From Barovia With Love

***From Barovia With Love*** is a *Dungeons & Dragons* adventure set in Ravenloft.

Taking place over 21 sessions from August 9th, 2022 to January 3rd, 2023, the story was DMed by TanisJr93 and hosted on his channel on Twitch.

## References

The title of the campaign is a reference to the second James Bond film, *From Russia With Love*.

## Party

* **Vive** (*Megquins*) – Satyr Twilight Domain Cleric
* **Lilly** (*N3rdyTeacher*) – Water Genasi Circle of Stars Druid
* **Draven** (*FloodedBasement*) ‐ Dhampyr Oath of Devotion Paladin
* **Semyaza** (*GeekGirlLyssa*) – Devil's Tongue Tiefling Assassin Rogue (session 10-*onward*)
* **Avi** (*NimueOfAvalon*) – Shadar-Kai Archfey Warlock
* **Shayne** (*Capwithoutacountry*) – Changeling Hexblade Warlock
* Ira (*GeekGirlLyssa*) – Fallen Aasimar Storm Herald Barbarian (sessions 1-10)

## Summary

### Session 1 (08/09/2022)

#### Day One

As the party of Vive, Ira, Draven, Lilly, Avishka, and Shayne return from a successful mission, they are beset by a mysterious mist that Draven briefly recognizes before it engulfs the group. The six of them are planeshifted and wake again on a dusty road in a wooded area near a small village; they begin venturing toward town, drawn toward the sound of a child crying, and soon find a girl and her younger brother holding a stuffed doll outside a three-story house. The children claim that their parents are trapped inside by a monster in the basement, and that their infant brother is upstairs; Draven immediately heads into the house, followed by the rest of the party.

The group moves through the entrance and main hall, discovering a variety of items marked with windmills and wolves before making their way into the kitchen, where Draven discovers a dumbwaiter with a note written in blood: "HELP ME." They then proceed to the den, where Shayne discovers a book lying on an oak table near a cask of wine; summoning his Pact Weapon in the form of a letter opener, he opens the cover of the book, and discovers his own handwriting and a familiar name. He closes the book, leaving it on the table as the party heads back to the main hall and starts up the red marble staircase toward the second floor.

The groups finds a family portrait of Gustav Durst and his wife Elisabeth, as well as their children Rosavalda and Thornboldt, and their newborn Walter. They pass four suits of armor and find a library, and Avi searches the desk to find an iron key in a drawer. Browsing the book shelf, Shayne discovers a secret door that opens to reveal a small room containing a wooden chest, its lid closed on a skeleton with three darts embedded in it. He discovers a letter from Strahd von Zarovich to Gustav Durst, three spell scrolls (*Bless*, *Protection from Poison*, and *Spiritual Weapon*), three blank books, the deed to the house, and a will; he takes then all, as well as the three darts. Vive also investigates the servants' room, where they find the dumbwaiter with another note: "CLOSER."

The group continues up the red marble staircase to the third floor where they confront a suit of armor that Ira promptly strikes with her trident. The armor becomes animated and attacks the group, but Shayne destroys it with a *Shatter* spell that inadvertently strikes Ira as well. The group moves into the master suite, where Vive discovers a jewelry box, three gold rings, and a platinum necklace; Draven, however, finds a mirror in which he sees a woman from his past emerge from the shadows, and Shayne finds the dumbwaiter with another note: "TOO LATE." Avi, Lily, and Ira investigate the nursemaid's suite, where they find a woman rocking a cradle; when Avi approaches the cradle, the woman transforms into a specter and attacks the group, but is destroyed by Vive's radiant attack.

Discovering a secret door in the nursemaid's suite, the group continues upward to the attic, where they find a door locked with an iron padlock. Avi uses the key from the library to open the room, where the group discovers the skeletons of two children on the floor with a stuffed doll that Shayne recognizes as the one that Thor was holding outside. He picks up the doll, causing the ghosts of the children to appear, and then hands the doll to Thor; the children explain that their parents locked them in the room to protect them from the monster in the basement, after which Thor takes Shayne by the hand and shows him to a secret door inside a storage room across the hall.

Thor attempts to compel Shayne to stay with him and Rose, but Ira successfully convinces the children to stay in their room while the party descends to the basement to confront the monster. Ira bundles up the skeletons of the children, and the party proceeds through the storage room into the circular staircase.

### Session 2 (08/16/2022)

Shayne recovers the skeleton of the nursemaid from the trunk in the storage room and joins the party in their descent to the basement, where they hear chanting but cannot discern the words. They quickly discover the crypts of the Durst family; Shayne places the remains of the nursemaid in an unmarked crypt next to the empty crypt of Walter Durst, while Ira and Draven lay the remains of the children in their respective crypts. The party feels a weight lift from their spirits, and continue into a nearby dining hall strewn with humanoid bones.

Their passage provokes a grick huddled in an adjacent larder, and the creature lashes out at Lilly before Vive pulls her free; the party fights off the monstrosity, then proceeds through a nearby hallway where they are confronted by four Ghouls that were once members of the Durst's cult. The group battles their way through the undead creatures with minimal difficulty, and make their way into a large room with half-a-dozen skeletons shackled to the wall; they also discover a large shrine including a statue of a tall man holding a dusty glass orb beside a wolf, and Ira promptly shatters the orb with her trident.

The room is immediately plunged into a darkness that not even Shayne can see through with his Devil's Sight, and they hear a male voice that says: "Well, then. This is interesting. Another group so soon. How unexpected, yet not...unwelcome. Five? No. Very interesting indeed. Do try and survive this place, for I am now...curious." The darkness then lifts, and Shayne sees a sight he's never seen before: the normally-stoic Avi is shaking with fear and crying, and when he checks on her, she tells him, "Don't die down here."

Shayne memorizes the features of the statue before the party moves on through a doorway into another smaller dining room, and Shayne promptly shoots a crossbow bolt into the table and both chairs. When they don't react, Vive retrieves the bolts and returns them to Shayne and the party continues into an adjacent bedroom where the find an open footlocker containing a black cloak, a chain shirt, a mess kit, a bullseye lantern, a set of thieves' tools, a coffer containing four potions of healing, and a wizard's spellbook with a yellow leather cover.

Immediately after emptying the footlocker, a pair of Ghasts burst out of the walls; the group fends them off from the neighboring dining room until Lilly transforms into the Starry Form of the Archer and strikes the creatures with a devastating arrow of radiant damage. Winded and wounded, the party recuperates briefly in the smaller dining room before continuing in pursuit of the chanting voices, which have grown louder; the group exits the dining room and realizes that they've doubled back around to the hallway in which they fought the Ghouls, then descends a set of stairs into a lower sub-basement.

The group emerges into a large reliquary lined with alcoves containing thirteen gruesome artefacts, and can now clearly hear the voices chanting: "He is the Ancient. He is the Land." Draven and Shayne investigate a ramp that leads downward to a rusty portcullis through which they can see a partly flooded chamber with an alter standing on a platform that rises from the water at the center of the room; Avi, Lilly, Vive, and Ira investigate a hallway leading to a cluster of prison cells where Lilly discovers a skeleton wearing a gold ring before finding a hidden doorway in one wall through which she can hear Shayne.

Lilly pushes through the door and enters the chamber with Avi, Ira, and Vive, who spot Draven and Shayne behind the portcullis. A moment later, the chanting stops and thirteen figures appear on the walkway around the perimeter of the chamber, and as Lilly reaches a wooden wheel to attempt to raise the portcullis, the figures begin a new chant: "One must die."

### Session 3 (08/23/2022)

Demanding a sacrifice, the figures summon Lorgoth, an Unspeakable Horror that the party is forced to battle within the ritual chamber. The group takes substantial damage, but Vive's *Twilight Sanctuary* enables them to destroy the creature and survive the encounter, after which the house begins to collapse and they flee the basement; emerging in the first floor dining room, they discover that the doorways have been replaced with bladed traps and the fireplaces are spewing poisonous smoke.

The party narrowly makes their way out of the house despite several of them taking further injury, and as they recover in the roadway outside, they are approached by a man who identifies himself as Strahd von Zarovich. He congratulates the party on their survival and asks their names, and Shayne responds by offering a gift: the journal he picked up inside the Durst House, now incredibly decayed, from which Strahd learns his name.

Draven and Ira offer their names as well, and Strahd pays particular attention to Lilly, indicating that she was the member of the party that he had initially been unable to detect. He also reveals that he knows Draven's heritage, then offers the party a pouch of gold in exchange for their assistance convincing a man in the nearby town named Ismark to stop interfering with Strahd's plans. The party agrees to consider the proposal, and Strahd vanishes.

Having remained silent during the entire encounter, Avi lets out a horrifying scream and collapses. Carrying the unconscious Shadar-Kai, Ira leads the party into the village and finds the Blood On The Vine tavern, where she and Shayne place Avi near the fire to warm her. The party then encounter a patron who reveals himself to be Ismark, who requests the party's assistance in protecting his sister from a suitor named Strahd von Zarovich.

The party agrees to accompany Ismark back to his residence, where they meet his sister Ireena, who questions whether the party is associated with Strahd. Draven then admits to Ismark that Strahd had in fact paid them to kill him, though Shayne reveals that he left the pouch of gold on the porch of the Durst House because he didn't trust it. Ireena explains that she will not attempt to leave the village until her and Ismark's deceased father is buried, and Vive offers to conduct a burial *Ceremony* in the morning.

Ismark offers the party accommodations: Ira and Draven share a room, and Vive tends to Avi while Shayne refuses to leave her side.

### Session 4 (08/31/2022)

As the team settles in for the night, Ireena inadvertently walks in on Ira and Draven sharing a bath and sees more of Draven than she intended; she hurries to deliver blankets to Vive and Shayne's room, where Vive notices pronounced bitemarks on the woman's neck that she admits received from Strahd. Vive requests that Ireena accompany Lilly for the evening and she agrees, after which Vive asks Shayne to deliver a letter to Lilly in the event of his death; Shayne agrees, and requests that Vive save Avi as well as Lilly if he can. Vive agrees, and having come to their agreement, Shayne reveals his true nature as a Changeling by shapeshifting into Ireena's form, realizing too late that Jessamy saw him do it.

During the night, Lilly dreams of a lake surrounded by a forest, but her mind is invaded by a seemingly malevolent consciousness; Ira dreams of the frozen tundra and is visited by the goddess Auril, who can barely sense the Barbarian in the Demiplane of Dread; Shayne is visited by his own unknown patron, who encourages him to trust himself and his powers in order to protect his friends; and Avi relives a previous betrayal by someone who told her, "I really do hope they choose you," after which she is visited by the Raven Queen, who advises her not to waste this second chance.

#### Day Two

Vive monitors Avi through the night, and Shayne is relieved when she wakes the next morning; the two have an intimate conversation before joining the rest of the party downstairs for breakfast.

After preparing the body of Kolyan Indirovich, the party helps Ireena and Ismark transport their father's coffin through town, while hundreds of crows watch the procession from the rooftops along the road. The group eventually reaches a derelict church near the edge of town, where they meet the priest Donavich and hear a horrible screaming from within the building. Donavich rings the church bell, and the party proceeds into the cemetery behind the church, where the priest begins the burial; while he does, Vive additionally casts *Ceremony* to perform Funeral Rites in order to prevent Kolyan from being raised as undead.

As the *Ceremony* is nearly finished, Strahd appears in the cemetery, watching the ritual without interfering. With the Funeral Rites completed and Kolyan safely buried, Strahd advances on the party and instructs Ireena to accompany him. The group lines up in her defense, at which point Vive points her crossbow at the back of Ismark's head; Strahd calls the bluff, and Vive fires at the vampire instead, hitting him with a crossbow bolt that triggers a flash of red lightning that cracks across the sky above Castle Ravenloft in the distance.

