”And a good priest knows how to bring out the good in others,” whispers Dormark as Sandu pasts him. Dormark’s impression of the man seemed to be correct. When he had met him the man was timid, awkward around others, and closed off. Dormark remembered his reaction from three nights before when they first met. Compared to now the man’s attitude to Dormark has change quite a bit. Sharing his history and vulnerability to Sandu has started a connection. All Dormark said was true, but that incident of asking his first question happen 9 years ago. And though he does at time struggle with his question of his soul, he has faith in Moradin his creator put him here for a reason, and he looks after Dormark like his dwarven brethren. He does however take comfort from Sandu’s words and the general goodness behind them. Dormark sighs and looks towards the door. He may have not learned anything about Sandu that night, but he felt that he as done some good tonight. Dormark smiles thinking about the connections he made with his brother dwarf and the awkward man. He goes to stand before the door looking at it his body freezes and Dormark stands vigil looking to protect those in his party.
If there's a moment when Father Donavich isn't within earshot, Baern asks the others "so do you think we can help Doru?"
Valerie smiles and nods to Baern with appreciation. "That is nice of you."
Then her smile is quickly followed by a concerned look. She is not sure whether she can help or not, since she knows nothing about vampires and how to deal with them.
Iben sits back on the pews looking around the inside of the church. He must have paced this room looking at the details for half the day. "Do we still have to be here?" He says with a frustrated tone of voice to no one in particular. "Surely sitting in a place where your enemy knows they can get to you is not the wisest of ideas. Ireena, didn't you say there were some places you think it would be wise to go to? Somewhere that your father's name might still carry some weight? I know I would rather be on the move."
You poise yourself as you watch the spirits rise from their graves. There are many, all around you, but they pay you no heed. You are able to discern from the nature of their ghostly dress that they were likely once adventurers, like yourself rather than local Barovians - the likelihood that these are foreign souls trapped in this land comes to mind. As you watch them awestruck you notice that they all appear to be going as one towards Castle Ravenloft, towards Strahd's seat of power. A sense of uneasy washes over you - could it be that any that perish in this land are doomed to spend the rest of their days here?
From the iconography you are able to confirm that your earlier thoughts regarding the Morninglord are likely correct - that the deity the Barovians worship is uncannily similar to Lathander. Though the name is not mentioned within the books you peruse, many of the 'themes' are present within the text - dawn, renewal, vitality, self-improvement. In fact, the more you contemplate things the blazing sun symbol even bares a similarity to the holy symbol of Lathander (minus the field).
During your searching you also read about a counterpart to the 'Morninglord', known as 'Mother Night'. A number of the written prayers invoke both the Morninglord, to protect during the day, and Mother Night, to protect during the night. It is believed that Mother Night has the power to hold evil creatures, that might roam the land during the night, at bay.
Ioben - Ismark nods at your question. "I was just mentioning that exact point to Ireena. The town of Vallaki would be the closest place we might find some solace, but I do not know if that will be far enough." Ireena smiles warmly,"Then it is settled brother, Vallaki it is. I can sense your frustration Ioben, the sooner we leave this place the safer I'll feel." Ismark chimes back in sighing,"It may well take us some time to get things in order, but it looks like our destination shall be Vallaki. We shall look to depart in the next couple of days."
Ireena almost absent minded remarks,"What about Mary? Ismark mentioned you met with her. I do feel bad about leaving her and the Father. It seems most callous to be leaving at this time, no?"
Shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge the disturbing thoughts from his mind, Alder turns and makes his way back to the church. The look on his face as he enters is one of unease and disquiet.
"I must admit, I had completely forgot about Mary. The incident on the road the other night, and then our visitor at the funeral shook me I fear. Though I don't recall making any specific promises to her other than that we would look into it." Ioben lowers his voice a little."To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if her daughter had run away. It seemed like she had been locked in her room, probably against her will."
'Moving out of town might not be such a bad idea.' He said. 'If Gertruda is still in the village, she would have been found by now.'
