notes.jays.net

Dungeons & Dragons

[ Written by our DM, not Jay. ]

DISCLAIMER: I'm doing this entirely from memory, so there's a good chance I'll miss stuff. If I spell anything wrong, misstate a detail of the adventure, or anything else, let me know. This is intended as a tool to be referenced later when we have forgotten all of this and I want it to be as accurate as possible.

Death House

Jump to section titled: Death House

We entered the scene in a quaint little tavern on the outskirts of a quaint little village. Our heroes had settled here for the evening after some time adventuring together. Indigo, Willam, and Musu have recently been joined by Sabine—a tall, serious paladin of Tyr who never takes her armor off and who claims to have been raised by a cult in a walled monastery—and have welcomed her into their little cadre. Indigo describes himself as a "dirty hippie" with a penchant for pipeweed, which he and his twenty siblings grow on their family farm. He is a staunch defender of nature and has given hints that this may have caused him some trouble in the past. Willam has seen many things in his time. He served as a wartime medic for his homeland in his younger days, but his side was defeated and he returned home to find that his family had been slaughtered, his home burnt. He seeks now only to heal people in need where he can. Musu is a warrior. More on that later.

As our heroes relaxed and enjoyed their evening mead, they were approached by an olive skinned man with long curly black hair and an excessive amount of jewelry. He wore vibrant yellow robes with intricate crimson filigree and carried a carved elderwood cane, studded with several gemstones on the head. He introduced himself as Grigori (That was his name from the beginning. If you remember otherwise, you are mistaken 😅) and asked for your assistance. He said that he was a merchant and that two of his caravans had been sent to the valley of Barovia to attempt to open trade and neither had returned. It had been several months at that point and he was worried. You all agreed to investigate and set out the next day at dawn towards the forest just outside of town.

As you walked through the forest, you were slowly surrounded by a thick ominous cloud of fog, and a creeping darkness that followed you all the way into the valley and ushered you towards the small village of Barovia, nestled in a clearing in the woods. As you entered the village, the apparitions of two scared children appeared and asked for your help with a monster in the basement of their house. You entered the Durst manor and began to explore.

You discovered a well maintained, richly decorated, but strangely empty manor. As you made your way through you had several encounters, including with a spectre. You later discovered this was the spirit of the nanny to the Durst children and the mother of Gustav's youngest child, Walter. She was murdered by Gustav's wife Elizabeth as part of a series of cult sacrifices which culminated in the sacrifice of baby Walter. This sacrifice appeased the dark power that their cult worshipped and he awakened a great beast, Lorghoth the decayer, which was made of refuse and the remains of the cult's sacrifices. The beast hungered and eventually every member of the cult was sacrificed to appease it, and in a final desperate act, Gustav killed his wife Elizabeth and then hanged himself. In his madness, he forgot that he had locked his two elder children in their room—for their safety—and they tragically starved to death.

The party made its way into the depths of the cellar where the cult had been housed, fighting off many creatures, including the corpses of Gustav and Elizabeth Durst, and collecting several items, including a mysterious black crystal orb. Finally our heroes descended to the lowest level of the cellar where the beast slept. They were called to sacrifice one individual and when they refused, the beast attacked. Willam was engulfed by the monster and as the rest of the team tried to find some way of destroying it from the outside, Willam was able to locate the small body of Walter Durst still contained at its heart. He said a prayer and a burst of radiant energy shot from his outstretched hand and destroyed the tiny corpse. Lorghoth the Decayer was vanquished and the party gathered the remains of the various Dursts and laid them to rest. Except for the nanny. Whose body is still stuffed inside a trunk in the attic. You said your final goodbyes to Rosevald and Thornbolt Durst and emerged from the house, seeing that the dense fog had receded.

What Barovians Are Like Image via D&D Beyond (spoilers)

The Village of Barovia

Jump to section titled: The Village of Barovia

With the fog cleared away the party was able to see that the village was nestled at the head of a valley created by Mount Baratok to the North and Mount Ghakis to the Southwest. Just to the Northwest of the village sits an impressive looking castle with high walls and several tall turrets with conical roofs. The imposing structure sits atop a tall cliff face which descends about 1000 feet to the edge of town where a small chapel rests.

You all walked into the street where you encountered a sweet old lady with a pastry cart who introduced herself as "Granny." You bought 6 of her dream pastries and she directed you towards the Blood on the Vine tavern in the middle of town where you could find several Vistani women to question.

You entered the tavern and spoke with a middle aged Vistani woman named Alenka while her two compatriots sat behind her whispering and giggling. Alenka indicated that they no longer counted themselves among the Vistani and preferred the ownership of the tavern over a life of wandering. When asked about Grigori, the merchant who sent you into Barovia, Alenka told you that he was a liar and a scoundrel. She had not heard of any trading caravans being lost in Barovia.

After Alenka tired of your group, the young man sitting alone at the back of the tavern introduced himself as Ismark the Lesser, the burgomeister of the village. He told you that his father, the previous burgomeister, passed away from apparent stress 3 days previously after a vicious siege on his house by the minions of "The Devil Strahd." He asked for your assistance and you agreed to accompany him to the burgomeister's mansion.

Before meeting him there, you briefly stopped into Bildrath's Mercantile where a small balding man with thick glasses offered you a measly 13g for all of the loot you had acquired in the Durst Manor. His prices seemed incredibly inflated due to his shop being the only one in the village. His hulking assistant, Parriwhimple made a brief appearance to see you all off, making it very clear that Blidrath was not someone to be provoked.

