Session Twenty Five

***The cold, steady rain soaks into your hair and clothes as you stand in the stretch of land between the trees to the north and the vineyard to the south. Thunder rolls in the distance, and a flicker of wings draws your attention to the treetops behind the woman, where the beady black eyes of ravens stare back at you from between the leaves. You look back to the woman as she shakes her head, frowning with concern.***

## The Party

* Alyssandra, the Human Paladin/Warlock.
* Clara, the Human Warlock.
* Dakira, the Dragonborn Bard.
* Devi, the Drow Paladin.
* Kriswyn, the Firbolg Druid.
* Tansy, the Tiefling Light Cleric.

## Progression

The woman told them, again, that the druids made it too dangerous for them to continue onward, and that when the druids left, things would return to normal and it would be safe enough to visit, but as it was they should just return to town. Alyssandra asked for more information about the druids, and at the same time a young man came out of the woods behind the woman, anxiously asking if the party had spoken to Urwin, lowering his voice before saying the man's name, and shrinking away from Kriswyn. The woman told them that for whatever reason, the druids do not like the winery, and would sometimes decide to come up from the south to remind them, causing trouble by doing things like eating a horse or smashing the wagon, but this time they'd brought a whole army with them, and while they held out for a while they eventually had to run away and hide.

Tansy replied to both of them by saying that yes, they had seen Urwin, and asked how long they had been kept out of their home, and Alyssandra added that it had been Urwin who sent them this way. The woman replied that it had been two days so far, and that she was mostly worried about her children, and the younger man asked the party if Urwin and Danika were doing well, clearly worried about them and something that had happened to them, but lowered his voice again to say that their father is "stubborn," and was relieved when Tansy said they were both alright.

Tansy also offered to chase the druids out of the winery for them, an offer that the woman immediately refused, saying that she could not ask anyone to do that for them, and that while "some people" might disagree, the winery wasn't worth getting people killed over. Tansy insisted, saying that not only was it the right thing to do, and possibly her job as a cleric to help, but Urwin had offered them a reward if they helped, which Alyssandra clarified as being a sword they needed, and Kriswyn said that she, at least, was an experienced veteran. The woman seemed amused at the idea of Urwin with a sword, but said if they were set on going into the winery, she would not stop them.

The party asked the man and woman more about the situation with the druids, namely how many there were, if they had any sort of leader, and if they were all in the house. They were able to learn that there had been many druids, but most of them had gone back south after the first day, leaving a few behind along with most of their "army," which was estimated to include about fifty creatures under their command. Before they could learn more, an old man stomped out of the trees to join them, bringing the discussion to a halt.

The old man was a suspicious, rude, and generally unpleasant person who eventually revealed himself to be Davian Martikov, the oldest of the Martikov family. He first demanded to know what the party wanted, and why they were there, and refused to part with all but the most basic information about the winery and what they might face, telling them only to not go poking around and not to leave a mess if they died. The woman managed to tell them that some of the doors were locked, but then a baby began to cry and, apologizing to the party, she retreated back into the trees. The young man told them that the druids were doing something to the vats, but they were unable to learn exactly what they were doing. Both of these admissions visibly and audibly frustrated Davian, and in short order the party was sent on their way.

> “*"Ha, they'd have to uproot the winery itself, do you think we've got a secret trove of magic shoes hiding in a barrel? Bah," he lifts a large, withered hand and waves it sharply through the air, "there's wine, and more wine, and some bottles of wine, and some barrels of wine. We've got two real horses, and one toy horse, and they've probably eaten all the food by now."*”
> ― Davian Martikov
>
>

### Approach

The vineyard was still and quiet as the party made their way south towards the winery, and suspiciously so, as pointed out by Devi. The party continued onwards cautiously, and their caution was proven right when strange, inhuman creatures rose up from the fields and began to trudge towards them, and the party readied themselves for battle.

While they fended off the thorned creatures and their constant volleys of needles, the battle took a turn when the front door to the winery flew open to reveal one of the druids, and the dozens of small, twig-like creatures that swarmed out and began to attack the party, though fortunately Dakira was able to take out most of them in a single cast of Shatter, but the battle was far from over.

## Things Gained

* More knowledge of the situation at the winery.
* A meeting with more of the Martikovs.
* Combat.

## Developments

The party has arrived at the winery.

The party has spoken to Stefania, Elvir, and Davian Martikov.

The party has found the 30 needle blights laying in wait in the fields of the vineyard.

The party has entered combat.

The party has encountered one of the druids.