Fireside Chat: Level 10.5

On a cold and snowy Thursday afternoon, I sit by the open fire and worm my toes deeper into my furry slippers. Noticing your approach, I put down my source books and brandy, then welcome you over to a vacant, but supremely comfortable, armchair...

So after long deliberation as to whether or not I wanted to continue playing in Barovia or end ASAP, I've decided we will be spending more time claiming the Forest Fane, disrupting Aldric, resurrecting Izzy and finding the Sunsword.

Can you believe I initially thought we'd be out of Cadavera by the first week in January? Sometimes these plots take on lives of their own, and with added complexity and two new PCs things take more time to do right. As long as we continue to have fun, and there are stories to be told, I don't see a problem with remaining a while longer to complete our three quests...

1. Foiling Aldric and the devil cult
2. Resurrecting Izzy
3. Restoring day to Barovia via the Sunsword

Of course, we all had grand plans for a Paragon Break and an in-game year to reach level 11. That is all still good to go, and your plans will come to fruition, but there is work yet to be done in Barovia first. Thing is you've already surpassed the experience requirement for level 11. It wouldn't make sense to just up and assume your Paragon-related powers without that year's passing, but I do want to reward you, so at Josh's suggestion, I present to you...

LEVEL 10.5!
You get to increase your hp and choose your next feat, but save the PP stuff until 11 proper. Once we reach the Paragon Break (after the completion of the remaining 3 quests), then you can level up fully to 11. I will be keeping tabs on all the experience you earn, as well, so that once break hits you can apply it all. So nothing you do during 10.5 is wasted. It's still accumulating on your ultimate experience totals.

Shorter Summaries
While I have you, I also wanted to let you know that for the time being, summaries will be just a few paragraphs. You have no idea how daunting it becomes to create such long summaries (almost like retellings, honestly). And for the next few weeks, I'll be having a lot of stuff going on between work and a t-shirt project I'm doing with a friend.

Earn LOTS of Experience
And as an incentive for you all, any previous session that is missing a complete summary is up for grabs for you all to complete. Check back through your logs, write up either a few paragraphs or a long, chaptered summary, and earn experience for the entire group. My goal is to eventually have 61 finished summaries. A few paragraphs summary (and please, still be thorough enough where I can get the gist and important details) will net each player +500 xp, so the equivalent of a standard 3500xp encounter! Full blown chapter summaries earns 1000 xp each, or a 7000xp motherload! I imagine there's at least 2 levels worth of unfinished summaries buried in the blog for the taking.

Claim Your Spoils!
Over the last two months of so, you guys have come into possession of a number of magic items and valuable loot. I'd like people to actually claim these things and list then on their sheets, or else I feel they will be forgotten and never used. At the very least go and sell them!

Unclaimed, we have...
Chiropteran Robes (61)
Unusual Magician's Ring (61)
Talisman of Terror (56)
Rimerought Plate Armor (56)

Other than that, hope you're all having fun! I'll see you Tuesday!

Session 61: Hell Hath No Fury (PART II)

Evening, Ulanra 15th

A Desperate Finish
Rogar was crushed under the balled fists of the colossus, while Fog-eye's summoned allies fell back into the Wild with cries of anguish. The druid called his final friend, Sinida the Firehawk, which caught Kaylan's eye, but even she was little more than a nuisance to the hounding sibyl. Diana drew from Chaos, calling all manner of bolts and deadly rains, but it wasn't always helpful, and certainly not always logical, when a giant hand of pure force materialized and slapped her in the face (drawing a few stares), another time her efforts conjuring four screeching flying monkeys (leaving even the enemy speechless). Many were lashed with molten chains burst forth from Lysaga's open arms, the dark saint a violent mix of fire and blood, hate and loathing, sometimes chiding and other times overwhelmed with wrath.

Thamior was unafraid, lunging with his sword raised, bolstered by Kaylan's healing lights. Relic laid barrage after barrage on the enemy, ultimately blowing a hole through the serpent sibyl's chest! Still the presence of Lysaga and the colossus, not to mention the bothersome wolf sibyl and eyeless sister, left it unclear who would survive the next few minutes.

Diana guided Portia to the colossus's left breast, where a stone lock kept the lid of its coffin-chest closed. Rogar palmed the mechanism and crushed it, before being struck by the angry golem. Portia cartwheeled and flipped her way up the statue's leg and finished unlocking the lid, despite the harrying hexes of a panicked sister. The boggart pulled hard on the latch, swinging the lid wide and exposing Lysaga's decrepit remains, her anchor in this plane.

Diana's next blast vaporized Lysaga's corpse and sent her screaming back to Hell, torn under by dozens of damned souls. The colossus, bereft of its power source, toppled over, as well, leaving two very unfortunate witches. Fog-eye vengefully tore out the surviving sibyl's throat, while Diana's flying monkeys ripped the blind sister to shreds, paw-full by bloody paw-full.

Resuming Negotiations
Racing to the warded room, the Guardians confronted the Shadow Prophet holding two helpless little girls hostage. A nameless red-headed dumpling whimpered in one hand, while Chiela screamed for her brother in the other. As the group recoiled from the cowardly tactic, Rogar especially perturbed, the warlock demanded a trade: the girls' lives for the Hellheart.

Relic tried a head shot, but the aura around the villain warped, drained and redirected the energy. Kaylan and Fog-eye successfully identified the shadowstuff as a manifestation of the Dark, a magic different than anything they'd ever seen from priest, druid or mage (the Shadow Power Source).

The druid called the Hellheart out into humanoid form, a pale little girl no older than seven whom Fog-eye referred to as Cinell. He tried to illustrate that she was a living, sentient being. He had no true ownership of her, and could not give her to anyone. It didn't seem she wanted to part with the druid, in any case. The prophet disagreed and demanded it one last time.

