Session 16: The Race for a Cure
General Summary
After helping establish a tenuous alliance between Victor and Lady Wachter, the party set out for the Abbey of Saint Markovia in the city of Krezk. On the way out, the party stopped by the Vistani encampment to silver Horace's quarterstaff and Big Joe's bucket. As soon as they stepped into the Vistani tent, the conversation inside immediately ceased and all eyes were on our heroes. When asked about silvering, the Vistani began auctioning off their services, even offering them for free in exchange for information. Horace didn't realize what they were asking though, and kinda put his foot in his mouth. In an attempt to keep the Vistani spies off of Arebelle's trail, Arrigal had told the encampment that Arebelle had been killed. Cedric spun a quick cover story, apologizing for Horace's cluelessness and telling the encampment that Arebelle had met a grizzly fate at the hands of a hag, and they needed the silvered weapons to avenge her. This set the place abuzz and the silversmiths took the weapons and silver and went to work.
On the road to Krezk the party came across a band of Needle Blights. They almost spotted the clueless Big Joe, but thanks to a save by Sylvar, shambled past the party to an unknown destination. The party also had another encounter with a revenant knight of the Order of the Silver Dragon. This time, the party wasn't quite so neutral and discovered that the Order of the Silver Dragon was a group of Undead Knights who had sworn to oppose Strahd. Once the revenant realized the party had no allegiance to Strahd, he? (the gender of the revenant could not be easily discerned, as it would be for any only partially flesh-covered, fatless skeleton) dropped his? knightly demeanor and wanted to have a chat with the party. There wasn't time for that, but before the party carried on to Krezk, they did learn that The Order of the Silver Dragon was located to the Southeast of the Raven River crossroads at a Mansion called Argynvostholt and to speak to a knight named Godfrey Gwilym if they "wished to raise your swords against the darkness that lurks in Castle Ravenloft's depths". When the un-named revenant learned of the party's destination it rumbled, "You travel to a dark place, friends. But a being of great age and power indeed dwells there, and may aid you-if not offended"
The party arrived at the Gates of Krezk and was denied entry. It didn't take long for Dmitri Krezkov, the Burgomaster of Krezk, to greet the party and tell them that outsiders only spelled trouble. They either opposed Strahd or served him, either way would bring danger to the people of Krezk. However, if the party were to do something to aid the city, he would be honor-bound to let them in. He asked the party to journey to the hut of the witch Baba Lysaga in the ruins of Berez and to ask her to perform a scrying spell to determine the location and condition of a particular person. He confessed that the missing person was his son, Ilya Krezkov, who disappeared several days ago. The party agreed, and turned around to make the trek to Berez.
The marshy swamp contained what was once a large city with old, partially sunken cottages. The party saw another greater strix as they entered the swamp, which took off and headed south. Cedric took the leading position and saw an odd-looking bullrush. This odd bullrush was an otyugh that attempted to eat the party. Horace discovered some gold inside the otyugh and dove into the belly of the beast to investigate the odd-dimensional space within. The otyugh had tried to eat a bag of holding which had lodged in its throat. In trying to discover what was inside the bag, Cedric "Carried" himself with the contents of the otyugh's previous victims. Bruised but unbowed, the party ventured deeper into the swamp. Shortly after the otyugh fight, a witch approached the party and invited them to "Mother Lysaga's" cottage.
Baba Lysaga's ramshackle hut was built on the stump of what was once an enormous tree. Flanking the hut’s doorway were two iron cages that dangled like hideous ornaments from the eaves. Scores of ravens were trapped in each one, squawking and flapping their wings as the party approached. The hut is fifteen feet on each side and packed with old furniture, including a wooden cot, a wicker cabinet, a slender wardrobe, a wooden table, a stool, a barrel-topped wooden chest reinforced with brass bands, and an iron tub stained with blood. In the middle of the room is a ghastly wooden crib with a small, angelic child sitting in it. All the furnishings except for the crib are bolted to the floor. Beneath the crib, green light seeps up through cracks between the rotting floorboards. Baba Lysaga referred to the child, (which Sylvar identified as a very well-crafted illusion), as "Strahd" and expected the party to treat it with reverence. Once satisfied that the party had provided the appropriate respects to baby "Strahd", Baba Lysaga agreed to cast the scrying spell and instructed the party to retrieve a goat from a large pen. There was no gate until the party spoke the password "Death to Ravenovia", upon which a gate magically appeared. Baba Lysaga slit the goats throat with a practiced motion and poured its blood into the iron tub. The scrying spell successfully located Ilya Krezkov, who had been collared with silver and chained to a post. The spell also revealed another pale-faced youth who was chained next to Ilya, a wolf-headed idol to Mother Night, and a she-wolf lying under the idol. Lysaga could "smell the gift of Mother Night", by which she meant the she-wolf was a werewolf.
13th of Octyavr, full moon 3 nights away
NPC Profiles
Report Date
17 Jan 2024
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