Session 29 report

General Summary

No rest for the wicked

Quill gets right into it by slashing up some snakes.
There is a lot of chatter about how the party can't see.
Tends to happen in fog. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
After a time and many, many bites. The party clears up the remaining snakes.
Fassi casts dancing lights and lights up the fog a bit.
Quill is amazed and remarks that it's like Fassi is suddenly competent. (Kate has taken Fassi back over from DM lol).
The party, weary from battle and hurting from their wounds decide to rest in the church.
As they begin to relax they hear a buzzing.
A swarm of flies swarms them and begins to attack.
Kriz: I just wanted to have a sleep, god damn flies.
Kriz smashes through the swarm with his mace, splattering a large portion.
His mace smiles.
The flies bite the crap out of him.
Is abell waits until the swarm groups up, then hits them with a well aimed firebolt. Destroying them.
The party wonder if it is safe to rest.
Quill: I can defend!
She gets up and starts pacing around the church.
10 minutes later, the party are relaxing when Quill hears two swarms of flies coming towards them.
She stands in the doorway to fend them off.
She slashes at them.
"rerrarrar"
She takes out a few but her sword doesn't seem to be particularly effective.
The swarm turns on her and bites her.
Then the other.
Quill thinks to herself "man, I forgot what hurt feels like".
She then runs away "guys heeeelp"
The flies swarm into the church where the party are resting.
The party take care of the flies and decide that actually resting here might not be such a great idea.
They go to leave Berez and come across a scarecrow.
The scarecrow paralyzes Fassi with fear.
Isabell destroys the scarecrow with fire.
Fassi is very thankful and Isabell is just happy to have helped the famous Fassi.
Quill explains to Isabell that Fassi and Quill are best friends.
Isabell assures Quill she isn't trying to replace her.
The group wonder if the scarecrows revive or if they have been trying to encircle them while they rest.
Isabell notes the burnt out husk of one that they have destroyed before and notes that it's unlikely they are reviving.
They hear the goats again in the distance, Quill gets excited over the possibility of milk.
The party leave Berez and sit by the river to rest.