His eyes briefly glanced at the symbol of the Morninglord. 'And I don't think we can help the good father at the moment but,' Sandu looked at the floor, 'if his son was strong enough to escape the basement, he would have done so by now.'
He turned his head and made a wide sweep of the church. 'This used to be a house of faith. Perhaps there still is a shimmer, enough to keep Doru strong.'
Sandu swallowed as he got to the unpleasant part. 'We've also got a huge target painted on our backs.'He paused. He did not say it but he knew they were thinking it: Strahd. 'Moving around might be our best bet to avoid getting ambushed like-' His head hurt when he recalled the incident. 'like before.'He concluded with a grim expression.
Ireena nods at Ioben's words regarding Gertruda,"I must admit that I rarely saw the girl. I think Mary feared for her safety, rightly so it would seem." She gives a moments thought, "Our situation is not dissimilar to poor Gertruda's." Ireena allows herself a little chuckle,"Trapped in a place, wanting to get out... I'm not for a moment suggesting poor Mary is as bad as... well."
Ismark shoots Ireena a slightly bemused look,"You're right though sister. I can sympathise if Gertruda did want an escape... to throw off the shackles that had robbed her of her freedom for most of her life. However, the predicament she undoubtedly found herself in would be the same for us, would it not? What happens after? What does Gertruda know of the outside world? Would she be able to function?"
"Is it much different, where you are all from?"Ireena looks questioningly at the members of the party that are listening, her eyes brimming with hope.
"Sandu is right"Ismark's words snap through Ireena's contemplation,"We are targets and whilst we remain with you, unprotected, we put you all at grave risk."His face is stern, his voice stoic as he continues,"The group here has already done so much for us sister. It is wrong of us to expect them to give any more of themselves and to what end? Openly defy the Devil himself? It is an unreasonable request."
"I think we already became his targets too." Valerie looks to the party. "And I think we still want to find a way to get out of this place. And so far, we don't have any solid leads other than the name of Madame Eva that is in our minds."
She makes a long sigh. "As for Gertruda, I made a promise to Mary, so that's my responsibility to find her. I won't drag all of you along with me. Though I think if she were to run away from this place, she will no longer be in town."
"Where I am from, people believe they have power over others, but there is more than enough space to find your own place in the world. We have kings, and princes, lords and ladies, but most of the time they completely ignore the people they are responsible for."
Turning to address Valerie, Ioben says,"We can always look for signs of Gertruda as we head towards Vallaki."
As the evening begins to wind on and the party settles down for the night. Though conditions in the old church are uncomfortable, damp and crampt, sleep is swift coming.
On a precipice stand two figures stand. Thunder bellows and rain pours. A mighty waterfall crashes down in the background. One figure is standing on the peak of the precipice his back turned. The other stands fully robed no more than 20ft behind.
"I looked for you at Ravenloft," the robed figure said.
"I was not there," the figure at standing closest to the edge. You recognise Strahd. "You would not be drawing breathe if I had been," his voice is venomous.
"I came to this land to rid it of your menace, and I wondered where you were." the robed figure clutches at his staff, readying himself.
"Far away," Strahd said "or you would have bent the knee, like others have done before you. As you will bend the knee now or die here today."
"Strahd Von Zarovich, kin-killer, murderer, butcher, you will find my knee does not bend easily." the robed figure said pulling back his cowl. His head is bald, he has a black goatee and a thin moustache which is curled at the ends. His voice is calm, measured and projected by the use of magics.
"Those that you have turned to your side are routed, they shall find no mercy." Strahd said determination writ on his face.
"Rather they die free than suffer your torment," the robed figure said, holding his staff in a defensive stance.
"Are we to do this? Or will you flee?" said Strahd.
"It is time," the robed figures words seem to have a finality to them.
The fighting is intense as bolts of magical lightning fly from the hands of the robed figure. They are met by powerful magics from Strahd's own hands. Back and forth the two figures dance, lights flashing and thunder cracking. After a number of minutes it is clear Strahd is getting the upper hand, though the robed figure is giving a good account of himself a number of spells penetrate his defences.
