COS 021 - To Catch A Shadow

Atlas left the hut and faced the vampire lord, who beckoned with seemingly no ill intent. The two had a conversation, and Strahd welcomed the cleric to Barovia, inquiring on the nature of his quest. He informed him that most Barovians were "soulless", though some souls still remained in the valley. Strahd related to Atlas' loss of wife and daughter, telling him a tale of his past love Marina, who had been staked by the Burgomaster of Berez. In response, Strahd killed him and flooded the village.

Strahd also provided Atlas with a short Barovian Calender Timeline, and gave the names of his parents, Barov and Ravenovia van Roeyen. When Atlas asked about the nature of becoming a vampire, Strahd offered thralldom to the cleric, which he graciously declined. The count then physically "tested" Atlas in combat, believing that a "peaceful transition of power" was impossible. Atlas gave him his best attack with his spirit guardians, but they seemed to not hinder Strahd at all before being dispelled. Still, Strahd was impressed, and told Atlas to stay alive and get stronger. Additionally, when they were east of Vallaki, he asked the Pack to join him for dinner; he provided a stamped Invitation and promising that no harm would come to them on his roads.

He left, and Atlas reported his findings to Ghalwin and Shakti, who had been magically put to deeper sleep inside the tiny hut. They agreed that before accepting the invitation, they had to find an artifact, speak to van Richten, and deal with the hags. Late, on Ghalwin's watch, he saw Shredder attempt to leave the caravan. He had a short conversation with her, and realized that she was not willingly there as a battle animal. Feeling sympathy for the saber-toothed tiger, he removed her armor, and stood alone as she prowled off into the night. When Shakti awoke, she was angry with her brother for letting such a valuable asset go, but was understanding of his decision.

In the morning, they traveled back to the Wizard of Wines, pushing their horses past the point of exhaustion to arrive in the late evening. Adrian Martikov was excited to greet them, and expressed indelible astonishment and thanks. To ensure that the Stone of Plant Growth would be successful in reviving the soil for next season's crop, Ghalwin began a holy ritual as Shakti cleared the soil with magic. The paladin went to hunt a rabbit as an offering, and Shakti noticed that some starry grey form guided his brother's arrow; some remnant of the Huntress was guiding the party. With holy water, a compass of seeds on the ground, and an ode to life giving life, the party set up the land to give wine again. They vowed to collect the other stones to allow the vineyard to flourish, and return them to the Martikovs.

Adrian answered some more of the party's questions that evening, informing them that the Burgomaster Dmitri Krezkov kept the village completely walled from outsiders. The fortification was self-sustaining, and only opened the gates for the Martikovs to bring them wine. The Pack agreed to load barrels of wine in their now-empty second wagon to fulfill the late shipment, and went to bed, ready for another day of travel. However, not all went to sleep; after the near-death experience on Yester Hill, Ghalwin sought more power and knowledge to protect his family. He reached out to Yrrga and accepted her wholly, realizing that he was turning over some part of himself to the Dark Power.

In doing so, his eyes were torn out, and he barely survived the transformation process as he became cloaked in dread. He emerged awake with "inverted" eyes, his pupils earth green with irises of starry blackness, resembling a shadowed version of Atlas' eyes. Power surged forth from him, granting him limited Truesight and some connection to Yyrga's reserves of magic. He glimpsed information from her: she was trapped in a place called the Amber Temple, and the other gemstones were in Berez and high in Castle Ravenloft. Something in the tower beat rhythmically, and Ireena was somewhere there, still alive. He also saw that the forest fane was located next to Old Bonegrinder, and that Madame Eva, alone among the Vistani, resisted Strahd.

The next morning, the Pack reacted with shock to his newfound appearance and knowledge. They had little time to mull this decision over, however: they had wine to deliver.