[IC Thread] Expedition to Castle Ravenloft

[Paramour Pink]

Hearing no immediate response to their yelled challenges, Celia kept her weapon and shield ready regardless. Something was placing their gnoll guide especially on edge, and she had already seen that, even with alert sentries, only the resourceful halfling was capable of seeing through illusions. Attempting to walk quietly, she moved over to the sleeping spot of Peter, crouching low beside him.

“Listen really carefully,” she said in soft apprehension, pausing only to let the unnatural silence speak for her. “No sound. Something is out here, Sir Bevonte, and it's worse than the parlour mage. We should go.”

Spoiler

Show

My vote is on going.

[Daimbert]

Alexia

Alexia sheathed her weapons and called Hymie back to her side. She shrugged, "Unless someone really needs more sleep right away, I have no problem with just moving on. Maybe once the sun comes up and this fog clears out we can stop for breakfast.".

[Inspectre]

Peter sighs and keeps his voice low, loud enough only for Celia to hear easily.

Spoiler

Show

"We must be careful not to allow ourselves to be harassed, bullied, and frightened at every turn. Otherwise when the true threat reveals itself we will not have the strength for a direct confrontation. Nonetheless, if a retreat is what you and the others want, I will certainly not camp out in the woods alone."

Spoiler

Show

I don't have a preference either way in regards to stay or go. However, I am curious as to what sort of penalties we will be taking the next day for the missed sleep. Will the casters be able to refresh their spells? Will we all be taking fatigued penalties?

[Rathgar]

Big McLargehuge

"I concur, let us continue."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

You pack up the camp site quickly, and during the short few minutes you notice that the mist does not abate in the slightest. The group travels toward your destination while maintaining constant contact with the road, and after several minutes you begin to see a huge shadow on the horizon. A minute of walking later and you're standing in front of a two-story tall archway made of smooth dark stone. An iron portcullis blocks passage through the stone archway, and a large stone wall extends around it through the mist. Through the slots of the portcullis you can see a vaguely humanoid shape approaching in the mist.

Grrark recognizes the stone archway as belonging to the township of Barovia, but he remembers that Barovia was still an hour's march away.

[Paramour Pink]

Celia Kristina

Celia had to pause and peer at the mass of shadow. When it revealed itself to be only the entrance to the town, she sighed in intense relief. For the first time during that day, she sheathed her sword confidently, seeing that their safe haven was only moments away. She walked towards the animal with a pleasant smile.

“I'm impressed.”

Knowing the guard was approaching, the girl then tried to gently usher the gnoll away from the front of the group.

“For now, try to stay out of sight. If the town-guard sees you, they might misunderstand, and lock us all out. But I'll try to convince them to let you in. You deserve safety as much as the rest of us.”

The girl strode slightly ahead of the group to meet the messenger half-way. Everything about the dour fog and dank darkness was unsettling, and although the guards were likely used to their homeland, it would have made the town watch a little more tense if she huddled next to her group without showing any confidence in speaking alone. She made sure to clear her throat before the man approached.

“Hello, I have a group of four with me. We'd like to rest in your town, although I'd prefer to stay for some time.”

[Inspectre]

Although he did not feel well rested, for the moment Peter felt as if he had gotten enough sleep to continue the journey. He was not sure how capable the others who had not gotten as much sleep would be in combat. Again he felt a flush of anger at being bullied by a bunch of cheap parlor tricks. Now armed and armored, he was far more dangerous and any would-be harasser would pay the price.

Reaching the mist-shrouded gate, Peter marveled a bit at its construction, still refusing to believe that this was all anything more than some deranged dream. It was equally unbelievable that his mind was capable of coming up with such vivid scenery, but neither could he accept that he had simply stumbled upon his ancestral homeland when countless generations had valiantly searched for years without success. Allowing Celia the lead in speaking with the gatekeeper, Peter kept a wary eye on the mist as he waited to be allowed entrance.

