Your group finds themselves in a small road in the middle of some woods. Everyone got here for their own reasons, but the night was scary and the journey lonely. So you decided to join forces and travel together when you saw each other, surprisingly, on the same path.
The gravel road leads to a village, its tall s dark as tombstones. Nestled among these solemn dwellings are a handful of closed-up shops. Even the tavern is shut tight.
A soft whimpering draws your eye toward a pair of children standing in the middle of an otherwise lifeless street. What do you do?
Garren, while not particularly the "do-gooder" type, finds it strange that children would be out of their homes alone, especially in a place like this. Therefore, he calls out to them:
"Hey, children, Is anything wrong? Can you come here? I promise we won't hurt you!"
OOC: Notes about Garren, a Tiefling Warlock - Someone who barely has any attachments except for his pursuit of Knowledge, Garren can be somewhat annoying, but he strives to be helpful and "lift" others to his level. However, his pursuit of information and ways to "make a better world" can alienate almost anyone.
Garren will do anything, to achieve his goal of learning as much as possible, if he believes, that this knowledge can be useful for the greater good. He will not let anyone stand in his way, nor will he allow his own emotions, such as pity or remorse to influence him.
Garren does not talk about his backstory. However, from what he has divulged from time to time, it can be guessed, that instead of something tragic being the reason for his silence, instead it is the utterly boring nature of his upbringing, that Garren hates, thereby choosing not to mention his past.
The tall, unnaturally thin man draws his cloak tighter about his shoulders. His pale, almost translucent skin seems to glow in the dark, and a forbidding tome of spells hangs at his side. He cracks his knuckles impatiently.
"I am not here to sympathize with every brat we encounter. But perhaps you honorable, soft-hearted ones feel otherwise."
Reshi is a high elf with light skin, shoulder length black hair and eyes of silver. In the short time travelling together you would have noticed, by the way he carries himself and his speech, that he is of noble upbringing but when questioned about it Reshi would do his best to change the topic.
“This does not look like an inviting place, defiantly not a place for children.” comments Reshi, after taking in his surroundings and the words of his companions.“No need to make it about honour, aren’t you at least a bit curious what they are doing out here on their own? As for me, I would like to know where we are.”
You get closer to the children and they notice you. The boy is hiding in the shadow of her sister, crying and holding a stuffed animal. After shushing the boy, the girl turns to you and says, "There's a monster in our house!" She then points to a tall brick row house that has seen better days. Its windows are dark. It has a gated portico on the ground floor, and the rusty gate is slightly ajar. The houses on either side are abandoned, their windows and doors boarded up. "We don't know what the monster looks like but we've heard terrible howls coming from the basement... And other than that, there's our little brother in the third-floor nursery. He's small and needs help" says the girl, visibly scared. Then she wipes a small tear while holding his brother with the other hand "Please, we need your help"
Reshi walks closer to the children and kneels next to them. “Tell me, where are your parents?”He says in a soft voice and gives them a long moment to see if they answer.
When they answer, or if they don’t look like they will, he continues, “Are there any other people in this village?” This time he doesn’t wait long, suspecting that they will either answer quickly or not at all. “Don’t worry. We will get your brother back to you.”Reshi offers them a smile as he gets up to rejoin his companions.
Reshi will quickly look over the house, looking for anything in the windows and if there is any entrance other than the front door.
As you speak the boy hides even more behind the sister, squeezing his toy. The girl gently pats him and then answers: "Our parents are in the basement, they keep the monster trapped in there. And yes, there are other people in the village but, when the mist is out.." - she points at the mist that envelops the streets around you, thick as a wall - "..they don't dare leaving their safe homes"
You check around the house and you see only an empty courtyard, with a few trees with fallen leaves and branches. A couple of rocks lay around hidden by layers of dirt. There are no other entrances but the one in the front.
A young male drow walks beside them, his leaned figure is mostly concealed by a shabby dark green cloak. He wears excessively worn, simple leather clothes. His tight hood covers the most part of his face, with a brown band covering the right eye. His androgynous face, with mixed lineaments, shows dark skin, scares, piercing, and full cloudy white eyes. Finally, long, ruffled and dingy white hairs frame the face.
145345....145346....145347....145348...
Wait...what am I counting?
Don't know, don't look at me I am not here
Of course, you are, you asked me to count
Me? seriously? No way, I am busy
Busy..sure on what?
Counting...
...
Hey but, what the hell are these people?
Who? The human, the elf and the tiefling?...hey...it seems the start of a joke...there was a human an elf and a tiefling...don't remember how it proceeds though..
I don't know, since when we start walking with them?
Don't ask me...I was counting...dumbass
"Hey...hey...don't underestimate howls I say" Rod exclaims abruptly "We could help, sure, we will help, we help right? I want to see a basement monster...never seen one before...oh...eh...did you see it?"
“Well that’s one mystery solved. Shall we go have a look, then?” Reshi says as he re-joins the others. Then back at the girl, “Hey, where are we? What is this village called?”
