Erven sits down on the ground and stares at Strahd. This is the embodiment of what he has been hunting for his whole life, the revenge he has been seeking, the purpose for his existence. And he feels as powerless as a child. His thoughts go to the dream that he had in the house (was it a dream? I was dying!) where he walked with Strahd and his mother. He wondered if he could speak with her, one last time, even now after her death - or was that all plucked from my mind? But he knows better than to ask, you don't ask a devil for a favor. Everything has a cost.
What will happen to Lucky Bear, now that she is away from this place and out of your "honey pot." He longs to ask, but feels that the answer would just be bent to serve its purpose. Well, you are here, and he/she/it is right in front of you. What are you going to do? Nothing. Any violent action would be met with certain death, he feels that is certainly true. He can almost feel the tendrils of the marionette strings on his back, his arms and legs. At last he comes to "Just you wait, we will get stronger Strahd, and then we will be back..."
As all of these thoughts and emotions flood his mind, all he can manage to get out is "Alright. What would you have us do now, now that we have defied your wishes and stayed alive?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Bertolt glares at the woman as he reaches for his now returned rapier and rests his hand on it, pulling the strange eye patch off to look at her with both eyes. "Very well then if we survived your worthless trap then I demand that you give us a reward. Make me see what is so great about this wretched place you claim as your own."
Talion turns and looks at the old man, eyebrows raised. Damned if there's not fire in the old man yet! He grins and turns back to Strahd, nodding slowly and waiting for answers.
She glares at you and laughs. “LOh, yes! Mr. Song himself. The very air you breathe is your reward, knave. And what you do now is up to you, but to leave? No, no. You have not defied my wishes, one of you may yet be worthy.” And with that, she laughs and spreads her arms and pulls them back in. She grins at Sho, “You know, loose lips and all. Didn’t your master teach you better? Enjoy my realm, ants, for as long as you can!” Laughter fills the area followed by another flash of a lightning bolt. When you open your eyes, dozens of tiny bats remain and fly off quickly into the rain.
Erven turns his head and looks around at everyone, still taking in her words. He is quiet and listens to the their surroundings, watching the house reform in all of its malevolent glory.
“One of you yet may be worthy. What the hell did she mean by that? You know, I’ll be glad when I can plunge my sword deep in her heart and spit in her face for what she has done to this land. I know that somehow she was involved in what happened to my village in the Svalich woods.” Erven stops talking and sticks his dagger in the ground in frustration. He looks over to Lucky Bear. “What do we do with her? Did you notice that she avoided the question about Lucky?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Bertolt raises her crossbow and fires a bolt at the countess only for it fly harmlessly through the cloud of bats that formed in her wake as she disappears. With a curse he stows it away, taking another long drag from his pipe. "I am not sure what upsets me more. That woman or the loss of all those books..."
Onyx sits in stunned silence for a few moments. All that work, for naught?
No, not for naught. I was able to do some good - if only a little.
He solemnly begins scavenging back his lost equipment, his anger palpable. His general bearing is similar to his attitude after the ghast fight - barely contained, mute rage.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Talion looks up from the surprisingly well-made chest, in the direction of the already re-forming house. "Don't worry Bertolt, it looks like they will be back soon if you really want them." While he waits for everyone to gather their equipment he walks over to stand next to Bert as the old man fumes, "It's not worth getting upset over. I doubt that anything written in them would be true.Or if true, then still part of a bigger lie". That's what they do Bro: they lie while telling the truth. He turns his back on the unsettling house, angry that they were unable to destroy it. One day.
He waits while everyone gathers their equipment, then hefts the chest. As he picks it up he pauses, again looking at the house. "Maybe..." he looks again at Bert, "...do you think I can trust this?" he lifts the chest a little higher. "It's not going to turn into something? Or eat whatever I put in it? Can you...check it for me?"
(( Assuming we will make camp here and have set it up ))
Prior to resting for the night, Talion asks Berolt to retrieve his small water barrel from the bag. He then finds a corner of the building in which they are sheltering, not too exposed to whatever might lurk in the forest. He takes off his clothes and uses the water that is left to rinse himself down, and does what he can to clean his clothes as well. He leaves the clothes drying by the fire, if they have one, otherwise he bundles them under an arm.
