Session Round-Up

Escaping Strahd and Barovia Sessions List

## Session 1 - September 3, 2020 | "Into the Mists"

It was a warm summer day, when Daphne, hard at work in Gakdroc Grove, heard a child crying for help.

Calling her sons, Gaurqoask and Quiet Dusk, she set off into the Withering Wood, intent upon finding this new child to adopt. Perhaps this child could be friends with Bogdan, or Quiet Duck?

Oddly, Quiet Dusk heard, not the crying of a child, but the sound of jingling coins and heavy footsteps. And Gaurqoask heard the sound of creaking wagon wheels.

As the trio walked, an unseasonable mist rose up, filling the air with an earthy scent, like rotting wood and loam. A chill swept over the woods, which soon became dark and cold, and very different from the trees around Gakdroc Grove.

Meanwhile, not far away, Zevrin and Eorlin emerged from a haunted barrow, having just slain a monster in its depths. They followed an odd sound, the sound of faint, gibbering voices. The pair walked into the thick mist, emerging on a stark, dirt road, empty but for three faintly familiar figures.

The five reoriented themselves. They stood in an empty road, standing in thick calf-deep fog, in the shadow of a looming mansion.

Realizing that wherever this was couldn't be anywhere near where the grove was, the quintet attempted to plunge back into the mist, only to find the mist getting thicker with every step, choking them. They turned back reluctantly, and Daphne, once again, heard the faint sobs of a child.

They returned to the mansion, and approached two small figures, a girl and a boy. Through tears, the children introduced themselves as Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst. They begged for help. Their mother and father had gone into the basement to kill "the monster" and hadn't been back since.

After some discussion, the gang entered the house, hoping that perhaps once the monster had been vanquished, the mist would allow them to return home.

They found the house empty, seemingly clean but very quiet. The house seemed like the typical upscale row-house. A well-appointed study featured some nice weaponry, symbols of a windmill, and some documents. A kitchen held a dumbwaiter. No one could quite squeeze inside, but it was able to go down a level to the basement.

The further up the stairs they went, the more decrepit the house got. They found a music room with chairs and a grand piano. Peering outside, they saw that the two children, who they had told to wait outside, were nowhere to be seen. On the other side of the house, a study held a hidden door, leading to a secret room, filled with notes, occult writings about a group called the Priests of Osybus, and a chest. An aged dead body was half in the chest—a previous adventurer, though what he was doing and when he entered the house was unclear. Inside the chest, the gang found a packet with two deeds, a will, adoption papers, and a sneering letter from one Count Strahd von Zarovich.

By the time they reached the third floor, the house seemed abandoned. After a battle with a set of animated armor and an enchanted broom, the gang found a strange, ghostly looking nursemaid watching over a baby. A fight almost started, but Eorlin and Daphne calmed her, eventually getting some answers via hand gestures.

It was revealed that Gertha had had an affair with Gustav Durst, and the baby in the crib, now revealed to just be a plank of wood wrapped in blankets, was her baby. The baby, Walter, was depicted in all portraits as a son of Gustav and Elisabeta Durst.

When asked where the two older children were Gertha mutely pointed... up.

In the master bedroom, the gang found several pieces of jewelry, which Qoask immediately claimed as his own.

Behind a mirror, loosely nailed to the wall, the gang found the hidden stairs to the attic, and, ascending, found dust, too much dust to be anything less than a century's worth—and the sound of children's voices in the other room.

Listening in, the gang discovered that Elisabeta and Gustav had locked the children in their bedrooms and disappeared into the basement. The children revealed that their parents regularly have "guests" who stay and don't ever return from the basement.

The gang also found a set of spiral stairs leading down into darkness and another room with a body in it—long desiccated, covered in knife marks, and wearing Gertha's clothes.

Hearing the tale, the gang resolved to take Gertha and the children's remains to the basement to rest in the crypts.

## Session 2 - September 10, 2020 | "Fight the Baby"

Descending to the basement, the gang began to hear an distant chanting sound—so faint they could barely make it out. Upon arriving at the landing and finding a place for the three corpses, the gang found a small dog. His collar suggested that his name was Lancelot. He was clearly old and hungry, and Daphne spoke to him, only getting the name "Gertruda" and the uncertain explanation that the Durst parents are bad and still around. Further exploration revealed what seemed to be a cult compound in the basement, complete with ghouls, traps, and a statue of a strange, regal man.

The gang found more evidence of what had happened: letters from Gustav to Gertha and a note from Elisabeta detailing her hatred for "that devil child Walter". Realizing that the Dursts were sacrificing people, and that Walter was likely the next target, the gang raced for the lower level of the cult compound.

There, they found a small prison and a large portcullis.

In the prison they found the dead body of a "guest" and dug through a wall to get into the adjacent room past the portcullis. Upon entering, they found a flooded chamber, filled with spirits, and in the center, rising out of the tepid water, an altar.

Chanting rose up: *One must die... One must die...*

The gang contemplated sacrificing Lancelot, but Daphne adamantly refused. After a long moment, Eorlin decided: *No one will die here tonight.*

The spirits, headed by faint, translucent memories of Elisabeta and Gustav, arose and called: *He is the ancient. He is the land. Let the destroyer arise!*

A horrific flesh-mound arose, staggering through the water towards you.

Bellowing and striking, it fought with strange, bubbling tentacles, trying to pull you inside its body. But even as it struck and cried, the gang nimbly dodged and fought, finally striking a fatal blow against the monstrous creature.

As the destroyer sank to the ground, the house began to crumble. The gang raced for the stairs, dodging falling chunks of masonry and racing for freedom. They went up the spiraling stairs to the shaking, groaning attic, then back down, fleeing for the door.

They burst out into a grey, misty day, far from the land they'd been in, staggering and gasping for breath in an overgrown cemetery. As the gang caught their breath, a filthy-looking man turned to them:

*"Outsiders? Welcome to Barovia."*

## Session 3 - September 17, 2020 | "My Sister's Keeper"

In Barovia Town, the gang's first move was to find an inn. At the Blood on the Vine, the gang found a quiet, dull-eyed innkeeper named Arik manning the bar. He was speaking with a blonde-haired man he later identified as Ismark the Lesser, the son of the recently deceased Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich. Arik seemed depressed and quiet, but he bought one of the Death House rings off of Qoask and recounted some of the local happenings.

Mad Mary's daughter Gertruda has disappeared—probably died. Church services have been canceled for the time being, as well. It is assumed that Father Donavich has finally given into grief over his son Doru's death. He muttered something else, but pretended to have said nothing when pressed.

Looking for news, the gang headed up to the Church of Barovia, where they met a distressed man, Father Donavich, inside the wrecked church. Father Donavich seemed out of his mind, urging the people to leave, saying there was nothing holy here. A quick search was interrupted by screaming from udner the floorboards. A young man's voice, high and reedy, screamed *"Father! I'm hungry!! Please, father, I'm* *starving!*"

Assuming that Father Donavich was a nutcase who had kidnapped and was starving a young man, Eorlin found a trapdoor, descending into the church cellar. Meanwhile, Zevrin stood outside for reasons that were unclear. Eorlin found in the basement a young man, chained up, moving swiftly about in the darkness of the cellar. As he took a step closer, Doru, Donavich's vampiric son, lunged at him, but caught just short of taking a bite by the chain.

Donavich begged them to leave his son alive, reluctantly, and thinking bitter thoughts about Lathander's failure to protect Doru, Eorlin allowed Doru to live, and the gang swiftly returned to Blood on the Vine to rest.

That night, Qoask was woken by a strange, distant sound. Baying hounds, yelling, snarling. He went out into the taproom and found Arik sitting, unable to sleep. Dully Arik admitted that the "hullabaloo" at the Burgomaster's home has been happening every night for the past three days, keeping him awake. Qoask pondered this for a moment, then proceeded to look for Arik's moneybox, hoping to recover the gold ring he sold to Arik. He figured they'd take a crack at killing the hullabaloo in the morning and went back to bed.

The next morning, the gang went to see the Burgomaster, and found a large home, boarded up, with fire, claw-marks, and muddy footprints surrounding the house. They stepped inside and found Ismark the lesser packing for a trip. A few persuasion checks later, Ismark admitted that he hoped to take his sister Ireena away from Barovia Town. She hasn't been feeling well lately, and there's been a man pursuing her that is not good for her.

A few more details about the "hullabaloo" came out, and Ismark, seeing that the party had mostly good intentions and some experience, asked the party if they would help him, by escorting Ireena to Vallaki, a town a day or two to the west, while he led the "suitor" east. He admitted that the suitor is a man of some power, the Count of Barovia. Many call him "devil," and he has the power to back up the moniker, as evidenced by the mess outside. Ismark holds the man responsible for his father's death.

With the promise of 25 gold in advance and 75 gold after Ismark and Ireena were reunited, the gang agreed to escort Ireena.

But when Ismark went to fetch his sister, he found her missing. The party found tracks, and followed them east, to the eastern gate of Barovia. There, before a towering iron gate set into a mountain pass, Ireena was struggling to fend off several wolves, while a masked woman stood beneath a tree, watching the fight.

Zevrin shot off a gout of fire at Ireena, for reasons unknown, while the other party members raced to help her. The wolves were vicious, and soon joined by several skeletons and zombies, but the gang fought them off, and the masked woman vanished into the shadows.

Ireena was introduced to the party. At first she was upset that they wanted to take her back. She had fled to try to keep Ismark out of danger, heading east instead of west as planned in hopes of throwing Ismark off her trail. She admitted that she's not suited to be on her own, but that she can fight a little, and that if Ismark was with her, he, like her father, would no doubt be killed. Daphne promised Ireena that they would protect her and get her safely to Vallaki, and, with some trepidation, Ireena agreed to go with them, joining the party as they returned to Barovia town to say farewell to Ismark.

Having received their down payment, they gang set out with Ireena, headed for the Vallaki. It would take about two days to travel to Vallaki, so the gang prepared to spend a rough night. Just outside town, they encountered an old woman with a wheel-barrow, who introduced herself as Granny.

Granny sells pies! She is currently on her pie-selling route—she travels the road between Vallaki and Barovia Village selling her wares. Her daughters make the pies, and she picks them up each way. Available flavors are: pear, apple, rhubarb, wildberry, and meat. When asked what kind of meat, she said "local game".

Daphne and Gaurqoask each bought a pie for a copper, though oddly Ireena said her father and Ismark had never allowed her to buy one, saying they were "too expensive".

With a kind smile, Granny wished the gang luck and continued on her way.

   On the walk, Daphne and Gaurqoask tried their pies. Qoask found that his tasted like pork, while Daphne's berry pie tasted like summer berries. Both were immediately very chill, and felt quite relaxed.

This was perhaps good, as towards the end of the day, the travelers came across a corpse in a gibbet. It rotated, and for a moment resembled Zevrin. In the next moment, it vanished.

As darkness fell, the gang reached a turn off down to a muddy camp. They heard voices and music and Ireena explained that this is a local base for the Vistani caravans. After some debate, the gang headed down the hill, as Zevrin announced that he would pretend to be Vistani to get them an in.

At the bottom of the hill, a Vistani man playing an accordion waited. He greeted them warmly, announcing that they were expected. Zevrin claimed to be "a Vistani" and the man smiled enigmatically, inviting them into a brightly lit camp, with barrel-topped wagons, music, wine, and a large central tent.

Inside the tent, Madam Eva waited. The old, haggard crone sat in the corner, holding a deck of cards in her gnarled hands. She greeted the gang by name, mentioning Daphne's home, Gaurqoask's greed, Zevrin's gift for time, Eorlin's angst, and Quiet Dusk's sneakiness.

She then did a reading from the cards, calling them heroes and outsiders, telling them that Barovia is caught in an unending, repeating torment.

1. *This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy. I see a woman. She stands scheming in the moon, deception shrouds her as she lives a double life as a dutiful wife to a husband who lies cold and empty, and a benefactor of good with hands corded with red.*
2. *This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope. I see the King of Cups, a man to be trusted, warm hearted with a loving family. He knows the whereabouts of this symbol.*
3. *This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight. I see the Hierophant. He stands in a place of great significance, a place of rules and learning. You will find the sword there. With it, you may prevent the past from coming again.*
4. *This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. I've drawn the Wheel of fortune. The wheel of fortune turns on, but this girl can read it, much as I do. Take haste, you must hurry, for her fate hangs in the balance. Find her at the lake!*
5. *Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him! It is the Knight of cups, a powerful but impetuous force. I see a girl who follows her heart. You will find your enemy behind a portrait of his lost love!*

The gang then settled in to rest. Daphne and Qoask dreamed of their respective concepts of joy, while Zevrin tried and failed to steal from the Vistani, but *did* win at cards and get some sweet, sweet gold.

Level 4 was reached! (Toby was announced, he would go on to join the team on the 26th).

## Session 4 - September 24, 2020 | "Diction and Addiction"

The next morning, the gang awoke, ready to head on to Vallaki. Qoask and Daphne felt absolutely terrible. Qoask managed to resist the urge to start the day with another slice of dream pie, but Daphne found herself struggling. Most of the Vistani were still sleeping off the revelry, but one was awake, cooking what seemed to be a molten mixture of cheese, eggs, and oats over the fire. He gifted the party with what has to be the shittiest map in all of Barovia and some breakfast for the road.

On the road, the gang began to get to know Ireena. Halfway through the day, they encountered a blood-crazed, partially wounded owlbear. After defeating the owlbear, they found a number of deer with beak marks and no hearts. Following the trampled path, they found a trampled camp with several dead bodies and evidence that the inhabitants attempted to set up precautionary traps and defenses. One man lay dead, but a number of human tracks led off in a different direction, before vanishing. They were accompanied by an unclear number of wolf prints.

But when the gang turned over the corpse, they found the man still alive, though mortally wounded. Eddrick, as he introduced himself, was with a party when *"the Keeper"* swept in. He begged them to take a letter to his daughter Lucie, at the local orphanage. As the gang argued about the pronunciation of his name, Eddrick whispered the correct pronunciation one more time, before letting out a final breath.

They retrieved some evidence from the remains of the camp, including a silvered knife with an odd symbol and a letter from someone named Zuleika before getting back on the road. But as they prepared to start walking, a terrifying force swept over them, paralyzing them with fear, before passing on.

Ireena seemed more affected, but the gang quickly put the space to their backs, hurrying on, past the shadow of Castle Ravenloft, and moving through the western gates of Barovia, into the hills.

In the hills, the gang walked for several hours, before coming across a small windmill with a lovely garden and several old women. The invited the gang in for pies and tea, but the gang, realizing this was Granny's children and noting Daphne's state after consuming the pies, warned them to back off. Daphne fought off the hunger for the pies, and the gang hurried onward to Vallaki, passing through fields of ominous, swaying scarecrows.

The crows began to follow, and the gang had to fight them off, taking some hits in the process.

But soon, as the sun set, the gates of Vallaki came into view. and the gang found themselves standing among dozens of wolf heads on spikes before imposing walls made of massive wooden logs.

At the gates, the gang were questioned as to their purpose by Frederick and Geonathon, two guards of Vallaki. In an attempt to obscure their arrival, Gaurqoask transformed into a rat and pretended to be among the vermin of the town, and Zevrin introduced himself as Nirvez.

Frederick and Geonathon were fully fooled and invited the gang in with recommendations to always keep a smile on their faces and kill any rats they saw. The gang entered the dark, rainy town and hurried onward to the Bluewater Inn, to get rooms for the night.

## Session 5 - October 10, 2020 | "Welcome to Vallaki"

They arrived to a glum but determinedly cheery display, led by a half-elf bard named Rictavio. He performed for several drunk hunters, two sloshed young men, and a number of dour villagers. Zevrin pulled a prank on the drunk young men, using his water control cantrip to trip them when they got up to leave. Meanwhile, Eorlin arranged lodgings for the night and found out from Danika Martikov that non-humans are rare in Barovia, though they show up every once in a while as outsiders.

They slept fitfully, and the next morning, got the local buzz from Rictavio the bard, a fellow outsider and dream pastry recreational user. Over an omelet from Urwin Martikov the cook/owner of the Blue Water Inn, the gang learned about the weekly festivals. Rictavio doesn't like to stick around for them. The upcoming one is the Festival of the Blazing Sun. All the posters say "Children Required"—an unusual and slightly disturbing phrase, given that a bunch of children have recently gone missing. Daphne suspects child sacrifice.

After getting a nice long list of rumors, the gang headed out to the Church of St. Andral, a location that Ireena thought she might be safe in.

There, the gang met Father Lucian, an extremely pious man with strong feelings about devils. It took little convincing for Lucian to agree to shelter Ireena, upholding the legacy of St. Andral. In the mean time, Qoask resumed his lizardfolk form and claimed to have been a miracle, born right there in the church, and therefore a natural-born citizen of Vallaki.

Lucian rejoiced, but only moments later his joy was shattered when he found that the bones of St. Andral, the relic that kept the chapel safe from evil, had vanished.

The party was led on a... uh... thrilling hunt, through Vallaki to an orphanage where one kid was possessed by a demon, and Milivoj, the grave digger suspected of stealing the bones, deathly ill. After defeating the demon and delivering the dead man's letter to his daughter Lucie, the gang found out that Milivoj had been paid to steal the bones by Henrik, the local coffin maker. As they left, Daphne had a vision of a waterlogged girl under a tree, begging for help.

The gang then went to (\*mumbles something because I don't remember the street name\*)'s Row, where a number of tall, narrow shops leaned over the street. There the gang beat the absolute crap out of a terrified Henrik until finally he revealed that the bones were upstairs. The gang tied him up, leaving Ireena to watch him, and ascnded, only to find a bunch of fresh, gleaming coffins. Once the gang was fully in the room, six vampire spawn burst out, making to attack, as one bearing a large sack started to make for the window. The gang barely held them off and retreated to the first floor, only to be cut off by the vampire spawn who had jumped out of the window to circle to the doors.

Zevrin set fire to the coffin room, and Daphnape destroyed a window so that the gang could climb out, only for them all to be cornered in the alleyway by an two injured but angry young spawn.

The gang managed to destroy one as the town guard panickedly looked on, and a man with a flaming hand and a gleaming watchmaster's badge strode up to help you finish off the last one. Gruffly, he demanded that the gang surrender to him and be taken to the Burgomaster, Baron Vargas Vallakovich. Ireena slipped away into the crowd, and seeing that she was gone, the gang agreed to go with the man.

He led them to the Baron's manor, where he reluctantly allowed them to go free. In the parlor, they had audience with Baroness Lydia, a pale, neurotic woman with a forced smile and serene demeanor who insisted that all will be well in Vallaki so long as good cheer is maintained.

The gang then had dinner with the Baron and Baroness, and their repulsive teenaged son Viktor, who got water splashed on him via mage hand.

The gang drank adequate wine and ate ham that was actually wolf meat, while Vargas went on about how Strahd stays away because of their incredible festivals and how happy people are here.

He then mentioned that Fiona Wachter is a local nasty widow who has been trying to unseat him. With a big smile, he told the gang that he'd forgive their little mess in the streets if they'd spy on her and get evidence that she was trying to start a coup.

The gang agreed, and the Baron raised a toast high to the brand new partnership.

## Session 6 - October 15, 2020 | "Arranged Marriages"

Having agreed to assassinate Fiona Wachter for Vargas Vallakovich, the gang realized that the had forgotten all about Ireena. They hurried back to the inn, hoping to find her there. Instead, they met two very drunk young men, and, upon discovering that their surnames were Wachter, agreed to meet with them in front of Dana's Fermented Pear juice cart for some carousing.

After informing a spying Bom Martikov that they were merely writing a book about Vampires, the gang reunited with Lancelot and set out for Dana's.

Once there, the gang convinced the two brothers that Zevrin is a rich man from beyond Vallaki, looking for a spouse. Nikolai seemed quite interested and drunkenly invited Zevrin and his friends to meet his mother, Fiona. Upon entering Wachterhaus, the gang was greeted by an unexpected sight. Ireena, inconsolably weeping with Lady Wachter. Eorlin began a ruse where he did not know Ireena, and she played along.

Signally subtly to Ireena to wait, the gang went upstairs with the Wachter boys, met their bathroom, and, after convincing a reluctant Karl that Zevrin was actually Strahd in disguise, got access to their sister Stella's room. She has been confined there for about a week, and has lost her mind, believing she is a kitty. The gang pieced together that Viktor Vallakovich, that sweaty horrible teen, caused her madness.

The gang also got access to Lady Wachter's study, read her letters, and stole a book entitled “In the Arms of a Cat-Man”.

