CoS 2
CoS 2 is a roleplaying campaign using a modified Curse of Strahd module using the DnD 5e system set in Forgotten Realms (Faerûn/Demiplanes of Dread), run by Gunnar Petzäll as DM and the Zeta group (Masen, Tobias, Staffan, Darío) as players.
The campaign follows a group of Forgotten Realms characters who end up in in a forgotten realm, with varying motivations to mostly make the world a better place.
House Rules
- General Dice Rules
- General DnD 5e house rules (all sorts)
- Barovian Sleep (nightmares may prevent some HP restoration; overcome with time)
Lingering Injuries (debuffs and scars when taking 50% max HP or being downed)
Session prep
Main Cast
Current level: 4.
| Player | Character | Sheet | Ini | HP | AC | Per | Hit | DC | Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha | Prof | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birgitta | Várgas | Link | [ Link] | n/a | ||||||||||||
| Daniel | Torbjoern | Link | [ Link] | +4 | 12 | 15 | +3 | +6 | n/a | +0* | +4* | +2 | +0 | +1 | +0 | +2 |
| Darío | Terrence | [ Link] | [ Link] | +2 | 10 | 13 | +1 | +4 | 13 | -1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +1* | +3* | +2 |
| Staffan | Jormund | Link | [ Link] | +6 | 15 | 14 | +0 | +5 | n/a | +5* | +1 | +5* | -1 | +0 | +1 | +2 |
| Tobias | Aelfric | Link | [ Link] | +3 | 15 | 14 | +0 | +5 | n/a | +5* | +1 | +5* | -1 | +0 | +1 | +2 |
| Tata | Izzat | Link | [ Link] | n/a | ||||||||||||
| Yurii | Sol Invictus | Link | [ Link] | n/a |
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/111026535
Planning
- S1 2022-11-26 - as planned - 3/4 (face 2 face)
- Tobias unavailable
- S2 2022-12-05 - as planned - 4/4 (Discord)
- S3 2022-12-12 - as planned - 4/4 (Discord)
- S4 2023-01-23 - as planned - 4/4 (Discord)
Summary
Chapter 4: Welcome to Vallaki
(Session 22 - 2024-01-10 -Tata -Yurii) [Day 17]
The guards seemed antagonistic at the foreigners until Ismark and Ireena spoke to them and everyone were let in after a brief registration and asked to not be "maliciously unhappy" or to "speak ill of the Baron". They all went directly to the Blue Water Inn where they were warmly greeted by Urwin Martikov, seemingly delighted in seeing Ismark again and enthusiastic about having foreginers in his establishment. The wolf hunters in the corner were less impressed, however.
A lot of small talk included some hints of the philosophy of the Baron, that constant festivals keeps "The Devil" at bay and it had worked for over 200 years. The past festival was one of wolf heads carried on pikes and soon they would have "The Blazing Sun Festival" in a few days where "Attendance and children required. Rain or Shine". The concept of "malicious unhappiness" could also land you in the stocks or ... worse. However: "All will be well", according to the Baron.
The party was told of the main power dynamic of Baron Vargas (yes, same name as Vàrgas, though purely a coincidence) Vallakovich, whose ancient ancestors had founded Vallaki, and the main commercial family the Wachters, headed by Fiona Wachter. Vasoli von Holtz was mentioned as well, though more like the kind of guy who tries to rub shoulders and stay on good footing with everyone. A bachelor of rank and accountant or luxery goods curator to others. Further rich noble families exist but either stay out of politics or lean towards Vallakovich or Wachter.
After a well derseved dinner at the Blue Water Inn, the party headed to the Church of St Andrals to speak to Father Lucien. Being pressed on protecting Ireena, Lucien admitted to Vàrgas, whom he recognised as a pious warrior of faith (albeit disappointed it was not for the Morning Lord) that the church no longer was concecrated because someone had stolen the relics of St Andral. He suspected Milivoj, the grave digger he had taken in from the orphanage and he also suspected Yesek the altar boy had seen him do it.
The party managed to get Yesek to speak, which lead them to the St Andral Orphanage where they found Milivoj unconscious in feverish dreams in his bed, as he had been for about two days. Headmistress Claudia Belasco at first just wanted the visitors out but was convinced to help. Vàrgas tried to heal the poor boy but just felt the holy power of her healing spell being sucked into Milivoj somehow without healing him and got a feeling this was a magical disease that would be hard or impossible to heal (but graciously wasn't contageous). It's possible the source of the illness isn't from within Milivoj.
Meanwhile, Jormund lifted the spirits of just about every child in the house by retelling of gory stories and eventually chasing them around the house.
(Vàrgas also very quickly surveyed the top floor of the children's beds but found nothing of particular note at first glance.)
It's about 20:00.
