Main

Quote of the Session

Key Developments and Revelations

• The party finds a laboratory

• They meet Tanar’ri the keeper of the Ziggurat and child of Tharizdun

• When the party attempts to leave Tanar’ri demands for something to be left behind

• The party manages to leave

Full Session Notes

At the end of the hall they entered last time is a laboratory with weird creatures in each cells, with weird looking collars around their necks. In the middle of the room waits an ancient creature with curiosity in his eyes as it looks up at them.

It greets them as visitors, invites them inside but Mika waits before walking in. She asks what the creatures around it are and the demon introduces them as its creations before inviting the party inside again so they can talk. Mika and Thalia are the first inside.

It introduces itself as Tanar’ri, the child of Tharizdun and keeper of the Ziggurat.

There’s a map of a magical city surrounded by walls - Brimstone Bastion - on one table and a collection of bones and skulls on another.

Tanar’ri says that it has no reason to harm any of them yet, says he’s curious about them and is sure that they have come with a reason as well. Mika says she wants to kill Tharizdun, to which Tanar’ri says he doesn’t have any problem with it as her goals are impossible to achieve. Mika asks if Tanar’ri would hunt her if she did mange to kill Tharizdun, to which he responds that even if she manages to kill Tharizdun, there would be nothing left of Mika to hunt, but whatever is left would be interesting for research.

The ziggurat is one of several places of worship, Tanar’ri says, even if average mortals do not have knowledge of them. Worshippers of Tharizdun are scarce. Tanar’ri then asks for the group to introduce themselves.

Tanar’ri warns Mika to not let his curiosity fool them into believing he will allow them to roam freely in his laboratory.

Aelthar is the only one to not give his name to ‘a demon’ and Tanar’ri seems amused by the assumption that he is a ‘demon’. In the common tongue he is a demon, but in actuality he is an ‘Obyrith’, the first creatures made by Tharizdun after the creation of the Abyss. Tharizdun created multiple of them, Tanar’ri being the first, and says that now they might refer to them as ‘Demon Princes’ and ‘Demon Lords’.

Tanar’ri was given a special task to populate the Abyss. So in Tharizduns image he was the one to create the creatures they call ‘demons’ which they refer to as the ‘Tanar’ri’, named after himself.

Tanar’ri asks after their real intention for entering the Ziggurat. He offers them information, Tharizdun will not be found in any corner of this world, he is imprisoned in the deepest pits of the Abyss for many past milenia already. Though they might get the chance to see him soon as the chains are breaking.

Thalia asks about Darkvein and Tanar’ri walks over to Mika directly to inspect her arm with the dark veins. There’s a smile on his face and says its the mark of Tharizdun, a glorious mark. It’s a sign that Tharizdun is coming soon.

Mika asks if he knows how to get rid of it and Tanar’ri says he does, but he is not the one to tell her how. It’s not for anyone to tell, Tharizdun’s touch is meant to stay as it is a measurement taken against those who would be able to stop his return. The mark is meant to take their powers away.

Tanar’ri seems to grow a special curiousity for Mika, wants to study her and repeats that he has no reason to cause them harm. It is an impressive feat that they have reached the labs and ending their achievement by killing them would be an insult.

When asked about the portal, he says that with it he can open a way into any layer of the Abyss. With it Tanar’ri was also able to start the invasion of what became the Hell Steps. The first demons came through that portal.

Tanar’ri also says that their feelings will not change what his goal is and what he had and will do to achieve it. Just the same as his feelings won’t change theirs. Tanar’ri wants to free Tharizdun from his chains. When Alexei tells him that they know of the seals he seems suprised and offers them the knowledge of what these seals are:

To bind and imprison a being like Tharizdun, ordinary prisons will be useless. Tharizdun was thrown into the darkest pits of the Abyss, bound by his own creating and locked behind these seals. The seals are magical, various things, orders of nature must be broken to break any chain.

He believes they might have already witnessed this. One of his followers has encounteres a group like theirs. ‘A cleric of good must kill a celestial being’, ‘an ancient evil must return to the ground hunted years ago’,…many more seals like that exist and a certain number have to be broken for Tharizdun to be freed. 72 years ago the first seal was broken.

The fire primordial Vangarnoth who guarded Tharizduns prison was killed. Vangarnoth was one of the four that created this world and helped in birthing the Dawn Titans and following that, the gods.

Tanar’ri then says that Thalia herself has become a target for a seal. ‘acquire the soul of a good aligned cleric through a deal.’, but she has been able to evade the ones trying to find her puzzle box so far.

Once a seal is broken, there is no way to mend them again.

Thalia asks about the cult of elemental evils, if they are allied with him, but even though their goals align, Tanar’ri says that that information they might have to find themselves. Every being that works towards their same goal is considered help, every creation made by him he thinks of as beautiful and important.

Aelthar asks what the end goal is. And Tanar’ri answers with ‘Nothingness.’ The end goal is the destruction of this universe, the remaking in Tharizduns image, where his children shall be the new gods.

Once Tharizdun is free, the world will not have much time left before its completely gone.

Tanar’ri says that he himself, like his other children were imprisoned, but when Vangarnoth died 72 years ago they were freed. And they have planned since then for Tharizduns return, the Merging only helped make the seals weaker so it became easier for them.

Tharizdun is also responsible for the symbol in the sky, although he is weakened, the symbol is a sign of his imminant return, a warning as he prepares.

