Previously in Barovia...
Kavan was dead, the lost Von Zarovich Sword found, and the fane converted. Once Relic had finished the hour-long ceremony, its diseased and rotting condition seemed to heal, the organ turning red-pink and swelling with rich, dark lifeblood. Though the swamp continued to prove treacherous, there were no more ghost sightings, lingering red eyes, distant moans or distracting swamp lights, to say nothing of frozen corpse heaps or cursed geysers.
Giers had taken to silence and the tree tops, unmoved by any offered cruelty or kindness. No doubt the news of a child weighed heavy on him and he didn't bother glancing the party's way, focused ahead and away from everyone, especially Kaylan. But not all was cold shoulders and icy hearts, as the uncertain demeanor of Fog-eye melted away to reveal an intriguing, slightly-awkward new companion.
The group pledged to help him find his missing sister, held captive at one of the remaining two fanes. He, a Nors, could hardly fathom the kindness of non-human strangers (or even human strangers, had there been any). He accepted, and together the new fellowship made its way out of the marsh.
The process took all of six hours, seven counting the cold, dark trek along the riverside and down Old Svalich Road. They might have shaved a little time off the journey by cutting across a snowy field, but a quick judgment call by both Kaylan and Fog-eye favored caution over quickness.
I Heard It Through the Blood Vine
Once in town, with all its lit lanterns and living inhabitants, the group split. Portia, worried for her dear sister, followed Relic (in the guise of the gigantic Doctor Christopher Teigan) to the inn. The others decided to visit the chapel, though Fog-eye hardly had a choice in Diana's vice grip.
Entering the establishment on the coattails of Giers, who marched right up to his room and shut the door, they found a much livelier crowd than during Selja's crisis, nearly every table filled. Barovians, Vistani, the Lightbringers were the most obvious, a dozen of them drinking and celebrating a great victory over the Dark. Relic inquired, learning they'd captured a loup-garou, a wolfwere, to say a wolf that by some dark power was able to change forms into a man, or otherwise a monstrous dire wolf.
While Relic continued to chat about the wolfwere with a learned elven Lightbringer named Sir Xalanthes, Portia had a quick conversation with the inn owner Bray, who told her Selja had been calling her name in her dreams. The boggart checked on her, grateful to see two guards posted at her door, and laid with her a time, hoping she might wake.
Relic learned of the nature of wolfweres, typically chaotic and evil, and that this particular one had murdered eleven Lightbringers and a family, and kidnapped two young girls. When Relic insisted on speaking with the captured wolfwere before his torture and execution, the elf was rubbed the wrong way, and things quickly grew tense, nearly ugly. The robot-in-disguise stood tall and fierce, but the elf had the backing of elven others paladins.
Mercifully, Relic regained his composure, though no telling what damage may have been done if the Quakeheart pounded in his chest. He visited a time with the sisters, feeling responsible for Selja's condition, and bid Portia remain guard over her. The rogue felt a little guilty spending so much time with her sister while the others worked on the fanes, but the warforged knew her place was with family. With that he left in search of this caged wolfwere, rather unconvinced of its monstrosity.
Meanwhile, Back at the Chapel
Kaylan, Thamior, Diana and the hand-led Fog-eye headed for the chapel, pausing shy of the doors because of an unusual ornament in the churchyard: a crow's nest, occupied by a shaggy-looking wildling wrapped in silver fur.
Thamior moved off to speak with the stranger, while the rest entered the chapel proper. The modest space was filled to capacity, Lightbringers praying over six shrouded brethren, swords and shields rested upon their still chests. The group nearly bumped right into Sister Gertruda, who hugged Kaylan and marveled they were all still alive. Kaylan explained they'd discovered the first fane and were stopping in town to rest before setting out for the others.
Diana insisted she speak with Ashlyn, dragging Fog-eye along and unwittingly interrupting a funerary service as she stepped over and between praying paladins. The Norsman tried to enlighten her, but it wasn't until they were harshly scolded that she realized and, ironically, drew Dame Ashlyn's attention. Looking like she'd seen a ghost, Ashlyn motioned them outside, stiffly following after and expressing the same surprise and elation Gertruda had.
