Session #30: Investigation tour
Jan. 14th, 2024 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
istainion 28 June, 2021 [8:00 PM - 11:30+ AM (GMT+2)]
Day: 4, Time of day: Afternoon (3 PM+)
Location: Crypt, Church, Vallaki
NPCs met: None
Side Note: None
We heard footsteps from the distance that echoed through the small underground environment approaching us. Father Lucian Petrovich came to us with hasty steps, the man was exhausted and seemed to have hurried to reach us in time. He asked us what had happened during our stay inside the crypt, wondering if we were doing well or not. I told him that the situation is under control, that everything is fine. The Father insisted that we should make our way out as soon as possible before something strange will happen again. He spoke of a disturbance, which will turn the environment we are in to become "unsafe". We are suggested to leave while the chance is given.
Honestly, Barovia is quite the interesting place. First this shadow-covered lady creature that beat us up and now we are dealing with a situation that could involve some undead opponents if we do not watch ourselves. Yshvara asked what would happen to the surrounding place during this phase of danger, I, too, was interested in it. The man could not be very specific about it and described it as a rebelion between the corpses against the power of the land to put them to rest. I believe we should make haste to find the relic in order to bring the man peace. We are, however, with no clues to put to use and search for the relic itself. Only these two names ... Milivoj, Yugo ...
These people seemed to have no more questions, aside from a single one to the corpse, so I felt no urge to secure the body and we decided to leave. (Question: Whether or not Victor regrets what he has done. According to the notes, there was no sign of regret, but that tends to change with the last dying breath.) Our next plan was to head out and make way for the orphanage when we met up with the raven haired lady with an unknown new person. It is not often that you meet a fire genasi. She looked like a capable fighter, it was a pleasure to hear that she would accompany us even if I did wonder why none of these people carried any suspicion toward her, like they did with me. I felt briefly offended at that moment. ... (*Also since Miss Muriël told the new companion to babysit us ... Who does that woman think she is ... I promise, one of these days ...)
I felt the heat from her hands when I shook her hand, it was like an experience on its own. Absolutely fascinating but I didn't speak of it, I am certain that she is used to receiving comments from all those who move too close. She is already becoming much of a spotlight to those around us. Pyre is eager to look for a job and I am happy to fulfill her desire with a large to-do list that I keep. She looked mildly overwhelmed with the number of tasks but it seems like she is used to these from the quick restoration of her facial expression. Perfect.
Shevat, unlike the rest of us, was amazed by her appearance and I'd say, obsessed with her. Considering her blessed by the spirits. Of course, I'm starting to see what this human is like. I remember rolling my eyes but I can't help but to believe it was rather amusing to see the controlled man so very excited about her. Even Pyre herself felt rather awkward about it. Pure amusement ...
Location: Orphanage, (Outskirts of) Vallaki "Home of wayward children"
NPCs met: Pyre (New party member), Milivoj (tall, muscular, teenage human boy), Orphanage lady (Dressed in a black, mourning attire, with vail in front of her face)
Clues found: Mentions about Yugo's role in the disappearance of the relic, Von Holtz' tried to convince Yugo and Milivoj to steal the relic in exchange for an extra coin. (About one week ago from now, on his way to the cemetery)
With the black haired lady’s leave, we continued our travel to the orphanage and knocked on the door to request entrance. The building was in a rough state, much like a large section of Vallaki is, but at the verge of collapsing. It took a while for the people to respond to the door but it eventually got opened up by an older lady who was so kind to let us in and get in contact with the young man to have a chat with us. She wondered if Milivoj did something wrong and it caught my attention that she grew a little bit worried about it. Seems like the young man has caused some trouble here and there ... I'll have to admit, I didn't like the voice of the lady. She sounded suspicious but that is likely just my imagination, for I am also considered suspicious by many of these ... People.
The lady brought us to a large dining room. Everything is in a terrible state, I managed to pick a chair that seems like it will be capable of carrying my weight for a short duration of time and waited for the others to take a seat, too, but they refused. Milivoj entered the room as rude as ever, Yshvara directly tried to get to business but I tried to thank the teenager for his time but I was immediately silenced. He didn't like the way I speak, to him, it sounded similar to the man he detests. Von Holtz? The noble of Vallaki? (*What a coincidence ... If he truly happens to be the count then I'll take that as an insult.)
