#I fucking lost my shit when Yeska and Ferrin had the conversation about how her arm got so fucked up

[madammayh3m]

Day 7: Turns Out Thais has a Personality

Oh boy. Oh fucking boy. The recap is almost caught up to where the campaign left off and we’ve officially only been in Barovia for a week. Curse of Strahd spoilies obvi, especially since we go see the witch today.

Thais and Ferrin go down to speak with Urwin in the morning. He has his two sons, Bram and Bray, who were in the kitchen helping with breakfast, go ‘help’ their mother with something as a way to get them out. As they’re leaving, Bray looks up at Thais and asks if she’s dead. She leans down slightly and – trying to be scary in a good-natured way to this kid she’s known almost his whole life – tells him, “yes.” He goes to ask her more questions, but Urwin shoos him out.

Urwin and Thais have a long conversation about what has been going on exactly since she’s been away. She reveals literally everything to him – that she’s dead, she doesn’t really remember anything, that she’s been outside of Barovia for the past eight months, everything she knows about herself, and the whole situation with the Abbot (which he finds hysterically funny). He also mentions the soldiers in silver armor upon hearing about her particular brand of undeath, further solidifying her theory that she’s connected to them somehow. In turn, Urwin tells her what has been going on and reveals aspects of her past to her: she was a barmaid at the Blue Water Inn, she and Yeska were engaged, her father died from disease shortly after she left, and that her mother left town and hasn’t been seen since, that Yeska went to Brez to speak with the witch there and was dragged back half dead by his horse (which later died of its own wounds), and that after that visit with the witch, he can now use magic when he couldn’t before. Thais is pissed that the witch hurt him. He also tells them that, if they want to leave town, they’d have to do it right now, because if the Burgomaster catches them trying to leave while there’s a festival going on, they’ll be imprisoned and publicly humiliated. Thais also asks him about the pinecone gems, as one of them did go missing while he was courting Danika. He doesn’t know where the unaccounted-for third gem has gone and simply points them in the direction of Brez.

Before leaving, Ferrin – now knowing more about Thais and the extent of her and Yeska’s relationship – tries to convince Thais that they should ask Yeska for information on the witch of Brez. Thais sees her point and the two have Urwin send one of his sons to go get him. He arrives and Ferrin introduces herself as Lucy; Thais doesn’t speak to him, and she doesn’t really manage to keep her cool, but he doesn’t say anything to her. Ferrin does all the talking and asks Yeska for any information he has about Brez and the witch. He warns them to stay away, but does still tell them what he knows about the area and a little about his experience ‘meeting’ her, including that she is an ally of Strahd but hates ravens, and unintentionally reveals that she gave him the scar over his eye. Thais, via Ferrin, pays him and he notes that one of the coins is from outside Barovia (specifically, the place he was originally from). He leaves without indicating that he thinks something is up with Thais.

The two make their plan to sneak out of the city and they move through the city like ghosts, making it out past a night-shift guard who hasn’t been relieved from his post yet. As they make their way down the road, Thais notices a skeleton in the grass – the skeleton is holding a bag in its arms. Inside the bag was a twisted iron key, a baby rattle, and a drawing of a man and a woman, carefully wrapped. Thais took the key, and Ferrin made sure that the drawing was protected from the elements before they continued on to Brez.

Upon reaching Brez, the two notice a ring of standing stones very similar to the ones on Yester Hill – there is a light between them. Ferrin has Lucy scope out the area, and she notices an old woman with a lantern and a dagger, standing and looking over the river towards the ruins of Brez. Ferrin approaches her with the intent to ask her for advice crossing the river, but the woman flees behind one of the standing stones. Following her, Ferrin finds only a raven behind the stone, which flies away.

Observing the standing stones closer, they note that there are animals carved on some of them - a bear, an elk, a hawk, a goat, an owl, a panther, a raven, and a wolf, but that the cardinal stones are left blank. Thais - and Ferrin, catching onto Thais’ habits - leave an offering of gold at this ancient place of worship before continuing on.

