Curse of Strahd - S2E13 - Trouble at t'Mill

   

Our heroes have reached the Old Mill, just where the Old Svalich Road crosses the mountains between Barovia and Vallaki. They've just seen an older woman coming from the Mill and placing chickens into a coop. They're convinced that the woman is some form of evil hag/witch like the ones they met in Graenseskov and must be destroyed. But is this wise?

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Alys de Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Fighter with a soldier background, currently the leader of the town militia of Daggerford), played by Tom (Guvnor). Lawful Neutral. Imagine a slightly greener take on Grace Jones... Married to Ser Adon.

Ser Adon of House Starbright (a half-orc Paladin, from a knightly background, with two human retainers and a priest), played by Paul (dr_mitch). Lawful Good. Married to Ser Alys.

Kelwarin (Kel) (a half-elf Sorceror flush with the powers of wild magic, an outlander), played by Graham (First Age). Chaotic Good.

Gaddock Teeg (a halfling wizard and former prizefighter), played by Alex (Doggetay), Neutral Good

Roscoe Tosscobble (a halfling Cleric of Life, a follower of Diancecht, god of medicine and healing, former hermit and companion of Ser Adon), played by Jag (Jagusti). Lawful Good.

  

Ready for the season finale.

17th November

Hidden at the edge of the road, watching the Old Mill, the 'bone grinder' of ill-repute, our heroes watched as an old lady came outside with two chickens and put them in a coop. After a whispered exchange Ser Alys rose. Spotting her, the old lady called out, "Hello Dearie, are you here to buy some pies?" before saying "Ofalia, dear, we've got guests, put the kettle on!". Smiling, she turned towards the party as Ser Adon also stood up.

Ser Alys answered her question by drawing her blade and charging, followed quickly by her husband. The startled woman grabbed the chickens, gathered her skirts and ran in through the door, quickly closing and bolting it shut. The raven which had been fluttering around made a determined effort to try and stop the characters from attacking the Mill; the spellcasters quickly realised that it was trying to warn them off.

Ignoring the frantic bird, Ser Alys began to batter at the door, making short work of it. She entered into a kitchen; no one was visible. There was a delicious smell of cooking pies and a cluttered kitchen clearly dedicated to making them. Pushing in and ignoring this she quickly moved up into the house, followed by Ser Adon. 

And then it all went horribly sideways as the old lady appeared from nowhere outside and attacked Gaddock from behind before fading back into nothingness. Similar attacks followed in the house from a hideous looking woman, clearly some kind of Hag. Kelwarin rushed in to help, only to find he could not speak to utter the words to cast a spell as Roscoe had invoked a spell of Silence over the first three floors of the building. Attacked and hurt, he ended up flailing with his quarterstaff. Gaddock managed to stop the more hideous woman by using a spell to cause unstoppable laughter, and Ser Adon and Alys pounced.

...

Meanwhile, cresting the ridge on the road from Barovia came a third woman, the one that Gaddock had seen in town, taking a child. Weary and returning with her empty trolley with a sack under it, she nevertheless gathered speed as she spied trouble at her home. 

...

But the terrifying-looking woman shook off the laughter quickly, and her compatriot, Bella, who had offered them tea put the spellcasters in a magical slumber. Roscoe woke them, but the battle was becoming more and more desperate. Soon Gaddock was calling for a retreat, flooding the building with fog and running out. A witch loomed in the fog, but he slipped by her, his short stature and the mists saving him from the claws that whistled over his head.

The rest of the party soon decided to make their way out, losing track of the old women in the fog.  Pausing for breath, Gaddock sent his owl up into the sky, looking through its eyes to try and spot them, only to be painfully and abruptly dumped back into his own mind as a huge bolt of lightning struck the owl and completely obliterated it. Reeling with the shock of the loss of his familiar, Gaddock turned with the rest of the party to see where the bolt had come from. They had found where the women had gone to; now there were three of them. Very quickly, the party ran down the hill into the mists of the forest below.

Hidden from the sight of the three witches, hags, the party struggled through the undergrowth in the forest, heading north towards the Old Svalich Road. The half-mile seemed to take forever, but eventually, they reached the road. As they headed back towards Vallaki, each of them brooded on what had occurred...

Ser Alys: "We need to decide a combat playbook. We need to gain the blessings of the gods, apply any magic that will help us, and then go in very hard and deliver overwhelming force. If we find an enemy that is hard to hit then we need to use my manoeuvres to allow Adon that extra edge, we need to keep healing, we need to not run away. If we are fighting a pouncing predator, we need to hold ready to attack the moment it appears. Everyone needs to know what they are going to do. There's no space for hesitation, that just gets people hurt. We need to use the healing potions we have during the battle, not wait until the end. Someone getting badly wounded, or even being hurt so badly they're at death's door is inevitable in these sorts of fights, so we need a clear willingness to accept the deadly risk of combat. Hopefully, we can save each other. But if we die, we die. Today is a nice day to die..."