About a week ago, the boy says, on his way from the Blacksmith to the cemetery (Milivoj: Helps with digging graves, manual labor work. Yugo: Church services) a man appeared while wearing a cloak and asked if the teenager was interested to do a task in return for some more money. Milivoj recognized the man to be von Holtz. I noticed the young man's gaze resting on me when he spoke of the voice that reached him and seemed to have sinister intentions behind each word he had and so he declined the request. I merely gave it a little bit of a huffed sound. The Father sure didn't lie about his rude behavior, this event may as well been the one that is bothering him for a while. I merely wonder why he hasn't spread this information to those around him if this man is so very suspicious. Is he afraid to stir something?
A couple of days later after this meeting, the boy caught Yugo head down into the old crypt where the relic was located. He learned of this truth only a moment too late, when the message was spread that the relic had gone missing. During the attack of Vallaki, he sought for the boy and found him near the mansion of the Von Holtz, breathing his final breath. He apologized right before he passed away in his arms. The boy's corpse was taken back to the church and buried there.
The boy carries evidence with him. It sickens me to think that we might need to disturb him from his rest in order to find out about the whereabouts, but given his location, I believe the relic has been passed onto someone. A man, who lives not far away from where he last lived. The man, who is rumored to go missing, Von Holtz. Everything leads back to the suspicions the blond woman has and soon, more will speak ill of the noble's name. We have no other choice than to visit that place and discover more about what is hidden inside that large building.
Location: Von Holtz mansion, Vallaki
NPCs met: Guard 1 - ???, Guard 2 - Jack (Drunk)
Clues found: Lich experimentation laboratory with failed experiments from tubes that match the size of a humanoid, Stone disk was found on the shelf inside the laboratory, underground passage that is located down the trap door, may be unlocked by the stone disk (Unconfirmed)
Items found: Pouch with platinum and ruby from von Holtz bedroom*, Stone disk, Bottle of Vinegar (*Taken by Pyre)
We left the orphanage and went to the mansion with an attempt to find more information. In front of the large door, we met with two guards assumed to be farmers of Vallaki. The armor wasn't as impressive but at least they carried proper weapons with them. These men are cowards, I could tell. Not once did they enter the house to do some research on their own but they could share some valuable information about the light that would sometimes flicker inside the house. When I asked for a more precise direction, they pointed at a window where it happened most of the time. It seems like the danger is located over there, it's good to be prepared. They mention some shadows that move as well, so something or someone is inside.
We told the guards to call for backup in case something were to happen, at the signal of a yell. With that discussed, we went inside when Pyre dropped a comment about the guards' incompetence. I absolutely agree with her and couldn't help but to give it a smile when the doors shut behind us. They heard her, no doubt. (*I'm already starting to like her.) Tibirin agreed, adding that they are farmers, it's nothing unexpected. (* Agreeable, indeed.)
We entered a big entrance way with different rooms to explore. One stairs would lead upstairs. While we were deciding where to go first, Arvirin picked up some noise coming from right above us, to the right. Assuming that is the exact location from which the flickering would appear the most. Movement is what he heard, we may encounter the butler or Sir von Holtz, himself. Tibirin was handed the broom by Shevat which he found nearby and I felt myself moving behind him, to take the same formation which we took to explore the merchant house we were assigned. However, this time, I didn't take it as seriously. I guess it works for now, if it means to be prepared for when an enemy would come. Then the broom will offer us some time to act. I hope~
Our careful but quick paced steps lead us up the stairs, postponing the investigation for the lower floor for now and to meet what awaits us inside that specific room.
Once we reached upstairs, we met a long hallway with a number of doors but we knew exactly where the noise came from. With Tibirin in front of us, we approached the door to the right of us and opened it up. What we saw was beyond my expectations. A research lab. I noticed the large shelf in the back, carrying all sorts of items, like books, other tubes covered in a liquid and questionable ingredients. It wasn't clear what the purpose of this place was, but I saw how there were large tubes near the window that seemed to have shattered. Some creature experiments, that much I can tell. Two large tables are positioned in the room. Near us there is a desk with a chair positioned. At first glance, nothing seems to be going on. On one of the tables, I noticed another large bottle that was broken. So either something was put here and progress and the evidence is taken along or ... I looked around in the room when suddenly I saw something move up on the ceiling. (*This had to be a joke ...)
