"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."

Caesius stands and sheaths his sword.  "It is time." he declares, and moves towards the altar.

He bows his head to the Sunstone, then kneels, taking the silver lightning bolt and fist emblem of Heironeous in his right hand.

"Father Heironeous, hear the prayer of Your true warrior.  Watch over me while I engage in my vigil, and grant me, in Your infinite wisdom, that my faith will be strong enough to complete the task You have set before me.  All hail Heironeous!"

And a smile touches the paladin's lips as he finishes his prayer...

Violet's eyes widen at Zertin's words, and when Ashlyn moves Saeko, she hurriedly follows.  Crouching beside the young woman, she lowers her voice to a whisper.

Ashlyn seems surprised at Violet's words and her eyes widen as she stops her search of the Saeko's corpse, resting back on her haunches as she converses with the young woman in a low, but conciliatory tone.

Violet's stony features break into a grin; it's not at all reassuring, but at the same time the tension in the young woman's body slowly begins to lower.


Her piece said, Violet rises and backs away a few steps before turning and moving back to the exit.  There, she drops into a crouch, keeping her eyes peering out into the unknown, on the watch for threats.

Seemingly oblivious to all else in the chamber, Caesius stays, kneeling, before the altar.  He gazes at the holy symbol in his hand, and his lips move constantly.  Those who are nearby can hear a faint whispering, though the actual words are indistinct.  Save the word "Heironeous", which is repeated oft, and always a little louder than the rest.

The armoured woman smiles in return, acknowledging Violet's response.  Standing, she turns her attention to Zertin and Qvar.

"We're leaving Saeko's possessions alone," she informs the brothers.  "I'm informed that her beliefs would regard their removal as grave-robbing ... though in truth, despite her title I think she sought a simple existence, not unlike our Priest of Pelor, and those blades of hers were the only thing of any value that she owned."

"And now," she smiles, addressing the room at large, "I will join my fellow knight in Vigil.  Disturb us only if you must."

So saying, and with another smile for Violet, Ashlyn returns to the altar, placing her pack to one side and laying her blade on the altar before kneeling alongside Caesius, bowing her head in silent prayer.

Zertin shrugs at Ashlyn's announcement.

"So be it, then. I hope she will be allowed to rest in peace with her swords always at her sides. For future reference, my own wishes would be entirely different. If I fall, know that I would wish you to use any of my possessions that would aid you, particularly if it would be to avenge my death. If you had the opportunity to have me brought back to life, you have my permission to sell any of my possessions to pay for it, for I know it would be particularly expensive. Give me back my life, my freedom and my spellbook, and you would have my gratitude," he replies.