Strahd retaliates against the group, hurling Ismark across the cemetery with such force that he is impaled on the wrought iron fence surrounding the property. Ira attacks with her trident and suffers a vicious claw attack, after which Shayne summons his pact weapon and unexpectedly places it to Ireena's throat, telling Strahd: "If this continues, she's going to die." Strahd responds by *Charm*ing Shayne and suggesting that he place his weapon to Avi's throat instead, at which point Vive summons a *Moon Beam* that engulfs both Strahd and Ira. Draven attempts to remove Ireena from the confrontation as Strahd attempts to *Charm* Vive but fails, after which Strahd attacks Lilly, slashing her throat open in one strike and dropping her body on the ground. Unconscious, the Druid hears a voice tell her: "Not today, Lilly. You're not ready for this yet. None of you are. But don't worry. I'm here."

Strahd follows Ireena as Ira, Vive, and Avi successfully attack him, after which the vampire *Misty Step*s to Ireena's side, assuring her that he will have her again. He then flees the cemetery, leaving Vive to heal Lilly as Ireena, Ismark, Donavich, and the party to retreat into the church, where they hear a voice scream out: "Father! I'm starving!"

### Session 5 (09/06/2022)

Donavich admits to the party that the voice belongs to his son, who was among a group of Barovians that followed an adventurer in an attempt to storm Ravenloft Castle; almost all of the men died, but Donavich's son was transformed into a vampire spawn. Shayne requests a chalice of wine which he proceeds to drink while Draven leaves the church, at which point Shayne summons his pact weapon as a dagger and slices open his palm, filling the chalice halfway with his own blood. Donavich delivers the chalice to his son in the basement as Avi bandages Shayne's hand, after which the priest returns and promises aid to the party if they ever need it.

Donavich also gives the party enough gold to buy a cart and a horse, and Draven accompanies Ireena to her house to pack, where she reveals that she knows he has vampiric heritage; Ismark leads the rest of the party to Bildrath's Mercantile, where Vive trades the jewelry he recovered from the Durst House for two potions of healing and a small wooden box. Draven and Ireena then rejoin the group, which heads out of Barovia through the forests to the west of town. They briefly encounter will-o'-wisps in the trees before stopping by a river, where they spot a pack of wolves led by a white direwolf that Vive intimidates into leaving.

They continue on to discover a large clearing with a wooden gallows and several graves, one of which appears freshly dug, and Draven detects a powerful presence with his *Divine Sense*; he and Ira dig up the newest grave and open an ancient coffin to recover a leather-bound book written by Strahd von Zarovich. Having acquired the Tome of Strahd, the party decides to head northward toward the Tser Pool after Ismark indicates that a group of potential allies are congregated there; as the party departs the clearing, Draven sees his own body hanging from the gallows, and Shayne experiences a subtle emotional shift as Strahd's *Charm* wears off.

Reaching the encampment, the party is cordially greeted by a man named Dragos and discovers that their arrival has been anticipated by Madame Eva. They proceed into her tent where she conducts a Tarokka card reading: she deals five cards, including The Thief (which hints at "knowledge of an ancient evil [that] will help [the party] better understand [their] enemy"), The Abjurer (which hints at a "a holy symbol of great hope"), The Beggar (which hints at "a sword of sunlight"), the Artifact (which points them toward "an entertaining man with a monkey"), and the Mists (which "obscure all"). She also warns the party both that they are more connected to one another than they know, and that the secrets they keep from each other have the potential to destroy them or to save them. After the reading, the team joins the villagers for dinner, during which a bard tells the tale of a wizard who battled against The Devil Strahd; afterward, an injured man is brought to the encampment and quickly healed by Ira and Vive.

During the night, Lilly is again visited by a seemingly malevolent consciousness as she dreams of a destroyed forest; Shayne is visited by his own unknown patron, and confesses that he has so far failed to live up to the potential of its gifts because he doesn't trust himself; Draven relives the night he became a dhampir, and encounters the shadowy being that gave him the power to do so, which offers him a deal that Draven accepts; and Vive is visited by Titania as he dreams of his grove in the feywild, confessing that he too has failed in his purpose on the Material Plane.

#### Day Three

The party wakes the next morning to find their guide ready to lead them to the village of Vallaki.

### Session 6 (09/13/2022)

Avi and Draven set out early in order to conduct a private conversation during which Draven confesses to being a dhampir. The man who was healed the previous night reveals himself to be Vasili von Holtz, and offers to fulfill the requests of those who saved him: he pays the men who brought him to the camp, promises to find a new trident for Ira, and agrees to reveal a secret to Vive once they reach his home in Vallaki. Vive then speaks with Lilly about Strahd's attack, after which Shayne convinces Vive to accept the Cloak of Protection and the Spell Scroll of *Spiritual Weapon*.

By midmorning, the party sets out from the encampment, making their way west through the valley; along the way, they pass a collection of six graves marked with each of their full names, at which point Vasili realizes that Vive is knighted, and the satyr spots a small doll set against his headstone. As they continue through the afternoon and into the evening, Shayne trades his hand crossbow to Dragos in exchange for a longsword that he then infuses with his Hex Warrior trait.

As night falls, the party decides to press on rather than make camp, but is beset by another creeping mist about an hour before reaching Vallaki; all but one member of party escapes, reaching the fortified gates of the town where Vasili negotiates their entry. He delivers the group to the Blue Water Inn, after which he returns to his home while Dragos continues through town to another camp with his men. At the tavern, the party meets innkeeper Danica and storyteller Rictavio before securing rooms, after which Ira and Vive share a drink that hits them quite a bit harder than expected.

Ireena and Ismark share a room, as do Draven and Vive, while Lilly, Avi, Shayne, and Ira retreat to a larger room. Lilly speaks with Shayne to confirm that the malevolent consciousness in her dreams is his patron and explains that she has been unable to wildshape since arriving in Barovia, and he admits that he doesn't know what his patron is, explaining that "he has my address, but I don't have his." While they converse, Avi prays to the Raven Queen, who subsequently visits her in a dream, indicating that she wants Strahd defeated because he has defied the natural balance between life and death.

#### Day Four

The next morning, the party heads through town toward the Church of St. Andral, passing a toystore where Ira notices a monkey in the window. Arriving at the Church, Ismark meets with Father Petrovich, who indicates that the Church is no longer consecrated after the bones of St. Andral were stolen. The priest shows Ira to the crypt while the rest of the party waits in the nave, where they see a teenage boy retreat to a private room; Shayne asks a younger boy what happened to the bones, and the boy gestures toward the teenager's room.

Shayne confronts the teenager, who eventually confesses that he delivered the bones to the village's coffinmaker in exchange for 150 gold pieces. Ira rejoins the group, and the party leaves the Church to pay a visit to the mortician.

### Session 7 (09/20/2022)

Ismark and Ireena remain at the Church with Father Petrovich while the party heads to the coffinmaker's shop, encountering a group of townguards; Shayne mentions the theft at the Church to them, and they head there as the party arrives at the storefront of Henrik van der Voort. They knock, and van der Voort orders them to leave; instead, Draven finds a side entrance and deftly breaks. The party enters the building and confronts Henrik about the stolen bones, and the man readily admits that he was paid by dark-haired, well-dressed stranger to house half-a-dozen vampire spawn in his attic, and later to acquire the bones of St. Andral.

Henrik tells Draven that the bones are in a cabinet in his upstairs bedroom, and that the nest of vampire spawn are across the hall from his bedroom. The party quickly fashions a dozen wooden stakes and casts preparatory and protective spells before heading upstairs and surreptitiously recovering the bones as well as a satchel containing 60 silver pieces and 12 platinum pieces. Shayne keeps the bones and Lilly keeps the coins, and the party enters the storage room across the hall, removing the coverings from the windows as Draven uses his *Divine Sense* to detect the presence of six vampire spawn. Ira attempts to open one of the crates, at which point six vampire spawn emerge and attack the party.

Ira and Draven keep four of the creatures boxed confined to one part of the room where Lilly casts a *Moonbeam* to inflict massive radiant damage. Avi casts *Protection from Evil and Good* on Shayne, rendering him unhittable, but is attacked by a pair of vampire spawn who grapple and successfully bite her; after Avi teleports out of their reach using the Blessing of the Raven Queen, Shayne viciously decapitates one and impales the other in a pair of devastating attacks. The creatures' attacks are further hampered when Ira unleashes her *necrotic shroud* and Vive casts *Bane* on them, as well as summoning a second *Moonbeam* to redouble the radiant damage being inflicted by Lilly's.

Midway through the confrontation, a member of the townguard arrives, and is shocked to discover the nest of vampire spawn; he shoots one of the creatures with a crossbow bolt as Draven and Ira continue to battle the other two, at which point Vive destroys one with a *Guiding Bolt* and Lilly destroys the remaining spawn with a concussive *Thunderwave*. With all of the creatures dead, Shayne furiously rips the fangs out of the vampire spawn that bit Avi, and the party heads back downstairs to inform Henrik that the nest has been cleared. Shayne spends the next seven minutes casting *Prestidigitation* to clean up the entire party before sharing an intimate moment with Avi in an adjacent room.

The two then rejoin the group, which leaves the coffinmaker's shop to discover black smoke rising from the Church of Saint Andral in the distance.

### Session 8 (09/27/2022)

The party briefly deliberates their option and formulate a plan before rushing back to the Church to find the captain of the townguard injured outside and smoke pouring from the building. Inside, they find several fires burning and dead bodies littering the Church: Petrovich hangs from the arms of a statue, while Ireena kneels blankfaced at the altar near a creature holding Ismark impaled on a blade of blood. The creature's eyes glow red as it spots the party and focuses on Avi, revealing itself to be her corrupted former lover.

Draven compels the creature into a duel as Vive finds Milivoj alive, and the Cleric orders the gravedigger to lead him to the crypt; Ira deals a devastating attack to the creature, disrupting Draven's duel but distracting it long enough for Shayne to successfully deliver the bones to Vive, after which Shayne casts *Invisibility* on Avi and taunts the creature: "Why bother killing a raven when you can kill a rook?" The creature advances on him instead and casts *Blight* to inflict a massive necrotic scar, after which Avi approaches and drops invisibility to cast *Eldritch Blast*, and Lilly casts *Healing Word* on Shayne as Vive and Milivoj fight their way through the smoke and the fires to get downstairs.

Draven uses his *Lay on Hands* to heal Ismark before unsuccessfully attempting to compel the creature into a duel again, after which Shayne summons his pact weapon and drives it through the creature's chest; it responds by biting him and healing itself with his blood, then casts *Shocking Grasp* to render him unconscious, at which point Shayne reverts to his natural Changeling appearance for the first time since traveling with the party. Lilly responds by casting *Healing Word* on him again with such force that when the creature attempts to *Counterspell* the incantation, a supernatural power intercedes to heal the Changeling anyway. Avi then grapples the creature out of Shayne's reach as the smoke continues to fill the building, obscuring the party's view.

Vive and Milivoj reach the crypt, which Milivoj opens so that Vive can reinter the bones of St. Andral, beginning the process of reconsecrating the Church. Ira goes into a rage and continues attacking the creature along with Draven, after which Shayne opens his eyes to reveal that they are the black darkness of his patron; he strikes the creature with an *Eldritch Blast*, after which it retaliates by casting *Blight* on him again, rendering him unconscious once more before attacking him with a Blood Lash that leaves him on the very brink of death. Lilly attempts to cast *Healing Word* on him again, but the creature successfully *Counterspells* the incantation before *Misty Step*ping to Ireena.

Avi then rushes to Shayne and feeds him a Potion of Healing, reviving him as Vive completes the ritual to sanctify the Church once more; as the creature attempts to collect Ireena, it bursts into flame, and Draven is stricken with a sickened sensation. He attempts to attack the creature but misses, driven back by the force of the radiant fire, and Shayne barely manages to hit it with one last *Eldritch Blast* before it teleports itself and Ireena out of the Church. Lilly casts *Create Water* to douse the last of the fires inside the building as Vive and Milivoj return from the basement, and as the smoke finally recedes from the Church, the party finds Avi kissing Shayne in his natural Changeling form.

