OOS 83

Korrinoth 9, a planning session at Rau Deikum’s house before Strahd arrives. It occurred between sessions 37 and 38. 
== Transcript == 
Teer: 
"Sooooooooo... how are we going to go about this?" 
Lei: 
“killing strahd?” 
Teer: 
"Alright, that sounds like a good Step 8. How do we get there?" 
"Or you mean - yes, sorry, I'm talking about killing Strahd." 
Lei: 
“well....a lot changes with all of you involved.” 
“i think honestly it gets a lot easier.” 
Teer: 
"I don't know about that, but at the very least, you will have backup." 
Lei: 
“well—“ 
“i have an idea, but—“ 
Teer: 
"Alright." Teer folds his hands neatly. "Let's hear it." 
Lei: 
“um....well.....it might sound a little crazy but i think we should face strahd directly.” 
Teer: 
"..." 
"What's your reasoning?" 
Lei: 
“i think.....based on the information we have, we have two advantages: access into strahd’s home, and knowledge of his abilities and weaknesses.” 
Plosi: 
Plosi lifts his ears. 
Lei: 
“he’s.....a super strong ancient evil vampire, sure, but we have the goddess of time. an ancient warforged who’s teamed up with the dragon god of destruction. a very experienced squire. someone who’s trained her entire life to summon the devoured. someone who could sneak up right next to you and you’d never know. 
Teer: 
"The fact that we are travelling into Strahd's home isn't necessarily an advantage for us. He is the most powerful being in this land. He'll have resources, most likely guards, servants who are under his control, and he'll understand the environment better than we do." 
Teer looks down. "We fought Varren, and only Varren, on his own at the ritual site, and very nearly could have lost people, were it not for Kitano's intervention." 
Plosi: 
“Auguste offered me a knighthood.” 
Teer: 
Teer looks at Plosi. "Wh - That's... I mean that's good, isn't it? Are you planning to take them up on that offer?" There is a lot of confusion in his voice. 
Plosi: 
“Oh— No, I’m not, it’s just— I mean, that’s what we have going for us. I could be a knight. You put a squire between two gods, they sound a bit out of their league.” 
Teer: 
"Ah. Well, if it makes you feel any better, Akaros is currently out of commission. So really we've got an unofficial knight and a very old warforged." 
Ephemera: 
"And a halberd," Ephemera offers unhelpfully. 
Lei: 
"wait akaros is what?" 
Teer: 
"He's still here." Teer opens and closes his fingers. "And I can still access his magic. But ever since we entered this plane, he hasn't responded to anything we say." 
Lei: 
"o-oh, well that's...." closes her eyes and sighs, then opens them again 
Teer: 
"Otherwise we would've just used his true sight to figure out who you were," he adds quietly. 
Lei: 
"ah. right." 
"um.......” takes a moment to recover her thoughts 
"you guys have fought a dragon. are working on taking out an entire asteroid. have met the council of the gods. have saved countless people." 
"we know what strahd's weaknesses are." 
Ephemera: 
"We also know that he is powerful enough that nobody here has been able to beat him. Finding and destroying his heart is the only good option." 
Lei: 
"i think we have a better chance if we come up with a plan to somehow track him, catch him my surprise, face him directly, get him to turn into mist, and then use his recovery time to deal with the heart." 
"he has eyes all over the castle. we're not going to be able to sneak for long. we're better off catching him by surprise if we can." 
Ephemera: 
"Fighting him face-to-face is objectively the worst plan." 
Lei: 
"then how do we manage to completely avoid confronting him?" 
Teer: 
"Distraction. He's most likely going to be very focused on the return of his long lost daughter." 
Lei: 
"all it takes is one mistake to ruin that." 
Ephemera: 
"You distract him while the rest of us hunt for the heart." 
Lei: 
"one servant sees you and reports to him." 
"just one." 
Teer: 
Teer shakes his head. "Let me put it this way, Lei. Even if we defeat Strahd, the chances of us doing that without alerting the full force of his guard, are incredibly low. The eyes he has around the castle don't just disappear if we put him down, they'll only become aggressive." 
"Which will make finding the heart a challenge without making our way through an angry mob." 
Lei: 
"so there will likely be an angry mob regardless." 
"maybe i should just go alone then after all." 
