The Chase
The party pursued Volenta across the rooftops of Vallaki after recovering the bones. Caspian led the chase with Sophia close behind, while Kaz and Avery struggled to keep up. Sophia managed to stop Volenta with magic, allowing Caspian to restrain her. What followed was a tense rooftop interrogation. Volenta revealed that Sophia’s beloved, Eliana, is being held in Castle Ravenloft—and cruelly claimed to have tasted her blood. She also taunted Caspian about his past and Strahd’s interest in him, only fueling his anger. Before the party could finish her, Volenta broke free and fled across the rooftops. Avery and Caspian gave chase, but she ultimately escaped Vallaki. Frustrated and furious, Caspian lashed out, while Sophia collapsed in grief over what she’d learned. The group regrouped on the rooftops, sharing a quieter moment of comfort before making their way back down. They returned to the coffin maker’s shop, where Henrik confessed that Strahd had manipulated him into sheltering the vampires and stealing the church’s bones as part of a plan to destroy St. Andral’s protections. With the truth uncovered, Father Lucian and Ireena took the recovered bones back to the church for safekeeping. Bruised, shaken, and with Volenta still at large, the party left the shop to tend to their wounds and decide their next move in Vallaki.

The Chase

• The chase across Vallaki's rooftops was frantic and dangerous. Caspian led the pursuit, close behind Volenta, with Sophia only a few steps behind him. Kaz and Avery, less agile on the tiles, struggled to keep pace but followed as best they could.
• Sophia was the first to slow Volenta, casting a spell that tangled around the vampire’s legs and pinned her in place. Caspian caught up moments later, seizing her arms and forcing them back between her shoulder blades while pressing a dagger to her throat. Rage simmered beneath his composure. He leaned in close, testing her reaction with a deliberate bite before murmuring into her ear, voice low and edged with dark amusement, “You ran. He doesn’t like that.”
• By then the others had arrived. Sophia immediately stepped forward, fury overtaking her restraint. “Where is Rahadin? He owes me a life. He owes me Eliana.” Her voice shook with anger. Volenta only laughed. Under pressure, she revealed that Eliana was in Castle Ravenloft, adding with cruel satisfaction, “Her blood was delicious.” Sophia trembled at the words, panic and dread creeping in.
• Caspian barely reacted to that exchange. Instead, he whispered to Volenta, voice tight with restrained fury, “I watched my family be slaughtered by monsters like you. Yet I lived. Why did he spare me?” Volenta only laughed again. “Maybe he’s not done playing with you just yet.” Caspian’s grip tightened in response.
• Avery moved to end it, raising his weapon to take Volenta’s head. Sophia protested, but before the blow could land, Volenta wrenched free and leapt to a neighboring rooftop. Avery jumped after her but ended up hanging from the edge. Seizing the moment, Caspian used Kaz’s help to vault forward, climbing over Avery and continuing the chase. But Volenta proved too quick. With unnatural speed and strange abilities, she fled beyond Vallaki’s walls and vanished into the night.
• Frustration and fury overtook Caspian. He slammed his fist into a nearby chimney, cracking the stone and bloodying his hand.
• Not far away, Sophia sank to her knees on the tiles, whispering through tears, “I’m sorry for bringing you here, Eliana…” Kaz approached awkwardly, doing his best to comfort her despite not quite knowing how. They spoke quietly for a moment before Kaz turned to Avery and asked about Caspian. Avery gestured toward another rooftop, saying he might need a moment.
• Sophia crossed over and found Caspian sitting alone, fists clenched, staring at the spot where Volenta had disappeared. He noticed her immediately and, as if by instinct, slipped his usual easy smile back into place. He leaned back casually, masking whatever storm still churned beneath the surface. Sophia tried to lighten the mood with a joke, and Caspian played along, falling into familiar banter and flirtation. They shared a brief hug. She jokingly stole his silver pendant before returning it, and together they headed back toward Kaz.
• Sophia mentioned that Caspian’s “cuddle buddy” had been worried. Caspian teased Kaz about it, then added more quietly that Kaz’s presence alone was enough.
• The three made their way down from the rooftops. Caspian, ever the menace, hopped onto Kaz’s back to make the descent more difficult. Kaz briefly summoned radiant wings to soften the landing. Once on the ground, Kaz noticed the blood seeping through Caspian’s glove from the earlier punch. After a few quiet words, he asked to look at it, but Caspian preferred to wait until they were somewhere more private. They agreed to return to the inn later, then headed back toward the Coffin Maker’s Shop.
• Meanwhile, Avery had already returned and was questioning Henrik. The coffin maker admitted that Strahd had manipulated him into allowing Volenta inside. He spoke of a strange green pentagram that had appeared upstairs and confessed that the vampires had been staying there for months. When the rest of the party arrived—Caspian still perched comfortably on Kaz’s back—Henrik explained that Volenta had ordered him to steal the bones so the church’s protection could be destroyed.
• With the bones recovered, Father Lucian and Ireena agreed to carry them safely back to St. Andral’s Church. The party, battered but resolute, left the shop behind and turned their attention to whatever troubles awaited them next in Vallaki.

XP

Total XP: 4400

• 1250 ~ Finding Bones

Happy points:

• +1 ~ Caspian ~ What he said to Volenta
• +1 ~ Avery ~ Memes

❮ 12 · Chronicles · 14 ❯