"Strahd? That devil hiding up in his castle?" The white-haired fallen angel says grimly. "No, fate has sent me, sent me to hunt down all the creatures of darkness in this godforsaken dominion." He continues, giving the folks inisde the church a scrutinizing look before continuing. "I am Gairynzyl, an angel fallen from grace and a divine scourge of the undead." He says with a formal bow to the drow. "And who might you all be? Quite a motley group. I sense that you are no more locals than I am." He continues with a dispassionate tone, stepping closer to the dark elf. 

"Fate, eh?" The rogue gives a sigh, finding the idea a bit too close to faith for her taste. She remains guarded but not hostile, stepping back to allow the newcomer into the church if he wishes. It would prove he isn't what he claims to hunt at least, since undead are repelled by the hallow effect from the saint's bones stored within.

"Kessintra."

The fallen angel gives the fairy with oddly spiky hair a stern look, not seeming particularly inclined to light-heartedness. "What would you mean by dramatically punctual?" He asks with a grim tone.

Razz grins and gives a casual spin midair, wings flicking behind him as he gestures vaguely to the battered church, the scattered gear, and the faint scent of recent fire still lingering.

"You know—showing up right after the big dramatic siege, the fire, the undead, the smiting. Like you were just waiting for the curtain to fall before making your entrance."

He pauses, then adds with a wink, "Timing like that either means you’re real lucky, or very well-written."

"Either way, welcome to the aftermath."

With a small backward glide, Razz floats back toward Kess, giving the newcomer room to enter. He keeps one eye on the black-armored figure, clearly curious to see how—*or if*—he reacts to the church itself.

"You think I was lucky to arrive too late to help you then? Would it surprise you if I told you I don't share that sentiment?" The fallen angel says sternly and steps further into the church to see for himself the signs of the siege. "So what brought you all to Vallaki and this church?" He asks as he slowly walks around and studies the battlefield.

“The name’s Garrick. Artificer. If that wasn’t clear by my pet guardian, Striker (he sees a large metallic snake). Well we came to help out the Vistani and then got stuck in this cursed land like everyone else. I’d like to say we are overcoming Strahd, and maybe we will someday. That’s our goal anyway; but every time we encounter him, we are but playthings to his whim.”

Razz watches Gairy move through the church with a neutral expression, hands tucked in his pockets. At the question, his posture relaxes a little, and a wry tone creeps into his voice—light enough to be a joke, heavy enough to mean it.

"Strahd’s idea of fun this time was dropping off a pack of cultists and wolves and saying, ‘Let’s see if you’re still breathing by morning.’"

He gestures loosely at the scorch marks and shattered pews. "And we are. Barely. So I guess that makes us the lucky ones."

As he speaks, his eyes quietly scan the room—not just checking for damage or those recovering, but briefly looking for Ireena among the shadows and survivors. He doesn’t say her name, but the pause says enough.

"But the church still stands. And for Barovia? That counts."

The fallen angel looks between the Artificer and his pet guardian with a hint of curiosity as he listens. "So you are hoping to overcome Strahd but you feel like you are his playthings? Despair not Garrick, likely you give yourself too little credit, but if Strahd was indeed playing with you he is arrogant, and that will be his fall in the end." He says calmly and confidently. "Now have you found any other weakness in him during your encounters? Even the most powerful of vampires have their weaknesses."

The drow crosses her arms after stowing her bow, seeing that Gairynzyl isn't an immediate threat. Perhaps even an ally.

"He...is annoyed by radiant damage," she states after a moment, thinking back to the very first time she, Garrick, and Chipper 'met' the vampire, "Oh, and Garrick was able to stop that one spell he tried. That's the extent of our progress."

"I see, not much perhaps but the mere fact that you have survived so far should be encouraging in itself." The fallen angel says with reassuring tone. "So what are your plans henceforth? Do you have any leads to find out more about how to topple Strahd?" He asks after having finished his round inside the church, turning to face the group.

Razz shifts slightly, hands still in his pockets as he watches Gairy take in the scene. His expression is unreadable for a beat—but then he exhales, a small puff of breath that might be a laugh.

"Right now, the plan is to keep breathing, find some wine, and then look for a tower." He pauses, then adds with a flick of his wings, "Not in that order, probably."

He glances at the others, then back to Gairy. "We heard about a place—might have allies, or at least a warm roof and something that doesn't taste like misery. After that, there's a wizard's tower with more questions than answers, and we’re hoping it might have something useful. A clue. A relic. A trap with his name on it, maybe."

"We don’t know how to beat Strahd yet. But we’re trying to figure out how not to lose. That’s at least the plan for now."

Garrick looks to Kess. "I suppose we should tell him of the prophecy, he might be able to help us fulfill some of it."

"Keep breathing? A solid plan." The fallen angel says with a hint of smile there. "There's still much to do but you have achieved more than I have since I arrived here. I would be honoured to join you." He says with another polite bow. "At the very least you can count on me to not be late for any more battles." He adds with another hint of a smile.

Kessintra pauses before nodding to Garrick. Strahd's followers haven't exactly made a secret of their allegiance so far, and he seems confident in their success at least. She tells him the same information she just explained to Razz and Ada (post #2889).

The fallen angel studies the drow as he listens attentively to what she shares. "No lack of leads then, that is encouraging." He says with a nod, pondering what she had told him. "If we are persistent I am certain we will find out what we need to one day confront Strahd, together." 

"There's also someone we need to protect until that day." Kessintra adds, looking the newcomer straight in the eyes. Clearly this part is of great importance to her. "Ireena, Ismirk. You might as well introduce yourselves too." She motions for the siblings to approach.

The other two humans step forward. The man has silver hair and is gently guiding the woman forward. You notice his longsword and shortsword strapped to his sides and heavy crossbow on his back. He seems to be a capable fighter. The woman has distinct auburn hair. She seems a bit shaken, as if she's been through hell before. There's a slight air of nobility around them. The man speaks, "I am Ismirk Indirovich and this is my sister, Ireena Kolyana. We are the children of the recently deceased burgomaster of the village of Barovia. Ireena is...." Ireena looks down as she finishes her brother's thought. "Strahd is.... enamored... with me."

"I see..." The fallen angel says grimly, pondering this revelation. "...not the kind of attention one would want, but it can likely be used against Strahd in the end." He continues with calm confidence, giving Ireena a firm reassuring look. "Will you come with us or is there somewhere you will be safe from Strahd while we pursue the leads mentioned?" 

Ismirk replies, "This church is hallowed due to the bones of Saint Andril, which are held in the altar. We'll both be staying here for the foreseeable future."

Ada examines the newcomer with an expression torn between curiosity and wariness. "A fallen angel, eh?" she says, her eyes glowing with the celestial light gifted to aasimar. "I am an aasimar myself, gifted with the blood of Lathander. You say you are here to fight against the darkness, against Strahd. If that is true, then we are allies."

The paladin in her gleaming silver armor adorned with white and navy accents stands in stark contrast to the newcomer clad in black. "If I may be so bold, which of the gods did you belong to, before your fall?"

Ada glances at Kess to see how she is taking all this talk of angels and gods. She knows her new friend not to be particularly devout, but the paladin doesn't care about that. She's not here to preach, only defeat this devil that keeps hounding their steps and preventing them from returning home.