[Uncle_Putte]

The approaching shape is difficult to make out in the mist and the dark, but roughly humanoid, and it moves with a widely swaying gait accompanied by the faint jingle of metal, chainmail being likely. Rather than humanoid, when viewed closer, it seems the shape ahead turns out to be a small humanoid mounted on the back of a large, mangy beast of a hound barded with chainmail. The rider himself, now apparent to be a rather scruffy-looking halfling, is wrapped in a leather raincoat of sorts and carries a lance loosely tucked under his arm. Puffs of steam gout into the misty air from the open maw of his mount. He takes his time on his approach to the gate, and listens to the woman apparent to be the leader of the group. He takes a painstakingly long time to examine the travelers before responding.

"Not my town, but welcome to Barovia anyway. Ain't much rest to be had, though, I'm afraid. On the note, might not want to keep the blade in sheath either."

The odd halfling dismounts, and sets to opening the gate after the few words he volunteered.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The portcullis creaks and groans as it raises up. Bits of dust and chips of stone fall from the archway as the ancient gears raise the portcullis up into an open position.

[Daimbert]

Alexia

As the large gates noisily opened, Alexia remarked, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

And they'd never managed to stop for breakfast, either. She didn't like the idea of dying on an empty stomach.

[Paramour Pink]

Celia Kristina

Celia frowned, her sense of relief tainted despite the lack of any objections after the long examination. She nodded to the guard, placing her hand on her hilt, mulling over the thought of a township where the guards advised an unsheathed sword policy. Backtracking to the group as the portcullis creaked and coughed its maw open, she paused before them only long enough to have most of their attention.

“We've got the all clear, but the guard makes it sound like we aren't much more secure behind guarded doors than we are before them.” She shrugged, “If any of you feel unsafe, consider bunkering in the same inn. At least you'd have a familiar face around. Otherwise, I hope you all find what you want in Barovia. I know I will.”

Instead of going ahead, the girl paused. Celia reluctantly looked to the knight, tipping her head towards the open gate. “Sir Bevonte, there's still an issue we need to speak on. Walk and talk?”

[Daimbert]

Alexia

Alexia was slightly taken aback by what seemed to be a dismissal from Celia.

While I guess there was no reason to think that we'd really be a group, I'd kinda hoped it might be, with the investigation of the deaths and all. Oh, well. So much for that; I'll just have to see how it all works out in the end.

"Well, nice knowing ya ..." she replied, low enough that Celia probably wouldn't hear it.

Regaining her normal boistrous spirits despite her lingering feeling of dread, she turned to the other members of her party as Celia and Peter drifted a bit away from the main group, "I don't really feel like wandering around a strange town all by myself, especially when there might be a scrap. And Ark might be a bit better received if he's got some people with weapons to vouch for 'im. So, wanna all go around together? Whadaya wanna do? I'm up for some food first, but after that I'll have all the energy in the world so I'll pretty much be up for anything!

"Unless, of course, some of you really need to spend some time alone. I'm cool with that, too."

[Inspectre]

Peter Bevonte

Peter frowns at Celia's immediate dismissal of the group, but nods at her. "One moment ma'am."

He turns to the others in their group. "Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I find it damn strange we all found ourselves in the same place at the same time. For myself, I was about to enter into a battle with some orcs before a mist much like this swept over the battlefield, and I found myself in front of that tavern. Something is going on here, and it seems like we're surrounded by danger. After we get into town and all have gotten some much needed sleep, I say we all get together in whatever passes for a tavern in town and discuss things. We have a much better chance of getting to the bottom of this and avenging that butchery we witnessed if we work together. But if you want to take your chances alone, that's your choice. Think about it. I hope to see you all at the tavern tonight."

Turning away from the group, Peter moves up to Celia, walking along beside her while speaking in a lower tone.

Celia:

Spoiler

Show

"I think that splitting up is a mistake. Much as we have little reason to trust each other, we have even less reason to trust our surroundings. Something brought us all together at that tavern at the same time, and until we figure out why it's dangerous to isolate ourselves. Now, what did you want to speak with me about?"

[Rathgar]

Bereter

"I don't know about you chaps, but I'm going to the local bar and offering my services as an entertainer. I couldn't possibly work out as bad as the last time I tried that. Besides, I could use a couple of drinks right about now."