The two observe the river and, finding it relatively slow moving and shallow, swim across with minimal difficulty, though the book Thais found at the shrine when they first arrived was ruined. Upon reaching the other side, however, they are accosted by a swarm of biting flies as they try to dry out their clothes and armor slightly before continuing. Though they are able to fend them off, Ferrin quickly begins to develop a fever and experiences fits of laughter that come on much like a cough would - a disease called cackle fever, colloquially known as the shrieks, runs rampant here. They observe the ruins and notice a group of seven scarecrows, stuffed with black feathers that they identify as the constructs that Davian mentioned. The two decide to go directly to the witch’s hut in the center of the ruins and see what information they can get from her about themselves, as she may be knowledgeable about the kinds of magic that affect them, and what Yeska came there for, before trying to kill her. The hut is built onto a tree with many roots that resemble the legs of an insect. There is also a giant’s skull, turned upside down, in front of the hut, and two cages absolutely stuffed with very unhappy ravens that scream at the two women, alerting the witch inside.

Initially it seems to go well despite the fact that she is also absolutely insane - inside the hut is, among other things, an old wooden tub stained with blood, an altar of some kind, and a crib with a baby inside in the center of the room, though Thais notes that the latter is not in fact a real child, but a powerful illusion spell. A green glow, much like the glow that came from inside the tree blight back at the winery, emanates from under the floorboards. Baba Lysaga welcomes them inside and cures Ferrin’s cackle fever. She also invades Ferrin’s privacy in a major way in order to find out more about the fundamentals of her existence. While she magically examines Ferrin’s very being, Lucy flutters out of Ferrin’s hood and hangs from the ceiling, watching everything, her eyes having turned a different color. Ferrin learns that she is a vampire that is missing her divinity - and that to fully become a vampire, she must claim a source of divinity. They also learn that Baba Lysaga was Strahd’s nursemaid - she thinks of herself as his real mother, and holds a great deal of animosity to his biological mother, who she said favored Strahd’s younger brother. She was banished from the castle for using magic on Strahd when he was an infant in order to unlock his latent potential. However, her attitude towards the two quickly shifts as she comes to the conclusion that Ferrin is a brazen hussy seeking to seduce her precious “son” for his power. However, she turns her attention from Ferrin onto Thais.

Sensing that things are about to go south anyway, Ferrin tells her that Thais is undead, and the two try to reveal enough aspects of her condition to Baba Lysaga without revealing that her end goal and purpose for revival was to kill Strahd. However, Baba Lysaga catches on quickly, and reveals that the only revenants in Barovia were of the Order of the Silver Dragon, the silver warriors that stood against Strahd. She also reveals that revenants are created by a desire in the soul to dedicate themselves fully to their cause, and that while they can be called, they can also choose not to answer. Finally, she tells Thais that Death will not claim her until her goal is fulfilled, and she then asks what, exactly, Thais’ goal is. In a last attempt to not anger her before finding out more information, Thais lies about her goal, stating that it was her desire to marry her fiance that brought her back, but Baba Lysaga sees through the lie and (correctly) assumes that Thais’ purpose is to kill her “baby boy,” and attacks the two of them, slamming the door of the hut shut magically.

The fight does not go particularly well - she casts Crown of Madness on Ferrin who, in the cramped space of the hut, has no choice but to attack Thais. However, the two women keep her blocked into the hut, preventing her from using some of her more offensive spells at the risk of catching herself in the fallout. She also summons several swarms of flies that fill the hut, further whittling away at the two women. Suddenly, the door of the hut bursts open, and Ezmerelda stands in the doorway, telling them they need to leave, now. Upon seeing another, more powerful, adversary has joined the fight, Baba Lysaga casts Finger of Death on Thais, killing her instantly (she failed the save and it did fucking THREE TIMES HER HP IN DAMAGE).

