23 - 5/8 : Ere the Sun Rises

With one final night of rest, the group marched forward at the helm of the army of Barovia. The Barovians were led by Vladimir, who had found a new-found sense of courage and did his best to rouse the citizens of Barovia to the cause. Vladimir fulfilled his oath and brought forward an army of revenants and the souls of lost knights who vowed to avenge the fallen. Van Richten stood by the side of Vladimir, using his vast knowledge of the undead to help him with his battle plan. And lastly, Corvus and Corax took the wereravens to the sky to defend against the horrible creatures that stalked the night sky.

The River of Souls

Finally, nothing separated the army from Morrigan except a large bridge leading over a chasm. Down below, a sea of souls flowed across, a haunting reminder of what happens to those who fell in Barovia. Before crossing, Morrigan's voice echoed out to the group:
"You have refused my hospitality, turned the peoples of Barovia against me. And now you DARE enter my domain. You will die, and your souls will suffer for eternity!"
The army shuddered knowing what terrible fate lie just ahead. But as Morrigan slunk back into her castle, Judge stepped forward to deliver a speech of his own:
"When I first sighted upon Barovia, this dismal sliver adrift in oppressive mists, I thought it a far cry from life, a facsimile of existence. A lost land amongst the lost lands, fit only to imprison a devil in a hell she and she alone deserved.
"Freely do I confess how wrong I was, good Barovians! For it is the very fact that you have come here, blades in hand at the very gates of hell itself, that proves life surges in this land! Even here, in the dominion of an expression of evil incarnate, does the sentient spirit proclaim its right to exist, as it shouts back against the silent heavens and the abyssal depths!
"Here, together, do we stand firm and demand our lives be seen! For evil's greatest deception is that it is all-powerful, inescapable, and inevitably victorious. Yet if it were so, then how does the light of hope persist even here, at the end of all things? That we exist to raise our swords at all is proof that we may endure! That we may strike down that which claims foul dominion over our souls!
"So proclaim your right to exist, my battle-brothers! Sisters and siblings all, look deep into the eyes of malice and strike fear into its shriveled heart! Despair not at the mention of the devil's name, but let it be a clarion call that brings despair to its very bearer! Let Morrigan hear your voice! We are no longer afeared, she is no longer the land! Morrigan dies today, and the sun shall find a free Barovia!"
Judge turns about and grips the haft of the Axe of the Forgotten Legion tightly. As his eyes begin to softly glow, he whispers a soft prayer to Muir, a final hope that she may hear her humble servant even here.
"Merciful Mother, I have squandered my days with plans of many things. This was not among them. But at this moment, I beg only to live the next few minutes well. For all we ought to have thought, and have not thought; all we ought to have said, and have not said; all we ought to have done, and have not done; I pray thee, Muir, for forgiveness. Guide my blade this day, and look upon the fallen with the mercy I cannot give them."
He lifts the axe up at the castle gates and gives a defiant roar. "For Barovia, and for the sun's rising!"

With renewed vigor and a sense of justice instilled in the army, the assault began! The group led forth across the bridge, but were soon set upon by dozens of wraiths. Vladimir came forth, and said that his forces would handle them while the rest continued in. His forces stationed themselves on the flanks, and the Barovians surged forward.
From above, giant vampiric bats and vicious Vargheists prepared to swoop upon the soldiers, but the wereravens swarmed upwards and using superior tactics and their allies, kept them at bay. The Barovians attacked the zombies and other undead that were in the courtyard, and with the entire army engaged the way forward to Ravenloft lay open. The army would buy the group as long as they could to find Morrigan, and put a stake through her vile heart.

