Chapter 2: The Maid in the Mirror
General Summary
There is howling on the wind. The group gather what belongings remain and discuss their options in urgent whispers. The mist surrounding them seems impenetrable, though none venture in. As they make their way slowly forward at random, Vass spots the edge of a road. The howling seems to come from the east, so – they turn west, and follow the rutted mud road into the unknown.
There is little noise, and the air has a static, fetid quality to it. There is none of the chirping of insects and cooing of birds that has accompanied their evening meal. The woods on either side of the road seem lifeless. The trees loom tall and lifeless on either side of the road.
After a time, a pair of gates loom above them. Statues, crumbled at the torso, flank the heavy rusted entryway. The group discusses their options – turn back, or go through. The gates hang open, enough room to slide through without effort. As the howling behind them intensifies they see only one choice – and they advance. The gate clangs shut behind them.
Another hour, and the mist turns into drizzle, and then into a downpour. To the left of the road, Vass spots a long drive. Hoping it could lead to shelter, he leads the group off the road and up the track. At the top of the drive, crumbling stables flank a gothic pile.
Two children stand behind a tree in the forecourt. The boy is Thronbolt Durst, the Girl, Rosevalda, his sister. Thorn is small and scared, a dribble of snot leaving his upper lip red and chapped. Rose speaks for him, chin held high, a faint quiver in her voice.
Ichabod’s Notebook: Day 2 Date: 2nd Day of the Alturiak (or is it?) Location: Unknown
Large House: External. Two young children *Thornvold (sp?)* and *Rosevalder*. Appear afraid. Talking about a monster in the basement. Worried about their infant brother *Walter*. Walter sleeps on second floor. Last seen father upstairs somewhere. Mother was with baby. No reason to doubt them at present, at least their interpretation of events. If there is a monster, the owners of the house look wealthy enough to pay for ridding it. House Entrance. DC Barnard smells something in the air. He seems to have a knack for this - note to self, find out what this skill/sense/technique(?) is and how it works. He tries to keep the information secret from the infants by saying it in elvish (I wish I had spent more time learning that complex language), however it spills out that he senses undead. Not a great sign… Hallway. Vass lights an oil lamp, seemingly this has triggered all lights in the house to light, as light comes in from under the door to the next room. Curious. Could be magic, could be a kind of ignition that is connected to other parts of the house? Family crest on wall on a shield. The others try removing it, thinking it could protect us from the monster. They could be right, but we have not seen any clues as to what the "monster" may be. Moot point - shield is fixed to the wall. Paintings of family members. Names are *"Durst"*. I do not recoginise that family name. Perhaps they are from the east? Next room - some swords removed from the wall. Unknown if martial tools or simply decoration. I guess we will find out… 1st floor. Family portrait. The two children from outside, looking better dresses. Plus mother, father and a baby. Children's story confirmed, to an extent. Suits of armour stand to attention. Very finely made. Wolf's head helms. Family seem to appreciate martial knick knacks. Barnard thinks he can hear music and dancing behind a door. Esper joins him and hears nothing. Perhaps his senses aren't to be trusted after all. Bear in mind for future. Alryic investigates. Finds dog. Seems to like him. Dog is elderly, must be a similar age to the children. Does not appear in the family portrait. May be preference. Maybe the dog isn't theirs. Either way, hes now following us. Lancelot is his name. Top Floor. Very ornate suit of armour. Barnard approaches it. Comes to life, seems to be attacking he that approached it. I call for them to retreat, stay out of its way, theorising that it will cease its attack - we are intruders after all. Manage to retreat to a safe distance into a bedroom. Call for the others to do the same. Ignored. They opt to take it head on. Somehow they manage to trip it over the bannister - metal clattering on stone at the bottom of the stairs. Not sure if lucky or talented this group. Top floor bedroom. Search for clues. There is a letter:
My Dear Mrs. Petrovna,
Your advice on dealing with teh unwanted fiend iin my home is very good advice indeed. Tonight's ceremony will proceed as planned when the moon is at it's highest peak - without, of course, the attendance of Mr. Durst. I must agree with you that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may have better results. Although, "innocent" is not quite the term I would use.
