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 UNDER RAGING STORM CLOUDS, A LONE figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness. Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power-and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come-all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them. Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind-or perhaps a lone wolf-fills the midnight air. The master of Raven loft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ "Werewolves in the mist!" You've heard these dreaded words spoken again and again by farmers, merchants, and adventurers alike. The hamlets east of Daggerford have fallen prey to a pack of werewolves that spills out of the Misty Forest on nights of the full moon, cloaked in crawling mist that seems to follow them wherever they go. The beasts spread death and mayhem, slaughtering adults and stealing children before retreating back into the woods. Others have tried to combat the werewolf menace, with little success. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Okay standard posting practices. For those that don't know your character name goes in bold at the top of your posts, perhaps linking to your sheet for easy access. You may want to put a little bit of game information right below it, such as current hp/hp, AC, and maybe ammunition or spell slots. Something useful to keep track of at all times. Normal in character text is well normal, out of character talk is in italics. I will have a Roll20 page up for combat maps when we get there. As is it would be nice if everyone could post once a day or so, more often if possible in combat though Roll20 for combat may cut down on the actual posts at that time.
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Aug 5, 2016 20:57
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Rumors of werewolves in the mist draw adventurers and the foolhardy. But more draws you here. Each of you have been called on by your factions and set on a mission. Fel'Jyani and Hong Xióng-Hü meet the Lord's Alliance The two of you were called together by your respective contacts with in the Lord's Alliance. You arrive in Daggerford to meet with an operative. A Lords' Alliance operative from Waterdeep named Eravien Haund comes to Daggerford bearing news that alliance agents have not only captured one of the werewolves but also conducted a thorough interrogation before putting the creature out of its misery. He greets each of you and tells you that what he has to tell you is a secret, he doesn't want you to reveal it to ANYONE. Once you agree to his terms he continues. "What I have been able to gather from the captured werewolf is that the pack has almost a dozen members. The leader of the pack is a man named Kiril. They are apparently from a distant land called Barovia, no one in the Lord's Alliance seems to have any information about the place. It seems the werewolves worship a deity they call Mother Night. They leave and return to Barovia through some kind of ancient portal. Or at least that is what their description sounds like to me." He pauses as he has gone through the information he has acquired. "Well that is the information I have, now for why you were called here. I have a mission for you, if you accept you will be rewarded. I wish you to destroy this ancient portal, thus sealing the werewolves in this Barovia. If you agree to do this I will give the both of you a scroll of Magic Weapon to help you in your task. And should you return successful I shall grant you each a letter of recommendation." He pauses as he tries to gauge your intentions, then finishes. "Do you accept?" Yveth and Moira Galbraith meet the Harpers A Harper named Zelraun Roaringhorn knows a metalsmith who will silver your weapons for free. He also provides some helpful magic. Zelraun has come to Daggerford to meet with it's ruler Duchess Morwen to provide Harper support in these trying times, and so you have been called forth to Daggerford to provide that support. "We strive to protect the powerless," he says. "If the children kidnapped by the werewolves are still alive, I would see them safely returned." He pulls out two scrolls from a scroll case. "These spell scrolls of Remove Curse could be vital in dealing with the Werewolves. Whats more I have made arrangements with a metalsmith here in Daggerford to have your weapons silvered. This will be necessary to deal with the werewolves. The two of you alone may need help in dealing with them, I am sure others will be making the trek for their own reasons. Gather a party before journeying forth and meet with the metalsmith, he will silver six weapons between you and your new party members." As you agree to take on the task he hands both of you one of the scrolls and gives you directions for the metalsmith. Marcos meets with the Order of the Gauntlet You met with the heads of the Order of the Gauntlet chapter house in Waterdeep. They've stationed members of the order at various inns and homesteads east of Daggerford, so that locals need not fear the night. Now they're counting on you to find the werewolves' lair in the Misty Forest. Only then can the order mount an organized assault. As you prepare to depart, a knight of the order named Lanniver Strayl offers you his blessing. "Before you go on your mission, take this..." He hands you a potion of heroism, "and may Tyr watch over you." Dan Fei Son doesn't need to meet with the Emerald Enclave You don't need to consult with others in the Emerald Enclave to know that the werewolves are upsetting the natural order. For balance to be restored, they must be eradicated. It seems the gods of nature agree, for they've sent good weather and preserved the monsters' tracks. Yours is not a material gain. Instead you will gain Inspiration whenever a party member kills a werewolf. Inspiration is usually fairly rare to get so this could be good for you. As you each meet with your respective factions, or become certain of what must be done, then make your way to Daggerford you all happen to meet and come together as you all become aware that you each are trying to deal with this werewolf problem. Before setting out for the Misty Forest you meet with a metalsmith as Yveth and Moira lead the way, to get six of your weapons silvered. Now is the time to get to know each other, to decide what six weapons, or bundles of 20 ammunition, to get silvered. Once you are ready, making any final preparations and receiving your silvered weapons, you will make your way to the Misty Forest and destiny.