Arriving at the burgomeister's mansion, you found Ismark waiting over the body of his deceased father, Kolyan Indirovitch. He asked you to help him give his father a proper burial as no one else in town would risk angering Strahd, to which you all agreed. Ismark was also visited by a woman dubbed "Mad Mary" by the townsfolk. She was distraught over the disappearance of her daughter, Gertruda, ten days ago. Apparently Gertruda ran away into the woods and hasn't been seen since. After reassuring Mary that you would all try to help find her daughter and ushering her out, Ismark indicated to you all that there was very little chance of helping the girl. She was very likely, he said, either dead or under the control of Strahd, who occasionally would take a consort for his own pleasure.

You all decided to get some rest for the night and to bury Kolyan in the morning. You each ate one dream pastry before bed and slept soundly through the night. Indigo and Willam experienced vibrant dreams of happy times, while Sabine experienced a peaceful solitude that she had not felt in years. Waking up the next morning was less pleasant as you were all brought back to the dreary reality of the world you had entered. Despite the delicious breakfast of burgers made by the "burger-master", you all started the day wishing just a little bit that you were back in your dreams.

After breakfast you set out with the casket of Ismark's father and made the short journey through town to the small chapel on the hill. Upon arriving you encountered a haggard and confused priest, Father Donavitch. He was engrossed in prayer and when the party finally got his attention, it was clear that he was not entirely there. He was distraught over the "loss" of his son, but as he talked you could hear the screams from below you of a young man pleading to be let out and fed. After interrogating him and Ismark, you discovered that Doru, the priest's son was lured to Strahd almost 10 years previously and turned into one of his consorts. When Doru returned, his father, seeing that he had been changed by Strahd, trapped him in the basement and began praying to the Morninglord for aid. Doru has been locked there ever since, never having his hunger satiated, and father Donavitch has lost himself in his grief and desperation, not realizing the amount of time that has passed.

After performing the funeral rites and burial for Ismark's father, you went back to the chapel to try and help Doru. Sabine descended the stairs first and attempted to assess the situation. Doru was desperately hungry to the point that it was all he could think or talk about. He looked like he wanted to escape, but the party was able to keep him contained in the basement and beat a hasty retreat when it became clear there was nothing that could be done for the young man right now. You left the chapel, promising father Donavitch that you would find a way to help his son. Ismark, however, indicated that this was not likely.

The Village of Barovia - Part 2

Jump to section titled: The Village of Barovia - Part 2

You all emerged from the small chapel around noon feeling quite dour. Sabine, Indigo and Musu took a few deep breaths and each recovered in their turn. Willem began to hyperventilate and as he tried to catch his breath, he suddenly found himself eating a dream pastry. He immediately began to feel better and joined the rest of the party, who were all eyeing him suspiciously.

You decided that you needed to gather more information from the Vistani at the tavern and Musu volunteered to go in and act as the infiltrator, as he was...away...the last time you visited. He quickly and inadvertently attracted the attention of the three Vistana women, who were all looking over at him while exchanging excited whispers. After finding out that you were looking for information on Grigori, she “invited” you to buy her and the other girls a drink in exchange for what they knew.

You found out from them that Grigori is a known associate of Strahd and the he was probably promised some kind of reward for bringing the party to Barovia. You also learn that the three women have been cast out of the Vistani community, though you do not know why. (I don’t remember if they told you anything else. Anyone remember?)

As the party waited just out of sight of the tavern, Granny wheeled her cart past and you now noticed that it was adorned with a small windmill insignia. You talked with Granny for a little bit and ascertained that she and her two sisters live in a windmill to the west of the village - the same windmill granted by the deed in your party’s possession. Granny seemed very distressed when presented with this information, thinking that you were going to make her and her sisters leave their home, but you reassured her that that would not happen. Before leaving, she slipped Willem an extra dream pie (There was a reason, I don’t remember it, but I know it happened).

After leaving you, Granny went to the house you saw her visit yesterday and the man came out looking almost frantic. Granny gave him his dream pastries, seemingly collecting no payment, and went off down the street. When you investigated the house, you were able to see through the window into a one room cottage, neither filthy nor clean, where the man you had just seen was lying asleep in the bed. On the far wall you noticed a small pair of overalls - a child’s overalls - hanging by the back door. You attempted several times to wake the man, all to no avail. You left without investigating further.

After this, you went to see Mad Mary in her secluded manor, just up the road from the Burgomaster’s mansion. Mary greeted you enthusiastically and welcomed your assistance in finding her daughter. She allowed you into her house and led you up the stairs and down a narrow hallway to a locked door at the very end. Her daughter, Gertruda’s, bedroom was kept in pristine condition for the most part. As you all searched the room, you found that there were markings on the stone sill just outside her garden window that looked similar to some of the claw marks you saw at Ismark’s mansion. You also discovered a small drop of blood on the carpet right at the head of the bed that Mary dismissed as having come from a nose bleed. As the group pushed her on this, Mary became more and more distressed until she finally forced you all out.

Emerging onto the street once more, you all decided there was nothing more to be done here and so you opted to move out of town in search of the Vistani camp to the West of the village. You had walked about an hour towards the ever growing line of trees when you came to the river that you had followed into the valley. Indigo smelled a horrible stench as you neared the bridge that crossed over and he went to investigate. About 50 feet from the bridge on the near side of the river was the mangled, partially decomposed body of a young man. Tied up just 10 feet away was a small rowboat. You searched the body and discovered a note written by Kolyan Indirovich asking for aid - from whom, you do not know. It appears that this young man was about to set out down the river to the West.

Deciding to avoid crossing the bridge, you instead opted to use the small rowboat to travel downstream. You traveled several hours this way, passing into the dark forest with its towering conifers. As nighttime approached, you came across a place where the river seemed to converge with a path along the hill to the south. You all decided to find camp here.