Chiela was brought into the conversation right quick, and Ashlyn informed them two other girls around the same age had also been kidnapped. Not only that, but their families had been murdered as well, ripped to shreds. They'd caught the culprit, or so they believed, a wolfwere named Ivan Koreshev.
With a little effort, Diana got Ashlyn to take them to the murder scene in hopes of digging up clues. All three suspected something a little more than just one murderous lupine, especially after hearing the means in which Chiela was taken.
The Accused
Thamior carefully prodded the accused with questions, though at first he didn't answer, trying to uncover the exact nature of this stranger's person and, more importantly, the nature of his crimes. He eventually managed to get the raggedy man to admit he was a wolfwere, which Thamior had some prior knowledge of. Undaunted, he sought to uncover whether or not this creature deserved his punishment, though all the wolfwere seemed to want was his freedom. He mentioned the fel smelled like swamp water, and wondered about the crazy vampire that lived there, to which Thamior informed him Kavan was dead. The wolfwere proved to know much more, including the location of the remaining two fanes!
However despite Thamior's various offers to put in a good word if he'd divulge the information, the wolfwere only wanted his freedom, and in fact counteroffered to be their guide to the remaining two ancient sites. The fel's honor forbade him from ever helping his ilk, and the two seemed locked in a stalemate. At one point, Ivan stung deeply with the admonishing, "Your honor is going to kill two little girls."
Fog-eye joined them, demanding to know where his sister was. The wolfwere was strangely well-informed on that, as well, even knowing the girl's name! He claimed it was because of his good hearing (The Nors did mention Chiela by name in his conversation with Ashlyn). Ivan claimed she was to be sacrificed in two days time, along with the other two girls, as part of a devil cult's ceremony to return an entity known as Triglav, something older and more powerful than even the late Count.
Again he offered to guide them and save the girls, if only they'd release him. Again Thamior refused, unconvinced Ivan would help if freed and, in fact, believing it'd only add to their problems. Fog-eye wasn't so quick to dismiss the offer, as it was HIS sister on the line, but after lingering in private conversation with the beast, he soon discovered Ivan was a cold-blooded killer (albeit a well-informed one).
A Grizzly Investigation
Dame Ashlyn brought Diana and Kaylan to a small house in the middle of the village, an unlikely place for such a vicious murder to occur and the culprit NOT to be seen moving in or out. The door was ripped to shreds and the smells were ghastly. Kaylan was already feeling queasy, even before Ashlyn warned of the sights. Diana walked in unperturbed, utilizing her darkvision to its fullest, though the hours-fresh blood and entrails that painted the common room proved too distracting for either young woman to uncover much of anything. Kaylan found one thing, though, her lunch, as she ran back out of the house and spewed onto the street.
Diana coaxed the priestess back inside for sake of her wilderness knowledge, determining that all the organs and limbs littering the house were, in fact, not eaten, or even bitten, but rend with extreme malice. There were also cases where the gore was pounded, as if by heavy, blunt instruments.
While there was the matter of silver wolf hair fallen in tufts around the scene, both Diana and Kaylan were convinced of the wolfwere's innocence. Ashlyn wasn't so moved, causing a spat between two Kalindians, Kaylan advocating justice over hatred, and Ashlyn citing necessity over idealism. Diana quickly broke it up and suggested searching the other rooms.
Ashlyn checked the kitchen area, finding more dirty dishes and settings than there were people in the house, perhaps proving they'd had guests for dinner before their demise. The most important, discovery, however, came when Kaylan and Diana checked the childrens' room, beds for two girls and a crib for a baby boy. This room was as devastated as the other, and with baited breath Kaylan peered into the crib, to find a bloody babe's blanket and a hideous black rattle with a skull top. Both the sorceress and the cleric sensed it was magical, but couldn't quite place how.
Tentatively, Diana shook the rattle, but the magic was spent. Kaylan, greatly disturbed by the murdered babe (carrying one of her own, after all) hugged the blanket and shut down. Dame Ashlyn gingerly helped her out, while Diana ran ahead to find Relic and identify the black, magical rattle.