The party helps the survivors out of the building before collecting the dead, and discover that Father Petrovich is alive, though his tongue has been torn out. Urwin invites the team back to the Blue Water Inn, where they are greeted as heroes; Draven retreats to his room where he finds a note which he decides not to read it until morning, and Shayne spends the evening recounting the story of the battle in grisly detail with Rictavio. Ismark returns to the Church while Vive and Lilly share a private conversation regarding the period during which Vive returned to the Feywild, after which the party disperses back to their rooms; Avi and Shayne claim Ireena and Ismark's room, sharing a bed.

#### Day Five

The next morning, Draven wakes outside feeling cold and finding himself dripping in someone else's blood.

### Session 9 (10/04/2022)

Draven returns to the Inn to find the rest of the party downstairs waiting for breakfast with Rictavio, and Shayne promptly casts *Prestidigitation* to clean up the Paladin; Avi leads Draven upstairs and learns that he remembers nothing of the night before or how he wound up bloody outside. She finds the note left for him, and he discovers that it was left by Ireena, indicating her hope that the two might have a future together. While he reads, Avi attempts to call to and then telepathically connect with Jessamy, but receives no response; concerned, she dismisses the familiar before resummoning her in the form of a pseudodragon, and learns that Jessamy also remembers nothing after returning to the Inn the previous night.

The conversation is interrupted as Urwin returns with groceries, and Vive teaches him how to make croissants as Urwin describes a commotion in the town center that delayed his return. Rictavio leaves the Inn to visit the town center, while the party decides to head back to Blinsky's Toys, where Ira had spotted the monkey in the window; they find a collection of macabre trinkets inside, including dolls that look similar to Strahd and Ireena, while Draven, Vive, and Ira recall Madame Eva's advice to seek "an entertaining man with a monkey." Vive learns from the shopkeeper that the monkey was given to him by Rictavio, after which he buys a doll that looks like Strahd, Ira surreptitiously takes a doll that looks like Ireena, and Draven buys a collection of toys.

The group leaves the store and heads toward the town center, where a crowd is gathered to witness Burgomaster Vargas Vallakovich sentence Henrik von der Voort to death for the destruction of the Church of Saint Andral; Lady Fiona Wachter, on the other hand, counters that the townspeople should rebel against the Burgomaster's tyranny and embrace the reality of Barovia, and initiates a coup with a group of cloaked figures. Draven uses his Channel Divinity to *Turn Undead*, causing an unseen entity to flee from the area, and Ira unleashes her *necrotic shroud*, after which the party battles against nearly a dozen cultists with help from Errol and Rictavio.

Avi succeeds in killing Lady Wachter with an *Eldritch Blast* as the cult members kill nearly all of Vallakovich's guards, while Henrik and Milivoj escape. Two vampire spawn arrive in the midst of the fight: one is cut down by Draven and Shayne, while the other is destroyed by Rictavio and Vive. The party succeeds in summarily destroying Wachter's cult while taking almost no damage themselves, after which Strahd von Zarovich appears in the Square, congratulating the party on an entertaining performance before killing a woman. Ira then attacks and taunts him, causing him to cast *Immolation* and *Finger of Death* on her: when asked for a reason that Strahd should let her live, Ira kisses him, after which he stabs her with a Ba'al Verzi Dagger, rendering her unconscious.

He then leaves the Square, and while Lilly and Vive cast healing spells on Ira, she remains unconscious.

### Session 10 (10/11/2022)

Draven further heals Ira with his *Lay on Hands*, though she remains unconscious, and after learning that Rictavio does not know the *Identify* spell, Shayne contacts his patron and attempts an extremely dangerous ritual that nearly dislodges his own soul. His patron is unable to complete the ritual through him, however, leaving Shayne exhausted; in the moments before Ira dies in the town center, she sees the face of her goddess again, and realizes that Auril's smile is wrong.

Vive checks the body of the burgomaster for a diamond, and retrieves a signet ring, a golden chain, a small red gemstone, and a pouch containing 50 platinum. Soon after, the sky darkens as a swarm of bats descends toward the Square; Vive carries Ira's body and Avi helps Shayne as the crowd flees, during which a swarm of ravens arrives to battle the bats. During the escape, Avi instructs Jessamy to help the ravens, and the party makes its way back to the Blue Water Inn where a pair of guards stop them. Rictavio secures them entry and they retreat inside to find Danika and Urwin tending to the wounded and the dead.

While Vive and Draven heal nearly two dozen injured fighters, Shayne sits with Ira's body, speaking to her in Infernal about another friend of his that fell in someone else's war; during this, Vive casts the Funeral Rites of the *Ceremony* spell to prevent Ira from being raised as undead for the next seven days, removing the Ba'al Verzi Dagger in the process. Shortly after, Shayne is approached by a blue-skinned Tiefling woman who tells him in Infernal that she has also lost friends in battle, and Shayne confesses that he is tired. Soon after, Jessamy returns and informs Avi that several ravens fell in battle, after which they transformed back into humans, and that Urwin himself participated valiantly in the fight.

Rictavio calls Vive upstairs, revealing his true identity as world-renowned monster hunter Rudolph van Richten, and he explains that the Dagger is the signature weapon of the ancient Ba'al Verzi order of assassins. He also reveals that the Blue Water Inn is the base of operation for a coven of wereravens, and explains that a colony of Dusk Elves living outside Vallaki may know of a power connected to Ba'al. Vive calls Avi, Draven, Lilly, and Shayne upstairs, with Semyaza following stealthily to listen outside the door as van Richten offers to escort the team to the Dusk Elves in exchange for their help destroying Strahd.

He also further reveals that Draven is a Dhampyr before threatening him, but stands down when the rest of the party rises to Draven's defense; he leads the team back downstairs with Semyaza following, and as the group witnesses the arrival of Vasili, Semyaza relieves Ira's body of her valuables. Vive then acquires a blood-red diamond worth 300 gold pieces as repayment of Vasili's debt to him, and Vasili assures the group that he counts them as friends who he will help in any way he can.

Shayne retrieves the doll of Ireena from Ira's body before the group departs the Inn, and as they begin traveling, Shayne attempts to pickpocket Semyaza to retrieve Ira's valuables; he fails miserably, however, and she counterpicks his pocket in return, acquiring the doll of Ireena from him. Along the journey, Vive uses the doll he bought from Blinsky to mockingly imitate Strahd; the vampire soon arrives, casting *Immolation* on the satyr. Vive eventually breaks free of the spell, after which Strahd threatens Lilly in an effort to teach Vive not to mock him.

Vive steps in front of Lilly, demanding to know what Strahd wants from the group, and he answers that he only wants to be entertained; he then invites the party to his wedding, assuring them that they will be under the protection of guest rights while at Castle Ravenloft. He summons a nightmare and prepares to leave before Shayne apologizes for what being trapped in Barovia has done to Strahd, claiming that the vampire didn't used to be this: Strahd casts *Locate Object* to discover that Draven is carrying his journal, and shatters the dhampyr's arms before taking the book and warning the group not to test him further.

Strahd departs, after which van Richten heals Draven's arm before leading the party to the Dusk Elf colony, securing them an audience with Kasimir Velikov, who reveals that he was disfigured by Strahd. Van Richten produces the Dagger, explaining that the party needs assistance releasing Ira's soul from it, and Velikov offers to take them to a place of cold and death where it might be possible. The party agrees, and makes camp for the night as Vive casts *Leomund's Tiny Hut*.

Shayne is visited in his dream by his patron, who apologizes for failing him, though Shayne counters that he asked too much; his patron explains that he is too weak, but that once Shayne finds him, they will be strong enough together to protect everyone. Shayne then explains that his patron's presence unsettles Lilly and asks him to refrain from visiting her dreams, which he agrees to, and Shayne offers to deliver any messages to Lilly that his patron wishes. Avi dreams of the battle in the Church of Saint Andral, after which she is visited by the Raven Queen, who warns her to let go of her fear so that she can fight.

Vive is visited in his dream by Titania, and he asks about the being that visited Lilly's dreams: Titania explains that the being has not harmed the party, and while she would not call it trustworthy, she does not believe it to be malignant. Vive clarifies the nature of guest rights, and learns that van Richten and Velikov will lead the group to a powerful weapon that will help them in their goal of destroying Strahd, after which the two share a dance in Vive's grove.

Draven dreams of the previous night, finding himself in an alleyway in Vallaki with a dead body at his feet; he is subsequently visited by the being that gave him his powers, who reveals that the body was an illusion and that Strahd had merely placed him outside the Blue Water Tavern and poured blood over him. The being assures Draven that it will not allow him to harm his friends, and reminds him that the group was brought to Barovia to free it.

### Session 11 (10/18/2022)

#### Day Six

The party wakes on the outskirts of the Dusk Elf colony and joins Kasimir for breakfast, and Shayne recalls the mention of "a wounded elf" and a "sword of sunlight" from Madame Eva's Tarokka Card Reading; the group acquires cold weather gear to prepare for the journey to the Amber Temple, and Lily notices Kasimir packing a bladeless hilt into his bags.

The party sets out, eventually reaching a crossroads with a collapsed signpost; Kasimir suggests heading southeast until they reach the river, but they are unable to proceed as they are approached by a broad-shouldered man in dark armor leading two cloaked, chained figures. The man accuses Shayne of being a murderer and a coward, swearing revenge against him before disengaging the collars on his two companions, and the party attacks: Avi casts *Eldritch Blast*s, Lily summons a *Moonbeam*, Vive summons a *Spiritual Weapon*, Draven attacks with his greatsword, and Semyaza attacks with a crossbow, while Shayne casts *Blur* on himself and places his *Hexblade's Curse* on the man.

The cloaked figures reveal themselves to be bonded vampires while deal psychic damage with their Twisting Screams, and the man attacks Shayne with a black greatsword, landing a single blow. Shayne retaliates by delivering a devastating *Shocking Grasp*, and the party continues assaulting the vampires as they continue unleashing their Twisting Screams, briefly knocking Lilly unconscious. The man breaks through the group and strikes Shayne with a blow that renders him unconscious before driving his sword through the Changeling's chest and into the ground, leaving him once again on the very brink of death; Vive heals the warlock, after which the man attacks the satyr, nearly killing the cleric as well.

Shayne summons his pact weapon and slashes open the man's throat before Lilly wildshapes for the first time in her life into a fearsome direwolf and attacks, killing the man by ripping his throat out; Kasimir then destroys one vampire with a *magic missile*, and Semyaza kills the other with a devastating crossbow attack. In the aftermath of the battle, Shayne examines the man and recognizes his features, realizing that he is Walter Durst, the son of Caroline and Gustav Durst; Semyaza searches Walter's body, claiming his sword, a signet ring bearing a windmill, a pouch containing wooden carvings of people, and a small black gem worth 612 gold.

Lilly is unable to shift back to her Genasi form, and Vive discovers a chain in her teeth with a red stone, which Kasimir identifies as a Ruby of Health, which he gives to Shayne. Van Richten fully decapitates Walter to prevent his corpse from being raised as undead, and the group rests to recover from the encounter; not long after, Strahd von Zarovich appears again, congratulating them on their victory and admitting that he suggested to Walter that Shayne had killed the Dursts. He then communicates telepathically with Lilly, commending her for transforming and helping her to shift back to her natural form; he also tells the party that they are heading away from his castle, and Vive admits that they don't know when the wedding is before formally accepting Strahd's invitation.

Strahd agrees to set a date, and tells Avi that a few of her other friends will be attending.

