The group sets up a watch schedule, as follows: Zied will take first shift, waking Alessa and Edlanar at midnight to observe the spirit march, Sezsu to take the final watch, and Ismark to help fill in any gaps. Except for Zied, who lingers behind, the others go to bed.
As Alessa makes the offer to join Ed he smiles in appreciation, though it looks fatigued and forced, "As keen as I am to learn more or these spirits, my intent tonight was just to spy them from the porch here. It has been a day with much to consider and I must admit I find myself in need of some rest. If these spirits follow their procession each night, then we are unlikely to lose much by beginning our investigations tomorrow."
After Ismark bids the group a good night, Ed stretches out his arms, levering them back and making two distinct *crack* noises from his neck as he tilts his head side to side. "I am not fussed as to where I sleep, I'll leave you all to your comforts and take my leave of a couch down here."
Zied shakes at Edlanar, unawaking. No matter how he tries sleep will not release his cohort. Zied awakens Alessa, "Ed will not awaken. You try, and wake others if you cannnot awaken." Saying such Zied will attempt to look out of Ed's window (or closest thing thereof) and scan the tree line. After the nights discussion concerning Vampires and other mind warping creatures Zied wants to confirm whether it is an internal influence or external.
8+3 Perception. (Using a Knowledge from a Past Life d6)
Alessa woke up instantly - the habit multiplied by a constant sense of danger overcame the tiredness. "What do you mean - not awaken?!" Trying not to panic just yet, Alessandra ran to the dining room. At first, she tried the same thing Zied did - simply shake the young paladin from unnatural (there were no doubts about that) sleep. Then came the turn of more drastic measures. Alessa hastily pulled a lock of her coal-black hair, quickly twisting it into a knot, then put that knot into Ed's hand, close his fingers around it and tried to call him telepathically.
"Ed! Edlanar Holbrook! It is time to wake up!" She checked if there was any sign of him waking up. If there was none, before calling others, she tried just one more thing. With the deep sight (and after making sure no one is around at the moment) she cast Detect Magic to see if there was something magical affecting Edlanar.
Ed's sleeping form shifts slightly at each of Zied's attempts to rouse the slumbering man and subsequently the sounds of Alessandra's shouts. He has slept in his clothing, you can see a light sheen of sweat on him where his clothes haven't soaked it up. Occassionally mumbling words out, "To the skies."..."Now Kelsif"..."Praise Lathander". Before he shifts onto his back and begins to snore loudly.
Despite their best efforts, Zied and Alessa cannot wake Ed.
Alessa can sense that Ed is enveloped in a faint enchantment aura. The aura is off, shifted toward green hues and a little sour, as though tainted or curdled.
Scanning the exterior, Zied can make out a faint green light illuminating the northern horizon. The light is coming from the direction of the church and graveyard.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ed slept so peacefully... But the green aura bothered Alessa. It should not be there, to begin with - green or not. Who or what caused it? Is it even safe to wake up a person affected by it?
(Did she ever hear of something causing such effect? Arcana: 19 )
Alessa pick up her talisman and walked to Zeid. "Nothing helps. I am not sure what to do, maybe let him sleep until morning and then wake? Anyway, do you think you can throw that lock if we wrap it around something heavy to where spirits will pass? Would help to look at them safely."
You easily recognize this effect is a sleep enchantment, but this seems to be much deeper. The versions of this enchantment you have studied have involved temporary sleep from which the sleeper can be wakened by shaking or slapping. But you can tell that Ed's sleep is a peaceful one, and the magic affecting him is not doing him any immediate harm. You have read of such enchantments, perhaps released by cursed items or magically trapped tombs, and know that they do expire eventually. If Ed's sleep is anything like that, you would expect him to wake within a day.
"The sleep itself seems harmless, of that I am sure. I say we let him rest until morning and then decide," explained Alessa a little more. "Let's see those spirits and wait for morning to come."
Taking Alessa's idea for it and allowing the rest for now but keeping an eye seems apt. Nothing much he could do about that.
