The man behind the mask
Last session, the party tracked down Rictavio near his wagon, only to find him already there, seemingly expecting their arrival. After a tense and evasive conversation, he invited them inside—where they were shocked to find Arabelle, alive and unharmed. At her request, Rictavio dropped his disguise, revealing himself as Rudolph van Richten, the legendary monster hunter. The party quickly learned that he had not kidnapped Arabelle, but instead rescued her from vampires. These vampires had taken her because Strahd had placed a bounty on her, marking her as a target. Arabelle then revealed something even more unsettling—she is a seer, like her grandmother Madam Eva. This explained how she seemed to know about the party’s journey and the hardships they had faced, despite being missing the entire time. Before the group could fully process this, they were interrupted by the arrival of Arrigal, Arabelle’s uncle, who had been tracking both her and the party. Tensions rose immediately as it became clear that Arrigal served Strahd, though he also genuinely intended to bring Arabelle home. With mistrust on both sides, he and Van Richten nearly came to blows, each believing the other to be a threat to the girl. In an effort to uncover the truth, Van Richten used magic to question a severed head connected to the earlier events. The head confirmed that it had served Strahd—and that Strahd himself had ordered Arabelle’s capture, assigning the task to the vampire Escher. With the truth revealed, the tension slowly deescalated. An agreement was reached: Arrigal and Van Richten would escort Arabelle safely to the church, where she would be protected from further harm. In return, Arrigal offered the party a single favor—he would provide false information to Strahd on their behalf, but only once. After parting ways, the party returned to Vallaki and split up briefly. Caspian sought out Van Richten for a private conversation, asking about a strange and troubling condition—someone bitten by a vampire who neither dies nor turns. Intrigued, Van Richten agreed to study a sample of his blood and promised answers within a couple of days. Elsewhere, the party regrouped at the inn, where a letter awaited them—an invitation to dinner the following evening. Over food and drink, the group shared a rare, quiet moment together as the conversation turned personal. One by one, they revealed why they had come to Barovia: Avery seeking revenge for his fallen brother, Sophia searching for Eliana, taken by Strahd, Caspian carrying the weight of his family’s slaughter, and Kaz, who admitted he had been brought here as punishment, stripped of much of his power. Later that night, the weight of those memories began to show. Kaz withdrew, clearly shaken, and Caspian followed him. In a quiet moment, Kaz began to open up about loss, love, and the pain of remembering—but before he could fully express it, the emotions became too much, and he left, leaving Caspian alone with the silence.

Question for DnD start

What color is associated with your character?

