Sho stands beside Talion for a moment, silent. His gaze rests somewhere beyond the decrepit and collapsing house, on the dismal mist surrounding them. "You did." He finally starts. His voice still colorless, but softer now, like ice to water. He turns to him, the man's hair is congealed with blood and sweat, pockmarked with rat poop. "This is the end." He says to him, in a tone that speaks finality.
Talion was staring at the smoke billowing from the house, still breathing deeply and enjoying the relatively fresh and clean air. It had been the centre of their lives for a time far longer than the two days that had passed. They had only escaped because they worked together. Life at the bottom. He sighs, and turns as his attention is drawn by Sho's voice, but his mind is still working slowly, and -- perhaps as usual -- he can not fully understand the unspoken words that lie behind so many of the priest's pronouncements.
He looks tired, but his full attention is on the priest now. "What? You mean the house...?"
Sho hesitates for a moment. He was going to suggest they find their way back to the caravan, and then go their separate lives. But he thinks back to the house, thinks back to how he announced his Lord's name, and he feels he cannot go back anymore. Sho looks at Talion worried, the man's obviously not regained his vigor and wittiness, despite of his usually surprisingly short refractory period. "You need to recuperate." He says, "Let's find a place to rest."
Having spent the last 36 hours steeped in fear and adrenaline, Talion's body begins to make its demands known. He is exhausted. Better shape than the dog, though. His eyes keep being drawn to the smoking building, but he is fascinated by the thing that was a dog. He can see Lucky's mannerisms in the strangely animated ... corpse.
He crouches in front of the skeletal creature, the last of the fur and skin just clinging to its frame. "You need a new name. Lucky doesnt really cover it." Then he tilts his head to one side and shrugs. A grim chuckle escapes his lips, "Or maybe it does."
Sho's words eventually draw Talion's attention and he nods slowly, glancing in the direction of the outhouses. "Maybe in there, we might get some cover at least. Wanna make sure the f#@$er burns to the ground."
He gets up and starts walking in the direction of the most substantial outbuilding, but pauses in front of Onyx. "Pretty sure I've got some spare clothes, if you want them...?"
Erven stands up and watches the house, apparently wanting to confirm that it indeed will fall in on itself, wanting to assure its destruction. He waits and watches, wanting to make sure that nothing emerges. He gives a quick look to their surroundings to remind himself what is there, what time of day, looking for anything else that is different.
Continued words of hostility issue forth from Sho after Erven heals Talion, he drops the healing potion vial and crunches the glass under his feet. He sees the icy look from Sho but let’s his words wash over him, not even hearing, not reacting. Finally he stands to the side and looks down at Lucky. The skeletal dog comes over and sits at his feet, apparently watching the house as well. "What do you think?" he says absentmindedly to the dog. He observes the dog's behavior, his mind is reeling as he is trying to comprehend everything they have been through. His look at Lucky Bear is inscrutable.
Sho goes to help Talion up. He gives the skeletal dog an inquisitive dog, then turns back to examine Talion's wounds. He hands the healing potion back to the man. "Look after your own dog." Not looking at the elf, but clearly directing at him, he says harshly, and cold. "Don't always expect others to clean up your mess."
Religion: 5
Sho, you're unable to see through your own personal issues and frustrations and it clouds your thoughts. You're unable to discern anything about Lucky Bear...
Erven and Onyx - you see the change in Lucky Bear best and you think you're able to piece it together. Within. the confines of the house, Lucky Bear functions as a normal looking pooch but outside the house, she looks as she would normally - a 75+ year old skeleton. Imbued with regenerative power that grants her life, Lucky Bear was never meant to come out of the house, you realize. Both of you wonder how she would function for a longer time outside the cursed mansion....
...He hands the healing potion back to the man....
(( Just remembered this ))
Talion shakes his head, "It's yours. I was just keeping it safe."
When they are a little further off, he reaches inside his armour and retrieves the scroll, with the amulet wrapped inside it. "These too...you should have them back" he says.
Onyx accepts the cloak, though he wraps it around his arms instead of his torso. They were still mostly covered by the rags that were his tunic, but the gesture was appreciated. He doesn't seem to fixate on the dog for very long, instead sitting on his haunches as he gazes towards the ruined mansion.
Lothar
Onyx tries to quiet his mind and reach out for the presence he had 'befriended'. Has it vanished? What kind of feeling does he get when he tries to fixate on that 'inner voice'?
The voice comes to you easily when you probe for it.
