- By the way - Bran announces in a moment when the conversation gets more scarce - I'll need to practice with my lute for a while before going to bed - he lets this sink in his companions. They know what this means for the bard. Except perhaps Cole, who wasn't present when Bran told the full story, but the druid did heard him say through his raven puppet that his music tutor is not ...from this world.
So as not to make the statement strange for the Martikovs he adds - I should think that I won't be a bother to anyone and I will keep my music as low as possible. I'll try to stay as away for everyone as possible, okay? I don't want anyone kicking my ass for waking them up!- he chuckles.
By the time Bran starts asking about her, Chara is probably either bathing or just finishing up. The she-devil will make an appearance for dinner (by the time she's finished cleaning up, her Armor of Agathys has worn off, since the spell only lasts an hour, and she's back to looking like her normal self), sharing some of the pork with Lydl. Chara mostly just listens to the conversation, unless someone directly addresses her.
After dinner, spoiler for DM:
"Thank you, Master; it is my greatest desire to bring some light to this bleak land however I can, by your blessing," Chara says, with a little smile as he praises her actions at the horrible 'festival,' then she hangs her head and lets out a sigh before addressing his criticism of taking on the imp as a familiar. "I... I know what Ichabod is and I understand his motivations are suspect at best... I realize that I may have made an unwise decision in a moment of desperation. But... at the same time... he has always been a fixture in my life ever since my father called him forth from the Nine Hells. By binding him as a familiar, I at least know where he is and don't have to wonder when or if he'll appear to cause problems. I'm not especially proud of the decision I made, but I don't know that the alternative of leaving him free and unchecked would have been any better. I'm sorry, Master."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
When they arrive at the Inn, Lucian remains rather quiet. In spite of knowing he was fine now, he is still a little shaky after the event. He tries to smile when Chara mentions starting a cult, but finds it difficult to just shrug off the sickening feeling in his gut. If this happens every time they end up in a fight, was it really worth it to travel with them? Was it worth it to put their lives in greater danger by trying to help in already dangerous situations?
When Chara leaves to go take a bath, Lucian keeps to the corners of the common room, doing his best to quiet his mind and think past what just happened. They were all safe, and they had managed to save both of the children. That was what mattered, even if Lucian had done nothing to really improve the situation.
He seems a little surprised when Bran asks him if Chara is alright, "Uh... I think so?" His face goes hot as he realizes that he's been so withdrawn that he hasn't really been paying much attention to anyone else. Had the comment about that woman being a devil worshiper bothered Chara in some way? He fidgets a little, hoping that he was just overthinking things. "Sh...she just went to go take a bath..." He pauses... mind straying a little when he realizes that he's never actually had a warm bath before. He'd never been able to afford one...maybe a bath wasn't a bad idea. It could get rid of the smells of wolves and...blood.
Shaking his head, he brings himself back to the conversation, "Oh... yes. I'm glad too. She deserves to be seen as who she is, not what people think she looks like..." He trails off as his face heats up again for some reason, and he ducks his head.
After a moment he says, "I'm alright..." He fidgets again, pulling his legs onto the chair to sit crosslegged. He seems less embarrassed and more...worried. This was as good of an opportunity to explain himself as he was likely to get... He glances up to see where Urwin is, and if the innkeeper is far enough away not to overhear he hesitantly looks up at Bran. "Um... I should probably tell you..." He swallows, realizing that this wasn't going to be any easier then when he'd told Chara, or Eithne after that. He'd hoped that it would be, but it wasn't. Letting out a breath, he says, "You know how I kept saying that...um... th...that we all have some darkness in our lives? Well... mine is... mine is that..." He bites his lip, clenching his fists for a moment and shutting his eyes before opening them again and fiddling with the wraps covering his feet. Forcing himself to take a breath he says, "Sorry, I just...hate saying it. But... I... I'm a werewolf, Bran. Th... that's why I... That's what... It was trying to come out. It does that sometimes. Most of the time it's only when I get stressed, or...or hurt...and...well I guess I was more worried about everything then I'd thought I was."
He diverts his eyes again, waiting for some sort of reaction before saying, "When that happens, if I take the time to meditate...most of the time I can keep it from coming out. But... this time it almost... I almost failed. And... if I had... if it had gotten free..." He shivers, phantom pain echoing through his bones. "You have a right to know, and I don't expect you to trust me. The Wolf is evil, and if it takes over... I just want everyone to be prepared. ...which, well... means that Cole needs to know too. I just... its so hard to..." Once more trailing off, he shivers and moves a hand to grasp the pocket watch hanging from his neck.
(OOC: I'll add another post after getting Bran's reaction for this one. Lucian's mood and how much he talks later on will be affected by this so I didn't want to react to the mission or to the issue of Lady Wachter just yet. ;) )
Eithne, once she realizes Lucian is better at the Blue Water Inn, immediately goes to reunite with Juhowly, noting with relief that the she-wofl cub is fine.
"Thanks, friends" smiles the savage stranger, raising her hand to greet the ravens. "I see you've kept a good watch!" then she starts petting the puppy and playing a little with her "You had to be alone for a while, huh? But, believe me, you wouldn't have enjoyed that bad place where I had to go... and now we're back together! And tomorrow we'll go hunting for a whole new lot of trouble to deal with together!"
Once she's down again, with Juhowly, for dinner, the last of the dusk elf maidens share the meal with the cub... in fact, she's so interested in what Urwin, Cole and Bran have to say, she ends up chewing just a few mouthfuls, passing them almost all to Juhowly without even realizing it (perhaps because the puppy appreciates them and makes them disappear rather quickly).
"What a curious name, 'The Wizard of Wines'..." comments Eithne when Urwin mentions it "It's not like they use magic, in their production process, are they? And anyway, once there, who's your contact, Urwin? Who should we ask about?"
"Since you are 'familiar with the place', Cole," the savage stranger wonders "do you have any idea of the possible problems that may have occurred? Were there specific dangers nearby? Or someone who was hostile to the winery?"
Finally, when Bran communicates Lady Wachter's invitation, the last of the dusk elf maidens comment: "Lady Fiona Wachter? She is a former noble who does not like the Baron. And who is said to be a devil-worshipper. I'm wondering what she is hoping to accomplish by inviting us in. She's seen us save people, so she can't possibly hope to get us to worship demons. Unless she's noticed Icahbore and misunderstood us... Or maybe she hopes to get us to take action against the Baron, since she saw us remedy the trouble he had caused with his festival. Perhaps with her help we could even get rid of that funny guy Izek before one bad day he decides to really set fire to Blinsky's shop - with or without him inside. Maybe we should participate and at least find out what the lady is proposing. Provided we get back in time, of course; I wouldn't deliberately delay our mission to the winery - our mission, in my opinion, must remain our first priority. What do you think, guys?"
-Ah!- Bran says when Lucian explains where Chara is - Happy to hear, then. A hot bath. Man, does that sound appealing. I could kill for a hot bath right now.
The bard just freezes when he hears such a poor choice of words coming out of his stupid mouth. "Bran, you dumb idiot", he thinks to himself. No amount of past stress or present tiredness could forgive that.
Containing the urge of facepalming, he just tells himself to focus and listen - and definitely speaking - more carefully than this.