### Session 12 (11/01/2022)

Following the vicious battle against Walter Durst, the party rests shortly to recuperate, and Kasimir commends them for their composure before the group continues southward along a dirt road beside a river. A few hours later, they encounter another group of will-o'-wisps which they successfully avoid, and they continue on for another hour before reaching a bend in the river where they set up camp. As the evening progresses, they begin to hear the distant sounds of battle and see the spectral images of soldiers fighting, and Kasimir explains that some areas that experience vast amounts of suffering become scarred by temporal echoes of the destruction.

A spectral dragon emerges from the mist, soaring through the sky before disappearing over a dark mansion overlooking the river from the top of a steep hill. Vive is unable to cast *Leomund's Tiny Hut*, so the party sets watches after Draven uses his *Divine Sense* to determine that there are no hostile creatures in the immediate area: Kasimir and Shayne take the first watch, Lilly and Vive take the second watch, Avi and Rictavio take the third watch, and Draven and Semyaza take the fourth watch. As the rest of the party settles in for the night, Shayne tells Kasimir about the Tarokka Card Reading conducted by Madame Eva, who indicated that the Dusk Elf might have a weapon of vengeance.

Kasimir explains that Strahd visited the Dusk Elves centuries ago, and became convinced that Kasimir's sister was the reincarnation of a woman he once loved; the Dusk Elves refused to let Strahd take her, and he retaliated by murdering all of their women and cutting the ears off all of their men. Some time later, Madame Eva visited Kasimir and gave him the remains of the Sunsword, a platinum hilt containing a blue gem, explaining that the weapon is fated to be used in the final battle against Strahd; Kasimir does not believe that he will be the one to wield it, however, expressing the hope that a member of Shayne's party will instead. Kasimir asks how much Shayne trusts Draven, and the Changeling admits that he trusts the paladin with Avi's life.

#### Day Seven

Lilly and Vive take over watch, and Lilly senses someone watching the party from the ruins of the mansion with curiosity but no maliciousness; Avi and Rictavio later take over watch, and see nothing out of the ordinary. Nearing dawn, Draven wakes to take over watch, relieving himself along the treeline before returning to camp and finding only Lilly and Shayne. He wakes them, and both Shayne and Lilly spot a tall, thin figure on the opposite side of the river dragging three tied bodies into the forest; Lilly promptly casts *Water Walk* to allow the three to run across the river and rush into the woods where they pick up the figure's trail.

As they proceed through the trees, Draven uses his *Divine Sense* to discover hundreds of undead spirits in the area, and Lilly notices movement near a small leather bag that feels heavy but looks empty. Shayne attempts to cast *Light* into the bag, which begins to shake, and he reacts by trying to empty the bag. As he overturns it, a thin arm reaches out of the bag and grabs his arm; he breaks its grasp and drops the bag, and a horrific figure pulls itself out of the bag to reveal itself to be the Bagman. Draven activates his *Channel Divinity* to Turn the Unholy, driving away all of the undead spirits in the forest to leave only the amorphous extradimensional creature.

The Bagman strikes with bite and claw attacks, while Draven retaliates with his greatsword, Lilly transforms into the Starry Form of the Archer, and Shayne delivers devastating *Eldritch Blast* attacks. The creature manages to grapple both the paladin and the druid before Draven succeeds in striking the killing blow, biting the Bagman with his fangs and triggering a vision of the creature's past: he was once an adventurer traveling with a party that faced a being too powerful to defeat, and as his companions were slaughtered, he fled into the sanctuary of his group's Bag of Holding. Becoming lost in the transdimensional realm, his body deformed into an aberration, and he eventually found himself in a plane of portals; crawling through them, he emerged from other bags of holding, and discovered other parties of adventurers, and he became so filled with rage at the deaths of his own companions that he spent years abducting people and dragging them into their bags of holding to watch them die.

As Draven recovers from his vision, Lilly and Shayne retrieve the bag of holding and overturn it, causing Avi, Rictavio, Semyaza, Kasimir, and Vive to tumble out, bound and gagged, along with a vial of black liquid, two potions of healing, and a ruby-hilted black dagger. Lilly and Shayne free their fellow party-members, and Kasimir commends Draven for striking down the Bagman and appears to consider offering the Sunsword to the dhampyr before choosing not to just yet. Draven activates his *Divine Sense* to discover the undead spirits returning, and the party recovers the bag and its contents before fleeing back to the river, where Lilly's *Water Walk* spell remains active.

The group crosses with Vive riding on Lilly's back, but she drops him for making an untoward comment; he hits his head on a rock in the riverbed and Lilly casts *Cure Wounds*, after which Vive asks who the party is. Draven delivers additional *Lay on Hands* by slapping Vive, who promptly admits that he was joking, and the party returns to camp for breakfast.

### Session 13 (11/08/2022)

As the party deliberates whether to investigate the ruins of the mansion overlooking the valley or continue south along the river toward the Amber Temple, Lilly recalls her conversation with Vive during their watch the previous evening: Vive had praised her for her wildshaping abilities and apologized for having broken the promise he made to be there for her first transformation, after which Lilly had revealed that he had in fact kept his promise because her transformation during the battle against Walter Durst *had* been her first.

Recovering from their confrontation with the Bagman, Shayne and Vive both recall Madame Eva's Tarokka Card Reading, which mentioned "a holy symbol of great hope" at "a fallen house guarded by a great stone dragon," and the group therefore decides to visit the ruins of the mansion. Several members of the party struggle during the ascent, but after about three hours of climbing, they reach the collapsed structure of Argynvostholt; in front of the ruined mansion stands a statue of a dragon, which feels warm to the touch. The party rests shortly, during which Lilly briefly notices the curious spectator again at one of the windows and Draven hears a voice in his mind that tells him: "Come."

Both Kasimir and Semyaza decide to remain outside while the remainder of the group heads into the ruins, and Draven activates his *Divine Sense*, detecting a myriad of undead inside. Shayne notices four alabaster busts, one of which has collapsed and shatters, as a great shadow with wings moves across the walls and disappears upward toward the ceiling, and Draven hears the voice in his mind again as it tells him: "Within." The party hears movement from an open doorway to the rear of the hall, and Lilly additionally hears scurrying from behind the closed doors of the room to the south; the group instead heads up the stairs, and Draven activates his *Divine Sense* again to detect neutral undead to the north on the second floor and several more above them on the third floor, both good and evil.

Moving through a hallway in the direction of the undead to the north, the party passes an open doorway to a guest room containing a fireplace from which a dragon of smoke and ash emerges; it flies through the door, passing through Draven, Shayne, and Lilly before heading up a spiral staircase to the third floor. The party continues along the hallway to a juncture, and proceeds along the righthand branch to a locked door that Vive kicks open; he, Lilly, and Rictavio filter into the room as Draven, Avi, and Shayne follow, but a wall of stone seals the doorway, separating the group. Inside the room, three armored phantasmal warriors materialize and attack, as Draven notices faint arcane sigils fading on the floor in the hallway.

The first specter misses Lilly, who responds by summoning a *Moonbeam*, and Rictavio attempts to attacks the warriors but misses; the second specter strikes the druid, after which Vive destroys it with his *Spiritual Weapon* and a *Sacred Flame*, and the third warrior attacks the cleric. In the hallway, Avi and Shayne *Eldritch Blast* a hole in the wall of stone large enough to see through, though Shayne refrains from teleporting into the room as Draven continues to attack it with his maul before squeezing through the opening. The first specter attempts to attack Lilly and fails again; she tells it that she feels bad for fighting it, at which point the specter fades away back into nothingness. Rictavio stabs the last warrior, Vive strikes it with his Spiritual Weapon, and Avi and Shayne bombard it with *Eldritch Blast*s to destroy it.

Rictavio informs the group that the phantoms are clearly being held in Argynvostholt against their will by something else," and the party follows the trail of the dragon of smoke and ash, ascending to the third floor where they find the ceiling collapsed and the sky visible above the building. Hearing movement in the first room they encounter, they enter to find five revenants, and Draven explains that the party is looking for an item rumored to be in the house. One of the revenants identifies himself as Sir Godfrey Gwilym, and asks if the party intends to attempt to impossible task of standing against Strahd von Zarovich. Draven admits that he doesn't know why he was brought to Barovia, but Shayne uses the voice of his patron to tell Godfrey: "I was sent here by the man who sounds like this."

Godfrey explains that the Order of the Silver Dragon were slaughtered by Strahd, after which they were brought back as revenants by the commander of the order; he tells Draven that if the party attempts to destroy Strahd, Vladimir will try to stop them because he believes that Barovia is Strahd's personal hell, and that he'll be released from it if he dies. Shayne asks if Vladimir knows another way out of Barovia, and Godfrey indicates that he does not, and Draven asks to speak with Vladimir; Godfrey directs the party to a neighboring room, indicating that he may be able to assist if the group is successful, and Draven motions the party in that direction. Before they leave, Godfrey tells Shayne: "The one you spoke of... I may be able to help with that as well. But, I think, not in the way you're expecting."

Shayne seals the door as the group leaves to prevent the revenants from answering Vladimir's call, and the group proceeds into the neighboring audience hall to find the gaunt, armored figure of Vladimir Horngaard slumped on a large wooden throne topped with a carving of a dragon, holding a greatsword. He tells them that if they destroy his body, his spirit will find a new corpse to inhabit in order for him to hunt them down, and explains that, though he hates Strahd, he will destroy anyone who tries to kill the vampire. Draven explains that a hint from Madame Eva directed the party to Argynvostholt to find an object of power at its highest point. Vladimir admits that Eva was not wrong, and suggests that if the group believes themselves powerful enough to take the item, they can certainly try. Draven consults the rest of the party, who agree to the fight, and Vladimir warns them: "You will all fall here."

As Vladimir stands from his throne and advances on the group, Draven hears the voice in his mind once again as it tells him: "Free them."

### Session 14 (11/15/2022)

Having waited with Kasimir outside for the party to return, Semyaza now rushes into the remains of Argynvostholt and hurries to the third floor to find the group facing Vladimir Horngaard, who she promptly shoots with her crossbow. Vladimir then summons six phantasmal warriors, but Draven uses his Channel Divinity to *Turn the Unholy* and frighten five of them into retreating. Lilly summons a *Moonbeam* as Vladimir attacks, delivering devastating blows to the dhampyr, and Vive creates his Twilight Sanctuary before summoning his Spiritual Weapon. Shayne again speaks in the voice of his patron to ask Vladimir who his patron is, and the revenant responds that Shayne is already beyond saving; the Changeling then attempts to cast *Hold Person* on Vladimir but fails, after which the phantasmal warrior that was not forced to retreat attacks Avi with its spectral longsword, and she retaliates with a pair of *Eldritch Blast*s.

Semyaza attacks Vladimir with her Vicious Shortsword, diverting his attention as Lilly casts healing spells on Avi and Draven, and the dhampyr uses his *Lay on Hands* to heal half the damage that Vladimir inflicted before casting *Sanctuary* on himself. Vladimir attempts to attack Draven again but misses, after which Shayne strikes the revenant with a devastating *Fire Bolt* and Avi delivers another *Eldritch Blast* as Semyaza delivers another devastating shortsword attack. As the battle proceeds, the door that Shayne had previously sealed bursts open and one of the revenants emerges from that room to join the fight.

Lilly casts *Heat Metal* on Vladimir's greatsword to injure the revenant, and Draven attacks with his own greatsword before Vladimir strikes the dhampyr again. The second revenant attacks Semyaza and Lilly, after which Rictavio delivers vicious attacks against it with his canesword; Shayne attempts to cast *Hold Person* on Vladimir again and succeeds, only to discover that the revenant is immune to being paralyzed. Avi attacks the second revenant as a third emerges from the other room to attack Lilly, though the party realizes that the additional revenants are being forced against their will to attack by the power of Vladimir's rage.

