The party leave the Inn once more with Ireena remaining behind for her safety, while Francesco maintains a disguise making himself look like Ireena. Having been sitting outside the Inn, Slate looks up from Viktors Diary to see the party exiting. With Abe at the front, not wanting to looking at the fake Ireena, Slate reveals the contents of the diary and what he has learned about Viktor:
Viktor has been teaching himself to cast magic and has gotten the hang of it to an extent. Based on what Slate has read, the magic he has been testing is some way for him to escape Barovia. But he isn't entirely confident in his capabilities just yet. So he had been trialing his magic on people, one subject being the Wachters daughter, Stella. The girl the party met with cat-like behaviors. Now it seems he's moved on to testing on the servants of his families manor...
Being let past into the manor, a maid provides drinks to the party. Abe, Tariel and 'Ireena' partake while Slate declines and follows the group into the Barons parlor. Entering the space, Abe stops when he sees Viktor and Vargas in a heated argument until Lydia, Vargas' wife, informs the two men of the parties arrival. Summer, pretending to be a dog with Torbin riding her as a flea, had already entered the room and settled behind a sofa and overheard part of Vargas chastising Viktor for neglecting part of his duties at the Reformation Center. Apparently, Viktor was supposed to be running the court in the Center but had been in discussions with the Reformers instead.
In a huff, Viktor walks past the party, declaring to the room that he was retiring to his room for the night.
Finally starting to calm down, Vargas introduces himself to 'Ireena'. Lydia also greets 'Ireena', pulling the fake girl aside for some 'lady talk', Tariel heading over to back up the bumbling Francesco.
Vargas greets Abe and Slate, stating that they were waiting on two more guests to arrive before they go to the dining hall. Two of the Reformers was supposed to be joining them for dinner tonight. Apparently the Father of the Chruch was invited too but had declined the invitation. Two elves enter the room, Vargas introducing them as two of the three Reformers of the Reformation Center: the brothers Legalai and Ilimir.
The two brothers seem to ignore the party, keeping to themselves as they begin drinking wine at an impressive rate.
Lydia had quite a bit to say to 'Ireena' and Tariel: telling them that she's been working hard to help prepare the Festival for 'the poor people' of Vallaki. Despite attempting to sound positive about her attribution, she can't seem to help but to press that others in the city are below her in status without directly saying it...
'Ireena' mentions that she heard something about the Wachters daughter, which seem to put Lydia on edge as she tries to find out where 'Ireena' had heard this rumor. 'Ireena' says she heard it from Izak, the Guard Captain. That seemed to surprise Lydia more, why would her adopted son say such things? 'Ireena' just shrugged, saying that Izak also enjoyed playing with dolls. This comment made Lydia go silent...
Vargas declared it was time to go to the dining room, dinner is about ready. He tells Slate to leave Summer behind, a maid entering and leaving a food bowl of chicken scraps for the strange dog. With the party heading to the dining room, Summer scarfs down her meal and keeps banging the bowl to get more food.
In the dining hall, Vargas asks 'Ireena' about the state of Barovia (the town) and her father. 'Ireena' starts to ramble before explaining that Ireenas father had passed away about a week ago. As Tariel and Fran chat with Lydia and Vargas, Slate finds himself and the Reformers eyeing each other. Speaking to Slate in Elvish, Legalai asks if his party were from beyond the fog. Slate confirms, the two brothers telling Slate that they used to be adventures from outside of Barovia.
The two brothers, and their sister who was still at the Reformation Center, were part of an 8-person party that attempted to try and overthrow Strahd. Only for half the party to be wiped out and the 5th member dying when the party tried to exit Barovia through the mist. Since then, they came to Valliki to try and stop others from trying to even attempt what they had done. As much as they hate Vargas, they don't want others to die in vain. Especially outsiders from Barovia, as one brother mentions that 'we cannot be resurrected'
Seeing potential allies in the brothers, Slate asks if they know about a weapon to defeat Strahd. The brothers had heard of this rumor, but don't suggest obtaining it. Slate asks if anyone else may have more information about the weapon, one brother suggesting the Grey Elves that live south of Valliki. But Ilimir tells Slate that if they catch wind that he or his party plan to take on Strahd, the brothers WILL stop them from throwing their lives away.
