2. Welcome to Borovia

[Eulalios]

Tibbius, sitting vigil

"Mine host, perchance ... did your father own a dog? ... What you may see, with your permission, may disturb you. It is not ... quite ... profane. But it occurs to me, that if your father's foe were to return, your father's ghost might give him pause. Thus, unless you forbid, I will raise an image of your father, Kolyan Indrirovich. So long as that image persists, I must not be disturbed. And ... you may wish not to linger here."

[Computer +1]

Tumbler will, with Ismark's permission, inspect every door and window and lock them all as securely as possible. He will oil, close and lock the gate outside and do everything he can to make the place as difficult to open as he can with limited time. Inside he knows that this will hardly be sufficient against a vampire but he is not sure what else to do.

[Zhym]

FYI, I just retconned something after reading through the module again. The post above has been edited as follows:

Tibbius mulls vampire weaknesses. "Are not vampires fearful of running water, werewolves, lightning, and holy symbols? Moreover, I have heard they must be invited to enter a dwelling."

"That last part seems to be true," answers Ismark. "But Strahd has twice entered our home nonetheless. He has ways to convince people to invite him into their homes."

[Grognardsw]

Vorkath / burgomaster residence

The paladin, well versed in martial defense and related magics divine and arcane, confers with his fellow adventurers. "Can we defend her person and chamber?"

"Iluq, does your god enable you to place a holy blessing to protect from evil upon Ireena? And perhaps a sacred Sanctuary? Or a divine glyph of warding upon her door?" asks Vorkath. 

And to Tibbius: "I have seen enchanters weave magics to conceal one from sight. Could such be done on Ireena?"

"We should place Ireena in an inside chamber, with no windows and but one door. And round up the household servants, for someone let Strahd in. If there are no servants, then we must consider that Ismark or Ireena are bewitched by the vampyr."

"Perhaps we take points at strategic locations in the house. I can stand guard over the girl myself."

[Bouv]

While everyone else is busy doing their thing, Robert will go about to make sure all the windows are shut tight and locked. He will also make sure any plants in the house are tended to.

[Stirling]

Whilst others engaged in small talk, what was Agrippos' assessment of the defensibility of the house? Firstly is the stable so secure that wolves will not get in to harry the horses, if not taking the horses somewhere else must suffice (cellar room perhaps?). So the plan seems to be to siege up here for the night and bury Burgo in the morning fine with me. Nedd to make the place safer though and with Ismarks' permission go check Ireenas room for weak points, (Perhaps Vorkath can do that....poking around a ladies quarters not a thing for some uncouth ruffian like Agrippo!), can we get hold of any surplus oil flasks and torches....fire makes a good defence though we don't want to burn the house down.

So Agrippo will set to hammer away new nails and boards in place and guard the hallway.

[Zhym]

Date: Nouluna 2, 1221
Time: 4:20 PM
Weather: Overcast
Moon: Waxing gibbous
Location: The Burgomaster's Home
**************************************

You prepare for an attack.

Tibbius asks if Ismark and Ireena would allow him to prepare an illusion of the dead Burgomaster's ghost. They are not thrilled with the idea. "But you may do so if you think it will help," allows Ismark, "although I have my doubts that it would fool Strahd, much less scare him. The devil has seen worse than ghosts, and has no conscience." Ismark also tells you that the Burgomaster had no pets.

Tumbler, Robert, and Agrippo begin checking the worn mansion's defenses. All the windows are heavily and tightly boarded up from the inside. You hammer in a few more nails, mostly just to feel useful. Agrippo looks for extra torches and oil, but finds none. He then checks on the horses, which are still tied up outside the mansion.

The stable mentioned in a previous post is in town and has not been in use for years.

Tumbler oils and locks the gate outside. One of the gates is off its hinges, but Tumbler is more than skilled enough to rehang it.

Ismark offers to draw a map of the place to assist your defense planning.

Burgomaster's House.png (97.93 KiB) Viewed 615 times

You are in the drawing room. The dead Burgomaster is in the parlor.

Vorkath asks his companions questions but gets no answer. He continues to show a keen interest in Ireena, offering to "stand guard" over her himself.

Vorkath also looks for servants. Finding none, he wonders who let Strahd into the house.

Status: Robert: 37/37, Iluq: 39/39, Vokarth: 40/40, Tibbius: 22/22, Randolph: 4/4, Tumbler: 39/39, Agrippo: 52/52

[Eulalios]

Tibbius has for now postponed summoning an image of Kolyan. Responding to Vorkath, he wonders aloud whether Strahd might already be in the house, perhaps in a kitchen cellar.

"Has the devil consistently entered and left by the front door?" he further asks.

Presuming an affirmative answer, he requests a broom, and evenly spreads one bag of continually lighted sand across the entry floor. "Disorientation makes illusions more believable," he says. "Do we have a spear among us?" He examines the structure of the entry foyer, especially the ceiling: what are the materials?

In passing he further inquires of Ismark, "As Burgomaster, was there any sort of noise or mannerism that your father would make, when he had caught a man at disadvantage, perhaps in a trap that man set for himself?"

To Agrippo, Tibbius quietly mentions the quick combustion of cobwebs.