Draven strikes with his maul, and Vladimir delivers two more devastating attacks before Shayne strikes him with a devastating *Fire Bolt*; the second revenant attacks Semyaza, after which it Rictavio attacks it with his canesword and Avi strikes it with an *Eldritch Blast*. Sounds of a struggle emerge from the other room, and Shayne sees a flash of light in the hallway as Godfrey yells to the party to end the battle quickly. The additional revenants attack Lilly and Semyaza before the tiefling successfully destroys Vladimir with her vicious shortsword, at which point all of the phantasmal warriors fade back into nothingness. The second revenant then strikes down Lilly, knocking her briefly unconscious before she is healed by Draven, who is subsequently attacked by the third revenant. Shayne then uses the voice of Vladimir Horngaard to order the revenants to stand down, and both of them freeze, struggling internally between the real order that Vladimir had given them and the new order that Vladimir's voice had given them.

Semyaza proceeds to destroy the second revenant, and the party attacks the third revenant until Shayne summons his pact weapon and destroys the third, who is grateful to be freed from the force of his commander's fury. Shayne then returns to the room where he'd spoken to Godfrey, destroying a fourth revenant before finding the fifth already dead at Godfrey's feet. Seeing Shayne's pact weapon, Godfrey tells him: "you know not what you have accepted." As the paladin begins to fade, Shayne asks who his patron is, and Godfrey says only: "There are darker things in this world than what you have yet met. Those things have been locked away for time immemorial. We have done our best to keep it that way, but..." before crumbling away to ash.

Spotting Kasimir out the window, Shayne calls for the elf to hurry upstairs with the Ba'al Verzi Dagger, and suggests that someone stab Vladimir with it to entrap his soul and prevent it from occupying another body. Kasimir offers the dagger, and Semyaza takes it, driving it into Vladimir's heart; the ruby in the weapon's hilt begins to glow, and Rictavio instructs the rogue to leave the dagger in the body, which she does until the gem stops glowing. Semyaza recovers a platinum holy symbol of the Morninglord from Vladimir's body, while Draven claims the fallen Commander's greatsword, but as the group recuperates in the aftermath of the brutal battle, Strahd emerges from the southern hallway of the building's third floor.

### Session 15 (11/22/2022)

In the aftermath of the brutal battle against Vladimir Horngaard, the group is confronted by Strahd von Zarovich, who reveals that he has already taken the item that the party came to Argynvostholt to find: the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, which he acquired from the mansion's highest peak after the destruction of the revenant paladins left the ruins undefended. He informs the party that in three days, he will send a carriage for them that will transport them to Castle Ravenloft for his wedding, after which he will allow them access to his treasury where they will each be permitted to select one item before being released.

Strahd then vanishes, after which Vive uses his *Steps of Night* to fly to the highest peak of Argynvostholt along with Jessamy, and the two find the beacon room at the top of the tallest spire; one of the windowpanes has been shattered, and the outline of where the Symbol of Ravenkind had rested is visible on the stone. On the roof, they encounter a statue of a silver dragon, and hear in their minds: "When the dragon dreams its dream within its rightful tomb, the light of Argynvost will beam and rid this land of gloom." Before descending, they notice a cemetery behind the building and a mausoleum beyond it engraved with the name ARGYNVOST.

The party decides to rest, searching through the ruins of the mansion to discover four vials of translucent liquid, as well as a partially burned book titled *The Oath of the Celestial*. Draven also finds a single handwritten page, and as he reads it, he hears the voice in his mind again, which who expresses the regret that its remains will not be laid to rest in his mausoleum, but rather will be scattered among its enemies like trophies. Moments later, the rest of the party freezes around Draven as a man in silver armor materializes and introduces himself as Argynvost, explaining that his skull was taken by an evil hag, and that by retrieving and returning it to the mausoleum, the beacon of Argynvostholt will be relit.

Draven agrees, and Argynvost vanishes; Draven explains the mission to the party, learning from Rictavio that the residence of the hag lies along the road to the Mountain, and suggesting that if they are able to retrieve the skull of Argynvost, he will return it to the mausoleum while they continue on with Kasimir. The party agrees to undertake the task, deciding to rest for the night and leave in the morning; Vive summons *Leomund's Tiny Hut*, while Kasimir determines that the recovered elixirs are potions of *Invisibility*.

#### Day Eight

The next morning, Draven collects Vladimir's skull, and the party descends the mountainside that Argynvostholt stands on, with several of them taking minor injuries on the way down. Lilly casts *Water Walk* so that the party can travel on the river, and the group continues south for another two hours before reaching a foggy marsh where they spot several decrepit cottages. They attempt to move stealthily through the marsh toward a light flashing amid a dark ring of standing stones, though Vive and Shayne fail to remain quiet; from some distance out, Vive notices a ramshackle hut built from the stump of an enormous tree with what looks like a large stone floating outside the doorway.

The group elects to approach the hut directly along the roadway while Semyaza and Kasimir remain near the edge of the marsh, and they discover that what appeared to be a stone is actually a massive skull. A tall, thin woman appears at the door as they draw near, and Draven explains that they were sent to retrieve a skull; when asked to be more specific, Vive admits that they are looking for the skull of Argynvost in order to go home. Draven offers to trade Vladimir's skull, but the woman asks why she would want the skull of a human paladin when she has the skull of the one the paladins followed. She admits that the only way to leave Barovia is to destroy Strahd, and reveals that she will not allow that because she considers herself Strahd's mother, having been the midwife who delivered him.

The hag then paralyzes Vive, and the group attacks: Lilly casts *Faerie Fire* before transforming into the Starry Form of the Dragon, and Semyaza attacks with her shortbow, while Avi strikes with *Eldritch Blast*s before successfully *Counterspell*ing the hag's attempt to cast *Cloudkill* as she hovers in Argynvost's skull. Lilly dispels the magic allowing the skull to float, causing the hag to tumble to the ground, and Vive manages to break free of the paralysis, at which point the Hut itself animates and begins attacking the group, striking Avi and Draven while missing Vive.

The hag polymorphs into a Giant Ape as Shayne rushes to administer a potion of healing to Avi, while Kasimir, Vive, and Rictavio attack the Hut. Lilly strikes the hag with a devastating *Guiding Bolt* that causes her to revert to her true form, at which point Draven lands a devastating attack with his Greatsword. The Hut strikes again, however, landing three successive attacks on Lilly that leaves the Druid on the very brink of death; the hag immediately casts a *Fireball* that severely injures Vive and Rictavio, and delivers the killing blow to Lilly.

Before Shayne can act, he hears the voice of his patron in his mind telling him to stab Lilly's corpse; remembering that Titania had told Vive that the unknown patron isn't trustworthy, Shayne instead administers another potion of healing to Avi as Kasimir casts a devastating *Fireball* at the Hut, and Vive uses the diamond that Vasili gave him to cast *Revivify* on Lilly. Before returning to life, Lilly encounters Shayne's patron, who tells her: "You're not done. None of you are. You all think you are working towards one goal when there is another in play, and I cannot have you fall before it is done." He advises her to be more careful, and she asks what he wants from them, to which he answers: "What every being wants: freedom."

Returning to life, a flash of energy erupts from Lilly's body, healing everyone in her vicinity as the battle continue, and everyone in the party hears the being tell them: "I am here. Fight hard."

### Session 16 (11/29/2022)

After Lilly is resurrected by Vive in the midst of the battle against Baba Lysaga, Avi teleports into the Hut to discover a crib with a young blonde-haired baby with bright blue eyes, after which Lilly summons a *Moonbeam* onto the Hut before Draven destroys the hag using the greatsword he recovered from Vladimir Battle of Argynvostholt; the moment that Lysaga dies, the child in the Hut vanishes, and Avi sees a pulsing green light through the floorboards below where the crib had been positioned.

The Hut then attacks Draven three times, knocking him unconscious and burying him into the marsh; Shayne then rushes to the door of the house, successfully casting *Dispel Magic* to render the Hut unconscious, allowing Avi and Jessamy to shatter the floorboards and expose a knot of roots tangled around a faintly-glowing green gem. Semyaza strikes the house with a crossbow bolt and Kasimir casts a vicious *Cone of Cold* on the Hut, after which Vive summons his own *Moonbeam*, while Rictavio struggles to reach Draven before Lilly casts *Erupting Earth* to free the dhampyr's body from the Hut's roots so that Rictavio can cast *Cure Wounds* and revive the paladin.

Draven regains consciousness as the Hut begins to stir again, and the paladin lands a pair of devastating strikes that completely sever one of the three roots. The building retaliates by attacking Shayne, who responds by casting *Shield* to prevent himself from taking any damage before dashing into the house to join Avi over the hole in the floor. Semyaza attacks with her vicious shortsword, Kasimir casts a destructive *Fireball*, and the last of the Hut's roots are destroyed by Vive and Lilly's combined *Moonbeam*s.

Avi and Shayne then successfully dislodge the gem, rendering the house inert once more, after which they recover a chest from the Hut; taking the chest outside, Avi uses her *Mage Hand* from thirty feet away to open it, harmlessly detonating a thunderous *Glyph of Warding* before discovering 1,300 gold pieces, five gemstones, spell scrolls of *Mass Cure Wounds* and *Revivify*, ten sling bullets, a vial of oil of sharpness, a set of pipes of haunting, and a Stone of Good Luck inside.

Rictavio heals Draven and Lilly, then collects the skull of Argynvost and departs the group, heading back north to return the skull to the mausoleum at the mansion of the Order of the Silver Dragon. The party rests shortly to recuperate, after which Kasimir leads the group further south into the foothills of the Balinok Mountains; while they travel, Shayne trades the dagger he acquired from the Bagman to Semyaza in exchange for the greatsword she acquired from Walter Durst, and the two attune to their new weapons.

The party continues up the snowy slopes, with Draven, Semyaza, and Vive having no difficulty at all; Lilly transform into a Giant Goat to navigate the ascent, and Shayne shapeshifts into fur-covered werewolfish form to protect himself from the cold, but Avi and Draven find themselves susceptible to the extreme weather and each suffer a degree of exhaustion. As the group reaches a rocky summit, they decide to make camp for the evening, and Vive summons *Leomund's Tiny Hut* in order to provide a safe shelter through the night.

#### Day Nine

The next morning, Lilly resumes her Giant Goat form and Kasimir casts *Fly* on her, allowing her to carry himself, Shayne, and Avi, as well as extending the ability to Draven, allowing him to carry Semyaza and Vive. The party endures the bitter cold during the final ascent before arriving at the fifty-foot tall entrance to the Amber Temple carved into the sheer mountainside, where Draven spots light flickering from a fissure to the far left side of the structure. Investigating, they discover a narrow tunnel leading to a room from which they hear several voices speaking Primordial, which Draven understands; the voices are discussing ordinary matters, and Draven considers trying to squeeze through the fissure, but the party convinces him otherwise.

The group enters the Temple from the front, discovering a skeleton in an adjacent room as they pass through a hallway, and Avi uses her *Mage Hand* to recover a *wand of secrets* from the corpse. The party then emerges onto a wide balcony above a massive, dark hall 125 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 60 feet tall; a closed doorway stands to their left, and Draven realizes that the group he had seen from outside is in the room to the left. Due to his Devil's Sight, Shayne is able to see all the way to the opposite end of the hall, where he spots a forty-foot tall statue; he realizes that the head of the statue is hollow and spots a bit of movement before a red bead of energy streaks toward the party, detonating a devastating *Fireball*.

The party scrambles to the left end of the balcony and into the room there, discovering a battalion of five berserkers and a gladiator along with a large dire wolf. Lilly transforms into her Starry Form of the Chalice and heals both Vive and Draven, after which Shayne casts *False Life* on himself and uses the Ruby Amulet of Health to further heal himself; he then attempts to persuade the battalion not to attack, but quickly realizes that they do not understand him. Semyaza then successfully uses sign-language to communicate with the battalion, after which Draven addresses them in Primordial and convinces the gladiator to allow the party into the room.

