Curse of Strahd - S4E11 - They're only undead knights, we can take them!

 

Our heroes are resting in a ruined ballroom having stumbled into a nest of giant spiders which threatened all of them except Ser Adon with certain death. Meanwhile, Ser Alys is setting about putting the town back into order before she can head out after the rest of the party (assuming that they stay away overnight).

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge 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

Ser Alys de Adon-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. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

with : 

Alexei the Vistana (a young human expert, sent to pay off his debt to the party by his Vistani elders after they rescued Arabelle from certain death when Alexei lost her in town. A late teenager who is so taken by Ireena and the excitement of the adventure that he's forgotten he planned to be sulky and surly for his 13 moon exile) - upgraded as a sidekick.

All characters are presently 6th level, including the sidekicks. 

5th December, mid morning

With her beloved and her friends departed to explore the ruined mansion, Ser Alys set about her plan to stabilise Vallaki. Plans, order, organisation, they were all part of her strong suit and she recognised that was what the town needed right now, lest its spirit be broken. She started by organising a search for the missing Burghers of the town, leading the hunt for the two missing children herself. She soon found them, piecing together clues like a hair clip, tracks and a fragment of a dress. The kids were hidden in a shed, having seen 'a scary vampire man with pointy teeth and claws' hunting a neighbour. Alys consoled and congratulated them on their skilful escape from certain doom. She also had a sigh of relief that she was in charge of this job; heaven knows what Gaddock would have done with his newfound distaste of children.

Two of the remaining missing adults had also been found, and questioning showed that it was likely that the remaining person, a young man, had run away with the Carnival or perhaps the Market that followed it. They certainly weren't within the bounds of the town.

The second stage of the plan was to put some steel back into Lady Wachter. Not her trusty letter opener (although heaven knows, it was tempting enough with the haughty arrogance that woman shows), but something to inspire her to do her duty by the townsfolk. She went to the Wachterhaus and used her authority to enter and see the noble. Pale, withdrawn and looking tired and old, Lady Fiona was in her study. Her friend was nowhere to be seen. Ser Alys strongly made her case that it was Lady Wachter's duty as a noble and member of the Ring of Five to show tearful but proper decorum and true respect for the honoured deaths of the town guards and the loss of so many townsfolk.

Something in her message seemed to get through, as the entire Wachter household turned out, properly attired and deeply respectful. Prior to the burials, those drained by the vampires were beheaded and staked in their coffins lest they couldn't rest in peace. Those killed by the Strigoi had closed caskets, as all that remained as a drained bag of skin and bones, their insides liquified by the demonic horrors. Nikolai, Lady Wachter's youngest son was turned out like the young heir he now was.

As the funeral service ended and the dead were laid to rest, Ser Alys' love and friends were several miles away at the mansion they'd discovered was named Argynvostholt, scouting around to see best way in. Alys gave a speech at the wake, calling for recruits to the Guard, explaining that it was all that lay between them and the horrors without. Somehow, she managed to get eight new volunteers, including Lady Wachter's son Nikolai. Alys set out guidance for Reisen Munin to train the volunteers, an accelerated programme to protect the town against the potential perils that they could face at the solstice if they didn't complete the tithe.

She also briefed one of the best riders that she had, explaining the perils of the route to Krezk and entrusting them with two messages for the Abbot requesting that it brings Lady Wachter's eldest son back to life in place of one of the party.

Back at Argynvostholt, the rest of our heroes stirred themselves from their rest and started to explore the mansion, reminding themselves to be careful. The ballroom opened into a large foyer with multiple doors exiting off it and stairs going up to a gallery above. Initially, the two chandeliers gave them a start as - through the corner of the eye - they looked like black wrought iron spiders.

They headed east towards the chapel to see whether the figures that they'd seen through the windows were a threat. Kel went into the chapel, through the slightly ajar heavy lead-glass doors which were set between two stained glass windows. he confirmed that it was a chapel to the Morning Lord, and that there were three knight figures kneeling facing the altar. The chapel had spiral staircases to the north and south, with a gallery around, and a roof far above. The eastern wall was dominated by a fresco and stained glass dedicated to the Morning Lord. Kelwarin decided to leave, but Gaddock wanted to know more. He went to examine the statues.

As he looked closer, he saw that they had a leathered skin effect on their exposed flesh, and that their chain armour was damaged and rent in places. As he reached to touch the skin, the eyes on the statue opened and a croaky voice uttered "Desecrator! Spawn of the Dark One! You will die!" and it lumbered to its feet, lifting its longsword in both hands with a dangerous but slow grace. Its two compatriots followed. Gaddock swore and turned and ran, diving through the door which Kel pulled shut and secured as the three creatures tried to open it. Ser Adon helped them to barricade the entrance to the chapel, and matter of factly confirmed that the creatures were undead. They could see them milling around behind the door and through the stained glass side windows which depicted a silvered dragon against the clouds. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, they headed back out and started to check out the other rooms on the floor.

They found a kitchen; in an adjacent room were three (good) barrels of Champagne du Stompe, the lost vintage from the Wizard of Wines. There was also the corpse of a dusk elf called Savid who Alexei recognised. He'd been missing since he went searching in this area for Arabelle when she went missing, and appeared to have succumbed to some kind of bit (wolf) and needles fired by the blights that they'd encountered at the Wizard of Wines and Yesterhill, both of which weren't that far from Argynvostholt.

The kitchen itself yielded two surprises. The first was a bat trapped in a cooking pot, which made everyone jump. The second was more mysterious. They were looking out of the windows at the cemetery (confirming three empty graves in the swirling mist) when the bat was found. Gaddock, when he jumped back, realised that the cast iron oven was ever so slightly warm. Looking into it, he saw a lonely ember which seemed to be dancing, reaching trying to pull ashes around it. Curious, he put a stick against it. Quickly, the stick started to be consumed with flames and the ember's fire slowly grew, transforming to the form of a small drake with smoke wings. It grew, glowing blue-white and starting to give off a coldness, Suddenly, larger yet, it erupted out of the oven, perhaps a foot long, trailing smoke and cold flames. Heading out, it went up the stairs.