Musu and Indigo took the first watch while Sabine and Willem slept. Indigo sensed the sounds of his howling brethren change about an hour after darkness fell and knew they were coming for the party. He and Musu roused Sabine and attempted to wake Willem, to no avail. The rest of the party hoisted Willem into a nearby tree, high enough to be safe from the wolves, and lashed him there.

As you finished securing Willem, six wolves emerged from the darkness and attacked. Indigo attempted to talk them down, but they did not respond to his overtures. After a quick fight, four wolves were down and the other two retreated as a dark shadow coalesced in the clearing by the campfire. Strahd von Zarovich greeted the party, welcoming them to Barovia. He apologized for his wolves and told the party they would not be a problem tonight.

The party noticed a figure stooping behind Strahd in the darkness and recognized it as Duro, the poor wretch from the chapel cellar. His face and shirt were covered in dark blood and when questioned, he hid behind his master who stated that he couldn’t be blamed for what he was driven in his hunger to do. After extending to the party an invitation to visit him in his castle, Ravenloft, he bid the party farewell and they melted into a swarm of bats (I know I said just one, but this makes more sense) and flew away.

The Old Svalich Road

Jump to section titled: The Old Svalich Road

The party resumed their normal watch after the Departure of Strahd and his minions. Willem woke up about halfway through the night and completed the second watch with Sabine while Indigo and Musu tossed and turned, each experiencing nightmares the whole night through.

Upon waking, the party noticed activity on the eastward path, back towards the village. You all packed up camp and attempted to sneak over to investigate the other occupants of the road. You were quickly spotted, however, by Grigori, the weathered but good natured Vistana who had first commissioned you to come into Barovia under apparently false pretenses. You confronted him about this and he was very up front about his trick. He revealed that he was asked to perform this service for Strahd in exchange for being granted passage out of Barovia. The party did not take this well, but Grigori happily paid the remainder of his original offer which helped to quell the concerns of the more…fiscally minded party members.

Grigori said he was going to the Vistani encampment and invited the players to accompany him, which you all agreed to. As you made your way through the forest, you all noticed you were being tailed by an unkindness or ravens (yes, that is what it’s called). Indigo attempted to ask them what they were doing, but they seemed rather tight-beaked.

After a bit you came to a crossroads where a small gallows and a graveyard had been erected. Grigori indicated to you that the right path would lead to Tser pool where the Vistani were camped. As you walked on, Indigo turned back and noticed a body hanging from the gallows where none had existed before. As the rope twisted the body turned to reveal Indigo’s own face staring back at him. He turned to the party to tell them, but when everyone looked back, there was nothing there.

You all made your way down into the forest and eventually came to a clearing where the river settled into an eddying pool about 100 feet wide. At the edge of the pool, right by the road, was a lively camp of Vistani. When they spotted Grigori, there was a flurry to welcome him back. It was revealed to you all that when a Vistana leaves the group it is as if they have died, so Grigori’s return was cause for much celebration.

You were invited to sit down to eat and drink by a Vistana woman named Helvia and her friend Milosh. The two were also taking care of a very drunk gentleman named Laszlo. They told you of the Vistani and how long ago, when Strahd first came to this land, the Vistani who helped him when he was sorely in need. He now honors this debt by allowing the Vistani to live in—and sometimes even depart from—Barovia in peace. Because of this unspoken agreement, the Vistani will not act openly against Strahd. You also learned of the three Vistani, or rather Mortu, women who lived in the village of Barovia. They were cast out from the Vistani several years ago because of the part they played in the assault of a younger Vistana girl.

You were also directed to Madame Eva, the wise old Vistana woman who called this camp home. She supposedly has an uncommon gift, even among the Vistani, for reading the threads of fate. When you entered her tent, she greeted each of you by name. She was a darker skinned old woman with two milky white eyes and long white hair braided with dozens of black feathers. She offered to read your fortunes and brought out a deck of cards. The reading, she said, would aid in your struggle against Strahd, should you choose that path. The clues she gave were as follows:

Rogue, Master of Coins

The Avenger, 1 of Swords

The Bishop, 8 of Glyphs

The Mists, Queen of Spades

The Innocent, Queen of Hearts

She also gave each of you your own reading, giving you advice for how to reach your true goals.

The group stayed the evening at the Vistani camp and were not disturbed. Willem spent the night in the ecstatic haze of his dream world, unable to be roused. The rest of the party slept soundly and awoke feeling rested.

Heading out from the pool in the morning, the party followed the course of the river until their path met back up with the southern leg of the road. You all crossed the bridge spanning Tser Falls and then wound your way down the hillside to the base of the waterfall where you found a smaller pool, filled with mist and the roar of millions of gallons of falling water. Indigo decided to turn into a spider and crawl along the walls into the small cavern behind the waterfall. There he found the long abandoned remains of a camp with several smudged notes. Sabine was able to make out a couple of words that looked like “fanes” and “consecra”.

After returning to the road, the party trekked for a couple more hours before arriving at another crossroads. The left path led West through a large wrought iron gate, that very closely resembled the gates at the entrance to the Village of Barovia, before heading into another towering, dark forest. The right path went North and then hooked to the East, winding slowly up a great hill capped by the same castle you observed towering over Father Donovan’s chapel.

At the head of this second path was a black carriage and two large black draft horses. Indigo went to speak to the horses who seemed only able to respond with “We do as we are told.” Eventually you are able to convince one horse to go back to the castle, and then you simply removed the harness from the other horse. Indigo transformed into a draft horse and after getting hooked up, the rest of the party loaded into the carriage and headed towards the gate to the West.