"Enough!"Strahd's form suddenly shifts, turning into a grey mist. There is a look of sheer horror on the robed figures face as the mist shoots towards him, causing him to fall. He falls from the precipice further and further into the mist until he disappears from sight.
As your eyes begin to open cracks of sunlight shine through the Church's fractured roof. A familiar voice, Madam Eva's, echoes around your head, "Visit me and you shall find the answers you seek."
Valerie is jolted from her sleep. She glances around to make sure she is still in the chapel. She exhales a heavy breath and mutters to herself. "Ha! That felt real." She tighten up her brows. "Madam Eva? The name again... What does it mean? Who was the hooded man?"
After a moment, She shakes off the thought and looks around. Seeing that others are still in their sleep, she quietly grabs her bearing and makes her way to a window. She rests her elbows on the window frame, holding her fist together and starts doing her morning prayer, asking Tyr to grant her the strength and power for today journey.
Dormark comes comes out of his rest posture holding his head. “This is the second night I that I received these strange visions. At this point I’m more inclined to believe that these are sent messages, than they are dreams,” he says to himself looking around he goes into the center of the church and kneels in prayer. Though it is not the preferred way of worship it was acceptable to the smiths when they are away from the forges. Afterwards, he touches his mace and makes it into a magic weapon.
Ioben wakes to find the others already stirring, though the ones who were up and about clearly wanted some sense of solitude. Since the others were caught in their own thoughts, he decided to let them have their contemplation. After finding some food in his pack and preparing a simple meal, Ioben sat at a table with his deck of cards practising his shuffling and dealing. Even trying a few tricks, making cards vanish or appear to turn into other cards. Simple things that kept his fingers and wrists nimble.
Standing back up Dormark says, “There is nothing we can do for Doru at this point. Unless you want to offer him a merciful death. If we were to have a chance of saving him we would need to be stronger than we currently are and have some money to boot to have a chance in fixing him from his cursed state. Even then it be up to the gods, who decide fate that it would work. What I am planning is highly experimental, not guaranteed, but it is the best shot of Doru returning to life.”
Baern listens to Dormark and glances in the direction of wherever the Father might be resting. "I wonder which he'd prefer, and if waiting might drive the Father mad, even if we could help later."
'Strahd presumes he can toy with us as he pleases.' Sandu remarked as he tried to get comfy on the floor. 'So far, I'm not inclined to dispute that.'
He laid his head on his backpack. Perhaps it was the exhaustion or the desire to get rid of the last vestiges of his headache or a combination of both but as soon as he closed his eyes, Sandu fell into a deep yet restless sleep. He twisted and turned as his mind was filled with images too lifelike to be a mere dream but you cannot dream of someone you do not know, can you?
The images disappeared when a beam of sunlight fell on Sandu's eyes. He felt stiff. A floor just cannot compare to a bed and while he had his share of sleeping on the ground, it was never to his liking or preference. He stretched a bit to get the blood flowing and jammed a piece of bread into his mouth to stiffle a yawn. Sandu had no particular morning rituals so he mostly spent the time observing the others. From how they acted, it seemed they all had the same dream. Vision. He corrected himself. I think we're long past the "just a dream" excuse.
He looked at the brother and sister duo. 'So what's Vallaki like?
As she finishes her prayer, Valerie walks away from the window and joins the group. "Sandu is right. That isn’t just a dream. I think someone is trying to tell us something." She finds a spot to sit down. "We should find this Madam Eva. Maybe she has the answers we seek or..."
Her voice drops as if she is muttering to herself. "... it’s a trap."
He looked at the brother and sister duo. 'So what's Vallaki like?
Ireena smiles at Sandu,"I'm afraid it has been a while since I've set foot in Vallaki. I can remember it being large, lots of people, bustling. Ismark?"
