5E Curse of Strahd game

[Etl17]

Alright, so our brave adventurers are...

JNAProductions as Orianna, Human Cleric
Killscrew as Daven Blacklung, Halfling Rogue/Bard
Pope Scarface as Maxwell Silverhammer, Dwarf Ranger
ShadyRaven as Ivan Starang, Human rogue
WilliamD40 as a Human fighter Paladin

Now without further ado, Curse of Strahd!

To a party of seasoned adventurers such as yourselves, what you see is another dull tavern in another dull town in some nameless province. It is but another span of time between the challenges of true adventuring. Outside of the tavern, a fog overlies the town this evening. The damp, cobbled pavement glistens as the lights of street lanterns dance across the slick stones. The fog chills the bones and shivers the souls of anyone outside.
Yet inside the tavern walls the food is hearty and the ale is warm and frothy. A fire blazes in the hearth and the tavern is alive with the tumbling voices of country folk.
Suddenly, the tavern door swings open and a hush falls over the room. Framed by the lamp-lit fog, a form strides through the doorway. His heavy booted footfalls and the jingle of his coins shatter the silence. His brightly colored clothes are draped in loose folds about him and his hat hangs askew, hiding his eyes in the shadows. Without hesitation, he walks up to his table and stands proudly in a wide stance with folded arms.
In an accented voice he says "I have been sent to deliver this message. If you be creatures of honor, you will come to my master's aid at first light. It is not advisable to travel the Svalich woods at night!" He pulls from his tunic a sealed letter addressed to all of you in flowing script. He drops the letter on the table. "Take the west road from here some five hours march down through the Svalich woods. There, you will find my master in Barovia"
Amid the stares of the patronage, the gypsy strides to the bar and says to the barkeep, "Fill these glasses one and all. Their throats are obviously parched." He drops a purse heavy with gold on the bar. With that, he leaves.
The babble of tavern voices resumes, although somewhat subdued. The letter is lying before you. The seal is in the shape of a crest you don't recognize.

[JNAProductions]

Should we? Orianna asks her companions.

[Pope Scarface]

"Honor and coin don't mean much to me, but he did buy me an ale, so why not?" growls a dwarf in a metal breastplate. "Anything in this letter about what kind of aid he was talkin' about?"

(ooc: quick post before I go to bed. do we have an ooc thread?)

[Etl17]

(We'll have one up by tomorrow.)

[JNAProductions]

"Honor and coin don't mean much to me, but he did buy me an ale, so why not?" growls a dwarf in a metal breastplate. "Anything in this letter about what kind of aid he was talkin' about?"

If people need help... I guess we should. I just hope it isn't too dangerous...

[Pope Scarface]

"If it weren't dangerous, they wouldn't be asking the likes of us, now would they?" scoffs the dwarf, reaching for the letter. He breaks the seal and opens the letter, reading its contents aloud.

[Etl17]

The letter reads:
"Hail to thee of might and valor. I, a lowly servant of Barovia send honor to thee. We plead for thy so desperately needed assistance.
The love of my life,Ireena Kolyana has been afflicted with an evil so deadly that even the good people of the village cannot protect her. She languishes from her wound, and I would have her saved from this menace.
there is much wealth in this community. I offer all that might be had to thee and thy fellows if thou shalt but answer my desperate plea.
Come quickly, for her time is at hand! All that I have shall be thine!
-Kolyan Indirovich
Burgomaster

[Killscrew]

Daven with his signature cigar handing from his lips says, "thash' a fair bee o' gol' there, I'm in." Looking among his companions the short man is not too surprised the group wants to partake in this mission, they are a bunch of ol' do gooders.

The smell of fresh high quality tobacco is almost a permanent characteristic of his person, he seems to wear it as a musk. His long bristly brown beard has the occasional burn and singed hair from fallen cigar cherries. His arms look covered in black tattoo markings, almost as if smudges of ash marked them. However, those that know him better know they are completed assassinations from a previous life.

