Beyond Vallaki - Session 17 Report

General Summary

Day 8 - Evening

The Festival of the Blazing Sun turned chaotic causing the party to revolt against the capricious Burgomaster, Baron Vallakovich. The party then placed Lars Kjurls as magistrate of the town. The party then placed Izek, the Baron, and the Baronnes under arrest and chained them in the stable of The Blue Water Inn. After discussing the situation with the wereraven innkeeper Urwin Martikov, the party went to the burgomaster's mansion to seek out Willemina Rikolova's son, Udo. They explored the attic where they encounted the Baron's son working on a teleportation spell in an attempt to leave this dark realm. The party then climbed back down the ladder into the Baron's master bedroom.

As the party finishes re-entering the room, they hear loud banging coming from down the hallway. Fidelia pulls out a dagger as Jagger draws her rapier. Suddenly, the door flings wide as they hear Nazgog's voice, "No damn kid's going to send me away! I'll have his hide!"
Trailing behind her Morgana attempts to mollify, "He's gone Nazgog. He used the teleport spell to leave, so there's no reason to track him down."
Looking furiously at the gathered party, Nazgog breathes before she replies, "Fine! Let's find Udo." The party relaxes as everyone heads back into the hallway and heads toward the next junction. The party opens the first door on their left revealing a large room lined with bookcases and a solid desk in the middle with a lamp on it, apparently, the Burgomaster's library. They spend a few minutes searching the books which uncovers books of almost every topic ranging from Martial War to an Alchemist's book containing recipes. Moving onto the desk, they discover a book containing tax records running back to the Burgomaster's great great grandfather. As the party skims through the records, Jagger quips, "Of course, even in hell, taxes must be paid."
Returning to the hallway the party moves to the end of it and selects the door on the left again. Finding it locked, Morgana tries the key ring from the Baron and unlocks it. Upon opening it, they find a man in tattered clothes chained and handcuffed to the wall behind him. He rasps, "Who are you?"
Morgana cheerfully responds, "Are you Udo?"
"Yes," he croaks. "What will you do to me?"
"Nothing at all," answers Morgana. "If we free you, what will you do? Your mother's awfully worried."
"She's my first stop and then I'll head to the church to complain to Father Petrovich about how the Baron has treated me," he responds.
"Oh!" exclaims Morgana, "He's no longer in charge. We are instead. Sticky, can you get him out of the cuffs?"
"Or, you could use those keys hanging from your hand," quips Udo.
Morgana blushes as she answers, "Oh my! Sorry! I'm not used to having the keys." She quickly unlocks Udo who stretches painfully and then quickly leaves.
Working on the opposite side of the hallway, the next door opens into a square room with a full length mirror, low bookshelf, and a canopied bed. The party reasons that this room belongs to the Burgomaster's son, but it reveals nothing of his arcane or necromatic tendencies seen in the attic.

Checking the final door in the hallway the party finds it locked and even after testing every key, Morgana can't unlock it. Sticky eases her to the side and quickly picks the lock. Opening the door reveals a small room with bookshelves, wall-mounted shelves, and a large bed. Every surface is covered with dolls, dolls, and more dolls. As the party investigates, they realize that every single doll present looks exactly like Ireena.indicating that Izek sleeps here.
Closing and locking the door behind them, the party discusses what to do next in the hallway. Fidelia says, "Well we could head back ot the Blue Water Inn, but there's enough space here for us."
"Umm," Jagger interrupts, "we've got the Burgomaster locked up. Does that mean we now own this house?"
Hearing Jagger, Nazgog draws a dagger, turns on her heel, walks around the corner where she crudely carves her name onto the master bedroom's door, then declares, "Nazgog claims this room."
The group decides that Nazgog has the right of it and fits the lock back onto Izek's door and then everyone finds a decent place to sleep even though footsteps are heard in the attic.

