#07: A Deal with the Devil
General Summary
Our Heroes got ready for their breakfast at the Shashlovich House, such as Valentina Dilisnya preparing candle "gifts," and Soryn d'Nemishcata making spell sachets, and other countermeasures against whatever would greet them. Once ready, they met Mathais Shashlovich inside his home, though the front door had clearly been broken in, and the house appeared strange (fires unlit, servants missing, etc.). A huge banquet of pantry goods had been served, including a centre-piece of a Dragon whelp skeleton, festooned with cured meats.
The Isnaf appeared to be unharmed from the previous evening, and was acting strange; not rising to insults or insinuations over the lack of hospitality, and his failure the previous evening. When Soryn attempted to leave the breakfast table to create a distraction for Übel Bachmann — assisted by Mina Barovonna — Mathais exerted some kind of controlling, terrifying fear effect, that compelled Soryn and Mina to remain seated. They felt an aura of intense predatory energy coming from him, beyond anything they had ever felt before. A combination of beguiling and entrancing energy, mixed with an unmistakable feeling of being hunted and there being nothing they could do to survive filled both their senses.
Valentina detected magic in the area, and sensed a terrifyingly powerful necromantic aura coming from Mathais, as if he was enshrouded in a great cloak of death. His face apepared to shimmer with some illusion magic as well, and overall he burned with far too much life, as if he was more living than any mere mortal.
Eventually, "Mathais" called for another course to their meal, and a zombified and brutally killed Falkon Bobrinsky emerged from a servants' entrance, carrying a platter with a flayed human head upon it, filled with soup. Übel tripped Falkon, and the head went rolling on the ground. "Mathais" appeared to take off a mask — the Death Mask — and revealed herself to be Volenta Popofsky, one of the Vampire Consorts of Strahd von Zarovich!
After asking Ireena Kolyanovich to leave the room, Volenta explained that Strahd had indeed fed upon Ireena the previous evening, being "overcome with a protective spirit after seeing her harmed" and that her beloved wished to give his thanks to the Heroes for protecting his "future bride." She continued that Strahd was not there himself, for fear of scaring Ireena, stating that "the visage of a Vampire with one's lifeblood in their veins can be a frightful thing for the frail of temperment, and he did not wish to disconcert his Beloved."
Volenta extended Strahd's proposed "truce" to the Heroes, saying that so long as they do not harm any of his subjects, and keep "good faith" with his laws, that they will be likewise unharmed in Barovia by his own servants (and it was confirmed that this included Rahadin Temnoye). Further, Strahd sees the Heroes as "temporary chaperones [of Ireena], until such a time as [Strahd] is willing to announce his betrothal [of her]."
Our Heroes asked Volenta if this protection extended to the Ghita Coven, and Volenta confirmed that though they are not "servants of Strahd" they are "subjects under the protection of his laws" and that killing them would constitute murder. Whether this would break the terms of their truce or not was not expressed. Bella Ghita, and presumably Offalia Ghita, are believed to be hunkered down inside Old Bonegrinder. Their eldest sister Morgantha Ghita is believed to still be in Vallaki, or perhaps further afield.
The conversation with Volenta exposed some other details as well, including that whilst she loves Strahd, she also fears him, and despite being jealous of Ireena, Volenta would be unwilling to get in the way of her Beloved's plans for the girl. Her nature as Strahd's assassin — known as his "Blade" — was discussed, and her martial and magical talents were made obvious. With a kiss, she also healed Soryn of her curse given by the Dream Pretzels, drawing it out of her.
Finally, Rahadin arrived to escort Volenta back to Castle Ravenloft, though not before the Vampire warned Soryn that though Rahadin would not act against Strahd's wishes, he would be well within his rights to declare a duel with the Witch if she insulted him directly... The pair left Shashlovich House, which the Heroes then spent some time exploring and ransacking. They discovered a small amount of money, but little in the way of loose wealth. They found the "witch" disguise from the previous night, and posed it with Mathais's decapitated head within on the windows. They also stole a sizable amount of wine, bed clothes, and other pieces of finery to furnish their cart. Outside, Übel taught Ireena how to fight with a knife, and Mina talked the villagers of Solec down from forming a mob at the ransacking of the Isnaf's house. The story they were told was one of Mathais's transgressions, and being censured by Strahd and Rahadin, which the villagers were happy to accept.
The Heroes then headed north west along the Old Svalich Road towards Vallaki, entering the Vallaki Valley and spying Lake Zarovich and its small fishing hovels along the way. As they approached the town, they noticed a Golden Gourd standing on its north-western flank, and headed into town. They were stopped at the gates, and asked to forfeit their weapons due to a new edict from the "Baron," whom Mina identified as a mis-titled Burgomeister Vargas Vallakovich. Mina impressed the guards as a Boyar, though refrained from giving their names, and as such was able to enter the town without incident (though one of the guards did run off to tell a superior).
Within Vallaki's walls, they found the place to be very dreary, but with an exhaustingly overdone festive air, with seemingly constant celebrations being thrown, being advertised by posters including the upcoming Festival of the Blazing Sun, Wolfs' Head Jamboree, and Feast of Saint Andral (the former two of which were graffittied with "Lies!" and "Where are they?" respectively. Übel asked one of the Vallakkers about the festivals, and found they were part of Vargas's new campaign outlined in the Proclamations of Jubilation. Valentina was particularly incensed by the misdated "Feast of Saint Andral" which was a full 6 months earlier than it should be, and was directed to the Church of St. Andral. The party travelled there past Strahd von Zarovich University, and some Diebmarke glyphs found near one of the docks.
Within the Church, the Heroes found some petitioners, but the place was missing its priest who appear to be in the clock tower. Additionally, the reliquary holding Saint Andral's thigh bone, the source of the (supposed) burning hallowed presence over the Church, was shuttered. Climbing the stairs to the clock tower, Valentina confronted Father Lucien Petrovich about the "Feast" to which he blurted out "so you know the Bones are missing?" in a defeated air...
Report Date
31 Oct 2024
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