CoS 1/Summary

This is the campaign summary of CoS 1.

Log

Start

(Session 1 - 2022-09-06) [Day -2]

The introduction starts near Waterdeep, the largest city on the Sword Coast and possibly the largest in the world (at least that you know of). Starting out as small fish in a big pond, you heed a call from Sir Isteval, a noted paladin of Amaunator (formerly Lathander) for adventurers and mercenaries to aid Daggerford in dealing with goblins, gnolls, and orcs who’ve been raiding the countryside, destroying homes and causing an influx of refugees to head to Daggerford.

A militia guards Dagggerford. Service is mandatory for all able-bodied adults, and lasts for twenty years. All citizens living within the town receive instruction from the duchess's own soldiers in the use of spears and other weapons, and must spend at least one day a month in defense of the town, standing sentry on its walls, or patrolling the nearby roads. Their training means that the common citizens of Daggerford aren't easily cowed by armed folk demanding goods, coin, or passage, and are slightly more likely to take up work as mercenaries, caravan guards, or adventurers. In this case, the troubles have been so large and such an influx of refugees that help is needed!

You heeded the call to arms coming from Waterdeep, but only came at the end of the crisis, assisting with a few minor erradications and to housing refugees, etc. Nevertheless, your help was greatly appreciated and you have been given a small reward of 25gp each and invited to dine in the Duchess Morwen's manor.

The largest and oldest building in Daggerford is the ducal castle, a three-level keep enclosed by a two-story wall that contains its own smithy, parad ground, and stabling. The dukes of Daggerford have always kept a well-stocked larder, capable of feeding the castle's inhabitants and any citizens that it might shelter inside during a siege.

The feast is lavish by any commoner's standard and is mostly attened by local militia, mercenaries and intrepid adventurers. The local nobility, including Duchess Morwen mingle among the common folk (some nobles seem to have been told to attend). (Passive society 14 informs you that though luxurious for commoners, this is a budget ordeal compared to a proper nobility feast, albeit accomodated for many times the amount of guests)

During the dinner you share stories with others and also have the luck to be seated fairly near Duchess Morwen and got some time to socialise in addition to regular mingling. She shows appreciation and while not heavy on the wine, not timid either. During the evening you convey regret you arrived too late to really make a difference defending Daggerford and Morwen politely acknowledges the sentiment and implies the time may yet come.

We'll start three days after this; you may assist with rebuilding, refugee assistance or some downtime activity.

The cast of characters include: Luna, the firbolg moon-attuned, Kev (Kevavor) the playwright, Jack, the sword-slinging magician, Bigwig, the barbarian bunny, and Garth, the champion of vengeance.

Chapter 1: The Wolves at Mud Creek

(Session 1 - 2022-09-06 -Engh) [Day 1]

Much of the dinner guests dissipates from Daggerford during the next few days and many are allowed free housing either as guests at locals or at an inn while refugees are still catered for and repair work is in order. You spend time helping for free food and lodging and can do some downtime activity or simply help out with the work. On the third day, you receive a letter from Duchess Morwen asking you to report to Sherlen Miller, Captain of the Constabulary, for an opportunity "to make that difference after all".

Mud Creek village council is having severe problems with wolves, possibly related to the goblin attacks, offering a 800gp reward to anyone who can wipe them out. The rest of the guard are too busy and if you elect to not go, there are others they can ask.

The travel to Mud Creek you traverse on foot and is uneventful for half a day's worth of travel. Nearing the town, a few miles up you see six wolves attacking two shepherds and a flock of sheep, seemingly herding the sheep into the woods with precision similar to a sheepdog. You intervene and though Bigwig puts himself in harms way and is nearly injured, the wolves are killed or schased off and the shepherds and sheep are saved.

You get some odd stories from the shepherds in regards to the wolf attacks, and something is clearly amiss. Someone or thing is obviously controlling the wolves.

In town you're invited to a council meeting where they debade if it's worth the risk to continue to export foodstuff while the wolves attack (risking either starvation in the coming winter or a lack of money to re-stock in spring). It turns out the town guardian (and sorcerer) Alexi, brother of the town priest, Father Merricksson, has been missing about three weeks and this is when the troubles started. There has been more disturbing reports like sheep stolen out of locked barns and when the village sent out a hunting party, several died and of the missing people only the halfling Willen Featherock turned up alive - but only barely.

Talking to Featherock who claims the wolves SPOKE and Alexi's town house that seemed like he had not planned to leave for "one of his long trips", the party decided to rest for the night and track or use some kind of ruse on the wolves tomorrow.

(Session ends)

Note: Some characters experience some nightmares during their long rest.

(Session 2 - 2022-09-13) [Day 2]

In the morning, the ruse idea was discussed and the party had a good time, but got one or two sceptical looks from other tavern patrons as well as the owner Leanor Slatebeard. Eventually they took some advice from Corel, the wiry fleecer/shepherd/farmer, and decided to track ther wolves from the point of attack from yesterday.

Tracking the Wolves

The slain wolves (sans their heads that Bigwig hade taken the previous day) were still there, prompting Kev to assume the thing controlling the wolves don't care to take care of their dead but the tracks were also fairly easy to find, at first. Following that, Luna's superior tracking skill did the rest. Well, it would have if she had not turned invisible, prompting Bigwig to having to track Luna into the forest.

Encountering an owlbear two hours of tracking later, Luna simply circumvented it and headed on after the track, leaving the rest of the party to deal with it, which was done in a couple of heartbeats.

Eventually the party reached a clearing and a wolf den that was guarded by oddly behaving wolves, among other things they had dressed themselves in strips of cloth and had made a campfire. Apparently they also made noise traps as when the party were approaching the clearing, it was set off and all the wolves went to high alert. Kev tried to talk with them but Bigwig charged in and killing one of them in one fell swoop. The party ran in and massacred most of the guarding wolves in the blink of an eye, after which two enormous wolves, one with faint glowing orange streaks as if by lava and one with a blueish hue, sparkling with energy as well as four makeshift armoured wolves ran out. The first, fiery one, blasted the party as well as the last remaining guard wolf with fire and the other shouted for the violence to stop. They first reluctantly halted and Kev again tried to speak with the wolves.

There was clearly some conflict between the wolves and the inhabitants of Mud Creek but they had, in fact, attacked and chased off the owlbear and the blue hue one seemed very keen on a non-violent solution to the conflict. As the party had managed to talk the wolves down a notch, the fire-breathing wolf had slowly become more and more agitated, muttering things like "we shouldn't talk to the killers, they should die" and the like. The apparent turn into all-out diplomacy simply turned her over the edge and draw a deep breath, preparing to once again spweing a cloud of fire.

Which is where the session ended.

New initiative!

(Session 3 - 2022-09-20 - [Day 2] -Julle -Staffan)

The wolf with fiery streaks through its fur drew in breath, rose on its hin paws and breathed out on the other massive brethren. In the blink of an eye before he was enveloped in flames, a look of lupine horror was seen across his face before the flames and the pain.

The wolves with makeshift armour attacked the intrepid explorers and the fiery one did its best to erradicate them but Kev snuck up and used his magic to heal the lightning-infused massive wolf, and turned the battle as he fried his flame compatriot with a bolt of energised lightning, straight to its own face. Together the fiery wolf was taken down and the rest submitted after that.

Lupine Diplomacy

The electrical wolf sought further diplomatic talks and Kev, joned by the rest, happily indulged. The general idea was to convince the wolf pack to talk directly with the town's council near the forest's edge and discuss a deal where the wolves wouldn't steal any more livestock or supplies from the townspeople and the townspeople wouldn't try to hunt the wolves. The hope was to expand this to perhaps "trade" (new concept for the lightning wolf introducing himself as "Bolt") and the wolves could keep the town safe from predators like owlbears or even human predators like bandits and the wolves could have some supplies from the town.

Jack also figured out a very plausible theory that Alexi, the town's protector and brother of Father Merrikson, had inadvertently MADE the wolves sentient and able to speak through a sorcerous Wild Surge, essentially exchanging his own life essence to awaken the wolves to sentience. They don't remember much from before this and the one they call the Lightbringer was probably Alexi. Flame and a few pack members were to meet the Council at noon the day after.

The council wasn't too hard to convince. Sure, the halfling Tillus Merrion (from the Growers and Buyers' Association) was outright hostile, but Father Merrikson saw that the wolves, in a way, could be seen as Alexi's offspring, or fractions of his own soul and urged the council to vote to listen to the newly sentient wolf pack. And so they did, with just the one angry Tillius shouting obscenities.

[Day 3]

The rest went without much resistance. The adventurers aided the two sides to amicably negotiate and increase trust. The council gave the adventurers the entire reward, despite not killing all the wolves, on the provisory they'd come back and help them for free if the wolves suddenly backed on their words - within a year.

[Lvl up to 3]

(not end of session)

Chapter 2: The Travellers

In Daggerford it seems Duchess Morwen kept doing celebratory dinners to the mercenaries and adventurers that were still about, and several of them had made similar missions in or around Daggerford in the past few days (some probably still out there). At least eight other adventurers attended the dinner. She had some other thing on her mind though and Kev directly asked her, finding out that a group of travellers had been harrassing townspeople and threatening them and a squad of town guards had come back seemingly magically hexed after being ordered to get them to leave. She asked the adventurers to have a go and to say "leave by dawn or have your wagons burned". She said it would be a "personal favour" to get the message across.

The Travellers

After much debate, the group checked with a "hexed" guard who had no magic hex on him and seemed fine, went and the travellers seemed pretty nice. Their patriarch Stanimir welcomed them and there was much music, dancing, cherry wine and stories. He made a convincing tale of a man his people had saved in the distant past, and whom in turn saved them. He had fought evil kings and taken up home in the travellers' homelands. Dismay had arrived as this man was a prince cursed by dark powers and Stanimir urged the adventurers to save him, as he had meen made into a tyrant to his people and so they could save the people of his lands. His own elder, Madam Eva could tell more of the curse and how to lift it, he said. He did know their ancient homelands, nowadays called Barovia was at least a little bit similar to the Feywild, and not all roads consistently lead there. A guide likes himself, or any traveller of his people, could lead them, but they need some aid.

Ever skeptical, Jack didn't believe a word of it, or, he did believe Stanimir was telling the truth but may be delusional or simply wrong. There was a potential for lots of treasure there with or without the prince but the "curse" was a very abstract concept he wasn't so sure about. Kev and Bigwig on the other hand were both intrigued. Partly as Bigwig has always had an underlying hatred for curses and a will to lift them (especially werewolf curses, and there was some of that, Stanimir said) but also the wealth of the kingdom itself, that potentially could be rewards in the size of "castles and kingdoms".

The group decided to stay and party with the travellers and leave in the night, well ahead of dawn and camp on the way, hoping to get that favour from Duchess Morwen and maybe even more treasure in this ancient land "Barovia".

Liam's Hold; The Stronghold

[Day 4]

After some nightly travels, a rest, and reaching Liam's Hold, they realised there is a local issue with werewolves. Several regional powers were involved to root out the issues, including the Lords' Alliance, the Order of the Gauntlet, the local Harpers, the Emerald Enclave and the Retinue. The Order of the Gauntlet's representative, Lanniver Strayl was in charge of protecting the local area and discussed the matter. There was rumours of a portal a day's march into the Misty Forest where these werewolves came from and there was a reward for finding it (strongly recommending any intrepid adventurers to NOT engage werewolves!). The party took a 200g reward for the information they already had and promised to do more.

The party also talked to Eravien Haund of the Lord's Alliance who tried to convince them to allow them to give him exclusive knowledge and ability to deal with the threat to give him political power but in the end declined, and Bigwig inadvertantly insulting the noble, angering him. In his anger he dropped his notes, including knowledge of things like it's a dozen specific werewolves, leader called Kiril, from "Barovia" (Lord's Alliance has no info on it), worship "The Huntress", leave through some ancient portal, will give letters of recommendation, related to Daggerford (!) and Waterdeep (?). A local guard (Dravin Barok) also disturbed their talk asking if they are looking for werewolves, please look for his missing son, Kellen.

Talking to Stanimir, they ensured that they are able to enter and leave Barovia ("yes, with a guide or leave through leave"). Special "leave" allowed with the aid of the "darklord" himself, "Strahd", but also with a guide like Stanimir. The old man also encouraged the adventurers to not directly intervene with the werewolves without plenty of resources. He was open to bringing more armed guards, but seemed sceptical of their heroic destinies, compared to the party. He meant to say that he believed in Destiny and that Destiny had not made him find the adventurers but Destiny had made the adventurers find him (Jack silently sighed but Bigwig seemed impressed - at least by any idea of killing werewolves!).

(End of session.)

(Session 4 - 2022-09-27 - [Day 4] - full party)

The party discussed the matter some more and decided to leave the extra soldiers behind to scout for the source of the werewolves and report back before the full moon, the danger is on the travelled road, not Barovia or further towards Liam's Hold. Arrigal lead the main scouting of the caravan (though the party helped), camping near the forest's edge, [Day 5], and then later a day's travel in, both days uneventful.

Chapter 3: Welcome to Barovia

Everyone had a set of dreams starting delightsome and ending with inhaling cold mist like water, waking in twitchy fits.

Dream

As you drift off with the pleasent smell of the camp fire and traveller food leftovers and the near-full moon peaking out from behind the clouds, you enter into a cozy and comfortable sleep. In fact, you haven't slept this well for, well, you're not really sure you ever have slept this well! As this thought goes through your mind it strikes you as odd that you're even contemplating this while dreaming. The moment is fleeting and some of the happy moments of your life rolls on by and your troubles are swept away with them. Time seems to fly endlessly in this state and even years, decennia and centuries seem to pass you by.

Slowly, as you seem to recall moments repeating themselves (as they often do in dreams), they now seem tinted with less of that kind light. The clouds are heavier and the surroundings, just beyond sight, seem to now have whisps of white that dissipates as your eyes tries to focus on it. Eventually, these elusive mists seems more tangible and even stays in view. It even seems to slowly creep up on you.

The mist doesn't forebode a sense of dread. Just cold, solid determination, impermeable to the will of others. As your lovely moments slowly change, the mist moves closer still. Friends have gaunt and pale faces, food no longer tastes as rich. You hear a scream and the memories are no longer what you recall of them; something dreadful happened in place of the warm comfort you know of. You are gripped with a sense of panic as the very nature of the mist changes and moves on you with determination. You try to run but it rolls in faster than your feet can carry you.

As you run as fast as you are able and your throat hurts from panting, the mist overtakes you with deliberate determination and you feel the cold, almost liquid, air flowing down your throat and filling your lungs. The panic of drowning overcomes you and you inadvertently draw further breaths, filling not only your lungs but your soul with cold.

As you come to, you find yourself in a forest without a trail. As you look around, you see your own tracks going backwards in a shallow layer of mud on the forest floor. Following the tracks you find the camp mostly as it was left last night, planted on a patch of more solid grass than you first found yourself on, beyond the border of the small clearing. The Travellers are gone, but you can easily see tracks leading further East.

The weather is the same dreary overcast you have been used to for the past week or so, with a faint smell of rain in the air. The forest is, however, different than last night. Rather than a lush mostly leafy forest, almost every tree you see is a pinetree, many have streaks of a grey moss on them that doesn't look healthy and the forest is littered with dead, hollow trees in between the dark-green pines.

It's very quiet. The normal, lively sounds of the woods are noticeably absent. Not only that, but the thick fog seems to carry every sound much farther than usual and you imagine people will hear you well even if you whisper. You can't see any wildlife bar the odd raven.

Even though it's morning, the light is dimmer than normal morning light. The mist gives the whole world around you a hazy feel, illuminated by the sterile, white light of a sun far beyond the clouds. You hear some faint howling of wolves on the wind.

Waking up on the second day of the forest (4 days from full moon, [Day 6]), the party found themselves in what they believe is Barovia with essentially a different forest but the old tracks here. The travellers were missing, their wagon tracks going further in the same direction the whole caravan was going. Much of their possessions had been lifted from their persons but there was a track of someone dragging a large sack, which probably contained their items. The horses seemingly had been chased off from the area and Bigwig's hound had made some soft of resistance to stay and/or protect his master.

The tracking was interrupted by a Dire Wolf leading a pack of wolves to attack the party. Well equiped with wolf knowledge from Mud Creek, they know wolves normally don't attack humans and some did indeed flee. When they were fought off, Luna found the tracks again and helped Bigwig track them further while the rest of the party followed the travellers' tracks north-east towards what turned out to be a road. Arriving there, a black carriage was waiting for them. A dusk elf opened the door and carefully flung a bag of coins to Kev, saying "This may be of aid after your misfortune." A choire of voices screaming in despair and agony seemed to follow the carriage or the elf.

(End of session; minor play through messages after)

Out of frustration and desperation, Kev used his magical powers to teleport on top of the carriage as it was speeding off and Bigwig ran after into the mist, leaping into the air landing next to Kev. The sounds alerted the driver, who stopped the carriage.

Kev & Bigwig on the Black Carriage

When Kev pocketed the coin purse, he felt the melodrama was too much and wanted to know more about the odd figure that had appeared. He was a fellow elf, maybe he'd be sympathetic as well? He lept magically unto the carriage as it was gaining momentum, needign a few seconds to gain his balance as it rocked on the uneven dirt road. Before he could react, a panting giant rabbit shape leapt from the misty grounds, high up into the air, landing expertly right beside him with a braggy grin.

The carriage is going at a "comfortably fast" pace that won't make the draft hoses in front go exhausted too quickly, but too quickly to comfortably run up to. The mist is the same as before, but within a couple of seconds, you can no longer discern your friends, just the road ahead and the pine trees, nearby. In the rush, you notice no other life here, sans the odd raven.

After gaining his balance Kev moves his way down to the front of the carriage. He is looking for the reins with the intention to slow down or halt the carriage.

Having a few seconds head start, Kev stabilises and heads forwards towards the driver's seat as Bigwig lands with a thud. Surprised, he looks towars the thud, seeing that familiar grin and ears somewhat flopping in the wind. He locates the reins but before he even reach for them, the carriage is slowing down and by the time he reaches them it has almost stopped.

