Cozy Glow and the Domains of Dread

Diary of Cozy Glow

Castlevania Ravenloft, the Vistani claimed Strahd named his castle after his mother, who likely were entombed somewhere within its walls, and within this Tomb, according to the Seer Madame Eva, a weapon of great power, and I wanted that power. As the carriage drew closer to the castle, Aurora held my hand, she was shaking. The carriage soon crossed a rickety drawbridge into the castle courtyard, which was enveloped in a heavy fog.

It was at this point Rahadin, Strahd's elf servant opened the door to the carriage, taking my hand to help me and Aurora out of the carriage like we were noble ladies. I was grateful to be treated with such courtesy, yet Rahadin's very presence disturbed me, for while in his presence the screams that sounded like they were from victims of torture echoed in my head. Rahadin escorted us towards the entrance, a heavy set of wooden doors, above which was a broken stained glass window. From within the keep came a warm light, flooding the courtyard.

Rahadin opened the door for us, gesturing towards us to go first, such manners. We entered a grand hall filled with organ music. Rahadin led us through the castle, following the sound of music until we reached a dining hall. Three crystal chandlers illuminated this magnificent chamber, in the center of the room a long table covered by a fine satin cloth. The table was filled with many delectable foods, set for us with fine china and silver, each crystal goblet filled a red liquid that I hoped was wine.

At the table sat many finely dressed noblewomen and noblemen, that with the exception of a single individual, a woman with long black hair with a hint of purple, with orange skin unlike anything I had previously seen on a human. She was clad in a skin-tight body suit made of black fabric and interlocking metal plates that seemed incredibly technologically advanced, but her most striking feature was her glowing purple eyes that betrayed great cunning. Whoever this woman was, she was gorgeous.

Along the western wall stood a massive pipe organ, its pipes blaring a melody that seemed both epic and tragic. Seated by the organ, playing it with great skill was a single caped figure. The figure was a handsome, yet gaunt middle-aged man, with a mane of long black hair, but his hairline was receding, he was clad in fine clothes of red and black, with a dark blue cape flowing in the wind behind him in this drafty castle. He had an unearthly aura about him, his scarlet eyes having an hypnotic quality to them. I was not usually attracted to older men, but there was something about this man I found irresistible. I immediately knew him for who he was, Strahd Von Zarovich.

Strahd stopped playing the organ and immediately turned towards us as we entered the room, Strahd welcomed us to his castle, introducing himself before gently kissing both my hand and that of Aurora, who turned red at Strahd's display of affection, the visible fear she experienced until a moment ago gone. But I knew better, as I immediately knew Strahd as a figure more dangerous than any wolf. I introduced myself and my companion to Strahd before he told us to take our seats at the dinnertable.

I decided to eagerly participate of the food, as it was some time ago I had eaten anything, there was a small risk the food was spiked with something, but I also knew that if Strahd wanted me dead, he didn't need to resort to such indirect methods.

One by one, the dinnerguests introduced themselves to us, first was a woman named Zerine, who Strahd introduced as his daughter. Zerine was seemingly a young woman with long white hair and pale white skin, almost alabaster, her features ageless and her pointy ears identified her as having elven heritage. She was dressed in what seemed to be a mix of a noblewoman's dress and a mage's robes, arcane runes decorating the the long sleeves of her clothing, a red collar around her neck, the colors were black and red. Zerine seemed quite withdrawn in her demeanour, only speaking when spoken to.

The second guest introduced herself as Volenta, she was quite short in stature, even shorter than myself, she had medium long brown hair and a skull-like mask that covered the upper half of her face. She was dressed in a beautiful yellow dress. Volenta seemed childlike in her demeanor, though I was uncertain if she was truly a child, I got a deep sense of sadism emanating from her glowing red eyes visible from behind the mask. If she was a child she was the type to torture insects for fun, but I suspected she was responsible for much darker acts than that. Strahd told me she had come to him seeking asylum from an angry mob and that he viewed her as a daughter. Though Volenta gave Strahd an irradiated look when he used the word "daughter" to describe her. Perhaps she desires to.be something more.

The striking woman with glowing purple eyes I had noticed earlier introduced herself as Komand'r, a strange name, and combined with her strange appearance it made me conclude that Komand'r was neither human, nor an elf or a vampire, but something altogether different. Strahd told me she had recently come to Ravenloft from another world, seeking asylum against some people that was hunting her. But Strahd didn't know any further details and Komand'r didn't want to disclose any. She was clearly very secretive.

