SCB Net

Alton Hearthkeeper

Alton Hearthkeeper is a die-hard optimist. He is forever set on finding the best in every individual, and often succeeds at forcing it out where none was thought to exist. He approaches challenges with enthusiasm and thinks of failure as just a stepping stone to greater heights.

As an only child Alton was expected to carry on the family business, a small Inn and Mercantile that had been passed down through the family for generations. While growing up, he often conversed with many a traveler who passed through its doors. He was always excited and awestruck by their tales of heroism and adventure. He became torn by his loyalty to his family and his desire to set out and explore the world with his own eyes.

When not cleaning rooms or tending to merchandise, Alton took up his other passion, music. With a lute in his hands and a smile on his face, he could light up any room. He would perform in the evenings for the guests and despite his reluctance to accept, many a traveler insisted on tipping. His acts later expanded to simple theater and small magic tricks for the children.

His parents were skeptical at first of his artistic ways but quickly warmed up to his antics. However, there was one secret he kept from them. Something he knew they would not approve of or understand. He could not get the fantastic tales he grew up on out of his mind. With his musical earnings, he hired a swordsman to teach him the basics of fighting and swordplay.

When he was 15, an old sage came to be a guest at his family's Inn. Alton naturally wanted to know everything about this man as he looked as if he'd spent several lifetimes seeing and doing everything. The sage regaled Alton with wondrous stories he could only have imagined. Alton revealed to the man that he too wanted to experience these adventures.

The sage smiled and placed a gentle hand on Alton's shoulder. "The world is not all roses young one. There is great darkness and to explore it is not without sacrifice and heartbreak. Enjoy what you have for as long as you have it. You have a good life here."

"I know all that! I've heard the stories. Some of them were bad. But...people, they persevere!" was Alton's rebuttal.

The sage nodded and rose to his feet, ready to turn in for the night. "I sense a song in your heart that cannot be silenced. The day will come when others, perhaps the world, will be in need of this song."

Alton will be ready.

Alton's final character sheet, level 4.

Journal Entry #1

I feel the need to record what has transpired this evening. It's like one of those grand tales I've heard countless times as a child. Monsters and danger and darkness lurking around every corner. A song must be written about this tale. Yes! But...as I write this now is not the best of moments for songwriting. Perhaps later when we've escaped this house and I'm back home safe and sound.

The evening started well enough. I arrived at the manor early before most guests. I was taught to always be punctual. It was quite a remarkable mansion, far more ornate than any I had ever seen. There was a Half-Orc in the main entryway letting the guests in. I had to call out to him several times before he realized someone was standing in front of him. Once inside I decided to set up in the dining room as I figured most guests would be hungry at some point. I made sure to eat supper before I came as I didn't know if and when I would have an opportunity to do so.

I felt I gave one of my better performances on this night. I danced around the dining room while playing my lute. Also circling the room I used an illusion to play other various instrument sounds to compliment my music. I think I struck a cord with a couple of young ladies. It was a shame they weren't Halflings. Also in the dining room was a Sir Roderick. He was carrying on to a strange man about his feats of grandeur. I would have liked to hear more but I was too busy performing.

The evening suddenly took on a darker tone. A scream rang out from the main hall. Sadly, a woman had fallen from a higher floor to her death. Several party goers tried to figure out what had transpired. But before we could get a handle on things everything went dark and most of the guests had seemingly disappeared. No doubt they had fled the manor out of fear! It seemed only five of us remained. The other four being the Half-Orc, that strange Human from the dining room wielding a pair the doodads, a man with no shoes, and a woman shrouded in a cloak. Thankfully the woman had a torch to light up the darkness! I would have liked a more formal introduction but we never got a chance to do so.

We split up to explore the first floor to try and figure out what was going on. It was the oddest thing...all of the windows and doors were bricked shut. The very house itself seemed to be decaying. All of the food was rotting and well...not exactly my forte. I noticed the party had regathered to listen in on the door to the den. Maybe they were having difficulty with the door knob? I decided to be helpful and open the door for them!

The den had a most foul odor which turned out to be Mr. Doodad's friend from the dining room. He somehow died and got stuck inside of a stuffed wolf. How odd. We did find a few crossbows which may come in handy later. With all of this weirdness happening it's good to have extra weapons handy to hunt down the bad guys.

The kitchen was kind of fun. There was a dumbwaiter that I could just barely fit into! I had a good time riding it up to the second floor where I found an empty bedroom. When I returned to the first floor the cloaked woman seemed upset with this form of exploration for some reason. I suppose she was right though. It was much easier for us to just use the stairs in the main hall.

We set out exploring the second floor in hopes of finding another way out. After hearing some piano music we find a girl playing the piano. Like many of the other encounters so far, the girl turns out to be dead. To make matters worse, the Half-Orc decides to chop off the poor girl's head and toss it out a window...a window which thankfully isn't covered over with bricks. I would have liked to simply jump out the window to safety at this point but the other party members seemed to think that the fog outside was dangerous. I never heard of dangerous fog before but I decided to trust their advice and stay inside.

We found a library full of strange books. Many of them seemed to be about all kinds of evil monsters. Maybe they were works of fiction meant to entertain those that like that sort of reading? A secret room was discovered in the library containing a deed to the house, a deed to a windmill and a signed will entrusting the windmill to a Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst. There was also a creepy sounding letter from someone named Strahd von Zarovich. Maybe he is some kind of horror fiction writer who wrote books for the library.

Also in the library was a Durst signet ring and some handy spell scrolls! Scrolls of Bless, Spiritual Weapon and Protection from Poison. I noticed the barefoot fellow seemed to find an interesting book that he seemed rather attached to. I didn't quite catch the name of the title. Whatever it is it must be a good book because I see him sneaking peaks of it every now and then! I hope to read such a fantastic book some day! The Half-Orc also found a book. It seemed to have pictures of naked people. It was probably some kind of pornographic novel.

We made our way up to the third floor. The Half-Orc was marching up first and by the time I crested the top of the stairs I noticed a large rug had engulfed him! At first I thought it was some kind of oddly-timed joke but soon after a suit of seemingly empty armor came to life and began attacking us! A battle was to be had. An epic battle of heroic adventurers versus evil...er...rug and armor. Well...when I rewrite this epic tale in the future I'll have to make a few changes. Two large ogres awaited us at the top of the staircase. Yes...that was it! And as heroes do...we triumphed!

This fight will always be special to me. This was my first ever real fight! I practiced at home but never against real opponents! I also learned a lot about my comrades. The barefoot man must be a Monk. Those flashy moves gave him away! The shrouded woman...I bet she's a Ranger. The Half-Orc was no doubt a Fighter. Mr. Doodad though...his doodads were awfully loud. Still, they seemed quite powerful.

Noises coming from the Master Bedroom suggested a couple in the throws of passion! I didn't think it would be appropriate to barge in on them but we did so anyways. Sadly, all we found were two more dead bodies. Before the Half-Orc could chop them up I decided to be respectful and wrap them in some blankets. The Monk insists he saw some kind of shadowy figure reaching for the Ranger. A figure that could only be seen in the shards of a mirror he broke. A few of us took a few mirror shards just in case.

The Half-Orc opened a cleaning closet and was promptly smacked in the face by a broom. Surely it had simply fallen after the door was opened. Anyways, I thought it best to use a little healing trick I learned to patch up some of his battle (and broom) wounds.

Once again I noticed the party was stopped outside of a closed door. I helped them out by opening it up for them. We found ourselves in the Nursemaid's room. This was my first ever encounter with a ghost! She was all sinister looking and floating in the middle of the room. But she didn't attack us thankfully! She was rather helpful in pointing out a secret door to an attic above. She also pointed down below to queries of Durst and the troubles that haunted this house. One thing she was adamant about was that we were not to go into a room that was attached to this one. We heeded her wishes and went upstairs to the attic.

The attic greeted us with the sounds of children crying to be fed and let out of a nearby room. They began pounding on the door. Naturally I went over to try to help them out but my acquaintances held me back for some odd reason. I decided to be a little sneaky and use a Mage Hand to open the door anyways. The children were inside...but also dead. Their ghosts lingered in the room. They seemed very friendly and warned us of a monster that lived in the basement and pointed out to us where we could go to reach the basement. Maybe if we fell this monster the children could rest in peace. This would be quite the heroic quest indeed!

As we were set to leave, the child named Thorn ran into Mr. Doodad and disappeared. Rose ran into the Ranger and also disappeared. Both the Ranger and Mr. Doodad seemed a bit off for a moment but then returned to normal. I'm sure they're fine! I hope the ghost children will be safe, wherever they went.

Following the children's advice, we found a secret staircase that we assume leads to the basement. I feel empowered at this point, ready to face whatever evil monster dwells below!

Journal Entry #2

I will make this brief as I'm feeling rather weak. Our party decided it would be best to get some rest before tackling the evil that lurks in the basement. We returned to the children's room and slept, with some of us taking turns standing watch overnight. Time passed uneventfully and I felt invigorated and ready to face down evil! It was difficult to tell how much time had really passed though as the outside remained shrouded in thick fog.

I was asked to open the bedroom door to leave with my Mage Hand. I'm not sure why but I did so. The door opened just fine but I noticed my Mage Hand looked different than usual. It was covered in strange black veins. It was probably just the dim lighting in this place. As we prepared to head down to the basement Mr. Doodad and the Ranger continued to act strangely, almost childlike. Odd how the ghost children vanished and now two of our party members began acting funny. But they seemed to snap out of it and we all continued to the attic room with furniture covered in sheets.

We uncovered a few of the sheets and found mundane furniture and some mannequins. A chest was discovered in the corner containing the body of what we determined to be the Nursemaid we met downstairs. The Monk deftly pulled a silver ring from beneath the body. The ring was given to the Half-Orc who then gave it to me for some odd reason. It's a nice looking ring though.

The party decided to place the bones of the children into the chest and take all three bodies down into the basement with us with the intent on laying them to rest somewhere. As we went down the narrow spiral staircase (with lots and lots of cobwebs!) we could hear the sounds of strange chanting echoing all around us. There definitely was some kind of evil down here. This would be my chance to witness heroes defeating a great villain!

We encountered a mausoleum which contained the resting places for the Durst family. Rose and Thorn's bodies were put to rest inside of their respective crypts. Gustav's crypt turned out to be empty but when the Half-Orc opened Elisabeth's crypt he was swarmed with hordes of disgusting insects! He managed to shake them off and we continued on. One centipede remained on his back but it looked friendly from my vantage point so I decided not to mention it.

The next room we entered seemed to be some kind of dining area with a twist that it was full of humanoid bones. I personally don't understand the desire to eat people. But then I haven't tried to so what do I know! We weren't alone on this dining hall though as a strange stone-like snake creature called a Grick attacked us! The ferocious Grick injured the Half-Orc before the Ranger finally put it down. She seemed to have some kind of knowledge about these creatures. Out of what I can only guess was frustration, the Half-Orc carves open the Grick and creates quite a mess. Do all Half-Orcs behave like this?