Teer: 
"The plan isn't just to sneak, I would like to try to blend in." 
Lei: 
"one body is a lot easier to manage than eight." 
Ephemera: 
"Teer can do the searching while you distract Strahd. Then once we know what's what, the rest of us move in." 
Teer: 
"Look at me, I was built to be a servant. I have over 50 years of obedience and subtly misdirecting orders experience. I could make my way through and explore the place without alerting anyone, theoretically. As for how we're going to get everyone else in..." 
Ephemera: 
"The rest of us will remain in town and try to lie low in the meantime." 
Lei: 
"and if strahd doesn't buy into the anna persona?" 
Ephemera: 
Raises eyebrow. 
"If he doesn't buy it, then we aren't leaving Rau's home." 
Lei: 
"let me get this straight. you want to let teer wander around a vampire's estate. completely and utterly alone." 
Teer: 
"I'll have a sending stone." 
Lei: 
"i'm not going to let that happen." 
Teer: 
Teer looks at Lei and folds his arms. 
Lei: 
"you can't--it's too risky. what if you're caught? what then?" 
"i'd never...be able to forgive myself." quietly 
Teer: 
"What are they gonna do? Stab me? I'm made of rocks." 
"They would most likely just bring me straight back to you and Strahd." 
Plosi: 
“Teer, you spent half of our last fight unconscious.” 
Teer: 
"That doesn't count. I took part of an explosion first." 
Ephemera: 
"I would like to point out that the two things Renn has suggested are for only herself to go into the castle despite not knowing about the plan while in a form she can freely move about in.... and fight the very powerful, ancient vampire in his own house and hope for the best." 
Lei: 
"who is it who is always telling me not to wander off alone?" looking straight at teer's mask 
Ephemera: 
"It's not wandering off if we know where he is and sent him on purpose." 
Lei: 
"yes, i suggested perhaps we fight the very powerful, ancient vampire in his own house." 
Teer: 
"This isn't - This is strategic aloneness." 
Ephemera: 
"We are not purposely engaging Strahd, and we are not sending you in alone, Renn." 
Lei: 
"but it's not a matter of 'hoping for the best' as you put it." 
"rau informed us quite a bit about strahd. he's incredibly powerful, but there are eight of us. if we could surround him and keep him from regenerating or getting out of weapon range, i honestly think we stand a chance." 
"we don't have much information about the layout of the estate. but we do have information about how to face him." 
Ephemera: 
"The information was to find the heart so we can kill him indefinitely. If we do manage to fight him, he'll come back in two hours. We have a whole house of enemies to search in that time." 
Teer: 
"I'm not saying that we shouldn't be prepared to face him. But banking on us getting Strahd alone, in a position where he can't simply call for reinforcements or use his magic to get to another part of the castle, is incredibly risky at best." 
Lei: 
"we wouldn't have to worry about if he finds us. we would control the when we find him." 
"an ancient vampire who is used to knowing everything that is going on all around him? i imagine he's unused to being caught off guard." 
Ephemera: 
"There's probably a reason for that." 
Lei: 
"exactly. if we try to distract and sneak around, we're going to inevitably get caught and lose the element of surprise." 
Teer: 
"It's also bold to assume we're going to be able to sneak up on the Count with a team of eight. Which brings me to a related suggestion I have." 
Lei: 
"oh?" lei's interest is piqued 
Teer: 
"We don't have an inter-dimensional bedroom anymore. But we do still have the mirrors, which we've used to hide in before," he gestures towards Lei. "It would need some thinking through, but maybe we could cut a deal with one of the merchants. Get everyone into one mirror, transport them into the castle, and then bring them out once already inside and in position." 
Lei: 
"teer, that's genius." lei's eyes widen 
"but that is a lot of trades to make. i wonder if the mirror merchants would, um...." 
Ephemera: 
"Ask them now," Ephemera suggests because the DM told me it's cool to bring him in atm. 
Teer: 
"What, right now?" 
Ephemera: 
"We don't exactly have time to do so later." 
"If the plan is going to be considered, we need to know if it's viable." 
Lei: 
"ha, if we are going to use the mirrors anyway, i wonder how much they would charge to find out the location of strahd's heart." 
Teer: 
"Fair enough. Just let me make sure I have an idea of what to trade, so I can get back here in a timely fashion." 