Relic stepped up then and offered himself in the Heart's place and, though the warlock was intrigued, he declined. Similarly Thamior offered both his tortured souls for the girls' safety, but it wasn't until Kaylan stepped forward as the Heartcaller did the warlock take any real interest. Someone with the ability to attract Hearts would be invaluable, at the very least in claiming the Hellheart another day. He agreed, kicking the redhead out of his swirling shadow aura with a yelp. Kaylan dutifully entered, feeling drained, weak, and old. Thamior insisted going with her, dropping his swords and also being sapped, and it seemed the prophet held all the cards.

As Kaylan and Thamior were about to share a goodbye kiss, and Relic initiate Operation Delta, Diana growled and stepped forward, playing true to her people's ruthless and terrifying politicking, promising the prophet would suffer greatly before he died no matter what he decided to do UNLESS it was to surrender all parties and flee. He was trapped, and if he harmed his hostages there would be nothing stopping them from annihilating him. Her threat may very well have worked, too, if the warlock did not have a means of escaping via another black rattle.

There Will be a Reckoning
As the villain shook the magic infant's toy and a portal began to yawn, several in the group struck in unison! Fog-eye fired the vine of his life, its healthy flesh withering in the shade, but lassoing his little sister none the less and pulling her back out into his arms. Thamior summoned Ten-Thousand Winters into his hands and stabbed, though the prophet spun and drew his own black-bladed sword in time to parry. Kaylan followed suit with a call to Kalinda, but so drained by the Dark her invocation failed to shine much brighter than a candle's flame. He ejected the lovers with a harsh whisper 'Begone' and sent them skidding thirty feet backward!

Lamenting how perfect it might have been to have the Heart ready for the exarch, and how wonderful his rewards, he resigned himself to feed the remaining two fanes and rebirth Triglav without it. He promised a reckoning and vanished through the portal, the vague shape of pine trees discernible through the darkness. The shadow passage winked out of existence, the rattle with it, even as Diana, Relic and Thamior each promised to see him much sooner than he expected...

For Love of Children
Tyty was again reunited with his little sister, and the two fiercely embraced with a steady stream of tears and sobbing. A sniffling Cinell joined them and a strange, new family was born. The druid assured them they were safe, and that they meant so very much to him. Though Chiela was a little shell-shocked at first, she broke out of her state and replied much the same. All the anger, fear and hardship Fog-eye had suffered to this point didn't matter anymore, only this moment, only the well-being of his sisters.

Kaylan found a very different response in store for her, an irate Thamior and Diana, who out of their own love and concern for the priestess demanded to know why she was so willing to sacrifice herself. Holding onto the redheaded child for mutual comfort, Kaylan defended herself, citing the simple fact 'they were children'.

Abandoning the arguments for the younger ones' sakes, Diana performed a coin trick to lighten the mood. Lavendar crawled out of her pack and inspected the two girls, finding something irresistible in Chiela. She took to the girl immediately and helped get her smiling again.

Tina was not so easy to reach. No one had been fighting for her. She didn't have anyone now that her brothers, mother and father were dead. Kaylan took pity on the little, forgotten one and eventually lifted her out of shock through love, combined with Chiela's kindness and Lavendar's novelty. The two were smiling and laughing again within the hour, especially after Chiela guaranteed her big brother would find the evil man Aldric (The Shadow Prophet) and make sure he'd never hurt anyone ever again.

An Offer They Couldn't Refuse
Relic broodingly attended to the ash ritual in the meantime, contemplating the little girl they weren't able to save, Sonja, fed to the mountain fane despite his efforts. Aldric had taken the rattle with him, furthering bothering him, as it left no real trail to follow other than the Vistani link, or so he thought until Rogar spoke up.

The dregoi knew the location of the Forest Fane, where his companions had been slain, but Kaylan was entirely against him going. She was convinced it was all part of some dragon-devised trap, and the two went back and forth citing deception and honor until Thamior stepped in and decided they should accept his offer. Kaylan wasn't finished speaking her mind, however, nor Rogar, and yet more familial insults and chest-thumping ultimately had Thamior and Rogar inches from each others face. Another fight imminent, the dregoi suddenly laughed and decided to enjoy a partnership with worthy warriors, at least for now.

Sibling Rivalry
As if it wasn't combative enough in the room, Tiberius emerged from his belt and warned Cinell that this group was his. The Hellheart had a different opinion and the two bickered until Strangeheart managed to strike a nerve, calling their sister Blackheart the slyest of them all. This only served to anger Cinell, whose pride was as vast as Tiberius' hunger, and she took on a fiendish voice and burning red eyes. Tiberius' stare grew cold and purple and it may have come down to blows had their respective keepers not reeled them in.

Diana and Tiberius went to sample the fallen corpses while the blood was still fresh, while Cinell withdrew into the druid's open arms. It was then he learned that Cinell did eat, but not blood and gore like her brother, rather emotions, seven to be exact, which she was certain the group could provide her in spades.

A Warforged's Promise
The ritual complete, girls and Hearts secure, the party headed back up into the chram and from there the ruined convent. The nightmare was over for now and even Barovia's frigid night held a little hope and beauty in the faintly blue moon which pierced even the cloud cover to offer a cool light. There they rested a spell, some dozing off, others talking quietly, while Relic fulfilled his promise.

The warforged, Diana with him, spent the next hour crawling and blasting, eventually freeing the stranded hill giant Fruga and her dire bear Bli from the wreckage of Bearhead Hall. Once out in the blessed open, Fruga embraced the metal man and gave him a big, wet, saliva-threaded kiss. Similarly, Bli licked Diana hard enough to knock her prone! The witch was free to return to her family in the high hills, young children waiting for her, and despite her size and repulsiveness, she was a mother, and everyone could sympathize. They walked off one way, while the group took the paths down into the valley until they found Old Svalich Road.

