Chapter 4: Cursed

Gent 17th

Synopsis

• When the golden flash abated, Aiden was left with a well-dressed Zoldani looking utterly stupefied and a white doe with familiar eyes where Ilshana used to be. Of course, the crown-and-chain was cursed and the bard-turned-deer wore it now like an elegant mantle. She bolted suddenly, the quaking of the dire bear's approach reaching its climax. The tree line toppled and a massive, bone-plated ursine out of some prehistoric nightmare attacked! Aiden scooped up the dumbfounded Zoldani and then tossed him into a ditch, sparing him from being trampled. The man rolled with a whimper and hid, his broken leg making escape impossible.
• Fixated on the fleet-footed monk, the dire bear surged with jaws that could crush a ship's mast in a single bite and claws that could gut a gut a full-grown giant. Aiden only just managed to stay ahead before Cassie came to the rescue, exploding onto the scene with a "Yippy ki-yay" and firing a dead-on shot. The bear's left eye exploded, blood misting its thrashing, howling visage. Hoping to take advantage and simultaneously spare his sister the bear's retaliation, Aiden turned on his heels and landed a blow beneath the spewing socket. The bony shielding its malformed head scraped his knuckles raw. Cassie darted in to carve into the creature, but unfortunately missed anything vital.
• Enraged, the bear tackled Aiden. Even Ilshana watching from a ledge, trapped in the doe's mentality, recognized Aiden was as good as dead. Cassie felt the same instinctive fear. No telling what the stunned monk might of felt when over a ton of primal fury pushed him to the ground in the matter of a blink. Then it reared for the fatal attack. Nel was still too far off to help, though managed to push passed the last stand of boughs to witness what was the death of the Archdruid's only son. 
• No! Something snapped inside Cassie. An unseen, predatory challenge cut through the air and demanded the bear's immediate attention. Aiden used the momentary lull to scramble out of the bear's shadow, though not far enough. Still determined to rake the man in two, only the sweet bell-sound of the white doe on high fully drew its attention off the monk. Something almost magical in the doe's appearance, as if the moon had suddenly come within reach of its old, crusted claws, compelled the great bear to abandon the puny prey in favor of the silvery quarry to end all quarries. Aiden and Cassie took pot shots, but the real deciding blow came from something lying in wait and completely independent the group.
• Ilshana was already running when the magical trap sprung. It was at the top of the obscured ledge, out of sight of most of the party, an explosion of icicles lanced from the soft, summer earth. They impaled the left hindquarters of the bear, hobbling it instantly. It's pained roar dared Ilshana into turning back, and she thought she caught a glimpse of something pale and child-like vanishing into the trees. 
• Nel made impressive speed up the slope, spurred by the bear's unexpected cry, and with expert command of her bow severed the monster's arterial blood supply. It was as much a mercy killing as not. As it groaned and grew sluggish, eventually toppling at her feet, she noticed the bear had seen battle prior. It suffered a multitude of small nicks and cuts, as from tiny weapons, and spots of frost-burn. As the others caught up, little time was spared. Nel wasn't keen on leaving the Aleksi alone with his chicken-legged treasure. She charged the siblings with collecting Ilshana and made for the hut.
• Roza was waiting on the steps beside Aleksi by the time Nel got back. The sorceress had secured a proper distraction, but time was of the essence. Unfortunately, time was not on the party's side, especially Cassie and Aiden. They spent far too long giving chase to the wily, white doe. More of Ilshana showed in the deer than the Waylans cared, a playful, quick, and clever spirit that eluded them time and again. But neither were incompetents and Ilshana-Doe, for all her cunning, was bound to the intelligence of an animal more often than not. She was captured, and with the stranger, whose name was Ivanushka, slung like a sack of potatoes over Aiden's shoulder, the motley crew exited "The Bear Woods" hoping never to visit them again. 
• In the modest common room of the dancing hut, Iorwinn quiet on a cot, the party was officially introduced to Ivanushka Plishkev. Aleksi, thrilled to be hosting a boyar (his dress and mannerisms were unmistakable to the muzhik boy), waited on him hand-and-foot, though the class assumptions on both their parts rubbed Nel and Roza the completely wrong way. As Ivanushka slowly put the pieces together with the hut, the boy, and the group, he was met with a less than warm reception, if outright ridicule. Even still, there was some advantage to be gained out of all this and the death priestess was determined to make use of it. She also healed his leg. Aleksi scolded Nel for treating the boyar such and implored the man to use his power and prestige to aid them. He squirmed in his seat, but agreed with a practiced smile.