Lei: 
"let me come with you?" 
Teer: 
"Hm. Interesting idea. I was going to go to Noh for this, but Bunraku may be able to provide some insights." 
Lei: 
nods 
Teer: 
He looks at Lei for a bit. "Is there a particular reason you want to come?" 
Lei: 
"yes." voice is resolute 
Ephemera: 
"And what is that?" 
Lei: 
she signs something quickly and mutters, "i don't want to cause teer to give up anything else he doesn't have to." 
"please let me do this." 
Ephemera: 
"Then I'll go." 
"You lot stay here. I'll see Bunraku and ask for his help." 
Lei: 
"please." 
Ephemera: 
"? Please?" 
Teer: 
"Wait, I thought you couldn't access the mirrors, Ephemera? Or was that just because you weren't in a body at the time?" 
Ephemera: 
"I've never tried," she shrugs. 
Lei: 
"let me come with you." lei insists 
Ephemera: 
"No." 
Teer: 
"You're still grounded," Teer says to Lei. 
Lei: 
"i dragged you into this, and i want to make myself at least somewhat useful." 
Teer: 
He hands Ephy the mirror. 
Ephemera: 
Ephemera looks into the mirror. 
Teer: 
"Will Kiono be alright if she ends up there and not you?" 
Ephemera: 
"She's competent. She's frankly probably better equipped than I am." 
Lei: 
ouch. right. 
lei clams up. 
Gloom: 
[And so you learn the mirrors also do not function in Barovia] 
Ephemera: 
"Well, alrighty then." 
Teer: 
"So. Back to the schematics board." 
Ephemera: 
"So we're back to Teer being a servant. He would have access to places Anna wouldn't and should go relatively unnoticed unless we get found out before arriving." 
Teer: 
"Right. Though it seems getting everyone else into the castle is going to be a bit more complicated." 
Ephemera: 
"That is the problem no matter what, I suppose. We could potentially turn a few people invisible, but only a couple." 
Plosi: 
“How many people can you fit in your chest?” 
Teer: 
"Just you, really, and that's if I abandon most of my equipment." 
"Alright then, I have another idea to spitsphere." 
"Four of us have rings of non-detection, provided they still work. Concludion, and the three sentinels, do not. But between Concludion and the Scout, a group comprised mostly of elven constructs could function with decent stealth." 
"We could split up into two teams, neither with the intention of getting caught, but if one does, they would function as a secondary distraction while the other continues to look for the heart." 
Ephemera: 
"Are we looking for the heart at that point or moving in to destroy it?" 
"I would feel far more comfortable with fewer people moving around, even if it takes us longer." 
Teer: 
"Hm. Fair point." 
"I don't know. It's possible that moving around myself, I could come to locate the heart. The issue is we don't know what the heart is, or what we'll need." 
"If I could destroy it myself, everyone else wouldn't even need to make it inside." 
Ephemera: 
"....what if Kiono went with you invisibly? She might have better luck at figuring out what to do if you found it." 
Teer: 
"That... might not be a bad plan. I am not well versed in arcana." 
Ephemera: 
"She's been studying it her whole. She'll be our best bet." 
Gloom: 
Concludion jumps in, "I'm not thrilled with this plan." He stands in front of Teer and studies the robot. He sighs, "but as long as she agrees to it, I trust you to look after her." 
Ephemera: 
"I'll... I'll be there too, Concludion. She'll be okay." 
Concludion: 
"That's true," he says. "Thanks, Ephy." 
Teer: 
"I'm not entirely thrilled with it either, but I think it's the best we've got so far. And with Kiono, that will be sneaking three of us in disguised as one." 
Teer looks to her. "I'm assuming Ephemera would have said something if you weren't, but are you board, Kiono?" 
Kiono: 
A moment later, after they switch, Kiono nods. 
Teer: 
"Alright. What about everyone else?" Teer surveys the group. 
"Lei will be distracting Strahd, most likely. That still leaves Concludion, Plosi, and the three warforged." 
Kiono: 
"There will be no getting them into the city without Strahd knowing. Perhaps they can arrive a day later and find an inn." 
"Leaving one of the sending stones with them. I'll look for the heart while you look for an entrance for them? Deliveries or something perhaps." 
