Caesius hears Qvar's criess, and turns his head towards the priest, seeing Saeko laying on the floor.

"Qvar!  Does she yet live?" he calls out, torn now between pursuing the enemy and saving an ally.  Either would be the right course of action in the eyes of Heironeous.

If the woman is dead, of course, then retribution would become the only option...

Qvar looks up when called.  He sees the monstrous being falling back and Zed and Violet driving it, opening a path for them to continue their quest.  He replies to Caesius, his mouth a firm line.  "That is between her and her gods, not mine, nor yours."

Pleading with his god, Qvar desperately casts a healing spell upon Saeko as Ireena looks on in horror ... but it is too late, for the Daughter of the Wind has taken her last breath; her spirit at least may now escape this realm of evil and shadow, where mere flesh could not do so. 

With the terrible ululation now ended, Zertin steps determinedly forwards, loosing a pair of fiery rays at the heaving mass of the shapeless spawn, causing it to moan anew in agony as it drags itself away, its severed tentacles dangling uselessly as it trails bloody ichor in its wake, the wild man continuing to clutch his head and echo its cries.

Caesius calls out to Qvar, but the slumped body in Ashlyn's arms tell the Paladin all he needs to know.  Grimly he strides towards the creature, picking up speed to a run as he calls out to Heironeous, bringing Razor down and cutting deep into its shifting flesh.

The creature collapses, stilled at last, forcing Caesius to step back as its form begins to spread out.  The wild man's screams reach a crescendo as Violet fires her arrows at him, the first, guided by fury alone, shattering against the throne, but the second has both reason and skill to send it on its way, and pierces his shoulder.

The screams stop as the man lowers his head to look at the protruding shaft, then raises it again to regard the dead creature at his feet,

Slowly he straightens, standing tall,  his eyes clear once more and now lit with the light of reason, surveying you all, as if for the first time, and lingering upon Ireena for a moment.  His lips curl in a smile ... then abruptly  his form wavers into a mist which swiftly moves towards the southern wall, vanishing as it flows into the stone.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

For a moment Zertin looks annoyed that the man managed to escape before Zertin could even get off a shot at him with his wand. Then he looks thoughtful and turns to Ireena.

"Ireena, was that the master of these halls? Do you recognise him, if only from your dreams?" he asks. "If it was, he may have intended for us to rescue him from that creature so he could infiltrate our group."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:33, Wed 28 Feb.

"Those creatures," Ireena can barely bring herself to even look upon their corpses, turning her head aside, "I have seen them before, haunting my dreams !  Tentacled horrors, howling in the darkness !"  She shudders.

"The man ..." her hand unconsciously covers the bite marks upon her neck "... yes, I believe it was much like him, at the last."

"But the man in my dreams was powerful, commanding - he did not cower or wail."

"I thought the unliving to be terrible enough," Ashlyn says grimly, still cradling Saeko's unmoving body.  "I've not seen the like of those tentacled horrors before nor wish ever to do so again."

"Do you think our fallen friend would be safe back in the chapel ?" the armoured woman suggests, gently, her question directed to Qvar and Caesius, for, to her mind, the care of the dead is a religious duty in the main.

"That's a good idea," Zertin agreed. "I can't think of anywhere else safer in this gods-forsaken place."

"Yes, you're right Ashlyn, Zed." Qvar replies resignedly.  "But while this place appears forsaken, we bring our gods with us."  He looks down at the body he kneels beside.  "You fought that the Sun would win against this mist.  You brought honour to your family, Saeko, third daughter of the Yamashima Family."

Rising, he wipes blood from his hands onto his robe.  He looks at the foul mess on the floor and then at Caesius.  "Strike true indeed!" he smiles in appreciation.

Catching Violet's eye he admits, "I might have asked you to stay your hand, that we could aid the ragged man.  Your instinct was better than mine."  He smiles again in appreciation.  "That, I think, was the first blow struck against our enemy himself."

