Session 27

With Baba Lysaga taken care of, Pelanil runs into her burning hut to see if she had any valuables worth pocketing. He busted open a trapped chest, taking thunder damage. He found tons of goodies:

• 1,300 gp
• Five 500 gp gemstones
• A vial containing Oil of Sharpness
• Two Spell Scrolls (Mass Cure Wounds and Revivify)
• A pouch containing ten +1 sling bullets
• A set of Pipes of Haunting
• A Stone of Good Luck (Luckstone)

Outside, Anakir somehow was transmuted into a baby (played by Jude). The party was confused and thought that this was somehow the baby that Baba Lysaga was tending to when they first arrived. Lancelot recognized his scent to be the same as Anakir's. The party loaded baby Anakir onto Metarlos.

The ravens in their cages continued squawking loudly as the fire closed in. Elora was able to quickly pick the lock and set them free. They immediately flew out and started attacking the scarecrows surrounding the swamp.

Bardolf got the Belladonna root from Shalooti and ate it. The flavor was bitter, but he didn't notice any other affects.

Before leaving Berez, the group decided to explore the cemetery attached to the church. There they found multiple open coffins that had risen to the surface after the flooding. They also noticed a monument in the middle of the graveyard.

Upon closer inspection, the statue depicted what looked exactly like Ireena Kolyana, but the inscription read, "Marina, Taken by the Mists".

Shalooti noticed that the there seemed to be a crack at the bottom of the statue. They toppled it revealing a small box in a cavity beneath. Inside the box, Shalooti removed what appeared to her to be a Deck of Many Things, but before she could inspect it further, she was distracted by a group of reanimated corpses ambling in her direction. The group took off in the direction of the mansion to the south.

At the mansion, Elora inspected the gate-less goat pen surrounded by human skulls mounted on the tops of the fence posts. Pelanil knocked down one of the sections to allow the goats their freedom. At that, the skulls start howling. Bardolf tosses them one by one in the water to silence them. He then ties the oldest and wisest looking goat to Metarlos.

Bardolf searches the mansion for loot. Inside he finds the rotted remains of furniture and decor. Among them, he notices a pristine set of red drapes. He gets to work sawing them down.

As he finishes his work, a ghost takes shape in the fog, asking "Why do you invade my home? Begone, I beseech you!"

The party learns from the ghost that Strahd met and began obsessively pursing a local woman, Marina. He seduced her in the dead of night and feasted on her blood, but before she could be turned into a vampire, the ghost, Burgomaster Lazlo Ulrich along with the priest Brother Grigor, killed her to save her soul from damnation (a familiar story to our party).

Enraged, Strahd slew the priest and burgomaster, then used his power over the land to swell the river, flooding the village and forcing the residents to flee.

Feeling protected here from the rest of the swap, the party settles in to rest for the afternoon. Bardolf's stomach begins to twist and knot. The pain is initially completely ignorable, but quickly turns to unbearable.

The group watches their friend double over in pain, sweat profusely, and finally fall onto the floor convulsing. Bardolf begins foaming at the mouth and choking. Pelanil and Shalooti know that they could heal him with medical attention or with magic, but by doing either, believe that they would render the treatment useless. So they wait to see what happens.

Bardolf's pain is unbearable, and then the pain is gone. He feels his spirit leave his body, and he is looking down on his corpse from above. Suddenly, he is sucked violently back into his body. Pelanil uses Revivify to bring Bardolf back to life. He is incredibly weak, and simply sleeps for the length of a long rest. Finally at 11 PM, he awakes and is stable. Ravenous, he cooks and eats the entirety of the goat he saved, and goes back to sleep. In the morning, he is completely recovered.

The party sets out on their way to Argynvostholt towing the 600 pound skull of Argynvost. They decided to tie rope to the skull, grease up the bottom, and each pull from the front. Shalooti and baby Anakir ride in the skull.

They have an especially hard time pulling the skull through the swamp after Pelanil's Water Walk spell ends. Eventually they make it out of the swamp, and witness a ghostly reenactment of one of the battles fought by Argynvost and the The Order of the Silver Dragon.

They continue slowly down the road, covering ground at half their regular pace. Bardolf notices a footpath into the woods off the main road. He follows it. Suddenly, he loses his footing and falls into a pit. Pelanil acts quickly and grabs him by the shirt, preventing him from falling into a 10-foot deep pit lined with spikes. With some help from Shalooti, they pull Bardolf from the pit.

After five long hours of dragging the skull along the road, the party arrives at Argynvostholt.

Back at the castle, the party remembers that Vladimir Horngaard and the other Revenant of The Order of the Silver Dragon were looking to kill them. The group decides to try to sneak the skull in through the main entrance, hoping the revenants would be elsewhere as before.

Upon dragging the skull up the last step of the entrance, they hear a grinding behind them as the statue bellows "BEGONE, BROTHER!". They hear footsteps behind the door, and hear a familiar voice above them. Godfrey Gwilym shouts down from the roof, and tells Bardolf to send up his rope.

The party attaches the rope to the skull and climb to the top. There, they hoist the skull up. Godfrey escorts them back to the tower where Argynvost's skeleton is laid to rest. The party is able, with much effort, to carry the skull to the top of the landing and return it to its proper place.

The Beacon is Lit

A light shoots forth from the skull, the party receives a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws in Barovia, and the members of The Order of the Silver Dragon are finally able to die. Godfrey sees that Vlad, his love, is finally at peace. Godfrey glows with a bright light and turns to ash.

The party heads towards The Winery to return the newly-recovered gem. As they walk out the front door of Argynvostholt, they see parked out front a large black carriage drawn by two black horses snorting puffs of steamy breath into the chill mountain air.

The side door of the carriage swings open silently. Inside is a note:

The adventurers, one-by-one, climb into the carriage...

Quests