After receiving the clear sign from Damion, Theodora opens the west door and looks inside.
Theodora pushes open the door.
The room beyond is lit with oil lamps. A low ceiling, supported by heavy beams, seems to press down on this room. The west wall curves with the tower and is fitted with three windows of leaded glass in steel latticework. Their exterior wooden shutters are closed, and barely let any light in at all. Plush overstuffed chairs and couches are placed about the room. Their fabric has faded with age until the prints are nearly gone. A bookcase lines the east wall between two doors.
Sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs, reading a book, is a tall man dressed in black finery. You have seen him before. As Theodora steps in, Count Strahd von Zarovich snaps the book shut, stands, bows ever-so-slightly, and says, "My dear Theodora. Welcome. I regret that we got off on the wrong foot earlier." He stretches out his hands, gesturing to the room. "I had planned to escort you all up to these chambers after dinner where you could rest, relax, and mull over my offer. That still stands, by the way, and you are all still welcome to rest here."
Theodora gasps as Count Strahd makes an appearance once again. Not believing what she is seeing, she rubs her eyes quickly and moves further into the room. "Are you the real Strahd or is this another one of your tricks?" She asks with a large dose of skepticism as she wrestles down her initial urge to strike. "If you are real, there isn't anything to say unless you release Merrick into our care and tell us what's going on with Ireena and that painting we saw earlier."
At Theodora's question, Strahd taps his chest audibly and jingles one of the medallions he wears. "I can assure you that I am quite real, and standing before you. As for Mr. Merrick... We had a delightful chat, but I'm afraid that he is currently resting at the moment. However, I am sure that you will meet up again soon."
He pauses, and raises an eyebrow. "Which painting, exactly, are you inquiring about?"
Celowyn stalks into the room behind Theodora, her bow in hand, with an arrow nocked and pointed at the floor.
As she passes Theodora, she whispers to her friend, "Just give me the word..."
Ireena also cautiously enters the room, her hand clenched on the hilt of her sword. She answers Strahd's question. "You know which painting she means. The one of me..."
Strahd meets Ireena's gaze and the two lock eyes. She removes her hand from her sword.
Strahd seems smugly pleased at Ireena's appearance. "My dear Ireena! I am so glad to see that you're well. The painting... do you mean the one of the young woman in a ball gown that's hanging in my private study? It's actually a portrait of my late brother's wife. Her name was Tatanya." He then cocks his head as if he's making a realization. "I say! You do bear a remarkable resemblance to her!"
Countessa brings to mind the command word for her wand of magic missiles. "No more games, Strahd. Tell me, do you bleed?"
Petracleus raises an eyebrow...
Surely he must have noticed the resemblance before this day?!?!
His hand resting upon the pommel of his short sword, Petracleus tries to mirror the mock civility of the Count, "Merrick would not wish to have been parted from us - we have travelled many leagues together before arriving at this place. I ask this of you, wake him and let him make his own choices..."
"He knows. It's written all over his face"
"Enough of your lies, monster!" Theodora cries out as she directs her energies into the vampire's destruction and charges him with her falchion.
Countessa blinks in surprise. This was unexpected. Still, not to be caught off guard, she fires two magic missiles at the Count.
Wand of magic missile: 38 charges
...miss
Strahd: hp 40/92
Round 1
Strahd's expression becomes one of mixed annoyance and disappointment as Theodora charges him. As she closes to melee, he casts a spell, and a shimmering field of magical energy appears before him.
As Theodora charges, Celowyn lets fly two silver-tipped arrows. One is oddly deflected when it hits the magical energy field in front of the vampire, but the other strikes him hard in the chest. His expression of annoyance turns to unbridled rage. His expression turns feral, and he hisses loudly.
Theodora closes and slashes at him savagely. Strahd raises his left arm in defense, and she cuts down to the bone. Thick blood of a deep unnatural crimson seeps from the wound... far less than you would expect from such an injury.
"How dare you!"
Ireena makes a half-motion to draw her sword, but she hesitates.
Damion would like to break out one of the windows near the count. Is there a chair or table that he could toss our should he use his sword?
Realizing that the magic missiles will do no good, Countessa switches midstream and casts scorching ray.
Throwing open the shutters while humming , "Burn baby, burn."
Verran sighs, knowing they weren't quite ready to take on Strahd this directly. Still, the fight was here and there wasn't anything he could really do about it at this point. He mutters a breif prayer for protection from this foul spawn of Urgathoa.
"Come friends, let us throw down this tyrant and restore sunlight to these lands", Petracleus' voice takes on a lyrical tone...
...plus half again (7) for 22.
Monster Status
Strahd: hp 92/92
Guardian: hp 60/102
Round 1, continued
Backing away from Theodora's attacks, Strahd meets Ireena's gaze. She draws her sword and takes a step toward Celowyn, as if she was about to attack her new friend... yet, in mid-stride she stops, as if fighting with herself. She wavers for a long moment, as if a heavy weight pressed on her shoulders... and then she relaxes, lowering her weapon. She looks back at the master of the castle with fury in her eyes and says, "Not this time, Strahd." Raising her sword, she starts moving toward him.
