NEW CAMPAIGN - RAVENLOFT 1983

"The less you know the better.  We're looking for something very specific which will help us against Strahd.  We think it's in your Abbey.  If you haven't been there in a hundred years you won't miss it."

OOC > Ha ha ha, I just spent 20 minutes composing a speech by Kia to convince Krezkov to let us in, but it was sounding unlike her, then I looked at her sheet and remembered she has a 10 Charisma and +0 in Persuasion...

Kia stays in the back, leaving the talking to the rest. She scans the road and the walls, making sure we are not being flanked or surprised.

Perception: 15

Wow, Bors, you're quite the charmer, there.. LOL.

Guys, the Burgomaster isn't quite convinced. Bors needs a little help. Lets see what the others have to say before the Burgomaster kicks you all out. =P Kia you don't sense any danger. These people are simply afraid of inviting Strahds wrath by inviting in his enemies into their village. Also, the Burgomaster seems a bit distraught. That's something you've noticed. He's not acting in a pushy, confident, or violent manner, he's just a scared man trying to protect his village.

OOC:  :) meant that in the context of "its for his own good."

“Bors, I believe that keeping them out of the loop may do more harm than good in this case. These people need to hear some good news. Sir, the bottom line is that it has been revealed that there is a powerful holy artifact inside the abbey. It is one of three things that can give this land hope.” Martha steps up to the man and clasps his hands, “We can’t say much about the item itself, we can’t give away our advantage over the vampire. I’m sorry for that. We’re still new here, but I’m going to need you to trust me. We are the best hope you have of protecting your village. I will do my best not let anything happen. On my life, I swear. May we have your permission?”

Bors looks at Martha, mouth agape.  He inhales as if to say something then stops.  Then he says "I meant that only for your own safety.  If you didn't know why we were here you could honestly claim ignorance if questioned later.  This way you can help us without repurcussions."

OOC: Huh, maybe this “honesty” thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be... Naaaah

OOC:  Think is, you said pretty much the same thing I did, just niiiiicer :)

As it turns out, Kia has a lot to say. She pushes forward after Bors' attempt at subtlety and Martha's forthrightness. The blood all down her front has faded to a caked brown.

"Why do you stop us? We are here to destroy Strahd. Do you want to consign your children to live under this same terror that keeps your bravery shackled? You are prisoners in your own homes, in your own village, pets kept by Strahd exactly as he wants you. Do you think your walls and timidness protect you? They do not, they merely afford Strahd some measure of surety that you will not threaten him. How many live in this town? How many used to live here? How do you survive within these close walls? What bargain have you struck for your sleepless nights and weary lives?"

"We can help, if you will get out of the way."

OOC > See? 10 Charisma.

OOC:  Well that paints a picture. :)

OOC: You see Darth, we all play the same character. Only difference is that Martha’s nice, Kia’s bloodthirsty, and Bors is stoic haha

OOC:  Split personality disorder?

OOC: We must re-fuse into a kind, stoic, bloodthirsty holy person... which might just be a Viking priest

Quote from JcAndD >>

OOC: We must re-fuse into a kind, stoic, bloodthirsty holy person... which might just be a Viking priest

OOC: Oh... oh wow. That makes sense. Honey is the true paragon

Haha. Honey. That was a great exchange guys. :)

The burgomaster sighs, and stands aside. “Very well. You may enter, upon two conditions. No, three. One, you stay in my house for tonight. Two, you cause NO trouble to me, or my people. And three, you listen to my story. You are right. You may be able to help us”

He leads you inside to his house. But not before saying. “I didn’t know cats could talk!”

More tomorrow!

Martha gives a big cheesy grin and two thumbs up to the rest of the group.

Kia rolls her eyes, a very human gesture she picked up somewhere, at Martha, the burgomaster, or both.

Imryll lovingly eyes one of the guards as they walk through the gates of the town.  The guard is just as mud caked and weary looking as she is, but appears to share a common affinity for the eau naturale look.  Imryll, ever the homely one, winks at the guard, who winks back.

OOC: Dumpstat Charisma - 8 - always comes in handy!  Birds of a feather...

THE BURGOMASTER'S TALE

When you arrive in the village proper, the mist-shrouded village beyond the walls you just came from are nothing more than a scattering of humble wooden cottages along dirt roads that stretch between stands of snow-dusted pine trees - so many trees, in fact, as to constitute a forest. To the northeast, gray cliffs rise sharply, and the road winding up to the abbey is easy to see from this vantage.

THE CONVERSATIONS INCLUDE INFORMATION LIKE:

- As you enter Dmitri's home, you are introduced to his wife, Anna, who is clearly mourning, and looks very depressed. There are four graves outside the burgomaster's home, yet they are all empty. The last of their four children has died of illness, and the Krezkovs are too old to have children anymore, so the family line will die when Dmitri passes. 

- A pool at the north end of the village provides fresh water throughout the year. Next to the pool, the village's ancestors built a shrine to the Morninglord in a gazebo. It's known as the Shrine of the White Sun. 

- The abbey is named after a priest of the Morninglord who took a stand against Strahd over a hundred years ago. After a fierce uprising, Markovia and her most loyal followers stormed Castle Ravenloft, only to be destroyed. The abbey was once a hospital and a convent, but it fell on hard times after the land was swallowed up by the mists. Some of the clergy fell prey to Strahd, while others went mad and either starved themselves to death or turned to cannibalism.

- The head of the abbey, a being simply called the Abbot, arrived over a century ago and hasn't aged a day since. He occasionally visits the Shrine of the White Sun but doesn't talk much, and he demands tribute in the form of wine. No one knows who he is, or where he came from. He is never hostile, and is always polite, and very pleasant. Some villagers think he is Strahd in disguise.

- No one visits the abbey anymore. The abbey's bell rings at odd times, day and night, and the place is filled with baleful screams and horrible, inhuman laughter that can be heard throughout the village.

You are free to visit the Abbey anytime, but no one in the village will join you, or leave the village.