Diana made sure to prop Matron Catarina's corpse in a seat overlooking the broken altar before leaving, her show of respect. The evil that had haunted the hill was vanquished, the once-sacred place clear.

Back in the Vine
On the way back to the village, Thamior and Kaylan shared some warm, parental moments with young Tina, bundled against the cold. Fog-eye and Chiela also approached the cleric and thanked her for what she would have done for them. Fog-eye even revealed his real name to her out of sincerity, Tyvis. She promised to keep it to herself, and the two seemed to develop a special bond.

Meanwhile, Diana tried consoling Relic, who was mentally and physically drained, but he couldn't get over the loss of little Sonja. In this instance, 2 out of 3 was unacceptable. They eventually got into a "lovers" quarrel, where in the vampire called him out on having become 'too human'. The words stuck with him the rest of the way, though Diana did offer advice on how to return to the lovable old machine man she once knew, peppered by Rogar's commentary. Relic and Rogar reached an understanding of one another along the way and, though the group did not trust him, he confessed to Relic that he trusted the group. Relic promised they'd warm up to him in time.

Back at the inn, everyone found their rooms and their beds. Portia slept with Selja, looking healthier than ever, Kaylan tucked in Tina and joined Thamior, and Fog-eye wasn't letting his sister out of his sight in their own private room. Some found a peaceful rest, others couldn't find sleep at all...

Epilogue
Note left for Diana

Experience: 1428 xp each (27, 391 total, LEVEL UP 10.5!)
Horror Under the Hill (fane battle), 6500 xp
Completed Quest: Seeking a Sister, 3500 xp
Magic Items: Chiropteran Robes, Ferronière of Forbidden Knowledge, Unusual Magician's Ring
Money: 2000 suns, 1000 moons (285 gp, 142 sp each)
Loot: stone heads of a snarling bear, wolf and snake (Rogar, about 300 lbs.), 6 red garnet gems (Rogar, worth 100 gp each)

New NPCs
Christina "Tina" Belmont, a eight-year-old human girl with freckles and red hair orphaned by the Barovian devil cult; kidnapped by Aldric and meant as a sacrificed; saved by the group and cared for by Kaylan

Hellheart/Cinell, appearing as a seven-year-old girl with porcelain skin and blood-red curly locks, in a poof and lace black dress, she is the model of innocence and manners, unless she's riled, where upon she takes on a more fiendish voice and blazing eyes; kept by Fog-eye and treated as a second sister; feeds on emotion, specifically the seven deadly sins; in gem form is a brilliant red ruby hot to the touch

Aldric the Shadow Prophet, human warlock and leader of the Barovian devil cult (see Shadow Prophet)

Active Quests

1. Isabella's Ashes (2/3 complete; group): Attune Izzy's remains to the three Barovian fanes in order to resurrect her.
   
2. Triglav Lives! (group): Prevent the Shadow Prophet from completing his fane rituals and resurrecting the new exarch of Hecate.
   
3. Rising of the Sunsword (group): Uncover what you can about the missing Sunsword and help return day to the lightless realm.

Completed Quests

1. Seeking a Sister (Fog-eye, group): Save Fog-eye's sister Chiela before she's sacrificed.

Magic Items:

Chiropteran Robes
Wrapped in this tattered black cloth, you can briefly transform into a furious, shrieking colony of bats.
Level: 12
Price: 13,000 gp
Armor: Cloth
Enhancement: +3 AC

Power (Daily): Immediate Reaction. Trigger: You take damage from an attack. Effect: You fly 8 squares and become insubstantial until the start of your next turn.

-

Ferronière of Forbidden Knowledge
A black jewel rests in the center of your forehead, held by a black velvet cord interwoven with fine, golden chain. Ferronière are often used to hide the marks of syphilis, especially during times of epidemic, but in this instance imparts sharpened wit and additional languages.
Level: 12
Price: 13,000 gp
Item Slot: Head

Property: Gain a +3 item bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
Property: Understand and speak Infernal and Nors.

-

Unusual Magician's Ring
Tricksters and hedge wizards everywhere would give their left hand for one of these famed gold rings, rumored to grant wizardly power. There is an unusual inscription on the inside of the band written in Elven: “Arise!”
Level: 14
Price: 21,000 gp
Item Slot: Ring

Power (At-Will): Standard Action. Use ghost sound as the wizard’s power.
Power (At-Will): Standard Action. Use prestidigitation as the wizard’s power.
Property: Double the ranges of your ghost sound and prestidigitation powers.
Property: If you’ve reached at least one milestone today, double the duration of effects created using this ring.

Session 60: Hell Hath No Fury (PART 1)

Afternoon, Ulanra 15th

The party encountered their newest member, a hulking green dragonborn with a jagged double blade by the name of Rogar, though not everyone was counted thrilled. The color of his scales unsettling enough, he was quickly revealed the son of Reedthagn himself! On a mission that also pitted him against the cult, who dared steal from the Elder Green, he proposed a pairing which Relic accepted on behalf of all.

Plunging into an ancient, stinking, crumbling temple, they found a hellish ceremony involving Vistani and several witches, led by a pale beautiful warlock known as the Shadow Prophet. While attempts to remain unseen were admirable, they also proved unsuccessful, and the warlock bid them welcome. All he wanted was the ruby, the Hellheart, which Fog-eye had been keeping hidden the entire time! Rogar's eyes widened, as did Portia's, to say nothing of the rest of the group's.

