Galqarin - Blinsky shifts uncomfortably on the spot. "I-I-I weell try tyo bee strong," his voice is quiet, barely a whisper, "You knyow heem. Myster Izek, he makes pyeople dysappeer. Nyo one qwuestions heem."
He leans in towards you, "Theese keellings - maybe he..." Blinsky lets the subject drop.
"What I knyow about theese dollies?" He draws himself up, "I hyave been making them for years. I knyow, Myster Izek must hyave hyundreds, thouseends." Blinsky bites at his lip, not wanting to continue, "I knyow... Myster Izek kyeeps theem at the Byurgomaster's 'ouse. Myore than thees, I knyow that Myster Izek thynks the girlie." He looks at Ireena and shrugs, "He thynks you are from hees dreems."
"I'm nyot suppoysed t' knyow. But..." Blinsky struggles to find the words, "He let slyp - I tyook certeen leeberties weeth the dysign one tyme." His voice mimicks Izeks, "'Meester Bleensky! Thees won't dyo! Thees ees nyot hyow I saw hyer!', weell I deed nyot understyand. Hee sy-lams a drawings hee dyone on thee cyounter." Blinskys fist comes crashing down, imitating the action. "On hees drawing eet hyas notes about hees dreem woman - deescryptions about hyer clothings, looks, voice." The toymaker shudders, "He ees obsess-ed!"
"Plyease Myss" He says directly to Ireena, his tone and manner becoming incredibly serious, "You are nyot safe hyere. Eef Myster Izek shyould knyow you are in Vallaky. You are nyot safe. Nyot at all."
The boys seem to be holding up alright. Brom seems more concerned about his brother and Brey is teary but consolable. The way Brey seems make you believe that he definitely saw something and is not lying.
Sandu - Brey slowly looks up before quickly looking back down shyly. He turns to his brother and slightly nods. Brom speaks up, "Yes sir, didn't get a look at it meself. But Brey knows what he saw. Proper spooked 'im sir."
Leaning over, Brey whispers into his brother's ears. "He says he ain't never seen nothing like it, sir. Says it were a right mess." Brey lets out a little whimper, before Brom continues,"He says he sees this giant hulking man in plate armour."His voice grows more intense,"Only it were all bloody, like. All round the hands an' arms. The man didn't see him though - Brey had enough sense to avoid him, sir. He's good at doing that."
Fidgetting in his seat, Brey sits up and looks you directly in the eye. "I saws it sir. I saws it with my eyes. He were wearin' this metal armour, but he moved with such speed. I thought knights were supposed to be good, sir. But, but, this man he done bad..." Brey's eyes fill with tears, "He done bad sir. I saws a man then, lying on the ground. He... he..."Brey leans forwards and starts sobbing into his crossed arms.
"I think that's enough, Urwin." Danika's voice is stern, but not unkind. "No..."Brey looks up stubbornly,"I can talk,"he says between sobs. "I saws it - they says it was Henrik - I knew Mr Henrik sir. But the man's face... well he didn't have one sir... it were all smashed to pieces."
Brey wipes the tears into his sleeve, then rubs his streaming nose,"Weird thing happen's then. I let out a mighty scream an' then I see's Brom. An' then...".
"The ravens?" Brom interjects,"dozens of them. At one point it looked like they were forming a protective circle around...".
"Focus on the man in armour, lads," Urwin quickly says. "Anything that Sandu here might find useful,"he explains, "did you see his face Brey?"
"N-no. His helmet covered it. He was tall, but not too tall, maybe a little taller than normal. He moved quickly, quicker than you'd have thought someone in armour could move. I-I know b-because sometimes me an' Brom we play knights an' stuff... an' it'd be 'arder to move... you know if you had..."
"Brey, sweetie." Danika says softly to her youngest son, "As lovely as your games are. Is there anything more that Mr Sandu should know?"
"Err,"Brey's mood seems to have improved marginally since relaying his version of events. "Well, there was somethin'. The knight's armour looked reaaallllyyy old. An' it was a, a, well it was a dark red-brown colour an' gold..." He looks like he is struggling to remember. "Well, I think it had gold on it an'... Wings!" Brey shouts excitedly, "They was wings on the armour, gold wings. I remember them now." He says looking very pleased for himself. "It were odd lookin' Mr Sandu... I reckon there ain't many like it... what d'ya reckon?"
