(Yeah, I got a little worried, but Beren is tough enough, lol. And yeah, that's fine. I believe when rounding you always round-up but I'm sure ifnim wrong, mermen will correct me when he posts in 20 to 30.)
Although mildly surprised at seeing Noel show restraint, Jack could spare the man no more than a moment's more thought before being drawn once more to fight following Strahd's declaration. Or more accuratedly, the end of the opening act in Strahd's personal "greetings" for the group. But whereas others watched in either contempt or impotent rage, Jack stared with a tight but neutral expression until Strahd faded away all together. And once he had, only then would he allow a small sigh of relief to escape, before making his way at least closer to Beren.
Well, he'd start to an extent, but when entering the light started to singe even his flesh, the eladrin promptly pulled the hand away and marved it, before again regarding Beren with a mixture of both silent awe, respect and a degree of pity. He eventually(before the minute of Beren's transformation is fully up) musters the courage to call upon the wind in druidic to sooth some of Beren's pain, even though knowing full well it would go unnoticed regardless. But a lack of acknowledgement(if such was to be the case) hadn't appear to matter to him. What had matter was making sure to give Beren(and by extension Noel) a moment to think and to breath without any his brand of jolly cheer.
But when Beren finally takes notice of them in at least a glance, Jack can only shrug and say, "You did all you could, my friend. None can fault or ask you for more." He assured Beren. Then once the man seemed well on his way to his seat again he adds, "And though this may sound like empty platitudes, we'll find our even grounds eventually my friend. I'm certain of it." Jack has to catch himself from adding more, and eventually turns to Noel offering him a wineskin. "We can try to tend to the dead, but I have a feeling we'll know how that'll turn out. So have a nip, share with Beren, and...try to rest my friend. For we're gonna need that strength come the morning proper."
(OOC: You could use divine smite onto of radiant consumption, as that triggers on a hit. But if you're talking about the smite spells, then nevermind. :D And as for halving damage from resistance or the like, you always round down. This in certain situations can lead to funny like taking no damage if you are resistant to something that did only 1. But ultimately, that is at DM's discretion for such situations.)
Beren, having somewhat withdrawn into himself as he stares of into the distance, is only mildly aware of the change in wind. As a result, he gives no acknowledgement, instead standing there until the light has all but burned out. There are burn marks on his hands, which become visible when he bends down to pick up his loose teeth. He pays them no mind.
The paladin doesn't seem to hear Jack's words as he moves to take his seat. He lowers his head a little, staring downwards at his hands and the ground. It seems that the words of his retainer were true. He is quite adept at sitting alone and brooding.
(OOC: Oh! lol, I had it in my head that Radiant Consumption was a bonus action, which is why I did a weapon attack and the Radiant Consumption instead of just using a smite. And it didn't occur to me that the Divine Smite activates on a hit since I was thinking about the smite spells. Oops. lol. Its been a while since I've gotten to play a scourge or a paladin :D. So I guess since I accidentally gave myself two actions it doesn't matter to much that I didn't use the smite. It might have gotten Beren more damage against Strahd, but I don't like retconning if it can be helped. For the rounding up thing, I'll leave it this time, especially since now that I think about it, Beren would have taken a ton more damage if he just sat there an let his Radiant Consumption wear off on its own. I'd add more to this post, but I think I'll wait for Noel's response first.)
Noel simply walks over to the ashes of what was once their campfire and sits down on the ground. He glaces a moment at Beren, seeing him clearly injured, the glowing man's bravery and power tossed aside with nothing more than a simple slap. This vampire, this horrific monster, is clearly beyond their power by a wide margin. In fact, Noel gets the haunting feeling that given what they saw today, the vile creature didn't even bother to use most of his power. He's heard tales of vampires before, and has even told a few himself, but this Strahd figure is far beyond anything he's used to.
Noel takes the wineskin from Jack and takes a long, heavy sip, preparing himself for what is bound to be an even more fitful attempt at sleep after that harrowing encounter. He stays mostly silent for a moment, attempting to get comfortable again and go back to sleep, but his mind slips to something else and he says "The prophecy. Strahd said the Vistani work for him. That Eva works for him. We're not here for a reason. We got tricked."
He pauses for a moment before continuing. "I just don't get it. Why give us a prophecy at all if the whole point was to lure us here?"
"You're still hung up on that one, huh?" Jack says in a mildly amused tone. Although as soon as anyone levels a 'less than pleased' look his way, the Eladrin casually holds his hands up in surrender. Even without so much as a glance, the elf continued in casual tones, "Whether there is actual truth to his words or not, the answer my friend remains no different: Hope. Or at least, so I've imagined, for I've seen that so long as one has it, they can do extraordinary things, and endure what most would think impossible!" He exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air at the end!
