NeoTiamat wrote:"Well we mustn't deny our host his compensations. I would love to."
"Indeed, it would never do," Søren says, stowing the baton in his sleeve. "It's not too far, and the view is very fine even at night, since you can see so much of the sky. Perhaps you'd care to come, too, cousin Cattia?"
He continues with a brief history of the Helholt as you make your way up the Tower--despite being perfectly polite, he somehow manages to set a pace that hints that he's in a bit of a hurry. At the top of the tower you find two sentries, whom he sends down the stairs with a word.
"So, Baroness von Zarovich. Cousin. It is borne in upon me that there is more to your visit here, and more to your spending the day together, than mere amusement. In point of fact, the Baroness is here as a representative of her illustrious cousin, the Count Strahd, and not as a representative of the foundry. So. Her itinerary takes her to Jarenberg and Isfahani territories--notoriously remote and restive. Her station and her errand ensure she will meet with Isam Jarenberg and Nezar Isfahani--as the representative of our northern neighbor. It seems perhaps the vraylock is right to fear the intrigues of Barovian agents."
He pauses, to see how this is being received, then continues. "Barovian troops...should they ever come...must pass by this road. And they will not pass the Helholt unless its master wills it. You want a friend here, and I would be happy to be that friend."