The whole party gave chase, only stopping as they realised that it had gone up another flight of stairs to the third floor. They talked for a moment and decided that it was key that they checked out the rest of the rooms behind them, just in case.

Returning to ground floor, they found an abandoned study; it had one curio in it, an upright black wood sarcophagus which had the effigy of a Queen carved in it. It wasn't in keeping with the rest of the building, so Gaddock opened it very carefully using a mage hand spell. Opening it, they discovered that it was full of glasses and decanters with expensive looking spirits in. The shelves had clearly been added later, the wood and build was different.

The rest of the ground floor failed to reveal any more secrets, so they headed to the first floor. On this floor they checked out some bathrooms and store rooms. Kel found a statue bust in an alcove, covered with a black cloth. He removed it, only to see Ser Alys' severed head there, freshly cut. Horrified, and aware Ser Adon was just behind, he placed the cloth back and made an excuse for the knight to go further ahead. He told Gaddock what he'd seen, but when Gaddock lifted the cloth, it was just another of the same alabaster busts they'd seen downstairs.

They then opened a door to the east which opened onto a high gallery. Kel checked it out and realised it was the balcony they'd seen in the Chapel below. He couldn't see the creatures, but realised he needed to be quiet in case the creatures realised he was there. That was going fine, right until the post Ser Adon called out loudly asking what he'd found. As they talked the others spotted the undead knights coming up the spiral stairs. Panicked conversations followed; Kel ran and Adon came into the room. He took an oath against one of the creatures; it should have been rooted to the spot in fear but it relentlessly started towards him.

Ser Adon realised that the creature may be a revenant, an especially dangerous form of undead. He charged and engaged the two coming from the north staircase lest they attack his friends. He landed a flurry of blows on one of them, but it didn't stop it. Swinging its longsword with both hands, it managed to land a solid blow against him. Alexei rushed in, his scimitar flashing but unable to penetrate the tattered armour on the creature which was attacking Ser Adon. Meanwhile, the other two undead flanked an attacked. Alexei took two hits to his back, and slumped to the floor unconscious. Ser Adon continued to rain blows down on the same target, assisted by arrows and fire bolts from his friends. Somehow he managed to lay hands on Alexei, who woke from his swoon. 

Both Ser Adon and Alexei realised that they were overmatched and that their terrain was not to any advantage, so ran. Adon cleared the room first, followed by Alexei. Alexei tried to slam the door shut as he exited, but one of the creatures was pushing it open. It took Ser Adon and some iron spikes from Alexei's kit to secure both the doors. They were fortunate they did them both, as just as they completed, the lock on the other door clicked open. However, the creatures couldn't get in.

Withdrawing, the party decided to go upstairs and see where the small dragon had gone. They moved forward along the corridor into the third floor and were surprised to see that the dragon was sat on the rubble in the corridor, much bigger, blue-white-ethereal and leaving traces of frost where it would contact the floor. It turned towards them, and said in a quite, mournful whisper that they needed to talk, but not here. The creature took to them into an adjacent room, after taking a lingering look back at a room which was out of direct eye-line for the players...

GM's notes:

Ser Alys aced her skill challenge. The checks were mainly DC15, and she needed 3 out of 5. She succeeded on all of them and managed to intimidate Lady Wachter with a critical. She's onside, and the scene is set for a big change. I like skill challenges, but I hadn't anticipated that we could end up with a roll above 15 for each element of the challenge!

The exploring of the mansion was steady; my high points were the two dragon scenes and the two Revenant scenes. In the case of the latter, the players were genuinely threatened and trying to work out why they couldn't take at least one of them down. Of course, they shouldn't be (and didn't need to be) in that fight. The terrain, the lack of Ser Alys and the general threat of the Revenants put everything against them; the party did over a 100 hit points against one of the creatures in the first two rounds, but took perhaps half that back. It was an attrition rate they couldn't afford, and the enemy got at least six attacks each round. Ser Adon was near invulnerable, but the others were directly threatened.

This is a dangerous location that needs some guile and nouse to survive. Twice in two sessions we've come close to characters being killed; they're deeply threatened and need to be careful how they act. Good stuff. 

30 March 2022

Curse of Strahd - S4E10 - Another Nest of Horrors

 

It's the morning after a night of horror, when our brave heroes destroyed three vampires and before that multiple Strigoi and the flock of stirges attending them. A time to pause and understand the consequences of actions taken by themselves and others...

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge 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

Ser Alys de Adon-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. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

with : 

Alexei the Vistana (a young human expert, sent to pay off his debt to the party by his Vistani elders after they rescued Arabelle from certain death when Alexei lost her in town. A late teenager who is so taken by Ireena and the excitement of the adventure that he's forgotten he planned to be sulky and surly for his 13 moon exile) - upgraded as a sidekick.

All characters are presently 6th level, including the sidekicks. 

5th December, early morning

Ser Alys, Ireena and Alexei spent most of the night trying to ensure that Vallaki was safe and stable once more, despite the terrible losses that the town had suffered. A quarter of the guards were dead, along with fifteen of the town's Burghers, slain by feral vampire spawn or lifted to their doom to have their very marrow sucked out by the Strigoi. Others were missing, including at least two children. At this point, their fate was unknown.

The town square was cold and empty of everyone except the party and one of the guards when they found the sign posted on the town noticeboard. A message from Count Strahd, or at least his agent, lecturing the Ring of Five in its duties, reminding them of their duties, and that a tithe was due at the Winter Solstice. This sent Ser Adon into a rage; he denounced the notice, saying that the town of Vallaki would no longer be servant to the ruler of Castle Ravenloft. No tithe would be paid, despite the risk that this created. Graenseskov's Boyar had tried this kind of defiance in the plot, only to face a choice of losing his son or face the wrath of the darklord on the village itself.

