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Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)
Vilisevic house
"Nor have I," the old man said as he puffed more smoke. "Seen a true dawn, that is. But my grandfather used to talk about some old ceremonies the priests of the Abbey used to put on long ago, creating a radiance in the hall of prayer that filled people with joy and hope. They say Saint Markovia herself put that blessing into this pool, and so strong of faith and heart was she, that her blessing has endured centuries."
As Rovana cleaned her spear, he answered her question about the lack of a will to fight.
"It's a numbers game, young lady. You're not seeing Krezk as it once was, so my father's books tell. Used to be a proper trading town, with farms and industry outside of the walls you see today. We had proper militia back then, and we were backed by the priests of the abbey. Now there's no priests left, just that... that Abbot fellow. Anyways, now we just have the old fighting stylea and training, passed down from parent to child, but there are fewer children with every generation, and many as don't get born with souls. A sad, useless lot those are. Pair that with the fact that wolves, direwolves, werewolves, and vampires pick the bones of any who dare set foot outside the walls these days, and you can begin to see why we don't all go a-questing. Over 200 years ago, Saint Markovia herself led the last great revolt to free evil from this land. And she was defeated. In the wake of her defeat however, the evil over the land seemed to lose its grip for a while. The town was suffering from her loss, but a new generation of faithful tried to revive the valley. One of my own ancestors in particular attempted to end the haunting of Argynvost, and rally the spirits of the dead against what she thought was a weakened Strahd. But as the family lore goes, she failed too, and became one of the monsters that she sought to destroy."
As she listened to this tale and took a sip of the bright water, Rovana felt refreshed, and for a moment, the weight of her sorrows seemed lessened. She felt as though the weariness of the terrible days, the horror of dying and nearly dying again, and the shock of her soul being claimed by a horrific being from the depths all washed away, leaving her to consolidate her strength.
[Milestone reached. Rovana is now Level 5.]
The man took the spear in his hand thoughtfully, examined it, then handed it back. "I am Bjoris Vilisevic, but this spear... only one of our line has ever wielded it, and that is the woman I just referred to. My great, great, great, great aunt Ludmilla. She was a captain of the guard, and a paladin of the Morning Lord... over two hundred years ago. My family kept track of these things... as most noble families do, especially those in decline. Strange that this spear should look so new, surely it must be a replica."
He looked at the other artifacts that Rovana presented him with and mused, stroking his curly white beard.
"Perhaps you had better come inside, this is all very sudden and I have not had reason to research old catalogues in some time."
He stood up from his chair and moved into his house, which was not as grand or as large as the noble estates seen in Vallaki. It was more like a nicely furnished, large cottage, with an upstairs loft and an open-planned den, kitchen, and dining area, with a small hallway and an assortment of living quarters towards the back area of the dwelliing. There was an impressive fireplace and a bookshelf, with many dusty tomes. It was to this that Bjoris approached and rummaged through.
He put down on the table what appeared to be a book of geneology and sketch portraiture of the Velisivic family tree. As he looked for other books, Rovana was able to look through the very old, fragile pages and see a drawing of a woman who very closely resembled Ludmilla, but with a more softer, mortal look to her. She was dressed very effeminately in a noble's gown, though she was obviously a muscular woman.
"You said you were of the Dilisnya line? I'm afraid that we don't keep as detailed a record on other noble families as we do on our own bloodline, but we do have some histories that my family has penned. Histories of Krezk and the surrounding lands. The Dilisnya line was a persecuted one in Barovia, and the Lord of Ravenloft and his loyal families, particularly the Wachters, attempted to eradicate them from the land. Most went west into the lands of Borca and Dorvinia, but a small offshoot remained in Krezk."
He continued to read the book entitled A Historie of the Families Noblesse in Krezk.
"It seems the last living Dilisnya resident of Krezk disappeared sometime in the years prior to the death of my own ancestor's sibling, Lady Ludmilla. But I'm afraid that there is no description of the artifacts that you are carrying. Little more than a name I am afraid, and the fact that she was noted to be a comrade of the Lady Ludmilla."
