romania ♔ in the end of the night i can feel you breathe

[pickyourbattles]

♬ Night - Zola Jesus

WHO || Willow, Paige, Nathan, Henry, Aurelius, Dovan [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights travel to Romania to investigate a mysterious, magical fog
WHERE || Romania
WHEN || April 11th [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

February in Romania isn't very comfortable, so hopefully everyone bundled up for this little trip into the countryside.  The appearance of a mysterious bank of fog into which several locals have gone inexplicably missing upon entering, has caused Wynn to speculate that it might be connected to the mist that appears when the Veil brings people from other worlds.  Could this be the first instance of a door going the other way?  If so, here's hoping it's a round trip...

Comments

[pickyourbattles]

We'll bring her back safely. [ s-such optimism. OFF THEY GO ]

[wanttobeahero]

[ Well, like everything else on this mission so far, Henry figures it'll be interesting no matter what. Whether that's bad or good remains to be seen. He's...semi-optimistic. But he stands up and heads outside, waiting for the rest of the group. Best not to lose track of each other even a little. ]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[They set off again, south of the wall. Fortunately this section of the town seems to be relatively quiet still. As they travel down the path, they hear the occasional scratching within the boarded up houses they pass, and see figures in the distance shuffling down the alleyways.]

[An aged and dilapidated mansion squats behind a rusting iron fence, but the gates have been twisted open - one lies torn from it's hinges, and the other swings crazily in the wind, screeching and clanging in mindless repetition. The house beyond is marked by claws, fire, and ominous stains. Corpses lay all about the courtyard in disarray, the remains of the risen dead and servants of the house. Every window of the house is yet boarded, and the door is barricaded and reinforced.]

[pickyourbattles]

Maybe we shouldn't cause too much noise, in case we attract more of those creatures here.

[autorevive]

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll be quiet. But it was better to face them all at once than be taken by bloody surprise, wasn't it?

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[Surprise! There's a creaking noise as a small panel flips open on the doorway, just large enough to permit a crossbow quarrel, and a fierce glaring eyeball.]

[A woman's voice, sharp and deadly serious, says;] Keep your distance, and state your business. No sudden moves.

[somepagesturn]

[Paige squeaks and grabs Willow's shoulders... and then realizes that as the oldest person here she should probably... not be the frightened mouse.] W-we're looking for Ireena Kolyana?

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

Well you've found her. [She sounds frustrated.]

Did my fool of a brother send you?

[olreliable]

Send us? No. [I mean they came on their own. The had found the letter separately from anything else they've learned.] We just heard people are worried about you.

Including Kolyan Indirovich? [The guy from the letter? maybe that will help? It's her best guess.]

[pickyourbattles]

We thought we might escort you back to the town. It's safer there. There are certainly more of us.

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

I don't think Kolyan has much of anything to worry about now... He was poisoned many days ago by that monster, Strahd.

I'd love to accompany you, but I can't leave his body here unguarded. My coward of a brother, and the servants have already left him here. It's my duty to look over him, until we can give him a proper burial. And I'll not move him an inch so long as the dead are walking.

[autorevive]

Burials, shmurials. Can't you just set him on fire? Has cremation not been invented yet? I've got a lighter in my pocket.

[somepagesturn]

[hissing:] Nathan. [Then at Ireena:] Why, ah... did Strahd poison him?

[autorevive]

[he makes a face like WHAT I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP!!!]

[pickyourbattles]

[ meanwhile aurelius has started squinting at the woman's words weirdly over here, the little cogs in his head turning ]

[olreliable]

If he found you, then why did we find this letter...? And a map? And.. wouldn't it be better if we were there to guard him too anyway?

[Okay maybe she shouldn't keep asking questions.]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[Still barely visible beyond the narrow hole in the door, she does remove her crossbow and set it down, tiring of holding it at the ready.]

Cremation might seem more prudent, given the zombies. But Kolyan is... was the Burgomaster. There are traditions we must follow.

I trust the walls of this old house more than that heap of scrap barricading the town square... [Her fingers slip out the small opening.] Can I see that letter you spoke of?

[pickyourbattles]

[ aurelius takes the letter and slides it through but as he does, he starts trying to peer through the slit to get a better view ] It's here. But--

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[She quickly snatches it away, and pulls a candle close to read it. If anyone else is trying to sneak peeks like creeper Aurelius they can attempt a spot check DC12 to get a better look at the woman as she's looking over the note.]

[After a moment, she speaks up;] This is nonsense. This isn't even Kolyan's handwriting. [She hands the note back to Aurelius.]

[somepagesturn]

Do you... Do you think it could have been Strahd?

[SINCE HE IS CLEARLY BEHIND EVERYTHING AROUND HERE.]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

It could... Wait here a moment. [She disappears back into the house, and can be heard rummaging through drawers and sheaves of paper. She returns after a few moments, and produces another slip of paper through the hole.]

They certainly look similar.

[The paper is a "Writ of Taxation" demanding funds from the coffers of Barovia be paid to the lord of the castle. It is signed 'Count Strahd von Zarovich, Lord of Barovia' and the handwriting is a dead-on match for the letter they have.]

[autorevive]

That bastard! [so helpful.]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

Bastard doesn't even begin to describe how vile he is. As if poisoning my father wasn't enough, he sent a thief in later, something evil under cover of night, to steal away with the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.

With the priest Danovich gone mad, and that holy symbol lost, there's nothing left protecting this cursed town from Strahd's minions.

[olreliable]

There's us! [That... probably isn't accurate at all.]

[pickyourbattles]

[ yeah aurelius failed that spot check but he's paying careful attention to her words, biting his lip as he looks over the writ and nodding absently at willow's assertion ] It hardly sounds like it's safe here, then, if poison and thieves are finding their way behind your walls. We could help you bring the body back to the city proper, for a burial.