Session #39: Underwater "fun"
Jan. 14th, 2024 06:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
istainion Day: 8, Time of day: Afternoon
Location: North of Vallaki
Side Note: Rictavio is against the vistani, tiger kept inside the cart is meant to harm them, lonely traveling vistana located, intends to rent a room inside the Blue Water Inn (Vallaki), is able to locate us via the glasses of revealing (Magic item), Glasses of revealing obtained (in Viiris' possession), Arcane lantern is now in Shevat's possession.
(Remarks marked by *are written in abyssal, remarks marked by - are written in celestial, the rest of the entry is written in common)
The unfamiliar woman stood there with her questioning eyes aimed in our direction, seeing how Tibirin was cuddling the floor, I prioritized his well-being above her curiosity and let the others do the talking. Once I got him back up, I focused my attention on her. I asked her a few questions in addition to confirming who she is. I had my assumptions about her being the woman that this Madam Eva lady referred to by Ellamin's notes. Strange how helpful a journal can be to guide others in their quest to completion.
We learned that the lady's name is Ezmerelda, her skin is tanned, her hair is long and wavy in a dark brown color, she wears an orange headband and seems skilled in the arcane artes. Her magic was rather impressive, she has helped us a lot in a battle that started to feel overwhelming. We had it under control, I am certain. Her help allowed it to meet its end fast and our obstacles to vanish. We thanked her for her help, even if she admitted that we did most of the work. Very noble.
When the others assumed that she was not from Barovia, she confirmed that she was. She is mostly traveling, much like that description said about her. She has also confirmed to be familiar with Rictavio and exposed that he has questionable intentions against the vistani, wishing to get rid of them while having her as his traveling companion. That was revealed when the other mentioned something about a type of tiger inside a cart, the one I saw in the stockyard. This man is odd, suspicious. Even if he remains her mentor, his intentions are tainted. It might have something to do with the pact that they have with their target, if vampire hunters are what they are.
Those people have little choice in the matter if they prioritize survival in a land that is controlled by a Lord like him. I haven't met the people on the eastern side of Barovia, but I sure have met those in the western encampment who allowed Arvirin and me a stay. I can't tell if they are as pure as they seem but sooner or later, we will see for ourselves. Neither have we figured out what has happened to the count either during the marriage of his brother, it has changed him. What if the source is among those people? It's better to save as many people as we can to dig deeper into this forsaken land's story. That madam Eva is said to be the eldest woman of the eastern encampment, she might know more. From what I read, she is beyond the lifespan of a regular human. I doubt that she's all natural as well.
Perhaps Rictavio's reasons are valid. Maybe he is willing to speak of them, as passionate as he would seem to even train a beast to hunt them. We might discover more clues when we explore that cart of his. I trust neither him nor the work of others. I must see it for myself. This reeks. If he is like us, transferred here from outside, he must have reasons for his actions. According to the lady, he is a very "tough" person. And she is looking for him, she says, because she has some questions for him and confirmed countless of times that she isn't there to harm him to the distrusting aasimar. Why would she want to murder her mentor that she's so eager to find, I wonder? Aside from his actions against her people ...
With the tiger addressed as a threat, that she claims to take care of, all by herself, I came with the other pieces that require the attention of a specialist.
We mentioned our finds from the cave as well in which we found a magical bag from Rudolph van Richten. She seems to know the man and helped us identifying the content of the bag that we found. We learned that the box that Pyre has been struggling with is a duplicate of another box (red) and her rough description has helped them to learn about its function. It is to transfer objects inside the box from the one to the other. Shevat came up to the idea to place a message inside the box, hoping that van Richten is in the possession of the other box. That way, we might be able to communicate with him. So they placed a message inside the box on the Visitana's request. Shevat asked if there was any magic applied to transfer the content of the box to the other but she has never seen him cast any magic when he held the box.