When asked, Richter the guard explained that he wasn't certain what the tithe was, but several time a year, around the solstices, Baron Vargas used to send new servants to Castle Ravenloft. A black, ornate but unmanned coach would arrive, drawn by horses. The new maids or pages would be put in the carriage and then be drawn off into the night, never to be seen again.

Musing, Adon started to frame his reply, drawing on his rhetoric lessons as a young man. His argument was thus:

• Strahd had failed in his duties as a feudal overlord, as evidenced by the bloodbath here.
• These attacks were carried out by those of his blood.
• Even the nobility of the town were affected - Lady Wachter's son Kurt had been taken.
• By rights, Strahd owed proper compensation to the town.
• The town rejected his overlordship as he failed in his duties.

A discussion ensued on how to get the letter to Strahd; Richter was quite vocal that people rarely came back if they visited Castle Ravenloft. He swayed the party, who didn't want the death of another innocent. They settled on another plan, approaching Lady Wachter's house guest to see if she could get the message to the Castle as they knew she had free passage through Barovia and had been seen in the company of the Count when they met him at Yesterhill. Ser Adon wasn't certain what her nature was, as she did not have the taint of undeath, but something was not right about Lady Anastrasya. She definitely showed the charm that was associated with blood drinkers. 

Thinking about Lady Wachter, Ser Adon had a brainwave; if they wanted to send the letter, it would probably put the town on a collision course with Strahd. This really meant that the Ring would have to vote to send it. At the moment, there were only four of the five council members standing as Danika Martikov had declined to represent the traders of the town. Votes were certain from Ser Adon and Ser Alys, but Lady Wachter and Father Lucian were less certain. Lucian may well waver if Lady Wachter pressurised him, especially having come so close to death the night before. Lady Wachter was the key; could they leverage the death of her son, Kurt, to bring her onside? Adon turned to Gaddock, Alys, and Kelwarin and proposed that they call in the debt that the Deva (the Abbot at Krezk) owed them, getting him to resurrect Kurt. They had the potential to bring someone back. 

They set off to the Wachterhaus. The maid who had fainted the night before at the news of her fellow servant's death opened the door, and invited them in when she heard they had news for Lady Wachter. They entered to find Lady Wachter and Lady Anastrasya taking breakfast. Ser Adon took a deep breath, then broke the news to Lady Wachter about Kurt's death. She looked shocked, went as white as a sheet and tears welled up. In a weak voice, she asked how it had happened, and when. And was Nikolai okay? Nikolai wasn't numbered in the dead or missing, but none of the party knew where he was. She stood, and rushed into her study, and they could hear the sounds of sobbing behind the closed door. Her agent, Ernst came out of the room, gestured to the maid to go in, then watched the party coldly and intently.

Ser Adon decided to press on, he turned and looked full on at Anastrasya and asked her if she could arrange for a message to get the Castle's master. She indicated that she most likely could, and asked why. Adon reached over and passed her Strahd's notice which he'd taken off the board. As he handed it to her, her hand caught his, and it felt almost electric. The brave knight started to lose himself in her eyes, sinking into the deep pools that seemed to know so much, to understand his soul. He struggled to pull his eyes away, and only managed to come back to himself properly as he saw his wedding ring on the hand she'd touched. This brought back smiles and warmth as he reminded himself of how Alys had kicked him under the table last time this happened.

A discussion ensued about the wisdom of a response; Anastrasya reminded them to be respectful, lest they anger the Count. There was a discussion on whose fault the Strigoi and feral vampires being released was ('surely they were secured before they were released') but it wasn't one that was likely to go anywhere. Lady Anastrasya agreed to arrange for their reply to be sent, and also to pass on the message to Lady Wachter that there was a way to bring her son back. They then made their excuses and left.

As they left, they discussed the two problems that now existed. They need to reconsecrate the Fanes and also avoid Strahd causing carnage in Vallaki if they didn't pay the tithe. Both difficult challenges. They set off to the Church, meeting Father Lucian. Between Kelwarin and Ser Adon, they convinced him to show some backbone and to agree the letter being sent. Father Lucian, his views bolstered by his brush with dead the night before and the powerful arguments presented, agreed that Strahd was clearly Evil and needed to be opposed. He would support the letter being sent at the Ring meeting. The party then asked the good Father to send Kurt's body back to the Wachterhaus so he could rest appropriately.

The next visit was to the shopping district, where Kel took them to meet Jeny again. She seemed to be enthusiastic to see them, although disappointed that Kelwarin was clearly interested in someone else. She flirted outrageously with Gaddock, and then shared what she knew about the Fanes and the Ladies Three. This aligned with some  information that the party had already found out. As the conversation proceeded, Ser Adon came to the conclusion that Jeny was much more than an eccentric human. She looked and sounded like she could be an embodiment of the Seeker herself, one of the Ladies Three. He didn't say anything until after they left, as he wasn't sure what to do about this. The others were genuinely surprised by this news, but they could understand his conclusions. 

Armed with more lore, they understood that the witch Baba Lysaga had worked with Strahd to desecrate the Fanes and obtain the powers of the three Ladies. They'd need to find out what she knew or had done; Jeny also suggested that whatever had changed and brought about Strahd's ascension to undeath involved the Amber Temple that Roscoe Tosscobble had been seeking, located to the south of Old Berez. They took their leave, and plenty of cake (including a tea loaf and a bottle of raspberry fizz) and Gaddock felt that he'd now been marked by Jeny's attentions instead of Kel. Perhaps it was the magic trick that he'd done?

Catching up with Alys, they explained what they planned to do. Ser Alys would, once again, ensure that Vallaki was in a good place and then set out to join the rest of them at the ruined mansion to the south-west that they wanted to investigate. A rider was sent to Krezk to see about the favour, and they prepared to leave.