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Aug 5, 2016 21:53
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Daggerford The group comes together, silvering a number of weapons for the upcoming trial. Then once everyone has made all necessary preparations they leave Daggerford and begin heading toward the Misty Forest. It takes some time, perhaps an hour or so to reach the edges of the Misty Forest. As they begin to near the forest some of the sharper eyes begin to notice tracks. They look somewhat like that of a wolf, but larger, and splayed out in such a way to suggest moving upright upon two legs instead of upon four. The tracks lead into the Misty Forest. Misty Forest You follow the tracks into the forest. At first it is easy to follow the tracks but as the hours wear one it becomes more and more difficult. The woods darken as the trees begin to close ranks, their needle-covered arms interlocking to blot out the sun. The shroud of mist that covers the ground turns into creeping walls of gray fog that silently envelop you until you can't see more than a few feet in any direction. Soon, even the werewolf tracks disappear. You look around and you are no longer entirely sure which way you came from.
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Aug 6, 2016 19:39
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Misty Forest? You travel through the forest, passing through the thick fog, everything seems to look the same until you come across a road passing through the woods. After inspecting the road, and trying to find differences between the two directions you turn to the left and follow the road out of the forest. A. OLD SVALICH ROAD Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors in and around the muddy roadway. Giant trees loom on both sides of the road, their branches clawing at the mist. At least you seem to be out of worst of the forest. You continue traveling, time passes though when you look up it is hard to tell. The light seems dimmer than you remember before entering the Misty Forest. Hours later and you have grown tired and hungry but you are greeted by a new site. B. GATES OF BAROVIA The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence. As you approach the gates they swing open, screeching as the hinges move. Marching order seems to be Marcos and Red in the front row, Fee in the second row, and one of the others in that row and the last two in the back?
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Aug 6, 2016 21:11
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B. GATES OF BAROVIA As the last of you step through the massive gates they swing shut. As you turn and inspect the gates you find they do not open again. The road continues through the forest.
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Aug 7, 2016 07:28
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C. SVALICH WOODS Towering trees, whose tops are lost in heavy gray mist, block out all but a death-gray light. The tree trunks are unnaturally close to one another, and the woods have the silence of a forgotten grave, yet exude the feeling of an unvoiced scream. You continue along the road for awhile longer when Fee stops. You catch the scent of death on the air. Fee goes off to follow the scent of death, to find out what has happened. The foul scent leads you to a human corpse half-buried in the underbrush about fifteen feet from the road. The young man appears to be a commoner. His muddy clothes are torn and raked with claw marks. Crows have been at the body, which is surrounded by the paw prints. The man has obviously been dead for several days. He holds a crumpled envelope in one hand. Ryuujin fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Aug 7, 2016 |
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Aug 7, 2016 18:30
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C. SVALICH WOODS Fee opens the letter. 