We took a short resting break so that the Half-Orc could tend to his recent wounds. We took this opportunity to finally and formally introduce ourselves to each other. The ferocious Half-Orc was named Throck. The swift Monk was named Ohn. The hooded Ranger was Zam...a...n...um...Zam! Finally, Mr. Doodad was named Jameson.

Our adventure continued down a hallway where Throck noticed something odd about the flooring. We all decided to jump over it just in case it could be some kind of trap. We found another set of stairs leading deeper into the basement but decided to not go down there just yet. As we came to an intersection of hallways, four ghoulish creatures rose up out of the ground to attack us.

Zam, who was leading the way, seemed to momentarily run away from the fight. No doubt it was a clever strategy to defeat these foul creatures! I thought best to start off using my Hand Crossbow since I never fought an undead monster before. One of them shambled over and bit me which hurt quite a bit! Not as bad as the time my lute fell off of a bookcase and landed on my head, but still pretty bad. Our party bravely defeated and laid these creatures to rest for good.

We soon found ourselves in a room with a statue of a regal looking man holding an orb of some sort. The walls were lined with skeletons and shackles. This must be some kind of evil dungeon! Throck thought it would be a good idea to run over and immediately grab the orb from the statue. Two shadows suddenly emerged behind Throck and Ohn! Ohn rushed over to smack the orb out of Throck's hands but it was no use. We had another fight on our hands!

This was a long and intense encounter. With each swipe, the shadows seemed to sap the very strength right out of us. With each shadow we managed to destroy, it seemed another one popped up behind another party member. I was feeling weak and dizzy but decided to keep fighting. I made good use of my healing technique and it was barely enough to keep me on my feet. Jameson made fantastic use of his doodads and some very strange rolling maneuvers. Eventually, we managed to overcome these evil shadows. After the fifth shadow fell, calm returned to the chamber once more.

We are taking another quick rest break as I write this. Throck examined the orb again and it seems to be some kind of orb to help wizards perhaps? My comrades seem to be rejuvenated and ready to face whatever darkness lurks around the next corner. I feel stronger, but I'm still hurting. I will manage, albeit with a bit more caution. So this is what it's like to trudge through dark dank dungeons and face off against hordes of evil monsters. It's...hard. But I have every confidence that good will triumph. We will triumph! This party is full of very capable champions. I will make sure their story is told!

Journal Entry #3

As luck would have it, we stumbled upon a secret passage that Ohn discovered led back up into the first floor den. As we set off to finish exploring this level of the basement, Throck places his head to a door, intent on listening in on the other side. Then the strangest thing happened. The door itself seemed to come alive and attack Throck! The rest of us chipped in in subduing the door and we were able to continue on to the next room. Nobody will ever believe me when I tell them a story about rugs, brooms and doors attacking us.

We came across the bedroom which contained a footlocker filled with lots of items. I had the strange realization that perhaps those items were from past adventurers making their way through this haunted house. I hope that I am wrong. But just as Ohn began rifling through the items, two walls in the room burst open and two ghastly creatures emerged from the debris. Yet another encounter with the undead. And these two seemed to be exceptionally smelly!

Given the manner of dress and location we determined that these two could be none other than the Dursts themselves. What a horrible fate that had befallen them! Throck and Zam seemed intent on putting these two to rest. Jameson seemed to want to open up a dialog with Gustav Durst. From the looks of it I don't think Gustav was very receptive. It was hard to tell, but Ohn looked rather queasy. Instead of fighting, he resumed rifling through the footlocker. Maybe he thought a powerful weapon was inside?

After we defeated the Dursts we tallied up our find from the footlocker. Four potions of healing, an orange vial with some kind, a chain shirt (kind of big for me but I think I can make it work with a little work), thieve's tools, a mess kit, a lantern, a book and a cloak. The cloak looked very well made and seemed to glimmer in the hands of Throck. It looks like it would be a good fit for him. As for the Dursts themselves, we took their bodies to their respective crypts, to finally be at rest.

More exploring of the basement led up to a large chamber with a well. Along the sides of the chamber were several resting areas. Many locked chests lined the area. Zam and Ohn went around picking the locks to see what treasures lie within. Throck helped with one of the locks that didn't want to open. Jameson stood watch in case any monsters came our way. All in all we found some coins (at least I think they were coins as Ohn seemed to scoop them up rather quickly), an ivory hairbrush, a silver short sword, a black leather eye patch with gem (Zam looks odd wearing that), and three green agates, of which Throck offered one to me.

We decided to take another long rest break to mend our wounds and get us ready for whatever evils face us on the next floor of the basement. As we made our way down the steps, the chanting grew significantly louder. They kept repeating the same phrase, “He is the ancient, he is the land.” I'm not sure what he they are referring to but no doubt it is some kind of evil deity.

We entered a room with large pillars and quite a few alcoves that lined the walls. Each alcove had some kind of strange and often gross object left there. We quickly moved on to another room but I noticed Ohn stayed behind to do something. Maybe he likes staring at severed body parts? I hope not!

The next room looked like some kind of dungeon lined with shackles. There was one body in the far corner. Unfortunately like everything else in the house, it was already dead. Throck noticed something off about something on the wall and asked if I could use my Mage Hand to investigate. Poking at it revealed to us a secret door. How exciting! Naturally I immediately ran inside.

We found ourselves in a large and tall chamber. Much of the chamber was flooded with a foot and a half of standing water. Along one of the far walls was a closed portcullis. The opposite end was a dark alcove filled with debris. In the very center was a raised dais with an altar completely covered in blood. The chanting, which was almost defeaning by this point, suddenly ceased the moment I stepped into the room. Ominous indeed.

Throck went to check out the center altar while Ohn thought it would be a good idea to get the portcullis open, just in case. Zam went to investigate the dark alcove. Jameson and I stayed by the secret door, at the ready if anything went wrong. I wanted to go down, but the water looked rather deep for me. As Throck stood on the dais, a whispering chant began to fill the air. “One must die.” Suddenly the entire room was lined with ghostly cloaked figures. The chanting grew louder and louder, repeating that same phrase over and over. “One must die. One must die.”

Next...I don't want to write anymore. It's not how the story is supposed to go. The heroes are supposed to face down an evil villain, defeat it, and then retire to a tavern to regale others with their exploits. I wish I could write that. We were victorious. We freed the haunted house from evil and I'm back home, safe and sound with my new friends. We're smiling and laughing over a pint of ale. But that's not what happened.

As Throck left the altar to also investigate the dark alcove, the chanting suddenly ceased and all of the cloaked figures vanished. The portcullis slammed shut and a gigantic mass of decayed flesh rose from its dark alcove. The mass had more eyes and mouths than I could count and tentacles that writhed about as if anxious to grab hold of something. An echo rang throughout the chamber as the walls and ceiling began to rumble. “We summon Lorghoth the Decayer!”

Before we could even get our bearings, the horrific creature swung its tentacles out a fantastic distance and pummeled Throck with such force that he seemed to be immediately knocked unconscious. The tentacles quickly wrapped around his body and dragged him towards one of the many gaping maws of the creature. In an instant, Throck was inside a mouth with only a foot sticking out to let us know which one.

Panic set in as the ceiling above began to collapse in on the chamber. Ohn bravely tried to pull Throck out from the creature's maw and even went so far as to climb on top of it and attack. He did notice something important. A crack in the ceiling revealed the sky. Clear and full of stars, the fog having lifted. Zam and I fired our bows at the creature, but nothing we did seemed to have any effect on it. Jameson left...his hopes of salvaging the situation cut short by the extreme time contraints we now faced. As the entire chamber was now nearly collapsed, we found ourselves facing the unthinkable. Throck was dead and the rest of us had no choice but to run.

The house did not let us go without protest. Ceiling debris crashed all around us. Black smoke filled our lungs. Blades...doors with blades! I don't rememeber those at all being there before! I don't know how, but by no small miracle the four of us managed to reach the front door of the manor and dash out into the night air. We were out. Out of this mad house. Free from its grasp at last. Behind us, fog consumed the remains of the house, clouding our view of it.

We tended to our many wounds before venturing further. We found ourselves in a dark forest with a lone path winding through it. The sky was cloudy as the glow of dawn approached. The air was very quiet with not even a single chirping of birds. None of this looked familiar. There wasn't a forest here when I entered the house. What is going on? What happened to the rest of Neverwinter?

The four of us walked down the forest path until we reached a giant stone wall. Guarding it were numerous stone statues, wearing full armor, swords...but with no heads. A gate leading inside was slightly ajar and down on the ground was a bottle of wine and a letter. The wine was labeled “Red Dragon Crush”. The smell of something rotten attracted our attention and we followed a bloody trail to the body of a slain villager who seemed to be mauled by...something.

The letter we found was written by a Burgomeister Kolyan Indirovich. It talked of some woman named Ireena who had been bitten by a vampire. The entire letter sounded fairly ominous like there was a lot of trouble brewing in this...”Barovia”. But I mean...vampires? Those are just made up stories to scare kids aren't they? There's no such thing as actual vampires...

Throck the Mighty

Throck the Mighty

Let me tell a tale,
About a man they called Throck,
Throck was a mighty warrior,
Foes he sent quite the shock.

A guardian he was,
Protecting guests from intrusion,
Vigilant by the main entrance,
Which in turn was an illusion.

When darkness fell,
Throck's axe and hammer rose,
His attacks they were furious,
Crashing through all that oppose.

In front did he lead,
Through hallways dank and dark,
Facing down the undead hordes,
Weapons never missed their mark.

Alas the tale ends,
Among a putrid mass of decay,
Throck stood his ground courageously,
But it swallowed him without delay.

Though he is gone,
Throck's memory will live forever,
Retired inside the hall of heroes,
Spirit powering our next endeavor.

Journal Entry #4

My neck is still kind of sore, so I'll write the best I can. But more on that later. We started off with my friends seemingly concerned about some wolf howling in the distance. I'm not sure how dangerous a few wolves can be but I followed my party down the trail after briefly tending to the dead man. After a short while we came across four large mounds of dirt. It looked as if someone had buried bodies here or something.

Zam says she felt movement coming from a couple of the mounds. The party decided to investigate and dig them up and see what we found. Ohn and I dug one up that had a casket that contained the bones of perhaps a Half Orc? And some old rusty weapons that looked oddly familiar. But it couldn't be...I mean...Throck died in the haunted mansion not half a day ago. The casket that Zam and Jameson dug up was a lot more lively.

Inside was a strange looking man named Zehno. At least, his eyes looked kind of funny. Kind of like my grandfather's eyes when he got really old. Zehno claimed to be a Paladin and part of some order called the Hodor...Hordim...Hradr...er...something I never heard of. He's also not sure how he ended up in this strange place. Something we have in common! All in all he seems to be a good guy. Although, every now and then I catch Ohn giving Zehno a strange look. But I'm sure it's nothing!

Zam felt it would be a good idea to dig up a third grave, much to the dismay of Ohn. Upon digging it up some kind of ghostly figure emerged and inflicted Zam with exhaustion. It vanished as soon as Zehno slashed at it. We decided it would be best to move on and not disturb any more graves.