Teer: 
"I don't know how I feel about splitting up once we're in there." Heavy pause. "Warforged salesman routine?" 
"No, probably not a good idea." 
Kiono: 
Kiono shakes her head. "I'll need to split off from you anyway if I'm to search in secret. Not far, but you will have duties to perform." 
"You won't even know I'm gone," she says with a hint of humor. 
Teer: 
"Terrifying." 
Kiono: 
Oh. 
Lei: 
"i'm not going to be able to distract strahd." 
"i'm sorry, you should come up with something that doesn't involve that." 
Kiono: 
"......what do you mean? What was the purpose of you doing any of this, then?" 
Teer: 
"Wait, why not?" 
Lei: 
shakes her head "it's not going to work. don't count on that working. i'm sorry. come up with something else." 
Kiono: 
"That's not an answer." She frowns. 
Teer: 
"Lei... what's wrong?" 
Lei: 
"strahd has been around for a long time. anna's story is not strong. he's going to see through it." 
"i was fine with that before, but i'm not anymore." 
"not if it risks all of you getting hurt." 
"do something else." 
Kiono: 
"What the actual heck, Renn." 
"If you can find us a way into the house without the use of Anna, then fine, but we literally trapped here until he is dead for good, and Anna is the only constant we have and you will just have to do your best or we will die." 
Lei: 
"you're not trapped here. rau informed us of a way out, remember?" 
Kiono: 
"So you would rather travel through one of Acererak's tombs than continue with the plan you've been working on for weeks?" 
Lei: 
"my best isn't going to be good enough." 
Kiono: 
She is absolutely close to some sort of crying at this point. 
"Then let's go to the tomb. Hopefully your best helps us survive that." 
Lei: 
"i'm not leaving." 
"i'm sorry." 
"i'm really sorry." 
Kiono: 
"...........I give up." 
She ollie's back to Ephemera. 
Teer: 
Teer has been watching the exchange mostly in silence. Finally, he looks at Lei. "Could I speak to you in private, for a moment?" 
Lei: 
in a diminished tone "okay." 
Teer: 
We're probably in like, Deikum's house, but who knows. Maybe they go to another room. Maybe they go hide behind a tree. 
Lei: 
"i'm really sorry, teer. i was stupid to even ask for your help." 
Teer: 
"No, you weren't. This is too big a task to handle - for any one person to handle on their own." 
"I can understand fearing for your allies sake, but why the sudden change of mind?" 
Lei: 
"i wasn't--when it was just me, failure didn't seem as.....as big of a deal. i kind of--well, i was okay with it." 
"i've been trying to fool myself into thinking i can do this, but now that all of you are here, i--i don't....i'm not....." im not capable. 
"i don't know what i was thinking. i'm really sorry." 
Teer: 
Teer is quiet for a bit. He rolls his head back and forth. Neck? Neck roots? 
Lei: 
she's looking directly at teer. there are tears welling up that betray her controlled composure. 
Teer: 
"What is the issue, exactly? The added pressure of the party being in danger? It doesn't seem that you don't want us to go through with the plan, it sounds more like you doubt your abilities." 
"But Anna's story is about as good a cover as we can hope for. Its strong enough that even you believe it, when you're her, to the point you didn't recognize us." 
Lei: 
"he's...he's going to see through it because i'll screw it up, and all of you are going to get hurt because of--because of me. it's going to be all my fault." tears rolling down her cheeks 
lip starting to waver. she's struggling to keep her composure. 
"i just.....think of those people who are stuck here without their freedom, without even knowing what they're missing out on, and i--" 
"rau gave me....a purpose. there was something that someone else thought maybe i could actually do. or at least try to do. to get those people out of that--out of that situation. but...." 
"i can't." 
"i'm--i'm sorry, teer. i'm being....difficult. i'm sorry. you don't deserve this." 
Teer: 
"I..." Teer seems strangely calm, but at a loss for a moment. "I really don't see why you can't, though." 
but your entire outward self. You know what it is to have to put on a performance in order to please... a voice of authority." 
"Barring that, let's say you do get caught - you keep him talking. Ask him questions. Provide chaos." 
Lei: 
laughs through her tears “if i were any good at pleasing authority, my m—adrienne wouldn’t have kicked me out.” 