Looking around you find that a number of the branches are snapped clean-off, requiring a remarkable level of strength if caused by the perpetrator. You note that, though the blood has largely been washed away by the rain, it is clear that the murder occurred at this spot.
You investigate the site more thoroughly, convinced that further key evidence might be found.
One set of footprints catches your eye in particular; they are deeper than the other's, more sunken into the ground, as though caused by a heavier individual. Furthermore, the prints seem to have been caused by sabatons that come to a short point at the end.
Pepi flies from your shoulder and lands on one of the branches of the tree, tapping his beak against its trunk insistently. Wondering what is wrong with the raven, you approach and find that it is tapping against a small groove in the bark of the tree. Moving your metal hand to the groove you inspect the area more keenly and find what appears to be a burgundy-coloured fleck of paint; possible transference caused by a painted object scraping against the tree?
DM Rolls:
11
Dormark (+ Pepi) - Content that you have searched the site for clues you are about to leave. Only then do you become acutely aware that you are being watched by something obscured between the buildings to the east - something from within the shadows. Pepi quickly flies to your shoulder and squawks loudly.
Sandu - Pepi's thoughts echo around your mind, "Danger!"... this is soon followed by a more nervous message, "Scout?"
Dormark’s hand drifts to his side grabbing the mace’s handle. He than says, “Whoever is lurking in the shadow show yourself, or I’ll come over to drag you out myself.”
Dormark - You stand, hand on mace, waiting for the unknown watcher to reveal themselves. However, they are not forthcoming, instead, you hear an ear-shattering, feral, grow/snarl (like that of a giant cat). You sense whoever, or whatever, it has quickly left the area, leaving you and a startled Pepi on your shoulder alone.
Sandu - Pepi seems to calm down and sends through a single-word message, "gone". Whatever relief Pepi felt is short-lived, however, as you soon get a number of garbled messages from Koki, "Panic! Danger! Cat!". The bird's confusion is clear. Images flood your mind of two young noblemen, they appear to be animated, squabbling - you recognise their faces, the Wachter brothers. Koki struggles to convey the message,"BIG CAT LOOSE!", loud roars echo around your mind.
Sandu listened attentively to what the boys had to say. It was valuable information: a suit of armour, he could see the confusion with Dormark, but one that was old with a dark red and brown hue and golden wings. Something like that was highly distinguishable and Sandu doubt the average person could afford something like it. That narrowed it down considerably. There was still the issue with, like the boy said, the speed and power with which it moved. Sandu was no knight himself but he could imagine that hauling around a suit of armour would require a lot of strength, let alone being able to move and act in such a short time frame. And the blunt force used to murder: it was borderline inhuman.
One other thing Sandu picked up on was the ravens remark. Something had happened involving a large quantity of ravens forming a protective... circle? Barrier? Something that Urwin did not want the boys to mention, giving how quickly he pressed to focus on something else? Sandu filed the question away for later though his curiosity was peaked. Not in the least because of his own three ravens but ravens had some sort of symbolic meaning in Barovia as far as he knew by now.
'Thank you for telling me this.' Sandu politely thanked the boys. 'It gives us a better idea what we're dealing with here.'
He would have said more but his mind was jumbled by the sudden influx of images not his own. Both Pepi and Koki's warnings flooded his thoughts, disorientating him for a moment. It was a bit alleviated in that they were speaking about the same thing: some sort of large cat was prowling around.
Pepi and Koki: help Dormark to find this cat and aid him from above. Keep an eye on his blind spots. Pepi, tell Dormark the following...
Sandu smiled at the innkeeper's family and tried to play off his moment of silence as him pondering his next options. 'That was a good description you gave. Such a peculiar suit of armour would certainly draw attention. I will inform the others of it.'
He turned his head sideways to peek at Zazi and raised a hand to gently scratch her head. 'Just one more thing: you mentioned something about ravens?'
Sandu glanced at the others to gauge their reactions to the question.