The other guests Strahd introduced as his "consorts", for these was a man among the 3 women, Strahd seemingly had an interest in both sexes. The man, who introduced himself as Escher had fair features, long blonde hair and the scarlet eyes that was common to vampires, he carried himself with nobility and grace. Another bride with dark skin and black braided hair decorated with gold ornaments introduced themselves as Ludmilla. She wore and elegant white dress. She was absolutely the oldest-looking of the brides, but she had a fierce intellect visible behind the vampiric red eyes of hers.

Next was Anastrasya, who was truly a sight to behold with her immaculate facial features, curvy figure and long red hair, she was clad in elegant red dress. She seemed quite charming and was a joy to talk to, but it soon became obvious she wasn't too bright. The final bride appeared to be an older teenager, she wore a purple dress and had her brown hair in a bun on the back of her head, her blue eyes revealed she had not yet been turned into a vampire. She introduced herself as Getruda, I guess I now knew where Mary's daughter went. She seemed quite naive, calling Strahd her "Prince", like if she was in a fairy tale. I didn't know if it would be possible to convince her to return to her mother, even if it was obvious to me that Strahd was taking advantage of her naivety.

During dinner, I engaged Strahd in idle conversation, hoping to eventually get him to spill the beans on more important topics. Strahd was quite curious about myself and Aurora, he asked what I was, for artic blue hair like mine was uncommon among both elves and humans, and my scarlet eyes suggested I was a vampire, yet he said he couldn't detect a hint of the curse in my veins. I told him we were travellers from distant lands and that we had recently appeared in Strahd's domain for unknown reasons. I tried to be as vague as possible, in order to not give Strahd any information he could use against me. But his hypnotic eyes got the better of me and I ended up telling Strahd most of my life story, barely being able to conceal the real purpose behind my visit from him. Strahd seemed very interested in my villainous past and the realm I originally came from. It was clear he had never encountered ponies before and therefore our kind held great interest to him. I eventually managed to ask him the question that I had been the most curious about:

"What is your deal with Ireena, why do you want her?"

Strahd's answer was somewhat expected, but it was good to have confirmation:

"Long ago, before I was condemned to this cursed existence, I loved a woman named Tatyana. She was still in her youth with auburn hair and a smile to die for. I knew from the moment I saw her that she was destined to be my bride. But she was cruelely taken from me before she could be mine. After that, from time to time, she has been reborn in this realm, she may not remember me, but I recognise her soul. She does not yet realize she is meant to be mine, but I swore long ago that one day we will be reunited and rule together from the spires of Ravenloft"

While Strahd's answer was informative, I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't telling me the whole truth. The way he put it, it sounded almost romantic. But I noticed how he referred to Tatyana more as an object to own rather than a person. Like a dragon lusting after a new possession.

With time I managed to get Strahd to talk about his family. He told me he was once a Prince, son of King Barov and Queen Ravenovia, who dedicated his life to saying his father's enemies, conquering this very valley in his fathers name. I asked him where his family were now and he confirmed they were all dead, his father, his mother and even his brother Sergei, they were buried in the catacombs of this very castle. Strahd could not help but to fill his voice with contempt when mentioning his brother's name, why I wasn't sure. Strahd had swallowed the bait, I now knew where to look for the tomb of Queen Ravenovia.

After dinner, I expressed to Strahd my interest of joining his court as one of his consorts, putting my moves on him as hard as I could. Leaning against him, my lips an inch from his and my small breasts gently touching his chest as I popped the question. Strahd seemed very vulnerable to this type of manipulation, but I had to admit, it was only partially a lie, for a part of me found it difficult to resist his hypnotic charm. Maybe he was manipulating me, only letting me think I was still in control. Strahd turned to Aurora and asked if she likewise sought to join his consorts, she reluctantly agreed, both terrified and obviously hot and bothered by the suggestion.

We were granted our own personal chambers in the upper parts of the castle. But it was obvious Strahd didn't yet trust us completely. For he sent Volenta to watch over us. I had to admit the girl intrigued me, on closer inspection, her body appeared quite underdeveloped, physically a child, or maybe a teenager, of an age of 12-14 if I were to guess. I couldn't see her face from behind the mask, giving her the appearance of a demon. Her red eyes observed me with contempt, maybe even a hint of jelousy. I had a feeling she wanted nothing more than to tear me apart, piece by piece, laughing maniacly as she bathed in my blood. Only her loyalty to Strahd, or perhaps her fear of incurring his wrath held her back. Yet I couldn't help to be reminded of my younger self as I looked at her, there was a hint of kinship. I wondered what her history was to have made her this way.

