(Outside)

As your group prepares itself to enter the house to come to the aid of whoever is inside, the house itself seems to somehow be getting more excited - if this is possible for what is supposed to be an inanimate building. The shutters swing back and forth almost rhythmically, and the fires spout increasing amounts of smoke. Whatever is going on inside seems to be working it up towards a frenzied excitement.

The doors and shutters, having sprouted claws, teeth and thorns, seem to be snapping outwards - reminding you of a Venus fly trap. You guess that getting in may be easier than getting out.

Thulewyn hunkers down slightly at the sight of the changing house, a slight snarl on his lips. The dwarf, not as broad as most of his kind, but the scars that cross over his face still gives other pause about him. Still holding his bow, his snarl turns into a grin at the touch from Nicholas. "Aye, time to be the life of the party and bring the house down. Steady mates, I suspect we're in for one hell of scrap!" Thulewyn always worried that he would misread the hunt as who was closer to being the prey. There was something nice seeing knowing you were on the right side of that relationship and having eyes on the prize. Though the house itself probably isn't the target, it surely was within. "A good spark of the timbers maybe enough to distract the house from its prey within, though it appears it's tasting its meal as we speak. Let's see if the house feels." Thulewyn will lanch an arrow into main door.

Janek glances to Alcazar. "Not sure we're going to do much to defeat this... thing. We have to sacrifice something - and I've no ideas there - or get out.  I say we get out!"  He backs away from the creature, keeping his eye on it though.  He's prepared to strike at it should it close to melee range though. 
(READY Attack: 15, Damage: 10)

 After launching the arrow, Thulewyn will start a quick pace towards the house, not waiting to see the result of the shot on the dwelling.

(Again checking in - we seem to have stalled here?) 

[The group inside] Janek and Alcazar, realising that this giant heap of rubbish can probably take far more punishment than they can dish out, try to make their way out to escape this nightmarish house of death. Fortunately for them, the creature seems to be quite slow - and they already explored the floor and hidden stairs up to the hunting trophy room. Rushing up the stairs, they are surprised by the wall of smoke and heat they hit as they reach the top. All the fireplaces are now blazing and spewing out thick black smoke. Turning to the windows and doors, you realize with horror that they appear to have grown teeth and claws, and are trying to snap at you to keep you inside the house. The situation looks very dire indeed, when suddenly, you hear the impact of arrows, spells and weapons on the house from the outside. 

[The group outside] As you begin to close with the house and start firing a few experimental spells and arrows at the house to see what happens, you notice that there is sudden movement in one room behind the windows. The shutters in this room start snapping at something ... no, someone on the inside. You soon realise that there are two desperate individuals on the inside trying to get out. You are still confused by this strange land that you seems to find yourself in - but being lost in this place, you feel that those people on the inside could just as easily have been you. You quickly get to work attacking the house, and those windows in particular, to try to help the people to escape.

[Both groups]

Between the two groups, working together from both sides, you make short work of the shutters and windows. As the shutters give way, the group outside reaches in and helps pull out two people through the now open windows, allowing Alcazar and Janek to escape out of the house. As they exit, the house seems to realise that it has lost its prey, and you hear a shriek of creeking wood and beams. To your ears, it almost sounds like a scream.

The house then slowly returns to appearing like an inanimate object. The fires and smoke die down, the teeth and claws on the shutters and windows seem to wither and disappear like unharvested fruit. As this happens, you also notice that the strange fog that drove you all here seems to be dissipating and the air slowly clears to reveal a better view of the village you are in. Before long, you can see through the entire village all the way to the horizon.

The clearing of the fog also seems to bring about a change in the village itself. You hear some shutters in other houses being unlocked, and door bars being removed. There even appear to be a few faces poking out behind shutters and curtains to snatch some glances as the newcomers in the road.

"Are you all right? What happened in there? Are you wounded?" The blonde elven maiden says in a worried tone as she helps the two survivors of the nightmarish house to rest for a moment after their harrowing experience.

One of the men coming out of the house has dark brown eyes, black unkempt hair that falls down almost to his shoulders, and his face has a haggard beard. He's dressed in dark rugged clothing with a leather jacket over chain mail beneath. Two longswords hang from scabbards at each hip. 