"I'm still here, wanderer. Thank you. My body is at rest and my soul, well, we have not passed on. That is my doing. I do not wish to leave yet. You and your companions are interesting to me and I get excited by traveling with you. I would have loved for you to cleave the head from that monstrosity down below, however...Yet, there are more - worse, even - than the Decayer in this place...Those that put even Lorghoth in a good light, in comparison. I will stay with you as long as you allow. You can banish me if you like, at which point I will be forced from you and into the great beyond.....but all the same, I wish to stay and help you in your journey....[Onyx, the solution to getting rid of the voice becomes clear to you as the voice implies as much...it is also clear to you that the voice inside your head was indeed a holy warrior, like yourself, in its former life...*to get rid of it, you would need to perform a ceremony
Onyx, seemingly wrapped in his own thoughts, allows a small smile to cross his visage. He opens his eyes, and waves Talion away.
"Thank you, but I'm fine. Unless my godlike physique is that intimidating?" The joke comes across a little forced, and he sighs before gesturing towards their haunted hound.
"Sho is right. The dog is and was a liability, in addition to being a mockery of someone else's beloved pet. It will probably slowly fall apart, a prolonged and pathetic second death in front of you, Erven. We can lay it to rest here, with dignity, or you can drag this out."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Talion's chest is gone, along with everything in it. All the books you took are either falling apart, advanced age, or dust - scrolls are unchanged; the deed, letters, gustav's will are all aged but intact. Cloak of protection, eye patch, and silvered sword are unaffected. All armor and weapons taken from the house turn to dust. gems coins and potions are unaffected any kits you found are unaffected
As the last one of you tumble out of the final scythe blade and clear the veranda, you back up to look at the house. From the top of the house to the bottom, it sways unsteadily. Faint screams can be heard from within, though whether this is the wood and materials stretching beyond their limits or the frustrated lamentations of beings within, you are not sure. With a loud rumble, the top floors crash and sink to the floors below and in a matter of seconds, all that remains is a smoking, dusty pile of wreckage. When you look at Lucky Bear, she is no longer covered in fur but a shimmering skeleton of a dog. She still acts like one but is clearly not one.
As you all survey the wreckage, you sense a heaviness rise from your shoulders. The fog of anger, so close and cloying in the house, seems to lift from you, filling some of you with regret. The house, clearly, had a hand in trying to turn you into against each other in order to fulfill its insatiable appetites...
Standing there, in silence in front of the house, the property of which is still ringed with mist, you all hear laughter, a familiar laughter, from all around you. The sky darkens significantly in a matter of seconds, thunder and lightning rending the sky. A light rain begins to fall. A vicious lighting strike hits the ground 30 feet from you, blackening the ground and causing spots to appear in your eyes from the force of the flash and blast. As your eyes begin to recover, you notice the mists surrounding the house start to thin out and coalesce into a cloud where the lightning just struck. From the misty cloud you hear a clap, then another, and another, another.....”Oh, bravo! Bravo! Yes. You made it. I was wondering if you would!”
The voice comes from within the cloud of mist, which reforms into a human-like figure! The figure is tall and regal, dressed in expensive but dated clothing, and pitch black hair that comes past the shoulders. It wears a darkened cape and some sort of black leather armor. A sword and dagger hang from the waist. Finally, the face of the figure becomes clear. High cheekbones, pale flesh, intense green eyes, blood red lips.....the figure before you resembles the statues you saw inside in all ways but one - the figure before you is a female. “Yes,” she says, still clapping. “I am so happy to finally meet.” She snaps her fingers and a chest appears at her feet. “Apologies for taking your things but I trust you found most of them? Whatever you didn’t find is here,” she points at the chest [all of your starting equipment is there, if you need help remembering what you have, I saved it so can give that to you]. She looks at you curiously...”Didn’t you want to set it on fire? Go ahead. Be my guest....Oh! How rude of me. I am the Countess Strahd von Zarovich and this is my kingdom. Welcome. Looking down at her body, she smiles, "I find it....easier....to take a male form at times for obvious reasons.
“I’m sure you have many questions, some of which I may answer...” she smiles, revealing razor sharp incisors, which you all recognize as vampiric.
As she speaks, you all feel an overwhelming boat of emotions.
[Aside from this, you are all feeling stronger and more alert, powerful even, and........changed. The crucible of the house has given you more insight into your own abilities and desires, and you feel a renewed sense of purpose and desire to protect those around you.....and expunge this creature before you. You also realize that you are currently not equipped to destroy this beast,.......yet. You all level up to Level 3 - congratulations!]