By ten o'clock in the morning they were on the road east, eventually turning south down the old abandoned road by the River Luna. Just after lunch, they saw the mansion on their right, jutting solemnly from the ridgeline to the west of the river. They followed an old, long abandoned road upwards. In the distance, sheep bleated. As they drew close they realised that the mansion was like a fairytale castle turned to ruin. Towers with conical tiled roofs were set at the corners of the three story building, and the entire southern face was collapsed, leaving three stories open to the elements. A tall tower rose above the building. Despite its elevated position, mists swirled around. Near the mansion, some of the road's gravel remained and they crunched across it. Ahead, looming out of the mist was a huge statue of a dragon, at least ten feet tall and set that height again on a plinth, facing to the east and the main entrance of the mansion.

The entrance was a double wooden door bound with rusted iron bands located at the top of some impressive stone stairs with handrails at the edge. The word "ARGYNVOSTHOLT" was carved into the lintel above the door. Was this the name of the building or was it the name of the family that owned this before?

Deciding to be careful, the party started to walk around Argynvostholt Mansion to try and see if there were any nasty surprises. Once over the rubble, the collapsed section opened into some kind of heavily cobwebbed and abandoned ballroom which clearly hadn't been disturbed for some time. A potential place of entry beyond the front door. The eastern facing of the building had some stained glass windows; boosting Gaddock up, he could see three figures in what appeared to be a chapel, kneeling before an altar. They weren't moving and he really couldn't tell if they were corpses or statues. The chapel appeared to be dedicated to the Morning Lord. The north-east part of the building was surrounded by a 7-foot tall wrought iron fence, with a cemetery inside and a mausoleum of some sort in the north-east corner. The mist was swirling high enough to make it hard for Gaddock to see, but the party had the sense that the ere were some open graves in the building.

A movement caught their attention; three stories up, in the north-eastern tower, a curtain was drawn over and a light snuffed out. They were almost certain they saw a tousle-haired figure. Perhaps this place was inhabited after all? 

The northern wall had a wrought iron gate secured with a sturdy but rusted padlock; looking through, they could see steps going up an either side. This completed their circumnavigation.

They decided that the best way to enter was over the rubble to the south into the old ball-room. Heading in, Adon, Ireena and Kel entered, pushing the cobwebs away, finding them clogging their movement as there were just so many. All of a sudden, the webs were fully of inhuman movement as giant spiders nearly as large as a small horse started to move around them. Quickly, party members were enmeshed in webs and the spiders started to close and bite. A desperate fight developed with all the party except Ser Adon suffering badly as they were bitten and the toxins entered their blood stream. The situation seemed to cause some kind of blood-lust in Ser Adon, as he was almost gleeful as he announced that it was time for a game of 'spider-splat'. Wielding the blood spear he set about slaying the creatures in the nest they'd blundered into. Ireena and Kel were down and covered in webbing. Alexei was badly injured and had to run, scrambling outside. Gaddock sent wave after wave of his shrieking magic missiles at the spiders, while Kel struggled to hit the spiders with fire bolts. 

For a moment, it seemed like they were doomed, but somehow the tide turned. Ser Adon proved indomitable, battle-crazed, spitting black ichor out of his mouth as the blood spear enhanced him with the  dark life force energies stolen from its victims as it drank their life. Gaddock cast a haste spell on the knight and he became like a force of nature, slaying the spider that threatened them all. Suddenly, all was quiet. Using a torch, they cleared the ballroom of webs and set a small fire, where they rested and healed their wounds...

GM Note: Yesterday evening was a session of two halves; lots of politics, planning and exposition in the first half and then a brutal fight that put every character except Ser Adon one attack from death. I genuinely expected to see characters in death save territory (although the reality was that it would have been paralysis from toxin and then being hung in the larder). 

They'd had exactly the right idea checking the building out first, but missed the environmental cues (the heavy webbing) and they mostly failed the perception vs stealth challenge against the spiders. Because they'd blundered in and had several party members enmeshed, using fireballs wasn't an option which made it really hard tactically.

I'll share an update on the exposition from Jeny separately, but that has given pointers at both the hag Baby Lysaga at Old Berez and the Amber Temple. Assuming the party survive Argynvostholt.

24 March 2022

Curse of Strahd - S4 Interlude 4 - The morning after...

The weak yellow light of the sun lit the mists of cold winter as day broke on the morning of 5th December(*). There was a smell of burnt out fires, and a hint of death in the air. 

Outside the north gate, the Carnival had gone, with only the burnt rings from the fires and the muddied earth to ever suggest it was there at all. That, and a broken, blasted and abandoned wagon at the edge of the circle. There was a faint smell of sweets and fresh bakery, and a ring of mushrooms where the Litwick Market had been.

The remains of the guard reported the toll; six of their fellows were dead, and another fifteen of the townsfolk were killed, drained dry or horribly drawn up to roof height and reduced to a sack of skin and bone, taken by the Strigoi. Perhaps more would be found as the mists lifted, because knocking house-to-house suggested another five or six people, including two children, were missing. Were they dead, merely unfound or had they gone with the Carnival?

A sign was found, nailed into the notices by the stocks; 

Burghers of Vallaki

The rightful lord of this domain, Count Strahd von Zarovich, assures his subjects that the miscreants responsible for the carnage tonight will be dealt with harshly. That said, provision of adequate security and good order is a responsibility of the Burgomaster of each settlement; as this is now devolved to the self-appointed and somewhat unusual council naming itself the 'Ring of Vallaki', that body should address this forthwith. 

Said body is also reminded that it has a duty to report unexpected strangers such as the Carnival and the feral travellers that caused such trouble to the authorities at Castle Ravenloft, so appropriate action can be taken promptly and efficiently. 

Finally, the Ring is reminded that the next tithe will be due at the Winter Solstice. Do not fail in your duties.