Dormark - You spring into action, dashing and darting between the alleyways and streets of Vallaki as you go off in pursuit. Pepi flaps wildly next to you and squarks in agitation. You catch glimpses of the creature you are pursuing; it is clearly a large cat of some variety, in fact 'large' would be an understatement as this cat is HUGE. It briefly pauses to sniff at the air, as it does so you see the face of the animal, it has golden fur, a cat-like face, and huge, wicked-looking fangs.
You momentarily come within 50 ft of the creature. It pays you little heed as it rapidly darts southward, running significantly faster than you, through a side gate in the town wall. The guard near the gate falls over in shock as the creature passes, dropping his halberd in the mud. "Ye gads!" he gasps, before he stands, dusts himself down, and resumes his watch.
Sandu (Pepi& Koki) - Pepi takes off after Dormark and is easily able to keep up, doing as you instructed he makes sure that he checks the area for any other potential threats to Dormark. Looking up through Pepi's eyes you see Koki quickly flap into view. A moment, ever so brief, passes between the two raven-familiars, an understanding; Pepi will ensure that nothing is able to get the jump on Dormark, Koki will pursue the beast.
((Just checked the distance on your flock of familiars skill - 1 mile! That's amazing!))
Sandu - Urwin speaks up before either boy can answer, "Loads of the bleedin' birds 'round these parts,"he chuckles. "They like to nestle in our loft,"he says smiling, "In fairness, I think I feel more comfortable with 'em bein' there. If I'm 'onest. Can see why the lads might think of 'em as bein' all protective like."
Urwin moves to shepherd you towards the door,"You make sure you catch 'im, Sandu. Killer like that on our streets, ain't good."
Galqarin - Ireena looks shell-shocked at Blinsky's revelations. She stammers,"Wh-what does he mean dreams? I-isn't the inn in the centre of town? What happens if Izek spots me?". She looks incredibly fearful as she makes to leave the shop.
Blinsky, himself, seems a mess - the revelation that his dolls were based on an actual person has shaken him to the core. "I nyot myake any myore dollies fyor Myster Izek!"he calls out after Ireena,"Blinsky must styand up tyo bully! Be strong!". As if to punctuate his owner's words, Piccolo once more clashes the Ireena dolls he is playing with together in mock-fighting. This time one of the doll's heads comes clean off, doing little to improve Ireena's current mood.
"We should go," Ireena says firmly to you.
Once outside she whispers under her breath to you, "Perhaps Ismark was right, Gal. I'm not sure I can stay in this place... Avoiding Strahd is one thing, avoiding this Izek Strazni is a whole different premise. Oh, what will I do?".
You are unsure as to the exact species of the large cat; most likely akin to a tiger, or a leopard, but looking more feral. You find it odd that this wild beast has seemingly not attacked anyone or anything yet. It is clear that whatever caused the murders is unlikely to be this creature.
Nature check: 8 Unless it's using the raven stats, which would give it a -4 modifier.
Through the interconnected senses of both him and his familiars was Sandu able to relay some information to Dormark, unfortunately hampered by the limited means of conversation of the ravens.
Kraa. Man! Pepi croaked as he flew past Dormark. Over there over there. Kraa! The raven flew towards a place in the distance where another raven was flying in circles
((Just checked the distance on your flock of familiars skill - 1 mile! That's amazing!)) It's probably the best part of the spell ^^
Insight check: 16 History check: 22
See what those results get me before I type out a response.
Galqarin - Ireena looks shell-shocked at Blinsky's revelations. She stammers,"Wh-what does he mean dreams? I-isn't the inn in the centre of town? What happens if Izek spots me?". She looks incredibly fearful as she makes to leave the shop.
"Izek not know me because I in disguise", whispers Galqarin. Louder, he continues, "Mister Blinsky, do you have anything to disguise Ireena?"
"I nyot myake any myore dollies fyor Myster Izek!"he calls out after Ireena,"Blinsky must styand up tyo bully! Be strong!".
"No, no, you must not let on to Izek. Be as normal. Let Raven take care of him."
Looking through Pepi's eyes, you are sure that you are aware of the species of the beast. As your familiar flies closer, you find that your suspicions are confirmed. The large fangs give you no doubts, this is a sabre-toothed tiger.
Even with your limited experience of the land of Barovia, you are certain that this creature is not native to these lands. It is likely that the beast has either been brought here from afar or perhaps found itself lost in the mists and displaced in this foreign land.
