Session #33: Purifying ritual
Jan. 14th, 2024 06:13 pm 16 August, 2021 [8:00 PM - 12:00 AM (GMT+2)]
Day: 5, Time of day: 3 PM
Location: Vasili von Holtz Mansion, Vallaki
Side Note: None
(Remarks marked by *are written in abyssal, remarks marked by - are written in celestial, the rest of the entry is written in common)
After the exhausting fights, we left the secret passage that would lead to the operation room with no other clues found but the looks of a familiar face and the corrupted relic that is carried by the spectral animal of Shevat, we left the basement and moved back up to the kitchen then we left the building. Our work inside that wicked place has finished, a few more are to be explored. Soon enough, will I have my chance to address this. As of now, we have our orders and priorities, we must bring an end to Vallaki's suffering but especially the Father.
Once outside, Yshvara took a little distance from us and casted a spell while speaking. Her lips moved but no sound escaped. I recognized the spell she used and approached her to ask who she was messaging. (*While I would like to simply trust this woman, I cannot help but feel my suspicions toward her ever since I saw through her lies the other day where I asked whether or not she has experience in criminal fields.) She mentioned that she needed to clear some suspicions and contacted Father Donavich. I recall that name from the entries I read and the terrible happenings with his son. I do wonder what she asked of him but I suppose I need to let it slip, that Father is likely to be trusted, I'll not bother doubting a man even if I have never met him, myself.
Day: 5, Time of day: 3:30 PM +/-
Location: Church, Vallaki
Side Note: Since today, the mist outside is moving awfully unnaturally upon arrival with the cursed relic, if it is a reaction to the relic is uncertain.
The six of us hurried to the church to inform the Father. While Shevat and Tibirin remained outside, not to corrupt the holy place, me and the others went in to message him. As always, we were cautious, for this place feels worse than it did the days before. The mist is moving unnaturally at this point, it wasn't like this before. To our luck, we found the man near the altar. He made his prayer before he turned to us for the message. We moved outside to reveal the corrupted relic from the Spectral beast who placed it down on the ground for the Father to examine. Unable to purify it, we needed to rely on his judgement and instructions.
I was relieved to hear that he would be capable of lifting the curse, however, it will come at a cost. As of now, the balance of this place is slowly getting worse with the presence of the relic. The man told us that he would need to concentrate to lift it but he is likely to be attacked in that process. All of us, we were in no state to fight. My last energy, I used on the Father, to recover some of his wounds. It wasn't much, it was awfully weak but the act alone ... I feel how it eases the unrest that I carry inside of me for those fifty years. We informed him that we wouldn't be able to fight yet and needed some rest from the previous fights and he understood. Clearly, he was disappointed, and I was, too. He suggested that we should get some rest elsewhere but I bear no such thoughts. I saw his wounds, his terrible state and with the relic by his side as it is now, this man isn't going to last another night on his own to fight off the undead.
I used the opportunity to ask him, to take a closer look and if the others wouldn't agree with me, which they did, then I would have stayed with him by myself. To my luck, this isn't the case. They all felt the same about it and we were allowed a stay in the church. (-I will destroy whoever touches this sacred place even with the last bit of my energy. This place shall become protected again even if it means my life.) The Father offered us some food, it wasn't much and it was rather bland but nothing that bothered me much. We helped the man to barricade the church from any attacks and once it was done I used the opportunity to ask the Father a few questions when he returned.
I was hoping to find out more about the Baron's wife who went missing, learning whether or not she has more family members. I feel like she and that underground cult may have some connections. According to Ellamin, she was behaving a little odd around her husband. A hint of disloyalty maybe? He treated her terribly and who knows what she is up to. Yshvara also revealed some writing that she copied from the mirror but none of us is able to recognize the writing. It might be a way of communication of the writings that are read, that lantern it also had an arcane spell to it. Both of these might be simple objects but I prefer not to overlook anything. There is assumingly a library in Krezk, they may have a clue about it. Maybe a dictionary exists that is similar to this writing and we'll be able to translate it. In Vallaki, there are no specialists in the arcane arts, according to the Father. Neither was it truly common for the people. He could only point at the Mad Mage to be one of the specialists but that man is out of his mind.