On behalf of Count Strahd,

Rahadin, Chamberlain and Hand of Strahd.

Bodies of the dead were cut down and taken to the Church of St Andral so that a service could be held, and precautions could be taken to prevent them rising again.

The joy and excitement that followed the death of Baron Vargas and the excitement of the Carnival is very much absent.

(*) Sword Coast Reckoning

Aldebaran

I stumbled upon this series by accident and ordered the first volume on a whim. Aldebaran is both written and illustrated by Leo, and is a Franco-Belgian style SF graphic novel collected in three volumes by Cineworld for the English speaking market. It is beautifully drawn and coloured, and the world building is lovely, perhaps the best part of the whole book.

The translation is a little clunky in the first volume (perhaps it's the script?) but gets better as you go on.

Aldebaran is the first extra-solar colony established by humanity but - in a not uncommon SF trope - it has been cut off from Earth for nearly a hundred years. Humanity has thrived on the world, but technology has fallen backward, perhaps towards a more sustainable level similar to the 1950s or 1960s.

The colony has grown, but has slipped towards autocracy with a heavy handed military and religious influenced government. Rights and freedoms are under pressure as the government seeks to maintain control and expand the population. The press is controlled, people can be imprisoned at will and the state dominates. It reminds me of the situations in reality in the cold war.

The story opens with our two initial protagonists, Kim (a 13-year old school kid obsessed with Earth and the possibility of recontact) and Marc (a 17-year old sailor infatuated with Kim's older sister Nelly) when their village suffers a strange catastrophe. They end up travelling towards the Capitol, Anatolia, and become drawn into an adventure which reveals hidden truths about Aldebaran and puts them in a collision course between the government and those that oppose it.

It's a world-building type of science fiction which has a more gentle pace as it covers a span of perhaps four years. It has a more grounded feel than something like Valerian(*). I enjoyed it a lot, and I've ordered the next series - Betelgeuse - because of that.

There is one oddity; Cineworld have edited some of the scenes to remove nudity by drawing underwear in. l'm guessing this is as they're marketing it as young adult (15+) and are concerned about the US market. I only note this because it jars in some places; contextually, it's weird against the story. That said, it doesn't bother me, it's just slightly out of kilter.

Overall, I recommend the series, and hope the next part matches up.

19 March 2022

(*) Valerian is a must-read in graphic novel form and you can see it's influences on Star Wars and others.

 

Curse of Strahd - S4E9 - The Streets of Vallaki

 

After a desperate battle with the Strigoi released upon the town of Vallaki, our heroes faced the unpleasant task of telling Lady Wachter that one of her maids had been killed brutally outside the house by one of the creatures...

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge 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

Ser Alys de Adon-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. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

with : 

Alexei the Vistana (a young human expert, sent to pay off his debt to the party by his Vistani elders after they rescued Arabelle from certain death when Alexei lost her in town. A late teenager who is so taken by Ireena and the excitement of the adventure that he's forgotten he planned to be sulky and surly for his 13 moon exile) - upgraded as a sidekick.

All characters are presently 6th level, including the sidekicks. 

4th December 8pm

Lady Wachter moved towards the door where Ser Adon stood, with Gaddock, Ser Alys and Kelwarin behind. Ser Adon's eyes were drawn to the woman behind her, the demure yet revealing red silk and lace night dress catching his attention as he caught the eyes of Lady Anastrasya. Like deep pools they drew him in and he became aware of his breathing and heart beat, and an overwhelming feeling of warmth and attraction started to flood him, right up to the point where he remembered the sharp kick his wife had given him the last time he'd gone moon-eyed over this woman who they suspected may well be a vampire. Concentration returning, Adon explained the bad news. Lady Fiona took it calmly, then called for another servant to aid the maid that had fainted.

It was clear that the news of the Strigoi and Vampires loose in town was news to the noblewoman, but less so for her friend. It was also clear that there was more between them than Lady Wachter would publicly admit. Ser Adon said that they were going to rest up and hunt the vampires, and that the occupants of the Wachterhaus should stay and safe until morning. Both women encouraged them to do so, wishing them well. Anastrasya effortlessly closed the heavy brass bound door and the locks clicked home.

The party headed to the Blue Water Inn to recover, with Ser Alys breaking off to go and check if Ireena and Alexei were in the Burgomaster's house they'd seized from Baron Vargas. At the Blue Water Inn, trade was brisk, and Kel had the pleasure of seeing Ireena in conversation with Rictavio. Adon talked to Danika, and was taken into the kitchen where his wounds were treated, warming broth served and a herbal beer drunk to aid recuperation. Gaddock checked the room out and started to relax. Kel started to fill in Ireena and Rictavio on what had happened, all the while enjoying the charm of Ireena's company and the ambience of what felt like a sanctuary. The fire roared, with sparks rising into the skies from the chimney.

Had you followed those sparks up, you would have caught a glimpse of the moon trying to come through the light clouds, a cold winter moon casting a clear silver light which mingled with the building fog on the streets below. Out of that fog came the sound of a scream that was cut short, a life snuffed out by a predator stalking the streets. Walking west towards the Church of St Andrew, Father Lucien took his sister home, the carnival having failed to lift her spirits which had been broken by the death of her husband, the Burgomaster Baron Vargas. He started, sure that something was watching him, just at the edge of his vision. They hurried on.

Kel's reverie and conversation was interrupted when a young man bumped into him. It was Kurt, Lady Wachter's soon. Drunk, definitely worse for wear, he and his brother were trying to have some fun at the expense of Kel and Rictavio. It was obviously also a misguided attempt to charm Ireena. Kurt kept on asking them to come and join them at their table; it was the right place for the daughter of the Burgomaster of the Village of Barovia to be, with the only nobility remaining in the town. Something passed between Kel and Ireena and they held hands. Kel and Rictavio managed to deter the two young fools, with Nikolai drawing his brother away with whispered words. As they slipped out, Ser Alys arrived with the disturbing news that Alexei was nowhere to be seen. Ireena said he'd gone to check in on his family. 