Downstairs, the gang confronted Fiona about her letters and plans, and she invited them to join her rebellion. She asked the gang to kill Izek Strazny in time for the Festival of the Blazing Sun, and complimented them on their investigative skills.

She also suggested that the thief of the bones was one of Strahd's wives, Lyudmila, a woman who used to live here in Vallaki before she left for Castle Ravenloft. Some pressing on the subject got Fiona to reveal that she despises Vargas. He is a tyrant and his son is a terror. She referred to Strahd as a negligent landlord who has issues but has never really wronged the people of Vallaki, and is a great wizard.

Charmed by Lady Wachter's quiet demeanor, the gang agreed to work with her to overthrow Vargas.

With violence in their future, the gang headed back to Blue Water Inn and turned in for the night.

## Session 7 - October 22, 2020 | "Kill the Hags"

The next day, one day before the festival, on a brief trip to silver some weapons at Arasek stockyard, the gang found Ricktavio, heading out to avoid the festival. After Gaurqoask disrespected the brightly colored carnival wagon, the gang heard growls from within and elected not to hitch a ride to the windmill, instead walking there.

Upon arriving, the fresh scent of good pies was in the air. The gang found Offalia, the elder sister outside, who engaged in idle chit chat with you. Unable to contain his rage, Garqoask charged her as a warhorse, and the battle began. Offalia and Bella put up a strong fight, but as battle moved into the windmill, the old ladies were outmatched. Bella quickly fell, and Offalia vanished, seemingly destroyed.

Then, you heard the creak of a wheelbarrow, as Granny made her way up the road.

Most of the party raced outside to do some damage, but Daphne remained behind, determined to burn the magical cocaine flour that had ensnared her mind. Upon burning it, however, she found that the flour was not flour at all, but tiny, ground down bones.

Child bones.

Daphne, horrified, called out to the others, and the jig was up. Zevrin took the offensive, blasting Granny with magic.

As the battle began anew, the cries of a child could be heard from the upper floors of the mill. Quiet Dusk turned and raced up to see what could be happening, and found a wounded Offalia, preparing to throw a child into the grinder.

Offalia vanished once again as Daphne and Zevrin joined Quiet Dusk, and Zevrin hit her with a magic missile, causing her to drop the child into the grinder.

Quiet Dusk rescued the child in the nick of time, and Zevrin, exploring the top floor, found a baby locked in a crate. As he retrieved the child, Offalia became visible once more, throwing herself out of the window and morphing into a vulture.

The battle finally came to an end with Quiet Dusk's fierce onslaught ending both Granny Morgantha and Offalia with extreme prejudice.

## Session 8 - October 29, 2020 | "Wait, He Has Wings?"

The gang searched Granny's body, finding a bag made of dried out human skin, a magical heartstone that cures diseases, and a number of skulls at the base of the black pear trees.

The bag contained a soul that attached itself to the skull, which Gaurqoask tied to his belt. Using a yes or no system, he discovered that the soul belonged to a 7-year-old boy. With that the gang returned to Vallaki to commence, under the cover of darkness, their plan.

They hurried into the Vallakovich Manor, telling one of the maids that Baron Vargas sent them. Leaving Ireena to keep guard, they crept up into the second floor and into Izek's room. Dusk cast silence, and the gang, with shocking sneakiness, surrounded the sleeping Izek, finding odd trinkets in his room, dolls that looked like each of them, and hundreds of dolls that looked like Ireena.

Raising their weapons, the gang went to attack, but a failed stealth check from Eorlin woke Izek moments before the blade plunged into his neck, and Izek awoke, readying himself to fight. His flaming hand and battle axe evened the playing field, and a series of grapples back and forth found the gang realizing that they may or may have not underestimated Izek.

But then Eorlin and Quiet Dusk got a plan. They yanked Izek towards the window and Eorlin jumped out, spreading his wings and dropping Izek. To his shock, Izek also had wings, a pair of skeletal demon wings to go with his demon-hand. But Izek still fell and was injured enough that Eorlin was able to finish him off.

But to either side, guards were swiftly closing in. The gang followed Eorlin out the window and fought off the guards, but Ireena, left inside, went looking for the gang, and had to go to bat against Baron Vallakovich's mastiffs.

She fell, and Dusk raced into the manor once again to pull her to freedom.

With the guards dead, but more coming, the gang fled, racing into the darkening streets of Vallaki.

Level 5 was reached!

## Session 9 - November 5, 2020 | "Malicious Unhappiness Meet Animate Dead"

As they ran for it, the gang encountered a man who whispered for them to follow him. An ally of Lady Wachter, Vasili Von Holtz assured the gang that he was here to help, and escorted them to an abandoned house, once home to a dream-pie user.

They lay low for the night and donned disguises. As the sun came up and the festival began, they joined the stream of festival goers. Qoask wild-shaped into a battlehorse again, and they gang slipped into the crowd, hoping to see Lady Wachter's plan unfold.

To their shock, however, they saw that this festival was no ordinary festival. Behind the Vallakovichs, a wicker sun had been erected—and next to it, a gibbet.

Three figures stood on the platform, and Vargas began to speak on their crimes, and on the new age he would bring to Vallaki, and the importance of keeping the city safe through frequent, joyous festivals. He accused the three figures of the murder of the guards and his noble hound Tronky, treason, and malicious unhappiness, then removed their hoods to reveal Henrik, Milivoj, and Maria, the maid that the gang had lied to.

Vargas then went to light the wicker sun, but the rain that had begun to fall foiled him, and, angrily, hearing a laugh from the crowd, he turned to demand the prisoners be put to death.

Realizing what was about to happen, Zevrin acted swiftly. He froze a puddle beneath the executioner in the nick of time, knocking him back off the gallows. Eorlin, on Qoask's back, charged forward, disemboweling the Baron on his platform.

Chaos broke forth, which Lady Wachter used to begin crying that this was Vallaki's chance for a new age. The peope made to seize Lydia and Viktor Vallakovich, and Fiona urged them on into a murderous rage.

But as the executioner was held back and Eorlin unsheathed his wings, the crowd calmed. Eorlin claimed to be Strahd, and the people fell to their knees, begging for mercy. Meanwhile, Qoask acquired his very first son, Vargas Vallakovich's undead corpse.

Eorlin then commanded the people to go sack the Baron's house, and take what they wished. The gang followed them up, and people showed reverence to "Strahd". In the house, the gang found Lydia, hiding in her room. Qoask and Eorlin wanted to kill her, but Daphne pushed back, and convinced Eorlin that Lydia was innocent. She unlocked all the family jewels and, with the gang's permission, fled to take refuge in Bonegrinder.

The gang then went upstairs, where they found Viktor's room. Viktor himself was in a panic attempting to use his teleportation circle to escape Barovia forever. The gang stopped him and took his spellbook, and Viktor was left with no option but to yield and to tell the truth. He was supposed to be betrothed to Stella Wachter, but found her very annoying. He was just practicing his spells on her, that's all... but then they began to stick, and he couldn't get them to lift.

Reluctantly, the gang got the shitty junior wizard gagged and bound, and brought him to Fiona Wachter, deciding that she could figure out what to do with him. There, they threw Viktor in the wineroom and settled in for a feast.

They began to enjoy the wine and food, only to discover—it had all been drugged.

Daphne and Eorlin began to sleep, but Zevrin and Dusk fought it off, beginning the fight as red-robed figures emerged from the halls. Lady Wachter's cultists struggled to subdue them, but as Daphne awoke and summoned Brother Bear and Eorlin shook off his daze, they finished Lady Wachter and chased the final cultist into the basement.

There, they found Arasek, the owner of the stockyard. He begged for his life, claiming that they were only going to sacrifice "the outsiders" to bring back the sun.

Eorlin smote him, and the gang proceeded into the hidden cult room.

There, they found a gift basket.

It contained a fine wine, healing potions and a letter from Strahd himself.

*Congratulations, my long-awaited guests... I watch your further exploits eagerly.*

*Your host,*

*Strahd Von Zarovich*

## Session 10 - November 12, 2020 | "Writing in the Sky"

With all the cultists dead, the party was startled and disturbed to see familiar faces among them: Ms. Belasco from the orphanage, Dayna, the fermented pear-seller, and others.

Upstairs, they found the Wachter children unconscious. Suddenly Karl's words made sense: Fiona had been drugging her children to keep them out of the way of her "book club".

The gang reluctantly decided not to kill the Wachters and settled in for a long rest.

The next morning brought an unexpected visitor: Ismark, beat to hell and astounded at the state of Vallaki arrived. He had met Vasili on the road, who told him that the revolution to free Vallaki had turned into an unhinged quest by Lady Wachter. Ismark asked the gang to take their payment and give Ireena back to him, so that he could take her onward to Krezk.

They persuaded him that Vallaki was totally not their fault and that they should accompany him. He reluctantly acquiesced, and the gang began to sneak through the city. On their way out, they saw hundreds of doors, marked with a slash of red-paint. A quick stop by the square revealed that Father Lucian had taken the reigns of the city, but it was far from bloodless. He denounced cultists, led by Lady Wachter and the outsiders, and praised the Morninglord for bringing the truth to light.

From the shadows, the gang decided to mess with things and cast *skywrite*, declaring that Father Lucian was actually a servant of Strahd, the crowd seemed very confused, but Lucian quickly regained control and demanded that the executions of the "cultists" begin.

The gang moved quickly towards the west gate, but not quickly enough to avoid the sound of the executioner's axe as he began the bloody work of retaliation.

In the woods, the gang and Ismark made quick time. A night in the forest, however, proved far from safe, as they were set upon by Anastrasya. Daphne, however, pulled clutch and summoned ina number of elk that made swift work of the Vampire, and of her skeleton legions. Ismark proved to be sturdy as well, and Ireena made use of her sling to contribute.

But with Anastrasya down to zero hp, the gang was shocked to find that she had not died. Daphne, in a panic, flamed her, and Anastrasya turned to dust and floated away with a sneer.

Exhausted, the gang settled in to finish their rest, knowing that the next morning they would find themselves in Krezk.

## Session 11, November 19, 2020 | "Dervlekk'dda, and Other Odd Names"

The gang arrived at Krezk, only to find its gates shut tight to any without a good reason to visit. On learning that the wine shipment from the Wizards of Wines was late, you decided to head south, hoping to clear up whatever was wrong and maybe get a ticket into Krezk. But first: a nap. Daphne dreamed of the same drowning child she saw at the orphanage. The little girl condemned her for not saving her, then transformed into an emaciated boy who begged Daphne for help.

Disturbing.

The gang got on the road, heading for the winery, and Ireena, cheerful and hoping to be of more help in the future, asked Zevrin to tech her firebolt. She wasn't a natural, but she eventually picked it up.

As you approached the Wizards of Wines, you caught sight of a youngish man, trying to get your attention from the side of the road. When you approached, you found a messy campsite. A family was scattered around, several children, four adults, and an old, curmudgeonly looking man.

The young man introduced himself as Adrian Martikov, Urwin Martikov's brother. He then introduced you to his father, Davian. Davian was unfriendly, but the other Martikovs were warm, asking you if you could help them clear out the Winery. Apparently Forest Folk had invaded the winery for reasons unknown. The Martikovs had repelled most of the attacks, but they were overwhelmed by a quartet of Forest Folk and over two dozen strange plant monsters.

You decided to go in and take care of things, and started your approach.

The winery seemed deserted. Empty fields, no movement...

Qoask turned into a cat and raced around the edge of the woods to take a look at the back entrance. As soon as he entered the fields, they seemed to come alive, vine blights unfolding from the grape trellises and slowly creeping toward him. He hurried back with them on his tail, and the gang plunged into the clearing, hoping to outrun the now very much awake vine blights. You barricaded yourselves in the back room of the winery, then slipped down to the wine cellar, following a noise.

There, you found a druid named Garthdd'nikz, beat the hell out of him, and threatened him until he told you his plan: poison the wine, steal the grape seeds, and hopefully kill everyone here—the plan couldn't go wrong! It was the brainchild of the Forest Folk chief: Dervlekk'dda.

You killed him, stole his hat, and disguised yourself as him then hurried up. With the code word *hullabaloo* in mind, Daphne strode out, talking like Garthdd'nikz, and joined the druids who were pouring poison into the vine vats. Daphne made small talk with a woman named Grenna, and learned that Garthdd'nikz had a wife named Ljeda, who was great at cards.

After a few more tidbits about the Forest Folks' home base and master plan was revealed, Daphne triggered the Hullabaloo, and the gang burst out, ready to fight.

The fight was chaotic. The forest folk and their twig blights thought Daphne was on their side. In a far room, another forest folk with a great black staff commanded the cart, full of grape seeds, to get going, and as the second forest folk was killed, the leader fled, telling Garthdd'nikz she'd tell his wife that he died a noble death. Then Eorlin ran her through with a sword and the cart driver, devastated, abandoned his flight and came to attack the group. As he, too, was killed, he looked at "Garthdd'nikz" with despair: "You too, Garthdd'nikz?"

## Session 12 - November 25, 2020 | "Wow, this Abbot Guy Sure is—Oh. Oh, No."

That night, the gang had dinner with he Martikovs, demanded payment and riches which they informed the party that they did not have, and learned a little about their efforts to quietly gather information about Strahd.

Overnight, Gaurqoask dreamed about a dragon king named Dagven, who offered him “A million sons” in exchange for becoming his champion. Qoask accepted, believing that he had found—not a divine benefactor looking for a realm to dominate—but a mate.

The next morning, Eorlin got one of the Martikov children talking by pretending to be a fellow member of the Keepers of the Feather and learned that the Martikovs, including a cousin Lida, are all members of this mysterious anti-Strahdian order.

The gang moved on to Krezk, where they received a warm welcome from the Burgomaster as soon as Gaurqoask put away his undead minions. Dmitri then introduced the gang to his wife Anna and son Ilya, who had recently been returned to life by the Abbot after dying of some kind of pneumonia. Ilya is the same boy that Daphne had seen in a vision the previous day.

The gang went up to the Abbey and found it teeming with horror. Half-human, half-creature mongryllfolk wandered the area, and the Abbot told you of his flesh golem which he intends to imbue with a Soul and give to Strahd to appease him. Gaurqoask sensed that the Abbot was a creature of intense celestial power, who believed himself to be entirely in the right in his depraved set up. He proudly showed you around the filthy area, seeming unaware of the pain and madness that teem in the corners of this once sacred place.

In the mean time, Quiet Dusk explored the rest of the abbey in secret, discovering the Abbot's hospital, operating room, nursery, and morgue, and Clovin, a double-headed violist playing a sad song with his crab hand. In one of the offices on the second floor, he encountered a strange Vistani woman named Ezmerelda, who claimed to be waiting to kill Strahd to save a man named Van Richten. Quiet Dusk convinced her not to act, promising to work with her to kill Strahd. She gave Quiet Dusk directions to a tower where she's been hiding out then jumped out a window.

Down in the Abbey proper, the abbot expressed interest in taking Ireena's soul, due to her resemblance to Tatyana. The gang refused, and he seemed disappointed, offering resurrection and healing services in exchange.

Daphne offered her soul instead, and the Abbot accepted, seeing her red hair as a “Good enough option”. Instead of allowing him to remove Daphne's soul, Eorlin drew his sword and declared that battle was on.

We saw the opening moments of battle, and the Abbot's devastating power, and heard the sound of Clovin ringing the bells to call the horde of mongryllfolk out to their “savior”s defense.

With two strikes, the abbot instantly killed Ismark, and, feeling triumphant, shed his disguise as a human, revealing a pair of great wings, skin that seemed to constantly shift and change, and fierce, blazing eyes.

With a laugh, he said:

*“I told myself that I wouldn't interfere with any of Strahd's guests, and I've held to that resolution for over a century of would-be heroes! I'm sure he won't begrudge me a few deaths, when I've been courteous for so long!*

*It will feel good to stretch my wings—and my casting—once again!”*

## Session 13, December 3, 2020 | "Quiet Dusk's New Girlfriend"

The Gang jumped back into the fight with the Abbot. When he started losing control of his powers of creation, spewing enemies and foul magic every which way, you resorted to a tactical retreat, leaving Ismark to his... fate.

You fled down the switchback, and had to inform Ireena of her brother's death. She took it about as well as can be expected. She considered leaving, going it on her own, but you convinced her of the folly of that particularly plan, and she reluctantly resolved to trust you again.

So, you headed to Ezmerelda's rendezvous, and met up with her. She informed you that she's planning to kill Strahd, is looking for her mentor, famed monster hunter Rudolph Van Richten, and that she and he are both from Faronne. She, too, is trapped in Barovia, though she believes Strahd knows how to send people through the mists. She hinted that she can normally travel the Mists.

You put the dots together and let her know that Van Richten is likely disguised as Rictavio. She bid farewell and headed out to find Van Richten, but not before Daphne started match-making and made Quiet Dusk escort Ez to the door, which, to Daphne's dismay, did not result in a romantic moment for her son.

The next morning, a pack of werewolves delivered another message from Strahd, this time inviting the gang to dinner, and promising rewards if they delivered Ireena to him.

After some deliberation, the gang resolved to take Strahd's invitation. You left Ireena at the tower under the careful watch of several twig blights, Qoask's sons, and a horse, and sought out the nearest crossroads. Not far from the tower, a black carriage was waiting.

Strahd's manservant, Rahadin opened the door, and invited you into the carriage.

Dinner Awaits.

## Session 14 - December 10, 2020 | "Wow, Nice Udder!"

Last session saw Gaurqoask, Daphne, Quiet Dusk, Eorlin, and Zevrin take Strahd up on his offer of a meal at his home in Castle Ravenloft. A bumpy airborne ride and a confusing and macabre game of 20 questions later, you arrived, and got to see the forlorn beauty of the large, gothic castle.

You met Strahd's consorts, Lyudmila, Esher, and Volenta, each of whom seemed excited by the prospect of having a “new brother” and quietly satisfied that Anastrasya is gone. Zevrin attempted to flirt with Strahd, who did not seem disinterested, as did Daphne, who received an unkind smack-down for donning the disguise of Elisabeta Durst. Strahd gave you fine potatoes and turkey, wine, and champagne. After some pleasantries and a brief recounting of his tragic life, Strahd offered you a deal: bring him Ireena, and he would let you go free.

You tried to haggle him down, and he offered a potential second deal. Find a Barovian with a strong soul for him to feed upon and leave Ireena somewhere safe, and he would let you go free from Barovia. He hinted that he's not entirely certain how you arrived, but that the Durst house is a portal—a one-way portal.

He left you alone to discuss, and with considerable confusion and uncertainty, you “agreed” to bring Ireena to him. He returned and Eorlin, with some shockingly high deception checks, told him that the gang would bring Ireena to him.

He then sent you back to Van Richten's tower, where you discovered that far too much time seemed to have passed for the time you spent at Castle Ravenloft.

You arrived back at the tower in time to see Ireena, drenched in river water, sitting on the shore.

She lied about why she was in the water, but you soon managed to get the truth out of her. She thought you were not coming back after enough time had passed, and prayed to a goddess of death, the old one she'd only heard stories about.

The Huntress answered her call, and said that if Ireena would help cleanse her shrine, she would offer her aid to the party. You were understandable very upset by Ireena promising this to some unknown deity, but she said that all she wants is to get strong enough to kill Strahd, make him pay for Ismark and her father Kolyan's deaths.

Some more prodding and interrogating of Ireena revealed that the Huntress's shrine is beneath Yester Hill. And so, you resolved to follow this thread to the Druids and their encampment.

On the walk, you met up with Vasili, bought a necklace of Cure Wounds (3x per day, d20 roll of 3+ to recharge). Then he talked with you about the Abbey of St. Markovia and thanked you for informing him that the Abbot is a nutcase, all the while flirting ineptly with Ireena.

Unfortunately, Strahd saw you heading the opposite direction with Ireena and set a squad of werewolves to question you. Fortunately for you and unfortunately for the werewolves, they were startlingly inept and you crushed them in a matter of minutes, as Kiril, their leader, fled.

Ireena, fascinated by Zevrin's flaming magical gift, asked him to teach her magic, and she learned how to cast firebolt, in between dissociating and staring at nothing.

And so, you finished your travel, entering the clearing and seeing before you the Martikov winery, blazing with light and surrounded by torches.

## Session 15 - December 17, 2020 | "I Wanna Be... Where the Druids Are"

The Gang spoke with the Martikovs and gathered some intel on Yesterhill and its history. Yesterhill was once a sacred place for the Forest Folk of Barovia, an ancient culture that revered death and three ancient deities.

