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

[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.

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

I hadn't thought of it like that... In any event, I'd rather die in my home than a stinking old tavern.

You want me to leave, then get over to the old church, and figure out what's causing this mess. Save this miserable little town, and I'll be forever in your debt.[She says it with a tone of finality, and apparently an iron will to stand by her decision, with a Nat 20 Will roll to resist Aurelius' attempts to sway her.]

[Hopefully Willow's optimism only gets Nathan killed. Get it? Because he's immortal?]

[autorevive]

How do we know it's worth sa — [i'm going to assume everyone in the party looks at nathan like what the fuck shut ur mouth so he immediately changes his tune to] I mean, of course it's worth saving! Great place. We'll get right on that.

[somepagesturn]

We were on our way there, anyway. [said quietly, and then louder, for Ireena's benefit:] We'll do what we can.

[pickyourbattles]

We'll hurry. [ he nods his head, determined. ] Come on. [ do they know the way??? do they have a map??? do they need a navigate check? if so he got a 21 ]

[wanttobeahero]

[ It's been clear since they first got here that this place has seen a lot of horrors, the people have been through a lot, and for Henry, weirdly enough, it feels like the perfect mission because of that. They can't fix everything, but they've been able to help so far, and there's a chance to keep doing that now. To the best of their abilities, at least. So...whichever way they're going, he's more than ready to keep going. ]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[They can easily navigate the way. They backtrack to the town square, clamber over barricades, and proceed north. Before they know it, a sagging grey edifice of stone and wood stands atop a slight rise before them. Far in the distance, beyond the church looms the omnipresent Castle Ravenloft. Light flickers through the roof shingles and walls of the church. A hoarse chanting is audible within...]

[somepagesturn]

[Paige swallows as her ears catch the chanting.] Does everything here have to be so ominous and foreboding?

[autorevive]

Too bad we can't just torch it, yeah?

[wanttobeahero]

[ At this point, Henry is wondering if they'll ever find Dovan alive. Of course, he hates thinking that, but if he had to deal with all of this alone...well, it gives him a bad feeling. Even worse than that creepy chanting.

His voice is dripping with a mixture of sarcasm and sass as he responds to Nathan: ] You know, I was just thinking the same thing.

[olreliable]

[Willow is still going to be optimistic!! It's all she has going for her okay...]

Maybe they're... nice cultists?

[pickyourbattles]

Maybe we can try to peek in the windows, see what they're doing.

[olreliable]

Ooh! Good idea! [Is she tall enough for this? idek. She got a spot of 29 tho so if not, someone give her a damn boost.]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[They have to stalk around the side, before they can find a suitable window. The interior is ruined. Pews lay smashed and pushed around. All the walls and floors are marred by blood, delicately drawn in precise symbols. There is a massive hole in the floor at the church's center - Willow can only guess what it may lead to. (Probably a Hellmouth) At the back of the church, near the desecrated remnants of an altar, prays a gaunt looking cleric fitting the description they've gotten so far of the "Mad Priest" Danovich. He seems utterly focused on his ritual.]

[somepagesturn]

[I don't think any window is suitable enough for itsy bitsy under-five-feet Paige, so she probably has to get a boost up. Once she can see inside, she'll see if she can recognize any of the chanting/symbols (knowledge religion 27)]

[count_strahd_von_zarovich]

[Oh, Paige recognizes it. Just identifying the runes gives her an instant headache, and the realization of what is happening here sends chills down her spine.]

[This is the work of a powerful necromantic relic, the Liber Blaspheme. There are several such scrolls, all are copes of an original excerpt from The Book of the Damned.]

[Paige knows the specifics of the ritual: It creates a monstrous undead of terrifying power. That creature carries a powerful necromantic plague, which affects anything it touches and spreads like wildfire. She also knows it is a ritual that can only be performed on a loved one...]

[olreliable]

[between mega evil vibes in this town and the presence of undead already? Definitely thinking this is a hellmouth. She turns back and whispers to the others.]

That priest is in there, but... This really doesn't look good. Apocalypty levels of not good.

[somepagesturn]

[One really has to wonder what Paige has been reading to know all this....

Her eyes go wide as recognition sets in and she slinks back to the ground, looking like she might burst from fretting, if not from the headache she's now sporting.] Oh no, no, no... That's very, very bad necromancy. If he manages to pull that off, things are gonna get even worse around here.

[pickyourbattles]

I think... we might already be too late. [ knowledge religion 23 ] I imagine he's already completed the ritual - that must be where all these creatures have come from in the first place.

[somepagesturn]

Well, we have to do something.

[Like hopefully not bring the church collapsing down on their heads...]