Quoted By:
<span class="mu-s">Result</span>
Persuade Ezmerelda to trust you: <span class="mu-s">18</span> (success)
--
"I am eternally grateful that you saved me," you say. "It's a shame we couldn't have met under better circumstances."
"Likewise," she replies. "The current circumstances of this talk are rather drab... I want you to know, your corpse <span class="mu-i">was</span> kept on a bed these past few days. I took you out here to wake you up."
"Why?" you ask.
"Oh, come on. I saw what you did to that abomination. Do you think I am naive? You might have been threatening, and I don't put my friends in danger."
If you had energy, you would laugh that ridiculous remark. "I can't even stand up," you say, your voice wavering. "How could I even be threatening?"
"You cast that light spell as soon as you opened your eyes," she says, stern. "Is it crazy for me to assume you could incinerate both of us now with just a gesture?"
Actually, it's not - you feel fully capable of calling upon Kossuth's divine power in your current state, despite physical ailments. Sure, you don't have enough energy left to use the same explosive spell you used on the Abbot's flesh golem, but she doesn't know that. You groan in response.
>"Why were you hiding in the Abbey?"
"I guess I'm lucky you were there here all," you say. "What exactly were you and your companion doing up there?"
Ezmerelda gives you a calculating glance, as if wondering whether she can trust you - but her expression softens. You can tell she doesn't detect anything threatening about you in this moment. You haven't attacked her yet, after all. You may prove to be the vital ally you presume she is hoping for; why else would she be the one to wake you up?
"I was... hoping to lure Strahd in," Ezmerelda says, addressing your question. "I first went there by mistake, looking for refuge... but then I found out the Abbot was creating a bride for Strahd. I begun hiding there, in the barrack on the top floor, hoping to catch him by surprise when he inevitably came to see it."
That makes sense, but what about her companion? The one who wanted to save you? "You said you were with someone," you say, weakly.
"She arrived later," Ezmerelda says. "I met her up there. She had sought the Abbot for help, but I realized shortly after arriving that he was irreparably insane."
"So you helped her instead?"
"Mhm," she says, with a nod.
"And... Strahd... why do you want him dead?" you ask, hoping for a genuine measure of her morals.
"Well, because he is evil. Evil that feeds on the innocent is the worst of all evils; it must be destroyed."
"You're right," you say. "But is that all?"
She pauses, then looks away. "Well... I concede, that's not the whole story."
You nod in understanding. Even with you, it's never just about the greater good.
She continues...
(cont.)
