Death House and Luca Joins the Group
10th Moon, 735
Barovia
Dundolyn had just slain a dire wolf…with a lantern.Ismark led the group to a weary-looking mansion behind a rusting iron fence. The group noticed that the iron gates were twisted and torn. The right gate lay cast aside, while the left swung lazily in the wind. Weeds choked the grounds and pressed with menace upon the house itself. Yet, against the walls, the growth had been tramped down to create a path all about the domain. Heavy claw markings had stripped the once-beautiful finish of the walls. Great black marks tell of the fires that had assailed the mansion. Not a pane nor a shard of glass stood in any window. All the windows were barred with planks, each one marked with stains of evil omen. Ismark said wolves and other terrible creatures attacked the house night after night for weeks. Ismark walked up to the manor’s front door and knocked on the door in a patterned knock. Moments later, after hearing several locks click and unbolt, the door opened to reveal a striking young woman with auburn hair who welcomed the group and her brother Ismark inside the manor. Once inside, the group noticed that the interior of the mansion was well furnished, yet the fixtures showed signs of great wear. Noticeable oddities included boarded-up windows and the presence of holy symbols in every room. The burgomaster’s body was in a side drawing room on the floor, laying in a simple wooden coffin surrounded by wilting flowers and a faint odor of decay. The coffin seemed to have been made by unskilled craftsmen. Ismark said the burgomaster’s heart couldn’t stand the constant assault, and he died three days ago. Strangely, since his death, the house has not come under attack. Ismark Kolyanovich said he wants the characters to help him escort Ireena to Vallaki, a settlement in the heart of the valley, beyond the view of Castle Ravenloft and (he hopes) beyond the reach of Strahd. Ismark knows that moving Ireena is a gamble, since she’s vulnerable to Strahd when she is outside their home, but he had heard assertions that Vallaki is well defended. Ismark seemed as tight-lipped as any of the other Barovian villagers, but said that, for some unknown reason, Strahd is attracted to Ireena and desires her above all others. Ireena offered the group refreshments and offered them each a room to stay for the night. Ismark then asked the group if they would be willing to help take their father to the village cemetery for a proper burial. The group agreed and settled in for the night, wondering how they were going to find their way back home to Toril. ** Sometime in the middle of the night, Skyler ran up and down the upstairs hall pounding on everyone’s door. When asked why he was making all the racket, Skyler said Ismark saw Ziri wander off into the night through the manor’s front door. Ismark called to her but she would not respond. Dressed only in a sleeping gown Ireena gave her, Ziri disappeared into the thick fog. Ismark lost her immediately. Worried for their missing companion’s safety, the group donned their armors, armed themselves, and left the manor to search for Ziri. Ismark and Ireena stayed behind and prayed for the group’s safety. The group followed Ziri’s tracks left behind on the damp cobblestones. The fog was thick, but the light from Dundolyn’s lamp, given to him by Ismark, revealed Ziri’s tracks. The cobblestone road eventually gave way to a gravel road leading to the edge of the village, The thick fog barely revealed houses as dark as tombstones. Suddenly, the night’s deathly quiet was broken by a soft whimpering sound heard down the gravel road. As the group drew near, their attention was drawn towards a pair of children standing in the middle of an otherwise lifeless street. The group stopped in their tracks. They asked the strange children who they were and what they were doing out alone on the street. The boy was about to answer when the girl shushed him. The girl then turned to the group and simply said, “There’s a monster in our house!” She pointed to a tall brick row house that seemed to have almost appeared out of the fog. The house had clearly seen better days. Its windows were dark. It had a gated portico on the ground floor, and the rusty gate was slightly ajar. The houses on either side were abandoned, their windows and doors boarded up. The group looked at one another and searched the gravel road for Ziri’s tracks. It led straight to the house. The group was about to question the children further when suddenly a figure ran into the light from farther down the gravel road. The figure was a male tabaxi. He wore a conical hat, no armor, and held a staff in one hand. A backpack laden with adventuring gear was strapped to his back. Somewhat rare in the Forgotten Realms, the group was surprised to see a tabaxi in Barovia. The tabaxi had the look of fear in his eyes. The reason soon became clear. Three dire wolves emerged from out of the fog chasing after the tabaxi. Each one was nearly the size of a riding horse. Drool dripped from gaping mouths filled with sharp teeth. Seeing the wolves, the children moved to stand behind the adventurers who quickly drew their weapons. The first wolf lunged at the fleeing tabaxi, who quickly rolled away avoiding a bite that could have taken his head off. Skyler, with Shatterstrike in hand, charged at the dire wolf who tried