Ravenloft 03.0 - Lydia and Nabuo

The three people, laden with a closed coffin, hastened their way down the damp, empty streets of Covasna. Bronke noticed an unusual number of ravens perched on the rooftops, seeming to take an uncanny interest in their movements. However, they did nothing but watch, so the group made their way to the church: an ancient, decrepit building that was nonetheless still standing.
Inside, Simon led them to the central room. It was a large, vacuous space with many empty nooks that might have, at one time, contained statues or stained glass. An older man knelt in prayer by the barren altar at the head of the chapel, the only adornment in the room being a large carved symbol on the wall before him that matched those seen in the burgomaster's residence. Simon went to the man and spoke to him, followed closely by Alefina. As Bronke investigated the area, looking outside to watch the curious ravens, a scream suddenly pierced the air. It had come from beneath them in some sort of basement. Alefina and Bronke immediately became defensive, demanding explanation. The priest, a man by the name of Donovitch, explained that it was his son. He had been turned into a 'doll' by Lord Ardelian and sent back here to torment him; Donovitch had locked him securely in the basement, but he did not have the heart to destroy something with the face of his son. The two outsiders pressed for an explanation of the term 'doll', but all the two locals could explain was that they were the animate bodies of the victims of Ardelian, who spoke and moved like they were alive even though they obviously weren't. They didn't rot or age, but they hungered ceaselessly for blood: the screaming was because Donovitch refused to let the creature beneath them feed. The topic seemed to stress the priest deeply and he changed the subject back to the matter of the deceased burgomaster. The group brought the casket out a back door into the graveyard where a number of empty graves had already been prepared.
The graveyard was a large fenced area, filled with old tombstones and long grass. Beyond the iron grate that surrounded it, the long grasses of the fields beyond Covasna's walls grew thick. After Donovitch and Simon finished digging out the last few feet on the grave, the priest began to recite prayer: an incredibly long, meaningless affair that seemed to be a nonsensical mishmash of different languages and sentiments. It dragged on and on for at least two hours, leaving the two gnomes rather bored and on-edge. Bronke began to loosely circle the perimeter, on the watch.
Suddenly, sounds of movement disturbed the grass beyond the graveyard. Two figures walked out from the far fields: a young-looking woman and a foreign man, both dressed in an almost ludicrously lavish style. The woman spun a lace parasol about, her short dress a complicated, layered extravagance of fabrics and ribbons; the man had a prominent cravat about his neck that went with his ornate suit. The woman began to call to Simon, waving and trying to get his attention. He steeled himself visibly, ignoring her pointedly. When Bronke and Alefina prodded him as to what they should do, he only hissed out that these were two of Ardelian's dolls, and to not pay them any mind; Donovitch continued to pray. The woman would not be ignored and began to get increasingly upset and obnoxious in her calls. Eventually, Alefina answered her. The two had a relatively long conversation that became increasingly nonsensical as it progressed, wherein Alefina proclaimed herself to be a reporter and publisher of a local newspaper that wanted to do a piece on the woman's exploits. The woman, who called herself Lydia, proved herself something of an easily-distracted fool who engaged Alefina entirely, explaining enthusiastically that she and her escort were going to collect Aurel Iliescu for their master. The man, whom she introduced as Nabuo, was visibly upset at how Lydia was allowing herself to be distracted but never spoke, instead making hand gestures to communicate. Bronke empathized with his plight as he watched Alefina take newspaper orders and discuss delivery schedules in what he knew was an all-too-serious business plan. 
Eventually, Nabuo would be detained no longer. He whistled loudly, causing a number of wolves in the distance to howl. Lydia pouted that he had called the dogs, but with that she declared that they really must be going. She held up her parasol and began to fly, hovering over the graveyard as she approached them. She unleashed a spell at the casket that resulted in a thudding noise to begin to come out from it. Bronke and Alefina, not willing to fight the zombified remains of Simon's father, knocked the casket unceremoniously into the gravesite and lit it on fire with a bomb from Alefina. Simon drew a weapon and swiped at Lydia, who only giggled and petrified him with another spell. With that, her and Nabuo fled, heading towards the burgomaster's residence. Alefina and Bronke followed right behind.
As they tore down the street, Alefina distracted Lydia once more with a comment about the unsuitability of her outfit, causing the undead to stop and loudly evaluate exactly why it was perfect. Nabuo was not to be distracted and took the lead, reaching the house first. Bronke tried to shift his focus from the house, attacking and dodging to try and bait him away from the door. Nabuo instead turned himself into a bear and tried to break down the door, not managing to be quite successful. 
Alefina, about to join Bronke, was suddenly assailed by a screeching, flying Lydia, hitting her repeatedly over the head with her parasol. Alefina did her best to knock away the undead woman but was met with little success. Bronke continued to fight Nabuo, stabbing the bear brutally; Nabuo shifted back to his human-like appearance, but the wound that Bronke had made did not bleed. The undead grabbed Bronke and bit him brutally in the collarbone with teeth far sharper than any human. 
Suddenly, Simon appeared to join them. He drove back Lydia and told Alefina to 'wreck her dress'. Taking the direction with relish, she threw a vial of acid that melted the dress awfully. Lydia screeched and wailed, declaring that they couldn't possibly present to Ardelian like this. She immediately flew over to Nabuo and forcibly made him drop Bronke before dragging him away to much silent protest. 
There was no time to celebrate, however. Bronke healed himself slightly with a goodberry as Simon led them around the back of his house towards a cellar entrance. Wolves were in the streets of town now and would be upon them in moments. Taking them through a series of well-locked doors, Simon once more brought them into his house, safe for the moment.
Category:Ravenloft