"Some fear the dark, for in the darkness unknown things lurk," says Hadrian. "I do not fear the dark...I rather enjoy a moonlight stroll through a scary forest." His tone offers the barest hint of a smile. Then, a little more resigned, "But it would do little good for us to travel separately."
Enialis is able to stand firm despite his sister's attempts to pull him out the door, sending her to bed in what will surely be a night where it will be difficult for the young Eladrin to sleep, as she is excited about the journey ahead. Hadrian, Phanuel, and Elyse follow behind, seeing the foolishness in heading off into unfamiliar territory shorthanded. You all wake up as the sun rises, being roused from your slumber the sound of the rooster crowing, or by the excited Faerynna. All of you get dressed, gather your possessions, and perform your morning rituals before heading down for a quick breakfast at the tavern that isn't worth speaking of. With all of that finished, you finally set out on the Old Svalich Road.
Unfortunately, this town lacks any methods of transportation, so the five of you will have to walk. As you do so, you find that the sky begins to get gray and a mist begins to gather. Odd, given how it looked so clear when you woke up. Perhaps it was a good thing that Enialis insisted you all take the night to sleep, as traveling down the Old Svalich Road takes five hours before you reach your destination and you find that things do not look the way they did when you set out. Fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
You have arrived at the Gates of Barovia. They swing open, as if to welcome you, screeching as they do so. Once you've all passed through, you find that the gates close behind you, as you pass into the Svalich Woods, where it immediately becomes apparent to you why the strange man warned against coming here at night. Towering trees, whose tops are lost in heavy gray mist, block out all but a death-gray light. The tree trunks are unnaturally close to one another, and the woods have the silence of a forgotten grave, yet exude the feeling of an unvoiced scream.
Faerynna and Hadrian smell something foul. They catch the scent of death in the air, as if something has died. Judging from the strength of the scent, it doesn't sound like it died far from here. What do you do?
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Faerynna makes a face. "Ewww...that smells disgusting. What made it? Let's go find out!" She looks around, trying to ascertain the source of the smell.
Faerynna is easily able to spot the half-buried corpse of a human male about 15 feet away from the road in some underbrush. He's been dead for several days and he appears to be a commoner. His clothes are muddy and raked with claw marks. Crows have pecked at the body, which is surrounded by claw marks. One of his hands is holding a crumpled up letter.
Elyse detects none of those, but as you linger in the woods, you do hear a wolf howl.
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
I, the burgomaster of Barovia, send you honor-with despair. My adopted daughter, the fair Ireena Kolyana, has been these past nights bitten by a vampyr. For over four hundred years, this vampyr has drained the life blood of my people. How my dear Ireena languishes and dies from this unholy wound caused by this vile beast. He has become too powerful to conquer. So I say to you, give us up for dead and encircle this land with the symbols of good. Let holy men call upon their power that the devil may be contained within the walls of weeping Barovia. Leave our sorrows to our graves and save the world from this evil fate of ours. There is much wealth untrapped in this community. Return for your reward after we are all departed for a better life.
Kolyan Indirovich,
Burgomaster
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Fae reads it and frowns. "That doesn't make sense." She reads the letter out loud in her best gloomy voice before dropping the overly dark tones. "Does this mean the other one was a fake? Ooooh! Or this one is a fake? Or...they're both fakes!"
Enialis leads you all out of the woods and back down the road. The gravel road leads to a village, its tall houses 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. As you travel down the road, the fog surrounds you and moves with you, almost as if it's pushing you towards the children. The source of the weeping is a seven year old boy, who clutches a doll while his sister tries to quiet him.
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
"Hello children. We're here to help. Do you know where any of the adults are?" Phanuel says in a calming voice as he guilelessly approaches the two children, keeping his empty hands visible.
As the three of you address the children, the girl shushes her younger brother and turns to you. “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. "I'm Rose and this is my brother, Thorn." She says in response to Fae's question. "Our baby brother is still trapped in the nursery!"
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Elyse is close enough to listen in but is turned away from the children, carefully making sure they don't have a chance to see her eyes. Addressing the others, she says "We should help these children and go find their brother."
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"Some fear the dark, for in the darkness unknown things lurk," says Hadrian. "I do not fear the dark...I rather enjoy a moonlight stroll through a scary forest." His tone offers the barest hint of a smile. Then, a little more resigned, "But it would do little good for us to travel separately."
