Zathon is unperturbed by the splashes of water from Kora, he's been through worse. At her words he looks down at his sword to inspect it further, listening to the others as they speak.

"I have a... unique point of view on life as a shadar-kai. If this is the course this cycle takes.. then so be it. Aoelwyn needed people she could trust for a task such as this. I'm going to see it through. 

At Jared's words he comments further. "A vampire huh? A powerful one if it's holding a whole valley hostage, but it sounds like with these talismans we could get in and out of the mist surrounding the place."

Kora ignores the glares and Aoufie's outright frustration, but holds her bracers out to the harengon for his inspection.

Turning to Akyan, "Really?  Do you think you'll be able to help us find this Rudolph van Richten?  And yes, we are definitely bound to this situation, whether we like it or not." she looks at Anthony to see if he is ready for a fight about it or not.

Jared's revelation is a bit surprising, "Really?  Tom is from Barovia?  What all did he tell you?  If you think that is how we get to Strahd, did he mention a way there?"

Akyan gives Anthony a sidelong look, but doesn't press the matter. They are all free to believe what they will, and that means they are free to disagree with each other. The only choice in this matter is to either face the problem or run from it. No one here chose to get into this mess.

Then he listens to Jared. Great, now they have to deal with zombies and vampires. Wonderful. Then he glances at Zathon and shakes his head. "That might be true, but I don't think rushing into wherever this Barovia place is right off is the best move. We should focus on finding this Rudolph Van Richten first."

He glances back at Kora when she speaks up again, he's slightly surprised that she agrees with him. He'd half expected her to want to run from this, but then again she'd had a special bond with Aoelwyn. Perhaps she's bound by the need for vengeance. "I can't promise anything, but yes. Finding people who may or may not want to be found has been part of my job for the last few years. We have a name, and a potential location, though I suggest we ask around here before searching Waterdeep."

He could preach to Kora about the folly of seeking refuge in helplessness, but he wasn't that kind of priest. The templar would do what he could to keep her body alive - that looked like it was going to be a struggle as she thought little before acting and seemed oblivious to injuries - but her mental and spiritual health were her own business. They're kids, Anthony, he reminded himself. He could preach like bother Lucas until his face turned blue, but they'd still have to learn by effing it up. Gods knew he still did most of the time.

He lay quietly, arm flung over his face, listening and musing while he rested. At some point he dozed off, hard to say when exactly. Snatches of the conversation would find him, while other parts faded into the mists. Adrift on a could stone floor with vague conversations around him. It was an unnervingly familiar feeling that caused memory to mix with dream and reality into an uncomfortable cocktail.

"Sorry, meant Rhea said she'd sent for one of Aoelwyn's friends to come here from Waterdeep to check out the stones." At least he thought that's what she'd said. The almost priest was thoroughly drowsy at this point and mumbled the comment sleepily. Not even certain it was answering a question.

Aoufie

 ((Y'all planning on doing a long rest?))

"Kora my spell tells me the bracer is magical and of the magic school of transmutation. Beyond that I cannot tell you more." says Aoufie. He feels tired as the tension from the fight drains out of him. "I think I spend time learning more about this cittern and then getting some rest" 

He spends the time attuning to the cittern. 

(Aoufie intends to camp here for a long rest) 

Jared nods in agreement with Zathon's statements.

Jared responds to Kora:
"No he didn't say how one gets there but he did mention a lot of people seem to make their way there. I'm guessing here but it's attached to this mist. I'm not sure how. Mum knew how to go back and forth and take folks from there."

Jared responds to Akyan:
"I ain't heard of anyone by that name and no idea of who or what he is so I'd ask if this Richten from here or Barovia?"

((Sorry if I'm cutting off any dialogue. You all successfully take a long rest))

As the night carries on, despite the rather eventful day, weariness eventually drags you down into the dark depths of slumber. A rotating watch is kept amongst the group, and when it's your turn, you warily (and perhaps more sleepily than you'd like to admit) surveil the mists stretching into what seemed to be eternity. Throughout the night, they rainfall ebbs and flows, sometimes dumping with thunderous fury, ferocious winds slicing through the forest and dispelling the mist; other times, it's a gentle sprinkle that's barely noticeable. Those moments when the storm weakens is when the mist slinks back into the clearing outside, vaporous tendrils spreading through the air.

Throughout the night, the undead standing sentinel outside eventually collapse to the ground one-by-one as the necrotic power animating them fades away. The remnants too disappear, dissolving into the mist with a relieved sigh. By the time morning arrives, announced by the gradual lightening of the sky, none of the undead remain standing. The storm finally puttered out sometime in the wee hours of the morning, but the fog tenaciously remained. Even now as the first rays of amber sunlight begin to light the horizon, the fog remains. It's not quite as thick as it was the night before, but it still hangs silently in the air.

((You all attune to your items if you would like to))

Waking face down on cold stone. Too cold to shiver, his body not wanting to cooperate…A woman giggling. Memory or happening now? More delirious giggles follow. His.Others. A delicious pin prick. Stupid. So stupid, but caring is an even more distant memory. A phantom that he can’t hold. Like the mist settling and seeping. A problem for a different version of himself.