The five of us now continued on the path through the forest. There wasn't much in the way of wildlife save for a lone raven. The walk was long but by the afternoon we came upon a valley. In it we could see a village, more misty fog here and there, and some kind of large structure up in the mountains. We made our way down towards the village in the hopes of finding a safe place to rest for the night.

The village itself seemed kind of run down. At least, a lot of the buildings were boarded up and there was very little activity going on. And by very little I mean no activity. Well, almost none. We could hear the clang of a blacksmith and at least a few of the houses had dim lighting inside which suggested somebody probably lives in this village. And down one of the side streets there was a house that looked very familiar. Very very very familiar. But...no. It couldn't be. That house...we left it behind way back there. Also, I think it collapsed. Maybe the design is just a popular one in this place.

I heard a woman sobbing coming from one of the houses and I immediately ran over there. Somebody was in need of help! The five of us stood outside the house and called out to see if she needed help but we didn't get any answer. Ohn decided to just open the door and go inside and the rest of us followed. I didn't like the idea of barging into someone's home but I guess if she is in need of help then maybe she couldn't get to the door to let us in.

Upstairs we find a woman rocking back and forth in a chair while clutching a straw doll and crying out the name “Gertruda”. It turns out her daughter went missing and she seems to think some kind of “devil” took her. I reassure her that we will find her daughter because we're a party of heroes and that's what heroes do! She warned us against going out at night because of wolves, bats and...vampires. We also learned from her that Blinsky is a toymaker.

After giving the woman all we could, hope, we made our way over to the inn. There were five others at the inn on this night. The innkeeper (or barkeeper...maybe both?) was...well...he seemed kind of off. The guests included three well dressed ladies and some guy who was drinking by himself. I felt that this place needed a bit of livening up so I decided to play my lute. The women seemed to enjoy the music I was playing...as they should! Ohn thought he would join in but...well...I didn't want to be rude but I think he needs a bit more practice. I think the women agreed with my assessment.

Zehno, Zam and Jameson walk over and talk with the drinking man. I couldn't hear their conversation but I was later informed that he was Ismark Indirovich, the son of the now late Burgomeister Kolyan Indirovich. He says that this village, Barovia, has been getting attacked each night for the past two weeks and that people going missing is normal for this place. Attacks come from the “devil Strahd”, wolves and bats. They seem to want Ireena and perhaps originate from Strahd's castle. Three or four years ago there was a wizard that promised to lead a revolt against Strahd...but nothing good came of it. Now Ismark wants to take Ireena to a place called Vallaki to keep her safe.

I was having a great time playing my lute for the gypsie women but out of nowhere Zam comes over and drags me away from them. Did she not like the music I was playing? That can't be it. Oh well. I joined the others and listened in on the rest of their conversation with Ismark. He reiterated that Barovia was not a safe place. He also gave a bit of information about the gypsie women. They are Vistani. They own the inn and the Vistani have been a part of Barovia since as long as he could remember. Interstingly, the Vistani seem to be able to come and go through that strange fog.

We consider helping Ismark but want to get a good night's rest first before taking on any new quests. I'm not used to sleeping in unfamiliar beds. I tossed and turned quite a bit through the night. I think it was lumpy. Perhaps the inn should invest in new mattresses. The beds at my family's inn are fantastic. It's like sleeping on a cloud! Sometime in the middle of the night I awoke and took a peek out the window. Down the main street I saw the oddest thing. There was a large crowd of people. Almost like a parade. And they were all marching off into the distance towards a large distant structure. They were also...translucent.

In the morning we make a quick pitstop at the blacksmith to purchase some equipment for our travels. Zam was nice enough to hand over the ivory hairbrush she found in the haunted house and it was enough to pay for all kinds of stuff for the whole party. We tried to also get some information out of the blacksmith but all we learned was that Strahd wants Ireena...which we kinda already knew. He seemed very reluctant to give us any other information and had us removed from his shop.

We decide to stop by a church since the night before we learned Ismark wanted to find a place to bury his father. Now, I haven't been to many churches but I don't think all of the pews are supposed to be destroyed like that. The entire place seemed to be a mess. I'm not sure how anyone could worship in a place like this. A man, perhaps a priest, was at the altar, seemingly in prayer. Breaking the silence of the church was a frequent cry coming from somewhere below the floorboards. “Father, I'm hungry!”

The priest's name was Darovich and the noise coming from below was from his son Doru. He told us a story about how three years ago his son joined a group led by a wizard and when he returned home, he was a vampire. Brother Darovich didn't have the heart to kill his son and didn't know of any way to cure him so he locked him in a basement and has left him there for the past three years. Three years with no food. What an awful story. Further inqueries gave us information that he felt the entire land was cursed and that we should stay away from the windmill.

Zehno, being a fine upstanding Paladin, asked to see Doru in the hopes that he could cure the boy of his affliction. Darovich led us to a trap door that led down into the basement. Zehno, Jameson and I went down the steps with the hope that we could help Doru. Zehno tried to offer the boy some rations but didn't get much of a response. Zam then tossed down a bloody sock...I'm not really sure where she got that from...ewww...and the boy grabbed it and ran to the far corner with it. As we got close to the boy, he suddenly lunches at us with incredible speed. Unfortunately we were left with no option but to fight him. And with the onset of fighting, Ohn ran down to help us.

This was a more difficult fight than I anticipated. Who would have thought some kid left to starve in a basement for three years would be so tough? Our attacks, though formidable, didn't seem to slow the boy down as each time he was struck, his wounds seemed to magically heal themselves. After initially lunging at Jameson, this creature seemed to take an unfortunate interest in me. It grabbed me but Jameson managed to pull me away from his grasp.

Zam was upstairs setting up a sunlight trap which gave Jameson the idea the fire his weapons at the ceiling, I assume in the hopes of letting that sunlight down into the basement. Unfortunately, part of the ceiling collapsed and with it fell the priest himself. I'm not sure how hurt he is, if at all. Zam hopped down to join us in the basement as we continued our fight against this merciless creature. Zam tried to lure the vampire into the sunlight with the scent of blood but the monster wouldn't quite go into the light.

Zehno finally manages to land a brilliant smite on the vampire as it cried out in pain. It looked as if the battle was about to be won when the vampire grabbed me again. Before anyone could act on my behalf, the vicious monster sank its fangs into me. I could feel it draining the life out of me! Worse, this seemed to revitialize the creature. But in a fantastic display of teamwork, Ohn shoves the vampire into the sunlight with all his might at the same moment Jameson unleashes his loud doodads. The vampire cries out as it finally gets destroyed by the sunlight. The battle was won.

There are two things I've learned from this ordeal. One, vampires are real! Who would have thought? And two, I don't think I like them very much...

Journal Entry #5

It has been five days since I last saw my home, by far the most days I have ever spent away. I'm sure my parents are very worried about me. I continue to hold out hope that the way home will present itself, sooner rather than later.

After the priest had a moment with the remains of his fallen son, he agreed to help lay the late Burgomeister to rest. We left him to tend to his son as we decided to head on over to visit Ismark and tell him the news. Even during the day the village of Barovia seems...desolate. There isn't much going on in this village. We did notice some wolf tracks...make that a lot of wolf tracks. As well as very tiny three toed tracks.

As we arrived at the Burgomeister's manor, we discover that it looked like a war zone. The gates were smashed in and there were claw marks on everything. I hoped that we weren't too late by choosing not to help the night before. I tried knocking on the front door but nobody answered. Ohn didn't hesitate to walk up and try to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. But soon enough a woman's voice was heard through the door. It was Ireena and she informed us that Ismark had gone out to get some food.

Sure enough, Ismark came walking up behind and was happy to see us. Ireena unlocked the door...which sounded very complicated. I heard lots of chains and things being moved and well...they must really not want whatever made these claw marks to get in. Who could blame them? We finally went inside and met this Ireena face to face. She looked a bit different than her brother, but all in all seemed nice enough. I was sure that we could safely escort them to Vallaki.

Jameson, Ohn and Zehno helped Ismark carry his father's body over to the church. I would have liked to help but I'm afraid I am too short for the job. We took the body behind the church to a graveyard where there were two freshly dug graves. One of them was already filled in, no doubt with the body of the priest's son. The late Burgomeister Kolyan Indirovich was placed into the second grave to finally be at peace. With our initial duty complete, it was now time for us to help bring Ireena to the town of Vallaki. We decided to leave immediately to get as far as we could before the sun set.

Our party, now seven strong, left the village of Barovia behind. Jameson, Ohn, Zam, Zehno and I were now escorting Ireena and Ismark to the town of Vallaki. The trail takes us westward, back into the forest. We walk for a ways until we come to a bridge that crosses a river. Ismark remarks that this is the farthest he had ever been from Barovia. We share something in common. Before this adventure, I too had never strayed far from home.

We get to talking with Ireena. She tells us that Strahd is obsessed with her and visits her at night. We also learn that vampires can't enter a home uninvited...which confuses me. How can Strahd bite her if he can't get in? Surely she wouldn't let “the devil Strahd” inside her home. Strahd's home is Castle Ravenloft. Ismark thinks that Vallaki will be safer for her because it is larger and has walls around it. There is also mention of something about a curse Strahd is apart of and that vampires are vulnerable to sunlight (I think we figured that one out earlier), running water, and they are paralyzed by stakes through their hearts. All good information to know if we ever come across another vampire!

We arrived at a fork in our path. There were some gallows alongside the road but thankfully they were empty. To the south the road continued on to Vallaki and to the north the road led to a place called the Tserpool. Ismark gave us two options. We could try to push on to Vallaki and hope we reach it by nightfall or we could head to the Tserpool where there was a Vistani encampment we could rest at for the night. Given how late in the day it was we decided to head to the Vistani. If they were anything like the Vistani in Barovia, they're probably good people!

The Vistani camp was quite delightful! There were several wagons and tents about. Everyone here was eating, singing, laughing and otherwise having a good time. It was a lot more lively and fun than the village of Barovia. The Vistani were also warm and gracious hosts that were eager to share their hospitality with us. There was plenty of wine, food and music for all of us. Although I think Zehno and Jameson maybe had a tad too much to drink.

We got to talking with these Vistani. They seemed more than willing to tell us a tale or two! They mentioned how the windmill is a dangerous place and that anyone who visits it...dies. They themselves have been around in the Barovia valley for four-hundred years. They are also the ones that helped Strahd all those years ago. He was apparently wounded during some kind of battle and they nursed him back to health. Because of their aid, he gifts them with favors and allows them passage through the fog to come and go as they please. All those centuries ago, Strahd was a conqueror. He met a girl named Tatyana but this girl loved Strahd's brother Sergei. Strahd killed his brother and in her grief, Tatyana killed herself by jumping into Tser Falls. Strahd remains to this day, being more than Human.

Another story they told was that of a wizard that was here a year ago. This wizard led an uprising against Strahd. He recruited some thirty to forty villagers and charged Strahd's castle. One by one the attackers fell until only Strahd and the wizard remained. The Vistani spoke of such a fierce and incredible battle between the two, the likes of which were never seen before. But Strahd was ultimately victorious. And given what happened to the priest's son in Barovia, some of the villagers suffered a fate worse than death.

