Act 1, Scene 3: A is for Adoption, B is for Burial

Our heroes awoke the next morning after Osrin had terrible dreams, Bodaway had great dreams, and Ri-An casually created a dog. Bodaway's mood quickly soured as he got his first dose of pie withdrawal — the burgomaster's children having confessed to the party that Granny's pies had certain... addictive properties to them, though neither sibling knew the particulars — but the party soldiered on, making their way uptown, walking fast, funeral-bound. When they got to the church they found it in a considerable state of disrepair, with an unholy, agonized howling coming from below, and the village priest, Father Donavich, deep in prayer, surrounded by lit candles, beseeching the Morninglord to save his son.

Getting the story out of Donavich was difficult, but in time, the party ascertained that the man's son, Doru, had been corrupted by Strahd, and that Father Donavich had locked him in the basement to save him from himself while Donavich prayed for his soul. Donavich was extremely reluctant to take any breaks in his prayer-a-thon, but after a bit of clever magic use and some good Deception rolls, the party got him to agree to help bury the burgomaster — after which, he knew, they would cure his poor son, having been sent by the Morninglord himself.

So the party got to digging a grave and laid the burgomaster within, the priest saying a few words and Ismark standing solemnly by, while a very grumpy Ireena remained back in their home, for her own safety. Towards the end of the service, some of the party caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking figure — similar to a statue they'd found in the dungeons of the Death House — at the edge of the cemetery, a moment before he faded into the mists. Having done his duty to Kolyan Indirovich, the priest clasped Sylvain's hands, starry-eyed, and informed him that the time had come for them to fix his son.

A brief discussion ensued, and it was agreed that Ismark would stay with the priest while the party went down to explore — in all likelihood, the boy was likely beyond any help they could give, seeing as he'd been given neither food nor water in over a year, but if nothing else they could take him away somewhere the priest wouldn't have to hear his death.

Osrin was the first to creep down, and found herself ambushed by some surprise ceiling!vampire. A brief fight ensued, but the one vampire was not much of a match for the five of them — and Grghshnq — combined. Once they had him subdued, he began trying to convince them not to kill him, at which point they realized the little shit was capable of (semi-)civil conversation.

From the boy — Doru — they learned that the situation was somewhat more complex than they'd first anticipated. It seems that Doru had been one of many from the village of Barovia to follow a mysterious wizard some years back when he marched through, claiming he was going to take down Strahd. Eager to free their land of Strahd's tyranny, Doru marched along, only to bear witness to the slaughter that ensued. As far as he knows, he was the only survivor, and Strahd took him in, nursing him back to health and leaving Doru with some very complex feelings on his local undead overlord. It seems that Doru had never gotten along terribly well with his father, and in Strahd he found someone who seemed to think he was worthwhile — so worthwhile that Strahd offered Doru an eternity at his side. Thinking he might be able to temper Strahd's worst impulses if he had an eternity to work on it — make him a better ruler, and Barovia a better place to be —Doru agreed.

However, it wasn't long before Strahd tired of Doru, and ordered Doru to leave. At the time, Doru thought the reason he left was because he had no interest in staying where he wasn't wanted. He returned to his father, hoping for help — instead, Donavich promptly locked him in the basement and left him to starve while he prayed.

Perhaps because so many of them had spent several years being inadvisable little shits themselves, the party agreed to take Doru along for the moment, though they warned him that any missteps would mean his death. Doru agreed to their terms, and helped sell their story to Donavich, falling to his knees and expressing tearful gratitude for these kind strangers who would take him to the Abbey of St. Markovia in Krezk to be cured. Praise the Morninglord!

On the way back to the burgomaster's mansion, Ismark gave Doru some of his blood, and the party got to see the effect of vampire venom in action, as he seemed staggered by how thoroughly the act drained him.

Ireena was less than impressed with the party's actions; this would become a recurring trend in the days to come. Still, after some rushed conversation in Barovian, Ismark convinced her to go along with them, vampire spawn and all. After a respectably repressed Barovian goodbye, he bid them all farewell, and our heroes made their way down the road to Vallaki, Ireena and Doru in tow.

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