Iron & Gold, Curse of Strahd
Previous chapter: 15 - A Vistani Digression — Next chapter: Planning A Rebirth
Being The Curse of Strahd, played through with Mythic as the GM, using Iron & Gold
16 - Krezk[1]
When the trio got back to the Blue Water Inn, it was still early afternoon. They clambered up to their rooms (Felewin dreading that something awful had happened) and found Ireena and Uthrilir in the men’s room, poring over the book.
“You’re back quickly,” said Ireena. “No success?”
“Never tried; we got distracted,” said Felewin.
Uthrilir smiled fondly. “You were with Hrelgi; that happens.”
Felewin, Ninefingers, and Hrelgi outlined the events of the morning. Ireena was angry that they had not taken the fisherman in.
“We’re trying to keep a low profile,” said Ninefingers. “Taking someone to the Baron, or killing him, that would not be low profile. I would call it very high profile.”
“The Vistani know who he is, and they might take action,” said Felewin.
“Too bad they’re not allowed in the town,” said Uthrilir.
“First, comment on my new outfit,” said Hrelgi, “and then tell us what have you been doing this morning.”
“The outfit is lovely,” Uthrilir said.
“It’s Vistani,” said Ireena. “Pretty, yes, but people will think you’re Vistani or one of their elves.”
“My clothes are wet,” said Hrelgi. “Until they’re dry, this is what I’m wearing.”
Uthrilir said, “Ireena studied the book and I made occasional trips to the privy. Good place to talk to locals. Short version is that this place is a river rock placed in a hot fire; it’s probably going to explode. Better that we had left today. People are talking about the coffin maker but no one has connected us with it. Yet.”
“I think I’ve found all that is legible in the book,” said Ireena, “and I’m copying it to new sheets so we have it even if we lose the book. I did have to get Urwin to provide paper; Uthrilir paid.”
Felewin said, “It’s only a matter of time. We were outside the coffin maker’s shop last night, and the guard saw us,” said Felewin.
Ninefingers said, “Then Hrelgi’s change of clothes is good — she’s the one who spoke to the guard and she doesn’t look like she did last night.”
“Still, I look different than everyone else,” said Felewin, “Uthrilir looks different than everyone else because he’s a dwarf, and you’re different than everyone else, Ninefingers, even if they didn’t see you last night. There’s only one place we can be, and this is it. How far can we get before nightfall?”
“I can get us to the Vistani camp,” said Hrelgi. “I’ve been there, and they owe us.”[2]
“No, we already said the clothes cancel out the debt,” said Ninefingers. “But from there, can we hike to Krezk in an afternoon?”
“It’s three hours at a normal walk,” said Ireena. “On horseback, it’s quicker of course. I have been outside it.”
“Maybe,” said Felewin. “We’re tired, though—”
They could hear a commotion outside in the taproom. Felewin snapped, “Go, get your things. Come back in here if you can.”
The women disappeared. Felewin locked the door behind them. Ninefingers could hear boots coming up the outside staircase. Two people, by the sound of it.
The women returned through a rend. “No one knows we’re here,” whispered Ninefingers. “Quiet.”
There was a loud rapping at the door. “Guard here!” The guard tried the door and found it was locked.[3]
The guards moved next door and found that door open. Hrelgi started checking her spell book.[4] The guards explored the room for a few moments; Hrelgi kept preparing. One set of boots left.
“Gather in close,”whispered Hrelgi. She cast the first part of the spell, which alerted the guard in the women’s room. The guard ran to the door and began pounding on it.[5] Hrelgi kept chanting…
…And then they were on the road in the forest outside Vallaki, near where they had cut off to go to the Vistani camp.[6]
Hrelgi said, “Shall we walk?”
“We must,” said Uthrilir.