As Vive rushes inside after Avi, another *Fireball* detonates on the balcony, knocking Kasimir unconscious as Semyaza pulls the Dusk Elf into the room and Shayne and Vive close the doors. Lilly heals both Kasimir and Vive before addressing the battalion, reaffirming that the party does not want to be their enemies while also staring down the dire wolf. Draven explains to the gladiator that the group has come to the Temple looking for a way to release Ira's soul from the Ba'al Verzi Dagger; the gladiator explains that his battalion lives in the Mountains and occasionally uses the room as shelter during storms.

The gladiator admits that his battalion has never gone any further into the Temple, and agrees not to hinder the party's mission, but warns that the berserkers will also not help them. Lilly asks if the group can stay in the room to recuperate, and the gladiator agrees, leading his battalion back out of the Temple to leave the party alone; as they depart, Lilly realizes that the dire wolf understood everything that was said during the conversation.

### Session 17 (12/06/2022)

Resting shortly to recuperate following the departure of the berserker battalion from the Amber Temple, Lilly recalls her conversation with Vive during the previous evening: having found the ring that Vive gave her when he cast *Revivify* to resurrect her during the battle against Baba Lysaga, she pulls him aside while the rest of the party prepared camp for the night and hands the ring back to him, explaining that she wants him to have the opportunity to ask her while she's conscious. He does, and she accepts, after which Strahd materializes on the mountainside, congratulating the two on their engagement and promising them a gift at his own wedding before leaving.

Deliberating how to continue through the Temple, the party eventually decides to proceed through the northern doors, beyond which Draven spots three hovering flameskulls. Unsuccessfully attempting to close the door quietly, he instead attracts their attention, and the skulls attack before being destroyed by the party, after which Lilly discovers an abandoned staff in the hall that she claims. The group searches an adjacent hallway, finding a door that appears to have been sealed from the opposite side; they further investigate two storage rooms, finding a model of Castle Ravenloft in one as well as a wooden chest that Avi and Shayne store in the bag of holding.

Still suffering the disorienting effects of having been battered by the roots of the Creeping Hut, Draven bursts through another set of doors into a dining hall where the party finds a table set with a magnificent feast that several of them quickly realize is illusory. They determine that the illusion originates from a ewer on the table that Avi lifts with her '*Mage Hand*, causing the illusion to dissipate, and Lilly takes the item from her before it can be placed in the bag of holding. The group proceeds through another set of doors and across a balcony to the west of the massive statue, continuing through another set of doors into a shrine containing an obsidian statue that Draven and Semyaza are briefly, inexplicably drawn to before Draven's protective aura dispels its effects.

Vive continues through another door into a small archer's post, while Avi notices a seam in the northern wall that opens into a narrow alcove packed with human skulls, and the group continues through the alcove into an ornately furnished room when they encounter a decrepit skeleton wearing tattered robes. The man confusedly asks if he knows the party, and offers Draven a vial of liquid when the dhampyr confesses to being confused himself; against the advice of the party, Draven drinks the substance, which turns out to be a potion of *greater restoration*, healing his concussion. The party deduce that the man is a lich, and convince him to take a potion of *greater restoration* himself to cure his own confusion.

He does, restoring his memories, and expresses his gratitude for the party's help, explaining that Strahd had come to the Temple centuries prior and tampered with his memory. The group explains that they have visited the Temple in search of a power capable of defeating Strahd, as well as to find a way to release Ira's soul from the Ba'al Verzi Dagger, and the lich leads them through a hidden hallway into an adjacent library, where he explains that the lower level of the Temple houses sarcophagi that contain the imprisoned vestiges of creatures capable of granting dark powers, and that he himself accepted one such power: the knowledge of how to make himself a lich.

He introduces himself as Exethanter, and agrees to lead the party into the lower level of the Temple, assuring them that his presence will prevent the creatures there from attacking. Accepting the dagger from Semyaza, he reveals that thirteen souls are trapped within it, and advises the group to leave the library while he attempts to release those souls into the afterlife. They do, and moments later feel a thunderous shockwave from the library; returning, Exethanter explains that he was successful in releasing all of the souls, admitting that Vladimir Horngaard will likely return within a few days to pursue them.

The party then realizes that Kasimir has gone missing; Draven hears the Dusk Elf fleeing down the circular staircase from the library and pursues him into the undercroft of the Temple, reaching a chamber with six crates. On top of one, he finds a sheet of parchment and the platinum hilt of a sword; the parchment contains a letter from Kasimir entrusting the weapon to Draven for use in the final battle against Strahd: "I wouldn't have made it without you. I hope this aids you all in your quest to bring Strahd down. Though I will not be there, know that my hopes go with you."

Attuning to the sword, the paladin feels a deep desire for vengeance, a surge of rageful fury, and then a flash of fear.

### Session 18 (12/13/2022)

Draven is joined by Vive, Lilly, Avi, Semyaza, Shayne, and Exethanter. A moment after the party reconvenes in the crypt, Kasimir emerges from an amber monolith standing in the room's eastern alcove; looking exhausted and corpselike, he explains that he accepted the gift of Zhudun, The Corpse Star, which granted him the ability to resurrect the dead. Exethanter explains that he accepted the gift of Tenebrous from the southern alcove, while Strahd accepted the gift of the Vampyre from the western alcove.

The party proceeds through a broken fissure in the wall into an adjacent room containing six piles of treasure. Semyaza finds a silvered rapier with a pink glass hilt and a gilded chariot, as well as four rusted greatswords, and claims the rapier; she also finds a collection of six fine dresses that she and Lilly pick through before Shayne shifts into his female form and joins them. Vive finds an obsidian scepter with gold filigree, as well as a stack of leather-bound copies of *Snow Dwarf and the Seven Wights* written and signed by Nitch Rackmay.

Avi finds a collection of gemstones that does not include any diamonds; she and Shayne then find a bronze draconic crown, six crystal balls, a lifesize wooden pony, and six marble vases. They collect a third of the silver, the crystal balls, and the crown into the bag of holding, from which Shayne removes the wooden chest they'd found upstairs. This time, he realizes that it has a false bottom and discovers a *Tome of Understanding* inside, which he gives to Vive. Draven finds a collection of holy symbols in one pile before examining the wooden pony, casting *Find Steed* to summon a spectral horse from it.

The party then proceeds through the lower level of the main hall and into the lower east hall where they encounter and quickly defeat three witches. Exethanter leads them to the Vault of Maverus, where Semyaza is offered the ability to shield her mind by Savnok, the Inscrutable, at the cost of her eyes melting away, but she rejects the offer; Shayne is offered the ability to cast *Suggestion* by Shami-Amourae, the Lady of Delights, but he respectfully declines; Avi is offered a set of spectral wings and the ability to fly by Tarakamedes, the Great Wyrm, at the cost of having to eat a pound of bones or grave dirt every day, but she also declines the gift.

Lilly, Vive, and Draven proceed into the Vault of Shalx, where Vive questions the advisability of accepting gifts from beings they know nothing about. Lilly argues that the team needs any advantage they can get in order to defeat Strahd and escape Barovia, and Vive asks permission to cast *Remove Curse* on the Druid; Lilly allows it, though the spell seems to have little effect. Draven is given three offers: the ability to cast *Lightning Bolt* by Zrin-Hala, the Howling Storm, at the cost of half of his face sagging and losing all feeling; the ability to raise the recently deceased by Sykane, the Soul Hungerer, at the cost of his eyes turning a sickly yellow; and the ability to cast *Contagion* by Fekre, the Queen of Poxes. He rejects all three offers.

Exethanter then casts *Mold Earth* to clear a path through the collapsed northern wall of the hall, giving the party access to a vault occupied by seven ghasts who nearly attack before being frightened by the lich. Semyaza is offered the ability to reincarnate herself should she die by Dahlver-Nar, He of the Many Teeth, at the cost of her own teeth falling out until her final reincarnation, but she declines the offer. Approaching the southern sarcophagus, Shayne finally hears the voice of his patron as the room fills a darkness that frightens the ghasts; the being admits that it brought the group to Barovia, and claims that the Demiplane of Dread once belonged to it before Strahd invaded.

The being agrees to send the party back to their respective homeworlds if they free it and help it to vanquish Strahd so that it can reclaim its domain, explaining that it can be freed from its tomb but only if the entire party agrees to allow it to. Vive asks who the being is, at which point the group is plunged into darkness, from which they see the being emerge: it appears in the form of several creatures, including the Raven Queen, Titania, a being of constellations and bright stars, a beautiful woman dressed as a noble, and Ira Vela, all of which merge into the singular figure of an armored man with eyes of white flame carrying a blade of smoke and shadow and wearing a helmet who introduces himself as Znatras, the Kingmaker.

Vive recognizes the being an ancient one not unlike a god that had been worshipped by the leaders of kingdoms thousands of years ago before it mysteriously stopped answering prayers and vanished; it was a force of personality that could inspire anyone to follow it, and it had been kind and giving to those who proved themselves worthy, while obliterating those who opposed it. Draven confirms that this is where he seals the contract that he signed to so long ago, and Zantras reaffirms his promise to send the rest of the team home; Draven shakes Zantras's hand, and vanishes. The being then offers Semyaza a gift, and she requests a symbiote from her home world; she also takes Zantras's hand, and vanishes.

Zantras then approaches Avi, his helmet briefly shifting into the porcelain mask of the Raven Queen, and he admits that he was the one who brought her back from death after Bartolomeo murdered her, assuring her that he will deliver on his promise to help her get her revenge. Avi looks to Shayne, who affirms that he was right – about Avi being sent to him for a reason, about all six of them being the key to unlocking their patron's prison, and secretly about his believe that his patron was impersonating the deities of his teammates – and Avi takes Zantras's hand and vanishes. He then assures Shayne that he will continue to provide the power to protect his friends, and Shayne takes his patron's hand, vanishing as well.

Zantras then assures Vive that he saw the pain in the cleric's face when Lilly died, and offers his hands to the satyr and the genasi, promising that if they help to release him, he will ensure that no one will ever be able to keep them apart. Vive tells Lilly that he will follow whatever she chooses to do, and Lilly hears Zantras's voice in her mind: "There are many things in this world stronger than you think, but with me, I can give you the power. More power than you've ever dreamed, and that is what will ensure Vive's safety." Lilly takes Vive's hand and tells him that she can't lose him again, then takes Zantras's hand, at which point Vive does as well, and they both vanish.

Together, the group finds themselves standing in a semi-circle around a sarcophagus that cracks open and shatters to rumble at their feet, and they hear a voice tell them: "Only one thing left to do. Let's do it together. For now: I am with you." Lilly hugs Vive, while Avi avoids making eye-contact with Shayne, who feels responsible for every lie that Avi just realized she's been living under. The party heads back upstairs, and Exethanter offers to let them stay the night in the library, which they agree to: Vive summons *Leomund's Tiny Hut* for himself and Lilly, and as the party settles in to rest, Shayne hears Avi crying, causing him to forego sleep and spend the entire night conducting questionable magical practices in order to maximize his ability to protect her.

During the night, Draven experiences a dream of a man who looks similar to Strahd wearing regal armor and carrying the platinum hilt of a blade at his hip. The man traverses the corridor of a castle before approaching a door and knocking; recieving no answer, he enters the room, and is horrified to discover a creature hunched over the body of a man whose throat has been torn out. The creature bears its fangs and then approaches the man, who does not draw his sword as the figure says: "Brother." Drawn wakes in the library feeling a surge of emotion from the Sunsword: sadness, longing, and anger. He wonders if the soul of Strahd's brother is trapped inside the hilt, and feels a negative emotion in response; when he asks the blade if they should go kill Strahd, he feels an eruption of vengeful energy as the Sunsword ignites for the first time.

