Akyan stays quiet while Anthony asks his questions. This woman, the way she looks at all of them, makes him extremely uncomfortable. He absolutely cannot stand the feeling that someone knows more about him than maybe even he knows about himself, and this woman gives him that feeling.
As the conversation continues, he thinks of several things. Aoelwyn either trusted this woman to some small extent, or else she only collaborated with her because she viewed her as a threat and wanted to keep her in her sights. Either of these options seems likely to him. However, there is also the factor that Vistani seem to be on alright terms with this Strahd person. With Strahd being related to Azalin, the fact that Madam Eva is a Vistani is enough to warrant caution.
He catches Anthony's glance, but isn't entirely sure what he's thinking. The drow may have telepathy, but he cannot read minds.
He glances at Kora when she asks her question, then awaits the answer.
Taking in your inquiries, Madame Eva places both of her hands on the table, palms flat against the wood almost as if she was steadying herself. “I can show you what you need to know with more than just words,” the aged seer breathes out in an intense voice barely above a whisper, “but you need to trust me.” She looks at each of you in turn and then says, “Close your eyes.” She waits for each of you to do so, and when you have, she says, “Now, turn inwards and SEE.”
Her last word seems to grow and resonate with every fiber of your being, and even though you know you’re sitting in the tent with Madame Eva and your siblings with your eyes closed, you find yourself standing in an empty eternity of blackness. Darkness stretches out from your feet, and it merges seamlessly with the dark expanse of the sky, creating an endless expanse of pure blackness. Looking around, you see nobody else. Suddenly, Madame Eva’s voice rumbles across the expanse, her once soft voice now thunderous and immense.
“It all begins with a man named Firan Zal'honan long ago on a world named Oerth,” rumbles the seer’s voice, her words echoing into the endless expanse. Before you, tendrils of mist suddenly rise from the pitchblack ground and spirals upward to form an image of a majestic kingdom springing up from a land of gently rolling hills and streams. The city’s white marble buildings almost seem to gleam in the radiant light streaming from a sun hidden partly behind silver clouds. Rising above the resplendent rooftops of the city is a towering castle of immense beauty and awe-inspiring architecture. It stands proudly above the city, its many spires and towers reaching to staggering heights. Even as you take in the glorious city, you see the mist spin as it forms the image of a man standing in front of you. You see an elderly man with aquiline features and a piercing gaze form from the mist, his unkempt dark hair topped by a heavy iron crown. He looks down with contempt upon the beautiful landscape with the magnificent city resting upon it, a slight sneer curling at the man’s lips.
Madame Eva’s rumbling voice returns, her words narrating a story that unfolds upon the shifting mists before you. “I cannot see much of Firan’s life on Oerth; the Mists obscure much from my view. What I have gathered is that Firan had an unyielding thirst for the secrets of magic. Unlocking the mysteries of the Weave became his life’s purpose, and he pursued that goal with no wavering in his resolve. Nobody and nothing could stand in his way of unlocking the secrets of the multiverse as he systematically destroyed everything that stood in his path to knowledge. Eventually, he chose to shed his mortal shell and became the pinnacle of undeath in order to pursue his goals: a lich.” You see the body of the man standing before you wither and decay, his flesh becoming gray and pallid, his eyes burning away to become red pinpricks of light set deep within the sockets of his skull.
“Soon after his ascension to lichhood, Firan changed his name to Azal’lan, meaning wizard-king. We now call him Azalin, a more modern form of the title.”
“Azalin began a conquest to discover all of the arcane intricacies and secrets of his world, crushing all that stood in his way.” The misty image before you fades away, and an image of a burning city takes its place, plumes of ash, smoke, and cinders painting the sky with darkness. A legion of undead spills over a toppled city wall, intent upon destroying all life within the sacked city. At their head, you see Azalin wearing flowing red robes and a heavy iron crown leading the assault of undead. A bolt of black lightning roughly shaped like a sword is clasped in one of his hands at his side, and his other hand is raised high above his head, arcane swirling about it as Azalin gathers power to cast a spell.
“Fortunately for Oerth, Azalin’s conquest drew the attention of the Dark Powers, entities of great evil shrouded in the cloak of secrecy. Not much is known about them except for that they scour the multiverse in search of individuals worthy to be imprisoned in one of their Domains of Dread. Each Domain of Dread is essentially a demiplane prison somewhere in the Shadowfell. Each Domain is specially crafted to to be a personal hell for its captive. The land of Barovia is one such Domain, the prison of Count Strahd von Zarovich, the First Vampire. Strahd was the first being ever imprisoned by the Dark Powers, and as such, Barovia is the first Domain of Dread. Collectively, all of the Domains are referred to as Ravenloft.”
“The Dark Powers took hold of Azalin and cast him into Ravenloft.” The image shifts to an overhead image of Azalin falling into a seemingly endless pit of darkness. Seven immense, hooded figures ring the pit, watching Azalin fall into the blackness of the pit. “Azalin arrived in a land called Darkon. There, he quickly subjugated all of its inhabitants. However, he discovered that he could no longer progress in the arcane arts. Being unable to learn more magic was incredibly infuriating and painful for the lich, especially since he had traded his life and soul to be able to learn magic in an undying state. During his centuries of rule in his prison, Azalin plotted and attempted several escapes, all of them except one failed miserably. His one successful attempt brought him to Barovia, the Realm of the Vampire.”
The image morphs into a mountain valley covered in towering pine trees set against a gray backdrop of a sky. Snow blankets the tops of the jugged peaks, and you recognize this image as the land you find yourself in.
“Here, the lich and the vampire formed an uneasy truce. Azalin, still intent on escaping, offered to teach Strahd the ways of the Weave if the vampire helped him craft a means to escape. Strahd hesitantly agreed, and together, they began creating a means of escape. They began crafting a device they dubbed the “Darkstar.” Despite their truce, they both resented each other, and over the years, that resentment festered into a burning hatred. On the night that their plans were to come to fruition, Strahd betrayed Azalin in an attempt to escape using Darkstar instead of Azalin. Azalin managed to damage the Darkstar before it could fully activate, thus foiling Strahd’s escape attempt. A terrific battle ensued between the lich and vampire, destroying part of Barovia as the two beings of titanic power fought.”