[Uncle_Putte]

The halfling in the raincoat mounts his dog anew, and spends a while listening the exchange of ideas between the adventurers. He remains passive, taking no part in the discussion at first, before finally adding to his previous welcoming.

"S'pose I wasn't being clear enough. The town's not... safe." The edge of his lip twitches upward a little at the turn of the phrase. "And I certainly am not the gateguard to this place either. As far as I know, the townsfolk aren't in the position to fulfill their duties or offer hospitality, but rather have their hands full at not getting eaten."

He pauses for a moment, before thoughtfully adding "And they're really making a hash out of even that."

[ixious]

looking around cautiously, Grr'Ark whispers "Nowhere is safe in Barovia" and follows Peter "and I believe it best we stay together"

[Daimbert]

Alexia

Alexia's patience snapped at the last words of the halfling rider.

"Okay, why don't you just stop beating around the bush and just tell us what the heck is going on in there?!? Are they under attack? Do they need our help? Is there a battle going on right now? Why aren't you helping, if it is?"

She stopped, took a deep breath, calmed herself, and continued, "Look, we've come a long way, and had a rough night. So either you tell us what's going on in there in full or ... well, we'll figure it out ourselves, no thanks to you!".

Reflecting on her last statement, she guessed that she hadn't managed to calm herself all that much. But she was tired of the run-around, tired of not knowing, tired of being left in the dark about all these things ... and, admittedly, tired of coming across so many hostile situations without being able to hit something. Right now, she really wanted to hit something ...

[Paramour Pink]

Celia Kristina

Celia surreptitiously checked behind her, assuring herself they were largely out of earshot. A smug half-smile started playing on her lips.

“I'd appreciate if you didn't dangle hints of destiny around when dealing with me,” she said. “I'm not a child.

Peter:

Spoiler

Show

“I wanted to talk about the slaughter. All I'm seeing right now are dead ends, and more dead bodies if we don't act. And if he isn't the official gatekeeper,” she angled the grip of her sheathed sword to point at the mounted halfling, “but it's as dangerous as he claims, then the town guard are using any auxiliary numbers they can find. They're likely overwhelmed by the problems in their own township. It's pointless mentioning some fringe hamlet that doesn't have any wealthy or blessed among the dead – how much more help are we going to get than a nice, hearty shrug?”

She shifted impatiently in her full plate, but found the familiar weight of her steel skin surprisingly comforting, despite having looked forward to taking it off in town. The atmosphere and the mention of her anticipated resting spot being unsafe had discomforted her more than she first recognized.

“Gods forbid you be worth anything if you don't have gold in your pocket or faith in your heart,” she muttered angrily.

“I don't know how to deal with this, but I thought you might. There has to be something more. Hoping that an excitable doom-sayer, or a wizard that could spend her free time studying safely, or even that strange bard are all going to want to pit themselves against werewolves and whatever else for the sake of others is just too unlikely. I think the gnoll . . . actually cares about the people here, but he's the only guarantee. So,” she whispered, staring up into his eyes as though they were divining orbs; hoping they could see a brighter future than she did, “was that speech to persuade them the best gambit we've got, or do you have another move in mind?”

[Inspectre]

Walking alongside his momentary compatriot, Peter was intrigued by the possible reasons for her words. She seemed to treat the gods and anything resembling a divine plan with utter disdain, and Peter wondered what was the cause. Pressing for such information from a nigh-total stranger would only anger her, and so for now Peter simply choose to tread carefully.

Celia:

Spoiler

Show

"Destiny is nothing more than a series of fortuitous coincidences arranged by mortal beings, the gods, or the sheer perversity of existence. And I never said that this was Destiny, merely that it was a very strange coincidence that all of us met at the same place in time. Particularly from my point of view, where I know I was nowhere near here until a mist swallowed me up and spat me out in front of that tavern. Maybe all of this is some inconcievably grand illusion, or just a demented dream in my mind or yours. But if it isn't then something brought me here, and I suspect several of the others if they were to tell the truth about how they found themselves in front of that tavern. That implies that there is a reason for this to happen, even if that reason is some insane mage simply wants to toy with us for awhile."