"I doubt I could throw it that far... but I could get closer, and toss it with a stick and come back. I am quite fast if I need to be. Ideally I'd be unnoticed but I can lap the city if need be before coming back. I don't know how your ...lock.. works."
"A lock of your hair?" Ismark, unable to sleep and out of bed, finds himself on the front porch holding his heavy crossbow. Alessa and Zied have tied the hair onto the bolt so that Alessa may magically observe from the bolt's final location. Ismark peers into the darkness. "It is dangerous to shoot this weapon in town. I will aim for abandoned house, more or less. With luck, I will only strike wood." The weapon discharges, and the bolt disappears into the night.
Alessa enters a trance.
From the perspective of Zied and Ismark, the next few minutes reveal a procession of green-lit ghostly figures. They are too far away for you to make out the details, but you can see they are humanoid in shape, albeit glowing and seeming to glide across the ground. The spirits silently move south, away from the church and toward the square, before turning west and disappearing behind the buildings.
Alessa:
The bolt has pegged the wall of an old, abandoned storefront just south of the town square. Turning your perception north-northwest, an eerie green light suffuses the graveyard. From this light emerges a ghostly procession. Wavering images of Barovian women, woodwise men with slender bows, children with toys, and elders with walking sticks—all these and more march forth from the graveyard, their numbers growing by the second. They seem to have no interest in anything but their destination. They turn west, up the Old Svalich Road, and disappear beyond the town gates, heading into the western treeline.
"Restless spirits," Ismark notes again. "They say that as long as the devil lives, his victims will never find peace. Come, we should not be outside longer than necessary."
Alessa "watched" until the last of the unfortunate left the view. Then she broke the contact, not even checking if anything (or anyone) was hanging around the old storefront. What she saw... was very unsettling. Alessa had a vivid enough imagination to picture herself in that procession - did not they come here (forced, more like it but still) to "save the prince by killing him"? She sat in silence for a few minutes, deep in thoughts. "Ismark, you said those restless spirits belong to the people who fought the devil,"(the habit to keep his name out of the conversation was forming fast), "but I saw children there, the elders. And some looked more like Barovians rather than outlanders. And... how come there are so many of them?! It had to take decades to get so many people! It's hard to believe no one could make the deed after so many years! "
Alessa: "Ismark, you said those restless spirits belong to the people who fought the devil," (the habit to keep his name out of the conversation was forming fast), "but I saw children there, the elders. And some looked more like Barovians rather than outlanders. And... how come there are so many of them?! It had to take decades to get so many people! It's hard to believe no one could make the deed after so many years!"
"Or those he hunted, in turn. As Father Donavich said, his corruption is not bounded by regard to age or class. And, the devil is ageless. Many of those graves are far older than me. He has ruled over my father, and my father's father, and his father before, as far back as anyone remembers. That is enough time to claim many more victims than may be buried in our graveyard. Of course, with Castle Ravenloft looming over the grave, what departed could rest peacefully? Perhaps other villages have an easier time of it. But we in this village live our whole lives in the shadow of that accursed castle.
"As for outlanders, such as yourselves, it is very rare. Indeed, you are the first I have ever seen. There are stories, of those who came long ago, but, ah... The devil's continued existence speaks to their fate, yes?"
Ismark lingers, talking with Zied and Alessa for a while, before again trying to get some sleep in advance of the pre-dawn burial.
"Yes," grimly nodded Alessa but then looked at Ismark with the realization of what he just said. "Other villages? How many are there?" She immediately shook her head. "Forgive me, it is very late, we all need to rest. But please, tell us tomorrow more about Borovia. We know nothing and feel so lost."She looked again at happily snoring Ed, sighted and went to her room.
Ismark nods. "I know of two other villages. At least, there are two other burgomasters with whom father was aware. Vallaki is nearest, about three days hiking northwest. It is a larger settlement with good defenses. Beyond that, another two days, is Kresk. Another smaller village, but it also has an abbey. These are the Barovian settlements. Then there are the Vistani, who camp and caravan through the wilderness. They are mysterious, and it is said they possess strange magic. I have heard rumors they have the power to curse their enemies, and can travel through the mists. Mostly they keep to themselves, but some of their number are known to be robbers of unwary Barovians on the roads. One of their regular camps is not far west from here. It is called Tser Pool, though I have never been. There are also the forest folk, and the mountain folk, wildlings who survive off of the land. They do not tolerate trespassers to their territories. It is best to always stay on the roads."