A large, black creature of an unknown substance was attached to the ceiling. I suspected as much, when the guards spoke of some shadows that move. That creature or whatever it was, it was not on its own. Two other creatures of a similar origin were on the other sides of the ceiling. These carried bone remains in them, almost like a skeleton covered in a thick, slime cover that dragged itself back and forth. This noble is out of his damned mind ... What experiments where these?! As eager as I was to search through the room, these creatures appear hostile or a little ... Too attached to our presence in this room. One of them immediately moves in our direction. From the looks of it, it was as if the skeleton body inside was moving along with it and it seems to have taken a liking of Tibirin.
Nothing was clear from the attack but I noticed a mild impact near Tibirin and the negative energy float when a part of the body inside the slime moved out to hit the large tabaxi. I could only see what happened from the ceiling, but the tiger is simply too tall for me to see anything beyond that. It quickly caught the presence of the woman right next to him, Yshvara-El and repeated the same attack on her as well. Her reaction went differently to the attack as she suddenly tensed up and her entire body froze up all of a sudden as a reaction to it. I gently put my hand on her shoulder to relieve her from the pain as soon as it happened and then I moved away from the spot to ensure a safe distance from the others and disadvantage the enemy to inflict massive pain on all of us in a single go.
I may be inexperienced with questionable experiments but I will not take any risk with them. I did notice the quick surprise on Shevat's face before I went. While the battle continued, the rest slowly scattered around the area. Tibirin went straight for the large monster and Arvirin also attacked it before he pulled back again. From the looks of it, the creature seems to leave its acid like remains on them as soon as they attack and it messes with not only their equipment but also their weapons. The sight was terrible, it seems that we have underestimated the enemy. Ranged attacks are probably a better approach, if only we could pin the creature down on the spot. With a failed attempt to cast my spell on the creature, I prepared myself for another until Pyre rushed my way for an attack. I saw the empty look in her eyes and I recalled catching a glimpse of a creature that made its way inside of her mouth. Truly, the thought was not only unhygienic but also plain disgusting. I managed to escape most of the attempts to hurt me and to take her out but it didn't seem to cause any major damage to the creature that hung outside of her. It was odd, yet interesting to see ...
I heard a loud thump not far away from me and noticed that Tibirin was knocked out. With an attempt to heal the tiger, something seems to interfere with the spell. One of the red slimed on the wall lit up as if it was absorbing or cancelling my healing spell. I frowned at it but had little time to respond when another strike with a rapier struck me. This time, it actually hit me and I felt the blade smoothly slide past my skin. It happened so fast that I barely noticed the pain until the skin started to part and the blood spilled to cover my arm with the warm fluids. Not bad ... I smiled at the genasi who could only look at me with this blank stare in her eyes. I returned the pain with the use of a spell, knowing that I am unlikely to strike her with a decent attack of mine. If she goes down, I might be able to get rid of that monster inside of her and patch her up, I thought.
It bothered me to see Tibirin in that state as well. With a plan set in mind as an alternative to get him up on his feet, Yshvara-El and Shevat had another plan in mind when I suddenly saw Shevat run to the side in the direction of the desk. It drew the attention of one of the slimes on the ceiling that immediately took its opportunity to land an effective attack on the human. It was a frustrating sight. Why would he do such a thing? That is when I saw Yshvara-El dash over to Tibirin and the two of them disappeared all of a sudden. While I was getting distracted from the unexpected happening, another few strikes were aimed at me by her magical blade and left me in that state ...
My knees grew weaker and I looked at her with the same look on my face. Weakened, my breath grew heavy and my vision started to flicker. This might be it ... I said to myself with a smile. I felt the pain numb those endless thoughts in my head, it was nothing but pure bliss even in this chaos. At least she is not one of the enemies, I thought to myself, I can bear with that. With another successful attempt to damage both her and the monster close to me, the final hit was dealt and I felt my connection to the surroundings fade when I hit the ground. Everything felt like a blur to me at this point until a warm sensation covered me and led me back my awareness. I saw Yshvara-El had returned into the room with her gaze resting on me. So it was her doing ... I recall myself questioning why she did such a thing but I thanked her when I got up my feet. This battle isn't over yet. That vampire bastard will pay for this ...
