No longer paying for and Ascendent Membership – So I’m scheduling the game here!

*April 28th. 12:30 PM Start Time

Self Dungeon

Amber Temple!*

Did anyone get notified? Please respond if you did… OP is acting weird. Based on the response I will either renew or cancel my premium membership

For the first time in days, the party was treated to a truly restful evening. In a sitting room that had been only moderately damaged when the Wizard of Wines was occupied by the druids and their enslaved blights, Davian Martikov entertained the group with gifts of the finest wines he could salvage from the newly liberated cellars.

As the rich Barovian vintage warmed their bones and spirits, the Martikov patriarch told the party that his family, in raven guise, had been watching them ever since they had entered Barovia. He listened intently as the group recounted their meeting with the Vistana seer, Madam Eva.

Unfortunately, much of the tarokka reading had elicited no reaction from Davian. However, the wereraven was able to provide the following clues: The “den of wolves” mentioned upon revealing the Myrmidon card was doubtless a system of caves located in the foothills of Mount Baratok. Davian further informed the group that one of his ravens monitors the movements of the pack regularly.

Davian also seemed quite sure that the tower associated with the Wizard card could be found on the shores of Lake Baratok. Davian pointed out that the tower had been abandoned for decades, possibly centuries, but had recently (within the past few months) shown signs of habitation.

With this information in mind, the party contemplated their next move as Davian’s warning that wandering without purpose in Barovia would only send them to their graves all the more quickly.

Feldspar’s Fables had gained valuable allies in the wereraven flock, and if Davian was to be believed, actually stood a chance of confronting Barovia’s dark lord.

All roads had seemingly lead the party to the Wizard of Wines winery for some time now, and so they set out to investigate the missing wine shipments which threatened to put an end to one of the few remaining pleasures left to the Barovian people.

As with the Blue Water Inn at Vallaki, the winery was owned by the Martikov family, but even their lycanthropic powers had proven no match for the barbaric druidic cultists and the swarms of blights which had overrun the manor and winery.

The party arrived at the winery to find the Martikov patriarch, Davian, and some of his family hiding out in the woods. The old man told of a swift and unexpected attack by the druids and the blights which served them. The party set out to retake the winery and a series of pitched battles ensued, with the party eventually emerging victorious. It had proven a profitable encounter, and the Fables had obtained a pair of magical weapons to add to their arsenal: The cursed Gulthias Staff was claimed by A’Nonce, while Jon was now the proud wielder of the enchanted Whip of Entangling.

Ok so it looks like June is also a wash…

How does everyone look for July? I’ll be out of town on the weekend of the 8th, but am otherwise open.

It’s really kind of a bummer to have a three month gap… but I have sufficient notes (believe it or not) to get us all back up to speed!

Posting this here because I let my paid membership lapse and Obsidian Portal won’t allow the creation of new forum posts unless you are a paid subscriber, which is fucking stupid. They continue to take away functionality for free users (I used to be able to do almost everything as a free user).

Anyhoo… let me know what works for everyone in July.

Also, OP will not send out email notifications since I am not a paying member any longer (another thing that formerly wasn’t an issue), so I’ll be spamming this via email and on FB.

Half a day earlier, Jon had decided to take Fluffy out of the village, deeming it not safe for the wolf judging by the angry and threatening glares the from the townsfolk. Wolves in Barovia were associated with Strahd and harbingers of evil.

Thus it happened that when the attack on the village came, Secomber and Fluffy were far from the safety of the walls. The pair had stumbled upon an old charcoal burner’s cabin, long abandoned and slowly being reclaimed by the mist shrouded forest and Jon decided to hole up there and wait out the danger now posed by what sounded like hundreds of wolves that had descended upon the area.

Unfortunately, despite their efforts to remain hidden, the pair were discovered and surrounded by what turned out to be a pack of werewolves, led by Emil Toranescu and his wounded mate Zuleika Toranescu. It was only the presence of Fluffy that kept Jon from being torn to shreds on the spot. Emil seemed to take a liking to the halfling and offered him a dark gift, stating that it would only be offered once.

Politely but firmly declining, Jon and Fluffy were left in peace as Emil tended to his wounded bride, who healed with unnatural speed in spite of being hit with an envenomed crossbow bolt.

