Chapter 17: February the 15th Report
General Summary
Hark! Mummers and mums!
Lo, for the hour of the Dreadlord's return haunts ever closer. His wrath looms behind the mists covering the horizon.
Our Guardians returned to Vallaki with what remained of the Barovian Villagers, only to find the walls of Vallaki closed to the desperate refugees. Warren shadow-stepped through the shut gate and into Ireena's office in Wachterhaus. He bade her to make space for the needy in Vallaki, and though she knew it was the right thing to do, she hesitated to agree -- why did everything just have to happen to her... why did she always have to take the weight of the world onto her shoulders, what curse is this that she bares, this inescapable curse somewhere inside of her?
Ocarin took charge at the gate itself, commanding the guards to open the gate and escort the villagers inside. The guards were moved by his words and the doors were cast open, just in time for the land itself to speak: "*my sssubjects... I am your Lord, your God. I am the Ancient. I am the Land. I am your King, your salvation.*" The Dreadlord made his appeal to his people's sense of hope... and used it to fuel their despair, blaming all of their suffering on the Guardians' interventions; the Baron's Mansion, the Abbey at Krezk, the Druid's Hill, and now Barovia. Strahd cast his rising armies as a dark salvation, as a final answer to the Guardian's insurrection. Six days, by the fall of the sixth dusk, Strahd's armies will confront the town of Vallaki, and only those brave enough to turn over the traitors in their midst will be spared.
The crowd that had assembled around Ocarin during the Dreadlord's speech began to bicker, fear began to take hold, anger started to claw its way into their hearts, dread endeavored to command them, but Ocarin quickly quelled violent actions from their minds.
The Guardians left Vallaki, taking a Blue Water Inn wagon out west. Along the road, the Guardians came upon a suspicious frog. Charlemagne used her natural magics to speak with the creature, revealing it to be a cursed Mordenkainen. Mordenkainen revealed that he was transformed when he failed to win at Baba Lysaga's game. The witch used the game to collect Mordenkainen's Staff and Spellbook. The Guardians made their way to the ruins of Berez to confront the witch, and they found ruins indeed. The buildings were rubble, but Baba Lysaga's home stood at the center of the centuries dead town, built atop a tall tree.
Vorthos acted quickly and rummaged through the old crone's hut, finding nothing of value, but triggering a large skull to fly off into the woods. Warren followed the skull through the trees and found Baba Lysaga praying at a strange altar. The witch boarded her floating skull and flew back to her hut while Warren investigated the altar, though he couldn't make out the ancient elven runes. Ocarin and Charlemagne joined Vorthos in the witch's hut, just in time for Baba herself to join them. Baba coaxed the Guardians into their own game of truths, playing for Charlemagne's Ravenkind Symbol, Vorthos' Soulsword, and Ocarin's soul. Baba Lysaga thought that she had the Guardians spun in her web, but her plays did not shake them: Vorthos did not regret the cost of his life but let the loss of his crew fuel him, Charlemagne did not fear that her love for Ocarin had diminished since his death but knew that it had grown anew, and Ocarin did not flinch at his new burden but accepted his place as a spoke on wheel of life and death. Baba on the other hand could not hold up against her own baggage: she lied to herself that she had done everything out of love for Strahd, that she would be welcomed back into his good graces after proving her worth to him, and that her love for him was selfless; in truth she was jealous, petulant, and selfish. She lost the game, and our heroes received their rewards.
With Mordenkainen's artifacts recovered and Baba Lysaga's seed, stolen from the Wizards of Wines Vineyard and Winery, the Guardians ventured to Argynvostholt to find enemies of Strahd to convince them to join the fight against the Dreadlord's Legion. As they approached, they were met by the spirit of an enormous silver dragon: Lord Argynvost himself. The specter shared that his army, the Order of the Silver Dragon, had lost their way could only be shown the path back to their honor through a powerful beacon of hope -- if the Guardians could retrieve Argynvost's skull from the Den of the Dreadwolf, Barovia's native werewolf pack, and place it at the top of Argynvostholt's tower, then his men could be freed of their curse and could help the Guardians in their plans against Strahd.
