Day 50: The Tower and the Tome

General Summary

Day 50 (Хололуна 26, 735/?)

The following morning, Bodaway greets his friends with unwelcome news: granted another vision from the Raven Queen, he has seemingly had confirmation that there was some sort of attack on the winery wereravens, and that they were being hunted. Trying to send messages to both Carac — whose memory Bodaway had inhabited — and to their ally in Krezk, Vitaliya, they're disheartened to see the latter paper bird turn to ash as soon as it's released, suggesting the woman's probable demise.
With this grim news received, the party says their goodbyes to the slíabh, hoping to reach the tower that day, to fulfill another of Madam Eva's prophecies. From their discussions with Conláed, they know that the tower is not part of the temple, and that their guide knows the tower area well enough. With warnings of magical barriers that will need to be dispelled, giant goats that contribute to certain conspiracy theories, and a slight chance of liches, the party sets out.
The day begins clear, if cold, and when they come across a cave they're delighted to find it unoccupied, seemingly abandoned by what once used it as a lair, though there are several diamonds within — presumably all that's left of someone well supplied but not well equipped enough to defeat whatever predator was in the cave before. The party has an unsettling moment when a chunk of amber in the cave mesmerizes Ri-An, Odharnait knocking it away before the others can intervene, ordering them all to steer clear of amber. Ri-An and Bodaway draw on their knowledge of arcana and provide some helpful context for approaching the Amber Temple: amber has many uses in arcana, including the storing of spells, and in cleansing, renewal, and healing spells. Given what they know of the temple, they deduce that amber may well have been used there to attempt to cleanse some of the dark presences within, and that this chunk of amber may have... retained some connection to those forces as a result.
They press on, finding the tower without incident, regarding the demonic statues that flank its gate with trepidation, but Godfrey dispels the barrier of green fire without incident, and their initial exploration of the the tower proves alarmingly uneventful. While Ri-An scans the tower for any sign of magic, Sylvain decides to do a little grappling hook-aided exploration, but despite Ri-An's perpetual misgivings about Sylvain's survival, nothing comes of this until all the party is inside and they reach the roof of the tower. As soon as Sylvain sets foot outside to investigate for danger, six snowy, ethereal female figures appear, a voice carrying on the wind telling Sylvain that “the treasure” is theirs, and he cannot have it.
A brief but intense and occasionally exasperating battle ensues. Sylvain takes a lot of attacks. Everyone tries sticking to ranged attacks for a bit, with mixed results. Ayduin casts a spell on himself to make it easier for him to survive a lot of attacks. Godfrey, recognizing some of the aspects of these creatures' undead nature, cries out to retreat if they find their health waning, as these creatures have the power to provide a death Revivify cannot cure. Snow begins to fall throughout the battle, turning into a thick flurry. When Bodaway is badly injured, Ayduin protects him with some of his divine power, and Jeny manifests just enough to whisper sweet nothings into Bodaway's ear; he assures himself and the rest of the world that he is a big, strong man.
Finally, with the foes defeated, two things are revealed. First, a leather tome appears at Osrin's feet, with the initials SvZ inscribed on the cover. Second, both Ayduin and Godfrey notice a figure on the nearby bridge, partially obscured by its cracked and battered wall. This in itself would be cause for alarm, but the faint flicker of flame its mount gives off is doubly concerning. Agreeing that assessing the nature of this threat should take priority before the book is explored, Ayduin stows the tome in their bag of holding (this is what you get for giving out free magical items, Strahd, you arrogant fuck), and they begin to investigate, cloaked once again in a stealth spell.
What at first appears to be Strahd is revealed, with a quick use of dispel magic, to be an unfamiliar elf, clearly in his later centuries, though he'd still only appear middle-aged by human standards. He also appears to be exceptionally spry despite his advanced age, hiding in nothing but the falling snow as soon as he is revealed.
What begins as a tentative interaction, Ayduin trying to reach out and reason with the elf, quickly becomes a fight when Godfrey reveals the elf's nature, his voice dripping with a hatred he only rarely displays despite his revenant nature: this is Rahadin, Strahd's most trusted general.
