NEW CAMPAIGN - RAVENLOFT 1983

"I am Ezmerelda d'Avenir. I'm a vampire hunter, for a lack of a better description. I crept into this area many nights ago to try and analyze the occupants of this land in hopes of learning more about how to destroy the Dark Lord. I know what the Abbot is up to, I was hoping one night Strahd would appear so that I may kill him. I am the Abbots guest, he lets me come and go as I please. But my goal is to kill Strahd outside of his castle."

"Maybe we can work together?" She offers.

“Well, given that you’re the first person besides Ireena to seem even slightly sane, I’m all for it! What do you guys think?”

"Agreed!  We can be of mutual assistance, as we too share your same goals.  It would seem that Strahd has been at work here in the city.  The Abbot seems quite odd, don't you think?"

Imryll carefully eyes Ezmerelda.  Not in a devious or untrusting way.  Just giving her an insightful once-over.

Perception roll (15) - do I notice anything odd/untrusting/worrying about her?

(OOC: HOLY #@^&#@.  That was a nat 20 roll.  Something is off with my gaming this campaign.  I've rolled 20s twice, and no 1s.  Strahd must be at work here...)

Jesus, now you're rolling good? What's up with you. She is absolutely sincere =)

"What information have you been able to gather to help us bring Strahd  down?"

She sits on one of the cots.

"I am a Vistani. I am the protege of Rudolph van Richten, one of Strahds greatest enemies. When I was a little girl, my family kidnapped a child and offered it to Strahd as tribute. The child was the son of van Richten. Van Richten tracked down my family, and spared our lives because we told him where Strahd was taking him. I felt so bad. I can still hear the boy's screams of mercy in my sleep."

"I ran away from home when I was 15 and intercepted van Richten in his search for his boy. We both went together to go find him, only to find his son turned into vampire spawn by Strahd. We killed his boy. We had no choice. It was the most heartbreaking thing i've ever done. I remained by van Richten's side for two years, hunting and slaying the creatures of the night. The problem is, we bickered constantly, and we parted ways a while back, but we are still friends. I continued my vendetta on my own. One night a werewolf named Kiril attacked me and bit off my leg below the knee. Thus, the prosthetic, which i'm sure you noticed. I was sidelined for months during my adjustment and recovery."

"The reason i'm here in Barovia is that i've heard that van Richten is here, somewhere, in this land, hunting Strahd. So what can I offer? What do I know? Over the years, I have learned to fight masterfully, and cast spells. I know my way around Castle Ravenloft, as well, the last time I was there with van Richten, we barely escaped with our lives."

"Make no mistake. Strahd is extremely powerful."

Grishkar seemed to regain a fragment of his old confidence and personality at mention of Kiril, "It just so happens I avenged you unintentionally! You may go speak with the Abbot when you find the notion and you will notice your amputator in a manner of forced servitude to our host. While you're there, please be so kind as to butcher my eight pets. I do so hate to seeing my works corrupted in service to another. They are tribute to my Master. If you are truly in a favor-granting mood, you may also plant an axe between our host's eyes." Grishkar flashes an obscene gesture back to the door they came through as though the Abbot was standing there.

"Then you have my thanks - my only regret that I couldn't be there myself to witness such an act.." She says as she unconsciously rubs her leg. "But I will not fight the Abbot."

"The Abott is an unusual creature. He is, without a doubt, the oldest, most powerful being in this realm, but he knows that if he were to defeat Strahd, Strahd would simply return in his form again. That is the nature of his being in this place. He is everything and everywhere. I believe the Abbot is trying to find a way for Strahd to leave this realm, so that he can truly be destroyed, hence the obsession of creating the perfect person - however in the Abbot's twisted vision. You would think fallen angels have better things to do, but he truly believes that he is a servant of the Morninglord. I will not trifle with the Abbot. I do not wish to risk death - I do this only to end the Dark Lord."

"I wish to join you in your quest."

"Indeed, we killed Kiril  just 3 days ago. Could this Van  Richten  be the ally the ***** woman spoke of? Or perhaps it was you, Ezmerelda. Speaking for myself, I'd welcome the help so long as you can hold your own, but we won't be staying here, once we've found what we seek we need to find the next artifact."

“Well, it just so happens that is visiting this place is part of that quest. We’re looking for the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, know anything about it? We think it might be in a nursery here.”

"Might you, Ezmerelda, know of where we can find an old nursery here in the Abbey?  We've been led to believe that the holy artifact we're searching for can be found somewhere in the nursery."

“I know exactly where the nursey is. Follow me.”

Kia accepts the woman into the group, trusting everyone's instincts. "I am Kia, it is good to find others dedicated to eradicating this evil." She follows Esmerelda closely, watching for danger.

Perception: 23

Ezmerelda leads you into the next few rooms. Description coming soon. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves =)

Kia muses out loud, mostly to herself? "The more I see of this land, the more unlikely it seems. Perhaps it is a test?" It is as if her thoughts and her instincts operate separately, as she continues to quest for danger with her senses.

Ezmerelda leads you into the next room, and then into the infirmary. (S20 to S21) There are many beds that line this room on both sides, as you can see on the map. The infirmary has three doors in it, clearly labeled OPERATING ROOM, NURSERY, and MORGUE.

The beds in the infirmary are empty and falling apart. There is an unnatural coldness in this room. Ireena and Ezmerelda ready their weapons, instinctively.

Martha opens the nursery door.

In the nursery are a bunch of old broken cribs, dusty and long ago broken. There are piles of trash and wood everywhere.

You can faintly hear infants crying...through the walls? As if they are being cut open or ripped apart alive.

Imryll starts searching through the piles of trash and wood in the nursery (Perception: 23), using the blade of her rapier to move the piles around and poke into them.

OOC: I assume Ireena and Ezmerelda are standing guard as I search, since they both drew their weapons?