Though a wild animal, it would appear that this specific animal has received a level of training as it is not acting in line with its natural instincts; it pays little attention to bystanders and moves with purpose.
Based on what you know about the species and what you know about the nature of the murders, it is clear that this beast was not responsible for committing the acts.
As far as you can tell Urwin is being upfront regarding the ravens; there seems to be a level of affection towards the birds.
When he asks that you catch whoever is responsible for the killings, you can tell that he is being sincere.
The only 'unusual' thing that you sense about Urwin is that he is a lot more confident and able than he necessarily lets on. You are sure that there is something deeper behind the man than just being the local barkeep, but are unaware as to what that is.
You feel a nagging inside, you are sure that you have seen armour matching that description before... an image of Galqarin decked out in armour painted burgundy and adorned with golden angelic motifs enters your mind's eye... didn't Radu have an old set of armour matching the description? His so-called 'prized possession'? ((Post 1420))
Galqarin - "Hyow can I be nyormeel? Knyowing I myake dollies fyor Myster Izek's syck purr-poi-ses?"The toymaker looks genuinely conflicted. "Byut I shyall dyo as you says... Eef eet hyelps." Blinsky brushes a tear away from his eye, Picolo stops playing with the Ireena dolls and gives his owner a consoling hug.
"Dees-guise? I theenk I hyave joost thee thyng!" His mood perks up a little and he makes his way out towards his workshop,"Cyome, cyome, follow!". He leads you through to his workshop and starts digging through piles of brightly coloured cloth, occasionally digging the odd piece up and holding it close to Ireena."Maybe, eef I geeve you syome-theeng to hyde your face?"
After a few minutes Ireena is freshly disguised; wearing a shawl over her head which tucks around her neck, obscuring her mouth and lower face. "Byeutifal!" Blinsky happily declares. You believe that the disguise is good enough to at least hide her main features and hair - not perfect, but functional.
"Thankyou Mister Blinsky. Now, Miss Ireena...no, not Ireena. I Raven, you Miss Wren" - Galqarin is pleased with his inventiveness - "We should head to the inn. You will be safe from Izek there". Privately, Galqarin is less sure. However, if it comes to a showdown between him and the Baron's henchman (and his own nemesis), he'd rather do it where the latter could count on few friends.
Galqarin - You start towards the inn. In contrast to earlier in the day, the streets seem to be buzzing with activity, making it all the easier to move around unnoticed. You catch snippets of what is being said; it would seem some unusual event has gone down which has spooked people, you hear phrases like 'giant tiger' and 'leopard' being used freely, as well as concern that whatever the beast was, it was likely a denizen of Strahd's.
Upon reaching the Blue Water Inn you are able to see that it appears quiet. You enter through the doors to find Sandu seated with the Martikovs; Urwin, Danika, Brom and Brey. "I'm sorry we're..."Urwin starts before seeing you standing before him,"Oh, Galqarin - are you also here 'bout this 'orrible business?"
Galqarin - Blinsky shifts uncomfortably on the spot. "I-I-I weell try tyo bee strong," his voice is quiet, barely a whisper, "You knyow heem. Myster Izek, he makes pyeople dysappeer. Nyo one qwuestions heem."
He leans in towards you, "Theese keellings - maybe he..." Blinsky lets the subject drop.
"What I knyow about theese dollies?" He draws himself up, "I hyave been making them for years. I knyow, Myster Izek must hyave hyundreds, thouseends." Blinsky bites at his lip, not wanting to continue, "I knyow... Myster Izek kyeeps theem at the Byurgomaster's 'ouse. Myore than thees, I knyow that Myster Izek thynks the girlie." He looks at Ireena and shrugs, "He thynks you are from hees dreems."
"I'm nyot suppoysed t' knyow. But..." Blinsky struggles to find the words, "He let slyp - I tyook certeen leeberties weeth the dysign one tyme." His voice mimicks Izeks, "'Meester Bleensky! Thees won't dyo! Thees ees nyot hyow I saw hyer!', weell I deed nyot understyand. Hee sy-lams a drawings hee dyone on thee cyounter." Blinskys fist comes crashing down, imitating the action. "On hees drawing eet hyas notes about hees dreem woman - deescryptions about hyer clothings, looks, voice." The toymaker shudders, "He ees obsess-ed!"