But what he does not contain is the warm smile appearing in his mouth and brightening all of his expression when he detects that imperceptible but unmistakable flare in Lucian's face when he talks again about Chara. To have the opportunity to witness that moment, the birth of something so beautiful and powerful! He had had a feeling about just that in the market, but they had all been so focused in what was just about to happen that he just had set it aside.
In that very moment, that little spark was as bright as the sun for the bard. Even if he hadn't seen the sun for himself and could only imagine it.
He didn't say anything and just let Lucian keep talking. The bard nodded when the young dusk elf reminded the darkness they had all in their lives. And when Lucian disclosed his, he looked at him - not saying anything for a short moment - and didn't remove his eyes from him nor made any kind of movement. He just didn't want to make a poor choice of words this time and wanted to think clearly before opening his mouth.
- I see. I'm sorry, I'm not too familiar with werewolves. I do read a lot and I'm really interested in knowing a little about ...well...almost everything. But I fail to know if what I've read about werewolves is true or just a bunch of stories destined to scare little children and not so little adults.
He stops for a moment.
- I'm sorry, Lucian. It's all I can say right now. I don't know how this came to happen to you, if you were born with it, or if it was transmited in some other way. But what I want to stress is ... I'm not sorry that you are a werewolf. I'm sorry to see you suffer for it.
He stops for a second and smiles:
- I don't know if you remember, but one of the first things you did right after Eithne pulled me out of the coffin was offer me kind words. And water - he smiles, remembering - Well, I think that in that moment I said something like "Thank you, Lucian, you're a kind soul".
He pauses again.
- That perception has not changed one single bit, my friend. It has just been reaffirmed during these last days. And now, here you are suffering because you want to share your nature with me. I hate that. That you suffer for it. But at the same time, I thank you for putting your trust in me. And I tell you this: I'll do whatever is in my hand to help you out. Whatever you decide that you want to do with your nature. Do you want to try and be rid of it? Or do you want to know more about it? Do you want, perhaps, with time to be able to harness it for a greater good? Whatever your answer is, I hope I'll be there to see you through it. You're a kind soul, Lucian. And I trust you. I hope you don't forget that. I will repeat it as many times as necessary until you believe it yourself - he laughs, and nudges the young dusk elf softly.
After all this, there's still one thing Bran needs to say:
- By the way. "The wolf is evil"...? Why? Says who? Wolves are wolves, just that. They can be dangerous creatures, yes, but also beautiful, agile, strong. And very protective of their own, but you probably knew that already. Isn't that to be praised? I think there is much to be learned from wolves. And perhaps the same can be said about your nature?
So my all-time favourite movie is "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and I could just not include that quote. "There is much to be learned from beasts"
Also, I'm really not so sure if Bran can have read as much as I intend him to? Is there easy access to books in Barovia? I really don't know, but I certainly hope so because I try to roleplay the "Jack of all trades" bard feature like this: Bran has had a very closed off life with his family. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't know a fair amount about many things. He has gathered that knowledge by being curious and reading! And by direct transmission from his father. Hope this is ok!
Lucian stays quiet as the bard talks, and for the most part he keeps his head down as well. He looks up towards the end, and offers a small smile, "Th...thanks."He lowers his head again for a moment, looking down at the pocket watch as it rests in his palm. Not really knowing how else to respond, he goes quiet again before dropping the watch to let it hang from his neck once more.
Looking up again, he says quietly, "I never expected anyone in this group to be so willing to...to risk having me around." He pauses, realizing what he'd just said and that he hadn't really meant to say it. It wasn't that he felt sorry for himself. He couldn't afford that, not with how long he'd been dealing with the curse. He wasn't looking for pity, and he hopes that Bran, and everyone else for that matter, realizes that. He just want's to make sure that no one get's hurt on his account.
"I... I've had this curse for as long as I can remember. I...can keep it contained most of the time but..." He hesitates, "Most of the stories you've heard about...this curse... are probably true. There is a reason that...they... are portrayed in such a way. I can't... even though I can keep the Wolf from coming out most of the time, I can't... keep it contained during the full moon." He pauses, "I don't think that all wolves are evil. I... I know they aren't. They are just animals, they do what they need to do to survive." He falters as the memory of the she-wolf killing her pup flashes across his mind. Swallowing, he continues, "But... werewolves... I mean...well I don't know anymore about them then well, other people really. But... when it happens, I..." Fleeting memories slip away, memories of the forest at night, bodies, and blood. Memories of killing, of hatred and rage that were his own but also weren't. "This Wolf is evil. I can't control it, and...really, I don't remember almost anything when...after I... after it gets out... I'm glad that... that you trust me. I'm glad that everyone here trusts me. But...that trust can't be given to the Wolf. The last thing I want is to wake up out in the forest with..."...with blood in my mouth and on my hands, only to find everyone dead later. He doesn't say it out loud, instead saying, "I just want everyone to be prepared is all. And, I don't want you or anyone else to hesitate to kill me should I... the Wolf, try to hurt any of you." He gives a chuckle, "Not that I wouldn't appreciate it if you could all get away with just tying me up or... knocking me out, but..."
He goes quiet again, deciding not to move forward with that line of thought and once more absentmindedly grabbing the watch, "I've been dealing with it for so long, I can hardly imagine what it would be like to not have it. I...just don't know if there is a way to get rid of it that doesn't involve...well, making a deal with a devil." He looks down at the pocket watch again and a thought occurs to him... "But... Maybe..." He opens the pocket watch, revealing a small piece of parchment folded up inside the door. He touches the parchment just briefly with his thumb before glancing up at Bran again, "Um... do you know anything about the hags at Old Bonegrinder?" He almost hadn't asked, especially since he hasn't exactly brought this up to anyone else yet. But if Bran was learned in books...maybe he would know something about this...ring. He pulls the parchment out of the watch and carefully unfolds it. It is clear that it has been unfolded and folded many times judging by the worn out creases. "I...this watch was my father's...and, this note was left inside it by my mother. ...I think...well...she was looking for a ring that would let...uh...someone like me control his...transformations. According to this note, its last known location was with those hags." He stares at the note for a moment, sadness showing plainly in his eyes as he scans the words that he has memorized by this point. Then he gently folds it up and places it back inside the pocket watch before snapping it shut and looking up at Bran, "I don't even know if it's real or not, but if I can't get rid of the curse, then... well I need to be able to control it. I don't want what happened today to happen every time our party gets into a fight... I hope we don't have to get into fights at all but, I think we all knew that wasn't going to be an option when we signed up for this. I just... I don't want to put anyone into anymore danger then we already have to face."He grips the pocket watch, "But...as much as I hate the Wolf, if I could control it then... maybe I could use it for the greater good."
Regardless of Bran's answer to his question about the hags, Lucian seems to be back to his usual self when they gather to eat. He takes a seat next to Chara, pulling his legs onto his seat to sit crosslegged, finding that position more comfortable. He gives each pup a piece of his food as well, glad to see that they are both happy and healthy unlike the wolves they'd faced during that awful event.
He thanks Urwin and Dannika several times as he comes back for seconds, and listens intently as Urwin explains the mission. When Bran asks about his home, Lucian looks hopefully at the innkeeper, hoping for the bards sake that the place is within traveling distance.