Bigwig jump down and with a raised voice says "We weren’t formally introduced. I'm bigwig Yojimbo Darkscuttle. Who are you and for what reason does our actions warrant a reward?" To what I assume is a closed door of the carriage.

The two compatriots look on as the door opens, the elf calmly walks out, looks you both in the eyes in turn and says "No. No passengers today, please leave the carriage, I wish you no harm at this time. The gift is all I offer today."

The sound of a thousand voices screaming in fear or agony is palpable and certainly taking the edge of the adrenaline rush from a near-death experience and jumping unto a moving carriage.

Kev climbs down from the carriage. "Good sir. We have no beef with you as far as I know. You must excuse us, we have recently been robbed of our precious possessions and it seemed awfully suspicious with this carriage so close to the crime scene. Do you perhaps know anything about who or what could have taken everything from our gold to my darn boots."

The dusk elf acknowledges the briefest of emotion in his eyes - mild amusement - and regains his posture just as quickly. He calmly says "I would never touch your pitiful junk," he says with genuine disgust. "I am not asked to converse with you and I have no interest in doing so. Step back now or deal with the consequences."

He calmly turns his back towards you, and starts to enter the carriage once more.

Not too far off in the distance you're hearing the surprised and annoyed sounds of your other party members realising what happened, though they are beyond the edge of the mist from you.

Kev spends a second thinking and then quickly decides that it is not worth it.

He takes a step back. "Be on your way then. Thank you for the gift, but you did not say who it is from?"

As the man reach for the coach seat and reach to close the door, he does acknowledge your question and upon closing the door says "Thank Count Zarovich, if you get to see him."

When the door slams shut and the carriage slowly picks up momentum, the horrifying screams still ever present. Through this the elf didn't even seem to notice the disturbing voices were present.

Just before it leaves your immediate vicinity the voices reach a sort of momentary crescendo, causing a feeling of your sould being ripped out of your mind.

Kev: "Lets get back to the others. We got a name and he was probably not the theif."

Bigwig: "Very odd fellow, your heard the voices right? they were stronger around him but i didnt see him notice at all. Oblivious of the pains of others perhaps? Were the voices an actual sound? Or was it some magic?"

Kev: "I am going to assume that it was magical. Not pleasant at all. I hope we never run into him again. Lets get back to the others."

Bigwig: "Mm I don't want to see him but I'm sure we will. Since you shrewdly found out who he works for."

(Session 5 - 2022-10-04 - [Day 6] - -Jaroslav -Julle)

Some discussion and tracking lead the party to conclude it's likely the Travellers didn't steal their gear, but priority number 1 is to find it, especially to find the shoes and weapons. The tracks were not hard to follow, and after half an hour or so they came across some imposing gates, with guardian statues lacking heads. There was a chest with two letters, one denoting regret of being unable to assist further and a writ that may be used to gain gear at a reasonable price in the township of Barovia. It suggested asking the Burgomaster Kolyan Indrovich of said town for aid before heading to Madam Eva at the Tser pools. It also mentioned having put a map in one of the party's backpacks; yet another reason to hasten their return.

Another half hour or so down the road (here in better condition than from before the gates) there was a clearing up to the right and a milestone indicating the hamlet of Soveja up the hill and "Barovia 5 miles" as the main road went. They were greeted by two children, Rose and Thorn, who were concerned for their parents' safety as there "is a monster in the basement, ooor the attic". They seemed a little confused but a house that looked fairly inviting was on the hill and as it turned out, it looked like the track from the sack carrying their equipment went the same way. If nothing else, they ought to have shoes!

Durst Manor

The group entered the building, seemingly being just recently people abandoned their meal and were gone. They explored the lower floors and found some crossbows as well as appropriated some meat cleavers from the kitchen, just in case. The children didn't seem to know the way to the basement, but maybe the monster was in the attic? A cute pupper called Lancelot was hiding in the music room but the children had never seen the pooch before, they had a larger dog with black fur called Sophaxis that were nowhere to be seen. A portrait of Sophaxis was found in the library, and they also found a journal, describing some odd occurances in the later pages.

As they entered the third floor, they were greeted with cobwebs and loads of dust and the sound of stone scraping was heard from all around the house. They went down and saw that all the windows bricked over! Not only that but the railings on the stairs, the tapestry and curtains as well as any woodwork aged decades in front of their very eyes and the lamps started going out, one by one. Garth used his Divine Sense but found no foes, other than the fact the two children apparently were ... undead! They still seemed harmless and they were scared by any notion they may actualyl be dead.

Acquiring their own light sources, they kept exploring, the party went up to the attic where the children's room was and found two skeletal remains of children wearing the same clothes as Rose and Thorn. When confronted by her remains, Rose turned to dust and Thorn became terrified, him also turning to dust when seeing his own remains. Ghost visages of the children appeared shortly thereafter, able to remember more about what happened to them and able to helping the party to find the way to the basement by looking at the creepily accurate doll house model of the Durst Manor in the children's room.

First they decided to look around a bit more and found the Durst master bedroom where Gustav Durst had hung himself (some couple hundred years ago), with a rather sad suicide note on the side table where there was also some jewelery. The note mentioned Elisabeth turning to a proverbial monster and hoping the children would turn out better than themselves .

Heading to check the nursery, Bigwig walked across the stairs balcony and activated the two armours standing there, who promptly tried to kill or throw party members down the balcony. Hard to hit, but with the party very motivated to not get hit by their attacks, the armours were defeated, primarily by the Energizer Bunny.

(End of session)

(Session 6 - 2022-10-11 - [Day 6] -Julle)

Entering into the nursemaid's rooms they find a ghost of the nursemaid Margaret hiding and sobbing with baby noises coming from the little nursery. Kev manages to calm Margaret down a bit and she explains she was killed by Elisabeth Durst and she is afraid what she has doen with her baby son, Walter (father being Gustav Durst). Rose and Thorn are also worried about their baby brother and politely ask if it's possible to save him or find out what happened to him. Margaret is again thrown into despair and it takes seeing Rose to calm down. It seems Rose & Thorn can't enter the nursery and Margaret can't leave it (forever tortured by the sounds of an illusory baby in the crib). Someone pocketed Walter's music box and searched the library in addition to some of the other rooms. Margaret was confronted by her remains and ask they be buried outside the house, in the garden.

Looking down, the armors on stand had moved. The party took them apart and threw away the weapons, a spear falling down the stairs hit something soft that made an whimpering sound.

In the children's room Kev found a secret room in the dollhouse model of Durst Manor. In the real library the party found a secret door and in there some more occult books and a corpse with a hand sticking in to a chest that had some treasure as well as a letter from Strahd to Gustav saying they are all worms in the soil to him. The corpse seems to have been an adventurer opening the chest and triggering a poison dart trap.

On the way up to enter the stairs to the basement, the stuffed wolves ambushed the party as they were spread out; one of them impaled by a spear. In a rather epic fashion, Jack flung himself across the stairwell and parkoured along the wall behind them. The party easily ganged themselves on the wolves with only minor damage but felt it may be a good idea to have a breather before continuing. Rose suggested they could do so in their room, and she and Thorn could guard the outside of the door.

After an hour of resting, when Jack spent some time getting to know Gustav's journal. They found out mostly mundane business things but also, the fact that when the mists came, a famine had befallen the country and affected the economy as well as food supply, and, between the lines, that the family and a group of associates had routinely taken travellers into the home and these never left - supposedly eaten by what became a cult. The rest of the books in the secret room also heavily implied attempts at using dark, necromantic magics to gain eternal life, although Jack easily identified it as being homeopathic levels of real magic involved. The singular only reference that could be useful was the Priests of Osybus (but the necromantic rutuals they performed seems to be, indeed, bogus).

Durst Manor Dungeons

After their rest, the entire party, including a starved pooch carrying an oil lamp, two children ghosts, an 8ft lady in a 6ft stairwell, and the rest of the crew went down the stairs for ever and ever into the oppressing darkness. Coming down into an earthy, muddy and rocky artificial cave system supported by wooden beams every few feet, a humming sound permeated the surroundings and what could, maybe, be described as chanting.

The party explored some pre-made crypts made for the Durst family, with all of the caskets either empty or full of hungry centipedes. In a junction hands reached out of the ground, and ghoulish shapes attacked from the sides, clawing and biting, affecting some with their poisonous grasps. Bigwig catapulted himself across the floor to flank them and the foes were quickly despatched, albeit with some injuries. Just ahead there was a creepy room with numerous human remains, just clean bones, along all of the walls with a statue of what must be an attempt to make a likeness of Count Strahd von Zarovich and a large wolf. In Strahd's hand a crystal orb with strange cloudish but unmoving patterns and when light sources were brought closer, shadows behind the statue started flickering erraticly compared to the oil lamp's light. Kev was just about to touch the orb when Garth in the very last minute managed to hit Kev's hand with his forest branch to get it out of the way. "No!".

Continuing on they found a 2-person dining room complete with a chandelier and iron candle sticks and beyond that a master bedroom of sorts. In behond the bed was something large, black and furry moving and growling; Sophaxis the family's dog. Bigwig managed to calm it down and when Rose and Thorn came into the room it changed demeanor and became very happy. Lancelot was extremely suspicious and backed far out. Garth's sense of these things didn't indicate the dog was undead but SOMETHING undead certainly was in the room, though Jack really questioned Garth how the dog could NOT be undead, considering it must have been here for a few hundred years at least.

The conversation was cut short as one of the walls fell in and a female ghoul came out screaming "get out of my house!" and in his jitters, Bigwig smacked her with all his might.

Next session starts with initiative.

(End of session)

Dungeons Master Bedroom

(Session 7 - 2022-10-25 - [Day 6] -Staffan)

Elizabeth the ghast shrieked when hit, causing pain and confusion. Garth whacked Sophaxis, enraging him, tried to calm it and then thwumped it again. A couple of party members got close to death but the wicked witch was finally destroyed, causing overwhelmingly bad smell to permeate the room and spreading to the other rooms. In the footlocker was some gold an a cloak of protection.

In a fit of curiosity, the group decided to shoot the glass orb of the Strahd statue in the other room, which was destroyed harmlessly. Then Kev touched the statue and five shadows which had been flickering behind it, were unleashed, draining many members' strength before they were all destroyed. Worn out, the party decided to take a longer rest in the kids' room upstairs, with Rose and Thorn guarding them from outside the door. The rest was uninterrupted, except for inflicting each character with horrific dreams, preventing full recovery for most, and poor recovery for some. [Day 7]

(End of session)

Lower Dungeons and Walter

(Session 8 - 2022-11-01 - [Day 7] -Jonas -Engh)

Rummaging through the upper house a bit, the group ventured down and found they heard sounds coming from the cultists' quarters. Three additional ghouls had been hiding in the well and the group threw in a chair to rouse them and quickly despatched of them before heading further down.

In the lower dungeons the chanting was even louder (He is the ancient, he is the land") and it scared Rose, who inadvertantly touched Luna, accidentally possessing her. After some convincing, Rose tried to leave, but just managed to push herself off of the "driver's seat" letting Luna be her self, but with heightened senses. But then Rose felt lonely...

They entered a reliquarium with 13 various items, including a hag's finger and a very long feather. Garth recoiled from the finger, which brought bad memories so Jack did the kind thing and burned it with a firebolt. [Someone] took the feather, leaving the rest of the items where they were, after checking that they were not magical in any way. Next door was a prison, probably used for travellers to be sacrificed or eaten and on an old cultist corpse was a ring of value.

Backtracking and going down further they came to what must have been the sacrificial chamber. The floor was filled with water and chains hanging down over an altar placed on an octagonal dais in the middle. The entire dais was covered in centuries old black blood, but the chanting stopped as they entered. When Bigwig swam to the dais and set foot on it, however, nre chanting resumed, saying "One must die" over and over, as 13 apparitions appeard around the chamber. Garth fired a crossbow bolt at one, but it harmlessly flew through several of them. Looking at the runes and the chamber, Jack and Bigwig both realised that something needed to die on the altar.

After deciding to NOT sacrifice Lancelot or any party member, the chanting again changed as the voices, as one said "Dom Smerti consumes the guests", waking the "refuse pile" in the corner to be a wendigo which produced creepy baby noises. As the wendigo pounced on Luna on the far side of the room (running on the ceiling, above the party), almost downing her, the battle began in earnest and a light falling of snow was initiated from the ceiling, which quickly grew in density until sight was almost zero. Luna was risen, turned toad and swallowed the wendigo among other things before the beast was slain, its ribcage bursting open revealing a very dead baby boy, Walter.

Leaving The Death House

Garth took the dead body of Walter at arms' length and carried it out, but not before the house itself reacted, quaking in its foundations, requiring the party to dodge numerous dangers to even get to the front door, and managing to burst it down to get out, when the house immediately became unanimated. beaten and bruised, they had made it, but the durst children were still stuck inside.

Outside was a present basked with exotic fruits, cheeses and Dragon Crush Wine with a card saying "Welcome to Barovia. Best regards Count Strahd von Zarovich".

The party grabbed some rust shovels and made graves for the children, the nursemaid Margaret and Walter, releasing their plights, fading out from view.

[Lvl up to 4]

(End of session)

(gave sneak peek of Barovia township and overlooking Ravenloft)

https://i0.wp.com/halflinghobbies.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Land-of-Barovia.webp

Chapter 4: Barovia Township

(Session 9 - 2022-11-08 - [Day 7] - full party) After finding the corpse of a commoner (and stealing his shoes) bearing a letter from Burgomaster Kolyan Indrovich asking people to stay the fuck away and leave Barovians for dead and narrowly escaping a large wolf pack, the party came across one of the forest people of Barovia, which brought some shrubbery to life but was otherwise surprised by magical silence and felt he had to flee when the party clearly was out of his league.

A little while later, the mists had lifted enough to give a decent view of Barovia Valley, the township below and the towering castle later introduced as "Ravenloft". The town was surprisingly quiet for this size settlement and the only movements, at first, was a scarecrow in the field that seemingly ATE a raven it had caught. As the party entered the village, a small group of men lead by Ismark Kolyanovich were boarding up one of the houses, where its residents had turned to the living dead.

The party split up and dealt with these zombies with relative ease (though they did seem to possess some form of intelligence!) and Garth went to a neighbour house where the father had contracted the disease that seems to lead to turning into a zombie following death.

Ever so grateful, Ismark tried to ask the party to aid his ailing town (being the new Burgomaster on account on his father Kolyan passing away just the night prior) and provided shoes as well as weapons.

The party suspected a water contamination, either the local well or the Ivlis river nearby as the problems really has started mounting when (to the annoyance of many) the wine supply from Vallaki town had unexpectedly stopped. Another possible suspect was the old lady running around selling "magical pies" (turns out they really had a faint magic). Her name was Granny and she was quite thourgholy interrogated with mind probing spells and even hurt a little before let on her merry way. She offered two pies to share for the newcomers, and after jokes of rabbit pie (japes at Bigwig), the party took two wolfmeat pies (wolf meat is apparently surprisingly common here).

The party decided to not visit the local tavern ("The Blood of the Vine Tavern") and simply rest at the Burgomaster's mansion, which apparently had seen better days, being attacked nightly by "night creatures".

(End of session)

Getting to know people

(Session 10 - 2022-11-15 - [Day 7] -Engh)

Visiting the Burgomaster's Manor, the party found it damaged on the outside with all windows boarded up, some clearly ripped apart and re-repaired again (a little later, Luna found that the surrounding grounds were full of combinations of boots and paw prints). Inside was, morbidly, the remains of Kolyan Indrovich, the former Burgomaster of Barovia Township whom the party had received a letter saying "stay away". Kolyan perished only the last night from a heart attack, but despite nightly attacks for at least a couple of weeks, his death is not from injuries but old age and stress.

After gearing up with weapons provided by Ismark and his (somewhat stressed) sister Ireena Kolyana (mildly fiery read-head). Ireena wanted to get the fuck out of dodge but wanted to get her fatehr a proper burial first (though no proper burials had been done in about a year at the church of the Morning Lord). The party was interrupted by "Mad" Mary who came and demanded Ismark found her daughter (a person Lancelot the pup seemed to be afraid of). Ismark seemed used to this, and having seen MANY people dead or missing, it clearly wasn't his highest priority but he encouraged the party to assist her as her house was just next to Bildrath's Merantile where the party was going to stock up on gear later.

The investigation of Mary's house revealed that Mary may have been "Mad" prior to losing her and that she believed her late teens daughter really was 7 or 8 and never let her leave the house in fear of "The Devil" (Strahd, or one of his minions). In her diary it was surmised she had started having a lover or love interest and over-all it seemed likely she had simply escaped her mad mother. Further questions also revealed that she had been gone about a week, and not just recently left.

Bildrath was a stern and money-centric man who gouged his prices (at least for "outsiders") and was nigh negotiable. As the discussions heated, he called in his devoted nephew and stock-boy Parriwimple, who was an absolutely massive man who at first glance seemed intimidating, but of a simpler mindset and delighted by Bigwig. The party remembered the note found at the Barovia Gates from Stanimir the Vistana elder that demanded "at least one" purchase of non-gouged prices so they decided to come back later with a longer list (and also negotiated he would source some weapon).

Scouting ahead to the church they found it closed with some light from a side window. The party more or less forced their way in past Father Donavich when they heard his son being locked in the basement asking for food. After some talk the party figured out that Doru (the son) was a vampire and had been locked down there and fed by Donavich for about a year. Numerous healed and fresh bite wounds on Donavich's arms attested to this and at first it seemed Doru had only fed on him but a slip of the words later revealed Donavich has kidnapped, fed to Doru and (presumably) killed at least a couple of dozen villagers of Barovia (maybe one was Gertruda?). Absolutely horrified, the party decided to wait with Doru until the next day (so they will be able to defend the Burgomaster's Manor during the night at full strength) and bring Donavich to Ismark to let him pass judgement on the vile misdeeds.

Ismark was chocked and saddened, Ireena wanted Donavich dead but got perplexed as to whom would be able to put her father to rest. Garth was pulled forward as a "man of the Morning Lord" (despite him being fairly clear he follows Hoar) and would conduct the rituals and earth laying in the morning.