My thanks, Mrs. Elizabeth Durst
It appears things have taken an unusual turn. Assuming Elizabeth is the mother, the questions I know have are: - Who is *Mrs Petrovna?* - Who is the fiend? Is this the monster the children referred to? - Why was Mr Durst not in attendance? Perhaps he has left - Who or what is the sacrifice? And why is it deemed borderline "innocent" by Elizabeth? Report this to the others. Top floor cupboard. Find some useful items. Fire bellows. Bottles and jars. Napkins. Could make use of these later. Top floor bedroom. Sparse. Alyric and I hear singing. A maid is sitting facing away from us, hunched over a bundle by a cot. Is this Walter? She is not talking sense. Alryic tries talking to her, asking to protect the baby. She holds on. I try threatening to see if she responds to this. Does not work. She holds on tighter. Then she suddenly drops the bundle - Alryic dives to catch it, and it goes through his hand, ethereally. She disappears. Was she a ghost? She did not seem of the material plane. Behind us, hear sobbing in a mirror. It is the maid-ghost. Talking to herself. Decide to leave her for now. 1st Floor. North room. A full and rich library. Seem to be fairly generic Tomes, none that I recognise though. If a child wasn't in danger I would rather like to sit by the fireplace and in the high backed leather chair and work my way through them. Esper searches through, I believe her magic may eminate from her book that seemed to have been left behind. Looks to be searching for a replacement. She finds a hidden door behind the bookshelf. This family is full of secrets. Secret room. Small bookshelf. Books of the occult, describing dark rituals. All utter tosh - the kinds of books sold to fanatics purely for profit. Mention of *Priests of Ozzibus*. Again, never heard of it. There is a chest with a skeleton in front of it. Appears to have triggered an old trap which is not out of service. The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. Chest has some blank books - myself and Esper would find these useful. She also find a bottle of ink that appears to have some sort of magic trait. Also some spell scrolls, deeds to this house, and a Signed Will of *Gustav* (assume father) and *Elizabeth*, bequeathing the house to Rosvalda and Thorvald. Curiously no mention of Walter. Esper finds a calendar. Dates are nonsense, not recognisable. List of people's names (all seem archaic names) with comments such as "lasted 3 days". I get the feeling reading this that one or both parents have been imprisoning and torturing lost souls. Last entry (date: "3rd Ghostmoon") "wanderer turned up at house. Looking for Barovia. Currently in holding cell. Have confiscated more books for your library". Is Barovia a place? A person? And is this prisoner still alive? Entry seems recent. Must move fast. Another letter is found:
My most pathetic servant,
I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones that brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.
You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the boson of another woman, and sired a bastard son. He is in danger, you say? Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. But should I save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.
your dread lord and master Strahd von Zarovich
heories: - Father Gustav had a child with Maid - That child was Walter - The maid is likely dead. Dead at the hand of the mother? - Walter is thought to be cursed - Both parents involved in the occult (one letter to *Strahd von Zarovich*, and one to Mrs Petrovna) - There is some secret dungeon they have access to and are using for sacrifices and a gaol. Ground Floor. Front room. We have found Gustav. It was not a sight I enjoyed. The others seemed to take it in their stride. He had made a decision to end his life. Letter left in his pocket. It's both a confession and farewell note.
