Sandu hesitantly approached the bed upon which Madam Eva rested. It was odd to see how she reacted to the situation, a great contrast with how she had previously presented herself to others. At least she did not look like she was in any immediate danger.
'You don't remember?'He asked. Sandu was rubbing his knuckles and avoided looking Madam Eva in the eyes. With his shoulders hanging and diminutive voice, he came across like a schoolboy fearing punishment.
“She is stable for now, though she isn’t waking up. Sandu what where her exact words to you when you doing your reading? Whatever did this to her is very evil and powerful entity enough to destroy her defenses,” says Dormark still studying his new patient for any regression.
Sandu remembered Dormark's question now that they were out of the tent. 'Shouldn't we best wait until Madam Eva has recuperated?'The entire ordeal had left quite an impression on him but relaying it to others, especially Madam Eva who seemed to have no recollection of what transpired, might be taxing. He certainly did not feel like reliving the entire event again.
Sandu - Madam Eva turns to you and smiles. "What was that dear? I.. I'm sorry I remember you entering my tent. Then..."she pauses to think, "... I'm sorry I can't picture what happened next." She looks confused. "What didhappen?"she asks pointedly.
"Oh Stefan," Ioben says quietly as he looks down at the body, then he gently reaches down and closes Stefan's eyes, giving the man at least some semblance of peace. "Thank you for your kind words and warm heart. If only you could tell us what you saw." Ioben then carefully picks up the body, cradled across his arms, and walks back toward the tent with heavy feet.
Valerie recovers from the sickness. She gathers herself and walks into the camp again. When she sees the others she will say. "The cards have problem."
As soon as she gets into the camp, she walks straight toward the cards and inspects them to see whether there are any differences from what she has seen last time.
As you palm though the cards it strikes you how old they are - you can tell they are a well worn but well loved deck. Other than that the cards themselves do not appear altered in any way.
((I assume we can say that Divine Sense has worn off and is not being used again?))
As Madam Eva wakes and asks what happened, Baern simply replies "I.. I don't know." "Seems you all got, ah, sick."
When Sandu tries to snake out of not telling the tale, Baern's demeanor changes as he furrows his brow. "You won't tell us what happened?" he asks in surprise, instinctively take a step towards the warlock.
Valerie takes a quick final look around the tent then gets out of the tent. She goes up to Madame Eva and Sandu. "How are you feeling now?"
She then turns to Madame Eva. "I sensed something is wrong with your cards. Did you let anyone touch them recently?"
Sandu arched his eyebrows in surprised. He did not expect anyone to care how he felt about the whole ordeal. He was just as much a victim here, he reasoned.
'I'm fine.' His face softened at the paladin's words. 'Thank you.'
As Madam Eva wakes and asks what happened, Baern simply replies "I.. I don't know." "Seems you all got, ah, sick."
When Sandu tries to snake out of not telling the tale, Baern's demeanor changes as he furrows his brow. "You won't tell us what happened?" he asks in surprise, instinctively take a step towards the warlock.
Sandu turned his attention to Baern and frowned. Telling was one thing but actually understanding what had transpired? That was an entirely different concept.
'I hardly even comprehend what happened.'Sandu spoke slowly. 'She agreed to a private reading in much the same manner as she did for us. The first card she flipped over was about Strahd, not that surprising as he is everyone here in Barovia. Then something about a link to him, again, not that surprising considering,' he plucked the letter with Strahd's seal on it from his pocket to emphasise his words. 'we were all personally invited here by him.'
He put the letter back in his pocket. 'Then it all turned wrong.' Sandu furrowed his brow. 'She flipped over cards she was not expecting. Cards that weren't even in her deck to begin with.'
He glanced at Madam Eva. The old lady had gone through enough. On top of that, she did not seem to have any recollection of what had transpired. There was no need to subject her to any more confusing chatter. So Sandu motioned everyone to come closer and dropped the volume of his voice.
'Something interfered with the reading.' He let his eyes wander from one group member to another. 'Something... more or bigger than Strahd.'His face and voice were once more that odd mixture of disbelief, awe and sheer terror. 'Now the strange part is, and I know this is going to sound insane so bear with me, I don't think it, whatever it was, was out to harm us.'
