Session 2: The Vineyard Report

General Summary

The players started finalising the deal of their task with Davian Martikov . Davian unable to stick around wanders off and the party get ready to bunker down for the night. In the meantime a member of The cult of DiesLux returns Traveller to the party and takes Friend off for other purposes. Then as they reunite get ready to take watch. Over the night they see various shapes on the distant on the hill, and some ravens watching over the party from the rafters of the Vineyard. As various members rest up and fade into unconsciousness, they were all greeted with the embrace of dreams. Some were comforting, some were disconcerting, but all awakened the dark powers within. As they return to the waking world, the dreams felt so real it is hard to disassociate. As they get to grips with their new powers they rise and put forward their new plan.   Moving towards the hill to deal with the druids before clearing out the Wizard of the Wines Vineyard there is a general sense of malice and corruption the higher up the hill they go. After a 2 hour walk to the top they reach a clearing. As they crest the hill they see 2 concentric paths round decorated with black slimy cobble mounds. At the top lies a 15Ft tall wood and thatch statue of Strahd Von Zarovich as well as the Guthias Tree . Investigation of the grounds led to the party finding an Axe and Burning the Statue. The burning statue angered Strahd and he commanded the druids to defend his place of rest. The battle ensued with a captured berserker as the result and lots of dead bodies. Proceeding the battle a Spirit called to them and offered the worthy a spear. The berserker came to revealing Strahd was a god to them before trying to fight his way to escape and soon losing his life. Whilst that ensued Pfi fished a large gem out of the statue. After further investigation of the tree they chop it down and uproot it which leads to the tree crumbling to no more than a splinter of its former self.   As they left to clear out the Vineyard the mist coalesced to take the form of Strahd who wished to ask the adventurers a favour. Becoming bored of these silly follies Strahd wishes to end his life permanently in one last escapade before he is finally left to rest. He instructs the players to somehow remove his powers of the mists so that he will eventually not be brought back once he is defeated. He also lets the players know that if the powers aren't removed he will surely lose. The players seem conflicted about making such a deal but before they get a chance to think he leaves them to continue there pursuit.   Finally at the vineyard the blights that infested the building cower at the splinter and run away once instructed to. The mushrooms prove harder to deal with and a gas spore in the basement is the last foe to deal with. Once dispatched the building was clear and they rummaged in search of gems. They found in the master bedroom a small compartment in the bedpost which held a key. The key opened the chest and with a little brute force yanked open a small compartment the gems drop out and they can return to Davian. They reconvened at the entrance where a flap of wings were heard and Davian reappeared to congratulate the party. They hand over the Gem out of the statue which is responsible for the good growth of the crops. As a reward he tells the party to head to the Blue Water with 500gp in hand where Dannika and her husband Urwin wait to be told "We can return to the nest".