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I WILL BE GOOD AS LONG AS YOU WANT ME, 1/28/24

image from wikimedia commons

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Man this suuuuuucks *wastes one hundred adversaries with one hundred perfect blows* this fucking suuuuuucks

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SESSION 0: Four by Firelight

Potential spoilers for Curse of Strahd below!

In a world not unlike a bygone time of our own, the kingdom of Borca thrived. Here, though the threat of monsters was certainly real, the notions of elves or dragons remained something reserved for fairytales. Still, unbeknownst to the common populace, something wicked curled at their borders...

For now, the only inkling of something being amiss was found in the dreams of four would-be heroes; each is plagued by a unique nightmare every night for the past several months, each one featuring a woman in red who possessed intimate knowledge of the secrets they all keep, each one receiving an offer they cannot refuse and a mysterious card - and directions to find a man in a multicolored cloak near the mysterious Svalich Woods...

At the edge of the treeline, there was a camp comprised of several sizable tents and wagons. Horses grazed, and people shuffled about tending to business. The four strangers coalesced on the outskirts of the camp, drawn to a fire tended to by an old man wearing a multicolored cloak. He invited them all to join him, and introduced himself as Stanimir. Upon questioning, he revealed that he is working for the lady in red that haunted the party's dreams; he informed us her name is Madam Eva, and that she is the best diviner in the current age.

Stanimir claimed that Madam Eva had approached him with a request to shepherd the party to her, for a price: the telling of a story. The party seems reluctant to do so, and in the stalling interim reveal to each other that they all had received a mysterious card after agreeing to Madam Eva's request in their dream. Elizabeth had "The Necromancer" card, Darren had "The Shepherd" card, Thysia had "The Conjurer" card, and Gabriel had "The Missionary" card.

Having indulged in Stanimir's hospitality, the party eventually acquiesces to his demand of a tale. First, though, Stanimir graciously decides to break the ice by telling a story of his own first...

He begins by telling the tale of the Vistani - the name for the group of people he travels with, whose camp the party is currently staying at, and the group Stanimir and Madam Eva themselves are a part of. The Vistani, he said, had been pushed out of their homeland, so they have been wandering about for hundreds of years. A long time ago, a wounded soldier found their way into a Vistani camp. He was pursued by enemies, and the Vistani protected him and nursed him back to health. It turned out this man was a prince, and as a show of gratitude, promised that the Vistani would have his eternal blessing and protection. He then became cursed, and this protection and blessing extends to this day.

Thysia then tells a story of a girl that belonged to a poor family, who was eager to aid them. One day, the family gave her to a group of people who engaged in a ritual with the girl. This ritual turned her into a werewolf. Her family shunned her, and the girl drifted aimlessly trying to gain control of her monster.

Gabriel tells a story of a miller, a baker, and a prince that got into an argument over who had the more important role. The miller said that without their work, the baker wouldn’t have anything to bake with and the prince would go hungry. The baker said that without himself to turn the miller’s work into bread, then they would all go hungry. The prince said that only with his lands and power are the baker and miller able to work at all. The three were at an impasse, and asked the sun to break this tie. The sun said that they are the one that grows the wheat, and they are the one that allows the prince to rule, and so they are the one who is the most important.

Darren tells of a hunting trip he went on with his family - his parents and his sister. During this trip, he found a wounded boar. He went to put the boar out of its misery, and was stopped by his sister. The meat, his sister said, would taste better if the boar bled out. The pork tasted really good.

Elizabeth tells the story of a king that ruled a kingdom with an iron fist. He had a daughter, who was captured by a dragon one day. The daughter waited for rescue to come, only to give up and leave of her own abilities. When she returned home, she eavesdropped on her father speaking to his trusted advisors, and discovered that her father had paid the dragon to kidnap her. Though she was angry, the princess returned to her room and fell asleep.