We didn't find Rictavio or the traveling Vistana, without them ... This is not going to work. But I remember that Yshvara had contact with this man before. If she is so eager to waste her abilities to clear some suspicions with the assistance of the Father in the place Barovia, why would she not aid us and contact that suspicious man? (*Otherwise, I will seek passage through that hole and explore that caravan on my own. Maybe Arvirin is willing to accompany me, he's unlikely going to question me as much as the others. What does he understand, anyway? There may be clues there which they have overlooked, I'd rather trust my own abilities than I'd trust theirs.) The corpse we found in the attic who prefers to be buried with her husband is not located at the graveyard, they spoke of a mass grave and burned their bodies. I am unable to keep my word to the spirit, I hope that we will be forgiven, but the least we can do is to offer her a space on hallowed ground.
The other questions didn't help me as much. He is not familiar with the Durst family either. I asked him about hallowing the land when he turned to me and looked me in the eye to ask whether or not I was a follower of the religious artes. I responded to him. At some point, he said, my deity will show me the way. I remember looking at the man with disbelief in my eyes. Am I truly capable of hallowing the land? ... The Abet may also know more about the space where the God's dwell, at least that is what Father Lucian Petrovich assumes to be true. Another reason to travel to Krezk ...
I also asked about the events of baron vargas vallakovich but Father didn't think a lot of positive things about him nor his many events and festivals to keep the people under his control, as obedient as possible. Those who oppose his vision end up in a space away from sight, ready to be tortured and disorientated by force. I do wonder what this vampire Lord needed that Shoemaker for, maybe he was one of his men ... Or maybe it was just something to put these people in a bad light for, to cause corruption within Vallaki. Interesting.
Our conversation came to an end when we enjoyed dinner together before nightfall came and we decided who would do the watches for the night. I took the second along with Pyre, the one that would overlap the hour of the dead. With her help, I managed to spot the sounds from the distance, there was movement in the back and banging on the doors and windows. As quick as I could, both Pyre and I woke up the rest of the team when the enemies surrounded us. The bar that kept the door on its spot tore in two, windows shattered once again and we were in no other position than to fight.
<Battle start>
We positioned ourselves around Father Lucian to keep him clear from harm as much as we were able to. Without any energy to cast my spells, I reached for my trusty longsword and moved toward the enemy pair located left from the altar until a loud screech reached my ears. I felt my vision black out and soon afterwards, I met the ground before I could deal any damage. The noises around me, they felt distant until those also faded away from my awareness.
Warmth reached me and reconnected me with the surroundings once again as I rose from the ground. The deafening sounds of combat were behind me when I turned around to see many of the team lay unconscious on the Church floor, incapable of fighting. We were clearly outnumbered. The one who brought me back was the Father. I won't forget this moment where I was saved by the priest. Grateful to give this another try, I recovered some of my health and placed my hand on the amulet around my neck when I sent my prayers to push back the enemies.
The enemy that reached the man who saved me was destroyed, two others started to make a run for it while I quickly advanced toward the group to stabilize them. My ability to think clearly was obstructed by the situation but I wasn't on my own. Tibirin, Arvirin and also Father Lucian, they were all standing. Happy that the man has helped Yshvara from dying, the rest of us focused on taking out the remaining enemies with success. We only barely made it but the fight came to an end when the last two enemies made their escape through the door.
The next time that I will fight a banshee I will take caution, and hopefully by then, I will be able to use my magical abilities. I won't let anyone die, not ever again ...
<Battle end>
The Father thanked us for our help, confirming that he, indeed, would not have made it this night if we weren't with him. I realized that what he said was the truth, they really pushed us to the edge of our abilities with most of our members taken out by ease. We should continue to take caution but move steadily. Slowly we prepared ourselves to continue resting. I tied the bar together that would hold the doors on the spot together with Arvirin and shut them to keep us safe in case another wave of enemies were to come. In this moment of serenity, Father Lucian Petrovich helped the remaining team members back on their feet.
Shevat was quick to help with the recovery of our wounds and soon he asked for support to seek assistance from a higher calling. He requested the Father for an offering and combined it with some gold to cast the spell farther away from us. He didn't tell us what he would ask or do exactly, other than the supplies he needs. I wasn't able to ask him at that moment what he asked for when he returned, Shevat promised to tell us in the morning. I told him that I'll keep him to that. (*I will ensure that I ask him again. If they need us to cooperate, I demand playing with open cards. I refuse to work with any traitors of the count or any other cause that differs from our objectives.)