[Pope Scarface]

"Gold and more flattery, bah!" Maxwell scoffs as he rises up to get another ale. He walks back carrying a pitcher. "Here's to adventure, and all the dumb reasons we let ourselves get drug into it," he says, filling everyone's mugs. "To do-gooders, gold-seekers, skirt-chasers, and the honorifics!" he toasts, raising his mug.

[JNAProductions]

To all of us here, and our continued good health! Orianna says, raising her own mug.

[Killscrew]

"Hear hear!" Daven says with the mug just an inch from his mouth hesitating to say the words. Jostling his brew losing some over its edge, he tries to catch it with his tongue. After the toast he brings the drink to his lips and chugs the whole brew before putting it down again. Exhaling a deep breath he lets out a loud fast sigh, [B]"awwwwww that is nice!"

[Pope Scarface]

"Well, if we're leaving at first light, I'm out until morning," Maxwell says, draining his drink and then he heads to his room, hefting his backpack and hammer over one shoulder, and grabbing his shield with the other.

[Killscrew]

"Didn't cha hear tha man barkeep the alcohol is on his Master's tab" Persuasion [roll0] Daven says with a twinkle in his eye.

[Etl17]

Daylight has arrived, it shines through your window and you remember the man's directions

[WilliamD40]

Christopher, silent throughout the drinking, the night before, readies his shield and silver weapons. Preparing, hoping to finally become a fully fledged paladin.

[Pope Scarface]

Maxwell Silverhammer is up before the morning light, and dons his battered iron breastplate and checks over his gear before putting on his backpack, and assorted weaponry. He is waiting for the late sleepers in the common room, his deerhide cowl pulled up over his brow, and his boots propped up on the table (oddly for those who pay attention to such things, boots cut after the elvish fashions).

[JNAProductions]

Orianna comes down, yawning loudly, and says Are we ready to set out?

[WilliamD40]

Standing up, Christopher, walks over to the group forming up and stands there, waiting to go.

[Killscrew]

Daven, having been awake for a bit now walks in from outside. He puts his cigar out and says, "I am now! Let us proceed!"

[Etl17]

Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors in and around the muddy roadway. Giant trees loom on both sides of the road, their branches clawing into the mist. While walking for almost an hour, you find a corpse lying on the side of the road, It looks eerily like Orianna except stripped of armor, weapons and valuables.

[Pope Scarface]

Seeing the body stripped of valuables, Maxwell pays it no mind, but stops as he expects his traveling companions will take an interest. He occupies himself keeping an eye out for signs of ambush.

[roll0] Perception

[Killscrew]

"What a grim sight indeed, how terrible," Daven says with a monotone coldness in his voice. He pities the soul left like this, however he is hard to the emotional turmoil that boils inside some at the sight of the dead and pillaged.

[Etl17]

Ok, Maxwell does not see any threats nearby. An afternoon breeze drifts through the air, blowing the dead leaves off of the path.

[Pope Scarface]

Seeing that nobody is paying any attention to the body, Maxwell continues down the path.

[Etl17]

The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armored guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet, they greet you only with silence.

[Pope Scarface]

Maxwell Silverhammer

Maxwell walks over to one of the statues, picking up the head and examining it.

stonecunning on the origin of the stonework: [roll0] (+4)

edit - 19

[Etl17]

The head has an stern and watchful look on its face. It is like no carving you have ever seen before; too rough to be elven yet too grand to be dwarven. You can tell it is a human work but you can still not tell the origin.

[JNAProductions]

Find anything important, Maxwell?

[Killscrew]

Picking up the other head and attempting to throw his voice. Daven says with a strange accent that has hard r's, "Herro, nice to meet you!" Bobbying the head up and down as he speaks in a jovial manner. Speaking out of the side of his mouth trying not to move his jaw, to no avail, he looks like an absolute moron.

He tries to put the head (if it is baseball size or smaller) into his pack for later antics.

[Pope Scarface]

Maxwell Silverhammer

"I don't recognize the craftsmanship," he says, casually letting the head fall to the ground.