on the road, they might wonder why the second smallest member of the party is carrying the largest pack... but it's probably the best option we have considering the circumstances. Someone else might need to carry my actual equipment pack as well, if it's not too much trouble... I don't have a whole lot of money, but I could give one of you a few silver coins for helping me out with that"
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"Thats true," Lucian says, "I hadn't considered that..." He nods, "Uh... I can carry your stuff if you want, I don't really have much either so it shouldn't be to big of a deal... but you don't need to pay me for it!"
He adds the last part in a bit of a hurry. This would be a favor from a friend right? That isn't something he wants to be paid to do. He just wants to be helpful.