(( Assuming Bert pronounced the chest free of magic, he is also carrying it and puts the clothes inside if no fire ))
He then walks over to Sho and leads him slightly away from the group and quietly asks him to hold out his hand. Talion places his ring on Sho's upturned palm. "Look after this" he says, then grins and adds "I'll be back soon. Keep it close, and call me if you need me." He touches it with the tip of his finger, then disappears. There is the slightest puff of air and Sho is is left with just the ring in his hand, and the faintest whiff of incense.
In the refuge he is disappointed to find that his suit of armour and many other items have suffered the same fate as most of the rest of their gear. "I liked the cleaver" he mutters to himself, his tone petulant.
He finds a place for the chest, then looks around, tempted to spend a few hours resting in the warmth, but leaving Sho alone with the others worries him. With a resigned sigh, he puts on his last set of clean clothes, and leaves the spare crossbow and bolts behind, as well as the now-empty barrel. Feeling more at ease than he has felt for a while, he swaps around his jewelry to be a little more understated than last time.
He goes through his pack, rearranging his few possessions to his liking, then takes a fresh barrel of water, and returns to the world.
Perhaps fifteen minutes later, Sho feels a slight movement of air as Talion appears once more beside him, now fully dressed in clean clothes, and carrying a small barrel full of water. He quietly asks Sho for his ring back, then places the barrel on the ground, "You won't believe how much I regret not buying some ale."
He looks over to Lucky Bear. “What do we do with her? Did you notice that she avoided the question about Lucky?”
Sho pauses. He glances at the elf, and at the dog. His dark eyes are like starless sky, or deep weather atmosphere. He breaths out, then he says, "She told everything we need to know. The dog does not belong to her, and it has skeletonized due to the nature of this land." There is a long moment, and Sho may have lasped into thought, but then he starts again, "The dog was in the house then, alive, but suffering; now it has escaped, a skeleton - but free and happy. The question is not what we do with her, is what you want for her, or rather, what do you think she wants."
He then walks over to Sho and leads him slightly away from the group and quietly asks him to hold out his hand. Talion places his ring on Sho's upturned palm. "Look after this" he says, then grins and adds "I'll be back soon. Keep it close, and call me if you need me." He touches it with the tip of his finger, then disappears. There is the slightest puff of air and Sho is is left with just the ring in his hand, and the faintest whiff of incense.
Perhaps fifteen minutes later, Sho feels a slight movement of air as Talion appears once more beside him, now fully dressed in clean clothes, and carrying a small barrel full of water. He quietly asks Sho for his ring back, then places the barrel on the ground, "You won't believe how much I regret not buying some ale."
Sho holds out his hand for Talion's ring. He glances up at the mysterious man, and then he disappears out of thin air. Sho stands there, a little lost and empty, he lowers his eyes to look at the ring in his palm. Gingerly, he touches it with his thumb, so delicately like how one would touch an exotic butterfly that happened to land in their palm. There was still a hint of warmth left on the ring, and Sho waited. For a second he didn't know how long Talion would be gone, and hesitated if he should go to rest or not, but then the thought turned immaterial when Talion appeared again.
He gave back the ring, and watched Talion set down his little barrel. His bloodless lips smiled, tight and bitter. "It is better than nothing." He said, knowing it is barely a comfort. He gazed at the house for a long moment, the nightmare house that had hunted them for two days. His shoulders relaxed a little, and then he asked Talion, distantly: "Do you think I was too harsh?"
Talion looks up in surprise, then glances at Erven, "To the elf? No. I think he needs...stability. Clear direction. Certainty. And perhaps just time. He's fragile. Whereas Lucky..." he looks quizzically at the dog then the elf and finally back to Sho, "...Lucky has fought by our side, stood toe to toe with that...Thing...warned us of danger, and never wavered." He smiles, watching her in the distance, "And now -- free of the house -- she seems the happiest she has been, if the capering is anything to judge by. I see no sign of pain. She deserves whatever will make her happy. Can she be restored? Can you speak with her?"