If I wanted to explore the castle, I had to shake her somehow. But in the meantime, I did my best to get to know the girl. Volenta wasn't very forthcoming, but she told me she was from Vallaki, she spoke the name of that town with hatred and contempt. She said few words, but pressed me for information about my past, especially my time as a villain, on that topic she seemed genuinely interested. I told her of my original scheme to take over Equestria, my eventual defeat, my release from Tartarus and how I led a quest for revenge against those that imprisoned me under the encouragement of Grogar, and the eventual reveal of his identity as Discord, as well as my imprisonment in stone. Throughout all of this, Volenta appeared to be studying me, asking if I ever fantasized about ripping Discord apart, slowly and painfully for his manipulations and his betrayal, especially his audacity of deciding my punishment when he was just as guilty of the same crime. I had to admit to her that I had, my mind went to dark places during my petrification, but I was over that now, my mind had been in a better place ever since Sunset freed me, I had even made peace with my old enemy Twilight Sparkle. While I still wouldn't spend any time with Discord unless I could avoid it, I had learned to let go of my grudge and find meaning in the company of friends. Volenta expressed that I was lucky, she never had any friends, even towards the other members of the court she felt resentment, and Strahd was always emotionally distant, he protected her, but he was not willing to sit down and listen to the troubles of another.

When I told Volenta that I was willing to listen, that I was willing to be her friend, she finally opened up. Volenta took off her mask, revealing a fair but round face, the murderous glint in her eyes disappearing when she looked at me. She looked way less fearsome with the mask than without, now I only saw a young girl bearing heavy emotional scars. While she still seemed reluctant to talk about her past, she pressed through the pain with a bit of coaxing:

"I was born on the streets of Vallaki, I never knew my father or mother, I was raised by a monster that forced me to sell myself to older clients to earn even basic food and shelter, yet I was treated worse than a farmer would treat their livestock, I was fed scraps and slept on the floor. One day I had enough, I plunged a knife into the monster. I enjoyed every second of his last gasps for breath after I punctured his lungs. The feeling was ecstasy, and I knew as I bathed in his blood that this was my calling. My clients, those who would prey upon a young girl such as myself also met their end, I made sure their deaths were painful. But as the authorities discovered my activities, murderer they called me, standing up for those monsters. I fled, Strahd took me into his flock, I was always told Strahd and his ilk were monsters, but I found that humans were the real monsters, so I asked Strahd to make me like him, a monster, for if humans would only see me as a monster, a monster I would become. I swore to one day return and make the humans pay, now that time is close at hand, do you want to support me when the time comes, friend?"

I nodded, telling her that I would stand by her even if it meant burning Vallaki to the ground. I knew this was wrong, not all citizens in Vallaki were guilty, but if it would help my new friend find closure, then so be it. But deep down I felt like I had crossed a terrible threshold. Sunset always said that revenge was pointless, that even if acheived it was a hollow victory, for no amount of vengeance could ever dull your pain. Sunset would always forgive, but I had a feeling Volenta wouldn't be very receptive to that message, at least not yet.

At dawn, Volenta had to leave to go to rest in her coffin in the catacombs, sensing an opportunity, I offered to accompany her to her resting place. One of the only ways to reach the Ravenloft catacombs were by a massive spiral staircase, the only light during this journey into the darkness were the torches placed on each side of the staircase. Eventually we reached a room with a massive stone brazier in its center, a white flame burning in the brazier gave of no heat, on the sides of the brazier were indentations with many colored stones inserted into each slot. Above the brazier were an hourglass, suspended from the cealing. On each side of the brazier were two lifelike statues of iron on horseback, they gave me the creeps, I hated statues. Volenta told me the brazier allowed Strahd to travel instantly to the most remote corners of his realm by throwing one of the colored stones into the fire and stepping into it. I would keep this in mind, could be useful later. There was an inscription on the back of the hourglass which read:

"Cast a stone into the fire:

Violet leads to the mountain spire

Orange to the castle’s peak

Red if lore is what you seek

Green to where the coffins hide

Indigo to the master’s bride

Blue to ancient magic’s womb

Yellow to the master’s tomb"

I made sure to memorise this inscription as well, while cryptic it could allow me to travel to where I needed to be in the future, though the only way to know for sure where each of these stones led were to try them out.

After the portal room, a long corridor led to an enormous chamber with countless stone coffins. Volenta told me to be careful, as Strahd had established several teleportation traps to dispose of intruders who approached his tomb. Fortunately I had no intention of approaching Strahd's tomb, though I hoped the tomb of Queen Ravenovia wasn't held in the same chamber. I escorted Volenta to her crypt, in which her stone coffin resided, she seemed to already trust me enough to not stake her heart while she was asleep, I tended to have that effect on people, even if many did wish they didn't trust me in hindsight.