#### Day Ten

The next morning, the party wakes for breakfast, though Avi still has not spoken to Shayne; Semyaza requests to pet Draven's spectral steed as he feeds it, which he allows. Shayne realizes that Strahd is sending a carriage to pick up the party today to convey them to Castle Ravenloft, and Exethanter wishes them luck in their encounter, reminding them that: "The best laid plans only last until the first meeting of enemies." The group leaves the Temple, distantly overhearing Exethanter telling Neferon not to attack them on their way out; they emerge back into the cold, which no longer affects Lilly due to the Staff of Frost, and over the course of several hours, they descend the mountain, finding a black, horseless carriage waiting for them in the road.

A scarred elf emerges from the carriage and introduces himself as Rahadin; most of the party boards the carriage to find its interior most spacious than its external dimensions, and Draven decides to ride his spectral steed behind the carriage instead, declining Semyaza's request to accompany him. Inside, the rest of the party discover a carafe with a clear liquid that becomes whatever they want: Semyaza pours an aged Scotch, Lilly pours a glass of water, Vive pours good nectar, and Shayne pours coffee before claiming that the party should be the guests of honor at Strahd's wedding, after which Vive casts *Silence* on the Changeling. Rahadin hitches Draven's steed to the carriage, then enters the vehicle, which starts moving along the road before beginning to fly.

Avi does not eat or drink anything, and Shayne positions himself within a seat of her, at which point Zantras appears in the seat between them, though only Avi can see him. She ignores him as she glances out the window, realizing that the carriage is flying and that Draven is being towed by it on his spectral steed. He winks at her, and she closes the shade over the window, then acknowledges Zantras, indicating that she now has to reevaluate every decision she has made since the night Bartolomeo killed her, though he suggests that she doesn't. Avi demands to know if what she feels for Shayne is real, and Zantras assures her that it is, claiming to have no direct effect on such emotions while admitting that he is certainly capable of angering people.

Zantras removes his helmet, his amorphous face settling into the form of a handsome man with eyes of white flame, and he admits that he doesn't know why her soul or Shayne's soul or the souls of any of the rest of the group connected with him. Avi insists that she will need time to be upset, assuring Zantras that she will still uphold her end of their bargain, and thanks him for saving Shayne when they faced Bartolomeo in the Church of Saint Andral. He responds by explaining that when he brought Avi back after she had been killed, he had tried to bring the rest of her team back, but been unable.

Zantras then disappears, and Avi silently places her hand on Shayne's, after which he silently places his other hand on hers, holding her wrist with his thumb on her pulse as the carriage continues toward Castle Ravenloft.

### Session 19 (12/20/2022)

Following the completion of the *Wedding* ritual of the *Ceremony* spell, Avi confesses to the party that the Blood Mage who tried to kill the party at the Church of Saint Andral was formerly her partner who eventually betrayed their party and murdered her, after which she made the deal with the being that she believed was the Raven Queen. She speculates that she will have to face Bartolomeo again sooner than later, and expresses her gratitude that the group will be by her side when she does; having joined the party after the battle at the church, Semyaza had only heard rumors about the Blood Mage, but Rahadin confirms that Bartolomeo was "reprimanded for his insubordination" and "is much more uncomfortable than what he previously was in the Castle." Avi also mentions that she after her resurrection by Zantras, she was found by a member of the Arcane Brotherhood who guided and trained her.

After the carriage approaches the Castle, Draven notices for the first time since the group arrived in Barovia a glow emanating from the highest peak of Argynvostholt, and feels a wave of warmth and joy that indicates that Rictavio has returned the skull of Argynvost to the mausoleum. He also notices, however, that the silhouette of Castle Ravenloft remains shrouded in shadows along the horizon. Several hours later, the carriage descends and continues along the ground before reaching a courtyard at the base of Castle Ravenloft, lightning ripping through the clouds overhead. The party exits the carriage and follows Rahadin through an entry archway into the castle, at which point Draven realizes that Avi is holding hands with a beautiful woman that he realizes is Shayne in female form.

Rahadin leads the party into the castle and through a second set of doors into a grand hall where they meet a beautiful-dressed vampire who leads them to the dining hall while Rahadin heads downstairs to his office. In the dining hall, the party finds Strahd and his three brides, Ludmilla, Volenta, and Anastrasya, as well as two massive Bloodguards. Strahd welcomes the party, revealing that he knows about Vive-and-Lilly's marriage and Avi-and-Shay's marriage; Shay sits immediately to Strahd's right with Avi beside her, Vive sits immediately to Strahd's left with Lilly beside him, while Semyaza sits beside Avi, and Draven sits at the foot of the table.

Strahd asks after the group's activities since he stole the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind from them following their battle against Vladimir Horngaard, and reveals that he has secured control of the village of Vallaki due to their intervention there. The party begins eating, after which Strahd asks how much they want to leave Barovia, and Vive indicates that he wants nothing more; Strahd further reveals that he knows that the party ventured into the undercroft of the Amber Temple and freed one of the beings imprisoned there. The party admits that they did, and claim that the being offered to send them home in exchange for being freed, and Strahd seems to believe the explanation.

He then makes a counteroffer, claiming that he will release everyone in the party and erase their memories of their time in Barovia if Shay remains, since Zantras attached himself to her in particular. Shay questions whether she must die, or if she could be installed as the burgomaster of Vallaki, and Strahd reveals that he has already given the position to Vasili von Holtz, one of his favorite simulacra. He allows the group to consider his offer over dinner before coming to a decision, and spends the meal reading the party's thoughts: Vive considers that if the group could choose who to sacrifice, he would be willing to leave Semyaza since he doesn't know her; Draven thinks about the pact he made with Zantras, which ensures that everyone but Draven can leave Barovia; Lilly considers that Zantras's offer is superior because it allows for everyone to leave, and considers how she would feel if Vive had to remain for everyone to leave; Avi considers how to stop Shay from sacrificing herself to Strahd, and decides that she will kill anyone in the party who tries to agree to that deal; Semyaza remains unsure of her place in the group; and Shay considers that she has spent years looking for a noble-enough way to die, and that if it comes to it, this one might be okay.

Strahd reveals that he knew that Draven was once human, and questions how many people the dhampyr has killed: Draven confesses to having lost count after he murdered his wife-to-be and all of their guards and servants, after which he stayed to forest. Strahd confesses that he murdered his general and best friend on the day he became a vampire, after which he was discovered by [[Sergei von Zarovich|his brother and killed by his own castle guards before tearing them all apart. He claims that the only difference between them is that Strahd has embraced his nature, while Draven wishes to be human once more, though Draven denies it, and Strahd amends his offer to allow for Draven to stay in Barovia as well to serve as his successor.

Draven mentally communes with Zantras, who seems to appear from the shadows of the room to tell him: "Tear him apart. Show him what my enemies always come to. Unlike him, my offer of freedom: All of you will be free. All of you who wish to be free will get it." Draven then announces that he killed Strahd's mother in the swamp, and Strahd warns Draven that certain words can be construed as threats, which would violate guests' rights; he claims that if the party refuses his offer, the only other way to leave Barovia is, literally, over his dead body, and asks if Shay is willing to die to ensure the freedom of everyone in her party. Strahd insists that if she refuses, no one will leave the room alive, and Vive counters that they were to be given time to consider the deal; Strahd counters that he knows that the party already made a deal with Zantras.

Vive insists that he never lied and Strahd counters that he never did either, after which he asks for Shay's answer: she tells him that while she would certainly die for everyone in the room, she would first kill for everyone in the room, and after having declined better offers from much more powerful beings, she will respectfully decline his offer as well. Lilly insists that the party has made no actions against Strahd, and he counters that some words can be taken as threats, at which point Vive reminds Strahd that the laws of your land dictate that he keep his word. Enraged, Strahd cracks the table, insisting that he *is* the land, and hands a carving knife to Shay, demanding that she either drive it into her own heart or attack him with it. Instead, she stabs it into one of the cracks in the table.

At that, Anastrasya teleports behind Avi and orders Shay to pick up the knife, claiming that she doesn't get to run from this decision; Shay stands to face her, refuses to pick up the knife, and responds that she has no intention of running from this situation, countering that she may die today, but she's going to make Strahd do it, and she's going to make him earn it. Anastrasya responds by drawing a silver blade and placing it to Avi's throat, and Semyaza reacts by drawing her own silvered rapier and placing it to Anastrasya's throat, suggesting that everyone be reasonable adults and negotiate. Avi, however, grabs Shay and casts *Dimension Door*, teleporting to the opposite side of the room, after which Strahd order Shay to kill Avi; the psychic link of the Ruby Amulet that Shayne recovered from Walter Durst overpowers Shay's mind, causing her to summon her pact weapon.

Semyaza attempts to cast *Enthrall* on Shay but fails, but Shay's attack is prevented when Zantras recalls the blade before it can strike. Lilly promptly tears the amulet off of Shay and hurls it into the pipes of the organ, breaking Strahd's control over the Changeling, after which she converts into the Starry Form of the Chalice. Strahd then attempts to cast a spell to attack the group, but Shay *Counterspell*s it, and Draven attempts to ignite the Sunsword while hurling himself across the table at Strahd; the blade flares to life and is immediately absorbed into one of the six torches placed along the walls, after which the paladin casts *Daylight* only for the light he summons to be absorbed into the same torch. At that point, Avi's shadow then detaches from her and attempts to attack her, but fails, after which Strahd attempts to *Charm* Draven but also fails, rendering the dhampyr immune to the effect.

Semyaza delivers a devastating attack to Anastrasya with her silvered rapier as one of the Bloodguard attacks Vive with a greatsword, missing one of its attacks as Lilly casts *Silvery Barbs*, and Strahd strikes at Draven with his claws, but misses. The other Bloodguard attacks Shay with its greatsword, after which she hurls herself across the table as well to attack Strahd with her pact weapon; she then attempts to *Misty Step* back to Avi's side, but Strahd *Counterspell*s the incantation. Anastrasya retaliates against Semyaza with a pair of claw attacks as Escher attacks Vive with a pair of claw attacks as well, and Avi teleports to Shay's side, casting *Protection from Evil and Good* on her before the second Bloodguard attacks her with its greatsword. Ludmilla attempts to attack Vive with another pair of claw attacks but misses, after which the cleric casts his *Twilight Sanctuary* and summons his *Spiritual Weapon*, destroying one of the six torches with it, causing a Shadow to emerge from it. Volenta then attempts to attack Lilly with a pair of claw attacks, but misses as well.

Using the Staff of Frost she recovered from the Amber Temple, Lilly casts a *Wall of Ice* that traps and injures Ludmilla, Volenta, and Escher, after which Strahd teleports to the ceiling and severs one of the chandeliers, heavily injuring Draven and Vive. Draven destroys the second torch, from which another Shadow emerges, before destroying the third torch with a devastating strike that also destroys the Shadow within it. Strahd attempts to attack Vive with a claw attack but is thwarted by Lilly as Semyaza casts *Ray of Frost* at Anastrasya. One of the Bloodguards attacks Lilly with its greatsword as Shay destroys the fourth torch with two *Eldritch Blast*s and then attacks Anastrasya with two more before she retaliates with two claw attacks of her own that miss as Shay casts *Shield*. Jessamy strikes Strahd with a stinging attack, after which Strahd strikes Vive with a claw attack that renders the cleric unconscious; the second Bloodguard attacks Avi and Shay with its greatsword, but misses them both as Escher, Volenta, and Ludmilla *Spider Climb* out from behind the *Wall of Ice*. Zantras then reaches out to Vive and returns him to consciousness.

Lilly then uses *Control Water* to melt the *Wall* and turn it into running water that swirls across the floor of the room, at which point Strahd summons his Blood Armor for additional protection; he then strikes at Lilly with his own sword, delivering a burst of lighting in the attack. Escher attacks Draven with a pair of claw attacks that miss, after which the dhampyr uses most of his *Lay on Hands* to significantly heal Vive. Semyaza attacks Strahd with her silvered rapier, delivering a devastating blow that destroys the vampire's link to whatever has been absorbing his injuries; Strahd then attacks Draven with his sword as one of the Bloodguards attacks Lilly with its greatsword.