Sandu leaned to the side to sneak a quick glance at Madam Eva. 'You've seen what happened to Madam Eva: both she and I were knocked unconscious. If it was actually trying to hurt us, I don't think I would be standing here talking to you.'He tried to think of a proper analogy. 'It's like we both stared at the sun. Madam Eva just stared and saw more, I guess.' He shrugged, ending his explanation.
Valerie quietly listens to Sandu recalling what has happened. She thinks for a moment then walks back into the tent and picks up all the cards on the table and those that might fell to the ground. She holds them on her left hand then straps her shield on her hand covering the cards.
She returns to Sandu and pulls him a bit further from Madame Eva. She looks at Sandu for a moment. "...I know this can be too much to ask..., especially after what just happened, but do you mind take a look at the cards and point out which card that she was drawn... I would have ask her, but I think she’s still not in a good shape." She looks at Madame Eva for a moment then back to Sandu. "...Neither are you. But..." She stops there and wait for Sandu's response.
(if Sandu agree, she will take them out from behind the shied and show them to him, then cast Protection from Evil and Good on him. If not, she will put them away for now.)
“Every time I’m left with more questions, than answers,” says Dormark pondering what Sandu said. Looking around Dormark spots Ioben. “Oh no...,” says the Warforge sprinting towards Ioben. “Do you know what happen,” asks Dormark looking at the dead body. His eyes dim losing a fair amount of their red glow.
Sandu watched Valerie march back into Madam Eva's tent. Before he had the time to formulate a proper question, she had returned. She had her shield at the ready, which he found odd but could not really fault her for that. With what had happened, he could see the merit in any form of protection or whatever would give one a little bit more peace of mind.
What did surprise him was her question. Up close Sandu could see that Valerie was hiding behind her shield. The cards no doubt.
'I- uhm,' Sandu took a deep breath and steeled himself. 'Sure. Let's have a look.'
Valerie produced the cards from behind her shield but not before laying a hand on Sandu. A warm feeling spread throughout his body. He recognised it from the previous time, Sandu had even committed it to memory, but feeling it now for a second time, he could tell it was slightly different. The feeling was still the same but now the warmth seemed to carry a promise. A promise that she would be watching over him.
Sandu took a moment to enjoy the feeling. He then turned to see the cards Valerie was presenting. He studied them for a moment before addressing her.
'Are these all the cards?' Sandu asked, unsure whether he wanted to hear the answer or not.
Ioben brings Stefan back to the tent and lays him gently on the ground. He finds one of the Vestani who is not so absorbed with Madame Eva. "I found him over there,"Ioben says as he points back in the direction of the water. "I don't know how he got involved, but I am sure that he is another victim of this situation."
Baern relaxes and takes a step back as Sandu tells the tale and reviews the cards with Valerie. For a moment he had thought Sandu was going to refuse to tell them what happened inside the tent, which troubled him a good deal. Now his surprise turned to the returning Ioben carrying Stefan.
Valerie - Reaching out you touch Sandu, casting Protection from Evil and Good. As you do so an you feel a, unexpected weariness wash over you. However, you feel a warmth and goodness soon replace the weariness and are sure that Sandu is fully benefitting from the spell.
Stefan, the corpse you are inspecting, has seemingly undergone a similar fate to Madam Eva but with more dire consequences. To the best of your abilities his affliction does not seem to be related to poison / anything from the natural world.
As Ioben walks into the Vistani camp carrying the corpse of Stefan there is a quiet, unnerving hush.
A grief-stricken woman's voice rings out, amplified by the silence,"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" The woman pushes through the crowds, "MY STEFAN! What have you... to my SON!"
Ioben, you recall this woman from the night before you met just before playing cards with Stefan, she is Ursula, Stefan's mother. Currently she is standing in front of you on the verge of tears and seething with anger. "SOMEONE! Grab that man!"Ursula points at Ioben. It is at this point that Shey speaks up, her voice is stern yet filled with pity, "Come now, Ursula. We mus' lis'en to what Ioben has ta say before we jump ta conclusions." Petyr slots himself between Ursula and Ioben,"Tha's right m'dear. Let Ioben speak firs', am sure he can tell us wha' 'appened." He turns to look at Ioben pleadingly.
