"What did she mean I won't live to see another sunrise? Was that a curse? Did she curse me? Oh crap...I'm going to die.
Ireena takes her hand away from the stab wound. It looks nasty, but not life-threatening. Thanks, Countessa. "I've had worse, but I'm not really up for another fight at the moment."
She looks around on the floor. "They turned Theodora into a toad! Where is she?"
"I'm down here." The frog says glumly, "I don't suppose anyone has a way of changing me back? I wasn't expecting this at all..."
After a moment, her mood seems to pick up when asks, "Anyone need some healing? I'm still good for that, thank Sarenrae."
Damion's eyes narrow speculatively, "And you would fit in my pocket. That would be handy if I'm to avoid dying before sunrise."
"While that will be extremely embarrassing, I'd rather still be of some use." Theodora replies, squeezing her amphibian features into a sad frown.
The battle over, you take a few minutes to search through the room, and through the possessions of your fallen enemies.
The hag and human witches wore several pieces of jewelry worth a total of 1200 gp, and each wore a silver unholy symbol of the goddess Gyronna, the Angry Hag.
Using detect magic you discover the following items of interest...
One of the witches wore an amulet of natural armor +1 and had a potion of cure moderate wounds.
The other witch wore a ring of protection +1 and had a potion of spider climb.
The hag's dagger is black-bladed with a pommel fashioned in the image of a skull. It is a +1 cold iron returning human-bane dagger. She also wears a headband of mental prowess (Int +2, Cha +2) (Skill: Knowledge (religion)). Around her neck hung an odd pendant on a plain leather cord: A simple silver disc inscribed with a stylized seven-pointed star. You identify its powers as those of a Sihedron medallion.
Searching through the rooms, you find a collection of books and scrolls. These include a scroll of dispel magic, a scroll of fly, a scroll of breath of life, a scroll of greater magic weapon, a scroll of mass cure moderate wounds, a scroll of restoration, and a scroll of magic circle against law. You also find several volumes on alchemy and herbalism. Most are fairly basic, but one volume on herbalism is lavishly illustrated and would be worth 500 gp to a collector. Additionally, you find what appears to be a personal journal, and another volume that might be a wizard's spellbook.
Looking through the alchemy lab, you find a number of useful items: three potions of cure light wounds, a potion of eagle's splendor, an elixir of fire breath, a vial of stone salve, and two vials of universal solvent. You also find three flasks of acid, two flasks of alchemist's fire, 3 vials of antitoxin, 1 tanglefoot bag, 3 doses of blue whinnis poison, and 1 dose of greenblood oil poison.
Still sickened, Petracleus tries to focus on the task at hand - and, looking over the various items in the witches' vast collection of magic, Petracleus is somehow drawn to the journal. Musing aloud, "I wonder who this belonged to?", he opens the book and reads...
The journal is written in Common, penned by a young Barovian woman named Afina. Its earliest entries were dated 25 years ago. Afina was teased by other children becasuse one of her eyes was green, and the other brown...and this scared some of the adults in town, too. Afina started having strange dreams as an adolescent about walking in the woods, following a beckoning voice... the voice was not her mother's, but it claimed to be...and it its name was Khrysitrix. These dreams began happening while she was awake, and she would find herself in the forest without knowing how she got there. And finally, she met her: a beautiful dark-haired woman who lived in the woods. Khrysitrix offered to teach Afina magic if she would stay with her... and eventually, she did. There was already another girl living in the cottage, and "mother" refered to the three of them as her "coven." They worshipped the Amgry Hag, and she learned that those who had once teased her were right to fear her. They occasionally lured men from the village to their cottage, where they would be sacrificed in dark rituals. After ten years, Strahd came to visit. He offered the coven rooms in Castle Ravenloft and his personal protection in exchange for Khrysitrix helping him with a "special project." She never learned exactly what that project was, but once heard 'mother' call it "The Guardian of Sorrow."
Countessa focuses her ministrations on Ireena first, before turning to the medallion. Unable to make anything of it, she resigns herself to sorting out the scrolls and magical items. As she looks the items over, she takes up the spellbook and, casting read magic, thumbs through it.
Somehow, reading the journal brings the beginnings of a tear to Petracleus' eye...
