Lady Fiona had her own agenda. Little concern for Strahd, "Why my family has had a long standing loyalty with the Von Strovich line." Her interests lie in her pure hatred of the town's Burgomaster, "What can you do to help rid this town of the troublesome oft?!" We left with no real answer, and dropped jaws when Xoji revealed, "Did you also pick up the fact she is evil?"
The next day proved long per preparations for the nights festival. A parade of unhappy children carrying a large wicker ball that was raised in the town square, doused with oil, and set ablaze. Well it would have blazed had the dark skies not opened to a deluge of rain. But what really stopped the festival was the vocal alarm "Tiger loose!" Someone released Rictavio's "pussy cat."
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Dom...Along night of Vistani celebration for the same return of Anabell. No idea of Bluto's fate (the drunken fisherman who tried to offer the girl up to the fish gods). As we entered town, we stopped at Lady Fiona's house only to be scheduled another 5pm dinner date. No time for a breakfast date? So we return to the lake in search of the rumored White Tower. Instead, we find a large stag shiftchange into human. My calls of greetings is answered with a lightning bolt to Xoji's chest! I think we found the mad wizard instead. Sitting ducks in our rowboat, we scramble to reason with the crazed blue-bearded codger. We speak of our fight against Strahd but the wizard acts as if he has no clue whom we speak. As he aims his finger for another cast, I quickly mention our silvered weapons to fight undead and evil. Accepted, we're invited ashore then whisked (teleported) to his magical abode. Grand vista and home but a clueless wizard, hiding behind some magical veil as he keeps pointing to his noggin, "Protect yourself, gotta keep him outa here." His magic beyond our knowledge; maybe the 'dusk elf' Cassamir has high enough Arcana to understand how we can get thru to the mad man. We say our goodbyes as teleported back to the southern shore for an easy walk back to town.
ReplyDeleteThat evening Lady Fiona opens her house and intentions. A pure hatred for the Burgomiester, she asks our help to remove him. Of most surprise is her lack of fear of Strahd. In facts she tells of the family heritage and "long standing loyalty with the Von Starovich line." Tour of the house: portrait of her noble husband now dead, lots of mounted elf heads, a dead garden out the back, and a stifling room with the hearth blazing on a hot evening. It's not till we've left when Xoji mentioned she shimmered with an aura of evil. Woulda been good to know sooner!
We return to the inn for a nightcap and chat with Rictavio. Tells of the "pussy cat" he's training for an eventual carnival show.
The next day we await the evening festival. The parade is led by a group of unhappy kids carrying a large wicker ball. Behind is the mayor and wife flanked by the large mastiff dogs. At the town square the ball is soaked with oil then lifted by chain and pulley into the darkening night as clouds roll in. And just as the flaming arrow is shot at the ball, rain pours down snuffing any flame. A lone guard makes the mistake of laughing at the scene; Isaac escorts him away. And that's when the scream erupted down the street to the east, "Tiger loose!" The crowd disperses in panic as we rush to the general store and Rictavio's wagon. And cross paths with the Wickter boys running toward us; one has a long scratch mark on his arm. At the wagon, the lock has been pried off. Ismarck finds the torn remains of a "Blinski" doll inside the wagon. Outside, blood drops float in bootprint depressions and paw prints suggest the cat headed southwest. We pursuit over walls and around houses telling guards we encounter how the Wickter boys may be involved. But when the young chapel gardener Milivoj tells spotting Isaac dragging Ireena away, we pursue a new threat! To the mayor's house! Enroute, we find the 'dusk elf' Cassamir who tells how he was separated from Ireena when the crowd panicked.