The mist swirls into a new image of Azalin and another figure, who you assume to be Strahd, battling atop a mountain peak, a tempest of blinding lightning and earth-shattering thunder raging about them.
“Their conflict shattered the Darkstar, scattering fragments of it throughout the domains of Ravenloft. In the end, Strahd cast out Azalin, hurling the lich back into Darkon.” The image of the battle becomes one of Azalin sitting upon an iron throne in the midsts of a forlorn castle, a furious expression upon his skeletal features. “There, he attempted several more escapes, but none of them succeeded.”
“However, after centuries upon centuries of trying, he finally partially succeeded.”
“In a ritual that required thousands of souls from sacrificed men, women, and children, Azalin used the magic suffusing his Domain to shatter what was left of his soul into fragments that the ritual cast throughout the other Domains of Dread. Darkon was left crippled and severely damaged, dooming those who remained to be eventually consumed by the Mists.”
The misty image fades away and is replaced by one of shattered land with predatory mist consuming both flesh and the plane itself. A destroyed castle dominates the image, appearing to be frozen moments after a terrific explosion blew the structure apart, pieces of masonry hanging in the air.
“From what I have both seen and heard, the splinters of Azalin’s soul now gather followers in each of the Domains, gathering an army to conquer the planes when he finally escapes. This must not happen, for if he does escape, the power he will have amassed will rival that of even the gods. This is what Aoelwyn has been working to prevent for the past several decades.”
“In order to stop Azalin, we must oppose his goals in each of the domains. You can do this by preventing the Darklord of each domain fulfilling their heart’s desire, for if they do, the bonds of Ravenloft have no more sway over them. They can escape, thereby allowing Azalin to absorb the domain to his coalition. Normally, each Domain holds what what its Darklord desires most just out of their reach, but Azalin and his forces have been upsetting that balance. Already, Azalin has freed several Darklords and consumed the power of their Domain.”
“With her last action, Aoelwyn hid away several mist talismans for you all to discover. Mist talismans are objects tied to the energies of a particular Domain of Dread, and you can use them to guide you to the Domain they are bound to when you travel in the Mists. The particular Domains your talismans are keyed to are Har’Arkir, the Land of Sandstorms; Borca, the Domain of Desire and Deceit; I’Cath, the Dream Prison; Lamordia, the Laboratory of Stitched Flesh; Barovia, the First Domain; and Darkon, the Shattered Realm.”
As she says the name of each Domain, the mist forms a brief image of what you assume to be that particular Domain before resting upon the shattered castle of Darkon, Azalin’s own Domain.
“Aoelwyn’s goal was to travel to each Domain, thwart Azalin’s machinations there, and collect the fragment of the Darkstar that fell there. Some of her colleagues believe that if they can collect enough of the Darkstar fragments, they can reverse its intended effects and recapture the escaped Darklords and remove power from Azalin.”
“Take solace knowing that there are others who are working to oppose Azalin. You are not alone in your endeavors. There are many who are already in place in other Domains, doing their best to stop Azalin and his lackeys. You may be called upon to help them as word of work reaches them. A potential ally you should seek is an organization known as the Circle. Your mother was a member of this group, and they are one of the foremost opposers of Azalin. They hide themselves from my sight, so I cannot advise you of their whereabouts.”
“My role as a seer is to read the currents of the future and advise others what I have seen. Several of your potential paths intertwine with Azalin, for good and for bad, while in others, you walk away and leave. The choice is ultimately yours, but be warned: your decision to join the fight or leave may be the tipping point for either side.”
With that, you feel yourself ascending out of the dark place where you saw the images, and you find yourself once again sitting around the low wooden table within Madame Eva’s tent. You feel slightly sleepy after your experience with the visions, though Madame Eva seems as calm and alert as ever.
“I understand you all have lots to discuss before you can come to a decision, so I will give time to speak with one another,” the seer says as she rises gracefully to her feet. “If you choose to join the fight against Azalin, I can inform you more about the lich’s current goals within Barovia.”
With that, Madame Eva turns and reaches a hand out to part the beads to the doorway as she glides elegantly deeper within her tent.
Anthony takes all of this in, more or less. Some of the vocabulary and technicalities are a little beyond him, but he gets the gist. Evil entities imprisoned. What didn't sit well with him was what they were being asked to do. Not fight and rebind the fragments of Azalin. Not destroy the pieces of the darkstar so it couldn't be reassembled. But.. prevent people from freeing themselves from evil.
He didn't have more to say at the moment. Madam Eva's explanation had answered far more questions than he'd had. So he followed quietly, shaking his head. The was messed up. throwing more souls on the pyre like so much kindling.
"Uh" Jared speaks up before the old woman can leave. "if this Azalin is such a powerful and brilliant mage, couldn't folks going around collecting those pieces of the....." Jared doesn't seem too sure at this point and pauses for a moment. "Couldn't this be all part of his plan to get it put back together for him instead of him doing all the work?" Jared looks around the room at the others and just shrugs. "it's what I'd do if I was some all-powerful wizard, an' all" he says as his voice trails off at the end.
Madame Eva hesitates at the veiled doorway, then she turns to face the group with a pleased smile. "So you thought of that possibility as well. Forsight is an attribute I applaud in others."
"I have seen several different outcomes, but the future is mercurial and ever-changing. What you suggest could very well be a possibility. This is something you will have to ponder. The Circle has already collected several fragments of the Darkstar, and so has Azalin and his forces. If what you suggest is true and Azalin reforges the Darkstar, he himself cannot use it to escape. That would take Strahd and the lich working together to activate the artifact, an impossibility. If you recall, part of Azalin's curse is that he cannot learn new magic or arcane knowledge. When he was with Strahd, he taught the vampire principles and applications, but ultimately, Strahd is the one that developed the Darkstar with his new knowledge. Only he knows how to operate the Darkstar. Azalin has no idea how the Darkstar works."
