Ravenloft game thread

The gnome looks at his letter, crinkled in his hand, for a few moments quietly. "So...there isn't a local lord who wants me to smuggle money out of the region for him?" His demeanor deflates slightly.

"I guess I should have known. This isn't the first time...", he says sullenly as he crumples the parchment. "I shall take you up on your offer then and travel with you to right this wrong."

"Who offered?!", the brass crows head asks abruptly. The gnome eyes the crow crossly.

Up to this point I had been lingering a good half dozen paces behind the group, such that I was little more than an obscured figure in the fog. Hearing the woman's words I crumble the invitation and stuff it into my overcoat pocket.

I step forward briskly, stopping a pace ahead of the gnome, "Zinnarath." I introduce myself with a tone and cadence suggesting that the name alone carries weight, "I'm not keen to donate my time. I'm less keen to be led into a trap like some stock animal. What do we know and how do we kill it?"

"Kiss ass!", the bronze crows head caws loudly, still in the high mock voice, as the gnome continues to fiddle with something on the handle of the quarterstaff, his mouth visibly moving with the crows.

He quickly clamps his other hand around the now closed beak of the bird and looks terrible embarrassed. "A thousand apologies madame. It seems such a long time on the road has arrested his manners. Simply locked them up without warrant.", he states.

The gnome readjust and starts to address Zinnarath, "I was just telling our new friend here that I, Sir Victor Von Fisk...the third...esquire, would join in the cause as well." As he is speaking he is reaching out for the hand of the young woman who had told him about the letter, but not wanting to break eye contact with Zinnarath he simply ends up repeatedly grabbing at the air about a foot away from where the woman stands.

Assuming the letter is some sort of practical joke, Justice will point to the fog behind herself. She will look quizzically at Katerina and say (in a stuttering voice that is thick with an infernal accent. An accent that only a few who follow the demons of the underdark still possess).
"L-leave?"

"Most she has said in the last few miles", he whispers to Zinnerath and Katerina, though he again says it in a volume more of a quiet announcement. He quickly walks over to the teifling and seizes her hand trying to pull her closer to the group, "I'm sorry dear, we can't hear you very well over there. You seem formidable with those horns and red skin, tell me, can you do any sort of tough sounding roar or growl?"

After shrugging the gnome off, Justice attempts to talk louder and faster, but her words quickly garble into Infernal. A broken word here and there in Common, but most of it is unintelligible. She calms down, but doesn't speak for a while after that (however she does move closer to the group).

Victor looks at her quizzically, "Hmm...yes, that will do nicely. Now just do that when our enemy is within reach."

"Ass!", the crows head screeches towards the gnome in it's high mock voice.

"Enough from you", Victor says, shaking the staff a little.

He joins back up with the rest of the group after this small exchange.

"Our assailant is like none I've ever seen. He feeds off the life force of our warriors, has bats and wolves and wargs at his command, and has the power to ensorcel any one of our number. Beside that, he is tough. Any assault on him must be done with concentrated force for even what little we could do was brushed aside. We are presently engaged in seeking more information from a local soothsayer of sorts. If there in information to be had, our host Ireena here tells us it lies with her. By mine honor as Lamplighter, and that of my father's, we shall clear this town of this insufferable evil." Katerina begins to walk again, setting a followable pace for any that wish to join her, her half-plate shimmering in the muted sunlight.

Victor begins to follow closely behind and then stops and turns to the tiefling, "Follow. FOLLOW.", he speaks slowly, unsure if she understands common as easily as she speaks it. He turns back and keeps following. his pack clinks lightly as he hurries to catch up. As they walk he idly checks his components pouch, a small bag that hangs around him and is filled with various arcane components.

Grizel is glad to be astride Alastor again. She isn’t in the habit of keeping a steed for more than a couple of days but she feels a much stronger bond with the deep black warhorse than she has felt with any other before him. She had begun to fret when she initially couldn’t sense him through the bond upon waking. That was fixed with food for both of them, and a good rubdown for Alastor. Grizel is glad she hadn’t had to summon a new steed. Summon. The words comes so naturally to her now. How is it that she can summon? Heal? Imbue her sword with blinding radiance? Where does this power come from? She has asked herself this question many times. Something had happened to her that day those filthy Carnlys had done what they’d done to poor Jonah and Ellie. Something she still doesn’t understand, but is thankful for.