The party decided to go out to hunt vampires but initially to make sure that the Wachter brothers got home as they were worse for wear. They quickly realised that they hadn't gone home or even to the Carnival, but to another location to the east. Tracking them, after about ten minutes walk in the thickening fog, they found themselves in a stockyard with a Vistani style wagon pulled up, labelled Rictavio's Carnival of Wonder. 

Meanwhile, towards the Church, Father Lucien was certain he was being hunted. He tried to hurry but carefully, not showing his fear and trying to get his sister moving as well. A figure came out of the mists, clawed hands and sharp teeth. They walked faster, only to realise that another figure was looming ahead.

Back at the stockyard, the Wachter Boys were trying to break into the wagon. Rocking it and trying to force the lock. From inside, there was a roar. Something was definitely inside! The boys looked nervous, and were startled when Ser Adon arrived to tell them to go home. He tried to intimidate them; Nikolai was scared by the fierce half-orc and took off. Kurt looked more afraid but his will broke thanks to the clever use of a message spell by Kelwarin. Combined with the knight's threat, it was enough to make him break and run, perhaps soiling himself in his drunken state. 

Whatever was in the wagon roared again, but our heroes decided that that was Rictavio's business and started on their hunt to find the vampires. Heading back into town, Ser Adon took point, generally taunting the vampires he expected were hiding in the mists.

Near the Church of St Andrew, the creature moved forward towards Father Lucien and his sister. He backed towards a wall, trying to protect her. The creatures advanced, hissing. Lucien could see blood stains around their mouths and on their clothes. The vampires had clearly already killed. As despair started to rise, another figure ran in beside him, drawing a blade. It was the Vistani, Alexei, heading back into town having met his mother. He bravely put himself between the priest and his sister, determined to protect them.

The road opened to a wider part with a fountain, beside which Ser Adon could see the horrific sight of a vampire drinking the blood of Kurt Wachter. As he approached, the creature shuddered and threw Kurt into the fountain, drained and lifeless. Battle was swiftly joined, with our heroes prevailing. The creature was forced to turn and run, climbing onto a roof and them dissolving into bats, lost in the fog. But before it changed fall, it issued a blood-curdling cry. This echoed out across the town and valley.

At the Church, the cry was faint but clear. The creatures stopped their advance on the hapless priest and the brave Vistani. Moving unnaturally, they climbed onto the roof then called back. They started to run and there was a sudden sound of the flapping of wings and they were gone.

Checking out Kurt, Ser Adon realised he was dead. He also realised that there were more creatures coming. Soon, battle was joined and a desperate fight ensued. Although they were rested, the party was nowhere near full capability. Kel struggled to succeed with his spells, his witch bolts being drawn towards a lightning conductor on a nearby roof. Ser Alys was grabbed by one of the creatures which started to drain her blood. She fought on. The battle slowly turned in favour of our heroes; one-by-one, they destroyed the vampires. 

As they cornered the final one, there was a flurry of wings and they were horrified to see Count Strahd himself appearing. He erupted from a storm of bats, and casually grabbed the vampire which was pulling itself up Ireena's rapier. Ripping it's head off, he destroyed it before apologising and explaining that this should not have happened, it wasn't planned. He reminded the party that his invitation to dinner at Castle Ravenloft still stood; they were welcome to join him, and apologised once more. He was gone almost abruptly as he came.

The party gathered Kurt's body and started to head to the Church of St Andral, thinking about how they'd break the news to his mother.

GM Notes: 

The fighting continued, Kel and Ireena's romance continues to blossom.

The vampire spawn went properly tactical, but the party smartly focused their attacks on a single target at a time which overcame much of the regeneration damage.

There are signs that perhaps Strahd's grip on power is not quite absolute, but what does that really mean? Was he just kill stealing?

Does Lady Wachter know the nature of her 'friend'? How will she react to the news of her boy's death.

The other need will be for the players to decide what to do next, ideally before the next session!

1) Catch up with Jeny Greengrass as planned.

2) Investigate the ruined mansion

3) Investigate Old Berez

4) Follow up the Amber Temple that Roscoe Tosscobble had set off too.

5) Take up Count Strahd on his dinner invite.

Tom, Ser Alys' player is away for two weeks, which I'd missed out on.

16 March 2022

Chapter 3 of Eternal Lies

Eternal Lies - gaming over Zoom...

We continued our run of Eternal Lies tonight, and it very nearly saw the sudden ending of our investigation when a supernatural threat erupted out of nowhere and a few bad dice rolls left my character perilously close to death and Dr Mitch's character close to insanity.  The acronym 'TPK' went across the chat window. Somehow, we escaped.

The outcomes reflected the dualism of the way that Gumshoe games build characters. Between the two of us, we tend to cover most of the core skills, which means the spotlight shifts from one to the other. Ironically, the character skilled in First Aid was the one injured, and the character skilled in Psychoanalysis was the one who suffered most mentally from what we faced.

This is probably the third time that the campaign has suddenly flipped this way towards the threat of extinction; I felt it when we tried to escape from Savannah, and when my character walked into a hotel room and was confronted by a man with a gun (and if you know how brutal Trail of Cthulhu's point blank rules are, you'll understand the level of threat). This time we were expecting a mundane threat, but it wasn't.

Eternal Lies runs in a very purist manner; the threats are real and present and the characters are fragile. Part of me wants them to be able to survive more, to be more pulp, but then I remember that the notes that make this unique all stem from different shades of noir. We've had noir in the swamp, noir in the city (LA, its archetypal home) and now noir in the lazy sun of Mexico City. Death, fragility and flaws are all part of the tropes that the scenario embraces.

Richard continues to run a masterclass in horror investigative games in general and Gumshoe engined ones in particular; we're fortunate to have him as a GM. Our final game of the session (but not the Chapter) is next week.