On the brink of making a deal, or so Relic feared, Fog-eye parlayed with the Shadow Prophet, who held Chiela captive in a warded chamber. The warforged weighed the odds and attacked, the others following him into battle, breaking up negotiations when it seemed the warlock was going to get what he wanted. Fog-eye was left furious and betrayed, merging with the Hellheart to become a fiendish version of himself with an exposed, ruby heart.

The Shadow Prophet dragged Lysaga's spirit back up from Hell to do his bidding once more, her wrath knowing no bounds, and she attacked the quartet of Kaylan, Thamior, Diana and Portia. On the temple's second tier, Fog-eye and Relic battled the Vistani and the Sibyls of the Bear, Wolf and Serpent. Rogar managed to reach the third tier, cutting down an eye-gouged Sister of the All-Seeing Eye with a little help from the far-flung sorceress, only to meet his match in the fifteen foot stone colossus of Triglav himself that lurched to life and attacked!

All the group's varied powers and skills were laid bare, pitted against the dark power of the witches and their ilk. Animals burst forth from the Wild, chaos shrieked in bolts and explosions, constrictor fangs stabbed deep, divine light shone down from Heaven, the cannon smoked from a constant energy barrage, Ten-thousand Winters flashed between translocating assaults, and the jagged blade became two in a veritable hurricane of scale and steel. Kaylan nearly met her maker if not for the Relic's healing poultices, the favor returned when divine surges prevented an all-systems meltdown. Eventually the Vistani were dispatched and two witches slain, but still the indomitable Saint of Witches, coupled with the unstoppable Colossus of Triglav, tore into the group from either flank, the surviving sibyls and sister blasting, burning, poisoning and dazing the middle ranks.

Amidst the tumult of battle, Diana managed to pierce the wraith's hate and appeal to Lysaga's saintly aspect, the heroic and compassionate soul she had once been in the days of Nor. It fought to the surface long enough to reveal that the Shadow Prophet commanded her through possession of her corpse, which was interred in the colossus's stone torso, a walking, fighting sarcophagus. It's destruction or the destruction of her earthly remains would allow her soul to slip back into Perdition and out of the battle.

And so the battle continues!

Experience: Pending
Magic Items, Money, Loot: Pending

New PC
Rogar, Dragonborn Tempest Fighter

New NPCs
The Shadow Prophet, a pale, beautiful human warlock with a prominent pentagram symbol of Hecate; led the ceremonies in the Temple of Triglav to resurrect the archfiend via the fanes and human sacrifice; interrupted by the party under Lysaga Hill, where he's absconded with Chiela into a room filled with writhing shadow
Chiela, Fog-eyes little sister, kidnapped by diabolists for having found a pretty red ruby to give to her brother on his birthday; that ruby turned out to be none other than the Hellheart, and she became bait to lure the Norsman within the cult's reach; currently held hostage by the Shadow Prophet

New Monsters
Sibyls, Sisters of the All-Seeing Eye, Vistani Cultists, Colossus (construct), Lysaga Manifest

Active Quests

1. Isabella's Ashes (1/3 complete; group): Attune Izzy's remains to the three Barovian fanes in order to resurrect her.
   
2. Seeking a Sister (Fog-eye, group): Discover the remaining fanes and save Fog-eye's sister Chiela before she's sacrificed.
   
3. Triglav Lives! (group): Prevent the devil cult from completing their fane rituals and resurrecting something more ancient and powerful than even the dreaded Count.
   
4. Rising of the Sunsword (group): Uncover what you can about the missing Sunsword and help return day to the lightless realm.
   

Session 59: The Beasts Within

Afternoon, Ulanra 15th

Previously in Barovia...
Relic opened a shadow passage to a ruined convent deep in the Lysaga Hills, once dedicated to Nor and the Saint of Witches, and built upon an even older complex. The group uncovered halls and chambers painted with the likeness of a three-headed titan, what Ivan named Triglav.

Chiela's scent and obvious tracks lead into a circular room with three animal head passages (a wolf, a snake and a bear), as well as a slab of heavy stone carved with three dormant sigils. In order to reach the cult and the girls below, the group would need to explore the three halls and activate the arcane symbols.

As the group moved toward Wolfhead Hall, they were startled by the disembodied voice of Lysaga herself, warning them to leave lest they forfeit their souls. Undeterred, they pressed on, springing a deadly trap of fire, acid and poison. Thamior, Fog-eye and Portia were able to clear a way into the corridor, and from there a small, crumbling throne room, where some very nasty things dwelt...

Wolfhead Hall
Wasting little time, the group stormed the first sigil...

Barks of alarm and guttural beast-shouts echo down the torch-lit hall as you rush to meet their makers, weapons ready, resolves steely. A great buzzing joins the cacophony as you reach a threshold.

Bursting into a small, two-tiered chamber, half its walls cracked or entirely crumbled into rubble, the stink of rotten meat hits you like a club. Across a sunken den littered with animal carcases and a few unfortunate travelers looms a hulking monstrosity of green, corded muscles heaped upon yet more grotesque muscle, bulging in silver wolf pelts and black, studded leathers. Despite the obscuring cloud of flies, you see his over-sized head, warty and draped in greasy black strands, is dominated by a shark-like mouth of rowed teeth, dozens of them, sprung from bleeding, pus-dribbling gums and quivering, black lips. His tiny, white eyes glow in the fire lights as he growls, tightening his clawed grip on his spiked greatclub. A troll!

Beside him, two loyal worgs gnash their teeth and tense their legs, preparing to sprint. Both look like immense wolves with an evil bent, stormy gray, overlong fangs, and burning red eyes. The one to the right of the troll is a little bigger, with a pink muzzle stained permanently from bloody kills, most definitely the alpha. Similarly, two more worgs in the den turn from their feeding and snarl your direction.

