“Vincent I leave you to stay with my poochie – Adue!” Strahd called out on slipping out of the hatch of the Giff Battlecruser and using his vampire speed to ooze his way quickly though the hallway, slipping under the Mad Ultraloth that he had polymorphed into a T-Rex and past the force-bubble that had filled with thick black smoke.

Koran had little time to think as facing down the monster crammed into the low ceiling and thick stone walls the T-Rex was still a hulking force as it scrabbled at the doorway.. Koran’s confidence in his abilities, yet for a large beast it was shocking quick as the T-Rex rammed it’s head though the narrow doorway and with a CHOMP, bit down firmly on Koran’s Arm. A lucky blow – but Koran realised that not only had the creature bitten him but he was now trapped within it’s grasp. Surely this would be no problem, the Solar drew all his strength to try and wrench the mighty beasts mouth open – but faltered as pain radiated up his shoulder.

“You know I will call my Attack Dog off if you beg me for mercy” Strahd von Zarovich‘s voice eco’d down the hall before adding “That is my way of saying I will not help you. Also BLEGH!”

In that moment the Monster seeing him pinned did what all creatures do with a food stuck in it’s mouth and jerked it’s head firmly to the side, the Solar whipped around by it’s trapped arm, a stickening ‘crack of bone followed by bright points of pain as Koran slammed into the side of the doorway. His wing twisted under him, barely able to catch a breath before the T-Rex twisted it’s head, and effortlessly did it again.. barely hanging on from his arm Koran felt himself slam into the other side of the doorframe, bruised and broken.
Koran knew what he had to do, with his free hand he slipped the lance under the weak point where his arm hung weakly from the T-Rex’s grasp, hot breath in his face as with a firm twist he grunted as his arm snapped, it wasn’t hard to cut away the last of his skin as he reeled backwards.. bleeding profusely and feeling himself light headed for a moment, weakened not only though loss of his arm, but in failure as he watched the T-Rex kick it’s head up just a little and swallow his arm whole.

Further down the hall Strahd was trying to escape, however on reaching the long staircase up from the Larder of Ill Omen he found it covered by the exhaust from the Giff Battlecruser, raw magic radiating out and up the stairs. For a moment he thought about disabling the engines somehow, but alas he had no tool to do so – Strahd mused on this as he tapped his head with the strange alien device he had found inside the ship. Yes, without the perfect tool there was no way he’d be able to pull that off.

Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures, Strahd reached inside himself and pulled out a scroll, turning it over he nodded and then set to casting it – a door appearing before him. Strahd opened the door and stepped though to appear at the top of the castle. Here where long ago his dear Tatyana had leapt to her death. Dust was thick, nor did it feel that anyone had been here in a very long time. Reminiscing Strahd sensed the Castle most strongly here. The THING hung in the center of the room, moving in and out and in a corner was the bed, a set of manacles still lying on the floor. So long, Strahd had no idea how long it had been since he had last climbed the stairs but as he reached out he felt the room respond, welcoming him back into it’s embrace. Strahd drew upon his dark powers, seducing the tower to be his once more, and as he reached out he felt arms circle him, sharp nails hugging him close. Yes, Yes. This was more like it.

The tower relaxed, he felt his awareness reach out as he called upon his Dark Powers, the bats where his, the rooms where his, all but the platform where he felt a dark patch, a place under control of someone else! Strahd called upon the bats to find and hound out whatever it was, for he had already needed to fight a minor vampire and a solar today, and he was not in the mood of being surprised by another claim on his Castle.

From the distorted echolocation of the Bat he heard her before he was able to draw on the senses to see Tasha the Dark casually sitting upon the Throne that doubled as the Spelljamming Helm for Castle Ravenloft, her legs hooked up over the side as she slowly turned a page on a book that she appeared to have been deeply engrossed in.

“Ah Strahd, it’s about time…” Tasha said as the bats tried to fly though the invisible barrier she had drawn around her, then unable circled. As Tasha sat up Strahd was able to make out the title on the book, with horror he recognised the cover of I, Strahd. His best selling (not really) book, she must have found one of the boxes of the unsold copies in the basement.
Strahd raged as she started reading some of it out out “You know it’s not as bad as I thought” Tasha quipped.
Strahd fumed, the bat-familiar squeaking and ranting, yelling at Tasha to get out of his head and stop reading his thoughts
“Strahd, I know you’re angry but with a good publisher, well it might have…”
The bat continued it’s high pitched swearing – in bat.
Tasha sighed “Strahd, I can tell you are upset because you are doing that flapping thing and squeaking, come now turn back and at least be civilised”.