Tibirin also got back, I noticed, right before he turned into a giant ape to aid me and pulled the poor woman away from me with an attempt to relieve her from her suffering. More of the enemies were taken out at this point but I was more concerned with Pyre's wellbeing than anything else until I noticed Arvirin on the field tensed up, similarly as Yshvara-El did and I ran over to him to relieve him from the pain. At that moment, I saw Pyre hit the ground and I immediately brought her back up when I had the opportunity to. Slowly, but carefully, we got the situation under control and every single one of us, except for Pyre who looked and admitted to feel a little nauseous, we seemed to be doing fine after Shevat's healing abilities. (-These people, they are capable men and women. I am truly impressed.)
With all of us in a better state and the enemies taken out, I could finally do what I've been wanting to and that was to search this forsaken place for any clues. We discovered with the materials that were scattered all over the table that the creatures we fought are nothing but failed experiments, in an attempt to create a lich. Fearsome, undead creatures with powerful magic. After all, what other desire is there to a living being than to become both powerful and everlasting? This von Holtz guy is definitely suspicious, if not the Count, himself, he is of evil origin and should be taken down at all costs.
While the experiment does generally interest me, I have no time to spend more time than is necessary to search through this place. I aimed my focus at the shelf to look through the books it offered, hoping to find anything related to the experiment, but it seems like some books have been removed from their spots. They must have taken it with them when they evacuated the place. Such a messy man for leaving these experiments of his incompetence behind, is he not ashamed? A present for the visitors, I take it? What a twisted man ... From the shelf, I took a book that resembled a creature encyclopedia to prove an advantage in future combat. A lot of notes are inside that describe various different beings from inside Barovia. Other than that, I only found the odd materials of bones and fluids that I'd rather not question, until I laid my eyes on an odd stone disk with some inscriptions on the back and a creature on top in the color black. Clearly noticing that this was of value, I removed it from the shelf and took it in my hands, lending it to Yshvara-El to take a closer look. Quite fascinating. I am sure that this could be of use in the near future. Other than these few items of interest, we didn't find them and it was such a shame that we didn't, for I believe there are a lot of things to discover here.
We moved on to the next room but nothing was of interest. A room for the butler, a bathroom, a locked room which appears to be nothing but another bedroom in which von Holtz is assumed to be sleeping in. Pyre found something in the closet, a pouch with some platinum and a red ruby. The black lace underwear inside the drawers didn't interest me either but I do start to wonder about the noble's odd taste. Nothing else is suspicious about the room, what a shame ... Even when we went downstairs, all of it seemed normal. It seems like they have taken everything of value with them when they left. Mildly frustrated from the lack of evidence or finds, we made our way to the kitchen where suddenly Arvirin started to look through the cabins for food and eat it like an uncontrolled, stray animal. The food looked like it was about to get spoiled and so I tried to smack it out of his hands and interfere with his attempt to get sick. (*He seems very interested in getting both poisoned and terribly nauseous, I better keep track of his weird animal instincts. I know that wood elves are most likely to be uncivilized, isolated types of people but I hadn't imagined it to be this bad in Arvirin's case.)
I promised him to buy some proper food for him instead of having him eat this trash but he called me a pesky liar and interfered with my will to release him from that cursed food he holds in his hands. I backed away when even the others didn't help me, instead, they seemed to support his wishes. (*They honestly trust food from some crazy noble that does lich experimentation while he is apparently a vampire that demands no such thing as food? I will never understand them ... How dare he refer to me as a liar ...)
