Are you murdering hobos?
11th Moon, 735
"We respect all views here, no matter how wrong." -- Father Lucian PetrovichThe heroes made their way down Svalich Road which cut through the town of Vallaki as rain began to soak everyone. Not far from the gate they entered from, the heroes spotted a person walking towards them. But before the person reached them, he crossed the street and headed towards a colorfully painted wagon parked at a large stockyard. A sign at the stockyard's entrance read Arasek Stockyard. Luca was the first to greet the man who wore a fine brown leather coat, dark goggles, and walked with a wooden cane. He carried a wrapped square bundle he also used to cover his head from the rain. The man introduced himself as Rictavio. He said he arrived in Vallaki a month ago after traveling a lot. Although in a hurry, he invited the group to visit his wagon in the morning where he would be performing a puppet show to help liven up the lives of dreary Vallakian children who have been afraid for their lives lately. When asked about it, Rictavio said children have been disappearing from Vallaki, and he heard, from the village of Barovia as well. No one is certain who or what is behind the disappearances but the people of Vallaki are understandably fearful for their children. Even the planned Festival of the Blazing Sun hasn't been enough to calm the children's nerves. The heroes left Rictavio and continued towards the Blue Water Inn. On the way, they spotted a family of four headed west. They were later joined by a single man who was headed the same way. Along the way, the heroes spotted a bald man standing next to two guards wearing chain shirts. Both guards had spears and held wooden shields. The bald man wore a thick fur cloak that covered his muscular frame. What seemed strange was how he kept his right arm at his side, inside the cloak, the whole time. He only used his left arm as he pinned a citizen against a nearby door. "You best be at the festival in three days, or the Burgomaster will have your hide!" When the bald man spotted Ireena, he pushed the citizen away and made his way towards Ireena. He stood right in front of her. "You...you're...the girl I've been dreaming of since I was a boy." Creeped out by this, Luca put his paw on the bald man and began casting an identify spell. The bald man tried to push Luca's paw away and glared at him. "Take your paw off me. Do you know who I am? I'm Izek Strazni, the burgomaster's man-at-arms." The group placed their hands on weapons and considered readying spells. However, seeing as he was outnumbered Izek walked away. He looked back to Ireena with a look that made the young woman uncomfortable. "We will meet again." Continuing on, the group decided to pass up the Blue Water Inn and catch up to the citizens walking down the street, curious as to where they were heading. The citizens' destination soon became clear. The people led the heroes to a church which stood the western part of Vallaki, near the western gate. This slouching, centuries-old stone church had a bulging steeple in the back and walls lined with cracked, stained glass windows depicting. pious saints. A fence of wrought iron enclosed a garden of gravestones next to the church. A thin mist crept among the graves. A tall bearded saintly looking old man stood at the church's front steps greeting people as they entered the church. A young curly blonde boy who looked to be around 10 years old stood next to the old man. The boy held a lantern that helped ward off the cold darkness of the night. At this point, Ahroheim noticed that Edmont had left the group. No one was sure when Edmont left. Not surprised by Edmont's disappearance, Ahroheim, Luca, and Dundolyn offered to walk back to the inn. They all thought Edmont stopped back at the inn to find some rum that the roguish pirate was always thirsting for. Ziri and Skylar, along with Ismark and Ireena, said they would continue on to the church.
*****
Izek said he would deal with the two guards the next day. He and his guards then left and headed back to the burgomaster's mansion where he and the two guards with him apparently lived. Edmont tried to find a way in but found every entrance secured from the inside. Edmont decided to rejoin the others and headed back to the inn.
Edmont did not stop at the inn. Instead, he quietly left the group and stealthily followed Izek and his two guards.
Izek and his men stopped at the eastern gate the heroes entered from. Edmont hid nearby and listened as Izek asked the two gate guards, Dmitri and Krakov, about the heroes who Izek suspected had been allowed to enter after the gates were supposed to be locked. Clearly afraid of Izek, Dmitri and Krakov, admitted to letting the group inside.
*****
Meanwhile, Ahroheim, Luca and Dundolyn entered the Blue Water Inn.
Damp cloaks hung from pegs in the entrance portico. The tavern was packed with tables and chairs, with narrow paths meandering between them. A bar stretched along one wall, under a balcony that could be reached by a wooden staircase that hugged the north wall. Another balcony overhung an entrance to the east. All the windows were fitted with thick shutters and crossbars. Lanterns hanging above the bar and resting on the tables bathed the room in dull orange light and cast shadows upon the walls, most of which were adorned with wolf heads mounted on wooden plaques.