Strahd didn’t turn back, but he did float down to Tasha’s level and glared at her, he could feel the magical barrier set by the circle of runes cast around the helm. If only he had a means to bypass it?
“Come, get out of there and let me drive” Strahd insisted, Tasha simply ignored him and turned the page as Strahd continued to rant about how only he could understand the complexity of the Spelljamming helm. She had been around him long enough to understand that Strahd was primitive, he had no understanding of technology at all.
Strahd finally had the ‘aha moment and pulled out The Multi-Tool.
“What is that?” Tasha asked.
“Ah Tasha, you think you know everything well HA! You don’t know this!" Strahd said smugly as he drew up his tool.
“Strahd my ego is not so big to assume that I know everything that can ever exist, that is why there is always more to learn” Tasha corrected.
Strahd, didn’t have a comeback for this but with the help of his Trusty Multi-tool he slipped though the Barrier.

Down below Koran was still fighting the T-Rex, Koran had speant some of his radient energy to close his wounds yet his arm was still gone and he felt incomplete without it. Clearly the beast was not going to let up and so in a moment of clarity he drew down a shaft of pure radiance, right in the centre of the room where the creature had no means to avoid it. The Radiance burning the creature and dismissing the polymorph spell turning it once again into a Mad Ultraloth.

This, may not have been the best idea as the creature’s mad eyes locked with Koran’s, quickly rushing in it drew a line in the air that formed into a longsword made of pure psionic force and slashed at the Solar, first once, and then twice.. the blows slowed by the fact that the Ultraloth too was missing both a arm and section of it’s shoulder and leg, the fiend and the solar somewhat evenly matched at last.

But now in it’s true form the Ultraloth was much harder to hit, ducking attacks it’s mad eyes peed thought the doorway at Dunena Ried and The two llamas, Koran too had noticed as he concentrated the forms of the Llama’s seemed to shift, flicking from Llama to something else and back again, it was almost maddening until he chose to simply look away. But here was a opening, the Ultraloth stared, entranced at the strange sight before him and Koran made to mightily strikes, radiant energy shining off his lance. The monster having no time to reach for so entranced was it by the strange Llama’s and drugged out human with them.

However it was not to last for long, as anger raged inside the Ultraloth and again it drew out it’s hands calling flames to leap up around Koran, Dunena and the Llama’s, flames filling the room. Screams and bellows from the Llama’s and Dunena before the three of them fled at full speed down the stairs, deeper into the Castle as Koran simply let the flames wash over him, pain was not new and his mission came first. With fury he lashed at the Monster driving it back until finally it looked like he had defeated it.

“Coward!” He cried as suddenly the Ultraloth was gone, but with Koran’s divine eyes he saw the monster reappear, bleeding heavily, but standing defiantly amid the remains of Captain Adelaide Cholmondeley and her crew within the force-bubble that Strahd had used to contain the fire.

Was it really less then a full minute ago that all of this had started?

OOC: Koran has lost 10 Hit Points (and One Arm) – in order to regain the hit points and arm they will need to use a spell like Regeneration.

Things where not going well.

What had seemed a simple job, to take Castle Ravenloft and destroy it utterly by flying it into the sun had instead left Koran trapped watching as the movement of stars slowed. To him it appeared that over time Castle Ravenloft had slowed down, but in truth it was time itself as Koran had witnessed the sun gradually change hue and then one day explode into a mass of light only to replaced by the dark spot on the horizon.

All of that was gone now. Looking up though the momentary gap in the floor he saw Tasha kicking the side of the Spelljamming Helm as above her the sky was streaked in the multi-coloured glow as the Castle moved between spaces. Had Koran been a seasoned Spelljammer he might have noticed the colours here were darker then what was normally seen travelling between the Crystal Spheres in Realmspace. But even he could figure out from the slight trailing direction of the light that the Castle was still on the move, heading away from the sun and towards somewhere else.

Clearly he would need a new plan to destroy the castle.

Glaring up at Tasha he for the first time was taken aback, for now that he was closer he could see that she had used not only the name he had given her, but his FULL name! Yet he also sensed that while she hadn’t directly lied, nor had she been entirely truthful. Worse was the disturbing feeling that she seemed to know more about him then he did himself.

He needed something simple, something black and white and so once again leaving Tasha to her own mischief he rushed down the stairs in the hope that whatever it was that had given the Castle means to move between words might also provide a way to destroy it once and for all!