He stares long into the strange priest's eyes, so hard to read. So much of him is hard to read, each word seems to carry with it whole texts along with subtexts. Talion shakes his head and laughs a little self-consciously, "Or...did you mean something else?"
As the group attempts to make some sort of miserable camp in this miserable landscape, Onyx slips on his old chainmail, repacks his backpack, and sits not far from Talion and Sho - not quite within earshot unless he were specifically addressed.
He draws out the unidentified potion he retrieved from the Durst's coffer, uncorks it, dabs a little onto one finger and tastes it in an attempt to determine what it does.
After stowing it, he falls into a brief meditation - he feels magic power swelling within him since the collapse of the house, but it is not the holy power he expected. There is a moment of anxiety as he fears it is related to his heritage, but the warmth that spreads is not unlike that of Lathander's light. He sighs.
"I think our goal is clear. We were toyed with, humiliated. We're going to kill her." His eyes are still closed as he announces his intentions, so its a little unclear who he is speaking to. But, perhaps, he has found the start of a new path.
With Erven's cloak still clasped around his neck, he also starts to attune to it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Sho locks eyes with Talion for a short moment, his dry lips parted slightly, then he replies plainly, "No, that was what I meant."
"She is not my dog, and it is not my decision." He continues, his dark eyes are taut as he stares at the dog and the elf, and he speaks like he was a thousand yards away, "He can't keep expecting there will be someone there to throw the dog out of danger, or to carry it through the blades, or to make the call for him. He can continue to ask questions or opinions, but does he know what he wants to hear?"
His gaze rests on Talion again. “I can’t.” He answers, somewhat regretfully, “and I don’t speak dog.”
He pauses after Onyx’s statement, and turns to see the grumpy warrior armoured again, resting not very far from them. Onyx and Erven both seemed to have fervently made up their mind to slay the Countess, and Sho can’t say he shares their fury. He feels tired, and dull, and moreover - curious. He slowly turns back to Talion, “Where are you planning to go?“ He asks, sincerely.
His gaze rests on Talion again. “I can’t.” He answers, somewhat regretfully, “and I don’t speak dog.”
Talion snorts, "Food usually speaks to dogs...but perhaps not her, at least not now. What do the undead eat? Do they sleep?" He seems genuinely curious, watching Lucky cavort.
He pauses after Onyx’s statement, and turns to see the grumpy warrior armoured again, resting not very far from them. Onyx and Erven both seemed to have fervently made up their mind to slay the Countess, and Sho can’t say he shares their fury. He feels tired, and dull, and moreover - curious. He slowly turns back to Talion, “Where are you planning to go?“ He asks, sincerely.
He looks around, at the house from which they just escaped, at the decrepit outbuildings that they shelter in, at the forbidding forest, yet to be explored, and then finally at each of his companions, before turning back to Sho.
He speaks quietly at first, just to Sho, "We should stick together at least until we find somewhere safe to stay. Then...let's see what we find, eh?"
With another quick glance at their surroundsi -- so unlike what he was hoping for when he set out -- he takes a deep breath, and pitches his voice for all to hear, "I understand Onyx's feelings. We were toyed with, but were we humiliated? Think about it: We defeated her house, we freed her slaves, we stole her trinkets..." he grins at Onyx, "...and we rescued Lucky. I would call that a good day's work. Even a victory!"
He looks around to see if anyone shares his optimism, then shrugs. "Victory or not, though, to her we are ants. Before we risk being stepped on, we should find out more. We need to know if we can escape, and if not, what she wants...and if we do want to fight her, we will need allies." Again, he looks around to assess how his companions are reacting. "We are new here. We should not make ripples until we know what's what." Favours and alliances.
Finally, he looks directly at Onyx then at Erven, "We worked well together for a time. I think we can do that again, if we want to. And if there's one thing I have learned in my life is that there is strength in numbers. You only need a shared purpose. Me? I'd just like to leave this place, by the quickest route. But if we believe her then we can't: we should find out if she was lying."
"For what its worth, I still think Lucky is a liability, spy, or worse. . . but I know how important he is to you, Erven. I know we cannot fight her now. Our blades need to be honed, our spirits reinforced, our armor hardened. But the horrors of that place, that place that she considers a minor test. . . she must answer for them. Not today, but someday."