DM - Storm King's Thunder PbP | Yet Another Storm King's Thunder PbP
Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Enialis is able to stand firm despite his sister's attempts to pull him out the door, sending her to bed in what will surely be a night where it will be difficult for the young Eladrin to sleep, as she is excited about the journey ahead. Hadrian, Phanuel, and Elyse follow behind, seeing the foolishness in heading off into unfamiliar territory shorthanded. You all wake up as the sun rises, being roused from your slumber the sound of the rooster crowing, or by the excited Faerynna. All of you get dressed, gather your possessions, and perform your morning rituals before heading down for a quick breakfast at the tavern that isn't worth speaking of. With all of that finished, you finally set out on the Old Svalich Road.
Unfortunately, this town lacks any methods of transportation, so the five of you will have to walk. As you do so, you find that the sky begins to get gray and a mist begins to gather. Odd, given how it looked so clear when you woke up. Perhaps it was a good thing that Enialis insisted you all take the night to sleep, as traveling down the Old Svalich Road takes five hours before you reach your destination and you find that things do not look the way they did when you set out. Fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
You have arrived at the Gates of Barovia. They swing open, as if to welcome you, screeching as they do so. Once you've all passed through, you find that the gates close behind you, as you pass into the Svalich Woods, where it immediately becomes apparent to you why the strange man warned against coming here at night. Towering trees, whose tops are lost in heavy gray mist, block out all but a death-gray light. The tree trunks are unnaturally close to one another, and the woods have the silence of a forgotten grave, yet exude the feeling of an unvoiced scream.
Faerynna and Hadrian smell something foul. They catch the scent of death in the air, as if something has died. Judging from the strength of the scent, it doesn't sound like it died far from here. What do you do?
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Faerynna makes a face. "Ewww...that smells disgusting. What made it? Let's go find out!" She looks around, trying to ascertain the source of the smell.
Perception? 16
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Elyse will use Divine Sense try to detect any celestials, fiends, or undead within 60 feet.
Faerynna is easily able to spot the half-buried corpse of a human male about 15 feet away from the road in some underbrush. He's been dead for several days and he appears to be a commoner. His clothes are muddy and raked with claw marks. Crows have pecked at the body, which is surrounded by claw marks. One of his hands is holding a crumpled up letter.
Elyse detects none of those, but as you linger in the woods, you do hear a wolf howl.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Enialis sighs and, without a word, grabs the letter out of the dead mans hands in order to read it.
Here's what Enialis reads
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Fae pokes her brother. "What's it saaaaaaay?" she stage whispers.
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Enailis just hands her the letter.
Fae reads it and frowns. "That doesn't make sense." She reads the letter out loud in her best gloomy voice before dropping the overly dark tones. "Does this mean the other one was a fake? Ooooh! Or this one is a fake? Or...they're both fakes!"
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Phanuel reads over her shoulder. "Oh. Hmmm. Well, either way an evil needs defeated, right? Now we just know what kind. Does this really change much?"
You hear the sound of howling again as Phanuel finishes speaking. It sounds like it's a little bit closer this time.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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"Let's keep moving. I don't want to be got by whatever got him." Enialis says as he keeps moving towards where they were heading.
Elyse places a hand on her glaive and looks around for the source of the howling.
Perception: 6
Enialis leads you all out of the woods and back down the road. The gravel road leads to a village, its tall houses 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. As you travel down the road, the fog surrounds you and moves with you, almost as if it's pushing you towards the children. The source of the weeping is a seven year old boy, who clutches a doll while his sister tries to quiet him.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
"Hello children. We're here to help. Do you know where any of the adults are?" Phanuel says in a calming voice as he guilelessly approaches the two children, keeping his empty hands visible.
“Boy—why do you cry?” Hadrian looks for any sign of others around.
DM - Storm King's Thunder PbP | Yet Another Storm King's Thunder PbP
Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Fae runs up. "Hi! I'm Fae! What's your names? Are you okay?" She waves and gives the pair a big smile.
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Hadrian doesn't see anyone else.
As the three of you address the children, the girl shushes her younger brother and turns to you. “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. "I'm Rose and this is my brother, Thorn." She says in response to Fae's question. "Our baby brother is still trapped in the nursery!"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Elyse is close enough to listen in but is turned away from the children, carefully making sure they don't have a chance to see her eyes. Addressing the others, she says "We should help these children and go find their brother."