Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

"These cottages don't look big enough to house all of us, and we wouldn't want to burden your delightful residents. Perhaps the Abbey might be able to house us?" 

     “Yes, the abbey would be nice to see,” Ketch adds distractedly, mainly out of a sense of clerical duty.  He truthfully cared little for houses of worship or the like, but the lay people often expected the clergy and cleric types to be interested.  Ketch usually cares little of what people think but it can be helpful to play up to some expectations on occasion.

     “Probably room for us all where the wine is stored too,” he adds.  “But really, we don’t want to be a bother...”

Adrian responds to Lionel, "Um, there are two graveyards in Kretz actually.  There is the very recent graveyard, with only a handful of graves, on the north end of town near the Morninglord's shrine.  A pool at the far end of the village is where they get their fresh water all year. Next to the pool, the vil­lage's ancestors built a shrine to the Morninglord in a gazebo. It's known as the Shrine of the White Sun. Then there is the much larger, and older graveyard up in the Abbey. Its called the Abbey of Saint Markovia and is named after a priest of the Morninglord who took a stand against the devil. After a fierce uprising, Markovia and her most loyal followers stormed Castle Ravenloft, but they all died. The abbey used to be a hospital and a convent, but it fell on hard times after the land was swallowed by the mists. Some of the clergy fell prey to the devil, while others went mad and starved themselves or...some say even ate each other. Gruesome history. There is a new abbot there now...but....not really new, since he's been there for almost a hundred years some people say, and they say he's never aged a day. Most people think he is the devil himself in disguise. Apparently he occasionally visits the Shrine of the White Sun, but doesn't say much beyond demanding tribute, in the form of wine. Anyway, noone from the village visits the abbey anymore. The bells ring at odd times, day or night, and they say they hear horrible screams and inhuman laughter throughout the village."

(The group may reassess their request to sleep at the Abbey...but otherwise this request is just met with laughter, and ...). "If you all wish to sleep in a single cottage, there is sufficient floor space...that is ok." 

Lionel stoically listened the story, nodded to mention of the Morning Lord and St.Markovia. "I believe we need the graveyard near the abbey - sounds closer to the "place built by healers". We can visit it, can we? This is not forbidden or strongly frown upon?" He did not insist on immediate visit, of course, and was quite content to spent the night in a cottage, before they can investigate something with "horrible screams" in it's description.

Adrian shrugs, "I mean, I don't know. The burgomaster is....well....he's nice...but..he thinks anyone he doesn't know is either an enemy of the devil, or the devils agents....and he's not sure which is worse.  But for sure, both are bad. So...I don't know if you'll get his permission, but maybe if you just go check it out...you can ask forgiveness later."  He smiles and winks at the party, "Seems your style anyway....."

Lionel gave a wide grin (lost in the beard) and shrugged "The simpler - the better." But then added more seriously: "Even the burgomaster should not object a visit to the gave of the saint. After all, we are carrying her symbol. But say, what time are we leaving tomorrow? Should we go to the graveyard now or can it wait until morning?"

"The Burgomaster doesn't seem like the biggest problem getting up to visit that graveyard. Would we need to visit the Abbey itself to get into the graveyard? Would we need to see the Abbott to get in?"

"The voice said only "a grave to the west, with roses that never die, in a place built by healers"." (Lionel was always proud of his memory) "But now that you mentioned it... The second part was "when all turns to darkness, touch this holy symbol to the grave to summon the light". Do you think is was metaphorical or literal and we have to go at night?"

"Meepo wishes Meepo no left... others..." Meepo says, glancing back to the gates, where his skeletons are on the other side of, hidden from view. He sighs and shrugs. "Meepo no know if means night or something else."

     "Probably poetic wording, by why risk it?" 

Adrian shrugs, "Uh, you folks do what you gotta do. We can delay a bit tomorrow, but anything past noon would seem pretty unusual..."

You're all led to a house where an older man stands watch.  Mikael the guard leads all of you (except Adrian who is staying at the Burgomasters) to the man, carrying a case of wine.  "Bailey, these folks here are hired guards for the wine shipments. They need a place to sleep until tomorrow and want to share your floor. I hope you're ok with that. You'll be safer than anyone else with a house full of soldiers protecting you."   

Bailey looks at the guard, then eyes you all suspiciously, then scowls...until Mikael holds for the case of wine....then he brightens considerably, "Well well, sure sure, you can all head in here." Mikael nods to you and heads off.  The place is a three room affair, with a central room, a store room/workshop, and a bedroom.  He points to the floor of the store room and central room, "You all make yourselves at home there on the floor. Keep the fire up if you wish.  I'll be keeping my own inside fire up...hehe.." he grins and goes into his bedroom with the case of wine, shutting the door behind him.  

Mordekai thanks Mikael for his most kind generosity before the man shuts the door. 

"Under cover of night serves two purposes. It fulfils the 'darkness' criteria, and makes it less likely that we'll come across the Abbott. It also makes our decision about whether we go and knock on the door or try to sneak to the graveyard. It might be worth taking some wine with us to offer the Abbott just in case."

"Wine is good idea, though the Abbot has to be incredibly gullible to believe in a group of mercenary delivering wine around out of the goodness of their hearts. Not sure he will buy the story of a midnight pilgrimage to the grave of a saint either."  Lionel already felt as a professional grave-robber - not a pleasant feeling - but was determined to finish what they started. "Oh, well. Nothing to be done about that, I suppose. Let's get some rest then".

     "If we encounter the Abbot we could...," Ketch pauses, turns his head to spit to the side and then shrugs.  "I don't know, maybe tell him the truth?  I have heard tell of the pious types appreciating that sort of thing."

"A very fresh idea... May be the Abbot proves to be an exception to the rule and can handle the truth. Still hope we will not meet him."

It’s dark by perhaps 5pm. The village is quiet, and a thick fog hugs the ground outside. A steady snore comes from the bedroom, your host clearly having had his fill of wine. 

     Ketch studies his book for as long as possible - So when they drag him out the door.

Then at six we can go - still evening and not that strange for a newcomers to get out (Lionel would like their expedition to look unsuspicious as much as possible).

Meepo was just studdying his spellbook, sor ready to go when anyone else was.

Ulthan seems noncommittal as normal albeit he seems to keep a bit closer than before to the light sword bearer. Beyond that he seems quieter than normal as well, though grunts more often than not when stretching his back or putting his backpack on.