Peter shrugs, his cloak and armor concealing most of the motion.

"In answer to your question, I think persuation is probably our best and only method of convincing them to help us. My experience has been that a forced participant does the poorest job, and my guess is that they would become even more unreliable than they already are. And if they flatout refuse, what are we going to do, physically force them to join us? A waste of resources. While I cannot imagine anyone sane would want to leave the slaughter we witnessed unavenged, particularly while within the beasts' own hunting grounds, their decisions I will respect. Besides, they have all already agreed to come here, when they could have instead fled together in the opposite direction. I think these people may surprise us yet."

Peter nods towards the town, presumed to be somewhat further ahead along the mist-shrouded road.

"And if instead they prove to be only what you think they are, then we will simply need to find other capable individuals within the town. Those people will presumably be *very* motivated to see an end to these beasts. We cannot succeed without more people unless we can instead devise a brilliant strategy."

[Uncle_Putte]

"Er, well...", the halfling double-takes in a somewhat sheepish manner; "Thing is, I'm not telling mostly because I don't really know either. To put it all down briefly, I just got here meself the other day, and the town's been chuck full'o zombies and gods-know-what. It's a big, ungodly eating contest out there. And as for doing something about it, well, takes a bit more than a knee-high man with a sharp stick and his two dogs to handle this kind of stuff." He seems to feel as if having regained at least some of his dignity after the rather stern talkdown from Alexia. He continues on a less defensive tone; "By all accounts, I can't even tell for sure how the numbers look. I haven't seen a soul out yet, and I've only skulked around the outskirts far enough not to get bitten. Frankly, I've been on the verge of high-tailing it for a good while now, and propably would have if it weren't for the fact that I don't even know whether out of town is any safer than in it. So, by all means, if you intend to go downtown, do keep that blade at hand."

He draws back into an indignant silence. The dog he rides upon hangs it's maw open widely with it's tongue flopping out, as if having a laugh at it's masters' plight.

[Daimbert]

Alexia

Alexia sighed. She turned to include the others. "Great. Now what do we do? Sweep the village and try to kill all the zombies? Move on? Come back later? Any ideas?"

She turned to look at Peter and Celia, who still stood a small bit away from the group.

"Maybe when Celia and Peter finish their pow-wow, they might have some suggestions. I know that Celia will; she always does."

[Paramour Pink]

Celia nodded at a fair pace, agreeing with some of what was said.

Spoiler

Show

“Without a legion of common folk fighting towards exalted goals, I can tell this is no dream of mine. You're mistaken if you think I have a taste for tyranny, and I wouldn't hate being proven wrong on my assumptions. But I wouldn't have them if they weren't normally right. It makes sense that you're suspicious of this place, though, my story isn't nearly as strange. A steady march got me here.”

With that said, the girl started only idly paying attention to the unknown halfling's explanation of what was going on – until he mentioned zombies. Her blue eyes instantly went wide in surprise. When she heard the town was unsafe, she expected cut-throats and high crime, not creatures created from cruel magic. Hearing his want to leave, she purposefully stepped away from the blonde knight and into a gap where none of the group did, as though she intended to stop him from going anywhere.

“Stranger, in the space of a few hours, we've been subject to illusionists with a dark sense of humour, and have strong evidence that werewolves own the woodlands. This may not be your town, but make a stand here anyway. You'll be safer than if you rode off alone.”

Celia turned to the group, considering the new acquaintances, wondering if any of them truly considered leaving the town to its fate. The thought made her expression darken, the frown she gained then deeper than when she had first heard her sword was going to be handy in town.

“We all learned just how hopeless it feels to be surrounded by monstrosities. There are whole families right now going through the same. This isn't a fight that we should run from . . . not the least of which when we have a weapon on our side that pushes the odds in our favour.”

She smiled towards Sir Bevonte, before looking back to the larger group.

“The undead are terrified of holy men. Whole hoards run from them.” A brief pause came then, covered only with a small cough. She had to force herself to curb a comment about the undead being far from mindless if they were smart enough to avoid his kind.