When it is Sezsu's time to rise, Zied discovers that he, too, has fallen into some sort of magical slumber. Although he cannot be awakened, he also sleeps peacefully.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Having let Alessa sleep once again as he finished his shift Zied opts to simply.....not sleep tonight. He'll take the entire night as the rest rest. He can sleep when the others are awake-hopefully awake. Unlike the others he's got some ability to sleep on the move.
Zied sits at the bottom of the stairs in the building, the others sleeping in the rooms. and simply waits out the night.
When morrow comes, Zied will borrow the kitchen and cook!
18 Using up Ismakrs stocks and hopefully he won't be angry and will enjoyo the food instead!
Some time before the dawn, Ismark wakes. And so do Alessa, Edlanar, and Sezsu. The latter two seem well-rested, having enjoyed a deep, undisturbed sleep. (Tag Ed and Sezsu)
Zied discovers that the burgomaster's mansion has a large pantry, though diminished from Ismark and Kolyan's shuttering down for the last several weeks. There is plenty enough for a good breakfast, though. Once Zied gets the wood-fire stove hot, his cooking isn't half bad! After working for nearly an hour he produces minced smoked trout with dark walnuts, soft boiled eggs, and a loaf of dark bread, stale and only a little moldy (those bits can be easily scraped off).
"Delicious!" Ismark remarks, his mouth full. Suddenly moved, he wipes his eyes. "It is so good to share meal with friends in this house again. For a while I did not think it would ever be possible again. And on this day especially. Father would have liked you all very much. I feel honored."
At length, Ismark reminds you of the time. "Let us hurry. Father Donavich said to arrive before dawn."
"Thank goodness!" Alessa meant to say "good morning" but Ed's happy awakening (thanks to Zeid's care she did not know about Sezsu's unnatural slumber) was such a relief she could not help with the exclamation. But she smiled right away. "Good morning. Happy to see you are awake, Ed. How do you feel?"
The explanations could be done over breakfast - Zeid's cooking was the first familiar thing in these cursed lands and quite a pleasant start to the day too. "As sad as circumstances are, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say our meeting was most fortunate for our group. We are truly grateful for all your help." It did not take much time for her to finish the breakfast and she was ready to go to the funeral.
Taking time to explain to Seszu and Ed concerning the nights circumstances he'll continue "The church post breakfast sounds fair. That said. I think I'll need to take a nap sooner than later. Are we expecting issues at the church or simple information gathering?" Zied, mindful of being a guest will clean up as well as the group debates the details of their days itenieary.
(Likely am exhausted until he sleeps 4 hours~ Depending on if the group expects much he may well sleep in the ring while we info gather. I don't remember if one night makes exhaustion or not. I'll let GM adjudicate.)
Together you make your way out the front door with Ismark into the muddy, misty streets of Barovia. You immediately notice a large number of bats taking up roosts on the roofs of buildings near the manor. They chirp quietly as some take flight, others flying in to land nearby.
Eventually you see the old church, scarred and broken, standing beneath the towering cliff. A faint, glimmering light seeps through the windows and holes in the roof.
Inside, you find Father Donavich once more behind his alter, kneeling, muttering something indistinct. The burgomaster’s coffin is on the floor a few feet away. The smells of mildew and, now, the smell of rot, permeate the chamber.
“Please let me out! Father!” Doru screams from below, his cries moving between pleas for help and wordless wailing.
Father Donavich notices you and climbs to his feet. He looks like he hasn’t slept at all. His clothes are the same he wore the day before. His voice is hollow and shaky. “The grave is prepared. Are you ready to begin? We will need all of you to carry the coffin into the graveyard.”