Disappearing, the man likewise disappears from Violet’s thoughts.  Immediately her companions turn to discussion; she does not.  Instead, the young woman begins to walk, a slightly meandering route that takes her slowly towards where Saeko lies.  Next to her, Qvar rises; she hears his words, but they hold little meaning to her.

Of what use her arrows when Saeko has already perished?

For a moment her face twists into an ugly mask of grief; then Violet claims control once again, dragging in a shuddering breath and dashing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.  Slowly she crouches next to the body, struggling to recall the stories she has heard of Lannet.  Legends and docktales, nothing more…she is useless here, as well.  So Violet places the warrior’s unsheathed sword on her chest and with gentle movements wraps the fingers of both the dead woman’s hands about the hilt.  Biting her lip, she rocks back and forth for a long moment before whispering.  “I know nothing of your spirits, or what you worship.  But even in Hell you died a warrior’s death, sword in-hand, facing your enemies without flinching.”

Surely that must count for something?

Her swollen eyes flick to Caesius.

A muscle in her jaw jumps, and Violet rises to stride to the tall warrior, her hands fumbling in her pouch.  Another heathen…but his…his god clearly stands with him, whatever that god might be.  “Here,” she snaps, her anger with herself rather than Caesius, and halts before the armoured man, holding out a small, well-carven wooden amulet, ribbons hanging from each of its sides.  “You are a servant of a god, yes?  Then wear and use this in their name; I weary of carrying it, waiting for the proper person.”

Her lips tighten.  “Perhaps….perhaps that person is you.”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Mon 11 Mar.

Caesius looks at the amulet in Violet's hand.  It doesn't resemble the symbol of any god that he knows of, and he is hesitant to take it at first, but a few seconds of scrutiny does not reveal it to be tainted by evil.

He stretches forth his hand and accepts the item.  "Heironeous is my God.  He is the giver of Law, Justice, Protection and Weal.  I accept your gift, and thank you in His name.  I swear that I will put it to whatever use I am able, to purge the Darkness from this place."

Bowing his head, the paladin ties the ribbons to hang the amulet around his neck, beside the fist and lightning bolt emblem of Heironeous.

Qvar silently bears witness to violet's grief, then her unburdening as she bestows her Heaven-sent gift upon Caesius and his gracious acceptance.  His small smile and slow nod acknowledge the rightness of this exchange.

He makes a slow circuit of the room, looking over the throne and peering into any dark corners and passages, then returns to stand beside Zertin and Ireena.  "Let us return to the Chapel now.  We can rest safely there and regain our strength."

Zertin joins Qvar in searching the room then readily agrees with the suggestion to return to the chapel to give Saeko's body a safer resting place.

Zertin rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Spot skill check. – 20
Zertin rolled 25 using 1d20+5.  Search skill check. – 25

The armoured woman places her hand upon Violet's shoulder. "Our friend has fought upon the side of the Light and is now released from her duty," she offers in comfort.

"She was a daughter of a noble house?" Ashyln confirms with Qvar. "Then her blades are as like to be heirlooms of her Family. When our task is done, we should take them from this place that we might return them and so honour her sacrifice."

"You and I will carry her back to the chapel," she suggests to Violet.

The death of Saeko hits Violet hard, for whatever small comforts the rest of you can offer.  In the face of such loss, the young woman finds herself moved to offer up her precious Phylactery to Caesius, and the Paladin formally accepts the charge, offering his gratitude.

Though the thought that the feral man might have been Strahd himself is a compelling one, for the moment your thoughts turn to more practical matters.  Qvar and Zertin quickly search the room while the rest of you prepare Saeko's body for removal, their search at first fruitless, until the Wizard's keen eyes fall upon an ancient book lying on the steps behind the throne, bound in a thick black leather cover with brass hinges, though the brothers quickly determine that the volume will require more careful study than the moment allows, for the pages are brittle, and the penmanship of the writings within poor indeed.