He turns his head, staring off towards nothing in particular, the distance of the horizon.
"If you think you can leave, you can try."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Talion shakes his head slowly, "Strength in numbers. I suggest we seek a village, if there are any. Though I would be interested in seeking one back the way we came..."
(( @DM: is the mist still blocking us in any directions? ))
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Erven ignores Lucky for a while, keeping his eye on her out of the corner of his eye from time to time. He joins the conversation, stands up and walks over after he retrieves his items from the chest. All of you can tell that his mood is much calmer after Strahd leaves. He does look at the reforming house with disgust, but otherwise seems back to the way you met him on the caravan.
"I agree with you Talion. We have strength in numbers. Any of us alone (he pauses at that word) would not have survived that house. I ... wasn't myself back there. All I could think of was to survive. Instincts from survival in the woods, fighting alone, resurfaced. I saw Strahd once walking with my mother, when I was near death. I think he (and the house) got into my head. I'm feeling better now. I know that we all need to rest and eat, we will feel even better then. To any of you that I offended (he looks pointedly at Sho, and Talion), I am sorry. We may not agree about ... everything, but I know that I wouldn't be here without you. I would be stuck as a lost soul back in that house. I feel like I am stronger and sharper somehow since the horrors in that house. I would like to scout the woods around us briefly and then let's huddle together and get some rest. After that, maybe we should head back the way we came. How far away is Selgaunt? I wonder where Ruddy is in all of this mess - what do you think happened to the others in our group? That mist was all around...."
Perception : 18 Passive Perception : 15 (Due to Natural Explorer, this check is with advantage. 2nd roll : 14 )
After Erven takes a circle around their current position, he rejoins the other and helps to set up camp, taking watch, only requiring 4 hours of concentration and meditation to settle his mind, he will not sleep.
(Long rest, everyone agree?)
He monitors Lucky Bear for now, observing her behavior, trying to master his revulsion of a clearly undead being, thinking of her as she was, not as she currently is. If he sees any deterioration in her behavior or evidence that she is turning towards Strahd's will, he will reluctantly go along with Onyx's plan.
His question about direction is musing out loud, when he is taking a circle around the camp, he looks for evidence of their prior arrival, direction, direction of the caravan and direction of Selgaunt using his Natural Explorer / Ranger skills.
Bertolt will do a ritual over the chest although he does not think that it has any magic on it. In the end he thinks it prudent though due to what else has happened in the cursed place. As they get ready to rest for the night he plays a few songs to try and raise everyone's spirits. It is clear though that his heart is not exactly into it.
Talion shakes his head slowly, "Strength in numbers. I suggest we seek a village, if there are any. Though I would be interested in seeking one back the way we came..."
(( @DM: is the mist still blocking us in any directions? ))
As you look all around you, you can finally begin to see some details about where you are. The slowly reforming wreckage of the house is on a slight hill. Surrounding the property on all sides is forest - dense and gloomy, the trees unnaturally close. You note two routes: one that you think is back the way you came a couple of days ago; and the other looks like it leads down into a valley of sorts. Further off in the distance, to the north and south, you think you can see large mountains. The mist is gone. If you had to guess, it would be early evening.
@Erven - [you don't have advantage, you just double your proficiency for the skill you want to use related to natural explorer and forests...] You're pretty sure you see a path leading west that is familiar...looking at the ground, you notice 5 sets of tracks that roughly correspond to those in your party. You also see a bunch of wolf tracks in the area. As for your desire to return to the caravan, you could follow this path. Looking around, the woods loom in on you and your group. Despite growing up in your village located in the Svalich Woods, you do not feel the familiarity here in this place...
@Bertolt and @Talion The chest that Strahd left doesn't emanate any magic. Maybe it's just an oversight on her part? It IS a nice chest, after all....what could go wrong?
Out of the house, you feel lighter and you decide to make camp here (near or in one of the buildings on the grounds?) Everyone wants a long rest? Who's taking watch?