When Bran brings up Lady Wachter, he nods along with Eithne's reply...but hesitates at the mention of possibly getting help from her. "I... I don't know... I don't really like the idea of going and visiting her, but at the same time I wouldn't want to make her angry at us either." He goes quiet, realizing that his hesitance wasn't just because of the rumors about this woman being a devil-worshiper, but it was also that she used to be a noble. Anyone with power like that was at the top of any smart urchin's list to avoid. The last thing he'd ever do was willingly visit, even if he'd been invited. It just smelled like trouble.
After dinner, when Bran mentions needing to practice with his lute, Lucian says, "I... don't need much sleep. Could... I watch?" Perhaps he could catch a glimpse of this Pom character... even if he can't, well he's never really gotten to watch anyone play any sort of instrument up close. He is curious to see how it is done.
(OOC: I enjoyed it Fairlithilien! :D Lol, it made me write a lot more in response then I thought I was going to :'D.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC: 🥺🥺🥺😊😊😊
As it's late and also because I want to answer yo both Eithne and Lucian in a single post, I think for the moment I just need to know if I know anything about those hags. I'll leave a history check and if I get nothing from or if it's too low I'll just answer normally tomorrow. 10)
Urwinsays, "Kresk is two hours journey past the bridge I told you of. If you can get the wine on its way, it should be no trouble to visit it the village after. The bridge itself is about 4 hours from here and the winery is two hours past the crossroads in the other direction. If you hurry, you could leave the winery, visit Kresk, and be back here by nightfall. However, it won't be easy. As for the town itself, I'm afraid I can't say too much. I don't know of any major catastrophes in that area, but minor apocalypses happen all the time in Barovia. I hope your family is doing well."
"Lady Wachter is a schemer. Watch yourself around her and, in particular, watch for her toadie, Ernst Larnak. A little toad of a man, he has eyes and ears everywhere and passes all the gossip, rumors, and blackmail material he can find along to Lady Wachter for her plans. She has made no effort to hide the fact that she believes she ought to be the Burgomeister. If she can find a way to control you, she will. I'll send word to Blinsky about her interest. It is best that she not be made known about your activities."
At Eithne's question about his contact, Urwinlooks at Dannika. She rolls her eyes and says, "What Urwin won't say is that his family runs the winery. They had a falling out years ago and he is not on speaking terms with his father, who heads the vineyard. They work together, but they are too prideful to ask each other for aid. It's pitiful. As for magic, consider the wine that you've had. Have you noticed that it holds none of the land's corruption? There is magic at play in that, but I will say no more at the moment."
Bran:
You know the rumors of the hags at Ol' Bonegrinder. Ancient crones who grind children for their bread and soak it in the blood. Witches of the foulest sort. You've always thought it was exaggeration, but who knows? After what you've seen with this group, it could all be true.
Having started to think of hags, a memory reveals itself. Three hideous women in your bedroom and you unable to move. Suddenly, you are in the memory. The fear was all-consuming, you can feel your sweat, your heart pounding, their long nails caressing your scalp. You turn to look at Elia, on the bed beside you, and, before you can see her, the memory ends.
Bran quickly apologizes to Lucian when monk finishes his response:
- Damn, sorry, I've talked too lightly about the Wolf and just compared it to the wolves as we know them. No amount of text read from unknown individuals can surpass your first hand knowledge. I feel your worries and fears, Lucian, and I see your concern for the safety of the people next to you. And I think that it only makes you even kinder and braver. Because trusting other people that are wanting to stay at your side while you would very much prefer them to be far from you to ensure their safety is a big leap of faith and fine example of bravery to me. Don't you think?
Bran pauses for a moment, thinking. Wouldn't that apply to the bard himself and his so called cloud of misfortune? Didn't they tell him something similar at Blinsky's when Chara revealed what Ichabod had found out about him? The bard smiled for a moment. How blind people can be to their own darkness, but at the same time able to shed light on other people's just by sitting together and talking. The bard thought again of the concept of "chosen family" that crossed his mind during the jamboree and felt a little burst of happiness inside.
- Anyway, we'll figure it out, Lucian. All of us, together - he allows for a little joke when adding - Aaaand you say your preferred options are first to be tied up or knocked out and sencondly be killed? Ok, ok. I'll try to remember that. We don't want to have that order scrambled up, huh? - He laughs for a moment but then becomes serious again and just nods, conveying that he has understood. Bran doesn't like that second option one bit, but he says nothing about this, as he is sure that Lucian knows none of the group want that to happen.
- So you have a lead on something that could be useful to control the Wolf. That is a fine starting point. I've heard rumours about those hags of Ol' Bonebringer, but I always considered them to be just tales. I wonder what would be the first place to try search for them. Could it be Vallaki? Hey, we could ask Urwin to tell this to Blinsky and the toymaker could gather some info while we are on route. What do you th....?
At that precise moment, something reaches the bard's mind. Something so terrible it has an impact not only on his mind but on his body, too. A repressed memory...? Bran's normally fair skinned face turns white and his hands start to tremble. The bard is suddenly overcome by such a distress that he needs to hold on to something, even though they are sitting down on chairs and there's no real risk of falling to the ground. He cluchtes Lucian's forearm in search for an anchor to support him in the sudden wave of sheer terror that has overcome him.
A few scattered words come out of the bard's mouth.
- ...Three... hideous ... wo-women ... in our bedroom...I ... I ... I can feel their touch on me... I ... I can't move. I try to look at Elia at my side, in our bed ... but....can't ... can't remember ... anything else ...
😳 ...
Not adding anything else for the moment.
Though Lucian and I are a bit apart right now, I won't say that only Lucian should see that something is happening to Bran. I leave the choice to participate in the rest's hands. But knowing Bran, I think its fair to say that he wouldn't want a big fuss right now. Specially, he wouldn't want Urwin and Dannika made aware of what is happening, if possible.
As I've already RPed that after this conversation with Lucian Bran behaves normally the rest of the dinner / mission talk - thought a little sad because he's remembered his home -...well, he'll try to do just that. Only, a liiittle more worried than before.
At Eithne's question about his contact, Urwinlooks at Dannika. She rolls her eyes and says, "What Urwin won't say is that his family runs the winery. They had a falling out years ago and he is not on speaking terms with his father, who heads the vineyard. They work together, but they are too prideful to ask each other for aid. It's pitiful. As for magic, consider the wine that you've had. Have you noticed that it holds none of the land's corruption? There is magic at play in that, but I will say no more at the moment."
...
Eithne nods to Dannika: "Don't worry, I wasn't asking for details on magic to steal your secrets; I was just trying to imagine what problems could have occurred, just to arrive on site already with some ideas, if possible... And even if my first suspicions would be on possible enemies (that's why I asked Cole if he has any hypotheses about it), on the other hand, if magic is involved, it could also have malfunctioned some spell... I don't know, I don't have a great deal of confidence in magic... It gives me the impression that it doesn't take much for something not to work as it should..."
After that. the savage stranger sinks into private thoughts: 'Even in my case it must have malfunctioned some magic ... Otherwise, how could I have found myself in that clearing, with almost no memory of the past and with all those voices in my head? Magic... Magic... It gives me such a bad feeling... yet I just can't remember...' 'We don't know Eithne, we've already told you...' her voices begin to answer. 'We too suddenly found ourselves into you, we don't know much about you before'. 'Which is strange, because you are one of us… you should have suffered the exact same fate as us!' 'Although we're happy, believe us, that it didn't happen!'