Ashlyn and Violet take up Saeko's body and with Caesius leading the way and Ireena, flanked by Qvar and Zertin following, you make your way as swiftly as due ceremony allows, back to the Chapel without incident where they lay the Daughter of the Wind before the altar, as the Wizard, mindful of the wards, hangs back.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Qvar assists Ashlyn and Violet to lay Saeko to rest before the altar.  He nods thoughtful agreement with Ashlyn's suggestion to return Saeko's possessions to her family.  He smiles at the optimism embraced in that plan, another quest perhaps after the Sun has brightened Barovia again.

Rising he looks at his companions, trying to take in their mood and guess what they need.  "Friends, let us not be discouraged."  He floods the chapel with Daylight cast upon the altar.  "We have come far, and learned that this land, Barovia, needs our help to prosper again.  We have restored the Sunstone, and set out to mend the Sunsword, weapons to use against our enemy, Strahd.  Saeko's death will not be in vain if we hold to our quest.  For now we should rest and regain our strength.  Tomorrow we shall set out again."  He sits on a serviceable pew and unwraps the leftover breakfast foods, inviting the others to gather and share a meal.

"Do you recognise the language the book is written in, Zed?" he asks his brother.  "Let's learn what we can before tonight's rest and Vigil."

All through that afternoon his eyes wander the the unexplored passage from the south of the chapel.  "Shall we see where that leads?" he asks Violet hopefully, although making it clear that he'll do no such thing if she's not comfortable with the idea.

Caesius takes a seat, and accepts a little bread and cheese to eat.  The new brightness in the chapel, while it doesn't warm his skin, does warm his heart and mind.  Confidence seems to fill him now.

Daylight, here in Barovia!  If only the locals could see that that was possible, they might rise against the tyrant monster that rules over them.  For that matter, the light itself might be a powerful weapon against that monster.

"Qvar?  How often can you summon sunlight like that?  How long does it last, and how far does it spread?"

Qvar smiles brightly back at Caesius, glad to see his mood lifted by the light.  "Pelor is with us, sending His Light to cheer us, as often as we need, anything that I touch.  The Light will not fade for an hour, and while it shines it will fill this chapel brightly and reach dimly twice as far.  Set on something small like a pebble we can cover the light if we need darkness for rest or to hide."  His smile becomes more serious as he adds, "As welcome as this brightness may be, it is not Sunlight and will not harm Strahd or his kind," his grin breaks through again, "though I do hope it may annoy them!"

Zertin takes the ancient book to study and settles down on one of the pews to begin the task of reading it. He is certainly glad of the extra light now provided by Qvar, which makes the task far less tiring than it might otherwise have been.

You make your preparations for the night's vigil, most following Caesius's example and eating and drinking while you have the chance, your spirits buoyed by the warming light that Qvar summons and the hopes for the future expressed.

Violet, still striken by the loss of Saeko, is not so keen as Qvar to explore further, so the Priest contents himself in peering down the passageway to the south of the Chapel where he sees a narrow room, perhaps ten feet wide and twice that in length, with an arched ceiling, little more than a passageway between the vast chapel and a huge circular staircase whose stone steps lead both up and down.

Twin alcoves in the passageway are a mirror of those in the northern opening you traversed recently, each holding a shadowy humanoid statue within its dark confines.  As the nimbus of light that surrounds Qvar falls upon the stone forms he notes that they display mighty muscled arms and legs, but their faces are all but featureless.

Settling down in a quiet spot, Zertin studies the leather bound book, carefully lifting the brass clasp that fastens it closed.  The pages within are made of parchment and prove very brittle.  The language is the Common tongue, but the handwriting is small, cramped, and difficult to read.  Stains and age have made most of the book entirely illegible, but the Wizard perseveres.

Having finished his food, Caesius moves to an area of open space, where he starts exercising.  First with Razor, then with Nail.  After a quarter hour with each he stops and examines both weapons for nicks and blemishes, then sets about cleaning them to a bright finish, such that the steel blades shine like mirrors.

As he cleans, he murmurs excerpts from The Book of the Code under his breath...

"The Paladin must be true, always, to his Code.  Strong must he be, and Just.  Always must he uphold his duty to the People.  Always must he uphold his duty to Heironeous, and to His church.  Always must he uphold his duty to a Lady."