Daimon rushes to the window, unlatches the leaded glass pane, raises it, then throws open the shutters. Cool morning air enters the room as Daimon looks west toward the Svalich Peaks. Blue sky peeks through gray clouds as the remains of last night's storm blow away. The shadows of the castle towers cut west across across the courtyard, as sunlight reflected off the mountains and clouds illuminates the room in a pale golden glow.
Verran utters a prayer to the Lady of Graves, who envelops him in a ward against the powers of evil.
A jet of flame shoots from Countessa's outstretched hand, but the Count easily dodges it.
Petracleus sings a ballad of heroism and victory against the darkness, raising everyone's spirits.
Round 2
Strahd backs toward the windows, away from Theodora, pulling out the arrow from his chest. With a gesture, the wounds Theodora and Celowyn inflicted upon him glow with a dull red and close up before your eyes. Still looking at Ireena, he sighs, "You may resist me now, but your will shall not hold out for much longer. You will be mine!" He then regards the rest of you. "And I had only wanted to converse and offer you more of my hospitality. Have it your way, then." He casts a spell, and five bolts of magical energy fire from his hand, all at Theodora. They impact as if they were actual arrows. "Now stand down, before you truly anger me!"
Continuing his song, Petracleus steps up and slashes at Strahd with his short bladed sword... and then, dancing to the left, thrusts at their 'host' with his rapier...
...no
...no
Cursing under her breath, Countessa pulls out a glass rod encased in fur and points it at the Count, intoning words of power. A crackling blue and white arc reaches out from the rob to strike the at Strahd.
electrical, DC 17 Reflex for half
Verran considers the situation and mutters another prayer to Pharasma as he approaches Theodora, his hand glowing. After touching her he looks at Strahd "You still never answered my question."
Undaunted by the fiend's healing and spurred on by Verran's, Theodora presses her attack on Strahd. "Repent your sins now, and there may still be hope for you!"
After attacking, Theodora then supplements Verran's healing with her own.
Disappointed that the count didn't burst into flames Damion will move around to the other side of the count before taking a swing at him.
(power attack)
(conf crit)
...hit
...miss
...success
...barely!
...success
...success
Monster Status
Strahd: hp 92/92
Guardian: hp 44/102
Round 2, continued...
Celowyn lets more arrows fly. One is deflected by the shimmering force field, but the other grazes Strahd's arm.
Theodora presses the attack, but can't get through the vampire's defenses.
Annoyed that the window didn't let direct sunlight stream in, Daimon draws his own sword and enters the fray. He lands a powerful blow on the vampire, slashing through his elegant jacket and drawing crimson blood.
Verran moves behind Theodora, and heals some of her wounds with a blessing of Pharasma.
Countessa bends the laws of the universe to her will, and a crackle of lightning snaps across the room at the vampire. Yet, he seems unfazed by the attack. Smiling, he says, "You must try harder than that!"
Shield raised and sword drawn, Ireena charges across the room, jumping on the divan to get close enough to stike at the Count. However, her footing on the furnature is precarious, and he easily ducks her attack.
Petracleus moves in to join the attack, hitting the vampire with both of his blades. Yet, the vampire's wounds close almost immediately, as if the weapons have no effect on him!
The vampire's expression turns from annoyance to wrath.
"Fools! I have kept my power in check so far. No longer."
He casts a spell, and the room erupts in a blast of flame.
Round 3
At that, with a flourish, Strahd pulls his black cape in front of his face, and disappears with a flash and puff of white smoke.
Combat over
Strangely, the magical fire only lightly scorched the room, covering everything with a fine layer of ash. Otherwise nothing in the room seems particularly damaged.
(evasion)
Theodora dodges the worst of the fiery blast, then looks to see how her companions have fared.
"Can someone tell me how he keeps doing that? And how we can stop him!
Countessa is caught completely by surprise and takes the fireball full blast. She drops to the floor, her once beautiful skin blackened and melted, her long brown hair burned away.
Verran also falls to the floor, barely alive.
As the fireball explodes, everyone ducks for cover. Daimon manages to duck behind a divan as the flames lap around it, emerging completely unscathed. Verran and Countessa, on the other hand, are caught completely off-guard and take the full force of the exposion. Both lie unconscious on the singed carpeting of the room, their skin badly blistered and oozing.
Seeing the terrible condition in which Verran and Countessa find themselves, Theodora uses the last of her innate healing to channel positive energy to stop them from dying.
"Well, I did not know to expect that. We should find a safe place for them to rest until later, since apparently there's no advantage attacking that monster during the day."
Realizing the state of his companions Damion calms down a bit, "Oh, sorry. Does anyone have some burn cream?"