Meanwhile down in the Larders of Ill Omen Dunena Ried had long lost track of how long he and Bill and Ted had been hold up in the wine cellar.
Groggy having long drunk the last of what passed for wine, they had been living upon Crisps, dried mushrooms that looked and tasted exactly like potato chips but SO MUCH BETTER! Dunena awoke to the telltail ‘Thum of the Spelljamming engines kicking into gear, come to mention it he hadn’t had anyone bashing on the door for a while, and so decided to go investigate. Stumbling into the hall he didn’t remember it being quite so dusty but as he turned towards the stairs he noticed the telltail rainbow hue and heat of the spelljamming engines.

Lucky that he’d noticed the rainbows where not just his imagination, for had he gone up there he’d have probably been roasted alive by the wild magic energy. “Come Bill, Come Ted” Dunena said wandering down the hallway instead. The two llama’s jostling into place to follow him until he reached a doorway.. opening it to find three hippo-people looking at him with rayguns raced.

“Hey hey it’s just me..” Dunena said putting up his hands to show that he wasn’t a danger. before absentmindedly eating one of the Crisps and offering another to the hippo lady along with his help. However he felt a weird itching sensation on the side of his head as his ear shriveled up and dropped to the floor.

For a moment it looked like a crisp but then started to caterpillar away. “Hey don’t eat that!” he cried out as Ted immediately put his head down to eat it..
Dunena’s command caused the Llama to refrain, the entire room for a moment just watching as Dunena’s ear crawled across the floor and disappeared into a crack in the wall.

Shaking herself out of the revere Captain Amelia’s eyes narrowed in annoyance “Right.. well keep your eyes peeled for the Plasmoid, and try to not die” she said to Dunena.
However tripping on the crisps Dunena just nodded as he grooved though the room, saying words to the effect that he’d do just that while having no idea what she was actually saying.
Whatever plan he had was forgotten the moment he opened the door to the back of the room and stood staring for a while.. the room was full of glowing lights, the ruin of busted furniture overtaken by the patterns in the water that in his altered state was constantly shifting in hypnotic patterns of divine light. “Woooooah!” he said as his trusty Llama’s followed him into the room and started to drink the water. Whatever plan or mission the three of them had was forgotten entirely as all three where caught by the patterns.

Nearby in the Giff Battlecruser Strahd von Zarovich was in a far better mood.
He felt the strange creature trapped in the Brig try and burrow into his brain, but Strahd had charmed enough people in his life to know what it was like and easily ignored the effect.
Searching though the Giff Battlecruser that he’d so carefully crashed into Castle Ravenloft he found stashed in a emergency cabinet was The Multi-Tool. The perfect tool to break open the strange force-cage like effect that was the only thing stopping him from releasing the Mad Ultraloth that he was gambling on would save him from the fearsome Solar that had almost killed him not too long ago. Ignoring the prior warnings of the Giff crew he set about releasing the creature, the Multi-Tool in his hand listening to his thoughts to transform into a glowing crowbar perfectly keyed to counter the Force-field if only for a single moment.

That was all it took – for lashing out the Ultraloth rushed forward – almost being sliced in two as two of the force-fields immediately slammed back in place. But it was too late, with Strahd’s help two thirds had made it free – the monster colliding with the wall as it’s right arm and leg was left twitching helplessly on the ground.

This was fine.. Strahd helped it along to the hatch, opening it only to narrowly duck to the side as the force of the Giff sonic shotgun rung out.
Captain Adelaide Cholmondeley just narrowly missing as she called out at Strahd in horror “You let it out!? I knew we couldn’t trust you…”

Strahd was sure this was just because of the whole ‘Plasmoid Thing’ as he used his vampire speed to slip behind the strange green creature.. just as time it’s burning mad rage focused on Captain Adelaide and the entire back section of the room bust into flames!

This was a problem, because while most of the castle was made of stone and rock the doors, and decorations where most defiantly flammable. Nor did it help that Strahd’s mother had been rather partial to decorating the Larders of Ill Omen with plenty of now very dry and dusty drapes!
Strahd would never admit that he’d never been a fan of them and so seeing the room on fire didn’t upset him, but as the flames started to creep along the woodwork towards the Spelljamming ship who’s nose poked though the wall he had for the first time a moment of realisation:

The engine was still on, and wired into his Castle.
If the ship was to catch on fire or explode so too would Ravenloft Castle!