After a quiet moment passes however, he brings the hand down and held it before him. "And nothing brings a truly evil creature more pleasure than crushing a spirit seasoned with it over time. Mayhaps he'll find it even amusing just to see how far we get, or perhaps even somehow miraculously overcome him! Either way, I doubt there WASN'T truth to Eva's prophecy, if only to assure we'd push ourselves to the brink in keeping 'the game' going, and letting the master of this realm savor the story for as long as possible." He explained. "Personally, I don't... well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious which is closer to the answer!" He chuckles. "... But nonetheless, I won't get my answer by letting winter hold sway on my heart any time soon. And who knows! If there's again truth to his words about the Eva or the Vistani -- some, if not all it and them -- then who knows what other unlucky souls they'll pluck if we try to 'quit' the game too soon... or to us, for that matter."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Vogan - [Goliath-Hill]Bard - ???(A Dungeon-Delving Campaign Group C)
Beren clenches his fists as the voices of his companions slowly draw him back to the present. The light behind the mask flickers, flaring as much as it can in its weakened state. After a moment he says in a low voice, "I knew that woman was trouble. ...I could feel it..." He lowers his head, tightening his fists and letting out a long breath. "More then likely, the prophesy was as real as any other. Even if she simply turns around and tells that monster exactly what she learned from reading our futures." He tilts his head upwards, "All the more reason to ignore the road they think they've set before us. All the more reason to prove that the future is not fixed."
Inadvertently, he glances towards where Strahd's fire had destroyed the child and the two zombies. Once looking, he stares that way for a long while. His hands remain clenched, and his whole body seems tense. Shaking his head, he forces himself to look away growling a little. No matter how much he wishes he can forget, something always reminds him. Visions of three figures wreathed in flames...a smoldering building...the bodies... The constant heat of the power he never wanted pulsing within him... though now he feels cold. It has been so long since he's let that power out, he'd almost forgotten the void it always leaves behind.
Hesitantly, he stands up and moves to gather firewood. The motions would keep his mind busy. Even if he had no intention of lighting the fire himself. Once he's found enough, he piles it on the ashes of the previous fire, then returns to his sitting place and falls silent once more.
Jack's ears twitched at Beren's quiet commentary. And though he raised a finger as if meaning to interject, the exhausted sounding exhale from Beren immediately led to the eladrin clamming up and looking with anticipation of whatever words might yet follow it. In spite of himself, Jack cannot help but snort and shake his head by the end. "I don't know about all that. Some of it we surely will want to avoid, such as rooting around in some graveyard. But unless you have something personal against werewolves, an ally is an ally, and we will need them here, of that I am certain." He assured Beren.
"But for now, we can worry about cutting off our noses to spite our faces tomorrow! Because for now, we rest." At that, Jack shifted about on his bum until settled into a more comfortable spot on his bed roll, and slowly but surely lost himself in part to the trance. As any consideration towards getting any genuine sleep had long since fled his mind, least he too be subjected to nightmares about recent... events. Plus, someone needed to keep an eye on Beren night, if though a loose one. Just as assuredly he'd relight the campfire when his turn officially came to take watch.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Beren does not respond to Jack's words, finding himself in no mood to continue speaking. It was clear that these two storytellers truly believed in prophecy, and there wasn't much he could do to change that right now. He doesn't have any personal grudges against any creature...aside from the new enemy they just made. There are people he holds grudges against, but he has nothing personal against the evil he hunts. He simply can't help it. If there really is a lycanthrope in this accursed place that wishes to help them, then perhaps he can hold back the wrath of his power...or perhaps he won't need to. It was just fortunate that their prophesied ally is not some sort of undead, else there would be no stopping him from eliminating the individual.
Once he's stacked the wood atop the ashes, he returns to his resting place. Still on as high of guard as he can be, he pulls out his great sword and leaves it resting at his side where he can pick it up quickly need be. He sits in silence as his two companions try to rest. It is almost a relief that it is still his turn to keep watch, for he doubts he'll be able to get any measure of sleep once his turn is over.