"Caesius, while we rest, we need you to complete the vigil to attune yourself to the Sunstone," Zertin reminds the paladin. "As I understand it, Qvar has completed the vigil but his oath prohibits him from using the Sunstone's powers, Irena is not able to use it and Ashlyn's training was more focussed on combat and did not encompass the depth of religious knowledge required."

After studying the ancient book they found, Zertin is ready to explain its contents.

"It appears to be Strahd's life story, penned by his own hand. It is so old and so faded and fragile that there are only two pages that are legible, but even on those the penmanship is so poor as to be difficult to read, even for someone as familiar as I am with the scribings of students of the arcane. Here, let me read it for you," he  offered.

"I am the Ancient. I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good and just. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down my soul as the wind wears stone into sand.

"All goodness slipped from my life. I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My army settled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god’s grace or justice.

"I called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castle Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful. I hated him for both.

"From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty, who was called "perfection", "joy", and "treasure". Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine.

"I loved her with all my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me! "Old One" was my name to her—"elder" and "brother" also. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set.

"With words she called me "brother," but when I looked into her eyes they reflected another name: "death." It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it. But I had squandered mine.

"The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death—my death. My hate is very strong. I would not be called "death" so soon. I made a pact with death, a pact of blood. On the day of the wedding, I killed Sergei, my brother. My pact was sealed with his blood.

"I found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She would not let me explain, and a great anger swelled within me. She had to understand the pact I made for her. I pursued her. Finally, in despair, she flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever.

"It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate.

"Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead, forever.

"I have studied much since then. "Vampyr" is my new name. I still lust for life and youth, and I curse the living that took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and its light I fear the most, but little else can harm me now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, that cursed sword that Sergei brought! I must dispose of that awful tool! I fear and hate it as much as the sun.

"I have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes. She taunts me! She taunts me! What will it take to bend her love to me?

"I now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castle of despair. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs that none may disturb me."

OOC: The two legible pages of the Tome of Strahd can be viewed at the Game Map for Group 1.

Caesius doesn't stop his scrutiny and cleaning of his weapons, but he does pause his recitations long enough to respond, "Aye, Zertin, I had not forgotten.  But in order to ensure success in the vigil, I must first purify both myself and my weapons.  It will not take much longer."

Violet shakes her head at Qvar's offer of exploration, and brushes away Ashlyn's hand.  "Duty," she whispers, the word foul in her mouth.  Casting her hood over her head, she moves to a corner and seats herself.  The others have their own work they do, their chosen tasks; Violet stares through them from the shadows of her cloak.  She pays half an ear to Zertin's story, the words meaningless to her.  Vampyr?  She knows not this name.  It's pointless, in any case.

The only escape from hell, it seems, is death; and what worse trials await them following that passage?

It seems that Caesius will become their greatest protector in this; a tiny part of Violet is pleased she offered him the relic.  Perhaps if they find this sword he will become mightier still.  But it doesn't get them out of hell, and it doesn't bring back Saeko.

When the story is finished, she spits once to the side, her feelings evident.

Rousing herself, the young woman moves to one of the exits.  "I'll keep watch," she mutters, barely audible.  "If we need to stay here longer for Caesius."

After today's reading from the Book of Strahd, Zertin points to Saeko's corpse.

"I suggest one of you check Saeko's possessions to see if there is anything particularly useful that we might borrow whilst we endeavour to avenge her death," he suggests. "I have no doubt she would want us to do so."

Ashlyn nods, willing (if not happy) to undertake that task.  "I do not think any of us could wield those blades of hers," she suggests, voice raised in question, as she kneels beside her comrade's corpse.

"I shall stand vigil at the side of Caesius," the armoured woman avows.  "Perhaps I may yet gain the insights I need to use this holy device.  If naught else, Saeko's death has reminded me that any of us might fall in this struggle, so we must be ready to step up to take the place of those who have gone before us, as the need arises."