Disturbing though it all may be, the worst abomination cranes over a weak campfire near the most shattered part of the room, a troll hag even larger than the worgmaster. Her claws are massive, fingers like the sharpened prongs of pitchforks, large enough to wrap around a man's waist and lift him into a mouth big enough to bite him in half. Fangs tangle and sprout like a terrible thicket bloomed from black, dripping gums. Venomous saliva stains the front of her raggedy frock, nothing much more than crudely-stitched pelts and stretched man flesh, and it barely covers her at that. Dangling, pea-colored breasts swing nearly in the flame amidst matted, black hair, one escaped its covering and capped in a wide, black, worm-wrapped nipple. She hisses, spittle and the drip from her beak-like nose making the flames crackle.

Suddenly the hag jerks three feet into the air, gasping and gagging as a crimson mist descends upon her and fills her lungs. She violently jerks and spasms, even as her eyes fill the same crimson. The troll snaps her head the group's direction, a grimace forming, one that unleashes a torrent of mouth juices. Extending one, warty arm and sickle-like finger, she rasps in Lysaga's own voice, “Now your souls belong to me.”

Guardians Triumphant


Lysaga's Wrath

The Impossible Tragedy
Everything exploded in consuming fire and broken stone. Portia, Kaylan, Diana and Fog-eye were thrust from the room, skidding on their backs half-way down the hall. A deafening series of crashes boomed, followed by an enveloping cloud of smoke and dust. Thamior and Relic were no where to be found, crushed inside the throne room when it blew. Nothing could have survived that.

Fog-eye, crippled with guilt, dug furiously against the great mountain of rubble. Kaylan balled her fist, an emotional wreck, and even Diana was at a loss for words. Portia didn't quite offer comfort so much as an off-chance they survived, but things were looking dire. Besides the loss of two friends, the throne with the mountain sigil was destroyed, leaving them no way to activate it. They would never reach the lower level, never save Chiela or stop the cult.

Then blue brilliance, and coughing, as Relic blasted a way clear, Thamior around his shoulder. Kaylan, beside herself, rushed to embrace her love, while Diana swooped in and hugged her metallic friend. As it turned out, Fog-eye's accidental raining troll provided cover enough to shield both men from the brunt of the fire. Teleportation and cannon fire did the rest. Relic also managed to activate the mountain sigil before everything melted down, and in the chram the corresponding glyph glowed an unearthly blue upon the floor.

Bearhead Hall
Collecting themselves, they plunged into the adjacent hall...

You follow a narrow, crooked series of cracks through the collapsed remains of a much wider avenue, looking to have fallen only recently. The way is precarious, tons of rock balanced on questionable foundations, chance rock heaps and uneven boulders. Gravel and mud make uncertain footing, slicked further by gray-green fungi, and slipping is common.

The openings shrink the further you go on this decidedly downward slope, backs pressed against unyielding stone, shoulders cramped, breaths shallow. Relic is forced on his stomach to clear the final threshold with a little worming.

You empty into a sprawling chamber consumed by shadows, the furthest reaches of the ceiling indiscernible (higher than 40 feet), though a chorus of squeaks and ruffles, and the flash of several hundred eyes, clues you in to a sizable bat warren. The stench of guano hangs in the warm, humid air, taking root in your nose hairs and accosting you with every breath. It cakes the floor nearly ankle deep, filthy and nauseating.

Beyond a broken wall with Triglavi murals you see two archways. The nearest opens into a darkened, pillar-lined ruins, while the furthest holds a recess lit green by phosphorescent fungi. The fungi grows only in the grooves of a large pine tree carving, the glowing Forest Sigil.

There are two unfinished staircases flanking the wide chamber, climbing thirty feet into the air before ending abruptly. Debris piled beneath these drop offs suggest the stairs may once have led somewhere out of sight.

Follow the Path
Diana's darkvision served her well, spotting a painted mural in the shadows of the ceiling: A chain of bears traveling a particular path through the woods. Suspecting another trap, she made careful note of where the bears walked in accordance with the flooring, safely guiding Relic through a great span of guano-caked pressure plates.

Traps, bats, potential monsters, Fog-eye warned airborne fungi growing on the droppings was highly toxic. Everyone save Relic quickly succumbed to them, contracting Histoplasmosis, a condition that could cause severe weakness and debilitation if not properly treated.

Fruga and Bli

Lysaga's Second Coming

Snakehead Hall
Determined to reach the lower levels, the party entered the snake's mouth...

Walking down the serpent's throat, you pass through a set of tall malachite doors carved in the likeness of writhing snakes. Down a short, roughly-hewed stairwell whose walls glisten with moisture, you come upon an ancient chamber fractured by some long-ago seismic event. A small ravine cuts the muck-covered marble flooring in half, with a brackish stream slithering at its bottom amidst the mud and the mushrooms.

A sturdy rope bridge spans the gap now. Across the way, a staircase leads to the river bank. Mist lifts from the ravine, obscuring the far side of the room so than you can just barely make out the architecture, much less any details or occupants, especially near the bottom of the steps. There is an incessant whisper as water passes over stone and steamy haze hisses upward.

Lady Gorgon

Performances

End of the Game

The Exarch, Triglav

Well, Hello
The final sigil activated, the group returned to the Chram of Mystery. A massive stone slab was in the process of grinding open, revealing wide steps slick with moisture and a warm, rising mist. The faintest drum-paced chanting could be heard down below, often marked by ecstatic screams.

The group was no longer alone, either, as a scaled stranger waited for them at the opening...