After the encounter with Strahd, you all find your own ways to at-least try to calm down, or otherwise rest. Noel fitfully laying down on the dirt itself, using his arm as a pillow. It takes him several long minutes, but ultimately manages to pass out, if only from sheer exhaustion, and stress. Tonight, he has no dreams. His sleep is comparable to time travel, though he finds himself unable to get truly restful sleep, and when he wakes up, he will feel as though he only got half of what he needed... (RP purposes, not actual lack of rest)
In time, Jack too finds himself laying down, though on his bedroll. And he easily slips off to the land of reverie after a few minutes. His body feels warm all over, though only one side of him faces the fire. His body feels comfortably at roughly 76 degrees regardless, and finds himself far more rested than Noel will when they all wake up. It only lasts an hour or so before Beren wakes him up in his own way to swap the guard. Nothing else of note occurs during the night aside from the moon travelling across the clear sky.
Beren finds himself able to get enough rest to likely be able to function through a day and if he had chosen to sooth his wounds without the aid of magic, he was atleast slightly better (Roll hit dice) but of the three, he feels the least rested. His mind brooding.
As the moon swaps places with the sun, the clouds return, though they're thin enough that the light could be compared to a heavily overcast day. Jack, already up, wakes the others, and all of you find yourselves hungry. The campfire is sputtering but still there. You all note a lack of morning calls from any animals, though some animals can be seen flitting about here and there.
Noels body is stiff and sore from sleeping directly on the ground, Jack is the most rested, and Beren feels strained but not quite at 'exhaustion' levels.
(If you eat, remove a single ration from you inventory. Don't forget there is a river nearby for waterskins. Now I simply need to know what you all plan to do, whether its continuing east or otherwise.)
Noel wakes up from a fitfull night of sleep, the images of the night's horrors playign through his head, and the harsh realization that Madam Eva had tricked them still plauging him. Despite it having only been a day, he looks significantly worse for the wear than he did earlier. His eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep, and his fine blue clothes are still singed around the edges from Strahds fireball. He's simply happy that the night did not bring with it any more visions. Perhaps there was no need for that when reality was far far more horrifying.
Though he has little hope for what they will find there, he's eager to get to this town they're on thier way to. Certainly Strahd will have many supporters, out of admiration for his "strength" or fear, but perhaps there will be a few that are at least willing to harbor the three of them. Besides, if anyone there is actively hostile to them, at least they might stand a fighting chance, unlike they did the previous night. He quickly gathers his things, hastily eats part of a day's ration (saving a bit for later today), and begins to move as if he's going to start heading down the path they've been following
"Come friends, let's get a move on" he says, gesturing to Jack and Beren "There's no use lingering around here. Besides, I'd like to ensure we can get to civilization before it gets dark again and I can't see anything. I do not want to encounter any more horrors in the dark". The moment the others indicate they are ready, he begins to continue moving east
In spite of last nights "festivities", Jack appeared no less chipper than ever while waking everyone. But having known him by the longest, even if by virtue of weeks if not months, Noel would catch on more easily on things not being quite fine with the Eladrin. His hair was no longer as vibrant a green, his absent-minded smile was more forced than genuine, the air felt a little colder around him, and his skin appeared a slight shade closer to blue than green. None of this was of course unnatural for him, as at one point or another, Jack had turned other colors -- other 'seasons' before... but never one tied to blue....
Nonetheless, Jack went as far as to try and strike up a small, inane story in between bites of his ration. Although with such unappreciative crowd (not that he could blame them!) as his audience, the story soon turned into an offer to refill waterskins while others finished getting themselves tidied up for the morning. Even if not accepted, Jack is sure to do so himself if only to fill not only his old waterskin but an empty wineskin as well. Because between Noel's heavy swig the evening before, and his own occasional 'nips' during the journey yesterday, it contents had not survived! "I couldn't agree more, my friend. If we're to be troubled with such grimness daily, we're gonna need to resupply on more wineskins to say the least!" He jests and gives Noel a friendly shake of the shoulder. On that note, and unless Beren had some contrasting point, Jack follows in the footsteps of Noel on their Journey ever eastward along the road.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Beren remains silent as he eats enough of his ration to not starve, but remains cold and distant, atleast for now. Perhaps he'll open up on the road ahead. Much as before, this time with Noel leading the way, Jack following, and Beren in the rear for now the tree's seem to press in on all sides. The road being a seemingly endless companion. The day - as stated before - clear and bright enough to see easily but overcast, the sun strangled by the clouds above. If not for the slight changes here and there, you all might be convinced that you were walking the same path over and over. But it turns slowly southward again.
Chance Roll: 10
Ahead, yet another fork appears. It's heading a bit more directly south, though it seems to curve back eastward within visibility from this spot. An old weatherworn sign is there but its script is illegibly gone, and it looks more like a bunch of sticks strewn together in an attempt to imitate civilization. One of the signs points towards the road you're already on, though it too is illegible.