"On the other hand, if the Circle is correct in their assumption that they can use the Darkstar to rebind the freed Darklords, then Azalin will become weaker and weaker with each recaptured Darklord. This will make the lich vulnerable and easier to slay in the end. The downside to this possibility is that by recapturing the Darklords, thousands if not millions of people living in the Domains will once again be trapped under the oppression of their Darklord."
"If the fragments were to be destroyed, then Azalin could not potentially escape using the Darkstar somehow if Strahd were to help him once more. However, the Circle could not recapture the freed Darklords, thereby allowing the vilest of men, women, and beasts history has ever known to walk free upon their ancient homelands once more. Azalin would still be in control of their Domain, and he would be much more difficult to defeat."
"One last possibility I have seen is to destroy each fragment of the lich's withered soul in addition to bringing his goals to a halt in each domain. This would weaken him in the end, but his minions will still carry out his plans in each domain unless their machinations are fully stopped and they are slain."
She looks at the group with a sympathetic look on her wizened face. "You will have many difficult options to discuss. None of the scenarios I outlined will be easy to carry through, but who knows? Mayb you'll end up doing something I haven't foreseen."
"Nothing is impossible. I think the only thing we can count on, is that nothing trapped here wants to remain." He said to the others before following Madam Eva.Beyond that, he knew what he thought was right. But he was in a large group and didn't trust Madam Eva enough to talk about it here. And he might be outvoted and just along for the ride in the end. For now the only thing he knew for sure was that he'd stick with them and try to keep them alive unless he so completely disagreed with what they were doing that he couldn't continue.
"I'm not much of a deep thinker that's for sure," Jared mutters quietly. "But I get the sneaky suspicion that this can go sideways fast." Jared will go quiet after that and just follow his siblings along.
Kora tries to understand as much as she can. It was a lot. One question percolates its way to the top, "If we are to use the Darkstar to get the other Darklords back and get Azalin back to where he belongs... you said that only Strahd knows how to operate it. Do we have to work with the vampire in all of this?"
Anthony grunts at that. He'd been keeping his mouth shut about it but having Ireena with them gave them an uncomfortably convenient. bargaining chip. For now, he continued to keep that thought to himself. He didn't like even having it.
"The circle has been studying it, if we can get in contact with them I'm sure we could figure it out. We know what this Straud is capable of, working with him under any circumstance should be a last resort. He has no reason to work with us and would likely betray us. All the options have a bad down side, I will admit. No matter what we choose someone looses, but we're tangled up in this, and must act."
As you follow the enigmatic seer into the room beyond the draping beads, you find yourself in a circular room. A pitch-black rug covers the ground, and the tent walls are a similar shade of darkness. This new room you find yourselves in reminds you of the strange place you were transported to when Madame Eva showed you that vision about the fate of the multiverse. Unlike the previous room, the only ornament in this room is a singular pedestal that rises to about chest-height upon which rests a small glass sphere about a handspan across. A roiling cloud of mist churns within the orb. The trapped mist reminds of you of the deadly fog you faced when battling Kazahd-nei.
Once everyone has filed into the dark room, Ismark and Ireena included, Madame takes her place in front of the swirling orb. She smiles at Kora's question. "Acute observation, child," she says fondly. For the sake of simplicity, yes, but he must not know about Azalin's plot for as long as possible. I will explain further."
"Long ago, Barovia was not a Domain of Dread. It was beautifully rugged valley filled with life and cheer. At that time, Strahd was a mere warlord, albeit a narcissistic and shallow one, who fell in love with the valley of Barovia. He conquered the valley, though it didn't take much to conquer. After driving out a few pockets of bandits, the commoners were all but begging the Count to be their ruler. Strahd took up residence in an ancient castle in the valley, the castle which is now called Castle Ravenloft."
"Enraptured by the beauty of the valley, Count Zarovich's parents moved into the castle with Strahd, and the Devil's younger brother, Sergei, eventually was drawn in as well. Strahd had everything he ever wanted: a beautiful land to rule over, his family at his side, fawning commoners, and wealth. The only thing that continued to evade him was someone he could love."
"Eventually, a young maiden native to Barovia by the name of Tatyana caught his attention. She was as beautiful as the valley itself, and her smile could melt the hardest of hearts. Soon, the Count began courting her in hopes of taking her to wife, but she always danced around his advances. Tatyana also caught the eye of Sergei, and he began to court her as well. In the end, Tatyana fell in love with the younger Zarovich. This gave birth to a seething hatred of his younger within Strahd. Being supremely self-centered, Strahd believed that all in the valley was his to do what he wished with, and he felt like Sergie cheated him out of what was rightfully his."
"Driven by a jealous rage, Strahd swore an oath to the gods that he would kill his brother and take what was rightfully his. On the day of his brother's wedding, Strahd murdered Sergei and drank his blood as a sign to the gods of his wrath. As the skies of Ravenloft began to darken with raging storm clouds, Strahd pursued the grief-stricken Tatyana in an attempt to force her to marry him instead. Filled with despair of losing the love of her life, Tatyana threw herself from the edge of Castle Ravenloft. Strahd could do nothing but watch as the woman he desired above all other things fell hundreds of feet to her death on the jagged stones below."
"In a blind fit of rage, the Count flew into a murderous frenzy, slaughtering his servants and soldiers in a seemingly endless bloodbath. With each kill, he became more like the monster that he now is. As the last body slid from his blade, lightning ripped through the sky overhead, and Barovia became the first Domain of Dread with the first vampire to rule it."
Solemnly, Madame Eva continues. "Over the centuries, the Dark Powers mocked Strahd with reincarnations of his beloved Tatyana. Each time Strahd grew close to wooing or capturing Tatyana, death always stole her from his clutches. To tie Azalin back in, the lich is striving to deliver the latest reincarnation of Tatyana to him." Her gaze turns to Ireena, her expression softening. "Ireena, you are that reincarnation."