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The group sets up a watch schedule, as follows: Zied will take first shift, waking Alessa and Edlanar at midnight to observe the spirit march, Sezsu to take the final watch, and Ismark to help fill in any gaps. Except for Zied, who lingers behind, the others go to bed.
As Alessa makes the offer to join Ed he smiles in appreciation, though it looks fatigued and forced, "As keen as I am to learn more or these spirits, my intent tonight was just to spy them from the porch here. It has been a day with much to consider and I must admit I find myself in need of some rest. If these spirits follow their procession each night, then we are unlikely to lose much by beginning our investigations tomorrow."
After Ismark bids the group a good night, Ed stretches out his arms, levering them back and making two distinct *crack* noises from his neck as he tilts his head side to side. "I am not fussed as to where I sleep, I'll leave you all to your comforts and take my leave of a couch down here."
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
Zied shakes at Edlanar, unawaking. No matter how he tries sleep will not release his cohort. Zied awakens Alessa, "Ed will not awaken. You try, and wake others if you cannnot awaken." Saying such Zied will attempt to look out of Ed's window (or closest thing thereof) and scan the tree line. After the nights discussion concerning Vampires and other mind warping creatures Zied wants to confirm whether it is an internal influence or external.
8+3 Perception. (Using a Knowledge from a Past Life d6)
Alessa woke up instantly - the habit multiplied by a constant sense of danger overcame the tiredness. "What do you mean - not awaken?!" Trying not to panic just yet, Alessandra ran to the dining room. At first, she tried the same thing Zied did - simply shake the young paladin from unnatural (there were no doubts about that) sleep. Then came the turn of more drastic measures. Alessa hastily pulled a lock of her coal-black hair, quickly twisting it into a knot, then put that knot into Ed's hand, close his fingers around it and tried to call him telepathically.
"Ed! Edlanar Holbrook! It is time to wake up!" She checked if there was any sign of him waking up. If there was none, before calling others, she tried just one more thing. With the deep sight (and after making sure no one is around at the moment) she cast Detect Magic to see if there was something magical affecting Edlanar.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Ed's sleeping form shifts slightly at each of Zied's attempts to rouse the slumbering man and subsequently the sounds of Alessandra's shouts. He has slept in his clothing, you can see a light sheen of sweat on him where his clothes haven't soaked it up. Occassionally mumbling words out, "To the skies."..."Now Kelsif"..."Praise Lathander". Before he shifts onto his back and begins to snore loudly.
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
Despite their best efforts, Zied and Alessa cannot wake Ed.
Alessa can sense that Ed is enveloped in a faint enchantment aura. The aura is off, shifted toward green hues and a little sour, as though tainted or curdled.
Scanning the exterior, Zied can make out a faint green light illuminating the northern horizon. The light is coming from the direction of the church and graveyard.
The witching hour is nigh.
Ed slept so peacefully... But the green aura bothered Alessa. It should not be there, to begin with - green or not. Who or what caused it? Is it even safe to wake up a person affected by it?
(Did she ever hear of something causing such effect? Arcana: 19 )
Alessa pick up her talisman and walked to Zeid. "Nothing helps. I am not sure what to do, maybe let him sleep until morning and then wake? Anyway, do you think you can throw that lock if we wrap it around something heavy to where spirits will pass? Would help to look at them safely."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Alessa
You easily recognize this effect is a sleep enchantment, but this seems to be much deeper. The versions of this enchantment you have studied have involved temporary sleep from which the sleeper can be wakened by shaking or slapping. But you can tell that Ed's sleep is a peaceful one, and the magic affecting him is not doing him any immediate harm. You have read of such enchantments, perhaps released by cursed items or magically trapped tombs, and know that they do expire eventually. If Ed's sleep is anything like that, you would expect him to wake within a day.
"The sleep itself seems harmless, of that I am sure. I say we let him rest until morning and then decide," explained Alessa a little more. "Let's see those spirits and wait for morning to come."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Taking Alessa's idea for it and allowing the rest for now but keeping an eye seems apt. Nothing much he could do about that.