The party geared up the mansion with a scouting outpost for an forthcoming attack; strengthening the blocked windows and opening a way in the attic for mobility. The source and reason for these attacks still a mystery, but Ismark was sure it was The Count who was behind them.

(End of session)

The Night Watchers

(Session 11 - 2022-11-29 - [Day 7] -Julle)

With Donavich tied up in the attic of the Burgomaster's Mansion and preparations for the night all done, including torches out front, the team set upon having watches, Ireena insisting she should have a watch as well. During the night there were some howls and Kev saw some werewolf-like shape rune west within the town and on the next watch some ruckus was heard. Other than that the night was surprisingly quiet, especially for a full moon night. [Day 8] Ismark and Ireena seemed relieved in the morning. Only Luna and Bigwig had serious nightmares, but despite the nightmares they felt fairly ok.

The party discussed the plan of action and decided to check the ruckus first and then destroy the former son of Donavich in the church's basement, now a vampire. As they exited the house, far up the street they could immediately see three roaming zombies staring out vacantly. They decided to attack and use range attacks but the zombies proved hard to hit, though when they came closer they were fairly easily dispatched.

Checking the source of the zombies they found a villager's house without the boards for the door, so clearly the zombies were released by the werewolves for some reason.

Continuing to the church there was a long discussion if a crossbow bolt would suffice as a "stake" and Luna (the expert on vampires from last time) thought it probably wouldn't work, but the debate continued while they walked up.

As the party entered the church, the shouts of Doru (Father Donavich's son, the vampire) were heard. He was desperately hungry and he was also under the impression that the party came bearing food for him. Kevavor spent some time picking the lock to the cellar hatch and when it was open, they asked Doru to come up. He did so thinking he'd get some blood, but then Bigwig attacked, trying to grapple him, and the rest of the party pounced.

Doru was pummeled and surrounded on all sides. Bigwig even jumped down the hatch to the stairs below him to ensure he didn't escape down. Left mid-combat.

(End of session)

RETCON! Kevavor was unfortunately killed, having his neck snapped by Doru.

Church Business

(Session 12 - 2023-01-10 - [Day 8] -Engh out -Jonas)

(Retcon that Kev went out to get stuff and Ismark was with them to church.)

Garth smote Doru who screeched in pain and tried to run, getting him several pot shots from just about everyone. Having heard a lot of ruckus last day or so, Goncai who had arrived in town a few weeks earlier was already on his way to talk to the newcomers and just saw the beastlike Doru in the church doors as he opened and then fled from the daylight back into the church, climbing on the walls and ceiling. Bigwig jumped and whacked the spawn just in time for Goncai to come in through the door and using his arcane powers to drag Doru down to the floor. In his fear he held on tight enough to foil the wizard's plans but also tight enough to let the old church roof instead take the force, which cause the entire roof to collapse on top of Doru (and Bigwig). Luna came out and finished the job by conjuring a sphere of fire (that surprisingly wasn't a sphere but a massive skull with fangs). Doru turned to mist and Bigwig got a mild singe in his fur.

There was some tensions in regards to the newcomer but everyone focused on the problem at hand and discussed how to permanently destroy the vampire. They found his "casket" (a nailed shut box) and placed a stake through his heart as he re-materialised from mist then took him out and burned him on a pyre of church pew wood while Jack searched the basement finding a large chest containing two sacks of items, one being their missing equipment and one being the items that Goncai's party had brought here, weeks prior.

Everyone discussed the next step and it essentially entails finishing the burial of Kolyan Indrovich (Ismark's and Ireena's deceased father) with the help of Garth, the man of the Morning Lord, and start a village council to inform of Father Donavich's crimes and decide on his punishment. Finding a replacement for Donavich or to restore the church wasn't explcitly discussed.

(End of session)

(Session 13 - 2023-01-17 - [Day 8] -Jaroslav)

The discussion continued where it left off and Ismark got "help" to organise a council by Bigwig and Garth ringing the church bell. The Voicek family (household staff of the Burgomaster) assisted Ireena and Ismark going door to door asking people to come to a village council meeting at the church. Informing everyone about the crimes of Donavich, the look of shock and horror struck across many people's faces and voices called for his haning.

As people were discussing, Ireena and Garth went to pick up Father Donavich, finding him dead, impaled on the fence surrounding the Bursomaster's Mansion. They determined he had used some sort of magic to free himself and tried to escape (or willingly take his life), jumping from the top window. They brought his corpse to the crowd and decided to put it aside for a bit while they brought Kolyan's casket up and had his ceremony first. A person in the crowd, Alenka (Vistani woman with long red hair), essentially encouraged people to have grave wine at the Blood of the Vine tavern after the funeral and Ismark offered to buy people drinks from the vanishing supply of the town.

Garth started preparing and as the crowd and characters were just waiting, a familiar black carriage came up, parking by Church Road and the scarred, expressionless, dusk elf the party had met a couple of days ago took a calm step out and started walking towards the church with the gait akin to a serpent, ready to bite, but no hint of reaching for any weapons. At least two other figures could be seen in the dark carriage, a woman holding an umbrella and one more that couldn't be seen.

Ismark questioned the figure he knew as Rahadin, Strahd's right hand, and Ireena screamed obscenities at him, implying him or Strahd were to blame for her father's death. Rahadin insisted he wanted to show his regards to old Kolyan and that he was representing Strahd in the matter. After a few implied threats back and forth, Ismark and Ireena chose to not make a scene out of it, especially with the entire village there, at risk. Rahadin was asked to stand aside from the crowd and he politely obliged.

At the end of the ceremony, Ismark asked Rahadin to leave and he said he would, after handing over a letter to Ireena where it complimented her unmatched beauty, called her by the name Tatyana instead of Ireena and suggested she'd join him in Castle Ravenloft. Neither Ismark or Ireena had ever heard the name Tatyana used in regards to anyone in Barovia township before and assumed Strahd was going mad. Bigwig, who had been guarding the wagon with Luna (?), managed to overhear Rahadin and the unknown lady in the carriage. Lady: "(genuine curiosity) So is it Tatyana?" Rahadin: "(calm, uncaring) I don't know, it looks like it."

All of the villagers who had dared leave the safety of their homes for the brief council and funeral joined the party at the Blood of the Vine tavern for a glass of grave wine, filling the place to the brim. Arik the barkeep sorted the drinks with calm determination and the three Vistani sisters (including Alenka, the redhead) who owned the establishment were sitting at their personal table seemingly enjoing this immensely. Prices of wine had been increased 8-fold due to the wine shortage so this was really taking a toll on Kolyan's treasure chest. Ismark tried to ask Alenka and her sisters nicely for some information and they exceedingly rudely asked him to piss off.

There was a brief misunderstanding between Bigwig and the Burgomaster siblings and almost came to blows before calming down and the party agreed to try to help with the disease spreading in teh village, causing people to die and rise as walking dead.

Besides all that, the sound of people actually talking and socialising was a mental relief for both Ismark and Ireena. A glimmer of hope to what to look forward to.

Tracing the Plague

In the evening, as it was slowly getting darker, the group started to consider where the disease may be coming from and asked around where people get drinking water from. Goncai performed some spell casting to identify that the eastern well had a weak necromantic aura coming from it.

(End of session)

(Session 14 - 2023-01-31 - [Day 8] -Ann)

Goncai got help from the other magical expert, Jack, and together they triangulated the necromantic aura to identify the central well to be the highest concentration of it and lowered down a magically lit well bucket into it, finding a cavern beneath. Garth used a couple of ropes to decent and started exploring, closely followed by a cannonballing Bigwig.

As the rest of the party was about to go down, around the nearest stalagtite, two zombies rushed forth attacking Garth and a further three came from the southern cave, rushing Bigwig. One of them was humongous, one was glistening with green ichor and they all had something odd about them. The battle was fairly brief and did not take a major toll on the party. Luna turned into a giant toad and outright swallowed one of the undead, only taking minimal damage in her acidic interior from its frantic clawing, Bigwig killed one zombie in teh water and dragged down the giant one into the water, ending its struggle with Jack, who elegantly danced around blows, dealing pincer-like wounds to the remaining ones until none was left standing.

Exploring the cavern, the party miraculously didn't see a very old corpse in the northern alcove but did find an additional small cave emerging into the larger one on teh southern side. Following the bend Garth suddenly saw a floating ball of light haning in mid-air. After some investigation it turned out to be a fairly fat ghost wearing armour who was snoring. Everyone agreed ghosts don't need to sleep so they made some sounds to wake him, to no effect. Garth gently poked at it and this did wake it, openign its eyes and mouth, seemingly turning the eye sockets to endless pits of darkness and the wind of the cave seemed to rush inwards while it shrieked a mind-rendering scream, leaving no one unaffected but scaring many and taking a physical toll on some.

Before much else happened, Garth, seemingly unaffected by the soulless scream, simply started asking the ghost why it did that. Chocked he explained that his name was Wolfgang Durovich, a former general, and he was forced to, by the Devil (Strahd) and his body was dumped here so he can't leave until he's done poisoning the wells. Asked politely to show him his corpse, he obliged, immediately ending what could have been a dangerous fight.

Behind him was what Jack identified as the corpse of an Umber Hulk; a dangerous underground creature while alive and with unknown capabilities if undead. Goncai and Bigwig set on destroying the corpse, just in case, immediately noticing it didn't seem to respond to being damaged (though it was rather hard to make noticeable scratches on the smelly pile).

Finding the corpse of Wolfgang, Garth and the rest of the group going to the northen alcove suddenly heard a bunny scream as the Umber Hulk indeed seemed to have been reanimated into undeath and only Bigwig there to see it!

(End of session)

Chapter 5: Looking for Safety and Prophecy

(Session 15 - 2023-02-13 - [Day 8] - Jaroslav)

The zombie umber hulk turned out to be a dilemma, frequently confusing everyone looking into its remaining eye, but with some effort prevailed.

[Lvl up to 5]

Following the combat, the group hoisted out all of the zombie parts and investigated on how to best cleanse the water source, deciding that using some natural/holy energies after a rest would be the best. The ghost Wolfgang's remains were buried in the graveyard and Garth held a proper burial ceremony, though without an audienbce this time, and with a tear falling down his eye, Wolfgang himself faded out from existence and moved on to the afterlife. Everyone celebrated in Ismark and Ireena's home (off screen: some speeches about their wonderful father, Kolyan, with fun or heart felt anecdotes) and Ismark/Ireena also discussed what to do next.

Ireena was quite freaked out by the letter send from The Devil and felt that she wanted to go somewhere safer. The walled city of Vallaki is further from Strahd's grasp and seemingly impervious to the cursed lord's assaults, somethign the cartographer Bigwig had already been nagging everyone about for some time.

[Day 9]

In the morning, Garth and Luna descended once more into the well to look for signs of plague and used their granted holy powers to cleanse the waters, with Goncai and Jack then independently confirming the wells to be purified.

(End of session)

Goncai's Learning and Exploration Notes

(Session 16 - 2023-02-21 - [Day 9] - Jaroslav -Ann)

Day 34

Still stuck in Barovia, also a bit weird for me that's both the name of the village and the country. Maybe a connection? Anyhow the newcomers have established themselves well and with the occasional hiccup we´re getting along fine. The burgomasters' offspring, Ismark and Ireena, are spoiled and have their noses high. But they are nobles after all so that can also be expected.

The Dreaded Lord seems to have a special connection with Ireena so after we cleansed the town's water supply from a necromantical taint we decided to go to Vallaki to find more answers to our questions, also maybe to drop Ireena there to be guarded behind the walls? 1

After we took a few days rations and fresh torches we left the village behind. My trusted companion Nina spotted some strange creatures while we traveled in our wagon and Garth, a paladin of the morning lord, decided to see how well he could maneuver the wagon away. It was a bumpy ride.

Though we were not the target. In front of us was some other nobleman's carriage being attacked by wolves and werewolves. The most noticeable thing with him was that he tossed a guard in front of him to avoid being attacked. Clearly corrupted.

I quickly got a hold of the situation and conjured a flaming sphere to drive them off to further question the nobleman's actions. Luna quickly copied me while the rest of the party started their… maiming… Ismark and Ireena tried flanking and it almost cost them their lives. But I guess that it again proves that noble folk preferably kill from behind?2

1. The defense of Barovia (the town) is ridiculous. A realm full of danger and still no walls or town guard? Kazpan would laugh his ass off.
2. It's a highly effective tactic and very suitable against monsters. I wonder if they would use the same tactic against another noble?

Meeting Madam Eva

(Session 17 - 2023-02-28 - [Day 9] all)

Bigwig's summary (in the Harengon language)

Idag så träffade vi en illusion vid hangman cross. På vägen till vistani camp där bigwig ville hitta sin hund upptäckte vi en raven som var extra resistant eller udda. När vi kom fram var det fest tills vi fick träffa madam Eva. En flickas mamma fick en docka av bigwig. Hundarna kunde ingenting.

Notes:

Loot

Loot. Choose 3 (all magical, all enchantment, I assume):

Full plate mail - The Antithesis

• Painted red with golden details akin to eagle's feathers, including a few protruding ones on the sabatons
• Requires attunement. + 1 armor with 4 charges
• 1 charge to cast True Strike as a bonus action
• 2 charges to cast misty step as a bonus action
• 2 charges to use a bonus action or reaction so that the next damage you receive until the start of your next turn is halved
• Regain 1d4-2 charges at dawn.

Chain shirt - The Chimera

• Painted red with each scale having a golden edge at the lower part of the scale; left side has a shoulder pad in the shape of a eagle's beak while the right one is missing or wasn't part of the ensemble.
• Requires attunement. + 1 armor with 4 charges
• 1 charge to cast True Strike as a bonus action
• 2 charges to cast misty step as a bonus action
• 2 charges to use a bonus action or reaction so that the next damage you receive until the start of your next turn is halved
• Regain 1d4-2 charges at dawn.

Greatsword - Moonlight Greatsword

• Sorry jag hade fel om longsword
• Denna, rakt av: https://i.redd.it/pgdofou7frj61.jpg
• Attunement, +1 (+2 in moonlight), cast some moon spells w charges

Moonlight Greatsword

• Greatsword, very rare (requires attunement)
• This silver greatsword glimmers softly with moonlight. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon. This bonus increases to +2 while under the light of a moon, and increases to +3 while under the light of a full moon.
• This sword has 4 charges. While holding it, you can expend charges and use an action to cast one of the following spells from the sword: guiding bolt (1 charge; spell attack bonus +7), healing word (1 charge; +4 ability modifier), moonbeam (2 charges; spell save DC 15). The sword regains 1d4 charges each night at midnight. It regains all charges on the midnight of a full moon.

Shortsword +1

• Requires attunement. +1 weapon that has a dim blue light is visible. It lights up 10 ft radius if it's in darker than dim light.

Shortsword +1

• Requires attunement. +1 weapon that has a dim blue light is visible. It lights up 10 ft radius if it's in darker than dim light.

Cloak of Protection

• http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:cloak-of-protection
• (+1 AC & saves)

ALSO Scroll of Hold Person 4x Potion of Healing

• Talk to Baron Vasili von Holtz who trades in expensive items (and wine), who gave the party three pieces of loot (see list)
  1. Greatsword
  2. Full plate
  3. Short sword
• Not allowed to see Madam Eva at arrival, but friendly otherwise
• Arahja welcoming guy
• Eliza with pet magpie Grugeh ask party to buy a doll at Blinsky's Toys in Vallaki (only toy shop) and give to niece Arabelle north of Vallaki, got 25g for the doll (doll probably going to be about 5-10g)
  • Vistani banned from entering Vallaki. They are hostile to outsiders.
• Madam Eva expressed mild disappointment on the late arrival but did understand the need to save Barovia Village
  • Read 5 Tarokka Cards (see list)
• Session ended with reading and Madam Eva offered to do individual readings that I'll sen privately on Messenger

Tarokka Reading

FIRST
This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy.

• 7 OF STARS - ILLUSIONIST

A man is not what he seems. He comes here in a carnival wagon. Therein lies what you seek.

SECOND
This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope.

• 5 OF GLYPHS-DRUID

An evil tree grows atop a hill of graves where the ancient dead sleep. The ravens can help you find it. Look for the treasure there.

THIRD
This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: A sword of sunlight.

• 5 OF SWORDS- MYRMIDON

Look for a den of wolves in the hills overlooking a mountain lake. The blade belongs to the Huntress.

FOURTH
This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness.

• The Tempter

I see a child - a Vistana. You must hurry, for her fate hangs in the balance. Find her at the lake!
Her visage fades, her face falters between tears of joy and a face of terror.
I hear a wedding bell, or perhaps a death knell. It calls thee to a mountainside abbey, wherein you will find a woman who is more than the sum of her parts.

FIFTH
Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him!

• EXECUTIONER (JACK OF SPADES)

I see a dark figure on a balcony, looking down upon this tortured land with a twisted smile.

(End of session)

Crossroads Search & Vatu Farm

(Session 18 - 2023-03-07 - [Day 9] all)

Ismarks's journal entry:

The Vistani Camp was such a nice experience, it warmed my heart to see Ireena smile as she played and danced with the children. I could also appreciate some of my travel companions on a new level.

BigWig is strong-willed and sometimes borders on bellicose, but he has strong morals and seems honest to a fault. He makes me laugh often and I am beginning to truly enjoy his company. Jack, who had impressed me as being somewhat withdrawn, almost surly, I now understand to be a deep soul who takes care to watch and listen. I suspect a brilliant tactician. Garth, under his sometimes stoic demeanor, is a joyous man. Luna is somewhat of a mystery still, but only natural that it takes longer to understand another race. I have come to think of her as The Kind Lady since she has healed me on so many occasions.

I had some doubts, which I shared with Ireena, about Goncai. Something about him and the way he turned up didn’t sit right with me. But I had come to understand that he was carrying a deep recent trauma. His awkwardness in some dealings with people don’t come from arrogance or dismissiveness I now think. For one, he is just brutally honest and doesn’t see anything wrong with it, but also, he keeps people at arm’s length to protect the still fresh wound. From losing what seems to have been a family to him.