Ireena cocks an eyebrow at the statement and folds her arms, obviously skeptical. "Oh really?" she asks in a dry tone. "Just because Strahd is obsessed with me for some reason doesn't mean I'm some woman who died thousands of years ago."
Ismark, protective as ever, takes a step closer to Ireena and moves an arm in front of her. "We are NOT giving her to Strahd so he'll help us," he says firmly. It seems he and Anthony were on the same wavelength.
Madame Eva sighs and rubs her temples in annoyance. "You better believe me, Ireena. I've met you several times in your past lives. You always come running to me for guidance when Strahd finds you again, and every time I tell you who you are, you always ignore me. Every time," the seer says with an exasperated tone.
Ireena just shakes her head stubbornly and rolls her eyes, causing Madame Eva to harumph in annoyance. "Anyways," she continues, obviously still annoyed, "Azalin is trying to deliver this Tatyana," she gestures to Ireena, "to Strahd. If the devil gets ahold of her, then he has the opportunity to free himself from Ravenloft. I have foreseen that if this happens, Azalin will confront and destroy the vampire. We must not let this happen for a special reason."
"Because Barovia is the first Domain of Dread, it acts as a capstone or a lock for the other Domains. Azalin can only truly be free from Ravenloft if Strahd has Tatyana and then is killed. As long as Strahd remains in his undead state, Barovia can still be consumed, but Azalin cannot escape. Strahd's death is the final catalyst for Azalin's ascension."
"There are several powerful artifacts scattered in Barovia that Azalin is searching for: the Sunsword, the Symbol of Ravenkind, and the Tome of Strahd. If Azalin finds these artifacts, he will use them to destroy Strahd once he has consumed the other Domains and Strahd has Tatyana. In order to stop Azalin here, you need to find the artifacts before Azalin does and keep Tatyana from Strahd." She smiles sympathetically. "I do not envy the challenges that you all will face."
Anthony's head hurt. This was a convoluted mess. To Ireena, "You're right. It sounds like nonsense. But it doesn't really matter if you're a reincarnation or not. The people who are going to f- mess with you think you are." He wasn't sure 'getting' Ireena would satisfy Strahd's heart's desire though. Making her a prisoner wasn't the same as actually having her... whatever it didn't matter. The solution to this puzzle was frighteningly obvious.
As the tries to understand the constant flow of information, Kora stares at the old woman. "So, say we beat Azalin to gathering these three artifacts here in Barovia and keep Ireena from Strahd.." she steals a glance at Ireena, expecting a reaction from this, but carries on, "what after that? And do you have any idea where we would find these items?"
All of this is so much to take in. It's sent Akyan's head spinning. Partly because he'd been expecting less strait forward answers, and partly because it was just a lot of information to take in. Not to mention he's still recovering from that trip into the dream realm or whatever. All in all, he still doesn't particularly like Madam Eva.
He glances at Kora when she brings up the question of working with Strahd. That's certainly not happening on his watch. There's no way he'd do anything to work with that monster. This Darkstar thing is puzzling. They could collect the pieces, but what good would that do if they cannot use the thing? If they did that and ended up failing, the artifact could easily end up in the wrong hands. Though leaving them hidden could yield the same result... seems that Jared has thought of that possibility as well.
He frowns when the old woman explains that Ireena is the reincarnation of this Tatyana person. That he does not believe. He nods along with Anthony when he says it's nonsense. One thought suddenly shoves itself into his head, but he immediately shoves it away. That is out of the question.
Eventually, he forms a few questions. "You mentioned each talisman is attached to a Domain of Dread? What is the significance of that? What exactly do these talismans do?" He pauses a moment before continuing. "You also say that Strahd's death is Azalin's ultimate goal, though only after he has Tatyana. What happens if the dread lords are killed before they find their heart's desire? Can they even be killed? Or do they have to be sealed by other means?"
To Kora, the wizened seer says, “Once you have the artifacts, you must keep them and Tatyana from Azalin. After that, there are other Domains that are on the verge of falling to Azalin that you can save. Or, you can travel there to help those Domains first and hope Azalin doesn’t find the artifacts before you do. I can attempt a Tarroka card reading and see if I can discern their locations. They are guarded against magical sight, but I should be skilled enough to at least discover there general location.”
Turning her attention to the dark elf of the group, Madame Eva she says, “Each talisman can guide you to its respective Domain. As for who has each item, allow me to inspect the items Aoelwyn gifted to you.”
Once the items are properly presented, Madame Eva stoops close to them, thoroughly inspecting them with her keen gaze. Once she figures out which Domain that act as a guide for, she informs the group. During this process, Ismark and Ireena takes few steps away from the group and start having a hushed conversation, both of them shooting distrustful glances at Madame Eva.
After she inspects the items, she warily continues her conversation. “If a Darklord is killed without obtaining what they desire most, they are reborn, resurrected, or another Darklord takes their place for a time. The only true way to remove a Darklord from their Domain is by giving them what they desire most.”
"Weird way to run a prison..." Anthony intentionally didn't look at Ireena and Ismark after they started whispering. He wouldn't blame the pair if they wanted to run at this point. They had slightly better odds of getting clear on their own. He does, however speak up when Madam Eva calls Ireena 'Tatanya'. "She introduced herself as Ireena. Doesn't matter what you think is 'true'. She gets to decide if she wants to be called something else." It wasn't really any of his business but it rubbed him the wrong way.
Aoufie has heard of strange tales before in his travels and not even the fabricated tales of fellow bards matches what he just heard from Madam Eva. Powerful dark entities vying against each other while seeking escape from their prison in which we have found us stuck in. He stops himself from palming his forehead as he follows Madam Eva. "Madam Eva do you know of any safe place for Ireena. I find myself hard pressed to think of safe place since Strahd has dominion over this realm in a quite literal sense."
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Kora is shocked by it all. Who was this woman and how had they never heard of her? Trying to suppress these feelings, she asks, "Prepare us for what?"
Jared tries to remain still but fidgets a bit, feeling the Rise of the full moon he has been trying to ignore.