Afterwards he slowly move towards the front door, keeping an eye out for anything unexpected or out of place. He will try to look through the window before moving to the door; can he see anything or is it too dark? When he is at the door he will look at the rest of the group to see if they follow.
Garren is far more interested in what this creature may be, but helping the children will be a happy coincidence. He is not entirely sure they are telling the truth, but he chooses not to question scared-looking kids. So he tells them:
"Do not worry, little ones, I for one will help you in any way I can! Now, tell us the location of your parents and we will go inside".
Then, he turns to the other members of the party:
"Let's try not to burn the house down. Oh, and, if we can, let's capture this thing, if there even is anything there, alive, I want to know what can be so scary that the villagers dare not go outside".
With that, Garren looks over the house, attempting to see anything that may be useful in any way.
Wasting no time, Simon strides up to the front door and gives it three sharp raps, silently offering up a prayer to whatever gods might be listening. Gone is the unpleasant man of moments before, to be replaced with a lost child. Simon is a man without hope.
Garren is still trying to discern something of any use, both regarding the house and the children. However, if this is unsuccessful, he intends to join Simon and stand beside him.
"The name's Barovia, sir" says the girl to Reshi while he's leaving. "Please, for the Morninglord, make haste. Our parents are in the basment but... I'm not sure. We ran out asking for help as swiftly as we could." she answers to Garren, then she turns back to her brother giving him her complete attention.
You all check the courtyard, but find nothing of interest. The adjacent houses seem all abandoned and a heavy fog surrounds the whole place. You can only see a couple of buildings ahead, then the mist becomes almost a wall swirling in the darkness. Reshi then looks into the windows, there are the front ones that overlook what looks like a living room. Out from the darkness loom wolves, their snarls frozen forevermore. A stag's head is mounted above the unlit fireplace. Fine chairs draped in furs face the hearth, with a cask of wine and a pipe rack on the table between them, the goblets dry and empty, the candelabrum gleaming in your lamplight. The wax has melted over, leaving little white islands on the table. Cabinets line the walls. In one darkened corner of the room, a chandelier hangs over a cloth-covered table.
Garren checks the rear windows in the meantime. This time they reveal a dining hall: A crystal chandelier glitters above the room, watching over eight empty chairs. The chairs are highbacked and cushioned with velvet—velvet that matches the silken drapes covering the windows. Like the main hall, the walls are ornately carved with elegant images of deer flitting among ancient trees. The table is set, all silverware polished to a dazzling shine. A painting of an alpine vale is mounted above the unlit fireplace. A tapestry depicting nobles hunting wolves from horseback hangs from the wall. This, you see, is privilege at its finest.
“There is nothing out of ordinary in the front of the house. How is the back looking, Garren?” Reshi waits for a replay, after which he will knock a couple times on the door and open it slowly.
You approach the door but you see that Simon is already there, knocking. As you don't get a response to the knocking you decide to open the door. Ignoring a shiver, you escape the clinging mists and cross the stone portico into the house. A chill hangs in the air. Oaken doors stand before you, silent and brooding. You find yourself in an immaculate foyer, decorated with portraits and heraldries. A family of stony-faced aristocrats watch you with disinterest; the plaque on the frame reads "the Dursts" in dull, gold lettering. On the southern wall you find a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms: a golden windmill on a red field. Mahogany-framed doors lead deeper into the manor. The children, behind you, watch the party with interest mixed with fear.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rod
The Warlock tilts the head, a toothy grin upon his face "Are you telling the truth little people?" (Insight check: 7). After eyeing the kids one more time, he follows Reshi and Simon inside.
"The Dursts, the dursts, the dursts" keep murmuring the drow for a while "Do I never heard of them...do we?" The Warlock takes a Tome out of his filthy robe, rummaging through the pages as looking for something..(History check: 14)
“The Dursts.” Reshi repeats after Rod. While he has grown accustomed to Rods rambling it is still unsettling at times, especially in their current location.
He moves slowly along the wall to the closest door, knocking again before opening it. (He will repeat this for every door unless he sees, hears or feels something weird or out of ordinary.)
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Garren, while not particularly the "do-gooder" type, finds it strange that children would be out of their homes alone, especially in a place like this. Therefore, he calls out to them:
"Hey, children, Is anything wrong? Can you come here? I promise we won't hurt you!"
OOC: Notes about Garren, a Tiefling Warlock - Someone who barely has any attachments except for his pursuit of Knowledge, Garren can be somewhat annoying, but he strives to be helpful and "lift" others to his level. However, his pursuit of information and ways to "make a better world" can alienate almost anyone.
Garren will do anything, to achieve his goal of learning as much as possible, if he believes, that this knowledge can be useful for the greater good. He will not let anyone stand in his way, nor will he allow his own emotions, such as pity or remorse to influence him.
Garren does not talk about his backstory. However, from what he has divulged from time to time, it can be guessed, that instead of something tragic being the reason for his silence, instead it is the utterly boring nature of his upbringing, that Garren hates, thereby choosing not to mention his past.
