Session 19

General Summary

Tour dé Castle

After getting dressed, the party was escorted downstairs once again, through the keep into the dining hall. There, the party saw a lavishly set dinner, with a setting for each party member, each with a pair of red and white wines. Beyond the head of the table, an organ was playing a furiously somber tune. When the playing stopped, a blue-tipped haired man leering over the organist's shoulder complimented him on his performance. The man playing revealed himself to be Strahd, while Idris was happy to see Don alive and well, albeit dressed as a glorified butler. Briefly asking if he is okay, Don seemed delighted to see his old friend after so long.
As Strahd welcomed the party, he stated there was a matter he had to attend to that Rahadin had informed him about, and that he will return momentarily when dinner is ready. He turned and phased through the walls as the party was left in the dining hall with Ludmilla, Anatrasya, Escher, Silvia, and Volentia. Escher and Ludmilla were briefly asked where they could go in the castle. Escher let them know that certain areas of the castle are certainly off limits and have been barred or locked to indicate such. Then, the party briefly asked questions about Rahadin, and what his deal is. The party was pretty much told that he is Strahd's right-hand man, yes man, and tends to do a lot of work downstairs in the castle. The party then devised a plan where Idris, Ariadne, and Don would explore upstairs as Gio, Nova, and Ahrieya would explore downstairs.
Following a hunch, Idris took Don and Ariadne upstairs towards the tower of Castle Ravenloft. Upon reaching a locked door, a plan to get past was discussed before they decided to simply explore the floor, discovering three black cats as well as a slew of torn furniture and something that seemed like a laboratory. Strahd then appeared before them, reading Idris and Ariadne before disappearing once again.

On Idris: Bards are little more than shouting fools in a crowd of mediocrity, pointing wondrous tales, whether they’re true or false, that they never do themselves. But I have nothing but respect for the rabble. Some may pass them by in favor of the noble, the learned artisan, but I have found that men under the thumb of authority strike inspiration most often.
I have toppled corrupt rulers, kings grown fat on the sweat of their subjects. I have marched armies against tyranny, heard the pleas of mercy from those who have none. Though we fight on different battlefields, you seem to advocate a likewise fight.
Had I once again an army to lead, or what is more, an enemy to lead it against, I would have no hesitation in asking you to inspire them.

On Ariadne: Your allegiance to what is good and light is what cripples you. You are so young. Too naive to know the nuance of the soul. You may think me a creature only of dark, but I am not. There are a thousand shades to me, to any man, yet you see only two.
Your mother no doubt walked what you would consider the line. So much so that she absconded her position here, somehow eluding my grasp, and thus, you as well.
Listen to me. Beyond our ideas of light and dark, lies a field. I could meet you there. You could join me, Ariadne, to behold the universe, the inconceivable universe, that lies beyond mere good and evil. It is…quite the sight.

As the group took a moment to ponder what happened, Don regaled Ariadne, much to Idris' chagrin, with some of his classic bad jokes, all vampire themed.
Meanwhile, the trio that went downstairs moved down one floor before exploring. As Ahrieya looked at the door for traps, Gio noticed a large missing square in the ground just before the door. Something was definitely here at some point. Moving inside, the party saw a relatively well furnished area as a furred man with dog ears and webbed feet named Cyrus approached them, informing the group that they were in the servants quarters. When asked what the most interesting room in the castle is, Cyrus brought the three into a room of bones with a giant cyan crystal hanging above a love dining table. Nova searched what looked like a meat locker as Gio looked at a workbench after being told this room was Volentia's doing, as Ahrieya looked at the crystal above the table and the bones around the room. Gio noticed a lot of drawings and writing in the book in a different language, but with Ahrieya's help, discerned that the drawings were of silver dragons. Seems the crystal has something to do with it.
As Nova explored the meat locker, the doors swung close as Strahd appeared before her and began to discuss her time in Barovia before reading her as well.