It was by this point that Rovana had shared the queer nature of her riddle, and her odd dual existence. Bjoris raised a brow at this, but seemed to take it in stride.
"Stranger things have been told to me. Not many, mind you, but stranger things nonetheless. I've no doubt about the existence of restless spirits. That you're a... I guess a reincarnation of this Dilisnya woman, is not so far fetched. But I would beware, if that is the case. My ancestor, Ludmilla, she has the curse of the vampire, and has been tormenting my family for generations. It is as though the Devil himself wills her to be the tool with which he shall end the Vilisevic bloodline. If you are the soul of someone she once cared for, then there is little doubt that Strahd would take pleasure in using her to be the key to your own destruction."
He clapped the book shut again and laid it on the table in front of Rovana, before sinking down into his own cushioned chair in front of the fireplace.
"I'm afraid that last question you ask... about what a person is meant to be if they're a reincarnation, is a bit too much for my old head to say. I guess I'm lucky that if I am a reincarnation myself, that I don't recall the past life, so I don't feel like I am doomed to repeat the same mistakes. My advice though, for what it's worth, is to not overthink it. You're going to end up doing what you feel is right, for you and for others, and if anyone or anything takes it upon themselves to suggest that you've a debt to pay, well... you decide whether it's worth it to pay it or shove it back on them. Be whoever, or whatever you want to be. I've known some pretty lethal barmaids in my time - who's to say you couldn't be both?"
He gave her an odd look, and then grew more serious in his tone, perceiving in Rovana's wistfulness a very real danger.
"Take great care though, young one. The living and the dead aren't meant to mix. It's not healthy. Not natural. The dead are meant to stay dead, not to rise and feed upon the living. Undeath is a curse. A terrible curse. And it's a mercy to free anyone from it, through any means necessary. The curse controls the cursed. Not the other way around."
Vilisevic house
"Nor have I," the old man said as he puffed more smoke. "Seen a true dawn, that is. But my grandfather used to talk about some old ceremonies the priests of the Abbey used to put on long ago, creating a radiance in the hall of prayer that filled people with joy and hope. They say Saint Markovia herself put that blessing into this pool, and so strong of faith and heart was she, that her blessing has endured centuries."
As Rovana cleaned her spear, he answered her question about the lack of a will to fight.
"It's a numbers game, young lady. You're not seeing Krezk as it once was, so my father's books tell. Used to be a proper trading town, with farms and industry outside of the walls you see today. We had proper militia back then, and we were backed by the priests of the abbey. Now there's no priests left, just that... that Abbot fellow. Anyways, now we just have the old fighting stylea and training, passed down from parent to child, but there are fewer children with every generation, and many as don't get born with souls. A sad, useless lot those are. Pair that with the fact that wolves, direwolves, werewolves, and vampires pick the bones of any who dare set foot outside the walls these days, and you can begin to see why we don't all go a-questing. Over 200 years ago, Saint Markovia herself led the last great revolt to free evil from this land. And she was defeated. In the wake of her defeat however, the evil over the land seemed to lose its grip for a while. The town was suffering from her loss, but a new generation of faithful tried to revive the valley. One of my own ancestors in particular attempted to end the haunting of Argynvost, and rally the spirits of the dead against what she thought was a weakened Strahd. But as the family lore goes, she failed too, and became one of the monsters that she sought to destroy."
As she listened to this tale and took a sip of the bright water, Rovana felt refreshed, and for a moment, the weight of her sorrows seemed lessened. She felt as though the weariness of the terrible days, the horror of dying and nearly dying again, and the shock of her soul being claimed by a horrific being from the depths all washed away, leaving her to consolidate her strength.
[Milestone reached. Rovana is now Level 5.]