Our reading with Madam Eva was informative and I felt reassured to finally get some direction. But my private reading soon darkened my mind again. What am I supposed to do? How could I leave the villagers to fend for themselves? Should I have stayed behind and let our new friends take Ireena to Vallaki? No… And what would Father have done...? Madam Eva gave me a good luck charm and I think she hinted it has magical properties, but I doubt it, probably just something she says as part of her trade. I have seen many Vistani wear it and it seems to suggest kinship, so I won’t wear it openly.

Anyhow, looking forward to an evening and night of good rest with the Vistani, suddenly the party is roused and want to return and investigate the graves by the fork in the road. Only Garth and I oppose this but bow to majority. At least Garth lets me drive the cart this time, he is sulking in the back.

Nothing much is found at the site, so we are soon off again but the horses have only just started moving when behind me, shouts go up.

Luna: -It’s me! There, do you see!?

Various: -Don't look! -Go now Ismark, hurry! -Faster, Left! Left!

I rush the horses away from the graves and gallows, and only when it is safe to slow down, I realize we are not going back to the Vistani camp but instead pushing on to the waystation. I curse myself for not paying attention to my companions yet again, sometimes they’re just too much and I tune them out. I exchange a look with Garth over my shoulder, he gives me a crooked smile with rolling eye, must keep myself from laughing out loud. The woods are dense and silent.

I am just about to point out how the bark of one tree looks remarkably like a face when I realize it IS a face. Horrorstruck, I see how trees with twisted faces lean over and reach for us with branches like arms. Someone yells "Attack!" as I draw my sword, and it all blurs together.

I find myself standing over the tree I attacked, it seems incapacitated, my sword has left a deep gash and I see something I assume is its innards. I shout for aid to finish it off, but my heart sinks when I look around. We are clearly outmatched. Before I can even think, something swarms me, and all is dark again.

I am awakened by a brutal hit that flings me a good distance. Ireena pulls me to my feet; I ask her if she’s hurt.

Ireena- AM I hurt? I just saved your life!

I blabber something and franticly look around for the rest of us. Goncai is clearly dead, but I launch for him anyway as Ireena holds me back.

Ireena- He's dead, forget about him!

The entire party is in dire peril. Some kind of grubs from the trees mass over everything, poor Goncai is covered, and I can even see they have started to devour him. To my shame, I think of just grabbing Ireena and running away. But instead, I hear a voice whisper like wind through my head: “Little Burgomaster…”. I grasp inside my leather jerkin, enclose the Vistani amulet in my hand and pray. A sound like an explosion rip through my body and the earth renders under my feet. Before I open my eyes, I know that we have been granted aid. We will fight off this foe. But Goncai lies still. As dead as before.

GM Notes:

• Actual earthquake
• Treants literally turned to wood
• Majority of grubs just fell down dead
• Moving away from the wagon, there is nothing left of Goncai but bloody tatters of his clothes with a skeleton lying inside

(End of Session)

Goncai's Learning and Exploration Notes - Heading West

(Session 19 - 2023-03-17 - [Day 9] -Jonas)

We traveled to the Outpost where we bought a new horse and spent the night. [Day 10]

My companions asked me about my new life and how that came to be. I told them

what I could remember. Jack and Garth stayed up late with me discussing the

meaning of it. We agreed it was peculiar and at least in my eyes, a bit fascinating.

New theory, can a similar entity have given Garth his new size?

Day 35

We´re on the road again. We meet various travelers of no note except that one group

of them are being followed by a ghost. After a while the rest of the group listens

to me and we leave it behind. It seemed to be caught in some kind of a loop and I

have no interest in solving an uninteresting loop. We pass a stone bridge that spans

over a deep chasm and in the next crossroads we see a black carriage waiting for us.

Two horses harnessed but no driver. Rahadin?

(End of Session)

(Session 20 - 2023-03-21 - [Day 10] -Ann)

The party identified the black carriage and rather than stopping for pleasantaries accellerated past it. The familiar thousands of voices screaming in pain echoed out as they approached but blissfully diminished as they continued west. Someone in the mist did follow them for a short distance but apparently had no rush in catching up and the party (after sending the powerbunny to open the gates) rode on the road to Vallaki.

The Durst Mill - A Bonegrinding Adventure

The trip went uneventful and as they reached the Rado Ranch (the Western Waypoint) they decided they would keep going for a couple of miles to reach the windmill they had the deed to and where they knew Granny lived and made pies. Their intention was to stock up and enjoy great dreams as well as Inspiration and maybe even temporary hit points!

At the windmill, still out of sight, Goncai let Nina scout but didn't find anythign special of interest. Although he did notice the raven that had apparently been keeping an eye on them. It acted erraticly flying here and there, cawing. Bigwig started chanting to get his inner beast able to communicate with it but meanwhile Jack simply asked it simple yes/no questions and got most the finformation he wanted from it. The debate was long whether or not Granny and her daughter were hags and if they should go stock up on pies even if that's the case. When Bigwig finished his chanting, he spoke to the raven which told them to leave and not go to the windmill, in fairly clear terms. It even specified they should go to the "Blue Water Inn" in Vallaki after resting at Radu farm (literally) and even calling Bigwig by name.

The raven left, unnoticed by everyone but Bigwig and the party had already decided to talk to Granny and her daughter. They headed up with Garth as the front man and had a decent conversation with her. Garth and the party made her speak of all sorts like "The Devil" and Vallaki and Jack suggested maybe "franchising" which Granny thought was an absolutely amazing idea; even going as far as offering a discount price on bulk purchase of pies if the party sells them in the town. Apparently her and her daughter/granddaughter were not welcome there "because they are so racist, you know like with Vistani". She hinted of a Vistani heritage but not being one herself.

Meanwhile... Bigwig had a feeling something wasn't right and started skuling up around the windmill. He did an excellent job until he went in a window when he fell face first on the floor, rattling some pans. Unexpectedly, he heard whelps from a box and proceeded to smash it, revealing two children in an iron cage, a girl and a boy in tattered clothes. As he looked to the side the pile of clothes next to it was more clearly children's clothes! He screamed at the top of his lungs "They are hags! They have captured children!" and a ruckus immediately began.

Bigwig was chased by Bella but desperately threw himself out through the very walls of the windmill, plaster and woodworks flying everywhere. He dropped, back first, on the ground from the 40 feet fall, losing all air in his lungs. Within a fraction of a fraction of a second he realised his sturdy frame was incomparable to that of the children in the iron cage he was holding. By the might of his very beeing, feeling life happening in slow-motion, he put his soul into bracing the impact of the children, nearly breaking the bones in his arms and torso. Coughing heavily, his heart skipped a beat as he could see both the cildren were still alive. He spat blood, put the cage aside and rushed in with the intention of obliterating the culprits or die trying.

The two other women in the windmill, Ophelia (a girl but 17 years old and timid) and Bella (a motherly-looking woman in her 40's) sprang to action. Bella ran up towards Bigwig, who frantically ripped the entire iron cage out of its restraints and, with the might of his little being, jumped straight up through the roof to the attic. On the ground floor, the wizards were preparing spells that Granny and Ophelia simply said "oh no-no-no" to, wiggling their fingers and a battle ensued.

Garth was suddenly locked outside the building, the apparent hags kept moving and creating glamoured versions of themselves moving, Luna turned into a massive frog and even swallowed Granny. Goncai tried to dispel the magic holding windows and doors shut but one of the hags just reactivated it without effor moments later. They clearly tried to solve the conflict peacefully, repeatedly saying things like "come now, let's stop this sillyness" or "we don't actually want to hurt you" but the party persisted. Eventually they lost temper and bolts of literal lightning flew through and even out of the windmil, vapourising holes large enough to jump through.

Luna, Goncai and Jack were all rendered unconscious by massive electrical force, singed with dark ends to their hairs and their bodies twitching eerily but everything turned as Granny, or Morgantha, as is her true name, was finally slain by Bigwig who found himself in a higher level rage where he just couldn't stop himself cutting up the hag, splattering black-blue blood all over the room, filling it with a wet, dark stench reminescent of rotting eggs.

Ophelia and Bella made some pot-shots and then to retreat, gliding through the floors and hiding on the outside of the building. Bella with her unnatural claws pierced Luna under the ribcage and into her heart, killing her before spitting in her face. Ismark and Ireena had joined them by this point and tried to finish the hags off. Unfortunately, at the last minute, first Ophelia and then Bellia simply faded away. Goncai later explained this was them entering the ethereal realm and they are by no means defeated. However, hags often cooperate in covens despite hags hating one another; their powers increase exponentially together and this is now a broken pact.

Goncai started investigating the windmill. The party desperately wanted to find out if the pies were made of children or not. He found child bones ground down and mixed with flour and evidence that the meat in the pies were actually from kids as well. Horror overcame Garth as he retched all over the floor, a mental darkness falling over his mind. The pile of clothes was for at least 30 individuals, meaning at least 30 children from Barovia village has lost their lives to become pies then ate by their parents and other adults.

While Ismark and Ireena had tried to comfort the distraught children, Bigwig came up looking for answers. He was the saviour of the pair and they looked upon him with glowing eyes. Bigwig asked how they were captured and to the horror of everyone, through bawling, tears and snot it was clear the PARENTS has SOLD the children to Morgantha the hag! Chills went down Ismark's back as he realised "Granny" had sold pies in Barovia Village for years, though significantly less before the wine shortage. The kidnapping, killing and EATING of children had happened under his amazing father Kolyan's watch, as well as his own.

Ireena was furious more than anything. The children had strongly associated with a friendly "mother figure" and she awkwardly tried to comfort and hug them, this clearly not being her strongest suit. She used a few strong words and Goncai did his best to answer what he knew. Jack gave input on the few occasions he misspoke.

After Goncai had left the windmill, feeling confident in his investigations, Garth remained and started looking after Luna's remains. He sighed as he started picking her upp but suddenly the very floorboards croaked as a seemingly ragingly angry naked female halc-orc fought her way up with a roar. Shocked and prepared to fight, Garth called the others of which Goncai came first. "who are you!" he shouted. "LUNA!" the half-orc shouted, standing next to the remains of Luna.

The half-orc spat out a bloody tooth that she held up in surprise. When Garth and Goncai looked her in the eyes they realised one was dark green and one was purple. "I really am Luna," the half-orc said while making few attempts at hiding herself. Garth and Goncai spoke to "Luna" and contemplated if this was related to Goncai's experience, of which he really had not explained in enough detail. Luna sounded like she had gone through the same thing but Goncai properly pointed out that "well, but I am me, you are ... this".

After some discussions and the half-orc stripping Luna's body for clothes and items (some clothes a little bit too big, others not wide enough for her new girth), the party had plenty of raised eyebrows before accepting the situation and heading towards Radu farm. MEanwhile, Bigwig had explicitly burned all the sixty or more pies and starting to torch the entire windmill. As the party left, the whole building was ablaze, smoke visible from miles around despite the encroaching mist.

Not even half an hour later they reached Radu farm and asked for room and refreshments. They were offered "these amazing pies" which provoked a conversation about their source. The Radu family was initially not open to believe what had happened but Ismark, with the power of his title and knowing the family from previous visits with his father Kolyan, ensured them that everything the others said was true. Granny had always been a monster who stole (or bought) children to make pies of and selling them. The tone at Radu farm drastically changed as every member of the household had consumed ... large amounts of pies over the years and especially the couple of weeks. The family politely asked the party to take rooms (for free) and leave the dining table. There were no specific words spoken but the Radu family had a pyre of their pie stockpile while the party got to bed.

With bruises, cuts, singes and mental scars, the party went to sleep. As sleep without wonderful dreams. A sleep tortured by nightmares. A nightmarish sleep most everyone felt they deserved...

[Day 11]

(End of session)

(No lvl-up, I'm afraid)

A Rude Awakening

(Session 21 - 2023-03-28 - [Day 11] all)

Garth's Visions

The awkward mood at Rado Ranch didn't stop you from falling asleep fast. The day had been long, and before it had been non-stop travels and events in an awful hurry. You welcome the nightmares, a small punishment for having unwittingly eaten children that the hags had bought from magically charmed parents; killed, cut or ground down for the pastry and filling of the dream pies.

You twist and turn but even though you wake a couple of times in a cold sweat you do notice you are getting some actual rest out of the ordeal, to your relief. In a brief moment the clouds depart enough to show a near full moon but the air is blissfully free of howling. You turn your head back into the feather-filled pillow and with little effort dive straight back into the disturbing images you still need to endure.

The bizarre and twisted images the Mist regularly creates, including the large and creepy faces in the sky, are shifted away suddenly into a near-real setting and you realise you are asleep, fully aware. You are in a field, you are but five or six playing with a friend and pretend sword fighting with sticks. You pause for a second and your friend bangs you in the head, then points and laughs. It angers you, filling you with the powerful emotions five-year-olds have, and you temporarily lose yourself into the dream, leaning in to the stick fight and go at your friend with new abandon. In the emotional fray you bring in your adult fighting skills and whack the other boy a couple of times before he laughs and asks you to stop, which you do as you re-gain composure.

"Well, hello there, little ones," a slightly creepy looking elderly lady says. "How fun and lively you play here, like happiness distilled!" The voice creates chills up your spine and you freeze in place. You can see your friend in the corner of your eye who looks worried and starts dragging you saying, "come Garth, let's get going."

(Those who are not Garth realise they have somehow been injected into Garth's own dreams.)

The raspy, high-pitched voice responded: "Ah, alas no... We'll have none of that today. My back and legs are old and Aunty Lethie is in no mood to run." Her hands suddenly elongate and swiftly grab your friend who, in one fell swoop, is put in a large bag she was carrying. She leans in to your frozen visage with a wicked smile and says: "You smell delicious," as her long, clawed hand envelop you and push you into the same bag.

The world twists and turns and you wake up in a small iron cage, hurting from many places, bruised. You try to gain some leverage but realise you are missing your right arm from the elbow down, the stump wrapped in a bloody white cloth. "Oh little Garth is awake. You just sit still, and that delicious arm will grow back in no time at all!"

Memories flood your mind. You and your friend were brought to a smelly hellhole full of unsettling and strange paraphernalia, stuck in a rusty cage together. "Auntie Lethie" had in turn chopped one arm off your friend and then you, in both cases magically stopping the bleeding. She had cooked your appendages in the same hut, the smell of human flesh from the vision reigniting deeply buried trauma from years gone past. The next day she had proclaimed "you're good enough to eat! Many times over, that is." Her opinion of your friend, who you still cannot recall the name of, was "and you, my lovely, certainly is good, but more of a one-off meal." She couldn't help but let out a slight cackle under her breath, making it even more eerie than an all-out screaming laugh.

Your friend cried profusely as he was dragged out of his cage one last time, brought to the chopping board, held down while being dismembered as the cleaver cut flesh and bone, then finally, mercifully murdered him with gurgling sounds echoing. Your eyes were firmly shut, and you cried uncontrollably but the sounds now reverberate and claw at your very soul.

Over the next several days and weeks you came to love the safety of the cage that kept Lethie out at least some of the time. Any time Lethie came to drag you out and cut off an arm or a leg you were screaming and crying in fear, even before the pain set in. Every time, the limb she forcefully cut off would slowly grow back over the course of a few days as she had put a magical ring on your left thumb and then a small nail through the finger just below it, making it impossible to remove and bring about the release of death. You recall an earlier Barovian dream of a stump with toes and realise it was your own foot growing out, straight out of your leg, in a harrowing fashion.

The rest is a blur. There are visions of Lethie using a large plier to draw teeth out of your mouth, a hundred occasions where she calmly said the phrase "for Mother Ceithlenn" as well as her cutting or sawing off limbs. Sometimes she also forcefully helped herself to your ears or your nose all the while seeming to take enjoyment in the cries for stop, help, or mercy, laughing with a cackle throughout. She acted like you participated voluntary and her weirdly parental-like phrases combined with physical pain and horror nearly broke your mind.

You realise this isn't a dream at all. These are dark memories - forced to the surface, by something. With the power of your entire being you hoist yourself out of the dream and find yourself in your bed with your eyes open but unable to move. Over you and on top is a large shimmering shape that when the cloud-tempered moonlight hit its visage is suddenly visible as Bella, the hag you encountered at the windmill.

"You will pay for what you did to my coven, disgusting man," she said with stinking saliva materialising as it drops on your forehead. She can't help herself but start to cackle slightly under her breath, trying to keep silent. "I don't know what it is but I know Ceithlenn wants you. And you. Shall. Be. Hers."

You hear a cackling from another bed you can't see in your paralysis. As Bella hears it, she can’t help but join in on an indescribable dark pact duet. After a few seconds she starts to fade entirely and simply says "we'll speak more tonight!" with a wicked smile.

You regain full control of yourself and look around. The Barovian version of dawn will be starting in an hour, it's a dark early morning. You feel more drained than you did last night and that says a lot. You quickly look at your left thumb to look for the dreaded ring but all that's there is a faint circular scar around it and a needle pin one; from the ring and the nail.

Everyone:

Suddenly you hear the warning bell of Rado Ranch ringing and seconds later the sound of wood being crushed, probably the palisade. "We're under attack!" one of the young men of the farm shouts.

Garth and Bigwig wakes up, having been haunted by the two surviving hags. They had reached in to their dreams to disturb their sleep and extract their life essences from the safety of being phased out of the regular world.

Outside, three hulking mishaps of massive size, looking somewhat massive toads, assaulted the gates of Radu Ranch and as the party gots out of their beds and through the different ladders and latches, they brokw down the pallisade. The pack of large guard dogs helped stay their entry and a continuous rain of arrows from the Radu family coming down from the old fortification they made a home of peppered the abominations.

Not even half a minute later, the sound of hooves are heard through the mist and three skeletal knights appear, attacking the monstrosities from behind. Shortly behind the knights at a more leisurable speed is Rahadin, the manservant of Strahd von Sarovich and the choire of a thousand voices shouting in pain telling of his arrival even before he comes into view.

The monsters try to grapple and eat Jack, but with limber dexterity and magical shielding he avoids being swallowed though it tries to carry off with him instead. A few seconds later the last of them is downed and Rahadin asks the skeletal knights to stand down. The party and the dusk elf exchanges a few words before he leaves the way they came and the party discuss how to carry on forward. If the hags can assault them without any chance of fighting back, Garth and Bigwig would be dead in a few days' time!