• When Nel identified the boyar's obvious tell, Ivanushka was forced to come clean or risk immediate ejection from the hut, if not worse. In a nutshell, he was no longer a rich and powerful boyar. He was bankrupt, his inheritance stolen from him and his sister by their aunt, the striga Katarina Skoryat. Circumventing a very serious oath, Katarina managed to remove all competitors to the Plishkev fortune, which she now held. Nel recognized the validity of his story and recalled that, since becoming so rich, Katarina had secured a position with one of the preeminent Izoldan ambassadors. This made Ivanushka's revenge and the party's search for a crown-and-chain cure a little more complicated than an assassination. 
• In the coldest way possible (and the most unlikable way possible, as Ivanushka was very blunt in telling her) Nel offered the Zoldani a deal that was too good to refuse, and in doing so fortified his allegiance. Simply put, she offered the group's help. In return, he would help wherever needed, with the language and customs, certainly, but more so with obstacles only a boyar, even if in appearance only, could negotiate in the very caste-focused Izoldan society. It was a very well-played maneuver on Nel's part. No one would put treachery passed Ivanushka under normal circumstances (bankrupt nobility are a fickle and desperate lot), however the pauper-prince had absolutely no worth to any other faction. No other striga would help him, no other boyar, either, and forget the Iron Guard! And what could be gained from Etherian counter-intelligence without defecting (which Ivanushka did NOT want to do, rather he goal was to restore his fortunes in the Motherland). He had to take the deal and stick to it for any chance at revenge, reclamation, and reuniting with his sister, and so he did. The priestess and the boyar spat and shook, and that was that. 
• Hoping to counter magic with magic, Aiden wrapped the Ogrecloak around the crown-collar on Ilshana's neck and pulled. It gave immediately! Ilshana was freed from the curse brilliantly, however, with a flash of golden light Aiden became a large, brown stag wearing the impressive, blood-stained cloak. He seemed a good deal mellower than Ilshana-Doe had been, except whenever Nel or Roza tried to approach (Ivanushka didn't even entertain the idea of trying). 
• Cassie was able to reach her brother for a short time, but much like Ilshana and Ivanushka before her, the human persona surfaced only for short periods of time before falling away into the animal again. The party puzzled over the final solution to the damned crown-and-chain, but it was more or less decided that the answer lied with some sort of resolution between Ivanushka and Katarina Skoryat. For the time being, Aiden would have to remain the stag...
• With time running short on Roza's imminent distraction, she directed Aleksi to lead them to the river and then, ultimately, to the ancient bridge at Hammer's Cross. Negotiating with the guardsmen of Fort Medved would be far too expensive, and attempting to bargain with the rusalka of the river akin to making a deal for their own drownings. The hut made haste, causing quite a commotion as it entered view of the Iron Guard lookouts. 
• The troops at Hammer's Cross displayed full, ordered ranks by the time the hut arrived at their end of the skinny, stone bridge connecting Izolda with Etheria. Obviously their belief was someone of extreme importance was in the fabled dancing hut (either The White Witch or the Matushka herself, if rumors were true). On the other side, Etherian forces watched on with spyglasses wondering what game the Zoldani were playing. 
• Despite offers of support and looks of distrust, Ivanushka was determined to succeed or fail on his own merits (especially after listening to a sample of Ilshana's horrible Izoldan accent). He left the hut with an air of confidence befitting a boyar worthy of the title and approached the commander of the bridge. Though no one could hear the conversation, half expected to be double-crossed in that moment, the other half anticipated Ivanushka to simply fail at the ruse. After thirty seconds, the penniless boyar returned to the hut with a look of victory about him. It might have even been called smug as he reentered.
• The Iron Guard dutifully cleared the path, presenting ranks on either side of the bridge's path. Flags-wavers hurried halfway across, waving the banners of the emissaries (a flag cut diagonally, one half the white of peace and the other the red-and-gold of the imperial standard). Flummoxed, the Etherian side made haste to accept an unexpected diplomat, especially once so strangely ushered. A portly, over-the-hill flag-waver appeared a few minutes later (out of breath) and swung a white-and-gold flag of acceptance. Still buttoning up his shirt, he made the motions to cross. And so the dancing hut did, with a mix of proud (Izoldan) and strange (Etherian) looks following after. 
• Welcome to Etheria!