Akyan stays quiet while Anthony asks his questions. This woman, the way she looks at all of them, makes him extremely uncomfortable. He absolutely cannot stand the feeling that someone knows more about him than maybe even he knows about himself, and this woman gives him that feeling.
As the conversation continues, he thinks of several things. Aoelwyn either trusted this woman to some small extent, or else she only collaborated with her because she viewed her as a threat and wanted to keep her in her sights. Either of these options seems likely to him. However, there is also the factor that Vistani seem to be on alright terms with this Strahd person. With Strahd being related to Azalin, the fact that Madam Eva is a Vistani is enough to warrant caution.
He catches Anthony's glance, but isn't entirely sure what he's thinking. The drow may have telepathy, but he cannot read minds.
He glances at Kora when she asks her question, then awaits the answer.
Taking in your inquiries, Madame Eva places both of her hands on the table, palms flat against the wood almost as if she was steadying herself. “I can show you what you need to know with more than just words,” the aged seer breathes out in an intense voice barely above a whisper, “but you need to trust me.” She looks at each of you in turn and then says, “Close your eyes.” She waits for each of you to do so, and when you have, she says, “Now, turn inwards and SEE.”
Her last word seems to grow and resonate with every fiber of your being, and even though you know you’re sitting in the tent with Madame Eva and your siblings with your eyes closed, you find yourself standing in an empty eternity of blackness. Darkness stretches out from your feet, and it merges seamlessly with the dark expanse of the sky, creating an endless expanse of pure blackness. Looking around, you see nobody else. Suddenly, Madame Eva’s voice rumbles across the expanse, her once soft voice now thunderous and immense.
“It all begins with a man named Firan Zal'honan long ago on a world named Oerth,” rumbles the seer’s voice, her words echoing into the endless expanse. Before you, tendrils of mist suddenly rise from the pitchblack ground and spirals upward to form an image of a majestic kingdom springing up from a land of gently rolling hills and streams. The city’s white marble buildings almost seem to gleam in the radiant light streaming from a sun hidden partly behind silver clouds. Rising above the resplendent rooftops of the city is a towering castle of immense beauty and awe-inspiring architecture. It stands proudly above the city, its many spires and towers reaching to staggering heights. Even as you take in the glorious city, you see the mist spin as it forms the image of a man standing in front of you. You see an elderly man with aquiline features and a piercing gaze form from the mist, his unkempt dark hair topped by a heavy iron crown. He looks down with contempt upon the beautiful landscape with the magnificent city resting upon it, a slight sneer curling at the man’s lips.
Madame Eva’s rumbling voice returns, her words narrating a story that unfolds upon the shifting mists before you. “I cannot see much of Firan’s life on Oerth; the Mists obscure much from my view. What I have gathered is that Firan had an unyielding thirst for the secrets of magic. Unlocking the mysteries of the Weave became his life’s purpose, and he pursued that goal with no wavering in his resolve. Nobody and nothing could stand in his way of unlocking the secrets of the multiverse as he systematically destroyed everything that stood in his path to knowledge. Eventually, he chose to shed his mortal shell and became the pinnacle of undeath in order to pursue his goals: a lich.” You see the body of the man standing before you wither and decay, his flesh becoming gray and pallid, his eyes burning away to become red pinpricks of light set deep within the sockets of his skull.
“Soon after his ascension to lichhood, Firan changed his name to Azal’lan, meaning wizard-king. We now call him Azalin, a more modern form of the title.”
“Azalin began a conquest to discover all of the arcane intricacies and secrets of his world, crushing all that stood in his way.” The misty image before you fades away, and an image of a burning city takes its place, plumes of ash, smoke, and cinders painting the sky with darkness. A legion of undead spills over a toppled city wall, intent upon destroying all life within the sacked city. At their head, you see Azalin wearing flowing red robes and a heavy iron crown leading the assault of undead. A bolt of black lightning roughly shaped like a sword is clasped in one of his hands at his side, and his other hand is raised high above his head, arcane swirling about it as Azalin gathers power to cast a spell.
“Fortunately for Oerth, Azalin’s conquest drew the attention of the Dark Powers, entities of great evil shrouded in the cloak of secrecy. Not much is known about them except for that they scour the multiverse in search of individuals worthy to be imprisoned in one of their Domains of Dread. Each Domain of Dread is essentially a demiplane prison somewhere in the Shadowfell. Each Domain is specially crafted to to be a personal hell for its captive. The land of Barovia is one such Domain, the prison of Count Strahd von Zarovich, the First Vampire. Strahd was the first being ever imprisoned by the Dark Powers, and as such, Barovia is the first Domain of Dread. Collectively, all of the Domains are referred to as Ravenloft.”
“The Dark Powers took hold of Azalin and cast him into Ravenloft.” The image shifts to an overhead image of Azalin falling into a seemingly endless pit of darkness. Seven immense, hooded figures ring the pit, watching Azalin fall into the blackness of the pit. “Azalin arrived in a land called Darkon. There, he quickly subjugated all of its inhabitants. However, he discovered that he could no longer progress in the arcane arts. Being unable to learn more magic was incredibly infuriating and painful for the lich, especially since he had traded his life and soul to be able to learn magic in an undying state. During his centuries of rule in his prison, Azalin plotted and attempted several escapes, all of them except one failed miserably. His one successful attempt brought him to Barovia, the Realm of the Vampire.”
The image morphs into a mountain valley covered in towering pine trees set against a gray backdrop of a sky. Snow blankets the tops of the jugged peaks, and you recognize this image as the land you find yourself in.
“Here, the lich and the vampire formed an uneasy truce. Azalin, still intent on escaping, offered to teach Strahd the ways of the Weave if the vampire helped him craft a means to escape. Strahd hesitantly agreed, and together, they began creating a means of escape. They began crafting a device they dubbed the “Darkstar.” Despite their truce, they both resented each other, and over the years, that resentment festered into a burning hatred. On the night that their plans were to come to fruition, Strahd betrayed Azalin in an attempt to escape using Darkstar instead of Azalin. Azalin managed to damage the Darkstar before it could fully activate, thus foiling Strahd’s escape attempt. A terrific battle ensued between the lich and vampire, destroying part of Barovia as the two beings of titanic power fought.”
