16-04-25 - Chapter 2 - Village of Barovia - Session Recap

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After surviving a perilous escape from the Durst Manor, the heroes were exhausted - Lochlan was even unconscious. They made camp by a hill not far from the manor, where they treated their wounds.

Suddenly, a ghostly apparition of a hand emerged from Lochlan’s unconscious body, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him into a sitting position. Lochlan had developed the ability to manipulate the Weave of magic and harness its power.

Asli performed a new piece of incredible music, bolstering the spirits of the entire party. His continuous study of music and its intricacies, combined with the admiration of his newfound friends, had led him to new heights of performance. The calming melodies of Asli spread through the deepening night, as the others drifted into their first peaceful sleep in days.

After a few hours, Straff was awoken for watch duty, and Asli got some well-deserved rest. As Straff sat in silence by the dying campfire, he pondered his life up to this moment and whether his choice to pursue the evils of the world was the right one. He mumbled some prayers to the God of Light, and to his surprise, Drox answered - not with words exactly, but Straff understood nonetheless. He swore an oath to do all in his power to stop the evils of this land and to dedicate his life and soul to the cause. He felt the light of Drox fueling him, giving him new strength to accomplish his goals.

When Straff's watch was over, Lucian was woken to take his place. Like his new travel companions, Lucian felt bolstered by the perils they had faced and closer to his god than ever. Sitting in the cold night, he reminisced about his life-the lives he had lost, and the lives he had taken. Suddenly, a golden flame appeared a short distance away, enticing him. As he investigated, he realized he had encountered this flame before - just after his wife’s death and the disappearance of his children. The symbol of Drox appeared before him, and he heard a voice trembling within. He was rewarded for his continued faith and devotion, and when Drox’s presence faded, Lucian was left with a necklace bearing his holy symbol - an instrument to channel his divine magic.

Lochlan took the final watch of the night. Intrigued by his newfound abilities, he summoned the spectral hand - this time, purposefully. Lochlan had always been fascinated by magic and a bit jealous of his cousin’s affinity for it. It seemed that arcane knowledge had manifested within his unconscious mind, and magical phrases and somatic gestures came to him like lost memories from forgotten corners of his psyche. He performed a ritual, summoning an animal companion in the form of an owl.

When morning came, the well-rested heroes prepared to head toward the village in the distance - only to discover that the Durst house had mysteriously vanished. With an eerie sense of being watched, they approached the village, searching for answers to the madness they had been drawn into. The village showed clear signs of an assault, and the road led them to a large barricade at its main entrance. The villagers looked tired, wary, and grieving. As the heroes approached, they were ordered to reveal themselves. Before the situation escalated, a blonde man intervened. They were introduced to Ismark Kolyanovich, the burgomaster’s son. Ismark was a fairly handsome man despite the dark circles under his worried eyes, and he seemed respected by many of the villagers. He led them to the "Blood & Vine" tavern in the town square.

Inside the tavern, he offered the heroes a mug of ale - and, more importantly, answers. With a heavy heart, he told them they had entered the land of Barovia - a cursed realm ruled by the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. Outsiders sometimes arrived, but few were able to leave. Ismark mentioned a group of nomadic people, the Vistani, who were rumored to have the ability to travel freely. Strahd had been dormant for many years until, three months ago, Doru, the son of the local priest, raised a small band of men to rebel against him. They marched on Castle Ravenloft, but the attempt failed miserably - and only succeeded in awakening Strahd from his slumber.

A few days later, an emissary of Strahd arrived in the village, warning them to atone for their transgressions or face his wrath. Many villagers fled to the nearby settlement of Vallaki; others stayed to defend their homes. Then, six nights ago, the terror began - waves of undead thralls attacked the village, and the assaults have continued nightly since.

In the middle of their conversation, a disgruntled villager interrupted. Fueled by grief and alcohol, Bildrath urged the heroes to leave at once and not trust "Ismark the Lesser." Bildrath had lost all hope and blamed Ismark for the death of his sister, Marta. Ismark had previously rallied the villagers with a speech, encouraging them to stay and defend their homes. Inspired by his words, Marta, her husband, and their son Parriwimple stayed. Unwilling to abandon his family, Bildrath stayed as well. Tragically, Marta and her husband perished the first night, leaving Parriwimple orphaned. Ismark seemed deeply burdened by this and accepted responsibility.