After that point, I was free to roam the catacombs by myself, but as I already guessed, the tomb of Queen Ravenovia wasn't in the main section, though I did find the likes of the grave of Sir Klutz a knight who according to his epitaph died when he fell on his own sword. I also saw Zerine weep at the gates to the crypt of someone called Patrina Velikovna, who according to her epitaph was a bride of Strahd, Aurora standing by her side, Zerine was probably sent to keep an eye on Aurora, just as Volenta was sent to keep an eye on me. From beyond the other side of the door to the crypt a bone-chilling howl could be heard, I wouldn't open that door for all the power in the world. By the door to the tomb was dozens of wizened red roses, with a single fresh rose on the top of the pile. When Zerine saw me, she excused herself, seemingly embarrassed that I had witnessed her emotional outburst, telling me that she needed to go back to her room to rest. Unlike the rest, she didn't seem to be a full vampire, and therefore didn't need to rest surrounded by her native soil.

After that, Aurora was free to join me in my search. She told me she spent most of the night talking to Zerine about her theories in the field of science and alchemy, which Zerine had seemed quite interested in. I was glad she had made a new friend, as I found a friend in Volenta. It turned out to be true that the tomb of Strahd's parents was in its own section, a grand crypt grander and more impressive than any other, safe perhaps Strahd's own and of his brother Sergei. A barrier of blue light blocked passage into the crypt, the barrier flanked by two bronze statues of a soldier holding a spear. I hoped the statues wouldn't come to life if I penetrated the barrier. Beside the barrier an inscription could be seen on the wall:

"Only the pure of heart may enter."

This had me worried, after all, I was Cozy Glow, the very same who tried to take over Equestria twice, no way this barrier would deem me a good person. I was almost going to send Aurora through, but she put a hand on my shoulder and said:

"Cozy, I know you weren't the best person in the past and I know you wonder if you have even changed all that much since those times. But the Cozy Glow I know has not only saved me from a fate worse than death, she has saved the world more times than she has ever endangered it. You got this, friend. "

With Aurora's emboldening words echoing in my head, I stretched out my hand and penetrated the barrier with just a finger, it went through. Aurora did the same, but the barrier wouldn't let her through. I stepped through the barrier without issue. That was odd, the barrier considered me pure of heart, while Aurora was not. Surely there was some mistake. But I decided to take the opportunity to enter the tomb.

The crypt was silent, tall glass windows dominating the eastern wall. Two stone coffins on marble slabs leaned against the north and south walls respectively. The one to the north labeled King Barov, and the one to the south labeled Queen Ravenovia. The vaulted roof above me was inlaid with a beautiful gold mosaic. I immediately went to Queen Ravenovia's coffin and with great effort I was able to remove the lid. In the coffin was a skeleton with a white shroud covering them, but also something quite curious. An elaborate hilt that looked like it belonged to a longsword, but the blade was nowhere to be found. Was this truly the mighty weapon Madame Eva had spoken off?

I grabbed the hilt of the blade, on closer inspection it looked like it was made out of platinum, the previous owner must have been quite wealthy. As soon as I did, a presence entered my mind and the voice of a young man spoke to me:

"You have been proven worthy, champion, I have read your mind and seen your past, and while your past is tainted, I also see a girl who have been able to rise above their evil origin and become something extraordinary. "

I wondered if the sword if it was responsible for putting up the barrier at the tomb's entrance, my thoughts seemed to be automatically known by the sword, for it answered, I was not sure I liked that:

"I had to keep the unworthy from grasping my hilt, if I wanted to fulfill my purpose. "

I wondered what that purpose was, but before the sword could answer, a foul mist filled the room, and out of that mist emerged none other than Strahd, he was furious.

"I welcomed you into my home Cozy Glow, and this is how you repay me?"

A blade of radiant light extended from the hilt of the sword, as if acting on its own accord, bathing the tomb in sunlight. While this would incinerate a regular vampire, the light didn't seem to affect Strahd at all. I could feel the voice of the swird echoing in my mind, but it was more like screaming:

"KILL STRAHD!"

My mind was immediately overwhelmed by visions, visions of two men by a banquet table, both men were clad in the elaborate clothes of nobility, both with long black hair and similar-looking facial features. But while one of the men was in his 20's, with a thin moustache and perfect hair, the other was at least 40, perhaps older, with a receding hairline and a few grey hairs upon his scalp. I recognized the older man as Strahd, even if he looked older, and without the hypnotic allure I knew him to have as a vampire, the younger man had to be his younger brother Sergei. Sergei seemed to be in a more jovial mood than his brother, laughing at some immature joke he himself had told, while Strahd had a grim humorless expression.