The Road to Vallaki

Jump to section titled: The Road to Vallaki

After commandeering the carriage that Strahd left to bring the party up to Castle Ravenloft, you all headed through the large wrought iron gate. As you passed between the two headless statues standing guard on either side of the gate, you felt an icy chill creep into the back of each of your minds.

Beyond the gate, you see two burned out farmhouses on either side of the road, one with a small field left to go fallow, and an old broken-down wagon covered in weeds. In the field were several scarecrows stuffed with a mix of straw and what looked like black feathers. As Indigo approached them, he noticed one lurch forward and called out for help. Indigo transformed first into a rhino and then into a unicorn… er… horse.

A fight broke out and after a mad flurry of straw and feathers, you had reduced the scarecrows to scraps. As you were dusting yourselves off, the rest of the party notices Willem finishing one of his dream pies. Indigo retrieved some feathers and offered them to one of the ravens, who accepted and nodded respectfully. The party then searched the area finding mostly weather damaged household items, but you did locate a small, sealed chest in the wagon containing a few silver pieces, a deck of cards, a pair of dice, and a ragdoll.

You all decided to burn the carriage - 300 yards from where you stole it - and head into the forest to the west. As the road grew dark and a mist settled into the forest floor, you came across several different people. There was a small Vistani caravan who greeted you and offered you wine and a man named Dmitri and his little girl Anastasia. Dmitri told you of the “troubles” in Vallaki between the burgomaster, Baron Vargas Vallakovich, and a powerful woman named Lady Wachter. He and Anastasia had left for Barovia where he had family living. Indigo gifted the little girl the ragdoll he had found, and the party continued on.

As you neared the end of this branch of the Svalich Wood and the trees started to thin, you heard several strange noises on both sides of the road. Strange giggles from up in the trees and the sounds of several different things moving nearby. A group of men emerged from the trees, all with longbows trained on you. They questioned you about your motives and on realizing you were not agents of Strahd, they relaxed and began talking with you.

You learned that one among them was the young man, Luvash, who had assaulted the Vistana girl, Olivetta, and had been expelled from the ranks of the Vistani. He said he was making amends for his crimes and the other scouts vouched for him, saying he was a good man. They told you they were vampire hunters and had been plotting against Strahd, looking for clues about the Fanes of Barovia.

The Fanes, they said, were ancient spirits that embodied the very heart of this valley long before it was ever called Barovia. The Seeker of the Forest was a spirit who sought the future and was ever looking forward. The Weaver of the Swamp preserved what had come to pass, weaving all things into the threads of fate. And the Huntress of the Mountain dwelt always on the dark underside of the weave, providing rest to the weary departed.

As you were talking, one of the scouts suddenly cried out from up in the tree. You all looked up to see a figure holding the limp body of the scouting and gorging itself on his blood. A fight erupted and the party jumped into action to chase down the monster. Sabine cast a spell on her sword which illuminated the entire area and you all see that the creature was Doru, the young man who had been locked in the basement of the chapel in Barovia.

Sabine searched the other side of the road for the source of the giggling you had all heard and discovered a young girl crouched on a branch about 10 feet off the ground, her front covered in blood as well. She ran up to the tree, scaled the 10 feet to the lower branch and engaged the girl she guessed to be the missing Gertruda.

Meanwhile, Indigo, Musu, Willem and all of the scouts - well, four of the scouts anyway - pursued Doru. Indigo transformed first into a massive spider and later into a hulking bear to pursue Doru up into the trees. Willem shot out flashes of radiant energy to keep the vampires from healing. Musu threw his javelin and then got his axe back out and ran to help Sabine. And the scouts fought, and died (mostly), valiantly. The vampires both realized they were outmatched early on and tried to flee, but ultimately the party was able to chase them through the trees, bring them down to the ground, and beat the absolute shit out of them. Doru ended up in a crumpled heap after a 90 foot fall from the treetops (just now realizing I probably should have had everyone on the ground make dex saves to avoid the 30 foot section of tree crashing to the ground), and Gertruda met her end as a bloody pile of gore after Indigo ripped her to shreds.

The “Old” Windmill

Jump to section titled: The “Old” Windmill

After the carnage from the fight with two vampire spawn subsided, the party regrouped and welcomed a new face into the fold. Allysia, the lone surviving scout among the group you all witnessed get slaughtered, is a half-elf monk born in Vallaki but ostracized early in her life for her mixed heritage. Since then she has grown up in the wilds of Barovia making friends, or at least contacts, among the less civilized inhabitants of the valley.

The party decided to burn the bodies of the two vampires and stay the night under the cover of the trees. In the morning, the party began their westward trek once more. Emerging from the forest, they found themselves descending into a valley within the valley. The road wound around rolling hills toward a tattered looking windmill in the distance at the foot of the wooded foothills beneath Mount Baratok.

The windmill stood on a small hill at the very bottom of the valley. You came first to a rickety picket fence gate with a small sign that was hanging by only one chain. The words had been scratched out, but Indigo though he could make out the word “Old”. One of the ravens perched on the fence nearby warned you to leave and go to Vallaki, but the party did not listen.

Approaching the windmill, you all saw 4 stones standing vertically in a circle about 30 yards to the southwest of the windmill. Upon investigation, you could see that they were all very old and covered in moss and each one had a distinct symbol carved into the top.

Approaching the windmill, you could hear a faint rumbling, grinding noise coming from the open window on the second story. Indigo and Allysia decided to investigate, using the scaffolding encircling the windmill up to the second floor. They saw an older woman working a grinding stone and several bags of a white powdery substance.