And so, our Guardians ventured out to find the Dreadwolf Den, fortunately, Emil knew exactly where it was and he was able to guide our heroes to a cave just east of Krezk. The Guardians, Emil, Ezme, and van Richten surrounded the cave's entrance and waited for Emil's rival and the current pack alpha, Dreadwolf Kiril, to arrive. After a few hours of waiting, Kiril returned to the cave from a hunt, with children kidnapped from the material plane in tow. Emil explained that he challenged Kiril for the position of alpha in the first place to end the practice of forcing children like them to fight to the death and earn their place in the pack. Kiril cheated during the first challenge and called on Strahd to intervein and imprison Emil. Emil insisted that he could rise above Kiril's dishonorable ways and had the Guardians promise not to help him during this second challenge, though Ocarin still managed to use his powers over spirits and stories to secretly inspire the alpha hopeful. Unfortunately, it was not enough, though Emil challenged Kiril before the entire pack, Kiril did not hesitate to cheat again and commanded his lieutenants to attack Emil. He did not survive, but Warren took up his charge, shifting into his own lycanthropic form and challenging Kiril himself for the position of alpha. Warren's transformation struck a chord with the pack surrounding the combatants, whispers rolled throughout the crowd, "...the first Dreadwolf..." Though he had made quick work of Emil, Kiril did not stand a chance against Warren Peace.
Warren now stands to inherit the throne of the Barovian pack, to don the title of Dreadwolf, and command the Svalich Woods' most dangerous hunters...
And 5 dusks remain.
Lo, for the hour of the Dreadlord's return haunts ever closer. His wrath looms behind the mists covering the horizon.
Our Guardians returned to Vallaki with what remained of the Barovian Villagers, only to find the walls of Vallaki closed to the desperate refugees. Warren shadow-stepped through the shut gate and into Ireena's office in Wachterhaus. He bade her to make space for the needy in Vallaki, and though she knew it was the right thing to do, she hesitated to agree -- why did everything just have to happen to her... why did she always have to take the weight of the world onto her shoulders, what curse is this that she bares, this inescapable curse somewhere inside of her?
Ocarin took charge at the gate itself, commanding the guards to open the gate and escort the villagers inside. The guards were moved by his words and the doors were cast open, just in time for the land itself to speak: "*my sssubjects... I am your Lord, your God. I am the Ancient. I am the Land. I am your King, your salvation.*" The Dreadlord made his appeal to his people's sense of hope... and used it to fuel their despair, blaming all of their suffering on the Guardians' interventions; the Baron's Mansion, the Abbey at Krezk, the Druid's Hill, and now Barovia. Strahd cast his rising armies as a dark salvation, as a final answer to the Guardian's insurrection. Six days, by the fall of the sixth dusk, Strahd's armies will confront the town of Vallaki, and only those brave enough to turn over the traitors in their midst will be spared.
The crowd that had assembled around Ocarin during the Dreadlord's speech began to bicker, fear began to take hold, anger started to claw its way into their hearts, dread endeavored to command them, but Ocarin quickly quelled violent actions from their minds.
The Guardians left Vallaki, taking a Blue Water Inn wagon out west. Along the road, the Guardians came upon a suspicious frog. Charlemagne used her natural magics to speak with the creature, revealing it to be a cursed Mordenkainen. Mordenkainen revealed that he was transformed when he failed to win at Baba Lysaga's game. The witch used the game to collect Mordenkainen's Staff and Spellbook. The Guardians made their way to the ruins of Berez to confront the witch, and they found ruins indeed. The buildings were rubble, but Baba Lysaga's home stood at the center of the centuries dead town, built atop a tall tree.
