16/08/2024 - 'Sillying Silver'

 After a night of partying with the Vistani and a mysterious card reading from Mademe Eva, the party awake around the Vistanis campfire.

Tariel finds Ireena already awake and watching the flames with a despondent stare on her face. While the Paladin tries to coax Ireena into talking and Torbin, Abe and Francesco join the Vistani for breakfast, Slate and Summer are approached by another Vistani elder. The woman, called Vistella, put her hands to Slates face and states that he appears troubled. Unsure how to respond, Slate nods when Summers attention is also drawn to the odd interaction.
Acknowledging the Kobolds gaze, the elder turns her attention to the tiny monk. She offers Summer a way out of Barovia, but only for her. Feeling that the offer is unfair to her companions, Summer declines.

Vistella nods at this response and enters Madame Evas tent. With the Rouge and Monk confused by the bizarre events, Slate and Summer rejoin the party for their hearty breakfast of bread and stew.

Tariel:

Shortly after completing their meal and packing up the camping gear, the party are approached by Vistella once more. The elder tells them that Madame Eva requests their presence before they leave the camp. With Ireena remaining behind to finish packing, the rest of the group enter the fortunetellers tent once more to find the layout is changed for the group to sit down with the Eldest Vistani woman.

Eva offers the party a seat and tea, Tariel and Summer accepting both offers while Slate, Torbin and Fransesco take a seat. Abe remains standing near the entrance, feeling uncomfortable about the situation...

Eva explains that after the group left her tent last night, she had a conversation about something important with Ireena. Something secret that seems to have left Ireena in a overly contemplative state...

But with that, she asks the party if they have any questions about the card reading from the night before.

Slate raises a hand, asking if the Paladin card drawn is supposed to represent Tariel or if it was a coincidence. Madame Eva suggests that the parties Paladin may play an important role, but there is something Tariel is lacking. A blessing. One that can be found in the depths of Castle Ravenloft that was once bestowed upon the brother of Strahd. That might be quite hard to get at the moment...

Abe, standing at the back of the group, queries Eva about the broken one. He surmised that it may be the wizard that the Vistani had told the party about the night before and if that was even worth looking into. Eva suggests that the party should investigate that, maybe some Vistani that witnessed the battle between Strahd and the wizard could give them some more detail on where to find him.

Torbin asks about how the party could leave Barovia. Eva explains that only one person can decide who can leave or enter Barovia: Strahd. But with this power over the land of Barovia, Strahd himself is unable to leave either.   

Guessing their way out is through Strahd, Fransesco asks about the Enchanter card that was drawn. Eva tells that the card speaks of knowledge and illumination, revealing information about the being currently opposing them. Strahd.

Eva tells them that a source of information could be found  before the kneeling lady within the ruined town of Barez, a town that Strahd had flooded into the marshland. She warns to beware the swamp as one lies in wait to take their lives.

Summer pipes up, asking about Vistella offer from earlier. Was there another way out of Barovia that the Vistani weren't telling of?

Unfortunately, no. It was just a test of the kobalds loyalty to her allies.

Tarliel asks where do the Vistani stand on Strahd: do they wish him dead or to thrive?
Eva wishes, like most Vistani, for Strahd to be redeemed. While others are actually loyal to the Baron and do his bidding.

Summer points out there was one card the party hadn't asked about yet: the Philraphrapist.
Eva had mentioned during the reading that there was a weapon that could help the party in their journey.
According to Madame Eva, there is a sword within a place of sickness and madness, a town to the far west of Barovia named Krezk. Somewhere within the 'abby of children'...

Summer then asks if Eva knew anything about Kolyans, the step-father of Ireena, attempted visit around the time he found Ireena on the road. Eva doesn't recall, as it makes sense that Kolyan had never reached her at that time until his next visit after he found Ireena to ask for advice on how to raise the girl.

Eva warns the party to look after Ireena, as Strahd as a form of obsession over the young woman. Summer remarks that Strahd called Ireena 'Tatiana' during the parties last few encounters with him, this statement intrigues Eva.

Eva turns to Francesco asking about his ghost/ Fran returns a nervous smile and says he's coping before hurriedly leaving the tent.

Eva sighs and ends the groups meeting with a phrase she used the night before: 'He is him and him is Barovia'.

As the party starts to exit the tent, Slate turns back to Eva with a query. Hypothetically, if someone happened to see themselves hanging from the noose of the gallows outside the nearby cemetery... what would that mean? 

