23rd August - A Test of Characters
General Summary
After defeating Doru, the group were quick to learn more about the creature and its lair. Lars focusing in on Doru's body was drawn to the beast-like claws and fangs. Marcus investigated the walls and doors, comforted by the fact that there was no way Doru was getting out anytime soon based on his current progress.
The party went back upstairs with Doru's lifeless body, Father Donavich immediately broke down and was taken over by grief as he learned that they had killed his son. Vidar refused to hand over the body, explaining that it was best for the town if they destroyed it, threatening Donavich with harm if he stood in the way.
A fight in the holy building broke out, during which Lars made a hasty exit out of the church. Enraged by his party's abandonment, Vidar tried to strike Lars but missed. Attempting to diffuse the situation, Marcus levitated Vidar away from danger and dragged him outside to let Donavich mourn over his son.
Vidar ran off after exclaiming his disgust at Lars for leaving him during the fight, at Marcus making him an easy target and at Sorrow for just hiding in the corner.
The party converse with a concerned Ismark and Ireena, the Barovians suggest that the group rest a couple of days to ready themselves for the difficult path that awaits them - but not for too long because they are not safe from Strahd in the village.
Ireena runs off after Lars insinuates that she must be in love with Strahd , Aeli and Sorrow run after her. To explain why, Ismark reveals that Strahd referred to Ireena as his "beloved" when he attacked and bit her.
At the Blood of the Vine Tavern, Lars sits down to some wine while Marcus searches for Vidar, entering the room they slept in the night to spot ravens awaiting at the open window and fly off as soon as he enters.
Continuing his search, he finds a room where a child answers, claiming not to know who Vidar even is. Marcus heads back to the common room to enjoy some wine and conversation with Lars, already a few wines deep. Arik the bartender, overhears their conversation and asks if they are the Mad Mage from the lake and the pair engage in a friendly game of identity switch.
At the Burgomaster's mansion, Aeli and Sorrow comfort Ireena who mourns her father and laments that he is not there to guide her. Sorrow heads out to look for the others while Aeli inspects the mansion's defences to ensure they are safe from any further attacks.
On her way through town, Sorrow notices that some ravens are circling above, almost as if keeping an eye on her every move, she quickly takes aim with her crossbow but misses, causing the birds to fly off.
She also observes the old lady selling her Dream Pastries house to house, despite the warnings from the group to leave the town.
Once inside the tavern she questions the gents about Vidar, and joins them as they look for him. Marcus guides them to the room with the child and picks the lock, but a door underneath the handle still prevents their entry. Lars and Marcus go back to drinking while Sorrow tries to check through the window from the outside.
At the mansion, Ireena asks Aeli about where she learned to use the sword, finding comfort in their shared experience of living in the shadow of their brother. Ireena also asks about Aeli's love life, sharing her thoughts that a life without love is not yet lived. She shares with Aeli that her soul yearns for its other half, a search her father has prevented her from for many years.
Sorrow peers through the window of the tavern room, seeing that although someone had recently been in there, there was no sign of anyone now. She joins Lars and Marcus in the bar and enjoys some libations and food, not caring about the townsfolk who enter the tavern, stopping their drinking to blankly stare at the foreigners from time to time.
Sorrow departs the tavern and heads back to meet up with Aeli and Ireena.
Night falls over Barovia and they have an uninterrupted and well-earned sleep.
The next morning, Vidar meets with Aeli, Sorrow and Ireena out the front of the burgomaster's residence and exclaims that he no longer trusts his companions and is wanting to leave the village immediately. They head off and are joined by Lars and Marcus who had left the tavern after securing two bottles of Purple Grapemash No. 3, the label confirming it was grown, fermented and bottled at the Wizard of Wines Winery.
The attempts to amend relationships are fruitless, but they put the animosity aside and all head off on their journey. A few hours out of the village, they cross an arching stone bridge over the 50-foot wide river.
As the midday sun looms high in the sky, they arrive at an old wooden gallows that creaks in a chill wind that blows down from the high ground to the west. A frayed length of rope dances from its beam. The well-worn road splits here, and a signpost opposite the gallows points off in three directions: the Village of Barovia to the east, Tser Pool to the northwest, and Castle Ravenloft/Vallaki to the southwest. The northwest fork slants down and disappears into the trees, while the southwest fork clings to an upward slope. Across from the gallows, a low wall, crumbling in places, partially encloses a small plot of graves shrouded in fog.
A creaking noise draws their attention back to the gallows. Where there was nothing before now hangs a lifeless, grey body. The breeze turns the hanged figure slowly so that it can fix its dead eyes upon the adventurers who each recognise the person staring at them.
Aeli sees her brother Elian.
Vidar see his older brother.
Lars sees Sigrit, his sister.
Sorrow sees the woman who raised her, Tianna.
Marcus however only sees a random Barovian.
Lars rushes to the body and cuts the body down, crying over his sister's body and becoming even more distraught as it melts away into nothing.
Ireena warns them that Strahd is a cruel being, who will use every trick to manipulate and assert his dominance over all of Barovia. They too must have caught his attention somehow, so they must remain vigilant.
Ravens circle above the group as they press on, Sorrow cautious about them being spies implores Lars to shoot them with his longbow even though Ireena explains that ravens are not controlled by Strahd. Lars begrudgingly obliges his friend's request and hits one of the birds above and they scatter.