"Ezmerelda is looking for Rictavio." (Note)
As for the hat, well, she is convinced that the man won't need it and that it does look good on Yshvara. From the sound of it, it's a magical hat. It wasn't clear to me what it means when Ezmerelda swings her blade in the aasimar's direction that Yshvara already faced a direction where the blade would stop. Almost as if she can predict what happens in a certain amount of time. Is arcane magic truly this advanced or was it just my imagination? (Advantage initiative)
Once we had those items identified, I asked if she is experienced in the field of arcane artes. With her confirmation, we could finally figure out some other things that we couldn't put to use before.
It is thanks to her that we know that the language, that is used to make the lantern light up, is spoken in infernal. The only function of the device is to light up, it has no other function. Basic, but helpful for our journey. I told Shevat to hold on to it, and use it for when he needs it. The other thing that I made Yshvara show the woman, was the writing on the mirror, found in the baron's mansion. She has copied the writing in her sketchbook and it serves a great purpose. It appears to be written in the draconic language. I saw the shock in her eyes when she read what it said and considered it a dangerous object.
"Magic mirror on the wall, Summon forth your shade; Night's dark vengeance, heed my call and wield your murderous blade."
She believes it is a mirror of Ba'al Verzi. She said that the mirrors typically trap spirits. Depending on who calls for it, they can do good or bad things with it. But with a description like this, it's bad. She plans to destroy the mirror once she gets there.
Then she turned to me and asked if she is now the encyclopedia of magic items. Well, I did wonder if she wanted an honest reply to that, because, actually, for now she is. - The others apologized in my place, I didn't want to interfere with their efforts. We do not have an expert on the field indeed, no wizard on our side or any of the sort. But when they did, she came up with an idea and looked inside her bag to take out a small case with a pair of glasses inside. She told them that she found them, adding that she doesn't really need them. I felt my gaze fixated on the glasses with curiosity. Glasses?
She named them her revealing glasses of revealing. With those glasses, the user can tell what an object is able to do. The sounds of it alone are incredible, those glasses could be put to great use ... (Identify spell) She does want something in return for it but since we have nothing on us right now that she could possibly desire (like liquor she said), she would consider it our loan but if she keeps her word about getting herself a room at the local inn, I could as well spend some of my gold on her drinks to pay off that loan. I'm fine with that ... ~
Ezmerelda said that when the item is in our possession, she will always know how to find us. Actually, with her importance in everything, I could not wish for anything better. Both Yshvara and Pyre are still distrusting toward her and I should probably be as well, but I want to trust this woman for a change. She appears honest, similar to that raven lady. Rough to deal with, but honest. At least Shevat was on my side with that opinion.
I noticed his gaze resting on her leg and followed it to see that she missed a leg. It is a wooden prosthetic leg. He pointed it out and offered his help. Tibirin interfered with it, told him not to say such things and so did she. They consider it rude. He continued and explained if she would be interested in growing it back, but again, she denied it. It seems to her, that the condition she is in with her leg, has personal value to her. Maybe it is a reminder of what once was. A short pause followed where he recognized the damage he seems to have done and apologized for it. Personally, it was beyond my understanding as well. He really just offered his help, did he not?
... Is it truly rude or are they being ungrateful about it? I'll never be able to tell.
I thanked her for her effort she put in helping us, not just any stranger is willing to aid us as much as she did. I would doubt that but neither would I want to get ahead of myself. If she happens to be an assassin of some sort, it will be me who she will be after and nobody else. I am fine with that.
Thanks to the spirit that Shevat called forth, I could feel the wounds on my skin disappear again. The others seem to be doing better as well. May we find that flower soon. With the money given to the others, even with Shevat's hesitation, we could move on and make our way to Lake von Zarovich. I needed him to take the lantern for when he can no longer see. For us, it will also come to good use.
Day: 8, Time of day: Noon - night
Location: Lake von Zarovich, North of Vallaki
Side Note: Amulet is now burning (Viiris'), Shiny rock found (sphere shaped)
We arrived at Lake von Zarovich. We found a rowboat positioned near the shore, ready to be put to use. Almost as if it was waiting for our arrival. Odd, but the others didn't question it. They seem familiar with it from the looks on their faces. Shevat explained to us how he intends to find the flower, introduced us to one of his many abilities, the one he mentioned is specifically for tracking plants. It wasn't without involving spirits, of course. It shouldn't come as a surprise now either.