Tibirin would take the last watch. Finally I could lay myself down again (- and pray for the nightmares to stay far from me.)
Day: 6, Time of day: 05:00 AM +/-
Location: Church, Vallaki
Side Note: Buy a new rope (Viiris), previous rope is used to temporarily fix the bar to barricade the door of the church.
That morning, we woke up. I packed my belongings and concentrated on the spells for the upcoming battle when I shut my eyes. Once done, I overheard a brief conversation that Arvirin and Father Lucian shared and looked over when I saw the boy wrap his arms around the older man. That poor man, he looks restless, I thought to myself. I hope that we can get rid of the chaos soon so that he can rest up and the rest of Vallaki can finally resume the reconstruction. It wasn't a bad sight to see him smile even a little from the embrace. He also said that he feels a lot better from just the embrace. (- I suppose only Arvirin is capable of such a thing, to give such comfort with his innocent nature.)
Day: 6, Time of day: 05:30 AM
Location: Graveyard, in front of the catacomb, Church, Vallaki
Side Note: The predecessor of Father Lucian Petrovich is Father Darius(?)
Item obtained: Holy Relic (Shevat)
The priest headed out and led us to a secluded area of the graveyard, to the grave of his predecessor, Father Darius. He said that he needs to rely on his assistance, for he alone isn't strong enough. We passed the catacomb that he needs us to bring the relic down to for it to do its work and hallow the ground. Many battles await us this day and I hope we are all prepared for what is to come. He placed the relic on top of the grave and warned us about what would come. With the last words shared, the man started his prayer in the Celestial language.
The religion or deity is unknown to me but I wasn't able to pay a lot more attention when the mist grew thick and started to swirl around. Even the clouds from the heavens began to react, covering up most of the light until only a dim light allowed us to see in around us. Darkness surrounds us. Rumblings from around the area were heard, the earth began to shake a little. Hands from below the ground started to reach out and climb from the graves from which they were buried. It was an awful sight but nothing that caught me off guard. This was to be expected, we knew what was ahead of us. At this moment, I kept my position close to the praying man and drew my weapon. May the strongest survive ...
<Battle start>
Six creatures are surrounding us, two of these are spectral creatures that I have never seen before. It is difficult to see where it is even standing but now that we have rested, I believe we have what it takes to put an end to this fight and complete the purification ritual. Some of us took a fair amount of damage but we managed to control the situation rather well. Shevat turned into bear near the end and saved his own health with the transformation. (*Did he really have to do it right next to me though?! That almost caught me off-guard!) With the enemy taken out, the Father finished up the ritual and the fight was over.
<Battle end>
The bones are no longer corrupted at this point. Shevat turned back to his human form and healed all of us after the battle. With the bones restored, we had one last task await us. The Father pointed at the catacomb and gave us the final instructions. Tibirin called his Elk from the Headquarters and on its way to us it even carried a little gift on his horns that he simply tossed away. An undead enemy. I'm afraid the creature didn't make it. Such a shame it was ...
With the relic handed to us, we are sent to our final destination for the purification of this church. May we be successful. Those stairs to the underground area will lead us to the infested grounds, filled with undead. I hope for each of us to carry enough strength to push through. Many battles, like I had said, will await us here and anywhere in Barovia. I pray for our success. What will await us is a type of hidden, underground monastery behind a river. How we are going to cross it, I'll have to see.
We had a final chat with the Father after the elk arrived. He admitted that he has never seen anything like that animal before, so I took the opportunity to point at the owner of that elk. Has he truly ever seen a person like him before? The answer is clear, he did not and neither did he see anything like Pyre before nor me and Arvirin. For the other two, I understand but it is almost strange to hear that he hasn't seen a lot of elves before. I haven't seen a lot of places in Barovia before but I indeed have not seen any elves other than those in the Vistani encampment west of Vallaki.
That man, he is still eager to meet these people, I must not lose sight of that either. Then the Father suddenly turned to Yshvara and mentioned that he hasn't seen someone like her before either. My suspicions rose again but I still haven't figured it out. It's the same as with Ellamin, I recall him writing about this as well. There's more to her than she admits, that much is clear. "May her presence illuminate your path.", he said about her while avoiding the subject to answer me. Yshvara isn't willing to explain either, other than to say that her good looks may have charmed the man. I can't believe my ears ...