On Nova: Your pain, your unexceptional pain of loss; it tires me. You know nothing of suffering that could not be heard in any Vistani romance tale. And your geas for revenge against Rahadin and his beasts, has all the ingredients of a poorly written tragedy. I can almost hear the poor players weeping over the stilted, dull lines they are forced to recite. Suffering. Common pain. And yet you define yourself by it. You could be so much more.

Upon which, Nova replied "Nova is Nova." Disappointed, Strahd left through the wall, which Nova tried to do as well unsuccessfully.
Appearing before Gio and Ahrieya, Strahd began to circle the two like a shark before finally reading them.

On Ahrieya: What hides behind your quick wit of yours? You might seem to some an uncaring fellow, deciding pragmatically and weighted by neither duty nor emotion. Surprising for someone so closely entwined with their inner self. But it isn’t that. For there lives a torrent of feeling in you, else you would not seek your to save your brother, Ayduin. No, it is something else. I name it fear, but not what you think. Fear of losing what you have gained. Gaining nothing so as to lose nothing. An understandable response to a world such as this, where they can take anything from you, at any time. Yes. You are scared, girl. Perhaps that makes you the sanest of us all.

On Gio: I have one word for you, farmer. Station. It is our station that defines us, and one must be so careful not to exceed it. During my great campaign, centuries ago, I had the opportunity to spend time in the court of a small kingdom named Karath, many leagues from this valley. I conquered them, of course, in the end, and with no trouble. They were very unlike the hardy men of Delmor, who for all their faults were superb warriors. But the Karathian nobles, well…they were a conniving nest of vipers, forever obsessing over their station, and how to improve it. It is a wonder they ever saw the beauty of the lands they had the privilege to inhabit, so concerned were they with their positions. Station. The politics of Karath lived in fear of the assassin’s knife, forever looking over their shoulder, watching their backs. Their deaths usually came from the front. I tell you this because you are a man who has surpassed his station. How does a farmer relight the calculated tactics of a mercenary? How does he venture up the burial hill and descend unscathed? You spent your life torn between two lives, yet now you have seen more of my valley than any simple man has the right to. So remember station, Gio, for soon you shall be the incumbent hero. Station. For those who exceed it must also remember the knife.

After this brief interaction, Strahd informed them at it is time for dinner, and the group eventually reconvened outside the dining hall. However, after Strahd interacted with each of the party members, they each found a note addressed to them somewhere on their person.