Mind your manors

The party head back into Berez
Fassi brings back her dancing lights.
They intend to go to the manor where the goats are.
As they venture back into Berez:
The party hears sounds of battle, but the fog has grown so thick that you can barely see more than sixty feet in any direction. Suddenly, the fog takes on the forms of soldiers on horseback charging across the field. They collide with armored pike-bearers wearing devil-horned helms. As each soldier falls in battle, it turns to fading mist. Hundreds more soldiers collide in a storm of screams and clashing metal.
The party question whether the figures are aware of them or if they are involved in their own thing.
As the party try to make sense of things they hear a thunderous roar, and seconds later a huge dragon made of silver mist glides overhead, dispersing enemy soldiers with each flap of its mighty wings. Its long, reptilian tail slices through the air above you as the dragon carves a swath through the fog, affording you a fleeting glimpse of a dark mansion overlooking the valley.
They recognise the mansion as being the one they passed on the way to Berez.
The party notice that the dragon's head shape looks similar to the skull they saw in Strahd's castle.
Isabell suggests the party go to the mansion before back peddling and saying that they should stick to what they are doing.
The party thinks the hag of Berez might live in the mansion.
The party decide they want to stealthily sneak into the mansion.
Fassi extinguishes her lights.
It is noted that Fassi took off her plague mask during the short rest, Kriz is still dressed in a flower outfit, Quill still has kiss cat makeup and Isabell has taken her mask off.
The party sneak into the mansion.
And as they step in.
A ghost takes shape in the fog, assuming the form of a giant of a man, his features mutilated and his entrails hanging out like frayed ropes. Despite its intimidating presence, the apparition has a cringing light in its eyes. “Why do you invade my home? Begone, I beseech you!”
Fassi: There is no need to be concerned, we are simply poking about
Ghost: This is my home, I don't want you poking about
Quill: we just wanted to see if anyone in here needed help, do you need help with anything?
Ghost: I am beyond help
Quill: Why do you say that :(
GHost: I may have been the cause of the flooding of this village
Quill: Why do you think it was you?
Ghost: It wasn't only me, but I took the fall for everyone else involved.
Quill: What happened?
Ghost: A long time ago, there was a woman in this village named Marina. Strahd wanted to make her his bride.
We figured that would be a fate worse than death so... we killed Marina. Strahd wasn't very pleased about it and he caused the river to rise, flooding the village. Then he doomed me to this existance, where I spend every day, reflecting on what I did to poor Marina and the fact that she will never see the light of day again.
Quill: Did she consent to this?
Ghost: No, but we did what was best for her.
Fassi: So... you killed her?
Ghost: Maybe it wasn't the best decision but it seemed like the right one at the time.
Kriz: Why did Strahd flood the town rather than killing you himself?
Ghost: He wanted to destroy everything I loved and make me look upon it every day for what I did to Marina.
Kriz: How does he keep you alive?
Ghost: My soul can't rest until Marina's does. She could have re-incarnated as anyone. Souls in these lands have nowhere to go. Strahd prevented me from reincarnating so I exist in this form.
Kriz: How about the bodies that don't have a soul? What happens to them and can they take on a soul?
Ghost: The souless are just husks, they rot and fade away. The souless can give birth to a child with a soul just as those with souls can give birth to souless. Regardless Marina would not remember her past life and I would have no idea who she is. Besides i'm trapped here. There's no way for me to see that Marina's soul is a peace.
Kriz: Is there any other way to release you?
Ghost: That is all
Fassi: Are there any others in this town like yourself or are you alone?
Ghost: I don't know of anyone else in this town, i'm stuck in this old mansion. I was the Burgomaster.
Sometimes I see the odd scarecrow walk past, zombies. No ones to really talk to. Not that I deserve to talk to anyone.
Quill: Are those your goats?
Ghost: I would leave those alone if I were you.
Quill: I'm a real big fan of goats though. Is this like a petting zoo situation?
Ghost: I feel like i've explained as much as I am willing, i'd prefer that you leave.
Quill: This used to be a beautiful vibrant town, we shouldn't hide it from the world
Ghost: It used to be, but look at it now.
Quill: Well we're here, I think we could start a steady stream of tourism
Ghost: You are only making me feel worse, unless you can show me that Marina's soul is at rest then you are not welcome here.
Kriz: How can we identify Marina's soul?
Ghost: I have no idea
Isabell: We know where Marina's soul has been transfered to. Her name is Ireena.
Ghost: How do you know that it was Marina?
Isabell: Because Strahd took her back to the castle and prefessed his love for her.
Quill: DOn't say that
Ghost: Oh god, Marina's death was for nothing? All of this distruction was for nothing? You think these words will make me feel better?
Isabell: No, but we do need your help to learn more about Strahd.
Ghost: The lands around me and my present state describe what I know about Strahd. He is a monster.
Markadoo: Are you able to help us in any way?
Ghost: I am bound to this mansion and there is nothing I can do. If you can bring this Ireena to me and show her tome and if I indeed can see Marina in her then maybe that would work, but that is my curse.
Quill: I do have a painting.
Ghost: I need to see her in the flesh. I've told you everything that I know, now please leave.
Fassi: Do you have any idea where we can find this Marina
Ghost: You said she is in Strahd's castle, I would look there.
Isabell: do you have anything that could help?
Ghost: I don't think there is anything around here that would be of use to you.
Kriz: Do you know anywhere else with things that could be of use to us?
Ghost: I have been stuck here for hundreds of years. I have no idea.
Quill: what about goat milk?
Ghost: As I said, approach the goats at your own risk.
Fassi: Yeah, why do you keep saying that? What's wrong with the goats?
Ghost: I know that Baba Lysaga covets them and nothing good has ever come from anyone approaching them.
Kriz: Who dat?
Ghost: She lives in a tree in Berez. Though I would say she wouldn't help you, I would say that she would more harm you.
Fassi: She sounds like a hag
Ghost: She claims to be Strahd's mother.
Multiple: oooo
Fassi: And this tree, where is it in relation to our current location?
Ghost: roughly north.
Fassi: We understand your plight and want to help put you to rest but is it possible to look around your mansion?
Ghost: No.
Isabell: COme on, we are your only chance to cure this curse.
Ghost: I once was a Burgomaster so I know that my speech is clear.
Fassi: oh fuck you
Isabell: If we find her, we aren't bringing her here, you are cursed forever
Ghost: That's ok, I deserve it.
The group leave
Fassi, Maybe if we go to the goats we can bring Baba to us.
Isabell: I think if she's a powerful hag she will kill us.
Quill: Can we trust him, maybe he is trying to keep all the goats for himself?
Kriz:... he's a ghost
Quill: FINE. I TRIED.
Isabell: Amber doors... like maybe tree amber?
Quill: You're stretching it.
Isabell: Is it though?? Is it?
Quill: yes.
Isabell: come oooooon it's not that much of a stretch.
Quill: but where are the doors?
Isabell: She has to get in there somehow...
Quill: she might live in the top... like a bird
Isabell: come oooon. It's our best shot and you know it.
Quill: the short rest was a bad idea, and i'm not sure about this one.
KrizL maybe we can ask her for a goat?
Fassi: Should we rest, you don't think that before we go and meet a hag we should be a little prepared?
The party decide to go back to the tower and rest, then come back with full strength.
Isabell: I am a genious though. It has to be that.

Rick is missing

The party make it back to the tower without a problem, except Kriz's hand cart hits a large rock and a wheel gets a big crack in it.
At the tower they see Rictavio's horse tied to his wagon. The door of the tower and the wagon are open.
There is a body near the front door that has been bitten in half.
The horse is spooked.
Fassi walks forward towards the door of the wagon.
She sees that kitty (Rick's tiger) is lying in a pool of blood.
She checks and sees that he has no head.
Quill walks away from the wagon "I don't want to see!"
She stumbles across a corpse. The top half appars to be bitten off.
Quill: Omg guys don't forget to do the dance when you enter the tower.
The rest of the aprty enters the tower.
They see a body that has been destroyed, The fist of one of the golems is covered in blood.
Kriz notices the body appears to belong to a vistani.
Kriz: That's weird
Fassi thinks the events occured a few hours ago. She thinks the group should check out the whole tower.
It is noted that Quill carrys her cats with her in her cloak.
The party see that the top of the tower seems to be as they would expect it to be.
They discuss whether they should rest.

Isabell points out that Rick is gone and that they maybe should look for him.
Britt's cats names a george and sue.
Kriz uses his horse to talk to Rick's horse.
They learn from the horse that a bunch of Vistani rocked up and killed kitty and took Rick.
Kriz begins to track the footprints etc.
Isabell realises that she could track Rick's necklace (which once belonged to Esmeralda) but doesn't have the spell prepared.
Fassi puts forward that she can also locate objects.
Isabell describes the necklace and shows Fassi her version
They convince Rick's horse to come along and Isabell puts her hand up to ride in the wagon with the dead tiger.
Fassi flies.
Quill goes in Kriz's wagon.
Kriz rides his horse.
The party find the tracks lead to a vistani camp outside Vallaki.
The group head east in the direction of the foot prints.
As they travel the party remembers maybe sort of telling the Vistani that Rick set his tiger on the crowd at the performance.
Fassi notes that her spell is indicating the necklace is in this direction.
The party arrives at the camp.

Report Date

25 Jul 2024