The gang set out to go recover the Martikov's gem and visit this Huntress' sacred temple, only to find nearly 400 druids at Yesterhill. They kept watch on the spiraling path up the hill, marching back and forth. A vast encampment sprawled around the great hill, as preparations for a ceremony went on at the summit. The gang began to plan, then noticed that Ireena had wandered over to a small array of standing stones. There, the gang met Kavan the Blood-Singer, the ghost of an old druidic leader.

He informed you that a ritual, a dangerous one was taking place atop the hill.

The gang disguised themselves as druids, using the names they'd heard at the winery to pull off the insane ruse, and claiming they'd captured Eorlin to be sacrificed. The Forest Folk quickly invited them in, and Dervlekkdda, the leader attempted to drag Eorlin away. With that, a harrowing battle erupted. Dervlekkdda went down pretty much instantly, but the other Forest Folk seemed similarly capable, and the ritual was nearly completed.

But, with many downs from Quiet Dusk and some quick thinking from Qoask, the ritual was stopped just in time, and the gang was left battered and bloody, but alive...

(Level up to 6)

## Session 16 - December 23, 2020 | "So This Tree is a Uterus?"

Still bruised and bloody from the Druid Battle, the gang collected the green gemstone of the Martikovs from the wooden effigy and descended into the depths of the Gulthias tree. There Eorlin faced his worst fear, not being strong—Gaurqoask met up with his most difficult test of will yet—Daphne questioned her role in the party—and Quiet Dusk killed a spider. They all carved your way through the undead that littered the halls of the Huntress and got tree blood all over themselves. They looked at a golden wall carving that forced them to relive your most salient emotions, both old and new, and sent Ireena in to face a trial alone, the consequences of which are still unclear.

But the gang cleared the trial of the Huntress, and she appeared before them, promising a boon of some sort, and brought them back up to the surface, for a conversation and light refreshments.

## Session 17 - December 30, 2020 | "You Have Four Days"

Before the gang sat an extraordinarily pale woman with long ropy black hair and fey eyes. She bared her teeth in what seemed meant to be a smile and said:

*“So, contenders. It looks like Barovia may have a chance after all.”*

The team all met with the Huntress—or rather, an emanation of the Huntress. She gave each of you a boon and directed you towards her sister, Jeny Greenteeth of Vallaki.

You intimidated the druid reinforcements away, met with Kavan Bloodsinger and called him out for suggesting that Dervlekkdda's death would derail the druids' plans. The Martikovs thanked you for recovering their gem, and told you that their doors would always be open to you. Stefania gave you some information that their eyes and ears had gathered: Ez is alive and escaped custody for murder. Vallaki is now under the control of Henrik, and Krezk has been having serious livestock troubles.

Meanwhile, Daphne had a dream visitor—Strahd, demanding that the gang bring Ireena to Ravenloft within the next four days.

You moved on, heading for Vallaki, fought a few plant monsters and discovered that Ireena has begun making disturbing announcements about events she should know nothing about. Gaurqoask found a (dead) countryman, and it became clear that you are not the first adventurers to try to protect Ireena and kill Strahd.

As you passed Krezk, Olivia came running out, screaming that the sheep had been massacred. You went inside to find all 45 sheep remaining had been devoured, with only few bone chips left behind. You confronted Dmitri about Ilya, but he insists that nothing is wrong with his son. You swore you could prove that Ilya was behind it all, and he agreed, still believing you can't.

## Session 18, January 7, 2021 | "Mob Mentality"

You convinced Dmitri Krezkov to let you speak with his son Ilya. He seemed a normal, if rather pale and skinny boy. Daphne spoke with him outside, and found that he remembers being in a dark place, and that a voice has been with him ever since.

Anna, his mother, was outraged by your accusation, and took Ilya off for a “playdate” returning with a crowd of nervous townsfolk to set them on Luca, the sheepherder. The party tried to calm the growing, anxious mob, while Qoask and Daphne headed to Ilya's friend's house.

You found Ilya poised to eat his friend Antonio. He fled, and from outside, you all heard a gut-wrenching scream. Ilya was feeding on a neighborhood woman, his jaw unhingeing down his neck. You fought, and his maw continued to split wider and wider as he attempted to feed on you.

Finally, Quiet Dusk nonlethally took him down with some well-placed strikes.

Eorlin spoke to the crowd, preventing them from taking the Krezkovs away, and pointing blame towards the Abbot. You all prepared for an assault on the Abbey. Garqoask had an ominous dream from Dagven, who told him he was disappointed that Qoask wasn't raising more dead in Dagven's name. Qoask had the sudden realization that Dagven was not, perhaps, his intended mate, but maybe his... his father?

That can't be right.

As the sun began to set, and you gathered the villagers and Ezmerelda arrived, ready to help you all fight. She and Quiet Dusk prepared to sneak into the Abbey, trap the mongryllfolk, and disable the bell system, while the mob climbed the switchback.

Eorlin called the Abbot to the front gate, and demanded that he repair Ilya's soul, but the Abbot only laughed. He called for Ireena to join him and revealed Ismark, alive and well, practically glowing with health. Ireena seemed to fall for it, and you barely stopped her from running to him, but at the last moment, she cast a firebolt burning away the illusion magic and revealing Ismark to be little more than a rotting corpse.

With that, battle began. Eorlin charged the corrupted Deva, while Qoask and Daphne prepared their spells and to call forth their animal companions. With impossible speed, Quiet Dusk raced across the rooftop and leapt down into the field of battle, killing Otto and Zygfrek the mongryllfolk, and sweeping a showy bow to the people.

The Abbot, enraged to be challenged once again, began to lose control of his divine creative powers. His form splitting and shifting in a feverish, bubbling mass, he prepared for his final battle.

## Session 19 - January 14, 2021 | Eorlin Ascendant

The Abbot got some good hits in, but as the battle wore on, you found that you were actually handling him very well. There were a few close calls, but with some powerful hits, you took him down, bringing him to earth and destroying him.

Unfortunately, right as he died, you remembered that you'd meant to have him heal Ilya's soul. So Eorlin, desperate to do some good, opened his mind and soul to Lathander once again. In that moment, he transformed from a fallen aasimar to a redeemed, protector aasimar.

He rose up, shining and golden, and healed the tear in Ilya's soul, a divine act of redemption.

You all cleared the Abbey, and decided what to do with Vasilka and the Mongryllfolk, eventually determining that they would leave them here to try to help the Krezkites stave off starvation. Ezmerelda slipped off again into the evening.

After a dream in which Dagven left Gaurqoask, the gang had a family powwow, in which Qoask was accused of necrophilia and barely avoided a birds and bees talk, Quiet Dusk became very upset, and Eorlin was forced to reckon with his fatherly role in the group.

You then headed to Vallaki and found that it is now a Strahd-ocracy, under Henrik's rule. Father Lucian is dead, and dissenters are tossed from the walls every morning onto spikes.

With a few *'Hail Strahd, blessings of the dark one, hail the dread lord'*s, you slipped to the South gate of Vallaki and Lake Zarovich. There, you met Jeny Greenteeth and witnessed a body being dredged from the lake under the supervision of Urwin and Danika Martikov. As the Vistani grievers slowly made their way past you, Daphne witnessed a distressing sight—a small child, the little girl she'd seen in her dream, sopping wet and translucent. The little girl followed the procession, asking her father and her uncle to look at her, but none could see her. Desperately, she turned to Daphne, and asked her to help, before drifting away on the wind.

## Session 20 - January 21, 2021 | "Is... Is Quiet Dusk a Murderer?"

The gang all learned of the death of Arabelle, the daughter of the local Vistani chief, Luvash. You decided to investigate, as Daphne saw the girl's spirit, and had been visited by her soul in a dream.

You attended an extremely raucous Vistani life celebration, where Dervlekkdda and Gaurqoask played drums. You all met Luvash and his brother Arrigal, the leaders of this particular Vistani camp. Luvash explained that he's certain there was foul play involved in his daughter's murder. He believes the town drunk, Bluto, who is currently MIA, kidnapped and drowned his daughter. He wishes for you to bring him Bluto, so that he may skin him.

His brother Arrigal said he would like you to find the real killer, whether that's Bluto or someone else.

You commenced your investigation after a rowdy night just outside the Vistani camp. You visited the Blue water Inn, where Qoask scared the shit out of a wolf hunter, just returned from a night of pest control and you received a large diamond in thanks for checking on Urwin's family.

You also checked out Bluto's shack, Bom and Bray's secret stuff cache, where they often met with Arabelle to play, and Blinsky's toyshop.

You visited Arasek's stockyard and bought it, along with its hefty tax debt, from Arasek's daughter. There, you chatted with Vasili, before returning to the Blue Water Inn to check Rictavio's room.

The evidence you found so far includes the following:

* Arabelle's ghost says she was in a sack and she drowned
* she was with a scary man when she drowned. She pulled him in with her, but doesn't know if he drowned
* Bluto has been missing for as long as Arabelle has
* The day Arabelle went missing, Bluto purchased rope and a new oar from Arasek's stockyard. He came into the Inn oddly early that morning, just after dawn.
* Bluto's shack has Arabelle's toy, commissioned in her likeness by her uncle Arrigal
* Bluto's shack is also home to clumps of white animal fur
* Arabelle sneaks into Vallaki to play with Bom and Bray. She did a card reading that told her there was a dangerous man in town, who wears glasses. She was planning on investigating
* Arabelle and the village kids love to hang around Blinsky's shop
* Arabelle had a run in with a “scary man” the day before she disappeared and Bluto was worried about her
* Blinsky's monkey, given to him by Rictavio, recognized the white hairs as belonging to a “Friend” who he hasn't seen in a while
* Rictavio left the day of the festival
* Rictavio's room his some writings on enchantment magic and evidence of spell work done to imbue an object with some kind of magic
* Rictavio left a book behind called “Van Richten's Guide to Hunting Monsters” the pages are marked up. It's clear he referred frequently to pages on enchanted dolls and mind control.

The gang then headed back to the lake to see if the Vistani had found anything in the lake, only to stumble upon a tense scene—the Vistani yelling at Blinsky, and Luvash an inch away from fighting him.

## Session 21 - January 28, 2021 | "So VR is a Piece of WORK"

Daphne spoke to some algae that recounted that Bluto's body, which just resurfaced, was tossed into the lake about 10 hours ago, and that a weathered man pushed the body in, giving the algae a delightful meal.

The party considered the possible identity of this weatherman, and convinced Luvash and Arrigal to return to their camp. You spoke to Blinsky and learned that he was following his monkey Piccolo, hoping to find and confront Rictavio, who he now suspects had a hand in things, given his unusual purchases and the monkey's reaction to the fur.

You told him to go home, and to spend more time outside. Naturally, he did not. As you were making a plan, you caught sight of him ineptly sneaking into the woods, following Piccolo around the lake.

You all followed him to a clearing on the far side. You hurried into the small campsite and found Rictavio standing over an unconscious Blinsky. Rictavio identified himself as the famous vampire hunter, Rudolph Van Richten. None of you have really heard of him, but Eorlin has seen his book in bookshops before.

Richten claims that Arabelle was sneaking around his cart, and that Bluto killed her. He found Bluto in hiding, terrified of Luvash's retribution, and drilled him for information, then killed him upon learning what Bluto had done.

Your rather eventful conversation with Van Richten included rumors about Madam Eva's true identity, Luvash and Arrigal's work for Strahd, and Van Richten's desire to get Ez out of Barovia with an enchanted doll. In an effort to blackmail Van Richten, Qoask cast feign death on Blinsky. Richten was regretful, but thoroughly unguilted. He then went on a racist tirade about the Vistani and admitted that he planned to set his trained tiger on the Vistani camp near here, as they are all spies for Strahd.

You talked him down and instead went to the camp to kidnap Arrigal. An Oscar-worthy performance later, you convinced Arrigal you'd found Arabelle's killer and escorted him to Van Richten's camp. On the way, Arrigal plotted with Daphne, disguised as Luvash, to kill to party, present Richten's head to Strahd, and give him Ireena.

On arriving, the truth was revealed. A short, elk-filled battle later, you tied up and questioned Arrigal. A letter bearing Eva's face and Arabelle's face revealed that Strahd wanted Arrigal to give him Madam Eva in exchange for Arabelle's resurrection. Arrigal, when questioned, revealed that Madame Eva is ancient and an enemy of Strahd, and that she is the one who brings adventurers here, over and over and over again.

You all questioned her motive, and decided that she likely was in love with Sergei and wants to rescue his soul from the Sun-sword and free his resurrected body from Strahd's control.

As you discussed, Arrigal poisoned himself with a capsule hidden in his teeth. His last word was “Arabelle”.

Upon his death, Gaurqoask swiftly resurrected him as his newest son.

## Session 22 - February 04, 2021 | "Mammoask"

The gang all planned the heist of the century. After learning that the Vistani had the key to the amber temple, you returned to your inn to rest and prepare for the next day. You resolved to wake before dawn, get the key, and meet with Richten before he left at noon.

In the middle of the night, Strahd's voice boomed out over Vallaki, saying *THE FINAL DAY.*

You all slept fitfully, but the next morning prepared for the heist. The plan went off without a hitch, mostly because there wasn't much of a plan to begin with. Quiet Dusk gaseous formed his way into the treasure wagon and opened every chest he could. He found many treasures, but no key, and realized quite suddenly, that he wasn't actually sure what he was even looking for.

As the gang watched from the outskirts of the camp, they saw a drunken Luvash stagger out, trying to wake people, gesturing to the cart. An alarm must have been triggered.

Desperate to distract them, Qoask called down lightning, setting fire to several wagons. Chaos reigned, and the group raced to the wagon. A startlingly sturdy window was all that stood between you and a clean get away. The window won, and battle broke out! Gaurqoask polymorphed into a mammoth and you all ran for it. It was a quick skirmish that ended with an elf turned into jelly, a few dead vistani, and brother bear killed by Luvash.

You raced for it, pausing for a moment at the lake to meet with Jeny. She gave you your things, and informed Daphne that consuming the dream pies laid a curse on her that can only be lifted if she saves a child. The curse is apparently the work of a power known as Serena.

Then, inside the cart, you heard a clatter. A little mechanical jester popped out of the cart. He, it turns out, holds the key to the amber temple. He is an asshole. A huge asshole. After a few insulting jokes, Pidlwick cavorted his way into the forest, flipping of Qoask, who he seemed to have taken a dislike of.

## Session 23 - February 18, 2021 | "Riddles and Nightmares"

Last session, you all had a hunt through the woods, chasing down Pidlwick, the key to the Amber temple.

Quiet Dusk went running into the woods after him, promptly failed a wisdom save, and was forced to interact with his childhood trauma. He saw a future that might have been if he hadn't had the luck to escape the traders who planned to skin him. A strange force with a really really bad Irish accent then reached out to him, telling him that he could find a way to bend luck.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party went through a series of riddles, and slowly got picked off, one by one by the mist, and pushed through some odd visions. Eorlin spoke to “Lathander” and realized that he was being contacted by a force from the Amber Temple, promising him power. Gaurqoask chased a dragon egg and spoke, again, and very defiantly, with Dagven, who promised that he's watching. Daphne went home to the grove, only to see everything fall apart around her, and her father figure tell her she can't save everyone.

You all awoke in a clearing, and fought Sir Kaeleb, a revenant knight who said that Sir Vladimir Horngaard had sent her to kill you to keep Strahd in his ultimate punishment.

The battle was tough, but Daphne introduced a new friend: Jeremy the Fey, who is Eorlin's new competition.

After defeating Sir Kaeleb, the gang reunited with Ireena who was trapped in a memory, and retrieved the key from a still cavorting Pidlwick.

The gang returned, slowly to Van Richten's camp only to find him long gone. Wearily, you passed out, awaking at the stroke of midnight to the arrival of Strahd Von Zarovich, here to claim Ireena.

## Session 24 - February 26, 2021 | "Strahd Wants a Cuddle"

Strahd arrived in full wrath mode, ready to take Ireena. He told you to hand her over, and he would be merciful. You refused.

Some quick thinking by Qoask had Owlreena flying swiftly away, while the rest of you stepped up to be the first to have their asses kicked. Strahd, confident and almost amused by your resistance, engaged you in battle. With two strokes he cut down Jeremy, Daphne’s fey familiar. With another two strokes he killed Nobu and prepared to take on your party.

Quiet Dusk proved to be one of the only ones to land a hit on him, almost stunning him if it weren’t for his legendary resistance. When Ireena was de-owled, Quiet Dusk took the initiative, running to fetch her and sprint through the forest away from Strahd, all while pursued by strahd’s steed, Bucephalus. Everyone went down multiple times, thanks to the powers Strahd stole from the Fanes. One by one, the party retreated, leaving only Eorlin to stand against Strahd. The vampire lord grappled Eorlin, and with glee, drank Eorlin’s blood, de-aging rapidly before your eyes to a much younger man. Getting bored with combat, Strahd decided to pursue Ireena and flew off in bat form.

Realizing the dire situation, Ireena told Quiet Dusk, who had just stunned Bucephalus, to make for the lake. There, she drew a dagger, stabbed herself and threw herself back into the lake, yelling out “Tell him I died!”

Strahd, enraged, took to the skies, yelling about vengeance, while Gaurqoask dove into the lake, hoping to retrieve Ireena’s body.

There, he communed with the Huntress, and she offered to allow him to accompany Ireena through her river of the dead. The party, back on shore, returned to camp, exhausted and badly beaten up. Daphne, thinking both Ireena and her son dead, was devastated.

Then, the two emerged from the lake. Ireena looking safe and sound, and Qoask looking… different. He bore the mark of the Huntress on the back of his hand. The party, reunited, returned to Jeny’s to get the full story. She told them of the Valley’s history, Ireena’s past lives, and Strahd’s rise to power. She said that they will need to Reconsecrate the Three Fanes to weaken Strahd.

The party puzzled some more over the whereabouts of the “holy symbol” only to realize that the man they were looking for, the one with the loving family and warm-heart, was in fact Urwin Martikov.

Jeny gave you a place to rest and recover, and you purchased a few things, including a magic scimitar and a bag of chewing.

## Session 25 - March 04, 2021 | "Drinks and Dancing"

In Barovia, the team met up with Urwin and learned that he’s only willing to give you the Holy Symbol or Ravenkind if you returned the Bones of St. Andral to create a safe place for his family to retreat to in Vallaki. He revealed that the Wachter children were seen disappearing towards Fidatov Manor with a suspicious sack.

The gang hurried to Fidatov Estate, bringing Dmitri Krezkov's letter to get them in the door under the guise of asking for food for Krezk. You arrived to see a party, in full swing. Refreshments, fine clothes and music, and a butler named Taltos greeted you. You mingled, met Lady Marilena, a young, brilliant, but snobby woman who dressed Ireena and Daphne up in fine clothes and made Gaurqoask wear a kilt.

You gathered intel, but Marilena denied that the Wachter children had been there, and insisted that Fiona had no children. She became upset upon hearing that Dmitri had sent you, and mentioned that they had recently broken up.

The gang abruptly realized that the Fidatov Estate seemed to be stuck fifteen years in the past.

Oh well, you thought, and continued to mingle and explore, looking for clues. Eorlin fought a guest/bouncer. Quiet Dusk burned his paw and got flirted with. Daphne ate dozens of jalapeno poppers.

Then the party screeched to a halt. Around you, guests wailed and choked and dropped dead. The great mansion began to rot, and with an awful scream, the party descended into hellish evil.

Swiftly, you retreated to Freedom and took shelter for a long rest...

But when you emerged in the morning, you found the estate bustling and lively, and gearing up for that night's party.

## Session 25.1 - March 11, 2021 | "Shoveling Shit"

The gang got to meet some of the old members of the grove who were left behind! Mud the Kobold, Quiet Duck, and a frequent visitor of the grove Surus Han confronted some threats to the grove and, mostly successfully, drove them out.

## Session 26 - March 18, 2021 | "The Maze and the Death Dog"

The gang woke up, got taken in for trespassing, and got to meet some of the party guests in the early morning. You met Sven Iverson, the large man that Eorlin wrestled and narrowly avoided telling Marilena that Dmitri sent you. Miraculously, she believed that “Kmitri” from Krezk sent you to ask for help, and, reluctantly agreed to send food to Krezk. While she went to check her stores, Eorlin engaged Taltos in a discussion of aged cheeses, while Quiet Dusk stole his key ring. You hurried to the maze and found that there is no lock on either gate. You plunged into the maze only to be swiftly attack by a demonic dog. Sirens sounded, and Marilena entered the maze, commanding the dog to stand down. Daphne had her first encounter with someone who just couldn’t be persuaded that she’s actually dead and reliving the same day. Combat was short. Ireena fireballed a set of automaton crossbows in the windows, and Marilena went down in two hits.