The Animal
Relic found his way to the crow's cage, meeting Thamior and Fog-eye along the way. The three approached Ivan a second time, and Relic put him to question. At first he sympathized with the caged creature, even defending him from Thamior's unwavering code, but all-too-soon the warforged began to see that what Ivan claimed instinct was in fact a thrill of the hunt, a pleasure in killing, namely bloodlust. He might not have been guilty of the most recent murders, but he'd been responsible for dozens, maybe hundreds, of other senseless killings. And yet he was perhaps the only one who could get them to both fanes within two days. That fact, and his wretched taunting, nearly overwhelmed Relic, and Thamior had to leap in front of a charging cannon to prevent him from executing the monster then and there.
It was all too much for Fog-eye, who only wanted to get his darling sister back, not listen to this wolfwere's poisonous words or Thamior and Relic fight. He ran off into town, narrowly missing Diana and Kaylan as they entered the inn.
Diana asked loudly whether anyone had seen Doctor Teigan, drawing some venomous stares from Xalanthes and his crew. Diana quickly changed her tone and managed to get a general direction, dragging Kaylan this time to find him.
So How's It Going?
Fog-eye found himself an alley, slumped down and sobbing into his knees. That's when a familiar, sultry voice ask how it was going. He looked up and saw her, the hooded, cloaked, large-breasted blond. They made formal introductions, Fog-eye, Mara, and he called her out on being a devil. She didn't think it was such a big deal, and after awhile neither did the Nors for how kind, reasonable and attractive she was.
She offered to let him squeeze her tits to cheer him up, but he chose the noble path. Even still, when they had concluded a little business involving his sister and his assets, she planted a wet kiss on his lips that sent him on his ass just the same. As she disappeared into the mist, Mara promised to see him again soon...
Two Days Time
Eventually reuniting, the group traded information, and concluded they had a little under forty-eight hours before the infernal ritual's completion and the revivification of something called Triglav by, according to Ivan's murmuring, devil-worshiping witches. Two fanes left (only one of which they knew the location of) and the lives of three young girls in their hands...
Dame Ashlyn, willing to entertain the possibility the wolfwere hadn't committed last night's murders or kidnapped any girls, rushed to delay Sir Konrad from interrogating and executing Ivan until it was certain the monster was no longer needed, while Relic secluded himself in order to unlock the mysteries of the black rattle and duplicate the shadow portal. Perhaps it would lead to the unknown fane and the site of the dire ceremony.
They could only hope for such luck in a land that seemed to drain the hope right out of people.
Epilogue
Experience: 416 xp each (24, 414 total)
Case of the Missing Sisters, 2500
Gathering Inn-formation (Relic)
Questioning the Wolfwere (Thamior, Fog-eye, Relic)
Investigating the Murder Scene (Kaylan, Diana)
Collaborating with the Authorities (Kaylan, Diana)
Collaborating with an Outside Expert (Fog-eye)
Magic: Black Rattle
Black Rattle: An blackwood baby's toy with an ivory skull head. It's magic is exhausted, but was used to opena shadow passage, a portal of shadowstuff, in the home of the victims. With proper analysis, the portal's destination can be revealed, and the portal itself duplicated.
Money: n/a
Loot: bloody baby blanket (Kaylan)
New NPCs
Sir Xalanthes Quelinothi, elven Lightbringer and scholar; one of the paladins who brought Ivan into custody; greatly dislikes Relic (as Doctor Christopher Teigan) over disputes involving sovereign rights to prisoners, a lack of sympathy for dead Lightbringers, and doubt as to his conclusions on Ivan's guilt
Ivan Koreshev, wolfwere murderer of eleven Lightbringers; accused of also kidnapping two girls and slaying their families; rotting in a crow's cage awaiting torture and execution; knows the location of the remaining fanes and secrets about the cult who is conducting them
New Monsters
Wolfweres, wolves who can to turn into men; governed by their instincts and desires, without fear, regret or conscience.
Active Quests
- Isabella's Ashes (1/3 complete; group): Attune Izzy's remains to the three Barovian fanes in order to resurrect her.
- Seeking a Sister (Fog-eye, group): Discover the remaining fanes and save Fog-eye's sister Chiela before she's sacrificed.
- Triglav Lives! (group): Prevent the devil cult from completing their fane rituals and resurrecting something more ancient and powerful than even the dreaded Count.
- Rising of the Sunsword (group): Uncover what you can about the missing Sunsword and help return day to the lightless realm.