Unaware of the danger Koran had been following the feeling of power downwards though the ship, now a floor above Strahd he came to the landing looking out towards the Chapel. Koran closed his eyes for a moment.. this part of the Castle had been long out of reach to him while that little fool Assterion lived. Koran focused his divine powers, reaching out extend his control over the castle… he imagined his radiant light spreading out to dispel the evil that had befouled the Castle for generations. Evil was so seeped that the only hope it had was to be totally torn down to nothing and the ground consecrated many times over. Focused as he was he felt content as half the floor grew under his awareness, but he felt a dark spot.. a patch of evil lurking not so far away. Yes, he had to destroy the Castle but first he would DESTROY ALL THE EVIL that festered in his horrid place.

Koran moved swiftly, recalling how long ago he and his allies had fought in the Chapel, the ruins of the battle still told across the floor.
Climbing the stairs to a small room containing little more then a desk, a ledger and two skeletons flanking it there was a little disappointment.
He was ready to smite and yet the room was empty.
Then it emerged from the lower stairs! A mostly bald headed man wearing a extremally dull set of robes and carrying a thick ledger and abacas.
Koran was taken aback for a second. He’d sensed undead but what he saw before him was merely an accountant! For the first time in a very long time Koran focused on the creature before him, his angelic gaze turning to read his aura where he found almost all of it was beige! Where he expected evil what he found was neither good nor evil – but not nothing, for at the edge of the beige was a twisting curl of purple chaos.

Normally this would be good enough, but for Koran he knew chaos without goodness could well lead one to do just as much evil as one who was lawful yet evil.
Koran looked down at the creature and drew out his Lance. Whatever it was he knew it had to be destroyed.
But then the creature opened it’s mouth, in a cheerful conversational tone it spoke seemingly oblivious to the rude interruption “Hey, did you know that most lances are made of iron and was designed to be used by a horse.. the most common breed being the Hasselbaink Windsor found around the forest of Bree during the age of….”
Koran felt his mind drift, his entire body feeling heavy as the droning voice went on-and on, it was so.. relentlessly boring that whatever he was doing just slipped from mind.
But only for a moment.. Koran felt then the aura.. different to any he’d felt before. He tried to attack again, drawing upon his holy energy as this time he struck true! However his eyes widened as reeling from the attack Koran watched as the psychic energy caused the monster eyes to glow bright purple, a happy smile upon it’s face as it seemed to grow stronger.. “Yum! I will take some more of that please” Leif said.

Koran’s memories where still a jumble but he recalled now being told stories of a type of rare vampire, one who didn’t dress in eveningwear and could even walk in full daylight and pass for any of the most boring people you might ever have met. His lip curled for this was no vampire but a vampirate! A Energy Vampire whom had the unique ability to bore people to death! His hate fueled his swings as he cut at the monster, divine light slicing though and with a mighty stroke the creature was impaled and powerless before him.

But like all cowards it tried to run, with a ‘poof’ turning to a small cloud of white smoke! Quickly slipping back down the stairs and out of Koran’s sight in the hope that it might survive to feed another day.

On the floor below Strahd watched as Captain Adelaide Cholmondeley and her crew burned.. he could help, fishing in a pocket he pulled out a small bead.
It looked like a child’s play thing until he tossed it directly in the middle of the fire and the Giff. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to jump to as the bead grew.. for a moment passing though creatures and objects like it was a illusion before reaching it’s full size. For one moment it appeared to disappear entirely before the smoke hit the edge and started pooling inside, the the fire cleanly separated inside and outside of the sphere of force. Strahd watched as the two younger Giff started to panic and shoot their guns to try and break open the barrier..the ray-guns bouncing in all directions with Captain Adelaide yelling – no words passing though the barrier as he saw her start to try and smash the barrier.
Strahd watched, enjoying the torture as it was her own fault for rejecting him after all!

While it hadn’t put out the fire it had contained most of the danger for Strahd of course considered the Mad Ultraloth a ally and tool that he could use to pit against the crazed Solar. However as it’s mad eyes turned towards him Strahd quickly turned to mist and moved deeper into the Spelljamming ship, easily finding a pocket deep within the ventilation system shafts to hide and wait out his genius plan.

At first he thought the warmth of the roasted Jiff was why the temperature had risen but then in a hiss of stream and straining pipwork it became clear that in his haste he’d allowed the Ultraloth to set fire to the interior of the Spelljamming Ship! So worried was he of the Solar that Strahd had forgotten the very real danger of fire + engine = very big explosion! Not to mention that he was a long way from Barovia where being killed just meant needing to hang out as a spirit for a while before sneaking back into the Castle to heal up in his favourite coffin.

Still most people forget that Strahd is also not too shabby a wizard.. flowing out of the vents he reformed and drew upon his magic to cast a spell to blow the fire out.
Of course being magical fire this was a bit more tricky.. and as Strahd forced the fire back he realised far too late that the ventilation system he’d been messing around in lead directly to the engine! Strahd was so sure that he could do it that he did it anyway!