Allysia attempted to ride Indigo, in the shape of a massive spider, up to the third floor window, but unfortunately it was too gross, and she fell and landed with a crash on the scaffolding. The old woman was alerted and came to the door to see who was there.

When the door opened, you were all greeted by a woman calling herself Bella and invited into the cramped first floor of the windmill. You noticed a stone oven on one wall with several dozen pies baking inside, lots of bags and containers of various ingredients, a small rack of chicken cages, and a large barrel of viscous black liquid sitting next to the kitchen table in the center of the room. Indigo, using detect magic, could sense divination magic coming from the barrel.

Bella told you about her and her sisters’ pie baking venture—how she and her sister Ofalia baked the pies and Morgantha (Granny) sold them in Barovia—and she also mentioned some troubles with an orphanage in Vallaki that had been weighing on them. She asked your assistance in checking on the orphanage and, if possible, bringing some of the orphans back to the windmill to be taken care of. She said she worried that if Morgantha got back and they still hadn’t heard from their friend, Vasili, that she would go herself, which would be far too dangerous a journey for an old woman like her.

The party asked to see the rest of the windmill and Bella took you all up to the second floor where the grinding wheel was located. You saw a box full of bones on the ground and when asked about it, Bella said they grind the animal bones they have leftover and scatter the powder in the garden to help the soil health. Allysia attempted to sneak up the stairs to the third floor, but Bella noticed her and beckoned her back downstairs, worried that the characters would see her “Granny Panties”.

The party all said goodbye to Bella—after taking several of the pies she offered—and went outside. After Allysia shared what she saw with Musu, saying that she didn’t recognize some of the bones, he charged back to the house and demanded to see the bones himself. Bella took him back upstairs where he examined the box, but he was unable to identify any of the bones as human. He apologized and left with the rest of the group.

Indigo, ever suspicious, transformed into a tiny spider and crawled once more up to the third floor window to see what he could find. He looked in on, presumably, the sisters’ bedroom. Against the far wall, he spotted two small crates, each containing a child locked behind a set of bars.

He guided the party down the road, out of view of the windmill, before suggesting the group take a short rest. After resting, indigo shared what he had seen. Musu immediately went stomping back towards the windmill to free the children and deal with Bella and her sister, followed hurriedly by the rest of the party. Indigo opted to scale the windmill once more to look in on the children while the rest of the party charged the front door. Upon realizing she was under attack, Bella’s façade melted away, revealing a bent old crone with a hooked nose, long tangled hair, woven with animal bones and feathers, and a string of small skulls draped around her waist.

Indigo saw through the third floor window that the crates with the children had been moved somewhere. He saw Bella rush up the stairs to call for her sister, before seeing him (giant spider) outside the window and running back downstairs. A moment later, a second old crone emerged from the trapdoor in the attic. She swiped at Indigo through the window and then she also fled down the stairs.

Unable to enter the third floor window, Indigo went back to the second floor, turned back into a human and entered to join the fray. Bella took several hits and was knocked prone by Sabine’s thunderous smite, but as the party closed in on her, she vanished. Several attempts were made to attack the spot where she had been, but none successfully hit. Ofalia engaged the party at the top of the stairs and was quickly flanked by Indigo from behind, and the rest of the party in front of her. She retreated behind the grinding stone on the second floor.

The Three Sisters

Jump to section titled: The Three Sisters

The remaining battle was a flurry of cramped fighting, trickery, and confusion. Shortly after the disappearance of Bella, a younger girl came running down from the third floor, crying for help. Indigo stopped her, preventing her from running through his moonbeam, and ushered her downstairs after repositioning his spell. Sabine and Willem were on the first floor trying to locate Bella when the girl ran downstairs and hid behind the table. Willem cast detect magic, but his attention was focused out the front door. He watched a small spec of light at the forest edge, about 30 feet up in the trees, for several seconds before turning back to the chaos inside.

Musu and Allysia ran past the girl and engaged Ofalia in combat. After taking some damage, Ofalia managed to slip past all three of her pursuers and ascended the stairs to her bedroom. Willem, turning to run upstairs, glanced towards the table and saw the young girl, wreathed in a blue haze of what was clearly transmutation magic. He cried out a warning as the girl walked forward and placed her hands on the barrel of thick, black goop, calling forth a hairless, long eared creature that walked with the help of two massive arms.

Indigo repositioned his moonbeam to the first floor, forcing Bella out of her guise as a little girl, and joined Sabine and Willem in fighting her. At the same time, Musu and Allysia chased Ofalia up and up, catching her, only for her to slip away again into the attic. Not wanting the children to come to any harm, they pursued her as fast as they could. But when cornered in the attic it became clear that her sole priority was to escape at any cost. She vanished, just as Musu was beginning to attack.

Bella, sensing that she, too, was outmatched by the trio downstairs, also vanished. The party spent several minutes freeing the children and searching the house for any sign that the hags were still around, but found nothing. As Indigo was passing the second floor window, he noticed three figures in the distance, one pushing a small cart, meet on the road, stop, and then disappear behind a hill about a half mile away.

It was decided that the windmill and all of the hag’s property should be destroyed—save for some costume jewelry that Indigo found and the 8 chickens that the hags had in cages in the kitchen. While everyone else was distracted, Willem gave in to his temptation yet again and pilfered 3 pies directly from the oven where they had just finished cooking. Sabine then threw a large amount of flour into the air, vacated the room, and then threw a torch inside. There was a large fireball and the party could see that the wooden supports inside had begun to burn.

As the party was leaving the windmill, Willem noticed the small speck of magical aura at the forest edge moving up and away before being swallowed by the fog to the west.