Countessa moans in her unconscious state.
"By the gods..."
Seeing Verran and Countessa down for the count, Celowyn rummages through Verran's pack, producing his wand of cure light wounds. She uses it first on Verran, then on Countessa.
Celowyn hands Verran back his wand once he comes back around.
The pain of the burning still smarts, but you're all more-or-less okay... and getting very tired by now.
Looking around the room, Ireena says, "Strahd had said something about planning to show us to these chambers to rest and think over his offer. I don't particularly want to stay in a place where he can come and go as he pleases, but we could see what's here, at least... And what's through that door." She points to the door in the southeast corner of the room.
As she regains consciousness, Countessa runs a hand across her disfigured countenance and through what remains of her hair. Tears come to her eyes and for a moment, all that she can do is sob piteously. At length, she regains some of her composure. "I'm sorry," she manages through a sniffle. "I'm okay." Though clearly, she is not.
Seeing the extent of Countessa's injuries, Petracleus rests a soothing hand upon her shoulder...
...and smiles apologetically when his efforts have a minimal effect.
"I agree, we need to make sure this place is safe... and then rest", his swords still in his hands, he moves towards the door indicated by Ireena...
Glad to have something useful to contribute, Damion will check the door.
Theodora frowns when she remembers that Verran had a wand of healing all along, but says nothing on the topic. Once everyone appears mobile once again, she nods, "Yes, perhaps we should see what's behind that door. If it too much for us to bear, we should retreat to a room we know is clear of dangers."
Daimon finds nothing unusual about the door to the east. Pressing his ear on the door, he hears nothing beyond the door, either.
Turning the handle reveals the door is unlocked, and it swings open easily on its creaky hinges.
A king-sized bed sits in the center of this room, its four corner posts rising to a black canopy trimmed with gold tassels. Several comfortable-looking divans are also placed about the room. The floor is covered with a Varisian woolen rug. There is a smaller door to the east.
Theodora sighs with relief as the next room does not immediately attack them. She remains on guard, however, and searches the area in depth in case there was another hidden danger like a smothering rug or spell-casting portrait. While searching, she suggests, "If we end up resting here, we should first see what's behind that door to the east."
Theodora and friends search the guest bedroom thoroughly, taking a good 30 minutes to go through everything. The door has a good lock, and a large steel key is in the keyhole on this side. The door also has a bar. The rug seems normal, there are no trap doors, and none of the walls or ceiling have any apparent secret doors. The divans all seem of high quality and comfortable, though somewhat worn. The sheets on the bed seem very fresh, as if they had been changed earlier today.
Examining at the bed itself, Theodora finds some things hidden between the mattress and goosedown featherbed: a flat leather map case, a silver ring, and a leatherbound journal.
There is no title on the cover of the journal. The pages are written in a neat, masculine handwriting. The earliest entry is dated eleven years ago. The journal was penned by a solicitor from Almas in far-off Andorran named Harker Jonovan. The most recent entries proved to be the most interesting. Jonovan apparently represented certain property owners in Almas, and that a "Count Strahd of Barovia, Ustalav" had sought to purchase a piece of land in the countryside outside Almas. Jonovan then made the long journey by boat up the Sellen River to Lake Encarthian, and across the lake to Caliphas. From there, he traveled by coach into the Hungry Mountains and into Barovia. After an unsettling meeting with Strahd in a castle that made him feel oppressed and uneasy, Harp retired to this room, where he spent three or four awful nights (the journal is confused on exactly how many), where he was assailed by awful dreams of predatory witches, bats, and vermin. Thankfully, none of the creatures that seemed to lurk in the greater castle ever managed to get into the chamber. The room seemed to offer him physical safety, even at night, though it did nothing to shield his mind and sanity from nightmares and frightening sounds.
The final passage reads:
"A woman named Khyristrix appeared to me last night. She explained that if I came to the roof at the dark of the moon, she’d help me escape Strahd’s clutches. Something’s not right about her. How did she get into my locked chamber? No other creature dared to cross Strahd’s command that I be left alone as long as I stayed inside. But I have no choice. Tonight, I will leave my room, despite Strahd’s warning to stay locked within for my own safety, and ascend to the open parapet. I pray that my choice is right."
The leather case contains three scrolls covered with arcane writing, and also four printed pages that appear to have been torn out of a book. The first complete section of the pages from a book talk about the lore of vampires and how they cannot enter a dwelling unless invited; once invited in by someone with the authority to do so, the vampire can forever come and go as it pleases. The book then details an occult ritual that can "change the mystical locks" that would then bar that vampire from entering again.
The thin ring is made of silver and embossed with a spiral symbol. Strange glyphs are inscribed insde the ring.
"I think that this ring is sacred to Pharasma. See here, where it resembles her symbol?" Countessa also casts detect magic.
The ring radiates a moderate magical aura.
The three scrolls with arcane writing also radiate magic.