Sho stayed silent listening to Talion’s speech, he crossed his arms and leant forward again in the usual defensive and insecure posture, stared at somewhere on the ground. His pale face lit by his glowing circlet, the gleam in his eyes black and wet. He moistened his lips with the tips of his tongue. He still felt he needed to stay, but then it seemed imperative to help the others find the way home. “We set out tomorrow, if we can find the way back.” He tells Talion, his voice clinical but sure.
He sat for another few more moments, listening to the elf rambling on and the scholar’s music. He waited until everyone settled down and the silence ensued. “Go to sleep,” he speaks up, “I’ll take the first watch.”
Erven sits down on the ground and stares at Strahd. This is the embodiment of what he has been hunting for his whole life, the revenge he has been seeking, the purpose for his existence. And he feels as powerless as a child. His thoughts go to the dream that he had in the house (was it a dream? I was dying!) where he walked with Strahd and his mother. He wondered if he could speak with her, one last time, even now after her death - or was that all plucked from my mind? But he knows better than to ask, you don't ask a devil for a favor. Everything has a cost.
What will happen to Lucky Bear, now that she is away from this place and out of your "honey pot." He longs to ask, but feels that the answer would just be bent to serve its purpose. Well, you are here, and he/she/it is right in front of you. What are you going to do? Nothing. Any violent action would be met with certain death, he feels that is certainly true. He can almost feel the tendrils of the marionette strings on his back, his arms and legs. At last he comes to "Just you wait, we will get stronger Strahd, and then we will be back..."
As all of these thoughts and emotions flood his mind, all he can manage to get out is "Alright. What would you have us do now, now that we have defied your wishes and stayed alive?"
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Bertolt glares at the woman as he reaches for his now returned rapier and rests his hand on it, pulling the strange eye patch off to look at her with both eyes. "Very well then if we survived your worthless trap then I demand that you give us a reward. Make me see what is so great about this wretched place you claim as your own."
Talion turns and looks at the old man, eyebrows raised. Damned if there's not fire in the old man yet! He grins and turns back to Strahd, nodding slowly and waiting for answers.
She glares at you and laughs. “LOh, yes! Mr. Song himself. The very air you breathe is your reward, knave. And what you do now is up to you, but to leave? No, no. You have not defied my wishes, one of you may yet be worthy.” And with that, she laughs and spreads her arms and pulls them back in. She grins at Sho, “You know, loose lips and all. Didn’t your master teach you better? Enjoy my realm, ants, for as long as you can!” Laughter fills the area followed by another flash of a lightning bolt. When you open your eyes, dozens of tiny bats remain and fly off quickly into the rain.
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
Erven turns his head and looks around at everyone, still taking in her words. He is quiet and listens to the their surroundings, watching the house reform in all of its malevolent glory.
“One of you yet may be worthy. What the hell did she mean by that? You know, I’ll be glad when I can plunge my sword deep in her heart and spit in her face for what she has done to this land. I know that somehow she was involved in what happened to my village in the Svalich woods.” Erven stops talking and sticks his dagger in the ground in frustration. He looks over to Lucky Bear. “What do we do with her? Did you notice that she avoided the question about Lucky?”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Bertolt raises her crossbow and fires a bolt at the countess only for it fly harmlessly through the cloud of bats that formed in her wake as she disappears. With a curse he stows it away, taking another long drag from his pipe. "I am not sure what upsets me more. That woman or the loss of all those books..."
Onyx sits in stunned silence for a few moments. All that work, for naught?
No, not for naught. I was able to do some good - if only a little.
He solemnly begins scavenging back his lost equipment, his anger palpable. His general bearing is similar to his attitude after the ghast fight - barely contained, mute rage.
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Talion looks up from the surprisingly well-made chest, in the direction of the already re-forming house. "Don't worry Bertolt, it looks like they will be back soon if you really want them." While he waits for everyone to gather their equipment he walks over to stand next to Bert as the old man fumes, "It's not worth getting upset over. I doubt that anything written in them would be true. Or if true, then still part of a bigger lie". That's what they do Bro: they lie while telling the truth. He turns his back on the unsettling house, angry that they were unable to destroy it. One day.
