Count Strahd’s Journal

Shadowfell 1855

Sitting with my second, Rahadin; my personal assistant, Bandard; and two of my wives, Ludmilla and Anastrasya we discussed the meeting with Kas. They brought home a large of bottle of hags blood, Night, if I had my guess right. I’m impressed that this Orkan was able to obtain such a large quantity while keeping the hag alive. Rahadin says he is quite astute for an orc. Too bad he wasn’t willing to accept immortality, he’ll be dead within 20 years tops. He won’t even live long enough to understand the ramifications of what happened in his inn this past week.

Finding out that Vecna has had the woman who killed my father, some dirty Terg, in stasis for years was a surprise. I don’t like surprises, when the meeting had started and three quarters of my spies in Vecna’s inner and outer circles showed up dead on my door step, was just him doing my job for me. If they hadn’t found out this large piece of information for the past, who knows how many years that they have been working their way up in the rankings, they deserved their fate. Finding out he was using one as a phylactery was not as amusing.

Vecna wanting to know The Raven Queen’s true name? This will be interesting chess game, we are not a large enough army to be involved in a fight between Vecna and The Raven Queen, but if they destroy each other, than we may have a fighting chance to mop up the rest if they do enough destruction. If I get Rahadin into the battle meetings he may be able to sway the tide just enough to spell complete disaster for both sides. I didn’t take him on just for his pretty face, although, he does have that going for him too.

The Raven Queen’s real name came to me by way of Orcus. He wanted his magic spread throughout the material plane, I was obliged to sow some chaos. I was bored, I had asked for something I didn’t think he would be able to get. I was surprised when a week later with a contract in hand he came back. “Lily of the Celestia Valley” before she had it changed to “Nera” back when Nerull let her live.

Did Orcus know that one day Vecna would be asking for the name? Did Orcus tell Vecna that I knew The Raven Queen’s real name? Did he start this whole plot years ago? Am I just a pawn in the greater fight between Orcus and The Raven Queen?

Ludmilla comes and takes the crushed silver goblet out of my hand and puts it on a tray, sitting on my lap, “I don’t think you’ve been listening to us. These are all good points and not ones of frustration.” Coming out of my internal thoughts I look around to Bandard pouring me another goblet of blood, apparently we have run out of the Night Hag. Shame.

She’s right, I wasn’t listening, that’s not like me. I look down at the blood dripping from my chair arm to my pants, I stand. “You are right! This is a night for celebrating not deep contemplation, gather the wives, I will meet you in the bed chamber in an hour.

Ushering them out of the room I sit with Rahadin; Kas willing to be one of our agents and taking the vampiric blessing from Rahadin, was an interesting bonus to the meeting. I honestly didn’t expect him to go for it. Rahadin explained about the tension in Kas’ voice and the increased heart rate when he spoke of Vecna, he thought Kas would have hid it well to a common ear but the enhanced hearing knew the rage he was holding back.

Of course we would have to double and triple check everything that was passed to us by Kas, but if this works out…