“Sir Bevonte, Eldant, and our informative halfling are who need to speak up the most if a viable plan is to be made. Between the three of you especially, we'll be able to figure out how to route the undead, where the necromancer responsible might have hide himself, and how to strike at him. Though if we could just get a consensus to try and sweep the streets, I wouldn't mind setting out now and making it up as we go along. The best laid plans normally fall to pieces anyway..”



Summary: (Because it's easier this way)

Spoiler

Show

1. Hey, halfling we don't know, help fight for the town anyway.

2. We were scared, now families in Barovia are scared. Let's help so no one's scared anymore.

3. The people that understand necromancy and magic should plz speak up especially to make a plan, otherwise let's just bust in their and make a difference.

[Inspectre]

Peter stops dead in his tracks at the mention of the undead, whirling upon the halfling.

"Did you just say the foul living dead are loose upon the town!?"

Peter practically spits the words out, and he can feel bile rising in the back of his throat at the thought of unliving abominations moving freely throughout the town. He struggles to control his temper as Celia speaks, until finally as she concludes he loses the fight.

"Enough!" He shouts, removing his spiked chain from his belt to unfurl the weapon in one smooth motion, slapping it against the ground and stirring up a small cloud of dust. "There is no time for uncertainty! There is only enough time to choose!"

Raising one hand from his weapon, Peter sweeps it around in an arc, pointing at each assembled person in turn. "Innocent people are dying, their bodies then defiled with a mockery of life! Assuming our letter was true, these people have already lived in fear of being devoured, but now something far worse has happened to them. Whether related to their current troubles or not, some pervert has chosen to desecrate the natural order, raising their loved ones from the dead to consume their living brethren! So now it comes down to a simple choice for each of you, and one that you alone can make. Are you willing to use your talents, whatever they may be, to protect helpless innocents? Or do you seek to preserve your own life no matter the cost to your soul?"

Peter switches from pointing at the assembled group to the mist-shrouded road presumably leading down to the town proper.

"If you choose the path of the hero, then you will walk down this path with me. Together we shall find and rescue any survivors from their corrupted neighbors, friends, and family. We shall purify the town of the undead filth, and punish the one responsible so that EVERYONE will forevermore understand the price for raising abominations!"

Peter points back towards the gate they had just recently passed through, already lost to the mists.

"If you choose the path of the coward, then you are free to leave. Go somewhere else, wherever you wish, but never come back. You will not be welcome here. I will ensure it, for after I have finished putting every last corpse back in the ground where it belongs, I will tell the survivors of your choice. How you chose not to help them, because you were scared, because you were weak, because you simply didn't care, or whatever other reason you conjure not to help. It doesn't matter, because in the end you chose yourself over others. And while you might live longer, or not depending on if the wolves are hungry, someday you will reap the consequences of your actions. Someday, you too will be hurt and alone. And there will be no one to help you, because you sacrificed them all to the monsters first."

Peter turns away from the group, determinedly starting to walk down the road again. As he goes, he calls over his shoulder.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have some new graves to dig and a town to save. Those of you who choose to come with me, we shall discuss strategy on the way. Those of you who do not, I have nothing left to say to you except 'Goodbye'."

[Daimbert]

Alexia

Wow. And I thought _I_ was headstrong ....

Alexia put the rants about the way of the hero or the coward behind her; he'd always taught her that when you weren't ready or too tired for a fight there was no shame or cowardice in stopping, taking a break, and coming back later. Only when you had no choice did you have to suck it up and go off to fight anyway. And that might not be the case here.

But what should she do? If she and the others turned away, Peter would likely charge in anyway ... and get killed. Was resting worth losing such a powerful member of the party, as well as anyone else who might follow along?

Was this a way for her to help and prove that maybe trying to do good was worth something? Or was this just another opportunity for her to screw-up? Should she even bother trying anymore?

But ... HE wouldn't have let someone run off to die on their own, if there was any chance of winning or saving them ... or, in this case, maybe keeping them alive long enough for a retreat and regroup. HE would have stopped to help this town, and fought with the best of his ability and in the best possible conditions, which would include the amount of help available.

She could do no less.

Steeling herself, she drew her blades and hurried to catch up with Peter, Hymie following at her heels.