The Vistani were eager for us to visit their fortune teller, Madam Eva. I thought this would be an exciting experience as I had never had my fortune told before. All of us went to see Eva save for Ismark who seemed content sitting off by himself with his belongings close at hand. He seemed to think that the Vistani were a bunch of thieves but from everything I've experienced so far, they seem like great people to me!

Madam Eva was a very old woman. She was waiting for us inside the large wagon. The inside was filled with black curtains and odd candles whose fire seemed to float just above the wax. It was very quiet inside as she greeted us, telling us that she had been expecting us...but also implied she was expecting someone else who wasn't with us? Maybe she was referring to Ismark who stayed outside. She begins to speak to each of us, one at a time.

She addresses Zehno and asks if he will succumb to some dark queen or if he will choose the path of light. I found this very puzzling because everything I've always heard about Paladins was how they were champions of the light and would never stray down a path of darkness. Eva says she fears for Ohn and his pursuit of knowledge as knowledge in Barovia comes at a price, as Strahd had learned. She tells Jameson that he is farther from home than he realizes, and wonders if he will forget his father as Strahd did. Eva inquires to Zam if she has felt the corruption and decay that exists in this land. Finally it was my turn and she found my upbeat nature to be admirable. She also hinted that the story of Strahd could be headed for a final act. Given what we've heard about him so far, that might be good for everyone involved.

Next, Madam Eva brought out a Tarokka deck to get a glimpse at our future. The first card she said was a knowledge card, a Soldier #3. She told us to look for a wizard's tower and to let his name and servant guide us to what we sought. The second card was a powerful force, an Elementalist #5, which meant for us to look for a fortress inside of a fortress and a place hidden behind fire. The third card was for power and strength, the Swashbuckler #1, which told us what we sought lies in a pile of treasure behind amber doors. The fourth card was the Marionette and Eva mentioned someone who would help us battle the darkness, someone who wanders this land alone searching for her mentor and that we should seek her out at St. Markovia Abbey. The fifth and final card was the Broken One. Our enemy is a creature of darkness with a power beyond mortality and we are to look to the mother's tomb.

I must say, absolutely none of that made any sense to me. I only hope that my friends understood more of that than I did. I wonder if fortune tellers really can see the future or if it was all for show as a form of entertainment. She put on a good act! It was certainly believable, to me at least.

We slept in the safety of the Vistani camp that night and rose the next morning ready to continue our journey to Vallaki. My friends wanted to check out the Tser Falls before leaving and we made our way over to them. The waterfall seemed impressive enough. At the top, maybe five-hundred feet up there was a bridge crossing it. The water itself was nice and cool and quite thirst quenching. Ohn dove into the water and came out with a funny looking amulet that had some kind of gears on it.

We joined back up with Ismark and Ireena and continued on to Vallaki. We reached the crossroads we had passed the evening before and this time chose the path that lead to our destination. Ohn stopped for a moment and seemed to be staring back at the gallows. Oddly enough, there was the body of a woman hanging there. That was depressing. I hadn't noticed that before, but then I suppose I wasn't paying close enough attention. Given the number of dead bodies we've seen the past several days, I did find it odd that Ohn seemed a bit more spooked by this body than I would expect him to be. I'm sure everything is alright!

Another bridge and a couple hours walk brought us to another crossroad. The route going west continued on to Vallaki while the other route lead to Castle Ravenloft. West we continued before out of nowhere Ismark and Ireena jumped into the bushes to hide. Shortly afterwards Ohn, Zam and Zehno also left the road to hide in the bushes. There seemed to be a carriage coming. Were they worried about it for some reason? None of them made any mention that the carriage was bad and Jameson himself didn't seem too concerned. What was I to do? Ohn decided for me by grabbing me and pulling me off the road to join the others. I guess Jameson didn't want to stand on the road by himself so he finally joined the rest of us.

A black carriage slowly passed us and started down the road to Castle Ravenloft. Something I found a little strange was that the carriage had no driver. Maybe there was some kind of magical enchantment leading it to where it wanted to go? That sounds like fun! I wouldn't mind an automatic carriage taking me to and from various places. I wonder if something like that is expensive to purchase? I bet it would be. But a little Halfling can dream!

After the carriage was out of sight we pressed onward, eventually passing by the windmill that Zam enjoyed inquiring about so much. She decided to stealthily approach the windmill to get a closer look while the rest of us took a short walking breather. Upon her return she informed us that she could tell there were maybe two people inside and that there was a raven outside the door keeping a watchful eye on the area. This was something we could return to later. We had a job to do at the moment.

Finally, after a couple more hours we were nearing Vallaki. My feet weren't used to so much walking! How do the people in the stories I hear about walk so much so often?! To the north of us was a very large lake, much larger than even all of the village of Barovia. A road led north to the lake while another led south to a large wooden palisade. Billows of smoke rose from beyond as some fifty to a hundred homes loomed in the distance. Vallaki!

We approached the gates of Vallaki. We knocked and waited for someone to let us in. A small hole opens up and a guard looked out at us and demanded to know why we were here. We just wanted to enter Vallaki! When pressed on where we came from we answered Barovia. I don't think the guards liked this answer because they suddenly demanded to see everyone's necks. Well, everyone except me. I don't think they really noticed me. Were there vampire problems in this town as well? Or maybe they just hoped to keep such problems out of their town. That seemed fair enough.

The guards were confused when they came to Zam and asked her what she was. She said she was a Genasi which just made the guards even more confused. I admit, I don't know what a Genasi is either! I mean...those sticks poking out of her head aren't just decoration? But there was another issue at hand. Ireena! If the guards checked her neck they would see vampire wounds for sure. That would not doubt have caused a much bigger problem.

It is not something I like to do, but sometimes it is just necessary. I lied, for the greater good. I interrupted the guards and told them that the Burgomeister of Vallaki was expecting us right away as we were entertainers. We could not be delayed another minute! Fortune would have it, not only did they believe me, but there was some kind of festival set to begin. How about that for a lucky break?

We entered Vallaki and found a large white church. Ismark and Ireena thanked us for our help in escorting them safely here. We parted ways with them as they entered the church and the rest of us went off to explore the town. Ohn went off on his own. I'm not sure where he went. Zam left to visit Blinsky's toy store but later returned to the rest of us who went over to the market. Zehno was hoping to find a map to help us navigate a little easier. We noticed a strange poster that talked about some kind of Wolf's Head Jamboree. That could be something fun and exciting. Vallaki was certainly a lot more lively than Barovia was.

I asked someone where the Vistani were located in town and was given their location. Before the sun sets I would like to head over there and see if they could sell us some potions to get through the fog. I am feeling homesick. I hope the potions aren't too expensive.

Journal Entry #6

By late afternoon we decided to stop by the Blue Water Inn and book rooms for the night. The inn was run by a couple named Irwin and Danica. They spoke about a man named Rictavio. He was a circus master that frequented the inn. That sounds like a lot of fun and I hope to see some of his acts some day! The couple also spoke about the church and how it is no longer safe. Apparently some bones had gone missing and the grounds were desecrated. That didn't sound good. We also learned that Gertruda was not in Vallaki or other nearby cities and may be at Castle Ravenloft.

They also brought up mention of the upcoming Blazing Sun festival and how the Burgomeister of Vallaki, Vargas Vallakovich, liked to hold festivals each week to cheer up the townsfolk. The couple didn't speak too fondly of the festivals and made some alarming mentions of people being penalized for not being happy. I must say though, I like the idea and I think, at least in spirit, it is admirable of Vargas to want to try to make this place as cheerful as possible. I hope we'll have time to visit this festival. I'd like to help cheer people up too!

The inn itself was rather interesting. The doors and windows all looked like they could be sealed shut in case of some kind of emergency. There were a couple of wolf hunters drinking at a table named Svoldar and Yvginni. They seemed rather gruff but did offer to help guide us places (for a fee) if we decided to venture outside of Vallaki. Also at the inn were Ismark and Ireena, taking refuge here since the church was no longer safe.

Some other information we learned was that there was an old tower by Lake Baratok, west of here. We were warned not to mess with any old women that came and went from the windmill. The city was almost out of wine and that someone should investigate the problem at the Wizards of the Wine winery, southwest of here. The townsfolk would really appreciate having more wine again! A regular customer of the inn, a Lake Zarovich fisherman named Bluto, had also gone missing. There was a woman, Lady Fiona, that we should avoid. There is also a wizard, the one who fought Strahd, who appears to have gone mad and shoots lightning into Lake Zarovich. There's an awful lot of weird stuff going on here.

The inn also had a map on the wall of this strange land. Irwin wanted one hundred gold from us to purchase the map but Ireena came over and offered her services to make a copy of the map for us. While we were figuring out our next move, I took out my loot and began playing for the room. Someone must have felt that my performance was exceptional because they tossed fifteen gold at my feet as I was playing. That was quite generous!

While there was some daylight left, our group decided to head on over to the church and get firsthand information about the theft of their bones. We met back up with Ohn and talked to Father Lucian about the theft of the church's bones. When I said we were here to help, an older woman came over and asked if we could find her son Udo who went missing after saying bad things about the Burgomeister's festivals. I agreed. Anything to help!

Back to Father Lucian, he said the only other person that knew the location of the bones was a young altar boy named Yeska. Ohn went and talked to him and learned that he had told another older boy named Milijov. Our party went out back to question Milijov. The poor boy looked very scared and knew he did something wrong. He confessed to telling the coffin maker, Hendrick, about the bones in exchange for some food. It's hard to blame someone for doing what they can to eat. But I was confident we could rectify the situation!

With daylight waning, Ohn decided to head to the inn to rest for the night. The rest of us, Jameson, Zam, Zehno and I used the last bit of light to go over to the coffin-maker's shop and confront him. Nobody would answer the door, no doubt because it was closed up for the night. Zam tried to pick one of the locks but seemed to have trouble in doing so. A voice inside called out for us to go away but that just encouraged Zehno to ram the door and bust into the shop. Remind me to never get in the way of a Paladin on his quest for justice!

Hendrick confesses to stealing the bones and says they are upstairs. But then he also tells us that something made him do it. They threatened him. Vampires. Many many vampires. Six of them were upstairs no doubt plotting some evil vampire schemes! I admit the thought of facing vampires again made me a little nervous. The sounds of footsteps echoed above us as we knew that with all of the noise we made that the vampires no doubt knew we were there. Jameson quickly knocks Hendrick unconscious as the group decided it would be best to retreat back to the inn as vampires a whole pack of vampires at night was not an ideal situation.

We ran through the city streets with dark hooded figures in quick pursuit. Unfortunately I had to be carried since I couldn't run as fast as the others. I must say, even while carrying an unconscious Hendrick my friends sure could run! We ran past two town guards with torches that questioned why we were running. Sadly, they quickly found out as two of the cloaked figures lunged out at the guards and took them down in one fell swoop.