'Death follows them closely'

Not wanting her to elaborate more, Slate hurriedly attempts to leave the tent as Ireena is being ushered in. Not seeing Summer trying to sneak in to listen to Ireena and Evas conversation, Slate knocks her into the tents flaps and gets her tangled up. The Kobold, now tied up, tries to listen to the conversation between the two women. Eva delivers some news to Strahd she had gleaned from her discussion with the party, but from Summers position she cannot make out the entire discussion...
Ireena sounds like she goes on a roller coaster of emotions before declaring with a newfound stoicism that she will not let something come to pass before exiting the tent in a hurry, unknowingly knocking Summer loose of her hiding place.

The duo return to the party trying to trade their silver pieces with the Vistani for the fake silver coins used in Barovia.
Most of the party exchange coin with the Vistani while Summer convinces one vendor to take her 15 silver piece coupon at a discounted price, receiving 10 'Strahd Silver' for the coupon.

Ireena seems eager to get back on the road, but Francesco is busy trying to buy as much liquor as he can carry and Abe and Torbin were inquiring with the Vistani they spoke to yesterday about the Wizard that fought Strahd.
The Wizard was last seen falling from the sky to the East of Ravenloft, in the opposite direction to where the party was currently going. They'll have to find the wizard after heading West to find out more about what they were told their fortune had revealed to them.

With the party refreshed and with new objectives to explore, the party take to the road once more heading North-West toward Vallaki. And whatever tracheary they may find on the way...  

02/08/2024 - 'Destiny is drawn'

 On the side of the road near the swinging noose crossroad, Abe, Francesco and Ireena shake their four dozing companions. Theses bastards slept all the way through the night!

Fran slaps Torbin in an attempt to wake him up, the small gnomes beard suddenly bursting into flames from the impact! With a shocked cry from the bard, the four sleeping party members suddenly wake up. Ireena berates those waking up, Abe trying to back her up until Tariel started to explain what had happened. Summer and Slate lazily got themselves up and going, setting up breakfast while the group caught up on the nights events and Francesco patches up the wounds that Torbin and Slate managed to get from their sleep adventure. Nothing could save the little druids beard though...

With their equipment together, the party debate on which path to take on either side of the swinging gallows, deciding that the best path to take was to head toward the Tser Pools and not the path leading up toward Ravenloft. Tariel starts leading the party into a thick brush forcing the party into a single file order, Slate at the rear of the party feels a cold sensation wash over him. Looking behind at the gallows, he sees a figure dangling from the once-empty noose: his own face turning a pale blue grinning back at him. Shaken, the Rouge drew an arrow and shot at the rope holding the body. The rope snaps and he watches his deceased body suddenly sink into the ground as if there was none, but he did hear something hit the wood of the gallows stage...
As he starts back to investigate, Summer calls out to him and draws his attention back to the party.

The forest seems to get denser as the party push through, the fog rolling around them getting thicker as they go. The eerie silence after what Slates vision has him on edge... Then the sudden sound of voices ahead has the party frozen. What could be ahead? Slate calls on his undead companion Skowl to scout ahead. Using his familiars eyes, Slate spots a camp further ahead beyond the clearing. Looking at the camp, he notices some familiar tents. The Vistani!

Hearing Slate identify the group, Tariel forces her way through the thicket until the group comes into the clearing. The Vistani are all at the ready, shocking the group with a welcome song and dance!
Were they expecting the groups arrival?

Seeing the fun and lively welcome, Tariel and Summer join in on the celebration as Slate and Torbin take a break while staying weary of the travelling caravan. Abe offers his hand to Ireena to dance together, the girl never having felt so positive in her life agrees and they join Summer and Tariel in the festivities. Francesco sits back with his music notebook out, joting down the tune the Vistani plays.

While out dancing around the fire, Tariel is handed a wine sack. With the entire camp cheering her on, Tariel knocks it back and downs the entire sack! Excited to get in on the fun, Summer takes a wine sack and immediately starts coughing when she tries the drink.

Once the party quiets down somewhat, the party joins the Vistani in a hearty meal of stew and bread unlike anything Ireena has ever experienced. The sentiment is felt by the rest of the party, feeling the happiest they've felt since passing through the mist into Barovia.

