Session 21

— 6th of Octyavr, 735

Entry 21. After convincing the other druids to leave the winery, she made sure the place was cleared before returning to the were-ravens to share the good news. The were-ravens kept their part of the deal as well and offered them a barell of their wine to present to the burgomaster of Krezsk so they would be granted passage. Valyra also surrendered the 'seed' she had taken from the druids after the old man explained to her what those crystals do. With that, she took off with Ismark, the body of Ambrose and a barell of wine to Krezsk where after the guards inspected the wine, granted the access to the city. They left the cart behind and quickly ushered to the Abbey, at the gates of which they were met with a pair of sleeping therianthropic men. After they mentioned that they needed help from the Abbot the two men guided them to the courtyard of the Abbey where they would wait until they fetched the Abbot. The weird screaming creature with bat wings tied to a wall on the opposite side of the well definitely made them uneasy and the calming music they heard from inside was more than inviting. In the great hall was a handsome young man who later made his acquaintence as the Abbot giving dance lessons to a beautiful woman or so Valyra thought until a closer inspection of the woman made her gasp in shock. After he ended his dance with the graceful flesh golem Vasilika, he inquired of the couple's motives for coming to the Abbey. Valyra explained her situation about her dead friend and he promised her to try to help but in exchange he wanted her to bring him a bridal gown for Vasilika. Valyra asked if there was any place to stay for the night and he guided both of them to a guest room somewhere between dozens of locked doors containing creatures whispering curses and foul screams.

In the middle of the night something rustled Valyra from her sleep, if it wasn't the noise of scraping claws against the walls it was her door being opened and a hooded form creeping in. She shouted at the form to stop and to reveal itself but instead a male voice replied apologetically and left the room. Valyra chased after him up to another hallway and in the light of the torches Brando recognized Valyra and revealed himself. Shocked that he would find her in a place like this after so many years he began bombarding her with questions while Valyra was getting increasingly more concerned of his ignorance to his situation. He decided not to steal from an angel and to head to her room together to avoid the monstrosity patrolling the corridors. Ismark immediately rose to attack the stranger but after Brandon's annoying remarks and Valyra's reassurance he put away his sword. After explanations took place the group decided to leave the Abbey and head to Vallaki to procure a gown.

Valyra took charge and ordered a custom made bridal gown and a dress for her as well, although the seamstress needed a few materials before she could start working. Valyra went on to ask her friend with sticky hands to steal those things for her and so he attempted to do, sneaking in through the opening of a door someone else had opened. Unable to find the materials necessary he decided to steal some vellum paper that someone had just bought from his hands. The man gave chase and Brando ran with the materials back to Valyra who snatched them from his invisible hands and gave them back to the mister. Before she would let him go though she had noticed something peculiar as she handed him the pages back and made a remark of his disguise, a spell she was very familiar with. He dropped his disguise and retorted ironically. That's when Brando recognized him as the Wild Mage that he had heard about and seen once before. The group asked him to join them in their mission as their goals aligned, that to defeat Strahd and he agreed.

They headed for the Blue Water Inn where they noticed another patron with elven features. After Brandon treated them to a round of drinks and rooms Valyra attempted to charm the elven fellow but upon failing the man asked them why would they do such a thing. Emeric quickly tried to cover the situation explaining that Valyra had fancied him but was too shy to approach him. He treated her to a drink to try and smooth the situation. They had an interesting conversation and after it was over the group reconvened and ushered Brandon to keep an eye on this Rictavio. The morning after sleeping at the inn an old woman approached Valyra as she was descending the stairs and stated her full name before giving her a letter. The letter was an invitation to dinner at castle Ravenloft from Strahd himself, promising them safe arrival and departure. The group waited for Brandon to return with news from stalking Rictavio and then immediately took off to travel to Castle Ravenloft.

It's dinner with the devil, but what is on the menu?

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