They started moving quickly. At the first crossroads they came to, they found the body of a wolf, killed with spears and arrows. The signpost for the crossroads was snapped in two, but when they aligned the top half on the post, they had the choice of Vallaki and Ravenloft in the direction they had come, Berez down the crossroad, or (away from Vallaki), Krezk and Tsolenka Pass. They took the road to Krezk and the Tsolenka Pass, still walking fast. Eventually they slowed to a regular pace. At one point, Ninefingers spotted a foot trail to who knew where, but they had no time to explore if they were to make it to Krezk by sunset.
The only thing of note was that they gained a raven companion or watcher, as they had on the way to Vallaki.
As they walked, Ireena described the information she had found in the book.
“He seeks someone named Tatyana,” Ireena said. “Or he did. He killed his brother Sergei for her, but she rejected him.
Hrelgi said “As she should have.” Ireena agreed.
“It is useful to know your enemy, but I’m not sure this helps,” Felewin said.
The group passed through another crossroads — roads led to Lake Baratok, the Wizard of Wines winery, or Krezk. Again, they chose Krezk. The forest was tall on either side of them, and they heard wolves, but saw none. The howls keep them moving. The air got colder: they were slowly heading uphill.
Less than an hour later they found the cutoff to Krezk, The walled town was nestled at the base of a mountain, and what Felewin presumed was the abbey sat up the mountain, above it. Felewin had assumed that the Abbey would be in the walls of the village, but it was not. You had to go through the village to get to the Abbey road, though. Above the village, the bell of the abbey tolled.
They approached the walled settlement. Two square towers with peaked roofs flanked a square archway with the doors. Four figures in fur hats and with spears were watching them come up the road.
“A little more secure than Vallaki,” Ninefingers said. The walls were more than three times as high as Felewin or Hrelgi. “Arrow slits.”
“I noticed,” muttered Felewin. “Probably manned.” They stopped a bit farther away than the walls were tall, trying to prove their innocence by staying in optimal arrow range.
“Halt!” cried one of guards.
“We seek entrance into your town,” called Felewin.
“No, sorry. Only the wine shipment comes in,” the guard yelled.
“You know what this country is like, “ Felewin said reasonably. “We need to enter your village before dusk.”
“I see no wine. You are not allowed.”
“May we speak with the burgomaster?”
The guard said, “He’s not going to like being called just to tell you no. And he’s traveling a rough road right now.”
Ireena said, “Why? What happened?”
“His youngest son died last night.”
“Ilya? What happened?”
The guard was taken aback by her knowledge. “I’ll have someone fetch the burgomaster.”
Five minutes later, a man appeared at the top of the wall. “I am the burgomaster, Dmitri Krezkov.”
Ireena said, “Dmitri, I am sorry to hear of your loss. Do you remember me? Ireena Kolyana, the daughter of Kolyan Indirovich, of the village of Barovia. With me are the guards I hired for this journey.”
“Oh. Of course. Of course you can come in. Let them in,” he told the guards.
One door opened slowly, and the burgomaster came down to meet them. They let Ireena go first, and she greeted her warmly. “Ireena! How well you look. It has been years since last I saw you!”
“More,” she said, and kissed his cheek. “I have never been in your marvelous town but I have admired it from the road. Ismark and I once rode out here, but dared not stay overnight.”
“You are brave to ride this way,” Dmitri said. “I apologize, but your guards will have to pass the test to come in. We are trying to keep out…well, you know.” He turned to face the group. “My guards will approach with a knife and will prick your finger to see if you bleed. If you bleed, you may enter.”
“Really?” muttered Ninefingers. “Lots of monsters bleed, but okay.”
Two guards came closer, one with a wicked knife held out. From his stance, Felewin figured the guard knew a little about knife fighting. Felewin made sure his own sword was belted and inaccessible, and held out a hand. The guard grabbed his hand and pricked his index finger. A drop of blood welled up.
Ninefingers noticed that the guards were watching everyone else. Checking to see if anyone is overcome by the appearance of blood, he surmised.