Lucian had never thought of this in such a way... honestly he'd been afraid he'd seem selfish for wanting to stay with the group. Of course, if they weren't willing to risk his company then he would have left with...well sadness, but he still would have left. Yet the fact that everyone (well except Cole now) now knew of his condition and was still willing to let him stick around... in part it made him even more afraid of losing control, but it also filled a hole that had been empty for a long, long time. Not knowing what to say, he just gives Bran a smile and listens as the bard continues.
He laughs a little at Bran's joking, even though the bard had it a little backwards. Yes, Lucian would rather not die...he still has a lot to do in this world before he's ready for that, but... Well he'd only added that last part because of the reaction Eithne and Lenn had given him when he'd said the same thing to them. None of them wanted to kill him, but he is afraid that if they aren't willing to follow through then... they might not even be able to restrain him if he loses control when they aren't prepared.
Listening closely, he is a little disappointed when Bran says he'd considered the hags to be...just tales. His expression changes to something close to panic though when the bard mentions asking Blinsky and Urwin, "Uh... N...no... I'd rather not. I mean... what would we say to them if they ask why I want to know? They don't know about... about..."
He trails off as the color suddenly leaves Bran's face, and then lets out a surprised yelp as the bard suddenly grabs his arm. Quickly realizing that something is wrong, he stands up and is about to ask something when Bran starts stammering. Not knowing what to do, Lucian looks up and locates Eithne (I think Chara is still away at this point?), and then stammers, "Uh... Eithne! Something....something is wrong with Bran! I...I don't know what to do!" His eyes dart around the room, noting where everyone is and whether or not they heard him. From what he could tell Eithne seemed to get along with Bran the best, so she seemed like the best option to get help from in this situation.
He looks down at the bard again, barely processing the scattered words coming from the man's mouth. Three hideous women? In his bedroom? His wife? What is he talking about? Could this have to do with how he ended up in the coffin? "Bran? A...are you alright?"
Hesitantly he puts his free hand on Bran's shoulder, trying to lend some amount of support even though he had no idea what he's doing or if he can even help at this point.
Hearing the call from the young elf, Eithne immediately rouses herself from her thoughts and rushes with Juhowly, commenting with a touch of bitterness: "Today doesn't really seem like a good evening for us..." and immediately she tries to understand what is happening to the bard, gently taking his face in her hands and trying to speak to him softly, while, with obvious concern, she doesn't take her azure eyes off his face, trying to study his reactions "Bran? Are you okay? Do you recognize us? We are your friends... in Vallaki... You are safe here... Can you talk?"
She also tries to pours him a glass of wine, to see if having a drink will help him recover.
Without taking her attention off Bran, the savage stranger tries to inquire from Lucian: "Did anything in particular happen before he felt this way?"
"Uh... well..." Lucian stammers when Eithne asks her question. "We were just talking and then he... went all pale... He started talking about... uh..."He trails off... hideous women? Did that have something to do with him bringing up the hags? He looks at Bran again, wondering if this was somehow his fault for asking about the hags.
"Then I really don't understand. I just hope that demon worshiping Lady Watcher hasn't done something to him!" Eithne brings the glass slowly to the bard's lips, to see if he drinks and recovers; in the meantime he doesn't stop looking into his eyes, studying his reactions "Bran? Do you recognize us? Hey, come back to us, Bran... We need you... We need to help you find your family, remember? Come on, come back to us Bran..."
He can't move. All he can feel is the terror that runs through every fiber of his body and his heart pounding fiercely as he lets out a silent cry that is unable to leave his throat. Where's Elia? What have they done to her?? And what do they want to do to him!?? Bran can't move, but he can see the three monstrous women getting nearer ...and nearer... their nails already touching his skin and ready to tear him apart.
...Bran...
...you ....all right ...
...Vallaki ... you are ... safe...
... come back to us....
He blinks and suddenly he's back at the inn, feeling weak, sweaty and shaky, but at least he's not in that bed anymore. Those horrid nails are not running through his flesh and instead he feels a gentle hand cuping his face.
Bran's eyes focus and discover those of Eithne looking at him worried.
- Eith... I ... gods... - he says, putting his still trembling hand on hers, needing to feel something warm. Something good.
Bran can't find words to express what he has just seen and felt. He drinks a little bit of the wine he's been offered and though he can't really taste its flavour because of the bitterness he stills feels in his mouth, it gives him a little strength to keep talking.
- I just...remembered ...something. All of a sudden. I was home, in my bed. And those three women, those monsters, they were doing something to us. Or just to me? - he shakes his head, unknowingly - I tried to find Elia by my side, but the vision got blurry. I just know that I couldn't move and they were just ... looming over me... touching me with their hideous nails. I don't ... understand - and he looks at Lucian - I was just saying that hags where just a tale. But ... they are not, are they? They did this to me.
He frees Lucian's forearm and puts that hand in his mouth, eyes open wide displaying a fear that hasn't still disappeared though the flashback fortunately has. What was he going to do? Did these monsters have his family?
- Gods, now the idea of returning there terrifies me even more.
Eithne holds Bran's hand, glad that the touch seems to give him comfort, while with the other she gently strokes his cheek to make him turn his eyes back to her azure ones: "Bran, you're with us. I don't know which hags you're talking about, but don't worry, it does not matter, we will face them together. Like the wolves before".
'Um... Eithne... Do you really want to compare witches to half-dead caged wolves?' the voices in her head do not agree. 'Actually, Eithne, maybe your optimism is getting a little out of hand…' 'And the witches may be allied with Devil Stradh!'
However, the savage stranger grits her teeth and concentrates on the conversation she is having with the bard, continuing as if nothing had happened: "They didn't do so well, right? Well, these witches won't do any better! We will find them and free your family!"
In fact, the last of the dusk elf maidens doesn't know exactly why she wants at all costs to believe that the other's situation is less desperate than hers... but she does and with an enthusiasm that she had rarely experienced before, she encourages him further: "Bran, at least you finally remembered something!" ('that's more than what I have been able to do in years, by the way...') "It's a giant leap! The witches got the better of you when they attacked you alone, in your sleep. But when we visit them, you'll be wide awake. And you'll have us with you! The ending of your story is yet to be written, Bran! And I'm pretty sure you'll write it darn well!"
(OOC: in answer to Aroc's question about Chara's location... unless this scene is playing out just as she's finishing with dinner, she is currently fast asleep cuddled up with her puppy).
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Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
(OOC: Guys! In my opinion, or at least that is way I tried to reflect in #864, this should be happening just before the Martikovs start bringing dinner. So if you agree, after talking to Lucian and Eithne Bran will pull himself together, help Urwin and Dannika serve the food as stated in that post, then Chara gets down, then we'll talk about the winery, Bran says his piece about Wachter, then Urwin gives his piece of info on the mission and Wachter, and then Eithne and Dannika speak about family issues, magic and wine. And I think that's the last of it.
That's how I got this in my head, at least! Sorry for the mess! I'll write a short post now trying to link with Eithne's last one and returning to the "current moment" 😅 But if any of you feel I need to edit something, will do!)