"I doubt I could throw it that far... but I could get closer, and toss it with a stick and come back. I am quite fast if I need to be. Ideally I'd be unnoticed but I can lap the city if need be before coming back. I don't know how your ...lock.. works."
"A lock of your hair?" Ismark, unable to sleep and out of bed, finds himself on the front porch holding his heavy crossbow. Alessa and Zied have tied the hair onto the bolt so that Alessa may magically observe from the bolt's final location. Ismark peers into the darkness. "It is dangerous to shoot this weapon in town. I will aim for abandoned house, more or less. With luck, I will only strike wood." The weapon discharges, and the bolt disappears into the night.
Alessa enters a trance.
From the perspective of Zied and Ismark, the next few minutes reveal a procession of green-lit ghostly figures. They are too far away for you to make out the details, but you can see they are humanoid in shape, albeit glowing and seeming to glide across the ground. The spirits silently move south, away from the church and toward the square, before turning west and disappearing behind the buildings.
Alessa:
The bolt has pegged the wall of an old, abandoned storefront just south of the town square. Turning your perception north-northwest, an eerie green light suffuses the graveyard. From this light emerges a ghostly procession. Wavering images of Barovian women, woodwise men with slender bows, children with toys, and elders with walking sticks—all these and more march forth from the graveyard, their numbers growing by the second. They seem to have no interest in anything but their destination. They turn west, up the Old Svalich Road, and disappear beyond the town gates, heading into the western treeline.
"Restless spirits," Ismark notes again. "They say that as long as the devil lives, his victims will never find peace. Come, we should not be outside longer than necessary."
Alessa "watched" until the last of the unfortunate left the view. Then she broke the contact, not even checking if anything (or anyone) was hanging around the old storefront. What she saw... was very unsettling. Alessa had a vivid enough imagination to picture herself in that procession - did not they come here (forced, more like it but still) to "save the prince by killing him"? She sat in silence for a few minutes, deep in thoughts. "Ismark, you said those restless spirits belong to the people who fought the devil," (the habit to keep his name out of the conversation was forming fast), "but I saw children there, the elders. And some looked more like Barovians rather than outlanders. And... how come there are so many of them?! It had to take decades to get so many people! It's hard to believe no one could make the deed after so many years! "
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Alessa: "Ismark, you said those restless spirits belong to the people who fought the devil," (the habit to keep his name out of the conversation was forming fast), "but I saw children there, the elders. And some looked more like Barovians rather than outlanders. And... how come there are so many of them?! It had to take decades to get so many people! It's hard to believe no one could make the deed after so many years!"
"Or those he hunted, in turn. As Father Donavich said, his corruption is not bounded by regard to age or class. And, the devil is ageless. Many of those graves are far older than me. He has ruled over my father, and my father's father, and his father before, as far back as anyone remembers. That is enough time to claim many more victims than may be buried in our graveyard. Of course, with Castle Ravenloft looming over the grave, what departed could rest peacefully? Perhaps other villages have an easier time of it. But we in this village live our whole lives in the shadow of that accursed castle.
"As for outlanders, such as yourselves, it is very rare. Indeed, you are the first I have ever seen. There are stories, of those who came long ago, but, ah... The devil's continued existence speaks to their fate, yes?"
Ismark lingers, talking with Zied and Alessa for a while, before again trying to get some sleep in advance of the pre-dawn burial.
(Any other questions for Ismark?)
"Yes," grimly nodded Alessa but then looked at Ismark with the realization of what he just said. "Other villages? How many are there?" She immediately shook her head. "Forgive me, it is very late, we all need to rest. But please, tell us tomorrow more about Borovia. We know nothing and feel so lost." She looked again at happily snoring Ed, sighted and went to her room.
(Guess, we are back to shift schedule?)
