Kartakass: The Barovia Chapter

[steveflam]

Tarlyn listens to Draven's words and after he mounts his horse and moves next to him, speaks to him. "In all honesty I doubt that this Devil or Demon can want any good. That's why they're Demons/Devils. I agree with the Warden's assessment of Lekvarest after Kartakass." He stops and his eyes flash red once more, his voice going raspy and eerie.

" Here is some medecine I picked up for you on our travels, Alex." He reaches into a pouch and removes a few vials, handing them to Draven. Still speaking the same way and his eyes red he goes on, "I have had some experience with Devils and Demons but only secondhand as I am neither a Priest or Wizard. Having attended the Priest Academy in Chad Nessad and witnessed a few summonings. Devils or Demons are beings most foul" He laughs out loud then continues.

"As my race are evil Demon/Devil summonings are quite common adn they work together for their own personal reasons, if only to be out of their home for a time. I do hope that in Lekvarest the Priests of Ezra can help you, but dispelling such a spell is a task unto itself not counting the fact that whatever the Devil/Demon is, will have to be defeated." He giggled then nods at Draven, conversation over.

[ewancummins]

Cornelius was disturbed by Tarlyn's remarks about his homeland and education. What sort of elves were the people of Chad Nassad? He kept his thoughts to himself for now...

[lostboy]

Draven accepts the vials from Tarlyn and tucks them away. His words damp the hope Draven held that this could be over soon. The task seemed monumental, yet at least he wasnt alone.

He nods to the elf once he finishes speaking, although Tarlyns words were friendly there was something about him that seemed wrong and threatening to Draven. Still who am I to judge? He has helped me nd continues to do so, I will treat him in the same manner...

[VAN]

Van mounts his horse too and says:

"Well since we can do nothing for now for our friend Alexander here, I think it's good to talk a bit about the task the Count sends us to do. Firts of all, do you all know who is the Count? His name is Strahd von Zarovich and he is the ruler of Barovia. For my big surprise, thanks to Josephine, I found out that he is an undead! As Valerian said, this woman Strahd tells us to get is dead. So or we should get a ghost or we need to get her rests to him. However, from how the Count speaks and from the letter he gave us, I believe he doesn't know that the woman is dead. I have no other explanation."

Looking all of them, Van continues:

"We have to pay attention though, I don't know how, but the Count seems to know us despite we have only recently enter in Barovia. Still, he sends his own zombies to fetch us to his Castle and he has prepared a sort of encounter in order to see how powerful we are. My question is, how he learnt about us and why he didn't get mercenaries or adventurers from Barovia to do his quest. I think it would be easier for him to do that. What are your thoughts?"

[BigBadQDaddy]

William stares at Tarlyn in disbelief as he finishes his speach.
"Oh for the sake of...What now?"He thinks to himself. Keeping a good distance away from Tarlyn, William begins speaking to him.

"Somethin' funny 'bout demon possession?" He asks accusingly. "And whats wrong with your eyes lad? and further more, yer appetite? Haven't seen you eat a scrap since we left Darkon." Still facing Tarlyn, William addresses the party. "There are more secrets in this here collection of men then there are buried in a graveyard." His voice raises a bit. "Whatever has gotten into you lad..." he says pointing at Tarlyn, "I'll wager isn't much different then what came out of our man Draven here. And I'll be a bloody fool before I turn another blind eye to whatever that was."

"What if the devil/demon creature planned this from the get go? What if we are all it's dupes?" He thinks.

William scratches his chin, then looks to the others. "I say before we move on, we need to figure out if that devil is really gone. Or if that blasted thing just changed vessels." He finishes with a growl, looking Tarlyn in the eye, awaiting a response from the party.

[Ail]

Lucius, after hearing all others and William's remarks, pondered worriedly.

I hold a great interest in these matters, but unfortunately my power is not great enough. I can at most protect some of us from these evil entities,but only for a short time. There is more we have to learn about this, a lot more. However, I can tell you one thing: a while ago, I detected magic around us, and while Tarlyn didn't register as particularly magic, the whole Draven registered as magic, speciffically of the summoning kind. I'm afraid you aren't free of the entity yet, and that it might yet be inside Alex...

[steveflam]

Tarlyn laughs heartily at William's outburst, almost maniacal. Settling down he looks at William then the others and speaks. "As you point out, I in fact don't eat. What you may not know is this" he says as he removes a glove and then a ring, showing it to all, then putting it back on , the glove following. "This ring permits me to not eat or sleep. So that explains what all of you have seen. Don't go judging a book by it's cover, William. I am indeed a dark elf and most of my race, and I stress the word MOST are evil. Some of us are not however and those such ax I have fled the underdark in my land and live on the surface trying to help others instead of killing them, so to speak"

"I have witnessed horrors beyond what any of you have seen or dreamed of. I try to put that behind me and move on. Have I not helped you since the first day? Ask Sefi or Draven I have visited them privately only to offer kindness. I have nothing to prove to anyone here. If we can get past this, maybe we can move on to Immol."

"I have heard of this Strahd Von Zarovich like I said and heard rumors of people calling him the devil Strahd but besides that I spent my time roaming Barovia last time I was here. I did hear that the fog surrounding Barovia as well as the village may be dangerous to bypass on some occasions, besides that nothing really to say."