He waits while everyone gathers their equipment, then hefts the chest. As he picks it up he pauses, again looking at the house. "Maybe..." he looks again at Bert, "...do you think I can trust this?" he lifts the chest a little higher. "It's not going to turn into something? Or eat whatever I put in it? Can you...check it for me?"
(( Assuming we will make camp here and have set it up ))
Prior to resting for the night, Talion asks Berolt to retrieve his small water barrel from the bag. He then finds a corner of the building in which they are sheltering, not too exposed to whatever might lurk in the forest. He takes off his clothes and uses the water that is left to rinse himself down, and does what he can to clean his clothes as well. He leaves the clothes drying by the fire, if they have one, otherwise he bundles them under an arm.
(( Assuming Bert pronounced the chest free of magic, he is also carrying it and puts the clothes inside if no fire ))
He then walks over to Sho and leads him slightly away from the group and quietly asks him to hold out his hand. Talion places his ring on Sho's upturned palm. "Look after this" he says, then grins and adds "I'll be back soon. Keep it close, and call me if you need me." He touches it with the tip of his finger, then disappears. There is the slightest puff of air and Sho is is left with just the ring in his hand, and the faintest whiff of incense.
In the refuge he is disappointed to find that his suit of armour and many other items have suffered the same fate as most of the rest of their gear. "I liked the cleaver" he mutters to himself, his tone petulant.
He finds a place for the chest, then looks around, tempted to spend a few hours resting in the warmth, but leaving Sho alone with the others worries him. With a resigned sigh, he puts on his last set of clean clothes, and leaves the spare crossbow and bolts behind, as well as the now-empty barrel. Feeling more at ease than he has felt for a while, he swaps around his jewelry to be a little more understated than last time.
He goes through his pack, rearranging his few possessions to his liking, then takes a fresh barrel of water, and returns to the world.
Perhaps fifteen minutes later, Sho feels a slight movement of air as Talion appears once more beside him, now fully dressed in clean clothes, and carrying a small barrel full of water. He quietly asks Sho for his ring back, then places the barrel on the ground, "You won't believe how much I regret not buying some ale."
Sho pauses. He glances at the elf, and at the dog. His dark eyes are like starless sky, or deep weather atmosphere. He breaths out, then he says, "She told everything we need to know. The dog does not belong to her, and it has skeletonized due to the nature of this land." There is a long moment, and Sho may have lasped into thought, but then he starts again, "The dog was in the house then, alive, but suffering; now it has escaped, a skeleton - but free and happy. The question is not what we do with her, is what you want for her, or rather, what do you think she wants."
Sho holds out his hand for Talion's ring. He glances up at the mysterious man, and then he disappears out of thin air. Sho stands there, a little lost and empty, he lowers his eyes to look at the ring in his palm. Gingerly, he touches it with his thumb, so delicately like how one would touch an exotic butterfly that happened to land in their palm. There was still a hint of warmth left on the ring, and Sho waited. For a second he didn't know how long Talion would be gone, and hesitated if he should go to rest or not, but then the thought turned immaterial when Talion appeared again.
He gave back the ring, and watched Talion set down his little barrel. His bloodless lips smiled, tight and bitter. "It is better than nothing." He said, knowing it is barely a comfort. He gazed at the house for a long moment, the nightmare house that had hunted them for two days. His shoulders relaxed a little, and then he asked Talion, distantly: "Do you think I was too harsh?"
Talion looks up in surprise, then glances at Erven, "To the elf? No. I think he needs...stability. Clear direction. Certainty. And perhaps just time. He's fragile. Whereas Lucky..." he looks quizzically at the dog then the elf and finally back to Sho, "...Lucky has fought by our side, stood toe to toe with that...Thing...warned us of danger, and never wavered." He smiles, watching her in the distance, "And now -- free of the house -- she seems the happiest she has been, if the capering is anything to judge by. I see no sign of pain. She deserves whatever will make her happy. Can she be restored? Can you speak with her?"
He stares long into the strange priest's eyes, so hard to read. So much of him is hard to read, each word seems to carry with it whole texts along with subtexts. Talion shakes his head and laughs a little self-consciously, "Or...did you mean something else?"
