Main

“We had a girls night out.” - Malevor

“Ah. I’m glad you had a girls night out.” - Lavendar

Key Developments and Revelations

• The people being kidnapped are being taken into the Abyssal Plane(?) and are disappearing into the sewers

Full Session Notes (Squid)

In the morning, the group discusses what’s going on and the usual group goes to the library and does some research. When Vira and Malevor leave to go home they notice that the streets seem emptier than usual. Malevor goes to ask the guards why there weren’t as many people as usual. The guards tell us that a lot of people have been kidnapped much more than average and tells us that the people are being kidnapped mainly from the Harbor District, but also the Merchant District as well. Vira and Malevor decided to go to the Adventuring Guild to see what they knew and if we could help them. We get a bit more information about what’s happening, the receptionist says that they have sent out different groups and that some have arrived with no leads already.

Vira and Malevor go to the Harbor District and enter some shady-looking tavern, they question the bartender who tells us he doesn’t know anything and suggests we ask a shadier-looking individual if he’s seen anything. When they go over to talk to the man, he challenges Malevor to a knife game, when Malevor loses, he then challenges her to an arm-wrestling competition, which she wins. Vira and Malevor find out that he heard from a drunk man, that the drunk man saw some people being thrown off the docks into the water below to not resurface after. They ask the man to show them where the people were being thrown over, after investigating the area we see the entrance to the sewers. We investigate slightly further but then decide to get back to the manor.

The next day, Vira and Malevor tell the others what they found and when given conformation that the remainder of the group was going with them, go into the sewers to investigate further, where they found dried blood, fresh blood, and fingernail scratch marks on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Vira and Lavender hear a scream coming from further down, we follow and see a portal, after entering we see a hallway.

Lavender then uses one of her abilities to see through the walls around her. We are told there is nothing there and that we can go in. We enter to see a large bloodstained room with gears and what seems to be a pressing machine. We infer that the pressing machine is used to get the blood out of flesh for some unknown reason. Seeing some fresher blood we follow the trail until we are attacked by two quasits, a tanarukk, and a balgura. Continuing along that pathway we see a railway on the walkway above ours, so we investigate it and hear a sound further south into a large room with what looks to be a vacuum tank filled with blood and pipes leading elsewhere, three ovens for exsanguinated bodies and a satrean guard who had survived his encounters with the demons. We heal him some and he reveals that there are still more things in the room and combat ensues. After the combat, we ask him a few questions as to what happened. He tells the group that he was with his group who were patrolling around the Merchants District and were subsequently kidnapped and brought here. We convinced him that he should leave and try to bring back up and that we would attempt to save his friends.

Following the railway back up we investigate the other way and come across a room with east and west entrances and a pit in the center, before we can get close Malevor falls unconscious, followed quickly by Vira. We are surprised by the Chasme that is attacking us and causing unconsciousness. After defeating the Chasme we entered the east hallway that leads to the main chamber of the dungeon.

Within the main chamber, we see eight figures, six of them large, and two of them huge. One of the figures announced to the others that they have guests and invited us inside. We cast a few spells and talk to the main figure who reveals himself to be Nethrak, The Hand of The Abyss. Malevor knows that this could be a council of some sort to enact some plan by a higher power. Nethraksays that he will allow us to leave if we bring him the dragon of power. Malevor agrees and we make our leave, before Nethrak says that he wouldn’t kill us and that he didn’t say anything about them, referencing two other figures who begin chasing us out of the dungeon. We make it to the portal hallway, where we see no portal until the figures begin to break through the door. We exit back into the material plane, in the sewers of the city, and make our way to the Adventurers Guild Hall.

When we reach the guild hall we ask the secretary to get us to his supervisor who we then warm about the Abyssal portal and the task Nethrak gave us. We are told that no one in the city will be capable of handling that and that we will need to go to the headquarters of the Adventuring Guild in Cretara and convince the leaders there that there is an Abyssal threat, we are also told to not tell anyone and that the information being spread to the public could incite mass hysteria. We decide to go in the morning after resting up and are informed we are going to be accompanied by the leader of the Adventurers Guild sect within the city. We go back to the manor and sleep. (We level up to 10 across the board)

DATE: 10/12/2023

In-game Date Start: 3rd of Calor, , 959 A.D.

