Session #29: Interrogating Victor

[istainion]

 07 June, 2021  [8:00 PM - 11:30+ AM (GMT+2)]

 

(Written in Celestial - Entry writer: Viiris Donlo)

 

The days have been odd ever since I have arrived in the lands of Barovia, no matter how much I have been informed by the people who name themselves the "Vistani" located near the border from which me and this monkey-like guy came from. I hadn't realized until I have received the information that I would be stuck here until the Lord of the land would let me out again. Leaving these lands will result in suffocation and even control I had over that corpse that proceeded farther on, the connection simply vanished. Unable to contact the merchant who is in need for protection, I am trapped inside. I've never felt so ashamed of myself before to let a man in need down ... One of the heads of the camp promised to make contact with the man soon, as if it isn't already suspicious that these men can pass the borders and I cannot. They are kind people, even if I didn't enjoy spending my time sitting around to watch Arvirin play with their child Arabel who wouldn't stop talking about Mr. Fluffy tiger like it's a real person and some nice lady who gifted her all kinds of dolls ...

I couldn't consider myself luckier when I managed to convince the members of the camp to let me meet the people of which they said, have arrived in Barovia similarly to me and Arvirin have. With the directions given to reach the attacked town named Vallaki, we were quick to arrive to our destination and met up with a woman that acts as the temporary burgomeister of Vallaki ever since the last one has died in a fight for Vallaki. As busy as she was, I hadn't have the chance to question more about the situation and I must rely on what this group that I am supposed to meet, is willing to spill ... As of recently, we became team members and the first thing I did was to put us to shame.

I refuse to let it happen again ...

 

 

Day: 4, Time of day: Afternoon (2 PM+)

Location: Assigned Residence (HQ), Vallaki

NPCs met: (The team), Muriel, Ireena Kolyana, Urwin Martikov, Father Lucian Petrovich

Side Note: Clues discovered about Milivoj, a teenage boy who may know a thing or two about the thief of the relic.

 

(Remarks marked by * are written in abyssal, the rest of the entry is written in common)

After we met up with the temporary burgomeister at the central noble building of Vallaki, we were recommended to visit our newly assigned residence for us to gather and discuss the plans of our future missions. Personally, I liked the ideal to have a place to even temporarily call my own, in which we can gather and sort our finds in the situation. On our way there, Arvirin picked up the previous subject again and addressed the druid of the party, again, about the fact that I may or may not have reanimated a corpse. With an attempt not to bring too much attention to myself, I haven't been listening along well and moved on when the man paused in his steps. We have work to do, can this not wait? Or be avoided?

 

His voice reached to me and I also paused to turn around, much like the rest around us, and he addressed me his concerns when he asked whether or not it was true. Doing my best not to have the situation escalate on the spot, I have asked him why he believes so. (*and how or why it has anything to do with him) Clearly, it was Arvirin who told him, that much I was aware and it truly was amusing how he described the progress of the reanimation. "Viiris, are you reanimating the bodies of the dead?", he asked me with an upset expression on his face. "Reanimation is wrong. You should know that, everybody should know that." I gave him my most neutral expression that I could possibly pull off as his voice became just a little louder. I told him that I am aware of this, telling him not to worry about my possibly uninformed state. Then the situation changed and this human tried to learn from me why I would do it. It may be unclear to some but the diseased are merely empty vessels from which the soul left the body, and especially from that of an enemy, I see no value in those. I don't see how I should be concerned about using what was once used against me. An enemy remains an enemy, evil remains evil. They wouldn't hesitate either, now would they?

 

I decided to go along with what he wanted to hear but I feel like Shevat carries a little bit of an idealistic point of view in the matter. How long has it been that he is in Barovia? This land is clearly cursed with energy far worse than anything I could pull off. If he intends to go on much longer about this, I'll have to address him about the ideals of my own. A place in which evil is resting in their grave and people can live in peace. He'll find out about that, soon enough. Hopefully sooner than that he judges that my magic to be of dangerous origin. It would appear that he judges too soon, for even doubting me and my magic, while believing I am a good man before. (*It's quite the shame, is it not? I am truly hurt. Maybe I shouldn't mock life itself via reanimation, as Shevat said. But I wonder if those rules apply here in Barovia as well ...) Maybe he can teach me to become a better man, indeed. *Blind me with his believes, I would not mind seeing more of his mindset. The cycle of life, hmm?

 

It was thanks to the lady of the group that Shevat realized the situation again related to the corpse which these people are willing to question about the curse he laid on the girl. I realized that the spell he has used on her to modify her memories are nothing but a thing that went wrong, unlike the notes would have predicted but I am unfamiliar with unprofessional wizards that fail at executing magic spells. Neither would I have an idea to turn the tables around but since this matter seems so valuable to them, I could as well aid them with my spells. Shevat hesitated with his beliefs to let me help him but Yshvara told him that they have no other way to learn about the reversal of Stella's situation. I haven't met this girl but I would be interested to meet her in person to experience the damage caused by that young man. Shevat apologized to me and admitted how he, indeed, recognizes that I am merely helping. (*That took him long enough ... Think twice before antagonizing people.)

