Session 13

After destroying the demon, the party tries to console Felix. He admits that he remembers killing both his parents and Lucien.

Shalooti goes to see if Milivoj is still attractive alive. The party find him awake and full of teenage angst. He admits to them that he stole the bones and sold them to Henrik van der Voort, the Coffin Shop owner, for money to support the orphanage.

The party takes a short rest on the way out of the orphanage, and a grateful Dr Velasco offers them the leftover Potions of Healing that Milivoj no longer needs. Myrtle shows the party that Felix destroyed her favorite doll and asks them have it fixed at The Town of Vallaki (N) > Blinsky Toys.

The party head to the toy shop, but Bardolf stays behind to play rocks with Freek.

The party meet, Gadof Blinsky, a lonely toymaker with a really weird accent. They bargain down the price of fixing the doll, but after coming to pity him, offer him more than he originally asked for.

Scanning the wares, Pelanil notices something alarming: there is a doll that looks just like Elora on the shelf. Blinsky, after being charmed by Anakir, spills the beans that Izek Strazni has been coming in for years asking him to make the same doll with more and more precision, threatening to burn down his store otherwise.

Elora buys this specific doll from Blinsky who says he can make another before Izek comes for it, and also picks up a Strahd dummy.

Ireena heads back to the orphanage to drop off the doll to Myrtle.

Outside the toy store, the party is approached by Ernst "Little Finger" Larnak. He tells the group that his master, Lady Wachter, has taken notice to their presence in town and has asked for an audience at dinner to discuss The Burgomaster.

Anakir, having failed to seduce literally every other person in town today, finally has some luck with Little Finger. Ernst leads Anakir back to The Town of Vallaki (N) > Wachterhaus and up to Karl and Nikolai's room. Before they can slip inside and fade to black, the door across the hall opens, and Lady Fiona Wachter walks out with young man in tow.

After introductions, Fiona informs Anakir and Ernst that this messenger told her that her sons are currently being hanged. Anakir offers help, but Fiona declines, saying she believes her conversation with Anakir is far more important.

She gives Anakir time to collect himself and says to meet her downstairs to talk. Once downstairs, she tells him the following:

• She's not happy with the rule of The Baron:
  • Vargas isn't the first terrible Burgomaster of the Vallakovich family. Each Burgomaster has been just as terrible, if not worse, in their rules.
  • Vargas and his captain, Izek Strazni, are brutes. Many believe only Izek is responsible for torturing prisoners, but she knows that Vargas has his own mean streak. Perhaps that is why his wife, Lydia, is so delicate in nature...
  • Fiona tried to do the diplomatic thing and consolidate an understanding with The Burgomaster by arranging the marriage between their children. However, she was unaware that Victor Vallakovich could be as cruel as his father at so young an age. Though she doesn't know what exactly Victor did to make her daughter lose her mind, she knows it must have been horrible.
• When Anakir asked about her thoughts on Strahd:
  • Fiona brazenly calls Strahd by name, directly against Vallaki's laws
    • She says she does this because she has no fear of him.
  • She sees no monster in the land but Vargas himself. Fiona believes that Vargas' fear of Strahd is only an excuse to get away with mistreating the people of Vallaki. She believes Vargas actively sows that fear to get the people to follow to him in a great conspiracy.
  • Disillusioned to the Vallakoviches' Rule
    • Grew up under Boris Vallakovich's (Vargas's father) harsh rule, then saw Vargas Vallakovich come to power to be just as bad
      • They did their evil deeds and abused their power in the name of protection against Strahd, but he was a distant non-threat in her eyes
  • Made a pact with Strahd
    • At 15, her parents let her make a trip to Barovia Village for political connections, but she took a detour to Ravenloft to see what the big deal was
      • Strahd, ever the gentleman, entertained her visit
      • He saw her potential, and offered a place among his consorts
      • She declined, saying she could be a better resource with information from Vallaki
      • Strahd agreed to the alliance
  • The Prophesy
    • on her way back to Vallaki, she stopped to meet Madam Eva and got the following fortune:
      • First, there would be the coming of an outsider to Vallaki, foreign to this land. The coming of this outsider would mark the beginning of a new age in Vallaki.
      • The coming of the outsider would also bring a great ruin. A purge on the town like none other.
      • But when the ruin was done, the blood of the outsider would shed sunlight on Vallaki yet again.