Other than that, the kitchen was rather uninteresting, other than the door that would connect to a different place. A trap door of some sort? With a padlock attached. Tibirin didn't take long before he used the crowbar to break it open. A voice from outside reached us, asking if any of us idiots were still there. (*Haha ... I don't like that woman. I have never met a woman so rude in my entire life before and I have dealt with many people during my duties ... I don't believe that she and I will ever get along.) Shevat was so kind to head to the front door to answer (*that ill-mannered woman.) He notified her and the guards that came after Yshvara-El sent the signal to our rescue but the situation was already under control, for now. We still plan to go downstairs after a short break and once we took it, we went down the stairs. It was a small, cramped space with only crates and barrels. Nothing suspicious, until I took a closer look and noticed a space on the wall that fits the stone disk which I found in the laboratory. I hesitated and spoke with the others. While we are physically doing well, I am mentally exhausted, my energy is not of use as it is now after the battle we fought and the others felt similarly. Not only that, both Tibirin his weapon and armor are in a terrible state.
I would suggest that we report to Lady Muriel and/or Lady Ireena about our finds, head to the blacksmith for the repairs and get back to our HQ to rest up.
(Click to enlarge)
Day: 4, Time of day: Afternoon (3 PM+)
Location: Crypt, Church, Vallaki
NPCs met: None
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)
We heard footsteps from the distance that echoed through the small underground environment approaching us. Father Lucian Petrovich came to us with hasty steps, the man was exhausted and seemed to have hurried to reach us in time. He asked us what had happened during our stay inside the crypt, wondering if we were doing well or not. I told him that the situation is under control, that everything is fine. The Father insisted that we should make our way out as soon as possible before something strange will happen again. He spoke of a disturbance, which will turn the environment we are in to become "unsafe". We are suggested to leave while the chance is given.
Honestly, Barovia is quite the interesting place. First this shadow-covered lady creature that beat us up and now we are dealing with a situation that could involve some undead opponents if we do not watch ourselves. Yshvara asked what would happen to the surrounding place during this phase of danger, I, too, was interested in it. The man could not be very specific about it and described it as a rebelion between the corpses against the power of the land to put them to rest. I believe we should make haste to find the relic in order to bring the man peace. We are, however, with no clues to put to use and search for the relic itself. Only these two names ... Milivoj, Yugo ...
These people seemed to have no more questions, aside from a single one to the corpse, so I felt no urge to secure the body and we decided to leave. (Question: Whether or not Victor regrets what he has done. According to the notes, there was no sign of regret, but that tends to change with the last dying breath.) Our next plan was to head out and make way for the orphanage when we met up with the raven haired lady with an unknown new person. It is not often that you meet a fire genasi. She looked like a capable fighter, it was a pleasure to hear that she would accompany us even if I did wonder why none of these people carried any suspicion toward her, like they did with me. I felt briefly offended at that moment. ... (*
I felt the heat from her hands when I shook her hand, it was like an experience on its own. Absolutely fascinating but I didn't speak of it, I am certain that she is used to receiving comments from all those who move too close. She is already becoming much of a spotlight to those around us. Pyre is eager to look for a job and I am happy to fulfill her desire with a large to-do list that I keep. She looked mildly overwhelmed with the number of tasks but it seems like she is used to these from the quick restoration of her facial expression. Perfect.
Shevat, unlike the rest of us, was amazed by her appearance and I'd say, obsessed with her. Considering her blessed by the spirits. Of course, I'm starting to see what this human is like. I remember rolling my eyes but I can't help but to believe it was rather amusing to see the controlled man so very excited about her. Even Pyre herself felt rather awkward about it. Pure amusement ...
Location: Orphanage, (Outskirts of) Vallaki "Home of wayward children"
NPCs met: Pyre (New party member), Milivoj (tall, muscular, teenage human boy), Orphanage lady (Dressed in a black, mourning attire, with vail in front of her face)
Clues found: Mentions about Yugo's role in the disappearance of the relic, Von Holtz' tried to convince Yugo and Milivoj to steal the relic in exchange for an extra coin. (About one week ago from now, on his way to the cemetery)
With the black haired lady’s leave, we continued our travel to the orphanage and knocked on the door to request entrance. The building was in a rough state, much like a large section of Vallaki is, but at the verge of collapsing. It took a while for the people to respond to the door but it eventually got opened up by an older lady who was so kind to let us in and get in contact with the young man to have a chat with us. She wondered if Milivoj did something wrong and it caught my attention that she grew a little bit worried about it. Seems like the young man has caused some trouble here and there ... I'll have to admit, I didn't like the voice of the lady. She sounded suspicious but that is likely just my imagination, for I am also considered suspicious by many of these ... People.