...this was someone's daughter - someone who took a wrong turn at some point and was irretrievably lost...
Ignoring any looks from his companions, Petracleus looks for the woman with unmatched eyes - and when he finds her, he respectfully closes her eyes. Wondering to himself, he wonders about the term, 'Guardian of Sorrow'...
"Did anyone find something that can change me back?" Theodora croaks in an hopeful tone.
"Did anyone find something that can change me back?" Theodora croaks in an hopeful tone.
"Would the scroll of dispel magic do that?
"Hopefully! I don't think it's a guarantee though." Theodora responds with an excited hop in the air.
"Too bad. I've always wanted a pocket toad," Damion says regretfully.
Petracleus passes the scroll towards Countessa, "Here... you have the best chance of making this work... and poor Theodora seems to have had enough time as a toad..."
Countessa takes the scroll and reads from it.
Petracleus finds that both of the dead women have mismatched eyes.
Petracleus has never heard of anything or anyone called "The Guardian of Sorrow."
Picking up the spellbook, Countessa sees that its cover is made of fine, supple leather that is embossed with an image of an eyeball, lined with red ink.
Upon opening the cover, Countessa notices an odd sigil... she immediately recognizes it as a glyph of warding and slams the book shut before it discharges.
At Petracleus' suggestion, Countessa confirms that the spell scroll in question is dispel magic and reads the scroll, targeting the polymorph effect on Theodora. Theodora feels a familiar odd and unpleasant sensation throughout her body, as her organs and body parts transform. The rest of you observe the toad's form grow and and shift into that of Theodora again.
"I've changed my mind. Let's not explore the trap door in the closet."
Glad to see Theodora her usual self once more, Petracleus queasily stumbles into the room that they had originally clambered into... was there another way onwards from here? Or were they going to have to clamber back down the way they came?
As Theodora returns to her true form, the woman gasps a few times in relief before quickly checking her various limbs to make sure everything was normal once again. "Thank you so much for turning me back to normal, Countessa. I'm sorry that I fell victim to such a magical trick. I let you all down. I'll do my best to make it up to you." She says with some remorse before drawing the wand of Lesser Restoration she still has in her possession.
"It looks like you've been poisoned, Petracleus. Let me start by helping you out with that."
"Also, people should put on those magical armor items...a amulet and a ring right? We're going to need all the help we can get. Can anyone make use of that headband?"
"It could have been any of us, Theodora. You did nothing wrong. I'm just glad that I was able to help you."
Continuing to examine the covers of the book, she remarks, "This symbol is that of Gyronna, the Angry Hag, goddess of spite, hatred, and extortion. I can't quite tell what it is made of, but something tells me that I don't really want to know. The book is protected by a glyph of warning, a magical sigil that will summon up some dire magical effect when read. Another dispel magic might be rid of it."
She sighs, lowering the book. Obviously, she longs to explore the tome further. "I can make use of the headband, though if it would better serve someone else, I will give it up."
"I could use some protection, I guess. You can always take it off my body after I die in a few hours. Damion says morosely, Can one of you try to make sure my sister gets my stuff?"
Theodora uses three charges from your wand of lesser restoration to remove the lingering poison effects from Petracleus and Countessa.
After sorting through the magical treasure, you decide to press on.
Looking through the lab and the cauldron room, the only exits you find are the trap door you entered from, and a door leading north in the western section of the lab.
Petracleus presses his ear to the door...
...and hears a distinct, "Meow!"
"Is it safe to open?" Theodora asks, appearing a little more cautious now about doors.
Petracleus is momentarily doubtful, and then smiles... turning to Theodora, "I don't know... How are you with cats?"
...and throwing caution to the wind, he pushes the door open.
"If, in fact, it is a cat. Fool me once..." Countessa murmurs.
The door swings sopen easily.
The low ceiling of this room presses down on you, as does the stench of urine. Three divans and two overstuffed leather chairs are haphazardly arranged in this room; the divans are strewn with rumpled bedclothes. Claw marks cover the hardwood furniture, and the once lush upholstery has been shredded, showing the straw and woolen stuffing. From the dark shadows under the divans, two pairs of green eyes stare back at you.
A heavy wooden door leads east.