One of the older Vistani interrupts the groups meal to inform them that Madame Eva is waiting to see them once dinner is over. The party ask some questions to the Vistani willing to talk to them and glean some interesting details:

The Vistani had helped a prince they found on deaths door in Barovia, who one day gave the Vistani passage in and out of Barovia as his sign of thanks. Fran pushes further, asking if this person was Strahd. But the answer given didn't confirm or deny what he guessed.

The Vistani were in Barovias borders when the Wizard the party heard about in Barovia had stormed Ravenloft with a group of young men of the city beneath the Castles perch. The Vistani witnessed the Wizard and Strahds climactic battle over the region. The Wizard held his ground far more than anyone had seen against Strahd, but he eventually was defeated and dropped from the sky by the Baron of Barovia. The Vistani went to find the Wizards body, but were unable to find it. Did he survive the fall?

Summer learned that her voucher she go from the Vistanis circus was no longer valid...

As the rest of the camp began packing up for the night, the group was called to Madame Evas tent. Arriving at the fortunetellers abode, the party find the old woman sitting at a large table shuffling a deck of ominously black cards. 

Madame Eva tells the group as they stand around her table that her cards had foretold their arrival today before holding the deck out to Slate, Summer and Torbin.

The three drew a card from the deck:

Slate drew the Philraphrapist.

Summer drew the Paladin.

Torbin drew the Enchanter.

Holding a second deck of cards, Madame Eva had Slate and Abe draw a card each. Tariel asked why she couldn't draw a card too, Eva telling her it was because she had already had her fate chosen by another deck.

Abe drew the Broken One.

And Slate drew the Executioner.

With the cards drawn and placed before the party, Madame Eva cryptically explains what each card represents:

With the party no given some form of direction for their journey onward, the group set up their sleep sacks near the sputtering fire...

19/07/2024 - 'Dying to go back'

 Having traveled for most of the day, the party decided to make camp just off the road. After a small meal of rations, Abe and Francesco took the first watch as the rest of the party slept...

Tariel stirred awake from the voice of a young girl calling from the distance. Sitting up and looking about, the Paladin notices that Abe and Fran seem to not have noticed the loud voice. Standing up, Tariel sees a familiar face that surprises her: Rose, the girl from the Death House that she and the party had helped put to rest was standing before her.

Confused, Tariel asked what was happening. Rose explains that Thorn, her younger brother was refusing to rest and making it impossible for them to pass on. As the two talk, Tariel notices that the fog surrounding the camp is thicker than usual and the two keeping watch haven't noticed her or Rose.

Looking below her, Tariel finds herself standing over her own body. She was still asleep, but consciously outside of her own body!

 
She moves over to Slate and wakes him up, seeing his spirit rise out of his body like her own. Before explaining what was going on, Slate and Tariel wake Torbin and Summer for the same thing to happen to them. Slate is also confused to see a familiar dog sleeping with Tobin. Isn't that the dog that died in the Death House?

With Summer and Torbin now 'awake' as well, Rose explains that someone called 'Mother Night' had requested them to help Rose and Thorn. Summer mistaking Thorn for Walter is eager to beat up a child until Slate corrects her: Walter, the baby the party faced in the dungeon under the house, did move on and it was the middle brother keeping Rose tied to the house. As the party begin to follow Rose into the mist, they hear a sharp voice call out to them, 'DON'T CROSS THE THREAD'.

Standing before the house once more, Torbin notices a strange glowing thread coming off of Tariels back that leads into the fog they exited through. Before he can bring up any queries, Tariel had cast her Divine Sense toward the house and was overwhelmed by the evil aura emanating from it. Enough for her to pass out! Slate wakes the paladin, being startled by the whites of Tariels eyes having turned black. Meanwhile, Summer started moving toward the house only to be blocked by a shadowy figure that manifests in front of the kobold.

The feminine figure introduces herself as Mother Night, the goddess of the night and the dead. She asks the four adventurers for their aid in helping Rose, as her powers are severely limited within the lands of Barovia and cannot lift the curse upon the house to set Rose free from the Death Houses walls. With Rose heading into the house, Mother Night tells the party that even freeing Rose from the house will not be enough as those who die within the boarders of Barovia are unable to pass on. Or pass in, as those born into Barovia are either born without a soul or are born with the soul of someone who had died here.

Torbin asks if Mother Night knows what prevents her powers, but she seems unwilling to say...

She tells them though that an artifact within the House needs to be destroyed to destroy the barrier preventing Rose and Thorn from leaving the house. 'Destroy the items that want to destroy you'.