The mist swirls into a new image of Azalin and another figure, who you assume to be Strahd, battling atop a mountain peak, a tempest of blinding lightning and earth-shattering thunder raging about them.
“Their conflict shattered the Darkstar, scattering fragments of it throughout the domains of Ravenloft. In the end, Strahd cast out Azalin, hurling the lich back into Darkon.” The image of the battle becomes one of Azalin sitting upon an iron throne in the midsts of a forlorn castle, a furious expression upon his skeletal features. “There, he attempted several more escapes, but none of them succeeded.”
“However, after centuries upon centuries of trying, he finally partially succeeded.”
“In a ritual that required thousands of souls from sacrificed men, women, and children, Azalin used the magic suffusing his Domain to shatter what was left of his soul into fragments that the ritual cast throughout the other Domains of Dread. Darkon was left crippled and severely damaged, dooming those who remained to be eventually consumed by the Mists.”
The misty image fades away and is replaced by one of shattered land with predatory mist consuming both flesh and the plane itself. A destroyed castle dominates the image, appearing to be frozen moments after a terrific explosion blew the structure apart, pieces of masonry hanging in the air.
“From what I have both seen and heard, the splinters of Azalin’s soul now gather followers in each of the Domains, gathering an army to conquer the planes when he finally escapes. This must not happen, for if he does escape, the power he will have amassed will rival that of even the gods. This is what Aoelwyn has been working to prevent for the past several decades.”
“In order to stop Azalin, we must oppose his goals in each of the domains. You can do this by preventing the Darklord of each domain fulfilling their heart’s desire, for if they do, the bonds of Ravenloft have no more sway over them. They can escape, thereby allowing Azalin to absorb the domain to his coalition. Normally, each Domain holds what what its Darklord desires most just out of their reach, but Azalin and his forces have been upsetting that balance. Already, Azalin has freed several Darklords and consumed the power of their Domain.”
“With her last action, Aoelwyn hid away several mist talismans for you all to discover. Mist talismans are objects tied to the energies of a particular Domain of Dread, and you can use them to guide you to the Domain they are bound to when you travel in the Mists. The particular Domains your talismans are keyed to are Har’Arkir, the Land of Sandstorms; Borca, the Domain of Desire and Deceit; I’Cath, the Dream Prison; Lamordia, the Laboratory of Stitched Flesh; Barovia, the First Domain; and Darkon, the Shattered Realm.”
As she says the name of each Domain, the mist forms a brief image of what you assume to be that particular Domain before resting upon the shattered castle of Darkon, Azalin’s own Domain.
“Aoelwyn’s goal was to travel to each Domain, thwart Azalin’s machinations there, and collect the fragment of the Darkstar that fell there. Some of her colleagues believe that if they can collect enough of the Darkstar fragments, they can reverse its intended effects and recapture the escaped Darklords and remove power from Azalin.”
“Take solace knowing that there are others who are working to oppose Azalin. You are not alone in your endeavors. There are many who are already in place in other Domains, doing their best to stop Azalin and his lackeys. You may be called upon to help them as word of work reaches them. A potential ally you should seek is an organization known as the Circle. Your mother was a member of this group, and they are one of the foremost opposers of Azalin. They hide themselves from my sight, so I cannot advise you of their whereabouts.”
“My role as a seer is to read the currents of the future and advise others what I have seen. Several of your potential paths intertwine with Azalin, for good and for bad, while in others, you walk away and leave. The choice is ultimately yours, but be warned: your decision to join the fight or leave may be the tipping point for either side.”
With that, you feel yourself ascending out of the dark place where you saw the images, and you find yourself once again sitting around the low wooden table within Madame Eva’s tent. You feel slightly sleepy after your experience with the visions, though Madame Eva seems as calm and alert as ever.
“I understand you all have lots to discuss before you can come to a decision, so I will give time to speak with one another,” the seer says as she rises gracefully to her feet. “If you choose to join the fight against Azalin, I can inform you more about the lich’s current goals within Barovia.”
With that, Madame Eva turns and reaches a hand out to part the beads to the doorway as she glides elegantly deeper within her tent.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Anthony takes all of this in, more or less. Some of the vocabulary and technicalities are a little beyond him, but he gets the gist. Evil entities imprisoned. What didn't sit well with him was what they were being asked to do. Not fight and rebind the fragments of Azalin. Not destroy the pieces of the darkstar so it couldn't be reassembled. But.. prevent people from freeing themselves from evil.
He didn't have more to say at the moment. Madam Eva's explanation had answered far more questions than he'd had. So he followed quietly, shaking his head. The was messed up. throwing more souls on the pyre like so much kindling.
"Uh" Jared speaks up before the old woman can leave. "if this Azalin is such a powerful and brilliant mage, couldn't folks going around collecting those pieces of the....." Jared doesn't seem too sure at this point and pauses for a moment.
"Couldn't this be all part of his plan to get it put back together for him instead of him doing all the work?"
Jared looks around the room at the others and just shrugs.
"it's what I'd do if I was some all-powerful wizard, an' all" he says as his voice trails off at the end.
Anthony glanced at Jared, tapping his nose. They were definitely on the same page. None of this felt right.
Madame Eva hesitates at the veiled doorway, then she turns to face the group with a pleased smile. "So you thought of that possibility as well. Forsight is an attribute I applaud in others."
"I have seen several different outcomes, but the future is mercurial and ever-changing. What you suggest could very well be a possibility. This is something you will have to ponder. The Circle has already collected several fragments of the Darkstar, and so has Azalin and his forces. If what you suggest is true and Azalin reforges the Darkstar, he himself cannot use it to escape. That would take Strahd and the lich working together to activate the artifact, an impossibility. If you recall, part of Azalin's curse is that he cannot learn new magic or arcane knowledge. When he was with Strahd, he taught the vampire principles and applications, but ultimately, Strahd is the one that developed the Darkstar with his new knowledge. Only he knows how to operate the Darkstar. Azalin has no idea how the Darkstar works."