7 March 2022

Revelation 2022 - After Con Report

Last weekend saw me at Revelation 2022, our Garricon Tabletop Roleplaying Game Convention focussed around games using the Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark engines. We also let Ironsworn slip in there. Numbers were down on normal, with 24 attendees. We'd usually get somewhere between thirty and forty people present, but it's understandable that people are still nervous about attending. Despite the PM's enthusiasm for things to return to normal, we were conscious that over 11,000 people were still in hospital with COVID-19, so we maintained the requirement for double vaccination and a clear Lateral Flow Test within the last 24 hours. We'll almost certainly maintain that for North Star, later in the year.

With numbers down, the budget was tighter, but we still managed to stretch to provide free tea and coffee through the event. It felt very chilled because of the numbers; it was more like having an open house and inviting friend around.

Unlike Furnace, I drive up on the morning of the convention for the smaller cons. This means an earlier start than usual, but I was onsite just after nine o'clock lugging up some games that I was selling. As we had lower numbers, we hadn't asked any traders to attend, but did have an informal bring and buy. A couple of authors had their own books to sell as well. I was pleased because I managed to fund my entire convention and more from the sales.

Be Seeing You - a fun game.

Slot 1 saw me playing Be Seeing You, a game which riffs on the Prisoner and Surveillance society. It was run by the author, Tanya Floaker, and I really enjoyed the game. I'd signed up because I'd backed the Kickstarter, and I wanted to see how it would work (and what better way to do this than by playing with the author themselves). It was great fun; it did perhaps veer towards the surreal, but that reflects the source and the player's creativity. Andy Pandy, robot sheepdogs and crown green bowling balls with cameras in became recurring menaces. I'd play this again at the drop of a hat and I'm looking forward to receiving my copy.

It was Morrisons for lunch, amazing how many people there didn't bother wearing masks so soon after restrictions were lifted, but overall it was fine.

Our heroes face a difficult challenge.

The second gaming slot saw me playing Declan's Galaxies in Peril engined game. He was running over three slots, with mixes of the same characters in a twisted UK which had been taken over by the Unity Party in the early 1980s. Shades of V for Vendetta and more in this. It was great fun; I ended up picking a character loaded with mind powers and we managed to land a small victory. I'm curious how far the game moved away from the core game and setting; it was fun and I did check in to find out how it all ended after Slot 3.

The casino dice came out...

I had dinner at the Garrison, foregoing the usual KFC trip mainly because I'd been to KFC with the kids a couple of days before and I fancied a proper meal before I ran my first game of the convention.

Back in the City of Mist

I was running City of Mist for the fourth time at a convention in Slot 3; once again I was drawing upon one of the published scenarios for the game out of 'Nights of Payne Town'. There's something about this game that I love, and it soon clicked with me. The characters carefully investigated and I did face the party splitting. In the end I dropped one of the possible routes through the scenario (mainly as the players didn't notice it!) and truncated the ending to make sure we wrapped at a reasonable time. We'd just hit 11pm and were about fifteen minutes from the end when the night manager arrived and started a discussion about when we were finishing, which meant we overshot by quite a bit. However, the table was full of laughter and smiles and everyone really got stuck into the game and their characters. 

I had a good discussion with Guy at the end about whether the game system really allowed players to get into trouble. As you build your dice modifiers by selecting appropriate power tags, and as you have at least 12 tags (plus weaknesses), there is a temptation to try and throw in the kitchen sink for maximum effect. You do need to be willing to say no. The characters do come across as competent, but they can be put into peril. Thanks to clever planning and some cool moves, they managed to sidestep around some significant threats. Chalking it up in the 'things they'll never know' list, one of the plans the players discussed in front of my would have probably left one of them turned to stone, so it was a good thing that they changed their minds!

Let me introduce Jonas Jansey

The second day of the convention saw me playing Tribes in the Dark, the new QuickStart for a Tribe-8 reboot using the FitD engine. It was great fun; I'd never played the game or seen the setting, but a combination of great players and a GM who loved the setting meant we had a brilliant game. We almost immediately took the scenario off track and Graham handled it with aplomb. We also benefited from a masterclass in position and effect from Tanya, which cleared up all Graham's worries about how it worked and also made it clearer to me than it had ever been before.

Using position and effect and clocks like a pro.

The final session, Slot 5, saw me running Impulse Drive, an SF game that leans into a lot of tropes. I forgot to take a picture of this one. I'd played the game a couple of years before and wanted to revisit it again, especially as it seemed to work better than Uncharted Worlds. I found the game itself pretty hard going to read as the layout did nothing for me, and if anything it felt like it had had too much time in development. That said, it worked well as an engine. The players did well too; one of them spotted the way the plot was going early on and leaned into social skills to avoid a live fire conflict. It was an investigative game; I'd used the five room structure as a basis, which seemed to work well. However, I was tired by this point so I was struggling to give this as much energy as it deserved. I think I'd rate my GMing as okay in this, but nothing special. It was almost an anticlimax after the game the night before when I'd really got my head in the right space.

All in all, Revelation 2022 was a fun convention, albeit a little quieter than other years, and I'm looking forward to its return in 2023. Hopefully the numbers will be up a bit. Thanks to the attendees, and my co-organisers Graham and Elaine with whom I got to play games with for the first time in a while. We had a committee table in effect for both my games!

5 March 2022

Curse of Strahd - S4E8 - Wings in the night

   

Having decided that Isolde wasn't really a threat, the party disturbed a carnival wagon full of zombies, vaporising them rapidly with fireballs. As the wagon burned, the roof erupted and three large, bat-like creatures took off, followed by three gaunt looking vampire spawn, looking like twisted parodies of the party they had rescued from the library. Realising the threat that they could pose to the town, especially when everyone was out for the Carnival and guards were down, our heroes set off in pursuit...