"HE GOT MAD WHEN STEFAN BEAT HIM AT CARDS! I knows it!"Ursula yells over the others.
At this point another Vistani enters the scene, he is well-built, muscular with a thick neck, tattoos covering his body, and a bald head. "Wha's all this then ma'? Wha..." He looks to see what the commotion is about, as he see's Stefan's body he pales, "No, no, no-no-no-no." Rushing to Stefans side, he drops to his knees, burying his face in Stefan's shoulder. "Noooooo..!"his cry contains overwhelming anguish as he lets it out, this is followed by heavy sobs. Ursula goes over to the man and puts an arm around his back. "S'ok Grigori, I'm 'ere. We still got each other. Mus' be strong for 'im." she says, trying to consoling her remaining son.
The camp which was jovial moments ago with the news of Madam Eva returning to health is once again plunged into sadness - bleakness is writ upon the faces of the Vistani there. Petyr whispers to Ioben, "Bes' we make ourselves scarce. Come now, you can tell us what happened. Give tha others some space." He gestures to the Ursula and Grigori.
Dormark looks at the dead's boy body with pity. Then in dwarvish says, "May the gods of goodness look favorably on your soul young one... Moradin please pave the way for his soul to earn his just awards." Saying this he bows his head in respect to the dead and turns to leave.
As Petyr pulls Ioben aside, the gambler mutters, "He really seemed like a nice lad. He had skill too." Once Ursala and Grigori have joined them, Ioben retells what he saw. "As everybody was rushing to the tent earlier, I thought it prudent to check around the camp just in case whoever had done this was still near by. When I got near the edge of the water I saw Stefan just lying there. His face...he looked like he was terrified. I don't know what could have done this to him. He was up to the North a little bit. Did he often wander beyond the camp at night?"
Sandu hesitantly approached the bed upon which Madam Eva rested. It was odd to see how she reacted to the situation, a great contrast with how she had previously presented herself to others. At least she did not look like she was in any immediate danger.
'You don't remember?' He asked. Sandu was rubbing his knuckles and avoided looking Madam Eva in the eyes. With his shoulders hanging and diminutive voice, he came across like a schoolboy fearing punishment.
Sandu remembered Dormark's question now that they were out of the tent. 'Shouldn't we best wait until Madam Eva has recuperated?' The entire ordeal had left quite an impression on him but relaying it to others, especially Madam Eva who seemed to have no recollection of what transpired, might be taxing. He certainly did not feel like reliving the entire event again.
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
Sandu - Madam Eva turns to you and smiles. "What was that dear? I.. I'm sorry I remember you entering my tent. Then..." she pauses to think, "... I'm sorry I can't picture what happened next." She looks confused. "What did happen?" she asks pointedly.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"Oh Stefan," Ioben says quietly as he looks down at the body, then he gently reaches down and closes Stefan's eyes, giving the man at least some semblance of peace. "Thank you for your kind words and warm heart. If only you could tell us what you saw." Ioben then carefully picks up the body, cradled across his arms, and walks back toward the tent with heavy feet.
Valerie recovers from the sickness. She gathers herself and walks into the camp again. When she sees the others she will say. "The cards have problem."
As soon as she gets into the camp, she walks straight toward the cards and inspects them to see whether there are any differences from what she has seen last time.
In case it requires a check. Investigation 10
“Being left in th dark at this point is dangerous to us Sandu, we need as much as you can divulge,” says Dormark.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Valerie's Investigation check:
As you palm though the cards it strikes you how old they are - you can tell they are a well worn but well loved deck. Other than that the cards themselves do not appear altered in any way.
((I assume we can say that Divine Sense has worn off and is not being used again?))
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
As Madam Eva wakes and asks what happened, Baern simply replies "I.. I don't know." "Seems you all got, ah, sick."