to attack the tabaxi. His magical longsword sank deep into its side, its thick fur unable to protect it against the magical blade’s sharp edge. A second dire wolf, growled at Dundolyn. The halfling didn’t feel like being a snack for the large wolf so turned and tried to run. But the wolf was quick. It lunged at the halfling, its teeth grabbing him from behind stopping Dundolyn in mid stride. The halfling screamed as the wolf shook him like a rag doll. A mote of fire suddenly struck the beast in the snout, forcing it to release the halfling. Dundolyn fell to the ground. He lay on his stomach hoping the creature had had enough of him. He looked at where the spell came from and saw the tabaxi nearby, smiling. Edmont, seeing the tabaxi’s spell injure the wolf, leaped into action, leading his attack with his shortsword. He stabbed it in the flank then quickly followed up his first attack with a second from his dagger. The dagger bit through the dire wolf’s thick fur, but did more to anger the beast than anything. Nearby, a dire wolf Skyler was fighting growled and bit him on his shield arm. The dire wolf’s teeth crushed Skyler’s scale mail with such force he thought the wolf had snapped his arm off. Skyler countered with Shatterstrike, bringing it straight down on the dire wolf’s head. Its skull split in half like a melon. The dire wolf’s leg gave and it fell to the ground dead. Skyler had to wrench his arm free of the dire wolf’s vice-like jaw. Skyler turned to the nearby tabaxi and nodded. The tabaxi returned the nod and looked towards the other two dire wolves still in the fight. Meanwhile, Ahroheim, with his free hand, held his forefinger and middle finger together and uttered a single-word incantation. A mote of bluish light appeared in front of him. With a quick flick of his wrist he sent a frigid beam of blue-white light streaking toward the third dire wolf which had remained out of the fight. It struck the wolf, frostbite forming where the sorcerer’s spell struck it. It yelped in pain and bared its teeth at Ahroheim. Dundolyn, free from the first wolf, moved towards dire wolf Ahroheim struck with his spell. The dire wolf Edmont faced sidestepped to his right, growling with every step it took. It then rushed at Edmont, its large jaw wide open. Edmont, trying to avoid the creature’s deadly bite, sidestepped at the last second but was struck by the dire wolf’s body. Edmont grimaced in pain and rolled to avoid being completely trampled by the beast. As the human rogue regained his footing, Edmont lunged at the dire wolf. Both blades skewered the beast on its side, right in the belly. With a powerful downswing of his blades, Edmont disemboweled the dire wolf. It fell to the ground in its own gore and lay still. The dire wolf Dundolyn faced bared its teeth. Thick saliva dripped out of its maw. It growled and looked at the halfling like he was a small prey it had just cornered. With a feral bark, the dire wolf leaped at Dundolyn. The halfling took two powerful strides towards the leaping dire wolf. Dundolyn immediately dropped and slid under the wolf’s body, reversing his body in mid slide to quickly regain his feet behind the wolf which had landed where Dundolyn stood second before. Dundolyn quickly moved and leaped onto the dire wolf’s back. With a fearsome yell any barbarian would be proud of, the halfling brought his hooded lantern down and smashed the dire wolf right on its head. Dundolyn heard, and felt, a loud crack. The wolf’s eyes crossed. It shuddered once then started to fall to one side, Dundolyn leaping off the dead beast landing safely on the ground next to it. The rest of the group stood in amazement at what they had just seen. Dundolyn had just slain a dire wolf…with a lantern. ** After healing spells were used on those injured, the group turned to the tabaxi. He introduced himself as Luca Featherstone. He said he couldn’t remember much beyond stepping through a portal where he was from. Luca then found himself on a desolated dirt road in the middle of an unfamiliar forest shrouded in a thick mist. He followed the road which eventually led to the edge of a village. The three dire wolves appeared moments later and he ran as fast as he could to escape. Luca said he was both lucky and grateful to run into the others. He offered his services as a wizard to join the others in finding a way out of the strange land he found himself and the others in. Turning their attention to the two children, who introduced themselves as Rose and Thorn, the group found it difficult to believe the children would willingly leave the house in the middle of the night. However, the group offered to take the children back inside the house and confront the “monster” they spoke about. Both Rose and Thorn refused to reenter the house, seemingly extremely frightened of what awaited them if they returned. Luca pressed the issue then went to grab both children to lead them back to the house. Before the tabaxi could touch them, they both turned to smoke and vanished. Suspicious of what lay in wait inside, the group had no choice but to follow Ziri’s tracks and enter the forbidding house. Dramatis Personae Ahroheim (Male High Elf Sorcerer) Dundolyn (Male Halfling Rogue) Edmont Patch (Male Human Rogue) Luca Featherbone (Male Tabaxi Wizard) Skyler Kiltrin (Male Dragonborn Cleric of Bahamut) Ziri Basha (Female Half-elf Druid)
Comments