 He seems to hear the words and softly says:
'Hills are empty, no man is seen,
Yet the sound of people's voices is heard.
Light is cast into the deep forest,
And shines again on green moss.'

He then wearily looks up at the blonde Elf speaking to him. "Wounded?" There's a pause for consideration and then he continues. "We were battered a bit but rested... for a time. I'm not sure if it was day or night really. Probably night. I'm ok now."  He sounds a bit like he's rambling, then he takes a deep breath. "The House seems to lure it's victims in. And the entity - the refuse of all the past history of ritual violence - rises to consume its victims. We escaped only because of you."  His eyes finally shift to take in the others beyond the Elf woman. "Thank you, all of you. I am Janek Whitmor." 

The elf sheathes his longsword again.  

"Oi! Reckon I'm right pleased they aced it, ya see? Truth be told, I weren't too keen on the idea of brawlin' our way into some ruddy predatory house, nah. Chaffed to see the situation sortin' itself out.  The name's Rodan, mates. A name that's spat out like a bloody curse by tyrants and tax blokes from the Sea of Movin' Ice right down to the Dragonsreach. Nice to make your' quaintance."

He turns in a slow pivot, eyes on the mist shrouded road around them, hands on his hips.  He scowls.

"Now that everyone's safe, sound, and all that, who's up for explainin' to me just wot in the Nine Hells is goin' on 'ere, eh? Where are we, 'ow'd we end up 'ere, and what's the bloomin' deal with these bleedin' mists, I'm tellin' ya?"

Walking back towards the group from retrieving his arrow, the scarred face dwarf says, "really ought to burn that one to the ground but for some reason, I doubt it would let us." He looks at the ones who came out of the house. "What could you possibly be looking for to drive you crazy enough to go in there?" The dwarf gruff deemed isn't that unusual for his kind, but the scars he bares seems to emphasize it. "Thulewyn be what I'm called. I don't know how we came to this place, and I'd wager neither do you. I for one plan to make my visit here a short one." He starts looking around at the town starting to show signs of life. "Best we move along before drawing attention to ourselves."

"I'm afraid the House lured us in," Janek starts. "First there was the fog. It seemed to offer no path but to this place." He waves his hand towards the house. "Then there were the two children, afraid to enter the house because of the "monster". They seemed to need help, so we went inside." He shakes his head, "Turns out the children we met were illusions of some sort created by the House.  They were actually dead - we met their ghosts inside. And found their bones. Evidently locked in a room by their parents and starved when they didn't return. The father had a mistress it seems, and a stillborn child. All the rest of the family - including mistress - seem to be dead as well. Victims of the house I would think." 

He pauses, sighing deeply. "A sad tale. They had books, produced by some charlatan, that made them believe they were making blood sacrifices for their cult. It was all for naught, but the evil seemed to have seeped into the House anyway.  There was a note..."  He pauses a moment, to shuffle through his pack. He pulls out an old parchment. "Yes, they seemed to think some Strahd von Zarovich had been sent to them by whatever darkness they thought they were following.  Be he utterly rebuffed them."  He would share the letter with anyone interested. (See Spoiler)

Janek looks over at Alcazar. "Just two of us now. There were more of us when we entered this land evidently called Barovia. The denizens of the House took their toll." He then looks to each of the others. "Are you all strangers to Barovia as well? We should unite to find our way out." 

Nicholas eyes the House warily as the introductions go around, as if fearful that its doors might open and the carpets shoot out to entrap and pull them in. "If you'd like to give it a serious try Thulewyn, I would happily gather starter wood to set it ablaze." He finally breaks away from glaring at the possessed Homestead, though he doesn't turn away so much that it would be out of his periphery. When there is a moment, he adds his own name to the introductions. "I'm Nicholas Achard. Just Nick will do though"

He listens quietly to the man's tale of the House, taking the letter to read over when prompted. His lip curls in disgust at the venom dripping from the written words. "Dread Lord and Master? He sounds like a bleeding lunatic in his own right. Let's hope we don't have to deal personally with this Zarovich anytime soon."

"I'd never even heard of Barovia before coming here...And I'm still not sure how we ended up here." The thought unnerves him as much as the dreary landscape around them. "A fellowship to get ourselves out of this fangled mess isn't a bad idea, you can definitely count me in."