The man took the spear in his hand thoughtfully, examined it, then handed it back. "I am Bjoris Vilisevic, but this spear... only one of our line has ever wielded it, and that is the woman I just referred to. My great, great, great, great aunt Ludmilla. She was a captain of the guard, and a paladin of the Morning Lord... over two hundred years ago. My family kept track of these things... as most noble families do, especially those in decline. Strange that this spear should look so new, surely it must be a replica."
He looked at the other artifacts that Rovana presented him with and mused, stroking his curly white beard.
"Perhaps you had better come inside, this is all very sudden and I have not had reason to research old catalogues in some time."
He stood up from his chair and moved into his house, which was not as grand or as large as the noble estates seen in Vallaki. It was more like a nicely furnished, large cottage, with an upstairs loft and an open-planned den, kitchen, and dining area, with a small hallway and an assortment of living quarters towards the back area of the dwelliing. There was an impressive fireplace and a bookshelf, with many dusty tomes. It was to this that Bjoris approached and rummaged through.
He put down on the table what appeared to be a book of geneology and sketch portraiture of the Velisivic family tree. As he looked for other books, Rovana was able to look through the very old, fragile pages and see a drawing of a woman who very closely resembled Ludmilla, but with a more softer, mortal look to her. She was dressed very effeminately in a noble's gown, though she was obviously a muscular woman.
"You said you were of the Dilisnya line? I'm afraid that we don't keep as detailed a record on other noble families as we do on our own bloodline, but we do have some histories that my family has penned. Histories of Krezk and the surrounding lands. The Dilisnya line was a persecuted one in Barovia, and the Lord of Ravenloft and his loyal families, particularly the Wachters, attempted to eradicate them from the land. Most went west into the lands of Borca and Dorvinia, but a small offshoot remained in Krezk."
He continued to read the book entitled A Historie of the Families Noblesse in Krezk.
"It seems the last living Dilisnya resident of Krezk disappeared sometime in the years prior to the death of my own ancestor's sibling, Lady Ludmilla. But I'm afraid that there is no description of the artifacts that you are carrying. Little more than a name I am afraid, and the fact that she was noted to be a comrade of the Lady Ludmilla."
It was by this point that Rovana had shared the queer nature of her riddle, and her odd dual existence. Bjoris raised a brow at this, but seemed to take it in stride.
"Stranger things have been told to me. Not many, mind you, but stranger things nonetheless. I've no doubt about the existence of restless spirits. That you're a... I guess a reincarnation of this Dilisnya woman, is not so far fetched. But I would beware, if that is the case. My ancestor, Ludmilla, she has the curse of the vampire, and has been tormenting my family for generations. It is as though the Devil himself wills her to be the tool with which he shall end the Vilisevic bloodline. If you are the soul of someone she once cared for, then there is little doubt that Strahd would take pleasure in using her to be the key to your own destruction."
He clapped the book shut again and laid it on the table in front of Rovana, before sinking down into his own cushioned chair in front of the fireplace.
"I'm afraid that last question you ask... about what a person is meant to be if they're a reincarnation, is a bit too much for my old head to say. I guess I'm lucky that if I am a reincarnation myself, that I don't recall the past life, so I don't feel like I am doomed to repeat the same mistakes. My advice though, for what it's worth, is to not overthink it. You're going to end up doing what you feel is right, for you and for others, and if anyone or anything takes it upon themselves to suggest that you've a debt to pay, well... you decide whether it's worth it to pay it or shove it back on them. Be whoever, or whatever you want to be. I've known some pretty lethal barmaids in my time - who's to say you couldn't be both?"
He gave her an odd look, and then grew more serious in his tone, perceiving in Rovana's wistfulness a very real danger.
"Take great care though, young one. The living and the dead aren't meant to mix. It's not healthy. Not natural. The dead are meant to stay dead, not to rise and feed upon the living. Undeath is a curse. A terrible curse. And it's a mercy to free anyone from it, through any means necessary. The curse controls the cursed. Not the other way around."