[You can interact with Strahd if you like...questions, etc...]
Talion remembers the joy he had experienced when he finally escaped Baldur’s Gate, the simple pleasure of finally being on the road. Then his mind turns to the horror of the past two days, the death, the mayhem and the fear. Mostly the fear. His anger rises, but he keeps it in check. Anger plays into The Man’s hands, bro. Or woman. Vampire. Whatever.
He examines her closely, then peers at the chest from where he stands, and shakes his head.
“Why? Why do all of this?” There’s always an angle. Favours and alliances.
Onyx bristles as he looks up towards the charismatic woman that had appeared before them. He didn't bother with his paladin senses - this was clearly a vampire, and a very powerful one. Emotionally and physically exhausted, his hand reaches to his sheathed sword but the movement saps his last reserves - fear and fatigue keep the blade sheathed.
He has his own questions, but keeps them to himself for now.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Erven looks at the current form of Strahd, controls his emotions, controlling his anger in order to listen and obtain information. “Have the spirits inside at last been freed? Or will you continue to toy with them?” He looks down at Lucky Bear. “Will this house be reformed to the torment of the Dursts and the others inside? Why?” He repeats the question of Talion, “Why do all this?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Sho falls silent for a moment, dark eyes like stones focused on the Countess’s scarlet lips and shark fangs. The Countess smiles airily, casually almost, but the fragment of her expression is as wheezing and airless as a blow to his gut. His fingers instinctively reach for his amulet, but pauses when he realizes it’s not there.
He sighs, his expression perfectly calm now, if not a little doleful. He lifts his boot a little to give Lucky Bear a slight gentle forward nudge on her skeletal butt towards Strahd, he asks, “Is this your dog?”
Bertolt dusts himself off and stands to his feet, doing his best to look as clean as possible despite the less then ideal circumstances. He moves to the chest and retrieves all of his belongings, seemingly deep in thought. The first thing he does after stowing his things away his deftly light his smoking pipe, taking a long slow drag from it. "Yes well it is a pleasure and what not to meet you my lady. Now please kindly get us out of this hellish place and back to where we were before you so kindly put is in that place of madness."
The Countess listens and watches all of you. You feel the weight of her gaze upon you as she regards each of you in turn. Finally shrugging, she speaks in a low, dignified voice, “I am the Ancient. I am the Land. I am Strahd Von Zarovich, and I have brought each of you here for a purpose, it is true. This," she gestures to the wreckage of the house, "is a fishing lure. A test to see if any of you are worthy of my attention....As evidenced by your time in there, I have been able to see who is worthy and who is not. Though not many survive - you should be proud of yourselves."
Watching Bertolt kneel in front of her, she smiles impishly. "I am afraid, dear scholar, that I must decline your offer. A pleasure to meet you as well..."
She glances to Sho. "Aha! He speaks! What a curious one you are. I would talk at length with one such as you...your master would not like that, would he? Master of secrets and all that. No, the dog is not mine. The dog is tied to the house until someone completes the ritual..." She looks more closely at Lucky Bear. "Strange, though. It shouldn't be allowed outside. No matter. Any summoned creature will be altered in my realm..."
To Erven, "Over? Oh no. It will remain, though I will have to find something different since you annoyingly set those brats to rest." She scowls at you. "You were all supposed to die but this worked out for the best." She grins demonically. "Let me show you." She floats over to the house and seems to peer in. "Ah, there!" She motions to something in the wreckage. If any of you go see what she is indicating, you notice glowing pieces of the house moving and shifting - it seems to be slowly reforming and rebuilding itself! "Why do this? Why not? All of you desire greatness, I can feel it on you like a scent. I can tell this one," smiles at Onyx, "would like nothing better than to rip my head from my shoulders, isn't that right big boy?" She laughs.
"I can sense that you are stronger, too. This is good, you will need to be to survive!"
Talion walks up to watch the house and is lost in thought for a few moments, remembering his words to Erven, just a day ago. He snorts, "'That's what the powerful do: play with the less powerful'." He repeats the words quietly, then looks up at Strahd, "So...we're not dead...what is the next trick you want us to perform? Will you then free us?"
He then walks over to the chest, examines it, then takes his items from it.