The guard let go of Felewin’s hand; Felewin immediately sucked his finger to clean off the blood. The guards raised spears to him.
“I’m cleaning it, not drinking it.” He searched through his pouches until he found his helm. “Here, all. Wipe your finger on the inside of this, so you don’t give the same impression.”
“You want blood on the inside of your helm?” asked Ninefingers.
“If the monsters are at the inside of my helm, I’m doomed, so it’s as good a place as any.”
Ninefingers offered his finger, then Uthrilir. The guard grabbed Hrelgi’s hand and she said, “Not the index finger; that’s my page-turning finger.”
All of them passed. Hrelgi looked at the helm and said to Felewin, “I’ll clean that for you when we get a moment.”
“Appreciate it.”
Dmitri and Ireena began walking into the village, and the group followed. The door swung shut behind them.
“Tomorrow we shall give you a proper tour of the town, but now is late and people are repairing to their homes. You will stay with Anna and me tonight. Your guards, too; we do not have an inn here and I would not ask any of my people to take in strangers.”
His house — cottage, really — was a modest building on the edge of town, near the gate. “Inside, inside! Even though there are walls, we do not want strangers outside after dark.”
Inside, the cottage was quite spacious, with every exterior room having a shuttered window and one interior room behind the fireplace. “My wife was called away to a birth, and she will be back when she is back.” He smiled sadly. “Babies choose how fast they come.” Dmitri said, “The path to the outhouse is covered, and it’s out back by the chicken coop. There’s a room where Ireena can sleep, of course, but the rest of you will have to bunk in the wine cellar, because we are using the spare room for poor Ilya, before the funeral.”
“Again,” said Ireena, “I am so sorry for you; this must be terrible.”
“The line of Krezkov dies out,” Dmitri said simply. “A noble family, gone.”
Uthrilir asked gently, “May I see your son? To pay my respects.”
Dmitri looked at him, trying to determine if there were some ulterior motive. Ireena said, “Father Lucian in Vallaki says that Uthrilir’s faith is very similar to the Morninglord’s.”
Uthrilir said simply, “I will pray. That is all I can do, but it will be as a mark of respect.”
“I…I suppose. Anna would no doubt forbid it, but she is away. I will prepare a light meal for us. We did not expect company, obviously.”
“Of course,” said Ireena. “I see you are understandably suspicious. Do you want to accompany us to Ilya to make sure that nothing untoward happens?”
“That's not... Yes. I will, please.”
The group made sure to remove headgear and set aside their equipment. Only Uthrilir carried anything obvious, and that was his holy emblem of the Lady.
The others prayed silently, standing there, as he knelt and prayed for longer—minutes. Dmitri watched him, and was going to stop him when Uthrilir placed his hand on the youth's forehead, but chose not to.
Uthrilir stood there and finally said, “We respect your grief.”
“What have you done?” asked Dmitri.
“Prayed. Asked for help for your family. Asked that the Lady and the Morninglord offer you and your wife a kindness.” He shrugged and said, “That is all.”
Dmitri seemed both pleased by the sentiment and saddened by the fact that it had come to nothing.
Dmitri allowed them to take their belongings down to the wine cellar, which was cool. There were trestles and empty casks along the walls. “There is no wine, so it does not matter if you warm the room up.”
“I might do that,” said Hrelgi.
“The wine shipment is overdue,” said Dmitri. “Fortunately, our water is pure.” He brightened. “It comes from a blessed pool at the shrine of the White Sun. I will show it to you.”
“How far is the winery from here?” Felewin asked.
“A morning’s walk. We have never been able to come to an agreement about the road, so it is more a trail, despite the fact that it is probably the most-used trail in Barovia.”
“If we are at loose ends, we might be able to walk down and check it,” said Felewin.
“The Blue Water Inn was overdue for its shipment as well,” said Ninefingers. “I overheard Urwin telling one of the patrons.”
Felewin unshuttered every side of the lantern, providing a light for the room. “Thank you,” he said to Dmitri. “We will be up shortly.”