The party also identified the monsters as banderhobbs; creations made by dark magicians like hags that often only live a short while and have some singular mission to pursue and that their massive tracks came from the west; from the old windmill.

After a brief rest and helping the traumatised Rado family repair their pallisade and gate somewhat the party headed west to look for the source of the banderhobbs and they had the promise from Goncai that "his tower" would be protection from the hags.

After some looking near the old windmill, the party found a small cave beneath it and a sort of ritual stand with cold burned coals and signs there used to be a cauldron here, probably the item the hags used to make the banderhobbs. Some drag marks indicated the cauldron had been dragged/lifted out and maybe carried while phased out to some dream land by one of the hags (who are actually very strong).

Below in the woods there was a small hill with old menhirs on it, one of which had a pile of teeth next to it. Small teeth. Like children's teeth. The whole area felt "wrong" to Garth and the party removed the teeth hoping the area would slowly lose its deconsecrated status over time.

On the road to Vallaki, a group of soldiers and commoners came up on the road, apparently looking for a lost child. After some interactions the search party went on their ways and the adventurers found a nice clearing to erect Goncai's tower, which did indeed provide protection from the hags and their terrible hauntings.

Everyone has a long rest.

[Day 12]

(End of session)

Welcome to Vallaki

(Session 22 - 2023-04-11 - [Day 12] -Goncai)

• Tracks of banderhobbs outside Goncai's Tower.
• Gertruda (missing child, owner of Lancelot and Mad Mary's daughter) falls down from the roof of the tower where she has slept during the night - looking frazzled
• Gertruda was hunted by banderhobbs, had been oddly kidnapped by Granny, fed well and treated well "you will be aprt of the family"
• Garth used divine Sense and realised she's a fiend, and thus already on her way to become a Night Hag (or she's lying) - causing an outrage
• Ismark searched her and found no heartstone so she can't turn ethereal
• Party asked some more then tied her up and gagged her (inadvertantly also disabling most spellcasting a hag would have)
• Heading to Vallaki, the encounters with the guards was ok
• Weird posters of the festivals - Wolf Head Jamboree are taken down (some with grafitti) and Blazing Sun coming up. "All will be well!"
• Talking to Father Lucian in Church of St Andral - It's illegal to criticise the Baron, the festivals or to say "The Devil's" name lest you end up in the stocks or worse; the Reformation Center.
• Ireena dropped off the two orphan children at St Andral's Orphanage
• After some talk Father Lucian confides in Garth that the bones of St Andral which kept the church consecrated had been stolen from under the floor planks of the crypt
• Only the orphan altar boy Yeska knew where they were and he's non-verbal admitted to telling someone but could not make himself say who
• Lucian suspects Milivoj, the grave digger (also an orphan, but around 17 years old, living in the orphanage and working in the church)
• Party went to the Blue Water Inn and was pampered by Urwin Martikov, the owner, and somewhat hassled by Rictavio, the bard with a cowboy hat and an over-the-top demeanor
• Jack and Goncai went to the Burgomaster/Baron Vallakovich to use his library
• Bigwig pulled the party north to Lake Zarovich where they looked for the "vistani girl" from the prophecy but found only a fishing hut apparently owned by Bluto the fisherman and a journal showing that there has been significantly less fish in the lake in the past year
• Luna turned giant toad and a few hundred feet out and down she found an under-water crevice filled by old and bloated zombies, maybe a few dozen, trying to get up - probably been there for decades at least
• Bigwig sent out his excessively intelligent pet raven Muriel to scout and found nothing on top of the lake for a few miles at least
• Party went back to town?
• It's about 3pm

(End of session)

Knowledge and magic

(Session 23 - 2023-05-02 - [Day 12] -Ismark)

Julle has promised to make a proper in-character rundown but just to make sure:

• Jack & Goncai went to the Vallakovich Burgomaster's mansion and while received by the nice and submissive Lydia was interrupted by Vargas who seemed very hostile to any hint of criticism of his rulership but was convinced to let them rummage through the library for free for one hour (while Lydia served them mint tea with honey)
• Jack found info about night hags and the spells needed to protect against their nightmare haunting and Lydia gave them the info that a "Jenny person" has set up shop outside of Vallaki and sells mystical things but she's weird
• Goncai found info about Vistani and their prophecies using Tarokka cards (Vistani can curse people and some Vistani can use Tarokka to see in future; Madam Eva was mentioned in a book that was at least a hundred years old)
• Party met up on main street and headed out west towards Jeny Greenteeth, Bigwig opined that he had heard of her as a powerful entity in the Feywild but not much else, and that she's a hag - making Garth shudder
• Jenny was a happy middle-aged lady who had some weird preferences and said she could sort out just about any magic item - for a price
• The main things purchased were a scroll of magic circle, spell component inks and a casting of Greater Restoration on Garth for the cheap prices of a lingering embrace, a pile of gold and the musky sweat of unwashed toes
• Also exchanged secrets (info about Morgantha's covern and Gertruda in exchange for info that some spells require reagents to work (lesser restoration & remove curse) and instructions on a piece of paper on how to acquire these reagents).
• Party then headed towards the Vistani camp nearby and came across a "zombie" following a wolf. A fight ensued and the zombie was killed. His armor had an emblem of the Morning Lord's Retinue (Morning Lord (Lathander), Tyr, Torm, Bahamut & Hoar), spotted by Garth. Bigwig wanted to save the body and put it against a proper foe.
• The "zombie" was then recognised as a revenant (undead warrior that is returned to unlife every morning for up to a year or until its task is complete).
• Luna mold earth to remove the difficult terrain

(End of session)

The Vistana Child

(Session 24 - 2023-05-09 - [Day 12] -Ismark -Jack)

• Arrived at the Vistani camp, greeted by an initially hostile but later friendly Luvash
• Luvash and his brother Arrigal leads the Vistani camp
• Discussion about the Tarokka card reading leads to finding out that Luvash's daughter, Arabelle, is missing since this morning and half the camp is out looking
• Hearing about the reading, Luvash figures out it must be Lake Zarovich and urges the party to go look there
• After some discussion, Luna summons fey spirits into the shapes of horses but they turn out to be skeletal! Luvash is a little shocked but offers to lend the party blankets to use as saddles.
• Party takes the long route around Vallaki to avoid being overtly seen and reach the lake in fairly short order
• Where there were three boats there is now only two and fresh tracks on the beach. Luna turns giant frog and Bigwig rides her as they rush out into the lake. Nina acts spotter.
• Several hundred feet out, a lone fishing boat with a rotund fisherman, presumably Bluto, is doing some fisherman stuff, mumbling to himself. When he hears the giant frog approaching in the mist he suddely becomes stressed and attempts to throw a child-sized sack overboard.
• Through nina's eyes, Goncai sweeps around and blasts him with lightning, leaving a burned and barely even coughing.
• Shortly thereafter Luna and Bigwig reach the boat and enter, Bigwig opens the sack and out comes a ruffled but almost unfazed Arabelle. She expresses that "you're late".
• Not long thereafter, Bigwig tries to rescucitate Bluto only to realise he's really properly dead, having expired only moments prior.
• Luna swims straight down to look for zombies but finds none. She does, however, reach a cloud of mucus and realise that below is an aboleth!
• Bigwig puts Bluto in the sack, ties and drops him off the boat. Luna drags the boat in to shore.
• Returning around Vallaki to the Vistani camp, Luvash is extatic (for a large-sized grumpy man) and is generous with wine (though mentions they will need more very soon)
• Luvash is unable to de-curse Bigwig's shoulders but says maybe Stanimir can; the Vistani sage that sometimes stays at the camp (the man who brought the party to Barovia). It is revealed he was made to bring you to Barovia, by Strahd, involuntarily.
• Goncai opens the door to his tower and they have a private discussion about the Bones of St Andral being missing, the church no longer consecrated (ie: not protected from Strahd) and Milivoj the grave digger being the primary suspect (though not seen for a few weeks).
• The party joins Luvash and after an hour or so of merriment they decide to turn in.
• Everyone but Bigwig have moderately poor dreams but Bigwig really suffered, looking almost as pale as a dead bunny
• Towards the morning both Bigwig and Garth's sleep was further disturbed, causing nightmares so disturbing the were drenched in sweat and it ended when the two remaining hags, Offalia and Bella, materialised sitting on top of respective warrior's chests and cacling, then running out the door
• A rush to get them started:
  • Goncai slid down the ladders and trapped Offalia in a mental prison, believing she was trapped in ankle-deep molten rock
  • In a rush, Bigwig threw himself down and charged Offalia, grabbing her and cutting her deep with the Moonblade
  • Garth rushed out without armor and blinked in front of them, swinging. A natural 20, and all of the power he could muster, burned Offalia with holy runes and bloodrunes, almost fading her out of existence
  • Luna called upon the power of the moon to pour down radiant damage enhancing the magical runes already afflicting her, causing the body to burn and she fell down, dead, covering one of the party members with blood vomit and her innards
  • Bella screamed in rage and spat at one of the party members as she phased out of existance
• All this happened right outside one of the hovels around the Vistani hill, where two dusk elf guards stood their duty and looked on in chock. Garth came up to talk and they eventually let him in to speak to Kasimir, their healer and leader
• Kasimir was rather frail with many old bandaged wounds and blemishes - his healing apparently takes a toll on himself when used to help others
  • Garth and him had som herbal tea and talked about many things
  • These dusk elves are the same race as Rahadin but "not kin" (they aren ot even same tribe)
  • Strahd made Rahadin kill all of the dusk elf women so the ones living here and have been for hundreds of years are all the men he let live (implied it was a punishment for something)
  • Kasimir is trying to collect power/allies to reach a magical repository of knowledge and power to take on Strahd and ressurect his sister who is in the Ravenloft crypts in a casket, still.
  • I was a little inebriated while doign this part and I don't remember everything else, but it was a rather lenghty discussion and info dump :P
• Everyone except Bigwig and Garth gets a long rest.
• During the haunting of Garth and Bigwig, the whole party again experiences Garth's childhood trapped by Auntie Lethie. Many of the same gruesome scenes, and some new.

[Day 13]

[Lvl up to 6]

(End of session)

Chapter 6: Vallaki

It's Always the Butler - Or the Grave Digger!

(Session 25 - 2023-05-16 - [Day 13] -Ismark -Jack)

Bigwig nearly shouted at Goncai in regards to the tower's safety and with some thought the party figured out the hags had been spying on them on the ethereal realm and snuck in to the tower before its protections initiated. For future nights the party needs to find a way to prevent this from being a possibility.

Gathering their things and having Garth recant the knowledge that Kasimir had imparted unto him, Goncai used his magical powers to "uncurse" the marks on Bigwig's shoulders. In actuality the curse was on the Moonlight Greatsword, and in an instance when the incantation ended, Goncai got a glimpse of the evil spirit that was imbued in the item, a Moon Beast, most likely also a prisoner of Barovia which drew power when anyone killed with the sword or dealt great harm.

The party continued towards Vallaki but was interrupted by a raven spying on them. Muriel, Bigwig's companion raven, made Bigwig aware of it and hid. Goncai channeled a damaging spell at the raven, which lost flight and crashed into the forest but even the skilled tracker Luna couldn't find its corpse so they decided to carry on.

At the church of St Andral's they spoke to Father Lucien and looked at the crime scene in the crypts where there was marks of a spade used to break open the floor planks and the relics of St Andral were missing. They continued to the orphanage to talk to Yeska the altar boy and to find Milivoj the grave digger. The orphanage is run by the stern Headmistress Claudia Belasco and contains about two dozen orphans. Yeska confirmed Father Lucien's suspicion that Milivoj was the one he had accidentally told about the bones but Milivoj himself was bed-ridden and unable to communicate since at least the past week or so with no clear indication he may have hidden or sold the bones (if he was the culprit). The party suspected that maybe the act of removing the bones made some spirit afflict him with some sort of punishment.

Talking to the rescued orphans from the Old Windmill, Freek and Myrtle Porwanovic, and then other children it became apparent that most children here have unexplained bruises and scratches. While unclear when kids started getting these (they hadn't thought much of them), about a month ago a child named Cedric had died from falling down from the attic window a few days after a conflict with his bunkmate Felix, the newest orphan before Freek and Myrtle was admitted yesterday. The fight was about Cedric stealing Felix's locket and the locket is believed to be with Headmistress Belasco at present. Almost every bed also had some carved markings and when Goncai took a closer look he realised it's infernal runes saying "Dark Dreams".

The party looked in all the rooms for Felix and eventually went up the ladder to the attic where a young boy was carving a wooden toy (unusually: Not creepy or with a "Blinsky vibe") with what looked like a stolen kitchen knife.

The boy was confronted and he dismissed any implied accusations but after a while, he got more and more annoyed until he screamed at the party and the light dimmed in the windiow, the attic hatch banged shut and smoky shadows poured out of the boy, forming a foul looking creature with indeterminable amount of legs and a large clawed appendage with a faint red aura around eyes and claws; prepared to pounce!

(End of session)

(Session 26 - 2023-05-23 - [Day 13] -Ismark -Garth )

It's about 9 a.m. Roll for initiative! :D

"Mortal ants; I have seen the shadows of the Great Powers moving through the Dark Seas around this sphere. Your paltry magics are nothing."

The demonic figure arrogantly assumed it could destroy the small group of intrepid outsiders but they were more prepared for violent conflict than it anticipated. The pounce was interrupted by a barrage of blows that it just barely managed to deflect. The party noticed it managed to flick around the attic at ease and adjusted their tactic, following it up on the beams and wailing at it, though hard to hit. It used its gruesome claw in a flurry of blows at the bunny barbarian, spattering the walls and floor with fur and blood, mortally wounding Bigwig.

Spending a few seconds measuring the creature's movements, Jack used the shadowy room against it, slicing the fragmented shadowy smoky bits into incoherence, finally ending it while his shadowy blades seemed to absorb its essence. Garth quickly went over to Bigwig and channeled the healing powers of Hoar to restore his breath and close any bleeding wounds caused by the creature's claws and magical drains.

The child, Felix, regained consciousness and was coughing up some blood. The group treated him with utmost suspicion but it was quickly established that Felix was the victim. He had found a locked by the lake a few months ago and when he touched it, he had became as passenger in his own body up until now. He was distraught and hesitant but told of how he had seen his own hands murder his parents, landing him in the orphanage and how, more recently, he had used his demonic strenght to throw Cedric out of a window after he stole the demon's locket.

In Headmistress Belasco's office, Jack found the locket and carefully inspected it without personally touching it. He used magic to identify its hidden properties, finding out it works as a prison of a demon that the demon had managed to twist somehow. Touching it would open one self to be vulnerable to being possessed by it and it could then try a lengthy ritual of swapping places with a pure, good, soul. This ritual seemed to target Milivoj, who was actively trying to fund the orphanage. The demon was just a few days away from successfully manifesting in Milivoj's body, trapping the boy's soul in the locket in place of the demon's.

However, this meant that the theory that Milivoj got cursed by stealing the relics was incorrect. Fortunately, though dehydrated and drained, Milivoj regained consciousness when the demon died and was able to tell about his experiences. He had no idea the bones had any actual value and when he was approached by Bluto (yes, the fisherman killed by Goncai and dropped into the lake by Bigwig) he accepted to give him the bones for "a great prize" (sadly, a meager 40g) that he would use to provide further food for the orphanage since he had been unable to gain a salary due to his health deteriorating in the past few months. So does that mean the end of the trail?

The Bone Hunt

Insulted by Jack and the rest of the party, he shamefully realised that he had done a terrible thing and that the relics had kept the Church of St Andral safe from Strahd. He made a big effort to show where he exchanged the relics to Bluto and then to Bluto's house.

In Bluto's house the party thoroughly investigated every inch but mostly finding things about Bluto's own habits and a bunch of unopened wine bottles. Of interest was a bag made of the same material as sheets at the orphanage, and upon closer investigation also small, old, bone fragments that when under magical insight shone with divine energies.

The ransacking of Bluto's house was interrupted with a knock on the door. A polite, though possibly seen as slightly shady, character was at the door. The man introduced himself as Ernst Larnak and was immediately interrupted by a load of questions as well as being informed of the sacred relics being missing. It turns out he was simply here to ask the party to come visit Lady Fiona Wachter (the other main noble family other than the Burgomaster) for tea and crumpets (with butter!) but most of the conversation was about other local topics and information exchange. An important point was the enmity between Fiona Wachter and Vargas Vallakovich, the hatred of the incessant festivals and how any misbehaviour was punished by being put in the stocks or ... the Reformation Center, where people came out different. Jack exchanged to keep the knowledge of the relics a secret with I don't remember! and Ernst showed the party the way to Wachterhaus, asking them to show up in an hour.

Ernst also let slip that for the right price he could change employer from Fiona to the party as well as the odd behaviuour of Fiona talking to her deceased husband, of which he had heard they keyword "relics" being mentioned.

The party had nice lunch at the Blue Water Inn, pampered by Urwin Martikov and had a nice conversation with his wife Danika about town matters before heading to Wachterhaus.

Wachterhaus was an overgrown and poorly managed exterior of a building. At the door, Ernst was already there, showing them in. They were served tea and crumpets and Fiona came in. She seemed stern and aloof but sort of normal for nobility. She wished for a change of power in town but didn't immediately put her own name in the hat - the main thing was that the dictator and opressor was dealt with and suggested Father Lucian as a potential new candidate for leader or at least some future council member of the town.

Fiona was told about the relics being missing and asked what she knew. When told, her face showed surprise but she did say she had some information but also didn't trust theese outsiders yet, clarifying trust is something both sides earn from one another when a party member said they also don't trust her yet. She did, however, acknowledge that the conflict with Vargas was somewhat personal as well and asked everyone to accompany her upstairs.