Torbin asks about the strange threads behind each member of the party, Mother Night explains that it is the tether between their soul and bodies, if they happen to get severed or tangled something bad will happen...

With that warning, the party enter the Death House once more.

The house seems almost exactly how it was when they arrived last time: no death traps. Yet.

Slate examines the main hall, noticing a longsword mounted on the wall. Seeing the Windmill emblem on the hilt, he picks it up and follows the group into the fathers study. While Summer and Slate check the cabinets like they did last time, Torbin notices a gap behind one cabinet. With Tariel heaving it forward, the party find a ladder leading down. into the basement?

The party argue over who should climb down first, Torbin being voted to take the lead. Once all four reach the bottom, they recognize the room they find themselves next to: the room where Abe was attacked by shadows that Summer and Tariel had to drag him from to escape the strange entities. Along with that sinister orb in the clutches of the pale wooden figure at the far end of the room. Poking their heads into the room, the four see five cloaks laying on the floor.

Cautious of the cloaks, Slate casts his Mage Hand to carry a candle over to one of the cloaks. The purple cloak bursts into flame, the chair near it starts to smoke as the wood begins to slowly burn. Seeing their chance to try and destroy the orb, Torbin casts Mage Hand too. The two Mage Hands begin carting all sorts of wooden objects across the room to the statue, forming a small bonfire around it with the cloaks draped over it to help spread the flames.

With a small Flame Orb formed in his hands, Torbin bowls it across the room into the pyre of tables and chair, the fire bursting to life and engulfing the statue in seconds! Torbin cheers with glee.

Then the orb cracks and explodes, throwing Torbin out of the room.

With the rest of the party able to get out of the way in time, Tariel is able to scramble over to the now baby-faced Torbin (his beard having burnt up in the explosion) and heal him just enough to get him back on his feet while the corridor started to fill with smoke. Summer and Slate start navigating the corridor, finding themselves in the dining hall where the party faced the  Grick. While Summer checks the next hallway, Slate notices that parts of the Gricks decaying body had been surgically removed... What's been down here after the party left? Once Tariel and Torbin catches up, Summer calls out to them to tell them she found the kids crypts. And Thorns was wide open.

Looking inside, the group finds Thorns remains. Along with Grick parts. and Rat parts.

Something had stitched them onto the boys remains!
Tariel yanks off one of the Grick limbs with a sickening crunch followed by a loud shriek as Thorns ghost flies into the room, scolding Tariel for pulling apart his new body.

Confused, Tariel asks what he meant but the ghost boy vanishes as Roses ghost comes into the room.

Torbin tells Rose that he saw Thorn hiding in the study, the ghost girl heading off to find her brother.

Thorn reappears, telling them he'd been reading a book in his fathers room that could help bring him back to life if he had a new body.

The party asks if he can show them the book, which he agrees. Leading the party up the stairs to the attic, Thorn starts heading down the stairs to his parents bedroom.

Reaching the landing of the third floor, the party are relieved to find the place isn't filled with saw blades again.

That is until the suit of armor near the stairs punches Tariel in the face, starting a brawl leading to Torbin and Slate falling halfway down the stairs with the armor as they tackle it off the paladin!

As the armor grabs onto Torbin, Summer races down the stairs to lay into the armor with a flurry of kicks and punches, leaving it open for Slate and Tariel to fire arrows into the suit until it collapses. 

While Tariel and Slate gather the armor into their packs, Summer and Torbin follow Thorn into the bedroom where they see a strange book open on the desk. As they get closer, they can hear whispering coming from the book as Thorn gets between them, telling them that the book doesn't want them anywhere near it. As Tariel and Slate arrive, Torbin promises Thorn that everything will be okay if the young boy leaves the room with him to check on their dog.

With the books whispering growing more manic, Tariel and Summer begin barraging the book with all the radiant energy they can muster. Summer hurls radiant balls of energy into the book, making the cover and pages begin to burn as Tariel charged up her Divine Smite and split the book in two!

The books remains explode in a sudden burst of darkness and light, the house imploding around the party before they all suddenly snap awake back in their packs on the side of the road!

Seeing the rest of the party get up, Abe, Francesco and Ireena look annoyed having been up all night since they couldn't wake the other four.

While the three complain, the other four are left wondering if their strange side-journey helped Thorn and Roses spirits or damned them further in these cursed lands...