“but causing problems and chaos is something i can do.” 
Lei: 
Teer puts a hand on Renn's shoulder and says something to Akaros that he definitely can't hear. 
"It'll be alright. No one's going into this thinking that this plan is going to go off perfectly. We blew up a leyline." 
"And if you decide you'd rather leave Barovia, and come back to fix things here later, that is an option. We can all try to brave Acererak's route. But leaving you here behind isn't. Understand?" 
Lei: 
there is a long silence as she takes all of this in and regains her composure 
“i...understand. i made...a promise to you, and that—wouldn’t be fair.” 
studies teer’s mask “why do you want to help with this?” 
Teer: 
"What do you mean?" 
Lei: 
“i know why i want to stop strahd. why do you?” 
Teer: 
"We involve ourselves in things like this all the time, because it's the right thing to do. And because this is something that you've decided is important." 
Lei: 
bites her lip 
“i’m scared.” 
“i’m scared that i could lose you guys.” 
Teer: 
"..." 
"Oh no, I only wonder what that must feel like." 
"To not feel like you have any control of the safety of your party members." 
Lei: 
[tone?] 
Teer: 
[Slightly deadpan.] 
Lei: 
stares at teer for a beat 
then laughs softly 
Teer: 
"And that despite your best actions they might disappear or be hurt -" 
Lei: 
“...touche.” 
“i’m sorry.” 
Teer: 
"The point is, I have also been scared. There's little I wouldn't give right now for us to all just be able to leave. But we are in danger wherever we go. Danger is the reason we're all together." 
"If you could minimize that danger to yourself, I would appreciate it." 
"But if this is something you've decided you need to do, I'll stand behind you." 
Lei: 
looks down at the ground “thanks, teer. i already promised you i would try to, um, let you know when i feel inclined to...” 
“i’m sorry. i appreciate it. i really will try.” 
Teer: 
Teer nods. 
He's quiet for a moment. 
Lei: 
“i think, in the other room, i was...um....starting to fall into that.” 
“thank you for, um, pulling me aside. i’m sorry.” 
Teer: 
Teer slowly eases a hug around her. "It's alright." 
Lei: 
squeezes him tight 
Teer: 
"Just... please, talk to me if... you do feel that way." 
Beat. "Or Akaros." 
Lei: 
nods “i promi—“ 
“or—?” 
Teer: 
"I'm not sure that I should recommend him too highly, but he did prevent me from doing too much harm to myself that day on Cecily's balcony." 
Teer: 
"And you seem to enjoy talking to him." 
Lei: 
“o-oh. yes.” 
giggles “going to the dragon god of destruction to keep myself from self-destructing.” 
“well, you two are always a pair, so i guess he’s stuck listening regardless.” 
“unless he tunes it out of course.” giggles again 
Teer: 
"Hm. Not right now though. ...Probably." 
Lei: 
smile falls “right....do you think it could have something to do with barovia?” 
“the mirrors didn’t work, so maybe it affects him somehow too?” 
“but you still have magic, so he must be okay....right?” 
Teer: 
"It may be something like that. Or it could be similar to how he isn't able to manifest within the mirror merchant's realm. My hope is that when we leave, it'll be like nothing happened." 
Lei: 
“i hope so.” 
“when we leave.” repeating what teer said “you think i can, um...” 
“be honest. do you think......i can pull it off? the distraction with anna, i mean?” 
Teer: 
"You fooled all of us." 
Teer: 
He doesn't mention that Ephemera definitely knew who she was. 
Lei: 
“and if it doesn’t work, i suppose i can always rely on my ability to cause problems.” light smile 
Teer: 
"I'm sure you can keep him talking for a little while, at least." 
Teer straightens up a bit. "Are you ready to head back?" 
Lei: 
“almost, i don’t want to keep everyone waiting too much longer, but um—“ 
hugs teer again, her face buried into him “i love you. thank you. i’m sorry again.” 
Teer: 
"Ah-" 
"..." 
"I love you too," he says quietly. 
Lei: 
you can just feel the embarrassment oozing out of her 
she stays like that for a looooong moment 
Teer: 
Teer's returns the hug, and doesn't pull away until Lei does. 
Lei: 
when she finally pulls away, her face and the tip of her visible ear are red 
“i, um, missed you guys a lot,” she says looking at the ground. 