Suddenly, a woman burst into the tavern, revealing that her daughter, Gertruda, had gone to Castle Ravenloft to parley with Strahd. Ismark promised the woman he would bring Gertruda home safely, which reignited Bildrath’s anger. Accusations flew, and a fight nearly broke out. The heroes offered to help find Gertruda, but Ismark instead asked them to help defend the village that night. They needed all the help they could get. He instructed them to retrieve fire bottles from his father’s house and deliver them to the eastern barricade, where they would be stationed. He gave them a map of the village, and the heroes set off.

At the burgomaster’s mansion, a mob had gathered at the front door. Kolyan Indirovich and his daughter, Ireena Kolyana, were in a heated argument with the woman leading the mob. The villagers demanded to offer Ireena as a bride to Strahd, believing her sacrifice might stop the attacks. They claimed Strahd had an affinity for redheads. Though wounded, Kolyan was ready to fight the entire mob to protect his daughter. Just as tensions peaked, the heroes intervened, calming the situation. However, Lochlan chose this moment to summon his invisible spectral hand and sexually assault the crying woman by grabbing her behind. Asli quickly defused the situation, convincing her it had simply been someone brushing past. With mistrust in their eyes, the mob dispersed.

Impressed by their (mostly) effective conflict resolution and at the mention of Ismark, Kolyan invited the heroes inside. He offered them room and board, grateful for any aid. Over lunch, Kolyan expressed concern that many villagers had lost hope and blamed Ismark for encouraging them to stay. Ismark bore the weight of each death personally. Kolyan asked for the heroes’ insights into the nature of the undead attacks, which seemed to occur randomly along the village perimeter. He also revealed that scouts had seen hundreds of undead lurking just beyond the woods, watching - yet not attacking. They could easily wipe out the village, but they didn’t.

After lunch, Ireena showed them their rooms and urged them to rest. Straff found a torn page from a monster-hunting book detailing vampire lore. Ireena didn’t recognize it, but said an eccentric traveler had stayed in the room months ago, and it may have belonged to him.

Before resting, the heroes resupplied at Bildrath’s Mercantile, while Lucian visited the church. A grumpy Bildrath sold them some items: Lochlan acquired a component pouch, Straff bought caltrops, and Asli purchased a shield brought out by the burly Parriwimple. Parriwimple seemed curious about the heroes, but Bildrath ordered him back into storage. Asli also grabbed two empty sacks for a plan.

Meanwhile, Lucian reached the decrepit church and knocked on the locked doors, loudly announcing himself. Hearing movement inside, he cast a spell to illuminate the door. This convinced the paranoid priest to respond, though he refused to open the door. He promised to meet them - if they survived the night.

As Lucian returned, he spotted a raven with blue-tipped wings watching him from a rooftop. As soon as he noticed, it flew off toward the town square. Lucian tried to follow, but lost sight of it behind the rooftops. The party reunited and rested at the manor.

They awoke before dinnertime and shared a meal with Kolyan, Ireena, and Ismark, discussing tactics. The heroes would defend the eastern barricade; Ismark would defend the west. Though the odds were grim, Ismark did his best to inspire hope. Impressed with their planning, Kolyan wrote the heroes a letter of recommendation for use in other Barovian settlements. They finished eating and took their posts.

At the eastern barricade, they met Bildrath and Parriwimple, ready to defend the village. Asli used the empty sacks to create scarecrow-like distractions filled with fire bottles. As darkness fell and the moon rose, the attack began. At first, there was only one scream - then a cacophony from all around the village.

The first wave approached: five animated corpses charging the barricades. The scarecrows distracted some of the zombies, and Lochlan’s spirit owl dropped torches, triggering the fire bottles. Some zombies burned, but it wasn’t enough. Though safely behind the barricade, Straff leapt over it, smiting the undead with divine fire. He was soon surrounded as more enemies arrived - including two ferocious ghouls.

The barricade’s center broke. Parriwimple stepped forward to defend the gap. More undead came. Among them was an enhanced zombie - faster, stronger, and emanating an aura of decay that poisoned Straff. Lucian called down golden fire to weaken the enemy, and Asli compelled it to flee. For a moment, it obeyed.

Then two arrows came out of the darkness - one piercing Bildrath’s neck, a grim reminder of Old Man Gavin’s fate. Parriwimple fell not long after, never knowing he’d lost his uncle.

Lochlan sent his owl scouting and saw a black wraith loosing arrows in the dark. Asli’s magic wore off, and the plague spreader returned. It unleashed a toxic explosion that engulfed the heroes. Though wounded, they stood their ground. Through grit and determination, they repelled the wave.

Lochlan saw many more foes lurking beyond - but, for now, the assault had ceased.