Someone outside the hall calls out and the doors open, Izak enters the dining hall and stops when he sees his parents had guests. He apologies and makes his leave as 'Ireena' peeks her head out from under the table.
Abe explains what learned from the Reformation Center and lays out his plan to orchestrate a fake rebellion to potentially flush out any actual ones. But that would require the prisoner he took in and his wife to be released. Intrigued by this plan, Vargas agrees and orders the brothers to have the two prisoners in question released in the morning. Legalai tells that their sister was currently reforming the wife as they spoke, but Vargas doesn't care. They must be released in the morning.
Meanwhile in the parlor, Summer heard Izak enter the manor and go upstairs and decided now was the chance for her and Torbin to sneak about. Slipping out of the parlor, the small monk climbed the stairs and made a beeline for the small closet where she and Torbin had found the old man chained in. Only to find it empty...
Banging and cursing come from across the hall from where Summer was, Viktors bedroom door bursts open as the young man storms away, not seeing Summer following after him. Entering his parents bedroom, Viktor casts a spell that lowers a ladder leading to the attic before him. Torbin, who had snuck ahead in his flea form, gives Summer a sign to move ahead and enters the bedroom. Seeing the ladder and no Viktor, she climbs up the ladder with Torbin on her back. Slowly moving through the furniture of the attic, the two find themselves before a door with words written on it.
Torbin climbs off Summer and slips under the door, finding a nearly bare Viktor on a stool in the center of what appeared to be a make-shift study with a large tome on his lap as he chants. A few skeleton cats lurk around the room, eyeing their master at work. Viktor curses slamming his book shut and moving across the room to a large rug that he pulls aside to reveal a large spell circle.
Torbin returns to Summer, shifting back to his Gnome self to explain what he saw. Maybe the Spellbook could show what Viktor is up to?
Summer grins and agrees to distract the mage. Pawing at the door while Torbin hid, Summer can hear Viktor cursing and stomping to the door.
That suddenly slips between his legs into the room and begins chasing the cats around the room. Viktor slams the door shut as Torbin slips through in his flea form, deciding that this intruder will be his next test subject once he can get it in the circle.
Except catching Summer seemed to take Viktors complete attention as he tries to pull the Kobold out from under a table, Summer watches as Torbin reappears as himself, snatches the Spellbook from where Viktor left it and turns back into a flea with the book in his possession. Seeing the plan had worked, Summer slipped out past Viktor and threw another stool through a window. Viktor, getting more furious, tries to catch Summer again but the small monk slips around him on all fours. Torbin attempts to jump onto Summer for the escape, but the shifted druid wasn't fast enough to get on Summer as she bolted toward the broken window. The Druid makes his way toward the closed door as Summer stands on the window-frame, grinning back at the mage.
Before jumping out of the window. Landing three stories below without injury, Summer bolts for the front door of the manor. Out of sight before Viktor could reach the window and spot her.
Having slipped out under the door Torbin, heard Viktor curse again and begin tossing things in his room. Looking for a particular book, maybe? Shifting back to his Gnome form, he casts a spell outside the door. The Snare trap set behind him, Torbin sneaks back down to the stairs and shifting back into a flea as the guards outside the front door look confused as to how the adventurers dog had managed to get outside without them noticing. The smug Summer trots back toward the parlor, the Flee-Torbin landing on her as she passes under the stairs.
Back in the dining room, Lydia talks Tariel into coming to the morning service in the church the next day. 'Ireena' asks Vargas if they could take a bottle of wine for the road, the question confusing Vargas as he was told that the party were staying at the Inn where he gets his wine from... But still gives her a bottle.
With the dinner wrapping up, Abe collects Summer as the party leaves for the Inn.
Reaching their room in the inn, Summer and Torbin show the rewards of their little sleuthing: Viktors spellbook!
While not happy with the fact that the short-ones were stealing again, Tariel sees the page that Torbin opened the book to. The most viewed pages seemed to be for creating a teleportation circle. So this is how Victor was planning to escape Barovia?
Meanwhile, back in his study, Viktor sits in a tossed room. He may not recall where he left his book, but he remembers the face of the critter that made a mockery of him. If he sees that thing again...
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