Sho’s dark lashes tremored, some of it stuck into a small tufts by the blood. But he did seem more relaxed after hearing the dog doesn’t belong to her. His expression more final than troubled: too serene to be worried, but still somehow thoughtful, somehow forlorn. He lifted his chin, and his hair fell over his shoulders down his back, kept away from his sharp and spiritual face. “You speak like you know him.” He says thickly, and lightly. The land of undeath and misery. He remembers. “And your realm…” There’s a curious softness in his voice, like he is piecing it together and making connections in his head, “Reclaims the dead.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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(( @DM: Very important question...how does the meat cleaver look? And the various weapons we picked up that were not our own, if any? ))
Sho stands beside Talion for a moment, silent. His gaze rests somewhere beyond the decrepit and collapsing house, on the dismal mist surrounding them. "You did." He finally starts. His voice still colorless, but softer now, like ice to water. He turns to him, the man's hair is congealed with blood and sweat, pockmarked with rat poop. "This is the end." He says to him, in a tone that speaks finality.
Talion was staring at the smoke billowing from the house, still breathing deeply and enjoying the relatively fresh and clean air. It had been the centre of their lives for a time far longer than the two days that had passed. They had only escaped because they worked together. Life at the bottom. He sighs, and turns as his attention is drawn by Sho's voice, but his mind is still working slowly, and -- perhaps as usual -- he can not fully understand the unspoken words that lie behind so many of the priest's pronouncements.
He looks tired, but his full attention is on the priest now. "What? You mean the house...?"
(( Talion casts False Life soon after waking up: 8 ))
Sho hesitates for a moment. He was going to suggest they find their way back to the caravan, and then go their separate lives. But he thinks back to the house, thinks back to how he announced his Lord's name, and he feels he cannot go back anymore. Sho looks at Talion worried, the man's obviously not regained his vigor and wittiness, despite of his usually surprisingly short refractory period. "You need to recuperate." He says, "Let's find a place to rest."
Having spent the last 36 hours steeped in fear and adrenaline, Talion's body begins to make its demands known. He is exhausted. Better shape than the dog, though. His eyes keep being drawn to the smoking building, but he is fascinated by the thing that was a dog. He can see Lucky's mannerisms in the strangely animated ... corpse.
He crouches in front of the skeletal creature, the last of the fur and skin just clinging to its frame. "You need a new name. Lucky doesnt really cover it." Then he tilts his head to one side and shrugs. A grim chuckle escapes his lips, "Or maybe it does."
Sho's words eventually draw Talion's attention and he nods slowly, glancing in the direction of the outhouses. "Maybe in there, we might get some cover at least. Wanna make sure the f#@$er burns to the ground."
He gets up and starts walking in the direction of the most substantial outbuilding, but pauses in front of Onyx. "Pretty sure I've got some spare clothes, if you want them...?"
Erven stands up and watches the house, apparently wanting to confirm that it indeed will fall in on itself, wanting to assure its destruction. He waits and watches, wanting to make sure that nothing emerges. He gives a quick look to their surroundings to remind himself what is there, what time of day, looking for anything else that is different.
Continued words of hostility issue forth from Sho after Erven heals Talion, he drops the healing potion vial and crunches the glass under his feet. He sees the icy look from Sho but let’s his words wash over him, not even hearing, not reacting. Finally he stands to the side and looks down at Lucky. The skeletal dog comes over and sits at his feet, apparently watching the house as well. "What do you think?" he says absentmindedly to the dog. He observes the dog's behavior, his mind is reeling as he is trying to comprehend everything they have been through. His look at Lucky Bear is inscrutable.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Sho, you're unable to see through your own personal issues and frustrations and it clouds your thoughts. You're unable to discern anything about Lucky Bear...
Erven and Onyx - you see the change in Lucky Bear best and you think you're able to piece it together. Within. the confines of the house, Lucky Bear functions as a normal looking pooch but outside the house, she looks as she would normally - a 75+ year old skeleton. Imbued with regenerative power that grants her life, Lucky Bear was never meant to come out of the house, you realize. Both of you wonder how she would function for a longer time outside the cursed mansion....
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
(( Just remembered this ))
Talion shakes his head, "It's yours. I was just keeping it safe."
When they are a little further off, he reaches inside his armour and retrieves the scroll, with the amulet wrapped inside it. "These too...you should have them back" he says.
The voice comes to you easily when you probe for it.
