Role

Chapter 7

Ikanu Barovas hails from, as you may have surmised, Barovia.
His mother, Lavidia Stracek was a skilled necromancer who had
studied in the prestigious Tower of Sorcery. As a part of her
master's project she was sent to study the effects of prolonged
undeath; her subject being the legendary lich, Xoltrindar.
While stationed in the village, she fell in love with a
local farmer - a rather daring and foolish man, possessed
of a wild charisma that starkly contrasted against the
disciplined, cold demeanor of Ikanu's soon-to-be mother.

That wild, careless streak must have rubbed off, because
a couple years down the line, after Ikanu had been born,
she got the crazy idea to steal Xoltrindar's grimoire.
Knowing the lich's patterns better than anyone, she felt
that it could be done, and he'd be none the wiser. So,
one day, at dawn when the lich was always out of sight,
she uttered a spell of wraithform and slipped her hands
through the side of the cabin, right where she knew the
grimoire was resting. With a tug she pulled it through
and hurried quickly through the woods.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Now, that was strange. It sounded like someone was
knocking on a door...but that couldn't be right. She
was still a good mile or two away from the village.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

A cold sweat gushed from her forehead and her palms
as she realized it was coming from the grimoire...

*KNOCK........KNOCK........KNOCK*

The relentless sound was filling her ears, pulverizing her
eyes, exploding her skull with growing intensity. It was
as if a titan were trapped inside her body, pounding on the
walls like an enraged prisoner. There was only one solution,
one cure...she had to open the book.

As the tears streamed down her face and her legs buckled,
she slowly, with great remorse for her act, turned the page.
Upon it was a list of names, in no discernible order. The
pages began to turn of their own accord, and Lavidia could
only watch in horror as the terrifying spell was tightening
its grip upon her, drawing her in, making her see what it
wanted her to. At last the pages stopped, and there, at the
end of the list was inscribed "Lavidia Stracek." Just then
she felt the unmistakable, wrenching force of a summons.

She turned her head and saw the lich staring back. With a
slight cock of the skull, he said, "Knock-knock."

The skeleton made no other movements - apparently he was
waiting for the proper response. Why not? How much worse
could things get? The creature might even let her go if
she played her cards right. Some of her colleagues' studies
had suggested that liches, like everyone else, craved mortal
ties...perhaps she could employ her knowledge of undead
psychology. First thing's first...build a connection...

"Who's th-..."

"Die."