The tall, unnaturally thin man draws his cloak tighter about his shoulders. His pale, almost translucent skin seems to glow in the dark, and a forbidding tome of spells hangs at his side. He cracks his knuckles impatiently.
"I am not here to sympathize with every brat we encounter. But perhaps you honorable, soft-hearted ones feel otherwise."
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Reshi is a high elf with light skin, shoulder length black hair and eyes of silver. In the short time travelling together you would have noticed, by the way he carries himself and his speech, that he is of noble upbringing but when questioned about it Reshi would do his best to change the topic.
“This does not look like an inviting place, defiantly not a place for children.” comments Reshi, after taking in his surroundings and the words of his companions. “No need to make it about honour, aren’t you at least a bit curious what they are doing out here on their own? As for me, I would like to know where we are.”
The man, Pale Simon, considers this.
"It is true, my friend. They may have information valuable to us."
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Simon sighs impatiently.
"Perhaps we should investigate. It may win us favor with the townsfolk, and they in turn may aid us in accomplishing our goals. "
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Reshi walks closer to the children and kneels next to them. “Tell me, where are your parents?” He says in a soft voice and gives them a long moment to see if they answer.
When they answer, or if they don’t look like they will, he continues, “Are there any other people in this village?” This time he doesn’t wait long, suspecting that they will either answer quickly or not at all. “Don’t worry. We will get your brother back to you.” Reshi offers them a smile as he gets up to rejoin his companions.
Reshi will quickly look over the house, looking for anything in the windows and if there is any entrance other than the front door.
You check around the house and you see only an empty courtyard, with a few trees with fallen leaves and branches. A couple of rocks lay around hidden by layers of dirt. There are no other entrances but the one in the front.
Rod
A young male drow walks beside them, his leaned figure is mostly concealed by a shabby dark green cloak. He wears excessively worn, simple leather clothes. His tight hood covers the most part of his face, with a brown band covering the right eye. His androgynous face, with mixed lineaments, shows dark skin, scares, piercing, and full cloudy white eyes. Finally, long, ruffled and dingy white hairs frame the face.
145345....145346....145347....145348...
Wait...what am I counting?
Don't know, don't look at me I am not here
Of course, you are, you asked me to count
Me? seriously? No way, I am busy
Busy..sure on what?
Counting...
...
Hey but, what the hell are these people?
Who? The human, the elf and the tiefling?...hey...it seems the start of a joke...there was a human an elf and a tiefling...don't remember how it proceeds though..
I don't know, since when we start walking with them?
Don't ask me...I was counting...dumbass
"Hey...hey...don't underestimate howls I say" Rod exclaims abruptly "We could help, sure, we will help, we help right? I want to see a basement monster...never seen one before...oh...eh...did you see it?"
“Well that’s one mystery solved. Shall we go have a look, then?” Reshi says as he re-joins the others. Then back at the girl, “Hey, where are we? What is this village called?”
Afterwards he slowly move towards the front door, keeping an eye out for anything unexpected or out of place. He will try to look through the window before moving to the door; can he see anything or is it too dark?
When he is at the door he will look at the rest of the group to see if they follow.
Simon follows with a wild hope born in desperation that his cure can be found here, though there is nothing to indicate that this might be true.
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Garren is far more interested in what this creature may be, but helping the children will be a happy coincidence. He is not entirely sure they are telling the truth, but he chooses not to question scared-looking kids. So he tells them:
"Do not worry, little ones, I for one will help you in any way I can! Now, tell us the location of your parents and we will go inside".
Then, he turns to the other members of the party:
"Let's try not to burn the house down. Oh, and, if we can, let's capture this thing, if there even is anything there, alive, I want to know what can be so scary that the villagers dare not go outside".
With that, Garren looks over the house, attempting to see anything that may be useful in any way.
If needed: Investigation - 9
or: Perception - 10
Wasting no time, Simon strides up to the front door and gives it three sharp raps, silently offering up a prayer to whatever gods might be listening. Gone is the unpleasant man of moments before, to be replaced with a lost child. Simon is a man without hope.
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Garren is still trying to discern something of any use, both regarding the house and the children. However, if this is unsuccessful, he intends to join Simon and stand beside him.
“There is nothing out of ordinary in the front of the house. How is the back looking, Garren?” Reshi waits for a replay, after which he will knock a couple times on the door and open it slowly.
Rod
The Warlock tilts the head, a toothy grin upon his face "Are you telling the truth little people?" (Insight check: 7). After eyeing the kids one more time, he follows Reshi and Simon inside.
"The Dursts, the dursts, the dursts" keep murmuring the drow for a while "Do I never heard of them...do we?" The Warlock takes a Tome out of his filthy robe, rummaging through the pages as looking for something..(History check: 14)
“The Dursts.” Reshi repeats after Rod. While he has grown accustomed to Rods rambling it is still unsettling at times, especially in their current location.
He moves slowly along the wall to the closest door, knocking again before opening it. (He will repeat this for every door unless he sees, hears or feels something weird or out of ordinary.)