He stops talking and faces the direction of the road once more, waiting on the party.

[NeoTiamat]

"I agree. Let us go to Immol and have no more of this. We are friends, comrades under the watchful eye of Ezra, and this squabbling is unseemly." Valerian's voice was curt. He reined his horse back onward the road.

"Tarlyn, tell me, is there any way to bypass this fog that guards the border?"

This land is getting to us. The Warden thought in the quiet recesses of his mind. The sooner we are gone the better.

[steveflam]

Tarlyn looks at the Warden. "Yes. Yes there is a way. But we don't have to worry about that just yet, do we. When the time comes the way shall be shown. Right now let's just concentrate on getting to Immol in one piece shall we?" He mumbles something under his breath in the dark elven tongue, eyes glowing red once more. Mumbling then giggling he stops and his eyes go normal once again. Looking to the road ahead he speaks no more, hands clenching and unclenching his reins tightly.

[NeoTiamat]

"If things go ill, we may need the information quickly, and I would rather not trust in the Grand Scheme to provide us a cozy moment for conversation at the time."

Valerian smiled quietly. He didn't seem to notice any pecularities on Tarlyn's part, though his grey, misty eyes roiled and turned in the light as he looked ahead.

"The ways of the Grand Scheme are multifold and mysterious, and it would be ill indeed if you were taken up into the bosom of Ezra and leave us ignorant and unprotected. Of course, I can't imagine a routine mission going so poorly, but ours is not a world that punishes excessive caution."

"Tarlyn?"

[OOC: Diplomacy Check 10+12=22]

[steveflam]

It seems as if Tarlyn comes out of a trance for a moment and looks at the Warden confused for just a second, then lucid. "What?" he asks softly.
"Oh yes the fog. Well for us to pass safely through it we need special potions to do so. That's what I've been told in Nova Vaasa by those Raven shapeshifters at any rate."

Tarlyn seems to gain control of himself once more and adds. "If that's all, can we move on to Immol? I grow tired of this waiting as well as being out in the open. It's not safe. I don't like Barovia and the sooner we are out of here the better I'll feel. I don't especially trust the Count. Would you trust an undead? I don't."

[VAN]

Van has noticed the flash red at Tarlyn's eyes and the slight change of his behavior, but he says nothing. Maybe the dark elf is just eager to leave Barovia as he says, thinks the wizard.

"As I said I don't tust the Count, but it doesn't seem we have other choices. We should do his quest. As we ride to Immol we can discuss how to procceed with the dead woman we have to get. I think we should ask some information about her when we get to Immol."

[BigBadQDaddy]

William stands tight lipped and angry at the fact no one else seems to have noticed the strange qualities Tarlyn has been displaying.

"He has a ring that makes it unnecessary for em to eat...s' unnatural to not want to enjoy food and drink is what I say." He thinks to himself.

He the turns and gathers his belongings, packing them with the supplies upon one of the horses and mounts up. Wordlessly he readies his horse for the journey. His thoughts a fount of churning angry clouds.

"You never explained yer eyes lad...nor yer behavior." He thinks. "First sign of treachery I'm gonna take this pistol and..." His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a memory of a long ago night, aboard the Sea Spirit when he made a decision that haunts him to this day. Any one watching him notices his anger fades and is replaced by such a state of sadness it is almost as if the man aged 10 years with but a look.

William looks down at his lap, his right hand shaking as it hovers mere inches away from his pistol grip. He snatches his hand away and grabs the reigns of his horse. Later on, when he believes no one is looking, he steals a quick nip from his flask of rum.

[Ail]

Lucius falls back in line to resume his conversation with Sefi. She had proven to be a pleasing company so far, but soon he lost himself in thought, looking at the horizon and pondering. Barovia was a dangerous land, and he was not certain they would reach a village by nightfall. Surely it wouldn't do to stay outside, with all those tales of vampires, werewolves (of several kinds) and even a possible Ghoul Lord on the loose. At least, all of these were common beliefs of the populace, and he had learnt to trust the local folklore. at least, it's safer that way, he thought to himself.

But there was another unresolved issue:

Valerian, by the way, you never told us why you think the woman is dead...

[NeoTiamat]

"Hmmm....?" Valerian suddenly laughed. "Oh, that!"

"Call it the product of a misspent youth. Or perhaps a sign from Ezra, though that may gave it too great an importance."

Valerian paused to gather his thoughts, then continued in an almost musing tone.

"It is a complicated story, and I'm not certain where to begin. It tends to disturb people so I tend to keep it to myself, but if you wish, I can speak."

"I was born in a village in southwest Darkon, not far from the Vaasi border. A typical farm-youth, I suppose, but we were pagans. Worshippers of the Eternal Order, though I remember it but a little now."

"There was a bloody murder of a girl, by whom we never found. There was a mob, and a lynching. A vile business. Then a fever-plague passed through our village, righteous judgement for our wickedness and faithlessness. My family died. Most of the village was scythed under actually."

"I survived, but I was delirious for weeks. And I began to see things. The spirits of the departed, those who have died. And I have seen these things ever since, a gift from Ezra, and a reminder of the judgement for faithlessness."

Valerian's face took on a strange, fey look.

"That is how I know the lady in the portrait is dead. I have seen her ghost in the Castle of Strahd."