Grabbing onto Avi's arm, Shay then casts *Thunderstep* to teleport across the room, killing Anastrasya and destroying one of the Shadows while injuring Escher and damaging one of the Bloodguards; she then attacks Strahd with her pact weapon, after which he attempts to retaliate with a claw attack but misses when she casts *Shield* again. Avi destroys the fifth torches with an *Eldritch Blast* and severely damages the sixth with another as Escher attacks Shay with a pair of claw attacks that also miss. The second Bloodguard attacks Draven with its greatsword as Ludmilla attacks Lilly with a pair of claw attacks, and Vive uses his *Spiritual Weapon* to destroy the last torch, from which a final Shadow emerges. Volenta attacks Lilly with a pair of claw attacks that both miss, and the Shadows begin attacking the party: one attacks Vive, draining some of his strength, and a second attacks Avi, draining a significant amount of her strength, while a third misses Semyaza and a fourth misses Shay, who also successfully avoids another claw attack from Strahd.

### Session 20 (12/27/2022)

Following the destruction of the last torch and the emergence of the final Shadow, Lilly teleports to a position from which she casts *Cone of Cold* from the Staff of Frost, killing Ludmilla and Volenta, destroying three of the Shadows, and significantly damaging one of the Bloodguards. Strahd retaliates by releasing a *Negative Energy Flood* that strikes the entire party, after which Draven casts *Beacon of Hope* to protect the team; Strahd then summons a Specter into the room to attack Semyaza before severing the second chandelier, which injures Shay as Avi uses her *Misty Escape* to avoid being crushed.

Semyaza is attacked by one of the Shadows, which drains some of her strength, after which she destroys one of the two remaining Shadows with her silvered rapier as one of the Bloodugards tries to attack Vive with its greatsword but misses; Shay then kills Escher with her pact weapon before destroying the final Shadow, after which Draven successfully reignites the Sunsword. Strahd reacts by severing the final chandelier, further injuring Shay and Lilly, after which Avi uses her *Undying Servitude* to cast *Animate Dead* on Anastrasya's body, raising her as a zombie and instructing her to destroy Strahd. One Bloodguard attacks Vive with its greatsword and the second attacks Draven while Strahd plummets to the floor to attack Lilly with his sword, after which Anastrasya strikes the vampire with a pair of claw attacks; Vive casts *Cure Wounds* to significantly heal Lilly, then casts *Mass Cure Wounds* to heal the rest of the party as Strahd attempts to *Counterspell* the incantation but fails.

Strahd teleports back to the ceiling before casting *Chain Lightning* to severely injure Lilly, Shay, and Vive, after which Draven leaps from the table, up the wall to the ceiling where he attacks Strahd with the Sunsword; Strahd retaliates by striking Draven with his own sword as Semyaza delivers a devastating crossbow attack on the vampire. The second Bloodguard attacks Semyaza with its greatsword as Shay destroys the Specter with her pact weapon, and Avi hits Strahd with a pair of *Eldritch Blast*s as the first Bloodguard attacks Vive with its greatsword. The cleric attempts to summon his *Moonbeam* but fails as Strahd successfully *Counterspell*s the incantation, then delivers a devastating attack with his *Spiritual Weapon* that leaves Strahd on the very edge of death. Lilly then casts *Faerie Fire* on the vampire, after which Draven hurls Strahd from the ceiling to the shattered dining room table, plummeting with him and driving the blade of the Sunsword through the vampire's chest to deliver the killing blow.

The two Bloodguards erupt into ash in the light of the Sunsword, and are washed away with the ash of Strahd's body by the running water of Lily's spell. Silence fills the room as the figure of Zantrus appears and instructs the team to descend into the crypts below the Castle and destroy Strahd's coffin so that he cannot regenerate; the team considers resting first as Shay, Avi, and Semyaza collect the valuables from the destroyed undead, but Draven leaves the room shortly after to head downstairs followed by Vive and Lilly, and eventually the rest of the party and Anastrasya. They head down the stairs that Rahadin had descended, entering a narrow hallway that leads to a fog-filled room where they are approached by a deformed man who introduces himself as Cyrus Belview; the group explains that they were sent to find Strahd's coffin, and Cyrus leads them to an adjacent room filled with furnishings made entirely of human bones.

The party compliments Cyrus on his handiwork and praises the craftsmanship of the room, flattering the servant so thoroughly that he admits that he had intended to lead them into a trap but has changed his mind. He gives the group directions to the office of Rahadin and reveals that the elf's favorite food is chocolate pudding, though he explains to the party that "Rahadin don't do friends"; Cyrus then leads the group back to his kitchen and offers the facility to Vive, who spends an hour preparing eight special treats, giving one to each party member and one to Cyrus, who warns the party not to enter the wine cellar, which is overrun by yellow mold and black pudding. Cyrus then shows Semyaza his own quarters and the collection of damaged adventuring equipment that he has salvaged from dead visitors over his years at Ravenloft, after which he advises the party to create magical *Silence* around Rahadin when they face him to neutralize his Deathly Choir, additionally warning them that the elf keeps a Shadow Demon with him.

Cyrus explains that a hidden door in Rahadin's office leads further down to the crypts, and the party decides to get a night of sleep before proceeding; they head into a barracks room and quickly dispatch ten animated skeletons before Vive summons *Leomund's Tiny Hut* and the groups settles in for the evening.

### Session 21 (01/03/2023)

#### Day Eleven

The morning after having defeated Strahd von Zarovich, the party wakes in the barracks room along with the reanimated corpse of Anastrasya before heading back out to the Hall of Bones and finding Cyrus. Vive helps make breakfast, and the group explains that before Strahd was killed, he had offered to make Draven his successor as the Lord of Barovia, at which point Cyrus begins addressing the paladin as "boss."

After eating, Semyaza becomes ill and remains behind as Cyrus explains that the group can reach the crypt containing Strahd's coffin through a secret passage in Rahadin's office. He directs them through the adjacent Kingsmen Hall, and they clandestinely enter the chamberlain's quarters to find it empty. Lilly and Shay search the room briefly before Avi uses the *wand of secrets* to reveal a hidden door in the north end of the west wall, and she opens it to reveal a dusty staircase leading downward.

As the group descends the Western Staircase, Shay casts *Light* on Vive's horns as Draven uses the blade of the Sunsword to burn away the thick cobwebs. As Shay steps on the landing at the bottom of the flight, Strahd appears halfway back up the stairs, and tells them: "You have worn out your welcome. Whatever gods you believe in cannot save you now!" Shay responds by firing a single *Eldritch Blast* that passes through the image, dissipating it, and the party proceeds the rest of the way down the stairs to a square room containing two iron statues on knights on horseback, a large stone brazier, and an hourglass suspended above it.

A white flame burns in the brazier but produces no heat, and the group finds seven colored stones around the rim. Before they can investigate further, Avi hears the demonic voice of Bartolomeo in her head along with voices that she recognizes as distorted versions of Zeph, Milla, and Khoren, taunting her to come and play as a door in the middle of the southern wall swings open to an adjacent room. Saying nothing to the rest of the party, Avi summons her *Mage Hand* and wordlessly closes the door again as Lilly discovers a poem inscribed around the brazier:

*Cast a stone into the fire*
*Violet leads to the mountain spire*
*Orange to the castle's peak*
*Red if lore is what you seek*
*Green to where the coffins hide*
*Indigo to the master's bride*
*Blue to ancient magic's womb*
*Yellow to the master's tomb*
Avi orders Anastrasya to place the yellow stones into the flame, which turns yellow in response as the sand in the hourglass begins to pour into its lower section. Shay waves her hand through the flame, vanishing from the room; the rest of the party immediately follows suit, finding themselves a room with a vaulted ceiling and a shining black coffin of finely waxed wood in the center. They quickly confirm that that tomb belongs to Strahd, after which Vive casts a devastating *Flame Strike* that obliterates the coffin, reducing it and its contents to ash.

As the party watches the last of the radiant fire flicker out, the ash and dust begin to swirl and coalesce into a towering figure that identifies itself as Vampyre, the creature that gave Strahd the Dark Gift of immortality in exchange for the man's soul. Draven steps toward the creature and declares that it failed: Strahd's body has been reduced to ash and dust and now his soul has been burned out of reality as well. Vampyre laughs, answering: "Then this is just the beginning." At that point, a shadow emerges from each of the party members as well and coalesces into the form of Zantras, who counters: "No, Old Friend. This is where this ends." Zantras then engulfs the tomb in a darkness that only Shay can see through, and the Changeling watches Zantras tear a hole through the fabric of reality before dragging Vampyre through it into the nothingness beyond the Void.

Moments later, light returns to the room, and the party find Vampyre and Zantras both gone. Satisfied that they have completed their mission, the group begin the ascent back through the castle, Draven how inexplicably aware of the location and nature of the man traps left by Strahd. As they navigate their way back upstairs, Draven also senses the many fiends and undead creatures within the castle vanishing as they finally find rest.

In her mind, Avi hears Bartolomeo attempts to telepathically taunt Avi into a final confrontation, but she refuses to risk what she's found just for the chance to kill him, instead getting the ultimate revenge: the chance to hear him fade from existence without even giving him the satisfaction of seeing her face again as he dies. She listens as he rages ineffectually, his voice gradually dwindling away to nothingness as he vanishes.

The party make their way through Ravenloft, searching the main hall until they discover Ireena unconscious in the chapel, dressed in an elaborate wedding gown. They wake her, and she accompanies the group to the courtyard outside the castle entry where they discover the sun just beginning to rise. As they watch dawn break, they hear a man's gentle voice behind them say: "It has been a *very* long time since I've seen that kind of beauty." They turn to find a man who looks similar to Strahd, and Draven recognizes him from his dream; the man identifies himself as Sergei von Zarovich, and explains to Ireena that she is the reincarnation of Tatyana Federovna.

Hearing the name, Ireena is suddenly flooded by the memories of all of her past lives, and takes Sergei's hand; the moment they touch, the two are wreathed in celestial light that grows increasing bright until the party is temporarily blinded, and when the light fades, the two are gone. Draven senses his control of the mists that surround Barovia, and realize that he now has the ability to send the party back to their homeworlds, but realizing that he has nothing left to go back to himself, he decides to remain in Barovia and rebuild it into a place of safety.

The group says their goodbyes, and Vive takes Lilly's hand as the mists sweep them away to his Golden Grove in the Summer Court of the Feywild. Avi hugs Draven, surreptitiously slipping a purse of coins into his pocket to pay him for the job she had originally hired him for before the party had been drawn into the Demiplane of Dread. Shay then kisses Draven on the cheek, glances to Avi, and tells the dhampyr: "That offer still stands." Avi asks Shay where they should go, and Shay answers simply: "The Feywild." They are then swept into the mist as well, and moments later find themselves on a hillside overlooking the theater of the Unseelie Court.

#### One Month Later

Draven searches and catalogues the contents of Castle Ravenloft, discovering, among other magical artefacts, a Staff of Power in the crypt of the archmage Khazan, the fiery spirit of the Nightmare Beucephalus, and a Luckblade in the crypt of Baron Eisglaze Drüf. He also discovers Strahd's study and his collection of over a thousand unique texts on all imaginable subjects.

Draven learns that Ismark has become the permanent burgomaster of the village of Barovia, and that Gadov Blinsky was elected burgomaster of Vallaki after the disappearance of Vasili von Holtz. In the Feywild, Lilly discovers that she is pregnant with triples.

#### Ten Years Later

With assistance from Cyrus, Draven searches and studies the arcane lore in the library for the next decade, eventually locating an ancient, dangerous ritual that might be capable of resurrecting his fiancé. Collecting all of the necessary components to perform the spell, Draven then expends the single *Wish* spell contained in the Luckblade to ensure the success of the ritual, bringing Freya back from the dead.