Pyre interrupted the conversation and said to me that there is no such need to interrogate our team members. Is it strange for me not to question even her in this cursed land of Barovia where little can be trusted? She has lied to me once and I know she is bound to do it again. ( *Maybe I should have taken a different occupation to make their experience a lot more pleasant. It is probably for the best that I avoid telling them anyway. At least, for now.) More and more started to emerge in the conversation, even the Father suggested I put my inquisitive nature's focus on the objective. Tsk.
We headed inside the catacomb and walked down the stairs until it turned pitch dark. The sound of running water was sounding in the distance. Whatever must come, will come. Let us put an end to this nonsense.
May Ilmater guide us to a brighter path.

( Click to enlarge )
Day: 5, Time of day: 3 PM
Location: Vasili von Holtz Mansion, Vallaki
Side Note: None
(Remarks marked by *
After the exhausting fights, we left the secret passage that would lead to the operation room with no other clues found but the looks of a familiar face and the corrupted relic that is carried by the spectral animal of Shevat, we left the basement and moved back up to the kitchen then we left the building. Our work inside that wicked place has finished, a few more are to be explored. Soon enough, will I have my chance to address this. As of now, we have our orders and priorities, we must bring an end to Vallaki's suffering but especially the Father.
Once outside, Yshvara took a little distance from us and casted a spell while speaking. Her lips moved but no sound escaped. I recognized the spell she used and approached her to ask who she was messaging. (*
Day: 5, Time of day: 3:30 PM +/-
Location: Church, Vallaki
Side Note: Since today, the mist outside is moving awfully unnaturally upon arrival with the cursed relic, if it is a reaction to the relic is uncertain.
The six of us hurried to the church to inform the Father. While Shevat and Tibirin remained outside, not to corrupt the holy place, me and the others went in to message him. As always, we were cautious, for this place feels worse than it did the days before. The mist is moving unnaturally at this point, it wasn't like this before. To our luck, we found the man near the altar. He made his prayer before he turned to us for the message. We moved outside to reveal the corrupted relic from the Spectral beast who placed it down on the ground for the Father to examine. Unable to purify it, we needed to rely on his judgement and instructions.
I was relieved to hear that he would be capable of lifting the curse, however, it will come at a cost. As of now, the balance of this place is slowly getting worse with the presence of the relic. The man told us that he would need to concentrate to lift it but he is likely to be attacked in that process. All of us, we were in no state to fight. My last energy, I used on the Father, to recover some of his wounds. It wasn't much, it was awfully weak but the act alone ... I feel how it eases the unrest that I carry inside of me for those fifty years. We informed him that we wouldn't be able to fight yet and needed some rest from the previous fights and he understood. Clearly, he was disappointed, and I was, too. He suggested that we should get some rest elsewhere but I bear no such thoughts. I saw his wounds, his terrible state and with the relic by his side as it is now, this man isn't going to last another night on his own to fight off the undead.
I used the opportunity to ask him, to take a closer look and if the others wouldn't agree with me, which they did, then I would have stayed with him by myself. To my luck, this isn't the case. They all felt the same about it and we were allowed a stay in the church. (-I will destroy whoever touches this sacred place even with the last bit of my energy. This place shall become protected again even if it means my life.) The Father offered us some food, it wasn't much and it was rather bland but nothing that bothered me much. We helped the man to barricade the church from any attacks and once it was done I used the opportunity to ask the Father a few questions when he returned.
I was hoping to find out more about the Baron's wife who went missing, learning whether or not she has more family members. I feel like she and that underground cult may have some connections. According to Ellamin, she was behaving a little odd around her husband. A hint of disloyalty maybe? He treated her terribly and who knows what she is up to. Yshvara also revealed some writing that she copied from the mirror but none of us is able to recognize the writing. It might be a way of communication of the writings that are read, that lantern it also had an arcane spell to it. Both of these might be simple objects but I prefer not to overlook anything. There is assumingly a library in Krezk, they may have a clue about it. Maybe a dictionary exists that is similar to this writing and we'll be able to translate it. In Vallaki, there are no specialists in the arcane arts, according to the Father. Neither was it truly common for the people. He could only point at the Mad Mage to be one of the specialists but that man is out of his mind.