Instantly, the curse was triggered, the house rotted, and you heard screams from inside.

Investigating the house revealed that Taltos had survived the poisoning and attempted to clean up. You found his body behind a suspicious mirror, along with a note and his keys.

Inside the now-unlocked art gallery, a set of enchanted mirrors were displayed, along with statues and crests. Experimentation with the mirrors revealed a mirror dimension behind the walls, complete with menacing copies of each of you. Investigating the study revealed that you needed to retrieve the crests of Valetian Fidatov to gain etry to the crypt: Two crests for two twin fountains.

Quiet Dusk had a brief skirmish with his double to retrieve the crest from the mirror realm, then you entered the maze.

Inside the maze, the dog stalked you, but you made it to safety and found inside the fountain yard, two huddled figures: Stella and Nikolai Wachter.

As the dog prowled around the edge of the safe bubble, you had time to take a breath, but the night’s end swiftly approached.

## Session 27, March 25, 2021 | "It Was All Just a Bill of Sale for a Horse"

The gang traversed the maze, brute-forced several puzzles, and, after several more near misses from the seemingly invulnerable demon dog, got teh kids to safety and prepared to enter the crypt and end the curse. Down in the crypt, you found the "Lavender Bones", and a cursed banshee. Marilena fought you, but you swiftly defeated her and emerged victorious, finding that defeating Marilena's corrupted spirit had lifted the curse.

As you stepped out of the maze, alarms sounded, but Marilena, now much older, seemed puzzled rather than angry. She did not seem to believe the tale of the curse, so you presented her with Taltos' suicide note, only to find... that it was a Bill of Sale for a Horse.

(The party reached Level 8)

## Session 28 - April 1, 2021 | "The Tragedy of Werewolf 4A" aka "A Scroll of Fireball Ruins Everything"

Last session, the gang set out to return to Vallaki with Ireena, the bones, and the kids. Marilena offered a night's lodging, but, eager to get back to Vallaki, the gang refused.

Weary and worn from a long night in the maze, the team headed out on Freedom. As you made your way back to the road, you discovered that you were being stalked.

A wolf emerged, and the party soon realized: they were surrounded. An ambush was in place, headed by Kiril, the leader of the wolf pack you had encountered before.

At first, it seemed like it would be a fair fight, as several more wolves and werewolves appeared from the undergrowth. Qoask called on the Huntress and blasted the wolves who tried to take him on. Eorlin set to work with his sword, and Quiet Dusk darted out to take on the flanking wolves head on.

But the wolves began systematically taking down their enemies and were joined by an additional round of wolves. It soon became clear: They were here for Ireena, and they had come prepared, sent by Strahd to take her after it seemed as though she had died at the lake.

Then, the pack was joined by Rahadin—Strahd’s chamberlain. Rahadin opened out the gate with a fireball blast straight in the center of the party. The wagon in flames and wolves closing in, the battle became truly desperate.

Your party fought valiantly, but the werewolves caught hold of Ireena, dragging her towards a black carriage. She fought and freed herself several times, but each time she escaped, the wolves grappled her once again.

In a desperate bid to save Ireena, Gaurqoask cast banish. The Huntress shouted a warning in his mind, but Gaurqoask, being Gaurqoask, cast it anyway.

Ireena’s essence and the power of the Curse on Barovia resisted the spell, and, as Ireena was smacked against the edges of the demiplane, she took serious damage and fell unconscious.

The wolves grabbed her again. Quiet Dusk raced forward and grabbed her back, running from the wolves, but the carriage and the lycanthropes followed.

Chaos reined! Kiril called more wolves, a Boggle attempted to steal the amber temple key, only to realize that it was on Ireena, not Eorlin, and Quiet Dusk was transformed into a Mammoth!

But the battle was too close. Rahadin grabbed Ireena as the wolves defended, and the black carriage took flight.

Rahadin, his task finished, left. Kiril fled like the chihuahua he is, leaving his loyal wolves behind to be killed.

The battle ended.

The team survived an encounter with Strahd’s righthand man, armed with the best tools his master had to give him, but lost Ireena. Weary, defeated, the gang turned around and headed back to the Fidatov estate to rest, recover, and regroup.

There, as they pondered their next move, Daphne had a dream-scape run-in with Serena, the patron of motherhood, who gave her a nifty magic item. Gaurqoask learned that theoretically the Huntress could help him become a werewolf, Eorlin communed with Lathander, and Quiet Dusk ate a lot of party food.

## Session 29 - April 8, 2021 | "Is Everyone in Barovia a Furry?"

Stella? Cured. Ezmerelda? an old lady. Eorlin? A saint. Holy Symbol obtained.

## Session 30 - April 15, 2021 | "Spider-Punch"

Back in Barovia, the gang met up with Ezmerelda, who stole them several horses to aid their trip to Argynvostholt, where the tomb could be found. Along the way, the group had a brief run-in with Viktor Vallakovich, who seemed to be stuck in a teleportation loop. After some discussion of good parenting in which Daphne revealed that she has had a Serena-motivated change of heart about fixing Quiet Dusk up with Ezmerelda, the gang arrived at argynvostholt, and found it to be a crumbling manor, infested with spiders and undead. After a fiery and punchy battle with some spiders in the ballroom, the gang entered Argynvostholt and cast Locate Object, bypassing all exploration to head straight to the third floor where the tomb was.

There, you found a corpse, right over the tome, and, feeling on a gut level that the corpse was definitely not actually dead, Qoask called out to it. The corpse introduced himself as Sir Vladimir Horngaard, of the Knights of the Silver Dragon, and asked the gang why they had come. The gang announced that they'd come for the tome. Vladimir asked what their purpose was and Daphne, in a stroke of admirable yet naive honesty, told him that they planned to kill Strahd. Wearily, Vladimir arose and announced that he could not allow that to happen and, unfortunately, he would have to kill them.

Battle commenced, and Vlad was soon joined by phantom warriors that began to hammer at the party. Gaurqoask called up spirit guardians and did serious damage. The warriors seemed to be dying, but popped up again unexpectedly, though some did seem to actually be dying. Vlad hits hard, but seems capable of taking quite a bit of damage. He downed several members of your team, But quick intervention by Daphne got them back up. But as the battle wears on, you're all taking hard hits. At the top of the round, Vlad pulled back, and gave an awful dragon shriek. Out in the halls, you heard the sound of swords being drawn...

## Session 30.1 - April 21, 2021 | "Lt. Franklin's Vengeance"

Having sent the Army of Steel and Smoke packing, primarily by opening the gates and causing a mutiny, Surus, Mud, and Bogdan take on some of Daphne's grovely duties in her absence.

## Session 31 - April 29, 2021 | "Messages"

the Strahd Gang, in their latest strategy to kiss Strahd-boy himself, found themselves in the midst of battle. Though you had taken out a fair number of phantom warriors, they were in dangerously rough shape. Gaurqoask, with his intestines spilling out, Eorlin battered near to death, Daphne desperately trying to keep her children and Eorlin on their feet, and Quiet Dusk surrounded. Vladimir, in startingly good shape, the tome of Strahd still affixed to his chest, had called several of his men out to join the fight. Outnumbered and in bad shape, the gang eagerly accepted Sir Vladimir's offer of cease-fire and parlay. He explained that Zevrin gave him the tome for safe-keeping, and that he will not give it over without knowing for a fact that you won't use it to destroy Strahd. The conversation was full of surprising tidbits. apparently 200 years ago, Zevrin joined the Order of the Silver Dragon. After a shockingly unsuccessful attempt to negotiate "just a quick look" at the Tome by Gaurqoask, Vlad gave you leave to travel the castle safely, so long as you didn't attack any of his knights, and instructed you not to overstay your welcome.

After learning that there was once a beacon, a tomb up on the roof, the gang hurried up to check it out and see what happened to this silver dragon. On the roof you found evidence of a great battle and magical fire, along with several ballistae and a large tower. You spotted a dragonet, which you followed into the unlocked, un-trapped tower. the tower was open to the floors below, and Quiet Dusk, encouraged by Qoask and Eorlin jumped down into the foggy chapel, and promptly realized he had made a terrible mistake when three revenants turned around to face him. He dashed back up, and onto the platform, and after a very awkward conversation, Ezmerelda blurted out that she doesn't like cats, then went very red in the face.

Up in the beacon proper, you met the spirit of Argynvostholt, an ancient silver dragon who was the leader of the order. His skull was taken, stolen by the witch Baba Lysaga. He doesn't remember much more than than, but assured you that returning his skull would relight the beacon, and bring the light back to his lost knights.

After a quick discussion, you were joined by the seemingly asthmatic Sir Godfrey who seemed more cognitively whole than his fellow knights. He bonded with Eorlin over old prayers of Lathander, and then promised to keep watch over your bedchambers should Vladimir change his mind. In the chambers you sent a message to Ireena and Van Richten, along with a threat to Kiril. Ezmerelda, feeling embarrassed, tried to explain to Quiet Dusk that she wasn't racist against tabaxi nor did she consider him a cat, but that Quiet Dusk had made a comment about everyone in Barovia being furries, and that she wanted to explain that she was not a furry, but that it came out wrong.

Quiet Dusk did not like this conversation.

Neither did Daphne, who knocked Ezmerelda over with a gust spell.

That night, Daphne dreamed of Strahd, who left the gang with an invitation to his wedding, set for two weeks from that night. The next day, the gang set out for Berez.

On the way, Kiril showed up, as his message promised, and Gaurqoask battled him, with a bit of help from Daphne and Serena, then took charge of the Werewolf pack. The team continued to Berez, where they found a ghost who had stoned his daughter, a previous Ireena named Marina, to death then been killed by Strahd for his trouble, and a disturbing hut, with a baby in a crib, set over a crack with growing green light beneath it, and a strange bathtub, with a bundle over it.

Qoask was overwhelmed with strange power, and realized with shock that the bundle must be Laura Stoneheart, the mortal remnant of The Huntress.

As Eorlin cast a spell to find the skull, and cut through the chains that bound Laura to the ceiling, they planned their escape.

Just when they got Laura to the ground, Eorlin felt it. The Skull. Returning. At a very VERY swift pace.

Baba Lysaga was home.

## Session 32 — May 6, 2021 | "Daphne Goes Super Saiyan"

The gang emerged from Baba’s hut with the remnant of the Huntress, and found Baba swiftly approaching, her hut very angry, and her scarecrows ready to go on the attack.

Baba burst onto the scene and opened with a cackling cast of Evard’s Black Tentacles. As Eorlin desperately tried to inform Baba that they were totally, absolutely just here to invite her to Strahd’s wedding, the others struggled with the tentacles and tried to move into battle formation.

The hut continued to attack, and, with a burst of realization, Quiet Dusk climbed inside, going to rip open the floorboards and get the Martikovs’ gem.

Baba screamed for them to stay away from her baby, then cast cloudkill inside the hut. As battle continued outside, Quiet Dusk, choking on poisonous fog that roiled out of the hut into the marsh, seized the gem from the mouth of the hut and jumped for it. Qoask had Laura pull him into *The Spill*, where he got to see the disturbing side of the planes.

Outside, Van Richten joined the group, ready to help out with his cantrips and sword cane as Ez darted around trying to take out scarecrows.

Deadly damage was taken as the cloud of poison continued to roll out. Daphne went down and back up again and again, caught in the mire of poison.

Enraged, Baba turned Van Richten into a weasel and targeted the group with spell after spell. Eorlin went down, and to everyone’s horror, stayed down. Quiet Dusk, now back from The Spill was ensnared by tentacles and beaten to unconsciousness. Qoask, for the first time ever in a fight, was forced to back down and retreat, and Daphne still lay unconscious in the poison as the last remaining scarecrow continued to batter at her.

Just as all hope seemed to be lost, Daphne felt Serena’s presence. The power of a deity filled her, and she arose, ready to save her children and, I guess if she has to, save Eorlin.

With several powerful flame spells, Daphne took down Baba, knocking her from the sky. Baba’s foul spirit arose and cursed Daphne’s name, swearing that her coven would seek vengeance for the death of their mother.

With that, she died, searing a scorching hole into the earth.

Daphne felt the power fading, and knew she had one action left: but who to save?

She ran to Dusk’s side, then cast healing spirit on Qoask. Qoask, seeing his father down and not stirring, leapt to his side and used his precious diamonds to resurrect Eorlin. Eorlin gasped back to life. He had been on the brink of stepping over, but Qoask’s quick thinking brought him back.

With Quiet Dusk on the verge of rolling his final save, Ez thunder stepped over and stabilized him with her medicine kit.

The gang was then left in the aftermath of the battle. Van Richten called Ezmerelda’s wagon over and attempted to convince you all to use the green gem to leave Barovia, but Eorlin and Daphne spoke up. Daphne, surprisingly, defended Ezmerelda, telling Van Richten that he can’t control her, even if he thinks it will keep her safe, while Eorlin spoke compellingly of their need to stay in Barovia and fix things.

Reluctantly, Van Richten agreed with you, and a little bit of finagling later, you all got the skull of Argynvost affixed to the back of the wagon and floating in the air. You'd lost most of the horses, but Fork, Nobu, and Ezmerelda’s horses remained.

Wearily, with an eye on the sky, you set out, back towards Argynvostholt.

## Session 33 — May 13, 2021 | "The Beacon of Argynvostholt"

The gang returned to Argynvostholt from Berez, bringing the dragon skull along with them. Along the way, the gang discussed Daphne going “super sand” and asked Laura their questions. She alluded to usurpers, and Strahd’s desecration of the holy sites of the Fanes, along with giving you a little more information about life before Strahd, and Strahd’s arrival in the valley. Eorlin spoke with Van Richten as well, and had the unsettling realization that Van Richten tends to throw the baby out with the bath water where killing monsters is concerned.

Outside, napping in the skull, Daphne was approached by Serena, who complimented her on her skills and dispatch of Baba Lysaga. She then asked Daphne for a small favor—just a little teensy one, involving getting Eorlin to say a word, so that she could feed off his “residual” energy. Daphne agreed, but uneasily turned to Eorlin. She masterfully used an analogy of an extra finger to ask Eorlin his advice as far as dealing with unusual gods. He encouraged her to break off this toxic relationship, before she or her children got hurt, and Daphne confessed that she had agreed to get Eorlin to say a word starting with the letter R that has to do with emotions and informed everyone that no one could say this word or else their extra finger would be removed.

Quiet Dusk and Qoask immediately began trying to guess and say the word.

At Argynvostholt, things seemed… off. Sir Godfrey, standing by the fence, revealed that Vlad had figured out your plan and fully intends to stop… whatever you plan to do. Godfrey promised his help, and a plan was hatched: fly the skull up to the beacon while Eorlin distracted Vlad.

Quiet Dusk nimbly made his way up the tower, while Qoask and Daphne crept around the side. Eorlin successfully distracted Vlad and, unfortunately, also earned his attention. Vlad had his revenants turn their ballistae on Eorlin and jumped from the fucking roof to go fight him up close and personal. The battle was harrowing, but Eorlin dodged and blocked and put several strong hits on Vlad. Meanwhile, Quiet Dusk and Godfrey held off enemy revenants in the stairs, culminating in Quiet Dusk pile driving an enemy revenant four floors down to the chapel below. Finally, the skull was returned to its rightful place. Brilliant light spread across the land, melting the remaining revenants, and granting all of you the Beacon’s Protection.

You retrieved the tome and found that it was… different. The first half was the same, but more pages had been added, along with several magical locks keeping the information lcoked away. On touching the tome, A flickering mirage appeared: Zevrin. Older, wiser, and with a significantly different voice.

The team then spoke with Sir Godfrey, who, alone of the Revenants, remained. He gave you a coin to call for his aid and promised to watch over the beacon. An investigation of the main study revealed several items: a journal page of Argynvost’s, and a sword, identical to the one Vladimir had carried, hidden away, emblazoned with the name Godfrey. The next day, you reunited Laura with Jeny, and got a few new items.

Jeny revealed that the rings you’d found a while back, one inside Pidlwick and the other in Death House, were cursed rings that allowed Strahd to listen in on you. She then ate them. Daphne asked Jeny about Serena, and Jeny, seeming very very concerned, but trying to hide it, said Daphne needed to break her bond with Serena immediately. On guidance from Jeny, Daphne destroyed the Mother’s Circlet, and was forced to see images of her friends and family and grove… destroyed. Swiftly, and looking worried, the two old women got back on their cart and headed off for Yesterhill as the gang decided to check out the first chapter of the Tome.

## Session 34 — May 18, 2021 | "Pages of the Past"

The gang prepped to go into the tome. Out in the driveway of Argynvostholt, Quiet Dusk opened the tome. Bright light surged out, and the four were pulled into the pages of the tome. You landed in a dark, opulent hallway, where young Strahd, around eight years old, was looking into the study, where his parents were arguing. Qoask investigated the study, while the others spoke to the young prince, learning that his father is often away at war, and his mother is always sad and never really talks to him. Qoask, in his inspection of the study, learned that King Barov is unfaithful to his wife, and that Queen Ravenovia is far from a loving mother. He followed Barov and Rahadin, now rather younger, but still just as unpleasant, out to the gates, where he saw them join a great host in the distance, moving out on their next campaign. When he rejoined the team in young Strahd's "practice room", They attempted to convince the young prince, calling him "bucko" and "kiddo", not to become evil.

You were then whisked ten years into the future, and found that Strahd's mother had just given birth to Sergei, and that King Barov has decided to retire from war, instead sending Strahd out to battle in his stead, while Barov plays father to a "priest-blessed" baby prince Sergei. Strahd is disgusted and bitter, and believes his father means for him to die on the field. He has been studying hard in the decade since you last saw him, learning about things called "ambient deities" and the making of spell scrolls.

You then went on to fight and direct Strahd's armies in his early years. A harrowing battle was fought, and Quiet Dusk went down, but you defeated enemies via superior tactics and a willingness to risk all to take down the enemy. When the battle was won, you were treated to a victory speech, wine, and the chance to gather some information. You learned that Rahadin is called "kinslayer" and "traitor" among elves, that a Lady Ilona Markovia travels with the army, resurrecting higher ranking officers, and that Strahd is one of the few officers not to engage in the typical military downtime activities, like brotheling and drinking.

You emerged from the first pages of the tome feeling oddly empowered, but find that four hours passed in which Ez and VR protected your inert bodies on the front lawn. As you went inside and met Sir Godfrey, you abrupty put two and two together that he and Vladimir had... ahem, exchanged swords. He was glad to have the one with his name on it returned to him, and hoped to recover the one with Vladimir's name on it.

You moved inside for the second chapter, which covered Strahd's early thirties. Sergei is clearly adored, while Strahd has become bitter. After receiving news of a military defeat, Strahd stormed off, and you learned why he protects the Vistani—they, or rather YOU, protected him when he was set upon by assassins, and healed him from deadly poison. You spent some time with the Caladan Vistani Circle, met their Raunie, Madame Esther, and her daughter Katarina, who seemed unusually fixated on Strahd. You observed a reading done for him by Esther, in which he learned details of his future: death always on his heels, mist in his fate, and traitorous blood that would mark his doom. You emerged to find only 15 minutes had passed, and decided that you'd jump in and try to finish at least one more chapter before heading out to your next destination.

## Session 35 — May 27, 2021 | "Dragon Fury"

The gang dove into one of Strahd's memories, commanding Strahd's army.

After breaking through the gate, you routed the remaining knights of Argynvost. Jeremy and Eorlin proved the perfect team, working in total synchrony  to prevent Eorlin from getting a swing at his opponents. As the gang was considering how to get inside to kill Vladimir and whether it would be a war crime to fill the sealed keep with cloudkill, you were interrupted by the arrival of Argynvost. The great silver dragon was ancient, and in the final years of his life. Seeing his brothers slaughtered, he raccepted his death, and only wishing to take Strahd down with him. The battle was, um, expertly described with no innuendo at all. As the gang made a startling showing against Argynvost, nearly defeating the silver dragon yourselves, Rahadin cowered, and Strahd struggled to free himself from Argynvost's jaw.

With your help and Daphne's healing, Strahd narrowly avoided death, skewering the dragon through the skull with his blade.

In a cold battle rage, Strahd broke down the door to the keep and entered, slaughtering anyone he came upon. Vladimir, now mortally wounded broke from cover, going to save Godfrey from Strahd, but Eorlin stopped him, running him through.