 

 

Location: Assigned Residence (HQ/merchant house), Vallaki

NPCs met: red tabby cat, owner (Corpse/Victim of attack/Name unconfirmed)

Clues found: Enemies during the attack of Vallaki have managed to reach her barricaded room via teleportation magic.

 

With the burgomeister's instructions, we made our way to a special residence that was assigned to us to use as a headquarters but before we would call it our temporary "home", all of us felt urged to search it and to ensure our safety during our stay. On our way there, I noticed Arvirin acting a little off. Hopefully he regrets what he has said as the discussion will put me at a disadvantage within the group's community and I sure do intend to make my way out of Barovia as soon as I can possibly manage.

 

With that thought in mind, we entered the large noble house. While it is located near some other houses, the building is significantly bigger than the others. What do we owe this luxury to, I wonder ... I am aware that these people seem to be in close contact with the others from the way they interact with each other. There is not much of a formal speech that is applied to address someone of such superiority within this town, even if it is merely temporary.

 

We entered the main hall of the building, from the left I could see the stairs that would lead upstairs. In the distance, we could see two routes we could take that would lead to separate corridors, one leading left, the other to the right. So far, nothing suspicious, other than the state it was left in. This place is one dusty mess and I'm unsure which of these people is willing to put their arms to work. But other than the dust, it's in a good condition.

 

With no one to bother us and so far, and no danger in sight, I turned to the group and asked about a thing that has been on my mind for a while. When I met with the group and asked about the managing member of this group to keep up with the tasks and information they have gathered, they referred to someone who has left them, but never did they mention what happened to this information. I doubt that all the information can be registered in one's brain alone, they must be taking notes and keeping it somewhere. Shevat, the one that I grew very close with a moment ago, seems to keep it with him. It did annoy me a little that they didn't offer it to me right from the start but who knows what would have happened to it if I kept it with me in that fight ... I suppose I'll let that slip.

 

Yshvara was the first to take it in her hands and opened it up. I could see the look on her face when she tried to read the text but she drew a blank and admitted later on that she is unable to read what is written. Curious to see what language was used to write it, I asked permission to access it and it was given. Tibirin added something about the person being a double agent. Why, that's quite interesting to me. If this would help me learn of the enemy, it's going to be very helpful.

 

The text inside is written in a journal format, written in the elvish language to which I am not surprised. The book itself is likely of noble origin, given the quality of the green cover and the golden decorations. This man's handwriting is pretty well done but the content of the text ... It was quite disappointing. It's a mess and it is covered in mostly bratty comments. How he ever managed this group shall remain a secret to me. I believe there are far more capable members here who could keep track of it instead.

 

When I pointed out the bratty part of it, Yshvara was so kind as to support me with some personal information about him. Impish sort, she says? I can tell ... But she added that the man who wrote this is very young. Odd, because other than that, the words are rather advanced. I guess that's to be expected from a well taught noble. In his fifties? Well, not that it matters anyway. I am only interested in the useful content of this book. Learning about the enemy, however, will be of use later on. I'll have to investigate this book further when I have more time to.

 

When I took a closer look to the details, while skipping the note for now, I noticed the name written on there. Manually written by the owner. Ellamin "Ailoton" Liadon. That last name, it sounded familiar to me. I have indeed heard of the noble family that specializes in magically enchanted items of a durable quality but I haven't heard of a son before. I assume they have their reasons. Gwynneth (Moonshae Isles, Sea of Swords) is where the family is located, a place for high elves of proud nature and rumored for their elitist society. Small island, very magically advanced in comparison to the rest. I guess it is not the best place to grow up but should it truly concern me? Waterdeep or any other place, doesn't seem like a much more comforting place to me either. I was never there, myself, but I have heard stories about how us high elves have to thank the massive judgements of others about being mostly of arrogant and elitist nature. Any more research will have to wait, for now at least. I did catch some information about the obsession from Ellamin toward Naedithas, it seems like they are lovers. How sweet. It seems like I discovered the reason for his betrayal but I didn't expect it to be love for another man. Lord High Enchanter Liadon is not going to be pleased with this but I wonder if he'll be much more pleased by the fact that we might just kill the guy. Who knows, maybe we manage to make the fool switch sides.

 

I learned some information about the specifics of his betrayal, about the death of this other elf which is caused by some demon. Also of a specific character named izek strazni, the enforcer of the former burgomeister with some demonic connections? Sir Strazni is no longer, meaning, it's no concern any longer but I should spend some time learning more about our enemies. This is a lot of new information that I'm getting my hands on, with no moment to note it all down. I put the book away in my bag and we focused on exploring the environment.