Day 9 - Sunrise

In the morning, the group naturally gathers in the kitchen where the chef offers a hearty breakfast, then heads out.
Entering The Blue Water Inn the party finds Isaac in the dining room pacing back and forth. As he sees the party he stalks over and confronts them, "Where the hell have you been!? I've been going out of my mind considering the possibilities and what that means for Ireena and me."
Stunned, the party quickly explains that they spent the night at the Burgomaster's house, but that there wasn't any new danger. The party continues as they suggest that Isaac and Ireena stay in the Blue Water Inn while the party explores west of Vallaki. Isaac quickly agrees and understands that he'll be on his own with Ireena for a few days minimum and that they should stay mostly in their room.
The party then approaches Urwin to confirm that they'll be checking out today and staying at the Burgomaster's mansion in the future. After confirming that the wine shipment has not arrived, the party sets off toward the west gate. Upon reaching the western gate, they see Lars talking to the on-duty guards. Fidelia calls out, "Lars! Hey, can we have a moment?" Upon assenting and stepping a few feet away, Fidelia continues, "We need to leave town for a few days. While we are gone, we want to get working on a proper jail. It seems unhuman to have the Duke, his wife, and Izek chained in the Blue Water Inn's stable."
Lars responds, "We can definitely start on it. Getting a complete jail will take awhile, but we can definitely construct a few simple stone cells and then build up around those as more materials are available. Anything else? I want to do right by you, I'd be a dead man if you hadn't intervened."
Fidelia nods and the party steps through the pallisade and into the unkown leaving the, relative, saftey of Vallaki behind. Following the Old Svalich road the trees crouch inward squeezing against the offensive road. After half-mile of travel, the party hears the burbling sound of a river. As the trees peel away, a small stone bridge crosses a river heading south to north obviously spilling into nearby Lake Zarovich.

Luna River Crossroads by James RPGArt

Just past the bridge, a small crossroad appears offering choices to north, south, east. A broken spar points upward with the other half lying just beyond with signs uselessly pointing toward different locations. Lake Baratok, Krezk, and finally Vallaki and Castle Ravenloft.
Lifting the top-half of the sign, Jagger slips it onto the only possible way it could fit to the spur revealing Krezk and Tsolenska Pass are toward the southwest, Lake Baratok to the northwest, Vallaki and Castle Ravenloft to the northeast, and Berez to the southeast. Not seeing a sign for the winery, the party takes a moment to discuss before deciding to head southwest, since the winery is known to be west of Vallaki.
As the road continues back into the gnarly forest, it heads southwest and then cuves back northwest over the course of two miles. The party then approaches a tee junction with a spur heading southward. Without any visible signs, the party takes the spur as it then twists back east or southeast.

Mysterious castle by James RPGArt

Half an hour passes as the party trudges along the road before the trees recede, revealing a promontory high above a river valley. A sepulchral mansion looms from the apex with turrets like fairytale cones and lines with sculpted battlements. A good third of the structure has collapsed but the rest seems to be intact. Suddenly, lightining flashes above the ruin and thunder echoes within the surrounding fog. Fidelia turns around and declares, "Nope! We are so not entering! I'm heading back to that junction." Jagger quickly follows and the rest of party trails behind them.
Late morning finds the group passing a dirt trail leading northeastward and then another spur toward the south. The party halts to discuss taking the spur, but hear the sound of water gurgling ahead. As they near the babbling river, Jagger sees another signpost and the party can read that the eastward arm identifies Vallaki, the northern one points toward Krezk, and the southwestern one reads Winery. A small cheer rises from the party as the turn southwest along the road that quickly degrades into a dirt path.
The path turns from dirt to mud as light drizzle begins, the path splits with one branch heading west into a valley while the other heads into the woods to the south. On the western trail, a small wooden signpost reads, "vineyard". The party heads toward the vineyard and pace along beside unpainted fences that skirt the northern edge of the mist-shrouded field.

As the path turns southward, the group sees a man wearing a dark cloak and cowl standing at the edge of the trees beckoning them with an open hand.
Morgana strides forward and gleefully greets the elderly man, "Hi! Urwin sent us to see what's occurring with his missing wine. Do you work at the winery?"
Several additional cloaked figures step from the cover of trees as the old man replies, "So my worthless son has sent you to pester me. Well, he won't be getting wine anytime soon as we've lost control of the winery to blights and crazed druids. You and yours might as well turn tail and flee back to the Vallaki."
"What's this," Jagger asks. "What do you mean you've lost the winery?"
"I meant what I said," the old man flatly replies. "Damn blights have been harassing us for weeks and the damnable creatures forced us. This whole land is cursed and we finally just can't hold it."
Hearing this, Nazgog strides forward proclaiming, "Wizard, we are just the party to save and conquer this land."
Startled by her appearance the cloaked figure takes a half-step back before continuing, "Well my name's Davian and if you can free my winery, I'd be grateful. And there are several casks of wine for the taking."
Nodding her head, Nazgog strides toward the lonely

Wizard of Wines Winery by James RPGArt

two-story ediface centered within the grapevines. As the party approaches, they notice thick ivy creeping along every wall and iron fencing along the roofline. The trail leads directly to a loading dock standing open on the northern side of the house. West of the winer, a crumbling well sits near a wooden outhouse.