"On the other hand, if the Circle is correct in their assumption that they can use the Darkstar to rebind the freed Darklords, then Azalin will become weaker and weaker with each recaptured Darklord. This will make the lich vulnerable and easier to slay in the end. The downside to this possibility is that by recapturing the Darklords, thousands if not millions of people living in the Domains will once again be trapped under the oppression of their Darklord."
"If the fragments were to be destroyed, then Azalin could not potentially escape using the Darkstar somehow if Strahd were to help him once more. However, the Circle could not recapture the freed Darklords, thereby allowing the vilest of men, women, and beasts history has ever known to walk free upon their ancient homelands once more. Azalin would still be in control of their Domain, and he would be much more difficult to defeat."
"One last possibility I have seen is to destroy each fragment of the lich's withered soul in addition to bringing his goals to a halt in each domain. This would weaken him in the end, but his minions will still carry out his plans in each domain unless their machinations are fully stopped and they are slain."
She looks at the group with a sympathetic look on her wizened face. "You will have many difficult options to discuss. None of the scenarios I outlined will be easy to carry through, but who knows? Mayb you'll end up doing something I haven't foreseen."
With that, she steps beyond the veil of beads.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
"Nothing is impossible. I think the only thing we can count on, is that nothing trapped here wants to remain." He said to the others before following Madam Eva.Beyond that, he knew what he thought was right. But he was in a large group and didn't trust Madam Eva enough to talk about it here. And he might be outvoted and just along for the ride in the end. For now the only thing he knew for sure was that he'd stick with them and try to keep them alive unless he so completely disagreed with what they were doing that he couldn't continue.
"I'm not much of a deep thinker that's for sure," Jared mutters quietly. "But I get the sneaky suspicion that this can go sideways fast."
Jared will go quiet after that and just follow his siblings along.
Kora tries to understand as much as she can. It was a lot. One question percolates its way to the top, "If we are to use the Darkstar to get the other Darklords back and get Azalin back to where he belongs... you said that only Strahd knows how to operate it. Do we have to work with the vampire in all of this?"
Anthony grunts at that. He'd been keeping his mouth shut about it but having Ireena with them gave them an uncomfortably convenient. bargaining chip. For now, he continued to keep that thought to himself. He didn't like even having it.
"The circle has been studying it, if we can get in contact with them I'm sure we could figure it out. We know what this Straud is capable of, working with him under any circumstance should be a last resort. He has no reason to work with us and would likely betray us. All the options have a bad down side, I will admit. No matter what we choose someone looses, but we're tangled up in this, and must act."
As you follow the enigmatic seer into the room beyond the draping beads, you find yourself in a circular room. A pitch-black rug covers the ground, and the tent walls are a similar shade of darkness. This new room you find yourselves in reminds you of the strange place you were transported to when Madame Eva showed you that vision about the fate of the multiverse. Unlike the previous room, the only ornament in this room is a singular pedestal that rises to about chest-height upon which rests a small glass sphere about a handspan across. A roiling cloud of mist churns within the orb. The trapped mist reminds of you of the deadly fog you faced when battling Kazahd-nei.
Once everyone has filed into the dark room, Ismark and Ireena included, Madame takes her place in front of the swirling orb. She smiles at Kora's question. "Acute observation, child," she says fondly. For the sake of simplicity, yes, but he must not know about Azalin's plot for as long as possible. I will explain further."
"Long ago, Barovia was not a Domain of Dread. It was beautifully rugged valley filled with life and cheer. At that time, Strahd was a mere warlord, albeit a narcissistic and shallow one, who fell in love with the valley of Barovia. He conquered the valley, though it didn't take much to conquer. After driving out a few pockets of bandits, the commoners were all but begging the Count to be their ruler. Strahd took up residence in an ancient castle in the valley, the castle which is now called Castle Ravenloft."
"Enraptured by the beauty of the valley, Count Zarovich's parents moved into the castle with Strahd, and the Devil's younger brother, Sergei, eventually was drawn in as well. Strahd had everything he ever wanted: a beautiful land to rule over, his family at his side, fawning commoners, and wealth. The only thing that continued to evade him was someone he could love."
"Eventually, a young maiden native to Barovia by the name of Tatyana caught his attention. She was as beautiful as the valley itself, and her smile could melt the hardest of hearts. Soon, the Count began courting her in hopes of taking her to wife, but she always danced around his advances. Tatyana also caught the eye of Sergei, and he began to court her as well. In the end, Tatyana fell in love with the younger Zarovich. This gave birth to a seething hatred of his younger within Strahd. Being supremely self-centered, Strahd believed that all in the valley was his to do what he wished with, and he felt like Sergie cheated him out of what was rightfully his."
"Driven by a jealous rage, Strahd swore an oath to the gods that he would kill his brother and take what was rightfully his. On the day of his brother's wedding, Strahd murdered Sergei and drank his blood as a sign to the gods of his wrath. As the skies of Ravenloft began to darken with raging storm clouds, Strahd pursued the grief-stricken Tatyana in an attempt to force her to marry him instead. Filled with despair of losing the love of her life, Tatyana threw herself from the edge of Castle Ravenloft. Strahd could do nothing but watch as the woman he desired above all other things fell hundreds of feet to her death on the jagged stones below."
"In a blind fit of rage, the Count flew into a murderous frenzy, slaughtering his servants and soldiers in a seemingly endless bloodbath. With each kill, he became more like the monster that he now is. As the last body slid from his blade, lightning ripped through the sky overhead, and Barovia became the first Domain of Dread with the first vampire to rule it."
Solemnly, Madame Eva continues. "Over the centuries, the Dark Powers mocked Strahd with reincarnations of his beloved Tatyana. Each time Strahd grew close to wooing or capturing Tatyana, death always stole her from his clutches. To tie Azalin back in, the lich is striving to deliver the latest reincarnation of Tatyana to him." Her gaze turns to Ireena, her expression softening. "Ireena, you are that reincarnation."