He used it once upon arrival before we got inside the boat. Nothing there that matches what he seeks. The water seems calm, I thought that if we row fast, then we might find it before the sun goes down ... Or so I would hope. We made our way to the north western side and followed the coastline with breaks in between for Shevat to use his ability again. Not a single sign until we made it to the opposite side of the lake where we first started. Our gaze rested on the island in the middle of the lake and we needed to discuss how we will take it from here. To travel at night is probably unsafe and we do remember where the mad mage was last seen.
Their idea was to return by crossing the lake, but I recall that the Lord of the lake will definitely become an obstacle, even if not everyone was convinced of that. I made a different suggestion and pointed in the direction of the small open space not far from our position. I did my best to convince them that an open space is perfect for us to protect. If anything were to come in our direction, it would not be long before everyone would be alerted. I'll consider it luck that those who opposed my idea eventually decided to do as I was told. After all Shevat asked Tibirin to decide because "he is our shield" and he would not want to put him in danger.
*Well, that guy puts himself in danger even if you wouldn't want him to, Shevat ... I thought that I saved your butt in that fight while you were daydreaming and got our shield back up his feet at that time as well! But if he means meat shield, then I won't interfere. If anything, I feel that Tibirin might someday get us into danger because of his impulsive behavior at times.
Also, I am not eager to nearly drown again by some sea monster ... I'm sick of the sight of water and neither am I alone. Pyre doesn't appear at ease either.
I rowed us there and brought us to land to set up camp. Finally, a moment for me to put the ruby dust to better use. With one of my spells, I set my amulet on fire. This is the only imaginable object that I have that is small enough to hide for when enemies are near. I also found a few rocks of which I hope that match the interests of the mad mage. If it's just enough to get closer to him to get rid of that curse of his ... Pyre discovered that the note that Yshvara had written has disappeared. So it is confirmed that the box works as they thought it would.
Hopefully, I thought, we'll find that flower quickly. Preferably without anyone dying.
Day: 9, Time of day: Morning (8-9 o'clock)
Location: Lake von Zarovich, North of Vallaki
Side Note: Lord of the Lake is now defeated
That morning, Shevat checked the weather. It will be clear all day. An excellent day to suffer in the lake if you ask me? The druid came to us while we prepared ourselves for the day and said that he had located the flower.
It's in the middle of the lake near the island, underwater. Of course.
I'll just pretend that I was happy to know that. May the Lord of the lake have mercy on our bodies and minds ... I confessed to my fears of drowning and Shevat tried to reassure me that when he is still breathing, he won't let any of us drown. Well, I sure did hope he was right at that moment ... - I don't know how to feel about this. I thought he thinks of me as a man that uses corrupted magic, am I now a man worth saving? Or is it because I could potentially follow the ways of the druid? I can't tell but I might not be a good student. Ever.
Tibirin brought us to the direction of the island in the distance while our druid did his best to locate the plant once more. When we were close to land, we planned to first stop there before we would go for a swim. It was strange, since we are all given the chance to breathe underwater. It was terrifying to rely on someone else to breathe but when I looked into those honest eyes, I let it slip. Or rather, after he said that it would last a full day. It's not pleasant to breathe like this but at least this will allow us to survive a little longer.
We went underwater and found a structure down the bottom of the lake in a blue color. The surroundings are colorful, there are actually some fish here and plants ... So the lake is not dead ... That's good news. Or well, until that good news lasted. Above us a large silhouette blocked the light when it crossed by, soon to meet our position.
A large dragon-like sea monster was in front of us, the Lord of the lake has made his appearance ...
<Battle start>
I observed the appearance of the creature but it doesn't seem to align with the appearance of Gorepaw, unlike I had anticipated for. It doesn't look undead at all, not even close to. It's enormous and it moves at incredible speed as well, within moments it had us captured in one of his large blasts. It also deflected one of my magic spells. I felt my vision grow weak when multiple blasts of his struck me. It was impossible to hit him most of the time when it moved so far into the distance.