In-game Date Finish: 4th of Calor, , 959 A.D.

Players Present

• Jeremy (Alistair/Lavender)

• Oskar (Myxi/Luro)

• Sari (Kani/Gabrielle)

• Sydney (Sanctuary/Vira)

• Rasmus (Rydel/Malevor)

Subbed Characters

• Everyone was present.

Completed Quests

• Link to completed quests

Obtained Quests

• Convince Adventurers Guild leadership to take the Abyssal threat seriously

Locations Visited

• City Sewers(again)

• Abyssal Plane(?)

Important NPCs Interacted With

• Guild Sect Leader

Wall of Shame

• Oskar - 4 min

• Sari - 11 min

,

Example

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!”

Key Developments and Revelations

• After resting with the caravan, woke up in a strange land, full of eerieness, malice and fog.

• On finding a path and following it, they come to the Gates of Barovia.

• Here the party meets Strahd Von Zarovich for the first time. He insinuates that he knows everyone in the party except for Sunny.

• They follow the path, see a group of buildings, then beyond that a larger village overlooked by cliffs and a castle on it.

• Making their way to the group of buildings, the fog seems to follow them, and Kronkus & Sunny get lost in it momentarily, with their being some time dilation happening whilst in there.

• Making it to the hamlet, they find all but one of the buildings empty and dark. Two children rush to them, saying there’s a monster in their house, and that their parents are keeping it at bay in the basement, and their baby brother is upstairs.

• The party move into the house, finding that this seems to belong to the Durst family. Moving into a main room, they hear the sounds of a party from beyond a nearby door.

• Opening the door, all lights in the house go out, no people are in the room beyond. The front door and gate close and lock on their own. A wolf growls from somewhere in the dark.

Last Time, in Barovia…

Arrival in Barovia

• The party joined the caravan heading out of Daggerford. Each one joined for a different reason, and none knew the others.

• On the first night, the caravan rested early, having been delayed from its set off by a latecomer to the caravan.
  The latecomer, Marko, had setup a campfire with food and drink, and one by one offered, convinced or cajoled the party to join him at his fire.

• The night was spent with everyone learning little bits about the other, drinking, eating, and being merry. Late, Marko crawled under his wagon for sleep, and invited the party to rest by his warm fire, which they did.

• When they awoke, they were not in the same place. The wagon, Marko, even the caravan itself was gone. No tracks or signs of movement in the immediate surroundings. It was if they had been picked up and placed here.

• All of their possessions were gone as well, bar a few items that were kept close to them while they rested.

• Taking stock of this new land, they found it eerie, almost dripping with maliciousness. There is a thick fog, swirling as if with a life of its own. The trees seem different, twisted, gnarled and unnatural. The sun, while present, seems to have trouble penetrating cloud and fog, and does not give much light or warmth.

• While the party is taking stock of their situation, Kronkus finds that the long-silent voices have started whispering to him again.

• Sunny reached out to the Triple-Fish God, and found his connection was muted, but there was a new, strong core in that feeling that’s never been there before, almost certainly connected to the Triple-Fish God.

• Moving around, they find a rutted path leading east/west. Westward leads into a thick wall of shifting fog, east has the fog thinning. They head east for a few hours.

Meeting Strahd

• Ahead, the forest slightly parts, and they come to a huge stone wall, with a large metal gate in the middle. Out of the front of it, a pack of wolves are tearing strips off a very dead body.

• Sunny casts Thunderwave above the wolves, in an effort to scare them. They reel back for an instant before they turn to face the party, almost undaunted by the noise. A larger wolf then snarls and pads towards the party, teeth bared.

• As the large wolf lunges to attack, his is called to heel by a voice. A man appears at the top of the wall, who effortlessly walks down the side of the wall as if were normal, flat ground. As he gets to the ground and walks through the wolves, they let him pass. He also passes the large wolf, ruffling its fur.

• Walking up to the party, he introduces himself as Strahd Von Zarovich, ruler of Barovia, and welcomes them to his land. He acknowledges them as the latest batch of adventurers to be brought here, more pawns in the game.

• He looks at each member of the party, including the still hidden Wilfyr, attempting to meet their gaze. Those that do, feel drawn into that gaze, with the world around them starting to spin away. There is only Strahd. Strahd doesn’t hold them in this gaze for long.