Ser Adon: “We had no strategy. There’s no use in complaining about our strategy when it was completely absent. Maybe Alys and I tipped things by charging in, but I knew we faced evil and hoped we could end one hag quickly. That didn’t happen. Alys and I worked well together. We might have finished one of the hags, and I regret we didn’t. Break up the coven. But the others were harmed by the silence, spellcasters working against each other, on top of us charging in well ahead of them. And I was that I couldn’t see we had to retreat. Gaddock was right. And no strategy was a strategic error. We now know for certain what the hags are; their evil is exposed, to us at least. We should stop their business dealings, not take on all three at once. The next old woman selling pies is for it! Evil must be opposed; that’s the brutal truth of things. But we have other things to live for, and there is no use in throwing our lives away. However, Alys and I are utterly glorious together!”

Gaddock: "It was a replay of the vampire attic - we were fighting in close quarters, flanked by enemies on both sides, who were seriously outpacing us in strength and mobility, being able to phase shift and all, with another hag coming to reinforce them. We lived by sheer luck through that fight, by defenestrating ourselves out the windows and even then, we didn't really win that fight. We had to deal with the same pack of vampires two times after that. It felt like we wouldn't get that lucky again; at least when we were fighting in Vallaki we could expect some reinforcements, guards etc, to come to help us, when we came stumbling out of gravedigger's. Here, we were behind enemy lines, so if we chose to run at last possible moment, we would never outrun the hags."

Roscoe: "I saw my militant chums charge into the windmill with a potent Hag in it. Still not sure why they would forego the opportunity to take blessings, but maybe that's what honeymoons are all about. Perhaps they felt buffed by the Ceremony? I cast the windmill into Silence to neutralise the kind lady's magic-wielding (and cackles) as best I could so my fellows would at least not have to suffer that kind of assault while storming the enemy's fortress, and thus to be able to fight her on pure martial terms. We heard there were three of them, and one could only assume that they were all there. We'd already seen two forms of the creatures by then. 

The spellcasters among us weren't affected by the Silence outside at the time, but we never managed to catch our breaths and work out what to do together - with the privilege of being able to effectively communicate - whether to hold the ground outside, split the Hags' focus, charge inside or whatever. It's no understatement that the Tosscobbles aren't known for their tactical insight. But even I can see that as a group we failed to even afford ourselves that opportunity. It saddens me especially, knowing that my gifts are for the Greater Good, but were unable to serve that end as well as they could. 

My father used to tell me that other Folk think us Halflings are naturally lucky - we're not, he remonstrated, we just don't take stupid risks. Nothing is so urgent that it can't be worked out over a second breakfast (or lunch, or whatever meal fits the time of day). In all that I have seen as a Cleric of Life, I have come to know that only too well. Life can be short, but it shortens more if you betray yourself to impulses such as we have been exposed to today. Always worth taking the time to take stock, even if - especially if - pies are involved. 

As it happened, the Silence lasted only the shortest of times, and it appears that pretty much as soon as it lifted the foe slumbered half the party. Damned if you do and damned if you don't is the lesson this weary priest takes from this chapter. 

Perhaps the only good from this is that we escaped intact. But in the fog of cloud and smoke we left behind we have exposed our weaknesses to a true evil. As if this wretched land wasn't hard enough to traverse, we have made a new and powerful enemy. If I never see the Old Bonegrinder again, I wouldn't shed a tear except for the poor children who suffer for that accursedness. And I cry for them alone, not for us. 

For us, well, we need help. That is clear enough. There are few in this place that would give it freely. In Vallaki - this husk of civilsation - I have only known the circus man Rictavio, who has gifted me a disguise each day since escaping the fate of wicker sun, to be so generous. His spirit makes me glad, but I am growing darker and more cynical each day I am returned to this world from seclusion. I wonder why ... why does he take the risk of helping me - us - in a place and against forces such as we face? What does he know of this place, our fate? And can he help us better face the challenges that Barovia presents us? 

Or help us get out of here ... whether I meet my end back home or at the Amber Temple is for fate to determine. Knowing my luck, if I don't get second breakfast, it's going to be in a clearing in the Svalich Woods. But then, maybe that's the kind of place to reunite with my lost beloved."

Kel: "I am good with people. Better than Hags it seems. We went in hard but uncoordinated and I was unable to stand off and use my magic to good effect. If I have to use my staff as a weapon then we have probably lost. The Hags' magic had power over me that I had not expected, which meant that I was of little use to help my friends. I think if I had been more effective I might have helped to turn the tide in our favour. We escaped and can return in a better-planned way. Every day they are allowed to continue risks losing other young lives. This cannot be allowed to stand."

...