Ireena cocks an eyebrow at the statement and folds her arms, obviously skeptical. "Oh really?" she asks in a dry tone. "Just because Strahd is obsessed with me for some reason doesn't mean I'm some woman who died thousands of years ago."
Ismark, protective as ever, takes a step closer to Ireena and moves an arm in front of her. "We are NOT giving her to Strahd so he'll help us," he says firmly. It seems he and Anthony were on the same wavelength.
Madame Eva sighs and rubs her temples in annoyance. "You better believe me, Ireena. I've met you several times in your past lives. You always come running to me for guidance when Strahd finds you again, and every time I tell you who you are, you always ignore me. Every time," the seer says with an exasperated tone.
Ireena just shakes her head stubbornly and rolls her eyes, causing Madame Eva to harumph in annoyance. "Anyways," she continues, obviously still annoyed, "Azalin is trying to deliver this Tatyana," she gestures to Ireena, "to Strahd. If the devil gets ahold of her, then he has the opportunity to free himself from Ravenloft. I have foreseen that if this happens, Azalin will confront and destroy the vampire. We must not let this happen for a special reason."
"Because Barovia is the first Domain of Dread, it acts as a capstone or a lock for the other Domains. Azalin can only truly be free from Ravenloft if Strahd has Tatyana and then is killed. As long as Strahd remains in his undead state, Barovia can still be consumed, but Azalin cannot escape. Strahd's death is the final catalyst for Azalin's ascension."
"There are several powerful artifacts scattered in Barovia that Azalin is searching for: the Sunsword, the Symbol of Ravenkind, and the Tome of Strahd. If Azalin finds these artifacts, he will use them to destroy Strahd once he has consumed the other Domains and Strahd has Tatyana. In order to stop Azalin here, you need to find the artifacts before Azalin does and keep Tatyana from Strahd." She smiles sympathetically. "I do not envy the challenges that you all will face."
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Anthony's head hurt. This was a convoluted mess. To Ireena, "You're right. It sounds like nonsense. But it doesn't really matter if you're a reincarnation or not. The people who are going to f- mess with you think you are." He wasn't sure 'getting' Ireena would satisfy Strahd's heart's desire though. Making her a prisoner wasn't the same as actually having her... whatever it didn't matter. The solution to this puzzle was frighteningly obvious.
As the tries to understand the constant flow of information, Kora stares at the old woman. "So, say we beat Azalin to gathering these three artifacts here in Barovia and keep Ireena from Strahd.." she steals a glance at Ireena, expecting a reaction from this, but carries on, "what after that? And do you have any idea where we would find these items?"
All of this is so much to take in. It's sent Akyan's head spinning. Partly because he'd been expecting less strait forward answers, and partly because it was just a lot of information to take in. Not to mention he's still recovering from that trip into the dream realm or whatever. All in all, he still doesn't particularly like Madam Eva.
He glances at Kora when she brings up the question of working with Strahd. That's certainly not happening on his watch. There's no way he'd do anything to work with that monster. This Darkstar thing is puzzling. They could collect the pieces, but what good would that do if they cannot use the thing? If they did that and ended up failing, the artifact could easily end up in the wrong hands. Though leaving them hidden could yield the same result... seems that Jared has thought of that possibility as well.
He frowns when the old woman explains that Ireena is the reincarnation of this Tatyana person. That he does not believe. He nods along with Anthony when he says it's nonsense. One thought suddenly shoves itself into his head, but he immediately shoves it away. That is out of the question.
Eventually, he forms a few questions. "You mentioned each talisman is attached to a Domain of Dread? What is the significance of that? What exactly do these talismans do?" He pauses a moment before continuing. "You also say that Strahd's death is Azalin's ultimate goal, though only after he has Tatyana. What happens if the dread lords are killed before they find their heart's desire? Can they even be killed? Or do they have to be sealed by other means?"
To Kora, the wizened seer says, “Once you have the artifacts, you must keep them and Tatyana from Azalin. After that, there are other Domains that are on the verge of falling to Azalin that you can save. Or, you can travel there to help those Domains first and hope Azalin doesn’t find the artifacts before you do. I can attempt a Tarroka card reading and see if I can discern their locations. They are guarded against magical sight, but I should be skilled enough to at least discover there general location.”
Turning her attention to the dark elf of the group, Madame Eva she says, “Each talisman can guide you to its respective Domain. As for who has each item, allow me to inspect the items Aoelwyn gifted to you.”
Once the items are properly presented, Madame Eva stoops close to them, thoroughly inspecting them with her keen gaze. Once she figures out which Domain that act as a guide for, she informs the group. During this process, Ismark and Ireena takes few steps away from the group and start having a hushed conversation, both of them shooting distrustful glances at Madame Eva.
After she inspects the items, she warily continues her conversation. “If a Darklord is killed without obtaining what they desire most, they are reborn, resurrected, or another Darklord takes their place for a time. The only true way to remove a Darklord from their Domain is by giving them what they desire most.”
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
"Weird way to run a prison..." Anthony intentionally didn't look at Ireena and Ismark after they started whispering. He wouldn't blame the pair if they wanted to run at this point. They had slightly better odds of getting clear on their own. He does, however speak up when Madam Eva calls Ireena 'Tatanya'. "She introduced herself as Ireena. Doesn't matter what you think is 'true'. She gets to decide if she wants to be called something else." It wasn't really any of his business but it rubbed him the wrong way.
Aoufie has heard of strange tales before in his travels and not even the fabricated tales of fellow bards matches what he just heard from Madam Eva. Powerful dark entities vying against each other while seeking escape from their prison in which we have found us stuck in. He stops himself from palming his forehead as he follows Madam Eva. "Madam Eva do you know of any safe place for Ireena. I find myself hard pressed to think of safe place since Strahd has dominion over this realm in a quite literal sense."