Back in Vallaki, our heroes begin the new season after their first major defeat. What route will they take next? Will they pick themselves up, or will it be bitter recriminations?
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
Jag has stepped out of the game due to other commitments. Roscoe's contract wasn't renewed for this season.
18th November
The next morning dawned wet and misty, and Kel and Gaddock had suffered nightmares. Checking his dream journal book, Gaddock soon confirmed that they could both have been haunted by the hags that they had fought. Certainly, they were both drained and weak.
The party stumbled downstairs, hoping that one of the fine breakfasts at the Blue Water Inn would restore their spirits. Roscoe had not come to bed that night; the last that they saw of him was that he was drinking in the inn.
Ser Adon and Ser Alys were passed a letter by Danika, the landlady. It had been delivered in the morning. They tucked into their breakfasts before checking the mail. It was a letter from Lady Fiona Wachter, inviting the players to come and see her again. She said that there were important matters that she had not mentioned in the previous discussions because they were deeply personal. She felt she had to bring them to the front now, as the refusal to help had been turned down.
A discussion was had about talking to the Vistani leader, Arigal and Lukaresh, to gain information on the Hags of the Old Bonegrinder Mill. They decided this could be done later in the day.
Gaddock finished his breakfast, then went to talk to the Martikovs. The landlord and landlady took him into the kitchen where he was delighted to be given second breakfast with a large slice of cake. He tucked in and then discreetly asked them if they knew what had happened. The family revealed that they had heard and that a 'friend' had tried to warn them off, the raven who had tried to get their attention. Gaddock explained that the party wanted to know when the hags were away from home, or if there were any patterns in their movement. Danika agreed to ask 'friends of friends' for them. At this point, Gaddock's spirits were lifted and he realised that they had allies in this dark blighted valley. He also realised that Dannika was the dominant one in the relationship.
Heading back out, the party spotted an unusually dressed man at the bar with a monkey. This was Gadoff Blinsky, the wizard of wonders, a toy-maker. Gertruda had cherished one of his dolls. He had ordered mulled wine and was deeply frustrated; his main customer, Izek Strasni had demanded he make another doll. Acting sympathetic, they discovered that Izek repeatedly bought the same doll; a pale female figure with auburn hair. Blinsky stated that it looked 'just like her', pointing at Ireena Kolyana. Apparently, he had made Izek over a hundred of these dolls over the years. Taking pity on the toymaker, Ser Adon commissioned 5 dolls for the children that they had encountered previously. Blinksy headed out, delighted, passing a town guard hammering up a sign for the 'Festival of Autumn Splendour', to be held the next week.
Kel ended up in a conversation with Rictavio, outside by the stairs up to the rooms the party were residing in. He was told that Roscoe left the night before and that he may be heading into trouble at the Amber Temple. Rictavio and Kel agreed that it would be foolish to go there. Rictavio then told Kel to watch who he trusted, especially the Vistani. Assuming that Rictavio was tarred with the same racist brush other people in Barovia, Kel was quite offhand, only for Rictavio's reply to take him aback. There was clearly something personal that drove the circus master's hatred. They parted, both hoping they hadn't fallen out.
Kel headed out to find the herbalist, Jenny Greenteeth, recommended by the Martikovs. An older woman, she took a shine to him, offering to sell him a potion to enhance his manliness. She flirted outrageously with the half-elf who responded in kind. Soon he'd got some treatments to help him sleep, and also the suggestion that he could either kill the hag haunting him or perhaps sleep at the Church to take advantage of its protection. He left the shop, thinking that he probably hadn't heard the last of things.
The whole party then went to the Wachterhaus, where they met with Lady Fiona. She was clearly surprised that the two knights had brought their retainers, but ignored their presence. They had a lovely afternoon tea and then she broached the subject she had avoided; she introduced the party to her daughter, Stella, who had suffered her mind being shattered by Viktor, the Baron's son. She explained that the Baron showed no remorse at his son's actions, breaking her daughter's mind, and now just ignored her. She returned to her previous concerns about the Baron; in the end, Ser Adon got her to vow to aid them against Strahd if they helped her. She readily agreed to this. She then retired, distraught, and the party plotted dark deeds; a coup starting with the assassination of Izek Strasni, to remove the Baron's military power.
As it started towards dark, they headed to the Church of St Andral, where Father Lucian was happy to look after them. He blessed Gaddock and Kel with a restoration ritual, but it didn't lift the shadow over them. They talked about the town; the conversation got around to his sister, Lydia, who he described as a shadow of her former self. She'd been married to the Baron for more than twenty years and now espoused his happiness message. He worried about the state of her mind. Knowing what they planned to do, there were a few looks between the party.
Father Lucian and Ser Adon worked up another opportunity to try and help their friends; they agreed to try the ceremony of restoration again when the sun should be near its height (if it wasn't obscured) and to invoke the relics of St Andral. Gaddock showed the priest the charcoal rubbings he had made of the markings on the standing circle. Father Lucian said that they were probably something to do with the worship of the Fanes, the three ladies. This was the old religion of Barovia, a superstition of the Ladies of the Wood held by the mountain and forest folk who had never taken to the Morninglord. Of course, if this was real, the Devil would never have been able to hold sway in this valley as the Ladies would have destroyed him.
19th November
After a good night's sleep, the party all participated in the morning service; the power of the Morninglord and the blessing of St Andral was invoked, and the darkness lifted from Kelwarin and Gaddock. They thanked the priest, feeling slightly guilty knowing the dark deeds they planned.
The afternoon was spent with the party checking out the routes that Izek was likely to take, his activities, the stories of his dark deeds and finding a decent killing zone. As they regrouped at the Blue Water Inn, just before nightfall, they found out from Ismark that Ireena was missing. Putting two and two together, they realised that the woman that he had been seen with by Gaddock's owl familiar (whom he had re-summoned) was probably Ireena. They decided to go to the Baron's mansion to rescue her and deal with Izek there.
They gain entry into the Mansion via a suggestion spell, gaining the guard's cooperation and directions to Izek's room. He wasn't in it, but they soon found Ireena, bound in a room full of dolls that looked just like her. Freeing and arming her, they started to search for Izek. The first room proved to be a cell with a prisoner, Udo Lukovich. He was imprisoned and tortured for protesting against the Baron. The next room had the Baron in with his two large Mastiffs. Figuring that what was good for the goose was good for the gander, Gaddock cast a sleep spell thinking to knock out the dogs. However, all three of them fell asleep. Ser Alys then stabbed the Baron through his ear, killing him, and they finished the sleeping dogs off too.
They then prepared to find Izek and kill him. They discussed the Baron's son. Surely he was a victim too? Did they need to wipe out the whole family?
24 March 2021
GM Notes: A low key restart, with lots of possible routes given to the players. It's always a delight to see what they actually do. The route they favoured was a surprise but made sense. Of course, things will get delightfully messy, they always do. How will Lady Wachter and the people of Vallaki respond to the coup that's underway? It was a relief to step beyond the previous session and start to dive in deeper.
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