- This fight, I was able to survive thanks to Yshvara and Shevat ... I guess we're equal now, I just wonder why they would waste their energy. I suppose that the lake is the last place where I would like to die ... I should thank them for their help ... When I opened up my eyes again, I saw the sea monster sink down to the bottom of the lake, defeated ...
Impressive … They did it, they defeated the monster ...
<Battle end>
Location: North of Vallaki
Side Note: Rictavio is against the vistani, tiger kept inside the cart is meant to harm them, lonely traveling vistana located, intends to rent a room inside the Blue Water Inn (Vallaki), is able to locate us via the glasses of revealing (Magic item), Glasses of revealing obtained (in Viiris' possession), Arcane lantern is now in Shevat's possession.
(Remarks marked by *
The unfamiliar woman stood there with her questioning eyes aimed in our direction, seeing how Tibirin was cuddling the floor, I prioritized his well-being above her curiosity and let the others do the talking. Once I got him back up, I focused my attention on her. I asked her a few questions in addition to confirming who she is. I had my assumptions about her being the woman that this Madam Eva lady referred to by Ellamin's notes. Strange how helpful a journal can be to guide others in their quest to completion.
We learned that the lady's name is Ezmerelda, her skin is tanned, her hair is long and wavy in a dark brown color, she wears an orange headband and seems skilled in the arcane artes. Her magic was rather impressive, she has helped us a lot in a battle that started to feel overwhelming. We had it under control, I am certain. Her help allowed it to meet its end fast and our obstacles to vanish. We thanked her for her help, even if she admitted that we did most of the work. Very noble.
When the others assumed that she was not from Barovia, she confirmed that she was. She is mostly traveling, much like that description said about her. She has also confirmed to be familiar with Rictavio and exposed that he has questionable intentions against the vistani, wishing to get rid of them while having her as his traveling companion. That was revealed when the other mentioned something about a type of tiger inside a cart, the one I saw in the stockyard. This man is odd, suspicious. Even if he remains her mentor, his intentions are tainted. It might have something to do with the pact that they have with their target, if vampire hunters are what they are.
Those people have little choice in the matter if they prioritize survival in a land that is controlled by a Lord like him. I haven't met the people on the eastern side of Barovia, but I sure have met those in the western encampment who allowed Arvirin and me a stay. I can't tell if they are as pure as they seem but sooner or later, we will see for ourselves. Neither have we figured out what has happened to the count either during the marriage of his brother, it has changed him. What if the source is among those people? It's better to save as many people as we can to dig deeper into this forsaken land's story. That madam Eva is said to be the eldest woman of the eastern encampment, she might know more. From what I read, she is beyond the lifespan of a regular human. I doubt that she's all natural as well.
Perhaps Rictavio's reasons are valid. Maybe he is willing to speak of them, as passionate as he would seem to even train a beast to hunt them. We might discover more clues when we explore that cart of his. I trust neither him nor the work of others. I must see it for myself. This reeks. If he is like us, transferred here from outside, he must have reasons for his actions. According to the lady, he is a very "tough" person. And she is looking for him, she says, because she has some questions for him and confirmed countless of times that she isn't there to harm him to the distrusting aasimar. Why would she want to murder her mentor that she's so eager to find, I wonder? Aside from his actions against her people ...
With the tiger addressed as a threat, that she claims to take care of, all by herself, I came with the other pieces that require the attention of a specialist.
We mentioned our finds from the cave as well in which we found a magical bag from Rudolph van Richten. She seems to know the man and helped us identifying the content of the bag that we found. We learned that the box that Pyre has been struggling with is a duplicate of another box (red) and her rough description has helped them to learn about its function. It is to transfer objects inside the box from the one to the other. Shevat came up to the idea to place a message inside the box, hoping that van Richten is in the possession of the other box. That way, we might be able to communicate with him. So they placed a message inside the box on the Visitana's request. Shevat asked if there was any magic applied to transfer the content of the box to the other but she has never seen him cast any magic when he held the box.