Experience: 1333 xp each (25, 963 total )
Wolfhead Battle, 2800
TRAP: Follow the Path (Diana), 700
RP: Friends, Not Foes (Relic), 500
SKILL CHALLENGE: Jaws of Death, 1500
RP: Performances (Relic, Fog-eye, Diana), 500
Snakehead Battle, 2000

Magic: Jade Sea Snake (Fog-eye)
Money: 1000 suns off of the gorgon (166 gp each)
Loot: 4 giant snake fangs (Portia), ornate juniper bow (worth 500 gp)

New NPCs
Fruga, a hill giant witch encountered in the Bearhead Hall, imposing, putrid, but gentle as well; lured to the chram by a "big power" and kept there against her will for some sort of "big evil" ritual; has a pet dire bear; befriended Relic
Bli, a dire bear companion of the hill giant Fruga; menacing, but a gentle soul at heart; trapped in the Bearhead Hall with his mistress; befriended Diana
Lady Gorgon, a medusa witch come to bare witness to Triglav's rebirth and the subsequent Awakening of Hecate; a gorgeous monster from Azerbad, with steadfast faith; enjoyed song and stories; dead

New Monsters
Hill Giant, Dire Bear, Medusa, Ancient Constrictors

New Traps
Follow the Path (Level 8 Obstacle)

Active Quests

1. Isabella's Ashes (1/3 complete; group): Attune Izzy's remains to the three Barovian fanes in order to resurrect her.
   
2. Seeking a Sister (Fog-eye, group): Discover the remaining fanes and save Fog-eye's sister Chiela before she's sacrificed.
   
3. Triglav Lives! (group): Prevent the devil cult from completing their fane rituals and resurrecting something more ancient and powerful than even the dreaded Count.
   
4. Rising of the Sunsword (group): Uncover what you can about the missing Sunsword and help return day to the lightless realm.

Session 58: A Cautionary Tale

Morning, Ulanra 15th

Prologue
Disbelief, Truths. Awakenings, and Revelations

Previously in Barovia...
The group successfully attuned the swamp fane to Isabella's ashes and returned to the village for some much-needed rest. Sadly, they found nothing of the sort. Between a sadistic wolfwere, a Lightbringer funeral, a bloody murder scene, and some devilish council, the group learned that an infernal cult was also seeking the fanes to resurrect something called Triglav, a being older and more powerful than even the recently-departed Count. And in order to do it, the cult needed three virgin sacrifices, including two kidnapped Barovian girls and Fog-eye's own sister Chiela!

With only two days before the ritual's completion, Ashlyn worked on delaying the wolfwere's execution (he could still prove useful) and, more importantly, Relic unlocked the magic behind a mysterious black rattle found at the scene of the murders. With it, the warforged could recreate the murderer's shadow portal. It could lead to their base of operations, perhaps another fane...

Good Mornings
A sound sleep was had by all, despite the dire circumstances looming over them. Fog-eye woke earlier than the rest, sneaking downstairs amidst a handful of early risers to order breakfast. He was followed by the fat, orange cat Shilo living in Diana's bag. The druid already had issues with cats, but meeting such a spoiled and willful one proved a daunting challenge. A fight over who owned breakfast ensued, matters further complicated when Portia joined them. Fog-eye disliked cats, but outright distrusted goblinkin. It didn't help how affectionate Shilo was with the boggart.

Meanwhile, Thamior and Kaylan shared some much needed privacy. He also introduced her to an old friend of his, the mischievous little book imp he called Ithnot, which appeared as a toothy smile and glowing eyes. Ithnot had been one of his only companions growing up, but recently had gone missing. It turned out Ithnot was sleeping in the history book Vilthanos had given Relic, and once opened he was freed. Kaylan was creeped out at first, but slowly came to accept the little entity.

Next door, Diana woke to find a very different Relic, platinum and white with golden inlays. Thamior's white gem burned in his chest, the Sacredheart, Heaven's Heart according to Ezariel. He was just finishing up with the rattle. Talk ranged, and at one point Diana expressed her serious doubts about returning Isabella via the fanes, but ultimately she resigned (or resolved) to see it through to the end.

Opening the door of her room, the Saspish girl was nearly dragged away by Thamior. The fel reprimanded Diana on her inability to keep a secret. Though her absentmindedness was innocent, the consequences were much less so. She vowed to be a better friend, and the two parted amiably.

He returned to find Kaylan trying on the maternity gown Relic had made for her, a pillow jammed up it to simulate her future. She didn't look very pleased, and jumped ten feet when the fel walked in on her.

Back in the hall, Relic was able to return the Strangeheart to its rightful owner. Tiberius practically exploded into boyhood as he was handed over, gasping and hacking. He was finally free, and supremely hungry. Diana gave him what she had in dragon blood, which he ravenously devoured, while the machine man and the vampire looked on almost lovingly. He wanted more, a vacuum (so to speak), and Diana promised him choice picks of whatever they faced at the remaining fanes. It was enough to send him running and wrap Diana in a hug, even as he changed back into the purple gem and returned to the belt.

Slowly the group matriculated downstairs and had their fruit, meat and bread. They talked a bit, while Fog-eye slipped off outside. A little while later, the group heard a long howl, and not too long after Fog-eye returned with a smile on his face. Relic took them to task, rattle in hand, and led them out of town.

Before leaving, Kaylan tried making peace with Giers. There was no answer at his door after numerous attempts, and she eventually gave up.

Shadow Passage
Deciding it safest to open the portal outside of town, the group traveled just beyond Ignac's bridge, his sad camp still set in the snow drifts. There had been a happy ending for the watchman's spirit, though, and that gave everyone a little hope. There could still be a happy ending to this mess.