The party learned that the boy (7) was named Freek and the girl (5) was named Myrtle. Freek hardly spoke except to say his name and to mumble things to Myrtle that she seemed to understand. Myrtle was not able to tell the party much, other than that she and Freek were from Barovia and had been given to the hags by their parents. The party suspected that Freek was the child of the man in town who had been desperate for more pies from Granny.

The 8 chickens were reluctant to accompany the party and it seems that they bore no ill will toward the hags, but eventually Indigo was able to convince them to join, if only until they could find better accommodations.

The party spent much of the rest of the day on the road towards Vallaki, which wound northward up into the foothills of mount Baratok before turning westwards and plunging into yet another thick forest. About an hour into the forest, the party heard the sound of approaching hoof falls and decided to hide, just off the road. From the trees, you watched as a skeletal rider and horse slowed and came to a stop right on the road where you all had just been. It looked directly toward you briefly before turning back to the road and proceeding onwards.

A little farther down the road, you encountered a Vistana named Arrigal. He was quite a bit less immediately amicable than the Vistani that you have already encountered, but he nonetheless offered to accompany you to the gates of Vallaki. Though he said he would not be able to enter the city with you. Vallaki’s policy on Vistani was less than welcoming. Because of that point, he asked you to do him a small favor. To visit the toy shop of the “famous” Blinsky, and retrieve a doll for his niece. He directed you to meet him at his encampment just south of the walls of Vallaki once you had secured the doll. As the walls of the city came into view, he bid you farewell and made his way to the south through the forest.

The Gates of Vallaki

Jump to section titled: The Gates of Vallaki

The party approached the wrought iron gate, set into the 10 foot tall wall made of large wooden piles, driven side by side into the ground, each sharpened to a point at the top. Behind the wall, several guards could be seen patrolling the ramparts with several more standing behind the gates. Additionally, there seemed to be more than a dozen wolf heads on pikes displayed across the top of the wall. At your approach, you were greeted with a barrage of questions about who you were, where you were from, what your business was in Vallaki, and most importantly, how you felt about “The Devil.”

After reassuring the guards that you intended to make no trouble for the city, you were admitted through the gate. You were received by a large group of guards who insisted you all remove your armor and weapons so that you could be searched for contraband or anything dangerous. Sabine refused at first, protesting that a lady would never “disrobe” in public like that. However, eventually she consented to be led into one of the guard houses by two female guards to be searched more privately.

After cataloging all of your gear, the party was questioned more thoroughly by the guards regarding the children that were accompanying them. During this exchange, the party noticed that all of the guards, despite being rather unfriendly, were smiling almost unceasingly. When questioned, the guards simply stated that everyone in Vallaki was happy because “Vallaki is the safest city in all of Barovia!”

Once they were satisfied that you meant no harm, the guards pointed you in the direction of the Arasek Stockyard where they said you could keep your chickens. You made your way into a clearing off the main road that contained a few empty pens and a brightly colored, dilapidated carnival wagon off to one side. On one side of the yard lay the entrance to the coffin maker’s shop, and on the other lay a general store from which an older gentleman came out to greet you.

He agreed to purchase your chickens for 3g, and the chickens agreed to stay here for the time being, provided the party come back to check on them in a few days to ensure they were happy. Making your way out of the stockyard, Indigo spotted two guards walking back to their post who had taken an interest in his pipe weed during the search. He befriended them and asked if they would care to share a smoke. They gladly accepted and said they would meet him at the Blue Water Inn after their shift.

The party continued on into the main square, where they had been told they would need to gather in three days time for the Festival of the Blazing Sun. The square was still decorated with streamers and posters advertising for the Wolf’s Head Festival which had been a few days ago, and after talking to some people, you discovered that the Baron threw weekly festivals as a way of raising the spirits of the people of Vallaki. In the middle of the square was a large raised platform upon which sat about a half dozen stocks, one of which was occupied by a smiling middle aged man. Behind him, towered a solitary gallows.

The party approached the man and was able to gather that he had been locked there because he wasn’t happy enough. But he insisted that that was in the past and he was now incredibly happy, because the Baron would take care of all Vallakians. Indigo gave the man some water and a goodberry before he was shooed away by some guards.

Eventually the party made their way to the Blue Water Inn where they found a table and met Danika, the barmaid. She fetched them some drinks and food, and was in the middle of negotiating for lodging when a jovial voice called from the kitchen not to charge for the room. She sighed, but seemed unwilling to challenge the voice, who the party learned belonged to Urwin, Danika’s husband and owner of the Blue Water Inn. Two young boys ran around the room, hanging off the banisters and trying to spy on patrons. These were Danika and Urwin’s children.

After a little bit, the two guards came in looking for Indigo, and while the rest of the party enjoyed their drinks and the warmth of the fire, Indigo attempted to get whatever information he could out of the guards. From them, he was able to glean that everybody in Vallaki was happy—presumably by compulsion—and that the Baron threw weekly festivals where all citizens were expected to attend. He learned that law and order are very important to the Baron and any malfeasance would be dealt with strictly. He had initially thought they may have been charmed, but after interrogating them, it seemed that this was no magical compulsion. He also found out that Vallaki was a place where outsiders may be tolerated but they were rarely trust. At least, by most.

After Indigo returned, the party decided to go to bed, and they all collectively hauled Willem (who had already passed out) up the stairs to the bedroom. Freek and Myrtle took the room next door for themselves.

