The Crimson Sorrow

## Summary

This episode is the basic introduction to the players, the characters, and the world the campaign is set in. The first hour of the episode is given over to the introductions before the actual campaign begins.

The characters are traveling via carriage when they stop at a Vistani camp. After a fortune telling from Madame Eva, the group is teleported to an unknown location and go exploring with the mist dancing behind them.

The party goes through the gates of Barovia and stops by a river before reaching the village. A pair of kids who are brother and sister tell the party of the monster in their house. The group heads to the house and find out that the owners had some dark beliefs.

After Edmund trips in the dining hall and Lord Fletcher finds a closet full of black cloaks and top hats, the group minus Talice, Fletcher, Warwick and Jade head upstairs. They notice a picture of the family with the mother looking disdainfully at the baby in the father's arms. Warwick starts putting his tools to work in the study to find some playing cards.

Sorin and Kvak find a secret chamber in the library while Jade hears voices from the basement. When she's listening in, the children vanish. Salem finds a fallen adventurer in the chamber with poisonous darts sticking out of them and an amateur's ritual book. There's a note in the adventurer's hands written by someone named Strahd Von Zarovich along with three spell scrolls (Bless, Protection from poison and Spiritual Weapon) and a signed will in the chest. A ringing bell catches Edmund off guard so Fletcher checks it out. A voice mentions 'one must die' from the bell. Unnerved, Fletcher tells the others not to pick up the bell.

Talice reaches the third floor only for an animated armor to swing at her. Edmund, Sorin, Fletcher and Salem run up to help her but Jade ignores Talice only to play a harp in the music room. Sorin gets hit hard but retaliates to take down the animated armor just in time for Warwick to show up.

Talice runs from the fight to find herself in the master bedroom and raids the jewelry box. After a healing session, Sorin, Kvak, Warwick, Salem and Fletcher head upstairs to the attic. Sorin finds a dusty spare bedroom with a creepy doll on the ledge while Fletcher gets Warwick's help unlocking a door but Salem gets a key to unlock it. Meanwhile Edmund deals with an enchanted broom swatting him enough for him to cut it in half.

When Salem enters the room, it's revealed that Thornbolt and Rosavalda are dead. Warwick finds the nursery where all the furniture is covered up with sheets. Meanwhile Talice comes across a ghost in another room and lets out a terrifying scream. Her fear lets her avoid a draining attack. Jade goes in and finally helps with hideous laughter and it works. Salem then finds the remains of an adult in a chest luring the ghost to his location. Warwick eventually kills the ghost with a sidestep stab with his rapier and gets ingredients for a spell and money.

Talice looks around and finds the crib. Inside is a baby-shaped bundle with nothing in it. Jade finds another money pouch while Edmund begins to panic. As the party reunites, Sorin investigates music coming from the children's room and sees the children. Everyone joins up with him and the children are revealed to not know them. Edmund's panic worsens but calms down thanks to Jade.

The children decide to go down to the basement for unknown reasons. Edmund uncovers a passageway to the basement with Warwick giving the spell components to Salem on the way down. Jade discovers the coffins of the parents in the basement. When she investigates the mother, a swarm of centipedes crawl out and begin biting her. Edmund saves her with his divine smite while Fletcher heals Jade with cure wounds. Jade still goes for the body anyway and gets spell materials.

Sorin and Edmund lay the children to rest and Edmund is given a live fly in a jar. Talice on the other hand falls down a trap door so Warwick uses his burglar's pack to help her out. The party continues down the tunnel to a sacrificial altar. Edmund goes to the altar and they hear the chanting going 'one must die.' Edmund smashes the fly and a solemn warning is left behind: 'He is the ancient. He is the land.'

## Notable Events

* The party reaches Barovia
* Edmund Edmer goes through a panic attack
* Thornbolt and Rosavalda are put to rest