Bad Luck

## Summary

The party takes back what they can to the tower in the pass close to the Amber Temple. The party contemplates what to do with the riches they have be it hide it with the church in Vallaki or the Werewolf Den. Jade awakens to a treasure hoard and is delighted. Apparently Salem went to study with Exethanter for a bit. However Talice knew that Salem wanted to become a lich because she overheard his conversation.

Ezmeralda notes that Krik has to sleep outside since he was a werewolf and the moon was full. Talice notes that the last place for them to go is Argynvostholt. However they don't have the beacon needed to stop the knight from pursuing them. Warwick suggests using Jade's new divination powers to find it while Krik offers to give some gemstones to Ezmeralda for blowing up her wagon accidentally. Ezmeralda thanks the party as the group divies up the hoard amongst everyone minus the marble vases they left inside.

As the sun sets, Krik is left outside with the dresses to make a makeshift tent. Warwick helps him set up camp as Talice mentions how Warwick borrowed Gregarius to help them in fighting vampires. Jade is angry but is understanding as Krik pretends to transform to lift everyone's spirits. The group is unamused as he leaves.

That night Krik does transform into a werewolf while Jade reattunes to Gregarius. He goes after Baymax who was guarding the tower. However Baymax holds him and brings him inside as Warwick notes the pink hilted rapier is more than meets the eye. The group sleeps peacefully for the rest of the night.

Krik wakes up in the morning wearing a pink dress. He's angry but can't break free of Baymax's grip at first. Krik rages and breaks free while tearing off the dress at the same time. Talice tells Baymax to stand down and he does. He demands to know who put the dress on him but doesn't get a response.

Kasimir thanks the party as he takes his leave. Talice mentions that if he wants to fight, just look for Edmund's name in the sky. Kasimir says they can count on him as he leaves. Ezmeralda decides to stick with the party some more because she's been able to accomplish more with the party than before she met them. Sorin notices Ezmeralda's guilty expression and asks what's on her mind. Ezmeralda confesses her distrust of the party but they understand as this place may be turning them into monsters themselves. Ezmeralda also reveals that she had cursed Talice with bad luck. However the dragon had killed Edmund instead which made Ezmeralda partially responsible for his death. A heavy burden falls on the group but Jade proclaims that they have to leave and kill Strahd before any more is said.

They head down the mountain with Talice riding on Baymax. As they reach the forest, the Vallaki innkeeper meets up with them. He was surprised at their spoils but also unnerved that someone was watching the wereravens. Sorin realizes what this might mean as he asks the innkeeper how he found them. The innkeeper is confused as to why that is and flies off. Krik then notes that a raven has been following them wherever they go.

The party continues to Vallaki and gets there at sunset. They head to the new blacksmith as it's the only place open. Sorin gets platemail while Jade gets a crossbow. They also sell the items they got for gold including Talice's studded armor and come to the inn. The innkeepers are happy but Talice does note that the innkeeper didn't talk to them on the road. Either the innkeeper was brainwashed or someone impersonated him.

After a talk about what the enchanted seeds could be used for, the party decides to head to Argynvostholt after a night's rest. That night Warwick looks for Jade's room but slips on the mopped floor. She eventually meets him outside where he decides to test her. He morphs into Strahd and conjures up a bubble of darkness. He overcomes her easily and says she needs to pull out some of her own tricks if she plans on beating Strahd. Jade thanks him for the training.

The next morning, Talice continues reading so she asks Warwick to pick up a staff for her. Jade also gets an idea to look for the imposter using her scrying ability however she doesn't know what the imposter looks like. She does look for the raven in particular but resisted her.

Jade picks up her crossbow as Sorin sells his greataxe. Warwick heads for the magic shop to identify the cloak of patches and the fleshy glue. The fleshy glue can reattach severed limbs while the cloak of patches is revealed to hold several patches that would prove useful in a pinch. The patches were a bag of 100 gold, an iron door, a wooden ladder, a riding horse, a rowboat, a spell scroll, a group of spiritual dogs, and a pitfall trap. He gets the spell scroll first which uses the spell moonbeam. Warwick then peruses the staves and gets one that detects magic for Talice. Krik and Ezmeralda then buy materials for six health potions for everyone.

Later in the day, the plate armor is finished. Warwick then suggests going to the lake with his new rowboat. However Krik is insistant on going to the werewolf hideout. Warwick compromises that they go there before heading to Argynvostholt. The party then heads to the north to Lake Zarovich. They find a single person trying to fish so the party takes a rowboat (not from the robe of patches) after Talice casts water breathing on the group. She does end up pushing Warwick in before the man throws a wriggling sack into the water. Warwick swims after it quickly and brings it to shore. It turns out to be a seven year old vistani girl as Krik and Soren hurry to shore.

Warwick wraps the girl in his cloak of patches and swims after the man while Krik and Soren look after the girl. The guy ignores them as Talice boards his boat. Warwick is about to kill him when Talice stops him but neither of them have been on a boat before and fall over. They decide to take him back to shore and are weirded out that the guy isn't budging.

The vistani child introduces herself as Arabelle, the missing vistani child. Talice uses her new staff to see if the man was under a suggestive spell but he wasn't. She also notices that he hadn't bathed or washed in clothes in a long time. Krik ties up the fisherman and puts him over his shoulder hoping to take him to the church. The group pick up Jade on the way to the church. They find that the man is dead inside without hope or pleasure for a long time.

That gives Warwick the okay to off him but he decides to follow him to see if he could take them to where he got Arabelle from. Krik ties a rope around his neck like a leash before letting him go. He goes to this abandoned shack and goes down a trap door into a stinkry room where more kids are laying. He is about to pick up another kid to put in a burlap sack when the group stop him. Krik and Jade throw up a bit as they untie everyone including the children that didn't make it. Warwick then kills the man before vomiting.

They take the children to the church and Milivoj digs holes for showers. Talice alerts the guards while Sorin gets the innkeeper to get stew for the children. Even the Burgomaster comes by to give what help he can. He mentions that all of the children were vistani. He calls over some guards to get the children back home once they're healthy physically and mentally.

Arabelle was returned to the vistani camp. The father is relieved that his daughter is okay and lets her pick out a treasure from one of the wagons. Talice takes the potions of poison which makes Warwick giggle with excitement. Warwick also mentions that they're storming Castle Ravenloft soon and ask for the vistani's help. They refuse but tell Warwick to keep their information on the down low.

## Notable Events

* AeonOfDreams was unable to make it to this session
* The party has a curious encounter with the Vallaki innkeeper on the road to town
* The party returns the missing vistani girl, Arabelle, to her family