Act 2, Scene 4: Arabelle

In retrospect, they probably shouldn't have ignored the child's scream. Then again, if they *hadn't* ignored the child's scream, they likely never would have found Chuckles or gotten to know Arrigal so well! All's well that ends with a successful resurrection.

Sylvain woke early and got an update on the evening from Ayduin, hearing about "a scream" but not getting much more detail than that. While Ri-An, surrounded by scrap metal, worked on something as they rested, Sylvain and Ayduin mended some of Sylvain's battered clothing.

Finally, Ri-An came out of low power mode and revealed their latest creation: a new, pointier Grghshnq. Definitely looked exactly like a dog. That is, for sure, what dogs look like, and if it wasn't before, it is now! After the appropriate introductions and instructions not the murder were through, Ispati approached the three of them, announcing that it was time he went back to Vallaki to help put the town back together. Asking Sylvain to accompany him to get his horse, Ispati took the opportunity once they were farther away from prying eyes and ears to give Sylvain some advice: don't come back to Vallaki until you get the all-clear from Danica and Urwin. With the Wachters and Vallakoviches gone, there was a power vacuum, and it was impossible to guess what they'd be coming back to until the dust had settled. He advised that Sylvain and the rest of the party continue on to the winery as they'd originally planned, as Urwin's father had ways of getting word to him and Danica, and vice versa, though the relationship was strained. The other possible western destination he mentioned was Krezk, a commune with an abbot who's rumoured to be capable of raising the dead. He also mentioned the haunted mansion (don't go) and the tower (trapped), and reiterated advice they'd heard several times before: stay the fuck out of the woods, and avoid the people who live in them. Sylvain gave him a letter for the Martikovs, the charm he'd taken off the cultist, and his best wishes; Ispati gave him a plea to never ask Ispati to look after his belongings again, and a final piece of advice: keep an eye out for ravens.

While everyone except Sylvain noticed the colour of Osrin's eyes seemed to be changing, Sylvain read more of van Richten's book. The party agreed to make inquiries with the dusk elves about some work, with the intention of pressing on to the winery soon, but paused to speak with Manda and Atanasie again. Ayduin made inquiries about berries, and Sylvain gave Atanasie encouragement that he did not need to try more experiments with alcohol. As they were talking, a commotion began in the camp behind them, with the cause soon coming to light: Arabelle had gone missing. No one had seen her since the previous night.

With Bodaway leading them in the direction he thought the scream the night before had come from, it didn't take long for Ayduin to pick up the trail (because of course it didn't), and they followed the signs of struggle through the woods, all the way to the river. With the river running north, they came to the conclusion that if indeed the person abducted had been Arabelle, she had likely been taken to a boat, which had likely gone with the river's flow towards Lake Zarovich, just north of Vallaki. So they began journeying north, hoping they'd chosen the right direction, and that their decision to ignore a cry for help the night before wouldn't prove a fatal one.

Along the way, they found themselves ambushed by a group of strange plant creatures, seemingly made of wood, which shot needles from their bodies. Though a few of them sustained wounds, it didn't take long for them to destroy all of those strange creatures, and carry on.

Finally reaching the lake, their fears and hopes were confirmed in one: a man sat on a boat 400 feet out, head bowed in prayer, with something wriggling in a burlap sack beside him. They debated what to do, but the man made the decision for them when he lifted the sack up and threw it into the lake, prompting several of them (and Grhgshnq) to rush into the water and start swimming furiously towards it. Thankfully, they reached Arabelle in time before she'd sank too far down, and were quickly able to free her from the sack, knock out the man, and take the boat for themselves.

Arabelle, a precocious child, recovered quickly, and immediately began soliciting food from the group, and sassing Ayduin for his weird healthy elf food. When asked what had happened, she calmly informed the group that the man had thought he could sacrifice her to the lake to improve his luck. The group asked if this sort of belief was... usual in Barovia, and she replied that while this in *particular* wasn't common, plenty of Barovians had funny ideas about the Vistani. When Bodaway asked for clarification, Arabelle hesitated, then elaborated: the Vistani had protection in Barovia, because long ago, they had given Strahd aid and saved his life when he was wounded as a mortal man. He had sworn they would always be safe in his lands, and he had kept that promise throughout the centuries. As the only ones protected from Strahd and his minions — the only ones able to travel freely on Barovia's roads, without fear of assault — they had earned plenty of hostility from the rest of Barovia over the years.

She then asked if they intended to kill her captor, and stated that she had no problem with it, as she'd seen plenty of people die before. There really wasn't any point in bringing him back, she continued, as all her father or Arrigal would do was kill him anyway. Still, the party thought it best to leave the choice up to them, and so they tied the man up and began carrying him back to the Vallaki Vistani camp.

The conversation about the Vistani and Strahd continued, with Bodaway asking if the Vistani would ever do anything to stop Strahd. Arabelle pointed out that for one Vistana to do so would mean their willingly endangering all Vistani in Barovia, as if Strahd revoked his protection, no town would welcome them. After all, Barovia had seen many stand against Strahd and fail utterly; why would any Vistana risk all their loved ones on such a slim hope?

Sylvain asked Arabelle about those who *had* succeeded in killing Strahd, if only temporarily. She seemed extremely reluctant to talk about such things, letting the subject drop for some time as they walked back through the woods, but when Sylvain pressed the subject, she offered what little she could: if Strahd was truly just a vampire, he would have stayed dead when that group of adventurers killed him and the mists cleared. Something brought him, and Barovia's curse, back. If someone wanted to kill him for good, they'd have to find out what had brought him back, and make sure it didn't do so again.

As the party contended with this particular revelation, they found themselves face to face with none other than Arrigal and a dusk elf. Arrigal was overcome with relief at seeing Arabelle (relatively) unharmed, and Arabelle proceeded to ramble about her exciting adventure and her newfound love for Grghshnq. While the dusk elf — Ruslan, Ayduin would later learn — led Arabelle off a bit, Arrigal questioned the man and, finding his answers uninspiring, drove a knife into his skull, saying they could leave the body for the wolves.

As they returned to the camp, they found a very grateful Luvash, who offered them their choice of anything in the treasure wagon. Arabelle had already strongly warned them against choosing the potions (they're fake), and reminded them of this from behind her father's very muscular back.

The first treasure they inspected in detail was a rug with something wrapped up in it; they unrolled it to reveal a horrifying little jester construct with a jack-o-lantern smile and glowing red eyes. Most people were instantly put off; Ri-An was instantly thrilled. Sylvain made an immediate enemy, while Arabelle talked her father into letting them take the construct as well as a different treasure, as carrying a large rug around Barovia was hardly a practical choice. Agreeing to take the coins from one of the chests inside, they thanked Luvash for their two *wonderful* new treasures, while Sylvain accepted he was never going to get a good night's sleep in Barovia.

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