(End of session.)
St Andral's Orphanage
(Session 23 - 2024-01-17 ) [Day 17 20:00]
- Not entirely welcome at this time
- After some talk, find Milivoj being comatose in bed, having been progressively worse over the past few weeks
- Jormund having a whale of a time playing with the children
- Talk to Headmistress Claudia Belasco
- Two children ran away a couple of weeks ago
- One child (Cedrik) had recently died falling out of a window
- Find random bruises on children's arms, legs and necks
- Find infernal runes on all beds but Felix ("Dark Dreams")
- Vàrgas gets Father Lucien
- After some further investigation, decide to go to the attic
- Felix sat by window making a wooden toy soldier with a kitchen knife
- Some questioning until provoked, rush to mid of room and a dark pulsating smokey shape emerges, ready to strike
(Session 24 - 2024-01-24 ) [Day 17 23:00]
- Torbjoern two-shots the demonic shape that came out of Felix
- Felix "wakes up", crying uncontrollably having been sidelined in his own mind, the demon among other things killed his parents and Cedrik
- Milivoj wakes up, they find out he was asked to get the bones by Bluto Korgarov, the fisherman and paid "a lot for some useless bones"
- Milivoj is ashamed and asks for forgiveness
- Vàrgas goes back with Lucien (they and Ireena sleeps in the church, the rest in the orphanage)
Following the Bones
- [Day 18 08:00] Long rest brought nightmares, again, Vàrgas later apologised for talking down to the men about it
- Outside the door awaits a "salesman" (Ernst Larnak) who says his current employer Fiona Wachter (rival to the Burgomaster Vargas Vallakovich) is very keen on meeting the foreigners and invite them for tea after lunch
- Reconvene with Vàrgas and strategise - head towards Bluto's cabin
- At the cabin Aelfric finds near invisible fresh foot prints indicate he's left for the lake in the past hour or so
- At the lake they find two boats, slightly water clogged, and one boat out on the misty lake
(Session 25 - 2024-02-07 ) [Day 18 09:30]
- A high pitched scream is heard
- They rush rowing out to the boat, the person in the boat clearly noticing
- As Torbjoern arrive, Bluto is throwing a lumpy bag over board, weighted with rocks
- Torbjoern jumps in to retrieve the bag (or at least contents) while the rest of the party assaults Bluto
- Bluto jumps over board and tries to swim ashore
- Torbjoern sees a large snake under water as he cuts the bag open to reveal a young woman
- Aelfric smacks Bluto over the head with an ore, rendering him unconscious
- Vàrgas brings the girl to life who is a little perterbed that "you're late" and seems to confuse tempus both forwards and backwards in time
- Bluto is kept tied up in his cabin with Ismark and Ireena
Vallaki Tribulations
- Party goes to Vistani camp where Arabelle lives
- Sees a man whipped by camp leader Luvash, father of Arabelle
- First suspicious, then overtly happy about the party saving his daughter
- Offers drinks as well as a reward (they eventually picked a wooden chest with 1200 electrum pieces)
- Asked to speak to the dusk elf leader Kasimir Velikov - looks like Rahadin but they are more like enemies
- Frail man with wounds and bruises - his healing involves taking on the wounds of others to heal them
- Don't like Strahd who among other things has killed his sister (Patrina Velikovna) and holds her body in his dungeons
- Kasimir asks party to, when he's feeling better, escort him up Mount Ghakis (southern mountain) to an ancient temple to find the means to resurrect Patrina, then go to Castle Ravenloft to get her corpse
- On the way back to Bluto's cabin they stop by Blinsky's Toys as they promised to buy a toy for Arabelle by her aunt in Tser Pool encampment a couple of days ago
- In Blinsky's shop they find a doll that is a near copy of Ireena and after some talk convince Blinsky to make a copy that they can show/give to Ireena
- Bluto's story is rather sad with wife and children perished and even his profession drying up leading to him drowning his sorrows in wine, which is also running out
- Woken up he admits to being asked by the fairly antisocial coffin maker Henrik van der Voor to get Milivoj to steal the bones
- Lunch at Blue Water in, some talks with Danika Dorakova (other attendants include two fancy clad young men and, in the corner, the two wolf hunters)
- At some point Ernst Larnak shows up again to remind them about the tea with Fiona Wachter
(Session 26 - 2024-02-21 ) [Day 18 13:30]
- Blinsky "Ireena dolls" bought by Izek
- Made a new doll for 25g
- Bought spare dolls in a sack
- Coffin maker - vampire spawns in boxes
- Relics in wardrobe - to Lucien in the church
- Henrik Van der Voorr - Jormund guarding
- Wachterhouse tea - politics + Izek
(Session 27 - 2024-02-28 ) [Day 18 16:00]
- Check w Lucien
- Ask Burgomaster for help by using Henrik as scapegoat
- Henrik in stocks
- Izek comes to kill "zombies" - admit vampires - bring 20+ guards
- Confirm it's vampires - put whole house on fire
- Insta-kill first one, 2 more rounds of combat after
- End mid-combat
- 18:00
(Session 28 - 2024-03-20 ) [Day 18 18:00]
- A dark-skinned woman in white cast a Fireball at the entire combat fray, harming the vampires and killing all regular guards
- Remaining guards, Catalin and Izek together with the adventurers slaughtered the remaining vampires in short order
- Izek brought the adventurers to Vargas Vallakovich, who was very grateful
- Vàrgas researched the cat-curse
- Hard to remove, maybe Greater Restoration can do it, otherwise a Wish spell is required; some references to a temple of magical powers at the top of a mountain
- Join Vargas Vallakovich doing a speech saying guards, Izek and the party prevented a vampire conspiracy and the Blazing sun Festival will be essential to seal the opportunity for vampires to enter Vallaki
- Party heads towards Blue Water Inn to sleep
- 20:15
Vàrgas's notes:
Mina anteckningar (som är mycket blandade mellan svenska och engelska:
I början av striden mot vampyrerna ser någon av killarna en kvinna i fönstret på övervåningen, uppmärksammar oss på henne; hon känns igen som ”Lady of Strahd”? Mörk hy.
