M2S17

## The Fall of Wachter

The House of Wachter falls definitively.

“
*-BRING IT!*
”
— Aellun challenges Mephisto, who then proceeds to bring it.
**The Fall of Wachter** was the 17th session of the Strahdborne campaign. In this session, the party defeated Fiona Wachter and her clique.

## NPCs

* Fiona Wachter: Killed!
* Mephisto: Freed!

## Quests

### Ongoing

* **Treasures of Yore (Everyone):** Recover the other two gems of the Wizard of Wines.
* **Under New Management (Everyone):** Investigate the coven of hags at Old Bonegrinder mill.

### The Deck of Fate

* **The Fount of Knowledge (Everyone):** Discover the source of knowledge below the guardian of a garden.
* **The Symbol of Hope (Everyone):** Claim the holy symbol by finding the tomb of a great wizard with a famous staff.
* **The Blade of Light (Everyone):** Wield the sunlight blade in the den of wolves near the moonlit lake.
* **The Shadow of Barovia (Everyone):** Defeat Strahd. Optional: Suplex Strahd.
* **The Moon (Aellun):** Find the place filled with bones, for the clues you seek lie there.
* **The Headsman (Gromash):** Find the fortress within the fortress, which contains the treasure you seek.
* **The Phantom (Lo-thak):** Find the location of the one who gave birth to evil, for she is the key to your goals.
* **The Balance (Thalia):** Discover the whereabouts of Lautrec and Gascarde.

### Completed

* **Chaos is a Ladder (Everyone):** etermine the future of Vallaki. There is no longer such a thing as Vallaki!
* **No Dark Deed Goes Unpunished (Everyone):** Investigate the Orphanage and get to the bottom of Arabelle's murder. Interrogate Hans, Lazlo, and Franz about Arabelle. Off in the background, the Vistani have identified the culprit.

## Quotes

(Aellun ducking behind the wall) BRING IT! (Mephisto grabs him right through it, smashing the wall to smithereens) ... He brought it.

Thalia: The fire you raise for your enemy burns you as well as her.

*Arbrek dances Mephisto is confused. Mephisto hurt itself in its own confusion.*

Arbrek: Hmph, my forge is hotter. Ricardo: Hotter than the fires of hell? Arbrek: Maybe one day he'll have a big fire.

(After house explodes) I didn't realize Strahd had met Michael Bay in a previous life.

## Reflections

* **Character name:** Reflection.
* **Aellun:** "Twice, thrice perhaps, maybe more, I have made a deal with someone once after my blood to deal with a former "ally", and all this in the span of a few hours! That's a dangerous game, and one I already know the ending to, as the Lady Wachter found at my hand. Once you build up a reputation for that sort of thing, you'll find few willing to deal with you, and that's something we can ill afford in the already hostile Barovia. That was one of our great failings as the Owlguard - our allegiances, besides those to our lord and people, were those of convenience, and convenience was a fickle thing when dealing with ever manipulative dragons. Dealing with demons is one of the few things more inadvisable, and yet the deal provided invaluable information. Mephisto showed that there is yet another conspiracy, in revealing its true form. Imp or mephit, it was a small elemental fiend, certainly not capable of the throng-wide domination displayed by the Wachter masks, nor the feats of strength of a goristro. It must have been empowered, which generally runs counter to the desire of any who'd summon such a being - if you already had such power, what need you for the summoning? Who wields such and yet has such dire need of secrecy as to use a demon as a scapegoat? It's unlike Strahd to be so secretive, or to call on those outside Barovia to do his bidding, so then who is Mephisto's channeler? Is this one of the vampire's servants, or merely a tolerated force? Whichever it may be, we must discover them before they discover us. I'd rather not have to make yet another deadly deal so soon."
* **Thalia:** "Well, if anyone needed more proof that Wachter was up to no good, the elephant-sized hellhound should be the smoking gun. Fortunately for us it seems my companions are the only people to have had any positive opinions on Wachter - her own hellhound willingly gave up the location of her safe room as soon as she left it behind, and we'd barely injured it. Rats always desert a sinking ship. Wachter is gone now, as is her house. Filthy peasant, am I now? Maybe down in hell my father can educate her on what a proper aristocrat is. At least they can bond over how much of a failure I am as a noble. Yet my concern is failing as an officer. I who swore to uphold the law have destroyed one of the only bastions of law and order in this land - corrupt and tyrannical as they may have been - allowed an angry mob to rampage unchecked, set up Wachter as a scapegoat for the Vistani child's death and let the actual killer go free. The only thing keeping my oath intact are technicalities - that I swore to uphold Aldia's law, that in Barovia I have no jurisdiction and thus no responsibility, and that my true mission to bring justice to Lautrec and Gascarde is still ongoing. This is a foreign battlefield, there are no rules in war, denying the enemy victory is a win in-and-of itself....all just excuses. I have upheld the letter of my oaths but not the spirit, for no justice was worth this cost."

## Appendix

Strahdborne Sessions
**Chapter 1: The Gates of Barovia**
 Session 1 · Session 2 · Session 3 · Session 4 · Session 5 · Session 6

 **Chapter 2: The Fall of Vallaki**
 Session 7 · Session 8 · Session 9 · Session 10 · Session 11 · Session 12 · Session 13 · Session 14 · Session 15 · Session 16 · **Session 17** · Session 18 · Session 19 ·

 **Chapter 3: The Muster at Krezk**
 Session 20 · Session 21 · Session 22 · Session 23 · Session 24 · Session 25 · Session 26 · Session 27 ·