(OOC: Sorry for the holdup, the last couple days were really busy for me. I’ll get a short post up now as best I can from my phone lol. Though I do want to mention that Beren probably wouldn’t have eaten yet. If he really needed to eat he would have done so when the other two were sleeping (cause of the mask thing.) But he hasn’t been in the mood and is used to fasting periods anyways. But if he needs to eat to avoid exhaustion, then he would have done so while he was on watch ;) I’ll roll the hit dice once I’m back at my computer.)
Feeling a bit stiff from trying to sleep in his armor, Beren ignores the lingering pain in his jaw. In spite of his fitful sleep he wakes up before Noel. If only because he woke up and couldn’t find sleep again. He stays silent for the morning, waiting for his companions to decide to start moving.
Taking up the rear, he looks behind them. Though his eyes rest on the path ahead, his mind is wandering. When they reach the fork in the road, he simply waits to see what Jack and Noel decide. After the previous day of travel, he’s pretty much expecting Jack to simply pick a road and go with it.
(Just rolled hit die in the game log: 1d10+4. The total was 9.)
And Jack most certainly hadn't disappointed Beren yet again! Although he puts on the illusion of playing a game of "eenie mini mo" with the paths, his body was already slowly turning towards the more south path, seeing it roped back to the east after a bit of a walk. However, he doesn't even making it five feet down the path before going, "Hold up, wait a minute. Let me do one thing real quick." Without waiting for a reply from the others, Jack steps off the road to gather up some sticks, and hastily constructs a miniature, rough shod marker besides the sign post, but in the direction he hadn't plan to go down.
"There. Sorry about that. It's a bit of a tradition of mines to make those by forks in the road without good signs, so that I never forget the untread path." He explained. If need be, Jack was even prepared to go into more tales about little traditions he's made up over the years, but ultimately follows through in taking the southern fork, seeking it curve eastward.
Ultimately following Jack's whims once more leads you down a more southernly path.. after Jack makes a little marker on the road. The day continuing along steadily. Each of you had woken up just a little past seven in the morning, and once more the trees remained ever familiar companions in this grey land, in perpetual cloud-cover during the day. Though there is little 'nature' around you in the form of animals, it is there, but not as commonly as one would see elsewhere. The occasional set of birds ... a deer or two in the distance. But they give you all a wide berth. As you move, you hear the river fading, though it had been slowly getting quieter all along.
The road goes down slowly more steeply as it wends eastward, leading to an easier pace as the tree's to the north of you rise higher where the other path led. Eventually, just before noon, a break in the tree's reveals the path continuing south-easterly, into a much more open space. Fields of half-dead grass, rock, and skeletal trees, though at the same elevation as you, several miles away on a hillock, overlooking a barely visible (from here) river seems to be a castle, or some similar structure. It seems like it has some damage here and there, but from this distance it's hard to tell.
Though now you're all faced with a choice, head back to the fork, or continue to this structure? there doesn't appear to be a town surrounding it, not even an outcropping of smaller cottages, or shacks. Just a single large structure, imposing it's unheard will over the land around it.
A deep fear fills Noel's soul as he looks down the road at this castle or whatever the structure is, and the scenes of the night before play in his eyes. Might this place belong to Strahd? He did say he was the ruler of this land. If this is the castle of that vampire, nothing will await them there except certain death. After all, if he was so able to brush their attacks off last night, nothing is likely to have changed now. Noel looks at the others and says:
"There is no town in sight here friends. And if that castle up there belongs to Strahd... well, I have no wish to see us all meet an untimely end, and if we engange with that monster again, we likely will. Come, let's turn back and take that other path. Perhaps that will lead us to the town we've been looking for"
With that, unless anyone else stops him, he will turn around and begin walking back to the fork in the road, taking the other path when they arrive back
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(Yeah, I got a little worried, but Beren is tough enough, lol. And yeah, that's fine. I believe when rounding you always round-up but I'm sure ifnim wrong, mermen will correct me when he posts in 20 to 30.)
Occassional Dungeon Master.
Although mildly surprised at seeing Noel show restraint, Jack could spare the man no more than a moment's more thought before being drawn once more to fight following Strahd's declaration. Or more accuratedly, the end of the opening act in Strahd's personal "greetings" for the group. But whereas others watched in either contempt or impotent rage, Jack stared with a tight but neutral expression until Strahd faded away all together. And once he had, only then would he allow a small sigh of relief to escape, before making his way at least closer to Beren.
