The Van Richten Monster Hunting Academy - Epistolary Roleplay

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

This is what the VRMHA thread was originally supposed to be: A form of roleplay made wholly out of in-world texts such as letters, journal entries, newspapers etc. Mostly letters between members of the VRMHA.
As things were, the original thread turned into an active roleplay thread, so we decided to split it into two threads.

[Teravala]

My dearest Michael,

I hope this letter finds you well, I can scarcely believe it has been 3 months since I was forced to divest myself of your hospitality and seek passage out of Mordent. Truly, meeting you was an unexpected delight in an otherwise predictable world. I heeded your advice and sought correspondence with the Falkovnian woman you mentioned, Hildegren, and I must say, she is everything you said she would be and more. As long term residency in Falkovnia holds no appeal for me, she suggested we might find the rustic charms of Vallaki more suited to our needs. So it is I find myself among the simple peoples of Barovia. Most fortunately, I am well acquainted with Nicolai Ionelus, the current Burgomaster of Vallaki, as several years ago I performed a reading for a wealthy aunt of his who had lost a daughter to some sort of wild animal whilst on the Old Svalich Road. He has provided adequate lodgings at a considerable discount, and though I miss the more refined cities and people of Dementlieu, there is a certain charm to the simple lives people lead here, and I am fast growing an appreciation for the wines provided from the vineyards to the west.

Hildegren arrived some 2 weeks after I set up residency here, and in short time proved herself to be possessed of great skill with regards to her ability to sense the unseen. In truth, I expected her to be but another charlatan, yet I can find no tricks, no methods through which she could possibly know the things she does. She knows of my secret, the one I hold dear and close to my heart and that is known only by myself, my family, those in our service, and you. Since I refuse to believe you would betray my confidences, and I know none of the servants of my family would dare betray my father, that leaves but one possibility. She is as she claims to be, a medium, capable of acting as bridge between this world and those who have passed on. It was at her insistence that I began to train myself to better harness the unique gifts afforded to those of our lineage, and in doing so I have found relief greater than any I thought possible. I stand by my belief that I have been giving those who seek my services not only what they want, but what they need, something you know as well as I that the spirits of the departed are unlikely to do.

However, to plunge into the esoteric depths of our abilities has been a strangely and uniquely soothing experience. We began my education with the ability to conceal ones self from the undead, a skill that I believe will serve me well, should I ever find myself in our ancestral lands once more. She has hinted at the existence of a secret society of those like us, and implied that, should I learn to harness these powers well and prove myself to be a trustworthy practitioner, I might be able to rise to the rank of initiate in said society. So it is I find myself following a regimen of her own devising. Meditation, repetition, and I have been inducted, as I suspect you well know, into an organization of self proclaimed Hunters of the Night. I am awaiting my first assignment from those charming cousins of yours, the Weathermay Foxgrove twins; though I suspect that they are on some level aware of the life I have until this point led. I make no apologies for what I have done, but I do not wish to be defined in whole by it either, and will bear no aspersions of my skills from anyone who has never been made to face the horrifying truth that we are never, any of us, truly alone.

I am to accompany Hildegren in a few weeks to the village of Barovia to the Southeast. Apparently there is some sort of phenomenon that occurs there nightly, that she wishes me to witness with my own eyes. If Vallaki represents the peak of development and culture in Barovia, I shudder to think what sort of place the village of Barovia will be, though I do long to see the famed Castle Ravenloft, though sadly from a distance. I suggested to Hildegren that I might be able to leverage connections and some of my considerable wealth so that we might find ourselves guests of the master of the castle, but she was vehemently against this, proclaiming that we would spend the night in the local Inn there, and would not be featuring forth from the village during the night. She made it explicitly clear that, even should we become seperated, no matter what happens, I am not to approach the castle or it's lord, and should instead immediately seek out another member of the "Van Richten Society" as they call themselves, in Krezk or Vallaki. I shall write to you again once I have returned from my journey, and hopefully will be able to shed some light on this rather clandestine outing. I hope all is well in Mordent, and should you see fit to ever travel the lands, that our paths will soon cross again.

With the utmost respect and admiration,

Anna Lewis.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

Dear Anna,
My husband is unwell (don't worry - these flares always go away as quickly as they come. Same story every winter.), so he asked me to respond to your letter in his stead.
First - we're both very happy to hear from you again. We hope you're enjoying - and making good use - of your stay in Barovia. How's Hildregren, BTW?
Second - Your guide is very wise, and you should listen to her. Mike says that you've been seeking means to postpone the time when you'll join the ranks of the undead. His first and foremost advice on the matter is to stay as far as possible from Castle Ravenloft.
Third - I take no side in your and Mike's professional discourse; The wise speaks only of what she knows. But I might be able to give you a different perspective.

