The party hurry out of town after Perriwimple returned to his Uncles shop, arriving on the edge of the town to find Summer, Ireena and Ismark talking as they await the rest of the party's arrival.
Ismark thanks the party for taking up his request and wishes for them to deliver his step-sister to safety. Slate points out to Ismark that the party doesn't have a way to contact him, so they discuss sending a letter with a phrase to confirm if they completed their job:
'Tell my wife I love her' = Successful.
'Don't tell my wife' = Unsuccessful.
With a final embrace of the siblings, Ismark sees the party and Ireena off before returning to town full of hope that his sister will be safe...
A few hours on the trail with Francesco singing some tunes to try and boost moral with the thick fog choking their vision, the rest of the party get the feeling that they're being watched. Turning around, Slate barely ducks in time as a raven swoops down and almost poops in his hair before the black omen vanishes into the fog!
While the party is trying to make sense of what happened, stifled laughter echoes around them from the fog before a familiar figure appears on the path before them to mock them: Strahd. The Baron of Barovia scoffs at Fran and Slate standing between him and Ireena, turning his attention to his 'love' again to ask for her to come with him.
Shoving the two men in front of her aside, Ireena chastises the Undead Lord. She refuses once again. Strahd gestures to the party around him and Ireena, jokingly asking if they think they can stop him from taking her right now. Abe, fighting through the aura of fear that washed over him, draws his blade with Fran and Slate doing the same in their attempt to oppose the Barovian Baron.
Strahd laughs at them, saying that they could serve him if he wanted to. But Summers comment that she didn't plan on being made someone elses property again today makes him tilt his head for a moment.
Tariel bows to the Baron, apologizing on behalf of her compatriots before Strahd laughed in amusement. He snaps his fingers, a large grey wolf lumbering out of the fog to stand beside him. He declares that this wolf will be following the party to make sure they go only where they say they would be going without any detours. Torbin, seeing his chance to try and sway the wolf, shifts into a small wolf form only to be immediately put in his place by the massive paw of Strahds canine companion. Trying to remedy the situation, Torbin rolls onto his back in submissive surrender. The wolf huffs a scoff at the fake-wolfs timid behavior, raising a leg and peeing on Torbin before returning to Stahds side.
With an amused chuckle, Strahd turns to make his leave with one final message to the party, "Barovia always pays what is due"
As Strahd fades out of sight, the large wolf slinks backwards into the fog. The eyes of the wolf pierces the fog, letting the party know that it is watching...
After taking a moment to recover from the tense encounter, the party discuss what they should do to help hide Ireenas identity. Slate and Abe suggest a disguise, Francesco getting too excited too quickly, takes out a make up kit and begins forming an abomination on Ireenas face that maked Summer and Tariel scream when the woman is revealed to them!
Another few hours pass, the party moving their way along the edge of old cornfields. Francesco decides to see if any of the corn was still good. He picks one and peels it open to see it was almost completely spoiled and rotting... and a rat bit his toe, making him drop the putrid mess on the ground for it to snack on.
Moving along the party suddenly hear someone talking ahead. Slate sneaks ahead, passing a cow being used as a pack mule of some kind. He hears the voice again saying, 'shut up Alec', followed by the sound of shifting dirt. Moving forward while the rest of the party came up to the cow, Strahd found a man digging a hole with another man bound and gagged beside him.
Slate grabs the diggers attention as Tariel approaches the hole as well, the man digging introduces himself as McCall. And the man that's tied up is Alec, the owner of the farm neighboring McCalls. He's a vampire.
Puzzled by the confidence that this mans claim after the parties prior experience with a vampire spawn, Slate asks the old man to clarify while Tariel uses her divine sense to determine if Alec is an undead spawn. McCall claims that Alec burst into his home covered in blood and stammering nonsense, so he hit him over the head with a shovel before dragging Alec out here to bury him. Tariel can't detect and undead nearby, so she jumps in the hole despite McCalls attempts to dissuade her.
Unbinding and ungagging Alec, Tariel uses her divine magic to heal the head wound on the poor man who thanks her greatly. After helping the farmer out of the hole, Tariel and Slate convince McCall that his neighbor is not a vampire but it takes some convincing. As a thanks, Alec offers his place for them to stay in. He tells the party that many of his pigs had been killed and eaten by wolves, getting covered in the blood of one of his pigs in an attempt to save it. He'd ran to McCalls for his help, only to be greeted with a shovel...
Hearing about the pigs, Fran asks about purchasing one to eat for a silver coin. The two old farmers are enamored by the silver piece the bard presents, commenting that it doesn't have Strahds face on it and may actually be made out of actual silver. The party are confused by the comment but the two men immediately agree to sell a pig to the party for tonights meal.
Arriving on Alecs farm, Torbin and Fran notice wolves lurking on the edge of the property and by the time they point them out the wolves are already sprinting toward the barn where the remaining pigs are being kept! The party leaps into action: Abe and Slate taking shots at the pack leader only for their shots too slow to hit the fast moving wolves. Tariel and 'Darrell' start running to intercept the pack before they reach the barn, the paladin throwing a javelin into the pack leader who shrugs off the attack. Summer races past the two fighters, socking the pack leader in the face!
Only to immediately be mauled by the entire pack.
Good distraction!
Seeing the little monk being mauled apart by the ferocious pack, Torbin runs casting his Speak with Animals spell up to try and convince the wolves that the kobold will make them sick it they try to eat her. This falls flat on the hungry wolves ears, leaving Francesco to cast a spell that puts half of the wolves to sleep. Slate and Abe line up their shots now that Summer is unknowingly keeping the wolves in place, their two shots striking the pack leader in the head and killing it!
Tariel and Ireena reach the two remaining wolves atop of Summer just as Francesco casts Farie Faire on the Wolves and Summer, making them an easier to strike target for Ireena to kick one wolf off of Summer so Tariel could smite her halberd through it with the body exploding on impact of her mighty divine magic!
Torbin casts a healing spell on Summer, mending her just enough to regain consciousness in time to see one of Slates arrows lodge itself through the back of the last conscious wolfs head and killing it instantly!
While Tariel helps the sore and scarred Summer to her feet, the two old farmers cheer excitedly that not only did the party save the pigs but also provided dinner: Wolf steak!
Abe and Fran start skinning the wolves, Abe collecting enough teeth for Tariel to make a necklace with. With the party carving up the wolf for their meat Torbin took a walk around the farm, finding some rare to come across mushrooms. Seems like they're common in Barovia?
Returning to the small farmhouse Alec resides in, Torbin arrives to find Slate, Fran and Abe out on the porch. The latter two watch Slate performing some kind of ritual as he calls out into the wilderness of Barovia for a companion. Slate feels something answer his call: a large skeletal owl flying towards the house to perch on Slates shoulder.
Fran asks what Slate plans to name his new companion, only to be interrupted by Summer coming out with the cooked wolf steak for them and complaining that it tastes like crap. As the party shares their tough and extremely chewy meal, they ponder what lies on the road ahead...
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