Relic shook the rattle and summoned up a giant, rectangular shadow doorway that yawned like some old, awoken wraith. The rattle crumbled, its one use shot, and the warforged herded everyone quickly through, weapons ready.

The Broken Altar
They were transported somewhere deep in the Lysaga Hills...

You manifest before a broken altar some eight feet wide, a slab of pearly marble flecked with gold and streaked with blue mineral like lightning. Collapsed into a V, ruined, forgotten, it fits in well with the barren surroundings, a dilapidated inner sanctum of what may have once been a church or monastery.

Most of the roof is gone, littering the snowy ground at your feet, and dozens of blown-out windows and holes in the walls offer nothing in the way of shelter. What they do provide, however, are dark views of the mountains, the snowy peaks just barely illuminated by strange, luminescent mists native to this realm. You're somewhere deep in the Lysaga Hills, nearly into the Balinok Mountains proper.

The cold mountain wind blows freely, sending shocks and shivers. The sound is ghastly and wheezing, as it moves in and out of the ruins like breath. Pillars lay on their sides, doors have rotted off the hinges, and what scant few flying buttresses remain jut into the darkened sky like broken ribs encasing you in the belly of some long-dead behemoth.

Angelic statues stand headless, their wings shattered, their swords snapped at the hilts. Baptismal pools serve now as bird baths, collecting snow and rain in their basins, catering to small, brown mountain birds and the occasional fat crow.

Though the greater view of the ruins is obscured from this large chamber, you get a sense there are multiple floors and small wings. Faint markings and familiar symbols, though weathered nearly smooth, adorn the walls and altar and may begin to tell the tale of this holy house, its focus of worship and the ascetics who once lived here…

Lysaga's Story
Kaylan recognized the space was once dedicated to, of all deities, Nor. Thamior's mischievous friend had more to say on the subject, and whispered it into the fel's ear, he in turn expounding it to the others while Diana's eyes glazed over...

This was once an altar dedicated to Nor, the God King, founder of the Nors Empire, depicted in a Barovian context as the Liberator, the Breaker of Fear and Chains, and the Spirit of Unity and Civilization, without which all mortals would succumb to the nightmares of Cadavera. His holy symbol is distinguishable as an upraised fist, defiant, but clenched and unified.

More specifically, this was a convent honoring St. Lysaga, a slave liberated in the time of Nor and one of his companions in the quest to overthrow the Gloriandeline Empire. She exhibited unwavering willpower and a legendary threshold for pain, and it was often whispered the unspeakable hurts she’d endured growing up as the favored concubine of the mad elven warlock Felanthar. She harbored a bitter flame because of her sufferings, one which fueled her explosive temper and skill in black magic. Though wrath served her well in the destruction of many elves, it ultimately claimed her entirely. With the war raging, she feared her revenge would be stolen from her and made an infernal bargain to ensure Felanthar’s life ended by her hands.

Though risen as a saint for all her goodly contributions to the ancient war effort, and for being one of Nor’s own companions (once saving his life), Lysaga’s story is also a cautionary tale for when drive becomes obsession and righteousness becomes rage. She is sometimes called Saint Anger or the Patron Saint of Witches, and is often depicted as a beautiful young woman with blood-red skin and night-black hair and robes. There is always a shadow cast over her or looming behind her, the shadow of the devil which claimed her soul and fulfilled her hate-born wish.

Around five hundred years ago, Matron Catarina Parshin founded the Ecatarine Convent on the Lysaga Hills, dedicated to Saint Lysaga, endeavoring to reform the most hell-bent young women into proud, peaceable “good witches”. More often than not, she succeeded, and for many years ran a respected abbey. However it was not meant to last, as Strahd came to power and took a fancy to the abundance of future Brides and followers. The convent was often the target of nightly feedings and raids. After Catarina's death one evening at the hands of what is described only as “The Devil”, the order was fractured and eventually disappeared entirely.

Catarina's Warnings
The group explored the crumbling ruins, finding many tracks in the snow, the majority of them inhuman. They eventually came to an archway marking the passage into the cellars and crypts, a stone door flanked by angelic caryatids, their swords raised to form an archway of light and cloud.

Relic cautiously opened the door, only to find a darkened stairwell leading down. Nothing jumped out, and no traps were triggered. He assumed it safe, until Portia, Diana and Kaylan passed through. The caryatids came to life, turning their heads and warning to go any further risked their immortal souls. Then just as quickly they returned to normal. None of the men saw what had transpired, and Diana and Kaylan were able to deduce it a Magic Mouth ritual cast upon the columns, which spoke a warning whenever a young woman tried entering.

Sufficiently unnerved, they continued down, Portia lingering to see if the stonework would hold a conversation. It did not. The girls recieved their second and final warning via Magic Mouth, again warning that to go any further would damn them forever.

Fog-eye had since changed into a wolf, sniffing the trail and catching the scent of something that filled him with hope and new vigor: Chiela! He surged ahead, much to Relic's worry, though stopped short of sprinting off.

Under the abbey stood a forest of sweating, gray stone pillars and cramped, damp, cold rooms filled from floor to ceiling with corpse shelves. Barrels, crates and stuffs of fresh supplies and, deeper in the complex, bedrolls and signs of camp fires proved they were getting close...

Following the wet tracks amidst the shelves of dead sisters, you eventually come upon the largest stone coffin among them, upright against the back wall, nestled in a canopied tabernacle framed in crumbling cherub faces. Many small eyes, noses and cheeks littering the ground before it. Though the coffin is closed, Matron Catarina Parshin’s wet corpse has been torn from its resting place and tossed carelessly aside, her garment muck-covered and yet somehow still presentable, even her habit still securely fastened around her skull. Rigor mortis extends her arms outward as if in perpetual warning, bleached jaw gaping and eyeless sockets wide in shock.

