Blood of the Vine
After narrowly escaping The Death House in the last session, the party are invited for a drink at the village tavern by a young man named Ismark. On the way to the tavern, the party caught a delicious scent of meat and herbs, and spotted an old woman selling pies out of a small cart. The players approached, and were greeted by the old woman, who introduced herself as Granny Morgan and offered the heroes a free pie. The party gladly accepted, and after learning of the good dreams eating the pies would bring, bought a few extra.
Upon entering the Blood of the Vine Tavern with Ismark, the party was served by a dreary barkeeper named Arik, who was cleaning glasses and staring ahead with a blank expression. After ordering some wine, Ismark explained that he was the son of the now dead Burgomaster, and that he was looking for some strong people to escort his sister to the nearby town of Vallaki. After some questioning, he shared that the Devil had been targeting his family’s mansion, and that his father died from the stress of it all. As the party were seeking Madam Eva and the town of Vallaki, they agreed to help Ismark and his sister.
Heading to the Burgomaster’s Mansion, the party noticed how run down the building was, as recent attacks by wolves and zombies have left the building marked and damaged. Knocking at the door, a woman hesitantly opened and waited for everyone to step inside, without saying a word. After everyone was inside, Ismark and his sister breathed a sigh of relief, and explained that they did not want to give the impression that they were inviting the party inside, just in case one of them was secretly the devil.
Ismark introduced his sister Ireena, and quickly moved to gather her supplies for the journey to Vallaki. Ireena briefly glanced around the party, and offered some salves or bandages to some of the more damaged players. She explained that she had spent a lot of time patching up her brother’s wounds, so she was quite experienced in dealing with injuries. After some time conversing, the party discovered that Ireena was quite reluctant to leave the village of Barovia, especially since Ismark has not had the chance to bury their father. With night approaching, the party offered to help Ismark bring the Burgomaster’s body to the church in the morning, before setting off for Vallaki. Ismark hesitantly agreed to this plan, on the condition that Ireena stayed in the mansion.
Right before bed, a few of my players decided to try out the dream pies that they had purchased earlier. As they drifted to sleep, they had pleasant dreams of a beautiful lake, and a camp of cheerful people singing and drinking wine.
Burying the Burgomaster
After a rather peaceful night, the party awake and accompanied Ismark to the village church, carrying with them the body of the Burgomaster. Outside the church, Ismark suggests that he talk to the priest, and that the party try not to ask too many questions. Opening the heavy wooden doors, the party heard prayers spoken in a quiet, rasping voice. Approaching a man, they noticed dark, heavy bags under his eyes. The priest, Donavich, explained that he has spent the last few days praying to the Morninglord, but will gladly take the time to give the Burgomaster a proper funeral. On their way out of the church, a young man screams out in pain from underneath the floorboards.
In the cemetery, the party helped to dig a spot for the Burgomaster, while Donavich mutters some prayers to the Morninglord. One of my particularly perceptive players noticed a pair of figures at the edge of the nearby woods, they seemed to be paying their respects. With the funeral over, Ismark asked to have a moment alone before they return to the mansion, so Donavich speaks with the party alone. The priest bluntly asks if the party were an answer to his prayers, for his son had been cursed with Vampirism. As the party conquered the evil at The Death House without issue, he pleads that they help cure his son, Doru.
Leading the party behind a locked door inside the church, Donavich unbars a small trapdoor in the floor. He gestures down the stairs, and explained he holds his son below the church, and that the party must not harm him. Upon entering, the players spot a thin figure hunched in a dark corner of the room. Doru then began to sniff at the air, and turned to point at the player in the back of the group:
“I can smell your blood! And it smells delicious!”
One member of the party moved to get a closer look at him, and upon confirming he was in fact a vampire spawn, pulled a wooden stake from his monster hunter’s pack. Noticing this, Doru leapt into action and rushed to grapple and bite a player. Moving to help, the monster hunter drove the stake into Doru’s back, which to their surprise did very little. Thankfully, with Doru in a hungry and weakened state, the party were able to fight him off using their normal gear. As he was attacked, Doru cried out in pain, which drew the attention of Donavich upstairs.
By the time Donavich was able to push past the rear members of the party, his son had already been defeated. The priest fell to this knees sobbing, and accused the party of being agents of chaos rather than the answers to his prayers. As the players left the church, Ismark was waiting with a worried expression. After explaining the situation to him, Ismark looked both worried and relieved, thinking for a bit, he agreed that what they did was harsh but maybe for the best.
When the party returned to the Burgomaster’s Mansion, Ireena was happy to hear that her father had finally been buried, and was ready to leave for Vallaki. On their way out of the village of Barovia, the party heard the faint sound of the faraway church bell ring out a single time.
River Ivlis Crossroads
Traveling on Old Svalich Road once more, the party had some time to talk with Ireena. After learning of the party’s goal to meet Madam Eva, Ireena revealed that she knew of a Vistani camp along the Ivlis River at the Tser Pool. Hearing that, the party agreed to allow Ireena to lead them there.
Upon reaching the River Ivlis Crossroads, the party encountered an old graveyard and gallows, cloaked in a veil of mist. In the mist, they spot several figures at the fork in the road, and a body hanging from the gallows. Approaching further, the players noticed that many of the figures were skeletons, but that the figure closest to the gallows was a pale woman, who was chanting in an unknown language. Glancing up to the body in the gallows, each player felt a chill as they recognize the corpse as themselves.
Springing into action, the necromancer mobilized the skeletons under her control. The party found the skeletons to be quite frail, each dying after a single hit, but the necromancer was quick to summon more minions to replace them. After some fighting, she caused grasping skeletal hands to erupt from the earth and restrain some members of the party. As the party dealt with the skeletons, the necromancer hurled necrotic bolts of energy at them, causing the party to shift their focus to her. At a critical moment of the fight, one of my players fell unconscious, and Ireena moved to quickly stabilize them. The battle was quite heated, but eventually the necromancer fell, and as a result her skeletons collapsed, no longer a threat.
With the fighting finally over, Ireena collapsed to her knees in shock. She had never been in a battle before, and while she was prepared on paper, the reality of combat was more intense than anticipated. As the party rested alongside her, they noticed that the corpse on the gallows was no longer themselves, but instead a Barovian commoner. After catching their breath, Ireena was able to point the party down the fork in the road that lead to the Tser Pool.
Encampment at the Tser Pool
Following the dirt road, the party noticed the glow of a fire and heard the sounds of singing and laughter. Emerging from the woods, they spot a small encampment of tents and wagons, surrounded by folks dressed in colorful clothes drinking wine. As the party approach, they are welcomed with wine and stories, and are informed that Madam Eva has predicted their arrival. My Vistana player was finally home, and was overjoyed to hear they had found the Madam.
As the party waited to see Madam Eva, they were told stories of a wizard that had visited Barovia over a year ago. The wizard had rallied many commoners against Strahd, and personally lead an attack on Castle Ravenloft. Unfortunately, the wizard failed and has not been seen since. With the party finally feeling a little safe in the Vistani encampment, they wait for a card reading that will help them navigate the difficult path ahead.