- By the way - Bran announces in a moment when the conversation gets more scarce - I'll need to practice with my lute for a while before going to bed - he lets this sink in his companions. They know what this means for the bard. Except perhaps Cole, who wasn't present when Bran told the full story, but the druid did heard him say through his raven puppet that his music tutor is not ...from this world.
So as not to make the statement strange for the Martikovs he adds - I should think that I won't be a bother to anyone and I will keep my music as low as possible. I'll try to stay as away for everyone as possible, okay? I don't want anyone kicking my ass for waking them up! - he chuckles.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
By the time Bran starts asking about her, Chara is probably either bathing or just finishing up. The she-devil will make an appearance for dinner (by the time she's finished cleaning up, her Armor of Agathys has worn off, since the spell only lasts an hour, and she's back to looking like her normal self), sharing some of the pork with Lydl. Chara mostly just listens to the conversation, unless someone directly addresses her.
After dinner, spoiler for DM:
"Thank you, Master; it is my greatest desire to bring some light to this bleak land however I can, by your blessing," Chara says, with a little smile as he praises her actions at the horrible 'festival,' then she hangs her head and lets out a sigh before addressing his criticism of taking on the imp as a familiar. "I... I know what Ichabod is and I understand his motivations are suspect at best... I realize that I may have made an unwise decision in a moment of desperation. But... at the same time... he has always been a fixture in my life ever since my father called him forth from the Nine Hells. By binding him as a familiar, I at least know where he is and don't have to wonder when or if he'll appear to cause problems. I'm not especially proud of the decision I made, but I don't know that the alternative of leaving him free and unchecked would have been any better. I'm sorry, Master."
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
When they arrive at the Inn, Lucian remains rather quiet. In spite of knowing he was fine now, he is still a little shaky after the event. He tries to smile when Chara mentions starting a cult, but finds it difficult to just shrug off the sickening feeling in his gut. If this happens every time they end up in a fight, was it really worth it to travel with them? Was it worth it to put their lives in greater danger by trying to help in already dangerous situations?
When Chara leaves to go take a bath, Lucian keeps to the corners of the common room, doing his best to quiet his mind and think past what just happened. They were all safe, and they had managed to save both of the children. That was what mattered, even if Lucian had done nothing to really improve the situation.
He seems a little surprised when Bran asks him if Chara is alright, "Uh... I think so?" His face goes hot as he realizes that he's been so withdrawn that he hasn't really been paying much attention to anyone else. Had the comment about that woman being a devil worshiper bothered Chara in some way? He fidgets a little, hoping that he was just overthinking things. "Sh...she just went to go take a bath..." He pauses... mind straying a little when he realizes that he's never actually had a warm bath before. He'd never been able to afford one...maybe a bath wasn't a bad idea. It could get rid of the smells of wolves and...blood.
Shaking his head, he brings himself back to the conversation, "Oh... yes. I'm glad too. She deserves to be seen as who she is, not what people think she looks like..." He trails off as his face heats up again for some reason, and he ducks his head.
After a moment he says, "I'm alright..." He fidgets again, pulling his legs onto the chair to sit crosslegged. He seems less embarrassed and more...worried. This was as good of an opportunity to explain himself as he was likely to get... He glances up to see where Urwin is, and if the innkeeper is far enough away not to overhear he hesitantly looks up at Bran. "Um... I should probably tell you..." He swallows, realizing that this wasn't going to be any easier then when he'd told Chara, or Eithne after that. He'd hoped that it would be, but it wasn't. Letting out a breath, he says, "You know how I kept saying that...um... th...that we all have some darkness in our lives? Well... mine is... mine is that..." He bites his lip, clenching his fists for a moment and shutting his eyes before opening them again and fiddling with the wraps covering his feet. Forcing himself to take a breath he says, "Sorry, I just...hate saying it. But... I... I'm a werewolf, Bran. Th... that's why I... That's what... It was trying to come out. It does that sometimes. Most of the time it's only when I get stressed, or...or hurt...and...well I guess I was more worried about everything then I'd thought I was."
He diverts his eyes again, waiting for some sort of reaction before saying, "When that happens, if I take the time to meditate...most of the time I can keep it from coming out. But... this time it almost... I almost failed. And... if I had... if it had gotten free..." He shivers, phantom pain echoing through his bones. "You have a right to know, and I don't expect you to trust me. The Wolf is evil, and if it takes over... I just want everyone to be prepared. ...which, well... means that Cole needs to know too. I just... its so hard to..." Once more trailing off, he shivers and moves a hand to grasp the pocket watch hanging from his neck.
(OOC: I'll add another post after getting Bran's reaction for this one. Lucian's mood and how much he talks later on will be affected by this so I didn't want to react to the mission or to the issue of Lady Wachter just yet. ;) )
Eithne, once she realizes Lucian is better at the Blue Water Inn, immediately goes to reunite with Juhowly, noting with relief that the she-wofl cub is fine.
"Thanks, friends" smiles the savage stranger, raising her hand to greet the ravens. "I see you've kept a good watch!" then she starts petting the puppy and playing a little with her "You had to be alone for a while, huh? But, believe me, you wouldn't have enjoyed that bad place where I had to go... and now we're back together! And tomorrow we'll go hunting for a whole new lot of trouble to deal with together!"
Once she's down again, with Juhowly, for dinner, the last of the dusk elf maidens share the meal with the cub... in fact, she's so interested in what Urwin, Cole and Bran have to say, she ends up chewing just a few mouthfuls, passing them almost all to Juhowly without even realizing it (perhaps because the puppy appreciates them and makes them disappear rather quickly).
"What a curious name, 'The Wizard of Wines'..." comments Eithne when Urwin mentions it "It's not like they use magic, in their production process, are they? And anyway, once there, who's your contact, Urwin? Who should we ask about?"
"Since you are 'familiar with the place', Cole," the savage stranger wonders "do you have any idea of the possible problems that may have occurred? Were there specific dangers nearby? Or someone who was hostile to the winery?"
Finally, when Bran communicates Lady Wachter's invitation, the last of the dusk elf maidens comment: "Lady Fiona Wachter? She is a former noble who does not like the Baron. And who is said to be a devil-worshipper. I'm wondering what she is hoping to accomplish by inviting us in. She's seen us save people, so she can't possibly hope to get us to worship demons. Unless she's noticed Icahbore and misunderstood us... Or maybe she hopes to get us to take action against the Baron, since she saw us remedy the trouble he had caused with his festival. Perhaps with her help we could even get rid of that funny guy Izek before one bad day he decides to really set fire to Blinsky's shop - with or without him inside. Maybe we should participate and at least find out what the lady is proposing. Provided we get back in time, of course; I wouldn't deliberately delay our mission to the winery - our mission, in my opinion, must remain our first priority. What do you think, guys?"
- Ah! - Bran says when Lucian explains where Chara is - Happy to hear, then. A hot bath. Man, does that sound appealing. I could kill for a hot bath right now.
The bard just freezes when he hears such a poor choice of words coming out of his stupid mouth. "Bran, you dumb idiot", he thinks to himself. No amount of past stress or present tiredness could forgive that.
