Session 19

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Entry 19. The group rose to the chilly morning dew covering the grass around them and their opened bags. Seemingly their bags had been opened and some things were missing, specifically Eleonora's amulets and their friend Groon. She immediately went on to use her senses, trying to find the location of her belongings and started running towards that location through the woods before the Vistani had even a chance to thank them for helping them before. Eventually they reached the bridge near the Valley of Barovia and were met with a group of dire wolves cutting their way. The fight was quick and the wolves retreated quickly, only to bring in more creatures that quickly surrounded the group, silently starring at them in anticipation. Ambrose tried to take a more social approach to dealing with the wolves but in vain. Before devising a careful plan, Eleonora jumped in to attack the creatures and the battle started. All the wolves strode to attack them, except one that was just starring at them from distance. Spells, swords and teeth took the form of a bloody symphony as slowly the wolves died one by one, except one who managed to kill Ambrose, ripping apart his gullet and immediately vomiting blood into his open throat and mouth, red eyes gleaming in the darkness over his dead body before retreating into the forest. Valyra decided to put the body of Ambrose into the nearby lake, not wanting to let him rot out in the forest and Eleonora... Went silent.

They both headed to the familiar village nearby and entered the Blood of the Vine inn, where before they could rent room were approached by a young man named Ismark, offering to pay for their drinks should they join his company. Valyra accepted and talked with him while Eleonora rented a room and went on to collapse on the bed, exhausted.

Ismark offered to help them with their friend, after realizing he could potentially turn into an undead creature, in exchange for their help to escorts his sister to a safer place. She accepted, and ventured again through the forest along the coast of the river Ivlis and the Tser pool spotting the floating figure of their friend carried by the streams. Valyra rushed into the freezing water and the dangerous currents to try and grab her friend and Ismark followed. They both fought against the currents with all their might, skipping from stone to river stone trying to hold on to something before they fall into the waterfall. And they almost succeeded at the edge of the waterfall but as Valyra performed one last feat to try and get ambrose to the shore, she was grabbed by the currents, falling in the waterfall and into her death. But her death was not peaceful, and there was no afterlife. Instead this creature seized control of her soul, offering her power and life in exchange for something... But what? Or maybe it was just a dream she had in her unconsciousness.

Nevertheless, she came back to life on the surface of the water, tied to her dead friend. She swum back to the shore with all the power she had remaining and broke down until Ismark arrived, offering to help her carry their friend to an Abbey where it was rumored that an angel resided there. They tied the body to a tree out of fear he might come back and decided to camp for the night.

While Valyra performed a heroic feat, Eleonora was fast asleep in her rented room. She had strange dreams again of this hellish labyrinthine landscape and a terrible monster chasing her. And her brother, crawling away from something, or someone... or her. But before she could process a sharp pain on her neck rose her to consciousness in the middle of the night. Two read eyed glowing beneath the pale face of a man standing over her. Unable to move she just questioned who he was. He made himself acquainted as Strahd, the ruler of this valley and lord of Ravenloft. Before saying something about a sin and dissolving into dark smoke, a faint laughter filling the room as he departed and she fell back to sleep.

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