The scene faded away, being replaced by another vision of Sergei dancing with a beautiful woman with auburn air in the castle ballroom while Strahd watched with a hateful look from the shadows. The woman looked identical to Ireena, I assumed she had to be Tatyana. She was in actuality with Sergei?

The vision faded away again, to be replaced by the vision of a wedding being planned between Sergei and Tatyana. Sergei and Tatyana seemed happy, while Strahd was in a foul mood. Yet Sergei continued to try go get his brother to cheer up, even deciding to honor Strahd making him the best man at his wedding.

That is how it came to pass that Strahd summoned Sergei to his side before the wedding. Sergei, wanting nothing more than to mend the rift between him and his brother spoke to Strahd:

"Brother, im glad to see you, I know we had our differences l, especially over Tatyana. But I am happy to have my kin at my wedding nontheless. Why drag us here to such a gloomy corner of the castle? Let us go back to the party, I can't keep my bride waiting."

At that Strahd drove a dagger through Sergei's heart, Sergei's last words were simply:

"Brother, why?"

At that moment, Strahd uttered an incantation in an ancient language, a pact with death, a blood sacrifice to gain eternal youth and immortality, before he drank of Sergei's blood.

Unable to leave the now cursed realm of Barovia, Sergei showed me how his spirit became trapped in the sword he wielded in life, a sword he was buried with. At that point the blade was intact, a blade made of pure crystal to focus the divine light through. This was where it remained for decades before Strahd extracted the sword from Sergei's tomb, commissioning a magician to destroy it. First, the blade was separated into two pieces and the crystal blade destroyed, but the hilt was stolen by the wizard's apprentice and hidden in the tomb of Queen Ravenovia. Sergei's spirit within the hilt erecting a barrier around the tomb that Strahd could not hope to penetrate, waiting for the day a worthy champion would come along and use the sword to kill Strahd.

My arm moved as by itself, pointing the blade made of light towards Strahd, but I realized that even with this artifact I had no chance against the vampire. Sergei's desire for vengeance was understandable, even though Strahd was his brother, he had slain him in order to claim his bride for himself. Strahd looked at both me and the sword with a confident expression, as if he was daring my to strike him. The sword summoned all its power to wrest control of my body to get it's revenge, but I denied it. It was true that Strahd had done many awful things, probably many more than those I knew of, but so did I and Sunset gave me another chance when no one else would. I remember what Sunset told me about revenge, that for a time it could give you purpose, and in the moment of fullfillment it could even give you some satisfaction, but that satisfaction would always give way to emptiness and regret. I tried to convey these thoughts to Sergei and they seemed to momentarily soothe his rage.

"Very well champion, I am looking forward to meeting this Sunset character. You have reminded me of who I used to be before my own brother plunged a dagger into my heart. I was once a paladin of the Morninglord, and his gospel do state that we should work to save sinners, those who can be saved anyway. I am not sure you can save my brother, but I will allow you to try. But tell me, what has become with my beloved Tatyana? "

I conveyed thoughts of Ireena, the young woman who sought to escape Strahd, who I learned might be Tatyana's reincarnation. This seemed to please Sergei, who expressed he would love to meet this Ireena. Finally, Sergei allowed me to lower the sword and turn off the blade of light. Strahd, who had now brandished his claws, gave me a puzzled expression, I turned to face Strahd:

"I don't seek to quarrel with you for the moment, I have already geown quite attached to some members of your court. I came for the sword, the prediction of a seer revealed it could be found in the tomb of your mother. I was thinking, now that I have officially aligned myself with your court, me possessing the sword does prevent an enemy of yours from using it against you, doesn't it?"

I wasn't quite sure if this was truly my own will or just the effects of Strahd's hypnotic charm, but I truly had no desire to fight him. Strahd seemed quite amused by my earlier proposition:

"Very well, Cozy Glow was it? I am impressed that you managed to subdue the murderous spirit of my brother. From this moment forward you are to serve as my enforcer, my champion. To prove your loyalty, I task you with subduing the rebellious town of Vallaki. You will be working together with Volenta, I have promised her revenge against those that hunted her like a rabid dog."

Sergei didn't know what to think of this and neither did I, but I proposed we lay low for now, surely I would think of some clever way to minimise innocent lives lost while technically fullfilling Strahd's request. With that in mind, I agreed to Strahd's proposition. At the time I could never even imagine the road this decision would set me on.