Containing the urge of facepalming, he just tells himself to focus and listen - and definitely speaking - more carefully than this.
But what he does not contain is the warm smile appearing in his mouth and brightening all of his expression when he detects that imperceptible but unmistakable flare in Lucian's face when he talks again about Chara. To have the opportunity to witness that moment, the birth of something so beautiful and powerful! He had had a feeling about just that in the market, but they had all been so focused in what was just about to happen that he just had set it aside.
In that very moment, that little spark was as bright as the sun for the bard. Even if he hadn't seen the sun for himself and could only imagine it.
He didn't say anything and just let Lucian keep talking. The bard nodded when the young dusk elf reminded the darkness they had all in their lives. And when Lucian disclosed his, he looked at him - not saying anything for a short moment - and didn't remove his eyes from him nor made any kind of movement. He just didn't want to make a poor choice of words this time and wanted to think clearly before opening his mouth.
- I see. I'm sorry, I'm not too familiar with werewolves. I do read a lot and I'm really interested in knowing a little about ...well...almost everything. But I fail to know if what I've read about werewolves is true or just a bunch of stories destined to scare little children and not so little adults.
He stops for a moment.
- I'm sorry, Lucian. It's all I can say right now. I don't know how this came to happen to you, if you were born with it, or if it was transmited in some other way. But what I want to stress is ... I'm not sorry that you are a werewolf. I'm sorry to see you suffer for it.
He stops for a second and smiles:
- I don't know if you remember, but one of the first things you did right after Eithne pulled me out of the coffin was offer me kind words. And water - he smiles, remembering - Well, I think that in that moment I said something like "Thank you, Lucian, you're a kind soul".
He pauses again.
- That perception has not changed one single bit, my friend. It has just been reaffirmed during these last days. And now, here you are suffering because you want to share your nature with me. I hate that. That you suffer for it. But at the same time, I thank you for putting your trust in me. And I tell you this: I'll do whatever is in my hand to help you out. Whatever you decide that you want to do with your nature. Do you want to try and be rid of it? Or do you want to know more about it? Do you want, perhaps, with time to be able to harness it for a greater good? Whatever your answer is, I hope I'll be there to see you through it. You're a kind soul, Lucian. And I trust you. I hope you don't forget that. I will repeat it as many times as necessary until you believe it yourself - he laughs, and nudges the young dusk elf softly.
After all this, there's still one thing Bran needs to say:
- By the way. "The wolf is evil"...? Why? Says who? Wolves are wolves, just that. They can be dangerous creatures, yes, but also beautiful, agile, strong. And very protective of their own, but you probably knew that already. Isn't that to be praised? I think there is much to be learned from wolves. And perhaps the same can be said about your nature?
So my all-time favourite movie is "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and I could just not include that quote. "There is much to be learned from beasts"
https://youtu.be/TvKbZcqUvLo
Also, I'm really not so sure if Bran can have read as much as I intend him to? Is there easy access to books in Barovia? I really don't know, but I certainly hope so because I try to roleplay the "Jack of all trades" bard feature like this: Bran has had a very closed off life with his family. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't know a fair amount about many things. He has gathered that knowledge by being curious and reading! And by direct transmission from his father. Hope this is ok!
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Lucian stays quiet as the bard talks, and for the most part he keeps his head down as well. He looks up towards the end, and offers a small smile, "Th...thanks." He lowers his head again for a moment, looking down at the pocket watch as it rests in his palm. Not really knowing how else to respond, he goes quiet again before dropping the watch to let it hang from his neck once more.
Looking up again, he says quietly, "I never expected anyone in this group to be so willing to...to risk having me around." He pauses, realizing what he'd just said and that he hadn't really meant to say it. It wasn't that he felt sorry for himself. He couldn't afford that, not with how long he'd been dealing with the curse. He wasn't looking for pity, and he hopes that Bran, and everyone else for that matter, realizes that. He just want's to make sure that no one get's hurt on his account.
"I... I've had this curse for as long as I can remember. I...can keep it contained most of the time but..." He hesitates, "Most of the stories you've heard about...this curse... are probably true. There is a reason that...they... are portrayed in such a way. I can't... even though I can keep the Wolf from coming out most of the time, I can't... keep it contained during the full moon." He pauses, "I don't think that all wolves are evil. I... I know they aren't. They are just animals, they do what they need to do to survive." He falters as the memory of the she-wolf killing her pup flashes across his mind. Swallowing, he continues, "But... werewolves... I mean...well I don't know anymore about them then well, other people really. But... when it happens, I..." Fleeting memories slip away, memories of the forest at night, bodies, and blood. Memories of killing, of hatred and rage that were his own but also weren't. "This Wolf is evil. I can't control it, and...really, I don't remember almost anything when...after I... after it gets out... I'm glad that... that you trust me. I'm glad that everyone here trusts me. But...that trust can't be given to the Wolf. The last thing I want is to wake up out in the forest with..." ...with blood in my mouth and on my hands, only to find everyone dead later. He doesn't say it out loud, instead saying, "I just want everyone to be prepared is all. And, I don't want you or anyone else to hesitate to kill me should I... the Wolf, try to hurt any of you." He gives a chuckle, "Not that I wouldn't appreciate it if you could all get away with just tying me up or... knocking me out, but..."
He goes quiet again, deciding not to move forward with that line of thought and once more absentmindedly grabbing the watch, "I've been dealing with it for so long, I can hardly imagine what it would be like to not have it. I...just don't know if there is a way to get rid of it that doesn't involve...well, making a deal with a devil." He looks down at the pocket watch again and a thought occurs to him... "But... Maybe..." He opens the pocket watch, revealing a small piece of parchment folded up inside the door. He touches the parchment just briefly with his thumb before glancing up at Bran again, "Um... do you know anything about the hags at Old Bonegrinder?" He almost hadn't asked, especially since he hasn't exactly brought this up to anyone else yet. But if Bran was learned in books...maybe he would know something about this...ring. He pulls the parchment out of the watch and carefully unfolds it. It is clear that it has been unfolded and folded many times judging by the worn out creases. "I...this watch was my father's...and, this note was left inside it by my mother. ...I think...well...she was looking for a ring that would let...uh...someone like me control his...transformations. According to this note, its last known location was with those hags." He stares at the note for a moment, sadness showing plainly in his eyes as he scans the words that he has memorized by this point. Then he gently folds it up and places it back inside the pocket watch before snapping it shut and looking up at Bran, "I don't even know if it's real or not, but if I can't get rid of the curse, then... well I need to be able to control it. I don't want what happened today to happen every time our party gets into a fight... I hope we don't have to get into fights at all but, I think we all knew that wasn't going to be an option when we signed up for this. I just... I don't want to put anyone into anymore danger then we already have to face." He grips the pocket watch, "But...as much as I hate the Wolf, if I could control it then... maybe I could use it for the greater good."
Regardless of Bran's answer to his question about the hags, Lucian seems to be back to his usual self when they gather to eat. He takes a seat next to Chara, pulling his legs onto his seat to sit crosslegged, finding that position more comfortable. He gives each pup a piece of his food as well, glad to see that they are both happy and healthy unlike the wolves they'd faced during that awful event.