The murals on the wall, is the story of Nethrak, the Hand of the Abyss. Tanar’ri offers to tell them the whole story.

Nethrak was celebrated as the Aspect of the unyielding blade, the aspect of Torm, god of courage and self sacrifice. He wielded a blade as an extension of Torms will that allowed him to cut down any enemies of Torm, any who would go against them. In Torms name Nethrak was a hero, defender of faith, fully dedicated to Torm and Torms trust in Nethrak was absolute. The very virtues that made nethrak great also were the seeds to his downfall. His sense of duty became an obsession and his definition of justice became rigid and unyielding.

It didn’t take a lot of persuasion to twist nethraks very morals. Tharizdun twisted his beliefes that the world should be rid of Torm, made him believe that Torm’s justice became flawed, so Nethrak struck down Torm with the dark gifts Tharizdun granted him. This started the war to imprison tharizdun.

Tharizdun shaped his children out of creatures already existing on the material plane. Nethrak was shaped out of a human champion of the gods and is now playing out his role in Satrea.

Tanar’ri says he has been working on his part as well. Brimstone Bastion has been the last stand by the ones keeping his forces from marching further south. He tells them that the Brimstone Bastion will fall soon, thanks to his new creations.

Tanar’ri understands now why Tharizdun shaped the original Obyriths from these beings, while he was shaped out of Tharizdun’s own will, the creatures this plane are curious. His own creations will bring the end of Brimstone Bastion.

Tanar’ri says his power might rival some other gods, but he himself is not one. The gods don’t walk this plane, they don’t have the authority. Aelthar says they don’t need to gods to stop their plans and close their portals, but Tanar’ri says minor setbacks will not stop their plans in Satrea. The portal may be closed, the demons still roam. Tanar’ri warns us to not belive for a second that we are not losing.

Aelthar asks them what they will do if the gods decide to return, Tanar’ri says they will kill them. If they decide to stop them, they will die. They were able to imprison them but they have been simmering for millenia. Tanar’ri warns them not to test his hospitality further.

Thalia tries to distract from Alexei casting a spell, Tanar’ri’s anger drops immediately when he turns from Aelthar to Thalia. He says it would be difficult to explain how he creates his monsters. His magic was given by Tharizdun and allows him to shape souls and bodies of living creatures. Through trial and error he perfects them.

One of the creatures casts counterspell to Alexeis spell, Tanar’ri flies over and asks Alexei to explain herself. She says she just wanted to understand his notes with a Comprehend Languages. He invites them to ask him questions, but if they temper with his things they will be lucky if they only will become subjects to his next experiments.

The last time someone tempered with these notes he lost a lot of precious research.

The group starts to excuse themselves and leave Tanar’ri to his research but before Aelthar is able to leave, Tanar’ri stops him and looks at his dragonmark. He has one last question after looking at it; wondering what ‘Helm’ is. Aelthar desummons him, saying that its an extension of his power. Tanar’ri says the thing interests him and demands to keep it. Aelthar denies him, but Tanar’ri insists asking for suggestions for alternatives so he may allow them to leave.

He agrees to the gems Mika offers and demands something from Aelthar who offers more gems at first, then two soulcoins. When Aelthar steps away, Tanar’ri casts Command which Aelthar counterspells, Tanar’ri then casts Hold Monster which Aelthar attempts to counterspell again but fails. Thalia offers her soul which was already promised, but Tanar’ri clearifies that the seal is not broken yet, as her soul needs to be claimed by the Abyss after her death. This is not possible without the puzzlebox being in the hands of the Abyss. Thalia retracts her offer.

Aelthar gets picked up, Tanar’ri says when the spell is broken he is allowed to leave either with his summon or his mind still intact. Hold Monster is dropped, but Aelthar denies. Tanar’ri presses a fingernail through Aelthars skin into his skull and casts Feeblemind, Aelthar attempts to counterspell and succeeds.

Mika rips him free from Tanar’ri’s hold and the group starts running. As they leave Thalia leaves a trap of radiant damage which doesnt seem to affect any of the creatures following them.

They manage to escape the Ziggurat and discuss their next steps. Mika warns the remaining Dwarf in the ruin from Tanar’ri, before they continue their travel Mika confronts Aelthar with what he did inside the Ziggurat. A little bit of innerparty conflict seems to be brewing before the party continues their travel.

During the rest the party gets attacked by demons but defeats them quickly.

On the last hour of their travel through the Hell Steps the party then encounters a corrupted Giant who is screaming in rage, blaming everyone and everything for whatever happened to him. They defeat it and continue their journey,

DATE: 07/05/2024

In-game Date Start: 4th of Midsommer, 959 A.D.

In-game Date Finish: 6th of Midsommer, 959 A.D. (Right after short rest)

Players Present

• Jeremy (Alexei)

• Oskar (Mika)

• Sari (Arani) - joined for the last hour

• Sydney (Thalia)

• Trym (Aelthar)

Subbed Characters

• X played X / Everyone was present.

Completed Quests

• Link to completed quests

Obtained Quests

• Link to quests picked up this session

Locations Visited

• List of Locations

Important NPCs Interacted With

• List of NPCs

Wall of Shame

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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

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Memorable Quotes

The best quotes of the Session:

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“They might have imprisoned us, those milenia ago, but we have been simmering for milenia, getting ready for this.” - Tanar’ri

“Like a good strong broth.” - Mika being Mika

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