“i thought i’d never see you again.” 
“i want to make it up to you.” 
Teer: 
"I was worried I wouldn't either... You can make it up to me by not doing that again." 
Lei: 
nods 
“well...i’ve—i’ve kept everyone waiting long enough i think.” 
Teer: 
"Right. We should return to the others before they get worried." 
Lei: 
nods again 
heads on back-a-roo! 
upon seeing everyone i presume waiting 
“um....sorry about that. thanks for waiting.” 
“i’m—i’m going to continue with the plan of distracting strahd with anna. i’m sorry for, um...” 
Plosi: 
“Hey, welcome back. You guys okay?” 
Lei: 
nods 
“thanks. i just, um, got a little freaked out for a minute and needed to, um....calm down.” 
Plosi: 
“Smart.” 
“I mean, stepping away like that. Not a bad idea.” 
Ephemera: 
Ephemera nods in approval. 
"So then... Anna is Anna, hopefully keeping Strahd distracted by his excitement. Teer goes in as her personal servant and uses that to access the house and looks for a way to get everyone else in. Kiono follows invisible and searches for the heart and potentially the means of destroying it. Everyone else is... waiting in a nearby inn for instructions to get in and not dying?" 
Lei: 
“so teer has a stone and....plosi has the other?” 
Ephemera: 
"That would make sense." 
Teer: 
"I don't think we should bring the stealth team in too early. It would be best if Kiono or I were able to find some sort of way into the castle, and we communicate it to the group so they can get in when they need to." 
"After all, there's no telling what might happen while we look for the heart, or what we'll need to do once we find it." 
Ephemera: 
Ephemera nods. 
Lei: 
“i dont know how much i can....control anna to work towards this plan, but i can try to find a way to get her to persuade strahd to stay in a specific area, like the first floor. for a little while at least. maybe.” 
Teer: 
"We suspect the heart of either being high up or down low, so keeping him on the middle levels would be ideal." 
Ephemera: 
"Honestly I'm not concerned with anything beyond Anna being Anna to him. She just has to know Teer is her warforged servant who sometimes gets lost or something." 
Lei: 
“i also think i can, um, hopefully prevent teer and i from getting charmed by strahd. i practiced doing concentration spells and then switching to anna, and it’s worked so far.” 
Plosi: 
“I’m proud of you!” 
Lei: 
“ah, um....thanks.” 
“i think it wont last long, but long enough to get us through introductions.” 
Plosi: 
“Still, that doesn’t sound easy.” 
Ephemera: 
"We wouldn't base our plan on this if we thought it wouldn't work. You'll do fine." 
Lei: 
eyes flash surprise for just the briefest moment, easy to miss 
“oh, um...thanks.” 
“is kiono—“ 
“um. i do think we should still talk about what to do if we do end up facing strahd though.” 
Ephemera: 
"If everyone is there, then we fight and hope for the best. If we are caught before finding the heart, then we should probably flee." 
"Unless the circumstances dictate another plan is optimal." 
Lei: 
“what if we bought time with plosi’s little house thingie?” 
Ephemera: 
"The spell with a ten minute casting time?" 
Lei: 
“hmm.....” 
Ephemera: 
"When and how?" 
Lei: 
“would there be any benefit in trying to take away strahd’s ability to regenerate?” 
“do we have any way to even do that, i wonder?” 
Ephemera: 
"In a fight, yes. Outside of combat he isn't regenerating. Radiant damage stops it." 
Lei: 
“can anyone do radiant damage?” 
Ephemera: 
"I can, Teer's sword does." 
"My radiant damage isn't... really something we should rely on though." 
Lei: 
“oh. teer doesn’t currently, um, have his sword though.” 
“rau also mentioned holy water, but fat chance we’d be able to acquire something like that in barovia of all places.” 
Plosi: 
“I can! I think? Yes.” 
Lei: 
“oh! well that’s good then. if we did run into him and didn’t have escape options, at least we have you to stop his regeneration, plosi.” 
“it seems like if we did encounter him, we likely wouldn’t have a good chance to escape if he wanted to fight us. he can really move around.” 
“what with the bat form and the mist form and the ability to climb walls and such. and who knows what kinds of spells he has.”
Category:OOS