We didn't find Rictavio or the traveling Vistana, without them ... This is not going to work. But I remember that Yshvara had contact with this man before. If she is so eager to waste her abilities to clear some suspicions with the assistance of the Father in the place Barovia, why would she not aid us and contact that suspicious man? (*
The other questions didn't help me as much. He is not familiar with the Durst family either. I asked him about hallowing the land when he turned to me and looked me in the eye to ask whether or not I was a follower of the religious artes. I responded to him. At some point, he said, my deity will show me the way. I remember looking at the man with disbelief in my eyes. Am I truly capable of hallowing the land? ... The Abet may also know more about the space where the God's dwell, at least that is what Father Lucian Petrovich assumes to be true. Another reason to travel to Krezk ...
I also asked about the events of baron vargas vallakovich but Father didn't think a lot of positive things about him nor his many events and festivals to keep the people under his control, as obedient as possible. Those who oppose his vision end up in a space away from sight, ready to be tortured and disorientated by force. I do wonder what this vampire Lord needed that Shoemaker for, maybe he was one of his men ... Or maybe it was just something to put these people in a bad light for, to cause corruption within Vallaki. Interesting.
Our conversation came to an end when we enjoyed dinner together before nightfall came and we decided who would do the watches for the night. I took the second along with Pyre, the one that would overlap the hour of the dead. With her help, I managed to spot the sounds from the distance, there was movement in the back and banging on the doors and windows. As quick as I could, both Pyre and I woke up the rest of the team when the enemies surrounded us. The bar that kept the door on its spot tore in two, windows shattered once again and we were in no other position than to fight.
<Battle start>
We positioned ourselves around Father Lucian to keep him clear from harm as much as we were able to. Without any energy to cast my spells, I reached for my trusty longsword and moved toward the enemy pair located left from the altar until a loud screech reached my ears. I felt my vision black out and soon afterwards, I met the ground before I could deal any damage. The noises around me, they felt distant until those also faded away from my awareness.
Warmth reached me and reconnected me with the surroundings once again as I rose from the ground. The deafening sounds of combat were behind me when I turned around to see many of the team lay unconscious on the Church floor, incapable of fighting. We were clearly outnumbered. The one who brought me back was the Father. I won't forget this moment where I was saved by the priest. Grateful to give this another try, I recovered some of my health and placed my hand on the amulet around my neck when I sent my prayers to push back the enemies.
The enemy that reached the man who saved me was destroyed, two others started to make a run for it while I quickly advanced toward the group to stabilize them. My ability to think clearly was obstructed by the situation but I wasn't on my own. Tibirin, Arvirin and also Father Lucian, they were all standing. Happy that the man has helped Yshvara from dying, the rest of us focused on taking out the remaining enemies with success. We only barely made it but the fight came to an end when the last two enemies made their escape through the door.
The next time that I will fight a banshee I will take caution, and hopefully by then, I will be able to use my magical abilities. I won't let anyone die, not ever again ...
<Battle end>
The Father thanked us for our help, confirming that he, indeed, would not have made it this night if we weren't with him. I realized that what he said was the truth, they really pushed us to the edge of our abilities with most of our members taken out by ease. We should continue to take caution but move steadily. Slowly we prepared ourselves to continue resting. I tied the bar together that would hold the doors on the spot together with Arvirin and shut them to keep us safe in case another wave of enemies were to come. In this moment of serenity, Father Lucian Petrovich helped the remaining team members back on their feet.
Shevat was quick to help with the recovery of our wounds and soon he asked for support to seek assistance from a higher calling. He requested the Father for an offering and combined it with some gold to cast the spell farther away from us. He didn't tell us what he would ask or do exactly, other than the supplies he needs. I wasn't able to ask him at that moment what he asked for when he returned, Shevat promised to tell us in the morning. I told him that I'll keep him to that. (*
Tibirin would take the last watch. Finally I could lay myself down again (- and pray for the nightmares to stay far from me.)
Day: 6, Time of day: 05:00 AM +/-
Location: Church, Vallaki
Side Note: Buy a new rope (Viiris), previous rope is used to temporarily fix the bar to barricade the door of the church.