The party slept in the Vistani camp, and the next day the caravan led them through the Svalich Woods. On the journey, the party talked with one another and garnered first impressions.

Darren has long, shoulder length hair and the beginnings of a scruffy beard. His frame is tall, solid, but lean. His clothes are little more than rags, dirtied and barely surviving. When he moves, one could see the barest hint of chainmail. He boasts a variety of weaponry amongst his pack - a short sword strapped to his side, a hunting knife in its sheathe attached to his boot, and a glaive upon his back, jutting upwards like a flag as he walks. He seems fond of speaking in an unrefined manner.

Gabriel, also, boasts a good build, broad shoulders hidden underneath layers of religious robes. His hair is short, beard well trimmed, and he carries himself with a sort of ease and grace that lends comfort to his presence. His vestments are white and golden, and so too do his brown eyes appear to hold an edge of gilded mirth to them. His ease seems to make one barely notice the mace he carries, nor the shield strapped to his back.

Thysia, a young woman with scraggly long black hair, walks with a hunched posture rivaling that of Darren's. Her doe eyes seem to carry a perpetual anxiety, constantly darting around fearfully. A gnarled scar etches itself across her face, alongside a spattering of freckles. Her clothes are tatters of leather and fur, something more beastial than civilized. Around her neck is a jade amulet, dangling from a silver chain, and at her hip lays a rusted, dulled scythe.

Elizabeth, by contrast, wears neat clothes sullied only by what appears to be the dirt from this endeavor and no more. Her posture is rigid - a strange appearance for a girl with such a rosy complexion. Her long blonde hair betrays her, with the occasional stray wisps of hair jutting to and fro despite the amount of time she spent attempting to tame it. Strapped to her hip in a sling, as though she may need it at a moment's notice, is a black leather bound book; alongside it, a dagger is sheathed prominently in a decorative silvered casing.

It’s revealed in the journey that Elizabeth is of noble blood. Thysia, Darren, and Gabriel claim Madam Eva did not offer them any aid in their dreams; Elizabeth notes she did in her dream, but refuses to divulge what she might need help with, only that the rest of the party might be there to help her.

Eventually, they arrive at a large, imposing wall of ancient origins. Two large statues flank the stone gate, each missing a head. Stanimir claims Madam Eva is on the other side of the wall, and that they must leave. Him and the Vistani are consumed by a cloud of thick mist, and the party walks through the open gate. It closes behind them with finality.

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hand/lighting practice

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Source ~ FAO Schwarz

Wilf Wolf by Jellycat

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• Man's greatcoat and detachable cape.

Date: 1840-1860

Place of origin: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Medium: Wool twill (broadcloth) with silk velvet.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Goodbye Iowa - 4.14

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"I disappeared into books when I was very young, disappeared into them like someone running into the woods."

—Rebecca Solnit

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EMERALD GREEN CUT VELVET CAPE, 1870’s - 1880’s. 

Velvet triangle having a deep floral border with cord and velvet trim having knotted fringe and quilted silk lining.

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shout out 2 women who r creatures

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ENTER — IF YOU DARE . . .

. . . 🕯️ my name is alice! . . . she/her or they/them. 25 years old.

hi there! this is my sideblog for a curse of strahd campaign I am currently a player in! I play as Elizabeth, the party's wizard. this campaign lives rent free in my head so this is for me to yell into the void about it. as a sort of fyi - pls do not try to spoil me on anything! I'm new to the module and do not know much. this blog, however, will be spoiler heavy as we progress and I come here to scream about it. the campaign does take place in a homebrew setting, and my dm has mentioned that there are some modifications; idk what those are yet, but we shall see! :>

⟢﹒ navigation 📜 session summaries 📜 more posts from moi . ✶

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*through gritted teeth* every day i choose to be kind *barely restraining myself from violence* i choose to have compassion *tamping down the vicious bloodlust inside me* i choose to care and to be kind and to love

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Anthony Cudahy, Glowing Touch

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