The ammonia stink from the room catches at the back of Petracleus' throat... and then his eyes take in the devastation wrought by feline claws. It is only after a few moments that he notices the green orbs staring back at him - and, unsure now of most things, he wonders whether what he is looking at is natural... or arcane.
The eyes from under the divans blink occasionally as Petracleus casts a spell and examines the room for magical auras. The creatures seem to radiate a trace and fading magical aura. But the strongest aura appears to be coming from the door.
He identifies the spell on the door as a glyph of warding. He's pretty sure it's on the other side of the door.
Turning to Countessa, Petracleus whispers, "Do you see them? The auras... the cats are magical... but that..." he turns to the rest of his companions, "that's a Glyph of Warding!!! If we go through that door... BOOOM!!!" Even though he is still quite nauseous, he can't resist the theatrics.
"If it's a magical trap can't a person with roguish skill still disarm it?" Theodora asks with growing confidence as she adjusts to being her normal self again. "If not, I'm willing to set it off to keep us moving."
"I can not disarm a trap that is on the other side of a door. It is likely set to go off only when the door is opened. Is it possible to break through the wall?"
"Oh, sorry. I don't really know how it works, I'm not usually the one checking for traps in situations like this. If making a hole is necessary, I can help with that though. Can you tell if opening the door will hurt us or just whomever is on the other side?"
"Quite possibly it will affect those opening the door, regardless of which side we enter from. I wonder if there is another way through."
"I have a crowbar. Let me see if I can make a hole in the wall..."
"You all might want to stand back. I am cursed to die before sunrise, no point in taking you with me."
Damion will ease open the door and attempt to disarm the glyph
Having suggested to Damion that it is probably safe for him to go through, Petracleus follows his friend in to the room - all the time keeping a watchful eye upon the felines...
On the other side of the door is a landing. Spiral staircases lead up and down from here. Strains of sunlight and fresh-smelling air comes from the stairs leading up.
Daimon remembers his training on how to work with mystical traps of this sort... like not looking directly at the glyph (so as not to accidentally read it), and being careful not to touch it with his skin. He uses a razor-sharp pen knife to cut into the wood underneath the magical ink glyph, then brushes the cut wood away with a fine paintbrush... He repeats that in seven locations around the magical sigil. After about two minutes of work, there is a brief pulse of magical power, which harmlessly dissipates.
"Apparently the sun has not yet risen."
"Well done, Damion," Countessa remarks, genuinely impressed. "I must remember to acquire dispel magic at some point."
The stench of the room is too much for Petracleus in his current state... and so, with his sleeve covering his nose, he makes his way towards the stairs, "I'm going to get some fresh air..." He doesn't wait to see whether his companions are following, so desperate is he for the fresh air coming from above.
"This room smells horrible, but we should probably search it nevertheless." Theodora suggests as she carefully look around the room, attempting to avoid touching any fresh wet spots.
(+2 for traps)
"Well done, Damion," Countessa remarks, genuinely impressed. "I must remember to acquire dispel magic at some point."
Petracleus walks up the spiral staircase, and finds himself in open air, standing on the roof of one of the shorter towers of Castle Ravenloft. The blue sky is mostly obscured by many large clouds, all aglow with the orange light of sunset; the sun itself is hidden behind the Svalich Peaks to the west. The air feels heavy and damp, and a strong breeze indicates that a storm is brewing.
The sixty-foot-diameter tower roof is rimmed with crumbling battlements. A slender stone bridge with no railing spans the gap between this tower and the slightly taller tower to the north. To the east, the high tower of Ravenloft thrusts skyward with no apparent opening at this level. A thaumaturgic pentagram of red-and-gold tiles is laid into the floor south of the stairs. Unlike the rest of the floor, the pentagram is free of crumbled masonry and dead leaves.
Calling down to his companions, Petracleus wonders whether any of his companions would be experienced enough in the occult to determine, "What exactly this pentagram is for?" The doom laden skies do little to abate Petracleus' relief at the fresh air.
Finding nothing the in the cat pee room, Theodora follows Petracleus up the stairs and frowns upon seeing the pentagram. "Nothing good can come from that, but that's not saying much in this place."
"Is the sun coming up?"