14 - 7/19 : The Only Thing They Fear is You
In the heart of the Winery, the battle raged on against the corrupted druid. From the door, a hag had seized and opening and struck from behind. Judge intercepted, and was able to hold off the hag until a hail of arrows from Wixley and Judges sword was able to strike her down. The lead druid was stunned by Qiao, and after a furious assault of forceful blows fell under Qiaos heel.
With the leader slain, the remaining druids and blights fell in rapid succession. Qiao took the evil druids staff, and after attuning learned it could be used to leach the essence from her enemies, or the staff could be broken to destroy any blights in the vicinity. The group took a moment to recover before exploring the remainder of the winery. No more druids were found, and the party left most of the possessions intact, but in the cellar found some loot that had been collected by the druids.
Back at the entrance, the group met back up with the Martikovs. Davian sent seemed concerned about some magical rocks that had empowered the grounds that the grapes grew upon. Three of them were set in stumps around the grounds, and together they caused the ground to be far more fertile than would otherwise allow. He sent his sons and daughters to fly off and find out their fate, who returned to deliver the fateful news that two of the three stones had been stolen! He feared what the evil druids might be able to accomplish with such artifacts, and asked the party to aid them in returning the stones.
Davians family suggested that blighted twigs and druids had been seen at the Ruins of Berez, and Yester Hill was a known worshipping spot for the berserker hill tribes. In return, the Martikovs would keep the wine flowing, rally the wereravens behind the party should they wish to attack Morrigans keep, and find out what fate had befallen Ismark at the hands of Morrigan.
The wereravens ensured that the winery was now safe, and took watches to allow the party adequate time for rest. In the morning, the party packed up their gear and had a talk with Ezmerelda. It seemed that Doctor Rudolph Van Richten was not here, and she guessed that he had perhaps went to Krezk in search of a way to defeat the druids. She decided to venture there and ensure that passage would be given to the party when they arrived, while the party would continue on to Yester Hill in search of the Martikovs stone and to put an end to the Druidic servants of Morrigan.
A short ways up the road from the winery, a large hill stood on the edge of the Mists of Barovia. With Judge in the lead, the party marched up the hill and prepared to destroy all evil who dare stand in their way. Wind blew in from the misty wall, while the sun dimmed from the clouds overhead. Lighting crashed all around, striking at the ring of stones placed around a large effigy in the center. A large statue of the Devil Morrigan herself was erected in the ring, signifying the allegiance of the wildmen and druids. Further up the hill stood a gigantic tree, corpses hanging from its blighted silhouette.
As the group trudged forward, from the ground Berserkers began to rise. Clad in the bones of their enemies and wielding ferocious axes, they rose from their earthen slumber and prepared for battle.
Both sides launched at each other with untold ferocity. Wixley lay down a web to control the flow of battle, while launching salvo after salvo of arrows at the wildmen. Judge held off multiple foe at a time, though he suffered blow after blow it was not enough to take him down. Fabian conjured the power of the elements and hurled numerous meteors, altered to deal elemental cold, at his foe. Qiao used her mobility to put herself in favorable positions, striking with incredible force with her astral arms. Lastly, Ireena fluttered above the battlefield and hurled her newfound fire spells at the enemy, slamming the flaming sphere into the berserkers.
Meanwhile the berserkers launched themselves at the party, their axes finding the mark as they landed blow upon blow on the group. More blighted druids rose from the ground to join the berserkers, who conjured flames and unleashed thunderous waves of energy in retaliation. Despite their efforts, the tide began to turn and the vile worshippers of Morrigan began to fall. The last druid tried to flee as Judge marched relentlessnessly towards him, but as he scrambled over the black Cairns a lighting bolt struck and incinerated the the druid.
With barely a pause, the party marched towards the blighted three that served a beacon of corruption upon the lands. A horde of Blights stood in defense, prepared to defend it at all costs. But Qiao took the druids staff and with one effortless motion, her astral hands snapped it in two!
A wave of thunderous energy exploded out from the staff, shredding the blights and shattering the evil tree. From behind, the roots released their grasp on the effigy of Morrigan. With Judges encouragement, Ireena conjured fire and set the statue ablaze. It quickly turned into a raging inferno, revealing a green stone set in her chest that fell to the ground. The Martikovs stone had been recovered.
Embedded in the enormous tree appeared to be an axe, as Judge approached a warrior appeared before him. Clad in ancient armor, the figure spoke to Judge, "Long have I waited, for one who is worthy. My axe hungers for vengeance. Take it and rule these mountains in my stead, just like the mighty warriors who conquered these realms millennia ago." Judge took the Axe of the Forgotten Legion and agreed to avenge the fallen warrior.
Before departing Yester Hill, the group looked towards the western domain of Barovia at the enormous cloud of fog that marked the edge of the domain. From the depths of the fog, a small town could be seen overlooking the ocean. Seagulls and the sounds of crashing waves briefly reminded the party of home, before the mists overtook the vision of Saltmarsh.
Yester Hill
Portraits
Berserkers
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