“Of course,” said Dmitri. “I will tend to Ireena.”
As soon as he was gone, Uthrilir whispered, “You are very free with our efforts. Wouldn’t we want to find the source of Strahd’s power instead?”
“We would, but you’ve seen how insular this town is. We need to stay in his good graces. Also, the fellow has had a rough week.”
“So has Ireena,” pointed out Hrelgi.
“Hold on a moment,” said Ninefingers. “What do you make of this?” He rooted through his pack and came out with a scroll, which he handed to Hrelgi. “I think it looks like a spell scroll.”
Hrelgi held it to the light. “It is a spell scroll. It revives the dead. Where did you get this?”
“I found it,” said Ninefingers.
“Ninefingers….” Felewin said.
“Fine, I stole it. I noticed it on Rictavio, and I wondered why a circus leader would have a spell scroll…maybe to charm beasts. I was planning on returning it but we left in a hurry.”[7]
“Well, he was lying about who he was,” said Felewin. “That much was obvious.”
Ninefingers looked surprised. “You figured that out?”
“Clearly from outside Barovia, because he was a half-elf and the elves here don’t breed under punishment — we know that from Kasimir Velikov. The only people who come in are Vistani and adventurers; he’s not Vistani. Thus it is shown, as one of my tutors used to say. Also, Bavarians do not seem like they would enjoy circuses. Bear-baiting, maybe—my father could make a nice bit of coin supplying bears—but not circuses.”
“It’s in the language of magic,” Hrelgi said. “Of us, only I can read it. Which means that Rictavio, whoever he really is, is a wizard of some kind.”
Felewin looked at the scroll. “However, that scroll is not ours.”
“There’s a dead body upstairs,” said Ninefingers. “Reviving Ilya would go a long way to putting us in his good graces.”
“True,” admitted Felewin. “We will ask Ireena when we go upstairs.”
“I have to read it,” said Hrelgi. “It’s in the language of magic, and none of you can read that.”
“Can you do it?” asked Uthrilir. “Reviving the dead is not your usual type of magic.”
“It’s written in the scroll. There’s a preamble with instructions. The thing is, once you read it, the spell is gone. We raise Ilya or we trek back to the village of Bavaria and raise her father.”
“I know which I’d choose,” Uthrilir said. “Even if her father is raised, Strahd still wants her. I’m not sure I want to bring Ireena in on this.”
Felewin asked, “And how will she feel if she discovers we had a scroll to raise the dead and we didn’t offer her the choice?”
They were silent, arranging their things.
Finally Felewin said, “Shall we go upstairs?”
Previous chapter: 15 - A Vistani Digression
Mechanics
[1] Mythic suggested theme: Passion Goals (Ambiguous Event)
[2] I shouldn’t have allowed the earlier teleportation, so doubletalk will happen.
[3] Hrelgi rolls a 5 on the Fabrica Ge spell, margin of 3 (it’s difficulty 1 because she made the rend bigger). They both step through in one phase, so Hrelgi doesn’t take any FAT damage.
[4] Hrelgi needs to roll Fabrica Materia and Fabrica Ge; she has 9- in each of them. She’s going to take some time to prepare and focus because 5 people is 5 targets, which is +5 difficulty…so she wants to prep for 7 rounds, to make the difficulty -2.
[5] Hrelgi rolls a 5 on the trivial difficulty, then a 9 on the Reasoning+Composure roll which also has a trivial difficulty. Last she rolls 7 on the Fabrica Ge spell, and all five of them are on the path leading to the Vallaki camp.
[6] Hrelgi rolls an 8 on the Reasoning+Composure roll, which is difficulty -1. So she makes it.
[7] Sheer retconning on my part; there are two things that can happen in Krezk that I have no interest in — the abbot in town, which is a consequence of Ilya’s death, and the disappearance of Ireena and subsequent wrath of Strahd. So here.
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