In the keep, you followed Strahd just in time to see Rahadin looking lightly concerned, and Strahd killing a surrendering Godfrey and his few remaining men. Vladimir, somehow still alive by the power of plot armor, staggers, impaled past you, only to be cut down by Strahd. With his dying breath, he swore vengeance.

Meanwhile, Strahd congratulated you all on a battle well fought and your ability to resist dragon terror. He went outside, and you saw a familiar shambling figure: Baba Lysaga, a bit younger, but still just as foul, greedily overseeing the dragon's carcass. Just as Strahd went to decapitate Argynvost, light enveloped the body, and Argnvost was spirited away into the bright blue sky.
Strahd and Baba screamed with rage, and Strahd, filled with hatred ordered the entire keep be razed and the bodies desecrated, disposed of without honor. You returned to the present, tired and worn, and looking extremely beat up. Ez informed you that you were gone for four hours this time, then, said she needed to check you, to make sure you werent being controlled by Strahd as a result of your foray into the tome. Pricking your thumbs with a silver-blessed dagger, and allowing you to check her as well, you found that nothing was amiss and resolved to turn in and rest. The others fell into a dreamless sleep, but as Daphne pulled back her blankets to gt some rest, she found a disconcerting sight—the circlet she had destroyed, with a note from Serena.
It seems that the dark power isn't quite ready to give up on her investment, no matter what Daphne may want.

## Session 36 — June 3, 2021 | "A Night Battle and the Return of the Boy"

Daphne, disturbed by the return of the circlet, quickly called together the group, along with a cow friend, to discuss options. Accepting the circlet was out of the question, and the gang decided that they couldn't waste anymore time digging through Strahd's trauma. With the wedding approaching and the timeline pushing, they decided not to waste any time.

So, leaving the replacement Mother's Circlet in a corner underneath a pile of clothes and rotting lumber, you set out to ride through the night, after receiving a cryptic message from Vasili, with truly terrible directions and an ominous mention of "Big Bird" and "hard road". Van Richten split from the party, with reference to "Something he has to do" and revealing that his tiger is trained to murder Vistani by their smell.

The gang took shifts sleeping and keeping watch as the wagon rolled through the night. You hadn't traveled at night in Barovia in a while, and as the darkness got deeper and the mist got thicker, Eorlin became aware of a terrible smell. A zombie clot and and a zombie pack staggered out of the woods, along with a swarm of legs and arms. The odds seemed stacked against them as boneless skin monsters sloughed off of the strahd zombies, joining the fight, but quick thinking from Qoask turned the undead, destroying most of the horde in an instant, and sending the clot fleeing 160 feet per ten seconds. The gang put some distance between themselves and the writhing mass of zombies, using the time before the clot turned back and caught up to arrange themselves advantageously.

The clot took a number of hits, getting back up against all odds each time, but finally a strike from Quiet dusk destroyed it utterly. and it collapsed. A dark blob of energy in the center of the mass dispersed, revealing that Strahd had sent the clot, along with a letter informing them to keep on their toes, and thanking them for making life interesting.

The gang rode through the night until dawn arrived, with no further incidents. Tired, but at least rested enough to go another day, you left Ezemerelda on the road to meet up with Vasili and proceeded south. Along the way, you rescued Bucko 2.0, aka Viktor Vallakovich from his time warping prison, and learned that he'd had a run in with Zevrin.  Leaving him behind, to presumably get into another mess, the gang headed through the woods to the base of Mount Ghakis.  As you began the climb, the weather began to get colder and colder. A massive bird took flight over head, seeping north east, and a large gatehouse came into view. Reaching the switchback into the mountain proper, surrounded by towering peaks and high-altitude storms, the gang decided to take wing, and, some transmutation magic later, found them flying up the peak to the gatehouse. When Daphne attempted to fly over the hosue with Gaurquoask, two petrified Vrocks sprang into action with their prepared defense of the tower, stunning Daphne, and sending her and Qoask plummeting a whole 30 feet to the ground.

The battle was short. Throughout it the Vrocks chatted telepathically. Meanwhile, Quiet Dusk was approached by a mysterious voice, offering him the chance to tinker with luck and give Daphne a hit when she missed what may have been her first ever staff attack. He summarily refused, and the voice laughed.

Battle came to an end, but as the sun pitched west, sending your shadows stretching to your left, the air got colder. With the night came the promise of sleepless chill.

## Session 37 — June 10, 2021 | "Big Magic, Big Lady"

The gang ascended further into the southern mountain range, forging forward into a winter storm of unnatural strength. Along the way, you nearly froze to death, holed up inside a broken down bridge, and saw a Strahd illusion.

In the night, Strahd came to visit, and asked Eorlin to help him convince Ireena not to be depressed. Eorlin was marginally successful, but discovered that Strahd has been using charm on Ireena, but doesn’t seem to understand that this is the reason why Ireena swings back and forth between adoring him and hating him. Eorlin learned that Strahd has something special planned for the party at the wedding.

Meanwhile, Qoask and Dusk encountered one of the denizens of Mount Ghakis—a massive fucking goat. He ate a bush and left.

In the morning, the gang set out again, only to be ambushed by a Roc. Daphne, in a feat of brilliance, turned the roc into a bunny, and it plummeted into the river 500 feet below, dying instantly, getting half drowned, and shifting back into its roc form, flying off to contemplate the meaning of life and death.

The trip continued, and Daphne once again came in clutch with an offering to the gigantic goat that allowed them to pass. On the way up, a snowball fight and many deep conversations were had. Daphne felt a presence, and Serena spoke in her mind, warning her that she had better not come to “*her house*” without an appropriate gift.

A freezing trek later, the gang arrived at a grand frieze, carved into the face of the mountain. Great amber statues flanked a door, and on the door, a mysterious riddle that was definitely left by Zevrin. Inside, Daphne came in clutch for a third time, convincing the mountainfolk camped out in a small room that they were allies and friends. The mountainfolk were very enthusiastic about “giant lady”, her sacred children, and the puny metal-loving man who follows in her shadows.

As a gift in thanks for the rations she offered, they gave her a mysterious lockbox. Unlocking it revealed a small cache of items—Zevrin seemed to have left behind pockets of info all around the Amber temple.

The gang decided to start exploring, and after a brief fight with some flame-shooting skulls, you found the second box, and a large model of what was unmistakably Castle Ravenloft. Inside the castle, they found dolls—just like those in Izek’s room. A mini-Daphne stood on the balcony. A mini-Qoask stood in the garden. Mini-Eorlin stood in the chapel, and Mini-dusk stood on the causeway. Inside, Mini-Ireena stood in a small room, while Strahd was in the highest tower, behind a portrait of Tatyana. With him was a second box, this one bearing more notes and a strange card featuring a figure that resembled Daphne.

Pondering momentarily over Zevrin’s mind games, the gang gathered themselves to continue exploring the frigid, hazardous temple.

## Session 38 — June 22, 2021 | "Make a Deal"

The gang continued their exploration of the Amber temple, checking out a room with a delicious feast, fancy ewer, and spectral, undead gas filling it, taking in the big statute—its face concealed by a powerful bubble of magical darkness—and exploring the lower hallways, where you found, what’s that? Another Zevrin box?

You also found a room filled with an unseen evil creature, and fought off a quartet of strange, calm creatures that attempted to steal secrets from your minds. Three of the creatures were killed, but one scurried up, vanishing into the darkness.

Inside the room that the creatures were guarding, the gang found two amber sarcophagi, and a shattered pile of amber. Eorlin touched one first, attempting to sense the magic within. Instead, he found himself transported to a black void, where Delban the Star of Ice and Hate, also known as the Chad of dark powers, offered him mysterious power and cold magic. Upon learning Eorlin’s name, Delban abruptly disconnected in a panic.

Meanwhile, Quiet Dusk touched the other sarcophagus, meeting a quiet, slightly insecure dark power that offered him great speed in exchange for feeding her souls, giving the valley to her, and eating grave dirt every day. He refused.

The exploration continued, uncovering yet more Zevrin boxes, a few corpses, and another battle with Flameskulls. A retreat allowed the gang to survive the encounter, but led to the death of Margynvjik, one of the mountainfolk, when the flame skulls ambushed the party.

However, the gang made quick work of the tiny undead creatures, and headed into the other wing of the temple, encountering a creepy amphitheatre with definitely something in there, a cracked hallway, and, in the farthest corner, a massive falcon-headed construct. A breath later, it turned, and gave chase as the party withdrew through the hallways.

The sound of it breaking through the walls and archways echoed through the halls, and the party, now in the entrance hall, readied themselves for battle.

Qoask steadied himself, holding a chill touch, Daphne readied a flame, and Eorlin grew his wings, lifting his weapon and imbuing it with sacred energy, while Quiet Dusk just vibed, preparing for the assault.

## Session 39 — July 1, 2021 | "Healthy Boundaries"

The gang trounced the massive amber statue, though they took some heavy hits in the process.

After a decisive victory, they proceeded back down the hall, where they decided to explore the amphitheatre further. There, they were ambushed by a wizard named Vilnius who thought they were here to finish him off. He claimed to have been hiding here for several days after his master was killed by the amber statue. They also found a small scrap of paper that looked vaguely familiar to Quiet Dusk and retrieved from Vilnius a Zevrin box—in exchange for agreeing to walk with him to the depths, to find a secret magic that would cure him of his lifelong disease. The gang is pretty sure that he's looking for an amber sarcophagus.

He was a little shifty, but seemed harmless, especially once Gaurqoask took his spell book and wand and patted him down.

The gang proceeded to the back of the hall, finding the squashed remains of Vilnius’ former master and almost getting burned by what seemed to be a fire trap originating from the still dark face of the statue.

They descended behind a secret door, and found a ghastly smell beyond a broken staircase, along with a broken in door to another sarcophagus room. When Eorlin approached, several ghasts emerged from the darkness, attacking. Combat was short as the ghasts, realizing that they were outmatched and bottlenecked, fled. Meanwhile, Vilnius also fled into the darkness.

But as combat ended, Daphne heard a voice from inside. Serena thanked her for the gifts she had brought, and instructed her to come inside. Eorlin and the others encouraged Daphne to just walk away, as she shrugged off a compulsion to go into the crypt.

Serena tried a number of other tricks, including the voice of Ireena, the sound of a sword, and other illusions. Gaurqoask repeatedly tried to slam the door shut, only for it to squeal open each and every time. The others turned to go, as Daphne hesitated at the door. As she fell behind, the compulsion came over her more strongly, and she entered the crypt.

She let Serena know that sometimes a toxic relationship ought to be cut off before it can get dangerous. Serena showed her an image of her grove in flames, and asked her: didn’t she want a safe place for her children? Daphne rejected the offer and wsa returned to the present, just as Eorlin kicked the door down.

An argument ensued between Qoask and Daphne over her responsibility to others and to the team, meanwhile Eorlin and Dusk looked on uncomfortably. Back upstairs, the gang went to head back to the other side, only to be attacked once again by the “trap”. Qoask returned fire, and, though he didn’t hit, there was a decidedly living noise from inside, an ‘oof’ of someone ducking behind cover.

Eorlin decided to talk to the mysterious presence, and though he was decidedly persuasive, the individual still cast a powerful bolt of lightning. Quickly, Dusk cast silence and the group raced across and around, taking refuge in the room where the mountainfolk had been.

There, they decided to address the mysterious individual, realizing that it must be Neferon. When they called out the name, Neferon responded telepathically, informing them that no, he does not protect the temple from the outside world—he protects the world from the temple. He advised the gang to leave, and let them know that Vilnius has fallen and broken both his legs, so they don’t need to deal with him, and they should just leave. Instead, Eorlin swore that they wouldn’t meddle with the dark sarcophagi, and that all the want is to find the Sunsword.

Neferon finally agrees to establish a ceasefire. He won’t attack so long as they don’t free the darkpowers. He said the sun sword is northeast of him.

That night, the gang barred the doors and set watches, determined not to be caught unawares. But when Qoask woke for his watch after Dusk, he noticed that the doors had been unblocked and there were footprints in the dust.

He barely had time to block the door with his body before the ghasts and nothics burst in. A fierce battle ensued, hairier than might be expected. As Jeremy pile-drove the last nothic into the ground, a frozen bat flapped in, bearing another letter from Strahd.

## Session 39.1 — July 8, 2021 | "Snakes and Stone"

Mud and Surus went on an adventure to save a princess, fight some lizards, and avoid getting turned to stone!

## Session 40 — July 15, 2021 | "Unseen Combatants"

The gang prepared to explore the amber temple and got to descend into the main hall for the first time. They saw more amber walls and doors, and their own reflections screaming warnings at them. They attempted to argue with Neferon about Vilnius, and found a rectally scented health potion vial on the ground, but no sign of ilnius himself. In the hallway, they found several broomsticks and giant, collapsible toads. Daphne and Dusk both got eaten by a toad, but they party pretty handily beat them. Towards the end of combat it became clear that in fact, the toads and brooms were not just hanging out—they belonged to a party of witches that turned invisible when Eorlin began yelling at Neferon. Garqoask slayed one witch, but an unknown number of others fled invisibly. They did a thorough sweep of the side hall, but found nothing except an abandoned construct and more wrecked furniture.

In the main hall once again, the gang checked out a ruined treasury, fighting some invisible poltergeists, and getting rained on by skulls from a trap. The gang contemplated the tiny room with a metal chest glued to the ceiling for a very very long time.

Finally, they went out to look at the locked door again, but found only their reflections, still screaming and warning them away. Eventually, they asked Neferon for help, and he told them they ought to make an appointment with the headmaster.

Up on the second floor, the group crossed the broken balcony into a room with statue that had a disturbingly strong pull, a magical enchantment that had killed two previous visitors.

The gang found a secret door that opened into the locked skull closet, then another secret door leading into a richly appointed, if very dusty, room. Inside they found the headmaster, a skeleton of a wizard with glowing red eyes and what appears to be short term memory loss.

The gang bamboozled him, telling him they were new students. He took Daphne ad Eorlin on a tour of the library while Qoask and Dusk searched the room, finding several points of interest:  what looked like a large podium with an ornate book on it, another Zevrin box under the bed, some papers and a scroll of Leomund’s Tiny Hut in the desk.

The headmaster, after a little prodding told Eorlin and Daphne that the passwords to the locked chambers are on the wall, but that only third years are allowed to commune with the sarcophagus creatures. He then returned to the room to find Qoask and Dusk goig through his things. The pair pretended instead to be… lovers? Unclear. He bought it and told them that this was a highly inappropriate place to be getting physical, as there are no HR staff to help.

## Session 41 — July 22, 2021 | "Professors and Powers"

The gang got the passcodes to the rooms and spent some time puzzling over which code goes with which room. The headmaster was little to no help, though he *did* inform them that vault 7 has no door, and it’s very dangerous. The gang went on to find a firbolg being set on fire in the main hall by Neferon. Upon confronting him, it became clear that the middle aged firbolg was actually Vilnius. When he failed to persuade them to let him free, Gaurqoask killed him, and discovered that the firbolg, a possible professional thief, had used magic to create an extra-dimensional storage space in his nether regions.

The gang went on to explore some other doors, speak to the headmaster again, and find a secret staircase from the library to the main hall. They found some crypts and sacrificed Daphne’s owl familiar to the oblivion of death, and discovered that the door they wished to enter was the treasury. As was the broken door on the left of the statue.

Upon entering, they found a glittering sword in a pommel stone and another golem. Eorlin prepared to fight the golem as Dusk drew the sword. Almost immediately, Eorlin was encased in darkness, and contacted by the Dusk King, a dark power that made fun of Dagven and Serena and invited him to take Strahd’s place and make Barovia a just place. He emotionally manipulated Eorlin with a spirit of his mother who said that she died in childbirth not because of Lathander, but because Eorlin’s flesh and blood father refused to pause the war effort to find her medical care.

Eorlin, though slightly shaken, refused, and was sharply returned to the present.

There, Neferon appeared, congratulating the party on not giving in. Dusk was once again reached out to by a dark power, and once again summarily refused.

Neferon, now revealed to be a small fox-like being in a purple suit and nice gold glasses invited the gang to tea once they checked out Vault 7.

In Vault 7, they found three more sarcophagi, one with an ominous iron ring around it. The gang inspected some boxes and things then went back to meet with Neferon.

Over tea, he handed over a pretty long sword, which Eorlin took, and reminded them that the Seeker was supposedly here. Remembering their secondary reason for coming here, the gang hurried to Vault 7, where Gaurqoask stepped over the iron ring. He turned to the rest of the gang, his body no longer in control and spoke with the voice of an old, Barovian woman.

## Session 42 — July 29, 2021 | "By Metal and Magic"

The gang found themselves face to face with a goddess in the form of the Seeker of the Forest Fane.

She searched their minds to see if they were worth the effort of sharing her knowledge and found them adequate. Some dissing of her sisters later, she shared that she is trapped here, in the very amber shards in which Vampyr had been held.

She explained more about the nature of the domains of dread and gave you the locations of the three fane sites:

1. Her fane, the standing stones behind Old Bonegrinder.
2. Jeny’s fane, in the river near Berez.
3. Laura’s fane, beneath the Gulthias Tree.

Each fane has been desecrated in some way, made so abhorrent by an act so evil and hateful that the very ground is tainted. To reconsecrate the fanes, you will need to visit, speak a word of power found at the fane, and then commit an act of honor, bravery, and genuine goodness as a sign of devotion to the goddesses. Like Laura, Maggie said that you will likely not have time to reconsecrate all the fanes before the wedding, and that the moment you begin the process, Strahd will know.

Maggie seemed to fade over the course of the conversation and wearily withdrew as the gang began to figure out a plan.

Realizing they still had questions, the gang went to speak to Neferon again. Between Neferon and Maggie, you learned the following about the domains and the rules:

* The mist is like interstitial fluid between domains of dread. It is not necessarily controlled by the dark powers, but Strahd can essentially close off access in or out, though he himself cannot leave.
* A domain of dread is created when someone commits an act so abhorrent that it dooms them to unceasing damnation. Typically a dark power is involved, driving the individual to commit such an act on their own.
* Once the land is split off, the dark power seeks to entangle itself with the one who committed the act and become the controlling force over the domain. If something is already entrenched in the land, it must be removed.
* Strahd went through the process of desecrating the fanes to remove the ladies three and clear the path for his dark power.
* If the dominating power is removed, there is a power vacuum until another force takes control.
* All the domains (for there are many, Maggie mentioned Markovia and Dementlieu) were once a part of the real world, but have been ripped away and become part of a linked soup of domains.

With some more questions answered, the gang prepared to head out. Gaurqoask, with the control amulet from Vulnius’ rear-end of holding, teamed up with Eorlin to repair the shield guardian, who he named Greg/Kromslor. The gang got warm cloaks from the treasury, then took a power nap before heading out.

Eorlin found that the Sword of Sunlight was more than just a pretty long-sword. The mundane appearance was an illusion, and the sword in fact was merely a hilt, with a beam of sunlight that could be summoned to form the blade. It is also somewhat sentient and has an unending thirst for Strahd blood.

With two-ish new travel companions, the gang set out.

On the way down, they, and Kromslor, beat up the roc, returning to take Daphne. Kromslor/Greg took a beating, but kept the party safe by posing the biggest threat to the angry Roc. When Sangzor the giant goat showed up again, Daphne summoned two goats, who spoke in her mind, rather ominously with *We liiive! You have brought us life!* She then sent them to join the goat harem that could be faintly heard over the hill.

The gang settled in at the bridge for the night, and Dusk found, with mild horror that the cloak he was wearing was actually tabaxi fur, black fur, with a long tail.

That night, as Eorlin sat on watch, another letter from Strahd arrived via batmail. Qoask communed with the Huntress who talked shit about her sister and let him know that Ireena’s all right, Ezmerelda is in not great condition, and Vasili is in deep shit.

Before heading out the next morning, Qoask checked on Kromslor, who had not healed overnight like most shield guardians do. He asked Kromslor what he wanted to do, and Kromslor pointed at Qoask. Qoask took this to mean that he was Greg's new father and that they had a strong bond. Hoping to correct this misunderstanding, Daphne and Eorlin hirried gave Qoask a crash course on free will. Gaurqoask ultimately realized that without healing, Kromslor wouldn’t survive long out there in the cold and perilous world.

Qoask, pretending to cry, then put the amulet over Greg’s head, who after a long, long moment of deliberation, patted Qoask on the head and turned to go up the hill, back to the Amber Temple.

Finally, the gang turned to go, their departure heralded by the calling of over a hundred goats, and Sangzor, who had appeared on a nearby cliff to watch them go.