When Sandu tries to snake out of not telling the tale, Baern's demeanor changes as he furrows his brow. "You won't tell us what happened?" he asks in surprise, instinctively take a step towards the warlock.
Valerie takes a quick final look around the tent then gets out of the tent. She goes up to Madame Eva and Sandu. "How are you feeling now?"
She then turns to Madame Eva. "I sensed something is wrong with your cards. Did you let anyone touch them recently?"
Sandu arched his eyebrows in surprised. He did not expect anyone to care how he felt about the whole ordeal. He was just as much a victim here, he reasoned.
'I'm fine.' His face softened at the paladin's words. 'Thank you.'
Sandu turned his attention to Baern and frowned. Telling was one thing but actually understanding what had transpired? That was an entirely different concept.
'I hardly even comprehend what happened.' Sandu spoke slowly. 'She agreed to a private reading in much the same manner as she did for us. The first card she flipped over was about Strahd, not that surprising as he is everyone here in Barovia. Then something about a link to him, again, not that surprising considering,' he plucked the letter with Strahd's seal on it from his pocket to emphasise his words. 'we were all personally invited here by him.'
He put the letter back in his pocket. 'Then it all turned wrong.' Sandu furrowed his brow. 'She flipped over cards she was not expecting. Cards that weren't even in her deck to begin with.'
He glanced at Madam Eva. The old lady had gone through enough. On top of that, she did not seem to have any recollection of what had transpired. There was no need to subject her to any more confusing chatter. So Sandu motioned everyone to come closer and dropped the volume of his voice.
'Something interfered with the reading.' He let his eyes wander from one group member to another. 'Something... more or bigger than Strahd.' His face and voice were once more that odd mixture of disbelief, awe and sheer terror. 'Now the strange part is, and I know this is going to sound insane so bear with me, I don't think it, whatever it was, was out to harm us.'
Sandu leaned to the side to sneak a quick glance at Madam Eva. 'You've seen what happened to Madam Eva: both she and I were knocked unconscious. If it was actually trying to hurt us, I don't think I would be standing here talking to you.' He tried to think of a proper analogy. 'It's like we both stared at the sun. Madam Eva just stared and saw more, I guess.' He shrugged, ending his explanation.
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
Valerie quietly listens to Sandu recalling what has happened. She thinks for a moment then walks back into the tent and picks up all the cards on the table and those that might fell to the ground. She holds them on her left hand then straps her shield on her hand covering the cards.
She returns to Sandu and pulls him a bit further from Madame Eva. She looks at Sandu for a moment. "...I know this can be too much to ask..., especially after what just happened, but do you mind take a look at the cards and point out which card that she was drawn... I would have ask her, but I think she’s still not in a good shape." She looks at Madame Eva for a moment then back to Sandu. "...Neither are you. But..." She stops there and wait for Sandu's response.
(if Sandu agree, she will take them out from behind the shied and show them to him, then cast Protection from Evil and Good on him. If not, she will put them away for now.)
“Every time I’m left with more questions, than answers,” says Dormark pondering what Sandu said. Looking around Dormark spots Ioben. “Oh no...,” says the Warforge sprinting towards Ioben. “Do you know what happen,” asks Dormark looking at the dead body. His eyes dim losing a fair amount of their red glow.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Sandu watched Valerie march back into Madam Eva's tent. Before he had the time to formulate a proper question, she had returned. She had her shield at the ready, which he found odd but could not really fault her for that. With what had happened, he could see the merit in any form of protection or whatever would give one a little bit more peace of mind.
What did surprise him was her question. Up close Sandu could see that Valerie was hiding behind her shield. The cards no doubt.
'I- uhm,' Sandu took a deep breath and steeled himself. 'Sure. Let's have a look.'
Valerie produced the cards from behind her shield but not before laying a hand on Sandu. A warm feeling spread throughout his body. He recognised it from the previous time, Sandu had even committed it to memory, but feeling it now for a second time, he could tell it was slightly different. The feeling was still the same but now the warmth seemed to carry a promise. A promise that she would be watching over him.
Sandu took a moment to enjoy the feeling. He then turned to see the cards Valerie was presenting. He studied them for a moment before addressing her.
