8/3/21 Session 27 - "Castle On The Hill"

After resting, and a mildly confusing conversation with Davian, our party leaves the winery to head to Yesterhill after. A ways down the road they come upon what appears to be a hill covered with cairns and graves. At the top of this hill sits an ominous looking tree having the vague appearance of Strahd von Zarovich. Further away on the crest of the hill is a Druid wielding a staff. Our heroes rush to put an end to any schemes he may be up to. Marc Alt casts "sleep" and the druid slumps over snoring, but not before a mob of blight monsters appear and begin attacking the party. The only rational thing to do at this point is to have Marc Alt cast Fireball over himself and the other party members surrounded by the blight.
As this occurs, Adrid waits patiently as he suspects the tree bearing a resemblance to Strahd may attack. He is correct as the blighted tree springs to life and attacks. As the Druid is dispatch and the smaller blight creatures are taken care of, the party turns it's attention to the Giant Blight Tree and begins to take the offensive. As they do, undead barbarians wake from their graves and hastily make their way toward the tree to defend it. Our heroes manage to dispatch the tree and barbarians before long, emerging victorious.
After the battle at the bottom of the hill appears a familiar visage: Strahd von Zarovich. He rides his steed up the hill and greets the party. He thanks them for removing the druids from the land, as they now seem to worship him instead of the wilderness as they should. In the distance to the West appears a white castle in the mist, it appears withing reach. Strahd von Zarovich looks longingly at the castle and informs the party that he comes here every so often to gaze upon what Barovia could be like if all were as it should be. This place in the distance is nothing but an illusion some higher power uses to torment him. Neither the party nor Strahd himself are able to make it there. The adventurers take the opportunity to ask the Dreadlord about this place and the wards. He knows little of this history of the land before he came to his current position and still knows nothing of the wards. When pressed about Ireena's brother Ismark, Strahd lets slip that it is his choice whether he lives or dies, it sounds like he's still alive. Before departing the Dreadlord makes it clear he plans to invite them to another "Dinner" soon. He'll be giving them notice as soon as he's ready. Strahd leaves on his steed and disappears into the mist.
After this encounter, our heroes go about searching around the hill and rest of area. They come upon another tree in a little further down the crest and find what appears to be one of the wards they were looking at, as well as a strange axe lodge in a skeleton. Grinfiddeus Nobbles hears a voice call out to him as he explores the cairns and graves and begins digging. The party finds him and assumes this is a grave robbery, but after hearing him out, they help dig as well. He explains that something has called out to him to dig up the grave to find an item to fight Strahd. He finds a spear in the hole as well as some sort of incense. He takes the spear, lights the incense in an incense burner and returns it to the hole.
The party now has new weapons and one of the missing wards. They eye a rest and potentially heading to Argynvostholt to continue their search for wards and information…