Ismark Kolyanovich's Verdict

Dear Beloved,

I return your brother to you as promised, in one piece, if a bit bruised and battered, but such is the fragility of the transient mortal condition you cling so hard to. As it stands, he had but a day of respite so please do not begrudge me his condition. I hope you see that I am a man of my word, but I am also a man of justice. It is from the love I have for you that I have refrained from separating your brother from his mortal life for the severity of his crimes, yet such behavior cannot go wholly overlooked.

I hereby declare Ismark Kolyanovich, son of Kolyan Indirovich, is stripped of his Noble titles, relieved of his position as Burgomaster of Shadowgrange, his properties confiscated, and henceforth branded persona non-grata within the borders of Barovia.

I shall take no further actions against him for this count of human trafficking, slander, defamation, and treason unless new evidence against him is brought to light, nor will he be spared from the full force of my wrath for any future transgressions against me and mine. You may think me cruel, but the law must be upheld. I am no stranger to the grief of losing a brother and so I allow you to keep yours, the above conditions upheld.

As for you and your companions: I understand your need to explore and reacquaint yourself with your homeland and so I ensure the safety of your person to do so. Certain of my more... willful subjects may attempt little pranks, like spiriting you away from me in the spirit of subverting my authority, but they would never dare to harm you. They are like adolescents testing their boundaries. For their troubles, I plan to gently and patiently remind them that there are consequences to their actions. Ultimately, such antics are doomed to failure anyway.

You will always return to me... Ours is an intimate, timeless dance; not even Death can keep us apart for long.

But I digress. I welcome you to enjoy everything my lands have to offer and should you ever find yourself cold and weary, know that you are always welcome at Castle Ravenloft.

Eternally Yours,

Strahd


PS: That your mutt continues to breathe my air is another testament to my benevolence.

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