Castle Ravenloft

With fire in his eyes, Judge led the way by kicking in the door to the castle. Inside was a far cry different than the battle outside. The castle muffle the sounds, and it was an almost tranquil atmosphere.
In the entryway, the castle began to blur, to fade, as if the color was being sucked from it. The atmosphere went earily silent, as if everything had ground to a halt. Not a single gust of air blew through the halls, not a speck of dust was kicked and not sound echoed in the castle Its as though time itself has halted, and suddenly standing before the group was a pale, elderly elf. His hand was held out, clearly holding his concentration on a spell, and he struggled with each sentence:
"To me, please.. I do not have much time.
I know in these realms, finding one to trust can be... impossible. I implore you to listen all the same. Morrigan... she is evil incarnate, a force of pure hate. She suffers. She must be stopped, I know this...
But ... she cannot be defeated. You can strike her down, time and time again. You can stake her heart with silver. You can be the holiest warrior of light to ever find its way to Barovia. As long as her decrepit heart beats, she will return. Stronger than ever. Thousands of warriors have tried and all have died, and with each one she feeds upon she becomes stronger. Even in defeat, Morrigan always wins, even if it takes her a hundred years.
She waits upstairs, you may continue on, and even win the battle. But one day, your guard will be down and her scythe will find its mark, and she will consume you. Avoid fighting her until you have destroyed her heart. Give in to her arrogance and pride, feign fear, pretend to flee. But find her heart, and destroy it with a shard of what created her. It is the only way. It beats somewhere in the upper spires.
But there is more. A paladin of pure light once came to Barovia. With him he carried a sword of pure light. Morrigan threw every minion under her control at the Paladin with reckless abandon, but she never once faced him herself. She knew it to be her weakness, the one thing that could stop her for good. Before you face Morrigan, you must find it. For Morrigan could not destroy it, and instead hid it away in her vault. I know not where it is, but it lies somewhere deep in the castle.
This marks my end. I hope that you have the strength to release me, for none who die in Barovia find their way to the great beyond, and all souls find nothing but torment here. Farewell heroes, I pray that you succeed."
With Danta's last breath, the magic from his fingers rapidly fades and the castles atmosphere returns to normal. His form shrivels and fades to dust, as if eternity had finally caught up with him. The party stood alone in Castle Ravenloft.
As he faded, the group looked around to survey the scene. To the north, up the largest set of double doors, lay the way to Morrigan herself. Deciding it best to heed Dantas advice, the group decided first to explore the remainder of the ground floor and search for the Sunsword and find out what exactly was "Morrigans Heart".
To the east teh group found the castles chapel and an evil cleric who had clearly died at the hands of the mysterious statue on the alter. Deciding it a relic of good, the group grabbed it and had Ireena hold it for safe-keeping. A few routes were found that went up, but before delving deeper into the castle, the group explored the remainder of the first floor.
A strange emanation came from the south, so the group investigated and found what looked like Morrigan playing the piano. She revelled in her murder of her mother for personal gain, in corrupting and destroying every bit that was once in Robin. When fed up with her vileness, Judge hurled a javelin which went through the illusion, but kept on going straight through the Piano! Realizing it was a secret, the group went in and found a few more rooms.
One had arrow slits to view the battle outside. The other had a strange sight. As the group peered through the archery slits, they saw a vast branch extending away from Ravenloft. It stretched far beyond to a tree of unfathomable size that ascended to the heavens, with thousands of branches reaching out in every direction. Far below they can see nothing but clouds.
A group of tremendous, green men, standing at least 15' tall each and wielding spikes and clubs, stopped to gape at Castle Ravenloft. The clouds began to rise from down below until they enveloped the branch, and quickly obscured their view of the lands beyond.
Unsure of what this meant, the group took this opportunity to explore the southern portion of level 2. Unfortunately little was gleamed of here and it seemed cutoff from the remainder of the level, but some strange sights were seen below.
Above and to the south of where the castles entrance was, the group peered through the archery slit expecting to see the battle below. Instead they saw a vast bog that stretched out before them. Filled with rotting and diseased bodies, bones of all manner of creature bobbed in the putrid water, flesh is covered by swarms of flies, and maggots cover every bit of land that breaks free from the depths. A large, horned devil prodded a group of 12 humans through the swamp, each writhing in agony as the putrid horrors of the swamp bite at their flesh. The swamp suddenly began to bubble, and a thick layer of fog erupts from the water, obscuring the groups view.
Similarly on the south-western tower, the group peered through the archery slits to see not the battle below, but another strange site. Ravenloft appeared to be standing high on top of a mountain, overlooking vast city with stone walls. A series of large canal systems flowed through with many gondolas and rowboats running up and down their channels. But what sets the city apart were eight gigantic statues that tower over the city streets. As their eyes settle on the statues, they begin to stir as if in response to the castles presence. But a wind begins to blow fog in front of the window, and once more the view from outside is obscured.
With little else to glean from this area, the group returned downstairs and went up a different part of the castle to level 2.
In a small room littered with scrolls and paperwork the party found an unfortunate human working diligently at meaningless bureaucracy at the demand of Morrigan. He had been here most of his life, and lived in constant fear of being discarded the moment he was not useful. Lif lamented his fate, and the group told him that soon he would be free. He showed a glimmer of hope, and when questioned told the group that he knew of the artifact they sought. Upstairs in the room with fire. Before he could reveal more information, he began to choke, and in short order collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Horrified at this fate, the party continued upstairs. Inside, a huge table topped with rotting food stood in the center. In the corner was a large harp. The first notable thing was that a single candelabra was missing a candle. When replaced, the harp suddenly sprang to life and played 3 chords.
After trying again, the same thing happened. Wixley decided to give it a try, and went and played a short melody on the harp. Suddenly a strange little ghost-construct by the name of Pidlwick appeared! He let out a melancholy poem:

