Session 35: Between a Roc and a hard place

General Summary

It's okay, we're fine as long as we stay out of the crypts.

^{The Wandering Apocalypse, as they wander inside the crypts.}

The Wandering Apocalypse continues their tour of Ravenloft in the study, where they by some miracle randomly come upon the Tome of Strahd. Aware that taking the man's diary seems to agitate him, they instead opt to bind it to Fidchell for later summoning. They try out some doors, and first find a wedding cake, as well as a lute and harp. Andrius being himself sets out to play on it, and summons the short little jester Pidlwick who tells him of riches hidden in his crypt. The lute in the room is also magical, but taking it would be stealing. A room further they find a tub filled with blood, as well as a girl sleeping on a bed, before deciding that they'd rather not. Instead, the go down some stairs. The stairs go down a while, but our good friends are preoccupied with whatever they are doing, and before they know it they end up at the bottom in a room with a brazier, an hourglass, and two massive statues of knights on horses. They quickly figure out that this is some kind of teleportation device, and make a mental note.
To the south of the brazier room they find a podium with two thrones overlooking a flooded room with odd shapes all around and chains on the ceiling. They nope out of here and go north, up some stairs and through a walkway hewn into the bedrock of the pillar itself. They don't seem to notice, and keep on going until the floor gives away from under them, causing them to slide into a flooded prison cell. The previous occupant is still floating around, but they decide against looting him because that'd be stealing. It is here too that it slowly begins to dawn that this might be the crypts. They try to break the bars, but it doesn't work quite amazingly. Thus, they dimension door away back to the brazier room. They find the doors locked, and soon after Strahd von Zarovich to ask them how difficult it can be to follow two simple rules. The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind he was willing to forfeit to them as a gift from his beloved, but to also enter the areas he deemed as off-limits is considerably rude and his patient has grown thin. The Wandering Apocalypse decide that nope, they do not want to stick around. They place an Ireena doll on one of the thrones, then disappear into the violet flames of the brazier.
They appear in the biting cold darkness of a white-stone tower. The tower itself seems empty, abandoned long ago. Outside a gravel road runs on the side of a mountain, precariously clinging to the cliffs. Close by stands a gateway, with lowered portcullis and a wall of green flames. Fidchell is made to snap his fingers, and the Tome of Strahd is now once again in the possession of the Wandering Apocalypse. They set out up the mountain path, and soon come upon an ancient bridge, partially fallen away. Upon it stands a black horse with a black rider, that turns to ash as they approach. What doesn't turn to ash is the fuckhuge bird that bursts through the mists as the light of morning comes in over the mountains. The Wandering Apocalypse go for a reverse charge, dashing up the mountain path. Ansgar Tyr gets grabbed by its talons, but manages to dimension door himself out of its grasp. The entire party manages to get into an alcove of the mountain, and the Roc eventually loses interest and flies off. They take a break, during which the birds in the woods below them seem to agitate, flying up from their roosting places in a cacophony of caws and crows. Soon after howls follow, then a visible ripple in the mist. The sun, its light however weak still granting some vision in these lands, sinks back down behind the mountains at unnatural speed, leaving the world in darkness.

Rewards Granted

Tome of Strahd, Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.

Report Date

28 Mar 2019

Primary Location

Ravenloft

Secondary Location

Tsolenka Pass