At the end of the path, the gang descended the switchback, plunging into the thick mist that covered the foothills between Mount Ghakis and the Svalich Woods. As they arrived on level ground a shape appeared in the mist, a man, approaching.

Then screams sounded in your ears, as Rahadin, with his chorus of the dead, stepped out of the mist.

## Session 43 — August 5, 2021 | "Burnings and Burials"

The gang absolutely *wrecked* Rahadin, stunning him, setting him on fire, trying to push him back *in* to the fire when he was dragged out.

Accompanied by several meaty wolves, Rahadin did his best to take the party down. He downed Quiet Dusk who very nearly perished, came within an inch of downing Eorlin, and, perhaps most egregious of all, counterspelled Gaurqoask’s spirit guardians.

Nevertheless, the party wore him down, and, as he was defeated once and for all by Daphne’s moonbeam, his last words were that Strahd had sent him to his death.

Qoask, in an unexpected act of charity, was determined to bury him, in accordance with Dusk Elf Tradition. Daphne disagreed, but as the bickering delayed their departure, they decided to just get on with it and put Rahadin’s burned, melty body in the ground.

They walked for hours before setting up camp with a well-disguised Leomund’s Tiny Hut. Qoask used his night’s sending to speak with Vasili, who let him know that he had been kidnapped by Luvash, he didn’t know where he was, but it smelled like corpses.

Qoask next checked in with Urwin, to ask him to look for Luvash and see about helping Vasili. When he sent a message to Ezmerelda, however, he received no response.

Worriedly, the gang decided to let Van Richten know something had happened and that Luvash was behind it.

Van Richten reacted as was to be expected, declaring that the Vistani wouldn’t live to see the dawn.

With that, the gang settled in to rest. They awoke as the tiny hut dissipated. A few minutes later, there was a loud explosion from the north, in the direction of Vallaki.

No good can come from that, so the gang hurried out, heading west towards the Winery. They fought an undead creature like a more powerful feral spawn, and some wispy ghost-like creatures. They turned south and the crossroads, and after some more walking, saw the winery come into view in the late morning sunlight.

## Session 44 — August 12, 2021 | "Into the Dark"

The arrived at the Winery and took a quick lunch break. After getting some updates from Stefania, the gang got Davian Martikov on their side. He agreed that so long as the plan wasn’t a suicide plan, they could count on the Martikovs’ help. He also let the gang know that they were the first ones in his lifetime to get this far, so he was feeling pretty pumped.

With a to-go basket of Kraft singles and a fresh, more accurate map, the gang headed out for Yesterhill, arriving at the grove around sunset. There, they found two figures, shrouded in thick Gulthias Roots. Approaching, Gaurqoask found that the figures were Laura and Jeny. Laura opened the way to the trials below, with the rather ominous warning that, “*No god, no friend, no light, no power can aid once you go below.”*

Deciding that time was of the essence, the gang decided to go ahead and descend. One muddy tunnel slide later, they found themselves in a set of dry, dark tunnels.

Setting out, they fought some rot grubs, found the corpse of one of Strahd’s old commanders, who had a strange knife, a morninglord symbol, and a chunk of amber in her possession.

The gang went on to get eaten up by a swarm of bloodthirsty bugs and spend the night in a room filled with Talismans, drawings and inscriptions on the walls, and a dark hole. Down which they were pretty sure they’d have to go, judging by the inscription: *And they shall be made to crawl on their bellies into the realm of the gone.*

A bit bloodied, the gang took a rest in the talisman room, under the hundreds of gently swinging prayers and trikets and markings.

During the night, Eorlin heard a slithering from down the hallway, Daphne dreamed of a lady with a dress of leaves, and Qoask hung a talisman of his own in honor of the Huntress. When they awoke, the gang found with some discomfort that though they were breathing, they weren’t quite breathing. Air didn’t seem to really fill their chests.

After inspecting the walls a little more, the gang determined that the only way to progress is to enter the hole, though Eorlin and Gaurqoask had serious disagreements. Having noticed a rather long passage in druidic on the walls, Eorlin had Daphne translate it. The inscription was left by a supplicant who turned back, and Eorlin worried that they were meant to follow these instructions to progress. Gaurqoask became quite irate at the suggestion that they cut the tree roots for blood to “ascend to the light”, and the two individuals with the best armor class almost came to blows, as Quiet Dusk Daphne, and god looked on unsure what to do in the moment.

Gaurqoask decided to just go ahead and enter the hole, and Daphne, turning herself into a rabbit quickly followed. Behind them, Eorlin once more contemplated cutting the root, before asking Dusk to use his seek spell to figure out if the Huntress would smite them for not following directions, before reluctantly joining the train into the tunnel, followed closely by Quiet Dusk.

And so, the gang descended, crawling on their bellies into the darkness.

## Session 45 — August 17, 2021 | "The Realm of the Gone"

The gang crawled through the tunnel and dropped headfirst into a cold lake that spat them out onto a gravelly shore.

With no other options, the gang entered the dark, circuitous tunnels, and found themselves split off from the others in the darkness. They found themselves wandering alone, unable to find the others, but not quite alone. First, Daphne ran into Arabelle, the vistani girl who had drowned near Vallaki. Quiet Dusk then ran into an elderly tabaxi from the same caravan as him. Gaurqoask encountered Vilnius, and got into a tussle with him. And Eorlin, while walking found himself approaching a hooded figure. And Zevrin entered the chat.

It became clear over the course of these encounters that the tunnels are a strange overlap between the material plane and the realm of the dead. Vilnius could be killed, though his body misted away, And Arabelle claimed that she could hear her father’s voice from time to time, promising to bring her back.

Eorlin handled the news of Zevrin’s demise surprisingly well, learning that Zevrin had interred himself to save the demiplane, though he did not elaborate on what that meant. Zevrin then gave Eorlin a small pin emblazoned with an owl—his family crest.

Following the directions of the spirits: *The only way out is down*, Eorlin encountered Izek who accused him of being a murderer and Gaurqoask ran into Werewolf 4A.

Daphne, continued on until she ran into another spirit, one that had come to welcome her to the afterlife. Gakdroc Orebrow, her adopted father figure, had died of an illness some years before, but upon feeling Daphne arrive in the tunnels he came to help guide her out and bring her home to the proper afterlife.

Tearfully, Daphne had to tell him that she wasn’t here to come home, and she had to go on, to find her children. Buoyed by some words of encouragement, Daphne forged onwards.

Meanwhile, in another undisclosed tunnel, Quiet Dusk, who had been sprinting, tripped over a body.

Ezmerelda was delighted to see him, and asked where the others were, saying it was about time they all showed up. She seemed ready to forge onward, as if she had entered the fane the same way they did. But when questioned, her story fell apart, and she and Quiet Dusk realized that she had tried to go after Vasili when he was taken by Luvash, only to be surprised by Strahd’s two remaining consorts. It is unclear what exactly happened, but she knows she was bitten, and says that she knows she made it to Berez and would have tried to find running water.

She asked quiet dusk to make sure that she hadn’t been turned, and not to let Van Richten find her if she had. Quiet Dusk ran onwards leaving her behind to puzzle over what had happened as she continued saying she didn’t feel dead.

The gang reunited in front of a hole, sharing their experiences and comparing notes.

Then they descended.

The hole led down to a truly massive cavern, filled with tangible darkness that burns and blinds anyone within it, and with a floor covered with old, yellow bones. They fought some powerful monsters of darkness, which they pretty much trounced, by the grace of Zevrin, but used a very large amount of their abilities.

As they defeated the last of the howlers, they heard a voice, and a forest folk woman stepped out of the darkness, looking filthy and malnourished, and squinting in the light.

## Session 46 — August 25, 2021 | "Bone Room"

The gang continued their trek through the bone room. The survivors seemed friendly at first, but Gaurqoask noticed a trail of slime leading from each survivor’s ankle. Once the simulacra had moved into position, they began their attack, and managed to drain Quiet Dusk’s memory of the previous day. All attacks seemed to do no damage to the weird, jelly like simulacra, and the gang quickly changed strategies, deciding to follow the trails to their source—leading to Quiet Dusk hurling his magical light staff into the darkness where it was grabbed by the Dark, Eorlin retreating from the fight for the first time in a long whle, Gaurqoask finding another set of stairs where he least expected them, and Daphne getting the last five days erased from her memory.

When the oblex finally appeared from the darkness, it was a horrifying ooze of faces and human facsimiles but bloodied from Quiet dusk punching the slime trails and all the damage the gang had done to the simulacra.

With a slice of Eorlin’s sword and a punch from Quiet Dusk, the Oblex was defeated, exploding like a big disgusting bowl of goop.

The gang took a moment to collect themselves and try to explain what was going on to Daphne and Quiet Dusk—to no avail.

The gang forged onward into the darkness, kicking ass and taking names, in search of an objective and Quiet Dusk’s missing staff. They held their own, but soon the extended game of survival of the fittest began to take it’s toll. As the gang was confronted by three corpse flowers and defeated them with considerably less ease, Eorlin felt certain that the time had come to take a short rest.

The gang considered their options, trying to suss out from god’s ambient laughter whether or not they needed to take a short rest. Ultimately, they determined that with so little of the great cavern actually explored, the end could be just five feet from the edge of their light, or it could be all the across the cavern in a far hidden corner. The possibility of walking right past it was also disturbingly high.

And so it was decided that Eorlin would use his 100gp holy water to cast Magic circle. Then it was not decided as the gang began to wonder if magic circle would even work down here. After all, Gaurqoask’s spirit guardians hadn’t worked—same with Daphne’s Summon Fey.

But Quiet Dusk was out of ki, and Eorlin was down to his final reserves, so the gang resolved that it was worth the risk.

Praying to a god who, for some reason, seemed unable to stop laughing, Eorlin threatened to quit life, referring to this all as merely a game, and one not worth playing, if his magic circle, turned out to be a waste of holy water.

He conducted the ritual and, with surprise and a little relief, the gang saw a dome of energy spread out over them were able to settle into their rest.

## Session 47 — September 2, 2021 | "Balhannoths and Blood"

The gang continued to delve into the Bone Room, finding lots and lots of nothing, then, abruptly, a disguised Balhannoth lair. After what was pretty much just a solo fight between Super-sized Quiet Dusk’s fists and the Balhannoth, the gang continued to the bottom corner of the cavern, finding a room with a large pit and a shrine to the huntress. The gang then painted blood on their faces, had unsettling visions, and jumped into the hole.

At the bottom, they dug their way out, and found themselves digging both down and up, to the surface, in the center of the Yesterhill ritual site. Behind them, the thorns of the gulthias tree had been covered over with white flowers. In the grove, Both Jeny and Laura were fully enveloped by the roots, but the Huntress informed the gang that they had succeeded in their trial, but to hurry, as Strahd would have felt the change.

The landscape itself became more threatening, and the gang hurried back to the Winery to find that two days had passed while they were in the tunnels of the dead and most of the Martikovs had headed out to start setting up for whatever the gang had planned.

A rough night in the cellar yielded another conversation between Daphne and Strahd and a conversation between Eorlin and his bloodthirsty sentient sword.

The next day, the gang deliberated over speeds and distances, and summoned three confused horses that seemed terrified and possibly not used to being horses and set out. They were unharried for most of the day, but as the sun began to set, they set up a fortified camp. Which was fortunate, as around 3 am, there was a horrible chanting and clapping sound from outside.

Baba Lysaga’s daughters, her witches made no secret of their approach, and surrounded the camp, ready for some sweet revenge.

## Session 48 — September 9, 2021 | "Waste the Witches"

The gang awoke surrounded by witches. Individually, each witch was not so strong, but they got the gang separated out, and proceeded to try to knock each of them unconscious so they could use them in a ritual to resurrect Baba Lysaga.

But by the skin of their teeth, the gang scraped through the fight, with Daphne’s healing getting everyone up just in time, and some clever tactics on the part of Qoask, Dusk, and Eorlin.

The witches, realizing that the battle had turned, fled, with several pulling out umbrellas of flying and booking it.

As the last trio make to run for it, Qoask and Eorlin rushed in and absolutely wrecked two of them. Dima, one of the healing witches promptly surrendered, and was revealed to have very low self-esteem and very high self-preservation. The gang learned that the witches are typically people banished from the towns, with Dima being banished as a kid for pushing Viktor Vallakovich out the window as a “prank”. Apparently, the witches have been “cleaning up” in preparation for the wedding, with orders not to harass the gang too much. Skadia, the head coven mother had been sent out by Escher to finish off the “red-coated brat”, but upon seeing the gang camped in the woods, called in her sisters for an impromptu beat-down and partial blood theft.

Arguments ensued about what to do with Dima, and eventually, after a zone of truth casting, the gang sent her off to the Fidatov Estate, where Stella, Nikolai, and Karl Wachter were staying.

The gang then got back on the road at first light with their new magic items and without the horses, as the horses had turned into gulthias tree wood and begged for death. They took down a bat, and Qoask avoided getting rabies. As they passed over a bridge that Dusk recognized from his Huntress vision, they gaslit him into thinking he just recognized it from the last time they took the road west.

With an *I’m sure it’s nothing*, *anyway*, the gang proceeded onward from the bridge, hoping to make it to Vallaki before sundown.

## Session 48.1 — September 14, 2021 | "Grove Four-Shot: Detour into a Demi-Plane"

The Grove family lost a Surus but gained a Nephthos. Also, Basil came home from his internship as a hero.

## Session 49 — September 23, 2021 | "Spooky Slumber Party"

They had a few quick fights, and arrived in Vallaki to find that Urwin had implemented some safety measures. He shared that not long ago, the western Vistani camp exploded. The injured are being treated at the old orphanage, but there were several casualties among the dusk elves, and the infirm. Over supper, Qoask used Clairvoyance to spy on Blinsky’s bedroom, and immediately regretted the decision, as he saw the toymaker crying into dolls that resembled the party. As night fell, the gang settled in for their slumber party. As they pulled mattresses into the other room, Qoask played a very silly little joke on Quiet Dusk and lens of fear-ed him to see his worst fear. The gang then held a séance and prank called Vilnius from the afterlife, braided each others’ hair, and told scary stories about what happens when you die, before turning in.

That night, Gaurqoask had a strange dream that he had returned to the Grove—alone.

The others were awoken by a terrible racket as Qoask seemed to be seizing. But he wasn’t just shaking—he was transforming. Before Daphne’s eyes, her son morphed partially into an Eladrin, and Jeremy, in his full splendor, greeted the gang. Everyone reeled, a few people felt nauseous, and Daphne’s flirtationship with her summoned Fey came home to roost—partially in the body of her adopted son. Jerr-Emi had traveled to Barovia bearing a candle, both physical and metaphorical, but he accidentally semi-swapped with Qoask.

However, he seemed quite down to kill Strahd, so after a sleepless rest of the night, the gang, minus Qoask and plus Jerr Emi, headed out towards Bonegrinder, hoping to get at least one more Fane reconsecrated before the Wedding.

## Session 50 — September 30, 2021 | "On the Menu"

The gang headed out from Vallaki towards the next step in their journey. On the way Jerr-Emi objectified Nobu, Daphne defended her honor, and Quiet Dusk really missed Qoask. Along the way, the gang was stopped and lured into a sort-of trap by Viktor Vallakovich, who was just trying to get the gang into the treeline, with the "broken" cart. Escher and several of his spawn surrounded them, with Escher claiming he needed to get their choice of entrée for Strahd and Ireena’s wedding. During the slightly tense conversation, Daphne puzzled through the physics of Escher’s relationship with Strahd, and it became clear that Escher has no shortage of jealousy towards Ireena and the newly woken up again Anastrasya.

As expected, a fight eventually broke out as the back up spawn crept within Eorlin’s radius and Escher poofed away.

In the fight, the spawn had themselves a bite to eat, bringing Dusk perilously close to perma-death, while Jerr-Emi showboated for Daphne’s benefit.

After the fight, the gang went through Ezmerelda’s cart, divvying up anything of value, finding some notes and materials of hers, and meeting a seemingly cursed or enchanted chicken named Flora who was egg protective and had been picked up by Ezmerelda, who was searching for a cure.
Armed with excellent monster killing loot, the gang gathered up Viktor, Flora, and Daphne's weasel familiar and headed out on the road to Bonegrinder. There, they took a power nap, regained their lost energy, and headed into the trees to examine the standing stones—the entrance to the Seeker's Fane. They were exceedingly cautious, but found a strange green glow there. They stepped onto the center altar and Jerr-Emi spoke the activation word in Sylvan. Green light surrounded the party—and they fell into darkness.

## Session 51 — October 6, 2021 | "I'm Rexy and I Know It"

The gang entered the Trial of the Seeker, only to be thrown into a potential future where they have won and returned to the grove. The gang were reunited with friends, and many fun, light-hearted things occurred: Daphne was recruited to help a group of squirrel-druids establish the Circle of Squirrels. Qoask was present and not half-Jerr-Emi. Eorlin had not only found Zevrin alive, and ready to help them fireball Strahd, but received a letter from his flesh and blood father, with a new, heroic quest.

But things weren't quite right. No one was quite certain when they'd come back, or how they'd defeated Strahd.

Sensing that something just wasn’t right, Eorlin fought off the effects and awoke, by way of hand stabbing, and soon woke the others from their enchanted sleep.

In a square, magical room, the gang fought some stumps, walked through a door, then walked through another door into a pitch black space, where each was confronted with a potential future of defeat. Daphne got to see everyone dead again as Strahd poorly described his threats. Quiet Dusk saw what would happen if he and his party died, and Eorlin saw an end of the world caused by the party’s attempts to take down Strahd, then refused Strahd’s offer to let him take Rahadin’s place. Meanwhile, Jerr-Emi had a meeting with the Seeker, who seemed disturbed by his presence, and warned him, for the sake of the world, not to go to the rabbit town on spring break.

Reunited after their visions, the gang found an odd floor inscription, touched the mirrored walls, and then had a déjà vu moment as their reflections stepped out and began the fight.

At first, things seemed to be going not-so-great, then Jerr-Emi turned Daphne into a T-Rex, and the tides of battle turned immediately. Daphrex devoured fake Jerr-Emi in one bite, then tail lashed fake Quiet Dusk almost to death. Shmuiet Dusk got one last hit on real Quiet Dusk in, knocking him unconscious before Jerr-Emi ended him. Quiet Dusk found himself in a familiar space during death saving throws—sitting in the tunnels under the gulthias tree—

Then he was back as Eorlin brought him up and the gang ended phony Eorlin.

Then, with Daphrex returned to her firbolg form, the gang puzzled over the holes in the floor and the rapidly deflating copies of themselves, with heories including: stuff the mirror versions into the holes, climb inside the mirror version of themselves, and, the final remaining conclusion, enter the mirror. The gang did so, and found themselves in a strange, glow-sticky world where a golden key sat on a stone platform, glimmering in the darkness.

## Session 52 —October 14, 2021 | "Metal and Maggots"

Recovering the key the gang prepared to enter a new wing of the trial. This area was guarded by a number of animated suits of armor, placed there by Strahd. The gang crushed these aluminum cans—which resembled Qoask's armor, and found that this area must be home to the other four keys from the puzzle. As they explored, they solved puzzles, blasted sigiuls, and fought bats.

In their exploration, new disturbing truths were unearthed:

1. That the weaver had been keeping books with their entire lives written down in them.

2. That Daphne’s mother was named Debra.

And 3. That Jerr-Emi seemed to be developing strong feelings for Eorlin.

Everyone's feelings grew more complicated, Daphne spoke to some fish who referenced "the grate/great one", and the gang fought a number of maggot infested corpses. With one more key claimed in a shrine room, the gang checked out what seemed to be a number of challenges and possibly a beast in the upstairs room.

Weary, and not quite ready for a fight, the gang turned in for a rest in the safety of the temple room, dividing up loot and trying to avoid arguments and feelings, as they settled in for an uneasy 8 hours in the echoing halls of the Forest Fane.

## Session 52.1 - October 20, 2021 | "Grove Five-Shot: Qoask's Grand Adventure"

With Qoask inexplicably back, the gang got together to find a way to send him back to Barovia. With help from Mina the half-elf-half-goblin and Molly the Plasmoid, the gang visited the Feywild, assisted and betrayed the Ice Queen, discovered the secret of Reebleck, and fought a total man-baby.

Restoring a bit of the Green-Moon Goddess' power, the gang returned home with a boon that would help Qoask find his way back to Daphne, Dusk, and Eorlin.