... and, (hopefully) finally, a suggestion to the party en troupe: "As we're confronting a fiend of the night, why not defer sleep til after next sunrise?"

[Zhym]

Date: Nouluna 2, 1221
Time: 4:30 PM
Weather: Overcast
Moon: Waxing gibbous
Location: The Burgomaster's Home
**************************************

The ceiling is painted wood and plaster. The floor is hardwood that has lost its shine with the seasons.

"Yes, both times Strahd has gained entry, he has entered through the front door. We do not know how he left—Ireena fell unconscious each time she was bitten, and I was busy fighting his minions. I am certain, however, that he is not in this building."

"Though tough, my father was a gentle man," he adds. "I never knew him to set traps or set a man at a disadvantage in the way you describe."

Status: Robert: 37/37, Iluq: 39/39, Vokarth: 40/40, Tibbius: 22/22, Randolph: 4/4, Tumbler: 39/39, Agrippo: 52/52

[Computer +1]

Tumbler asks Ismark if he has any wine bottles around. (If not he will empty a full bottle or two) With the bottles, some cloth and his special jug, Tumbler sets about making a few Molotov cocktails. "Fire consumes even the undead" he thinks to himself as he gets to work.

[Zhym]

Ismark asks about your plans. "Do I understand correctly that you want to invite the devil into this home...and set fires inside it?"

[Eulalios]

Tibbius chuckles. "What's the old saying? If the devil won't go to hell, we must bring it to him?"

[Computer +1]

Tumbler chuckles at Ismark. I don't want to burn down this house any more then I want to light myself on fire..... but when push comes to shove I ain't a priest an' fire kills everything. Think of this as a in case of emergency kind of last resort idea.

[Zhym]

Date: Nouluna 2, 1221
Time: 4:40 PM
Weather: Overcast
Moon: Waxing gibbous
Location: The Burgomaster's Home
**************************************

Ismark bristles at Tumbler's amusement. "No. Think of it more as a 'never in this home' kind of idea. No fire."

"The vampyr has lived 400 years. You don't think someone has thought of lobbing a torch at it in all that time?"

Status: Robert: 37/37, Iluq: 39/39, Vokarth: 40/40, Tibbius: 22/22, Randolph: 4/4, Tumbler: 39/39, Agrippo: 52/52

[Computer +1]

Tumbler squares up to Ismark. You got a better idea then go fer it! You beg fer help then don't try to get picky when it comes! You make the call, your sister or your house?!

[Eulalios]

Tibbius runs both hands through his paler-lime-green hair and stretches his lime-green face in an eerie smile that shows his pale, pale green teeth and darker lime-green tongue.

"It can be a bit exasperating to deal with limited imaginations," he says, "but I remind myself that you are young, and mortal, and lacking skill. My thinking did involve throwing a torch. Also, it involved the vampyr being tangled up in a very sticky, very combustible substance, while we doused it with additional flammable liquids and stuck a spear through its hollow heart. Preferably while it believed itself garrotted by the grimly-chuckling ghost of your father."

[Bouv]

Robert shakes his head, "I'm not a fan of burning him within this house. I say we attempt to overwhelm him and maybe just drive him away. In the past he's only had one or two people to deal with. Now we've upped that number and hopefully that will do."

[Eulalios]

Robert shakes his head, "I'm not a fan of burning him within this house. I say we attempt to overwhelm him and maybe just drive him away. In the past he's only had one or two people to deal with. Now we've upped that number and hopefully that will do."

Tibbius flings out his hands in exasperation. "We're talking about an inhuman fiend, 400 years old and clearly hard to kill! Who, per Ismark, may have trapped us in this village til our own deaths free us. 'Just drive him away' will not resolve the fundamental problem, which is that somebody has lured us into a bag from which we must cut our way out."

[Bouv]

Robert states, "I meant just for now. I agree this evil has corrupted this land and upset the natural balance and needs to be dealt with. However, if we try to deal with him in an effective and lasting way in the house, I fear the house will be destroyed and the occupents harmed in someway. Plus, I think dealing with him in daylight would be better than at night."

[Grognardsw]

Vorkath / conversation

"Gentlemen! We share common goal, let us not bicker on best means," says Vorkath, remembering the diplomatic ways of his old priest teachers."Ismark, I can assure you we won't burn down your ancestral home."

"And I doubt Strahd will make this the battleground against a group of adventurers that he likely summoned," continues the Guardian of the Truth. "The vampyr has not plagued this house since the burgomaster died. We may be getting ahead of ourselves in such elaborate defense, though I still advise it."

"We cannot lay in for a siege every night, however. The battle must be brought to Strahd. We must gird ourselves for his castle, infiltrate by light of day, exterminate his evil vermin, and put the vampyr to stake!"

"So says the Sword of the True God," says Vorkath passionately, his holy conviction contagious, his arm sweeping the room. "So say we all!"

I suggest all of our collective defensive ideas be executed. Don't talk anymore about fire. If its needed and can be done "safely", do it. NJ, if Iluq has the spells referred to I assume you cast them. We have Ileena sleep in the library, which has no windows. The doors will be spiked closed.