We just managed to make it back to the inn and rush inside. Jameson called out to the innkeepers to close it up and they quickly set into motion all of the doors and windows being shuttered closed. It seemed as though this was almost routine for these people. There were quite a few people at the inn at this hour as our entrance caused quite a commotion. Hendrick was taken upstairs to our room while Zehno explained to the innkeepers that Hendrick was responsible for stealing the church's bones. I tried to play my lute for the crowd to try to gets their minds off all of the fuss that was going on. Rictavio, the circus master, was there now and joined in with my music to tell stories alongside it. He seemed like a good guy. Maybe I'll get a chance to talk about his circus plans some time.

That night was largely uneventful. The vampires never did try to attack the inn. Zehno decided to sleep in Ismark and Ireena's room for some reason. He and Zam mentioned something about a noise outside during the night but I'm sure it was nothing. In the morning we decided to talk to Hendrick now that he was alert again. Ohn threatened him for information which I did not feel comfortable with at all. Hendrick repeated basically what he had said before. He stole the bones because the vampires threatened to kill him. Made sense to me! We would have to recover the bones ourselves now that it was daytime. We asked the wolf hunters if they would assist us but they wanted nothing to do with hunting vampires.

Our group, now including Ireena, made a quick stop at Blinsky's toy shop as Zam wanted to see if Blinsky could coat her arrows with silver. Apparently silver was good to use against wolves that stood on two legs. Jameson seemed to scoff at the notion of wolves standing on two legs. Blinsky offered to help Zam with her arrows and went on to talk about how the greatest invention ever made was invented by Fritz Von Werg. It was a clockwork man and currently resided in Castle Ravenloft. Ohn showed his clockwork amulet he found at Tser Falls but Blinsky didn't recognize it. He said someone named Jenny Greenthief might be able to help with that.

Blinsky then told us a sad story of how he only had one customer anymore. It was some man named izek. izek demanded that Blinsky made a certain kind of doll over and over. The dolls...they looked an awful lot like Ireena. Exactly like Ireena. It was almost kind of creepy in a way. When Blinsky caught a good look at Ireena herself he got spooked and ran into another room to hide. Zam goes in there to calm him down and get information. izek works for the Burgomeister Vargas and forces him to keep making the dolls. When our party asks him if he could decipher our reading from Madam Eva, he told us there was a Wizard's Tower on the lake, the only fortress he knew of was Castle Ravenloft, and that Saint Markovia's Abbey is in a town called Krezk.

We finished our dealings with Blinsky by making some purchases. Seeing gold in his hands again seemed to make Blinsky very happy. Zam ordered her silver arrows and Ohn ordered a silver dagger. Jameson bought a toy raven and Zehno bought a whole bunch of toys to give away to the local children. It was heartwarming to see the smile on Blinsky's face. He seemed like a good man who was really down on his luck. I'm glad we could make a difference!

With that our group decided to head on over to the coffin maker's shop and see if we couldn't deal with those pesky vampires now that it was daylight. I'm sure everything will work out for us. What could go wrong?

Journal Entry #7

My friends and I arrived outside the Coffin Maker's Shop intent on recovering the holy bones for the church. Ohn and Zam made their way onto the rooftop while the rest of us went in through the door we had broken the night before. We figured that if we could get enough sunlight into the building then this would be a quick and easy fight! Zehno, Jameson, Ireena and I charged up the stairs to confront the vampires.

Upstairs, we entered a large room with coffins and wooden crates. Jameson immediately pulled open one of the windows and let in the light of day into what was a dark stale room. I noticed light suddenly peeking in from across the room, seemingly from the ceiling. No doubt Ohn or Zam was hard at work up there. With light entering the room, the six vampires began to stir. The battle had begun.

I took the cue from my comrades and used a spell to shatter the far window, letting even more light into the room. Just about half the room was now bathed in sunlight which seemed to anger the vampires quite a bit. They immediately sprung into action. Two of them leaped onto the roof to go after Ohn and Zam. That seemed rather risky considering how much sunlight they'd find up there. The other four focused on those of us inside, injuring Jameson and knocking out Ireena in one swift attack! The quick easy battle we were hoping for was already off to a bad start with one of us already unconscious.

Zehno charged into the fray as expected of a mighty Paladin! But then he did something unexpected. He unleashed dark fearful energy on the vampires around him as well as Jameson who was standing nearby. Even though I was some distance away, I could feel the hairs on my arm standing up. What kind of a Paladin was this? This has be a bit concerned. I think he needs a good talking to! But, first things first. I used a Healing Word to get Ireena back on her feet. At about the same time, I could see the look of terror in the eyes of Jameson and the four vampires as they all scattered, trying desperately to get away from Zehno. Zehno managed to use one of his powerful smite attacks on one of the fleeing vampires and it looked like it caused a considerable amount of damage.

Ireena suddenly transformed into a ferocious tiger. That's quite a neat trick! Meanwhile, Jameson must have really been spooked because he left the room entirely and I didn't see him again for quite some time. During the commotion I noticed that Zam had fallen through the ceiling along with one of the vampires. She was now surrounded by a whole swarm of vampires. Being careful to stay in sunlit areas, I used another Healing Word and shouted words of inspiration to Zam. I guess I wasn't quite inspiring enough as her attempt to climb back onto the roof was only partly successful, legs danging down from the ceiling above as she struggled to pull herself all the way up.

I thought I heard some kind of noise from another room but maybe not. I did lose track of one of the vampires. One had fled back to the door we came in from and was now gone. I figured maybe it had gone downstairs or something. I couldn't think about that long as the swarm of vampires now turned their attention on Zehno, unleashing a fury of blows that badly injured the Paladin. Worse, one of them moved in behind him and sunk their fangs into him. Zehno was now unconscious. I had no idea what had happened to Jameson or Ohn. I could only hope that Zam was okay on the roof. That just left Ireena and I in a room with four vampires. I admit at this point I was...concerned.

Doubts be damned! Ireena and I stood our ground and continued the fight. I used another Healing Word to get Zehno back on his feet but unfortunately with so many vampires around him, he was very quickly knocked out again. I noticed arrows flying down from the ceiling letting us know that Zam was still there to help us. I refused to give up on Zehno and healed him yet again. With a combination of tiger Ireena drawing some vampire attention and Zam ensnaring one of the vampires, Zehno was finally able to stay on his feet.

But the vampires refused to let up. Even as one of their own finally succumbed to the sunlight and was reduced to a pile of ash, the other three came at us, dealing Ireena a powerful blow that caused her to revert back to Human form. We just weren't able to harm them faster than they were harming us. I could tell by the looks on Zehno and Ireena's faces that we were in no condition to continue here. We needed to withdraw and rethink our plan. Ireena retreated back towards the door we came in from while also laying down a healing spirit to aid in our withdraw. Zehno immediately took the direct approach. He dove right out the nearest window and was gone. I followed Ireena to the front of the room, readying my own escape.

I waited at the stairs down until Ireena also jumped out a window to safety. I figured the others must have also long since escaped and that I was the only one still inside. I quickly dashed down the stairs and made my way to the back door. Once outside I noticed Zehno and Ireena make their way over to the other side of the shop where it turned out Ohn was outside fighting a vampire. He looked...different. Was he always covered in all of those tattoos? No...where did those come from? Again, I had to make sure I focused on the task at hand, vampires. I charged at the vampire and stuck it with my rapier as hard as I could! To my surprise, its head fell right off and the whole thing was reduced to ashes. Neat!

A rope suddenly comes down from the roof above and Zam appeared, only to quickly disappear again as she climbed into a window on the second floor. I wondered why she wanted to go back inside. Weren't we all...Ohn, Zehno, Ireena, Zam, me...where was Jameson? Was he still inside? My thought process was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of four men who appeared to be city guards. Their equipment though certainly left a lot to be desired. These men seemed intent on burning the whole building down once we informed them that vampires were inside but thankfully Ohn stopped them from doing so. Zehno explained to them that we still had people inside and that we needed to recover the churches' bones.

Zehno and I have some difficulties climbing the rope to help out Zam up there but Ohn had no trouble scaling the building and leaping inside. Zehno and the four city guardsmen decide to use the doors and charge back into the house to finish off the remaining vampires. A quick count of dust piles, two outside and one from inside led me to think that three remained. Ohn must have been busy out here! I finally managed to climb the rope and join Ohn, Zam and an unconscious Jameson on the second floor. Zam skillfully dispatches another vampire while I used my last Healing Word to help out Jameson. I was very worried that I was too late as his skin looked very gray and lifeless but thankfully he was able to get back on his feet.

The final two vampires burst into the room but were quickly surrounded by us along with Zehno and guardsmen bringing up the rear. Jameson rummages through a cabinet and pulls out two bags. I wasn't sure what he had found at the time but he quickly took the bags and jumped out the window with them. The rest of us fought the vampires until we finally overwhelmed and finished them off.

While Zehno smoothed over this whole mess with the town guards, the rest of us searched the building for anything important and make sure there were no more bad guys hiding out. Zam found six arrows that looked exceptionally sharp. Jameson found some gold coins, a jeweled necklace which he gave to Ohn, and most importantly, a bag of bones! Hopefully the bones we need. I myself found a shimmering purple cloak. Odd thing to find in a coffin shop.

This battle has left me with a lot of questions though. What happened to Ohn and Jameson? Something doesn't seem quite right with them, especially Jameson. Zehno also has me concerned. I don't think he's taking the right path as a Paladin. And I hope Ireena isn't upset we dragged her into that mess. Well, we better get going and deliver these bones back to the church. It should be a quick stop.

Journal Entry #8

We took a short breather after our epic battle before heading over to deliver the bones. And I must say. This cloak I found billows quite nicely when walking around. I think it will be a fine addition to my performance wardrobe.

We made our way over to the church. The town seemed a little less lively than normal despite it being the middle of the day. Mist seemed to creep in to dampen the atmosphere. Upon arriving at the church we noticed a man wearing a heavy cloak waiting for us on its steps. Also, several strange black panther creatures emerged to surround our party. This cloaked man obviously wasn't here to congratulate us on a job well done.

Before we could act, suddenly the cloaked man had the bag of bones in his clutches, easily taken from Jameson. Or were they given? Something didn't seem right here. And when Zehno tried to intercede he just gave up and didn't really put up much of a fight at all, leaving the bones to the cloaked man. With the bones in hand the man transformed into a bat and began to fly away with them. Thankfully Zam's marksmanship was true and she was able to shoot an arrow into the bag. With a little help, the bag burst and all of the bones fell back to the ground.

A struggle ensued as the black panthers charged at us and the bones. Both parties tried to recover the bones and although we were successful in grabbing many of them, the panthers managed to grab a couple and make a run for it. It didn't take long to see that they were running over to their master, the cloaked man who was now standing a short distance away. We tried to recover the bones but the panthers were quick and determined. I got close to the cloaked man and then I saw it. Those eyes, eerily penetrating eyes. Was this...Strahd himself? He was a fine looking man.