"I'm still here, wanderer. Thank you. My body is at rest and my soul, well, we have not passed on. That is my doing. I do not wish to leave yet. You and your companions are interesting to me and I get excited by traveling with you. I would have loved for you to cleave the head from that monstrosity down below, however...Yet, there are more - worse, even - than the Decayer in this place...Those that put even Lorghoth in a good light, in comparison. I will stay with you as long as you allow. You can banish me if you like, at which point I will be forced from you and into the great beyond.....but all the same, I wish to stay and help you in your journey....[Onyx, the solution to getting rid of the voice becomes clear to you as the voice implies as much...it is also clear to you that the voice inside your head was indeed a holy warrior, like yourself, in its former life...*to get rid of it, you would need to perform a ceremony
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Onyx, seemingly wrapped in his own thoughts, allows a small smile to cross his visage. He opens his eyes, and waves Talion away.
"Thank you, but I'm fine. Unless my godlike physique is that intimidating?" The joke comes across a little forced, and he sighs before gesturing towards their haunted hound.
"Sho is right. The dog is and was a liability, in addition to being a mockery of someone else's beloved pet. It will probably slowly fall apart, a prolonged and pathetic second death in front of you, Erven. We can lay it to rest here, with dignity, or you can drag this out."
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Inventory
Talion's chest is gone, along with everything in it.
All the books you took are either falling apart, advanced age, or dust - scrolls are unchanged; the deed, letters, gustav's will are all aged but intact.
Cloak of protection, eye patch, and silvered sword are unaffected.
All armor and weapons taken from the house turn to dust.
gems coins and potions are unaffected
any kits you found are unaffected
As the last one of you tumble out of the final scythe blade and clear the veranda, you back up to look at the house. From the top of the house to the bottom, it sways unsteadily. Faint screams can be heard from within, though whether this is the wood and materials stretching beyond their limits or the frustrated lamentations of beings within, you are not sure.
With a loud rumble, the top floors crash and sink to the floors below and in a matter of seconds, all that remains is a smoking, dusty pile of wreckage. When you look at Lucky Bear, she is no longer covered in fur but a shimmering skeleton of a dog. She still acts like one but is clearly not one.
As you all survey the wreckage, you sense a heaviness rise from your shoulders. The fog of anger, so close and cloying in the house, seems to lift from you, filling some of you with regret. The house, clearly, had a hand in trying to turn you into against each other in order to fulfill its insatiable appetites...
Standing there, in silence in front of the house, the property of which is still ringed with mist, you all hear laughter, a familiar laughter, from all around you. The sky darkens significantly in a matter of seconds, thunder and lightning rending the sky. A light rain begins to fall. A vicious lighting strike hits the ground 30 feet from you, blackening the ground and causing spots to appear in your eyes from the force of the flash and blast. As your eyes begin to recover, you notice the mists surrounding the house start to thin out and coalesce into a cloud where the lightning just struck. From the misty cloud you hear a clap, then another, and another, another.....”Oh, bravo! Bravo! Yes. You made it. I was wondering if you would!”
The voice comes from within the cloud of mist, which reforms into a human-like figure! The figure is tall and regal, dressed in expensive but dated clothing, and pitch black hair that comes past the shoulders. It wears a darkened cape and some sort of black leather armor. A sword and dagger hang from the waist. Finally, the face of the figure becomes clear. High cheekbones, pale flesh, intense green eyes, blood red lips.....the figure before you resembles the statues you saw inside in all ways but one - the figure before you is a female.
“Yes,” she says, still clapping. “I am so happy to finally meet.” She snaps her fingers and a chest appears at her feet. “Apologies for taking your things but I trust you found most of them? Whatever you didn’t find is here,” she points at the chest [all of your starting equipment is there, if you need help remembering what you have, I saved it so can give that to you]. She looks at you curiously...”Didn’t you want to set it on fire? Go ahead. Be my guest....Oh! How rude of me. I am the Countess Strahd von Zarovich and this is my kingdom. Welcome. Looking down at her body, she smiles, "I find it....easier....to take a male form at times for obvious reasons.
“I’m sure you have many questions, some of which I may answer...” she smiles, revealing razor sharp incisors, which you all recognize as vampiric.
As she speaks, you all feel an overwhelming boat of emotions.
[Aside from this, you are all feeling stronger and more alert, powerful even, and........changed. The crucible of the house has given you more insight into your own abilities and desires, and you feel a renewed sense of purpose and desire to protect those around you.....and expunge this creature before you. You also realize that you are currently not equipped to destroy this beast,.......yet. You all level up to Level 3 - congratulations!]
[You can interact with Strahd if you like...questions, etc...]
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Talion remembers the joy he had experienced when he finally escaped Baldur’s Gate, the simple pleasure of finally being on the road. Then his mind turns to the horror of the past two days, the death, the mayhem and the fear. Mostly the fear. His anger rises, but he keeps it in check. Anger plays into The Man’s hands, bro. Or woman. Vampire. Whatever.