The party reached Vallaki, just as the sun was setting, arriving back at the Blue Water Inn. Most of the party retired to bed, except for Roscoe who struck up a conversation with Rictavio. Kel and Gaddock suffered nightmare visions of the hags they faced, leading to a really bad night's rest. 

13 March 2021 

The character thoughts were kindly written by the players of each character. Thanks, guys!

Curse of Strahd will hopefully return.

GM Notes: I was more prepared than I've ever been for this session because I knew that it was going to - most likely - escalate into a full-on battle because of the nature of both the encounter and the characters. I made sure I'd reviewed the Monster Manual entries, had a read of 'The Monsters Know What They're Doing' and also dug into the r/curseofstrahd subreddit. I knew that this was a dangerous encounter. I made sure I understood the spells I had at hand and the actions that the parties opponents could take. I reviewed the player's character sheets because I wanted to push this, but I didn't want to end up with a TPK if I could avoid it.

I spent a fair bit of time reviewing how other people had made the most of this as a roleplaying encounter rather than straight tactical combat. In my head, I expected some more cautious scouting, perhaps some sneaking and talking, and ultimately a fight. With the Invisibility Spell available, the party definitely had options despite them being missing a rogue.

I deliberately broke the coven at the start, with Morgantha returning from selling pies in Barovia, triggering a countdown once the encounter started. I figured this would make any battle more survivable. That said, the old women don't want to fight, they want to sell some pies, get some gossip and try to build their links out to Vallaki. Plenty of opportunities to avoid bloodshed. 

What happened was that the fighters rushed in, going full murderhobo as they suspected that children had been abducted based on what the mage had seen one misty morning. The spellcasters started to follow, and the silence spell inadvertently shut down the sorcerer and mage. The characters struggled to deal with strong opponents that could phase into the ethereal plane and move in three dimensions with equal ease. It was the first time they had faced strong spell casting opposition, which added another dimension, especially when the first counterspell activated.

Roll20 glitched - although Strahd has converted to the new dynamic lighting, which I had switched off, it was on for some players. I'd opted for fog of war which had worked well in the early part of the campaign. We ended up using Discord to share the encounter map to Jag, as his character, Roscoe, couldn't see a thing. It was eventually resolved by me switching the dynamic lighting on, saving, then switching it off again and saving. On a plus side, we continue to use Roll20 for the video portion and it was rock solid.

On reflection, I made a mistake in how I responded. Kelwarin and Gaddock were badly hurt, and likely to be on death saves if they took another attack. I decided to use the sleep spell that is an innate ability of the Hags in the encounter, figuring that it would make sense from the fiction (the characters being preserved to go into pies), that it would avoid taking players out of the action for a longer period (on death saves) and that it would give interesting tactical challenges (do I wake them? Do I run away and abandon them?). I forgot that Kel (as an Elf) was inherently resistant to such a spell (although Graham, Kel's player, did as well and it was in front of him on his character sheet), which was a mistake on my part. I also didn't think about how the sleep spell would affect the player's agency; the spell casters had struggled thanks to the silence spell (that Roscoe cast to try and help) and now that had gone I was dropping them so they missed a turn. Big mistake on my part, although fictionally correct. Something to learn from. Graham and I discussed this, I apologised and he's going to try and make sure he knows his abilities a bit better as well so he can call me out if I screw up like this again.

The battle's outcome was probably set from the moment the fighter's charged and the silence spell landed. Facing multiple high hit point, high armour class, enemies who could cast spells and do reasonable hand-to-hand damage was always going to be a stretch, and doing it without coordination meant that it nearly ended up as a TPK. Add to that it was their home; they didn't get lair actions but they knew it like the back of their hand. Tom (Ser Alys) has rightly observed that the players need to discuss battle tactics. I'm hoping that the secret WhatsApp 'Get Strahd' group exists and they're talking because - as it stands - that suggestion seems to have fallen on stony ground.

The characters were a level up from the usual point that this encounter happened; perhaps there's a degree of over-confidence here. The previous battle with the vampire spawn showed how this could go wrong if they didn't work together. It was only in the second part of that combat that they did and then they prevailed.

The session ending was very flat; it was probably the first time that they had outright failed at an objective, and the party trudged back to Vallaki in the late afternoon rain despondent, a feeling that seemed to be matched in the players. As a GM, that doesn't leave me feeling good. I'd expected a hard fight, possibly the death of one hag and the rescue of some children, and maybe even the recovery of an object that would help the characters in their quest against Strahd. Instead, the coven is intact, is angry with the characters because they tried to set the windmill on fire, will probably want revenge.

We currently don't have a restart date for Season 3; Jag has other commitments and there's a conflict of views whether to wait or restart. I'd assumed we'd go on a break after this session to let me prepare ahead for wherever the characters want to go next, but they have unfinished business in Vallaki and here at the Mill. Trouble at t'Mill indeed.

13 March 2021