"Plyease Myss" He says directly to Ireena, his tone and manner becoming incredibly serious, "You are nyot safe hyere. Eef Myster Izek shyould knyow you are in Vallaky. You are nyot safe. Nyot at all."
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Sandu's Insight check:
The boys seem to be holding up alright. Brom seems more concerned about his brother and Brey is teary but consolable. The way Brey seems make you believe that he definitely saw something and is not lying.
Sandu - Brey slowly looks up before quickly looking back down shyly. He turns to his brother and slightly nods. Brom speaks up, "Yes sir, didn't get a look at it meself. But Brey knows what he saw. Proper spooked 'im sir."
Leaning over, Brey whispers into his brother's ears. "He says he ain't never seen nothing like it, sir. Says it were a right mess." Brey lets out a little whimper, before Brom continues, "He says he sees this giant hulking man in plate armour." His voice grows more intense, "Only it were all bloody, like. All round the hands an' arms. The man didn't see him though - Brey had enough sense to avoid him, sir. He's good at doing that."
Fidgetting in his seat, Brey sits up and looks you directly in the eye. "I saws it sir. I saws it with my eyes. He were wearin' this metal armour, but he moved with such speed. I thought knights were supposed to be good, sir. But, but, this man he done bad..." Brey's eyes fill with tears, "He done bad sir. I saws a man then, lying on the ground. He... he..." Brey leans forwards and starts sobbing into his crossed arms.
"I think that's enough, Urwin." Danika's voice is stern, but not unkind. "No..." Brey looks up stubbornly, "I can talk," he says between sobs. "I saws it - they says it was Henrik - I knew Mr Henrik sir. But the man's face... well he didn't have one sir... it were all smashed to pieces."
Brey wipes the tears into his sleeve, then rubs his streaming nose, "Weird thing happen's then. I let out a mighty scream an' then I see's Brom. An' then...".
"The ravens?" Brom interjects, "dozens of them. At one point it looked like they were forming a protective circle around...".
"Focus on the man in armour, lads," Urwin quickly says. "Anything that Sandu here might find useful," he explains, "did you see his face Brey?"
"N-no. His helmet covered it. He was tall, but not too tall, maybe a little taller than normal. He moved quickly, quicker than you'd have thought someone in armour could move. I-I know b-because sometimes me an' Brom we play knights an' stuff... an' it'd be 'arder to move... you know if you had..."
"Brey, sweetie." Danika says softly to her youngest son, "As lovely as your games are. Is there anything more that Mr Sandu should know?"
"Err," Brey's mood seems to have improved marginally since relaying his version of events. "Well, there was somethin'. The knight's armour looked reaaallllyyy old. An' it was a, a, well it was a dark red-brown colour an' gold..." He looks like he is struggling to remember. "Well, I think it had gold on it an'... Wings!" Brey shouts excitedly, "They was wings on the armour, gold wings. I remember them now." He says looking very pleased for himself. "It were odd lookin' Mr Sandu... I reckon there ain't many like it... what d'ya reckon?"
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dormark's Perception check:
Looking around you find that a number of the branches are snapped clean-off, requiring a remarkable level of strength if caused by the perpetrator. You note that, though the blood has largely been washed away by the rain, it is clear that the murder occurred at this spot.
Dormark's Investigation check:
You investigate the site more thoroughly, convinced that further key evidence might be found.
One set of footprints catches your eye in particular; they are deeper than the other's, more sunken into the ground, as though caused by a heavier individual. Furthermore, the prints seem to have been caused by sabatons that come to a short point at the end.
Pepi flies from your shoulder and lands on one of the branches of the tree, tapping his beak against its trunk insistently. Wondering what is wrong with the raven, you approach and find that it is tapping against a small groove in the bark of the tree. Moving your metal hand to the groove you inspect the area more keenly and find what appears to be a burgundy-coloured fleck of paint; possible transference caused by a painted object scraping against the tree?
DM Rolls:
11
Dormark (+ Pepi) - Content that you have searched the site for clues you are about to leave. Only then do you become acutely aware that you are being watched by something obscured between the buildings to the east - something from within the shadows. Pepi quickly flies to your shoulder and squawks loudly.