The lady brought us to a large dining room. Everything is in a terrible state, I managed to pick a chair that seems like it will be capable of carrying my weight for a short duration of time and waited for the others to take a seat, too, but they refused. Milivoj entered the room as rude as ever, Yshvara directly tried to get to business but I tried to thank the teenager for his time but I was immediately silenced. He didn't like the way I speak, to him, it sounded similar to the man he detests. Von Holtz? The noble of Vallaki? (*
About a week ago, the boy says, on his way from the Blacksmith to the cemetery (Milivoj: Helps with digging graves, manual labor work. Yugo: Church services) a man appeared while wearing a cloak and asked if the teenager was interested to do a task in return for some more money. Milivoj recognized the man to be von Holtz. I noticed the young man's gaze resting on me when he spoke of the voice that reached him and seemed to have sinister intentions behind each word he had and so he declined the request. I merely gave it a little bit of a huffed sound. The Father sure didn't lie about his rude behavior, this event may as well been the one that is bothering him for a while. I merely wonder why he hasn't spread this information to those around him if this man is so very suspicious. Is he afraid to stir something?
A couple of days later after this meeting, the boy caught Yugo head down into the old crypt where the relic was located. He learned of this truth only a moment too late, when the message was spread that the relic had gone missing. During the attack of Vallaki, he sought for the boy and found him near the mansion of the Von Holtz, breathing his final breath. He apologized right before he passed away in his arms. The boy's corpse was taken back to the church and buried there.
The boy carries evidence with him. It sickens me to think that we might need to disturb him from his rest in order to find out about the whereabouts, but given his location, I believe the relic has been passed onto someone. A man, who lives not far away from where he last lived. The man, who is rumored to go missing, Von Holtz. Everything leads back to the suspicions the blond woman has and soon, more will speak ill of the noble's name. We have no other choice than to visit that place and discover more about what is hidden inside that large building.
Location: Von Holtz mansion, Vallaki
NPCs met: Guard 1 - ???, Guard 2 - Jack (Drunk)
Clues found: Lich experimentation laboratory with failed experiments from tubes that match the size of a humanoid, Stone disk was found on the shelf inside the laboratory, underground passage that is located down the trap door, may be unlocked by the stone disk (Unconfirmed)
Items found: Pouch with platinum and ruby from von Holtz bedroom*, Stone disk, Bottle of Vinegar (*Taken by Pyre)
We left the orphanage and went to the mansion with an attempt to find more information. In front of the large door, we met with two guards assumed to be farmers of Vallaki. The armor wasn't as impressive but at least they carried proper weapons with them. These men are cowards, I could tell. Not once did they enter the house to do some research on their own but they could share some valuable information about the light that would sometimes flicker inside the house. When I asked for a more precise direction, they pointed at a window where it happened most of the time. It seems like the danger is located over there, it's good to be prepared. They mention some shadows that move as well, so something or someone is inside.
We told the guards to call for backup in case something were to happen, at the signal of a yell. With that discussed, we went inside when Pyre dropped a comment about the guards' incompetence. I absolutely agree with her and couldn't help but to give it a smile when the doors shut behind us. They heard her, no doubt. (*
We entered a big entrance way with different rooms to explore. One stairs would lead upstairs. While we were deciding where to go first, Arvirin picked up some noise coming from right above us, to the right. Assuming that is the exact location from which the flickering would appear the most. Movement is what he heard, we may encounter the butler or Sir von Holtz, himself. Tibirin was handed the broom by Shevat which he found nearby and I felt myself moving behind him, to take the same formation which we took to explore the merchant house we were assigned. However, this time, I didn't take it as seriously. I guess it works for now, if it means to be prepared for when an enemy would come. Then the broom will offer us some time to act. I hope~
Our careful but quick paced steps lead us up the stairs, postponing the investigation for the lower floor for now and to meet what awaits us inside that specific room.
