In his search of the room, Kellon opens up the writing desk and finds a small black book inside, a diary. The parchment pages are old and water damaged, but he can make out a few sections. It is the diary of a nursemaid working for the Durst family, her name lost to time.
Spoiler: Entry 1
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I have seen the dim look in Gustav's eyes, the dour scowl he wears whenever his wife is not looking. They were so happy once, but she grows more and more obsessed with her readings and her 'ceremonies' in the basement. More than once they have forgotten to feed the children in their room. Thank the Morninglord they have me.
Spoiler: Entry 2
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Forgive me, my Lord of Light, for I have committed grave sin. I pray that Elisabeth never finds out. Gustav was so sad, and full of tears. When at last his handsome face smiled again, I thought, what harm could there be? Perhaps if he returned to his old self, the children would be better off.
Spoiler: Entry 3
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The lady of the house has grown so much worse. Guests over at dark hours, gatherings in the basement herald unearthly howls from below. The children are petrified. And I've become so swollen, it's only a matter of time until she notices. What will she do with me?
Spoiler: Entry 4
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Praise you for Gustav's protection, my Lord of Light. Were it not for he, I fear the lady would have had me stoned in the street, or worse, dragged below to whatever hideous revelry she partakes. Even still, I fear for my life. She wants me dead, commanded Gustav to be rid of me by morning and he looked so afraid of her. Walter. I must flee with my Walter.
There are no entries past that one. Kellon notices a few old bloodstains on the corner of the desk.
Looking up from the desk, he spots a hidden hole in the wall behind the mirror. It looks as though something were thrown through the thin boards, and the mirror hung up to hide the hole until repairs that never happened. Moving it aside, he sees a small alcove, with another hidden door built into the wall across the way, into the landing. To his left is a set of rickety wooden stairs leading up to an attic.
Anton meanders into the room, peeking into the nursery. He unlatches the wooden fence and steps inside to take a look. And when he approaches the crib - that's when the flames within their enclosed lamps flicker for a moment, the room's ambient light darkening. A chill runs down Kellon's spine as he sees the glass of the mirror and windows frost over.
"WAAAAAALTEEEEER!" a shriek like the heavens themselves were thrown open, and a hurricane wind rips through the room, flapping curtains and sending the pages of the diary flapping open. The mirror cracks and shatters, frosted fragments of glass scattering across the floor. Kellon turns around and sees a figure of a woman, skeleton thin and wrapped in a tattered night gown. It flaps around her in the wicked wind. He cannot see her face from his side, but her eyes are trained on a terrified Anton. "DO NOT TOUCH MY WAALTEER!"
Anton swiftly holds out his wand and waves it at her. "Stay back! Suffosio!" The spell does not seem to cause her any distress, but the Nursemaid falters and falls to a knee with another horrible shriek.
Gweyir sets one hand against the floor and calls out, "Ignitum!" Streaks of mana shoot out from her fingers and form a circle beneath the specter, igniting in a blaze. Despite the flame's heat being felt even by Kellon, it does not seem to catch on the floorboards.
Spoiler: Initiative
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And so the
second combat begins. The effects that herald her appearance mean no Surprise condition.
Anton: 18
Gweyir: 17
Kellon: 8
The Nursemaid: 8
Spoiler: Combat Log
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Anton casts 'Suffosio'. The ghost is immune to necrotic damage, but is knocked Prone by his spell.
Gweyir casts (Kellon Arcana:
Create Bonfire) under the ghost, dealing
2 fire damage.
It is Kellon's turn.
Re: Curse of Strahd Solo Run (IC)
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