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Aug 7, 2016 19:31
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C. SVALICH WOODS The letter in the man's hand had a large "B" set into its wax seal. The parchment is worn and flimsy. The letter is read and Fee shows Marcos the body, as he goes about praying over the body a lone wolf howl can be heard in the distance.
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Aug 7, 2016 19:45
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C. SVALICH WOODS As Marcos starts praying more and more howls begin to join the call. Halfway through his prayer he is interrupted as five giant wolves pop out of the forest. Hearing the danger the others are in Red rushes forward, as her muscles strain, and she brings forth a heavy slash at one of the giant wolves, but it misses by a hairbreadth. Roll20 Rolled for Red, got a 12 to hit which was not quite enough. Initiative 21 Red 16 Yveth  13 Moira 08 Fee 08 Marcos 06 Dire Wolves 05 Dan Fei Son
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Aug 7, 2016 21:25
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C. SVALICH WOODS The party bites into the wolves, and one howls in pain from the fire. Then they converge on the party, ripping into Marcos and possibly knocking him down. Roll20 So ouch fairly average damage of 8 vs Marcos, Okay going back a bit, they did not actually attack Yveth. Initiative 21 Red 16 Yveth 13 Moira 08 Fee 08 Marcos 06 Dire Wolves 05 Dan Fei Son Ryuujin fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Aug 8, 2016 |
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Aug 8, 2016 18:50
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C. SVALICH WOODS The party manages to take down one of the massive wolves, the others howl in rage and grief and rip into the party with a vengeance. Marcos is brought down as another wolf takes the place of its down companion. Another wolf attempts to bite Red but fails, then pulls back. Red swings but misses as well. Another wolf takes its place and nearly rips her jugular out. But Red is fueled by adrenaline and battlelust, and stays standing. The final wolf hunkers down, ready to leap, as it watches Yveth on the road. But doesn't move to attack, at the moment. Roll20 So Yveth hits wolf 1, doesn't quite kill it, then Moira's fire finishes it off. Wolf 5 moves in and puts down Marcos. Wolf 3 bites and misses Red, then backs up, Red swings and misses on the OA. Wolf 2 moves in and crits Red for 20 damage, but she is raging so yeah she stands through a 20 damage crit at 1st level. Badass that she is. Wolf 4 seems to be readying an action. Initiative 21 Red 16 Yveth 13 Moira 08 Fee 08 Marcos 06 Dire Wolves 05 Dan Fei Son
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Aug 8, 2016 23:38
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C. SVALICH WOODS Rather than making any more attacks Red grabs Marcos, avoiding a wolf bite in the process and runs back to the road where Fee stabilizes the fallen paladin. The group stays to the road and continues on, the wolves watch but don't seem to attack them on the road.
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Aug 9, 2016 00:06
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C. SVALICH WOODS Perhaps fifteen to twenty minutes after the battle the group has lost sight of the dire wolves, and can see more light coming from ahead. The road leads out! As they move forward the trees recede and they find themselves in some plains. Or perhaps a valley. Or just a rather large clearing. The trees split off to the north and south, the clearing stretching further south than north. To the south you can just make out what looks like a river. But to the west you can see a city, or perhaps a town or village. You can't quite make out its size from here, but the road seems to lead straight to it.
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Aug 9, 2016 00:34
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C. SVALICH ROAD The party continues along the road, following it toward the village perhaps a mile, mile and a half, away from the forest's edge. E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA Tall shapes loom out of the dense fog that surrounds everything. The muddy ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobblestones. The tall shapes become recognizable as village dwellings. The windows of each house stare out from pools of blackness. No sound cuts the silence except for mournful sobbing that echoes through the streets from a distance. The gravel road leads to a village, its tall houses dark as tombstones. Nestled among these solemn dwellings are a handful of closed-up shops. Even the tavern is shut tight. A soft whimpering draws your eye toward a pair of children standing in the middle of an otherwise lifeless street. Ryuujin fucked around with this message at 01:34 on Aug 9, 2016 |
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Aug 9, 2016 01:05
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E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA After shushing the boy, the girl turns to you and says, "There's a monster in our house!" She then points to a tall brick row house that has seen better days. Its windows are dark. It has a gated portico on the ground floor, and the rusty gate is slightly ajar. The houses on either side are abandoned, their windows and doors boarded up. 