Seeing her ally fall, Ferrin resolves to stand her ground and see the fight against Baba Lysaga to the end. It’s a close fight, and Baba Lysaga awakens her Creeping Hut, which begins to move and shake, trying to throw the enemies inside of it around. Ferrin stays upright thanks to her Spider Climb abilities and she and Ezmerelda finally get the witch on the ropes. Baba Lysaga attempts to escape by turning into a swarm of flies as she gets closer and closer to death, but as she escapes the hut, Ferrin and Ezmerelda finally kill her. She dies in agony, fading away into nothing.

The hut, however, is still very much alive; Ferrin rips up the floorboards, revealing the pinecone gem that rests in the hollow trunk of the living tree. The trunk has barbs that gnash together like a mouth. Ferrin and Ezmerelda both try to reach into the trunk to pull the gem out, and both get injured by the gnashing “teeth.” Ferrin uses the Blood spear to wedge the mouth open long enough to grab the gemstone, which destroys the spear and kills the hut in one fell swoop. As the hut falls, Ferrin catches Ezmerelda, keeping her from falling.

Ferrin helps Ezmerelda out of the hut and goes back in to retrieve Thais and investigate the witch’s belongings. She examines the altar and realizes that the source of Baba Lysaga’s magic was not freely given, but rather that she gained her powers through force and domination. She also finds a locked treasure chest, which she brings outside, and both she and Ezmerelda try to open it. Failing to pick the lock, Ferrin decides to break it open with her axe. The box itself explodes and three crawling claws fly out, very dead. Inside, Ferrin finds all of Baba Lysaga’s “winnings” from past adventurers she has slain - or at the very least, beaten, as Yeska’s hat is among the items. She splits the gold and gemstones between her, Thais, and Ezmerelda, letting the latter have first pick of the loot and a larger share of gold as thanks for saving our collective dumb ass.

Ezmerelda notices that Ferrin sets aside gold for Thais, and begins to try and comfort her, but Ferrin explains the situation. Disturbed by the revelation of Thais’ “condition,” she attempts to leave, cool guy style, but Ferrin follows after her and convinces her to at least help them back to Vallaki. On the way back, Ferrin and Ezmerelda have a very gay conversation about what Ezmerelda was even doing out there in the first place. Ezmerelda reveals that she went to Vallaki to get supplies, and that she heard two outsiders had gone out to Brez to fight Baba Lysaga. Not wanting to see the two women (or at least Ferrin) killed, she followed. Ferrin asks her where she’ll be headed next and when Ezmerelda tries to give her the runaround, she asks if she’ll be headed to Castle Ravenloft to fight Strahd directly; Ezmerelda responds very flirtily, asking if Ferrin would mind if she was. The two finally make their way back to Vallaki, where Ezmerelda drops off Ferrin and goes on her way. Meanwhile, Lucy has begun to develop symptoms of cackle fever.

Ferrin manages to get Thais’ body into the city and to the Blue Water Inn with no one asking too many questions - after all, outsiders don’t tend to last long in Barovia. Upon reaching the inn, Urwin and Danika immediately spring into action, with Urwin going to fetch Yeska, and Danika helping Ferrin get Thais out of her armor and settled into one of their rooms from the night before. When Ferrin returns downstairs to pay for the rooms, Danika almost-hugs her and thanks her for watching out for Thais. Ferrin pulls her into a full hug, almost leaping across the counter to do so, which makes Danika feel very awkward, and then goes back upstairs to wait for Yeska in her own room.

Yeska arrives and begins to patch up Ferrin and treat Lucy for her cackle fever. While treating Ferrin, he remarks on how the “mouth” in the trunk of the tree fucked up her arm, to which Ferrin responds that the house “bit her.” Nonplussed, Yeska continues to treat her and, upon finishing, allows her to pick a candy from a small jar he keeps with his medicine kit. He asks her about how her traveling companion is doing, and Ferrin convinces him that Thais is alright, and just needs to sleep without disturbance, but that he can come back when she wakes up. He leaves, and Ferrin settles in for the night.