Well, he'd start to an extent, but when entering the light started to singe even his flesh, the eladrin promptly pulled the hand away and marved it, before again regarding Beren with a mixture of both silent awe, respect and a degree of pity. He eventually(before the minute of Beren's transformation is fully up) musters the courage to call upon the wind in druidic to sooth some of Beren's pain, even though knowing full well it would go unnoticed regardless. But a lack of acknowledgement(if such was to be the case) hadn't appear to matter to him. What had matter was making sure to give Beren(and by extension Noel) a moment to think and to breath without any his brand of jolly cheer.
But when Beren finally takes notice of them in at least a glance, Jack can only shrug and say, "You did all you could, my friend. None can fault or ask you for more." He assured Beren. Then once the man seemed well on his way to his seat again he adds, "And though this may sound like empty platitudes, we'll find our even grounds eventually my friend. I'm certain of it." Jack has to catch himself from adding more, and eventually turns to Noel offering him a wineskin. "We can try to tend to the dead, but I have a feeling we'll know how that'll turn out. So have a nip, share with Beren, and...try to rest my friend. For we're gonna need that strength come the morning proper."
(OOC: You could use divine smite onto of radiant consumption, as that triggers on a hit. But if you're talking about the smite spells, then nevermind. :D And as for halving damage from resistance or the like, you always round down. This in certain situations can lead to funny like taking no damage if you are resistant to something that did only 1. But ultimately, that is at DM's discretion for such situations.)
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Vogan - [Goliath-Hill]Bard - ???(A Dungeon-Delving Campaign Group C)
Jack Vicvan - [Eladrin]Warlock - Archfey
Beren, having somewhat withdrawn into himself as he stares of into the distance, is only mildly aware of the change in wind. As a result, he gives no acknowledgement, instead standing there until the light has all but burned out. There are burn marks on his hands, which become visible when he bends down to pick up his loose teeth. He pays them no mind.
The paladin doesn't seem to hear Jack's words as he moves to take his seat. He lowers his head a little, staring downwards at his hands and the ground. It seems that the words of his retainer were true. He is quite adept at sitting alone and brooding.
(OOC: Oh! lol, I had it in my head that Radiant Consumption was a bonus action, which is why I did a weapon attack and the Radiant Consumption instead of just using a smite. And it didn't occur to me that the Divine Smite activates on a hit since I was thinking about the smite spells. Oops. lol. Its been a while since I've gotten to play a scourge or a paladin :D. So I guess since I accidentally gave myself two actions it doesn't matter to much that I didn't use the smite. It might have gotten Beren more damage against Strahd, but I don't like retconning if it can be helped. For the rounding up thing, I'll leave it this time, especially since now that I think about it, Beren would have taken a ton more damage if he just sat there an let his Radiant Consumption wear off on its own. I'd add more to this post, but I think I'll wait for Noel's response first.)
Noel simply walks over to the ashes of what was once their campfire and sits down on the ground. He glaces a moment at Beren, seeing him clearly injured, the glowing man's bravery and power tossed aside with nothing more than a simple slap. This vampire, this horrific monster, is clearly beyond their power by a wide margin. In fact, Noel gets the haunting feeling that given what they saw today, the vile creature didn't even bother to use most of his power. He's heard tales of vampires before, and has even told a few himself, but this Strahd figure is far beyond anything he's used to.
Noel takes the wineskin from Jack and takes a long, heavy sip, preparing himself for what is bound to be an even more fitful attempt at sleep after that harrowing encounter. He stays mostly silent for a moment, attempting to get comfortable again and go back to sleep, but his mind slips to something else and he says "The prophecy. Strahd said the Vistani work for him. That Eva works for him. We're not here for a reason. We got tricked."
He pauses for a moment before continuing. "I just don't get it. Why give us a prophecy at all if the whole point was to lure us here?"
(I'll wait for you guy to RP this out)
Occassional Dungeon Master.
"You're still hung up on that one, huh?" Jack says in a mildly amused tone. Although as soon as anyone levels a 'less than pleased' look his way, the Eladrin casually holds his hands up in surrender. Even without so much as a glance, the elf continued in casual tones, "Whether there is actual truth to his words or not, the answer my friend remains no different: Hope. Or at least, so I've imagined, for I've seen that so long as one has it, they can do extraordinary things, and endure what most would think impossible!" He exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air at the end!