Growing up as a giomorgo in the Khidosa clan, I was in an opposite situation to that of you or of my husband: The only girl in the tribe without a hint of occult power - and the raunie's niece at that. My aunt accepted me into the clan after my parents' death, out of hope that the proper raising might kindle a spark of The Sight in me - a hope I crushed over and over again. The older I grew, the clearer it turned, and the more of a disappointment I became. I was determined to prove her wrong, to show her I don't need the aid of the supernatural to bring glory to our people.
So I left the clan to make my own way as a wandering hero. I traveled for a few years, fighting monsters, trying to help people and usually making a mess in the process. I made many friends, many enemies and many mistakes. I hope I managed to do some good in between.
When I was thirty, I recieved the news of my aunt's death. Regretful that we never made amends, I seeked and found a reputable medium. Had I turned to you, I suppose you would have made a convincing imitation of my aunt, an act of a heartfelt apology and a declaration she was always proud of me and thought it was obvious. But you were just a child then, and the man I turned to summoned the real spirit.
Can you guess what she did?
She shouted at me. Shouted that I'm a disgrace to my clan, a never-do-good wannabe, and some other things I cannot find a Mordentish translation for - and wouldn't want to if I could. Shouted so loudly I'm certain her voice was heard even on the worlds beyond the mists. The poor medium blushed, giving me an apologetic look.
And I laughed. Laughed!
Laughed, for I should have known that's what would happen, should have known that a woman who refused to change her whole life wouldn't suddenly do so at death; Laughed, for I realised my aunt was a pathetic woman, a seer who could not see beyond her own ego; Laughed, for it finally struck me that I've spent three decades struggling to impress a person I never even liked!
This truth had set me free more than any falsehood could. I stopped wasting time on toxic people, and started appreciating more my true family: the people who stood up for me, who have my back even when I'm foolish. My friends, my old comrades... And soon also the cute medium.
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but for me, the harsh truth was better than a soft lie - and Ezra be my witness, I'm a very soft person for the most part.

May all your stories be happy and your roads short and straight,
Rosalinda Jendalis, Mordentshire.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

Hi Genny!
My mission in Paridon didn't go well - or at all - for the simple reason I didn't make it to Paridon to begin with. The mistway I was told to use had instead led me to Tepest, where I was stopped by a couple of officers who looked like they have something stuck in their butholes. They've mistaken me for a fae - understandably, considering my unnaturally good looks - and wanted to - less understandably - excecute me. My logical arguments fell short - possibly because of the amount of swear words they included - but they seemed to finally start listening when I mentioned my membership in the VRS. They decided to keep me under arrest until you verify or deny my claim.

VIEW CONTENT:

I'd try to escape, but they unfortunately took away any object I could use for spellcasting - and first of all my staff, meaning I can barely walk to the other side of my cell. I'll try to find a way out anyway - I don't want you to think I'm helpless without my magic!

Can you please tell these idiots I'm not an evil fairy?
May Myttery send you all the good books in the world,
Jinxie.

To Wyan of Viktal, leader of the Tepestani Inquisition and an esteemed comrade in the fight against creatures of the night: You have one of my novice monster-hunters hunters under arrest. Mst. Jinxie means no harm to the good people of Tepest. Faer fey-like attributes have an unrelated medical reason, which I shall not elaborate on, out of respect for faer privacy. Fae was not sent to Viktal under any orders I am aware of and I do not believe faer mentor would've given such orders, but that is a matter of inner discpline with which I'll deal personally. You have no reason to hold faer, and I demand fae'll be freed, and be given back any objects fae had in faer possession when caught, ASAP.
However, I feel obligated the reason I'm so sure Mst. Jinxie is not in your realm under the VRS's orders:
The society had not sent any visibly non-human agent to Tepest in fourteen years, but for a couple of exceptions during the emergency of the Time of Unparalleled Darkness. I forbade this in 766, after Xanaphia Mylindan was killed and her mentor, Jameld of Hroth, was badly injured - not by the annis hag they were sent to hunt, but by your inquisitors. Nor was this an isolated incident: Jameld and Xanaphia were merely the last in a long line of heroic elves, calibans, gnomes, hexbloods, as well as magic users of all species, who found themselves hunted by those who were meant to be their allies!
That is, the last of our society.
You see, I have full faith that Jinxie will be set free alive and well, as were all but the most unfortunate of my former hunters who had such run-ins with yours, and I'm thankful that you waited for my letter.
However, I find it extremely alarming that such a letter is needed in the first place to save a person from excecution, when there's not the slightest evidence that said person had commited a crime! Don't your people know the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'? I wonder: Would a traveling merchant from Darkon have even recieved such a chance at advocation against your accusations? Does a caliban born near Viktal have any chance at survival, or are they convicted once out of their mothers' wombs?
Do not see these words as a declaration of enemity; I understand the position under which the Inquisitors' protocols were decided. Indeed, recalling a few heated debates with my uncle, I am unsure whether he would have even recognised a problem with them. Your generation lived in a world where monsters had their way and none dared to stand in it - someone had to draw the line and stand up to them, and that someone could rarely afford doubt or mercy. But as time marches on and - largely thanks to your influence - self-proclaimed heroes pop up in every town, we must remember the old adage:
He (Or she) who hunts monsters must beware lest he (or she) becomes one.
Excuse me for watching the watchers,
GWF.
P.S. Jinxie, if you're reading this, don't try anything stupid. We'd try our best to solve this with diplomacy. I'm sending a couple of hunters you know and love to ensure your safety either way. If your life is actively in danger, I order you to protect yourself by any means necessary - but until then, wait patiently and don't try to escape. There's no shame in needing to be rescued, as long as you're living a life worth saving - which you 100% are.