Managing to crack an eye open, cheek pressed to the ground, vision blurry. There were bodies crowded all around. Gotta get up, check on everyone. Counting on him. He'd passed out, how long? Finding a sudden kernel of urgency, he tried to shove himself up, leg buckling under him. He couldn't see, but somehow he knew. Too late. All dead. So _____ stupid. He stumbled, half crawling toward the light on panicked instinct only to be buffeted by the icy waterfall. 

The sudden shock of the cold water pounding on his back pulled him out. Now fully awake, but still confused and trying to put all of the pieces back into place, Anthony sat himself down in the spray for several long moments. The pendant to keep him alive resting next to his holy symbol the only warmth he felt. The big man gave a light, adrenaline soaked chuckle at himself, scrubbing his hair in his accidental morning shower. Of all the things she could have left him with. The one he didn’t need; Death had rejected him more times than he could count. 

Guess he needed to get dressed for a funeral.

Zathon is standing just outside the cave, he's been here awhile, not wanting to stay in the cramped cave for longer than he needed. Half the night he spent staring at the undead, the other searching his memories for anything helpful but finding very little. He looks over at Anthony as he exits the cave, concern evident on his face and in his tone of voice. "Are you all right?"

"Peachy." Burbling slightly with the water pouring over him. "Just figured it was bad manners to show up to a funeral bloody and smelling like undead." Standing himself up carefully. "What about you? How's the pensive staring going?" Flashing that dimpled grin at Zathon. ""Seriously though, you get enough rest?"

Kora awakens the next morning quite refreshed.  She is very accustomed to sleeping in the outdoors, even a hard, cold cave.

"Man, that storm sure was good to sleep to, I slept like a rock."  she stretches, careful not to kick anyone in the tight confines of the cave, and then heads outside to see that the undead are now collapsed, the remnants gone and the mist remaining.  "So... we have a funeral today, don't we?  Suppose we ought to get back, cleaned up and focus on that for the moment.  Afterwards.. try to figure out how to get to Barovia?  At least that's what I remember from last night.  Is that correct?"  she yawns.

"No wait.. Akyan here is going to help us find this Van Richten.  First around here, then possibly Waterdeep.  Yes... it's coming back to me now." she smiles a bit teasingly at Akyan.

He chuckles, "Pensive staring has been good, trance was.. suitable." He rakes a hand through his hair. "All of this is a lot to process."

Aoufie was curled up and using his pack as a lumpy pillow when he opened one eye and then the other sleepily. "Well at least it was not as cold as it is in the far north. Let's get going to the funeral and then find these people good and bad." He stands and stretches working out some of ache developed overnight. He heads out and stares blankly at the persistent fog though he is satisfied the undead had finally found the afterlife. 

He waits for the others as he makes his way back to Grymhearth.

"It is. Wish I could say it will get easier, but looks like it won't." Seeing the others stirring,  Anthony limped awkwardly back to his gear to dress and armor up. He usually took his time with this part of his routine, using it as an opportunity to meditate and prepare for the day, but for now he moved quickly to ready himself to join the others.

He paused to ask Jared, "Did you get a sense Tom had more to share? Like maybe know this van Richten is?"

"I gather it won't." Zathon is ready to go as soon as everyone else is, joining Aoufie at the front.

Dressed in dry clothes, a slightly nicer set than his traveling clothes, armored up, red cord in place, gear repacked, Anthony joins the others, taking time as they wait for the rest of the group to gather to examine some of the recent dead to see if any look familiar. They had to come from somewhere ,and his first guess is locals.

Investigation 19 

Jared wakes and stretches, ready for the day.
His mood turns sullen when he remembers this is the day of Mum's funeral.
"It took a lot out of Tom to tell me that much." he tells Anthony. "If he knows where this Richten fellow is, I am not sure but I doubt we can ask him right off, with the funeral and all."
Jared says little after that, keeping calm and quiet for now. 

Akyan shrugs when Anthony clarifies what he meant about Waterdeep. Then give Jared a flat look, "Did you not listen to Aoelwyn's last message? She specifically told us to find Richten." Then he finds an empty spot in the cave and sits down with his back to the wall.

The next morning he's snapped out of his trance when the usual rumble of the waterfall is disrupted by Anthony. He doesn't say anything about this odd behavior. Opting to remain silent until addressed. He catches Kora's glance when she smiles at him, but quickly diverts his gaze, "Yeah, that sums it up." He says bluntly. She's clearly trying to tease him and he has no plans to humor her. There's no way her memory is that bad. His mood seems even darker than usual, probably because of what day it is.

He remains sitting while the others prepare to head out. He'd kept his gear on, so he'd be ready to move at any time. Once the others are ready, he rises and follows them out of the cave. Like Anthony, he examines the corpses. He doubts he'll recognize any of them, but perhaps certain features could hint at what they are dealing with.

Investigation: 11