"Ezmerelda is looking for Rictavio." (Note)
As for the hat, well, she is convinced that the man won't need it and that it does look good on Yshvara. From the sound of it, it's a magical hat. It wasn't clear to me what it means when Ezmerelda swings her blade in the aasimar's direction that Yshvara already faced a direction where the blade would stop. Almost as if she can predict what happens in a certain amount of time. Is arcane magic truly this advanced or was it just my imagination? (Advantage initiative)
Once we had those items identified, I asked if she is experienced in the field of arcane artes. With her confirmation, we could finally figure out some other things that we couldn't put to use before.
It is thanks to her that we know that the language, that is used to make the lantern light up, is spoken in infernal. The only function of the device is to light up, it has no other function. Basic, but helpful for our journey. I told Shevat to hold on to it, and use it for when he needs it. The other thing that I made Yshvara show the woman, was the writing on the mirror, found in the baron's mansion. She has copied the writing in her sketchbook and it serves a great purpose. It appears to be written in the draconic language. I saw the shock in her eyes when she read what it said and considered it a dangerous object.
"Magic mirror on the wall, Summon forth your shade; Night's dark vengeance, heed my call and wield your murderous blade."
She believes it is a mirror of Ba'al Verzi. She said that the mirrors typically trap spirits. Depending on who calls for it, they can do good or bad things with it. But with a description like this, it's bad. She plans to destroy the mirror once she gets there.
Then she turned to me and asked if she is now the encyclopedia of magic items. Well, I did wonder if she wanted an honest reply to that, because, actually, for now she is. - The others apologized in my place, I didn't want to interfere with their efforts. We do not have an expert on the field indeed, no wizard on our side or any of the sort. But when they did, she came up with an idea and looked inside her bag to take out a small case with a pair of glasses inside. She told them that she found them, adding that she doesn't really need them. I felt my gaze fixated on the glasses with curiosity. Glasses?
She named them her revealing glasses of revealing. With those glasses, the user can tell what an object is able to do. The sounds of it alone are incredible, those glasses could be put to great use ... (Identify spell) She does want something in return for it but since we have nothing on us right now that she could possibly desire (like liquor she said), she would consider it our loan but if she keeps her word about getting herself a room at the local inn, I could as well spend some of my gold on her drinks to pay off that loan. I'm fine with that ... ~
Ezmerelda said that when the item is in our possession, she will always know how to find us. Actually, with her importance in everything, I could not wish for anything better. Both Yshvara and Pyre are still distrusting toward her and I should probably be as well, but I want to trust this woman for a change. She appears honest, similar to that raven lady. Rough to deal with, but honest. At least Shevat was on my side with that opinion.
I noticed his gaze resting on her leg and followed it to see that she missed a leg. It is a wooden prosthetic leg. He pointed it out and offered his help. Tibirin interfered with it, told him not to say such things and so did she. They consider it rude. He continued and explained if she would be interested in growing it back, but again, she denied it. It seems to her, that the condition she is in with her leg, has personal value to her. Maybe it is a reminder of what once was. A short pause followed where he recognized the damage he seems to have done and apologized for it. Personally, it was beyond my understanding as well. He really just offered his help, did he not?
... Is it truly rude or are they being ungrateful about it? I'll never be able to tell.
I thanked her for her effort she put in helping us, not just any stranger is willing to aid us as much as she did. I would doubt that but neither would I want to get ahead of myself. If she happens to be an assassin of some sort, it will be me who she will be after and nobody else. I am fine with that.
Thanks to the spirit that Shevat called forth, I could feel the wounds on my skin disappear again. The others seem to be doing better as well. May we find that flower soon. With the money given to the others, even with Shevat's hesitation, we could move on and make our way to Lake von Zarovich. I needed him to take the lantern for when he can no longer see. For us, it will also come to good use.
Day: 8, Time of day: Noon - night
Location: Lake von Zarovich, North of Vallaki
Side Note: Amulet is now burning (Viiris'), Shiny rock found (sphere shaped)
We arrived at Lake von Zarovich. We found a rowboat positioned near the shore, ready to be put to use. Almost as if it was waiting for our arrival. Odd, but the others didn't question it. They seem familiar with it from the looks on their faces. Shevat explained to us how he intends to find the flower, introduced us to one of his many abilities, the one he mentioned is specifically for tracking plants. It wasn't without involving spirits, of course. It shouldn't come as a surprise now either.
