Acrobatics: 23

Rahadin is able to avoid Striker's grasp. Two vampires walk up and attack Striker.

Claw: 25 for 8 damage; CRIT for 14 damage

4/26 hp. His next turn will disengage and move back to the church.

Razz flits just a little higher as the tension settles, watching Rahadin disappear with Ludmilla’s body and Strahd’s lingering presence outside. With a flick of his hand, he telepathically checks in with Purrsy, making sure the coast is relatively clear. He then moves the flaming sphere aside, letting the heat die down enough for Striker to return without charring his paws. Razz cups his hands and yells towards Strahd with a wry smirk. “For the record, I haven’t broken any promises. There are things even the Fey won’t do—and some of us actually believe in the whole deal-making bit.” Then, quieter, more to the group than anyone else, he exhales and adds with an apologetic shrug: “Sorry if that all went sideways. I’m still adjusting to politics that don’t end with someone getting turned into a squirrel and banished. So... this is harder.”

“That’s ok Razz. I don’t think anyone really gets the politics here”

Ada glares at the backs of Strahd and Rahadin as they disappear with Ludmilla's corpse. How she longs to toss a javelin at the retreating vampire and his lackey, but the paladin recognizes when she is outmatched. 

"Well, that was certainly something," she mutters before going to check on Father Lucian and Ismirk. "How are you two holding up? You took a lot of hits back there. And I believe you may have died for a moment there, Father." 

Ismirk looks back at Ireena unharmed. He nods and says, "I'll be fine. Nothing that a good, long, sleep couldn't fix."

Lucian seems a bit more disturbed. "Ah, yes. That.... It was an.... interesting experience. One I do not wish to replicate anytime soon. In any case, I did not suffer any permanent loss. Kessintra, however, you gave up a Lyre. It seemed important to you. May I ask it's significance?"

Kessintra glances up after a moment, surprised to be asked about the lyre. "That...? I found it, on my way out of the Underdark. It...had some light in it, some warmth." She sounds unsure herself, like she's trying to describe a fading dream. "Having it, playing it...made the good spirits louder. And the bad ones...it made it easier to resist them." She frowns, crossing her arms. "All of you, if I ever get taken over...possessed, be sure to stop me before I kill anyone. Please."

Ada lays a comforting hand on Kess's shoulder if the other woman allows it. "Surely it will not come to that," she says. "But if it does, we won't let you hurt anyone. I promise."

The paladin studies Kess with sympathy and curiosity. "Tell me more of these spirits, if you can. Have you always been sensitive to their voices?" 

Kess accepts the comforting hand, looking encouraged by Ada's promise. Thinking back, she shakes her head. "Not always. For the longest time it was just me and...nothing. Killing and nothing. That's just how it was, down there." She shakes her head. "Then one day, I started hearing them, everyone that I'd...and others too. I felt their pain and understood. So I ran away from there and found the lyre. I don't think I would've reached the surface without it."

Razz flits over from where he’s been half-lounging on a pew, the usual glint in his eye softened just a bit.

"Letting the past stay buried is usually good advice... though, given what we’ve seen crawling out of graves lately, maybe this isn’t the best place to test that theory."

He gives Kess a gentle smile, wings flicking behind him as he hovers.

"Still, for what it’s worth—you didn’t run from those voices. You listened. That’s more than most can say, surface or Underdark. So if the bad ones ever try to take over again, don’t worry. You’ve got a whole choir behind you now."

Garrick is half-listening to the conversation, more focused on repairing Striker’s damages. Upon hearing Razz’s words he lifts his head, “That’s right! We are all here together now!”

Garrick will cast mending to heal Striker.

Ada nods in response to Razz's words. "We're all in this together," the paladin says firmly. "We've got your back, no matter what. But for what it's worth, I think you would have made it to the surface even without the lyre." 

After the battle, the aasimar's wings disappeared once more, and she looks tired from all the fighting. "We should be safe enough to rest here for the remainder of the night. I don't think Strahd will come back again so soon, but at the same time, I wouldn't put anything past him."

Kessintra smiles and gives a firm nod. "Yes, together. Thank you all." The warmth from the lyre...it was kind of like this feeling. She gives a sigh of relief, taking a much needed seat. The mention of taking a rest makes her perk up slightly.

"Agreed. Whatever happens, we'll need to be in better shape than we are right now." Her purple eyes wander to Viktor. "Hm...He'd make a nice pillow. Living pillow, of course."

Razz flits down from a cracked column, his wings giving off a faint shimmer in the dim church light. He lands beside one of the fallen cultists with a quiet sigh, tucking his healer’s kit back into his satchel for now.

"Alright... blood off the altar first, then see if any of these robed creeps brought something worth salvaging. If the Morninglord takes offense, he can strike me down with a mop."

(( Investigation Check - 12 (game log) ))

He glances toward Father Lucian and Ismirk, tone lowering but still edged with concern.

"Think we should burn them after we’re done? I don’t like the idea of Strahd playing puppeteer with anything left behind."

Without waiting for approval, he grabs a corpse by the collar and starts dragging it toward the rear of the church, his small frame moving with surprising determination. Under his breath, just loud enough for the quiet to catch:

"The church still stands. Let’s keep it that way."

Kessintra nods, getting up and starting to help move the corpses outside as well. She never expected to care about the sanctity of a church of all things, but it had just saved all of their lives.

Lucian takes a deep breath, letting the tension leave his shoulders. "I don't particularly care about what happens to them, so long as the congregation doesn't see them tomorrow. Or maybe the day after, depending on how long this takes..... In any case, burning them seems like the best idea."

Lucian and Ismirk then start to drag the corpses as well. "You wanted me to revive Nikolai, right? I can do that as soon as we're done here."

"Burning and then smashing the bones for good measure," Kess adds, remembering how annoying skeletons can be.

"Ah, yes, thank you. At least Stella will be happy, and the town will have leadership."

Once the bodies are moved outside, Kess moves to check them for anything of interest. However, as soon as she exits the church, she finds herself distracted by voices from the graves nearby.

Investigation: nat 1 + 3

Garrick follows Kess, but unlike her, uses his single minded focus that he has trained up by spending hours tinkering with his constructs to search one body after the other, meticulously.

23 investigation 

The cultists seem to have brought nothing of value. It's as if Strahd expected them to die. Each of the nine cultists had leather armor and a scimitar, and two had a demonic symbol. The one skeleton that died had a shortbow.