As the group attempts to make some sort of miserable camp in this miserable landscape, Onyx slips on his old chainmail, repacks his backpack, and sits not far from Talion and Sho - not quite within earshot unless he were specifically addressed.
He draws out the unidentified potion he retrieved from the Durst's coffer, uncorks it, dabs a little onto one finger and tastes it in an attempt to determine what it does.
After stowing it, he falls into a brief meditation - he feels magic power swelling within him since the collapse of the house, but it is not the holy power he expected. There is a moment of anxiety as he fears it is related to his heritage, but the warmth that spreads is not unlike that of Lathander's light. He sighs.
"I think our goal is clear. We were toyed with, humiliated. We're going to kill her." His eyes are still closed as he announces his intentions, so its a little unclear who he is speaking to. But, perhaps, he has found the start of a new path.
With Erven's cloak still clasped around his neck, he also starts to attune to it.
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Sho locks eyes with Talion for a short moment, his dry lips parted slightly, then he replies plainly, "No, that was what I meant."
"She is not my dog, and it is not my decision." He continues, his dark eyes are taut as he stares at the dog and the elf, and he speaks like he was a thousand yards away, "He can't keep expecting there will be someone there to throw the dog out of danger, or to carry it through the blades, or to make the call for him. He can continue to ask questions or opinions, but does he know what he wants to hear?"
His gaze rests on Talion again. “I can’t.” He answers, somewhat regretfully, “and I don’t speak dog.”
He pauses after Onyx’s statement, and turns to see the grumpy warrior armoured again, resting not very far from them. Onyx and Erven both seemed to have fervently made up their mind to slay the Countess, and Sho can’t say he shares their fury. He feels tired, and dull, and moreover - curious. He slowly turns back to Talion, “Where are you planning to go?“ He asks, sincerely.
Talion snorts, "Food usually speaks to dogs...but perhaps not her, at least not now. What do the undead eat? Do they sleep?" He seems genuinely curious, watching Lucky cavort.
He looks around, at the house from which they just escaped, at the decrepit outbuildings that they shelter in, at the forbidding forest, yet to be explored, and then finally at each of his companions, before turning back to Sho.
He speaks quietly at first, just to Sho, "We should stick together at least until we find somewhere safe to stay. Then...let's see what we find, eh?"
With another quick glance at their surroundsi -- so unlike what he was hoping for when he set out -- he takes a deep breath, and pitches his voice for all to hear, "I understand Onyx's feelings. We were toyed with, but were we humiliated? Think about it: We defeated her house, we freed her slaves, we stole her trinkets..." he grins at Onyx, "...and we rescued Lucky. I would call that a good day's work. Even a victory!"
He looks around to see if anyone shares his optimism, then shrugs. "Victory or not, though, to her we are ants. Before we risk being stepped on, we should find out more. We need to know if we can escape, and if not, what she wants...and if we do want to fight her, we will need allies." Again, he looks around to assess how his companions are reacting. "We are new here. We should not make ripples until we know what's what." Favours and alliances.
Finally, he looks directly at Onyx then at Erven, "We worked well together for a time. I think we can do that again, if we want to. And if there's one thing I have learned in my life is that there is strength in numbers. You only need a shared purpose. Me? I'd just like to leave this place, by the quickest route. But if we believe her then we can't: we should find out if she was lying."
Onyx nods as Talion speaks.
"For what its worth, I still think Lucky is a liability, spy, or worse. . . but I know how important he is to you, Erven. I know we cannot fight her now. Our blades need to be honed, our spirits reinforced, our armor hardened. But the horrors of that place, that place that she considers a minor test. . . she must answer for them. Not today, but someday."
He turns his head, staring off towards nothing in particular, the distance of the horizon.
"If you think you can leave, you can try."
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.
Talion shakes his head slowly, "Strength in numbers. I suggest we seek a village, if there are any. Though I would be interested in seeking one back the way we came..."
(( @DM: is the mist still blocking us in any directions? ))
Erven ignores Lucky for a while, keeping his eye on her out of the corner of his eye from time to time. He joins the conversation, stands up and walks over after he retrieves his items from the chest. All of you can tell that his mood is much calmer after Strahd leaves. He does look at the reforming house with disgust, but otherwise seems back to the way you met him on the caravan.