Vallaki – “The Safest City in All of Barovia”

Jump to section titled: Vallaki – “The Safest City in All of Barovia”

The party spent an uneventful night at the Blue Water Inn, with Sabine watching over the two kids in the other room. In the morning, before heading downstairs, she informed the rest of the party that when she had been searched separately the previous day, the two female guards had told her that she bears a striking resemblance to Tatyana, a girl famous in Barovian folklore.

It is said that Tatyana was a peasant girl living in the valley when Strahd von Zarovich first arrived to conquer. He fell in love with her, but she hated him for his brutality and instead fell in love with his brother Sergei. In his jealousy, Strahd killed his brother—an act which was said to have sealed his fate as a Vampire lord—and pursued Tatyana. Stricken with grief and fear of her lover’s killer, Tatyana threw herself from the cliffs on which castle Ravenloft rests. Barovian folklore holds, however, that no souls may depart the valley while it remains the domain of the Devil Strahd, and so occasionally the souls of long past residents of Barovia will reemerge. When Strahd learns of a new reincarnation of Tatyana, he will stop at nothing to make her his.

The two guards recommended that Sabine keep this a secret and remain covered up whenever possible. They also told her to seek out Father Lucian at St. Andral’s Church, implying that he could provide her with some measure of protection.

When the party went down for breakfast, they were joined by Urwin Martikov who brought everyone a huge plate of eggs. He talked to you a little about the town and his position in it. He and his family seem happy here in Vallaki, but theirs are some of the only smiles in the city that seem genuine. He mentions that his father runs the winery to the west.

As the party was leaving, they met Ernst Larnak, a somewhat weasely looking little man, who invited them to the house of his mistress, Lady Fiona Wachter. The party decided to honor the request and went to meet with her right away. She lives in a stately manor house on the east side of town with several servants and her three children. While there, the party learned that Lady Wachter is not a fan of the Baron and that she is organizing some kind of resistance to him, although she was not forthcoming with the details of this.

The party learned that Lady Wachter had an encounter with Strahd when she was younger that left her doubting the malevolence which has been ascribed to him by the Vallakovich’s. She thinks the true evil in the valley is the Baron and the constant state of paranoia which he has forced upon the citizens. She also mentioned that on her way back from her meeting with Strahd, she visited Madam Eva who read her fortune which stated that the coming of an outsider to Vallaki would mark a new era. They would bring great ruin—“a purge like no other”—but when all was done, the sun would once again shine on the people of Vallaki.

While at the Wachter Manor, the party also meets Fiona’s youngest daughter, Stella, who has been afflicted with a condition that makes her act like a cat. Indigo attempted communication in cat speak, but this did not yield any productive results.

After trying, and mostly failing, to gain access to other parts of the manor, the party left and headed to Blinsky’s Toys. You were met by a large, jovial man in full court jester regalia and his small pet monkey, Piccolo, whom he had dressed in a pink tutu. The party bought several toys including one of the Tatyana dolls that bore a striking resemblance to Sabine, a Strahd ventriloquist dummy, and a small figurine that Musu swears looks just like he did when he was younger. This last doll had been a special order from the captain of the guard, Izelka Strazni.

After leaving Blinsky’s, the party conned their way into the Baron’s mansion by claiming they were the Mertzt family. After being kept waiting nearly a half hour, the Baron finally admitted you to his library. He spoke to you for several minutes during which it became increasingly clear that he was not entirely sane. He insisted on the city always being happy in order to keep “the devil” away. He touted the weekly festivals as a huge success and one of the main reasons for Strahd’s absence in Vallaki for the past hundred years. He also keeps two large mastiffs with him at all times. As you are leaving the house, you noticed that the room across from the library is labeled “Izelka.”

The party then made their way to St. Andral’s where they briefly spoke with Father Lucian. When asked about “amber doors” he said there was a temple far to the southwest that he thought had something to do with amber, but he had never been there. You learned from him that the Abbot in Krezk was supposedly a powerful healer, but Lucian said that he had not heard from him in years. You also asked about a nest of ravens and he pointed you towards a nest he had seen at the edge of the woods the prior day. You investigated, but only found the eggs of several other birds. Around this time, Wilem attempted to sneak a dream pie, but discovered his three remaining pies were no longer in his bag. Disheartened, he fell into a depressive state which gives him disadvantage on all ability checks.

Upon returning to the city, Indigo noticed that there seemed to be lots of ravens circling the center of the town. He transformed into a monkey and began running across the roofs to investigate, discovering that the central point of focus seemed to be the Blue Water Inn. The players made their way back to the Inn where Indigo spotted Rictavio, the old circus master, sneaking around the back of the stables. The party followed him and, after a quick confrontation, talked to him for a bit. You learned among other things that Rictavio is traveling through Barovia searching for circus performers to join his show. You each “auditioned” but nobody impressed him enough to get an offer.

After Rictavio left, you all noticed there were lots of ravens occupying the loft area of this stable. Indigo spoke with one raven and was able to discern that there was a small box in the loft that the ravens stashed things. He also noticed one raven that would not talk to him and that flew out the window when pressed.

Allysia decided to try and sneak up into the loft to investigate the box, but when she opened the lid, she was immediately attacked by several dozen birds. The party was able to calm them down and Indigo facilitated an exchange, in which the party was able to acquire several potions, a decent amount of platinum, and a mysterious leather bag that appears to be empty, and the ravens gained a much more diverse collection of shinies.

After wrapping up your trade session, you decided to look for Izelka. You were told by a few passing guards that she could be anywhere but that you might check the reformation center. You stopped by the reformation center and convinced the guards to let you in. The main entryway was essentially a big courtroom with several rows of benches two tables and what looked like a mix between a throne and a bench at the head of the room. The guards searched around for several minutes, but eventually came back and told you that Izelka was not there at the moment. As you were leaving, you heard the faint cries of someone upstairs who was clearly in a lot of pain.