A poem, a rhyme
A simpler time
I wished for light
Excite!
Delight!
But not here, only death
Decay and oppulent wealth

Seemingly a bit depressed, the group did their best to cheer him up and offered him a book. He seemed intrigued by one of them, and in delight sang another poem:

Her desire is venom, an endless greed
Secrets contain secrets, enemies take head
Revealed by smoke, you must proclaim
The password is ... her name.

To the north, the party found a room with a gigantic rug that dominated most of it. It was well kept, well decorated and cozy. Above the fireplace was a picture of a moth-lady, not unlike Ireena, but blue. A small plaque on the frame wrote, "Panic, I am sorry". Judge said how this was his granddaughter in law, and the story of Panic and Ember, but then continued their search. The party first investigated the fire, knowing it likely contained the way to the castles armory. Wixley used a waterskin and put out the fire, then Judge shoved through and found a secret entrance.
Inside, the smoke from the fire slowly made its way in and illuminated the outline of a secret door. The group tried Morrigan and a few other passwords, before trying Panicka Vel. The way forward burst open, revealing a long, cobweb laden passageway.
The group arrived at a bell tower and Wixley flew up to investigate. Unfortunately, two gigantic spiders from out of someone's worst nightmares descended and the battle began! They not only had two heads and spit venom, but also had a fearsome array of spells. Qiao used her monk abilities to climb up and beat on one of them, while Judge tanked another down below. Little by little limbs were lopped off, until eventually the party stood victorious. Expecting treasure, the party quickly ventured to the final room. Inside, instead they found what appeared to be a small tower?
The group sent in a small rat to investigate, and found in a small room, a horde of chests and a mysterious sword. Using mage-hand, Wixley pulled the items out where they returned to their original size.
Judge seized the sword, and it erupted in radiant energy. Along with the Sunsword, he grabbed ahold of a magical shield emblazoned with a stylized silver dragon. With their newfound weapons, the group took a short break, then ventured forth with renewed vigor.
Inside the next chamber stood a strange tiefling girl. She was scared of the battle below, and did not understand why someone would attack Ravenloft! Morrigan had always been so kind to her. The group explained her atrocities, but also noticed she seemed to lack some features. She was not only bitten, but also was dead!
Melody could not believe this, and her story seemed to indicate she was not under the control of Morrigan nor Robin. While strange, she only seemed to express good-will and the group could not in good conscious put her down. She did however know the location of Ismark, and led the group up the stairs to his location.
Inside, the party found him talking to a strange tiefling named Melez. Realizing he was turned, the group wasted no time in dispatching him, before arming Ismark and bringing him into the fold. He had spent his time here letting Morrigan believe he was friendly and trying to stay on her good side, hoping that rescue soon came. It worked, and he was ready to get his revenge. Ismark and Ireena had a tearful reunion, but was cut short as another oddity seemed to be in the room. The gigantic rug on the floor sprang to life! Ismark had taken to calling it fiber, but it seemed to simply float around and didn't cause any harm. With this new trio of mysterious friends, the party continued on in search of the heart so that they could put an end to Morrigan once and for all.

Portraits

Wixley - The small halfling fights with bow and is an expert in dealing with undeath. She has abhors cities and civilization and is much more comfortable in the wilds. Her signature ability is to use spirit bats to knock back her enemies.

Fabian - A powerful sorcerer overflowing with magic, the aasimar sorcerer brings a potent suite of spells to the table to take down all foes.

Judge - The stoic worshipper of Muir, his combat expertise and righteousness leads the group to glory against all evil assailants who would dare challenge the group. During the trip to Argynvostholt, Judge revealed that he was none-other than Hanfred Vel, a famous Paladin of Muir. He had a great burden on his soul, and had returned to put a stop to the the tragedy that he believes set in motion.

Qiao Tai - An astral monk from the distant realms of the Xha'en Hegemony, she has traveled far and found herself in the lands of Barovia. After resting at the Church of Solanus, she heard the commotion in the graveyard and quickly rushed to the groups defense to fight off Morrigan's undead. She now joins their group in the crusade against the vampire. In a recent fight against Morrigan, her right arm was obliterated by Morrigans necrotic magic!