"Can't tell you much I'm afraid," Ismark looks lost in thought, "I can remember a toy shop - Blinsky's! That's it! Happy memories, simpler times." He continues,"The Burgomaster, Vallakovich, seemed to be pleasant enough, as I remember. He and our father were good friends. I think he will help us."
Moving to address the entirety of the group Ismark adds, "Thank you friends for all that you have done for us. I honestly wish there was some better way I could thank you other than words. As I mentioned yesterday, I think it best if we make a move tomorrow - that should give everyone an opportunity to complete any outstanding business in the village."
Ireena goes over to Valerie, speaking under her breath she says,
"My brother didn't mention it. But the Vistani camp is on the way to Vallaki. We could pass by en route, if you wanted. The place, Tser Falls, was the site of a major battle not more than a year ago."
”And a good priest knows how to bring out the good in others,” whispers Dormark as Sandu pasts him. Dormark’s impression of the man seemed to be correct. When he had met him the man was timid, awkward around others, and closed off. Dormark remembered his reaction from three nights before when they first met. Compared to now the man’s attitude to Dormark has change quite a bit. Sharing his history and vulnerability to Sandu has started a connection. All Dormark said was true, but that incident of asking his first question happen 9 years ago. And though he does at time struggle with his question of his soul, he has faith in Moradin his creator put him here for a reason, and he looks after Dormark like his dwarven brethren. He does however take comfort from Sandu’s words and the general goodness behind them. Dormark sighs and looks towards the door. He may have not learned anything about Sandu that night, but he felt that he as done some good tonight. Dormark smiles thinking about the connections he made with his brother dwarf and the awkward man. He goes to stand before the door looking at it his body freezes and Dormark stands vigil looking to protect those in his party.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Valerie smiles and nods to Baern with appreciation. "That is nice of you."
Then her smile is quickly followed by a concerned look. She is not sure whether she can help or not, since she knows nothing about vampires and how to deal with them.
Iben sits back on the pews looking around the inside of the church. He must have paced this room looking at the details for half the day. "Do we still have to be here?" He says with a frustrated tone of voice to no one in particular. "Surely sitting in a place where your enemy knows they can get to you is not the wisest of ideas. Ireena, didn't you say there were some places you think it would be wise to go to? Somewhere that your father's name might still carry some weight? I know I would rather be on the move."
Alder's Perception check:
You poise yourself as you watch the spirits rise from their graves. There are many, all around you, but they pay you no heed. You are able to discern from the nature of their ghostly dress that they were likely once adventurers, like yourself rather than local Barovians - the likelihood that these are foreign souls trapped in this land comes to mind. As you watch them awestruck you notice that they all appear to be going as one towards Castle Ravenloft, towards Strahd's seat of power. A sense of uneasy washes over you - could it be that any that perish in this land are doomed to spend the rest of their days here?
Sandu's Religion check:
From the iconography you are able to confirm that your earlier thoughts regarding the Morninglord are likely correct - that the deity the Barovians worship is uncannily similar to Lathander. Though the name is not mentioned within the books you peruse, many of the 'themes' are present within the text - dawn, renewal, vitality, self-improvement. In fact, the more you contemplate things the blazing sun symbol even bares a similarity to the holy symbol of Lathander (minus the field).
During your searching you also read about a counterpart to the 'Morninglord', known as 'Mother Night'. A number of the written prayers invoke both the Morninglord, to protect during the day, and Mother Night, to protect during the night. It is believed that Mother Night has the power to hold evil creatures, that might roam the land during the night, at bay.
Ioben - Ismark nods at your question. "I was just mentioning that exact point to Ireena. The town of Vallaki would be the closest place we might find some solace, but I do not know if that will be far enough." Ireena smiles warmly, "Then it is settled brother, Vallaki it is. I can sense your frustration Ioben, the sooner we leave this place the safer I'll feel." Ismark chimes back in sighing, "It may well take us some time to get things in order, but it looks like our destination shall be Vallaki. We shall look to depart in the next couple of days."