[... Meanwhile]

Pelanil takes off from the toy shop to fetch Bardolf. On they way, he gets distracted by a commotion at the town square. He sees Wachter brothers on the gallows as Izek puts a rope around their necks and The Burgomaster looks on.

Just as Izek begins to pull the lever, Pelanil casts Thaumaturgy to distract the executioners and the crowd. Everyone hears whispers saying "Don't do it" just as the ground begins to shake and windows doors begin to open and close. Chaos ensues as shouts of "The Devil has returned" echo through the streets. The Burgomaster and Izek try to calm the crowd, shouting "The Devil has not returned. He's not been in this town for over a century!"

At that moment, another well placed Thaumaturgy casting echoes another voice claiming to be Strahd himself. Now terrified himself, Vargas gets an escort back to his mansion.

Pelanil runs towards the gallows where he now sees a mounted Bardolf. He gets Izek's attention and burns through the ropes, releasing the brothers. Izek is outraged at the miscarriage of justice, and he rushes towards Pelanil with his battle-axe drawn.

[... Meanwhile]

At the coffin shop, Shalooti and Elora are greeted with a locked door and shuttered windows. Inside, Henrik tells them to go away. When he doesn't seem to be relenting, Elora picks the lock and lets herself in.

Henrik is not pleased to have company, but doesn't put up much of a fight. He is, however, very tight lipped when asked about the bones. Only when threatened with violence does he simply say "they're upstairs". He doesn't say anything when asked if there is anyone else in the house.

On the way up, they see that there is a bedroll in the junk room that someone has apparently been sleeping in for months.

As they open the door to the stairwell, Shalooti and Elora's spines chill, and they can't help but feel they're being watched.

Upstairs, they find an unused bedroom and kitchen. They surmise that Henrik has not been living up here for some time. Inside the wardrobe, they find some cash, and some old dusty bones. Elora opens up a line of psychic communication with Bardolf and Pelanil.

Just as Elora takes the bones, they hear something stirring in the next room over. At this, they run for the door, and just outside the kitchen, they're met by a vampire spawn who quickly snatches the bones and takes off down the stairs.

[... Meanwhile]

Bardolf has always enjoyed playing with rocks. This, of course, was his game of choice growing up under the mountain. And even though he never says a word, Freek is a wonderful counterpart. Bardolf gets lost in thought, playing amongst the laughing children. He's finally found a bit of peace in this dark world.

As his mind wanders, he thinks about his family, and about his ancestors. Suddenly, he remembers his father who was killed by hanging many years ago. He remembers this with a start as he realizes his friends have been gone far too long. He thanks Freek for playing and leaves with him the teeth he found at Old Bonegrinder. Freek puts them all in his mouth and gives Bardolf an extra large goodbye smile.

Bardolf makes his way to the toy shop, but is distracted by screaming and tremors coming from the town square. As he heads that direction, he is trampled by the herd of people running. Once he regains his feet, he finds an approaching Metarlos and mounts him to get up above the crowd. From his mount, he spots the Wachter brothers at the gallows as well as Izek and a fleeing Vargas. And in the shadows, he sees Pelanil and make eye contact with one another.

Feeling responsible for their current predicament, Bardolf takes off towards the brothers in hopes of freeing them from their ropes. He sees Pelanil strike the ropes with magic fire, freeing the boys, but invoking the wrath of Izek.

Just as he sees Pelanil engage with Izek, he thinks he sees the sun finally poking through the mists...