Sandu - Pepi's thoughts echo around your mind, "Danger!"... this is soon followed by a more nervous message, "Scout?"
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dormark’s hand drifts to his side grabbing the mace’s handle. He than says, “Whoever is lurking in the shadow show yourself, or I’ll come over to drag you out myself.”
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Dormark - You stand, hand on mace, waiting for the unknown watcher to reveal themselves. However, they are not forthcoming, instead, you hear an ear-shattering, feral, grow/snarl (like that of a giant cat). You sense whoever, or whatever, it has quickly left the area, leaving you and a startled Pepi on your shoulder alone.
Sandu - Pepi seems to calm down and sends through a single-word message, "gone". Whatever relief Pepi felt is short-lived, however, as you soon get a number of garbled messages from Koki, "Panic! Danger! Cat!". The bird's confusion is clear. Images flood your mind of two young noblemen, they appear to be animated, squabbling - you recognise their faces, the Wachter brothers. Koki struggles to convey the message, "BIG CAT LOOSE!", loud roars echo around your mind.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dormark set off after the creature as it runs away, trying to catch site of the being running away.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Sandu listened attentively to what the boys had to say. It was valuable information: a suit of armour, he could see the confusion with Dormark, but one that was old with a dark red and brown hue and golden wings. Something like that was highly distinguishable and Sandu doubt the average person could afford something like it. That narrowed it down considerably. There was still the issue with, like the boy said, the speed and power with which it moved. Sandu was no knight himself but he could imagine that hauling around a suit of armour would require a lot of strength, let alone being able to move and act in such a short time frame. And the blunt force used to murder: it was borderline inhuman.
One other thing Sandu picked up on was the ravens remark. Something had happened involving a large quantity of ravens forming a protective... circle? Barrier? Something that Urwin did not want the boys to mention, giving how quickly he pressed to focus on something else? Sandu filed the question away for later though his curiosity was peaked. Not in the least because of his own three ravens but ravens had some sort of symbolic meaning in Barovia as far as he knew by now.
'Thank you for telling me this.' Sandu politely thanked the boys. 'It gives us a better idea what we're dealing with here.'
He would have said more but his mind was jumbled by the sudden influx of images not his own. Both Pepi and Koki's warnings flooded his thoughts, disorientating him for a moment. It was a bit alleviated in that they were speaking about the same thing: some sort of large cat was prowling around.
Pepi and Koki: help Dormark to find this cat and aid him from above. Keep an eye on his blind spots. Pepi, tell Dormark the following...
Sandu smiled at the innkeeper's family and tried to play off his moment of silence as him pondering his next options. 'That was a good description you gave. Such a peculiar suit of armour would certainly draw attention. I will inform the others of it.'
He turned his head sideways to peek at Zazi and raised a hand to gently scratch her head. 'Just one more thing: you mentioned something about ravens?'
Sandu glanced at the others to gauge their reactions to the question.
Switching detective mode to Columbo
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
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"Ireena, we should go now", Galqarin gently takes Ireena's arm. "Go to inn, yes?"
Nature 8 with a + 4 from guidance so 12
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Galqarin - Ireena looks shell-shocked at Blinsky's revelations. She stammers, "Wh-what does he mean dreams? I-isn't the inn in the centre of town? What happens if Izek spots me?". She looks incredibly fearful as she makes to leave the shop.
Blinsky, himself, seems a mess - the revelation that his dolls were based on an actual person has shaken him to the core. "I nyot myake any myore dollies fyor Myster Izek!" he calls out after Ireena, "Blinsky must styand up tyo bully! Be strong!". As if to punctuate his owner's words, Piccolo once more clashes the Ireena dolls he is playing with together in mock-fighting. This time one of the doll's heads comes clean off, doing little to improve Ireena's current mood.
"We should go," Ireena says firmly to you.
Once outside she whispers under her breath to you, "Perhaps Ismark was right, Gal. I'm not sure I can stay in this place... Avoiding Strahd is one thing, avoiding this Izek Strazni is a whole different premise. Oh, what will I do?".
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dormark's Nature check:
You are unsure as to the exact species of the large cat; most likely akin to a tiger, or a leopard, but looking more feral. You find it odd that this wild beast has seemingly not attacked anyone or anything yet. It is clear that whatever caused the murders is unlikely to be this creature.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Nature check: 8
Unless it's using the raven stats, which would give it a -4 modifier.