• He speaks briefly to each member of the party. His speech infers that he knows each of the party members to some degree, or about their past. Except Sunny. Sunny seems to be the enigma to Strahd.

• He warns the party that they will find no rest or success in his lands, that it obeys his command. He also warns them to not meddle in his affairs, and that if they do not, then their stay won’t be unpleasant.

• With that, he turns and strides away towards the gates, swirling his cloak around him and turns into a cloud of bats that then flies through the bars and off into the air beyond. As Strahd leaves, the wolf pack dissipates,into the forest.

• Inspecting the dead body in the road, they find it horrifically mauled. On closer inspection, they find a crumpled, partially torn Kolyan Indirovich’s Letter that Wilfyr takes.

• The party then pushes open the gates, and walk through. The gates closes and locks behind them. Beyond is more forest.

Finding Shelter

• After a little while, the path comes to the top a rise, giving the party a clear view of a Barovian Basin of sorts. In the far distance can be seen a town. Next to that are some cliffs, with an ominous castle at its heights, overlooking the town. About halfway to this town, there seems to be a small group of houses. Seeing signs of civilisation, the party heads down the path into the valley beyond.

• As they’re walking, they notice that the wall of fog is forming up thicker and thicker behind them. Its almost like its keeping pace with them, slowing down and speeding up when they do. Kronkus & Sunny attempt to interact with the fog and walk back into it.

• They lose all visibility, and cannot hear, touch or see each other. They try to leave the way they came, but cannot get out, only walk into more fog. After 10 minutes, both of them exit the fog from exactly the same place that they entered into it. To the rest of the party, they have been waiting for them for an hour.

• Continuing on, the rutted road finally gives way to gravel and stone, as they draw closer to the hamlet of houses. The houses are dark, boarded up, and there are no signs of life. Except one.

• As the party moves between the buildings, the sound of a child sobbing draws their eyes, and they see a small boy and a slightly older girl walk towards them.

• They are wailing, and after being frightened by Kronkus’ approach (due to his unnatural visage) cry that there is a monster in the house, pointing to the lit up house.

• Most of the party dash into the house, while the kids say that their parents are in there, keeping the monster trapped in the basement. They also say their baby brother is still stuck up in his nursery. Sunny tries to convince the kids to come with the party into the house, but they refuse, growing more and more scared of going back inside the house.

• All but Kronkus move into the foyer finding family portraits across the walls, labelled as the Dursts. Kronkus remains outside to try and convince the children to come with them, but they run off. He turns and joins the party in the house.

• As they all step into a large main room, the sounds of a party can be heard coming from another room, from beyond a nearby door. Arkemon retrieves the longsword from above the mantlepiece, and goes back and retrieves the heraldic shield from the foyer.

• Wilfyr finds a door on the opposite side of the room to where the party noises were coming from, and as he approached, heard the growls of wolves coming from beyond it.

• Arkemon warns against opening that door, and instead opens the door that should lead to the party they can hear. As he opens the door, the sounds stop. There is no people in the room beyond. All the torches, fireplaces and candles in the house go out as the party is plunged into darkness.

• Behind them, the gate and door into the entrance to the house close on their own, and lock. And another wolf growls in the distance.

DATE: 13/04/2021

In-game Date Start:

In-game Date Finish:

Players Present

• Adam (Milo)

• Alex (Arkemon)

• Ben (Elgin)

• Chad (Sunny)

• Russ (Delta)

• Stephen (Wilfyr)

Subbed Characters

• Everyone was present for this session.

Completed Quests

• No completed quests

Obtained Quests

• Leave This Land

Places Experienced

• Gates of Barovia

• Barovian Basin

• Durst Manor

Important NPCs Interacted With

• Strahd Von Zarovich

• Rose Durst

• Thorn Durst

,

Memorable Quotes

The best quotes of the Session:

“Are you part of a group?” - Guild member

“Yes, the Copper… Bronze?” - Malevor

“It was some kind of bird.” - Vira

”…Copper Crow?” - Malevor

“Copper… Phoenix!” - Vira

---

“He’s allowed us to leave with our lives. Now, we should accept his gift and go.” - Malevor

---

“We had a girls night out.” - Malevor

“Ah. I’m glad you had a girls night out.” - Lavendar

---

“I could write him a letter, but I bet your handwriting’s much better.” - Lavendar

---