Alas we failed. Strahd fled the scene with the skull and an arm and the remaining panther beasts ran off into the mists, save for one that was brought down by Zam. We delivered the remaining bones to the priest but he said without the full set the church would not be protected. We returned to the Blue Water Inn minus Ohn who stayed behind at the church a little while longer. I wanted to go visit the Vistani and find a way home but Zam grabbed me and forced me back to the inn. I may be small, but I am no child! I won't be treated as such again...

After a longer rest at the inn, Zam left to visit Blinsky's to collect her silver arrows and a silver dagger for Ohn. I noticed that the coffin maker was still tied up. I think Jameson was interrogating him further but I don't think much else was learned from it. With Zam gone, I thought it would be my chance to go to the Vistani camp unhindered. Unfortunately she returned sooner than expected but this time agreed to join me, despite the waning daylight. All of us went after a brief delay. Some of my friends were stocking up on raw steaks for some reason. Lots of them. Were they planning some kind of barbecue?

The trip to the Vistani camp outside the city walls was largely uneventful. We had to convince the guards to let us out the gate at night but other than that there were no troubles reaching the camp. The night didn't seem nearly as dangerous as some would lead us to believe! As for the Vistani camp, it was significantly quieter than the previous camp we had visited. There was no music, no laughing, no roaring fires and great feasts. There were also strange men here. They looked like elves but with a dark complexion. Were they Drow? Are there Drow in Barovia? Something must be wrong.

The center of the camp held a large tent. Inside were a number of Vistani. They were watching an awful sight. A teenage boy being whipped over and over. These were not fun-loving Vistani. Apparently the boy lost a girl he was charged to look after while in Vallaki. The whipping served as punishment. The girl was the daughter of a man named Errigal. The Vistani have searched all over and can't find her. They mention that the girl likes lakes and could be near the lake north of Vallaki.

A woman in the tent informs me that she could sell me fog potions for 50 gold each. I must have made a face because she quickly lowered that price to 25 gold. My friends don't seem to trust her but I just want to find a way home. I miss home. I don't have the money and wouldn't leave my friends trapped in this place anyways. Once I have enough for all of us, I'll revisit the woman and see how reliable those potions really are. The woman also mentioned that hags live at the windmill and warns us to stay away from ravens as they are up to no good. How bad can some birds be?

Jameson had no desire to spend the night in camp so we decided to leave and take our chances in the dark. But on our way out we noticed one of those dark elves eyeing us funny. We decided to meet with him to see if he had any useful information. The man was Casimir, leader of the Dusk Elves. Some time ago Strahd killed all of the Dusk Elf women leaving the Dusk Elf race to slowly die out. He says his sister is being held captive in Castle Ravenloft. He mentions that Madam Eva is a sister of Strahd, which seems highly suspicious! When we are ready, he wants help reaching some place called the Amber Temple. The Amber Temple “made Strahd”. Whatever that means. People build temples. I don't think temples build people.

There was mention of a White Dragon. The ravens might be shapeshifters? A mad mage lives on the north side of the lake near Vallaki. There is another hag named Jenny Greenteeth that is capable of lifting curses. Ohn seemed really interested in that tidbit. The hag lives south of Vallaki in the forest. Lastly, the elf mentioned that Ireena is the third or fourth reincarnation of a woman named Tatyana. That named sounded familiar. But then, we've heard lots of names this past week.

Week. We've been here a week. I can only hope that we find a way home before too many more weeks are added to it. No doubt my family is looking for me. But how will they find me?

Sari #1

Sari returned to the Hearthkeeper Inn just as the sun was setting. As with days prior, Merric and Cherry Hearthkeeper were in the entryway, eagerly awaiting any news of their missing son. The Halflings' eyes were downcast as soon as they saw that Sari was alone.

“Anything?”, Merric pleaded.

“I have located the address where Alton went that evening”, Sari replied.

“He wasn't there?”

“The house was not there.” Sari shrugged. “According to locals, there was never a house there.”

“Then how could you say you located...”

Sari waved her hand, interrupting Merric. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a strip of flattened wax. She turned it so that the couple could see her discovery. The wax was curiously shaped like a boot-print. “I found multiple tracks at that location, including a set who's prints match a second set of boots I found in Alton's bedroom.”

“What happened there?” Cherry asked, a slight tremble in her voice.

Sari sighed and shook her head. “I do not wish to speculate. But I assure you, I will find out. It is what I do.”

Sari retired to her room for the remainder of the evening. She stood by an open window and listened to the cool night air rustling nearby trees. Listening and thinking. Trying to piece together events. She had withheld information from the Hearthkeepers. She saw no sense in riling them up until she had the full story. And it was an odd story at that. It had taken her almost a full week just to locate where Alton had gone, as everyone she had talked to said that location didn't exist. There was no house, only footprints that abruptly stopped not far from the road. All of them were heading in the direction of the empty lot and simply ended without a trace. There were also no signs that any combat had taken place.

But there was something else. A taint of dark energy lingered in the air. It was faint, but she was sure of it. Track down the source of the energy and perhaps she can solve this mystery. Easier said than done, but it was the only lead she had going. And she knew just who to talk to...

Journal Entry #9

After spending the night with the Dusk Elves we decided to head over to Lake Zarovich, north of Vallaki. We wanted to find the missing Vistani girl. There were footprints by the shore along with three small boats. Zehno seemed to think they were elephant footprints. I think in the future I will direct all footprint inquiries to a Ranger.

With nobody around, Zam and Jameson took one of the boats and began to row out onto the lake. They said they saw someone out there and wanted to investigate. Ohn and Zehno each took their own boats out to investigate with Zehno leaving his armor by the shore. Despite Ohn's insistence that I come along, I stayed on land. I didn't want to tell the others that I get a little seasick sometimes when on a boat.

The scene I saw looked chaotic. People were diving into the water, jumping around in their boats and doing all kinds of wild maneuvers. Zam returned to shore with a child who turned out to be the missing Vistani girl Arabel and Jameson returned to shore with some drunk fisherman who turned out to be the missing fisherman Bluto. Zehno and Ohn returned to shore soon after. I was told that Bluto was trying to drown Arabel in the hopes of increasing his chances of catching fish. That sounds like a rather absurd method of fishing. Maybe he just should have tried a different bait? My friends also claimed they saw something in the water but I think their imaginations were just getting to them. I never saw anything!

Ireena transformed into a donkey and helped carry a now unconscious Bluto back to Vallaki. We left Bluto at the inn to sober up. My friends seemed to think Bluto was not acting on his own accord. I should hope not! It turned out the Coffin-maker was gone from our room. I think we assumed he escaped at the time. Which was just as well since we couldn't keep him tied up forever! Zam and Ohn took Arabel to Blinsky's to get her a toy while Jameson and Zehno left for the market I think.

Later on we all escorted Arabel back to the Vistani camp. Jameson brought up an idea of taking the girl to Jenny the hag to use as a bargaining chip. I can't help but wonder if maybe this place is starting to get to him. Arabel stuck close to Zam who made sure the girl was delivered safely back to her father at the Vistani camp. It was a heartwarming sight as the entire camp transformed into a joyous celebration. As a reward, Zam got to choose a treasure from some kind of secret Vistani hoard! She chose a jewelry box and a crystal vial with some kind of strange potion. I wonder what it tastes like?

The celebration for us was short lived as we had to quickly leave the camp after Ohn made a comment about maybe harming Strahd. We returned to Vallaki and the Blue Water Inn. As per usual, I put on a fantastic performance for the crowd! The tips seem to keep getting larger and larger! I will have to come up with something positive to use this money on.

Later on the doors to the Inn burst open and a strange man along with six guards came inside. We later learned that this was Izek, the man who ordered all of those Ireena dolls made. Izek was missing a hand and in its place was a glowing orange orb which we also later learned was able to shoot fire. This Izek looked like a very unpleasant man and he warned everyone in the Inn to not interrupt the festival that was going to occur tomorrow. As quickly as he stormed in, he left.

The innkeeper Irwin called the party to join him in the kitchen. From there he opened a secret door that led us to the attic. To my surprise, Irwin turned out to be a were-raven! I don't think I've ever heard of a were-raven. How...odd. But interesting! The ravens that we have seen throughout our time here in Barovia have all been were-ravens? Irwin wanted to know what our true intentions were. Did we simply want to go home or actually stay and make a difference. Since we have yet to figure out how to get home, making a difference was the obvious choice!

Irwin informed us that the Watcher house competes with the Burgomeister for control over Vallaki and that the Watchers are even more sinister than the Burgomeister. The watchers are led by a woman named Fiona and she apparently has spies following us from time to time. Irwin also told us that there is a werewolf den north of Kresk. He was the one that untied the coffin-maker and ultimately killed him. I don't like that outcome. It seemed unnecessary. We also learned that Ismark, who we haven't seen the past couple of days, was seen wandering off with some unknown man. Also, the winery is surrounded by a group of insane druids.

He also informed us of children going missing in Vallaki and how the windmill hags were connected. He told us that hags sometimes come at night and exchange pies for children with the parents unwittingly just handing them over. He let us know that if the hags show up tonight he would warn us so that we could go after them and put a stop to their evil deeds once and for all! We agreed to take on this task. Those hags don't stand a chance!

Sari #2

Sari knocked on a heavy wooden door. After a few moments a window slit slid open to reveal a pair of red eyes staring back at her. “What do you want?” a gruff voice sounded from behind the door.

“A Mr. Keyric has informed me that you are a man of many talents”, Sari spoke softly.

After a brief pause, a sound of a lock being turned was followed by the door swinging open. On the other side was a Drow Elf. A man no taller than Sari herself and who's body bore the scars of someone who's seen their fair share of rough times. Sari didn't wait for an official invitation. She immediately walked inside of what turned out to be a fairly small and dimly lit room.

The Drow quickly closed the door and locked it behind her. “Tell me. What brings a young woman...” the Drow began before pausing briefly, running a hand through Sari's fine silk cloak. “...of such stature to such a shady corner of the city?” The Elf's face formed a sinister grin as he walked across the room towards what appeared to be a work bench.

“I have been tasked with finding a certain Halfling who has gone missing. I hear you are exceptional at keeping an ear to the pulse of the city. Prominent people and events do not escape your notice.”

The Drow laughed as he went behind the bench and sat down. “Halfings are, by definition, the least prominent among us.”

“What do you know of a Gustav Durst?” Sari inquired.

The Drow shook his head. “Never heard the name.” Behind the bench out of sight, Sari could tell the Drow's hands were being quite busy.

Sari approached the work bench and reached into her cloak. The Drow visibly tensed up before seeing what Sari withdrew from it. A single coin. A platinum coin. Sari gently placed it on the bench and with one finger carefully slid it in front of the Drow. “Gustav Durst.”

One hand came out from under the bench to quickly pocket the coin. The Drow then leaned back in his chair, seemingly in contemplation. “Durst...Durst...” One hand was still concealed and now making a slow creep backwards. Sari stood and waited patiently for a response.

“You know...” the Drow began. “...I know your type. Waltzing down here like you own everything.” The Drow's face formed into a scowl. “As if your status means anything in a place like this.” Suddenly the concealed hand was revealed as the Drow sprung to his feet. A hand-crossbow, bolt at the ready. “All of your valuables on the table...now! And I'll take that cloak of yours as well.”