He thanks Urwin and Dannika several times as he comes back for seconds, and listens intently as Urwin explains the mission. When Bran asks about his home, Lucian looks hopefully at the innkeeper, hoping for the bards sake that the place is within traveling distance.
When Bran brings up Lady Wachter, he nods along with Eithne's reply...but hesitates at the mention of possibly getting help from her. "I... I don't know... I don't really like the idea of going and visiting her, but at the same time I wouldn't want to make her angry at us either." He goes quiet, realizing that his hesitance wasn't just because of the rumors about this woman being a devil-worshiper, but it was also that she used to be a noble. Anyone with power like that was at the top of any smart urchin's list to avoid. The last thing he'd ever do was willingly visit, even if he'd been invited. It just smelled like trouble.
After dinner, when Bran mentions needing to practice with his lute, Lucian says, "I... don't need much sleep. Could... I watch?" Perhaps he could catch a glimpse of this Pom character... even if he can't, well he's never really gotten to watch anyone play any sort of instrument up close. He is curious to see how it is done.
(OOC: I enjoyed it Fairlithilien! :D Lol, it made me write a lot more in response then I thought I was going to :'D.)
(OOC: 🥺🥺🥺😊😊😊
As it's late and also because I want to answer yo both Eithne and Lucian in a single post, I think for the moment I just need to know if I know anything about those hags. I'll leave a history check and if I get nothing from or if it's too low I'll just answer normally tomorrow. 10)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Nikolai tries to slip a word in edgewise, finds he cannot, and simply goes to bed.
Urwin says, "Kresk is two hours journey past the bridge I told you of. If you can get the wine on its way, it should be no trouble to visit it the village after. The bridge itself is about 4 hours from here and the winery is two hours past the crossroads in the other direction. If you hurry, you could leave the winery, visit Kresk, and be back here by nightfall. However, it won't be easy. As for the town itself, I'm afraid I can't say too much. I don't know of any major catastrophes in that area, but minor apocalypses happen all the time in Barovia. I hope your family is doing well."
"Lady Wachter is a schemer. Watch yourself around her and, in particular, watch for her toadie, Ernst Larnak. A little toad of a man, he has eyes and ears everywhere and passes all the gossip, rumors, and blackmail material he can find along to Lady Wachter for her plans. She has made no effort to hide the fact that she believes she ought to be the Burgomeister. If she can find a way to control you, she will. I'll send word to Blinsky about her interest. It is best that she not be made known about your activities."
At Eithne's question about his contact, Urwin looks at Dannika. She rolls her eyes and says, "What Urwin won't say is that his family runs the winery. They had a falling out years ago and he is not on speaking terms with his father, who heads the vineyard. They work together, but they are too prideful to ask each other for aid. It's pitiful. As for magic, consider the wine that you've had. Have you noticed that it holds none of the land's corruption? There is magic at play in that, but I will say no more at the moment."
Bran:
You know the rumors of the hags at Ol' Bonegrinder. Ancient crones who grind children for their bread and soak it in the blood. Witches of the foulest sort. You've always thought it was exaggeration, but who knows? After what you've seen with this group, it could all be true.
Having started to think of hags, a memory reveals itself. Three hideous women in your bedroom and you unable to move. Suddenly, you are in the memory. The fear was all-consuming, you can feel your sweat, your heart pounding, their long nails caressing your scalp. You turn to look at Elia, on the bed beside you, and, before you can see her, the memory ends.
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
Bran quickly apologizes to Lucian when monk finishes his response:
- Damn, sorry, I've talked too lightly about the Wolf and just compared it to the wolves as we know them. No amount of text read from unknown individuals can surpass your first hand knowledge. I feel your worries and fears, Lucian, and I see your concern for the safety of the people next to you. And I think that it only makes you even kinder and braver. Because trusting other people that are wanting to stay at your side while you would very much prefer them to be far from you to ensure their safety is a big leap of faith and fine example of bravery to me. Don't you think?
Bran pauses for a moment, thinking. Wouldn't that apply to the bard himself and his so called cloud of misfortune? Didn't they tell him something similar at Blinsky's when Chara revealed what Ichabod had found out about him? The bard smiled for a moment. How blind people can be to their own darkness, but at the same time able to shed light on other people's just by sitting together and talking. The bard thought again of the concept of "chosen family" that crossed his mind during the jamboree and felt a little burst of happiness inside.
- Anyway, we'll figure it out, Lucian. All of us, together - he allows for a little joke when adding - Aaaand you say your preferred options are first to be tied up or knocked out and sencondly be killed? Ok, ok. I'll try to remember that. We don't want to have that order scrambled up, huh? - He laughs for a moment but then becomes serious again and just nods, conveying that he has understood. Bran doesn't like that second option one bit, but he says nothing about this, as he is sure that Lucian knows none of the group want that to happen.
- So you have a lead on something that could be useful to control the Wolf. That is a fine starting point. I've heard rumours about those hags of Ol' Bonebringer, but I always considered them to be just tales. I wonder what would be the first place to try search for them. Could it be Vallaki? Hey, we could ask Urwin to tell this to Blinsky and the toymaker could gather some info while we are on route. What do you th....?
At that precise moment, something reaches the bard's mind. Something so terrible it has an impact not only on his mind but on his body, too. A repressed memory...? Bran's normally fair skinned face turns white and his hands start to tremble. The bard is suddenly overcome by such a distress that he needs to hold on to something, even though they are sitting down on chairs and there's no real risk of falling to the ground. He cluchtes Lucian's forearm in search for an anchor to support him in the sudden wave of sheer terror that has overcome him.
A few scattered words come out of the bard's mouth.
- ...Three... hideous ... wo-women ... in our bedroom...I ... I ... I can feel their touch on me... I ... I can't move. I try to look at Elia at my side, in our bed ... but....can't ... can't remember ... anything else ...
😳 ...
Not adding anything else for the moment.
Though Lucian and I are a bit apart right now, I won't say that only Lucian should see that something is happening to Bran. I leave the choice to participate in the rest's hands. But knowing Bran, I think its fair to say that he wouldn't want a big fuss right now. Specially, he wouldn't want Urwin and Dannika made aware of what is happening, if possible.
As I've already RPed that after this conversation with Lucian Bran behaves normally the rest of the dinner / mission talk - thought a little sad because he's remembered his home -...well, he'll try to do just that. Only, a liiittle more worried than before.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Eithne nods to Dannika: "Don't worry, I wasn't asking for details on magic to steal your secrets; I was just trying to imagine what problems could have occurred, just to arrive on site already with some ideas, if possible... And even if my first suspicions would be on possible enemies (that's why I asked Cole if he has any hypotheses about it), on the other hand, if magic is involved, it could also have malfunctioned some spell... I don't know, I don't have a great deal of confidence in magic... It gives me the impression that it doesn't take much for something not to work as it should..."
After that. the savage stranger sinks into private thoughts: 'Even in my case it must have malfunctioned some magic ... Otherwise, how could I have found myself in that clearing, with almost no memory of the past and with all those voices in my head? Magic... Magic... It gives me such a bad feeling... yet I just can't remember...'
'We don't know Eithne, we've already told you...' her voices begin to answer.
'We too suddenly found ourselves into you, we don't know much about you before'.
'Which is strange, because you are one of us… you should have suffered the exact same fate as us!'