Vorthos acted quickly and rummaged through the old crone's hut, finding nothing of value, but triggering a large skull to fly off into the woods. Warren followed the skull through the trees and found Baba Lysaga praying at a strange altar. The witch boarded her floating skull and flew back to her hut while Warren investigated the altar, though he couldn't make out the ancient elven runes. Ocarin and Charlemagne joined Vorthos in the witch's hut, just in time for Baba herself to join them. Baba coaxed the Guardians into their own game of truths, playing for Charlemagne's Ravenkind Symbol, Vorthos' Soulsword, and Ocarin's soul. Baba Lysaga thought that she had the Guardians spun in her web, but her plays did not shake them: Vorthos did not regret the cost of his life but let the loss of his crew fuel him, Charlemagne did not fear that her love for Ocarin had diminished since his death but knew that it had grown anew, and Ocarin did not flinch at his new burden but accepted his place as a spoke on wheel of life and death. Baba on the other hand could not hold up against her own baggage: she lied to herself that she had done everything out of love for Strahd, that she would be welcomed back into his good graces after proving her worth to him, and that her love for him was selfless; in truth she was jealous, petulant, and selfish. She lost the game, and our heroes received their rewards.
With Mordenkainen's artifacts recovered and Baba Lysaga's seed, stolen from the Wizards of Wines Vineyard and Winery, the Guardians ventured to Argynvostholt to find enemies of Strahd to convince them to join the fight against the Dreadlord's Legion. As they approached, they were met by the spirit of an enormous silver dragon: Lord Argynvost himself. The specter shared that his army, the Order of the Silver Dragon, had lost their way could only be shown the path back to their honor through a powerful beacon of hope -- if the Guardians could retrieve Argynvost's skull from the Den of the Dreadwolf, Barovia's native werewolf pack, and place it at the top of Argynvostholt's tower, then his men could be freed of their curse and could help the Guardians in their plans against Strahd.
And so, our Guardians ventured out to find the Dreadwolf Den, fortunately, Emil knew exactly where it was and he was able to guide our heroes to a cave just east of Krezk. The Guardians, Emil, Ezme, and van Richten surrounded the cave's entrance and waited for Emil's rival and the current pack alpha, Dreadwolf Kiril, to arrive. After a few hours of waiting, Kiril returned to the cave from a hunt, with children kidnapped from the material plane in tow. Emil explained that he challenged Kiril for the position of alpha in the first place to end the practice of forcing children like them to fight to the death and earn their place in the pack. Kiril cheated during the first challenge and called on Strahd to intervein and imprison Emil. Emil insisted that he could rise above Kiril's dishonorable ways and had the Guardians promise not to help him during this second challenge, though Ocarin still managed to use his powers over spirits and stories to secretly inspire the alpha hopeful. Unfortunately, it was not enough, though Emil challenged Kiril before the entire pack, Kiril did not hesitate to cheat again and commanded his lieutenants to attack Emil. He did not survive, but Warren took up his charge, shifting into his own lycanthropic form and challenging Kiril himself for the position of alpha. Warren's transformation struck a chord with the pack surrounding the combatants, whispers rolled throughout the crowd, "...the first Dreadwolf..." Though he had made quick work of Emil, Kiril did not stand a chance against Warren Peace.
Warren now stands to inherit the throne of the Barovian pack, to don the title of Dreadwolf, and command the Svalich Woods' most dangerous hunters...
And 5 dusks remain.
Warren Peace
None Swiftstride (Acolyte)
Monk 7
Monk 7
52 / 52 HP
STR
9
9
DEX
18
18
CON
15
15
INT
14
14
WIS
18
18
CHA
14
14
Charlemagne
None Shadar-kai (Hermit)
Druid 7
Druid 7
66 / 66 HP
STR
13
13
DEX
15
15
CON
18
18
INT
17
17
WIS
20
20
CHA
12
12
Vorthos D'Artagnan
None Changeling (Pirate)
Rogue 7
Rogue 7
45 / 45 HP
STR
9
9
DEX
19
19
CON
13
13
INT
12
12
WIS
12
12
CHA
16
16
Ocarin Stonehollow
None Reborn (Haunted One)
Bard 7
Bard 7
52 / 52 HP
STR
12
12
DEX
13
13
CON
15
15
INT
18
18
WIS
16
16
CHA
20
20
Report Date
15 Feb 2025
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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