Notable NPCs
Ivanushka Plishkev- The penniless boyar (Zoldani) was cheated out of his inheritance by his aunt, the striga Katarina Skoryat, after being turned into a stag through a cursed crown-and-chain; He wandered the alpine woods for months, fading in and out of intelligence and beast-mind, until Ilshana accidentally set him free; Agreed to help the party for the chance to enact revenge on his aunt, reclaim his fortune, and locate his sister.

Katarina Skoryat (mentioned)- A rich and talented striga of Segnova; Part of the ruling coven called The Knot; Ivanushka and Alenushka's aunt who, through roundabout means to avoid a sacred oath sworn to her late sister, caused her brother-in-law's death, her niece's hurried escape in the middle of the night, and her nephew's transformation into a stag in order to secure the fortune of the Plishkev family as her own; Nel recalled Katarina is a retainer to one of the leading Izoldan ambassadors, making her simple assassination not so simple; The power of the cursed crown and chain is tied directly to her.

Alenushka Plishkev (mentioned)- Ivanushka's sister; Fled Segnova hours before her father's death for fear of attack by her aunt, and her current whereabouts are unknown.


Treasures
The Crown-and-Chain (Aiden)
A golden crown and chain make for a curious collar around the stag’s neck.
Curse: The wearer of the crown-and-chain is transformed into a stag (or doe) with the faintest semblances of humanity and intelligence. Removing the chain (through magic) transfers the curse to the remover.
Cure: Tied to Katarina Skoryat


Bestiary Addendum
Bone-Plated Dire Bear (slain by Nel)


Notable Locations II
The Bear Woods (Izoldan Wilds): Alpine forest where the party found cursed Ivanushka, fought and killed the dire bear, stumbled upon a magical icicle trap, and may or may not have seen a suspicious, child-like figure.

Hammer's Cross (Border of Izolda and Etheria; along The Great River): One of the few crossing points between Izolda and Etheria, guarded heavily on both sides by the respective nations.


Izoldan Proverbs III
"Fear not the clever enemy, but the foolish friend." - Ivanushka, watching Aiden turned into a stag


Zol Vocabulary Lesson III
boyar- The male nobility of Izolda, each house claiming decent from one of Iggwilv's lovers throughout the ages (some daring blood claims with the Matushka herself, though never in earshot of a striga); They range in race, mostly human, tiefling, and giant-kin. Their influence is centered in the Red Cities (designated wealthy districts of Izoldan cities) where business and politics are decided. They are undeniably patriarchal households in reaction to the matriarchal church and state, possessed of staggering wealth but never on quite the same level as striga leadership (boyar fathers might think themselves barons, but they cannot hold a candle to the true might of the baronesses and are, in fact, beholden to the women who outrank them). Boyars hold the most sway in the capital Lothet, where they are treated as close equals to the striga. The only "free" boyar organization is The Hellfrost Club, and that's such a secretive order few believe it actually exists...