Ismarck...Thru the front doors, up the stairs, we find my sister Ireena held by Isaac. No reasoning can break his hold, "She is mine!" Domine cast "Hold" expecting to reason with him but I'm more interested in getting her free NOW. Blades swinging, Isaac free and fighting, when Dom cast the fatal wound from "Sacred Flame". Since we are here, we search the house. In another room, we find a chained prisoner (Udo) tortured by Isaac for spitting in his face. Udo knows nothing regarding the fate of others prisoners reported taken away by Isaac. We search the attic finding a room at the front of the house. Morthos cleverly disarms a warding glyph on a skull hung over the door (casts 'Mage Hand' to open the door). We enter to find 3 children frozen in a corner. But closer inspection reveals them to be manikins. I and Morthos approach a long box in the corner behind a large rug; we suspect it a vampire's coffin. But inside is only bolts of silk cloth and the beginnings of a wizard's robe. "Leave my robe alone!" The son Victor is invisible within the room. When questioned, he calls the manikins his "disobedient pupils." Are they his pretend students or did he transform real children into these manikins?!
ReplyDeleteOnly when we promise not to hard him does he materialize. He tells of the wizard book he found and how he trains to become a wizard himself. When questioned about the missing butler and chambermaid, he admits his involvement. How he "Obliterated" them in his experiments. Morthos advances with the false pretense of showing Victor a scroll so he can get close enough to stab him. Victor casts "Mirror Image" then "Hold" upon Morthos and Domine as he tries to explain himself. "OK, obliterate was a bad choice of words. I meant 'lost' them." He pulls back the rug to reveal a large pentagram drawn on the floor (deciphered from his wizard book). Cassamir already notices a few errors with the drawiings but stays silent. "I'm trying to perfect a teleport spell so I can get out of Strahd's world. I thought I had it right when I ask the maid to stand there. As I chanted she disappeared, but I have no idea where. Vaporized or safely escaped across the fog barrier? Same for the butler. "Help me to succeed."
Dilemma...
ReplyDeleteWe stopped for the night still in the attic with Victor.
1. Need to ask his knowledge of Isaac's actions. Did he know about the tortured prisoners?
2. The rescued prisoner is also with us. Ask if Victor and or the Burgomeister himself were involved.
3. Ask the prisoner if he knows about the other 2 prisoners. We asked, but I don't remember the answer.
4. See if Victor may confess the other prisoners were "obliterated" with his experimentations with his teleport glyph.
5. Victor asked for our help as he too wants out of this realm. The "dusk elf" guard helping us noticed errors with Victor's pentagram...we haven't suggested those changes...yet!
Yes we need to figure out whether we stay or flee.
1. Staying to deny Fiona's claim to the mayor position. I'm surprised by the knowledge she is evil, that SHE hasn't welcomed Strahd's spawns into town.
2. The tiger (from Rictavio's wagon) is still loose. We suspect Fiona's sons having broken the lock. But no witnesses...only scratch marks on one of the boys arm when we crossed paths.
When we confronted Isaac, Domine wanted to interrogate him casting 'Hold Person' but we didn't get anywhere. Of course it didn't help that when "Held", others attacked him. At the end, Domine cast 'Sacred Flame' that dealt the fatal wound. Dom questioned his deadly actions till we found the tortured prisoner. That gave Dom confidence he was correct in his actions. During the encounter with Isaac, there was no verbal exchange trying to determine if he and Ireena were related. Isaac just acted as if she were his possession.
from Mark...
ReplyDeleteI would say that we explain that Isaac kidnapped a member of our party, leaving us no choice when he wouldn't listen to reason. Also, let him know that the evil fiona plans to undermine him and plots his demise; maybe offer assistance in that area. How were we recieved by the son? Could he be persuaded to vouch for us? Do we want to go that route?
Or do we bail? We would lose the option of having this city as a relatively safe haven, but we do have goodwill with the nearby Vistani, would the townsfolk punish them for helping us?
Currently we have 2 main objectives, get Ireena to a safe place, and finding a way to escape the mist and leave. More and more, it appears that the safest place for Ireena is with us, at least until we work back towards the castle.
What came from the possibility of Issac and Ireena being siblings or otherwise related?