Saddened by the tragic history of the nightmarish house but relieved that at least two survived the ordeal inside, the blonde elven maiden nods and listens to the others while reading the letter offered by Janek. "I am Celeste, a humble servant of Milil, Lord of all Songs..." She says in a warm and melodious voice. "...neither I know anything about this place, and I pledge myself to helping you all finding a way back through the mist, but as for myself I believe my god has sent me here to oppose the darkness and evil of this land, even if it means dealing personally with this Dread Lord and Master Strahd von Zarovich." She continues with a warm serene smile, her voice warm but still firm and sincere. "It seems we were all drawn here through the dreadful mist and into Barovia, and I believe it is so for a reason. Perhaps we could start finding out why at the tavern in the village?" She finshes with an encouraging smile.

"Be wary of the food and drink, remember these people are living with this cursed abode and don't leave or post warning to what it does. Maybe they feel they have no choice or perhaps it doesn't bother them. We are outsiders and here and the locals probably feel no attachment to our well being, possibly angered that we didn't feed the beast." The dwarf starts walking towards the busiest part of town trying to keep his eyes wandering around while trying to appear to be looking forward. What in stones thunder did we get ourselves into now. Nick said his family had some disturbing troubles but he never mentioned anything like this. He is keeping his hands in his pockets to try and hide the shaking nature of them. His pent-up nerves keep him wanting to watch for danger and strike like an animal, luckily there was still enough humanity left in him to use his brains over instincts. Whatever this place was had his hairs stand and the sinking feeling in his gut or lurking danger amplified.

Listening to the tale of those who escaped the house, Rodan lets out a long, slow whistle.  "I'll be bleedin' damned, mate...."

Then he pats the dwarf on the shoulder.  "And I'll give ya a hand, Tulleyw'n, if ya mean it about torchin' this joint. Maybe it'll give a little message to whoever or whatever dragged us 'ere that we ain't messin' about and we're 'ere to ruin their little shindig. Burn that note as well, while ya got the flame goin'. This Zarovich joker can just bugger off with the rest of 'em, I say."

He listens to the elfmaid espouse her theories about being sent to deal with and defeat dark powers, his eyebrow slowly raising in skepticism.  "Right...".

"Well, I certainly ain't been sent 'ere by any fancy spirits, ya know? But, I've got nowhere else to be, and ain't no one gonna be missin' old Rodan, 'cept maybe the odd barkeep or two down on the roadhouse row. I reckon I can stick around long enough to thump anyone needin' their nose bashed around 'ere."

He clears his throat and spits toward the formerly hostile manor.  From the uncouth speech, his bent and crooked nose, and his battered shield, he gives the appearance of one who lives his life on the uncivilized margins of society.  As he lurks on the border of the property, waiting to see if anyone really plans to start a fire, he begins to whistle softly, the notes just barely louder than the passing breeze.

The other who exited the house behind Janek has an elven cast but paler features and a wiry, even frail, physique. He occasionally glances warily at the new comers while watching as the house seems to slowly settle back into being a house again. He seems to content to listen to Janek's recounting nodding at the details and shaking his head as the tale of the family is recounted. "A cursed place," he says.

When Janek finishes his tale he dusts off his faded finery, and raises his hand in greeting. "Alcazar. Alcazar Tremayne. At your service."

"This place seems wont to claim as many lives as it can. At first I found it a welcome distraction. Five we were...but now..." he nods to Janek. "I do not even know what happened to the others." He forces a smile onto his face, "Were it not for Janek here, I doubt I would stand amongst you now."

"I for one would like to put some distance between me and this dreaded construction."

Quote from Culuril >>

"I'm afraid the House lured us in," Janek starts. "First there was the fog. It seemed to offer no path but to this place." He waves his hand towards the house. "Then there were the two children, afraid to enter the house because of the "monster". They seemed to need help, so we went inside." He shakes his head, "Turns out the children we met were illusions of some sort created by the House.  They were actually dead - we met their ghosts inside. And found their bones. Evidently locked in a room by their parents and starved when they didn't return. The father had a mistress it seems, and a stillborn child. All the rest of the family - including mistress - seem to be dead as well. Victims of the house I would think." 

