[[1490-12-20|<< 20 Nightal 1490]] | [[1490-12-22|22 Nightal 1490 >>]] ## 21 Nightal 1490 ~~Barovia? More like shitrovia.~~ Nevermind, that’s stupid. The point is this: Barovia sucks major ass, and today has been a very, very long day. It wasn’t all bad, I suppose. Sure, we did get attacked by two more sentient scarecrows, and sure, the second one was completely my fault, and yes, I did get raven guts all over me – but! I got a couple solid hits in, and we bought a sheep and a mule. So, it’s like I said: not all bad. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe I should start from the beginning. We began the day with a trip to Bildrath’s mercantile, manned by none other than Bildrath himself. He was an ass, to say the least. I don’t feel the slightest bit bad for stealing that deck of cards; I also picked up a shiny crystal for Skoll after he and Nia tried to help me get those cards for cheap. Skoll and Nia also swiped some bread, so it’s good to know that they both know how to live a little. Afterward, I haggled some “dream pastries” from some depressed old woman. I gave one each to Skoll and Nia – keeping even and all that – and they had a bit of a trip with them. Then it was time for the funeral. There was inhuman screaming coming from the church basement when we got there, of course. Because why wouldn’t the Barovian church have a “creature problem”? I didn’t care to investigate, and thankfully neither did my traveling companions. The funeral was not a very grand ordeal. Ismark cried, Ireena didn’t, and I spent most of the time regretting that I hadn’t picked up one of those pastries for myself. Departing from Ismark was not much of an ordeal, either. He seems like a good man, I suppose, but I think him being the first Barovian I spoke to might have soured my opinion of him a little. The four of us weren’t on the road for long before a corpse appeared where there wasn’t one before, hanging from the gallows we had just passed. Ireena didn’t seem too surprised – at that point, neither did I. The fact that the corpse was staring at us was just the cherry on top. Further down the road – near the Tser pool – we came upon an encampment of a people called the Vistani. We talked to a nice woman named Magda who politely informed us that the only way out of Barovia is by permission of Lord Strahd, which is just real fucking lucky, if I do say do myself. Knowing payment was coming at the end of the day, I picked up a tinderbox and a dice set; hopefully I'll find some time to use it in this gods-foresaken country. Skoll bought a sheep for some reason, which Ireena decided to name Edward. I think I’ll be calling him Eddie, though. Nia and I went in a mule together. She named him Lloks, probably because of its striking resemblance to our mutual associate, Skoll. On Magda’s recommendation, we went to see Madame Yva, the fortune teller at the encampment. I didn’t like the idea to begin with – and, sure enough, she immediately reassured me that I didn’t have to worry because there was not a “military chasing” us. I didn’t say a goddamn word to that. She also mentioned that there are no nobles after us, either – last I checked, that wasn’t on my list of worries. I think it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one hiding something. Like all good fortune tellers, Yva said a bunch of batshit things that didn’t make sense. She did mention a “sword of sunlight,” which sounds pretty cool, I guess. After leaving the Vistani, we found a probable-werewolf’s clothes, which we left mostly alone. Skoll did leave some bread for them, because of course he did, and I drew a masterpiece on Nia’s note, because of course I did. After that, we got attacked by some scarecrows. Well, we got attacked by a single scarecrow, and then I woke another up after shooting it on impulse. Not one of my proudest moments. It was a sorry fight. We all made it out, thankfully, but Skoll and Nia – for all the damage they did – spent most of the time frightened out of their minds. And, even though Nia dealt the final blows, she did miss many times before that. I did excellent, however. The only casualty – other than the scarecrows, and a chunk of Skoll’s ear (thanks to Nia) – was my temporary hygiene. Thankfully most of the raven innards washed right off in Lake Zarovich. We made it into Vallaki without too much trouble, which does make me a little concerned for how well the town will do to keep Strahd out. I am trying not to worry too much, though. We’re staying at the Blue Water Inn, sticking together for now – it only makes sense. We found a bard there who stuck out like a sore thumb. After speaking to him, it became clear that in he has not once entertained the idea that he cannot leave during his many months in Barovia. Best case scenario is that he’s right, and Magda was full of shit. Whatever the case, the bard – Rictavio is his name – gave Ireena a nice cover for the time being. Rictavio is in Barovia gathering circus performers, and Ireena is the latest (and first) member of his crew. In a few days time, we will attempt to get the fuck out of Barovia; in the meantime, Ireena will stay at the inn. What else? I did catch a trout with my talons, which was pretty cool, and I’m rooming with Ireena, which is also pretty cool. But I think that’s everything of note. I know that I have been rather brief about an exceptionally eventful day, but I have my aching bones to blame for that. Although I guess I can speak a little more to my fellow castaways. Nia seems serious and awkward and unwilling to part with any information about who she is and where shes from. I am certain that Yva’s comment about the nobles was directed at her – but I would be a fool to critique her for this, for obvious reasons. Other than the fact that weed seems to make her very sad, she seems alright. She – like Skoll – has the unfortunate tendency to give a fuck about other people. She seems very invested in keeping Ireena safe, beyond the terms of the job that we were hired to do. But she knows how to crack a joke, and she doesn’t seem interested in bugging me about my past, so I don’t mind being around her. Skoll also doesn’t seem to give a fuck where I came from, which I appreciate. Skoll doesn’t seem to give a fuck about much – other than people, like I mentioned – and it kind of makes for some hilarious situations. I often find myself delighted by just how clueless he seems to be, and I don’t even mind that he spends half of his time hiding behind me. I do wish that he would stop being so nice to me, though – same with Nia. Besides that, though, I am enjoying their – and Ireena’s – presence. I will be glad to be out of Barovia, but I suppose that I could have worse company in the meantime. --- ## Page Tags/Properties **Tags:** #Journal **Category:** [[Journals and Writings.base|Journals and Writings]] **Character:** [[Krue d'Avenir|Krue]] **Campaign:** [[Curse of Strahd]] **Date ([[Calendar of Harptos|Harptos]]):** 12/21/1490