Ireena almost absent minded remarks, "What about Mary? Ismark mentioned you met with her. I do feel bad about leaving her and the Father. It seems most callous to be leaving at this time, no?"
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge the disturbing thoughts from his mind, Alder turns and makes his way back to the church. The look on his face as he enters is one of unease and disquiet.
"I must admit, I had completely forgot about Mary. The incident on the road the other night, and then our visitor at the funeral shook me I fear. Though I don't recall making any specific promises to her other than that we would look into it." Ioben lowers his voice a little. "To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if her daughter had run away. It seemed like she had been locked in her room, probably against her will."
Sandu looked up from the book he was reading.
'Moving out of town might not be such a bad idea.' He said. 'If Gertruda is still in the village, she would have been found by now.'
His eyes briefly glanced at the symbol of the Morninglord. 'And I don't think we can help the good father at the moment but,' Sandu looked at the floor, 'if his son was strong enough to escape the basement, he would have done so by now.'
He turned his head and made a wide sweep of the church. 'This used to be a house of faith. Perhaps there still is a shimmer, enough to keep Doru strong.'
Sandu swallowed as he got to the unpleasant part. 'We've also got a huge target painted on our backs.' He paused. He did not say it but he knew they were thinking it: Strahd. 'Moving around might be our best bet to avoid getting ambushed like-' His head hurt when he recalled the incident. 'like before.' He concluded with a grim expression.
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
Ireena nods at Ioben's words regarding Gertruda, "I must admit that I rarely saw the girl. I think Mary feared for her safety, rightly so it would seem." She gives a moments thought, "Our situation is not dissimilar to poor Gertruda's." Ireena allows herself a little chuckle, "Trapped in a place, wanting to get out... I'm not for a moment suggesting poor Mary is as bad as... well."
Ismark shoots Ireena a slightly bemused look, "You're right though sister. I can sympathise if Gertruda did want an escape... to throw off the shackles that had robbed her of her freedom for most of her life. However, the predicament she undoubtedly found herself in would be the same for us, would it not? What happens after? What does Gertruda know of the outside world? Would she be able to function?"
"Is it much different, where you are all from?" Ireena looks questioningly at the members of the party that are listening, her eyes brimming with hope.
"Sandu is right" Ismark's words snap through Ireena's contemplation, "We are targets and whilst we remain with you, unprotected, we put you all at grave risk." His face is stern, his voice stoic as he continues, "The group here has already done so much for us sister. It is wrong of us to expect them to give any more of themselves and to what end? Openly defy the Devil himself? It is an unreasonable request."
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"I think we already became his targets too." Valerie looks to the party. "And I think we still want to find a way to get out of this place. And so far, we don't have any solid leads other than the name of Madame Eva that is in our minds."
She makes a long sigh. "As for Gertruda, I made a promise to Mary, so that's my responsibility to find her. I won't drag all of you along with me. Though I think if she were to run away from this place, she will no longer be in town."
"Where I am from, people believe they have power over others, but there is more than enough space to find your own place in the world. We have kings, and princes, lords and ladies, but most of the time they completely ignore the people they are responsible for."
Turning to address Valerie, Ioben says, "We can always look for signs of Gertruda as we head towards Vallaki."
Night-Time - Day 2 - Dream
Alder, Baern, Dormark, Ioben, Sandu, Valerie -
As the evening begins to wind on and the party settles down for the night. Though conditions in the old church are uncomfortable, damp and crampt, sleep is swift coming.
As your eyes begin to open cracks of sunlight shine through the Church's fractured roof. A familiar voice, Madam Eva's, echoes around your head, "Visit me and you shall find the answers you seek."
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Valerie is jolted from her sleep. She glances around to make sure she is still in the chapel. She exhales a heavy breath and mutters to herself. "Ha! That felt real." She tighten up her brows. "Madam Eva? The name again... What does it mean? Who was the hooded man?"