This confirms some prior theories, however, raises more questions. What has Elizabeth done that is irreversible? We look outside to see if the children are there, as they should not be near this house. They are gone. We find weapons. One cupboard is locked with some sort of contraption I've not seen before. I couldn't open it with my tools. I am handed a small crossbow. The others saw it fit that they took the larger crossbows. I'm no expert, but I hope they can handle them. We have searched the whole house. There was something nagging my mind about the upstairs floorspace. Each floor is a very similar layout. The Maids room felt smaller. I shall investigate. 2nd Floor: Maids room. She is in the mirror still, and has calmed. I try a different tack. "Elizabeth killed you, didn't she". She responds. It seems Gustav had showered her with attention and gifts. She does not go into detail, but it is apparent this is her conclusion. She says that people have passed through her mirror. Visitors. (The visitors mentioned in the calendar?) She is concerned for the child, asks if we will keep him safe. I confirm in the affirmative. (For this I do feel bad, for I am almost certain that the child has been sacrificed by Elizabeth). I call to the others, and ask if we may pass, in order to keep others safe from Elizabeth. The mirror clicks, revealing a set of stairs leading up a flight. Will we find more questions or more answers? Who or what is the fiend? What has Elizabeth become? Is the child safe? Are there prisoners still alive? Who is Strahd von Zarovich? The lure of potential pay by the owners and information on our location seems now far from likely. The only thing leading me up these stairs is that there is mystery to be unravelled, and secrets to be learned. I wonder what drives the others behind to go up these stairs…
Ichabod’s Notebook: Day 2 Date: 2nd Day of the Alturiak (or is it?) Location: Unknown
Large House: External. Two young children *Thornvold (sp?)* and *Rosevalder*. Appear afraid. Talking about a monster in the basement. Worried about their infant brother *Walter*. Walter sleeps on second floor. Last seen father upstairs somewhere. Mother was with baby. No reason to doubt them at present, at least their interpretation of events. If there is a monster, the owners of the house look wealthy enough to pay for ridding it. House Entrance. DC Barnard smells something in the air. He seems to have a knack for this - note to self, find out what this skill/sense/technique(?) is and how it works. He tries to keep the information secret from the infants by saying it in elvish (I wish I had spent more time learning that complex language), however it spills out that he senses undead. Not a great sign… Hallway. Vass lights an oil lamp, seemingly this has triggered all lights in the house to light, as light comes in from under the door to the next room. Curious. Could be magic, could be a kind of ignition that is connected to other parts of the house? Family crest on wall on a shield. The others try removing it, thinking it could protect us from the monster. They could be right, but we have not seen any clues as to what the "monster" may be. Moot point - shield is fixed to the wall. Paintings of family members. Names are *"Durst"*. I do not recoginise that family name. Perhaps they are from the east? Next room - some swords removed from the wall. Unknown if martial tools or simply decoration. I guess we will find out… 1st floor. Family portrait. The two children from outside, looking better dresses. Plus mother, father and a baby. Children's story confirmed, to an extent. Suits of armour stand to attention. Very finely made. Wolf's head helms. Family seem to appreciate martial knick knacks. Barnard thinks he can hear music and dancing behind a door. Esper joins him and hears nothing. Perhaps his senses aren't to be trusted after all. Bear in mind for future. Alryic investigates. Finds dog. Seems to like him. Dog is elderly, must be a similar age to the children. Does not appear in the family portrait. May be preference. Maybe the dog isn't theirs. Either way, hes now following us. Lancelot is his name. Top Floor. Very ornate suit of armour. Barnard approaches it. Comes to life, seems to be attacking he that approached it. I call for them to retreat, stay out of its way, theorising that it will cease its attack - we are intruders after all. Manage to retreat to a safe distance into a bedroom. Call for the others to do the same. Ignored. They opt to take it head on. Somehow they manage to trip it over the bannister - metal clattering on stone at the bottom of the stairs. Not sure if lucky or talented this group. Top floor bedroom. Search for clues. There is a letter:
My Dear Mrs. Petrovna,
Your advice on dealing with teh unwanted fiend iin my home is very good advice indeed. Tonight's ceremony will proceed as planned when the moon is at it's highest peak - without, of course, the attendance of Mr. Durst. I must agree with you that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may have better results. Although, "innocent" is not quite the term I would use.