Everyone arrived at a bedroom door and she said "this is my beloved daughter Stella" (and made some comment on her sons being useless). As the door opened they found a dishelved girl sitting on the bed, hissing at them the moment they saw her and then she jumped off and behind the bed. Fiona explained that the Vallakovich and Wachter had planned to bury the hatchet and join forces, marrying Victor with Stella (the question if they "wanted to" was somewhat dismissed that "nobility can't choose") but after a few dates, Victor had used some dark magic and Stella had turned into believing herself to be a cat! She had behaved like a cat ever since (considering that she was dressed, impying quite some effort on behalf of the Wachters!). Jack got a hunch that this was arcane magics somehow permanently altering the girl's mind. Bigwig started his internal chanting to speak with animals.

As we end the session, Bigwig is able to speak with Stella.

(End of session)

(Session 27 - 2023-06-06 - [Day 13] -Goncai )

• Fiona felt the best thing for everyone was to just say what she knew: Henrik the Coffinmaker has the bones
• Bigwig stayed to talk cat
• Party headed towards coffin maker
• Meet Eir who came from same party as Goncai but has been with Vatu Farm
• Didn't want to open - burst in
• Talked a bit, he seemed very afraid of what was in the upper floor
• Eventually admits:
  • He has been in contact with a woman who has placed vampires in boxes in his house
  • Ordered him to do the complex chain of asking Bluto to convince Milivoj to get the bones and now they are in the chest on top floor
  • As party goes up, a number of vampire spawns wake up from hibernation in boxes (been here for months; some)
• Big battle
  • More vampire spawns wake up - Ismark tries to get people out, Eir tries to remove boards from windows, Garth & Jack slice through them and Goncai teleports a few off into the sunlight to burn
  • A sole vampire wakes - charms Goncai to leave
  • Luna downed - reincarnates into a semi-angel
  • End as most spawns are killed, vampire at almost full, lots of holes in building

(End of session)

(Session 28 - 2023-06-13 - [Day 13] -Ismark -Eir -Garth )

• Bigwig does cat-talk; when it ends she ends up in a fey vision asked to save a forest spirit from undead corruption
• Fight continues
  • Bigwig shows up, puls one spawn out
  • Spawns dispatched, vampire fills up on Luna/Garth blood, Jack takes bones
  • Green teleportation circle appears and a Stahd Bride (black skin, white dress) with some spawns she casts a darkness-like spell
  • Luna turns into ginormous elk, with force ruins the house, nabs Jack and jumps out through the house wall
• Izek appears and burns house with vampires in it

Allies and Artefacts

[Day 13]

• To church
  • Lucian reconsecrates the church with the bones - checks items for curses (sword super evil, the short sword tricksy, the full plate not cursed but extra useful if user is sadistic/evil)
  • Lots of discussion about what next
  • The bride returns on the back of a Nightmare, saying "good job" and handing over a letter inviting party to dinner with Strahd
  • Lots of lots of discussions
• Going to Blue Water Inn
• Guard there waiting, inviting them for dinner in 1 hour
• Talk to Rictavio, asking where his wagon is - reluctant (want to find "Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy")
• Rictavio takes party out back and drops the "bard act" and reveals he is a spy doing reconnaissance in order to have Strahd killed - Some infodumps:
  • He has a sabre tooth tiger in his wagon
  • Saying the word "Strahd" lets him listen in to that conversation
  • Ireena seems important, looks almost identical to pictures of "Tatyana"
  • Strahd's curse is both the prisoner and jailor of Barovia, which itself is a Demiplane of Dread
• Sessions ends with Rictavio accidentally saying "Strahd" himself and party trying to cover it up with going in to eat

It's about 7pm

(End of session)

Dinner with the Baron

(Session 29 - 2023-06-20 - [Day 13] -Ismark -Eir)

Getting away from Rictavio, the party heads down to the Burgomaster's Mansion and are greeted by Lydia Petrovna, the wife of the Burgomaster Baron Vargas Vallakovich. She is sort of kind and a little skittish but welcomes everyone and has the servants present the party with drinks (specially brought out ale for Garth) and pastries with wolf meat filling and a mushroom stew.

After some initial chatter, Vargas comes in and demands the main course food and starts by thanking the party for uncovering a massive vampire conspiracy in the town. He presents the party with a "small token of appreciation" which is a small chest full of gold (287gp) and a dusty healing potion.

The dinner conversation makes clear he doesn't know of Jeny Greenteeth, that he may not be the best husband or father, may not be the best Burgomaster but he does seem genuinely engaged in keeping The Devil out. Though he seems to feel he alone is legally allowed to say his name (as he says it out loud the party realises Strahd may very well listen in for a bit after the mention). Vargas doesn't expect the party to do what he asks but would ask of them a favour to uncover evidence that Fiona Wachter is conspiring to have him deposed or killed. He "knows" she tries this but has not yet uncovered evidence and while a lack of evidence normally isn't a problem, Wachter is an ancient family and can't just be executed on a whime (presumably he has no issue executing or "reforming" less prominent citizen).

Jack veers the discussion into one of the party's issues: Another noble citizen, Vasili Von Holtz, has supplied them with three magical items, ALL of which were cursed which has some strong implications. Vargas is acquainted with Vasili and initially skeptical of these claims but reflects on what the party has done, what little he knows of Vasili, really and agrees to let the party essentially have a search warrant, supported by "the captain of the captain of the guard", the dreaded Izek.

IMPORTANT NOTE on the items!

No item was "de-cursed" by Lucien's divine intervention; all he got was confirmation on which items were cursed and how.

• The Antithesis is not cursed according to Lucien's insight, but has an evil aura (if an evil person attunes to it, it has improved features).
• The Moonsword is super-duper heavy cursed, inhabited by a moonbeast
  • Makes the owner keep hold of it at all times
  • Lures the weilder to harm/kill things
  • After lots of blood there is a lenghty tug-of-wills to turn the weilder into a moonbeast (only reversable with a Wish spell)
  • The curse is activated on attunement or if a previously cursed person touches it
    • So if Bigwig as much as touches it, he will instantly be re-cursed at the same level as he was before
  • Lucien didn't say specifically but if the moonbeast spirit inside was somehow destroyed, it's possible that it would un-curse the sword (Arcane DC 25 wich one of you probably would have gotten after a little research).
• The shortsword has a "trickster" curse that doesn't force the user to keep it on them but in the night the user's hands pop off and scurry away making pranks and new hands grow out
  • You haven't noticed because Ann has been away a lot and it didn't feel worth the game time to introduce yet another plot thread, especially with the central character's player not there).
  • To clarify: Ismark is still attuned to it, unable to end it without a remove curse spell, and every night his hands pop off and scurry about to do mischief as new ones grow out.
  • TEN zombie/skeletal hands "birthed" by Ismark can now be found in Barovia, causing mischief.
  • A logical/practical option is for someone to keep watch over Ismark at night and capture/kill the hands; the sword is still magical and useful!
  • You know this curse is a fact but you haven't seen any hands or know if they have caused any particular mischief.

Also: I did say ALL of this the last week. Here I have only clarified few details about the Moonsword.

Izek is asked to join in (he clearly was in the house prior to dinner). Vargas is enamored with Bigwigs cuteness and Luna's otherworldly beauty, trying to ask Bigwig to help with the festival abd trying to charm Luna a little (right in front of his wife). Garth uses his Divine Sense as Izek arrives and despite trying his best to decipher what this demonic arm is and does gets the feeling Izek as a whole is demonic. This aside, Izek and Garth has at least a superficial bonding over ale, justice and faith (!).

Vargas informs Izek that he will escort the party to Vasili tomorrow early morning and, at location, ask citizen or guards to move along as the party is on approved Burgomaster business there when they question the nobleman. The party promises to try to look into Fiona's scheming but can't promise results.

Jack wants to talk to Viktor, the son. He doesn't say this to Vargas but he wants to find out more about how Fiona's daughter turned into a cat. Viktor refuses to join them but Jack and Goncai are allowed to go up and talk to him. As fellow arcane users and Viktor never really meeting one in the flesh before he puts his teenagy angst (including a rebel sign outside his door saying "all is NOT well" with a drawn skull) aside and they talk ernestly about things. Viktor leads them through his parents' master bedroom and up a ladder to the attic where he has his work room (that has a matching signature "NOT well" and skull but carved into the door and also accompanied with a Glyph of Warding trap). Jack & Goncai finds skeletal cats that he says are not experiments but his pets; he has gotten magic from a book he found in his father's library and seems to be a fairly powerful wizard, albeit untrained. Him experimenting with a teleportation circle to get out of Barovia is what transformed Stella into her current state (it's possible Femur II now hosts Stella's soul and/or mind). After some "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" Viktor actually agrees to become an apprentice of Jack & Goncai and it doesn't take much coaxing on Vargas to let them as it's clear Vargas strongly dislikes his "weak bookworm" son.

After dinner, which ends on nice terms, the party heads towards the southern gate. The guards are hesitant to open the gate under any circumstances and the party avoids any awkward interactions by Goncail creating his tower inside the walls, close to the gates. They look in awe as the tower is conjured. Goncai makes a Guest List including the party and Viktor but specifically excludes Muriel. The party sleeps as well as can be expected in Barovia, with various levels of effect from nightmares. Everyone starts out being forced into Garth's nightmare from his childhood but three rolls of thunder are heard over the fields, sending each character into their own little personal hell instead and Garth has a personal encounter with what seems to be Hoar himself.

• Bigwig's dream
• Garth's dream
• Goncai's dream
• Ismark's dream
• Jack's dream
• Luna's dream

Garth has neither nightmares or dreams until he wakes up, refreshed. Everyone else has at least something.

[Day 14]

Banging Breakfast at Holtz's

(Session 30 - 2023-08-15 - [Day 14] -Ismark -Jack (Eir retconned!))

About 8 a.m.

Vargas Vallakovich, Izek with the demon-arm, a giant female guard captain (later introduced as Catalin Pascu) and four additional guards knock on Goncai's Tower in the morning as agreed, waiting to go search Vasili von Holtz's house for cursed contraband. The party is a little slow to get up so Vargas and his entourage wait at the Blue Water Inn for the party to get ready and eventually they all have breakfast there, having braved the light drizzle in the sky.

The troupe walks up to the von Holtz manor, Vargas does most of the initial talk while Catalin and the guards ensure no civilians come snooping about. Izek stands outside as a final deterrence for curiosity.

Vasili is quite surprised by the visit but after Vargas introduce the situation he's more than happy to show them around and also unlock any (magically) locked chests in the basement and answer questions about various magical items the party find in the house. Vasili is distraught that he had provided cursed items (other than the plate mail which Garth points out) and offers compensation for the troubles. Also points out "there's a dearth of magical items and sometimes even a cursed item is better than a non-magical item for defending one self against monsters, though clearly the Moonsword was definitely not and I offer my most humble apologies".

Other than mundane items such as plates that heat themselves or a cooling torch that keeps the earth cellar extra cool (turns out it has an imprisoned tiny ice elemental in a magical cage) the two main things on his premises were two chests in the cellar containing thousands of gold worth of all sorts of coin and jewellery as well as a number of magical items clearly meant for re-selling. In the second chest they open they find additional short swords, matching Ismark's sword perfectly, which the party suspect also are cursed. Back in the first chest was a number of items that included a Necklace of Fireballs with 9 charged pebbles which will become important later.

The party went up to his little library where they among other things found research books on vampires and even on Strahd(!). Luna find this suspect but Vasili says it's to know and understand the Dread Lord. Browsing through the book it's clear it's mainly superstitious nonsense, saying things like vampires must tie up all loose knots, they explode in sunlight and similar things mixed in with known facts such as running-water sensitivity and having to be invited to someone's house.

Goncai finds an old spellbook beloning to some long-gone owner and starts to ask Vasili about it while Luna excuses herself to talk to Catalin while in reality she sneaks down to the cellar. Vasili says the spell book is one of those old things he's kept for a long time and would happily gift it to Goncai (12 spells in it), who accepts. Luna meanwhile notices that the chests are again locked and they have magical protections on them. Since they weigh hundreds of pounds she decides to turn into a massive owlbear and drag it out to hide it for later.

Feathers ruffled coming to the kitchen making lots of noise (considering an owlbear has no opposable thumbs), Garth happens to run in to her and simply backs out saying "I didn't see anything" and then walking out to talk to talk to Izek, for real. The two of them have a sympathetic "duty first" kind of few-word talk.

Meanwhile, Luna drags the chest up north past the copse of trees, double-checks there are no soldiers in the guard post nearby and continues to the northen pallisade. In a heroic feat of strength she hoists the chest over the 15 feet tall pallisade to get it out for later.

However. The gold-filled chest breaks on impact with the dry moat on the outside, triggering a glyph of warding that explodes in fire, igniting all the Necklace of Fireballs's beads. Out of game Julle rolled percentile dice to quickly determine the percentage of max damage and rolls a natural 100. What normally is just a cloud of fire that can decimate people is instead a small nugget of the Sun itself, temporarily summoned here with a resounding "BANG". Twenty feet of the ballisade and several feet of earth are vapourised as stone, tree chunks and gold fragments fly hundreds of feet in every direction. Where there had been grass and pallisade is now a crater with melted dark obsidian surface full of cracks. The immense heat caused the nearby copse of woods burst into flames despite having been fairly wet beforehand. Even hidden inside the library, a storm of glass and debris cause minor cuts on the party. Everyone rush out as people from all around town are starting to gather.

A lone hand sticks up from the ground, desperately waving about. Garth drags the creature up, a naked Lightfoot Halfling female that looks a little worse for wear. "Luna?" "Yes..."

One villager had been caught by a large chunk of wood and perished while the explosion caused dozens of other injuries of varying severity all over the northwestern part of Vallaki. Garth's demeanor visibly soured as he went to work and "bop"-ed the ones worst off and provided medical assistance to others. Luna realised that the pallisade was an important feature of the town and started to Mold Earth to make a temporary earthen replacement.

Not interested in rescue work, Bigwig, Goncai and Jack went to follow up on the next lead while Garth and Luna helped the town. Coming to the Arasek Stockyard they found Rictavio's wagon tightly locked up. It was growling and occasionally rocking. Bigwig started his ability to speak with animals and found out that the tiger wanted to find his master or "to kill witches". Considering the tiger, Goncai climbed up top of the wagon before Bigwig cut off the padlock with his giant weapon.

Out leaped a massive, metal-armoured, sabre-toothed tiger who said "thanks" to Bigwig, sniffed the floor and rand up north. Bigwig panicked and ran after while Goncai searched the wagon.

Goncai found typical monster-killing apparel and items as well as something unexpected - The Tome of Strahd. He pocketed the tome and closed the doors as well as possible, rushing after Bigwig.

Bigwig managed to catch up with the sabre-toothed tiger and jump on its back, trying to convince it to stop running. The tiger didn't try to knock him off but also didn't care too much what a random bark-skinned rabbit wanted. The tiger popped its head into the Blue Water Inn, scaring the already frightened crowd there and almost ruining the door frame before turning back and and running further west.

And there is where that session ended.

(End of session.)

Fourth Chance

(Session 31 - 2023-08-22 - [Day 14] -All but Luna )

Some re-playing to clarify details. Contains minor spoilers for non-Luna players.

Luna, in the guise of a zombie owlbear, hoists the aged and well-locked chest over the tall pallisades after having made sure no guard or villager is within view. The chest lands on the outside and time for Luna is now counted in fractions of seconds...

In less than a tenth of one second, she hears the sound of the chest swooping down and the casing breaking as well as a hint of a magical static charge. A hint of the sound of fire roaring reaches her tattered feather ears before she sees a very smallbulging of the pallisade just 5 feat ahead of her. In super-slow-motion, the palisade buckles towards her and a white bright light emerges from between the old, thick, pieces of lumber. Her vision is filled with light within another hundredth of a second and the light turns to a intruding mist, the Mists of Barovia.

Time, of course, never really slowed down other than a person feeling through the last few morsels of time before death. An experience Luna has had before.

Luna feels like a hook in her non-existent stomach draging her upwards, turning the mists darker until she finds herself in an infinite dark without shape, form or mass. A reverberating voice with a strong sense of disappointmend fills the mind of her soul; "Luna, I thought we had a deal? Have you gotten any progress on defeating Ceithlenn?" The soft background sound of a thousand thousand teeth grinding against one another fills the space in her soul that feels like a skull.

Luna, realising the chain of events that lead her here and that it's possible the explosion has killed many other than her, tries to talk to the entity calling itself Dahlver-Nar and receives information that clues to defeating Ceithlenn would be found near the hags' tower to the south and she accepted further aid. With the last passing words "It's done". The hook in her stomach returned, again dragging her up and up where suddenly the dark not only had shape and mass but also wetness, grain and opressive force. She realised she was in some sort of body under ground and started trying to dig herself up, feeling her strength not quite enough. Somewhere up over the surface she could hear muffled bells ringing, as in warning bells of the town.

Meanwhile, Garth had come out to look together with Izek and saw a tiny hand in the dirt, close to a large impact crater that was glazed with obsidian, located where the pallisade used to be; the nearby guard tower just barely still standing. He took a steady grip with his armoured hand and dragged a small, naked, lightfoot halfling female out of the ground. "Luna?" he asked, incredulously but not too surprised. "Yes," she said, avoid ing eye contact. Izek looked on surprised but handed her his wolfskin cape to wrap herself in and shouted at a nearby soldier to bring the girl some clothes. Luna looked around and felt the familiar feeling of tasting her own blood in her mouth, and a loose tooth. She wiggled it out with her tounge and spat it out in her now small hands and contemplated it as it lay there among blood spatter and dirt. 4th chance to solve her family's curse...

People started coming in from all over town. Looking south and east Luna saw that every window she could see had been burst inwards. Strong and weak shouts of pain, some with gurgling sounds, were heard all over this side of town. Garth headed off to try and save those with dangerous cuts and wounds and Izek rushed off to the eastern part of town, leaving Luna with Vasili, who looked at her with saucer-sized eyes.

Some guards were tasked by Catalin to try to secure the pallisade's structure and as they started the wlow work Luna offered to help with magic, scooping tonnes of dirt and soil into a temporary earthen pallisade while Vasili joined Garth in trying to provide basic first aid as his divine powers steadly diminished. As they all pitched in, Izek was seen on horseback, galloping out through the hole in the pallisade heading north.