'Are these all the cards?' Sandu asked, unsure whether he wanted to hear the answer or not.
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
Galqarin follows Domark to meet Ioben, his loping gait easily keeping up with the tin man. He stops suddenly when he sees the corpse.
"What happen?", he muses as he observes the Vistani's contorted rictus. "Poison?" (Medicine 12)
Ioben brings Stefan back to the tent and lays him gently on the ground. He finds one of the Vestani who is not so absorbed with Madame Eva. "I found him over there," Ioben says as he points back in the direction of the water. "I don't know how he got involved, but I am sure that he is another victim of this situation."
Baern relaxes and takes a step back as Sandu tells the tale and reviews the cards with Valerie. For a moment he had thought Sandu was going to refuse to tell them what happened inside the tent, which troubled him a good deal. Now his surprise turned to the returning Ioben carrying Stefan.
Valerie - Reaching out you touch Sandu, casting Protection from Evil and Good. As you do so an you feel a, unexpected weariness wash over you. However, you feel a warmth and goodness soon replace the weariness and are sure that Sandu is fully benefitting from the spell.
Galqarin's Medicine check:
Stefan, the corpse you are inspecting, has seemingly undergone a similar fate to Madam Eva but with more dire consequences. To the best of your abilities his affliction does not seem to be related to poison / anything from the natural world.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"Sandu, was he also in tent when...it happen?", quizzes Galqarin, indicating the dead Vistani.
Afternoon - Day 4 - Pandemonium
As Ioben walks into the Vistani camp carrying the corpse of Stefan there is a quiet, unnerving hush.
A grief-stricken woman's voice rings out, amplified by the silence, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" The woman pushes through the crowds, "MY STEFAN! What have you... to my SON!"
Ioben, you recall this woman from the night before you met just before playing cards with Stefan, she is Ursula, Stefan's mother. Currently she is standing in front of you on the verge of tears and seething with anger. "SOMEONE! Grab that man!" Ursula points at Ioben. It is at this point that Shey speaks up, her voice is stern yet filled with pity, "Come now, Ursula. We mus' lis'en to what Ioben has ta say before we jump ta conclusions." Petyr slots himself between Ursula and Ioben, "Tha's right m'dear. Let Ioben speak firs', am sure he can tell us wha' 'appened." He turns to look at Ioben pleadingly.
"HE GOT MAD WHEN STEFAN BEAT HIM AT CARDS! I knows it!" Ursula yells over the others.
At this point another Vistani enters the scene, he is well-built, muscular with a thick neck, tattoos covering his body, and a bald head. "Wha's all this then ma'? Wha..." He looks to see what the commotion is about, as he see's Stefan's body he pales, "No, no, no-no-no-no." Rushing to Stefans side, he drops to his knees, burying his face in Stefan's shoulder. "Noooooo..!" his cry contains overwhelming anguish as he lets it out, this is followed by heavy sobs. Ursula goes over to the man and puts an arm around his back. "S'ok Grigori, I'm 'ere. We still got each other. Mus' be strong for 'im." she says, trying to consoling her remaining son.
The camp which was jovial moments ago with the news of Madam Eva returning to health is once again plunged into sadness - bleakness is writ upon the faces of the Vistani there. Petyr whispers to Ioben, "Bes' we make ourselves scarce. Come now, you can tell us what happened. Give tha others some space." He gestures to the Ursula and Grigori.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dormark looks at the dead's boy body with pity. Then in dwarvish says, "May the gods of goodness look favorably on your soul young one... Moradin please pave the way for his soul to earn his just awards." Saying this he bows his head in respect to the dead and turns to leave.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
As Petyr pulls Ioben aside, the gambler mutters, "He really seemed like a nice lad. He had skill too." Once Ursala and Grigori have joined them, Ioben retells what he saw. "As everybody was rushing to the tent earlier, I thought it prudent to check around the camp just in case whoever had done this was still near by. When I got near the edge of the water I saw Stefan just lying there. His face...he looked like he was terrified. I don't know what could have done this to him. He was up to the North a little bit. Did he often wander beyond the camp at night?"