He used it once upon arrival before we got inside the boat. Nothing there that matches what he seeks. The water seems calm, I thought that if we row fast, then we might find it before the sun goes down ... Or so I would hope. We made our way to the north western side and followed the coastline with breaks in between for Shevat to use his ability again. Not a single sign until we made it to the opposite side of the lake where we first started. Our gaze rested on the island in the middle of the lake and we needed to discuss how we will take it from here. To travel at night is probably unsafe and we do remember where the mad mage was last seen.
Their idea was to return by crossing the lake, but I recall that the Lord of the lake will definitely become an obstacle, even if not everyone was convinced of that. I made a different suggestion and pointed in the direction of the small open space not far from our position. I did my best to convince them that an open space is perfect for us to protect. If anything were to come in our direction, it would not be long before everyone would be alerted. I'll consider it luck that those who opposed my idea eventually decided to do as I was told. After all Shevat asked Tibirin to decide because "he is our shield" and he would not want to put him in danger.
*
Also, I am not eager to nearly drown again by some sea monster ... I'm sick of the sight of water and neither am I alone. Pyre doesn't appear at ease either.
I rowed us there and brought us to land to set up camp. Finally, a moment for me to put the ruby dust to better use. With one of my spells, I set my amulet on fire. This is the only imaginable object that I have that is small enough to hide for when enemies are near. I also found a few rocks of which I hope that match the interests of the mad mage. If it's just enough to get closer to him to get rid of that curse of his ... Pyre discovered that the note that Yshvara had written has disappeared. So it is confirmed that the box works as they thought it would.
Hopefully, I thought, we'll find that flower quickly. Preferably without anyone dying.
Day: 9, Time of day: Morning (8-9 o'clock)
Location: Lake von Zarovich, North of Vallaki
Side Note: Lord of the Lake is now defeated
That morning, Shevat checked the weather. It will be clear all day. An excellent day to suffer in the lake if you ask me? The druid came to us while we prepared ourselves for the day and said that he had located the flower.
It's in the middle of the lake near the island, underwater. Of course.
I'll just pretend that I was happy to know that. May the Lord of the lake have mercy on our bodies and minds ... I confessed to my fears of drowning and Shevat tried to reassure me that when he is still breathing, he won't let any of us drown. Well, I sure did hope he was right at that moment ... - I don't know how to feel about this. I thought he thinks of me as a man that uses corrupted magic, am I now a man worth saving? Or is it because I could potentially follow the ways of the druid? I can't tell but I might not be a good student. Ever.
Tibirin brought us to the direction of the island in the distance while our druid did his best to locate the plant once more. When we were close to land, we planned to first stop there before we would go for a swim. It was strange, since we are all given the chance to breathe underwater. It was terrifying to rely on someone else to breathe but when I looked into those honest eyes, I let it slip. Or rather, after he said that it would last a full day. It's not pleasant to breathe like this but at least this will allow us to survive a little longer.
We went underwater and found a structure down the bottom of the lake in a blue color. The surroundings are colorful, there are actually some fish here and plants ... So the lake is not dead ... That's good news. Or well, until that good news lasted. Above us a large silhouette blocked the light when it crossed by, soon to meet our position.
A large dragon-like sea monster was in front of us, the Lord of the lake has made his appearance ...
<Battle start>
I observed the appearance of the creature but it doesn't seem to align with the appearance of Gorepaw, unlike I had anticipated for. It doesn't look undead at all, not even close to. It's enormous and it moves at incredible speed as well, within moments it had us captured in one of his large blasts. It also deflected one of my magic spells. I felt my vision grow weak when multiple blasts of his struck me. It was impossible to hit him most of the time when it moved so far into the distance.
- This fight, I was able to survive thanks to Yshvara and Shevat ... I guess we're equal now, I just wonder why they would waste their energy. I suppose that the lake is the last place where I would like to die ... I should thank them for their help ... When I opened up my eyes again, I saw the sea monster sink down to the bottom of the lake, defeated ...
Impressive … They did it, they defeated the monster ...
<Battle end>