…only by inches did the flames miss the key intakes that would have ended in tragedy as Strahd found himself still looking at the magical fire as it continued to spread. Hiding didn’t help, the Mad Ultraloth just started a second fire closer this time to the engines.

If only there was some kind of tool perfectly designed for putting out fires? He looked down at The Multi-Tool that he’d been carrying reshaped itself into a large red cylinder with a strange flexible hose with a trigger like some kind of crossbow. What is this?! He thought.. his finger moments from spraying himself with the fire extinguisher.
Feeling Strahd’s confusion the Multi-Tool reshaped itself in line with Strahd’s wants into a more primitive form.. a humble bucket of water which Strahd splashed over the fire.. the magical properties of the Multi-Tool easily spreading to cancel out the effects of the spell and soon the fire was gone. Lucky for all the ship was designed for the occasional explosion in it’s hold as the Jiff where more then a bit obsessed with gunpowder. Yet it was clear that meddling with the ship was a dangerous prospect.

But leaving would mean needing to face both the scary Solar, and the very insane pyromaniac Mad Ultraloth!

Speaking of which… Koran was hot on the heels of the escaping Vampirate, heading down the halls he caught the creature as it stood on the stair just above the pooling holy water. The pathetic creature seemingly in no hurry as it slowly rolled up one pants leg… it didn’t even get a chance to cry out before Koran stabbed it in the back, a easy kill and yet in the moment of death a great rush of psychic energy was unleashed as all the energy the creature had stolen rushed out, all at once buffering Koran and even reaching so far as to Strahd who felt first the pain and then a great sense of relief. For long before Strahd had become a vampire there had been Lief Lipsiege, always going on about the accounts and taxes for as long as he remembered. Strahd would not admit that he had gone to great lengths to avoid having to deal with Lief, nor did he dare enter the mans office for worse was the energy drain of being around him was the nagging about taxes, insurance and accounting. Strahd felt a great weight lifted, for while it meant the Solar was likely near and out for his blood, it also meant he’d never have to listen to another lecture about taxes.

Strahd could almost thank the Solar for that.

However he was having a less fun time with his friend the Mad Ultraloth as it continued to try and attack him and make a mess of the place. Thankfully as a ooze he could quickly slip around him to avoid the attacks and repel the gaze of the mad creature.

Koran was unaware of the danger as he found himself looking at the strange sight of the Man lying across a par of Llamas blissed out of their heads. For a moment Koran had felt that he should judge their brazen drug use, but then a vivid memory – him long ago at a welcome gala for the queen of the Fey. He’d taken a piece of cake and ended up high as a kite the entire night. Koran remembered the shame he had felt, for he was sure that it was the end of him. He’d failed his duties – yet when he’d gone to repent he’d been shocked to be told that he’d been chosen by the Queen of the Fey to be the Envoy because he had been the only one willing to ‘have a little fun’.

Distracted as he was Koran opened the door only to see first the hand of Captain Adelaide Cholmondeley pressed against the invisible barrier of the dome of force as she choked on her last breath and slid to the ground. Koran’s angelic eyes seeing all as he noted the dead bodies, the destruction, the monster – for some fool had let the Ultraloth out! What idiot would have done such a thing? but Koran’s angelic eyes were quick to notice the slime-like creature lurking behind it.

At Last! Strahd thought, drawing upon his power he thought back to many happy childhood memories of reading every book written about a mad-wizard who tried to make a tourist attraction in Chult, a park of Dinosaurs! Strahd had loved it so and picturing the great T-Rex in his mind he spared no expense in compelling the Mad Ultraloth to take this new form, ignoring that the ceiling and room was unlikely to fit such a large creature. For a moment it seemed like nothing would happen, and then life found a way.

The tail came first.. snaking out as it slammed into the wall, then the Ultraloth’s body started to grow, all but it’s arms at least as it slammed the Force-Bubble that contained Captain Adelaide Cholmondeley and her crew. Slamming into Koran who flew back into the door – wood splintering as he crashed into the fluffy-lumpy form of the two llamas and a hippie “Oww…man…” – but Koran had no time to care for them for the fight was afoot.

Who would survive in the next epic battle of T-Rex Ultraloth vs Very Angry Solar?

Place your Bets for Round 4 of Revenge of Strahd in Space!

Inspiration Log

Fun OOC Fact:
Strahd had a 1 in 20 chance of blowing up Castle Ravenloft this session. Lucky for us he rolled a 3!