Cast Out of Eden

Jump to section titled: Cast Out of Eden

The party turned as you heard the cry and saw a robed figure emerge from the western door of the courtroom. The tall hooded man introduced himself as Ilimir, one of the three reformers that runs the reformation center. He apologized for Izelka’s absence, noting that she rarely comes to the reformation center except to bring in new detractors for reeducation. He also offered to give a tour of the center.

He led the party through a large holding and processing room with a large cell and three gaurds, then into the central hall with a large staircase in the center leading to the second story. There were several rooms that looked to be serving as barracks, a large mess hall, and an entrance to the large turret at the back of the building which served as a training facility. There was another heavy iron door on the east wall of this room that was barred and locked.

The second story contained a large room of much smaller, individual cells. Several more guards patrolled this room and the second floor landing. Allysia, sensing that one of the prisoners was in distress, tried to stealthily drop her knife for him to grab. But when he saw it he began to scream for the guards, not wanting to be punished for having contraband. Allysia managed to play it off as an accident, but the party was ushered out of the room.

At the opposite end of the landing was another door that appeared to be locked and as the party came out of the room with the small cells, they heard muffled cries of terror coming from behind the door. Ilimir said that someone was being “reeducated” inside and unfortunately he would not be able to show that room at the moment.

As he was leading you all back downstairs, you heard a commotion in the courtroom and hurried in to find several guards escorting a tall, dark-haired woman into the courtroom, closely followed by the baron and his two mastiffs. The woman was accused of horse thievery and of being Vistani, as evidenced by the bandana that had been found on her person. The baron pronounced the woman guilty and sentenced her to death. He then left the courtroom and the guards began leading the woman out, towards the gallows at the center of town.

The party leapt into action and attacked the guards flanking the young woman who was able to slip away in the chaos. The attack attracted the attention of many of the guards nearby and soon the party was quickly overwhelmed. Additionally, it attracted the attention of the elusive Izelka, who came running from the direction of the town square when she heard the fight start. The party took out a good number of guards but there were several close calls including Allysia getting knocked out temporarily. But, eventually you managed to rally and make your retreat through the western gates, stealing 2 horses and fleeing into the woods.

After escaping, the party searched the woods for a while, but was unable to locate the Vistana woman. Eventually you decided to head toward the Vistani encampment you had heard about to the south of the city.

After making your way through the woods for about half an hour, you came to a large hill with some small houses surrounding the middle and a large tent encircled by Vistani tents at the top. You were stopped and briefly questioned by a guard posted at the westernmost house, who appears to be at least part elf. When he learned who you were looking for, he took you to the tent where Arrigal and his brother were talking with several other Vistani.

He explained that his niece, Arrabelle—the one for whom he had requisitioned the toy—had disappeared earlier in the day while out with the young boy, Alexei, who was seated in the tent looking distraught. Alexei mentioned that she talked about going to Lake Zarovich sometimes, but said she knew how dangerous it was for them to go near the city. Nonetheless, they all describe Arrabelle as a very headstrong girl.

Arrigal said that many in the camp were already searching the woods but he would appreciate any help you could give. As you were all talking, a commotion could be heard outside and one of the guards ran in to tell Luvash that there might be trouble. You all peaked out to see an angry mob emerging from the woods to the north with torches and pitchforks—among them, a good number of angry looking guards.

Arrigal quickly asked why they were there and after explaining what happened, he called you fools and directed you to leave out the south side of the tent. After a few fortuitous stealth checks, you were all able to sneak back to the cover of the trees where you turned back to the north. You made your way back towards the road just west of Vallaki in order to circle around the city and go north to the lake.

After successfully crossing the road, the party was waylaid by a very unfortunate group of bandits who did not quite understand what they were getting themselves into. Only one walked away, and that was only after being robbed—twice—by Allysia. By the time you were done searching the bodies, the sun had begun to set and you decided to camp for the night in the woods.

During the night, Allysia, Musu, and Indigo all had unsettling nightmares where they were trapped in their own body with a demon sitting on their chest. Willem, who had taken the first watch, watched them tossing and turning for about an hour, but eventually they stopped. When Willem took his turn for sleep, he had flashes of visions dominated by a vague visage telling him to “HELP THEM.”

At first, he thought he was dreaming of when he was back in the military, but quickly he realized the scenes and the people were unfamiliar. He saw flashes from one battle to the next. His group of comrades in shining silver scale armor defeating the forces of evil in one battle after another. But each battle brought losses to his side as well. Until, eventually, his comrades were mostly gone. He saw a flash of a great enemy force looming on the hill above his bloodied friends. Then a flash of a large fortress, crumbling on one side, the statue of a dragon out front draped with the bodies of several slain defenders. Then once again, “HELP THEM.”

Player characters

Jump to section titled: Player characters

Musu: Level 3 Human Fighter (Champion)

Jump to section titled: Musu: Level 3 Human Fighter (Champion)

Musu was born in a small fishing village and has pleasant memories of childhood until the slavers came. They killed his father, chained him, his mother, and his one older sister. Musu was sold into conscripted military service and eventually rose through the ranks under promises that his mother and sister were being supported as long as he continued to serve and win battles.

Eventually, Musu discovered the lies: according to a superior his mother was dead and his sister was missing. Musu killed that commander and was sent to the gladiator pits. He fought for years, eventually gaining his freedom through combat and the timely death of specific pit bosses during a raid + slave revolt.

Musu searched for his mother (deceased?) and sister for years, but information is hard to come by. His search continues, funded by miscellaneous adventuring jobs that promise to pay well.