That morning, we woke up. I packed my belongings and concentrated on the spells for the upcoming battle when I shut my eyes. Once done, I overheard a brief conversation that Arvirin and Father Lucian shared and looked over when I saw the boy wrap his arms around the older man. That poor man, he looks restless, I thought to myself. I hope that we can get rid of the chaos soon so that he can rest up and the rest of Vallaki can finally resume the reconstruction. It wasn't a bad sight to see him smile even a little from the embrace. He also said that he feels a lot better from just the embrace. (- I suppose only Arvirin is capable of such a thing, to give such comfort with his innocent nature.)
Day: 6, Time of day: 05:30 AM
Location: Graveyard, in front of the catacomb, Church, Vallaki
Side Note: The predecessor of Father Lucian Petrovich is Father Darius(?)
Item obtained: Holy Relic (Shevat)
The priest headed out and led us to a secluded area of the graveyard, to the grave of his predecessor, Father Darius. He said that he needs to rely on his assistance, for he alone isn't strong enough. We passed the catacomb that he needs us to bring the relic down to for it to do its work and hallow the ground. Many battles await us this day and I hope we are all prepared for what is to come. He placed the relic on top of the grave and warned us about what would come. With the last words shared, the man started his prayer in the Celestial language.
The religion or deity is unknown to me but I wasn't able to pay a lot more attention when the mist grew thick and started to swirl around. Even the clouds from the heavens began to react, covering up most of the light until only a dim light allowed us to see in around us. Darkness surrounds us. Rumblings from around the area were heard, the earth began to shake a little. Hands from below the ground started to reach out and climb from the graves from which they were buried. It was an awful sight but nothing that caught me off guard. This was to be expected, we knew what was ahead of us. At this moment, I kept my position close to the praying man and drew my weapon. May the strongest survive ...
<Battle start>
Six creatures are surrounding us, two of these are spectral creatures that I have never seen before. It is difficult to see where it is even standing but now that we have rested, I believe we have what it takes to put an end to this fight and complete the purification ritual. Some of us took a fair amount of damage but we managed to control the situation rather well. Shevat turned into bear near the end and saved his own health with the transformation. (*
<Battle end>
The bones are no longer corrupted at this point. Shevat turned back to his human form and healed all of us after the battle. With the bones restored, we had one last task await us. The Father pointed at the catacomb and gave us the final instructions. Tibirin called his Elk from the Headquarters and on its way to us it even carried a little gift on his horns that he simply tossed away. An undead enemy. I'm afraid the creature didn't make it. Such a shame it was ...
With the relic handed to us, we are sent to our final destination for the purification of this church. May we be successful. Those stairs to the underground area will lead us to the infested grounds, filled with undead. I hope for each of us to carry enough strength to push through. Many battles, like I had said, will await us here and anywhere in Barovia. I pray for our success. What will await us is a type of hidden, underground monastery behind a river. How we are going to cross it, I'll have to see.
We had a final chat with the Father after the elk arrived. He admitted that he has never seen anything like that animal before, so I took the opportunity to point at the owner of that elk. Has he truly ever seen a person like him before? The answer is clear, he did not and neither did he see anything like Pyre before nor me and Arvirin. For the other two, I understand but it is almost strange to hear that he hasn't seen a lot of elves before. I haven't seen a lot of places in Barovia before but I indeed have not seen any elves other than those in the Vistani encampment west of Vallaki.
That man, he is still eager to meet these people, I must not lose sight of that either. Then the Father suddenly turned to Yshvara and mentioned that he hasn't seen someone like her before either. My suspicions rose again but I still haven't figured it out. It's the same as with Ellamin, I recall him writing about this as well. There's more to her than she admits, that much is clear. "May her presence illuminate your path.", he said about her while avoiding the subject to answer me. Yshvara isn't willing to explain either, other than to say that her good looks may have charmed the man. I can't believe my ears ...
Pyre interrupted the conversation and said to me that there is no such need to interrogate our team members. Is it strange for me not to question even her in this cursed land of Barovia where little can be trusted? She has lied to me once and I know she is bound to do it again. ( *
We headed inside the catacomb and walked down the stairs until it turned pitch dark. The sound of running water was sounding in the distance. Whatever must come, will come. Let us put an end to this nonsense.
May Ilmater guide us to a brighter path.

( Click to enlarge )