space girl

Or: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Be A Huge Bitch The Whole Time

So this week's session features Strahd, as is typical of Strahd, showing up while decent people are trying to sleep and deciding he wants us to a play a game for his amusement despite the fact that the outside temperature is Cold As Balls and we were having a perfectly lovely miserable long rest in a cave before we were interrupted.

So Baron Strahd von Hobbyless decides that for his own amusement he's gonna make us vote someone off the island.

(Sort of. He's not actually trying to EAT anyone, at least not tonight. He just wants to sow resentment and division in the party, and also drain someone while their friends watch helplessly because that's his biggest kink.)

Of course it's a secret mental vote. This is actually a genuinely tense and awful moment because refusing to play is a forfeit, and a forfeit means instant combat against Strahd with civilians in the line of fire, no prep time, and an actively hostile environment. It's not a viable option for anything but a TPK.

There's also the fact that while the party has been generally unified there are a lot of self-sacrificial types who we ALL suspect are already voting for themselves, a few extremely tactical planners, and a handful of people in both those groups who are already vulnerable to Strahd (ie, he stole their blood earlier). You might say those individuals need to be protected, but the flip side to that argument--and the one my little baby cleric fell on--was that, since Strahd already HAS her blood, letting him feed from her keeps that risk contained to her.

....Also, the vote doesn't have to have a majority but if there's not a plurality, ie, if there's not at least one person who someone else voted for, it's a forfeit. We CAN'T all vote for ourselves.

So we all privately message the DM with our character's decision.

DM: He doesn't SAY who voted for who, but he's moving on Atri. Me: Do I have time for ONE action. DM: ...............So there's nothing in his rules that says you CAN'T defend yourself, but... Me: Oh! I'm not fighting him. Even Atri isn't that crazy. Atri knows we can't fight Strahd right now. Me: No I want to take out that vial of holy water and pour it over my head. Me: He can drink my blood but he's gonna hate every minute. Me: Absolute banana-allergy experience.

Unfortunately this brand of impotent seething defiance is exactly why Strahd has started zeroing in on Atri in the first place. Still. She's terrified of him but she's not afraid to die, and no one ever defeated a vampire lord by cooperating him to death.

Meanwhile Eleri, the paladin who has basically adopted her and who was fully expecting to be the default tactical choice because she is the party tank, soaking damage is her literal job, is losing her SHIT watching this kid drop like a sack of tomatoes.

haha such sweet siblings I hope nothing happens to them :)

Chapters: 3/3 (10,910 words) Fandom: The Legend of Vox Machina (Cartoon), Critical Role: Campaign 1 - Vox Machina (Web Series), Critical Role: Exandria (Web Series) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Cassandra de Rolo, Delilah Briarwood, Sylas Briarwood Additional Tags: Whump, Angst, Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Torture, Blood, Mild Gore, Past Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Parent/Child Incest, Restraints, Trauma, Nightmares, Resistance, Anger, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Warning: The Briarwoods (Critical Role) Summary:

In the endgame, Delilah takes the opportunity to put her wayward daughter back in her place.