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge 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

Ser Alys de Adon-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. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

with : 

Alexei the Vistana (a young human expert, sent to pay off his debt to the party by his Vistani elders after they rescued Arabelle from certain death when Alexei lost her in town. A late teenager who is so taken by Ireena and the excitement of the adventure that he's forgotten he planned to be sulky and surly for his 13 moon exile) - upgraded as a sidekick.

All characters are presently 6th level, including the sidekicks. 

4th December 7pm

Tracking quickly into town, our heroes ran through the building mist of the cold winter night. The mist was already building, nearly reaching Gaddock's chest. They instinctively headed to the Blue Water Inn to see if all was well. The Inn was bustling, but there was no immediate sign of a threat until they heard a noise above on the roof. Gaddock sent his owl up to the roof of a building opposite, and looked through its eyes, revealing the presence of a large, bat winged creature with sharp claws and a sharp proboscis. Gaddock made the owl fly casually back, and told the others what was there. Ser Alys immediately set off to the town hall to get her armour, only a few streets away.

The creature on the roof didn't seem to notice Ser Alys, who quickly got to her room and put her armour on. She was disappointed that the guard on the Town Hall was obviously derelict in his duties, as he wasn't present. She only realised that she was wrong in this assessment as she set off back towards the Blue Water Inn, and a large splash of rain landed on her hand. Only it wasn't rain, it was blood.

Looking up, she saw her guard's legs dangling from the roof as another of the creatures sucked his essence out of him. Realising that she could do nothing to help him as he was 20 feet up in the air, Ser Alys started to run towards the Inn to get help. Unfortunately, her chainmail caught the creature's attention as she ran, and she heard a dull thud as the corpse of her town guard hit the stairs by the entrance, discarded by the creature as it took to the air to start in its next tasty snack.

Meanwhile, at the Inn, the other creature called out in a high pitched nearly inaudible cry, and took to the air. Kelwarin blasted at it with a firebolt but missed, setting the roof of a nearby townhouse on fire. He rushed to warn the occupants, while Ser Adon through his javelin of light at the creature. This too missed, impaling the roof near the fire and illuminating the work that Kel's hastily organised bucket chain needed to address. Gaddock and Adon started running back to the main square to make sure Alys was safe.

They arrived to a scene of carnage, with a body of one of the creatures on the floor in the alley entering the town square, but no sign of Ser Alys. Gaddock scanned the rooftops and realised that Ser Alys had been dragged to the roof and two of the creatures were feeding on her. He warned Ser Adon, who misty stepped onto the roof and attacked. Swiftly, battle was joined. Adon had arrived just in time to prevent the demise of his wife, who was cruel grappled as the creatures drank her blood. With support from the spell casters, another of the creatures was killed, but suddenly the air was filled with strikes, flying confusing patterns around the group. 

The surviving creature started to fly off; Adon taunted it, trying to goad it to combat him with his magic to no avail. Protected by the striges swarming around it, it quickly put distance between them. Gaddock had mindspiked it, so could follow its progress. It made two stops in short succession as it tracked west towards the Church before turning back and round to the north of the town square.

Ser Alys was healed by her husband, then they headed in pursuit, finding two victims of the creature discarded in alleyways. They eventually tracked it to the Wachterhaus, where they found it draining one of Lady Wachter's maids who had served them when they visited last. Initially, they wondered if it was - in fact - the lady of the house, but then they became certain that it was something else. It was surrounded by a larger swarm of stirges which immediately started towards Gaddock as he prepared his spell. Ser Adon rushed forward, only for the larger creature to dive towards him, plunging its proboscis into him. If it wasn't for his orcish hardiness then he would have likely been dead, a drained husk. 

A desperate fight attached with stirges attaching to our heroes and draining their blood, Gaddock firing off waves of magic missiles, and both the knights fighting hard. Kel's magic wasn't with him, as the creatures moved too quickly for his witch bolts to hit. The battle became more of a struggle as magic reserves and healing potions were exhausted. Eventually, Ser Alys through herself in front of her husband, distracting the creatures from killing him. Gaddock peppered it with whistling magic missiles of death, and eventually they brought it down. 

They decided to head back to the Inn to recover and get a drink after the fight, but then decided that they needed to tell Lady Wachter that her maid had been killed. After they'd done that, they could debate how many stirges the larger creatures were worth to see who had 'won'! 

Knocking on the door, the other maid answered, fainting when she was bluntly told that her friend and colleague had been sucked to death by a flying vampiric beast, and that vampires were abroad. Ser Adon caught her as she collapsed, and then realised that Lady Wachter had arrived, dressed in a severe night coat, holding the hand of someone behind in the shadows...

GM Notes: 

This was a fun and brutal evening. The creatures were Strigoi, magically mutated striges from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, and they are very dangerous. Ser Alys was one hit away from dying as the encounter opened and her husband and Gaddock arrived. Ser Adon was 1 hit point from dying if hit in the second battle, having suffered a critical and a second solid hit. I only noticed the fact that the drain attack would cause an insta-kill if hit points were taken below zero with its necrotic damage. Always read the small print, Dom! They were tough enough to be a significant threat, especially when the players were down in resources from previous fights.

This is going to be a factor in what happens next; the characters have fought a running battle through the streets of Vallaki, yet they're only facing half of the threat. They have run out of resources and have little left in the way of spells. And it's only about 9 to 10 pm in the evening. It's not even midnight. Attrition is really dangerous, especially as they haven't had time for a short rest yet.

I used the Lazy DM's suggestions for running large numbers of creatures for the stirges, which worked well. I nearly forgot I had that book(*) ready to use as a reference and must be ready to draw on it properly next session.

Graham was unlucky and had a run of poor rolls all evening - we've all been there and done that!

Paul was fortunate that Ser Adon had acquired new armour.

How are the notables of Vallaki doing and what about the party's sidekicks...? 

(*) The Lazy DM's Workbook, available on DriveThruRPG.

2 March 2022