Abridged Recap

After barely escaping the deathtrap of Durst Manor, your weary group staggered into the mists, making camp on a lonely hill under a brooding sky. Lochlan lay unconscious, the trauma of the ordeal heavy on his body and spirit. As the others treated wounds and tried to rest, something strange occurred—something new.

From Lochlan’s body, a spectral hand emerged, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him upright. Unconscious no more, he gasped awake with a flicker of arcane power behind his eyes. Magic had found him—or perhaps, returned to him.

Asli, ever attuned to the emotional undercurrent of the group, began to play. His music—haunting, beautiful, and resonant—soothed everyone's nerves. In his hands, melody became magic. And for the first time in days, the group slept without fear.

Straff awoke for the next watch, keeping quiet vigil beside the dying fire. In the stillness, doubts crept in: was this path, this crusade against evil, truly the right one? He whispered to Drox, the God of Light… and received an answer—not in words, but in clarity and fire. Drox had heard him. Fueled by newfound purpose, Straff swore an oath: to be a light in Barovia’s darkness.

Lucian’s watch followed. As he sat in silence, grief stirred within him—echoes of the family he had lost. A golden flame flickered in the distance. Drawn to it, Lucian recognized it from his darkest days. Then came Drox again—this time with a gift: a radiant pendant, infused with divine power. Faith rewarded. His path reaffirmed.

At dawn, Lochlan tested his gifts. The spectral hand obeyed his command. Arcane phrases whispered from forgotten corners of his mind. He conjured an owl, a companion of magic and mystery. The weave had taken root in him.

But when they looked back… the Durst House was gone. Vanished, as if it never existed. An invisible weight pressed on their shoulders as they approached the village in the valley below.

The village of Barovia greeted them with silence, smoke, and scars of recent violence. At the gates, tension nearly escalated until a blonde man intervened—Ismark, son of the burgomaster. He offered safe passage and answers at the Blood & Vine tavern.

Over ale and candlelight, Ismark spoke of Barovia’s curse. A vampire lord—Strahd von Zarovich—rules these lands. Three months ago, a failed rebellion awoke him from slumber. In retaliation, the dead began to rise, attacking the village night after night.

Grief made itself known when a drunk, bitter villager—Bildrath—lashed out at Ismark, blaming him for his sister’s death. Then came a mother’s cries: her daughter, Gertruda, had fled to Castle Ravenloft. As the group offered their aid, Ismark instead asked for help defending the village. Fire bottles waited at his father's mansion—tools for the coming siege.

At the manor, tensions flared again. A desperate mob demanded Ireena, the burgomaster’s red-haired daughter, be offered to Strahd as tribute. The group defused the standoff—though Lochlan, in a moment of poor judgment, summoned his spectral hand to inappropriately grab a villager. Asli salvaged the situation with quick thinking, but suspicion lingered.

Grateful, the burgomaster, Kolyan Indirovich, welcomed the party inside. Over a tense lunch, he spoke of hopeless villagers, and attacks that seemed almost... strategic. The dead didn’t throw themselves recklessly—they waited, watched, surrounded. But why?

The party split briefly to prepare. At Bildrath’s store, supplies were bought, and the orphaned Parriwimple—Bildrath’s gentle giant of a nephew—carried goods with silent admiration. Meanwhile, Lucian visited the church. He found only fear behind locked doors and a priest too afraid to speak. A blue-tipped raven watched him from above before vanishing into the mist.

Evening fell. Dinner was had. Plans were made. They would defend the eastern barricade. Ismark would take the west. Kolyan, in thanks, offered them a letter of recommendation—for survival or for seeking allies elsewhere.

Night fell. The barricade creaked under tension as the party took their positions. Asli deployed his trap—scarecrows filled with fire bottles to lure the undead. Then, silence.

Then… screams.

The dead came—first a handful of zombies. Lochlan’s owl triggered the traps, lighting the field with flame. Straff, ignoring safety, charged out beyond the barricade, smiting foes with divine wrath. More undead followed. A massive, diseased zombie lumbered into view, oozing decay. It poisoned the air around it, and the group fought to keep the barricade intact.

Parriwimple held the line—but then, two arrows flew from the darkness. One struck Bildrath in the neck. He crumpled instantly. Parriwimple didn’t last much longer. They never knew they'd died minutes apart.

Lochlan’s owl spotted a shadowy wraith archer in the distance. The plague-ridden zombie unleashed a noxious explosion, blanketing the battlefield in rot. The heroes, bruised and bloodied, held their ground.

And then… silence.

The wave had passed. But many more lingered in the dark.