My thanks, Mrs. Elizabeth Durst
It appears things have taken an unusual turn. Assuming Elizabeth is the mother, the questions I know have are: - Who is *Mrs Petrovna?* - Who is the fiend? Is this the monster the children referred to? - Why was Mr Durst not in attendance? Perhaps he has left - Who or what is the sacrifice? And why is it deemed borderline "innocent" by Elizabeth? Report this to the others. Top floor cupboard. Find some useful items. Fire bellows. Bottles and jars. Napkins. Could make use of these later. Top floor bedroom. Sparse. Alyric and I hear singing. A maid is sitting facing away from us, hunched over a bundle by a cot. Is this Walter? She is not talking sense. Alryic tries talking to her, asking to protect the baby. She holds on. I try threatening to see if she responds to this. Does not work. She holds on tighter. Then she suddenly drops the bundle - Alryic dives to catch it, and it goes through his hand, ethereally. She disappears. Was she a ghost? She did not seem of the material plane. Behind us, hear sobbing in a mirror. It is the maid-ghost. Talking to herself. Decide to leave her for now. 1st Floor. North room. A full and rich library. Seem to be fairly generic Tomes, none that I recognise though. If a child wasn't in danger I would rather like to sit by the fireplace and in the high backed leather chair and work my way through them. Esper searches through, I believe her magic may eminate from her book that seemed to have been left behind. Looks to be searching for a replacement. She finds a hidden door behind the bookshelf. This family is full of secrets. Secret room. Small bookshelf. Books of the occult, describing dark rituals. All utter tosh - the kinds of books sold to fanatics purely for profit. Mention of *Priests of Ozzibus*. Again, never heard of it. There is a chest with a skeleton in front of it. Appears to have triggered an old trap which is not out of service. The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. Chest has some blank books - myself and Esper would find these useful. She also find a bottle of ink that appears to have some sort of magic trait. Also some spell scrolls, deeds to this house, and a Signed Will of *Gustav* (assume father) and *Elizabeth*, bequeathing the house to Rosvalda and Thorvald. Curiously no mention of Walter. Esper finds a calendar. Dates are nonsense, not recognisable. List of people's names (all seem archaic names) with comments such as "lasted 3 days". I get the feeling reading this that one or both parents have been imprisoning and torturing lost souls. Last entry (date: "3rd Ghostmoon") "wanderer turned up at house. Looking for Barovia. Currently in holding cell. Have confiscated more books for your library". Is Barovia a place? A person? And is this prisoner still alive? Entry seems recent. Must move fast. Another letter is found:
My most pathetic servant,
I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones that brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.
You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the boson of another woman, and sired a bastard son. He is in danger, you say? Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. But should I save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.
your dread lord and master Strahd von Zarovich
heories: - Father Gustav had a child with Maid - That child was Walter - The maid is likely dead. Dead at the hand of the mother? - Walter is thought to be cursed - Both parents involved in the occult (one letter to *Strahd von Zarovich*, and one to Mrs Petrovna) - There is some secret dungeon they have access to and are using for sacrifices and a gaol. Ground Floor. Front room. We have found Gustav. It was not a sight I enjoyed. The others seemed to take it in their stride. He had made a decision to end his life. Letter left in his pocket. It's both a confession and farewell note.
This confirms some prior theories, however, raises more questions. What has Elizabeth done that is irreversible? We look outside to see if the children are there, as they should not be near this house. They are gone. We find weapons. One cupboard is locked with some sort of contraption I've not seen before. I couldn't open it with my tools. I am handed a small crossbow. The others saw it fit that they took the larger crossbows. I'm no expert, but I hope they can handle them. We have searched the whole house. There was something nagging my mind about the upstairs floorspace. Each floor is a very similar layout. The Maids room felt smaller. I shall investigate. 2nd Floor: Maids room. She is in the mirror still, and has calmed. I try a different tack. "Elizabeth killed you, didn't she". She responds. It seems Gustav had showered her with attention and gifts. She does not go into detail, but it is apparent this is her conclusion. She says that people have passed through her mirror. Visitors. (The visitors mentioned in the calendar?) She is concerned for the child, asks if we will keep him safe. I confirm in the affirmative. (For this I do feel bad, for I am almost certain that the child has been sacrificed by Elizabeth). I call to the others, and ask if we may pass, in order to keep others safe from Elizabeth. The mirror clicks, revealing a set of stairs leading up a flight. Will we find more questions or more answers? Who or what is the fiend? What has Elizabeth become? Is the child safe? Are there prisoners still alive? Who is Strahd von Zarovich? The lure of potential pay by the owners and information on our location seems now far from likely. The only thing leading me up these stairs is that there is mystery to be unravelled, and secrets to be learned. I wonder what drives the others behind to go up these stairs…
Report Date
04 Oct 2024
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