Once we reached upstairs, we met a long hallway with a number of doors but we knew exactly where the noise came from. With Tibirin in front of us, we approached the door to the right of us and opened it up. What we saw was beyond my expectations. A research lab. I noticed the large shelf in the back, carrying all sorts of items, like books, other tubes covered in a liquid and questionable ingredients. It wasn't clear what the purpose of this place was, but I saw how there were large tubes near the window that seemed to have shattered. Some creature experiments, that much I can tell. Two large tables are positioned in the room. Near us there is a desk with a chair positioned. At first glance, nothing seems to be going on. On one of the tables, I noticed another large bottle that was broken. So either something was put here and progress and the evidence is taken along or ... I looked around in the room when suddenly I saw something move up on the ceiling. (*
A large, black creature of an unknown substance was attached to the ceiling. I suspected as much, when the guards spoke of some shadows that move. That creature or whatever it was, it was not on its own. Two other creatures of a similar origin were on the other sides of the ceiling. These carried bone remains in them, almost like a skeleton covered in a thick, slime cover that dragged itself back and forth. This noble is out of his damned mind ... What experiments where these?! As eager as I was to search through the room, these creatures appear hostile or a little ... Too attached to our presence in this room. One of them immediately moves in our direction. From the looks of it, it was as if the skeleton body inside was moving along with it and it seems to have taken a liking of Tibirin.
Nothing was clear from the attack but I noticed a mild impact near Tibirin and the negative energy float when a part of the body inside the slime moved out to hit the large tabaxi. I could only see what happened from the ceiling, but the tiger is simply too tall for me to see anything beyond that. It quickly caught the presence of the woman right next to him, Yshvara-El and repeated the same attack on her as well. Her reaction went differently to the attack as she suddenly tensed up and her entire body froze up all of a sudden as a reaction to it. I gently put my hand on her shoulder to relieve her from the pain as soon as it happened and then I moved away from the spot to ensure a safe distance from the others and disadvantage the enemy to inflict massive pain on all of us in a single go.
I may be inexperienced with questionable experiments but I will not take any risk with them. I did notice the quick surprise on Shevat's face before I went. While the battle continued, the rest slowly scattered around the area. Tibirin went straight for the large monster and Arvirin also attacked it before he pulled back again. From the looks of it, the creature seems to leave its acid like remains on them as soon as they attack and it messes with not only their equipment but also their weapons. The sight was terrible, it seems that we have underestimated the enemy. Ranged attacks are probably a better approach, if only we could pin the creature down on the spot. With a failed attempt to cast my spell on the creature, I prepared myself for another until Pyre rushed my way for an attack. I saw the empty look in her eyes and I recalled catching a glimpse of a creature that made its way inside of her mouth. Truly, the thought was not only unhygienic but also plain disgusting. I managed to escape most of the attempts to hurt me and to take her out but it didn't seem to cause any major damage to the creature that hung outside of her. It was odd, yet interesting to see ...
I heard a loud thump not far away from me and noticed that Tibirin was knocked out. With an attempt to heal the tiger, something seems to interfere with the spell. One of the red slimed on the wall lit up as if it was absorbing or cancelling my healing spell. I frowned at it but had little time to respond when another strike with a rapier struck me. This time, it actually hit me and I felt the blade smoothly slide past my skin. It happened so fast that I barely noticed the pain until the skin started to part and the blood spilled to cover my arm with the warm fluids. Not bad ... I smiled at the genasi who could only look at me with this blank stare in her eyes. I returned the pain with the use of a spell, knowing that I am unlikely to strike her with a decent attack of mine. If she goes down, I might be able to get rid of that monster inside of her and patch her up, I thought.
It bothered me to see Tibirin in that state as well. With a plan set in mind as an alternative to get him up on his feet, Yshvara-El and Shevat had another plan in mind when I suddenly saw Shevat run to the side in the direction of the desk. It drew the attention of one of the slimes on the ceiling that immediately took its opportunity to land an effective attack on the human. It was a frustrating sight. Why would he do such a thing? That is when I saw Yshvara-El dash over to Tibirin and the two of them disappeared all of a sudden. While I was getting distracted from the unexpected happening, another few strikes were aimed at me by her magical blade and left me in that state ...