After a quiet moment passes however, he brings the hand down and held it before him. "And nothing brings a truly evil creature more pleasure than crushing a spirit seasoned with it over time. Mayhaps he'll find it even amusing just to see how far we get, or perhaps even somehow miraculously overcome him! Either way, I doubt there WASN'T truth to Eva's prophecy, if only to assure we'd push ourselves to the brink in keeping 'the game' going, and letting the master of this realm savor the story for as long as possible." He explained. "Personally, I don't... well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious which is closer to the answer!" He chuckles. "... But nonetheless, I won't get my answer by letting winter hold sway on my heart any time soon. And who knows! If there's again truth to his words about the Eva or the Vistani -- some, if not all it and them -- then who knows what other unlucky souls they'll pluck if we try to 'quit' the game too soon... or to us, for that matter."
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Vogan - [Goliath-Hill]Bard - ???(A Dungeon-Delving Campaign Group C)
Jack Vicvan - [Eladrin]Warlock - Archfey
Beren clenches his fists as the voices of his companions slowly draw him back to the present. The light behind the mask flickers, flaring as much as it can in its weakened state. After a moment he says in a low voice, "I knew that woman was trouble. ...I could feel it..." He lowers his head, tightening his fists and letting out a long breath. "More then likely, the prophesy was as real as any other. Even if she simply turns around and tells that monster exactly what she learned from reading our futures." He tilts his head upwards, "All the more reason to ignore the road they think they've set before us. All the more reason to prove that the future is not fixed."
Inadvertently, he glances towards where Strahd's fire had destroyed the child and the two zombies. Once looking, he stares that way for a long while. His hands remain clenched, and his whole body seems tense. Shaking his head, he forces himself to look away growling a little. No matter how much he wishes he can forget, something always reminds him. Visions of three figures wreathed in flames...a smoldering building...the bodies... The constant heat of the power he never wanted pulsing within him... though now he feels cold. It has been so long since he's let that power out, he'd almost forgotten the void it always leaves behind.
Hesitantly, he stands up and moves to gather firewood. The motions would keep his mind busy. Even if he had no intention of lighting the fire himself. Once he's found enough, he piles it on the ashes of the previous fire, then returns to his sitting place and falls silent once more.
(Not sure if Noel is actually sleeping. Once I have confirmation of 'resting' or otherwise ill proceed. No rush)
Occassional Dungeon Master.
(To clarify, Noel is indeed currently attempting to rest)
I'll wait till later in the day tomorrow before assuming everyone is sleeping/on watch))
Occassional Dungeon Master.
Jack's ears twitched at Beren's quiet commentary. And though he raised a finger as if meaning to interject, the exhausted sounding exhale from Beren immediately led to the eladrin clamming up and looking with anticipation of whatever words might yet follow it. In spite of himself, Jack cannot help but snort and shake his head by the end. "I don't know about all that. Some of it we surely will want to avoid, such as rooting around in some graveyard. But unless you have something personal against werewolves, an ally is an ally, and we will need them here, of that I am certain." He assured Beren.
"But for now, we can worry about cutting off our noses to spite our faces tomorrow! Because for now, we rest." At that, Jack shifted about on his bum until settled into a more comfortable spot on his bed roll, and slowly but surely lost himself in part to the trance. As any consideration towards getting any genuine sleep had long since fled his mind, least he too be subjected to nightmares about recent... events. Plus, someone needed to keep an eye on Beren night, if though a loose one. Just as assuredly he'd relight the campfire when his turn officially came to take watch.
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Vogan - [Goliath-Hill]Bard - ???(A Dungeon-Delving Campaign Group C)
Jack Vicvan - [Eladrin]Warlock - Archfey
Beren does not respond to Jack's words, finding himself in no mood to continue speaking. It was clear that these two storytellers truly believed in prophecy, and there wasn't much he could do to change that right now. He doesn't have any personal grudges against any creature...aside from the new enemy they just made. There are people he holds grudges against, but he has nothing personal against the evil he hunts. He simply can't help it. If there really is a lycanthrope in this accursed place that wishes to help them, then perhaps he can hold back the wrath of his power...or perhaps he won't need to. It was just fortunate that their prophesied ally is not some sort of undead, else there would be no stopping him from eliminating the individual.
Once he's stacked the wood atop the ashes, he returns to his resting place. Still on as high of guard as he can be, he pulls out his great sword and leaves it resting at his side where he can pick it up quickly need be. He sits in silence as his two companions try to rest. It is almost a relief that it is still his turn to keep watch, for he doubts he'll be able to get any measure of sleep once his turn is over.