As the sun sets, the road gradually disappears and is replaced by a twisted, muddy path through the trees. Deep ruts in the earth are evidence of the comings and goings of wagons.
The canopy of mist and branches suddenly gives way to black clouds boiling far above. There is a clearing here, next to a river that widens to form a small lake several hundred feet across. Five colorful round tents, each ten feet in diameter, are pitched outside a ring of four barrel-topped wagons. A much larger tent stands near the shore of the lake, its sagging form lit from within. Near this tent, eight unbridled horses drink from the river.
The mournful strains of an accordion clash with the singing of several brightly clad figures around a bonfire. A footpath continues beyond this encampment, meandering north between the river and the forest’s edge.
Lingering on the outskirts of the town, the party overhears one of the Vistani recounting the following tale.
A mighty wizard came to this land over a year ago. I remember him like it was yesterday. He stood exactly where you’re standing. A very charismatic man, he was. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. He stirred them with thoughts of revolt and bore them to the castle en masse. “When the vampire appeared, the wizard’s peasant army fled in terror. A few stood their ground and were never seen again. “The wizard and the vampire cast spells at each other. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. I saw the battle with my own eyes. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. Lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, and again he stood his ground. But when the devil Strahd fell upon him, the wizard’s magic couldn’t save him. I saw him thrown a thousand feet to his death. I climbed down to the river to search for the wizard’s body, to see if, you know, he had anything of value, but the River Ivlis had already spirited him away.”
The Vistani leader Dorgus, welcomes them to the camp and to share their fire for the evening. Sorrow heads to Madam Eva's tent, where magic flames cast a reddish glow over the interior, revealing a low table covered in a black velvet cloth. Glints of light seem to flash from a crystal ball on the table as a hunched figure peers into its depths. As the crone speaks, her voice crackles like dry weeds. “At last you have arrived!” Cackling laughter bursts like mad lightning from her withered lips. Madam Eva proves her abilities, revealing information she should not yet know, and asks about Sorrow's companions. Aeli, Vidar and Lars follow Sorrow into the Fortune Teller's tent. Madam Eva again proves her talents, asking about their time in the Durst House and the fight with the shambling mound. She offers a reading of their fortune, produces a worn deck of cards, shuffles and draws five cards, placing them on the table.
She proceeds to flip the cards one by one to reveal information to help them on the path that lies ahead.
Not yet convinced, Vidar questions Madam Eva who reveals that Ruic is Vidar's birth father, but left when he realised that staying would only cause suffering and hardship for his son.
Madam Eva also reveals that the ghosts of Rose and Thorn Durst still inhabit the bodies of Vidar and Sorrow, confirming that there is a way to remove the spirits of the dead children before they gain complete control.
The party all exits, but Lars stays back to ask about his love life, (with Aeli and Sorrow hiding close by to eavesdrop). Madam Eva shares that he will find love, but if she were to reveal it then he would not appreciate the connection when he found it and the love would not bloom.
Madam Eva requests Lars to keep an eye on Marcus, explaining that he has a darkness over him and a power that can make him dangerous to their goals. If the time comes, Lars must make the tough choice to save Barovia over his friend.
As Aeli and Sorrow sneak back to the fire, they trip over a tent line revealing their presence, and are forced to kiss in front of the entire camp to try and hide what they were doing.
A mighty wizard came to this land over a year ago. I remember him like it was yesterday. He stood exactly where you’re standing. A very charismatic man, he was. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. He stirred them with thoughts of revolt and bore them to the castle en masse. “When the vampire appeared, the wizard’s peasant army fled in terror. A few stood their ground and were never seen again. “The wizard and the vampire cast spells at each other. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. I saw the battle with my own eyes. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. Lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, and again he stood his ground. But when the devil Strahd fell upon him, the wizard’s magic couldn’t save him. I saw him thrown a thousand feet to his death. I climbed down to the river to search for the wizard’s body, to see if, you know, he had anything of value, but the River Ivlis had already spirited him away.”
The Vistani leader Dorgus, welcomes them to the camp and to share their fire for the evening. Sorrow heads to Madam Eva's tent, where magic flames cast a reddish glow over the interior, revealing a low table covered in a black velvet cloth. Glints of light seem to flash from a crystal ball on the table as a hunched figure peers into its depths. As the crone speaks, her voice crackles like dry weeds. “At last you have arrived!” Cackling laughter bursts like mad lightning from her withered lips. Madam Eva proves her abilities, revealing information she should not yet know, and asks about Sorrow's companions. Aeli, Vidar and Lars follow Sorrow into the Fortune Teller's tent. Madam Eva again proves her talents, asking about their time in the Durst House and the fight with the shambling mound. She offers a reading of their fortune, produces a worn deck of cards, shuffles and draws five cards, placing them on the table.
1: Master of Stars—Wizard
"Look for a wizard's tower on a lake. Let the wizard's name and servant guide you to that which you seek."
2: Three of Stars—Enchanter
"I see a kneeling woman—a rose of great beauty plucked too soon. The master of the marsh knows of whom I speak."
3: Four of Stars—Abjurer
"I see a fallen house guarded by a great stone dragon. Look to the highest peak."
4: Seer
"Look for a dusk elf living among the Vistani. He has suffered a great loss and is haunted by dark dreams. Help him, and he will help you in return."
5: Beast
"The beast sits on his dark throne."
Report Date
23 Aug 2024
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