The next morning, Jon discovered that the werewolves had fought and killed a pair of wolf hunters from Vallaki nearby. Jon divested the mutilated corpses of several valuable items before returning with Fluffy to Vallaki, unsure of what his next move might be and with the words of Emil Toranescu echoing in his mind. To make matters worse, Jon’s sleep of late had been plagued with strange nightmares, making his sleep fitful and not at all restful…

Jon was not excited by the prospect of returning to town with Fluffy, and breathed a sigh of relief when he encountered the party leaving the village by the now damaged East Gate. Relief quickly turned to despair as he saw the body of Breeze, covered by a tarp, in the back of the wagon.

Onika simply admonished the halfling for disappearing and informed him that the party would immediately be traveling to the Abbey of St. Markovia, there to find the mysterious Abbot of the Morninglord, said to have the power to raise the dead. Jon was also shocked to learn of Ismark’s death, the kidnapping of Ireena, and that Izek Strazni had chosen to accompany the party… now intent on finding his long-lost sister even if it meant confronting Strahd in his keep.

Things quickly escalated after coming to an accord with Baron Vargas Vallakovich. The party returned to the Blue Water Inn for some much needed rest, only to be woken later that night as Strahd’s forces attacked Vallaki on several fronts. A band of Vistani attacked the east gates, setting fire to some outbuildings and a section of the palisade, but they proved to be a diversion.

As hundreds of wolves encircled the village, their howls echoing through the mist, the church was attacked by several vampire spawn. Some of the party went to investigate and arrived just in time to see the priest meet his end at the fangs of a vampire. Onika, Breeze, and Francisco chose to attack the undead but soon realized they were outmatched, even with the arrival of Izek Strazni leading a squad of guards to reinforce the party. Breeze perished at the hands of the vampires and all looked hopeless until the creatures made an unexpected retreat.

Meanwhile, A’Nonce had elected to stay behind at the inn with Ismark to watch over the ailing Ireena Kolyana. This proved to be a nearly fatal decision as the room was attacked by “The Devil” Strahd von Zarovich himself. Bursting through the window, the vampire lord made short work of Ismark and forced A’Nonce to flee for his life.

As suddenly as the attack had begun, Strahd mounted his nightmarish flying steed and bore Ireena swiftly away. The party attacked with missile weapons and spells, but to no avail. Ireena was gone, Breeze was dead, Ismark missing and presumed dead, and Secomber Jon (“Sec”) Richhome had not returned from the woods where he had gone with Fluffy some hours earlier for the dire wolf’s protection. Judging by the cacophony of howls, the halfling was not alone…

The chained man in the makeshift cell next to Creed turned out to be a villager who had dared to speak out against the Baron’s endless “festivals.” As a repeat offender, he had been dragged into the cell and starved rather than endure the usual punishment of being locked in the stocks on the village square. The party got the feeling that they had probably saved the man’s life.

Unfortunately all of the commotion soon drew the footsteps of the absent guard. The party elected to hide in the cell, waiting in ambush for the guard to arrive. Upon angrily opening the door, the man did not even have a chance to cry out before Onika clubbed him into an unconscious heap.

This additional noise proved to be too much for the Baron’s dogs, who broke into a cacophony of deep throated barks and howls. The party then stepped out into the hall to confront the baron as he and his dogs burst from the room nearby. Acting swiftly, Francisco was able to utilize another sleep spell which rendered the two mastiffs incapacitated before they had covered five paces. The Baron himself advanced uneasily with his rapier drawn, but upon seeing Onika and her massive great axe, he quickly lost his will to fight and surrendered to the mercy of the party, seeing just how outmatched he was… To be concluded!

The party elected to wait until darkness fell to approach the Baron’s manor. The streets were eerily quiet as they made their way through the village and eventually to the mansion without being seen. Rather than take the front entrance, they discovered a small door at the back of the house. Leaning in to listen at the door, Francisco was able to detect off-key singing as well as the unmistakable smell of food cooking from beyond the door. This presumably was the entrance to the kitchen.

Luck continued to favor the group and they were able to enter the room unimpeded, where Onika Zordal quickly incapacitated the surprised cook with a sleeper hold. Tying him up in the storeroom, they left Ismark and Ireena behind to ensure that the man stayed unconscious while the rest of them searched for Creed.

A’Nonce and Francisco proceeded to quickly explore the ground floor of the manor, avoiding those areas where human voices could be heard. For the most part, the first level was unremarkable, though the foyer was filled with bundled twigs and sticks of varying sizes stacked haphazardly against the otherwise well appointed walls. The party deduced that these bundles were to be used at the upcoming “Festival of the Blazing Sun” they had seen advertised in the town square.