A little while later, Father Lucien came over inquiring about this "new" short townsperson with oversized, folded clothes. After identifying Luna, he said that his healing capabilities were exhausted and asked if the party had any more as the large mosaic of the church had imploded over several dozen villagers joining the morning mass. Luna offered that if they bring out many wounded at once she can heal maybe a dozen. Lucien made sure to talk to the guards to have this organized and when all was on the spot, Luna summoned a forest spirit that managed to bring almost all of them back on their feet, healing serious wounds or blood loss.

The spirit, looking a lot like an oversized butterfly with a black skull on the back of its wings seemed to act confused after finishing the healing. It kept fluttering around, looking for something. After a bit over a minute, it became frantic and started flying off towards the northern forest.

But so without knowing exactly what happens in the Arasek stockyard or on the road outside of the cathedral, we couldn't really do much more, so that is where that session ended and we started drinking and socialising instead. :D

(End of session.)

Collateral Aftermath

(Session 32 - 2023-08-29 - [Day 14] Luna, Garth, Goncai + Elly )

Again a few events had to be re-played for clarity but no major retcons.

Goncai, with Jack and Viktor in tow, more or less cleared out Rictavio's wagon, after the tiger and Bigwig ran off. Goncai extended an illusion around it to ensure he could sort some items undisturbed. The items were stashed in the Handy Haversack found and they somewhat stealthily headed over to goncai's Tower where Goncai started trying to decipher a chapter from Strahd's Tome called "Vistani".

Rictavio loot list

• Handy Haversack
• 2lbs A silvered shortsword +1 (The sword continually sheds bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet. Only by destroying the sword can this light be extinguished. A lawful good creature can attune itself to the sword in 1 minute. While attuned to the weapon, the sword’s wielder can use the sword to cast the crusader’s mantle spell. Once used, this property of the sword can’t be used again until the next dawn.)
• 3lbs A hand crossbow inlaid with mother-of-pearl (worth 250 gp) +1 magical
• 25 lbs An unlocked wooden coffer containing 50 ep bearing Strahd's profile and six gemstones (worth 100 gp each) [A chest can hold 12 cubic feet/ 300 pounds of gear.]
• 3 lbs A small prayer book (worth 50 gp) with a green leather cover and indecipherable notes in the margins
• 7 lbs extendable 15ft pole (magical)
• 1lb x 4 = 4lbs A worn leather case with gold buckles (worth 100 gp) containing three sharpened wooden stakes,
• 1lbs a bone scroll tube with a silver stopper and chain (worth 25 gp). The tube contains a spell scroll of protection from fiends and a spell scroll of protection from undead.
• scroll of protection from good and evil
• ½ lbs x 21 = 10.5 unidentifiable potions x21 (Cast identify to know what they are) (How are they stored in the wagon?)
• ½ lbs beladonna extract,
• 1lbs x3 = 3lbsThree wooden holy symbols inlaid with silver and in the shape of a sunburst (worth 50 gp each)
• ½ lbs a polished steel mirror
• ½ lbs silver mirror,
• 1.½ lbsA bundle of twenty silvered crossbow bolts
• 1lbs x 6= 6lbs a box of holy waters, six vials of holy water
• 3lbs A healer's kit
• 12lbs climbing kit,
• 5lbs silk rope(50feet)

Garth observed as Izek first did some threat assessment and scouted out north of town looking for the perpetrator of the explosion. He had some (newbie but well-meaning) help from Vasili in taking care of wounded and after a short while he saw Luna do "something weird" with the killed woman Nihna Kozlov and moments later managing to drag a naked lady up from the ground (with considerable effort) - a human! But with dark brown skin instead of regular Barovian "tan" (super pale white). Weird reactiosn from different onlookers started low key but nobody interrupted the outsiders.

Luna had intentionally sat down to meditate and see if it's possible to reach her Barovia patron Dahlver Nar. She outright offered to do "anything" to right the wrong she did to Nihna and the entity accepted. Luna gained more powers and some weird stinging sensations on a few places of her head and body. She used this ability to reincarnate Nihna, who came to quite shocked but got help to wrap her in Izek's wolfskin mantle and in to the Church where Father Lucien seemed to calm her down.

Bigwig managed to hold on to Tyger (yes, that's its name, not kidding) who after a brief look-in at Blue Water Inn rushes towards the west gate, rambling in tiger-speech about "master" or "witches". Shortly on the way the pair is confronted by over a dozen guards who seem intend on "killing the beast". Tyger, wholly unwilling to die from some random pieces of lunch manages to hoist himself to a jump arcing over the guards and continue unabated towards the gate and slamming himself forcefully against it. The old gate still seeming to have some strength in it budged slightly but didn't break. After a few more attempots and visibly bent steel girders, Bigwig managed to convince the guards to just let them out (knowing the other guards were hot on their heels).

Right out side the gate, Tyger simply said "Witch!" and intently sniffing towards the actual, literal, hag hut west of Vallaki. He tried to get in but was prevented by something. The cat, still with Bigwigs attempts at calm talk and convincing the cat to calm the fuck down, shrugged, said "Master" and hopped off further west.

Garth had quite some experiences, being asked to help dozens of people, asked for tactical/military orders by soldiers who were lacking guidance and eventually heading out to find his "lost" party members. Hea headed to the tower where news of pillaging Rictavio's wagon sent him over the edge, literally punching Goncai in the face in anger. Not a moment later, Goncai spelled out a few arcane verses and Garth felt a pul from behind his stomach, swooping him forefully out of Goncai's Tower and landing him on top of a nearby roof.

With anger in his heart and intent of reporting all this to Burgomaster Vargas Vallakovich, he stomped off but quickly calmed down and decided against it. On the way he stopped by Blue Water Inn where Danika pulled him out back, served him beer and meaty food and wanted a status update (seeing as she's a little bit of a social hub here). Having this concerned and slightly domineering woman exchaning words seemed to calm Garth down further and when Izek came in (creating a wide berth as people backed off) they spoke about duty and the greater good. Izek seemed to respect Garth, albeit not having the highest intellectual faculties and probably manipulated by those who consider themselves more than the large soldier boy with a demon for an arm.

My memory eludes me on what other things happened. It was a lot :P

Also, I forgot to do the attunement experience for Goncai: Tome of Strahd Attunement

(End of session.)

Fresh meat to the grinder

(Session 33 - 2023-09-05 - [Day 14] Luna, Garth, Bigwig, Zif, Darling)

Darling and Zif are rudely awoken by an immense explosion and heads into town, being essentially welcome in. The duo aids Father Lucien following the minor catastrophe and after some time talk to the other outsiders in Vallaki.

• A lot of introductory talks between group members
• Garth and Izek has a few "duty first" scenes
• Vasili seems to be figuring out what caused the explosion and may suspect the party
• Antagonistic sentiments against Vargas's ability to keep town safe
• Ernst Larnak (Wachter-aligned but for-hire PI) snooping about
• Finoa Wachter seen
• Tyger was convinced to prioritise finding Rictavio over killing Vistani innocents - Bigwig ran back to town
• Rahadin came walking in to town unopposed handing a letter of invitation to dinner to Zif and Darling (including the screams of a thousand tortured souls)
  • Lots of people saw him (and definitely HEARD the voices)
• The black carriage awaited the full party in the afternoon without any driver and took the party to the outer gates on the cliffs to castle Ravenloft by nightfall (20:00 or so)

Intermission: Castle Ravenloft

Dinner with Strahd

(Session 34 - 2023-09-12 - [Day 14] Luna, Garth, Bigwig, Ziff, Darling)

The drawbridge slowly lowered tolet the Black Carriage in through the main gates of Castle Ravenloft and stopped in front of the imposing main entrance. Each side was flanked by four dismounted skeletal horse riders, a small group of servants, an animal-looking beast and Rahadin. The rain poured down but the dusk elf seemed no to care. Today the choire of screaming voices was quiet.

The part-man-part-beaast fellow came up and welcomed everyone but it took a bit of coaxign for everyone to get out of the carriage. Rahadin politely but cooly greeted them and the beast-thing that introduced himself as "Cyrys Belview" lead everyone in while the skeletal warriors staid outside in the rain.

The dusty and cobweb-covered halls echoed with the sounds of an organ playing and Rahadin saying "no rush, the master does not like to be disturbed in the middle of the Passacaglia." After a minute as the organ silenced down, Cyrus continued to usher everyone in to sit, while Rahadin positioned himself near the exit, standing in silence.

Higlights:

• The party was invited as they have caught Strahd's eye being powerful enough to thwart one of his plans (to deconsecrate the Church of St Andral)
  • The bones of St Andral was Strahd's plan that Ludmilla executed and the party thwarted
• Strahd asked each character to introduce themselves a bit
• He openly talked about his background and the curse, though details were a little on teh light side
• His "brides" are not wed to him and it's a little unclear how willing they are there, but probably they are
• Escher, the only male consort, knows Goncai and was extra disappointed that he didn't show up
• Ludmilla was a little aloof but took an interest in Darling and the two seemed to share an interest in knowledge and esoteric science
• Anastrasya clearly saw herself as the most beautiful of the consorts and got offended by various implications she wasn't the favourite
• Volenta is insane
• Volenta "tricked" Luna into allowing her to yank a tooth out. Luna got extremely offended and it almost came to fighting but Strahd offered to punish Volenta and make up for it to Luna by sending her home. She accepted and was basnished from Barovia.

Garth:

• Loads of hags still in barovia, not friends of Strahd.
• Strahd can banish People at will from Barovia.
• He isnt all knowing, but has a grasp of things happenings.
• Strahd is bound to Barovia (jailed by the powers that be)
• That there is a way to undo the curse, but its complicated.
• Not important; The armor probably is from the castle.

Luna:

• The party was invited to Castle Ravenloft by Stradh.
• Greeted by a servant and Rahadin upon arrival.
• Inside, met Stradh and his brides.
• Stradh revealed:
  • He's cursed, preventing happiness with his first wife.
  • His first wife has reincarnated as Irene.
  • He won't force Irene to marry him.
  • A force in the "mist" controls the realm.
  • He can banish people from the realm.
• Volenta, one of the brides:
  • Paid Luna 100g for a minute of trust.
  • Unexpectedly pulled out one of Luna's teeth.
  • Luna tried to retaliate with a Flaming Sphere spell, but it was countered.
• Stradh apologized and sent Luna back to her home realm upon her demand.
• In her home realm, Dahlver-Nar:
  • Expressed disappointment in Luna.
  • Released her of her duty to fulfill the mission.

At the dinner, Strahd offered to send the party back to Vallaki or anywhere within the realm of Barovia safely with the Black Carriage when the dinner had finished up or for the party to get sleeping arrangements in the castle for the night and leave in the morning, also granting them free reign of his home.

Well, as long as they don't go to the North Tower of the crypts. The guarantee of safety only applies while accompanied by a guardian. They discussed bringing Escher for this but it ended up with Rahadin.

On the First Floor they reached the court room of the count, which clearly had not been used in a while, also oddly the count's seat facing the wall.

Through the big doors heading east was a massive corridor called the "King's Hall" with this noteworthy description: "This twenty-foot-high hall has a dark, vaulted ceiling draped with cobwebs. A low moan seems to travel the length of the corridor as it rises and falls, intoning sadness and despair."

As you move on, you hear a scraping sound of stone against stone, followed by the squeaking of a bat. In the direction of the noise, you see the fanged visage, outstretched claws, and flapping black cape of a vampire bearing down on you from above! A deep, throaty chuckle fills the hall. For the person with the highest Perception roll, they can see Rahadin show a small smirk as he moves to stand in the southern corner by the doors.

Roll for initiative!

(End of session.)

Exploring Castle Ravenloft

(Session 35 - 2023-09-12 - [Day 14] Nibbins, Garth, Bigwig, Ziff, Darling)

The party is ambushed by a vampire and pounce as Rahadin just stands in the corner. With a few powerful hits, the beast falls down with a surprising metal chunk and muffled groans as a well-tattoed and pierced rock gnome manages to undo some restraints and crawl from out of a black "vampire" cape. He undoes a blindfold and mouth gag and wipes some of the blood from his face and side. He introduced himself as Nibbins.

Rahadin chuckles and says this is the work of Cyrus Belview and that he himself "procured" the gnome. He also clarified that Mr Nibbins isn't under Strahd's protection simply because Strahd didn't invite him and didn't literally express this guarantee either so he encouraged the party to look after the newcomer.

Nibbins was worse for wear, not only from Garth's powerful sword chop but also from the ill effects of Barovian nightmares. With consideration for the newcomer the party agreed to have a short break in the dining hall, and Rahadin approved as he said he had things to attend to "for about an hour". The party managed to get Nibbins caught up on the essentials, like "trapped here, the grand vampire holds all the keys to leave, the mist is evil and terrible, a curse upon Strahd (who'se name was mentioned numerous times), we shouldn't say "Strahd", he's looking to marry a reincarnated version of his ancient bride, etc etc."

Escher von Preshlow, former party member of Goncai, joined the discussions. He admitted to being a vampire spawn though he didn't like the epithet he is indeed a slave of Strahd's, same as the other brides. He also admitted that the party can't trust him as everything he says may be by order of Strahd and he is magically obliged to follow anything he says. When Rahadin came to continue the tour the party opted to have Escher instead which Rahadin thought an excellent idea because he preferred to not be a chaperone.

Meanwhile, Bigwig had felt antsy and started to look for treasure (beyond the silverware) in the dining hall and after a diligent search came across a lever on the grand organ that opened up to show a hidden door. It seems the vampire count had stashed all of the castle's mirrors in here, which didn't show a reflection of Escher as they went past the room.

With Escher as guide the party headed to the basement (which technically isn't the crypt) sniffing around and ending up in the Hall of Bones, a gruesomely decorated room made painstakingly over several years by Cyrus Belview (some craftsmanship lacking) with thousands of skulls attached to the walls with mortar and piles of bones in the corners. More prominently a large skull (identified as a silver dragon skull) located over one of the doors. Escher hadn't been here before and was equally appalled as most of the party. He did know of the room though and explained these were the remains of castle staff from centuries back as well as other adventurers, just like themselves (and his party, minus him and Goncai).

Refusing to go any further they went upstairs instead, looking in on some rooms, including Strahd's (empty) bedroom and around the castle walls, reaching the entrance of the North Tower, where a red glow was emanating from the top.

(End of session.)

(Session 36 - 2023-09-26 - [Day 14] - Nibbins, Garth, Bigwig, Ziff, Darling)

The party saw some red glow far atop the northern tower and Nibbins scouted ahead up. Several floors up he found what can only be described as a red crystal heart with a soft "heart beat" sound and light emanating from it. Nibbins put an arrow to his bow and took a shot at it, crating a few minor cracks and a few shards flew off but causing a massive quake in the entire north tower. Its sudden shake and sound took Nibbins off-guard and he fell down, towards the black pit, screaming. The rest of the party scrambled to catch him, grappling him with a thorn whip and several bodies bracing to slow the fall but it was for naught as Darling casually cast a spell to slow down his descent. Escher said that he knew the Dreadlord has some external power source and he hasn't seen the item itself bu that heart fits the description well.

This castlequake didn't go unnoticed however. A brief few seconds were used to decide action and then the whole party rushed out on the outer walls and around the castle, seeing the eastern balcony and the town of Barovia miles below. Out came Rahadin who, with a facial expression, told Escher off for allowing the guests up the tower (though a logical argument was made that Nibbins doesn't suffer the same requirements since he doesn't enjoy the same protections!).

They all decided to instead head down to the basement again and Escher, who spends most of his time in the nicer quarters of the castle, did his best to get them down but got a slightly wrong turn and got them down into the catacombs. But not before stopping by the Ravenloft Chapel, where a body of some dead soldier with an evil magical mace lay over an altar, seemingly burned to death by the statuette standing there. The statuette being the Icon of Ravenloft.

Ravenloft Catacombs

In the dark Catacombs there was a light from ahead, some sort of lit-up tomb and the party went towards it, towards what looked like a curtain of light, Bigwig went through down the stairs into the tomb, they found themselves back at the top of the stairs.

(End of session.)

(Session 37 - 2023-10-24 - [Day 14] - Nibbins, Bigwig, Ziff, Darling)

Surprised, Bigwig got help of Darling and others to try out the function. eventually everyone went through and turns out ONLY Garth can go through. Down there were two sarcophaguses, one marked "King Barov von Zarovich" and one marked "Queen Ravenovia van Roeyen". The roof had an elaborate gold mosaic (but seemed like a massive hassle for just a few gold to pilfer). Garth didn't want to desecrate the graves and left.

Interrupted with further discussion, Rahadin came down, telling the party that they had no business being there (Escher had conveniently disappeared behind a pillar). He suggested the party accepts submission and chained manacles and being led to the appointed guest room where they would spend the night and not leaving then going home, or leaving immediately (implicitly: without the aid of the Black Carriage). The party tried to negotiate but eventually accped bondage and being led into the guest room - which was endowed with expensi9ve cheese platters, wine and nice heated tea.

Escher showed up, being welcomed in by Ziff, and apologised for abandoning the party as he was afraid to be put in a coffin for a few hundred years. He did his best answer any salient questions (while Ziff was poking at EVERY book in the "guest room"/study - a good 400+ books). Someone slipped saying "Strahd", but everyone then stopped saying anything interesting for a little while. Bigwig later gave an extensive exposition to the newcomers about Tatyana/Ireena, local politics, Vasili von Holtz, etc. (Some of it was factually accurate, other things were Bigwig's impression and Garth was asleep, so nobody to complain.) Everyone goes to sleep on down mattresses and wake up rested, having suffered NO nightmares.

[Day 15]

Cyrus came to bring everyone down, and they prepared to leave. On request, Cyrus brought Darling a lunch portion of his personal zombie stew (apparently, 15 min hard boil removes all contagions and leave a tender flesh to enjoy). Bigwig finds his old lost doggy in the wagon and off they go. After a brief discussion, the destination is NOT Vallaki but Yester hill. Two ravens circle, Bigwig activates animal speek and they get shocked, leaving.