The group examined the body and eventually risked opening the coffin...

The stone lid slides open quite easily, revealing a false back and a torch-lit hallway of a different sort of stone than what's used in the convent or crypt, dark brown with streaks of tan and something like gold. It doesn't take an archaeologist to tell this hall predates the convent by some years given the hieroglyphs on the walls depicting, among things, a three-headed titan being worshiped by an array of men and monsters, building temples and making sacrifices in its honor. It smells terrible in here, sour and rotten, and various fungi grows where the walls meet the ceiling. A brown mold is so thick on the floor it's like carpet, providing easy tracks to follow ahead.

The Chram of Deep Mystery
The group entered a circular chamber with three wide passages, their archways fashioned in the likenesses of a gigantic bear, wolf and snake head and riddled with various mold and fungi so that it looked as if they'd fur and scales. The floor mold had been disturbed throughout the chamber, providing three separate trails, one for each hall, as well as marks around a section of flooring near the chamber's center. Three sigils, a pine tree, dead tree and mountain, were carved into the massive piece of stone.

Fog-eye deduced these sigils corresponded to the fanes, and that all three would need to be activated in order to open the passage down. Undoubtedly, this meant exploring each animal hall, perhaps reflecting the relationship between the animal and the fane (guessed as the snake and the dead tree/swamp fane, the bear and the pine tree/forest fane, and the wolf and the mountain fane). The druid growled angrily, as it seemed the cult knew of their coming and sought to delay them with this obstacle.

Around that time, a distant screaming grew increasingly louder until it filled the chamber like thunder. The bellowing, disembodied voice of a woman who claimed to be Lysaga herself gave her final warning, to leave this sacred place of suffer her wrath. The group wasn't very inclined to give up now, and the torches lining the walls flickered and nearly died out.

Breath of Triglav
Hoping Lysaga was all bluster, the group decided to try the Wolfhead Hall and passed into its great maw. That's when the trap sprung, portcullises chomping like iron teeth over every possible exit, effectively trapping everyone inside. Large pipes dropped from the cielings like uvulas in the animals' throats and fired! The wolf spewed blinding fire, the bear hosed yellow, corroding acid and the snake sprayed green, stinging poison.

The group was burned and gasping, frantic in the deathtrap. Kaylan thought to dent the fire pipe upward with a blow of her mace, but ended up losing the weapon in a bad swing. She scurried after it and pressed against the wall, powerless. Diana joined her. Relic tried disarming the devices through manipulation of the sigils, but couldn't get them to react.

Thamior drew Ten-Thousand Winters, calling its ancient power to defend them from the flames with furious whirling and turning. This provided opening enough for Fog-eye to morph into a blackbird and sail through the portcullis bars, landing on the release lever and raising the barrier. Portia followed up, running up the fel's back and leaping against the pipe. With deft expertise, she managed to hotwire the ancient mechanics and force the fire nozzle back into the ceiling.

The bear and the snake continued vomiting their deadly breaths, but the group had their opening and took it, rushing into Wolfhead Hall. Once the chamber was empty, the two blasters ceased. Fog-eye circled back inside, his small body escaping the trap trigger, and flew through the two other portcullises' bars, raising those barriers as well. Portia was certain she could deactivate the other two breaths when the time came.

Wolfhead Hall
Barks of alarm and guttural beast-shouts sounded from the torch-lit end of the hall. The group cautiously approached, coming upon a small, crumbling throne room infested with trolls and their worg pets. An ancient seat with the mountain sigil rested on a dais within.

The worgmaster looked fearsome enough with his lash and club, covered in silver furs, and surrounded by four hulking, red-eyed monsters, but the bowed, green warty troll witch was even more fearsome, with wicked claws and dribbling fangs.

Matters were only made worse when a crimson mist descended on the witch and she jerked three feet in the air, twitching and convulsing, and then speaking in Lysaga's own voice that the group's souls were now her's.


Experience: 216 xp each (24, 630 total)
You Know Your History (Thamior), 500
TRAP: Breath of Triglav, 800

Magic: n/a
Money: 2000 gp found throughout the ruins (333 gp each)
Loot: a snack (Portia)

New Familiars
Ithnot, the bosom book imp companion of Thamior, friends since childhood, who appears as a disembodied set of glowing eyes and a toothy grin.

New NPCs
Matron Catarina Parshin (mentioned), founder of the Ecatarine Convent five hundred years ago; reformed hell-bent witches into proud, peaceful white witches like herself; was killed by The Devil during the reign of Strahd and her order vanished soon after; her corpse was seen on the way into the Chram of Mystery, as her coffin was the passage
Saint Lysaga (disembodied), the ghost of the doomed Saint of Witches, summoned from Hell itself to guard the mountain fane; the Ecatarine Convent was named in her honor, as were the hills; was consumed by wrath and sold her soul, taught by many in the Nors church as a cautionary tale; warned the group to leave, activated the Breath of Triglav, and possessed the troll witch in the Wolfhead Hall

New Traps
Breath of Triglav (Level 10 Elite Blaster)

New Monsters
Worgs, Trolls

Active Quests

1. Isabella's Ashes (1/3 complete; group): Attune Izzy's remains to the three Barovian fanes in order to resurrect her.
   
2. Seeking a Sister (Fog-eye, group): Discover the remaining fanes and save Fog-eye's sister Chiela before she's sacrificed.
   
3. Triglav Lives! (group): Prevent the devil cult from completing their fane rituals and resurrecting something more ancient and powerful than even the dreaded Count.
   
4. Rising of the Sunsword (group): Uncover what you can about the missing Sunsword and help return day to the lightless realm.