Choosing the servants staircase in the rear of the house adjoining the kitchen, the party made their way up to the second level. They were again able to remain silent and avoid detection, though there were a couple of tense moments; the sound of an armored guard tromping through the hallway towards the main stairwell, and the growling and snuffling of what sounded like one or more large dogs.

The first few rooms they explored were fairly unremarkable, however an odd, full-length mirror in what must have been the lady of the house’s dressing room gave the party an uneasy feeling they could not explain. Ever curious, A’Nonce pressed a hand against the glass and found it unnaturally cold to the touch. Time was of the essence however so rather than investigating further, the group continued their search for Creed.

The master bedroom held a perfectly preserved wedding dress on a manikin and also a trapdoor in the ceiling leading to the attic. A’nonce opened the trapdoor and quickly peaked in, revealing a dusty but otherwise empty room devoid of any signs of life. Closing the trapdoor, the group resolved to first finish exploring the 2nd floor.

The hallway where they had earlier heard the sounds of a patrolling guard held several more doors. Ever cautious, the group methodically investigated each of these. The first revealed a bedroom filled with dolls; all of which bore the likeness of Ireena Kolyana. Onika Zordal recognized the handiwork of Gadov Blinsky the toymaker immediately and explained in whispered tones what had occurred earlier at the toymaker’s shop.

Across the hall, the faint smell of pipe smoke wafted under an oaken door and a man could be heard speaking in soothing tones to one or more dogs, which as of yet had not smelled the intruders (probably thanks to the aforementioned smoke). Leaving this door closed, the party made their way to the end of the hall where they heard a moan of pain, the rattling of iron chains, and Creed’s unmistakable voice saying “You still haven’t bothered dying yet?” in a sarcastic tone.

The door was locked but proved easy to pick, and sure enough, Creed and an unknown man were shackled to the far wall of what must have originally been a closet but now served as a prison…

A’Nonce returned to the room where the party was staying to discover Ismark hovering over an increasingly ill-looking Ireena. The young woman’s condition was becoming more pronounced and she complained of extreme fatigue as evidenced by her sunken eyes and haunted appearance. A concerned A’Nonce had her drink some holy water to see how she reacted, and was relieved to see that while she found it bitter, there were no ill effects.

Due to Ireena’s deteriorating condition, Ismark decided to consult the priest at the local Church to the Morninglord. Returning around an hour later, Ismark informed A’Nonce that the priest had told him that they might seek a cure for Ireena at the Abbey of Saint Markovia, located in the mountains near the village of Kresk. The Abbot there was rumored to be a powerful servant of the Morninglord and a cleric of considerable ability.

Meanwhile Onika left D’aim behind at the stockyard and returned with her new found pet monkey to the inn by a circuitous route due to the presence of some town guardsmen who seemed to be looking intently for something or someone. This brought the barbarian to the town square, where she witnessed several prisoners including children languishing in stocks at the center of the square. As she Onika struggled with her conscience in regards to the prisoners, Izek Strazni and a pair of guards arrived and began posting notices advertising the coming “Festival of the Blazing Sun” (while simultaneously removing the “Wolf’s Head Festival” decor). Wanting to avoid trouble and report her findings to the rest of the party, Onika reluctantly made her way back to the Blue Water Inn with no further incident. Izek Strazni had piqued her attention however due to the fine quality battle axe strapped to his back and the deformed and twisted arm (covered in scales and spines) that he made no effort to hide. Upon informing A’Nonce of this strange site, the cleric voiced his suspicions that Izek might be a tiefling like the still-missing Creed.

Francisco Ilozaren also made his way back to the inn after parting company temporarily with Secomber and Fluffy. Strumming his lute as he strolled through the streets of Vallaki, the bard soon had a handful of local admirers shadowing his steps, including a elderly man who warned Francisco to avoid the Vistani. Unfortunately this attention also attracted a pair of town guardsmen who were apparently searching for the party. They intended to arrest the bard, but Francisco was not having it and cast a sleep spell on the two before they could apprehend him. With the guards dealt with, Francisco quickly returned to the inn.

Soon after Francisco made his way to the party’s room, Danika Martikov landed on the window sill in raven form, tapping frantically on the glass. The party let her into the room where she reverted to a raven-human hybrid form (similar to that of an arakocra) and informed the party that Creed had been captured and had been escorted to the Baron’s manor.

The (now fragmented) Feldspar’s Fables along with Ismark and Ireena, who had improved somewhat after getting a little rest, decided that they could delay the meeting with Baron Vallakovich no longer, and so made their way to confront him and rescue Creed….