Perception (If needed): 4
After the encounter with Strahd, you all find your own ways to at-least try to calm down, or otherwise rest. Noel fitfully laying down on the dirt itself, using his arm as a pillow. It takes him several long minutes, but ultimately manages to pass out, if only from sheer exhaustion, and stress. Tonight, he has no dreams. His sleep is comparable to time travel, though he finds himself unable to get truly restful sleep, and when he wakes up, he will feel as though he only got half of what he needed... (RP purposes, not actual lack of rest)
In time, Jack too finds himself laying down, though on his bedroll. And he easily slips off to the land of reverie after a few minutes. His body feels warm all over, though only one side of him faces the fire. His body feels comfortably at roughly 76 degrees regardless, and finds himself far more rested than Noel will when they all wake up. It only lasts an hour or so before Beren wakes him up in his own way to swap the guard. Nothing else of note occurs during the night aside from the moon travelling across the clear sky.
Beren finds himself able to get enough rest to likely be able to function through a day and if he had chosen to sooth his wounds without the aid of magic, he was atleast slightly better (Roll hit dice) but of the three, he feels the least rested. His mind brooding.
As the moon swaps places with the sun, the clouds return, though they're thin enough that the light could be compared to a heavily overcast day. Jack, already up, wakes the others, and all of you find yourselves hungry. The campfire is sputtering but still there. You all note a lack of morning calls from any animals, though some animals can be seen flitting about here and there.
Noels body is stiff and sore from sleeping directly on the ground, Jack is the most rested, and Beren feels strained but not quite at 'exhaustion' levels.
(If you eat, remove a single ration from you inventory. Don't forget there is a river nearby for waterskins. Now I simply need to know what you all plan to do, whether its continuing east or otherwise.)
Occassional Dungeon Master.
Noel wakes up from a fitfull night of sleep, the images of the night's horrors playign through his head, and the harsh realization that Madam Eva had tricked them still plauging him. Despite it having only been a day, he looks significantly worse for the wear than he did earlier. His eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep, and his fine blue clothes are still singed around the edges from Strahds fireball. He's simply happy that the night did not bring with it any more visions. Perhaps there was no need for that when reality was far far more horrifying.
Though he has little hope for what they will find there, he's eager to get to this town they're on thier way to. Certainly Strahd will have many supporters, out of admiration for his "strength" or fear, but perhaps there will be a few that are at least willing to harbor the three of them. Besides, if anyone there is actively hostile to them, at least they might stand a fighting chance, unlike they did the previous night. He quickly gathers his things, hastily eats part of a day's ration (saving a bit for later today), and begins to move as if he's going to start heading down the path they've been following
"Come friends, let's get a move on" he says, gesturing to Jack and Beren "There's no use lingering around here. Besides, I'd like to ensure we can get to civilization before it gets dark again and I can't see anything. I do not want to encounter any more horrors in the dark". The moment the others indicate they are ready, he begins to continue moving east
In spite of last nights "festivities", Jack appeared no less chipper than ever while waking everyone. But having known him by the longest, even if by virtue of weeks if not months, Noel would catch on more easily on things not being quite fine with the Eladrin. His hair was no longer as vibrant a green, his absent-minded smile was more forced than genuine, the air felt a little colder around him, and his skin appeared a slight shade closer to blue than green. None of this was of course unnatural for him, as at one point or another, Jack had turned other colors -- other 'seasons' before... but never one tied to blue....
Nonetheless, Jack went as far as to try and strike up a small, inane story in between bites of his ration. Although with such unappreciative crowd (not that he could blame them!) as his audience, the story soon turned into an offer to refill waterskins while others finished getting themselves tidied up for the morning. Even if not accepted, Jack is sure to do so himself if only to fill not only his old waterskin but an empty wineskin as well. Because between Noel's heavy swig the evening before, and his own occasional 'nips' during the journey yesterday, it contents had not survived! "I couldn't agree more, my friend. If we're to be troubled with such grimness daily, we're gonna need to resupply on more wineskins to say the least!" He jests and gives Noel a friendly shake of the shoulder. On that note, and unless Beren had some contrasting point, Jack follows in the footsteps of Noel on their Journey ever eastward along the road.
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Vogan - [Goliath-Hill]Bard - ???(A Dungeon-Delving Campaign Group C)
Jack Vicvan - [Eladrin]Warlock - Archfey
Beren remains silent as he eats enough of his ration to not starve, but remains cold and distant, atleast for now. Perhaps he'll open up on the road ahead. Much as before, this time with Noel leading the way, Jack following, and Beren in the rear for now the tree's seem to press in on all sides. The road being a seemingly endless companion. The day - as stated before - clear and bright enough to see easily but overcast, the sun strangled by the clouds above. If not for the slight changes here and there, you all might be convinced that you were walking the same path over and over. But it turns slowly southward again.