Chapter 7: On the Footpath to Prophecy

Wizard of Wines

Several hours on the road in the Black Carriage later (circumventing the town of Vallaki), they steered down the road towards Yester Hill, but Darling spots the first sign of ravens since leaving Ravenloft and tells thye party something's up. They request the carriage to stop, which it doesn't, instead everyone jumps out despite the pains involved and track back to the ravens. There, in the forest, they find an old man in cape that claims to be the owner of the Wizard of Wines who say the vineyard is run over by blights of different types and he blames the "forest people"/"druids".

It takes quitre some convincing that the party can help him defeat them (some lines of question goes to "can't we just kill the forest people on Yester Hill and the blights die, but probably not), but eventually the party heads into the vineyard, prepared to levitate high above them, and pelting the plant monstrosities with arrows, spells and alchemist fire. At first sight of the vineyard, numerous twig blights rush up, maliciously, but quickly just stomped out.

Shapes in the mist starts to react and dozens of large and a handful of huge shapes starts shuffling towards the party, where all but the stout paladin have lifted into the skies.

(End of session.)

They Came. From. Above.

(Session 38 - 2023-10-31 - [Day 15] -Garth )

Sweeping around the vineyard, the party flies around, pelting the abominations with arrows, and spells. It takes a long time, but they manage to attract and destroy the majority of them and definitely all of the ones close to the house itself.

The Vineyard Battle

Party enters building, seeing a "druid" and immediately Nibbins attack and attack her to knock her out (with some help). Exploring the house they find more and take them out, reaching the tapping room, full of bushes and a few druids. Fighting ensues, fires created, and damage dealt. The session ends with one slinging a spell and fleeing.

(End of session.)

(Session 39 - 2023-11-07 - [Day 15] -Garth )

Right before Bigwig's eyes, the forest folk woman is whisked away into the sky and he rushes after only to find her prone on the ground outside the house. He abandoned carefulness and wailed at the woman who barely had time to scream before her voice stopped with a gurgling sound. With a quick glance he saw one additionbal forest folk man in the window, clearly the one trying to whisk the first one to safety. Still full of adrenaline, he jumped up to the window and managed to hang on and swing at the man.

Saying more cryptic things in druidic and then summoning corrupted spores to infest the bunny with blight, causing immense pain, a vine blight stepped over and hit at him, catching him in vines while the forest man ran off. As Bigwig chopped the blight to pieces he fell down outside the house but quickly jumped right back up and took chase.

The last corrupted druid put up a fight, summoning fire and sleetstorms and tried to flee out the back window. He wounded himself in the fall and shortly thereafter met his end.

With a few seconds to breathe, the party noticed a small number of the large trees heading their way and would arrive at the house in a few minutes, some of which had those nasty rot grub fruits. They decided to interrogate the remaining druid and to fall back towards the forest while Nibbins decided to destroy the staves with green light that the druids had carried. When the second one broke, the glimmer of green dissipating, he noticed two of the walking trees simply stopping. After some hustle and convincing the other party members that it's not worth keeping the staves as loot, when the last staff was broken the last tree stopped moving.

With even more of a sense of breathing room, the party headed to the Martikov camp and spoke to Davian Martikov. As the party headed towards the Martikov camp to get all of their belongings back to their vineyard, a black fiery thing streaked across the sky, high in the misty clouds. It travelled essentially from the East to the West, aiming for Yester Hill. The source they decided could have been Vallaki, forests, mountains or ... Castle Ravenloft.

In the camp they discussed rewards and potentially some sort of franchising agreement with the Martikovs to deliver wine (not actually delivering, just being am iddle management taking money) and Davien seemed fine with that, elated to potenmtially having his home back. He also felt he could trust the party enough to tell them about the magic stones that they used to have buried under the vineyard fields that kept the grounds fertile enough to make wine in this colde climate and how there used to be three. One disappeared a few years back, one about two weeks ago when the first attacks happened with armies of scarecrows and this last attack with tree blights, a couple of days ago when they couldn't hold them off and fled into the forest, children and all.

Davien didn't know what had happened to the stone stolen a couple of weeks ago but the latest one he saw being taken towards Yester Hill, the sort of base (more like holy place and burial grounds) of the Forest Folk of Barovia. He said that the Forest Folk includes both the nature elders, and barbaric fighters, and had been part of Barovia since time immemorial but rumours went that they had slowly gone crazy after Strahd took control of the land and some or all of them now worship Strahd instead of the ancient nature spirits they used to adhere to.

Bigwig was excited and talking that "this is my prophecy, my patron the lady of the forest must be their old god/spirit thing". After some further discussion the party decided to help the Martikovs pack up and get back into their home, sort out some wine for delivery and see if they can retrieve the stone from Yester Hill tomorrow.

About an hour after first seeing that black fiery projectile in the sky, it returned, seemingly the same way it had come, as the party helped the Martikov to transport their belongings home.

(End of session.)

[Day 16]

[Lvl up to 7]

Approaching Yester Hill

(Session 40 - 2023-11-21 - [Day 16] all! )

After doing some basic repairs at the vineyard, the party settled down for the night with hot vegetable stew in their tummies. Bigwig prayed to his forest spirit and was led to her place but then led on to a swamp and met the swamp spirit in her stead. He asked about HOW to restore the woods and the spirit specifically asked if he would "reconsecrate" them and she would teach him. He said "yes" and before he added stipupation, she said "wonderful" with a spoken finality to it. He also found out they are three, not one or two. The bunny's persistent Bark skin regrew after the encounter and he found that touching plants (even wooden boards in the house) grants him the ability to view the history of its life while alive.

Zif, Darling and Nibbins were rudely introduced to Barovian nightmares and the entire party was subsumed in Bigwig's vision meeting during the night, being introduced to the stone archway leading into a forest sanctum and where two spirits resided, a female creature with large antlers and one in a black cowl having eight eyes. Everyone had some poor experience with their dreams, though the physical effects varied greatly. The party took a slow morning to let the Barovian illness that came from the dreams dissipate and started to head out towards Yester Hill and the suspected place where the magical emerald last stolen from the Martikovs would be. Davian and his two oldest sons, Adrian and Elvir, joined the party as ranged backup.

(End of session.)

The Battle for Yester Hill

(Session 41 - 2023-11-28 - [Day 16] all! )

Charging up Yester Hill, the druids up top were chanting something around a massive effigy of some sort of monstrous tree humanoid figure. Two of them were up front and throwing spells at the party and walling off the entrance. As everyone caught up and the Martikovs held the rear, the druids inside the circle wall summoned further aid and backed off from the onslaught of the party. One of them stood out as slightly larger and with a staff similar to the ones found at the vineyard, summoning a massive whirlwind. The stone wall itself seemed enchanted, attracting lightning bolts towards any one or thing crossing over it.

With most of the druids taken out, the session ended. On the northern horizon Nibbins noted three large ravens diving towards the Martikovs, while hearing faint sounds of battle between them and a small throng of tree blights ongoing.

(End of session.)

(Session 42 - 2023-12-05 - [Day 16] -Nibbins )

The last few druids still took some effort to defeat, including their summoned spawns of nature. A large shambling mound was created by the leader's dying breath and managed to envelop Garth entirely.

While fighting, some party members noticed that the main thing keeping the effigy stable was roots from below. Nibbins entered into his familiar owl to scout and noticed the entire soil around the wooden "statue" was a redder brown than the rest of the hill, almost like blood! With the death of one druid inside the status, it also started shaking ominously every now and then.

To the direct south, Nibbins saw another group of druids performing some sort of ritual around a dead tree that had several corpses hung from its branches like morbid dead leaves. Swooping around he also saw an odd sight with the Martikovs appearing to be fighting three naked women and, though hidden by wreathing flame-like shadows, Strad was sat on a nightmare only a hundred feet away, looking off to the north-west, what seemed to just be mists and clouds.

When the last druid was chased down and killed, they hacked their way into the now more overtly rattling statue and managed to yank the glowing emerald out from its heart, stopping it and creating a silence all across the hilltop. A brief moment of reprieve well deserved.

(End of session.)

Bad News on the Eastern Front

(Session 43 - 2024-01-09 - [Day 16] all)

As the battle ended and Nibbins called attention to Strahd mounted on the slope of the hill to the north-west, Ziff decided to jump the stone wall and ask him what he was doing. Nearly being hit by whatever electrical barricade held the wall, they got there unscathed. Ziff saw, as they came up to the shadow-wreathed nightmare-mounted lord, that a vision appeared on what looked like a wall of mist from just a hundred feet away. A vision of a sun-lit landscape with another valley with a township nearby and a large city on the horizon. Strahd openly admired its beauty and admitted it was his homelands. The vision had been put here to torment him. He admitted to coming here often to just look and long for these familiar lands. Strahd welcomed Ziff but seemed unfazed by their presence. He complimented the group on "getting rid of that abomination, which would have hurt people" and politely answered Ziff's questions.

Strahd got slightly more serious and asked Ziff and the party for a favour. He said there is an imminent danger to either Vallaki or Krezk as an intruder, an aboleth, had amassed a zombie horde and Strahd assumed it would use it to attack one of the settlements within the next week or so. He offered monetary rewards for saving the people. "What is a ruler without subjects?". With that his nightmare took steps into mid air and he flew off as a dark writhing shadow with streaks of fire from the nightmare occasionally reaching outside the darkness.

Meanwhile Bigwig had scouted the nearby group of druids, 12 in total, seeing a few hidden berserkers milling at the edge of the hill and decided not to engage them for now, joining the party which had moved down the hill. Garth headed towards the Martikovs and the three naked ladies, seemingly arguing loudly, surrounded by dozens of tree blights and barbarian corpses. The bits of the conversation he heard before reaching them was about "Urwin" but they silenced as he arrived.

The ladies, lead by Danika Dorakova (matron of the Blue Water Inn) got robed with capes, cowls or blankets and started talking. Vallaki had endured the Blazing sun festival of Baron Vallakovich but as a citizen had laughed when the Baron failed to light the pyre he had been killed and it set off an uproar of the town which apparently Fiona Wachter had capitalized on and not only siezed control of the town but outright stood by as the Baron and his wife were lynched. The fates of their son Viktor as well as Jack or Goncai was at present unknown, but the mage tower seemingly had been cut off near its base. The fates of the captains of the guards were to unknown but Izek, the head of the captains, was missing. Father Lucien had been killed by an attack made by vampire spawns buried all around Vallaki suddenly bursting out of the ground sometime during the riots. Danika also said that she had seen Ismark and Ireena fleeing on the road heading towards Krezk and the Abbey of St Markovia, probably seeking shelter with the Abbot (a figure described as philosophical, eccentric and powerful - a potential ally against "Bob").

On another note, the Martikovs and Danika admits to secretly be wereravens, part of an order they call "Keepers of the Feather", who have exeedingly carefully opposed Strahd, but never openly. It turns out Bigwig's pet raven, Muriel, also is a wereraven, and has been following them for the past two weeks!

They decide that Ireena and Ismark, probably sought after by Strahd, is the priority and that seeking aid from the Abbot is probably the next steps best suited. Old Davian and his sons were given the gem of growth to hide somewhere in the ground to regrow the grapes and for them all to rebuild the vineyard while the rest of the party, including Danika and the other two ladies to continue the road backtrackign to Vallaki to find Ismark and Ireena. The travel was blissfully uneventful until they found the pair on foot travelling on the main road towards Krezk. Danika and the other wereraven ladies returned back to Vallaki to ensure they could protect their families while the party marched onwards up the mountains towards Krezk while the trees turned more from decrepid leaf trees into decrepid pine trees and more frost and snow became common.

Halfway from the Raven River bridge and up the mountain towards Krezk, Nibbins scouted through the eyes of his familiar owl an odd trio in the forest not far from the main road, doing some chanting or dance around a stone in a small clearing. The whole party got alert and sneaked up through the forest towards the trio and as Nibbins got in to hearing distance he could see through the sparse underbrush of the pine forest that it was three night hags! With some creative thinking he made an illusion of sound as if there was an army marching on the trio from within the forest while the party snuck back to the road and bolted onwards. The ruse hopefully worked; they don't know sinee the hags turned ethereal at first sign of danger.

The rest of the road, navigating some snowy cliff road turns and twists, was quick and eventually they saw the stone walls of Krezk.

(End of session.)

Just another Sunday morning in my quiet mountain town

(Session 44 - 2024-01-16 - [Day 16] all)

• Guards - Eventually get Burgomaster Dmitri Krezkov
• Discuss wine - find out a child was taken by werewolves
• Go to Viskov family (Anders) - kid taken up the mountain towards the abbey (tracks)
• Fizz cannonballs the pond nearby - Garth sees faces in the misty spash
• Some discussion on what to do (incl a few "Strahd" comments)
• Garth pray by pool; gets multi-face vision including Maya, the farmer
• Ireena has a look, almost pulled into it by "Sergei" who is a spitting image of Vasili von Holtz
• Presumably Strahd darkens the couds and shoots a lightning bolt into the pool
• Heads up the mountain to the Abbey of St Markovia, greeted by two odd-looking monsters, Otto (donkey-ish) and Zygfrek (lizard-ish (is girl)) Belview
• Courtyard, weird animal noises from cages
• The Abbot arrives, with a woman at hand, identical copy of Ireena! (Vasilka)
• Discussion about Vasilka and the abbot's background - Garth Divine Sense him and he's a Deva!
• Something

(End of session.)

Where wolves go

(Session 45 - 2024-01-23 - [Day 16] all)

• A little more talk with the Abbot
• Offered to stay in the medical wing
• Attacked by 6 Shadows, which apparenly were unable to leave the medical wing
• Decide to check out the pool if the Tatyana thing can be re-activated (no, not today at least)
• [Day 17]
• Still dark overhead clouds
• Ezmeralda d'Avenir, the monster hunter looking for her old master Van Richten, decided to join the party in eliminating the werewolves and rescue various children
• After two grueling hours of climbing ever further up the foothills of Mount Baratok, they spotted the quite overt den, a few hundred feet away

A Rude Bride Interlude

(Session 46 - 2024-02-06 - [Day 17] all)

As reported by Nibbins Nimbletwig

In the dense woods near the werewolf den, our party was on a mission to rescue the village children. Suddenly, I spotted a huge black figure lurking in the southeastern bushes, leading Bigwig to tactically divert east to avoid the threat. Unexpectedly, Ludmilla, Stradh's oldest wife, emerged from that direction, demanding we leave. I bluffed about being on a special mission from Stradh to deter her, but she demanded more details. When I refused, she launched a thunderbolt at me, which missed. Her aggression triggered a battle, with the black figure turning out to be a large wolf, causing fear and chaos among us.

Ziff showed bravery by engaging the beast and delivering heavy blows. They cleverly played dead, tricking the wolf into releasing them. Capitalizing on this moment, I shook off my shock and attacked the creature with my mace and shadow blade, setting Ziff up for a triumphant final blow. As the beast fell, its pack fled, leaving us wondering about Ludmilla's location.

Her sudden reappearance led me to attack, only to find she was an illusion. We discovered a collar on the wolf, which Darling examined and identified as a potential scrying tool for Ludmilla. When Darling's attempt to break the collar failed, he passed it to Garth. I then suggested we repurpose it for our own use, resulting in the collar being handed to me for safekeeping. We planned to find a scrying scroll to counter Ludmilla.

Darling was intrigued by what seemed to be human remains within the slain wolf, hinting it had been transformed using human parts.

Our focus then shifted to Zuleika, who unsuccessfully tried to hide from us. Bigwig quickly apprehended her, bringing her to the group. Despite our initial hostility, she proposed helping us enter the den via a secret passage in exchange for our aid in overthrowing the pack leader Kiril.

(End of session.)

A Mission of the Huntress

(Session 47 - 2024-02-13 - [Day 17] -Bigwig)

As the party started following Zulieka, a blueish sheen fell across the landscape and a leaf-clad maiden wearing antlers stepped out from between two treees and asked the party to join her. Reluctantly, they did so and followed her through a path in a dark and twisted woods until they found a small glen of greenery.

The woman introduced herself as the Huntress, a Fane of these lands and one that Strahd had subjugated to take her power. She has two sisters (Seeker and Weaver) and they each used to hold powerful portfolios until they were taken away and Strahd became "The Land". She explained that her main shrine is atop Yester Hill and can be re-consecrated, stealing Strahd of his powers, if cleansed with the help of the Sunsword, a powerful artefact that just so happens is located in the Werwolf Den. Reconsecrating the Huntress's shrine would break Strahd's explicit control of wolves and the forest, weaken the Heart of castle Ravenloft and remove an invisible force of nature around Strahd (a +4 AC bonus). Reconsecrating the shrines of the other fanes would remove other magical seals that strahd benefit, including that of weather and his ability to scry on anyone saying his name.

The werewolves themselves are descendants of people cursed by the Huntress herself as they betrayed her, many hundreds of years ago. This is unlike the wereravens, who carry lycanthropy as a blessing. Complicating matters further is that there used to be non-cursed werewolves but who suffers a curse and whom is blessed is unclear. She described Kiril's acts of child endangermen as abhorrent at least.

The party is told that this trip, this information exchange, will take all of the Huntress's remainig powers for centuries (except for the gifts granted to Bigwig, their Champion) but they are free to stay and rest. Time passes almost at no pace while they remain.

After a long rest, the party got out again and followed Zulieka up the side of the mountain to the bloodsport area and down into the mountain cave. Behind a curtain made of human skin was the resting place of Kiril. Zif scouted the cave carefully and found a room with both oodles of treasure as well as caged children but elected to not act right now. The party waited for a few hours behind the flesh curtains to get an opportunity to surprise and kill Kiril. Eventually he and his hunting party arrived and after some hub-hub they returned to their corner and started to relax and talk. The party, meanwhile, prepared a vicious attack...

Assassination

(Session 48 - 2024-02-13 - [Day 16] all)

Zulieka parted the curtain for Garth to enunciate the final syllables of a holy spell, holding a surprised Kiril in place while the rest of the party pounced on the surprised pack. They quickly turned into their lupine forms and a vicious battle commenced, escalating to other nearby individuals within seconds. Though seconds was all they needed as Kiril was downed almost instantly by a barrage of attacks and most of Kirils men were slaughtered before they had inflicted much damage in turn on the party. As suddenly as they attacked, the party retreated up the pathway to the top of the hillside and away from the werewolf Den.

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