Dinner With The Devil

The food provided to the party was delicious, though some were able to notice that Strahd's glass was just a little more deep crimson that everyone else's. Ahrieya downed the entirety of her white wine, slamming the glass down afterwards. As everyone enjoyed the food, Escher continued to be interested in Idris by passing a note to Ariadne to give to him. Strahd spoke up and inquired about Ireena, questioning whether or not the party were as capable stewards as he thought considering her recent demise. The party then asked about how each of his brides met Strahd. Ludmilla said she snuck onto a Vistani caravan, and upon arriving in Barovia she captured the attention of Strahd with her arcane talents. Anatrasya said that she was once a noblewoman in Vallaki before she met Strahd. When he suddenly took interest in her, he told her ways to improve her governance over her people and control them. Volentia claimed she used to be a lady of the night in the village of Barovia before she met Strahd. Though, the men she would take in would also become her victims, creating morbid sculptures of their dismembered bodies. When the authorities found out, she fled to Castle Ravenloft, where Strahd took an interest in her 'talents'. Escher finally explained that he sang for Strahd, and that along with his natural charm and good looks were enough to interest Strahd. He did not explain any further. Silvia, on the other hand, said nothing. When asked why the party was there in Barovia, it seems that it is a mixture of boredom and outside forces beyond Strahd's understanding.
Asking about Rahadin and his beasts, Strahd explained those seem to be a part of him, tied to his emotions based on something he had done. When the Battlehands came up in conversation, Strahd mused about his former employees, and asked if they had told Gio what they had done in the past. Strahd explained that they used to transport things into Barovia for them, and occasionally things out as well. Idris asked if Don could come with them when they left the castle, to which he agreed after they discussed business. Escher then took Idris with his to get some more wine, as he was clearly the most strapping young man there able to help. When they entered the kitchen, Idris saw a man hung upside down, bleeding out into a bottle. Escher seemed to slightly regret his transformation, though acknowledges that he is in fact a monster. Perhaps they could talk more about it during a midnight stroll.
As the meal came to a close, Strahd make a toast to new friendship and camaraderie. As he raised his glass, Nova raised a gravy boat, Ahreiya raised nothing, Ariadne raised her red wine, Idris raised his red wine, and Gio raised his white wine. Upon finishing the toast, he promptly gave the party a tour of some parts of the castle. 
During the tour, Ahrieya brought up the name Tatyana. Confused yet intrigued, Strahd took a moment to compose himself before informing her not to speak her name again (Spoiler, she didn't listen).
When the party eventually returned to the dining hall, it was now repurposed into a ballroom, where Strahd wished to end the evening with a dance. Anatrasya danced with Gio, Escher danced with Idris, Ariadne danced with Volentia, Nova and Ludmilla decided to opt out of dancing, and Strahd danced with Ahrieya. Anatrasya told Gio that she wont tell his wife about tonight, and told him how lovely his family is. She would like to keep them safe so long as Gio is aligned with Strahd's interests. Escher informed Idris that he was interested in Idris romantically after being talked up by Don and being told that he was single, to which Idris was confused since Escher was married. He was told he had Strahd's permission. During the dance, however, Idris seemed to pass on the yellow burning essence of Coryphian to Escher. Volentia danced wildly with Ariadne, talking with her about how much blood can be found within various small creatures. Nova and Ludmilla watched as everyone was dancing, glad they didn't have to dance themselves. Strahd said that Ahrieya was quite proficient in pushing his buttons. Though, despite this she seems to know that sometimes she has to do what needs to be done despite the consequences. He has grown bored of ruling as is looking for a successor. He is watching Ahrieya closely to see if she is worthy of ruling in his stead. Ahrieya couldn't help but bring up Tatyana once again and irking Strahd again, the dance came to a close. 
Strahd escorted the party to the door, and once there he provided each of the party members a gift. Ariadne was given a pendant, Gio a set of stuffed animals and a scroll of plant growth, Idris a brand new bass, Nova a folding throne, and Ahrieya a projecting tome of the histories of Barovia. 
Before sending them off, they briefly discussed business. Though the party thinks him evil, there are tasks he would like the party to do for him, to which he would gift them something from his treasure room. First, a murderous assassin named Rudolph van Richten has attacked a settlement of Vistani outside Vallaki. He has entered this land without his permission and would like to have him delivered to his castle, dead or alive. Second, remove the swamp witch from the ruins of Berez, as she has indirectly harmed Ireena. Finally, find someone who has stolen from Bildrath's Mercantile. He seems to already have a hunch about that.
As the party left in the carriage to discuss what happened, Idris embraced Don again, saying how glad he was to see him safe. He is excited to see Sena again too! During the ride, they discussed whether or not they took Strahd's deal. Ariadne claimed she took it, and Ahrieya believes Gio took it. Idris talked about the entity that he is working with, supposedly an ally of against Strahd. He believes him to not necessarily be good, but at least he can help him and the rest of them against Strahd. If the entity asks for something again, Idris will help him and take any deal.
The carriage arrived at Krezk. Upon entering the town's walls, just before entering the burgomaster's home with Gio on the warpath, Ahrieya got a message in her head...

Harm comes from those closest to us. My heart aches and breaks each time her name is uttered. At least I can ease your burden.

In that instant, a burning sensation was felt on her upper back. Exposed from the dress, the party could see that carved in Ahrieya's back said the phrase "Hello there, sister."
The party seemed to survive dinner.

Report Date

24 Dec 2022