Ryuujin fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Aug 9, 2016 |
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Aug 9, 2016 05:56
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E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA The boy seems to flinch at the sight of the flames. The girl puts an arm around him. "Our parents locked the monster in the basement. It screams are terrible. We need help, what will happen of baby Walter?" As Moira begins to question the children Fee notices that the fog is moving in, no mists seem to be flowing around the nearby buildings.
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Aug 9, 2016 07:28
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E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA The boy clutches his doll closely. The girl looks up to Fee. "Thank you. Please kill the monster and save baby Walter." She points to the house nearby, the one in the best condition of all the houses nearby. But even as Fee looks up to where the girl is pointing she can see the mist moving in closer and closer, engulfing building after building. Only a few more buildings stand between them and the encroaching mists. Such odd behavior.
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Aug 9, 2016 08:25
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E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA The children look confused and hurt as Moira dismisses them. Meanwhile the mists have closed in, all the party can see are the mists, the children, the front of the house, and themselves. And yet the mists still rush forth.
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Aug 9, 2016 17:59
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E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA The children look very scared of Yveth, cowering from her, the boy moving behind the girl and hiding from Tveth. They bring the party toward the door, but look too frightened to enter. "Our parents locked the monster in the basement, we don't know what it looks like. Please kill it. And save Walter, he is in the third-floor nursery." The mists continue closing in, closer and closer, as you are herded toward the door. 
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Aug 10, 2016 05:40
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1. ENTRANCE A wrought-iron gate with hinges on one side and a lock on the other fills the archway of a stone portico (area lA). The gate is unlocked, and its rusty hinges shriek when the gate is opened. Oil lamps hang from the portico ceiling by chains, flanking a set of oaken doors that open into a grand foyer (area lB). Moira opens the gate and moves in, checking the door to find it unlocked and kicks the door open. It slams open. Hanging on the south wall of the foyer is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden windmill on a red field), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats. Mahogany-framed double doors leading from the foyer to the main hall (area 2A) are set with panes of stained glass. The children remain outside the gate, quickly enveloped in mists. Along with any party members who don't immediately enter the gate.
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Aug 10, 2016 06:29
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E. VILLAGE OF BAROVIA The children don't enter the house, however much Yveth tries to frighten them. Okay I need to know who is going in and who is staying out in the mists.
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Aug 10, 2016 14:56
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DEATH HOUSE 1. ENTRANCE Yveth tries to push the children in ahead of her, they go as far as the portico but if she tries to push them through the actual doors she stumbles through them as her hands pass right through. Red reluctantly follows the others through the gate and into the house. Feeling the mists begin to sap her strength as she just makes it through before they enclose on her. Once everyone passes the front door, checking the shield Moira points out, the door slams shut. Meanwhile Moira pushes on, not content to wait for a three hour short rest. The door bursts open, as she smartly makes certain to turn the handle before kicking it open. 2. MAIN HALL A wide hall (area 2A) runs the width of the house, with a black marble fireplace at one end and a sweeping, red marble staircase at the other. Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a longsword with a windmill cameo worked into the hilt. The wood-paneled walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs. The decorative paneling follows the staircase as it circles upward to the second floor. Five more doors can be found in this room. Map
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Aug 11, 2016 05:56
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DEATH HOUSE 2. MAIN HALL Finally finding a place that seems relatively safe the group settles down for the night. Thankfully the night seems to pass uneventful, and they all wake more or less refreshed. Unless someone wants to keep exploring before taking a long rest I will just be moving on to the next morning, Marcos will be awake and fully healed by this point. Map
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Aug 11, 2016 07:11
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DEATH HOUSE 2. MAIN HALL It takes little effort for Fee to take the sword down. Probably a good idea to write it down as Longsword, windmill cameo, Death House. . Map
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Aug 12, 2016 01:01
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DEATH HOUSE 2. MAIN HALL Fee goes over to check the small door, opening it she finds a cloakroom (area 2B) that has several black cloaks hanging from hooks on the walls and a top hat sitting on a high shelf. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 01:21
