Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

     Ketch tries to chuck the dwarf and kobold over the wall before scrambling over himself...

Otto tries to both cower away from Ketch, and puff out his chest and act unafraid, all while crouched on all fours...which...everyone silently admits is quite awkward.  "Well, yes...I am so intelligent that I really expect everything..." he suddenly acts bored, "Nothing surprises me anymore."

Zygfrek rolls her eyes so hard it looks like she might pass out, then glares at Mordekai, "What?  Stop judging me!" 

Mordekai turns the ring over in his hands. Magic tingles across his flesh. 

The quickest departure point from here is over the wall, but you'll fall about 100 feet to the winding path below. Otherwise it's back towards the front of the abbey and the main exit.

     No wonder they were struggling!  Ok, ok... run for the front before chucking anyone over a wall....

Suicide was not in today's plans, we come (run?) back by the safest exit.

The group runs back through the graveyard like thieves in the night. Otto and Zygfrek look surprised as you bolt, "But....why are you running?"

You charge towards the wall to the north.  As you do so, you see the main iron bound door to the Abbey opening. A figure is emerging but it's too hard to make out details. The group quickly hops / are tossed / climb over the wall and make their way out.  A last look through the fog clinging to the peak of the hill is of a solitary figure, a dark outline only, watching them flee down the path. 

The group makes their way back down into the town without further incident. 

Meepo does the honors and identifies the ring once you reach the cottage where you're staying.  Snoring continues from the other room.  After a short while he holds it up, "It is a Ring of Regeneration..."

(Oh, I checked back and you had said in post #4067 that we could walk around the outside of the curtain wall before climbing over, so I assumed there was at least a small area to land on.  Never mind, then - let's not do that!)

As everyone runs back to the gate, Mordekai delays a moment, smiling at Zygfrek.  "I'm not judging.  I think you're lovely."  He then whispers, whilst nodding to Otto, "Much nicer than him..." 

Then with a last, "Goodbye!" Mordekai will follow the others, making sure he's last, and keeping at least 15ft behind them and directly between them and anything that might come from the Abbey's main building.  Then he casts Darkness on himself, obscuring himself and hopefully everyone else from view.

Never mind...

"Meepo wish could have spent time looking lost things..." Meepo says after identifying the ring. "Meepo think many lost things near abby..."

"Well, we can go back?  Meet the Abbott, see what his deal is, flatter Otto some more, and poke around the place?  We might be met with more hostility that the first time around, given the manner of our exit.  Sorry about that, I feel like that's on me...  Or we can head back up in a few hours, hope that everyone's asleep and investigate the grounds outside the Abbey itself?"

     “Freedom is the thing lost by all in this accursed land,” Ketch mutters.  “Once we find that for everyone, ourselves included, we’ll have all the time you need to look for all the other lost things..”

(DM wants to know:  who takes the ring, and do you guys sleep....go exploring later that night...or wait until morning?)

((Ketch will take humbly if given it, but won’t complain if elsewhere it goes...  Ketch also suggests we sleep, but keep a watch.))

Lionel scratched his beard (after the meeting with Otto the thing remained about itself more often) and nodded to half-orc. "I think Ketch is right here. We came for some wondrous item that would let us fight Strahd. We found it - and it is truly great, the one wearing it become almost as immortal as Strahd himself and can keep fighting. Now is the time to finish off what we started and free the land once and for all. The creatures we met... I can not call them people. But I did not sense anything evil in them either, though we did not meet the Abbot. What I am trying to say is, there is no threat here to anyone, it seems, no need for interference. I say, we go back to the castle."

"Meepo not sure castle good idea." Meepo says with a frown. He shrugs though. "Meepo go where others go though." He would want to get some rest now.

"You think we could go straight back to the castle right now and face Strahd? We were just there and he toyed with us. This ring doesn't change things that much, surely? Besides, would it not be better to find a way to draw him out than run back into his lair?"

(I'd certainly rather level up at least one more time before we faced Strahd the final time. Admittedly, I think one of the only places we've not visited is Argynvostholt, and the lead we have for a reason to visit is sitting somewhere in the castle...)

(Exactly. We did not take the skull but may be collected enough magic items to try the fight?)

"He did not toy, he ran from us - not for the first time too, I must say. And this time we destroyed his brides, wounded that invincible henchman he has, and found the thing he afraids the most - the Raven Amulet. I do not know if we are ready, and very much agree the drawing him out would be the best way. But I can not imagine what would make leave the safety of his castle to face us. He does not care for an hones fight."

"Meepo no think vampire scared of amulet." Meepo says with a frown. "Vampire ignored amulet last fight..." He glances up at the bigs around him. "Maybe return get skull, but no look fight vampire."

"There is one thing he might be drawn out for. It would take some persuasion though. But it's worth a try, and we need to tell her that her brother is dead anyway."

"What do you mean?" Lionel genuinely did not understand the idea.

(Sorry, Mordekai liked the idea of being cryptic)

"Strahd was trying to wed Ireena Kolyana as his next bride. She was Ismark's sister. We saw her prepared but unused crypt back in the castle.  We escorted her to safety in Vallaki, in exchange for Ismark agreeing to join us. But he was killed in the Amber Temple. I wonder if Ireena could be take into being a form of bait for Strahd. The one that got away, so to speak. She may be willing, if it'll mean defeating Strahd. She also didn't seem like a defenseless damsel herself, maybe she'd help us fight in her brother's place."

     “Defenseless damsels tend not to want to fight in anyone’s stead, what with being defenseless and all,” Ketch points out.  “The same aspect makes them perfectly suited to being put into the role of bait whether they choose it or not though..,”

     “No castle right now.  Not at least til I finish this book, I am sure it would help...”

     “We should also make sure we are as well armed and protected as could be.  We may be adequately armed,” Ketch looks over the group, trying to make sure all has weapons which can make Strahd and his ilk bleed... “But if we could find an armorers shop, or a blacksmith? I’m not stealthy as is so if better protection is available, it could be worth a bit of delay...”