Grizel’s reverie is broken by the arrival of the newcomers. Grizel is curious but she remains silent. She eyes the large half-orc woman appraisingly. Another strong warrior besides herself and Katerina. Good. But her experience gained in the militia tells her that so many strong ones thrown together can sometimes also be trouble. Her thoughts are broken again by the tiefling speaking in a strange tongue. To Grizel’s horror and surprise, an unfamiliar tongue issues from her own mouth in reply!

"OL SONF VORSG GOHO IAD BALT LONSH CALZ VONPHO SOBRA
ZOL ROR I TA NAZPSAD GRAA TA MALPRG."

The words sound unearthly...imperious but not unkind. What in the world did she just say?!

---

OOC: Grizel has just spoken in Celestial. She doesn't yet understand it. She will in time.

Victor eyes Grizel intently for a bit. He seems less interested in the people, and more in the interesting tongues in which they speak. He must try and convince these two to teach him these languages.

"Remind me of that later...", he whispers to the crow.

Justice will follow Katerina. When she hears Grizel's Celestial, she will shiver. No matter how long it has been or how far she is from her parents, their teachings are still deep inside her.
Though she is unsure what Grizel had said, she knows it is an abomination to her lineage. She almost finds herself praying to Demogorgon... but is able to stop herself just in time.

I step in behind Katerina. As we walk, I first eye up each companion, assessing their strength and character as if I were inspecting candidates for my crew. Then, I begin to inspect the buildings and features of the town. Is it a nice place, beset by a strange supernatural foe or is it a feeding ground. Run down, uncared for with fear and hatred seeped into every brick and stone.

Justice, Zinnarath and Viktor gain inspiration

"My companions speak truth. It is certain that you have been lured here by an imposter, and your lives are in great danger. We live difficult lives in Barovia, under the Count and the evil forces that also dwell here, but it is all we have ever known. What is worse, is that he has taken considerable interest in our new arrivals, and not in a friendly way. We ought to head immediately to madame Eva, unless you have immediate business in the Tavern, church or Mercantile"

The buildings are tattered, heavily boarded, and show signs of assault. Claw marks, blood stains, and burn marks. You hear livestock in some buildings, and the smell of manure is intoxicating at times.

Justice doesn't feel cold... she has never felt that. But she certainly is nervous. When Ireena mentions Madame Eva, Justice agrees. The name was far easier to say.
"Eva"

"Yes, indeed", Victor agrees with the tiefling, "Eva sounds like the one we want to see." Victor continues to eye the tiefling, her strange dialect is most intriguing to him.

"Say there, girl, what did you say your name was again?", he asks, turning his staff slightly to also face in her direction as they walk.

The exchange between the others is rather entertaining. I stay mostly quiet until they all begin to walk and I feel an opening for an introduction. I approach the gnome with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand. "Well met, Sir Victor. I am Falfaelor Stadelman, call me Faelor. Quite an interesting staff you have there. Did you craft it?"

"Justice", she says clearly. She doesn't expect any of the people here to understand the significance of a Virtue Name. To her it was a path. Something she wanted to achieve, but never could. She still longed to be a Paladin and that is the only thing holding her together. The pain of rejection is still their. She was never lawful enough to be a Paladin. Never good enough. Perhaps there is still a chance she could fake her way in. Maybe she still has a chance.
The human has done it. I can feel it.

"Ah. Interesting. Really thought you looked like a Cynthia", he chuckles lightly at his own poorly executed joke. He is suddenly aware someone has commented on his staff and turns to the other side. Seeing an outstretched hand he balls up his fist and holds it out in front of the hand. After a few moments of confusion he shakes the hand instead, "Sorry, something a child once told me is common in this region. Falf, well met. Indeed, this is one of my works crafted as a member of the Tinkers guild."

He produces a small item out of his pocket. It looks like a small copper cube. It seems to actually just be a copper cube, but as he presses on one side a small portion on the top clicks into place and a small flame is produced at the top. He tosses it to Faelor. As it leaves his hand the panel clicks closed and it returns to looking like a copper cube.

"Just one of a few things us tinkers like to play with.", he says, "Do you have interest in the trade? The tinkers guild is always looking for members with strong crafting talents and an eye for precious and magical materials."

I had no personal experience with Tieflings, but I had plenty of dealings with other races. Names were always unusual, and the stories about this particular race were especially unusual and intriguing. With the practice of a charming diplomat, I bow to the Tiefling. "A pleasure to meet you, Justice."