The man behind the mask

• As the party approached the wagon, they saw Rictavio already there, kneeling beside it and adjusting one of the wheels. Sensing the tension, Avery and Sophia stepped forward to speak with him, while Caspian and Kaz lingered a short distance behind.
• Sophia began with casual conversation—asking if he had any more stories to share—but Rictavio politely declined. As the discussion continued, however, his answers became evasive. He carefully sidestepped their questions, offering half-truths and deflections. The party’s suspicion steadily grew.
• Eventually, after some persistence, Rictavio relented and invited them inside the wagon.
• To their surprise, they found Arabelle inside—the very girl they had been searching for.
• Arabelle calmly asked Rictavio to drop his disguise. After a brief pause, he complied, revealing his true identity:
• Rudolph van Richten, the famed monster hunter.
• Sophia immediately moved to Arabelle’s side, kneeling in front of her and gently asking if she was alright. The girl responded with an unsettling calm, assuring them she was unharmed. Then she added something strange:
• “I’m glad you made it here. Though I regret how many wounds you’ve taken for this.”
• The words sent a ripple of confusion through the party. Arabelle shouldn’t have known what they had gone through.
• As they took in their surroundings, it became clear—both Arabelle and Van Richten had been expecting them.
• Avery’s frustration flared at the thought that they may have been unknowingly guided into all of this. But through questioning, the truth came out: Van Richten had not kidnapped Arabelle—he had rescued her from vampires. They also learned that Strahd had placed a bounty on her, which was why she had been taken in the first place.
• [[Arabelle]] then revealed something even more significant.
• She, like her grandmother, was a seer.
• Before the party could process that fully, a voice rang out from outside—applauding slowly.
• “Wonderful story.”
• The party stepped out of the wagon to find Arrigal, [[Arabelle]]’s uncle, waiting for them.
• It quickly became clear that Arrigal intended to take Strahd—and had been following them throughout their search.
• Weapons were nearly drawn.
• Both Arrigal and Van Richten stood on the brink of violence, each assuming the other meant harm to the girl. [[Arabelle]], however, intervened, urging the party to help them see reason.
• As the confrontation escalated, Arrigal produced the severed head of a man connected to the earlier events. Van Richten used a magical amulet to briefly reanimate it and question it. The head confirmed it had served Strahd—and that Strahd had indeed ordered [[Arabelle]] to be captured, a task given to the vampire Escher.
• With the truth laid bare, the tension slowly eased. In the end, an agreement was reached: Arrigal and Van Richten would escort Strahd on their behalf, once.
• With that, the group parted ways.
• Later, the party split up within Vallaki.
• Sophia went to purchase healing potions, while Avery and Kaz returned to the inn, where Avery opened up about his struggles with social interaction—his uncertainty in how to speak and act around others. Kaz listened and offered what guidance he could.
• Meanwhile, Caspian returned to Van Richten’s wagon for a private conversation. He asked a careful, hypothetical question: whether Van Richten had ever encountered someone bitten by a vampire who neither died nor turned—something… incomplete.
• After some discussion, Caspian allowed Van Richten to take a sample of his blood for study. The monster hunter promised answers within two days.
• On his way back, Caspian ran into Sophia. The two spoke quietly about the day’s events, especially their encounter with Volenta and the loss of control they had both experienced. Sophia asked if he was truly alright, but Caspian deflected, saying it was a story for another time. In turn, Sophia shared fragments of her own past, hinting at something dangerous tied to her.
• They returned to the inn together and joined Avery and Kaz for supper.
• During the meal, the group received a letter—an invitation to dinner the following evening.
• As they talked, the conversation turned more personal. One by one, they shared why they had come to Barovia.
• Avery revealed he sought revenge for his younger brother, already lost to Strahd.
• Sophia spoke of Eliana, taken and imprisoned—her fate still unknown.
• Caspian shared that his entire life had been destroyed by Strahd and his vampires, his family slaughtered before him… though he hinted there was more to the story.
• Kaz admitted he had been brought to Barovia as punishment—not by choice—and that he had lost much of his power in the process. As he began to say more, he faltered.
• Noticing this, Caspian quietly reached under the table and placed his hand over Kaz’s—a small, steady gesture of comfort.
• The moment passed, and Kaz shifted the conversation away.
• Later that night, Kaz excused himself and went upstairs, clearly shaken. Caspian followed shortly after, knocking softly before entering their shared room.
• He found Kaz sitting at the edge of the bed, silently removing his armor, his gaze distant.
• Without a word, Caspian stepped forward and helped him.
• After a quiet moment, he gently asked if Kaz was alright.
• After some hesitation, Kaz began to speak.
• He told Caspian about someone he had once known—someone who endured pain and loss but still chose to keep going, to keep smiling, no matter how much it hurt. Through that memory, Kaz admitted something deeply personal: he had never truly known what it meant to love or to be loved—and had never felt such loss before.
• As the emotions became overwhelming, Kaz cut himself off. Unable to continue, he excused himself and left the room, leaving Caspian alone in the quiet.

XP

Total XP: 5650

• 1250 ~ [[Arabelle]]'s prophecy

Loot

• 130GP ~ Currency ~ The Party

❮ 16 · Chronicles · 18 ❯