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Ismark nods. "I know of two other villages. At least, there are two other burgomasters with whom father was aware. Vallaki is nearest, about three days hiking northwest. It is a larger settlement with good defenses. Beyond that, another two days, is Kresk. Another smaller village, but it also has an abbey. These are the Barovian settlements. Then there are the Vistani, who camp and caravan through the wilderness. They are mysterious, and it is said they possess strange magic. I have heard rumors they have the power to curse their enemies, and can travel through the mists. Mostly they keep to themselves, but some of their number are known to be robbers of unwary Barovians on the roads. One of their regular camps is not far west from here. It is called Tser Pool, though I have never been. There are also the forest folk, and the mountain folk, wildlings who survive off of the land. They do not tolerate trespassers to their territories. It is best to always stay on the roads."
When it is Sezsu's time to rise, Zied discovers that he, too, has fallen into some sort of magical slumber. Although he cannot be awakened, he also sleeps peacefully.
Having let Alessa sleep once again as he finished his shift Zied opts to simply.....not sleep tonight. He'll take the entire night as the rest rest. He can sleep when the others are awake-hopefully awake. Unlike the others he's got some ability to sleep on the move.
Zied sits at the bottom of the stairs in the building, the others sleeping in the rooms. and simply waits out the night.
When morrow comes, Zied will borrow the kitchen and cook!
18 Using up Ismakrs stocks and hopefully he won't be angry and will enjoyo the food instead!
Day 2 - Dawn
Some time before the dawn, Ismark wakes. And so do Alessa, Edlanar, and Sezsu. The latter two seem well-rested, having enjoyed a deep, undisturbed sleep. (Tag Ed and Sezsu)
Zied discovers that the burgomaster's mansion has a large pantry, though diminished from Ismark and Kolyan's shuttering down for the last several weeks. There is plenty enough for a good breakfast, though. Once Zied gets the wood-fire stove hot, his cooking isn't half bad! After working for nearly an hour he produces minced smoked trout with dark walnuts, soft boiled eggs, and a loaf of dark bread, stale and only a little moldy (those bits can be easily scraped off).
"Delicious!" Ismark remarks, his mouth full. Suddenly moved, he wipes his eyes. "It is so good to share meal with friends in this house again. For a while I did not think it would ever be possible again. And on this day especially. Father would have liked you all very much. I feel honored."
At length, Ismark reminds you of the time. "Let us hurry. Father Donavich said to arrive before dawn."
"Thank goodness!" Alessa meant to say "good morning" but Ed's happy awakening (thanks to Zeid's care she did not know about Sezsu's unnatural slumber) was such a relief she could not help with the exclamation. But she smiled right away. "Good morning. Happy to see you are awake, Ed. How do you feel?"
The explanations could be done over breakfast - Zeid's cooking was the first familiar thing in these cursed lands and quite a pleasant start to the day too. "As sad as circumstances are, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say our meeting was most fortunate for our group. We are truly grateful for all your help." It did not take much time for her to finish the breakfast and she was ready to go to the funeral.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Taking time to explain to Seszu and Ed concerning the nights circumstances he'll continue "The church post breakfast sounds fair. That said. I think I'll need to take a nap sooner than later. Are we expecting issues at the church or simple information gathering?" Zied, mindful of being a guest will clean up as well as the group debates the details of their days itenieary.
(Likely am exhausted until he sleeps 4 hours~ Depending on if the group expects much he may well sleep in the ring while we info gather. I don't remember if one night makes exhaustion or not. I'll let GM adjudicate.)
Together you make your way out the front door with Ismark into the muddy, misty streets of Barovia. You immediately notice a large number of bats taking up roosts on the roofs of buildings near the manor. They chirp quietly as some take flight, others flying in to land nearby.
Eventually you see the old church, scarred and broken, standing beneath the towering cliff. A faint, glimmering light seeps through the windows and holes in the roof.
Inside, you find Father Donavich once more behind his alter, kneeling, muttering something indistinct. The burgomaster’s coffin is on the floor a few feet away. The smells of mildew and, now, the smell of rot, permeate the chamber.
“Please let me out! Father!” Doru screams from below, his cries moving between pleas for help and wordless wailing.
Father Donavich notices you and climbs to his feet. He looks like he hasn’t slept at all. His clothes are the same he wore the day before. His voice is hollow and shaky. “The grave is prepared. Are you ready to begin? We will need all of you to carry the coffin into the graveyard.”