## Session 53 — November 4, 2021 | "Nevermore"

Jerr-Emi had a nightmare trance that featured two unearthly voices, fighting over him. When Eorlin woke him, the two shared what theoretically could have been an endearing moment, which Quiet Dusk had the misfortune of overhearing. The next day, the gang went on to check out the monster upstairs. They snuck around the large, unhealthy raven, looking for a key, meanwhile, Jerr-Emi had a blow out of a opening move planned.

In a daring move, he teleported on top of the raven, and, as it awoke, struck it from above, doing an absolute fuckton of damage. The Raven did not like this, and proceeded to do an absolute fuckton of damage back in a legendary manner.

Battle commenced, with the Raven muttering in Sylvan that it recognized their scents. It targeted Jerr-Emi, primarily, but, being incapable of rolling above a 5, soon found itself in dire straits. The gang felt a magical fear wash over them, that was reminiscent of the strange fog all those weeks ago, when they found the dead deer with beakmarks in them. The Raven was just dive bombing Jerr-Emi when Eorlin heroically stepped in with a final blow.

The gang then returned to the lower floor, now with three keys in their possession, and proceeded to the pool room, formulating a number of plans.

Whatever was in the water seemed excited at the possibility of a fight. When Jerr-Emi created an illusion of himself, the creatures threw a fish through it. Daphne eventually sent one of her Wild Companions into the water, to investigate the grate. The little fish reported that something was touching it. Then that the grate was opening—then it… passed on.

A great plan was set in motion, with Daphne wall of stoning the grate, and Quiet Dusk and Jerr-Emi jumped into the water to check out the chests. Eorlin looked on from the sidelines, as Jerr-Emi went for the key and noticed something move it, and give it to a cloud of Fish. Meanwhile, quiet dusk got hugged by a water lady, and the grate one attempted to bust through the stone wall.

As the gang held their breath, fought fish, and underwater punched, Daphne became Daphnark and jumped into the water to help. Meanwhile, Eorlin cast dawn and found that the flare made it almost more difficult to see under water.

Down below, Jerr-Emi got the air hugged out of him and Dusk fought off a naiad, as Daphnark retrieved the key. They swam and ran for it, and soon, soaking wet but with 4 keys, returned to the key room. Eorlin, with a genius that was frankly shocking, immediately solved the key puzzle and the gang hurried onward.

The gang had a brief chat with the Seeker, then proceeded into the antechamber to rest. There, Jerr-Emi noticed something odd. Outside the window, was the same mist he had passed through briefly to get here. He shrugged off the significance and turned to survey his brand new, beloved family—only to trip and fall back through the window.

He came face to face with Qoask, who had just received the green apple gifted to him by the Green-Moon Goddess. After a few pleasantries, Qoask took a bite of his apple, and found Eorlin looking through the open window that Jerr-Emi had fallen through.

Qoask returned, outfitted with a new domain, and the gang was happily reunited, only to immediately begin bickering again. But, with the last step of the trial remaining, the gang hurried through the door and into the final combat.

## Session 54 — November 11, 2021 | "Dark Reflections"

After a brief check in with Jerr-Emi at the grove, where we learned that he was the Ice Queen’s tax accountant, the Barovia gang was faced with a choice: which of the four dark reflections would easiest to beat?

They chose to fight Quiet Dusk, *The Undying*. The gang fought through nine lives of Quiet Dusk: a kitten, a mastiff-sized cat, a bipedal almost tabaxi, and then a progressively tougher series of monks. Finally, the gang found themselves facing an ULTIMATE FORM. A large-sized, muscle-bound Quiet Dusk with not one, but two bonus actions, luck-based powers, and a powerful, pounce ability.

He almost downed each of the party at turns, but Daphne healed the gang back up, and, in an unfailingly good idea, polymorphed a ki-less Quiet Dusk into a t-rex, where he absolutely chomped at the larger version of himself.

But the gang finally managed to take him down, and as he burst into flecks of dust on the wind, the seeker appeared. She commended the party, and told them to do their best not to die while she and her sisters gathered power for them. She warned that Jeny’s fane will be a short, but brutal affair, not like Laura’s and Maggie’s trials.

As the Seeker faded away, Daphne’s staff grew another flower, allowing her to summon a stronger familiar.

Taking brief moment to rest, the gang considered what to do with the remaining hours before Strahd’s wedding, then stepped outside into the evening just before the wedding day.

Instead of a quiet night to rest, they found themselves facing what looked like firelight through the trees. Quiet Dusk slipped forward to get a look, and spotted the carriage of Revenloft, with its gleaming black wood and polished brass lanterns, drawn by horses with fiery manes. Leaning against the carriage was Anastrasya, with Viktor sitting beside her looking very glum, and with his hands tied.

## Session 55 — November 18, 2021 | "Castle Crawl"

The gang confronted Anastrasya, who had come to pick them up for the wedding. Knowing her jealous nature, Daphne and Eorlin prodded at her relationship to Strahd, and she revealed a few key details: this wedding had happened once before, but the previous Ireena died mid-wedding. Another time, Ireena was killed by a group of heroes the night before the wedding. Anastrasya also revealed that Strahd used to tell her all about what happened with Sergei, but that she was too bored to really listen.

Daphne, with some success attempted to fix Anastrasya up with Eorlin, but the plan dissolved into Daphne and Eorlin arguing over his fatherly duty to Dusk and Qoask. Meanwhile, the gang decided that they might as well get a free ride to Ravenloft. Eorlin got Anastrasya to let Viktor go, and quietly instructed Viktor to go get the Martikovs, prompting a deeply uncomfortable moment in which Viktor tried to call Eorlin “dad”.

But, the party got on the road, resting up a bit, and hurrying to Ravenloft, where Anastrasya dropped them at the gate. Strahd was out on errands, so the gang had the run of the castle to find the gifts that Zevrin left—enchanted Tarokka cards.

The gang investigated, vandalized, and explored as Volenta, another of Strahd’s brides, kept an eye on them. After setting fire to some of Strahd’s weapons, however, Volenta became angry and sicced some shadows on the party, that left Eorlin feeling not so great, and the others feeling a bit unsteady.

As the rain started, and the gang secured the last of the cards, Strahd arrived back home, appearing on a back overlook, and approaching the gang.
He welcomed the party, once again, to his home, seeming lower on patience than usual. After the party pushe his buttons one too many times, he summoned Escher to escort the party to their rooms.

## Session 56 — November 24, 2021 | "Ups and Downs"

The gang followed Escher to their rooms heckling him the whole way. He promised to return the next day to offer clothes for the wedding, telling Daphne he wanted her to wear a pantsuit. In the small, definitely-not-a-cell, the gang set about planning the best way to crash Strahd’s wedding without dying. A number of ideas were discussed, including Hullabaloo-ing Escher, poisoning Ireena by having Quiet Dusk kiss her, making her a poison necklace for worst case scenarios, and sneaking around the castle at night.

While talking, Qoask discovered that the two arrow slits in the room traveled to unusual locations, one of which appeared to be an underwater fighting pit, that had more windows leading to Berez and the Amber Temple. After covering up the arrow slits to avoid Strahd's prying eyes, the gang set fire to all of Eschers’ clothes and sorted through what appeared to be the belongings of hundreds of adventuring parties. Overnight, things appeared to be quiet, but Daphne and Qoask both noticed a scratching at Daphne’s window-shutters of stone. Through her watch, the scratching continued, and Daphne discovered that someone was attempting to tunnel in through the door with acid and a metal file. She quickly wall of stoned it again, acquiring a metal file in the process.

Morning came, and the gang, now facing a full day stuck in the room, decided to here’s Johnny it, and smash down the door.

Instead of the dark hallway they’d entered through, Eorlin, Daphne, Gaurqoask, and Quiet Dusk found themselves looking out into a quarry-like area, filled with mist. They soon realized it was the pit surrounding Castle Ravenloft, and returned to the room to wait things out. After a few hours spent chatting about family matters, Anastrasya and her posse of witches arrived. She seemed in unusually high spirits, despite Qoask's determined heckling, and escorted the party to the courtyard, where they found guests, including Marilena Fidatov and the two Wachter boys, arriving. Up in the party, the gang caught up with the Krezkovs, argued with Karl, and had their palms read. Daphne debuted her love of fashion to the world and acquired a disturbing amount of jalapeno poppers.

Dusk and Qoask attempted to slip out of the room, hoping to locate Ireena, but Escher kept a sharp eye out, despite Daphne engaging him in a discussion of the concept of camp fashion. As the gang put together a strategy, Daphne attempted to distract Escher with a description of Jerr-Emi, going so far as to disguise herself as Jerr-Emi and try to seduce Escher. Escher was not fooled, but it seemed that Jerr-Emi actually being Disguised-Daphne was not as much of a deal-breaker for Escher as one might expect.

The straw that broke the camel’s back of Escher’s watchfulness was Eorlin summoning a camel into the party. As the camel sprinted about, Eorlin made a break for the door. Chaos broke forth, and Escher went to deal with the camel, hoping that Daphnemi was watching. Meanwhile, Daphne used the panic of Escher decapitating the camel to run for it. She slipped out into the King’s Hall, closing the door behind her just before Escher glanced around.

## Session 57 — December 2, 2021 | "Coveted Souls"

In the halls of Castle Ravenloft, the gang got the lay of the land. Eorlin found that Vasili’s crossbow was far below, potentially in the pit. The gang moved down the hall, hoping to find stairs upwards, and saw that the chapel had been cleared out, and items for some kind of ritual were arranged, ready for Strahd’s master plan.

Quickly, they made a choice: Vasili or Ireena? Qoask magically located Ireena, and then the gang stone-shaped into the accountant’s room, choosing to go find Ireena first. Quiet Dusk metal gear solided the old man—who turned out to be quite a bit older than anticipated—and the four quickly ascended the stairs to the third floor. There, they fought four rat swarms, and Dusk, in his zeal, punched Qoask.

When they entered the third floor proper, the gang found the evidence of a wedding gone wrong, and a nicely appointed study, where Quiet Dusk considered becoming a chimney sweep. Feeling that Ireena was still above, the party continued towards one of the towers, narrowly avoiding an encounter with Volenta, who whispered about how excited she was to possibly kill them “early” so that things would stay the same in the castle.

In the tower, they found a massive spiraling staircase around a deep, dark pit. At the top of the tower, they could make out a massive, crystalline beating heart, glowing red. The tower shook, almost sending Qoask plummeting into the dark, before Eorlin caught him. The gang hurried upwards, but Daphne, left behind, was the next to take a fall. She fell hard, but, ever indomitable, owled up and caught up with the gang as they spied on some witches around the 170 foot mark. Qoask resolved to yank the witches over the pit, and combat began with some loud screams. The other witches moved in, and the gang took a beating, but deftly defeated the coven-less witches and their familiars. Beat to hell but indefatigable, the group rallied, and hurried up the stairs to find Ireena and make a choice.

They found her charmed, excited for her wedding, and excited to see them.

But as soon as Eorlin’s aura freed her of the charm, the reality of it sunk in. The gang offered Ireena a choice. She didn’t want to die, to say goodbye to the party, but with nowhere to run and a desperate need to prevent the wedding, Ireena, and the party, were running out of options. She shared with the gang some information she’d gleaned: that Strahd’s plan was more than just to marry her, to make her his vampiric bride. He wanted to escape Barovia. And he planned to do so in the bodies of two of the party.

He had everything he needed—except Daphne, Eorlin, Qoask, and Quiet Duck.

As the realization sank in, Qoask offered Ireena the poison, as a last resort, a failsafe.

She drank it immediately.

It began taking effect quickly. Qoask offered to take it back, to heal her, but she seemed to believe it was the right choice, that she couldn’t trust herself to take it at the last possible moment. Eorlin offered her words of comfort, Daphne put a flower in her hair, and Ireena said she hoped to see Ismark.

Daphne held Ireena as her breathing stopped, and the life of Ireena Kolyana came to an end.

## Session 58 — December 9, 2021 | "Reckoning"

Last session, the gang faced the question of what to do next, and how to escape Castle Ravenloft. Strahd seemed, as of yet, unaware of Ireena’s death, but as the gang shoved her body in the bag of chewing and planned a daring air escape, time slowly ticked down. Quickly, Eorlin and Qoask took down the crystalline heart in the tower and booked it into the storm. One hundred and fifty feet in the air, they flew through lightning, above spawn crawling on the roof, and made for the castle drawbridge as the time on Eorlin’s wings ran out. Volenta emerged to chase them down, almost knocking Quiet Dusk from Daphne’s back.

Ballistae activated, though the party saved themselves some trouble having taken out one of the towers’ defensive set ups the day before. As The gang raced for the drawbridge, Escher and Anastrasya burst out of the castle, but were too far away to attack.

Then, Strahd emerged.

He summoned his nightmare, turned Escher into a wolf, and flew up to engage the gang. With a few strikes, he almost leveled Eorlin, and managed to charm Daphne and Qoask for a moment.

Eorlin, realizing the dire straits, took out the Nightmare, forcing Strahd to turn into a bat to avoid hitting the ground hard.

The fight made it to the ground, and Eorlin suppressed the effects of the vampiric charm as Strahd strode in to attack. His nonchalant nature and comments made it clear that he did not know Ireena was dead.

The gang held him off well, but the battle was on the edge of a knife. Zuleika and three of her werewolves burst in to protect the alpha and provide backup. As the gang surrounded Strahd, Quiet Dusk repeatedly broke his nose, and Strahd attempted to feed on Eorlin, healing just as quickly as he was damaged. Eorlin quickly activated the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, and Strahd was shocked to discover that the party had such a powerful relic. The pure sunlight began to damage him, and his healing slowed.

But a mumbled remark from a stunned Daphne tipped him off that something was wrong—and Qoask and Eorlin played the Ireena card.

Strahd couldn’t believe it, and he swiftly departed for the tower to check on his bride. The gang and the werewolves surrounded and dispatched Escher and Anastrasya, pinning the two of them and staking them swiftly as Strahd let out a terrible scream from inside the tower. He flew back, and the party concocted a plan: pull out Ireena’s body and prepare to stake it. Daphne resisted this plan, but finally relented when Eorlin promised that they wouldn’t leave Ireena’s body behind.

Meanwhile, the not-so-bright werewolves revealed that they hadn’t come here of their own initiative, but because a mysterious voice instructed them to, and that the voice promised help awaited in the hills outside Ravenloft. The werewolves agreed to lead the party there when this was over, then formed a lycanthropic shield.

As Strahd flew back, his healing seemed to be good as new, but his mental state was… questionable. He paused just outside the light from the holy symbol to demand the truth.

The gang showed him Ireena’s body, and he insisted that they murdered her, and she loved him to the end. Then Qoask cast Speak with Dead.

Qoask’s carefully targeted and ruthless questioning of Ireena left Strahd with no other possible realization but the truth.

It seemed to break him, and he told the four to get out, before he killed each and every one of them. Then he called out to the sky to “Take me Away from here” and vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving the party a bit battered, but with options.

## Session 59 — December 16, 2021 | "Blood, Birds, and Berez"

The Barovia gang raced away from Castle Ravenloft, as Strahd’s rage rocked the land. They followed the werewolves to a hollow, where they found horses and a note from their mysterious ally. Quickly, the gang headed towards Bonegrinder, where they entered the woods, and a series of ravens demanded answers to personal questions. At the end of the line, they found themselves face to face with their mysterious ally: Ezmerelda D’Avenir, alive and mostly well, though now missing the ends of two fingers.

After some questioning, Ez led the party back to her camp, explaining that Vasili, who seemed to be possessed or something, set a trap for her. She was outnumbered and lost the fight, and had to go to ground in Berez. She would have been caught and killed by the witches, but for the gang routing them. Ez then revealed that she actually did manage to get the blood, but she couldn’t remember why it was important, only that it was vital she get some, which is what led to her ill-advised decision to go after the caravan despite Escher's presence in the guard.

Eorlin pretty much immediately dumped the blood on the sword, and its light turned to pure sunlight that was able to break through the dimming influence of Barovia. A few minutes later, after continued conversation, the tome was mentioned, and Ezmerelda remembered: oh yeah, we were meant to get the blood to unlock the last chapter of the TOME. Whoops.

But the choice had been made, and the gang settled in to come up with a plan. Daphne continued to have friction with Ez, but Qoask made some good friends in the werewolves who promised not to eat children anymore. On Qoask’s watch, that night, he became aware of an odd new ability: He could smell others’ emotional states from their pheromones. The next morning, he used a ceremony to bind Zuleika to the Huntress’s service, and sent the small pack off to rendezvous with backup and await his call.

With that, the gang used Daphne’s new magic to jump from their current location to the stump house in Berez.

There, Quiet Dusk ran on water, while Eorlin and Qoask took down a horrible tree that featured Baba Lysaga’s burnt body in the sap. The party recovered the Spindle of the Weaver, a key item they would need to reconsecrate the Swamp Fane, then headed towards a circle of standing stones they’d glimpsed last time they were here.

There, the gang crushed flowers to see hidden writing and runes on the stones. They retrieved the Reliquary from the earth in the center and found a small chunk of amber with Zevrin’s name on it, along with the shuttle of the weaver.

As Ez held both items, they activated, and glowing green threads appeared. The party directed Ez to stand on the runes and draw them in the air. As the first rune activated, zombies emerged from the swamp, and attacked.

The party held them off well, but one crawled in and put out the rune that Ezmerelda activated.

As the first round ended, there was a squelching from outside the ring, and another set of enemies arose.

The Barovia Gang has to get the runes lit, or these creatures will eat them alive.

## Session 60 — December 23, 2021 | "Rozana Reunified"

The gang, surrounded by the undead, set their plan to reconsecrate the Weaver's Fane in motion.

Daphne raised a stone wall to add a barrier to the fight that held off the waves of zombies, Eorlin and Qoask turned and destroyed many of the weaker monsters, and Quiet Dusk did what he did best: PUNCH.

The waves of undead became progressively stronger, but the gang fought them off, sending Ez around to inscribe the runes. At the last rune, she made a risky gambit to get the last rune before another creature could deactivate a run on the edge of battle, but was surrounded.

She dropped, and the light of the weaver began to fade, but timely intervention by Qoask got her back up. Daphne enclosed them in another set of walls, but outside the fight raged on Quiet Dusk went down, and Eorlin got him back up, and the remaining undead closed in.

But as Ezmerelda lit the last rune, green light filled the clearing. The stone circle was cleansed, and filled with life and greenery, and the undead all faded away.

With the final Fane consecrated, the Ladies Three stepped out, in their true forms, and spoke to you. They individually offered you the chance to become their champion, to keep Barovia a cut-away domain, and to take Strahd’s place, with the Rozana as your patron.

You all refused, and the ladies, though disappointed, accepted your decision. They admitted that, when Barovia's plight was ended, they may cease to exist, as the world at large had forgotten them. Qoask argued, and promised to do his best to keep the Huntress's spirit alive after they destroyed Vampyr.

At that, Eorlin glimpsed something odd. A passing comment about the ladies being linked to each other revealed to him, just for a moment, the Rozana, the Ladies Three in their unified form. In the center of the circle, though the ladies each stood apart, Eorlin glimpsed an archfey of three aspects. Three faces and six reaching arms, and hair that flowed like light through water.

As Eorlin blinked away the vision, the Rozana shared the key to finally and fully defeating Strahd: destroying his dark patron Vampyr.

The Rozana could not speak of the ritual, as some say it can kill a god, but they shared that Zevrin gathered the information and hid it in three places: The final Pages of Strahd Von Zarovich, a Sunken Monument to a Lost Tatyana, and with the Second-Sighted Crone.

With that, they faded out, leaving the party to make a decision.

The party hesitantly decided to seek out the sunken monument, as it was likely in Berez, and much closer than traveling to Madame Eva or trying to get more of Vasili's blood.

The gang took a brief break from discussing their next steps to speak to Lucian, the little boy who inhabited the skull from Granny Morgantha’s black pouch.

Using speak with dead, Qoask got the little boy's life story. At one point he had been adopted by a previous party of adventurers, before they left him "safely" in a wagon to go fight Strahd. They failed, and Lucian starved to death. Next thing he knew, he was in Granny's bag.

Qoask asked him if he wanted to be freed, and Lucian admitted that he didn't want to see the party die, and, so long as the gang promised not to die, he would be okay. But that it scared him, because it made him think of his old party who died and didn't come back.

Qoask offered to put him in a goat body, and the little boy said that might be fun. Daphne had serious objections to this, so the gang decided to put a pin in it, and let Lucian know to clatter if he wanted to have his skull smashed. He agreed, and Qoask gave him the little dragon toy that had been Rose Durst’s.