Suddenly, the party hears rustling. Looking around for a new threat, inhuman shapes emerge from the vineyard trudging toward them in the mist and rain. Six groups of these blights creep steadily toward the party as Morgana invokes the will of Celestian seeking peace and sanctuary for her friends by invoking Leomund's shelter. A pink glow arises from the surrounding land as a dome encircles the party. Morgana explains, "This will prevent anything from out there from crossing into here, but you can freely move within or without. Although, no magic can pass through my shield."

As the blights trudge closer, the party unleashes a battery of ranged missles. Jagger begins shouting inspirational jeers. As a druid with three other blights come around a corner of the house, Nazgog steps out from the dome and moves into the dock seeking a foe. As she opens a door leading to the vat room, she sees a druid with two dozen twig blights pushing toward her. She challenges them, "You are blight upon this land! Literally! Now come get me!" Upon which she slams the door and breaks it lodging it closed.
Inside the safety of the dome, Sticky, Fidelia, and Morgana maintain a steady rain of arrows toward the encouraging blights. As the blights get within range, a wave of needles flings from their vines only to impact against the dome and slide harmlessly to the ground. Suddenly another set with a druid leading them comes from the corner of the house.
Inside the winery, another fanatic druid comes around the corner and gets hammered by Nazgog as she warns him, "Serve me or flee while you can."
Crawling away, he plaintively responds, "I only serve the lady of this land and she'll do far worse to me than kill me if I defy her." As his words trail away, a rather animated twig slams against Nazgog distracting her from the fleeing druid.

The battle wages onward as the blights are whittled away but still descend upon the dome surrounding it as the party periodically steps away from its protection alighting several blights before then retreating to safety. Finally, the last vine crumbles uselessly to the ground and the dome flickers and disappears.

Rewards Granted

Total XP = 3,900 / 5 players = 780 xp/person
Each Player at 7,380 xp - Next Level 6 at 14,000xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Left Vallaki
Found the Wizard of Wines Winery - a step toward "where's the wine" quest

Character(s) interacted with

Urwin Martikov
Maid and Chef of Burgomaster mansion
Ismark the Lesser
Lars Kjurls (city guard from Exandria)
Davian Martikov (Wizard of Wines Winery owner and Urwin's Father)

Related Reports

The Festival of Storms - Session 16 Report

The Winery and all our Yesterhills - Session 18 Report

Notes

Incomplete Tasks/Quests:

Arboreal Ambush - The Trouble with Blights

But sure as I see you, them bushes would be there one moment and gone the next.

— Yevgheni Krushkin

--You've now met the blights, but have not solved the crises

A Sister's Plea - The Amber Temple with Kasamir

The Amber Temple holds secrets beyond even Strahd's imagining. I offer the Sunsword as payment for accompanying me to the temple.

— Kasamir Velikov

Where's the wine? - Wizards of Wine Winery

The cart from the winery is past due by a week. Can you find out why?

— Urwin Martikov

A Tale of Woe - Izek's Dreams

Sometimes I dream about sister though. I get Blinsky to make images of her.

— Izek Strasni

Break the Chains - An Imprisoned Son

My son spoke ill of the Wolfhead Jamboree and the Burgomaster took him away. Help my son!

— Willemina Rikalova

Dream a little pastry - The Windmill and the old ladies

If you aren't here for a dream pastry, then you need to move onward. Vallaki is just down the road from here

— Morgantha

The Cards of Fate - Vistano the Vistani Tarot Reading

Where did Vistano put that blasted...ah yes, please hold...ah! here it is!

— Vistano the Vistani

Starving Son - The undercroft in the Church of the Morning lord

You would offer him your very life's blood??

— Father Donavich

A Brother's Plea - Bringing Ireena to Safety

I need to escort my sister, Ireena, to a nearby town, but it's dangerous to go alone.

— Ismark the Lesser

A Brother's Plea - Priestly Advice

You would do well to get her as far from Castle Ravenloft as possible. Perhaps the Abbey of Saint Markovia or at least the fortified town of Vallaki

— Father Donavich

Experience Points Calculation:

Monster	Qty	XP Per	Total XP
Needle Blight	35	50	1,750
Twig Blight	24	25	600
Vine Blight	2	100	200
Druid	3	450	1,350

Total XP = 3,900 / 5 players = 780 xp/person

Campaign

Strahd the Sunless

Protagonists

Micaiah V

Report Date

04 Jun 2024

Primary Location

Barovia