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DEATH HOUSE 2. MAIN HALL Fee, with Marcos' help searches the closet. But they don't find anything new in the closet. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 01:29
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DEATH HOUSE 5. DINING ROOM Marcos open the first door one sees as they enter the main room from the entrance. The centerpiece of this wood-paneled dining room is a carved mahogany table surrounded by eight highbacked chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is covered with resplendent silverware and crystalware polished to a dazzling shine. Mounted above the marble fireplace is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine vale. The wall paneling is carved with elegant images of deer among the trees. Red silk drapes cover the windows, and a tapestry depicting hunting dogs and horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hangs from an iron rod bolted to the south wall. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 01:44
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DEATH HOUSE 5. DINING ROOM Marcos moves over to the windows, moving the drapes aside to look outside, and all he sees is mist. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 01:50
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DEATH HOUSE 5. DINING ROOM The painting and tapestry are investigated though nothing stands out. Then Marcos investigates the panelling. Searching the walls for secret doors or otherwise inspecting the paneling allows him to see twisted faces carved into the tree trunks and wolves lurking amid the carved foliage. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 02:06
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DEATH HOUSE 4. KITCHEN AND PANTRY The kitchen (area 4 A) is tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A stone, domeshaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door. Another small door is to the southwest. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 02:14
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DEATH HOUSE 4. KITCHEN AND PANTRY Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door leading to a wellstocked pantry (area 4B). All the food in the pantry appears fresh but tastes bland. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 02:20
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DEATH HOUSE 4. KITCHEN AND PANTRY DUMBWAITER Behind a small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen is a dumbwaiter-a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple ropeand- pulley mechanism that must be operated manually. Hanging on the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a tiny brass bell attached by wires. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 02:27
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DEATH HOUSE 3. DEN OF WOLVES This oak-paneled room looks like a hunter's den. Mounted above the fireplace is a stag's head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed wolves. Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a pipe rack, and a candelabrum. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs. Two cabinets stand against the walls. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 02:33
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DEATH HOUSE 3. DEN OF WOLVES The east cabinet sports a lock that can be picked with thieves' tools and Fee easily pops it open. It holds a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow, a hand crossbow, and 20 bolts for each weapon. The north cabinet is unlocked and holds a small box containing a deck of playing cards and an assortment of wine glasses. Map
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Aug 12, 2016 02:49
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DEATH HOUSE 6. UPPER HALL Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Cradled in the father's arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn. Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf's head. The doors are carved with dancing youths. The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral. A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps. Map
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Aug 13, 2016 07:08
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DEATH HOUSE 6. UPPER HALL Fee approaches one of the suits of armor, only to find that it does not react. Map
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Aug 13, 2016 21:14
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DEATH HOUSE 10. CONSERVATORY Gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in the northwest corner. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp. Alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers adorn the mantelpiece. Map
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Aug 13, 2016 21:44
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DEATH HOUSE 8. LIBRARY Meanwhile Moira moves over to the next set of double doors and opens them. Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves. Map
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Aug 13, 2016 22:04
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DEATH HOUSE 7. SERVANTS' ROOM An undecorated bedroom (area 7A) contains a pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses. At the foot of each bed is an empty footlocker. Tidy servants' uniforms hang from hooks in the adjoining closet (area 7B). DUMBWAITER A dumbwaiter in the corner of the west wall has a button on the wall next to it. Map Ryuujin fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Aug 13, 2016 |
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Aug 13, 2016 22:36
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DEATH HOUSE 8. LIBRARY Yveth and Fee search the bookcase and after a few moments discover a red covered book with a blank spine. Map
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Aug 14, 2016 01:37
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