OOC - Okay, a really long way of saying "She moves out towards Peter" [grin].

[Paramour Pink]

Celia steadily went from shock a the outburst too a smile that exploded into an outright grin. The only sound of agreement she made her sword sliding happily from its sheath. She immediately turned away from the indecisive, walking quickly until she was beside the enraged man.

Spoiler

Show

Just didn't like the dialouge, so I deleted it.

[Uncle_Putte]

The halfling listens to the young knight's reasoning with thought, and seems to be considering his options carefully when the man with the whip looses it. The halfling visibly leans back in saddle in face of the torrent of zeal. As one by one the people present storm off towards the village, he gives a shrug and a resigned sigh. He mutters aloud, more as a gesture than directed towards anyone in particular;

"I figure there was a clever saying about a frying pan and fire that fits quite accurately with what I'm feeling right now, but frankly, I ain't in the mood to recite it no more. Looks like it'll be a long night, Mauthe."

He gives his mount a little ruffle behind the ears, then bobs it into following the rest of the group with his knees. The other, saddlebag-laden dog of the pair obediently trails off after the rider.

[Holocron Coder]

The mage is eager to start on a plan that would enhance their own survival, only to have such a hope dashed at the whim of the chain-wielder, whose name she could not remember.

Foregoing a lengthy speech, Eldant shakes her head in irritation and hustles after the progressing pair, going over the spells locked in her mind even as she mutters under her breath.

Once she catches up, she comments, "I have a few spells useful against the undead, but not many. I was not prepared for this eventuality. Only recently I was traveling peaceful countryside, free of anything but an angry animal or such.

[Inspectre]

Peter looks back to see that a majority of their traveling troupe had decided to come along, and smiled to himself. He slowed to allow them all to catch up, and then started off again, talking on the way.

"Alright. We have no idea what the situation in town is, and we need to know at least two things: where the survivors are hiding, and what sort of undead we're facing. Specifically, we need to know if we're fighting your typical necromancer's zombie horde, or incorporeal or intelligent undead. Incorporeals will ignore any sort of physical barrier, which means if there's a lot of them we'll need to gather the survivors and flee town because there will be no way to stop them from getting in. Intelligent undead will also complicate things, although barriers will at least slow them down."

Peter looks around at the mist surrounding the party and frowns.

"Unfortunately, this mist makes scouting difficult, and I'd rather not send someone off alone when it will be impossible to know if they're in trouble. So here's what I think we should do. We should just group up and go straight in. We'll make our way to the centers of town: the local shop, the church, the mayor's residence, and the tavern. It's likely any large group of survivors have gathered naturally in those areas. On the way we'll look for any barricaded residences, which would suggest people are hiding inside. We'll convince them to come out if we can, and join us. We'll also keep any eye out for any easily defended structures that we can duck into along the way should we become overwhelmed by the undead."

Peter momentarily comes to a halt in the road, coiling and uncoiling the chain in his hands as he turns to look back at the others.

"Does anyone have suggestions or changes to this plan? I do not know your exact skills, so I do not know what other capabilities you could give the group as a whole."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Tall shapes loom in the dense fog, and the muddy ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobblestones. A dilapidated wooden sign reads "Welcome to the Township of Barovia." As you grow closer, the shape resolve themselves into whose windows are broken, boarded and lightless. Nothing moves nearby, though the fog limits visibility. Faint sounds, as if something groaning, echo hollowly from somewhere deeper in the settlement.

The initial few buildings appear abandoned, burned out or barricaded. The dense mist chokes the area and limits visibility to a few dozen feet ahead. Garbage litters the streets and a deep carrion scent assaults your noses. Directly ahead an overturned haycart blocks the street.

Spoiler

Show

Place yourselves anywhere in the red area, then roll initiative please.

[Daimbert]

Alexia

As they moved through the gates and got their first look at the town and the mist that filled it, Alexia felt a wave of nostalgia. She then turned to Peter and said, "Peter, since you seem to be pretty good at tactics, how would you like us to position ourselves to start exploring?"

OOC - Alexia is, for both IC and player reasons, deferring where she gets placed in the red area to Peter.