"I agree with you Talion. We have strength in numbers. Any of us alone (he pauses at that word) would not have survived that house. I ... wasn't myself back there. All I could think of was to survive. Instincts from survival in the woods, fighting alone, resurfaced. I saw Strahd once walking with my mother, when I was near death. I think he (and the house) got into my head. I'm feeling better now. I know that we all need to rest and eat, we will feel even better then. To any of you that I offended (he looks pointedly at Sho, and Talion), I am sorry. We may not agree about ... everything, but I know that I wouldn't be here without you. I would be stuck as a lost soul back in that house. I feel like I am stronger and sharper somehow since the horrors in that house. I would like to scout the woods around us briefly and then let's huddle together and get some rest. After that, maybe we should head back the way we came. How far away is Selgaunt? I wonder where Ruddy is in all of this mess - what do you think happened to the others in our group? That mist was all around...."
Perception : 18 Passive Perception : 15 (Due to Natural Explorer, this check is with advantage. 2nd roll : 14 )
After Erven takes a circle around their current position, he rejoins the other and helps to set up camp, taking watch, only requiring 4 hours of concentration and meditation to settle his mind, he will not sleep.
(Long rest, everyone agree?)
He monitors Lucky Bear for now, observing her behavior, trying to master his revulsion of a clearly undead being, thinking of her as she was, not as she currently is. If he sees any deterioration in her behavior or evidence that she is turning towards Strahd's will, he will reluctantly go along with Onyx's plan.
His question about direction is musing out loud, when he is taking a circle around the camp, he looks for evidence of their prior arrival, direction, direction of the caravan and direction of Selgaunt using his Natural Explorer / Ranger skills.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Bertolt will do a ritual over the chest although he does not think that it has any magic on it. In the end he thinks it prudent though due to what else has happened in the cursed place. As they get ready to rest for the night he plays a few songs to try and raise everyone's spirits. It is clear though that his heart is not exactly into it.
As you look all around you, you can finally begin to see some details about where you are. The slowly reforming wreckage of the house is on a slight hill. Surrounding the property on all sides is forest - dense and gloomy, the trees unnaturally close. You note two routes: one that you think is back the way you came a couple of days ago; and the other looks like it leads down into a valley of sorts. Further off in the distance, to the north and south, you think you can see large mountains. The mist is gone. If you had to guess, it would be early evening.
@Erven - [you don't have advantage, you just double your proficiency for the skill you want to use related to natural explorer and forests...]
You're pretty sure you see a path leading west that is familiar...looking at the ground, you notice 5 sets of tracks that roughly correspond to those in your party. You also see a bunch of wolf tracks in the area.
As for your desire to return to the caravan, you could follow this path. Looking around, the woods loom in on you and your group. Despite growing up in your village located in the Svalich Woods, you do not feel the familiarity here in this place...
@Bertolt and @Talion
The chest that Strahd left doesn't emanate any magic. Maybe it's just an oversight on her part? It IS a nice chest, after all....what could go wrong?
Out of the house, you feel lighter and you decide to make camp here (near or in one of the buildings on the grounds?)
Everyone wants a long rest? Who's taking watch?
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
Sho stayed silent listening to Talion’s speech, he crossed his arms and leant forward again in the usual defensive and insecure posture, stared at somewhere on the ground. His pale face lit by his glowing circlet, the gleam in his eyes black and wet. He moistened his lips with the tips of his tongue. He still felt he needed to stay, but then it seemed imperative to help the others find the way home. “We set out tomorrow, if we can find the way back.” He tells Talion, his voice clinical but sure.
He sat for another few more moments, listening to the elf rambling on and the scholar’s music. He waited until everyone settled down and the silence ensued. “Go to sleep,” he speaks up, “I’ll take the first watch.”
Onyx stares at Sho for a few moments, unsure of what the shady cleric had planned.
"Wake me up when you're ready to swap."
He gathers his belongings best as he can and starts to take a long rest.
(Any luck ID'ing that potion?)
Another medical problem. Indefinite hiatus. Sorry, all.