[[1491-01-11|<< 11 Hammer 1491]] | [[1491-01-13|13 Hammer 1491 >>]] ## 12 Hammer 1491 Today was not a very good day, even by Barovian standards. But I got to see Ireena, at least. I woke up with the worst headache anyone has ever had. Still, last night was fun. I managed to get Ezmerelda, Yesper, and Rictavio in the same room; Godfrey was there too, but alcohol doesn’t do much for him anymore. Yesper tapped out in the first round. I think it might’ve been his first time drinking alcohol, with the way he reacted to it. He tried to drink a little more when the rest of us were on our second round - but he left suddenly, presumably to go vomit. Rictavio was acting like he was unaware that we were having a drinking contest. Despite this, he made it to the third round before he put down his drink. I think he could’ve gone longer if he had been a little more motivated. I was pretty motivated myself. Ezmerelda seemed to be enjoying herself. She made it through the first few rounds quick and easy, but I outpaced her once or twice. It took until the sixth round for me to trip up - I coughed, but I kept going, and I managed to finish my drink. By the seventh round, we were both struggling. We went on for an eighth. I could tell that Ezmerelda was having to force the alcohol down - she looked a little woozy. I had proved my point by then, and it definitely wasn't my goal to have Ezmerelda pass out. It wasn’t the first time that I took a hit to my pride in order to give Ezmerelda the win. I’m guessing - hoping, even - that it won’t be the last. She had one last drink before claiming her victory. She called me a lightweight, which - in my drunken state - I did not take as the joke it was. She also demanded payment - another joke that went over my head. We argued for gods know how long. I’m not sure if anything happened after that; it’s the last thing I remember before waking up in a chair this morning. Ezmerelda was slumped face down on the table. I got her some water, but didn’t wake her - it was still early. Godfrey caught me as I was leaving the room. He poked a little fun at me, which I can’t begrudge him for. But he also told me that he and Vladimir used to get up to "similar antics" back in the day, so now I have to live with that thought in my mind. I took off for Vallaki, my head still pounding. I’m glad I didn’t see any trouble on the way - I probably would’ve just thrown up on whatever was assaulting me. Father Lucian was dead tired when I found him in the church. He had filled up a sizable amount of flasks with holy water for us. I felt a little bad, even though we'll definitely use them in the fight against Strahd. I headed to the backroom after making sure Lucian was taking a break. Ireena was there, playing cards. She was happy to see me. I gave her a book that I had picked up at the Amber Temple - it seemed kind of shitty, honestly, but it's the only book I've managed to find. Ireena seemed to appreciate it anyway. She’s doing well enough. But I'll be glad to get her out of that little room, and not just for her sake - I miss her. Ezmerelda was still asleep when I got back to the tower in the late morning. I nudged her before taking a quick step back - sure enough, she woke up swinging. I managed to catch her before she face-planted on the ground. Ezmerelda was very, very hungover, and I wasn’t doing much better. Thankfully, Skoll and Nia got back soon after. Skoll worked a little magic on us - I’ve still felt the ghost of a headache all day, but I feel a lot better than I did when I woke up this morning. Headache-wise, at least. Nia gathered pretty quickly that something terrible had happened. When she asked what, Ezmerelda would only tell her that there was a giant scorpion involved. I didn’t bother contradicting her - Ezmerelda’s lie was a lot more glorious than the truth. The rest of my day was spent recovering. At one point, I saw Skoll whispering aside to Godfrey - then, he asked Ezmerelda to come with him upstairs. It wasn’t weird in itself, but Skoll gave me one of his shit-eating grins as he was on his way up. For what was not the first time in my life, I considered walking into the forest and never coming back. Ezmerelda returned not too long after they left. She was scowling. She abruptly stated that she’s ready to be "done with this all." She asked the two of us in the room - me and Nia - if we were on board with that. Nia answered in the affirmative. I went to respond, but I found a lump in my throat. The answer was a little complicated to begin with. And then there was the fact that - with the grin Skoll gave me before going upstairs - Skoll and Ezmerelda were probably talking about something to do with me. And something about that conversation prompted Ezmerelda to want to leave Barovia - and presumably get away from us all, including me - as soon as possible. It was not a good feeling. It took a while, but I eventually said that, yeah, I was on board. Ezmerelda met my eyes for the first time since she had come back downstairs; I could tell that she saw right through me, straight to the heart of the matter. Still, I held her gaze. Ezmerelda went outside. I was left with my hurt feelings. Skoll came down then. He looked sad, but he wouldn’t tell me what happened. It was more than a bit frustrating. Tomorrow we will attempt to kill Rahadin. Soon, Strahd. And then it will all be done. For now, my chest hurts, and there is little to do for it. --- ## 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]]):** 01/12/1491