Journal Entry #10

We turned in for the night. I dreamt as I have many a recent nights...dreamt of home. The dream wouldn't last long as we were woken up in the middle of the night. It seems as though a hag had shown up in Vallaki near the coffin-maker's shop. This would be our chance to save the city!

The idea was that I would be disguised as a child and Zam would walk me past the hag in the hopes of drawing her attention. The rest of the party was hiding nearby as the hag visited a home. A pie was dropped off and the hag acquired a small child. What an awful thing to do! The idea didn't work as planned as the hag seemed to see through the disguise and turn hostile when Jameson got in her path and refused to move.

Attacks against the hag seemed to pass right through her at first. But the real hag appeared behind Zehno and unleashed some kind of spell against him. He looked a bit unstable on his feet like his muscles had been greatly weakened. Not long after, the hag unleashed another spell and...the next thing I knew a rock was bouncing off of me. I was on the ground and feeling rather sleepy. As I got to my feet I noticed that Zehno was fast asleep nearby. The hag remained next to us, engaged in combat with the party. I used a Mage Hand to poke Zehno until he woke up. I believe some kind of spells were used to keep the hag fighting us as opposed to running away. After a little while, Zam shot an arrow through the hag to finish her off.

We rescued the kid from the cage he was put in. Ohn inspected one of the hag's pies. I must say, it did look kind of tasty. Although, I know by now that if I tried to taste one of them my friends would have probably just grabbed me and pulled the pie out of my hands. We tried to deliver the child back to his parents but the parents were passed out and seemingly drugged and the child refused to be returned to them. He mentioned that he had a sister who had been traded for a pie. Those must have been really good pies. The child clung to Zam as we took him with us for the time being. Children seem to really like Zam.

The hag's body was placed in her wagon. Zehno volunteered to light the wagon on fire and destroy the hag and all of her evil pies. Maybe it was the night time playing tricks on my eyes, but Zehno seemed to momentarily be wrapped in shadow as he cast something to light the wagon ablaze. I fear that he might be slipping further away from being the virtuous Paladin I know he can be. Maybe an intervention is in order...

We finally returned to the inn and slept the remainder of the night. In the morning, the Blazing Sun Festival was calling all townsfolk to the market. Since the town was pretty much on lock-down, we figured we would attend and see what it was all about. Nobody else seemed very excited. I was holding out hope that it was going to be fun. I love festivals and I had yet to visit one that did not entertain me.

I hate to say it...but this festival just wasn't very good. Before the next festival comes around, I simply must speak with the Burgomeister and give him some ideas on how he can improve everyone's festival going experience. The Burgomeister Vargas was there along with that strange fire hand guy Izek. Vargas gave a rather uninspiring speech about how “all was well”. The looks on the townsfolk did not seem to mirror those words. Even one of the town's own guards seemed to snicker. Unfortunately for him, other guards grabbed him and tied him up to a horse. They then had the horse drag the poor man around in circles, slowly tearing away at his clothes and skin.

A giant orb of hay was ignited. I suppose this was supposed to be a replacement for the blazing sunshine that I have yet to see in Barovia. This only seemed to scare the horse causing it to run around more erratically. It was up to us to save this man from an unjust punishment! Ohn made a distraction by creating an illusion that the bonfire was screaming...and later laughing. I used this opportunity to sneak over and cast an invisibility spell onto the poor man. On his next pass, I cut the rope that bound him with some help from Zehno. Zehno healed the man enough for him to be able to flee and I let him know he was now invisible and to run away as fast as he could. The cloud of dust in his wake let me know he did just that.

To pour additional salt on this rather disastrous “festival”, Ohn changed the illusion to sound like Vargas himself shouting “there is no god”. This just seemed to make Vargas embarrassed and angry. He ordered a curfew for the entire town and the city guard began rounding everyone up and making sure they all went home. On the bright side, at least the festival was over! The townsfolk could be happy about that. Blinsky certainly seemed amused by our antics.

Zehno left with Blinsky to get those silver daggers he ordered. The rest of us went to the church to drop off the child we still had with us. The church was probably the best and only option to keep the child safe. The priest informs us that Izek is a troubled man and that he is not from Vallaki. We left the church and returned to the inn, making sure no guards saw us break curfew. The child tried to follow us, well, really just Zam, but thankfully the priest came out and returned him to the church.

We met back up with Zehno who gave me one of the silver daggers he ordered. It was very fancy! It had some kind of strange mechanism that allowed it to retract. I couldn't help but press the button over and over. It was like magic!

Inside the inn, we had a brief conversation with Rictavio. It seems he is still on the lookout for circus acts. He offers Zam ten gold to shoot a bottle across the room. Naturally, Zam hit her mark effortlessly! He offers Zam even more gold to join his circus but she informs him that she has other obligations at the moment. He also made me an offer. How nice of him! Before he headed up to retire for the night he seemed to imply that he was capable of helping people escape Barovia. I'll have to talk to him about this next time I see him.

The two hunters were also at the inn. Ireena paid then ten gold to search for her missing brother Ismark. They left to do just that, with Jameson and Ohn following behind. The rest of the afternoon and evening was rather uneventful. With the curfew in place and all villagers at home, there wasn't much of anything to do. Zehno decided to play a game of dice with Irwin to pass the time. He won three gold for his efforts! Irwin asked if I wanted to play but even I know better than to take up gambling!

After another night of sleep we woke the next day with the intent on visiting the windmill to take care of the hag problem once and for all. The villagers lining the streets let us know that the curfew was over. Before we set out though, a courier suddenly handed a letter to me. It was a formal invitation from Lady Fiona Watcher, inviting us to dinner tonight. I think we are all a little unnerved at the thought of being invited to another dinner.

But, first things first. We made the trek back to the windmill. Zehno approached and knocked on the door but nobody answered. A peek in the window didn't reveal any hags. The door wasn't locked so we made our way inside. Just as we were hashing out our fantastic plan to defeat the vile evil that lurked within, a voice from upstairs called down to us to come on up if we wished to make a purchase. So much for the element of surprise.

Zehno, Zam and Ohn were the first ones up the stairs. Jameson, Ireena, who was hiding as a mouse, and I were downstairs prepared to follow them up. After a short conversation it was clear that the hags knew exactly who we were and that we would have to just fight them here and now. The hag on the second floor turned out to be the mother hag. Another hag suddenly appeared down on the first floor next to a cauldron. Out of the cauldron came some kind of smelly monster.

Jameson tried to tip over the cauldron but it was a bit too heavy for him. Ireena then transformed into a bear and easily swatted it over, spilling its poisonous contents onto the floor and the nearby hag. The already stinky creature that came from the cauldron let out an even smellier and vile gas that filled the room. It smelled so bad I was having trouble concentrating on my attacks.

Alas, these hags were no match for a party of champions! Jameson killed the smelly beast. Zam and Zehno finished off the two hags. Ohn...had some questionable combat techniques. I'm really getting worried about him. Him and Zehno. Zehno seemed to use more dark magic. Maybe both of them need some kind of intervention to cleanse their souls!

For our deeds we found and rescued two children that were in cages on the third floor. We also discovered a locked chest and three potions. One potion makes someone beautiful for a day, another potion made someone laugh uncontrollably and the last potion was just poison it seemed.

Sari #3

“No”, was Sari's response, her face expressionless. She was unarmed and made no attempt to reveal any weapon.

“Your loss”, the Drow spoke before firing his hand-crossbow. The bolt flew towards Sari's chest before piercing her left hand that she quickly moved to intercept it. The hand stopped the bolt, leaving each half sticking out of opposite sides. Blood began to pool and slowly drip onto the stone floor below.

Sari gazed at the hand momentarily before returning her attention to the Drow. “Pain...is just a reminder that we are still alive”, she spoke softly. The corners of her mouth slowly formed into a smile as she rose her right hand towards the Drow. The Drow quickly began fumbling with his crossbow, trying to reload it. But he would not be quick enough. “Allow me to remind you”, Sari added as a blast of raw power burst forth from her hand, hurtling towards the Drow.

The blast hit the Drow square in the chest and sent him flying backwards. The hand-crossbow flew from his grasp and landed harmlessly across the room. He hurled towards the back wall that contained a few shelves of books and small trinkets. The shelves snapped, the books and trinkets flew outwards and a small dent formed in the wall from the impact. He slumped down onto the floor as debris rained down on top of him.

Sari once more looked at her left hand, still containing a bolt. “This is nothing to me.” As she spoke she ripped the bolt from her hand without the slightest of flinching. A soft white glow enveloped the injured hand and several seconds later it was whole again. Flawless without even the slightest hint it had ever been damaged.

She casually strolled over to where the still dazed Drow sat, deftly stepping around debris that littered the floor. She knelt down beside the Drow. In her right hand a dagger suddenly materialized out of nowhere. “One way or another, you will tell me what I want to know”, Sari spoke as she pressed the dagger against the Drow's throat. With her other hand she reached into the man's pocket and retrieved the platinum coin he had taken.

“You don't scare me!” the Drow said defiantly. His eyes were wild and full of anger. “I've faced far worse than you. Kill me and you'll never find that Halfling of yours.”

Sari smiled and nodded her head. “You are right.” The dagger in her hand suddenly vanished as she rose to her feet. “I am not going to kill you.” She turned away from the Drow and began to walk back towards the door she came in from. She could hear coughing and rustling as the Drow began to lift himself out of the debris pile.

She paused by the door, her back still to the Drow. She spoke just loud enough for the Drow to hear her. “It would be a pity if a certain Priestess of Lolth were to learn the location of a traitor.”

The Drow laughed, followed up by a burst of coughing. “What kind of idiot do you take me for?” he called out. “As if you could even find one, let alone be granted an audience.” The Drow scoffed and threw a book harmlessly across the room. “Get out of here! You better hope I never see you again!”

Sari turned to face the Drow, eager to see the forthcoming expression on his face. “On the outskirts of the city there is a small brick cottage shrouded in dense forest and brush”, Sari began. “The cottage looks abandoned but curiously lacks the amount of dust and cobwebs one would expect to find.” The Drow's expression went blank, save for a raised eyebrow. “Underneath a well worn rug there is a hatch that opens up a narrow vertical shaft. The shaft drops three-hundred feet before opening up into a more horizontal cavern.” The Drow appeared to be frozen in place. “The cavern is pitch dark and lined with large boulders. It extends some one thousand feet before a series of branches. The second branch on the right leads to a large stone room. Four Drow guard this room. It seems as though these Drow have lived near the surface for too long because they are easily distracted by round metal objects.”

The Drow began to look tense, but remained largely motionless. Sari continued. “These Drow guard a portal that leads much deeper underground. Once through the portal, visitors are greeted by a much larger number of Drow. Drow that are less interested in shiny coins.” Visible sweat was now noticeable. And his breathing, deep and erratic. “Oddly enough, intruders are not immediately welcomed by a sharp blade. They are brought before a female Drow, well dressed and carrying a large ornate staff. A beautiful staff covered in gems and gold.”