 

We decided to first explore the building from upstairs, then to work ourselves down to the bottom floor again. With Tibirin as our commander with a broom in his hands to fight down whatever will come our way, we followed the fool into each unexplored room. A lot of bedrooms are available for us to divide ourselves in, I wouldn't mind some privacy, indeed. There is also a study room with enough books to learn more about Vallaki and maybe some valuable information about Barovia as well. Their wildlife, the map, history, plants ... Maybe even some information about the enemy. I am looking forward to spend my time in this environment. And if there are no complaints, I intend to call the bedroom that is connected to it as the one I will be resting in. (MAP : Bed room #3)

 

So far, everything upstairs is fine. Great condition but then Tibirin, (*our broom hero), laid his eyes on the trap door, with Shevat's watchful eyes' assistance, that would lead to the attic from the first floor. With a successful attempt but a broken broom that I fixed for him, he managed to open it up and cause the ladder to drop down for us to climb. If I have to be honest, I am sure that he could put the broom to better use when we are done with this exploration mission. I'm sure he is fine with it, for the sake of the team.

 

One by one, we headed up to the attic and found a red tabby cat which appeared well fed. It wasn't harmful and rather curious with no interest in escaping down the ladder. In the back of the room, there was a door which would lead to an isolated space but it was barricaded by a heavy closet that none of us seemed to manage to move from outside. With Shevat's help (Wildshape - Spider) and that or Arvirin (Entrance - Window to window), they managed to move the door for us to see what is located inside. A human corpse with a terribly deformed face, covered in claw marks and blood. A woman who seemed to be of value to the cat which slipped through the opening of the door. It was the cat's owner. To ensure that she would not be of harm to us, I checked whether or not it could be trusted, but I received no signals of undead origin from the corpse.

 

I suggested to ensure that she would not get in our way while we spend our time here and to use my ability to protect her. It was also when Shevat finally saw through the fact that ... Maybe my magic is not all that dangerous if it can benefit him. (*He's an odd one, I can tell. Questionable ideals but easy to convince.) I don't believe I had a problem with that. They seemed more interested to talk to her though, so I had no other choice than to leave her as she is, unlike the cat.

 

The tabby cat was making herself comfortable near the owner and it truly did disgust me. Tibirin insisted that the animal is mourning her own way over her owner but does this cat really have to sit on top of the owner's corpse to do so? It's unhygienic ... But I suppose a large Tiger on two legs would know better about animal instincts than I ever will, but I let it happen on one condition: that cat is going to need a bath and he is going to be responsible for it before any of us gets sick. I'm certain that he is well protected against what would cause us harm. Another great task just for him.

 

The group is interested in learning about the attack of Vallaki via this woman, why she barricaded herself in this isolated space and possibly her name. When we come back, maybe tomorrow, they want to learn more about her. Until then, we are at high risk of having a possible attack in the attic and a cat who might or might not get killed in the process. They refuse to remove the cat from her owner, I'll leave that responsibility to them then. I did suggest against it but it is as it is. To ensure that we will not immediately be attacked, I suggested barricading the door just in case. Arvirin came up with a handy trick to use one of the magical items we received from our early arrival, and use it to barricade the door for the human body but to leave an opening small enough for the cat to escape through. (Immovable rod) It is positioned high enough to be out of reach for the enemy but in range for us to dis- and enable it from outside the room.

 

We went down again and explored the remaining spaces, including the garden. My interest went for the (wine) cellar, where often the weirdest of things are hidden but what we saw was nothing but some barrels of wine in which both Yshvara but especially Tibirin seemed interested in (*if not possessive about). One of the barrels is of great value, the other one could be used for personal use, by their decision.

 

Celler content:

3x Purple grapemash barrel (Value 15 G/barrel)

1x Red Dragon Crush barrel (Value 2500 G, sealed condition)

 

These people are quite interesting, if I may say so. I suppose with the owner in that terrible state and a superior of Vallaki to assign this building to us, it would belong to us. We went back up while Tibirin barricaded the passage with a large stone to ensure his precious wine would be safe. It took him quite a while just to move that big stone and I can't deny having enjoyed that little show.

 

The shred inside the garden is also clear. It is just a small space with some mildly rusted gardening tools. Shevat spent some quality time with the other boy in the garden. (*I'm not sure if he was digging holes in there or talking to plants, but I guess I'll leave the man to his hobbies.) Arvirin seems excited about it, too. (*Well, if anything wipes his memories a little of the day we met, I'll gladly give every opportunity to.)

 

While those two were tending the garden, the remaining three of us went to the kitchen when Yshvara took out the wolf meat again, which she intended to feed the small cat after about a week of storage. (*Are you out of your mind, lady?!) And they were prepared by the use of the salt that I provided them with. Seems like her bag is special because the meat looked perfectly fresh. She is full of tricks and I will keep my eyes on her if she intends to pick more locks in the future. (*Unless it benefits us.)

 

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