Chance Roll: 10
Ahead, yet another fork appears. It's heading a bit more directly south, though it seems to curve back eastward within visibility from this spot. An old weatherworn sign is there but its script is illegibly gone, and it looks more like a bunch of sticks strewn together in an attempt to imitate civilization. One of the signs points towards the road you're already on, though it too is illegible.
Occassional Dungeon Master.
(OOC: Sorry for the holdup, the last couple days were really busy for me. I’ll get a short post up now as best I can from my phone lol. Though I do want to mention that Beren probably wouldn’t have eaten yet. If he really needed to eat he would have done so when the other two were sleeping (cause of the mask thing.) But he hasn’t been in the mood and is used to fasting periods anyways. But if he needs to eat to avoid exhaustion, then he would have done so while he was on watch ;) I’ll roll the hit dice once I’m back at my computer.)
Feeling a bit stiff from trying to sleep in his armor, Beren ignores the lingering pain in his jaw. In spite of his fitful sleep he wakes up before Noel. If only because he woke up and couldn’t find sleep again.
He stays silent for the morning, waiting for his companions to decide to start moving.
Taking up the rear, he looks behind them. Though his eyes rest on the path ahead, his mind is wandering. When they reach the fork in the road, he simply waits to see what Jack and Noel decide. After the previous day of travel, he’s pretty much expecting Jack to simply pick a road and go with it.
(Just rolled hit die in the game log: 1d10+4. The total was 9.)
And Jack most certainly hadn't disappointed Beren yet again! Although he puts on the illusion of playing a game of "eenie mini mo" with the paths, his body was already slowly turning towards the more south path, seeing it roped back to the east after a bit of a walk. However, he doesn't even making it five feet down the path before going, "Hold up, wait a minute. Let me do one thing real quick." Without waiting for a reply from the others, Jack steps off the road to gather up some sticks, and hastily constructs a miniature, rough shod marker besides the sign post, but in the direction he hadn't plan to go down.
"There. Sorry about that. It's a bit of a tradition of mines to make those by forks in the road without good signs, so that I never forget the untread path." He explained. If need be, Jack was even prepared to go into more tales about little traditions he's made up over the years, but ultimately follows through in taking the southern fork, seeking it curve eastward.
Goyo - [Tortle]Druid/Warlock - Circle of Sea/Celestial (Libretalia)
Vogan - [Goliath-Hill]Bard - ???(A Dungeon-Delving Campaign Group C)
Jack Vicvan - [Eladrin]Warlock - Archfey
Ultimately following Jack's whims once more leads you down a more southernly path.. after Jack makes a little marker on the road. The day continuing along steadily. Each of you had woken up just a little past seven in the morning, and once more the trees remained ever familiar companions in this grey land, in perpetual cloud-cover during the day. Though there is little 'nature' around you in the form of animals, it is there, but not as commonly as one would see elsewhere. The occasional set of birds ... a deer or two in the distance. But they give you all a wide berth. As you move, you hear the river fading, though it had been slowly getting quieter all along.
The road goes down slowly more steeply as it wends eastward, leading to an easier pace as the tree's to the north of you rise higher where the other path led. Eventually, just before noon, a break in the tree's reveals the path continuing south-easterly, into a much more open space. Fields of half-dead grass, rock, and skeletal trees, though at the same elevation as you, several miles away on a hillock, overlooking a barely visible (from here) river seems to be a castle, or some similar structure. It seems like it has some damage here and there, but from this distance it's hard to tell.
Though now you're all faced with a choice, head back to the fork, or continue to this structure? there doesn't appear to be a town surrounding it, not even an outcropping of smaller cottages, or shacks. Just a single large structure, imposing it's unheard will over the land around it.
Occassional Dungeon Master.
A deep fear fills Noel's soul as he looks down the road at this castle or whatever the structure is, and the scenes of the night before play in his eyes. Might this place belong to Strahd? He did say he was the ruler of this land. If this is the castle of that vampire, nothing will await them there except certain death. After all, if he was so able to brush their attacks off last night, nothing is likely to have changed now. Noel looks at the others and says:
"There is no town in sight here friends. And if that castle up there belongs to Strahd... well, I have no wish to see us all meet an untimely end, and if we engange with that monster again, we likely will. Come, let's turn back and take that other path. Perhaps that will lead us to the town we've been looking for"
With that, unless anyone else stops him, he will turn around and begin walking back to the fork in the road, taking the other path when they arrive back