---

Ireena Kolyana - The adopted sister of Ismark, she has been bitten twice by Morrigan and fears for her life. Morrigan has offered Ireena to join her numerous times, but she continues to refuse. She has discovered an affinity for fire and learned to control it, gaining fire spells. Later in her desperation to help her friends, she discovered she now had the ability to heal. Her druidic powers continues to increase and she has become a beloved companion of the group.

---

Dmitri Krezkov - The Burgomaster of Krezk, he had just lost his daughter and was still in a state of mourning. After offering their support, he was willing to return the favor should the abbey be investigated. He was concerned for the Bishop, and had heard screaming coming from the hill for many nights. He has rallied the people of Barovia to the partys cause, and now leads the march on Castle Ravenloft.

Doctor Rudolph Van Richten - The famous monster hunter had come to Barovia to destroy Morrigan, but realized quickly how terrible his foe was. He has gathered as much information as he can, and has been biding his time until an opportunity arrived to strike. He has helped plan the assault on Castle Ravenloft and will fight to his last to see Morrigan slain.

Corax - She was first seen bartending at the Blue Water Inn where Qiao offered to help her cook food. While initially taken aback, she agreed and got to know Qiao. Once she got more comfortable, Corax revealed she knew that the party had come from the east, and revealed it was in fact herself that had tailed the group. She has told the group that her family are wereravens, and given some shelter and useful information about the town. She now leads the Wereravens on the assault on Castle Ravenloft.

Vladimir Horngaard - The leader of the Knights of the Silver Dragon, Vladimir is a revenant who is cursed to forever remain in Barovia. He believes it his burden to prevent Morrigan from ever escaping, that those inside are doomed and that this is Morrigans hell that she must endure. Judge, in revealing his own fated past, was able to convince the knight to stand aside and not obstruct their work in stopping Morrigan. He has led his revenants in the march on Castle Ravenloft.

Monsieur Danta - The leader of the Vistani at Tser Pool, the mysterious elderly half-elf possessed the ability to see the fates. He first read the characters fortunes, providing information on likely useful tools for the fight to come. He also allowed the group to draw from a mysterious deck, providing a variety of different effects (for better or worse!) to the group. He appeared one last time to the party after seemingly using every bit of his magical powers to temporarily stop time. He gave the party a warning, some ways to defeat Morrigan, and wished them farewell before passing away to time.

Morrigan - The devil herself and curse upon the lands of Barovia. She has confronted the party once at the Village of Barovia and her minions have been a constant thorn in the parties side. She set in motion the events at Vallaki, appeared before the group on the return from Argynvostholt. Most recently has appeared at the ruins of Berez, where she tried to ward the party away from a statue of a moth woman that bore a striking resemblance to Ireena. Morrigan has consistently tried to recruit the party to her evil deeds and seeks out Ireena, though for what purpose is unknown. While she remains an incredibly powerful force, the parties improving martial prowess is beginning to challenge her might.

Pidlwick - A mysterious little ghost-construct, he seemed depressed and the party was able to cheer him up. This gained the group a valuable clue in finding the Sunsword.

Lif - A poor man who had spent much of his life in Morrigans clutches, he toiled away at hundreds of years of taxes and other paperwork. Thankfully an act of kindness was enough that he gave some information on the castles locations.

Melody - A young girl turned by Robin, though a vampire it did not seem to corrupt her the way it does all else. She only wished to do good, but weirdly was unable to resist actually following through once she said she would. As if her vows demanded that she go through with them. She also was wierdly able to resist the controlling aspects of the ones who turned her. Deciding that a bit if compassion was in order, Melody was left alive for now and trailed behind the group.

Ismark - Ismark was met in the Village of Barovia. Morrigan had become infatuated with his sister to some unknown sinister end, and the two feared for her life. They have joined the party in the journey to Vallaki where they seek safety. He has done his best to put on a brave face, and with Judges help has been training to be better at combat. He was captured by Morrigan but by pretending fealty, was able to keep her from turning him long enough to be rescued.

Fiber - A mysterious sentient rug, it floated around and seemed to bond with Ismark. Though uncertain why, the rug was by far the strangest thing encountered in Castle Ravenloft. It now floats around Ismark and seems intent on keeping him safe.

Melez - Only seen briefly, Melez resembled one of Morrigans old companions. After Ismark gave the motion that something was wrong with him, the party did not wish to negotiate and simply dispatched the vampire.