Rahadin, accompanied by several wights, tests the group, though only Grghshnq is knocked unconscious as a result. The fight is quickly interrupted by a growing shadow and a distant, ringing cry as the roc approaches, drawn by the sounds of battle. The roc unknowingly aids the party by attempting to snack on a wight, though it quickly drops the fetid meal in disgust, the undead creature shattering on the rocks below.
After a failed attempt to distract the roc with some extremely ripe wolf meat, Ri-An is themself attacked by the roc, though they too are quickly disposed of as an unsatisfactory meal. Disgusted by the universe's lunch offerings (what a Barovian mood), the roc flies off, and with all their enemies either dead or long gone, the party regroups, returning to the tower to investigate the tome.
As they tend to the worst of their wounds, while Odharnait leaves to scout and Not Learn Terrible Things, Ri-An casts Identify on the book, though they learn that the complexity of the magic at play is beyond even what this spell can tell. Still, they know that there was likely some intentionality in its initial creation as a magical object, but that its nature has irrevocably intertwined with that of Barovia itself, taking on a life beyond its original intent. There are memories within, they learn, and to access them will require a concentrated effort of will, and also comes with a price: the one who reads the tome will be at a disadvantage when next Strahd attempts to charm them, and others may suffer lingering side effects from the magics within, though none that would last terribly long. However, if they can absorb all the information within, they will all have a permanent advantage when resisting Strahd's charms.
Sylvain and Ayduin agree to try and be the ones to read the book, given their already possessing a natural advantage when resisting charm effects. After an initial failed attempt by Sylvain, Ayduin succeeds, and the party gets a much more immersive experience than they bargained for with the Tome of Strahd.
The first chapter focuses on Strahd's childhood, the pampered but pressured prince, the only child and heir of King Barov of Tverdzavia. Only seven at the time, he is much like a million spoiled royal children before him, and through the lens of his memories the party learns of him, his father and his father's general Rahadin, his mother Queen Ravenovia, and his nursemaid... Baba Lysaga.
Though unnerved by the experience, they press on. The next chapter has Strahd as a young man but a distinguished general, Rahadin at his side, the pair of them returning to the heart of the empire in the wake of his father's death. They meet his younger brother, Sergei, himself about the same age as Strahd once was, and begin to see the juxtaposition between the two, and the growing gulf between Strahd and his mother.
Though Sylvain in particular has misgivings about pressing on, the very thought of Strahd terrifying after inhabiting the mind of his baby brother, they access the third chapter, the last they'll be able to view for the day. Another time skip has taken place, and they see a familiar scene, though in far greater detail than before: the methodical torture of the last three high priestesses of the Ladies Three, the desecration of the Swamp Fane, and the solidification of Strahd's power over the land.
It is fortunate that Ri-An informed them they could only access three chapters per day, as this last memory leaves precious few of them in a state to press on. Bodaway is preoccupied with the well-being of his friends and can taste nothing but blood; Ri-An has lost their memories and is fixated on certain subjects; Sylvain is terrified of Strahd and has lost the ability to speak or write. After ascertaining they're still fit for battle — with Godfrey testing a little more aggressively than some might prefer — they fetch Odharnait and press on, not wanting to waste any time in getting closer to more answers.
That evening, they find themselves ambushed by Adharcfuil, the notorious giant goat that has haunted the sliabh for ages. Quickly realizing a head-on fight would not be in its favour, the belligerent goat instead decides to ram its head into the cliffside to trigger an avalanche. Chaos ensues, mostly for Bodaway, whose curse, it seems, also means that all nearby goats want to fuck with him specifically. Mercifully, only Godfrey is caught in the wall of snow, and though he was never in any real danger, being immune to suffocation and healing ten hit point every six seconds, with Grghshnq's aid he's dug out in record time.
Pressing on again, they finally make camp, Odharnait and Ayduin helping to erect a shelter against the bitter cold.

Report Date

23 Feb 2023

Primary Location

Tsolenka Pass

Related Characters

• Ayduin
• Baba Lysaga
• Bodaway
• Bray Martikov
• Brom Martikov
• Carac Cherenchikov
• Danica Dorakova
• Davian Martikov
• Elvir Martikov
• Grghshnq II
• King Barov von Zarovich
• Odharnait Mac Lorgaire
• Osrin
• Prince Sergei von Zarovich
• Queen Ravenovia von Zarovich
• Rahadin
• Ri-An
• Sir Godfrey Gwilym
• Strahd von Zarovich
• Sylvain
• The Huntress
• The Raven Queen
• The Seeker
• Urwin Martikov
• Vitaliya Abramovich