He pauses, sighing deeply. "A sad tale. They had books, produced by some charlatan, that made them believe they were making blood sacrifices for their cult. It was all for naught, but the evil seemed to have seeped into the House anyway.  There was a note..."  He pauses a moment, to shuffle through his pack. He pulls out an old parchment. "Yes, they seemed to think some Strahd von Zarovich had been sent to them by whatever darkness they thought they were following.  Be he utterly rebuffed them."  He would share the letter with anyone interested. (See Spoiler)

Quote from Ereshion >>

The other who exited the house behind Janek has an elven cast but paler features and a wiry, even frail, physique. He occasionally glances warily at the new comers while watching as the house seems to slowly settle back into being a house again. He seems to content to listen to Janek's recounting nodding at the details and shaking his head as the tale of the family is recounted. "A cursed place," he says.

Just to summarize the tale of the Death House, for the benefit of those who recently arrived - based on the facts discovered so far.

The 'Death House' you just encountered is an old and formerly grand house in the village of Barovia. The wealthy Durst family that lived here appears to have fallen into the practice of dark arts - though themselves were clearly the subject of some intrigue as the books and spells they used were nothing but cheap fakes - and they were unable to summon any real demons or fiends. They appear to have created some form of Cult that engaged in cannibalism and lured innocents to their death. Over time, the family and cult fell on hard times, and with the arrival of Strahd von Zarovich they believed that a Dark Messiah had arrived and tried to pledge their loyalty to him. He however rebuffed them and considered them nothing more than writhing worms. 

The cult tried to summon malevolent extraplanar entities with no success, but over its years of morbid practices and bizzare rituals either summoned or gave life to some form of entity, which you encountered as "Lorghoth the Decayer" - but which appears to be a living heap of refuse more than a fiend. The Dursts were so obsessive over their 'dark' arts, that they abandoned their own children in the attic and left them to starve to death - their remains unburied in the attic, not able to find rest. It is not clear what or who ended the lives of the Durst family and their cult members, but at some point they appear to have been killed - and later resurrected as Ghouls and Ghasts. The House itself appears to be imbued with malevolent energy and perhaps even sentience, and appears to carry on the tasks of its former inhabitants by luring in unsuspecting visitors to kill inside.

Seeing the dwarf heading into the village, the blonde elven maiden briefly looks to the others gathered to see if they were staying to burn the house or following the dwarf, then heading after him, keeping her keen eyes open for any tavern or inn where one could eat and rest, and hopefully find out more about this mysterious domain.

Perception: 18

Janek is also ready to turn from the House and head into the rest of this town. Now that the fog has dispersed he looks about for any signs of a place that would take in travelers. Or a shop.

"We looking for anything in particular?" he asks as the group makes its way through the streets. "An inn? Or if there's a shop, we found a few odd things we might trade for coin. Be nice to know more - anything - about this place."

You leave behind the Death House (marked with a skull on the map), and make your way towards what seems to be the main street and centre of the village. The whole place is still fairly quiet and only slowly seems to be coming to life. Shutters are being unbarred, doors unlocked, and you start to hear movement. As you wander through the village, you can hear distant wailing and crying coming from a building near the centre.

As you enter the main square, it is illuminated by a single shaft of light thrusts through the clouds, its brightness looking like a solid pillar in the heavy fog. On the north-east corner of the square, you see a large building. Above the gaping doorway, a sign hangs precariously askew, proclaiming this to be the "Blood on the Vine" tavern.

On the south-east corner, you see another large building, this one with lights clearly visible inside and illuminating the area immediately around it.  A sign over the door, creaking on its hinges, reads "Bildrath's Mercantile."

To the south, there is a large Mansion, which you guess to belong to someone powerful or influential such as the local mayor or lord.

Further in the distance, on top a slight rise/hill on the outskirts of the village, against the roots of a rocky hill that appears almost like a large stone pillar stone, stands a gray, sagging edifice of stone and wood. This church has obviously weathered the assaults of evil for centuries on end and is worn and weary. A bell tower rises toward the back, and flickering light shines through holes in the shingled roof. The rafters strain feebly against their load.

Looking at the church, your eyes are drawn further into the distance of the horizon and up to the peak of the small mountain. As you look, the fog and clouds higher-up start to dissipate and out of the fog emerges a dark and foreboding castle, standing proudly at the top of the hill - on the highest point all around.