Hon kastar en fireball som dödar merparten av vakterna.
Lite senare ser vi ett grönaktigt ljus från fönstret. Vi vet inte vad som händer med henne.
Vi följer Isaq till the burgermaster. Min känsla är att han är korkad men också farlig för han tror bara vad han vill tro – och då måste alla tro samma sak: han har makten.
Som tack för våra insatser för vi en belöning i guld och jag får tillgång till biblioteket.
Curses är svårare att häva ju länge de varit på en person (lite givet) och det behövs kraftfull magi (*** restoration eller witch-spell).
Vistanis namn dyker regelbundet upp samt hänvisning till ett tempel i bergen.
Torbjoern minns att någon vill ha vår hjälp att ta sig dit (hinner vi det på vår ”lediga” dag?); vi skall träffa burgermaster om två dagar för ceremonin – och jag tror inte vi vågar att inte vara där.
Vi deltar i en liten ceremoni där borgmästaren talar om det ”lilla” problem som varit och hur förnämligt det löstes av oss och hans stadsvakter (”som villig offrade sig”).
Ceremonin hölls efter utegångsförbudet vilket gjorde många tveksamma och nervösa.
Ett antal barn och vuxna satt i stocken med tillverkade åsnehuvuden på sig. Jag frågade en vakt om det var där för att de inte varit glada eller för att de inte deltagit i någon festival; han såg skrämd ut och drog sig undan från mig.
När vi gick till värdshuset såg vi hur de befriades men de verkade mycket medtagna.
När jag spelar Vàrgas så försöker jag ta fasta lite på det här så grodor och klumpigheter får hoppa ur munnen:
”Jag är här snäll men lite tafatt och vet inte alltid rätt sak att säga”
An Invitation
(Session 29 - 2024-03-27 ) [Day 18 20:30]
- Party reconvenes at Blue Water Inn and talks a little with
Rahadin appears on a black horse with flaming mane and hooves outside Blue Water Inn and hands over an invitation for tomorrow night
- The party rented two horses and a wagon, Aelfric negotiated the price down to 16G, the names of the horses are Thunder and Resound
A quest for pies
(Session 30 - 2024-04-10 ) [Day 19 morning(?)]
- Using the rented wagon, the party drove to the windmill to buy more of the magical pies that somehow prevents/lightens the nightmares to occur during the night.
- The raven, that the party has come across earlier, was sitting by the door of the house. Aelfric spoke to it, and it was not happy about the pies being baked with raven meat, and other animal meat either for that matter. It said that they baked the pies with many kinds of meat, wolf, and possibly werewolf meat too.
- 24 pies were purchased. Vargas paid for Jormund's 6 pies.
- The party agreed to give a rating of the pies (taste and effectiveness) next time they come by.
- The baker would like to have the cloths back, that were used to package the pies.
- On the way back to town they drove past a group of people, some of them armed with spears and swords. They exchanged greetings but didn't interact more than to greet them.
- Back the the Blue Water Inn the innkeeper, during the food and beverage order conversation, showed great interest in the pies. Vargas excahnged one of the pies with the innkeeper, in exchange for one night's free lodging for the entire party and the food and wine the party ordered for their lunch meal.
- The session ended in the afternoon, the next time someone wanted to talk with them, before they start heading to the castle, in the evening.
- Afternoon
An Invitation (continues)
Links