After a moment, She shakes off the thought and looks around. Seeing that others are still in their sleep, she quietly grabs her bearing and makes her way to a window. She rests her elbows on the window frame, holding her fist together and starts doing her morning prayer, asking Tyr to grant her the strength and power for today journey.
Dormark comes comes out of his rest posture holding his head. “This is the second night I that I received these strange visions. At this point I’m more inclined to believe that these are sent messages, than they are dreams,” he says to himself looking around he goes into the center of the church and kneels in prayer. Though it is not the preferred way of worship it was acceptable to the smiths when they are away from the forges. Afterwards, he touches his mace and makes it into a magic weapon.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Ioben wakes to find the others already stirring, though the ones who were up and about clearly wanted some sense of solitude. Since the others were caught in their own thoughts, he decided to let them have their contemplation. After finding some food in his pack and preparing a simple meal, Ioben sat at a table with his deck of cards practising his shuffling and dealing. Even trying a few tricks, making cards vanish or appear to turn into other cards. Simple things that kept his fingers and wrists nimble.
Baern wakes groggily and mutters to himself "Madam Eva... kin killer?... who was the bald spell wielder?"
Slowly making his way out to meet the others as they rise, the dwarf asks "so are we all going to a new town after we try to help Doru?"
Standing back up Dormark says, “There is nothing we can do for Doru at this point. Unless you want to offer him a merciful death. If we were to have a chance of saving him we would need to be stronger than we currently are and have some money to boot to have a chance in fixing him from his cursed state. Even then it be up to the gods, who decide fate that it would work. What I am planning is highly experimental, not guaranteed, but it is the best shot of Doru returning to life.”
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Baern listens to Dormark and glances in the direction of wherever the Father might be resting. "I wonder which he'd prefer, and if waiting might drive the Father mad, even if we could help later."
'Strahd presumes he can toy with us as he pleases.' Sandu remarked as he tried to get comfy on the floor. 'So far, I'm not inclined to dispute that.'
He laid his head on his backpack. Perhaps it was the exhaustion or the desire to get rid of the last vestiges of his headache or a combination of both but as soon as he closed his eyes, Sandu fell into a deep yet restless sleep. He twisted and turned as his mind was filled with images too lifelike to be a mere dream but you cannot dream of someone you do not know, can you?
The images disappeared when a beam of sunlight fell on Sandu's eyes. He felt stiff. A floor just cannot compare to a bed and while he had his share of sleeping on the ground, it was never to his liking or preference. He stretched a bit to get the blood flowing and jammed a piece of bread into his mouth to stiffle a yawn. Sandu had no particular morning rituals so he mostly spent the time observing the others. From how they acted, it seemed they all had the same dream. Vision. He corrected himself. I think we're long past the "just a dream" excuse.
He looked at the brother and sister duo. 'So what's Vallaki like?
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
As she finishes her prayer, Valerie walks away from the window and joins the group. "Sandu is right. That isn’t just a dream. I think someone is trying to tell us something." She finds a spot to sit down. "We should find this Madam Eva. Maybe she has the answers we seek or..."
Her voice drops as if she is muttering to herself. "... it’s a trap."
Ireena smiles at Sandu, "I'm afraid it has been a while since I've set foot in Vallaki. I can remember it being large, lots of people, bustling. Ismark?"
"Can't tell you much I'm afraid," Ismark looks lost in thought, "I can remember a toy shop - Blinsky's! That's it! Happy memories, simpler times." He continues, "The Burgomaster, Vallakovich, seemed to be pleasant enough, as I remember. He and our father were good friends. I think he will help us."
Moving to address the entirety of the group Ismark adds, "Thank you friends for all that you have done for us. I honestly wish there was some better way I could thank you other than words. As I mentioned yesterday, I think it best if we make a move tomorrow - that should give everyone an opportunity to complete any outstanding business in the village."
Ireena goes over to Valerie, speaking under her breath she says,
"My brother didn't mention it. But the Vistani camp is on the way to Vallaki. We could pass by en route, if you wanted. The place, Tser Falls, was the site of a major battle not more than a year ago."
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)