With that, the gang settled in for a quick breather

## Session 61 — December 30, 2021 | "Marina, Ireena, Tatyana"

After a rest, the gang continued onward to search for the sunken monument in Berez, hoping to find the secrets Zevrin left for you.

In the flooded basement of the Ulrich House, they found an old stained glass window, with pieces fallen out. The base read "Darling Marina". After gathering up as many shards as they could, the gang headed upstairs and settled in for a puzzle. Qoask lit a fire, and a cozy ambiance was created, with Ezmerelda keeping watch by the door. By the crackling light of Qoask’s fire, the gang reassembled the window, which Eorlin heartily insulted. The window turned out to be a stained glass image of Marina Ulrich, one of Ireena’s previous lives. As the gang assembled the last piece, Marina appeared. An echo created by Zevrin, she offered to show the party what it would take to defeat Vampyr.

She led the gang through visions of the past, her own death, all the way back to the moment Strahd started his descent beyond just a cruel general, to a demented dark lord.

She showed the gang how he searched for the secrets of youth and love so that he might get Tatyana to choose him over Sergei, and eventually found his way to the Amber Temple, where Vampyr began to groom him for evil. Strahd desecrated the three fanes, then trapped the Rozana's essence in a piece of amber. He then returned to Ravenloft, where he slew Sergei, drank his blood, and seemed to trap his soul. He returned from the dead as the first vampire, and then pursued Tatyana through the castle, until, trapped, she jumped from the overlook into the mists below Ravenloft.

With that, Barovia was ripped away by the mists, and Strahd became a champion of Vampyr.

The gang returned to the present to find a note from Zevrin in Daphne’s hands, detailing the gist of what they’d need to do to subdue and trap Vampyr back in the amber he had been in before Strahd freed him.

As they discussed their options, the gang was joined by the Martikovs, and by Kromslor, who could now say his own name. The quartet weighed approaches, and decided on three potentially winning plans.

1. Fortify Argynvostholt and tell Strahd to come show you what he’s made of.

2. Take the fight to him at Castle Ravenloft.

3. Put on a ruse funeral to get Strahd to come gloat over the bodies of Eorlin and Ireena.

Deeming that it might be hard to tempt Strahd to Argynvostholt given that he’s depressed, a renowned general, and the party nearly beat him last time, the gang tentatively decided to try the funeral approach, and started on the road to Vallaki. Along the way, they were not attacked by wolves, andthen encountered a roaming pack of vampire spawn.

The gang got to see the might of Eorlin’s sword and Daphne’s new staff up against the pack and their Nosferatu leader.

They cleaved through the undead, aided by some wereravens, Ezmerelda, and Kromslor, making swift work of the hungry undead.

## Session 62 — January 6, 2022 | "Barters and Bluebells"

The Barovia gang, in their travels toward Vallaki, wrecked a number of spawn with impunity, and began their discussion of the specifics of their plan.

As they traveled, Qoask noticed that in the curious wildlife that watched them, there was one bird that seemed to be sticking around. He fired a shot at it, and Quiet Dusk chased the singed bird into the woods, bringing it back for Daphne to question.

The bird called itself Bluebell, and insisted it was a normal bird. Suspecting a spy, Daphne unleashed not one but two 3rd level dispel magics on the bird, which remained very much a bird. Dusk then squashed the bird, which rapidly expanded in his hands into a large, grimy Vistani man. Qoask and Dusk subdued him, and began to question him. He claimed he had been sent by Madame Eva, but Ez recognized him as a member of Luvash’s gang.

The man insisted that he had left Luvash and was sent here as a bird, as part of his final task to prove himself to Eva and the eastern Vistani. Qoask raided the man’s pockets, retrieving a coin and a card, and demanded he tell them which item Eva used to communicate with him. The man said none, but, on further threats said it was the coin. Qoask ripped the card and threw the coin into the bag, as Eorlin asked the man what he'd heard.

The man said he’d been following for maybe 15 to 20 minutes and had sort of overheard some of your plan, but not much of it. Eorlin then put his deactivated sunsword to the man’s neck and demanded the truth. Panicking in full, the man insisted that he was just supposed to report back to Eva. Daphne began to get worried, and protested on the man’s behalf, but, while her mind was temporarily using the bathroom, Eorlin activated the sword, killing the man instantly.

Daphne was horrified, and Qoask reluctantly put the man's card and coin over his eyes, then grew white flowers on his corpse. Eorlin reminded the gang that, at this point, it was for the greater good, and better safe than sorry.

The party moved on, and skirted north of Vallaki to visit Jeny Greenteeth. Her shop was empty, but a friendly spider awaited to help the gang with their purchases. The spider spoke Sylvan and chatted with Daphne about the scale that would allow them to trade and barter. Using the language barrier to her advantage, Daphne began trying to convince Ezmerelda that the spider was racist and wanted her to get on the scale, but was reigned in by Eorlin.

Ezmerelda at first believed Daphne, but when the lie was exposed, became frustrated.

Meanwhile, Qoask began playing with the scale, trading in items and all of his jewelry for a hefty stack of gold coins. Following Daphne’s train of thought, he set Baba Lysaga’s rotting head on the scale. The scale began to glow and filled with a bright spot of light. Qoask reached for it and was transported to a strange realm, where the spirit of the Rozana offered him a boon of his choice. His request for something helpful was met with the Rozana unlocking the last two chapters of the Tome, so that the party could access the kill ritual for Vampyr.

With this exciting boost, the gang set about shopping. Qoask had Daphne request ingredients for Truesight, but Daphne saw another chance to harass Ez, requesting the first two ingredients, then claiming the spider had no fat, and they would need to get the fat from Ez.

Eorlin become frustrated, but found that the could speak both sylvan and celestial. As he started his own communication with the spider, Daphne described Eorlin as a special needs sociopath in need of careful handling. The spider, who introduced herself to Eorlin as Ariadna, treated him with suspicion, but soon seemed to come to her own conclusions.

As Daphne repeatedly attempted to trade Ezmerelda to the spider, the gang identified a number of useful and not so useful items, traded in loot, and experimented with a few of the small things.

Things came to a head when Eorlin asked the spider in celestial to identify a magic item, and Daphne tried to bribe the spider into saying that the item required Ezmerelda to leave. She offered the spider 750 gp, which the spider refused, then countered, asking for either Daphne's reflection or for permission to take Ezmerelda, reflection, soul, and all. Eorlin and Daphne argued, but in the process, Ezmerelda vanished. Daphne panicked, thinking the spider had taken her, and offering the spirit 750 gold to bring Ez back.

She was about to trade all their money away, when Eorlin stopped her and began looking for Ez. Nobu had been distracted by delicious grass, but Eorlin headed outside and insisted that Daphne yell an apology.

With an apology secured Ez reappeared. Fed up with things, she had turned invisible and left the shop. Through gritted teeth, Daphne repeated her apology, and a truce was established.

The gang finished their shopping, and enacted plan phase one: sneak in and begin the rumors.

Qoask sent Kromslor off into the woods imbued with a message spell, and then Eorlin became Dovelin, and Daphne a hamster. After putting on a spectacular act for Milivoj, the gang reunited with Lancelot and a depressed Van Richten in the Blue Water Inn, before heading to the Church of St. Andral to hunker down for the evening. There, Quiet Dusk and Ez put on a spectacular performance, Daphne established a new identity, and Eorlin snuck in invisibly.

The gang touched base with the Martikovs, and Eorlin attempted to have a come to Lathander moment with Van Richten, only for the conversation to veer to Daphne’s home life. Gaurqoask snuck off to message Dick Dilly, seeking a connection with his absent grandfather, only to be coldly struck down.

But with that, the gang settled in for the evening, ready to lay out their plan the next day, and set the great ruse in motion.

## Session 63 — January 13, 2022 | "The Tumult Before the Storm"

Sequestered in the church, the gang decided on Eorlin and Daphne's manner of death (already injured from reconsecrating the swamp fane, they were assailed and fell fighting Spawn on the road). Qoask, Dusk, and Ez divided up chores and errands, and the party got in motion.

Quiet Dusk got directions to the coffin shop and found that, with Henrik dead, Blinsky had taken charge of making coffins. Blinsky cried for Eorlin and Daphne, and Dusk gave a rousing performance of sorrow. Blinsky gave the gang the coffins free of charge, along with a special gift, two disturbing little Qoask and Dusk dolls.

Meanwhile, Qoask sent messages out to important leaders of the valley. He found that Baron Krezkov and his family were still in Castle Ravenloft but appear unharmed while Father Donavich was most likely dead. Lady Fidatov cordially sends her regrets, but she is also trapped in Ravenloft, Karl Wachter is dead, and there’s quite a bit of blood so unfortunately she will not be able to attend.

Dusk took on his second task, of spreading sorrow around town and finding someone to come prepare Ireena’s body. He ran into Yeska the altar boy who agreed to spread the sad news, then met the mortician, a loud man named Ivan. Throughout the process, Dusk gave a Tony-award-worthy performance and arranged to have Ivan pick up the coffins as well for an extra 10 gp.

Back in the room, Daphne and Eorlin played several innocent games of pattycake, before the topic of Eorlin’s plans came up again. Haggling commenced, as Daphne tried to keep Eorlin in his children’s life, Eorlin brought up teleportation, Daphne later brought up teleportation in a completely unrelated way, and Eorlin dodged the question with flair as Daphne also dodged the question of her siblings and family of origin.

Outside, Qoask was overseeing more preparations, when he received a message. The female voice asked him if Daphne was all right, and if he really was her grandchild. Qoask replied, giving Debra Dilly valuable information on the grove and requesting a reunion.

Qoask and Dusk returned and, as the afternoon arrived, Dusk skywrote the message: rip Eorlin, funeral tomorrow.

WEEP FOR THE LOSS OF ST EORLIN NOW WITH LATHANDER

Eorlin and Daphne played dead as Qoask kept a sharp eye out for Strahd. He scried almost immediately. Daphne pulled off the appearance of death with skill, but Eorlin had to rely on both Lathander AND Zevrin’s assistance, as Qoask and Dusk began mournfully discussing the deaths and funeral of Daphne, Eorlin, and Ireena.

With that, Qoask decided that the time had come to put his parents under. But Daphne begged off, and, in the closet, had a Lathander powwow, promising the grove to him if he would make it easy for Eorlin to travel between the two. Lathander was delighted, and accepted the offer, though he told her that Eorlin’s choice remained his to make.

Daphne returned and gleefully shared her victory with her sons, unaware that Eorlin could still hear everything while under the spell’s influence. Panickedly, Qoask messaged Mud, checking in on the status of the grove. No one had died, but the tree had turned white, and the Green-moon goddess had been evicted as its patron.

With many things to mull over, Qoask put Daphne to sleep, and the gang all turned in. Eorlin let Daphne know that they would be having *WORDS* about this when Strahd is dead.

The night slowly began to pass. Eventually, pre-dawn light seeped in, and the gang awoke.

Today was the day. Today, they would kiss Strahd.

## Session 64 — January 20, 2022 | "Back for More?"

The gang awoke on the morning of the funeral and shared some final advice. Eorlin called his old friend Ake to his side, Qoask zealously guarded the door, Dusk met with the mortician, Vlad, and Daphne pretended to be asleep.

But soon the time came. Qoask gave Dusk the power of true sight and the gang brought Eorlin, Daphne, and Ireena out, and began the mourning. Guests had gathered from all around, and Qoask invited friends of the departed to come up and say their farewells. Taltos, Blinsky, and Viktor all came up to express their grief, and Qoask invited some Vistani guests to start up some music.

But as he began to read the Eulogy, Strahd arrived. He expressed disappointment, then encouraged Gaurqoask to go ahead and begin his speech.

Dusk, watching from the shadows, however, saw that the Strahd in mourning clothes was an illusion and the real Strahd stood, in full battle armor, watching invisibly from further back.

As Qoask ended his speech, Strahd said that his master told him not to come, but he was tired, and knowing this was his Tatyana’s funeral as well, he would prefer to either kill all of you or die trying near Ireena.

With that, battle commenced. Your allies: The Knights of Argynvost, Ezmerelda, Kasimir, Viktor, the Martikovs, Kromslor, Van Richten, and Blinksy rallied to you. Ez took on Lyudmila and her beasts, nearly going down but snatching a victory. You sent the knights to destroy the zombies, led by Rahadin’s corpse, Kromslor to wreck the skeletons, Kasimir and Viktor to fight the druids, Van Richten and the Martikovs to take on Luvash and his Vistani, while Blinsky shielded Daphne with his body

Meanwhile you took on the still-invisible Strahd, who was backed by Volenta, and a half-possessed Vasili.

Strahd brought his A-game, with Volenta firing off high-level spells at the clustered gang, and Strahd making use of his invisibility and legendary actions to avoid being pinned down, draining Quiet dusk several times, and downing Daphne for the first time in her five weeks in Barovia.

But slowly you wore him down. Qoask correctly guessed that Volenta was the one powering Strahd’s invisibility spell and wrecked her. Eorlin finished her off with a stake, then took down Vasili who thanked him with his final breath, restoring the crystal blade to the Sword of Sunlight.

Meanwhile, Dusk held off Strahd, saving Daphne and Blinsky, before getting in some monster punches and Stunning Strahd. Now pinned down, Strahd was in bad shape, and fled as soon as he recovered his senses.

But Daphne’s heat metal took him down and Strahd was brought to zero HP for the first time in your time here.

Strahd’s eyes glazed over and he crumpled to the ground, his sword falling from his grip.

For a moment, everything stood still, as if the very land were holding its breath.

Then, flooding up from the earth, out of the shadows, a visceral black shape took form. Massive, almost incomprehensibly large, and running through with veins of corrupted, sparking crimson, it boiled before you. The peak of the cloud had to be 100s of feet up.

The very air took on a dingy shade, as though a screen of dark energy had come down over your vision, or the square has filled with ash.

A strange paralysis filled your limbs—not fear, but a fascination, awe mixed with an instinctive sense that what you were seeing was beyond the limitations of mortality, life, and death as you understood them.

The earth shuddered, and tentacles of shadow began to snake out across the ground towards you.

Vampyr, Strahd's dark patron, had arrived.

## Session 65 — February 3, 2022 | "Homeward"

With the end of it all swiftly approaching, Eorlin, Daphne, Quiet Dusk, and Gaurqoask cut off a misty Strahd's escape to his coffin with the light of the Sun Sword, then began the ritual.

Vampyr wasn't going down easy, and a seemingly endless stream of shadowy veins began an attack on the gang and their remaining allies. Eorlin soon began to feel the heat of Vampyr's onslaught. Timely intervention from Qoask, Dusk, and Ez formed a shield between Vampyr and Eorlin, and the veins began to redirect their attacks. Daphne's healing bought the gang more time, with some of her most powerful spells melting away the damage done by Vampyr's attacks. Vampyr's power was strong, but the gang's preparation and strategy soon proved his match. Kromslor nearly went down, a Martikov was knocked out, and Godfrey proved himself to be one of your tougher allies.

With fiendish enemies closing in, Daphne unleashed her wall of thorns, protecting Eorlin as he completed the ritual. Vampyr, sensing that the end was approaching, closed in on the gang, bringing his whorling energy closer. But he was too late.

As Eorlin completed the ritual, all went perfectly still. Dreamlike, the dark cloud floated towards Eorlin, Daphne, and Qoask, curling like wisps of smoke.

Then with a rush it flooded down the black tether and into the amber block.

The earth began to shake, and many bodies of the dead began to dissolve into mist. The surviving villagers panicked as some of their number became immaterial and slowly vanished. Some of these the gang recognized: Lydia Vallakovich, killed by Strahd’s ice spell, dissolved. Taltos stepped out from his hiding place with Stella and Dima only to vanish. Arasek’s body turned to mist, and Milivoj’s shovel clattered to the ground as he, too, vanished.

Then light flashed, like a crack of lightning, and when they opened their eyes, the gang stood in the square of vallaki. It looked as before, with maybe a quarter of the villagers remaining, but now they stood in bright sunlight. Up above, a cloudless blue morning floated, and the smell of late summer was on the air.

Eorlin, all at once, felt Lathander’s presence and influence.

Qoask and Dusk smelled the old, familiar scent of Faronne’s forests.

And Daphne felt her connection to the grove. Long absent, but now returned in full force, it felt different, but just as strong as before.

With the mists gone, they could now see, to the east, the mountains of Dragomir. To the north, the Expanse, the vast ocean that surrounded Faronne. To the west, the plains and distant cities of the Greenering, and, to the south, the rolling hills of the Withering Wood, the land that they all called home.

They had returned, and brought Barovia with them.

In the excitement of victory, the gang took stock of the changes. Barovia was a part of Faronne once again, but not without costs. The spirit of the sunsword vanished, and Sir Godfrey faded away with a final ragged word of encouragement towards Quiet Dusk. Viktor and Kasavan both died in the fight, and the relics became tarnished.

But now returned, Eorlin connected to his spiritual guide, Asteria, a celestial in Lathander's service. Meanwhile, the werewolves let Qoask know they would follow their alpha anywhere, and Kromslor remained functional.

Now faced with the aftermath, the gang huddled up to make their plan.

They needed one more person to do the ritual, and debated who to bring and who they could trust. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that only a member of the grove could be trusted. As they bid farewell to Ez, Van Richten, and the Martikovs, Qoask felt the influence of the Huntress once again. From the ground, a small pit surfaced the seed for Qoask's very own Gulthias tree.

And with that, the gang felt it was time to leave Barovia. Bringing Lancelot and Kromslor with them, the gang returned to the Grove via Daphne's powerful plant-door spell.

The reunion between Daphne, Qoask, and the other Grovians was tearful, loud, and full of animal noises. The Tree looked different, now white-barked, with gold leaves. Upon seeing what had happened, and hearing that Eorlin still didn't plan to stay, Daphne began to commune with Lathander, he told her that Eorlin had a choice, but that there was a right and wrong choice in his path to serve Lathander. Eorlin encouraged her to ask what Lathander wished of her, and Lathander informed her that his faithful were charged with spreading his word and his light across the land—through force if necessary.

Daphne considered being a healer in Lathander's name, but as she went to withdraw, a distant connection broke through, taking advantage of the wavering connection between Daphne and Lathander.

The Green-Moon goddess, long asleep but now awake and unhoused, entreated Daphne to return the Grove to her, insisting that she had been with Daphne since the beginning. She faded out, leaving Daphne with a difficult choice. After some emotionally charged discussion, and the discovery that her children had restored the Green-Moon Goddess and brought back Luc du Villier, Daphne decided that, of anyone else, she ought to ask the tree what it wanted.

After a long pause, the tree, shifted colors, to a light ash brown. It was now, not the Green-Moon Goddess's, or Lathander's, but Daphne's Grove.

Feeling much happier about things, Daphne and the gang headed out for a quick god-killing, recruiting Nephthos the centaur for their fifth.

They began the ritual. At first they held fast, but as the weight of the ritual began to hit them, they struggled to bear the powerful energy it required to utterly destroy a god.

But finally, the amber cracked, and Vampyr was erased, obliterated.

But things looked different. Qoask was the first to notice, that they all looked older, and things seemed to have overgrown. In a panic, the gang raced back to the grove, to find Kromslor, grown through with vines, still standing in the gate.

Daphne, terrified for her children, raced in to find the great tree covered in a chrysalis-like sap. She called for Mud, and the tree spat him out. Mud recalled that, after they left, a horrible light shot up to the sky, then the ground began to shake, and the tree grabbed all of those still in the grove and pulled them inside the trunk. He thinks he fell asleep, then work up here.

Daphne's children were all accounted for, but when Eorlin reached out to Lathander, Asteria responded, saying that he'd been gone for some time. In the mean time, things had changed, courtesy of someone known as Dick Dilly.

But for now, the gang decided to rest on their laurels. They settled in, and Qoask went to plant his own grove next door, informing Daphne and Qoask that he would like them to announce themselves before visiting. Eorlin promised to stay a little longer before departing on his next task, and Daphne and Dusk took stock of their beloved grove.

In the safety of the Withering Wood, little could touch the tranquility.

But the world continues to turn. A whole continent spins on. To the south, to the west, and the north, strife can easily be found, and, should anyone wish to seek them out, adventure, challenges, and glory are readily at hand.

Eorlin, Daphne, Qoask, and Quiet Dusk are now some of the most powerful residents of Faronne. And power attracts trouble.

But for now, all is quiet. As the sun sets over the Grove, party could hear the crickets beginning to sing, the crackling of a fire, the sound of the spirits of the forest, and of Daphne’s children rustling and getting into trouble. And for the first time in five weeks… they rested easy.