He examines her closely, then peers at the chest from where he stands, and shakes his head.
“Why? Why do all of this?” There’s always an angle. Favours and alliances.
(( Is it a nice looking chest? ))
Onyx bristles as he looks up towards the charismatic woman that had appeared before them. He didn't bother with his paladin senses - this was clearly a vampire, and a very powerful one. Emotionally and physically exhausted, his hand reaches to his sheathed sword but the movement saps his last reserves - fear and fatigue keep the blade sheathed.
He has his own questions, but keeps them to himself for now.
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Erven looks at the current form of Strahd, controls his emotions, controlling his anger in order to listen and obtain information. “Have the spirits inside at last been freed? Or will you continue to toy with them?” He looks down at Lucky Bear. “Will this house be reformed to the torment of the Dursts and the others inside? Why?” He repeats the question of Talion, “Why do all this?”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Sho falls silent for a moment, dark eyes like stones focused on the Countess’s scarlet lips and shark fangs. The Countess smiles airily, casually almost, but the fragment of her expression is as wheezing and airless as a blow to his gut. His fingers instinctively reach for his amulet, but pauses when he realizes it’s not there.
He sighs, his expression perfectly calm now, if not a little doleful. He lifts his boot a little to give Lucky Bear a slight gentle forward nudge on her skeletal butt towards Strahd, he asks, “Is this your dog?”
Bertolt dusts himself off and stands to his feet, doing his best to look as clean as possible despite the less then ideal circumstances. He moves to the chest and retrieves all of his belongings, seemingly deep in thought. The first thing he does after stowing his things away his deftly light his smoking pipe, taking a long slow drag from it. "Yes well it is a pleasure and what not to meet you my lady. Now please kindly get us out of this hellish place and back to where we were before you so kindly put is in that place of madness."
The Countess listens and watches all of you. You feel the weight of her gaze upon you as she regards each of you in turn. Finally shrugging, she speaks in a low, dignified voice, “I am the Ancient. I am the Land. I am Strahd Von Zarovich, and I have brought each of you here for a purpose, it is true. This," she gestures to the wreckage of the house, "is a fishing lure. A test to see if any of you are worthy of my attention....As evidenced by your time in there, I have been able to see who is worthy and who is not. Though not many survive - you should be proud of yourselves."
Watching Bertolt kneel in front of her, she smiles impishly. "I am afraid, dear scholar, that I must decline your offer. A pleasure to meet you as well..."
She glances to Sho. "Aha! He speaks! What a curious one you are. I would talk at length with one such as you...your master would not like that, would he? Master of secrets and all that. No, the dog is not mine. The dog is tied to the house until someone completes the ritual..." She looks more closely at Lucky Bear. "Strange, though. It shouldn't be allowed outside. No matter. Any summoned creature will be altered in my realm..."
To Erven, "Over? Oh no. It will remain, though I will have to find something different since you annoyingly set those brats to rest." She scowls at you. "You were all supposed to die but this worked out for the best." She grins demonically. "Let me show you." She floats over to the house and seems to peer in. "Ah, there!" She motions to something in the wreckage. If any of you go see what she is indicating, you notice glowing pieces of the house moving and shifting - it seems to be slowly reforming and rebuilding itself!
"Why do this? Why not? All of you desire greatness, I can feel it on you like a scent. I can tell this one," smiles at Onyx, "would like nothing better than to rip my head from my shoulders, isn't that right big boy?" She laughs.
"I can sense that you are stronger, too. This is good, you will need to be to survive!"
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Talion walks up to watch the house and is lost in thought for a few moments, remembering his words to Erven, just a day ago. He snorts, "'That's what the powerful do: play with the less powerful'." He repeats the words quietly, then looks up at Strahd, "So...we're not dead...what is the next trick you want us to perform? Will you then free us?"
He then walks over to the chest, examines it, then takes his items from it.
Sho’s dark lashes tremored, some of it stuck into a small tufts by the blood. But he did seem more relaxed after hearing the dog doesn’t belong to her. His expression more final than troubled: too serene to be worried, but still somehow thoughtful, somehow forlorn. He lifted his chin, and his hair fell over his shoulders down his back, kept away from his sharp and spiritual face. “You speak like you know him.” He says thickly, and lightly. The land of undeath and misery. He remembers. “And your realm…” There’s a curious softness in his voice, like he is piecing it together and making connections in his head, “Reclaims the dead.”