“Enough!” the Drow finally yelled out.

Sari ignored his request. “Her name is G'eldafay. And her mannerisms, pattern of speech, how she treats intruders. You can tell. Tell she has been up top. Interacted with us surface folk. She is not above...broadening her horizons...if it means defeating her rivals in the Underdark.”

It was truly an odd sight. The sight of a Drow, face flushed. As pale as a Drow can possibly get. “I wasn't lying! I don't know of any Durst. But I can still help.”

Sari smiled sweetly, pleased that the Drow had reconsidered.

Journal Entry #11

We looted what remaining treasures the hags possessed. This included gold, potions and other trinkets. Zehno gave the freed children some food. They were from the village of Barovia. But like the other child we encountered, they did not want to return home. We decided to take them back to Vallaki with us and drop them off at the church. As for the windmill itself, Zehno made sure no evil ever took up residence in it again. He lit a bonfire and we all watched as the rotting wood quickly burst into flames, consuming it in its entirety.

On our way back to Vallaki we all heard a cry coming from the forest, just off the road. Someone else was in trouble! Upon closer inspection it was a blonde woman in a tattered dress. Zehno informed us that this woman had an evil presence about her and that we should stay away. We all quietly, aside from an errant cracked twig, made our way back to the road and continued on our way.

Once we arrived in Vallaki we stopped by the church to drop the children off. The priest was gracious enough to allow two more to stay with him and Ohn donated some gold to help him out. Our next stop was the Inn to freshen up for that dinner date with the Watchers. You'd be surprised how long it takes to clean off old wounds and dirt that have collected during our travels. But eventually we looked like a respectable lot ready for a fine meal. Sort of.

Just as we left the Inn we were immediately greeted by a strange and pale man named Ernst. Some of my friends seemed to recognize him as a man who had been skulking around following them through the city. Ernst was there to escort us to the Watcher manor. The outside of the house itself gave me flashbacks to another similar house full of ghosts and other ghastly things. However, the inside of the house was a bit more cared for and was not full of rotting food and corpses.

We waited in the dining room for Fiona Watcher. Waited. And waited. And then there was some more waiting. Maybe she had forgotten about dinner? But finally she decided to appear and grace us with her presence. Jameson offered a bottle of fine wine which Fiona accepted graciously. We exchanged pleasantries and settled down for a fine dinner. The duck was delicious!

Then we got down to business. Fiona made no attempt to hide it. She wanted control of Vallaki and she wanted our help in achieving it. She asked us what we wanted in return for this task and...well...none of us could really thing of anything good. Fiona seemed like a nice enough woman but there are those nagging warnings others gave about how she could be just as bad as Vargas, or worse. From what I've seen of Vargas and Fiona, at least for the time being, I think I'd rather see Fiona in control. Vargas and his festivals are awful! Where's the music? Where's the food? All is not well!

We did learn a few other tidbits during dinner. Jenny was once a servant of Vargas and that she ran away because she was treated poorly. Vargas has a son that is studying the arcane and is trying to come up with a way of leaving Barovia. Fiona also thinks that Ismark is probably dead. I hope she is wrong about that. Lastly we learned more about some Order of the Silver Dragon. They were the last great enemy of the Zarovich family. With dinner concluded we returned to the Inn and rested for the remainder of the evening.

At daybreak Jameson and Zam went to the blacksmiths while the rest of us prepared for the day ahead. During breakfast we learned that Lars, the guard we aided from the festival, had gone missing. But on this day we had decided we would head west and investigate the Wizard of the Wine Winery and find out why it stopped shipping wine. Irwin told us the man in charge of the winery was Davian Marticov. Telling him that the ravens sent us would be all he would need to hear.

Our party regrouped and set out on our journey to the winery. After an hour or two we came across a woman laying on the road. She looked Vistani. Zehno gave her some water and helped her up. She told us her name was Vie and she gave a ring to Zehno for her appreciation. There was something odd about the ring that none of us could quite figure out. She then continued a slow walk towards Vallaki. I really wanted to go with her to make sure she would be able to make it on her own but we had pressing business to tend to.

We arrived at the winery with a light drizzle falling from the sky. Out of the forest a man stepped out and beckoned to us. He explained he was Davian Marticov and that a dozen or so druids attacked the winery with a bunch of walking trees. Apparently the druids went insane and are convinced that if they kill were-ravens then Strahd will like them? We assured the man that the winery was in good hands with us and that we would clear it out. No problem!

We very stealthily approached the main building. It was surrounded by dozens of short strange looking trees. Zam identified them as tree blights. There was also a druid guarding the front entrance. We made out way to the back entrance but found it to be barred shut. The windows were all locked. We snuck around to a side entrance and found it unable to open enough to squeeze our party inside. But thankfully I was just small enough to wiggle my way inside.

A bookcase was holding the door closed. Trying to move it might have caused too much noise so I snuck further inside. A female druid and more tree blights were roaming about but thankfully none of them saw me. I made my way over to a window in a nearby stair well and opened it for my companions. Once we were all inside we made our way upstairs. One of the rooms contained another druid rummaging around through stuff while two more tree blights guarded the entrance. Trees must have poor vision because they didn't see us sneaking right up to them.

We hatched a plan to capture and interrogate the druid. Ohn used a spell of silence that concealed our attack from the rest of the building. We quickly burst into the room with Zehno in the lead. He knocked a blight down while I ran in and sliced one apart with a single blow. Jameson followed up by blasting the other blight to bits and knocking the druid woman unconscious.

With the Druid bound and gagged, we found out that she was unable to write. Zehno used a charm spell to make sure she would not call out for help when we un-gagged her. Upon questioning, she informed us that her leader wielded a green glowing staff and that if we wanted to stop the blights we would need to get that staff. We also learned that the druids' ultimate goal is to destroy Vallaki. The situation certainly seemed a lot more dangerous than missing wine.

We released the druid with the instructions to find and bring her leader outside to the outhouse where we would ambush them. Unfortunately while we were sneaking back out of the building, Zehno fell out a window and made a lot of noise. Before long, all of the tree blights began to stir. We were quickly surrounded by what must have been dozens of them!

But this was nothing to a party of legendary heroes! These flimsy trees were no match for our might as we carved through them like butter. I waited until they began grouping together before a single cord of my lute fell five of them, burst by my Shatter spell. Then another five. My friends also made quick work of these blights. Jameson blasting two at a time with his doodads. Ohn smashing them to pieces with his staff. Zam stood on the outhouse roof and just fired away at everything around her. Zehno sliced them apart with his sword and protected those near him with his shield.

A druid came around the corner to investigate what was going on. It didn't take long for this druid to see that their forces of darkness were no match for us! The druid fled back into the winery.

Sari #4

Sari reached into her cloak and pulled out a handful of dirt. She raised it in front of the Drow's face and slowly let it sprinkle onto the floor. She said nothing and waited for the Drow to respond. Rumor had it that this Drow was keenly adept at identifying magic. She shall see.

The Drow bent down and ran a hand through it. He stared at the dirt intently for over a minute before closing his eyes. He sniffed the air with one deep breath. “Where did you get this?” he asked, opening his eyes and returning to his feet.

“What is it?” Sari asked, ignoring the question.

“I don't know”, the Drow began. “But...I recognize it. Yes. Some kind of dark magic.”

Sari groaned and shook her head. “Obviously. Tell me everything you know about it.”

The Drow, still visibly wincing with each movement, carefully picked up his chair off the floor and set it back upright. He sat down and began his story. “Several months back I saw this flier. Some Wizard was hiring volunteers for some kind of magical exploration or something. It peeked my interest enough to check this guy out.” The Drow smirked and leaned forward. “The guy was a bit off. He had this box that when opened created some kind of portal to who knows where.”

“What is the connection?”, Sari interrupted.

“The stench of despair. That box and your dirt have the same magical signature. Look, I have no idea where that portal led to. And only an idiot would have gone through it.”

“People went through it?”, Sari asked.

The Drow shrugged. “I heard stories. If you're hungry and desperate and some crazy Wizard is offering you gold, maybe it doesn't sound so stupid anymore.” He smirked. “Word has it some people went missing and the city guard might have taken notice. This Wizard packed his bags and bolted.”

“So he is gone?” This would inevitably make Sari's job more difficult.

A slow grin formed on the Drow's face. “This part you might find helpful. Ten days ago maybe. I'm at my favorite tavern and who do I see knocking back a few?” The Drow threw up his hands. “Coincidence?”

“And where might I find this Wizard?”

Sari #5

The tavern was especially raucous this evening. There was a crowd of seedy looking men gathered in the corner. Shouting, screaming, laughing and enough ale to drop a Dwarf. They were either celebrating something or plotting some kind of crime spree. Probably both. The atmosphere wasn't ideal for Stedd. Bunch of inbred yokels. But he still felt the need to lay low and avoid some of his more usual haunts. At least for a few more months.

“More?” the barkeep asked. Before Stedd could even turn his head another glass was filled and the man was already moving on to the next customer. Well, one more couldn't hurt. Maybe it will temper the noise. Not that it mattered. He was ready to call it a night.

“Pardon me,” a meek voice sounded off behind him. Stedd spun around on his bar stool to face the voice. Before him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Shimmering golden hair created an almost angelic aura about her. Skin so flawless as to make an Elf turn green with envy. Those eyes, a radiant and eerily captivating purple. She wore a long flowing black dress that was completely out of place in a dump such as this. Stedd's eyes finally settled in on the woman's ample b...

“Are you a magic user?” the woman asked, interrupting his train of thought.

Stedd cleared his throat and quickly straightened out his clothing. “Only the greatest Wizard in all of Faerûn! Name is Stedd. How can I help such a fine young lady this evening?”

“You may call me Sari,” she responded, the sweetest of smiles forming. Sari's slight hands grabbed the sides of her dress as she performed a quick curtsy. “I have always been attracted to magic. Might I see a demonstration?”

Stedd nodded and grinned. With his left hand he scooped up his half-empty glass and held it out in front of him. The glass suddenly glowed with a brilliant light that revealed more of the tavern than anyone would probably ever want to see. Almost simultaneously, a ball of fire erupted in his right hand. And as quickly as they appeared, he extinguished both light and fire. The murmurs of patrons throughout the tavern grew louder.

Sari leaned in close giving Stedd a view that caused his heart to being racing. He could feel her breath against his right cheek as she whispered into his ear. “Maybe we can go some place more private.”

Stedd tore his eyes away from Sari long enough to notice most of the inhabitants of the tavern were now staring at them. And not exactly in a good way. The table of thugs looked like they found a new mark for their criminal enterprising. A rogue-in-training, as evident by Stedd being able to spot him, was inching closer with no doubt nefarious intent. Others patrons looked irritated by the commotion. A few were as mesmerized as Stedd was moments ago. A Half-orc...well...he just looked hungry. “I'd be happy to take you back to my place.”

A smile and a nod was Sari's only response. He gently took her hand and guided her towards the exit. Once they were outside he took a quick look back. Nobody had followed. Stedd smiled. “It's not too far from here.” This was shaping up to be his lucky night!