The three heroes looked around the taproom. Locals looked back in curiosity at the three strangers. Edmont was nowhere to be seen.
The three went to the bar and ordered drinks and meals. The woman behind the bar said the inn served two kinds of wine: Purple Grapemash #3 and Red Dragon Crush. The heroes could also have bowls of beet soup and a slice of bread to go with it. Also, the inn offered a plate of savory wolf steak with a large buttery potato.
Luca asked if she could order the beet soup to go.
The woman looked at the tabaxi strangely, beyond the strange look Luca was getting accustomed to seeing lately. "Sorry, but we don't have to-go containers available."
The woman, who introduced herself as Danika, said she and her husband Urwin along with their two sons Brom and Bray ran the town's only inn.
As she poured the ordered wine, Danika said the town's supply of wine was running low but for now, there were still some left. She expected the wine supply to dry up in another day. With the festival starting in three days, the town's folks were getting worried about running out of wine to drink.
As the three were about to leave and look for Edmont outside, a nobleman named Vasili von Holtz asked to speak with them. He offered to pay for their meals and drinks. Vasili von Holtz said he was concerned about the recent disappearances of several children from Vallaki. He said he doesn't know who or what is behind what was happening. He added that the town's folks would be grateful for the heroes' help. He even gave the three a platinum coin engraved with the profile of Strahd as a small token of his appreciation for allowing him to speak with them. The three said they would speak with the others first. Vasili understood and thanked them for their time before leaving.
As Vasili left, Edmont walked into the inn.
After Edmont joined the others, the innkeeper Urwin Martikov, greeted the three heroes.
"Are you murdering hobos?" Urwin asked the group. He said "murdering hobos" was a term he had heard other adventurers who had been to his inn call themselves. The group laughed. Urwin then asked them for help finding out what happened to the supply of wine that should have arrived from the Wizard of Wine Winery. He offered the heroes and their friends free lodging for the duration of their stay at Vallaki if they would travel to the winery to find out what happened to the shipment. The four said they would talk to the other members of their party before agreeing. Urwin nodded and went back to the kitchen.
Back at the church, Father Lucian Petrovich had finished his evening service. He then took Skylar and Ziri aside to speak to them, but not before a sad old woman stopped to talk to Father Petrovich on her way out. Angrily she scolded Father Petrovich. She said her son, the shoemaker Udo Lukovich, had been imprisoned for speaking out against the burgomaster. She's been coming to evening services to pray that her son will be set free. But she said her prayers were not being answered by the Morninglord.
She asked Father Petrovich if he was going to look into the matter. She pointed to Ziri and Skylar before leaving. "If not you Father Petrovich, then maybe these two murdering hobos could do it for you!"
"I will look into the matter, Willemina." Father Petrovich said bidding Willemina a good night as the old woman stepped out into the rainy night.
Father Petrovich let out an audible sigh. He looked at Skylar. "Are you a paladin or a cleric?"
The dragonborn said he was a cleric. "I worship Bahamut. He is the one true god."
Father Petrovich politely smiled and nodded at Skylar. "It's fine, son. We respect all views here, no matter how wrong."
Ismark and Ireena asked the priest if they could both stay at the church. Ismark quickly told the priest about the dangers Ireena faced from Strahd. They both offered to work at the church in return for sanctuary. Father Petrovich welcomed Ismark and Ireena and asked Yeska to take them to the spare chamber.
Ireena and Ismark thanked Ziri and Skylar and asked the two to thank the others as well.
Father Petrovich watched as Ismark and Ireena left.
He then told Ziri and Skylar he wasn't sure just how safe the church was at the moment. He said someone had recently stolen the church's most valuable possession, The bones of St. Andral. St. Andral was a cleric who founded the church centuries ago. His bones were interred at the church. But someone had stolen them! The priest said he spoke to the altar boy, Yeska, who seemed to know who may have taken the bones, but Yeska was too scared to tell the priest. Father Petrovich confided that he didn't have the heart to scold the boy but he needed to know who stole the church's artifact.
Father Petrovich added the bones of St. Andral had magical properties that protected the church from evil forces. Without the bones, he feared that the church was vulnerable and could not protect anyone inside it from whatever evil force may choose to attack the church.
Ziri and Skylar said they would speak with the others in their group about helping find the bones of St. Andral.
Father Petrovich bid the two good night. He secured the church doors as the two heroes made their way to the Blue Water Inn, hoping to find the others there.Session played on February 21, 2020
Plot type
Chapter
Parent Plot
Comments