Not-so-subtly staring at the fang marks, Alev decides to present himself. "Hello, Lady Ireena. Name's Alev. Please, do not be scared: We might look freaky, but none of us are vampires, I promise!"

Sergei is drawn to the deceased older man. He'd like to respectfully search with his eyes to see what he can learn about the man's manner of death.

"Ismark told us last. Remember." Rudick reminds. "At least the main bits. Not the part about other beasts and flingers of flames though that assaulted this building." He gives Ismark a pointed look, having not recalled a single mention of the other troubles. "Regardless, who's that one?" A half-hazard gesture goes to the coffin. "More family, or someone else?" He asked, losing some of the budding ire in his tone. "Someone, I assume, you're not just gonna leave here, we can rightly expect?"

You see no visible wounds on the man. He does appear to be an older gentleman. Maybe he died of old age?

Ismark says as his facial expression falls, "Oh, that is our father, the Burgomaster of Barovia. Strahd assaulted our home three nights ago, and he died from fright. Living in this land tends to do that to you."

 Ireena interjects, "I will not leave for Vallaki until I have moved him into the graveyard.  Could you help us before we leave?" Her voice is velvety smooth and rich.

 Ismark adds, "I was going to mention it earlier, but asking people to help move a body tends to kill the mood. None of the other villagers will even approach out house after the attacks started."

"Very well, let us move the body to the church, then we can do the task you asked us to help with." Leann nods her head, still holding her shield in one hand.

"...We already had to bury one of our own. Burying another should be easy." Alev says, nodding. He still keeps an eye on the corpse, just in case that it suddenly starts to move.

“Have you got a family crypt or something? Or d’you want us to go ahead and dig a grave for him?”

Rudick sighed at Ireena's request, and just rolls his eyes at Ismark's last remark. "Questions that can be asked in transit." He says, having turned to Skip briefly, before then focusing once more Ismark and Ireena. "Show us to the cart. Or whatever beast of burden and carriage you have on the premises... Or do you mean to have us literally carry coffin and all to the church." Rudick asks dryly. Regardless of the answer, the Orc would help however he can with getting the process started.

Sergei agrees to help however he can.

After getting some rest, he has some clarity in his thinking. He asks the group,

"Did we have some documents from that haunted house? Maybe we can show them to these folks, see if anything is of value or interest."

He also brings up,

"Are we going to deal with the priest's son when we go to the church, or leave him to his current...existence?"

At Rudick's comment, Ismark sheepishly shrugs, and Ireena rolls her eyes at her brother. He says, "No one in town has any horses or oxen, so we will have to carry him. He shouldn't weigh much; he's just a sack of skin and bones." Ireena gives him a withering glare from across the room, and he gives an uncomfortable chuckle as he rubs the back of his head.

With him and three others from the party, you begin to carry the shoddy coffin out to the church on the other side of with Ireena leading the way with sword drawn. You see a few villagers along the way, but they stay to the edge of the road looking warily at the shadows around them. The sky overhead is overcast and gloomy, and a distant crack of rolling thunder threatens to bring rain. A faint mist clings to the air. 

When you arrive, Ireena raps sharply on the battered doors. A few moments later, the priest from before opens the doors. He looks after the group standing before him, and a look of recognition crosses his face when he sees Skip. Ismark says, "Father, we have come to put our father in his grave."

 The priest nods and says, "Meet me around back." He closes the door, and Ireena leads everyone around back into the graveyard. She takes the group to the back of the cemetery where there a few already dug graves. You set the coffin down near one of them, and the priest arrives a few minutes later. He solemnly announce the body with a few drops of oil and dusts the body with ground herbs that send a fresh smell through the air. After this, he nods and says, "Lower him." As he is placed in the grave, the priest begins to melodicaly chant something in Celestial. His song-like voice seems to brighten the gloomy environment around you just for a moment until he comes to an end. When he finishes, he allows a moment of silence before distributing shovels to everyone in the group.

As they are shovelling the dirt onto the coffin, Skip trying to get his mage hand to help with an extra shovel, the gnome looks to Ismael and Ireena “I said we would help the priest set his son to a proper rest. I’m hoping you will help us do that, we can do it now before we leave” 

He looks darkly around the group, looking each member in the eye. “Priest says his son is under the thrall of this Strahd fella. Seems like he be a vampire. Which is what I reckon we’re likely to come up against if Strahd has a fancy on you miss Ireena” 

"Sounds easy enough." Alev says as he shovels, bobbing his head in agreement. "We deal with the vampire here, and then we deal with the bigger vampire later. It's perfect!"

"I will aid with this." Leann says simply, continuing to shovel.

Sergei is morbidly curious to see this man-turned-vampire.

(Good thing I'm not playing a bard. Because this would've been such a good opportunity to try and convince everyone to do the 'Coffin Dance' enroute to the Church)

Rudick sighs heavily and shakes his head. "If nothing else, it aught to make for good practice.... But in the future, Skip, perhaps it would wiser to warn us of these sort of deals? At least me, before we rest, so that I can at least best prepare for it." He states, giving the gnome a stern look, before then turning upon Ireena and Ismark. "Seems our trip is to be delayed. Apologies. I would of course not ask either of you to assist. But given circumstances, be on your guard wherever you choose to wait. Just in case."

With that said, the Orc finally looks to the priest and ask but for the man to show the way.

(For those interested in what I meant by Coffin Dance:)

Ireena nods and Ismark says to the priest, "Why didn't you say anything about your son?" 

 The priest sadly shakes his head and mutters, "I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone." He looks up to the group with tears in his eyes and says, " I will take you to him."

He leads you into the church and into one of the side rooms attached to the small hallway. Time and neglect have punched holes in the ceiling of this moldy room, which contains a few broken roof shingles amid puddles of water. In one corner, set into the floor, is a heavy wooden trap door held shut with a chain and padlock. A young man's screams of anguish can be heard through the door. The priest says, "I have lost the key."

"Does anyone have the skill to pick the lock, or do we need to break it?" Leann asks the others as she looks at the chain.

Hearing the screams of anguish, Alev shudders before focusing himself on the task at hand.

"Yeah, I'm on it!" He caws as he starts to work on the lock. If he failed, there was always Skip... Or they could have Rudick break open the door. No pressure.

Thieves' Tools: 12

While others work at the lock, Sergei takes a moment to rest his hand on the priest’s arm and say to him,

“You may want to retire to somewhere else and cover your ears, you don’t want what comes next to be your final memory of your son.”

( In truth, Sergei is mildly uncomfortable to have to use his powers in front of a man of holy faith. )

Sergei will then give guidance to whoever needs it to try and get that lock undone