'Although we're happy, believe us, that it didn't happen!'
Lucian had never thought of this in such a way... honestly he'd been afraid he'd seem selfish for wanting to stay with the group. Of course, if they weren't willing to risk his company then he would have left with...well sadness, but he still would have left. Yet the fact that everyone (well except Cole now) now knew of his condition and was still willing to let him stick around... in part it made him even more afraid of losing control, but it also filled a hole that had been empty for a long, long time. Not knowing what to say, he just gives Bran a smile and listens as the bard continues.
He laughs a little at Bran's joking, even though the bard had it a little backwards. Yes, Lucian would rather not die...he still has a lot to do in this world before he's ready for that, but... Well he'd only added that last part because of the reaction Eithne and Lenn had given him when he'd said the same thing to them. None of them wanted to kill him, but he is afraid that if they aren't willing to follow through then... they might not even be able to restrain him if he loses control when they aren't prepared.
Listening closely, he is a little disappointed when Bran says he'd considered the hags to be...just tales. His expression changes to something close to panic though when the bard mentions asking Blinsky and Urwin, "Uh... N...no... I'd rather not. I mean... what would we say to them if they ask why I want to know? They don't know about... about..."
He trails off as the color suddenly leaves Bran's face, and then lets out a surprised yelp as the bard suddenly grabs his arm. Quickly realizing that something is wrong, he stands up and is about to ask something when Bran starts stammering. Not knowing what to do, Lucian looks up and locates Eithne (I think Chara is still away at this point?), and then stammers, "Uh... Eithne! Something....something is wrong with Bran! I...I don't know what to do!" His eyes dart around the room, noting where everyone is and whether or not they heard him. From what he could tell Eithne seemed to get along with Bran the best, so she seemed like the best option to get help from in this situation.
He looks down at the bard again, barely processing the scattered words coming from the man's mouth. Three hideous women? In his bedroom? His wife? What is he talking about? Could this have to do with how he ended up in the coffin? "Bran? A...are you alright?"
Hesitantly he puts his free hand on Bran's shoulder, trying to lend some amount of support even though he had no idea what he's doing or if he can even help at this point.
Hearing the call from the young elf, Eithne immediately rouses herself from her thoughts and rushes with Juhowly, commenting with a touch of bitterness: "Today doesn't really seem like a good evening for us..." and immediately she tries to understand what is happening to the bard, gently taking his face in her hands and trying to speak to him softly, while, with obvious concern, she doesn't take her azure eyes off his face, trying to study his reactions "Bran? Are you okay? Do you recognize us? We are your friends... in Vallaki... You are safe here... Can you talk?"
She also tries to pours him a glass of wine, to see if having a drink will help him recover.
Without taking her attention off Bran, the savage stranger tries to inquire from Lucian: "Did anything in particular happen before he felt this way?"
"Uh... well..." Lucian stammers when Eithne asks her question. "We were just talking and then he... went all pale... He started talking about... uh..." He trails off... hideous women? Did that have something to do with him bringing up the hags? He looks at Bran again, wondering if this was somehow his fault for asking about the hags.
"Then I really don't understand. I just hope that demon worshiping Lady Watcher hasn't done something to him!" Eithne brings the glass slowly to the bard's lips, to see if he drinks and recovers; in the meantime he doesn't stop looking into his eyes, studying his reactions "Bran? Do you recognize us? Hey, come back to us, Bran... We need you... We need to help you find your family, remember? Come on, come back to us Bran..."
He can't move. All he can feel is the terror that runs through every fiber of his body and his heart pounding fiercely as he lets out a silent cry that is unable to leave his throat. Where's Elia? What have they done to her?? And what do they want to do to him!?? Bran can't move, but he can see the three monstrous women getting nearer ...and nearer... their nails already touching his skin and ready to tear him apart.
...Bran...
...you ....all right ...
...Vallaki ... you are ... safe...
... come back to us....
He blinks and suddenly he's back at the inn, feeling weak, sweaty and shaky, but at least he's not in that bed anymore. Those horrid nails are not running through his flesh and instead he feels a gentle hand cuping his face.
Bran's eyes focus and discover those of Eithne looking at him worried.
- Eith... I ... gods... - he says, putting his still trembling hand on hers, needing to feel something warm. Something good.
Bran can't find words to express what he has just seen and felt. He drinks a little bit of the wine he's been offered and though he can't really taste its flavour because of the bitterness he stills feels in his mouth, it gives him a little strength to keep talking.
- I just...remembered ...something. All of a sudden. I was home, in my bed. And those three women, those monsters, they were doing something to us. Or just to me? - he shakes his head, unknowingly - I tried to find Elia by my side, but the vision got blurry. I just know that I couldn't move and they were just ... looming over me... touching me with their hideous nails. I don't ... understand - and he looks at Lucian - I was just saying that hags where just a tale. But ... they are not, are they? They did this to me.
He frees Lucian's forearm and puts that hand in his mouth, eyes open wide displaying a fear that hasn't still disappeared though the flashback fortunately has. What was he going to do? Did these monsters have his family?
- Gods, now the idea of returning there terrifies me even more.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Eithne holds Bran's hand, glad that the touch seems to give him comfort, while with the other she gently strokes his cheek to make him turn his eyes back to her azure ones: "Bran, you're with us. I don't know which hags you're talking about, but don't worry, it does not matter, we will face them together. Like the wolves before".
'Um... Eithne... Do you really want to compare witches to half-dead caged wolves?' the voices in her head do not agree.
'Actually, Eithne, maybe your optimism is getting a little out of hand…'
'And the witches may be allied with Devil Stradh!'
However, the savage stranger grits her teeth and concentrates on the conversation she is having with the bard, continuing as if nothing had happened: "They didn't do so well, right? Well, these witches won't do any better! We will find them and free your family!"
In fact, the last of the dusk elf maidens doesn't know exactly why she wants at all costs to believe that the other's situation is less desperate than hers... but she does and with an enthusiasm that she had rarely experienced before, she encourages him further: "Bran, at least you finally remembered something!" ('that's more than what I have been able to do in years, by the way...') "It's a giant leap! The witches got the better of you when they attacked you alone, in your sleep. But when we visit them, you'll be wide awake. And you'll have us with you! The ending of your story is yet to be written, Bran! And I'm pretty sure you'll write it darn well!"
(OOC: in answer to Aroc's question about Chara's location... unless this scene is playing out just as she's finishing with dinner, she is currently fast asleep cuddled up with her puppy).
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
(OOC: Guys! In my opinion, or at least that is way I tried to reflect in #864, this should be happening just before the Martikovs start bringing dinner. So if you agree, after talking to Lucian and Eithne Bran will pull himself together, help Urwin and Dannika serve the food as stated in that post, then Chara gets down, then we'll talk about the winery, Bran says his piece about Wachter, then Urwin gives his piece of info on the mission and Wachter, and then Eithne and Dannika speak about family issues, magic and wine. And I think that's the last of it.
That's how I got this in my head, at least! Sorry for the mess! I'll write a short post now trying to link with Eithne's last one and returning to the "current moment" 😅 But if any of you feel I need to edit something, will do!)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
(It’s my fault, really. I forgot your chat with Lucian took place before dinner and sprang some trauma on you)
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