My knees grew weaker and I looked at her with the same look on my face. Weakened, my breath grew heavy and my vision started to flicker. This might be it ... I said to myself with a smile. I felt the pain numb those endless thoughts in my head, it was nothing but pure bliss even in this chaos. At least she is not one of the enemies, I thought to myself, I can bear with that. With another successful attempt to damage both her and the monster close to me, the final hit was dealt and I felt my connection to the surroundings fade when I hit the ground. Everything felt like a blur to me at this point until a warm sensation covered me and led me back my awareness. I saw Yshvara-El had returned into the room with her gaze resting on me. So it was her doing ... I recall myself questioning why she did such a thing but I thanked her when I got up my feet. This battle isn't over yet. That vampire bastard will pay for this ...
Tibirin also got back, I noticed, right before he turned into a giant ape to aid me and pulled the poor woman away from me with an attempt to relieve her from her suffering. More of the enemies were taken out at this point but I was more concerned with Pyre's wellbeing than anything else until I noticed Arvirin on the field tensed up, similarly as Yshvara-El did and I ran over to him to relieve him from the pain. At that moment, I saw Pyre hit the ground and I immediately brought her back up when I had the opportunity to. Slowly, but carefully, we got the situation under control and every single one of us, except for Pyre who looked and admitted to feel a little nauseous, we seemed to be doing fine after Shevat's healing abilities. (-These people, they are capable men and women. I am truly impressed.)
With all of us in a better state and the enemies taken out, I could finally do what I've been wanting to and that was to search this forsaken place for any clues. We discovered with the materials that were scattered all over the table that the creatures we fought are nothing but failed experiments, in an attempt to create a lich. Fearsome, undead creatures with powerful magic. After all, what other desire is there to a living being than to become both powerful and everlasting? This von Holtz guy is definitely suspicious, if not the Count, himself, he is of evil origin and should be taken down at all costs.
While the experiment does generally interest me, I have no time to spend more time than is necessary to search through this place. I aimed my focus at the shelf to look through the books it offered, hoping to find anything related to the experiment, but it seems like some books have been removed from their spots. They must have taken it with them when they evacuated the place. Such a messy man for leaving these experiments of his incompetence behind, is he not ashamed? A present for the visitors, I take it? What a twisted man ... From the shelf, I took a book that resembled a creature encyclopedia to prove an advantage in future combat. A lot of notes are inside that describe various different beings from inside Barovia. Other than that, I only found the odd materials of bones and fluids that I'd rather not question, until I laid my eyes on an odd stone disk with some inscriptions on the back and a creature on top in the color black. Clearly noticing that this was of value, I removed it from the shelf and took it in my hands, lending it to Yshvara-El to take a closer look. Quite fascinating. I am sure that this could be of use in the near future. Other than these few items of interest, we didn't find them and it was such a shame that we didn't, for I believe there are a lot of things to discover here.
We moved on to the next room but nothing was of interest. A room for the butler, a bathroom, a locked room which appears to be nothing but another bedroom in which von Holtz is assumed to be sleeping in. Pyre found something in the closet, a pouch with some platinum and a red ruby. The black lace underwear inside the drawers didn't interest me either but I do start to wonder about the noble's odd taste. Nothing else is suspicious about the room, what a shame ... Even when we went downstairs, all of it seemed normal. It seems like they have taken everything of value with them when they left. Mildly frustrated from the lack of evidence or finds, we made our way to the kitchen where suddenly Arvirin started to look through the cabins for food and eat it like an uncontrolled, stray animal. The food looked like it was about to get spoiled and so I tried to smack it out of his hands and interfere with his attempt to get sick. (*
I promised him to buy some proper food for him instead of having him eat this trash but he called me a pesky liar and interfered with my will to release him from that cursed food he holds in his hands. I backed away when even the others didn't help me, instead, they seemed to support his wishes. (*
Other than that, the kitchen was rather uninteresting, other than the door that would connect to a different place. A trap door of some sort? With a padlock attached. Tibirin didn't take long before he used the crowbar to break it open. A voice from outside reached us, asking if any of us idiots were still there. (*
I would suggest that we report to Lady Muriel and/or Lady Ireena about our finds, head to the blacksmith for the repairs and get back to our HQ to rest up.
(Click to enlarge)