Through the interconnected senses of both him and his familiars was Sandu able to relay some information to Dormark, unfortunately hampered by the limited means of conversation of the ravens.
Kraa. Man! Pepi croaked as he flew past Dormark. Over there over there. Kraa! The raven flew towards a place in the distance where another raven was flying in circles
((Just checked the distance on your flock of familiars skill - 1 mile! That's amazing!))
It's probably the best part of the spell ^^
Insight check: 16
History check: 22
See what those results get me before I type out a response.
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
"Izek not know me because I in disguise", whispers Galqarin. Louder, he continues, "Mister Blinsky, do you have anything to disguise Ireena?"
"No, no, you must not let on to Izek. Be as normal. Let Raven take care of him."
Sandu's Nature check:
Looking through Pepi's eyes, you are sure that you are aware of the species of the beast. As your familiar flies closer, you find that your suspicions are confirmed. The large fangs give you no doubts, this is a sabre-toothed tiger.
Though a wild animal, it would appear that this specific animal has received a level of training as it is not acting in line with its natural instincts; it pays little attention to bystanders and moves with purpose.
Based on what you know about the species and what you know about the nature of the murders, it is clear that this beast was not responsible for committing the acts.
Sandu's Insight check:
As far as you can tell Urwin is being upfront regarding the ravens; there seems to be a level of affection towards the birds.
When he asks that you catch whoever is responsible for the killings, you can tell that he is being sincere.
The only 'unusual' thing that you sense about Urwin is that he is a lot more confident and able than he necessarily lets on. You are sure that there is something deeper behind the man than just being the local barkeep, but are unaware as to what that is.
Sandu's History check:
You feel a nagging inside, you are sure that you have seen armour matching that description before... an image of Galqarin decked out in armour painted burgundy and adorned with golden angelic motifs enters your mind's eye... didn't Radu have an old set of armour matching the description? His so-called 'prized possession'? ((Post 1420))
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Galqarin - "Hyow can I be nyormeel? Knyowing I myake dollies fyor Myster Izek's syck purr-poi-ses?" The toymaker looks genuinely conflicted. "Byut I shyall dyo as you says... Eef eet hyelps." Blinsky brushes a tear away from his eye, Picolo stops playing with the Ireena dolls and gives his owner a consoling hug.
"Dees-guise? I theenk I hyave joost thee thyng!" His mood perks up a little and he makes his way out towards his workshop, "Cyome, cyome, follow!". He leads you through to his workshop and starts digging through piles of brightly coloured cloth, occasionally digging the odd piece up and holding it close to Ireena. "Maybe, eef I geeve you syome-theeng to hyde your face?"
After a few minutes Ireena is freshly disguised; wearing a shawl over her head which tucks around her neck, obscuring her mouth and lower face. "Byeutifal!" Blinsky happily declares. You believe that the disguise is good enough to at least hide her main features and hair - not perfect, but functional.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"Thankyou Mister Blinsky. Now, Miss Ireena...no, not Ireena. I Raven, you Miss Wren" - Galqarin is pleased with his inventiveness - "We should head to the inn. You will be safe from Izek there". Privately, Galqarin is less sure. However, if it comes to a showdown between him and the Baron's henchman (and his own nemesis), he'd rather do it where the latter could count on few friends.
Dormark follows the Raven to were it is leading him.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Galqarin - You start towards the inn. In contrast to earlier in the day, the streets seem to be buzzing with activity, making it all the easier to move around unnoticed. You catch snippets of what is being said; it would seem some unusual event has gone down which has spooked people, you hear phrases like 'giant tiger' and 'leopard' being used freely, as well as concern that whatever the beast was, it was likely a denizen of Strahd's.
Upon reaching the Blue Water Inn you are able to see that it appears quiet. You enter through the doors to find Sandu seated with the Martikovs; Urwin, Danika, Brom and Brey. "I'm sorry we're..." Urwin starts before seeing you standing before him, "Oh, Galqarin - are you also here 'bout this 'orrible business?"
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"Which one?", asks Galqarin guardedly, after greeting Sandu and the Marikovs.